THE PRIMITIVE METHODIST CONFERENCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 13950, 5 January 1909, Page 7

THE PRIMITIVE METHODIST CONFERENCE.

PROGRESS OF THE CHURCH.

The New Zealand Conference ■of the Primitive Methodist Church will com« mence its sittings in the Eden Terracd Church on Thursday . next. . It; will be composed of 19 ministerial and. lay'dele* gates, whowill represent the various sta« tions and conference committees. In con* ncction with the' conference, ,which will prot ably last about .a , week, a a considerable number of public meetings of various kinds will be held.''"'' "\ : \ '' , : "!

It may interest readers to 1 know-that this progressive denomination dates back to the year 1811. The founders of- the Church were Hugh Bourne and "William Clowes. The former, though' the. son of ; a farmer, was a man of considerable lingual and literary attainments. He' was remarkable for ■ his zeal, 1 self-sa ci ififce, arid indomitable perseverance in l seeking the welfare of his fellow-men. His colleague was chiefly remarkable as a preacher, and never failed to attract and impress.thosa who came under his ministry. : These two men of widely different gifts, without «ny intention of founding. a; denomination,preached in streets, lanes, market places, and village greens, and though often bitterly persecuted they were , undaunted They distributed religious literature' door to door, taught people'to' read arid write, took a deep interest' in the welfar* of the young, and endeavoured by all means in their power to 'promote; total abstinence and social purity. , ■ The outstanding features Of the work ol the early Church were its enthusiasm evangelism, the powerful, fearless preach, ing of the Gospel by its preachers,- open air work, and an outburst of sacred song. The Church grew, and extended its opera-' tions to America, Canada, the : Australasian colonies, and various < parts (if Africa. Its mission in the centre of the Dark Continent has been carried on at a great cost. Some of the missionaries, after labouring amongst cannibals and in deadly climates, have died in the spirit of martyrs. In Aliwal Norththe scent of operations during the Boer war—considerable success has been achieved, ah* there are over 1100 members, chiefly natives. . . / ■; ■'■' •■ : ■ ■.2 The Church was introduced into this Dominion in 1844 by the late Rev. It. Ward, a man of saintly life and heroic spirit. He laboured first in. New Plymouth, but in 1849 he visited Auckland, at the request of' one James Harris. Mr. Ward had to travel in a schooner, .the voyage from New Plymouth to Onehunga occupying seven days. This week delegates will travel from Wellington to j Auckland in about 21 hours. When Mr. Ward established the first Primitive Methodist Church in Auckland very few roads* er streets had been formed, and the. Worshippers found lanterns indispensable on dark nights to enable .them to navigate; the creeks, swamps, and quagmires in safety. Now the delegates will travel to and* -from their sessions and services of : conference in electric, care. For many years r .he Church did not make ra,pid progress in this Dominion, but of recent years its progress has been! very marked..." There are now 75 churches and 89 other preach-ing-places. The churches, schools',' and parsonages are valued at £75,000.' j There are 39 ministers and nearly 3000 members. There are 83 Sabbath schools, with:'6l3 teachers and 5500 scholars. The Church has always taken an active interest- in social matters, and has done heroic work in the cause of total abstinence. -■:>»<;.

The polity of the Church is decidedly liberal. The ministers and laymen have equal voice and. vote in all church icourfs. Its system of church government is substantially Presbyterian, but gives a large place to the laymen. The conference •is composed of two laymen to one minister, and any member of the conference may be elected its president. Its ministers are not compelled by the law of "the Church to move at any given time ; three years is supposed to be the usual time, but there is really nothing to prevent a minister staying a lifetime on. a; circuit, though he is only stationed yearly by"the conference. At the present time the denomination is the second Method Church in the British Empire, and its colleges in England are amongst, the finest institutions in the Old Land. The Theological College in Manchester has been enlarged from time to time, mainly through the generosity of Sir William P. Hartley, a prominent .layman of the denomination, and is now the largest college in England - for ths training of ministers. With its orphanage, its home and foreign missions, its extensive publishing house in London and other institutions, it is an educational force that must tell . greatly in the T interests of morality and religion. ';;•,, v..' -.'-'; .

The Question of the Day.—The question of .%' to-day. of to-morrow and of every succeeding day is. Have yon Used Pears' Soap? If '. you have not. yon have not done your duty by your skin and complexion..... If, on the *"■' other hand—that is. on both hands, and.'on the face, and on the skin • ■ generally—you - hive used Pears, you can feel happy, for vou ; will have done the best, that possibly can be done for the skin's health and beauty. There can toe no Question about that. * Peara has been making beautiful complexions for nearly 120 ; years.— Match* 1; 'ess for the Complexion ~». ->\j;, '..■'':■ ' :.H '-'-■•'.'\ : : ' U H : '- '■''. - '■'.■"-■A. W;£