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THE LIFE AND TIMES 
 
 OF 
 
 Rev. GEORGE PECK, D.D. 
 
 WRITTEN BY HIMSELF. 
 
 
 NEW YORK : '^ ^. '^* ' 
 NELSON & PHILL IP S . 
 
 CINCINNATI: HITCHCOCK & WALlfelir. t \' 
 
 1874. : ^-; V , vX 
 
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1874, by 
 
 NELSON & PHILLIPS, 
 
 in the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington. 
 
 '^;^> "■ '" ^>^ 
 
COISTTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 NAME — ANCESTORS — EARLY YOUTH. 
 
 Henry Peck — Jesse Peck — My father, Luther — His Dismal Ap- 
 prenticeship — The Old Story — Annis Collar — Their Marriage — Hon- 
 oraiy Church-membership — Removal to the " New Countries '' — A 
 Log-cabin Built — Style of Living — My Birthplace — The Old School- 
 house and the Teachers — Advice, wise and otherwise, in regard to 
 the Methodists — Noisy Meetings — My Father's fearful Dream — His 
 Conversion — Benoni Harris and his Mishap — Little Isaac — His Con- 
 version — " The Hangin' " — I learn to Drum — " The Other Place,'' 
 and the Doings there — I Visit it again Page 9 
 
 CHAPTER IL 
 
 CONVERSION — YOUTH — CALL TO THE MINISTRY. 
 Castles in the Air — Father White and his faithful Talk — Convicted 
 — Find Peace — Received on Probation — First Love-feast — Catechism 
 — Death of my Grandmother — Death of Father White — Ralph Lan- 
 iiing — ^Camp-meeting at Mindon — "The Power" — John Dempster 
 and his Conversion — How we read Books — Family Removal — Ham- 
 ilton — " Church in the House " — Licensed to Exhort — Call to the 
 Ministry — John Dempster Preaches — Loring Grant — Invited to go 
 to a Circuit — Family Council — Decision — A long Journey begun — 
 Discouraged — Conclude to go Home — Tiy again — The Cold Sum- 
 mer — Discouragements — Licensed to Preach — Camp-meeting at Ply- 
 mouth — Bishops George and M'Kendree — William Lull — Father 
 Dewey and his terrific Sermon — Victory 3g 
 
 CHAPTER IIL 
 
 1816, BROOME CIRCUIT — 181T, CORTLAND CIRCUIT. 
 
 Conference — Bishop George — Bishop M'Kendree — My First Round 
 — Jesse Hale — Joseph Smith and his Mormon Bible — My Volunteer 
 Escort — Dr. Grant — Amanda Hotchkiss — Smithville Flats and the 
 Musket-shot — The Circuit and " the Boy " — Study Wesley and 
 Fletcher — Difficulties in the way of Study — Camp-meeting at Hop- 
 bottom — ^James Gilmore — The Johnites and their Deeds — Finances 
 
4 Contents. 
 
 — Conference — Home — Cortland Circuit — Elijah Bibbins — Quarterly 
 Meeting in a Distillery — Camp-meeting — Alarming Illness — Home — 
 At work again — Court-house at Cazenovia bought — My Studies — 
 Theological Skirmishes — Camp-meeting at Truxton — Father Dewey 
 agaiii — Remarkable Conversion — Proselyting Page 65 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 1818, WYOMING CIRCUIT — 1819, BKIDGEWATER CIRCUIT. 
 
 Conference at Lansing — The Examination — Admission — Bishop 
 Roberts — Joshua Soule — Wyoming Circuit — My Financial Condition 
 — " The Little Camp-meeting " — George Lane — Stoddardsville — 
 Lewis StuU and his Vision — Another Vision — Revival — Stephen Ab- 
 bott — The Circuit — Quarterly Meeting — Baptisms — Camp-meeting 
 at Salem — Studies — Marriage — Close of Year — Conference — The 
 Presiding Elder Question — Bridgewater Circuit — " Sorrel Pie " — Ill- 
 ness — My First Round — Camp-meeting at Carpenter's Notch — 
 Proselyting — A Speck of War — The Highway Robbery — Removed 
 to Wyoming — My Colleague Drowned — Finances — Conference at 
 Niagara — Bishop George gi 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 1820, CANAAN CIRCUIT — 1821, PARIS — 1822-8, UTICA. 
 
 Canaan Circuit — The Journey — The Roads — The Work — A 
 Brother indeed — Studies — Conference of 1821 — Paris — Pews — Stud- 
 ies- — Music and Discord — Conference of 1822 — Charles Giles — Utica 
 — Studies — Death of Isaac Collar and two of my Sisters — Conference 
 of 1823 — Election of Delegates — " Pack of Boys " — General Confer- 
 ence of 1824— Election of Bishops J. Soule and E. Hedding — Mis- 
 sionary Meeting — Home-^Conference of 1824 — Origin of Cazenovia 
 Seminary — Appointed and suddenly changed — Presiding Elder, ng 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 1824-S, SUSQUEHANNA DISTRICT — 1826-T, WILKESBARRE — ^1828, ITHACA. 
 
 State of the District — Camp-meetings on Caroline Circuit and at 
 NichoUs — ^Victory — Trials — Music and Discord again — Joseph Cas- 
 tle — "Turn about" — Challenge from a Universalist — Accept — Re- 
 sults — My First Publication — Begin Greek — Debate with a Unitarian 
 — The great Camp-meeting on Wyoming Circuit — Benjamin Bidlack 
 — Revival at Oxford — A. J. Hyde — Traveling in Winter — Confer- 
 ence of 1826 — Wyoming Circuit — Camp-meeting and a Fire — Wilkes- 
 barre — Conference of 1827 — A Perilous Programme — My First Book 
 
Contents. 5 
 
 — General Conference of 1828 — Death of Mrs. Castle — Conference of 
 1828 — Ithaca — Removal — Studies — Domestic Trials — First Session 
 of Oneida Conference in 1829 — Temperance Oration on Fourth of 
 July — Official Sisterhood Page 135 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 1830, UTICA — 1881, CAZENOVIA — 1832, CAZENOVIA AND AUBURN — 
 1888-4, AUBURN. 
 
 Conference of 1830 — Debates over Candidates — Temperance — 
 Utica — The Parsonage — Work — Revival — Sudden Illness — Conva- 
 lescence — Journey in Nev\f York and New England — Conference of 
 1831 — Appointed to Cazenovia — Pew Church built — Revival — Gen- 
 eral Conference of 1832 — Debate over Pews — Election of Bishops — 
 What Dr. Capers said — Oneida Conference of 1832 — Re-appointed 
 to Cazenovia — Revival — Dedication at Cazenovia — Dedication at 
 Auburn — Revival there — -Removed to Auburn — Studies — Publish a 
 Small Book — Serious Illness — Conference of 1833 — Dr. W. Fisk — 
 Appointed to Auburn — Revival — An Outrage and a Victory — Con- 
 ference of 1834 — Discuss Theological Seminaries — Chaplain — Elected 
 Principal of Seminary 163 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 1885-8, CAZENOVIA SEMINARY. 
 
 Conference of 1836 — The Western Banner Established — Cazeno- 
 via Seminary — The Infidel Club— Collision — Expulsion of the Leader 
 — General Conference of 1836 — The Slavery Question — Two Breth- 
 ren Censured — Election of Bishops — Where Dr. Capers now stood — 
 Rev. Josiah Keyes — The Banner in Trouble — Slavery and Zion's 
 Watchman — Dr. Fisk in the Field^Agitation — Conference of 1837 
 — Agitation in regard to Slavery — Debate in Cazenovia — Revival in 
 the Seminary — Conference of 1838 — The Seminary — Resign — Travel 
 for Health — Rev.W. W. Ninde — Dr. Priestley — Voyage on the Canal 
 — Pittsburgh — Delay — Slow Progress — Wheeling — Rev. W. Kenney 
 — Nashville — Andrew Jackson — Journey through Illinois — The Mor- 
 mons — A Quarterly Meeting — Start Homeward — Wrecked — " Not 
 Scared nor Nothing " — Home , , . 184 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 '1839, SUSQUEHANNA DISTRICT, 
 
 Conference of 1839 — Appointed Presiding Elder — My First Duty 
 — Memorable Religious Experience — Camp-meeting at M'Clure's — 
 
6 Contents. 
 
 Major Dixon — Dayton F. Reed — Camp-meeting at South Canaan — 
 Hungering for Righteousness — Rev. W. Reddy — Journey Homeward 
 — Ford the Stream — The Victory — The Record — When to Confess — 
 General Revival — Centenary of Methodism — Propose a Seminary in 
 Wyoming Valley — Study Christian Perfection — Death of my Mother 
 — Her Character — Finances — General Conference of 1840 — Slavery 
 again — Whig Convention — Clay and Webster — Committee on Slavery 
 — Colleges — Colored Members in Church Trials — Resolutions — Dr. 
 Capers on Abolition — Petition from New York City — Dr. Bascom's 
 Report — Temperance — Proposed change of Rule — Elected Editor o{ 
 the Quarterly Review Page 206 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 1840-4, METHODIST QUARTERLY REVIEW. 
 
 Removal to New York — Work and Overwork — Missionary Affairs, 
 Debts and Retrenchments — Difiiculty in African Mission — ^Mission 
 in Oregon — Buenos Ayres — " The Churchman " and its Attacks — 
 Publish Work on Sanctification — Work on Rule of Faith — General 
 Conference of 1844 — Cases of F. A. Harding and Bishop Andrew — 
 The Debate and the Result — Southern Men Prominent in the Af- 
 fair : Bishop Andrew, Dr. Bascom, Dr. Capers, Dr. L. Pierce, Dr. 
 Winans, J. Early, Dr. W. A. Smith, Dr. A. L. P. Green, B. M. 
 Drake, J. B. Longstreet, T. Crowder, S. Dunwody, Dr. Paine, Dr. 
 G. F. Pierce — Prominent Northern Men : J. B. Finley, P. Cartwright, 
 Dr. Durbin, Dr. Hamline 231 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 1844-8, METHODIST QUARTERLY REVIEW. 
 
 Report of the Committee of Nine, and its Intent — Results Dr. 
 
 Bascom's Pamphlet — I Reply to it — Evangelical Alliance — Embark 
 for England — On the Rocks — Halifax — ^Voyage — Liverpool — Bristol 
 — Wesleyan Conference — Ireland : Dublin— O'Connell — Scotland : 
 
 Glasgow — Loch Lomond — Edinburgh — Melrose — Abbotsford 
 
 England: London — Edward Corderoy, Esq. — Westminster — Fussy 
 Officials — Tower of London — The Alliance — T. Spicer and his Re- 
 ply—Speech on the Press— Hampton Court— The Breakfast at Sir 
 
 Culling Eardley Smith's — Tea-meeting at the^ Mission House 
 
 France : Rouen — Paris — Versailles — Fontainebleau — Belgium — Co- 
 logne — Wiesbaden — A Qerman Sunday — The Rhine— Holland 
 
 Pngla.nd — Home , 265 
 
Contents. 7 
 
 chapter xii. 
 
 CASE OF JOHN N. MAFFITT. 
 
 Maffitt's Arrival — His Sudden Popularit)^— Joins the Conference — 
 Locates, and becomes an Evangelist and Lecturer — Operates in New 
 York — Rumors — Charges — Prepares for Trial — Goes to Brooklyn, 
 and Refuses to be Tried in New York — Investigation Proceeds — 
 Maffitt Protests — Forfeits his Membership — Rev. Mr. Green Secedes 
 with a Portion of his Church — Maffitt's Divorce and Second Mar- 
 riage — Lawsuit for Slander — MafEtt goes South — Death of his Bride 
 —Maffitt's Death— Why I Rehearse the Sad Story— Pastor of Pacific- 
 street Church — Success — Thomas Kirk — Editorial Work — General 
 Conference of 1848 — Failure of the Measures of the Committee of 
 Nine — The Action of 1844 Repealed — Report on the Subject — Dr. 
 Lovick Pierce not Received — Commissioners Appointed — Elected 
 Editor of Advocate Page 302 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 1848-62, CHRISTIAN ADVOCATE AND JOURNAL. 
 
 Old Controversies Closed — Southern Press Hostile — Dr. Bas- 
 com's " Brief Appeal " — Its Object — Law Processes inevitable — 
 South begins the Suit — Our Counsel — Canada Conference referred 
 to— Trial in New York — Decided in Favor of the South — Case in 
 Ohio Decided in Favor of the North — Southern Press Belligerent — 
 Missouri Compromise Repealed — Fugitive Slave Law Passed — Edi- 
 torial Difficulties — Unreasonable Men — Editorial Work — Death of 
 my Father — His Character — Lay Representation Discussed — Dr. 
 Bond Pronounces against it — Death of Bishop Hedding — His Fu- 
 neral — General Conference of 1852 — The Pew Question — Slavery — 
 Lay Representation — The Southern Suit — Resolve to seek Amicable 
 Settlement — Appointed Commissioner — Election of Bishop — Boston 
 — Appointed on Book Committee 322 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 iam-7, WILKESBARRE — WYOMING DISTRICT — BINGHAMTON DIS- 
 TRICT — SCRANTON. 
 
 Oneida Conference Divided — Transfer to Wyoming — Conference 
 of 1852 — Spiritualism — ^Wilkesbarre — Illness — Return to Work — 
 Revival — The Youthful Murderer — The Southern Suit — Family 
 Gathering — Conference of 1853 — Camp-meeting — The Fugitive 
 Slave — Uncle Tom — A Sad Accident — The Southern Claims Ad- 
 justed — Revival at the Plains — Conference of 1854 — Wyoming Dis- 
 
8 Contents. 
 
 trict — Camp-meeting at Durland's — Conference of 1855 — Seminary 
 Project at Binghamton and its Failure — Camp-meeting on the Che- 
 nango — Rev. William Arthur — General Conference of 1856 — Debate 
 on Slavery — Conference -of 1856 — Scranton — Revival — Church Edi- 
 fice — Finances — Conference of 1857 — Revival — Publish Histoiy of 
 Wyoming Valley Page 335 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 1868-63, WYOMING DISTRICT — LACKAWANNA DISTRICT. 
 Conference of 1858 — ^Wyoming District — Samuel Griffin — Jacob 
 Rice — Dedication at Scranton — Fiftieth Removal — Rev. George 
 Lane — Conference of 1859 — L. Grant and E. Bibbins — Begin the 
 History of Genesee Conference — Death of Mr. Bibbins — Mr. F. 
 Myers and his Happy Death — A Journey — Conference of i860 — 
 General Conference of i860 — Debate on Slavery — Action Proposed — 
 Another Secession Attempted — Lay Delegation — " The Nazarites " — 
 Camp-meeting on Everhart's Island — National Affairs — Conference 
 of 1861 — News of War — An Accident— ^Camp-meeting — Conference 
 of 1863 — War Spirit — Camp-meeting — The Draft — Resistance — The 
 Black Fever — Conference of 1864 — Unacceptable Preachers — Gen- 
 eral Conference of 1864 — Committee to Wail; on President Lincoln — 
 His Reply — His Appearance — Wounded Soldiers — Taken Aback — 
 Lay Delegation — ^Voted among the Fathers — Appointed to Visit 
 Canada Wesleyans 359 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 1864-72, LACKAWANNA DISTRICT — PROVIDENCE — DUNMORE — WYO- 
 MING DISTRICT. 
 
 Family Re-union — Centenary of Methodism — On the Committee — 
 Sermons on National Affairs — Lincoln Assassinated — Memorial Ser- 
 mon — Wesleyan Conference — Report of Speech — Impressions of the 
 Conference and the Wesleyans — Missionary Sermon at Middletown 
 — Conference of 1866 — Semi-centennial Sermon — Re-union of Con- 
 ferences — ^Judge Dana — Family Meeting^Centenary Meetings — 
 Conference of 1867 — Labors and Results — Conference of 1868 — Dun- 
 more — General Conference of 1868 — Lay Delegation — " Mission Con- 
 ferences " — Conference of 1869 — Wyoming District — Camp-meeting 
 ^Golden Wedding — Conference of 1870 — Accident — Conference of 
 1871 — DenviUe, (N. J.,) Camp-ground — Camp-ground Secured — 
 Conference of 1872 — General Conference of 1872 — Lay Delegates — 
 Book Room — Election of Bishops — Labors — 'Mountain Grove — Dis- 
 trict Conference — Resolutions — Conference of 1873 — Superannuation 
 —Resolutions — Reflections 383 
 
LIFE AND TIMES 
 
 REV. GEORGE PECK, D.D, 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 ANCESTORS EARLY YOUTH. 
 
 THE old Hebrew method of rehearsing genealo- 
 gies has the merit of clearness and brevity, if 
 no other. Borrowing the ancient style, I begin with 
 the statement that I am the son of Luther Peck, who 
 was the son of Jesse, who was the son of Eliphalet, 
 who was the son of John, who was the son of Joseph, 
 who was the son of Henry. 
 
 The American Pecks are descended from an En- 
 glish family, whose history has been traced by the 
 curious back to the commencement of the fifteenth 
 century. They belonged to the gentry, and were 
 known in heraldry, having a coat of arms with the 
 motto, Probitatem quant Divitias, all of which is 
 recorded in the Herald's Office in the British Mu- 
 seum in London. Several families of the name emi- 
 grated to this country in early colonial times, and 
 settled in Massachusetts and Connecticut. Their 
 descendants were numerous, and the name appears, 
 
lo Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 not only in literary circles, but with some distinction in 
 military affairs during the war of the Revolution.* 
 
 Henry Peck was born in England, and emigrated 
 to the colonies in the days of the pilgrim fathers. 
 He is supposed to have been one of the company 
 who arrived at Boston, June 26, 1637, in the ship 
 Hector, with Governor Eaton, the Rev. John Dav- 
 enport, and others, whose names figure in the annals 
 of that period. He was among the first settlers of 
 New Haven, where he located in the spring of 1638. 
 The agreement of the original settlers, of which 
 document he was a signer, is dated June 4, 1639. 
 In the allotment, of lands the portion which fell to 
 him is no.w within the city limits, and a part of the 
 old homestead is still in the possession of his de- 
 scendants. He took an active part in the manage- 
 ment of the affairs of the settlement. 
 
 Eliphalet Peck, the great-grandson of Henry, set- 
 tled in the town of Danbury. The records of the 
 church at Bethel show that he, his wife Rebecca, and 
 their son Jesse, became members at the time the 
 society was organized in 1760. Eliphalet Peck lived 
 to an advanced age. 
 
 Jesse Peck, my grandfather, settled in the south 
 part of Danbury, now called Bethel, upon new land, 
 which he cleared of the original forest, and made into 
 a farm. He served as a volunteer in the Revolu- 
 tionary War, and died while the contest was still 
 undecided, leaving a large family with no means 
 of support save their own exertions. Three of his 
 seven sons entered the army. The oldest died of 
 * Peck Genealogy, by Ira B. Peck, Esq., of Rhode Island. 
 
Ancestors — Early Youths ii 
 
 small-pox while in the service. The other two were 
 taken prisoners by the enemy, carried to New York, 
 and confined in the " Jersey," which was an old ship 
 anchored in the East River, and used by the British 
 as a place of confinement for their prisoners of war. 
 Here they suflfered many deaths ; and when they 
 were at last released and carried home, they were so 
 broken down in body and mind by disease and brutal 
 treatment, that they were not able to recognize their 
 own mother. 
 
 My father, Luther Peck, was one of the younger 
 of the seven sons. He was apprenticed to a black- 
 smith when he was about fourteen or fifteen years 
 old, and remained in his service till he was twenty. 
 He always, in after years, spoke of his master with 
 great respect, but invariably became grave and shook 
 his head when he named his master's wife. She had 
 cultivated the virtue of domestic economy till she 
 had brought it to a high degree of perfection. This 
 was especially conspicuous in the bill of table fare 
 provided for the boys. She, however, was equal to 
 culinary achievements beyond the corn-bread and 
 thin bean porridge usually set before the appren- 
 tices, and generally had a private store of better 
 things in reserve for company and other emergen- 
 cies. The life of the apprentices was one of hard 
 labor and hard fare. 
 
 It would naturally be supposed that a few years of 
 experience like this would have broken the spirit of 
 a fatherless boy, or rendered him desperate and reck- 
 less. It did neither. Luther was physically strong, 
 and naturally hopeful and good-natured. Moreover, 
 
12 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 deep underneath his love of merriment, there lay 
 solid religious convictions. Thus physical endur- 
 ance, his native hopefulness, and tenderness of con- 
 science combined to save him from the hardening 
 influence of circumstances by no means favorable to 
 the formation of an elevated personal character. 
 
 And still another influence helped to counteract 
 the evils of this dismal apprenticeship. It is only 
 the old story. There lived in the neighborhood a 
 Widow Collar, and she had a daughter. The father, 
 in the summer of 1777, enlisted in the army, leaving 
 his wife and children at Danbury. During the mem- 
 orable winter which followed, the darkest time of all 
 the war, Mr. Collar died of small-pox at Valley Forge, 
 Pa., where the poor remnants of the American army 
 were encamped. About the time of the father's 
 death the mother gave birth to another child, a puny 
 infant, which lived, indeed, but seemed not only fee- 
 ble but diseased, and in perpetual suffering, his cries, 
 all through his infancy, being almost as incessant as 
 the murmur of the brook which flowed past their 
 humble dwelling. 
 
 The winter was a time of privation and suffering to 
 the widow and her little family, as well as to the 
 heroes at Valley Forge. She was exceedingly poor. 
 The husband, some time before his death, sent her 
 what was called his pay, but it was in Continental 
 money, worth little more than so much blank paper. 
 The daughter, Annis, then about fourteen years of 
 age, became the hope and the stay of the stricken 
 family. She was healthy, active, industrious, affec- 
 tionate, ready to do and suffer all things for her 
 
Ancestors — Early Youth. 13 
 
 loved mother, and the feeble nursling in the little 
 cottage. She spun flax and wool for the neighbors, 
 and wove cloth, or performed almost any sort of 
 service for honest wages, which she gladly devoted 
 to her mother and brother. During that " hard win-, 
 ter," as it was long called, when the snow was deep 
 enough to hide the fences, Annis went into the woods, 
 and with her own hands collected fuel, and dragged 
 it over the icy crust of the snow-banks to her moth- 
 er's door. Thus Luther Peck and Annis Collar 
 grew up side by side, and by the stern discipline of 
 a youth of toil and privation, were preparing them- 
 selves for resolute battle with the labors and hard- 
 ships of coming years. They acquired physical en- 
 durance, and at the same time a mental robustness 
 which are never without their value. 
 
 Soon after the close of the war, Luther Peck and 
 Annis Collar were united in holy matrimony, at the 
 house of the parish minister, the Rev. Joseph Peck. 
 The young husband was twenty years of age, and 
 was an indentured apprentice, with one year still to 
 serve. His master was neither able nor willing to 
 release him from the obligation. To continue the 
 compact was, however, impossible. Young Peck was 
 in a state of rebellion against the woes inflicted upon 
 him in the house of his master, and determined to 
 have a home of his own. At last, the matter was 
 settled by his agreeing to pay one hundred dollars as 
 an equivalent for the unexpired year. 
 
 The newly-married pair commenced housekeep- 
 ing on a scale corresponding with their diminutive 
 finances, at a place called Great Plain. The shop 
 
14 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 was no better furnished than the house. In fact, 
 some of the neighbors, seeing the necessities of the 
 case, united in a plan to supply the needed tools, and 
 take their pay in work. But impelled by a strong 
 arm and a stout heart, the hammer rang early and 
 late, the debt was soon paid, and the little home, as 
 the years passed on, accumulated the comforts, and 
 even some of the luxuries, of life as they were esti- 
 mated at that day. 
 
 It may be here remarked, that all the sons of Jes.«e 
 Peck were much of the type of Luther — full of life 
 and energy, mental and physical, and even down to 
 old age companionable, fond of wit and humor, and 
 without an exception truly religious men. I feel that 
 it is only justice to the memory of my immediate 
 ancestors to here note their industrious habits and 
 decided religious character. Some of them were 
 rich in the goods of "this world, but not many. The 
 great majority seem to have adhered closely to the 
 family motto, Probitatem quam Divitias — Virtue rath- 
 er than Wealth. But none can be called poor who pos- 
 sess the better treasures of intelligence, energy, and 
 good morals. Their stout hearts and strong arms did 
 their full share both in the forest and on the battle- 
 field; in the toils and sacrifices which have turned 
 the wilderness into a garden, and won for America 
 a place among the foremost nations of the earth. 
 
 My father had a great respect for religion, but at 
 the point of his history where we now are, and for 
 several years afterward, was not the subject of special 
 awakening. My mother had been thoughtful from 
 her childhood. When she became a wife and a 
 
Ancestors — Early Youth. 15 
 
 mother, her convictions deepened, and she was a sin- 
 cere inquirer after the way/ of salvation. She urged 
 my father to pray in his family ; but he felt entirely 
 unfit for such a work. He did, however, make it a 
 matter of serious thought, and went so far as to pre- 
 pare for the duty by composing a prayer, and com- 
 mitting it to writing. This paper my mother acci- 
 dentally found in the pocket of one of his coats, and 
 after reading it, carefully returned it to its place, and 
 day after day anxiously waited for the result, but 
 waited in vain. 
 
 One day their venerable pastor was visiting the 
 family, and in the course of the conversation quietly 
 reminded them that they had children who had never 
 been baptized ; and in order that the rite might be 
 administered, the parents must connect themselves 
 with the people of God — it being at that time con- 
 trary to rule to baptize the children of any except 
 such as bore some sort of relation to the Church. 
 To meet such cases as that of my parents there was 
 a sort of honorary Church-membership, " half-cove- 
 nant," they called it, which entitled children to bap- 
 tism, and yet was not understood to include full pro- 
 fession of religion, or qualify for the Lord's Supper. 
 
 My parents, therefore, united in this way with the 
 Church, and their four children, all they then had, were 
 baptized. In taking this step, my mother was great- 
 ly encouraged and strengthened in her religious life. 
 My father simply felt that he had done it for his 
 children's sake, rather than his own, and was in no- 
 wise disposed to imagine that he had gained any new 
 title to the Divine favor. 
 
1 6 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 Meanwhile, the spirit of emigration had been 
 working among the people of Connecticut, and sev- 
 eral families had left Danbury and "gone west," 
 settling in Middlefield, in the State of New York. 
 But little was known of the "new country," and 
 when my father began . to talk of leaving his old 
 home and removing westward, the project had to be 
 discussed at great length by the relatives, the neigh- 
 bors, and all my father's customers at the shop. 
 Many solemn consultations were held, and many sage 
 opinions expressed. All agreed that cheap land was 
 a good thing ; but then Middlefield was fifty-six 
 miles west of Albany, and two hundred from Dan- 
 bury, and the immense distance was an almost fatal 
 objection. There were also grave doubts in regard 
 to the wisdom of his leaving the goodly land of Con- 
 necticut, and exposing himself and his family to the 
 attacks of savages and wild beasts in the wilderness. 
 The old people were decidedly opposed to so hazard- 
 ous an enterprise. " You will starve in the woods," 
 sighed one counselor. "You will be killed by the 
 Indians," said another, the prophecy being reinforced 
 by sundry dreadful narratives from the old colonial 
 traditions. "You will soon come back, as poor as 
 dogs," was the conclusion of another. The public- 
 voice condemned the whole idea, as being visionary 
 and full of peril. My mother, however, was not one 
 of the remonstrants, and the decision at last was 
 to go. 
 
 Thus in the year 1794, Luther Peck and one of 
 his neighbors removed, witK their families, to Otsego 
 County, New York. My father bought some land 
 
Ancestors — Early Youth. 17 
 
 about two miles south-east of what is now called 
 Middlefield Center, and proceeded to clear a part of 
 his tract, and build a house and shop. These were 
 simply little cabins of logs, the timbers notched into 
 each other at the corners, and the spaces between 
 the logs filled with clay. Considered from an archi- 
 tectural point of view, they were nothing of which 
 to boast ; but this was the style of the neighborhood, 
 and of the " new countries " generally. These log- 
 cabins were usually about fourteen feet square, some- 
 times smaller, with a rough stone wall against which 
 the fire was built, a roof of slabs, and a chimney made 
 of sticks notched together like the cabin itself, and 
 thickly plastered with clay on the inside. A rough 
 floor, laid upon the beams above, made a garret, to 
 which access was had by means of a stationary 
 ladder. 
 
 All the appointments of housekeeping were in cor- 
 respondence with the simple style of the dwelling. 
 Carpets and table-cloths were unknown. Food was 
 abundant and substantial, but consisted of few arti- 
 cles. Tea was somewhat used, but was cdstly. Cof- 
 fee was not known. Beef, pork, potatoes, milk, bread 
 made of rye and corn, composed the ordinary fare, 
 occasionally diversified with the flesh of domestic 
 fowls, or venison and other wild game. These edi- 
 bles were set upon the table in pewter plates, wooden 
 trenchers, and wooden bowls great and small, with 
 here and there a piece of earthenware, or other 
 crockery, to give variety to the show. 
 
