Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1865-1869, 1866-01-02
RICHMOND WHIG.
TUESDAY MoRNING..........JAN. ,, 1866.
THE CENTENARY or AMERICAN METIIO-
DISM.

Tie foundation of MethudiSm was laid in this
country in October, l166, in feebencSS and little
promise Of success. IL has swollen to gigantic pro-
portions aud out-sripped all lis fellow ch"rcLes IL
the land. MethodstS wel-di>cipiiEyi army,
from the commanding generals down 10 Jhr small
estas0uad They follow the same ilag; Keep step 10
the s4ine music; observe thr same manual are gov
crned by the same discipline, and have the same
end in view.
The centenary is to be celebrated by them stimuli
taneouSlv everyWher throughout the length and
breadth Of the land by special religious services and
liberal thank offerings the offerings 10 be- devoted
10 great monumental purpose and for local OBJ
iects Each annual Conference is to have a memo
rial sermon delivered before IL, body some time
preceding October, 1866 and the Bishops ask do
nation OF hot less than - OOO 900 To carry out the
great purposes they have in view.
The founder of Methodsm was the Rev. John
Wesley, \. NJ, one of a family OF nineteen children,
and descended from a stock famous for iadepen-
dence and love of liberty. His graVd-iather was
four times in prison tor tine crime Of preaching the
/ Gospel to the poor without the permission Of the
bcadc and justice. His means. OF support were
taken from his family by the heavy fines he was
compelled To pay, and his life shortened by the
severity of his Imprisonment Wesley.S father was
Il bold preacher striking lis heaviest blows at the
sins Of his age Ills fidelity nearly cost hun his life.
Miscreants, offended with his bold attacks on their
| vices fired his house. One man stood on the
shoulders of another and pulled John out of the
burning building just as the roof fell in. This in
cident affected hls whole life He felt that he was
saved for some great work. Under his early por-
traits was this motto Is not this brand plucked
| out of the burning =
The first Methodist Society was founded at Oxford,
England. 1t created great sensation. The name
originated with its foes. 1t not new, hut was
! applied To a class OF men in 1893 whose method
OF actiou.was peculiar. The new society had what
| they called the rule and method
At the start, Wesley began the rush among the
/ he'd Ms
sect to the present time. lie allowed no one to join
his society who truiliCed in rum, or who bought,
sold, or held slaves regarding slavery as the "sum
of all villauie The little band of Meth0diStS visi
ted the ailS taught the Infamous, relieved the poor
visited the sick and entered the ahodeS of the ont.
cast with messages of love. They yielded mp the
superlluitieS of life Il relieve the poor. When WeS.
leys income was ESQ year. he lived on eos and
gave away g. When 1t was 500 he gave away
e32 When it was Gl20 lie gave away Ey2 cOnir
ing his expenses to the original EOS His last entry
in his Journal he wrote with trembling hanGt
" For upwards of eighty-siX years | have kept my
accounts exactly 1 will not attempt il any longer
In l7l4 the Rev. George Whitfield joined the So
ciety His eOquence swept like hurricane His
audiences were from $4,000 10 10000 strong, and
were often counted by the acre. and We're gathered
the hillside in the market places, and in the col
lerieS of Great Britain. Hume said he would 20
twenty miles to hear him. Chesterfield opened for
| him his own chapel Actors reSOrted to hS preach
| ING 10 study the secret of his great power. His
| voice could be heard mile of, the singing of his
| congregation two miles, He was admitted where
Wesley could not 20. He was known as Il Calvin
| st and made no secederS and admitted in the pull
| pits from which Wesley, qs an Armenian, was eX-
Guided AT last the city pulpits were closed against
| him and Wesley. He TOOK To the fields and preached
| To the great congregations. The portable pulpit
| from which his most impaSsiOned appeals were
made TO his audiences over 40 900 strong Is in New
York city. and Is precious relic held by the Amer
| lean Tract Society. Whitfield crossed the Atlantic
thirteen times, and passed like flame Of fire from
| Georgia TO Maine. The pulpits of Boston were
| closed against him, and he preached on the Com
| mon. In Princeton he was received as a nrOphet
| from God, and Nassau Iall' received Methodist
| baptism NJ lis birth. Dartmouth College received
| It's chief early funds from the British MethOdStS
| aud bears the name aS one Of their band, - no
| wore cOrOnet aud prayed Whitheld's preaching
led 10 the founding of the Presbyterian church in
! Virginia. The BIptists OF Virginia, south and
| southwest sprang from his labOrs. The founder OF
the Free VIII BaptstS of the United States was con.
| verted under his preaching. He spent the last week
| of his ministry in Portsmouth, New Hampshire
preaching every night in the church on parade,
closing his services on Friday night. On Saturday
he rode to Exeter and preached his last sermon in
! South Church grounds 10 an immense audience. He
! reached NtWburypOrt on the afternoon al the same
| day too feeble TO preach to the great crowd sur.
! rounding his house, demanding Il sermon He died
the next morning, iu the house which joins the
| mJU>ulcum stands.
