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ing, the Apostle is giving directions respecting the marriage of widows; but by parity of reason, his words must be applied to all; for what reason can even be pretended why the case of widows should be an exempt one? He gave them his permission (probably in reply to official inquiries) to marry whom they would; but perceiving how liable this expression would be to abuse, if not guarded by a maxim of primitive discipline, he added, but only in the Lord.' Is it not astonishing, that with so plain a prohibition in the book of God, professing Christians should for a moment entertain a thought of going beyond the bounds of the church to form matrimonial connections? Dr. Adam Clarke observes, 'She mustnot marry a Heathen, nor an irreligious man; and she should not only marry a genuine Christian, but one of her own sentiments: for, in reference to domestic peace, much depends on this.'

Without subjecting ourselves to the charge of bigotry, we think that something may be said on the necessity of union of sentiment in those who are allied by marriage. Those cases in which, on the arrival of the hour of worship, the husband and wife must separate, and repair to different places, and perhaps divide the children into different groups, cannot be considered desirable. In some instances, this separation may take place under the influence of a conviction that, however nearly allied, conscience is above the control of man; but it is more frequently the result of a frigid agreement between the parties, prior to their marriage; and we can see the possibility of such a separation being painful, in the very same proportion as that affection which always ought to distinguish the marriage state predominates. Such a difference of opinion must be increasingly painful, when, as is frequently the case, it involves the baptism and the education of children. The most that can be said of such a union is, that it is merely tolerable; and would be earnestly deprecated by all who attach due importance to their creed. This, however, is being unequally yoked' under the most favorable circumstances; for it must be more consistent for one believer to marry another, though of a different persuasion, than for such a one to marry a person who is not under the influence of either the love or the fear of God. The one is highly imprudent; the other is absolutely unscriptural. We would say, 'Let there be no schism in the' domestic body; that ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.'

The venerable Wesley, in his sermon On Friendship with the World,' says, 'Above all, we should tremble at the thought of entering into the marriage covenant, the closest of all others, with any person who does not love, or at least fear, God. This is the most horrid folly, the most deplorable madness, that a child of God could possibly plunge into; as it implies every sort of connection with the ungodly which a Christian is bound in conscience to avoid. No wonder, then, it is so flatly forbidden of God; that the prohi bition is so absolute and peremptory: "Be not unequally yoked with an unbeliever." Nothing can be more express.'

119

ASSOCIATED METHODIST CHURCHES.

THE following paragraph, with the above head, we have taken from the Philadelphia Recorder, a weekly Protestant Episcopal paper, by which it is credited, as will be perceived, to the New-York Observer, a paper of the Presbyterian denomination.

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The Associated Methodist Churches, we understand, now number between 300 and 400 ministers, and between 30,000 and 40,000 communicants. They are seceders from the Methodist Episcopal Church, and resemble the Presbyterians in conferring upon the people a share in the government of the church, and in abolishing the order of bishops, and other distinctions of the clergy.-N. Y. Obs.'

In how many other papers this statement has been published, we do not know. As usual, however, in such cases, we presume it has travelled an extensive circuit. All that we shall say of it at present is, that so far as it represents such an amount of 'ministers' and 'communicants' as 'seceders from the Methodist Episcopal Church,' to constitute the Associated Methodist Churches, it is notoriously untrue; and that the publishers of it, from whomsoever they 'understand' it, have been grossly imposed on. Whether they will think it any way incumbent on them to apprize their readers of this contradiction also of the tale, it is not for us to judge. The practice of lightly giving currency to every idle report unfriendly to individual neighbours, is admitted by all Christians to be both mischievous in itself, and attended with a weighty responsibility. Whether a similar course toward neighbouring sister Churches, may not be at least equally mischievous, and as uncongenial with the true spirit of Christianity, we submit to the calm and serious consideration of contemporary journalists;-and especially the conductors of religious papers.

Had the statement been simply that the Associated Methodist Churches comprised between 300 and 400 ministers, and between 30,000 and 40,000 communicants, (although we do not at all believe even this,) we should not have noticed it with any animadversion of ours. Nay, were it really true that there are such a number of Christian ministers and members, associated under whatever name, in this new denomination, or any other, and without unfounded aspersions on a neighbouring church, we should sincerely rejoice. There is abundant room in the world both for them and us; and abundant need of all our efforts. Yet, since the obvious design of the statement has been to induce the public to believe that so extensive a dissatisfaction, (and consequent division,) has existed in the Methodist Episcopal Church, and such a preference, withal, of the polity of the Presbyterians,' we deem it a duty not to suffer the public mind to be thus abused, without placing within the reach of those who may have the candour to use it, an adequate corrective.

