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The Condition of Membership in the Christian Church, Viewed in Connexion With the Class-Meeting System in the Methodist Body
The Condition of Membership in the Christian Church Viewed in Connexion With the ClassMeeting System in the Methodist Body Author:Thomas Hughes General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1873 Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million book... more »s for free. Excerpt: CHAPTER II. A STATEMENT OF THE QUESTION AT ISSUE. The natural and the conventional are the two great classes which represent all in society, and are found more or less in all grades and conditions of human institutions and relations. The conventions of men are far more numerous and difficult than the natural laws and order of things are in themselves. The cardinal laws and elements of matter are not numerous; the fixed principles of jurisprudence are but few ; the rules of government in their natural root are not many in number ; so are those of religion as to its conditions of conformity and polity. But the conventional things among men, both in civil and religious life, are such that they are hard to number; they are so complicated and contradictory in expression and requirements, that it is utterly impossible to understand them all; they are often so absurd and unnatural, that they not unfrequently mislead and debase life, instead of dignifying and adorning it; and they frequently are so cruel and hard, that they demand burdens and sacrifices which are neither righteous nor possible. I allow the utility and even the circumstantial necessity of certain conventions in society, both in religion and politics ; they may be needful as crutches or channels of comfort and advancement to it, in its present state of weakness and deformity. But the fewer and simpler these are, the happier, the safer, and the more sure and truthful will be the development of society generally. The requirement for conventionsis always subordinate and circumstantial, hence they should be established and received under certain ...« less