Southern Christian Advocate

For the Southern Christian Advocate.

PRESIDING ELDERS' DISTRICTS.

Mr. Editor.--The economy of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in my opinion, is the wisest in theory, and the most efficient in practice of any human institution, political or ecclesiastical the world ever saw. The remark we hold to be true, whether we regard it as the believing recognition of Providential developments and the practical use of them as the suggestions of Divine wisdom, or as elaborated by uninspired minds from their own deep knowledge of human nature and its wants, into a thoroughly system. Symmetrical--harmonious--effective, it erects the monuments of its wisdom and its power upon every theatre of its operations. Adapted to every condition of human life, its fitness of action is not impaired by the changes of society. Impartial in its arrangements, beneficent to each and to all, it never grows obsolete. Projected for the world, the progress of the mind, and the revolution of events demand no material modification of its parts. Denying all nutriment to the selfish passions of the heart, and dooming those it most exalts, to the hardest tasks, and the most numerous privations, it contains at once the elixir of health, and the elements of perpetuity. Reducing the emoluments of the preachers in every case to a bare subsistence--enlarging the sphere of action--increasing the amount of responsibility--and accumulating toil, inconvenience and self denial upon every successive gradation in the ministerial office, from a licentiate to the episcopacy, it strangles ungodly ambition in its very birth, and destines every aspirant for station and honor to war with his love of ease as well as with the native pride of his heart. The great conservative principle of Itinerancy is self-denial--SELF SACRIFICE. This is the secret of our strength and our achievements. If any wonder at the enlargement of our coast, and the strengthening of our stakes, let him consider a spirit of sanctified self-denial, philosophically or Scripturally, in its effects personal and relative, and he has the solution of the mystery. It is emphatically the philosopher's stone of Methodism, turning all her materials into instrumentalities of usefulness.

In the theory of Methodism, there are not only no sinecures, but no unnecessary intervals of rest, no room for gentlemanly leisure--no time for home-lounging: and her practice (without charitably presuming that the spirit of itinerancy exists, ready to be called out on an emergency,) should be conformed to the letter.--Experience satisfies me, that in no department of our work should the accommodation of the preacher be consulted any farther than to afford him the unencumbered exercise of all his powers. Inconvenience might be so accumulated as to overtask, discourage, and thus totally defeat him' This is to be avoided. But by all means, give him as much as he can do. This doctrine I would apply to every appointment, in the order of its relative importance. The Districts particularly, ought to be arranged so as to give the Presiding Elder FULL employment. A District with seven or eight, or even nine appointments, allows more idle time than an itinerant Methodist preacher has any use for, and far more than is consistent with the spirit of his calling. If a preacher's health, or location, or circumstances of any kind, make it impracticable for him to do full work in so important a post, a different field of labor should be assigned him. No man should be a Presiding Elder, who is not strong, able, willing to work. His ability and willingness ought not to be taken for granted, but each man's field of labour should be commensurate with both.

I think a District should never have less than twelve appointments. For this opinion, I will give the following reasons:--First, because the number of appointments would reduce the number of Districts. This is a desideratum. When Districts are multiplied, one of two things must happen,--the increased demand for the strongest and best preachers, deprives some of the more important circuits and stations of their services; or if regard be had to the well-filling up of the last in preference, then some of the Districts are supplied by men disqualified by the infirmities of age, or the timidity of inexperience. Either result, is an evil to be deprecated.

Secondly --Because the size of the District would afford the Presiding Elder, and the preachers under him a better chance of obtaining the allowance of the Discipline, and thus contribute to cut off the temptations to location.

Thirdly.--Because a preacher, physically and spiritually fit for a Presiding Elder, can perform the work, and would be willing to do it? Ought he not to be required to do it?

Fourthly.--Because it is important that the preachers should have in their Presiding Elder an embodiment of the genius of Methodism--a self-denying, hard working, "go-ahead" man.

Fifthly--Because according to my observation, Presiding Elders under the present arrangement, do not preach enough, not averaging the year round, three sermons a week.

Sixthly.--Because it would compel the Conference to the abolition of these little stations-- perfect anomalies in our economy, a congregationalizing of Methodism on a small scale.

In the Georgia Conference, for example there are seventy different appointments exclusive of missions. In the aforesaid number are five little stations at least, that ought to be thrown into the circuits where they belong. To make stations of societies of one or two hundred members that could be just as well served by the circuit preacher, is a bad precedent and worse policy. To doom an effective man, without necessity in the premises to preach twelve months to two or three hundred people, is a sin against Methodism. It is as if a man with two talents, should bury one and trade upon the other, when the reckoning is to call for the improvement of both. Arrange these villages methodistically in a circuit, and we shall have say seventy-two circuits and stations Six Districts with twelve appointments each, will include the whole, and save two Presiding Elders to the Bishop for other work, The missions can be arranged among the Districts as now they are imposing no extra labor upon the Elder other than that supervision which he can exercise without difficulty when his regular work shall call him into the region of their location.

It is true, this arrangement would extend some of the Districts over what might be considered in these effeminate days, a very large territory. But what of that? What have we to do but travel and preach? Did we not promise "to devote ourselves wholly to God--to employ all our time in his work?" And shall a Presiding Elder talk of spare time? Spare time! Away with it from the vocabulary of a Methodist preacher. I know men who have travelled Districts extending from Athens to St. Marys and from the Oconee to the Savannah, and they survived their labors, and yet live effective men. I know men who travelled Districts extending from Augustine to Fort Gaines, embracing well nigh all of Florida; and one, at least, yet lives and flourishing. True, their circuits and stations were not numerous; or a circuit then, was as large as a District now.-- But the argument is, that territory long and wide, and great travel did not kill or superannuate. Nor will the multitude of quarterly meetings or much preaching hurt a sound industrious man now. The most of us have been on four weeks' circuits with from twenty to twenty-four appointments, and preached three hundred sermons a year. I know Presiding Elders who do not preach so often in two, aye, in three years. The thing ought not so to be.

These little Districts of seventy-five miles square, more or less, that allow the Elder the chance, and thus produce the temptation to rush up to the place appointed for his quarterly meeting on Saturday at eleven o'clock, and then to preach a dull, short sermon, (if he is not too tired to preach at all,) and then again on Sunday morning, and then ride from 15 to 25 miles in the afternoon, so as to get home on Monday, as early as possible, and then do nothing until he sets out on Thursday evening, or Friday morning again ought to be altered. The temptation to this mode of action, judging from its prevalence must be powerful, and should be forestalled." Let the Elder preach at the societies that may lie upon his line of travel. It would do no harm to turn to the right or left to find a little flock." On this side of the river, I hope to see a new arrangement.-- Other reasons might be given, but I will only add, that the reduction of the circuits to counties, as has been so extensively adopted, greatly facilitates the enlargement of the Districts by reducing the distances between the places of quarterly meetings. A judicious disposition of his meetings, as to order, time and place, will leave the Presiding Elder time enough at home. There is no good reason why the Presiding Elder should lie on his oars for six weeks after Conference--waiting for the preachers to go round their circuits once or twice. Every District has one or more stations. Let him begin his meetings with them. Just as well hold the first quarterly meeting on the second Saturday and Sabbath, after the preacher gets to his station, as on the twenty-second, and better too. The subject to be continued, if time permit.

TROPHIMUS.