 Thus rude and primitive was frontier life in East- 
 ern New York only eighty years ago. It was labori- 
 2 
 
1 8 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 ous, and to modern eyes almost barbarous, but did 
 not lack its bright side. It was independent, free 
 from conventional constraint, and full as conducive 
 to good health, good morals, and contentment, as 
 the more pretentious ways of later times. The men 
 and boys worked in the field, the forest, or the shop, 
 while the women and girls were busy with their do- 
 mestic duties, which included the spinning of flax and 
 wool, and the weaving of cloth for family wear. 
 
 In a little log-cabin of the kind described, the first 
 which my father erected, I was born, on the 8th of 
 August, 1797 ; and amid scenes like these, gradually 
 changing as the years passed on, but long retaining 
 many of their striking features, I spent my boyhood. 
 The family lived in this dwelling but a little time, and 
 I have no recollections of residence there ; but I 
 often saw the place in my early years, and felt a sort 
 of veneration for it. And so frequently did I hear 
 my parents describe its wild, rornantic character, that 
 my impressions of it, to this day, are very vivid. The 
 forest was around them on every side, and in some 
 directions, stretched its shadowy solitudes unbroken 
 for miles. By day, the waving of the tall trees, the 
 notes of the birds, the gambols of the squirrels, and 
 the murmur of the brook, gave pleasure to the eye 
 and the ear. By night, the low whisper of the rust- 
 ling leaves, the weird notes of the whip-poor-will, the 
 startling hoot of the great owl, or the querulous notes 
 of the smaller, with the distant howl of an occasional 
 wolf, formed a sylvan chorus which filled the mind 
 with mingled emotions of awe and pleasure. 
 
 After a residence here of about three years, my 
 
Ancestors — Early Youth. 19 
 
 father, with an eye to a better location for his busi- 
 ness, bought land on the main road which leads from 
 Cooperstown to Albany, and built another log-house 
 and shop, the distance from his first location being 
 about two miles. The new dwelling was an im- 
 provement on, the other. It had a shingle roof, a 
 stone chimney, and' was well plastered between the 
 logs. It stood on the hill south of Red Creek, and 
 commanded a beautiful view of the green hills be- 
 yond. Here I spent many a happy day. 
 
 When I began to go to school, however, my hap- 
 piness was seriously interrupted. The school-house 
 had been something of an itinerant. It was built, 
 originally, half a mile below our house, then removed 
 to a point three fourths of a mile above us, and finally 
 found a resting-place on the corner of our land. Here 
 began my acquaintance with the real ills of life. 
 When this notable edifice was making its first pil- 
 grimage, with a dozen yoke of oxen slowly drawing 
 it, and a frolicsome individual astride of the ridge- 
 pole, waving a red handkerchief tied to a stick, it 
 seemed to me a spectacle of surpassing grandeur. 
 But after it had been set down on the borders of a 
 marsh, peopled with frogs and lizards, it became to 
 me a prison, of which my recollections are so many 
 wounds. I used to be driven to school as a slave to 
 his toil. I often pretended to be sick, and for a time, 
 my tender mother believed me ; but when it was seen 
 that my health every morning began to improve as 
 soon as the other school-children got out of sight, 
 my device failed. 
 
 I account for my horror of school on several 
 
20 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 grounds. The confinement was abhorrent to my na- 
 ture. My mind and body both seemed to be formed 
 for the open air and active life. I loved the fields, 
 the great out-of-doors. Then, again, the exercises 
 were not so conducted as to interest a small child, 
 or make him see that any valuable end was to be an- 
 swered by them. And lastly, the punishments for 
 petty offenses, of which I doubtless had my full share, 
 were barbarous. The whip and the ferule I could 
 endure ; but to hold a gag between my teeth, to have 
 a split stick stuck upon my nose, or to be made to 
 stand in the middle of the floor or upon a bench 
 for an hour at a time, an object of derision, was 
 more than I could bear. There were two things, 
 of singularly opposite character, which mitigated 
 my woes — the religious exercises with which the 
 daily sessions began and ended, and the hours of 
 play. Without these the burden would have been 
 intolerable. 
 
 Three or four of my early teachers I remember 
 with special interest, and reference to them will il- 
 lustrate more than one feature of the times. The 
 first -one was the wife of the Rev. Asa Cummings, a 
 regular preacher of our Church, who was then trav- 
 eling the Otsego Circuit. The people concluded that 
 the school-house might be made to perform additional 
 duty as a parsonage. It was a poor, frame affair, 
 weather-boarded, but without lath and plaster. Loose 
 boards, laid upon the upper beams, constituted a gar- 
 ret, where the beds of the family were placed, and a 
 few cooking utensils were ranged on one side of the 
 great fireplace. As the children spent all the time 
 
Ancestors — Early Youth. 21 
 
 they could out of doors, we seldom saw any thing of 
 the domestic economy of the family. 
 
 Here was the home of the itinerant minister, and 
 here his wife taught the children of her neighbors. 
 Mrs. Cummings was an old-style Dutch lady, but not 
 unequal to her position as teacher. Her piety was 
 intelligent and earnest. Her school prayers were 
 simple, sensible, and , fervent, and made upon my 
 young heart impressions which many years have not 
 effaced.. But the itinerant wheel revolved ; Mr. 
 Cummings and his wife left us, and another teacher 
 reigned in her stead. 
 
 Her successor was a savage old man by the name 
 of Thurston, whose fierceness, however, was chiefly 
 in his language. He seldom called up a boy to re- 
 cite without applying to him some insulting term. 
 His favorite epithets were rascal, dog, beggar, and 
 the like. " Peck, you scoundrel," he would roar, 
 " come and read." 
 
 With the girls he dealt more politely, simply styl- 
 ing them fools. His reign was short. His successor 
 was Roswell Valentine, who was an earnest Chris- 
 tian, and made mighty prayers He was quite a 
 student, for the times. He taught reading, writing, 
 and the simpler rules of arithmetic only ; but his 
 reputation was much enhanced by a rumor that he 
 was studying grammar. The religious character of 
 this man made a deep impression on me. The 
 teacher, however, who really made the school to me 
 something besides a prison, and laid a foundation for 
 my future improvement, was a Dr. John Goodrich, who 
 taught in our school-house, in an intermittent way, 
 
22 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 for several years. He gave instructions in surveying, 
 in addition to the common branches, and also gave 
 us lectures on many interesting subjects. He was a 
 splendid reader and speaker, too, and did much to 
 wake up the young people to the importance of men- 
 tal improvement. 
 
 About the year 1800 a great religious change took 
 place in my father's family. When my parents left 
 Connecticut they brought Church letters of recom- 
 mendation ; but the nearest place of worship of the 
 Congregational order was at Cooperstown, six and a 
 half miles distant, and they seldom attended worship 
 there. They had heard of the Methodists, but the 
 new sect was described in such contradictory terms 
 that they knew not what to think. Before they left 
 their New England home my mother was informed 
 by my Grandmother Peck that she had heard a 
 Methodist preacher by the name of Lee preach in 
 Redding, and had been brought thus to a knowledge 
 of the truth. She added, that she was so far ad- 
 vanced in years that she would not change her 
 Church relations. " But," said she, " Annis, when 
 you get to your new home, if the Methodists are 
 near you, go and hear them, for you may be sure 
 they are the people of God." 
 
 Their pastor came to see them just before they 
 left Connecticut. He, too, gave them some advice 
 on the same subject. 
 
 " You will meet," said he, " out in the new coun- 
 try, these strolling Methodists. They go about with 
 their sanctimonious looks and lang'uid /lair, bawling 
 and frightening women and children. They are 
 
Ancestors — Early Youth. 23 
 
 wolves in sheep's clothing, the false prophets which 
 should come in the last days, creeping into houses, 
 and leading captive silly women laden with sins and 
 led away with divers lusts." 
 
 My mother pondered all these things in her he'art, 
 and was left, perhaps, in about the right condition of 
 mind to form an independent judgment. She had 
 often felt the repulsive force of the Calvinistic doc- 
 trines of election and reprobation as they were then 
 taught. And as for the old minister, she thought 
 that he was too fond of seeing the young people 
 dance. She was already hungering and thirsting for 
 a purer Gospel and a higher Divine life than she had 
 hitherto known. These she was destined to find in 
 the wilderness, where, as she had been told, the sab- 
 bath was unknown, and the people were heathen. 
 
 In the year 1788 the Rev. Freeborn Garrettson 
 had been sent, with a company of ten or twelve 
 young preachers, to establish circuits in this part 
 of the State, and had been successful. One circuit 
 extended along the Mohawk River as far as Whites- 
 town. Another, south of it, included Middlefield, 
 Springfield, Milford, and Worcester. Otsego Cir- 
 cuit was formed in 1791, and appears in the Minutes 
 of that year. A preaching-place was established at 
 Middlefield, in the house of Isaac Green, on the hill 
 north of Red Creek, about three quarters of a mile 
 from my father's. Here, and at the house of Daniel 
 M'Callum, about the same distance on another 
 road, Methodist preaching was maintained for many 
 years. 
 
24 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 My parents occasionally attended these services, 
 my mother feeling that she was profited thereby, and 
 my father complaining of the conduct of the wor- 
 shipers. He could not understand why the people 
 groaned so dismally, and uttered "Amen" so often. 
 The word was familiar to him as the conclusion of a 
 prayer ; but that any body who chose should use it to 
 punctuate both the prayers and the sermon in every 
 part was to him unaccountable. It made confusion, 
 he said. Just as he was becoming interested in the 
 discourse, some one close by bis side, or behind him, 
 would groan loudly^or thunder "Amen." He turned 
 his eyes this way and that as the strange noises struck 
 his ears, till he became vexed, and wished that they 
 would cease and let him " hear a little of what the 
 preacher said." He did not imagine that he was 
 about to be led, by a way which he had not known, 
 into the closest sympathy with this strange people. 
 
 About this time three of my father's intimate 
 friends were suddenly called into eternity. Nicholls, 
 who waved the flag from the roof of the school-house, 
 fell from a cart, and was injured so that lie died ; 
 Fling was crushed by the fall of a tree ; Gilbert was 
 drowned. These sad events, following each other in 
 swift succession, deeply affected him. In secret he 
 thought much, felt much, promised much, but gave 
 no outward token of what was passing within. He 
 had never been addicted to the grosser vices. His 
 Puritanic education had imbedded itself in his char- 
 acter, and he possessed a tender conscience. Still 
 he was worldly, mirthful, fond of lively company, and 
 was constantly led into associations which operated 
 
Ancestors — Early Youth. 25 
 
 against his religious convictions, and kept him from 
 a full surrender of his heart and life to God, While 
 my mother, who was now leading a life of prayer, 
 was mourning over the apparent unconcern of her 
 loved husband, and while he, perhaps, was really try- 
 ing to be indifferent and unmoved, he was suddenly 
 arrested in an unusual manner. 
 
 In a dream two of the three deceased associates 
 already named seemed to approach him, and sum- 
 mon him to the eternal world. With one of them on 
 each side, he thought he rose from earth and began 
 bis flight. He expected at once to be ushered into 
 the presence of a God whose repeated warnings he 
 had disregarded, and whose forbearance he bad ut- 
 terly exhausted. The most intense horror seized his 
 soul. He had no hope of mercy. His whole frame 
 became so agitated with the terror of the vision that 
 my mother was awakened, and, in alarm, aroused 
 him from sleep. He immediately arose, exclaiming, 
 " I am going to die, and I shall be lost ! " He was 
 in an agony of remorse. He alternately fell upon 
 his knees to implore mercy, and walked the floor, 
 wringing his hands, and uttering the most heart- 
 rending exclamations of despair. He expected to 
 die before morning, and saw nothing before him but 
 " the blackness of darkness forever." 
 
 The weary hours wore away, and at last the morn- 
 ing dawned. The children awoke and gathered in 
 consternation about their weeping father. I well 
 remember being helped down the ladder that morn- 
 ing, and being struck with the changed aspect of 
 things. My father, who was usually the first to 
 
26 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 salute us with kind or playful words, sat weeping and 
 groaning in one corner, with my sisters gathered 
 around him, sobbing with sympathetic emotion. 
 Mother sat at a little distance, also weeping. The 
 whole scene was to me one of great but inexplicable 
 distress. 
 
 This intense mental 'anguish, of course, could not 
 last ; nevertheless, from the hour of that fearful dream, 
 my father changed his course. He began to pray in 
 his family and in secret, and yet found no peace. 
 For months he was under the deepest conviction, 
 scarcely hoping for mercy. Such was his mental 
 distress that he wasted away under it, and his kind 
 neighbors were alarmed lest he should lose his rea- 
 son, or die. His old associates were confounded 
 with the turn things had taken. One sagely con- 
 cluded that a little jolly talk would scatter the cloud, 
 and so he came over prepared to amuse my father with 
 a lot of comic stories, but soon found that he was only 
 exciting disgust. Another, rather a religious man, 
 too, in his way, undertook to convince him that he 
 had an exaggerated idea of his own guilt. "Why, 
 Mr. Peck," said he, " if you go to hell, what will be- 
 come of us .'" This " untempered mortar " was also 
 rejected. 
 
 In another quarter, however, the penitent found 
 true sympathy. He began regularly to attend the 
 Methodist meetings in his neighborhood, and now 
 found that the responses of the worshipers did not 
 disturb him. • My mother and my eldest sister united 
 with the little Society, and encouraged him to trust in 
 the Saviour whom they had found. There were devoted 
 
Ancestors — Early Youths 27 
 
 women belonging to the class, who gave him their 
 prayers, and cheered him with their counsel. The 
 preachers made us frequent visits, and filled the 
 whole house with holy influence. When they 
 came, the family was called together, and after a 
 few minutes of conversation, fervent prayer was 
 offered. When they rose to depart, they took the 
 hand of every member of the family, and gave to 
 each an appropriate exhortation. What outbursts 
 of holy emotion marked these occasions ! What 
 tears and sighs and earnest responses ! 
 
 Light gradually broke upon my father's mind, and 
 he, too, united with the Methodist Society. From 
 that time his house became the home of the preach- 
 ers, and a true house of God. Under its lowly roof 
 preaching, prayer-meetings, and class-meetings were 
 of frequent occurrence. On one occasion the crowd 
 was so great that one of the floor beams gave way, 
 and created a temporary panic. Many a quaint and 
 curious thing occurs to my mind as I review the his- 
 tory of those days. I remember hearing Jonathan 
 Newman, who traveled the Otsego Circuit in 1804, 
 preach in that old log-cabin, crowded to the last foot 
 of space, a wonderful sermon, which was the talk of 
 the whole country for years. The text was, " Nine 
 and twenty knives." I remember only one feature 
 of the discourse ; it was very loud. Sometimes the 
 meeting was at Uncle Daniel M'Callum's, or Father 
 Green's, as the neighbors affectionately termed them. 
 ■At the latter place I witnessed the first sacramental 
 service which I can remember. There I also heard 
 Benoni Harris, a chubby little man with a mighty 
 
28 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 voice, preach on the " end of the world." The idea 
 that the earth would be burned never so impressed 
 me before. The preacher stamped, and raised his 
 clenched hand to his head, and dashed it down, and, 
 in a voice of thunder, gave a terrific description of 
 the final conflagration. The descriptions and the 
 language of this sermon haunted my imagination for 
 years. 
 
 Mr. Harris was, in more respects than one, a re- 
 markable man. His physique was peculiar. He was 
 very short and very stout, and looked as if he had 
 once been a man of full stature and size, but had 
 been pushed together like a spy-glass. His voice 
 was something terrific. Odd stories were told of his 
 ministrations. One was to the effect that, preaching 
 on a certain occasion in a sugar camp, he mounted 
 upon an empty hogshead, as his pulpit. In the 
 midst of an impassioned deliverance, emphasizing 
 his words with a vigorous stamp, he broke in the 
 head, and in an instant almost disappeared. Still, 
 not in the least disconcerted, he continued his ser- 
 mon as if nothing had happened, the congregation 
 hearing the steady roar of his wondrous voice, but 
 seeing nothing of him but the shiny top of his bald 
 head bobbing about, and his hands stretched up, 
 gesticulating wildly. 
 
 Soon after my parents united with the Methodists, 
 my mother's brother, Isaac Collar, became a member 
 of our family. He was the puny infant of which I 
 have already spoken. He was now about twenty- 
 eight years of age, but was a dwarf, having the ap- 
 pearance of a boy of nine or ten years, in all except 
 
Ancestors — Early Youth. 29 
 
 his face and general manner. He had been well edu- 
 cated with a view to his becoming a school teacher ; 
 but his diminutive size, considered in connection with 
 the ideas of school discipline prevalent at that time, 
 was decidedly against him, and the plan was aban- 
 doned. He had a genius for music, and was an ex- 
 pert performer on the violin. 
 
 On his aijival at my father's he was received with 
 great kindness,' but soon found that he was breath- 
 ing a strange atmosphere. He had brought his in- 
 strument with him, and I, for one, was delighted with 
 the prospect of enjoying his performances ; but when 
 he got out his fiddle, and began to rattle ofE the jigs, 
 my mother and sisters looked grave, and instead ot 
 praising his skill, talked to him about his soul. He 
 was not averse to a discussion of the subject, and 
 declared his opinions very freely, saying that the 
 girls were too young to think of such things, and 
 that they ought to learn to dance, and go into young 
 company. The little fellow did not know with what 
 manner of people he was dealing. 
 
 When the evening for the prayer-meeting came 
 my sister Rachel, then thirteen or fourteen years of 
 age, invited him to go. He did so, and saw and 
 heard what were to him new and wonderful things. 
 He had never heard a woman pray. Several of the 
 female members of the class led in the devotions with 
 a propriety and a power which surprised him ; bui 
 when he heard his young niece begin to pray he was 
 amazed. It was the effectual, fervent prayer which 
 prevails. She gave God glory for his boundless love 
 to sinners ; she thanked God for the hope of heaven ; 
 
30 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 she asked for strength to resist the allurements of 
 the world ; she prayed fervently for those still in the 
 way of death ; and at last, in a still higher strain of 
 earnestness and pathos, implored God's blessing upon 
 her " dear uncle." The little fiddler melted like wax; 
 before the fire, his flowing tears testifying that his 
 heart was reached. He went from the place con- 
 vinced and convicted, and in a few days had a clear 
 and satisfactory evidence of the Divine favor. 
 
 From this time Isaac Collar, " Little Isaac," as 
 every body called him, lived a life of faith and of 
 active usefulness. Being only a little boy in size 
 and physical strength, he became the inseparable 
 companion of the boys of the family. His influence 
 over us was great and salutary. He was social, 
 cheerful, kind, well-informed, and not destitute of 
 wit and humor. We all loved him. His compan- 
 ionable qualities drew us to him, and his good prin- 
 ciples reinforced ours in many a time of temptation. 
 After several years' residence he returned to Con- 
 necticut. We shall meet him again, however, in 
 the course of this narrative. 
 
 It would seem, from the foregoing description of 
 our humble life, that a very small circle formed the 
 horizon of my early days. This impression is cor- 
 rect, and yet we got an occasional glimpse beyond. 
 I had been to Cooperstown once before, and had 
 been greatly impressed with the glories of the place ; 
 but in 1808 I made a journey thither with my father 
 and brother Luther, to see what was long referred to 
 as " the hangin'." A man, whose name was Arnold, 
 had been sentenced to be hung for whipping a child 
 
Ancestors — Early Youth. 31 
 
 to death. Popular indignation was strong. A great 
 concourse of people assembled on the hill-side east of 
 the outlet of the lake, and, with lively satisfaction, 
 waited to see the wretched man die. He had pro- 
 fessed to find pardon at the hands of his Maker, and 
 had taken the sacrament in prison that morning. 
 At the appointed hour he was brought out and 
 seated upon his coffin under the gallows, while the 
 Rev. Isaac Lewis preached his funeral sermon from 
 the words, " This day shalt thou be with me in Para- 
 dise." The sermon being concluded, the sheriff, in 
 the awful silence which ensued, took hold of the rope 
 which was about the prisoner's neck, and, glancing at 
 the hook which dangled from the beam, ordered him 
 to stand up, and then, instead of attaching the rope, 
 drew a paper from his pocket and read the govern- 
 or's reprieve. 
 
 Wild excitement followed. Arnold fell as if he 
 had been shot through the heart. Women shrieked ; 
 some of them wept aloud ; some fainted ; men raged 
 and swore. The criminal was so detested for his 
 cruelty that his escape from execution provoked a 
 storm of fury. So indignant were the people that 
 some rough fellows captured a dog, named him " Ar- 
 nold," and hung him on the gallows which had failed 
 to do justice to his namesake. The story is not a 
 pleasant one to tell, but it shows how things were 
 done in that day, and it made a lasting impression 
 on me. Arnold died in Sing Sing prison. Dr. 
 Lewis I became well acquainted with in New York 
 city nearly half a century afterward. 
 
 After Isaac Collar left us I was more exposed to 
 
32 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 evil influences. My parents and sisters did what 
 they could to save me from danger, but I sometimes 
 fell into the company of bad boys. There was a 
 tavern on each side of us, where, as is always the 
 case, " lewd fellows of the baser sort " congregated 
 to drink, dance, and run horses. I did not learn to 
 copy their vicious conduct; but I often stole away 
 from home and looked on, and the influence on my 
 moral feelings and general character was any thing 
 but good. Evil examples without, and a depraved 
 nature, within, combined their power to render me 
 regardless of duty and of God. 
 
 Another thing, innocent enough in itself, became 
 indirectly a snare to me. I was exceedingly fond of 
 martial music, and when but a boy became an adept 
 with the drumsticks. There was general expectation 
 of a war with England, and this gave new interest to 
 "training days," and all manner of military opera- 
 tions. My skill in drumming drew me into notice, 
 and brought me into military associations. I en- 
 tered into these things with boyish enthusiasm, and 
 found more enjoyment in martial displays and field 
 music than in any thing else. I often had proof that 
 my parents and sisters were deeply concerned about 
 me. The girls feared that I would come to some 
 bad end ; my father doubted whether I would ever 
 " make any thing ;" while my dear mother, always 
 hopeful, was confident that I would come out right. 
 
 In fact, there was good ground for both apprehen- 
 sion and hope. I was fond of fun and excitement, 
 and often got into mischief, and sometimes sin ; but 
 my conscience was always tender, and often troubled 
 
Ancestors — Early Youth. 33 
 
 me, and I was more sorry for my errors than my best 
 friends suspected. Still I blame no one for judging 
 me harshly, because my faults were visible, and my 
 troubles of conscience I carefully hid ; and I have no 
 right to complain that others misunderstood me while 
 I was deliberately misrepresenting myself. I men- 
 tion this merely to draw two conclusions, which may 
 be of service to others. First, Wayward children 
 must not complain that they get no credit for good 
 impulses and good resolutions which they do their 
 best to conceal. Secondly, Parents whose children 
 incline to be wayward must not be in haste to give 
 them up as hopeless. 
 
 On two occasions I came near losing my life 
 through my lack of wisdom. My father was build- 
 ing a new housfe, the third which he erected in 
 Middlefield, and a frame edifice this time. The 
 mechanics, according to the custom of that day, had 
 a regular supply of liquor. One day they prepared 
 some punch, and invited me to partake with them. 
 I did so till my head became wofully unsteady. To- 
 tally unconscious of the state I was in, I must needs 
 clamber up to the top of the building, and as I was 
 in the act of falling, a friendly hand caught me. I 
 was conscious of nothing more till the next morn- 
 ing, when I learned the whole sad story from my 
 deeply grieved mother. She had spent the entire 
 night in watching over me. She laid the chief 
 blame on the men. I blamed and heartily despised 
 myself I am happy to add that this was my first 
 and last experience of the kind. 
 
 The second case of peril was connected with a 
 3 
 
34 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 violation of the sabbath, and occurred when I was 
 about thirteen years old. My brother Andrew and I 
 had been left in charge of the younger children 
 while the oldest members of the family went to 
 meeting. A sudden temptation seized me to leave 
 our charge for a ramble in the woods, and I prevailed 
 upon Andrew to go. We passed over the hill, crossed 
 Red Creek, and entered a grove of heavy timber. 
 Here we found another boy, who had a pack of cards. 
 He shufHed his cards and offered to teach us how to 
 play, but our consciences were already uneasy, and 
 we declined, and left him. 
 
 We collected a few beech-nuts, and then started 
 for home. As we were returning, dense clouds sud- 
 denly darkened the heavens, and a furious tornado 
 swept down upon us. The roar of the wind, the 
 groaning of the forest, the blinding dash of the rain 
 would have alarmed us in the best of times, but now 
 our guilty consciences rendered them absolutely ap- 
 palling. We fled in an agony of fear, the wind at 
 times almost lifting us from our feet. Pausing for a 
 moment behind a tree to get breath, we again started, 
 and had gone but a few steps when an immense 
 hemlock blew down with a crash and buried us with 
 its foliage, the massy trunk striking the earth within 
 three or four feet of me, and the great branches stretch- 
 ing all around us. Extricating ourselves from the 
 fallen tree, and leaving the woods, we lay down in a 
 little hollow in a field. From this place of refuge we 
 looked out and saw the storm tear through the for- 
 est^ the trees falling in all directions. 
 
 The tempest passed away as suddenly as it came, 
 
Ancestors — Early Youth. 35 
 
 and we hurried home, drenched with rain, terrified 
 by the fearful scenes through which we had passed, 
 and our hearts burdened with guilt. 
 
 " I will never run away with you again on Sun- 
 day," said Andrew. 
 
 " O if we had been killed ! " I exclaimed. 
 
 We reached home before our parents returned 
 from meeting. They knew nothing of our absence 
 from the house, and we told them nothing ; but for 
 weeks the affair harrowed up my soul. I dreaded to 
 pass the place where the tree fell upon us, and sel- 
 dom did so, although it often lay directly in my path. 
 Our escape I regarded as almost miraculous. As 
 near as I could estimate it, we paused behind the 
 maple just long enough to escape being crushed by 
 the heavy trunk of the hemlock. The idea of being 
 killed in the act of breaking the sabbath made my 
 very bones shake, and -many were the vows I made 
 to lead a new life. Often did I fear to close my eyes 
 at night until I had promised God that if he would 
 spare me to see another day I would do better. Of 
 all this, however, I revealed nothing to others. 
 
 In the autumn of 181 1 my parents made a visit to 
 their old home in Connecticut, and on their return 
 brought with them my Grandmother Collar and Un- 
 cle Isaac, both of whom remained members of our 
 family till God called them to the home above. 
 Since the time of his first visit to us my uncle had 
 learned to make shoes, which avocation he mingled 
 with his other employments during the remainder of 
 his active life. By using his tools I learned a little 
 of the trade myself. 
 
35 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 About this time my father purchased another tract 
 of land, which became to us boys a sort of enchanted 
 ground, and figures largely among my early recol- 
 lections. It was about two miles distant, on the 
 mountain southeast of Otsego Lake. It consisted 
 chiefly of woodland ; but a few acres had been 
 cleared and well cultivated. Here my father made 
 his hay, cut his winter's fuel, and burned the char- 
 coal for his forge. A little log-cabin had been built 
 against the face of a smooth, perpendicular rock. 
 The manufacture of the coal required considerable 
 care. Wood was piled, in the form of a pyramid, 
 five or six feet high, and then covered with sods, 
 grass side down, and earth added, till the inclosure 
 was perfect, except a little place at the bottom, where 
 the fire was applied, and another at the top, through 
 which the smoke escaped. The process took about 
 ten days, and the burning pile must be closely 
 watched all the time to keep the earth wall in repair, 
 and the fire just right. If the lower aperture became 
 closed by the sliding earth, the fire went out ; if it 
 burned too fast, it turned the wood to ashes. 
 
 In this wild spot we spent joyous days and nights 
 with our dear father, the kindest hearted and most 
 companionable man that ever breathed. It was to 
 us what Robinson Crusoe's island is to every boy 
 that reads the story. The tools needed for our, work, 
 straw and blankets for our beds, a basket of provis- 
 ions, a fife and a drum, were our equipments for a 
 sojourn at "the other place." When the daily labor 
 was ended, and night came on, we kindled a fire in 
 the rocky chimney, which filled the cabin with a 
 
Ancestors — Early Youth. 37 
 
 ruddy glow, set down the apples or the green corn to 
 roast, and gave ourselves up to innocent mirth. 
 There was no neighbor to be disturbed, and so we 
 laughed, and sung, and shouted, we made the hollow 
 woods resound with martial music, and, in short, rev- 
 eled in unlimited noise. 
 
