VOLUME 1 — BOOK I — CHAPTER IX
PRINCIPAL EVANGELISTS, 1773 — 1774

Rankin after the Conference — Pilmoor — Boardman — Rankin in Maryland — A Quarterly Meeting at the Watters Homestead — Departure of Pilmoor — Rankin in New York — Shadford in New York — - His Character and Usefulness — Asbury in Maryland — Exaltation of his Spirit — Baltimore — Otterbein — German Methodism — "United Brethren in Christ" — Sketch of their History — Death of Otterbein — Boehm and Gueting — Otterbein and Asbury's Poetry: Note — Advancement of Methodism in Maryland — New Chapels — Wright in Virginia — Its first two Chapels — Williams in Virginia — Old Brunswick Circuit — Jarratt — Jesse Lee — Freeborn Garrettson

Of the labors of the principal evangelists during the ecclesiastical year following the Conference of 1773 we have but scanty intimations; enough, however, to show that they resumed their work with a strong consciousness that it had now become an established fact in the religious history of the country; that, being organized and put under the rigorous military discipline of Wesley, it was destined to deepen and widen, and assume the same importance which Methodism had acquired in the parent land. They went forth therefore to their circuits with the increased zeal, not to say enthusiasm, which such confidence was suited to inspire; "with a full resolution," wrote Rankin, "to spread genuine Methodism in public and in private with all our might."

Rankin and Shadford were appointed, as we have seen, respectively to Philadelphia and New York, but were to exchange during the year. Rankin's spirit glowed with renewed ardor as he closed the Conference. "For some days past," he wrote, "I have felt the Redeemer's presence in a most sensible manner; I want more life, light, and love; I want to be entirely devoted to God, and to walk before him as Enoch and Abraham did." Pilmoor, though without an appointment, lingered with him some time in Philadelphia. On the last Sunday of the month of the Conference (July 29, 1773) Rankin writes: "I preached at the usual hours, morning and evening, and afterward met the Society. In some good degree this has been a Sabbath of rest to my soul. Blessed forever be the name of the Lord for all his mercies! I long to be holy in life and in all manner of conversation. I was assisted by the labors of Mr. Pilmoor the ensuing week, having returned from a journey in the country. He preached with more life and divine power this week than he has done since I landed at Philadelphia. Blessed be God that he is returning to the simplicity of spirit that made him so useful when he first came over to America! Whatever we lose, let us never hose that simplicity which is attended with life, light, love, and power from on high. If ever a Methodist preacher loses this temper the glory is departed from him."

Pilmoor continued to assist him, both in Philadelphia and New York, down to the end of December. Success attended their efforts, and the spirit of Rankin rose with his labors. His "soul intensely breathed after full conformity to the blessed God." "O how I long," he wrote, "to see the work of God break out on the right hand and on the left!" Though superintendent of the whole American field, he gave faithful attention to the local and particular interests of the Societies, "visiting all the classes" while in New York. Boardman was there to aid him in October. On Sunday, 10th, when about to leave the city, he records that Boardman "preached this morning, and I in the evening. I found a measure of liberty, but abundantly more in the love-feast which followed. The Lord did sit as a refiner's fire on many hearts. I would fain hope that he is reviving his work in the hearts of the people. Indeed, from the testimony of many this evening, I had reason to believe that the great Head of the Church was better to us than all my fears. I hear no particular complaint of any member; and I find several have of late found peace with God, while others are greatly stirred up to seek all the mind that was in Christ Jesus. I also gave notes of admission to several new members. My own soul breathed after entire conformity to her living head. My cry was, 'Give me, O Lord, constant union and deep fellowship with thee. O let me bear the image of the blessed Jesus, and fill me with all the fullness of God!' "

