of the society. Upon the event of the success of this move of the General Conference of the M. E. Church, our Church, our property will be transferred into the hands of Methodist preachers in Conference. Therefore, Resolved, that we cannot receive any longer, a preached from the Methodist Episcopal Conference nor any service from them, as respects church government; as we are highly dissatisfied with their proceedings in the above case. Be it further Resolved, that a committee of three be appointed to inform the Presiding Elder of the district, or the ruling Elder of New York city, of the above resolutions of this Meeting: the following were the committee, George Collins, Thobias Hawkins, William Brown. It was also Resolved, that William M. Stilwell our present Elder from the white conference, continue his services with us the remainder of this year. Thus was the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church disconnected with the white Bishops and conference. In a short time after this, in the same year, measures were adopted by the A. M. E. Church, to establish their own government. (In which they met with little or no opposition from the white Methodists: for the particulars of which, see History of said Church, by C. Rush.) after considerable labor. The committee was composed of the following: James Varick, George Collins, Charles Anderson, Christopher Rush; their discipline was completed and adopted on the 20th of September, A. D. 1820, in the city of New York. Thus they progressed for one year, par. tially organized, as the now known connections during the progress of the said year. Asbury church, distinct from Zion, (which was raised by William Miller while disconnected with Zion church,) formed a connection with Zion Church, under her new govervment. Also, the same year, two other societies, from New Haven, Ct., and Philadelphia, Pa., formed a connection with the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, in New York, subsequent to which, the same year, application was made to the white Bishops and Conferences of the Methodist Episcopal Church, to establish an Annual Conference for the African Methodist Episcopal Church, to be under the presidency of a white bishop, which application was negatived by Bishop McKendree and the New York Annual Conference: for the particulars in this case, see the History of the African Methodist Episcopal church, by C. Rush.-From the failure of this move, the ministers of the A. M. E. church, (composed of the above named distinct societies,) met, according to arrangement, on the 21st June, 1821, to hold their first Annual Conference, in Zion Church, in the city of New York. Joshua Soul, then elder, now bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and Dr. Wm. Phebus, were invited to attend the meet They proceeded to the establishment of their ecclesiastical government, 1st, by the election of Elders to take pastoral charges, as there were no ordained ministers among them to take pastoral charges; as they had applied to the white Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church to ordain two ministers, which application was neg-ing, which they did. Dr. Wm. Phebus was atived, therefore, they were necessitated to take Mr. Wesley's plan of necessity, and elect Elders, which was done with entire consent of the Church, and with the assistance of William M. Stilwell, (Elder of the Protestant Methodist church, who was ordained in the Methodist Episcopal church, and seceded from Methodist Episcopal church in its cism) the church elected two Elders, Abramam Thompson, James Varick. 2d, They proceeded to appoint a committee to form a discipline from the discipline of the Methodist Episcopal church, which they succeeded in elected president of the conference pro ex viso. Joshua Soul was appointed secretary, and the conference commenced accordingly. The number of ministers in attendance were 22, the number of members reported at the conference were 1426; the financial receipt 35 dollars: thus was the first Annual Conference of said denomination. The next movement of said Church was the ordination of its elders, (which had only been elected) by the imposition of hands, which was succeeded in at the next Annual Conference, in June 17, 1822. James Covel, Sylvester Hutch 4. They hold the doctrine of repentance towards God, also good works; but though they are the fruits of faith, and follow after justification, yet they cannot put away our sins, but we produce good works, as our duty to God; and then the merits of Christ are bestowed upon us. 5. They believe in justification by faith in the merits of Jesus Christ. inson and William M. Stilwell, (all regular elders of the Methodist Protestant Church,) were solicited to assist in the ordination of elders, which they cordially consented to, and three elders were ordained during the conference sitting: the following were the persons: Abraham Thompson, James Varick, Leven Smith. Thus were established the Discipline, Annual Conference and the ordination of the said church; thus the Annual conference convened, for seven years successively, man. at each of which conventions, it appointed its president. At the Annual Conference, May 15, 1838, the Rev. Christopher Rush, was elected the permanent superintendent for four years. Thus was fully established the African Methodist Episcopal Church in America. -- II. DOCTRINES. FIRST OF THEIR FAITH. 1. They hold the doctrine of three persons in the Eternal Godhead, the Holy Trinity, these three equal in power and glory the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, the Son, the Eternal Logos, which was made flesh and dwelled among men; being God and man in the person of Jesus Christ, who possessed two natures in one person, never to be completely separated. That he was born of the Virgin Mary; that he suffered in this world, was crucified, dead, and was buried, and rose again and ascended into Heaven, having made full Redemption for all men, on the conditions of obedience to God. That He will Judge the world in the last day. They also believe that the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and the Son, by which the souls of men are justified, and their nature sanctified. 