466 



METHODISTS. 



The remainder of the $100,000 called for 

 was to be reserved for new work, to be en- 

 tered upon when the means are provided. 

 The formation of Woman's Foreign Mission- 

 ary Societies was reoommeooM. 



A scheme for building up a grand CVntral 

 University has been under consideration for 

 several months among the ministers and mem- 

 bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. 

 It was greatly advanced early in 1878, by 

 the bounty of Mr. Cornelius Vanderbilt, of 

 Now York, \vlio gave to the Board of Trust 

 of the proposed university the sum of 

 $500,000 for the purchase of ground and 

 erection of buildings, npon certain con- 

 ditions, one of which was that the institu- 

 tion should be placed at Nashville, Tenn. Tlio 

 Board of Trust promptly accepted the girt 

 with the conditions attached. At a meeting 

 held in May, the board pledged itself, so soon 

 as it should have a sufficient amount of funds, 

 to set apart $200,000 as a fund tor the support 

 at the university of young preachers and the 

 sons of traveling preachers of the cooperating 

 conferences. The grounds for the university 

 have been bought, and building has been be- 

 gun upon it. The faculty were to be elected, 

 and classes opened in January, 1874. 



III. COLORED METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 

 The Colored Methodist Episcopal Church in 

 America was organized, iu pursuance of a rec- 

 ommendation of the General Conference of the 

 Methodist Episcopal Church South, on the 15th 

 of December, 1870. It was designed at the 

 timo that the colored members of the Meth- 

 odist Episcopal Church South should he sepa- 

 rated from that body and attached to the col- 

 ored church, and that the latter should have 

 entire control of the work with the colored 

 membership. The first General Conference of 

 the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church made 

 it a rule that membership should be confined 

 to the colored race. 



At the General Conference in 1873, Bishop 

 Miles presented an address, in which he gave 

 the number of conferences which had been 

 organized to that timo as fourteen. The num- 

 ber of traveling preachers was stated to bo 

 preachers, r>K:i ; and of mem- 

 bers, 67,888. That the separation of colored 

 members from the Methodist Episcopal Church 

 South must have gone on quite actively, in 

 connection with the growth of the Colored 

 Chnrch, will readily appear from tin- fact that 

 the reports of the Church South for 1872 

 showed an aggregate of only 8,557 colored 

 members against 7,841 in 1871, and 19,086 in 



The first General Conference in 170. elected 

 two bishops for the Colored Methodists. One 

 of these, Bishop Vanderhorst, died n fen- 

 months afterward. The other bishop, W. II. 

 Miles, found the episcopal work too extensive 

 fur him to carry on without help, and nilh-d 

 an extra session of the General Confer. 

 elect new bishops. The Conference met at 



Augusta, Ga., on the 19th of March, and elec- 

 ted as bishops Joseph A. li.rln-. I.. 11. llalscy. 

 and Isaac Lane. It also took measures for the 

 improvement of Sunday-schools, for the organi- 

 zation nf missionary enterprises, and for the 



iUlnnent of an institution of lean 

 lii-hop Miles has bought for the latter purpose 

 grounds in Louisville, Ky., at a cost of $>. 

 and has called upon the friends of the Church 

 for $50,000, with which to carry out plans f..r 

 building. 



IV. CONGREGATIONAL METHODIST Cm 

 The first of the Congregational Methodist 

 churches was organized in Monroe County, 

 _ria,in 1852. The connection numbers now 

 about one hundred and twenty ministers and 

 ten thousand members, most of whom are in 

 Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas. It 

 has been described as " Arminian in doctrine, 

 Methodist in usage, and Congregational in 

 government." The fundamental articles of its 

 constitution are as follows : 



1. This Church shall be called the Congrtgational 

 Jlethndist Church, and all the churches in her con- 

 nection shall bo congregational in their system of 

 worship. 



2. Christ only is the head of the Church, and tho 

 Word of God is the only rule of faith and conduct. 



8. A Christian Church is a society of believers in 

 our Lord Jesus Christ, and is of Divine institution. 



4. No person who loves God, and obeys the Gos- 

 pel of Christ, ought to be deprived of Church-mem- 

 bership. 



5. Every man has an Inalienable right to private 

 judgment in matters of reli^i-in, and all hart an 

 equal right to express their opinion in any way that 

 will not violate the laws of God or tin' rights of man. 



6. Church trials shall be conducted on gospel 

 principles only, and no minister or member shall bo 

 excommunicated, except for immorality, propagating 

 unscriptural doctrines, or the neglect of Juti 

 joined by the Word of God. 



7. The IMoral or ministerial offices and Hutie< 

 are of Divine appointment, and regularly ordaineil 

 ministers in the Church arc equal. 



8. All power necessary in the formation of rules 

 and regulations of government and discipline is in- 

 herent in (lie ministers and members of the Church, 

 but so much of that power may be delegated from 

 time to time by representation, as the Church may 

 judge necessary and proper. 



9. The Church has the right to moke and enforco 

 such rules and regulations only as are ncccssa! 

 proper, and which shall accord with the Holy s 

 lures in the maintenance of the great system of 

 practical Christianity. 



10. It is the duty of all tho ministers of the (Olpl 

 to be faithful in the discharge of their mini il 

 and pastoral duties ; and also of the members to 

 esteem them highly for their work's sake, and to 

 render them a righteous compensation f<ir their 

 labors. 



11. No person shall bo received into the 0' 

 without tne consent of a majority of the members 

 present. 



13. The Church shall have the rieht to elect her 



. 

 own officers annually, which shall be an < 



d 



church leader, deacon, steward, m: ; and 



alo to convene her membership at pleasure, for 



the purpose of transacting her own lunim'ss, and 

 such body, when convened, shall be denominated the 

 Church Confennte. 



Other conferences, of superior and appellate 

 jurisdiction, are the District, State, and Gen- 



