As to two of these denominations, he should
say but little; his chief and natural business being to defend that
one of which he knew most. In regard to the Baptists, he was sorry to
be obliged to say, that he believed they were the least defensible of
the three denominations, now principally implicated; indeed that some
of their Associations had taken ground on the whole case, from which
he entirely dissented,--and which, he was sure, had given great pain
to the majority of their own brethren. He begged leave to refer them
to the work of Drs. Cox and Hoby, just through the press, in which he
presumed, for he had not seen it, they would find an authentic and
ample information on this and every other point relating to that
denomination in America. In relation to the Methodists, his knowledge
was both more full and more accurate. Their discipline denounced
Slavery, and prohibited their Members from owning slaves, and though
their discipline itself was not carried into effect with rigid
exactness, he did not believe that there was a Methodist Church in the
United States, or upon the Earth, which owned slaves, as a Church. He
believed that very few Methodist preachers--indeed, almost none, owned
any slaves, and nothing but the most direct proof could for a moment
make him believe, that one of them was a slave-dealer. The whole sect,
or at least the great majority of it, might be considered as fairly
represented, in the following Resolutions passed in the Conference,
held at Baltimore; and which could be a set off to those read by Mr.
Thompson, from one of the northern Conferences.
METHODIST'S RESOLUTIONS ON ABOLITION.
At a late meeting of the Baltimore Annual Conference of the
Methodist Episcopal Church held at Baltimore, the following
preamble and Resolutions were unanimously adopted, and the
names of all the members and probationers present, in number,
one hundred and fifty-seven, were subscribed, and ordered to
be published. The secretary was also directed to furnish Rev.
John A. Collins, with a copy for insertion in the Globe and
Intelligencer, of Washington City.
Whereas great excitement has pervaded this country for some
time past on the subject of abolition; and whereas such
excitement is believed to be destructive to the best
interests of the country and of religion; therefore
1. _Resolved_, That "we are as much as ever convinced of the
great evil of slavery."
2. That we are opposed in every part and particular to the
proceedings of the abolitionists, which look to the immediate
indiscriminate, and general emancipation of slaves.
3. That we have no connexion with any press, by whomsoever
conducted, in the interest of the abolition cause.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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