 When our surplus spirits had thus expended them- 
 selves, we planted our sentinel at the burning piles, 
 and lying down to rest, listened for a little space to 
 the voices of night in the forest, the cry of the owl, 
 the barking of the fox, the moan of the raccoon, and 
 then knew no more till the morning light, and the 
 cheery, paternal voice awoke us to another happy 
 day. 
 
 It was not only in the summer months that our 
 labors summoned us to "the other place." In the 
 winter we drew home our firewood over the snow. 
 In the spring we made sugar from the sap of the 
 maples. This was a pleasant but busy season. The 
 tapping of the trees, the regular rounds made to 
 empty the vessels, the filling of the kettles, the 
 keeping up of the fire, the watching of the process 
 as the transparent sap first changed into syrup, and 
 then into sugar ; and all this in the woods, fast bud- 
 ding into life and beauty, formed an annual festival 
 scene whose coming we anticipated with joy. It 
 was, in fact, a fortunate thing for us boys that this 
 secluded spot became a part of my father's posses- 
 sions. No human habitation was near, no public 
 road approached it, and when we were there we were 
 alone in the presence of nature and of nature's God. 
 The grandeur of forest and hill and lake was around 
 
38 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 us, and the enticements of an evil world were fai 
 away. 
 
 I often desired, in after years, to visit this loved 
 spot, which looks so beautiful among my youthful 
 memories, but for a long period the wish was not 
 gratified. At last, however, the opportunity came. 
 In June, 1873, Bishop Peck and myself paid a visit 
 to our native place, and I again saw the spot where 
 I spent so many happy hours. The half century 
 which had elapsed had changed it somewhat. The 
 old cabin is gone, but the perpendicular rock is there, 
 still bearing the marks of the fires which we kindled 
 against it. The hills and the lake are as in other 
 days, though apparently reduced in dimensions, nor 
 has the scenery yet lost all its original wildness. 
 Would that every family of children had a home like 
 this, where at least a part of the year could be spent 
 away from the corruptions of town life and the exac- 
 tions and frivolities of fashion ! 
 
Conversion — Youth — Call to the Ministry. 39 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 CONVERSION YOUTH CALL TO THE MINISTRY. 
 
 AS I began to approach manhood I became a 
 somewhat valuable member of the family. I 
 could aid in the farm-work, make shoes in the one 
 shop, and "blow and strike" in the other, and in- 
 deed, do almost any thing within the limits of our 
 narrow business ; but I had no fixed plan, no definite 
 aim, for the years to come. I alternated from shop 
 to shop, and thence to the field, as my services were 
 required, but felt no preference, and made no choice. 
 My father, seeing my indifference, doubted whether 
 I would succeed in any thing. I did not dream of 
 the line of life which I afterward pursued. I had 
 high aspirations, and built many castles in the air. 
 I was not content with my lot, but I did not see how 
 it might be improved. What Providence might have 
 in store for me was to me a profound mystery. My 
 conscience was troubled, and I knew that I ought to 
 be a Christian, but that was about as far as I could see 
 into the future in regard to either duty or destiny. 
 
 My mind began to be the subject of religious im- 
 pressions as soon as I became capable of religious 
 ideas. I recollect being in a prayer-meeting when I 
 was about four years old, and feeling that I was a 
 sinner, and I wept at the thought that I did not 
 possess that which rendered those about me so happy. 
 
40 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 The sermons which I heard often impressed, and my 
 father's prayers in the family greatly moved me. My 
 mother's admonitions and tears were always more 
 than I could endure. My sister Elizabeth sought 
 Christ at a camp-meeting held at Mindon, and I was 
 powerfully awakened. to a sense of my need. Many 
 a time, during the years which, I presume, seemed to 
 others to be spent in careless, boyish mirth and m- 
 difFerence, I was greatly troubled in spirit, wept in 
 secret and formed resolutions which, if permanent, 
 would have led me to a different life. 
 
 In 1812 Ebenezer White and Ralph -Lanningwere 
 appointed to our circuit. Father White's first sermon 
 in our neighb orhood was a searching one ; and his 
 examination of the members in class-meeting was 
 close and personal. I did not hear the sermon, but 
 I learned, from what I heard of it, that a deep impres- 
 sion was made. On his second round, four weeks 
 after, he came to our house. I well remember the 
 conversation. He asked my sister to comb his 
 hair, and while she was doing it, he talked with my 
 parents. 
 
 " Brother," said he, " how many children have 
 you .? " 
 
 " Eleven," was the reply. 
 
 " And how many of them enjoy religion .' " 
 
 "The three oldest belong to Society," said my 
 father. 
 
 Again the faithful pastor asked : " HaVe you 
 given all your children to God in baptism ? " 
 
 " I have not," said my father. 
 
 " Why not .? " 
 
Conversion — Youth — Call to the Ministry. 41 
 
 To tliis my father replied, " The four born in Con- 
 necticut were baptized there ; the others have not 
 been." 
 
 " Well," said Father White, " it is your duty to 
 have them baptized." 
 
 My father responded with emotion, " Some of 
 them have grown up in sin and folly, and are not 
 proper subjects of baptism." 
 
 I was the oldest of those not baptized, and I felt 
 that the remark was intended for me, and, worst of 
 all, was true. 
 
 " Brother," continued the preacher, " you must 
 have those baptized which are still in infancy, and 
 pray for the others." 
 
 I had been sitting near enough to hear all this, but 
 at this stage of the conversation I quietly left the 
 room. My sister Mary, eleven years of age, heard the 
 conversation, and was deeply affected by it. She and 
 my brother Andrew began to seek the Saviour. The 
 next Sabbath evening the prayer-meeting was a 
 time of much interest and feeling. The two children 
 were made the subjects of special prayer, and I in- 
 ferred, from certain expressions of those engaged in 
 the exercises, that they professed to have found peace. 
 The next day, while Andrew and I were at the 
 barn, he asked me if I did not want religion .? I an- 
 swered in the affirmative, and then asked him if he 
 had experienced it. He replied that he thought he 
 had. I told him that I hoped he would hold out to 
 the end, adding that I would never throw the least 
 hinderance in his way. " That is all very well," he 
 replied ; " but you must have religion for yourself, or 
 
42 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 you will go to hell ! " This broke me down. I left 
 him, and went behind the barn, and poured out a 
 flood of tears. 
 
 The next Sabbath evening the prayer-meeting 
 seemed to have only ordinary interest. It closed at 
 the usual hour, and I went home, being among the 
 first to leave the house. A number lingered, as if 
 unwilling to go. Two or three young ladies began 
 to weep, and asked for the prayers of God's people. 
 The meeting began again with wonderful power. 
 Some fell prostrate on the floor, crying for mercy, 
 and others shouted aloud the praises of God. Six or 
 seven persons professed conversion before the meet- 
 ing closed. All this was told me, and added greatly 
 to the conflict of my mind. Hearing that another 
 meeting had been appointed for the next Thursday 
 evening, I resolved to seek the Lord publicly at that 
 time. When the day came I thought of nothing but 
 my sins, the salvation I needed, and the purpose I 
 had formed. I mourned, I prayed ; I had some hope 
 of mercy, and some fears that I would not find it. 
 Being alone, I began to sing one of our old familiar 
 penitential hymns : — 
 
 " Show pity, Lord, O Lord, forgive ; 
 Let a repenting rebel live." 
 
 Having sung a verse or two of this, I changed to 
 one of another character : 
 
 " O how happy are they, 
 
 "Who the Saviour obey, 
 And have laid up their treasure above ; 
 
 Tongue can never express 
 
 The sweet comfort and peace 
 Of a soul in its earliest love." 
 
Conversion — Youth — Call to the Ministry. 43 
 
 To my surprise I found myself entering into the 
 joyous spirit of the hymn. My heart was melted ; I 
 felt strangely buoyant, and almost ready to exclaim 
 aloud, " Glory to God ! " I said to myself, " What 
 change is this ? Is this what I have been seeking ? 
 It may be that God has pardoned my sins. I will go 
 and tell my dear mother how I feel." 
 
 I went into the house with this design, but my 
 courage failed. I began to doubt, and again I sunk 
 into a state of darkness and sorrow. My mind re- 
 verted to my resolution to go to the meeting that 
 evening and openly seek Christ, and I again deter- 
 mined to do it. When evening came I went to the 
 meeting, calling on an intimate associate on my way, 
 to propose to him that we should begin together. 
 To my surprise, I found him ready at once. We did 
 as we agreed to do ; but when we bowed in prayer, 
 and fervent supplications went up in our behalf, and 
 a sacred influence seemed to fall upon the whole as- 
 sembly, and I felt that God was there, I was not 
 conscious of that deep conviction which had weighed 
 me down for days. 
 
 At the close of the meeting the people gathered 
 about us to inquire how we felt. My friend was 
 happy, and responded with confidence. I was at a 
 loss what to think. I replied that I felt no burden 
 of guilt, but did not know but that I had lost my 
 convictions. "Ah," said a devoted woman, whom I 
 knew and greatly respected, " the Lord has blessed 
 you ; I thought so." And she laughed and wept as 
 she made the remark. " Well," thought I, " she 
 knows. This strange calm is not hardness of heart. 
 
44 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 but peace." And yet I felt, not exactly disappointed, 
 but that I had been led in a way which was contrary 
 to my expectations. I looked for what was termed 
 a "powerful conversion." I did not experience it, 
 -but from that memorable day I have tried to serve 
 the Lord. I believe that God forgave my sins in the 
 morning, while I was alone, singing the prayerful 
 confession of Watts, and the joys of faith as deline- 
 ated by Charles Wesley. The day named was Thurs- 
 day, the 1 2th of November, 1812. I was then a lit- 
 tle over fifteen years of age. 
 
 The next day Father White preached a glorious 
 sermon from Heb. xi, 24, 25. His words were 
 sweeter to rne than the honey-comb. I thought that 
 I never before heard preaching. ' After the sermon 
 baptism was administered to quite a number of per- 
 sons, younger and older, and among them the seven 
 of our family born in the State of New York. Four 
 of these were baptized on profession of faith, and 
 three as infants. About a dozen of the converts 
 were received as probationers in the Church. My 
 feelings throughout the day had been characterized 
 more by tenderness than joy. But on my way home 
 alone I began again to sing Charles Wesley's exult- 
 ant lines : 
 
 " O how happy are they, 
 Who the Saviour obey, 
 And have laid up their treasure above." 
 
 In the midst of my solitary song I felt a sudden 
 gush of joy, and I shouted aloud, " Glory to God, 
 glory to God in the highest." From that day I felt 
 myself one with God's people. 
 
Conversion — Youth — Call to the Ministry. 45 
 
 About two weeks after my conversion I attended 
 a quarterly meeting in Mindon, a distance of twelve 
 miles. The weather was cold, with snow on the 
 ground. The meeting, nevertheless, was held in a 
 barn. The floor was arranged with rude seats, and 
 there was a platform of some kind, perhaps a work- 
 bench, for the preachers. William Case was the 
 presiding elder, and Ebenezer White, Ralph Lan- 
 ning, and Jonathan Hustis were present. The pre- 
 siding elder was in the prime of life, certainly not a 
 profound preacher, but earnest and sympathetic. 
 All loved him because of the fervor of his piety and 
 the kindness of his heart. Father White was the 
 only venerable-looking man among the preachers. 
 He was not old, but the gravity of his character and 
 deportment secured for him the title of " Father." 
 In his sermons he made great use of " M'Ewen on the 
 Types." a work which he had mastered, and could 
 almost repeat from memory. His sermons on Moses, 
 Joseph, and portions of Solomon's Song, were thought 
 wonderful. He. preached what the people pronounced 
 great sermons on his own name, Ebenezer. 
 
 Ralph Lanning was a young man, then in the 
 second year of his ministry. He gave evidence of 
 an attention to books unusual in those times, and 
 was an acceptable preacher, and a very pleasant, 
 companionable man. 
 
 Jonathan Hustis was thought to be at the head of 
 the younger class of preachers. He was tall and 
 spare, with a light complexion, a clear, shrill voice, 
 and a pleasant address. 
 
 The love-feast was a season of great interest. I 
 
46 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 had never been in one before, as I could not pass 
 the examination which was always had at the door. 
 It was to me a great occasion, and the impressions 
 which it made were deep and powerful. My part of 
 the exercises was small. After waiting and trem- 
 bling for some time, I rose and said, "Two weeks 
 ago last Thursday God converted my soul." To this 
 brief speech Father White responded with uncom- 
 mon fervor, " Praise the Lord ! " and there was an 
 outburst of exultant exclamations from every part of 
 the assembly. I felt overwhelmed with the tide of 
 emotion. 
 
 Shortly after our little revival Father White es- 
 tablished a class for catechetical instruction, com- 
 posed of the young people who had recently joined 
 the Society. His regular appointment for preaching 
 was once in four weeks, in the evening, and our class 
 met in the afternoon. We were seated in a row, and 
 our venerable pastor, with a copy of the Catechism in 
 his hand, stood behind a chair and examined us, 
 adding comments of various kinds as he proceeded. 
 He was entirely too serious to admit pleasantry, or 
 even invite questions on the part of the class. We 
 answered timidly, and then listened to' his remarks 
 as we would to a sermon. He often made very 
 pointed appeals to us, urging us to go on to a more 
 perfect knowledge of Divine things. 
 
 I mention 'this to show that faithful instruction 
 was not unknown in those early days of Methodism. 
 Sabbath-schools had not been introduced into our 
 part of the country, but the children and youth were 
 not forgotten. I here record my gratitude to God 
 
Conversion — Youth — Call to the Ministry. 47 
 
 for the information which I gained in the preacher's 
 class. From the Catechism, as explained and illus- 
 trated by our venerated pastor, I learned the funda- 
 mental doctrines of Christianity in their connection, 
 with the Scripture proofs, and my mind became 
 more imbued with Divine truth than ever before. 
 Thus I commenced the study of theology. 
 
 During the latter part of the winter of 18 12-13 
 my Grandmother Collar died in holy triumph. She 
 had connected herself in her youth with the Congre- 
 gational Church ; but after the conversion of her son 
 Isaac she joined the Methodists. She was an intel- 
 ligent, high-minded woman, and in person as straight 
 at the age of seventy years as an arrow, and moving 
 about the house as lightly as a girl of eighteen. Her 
 piety was uniform and her life consistent. 
 
 In the spring of 18 13 Father White was called to 
 his reward on high. The Church and the whole 
 community mourned, and the young converts, of 
 whom there were many on the circuit, felt like or- 
 phans. When the people met at the prayer-meeting 
 or in class allusions to him were frequent. His ser- 
 mons, his prayers, his remarks were quoted, and in 
 prayer it was no uncommon thing to hear an earnest, 
 tearful petition for grace to persevere and meet Fa- 
 ther White in heaven. Thus his name was long " as 
 ointment poured forth." Ralph Lanning was re- 
 turned to the circuit as preacher in charge. He was 
 a frequent guest at my father's, and his conversation 
 was a great benefit to me. I felt at liberty to ask 
 him about any matter that interested me — any ques- 
 tion of doctrine, or the interpretation of Scripture, 
 
45 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 and always found him ready to communicate what 
 he knew. 
 
 During the summer of 1813 I attended a camp- 
 meeting at Mindon. These forest gatherings had 
 then some features which are now unknown. Those 
 having charge of the preparations would select a spot 
 in the dense woods, and proceed to clear away the 
 bushes and small trees, piling the brush around the 
 encampment, and forming with it an impassable 
 fence sometimes ten or twelve feet high. Within 
 this inclosure the tents, perhaps a hundred in num- 
 ber, would be pitched. When the meetings began 
 great multitudes of people would throng the place. 
 Among these would come an occasional party of wild 
 young men, " lewd fellows of the baser sort," noisy, 
 reckless, and often intoxicated, and make a disturb- 
 ance. To keep such as these in awe, " guards " were 
 appointed, whose duty it was to repress all lawless 
 proceedings, and keep the whole encampment in 
 good order. Now and then the guards would be 
 compelled to seize some frolicsome or pugnacious 
 youth, conduct him to the gate of the brush strong- 
 hold, and hand him over to the magistrate, or dismiss 
 him with an emphatic admonition. 
 
 With interruptions and bloodless skirmishes of this 
 sort occurring from time to time, the preachers and 
 the Church-members carried on the campaign, preach- 
 ing, exhorting, singing, praying, with a zeal that never 
 cooled, and lungs that seemed never_ to grow weary. 
 This camp-meeting at Mindon was attended with nota- 
 ble effects, some of which were novel to me. One night 
 the services were continued till the morning dawned. 
 
Conversion — Yonth — Call to the Ministry. 49 
 
 There were many instances of the curious experience 
 which has been termed religious ecstasy. Perhaps 
 while engaged in fervent prayer or joyous song a man 
 would fall prostrate, his eyes fixed, his whole form 
 rigid, and remain thus sometimes for several hours. 
 When he revived he usually was in the same glow of 
 religious emotion with which his singular experience 
 began, and felt no special ill effect, physically, from 
 what he had undergone. Unconverted persons, 
 deeply convinced of sin, not unfrequently "fell," a's 
 the current phrase expressed it, " under the power of 
 God." These generally remained conscious, but 
 physically powerless. The mind, however, still re- 
 mained busy with the great thoughts of God and 
 eternity and the need of the Divine favor, and often 
 while the lips were silent, and the powers of volun- 
 tary motion were suspended, the soul passed through 
 a great moral crisis, surrendered to the Divine rule> 
 trusted in Christ ; and when the physical effect of 
 the intense mental conflict began to subside, the first 
 words uttered were exultant praise and thanksgiving. 
 However we may reason or doubt in regard to these 
 phenomena, one thing is certain, they occurred in 
 connection with genuine religious emotions, and a 
 truly Divine work. Some of our soundest, most re- 
 liable and devoted members of Society passed through 
 this singular experience, and some of the convicted, 
 who were thus stricken down, became faithful and 
 consistent followers of Christ, and remained such to 
 the end. 
 
 I saw cases of the kind at this camp-meeting, and 
 leaped to the conclusion that they were indicative pf 
 
so Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 great grace. I earnestly desired to share the joy and 
 the benefit, and on the last day of the meeting fan- 
 cied that I detected new sensations, and was on the 
 eve of the coveted experience ; but the strange feel- 
 ing, whether real or imaginary, passed away, and my 
 wishes were not gratified. I afterward saw that the 
 desire was an error ; that while faith is essential, and 
 joy desirable, these abnormal physical effects of in- 
 tense religious emotion are not to be courted, but 
 resisted. 
 
 At this same meeting I first saw a young man 
 who became my life-long friend. Some little tirne 
 before, the Rev. Charles Giles held a camp-meeting at 
 Deerfield. The rain poured incessantly all through 
 the week ; but few people gathered, and the whole 
 thing was set down as one of those failures which it 
 is supposed the Lord suffers to occur occasionally to 
 try the faith of his pfeople. It was stated, indeed, 
 that there was one conversion, but it was that of a 
 boy that nobody knew. The Rev. Mr. Giles had 
 preached in the rain to a little group of discouraged 
 people, and the young stranger heard the sermon, 
 and was thoroughly convicted. He crept into a shel- 
 tered corner of the brush fence, and there prayed 
 alone all night. In the morning he came out of his 
 novel retreat, praising the Lord, and full, of zeal for 
 the cause of religion. ' 
 
 Coming to the Mindon camp he was present at a 
 prayer-meeting in the Middlefield tent, and in the 
 course of the service offered a prayer that mightily 
 stirred the hearts of the people. " That boy will 
 make a preacher," said my mother, and her sympa- 
 
Conversion — Youth — Call to the Ministry. 51 
 
 thies were at once enlisted in his behalf. Finding 
 that he was a total stranger, and that he had come 
 to attend the camp-meeting, bringing a bag of pro- 
 visions, which had been spoiled by the rain, she in- 
 vited him to our table, and told him at night to find 
 a place, if he could, among her boys. He became 
 thus an inmate of our tent, and thus began my ac- 
 quaintance with the Rev. Dr. John Dempster. For 
 many reasons this Mindon camp-meeting was very 
 interesting and profitable to me, and to this day my 
 recollections of it are very vivid. 
 
 My education, such as it was, at this time de- 
 pended full as much upon my intercourse with intel- 
 ligent and pious people as upon books. To Ralph 
 Lanning's aid in this direction I have already al- 
 luded. He had a clear, logical mind, and a good 
 memory, and more than ordinary ability to solve the- 
 ological questions. His frequent visits at our house 
 were of great value to me. 
 
 Books in our region were few, and there were no 
 religious periodicals in all the land. Among the 
 family treasures in my father's house were some of 
 the early Methodist publications, such as Wesley's 
 Sermons, Wesley's Life of Fletcher, the Life of John 
 Nelson, Baxter's Saints' Rest, Alleine's Alarm, Law's 
 Serious Call, and the Methodist Discipline, contain- 
 ing the Doctrinal Tracts. My father and mother, 
 my Uncle Collar and Sister Elizabeth, were all good 
 readers, and when we had the good fortune to secure 
 any thing that was specially interesting, it was read 
 in full family convention, generally in the evening. 
 What a glorious time we had reading the Life of 
 
52 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 Benjamin Abbott ! What notes and comments, what 
 exclamations of wonder and pleasure there were ! I 
 remember well how sorry I was that the book is so 
 small. These family readings not only created high 
 religious feeling at the time, but furnished us with 
 themes for thought and conversation long afterward. 
 My Sister Elizabeth possessed a fine mind and an 
 ardent thirst for knowledge, and it must be confessed 
 that she outran the rest of the children in mental 
 improvement, and, without any assumption on her 
 part, she grew into a family instructor. To me, 
 mentally and religiously, she was an invaluable 
 aid. 
 
 In the spring of 1814 my father sold his property 
 at Middlefield and removed to Hamilton Township, 
 Madison County. Our new home was in a region 
 which had been settled about twenty years. The 
 people lived in log-houses, and by far the greater 
 portion of the original forest was still undisturbed. 
 There were no religious services held nearer than 
 three miles, and the nearest church, which was Pres- 
 byterian, was five miles distant. My father began 
 immediately to hold service in his own house, twice 
 every Sabbath. We had a prayer-meeting in the 
 morning, followed by class-meeting, and in the even- 
 ing prayer-meeting again. Our meetings were well 
 attended, and there were indications of deep religious 
 interest. ' My father, my mother, Isaac Collar, and 
 Elizabeth, were most active in the exercises ; Luther 
 and Andrew took some part, and I prayed in public 
 and spoke in class, but attempted nothing further. 
 
 When we had been thus engaged about a month 
 
Conversion — Youth — Call to the Ministry. 53 
 
 we got into communication with the preachers on 
 Chenango Circuit, one of whose appointments was 
 about three miles distant, and the preacher in charge, 
 the Rev. Loring Grant, came to our house, organized 
 a class of thirteen persons, eight of whom were mem- 
 bers of our family, and established preaching once 
 in two weeks. Over the formation of this class Mr. 
 Grant and his colleague, Elisha Bibbins, rejoiced as 
 those who find great spoil. 
 
 I was now placed in new circumstances. In the 
 Society in Middlefield there were so many old and 
 gifted members that there was no need of pressing 
 the younger ones to the front. Now, all were needed. 
 One of the circuit preachers was with us every two 
 weeks, on Wednesday, but we still kept up our Sab- 
 bath services ; and to do it devolved almost wholly 
 upon .the members of the family. The people flocked 
 to the house, and often seemed to be deeply im- 
 pressed. Several marked conversions took place, 
 and our number began to increase. 
 
 At the next session of the Conference, our valued 
 friend, Ralph Lanning, was appointed to the circuit, 
 with Nathaniel Reeder as the junior preacher. The 
 visits of Mr. Lanning at our house were very pleas- 
 ant and profitable to me, and he was to us all a 
 brother beloved. 
 
 During the summer, I was suddenly seized with 
 an overwhelming conviction that I had something 
 more to do in the Church than I had previously con- 
 templated. The impression followed me constant- 
 ly, and at times my mind was painfully agitated. 
 It was in my thoughts by day, and my dreams by 
 
54 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 night. For weeks I labored under a crushing bur- 
 den. I knew my inability, and yet felt the obliga- 
 tion. I could never perform the holy work, and yet 
 I must. Feeling that I could not live much longer 
 without counsel, or at least sympathy, from some 
 source, I resolved to reveal what was passing in my 
 mind to my mother ; and after one or two ineffectual 
 efforts to do it, at last gathered courage to tell her. To 
 my surprise she replied at once, "My son, I know 
 all about it." She then gave me advice which greatly 
 relieved my mind, counseling me to be very faithful 
 in the performance of private religious duty ; and in 
 regard to things of a more public nature, to leave all 
 to the direction of the Head of the Church, and fol- 
 low on as he should clearly lead.. 
 
 My father and Brother Luther spent the next win- 
 ter (1814-15) away from home, and the charge of 
 the class fell to me. I also frequently conducted the 
 Sabbath service, and thus gradually gained confi- 
 dence before the little congregation that met in my 
 father's house. Mr. Lanning often called upon me 
 to speak at the close of his sermons. In June I was 
 licensed to exhort, and began to hold meetings in 
 various places, as opportunities offered. All the time 
 which I could command for the purpose I devoted to 
 study. 
 
 In the autumn John Dempster again visited us. 
 Since we saw him he had been licensed as a local 
 preacher, and having offered himself for itinerant 
 service, had been directed to visit the territory north 
 of us, which was not included within the bounds of 
 any charge, and there, if possible, form a new circuit. 
 
Conversion — Youth — Call to the Ministry. 55 
 
 Our house lying in his way to his unknown field, he 
 sent us word that he would reach our place on a cer- 
 tain day, and, if we desired it, would preach. I went 
 three miles to meet him, and found him coming in 
 our direction on foot, over a muddy road, and poorly 
 shod for the journey. He had in his hand a diminu- 
 tive bundle tied up in a handkerchief Our hasty 
 notices called together a large congregation, and he 
 preached what I consider, to-day, one of the ablest, 
 most powerful sermons which I ever heard him de- 
 liver. It was clear, scriptural, well arranged, full of 
 thought, and delivered fluently, and with great ear- 
 nestness and fervor. Many in the audience trembled 
 under his eloquent appeals ; some seemed frightened 
 and left the house in haste ; and one young woman, 
 who had been esteemed very careless, if not frivolous, 
 was awakened under the sermon, and subsequently 
 joined the class. I accompanied him on his journey 
 for two days, and heard him preach each evening. 
 
 The next winter (1815-16) I attended school. My 
 teacher was Reuben Reynolds, then, like myself, a 
 licensed exhorter in the Church, now an honored 
 member of the Northern New York Conference. 
 Beginning to appreciate the necessity of an educa- 
 tion, I thirsted for knowledge ; and yet nothing be- 
 yond the mere elements of it was within my reach. 
 The Methodist Episcopal Church at that time did 
 not possess a college, seminary, or school of any de- 
 scription. Few of the preachers had received even 
 what is now deemed a good common-school training, 
 and the demand for laborers in the Gospel field was 
 so urgent that young men, who had not even studied 
 
S6 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 English grammar, were continually thrust out into 
 the work, to study and improve as best they could. 
 Thanks to Reuben Reynolds, and my Sister Eliza- 
 beth, for something of a foundation on which to build 
 in coming years. 
 
 In March, 1816, the Rev. Loring Grant, then trav- 
 eling on Lebanon Circuit, exchanged with Elijah 
 King, our junior preacher, for one round of the four 
 weeks' circuit, and visited us. He invited me to go 
 with him to one of his appointments, and on the 
 way, told me that he heard that I expected to offer 
 myself to the Conference at the next session. I was 
 surprised,' and told him that I had said nothing of the 
 kind to any one ; that I did not know that I could 
 leave home, or that I should be received if I offered 
 myself. He urged me to go into the work at once, 
 and proposed that I should travel with him on Leba- 
 non Circuit till Conference. I replied that I had no 
 authority to preach, but was licensed as an exhorter 
 only. " That will make no difference," said he, " you 
 can preach on your exhorter's license till quarterly 
 meeting. Do as John the Baptist did, preach many 
 things in your exhortation." The case seemed a 
 great deal clearer to him than it did to me*; but 
 I finally agreed to lay the matter before my father, 
 and meet him again, a few days after, at the house of 
 the presiding elder, and report the result. 
 
 I returned home, and dreading to speak to my 
 father, told my mother and sister what Mr. Grant 
 proposed. They favored the project, and agreed to 
 broach the subject to my father. He opposed, pos- 
 sibly from mingled motives. He was beginning to 
 
Conversion — Yotith — Call to the Ministry. 57 
 
 feel the weight of years. Luther was now of age, 
 and about to leave home, and I would be needed to 
 lead in the farm-work. It would not be convenient 
 for him to furnish me with a horse and outfit for 
 travel. Moreover, he thought the movement pre- 
 mature. He was a good judge of sermons, and 
 he thought, from what he had heard of my perform- 
 ances, that I was not prepared to go forth as a 
 preacher. He was really afraid, I imagine, that if I 
 made the attempt it would result in a palpable, if 
 not disgraceful, failure. But my mother and sister 
 argued the case strongly. He was a truly pious 
 man, anxious to do right, and at last yielded. 
 
