A History of Methodism

A HISTORY OF METHODISM: COMPRISING A View of the Rise of this Revival of Spiritual Religion in the First Half of the Eighteenth Century, and of the Principal Agents by whom it was Promoted in Europe and America; WITH SOME ACCOUNT OF The Doctrine and Polity of Episcopal Methodism In the United States, and the Means and Manner of its Extension Down to A.D. 1884. BY HOLLAND N. McTYEIRE, D.D., One of the Bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. VOLUME II. Publishing House op the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Barbee & Smith, Agents, Nashville, Tenn. 1893. Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1884, By the Book Agents of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. — CONTENTS. CHAPTER XX. The Opening in the Colonies— Intolerance in Virginia—Patrick Henry on the Parsons—Tobacco— Whitefield's Sixtli Visit—Strawbridge—First So- ciety and First Methodist Meeting -house in America—Orphan-house— The Founder's Comfort—Whitefield's Last Visit; His Death; His Will .2r>0-2(>0. —Exeunt (funics .. •• . CHAPTER XXI. , Arminian Methodism Hunted -- First. Laborer.-: Straw bridge; Embury; Williams; King—These Irregulars* Occupying the Ground and Preparing the Way—Which Was the First—The L<>g Meeting-house—The Grave of Strawl >ridge. .... ... 261-278. CHAPTER XXII. The New Circuit—Eight Missionaries Sent to It—What Became of Them —The War—Asbury Alone Left — The Two Blunders—Wesley's Calm Address.. .. ..: 279-292. CHAPTER XXIII. Francis Asbury ; His Preparation and Ministry—Troubles of Administration —Revival in the Old Brunswick Circuit—Devereux Jarratt—The Preach- ers Called Out—Watters, Dromgoole, Gatch, Bruce, Ellis, Ware, and Their Fellow-laborers 293-313. CHAPTER XXIV The Question of Ordinances—Destitution—Clamor of the People for the Sacraments—Deferred Settlement—Temporary Division—The Concession for Peace—After Long Waiting—Prospect of Supply. .314-322. CHAPTER XXV Primitive Church Government—Philanthropy—The Sum of All Villainies Book Reviews on Horseback—West India Missions Planted—Christian Perfection — A Scheme of Absorption — The Calvinistic Controversy Fletcher's Checks—Deed of Declaration—John Fletcher— Thomas Coke Ordinations for America 323-344. CHAPTER XXVI. The Christmas Conference—Events Before and After — Organization and Church Extension—Asbury Crossing the Mountains—Methodism Planted on the Southern Frontier—On the Western, on the Northern, and in Nova Scotia .. .345-370. (247) —A 248 Contents. CHAPTER XXVII. The Sunday Service—Cokesbury College — Slavery and Emancipation— New Term of Communion Proposed—How Received—West India Mis- sions—Inconsistent and Hurtful Legislation—What Methodism Has Done for the Negro. .... • 371-389. CHAPTER XXYIII. Wesley's Request not Complied With—Leaving His Name off the Minutes t —The Offense and Rebuke—Methodist Episcopacy the First in America True to the Primitive Type—Ordinations of Luther and Wesley—Charles Wesley's Death.. , 390-401. CHAPTER XXIX. The Council: Its Failure—O'Kelley's Schism—Hammett's—Charge of Her- esy—General Conference of 1792: Some of Its Work—Republican Meth- odists—Presiding Elders: Their Office and Its Duties Defined—John Wes- ley's Death 402-419. CHAPTER XXX. Jesse Lee Enters New England—Inhospitable Reception—The Difficulties —Gains a Footing—The Need of Methodism There—Asbury Confirm- ing the Work—Soule, Fisk, Hedding—Boston Common—Success—Memo- rial 420-436. CHAPTER XXXI. The Valley of the Mississippi: Occupying It—Gate-way to the North-west and the South-west—Indian Troubles—Asbury Crossing the Wilderness Bethel Academy—Kentucky—Tennessee—Three Local Preachers Shaping Ohio—Missionaries—McHenry, Burke, Wilkerson, Page, Tobias Gibson, Valentine Cook 437-463. CHAPTER XXXII. Annual Conferences—Boundaries and Powers Established — Locations Chartered Fund—Proposal to Strengthen the Episcopacy Fails—Asbury's Health Gives Way—Helpers—Whatcoat Consecrated Bishop—McKendree in the West 464-480. "Be not Righteous Overmuch.'' 1 297 No Societies were planted by him, but something was gained to the cause by a survey of the land, and by the people seeing and hearing a good Methodist preacher. Norfolk had much labor bestowed upon it before it took the rank it has long held as a moral city. Asbury found there a hard place, as had Pilmoor, and Williams, and Watters, and Wright, and King, before him. Pil- 1 mooi , passing through Portsmouth on his return from the South., came upon two men at the ferry, swearing horribly. He raised his hands, and exclaimed: "Well! if I had been brought to this place blindfolded, I should have known I was near Norfolk." His preaching excited the opposition of the easy-going parish clergy of the city, and during his absence the parson attempted to turn the tide of feeling against the Methodists by preaching on, " Be not righteous overmuch." He assured the people that he knew from experience