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SratjjOT Christian MACON, GA., FEBRUARY 2d, 1866. THE APPRO ACHING CONFLICT. From our point of view, we can see that a great conflict awaits the Southern Metho dist Church. It is our duty to prepare our people for it—for “forewarned, forearmed.” Northern Methodism proposes to take possession of the field, to press us to the wall, and finally to absorb or exterminate us. It makes no offer of terms—will not ac knowledge us as a church, but rather pro poses to add another to the denominations our communion has to contend against, and that with advantages that will make it more formidable to us than either of the others; for it has a church polity identical with ours —has our forms and doctrines; and it will claim that ours is a sectional church, kept alive by reminiscences of the past, while it is a catholic church, coterminous with the nation. This argument may avail nothing with the present generation or the next— but it is our duty to have an eye to the fu ture. Let us look forward a quarter of a cen tury. Old animosities will have died out on both sides. Southern Methodism may have survived, through all this time. But another Methodism has grown up alongside of it. Abolition and the war, and the fierce passions of the Northern church, which en gendered tho former and made the latter a fiendish crusade against women and chil dren, the aged and the infirm* have died out of the living memory. They survive in history, but a thousand other vital questions and present interests that may tend to unify the people will then predominate. The country is then at peace, the Union is re stored in feeling as well as in fact. All this may not be, yet what Christian man can wish it otherwise for his childrens’ sake, if these States are to form one Union. Let us then suppose there is xmion—areal, and not a mock political unioD such as Christians must deprecate. Here, then, will be these two churches, which just now in 1866, are entering upon a contest for possession of the land. At the outset, the one already occu pying has the advantage. The hearts of the people are with it. There is a most rea sonable aversion to the treatment they have received and are receiving as a people and as Christians, from the other church. In deed, that treatment is a foul blot upon Christianity; and there is no doubt that the body of Southern Methodists will feel its approaches—such as they are—to be highly offensive. Yet the others have advantages, too, which will tell in a lons contest. Wb are impoverished. They are rich. Our churches are dilapidated in many places destroyed. We can scarce repair the old— cannot build new. Our preachers can barely live. Many are driven !o semi-secular employ ments. Our schools and colleges languish —theirs are flourishing. They show them selves ready to expend fabulous sums of money for getting foothold here, in estab lishing missions, in buying and building churches, and in educating preachers. Until now, slave labor has directly or indi rectly very largely supported Southern churches. Now that support is withdrawn, and the effort is making by this rival com munion to attract the negroes to itself. And they are yielding to the solicitation at many points. Already, almost before the smoke of the battle is cleared away, the work of aggression is begun. A conference of col ored preachers has set jn New Orleans. An other, perhaps two) are about to be formed on oor seaboard. Methodist itinerancy fur nishes all the needed elements for a wide spread, universal system of aggression. Does any one doubt that it will be tried ? But it will not be confined to the blacks. It has commenced among the whites on the border. In Kentucky and Tennessee (and since this was written, even in Georgia,) con ferences are established. Central points, further South, are already in view; and be fore many years this Northern itineracy will—if they predict rightly of themselves —have put a preacher in every Southern town, perhaps in every county. This church has the men, the money, the purpose. It also has the literature—papers, for adults and children—books, periodicals, printing houses, schools, colleges, theological institu tions every thing. We have, it may be, a dozen papers—none with patronage enough to live a year by subscriptions alone—and a book establishment whose existence is per haps in jeopardy. Os this we know not. Another advantage it has. The power of the government is with it,and it is resolved to keep and use this power, if possible. Radicalism is the foster child of the North ern religious mind, and it is now straining every nerve to put the negro in such ra tion to the whites as that when the Norths ern churches have brought him into their fold, they shall hold a position whence it may be easy to advance to the absorption or scat tering of the white congregations. For they count on weakening and scattering where they cannot absorb. Rather than see us survive, they will, by strife and persecution, if it be possible, make the very name “ Me thodist” so odious, that another generation will flee from it, into other communions, as from pollution. To destroy us they will court disgrace, where their ends cannot be otherwise effected. As in the recent con test in the field, they count on their over whelming numbers ; on their wealth, which again is not to be spared; on their unyield ing purpose, which in thirty years advanced an insignificant handful of agitators to be the disorganizers of a nation, and which will work for thrice thirty years to effect its end. Such are some of the grounds for hope the leaders in this crusade set before their fol lowers, to stimulate them to the conflict. Time with them is nothing. They argue that in a score or two of years, with their power, and money, and numbers, and means of propagandism, they will succeed in sup planting our church, by absorbing or dis persing its membership. Beginning with the blacks, as a base, they expect to build themselves up by drawing to their commun ion immigrants from