2. They hold the doctrine of the sufficiency of the Scriptures, with the Holy Spirit for salvation; also the validity of the thirty-nine canonical books of the Old Testament, also the twenty-seven of the New Testament. 3. They also admit the doctrine of human depravity, as the consequence of the fall, or original sin. That man, in his natural state after the fall, was totally unable to do any thing acceptable with God, without his grace, by which he is brought into his favor. 6. In the doctrine of faith as the gift of God, but must be put into exercise by 7. Also the doctrine of sanctification or christian perfection; that is, that a christian can live, a conscience void of offence toward God and man, that he can order his conduct so before God and man as not to encourage his carnal nature in the least; then the Holy Spirit is bestowed richly upon him; forming in him a new nature, in opposition to his carnal; thus his spiritual nature becomes predominant; God ruling upon the main altar of the heart, then he is sanctified, or entirely consecrated to the service of God. 8. They believe in a possibility of sining after justification or sanctification. 9. They discountenance the doctrine of superogation; also the doctrine of purgatory. 10. They believe in the sacrements; the Lord's Supper; Baptism; and Holy Matrimony: a. The sacrament of the Lord's Supper they believe substantially to be the seal of our obligation, to obey and serve God with all our hearts. That it is the great memorial of the death and passion of Jesus Christ, by which our souls are refreshed in hope of eternal life through Christ. Also, that the humble penitent who truly repents, is entitled to its benefits, as much so as those who have been justified. b. Baptism: that it is a sign or seal of faith in Christ, or faith in the Christian Religion; it is also the sign or seal of the regeneration of the heart; also a sign of membership of Christ's kingdom: as to its subjects, children or adults; adults who are true penitents. Children are entitled to it because they are classed among christian believers; substantially, by the scriptures, they are entitled to it as members of Christ's kingdom; they are en titled to it as being truly among the regenerates. As to the mode any one is equally important. 11. They believe that rites and ceremonies of churches may vary as necessity may require. 12. That christian men may make civil oath to sustain truth and justice. They admit that it is the privilege of Christians in their religious exercises, to enjoy themselves physically to any extent that does not infringe upon moral or natural law; they do not admit that their religious enjoyment or impulse should be circumscribed by the mere feeling or customs of the common refinement of our present age. SECOND OF THEIR PRACTICE. 1. The entire consecration of the Christian Sabbath. 2. They practice entire temperance, all use of spirituous liquors are prohibited except in case of necessity. 3. They are to avoid all traffic in slavery, in any way. 4. They are to avoid fighting, quarreling, and brawling, and breaking all civil law, one with another, maintaining a peaceable deportment. 5. They are to avoid all evil retaliation. 6. To observe the strictest honesty and justice in all dealings, without the use of many words, in buying or selling, not giving or taking any thing on usury or unlawful interest. 7. To avoid uncharitable or unprofitable conversation, doing to others what we would not others do unto us. 8. Practice nothing but what they conceive to tend to the glory of God, avoiding the wearing of costly apparel and gold ornaments, singing songs, reading novels, and all unnecessary self-indulgences, laying up treasure upon earth; borrowing without a probability of paying; taking up goods without a probability of paying for them. 9. To do all the good they can, by being merciful according to their power; by clothing the naked, feeding the hungry; helping them that are sick or in prisons; instructing all they have any intercourse with to do good, especially to them that are of the household of faith, or groaning so to be, employing them in preference to others buying and selling one of another, helping each other in business; also instructing children in christian theory and practice. 10. Submiting to bear christian reproaches, suffering men to say all manner of evil of us falsely for the Lord's sake. 11. They practice regular attention to all the ordinances of the Lord: such as the public worship of God; the ministry of the word either read or expounded; the Supper of the Lord; family and private prayer; searching the scriptures. Those are the principal doctrines of the faith and practice of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in America. III. GOVERNMENT.-FIRST ECCLESIASTICAL ORDERS. 1. The order of spiritual functionaries consists in a superintendent, who is elected to his office every four years by the suf frage of the members of the general conferance; at the expiration of his term, he is re-elected, or another in his place; he must be an elder previous. His business is to preside at the general and annual conferences; to ordain deacons and elders in the church with the assistance of other elders, also to appoint the preachers of each annual conference, to their pastoral charges; and also to travel round the general connection, as often as possible; he has no regular stipulated salary, but his compensation is anomalous. 2. Functionary, is the Eldership, (the highest of holy orders, as resting upon divine appointment of orders in the Christian Church,) he is elected by the Annual Conference to receive holy orders, and then ordained by the superintendant, assisted by elders. His office is to take pastoral charges wherever the superintendant may appoint him, to preach on the same as often as practicable, administer the sacrament, to baptize and marry, to preside at Quarterly Conferences, give statistics of his charge annually, and give licenses to preach, his salary is anomalous. 