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VoL XXIX.—No. 41.
©rifliital |)ocfni.
THOU KNOWEST I LOVE THEE.
Lord, thou all thing?; thou knowest that I
love thee.—St. John xxi, 17.
O Thou, knowing all things, I know that Thou
knowest,
That I, the least worthy, the poorest, the lowest,
Who only, through tears, look to Heaven above
me,
That I, even I, 0 ! my Saviour, do love Thee.
Though often I stray from the way, strait and
narrow,
My sins, Lord, Thou knowest, do pierce as an
arrow
The heart and the conscience, that well do re
prove me,
But Thou knowest all things, and knowest that I
love Thee.
When I think of my negligence, luke warmness,
colduess,
I oftentimes fear Twere presumption and bold
ness
To come unto Thee, if the thought did not move
me,
That, Thou knowest all things, and knowest that
I love Thee.
From the path Thou hast mark’d when I see my
meand'rings
From Thy cause and Thy cross my backslidiugs
aud waud’rings,
To urge this, my plea, ah, it well doth behoove
me,
That Thou, Lord, knowest all things, and know
est I love Thee.
Blind, erring and weak, I am dust only and ash
es,
But my sin-bestain’d garments I know thy blood
washes,
Yet, I’d not raise mine eyes to the Heavens above
me,
But that Thou, blessed Saviour, dost know that
I love Thee.
Who love Thee, I know, Thy commands must be
keeping,
And, though striving to do so, with praying and
weeping,
1 know in Thine eyes I have naught to approve
me,
Naught to plead, but Thou knowest, 0 Lord,
that I love Thee
Columbia, S. C. M. M.
District Convention of the Augusta
District, Ga. Conference.
The District Convention of tjjie Augusta
District called by Rev. Geo. G. N. MacDonell,
Presiding Elder, was held in Waynesboro,
Ga., commencing on Friday, Sept. 18th,
1866.
The exercises were begun with a, sermon
by the Presiding Elder, after which the or
ganization was effected by the election of
Rev. Geo. G. N. MacDonell as President,
and John W. Heidt, Secretary.
Nearly forty delegates were in attendance,
representing every part of the District, ex
cept the Springfield Circuit. Much inter
est was manifested in the objects of the
meeting. Brotherly love and Christian fel
lowship marked the proceedings.
The Church’s wise counselor, Rev Dr.
L. Pierce, was present, and addressed the
Convention on various topics of great value
to the Church. His views were embodied
in a communication which was referred to
the Committees, and forms a large part of
the Reports which are hereto attached.
These Committees were as follows : On
Missions and Missionary Collections, R. L.
Scruggs, W. A. Bartlett and J. Joftesj on
Finance and Ministerial Support, I. P. Gar
vin, J. J. Jones and R. W. Lovett; on Pas
toral Duties and Church Meetings, A. M.
Wynn, C. J. Oliver and A. A. Beall ; on
Religious Interests of Colored People, T. I>.
Lanier, Jas. W. Clarke, J. E. Larkin; on
Sunday-schools, Geo. R. Kramer, C. D.
Rogers and W. H. Clark ; on Division of
Circuits, J. M. Austin, D. D. Cox and J.
M. Stokes.
This Convention bids fair to be a source
of great good to the Church in establishing
fixed and uniform plans for carrying out its
various interests. Church Meetings, and
the proposed schemes of financial arrange
ment, properly used, and faithfully attended
to, must prove means of inestimable strength
to Methodism. '
The following resolutions, proposed by
Bro. C. D. lingers, were adopted:
Resolved , That we heartily endorse the
action of the General Conference, on the
subject of lay-representation, and regard it
as a disposition on the part of the Confer
ence, to work in every element of strength,
for the advancement of our holy religion and
the power of Methodism.
Resolved , That we recognize our great
responsibility under this act of our General
Conference, and, by the help of the Great
Head of the Church, we will come up to the
full discharge of the duty imposed upon us.
Also, the following resolution, by Bro. C.
D. Eogers, was adopted :
Resolved , That we would highly appreci
ate a visit from our honored Superintendent,
Bishop McTyeire, and can assure him a cor
dial welcome at any time it would be in his
power to come among us.
Incidental to the Convention, a protracted
religious meeting was beguD, and is still in
progress. The Church membership has al
ready been revived and sinners have been
converted. The Lord is pouring out the
spirit on Waynesboro, and great faith is
felt that the Zion here will be built up and
graciously enlarged.
