The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-11-28

duct to the requirements of the Bible on
the part of a few young men in the Uni
versity of oxford. They agreed to meet
at stated times 20 study the Bible, to
help each other in living holy lives, ana
to do good to the needy where they lived.
This little class meeting Wesley regard
ed as the first beginning of Methodism.
In 1897 he invited the more serious of his
congregation here in Savannah to meet
him at the parsonage house for the same
purpose and this he considered a second
founding of the movement. When he had
returned to England, living in London, he
was sought out by a larger number OF
serious persons, and 1,739 classes were
formed. out of which the church was
eventually formed.
This was the first step in the direction
of the great church, but was about what
the st. Andrews Brotherhood at the pres
ent day is to the church. The Church of
England. of which Wesley was devoted
member. was at that time in it's lowest
state of spiritual life. Its places were
given by members of the aristoc-
racy and were used to provide
livings and careers for the favorites or
dependencies of the great. The result was
a low standard of piety and many scandals.
Wesley's movement was a protest against
these evils, as well as effort to work
reform The movement spread from this
simple beginning. Soon some members
of his classes developed into effective
speakers and the demand for their ser
vices in conducting preaching services.
This led to the use of lay preachers. The
movement spread so rapidly that to insure
uniformity in teaching it was necessary
for the clergymen of the English church
identified with Wesley and his lay preach
ers to confer together.
This was the beginning of the confer
enceS which are now So, numerous
throughout the world This first confer
ence was held i'm the Foundry, London,
June %, 17A. 1t was composed of ten
members, the exact number of presiding
elders of the South Georgia conference soon
to assemble in Savannah, six regular cler-
gymen of the established church and four
lay preachers. The movement spread
with great rapidly. Societies were soon
formed in all parts of England Scotland
and ireland. In 1866 the first Methodist
sermon in America was preached by Philip
Embury to a congregation of four persons.
The South Georgia portion of one of the
churches will send near 100 times as many
to the coming conference. The work con-
tinued to grow.
In 1854 at the close of the revolutionary
war there was a demand for the admins
tration of the sacraments by the Metho-
dists of the United States. The clergy
men of the Church of England being
largely in sympathy with the ruling pow
eTs at home had many of them deserted
their posts and returned to England dur
ing the war Mr.. Wesley, in his earnest
desire to adhere to the established church.
asked for the ordination of some of his fol-
lowers. This was refused.
The clamor for the sacraments increas-
ed and Wesley resolved TO give them to
his followers. lie had always believed in
the doctrine that the episcopacy was an
office, not an order of the ministry: that
in order, he was of The body of elders
but was presiding elder over the other
elders. who were equal to him i'm sacra-
mental power. This conviction carried
with It the corallory that in cases of emer-
gencies a presbytery of elders had the
right no ordain even in the absence of a
bishop. Acting on the demand of his fol-
lowers, and in accordance with this con-
Victlon, he. assisted by Rev. James Creigh-
ton, a presbyter of the Church of Eng
land, and Thomas Coke, another, he or
dained Richard Whatscoat and Thomas
Vasey deacons, according to the custom