Page:Twelfth annual report of the Association for the Religious Instruction of the Negroes, in Liberty County, Georgia.djvu/13

13 As nearly as I can ascertain, there are eighty-nine either excommunicated or not in good standing, being a proportion of one to every twelve or thirteen. If the discipline of the churches was more prompt, this number would be diminished, since the cases sometimes lie over for months, and even for years. The carrying out of the discipline of coloured members, so as to secure a general and proper supervision, a just return of those who are delinquents, and a speedy settlement of cases, requires much time, patience and activity.

There are six hundred and ninety-three females, and four hundred and forty-six males, being over one-third more offemale than of male members of the churches.

The whole number of Congregationalists is three hundred and seventy-seven; Presbyterians, thirty-one; Methodist, twenty-one and Baptists, seven hundred and ten.

The profession of one form of doctrine or another, by the negroes, judging from the returns, follows most frequently that of their owners or drivers, and their convenience, whether near or distant from the churches of the different denominations. The denomination that takes the lead on a plantation, generally keeps it.

On a majority of the plantations where there are any church members at all, prayers are held among themselves, either every evenings or two or three evenings in the week.

The entire negro population of our District, by the tax returns of 1844, was four thousand two hundred and twelve. The number of Church-members is one thousand one hundred and thirty-nine, which embraces about one-fourth of the whole number. A very large proportion indeed, and a majority of the adult population.

The churches should exercise over their members a constant, strict and kind supervision. Their peculiar state of ignorance, and dependence upon us for the word of life, demands it. And we should remember that so great is this dependence, that if they are not constantly watched over, and as it were held up, they will decline and go back to deeper ignorance and depravity. Experience and observation have taught me, that in proportion to our fidelity in the use of means for the moral improvement of this people, in that proportion the Lord has added his blessing, and the people have made advances. This is the great principle in the government of God which we see developed in every department of hu man action. We should never lose sight of it.