Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-05-20

Interesting QusstiOa TO Come Up Before the
Westminster Conforeuee. DE- a


Westminstsr Canfsreues. gs -
The general conference Of the Methods
Protestant church Of the United States mestl
Maryland, which includes the District Of Colum-
bia, are; Revs. L. ". Bates, J. d. Kinssr, z. H.
Lewis, i. T. Tssg, ". n. Strayer, W. 8. Ham,
mond, +. I. Little, J. 7. Murray, z. J. Drink
house; laymen, J. W. Herring. ". J, G. Dulany,
Daniel Baker, J. D. Grant, w. C, Coulbourns,
Joshua Miles, J. r. Cation, samuel Vannort, 8.
9. Ewell.
The first delegate TO arrive at Westminster
was Mrs. Eugene +. st. John Of Haddam, Kan.
Mrs. st. John 10 regularly accredited ministerial
delegate, being an ordained minister of the
| church, but the legality Of her ordination il
clouded, and one Of the first questions to come
before the conference will be the propriety OF
her admission. She speaks with great conf
dence Of the result and Is thoroughly informed
church. s.:sil :
Mrs. 81. John was ordained a. preaebsf twn
years ago last September under the consatu-
tional law Of the church, article ~, which, pro-
vides that the right of suffrage and eligibility
TO Office shall be left to tho annual conference,
She will make her contest on this point, claim.
ing that the statutory law, which was added IN
1884 after the trouble with Mrs. Shaw, does not
signed to the Stewart Avenue Mission Church,
Kansas City. Owing to some misunderstanding
between the conference and the mission board
the church was retained In Its appointing power
by the mission board and occupied by the late
Rev. Mr.. Fletcher.
Mrs. 81. John was licensed fourteen years
ago in quarterly conference Of the Methodist
Episcopal church, took the regular theological
course in that church and in the w. C. ]. u,
was licensed by the Methodist Protestant con-
ference Of Kansas in August, 1890, and ordained
the same year at Hidden, Kan., and has been
engaged with her husband in evangelical work
eight years. She has baptized, administered
communion, dedicated and built churches, and
the question will be asked the conference il she
is not Q regularly ordained preacher in what
way will all this licensed work Of tho past be
affected? Her seat will be contested by Rev. J.
I. Sheppard OF Kansas.
The admission Of the women delegates from
Kansas, Iowa, West Virginia and Indiana xsA
probably be settled by the report Of the orc
DENTAL committee in q satisfactory manneI but,
if not, then an interesting discussion on the ad-
mission OF women may take place. W.,
"Rev. DR.. David Jones Of New York, whose
term as president Of the conference In about to
expire, will not be present ut the meeting. and
the body will be called TO order by the score
tary, Mr.. U. 8. Flemming Of West Virginia ct
10 o'clock. temporary president will be
TO which the case Of Mrs. st. John will be re-
ferred. The husband Of the lady IL cousin of
ex-GOv. st. John of Kansas and Is minister OF
the Methodist Episcopal church. Three other
ladies will be present as lay delegates and their
admission will also be opposed" $1,000
REVISING ARTICLES OF BELIEF. ~
committee on the revision Of the artisl3y Of
belief of the Methodist Protestant church was
appointed by the last general conference, which
met at Adrian, Mich, in response to a demand
for revision, so to make the articles Of belief
more satisfactory. BY this is meant the change
OF their wording, so as to be more easily and
correctly understood. These articles of belief
were based upon the declarations of the early
Methodist church, as formulated by the Wes-
leys from the Westminster confession of faith
Of the Presbyterian church, and the thirty
nine articles of belief Of the English OF Epis-
cOpal church The arguments for revistuu-iu
this denomination have been largely the same
as those presented in favor of the revibion- of
the Westminster confession among PlcslYteo
rians. fI17
The discussion of revision has largely hing
upon the wording of the article of belief, which
refers to the relation which God holds to man.
and as to the relation which man holds to God.
The wording proposed seeks to declare that
God loves man and that man should love God.
the question being asked and answered in re-
gard to Gods being reconciled to man by the
statement, somewhat In the nature of decla-
ration, that while God desires TO be reconciled
to man through the Savior's death, it is also
necessary that man should become rccOnciled
to Goa, and that Christ came into the world not
only to reconcile God, but also to draw all men
with the cords of love unto God.
Rev. DIR. l.. W. Bates, chairman Of THE CONF
mittee, deprecates haste In revision of the arti-
cles of belief, saying that In 90 important
matter the church should go slowly. HS thinks
that the report of the committee will probably
be referred to the annual conferences for their
action.
The revision Of the ritual. church unity, the
relation of the young peoples unions to the
denomination. temperance and other matters
will be discussed.