 I met Mr. Grant at North Norwich, at the house 
 of Rev. George Harmon, the presiding elder. After 
 talking with me for some time, and examining the 
 plans of my friend, the elder appointed me to labor 
 on the circuit, for the remainder of the conference 
 year, with L. Grant and J. Hamilton, with the pro- 
 viso that I should receive no salary for my services. 
 
 The first day of April, i8i6, was to me a memo- 
 rable day. For a week or two previous my mother 
 and sister had been preparing my clothing, and 
 on that morning I was to leave home. The hour 
 came, and my horse was brought to the door, and my 
 saddle-bags and valise adjusted in their places. My 
 father was absent, as I fancied, from design. I first 
 took the hand of my dear mother, who looked at me 
 with a thoughtful and yet smiling face, and said, 
 " Farewell, my son ; may God be with you, and bless 
 you." My Sister Elizabeth, who had been to me, all 
 my life, an angel of light and love, seemed in unusu- 
 
SB Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 ally good spirits, and, taking my hand, said, almost 
 playfully, " Farewell, George, be a good boy." I re- 
 sponded, rather faintly, " I will try," and mounting 
 my horse, rode slowly away. But who can describe my 
 emotions. I looked around at each familiar object, 
 the house, the barn, the trees, the fields, and said in 
 my heart, " Farewell, all. I am going, I know not 
 whither, nor what is to befall me." My course was 
 toward the west, and before evening I was in a 
 strange land and among strangers. Thus, in the 
 nineteenth year of my age, I began a journey which 
 continued fifty-seven years. 
 
 As I had been directed, I filled several of Mr. 
 Grant's appointments, commencing on the turnpike 
 between Plymouth and De Ruyter, proceeding to 
 Julius Hitchcock's, in Lebanon,* thence to Wilhams's, 
 two miles south of Cazenovia, and on Saturday met 
 Mr. Grant at Keeney's Settlement. Every-where 
 the people inquired after Mr. Grant. I felt ill quali- 
 fied to take his place, but was every-where treated 
 with great kindness. On Sabbath morning Mr. Grant 
 preached at the Settlement, and in the afternoon, at 
 Keeler's, insisted on my preaching. The congrega- 
 tion was large, and I had never attempted a sermon 
 in the presence of a traveling preacher, and the very 
 idea of it filled me with fear and trembling. Still, I 
 could not decline. I took a text, stumbled along 
 some thirty minutes, which seemed to me an age, and 
 
 * The father of Rev. Luke Hitchcock, D.D., of the Western Book 
 Concern. My friend, the doctor, was then an active and somewhat 
 noisy boy of two or three years of age, whom I well remember as be- 
 ing no particular help to me when engaged in my attempts to study. 
 
Conversion — Youth — Call to the Ministry. 59 
 
 then sat down and closed my eyes, mortified enough. 
 Mr. Grant, being about to administer the ordinance, 
 made a long address on the subject of infant baptism, 
 for the purpose, as I imagined, of helping out the meet- 
 ing. After the baptism came the class-meeting, and 
 I was asked to conduct it. I objected with emphasis, 
 feeling that I had no courage to look any one in the 
 face ; but Mr. Grant urged, and I again yielded to 
 authority. To my great surprise, several persons 
 spoke of what they had enjoyed while listening to the 
 sermon. This looked to me much like an insult. I 
 was sure that every body was disgusted with my 
 performance. 
 
 The meeting closed, and we went to the house of 
 Joseph Keeler, where we remained all night. During 
 the evening I had little to say, while Mr. Grant was in 
 high spirits^ talking incessantly, and relating various 
 interesting incidents of his itinerant life. The next 
 morning I told him that I wanted to go home. " Go 
 home,'' said he, "for what.'" "Because I can't 
 preach,'' I replied, " O, Brother Peck," he exclaimed, 
 " if you had heard me when I began you would not 
 be discouraged." He then proceeded to give a sin- 
 gular and amusing account of some of his own 
 troubles and experiences during the early part of his 
 ministry. " No, no," said he ; " you are not going 
 home." We continued together about a week, preach- 
 ing alternately. I gathered some confidence, and 
 possibly did a little better. Mr. Grant continued to 
 encourage me, and gave me much useful instruction 
 in regard to the preparation and delivery of sermons. 
 One day, as we rode and talked, I repeated the sub- 
 
6o Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 stance of a sermon which I had heard. He asked 
 me if I could ordinarily remember a whole sermon 
 in that way. I replied that if the sermon was method- 
 ical and interesting, I had no difficulty in doing it 
 at any time. " Well," said he, " Brother Peck, you 
 will make a great man yet. That is something I 
 could not do to save my life." Ah, thought I, it takes 
 something more to make a great man than the ability 
 to repeat the sermons of others. Still, I was con- 
 scious that my quick and retentive memory of what 
 I heard had done me good service. Having access 
 to few books, I had formed the habit of treasuring up 
 all that I heard, either from the pulpit or in conver- 
 sation, that I felt was worth remembering. 
 
 The circuit being now arranged for a six weeks' 
 round, I took my regular share of the work with my 
 two older colleagues. I generally felt at home among 
 the people, and experienced some comfort when I 
 tried to preach. Still it was, in more than one respect, 
 a time of trial. The spring was backward, and the 
 succeeding months were long remembered as the 
 " cold summer." Corn failed to ripen even as far 
 south as New Jersey. On the sixth day of June I 
 rode from Julius Hitchcock's to Cazenovia in a severe 
 snow-storm. Ice formed on my face and in my hair. 
 The less hardy kinds of vegetation were cut down 
 as fast as they sprang up, and even the leaves 
 upon the trees were killed by the frost, so that 
 the forest, in some places, looked as if the fire had 
 run through it. There were forebodings of famine. 
 The day after the snow-storm, I discovered, with the 
 unaided eye, two spots on the sun. 
 
Conversion — Youth — Call to the Ministry. 6i 
 
 My reflections were often of a very gloomy char- 
 acter. I sometimes feared that to entertain me and 
 feed my horse was burdensome to the people. There 
 was great hospitality in general, and I received a 
 cordial welcome ; but I remember an exception or 
 two. I once stayed all night at one of our richest 
 farmers, and in the morning a fearful storm was ra- 
 ging, making it almost impossible, and certainly use- 
 less, for me to ride on that day to my appointment. 
 I sat down with my book, and was busily engaged, 
 when my host and his wife began a conversation be- 
 tween themselves on the subject of "keeping the 
 preachers." In the course of the talk the husband 
 said, with a good deal of earnestness, " Those that 
 keep the preachers ought not to pay quarterage. It 
 costs me twenty-five dollars to do it." " No," replied 
 his amiable spouse, " we reckoned it up the other day, 
 and made it out twenty-two dollars." " I don't care," 
 said he, " it costs me twenty-five." This discus- 
 sion was, no doubt, intended for me to hear, and I did 
 hear, and felt the unspeakable meanness of it. I 
 said nothing, but, on the spot, determined to remain 
 till the storm was over, and after that to trouble them 
 no more. I went on with my reading all day, re- 
 sponding with all alacrity to the call to dinner and tea. 
 I went out to the barn, found the oats, and fed my 
 horse liberally. After breakfast the next morning I 
 left this chilly habitation, and never entered it again. 
 So many friendly doors were open to us in that neigh- 
 borhood that there was no need of our going where 
 we were not welcome. 
 
 In June the quarterly meeting was held at Keel- 
 
62 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 er's. The presiding elder, George Harmon, was ab- 
 sent, attending the General Conference, and Jonathan 
 Hustis came as a substitute. Here I received license 
 to preach, and was recommended for admission into 
 the Conference on trial. In the latter part of this 
 month a camp-meeting was held at Lansing, Mr. 
 Harmon having charge of it. On the second day I 
 was called on to preach, to my great consternation, 
 and tried to comply. It was resolved also to hold a 
 camp-meeting on our circuit. Ground was selected 
 in Plymouth, and July 4 fixed upon as the time of 
 beginning. Mr. Grant and I went into the forest, 
 and worked faithfully for one weefe, preparing the 
 ground. At last every thing was pronounced in 
 order. We thought our defenses were particularly 
 good, the abundance of undergrowth which was cut 
 away supplying materials for a hpdge so thick and 
 high that even " bulls of Bashan " would not be able 
 either to scale or demolish it. 
 
 The meeting was marked by some special circum- 
 stances. Bishops George and M'Kendree were pres- 
 ent a part of the time. Bishop M'Kendree preached 
 his great sermon on Prov. xxiv, 30-34 ; " I went by 
 the field of the slothful," etc. He spoke with great 
 energy, and it was a splendid effort. , The multitudes 
 hung upon his lips as if entranced. Bishop George 
 had been elected and ordained about a month previ- 
 ously. He was not well, and took no very active part 
 in the meeting. He preached once, but it hardly 
 amounted to a sermon. His 'whole discourse con- 
 sisted of bursts of holy joy, and the preacher and the 
 people shouted together. 
 
Conversion — Yoiitk — Call to the Ministry. 63 
 
 The meeting was rather feeble at the beginning, 
 but powerful toward the close. Timothy Dewey, 
 commonly called Father Dewey, preached a terrific 
 sermon on the words, " Prepare to meet thy God." 
 There was a large number of the wicked in attend- 
 ance, and they had been troublesome, and seemed 
 reckless. The hearts of the brethren were faint. 
 Father Dewey was just the man for the occasion. 
 He stood before the crowd like a giant among pig- 
 mies, and his voice was clear as a trumpet, and ter- 
 rible as thunder. He came down upon the wicked 
 in such sort that hundreds of them, who had been 
 apparently as careless as so many cattle, listened 
 with amazement and terror. God's people took 
 heart, and began to struggle mightily for victory. 
 There was an unbroken roar of fervent supplication 
 all over the ground, while the awful voice of the 
 preacher resounded above this tempest of prayer, and 
 every word was heard as distinctly as if in the si- 
 lence of midnight. " O sinner, sinner," thundered 
 the preacher, " are you determined to take hell by 
 scorm .' Can you dwell with devouring fire .' Can 
 you stand eternal burnings .' Are your bones iron, 
 and your flesh brass, that you plunge headlong into 
 the lake of fire .' " 
 
 Just as these words were uttered I saw a young 
 man who had been standing by a tree, and holding 
 to a branch of it, begin to reel. Presently his hold 
 broke, and he fell to the ground, crying aloud for 
 mercy. A great commotion arose all over the camp. 
 Seekers were invited into the altar, and the meeting 
 continued all night. Many were happily converted 
 
64 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 to God. Among these was William Lull, the young 
 man who stood by the beech-tree, and held to the 
 branch as long as he could. He afterward became a 
 member of the New York Conference. Besides those 
 already named, there were a number of able preachers 
 at that camp-meeting — Abner Chase, William Cam- 
 eron, Dan Barnes, George W. Densmore, Zenas Jones, 
 and others. Powerful sermons characterized the oc- 
 casion, and its influence upon the Church and the 
 whole community was great and salutary. 
 
 At the close of the meeting I went home and spent 
 a few days with my friends. 
 
Broome Circuit — Cortland Circuit. 65 . 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 1816, BROOME CIRCUIT 1817, CORTLAND CIRCUIT. 
 
 ON Saturday, July 19, 18 16, I rode to Sauquoit, 
 where the Genesee Conference was in session. 
 I was told on my arrival that my case had been acted 
 upon, and I had been admitted on trial. I did not 
 witness any of the deliberations of the Conference, 
 the sessions being held with closed doors, as was the 
 rule at that time. On Sabbath morning at eight 
 o'clock Bishop George preached, and there was a 
 great shout among preachers and people. At ten 
 o'clock Bishop M'Kendree preached, standing by an 
 open window on a platform erected for the purpose. 
 The congregation numbered three or four thousand, 
 the church being crowded chiefly with women and 
 children, and by far the greater part of the people 
 being out of doors. It was an eloquent and powerful 
 sermon from the text, i Cor. i, 22-24, " Fo"^ the Jews 
 require a sign," etc. These were the days of Bishop 
 M'Kendree's glory. I think that he was the finest 
 figure which I ever saw in the pulpit. He was about 
 six feet in height, perfectly erect, with a full chest, 
 and a countenance beaming with intelligence and 
 benignity. His voice was shrill and musical, and 
 his elocution simply natural, following the inspira- 
 tions and impulses of the theme and the moment 
 rather than artistic rules. His private manners were 
 
66 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 those of a well-bred gentleman who had seen much 
 of the world. I thought it a great privilege to study 
 the Bishop from afar, and expected no more ; but on 
 my way from Conference I was introduced to him, 
 and the mingled kindness and dignity with which he 
 greeted me were to me very impressive as well as 
 winning. 
 
 When the appointments were read out I listened 
 with the , most intense interest until I heard the 
 announcement, " Broome Circuit, Elisha Bibbins, 
 George Peck." I listened no further. I was pleased 
 with the circuit, and especially with my colleague, 
 and was in such a flurry to set off with the rest that 
 I did not even wait to see Mr. Bibbins. The preach- 
 ers, and even their wives who had come to Confer- 
 ence, traveled on horseback. The session closed 
 about ten o'clock in the morning, and the preachers, 
 expecting the adjournment, had brought their horses 
 to the church equipped for a start. A troop of us 
 set off together over Paris Hill toward Sangerfield. 
 At that point the western men bade us farewell, and 
 we made our way to the valley of the Chenango. 
 About half a dozen of us, among whom were Loring 
 Grant and Marmaduke Pierce, spent the night at 
 Asa Felt's, in Lebanon. The next day I went to 
 my father's, where I remained a day or two, and then 
 left for my new field. 
 
 When I reached the bounds of the circuit I found 
 a letter from Mr. Bibbins, containing a plan of the 
 appointments, with instructions in regard to roads 
 and stopping-places. I was 'to visit the lower half of 
 the circuit before I met my colleague. My first 
 
Broome Circuit — Cortland Circuit. 6"/ 
 
 preaching-place was at Isaac Page's, five miles above 
 Chenango Point. Notice had been given, and I had 
 a large congregation in Mr. Page's barn. Here I 
 found a good Society, which seemed to be prosper- 
 ing. My next appointment was in Osborn Hollow, 
 Sabbath afternoon ; the third in Stilson Hollow ; the 
 fourth at Richard Lewis's, on the Susquehanna, near 
 the present Kirkwood Station, on the Erie Railroad. 
 Here I found a little log-cabin, not of the most in- 
 viting aspect. The good woman informed me that 
 they were out of meat, and that her husband had 
 gone out to try to kill a deer. In due time the old 
 gentleman returned, having succeeded in running a 
 deer into the river, where he shot it. It was now 
 the latter part of July, and we found the meat any 
 thing but palatable. I preached to about half a dozen 
 poor people, led the class, and then answered sundry 
 questions in regard to the Conference. My host and 
 his old lady were from Wales, and when evening 
 came they lighted pine-knots, stuck them between 
 the stones of the fire-place, and began to sing Welsh 
 hymns. 
 
 In the morning I rode to Jesse Hale's, some six 
 miles above the Great Bend. Father Hale was a 
 mighty hunter. In fact, he came from Vermont, and 
 fixed his home in this new region for the purpose of 
 pursuing game in the Harmony Woods — the great 
 forest which then stretched from the Susquehanna to 
 the Delaware. He slaughtered about a hundred deer 
 annually, most of which he sent to the Philadelphia 
 market. He often killed bears and elks, as well as a 
 great variety of smaller game, of the flesh of which I 
 
68 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 often partook at his table. He was a shrewd, witty 
 man. He was the father-in-law of Joseph Smith, the 
 Mormon prophet. In this neighborhood Smith, at 
 least in one version of his story, professed to find the 
 golden plates from which he said that he translated 
 the Book of Mormon. He made love to Emma Hale, 
 and finally married her, in opposition to the wishes 
 of her friends. Hale himself detested Smith, con- 
 sidering him an impostor and a knave. 
 
 Mr. H^le gave me a cordial reception, and in the 
 afternoon I preached in a little log school-house to a 
 small but earnest congregation. When I was in the 
 midst of my subject, and, perhaps, waxing warm there- 
 in, a young woman made a leap in the air and uttered 
 an unearthly scream, which startled me, and came 
 near scattering my thoughts, and bringing my ser- 
 mon to a premature end. I found afterward that she 
 was given to this kind of procedure. She was teach- 
 ing school in this neighborhood, and the next day, 
 when my path lay over the mountain to Windsor, 
 where her residence was she must needs borrow a 
 saddle-horse and insist on accompanying me as guide. 
 Her father, now deceased, had been a deacon in the 
 Presbyterian Church, and no one was home when we 
 reached her house but her mother, a genuine old 
 Jezebel, who came hobbling out on her crutch, and 
 gave me a blast of wild denunciation, berating the 
 Methodists in " good set terms," and heaping upon 
 them all manner of angry abuse. The situation was 
 decidedly novel. 
 
 I rode on to Higby Hollow, where I stayed all 
 night at Father Higby's ; and the next mornirig. 
 
Broome Circuit^Cortland Circuit. 6g 
 
 which was the Sabbath, preached in a small school- 
 house. In the afternoon I preached at Randolph, 
 where was one of the strongest Societies on the cir- 
 cuit. My course that week lay in an irregular line 
 through portions of Broome and Chenango Counties. 
 The appointments for preaching were at Merwin's, 
 Wedge's, Alhse's, Higby's, Elliott's, and Kimball's, 
 and then on Friday evening my colleague and I met 
 at Page's, on the Chenango, five miles above Bing- 
 hamton, which was then called Chenango Point. I 
 gave Brother Bibbins an account of my adventures, 
 including ray crossing the mountain with rny volun- 
 teer escort, and my reception at her mother's. He 
 laughed heartily at this part of my recital, and re- 
 marked, " I will cure that." What he said to the lady 
 I do not know ; but on my next round I crossed the 
 mountain alone. 
 
 On Saturday I set off on the northern range of 
 appointments, and in the afternoon reached Smith- 
 viile, where I found a kind reception at the house of 
 Dr. Grant, the father of my friend, Loring Grant. In 
 Dr. Grant and his wife I found two very pious, intel- 
 ligent, sensible people, thoroughly attached to our 
 Church, and firm friends and wise counselors of the 
 Methodist preachers. Sunday morning I preached 
 at Smithville, in a private house, and in the afternoon 
 rode to Lee's school-house, where I preached again. 
 
 Amanda Hotchkiss was a member of the Society 
 at Lee's. She was a very tall young woman, deeply 
 pious, and universally respected, and yet somewhat 
 peculiar. She had a way of expressing joyous re- 
 ligious emotion by "jumping." Her motions were 
 
70 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 modest, and even graceful. She moved gently, with 
 her eyes closed, occasionally saying, in soft, musical 
 tones, " Glory to God." The preachers did not wish 
 to grieve her by questioning the propriety of her 
 exercises, and the most careless of the wicked would 
 not even smile at them. She long believed that she 
 could not avoid these demonstrations, and that they 
 were the result of Divine power. But the conviction 
 at last forced itself upon her mind that these move- 
 ments were no necessary part of religion, that in her 
 case they were partly the result of mere habit, and 
 that they were undesirable. She wholly ceased from 
 physical demonstrations, and yet averred that she 
 enjoyed closer communion with God, and more solid 
 religious happiness, than when she was more demon- 
 strative. 
 
 On Monday afternoon I preached in the school- 
 •house at Smithville Flats. That evening I lodged 
 at the house of a man whose wife was a member of 
 our Church, and who kept a little store. During the 
 evening there was drinking and carousing in the 
 store, and some one, evidently intoxicated, sung a 
 vulgar song. I thoughtlessly inquired who it was. 
 " It is my husband," said the lady, with painful em- 
 barrassment of manner. I was sorry that I had asked 
 the question. The noise continued, the report of a 
 gun adding to the uproar. In the morning, on tak- 
 ing down my saddle, which I had hung up under the 
 piazza, I found that a musket ball had been shot 
 through it, shattering the frame. My song-singing 
 host did not make his appearance that morning. I 
 complained of the outrage, and Dr. Grant and my 
 
Broome Circuit — Cortland Circuit. 71 
 
 colleague were so indignant that they concluded that 
 we could spend our time to better purpose elsewhere. 
 There had been good congregations but no Society, 
 and we preached there no more. 
 
 The next preaching-place was at Squire Hamil- 
 ton's, where I preached to a small congregation, 
 and was kindly entertained by an estimable family. 
 Thence I went to M'Donough, where T preached in 
 the comfortable log-house of Mr. Oisterbanks, and 
 received a cordial welcome. Next I preached in the 
 house of Deacon Punderson, who had been an officer 
 in the war of the Revolution. He was a pious, 
 well-informed man, a member of the Baptist Church. 
 He had read much, and had a strong, sound mind, 
 and was one of the few whom I met from whose 
 ' conversation I always expected to learn something ; 
 and yet he was as humble as a little child. His talk 
 was to me an intellectual feast. His children were 
 Methodists, and he was very friendly toward us. 
 
 From this place I went to Father Widger's, whom 
 I found a little rough on the surface, but a man of 
 generous impulses, with a fine, pleasant, pious family. 
 I then passed through the village of Oxford, and 
 preached at David Lyons's. The day following I 
 preached in the school-house near Captain Tillot- 
 son's, with whom I lodged. Neither he nor his wife 
 professed religion, but they were very friendly and 
 hospitable, and gave us a good home when we 
 preached in their neighborhood. 
 
 The next Sabbath I preached in the morning in 
 the village of Green, in a school-house. There were 
 no members of our Church there at that time. In 
 
72 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D.' 
 
 the afternoon I rode six or eight miles, and preached 
 in the house of Benjamin Jackson, where I found a 
 good Society. Monday evening I preached at Lisle, 
 in the house of Father Whitney ; Tuesday, at Father 
 Norton's ; Wednesday, at Henry Palmer's, in what is 
 now called Kettleville ; Thursday, at Orrin Seward's, 
 on Potato Creek ; and Friday brought me to I. Page's, 
 where I again met my colleague. 
 
 Thus I made my first round of the circuit, having 
 traveled over two hundred miles, and preached twen- 
 ty-eight times in four weeks. There was not a church 
 on the circuit. We preached in school-houses, barns, 
 and private houses. We had no appointment in any 
 village except Green, which was then small, and in 
 which we had no Society, and not even a place to 
 lodge. In those regions Methodism first took pos- 
 session of the sparsely-peopled country neighbor- 
 hoods.- There were on Broome Circuit three hundred 
 and sixty-six members. The congregations were 
 good, often crowding the places of assemblage. The 
 spirit of the people was excellent, and their cordiality 
 and warm hospitality greatly encouraged me. I was 
 called "the boy," and the term was not misapplied. 
 I was tall, but exceedingly spare ; my face was pale, 
 and my voice untrained. I was conscious that I was 
 very imperfectly qualified for the great work of the 
 ministry, and I often went from the place of worship 
 in deep despondency, weighed down with a sense 
 of utter failure. Sometimes I perceived indications 
 of levity among the young people present in the 
 congregation, and construed it as evidence of con- 
 tempt for roe and my performances. And then. 
 
Broome Circuit — Cortland Circuit. 73 
 
 again, an earnest meeting, and indications of a 
 good effect among the people, would cheer me up, 
 and I would gather courage. My youth and evident 
 inexperience attracted attention, and drew congrega- 
 tions perhaps larger than they would otherwise have 
 been, and thus, take it all in all, I had sufficient ex- 
 perience of the rough ways of the itinerancy to keep 
 me from undue exaltation, and enough of popularity 
 to keep me from total loss of hope and courage. 
 
 Meanwhile I was very anxious to improve. In 
 those, days the publications of the Methodist Book 
 Concern were sold chiefly through the agency of the 
 ministers. Packages of books were sent from time 
 to time to the presiding elders, who distributed them 
 among the preachers to be sold. The preachers 
 carried copies of the various works as they went 
 around their circuits, and every-where offered them 
 to the people. When they had canvassed the ground 
 they returned to the elder what remained unsold, 
 and paid for the rest, usually settling up the business 
 at the last quarterly meeting before the Annual 
 Conference. 
 
 The books for our district were stored at Norwich. 
 I took an early opportunity to visit the place, and fill 
 my saddle-bags with books for sale and for use. 
 
 The General Conference of i8i6 had planned a 
 course of reading and study for preachers on trial in 
 the Conference, and the presiding elder had furnished 
 me with a list of the books named. The young men 
 were to be examined in their studies, not annually, 
 but when they came up for admission into the Con- 
 ference. I selected Wesley's Sermons and Fletch- 
 
74 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 er's Checks as the principal work of the year, and 
 tasked myself with a certain number of pages daily. 
 If I gained any time I employed it to the best ad- 
 vantage in my power in other studies. My method 
 was to study the allotted portion of Wesley in the 
 morning, while yet at the house where I had spent 
 the previous night ; then, mounting my horse, I rode 
 on to my next appointment, reflecting as I went on 
 what I had read, and studying my sermon. On 
 reaching my next stopping-place I passed a few 
 minutes in conversation, and then got out my copy 
 of Fletcher and studied as long as other duties per- 
 mitted. Thus I read a portion daily in both Wesley 
 and Fletcher till I had gone through them with close 
 attention. They were more precious to me than 
 gold. I had read some of Wesley's Sermons while 
 at home ; but the Checks were all new to me, and I 
 was charmed with the flowing style, the keen wit, 
 the novel illustration, and the powerful logic of the 
 Vicar of Madeley. 
 
 I found immediate use for the edge tools with 
 which I was thus made acquainted. It was a time 
 of controversy and debate. Every preacher was ex- 
 pected to be perpetually in line of battle, ready for 
 either attack or defense ; and when sundry zealous 
 opposers of the Methodists thought to win an easy 
 victory over " the boy," they found that they could 
 not stand before John Fletcher. 
 
 This year I also studied Watts' Logic and Wes- 
 ley's Notes on the New Testament. This latter 
 work was all that I then possessed in the line of 
 biblical criticism, and although I was not wholly 
 
Broome Circuit — Cortland Circuit. 75 
 
 satisfied with some of the views of Wesley, it afforded 
 me great assistance. The dictum of Wesley was in 
 general the end of controversy with me, but his notes 
 were often too brief to be clear, and left the difficulty 
 still unexplained. I encountered many hinderances 
 in the prosecution of my studies. I was obliged to 
 sit down with my book in the same room with the 
 family where I chanced to be, the children noisy, the 
 adults full of talk, and all manner of domestic opera- 
 tions in progress. Sometimes I would be assailed 
 with questions, designed to draw me into the con- 
 versational current, but I contrived to bring out my 
 answers so slowly, and sometimes so much at ran- 
 dom; as to make the impression that my attention 
 was not to be diverted. The good people soon 
 learned my ways, and when I opened my book they 
 usually left me to myself ; but there were still diffi- 
 culties in the way. Sometimes the light was bad, 
 coming through a window glazed with oiled paper, 
 or through the chinks between the logs, or the open 
 gable of the cabin. In the winter I was often obliged 
 to sit first with one side to the fire and then the 
 other, in order to keep tolerably warm all around. 
 The chairs, too, with their high, straight backs, and 
 sagged splint bottoms, were instruments of torture. 
 When I meet one of the weeping prophets, whose 
 mission seems to be to bewail the " good old times " 
 of early Methodism, I sometimes fancy that it would 
 do him good to sit for a few hours in one of those 
 ancient chairs, and meditate on the golden age whose 
 departed glories he mourns. In the summer things 
 were more favorable, as I could retreat to the groves 
 
"j^ Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 with my books and papers, and thus escape frc i 
 company, confusion, and interruption. What de- 
 lightful times I had in the forest, with a log for a 
 seat, and a rock for a writing-table. 
 
 In September I attended a camp-meeting with Mr. 
 Bibbins at Hopbottorn. The congregations were 
 small, the nights were cold, and the general success 
 of the meeting not great. Still I was interested in 
 various matters connected with it. I heard Marma- 
 duke Pierce, the presiding elder of the Susquehanna 
 District, preach a great sermon on tKe evidences of 
 Christianity. The people were extravagant in phys- 
 ical demonstrations. " Jumping " was a general 
 practice. Here I first saw Darius Williams, a local 
 preacher from Wyoming Circuit, well known through 
 the southern part of the Conference as a marvel of 
 song in the prayer-meetings, and a man of great ani- 
 mation- and power. James Gilmore, a member of the 
 Conference, attracted no little attention. He was a 
 man of devoted piety and great mental force, but, 
 withal, eccentric in his expressions and actions. He 
 had once encountered a great deal of persecution at 
 the hands of a band of skeptics on his circuit, who 
 seemed to have deliberately set themselves to the 
 work of annoying and resisting him in his Gospel 
 work. Mr. Gilmore suffered patiently for a time, 
 but at last prayed in the public congregation that if 
 these enemies of the truth would not cease that the 
 Lord would remove them out of the way. Soon after 
 a malignant fever swept away a number of the bold- 
 est of them, and spread consternation among the rest 
 far and wide. He was told at this camp-meeting 
 
Broome Circuit — Cortland Circuit. TJ 
 
 that a certain stranger, who had been listening to his 
 talk, had said that he would like to hear him preach. 
 
