New-York tribune., 1884-12-06
A CENTURY OF METHOD1sM.
IN MEMORY or THE CHRISTMAS CONFER
CNCE

onisN rs PIP tBtRCfs 10 BR
hisris ssrp.
ltPuN a. dp, AspSAt tuhhtstosntSt ~ tir FRp'Srl
hAtfiNoht. Dee, b-Ihpfe viii open ~ this
rlli hr,i wtth. itiltluns conference ~ which Tho
Mfhmss NJ ai hfaaehes ~ ttis elft and vicinity, ahh
10 iHti aui piifnns generally iHnblne forward win
hnrh hinire u vii he conference ~ pfiniitilnh 80
hp 'rntnaf Gf ihp Hrsanifallnn ~ thp Methodist s
| e"ai bnrrhi and Hearig a lhs hftHehas ~ Method
sin ~ America viii hn represented Y haif mosl pFuiR-
nen ministers ani laYmen.
Ia iad6 the centennial anniversary of the introduction
~ helhodism into Amerisa celebrated Ia Arw York
and eight or ten years later The hundredh ann'er
sarY oi The organization 0f Methodist society IN Pha
delphla was celebrated in that city hJ series Of meet
ings continuing several days but the events thus com
memOIaed wcrc In the opinion Of MchOiss, OF greatly
Inferior importance to those which occurred In this city
Ia December, 1884 Up To about that time it had not
been the purpose of Mcthodists in America any
than 1t had been OF their leader in England,
to establish distinct ecclesiastical system, outside
and Independent Of the English Church. Of which John
Wesley lived and died member lie instituted socIey
within the Established Church and all the pcculiares of
this society except those pertaining to religious faith
and fe were the result OF accident In 1884 Methodism
had extended rapidly in the United States, though Its
growth had been retarded greatly by the Revolutionary
war. There some ~ preachers and l.5O0
| laymen These scattered all over the
country; and the preachers were
regularly ordained clergymcn. and the Episcopal
churches few and inaccessible 10 many large pro-
portion OF this great body Of Christians was deprived of
all church relationship and participation IN the sacrs
Inens. Wesley realized that this was condition of
things which could not continue without great injury Ia
thc Young sociecs but wishing to avoid al Irregular
ity bcsnught the Bishop of London to ordan ministers
whI should administer the sacramenis among the
Methodisis OF America This request was refused and
Wesley felt himself authorized by the necessities Of the
to ortan Thomas Coke alreadya Presbytcr In the
English Church. superintendent or Bishop Tor Amcr
ca This ordination took place at the Leeds Conference
in September, 1884. and Dr Coke Immediately set sail
Tor rus country, where upon MS nrfVa he summoned
the Methodist preachers To meet him IN ialti more on
the Methodist Episcopal Church: There was
lsrge attendance considering The difficulties ol traVc
In those days. DR. Coke presided and the conference
lasted ten days. The Liturgy as prepared by Wesley
% sop nn nnd pI rna s onSm r S % %
On the second day of the session Francis Asbury nav
Ing been elected superintendent by the conference" was
ordained deacon the third elder and on the fourth
was consecrated bishop rhrse deaeonI ana twrye
Methodist annals as the Christmas Conference ana IL
was The beginning ot the Methodist Episcopal ,huich'
! and Of the numerous onshoot~ from II in America.
ORIGIN OF TIE PLAN.
The project Of the celebration Of next week had It's In
ccpton among the American delegates to the Methodist
Economical Conference In London in 1881. although the
Methodist Episcopal Church South IN its General Con
ference In 1873 took official action In favor Of some
recognition by all Mctholsts Of the hunredth birthday
Of Methodsm in America 1t thought by some Of
NE American delegates that the London conference was
formal; and that questions of living interest To
the churches had been too rgidly excluded
| by the committee who had prepared the
programme Of proceedngsS The matter freely can
yasscd aud document was drawn mp fdvoring ccntcl-
signed by all the Americans present The General Con
ference Of the southern Church In May sS2 appointed
1,rn hn EoarG of Bishops Of the Methodist Episcopal
Church appointed committee ]n m twenty sn. llr Iir
The subject This committee meta iaon%J m@sy
tho late Bishop simpson presiding and adopted reson
tion approving the plan Of the Concrence and dSfarHg
America should be represented in it. subcommittee
Of counsel and correspondence was apPonled consist
! + IGoucher the Rev Andrew Longlcre and II X Car
roll and instructed 10 communicate representatives,
of Methodist churches on matters relating to the
rropn'eMi M 'firerai,o hrao1 If ,ntbii4 In tHs c"nntry
and anaa a,k them TO participate in the eelebraon
dsi n.ona, hi,rrh South the African Methodist Eris
eopai Church The African Methodist Epise 'pa, Zion
tiricl The tolori Methodist Epi4eorHl chir.h me
Wneis,.i e19 NGi trah and tbe indepsiden Mehodst.