He returned to Philadelphia, and in the latter part of the month set out southward. At the beginning of November he was holding a quarterly meeting at the Watters homestead. The regions round about poured out their people on the occasion. "Such a season," he says, "I have not seen since I came to America. The Lord made the place of his feet glorious. The shout of a king was heard in our camp. I rode to Bush Chapel, and preached at three o'clock. There also the Lord made bare his holy arm. From the chapel I rode to Dellam's, and preached at six o'clock, and we concluded the day with prayer and praise. This has indeed been a day of the Son of man. To thy name, O Lord, be the praise and glory! — Monday, November 1. I rode to Deer Creek, and preached at three, and afterward met the Society. The flame of divine love went from heart to heart, and great was our glorying in God our Saviour. I spent the evening in praise and prayer with many of our friends who had come to attend the quarterly meeting. Wednesday, 3. After breakfast we finished our temporal business, and spent some time with the local preachers and stewards. At ten o'clock our general love-feast began. It was now that the heavens were opened and the skies poured down divine righteousness. The inheritance of God was watered with the rain from heaven. I had not seen such a season as this since I left my native land. Now it was that the Lord burst the cloud which had at times rested upon my mind ever since I landed at Philadelphia. O Lord, my soul shall praise thee, and all that is within me shall bless thy holy name! I sincerely hope that many will remember this day throughout the annals of eternity."

By the middle of December he was again in Philadelphia, where Pilmoor still assisted him. On Sunday, the 26th, Pilmoor "preached his farewell sermon, and we concluded the day with a general love-feast. The presence of the Holy One of Israel was in the midst, and many rejoiced in the hope of the glory of God. Next day he set off for New York, from whence Mr. Boardman and he were to sail for England. Yet a little while and we shall meet to part no more."

In March, 1774, we trace Rankin to New York, still exulting in the success of his work. On the 6th he writes: "The congregations were large, and the presence of the Holy One of Israel was in our midst. Surely I shall yet have pleasure in this city to compensate for all my pain. I went through the duties of the ensuing week with pleasure. I observed that the labors of my fellow-laborer, Mr. Shadford, have not been in vain. The spirit of love seems to increase among the people. Sunday, May 22. I found freedom to declare the word of the Lord, and I trust the seed sown will produce some fruit to the glory of God. We concluded the evening with a general love-feast, in which the Lord's presence was powerfully felt by many persons. Many declared with great freedom what God had done for their souls. Some of the poor black people spoke with power and pungency of the loving-kindness of the Lord. If the rich in this Society were as much devoted to God as the poor are, we should see wonders done in the city. Holy Jesus, there is nothing impossible with thee."

The next day he was on his way to Philadelphia, "to meet the brethren in our second little Conference." Such are the few traces I can discover of Rankin's services during this period. His headquarters being alternately in Philadelphia and New York, did not limit him to those cities; he itinerated not only between them, exchanging every four months, but around them on extensive circuits. He adopted fully Asbury's views of the itinerancy, not only enforcing them in his administration as Wesley's "General Assistant," but exemplifying them in his own labors.

Meanwhile Shadford began his work for the ecclesiastical year in New York with an ardor equal, if not superior, to that of Rankin. He had a soul of flame, and was singularly effective in his preaching. "A volume might be written," says the chronicler of John Street Chapel, "concerning Mr. Shadford. He had a great harvest of souls in America." [1] And, again, writes the same authority, "Most powerful revivals accompanied his ministry. His preaching was in the demonstration of the Spirit and with power. Moral miracles were performed, hell's dark empire shook, and victory was proclaimed on the Lord's side. He was a very sweet-spirited brother, and the love subsisting between him and Asbury was like that between Jonathan and David."

