The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1882-08-16
THE MORRIOTOWN GAZETTE
THE PLUMED KNIGHTS OF
-..---J THE CROSS.
Written for The Morfistown Gazette
BY W. W. LANGHORN.

The world loves to read the wild
stories of the era of bnighthood
of the days-and bloody days they
were-of the conflicts of Paynim
warrior, ard tho armored knights Of
the cross-But,
/ 1.-THE good knights are in the dust"
"And their swords are in the rust"
| The days of chivalry are ended.
The fruitless campaigns of the old
ctusades are almost forgotten, but
the golden threads of romance still
gGsten amid the sober and decaying
warp of facts. If the knights of
the olden time have moldered into
dust, and their deeds are almost for
gotten, it must be remembered,
that in later days, there lived
knights of the Cross, animated by a
higher, holier motive, than ever ami
mated knights Of Old And if you
ask me, gentle feader, who are these
latter-day knights-I answer, they
are. the itinerant Methodist preach
ers of our earlier days-fulI of
courage-full of enthusiasm-full of
energy. They welded the very
sword of Gideon. They wore no
gittering armor-no =. FURNISHED
lance they bore-no flashing cimetar
they welded, but they were IRE
sistable; and their conquests have
been the noblest, grandest and most
sublime the world has ever seen.
From the time the Wesley's landed
in Georgia to the present, no church
has made the strides that the Meth
odist church has made. One hun
dred years ago, its leaders were men,
in the main uneducated; its mem
bers generally of the most ignorant
classes. But what a change To-day
Methodism is more powerful than
the President and Congress com
bined. Its followers if called upon
to rally to the defense of its faith
would shake the vey foundations of
the government. To-day it is SUI
preme. From out of the South,
MethOdism spread all along the sea-
board-it spread westward, planting
its flag at the very out posts of civil
lization, until day, its church bells |
ringing from the Atlantic, finds its
echoes waited out on the Pacific. |
1t entered New York, and the old |
Dutch reformed, laid down before |
it-vanquished. 1t spread out its
szirmish line all along through the |
middle States. 1t dared invade the |
very stronghold of the old Puritans
and the descendants of the Nav.
flower left their faith and embraced
the new glorious doctrine which the |
daring itinerant preached. 1t has
won victories grander than Blen-
helm, and more complete than Wa
terloo, and these victories are due to
the indomitable courage-the God |
like enthusiasm of the advance
couriers of the faith-the itinerant
minister. Their sacrifices have been
greater than were ever made by any
other men, or set of men. Their |
faith has excelled the faith of the
Patriarchs-their courage has been
more sublime than the courage of a |
Cour de Leon or a Nelson. Their |
perseverance has been more de-
termined than the perseverance of
a Bruce. Their victories have been
sublime ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS |
been wonderful and miraculous. |
The plumed knights of Methodism
could to-day bear down the world. |
and the day is, not far distant when
the faith ofthe Wesley's will invade |
and capture the last stronghold of
Romanism. The cross of the Meth
odist will shadow the cross of st.
Peter,
NEWPORT, Aug. 2, 1882. a8t,l !