Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-01-07

ofsettine influence of the grand proportions
which MethOdism has assumed. This was not
the object of the designation OF the
day or year. The occasion goes deeper
in its suggestions than any ques-
tiOns of church policy or church glory. 1t IN
wolves the meaning and additional purpose OF
Methodism as the grandest religious move
ment Of our times. It was intended that this
dav should take rs back TO the beginning OF
that movement. and lead us To inquire what
were the primary features, and whether we
were not asking its essential principles. If,
as we believe, MethOdism was substantially
the revival of the New Testament doctrines
and experience. we will be naturally permitted
10 ask what that doctrine and experience was,
and whether we are standing IN the old ways.
1t has been stated by our fathers and by all
the present great writers that MethodIsm was
the revival Of spiritual Christianity as
contr distinguished from dead fOrmerisms
and descendants. If it had any good mean
ing at all il was that there were certain doc
triues which. while they had an existence in
the creed of the churches, were dead. AT
least we mean MethOdism put new life into
these doctrines, and made them as God lG-
tended them to be; his power for salvation to
the world. From meaning that TINS doctrine
was justification by faith, under the new
Methodist movement this doctrine had what
might be called a second resurrection. You
remember that Luther shook the corrupted
church to its centre and sent thrill OF new
life through the heart of ChristendOm, by en-
bracing through all its creeds the doctrine of
faith, and preaching by it. But after Luther's
and. IS far as we recount, they were laid
under the ministry of Wesley and those who
followed him. BY the
REVIVAL UNDER WESLEY
the dearth and death which was settling upon
the church was proven and removed, and ii
became a consolidating Professionalism, con-
celvcd OF God. Another doctrine that was
ms sted upon by our fathers, and was found
in the creeds Of the churches, was the witness
of the holy spirit. There were very few who
had any experimental knowledge at the time
OF the great Wesley revival Of the witness OF
the spirit. There were seventeen years during
which Wesley was active and acted upon by
the Master. of which he had no knowledge
when one night he found an experience
that he had never known before. And as
soon rs he began to preach il q new
men and women. In word, the Methodist
Church gained in the revival Of the latter. 1t
was the blending OF the doctrines and expert
ences and methods Of the New Testament IN
our intercourse that the old fathers demand
ed by different policy. And l shall try not
To weary you while look at the history, as it
is briefly and succinctly given us, of MethO
dism in our discipline. | am glad to see chill
dren present. and | would that the Lord
would have me to speak so plainly that their
young minds shall understand and that their
Young hearts may feel the principle. If we
want to find the old paths we must certainly
20 back and see the methods established by
our fathers while they were hunting them.
In 1929 two young men in England, in read
ing the Bible and inquiring after the good
way, saw that they could not be saved without
holiness, They not only saw that, but fol-
lowed il and invited others so to do. In 1877
they saw likewise that men were Justified
who sInneth. But still holiness was their OBJ
jecl. God then thrust them out to raise
holy people, and that was the grand rise of
MethOdism. The young men who were i'm
pressed with the Holy Spirit-with the fact
that there was a better way out of the way
they were walking in at that time-began to
read the Bible, and down upon their knees in
II al a shDNg
them clearly and Enthusiastically the good and
right way. and when they found il they walked
in it,. l declare to-day that have no hope of
a people, even In this day and generation,
who are unacquainted with the Bible. All
the preaching they may hear Will not save
them. Nothing can be substituted for II. the
work that these young men so heartily en-
gagged in. They read TO find in reading, and
did find, the good way, the old paths and the
way Of the text, and they walked in it,
have a letter which is contained in an old
book Of the minutes of the Conference of the
Methodist Episcopal Church held at Balti-
more in 1874.
THE pastor here read a lengthy letter from
John Wesley to the church.