N nrct'ng hrld ~ rhila'cphia, earlt M rrc.gnt
tf8iIt.e ea pg9ydca for 70 e 3ylltinig, .t rs tf'
}st}gRi,2 81 ISL !, PJisIi s6h.So #99iFsgga 3
HA6i# Z I,t5es, gt'ht !, y %ag' g'lAEEttaNi lAEEtt iAsisH
G,@.g..f i Il IF ~ gayi AftAdiHY }hS9h FEa
l3mrii g4, wv WIKI N Ms f5rh3al 5AilA n stR
| IlaNses 4a elfAWslANtf0 Wlf ftNltf AHl NNE y
| ahie AAsAppl 'Nai AAa p1DAe
PROGRAMME NF rHE CpNFEHENNE.
The Gpnt, rrncc VIII meei and ofeAn1s HeAl wednesday
|
slols w he held hat the delegates viii meet on Tues
day evening ~ the fiIst Methodist Episcopal Church on
Charlcs-st where they Will be welcomed 40 hls cy by
Bishop l.. g. Andrews, on behalf Of the Entertainments
| Committee Responses will he made by Dr
McFcnin Of the Methodist Episcopal Church
| South aud President j. G. Price, Of the
American Methodist Episcopal zon Church.
The Conference VIII close Tues ay December 10 ON
The evening o December theIc VIII he special & scs,
| the Methodist Protestant General Conference ana the
| Bi1e Christian Church OF England Inc evenings of
December TO- H. IL, and III VIII uc u'.oltu 70 POlu
meetings id eleven churches IN each OF which there wu
bishops, Of various bodies, who will preside at the
regular conference sessions IN turn At the opening
Bishop r. 8 Foster will preach sermon In thg alter,
the [s two prers wi GG & T read n thss
regular sessions In many cases the reading VIII De ioi
| lowed by general discussion:
First day-work Of the Christmas Conference. Pro-
fssor John Mley d. d. Personnel "i the christmas Coh-
second day--The SUPPLEMENTARY of Asbury, and
What it did for Methodlsm Jesse Boring D d. Ihe re,
ntion- of John Wesley to American Methodi.m Aired
| Wheeler d. ID. Statistical Results Membership, etc.
Daniel D9rshestcr D. D. sSri,e IarI,te Results AD"'a
| Third dsy.-Mehodsm in 1884 and its Outlook. o.
j. Blackwell, D. D. Causes Of the Success Of Method
sm F. %G pP v,ocr0, pos',9e - D Dangers to Future
Af,s Tn"Tib davRse .oH m aud Progress of Methodsm
Canada John A. Williams, d. d. Methodist Pioneers
and their Work Professor Charles Little. Is Method,
ism Losing Its Power over the Massesi Bishop > l.
Fiji Filth d day-Tho Aim and Character Of Methodist Methodist
Grace Bishop L. VI. Hosey, d. ID. The Doctrnal Unity
of Motholism Anson West. d. D. Guards To the Purlty
of our Doctrnal Teaching. X. y. Davies. D. - -
sixth day.-Ihe -Four Points OF Metho~iShl- heaT
Conversion Assurance Christian Experience ana sane
dcation j T. Evans, ID. ID. The Influence OF Meth-
odsn on Other Denominations james " King, - d.
Value Of the Press To Mchodsm. Benjamin ~. james
FRY ID d. Value of the Periodical Press to MethOdlsh
q. +. Fitzgerald. ID. ID. ,.,.-.-. l.,
Seventh Day-Piace and Power OF the Lay Element in
Merhodisn. H. p. Walker. y. ID. What Methodsm owes
To Women. J. NJ. Buckley d. ID.
rxTprst.sM IN THE SOUTH.