the evil of being overrighteous. To his surprise and that of his friends, Pilmoor returned a few days after, and gave notice that he would preach on the verse next following the parson's text, " Be not overmuch wicked." The people crowded to the preaching-place. Having read the text, he said he had been informed that a certain divine of that town had given them a solemn caution against being righteous overmuch. Then lifting his hands, and with a very significant coun- tenance, he exclaimed, "And in Xorfolk he hath given this cau tion!" In October, 1772, by appointment, Asbury became chief or General Assistant, having the direction of affairs and the appoint ing of the preachers, subject to Wesley's supervision. Board- man quietly fell into a subordinate position, and the itinerancy was really inaugurated. Asbury formed a circuit around Phila- delphia, as he had done around New York, taking in Chester and Wilmington, and sweeping into New Jersey. He wrote to Will- iams, on hearing one of his stirring reports: "I hope that before long about seven preachers of us will spread over seven or eight hundred miles." Upon his new appointment, Asbury moved his head-quarters to the center of operations—Baltimore; he "settled" the Society into classes, and thus got for the members the benefit of closer oversight and of better spiritual edification. Not content wich preaching at the market-place and in private houses, he mo^ ed for the building of two churches —Fell's Point and Light Street — CHAPTER XX. The Opening in the Colonies—Intolerance in Virginia—Patrick Henry on tlio Parsons—Tobacco—Whitefield's Sixth Visit—Strawbridge—The First Society and First Methodist Meeting-house in America—Orphan-house—The, Founder's Comfort—Whitefield's Last Visit ; his Death ; his Will Exeunt Omnes. riHHE current of emigration, set in motion by revolutions and 1 persecutions in the Old World during the seventeenth cent- ary, distributed along the shores of the New very different pop- ulations. New England received earnest Puritans; New York, Dutch Reformers; Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Presbyteri- ans and Quakers; the equal laws of Maryland invited a gener- ous population of different creeds; the Carolinas were enriched by Palatines and Huguenots; but Virginia was stinted to an ac- cession of bigoted Churchmen, who neither preached the gospel themselves nor allowed others to preach it. Numbers of cava- liers and loyal gentry flocked to the ancient Dominion, where toasts to the health of Charles II. were drank long before the Restoration, and where the Act of Toleration was not accepted for fifty years after William and Mary had been crowned. Whitefield's gown gave him a passport through Virginia, ex- cept, possibly, in a few places ; Devereux Jarratt was another Grim- shaw, and that scholarly and Christian man, Dr. Blair, a Scotch- man by birth, was for half a century the commissary Doubtless there were other and similar mitigations of the moral influence which the execrable State-church system was calculated to pro- duce. A high authority says: "If we turn from the clergy to the laity, facts present themselves such as might naturally be supposed to exist under the ministrations of such a clergy. In- deed, it scarce admits of a doubt that between the two classes there was a mutual action and reaction for evil; each probably conti ibuted to make the other worse." * We have seen how the Methodists and Moravians were warned off before they came in sight, and with what difficulty the Pres- byterians got a footing in the colony. The Baptists bore the brunt of persecution. " They were beaten and imprisoned," says * Hawks' s Narrative of the Protestant Episcopal Church. (250) Parsons— Tobacco—Patrick Henry. 251 Dr. Hawks, the historian of his Church, " and cruelty taxed its ingenuity to devise new methods of punishment and annoyance." But they stood it nobly. John Bunyan and Bedford jail were before them, not to speak of a higher inspiration. They marched to prison, singing as. they went " Broad is the road that leads to death," and preached to crowds through the prison-bars. About 1763, the covetousness and arrogance of the exclusive claimants of "apostolic succession" in Virginia Colony received a final blow from a quarter which themselves had invoked. A parson's regular salary, besides house and glebe, was sixteen thousand pounds of tobacco. The crop of 1755 being short, the legislature passed an "act to enable the inhabitants of the colony to dis- charge tobacco debts in money," at the rate of sixteen shillings and eight pence per hundred weight—at the option of the debtor. Planters who had tobacco to sell got fifty or sixty shillings per hundred weight, and paid the parson at the rate of sixteen shillings and eight pence. This act applied to all other tol >acc< > cred- itors as well as to ministers.

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