 " He would ? " was the reply. " Well, bring him 
 here, and I will preach to him in five minutes ; and 
 when he has heard me, he will think that a horse has 
 kicked him." 
 
 We had a tolerably prosperous year, but no great 
 revivals. One event gave us great pain, and inflicted 
 a permanent injury upon the cause of religion. Two 
 Unitarian preachers came within the bounds of our 
 circuit, preaching the speedy coming of Christ, the 
 establishment of his kingdom, and the annihilation 
 of the wicked. They denounced all creeds, all "book- 
 learning," all Church organizations. Their names 
 were John Taylor and David Foot, and they de- 
 clared that they had received a Divine commission 
 to pull down the Churches. They took their texts 
 chiefly from the Book of Revelation, and attempted 
 to show that the Churches were Babylon and the 
 scarlet woman. The burden of their sermons was, 
 " Come out of her, my people, that ye be not par- 
 takers of her . . . plagues." The Churches, they said, 
 were all to be destroyed in four years. 
 
 Their religious exercises were wild and fanatical, 
 and their assemblies scenes of disorder. They 
 danced and howled, and indulged in antics which 
 were not only foolish, but profane. One evening, 
 while I was preaching in a little log-cabin occupied 
 by a man whose name was Kimball, in came this 
 Taylor, who, as I afterward learned, had already 
 caught Kimball and his wife in his evil net. When 
 I concluded my service, Taylor started up and began 
 
78 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 to shout and roar in an incoherent manner. He 
 jumped up and down, threw his red handkerchief up 
 against the ceiling, and caught it as it came down. 
 A few men, and more women, in the congregation 
 caught the inspiration, and began to follow his exam- 
 ple. Kimball arose, and began a fanatical harangue, 
 declaring that he had at last got into liberty, and was 
 ready to leave the Churches, and" abandon all "book 
 learning " whatever. " Yes, brethering," he screamed, 
 " I am munging into the liberty, and if any of you 
 don't like it you may intire into another room." I 
 accepted his proposition by " intiring " out of doors, 
 and, mounting my horse, which had been standing 
 under a shed, rode four or five miles to Charles 
 Stone's, crossing the Chenango on the ice. Here I 
 found the presiding elder, Mr. Harmon, and my col- 
 league, to whom I related the evening's adventures. 
 
 These impostors gathered about them a little band 
 of followers, some from our Society, others from other 
 denominations. They called each other by their 
 Christian names, and so got the cognomen of John- 
 ites, from the name of their leader, John Taylor. 
 This outbreak of fanaticism and folly had more 
 power for mischief than one would suppose possible. 
 The Society at Page's was so generally affected by it 
 that it disbanded, the few who remained faithful join- 
 ing elsewhere. Not a few simple-hearted, good peo- 
 ple were led away, and, for a time, Taylor and Foot 
 flourished. They professed boundless Christian love 
 for their disciples, and sometimes kissed them all round 
 at the close of the meeting. After a while suspicions 
 arose, and people began to whisper together ; then 
 
Broome Circuit — Cortland Circuit. 79 
 
 came discovery, then popular indignation, and hints 
 of tar and feathers ; John and David fled to parts 
 unknown, and the Johnite heresy came to an end, 
 leaving behind it an unsavory odor, which lasted 
 many years. 
 
 When the year closed I was deeply affected at the 
 thought of leaving the people. I had found among 
 them fathers and mothers who had treated me with 
 parental affection ; brothers and sisters who had sym- 
 pathized with me in my trials, and had in various ways 
 ministered to my comfort. I had taken sweet coun- 
 sel with them in the solemn assembly, and in their 
 dwellings, at the fireside, and around the family altar. 
 Now I was to leave them. I was not accustomed to 
 this breaking up of cherished associations. It was 
 leaving home a second time. I bade adieu to the 
 people, often with tears, and as often left them in 
 tears. It was still harder to part with my colleague. 
 We had labored together with the utmost harmony, 
 and a friendship had been formed which, I trust, shall 
 never end. 
 
 The pecuniary receipts of the year did not make 
 me rich. I received of the stewards of the circuit 
 about fifty dollars. Still, my wants were supplied. 
 The goodly, home-spun suit which my mother spun 
 and wove, and my sister had made, lasted through 
 the year. It was, however, waxing old, and the di- 
 minutive " salary " named came opportunely, to ena- 
 ble me to prepare for my next field of labor. 
 
 There being nothing to call me to Conference, 
 which held its session in Canada, I took the oppor- 
 tunity to visit my friends. During this visit a camp- 
 
8o Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 meeting was held at Columbus, some ten miles from 
 my father's. We took our tent, and spent there a 
 very pleasant and profitable season. While trying 
 to preach at this meeting I was greatly moved to see 
 my father break down and weep like a child. The 
 fact is, his faith in my call to the work had not been 
 very strong, and he had often expressed his doubts. 
 He had not heard me attempt a sermon, except at 
 the beginning of my public labors, and in the mean- 
 time I had acquired some degree of confidence, and 
 succeeded so much better than he anticipated, that 
 he now went, perhaps, to the other extreme, saying, 
 " I have been wicked in my opposition to that boy's 
 preaching. I give it up. God has called him to the 
 work." 
 
 I also visited Middlefield, the place of my birth, 
 and preached in the old Presbyterian church. I was 
 glad to meet again the people with whom I had been 
 associated in my early religious life. My old friends 
 and comrades greeted me very kindly, but I found it 
 something of a cross to preach before them. 
 
 This year, 1817, my appointment was on Cort- 
 land Circuit, again with Elisha Bibbins. I could not 
 have been better pleased. The circuit was the one 
 organized by Loring Grant, and on which I spent 
 the first few months of my ministry. I had been at 
 all the appointments, knew the roads, the " stopping- 
 places," and the people. My brother Luther had 
 married and settled within the bounds of the charge, 
 and I would be within a day's ride of my father's 
 house, and I set out with good courage for my new 
 field. 
 
Broome Ciraiit — Cortland Circuit. 8i 
 
 In passing around the circuit I found things con- 
 siderably improved. There had been a revival of 
 religion in Cazenovia and the vicinity, and a class, 
 composed chiefly of young people, had been formed 
 in the village. William Cameron had labored in 
 Cortland the previous year, and had been very use- 
 ful. The people every-where gave me a hearty 
 welcome, and we were greatly cheered with the 
 prospects of good which were exhibited in all di- 
 rections. Mr. Bibbins was very acceptable. He 
 was a man of great power in prayer and exhorta- 
 tion. His singing often melted hard hearts, and 
 prepared the way for his mighty appeals, under 
 which whole congregations sometimes broke out in 
 sobs and tears. Our congregations increased. I 
 felt the stimulus of the growing interest, studied my 
 sermons still more carefully, and delivered them with 
 increased earnestness. Awakenings and conversions 
 took place on different parts of the circuit, and our 
 hopes of a sweeping revival were mounting to the 
 highest pitch. 
 
 Several circumstances worthy of note attended our 
 first quarterly meeting. It was appointed at Caze- 
 novia, where we had no church of our own. We ex- 
 pected to occupy the court-house, which was vacant, 
 the county seat having been removed to Morrisville. 
 The Methodists and the Baptists had been occupying 
 the court-room on alternate Sundays, and, unfortu- 
 nately, the quarterly meeting came on the wrong day. 
 Neither party had any lease of the premises, or legal 
 title to them. We applied to the Baptist minister. 
 Elder John Peck, proposing a change of the times of 
 6 
 
82 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 occupancy, but he refused in a somewhat ungracious 
 manner. There stood on the hill-side, near the out- 
 let of the lake, between the mills and the bridge, an 
 old two-story building once a distillery, but then 
 unoccupied, and we secured it for the emergency. 
 Mr. Bibbins, Benajah Williams, Father Rowland, and 
 myself, went at the work, and with our own hands 
 fitted up the second story for our meeting. We re- 
 paired the floor, constructed benches of slabs, and 
 made a pulpit of a carpenter's work-bench, and had 
 space for five hundred people. 
 
 We had a glorious meeting. The love-feast was a 
 time of power. When the public services began the 
 place was filled to overflowing. The presiding elder, 
 George Harmon, preached a powerful sermon against 
 Calvinism, and a strong and permanent effect was 
 produced on the public mind. My old namesake 
 lost, instead of gaining, by his course. 
 
 In the month of September Mr. Bibbins and I 
 attended a camp-meeting on Broome Circuit, on the 
 ground of Charles Stone. Timothy Dewey was there, 
 and preached four sermons, all really great, scriptur- 
 al, weighty, full of thought, and abounding in power- 
 ful appeals, which sometimes were overwhelming. 
 On Sunday George W. Densmore preaclied an earn- 
 est sermon, and John Griffing followed it with an 
 exhortation which cut its way like a two-edged 
 sword. Many penitents cried for mercy. One man 
 fell to the ground, and writhed as if in the agonies 
 of death. He found peace, and when I saw him 
 last, thirty years afterward, was still a faithful member 
 of the Church. 
 
Broome Circuit — Cortland Circuit. %i 
 
 Another incident occurred which may be worth 
 relating, as an illustration of the times. A young 
 man, a sort of itinerant local preacher, undertook to 
 preach a great, learned sermon, and, in the estimation 
 of every body except himself, made the flattest kind 
 of a failure. As he proceeded the preachers grew 
 uneasy, and groaned, and began quietly to leave the 
 stand one by one, and still the preacher went on, 
 without any sign of making an end. At the end of 
 an hour and a half Mr. Densmore, unable any longer 
 to endure his sufferings, crept up behind the speaker 
 and whispered emphatically, " Wind off ! wind off ! " 
 This brought the freshet of eloquence and wisdom 
 to an end, and the youth, going up to a group of 
 preachers, innocently asked, " What ails Brother 
 Densmore .■' " " Your sermon was the cause of his 
 movements. I am astonished at you. It was very 
 much out of place," said the elder. Still the young 
 man seemed unable to understand the matter, and 
 Father Dewey turned his keen, black eyes upon him, 
 and said, in his impressive manner, "You made 
 awful work of it.'' The ambitious orator soon left 
 the ground, and I have never heard of him since. 
 
 While every thing on our circuit was full of prom- 
 ise, and I was anticipating a great harvest of souls, 
 I was suddenly stricken down by severe illness. 
 
 On a cold, damp evening, I preached in a crowded 
 and uncomfortably hot school-house, and then walked 
 half a mile in a profuse perspiration to my lodgings. 
 In the morning I found that I had taken a severe 
 cold, but, hoping to wear it off, went on my round, 
 preaching daily, growing worse all the time, my cough 
 
84 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 bein^ almost insupportable, and my head' so dizzy 
 that I could scarcely stand. Reaching the house of 
 Father Isaiah Williams, two miles south of Cazeno- 
 via, I could go no farther. Then followed a profuse 
 hemorrhage from the lungs. I had no physician, 
 and I saw, by the faces and language of my kind 
 friends, that they were alarmed and feared a fatal 
 result. The bleeding somewhat relieved the strict- 
 ure on my lungs, and I was removed to the house 
 of John Rowland, in Cazenovia, where I had all 
 needed care and medical aid. For several nights I 
 sat up in a chair, being unable to lie down. Once I 
 attempted to pray in the family, and fainted, alarm- 
 ing the whole household. 
 
 In this feeble condition I rode in a sleigh to my 
 father's. Once more at home, and in the care of 
 my dear mother, I was content, and began slowly to 
 mend, although so slowly that for some time it was by 
 no means clear whether the attack would terminate 
 in restoration or death. I passed through severe men- 
 tal conflicts. I could not bear the thought of leaving 
 my work. I asked my heart if I was prepared to die ; 
 and I felt that, while I had hope in God, I was not in 
 the state of mind I desired to be when I should-go 
 into his presence. I wanted a clearer vision. It was 
 a time of searching of heart and deep humiliation. I 
 writhed under the rod, but it subdued me ; it checked 
 my ambition and my too high hopes. I saw my 
 weakness as I had never seen it before, and felt the 
 vanity of all human expectations. 
 
 I remained at home three or four weeks. I had 
 gone thither in an exceedingly enfeebled condition, 
 
Broome Circuit — Cortland Circuit 85 
 
 and, for aught I knew, to die ; for days I was not 
 able to obtain one moment of refreshing sleep, and 
 yet, at the present time, I have none but pleasant 
 memories of that visit. The simple remedies which 
 I took, prepared by my mother from the roots and 
 herbs found in field or forest; the kind attentions 
 which I received ; and, above all, the consciousness 
 of home, were a balm to soul and body. While still 
 very weak I returned to my circuit, resolved to do 
 what service I was able. I made my home at Caze- 
 novia, and soon found something that I could do. 
 
 The quarterly meeting in the distillery had made 
 a strong impression in favor of Methodism, and the 
 little Society began to gather courage. We learned 
 that the old court-house was to be sold, and a few 
 of our friends resolved, if possible, to purchase it. 
 We learned, somehow, that the Baptists expected, as 
 a matter of course, to buy it for their own use ; and 
 that, not expecting any serious competition, they had 
 appointed a committee to attend the sale and make 
 the purchase, provided the price did not exceed 
 eighteen hundred dollars. We resolved to secure it, 
 even if we were compelled to pay a little more than 
 this sum. 
 
 The day of sale came ; bids of various amounts 
 were offered, and at last the Baptist committee 
 reached their limit, and there rested, having no idea 
 that any one would go beyond them. To their ex- 
 treme mortification, our committee went a little 
 beyond, and the property was struck off to us. Then 
 they began to abuse, and even insult, the men who 
 had outbid them, saying that they would never be 
 
86 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 able to pay for it. To guard against every contin- 
 gency, we had come prepared with a bond, signed 
 by six or seven reliable gentlemen, guaranteeing due 
 payment. To get this bond drawn up and signed 
 had been the first thing that I attempted to do -after 
 my return from my father's. This bond was now 
 produced and handed to the commissioners, who 
 read it, and then turning to our friends, said, " The 
 property is yours." Thus, for the sum of eighteen 
 hundred and ten dollars we became possessed of a 
 place of worship of our own in the village of Caze- 
 novia. The building is still in existence, and now 
 constitutes a part of the Oneida Conference Seminary. 
 The gentlemen who signed the bond were John 
 Rowland, Benajah Williams, Isaac Parsons, Joseph 
 Keeler, Martin Keeler, and, I think, another, whose 
 name I cannot recall. 
 
 I was too feeble to resume my regular work, and 
 yet desired to do something. I felt able to preach 
 once a Sabbath, and by the direction of the presiding 
 elder I established regular services in Cazenovia, and 
 maintained them nearly until the session, of the Con- 
 ference. My colleague insisted that I should rest 
 while he multiplied his labors to supply my lack of 
 service. My strength gradually returned, and toward 
 the close of the year I made a round of the circuit 
 and preached at every appointment. Meanwhile I 
 had prosecuted my studies with little interruption. 
 I had read Wesley on Original Sin, and Fletcher's 
 Appeal. I had studied Watts' Logic, Blair's Rhet- 
 oric, and Morse's Geography. For the sake of the 
 rich fragments of biblical criticism with which the 
 
Broome Circuit — Cortland Circuit. 87 
 
 work abounds, I had gone entirely through the two 
 heavy volumes of Wood's Dictionary of the Bible. I 
 had also thoroughly studied the Baptist and Calvin- 
 ist controversies, and often had use for what I knew 
 in regard to them. One evening, for instance, when 
 my colleague and I were tarrying for a night in the 
 village of De Ruyter, a young man, not a member of 
 any Church, contrived to bring to the house where 
 we were a Baptist minister by the name of Benedict, 
 noted for his controversial pugnacity. A debate fol- 
 lowed, as a matter of course. Mr. Bibbins contented 
 himself in silently watching the contest. My oppo- 
 nent plunged at once into the metaphysics of the 
 subject, seeming to fancy that it would be an un- 
 known land to me. But I pressed him with the log- 
 ical consequences of the "horrible decree," its fatal- 
 ism, its destruction of moral responsibility, till he 
 was thoroughly entangled in his own web. Confused 
 by arguments and rejoinders which were familiar to 
 those who had seen our side of the controversy, but 
 which seemed new to him, he finally excused himself, 
 and took his departure. 
 
 In July we held a camp-meeting in Truxton. My 
 colleague and I selected the ground and superin- 
 tended its preparation. Father Dewey, James Kel- 
 sey, and other preachers came to our help, and, best 
 of all, God was with us, and we had a goodly number 
 of souls converted. There were some interesting 
 cases. Several children of the principal members at 
 Keeney's Settlement were among the converts. An 
 interesting daughter of Father Andrews was in the 
 prayer circle. The weather was so hot and the 
 
88 Life and Times of G. Feck, D.D. 
 
 crowd so dense that an elder sister really feared that 
 the penitent young lady would be suffocated. Mak- 
 ing her way to her through the throng, she lifted up 
 her sister's head, and said, "Esther, you will die here. 
 Do you not want some water ? " The weeping girl 
 looked up at her, and replied, " I want nothing but 
 Jesus." The other retreated in all possible haste, 
 and Esther was soon able to praise the Lord for his 
 pardoning mercy. 
 
 James Kelsey preached a powerful sermon. Fa- 
 ther Dewey, as he always did, thundered and light- 
 ened, and made every thing tremble. He preached 
 on the text, " I have somewhat against thee, because 
 thou hast left thy first love." Certain expressions in 
 his opening prayer gave offense in some quarters. 
 " O Lord," said he, " have mercy upon backslidden 
 Methodists, hypocritical Baptists, and cold-hearted 
 Presbyterians." The sermon was in a similar spirit, 
 and cut every way. 
 
 The camp-meeting closed, but the work went on, 
 and I remained at Keeney's Settlement about two 
 weeks, preaching, attending prayer-meetings, and 
 visiting from house to house. We had some annoy- 
 ance from a certain Baptist preacher, who, without 
 waiting for an invitation, visited families where there 
 were converts, misrepresenting the Methodists, talk- 
 ing up immersion, and showing more zeal for water 
 than either piety or honor. His raids resulted in 
 turning aside a few. 
 
 Some of the conversions were remarkable. Fa- 
 ther Andrews' eldest son, who was married, lived in 
 the same house with his father. He and his wife 
 
Broome Circuit — Cortland Circuit. 89 
 
 were awakened at the camp-meeting, and sought 
 peace, apparently in vain. He became discouraged 
 and almost despairing. I went to the house late one 
 afternoon, and met James Andrews, who was going 
 up the high hill in the rear of the house to look after 
 his horses. I asked him how he fared religiously. 
 He answered that he was discouraged ; that he tried 
 his best to give up all, and yet he felt no rehef. I 
 urged him to persevere, assuring him that the cloud 
 would soon burst if he continued to seek earnestly. 
 He went on up the hill, and I entered the house. 
 As I sat musing in the twilight I heard an unusual 
 noise behind the house, and going to see what caused 
 the alarm, I heard Mother Andrews exclaim, " O 
 dear me, the horse has kicked James !" She rushed- 
 up the hill in the direction of the noise, her husband 
 close behind her, and I following as fast as I could. 
 When I arrived on the scene of action I found all 
 three with their arms abound each other, reeling this 
 way and that, James shouting, " Glory to God," and 
 all three weeping, praising the Lord, and acting as 
 if they were wild with joy. 
 
 " O, Mr. Peck," said James, when the first burst 
 of emotion had subsided a little, " I did as you told 
 me, and God has blessed me. I came into this field, 
 and although there are only three acres in it, and the 
 horses are here, I could not find them. I thought I 
 would go to a particular spot and pray, but when I 
 came to it something seemed to say, This is not the 
 right place, go to another ; and when I reached the 
 other, that was not the right one. Finally I said I 
 will go no farther, but just fall down here and cry for 
 
90 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 mercy, and imtflediately my soul was filled with peace 
 and joy, and I began to praise the Lord aloud." 
 
 Thus I spent a few very happy days, not entirely 
 free from pain and disappointment, while I saw a por- 
 tion of the fruit of our labors lured from us and borne 
 off in other directions. In those days the unscrupu- 
 lous proselyting which we sometimes saw roused my 
 indignation, and called forth scathing doctrinal ser- 
 mons. Later in life I feel less concern. My .esti- 
 mate of the procedure, indeed, remains the same ; 
 but I have learned that those who are likely to do 
 well in the Methodist Episcopal Church, and be of 
 real religious value to us, will not be easily persuaded 
 away. 
 
Wyoming' Circiiit — Bridgewater Circuit. gi 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 RECEPTION INTO THE CONFERENCE : 1818, WYOMING 
 CIRCUIT 1819, BRIDGEWATER CIRCUIT AND WY- 
 OMING. 
 
 THE Genesee Conference met at Lansing (then 
 called Teetertown and Genoa) July i6, 1818, 
 Bishop Roberts presiding. 
 
 About the second day of the session the candidates 
 for admission to membership in the Conference were 
 notified to present themselves before the Bishop at 
 his lodgings for examination. We were eleven in 
 number, and were all ushered into the room together, 
 where we found the Bishop and the six presiding 
 elders. We were examined singly, each rising when 
 his name was called, and standing in the middle of 
 the floor till the questioners were done with him. 
 This was the first examination of candidates in the 
 history of the Conference, and I had looked forward 
 to it with fear and trembling. I anticipated a thor- 
 ough, searching process, and was afraid that I should 
 utterly fail. But I was immeasurably mistaken in 
 the whole affair. The good Bishop asked a few ques- 
 tions of the most general character, and three of the 
 elders. Case, Giles, and Hustis, volunteered a few 
 more of the same kind. John Dempster was asked 
 to parse an easy sentence, which he did imperfectly 
 without being corrected. I was not even asked 
 
92 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 whether I had studied grammar. The examination 
 of the whole eleven occupied only the brief summer 
 evening. 
 
 I came away almost vexed. I had studied hard 
 for two years, and the books over which I had 
 spent many a day of intense application were hardly 
 named. Perhaps pride was at the bottom of these 
 feelings ; but at the time I thought it only a natural 
 desire to stand in a true light before the Conference. 
 Moreover, I was suspicious that objections might be 
 made to my reception on account of the state of my 
 health. I had been laid aside from my regular work 
 for three months during the previous year, and was 
 still pale and thin, consequently a little reinforce- 
 ment of my claims on the score of my attention to 
 books might be of service. 
 
 The next day I was leaning on the fence in a 
 brown study when out came Mr. Bibbins. " Come 
 in, George," said he, "you are admitted." I went 
 'into the church, and for the first time beheld an 
 Annual Conference in session. This custom of hold- 
 ing the sessions with doors closed to all but members 
 of Conference prevailed until 1824, and was then laid 
 aside. When I entered the Conference room the 
 other candidates were under consideration. There 
 was a warm debate over the case of John Dempster. 
 His piety, zeal, and ability were urged, and admitted, 
 but he was declared to be in infirm health. He was 
 finally continued on trial. When I saw the result in 
 his case, I wondered why I had not been rejected for 
 the same reason. I found afterward that my presid- 
 ing elder, perhaps fully persuaded that my health 
 
Wyoming Circuit — Bridgewater Circuit. 93 
 
 would soon be entirely restored, had said nothing 
 about it, and no question had been raised on the 
 subject. 
 
 At this period the leading debaters of the Genesee 
 Conference were John Kimberlin, Charles Giles, 
 Henry Ryan, William Case, Loring Grant, Andrew 
 Prindle, and William Barlow. Several of these were 
 really able in argument. Marmaduke Pierce, the 
 strongest man in the body, seldom said a word ex- 
 cept when his position as presiding elder compelled 
 him. 
 
 On Sunday, the church being far too small to con- 
 tain the crowds which gathered from far and near, 
 the services were held in a neighboring grove. 
 Bishop Roberts preached a plain, practical sermon, 
 after which I, with others, was ordained a deacon. 
 The service was performed in an impressive manner, 
 and the whole ceremony, particularly the ordination 
 vows, sank deeply into my heart. In the afternoon 
 I heard a sermon from Joshua Soule, followed imme- 
 diately by another, I think, from William Barlow. 
 Mr. Soule was then the principal Book Agent at 
 New York. I had never before heard a preacher of 
 his type. He had an imposing personal presence, 
 and I thought him a man of great talents, but I could 
 not say that I admired him. 
 
 At the close of the Conference my name was read 
 out for Wyoming Circuit, on the Susquehanna Dis- 
 trict. I was surprised at my appointment, as the cir- 
 cuit was one of the oldest, and was considered one of 
 the most desirable charges in the Conference. Meet- 
 ing the presiding elder, Mr. Pierce, at the door, I ex- 
 
94 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 pressed to him my fears that I should not meet the 
 expectations of the people upon so important a 
 charge ; but he encouraged me, saying that the peo- 
 ple were very kind, and that there was a good revival 
 of religion on the circuit. 
 
 I set off for my new field of labor in company with 
 Elijah King, who was appointed to Wyalusing. He 
 was an admirer of good horses, and generally owned 
 one of the best. At the Conference Joshua Soule 
 took a fancy to Mr. King's powerful steed, and per- 
 suaded him to sell it. Mr. King proposed, as our 
 way for nearly a hundred miles was in the same di- 
 rection, that we should harness my horse to his car- 
 riage, and ride together as far as our roads were 
 the same. Thus we traveled for three days. I then 
 mounted my horse, and rode on two days more, the 
 road lying along the Susquehanna, sometimes close 
 on the bank of the river, sometimes diverging and 
 passing over the mountains. When I reached the 
 Valley of Wyoming I had just fifty cents in money 
 left in my pocket. 
 
 There was, so far as I knew, but one man on the 
 circuit whom I had ever seen, and that was Darius 
 Williams, whom I met at the Hopbottom camp- 
 meeting, and who was living in Kingston. I directed 
 my steps to his house, and there found a cordial wel- 
 come. Here I learned some interesting particulars 
 in regard to the revival then in progress at Forty 
 Fort, two miles north of Kingston. Just before Con- 
 ference a camp-meeting had been held on the mount- 
 ain west of the valley, about three fourths of a mile 
 from the present camp ground of the Wyoming Dis- 
 
Wyoming Circuit — Bridgewater Circuit. 95 
 
 trict. Philip Myers, Esq., a resident of Forty Fort, 
 had a large family of sons and daughters, but not 
 one of them, either parents or children, professed 
 religion. The young people were gay and thought- 
 less, but the novelty of a camp-meeting attracted 
 them, and they took a tent and encamped on the 
 ground. 
 
 Toward the close of the meeting the spirit of 
 awakening laid hold of them. The eldest daughter, 
 Elizabeth, or, as she was called in the more homely 
 style of the times, Betsey, was the ruling spirit of the 
 circle, and the gayest of the gay. She was deeply 
 convicted, and yet was fully resolved not to yield to 
 her convictions, or, at all events, not to divulge them 
 till she should reach home. The meeting closed, and 
 the people started homeward. A long line of wagons 
 and carriages, and men and women on horseback, 
 interspersed with foot passengers, came down the 
 mountain. A number of preachers were among 
 them, Marmaduke Pierce, Elias Bowen, George 
 Lane, and others. The Myers young people were 
 near the head of the procession. 
 
 About the time they reached the valley the an- 
 guish of Miss Myers became so intense that she 
 began to cry aloud. Her brother, who was driving, 
 stopped his horses, not knowing what to do. This 
 blocked the road, and spread confusion all along the 
 line. Every body was inquiring, in alarm and per- 
 plexity, what had happened, and people came hurry- 
 ing on to the front to see. Miss Sally Denison, a 
 young lady friend of the Myers, and a member of 
 the Church, came up to them, and divining the true 
 
96 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 state of things, exclaimed, " Betsey Myers, get out of 
 the wagon ; get out immediately ! " Miss Myers 
 took it for granted that the object was to hold a 
 prayer-meeting in her behalf under the shadow of 
 the trees. She accordingly got out, and walking a 
 few rods to the edge of the grove, fell upon-her knees 
 and began to cry for mercy. 
 
