Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1873-07-19

may serve to fill up" after havin
been severely edited. I have a frien,
in Ciarksville; not only in my pres
ence, but much more in my absence
A friend who, though young, manifest
, trait of character highly commend
able in young or old; j. e. the defens,
the character of an absent friend
Thus far he has had an easytime-de
Tending my personal appearance,
against that of certain academic guests
Charlie will make man.
BETHEL
is beautiful-for situation-being (;
neat, we'll finished brick church O
medium size, located in the midst o.
as hospitable a community as Tennes
see can afford, and in one of the fines
agricultural regions of the State The
people are refined, many are reli
gious, but the church meets with &
deadly foe In the pleasures of the
world.
On Friday morning the District
Conference was opened by Bishop
Paine. The stalwart, effective, cen
secrated Presiding Elder of fifty years
ago, now stood in the same track that
had for half a century withstood the
ravages of time, ripe sheaf ready for
the garner of God. How like father
he probed the interests of the church
in whose service his life had been so
proftably spent. He is not a croaker ;
but is intelligently and religiously equi-
uipoised between the worldliness and
spiritless condition of the church, and
that vinegar and nails" sore headed
ness that can see nothing good in
things modern. His preaching, while
it was the result of long years of pa
tent study upon the part of one of the
greatest minds in our church, was sea-
soned and made doubly unctious by
the reflection that he would ere long,
go from the pulpit to the presence of
God. Those who heard him on Sat-
urday will ever have reason to thank
God for the privilege, if religious, if
unreligious they will doubtless remem-
Der to life latest day that for one hour
and twenty minutes they were earnest
ly and eloquently urged to work out"
their salvation, by one of Gods most,
honored and venerable ministers.
His investigation of the affairs ofthe
district, and especially as to the style
of its ministry was thorough. Said
he to one of the ministers of the
district: What sort of preaching do
you do? Do you preach the doctrines
of our church, and do you find out the
wants of your people and indoctrinate
them, or do you preach this hifalutin
preaching?" The deponent very inno-
Gently replied that he was IAN unedu-
Gated man" and, therefore, he could
not do such preaching. But imag
inc his chagrin when the Bishop in
formed him that it was uneducated
men who did such preaching. There
is point in all this. Star preaching"
falsely SO. called, is the baae of the
church of the ninteenth century; and
l believe that the newspapers of our
country have done more to afiiict the
church with such preachers than any
other medium, unless, perhaps they
are excelled by that class of people
who are forever pouring praises upon
the ears of the ministry. They are
men.
1 here append a scrap from our
church organ of 1868, suppressing
names of course:
81 have listened to the voice of mel
ody and discOursings on eternal truth,
and that from youth. My anticipa-
tons were gratifed, and more, [ felt
humbled at the feet Of genius. Mod
esty, companionship, humility, piety,
feeling, thought-educated thought,
sublime thought, correct thought, con-
secutive thOught-and language cor
rect, and beautiful, and simple, ready
and flowing; gesture even, graceful,
natural; a voice weak, but distinct,
causing death-like silence to come
over the assembled multitude. / con-
fess to enthusiasm, admiration, inten-
sified feeling.
But this is light that should not
be hid under a bushel This meteor
should confine not its rays To-.
He must feel as Summerfeld, as Bas-
com, as Whitefeld, as Wesley, as Coke,
as Asbury, as Maffitt, as Paul, as APP
ollos, as Pierce, as Punshon, and all
that class, have felt-"The world is
my parish" Let the Church send Out
such men, and not confne them in
Let--and--say, II aoiU 90.
send me- :" Confine not your call to
few. The world will give audience
to you.
Had the correspondent who penned
the above felt humbled at the feet of
Jesus instead of genius" and, had
his pen been inspired-to pour peans of
praise upon his Master instead Of a
Meteor" then the boy preacher
wrapt in ministerial swaddling clothes
would not have found himself
classed with the inspired men of the
apostolic age, and the founders, and
early defenders of 1.-The people called
Methodist" Poor fellow, l pitied him
then, | pity him still more now. l
felt that he could not withstand such
shocks, and they poured in from every
direction. OF course Methodism with
its blessed doctrines of justification by
faith, witness of the spirit, holiness
unto the Lord, and kindred doctrines
lost its charms for this youth"
light" meteor" apostle" 1t did |
not have trimmings enough for him. If
he does not lose his identity amid the
fringe of his own robes shall be mis-
taken.
| intended brief notice of the
different points of investigation made |
by the Bishop, but Ihave written more
than will be read if, indeed, it is pub
lished.