In the. Spring OF 1860 4 group of emigrani5 were at
Limerick Ireland. prepared 10 embark for America
The little party We're McthOdSts; their leader
| young man OF thoughtful look and reSoGtc bearing
| Ills name was PEHp Embury. lie the first
class leader and a local preacher of Me;hodsgI on
| the American continent
Arriving IN New York safely they Sooa after be
came worldly. aud many Tell INTO the depths of sin
Embury was conyertcd under WeSley> preaching
and without chapel or congregation, opened his OWL
house To WOlShIp. There the foundation Of the
| American Methodist Church was laid, the rst Meth
od,,t SruuIu was preached, the first class meeting
| held. aud tie first society formed. The room wa
amply SUiaricnt for the wants OF the congregation
for ~lN persons only attended. The cOngrr EdtlOI
soon Outgrew is accommodations, and Il rigging
| loft plain Yet tidy, was secured for worship.
The sect can take up the boast Of England, tina
the sun does not set on It's altlrS It's mlS>Onaric
! follow the dllm-heat of England in their marci
! round IN, world. Nothing can he more marvellous
| th.u the growth 0i tins Clmch. The Childrpu o
poor IScacherS and poor hearels by tact and enter
| prize have become the wealthy men and y omen %
| tie land Many heard the Gospel from faithful lip
| when they We're IN sin, or were counted among thi
lowly ones OF EARTH They found religion no less al
aid 10 their temporal than their spiritual interest
| There are many OF them in commanding positions
They have not forgotten the church of their fathers
Churches Gf white marble and brown stone with elc
| CANT adOumentS with iTescGed paintings and Sculp
turr with costly organs, and all the elegant appli
ances Of modern worship. Is well aS humble
churches suited To varied locations, are now to It
found in every nook and corner of the Republic.
Leading men in all professions and callings an
members of this body. Bankers mOnaireS, mer
chant princes. aS well As professional men, adun it
ranks Its property in America. III churches an,
| Dar>Onagps amounts To nearly S3OOOO,uOO. Its pro
pertv in colleges and schools amounts to 50 OOO 900
II, sunday School Union comprises l3lOO schools
more than 10000 teachers, nearly 9lS 900 pupils
more than 100000 library books, nearly $50 publ
cations with circulation of nearly 800 $40 monthly
1t has over 92S 800 communicates nearly 7,UO
tinerant ministers: over 5 900 local minister's anI
over 10 100 churches. Its missionary society ha
1859 circuits and stations l,2S paid laborers 100,
6I5 communicates, and expended the last year owe
5000 OOO-and will spend sl.OOOOOO
The Book Concern is one of tie best managed e.
Establishments in the land Ii is not only the duty o
every Methodist TO trade with the and to al,
the denomination 10 whom all it profits are devoted
but il is made the interest Of all To dOAso. 1t va
started in l7S9. under the agency of preacher sta
toned in Philadelphia, and on borrowed capital o
5000. 1t changed its headquarters from Philadelphia
To New FORK, anu from one street 10 another, unit
1888, when it reached its present location. 1t ha
now a capital Of SS3IOOO. Its total profits sine
lS36 amounted in 1850 to the full sum OF Sll7l 5S4.
ca. All these profits have been divided among In
church interests. The Bishops salaries and expense
have also been paid, amounting TO over S4SO,OOO.-
Its business largely exceeds 100000 per annum.
The arrangements Tor centenary are beng carried
forward admirably Religious services and bera
contributions are TO mark the year 1866, from th
hrst SUNDAY in January to the last Sunday in Octo
ber Liberal contributions are to be made for con
nectional" purposes and hor local societies. Owe
- 900 900 of money are required and Will be pait
| in. The iirst donation has already been made. i
Is imperial in its character. 1t has given the key
note to the denomination. Daniel Drew. of New
| York city, has subscribed the sum o! S25OOOO be
side which. he proposes 10 erect on his Splendi'
estate on the Hudson river, 4 magnificent TAeOlOgl
cal Seminary, which shall cost not less than hall
million. \ million OF money, in addition, i 10 b
raised for the missionary cause this year. Sunda!
School collections TO be taken up, and each cht
that gives Que dollar or collects FIVE will be enttle,
TO = medal prepared for the occasion. Church debt
are 10 be paid aud memorial churches reared an,
the Universities and colleges Of the church are TO b
freed from embarrassment enlarged and endowed
The Centenary of this church will mark the yea
leb6. With undimmed power, with numbers almOs
untold, and with resources that the wealthies
churches among us might envy, il enters on its sec
ond century. II still illustrates the motto Of il
founder. All at it, and always at H." 1t has giveI
the world the greatest pulpit orator in Whitfield
the greatest of religious legislators in John Wesley
and poet in Charles whose hymns are translate,
! in every language and sung by every denomination
in the world 1t has carried the gospel to every ant
under the heavens.
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IMPORTANT TESTIMONY from Cores
| II Der HpR in I.