Shadford, though a courageous preacher, was modest even to diffidence, and entered New York with painful self-distrust. He has left us a brief record of his labors there. "My next remove," he says, "was to New York, where I spent four months with great satisfaction. I went thither with fear and trembling and as much cast down from a sense of my unworthiness and inability to preach the Gospel to a polite and sensible people. But the Lord, who hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the things which are wise, and weak things to confound the things which are mighty, condescended to make use of his poor weak servant for the revival of religion in that city. I added fifty members in those four months, about twenty of whom found the pardoning love of God, and several backsliders were restored to their first love. A vehement desire was excited in the hearts of believers after all the mind of Christ, or the whole image of God. I left in New York two hundred and four members in society." Exchanging with Rankin, he went to Philadelphia, where he says, "I had a very comfortable time for four or five months that I spent with a loving, teachable people. The blessing of the Lord was with us of a truth, and many were really converted to God. There was a sweet loving spirit in this Society; for nothing appeared among them but peace and brotherly love. They had kept prayer-meetings in different parts of the city for some time before I went to it, which had been a great means of begetting life among the people of God as well as others." He preached in the streets and lanes of the city, and left it at the end of the year, with two hundred and twenty-four members in its Society. His first year's labor in America had added nearly two hundred to the Church, "while hundreds had been benefited in various ways under his labors." [2]

With his usual promptness Asbury was in the saddle, on the last day of the Conference of 1773, leaving Philadelphia for his great Baltimore Circuit, and praying, "May the Lord make bare his holy arm, and revive his glorious work!" He preached continually on his route, and the next week writes, "My soul has enjoyed great peace this last week, in which I have rode near one hundred miles since my departure from Philadelphia, and have preached often, and sometimes great solemnity has rested on the congregations. On Tuesday morning my heart was still with the Lord, and my peace flowed as a river. Glory be given to God! On Wednesday, at New Castle, the company was but small, though great power attended the word. Perhaps the Lord will yet visit this people, though at present too many of them appear to be devoted to pride, vanity, and folly." He soon reached his circuit, for it comprehended all the Societies in Maryland, and nearly half the Methodists of the country. On August 2d he held a Quarterly Meeting at Joseph Presbury's. "After our temporal business was done," he says, "I read a part of our minutes, to see if Brother Strawbridge would conform, but he appeared to be inflexible. He would not administer the ordinances under our direction at all. Many things were said on the subject, and a few of the people took part with him. At the conclusion of our Quarterly Meeting, on Tuesday, we had a comfortable season, and many were refreshed, especially in the love-feast. On Wednesday I set out for Baltimore, but was taken very sick on the road; however, I pursued my way, though it was sometimes through hard rain and heavy thunder, and preached in Baltimore on Thursday, in Mrs. Tribulet's new house which she freely lent for that purpose. There appeared to be a considerable moving under the word. Many people attend the preaching in Baltimore, especially after we have been long enough in town for the inhabitants to receive full knowledge of our being there, and I have a great hope that the Lord will do something for the souls in this place, though the little Society has been rather neglected, for want of proper persons to lead them. I went to Charles Harriman's, and settled two classes in that neighborhood. While preaching there the Lord favored us with a lively and profitable season. My mind has lately been much tortured with temptations; but the Lord has stood by and delivered me. O, my God! when will my trials End? At death. Lord, be ever with me, and save me, or my soul must perish at last. But my trust is still in God, that he will ever help me to conquer all my foes." Asbury continued his travels on this circuit during the ecclesiastical year with no little success but with much physical disability suffering most of the time from fever and ague, going to and fro among his twenty-four appointments, and preaching in the intermissions of his disease. His spirit was exalted meanwhile with religious fervor. "The spirit of holy peace reigns in my heart, he writes; "Glory be to God!" "My soul longs for all the fullness of God. When shall it once be? When shall my soul be absorbed in purity and love?" "My soul longs and pants for God!" "Glory to God, my mind is kept in sweet peace, and deeply engaged in every duty." "My mind has been much stayed in God for some time past, and my body has felt little weariness, though on some days I have preached four times." Such are the ever recurring phrases of his Journals. Occasionally, however, he records deep dejection, the effect of his malady and of the peculiar embarrassments of the incipient condition of the Societies he was almost every where forming. Baltimore itself contained about this time five Churches, Roman Catholic, Episcopal or English, Lutheran, and Quaker. The Rev. Mr. Otterbein, of the Lutheran Church, whose name occurs frequently in the early history of Methodism, was settled over a new congregation, partly through the influence of Asbury, early in the following year. Rev. Mr. Swoop, whom Asbury describes as "a good man," was pastor of the Lutheran, and Rev. Mr. Chase of the Episcopal Churches. St. Paul's, in which the latter ministered, was built in 1744, and was the first church in the city. Such was the ecclesiastical status of the town of Baltimore at this period. [3] The first Methodist Chapel was not yet opened, but was begun. In the last week of November, 1773, Asbury writes: "I have been able to officiate at the town and Point every day, and the congregations rather increase. Lord, make me humble and more abundantly useful; and give me the hearts of the people that I may conduct them to thee! I feel great hopes that the God of mercy will interpose, and do these dear people good. This day we agreed with Mr. L. to undertake the brick-work of our new building, at the Point. At night I was seized with a violent fever; and as many of my friends thought it improper for me to go immediately into the circuit, I concluded to abide for a season in town. Many are under some awakenings here, and they are very kind and affectionate to me. My heart is with the Lord. He is my all in all." A fortnight later he says: "While preaching at the Point, there was great solemnity very visible in the congregation. The power of God was eminently present, and one person fell under it. Such numbers of people attended to hear the word today, in town, that we knew not how to accommodate them." Meanwhile he was refreshed with good news from his fellow-laborers. "Richard Owen informed me that the work of God was gaining ground in Frederick County. My soul was happy in God. Brother W. brought good accounts from the country, where the congregations are large, and some coming to the Lord." He begins the new year sick, but successful. "My body has been indisposed for some days past; but the grace of God has rested on my soul, and I have been enabled to preach several times with freedom, power, and great boldness, the Lord being my helper. Feeling rather better today, I ventured to ride in a chaise ten miles. Returned the next day, and continued unwell — sometimes being confined to my bed for a day together; yet I preached at other times to large congregations. It frequently appears as if almost the whole town would come together to hear the word of the Lord. Surely it will not be altogether in vain. The Lord giveth me great patience, and all things richly to enjoy, with many very kind friends, who pay great attention to me in my affliction. Among others, Mr. Swoop, a preacher in high Dutch, came to see me. He appeared to be a good man, and I opened to him the plan of Methodism."

