stroyed, by the bold and sleepless effort of unmeasured and exaggerated detraction, which the True Wesleyan body-ministry and laity generally-have been making since their organization.

And how far this may be an offset against what good they have done, or how far their evil in this respect may overbalance all their good, will only be known in the great day of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, in view of the whole ground-when we reflect on the bonds severed, the confidence destroyed, the suspicions excited, the jealousies awakened, the loud contention kindled, the open strife enacted, the angry passions heated, the war of words repeated, and the loud laugh of infidelity, with the louder roaring, joyous laugh of hell, that has echoed through the ranks of those who, arm in arm, in open, sweet, and loving brotherhood, have taken the lead in this new movement--we conclude that they not only have done no good, but harm.

These, with the light we now have, are the deliberate convictions to which our observations and investigations of the subject have conducted us.

Now, in view of what precedes, we have a little friendly advice to give the True Wesleyans, and all others of kindred spirit; but we speak more particularly of them than others, from the consideration, that having been a Methodist from the days of our boyhood, we have paid some attention to her ecclesiastical platform on the subject of slavery, and consequently know more about the fallacy of their alleged grievances than we do of others; and withal we think many of them, both in the ministry and laity, to be well-meaning people, who are trying to live in the fear of God. On which account, heretofore, (though

we honestly believe them in error,) in view of the weakness of the flesh, we have commingled with, and rendered them, in our very feeble manner, some little assistance in their religious movements. But to the advice: It is, unless they can overturn the doctrine of these pages, fairly and scripturally, and thereby prove themselves, in their present organization, to be, what we have denied, the child of Providence, to disband, and, doing honestly their first works over again, go back, in the spirit of humility and meekness, to the places from whence you came. This may be a hard task, especially after having ransacked the vocabulary of earth for degrading epithets, with which to reproach the mother that travailed, bore, and gave you suck; dandling you, in your spiritual infancy, on the knees of her tender, sleepless care; and, under Christ, her husband and head, has said a thousand times to your troubled heart, in a voice of soothing, cheering, comforting, and strengthening melody, "Come thou with us, and we will do thee good; for the Lord hath spoken good concerning Israel."

We repeat, the task may be a hard one; but the occasion demands it; even all that simple, artless honesty which follows truth and duty in the lowest vale of humiliation and moreover, paradoxical as it may seem, like the Divine administration before alluded to, in going down, you go up; or, like the repenting, returning sinner, your abasement will be your exaltation. Or if you want a case still more apposite, we will give it to you in the example of the great Richard Watson, than which, no act of his eventful and useful life commands more fully the approval of all wise and good men. Like Like many of you, in the heat, folly, or indiscretion

of youth, or the

thoughtlessness of an unguarded hour, he expatriated himself from the Church of his early choice; but, followed with convictions of haste and impropriety in so doing, he humbly and unostentatiously returned.

We repeat the advice: disband and go back, unless you can prove yourselves to be a child of Providence. And this we think you cannot do," for reasons already in part assigned. For if our position be true with regard to this question, the Church that bore you is, by a figure of speech, the true "Jerusalem from above." This mother you have called a harlot, a brotherhood of thieves, the synagogue of Satan, and all that sort of dirty thing. "And as the serpent cast

out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood," so you, to speak without a figure, have persecuted the Church of God.

The inference is clear. If the Methodist Episcopal Church, in her ecclesiastical polity, as we think we have established beyond controversy, is founded on the essential truth of God's word, He can never have raised you up for the purpose of defaming that Church, because, such is her position, this would be his "kingdom divided against itself."

SECTION II.

ON THE DIVISION OF THE CHURCH.

It may not be improper in us to offer some reflections on the division of the Church, as a matter we have greatly deplored, and over which, whenever our thoughts run in that direction, we yet mourn with

sentiments of heartfelt sorrow; and often find ourselves, in our musings on this gloomy subject, overrun with the almost unconscious or involuntary wish, O that it had never come to pass! or, having come to pass, that the wisdom and goodness of all concerned, by the blessing of God, who is said to "bless his people with peace," might devise some ways and means by which the "hurt of the daughter of my people might be recovered." But, alas for poor Methodism ! the battle increases the breach widens; and the increasing developments that time and circumstances are evolving, give ominous signs that, in our intercourse, a cool, calculating, worldly policy is to swallow up (with profound emotion we name it) the gushing tide of warm, generous, glowing Christian affection that in the days of other years used to circulate throughout the whole heaven and earth of original Methodism. May He who presides in high and gracious authority over his militant care forbid it! and, if nothing better can be done,-of which we sometimes hope even against hope-hush the furious, raging, roaring storm that now agitates us, to-"In essentials, unity; non-essentials, liberty; and in all things, charity;"—that a fairer spring may bloom on our Zion, and drive away wintry storms forever.

On this subject doctors have differed; even doctors whose fame, religiously, has filled the measure of their country's glory. From which fact we are admonished of the feebleness, and fear the unavailingness of the effort of one who cannot affix to his signature the beautifully rounded period of D. D.; and is so peculiarly constituted, as not to like the prefix R-E-V. Nevertheless, with feelings of due deference to our predecessors, and possibly our superiors, on this sub

ject, we will approach it, encouraged thereto, first, by the widow's mite, of renowned notoriety in sacred history; and, secondly, by what we find written in the Book of Job: "I said days should speak, and the multitude of years should teach wisdom. But there is a spirit in man, and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth understanding. Great men are not always wise; neither do the aged understand judgment. Therefore I said, Hearken unto me; I also will show mine opinion." In doing which, we shall endeavour, as far as possible, to avoid what has been already written, it now being before the public, and need not be here repeated.

A sentiment that some time since purposely escaped the pen of the catholic Hunter, of the Pittsburgh Christian Advocate, about a kindred matter, will, on this subject, be a good commencement. It was in reference to the family quarrel between Episcopal and Protestant Methodism, for which, with him, we see no gospel reason why they should longer be measuring their swords, and trying the weight of their metal. Like that, the division of the Church into North and South (however the North will not admit the cognomen) originated in a family quarrel, in which, we think, to a greater or less extent, both parties, as we will endeavour to show, are implicated; for we shall try to follow out our convictions of truth, giving saint and sinner their portion, cost our reputation what it may. But we forget, our memory being short in this matter, for on the other page we publish to the world we have none. Well, to commence over again: Have we of the North fully appreciated the difficulties of the South, and duly sympathized with them in their connexion with the great evil of