It is not a little remarkable that the originators of such statements never condescend to give us the statistical details. These are carefully avoided; and for a very obvious reason:-They would lead to inevitable detection. In every place in which there are 'ministers' or 'communicants' in the Methodist Episcopal Church, there are official church records, in which all admissions, expulsions, or withdrawments, are regularly entered. Now, if such an amount of ministers and communicants have seceded from the Methodist Episcopal Church on the ground stated, there must be places where all this has occurred; there must have been persons also constituting the particular numbers in the several places, of which the aggregate has been made up; and those who have asserted the aggregate, ought, in order to justify their assertion, to have at least some tolerable knowledge of the particulars. Why, then, are these particulars never given? Why are we not informed that at such and such places, and at specified times, certain definite numbers of ministers and communicants seceded from the Methodist Episcopal Church, and united in constituting the Associated Methodist Churches? Why are not the several numbers then put in columns, that the

figures, which we know will not lie, may be examined, and added together, by each one of us for ourselves? We invite this course. And if it shall prove that we ourselves are in error, we will promptly and frankly acknowledge it, and will give the same publicity to our acknowledgment that we do to this contradiction.

But, although some of those who copy and circulate such reports, may not be aware why the statistical details are not given, yet we are persuaded that those who originate them do perfectly understand this business. They know that if they once name the places, and specify the numbers alleged to have seceded in the several places, they can instantly be brought to a test from which they would rather shrink. There may have been, possibly, out of nearly five hundred thousand members, some four or five thousand, male and female, who have seceded. We believe this to be the utmost extent. It is, indeed, more than we have any knowledge or information of. Of these, too, a considerable portion doubtless have gone, not from any special desire more nearly to resemble the Presbyterians,' but chiefly because their husbands, or parents, or brothers, or some particular friend, or perhaps a leader, had seceded, and they preferred not to be separated. Secessions on such grounds may indeed be counted, in full tale; but we think they ought not to be weighed against us. Yet we have no wish to impugn motives of this sort, or even very closely to scrutinize them. They are often the result of feelings and circumstances which rather require sympathy, and the tenderest treatment; though we know there have been females, and this that is written shall be recorded for a memorial of them, whom even such touching considerations have not been sufficient to move from their steadfast attachment to the church of their choice.

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As to the 'between 300 and 400 ministers,' if one-thirtieth part of this number have seceded,―of ministers who were previously devoted to the work of the ministry,-(for of such we presume the public generally understand' the statement,) we should be glad to see them named, with the times and places when and where they seceded. We have been somewhat favorably situated for information in such matters, and have not shut our eyes in regard to them. Yet even this proportion of such ministers, as seceders from the Methodist Episcopal Church to the Associate Methodist Churches, has never yet come to our knowledge. There have been, indeed, among the seceders, a much larger portion of local preachers,--such as had been engaged as other secular men in pursuing their worldly business through the week, and were not devoted to the work of the ministry; though we believe that even these have been much short of three or four hundred: Whilst of our brethren the local preachers generally, in justice to them and to their credit we record it, a very small portion have united in this hue and cry against their itinerant brethren, between whom and them as a body there have been, and we hope ever will be, the strongest bonds of love and sympathy. We will only add here, for the information of such as may be disposed to spread really good and true intelligence, that since the secessions in question have taken place, the Methodist Episcopal Church has been in a state of greater peace and prosperity than it had ever before experienced; and its increase, both of ministers and members, has been unparalleled, not only in its own past history, but perhaps also in the history of any other Church in Christendom. And if this be fact, of which our official Annual Minutes, giving the statistical particulars, will furnish the means of judging, and if, at the same time and within so short a period, three or four hundred of our ministers, and thirty or forty thousand of our members have seceded, then must the progress of Methodism have been prodigious indeed. How agreeable this intelligence may be to such journalists as spread the news of supposed defections from our fold, or how acceptable they may imagine it would be to their readers, it is not for us to say. Time, and their future columns, will develop it.

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