Jon Gary Williams
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Mr. Pique took his usual course of refusing to define the terms of his proposition. Bro. Srygley tried to get him to define and defend the M.E. Church, but all in vain. Bro. Srygley said the M.E. Church is a mixture of Judaism, Roman Catholicism, heathenism and a little sprinkling of Christianity. Mr. Pique said that Abraham was the first Methodist bishop. Bro. Srygley pressed him to name the first presiding elder. Finally Pique went to Ex. 18:21, "rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens." Bro. Srygley then showed that the bishop had been dead about 400 years before they had a presiding elder. Pique said, "There I snot a single discrepancy between Methodism and the church of God in any age;" but he failed to show where God in any age called it the "Methodist Church." Pique said, "I belong to the conference and the conference belongs to the church." Bro. Srygley replied, "You do not belong to the church, but belong to the thing that belongs to the thing that belongs to the church?"

Bro. Srygley told Pique that if all the slang, nastiness and willful misrepresentations were taken from him, there would be nothing left. [Note: I (J. R. Williams) will add here: "I have had one discussion with Pique and have heard him in three others; and if he ever correctly quoted his opponent, I fail to remember it. If he did, it was an oversight and not intentional. If Gospel Advocate readers could know something of the hatred and bitterness of those of our religious enemies in this part of the country - if I could should state it as it exists, some would be ready to say the picture is overdrawn, that certainly no such conditions exist in and among enlightened people. But of this, many readers of the Advocate know nothing. People differ on many Bible subjects but should examine differences in a spirit of fairness, courtesy and honesty."

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