the North and from abroad, those who may desert us, those who never knew or cared about the controversy between us, and those who by affinity, or circumstances, or convenience, or by con version among them may be won over, and those of the generations coming on, who shall grow up in a perfected and peaceable union, not knowing of the war or feeling its effects. Now, it behooves the wise men of our communion to know and to consider these facts, and to prepare to meet the shock of this battle. Let us see whereunto God calls us. Can we maintain through all the future a church confined to a section, under the pressure of a powerful organization hedged in by no territorial lines but national in ex tent, and also identical with ours in polity, but many times more powerful in all the elements of material strength? Can we live as the church of a section ? Ought we to seek to perpetuate our communion as the church of a section, as the “ Church, South,” —this being our chief ground of distinctiveness —among a people whose po litical strength and true national life are derived from a cordial unity in interest and sentiment ? These are questions we may prefer to pass over to the future. We may wish to adjourn them till another generation takes them up, but God has laid heavy responsi bilities upon us, and we cannot do it and be innocent— we dare not do it. They must be answered by some body to this generation of Methodists—answered satisfactorily, so that we may know that our work and the work of our fathers is not to die with us—that we ourselves are not moving on blindly to a hopeless conflict. For, as certain as desti ny, we now stand at the verge of battle, and we must engage in it or avert it,jas God may help us. We do not propose to discuss the ques tions of success or failure, or to determine for others what the issue may be. Let each judge of the future from his own stand point. Our purpose is one more in the in terest of peace. We wish to avert the war. —to save Christianity from the shame of a protracted partizan contest between kindred churches—to suggest for Southern Metho dism anew life, which shall more than ever show the system that originated with Mr. Wesley to be a child of Providence. We wish to see our church adapting itself wisely to the age, and taking upon it such forms of catholicity as shall give it the freedom of the world. v In another number, we shall set forth what we believe to be the mission of South ern Methodism, as indicated by the Head of the Church. In answer to a correspondent we state that the post office of Dr. Huston is New port, Ky., and of Mrs. Cross, Harrodsburg, Ky. Any preacher, local as well as well an traveling, or anybody else, can get the Ad vocate gratis for a year, by sending the' money for ten subscribers for the same time to J. W. Burke & Cos. It is intended to make the benefit reciprocal; of course, none can desire it to be otherwise. Those faying SI.OO and taking the pa per now for three months can, after the ex piration of that time, have it continued for seven months for two dollars, or for one year longer for three dollars. This, in an swer to a question propounded by an agent. The terms are invariable for old subscribers and for new ones. SOUTHERN CHRISTIAN ADVOCATE. ECCLESIASTICAL FREEBOOTER. We cut the following impudently cool statement from an exchange. Some fiilibus ter going to Little Rock, Ark., found that the Southern Methodists had fled before the army, abandoning their homes and, proba bly, their libraries and furniture, as well as their house of worship. The gentleman takes possession of their house of worship; and, if he carried out his principles, he toek a good house to live in, with its library and furniture. He could justify himself and retain the sequestrated property, just as he does for holding the church. Perhaps he will invite the owner to come in and read a book occasionally, or may be, will go so far as to lend him a pot —at least he will let him use the bellows, if he will not carry them out of the house. His proposals about using the church are equivalent to this. He says : “When I arrived here from our Confer ence, I found the Methodist church aban doned by both the preachers and trustees of the M. E. Church, South. I took posses sion, of course, without remonstrance, and continued in perfect peace, until within the last few weeks. The Arkansas Conference (South) having sent out their ministers to reorganize their churches, I was suddenly surprised by an attempt by the preachers and some of their more radical members, to get possession of our church building here. As an individual, having remained in this country during the war, endured all the hardships and dangers incident to the same, for the purpose of trying to sustain the gos pel, and having conducted our church mat ters here on the strictest principles of Chris tian charity, I felt that my right to occupy any Methodist church, which had been vol untarily abandoned was, and is, at least par amount to that of any other. Consequently, I declined vacating the house, and still con tinue in it. The Southern brethren resolved, not to accept any portion of the time which might be granted them by us, unless they could carry the church-key, and control the whole matter; so that they now occupy the Presbyterian church every Sabbath. What the final result will be, tell, but so far prospects have not been dam aged.” W Kind Words. —Many of our cotempora ries have spoken kindly of the Advocate , in noticing its change of form and enlargement. We here tender them our grateful acknowl edgments. A sense of propriety forbids our republishing all the good things said of the paper; and a sense of justice does not allow us to discriminate among them. We thank them for their courtesy; and hope they will find the paper all they have prom ised their readers it is to be. We are also grateful to those preachers who have thought our efforts to maintain the paper, worth a good word; but we are doubly grateful to those who are increasing the subscription list. It grows slowly—alas ! how slowly.