3. Deacon: he is elected to receive this order by the Annual Conference, (after he has travelled two years in the itin- | Its business is to over look the moral conerancy,) then ordained by the superin- duct of its members, to elect candidates tendant, with the elder's assistance. His for holy orders, to receive candidates on duty is to preach at the requisition of the probation, and into full membership; to elder in whose charge he is, to assist in propose the establishment of new districts the administration of the eucharist, to bap- to the General Conference, also to receive tize and administer matrimony, and to statistics of its pastoral ministers, and to try disorderly members in the absence of try and expel immoral members. the elder. 4. Licensed preacher, he receives his authority from the Quarterly Conference, in concert with the elder. His duty is to preach at the requisition of the pastor of the charge where he resides. His services are gratuitous. 5. Exhorter, his licenses are given by the elder, and Quarterly Conference; his duty is to exhort, without selecting particular texts. His services are gratuitous. 6. Are class leaders, whose duty it is to take charge of from twenty to thirty lay members, to meet them weekly for religious instruction, exhortation, correction, or reproof. They are elected by the Quarterly Conference, annually. 7. Are temporal functionaries. They are trustees and stewards, and are elected annually, generally by the Quarterly Conference, or by the male members of the society with which they are connected, as the society may determine in its con stitution. Their business is to control the temporalities of the society, to make or grant bargains for it, to receive and disburse all its monies, properly. Thus ends the official department of said church. 3. The Quarterly Conference.-This body meets quarterly, and is composed of the entire officiary over which it holds jurisdiction. The minister holding pastoral charge presides over it. Its duty is to look over the moral conduct of the of ficiary, to try and expel immoral members, to propose any articles for general government to the Annual Conference, for their legislation, &c. 4. Trustees Meeting.-This body convenes monthly, and is composed of the trustees and stewards of a church. Its duty is to look over the temporalities of the society of their jurisdiction, to see that there is a proper disbursement of their monies, and proper grants of bargains, &c. 5. Leaders Meeting.-This body meets leaders and class stewards. Its business monthly, and is composed of all the class is to report, to the pastor in charge, the moral conduct of the laity of the church, and to report deaths, marriages and sick. IV. STATISTICS. The African M. E. Church, in America, (in A. D. 1847,) had two general su perintendants, Christopher Rush and Wil SECOND. THE CONVENTIONAL DE- liam Miller, the latter of whom died some time since, and the election of another is delayed for the General Conference in 1848. It has also four Annual Conferences, one established in New York, in 1821; one in Philadelphia, established in 1823; one in Boston, Mass., established in 1845, and one in Baltimore, Md., established in 1845. Those conferences extend their influence into some eleven states of the Union, the District of Columbia, and also Nova Scotia. It has 75 travelling ministers, from 150 to 200 local preachers and exhorters, also 5000 lay members, and 50 churches, with a great many congregations without churches. THE names of Ecolampadius, Luther, Zwinglius, Melancthon, Bucer, Bullinger, Calvin, and others, whom God in his providence raised up as humble instruments to reform, to no small extent, abuses which had crept into the church, are fami liar to almost every ordinary reader; while that of Menno Simon is little known, although he was cotemporary with Luther, Zwinglius, and others, and with some of whom he had personal interviews-with Luther and Melancthon, in Wittenberg; with Bullinger, at Zurich; and at Strasburg, with Bucer. Simon, a native of Witmarsum, born in Friesland, A. D., 1495. He, as well as all his cotemporaries, was educated a Catholic, and in his twenty-fourth year, he undertook the duties of a priest in his father's village, called Pinningum, in Friesland; although in utter darkness of mind and worldliness of spirit, yet not without some tenderness of conscience and apparent piety. In 1530, he was induced to examine the New Testament for himself. "I had not," says he, "proceeded far therein, before I discovered that I was deceived." His mind was completely changed; he renounced his former views, and embraced the doctrines of the New Testament, and which he zealously advocated. In an article necessarily brief as this must be, the question, Whether the Mennonites are descendants from the Waldenses? cannot be discussed. The testimony, however, of Dr. Ypeij, Professor of He now commenced to travel, with a Theology at Groningen, and a member of view to consult with some of his cotempothe Dutch Reformed Church, may here be raries, such as Luther, Bucer, Bullinger, appropriately introduced, on this point. In and others; having done so, he strenuously a work written by the Professor, published opposed the Munsterites. "He condemnat Breda, 1813, he says: "We have now ed," says Mosheim, "the plan of ecclesiseen that the Baptists, who were formerly astical discipline of the Munsterites, that called Anabaptists, and in later times was founded on the prospect of a new Mennonites, were the original Waldenses; kingdom, to be miraculously established and have long in the history of the Church by Jesus Christ on the ruins of civil goreceived the honor of that origin." This vernment, and the destruction of human testimony is borne from high official au- rulers, and which had been the pestilentia! thority in the Dutch Reformed Church. source of such dreadful commotions, such execrable rebellions, and such enormous crimes."* The Mennonites freely acknowledge that they derived their name from Menno This article has been prepared by the aid of the Rev. Christian Herr, of Pequea, Lancaster county, a Bishop in the Mennonite Church, and has his approbation.-En. Menno Simon plainly foresaw to what horrid extremities the pernicious doctrines of the Munsterites were calculated to lead * Mosheim, Eccl. History, vol. ii. p. 132. |