Swoop and Otterbein now became his steadfast friends. In May, 1774, he records that he "had a friendly intercourse with Mr. Otterbein and Mr. Swoop, the German ministers, respecting the plan of Church discipline on which they intended to proceed. They agreed to imitate our method as nearly as possible." A significant allusion is this, foreshadowing a new and important development of Methodism which has continued, with advancing prosperity, to our day, achieving no little usefulness, especially among the German population of the Middle and Western States, and well deserving here an episodical notice at the risk of some delay in our narrative.

Otterbein was born in 1726, at Dillenburg, Nassau, on the upper Rhine. The son of pious and intelligent parents, he was theologically and classically educated, and ordained to the ministry of the German Reformed Church. In 1752 he came to America. In the then wilderness region of Lancaster, Pa., he perceived, in his solitary meditations, that there was a higher religious life than he had attained or been taught, and he became a regenerated and sanctified man. His new faith and zeal incurred persecution from his brethren, and he was precluded from some of their pulpits. Asbury met him in Maryland, and aided him to secure the pastoral charge of a new Church in Baltimore. He now "agreed to imitate our methods as nearly as possible," and soon became the founder of "The United Brethren in Christ," sometimes called "The German Methodists." His zeal was ardent, and his preaching eloquent, clear, and persuasive. He held special prayer-meetings, a custom unknown in his Church at that day. "The opposition from his own brethren continued some years; but amid the severe conflict he stood, prophet-like, firmly resolving to follow the direction of heaven. Nor was he suffered long to stand alone. God was pleased to call to his help Martin Boehm, George A. Gueting, Christopher Grost, Christian Newcomer, Andrew Zeller, George Pfeimer, John Neidig Joseph Huffman, Jacob Bowlus, and other holy men. The purity and simplicity with which these reformers preached the Gospel induced many to hear the word, and numbers became the happy subjects of converting grace. Large meetings were appointed in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia. Lutherans, German Reformed, Mennonites, and others came together with one accord. Otterbein ardently loved the Church in which he had been ordained, and remained in its communion as long as there was a prospect of his usefulness; but that hope at last vanished. The synod to which he belonged apparently parted with him without regret. Thus originated the 'United Brethren in Christ' — it was no secession from the German Reformed Church. Their first Conference was held at Baltimore in the year 1789, the following preachers being present: William Otterbein, Martin Boehm, George A. Gueting, Christian Newcomer, Adam Lohman, John Ernst, Henry Weidner." [4]

