Methodism Then and Now by Dudley Marvin Canright

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jul 15, 1875

Methodism Then and Now.

By Dudley Marvin Canright

REV. EDWARD EGGLESTON, in a recent historical sketch of Methodism, makes the following suggestive remarks:—

“One of the most forceful of the backwoods preachers that I knew in boyhood used to complain that though he had carried, for six months, an English grammar in his hat he never could get it into his head; and Cartwright could never speak properly. It is said that Allen Wiley, at the close of one of Russell Bigelow’s most overwhelming camp-meeting sermons, said to that other great orator, Strange: ‘I counted fourteen grammatical errors in that sermon,’ upon which Strange thundered at him: ‘Cold work, sir, under such a sermon as that!’ Orators, these men were, of the most magnificent type, but not scholars. Some of them, as Allen Wiley, John P. Durbin, John Dempster, and others, became, by incessant study men of ripe scholarship, but in exact proportion to the increase of their scholarly pursuits and habits was the abridgment of their usefulness as evangelists among the masses. The Methodist ministry in the towns is rapidly approaching a high standard of scholarship, culture, and refinement. This is a true and excellent development, the general uplifting of the people in the care of Methodism is involved in it. What then? Is there to be a new wave of evangelism that shall reach the masses? or will Methodism be able to continue the two functions? If a new movement should take the form of a sect it is to be hoped that the Methodist Church will not treat it in the inhospitable fashion that the older churches did the young Methodism.”

He sees and realizes that Methodism has lost its power, and that some church should be raised up to take its place. He gives good advice as to the manner of treating such a sect. But, alas for religious blindness! Now that God has raised up such a people, he is the very man to ridicule and persecute them just as the Methodists were persecuted by the popular, learned, but hypocritical, ministers of a century ago. He has written a novel called “The End of the World,” on purpose to ridicule Adventism. “Physician, heal thyself.”

D. M. CANRIGHT.