 The people, with several of the preachers, gathered 
 about them, and there was held what, from that day 
 to the present, has been called the " I^ittle Camp- 
 meeting." Several hours were spent in singing, ex- 
 hortation, and prayer, and ten or twelve persons 
 found peace in believing. Miss "Myers not only 
 found pardon, but a joy as intense as had been her 
 sorrow for sin. She praised the Lord, and earnestly 
 exhorted all her young associates to give their hearts 
 to the Saviour. Three of her sisters and a brother- 
 in-law rejoiced in the pardoning love of God. The 
 story of this impromptu meeting in the grove went 
 abroad, and attracted great attention, and doubtless 
 was the means, in the Divine hand, of awakening 
 many souls to their need of Christ. At Forty Fort 
 there was a continued work going on when I reached 
 the circuit. 
 
 The next morning after my arrival I crossed the 
 Susquehanna in a skiff, there being at that time no 
 bridge there, and, so far as I now remember, none 
 either above or below for hundreds of miles. At 
 Wilkesbarre I called upon George Lane, then a local 
 preacher, resident there, engaged in mercantile busi- 
 ness. We had never met before, but the early ac- 
 quaintance which began that day ripened into a 
 
Wyoming Circuit — Bridgnvatcr Circuit. 97 
 
 warm and lasting friendship, which, I trust, will be 
 renewed in the other life. In his house the preach- 
 ers ever found a pleasant home, and in him a true 
 friend and wise counselor. His store and residence, 
 both in the same building, were on the public square, 
 on the corner of Market-street. Mrs. Lane was a 
 most estimable lady. Hgr name, before her mar- 
 riage, was Harvey, and she was the daughter of one 
 of the old settlers of Plymouth. 
 
 The Wyoming Circuit was arranged on the two 
 weeks' plan, and had twelve appointments, at all of 
 which I was myself to preach, each round requiring 
 me to travel one hundred and thirty-six miles. I 
 preached my first sermon on the circuit in the old 
 Church at Forty Fort, on Sunday morning, August 9, 
 18 18, the day after my twenty-first birthday. In the 
 afternoon I preached in Plymouth, and during the 
 week took the range of appointments along the 
 mountain west of the river. On Saturday I reached 
 Wilkesbarre, where I preached the next morning in 
 a church built by the citizens as a sort of union'enter- 
 prise, but which, by purchase, afterward became the 
 sole property of the Methodists. On Sunday after- 
 noon I preached in the school-house in Hanover, 
 then called Ruggles's School-house. On Monday I 
 rode to Stoddardsville, where I found an extraordi- 
 nary religious interest, which, on the human side, 
 had an extraordinary beginning. 
 
 Lewis Stull, a profane and thoughtless young man, 
 engaged in the occupation of making shingles, had 
 been living alone for weeks in a cabin in the depths 
 of a dense pine forest, fearless of harm from man or 
 
98 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 beast. One night, as he said and verily believed, a 
 frightful figure, with sable countenance and fiery eyes, 
 came into his room, gazed upon him till his blood 
 almost froze with terror, and then disappeared. The 
 next morning, as soon as it was light, he left his 
 solitary dwelling and fled to the settlement. He 
 was in an agony of fear and despair, and his friends 
 thought him mentally deranged. Some tried to 
 convince him that it was a dream, but he steadily 
 affirmed that he had not even been asleep. Others 
 proposed medical treatment, but no medicine could 
 reach the case. 
 
 At last Gilbert Barnes, and a pious woman by the 
 name of Alloway, long known in after years as 
 Father Barnes, of Wilkesbarre, and Mother Alloway, 
 of Vestal, were instrumental in bringing the light 
 and hope of the blessed Gospel to this terrified and 
 despairing sinner. Their instructions and prayers 
 were a balm to his wounded soul. His mother had 
 been pious, and doubtless her teachings were not, 
 even yet, wholly forgotten. He finally found pardon 
 and peace by faith in Christ. 
 
 The story of Stull created a great local excitement, 
 and gave rise to numberless discussions in all circles, 
 all kinds of theories being broached, but every body 
 believing that he was fully persuaded of the truth of 
 his story. When I made my first visit to Stoddards- 
 ville the story was fresh, and still under discussion. 1 
 lodged that night at the house of Gilbert Barnes. 
 Soon after I retired to rest I was called up, and 
 informed that a person was under deep conviction, 
 and her friends desired me to come and pray with 
 
Wyoming Circuit — Bridgewater Circuit. 99 
 
 her. When I reached the place, I found the woman 
 wild with terror, clinging to her husband, and ex- 
 claiming, " Hold me fast ! They will have me. See 
 them after me ! " About a dozen people, among them 
 Mr. Barnes and Mrs. Alloway, were trying in vain to 
 calm her. She wept, prayed, and uttered her cries 
 of agony until we engaged in prayer, during which 
 she was comparatively quiet, and then again as wild 
 as ever. Finding that I could not command her at- 
 tention for one moment, I soon left. The next morn- 
 ing she was quiet, and said that she had seen Satan 
 coming down the chimney. She and her husband 
 soon after left the place, and I never heard of her 
 afterward. 
 
 The next evening after this midnight adventure I 
 preached on the words, " Knowing therefore the ter- 
 ror of the Lord, we persuade men." All classes of 
 the community were talking about the recent strange 
 events, and I had, for the place, a very large congre- 
 gation. The drift of the sermon was to show the 
 people that to an unsaved soul the wrath of God is 
 the proper cause of alarm ; and I succeeded, by Divine 
 help, in turning the attention of the people from 
 alleged visions of Satan to the awful realities of the 
 final judgment. Quite a number came forward desir- 
 ing the prayers of God's people, and fourteen pro- 
 fessed conversion, and joined the class that evening. 
 
 On Wednesday evening, August 19, 1 preached at 
 the Plains, and lodged at the house of Stephen Ab- 
 bott, where I then, and ever afterward, found a pleas- 
 ant home and a cordial welcome whenever I came to 
 that part of the circuit. He was the grandfather of 
 
lOO Life and Times .of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 Rev. W. P. Abbott, of the New York Conference. 
 Mr. Abbott and his wife were the descendants of the 
 first settlers of the valley, and their family traditions 
 were full of stories of Indian raids and slaughter. 
 Each of them lost an uncle in the war. I was always 
 happy to reach Mr. Abbott's house in my rounds. 
 
 Thursday evening I preached at the house of Eb- 
 enezer Marcy, a mile or so above the present village 
 of Pitts ton ; and on Friday afternoon at the house of 
 Preserved Taylor, who cultivated a little farm in a 
 rather lonely neighborhood on the west bank of the 
 Lackawanna. His farm now forms the most densely 
 peopled portion of Hyde Park, one of the western 
 wards of the city of Scranton. There was a small 
 class there, of which Mother Taylor was the leader. 
 She was a holy woman, earnest, full of courage and 
 energy, and withal, of unbounded kindness of heart. 
 P'rom this point I returned to Kingston, having com- 
 pleted my first round on the circuit. I found six of 
 the appointments at private houses, three in school- 
 houses, and three in churches ; not one of which, 
 I however, was legally our property. 
 
 Our first quarterly meeting was held at Forty Fort 
 early in September. On Saturday the presiding 
 elder, Mr. Pierce, preached a short sermon, and then 
 called on George Evans to exhort. This Evans was 
 of Welsh descent, as his name indicates, and was a 
 native orator of real fire and genius. He lived among 
 the mountains, somewhere up the Susquehanna, 
 where he cut cedar timber, which he brought down 
 the river and sold. Hearing of our meeting, he 
 pushed his raft into the eddy at Forty Fort, and came 
 
Wyoming Circuit — Bridgewater Circuit. loi 
 
 ashore to enjoy if. The church was well filled with 
 respectable people ; nevertheless, Evans, sunburned 
 and rough, clad in his coarse raftsman's rig, stood up 
 fearlessly before them, and for fifteen or twenty min- 
 utes spoke with thrilling power. The people wept 
 and laughed and shouted. Mr. Evans afterward 
 joined the Conference, and after years of successful 
 labor, died in holy triumph. 
 
 ^ The Quarterly Conference, according to the inva- 
 riable custom of the times, was held on Saturday 
 afternoon, and a prayer-meeting followed in the 
 evening. 
 
 Sunday was a day of Divine power. The love- 
 feast began at half past eight o'clock, and lasted two 
 hours, the doors being closed to all but members. 
 The church was well filled. All hearts were full, 
 and every tongue was loosed. Darius Williams led 
 the singing with wondrous effect. There were bursts 
 of holy joy, and strains of holy song, and ringing 
 choruses, which rose from the old church and floated 
 far and wide over the plain. 
 
 At eleven o'clock Mr. Pierce preached a sermon, 
 which, for argument, pathos, and effect, was of the 
 highest order. After the sermon the sacrament of 
 the Lord's Supper was administered. In the afternoon 
 Mr. Pierce preached again, and the services of the oc- 
 casion were ended. This day was an era in the moral 
 and religious history of many who still live to remem- 
 ber it, and of many who are now on the other side of 
 the 'flood. 
 
 Soon after the quarterly meeting I baptized sev- 
 eral of the recent converts by immersion in the 
 
102 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 Susquehanna, among them Mrs. Sarah Hart, of 
 Kingston, and three of the daughters of Philip 
 Myers. Two weeks subsequently I baptized Myron 
 Helme and James Hodge, by effusion, on the bank 
 of the river. Mr. Hodge became a preacher, and 
 joined the Conference. Both of them died in great 
 peace — Mr. Helme in his youth, Mr. Hodge after a 
 long life of faithful service. The public services in 
 the church at Forty Fort were crowded all througji 
 the summer and autumn, and not unfrequently the 
 greater part of the people present remained during 
 the class-meeting, and I received many valuable 
 members into the Church. Among these were Mrs. 
 Gore, the sister of the late General Ross, a lady of 
 most exemplary and excellent Christian character, 
 and Mrs. Pettibone, who was the wife of Captain 
 Oliver Pettibone, and the sister of Robert Treat 
 Paine, the signer of the Declaration of Independence. 
 Mrs. Pettibone was the grandmother of Hon. Paine 
 Pettibone, arid the ancestor of a large circle of re- 
 spectable and influential families. 
 
 Some time in September I attended a camp-meet- 
 ing in Salem, on Canaan Circuit. The ride of twen- 
 ty-five miles, up the valley of the Lackawanna and 
 over Cobb's mountain to the place, was exceedingly 
 picturesque. There was a company of eight or ten 
 of us, gentlemen and ladies, old and young, all on 
 horseback, among them Marmaduke Pierce, and two 
 local preachers, Caieb and Robert Kendall. The 
 meeting was comparatively a small one, but not 
 without good fruit. Here I first saw Aunt Polly 
 Lee, as she was called by every body, and heard her 
 
Wyoming Circtiit — Bridgewater Circuit. 103 
 
 pray and exhort with great power and effect. At 
 this meeting I also became acquainted with Father 
 •Hamlin and his family. I was invited to preach, and 
 did so on the words, " Go out into the highways and 
 hedges, and compel them to come in." Under this 
 sermon, as I have often heard her repeat, Mrs. Sal- 
 ly Stanton, of Canaan, was awakened — a Christian 
 woman now safe in heaven, whose praise is in all 
 the Churches. 
 
 At the close of the meeting I took a cross route 
 through the wilderness to Stoddardsville, a distance 
 of twenty-seven miles. Two young men who had 
 been at the camp-meeting accompanied me. There 
 was no road, properly speaking ; nothing but a bri- 
 dle-path, made by cutting away the^ fallen trees and 
 the undergrowth. For twenty miles we saw no hu- 
 man habitation. At Drinker's Beach there was a 
 single log-cabin, where we stopped a little while to 
 rest. 
 
 When the chill autumn came on I had a return of 
 my lung difficulty. Timely medical aid, however, 
 gave me relief, and I was able to continue my labors. 
 I was extremely pale and thin, and suffered almost 
 constantly from weakness and pain in the chest. 1 
 pursued my studies without interruption, deriving 
 much valuable aid from my presiding elder, who was 
 well read, and a man of fine literary taste. He ad- 
 mitted me into his confidence, and treated me with 
 a familiarity which, considering the disparity of years, 
 1 had no reason to expect. I revered and loved him, 
 and the warm friendship which was then formed con- 
 tinued to the end of his life. 
 
I04 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 At the close of the year I reported an increase of 
 sixty-nine members on the circuit. The tone of piety, 
 as well as the congregations, had improved at every 
 appointment. I had established regular appoint- 
 ments at Leach's, in Abingdon, and at Newport, 
 Carver's, Wyoming, and Blindtown, arid multiplied 
 my engagements until I found myself preaching 
 every day in the week. In all these labors my 
 health improved, and I became hopeful of a longer 
 history than I had dared to consider at all probable 
 since my ilbiess on Cortland Circuit. On the loth 
 of June, 1 8 19, I was married to Miss Mary Myers, 
 the third daughter of Philip and Martha Myers, of 
 Forty Fort. 
 
 George Lane had entered the traveling ministry in 
 1804, and, after four years of laborious service, had 
 located on account of his health. This year he was 
 recommended for re-admission, and he and I set off 
 together, on horseback, for Vienna, where the Gene- 
 see Conference was to meet. At Munday's, on the 
 Tioga Circuit, I met my brother Andrew, who was 
 just closing the first year of his itinerancy on that 
 circuit with John Griffing. 
 
 The Conference opened July i, 1819, Bishop 
 George presiding. The question which most inter- 
 ested me was in regard to my friend Dempster. 
 His health was still precarious, and there was a 
 warm debate on his case. Some of his friends at 
 last declared that they would be personally respon- 
 sible that he would never become a claimant on the 
 Conference funds, and he was admitted. Two of the 
 preachers were expelled for immoral conduct. Aside 
 
Bridgczvater Circuit and Wyoming. 105 
 
 from these sad cases, all my recollections of the ses- 
 sion are pleasant. 
 
 At tTiis Conference I was inducted into the merits 
 of the presiding elder question, which was then being 
 agitated,, especially in the north and east. I took 
 sides with those who wished to make the office 
 elective. The General Conference was to meet the 
 next May. Preparatory to the election of delegates, 
 a general meeting of the members of the Conference 
 was had to ascertain how opinion stood on the ques- 
 tion. As it appeared that the advocates and the 
 opponents of the new measure were about equal in 
 number, neither party was anxious to run the chances 
 of a ballot, and all agreed to an equal division of the 
 delegates. The number; however, was not an even 
 one, so the lot was cast to see who should have the 
 odd man. The reformers, as they were called, won. 
 My friends Pierce and Grant were elected, one being 
 favorable and the other adverse to the proposed 
 change. 
 
 At the close of the Conference I found myself ap- 
 pomted to Bridgewater Circuit, with Edward Paine, 
 who had been a local preacher for many years in that 
 region, and was now admitted on trial, and sent back 
 to preach among his friends and neighbors. He was 
 present in the Conference room, and when he heard 
 our names thus announced he ran to me, and throw- 
 ing his arms about my neck, testified his pleasure by 
 a most vigorous and emphatic embrace. I was not 
 quite as enthusiastic as he. The circuit had three 
 hundred members, but the reputation of being a very 
 poor one, both in piety and finances. While I was 
 
io6 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 pondering the case, John Kimberlin met me with the 
 cheering salutation, " George, Bridgewater Circuit. 
 You will have to live on sorrel-pie." To modern 
 ears, the edible named may sound like a myth, but it 
 was not. In those regions poor and neglecied land 
 was often covered with a growth of what the farm- 
 ers called horse-sorrel, whose acid leaves were some- 
 times utilized in much the same way that the rhubarb 
 plant of later times is employed. The allusion was 
 more significant than encouraging. I had not been 
 married a month, and this was to be my wife's intro- 
 duction to the itinerancy. 
 
 After the adjournment I went to my father's, a hard 
 three days' journey ; during which I was drenched by 
 a fearful thunder storm. There I spent three days, 
 including a Sabbath, on which Andrew and I preached 
 to our old acquaintances and friends, a multitude of 
 whom assembled to hear " the boys." I then has- 
 tened to my circuit, where, on the next Sabbath, I 
 began my work by preaching twice in the little old 
 meeting-house at Hopbottom. Monday evening I 
 preached at Springville, in John Oakley's log-house. 
 On Tuesday afternoon I reached Forty Fort, and, with 
 some misgivings, informed my wife of our destination. 
 She received the news hopefully ; more so, indeed, 
 than I did ; but we concluded not to move our goods 
 till I had been round the circuit and surveyed the 
 ground. 
 
 I returned to my field of labor and commenced, 
 according to the plan left me by my predecessor. I 
 found that the country was new, and the people poor. 
 This I could have borne ; but to meet small, dead 
 
Bridgewater Circuit and Wyoming. 107 
 
 congregations, to feel that every thing was flat, and 
 that nobody expected any change for the better, was 
 too much for my faith. In addition to these discour- 
 agements, I had a serious bilious attack. For a time 
 I tried to go on with my work in spite of illness. I 
 went to two appointments in succession, and found 
 no congregations, no expectation of religious service. 
 I then sent on notice to Snake Creek, where I found 
 a little new settlement, surrounded by a dense hem- 
 lock forest, and where I preached to a little gathering 
 of women, not a man being present except myself. 
 At the close of the sermon a motherly-looking old 
 lady came up, and spoke to me in tones of kindness 
 that seemed to me wonderfully sweet. " Brother," 
 said she, "you look sick." I replied that I was sick. 
 " Well," she rejoined, " go home with me and I will 
 nurse you up." I found her living in a building 
 which had been intended for a barn, a rough stone 
 chimney having been added on the outside. Every 
 thing, however, was as neat and clean as the prim old 
 lady herself. I took some medicine and went to 
 bed in the granary. The next day I was very weak, 
 but felt better. Toward evening I mounted my horse 
 and rode twenty miles to Vestal, my next appoint- 
 ment, where I again found no congregation, there 
 being no expectation of a meeting. 
 
 The next appointment on the plan lay on the height 
 east of the Choconut Creek. The place of the ex- 
 pected meeting was a miserable specimen of a log- 
 cabin — small, dirty, and open to all the winds that 
 blew. The lady of the house was ragged, not 
 over clean in person, timid and dispirited. I intro- 
 
io8 LiFK AND Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 duced myself as one of the preachers, and found that 
 no one expected me there at that time. The poor 
 woman had little to say, and after talking with her 
 a few minutes I resolved to push on to "The Hem- 
 locks," a distance of eight or ten miles. There was 
 no road, and I was told that I could not find my way 
 through the woods without a guide ; so I secured the 
 services of a boy, who shouldered his rifle and led 
 me through a most wild and romantic region. " The 
 Hemlocks " were very near what is now called Haw- 
 leyton. 
 
 But I need not multiply details, as each day's ex- 
 perience was only a virtual- repetition of the past. I 
 accomplished the round, preaching where there was 
 any sort of a gathering of the people, and then went 
 to Kingston. I had nothing encouraging to report, 
 but my wife decided to go with me to the circuit. I 
 told her that she could not live there. " I can live 
 where you can," was her reply. I accordingly en- 
 gaged board for her at the house of my colleague, and 
 in September we removed our effects thither. 
 
 On the 13th of September there was a camp-meet- 
 ing held near Carpenter's Notch, which I attended. 
 Marmaduke Pierce preached a short but mighty ser- 
 mon, and closed with a perfect storm. He ad- 
 dressed the wicked with tremendous power, and 
 then, exclaiming, " I feel the Spirit of God upon me, 
 glory, halleluiah ! " dropped down upon the seat behind 
 him, shouting, weeping, laughing, wonderfully moved. 
 The joyous responses from the preachers and the 
 assemblage arose like the sound of many waters, 
 while the whole congregation shook like the forest 
 
Bridgewater Circuit and Wyoming. 109 
 
 in a mighty wind. The exhortations of the presiding 
 elder, George Lane, were overwhelming. Sinners 
 quailed under them, and many cried aloud for mercy. 
 The meeting included the Sabbath, and continued 
 about a week. Sixty persons professed to find peace, 
 and thirty joined the Church. 
 
 Of course the people of God could not expect all 
 this to be quietly received by the adversary. Two 
 ladies, connected with prominent families of Wyoming 
 Valley, were convicted and came forward to the 
 prayer circle. The husband of one of them and the 
 brother of the other were enraged, and soundly de- 
 nounced the Methodists for " scaring the women to 
 death." The brother was bold enough to come up 
 and take his sister away from the place. She gave 
 way before his displeasure, ceased to seek the Saviour, 
 and, after living many years without hope in Christ, 
 died, so far as I learned, without hope. . 
 
 Darius Williams, the son of the Williams of mu- 
 sical fame, fell helpless in a prayer-meeting, and lay 
 for two hours in his father's arms, and on his re- 
 suscitation declared that he had found peace. He 
 afterward became a preacher, and, after two or three 
 years' labor among the Methodists, joined the Pres- 
 byterians, and began preaching against the doc- 
 trines which he had once held, and denouncing the 
 modes and experiences which he himself had once 
 cultivated. 
 
 From the Wyoming camp-meeting I returned to 
 my circuit, and prosecuted my work with considera- 
 ble comfort and some hope. My colaborer, Mr. 
 Paine, was a holy man, acceptable every- where. At 
 
no Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 several points our congregations visibly increased, 
 and the work of God commenced to revive. When 
 conversions began to occur among us, the Baptists, 
 by whom we were surrounded, began to practice 
 their usual strategy. There were two preachers of 
 that persuasion within the bounds of the circuit who 
 were deep on the water question, but very shallow in 
 the rest of their doctrine. They held a foggy kind 
 of Unitarianism, denying both the divinity and the 
 humanity of Christ. These men were very attentive 
 to our converts. On my first round of the circuit I 
 had a chance to hear one of them preach. His ser- 
 mon was wholly controversial, and aimed directly at 
 the Methodists, whose doctrine and usages he totally 
 misrepresented. His false statements provoked me 
 to write him a letter, which led to an epistolary con- 
 troversy between us. I studied the subject, and 
 began to discuss the modes and subjects of baptism 
 in my sermons with good effect among our own 
 people, and to the annoyance of our pugnacious 
 assailants. 
 
 Our first quarterly meeting was at Hunt's Ferry. 
 On Saturday George- Lane preached in a little log 
 school-house, and on Sunday in an unfinished dwell- 
 ing-house belonging to John Bunnell, which accom- 
 modated a large congregation. When Mr. Lane 
 ended his discourse, Sunday morning, I preached, by 
 request, a sermon on baptism. We then proceeded 
 to the river, and, the elder declining to officiate, I 
 baptized several children by sprinkling, and several 
 adults by immersion. 
 
 We had some valuable accessions at Hunt's Ferry. 
 
Bridgewater Circuit and Wyoming. 1 1 1 
 
 The work extended, also, up the Mehoopany Creek, 
 and we had a fine revival at the Forks, now called 
 Forkston. Here, in the winter, I baptized several 
 converts by immersion, my clothes freezing upon me 
 before I could change them. I spent one sad Sab- 
 bath at what was called the Neck. On my way to 
 my appointment I came to the river, and found a 
 great concourse of people gathered on the banks. 
 Mrs. Prentiss, the wife of Captain Prentiss, and an 
 estimable member of our Church, had been drowned 
 that morning, and the people had come from far and 
 near to search for the body. We searched all day 
 in vain ; nor was the body found till the next spring, 
 when it was discovered floating thirty miles below, 
 at the head of Wyoming Valley. I preached the 
 funeral sermon. 
 
 In addition to the Baptist skirmish, we had a speck 
 of theological war at Hopbottom. Dr. Nathan Bangs 
 had had a public debate in New York with the Rev. 
 Dr. Williston, of the Presbyterian Church, and the 
 discussion was continued by means of the press. 
 Each disputant published two volumes, copies of 
 which found their way to our circuit, and were read 
 by our people. One of our class leaders read them, 
 and became exceedingly belligerent — ready to attack 
 Calvinism anywhere. He finally came into colHsion 
 with the Rev. G. N. Judd, a Presbyterian, who 
 preached once in four weeks at Hopbottom, and 
 arrangements were made for a public debate. When 
 the time arrived, and the parties met, the valorous 
 class leader's courage had somewhat cooled, and he 
 desired that I should take his place, and appoint an- 
 
112 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 other day for a debate. Mr. Judd consented, and the 
 day was appointed for the discussion. 
 
 This arrangement created no little excitement, and 
 at the time appointed it was thought a great crowd 
 would be likely to assemble. About an hour before 
 the debate was to begin I received a note from Mr. 
 Judd, saying that it was not convenient for him to 
 meet me at that time. I replied, asking him to name 
 another day. Ten days after I received a reply from 
 him, declining the public debate altogether, saying 
 that the contemplated discussion would be likely to 
 prove detrimental to the cause of religion in general. 
 I felt some disappointment at the result, and regret- 
 ted it then much more than I do now. 
 
 An aifair occurred in the fall, within the bounds of 
 the circuit, which may be worth relating. A young 
 man, who had been at work down the river during 
 the summer, was on his way home. Not far from 
 Tunkhannock he fell in company with another trav- 
 eler, a stout, rough fellow. They reached Montrose 
 in the evening, and the young man proposed that 
 they should remain there till morning. The other 
 urged him to go on further, and they proceeded. 
 About two miles from the village the stranger 
 knocked down the young man, and pounded his 
 head with stones till he thought that his victim was 
 killed, and then robbing him of his watch and money, 
 left him weltering in his blood. The wounded man 
 recovered his senses while the work of plundering 
 was going on, but he had the rare self-control to keep 
 silent and motionless till the robber left him. 
 
 Faint and bleeding, he made his way to a house 
 
Bridgewater Ciraiit and Wyoming. 113 
 
 and gave the alarm. Intelligence was sent to Mont- 
 rose, and a large number of men started out in pur- 
 suit of the villain. He was on strange ground, and 
 had lost his way, and the sheriff overtook him at sun- 
 rise not far from the scene of his murderous deeds. 
 Drawing a knife he severely wounded the sheriff, 
 and fled to the woods. All day a multitude, with 
 dogs and guns, hunted for him without success. In 
 the evening he came into the settlement on Snake 
 Creek, and entering the cabin of an old man, whose 
 name was Chalker, asked for something to eat. 
 While the old lady was preparing the supper a 
 neighbor entered and whispered to Mr. Chalker, and 
 then went out to secure help. The story of the out- 
 rage had reached the place, and every body was look- 
 ing for the culprit. 
 
 The robber, too, was watchful. He saw the hasty 
 consultation, and divined its meaning. He moved 
 toward the door, saying that he " wished to step out 
 just a moment." Mr. Chalker placed himself against 
 the door, and said he must not go out. The robber 
 drew his knife, but before he could use it Mr. Chalker 
 knocked him down with a chair, and then fell upon 
 him, calling to his wife to bring him a rope. But the 
 robber was young and strong, and he rose to his feet 
 with the weight of the old soldier's slight frame upon 
 him. Then the old lady came into the battle. The 
 two succeeded in throwing the highwayman down, 
 and the woman got her rope around his neck, and 
 he surrendered at once, imploring them not to choke 
 him to death. When the neighbors rushed in they 
 found the robber prostrate, Mr. Chalker lying across 
 
114 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 his legs, and Mrs. Chalker holding the rope just tight 
 enough to keep him powerless and submissive. I 
 saw the culprit the next morning at Great Bend in 
 the hands of the officers. He seemed to be more 
 troubled at the idea of being captured by two old 
 people than in view of his crime. The injured man 
 recovered ; the robber was sent to prison for twenty- 
 one years. 
 
 In April, at the close of the third quarter, I was 
 removed from Bridgewater Circuit to Wyoming to 
 supply the place of Mr. Pierce, who had been elected 
 a delegate to fhe General Conference, and wished to 
 be released for the rest of the year. We were kindly 
 received at my' father-in-law's, where we remained 
 until the session of the Conference. I was grieved 
 to find that in many places on the circuit the relig- 
 ious interest had declined. In June I attended a 
 camp-meeting on Bridgewater Circuit. Some good 
 was done. My old colleague, Mr. Paine, was present, 
 but seemed pensive and unusually quiet. He was 
 drowned in the Susquehanna a few days afterward. 
 
 The sudden departure of Mr. Paine deeply affected 
 me. We had labored together in great harmony 
 while I was on the circuit. He had generously 
 opened his doors to me, and was a true friend. He 
 was a man of simple manners and unaffected piety, a 
 little eccentric, but sincere and open-hearted. He 
 always preached sound doctrine and good sense, was 
 universally beloved, and very useful. His name was 
 "as ointment poured forth." He will have many 
 stars in his crown in the day of his rejoicing. 
 
 In summing up the results of the year's labors I 
 
Bridgewater Circuit and Wyofning. 115 
 
 could not complain that I ha;d preached in vain. 
 Souls had been converted, and the Church quick- 
 ened. In regard to finances, the showing was not so 
 satisfactory. On Bridgewater Circuit I received 
 forty dollars for the nine months spent there. For 
 the three months on Wyoming I received nothing. 
 At the Conference I received eighteen dollars from 
 the Conference funds, making the receipts of the 
 year fifty-eight dollars. Many years afterward, din- 
 ing with Bishop Hedding at the house of a mutual 
 friend in the city of New York, the conversation 
 turned upon the "good old times," and the Bishop 
 said to me : 
 
 '' Brother Peck, how small a, salary did you ever 
 receive in any one year of your ministry .' " 
 
 I thought of the year whose history has just been 
 narrated, and answered, " Fifty-eight dollars. What 
 was your smallest, Bishop .' " 
 
 " Four dollars," replied the Bishop. 
 