Asbury and his Methodist coadjutors co-operated harmoniously with these good men. Otterbein assisted Dr. Coke in the episcopal consecration of Asbury.

The German brethren increased rapidly, numerous Societies were formed, and in 1800 an Annual Conference assembled in Maryland. Otterbein and Boehm were elected Superintendents, or Bishops, of the infant Church. Baltimore was the home of Otterbein, where his old and honored tabernacle still stands, and is occupied by his successors in faith and labors. From increasing years and their infirmities he was, late in life, unable to travel, but his mind seemed to be inspired with new strength while pleading with God for the prosperity of his people. His soul was occupied with the thought, 'Shall the work stand and endure the fiery test? and will it ultimately prosper after my departure?' Shortly before his death he had a delightful interview with his brethren, Newcomer and Bowlus, when he told them, 'The Lord has been pleased graciously to satisfy me fully that the work will abide.' Otterbein was large, and very commanding in his personal appearance, with a prominent forehead, upon which the seal of the Lord seemed to be plainly impressed. His Christian kindness and benevolence knew no bounds, and all he received, like Wesley, he gave away in charities. 'We are brethren,' was his favorite motto. During twenty-six years he resided in Germany, and sixty-one in America; the latter were entirely devoted to preaching Christ. He was a ripe scholar in Latin, Greek, Hebrew, philosophy, and divinity. Through God's blessing he founded the Church of the 'United Brethren in Christ.' Bishop Asbury thus spoke of him when preaching the funeral sermon of Martin Boehm: 'Pre-eminent among these is William Otterbein. He is one of the best scholars and greatest divines in America ... and now his sun of life is setting in brightness. Behold the saint of God leaning upon his staff, waiting for the chariots of Israel.' Of the three earliest fathers of the 'United Brethren in Christ,' Martin Boehm was permitted to proclaim Christ until within a short time before his death. His last illness was brief, and, raising himself on his dying bed, he sung a verse, praising God with a loud voice, when he committed his soul to the Redeemer in solemn prayer, and died March 2, 1812. He was eighty-seven years old, fifty of which had been devoted to the preaching of the Cross. He gave a son to the Methodist itinerancy, who for years was Asbury's traveling companion, and still lingers, a patriarch of the Church. George A. Gueting followed him to the reward of the faithful on the 28th of the next June. His sickness, too, lasted but a short night and day. Sensible that the hour of his deliverance was at hand, he desired to be taken from the dying couch, read a verse, singing it with a clear voice, and then, kneeling by his bedside, he breathed his last prayer and bade the world adieu, in the full triumph of the Christian faith. Forty years of his life were spent in calling sinners to repentance. William Otterbein, as he was the first, was also the last of the three, for he finished his useful and holy pilgrimage on the 17th of November, 1813, aged eighty-eight, full of years and hope of a glorious immortality."

