The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-05-08

ueaNoi Soeiet9, or which Francis fi
 Clark IS the president, is numbering it's l members by the hundreds and thousands l and the millions is because of it's iron clad pledge. John Willis Baer. who for
 so many years was secretary of that 1 young peoples Christian organization, was right when in my presence some l years ago he declared, aThe high stand i ard of the character of the Endeavorers | is due to the high standard of the soci- ety's pledge You can never raise sin l struck world if you are wallowing in the sinful mud of the world yourself Like
 John Wesley and the Methodist church, lift the world out of sin by making your Christian standard as high as heaven and as pure as Christ himself Tt is the l inward witness, son. the inward witness this is the strongest proof of Christiani- ty." It is the inward witness of the puri- ty of its members which accounts for the multiplying powers of the Methodist church of today Methodlsm came into the world as a protest against prevalent sin
 This fact alone does not tell all the story of it's marvellous multiplying power. There are many other reasons for the growth of Methodism. One of the chief of these Is the fact that John Wesley was the emancipator of the laymen, as
 4Iartin Luther was the emancipator of l the Bible. The English eccesiastic 1 opened the dumb lips of the pew. The German reformer broke the iron clasps I holding together the lids of the word l of God, which barred to all but ordained l priests access to the life giving message I that God sent for the deverance of all his sinful children. John Wesley said to | the blacksmith at his forge and the cob bier on his bench and the wife in her | kitchen: "Go forth and be my evangel- ists. You may not be a graduate of the oogical seminaries, but you can testify of Cnrist's love- Martin Luther said
 There, laymen, is the open Bible Read it. Ponder 1t. Study it. Read it with your own eyes and kiss it with your own lips" Do you wonder that when John Wesley built the Methodist church upon an open Bible and then in public meet ing set all his people testifying of Gods word and love he became one of the greatest gospel reformers of the ages?
 sneers For Wesley.
 John Wesley because he sent forth the common people preaching and praying everywhere was in derision called Methodist" He was sneed at because in his day custom dictated that no man should pray In public unless he read his prayer out of a printed prayer book or speak for Christ unless he was entitled
 
 dained priest. But John Wesley re- moved these restrictions for the Meth odists and sent the laymen forth preach- ing and praying, as in the latter years Archibald Tat. archbishop of Canter- bury, enlisted the services of unordained workers in various branches of church activity and earned for himself the title given him in scorn by a jealous clergy of the archbishop of the laity." There. Nr chisled in the most beautiful of epitaphs The one desire of his life was to make the Church of England the church of the people," Oh my friends, let us hold fast this liberty of service. The work of prop agating the gospel is not committed ex- clusively to any one class or profession. The laborers sent forth by Wesley In the eighteenth century, like the laymen enlisted by Archbishop Tait in the nine teenth, had work to do and right earn estly and successfully they did 1t. Let us never allow the pew to again be shackled and it's lips sealed with the si- lence of death. What we need more and more In the beginning of this twentith century is not better educated ministry, but one which will start forth a speak ing and testifying pew. The simple fact Is some of our churches are being preached to death, We need not more
 
 good old fashioned testimony meetings of the Methodist church. We need men and women who in the simple homely language of the street can tell what God has done for their souls. We need our prayer meetings to be truly peoples meetings" in which all take part, place where the old folks will testify, and the middle aged people will testify, and where the young people will testify. Another great cause for the multiply ing power of Methodism Is the "elass system" This 'class system" so called, dates it's historic birth to the 18th day of February, 1742. Like the life of the Wan dering Jew, may it never have a deathl May this system live on and on until at last earthly time shall cease and the struggles against sin shall be swallowed up in the eternal conquest of heavenl This was how the famous "class sys- tenn" of Methodism was born: John Wes- ley and his brother Charles were visiting their society in the city of Bristol. A large financial indebtedness hung as an | incubus over that society's place of wor- ship While the members of that society were discussing with the leaders how | they should lift the debt a Captain Foy arose and proposed that each member | should be taxed one penny a week until the debt was paid. But that is not | fair" some one protestingly said. Here l are some people who are so poor they cannot afford to give even a penny" | Then" said Captain Foy, put eleven of l the poorest with me, and if they can give 1 anything I will call upon them weekly 1 and collect the same. and if they give nothing I will give for them as well as | for myself. and each of you can call on l eleven of your neighbors weekly. receive what they give and make up what Is wanting" No sooner had Captain Foy spoken than in flash of divine inspira
 ton came to John Wesley. "Yes, yes,' said the great leader to himsef that is just what Methodism needs-a system of caring for its own, a system by which It's members shall not be herded together l as wild animals are herded together but system which will single men out and I place them in circles of tens and over l these circles shall be placed a separate | leader who will have charge of each class" These leaders in turn were to meet and report to their pastors. Their 1 pastors in turn meet and report to their presiding elders. Each man by the l "class system of Methodism Is respon- | sibe to some individual person of the 1 church.
 The "Class System"
 We see the value of individual respon- siblity in the temporal world. Why | should we not see the same results from | the ''class system" of Methodism? Your I boy is about sixteen years of age. Where are you going to send the lad to college? l We'll" you say. " would like in many ways to send him to one of our great universities, but the trouble Is am l afraid. There the boy will only be lost among a crowd of hundreds of other | ,.yfJ ha