, 1881-09-18

that Mr.. Moody AMI myself are employed b5
some persons or society to 20 from city t0
city, but such is not the case. We sijnpl,
take what 1 the Lord gives us,, and 11e la:
Lords, anu we are willing to leave all re
suits, financial and spiritual, in His hands,
MEruoD1sM..
THE GREAT EcuMES1ClAI. CONFERENCE OF
ALI. THE BRANCHES OF wEsLEY1s,I.
L"'ldon 1inses.
The Pan-Anglican Syllotls ut Lambeth
probably suggested the Methodist Ecumen-
lcal Conference which is in session ut the
City-Koad Wesleyan Chapel. The confer
e!lce is, however, at once narrower and
deeper in its bases than the synod. In pr;sc-
ice the heads Ut Episcopal churches find
their prerogative continually more ami more
limited
Yet there is 4 sense in which this confer
ence is, through the very modesty Of its i'll
tention, more instructive than any Pali-
Anglican Synod could be. Bishops i'll the
Church of England, rs i'll the Churches OF
Rome and the East, form all order by theu.~
selves essentially separate from the rest Of
their fellow-churclilnell. The relation of the
Bishop to his flock is, by virtue Of his
Office, one which 'exaiMles *idcntits.. ), Least
of all could the views OF the whole body
OF churcAmcn III q transatlantic dio-
cese be reflected. except III the. most
Indirect degree, i'll the. decisions of All inter-
national congress; through the in1initcsimal
participation of its Bishop i'i its work. A
Methodist Ecnnlenical Conference is noth-
iltg but Il Methodist national conference oil
larger scale. a A1ethodist yearly conference
is only all extension Of the principle 1T the
district. perloaical conventions down to tln!t
f5ftttf nj
successive phase Of Methodist life has
its different functions according to its
different circumstances of locality, time,
and need. All have had 4 general char
acter and foundation of resemblance since
Wesley created his marvellous organism.
have entered into 4 species of frankpletlse.
They are mutually Answerable for one ;s,,-
others loyalty to the common faith. Wesley
and Whltetield considered. not without
to which English cllurchnten belonged
was hot taking sufficient pains 10 remind
them Of the engagement III which they
ilat entered: They commenced BY
hoping to. shame the. le;iders of the
fiery earnestness. When they failed III re-
animatins the shepherds they, confined 1heir
efforts to the sheep. The older dissenters
from the Church had :acted III the same way.
beginning with rebellion against prelacy.
lAlc1 CDESL1 NElCO ouEIE1lcS li1uNcI VI
close religious intimacy and habitual conl-
parisoN Of religious growth. The peculiar
ity of Methodisln IS that it did not begin
with revolt against Episcopafian forms. It
stroye ut first only to quicker, their efficiency
ton. When Church ordinances were
made no longer available rs franle-
work for its operations, 1t W;ls- compelled to-
substitute ordinances of its OWL. Not tlAy-:
inE been originally hostile to the Church. it
frr
which should allow them to be coeXteusivc
with the Church they were designed to in
spire and awaken. The features Ut Congre-
had 10 place i'll such q plan. Al
though necessity or convenience has diversi~
Of Sietho.lism in this and other
substantial unity is preserved by
the ihdissoluble permanence OF the weekly
class-neeting. The Ecumenical Conference
will presents spectacle Of imposing variety
with its Bishops, its negroes, and its dele
ga1es at Continental chauels; at bottom it is
/ monster class-1nceting, assembled to pray,
and confess. and hear confessions, and to col
lect subscriptions for the more speedy distrl-
button of, the rest OF mankind into
weekly 9t he classes Us hSsn ieass,1ns or axs sy
enlightening to the general public. No en-
:ycIicals will issue from it for the governs
nent of the several Aletlydlst communities.
IN the other hand, the temper Of its dellber-
y take, will teach Those who have the key
q the language III which they are couclled
Ii. much OF the prospects Of Metllo1isM On
10Th sites Of the Atlantic lis it they had
rayeled in person through the whole Metho-
list world.
AIctlodism was never more prosperous
han now since its early militant stage. Yet
t possesses few or none OF the qualities t
which promote success III 4 creed. 1t can,
indeed, scarcely DC said to have a creed: It's
l,lt of the Church Of England it is ITO longer |
part. Even III liturgy multitulles Of its
members concur with tile Church. For. the
,arallel progress Of Congrcgatl0nalism
;stosa can saIy be found It's Aors noss IS
hey are not altogether obsolete. There |
night be thought to be much which is i'll |
iyorating and agreeable to some tastes ut |
he assertion OF chapel ,ndependen,S;e:: The
he two bodies is. perhaps, the same. The
of congregations III 4 Conyre
;atioral denomination does not cary them |
alto very marked dJscrepancies- The hierar- |
norc heavily on the ministers than on the
raction is III the constant sub
ection Of the soul to inspection. 70 many
ornt Of tile faith that is in them is not the
ess repulsive that it is bartered for as full
IL exposition ut the faith Of 4 1teigllbor.
Generally those minds are hot of the Kind to
,lke their home in the ranks, Wilether Of
vel, to some such there is i farinalion in the
truggle to reserve nndetected recesses
f religious emotion in the face of al,
right to. order the secret
halllber to bt. unlocked: Without count
II them, there is ar abundance uf other good
nj christians 1vf1o have fofSp |