Daily Republican., 1884-03-10
The Wilmington Conference.

The Wilmington Conference, which
has been in session at Asbury NJ, f.
church, this city since W ednesday will
close its labOrS Tomorrow, hardly SOON
er, and then the strange faces that have
greeted us i'll the streets, in our business
Offices and i'll our homes, and III our
churches and Sunday schools, will have
departed for their respective fields of
labor, in the hope Of coming together
again after the lapse of another wear.
Their transient stay with us we hope
has been pleasant and the friendships
formed we trust will be agreeable and
will last while life lasts.
This annual gathering of Methodist
preachers and laymen is a brilliant il
lustration of the benefits of the itiuerant
system, system which more than any
thing else gives Methodism its won
derful strength and vivid spirituality.
1t is indeed yearly home gathering Of
a body OF people, who come together to
talk to each other of the conflicts and
tolls through which they have passed
and OF the anticipated hopes of the tu-
ture year. There is a wonderful con
mingling ofjoy and sadness, rejoicing
and sorrow in these annual gatherings.
10 or" the year has been bright and
glorious, but 10 another gloomy and
sal The angel of death has entered
the homes of some, and the gaunt
spectre of disease has afflicted others.
These need sympathy and they never
fail to receive il i'll a Methodist Confer
ence, and at the same time hundreds of
hands 90 down deep into hundreds of
pockets to back up real sympathy with
substantial and. II is charged that the
MethodIHtH are an excitable people.
easily sci 4 going and hard to check
when started. To this charge If i'll
means a spiritual excitement, which
1t does, they plead guilty, and offer no
apology for their guilt II i, this
quick spiritual influence that has given
them their great power and popularity
The people Is Il general Thing fan right
i'll with it,
They Low" il because it does excite
them Nothing eases true Methodist
heart more Than In hr moved IA tear. in
his plcadin@> Tor III" cause of his Mas
ter, and t" -" his audience moved inl
the SAME iu0nrr Thus when a min
isteri>prcs>'d down with the viciS,itudc-
and troubles If IN unfortunate. v.,r
and tells his brethren of il his r,usc
becomes the came of fine conference
n ,,l all Il
when he tell, I'll hi- trlrunph and ,uc- |
cess, the " lpI. conference, r.inic.s ,yi,h
him. These ministers, love M,1hudi-ur |
because it create, AN excitement that
brings Iuv, and tAis l. the reason vhyl
Methcdi,m is So porular
A Methodist Conference i, said by |
many to be an ari~tocratic in,titution
by one man the Rishou We |
are forced to admit that if has tlnt look |
but it is far from L,Iur that in reality
There is nothing ari,torrltir ohnut il
that they themselves do NOT max. and
are always willing tn submit 10. That
it would not suit rrnrv drnomiu,tions|
is true, but it lust >ui,> fine Mptlndist|
itinerancy. That hundred and fnr,v
ministers, fully M To the standard nfl
the ministerial talent, Of other d.rnui-
nations ara willing to 90 wherever sent
by the Bishop after mature delihero,iou
with his cabinet, is an instance of IN.
earneStness and love Of fine N.tLodist
minister for the work in which Il. !.
engaged, aud which ov,rridrs .v.ry
of her Consideration anal ,l; :; ;, |
rause Of the rapd growth of NIrtLoIisn,
II this country.
In a few hours more fine Cuufarauco
will assemble in Old Asburv a church
eplete with methodjstic reminisc.nccs
# century Of years, TO receive from thr
'ishop their Amendment with hi. hen.
dictiun. MANY Of them. uprhans th.|
most of them. know where tbov aro FOL
DC sent. There are some however uhn|
re in the dark and know net wbrr.|
heir future home is 10 be for the futuro
ear until their .a,nu and IN. ,,,,,o n,|
he place to which they ar. o..iyn.d|
all from fine BiShup's lin. Th,, ,ln,.
nav be disarpuiutrd il tru. In, :, !, i
II right. II is one of tL. h.ourie. and
dvautar,s Of fine itiu.r,ucv ,l,.,t r,',,
ointment is mad. for morr Than
ear. If the ann,;nt,n.nt T.. ma, .,,i,
BILE one il need last no Ionror ,h,r
ear if oth.rwi.. II r,.,, lac. ,I,n