— Brother, you who are reading this line—as if face to face, we ask, “what are you doing for the Advocate ?” It is a pity that neces sity should compel us to say, that the kind est words in our language to us just now take the form of proper names, with post office and Arabic numerals appended. The Post Offices. —There is already much complaint from some quarters about the non-reception of the paper. The postal arrangements of the South are far from being regular, yet it ought not to be, in a post office on the railroad within a few miles of Macon, that a brother misses his paper every week; when we know that it goes in the package from this office. Do not some persons go so irregularly to the post office, that the incumbent or his factotum takes it for granted the paper will not be called for. Some papers furnish very plea sant reading for the loungers about country post offices; and sometimes, if in too great a hurry to stay long, the paper goes into the pocket, with—“ Bob, I’ll take this to night. I’ll bring it back to-morrow, before old comes to town.” “Be sure,” says Bob. To-morrow comes, but no paper.— “Old ” makes his appearance. In cumbent is furious that “them Advocate people don’t attend better to their business. No paper for you again to-day,” and the un suspecting subscriber sits down and fires off a load of indignation at the editor and pub lishers. We are constantly “blown up,” because there are post office thieves. Oh, that somebody would blow them up. Back Numbers.—The surplus numbers we printed for January are exhausted. We are sorry that they were few; but paper costs too much to print many surplus papers. Subscriptions now must commence from Ist February. “The False Cnßisx.” —The beautiful story we are now giving our readers, is by the author of the “Cotta-Schonberg Fami ly” and of many other recent works. We con sider her among the best writers of the age. Her “Kitty Trevylyan’s Diary,” we have already mentioned as the most charming and profitable religious story we have read— perhaps ever. Christian Union Association. There is an Association in New York city, which has laid for its foundation the following declaration of principles: 1. That the unity of the Spirit creates the unity .of the one Holy Catholio Church. 2. That the doctrines of the common sal vation set forth in what is called the Apos tles’ and the Nicene Creeds, compose the broad basis with which all subsequent form ularies of the evangelical denominations of the Christian Church cohere. 3. The Church thus one in spirit, and agreeing upon the cardinal truths of reve lation and redemption, ought to be, so uni fied in visible fellowship, as to give evidence to the world that it is one in spirit, faith and purpose. 4. Denominational organizations do not destroy spiritual oneness—any more than the several members of the human body destroy its integrity—so long as they are animated by the mind of Christ. 5. As the “communion of saints” is an article in the universal creed of the Church, and ought to be incorporated among its usa ges, we believe that wise, fraternal and ex pedient measures should be taken to bring into closer union all who now love and serve the Lord, and confess themselves to be “bre thren of one another.” These five propositions compose the fun damental principles on which this Christian Union Association has been organized.— These furnish the warrant for its existence, and define the main object it will labor to attain. We believe its aims will be approved by those who know what the will of their Lord is respecting his people; and though obstacles to its realization must be expected, yet do we fervently thank God for help in past efforts, and take courage from the right eousness of our cause to labor for large re sults in the future. In. farther prosecuting its undertaking, it has, in our judgment, become necessary to define more exactly than has been done hith erto what is the main outline of the plan of operations to be observed. For the sake of clearness, this plan may be deselfced first in its negative and second in its positive 1 (a) The Christian Uniom Association docs not intend to assail peciljjj liarities of denominational doctrine, usage, or worship, nor to question the right of the several denominations to maintain their own forms of culture. () It does not intend to express its pref erence for one form of polity over another, nor for one mode of worship over another; nor to urge that there shall be but one type of custom or usage common to all branches of the Church catholic. (c) It will not allow any denominational ascendancy to define its aims, control its op erations, or execute its plans of Christian usefulness. Its existence and influence are both conditioned upon its close adherence to the fundamental principles herein contained and in order set forth. (and) It is not the purpose of this Christian Union Association to organize anew sect, denomination or order, nor to aid any one denomination in finding fault with auother. The most vital positive feature of its plan is: To recognize the existing spiritual uni ty of the people of God as a grand and po tential fact, to be set forth, proclaimed, and enforced by all the arguments and sanctions of truth and charity. The third of a series of Sabbath monthly meetings of the Association was held re cently in 29th Street Dutch Church, New York city. Dr. DeWitt, says the Methodist, offered some remarks, warmly commending the work of the Association, and the perse vering labors of the Secretary against great obstacles of hindrance. The severe weather did not chill the audience, who listened to Drs. DeWitt and Church, and Bishop Yail, of Kansas—representing the three polities, Congregational, Presbyterian, and Episcopal, until a late hour. An extended report is impossible. Bishop Vail's points were: Ist. Spiritual unity already exists, and generates all visible unions. A basis for church union was found in the atonement and correlative doctrines in the Word of God. Such a ba sis