In 1884 we began our life as q Methodist
Episcopal Church, but at that time had but a
small membership total of 1901. At the
present time there are in the Methodist Epis-
cOpal Church OF America 4,OO0.GOO cOmmuni-
cants. This does not include the Baptists
From 1900 souls in 1874, God has so blessed
us and prospered us that too day we stand out
before the world as the largest and most nu-
merical at least of all the churches on the
earth. Next to us is the Baptist Church, and
to show you just by comparison with
this what strides we nave, under God.
some statistics. In ISL there were
8. as. 253 communicates in all branches of re-
ligion. Baptists 2,470.21S, giving MethOdists
priority of .223,365. only mention this to show
that we have risen on this century sabbath to
raise our joyous light on high to God and
thank Him from whom all blessings flow for
what He has done for US. / gave in the outset
very briefly the secret of our success when |
spoke of the resurrection Of the grand New
Testament doctrines by the Wesley doctrine
of the justification by faith. Spiritual re-
generations are gifts of the spiritual and holy
life Are we in the way of justification by
faith in Jesus Christ. or by our good deeds
and works are we believers in the grand doc
trine Of regeneration. or are we hoping to get
to heaven 10y the development of the natural
good within us:
THE WITNESS OF THE SPIRIT.
five were we would fail. Are we possessors
Of the witness of the spirit? Can we Law our
hands upon our hearts as MethOdists and say
so: II we cannot, then the text
with which opened this SER
mon is applicable. Stand in the way
and inquire for the old paths and ind them.
There has been departure among us, and
that departure has been started up by the
same messenger that moved Israel to demand
Il king, that they might be like other people.
But there are other things that have con-
IFlDMAtW 10 our kIQWln- Leu It's u0llt6 NuGIns
Jesus said. go We into all the world. and
preach the gospel TO all the world" And our
love feasts, how faithfully attended; and our
prayer meetings, how well attended.
II was an early matter for the
church to attach as much i'm
pOrtance to the prayer meetings as to the
preaching, and thousands of men, women and
children went to the prayer meeting services.
And there are, also, the class meetings, and
those who were received were led on until
the full light broke in upon their souls and
enabled them to say Il can no longer delay,
He needs me as His child In all MethOdism,
the class meetings are still the best and grand
est meetings to US. And then our fathers kept
up their prayer meetings. You cannot go
into a Methodist house without seeing the
head of the family take down his Bible
at the evening time and in the morning hour
and read chapter and sing hymn, and call
the family and strangers within the house
down to prayer. Oh, are we in the old wayss
Let Us be MethOdists and nothing else. We
have never had a head as church. We have
depended upon the new baptism while we
believe in water baptism. We have depended
only upon our doctrine of holiness OF heart and
holy living. We want people that viii live holy.
Religion Is not feeling so much as holy living.
People should not trouble themselves SO
much about seeking religion, understand me;
seeking something to shut up in their own
hearts as they should be praying to God to
prepare them TO live holy. God has set the
seal OF His purpose on us. Not only are we
the most powerful church in the world but
we help to perfect the conditions of others. In
our revivals we go everywhere. into all parts
of the CITY or country, and pray that people
NAV be reconclled to God. If they want TO
ioin the Methodist Church, we give them our
hand; but if they prefer some other church,
we Law the hand of love upon them and say,
20 to YOUR own belief. And in every church
in the land You can find to-day Methodist
people who were converted under Methodist
preaching and baptizedin Methodist churches
What we are after the delegates
of souls and the bringing Of them to light
There are many things l desired to say to-
dav. but must not detain you too long. wish
to speak with reference to your own church.
Not hundred years ago a Methodist preacher
would pe sent to Georgia and perhaps not a
church in it. The first district that the Savan-
nah church ever figured in was known as the
OLD COHEN DISTRICT.
In 1905 Savannah appears in the Ogeechee
district In 1909 there is no gain, but one
less. In 1911 there are whites and IL col
ored. In 1913 James Russell was preacher
IN church and there must have been a
gracious revival Of religion exhibiting at that
time as there were % whites and % colored
The Presiding Elder Of all the districts at that
time was in the South Carolina province. We
have now three churches, and suppose that |
here are 1900 or 1880 MethOdists IN Sayan- |
nah, aud Trinity is the mother Of them all,