On receiving word of his death Asbury exclaimed, "Is Father Otterbein dead? Great and good man of God! An honor to his Church and country; one of the greatest scholars and divines that ever came to America or was born in it. Alas! the chiefs of the Germans are gone to their rest and reward — taken from the evil to come." [5]

Following from the beginning some of the special methods of Methodism, the "United Brethren" have at last grown into a considerable denomination, quite analogous to the Methodist Episcopal Church. "Their sixteenth Annual Conference was held at Mount Pleasant, Westmoreland county, Pa., on the 6th of June, 1815, when they adopted a discipline, which was mainly an abridgment of that of the Methodist Episcopal Church, as will appear from the facts, that they have Quarterly, Annual, and General Conferences, with bishops, presiding elders, probation, and course of study, the following forming a part of the course: Wesley's Sermons, Watson's Institutes, Fletcher's Appeal and Checks, Powell on Apostolical Succession, Clarke's Theology, etc., etc. The duties of the preacher having charge of the circuit, the questions asked, and the instructions given, 'Be serious,' 'Never be unemployed,' 'Never trifle away your time,' 'Converse sparingly; conduct yourself prudently with women;' 'Your business is to save as many souls as possible,' " etc., are Methodistic. [6]

In our day the "United Brethren in Christ" report 30 Conferences, nearly 1,300 Preachers, more than 82,000 communicants, nearly 900 chapels, 357 districts, 208 missions, about 1,300 Sunday Schools with 50,000 scholars, a university named after Otterbein, and a Book Concern, with three periodical publications. [7]

Asbury then was doing far-reaching good in Maryland in these early times. Assisted by several local preachers and exhorters, he kept his extensive circuit active with interest, and such was his success that by the end of the year the number of Methodists in his Societies was more than doubled, being 1,063, a gain of 503. At a Quarterly Meeting in February, 1774, the large field was divided into four Circuits, Baltimore, Baltimore Town, Frederick, and Kent; and eight laborers were designated to it. No less than five chapels were built or building about this time, two of them in Baltimore, one at the Point, and the other in the town proper. The first, on Strawberry Alley, has already been noticed; the second was on Lovely Lane, and was to be rendered memorable as the seat of the council which organized the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1784. It was located on a small street, which ran east and west between Calvert and South streets. The location was a good one at the time, being in the center of a large population, within a convenient distance from Baltimore Street, and about a square and a half from the present Light Street Church, which sprung from it. Asbury, previous to his departure northward, laid the foundation of the new building on the 18th of April, and by the middle of October the house was so far finished that, as we have seen, Captain Webb, who was on a visit to Baltimore, preached in it. In March, 1775, Asbury had the satisfaction of seeing it completed, and on the 21st of May, 1776, the Conference met there, for the first time in Baltimore. [8] Asbury left at least thirty Societies in Maryland. Preachers and exhorters were rising up numerously among them. The denomination had struck its roots ineradicably in the soil of the state.

Wright had been successfully at work, meanwhile, in Virginia, and on the 9th of May, 1774, on his return, he cheered Asbury with good news. "Mr. Wright," he says, "arrived today from Virginia. He gave us a circumstantial account of the work of God in those parts. One house of worship is built, and another in contemplation; two or three more preachers are gone out upon the itinerant plan; and in some parts the congregations consist of two or three thousand people. But some evil-minded persons have opposed the act of toleration, and threatened to imprison him. May the Lord turn their hearts and make them partakers of his great salvation!" The first church here mentioned became famous in after years as "Yeargon's Chapel," the first Methodist edifice in Virginia; it was located near the southern line of the State, [9] and was the outpost of the denomination, at this time, for the further South. The other structure was in Sussex County, the second in the state, well known as "Lane's Chapel."

