The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-05-06

quently idleness. and are facing earnest
and Intelligent work to bring this world
to Christ This vast army o. young peo-
ple Is being trained by appropriate cours-
es of reading. by 100000 copies Of the Ep-
worth Herald issued weekly. by taking
part in religious and social assemblies and
by personal work in tho department of
mercy and help to become ac-'vs. ~ ~
gent and devoted members Of our own
church. We esySc.a..y U....n.UIi.. ...e -
tendance OF these young people on the
public preaching services. because no do
.vot!on to any single department. however
excellent. can be as productive Of u we'll
rounded Christian character as attend
ance on all the means Of, grace. We ere
impressed with the Importance OF encour-
aging our pastors and young people to
establish and maintain Epwcrth leagues
rather than other societies in order that
they may have the benefit Of our literature
and be trained to be loyal and Intelligent
Method;sts.
CITY CHARACTERIZATION.
Another cheering evidence of the right
direction of the spiritual power of the
church is seen in the wider and more
intense interest in city eVangellzat!oa.
The separate organizations in Boston.
New York. Pittsburg, Baltimore. C.ncin-
natl. Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago, Kan
cities have associated together in the Ma
tional City Evangelization union.
These thirty different organizations re-
port Sl75OoO as raised In single year.
They reinvigorate churches from which
the former members have moved away.
select new sites, open Sunday schools and
missions and give to undeveloped Chris
tian forces an ample field of work. They
have spiritual life enough to attack tho
worst places and attempt the most d.f-
ficult things for Christ. There are cen.
ters of crime and sinks Of iniQuity 20
wicked that the average church does not
touch them. Think of square mile of
city that has 1000 saloons, nearly 500 broth
els where 5000 girls live in thes vest!bules
of hell that have no backward swinging
door, to whom In their average life OF
four years no hand reaches sympathy ana
help, but to whom many hand offers ap-
sinthe, delrium and death. Few churches
have Hastings and prayer enough to be
able to cast out such kinds or devils Tho
problem of our cities Is the problem or
our national existence. To deal success
fully with this is no power but the power
Of God unto salvation that can do II.
THE ITINERANCY.
We congratulate you and the church you
represent tha; our peculiar polity has re-
ceived another four years Endorsement as
Gods plan for the working Of the Method
ist Episcopal church. In over $4,000 np-
pointments during the quadrennium the
extremely few. Both preachers and peo-
pie have been loyal to the itinerant sys-
TEN and cooperative Herewith. The peo-
pie recognize that the system OF regular
annual appointmnss gives them stated
pastor all the time without long intervals
of anxious seeking after supplies. and that
it economies the resources of the church
by obviating the necessity of one church
bidding against another. to oner mal
a higher call than the place he now fills.
gives them regular work. and salary
without anxiety, during the whole period
of their effective strength. And both
churches and pastors see that in these
regular and necessitated changes the able
and young ministers have facilities TO rise
to positions of greater usefulness.
We do not recommend any material
change in the time limit or in the mode OF
making appointments: but suggest that
your wisdom might provide some method
by which, under ample safeguards, the
pastoral term might be extended to meet
very rare cases of manifest and grave
emergency: And We do earnestly pray
that our itinerant system. so venerable III
its history, so illustrious for unparalleled
success, SO dear to millions who have
been saved under its operations. and SO
manifestly owned of God for the conver-
sion of the world may not be subjected to
subversive utterances from platform or
press nor be handed over while yet so Vir.
lie and strong to the dissecting tables OF
doctors who are not yet wise from OK
pericnce nor philosophy but that 1t may
! be held by you in grateful reverence and
handed down in unmpaired efficiency till
| Gods church militant be merged into the
| church triumphant.
| We believe the time has fully come when
| the church should recognize, In the condi-
| tions to admission on trial to our confer
| ences, the preparation Na!ned in the theo-
| logical schools. The church has already
advanced one step in this direction by or
! dainng as deacons those who have been
| local preachers, have been students for
| two years in one of our regular theological
scminaries, and have completed the first
| two years of the conference course OF
| study. We now recommend that the
church take one more step in advance
and enact that any student shall be cred
! tied on the conference course of study
with examinations in any of theSbooks OF
| the first two years of the conference
course which any theological school,
| firmed by the bishops, shall certify that
| he has satisfactorily passed.
ADJUSTMENTS.
A spiritual church must always be op-
| posed to amusements that are dissipat-
| ing rather than recreative. To all such
| pleasures the church must oppose itself
| or dwindle as spiritual force. Churches
do not perish by sacrifices or self-denial
Persecution from without often makes
! them flourish within. But churches have
| perished by indulgence in what seemed to
| be at first innocent delights, but grew 81,
! length into destructive habits. There are
| amusements that deaden all spiritual life
| leave one without sense of power with
| God, cause men to lose their first love and
leave them only n name to live while they
| are dead. With an intense and ever grow
| ing aversion to all that deteriOrateS the
spiritual life of the church. We lift up u
! voice of warning against the increasing
| prevalence of amusements that are deteri.
! Gus to our spiritual power. The constant
and rigid adherence to the priciple which
Is embodied in our general rule. part Il
the fundamental law of the church, which
requires us to avoid taking such diver.
sions as cannot be used in the name of the
Lord Jesus" cannot be too earnestly In
the godly example of all spiritually-m
! ed people. We sincerely desire that the
action Of this general conference may be
| such as to awaken the conscience of the
considerate indulgences in harmless pleas:
ures. The press of the church should
| speak out on this subject, and the minis.
ters should lay down thelaw of the church
! the teaching of Scripture and the sad IL
| lustrations of history till the whole churcr
shall be sensitively alive on this sub
| ject.
| The church has no new word to utter
nor new position to take in regard &c
| tnOSe seductive Dut ueaulE pOlSONS ina
! blight and destroy all that is great ant
holy in human life The accursed influence
of intoxicating drinks and drugs on every
interest OF man, the family, social life
| politics and religion, is earthly, sensual
| and devil-possessed. BY the" power OF
heredity it lays on children to the thirc
and fourth generation the curse Of physi
cal deterioration, deficiency and idiocy
1t hurries men into insanity with dreadful
rap!dity.
The ideal legislation. the enactment o
| which is to be constantly sought, or thu
utter destruction of this monstrous crime
Is total prohibition. And while we ar,
seeking the enactment and enforcement
Of this ideal legislation we must seek tl
annihilate this arch-enemy by ever!
available weapon. Any law that shut!
| the saloon on Sunday, or on election day
| keeps ii q certain distance from a church
| or school, that restricts the places wher,
| or the classes to whom this fiery deati
may be sold, should be executed to tn,