THE CONFERENCE ADDRESS.
By Editor
OUR readers will be gratified to see in this week's REVIEW the Conference Address upon the important subject of organization. It has been generally admitted that we as a people stood in great need of a more perfect organization; but just how to organize a church, and what officers should be chosen, has been a matter of perplexity. We take pleasure in recommending the Address as being quite satisfactory to our own mind, at least it shows the best harmony of the New Testament on the subject, of anything we have seen. Brn. Loughborough, Hull, and Cornell, assisted by Bro. Smith, with the benefits of all the helps within reach, have faithfully discharged their duty in this matter. They would, however, be highly gratified if preachers in other States would immediately give the subject a critical examination, and if they have suggestions to make, to freely make them without delay, as such suggestions might aid them in preparing the Address to be put in a tract form before the type is taken down. It will be seen that all of our churches must have a local elder. This will give our small churches, in distant parts of the great harvest field an officer who can administer the ordinances of the church, in the absence of a higher officer. This will greatly relieve those who have desired the ordinances, and have been taught that they must wait until visited by a messenger. In the larger churches, when they are needed, one or more deacons should be chosen. On the subject of organization, our people have been ahead of the preachers, and have in some places entered into a sort of organization without the assistance of preachers. When the ministers come along up beside the people on this subject, and take hold of the work right, then it may be the privilege of the brethren to leave the work of organizing to our ministers, whose duty it is to ordain the officers of the churches.