PUBLISHED BY J. W. BURKE & CO., POR THE M. E. CHURCH, SOUTH.
Dr. Pierce preached two sermons which
must bring forth “fruit in their season.”
Geo. G. N. MacDonell, Pres’t.
John W. Heidt, Sec’y.
THE COMMITTEE ON MISSIONS AND MIS
SIONARY COLLECTIONS
Would respectfully submit the following re
port :
The cause of missions has ever been a
subject of deep and anxious solicitude to ev
ery Christian heart, since its organization
under the present dispensation. The duty
of giving them a warm and heart-felt sup
port, finds its authority in the commission ts
the Head of the Church; “Go ye into all
the world and preach the gospel to every
creature/’.
Methodism, as a Church organization, has
for its corner stone, as laid by its great foun
der, “to spread Scripture holiness through
out these lands.” Though this principle
has been kept constantly in view in our sys
tem of operations as a Church, yet there are
portions of the work in every pastoral charge
within the limits of our District which has
not thus been reached. Until every soul
within the bounds of the Augusta District
has been brought within the immediate in
fluence of the saving efficacy of the blessed
gospel, missionary effort and enterprise
should not claim even a momentary respite
from their labors. When the preached
word cannot be made available, other agen
cies should be employed. Religious trurh,
embodied in tract form, and short essays
couched in concise language, upon the scrip
tural subjects of “sin, righteousness, and a
judgment to come,” have been tie means,
under the blessings of God, of bringing ma
ny a soul to the “saving knowledge of the
truth as it is in Christ Jesus.” Regarding the
new features in our Church organization of
“Monthly Church Meetings” as a in st val
uable auxiliary in this cause, your Commit
tee would offer the following:
Unsolved, ls£. That we would recommend
to the several Monthly Church Meetings in
our District, to take this matter into serious
consideration, and put every religious agency
into operation, until every soul, white and
colored, within the limirs of our District,
shall have been cordially and earnestly invi
ted to the gospel feast.
To accomplish this move, material aid
will be required. Your Committee are of
the opinion this can be secured, and that the
present time is a most auspicious one for the
inauguration of such a movement, as our
brethren in many portions of our District
are now experiencing the Divine f.vor in a
most wonderful manuer in the conversion
of their children, friends and neighbors.—
Gratitude will prompt them now to an effi
cient discharge of duty. How to direct this
new impulse aright, brings your Committee
to the consideration of Missionary Collec
tions.
A sad want of arrangement and system
has characterized our efforts in this direc
tion. From all the information your Com
mittee can gather from those to whom this
important duty has been entrusted, the plan
heretofore adopted, has been to make these
collections about the month of May, simply
by subscription—this entire labor, together
with the collection of moneys thus subscri
bed, having been thrown upon the pastors
in charge. It is a matter of astonishment
to your Committee, that anything at all has
been accomplished under such a plan, if
such it can be called. A change is absolute
ly necessary if we would discharge our duty
to God as a Church, as pastoral duties, iu
the opinion of your Committee, would leave
no time for proper attention to this matter.
Your Committee would therefore offer the
following resolution :
Resolved, That we recommend to the
several Monthly Church Meetings in each
pastoral charge in the District, the appoint
ment of one or more members of warm, lib
eral hearts, ardent zeal and active piety, to
collect moneys for the purpose of Domestic
Missions, and pay over the same to Quarter
ly Conference, with a recommendation from
their bodies, that the moneys thus collected
be appropriated solely to the Missionary field
within the bounds of the Georgia Confer
ence, leaving the collection of moneys for
Foreign Missions to be raised as prescribed
by the Rules of the General Conference.
FINANCE AND MINISTERIAL SUPPORT.
The Committee on Finance and Ministeri
al Support, beg leave to report, that they
have carefully considered the subject refer
red to them, and the result of their delibe
rations will be found in the resolutions sub
joined.
No part of our Church economy is so de
fective as our mode of providing for a prop
er ministerial support, and no defect ope
rates more injuriously to the Church. Fail
ure in this matter seems to be the rule, and
from the wide-spread desolation and impov
erishment of our people, it is to be feared that
our failures will be so general and thorough,
as to place our Church in great peril. °
It therefore behooves the membership, in
this crisis, to gird up their loins to the work
of providing the means necessary to secure
for ourselves and our children, a continuance
of those inestimable privileges which we
have hitherto enjoyed If with the’ preach
er it is “woe is me, if I preach not the
pel/’ it is truly with the membership, “woe
is me, if I provide not the means which
Macon, Ga., Friday, October 12, 1866.
shall enable him to execute his holy office j
woe is me, if my negligence or parsimony
shall compel him to devote the time and la
bor and thought which God requires of him
for ITis service, to those secular pursuits
which the sustenance of his family de
mands.’’