 The Conference met this year at Niagara, on the 
 Canada side. My wife desired to see the great falls, 
 then a still greater wonder than now, because very 
 few comparatively had visited them. I procured a 
 one-horse wagon, with wooden springs, and we set 
 off, and in three days reached Ithaca, where we spent 
 the Sabbath. On the next Tuesday I met my brother 
 Andrew, and went with him to a camp-meeting on 
 the Holland Purchase, where we had rather a dull 
 time, with few indications of good. We resumed 
 our way toward Niagara, and passed along the Ridge 
 road, and at the end of a two-weeks' journey, reached 
 our place of destination. 
 
ii6 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 The Conference began its session on the 20th of 
 July, 1820, Bishop George presiding. The place of 
 meeting was a little church at Lundy's Lane, where 
 one of the hardest battles of the recent war had been 
 fought. There were members of the Conference 
 present who were in that battle, and not all on the 
 same side. The boarding-place assigned my wife 
 and myself was two miles from the church. The 
 host and his wife were renegade Americans and 
 backslidden Methodists, who must needs be perpet- 
 ually parading their royalist notions, and assailing 
 " the Yankees." We bore this style of talk till pa- 
 tience ceased to be a virtue, and then left them, and 
 found more agreeable quarters elsewhere. 
 
 At this Conference I was ordained elder by Bishop 
 George, and thus terminated my probation for the 
 full powers and responsibilities of the Christian min- 
 istry. The Bishop's manner of performing the ordi- 
 nation service was always characterized by solemnity 
 and earnestness. In all his public ministrations,' in- 
 deed, there was a pathos and a power which left deep 
 and permanent impressions. My heart was greatly 
 moved by the sacred and weighty responsibilities 
 thus laid upon me, and I left the church with firm 
 purposes of soul to be more completely given up to 
 God and his work. 
 
Canaan Circuit — Paris — Utica. 117 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 I&20, CANAAN CIRCUIT l82I, PARIS 1822-3, UTICA. 
 
 I WAS appointed on Canaan Circuit. We imme- 
 diately began our journey homeward, visiting, as 
 we went, such places or objects of interest as lay in 
 our path. We visited the British Fort George, at the 
 mouth of the Niagara River, and had also a beauti- 
 ful view of the American side, with Fort Niagara just 
 opposite. Around us, on the Canada side, were the 
 charred remains of the village which had been burned 
 by the Americans during the war. 
 
 We returned by the Ridge road to Rochester, 
 which was then a new village, with stumps, logs, and 
 brush-heaps scattered among the buildings. We 
 passed through Auburn, stopping long enough to 
 visit the prison, little anticipating the fact that I was 
 to be chaplain there in after years. We visited my 
 brother Luther, and, in company with him, went to 
 Hamilton to spend a few days with our father and 
 mother. We reached Kingston about the middle of 
 August. 
 
 Early the next week I set off for my new field of 
 labor. I found it a two-weeks' circuit, with a mem- 
 bership of two hundred and twenty-three, and twelve 
 preaching-places, one of them being the court-house 
 at Bethany, three or four school-houses, and the rest 
 private houses — not one church. After three weeks' 
 
ii8 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 labor I returned to Kingston, and on ray way had a 
 narrow escape. As I was crossing a deep, sluggish 
 stream between Salem and Cobb's, the bridge gave 
 way, and fell with a crash into the gulf beneath. 
 The spirited horse upon which I was mounted saved 
 me by springing forward with a lightning quickness 
 which almost threw me from the saddle. 
 
 I remained at my father-in-law's a few days, during 
 which I attended a camp-meeting held at Carpenter's 
 Notch, on the same ground where the last year's 
 meeting was held. It was a successful meeting. 
 Several young persons from Wilkesbarre were con- 
 verted, among them Miss Hannah Slocum, afterward 
 the wife of Judge Bennet ; a Christian lady now 
 gone to her reward, but whose praise is in all the 
 Churches. 
 
 At the close of the camp-meeting Father Hamlin 
 took my wife and child, and our household goods, in 
 his great lumber wagon, while I rode on horseback, 
 and we made a most fatiguing journey, nearly all the 
 way in the rain, from Kingston, up the valley and 
 across Cobb's Mountain to Salem, a distance of thirty 
 miles. The road over the mountain, which was ten 
 miles, passes description ; all the way over rocks which 
 tossed the wagon and "its contents about, and seemed 
 every moment to threaten total wreck. My wife sat 
 under the cloth cover, on a little chest, holding the 
 infant in her arms, while I rode on my horse. We 
 began the weary journey about sunrise, and reached 
 Father Hamlin's house at Salem about dusk. Here 
 we found a comfortable home. Father Hamlin 
 offered us a part of his house for the year, and we 
 
Canaan Circuit — Paris — Utica. 119 
 
 gladly accepted it. We boarded with him a part of 
 the time, and he also kept my horse when I was at 
 home, and at the end of the year he refused to re- 
 ceive one cent for all that he had done for us. He 
 was a man of generous impulses and solid worth, an 
 earnest Christian, and a thorough Methodist. His 
 wife was a kind-hearted, deeply pious, and sensible 
 lady ; and their daughter, now Mrs. Baldwin, of St. 
 Anthony's Falls, Minnesota, a very acceptable com- 
 panion and friend of my wife. All our recollections 
 of our stay in this hospitable dwelling are very 
 pleasant. 
 
 The work on Canaan Circuit was hard. It lay 
 in the region known as the Beech Woods. It was 
 sparsely settled, and the chief occupation of the 
 people was clearing their land, and winning farms 
 from the original forest, which still covered by far the 
 greater portion of the country. The roads were sim- 
 ply wagon paths, made by cutting away the trees and 
 undergrowth so as to admit of a passage, provided 
 the driver was skillful in winding about among rocks 
 and stumps. They were so narrow that the dense 
 foliage of the trees shut out the sun, and, in conse- 
 quence, they were always muddy in the warm season, 
 except where the rocks were bare. Through the 
 swamps the roads were of, the style called in some 
 sections of our land, " corduroy ; " but the poles of 
 which they were constructed were often decayed, and 
 the way unsafe. When winter came, and the mud 
 began to freeze, it was still worse. My poor horse 
 became sore and stiff, and almost broke down. He 
 often halted on the edge of some icy Slough of 
 
120 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 Despond, and could be forced into it only by a sharp 
 application of the spur. 
 
 There was, however, a bright side of the picture. 
 I was cordially received, my congregations were large, 
 and there was life among the people, with about 
 enough of opposition to awaken healthy activity. I 
 found myself unexpectedly popular at Bethany, the 
 county-seat. This I attributed to the good offices of 
 my friend the Hon. David Scott, the circuit judge, 
 who spoke well of me among his associates and the 
 leading men of Wayne County. My congregations 
 there included the most respectable families of the 
 place. 
 
 My health suffered somewhat this year from hard 
 work and exposure ; and it was with much difficulty 
 that I endured the cold, and met my appointments. 
 A few illustrations of the poverty and the spirit of 
 the people may not be out of place. It may be said,' 
 in general terms, that there was no money in circu- 
 lation. I often had presents of stockings, yarn, meal, 
 butter, pork, cheese, rye, and corn, and sometimes 
 payments of salary were made in these articles. To 
 make this liberality available, I was obliged to carry 
 these cumbrous benefactions, even rye and wheat, 
 on my horse, with my clothes and books. At the 
 last quarterly meeting a good sister paid in a quan- 
 tity of maple sugar, which she had brought fifteen 
 miles, making the journey on horseback. In fact, so 
 much of my support came in the shape of maple 
 sugar, that we had more than a supply for home use, 
 and I traded off the surplus for a set of wooden bot- 
 tomed chairs, of which I am able to add, to the credit 
 
Canaan Circuit — Paris — Utica. 121 
 
 of the man who made them, that they are still in 
 existence. 
 
 It is hardly necessary to add that my ministry was 
 not making me rich in the goods of this world. My 
 receipts the preceding year had been only fifty-eight 
 dollars. My clothes were wearing out. My mother-in- 
 law, Mrs. Myers, had spun and woven a piece of cloth, 
 and sent it to the fulling-mill to receive the finishing 
 touch ; and when it was done I was to have a suit 
 of the goodly fabric. But the fuller delayed, and 
 winter came, and I was really suffering. A brother 
 who lived near Bethany saw the state of things, and 
 one day said to me, " Brother Peck, I think we are 
 about of a size." I replied, " I suppose we are." He 
 then brought out a new coat, and asked me to try it 
 on. I did so, not suspecting his design. " It fits 
 you exactly," said he ; " now wear it till you get 
 another." I objected, but he would take no denial. 
 '' You shall do it," said he, resolutely. Thus I wore 
 Myron Whitmore's coat for six weeks. He was a 
 brother indeed. 
 
 In regard to the Church and the cause, the year 
 was a good one. There was no general revival, and 
 the increase of members was small ; but we had some 
 valuable accessions. Our people were encouraged, 
 and our prospects brightened. I had not neglected 
 personal improvement. Under all the disadvantages 
 of this year, as well as the preceding one, I had pur- 
 sued my studies with some success. I found some 
 works in the possession of certain families who had 
 immigrated from England and settled in the Beech 
 Woods. Among them were Stackhouse's System of 
 
122 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 Divinity, Wesley's Philosophy, Bishop Berkeley's 
 Minute Philosopher, and some of the Bampton Lect- 
 ures. These I devoured with great relish, and from 
 them contracted a taste for the English literature of 
 their age. The writings of the old English bishops 
 thenceforth had a strong attraction, and no doubt 
 strongly influenced my modes of thought. 
 
 I loved the people on Canaan Circuit, but I began 
 to feel that such fields of labor were not suited either 
 to my mental or physical constitution. My physical 
 strength was too severely taxed ; and I also greatly 
 desired larger opportunities for study. 
 
 In July, 1 82 1, the Genesee Conference met at 
 Sauquoit, or Paris, and was a pleasant occasion. On 
 Sunday morning Bishop George preached .a sermon, 
 which wonderfully excited the audience, and called 
 forth a universal shout. In the afternoon we had two 
 sermons in the grove ; first, Henry Ryan preached, 
 and immediately afterward, Thomas Mason. On 
 Monday evening, I was called for the first time to 
 preach in the presence of a bishop, and did so, with 
 some liberty, before a crowded congregation. I was 
 told that at the next meeting of the Bishop and elders. 
 Bishop George, without asking any questions, wrote 
 down my name on his list, saying, " I have stationed 
 one man, anyhow." When the appointments were 
 announced I found myself appointed to Paris, the seat 
 of the Conference. Paris was then a station. There 
 were at that time only three or four in the entire 
 Conference. I had expected, of course, to be sent 
 again to a circuit ; and felt some trepidation in view 
 of the responsibilities of my new position. 
 
Canaan Circuit — Paris — Utica. 123 
 
 After a brief visit to our friends at Forty Fort we 
 again crossed Cobb's mountain in a little old-style 
 buggy which I had purchased, and which almost 
 upset several times among the rocks. Tarrying a 
 night at Father Hamlin's, we set off Wednesday 
 morning for Paris, and, after four days' weary travel, 
 reached the place at ten o'clock Saturday night, and 
 were kindly received by the venerable Elijah Davis. 
 We found that the stewards had rented for our ac- 
 commodation one room, not a large one, in Mr. Davis's 
 house. The rent was twelve dollars for the year, and 
 this, they said, was all that they could afford. 
 
 The Sauquoit, or Paris Church, was perhaps the 
 oldest in the Genesee Conference, and there was a 
 strong Society for these times. The building had 
 just been put in good order, and the trustees had 
 rented the pews. Bishop George opposed this ar- 
 rangement strongly, and threatened to leave them 
 without a preacher if they did not return to the free- 
 seat system. " I give you," said he, " one year to 
 repent." The brethren made no promise, nor ut- 
 tered any threat, but quietly continued their plan, 
 and we heard nothing more about it. 
 
 I soon found that a station is a very different thing 
 from a circuit. I was called to preach twice every 
 Sabbath to the same congregation. These services 
 were in the morning and the afternoon, and in the 
 evening we had a prayer-meeting. There was no 
 Sabbath-school. I could no longer devote the greater 
 part of my time to general reading, and prepare my 
 sermons at irregular periods when all things were 
 favorable. Preaching was now an affair of labor and 
 
124 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 anxiety, and preparation for it became a department 
 of daily toil. My position demanded a constant sup- 
 ply of new sermons, thoroughly elaborated, and how- 
 ever much they cost me, however well they were 
 ~ received, they could be delivered only once in my 
 charge. 
 
 This change of circumstances produced a corre- 
 sponding change in my methods. In my sermons I 
 no longer dealt in generalities, or traversed large 
 spaces in a single discourse, but took up specific 
 topics and discussed them logically. I had a fine 
 congregation, and all the circumstances of my posi- 
 tion were such as tended to create interest and 
 awaken my zeal. My plans of study, whether wise 
 or otherwise, were definite and laborious. I now had 
 access to Clarke's Commentary on the Historical 
 Books of the Old Testament, Dr. Scott's Notes on 
 the Prophets, and Dr. Coke's Commentary on the 
 New Testament. I began all these three authors at 
 once, reading a chapter in each, with the notes, every 
 day, and completed them during the year. To this 
 I added a regular course of history, which included 
 the works of Prideaux and Harmer. I wrote but 
 little. 
 
 This year would have been the most pleasant of 
 my ministry had it not been for a foolish disturbance 
 in regard to the singing. The momentous question 
 was, whether we should have a choir in the gallery, 
 or let a good brother start the tunes among the peo- 
 ple. Hobart Graves, who had been accustomed to 
 lead in the congregation, favored the choir, and gave 
 me notice that he would lead no more. We called a 
 
Canaan Circuit — Paris — Utica. 125 
 
 meeting of the Church, and held a solemn consulta- 
 tion, which showed that the leading members were 
 favorable to the choir, and that a small portion were 
 wholly opposed to it. The next Sunday the choir 
 were in their places in the gallery in good season. 
 
 The leader of the opposition was one of the stew- 
 ards, a man of property, who always came to church 
 in his carriage, with a remarkably fine pair of grays. 
 He, too, was at the church early that morning, and 
 saw what was in the wind. He came to meet me as 
 I was going to church, and asked, in a rather rough 
 way, if the singing was to be in the gallery. I an- 
 swered that it was to be there for the present. 
 
 " Then," said he, " I shall leave. I have got a span 
 of horses which can carry me to meeting where the 
 singing is not given up to the wicked." 
 
 And he straightway brought his carriage to the 
 door, took in his wife, cracked his whip with great 
 emphasis, and drove to the Presbyterian church, 
 where the singing was conducted in the very way to 
 which he was so intensely hostile. He never re- 
 turned to us, and the Church suffered no material 
 loss by his departure. The affair, ridiculous as it 
 now seems, was the cause of much anxiety and men- 
 tal discomfort. 
 
 On the 24th of July, 1822, the Genesee Conference 
 met at Vienna, Ontario County. I went to Confer- 
 ence in company with the Rev. Charles Giles, who 
 was at that time the presiding elder on the Chenango 
 District, but lived at Paris. I had been acquainted 
 with him from my childhood, and had great respect 
 for him ; but his deportment among the people as he 
 
126 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 passed around his district gave me a still higher idea 
 of his piety. He possessed a great deal of humor, 
 and, on occasion, could write satirical verse, not par- 
 ticularly elegant, but not destitute of force. A little 
 poem, written in a sort of Hudibrastic style, and en- 
 titled the " Dagon of Calvinism," shows the sharp wit 
 of the man, and also illustrates, in a humorous way, 
 the style in which the Methodist preachers in those 
 days sometimes dealt with the doctrines which they 
 opposed. Poor man, I could not see how he man- 
 aged to maintain so cheerful an air when his home, 
 as I was well aware, was a very purgatory of domestic 
 infelicity. He went to Conference on this occasion 
 with sundry scratches on his face, to explain which 
 would have been exceedingly embarrassing to him. 
 He was devotedly attached to his wife, but was abso- 
 lutely compelled to separate from her. The curious 
 part of the history is this : although their affairs were 
 brought before the public in a legal process, which 
 resulted in his being released from all obligation to 
 support her, and they lived separate for perhaps thirty 
 years, yet when Mr. Giles, in old age, was on his 
 death-bed, his wife returned and nursed him with 
 tenderest care to the end. 
 
 Bishop Roberts presided at the Conference, and 
 the business passed off as usual, without any occur- 
 rence of special note. I preached before the Con- 
 ference under very unfavorable circumstances, and, 
 as I thought, made a failure, and was duly criticised 
 by some of that class of brethren who feel that they 
 have a mission to cultivate the grace of humility in 
 other people. 
 
Canaan Circuit — Paris — Utica. 127 
 
 I was stationed this time at Utica, where was a 
 small Society, and yet one of the most important 
 points in the Conference. Our affairs had not been 
 wisely managed. Some ten years previously an at- 
 tempt had been made to build a church two miles 
 out of town to accommodate the people of New Hart- 
 ford as well as those of Utica. A frame building 
 was begun, and when partly finished was used as a 
 place of worship. Finding that instead of accommo- 
 dating both places it accommodated neitherj the site 
 was abandoned to its former owner, and another situ- 
 ation in the extreme eastern part of Utica was pur- 
 chased, and a small brick church erected. We were 
 still in the wrong place, but had to make the best of 
 it. Sabbath morning, when the weather was favora- 
 ble, I had a good congregation, but a little rain some- 
 times reduced our numbers to a mere handful. We 
 have grown wiser by experience, and now are more 
 careful in locating our church edifices. 
 
 I now had an excellent opportunity for study 
 and improvement. I had access to several respect- 
 able private libraries. I attended book auctions, and 
 strained my means to the utmost, and possibly beyond 
 reason, to secure what T needed. I read much, stud- 
 ied hard, and wrote more than I had hitherto done. 
 I tried not to waste a moment of precious time. I 
 read Clarke, as fast as the successive numbers were 
 published ; and also Benson, whose Commentary be- 
 gan to be published this year. I read the mental 
 philosophies of Payne, Reid, and Stewart, and some 
 of the principal authors in the Episcopal Contro- 
 versy. I paid attention to the preparation of ser- 
 
128 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 mons, using few of the sketches made in former 
 years. 
 
 In the autumn, illness and death invaded my fa- 
 ther's family. On the 8th of November my Uncle 
 Isaac Collar, who had been declining for some years, 
 passed peacefully away. The various stages of life 
 with him seemed to be diminished in proportion to 
 his diminutive stature, and at the age of thirty-five 
 he was an old man. Soon after his death, several 
 members of the family were attacked with a malig- 
 nant typhus fever ; and one week after the death of 
 our uncle, my sister Mary died in triumphant hope of 
 heaven. She was twenty-two years of age, and had 
 been a member of the Church eleven years. She 
 possessed great amiability of character, and extraordi- 
 nary powers of mind. She was the first called away 
 by death, of a family of eleven children. When her 
 remains were buried, my Sister Elizabeth fell upon 
 her knees, with her face almost touching the fresh 
 earth, in silent prayer. A few days after we were 
 called to lay her down in her last rest, by the side of 
 her whose departure we theii mourned. I wrote an 
 account of those dear ones, for " The Methodist 
 Magazine " of that year. My father and mother were 
 also attacked by the fever, and brought apparently 
 to the verge of the grave, but ultimately recovered. 
 
 On the 15th of July, 1823, the Conference met at 
 Westmoreland, Oneida County. The most notable 
 feature of the session was the renewed agitation in re- 
 gard to the election of presiding elders. The Gen- 
 eral Conference was to hold its session before we 
 should meet again ; apd, consequently, we were to 
 
Canaan Circuit — Paris — Utica. 1 29 
 
 elect our delegates. Four years before, as will be 
 remembered, the friends and the opponents of the 
 new measure agreed to divide the delegation equally. 
 This time the friends of the proposed change resolved 
 to nominate a full ticket, and risk a ballot. They 
 succeeded in electing all their men. The older mem- 
 bers of the Conference were dismayed at the result, 
 and predicted the certain ruin of the Church. Some 
 of. them spoke in somewhat disparaging terms of the 
 brethren elected, styling them "a pack of boys." I 
 was the youngest man in the delegation : the major- 
 ity were of respectable age and standing, and we were 
 all loyal to the Church. We favored only one change 
 in the methods of the Church ; and as time passed 
 on, and the proposed measure was more fully exam- 
 ined, the desire to see it adopted declined, and finally 
 the project was wholly abandoned. I was returned 
 to Utica for another year. 
 
 In April, 1824, I removed my family to Wyoming 
 Valley, and started for the General Conference, in 
 company with Loring Grant and Gideon Lanning, who 
 came down from Western New York on their way to 
 Baltimore. They rode in a carriage with two horses, 
 one geared before the other in tandem style. They 
 invited me to a seat in their vehicle, and with this 
 rather novel turnout we crossed the Pokono Mount- 
 ain, and in three days reached Philadelphia. Here 
 we found the Philadelphia Conference in session. 
 We remained two days in the city, and I preached 
 twice, once in St. George's Church, Saturday even- 
 ing, when I thought I made a failure, and the second 
 time in the Academy, Sunday evening. 
 9 
 
130 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 On Monday, April 26, we left Philadelphia, reached 
 Port Deposit on Wednesday, where we left our horses 
 and took passage on a steamboat, and arrived at Bal- 
 timore the next day early in the afternoon. On Fri- 
 day, May I, the General Conference began its session. 
 The three bishops, M'Kendree, George, and Roberts, 
 presided. Bishop M'Kendree's health was not good, 
 and he was evidently beginning to wane. I never 
 saw Bishop Roberts appear to equal advantage. He 
 and Bishop George performed their duties with great 
 dignity and propriety. The debates and the general 
 dispatch of business were creditable to the body ; 
 and, I judge, equal to those of any succeeding Gen- 
 eral Conference. 
 
 There was a very long discussion on " Rules and 
 Orders." Dr. Capers, of the South Carolina Confer- 
 ence, objected to the old rules on the ground of their 
 being too complicated. He was appointed chairman 
 of a committee to prepare new ones^ and in due .time 
 reported a code far more complicated than the old. 
 His report was discussed at great length, perhaps 
 three or four days. He argued in favor of his work- 
 manship, making a speech on every point, and' gener- 
 ally succeeding in securing its adoption. I was struck 
 with the fact that he was supported in almost every 
 case by the delegates from the South and the West, 
 and opposed by those of the North and East. This 
 debate, the appeals of William Burke and Joseph 
 Crawford, and the reading of petitions and memori- 
 als, occupied about two weeks of the session. 
 
 I was much interested in noting the methods of 
 the various speakers. Dr. Capers was ready and 
 
Caftaan Circuit — Paris — Utica. 131 
 
 animated, and occupied his full share of the time. 
 James Smith, of Baltimore, was a powerful speaker, 
 but was more of the orator than the debater. Ezekiel 
 Cooper and Wilbur Fisk I thought models. William 
 Burke's defense was bold and telling, but not wholly 
 free from evasions and cunning devices. The ques- 
 tion in regard to presiding elders did not occupy 
 much space, being disposed of for the time being by 
 passing again the resolution of 1820, which suspended 
 action in the case. 
 
 The other prominent questions of the session were 
 those of providing a constitutional test, lay delegation, 
 and the election of bishops. The constitutional test 
 question was a proposal to establish a sort of ecclesi- 
 astical supreme court, which should sit in judgment 
 on the validity of the acts of the General Conference 
 itself The idea was suggested by Bishop M'Kendree's 
 declaring the election of presiding elders unconstitu- 
 tional. After some talk the project was laid aside, 
 and has never been revived. The lay-delegation 
 movement was feeble, and, although it was discussed, 
 nothing more was done. While this subject was 
 pending, William Winans, of the Mississippi Confer- 
 ence, made a speech which was devoid of the grace 
 of oratory, but was much applauded by the opponents 
 . of change. 
 
 The election of bishops attracted great attention. 
 On the 19th of May the Committee on Episcopacy 
 reported in favor of electing two ; and two parties, a 
 Northern and Southern, were at once developed. The 
 Northern delegates met in council in my room, which 
 was large and convenient. We resolved to select 
 
132 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 two candidates ; and when nominations were called 
 for, Elijah Hedding and John Emory were named. 
 Mr. Hedding, who was present, was requested to re- 
 tire to another room, while his qualifications were 
 discussed. He did so, but not without reluctance, 
 and not until he had earnestly begged that his name 
 might jiot be used in connection with the Episcopal 
 office. When I went to call him into the room again, 
 I found him standing with his face to the wall, weep- 
 ing and groaning. We nominated Mr. Hedding and 
 John Emory by a unanimous vote. The Southern 
 and Western delegates nominated Joshua Soule and 
 William Beauchamp. 
 
 On Wednesday morning. May 26, the election took 
 place. The number of votes was one hundred and 
 twenty-eight, which made sixty-five necessary to elect. 
 On the first ballot J. Soule had sixty-four votes, W. 
 Beauchamp sixty-two, E. Hedding sixty-one, and 
 J. Emory fifty-nine. The second ballot gave Soule 
 sixty-five, Beauchamp sixty-two, Hedding sixty-one, 
 and Emory fifty-seven. Mr. Soule was declared duly 
 elected, and Mr. Emory declined in favor of Mr. Hed- 
 ding. The third ballot gave Mr. Hedding sixty-six 
 votes, and he was elected. 
 
 Nathan Bangs was elected Book Agent, and J. 
 Emory, Assistant Book Agent Mr. Emory was un- 
 derstood to be favorable to lay delegation and the 
 election of presiding elders, and for this reason had 
 lost favor ia his Conference, the Baltimore men being 
 averse to all changes. He was one af the ablest men 
 of the Church, had been a delegate to several Gen- 
 eral Conferences, and also to the English Wesleyans. 
 
Canaan Circuit — Paris — Utica. 133 
 
 On account of their views, Mr. Emory, B. Waugh, 
 and J. Davis had all been left out of the Baltimore 
 delegation. The delegates from the North and East 
 sided with the proscribed brethren, and succeeded in 
 electing at least one of them to an important posi- 
 tion, Mr. Emory, though not a delegate, being elected 
 Secretary of the General Conference. The contest 
 was animated, but not in a bad spirit. 
 
 During the month which we spent at the Confer- 
 ence I sought every opportunity to hear the best 
 ■preachers of the Church. I heard the immortal 
 Summerfield in one of his happiest efforts, also Wil- 
 bur Fisk, Samuel Merwin, James Smith, William 
 Ross, Thomas L. Douglass, Lovick Pierce, and oth- 
 ers. Richard Reece and John Hannah were dele- 
 gates from the British Conference. Mr. Reece was a 
 man of venerable appearance. His speeches in the 
 General Conference were plain, sensible, and to the 
 point, but were uttered in some kind of provincial 
 English, which seemed a little uncouth. His ser- 
 mons were respectable, but scarcely equal in interest 
 and power to those of Mr. Hannah. 
 
 The first missionary meeting which I ever attended 
 was one held in the Light-street Church. The speak- 
 ers were Messrs. Reece, Hannah, Summerfield, and 
 Finley.' Mr. Finley was then missionary among the 
 Wyandotte Indians, and gave us some thrilling inci- 
 dents connected with his work. 
 
 The General Conference adjourned on the 28th of 
 May, having transacted a considerable amount of 
 business. The next day we set out for home, trav- 
 eling by water to Port Deposit, and there resuming 
 
134 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 our carriage and tandem team. I reached Wyoming 
 on Friday, June 4. Less than two months remain- 
 ing of the conference year, I left my family in the 
 valley, and returned to my charge. During this 
 period the Rev. Freeborn "Garrettson, with his wife 
 and daughter, spent several weeks in Utica, visiting 
 General Lynch. He preached for me several times, 
 and once in the First Presbyterian Church, and was 
 heard with great interest. Bishops George and Red- 
 ding spent the Sabbath before Conference with us, 
 and attracted great attention. I took Bishop George 
 to Conference in my carriage, and found his conver- 
 sation very interesting and instructive. 
 
 My two years in Utica had passed very pleasantly, 
 and with a fair degree of success. I had found favor 
 with the people. The religious tone of the Church 
 had improved, and the number of members had 
 nearly doubled. I had made progress in study, and 
 formed friendships with many excellent people. I 
 received about two hundred 'dollars a year during 
 my pastorate at Utica. 
 
