The Indianapolis journal., 1890-12-11
THE SPIRIT OF METHoDlsM
Distinguished Men of the Church Revis-
. ing Its Organic and Statutory Laws.
An Event That Was Attended by Large Re-
ception and Fine Banquet to the Visit
ing Bishops, Clergymen andLaymen.

The programme of secrecy regarding the
sessions of the Methodist commission on
the church constitution is in q fair way to
be carried out, this Judgment being based
upon the initial session, which occurred at
Roberts Park NJ. E. Church yesterday
morning. at 10 O'Clock. with Bishop Cyrus
ID. Foss in the chair Two sessions were
held, that in the afternoon closing at 5
o'clock, but no word of what was being
done was given out. 1t was. however, in
timated that nothing had been done. and
that the hours had been taken up in out
lining the work of the week or more that
the commission will be in session. There
will be two slttings day. one from ga. NJ.
to IL NJ, the other from to p. NJ. Even
at the afternoon session all tho members
who were expected to be here had not ar
rived. but the tardy ones will be in their
places this morning.
The reception and banquet given by the
Social Union of the Methodist Episcopal
Church of this city to the commission at
the Grand Hotel last evening was indeed
most notable event. Before 8 o'clock the
parlors and corridors of the hotel were
filed with ladies and gentlemen. who were
At o'clock 125 persons filed into the
banQuet-r0Om, where grace was said by
Rev. C. A. VaDAnda. ID. ID. The menu was
fne and the service In every respect ad-
mirable. ft
After coffee the quartet of the Meridian
street NJ. K. Church sung Gounod's Praise
Ye the Father" and Mr. j. c. Shaffer. pres
Ident of the union, introduced MIR. Daniel
come to the visitors. 1T is my pleasant
duty" said Mr.. Stewart, Ito welcome
you to this city. l have made
up my mind that IndiaDapoiis
To 70 hA hA
revised Methodist constitution is to be
signed. i hope you will plan so wisely
that from your labors here the Methodist
church will receive q new impetus in her
career i think i can see one hundred years
into the future, when thousand trains
will be coming here. and pilgrims will be
on the streets from the Union station ask
ing. Where is the memorial hallP And
and the aged custodian, who will have
been In charge more than fifty
years, will say, Yes, this is the
memorial hall Here is where
signed; we are preserving it just as it was;
here are the chairs and the tables. Over
there sat our three bisops, and there the
eloquent ministers. and over there the mag
nlhcent and illustrious laymen. You see
that marble start That was placed there
by the grand children of that illustrious
Christian warrior Col. John w. Ray. There
is where be stood in Christian exultation.
I.I i
timents of all the Methodists of this city
when say we are heartily glad you are here
tonight
The response was made by Rev. DR.. T. B.
Neely, of Philadelphia. I'VE are right
glad we came" said the Doctor. "and 1
thank the honored gentleman who has
spoken so eloquently, and, through him.
the Methodist Social Union of Indianapolis
mission, for this very cordial welcome. We
are glad to como to this beautiful city that
has put one of its citizens in the White
House. lApplause.l There has been a
great advance In Methodism since the Gen.
eral Conference met here in 1856.
and our good Colonel Ray wants
another Conference here In 1892 That
General Conference in 1856 decided several
things. 1t decided upon having missionary
bishops, and inaugurated new policy for
our foreign mission work. 1t also ordered
q commission on the ritual of the church,
and the work was consummated in 1864.
1t also ordered that there should be reports
as to the amount and value of church
property. There are about five millions of
Methodists of all kinds in this country. and
with those in the world outside, about
q great work for literature. and
1t has done more for higher
education than any denomination
in the country. Methodism has been a
great ecclesiastic influence, modifying all
other churches and bringing about very
great degree of unity among them. 1t has
theology that has not needed revision-a
teaching simple and scriptural. with saliva
walton for all men who will be saved. If
Methodism is anything it is practical, and
1t would cease TO be what it has been, what
1T should be, if it ceased to be practical.
We shall 60 away. carrying pleasant memo
ries of this social union of Methodism in
Indianapolis and of Indianapolis itself.D
tApplause.
Rev. Dr. Fl. A. Cleveland was then FORM
ally installed as toast-master. He made
brief and pleasant speech and called upon
Bishop Foss. who responded to the toast,
''Meth0dism as it is To-day" II had pre-
pared to speak" said the Bishop. mot of
Methodism of to-day. but of yesterday.
The Methodism of to-day Is the Methodism
of yesterday with the vital forces of that
same Methodism and with a magnificant
outlook. AS go up and down in this and
IN foreign lands observing Methodism as it
is and what its outlook is, i am thrown
back npon a train of thought as in the
text: Stand ye in the ways and see, and
ask for the old paths, where is the good
way and walk therein and We shall find
rest for your souls / believe one or
the most important things to be said of
Methodism is that it is what it is because
of what 1t was. In referring to the old
paths do not want anybody to think me
an old fogy. There arc some who are per-
petually gr0aning over the old and vast
ought to 60 I'd work to make the church
and world better. But the GOLDEN
age fol- the church and the state
is in tho future, and not in
the past have no sympathy
with the sentiment which leads some to
glorify the fathers as though they were
greater men than those of to-day; to glorify
institutions that have been modified
through the ages The old institutions
have their power and increase of power
and yet there is wisdom in looking back to
foundations and considering whence we.
have sprung. No man, no set of men have
ever been raised up by God to bring abont
q beneficent change and advance without
they have comprehended the principles
underlying that change. So we grow
wise and strong in the present by
looking into the past and seeing what were
the formative processes. Ii the United
States shall last one thousand years the
time will never come when men can afford
to GO away from the Declaration of Inde-
pendence and the Constitution; and
the time will never come when we
can afford to 60 away from John
Wesley and Francis Asbury. We grow
wise in the work of to-day by digging
around the roots of yesterday. John Wesley
did not bring anything new to the world.
but he took the dry bones of theology.
!. raised them up, put them together. and the
spirit of God put life into them. Then he
held nm as a glowing torch the truth of