Our people should not look upon their
contributions for such purposes, as gifts, or
charity, to be doled out of the surplus left
after provision for their own households, but
as sacred debts, not to be enforced by hu
man tribunals, but by the great Governor of
the earth, to whom they must render an ac
count of their stewardship. To give of our
super-fluity.is proper, but‘an offering which
costs nothing can scarcely be deemed accep
table to God.
Rut we forbear any discussion of the sub
ject, as the Christian duty of providing am
ply for the support of those who minister to
us in holy things, is so plain, that none can
err ignorantly.
Your Committee finds it difficult to sug
gest any plan which will not be liable to
some objection, but they are persuaded if
our membership can be aroused to a clear
perception of their duty iu this matter, the
plan embodied in the following resolutions
will be successful. Therefore
Resolved, That it is the duty of the Stew
ards of each charge, to make a liberal allow
ance for the support of the preachers sent
to them—the amount to be regulated by the
cost of living in each locality.
Resolved , That the Circuit Stewards be
recommended to meet on the first Sabbath
after they have learned the appointment
made for them by the Conference, and fix
upon the amount to be allowed to their
preacher, and for other expenses, and forth
with divide the liabilities among the several
Churches, giving prompt notice of the same
to the several parties.
Resolved , That each Church be recom
mended to hold a Church Meeting on the
first Sabbath in Jauuary of each year, and
then to appoint three disci eet persons to as
sess upon each member the amount which
they will severally be expected to pay, which
assessments should be read in detail to the
Meeting.
Resolved, That where it will promote the
object to be effected, one-half of each assess
ment may be paid in provisions suited to
the wants of the preacher, at the market
price of the same; and that the preacher re
port to the Stewards the amount of all such
payments, which will be credited to the as
sessment of the party furnishing such pro
visions.
Resolved, That on the first Sabbath in the
month in which the Annual Conference is
to meet, a Church Meeting shall be held in
in each Church in the Circuit, to which the
Stewards shall make report of the amount
collected for ministerial support, and by
whom paid, and in case there should be any
deficiency, that a collection be forthwith ta
ken up to cover the same.
Resolved, That at least one-fourth of the
several amounts assessed, should, if practica
ble, be paid in advance, and that the Stew
ards should collect and pay over to the
preacher what is due him, at least three
months before the expiration of the Confer
ence year.
Resolved, That the preachers in charge of
Circuits in the Augusta District, be request
ed to read these resolutions to each congre
gation in their respective circuits.
THE COMMITTEE ON THE RELIGIOUS IN-
TERESTS OF THE COLORED PEOrLE,
Beg leave to report that they have prayerful
ly and industriously considered the delicate
and yet important subject committed to their
consideration, and have agreed upon the
following :
Accepting, in good faith, the changed re
lation of the colored people to us, it becomes
us to inquire, iu the spirit of Christian cour
age and candor, what are our duties and
Christian obligation to this people. They
have immoital souls to be converted and
saved. Policy and propriety, duty and in
terest, all combine to teach us that we
should, that we must be, in the hands of
God, the instrument of their salvation
that we must give them the Bible and a
pure gospel. <
Ist. By teaching them to read God’s
word.
2d. By retaining them with our commu
nion and under our our spiritual govern
ment, so long as desired by them, granting
them the use of our Church buildings as
usual, and preaching to them as heretofore,
gradually preparing them for separate Church
organization and government, and finally,
opposing all efforts from every quarter, to
place them in an attitude of hostility or an*’
tagonism to our Church.
Therefore, be it
Resolved, That in obedienee to the spirit
of the enactments of our late General Con
ference, this body of laymen and ministers
will encourage the formation of day schools
among them, to be taught by intelligent and
responsible men and women acquainted with
their character and wants, and that we will
organize and superintend Sabbath-schools to
be formed for them whenever practicable,
exhorting our brethren to enter at once on
this good work.
Resolved, That we will bear with, and
treat tenderly, the views of any good breth
ren who may not see this matter in the same
light as we do, determined that if we can
not convince or agree with them, that we
will not quarrel with them, and satisfied that
the swift argument of events will soon cause
; us all to see and act alike in this cause.
