History Of Methodist Reform, Volume I - Media Sabda Org

of its Discipline by the prospering existence of its liberalizing offshoot; the gradual incorporation
of lay delegation, if not of lay representation in the former; the inauguration of fraternity with its
excised Branch; the arguments to be furnished that a voting, lay-representation Church has
succeeded, other things being equal, as well as a non-voting, clerically governed Church; thus
dissipating the fears and overthrowing the prognostications of those who had stigmatized Reformers
as "the enemies of Methodism." Equal sincerity will be conceded to the staunch advocates of these
diverse systems and an attempt made in these pages, while unflinchingly vindicating the men and
measures of The Methodist Protestant Church, not to impugn the motives or question the honesty
of those who stood as the champions of the mother Church as organized by the fathers. It shall be
the aim to record and not make history, and as far as it is possible, without utterly obliterating the
personality of the writer, to leave inferences to the reader.
If, as has been affirmed, "the most attractive phase in the history of each denomination is the
season of its adversity," these pages will not lack for attraction. Within its purview, moreover, it shall
be incumbent to preserve under proper limitation of space the history of the initial Conferences, as
well as to rescue from a rapidly coming oblivion by a brief biography, all the early participants in
the Reform movements, with quadrennial statistics of church growth, thus to a given extent reversing
the dictum of John Morley, the historian — "The interest of historic study lies in tracing the devious
course of the sacred torch, as it shifts from bearer to bearer. It is not the bearers who are most
interesting, but the torch." The writer of these pages therefore realizes that, a large section of this
work will have an unromantic side based upon the clear necessity of embalming records which of
themselves make stimulating reading to those only who are willing to become close students of
historic remains. With this synopsis of the general purpose the reader is invited to enter a wide field
of Methodistic study.
*************************************