, 1881-08-14
MErHODISNI.
Interesting Statistics Of Power
ful Religious Body.
a Strong and Growing Bulwark Of
Protestant Orthodoxy.
The Class-.uccting the Germ-Ceu of
the Church.

Hay Dy bishop Kyle to the President of t,,e
Wesleyan Conference, that their rrsnn,ti,[
mcnts ), in t,,a s,,,. , +'','.,p,, "'iefeht res1
tue .se"ss III ulo same general army Of ''tlle
ehurch OF Christ Iii England" But there
cah be llo doubt that the large proportlon.
Metllodis1n has assumed in Errla,.,, .o,. w.,
A,nerj., ,,a,-o - ;, ,1,,,,,a,,,a Ans s1a!ld anu
o,,' ; $500 441''"e - pnehu'heAoll or consider
ave importance a1ld ihltS suffice to explain
tne elaborate disqusition OH its history and
in the Ediuy,u,xt 1,cnIc,n for ,.s,,. p1rec -,
,vr;to, ,l,,,,<''. iol Ja!y. Tile
5nno noo eo1"pu'cs .E', otc t>1lsh Actl!odists 1T
'oou'ooo anu tue Amcrlcalls at 100000,
| in Great Er;t,;n ~ e,1 nno 'no plopet.s
| Amoric, ~ r,s con oo, M, oo'oo anu Ill
-. ,,1, ~ ~ -'o'ooo.ooo. @ vh'toEe''s iltnnnac
- ~ ewes l+'',N.ooo us the total figure
o. on ~ hMc1no.lists Of AL descriptions through
/ nnt the En:slisll-speak!ng worlf,' counting
!ailiilles aua synDatlliZerS. Possibly the
truth may lie somewhere between tnG two
Dnt !! gwen if llle lowest computation be atlopt,,
eo. ' It. = sufficiently large. II should he re-
l!arkctI, however, that five sccts or schisms
l ItayG broken OFT from the parent Stock, and
,esi0eS Tue Neslcyals, or Methodlsts urunrr.
Win w!lom alone the EtInIury writer con.
ferMs feao n'nseli: u, wG Eaye the New Connection,
who, according 70 Ihitoke,, nubcr il, Ills til;
country nearly hall is luany adllerents us tie
uisis.hnt pody; Able Christlans, founded in
4ot', oHitcu .nttll0utSt III rec Churches who
i'n,,n.,.i;a III ,1.waetiaillnS ilk. the New
VIZ, Asetao.'' ns' !slsel poW'lsiof Tue lalfy,-and
WY come next Ill nunber to the Primitive
-Mct'ioulstS, having about 4 third us 1uanv
members; lastly, the Wesleyan I,efUrIn
Union, WHO ScceuGd from tile Free Churc1,o.
i'll lS49, but have o1t]y some : ON uua,ni,or. ..
eighteen ministers In Erp,t Hr,n;a .,,, '1t
IS , scarcely shade OF doctr!lal difference BE-
~; IL tI. @ =, iuss es,theirdlspute
ac watI ISsr ,e nin no Of Mesy!,s and With
discipline, to Which reference will be male
presently. With the broad facts ~ .i",,n
Wesiey'S career and ina cirn,,,".ta,,n
which led to his sra'Il,a atirn,to utio,'stces fs
Enr,jsf f,nureh 1J ,, uTraton from Tue
Of an indepenIcnt r ,c's st un"i'lins ;; creation
plp'eu III tne sequel far the largest |
;e!id most influential, though not the
her focs-the reader NAV be nr.s",nG ut Saf y 81
familiar the Weslryans. in,Is.1 ,,rof,u ~ ue
themselves .the fr;nnIs nf III IIueu' ti piol:ss
9a3t,. q none. aI9d we have heard Of 1t worthy
. t Flyer assuring US Vicar that they
are tile pillars of the Church''; but the
claim can hardly be- admitted even in The va |
stticted sense M applied to Lie churehmanshlp
~ Lord Eldon. tor they not only never enter
tIe ,n clltifch themselves. bllt have not dis
cnArSeo the ounce OF external buttresses with
..n1 ~ ,sIy lnarseu success lhe famous pas
neIIS I; " ie.E -hAc1iias suggests !l0W i wiser |
lo!!cy III tle eccIeslastlcai rulers Of the lust
eeillaEy & ihlslit have mate john Wesley to |
the Chtrch 0f England what l9natiuS Loyola .
WaS 10 the church Of Rome has been read
~ ntt -. q sn!ile " slsn py many Successors
~. - y 't1o 'i!t " tIlei's, III Dur own aay;
otst IL u M 700 llte now to repair Il fatal mis-
lake: Wlether anything cali still be done to
tfrest us turtler consequences is another
Aatter The f1rst step. Ut aii events, towards
NY sllch undertaking must i,e to gain clear !!
~ 'ppiee!at!uu I' " t!t tac1s. A!1d heIt can be
:" =. ~ tont ui'tt Net!!ouSni dners widely both
Il us orlslh anu IT'S characteristic features !
! rom lne ordinary forms Of Dissent, though J
: may oe questioned whether the spread of !
tloerat1on1St principles has not tended Of late | I
gals 10 npllttrate or modlf; The difference.
lesley iimseit was 50 fur TInlM having any !!
ntaffel WIN the doctrine or discipline Or the
'ntirch Of England, as such, that to the last y
~ eolSiuerea ~ Il lar the nearest approach to 7
tnostot!c ChflSt.an!ty Ill the world: he I
Lllct!} lorbAuc his preachers to hold services
nrnlS The hours OF worship 1T the parish
'iu!eH, it!;.,. o1 ~ presume Ill any case to
th1llister sacranle1ts: and it was only
liuel pressure ol Wllat nc believed to be -
ecessty, ana alter the Bishop of London
LoWth} mad refused TO act, that lie at length
saved in union With two other Anglican /
10 or.lain Il Methodist ssUiShop'' | 81
II America, .wllere I'LL Episcopal form of :,
3verlment is still retained among his fol- >.
Wefs- II was the spectacle OF the ''soui- -
snlnng clerEylnen' OF his day which | tc
onbled him; and Metholism arose, not, es