Williams also traveled in Virginia during this " Conference year," having been appointed to Petersburg Circuit. It extended into North Carolina, and took the title of Brunswick Circuit at the next Conference, a name of renown in the early Methodist annals. He reported from it at the Conference 218 members. About a year had passed since his first introduction to Jarratt, and his hospitable reception under the roof of the good rector; the wide-spread excitement which then attended his labors had continued with increasing intensity. "The next year, 1774, others of his brethren," says Jarratt, "came and gathered many Societies, both in this neighborhood and in other places, as far as North Carolina. They now began to ride the circuit, and to take care of the Societies already formed, which was rendered a happy means both of deepening and spreading the work of God." Jarratt was, in fine, opening the way for Methodism through the Province. "I am persuaded," said Asbury, some years later, "that there have been more souls convinced by his ministry than by that of any other man in Virginia."

It was about the present time that an important family, converted under Jarratt's ministry, joined the Methodists, on Williams' Circuit, and opened their house as one of his preaching stations. A youthful son of the household was preparing to become one of the chieftains of the new cause, its founder in the New England States, and its first historian. Jesse Lee was converted in 1773, and the next year his name was enrolled among the members of Williams' Societies. [10]

About the same time another young man, in Maryland, was struggling with his awakened conscience, for God was summoning him to eminent services in the Methodistic movement. "The Spirit of the Lord," he says, "at times strove very powerfully with me, and I was frequently afraid that all was not well with me, especially when I was under Methodist preaching. To these people I was drawn; but it was like death to me, for I thought I had rather serve God in any other way than among them, while at the same time something within would tell me they were right. Being amazingly agitated in mind, I at length came to this conclusion, to give up my former pursuits, bend my mind to the improvement of my worldly property, and serve God in a private manner. I now set out in full pursuit of business, with an expectation of accumulating the riches of the world." "But one day," he later writes, "being at a distance from home, I met with a zealous Methodist exhorter. He asked me if I was born again? I told him I had a hope that I was. Do you know, said he, that your sins are forgiven? No, replied I, neither do I expect that knowledge in this world. I perceive, said he, that you are on the broad road to hell, and if you die in this state you will be damned. The Scripture, said I, tells us that the tree is known by its fruit; and our Lord likewise condemns rash judgment. What have you seen or known of my life that induces you to judge me in such a manner? I pity you, said I, and turned my back on him; but I could not easily forget the words of that pious young man, for they were as spears running through me." [11] Freeborn Garrettson's mind was thus irresistibly directed to a life of religious self-sacrifice and labor, which have rendered his flame forever memorable. In a short time we shall meet him again, as one of the most successful itinerant champions of the Methodistic movement. For more than half a century the record of his life is to be substantially a history of his denomination. In the Spring of 1774 the dispersed itinerants wended their way again toward Philadelphia for their second Conference.

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ENDNOTES

1 Wakeley, chap. 25.

2 Lednum, p. 112.

3 Rev. Dr. Coggeshall, MS. Life, etc., of Asbury, chap. 3.

4 G. P. Disosway to the author.

5 Letter of Asbury, Nov. 1813 — He was one of Asbury's most confidential counselors through life. "We have no doubt that to Mr. Otterbein our Bishop was indebted for much good counsel, as well as for example and encouragement. One anecdote, which has probably never been published, will show how faithful a friend the good German was. Mr. Asbury wrote a good many verses, though of all men, he would seem to have been least susceptible to the poetical afflatus. Some of his friends were anxious that he should publish, but before giving consent the Bishop consulted his friend Otterbein. The old gentleman read the manuscript, and when Mr. Asbury came for his opinion, said, 'Brother Asbury, I don't think you was born a poet.' The Bishop had the good sense to burn the papers, and our Church was saved from a Volume of inelegant verse. — We cannot but admire the faithfulness of Otterbein and the resolute submission of Asbury." — Balt. Ch. Advocate.

6 Letter of Rev. Henry Jones, Wisconsin, to the author.

7 Schem's "Year-Book," pp. 34-36.

8 Rev. Dr. Hamilton to the Author.

9 Lednum, p. 117.

10 Jesse Lee's Life of John Lee, p. 12.

11 Bangs' Life of Garrettson, p. 34.

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