The Saint Paul globe., 1899-03-20
WHY | ANA METHODIST
REV. r. M. RULE ANSWERS THE
QUESTION AT THE PEO-
PLIES CHURCH
THIRD SERMON IN THE SERIES

trACa Sums ID the POSITION OF HIS
Church I'm the Declaration That
"MethOdism Ii Genuine In Origin,
Practical I'm Method, Catholic
in Spirit and Sound In Doctrine, ,,
Rev. F. M. Rule. presiding elCer Of this
district in the Methodist Episcopal
church. occupied the pulpit of the Peo-
Pies church last evening" He delivered
the third in the series of doctrinal ser.
mons now being delivered there Sunday
evenings. and his subject was. "Why I
Am Methodist" Rev. Mr. Rule said:
MR.. RULES ADDRESS.
IF had stated the question. would
have put it in this form: Why am | a
Methodist Episcopal churchman?' For
there are Methodists who are not Episco-
pal Methodists and churchmen who are
not Methodists. However as the spirit
Of Methodism Is one. will proceed with
out quibbling regarding the form of
statement.
Like Bishop Gilbert. who spoke here
last Sunday evening, said he was born an
tipiscopalian. 1 can say 1 was born
Methodist. My paternal ancestors. as
far back as chronology goes. were Luth-
Grams. but my grandparents were mem
bers Of the Methodist Episcopal church.
My father was trained in Methodism. but
did not join the church until twenty
seven years Of age. My maternal ances-
tors were Scotch Presbyterians as far
back In history as the line can be traced.
but my mother. in her youth, was con-
Verted under the ministry OF a local
preacher. the father of Bishop William
Taylor, and Joined the Methodist Episco-
pal church. When these two were mar
ried. they kndled the fire of devotion
upon the family altar, and it never was
extinguished until fathers translation to
the eternal home. l was born in a
Methodist home. rocked in a Methodist
cradle, and do not remember when
learned to pray, or when I first attended
class meeting, love feast, or partook Of
the holy communion.
AT about the age Of fourteen kneeled
at an old-fashtoned mourner's bench, and,
like Wesley, felt my heart strangely
warm, and was afterward received into
full connection in the Methodist Episco-
pal church. While I had some training
at the hands of Quaker and state univer-
sity teachers, it was for the most part
under the tuition of Methodism
Il have continued to be Methodist,
because 1 believe the Methodist Episcopal
church is in the divine succession from
the days Of Christ and the apostles
GENUINE AS TO ORIGIN.
1t Is genuine as to it's origin. There
is no divinely prescribed form of church
government. 1t is a fundamental postulate
in Methodism that the Great Head of the
church has, from the beginning chosen
certain individuals from among the body
OF believers to the office and work Of the
ministry of the gOspel-so constituting
these distinct order in the church-and.
of course, dividing the whole body of the
church into two classes, the ministry and
the laity. 1t is accepted that the ministry
is divinely ordained function. Accord
ingly every candidate for the ministry In
the Methodist Episcopal church is asked
whether he is inwardly moved by the
Holy Ghost to take upon himself the office
of the ministry of the church of God
None are accepted that cannot give an
affirmative answer to the question. There
fore the Methodist Episcopal church is
genuine in the sense that it's organism Is
the normal product of its religious vital
ity shaping itself into an appropriate
body. AS 1t was In the beginning, 1t Is
row, etc.
1.-THE forms of church polity which
have obtained chief acceptance in Chris
tendon are three Presbyterian, Congre-
gational and Episcopal. Under all these
good work has been done. The main
question to be settled by the Individual
is Under which form can 1 render the
most efficient service in helping to make
the world what 1t ought to be-? Method
ism includes all these forms, and the
Methodist Episcopal church combines two
OF them.
1--WE are Presby terian in theory, and
have a Scriptural superintendency. We
recognize the terms presbyter and bishop
as interchangeable The latter expresses
function Of the presbyte in church.
es that prefer and adopt that form Of
church government. John Wesley recog-
nized this as being in harmony with the
true conception of the New Testament
church. He. himself, being presbyter
In the Church Of England was driven
to the ordination Of DIR. Coke
by the lack, in the Church of England
Of modern comprehensiveness. He had
besieged Lowth, bishop of London to
ordain even one presbyter, so that some
of the people might have the sacraments
and the remainder future hope of church
privileges When Lowth refused, Wes-
ley. knowing there is no such thing as
apostolic succession. and that In extreme
cases. under even existing English laws,
he could ordain presbyter and a Scrip
tural bishop, as duly as the archbishop
Office. He followed Hooker. who said,
There may be very just and sufficient
reasons to allow ordination to be made
without bishop. and ordained Coke
thus beginning a line of Methodist Epis-
copal bishops. under whom the real work,
for which the church was organized by
the Lord Jesus Christ, has had marvellous
success. So that. while we are only
little more than century old, Episcopal
Methodism has more than 100000 mem
bers. and at least 25. 900 adherents
FOLLOWS PRIMITIVE MODEL.
''The Methodist Episcopal church con-
forms to the primitive church model in
It's method Of work. This is seen in the
fact that it is easily adjustable to new
conditions as they arise Methodism Is
evolutionary. We have had many and
great changes. Our polity Is sufficiently
elastic to permit any rational innovation
When Jesus Christ was in the world he
interwove religion with the ordinary af-
fairs of life that these might be more
closely associated with the church He
had come to establish. While Methodism
is conservative, it Is not obstructively so.
Whatever Is demanded by the ever chang
Ing conditions of society SO that men
may be thoroughly furnished unto every
good word and work, and come to their
lighest estate, Methodism will allow
As one has said: We still face the sun
rise, and have courage enough to sur
render old methods that have outliyed
their usefulness. and eagerly grasp new
ones that Will aid us more promptly and
successfully to consummate the great
work committed to our hands
Our polity recognizes the necessity of
the highest possible mental equipment for
service. Hence provision has been made
from the beginning to meet this necessity.
and great educational system has been
h,IfIt IN