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     To the Methodist Episcopal Churches of Nebraska:--

DEARLY BELOVED :-Thankful to Almighty God for the blessings of the past, remembering with gratitude and praise your heroic sacrifices in the cause of Christ, and praying always for you that your faith, and hope, and love might be strengthened, that you might walk worthy of the Lord, "being fruitful in every good work," we, the humble servants of Jesus, and your fellow laborers in the Gospel, desirous of more efficiently advancing the cause of our common Lord, take this opportunity, setting forth by writing our views and desires relative to some of the more important matters, in which the church is interested, and for which she is largely responsible.

     No man can be ignorant of the fact that the enemies of christianity are exerting themselves to the utmost to undermine the institutions and overthrow the time honored customs and doctrines of our Holy Religion, not merely through open organized hostility, but with secret and lying artifices, by which many of our members are led astray and the minds of our sons and daughters poisoned with the seductive and treacherous teachings of false philosophy under the name of Rationalism and Spiritualism.

     Never before did the Church of our Redeemer have the assaults of so many deadly enemies to meet at once, and at no former age of its history have the hosts of sin been so thoroughly united in their warfare upon the Truth, as at the present time. Even Pilate and Herod are made friends. Romanism joins hands with Rationalism to exclude the Bible from the schools of our country, while political ambition sacrifices the Master to the lusts of office, or like another Judas sells to the advocates of infidel license, or the priest-

hood of Papal indulgence. It is a time indeed when good men should rise above every consideration of partizan thought or feeling, and combine and consecrate their influence to the support and protection of those precious and holy privileges by which our country has thus far been so happily distinguished in the roll of the nations.

     Suffer us therefore dearly beloved to watch the encroachments of these foes of Zion, and see to it that neither Papacy on the one hand nor Rationalism on the other, be permitted ever to wrest from American childhood or expel from American Free Schools the blessed volume of God's Holy will. And not only is the Bible in danger from these assaults, but our whole educational system, so essential to the safety of our Republic, is also in imminent peril. Romanism aims its blows at the fabric of our free schools, and with fiendish purpose has combined with Infidelity to overthrow them in our laud.

     Guard well, dearly beloved, these instructions, in all your prayers, your labors and your sufferings, remember that the claims of religion are above and paramount to every other. Let party be subject to principle, put truth above all considerations, and resolve, we beseech of you, that no man by your assistance or consent shall be placed in positions of power and authority who lightly esteems the book of God or lends his influence to those whose whole effort is to destroy it.

     Another evil--an evil of such magnitude that it scarcely seems possible that any church should fail to recognize it, is that of the sale and use of intoxicating liquors. We urge you, dear friends, to remember that the testimony of our church has ever been clear and outspoken upon this subject. In our book of discipline it is forbidden that we touch or taste or handle, that we buy, sell, make, or even use intoxicating liquors, except in cases of extreme necessity. Our position has been that total abstinence from its use and prohibition of the trafic (sic) in the form and with the sanction and support of law is the only remedy for this great evil, and we therefore affectionately urge you to increased effort and renewed zeal in this important work of reformation among us. Let none suppose that even the moderate use of beer, wine, or other fermented or distilled liquors can be tolerated in our membership. Better one suffer than many, and we would far sooner prefer that the membership of our church be materially decreased for the time being, than to have our position compromised or our influence crippled by retaining with us those whose conduct in this respect is in violation of our rules and solemn obligations.

      The matter too of amusements has become a serious question among us. We are pained to hear from various sources that such ungodly diversions as dancing, cards, billiards, negro minstrelsy, gift enterprises and mountebank performances, are more or less patronized by the membership of our churches

     Dearly Beloved, these things ought not so to be. It is by such as the that our strength is shorn and our power for good diminished. We cannot be blind to the deadly effect those sinful indulgences must have on the pie and usefulness of our people, and we most earnestly beseech of you in cases and under all circumstances to abstain from countenancing these evils by your patronage or attendance: "Wash you, make you clean, put away the evil from before mine eyes ;" is the command of God, while the apostle exhorts us to "come out from the world and touch not the unclean thing."

     Heed, dearly beloved, the voice of God, listen to the exhortation of his servant, and touch not the unhallowed thing. Keep your hands clean an your hearts pure from these needless and sinful indulgences, which are ruinous to our influence and injurious to the spirituality of our membership.

     We commend also to your Godly consideration the childhood of on Church, entreating you to so order your household that the little ones lent you by the Divine Father shall be trained and cultured in all things pertaining to their salvation by faith, and their future usefulness in the cause of Christ on earth. Look well to the literature of the household. The seeds of evil may be sown sooner than the fond parent supposes; a pruerient (sic) taste and a disordered appetite may be formed while you are dreaming, an the lambs of the fold devoted to slaughter through your careless inattention to this important matter. A good book is a good companion, a bad book is the worst of enemies. See to it therefore that your households are well supplied with church papers or periodicals, and with readable books of elevated taste and pure morality.

     The various benevolent enterprises of the Church though well and faithfully sustained in the years past, will still have a claim upon your affections, your prayers and your contributions. God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love in that ye have ministered to the necessities of his work and still do minister "Be not weary," therefore in this department, "for in due season you shall reap if you faint not." The various enterprises which we most especially commend to your notice and for which we ask your aid, are Missions, Church Extension, Bible Cause, S. S. Union and Tracts.

     The matter of church building is also a subject for your wise and serious consideration. As pioneers in this new country we are laying the foundation and preparing the way for generations yet to come. The needs are great, our resources are limited, but with judicious management and united efforts, we can doubtless do much more than our largest hopes have yet planned in this department.

     We would also call your attention to the importance of building and furnishing Parsonages in every station and circuit at an early period, as soon at least as the condition of finances will make it possible. Your servants in

Christ, the members of this Conference, devoted to the Itinerant Ministry, find it a burden almost beyond endurance, to be compelled to hire and furnish their own Parsonages out of the limited salaries you are at present only able to bestow, and their influence is often crippled and their spirits discouraged by the condition in which the home set aside for their use is found on their arrival from the annual Conference. We would therefore ask that in all our charges steps be immediately taken to secure lots for parsonages, and whenever practible, these initerant homes be erected and furnished in a comfortable and inviting manner.

     Now is the time to begin this work while lands are plenty and lots are cheap, thus laying the foundation for years to come. If the ministry give their time and talents to the one great work of their holy calling, is it unreasonable to ask that those to whom they minister, use all diligence to make their lot in life a comfortable one, and their transient homes pleasant and desirable.

     And now in conclusion, dearly beloved, we exhort you to use all diligence to make your election sure, pressing towards the mark of the prize of your high calling, looking for the glorious appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, and so much the more as we see the day of our final reward approaching. And that ye may be thoroughly furnished for every good word and work attaining unto the most precious experience of God's grace, and the most enlarged success in your labor of love, we urge you to give heed to the public worship of God, the duties of family devotion, the more diligent study of the word, a punctual attendance upon the means of grace, such as prayer and class meetings, and Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, and a faithful and honest observance of the rules of our Society.

     Seek, we beseech you, for the higher attainments of christian faith, look for large outpourings of the spirit, study to become approved of God in all things, labor to become more and more efficient in your several stations in the church, and ever so live that when your work is done it may be written of you Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord." "Yea saith the spirit, for they rest from their labor and their works do fellow them."

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