The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-04-29

EIeucubIb luetluHt tuut nB WIS leu Y
Christ on this wise: ~ was, " he said ,insub
stance, "at o camp meeting, but was mo-
moved by the sermons or exhortations Of
prayers. was proud, careless, wicked
young man. Butone day / heard q little
girl praying earnestly for the conversion
| Of her mother. looked at her, and
saw strange light glowing In her counte'
nance, while O peculiar soliCitude trem,
bled In her ieryent tones. was deeply
touched, and began TO reason that !
ought 70 pray, to pray TO the same Jesus,
and to pray for my own soul. BY this In.
direct Influence, ! was brought to the
knowledge Of God.p %
In speaking Of the mother OF st. Der.
nard, Rev. DR.. Il. s. Storrs, In q recent
lecture, says: " cannot but feel that the
sanity mother who died eight hundred
years ago In Burgundy has modified the
civilization Of the age In which we live,
and that she has left the touch Of her
hand immortal on your heart aud tninel"
In like manner we may say that the earn.
est prayer Of that little girl, whose name
Is unknown to us, although It Is written
In heaven, has reached, through the life
and labors Of our departed Bishop, the
whole church, the whole land, the whole
world. sl' ,,5f12
In 1928 the Ohio Conference OF the NJ.
b. Church was in session at Chillicothe,
and Edward r. Ames attended It's meet.
ings. Bishop Roberts, the presiding
officer, was soilnpressed with the young
mans ability that he invited him to aeon.
pany him TO the Illinois Conference, at
Madison, Ill. When there he made the
acquaintance OF several prominent Metho.
dists, and opened a school at Lebanon,
ILL.,, which was the germ OF McKendree
College. In August, 1880, he entered the
itinerant ministry, and was licensed to
preach by Rev. Peter Cartwright. When
the Indiana Conference was organized, In
1852, the Bishop then young man, went
with the new conference, and was ordain.
ed a deacon by Bishop Soule. In 1884 he
was ordained an elder by Bishop Roberts,
and was employed in several fields OF
labor, including two years spent in st.
Louis, Mo-, until 1910. In that year he
was appointed delegate to the General
Conference, held In Baltimore, aud that
body elected him corresponding secretary
Of the missionary society for the South and
West
In this Office he had also the supervision
Of the German and Indian missions Of the
Church. During the four years OF his sec.
retaryship he travelled upwards Of 5000
miles, on one occasion passing over the
entire Indian territory from Texas to Lake
Superior, traversing wildernesses and
camping out during the whole trip, He
was the first chaplain ever elected BY an
Indian council, having served the Choc.
taw general council in that capacity in
lS42, and he drew up at the request OF the
committee on education, the school law
for that nation. He also founded schools
among several OF the Indian tribes westofI
the Arkansas river. From 1874 to 1859 he
travelled as presiding elder on the New
Albany, Indianapolis and Jeffersonville
districts OF the Indiana conference. In
1874 the State University of Indiana con. |
Ierred on him the degree OF D. d., and in |
lS4S he was elected President OF the AS.
bury University, Ind, but declined the
honor, preferring to remain in the more
active work Of the ministry.
AT the General Conference OF 1852 he |
was elected Bishop, together with Bishops
Scott, Simpson and Baker, and was the |
first Methodist Bishop who ever visited
the Pacific coast. He travelled through |
every part of the United States, but al. |
though honored with appointments to
visit foreign missions and to act as frater.
nal delegate to conferences OF the Wesley
an Church in Great Britain, he never left |
his own country. Nm -
The Bishop received the decree OF LII.
u, from the Wesleyan University at Mid
The General Conference Of 1854, was
held in Philadelphia, in the month OF
May, while Grants cannon were thunder.
ing in the Wilderness. The patriotic
spirit Of the body rose to fever heat On
the first day Of the session, the trustees OF
the church in which the Conference met, |
were requested to display the flag Of the
United States, over the building during
the session OF the body. "Report No. II
Of the Committe on the State Of the Coun-
try recommended the appointment Of q |
delegation ito proceed to Washington.
and to present TO the President Of the
United States, the assurances ofour church,
in suitable address, that we are with him,
heart and soul, in the present struggle for
human rights and free institutions"
The address, powerful document-was
prepared by DR.. Joseph Cummings, and
signed by the officers OF the General Con-
ference. Bishop Edward R. Ames, Joseph
Cummings, George Peck Charles Elliot
and Granville Moody were appointed on
the delegation. Never, perhaps, did Bish-
op Ames do more honor to his Charac-
ter and office, or reveal more distinctly his
patriotic and statesmanly qualities, than
on that occasion. The commission bore
back to the General Conference an auto
graph letter from President Lincoln, con-
tanning those oftquoted and memorable
words: at is no fault OF others that the
Methodist Church sends more soldiers TO
the field, more nurses to the hospitals,
and more prayers to heaven than any 9TH
or. God bless the Methodist Church
bless all the Churches! and blessed be God
who in this our great trial giveth us the
Churches" Bishop Ames made verbal
report, in presenting this letter from Mr..
Lincoln to the Conference, glowing with
satisfaction.
Patriotism and Methodlsm stand, to
be sure, for distinct things, and yet for
things quite closly related Patriotism
seeks the highest good Of the common
wealth; Methodism =" Christianity in
earnest" as pr. Chalmers defined it-lifts
up the whole body OF the people, improves
the public morals, enforCes the restraints
OF virtue, presents the highest motives for
right action, and 30 exalts, purifies, and
ennobles national character.
The Declaration OF Independence, in at.
tirming that all men "Rre endowed by their
Creator with certain inalisnable riRhts,"
avowed one Of the first truths OF religion =
a truth involved in the common father
hood Of God, in our common redemption
by Jesus Christ, in the common watchtul-
ness Of divine Providence, in the common
gift OF the Holy Spirit, and in the snhlime
assertion that God hath madeo OF one blood
all nations Of men-that humanity, by
Gods appointment, is a brotherhood.
Theology, the comprehensive SCIENCE, M
derlies all philosophy, and the ultimate
reason Of every justifahle act will always
be found in an ordinance Of God. On
this broad, strong, and immovable ioup.
1ation tho fnfhara nj tho Rnnnhlin roarad