Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1885-03-24
mETHODIsM,s CENTENNIAL,


the First Church---ElOquentA Address,
es From Rev. Drs. GOOdsell, Peck
and Vincent-The Church Filled to
Overlooking.
The centennial of Methodism was cele-
brated at the First NJ. E. church last evening
by united service of the Methodist churches
of the city and vicinity. The church was
crowded to overlooking. Eleven clergymen
were present in and about the sacred desk, Rev.
DR.. Goodsell, Rev. DR.. Peck, Rev. G. B.
Ford, Rev. A. H. Wyatt, Rev. R. cunningham
(Fair Haven), Rev. G. S. Thompson West
ville), Rev A Mcmillan, Rev. W. F. Gilbert,
Rev. w. A. Bridge and Rev. A. Fl. Mead.
The services were interspersed with singing
by choir selected for the occasion, accom-
panied by the organ, and congregational
singing. Rev. A. H. Mead presided over the
meeting. The addresses were marked for
ability and eloquence worthy the occasion,
and listened to with deep interest. The
speakers were Rev. Drs. Goodsell, Peck and
Vincent, in the order named.
DIR. GooDsELL ON THE DEVELOPMENT AND IN
FLUENCE OF METHoDIsM.
From the first moment when Methodism
began to make a noise in the world it has
been almost as much misapprehended as it
has been successful. Born in an English I'M
iversity and in that most conservative of all
bodies, the Church of England, it was attack
ed as the child of ignorance and fanaticism.
Considering the circumstances, it does not
seem strange that it should have been called
fanatica1 Those who are enjoying the
quiet and the emoluments of stagnation are
quite apt to hold those fanatical
who insist that everyone should earn his own
o1,o,,e - 4ho1 ion
as fanaticism does not seem quite reasonable
to a Methodist as when Methodism is
thought to be the child of ignorance. Those
who know its history know that the man
who led the Wesleyan revival and whose
genius gave it ecclesiastical form
was one of the first scholars of his
day. This is proved by his many
publications, which show a range of
knowledge and an appreciation of
the practical and religious value of science
far in advance of his time. Methodism adj
dressed itself to the moral and spiritual re-
surrection of the poorer classes. Its most
striking results were among athese classes,
and for this reason it is considered the church
of the poor and the ignorant.
A true church must scrape the ground as
well as skim the cream. Sidney Smith gives
US information which shows that able and
intelligent men of his day lived beside it and
wrote of it and did not know it all. And
Smith in temper and knowledge still live.
The two streams which gave to the Meth
odist church its power were united from the
first in Coke and Francis Asbury, the one
supplying the scholarship of his time and
the other the sturdy sense of the common
people. AS the church has grown this ten
dency has remained. It is the pronounced
effort of our conference training and theolog
ical seminaries to graft the practical skill of
Asbury and the intellectual strength of Coke.
The learning of the Christian schools of En-
gland was vitalized by the Wesleyan move
ment and when Whitefeld with his evangel-
ical power stirred New England he put an
end to the battles of controversy and turned
to furnishing souls.
The Church of England holds its grip on
the masses. Before independence was de-
clared Asbury with the help of Dickens con-
ceived the idea of college; the plan was ap-
proved and executed. One element in the
plan was that religion and learning should
go hand in hand. The church has grown SO
fast that it has not been possible for her to
give college-bred ministry to all her church
es, but she has not wished to do this, for
though we need the Cokes from Oxford, the
Asburys we must have from the common
schools of the people. The Methodists, ac-
cording to Everett, have sdone more
than any other denomination for
the spread of education. Our col
leges number forty-two, with property
valued at a. 1877 800 and endowments So
1873, 700, besides sixty seven classical acade-
mics. This is the work of a single century of
church life and the outcome of that spirit
which led our fathers to bankrupt them
selves for the founding of some of them. 1t
has been the sincere effort of our seminaries
to make the higher learning and the evan
gelica1 spirit go hand in hand. Our work in
literature has been of the best. We must
look to the Methodist church as the "guar
1. Il
tenn has not been favorable to mems drop
ping from the passionate into literature.
One fact seems to be more characteristic
of all our literature than any other, that we
have always given prominence to the expert
mental proof of Christian truth. The eyes
of our church are open to all the points of
the compass and Methodism is accumulating
the foundations upon which scholarship is
to be built. The spirit of Asbury still lives,
working in the hearts of mankind and max
ing living epistles of sinful men.
DIR. PECK ON METHoDIsM AND EvANGELIzING
POWER.
DIR. Peck, pastor of Trinity NJ E. church,
delivered an address on the above topic. He
said that Methodism was born in a pulsa-
ton of the heart of God and came into the
world on a wave of divine love. It brought
warmth into GOODNESS, zeal into Journalism
power into infirmity and glowing life into
dying ecclesiasticisms. The same infinite
love that gave Saviour to the race gave a
revival to languishing religion. The world
gave no welcome to Christ or ecclesiasticism
to Methodism. There was no room for
them in the inn. Because they were mot of
the world and the world knew
them not" One was remanded
to the manger and the cross. The other was
excluded from the churches and sent to the
barns, commons and graveyards One rose
from the dead lifting humanity to the throne
of mercy The other transformed the barns
into bethels and thrilled perishing multitudes
with the hope of eternal life.
Begotten thus of divine inspiration and
nourished in the.hands of Providence Method
ism for a century has swept
on in its marvellous conQuests
with divine precision and power.
The mission of history may be divine, yet
self-constituted prophets have foretold her
early decline; in each generation have praised
the Methodism of the past and predicted her
waning glory. But she persists in living and
with increased power. The breath of AL
mighty God is in her nostrils. God has Or
dained that she should be great factor in
the triumph of his earthly kingdom. God
wants the world converted to Christ. Metho-
tism has won more souls to Christ than any
ether church.
The doctrines of Methodism constitute the
staple of thought in all winning, living pull
efficiency of other churches and is here to
stay. Her birth in the English language is
significant of permanence and full of aurorial
promise. God would not have incar-
mated an evanescent religion in wOrld-con-
quering language. Methodism is a rising
tide sweeping into every corner of Christs
kingdom. She is simply the apostolic church
revived, as is demonstrated by her
triumph in bringing souls to Christ.
Looking at the work of Methodism and see
ing her adaptation to the wants of the age,
why should she decline? No time ever exist
ed when she was more needed to move the
forces of sin and unbelief. Her mission ex-
tends into the vast future with its millions
of souls which must be brought to the cross
The evangelizing force of Methodism has
been its great strength and glory. She has
added more souls to the army of Christ in
the last century than all the other churches.
This supreme work of evangelism has
Methodism in every point and
made her vast power in the educational
field, though starting on an unequal footing.
Her pulpit orators have been scholarly and
eloquent.
Gentlemen, Methodism has genius for
making great churches and great men. She
shapes Gods rich quarries into schools and
builds living spiritual temples.
Only by the conversion of men can Chris
tianity be successful, for until converted men
cannot be saved; and Methodism has the
everlasting honor of bringing the masses to
the CT oss, God has widely drawn the Dor