The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-05-07
Heretics Must Get Out of the Method
fst Fellowship in the Future as
They Have i'm the Past.
CHICAGO pULpITS OCCUPIED
BISHOPS AND VISITING MINISTER'S
PREACHED SERMONS YESTERDAY.
Review of the Life and Work Of
James NJ. Thoburn, Bishop of India
and the Pacific Islands.

CHICAGO, May 6.-The report of the
constitutional commission of the Metho-
dist General Conference, which probably
Will be presented this week, will call for
the continued maintenance of the religion
of John Wesley. The episcopacy may be
abandoned and other constitutional .fea-
tures changed, but the articles of religion,
the doctrines of the church, are to be re-
tanned in their purity. The hereto of the
future must leave the church as he has
done in the past Methodism will not ac-
cept any departure from the theology Of
the fathers. The provision for The safe
guarding of the tenets of Wesley is found
in Article III, providing for amendments.
The provision is as follows:
1.-The concurrent recommendation of
two-thirds of all the members of the sew
eral conferences present and voting. and
OF two-thirds of all members of the lay
electoral conferences present and voting.
shall suffice to authorize the next ensuing
General Conference, by a two-thirds VOTE
to alter or amend any of the provisions Of
this constitution, excepting Section /, Arti-
Gle TO-
The section is as follows: 1.-THE General
Conference shall not revoke, alter nor
change articles of religion, nor es-
tablish any new standards or rules of doc
trine.'
The report of the commission provides
that the constitution shall consist of the
articles of religion, general rules and the
sections OF the General Conference law
The special advice is not included in the
organic law. This disposes of the contro-
versy over the second specification, "Let
all our people be exhorted to conform to
the spirit Of the apostolic precept."
The changes in the section of the Book of
Discipline devoted to the General Confer
ence are very slight. and In the direction
of amplifcation. The commission. anticipate
ing equal lay representation, has incor-
porated it in the proposed constitution
Methodist bishops and ministers occupied
the pulpits of the Chicago churches of that
denomination to-day In none of the SER
mons were there any references to the
questions before the General Conference
In the business of the week the delegates
to the General Conference face situation
that may mark new courses for the future,
and whichever way the vital questions are
settled, will leave effects on the machinery
of the great church. There are four ques-
tions of popular interest any one of which
may be brought up during this week. They
are:
The amusement question, the five-year
limit Of pastorates, the consolidating of the
Christian Advocates, the consolidation of
benevolent societies.
The Methodists will have a busy week
There is the general session each morn
ing. and in the afternoon are six and seven
committee meetings. The evenings will be
occupied with receptions and socials.
The political aspect of the conference will
begin to shape itself this week. Elections
may come about May Is. and in the mean
time 1t will become more and more evident
who are the leading candidates. Eight men
have been mentioned prominently for bish-
ops. but until the committee on episcopacy
has held a number of sessions there will
be little to indicate how many new bishops
there are to be.