The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-05-06

| llbD VI MtlllNNlelN IlOW uSStlhUi'i IL NNh-
| eral Conference at Baltimore are n nota-
| bic and interesting body, made up of the
bishops OF the church and host Of clcri-
cal and lay delegates from all parts OF the
country. They form, as Baltimore
paper remarks, the court OF highest iuiis-
diciiou for the largest ecclesiastical organ
ization in the United states
The present meeting is regarded rs in
many respects the most important that
has ever been held Ivy the American
Methodist Church. The body ia convened
J In one OF the nuest ediices IN Baltimore,
and will be in session tor several weeks.
1t has no power to revoke or alter IN any
way the Methodist creed or "Articles of
Religion but II possesses authority re-
speeding questions of religious work, ways
of operation, reforms in church govern
ment. aud matters of discipline. These
will be reviewed, discussed, and settled
according to the wisdom of Epsc opal
Methodsm. There are divisions among
Methodists, aud this Conference does not
| exercise jurisdiction over all the churches
that 20 under that name; but II repre-
| sents the largest branch of the denomina-
ton, ana It's action will carry II powerful
| influence among all the followers of JOnN
| WESLEY.
We mentioned the other day that there
| were the vast number of twenty-five thou
sand Methodist preachers in the United
| States when the last census was taken. Let
the reader array this host of men be-
| fore his Imagination. Let him think that
their whole lives are devo ed to the work
of religion, by which they are supported.
| Let him remember that nj OF them preach
| every Sunday once auA again, the whole
| year. round. Let him behold the multi
| tudes who listen to them. Lct him reflect
upon the nature OF the IDEAS which they
are al. occupied in enforcing. and the rela-
ton Of those ideas to the human mind.
Let him next take notice of the fact that
the host in question is backed up by other
| preaching hosts, only less numerous, be-
longing to other denominations OF Christi
anity, but unfolding the same funda-
mental doctrines under the sanction of one
book that they all hold TO be divine. After
such survey, the imaginative reader will
be apt to believe that the advance of the
clerical army must be- irresistible; that it
must be able 10 control the public mind
and the life of the community; that its
energy must carry 1t over all obstacles;
that it must enlghtcn and purify the dark
est and foulest places; that it must crowd
evil, vice, wrong, and deviltry to the wall;
and that II must transform into gardens
the weedy fields ia which it operates For
ever preaching, praying, and singing all
| over the land are these tens of thousands
of preachers; and yet, even yet, after cen
turtles of such woRS, we behold Satan on
the rampage, and the powers Of hell laugh
ing ut the hosts of salvation.
The Founder of Christianity took twelve
preachers eleven of them after JUDAS
left, and told them 10 go into all the
world, and proclaim the gospel 10 every
creature. In moment, us 1t were, they
were preaching every where, ana Ia a short
time multitudes of people We're thereby
transformed in their minds and lives.
These twelve plain preachers are now
multiplied into perhaps not less than a
million preachers. They appear before US
under various names, but all of them pro-
fess 10 be ndherents Of JESUS CHRIST.
They are planted all over Cbristendom,
and sent all over heathondom. They have
erected myriads OF costly churches in the
name Of the Nazarene. Since his time,
century after century, they have been
multiplying. To each successive genera
lion, age upon age, they have preached.
They have obtained control of govern
ments; they have got hold of vast amounts
Of property; they have become prom
iuent feature OF the community; they are
II learned aud large-saluried host. But not
yet not even yet, do we behold them pre-
pairing TO send up from their million
threats the shout Of triumph over regen-
Grated race III what country, city, or
community can we witness n genuine dis.
play of the practical power of that kind OF
religion which the apostolic preachers
learned from CHRISTI
In this country alone the twelve ancient
preachers who were commanded to preach
to every creature in the world, have been
multiplied into nearly sixty thousand
Twenty-Five thousand of them are called
Methodists, and the rest are called Presby-
terlans, Baptists, Episcopalians, Roman
Catholics, aud other names. Hear theiI
voices resounding every Sunday from the
pulpits of their churches And then, turn
and look upon the masses of the com
muuity. Look how vice RACES; look how
evil and wrong prevail on every hand
! look al the vast surfaces OF misery woe ano
ruin, and into their hideous depths. Look
at business, politics, society, and life IN
, general. Tho preachers preach, and the
? never-ending voices OF the whole army of
them III their churches; but yet the fruit:
, thereof have not healed the destruc tive
5 diseases OF mankind. Mind you, while
= bordering over this, that we are not de-
| maudng TOO much from religion which
possesses the power to regcnorute the heart
OF man, the lifo Of society, and the ways
Of the world.
There are doubtless scoirers who will say
that Christianity las been failure, ant
there are other men who will say that ii
, host of preachers in this country or else
whore have not taken the right means to
secure success and there are perhaps still
= others who believe that 1t has, on the whole
, done Us well as could be expected. w