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John Newland Maffitt and the Methodist Church 1794-1850

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John Newland Maffitt and the Methodist Church 1794-1850 Met!1od;.\,t !-J;story, 45: J (October 2006) HIGH STYLE AND LOW MORALS: JOHN NEWLAND MAFFITT AND THE METHODIST CHURCH 1794-1850 ROBERT E. CRAY, JR. Few Methodists inspired more comment than John Newland Maffitt during the Second Great Awakening. An itinerant revivalist, the Irish born Maffitt delivered sermons as "ornate as the tail of a peacock," while fash­ ionably attired to accentuate his striking dark eyes., rosy cheeks, black hair, and high white forehead. Many listeners, especially women, found this "Beau Brummel of preachers" compelling. By 1841, Maffitt's appointment as chaplain to the House of Representatives underscored his prominence: he had eclipsed the earlier, homespun circuit riders to present a more refined evangelical faith acceptable to the nation's leadership. Gentility and Methodism no longer conflicted; with Maffitt, they appeared inseparable. I Critics nonetheless harbored reservations about the charismatic Maffitt. Some judged Maffitt to be an intellectually lilnited, albeit engaging, preach­ er, who provided more entertainment than instruction. Others wondered about Maffitt's lavish attention to felnale converts, and fellow rVlethodists found him eccentric. Maffitt's career in the 1820s. despite impressive revivals, suffered from indiscretions; his strained marital relations resulted in divorce by the 1830s. Yet Maffitt flourished, commanding national atten­ tion, until additional scandals in 1846 prompted Manhattan Methodists to investigate. Maffitt challenged their authority and threatened suit. Under attack, his preaching license suspended, Maffitt fled to Arkansas to join the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, before dying in 1850.2 This fall from grace reveals more than a chronicle of a preacher gone bad. Maffitt illuminates Methodism's evolution from a rough hewed, insur- I William B. Sprague. AIII/(/Is (~[ the American Pulpit 9 vols, (New York: Roberl CarleI', 1860­ 69; reprint. New York: Arno Press, 19(9), 7:837-41; Charles T. Congdon. Reminiscences (~l a Jouff/alist (Boslon: lR. Osgood, 1880),46-47; Thomas Low Nichols, Forty }ears (~f'American L([e. /82/-/86/ (New York: Slackpole Sons, 1937). 231; Mark C. Carnes and John A. Garraly. cds. American National Biography (New York: Oxford Universily Press. 1999) s. V., Maffitt, John Ncwland by Robert E. Cray. Jr. ~ Sprague. Annals (~[the American Pulpit, 7:837-41; J.T. Buckingham. Trial: Commonwealth v. .I. T. Buckingham (Boslon: Ncw England Galaxy. 1822); Congdon. Reminiscences (~[ a Jouff/alist. 47; Moses Elsemore. An Impartial Account (~l the L(le q[ the Reverelul John N. Mafl/(( (Ncw York: John F. Fccks. J848); (New York) Christian Ad\'O('(1tc and .Iouff/al. April 17, Junc 9. June 16, June 21. July 7, 1847. 31 - • • ......., ... - -.- 1Ilo". • 32 Methodist History gent movement into a polished, national denomination. Unlike earlier circuit riders, who regarded finery as suspect and gentility no guarantee of salva­ tion, Maffitt turned them into ministerial trademarks. His adjective laden sermons and stylish clothing exposed the cultural rift between Methodism's past and future identity. But was Maffitt in the vanguard of this shift, or a poser whose attainments were more superficial than substantive? What did middle-class Methodists think of Maffitt's ministry? And how would the church leadership, struggling to define the faith, respond to Maffitt? Such questions not only cut to the heart of denominational identity, but they reveal Maffitt's significance within early republic Methodism.3 John Newland Maffitt was born on December 28, 1794 to a Dublin, Ireland, family of merchant-tailors. If Maffitt's autobiography, Tears of Contrition, published in 1821, is accurate, the future minister focused upon literature instead of business. Maffitt claimed his "feelings caught fire" at fourteen from novels and romances, and fueled by the "seductive page" he wished to become a "hero of renown." At twenty, Maffitt experienced an "inward call to preach" at a Methodist meeting. Unsanctioned by Methodist officials, Maffitt hoped to emulate George Whitefield, the Grand Itinerant, by touring the countryside. At Swords, a village just north of Dublin, angry Catholics threatened Maffitt, because he prayed "that God might open their eyes, and send a pure flame from off his altar, to purify their souls from dead works, and bury up all the tinsel and dross of their idolatrous worship." Escaping unharmed, Maffitt continued his ministry.4 Maffitt's preaching aroused opposition from his wife, Ann Carnic. Ann's marriage portion bolstering the tailor establishment in 1814, and she wanted Maffitt to tend to business, not religion. What little we know about Ann describes her as a "shrewd, worldly woman," who was "always fixed on the main chance" and characterized by a "long and lasting" temper. Clashes between the couple resulted; the strain of raising several children added to the tension. Then, in 1819, the tailor establishment was "wholly sunk," prompting Maffitt's to go to the United States.s vVesley's disciples had reaped results in the United States. Led by an advance guard of circuit riders, the Methodists prospered in the western and southern states, winning convelts. Calvinist New England, if cool at first, eventually welcomed them. Massive camp meetings supplied preachers a forum for oratory, and smaller prayer meetings refreshed local Methodist 3 Richard Carwardine, "Antinomians and Arminians" in Melvin Stokes and Stephen Conway, eds., The Market Revolution in America: Social, Political, and Religious Expressions, l800­ l880 (Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1996), 293; Nathan O. Hatch, "The Puzzle of American Methodism," in Nathan O. Hatch and John H. Wigger, eds., Methodism and the Shaping ofAmerican Culture (Nashville: Kingswood Books, 200 I), 29-30. ~ John N. Maffitt, Tears ofContrition, or Sketches ofthe Life oflollll N. Maffi11 (New London, CT: S. Green, 1821), 14- 17,22-23,30-32,59-63,79-82,91-93. 5 Maffitt, Tears oj Contrition, 75-93, passim; Emma Martin Maffitt, The Life and Service of lohn Newland Maffi11 (New York and Washington: Neale Publishing, 1906), 21-22, 30; Elsemore, All Impartial Account, 4-6. :~"" ~ ..~:.' •' •• '. • "_':... I '. • '... '.. '.. ..: ",' .. :.o.. '.: . " . ":'; . '. ,'I. • .', :. 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