\ Resolved, That the brethren of the seve
ral charges in the District, be and arc here
by earnestly requested to preach to their
people on this important and vital question,
and to make a special effort to collect money
for Missionary purposes.
SUNDAY-SCHOOL REPORT.
The Committee on Sunday-schools report:
I hat the Sunday-school, though a source
of immeasurable benefit to the Church, has
! not, in our judgment, growing out of a want
i proper system, been developed to near the
I extent of its resources, for the prosperity
j and power of Methohism. Therefore be it
i Resolved, That it is the duty of each pas
; tor to establish as many Sunday-schools in
his charge, as may be practicable.
Resolved, That the teachers shall, if pos
sible, be selected from the members of the
Church.
Resolved , That the children ought to be
instructed and catechised from the Sacred
Scriptures.
Resolved, That it is highly important to
teach the children in our Sunday-schools the
doctridkjs and usages of the Methodist
with the Scripture proofs.
ResQh?d, That-we encourage the intro
ductiorCmid development of singing in our
Sunday-schools. ,
Resolved, That in the selection of all
books for our Sunday-schools, wo patronize,
if possible, the Publishing House of the M.
E. Church (South )
REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON PASTORAL DU
-4
TIES AND CHURCH MEETINGS.
Pastoral Duties encompass or cover an al
most indefinite field and schedule, all of
which are taught in the Bible, and rendered
definitely imperative by Church legislation
and disciplinary enactments. But their
practical and faithful discharge is sometimes
sadly neglected, and our pastors culpably
derelict. To meet all their requirements,
and perform their solemn and sacred duties
efficiently, demands the conscientious and
constaut co-operation of every official and
private member of the Church. To furnish
this aid and efficient counsel and co-labor
ing, our Church Meetings are just what is
needed, and ought to be worked and pressed
to their utmost capacity. All readily allow
the necessity and value of regular Christian
pastoral visitations, to confirm and edify the
flock of Christ, and aid the ministrations of
the Word. The Church Meetings afford
the opportunity to seal their labors, and se
cure the wise and well directed co-operation
of the members through Committees.
We declare it as our solemn convictions,
that our pastors ought to make it more a
speciality and constant duty, to give more
attention in their pastoral visitation and pri
vate labors, to those in the Church who are
known to be religiously indifferent, and
among the families and individuals not mem
bers of the Church, but who are accessible
and impressible, and even inviting suqh
Christian attentions to themselves and fam
ilies, and who may be thereby saved.
We would here resolve, that it is our de
termined purpose, in all our Churches and
Church Meetings, to protest against all vio
lations of the spirit end discipline of the
Church, by the now too common practice
among Church members, of dancing, attend
ing theatres, operas, circuses, and such oth
er places and diversions, as directly destroy
practical piety, and that we will most hear
tily sustain the pastors in a judicious enforce
ment of discipline which we now declare to
be imperatively demanded rescue the
Church and conserve her high interests.
The wide distribution of our books,
Church papers and periodicals, demand a
Pastor’s careful attention, and through the
Church Meetings can now be constantly
pressed, so that a Discipline and Church pa
per shall be in every family iu our congre
gation, which alone, ought to satisfy.
We deem it vitally important aud emi
nently proper that our Churches have not
only regularity, but uniformity, in the at
tendance on and observance of all the ordi
nances and formulas of our Discipline, and
especially in the reception of members into
the Church, and that we pledge ourselves to
careful compliance, using the form of receiv
ing members appended to our Discipline.
To secure unijormity and accuracy in all
the statistics and pastor’s reports to the
Annual Conference, and the keeping of
proper Church records, has long been felt
to be a great desideratum.
The numerous statistics now required to
be reported by each pastor, according to our
new Discipline, makes it indispensable that
each should be very careful. Therefore
Resolved, That we recommend to each
pastor, to secure, and keep always with him,
a properly prepared “Pastor’s pocket Diary
or Hand Book,” in which lie shall note,
from time to time, the various items, and
j make as a return to each Church 3leeting, a
full repoit and statistics, to be entered upon
the records by the Secretary. To carry out
all these various suggestions, we most hear
tily recommend the adoption of the resolu
tions of our venerable father and brother,
Dr. L. Pierce, which have been placed in
our hands for consideration, ae follows :
E. H. UYERS, D.D., EDITOR
Whole Number, 1505
OF CHURCH MEETINGS.
