Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-09-30
ME-. CONFERENCE.
TIE FaRTY-FIra ANNUAL SESSION OPENED
IN TaIS CITY.
An Interesting Sermon by W. W. King 0
EuniSgnn-Ths Programme for 10
Days Exercises

West Virginia Conference OF the Meth
odist Episcopal Church was opened last
night at the Fourth Street Church.
The only exercise last night was the
conference sermon preacheds by Rev.
w. w. King, of Huntington. The
church was we'll filed, and nearly all
the ministers In the Conference were
present. Bishop Henry w. Warren pre-
sided at the meeting, and Rev. Dr: Y.
w. Cushing introduced Rev. Mr.. King
and announced the programme.
Mr.. Kings sermon was as follows:
"Go We into all the world, and preach the
Gospel 10 every creature st. Mark, 10:
10.
The common method Of treating this
Scripture, is to consider 1t in its mission
airy applications; and a great many SER
mons have been preached based upon
this phase Of the subjects; that COD
wants the Gospel preached to all men,
the certainty Of the the ultimate &C
complishment of this work, and the
methods by which it Is to be accom-
plished. But desire to call your atten-
ton not so much to the inspiring
thought that the Gospel Is to be preached
throughout the world, or to the methods
by which this is to be accomplished, as
to the Gospel itself. l desire to con-
slider the question, what is the
Gospel?"
The boldest thought ever suggested
to tho human mind is the proposition
of Christ in this verse. Bolder than
the purpose of the Macedonian to sub
due all kingdoms by his sword; than
the Roman to unity all governments In
TO one; than the German to create
universal language for this our babbling
world. Considering all the circum-
stances, this proposition seemed bold
even to the point Of presumption and
rashness. The speaker was g man, to
all appearance without power or infiu-
ence, and without any Of the instru-
ments or facilities for the carrying out
of this proposition, which with all
power and influence and all necessary
facilities, would have been bold enough
to have staggered any body's faith, but
which, without any Of these things,
seemed fanciful and chmerical.
He was man who appeared In the
world at time synchronizing closely
with the historical age Of Tiberious and
Augustus, and therefore at time when
great systems, which had been estab-
lished for ages held sway, and when
the world seemed least ready for innoya-
tions. Before He came other ref0rmers
had lived with greater power than that
which He seemed to possess, and with
greater possibilities OF success than
seemed to surround Him, had vainly
striven to accomplish the self same
thing. He was peasant,
with peasant connections and surround
inGs and influence. He lived an obscure
life, attracted no wide immediate atten-
ton, and died before he reached middle
manhood; but before he died he formu-
lated and established system Of ethics,
of moral truth, gathered about him a
little handful Of followers, committed
this system into their hands, with the
bold assurance that it was to obtain uni
versal credence, and with the command
that they should teach 1t every where,
boldly coupling with this command, on
the one hand, the promise that those
who accepted ii would be made eternal
" happy, and, on the other hand, the
threat that those who rejected 1t would
be eternally miserable. No proposition
so bold was ever announced before or
since; no scheme so stupendouS was ever
undertaken before or since. This stands
forth sublime in It's isolation to chal-
lenge our faith and inspire our zeal.
This system is called in the text the
gospel" the meaning of which is so
very clearly set forth in the old Anglo
Saxon word 'godSpelt," from god,
meaning good, and "spell," meaning
history, tidingS; therefore, the good
history" answering TO the Latin eUGn-
geliunl, meaning Joyful message" 1t
is now commonly known by the name
Christianity. The simple question
which we wish to consider is, What is
ChrIstianity?"
Perhaps no question OF greater pract-
ical interest, and at the same time
greater Importance, could at this time
be brought for consideration; for during
recent times there has been much dis-
cuSsion, conflict, and change, both
among individuals and churches. 1t
seems as If the old ideas have been out
grown by some, and new and more ad-
vanced ideas adopted. Men, who all
their life have declared that Christian
ity was one thing, have decided that
they have been mistaken, and that it is
quite a different thing. Churches
have been busy revising their creeds
and their confessions of faith
TO harmonic with changed views.
In other churches two parties
have sprung up upon two different In
terpretations-the conservative and the
liberal. We are beginning to hear the
cry OF "heretic," which in other days
furnished the only justification claimed
| for the cruelest prosecutions Of history.
In addition TO these things, there are
an increasing number who repudiate
| Christianity as a Divine system, and who
affirm that all religious faiths and forms,
Christianity included, have had common
| origin in the native religious sentiment
/ Of man, as other forms of science, phil
osophy, government, invention, are con-
stantly appearing. Many OF those
who compose this class are intelli-
gent and scholarly and are not to
| be COMPOUNDED with the ribald
and furious assailantS of Christianity.
So that there is perfect buzz in the in
| tellectual air about this question to-
day, while over all there prevail the
! loud, blatant shouts OF an ieonoclastic
] infdelity. While the consideration of
| this question would prove interesting
at any time. 1t Is especially interesting
at the present time.
Isit the doctrine that Jesus was a
man, sinEularly gifted, nobly conse-
Grated, Of a really surprising genius for
religion, with extraordinary power for
morally impressing and inspiring others,
/ who spoke words Of such sovereign sig
/ Il A. ...n-ll -, k-.a.-