must be broad. No sectarian peculiarity could be that basis. For one, he was ready to assert that the Episcopacy could not be the ground for them—nor could Congrega tionalism cr Presbyterianism. They were too narrow. But a basis could better be found in a blending of all. He spoke of American ideas of centralization in Church and in State as quite likely to work out the problem. Wo are tending that way fast, and must come to unity. He spoke feel ingly of his loved fellowship for the vener able Dr. DeWitt, and closed with a tribute to tho Universal Church of Christ. Dr. Church, ol tho Baptist denomination, spoke earnestly for union. He surprised all by taking the name ground as that taken by the Bishop, that we must give up denomination alisin to secure unity; that is, that unity could only bo advanood by exalting the grounds common to all ercods, keeping back all differences. l)r. DoWitt was rejoiced to commond the words of a Baptist as well as those of tho Bishop. Bishop Morris, preaching recently at Xenia, Ohio, was compelled to desist, being attacked with a slight paralysis of his right arm. METHODISM PAST AND FU TURE. The Richmond Advocate has begun dis cussing the questions to be considered at the next General Conference. In a recent article the editor says: “As the primary object of Methodism was to revive religion and not to organize a church, more attention was given to spirit ual life than to ecclesiastical arrangements. It succeeded. It entered upon a field of operations wider than the anticipations of its founders. It became a denomination. But the rules of the Methodist societies were calculated originally only for the de velopment of religious character, and not for the regulation of a great ecclesiastical organization. Its denominational constitu tion, therefore, grew gradually out of its own experience, and consists now of a series of amendments and precedents, forming a Dis cipline not contemplated or foreseen as a whole. The church acquired immense in fluence. Some of its friends have even boasted of its success, and grown vain of its proportions. “It is the misfortune of some still to con template Methodism only retrospectively: to speak of how much it has accomplished, and to argue from that to the conclusion that its futdre must be equally brilliant. This is shallow reasoning. The future of Methodism does not depend on the same conditions as its past. It is not now chiefly a revival. It finds Christian civilization materially altered since the days of Mr. West* ley. It contributed largely to effect that alteration. “The question for it to decide now is, how it preserve all of its valuable ele ments, and continue, as a church, to increase in religious usefulness. To this question, the thought of the church is more than usually directed. In its consideration, the ecclesiastical wisdom of Southern Method ism is to be tested at the approaching ses sion of the General Conference. It is the future , not the past pf the church, that con cerns the past is valuable to us in il tdijlfef church government, and espe ■Ttne experience we have derived it in respect to agencies of Methodis wer and progress. ) . . we . s^ he capable of a judicious discrimination in examining the forces of Methodism, and estimating the value of particular features in its economy; if the Episcopacy, Presiding Eldership, duration of the Pastoral Term, Lay Delegation in the General Conference, and other subjects of discussion are considered, not in the spirit of controversy, but, in the calmness of de liberate investigation of their value to the future success of our ’ church, we believe that improvements will be realized improvements all the more valuable be cause, not the experiments of empiricism, but the better and more lasting advantages that grow immediately out of the life and action of the system.” The Rev. Y. J. Allen. —The preach ers of the Georgia Conference will not for get that one of their number, the llev Young J. Allen with his family is far sep-. arated from them, laboring for the heathen. Nor ought they to forget that our M issionary Treasury collapsed with the Southern Con federacy ; and that these servants of the church must have aid, or else suffer. The Georgia Conference thought on these things, while it was in session. Will the members think of them until they have taken up the collection they then ordered for that mission. It was to be taken up early—taken up in time to send the money to the General Con ference by the delegates. They asked us to remind them of it. We do so now; and we hope they will get a good collection. No body may be able to do much. All may do a little; and if all the congregations have the opportunity many littles put together may make enough. Is there a preacher who will excuse himself from effort? Let him suppose himself in Bro. Allen’s place, and then do as he would be done by. His must be an overwhelming reason for the omission, who can resist the force of that one thought. Aggression Begun.— A friend has seen published, and reports to us, that a quasi Conference of the Northern Methodist Church has been held in Atlanta, by Bish op Clark, and appointments made for the W estern Georgia and Alabama Districts.— He recollects that J. H. Caldwell is appoin ted to Troup, Harris and Alabama; his bro ther, C. M. Caldwell, to Forsyth and Henry; John O’Donnelly, to Palmetto; Richard H. Waters and Dr. Powell, to Jonesboro; C. W. Parker, to Griffin, Forsyth and Thomas ton; and Wm. Brewer to North Georgia. These names will be recognized as those of recent traveling and looal preachers among us. The appointment in Atlanta is D. Ilut ledge, an importation, we suppose. So the work of invasion is begun. We presume these former brethren are duly penitent, and are received by the immaculates upon con fession of sin. The Southern Presbyterian has re sumed publication at Columbia, S. C. The present editor is Rev. James Woodrow,, long and well known as an instructor in Georgia and South Carolina. We wish him great suocess. Subscription price $4 per annum.