Resolved, That we most heartily approve
of the new provision in our Discipline for
‘‘The Regular Church Meeting.” To us it
is evident, that nothing can substitute it.—
Without such a meeting, held for Church
business, as our late history abundantly de
monstrates, the tendency in human nature,
as to all social godliness, is to disintegration
and selfishness. These evils can only be
abated and hereafter prevented by the use
of our Church Meetings, as a heavenly cor
poration, to do, jointly, the work of general
arrangement, and, severally, the work as
signed to each and to all. Herein only, can
we secure the indispensable attraction of the
communion of saints.
Resolved, That in this District Meeting
called only, to consider, and to recommend
the best measures to meet the wauts of the
Church, we earnestly entreat all our preach
ers iu charge of Churches, to call a meeting
of every Church as often as once every
month, if practicab e—certainly every two
months—aud to exhort the members with
all authority, to attend; and we most affec
tionately entreat all the members in the
Churches in this District, to do so. And
we hereby pledge ourselves to sustain the
Church Meeting, both by words, and by our
example, and to do so because we verily be
lieve that the faithful use of Church Meet
ings will lead to the better discipline of the
Church in every way ; and also, to a sancti
fied and social brotherhood. It will unite us
in the fellowship of Christ Jesus. It will
soon find work for all, and put all at work,
and we shall provoke one another to love and
to good works.
REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON DIVISION OF
CIRCUITS.
The Committee to whom was referred that
portion of the paper presented by Dr. Lovick
Pierce, relating to the Division of Circuits, re
port, that after a careful consideration of the
whole subject, they cannot do better than to
adopt the report of the Committee on Cir
cuits of the Athens District Meeting, em
bodying substantially, the views of Dr.
Pierce, as follows :
It must be apparent to the most casual
observer'that the present plan of operating
on Circuits, composed of eight or nine ap
pointments, with two preachers, who oan
attend each of these appointments but once
in two months, does not work well. Nay
more, the Church where this plan is pursu
ed, is gradually decreasing in membership
and is rapidly losing its efficiency. First,
this plan renders it impracticable for the
preacher in charge tc visit each Church more
than five or six times a year, and frequently
less. Hence he cannot become acquainted
with the membership, and can do but little
in pastoral visiting, which has become one
of the hecessities of the times. He can pay
very little attention to Sabbath-school inter
ests and to the enforcement of the moral dis
cipline of the Church. In short, we have not
known this eight weeks’ arrangement to work
well, in a single instance that has come un
der our observation.
To keep any circuit in a healthy and grow
ing condition, wo must hare’ frequent revi
vals in every Church ; and this is impracti
cable where we have eight or nine Churches
composing a single charge. Some must be
neglected, aird consequently decline in every
thing which it takes to constitute an efficient
Church. Therefore, be it
Resolved, That we recommend to our
brethren throughout the District, to take
such steps, as in their judgment, they may
deem prudent, to consolidate the Churches
wherever practicable, and where this cannot
be done without detriment to the best inter
ests of the Church, that they will so divide
and' arrange the circuit, that there shall not
be more than four or five appointments on
each circuit to be filled by one preacher.
Resolved, That we earnestly recommend
to our Bishops the policy of sending a pastor
to any number of Churches, less than
four, that will pledge themselves to furnish
him a comfortable home and adequate sup
port.
Resolved, That we recommend the follow
ing changes in reference to the Waynesbo
ro Circuit:
1. That Coke’s Chapel and Mt. Zion
Churches be united.
2. That Bethany Church be included in
the Bethel Circuit.
3. That the eight remaining Churches be
divided into two Circuits—the Railroad be
ing the dividing line between them.
Resolved, That we recommend a division
of the Sylvania Circuit on the following ba
sis: Syivania, Black Creek, Oak Grove and
Ruck Creek Churches, to constitute one
Circuit, and Bascom, Mt. Pleasant, Harwell
Chapel and Wesley Chapel to constitute the
other.
Resolved, That we recommend that Union
and Harmony Churches on the Bethel Cir.
cuit, be discontinued as regular preaching
appointments, and the members of these
Churches be advised to unite with Bethel.
Resolved, That in all Circuits where
chaoges are proposed, the preachers in
charge shall read to each Church the pro
posed changes, that they may take immedi
ate and prompt action on the subject, and
make suoh recommendations through the
official board of the Circuit, as shall perfect
and carry out the object and spirit of their
recommendations.