The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1873-08-22
CAMP-MEETING TINE.

tHenry Ward BecchCT In tho Christian UniOn.l
August is the joy.month in the Metho-
dist calendar. It Is the blossom.timo Of
the Methodist year. All the months be-
tore SOW seed for 1t. All the months that
follow reap harvest Of 1t. In them is
anxious care lest the planting Of Paul
wilher, and the watering oil ApOllos fail.
In 1t Is only rejoicing over the God'given
increase. Narrow walls and bleak con-
ventcles may serve the worshipers at all
other seasons. At worst, these temples
are not so bleak aud bare as the earthly
way OF Him they commemorate. But
once year all houses made with hands
grow too mean Tor these believers. At
best, the woods, the mountains, the sea,
with their cOnseCrated majesty and
beauty, are less glorious than the unim'
aginable state Of Him whose presence they
invite. So, every August, scores Of thous.
ands of dcvout and tender spirits, rich
and poor, high and low, wise and simple,
scholar and clown, pitch their tents to.
gethGr under the equal sky, and there
abide for days or weeks, TO ask and 10 iell
Of the manifold mercies OF God,
To US OF the colder.blooded scots there
should be something unspeakAbly quaint
and touching about such an annual jubi-
lee as this. We PrcsbYtGrians, Congre-
gationalists, BRptiSts, CoVenaniers, do In.
deed say, The edrH Is The Lords and The
fuilneS thereof. But VIC mean, commonly,
the Church u The Lords and The ceremonies
thereof Outside OF that traditional lOdl
We scent things common, II not unClean.
Our rsptures and desp4iFs maintain well
bred silence, ShOuIings, groans, amens,
We avoid as vain, II not prolane, bab-
blings. Yetmost Of US are given to prose.
lyting; and think We servo God when we
enlarge our special sect. Let us see, then,
whether, being, harmless a. doves, we
have yet shown the wisdom Of sefpents.
The Baptists believe their church 10
have endured from apostolic days. Bit
ter prosecutions have scourged 1t, In
civil and religious wars II has been LEFT
naked 10 It's enemies It's martyrs have
been many and glorious. With the arri.
val oil religious liberty It lowered gigantic
almost in day. Its clergy have been
men Of great gifts and scholarship. It's
aity represents wealth, social eminence,
and generosity. It's endowments are
many and rich. Yet the Methodist mem.
bership outnumbers 1t and gains upon 1t.
The PresbyteIians have held the field for
centuries. Their history Is q sublime
record OF faith, works, heroism, spiritual.
ity, great learning and great talents con-
secrGted 10 God. Comparatively, they
creep where the Methodists run. The
CongregstiOnalists have had three hun.
bred years Of noble living and noble think
Jog to wax mighty upon. They have a
shining line OF saints and martyrs. They
have planted missions from the plains oil
India TO the Islands Of the sea. They have
zealOusly preached Christ and him cruel.
lied. They have not ceased TO persuade
sinners OF the error Of their ways. Yet
relatively they are but q feeble folk DO;
side the strong.limbed Methodists !
But Methodism IS the youngest Of toe
seCts, 1t Is but the other day, as II seems,
since It kept Ito first Centenary. No new.
nesS Of doctrine aWed and compelled be-
lief For the founder Of MethOdism, the
Great Wesley, declared himself, living
and dying, a loyal member Of the Church
Of England. No hope Of worldly Advan-
lSge attended 1t. For to be Methodist
was long 10 be despised oil the world. Nc
beauty Of ceremonial nor splendOr Of ser
vice attracted. For the early Methodistl
held all costly buildings, priestly robes
hired music, even personal richness Of ap'
parel, ornaments, and delicate living to Be
sinful. The authors had no purpose hui
70 spiritualize the Church Of EDglAnd
sAnling within that Church. But from
tho beginning the MelhOdists showed
That wisdom which only tho Romish
Church besides has ever possessed. They
iound place within their communion fol
every man, Of however hopeless stuff
They made use Of every hindrance t
serve them. Il was because Whitfield
was shut out OF the pulpit that he speC
10 the hills and declared the Gospel o
Jesus to two hundred drunken, braWllng
GSIontshed golfers. But 10 the next ser
vices there came two tbonsand, AM
next, four thousand men and womel
Oraved the sleet and storm Of the shor
winter day. And next, ten THOUSAND
awaited him. Wesley confessed hiIhsel
shocked at this violation OF church pro
ptiety But he saw the enormous p0we
OF gold which lay In these teld.preach
Ings, and consecFAled II, and behold, Ii
cAmp,meeting already existed. Agar
the preachers were few, the territory en-
ormous, A ley Of assistance became II