The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-10-13
TWO LIVELY TOPICS
Discussed ut tho Session OF the
Methodist Ecumonicnl Council.
BISHOP FOSTERS PLAIN TALK


cations OF the PrcaChcr---Pungcn
Points Prcscntcd-.-Thc Religious
Uses OF tho Secular Press Discussed
with Some Spirit by British Dele.
Observation-Disclosures Reception.
WASHINGTON, D. G., Oct. l2.-The fifth
day OF the lIcumenical Methodist Coun-
Gil opened with Bishop j. W. Hood, OF
tho African N. L. church, Fayetteville,
N. G., in the chair. The topic for the
morning session was "Tho Church and
Her Agencies" and Bishop r. S. Foster,
OF Massachusetts, proceeded TO address
the council on "Thc responsibilities and
qualifications Of the preacher"
lie began by saying that lie cravcd the
forbcarancc oi tho foreign delegates, as
he dcspnircd OF the forgiveness OF his
brethren in this country. lie would
touch alone upon the second point OF
his intended address, as lie regarded it
OF superior Importance. The preacher
was an instrument as really rs the SER
| mon. llo must consider what the in
strumcnt was to be used for. The
preacher was an instrument OF God i'll
the regeneration OF men to be co-worE-
crs with Christ in saving sinners Sal
walton was the restoration oil man to
right relations TO God. The minister
was 4 part OF the instrumcntality for
that purpose. The preacher was TO be
viewed as Il man in body addressing
his fellow men, charged with i message.
lie should be manly man. His
consciousness should lift him to Z
dignlticd, noble manhood. lie should
be able to look his fellow men in the
face, to scrutinize and be scrutinizcd;
to win confidence and respect. The
preacher needed high qualities OF mind
and proper qualities OF body. lie
| should know that about which he
spoke; he should be man OF expert
cncc. Men were not born into the fcl-
| lowship OF God by the volitiOn OF God;
there was q process, and every soul en-
tcrlng the kingdom must enter by that
process. Truth lodged intelligence.
stirring the heart, leading the sinner
by the gateway OF repentance, by such
4 process was the preacher made. But
that was not all. The theory to which
the church held was that God called
his ministers. He selected them and
made it known to them and others.
God dealt with men US rational beings
and dealt with their intelligence.
Preachers become at times imbecile
in their efforts because OF lack OF knowl-
edge OF the way to go about their mis-
| sion. No man could thinl: oil God un-
ders;andingly who did not understand
his power as manifested in his works.
So when those to whom he preached
came to the teacher with doubt he
should be able TO Grapplc with those
doubtsi to overcome them and show
them the way to the truths Of gospel.
The preachers should cat OF all knowl-
edge; touch him where you would lie
should be electric in his power OF light
ing up the minds OF men. At this
point the gavcl fell and Bishop Foster
retired from the platform amid great
applause.
Rev. DR.. Leonard, OF New York, mis-
sionary secretary, closed the morning
| session in i few remarks condemnatory
OF the preachers who invited doubt By
| delivering sermons on Darwinism and
on Huxley. Arcccss was then taken.
During the recess the delegates were
received at the White House By Prcsi-
! dent Harrison.
On reasscmbling, the topic for dis
cussion was THE religious press and
the religious uses OF the secular press"
Rev Hugh Price Hughes, oi London,
delivering the essay. DR.. Hughes be-
gan with n history OF the birth OF the
| Journal, the first daily appearing, he
said, in 1903. There were now 1000
daily papers Was it not strange that
this great agency had rarely received
The consideration OF the churches? It
was now the fourth estate, the greatest
engine OF the world, and becomes so
without the MD oil tic church or its
blessings. Christian churches must
face the fact that this great engine was
in the hands OF men who were in some
cases indifferent to the church and in
others absolutely full Of hatred
that the newspaper was mighticr
than the pulpit, and perhaps that csti-
mate was not too high. The powers OF
journalism used on the right side was
enormous and irresistible. For the
creation Of public opinion in these
swift days the press was supreme Ii
so disposed the editors Of the daily pa
pcrs could render incalculnblc service TO
the cause OF God. The religious press
should never be used for political pur-
poses. The preacher had learned from
the journalist, said Dr. Hughes, in con-
clusion, and God grant. that they may
now learn little from us. For united,
we and the journalists can hasten the
creation OF that state which Christ is
bringing to all lands, in which there
shall be no room for or sign OF misery"
Rev. DR.. Joseph I. Ferguson, prcsi-
dent OF the Primitive Methodist church
OF England, could not say amen 10 all
that had been said, and especially
where he said that religious papers
should not take cognisanco Of politics.
in England there were thousands OF
| people who received their politics not
from the daily papers, but from tho
weekly religious Journal Occasionally
it became necessary that relisio-polti-
cal questions should be treated BY them
| (murmurs OF disapproval). He would
not 90 further into that subject because
lie saw it troubled his Wesleyan
friends.
Rev. Thomas Shape, OF Liverpool,
made II plea for closer relations between
| tha church and tho snculnr nross mr.