The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1881-10-22

The disgraceiully Inadequate attention
which the London press has paid to tn
EGumenical Conference. and to the pow
| erful discourses which for several sun
days its foreign delegates have been Civ
ing in London and lis suburbs, mus
have been sadly significant to the repre-
SentatveS from America 1t must llv
impressed upon them, more even thai
the unsatisfactory statistics which thei
English brethren had to present, the fac
that Methodism is on the decline in th
country. This may be partly ascrbed t.
the divisions of the Wesleyan body il
England. 1t is divided into seven organi
cations, which cooperate very little, ant
have never i'll many years come so nea
together as in this great Conference.
also it may be aScrihed to .Ee absence .
any episcopal supervisors, the office o
bishops being but feebly represented by
the "chairmen of districts in Grca
Britain. But the radical cause of the
!
country is its over-near relation to the
Established Church. John Wesley WI:
one of the greatest organizers and ad
minStratOrS the world has even seen
and we'll merits Macaulay'S comparison
of him with Richelieu. But us the IA
bic relates of Siegfried that when Ii,
bathcd in the dragons blood. which rem
dcred him invnlnerable. Z leaf fell on his
back and left there the unbathed spot
death. so it may be said of Wesley that
his extreme loyalty to the Established
Church has proved the weakness of Meth
odism in England. To the last his cleri-
cal gown chung to him: in it he was
buried: and it adhereS to his risen body.
English Methodism is not far enough
from the Church of England to share
the forces of Dissent: it is not near
enough to share the forces of Conform
ity. 1t is sinking between the two. The
degree to which it is Overshadowed by
the Church is represented in an English
proverb-that Il carriage never remains
ill Il Wesleyan family three generations.
When Il Methodist family grows rich
enough to have a carriage, it carries the
younger members thereof to church.
The Rev. DR.. Tiffany, OF New York.
in vigorous speech before meeting
gathered in Exeter Hall, after speaking
of the tlourishing finances of American
Methodism, said, 1T was the glory of
Christ's gospel that the poor had that
gospel preached to them: but the fact
is that when our gospel is preached to
the poor, and they live by the rules of
Methodism, they don t remain poor-they
become rich The crowd of small
tradeSmen before him applauded this.
but it was with sad faces. They knew
well that in England when Methodists
become rich. they generally cease to be
Methodists. And how can it be other
wise? The apparent decline of Metho-
dism corresponds with an increase of
non-apparent MethodiSm. John Wesley
predicted that he and his movement
would either be expelled from the Eng
fish Church, or they would leaven the
whole body. They were never formally
expelled. and they did leaven the church:
so that to-day there are many clerGymen
throughout the country who preach with
fervor the spiritual doctrines he so much
cherished, and in which those who are
brought up under his influence can find
a con@enal home. In England every
step upward i'll the social scale brings
family into contact with church people.
and into relation with the establishment
as 4 national institution They find in
TIE English Church the same liturgy as
that to which they are accustomed in
their paternal Wesleyan chapcls. The
doctrines are the same. There is no
Wesleyan preacher who would venture
to tell them that they can not be a> good
and spiritual i'll the Church as in the
chapel. They have not like other dis
senterS, any political traditions against
the union of church and state. Method
ism must therefore look to other than
English fields for its great harvests.
The difference between the English and
American MethodistS, as disclosed in
I, (
ically and personally the representatives
from the nitcd States are il much finer
class of men. Their manner is that of
men who have none above them, and do
not know what it is to be snubbed.-
There is submissive. Sat-upon look
about the English delegates, and they sit
in silent wonder at the frank and bold
way in which the Americans challenge
what they do not like. On one occasion
the business committee made an arrange
ment for the conduct of business. and re-
ported it. DR.. Buckley. of New York,
challenged it's wisdom with Il vigorous
speech. and DR.. Tiffany rose against it
with 4 point of order. The English
chairman of the day, the Rev. Mr..
Stacey, paid little Difference to DR.. Buck
ley. and-through sheer bewilderment,
think-put the motion without noticing
Titfany's point of order. After the mo-
ton was carried DR.. Tiffany arose. and
with inmitable grace said: Mr.. Chair
man, | wish to offer an apology. You
have such a different way of tranSacting
business i'll this country from any known
in ours that hope to be excused. | was
under an impression that point of or
der, opportnnely raised and politely put,
was always received by the chair Here
there were murmurs of " Hear. hear"
from the English delegates: and the con-
fused chairman had to apologize to DR..
Tiffany. An eminent English Wesleyan
preacher told me that the chairman's
confusion arose, no doubt, from the fact
that-though he is President of the New
Connection-he never imagined that any
one could possibly attempt to set aside
the recommendation of Il committee.
On Il certain day two laymen-one
English the other Amercan--were put
forward to Introduce in addresses of
twenty minutes each the subject of Lay
Preaching. One of these was member
Of Parliament (Shephcrd Allen,) the
other the Hon. Mr.. White, of Pittsburg.
The difference between the performances
of the two men was very striking. The