The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-03-02

her holy constituency; her abiding faith: her
indwslling spirit hsr snle snd devoted mimi
| enthusiasm; her marvellous achievements
| These are the elements Of the influence Of
Methodism snd tbey make her P Swss not s n
valid valid en- en- mssse and tSereicre counted by the
IN il
Is intelligent, conscientious, independent SOW
ercign, contributing associatively TO the
COMMANDING the confidence and respect Of those
who interpret and embody current thought in
| customs, laws and institutions, snd these form
the national life Cur national life IL the inter-
| probation, the expression Of the preponderance
of the thought life of our people, 1t 10 the reflex
| Of the best thought Of the sge and Methodism il
| the exponent Of the thought.
II. The channels through which the influence
| OF Methodism operates on the national life.
The old question Of Capitalization and the dis
fully aS.sdp 0s: BONE Aof
| in the Revolutionary period All political
| power formerly lodged in the people-they in
| to the congress and under this adjustment we
have two centers Of the national life:
First-In the people.
Second-in the congress.
They are the heart and head, while our Gus
toms, laws and institutions constitute the body
of the national life, and the influence Of Meth
odism as great educational, moral and spirit
Through the individual life, ours Is the pro-
cess OF segregation. We disintegrate the mass,
exalt the Individual to an intelligent, potent in
dividualism. The agencies we employ sre the
home, the church, the school
wedo not attempt to deal with the mass, that
Is the curse of Romanfst and the blight of
other heatbenisms. This accounts for the
degradation of the masses In Roman Catholic
and pagan countries. We take the boy and put
Influences Of our trinmvirate, the home. the
church and the school, and breathe into him the
spirit Of patriotism. implant In him the princi-
pies Of morality, Undue him with the spirit Of
the blessed Christ, and implant into him knowl-
edge, and thus would turn him into the best ex-
preston Of American citizenship, to build and
influence the national life.
Through the utterances Of our pulpits, socie-
ties associations, annual conferences, press and
the general conference They speak with no
the frozen lakes Of the north to the tcpid waters
OF the gulf and from the rockbound coast of the
Atlantic to the Golden Gate, and the sentiTents
thus voiced take form in the national life.
III. The need and design OF the influence Of
Methodism on the national life.
First-This influence is needed because our ma
tional life is largely In the hands Of demagogues
and selfish politicians who have corrupted them.
selves aud the public conscience by the use of
corrupt methods to secure public preferment;
the high plane Of wise st I. and un.
selfish patriotism into disgraceful personal,
party and sectional strises; because the real
day. foreign immigration, labor and capital,
civil service, the Sabbath and prohibition are
studiously avoided; the interests Of the people
are occupied almost wholly in wrangling over
the spoils and in carrying out the schemes Of
professional lobbyists.
national life from the grasp OF those who court
the influence of the baser elements, the saloon.
lists and the Romanists. and put it into the
hands of men who fear God and work righteous
ness 80 restore the national life to its original
simplicity, integrity and aim az q government
by the people and for the people; TO give the
people national life i'll which intelligence,
morality and the true religion shall be the
dominant forces.
". The best methods of exerting the infiu-
herring strictly to our mission; Keeping ourselves
free from all connection with governmental aid
aud administrations; keeping free from all party
alliances: an intelligent grasp Of oil great moral
and proper discrimination between men who
aspire to rule; holding men responsible for their
code ana fs
the rigid maintenance Of evangelical standards;
adequate provision for the extremes of society;
lions OF our country: the enlargement 81 our
educational system; the dissemination of our
literature.
Then let Methcdisn be true to her high CALI
ing, vigiIant. fervent and aggressive, that she
may girdle the nation with her mighty fnfiu-
ences and lit it to the front rank, and hold it
Of the word shall 1
kingdom Of our Lord and His Christ, and the
shout of the peoples Of the uttermOst parts of
nent iirthe new song Of redeemed world say
ing. Blessing and glory, wisdom aud thanks
giving, honor. power and might be unto our
God forever, and unto the Lamb, amen! Halle
lujah, the Lord God omnipotent reigncth."
Rev. +. 3. Cherington. president of the
Puget Sound University, of Tacoma,
spoke on "Methodism and Progressive
Thought" His address may be sum-
married. as follows:
Wesley began his career in one OF the most
stormy periods of English history. Commercial,
mechanical, industrial interests were awakened
arousng larger sense of the dignity of man
hood But religion was at lowest ebb. But
Mnen naton activity n other things
chosen servant to rouse the religious forces.
John Wesley came. Like Moses of old he had
maryelously varied experience, every element
of which determined some quality of his char.
acter. Home training, that combined singu.
1arly rigid infexiblity with loving gentleness;
Oxford educated him; the Established Church
into spiritual religious life: profound study OF
the Bible and intense private prayer gave him q
type OF religious wisdom and power then rarely
He came to bis work not as an ignorant ranter
or theological malcontent. but one of the most
thoroughly trained, fpoised and clear-sighted
men in England. He takes his place among the
leaders Of progressive thought in the catalogues
prepared by men who have just conceptions of
"uat pIoSItoSiNc tttOuSQL really Is That
| which leads generation of thinking men and
women to higher level of intellectual life and
action is progressive thought. Just a. truly
when 1t is orthodox as when it is heterodox.
flrst.He reyolutionized the religious life of
| the nation by so effectively championfng evan.
| gelicai faith and ardent religious experience
that the nation has never since been what it
was before, and unquestionably the change is
| for the better.
seeond-He set in motion the forces that have
resulted in making Armiuian theology the DOM
| inant factor in all the leading ecclesiastical
bodies OF Protestant Christiandom today. Even
professedly Caiyinistic systems show the leaven
| OF its influence, not only in the ordinary SER
| monte literature and pulpit ministrat.ons. but
also In their revised crecds and confessions of
faith, all changes being in the direction OF Ar
miuianism. The introduction of Methodism
into America saved the nation from swinging in
revolt against hyper Calvinlsmclear over to the
opposite extreme OF universalism.
The theological system of Methodism is very
simple and flexible. Methodism is not so much
| religious philosophy 40 religious life: hence
doctrinal matters. 1t has few plain clearly
Defined fundamental doctrines which it insists
upon, yet in minor concerns allows latitude of
BELIEF to ifs thinking sons and daughters which
| assonishes scholars OF more exacting creeds.
Adam Clarke was not in harmony with the
| majority of leading Methodists on the eternal
sonshfp OF Christ, yet he was from the very DAYS
| OF Wesley accepted as the unrivalled commenta-
tor OF the church, Professor Wincheil held to
| the theory of Pre-Adamites, yet the church-foId
| was large enough to hold him to the day of his
| death.
Hold to the fact of the inspiration of the
| scriptures. and as 10 the form OF il YOU NAV
| with the fathers hold to the verbal theory and
believe the exact language to have been in
| spired; or you may stand with Dr. Warren
| president OF our Boston university, and hold
| language left to the choice of each individual
| writer. Hold firmly to the fact OF remuneration