 On July 25, 1824, the Genesee Conference met at 
 Lansing, Cayuga County, Bishop George presiding, 
 assisted by Bishop Hedding. Few of the Canada 
 brethren were present, the late General Conference 
 having constituted a new Conference out of that part 
 of our territory. 
 
 At this session I was chairman of the Committee 
 on Education. The trustees of the Church at Caze- 
 novia sent a communication to the Conference, pro- 
 posing to remodel their church, and open a seminary 
 in the edifice, on condition that it should be adopted 
 
Canaan Circuit — Paris — Utica. 135 
 
 as the Conference school. I drew up the report, 
 recommending the acceptance of the proposal, and 
 the project was carried into effect that year. 
 
 At the close of the Conference my name was read 
 off for the Wyoming Circuit, and William Case, who 
 had been laboring ten years or more in the Canadian 
 part of the Conference, and now wished to return to 
 the States, was appointed presiding elder of the Sus- 
 quehanna District. I went to the valley, procured a 
 wagon and pair of horses, and went up after some 
 household goods left at Paris. The expedition oc- 
 cupied two weeks. When I reached home I found 
 that a young preacher, Joseph Castle, had come from 
 Canada with a letter from Bishop George, informing 
 me that Mr. Case could not be spared from that part 
 of the work, and that I was appointed presiding elder 
 in his place. Mr. Castle was directed to travel Wy- 
 oming Circuit. The letter was not for consultation, 
 but direction, and its action was final. 
 
136 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 CHAPTER VI: 
 
 1824-5, SUSQUEHANNA DISTRICT 1826-7, WILKES- 
 
 BARRE 1828, ITHACA. 
 
 IN 1824 the Susquehanna District extended from 
 the Delaware River on the east to Ithaca and 
 Wellsborough on the west, and from Norwich and 
 Bainbridge on the north to Plymouth on the south. 
 The area included within these bounds was nearly 
 identical with that of the present Wyoming Confer- 
 ence, and at least equal to it. There were eleven 
 charges, called Wyoming, Canaan, Bainbridge, 
 Broome, Caroline, Owego, Spencer, Tioga, Wyalu- 
 sing, Ithaca, and Bridgewater. The district had nine- 
 teen preachers and three thousand six hundred and 
 ninety-six members and probationers. Our people 
 owned six small churches, one still unfinished, and 
 had some privileges in two others. Besides these, 
 there were on the district about two hundred regular 
 preaching-places, the great majority of them being 
 private houses, and not a few of them in neighbor- 
 hoods where we had not a single member of the 
 Church. 
 
 I entered upon this new charge with fear and 
 trembling, but tried to rely on God. I was only 
 twenty-seven years of age, and had been only eight 
 years in the ministry, while there were on the dis- 
 trict men far in advance of me in age and experience. 
 
Susquehanna District. 137 
 
 Among them was Loring Grant, who had been as a 
 father to me, but who seemed to hail my appointment 
 with great satisfaction. I usually traveled in prim- 
 itive style, on horseback, and was necessarily away 
 from home much of the time — often for five or six 
 weeks continuously, not even hearing from my family. 
 My quarterly meetings were seasons of interest, and 
 I labored in the utmost harmony with the preachers. ^ 
 Good was done at various points, and we had two 
 successful camp-meetings during the latter part of 
 the Conference year. The first of these was held in 
 June on Caroline Circuit, the ground being prepared 
 on the most approved plan by Loring Grant. George 
 W. Densmore and Chester V. Adgate preached pow- 
 erful sermons, the memory and the fruits of which 
 remain to this day. Prejudice gave way, and souls 
 were saved. 
 
 The second camp-meeting was at Nicholls, on Wy- 
 alusing Circuit, and began August 11. On Sabbath 
 we had a mighty breaking down. At eight o'clock 
 in the morning Gaylord Judd preached with wonder- 
 ful unction. In the afternoon and evening the 
 preaching of the word was crowned with striking 
 displays of Divine power. Twenty souls professed 
 conversion that day, among them several children of 
 our preachers. Such weeping and shouting I have 
 seldom heard or witnessed. I had come to the place 
 unwell ; and somewhat dispirited ; but amid these 
 victories my courage and faith revived. The whole 
 number converted was about sixty. 
 
 This, however, was a year of trial both to me and 
 my wife. There were some cases of discipline that 
 
138 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 gave- me anxiety and trouble. A local preacher was 
 charged with embezzling money collected for church 
 building purposes, and was expelled, after a series of 
 trials. In Ithaca a miserable quarrel about church 
 music — the question of choir or no choir — kept the 
 whole Society in a ferment for months, and threatened 
 to wreck every thing. As generally happens in such 
 cases, the belligerents, as the war progressed, soon 
 ceased to care a copper about the matter originally 
 in dispute, and were only anxious each to defeat the 
 other side. I visited the place for the express pur- 
 pose of effecting a reconciliation, but failed to accom- 
 plish any good. 
 
 On returning from a long absence on distant parts 
 of the district I found our child in an almost dying 
 state. He had received an accidental injury on 
 the back of his. neck, which totally paralyzed his 
 right side and limbs. There was great danger of a 
 fatal termination of the case, and little hope of com- 
 plete recovery. Unwearied care, and the constant 
 application of remedies for months, so far restored 
 him that he was able to move about in a feeble, halt- 
 ing way. It was no small burden to my spirit to 
 be absent from home for a month at a time while he 
 was in this critical condition, and his mother was left- 
 alone to bear the weight of care and anxiety. 
 
 My journeys were not only long, but sometimes 
 perilous. I was once coming home from Ithaca, the 
 weather was intensely cold, and the ground frozen 
 I urged on my weary hoirse as night approached, and 
 he fell down with me, crushing my leg under him. 
 I thought it was broken. Dragging myself to the 
 
Susquehanna District. 139 
 
 fence, I succeeded in getting upon it, and so mounted 
 my horse agaia, and rode forward. Happily for me, 
 the injury, though painful, did not permanently dis- 
 able me. 
 
 On the 17th of August, 1825, the Genesee Confer- 
 ence met in Asbury Chapel, Lansing, Cayuga Coun- 
 ty, N. Y., Bishop Hedding presiding. Few incidents 
 of the session are now of public interest. There was 
 an unpleasant affair between a presiding elder and 
 one of his preachers, resulting in mutual charges ; 
 but Dr. Emory, the Book Agent, who was present, 
 proposed terms of peace, which were accepted. The 
 difficulty had been of sufficient magnitude to disturb 
 the whole Conference, and, indeed, good feeling was 
 never restored between the two brethren. Another 
 incident shows how the event of a moment some- 
 times changes the tenor of perhaps a whole life. 
 Joseph Castle, who had come to my district from the 
 Canada Conference, desired greatly to remain, and I 
 wanted him for a certain charge. Bishop Hedding 
 stated that Bishop George said that he must have 
 Mr. Castle for the work in Canada, and so it was 
 fixed. The appointments were read off in the even- 
 ing, and we did not leave Lansing till the next day. 
 At the breakfast-table the next morning Bishop Hed- 
 ding, turning to Dr. Emory, said, 
 
 " There is one case that has worried my mind, and 
 I would like to have your opinion. Brother Castle 
 wishes to remain in the States, but they want him in 
 Canada, and I have so appointed." 
 
 Dr. Emory, without a moment's hesitation, replied 
 that he would let him remain. The Bishop turned to 
 
HO Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 me and inquired if I still had a place for him. I re- 
 plied that no one had been set down far Bethany, the 
 place for which I needed him. 
 
 " Well," said the Bishop, " let him go to Bethany." 
 
 The conversation had scarcely reached this point 
 when Mr. Castle, all equipped for his journey north, 
 rode up to the door to bid me farewell. I went out 
 to the gate, and pointing down the road by which he 
 had come to the house, said, 
 
 " Joseph, turn about ; the Bishop has appointed 
 you at Bethany." 
 
 Without uttering a word, he turned his horse, and 
 was off in a moment. 
 
 I returned to my district cheerfully, and with good 
 hope of a successful year. I was soon drawn into a 
 new field of action. The Rev. C. R. Marsh, a young 
 Universalist preacher from New England, had been 
 settled at Hopbottom in charge of a congregation of 
 that faith. Zealous and confident, he began the pub- 
 lication of a magazine entitled the "Candid Exam- 
 iner," and opened his battery upon the " limitarians," 
 generously offering them space in his columns to 
 defend themselves if they could. These banters 
 were annoying to our people, and were commented 
 on by others, and I began occasionally to hear the 
 inquiry, " Why does not Mr. Peck meet Mr. Marsh 
 in his magazine, if he thinks that he can sustain his 
 doctrine ? " I resolved, at length, to accept the chal- 
 lenge, and addressed to the editor a jiote to that ef- 
 fect, signing it Observer. He gave me a cordial 
 reception, and made profuse promises of fair play. 
 I wrote five papers, embracing the main points of 
 
Susquehanna District. 141 
 
 the controversy. These were published in succes- 
 sive numbers of the magazine, the editor replying to 
 each in the same number. He evidently assumed 
 that I was a Calvinist, and constructed his replies 
 accordingly. When I began my rejoinder he dis- 
 covered that he had aimed his guns in the wrong 
 direction, and that his ammunition had been wasted. 
 He found that his arguments were not valid against 
 a Methodist. He began to delay my articles, and 
 finally declined to publish any more of them. I 
 wrote him a letter on the subject, and my friends, in 
 vain, called on him, and at last he discontinued his 
 magazine altogether. My letters were published in 
 a large pamphlet at Wilkesbarre, in 1827, and, except 
 two or three brief articles in the " Methodist Maga- 
 zine," constituted my first appearance in print. 
 
 This little controversy turned my studies into a 
 new channel. I read every thing I could obtain on 
 either side of the question, and was satisfied that I 
 had mastered the principal points of the subject, but 
 the debate with Mr. Marsh showed me that it was 
 important for me to be able to read Greek. I ac- 
 cordingly procured a copy of Parkhurst's Greek 
 Grammar and Lexicon, and began the study, which I 
 prosecuted with some success. 
 
 While the Universalist debate was pending, an- 
 other assailant, whose name was also Marsh, came 
 out for battle. He appeared as the champion of the 
 doctrine of the Divine Unity, and felt called to attack 
 Trinitarians every-where. His assaults attracted 
 considerable attention in Kingston, and the region 
 round about, and some of the less intelligent of our ., 
 
142 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 people began to be disturbed. Happening to meet 
 him one day we had some conversation, in which he 
 told me frankly that he intended to make war upon the 
 errors of the Methodists until he rooted them out. 
 I remarked that I would like to hear him speak. 
 This seemed to please him, and he immediately pub- 
 lished an appointment in the old academy at Kings- 
 ton, and set afloat the idea that we were to have a 
 debate. The evening came, and a crowd, and the 
 sermon, which was two hours long. At the con- 
 clusion Mr. Marsh turned to me and invited me to 
 reply. I declined to do it at that late hour, but 
 named a day, to which he agreed. 
 
 From certain signs I inferred that my assailant 
 was a man of quotations only. I suspected that the 
 pond by which he ran his controversial mill was 
 small and not very deep. Examining Millard's little 
 book on the Unitarian controversy, I found all Mr. 
 Marsh's arguments, and nearly all his language. I 
 prepared my answer accordingly, and when the time 
 came, put Millard's work in my pocket, and carried 
 to the place a half dozen other books, which I placed 
 upon the desk. My opponent was invited to take a 
 seat with me, and did so, but seemed to look at my 
 books with apprehension. 
 
 After prayer, and a brief introduction, I remarked 
 that I had taken no notes of the discourse to which 
 I was about to reply, but that I had it all in a little 
 book. As I drew it from my pocket, and named the 
 author, Mr. Marsh, who was sitting at the desk facing 
 the audience, gave evident tokens of dismay and 
 consternation. The wound was mortal. I spoke 
 
Susquehanna District. 143 
 
 an hour and a half, and then gave the gentleman an 
 opportunity to reply. He tried to do so ; but it was 
 clear that he knew nothing of the question beyond 
 his single author, and when Millard was answered, 
 Marsh was confounded. The audience began to 
 laugh, and we retired. In a few days he left the 
 region, and I saw him no more. 
 
 We had two camp-meetings on the district during 
 the year. The first was on Canaan Circuit. It 
 commenced on the seventh of September, and re- 
 sulted in the conversion of forty souls. The second 
 was on the Wyoming Circuit, beginning on the fif- 
 teenth of September. I have attended many camp- 
 meetings in various parts of the country during the 
 past sixty years, but this was the most powerful I 
 ever saw. The first prayer-meeting on the ground 
 was crowned with a conversion. Reuben Holgate 
 came forward and knelt down, with a fixed determi- 
 nation, he said, never to leave the place till he found 
 the pardon of his sins. He had been but a few 
 minutes thus engaged, when a sudden shower scat- 
 tered the people to their tents. I had not observed 
 Mr. Holgate,' and of course left with the rest and 
 sat down Jn a tent. A lady saw him and came and 
 told me. I hurried back and found him there, pray- 
 ing, one devoted female member of the Church stand- 
 ing by his side. I knelt down and offered a prayer, 
 perhaps a long one ; and when I rose up I found the 
 congregation all there again, in the rain, but rejoic- 
 ing in the Lord. A number of others came forward, 
 among them young people of the most reputable 
 families of the valley. Mr. Holgate did not leave the 
 
144 Life and Times of G, Peck, D.D. 
 
 spot till he found peace, nor did he have to stay long. 
 Thus the meeting began with notes of victory. 
 
 The power of God was so evident that sinners 
 were disarmed, and we had little to do but receive 
 those who pressed forward, and labor with them. 
 They came in crowds at every invitation. Darius 
 Williams and Benjamin Bidlack were triumphant. , 
 The musical, moving strains of Mr. Williams were 
 heard from morning till night, and almost from night 
 till morning. Father Bidlack was a veteran of 
 eighty years, but his tall form was as erect as ever. 
 He had been a soldier in his youth, having enlisted 
 in the army of the Revolution, and served from the 
 very beginning of the war to the surrender of Corn- 
 wallis. Having been converted, he joined the Meth- 
 odists, was called into the itinerancy, and did faithful 
 and efficient service as a minister of Christ. He was 
 now retired from active service, and age was laying 
 its burdens upon him ; but the stirring scenes and 
 events of this meeting roused him as if it were a battle. 
 In one of our stormiest prayer-meetings, when scores 
 were crying for mercy, and scores of others were 
 praying importunately for them, and the noise was 
 like the roar of the ocean surf, a sort of inspiration 
 came upon the old soldier, and he marched around 
 the encampment, his eyes uplifted, the tears flowing 
 down his face, and his mighty voice, as he shouted and 
 praised the Lord, rising above the tumult, echoing 
 from the rocky hill-sides about us, and seeming to 
 die away on the summits of the mountains. 
 
 The meeting had been appointed to last for one 
 week, but continued ten days, and could hardly be 
 
Susquehanna District. 145 
 
 dismissed then in. any regular way. On the last day,' 
 as the custom was, we invited those who had found 
 peace to unite with the Church on probation. Some 
 one struck up the chorus, at that time very popular 
 among us : — 
 
 " Clear the way ; let me go ; 
 I'm going to join the army." 
 
 They came forward from all parts of the ground, 
 old and young, men, women, and children, till two 
 hundred stood in a body, to take upon them the 
 solemn vow. A large congregation witnessed the 
 wondrous scene. God's peofile shouted with holy 
 rapture. Many of the spectators, yet unconverted, 
 wept and were deeply moved. An invitation was 
 once more given them to seek the Lord, and thirty or 
 forty came forward for prayer and counsel. Among 
 these, William Abbott, who came to the ground that 
 morning for the first time to take home his father's 
 family, was suddenly convinced of sin, yielded to the 
 Divine call, and found pardon. He lived a faithful 
 Christian life for many years, and died trusting in 
 the Saviour whom he that day found. He was the 
 uncle of Rev. William P. Abbott. 
 
 Other duties at last compelled the preachers to 
 leave the ground, but the people went on with the 
 work all day. As we reluctantly rode off, the sound 
 of prayer and holy song followed us a long way down 
 the mountain pass. The work went on for months 
 at the various appointments on the circuit. John 
 Copeland, now a superannuated member of the West- 
 ern New York Conference, then an eloquent and 
 popular young preacher, was in charge of Wyoming 
 10 
 
146 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 Circuit, and was efficient and successful during the^ 
 whole year. The sacred influence extended far and 
 wide, and the fruits of this revival were long after- 
 wards found, not only in the neighboring Churches, 
 but in distant parts of the land. 
 
 Soon after this camp-meeting I attended a quar- 
 terly meeting in Oxford, Chenango County, . New 
 York, which was blessed to the salvation of souls. 
 Our people at that time worshiped in an old build- 
 ing erected for a store, on the bank of the river. The 
 Presbyterians kindly lent us their church for the 
 Saturday and Sunday of the quarterly meeting. Ob- 
 serving signs of awakening among the people, I con- 
 cluded to remain during the week, and preach every 
 evening in our own room by the river, the circuit 
 preacher being compelled to leave in order to keep 
 up his regular appointments. God's Spirit was poured 
 out and sinners were converted. Among the rest 
 Asahel J. Hyde, a man of intelligence and influence, 
 who had been considered skeptical, was so deeply 
 convicted one evening that his emotions could not be 
 concealed. " Hyde, what is the matter .■■ " asked one 
 of his careless associates. He answered solemnly, 
 "I feel the necessity of prayer." "Well, then," re- 
 joined the other, " go forward, and Mr. Peck will 
 pray for you." 
 
 He rose immediately, and coming to the bench 
 where others were kneeling, fell upon his knees and 
 cried out in agony of soul, " God be merciful to me, 
 a sinner." He soon found peace, and rising up, ad- 
 dressed the congregation with propriety and effect, 
 exhorting his friends, with tears, to seek the Lord. 
 
Susquehanna District . 147 
 
 When he returned home his wife was amazed, and 
 at first thought that he was losing his reason. When 
 I called on him the next morning I found him calm 
 and happy. Said he, " This morning I commenced 
 family prayer. I began with a prayer-book, but it did 
 not satisfy me, so I shut it up and prayed as the 
 Spirit gave me utterance." I conversed with his wife 
 on the subject of personal religion, and she, too, sought 
 the Saviour, and united with the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church. Both of them remain faithful to the vows 
 then assumed. They not only led their children into 
 the Church, but a large circle of relations followed 
 their example. Emmeaus Locke, of this village, whom 
 I received into the Church in 1817, while I was on 
 Broome Circuit, married my wife's sister Elizabeth, 
 and was an influential member of the little Society at 
 the time of the revival. 
 
 My second winter on Susquehanna District was a 
 hard one for me. Constant alternations of severe 
 cold with comparatively mild weather, made the 
 roads bad and travel uncertain. I took my wife with 
 me in a carriage on one of my northern trips. We went 
 as far as Oxford, and when we had reached Owego, 
 on our return, a deep snow fell and rendered it impos- 
 sible to proceed on wheels. I went to work, and 
 with some little help constructed a sled, or "jumper," 
 as it was called, and pushed on to Nicholl's, my next 
 appointment, and thence, crossing the Wyalusing, 
 through the Auburn woods toward home. The snow 
 began to thaw, the runners of our sled soon wore 
 out, and I bought an old sled and continued on our 
 journey. By the time we reached Springville, thirty 
 
148 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 miles from home, the snow was gone, so I borrowed a 
 wagon, and happily reached Kingston without being 
 compelled to make any further change of conveyance. 
 
 I received during the two years of my presiding 
 eldership less than one hundred and fifty dollars a 
 year, on which sum I supported my famil}' and paid 
 my traveling expenses. How it was done I can 
 hardly tell. My family now numbered four, our 
 second child, Luther Wesley, having been born in 
 the month of June, 1825. 
 
 On the 7th of June, 1826, the Conference met at 
 Palmyra, Wayne County, New York, Bishop Hedding 
 presiding. 
 
 In those days it was not the custom to consult 
 either the preachers or the people in regard to their 
 appointments, and I had, thus far in my itinerancy, 
 never known where my field of labor was to be till 
 the bishop announced it. At this session, however, 
 the health of my family constrained me to ask to be 
 relieved from the presiding eldership, and I was 
 appointed to Wyoming Circuit, with Philo Barberry 
 as junior preacher. It was seven years since I trav- 
 eled this circuit ; but my old friends greeted me as 
 warmly as ever, and I felt that I was at home among 
 them. 
 
 In August I attended a successful camp-meeting 
 in Danby, near Ithaca, New York. An unusually 
 large number of able preachers were present. On 
 the Sabbath George Gary preached a sermon which 
 seemed to break down every thing before it. Robert 
 Burch excelled himself Abner Chase, Benjamin 
 Sabin, Horace Agard, and Denison Smith, preached 
 
Susquehanna District. 149 
 
 strong sermons. John Griffing almost literally 
 "prayed without ceasing." The last night, as was 
 often the case, the prayer-meeting continued till 
 morning, and although I went into a tent at eleven 
 o'clock and tried to sleep, I heard his voice inces- 
 santly from that hour till daylight. About sixty souls 
 were converted. 
 
 We also had a good meeting in the autumn on the 
 old ground on Wyoming Circuit. Rude fellows of 
 the baser sort gave us a great deal of trouble, and 
 sundry of them were subsequently arraigned before a 
 magistrate and fined for their misdeeds. A degree 
 of annoyance, indeed, was quite common on such 
 occasions. We seldom held a camp-meeting any- 
 where without finding out, sooner or later, that some 
 mean character in the neighborhood was trying to 
 make a little money by secretly selling alcoholic 
 drinks. At this meeting we not only had to look 
 after intoxicated men, but one evildoer was malicious 
 enough to set fire to our brush barricade, which had 
 been made the previous year, and was very inflam- 
 mable. Several rods of it were burned in spite of 
 our eiforts to extinguish it. 
 
 I removed my family to a small parsonage in 
 Wilkesbarre, and traveled the circuit during the first 
 quarter of the year. The people of the town then 
 applied to the presiding elder for a division of the 
 circuit. Wilkesbarre was accordingly made a station, 
 with three outside preaching-places — Hanover, the 
 Plains, and Newport, and I was appointed pastor. 
 The arrangement required three sermons every 
 Sabbath. In Wilkesbarre we had no church, but 
 
150 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 met in a spacious hall in the second story of the 
 court-house, the lease of which we secured for ten 
 years. Methodism was still in its infancy in the 
 place. There had been preaching in the town for 
 thirty years ; but the Society was small, the official 
 brethren, with one exception, were young men, and 
 their means were scanty. The amount paid as sala- 
 ry was small ; but, reinforced by home supplies from 
 Forty Fort, we made it answer our purposes. 
 
 On the 22d of February, 1827, Joseph Castle was 
 married to Martha Ann Myers, my wife's sister. I 
 had no idea of this when I urged Bishop Hedding not 
 to send him to Canada two years before. On the loth 
 of April our only daughter, Mary Helen, was born. 
 
 The approaching session of the Conference was to 
 be held in Wilkesbarre, and in due season we set 
 about preparing for it. The wood work within the 
 parsonage had never been painted. One of the 
 brethren mixed the paint, and I wielded the brush, 
 doing the whole myself. I also tried my hand at 
 building a picket -fence in front of the house, and set- 
 ting out a row of trees, and succeeded in both enter- 
 prises. I found no difficulty in procuring quarters for 
 the two hundred members of the Genesee Confer- 
 ence — all the citizens of the place being ready to 
 entertain them. 
 
 On the 26th of June, 1827, the Conference met, 
 Bishop George presiding. The several denomina- 
 tions had been living in the utmost harmony. When 
 the Conference began its session the Presbyterians 
 oifered their church for the public services, and mem- 
 bers of all the Churches in the place attended in large 
 
Wilkesbarre. 151 
 
 numbers. By a vote of the Conference, the pre- 
 vious year, three special discourses had been ar- 
 ranged. John Dempster was to preach on Imputed 
 Righteousness, Andrew Prindle on the Divinity of 
 Christ, and EHas Bowen on Natural and Moral 
 Ability. This programme was, at the best, rather 
 perilous under the circumstances. But Mr. Bowen. 
 had prepared his sermon without any knowledge of 
 the peculiar situation of things in Wilkesbarre, and 
 performed, in the merciless style of the controversies 
 of the day, the duty thus assigned him. Our preach- 
 &rs, at that period of our history, were constantly 
 assailed as teachers of false doctrine ; the pulpits of 
 other denominations rung with the charge ; and 
 often, at the close of a sermon, some pugnacious 
 hearer started up and called the preacher to account 
 for what he had uttered. The preachers were not 
 slow to accept these challenges, and Calvinism 
 especially was a subject upon which their hands 
 were taught to war and their fingers to fight. But 
 . as we were holding our Conference in a Presbyterian 
 church, whose members were kindly entertaining 
 scores of our preachers, it was natural that the dis- 
 course should give offense, not only to the Presbyte- 
 rians, but to the general public. 
 
 The morning after its delivery I was asked if the 
 discourse of Mr. Bowen met my approbation. I re- 
 plied that no one but the preacher himself was re- 
 sponsible for the objectionable things which he had 
 uttered. The gentlemen conceded that I was under 
 no obligation to condemn the preacher, and accepted 
 my personal disclaimer ; but the affair made a bad 
 
1 52 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 impression, and was long remembered as one of the 
 misfortunes of our history in the Wyoming Valley. 
 
 This year we elected delegates to the General Con- 
 ference, and I was again chosen. I was re-appointed 
 to Wilkesbarre. In November I published my book 
 on Universalism. I spent much time and labor upon 
 .it ; but the printer was without experience in this 
 line, and so was I, and between us the typographical 
 part was not a brilliant success. As to the argument, 
 I do not know that I could now improve it. Some 
 of the grounds which I took were new, so far as I 
 knew then or know now. Some of the new phases 
 of that error were met in an original way, and some 
 of my arguments have been adopted by subsequent 
 writers without any intimation of the source whence 
 they were obtained. The volume was received with 
 some favor, and did some local good. Dr. Martin 
 Ruter wrote me a commendatory letter, and Dr. Fisk 
 adopted my historical argument in his publication on 
 the same subject. The edition was small, and I lost 
 money by it ; and it is possible that writing the book 
 was a greater benefit to me than reading it has been 
 to any one else.- 
 
 On the 22d of April, 1828, my friend, H. Agard, 
 and I set out for Pittsburgh, the seat of the General 
 Conference, our conveyance consisting of my horse 
 and his carriage. There had been a fall of snow, and 
 the roads were almost impassable. Toiling on for eight 
 days we at last reached the place, and found excel- 
 lent quarters in the hospitable home of Mr. James 
 Borbidge. 
 
 At this General Conference the Radical controversy 
 
Wilkesbarre. 153 
 
 again came before us. The Baltimore Conference had 
 tried and expelled several of the agitators ; they had ap- 
 pealed to the General Conference ; and in the process 
 of trying these appeals, the various questions which 
 they had long been arguing in the " Mutual Rights " 
 were discussed, and all the matters in controversy 
 were debated. In these trials Stephen George Roszel 
 and Asa Shinn were pitted against each other ; Mr. 
 Shinn for the appellants, and Mr. Roszel for the 
 Conference. The contest was ably conducted on 
 both sides, but in the midst of it Mr. Shinn's phys- 
 ical powers suddenly failed, and he was compelled to 
 retire from the field. The whole question of reform 
 was disposed of in a report which was read by Dr. 
 Emory, but which, as it was subsequently ascer- 
 tained, was written by Dr. Bond, of Baltimore. The 
 principal questions agitated had been in regard to the 
 election of presiding elders by the Annual Confer- 
 ences and lay delegation ; but from this General Con- 
 ference the agitation ceased, and peace was restored. 
 The application of the Canada Conference to be 
 made an independent Church occasioned a warm dis- 
 cussion, in which the ablest members of the General 
 Conference took part. A report was finally adopted 
 allowing the Canada brethren to organize on an inde- 
 pendent basis, and authorizing our bishops to ordain 
 a bishop for them, whenever one should be elected. 
 The question of dividing the property of the Church 
 and giving, the Canada brethren their proportion of 
 the Book Concern and of the general funds came up 
 four years afterward, and was referred to the Annual 
 Conferences, where the proposition so to divide failed 
 
154 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 to receive the necessary majority. The Southern 
 Conferences voted mostly in the negative. Thus ter- 
 minated an agitation which for years had disturbed 
 the Methodist Church in, Canada. 
 
 A somewhat unpleasant matter came before the 
 General Conference in connection with Bishop Soule. 
 Joshua Randall had been arraigned by the New En- 
 gland Conference for preaching false doctrine, and 
 had been expelled. The doctrinal error for which he 
 was tried consisted in his affirming that the moral 
 law is abrogated by the Gospel. He appealed to the 
 General Conference ; the appeal had been tried, and 
 the action of the New England Conference was af- 
 firmed. Bishop Soule had published a sermon on 
 "The Law," in which, as some of the eastern dele- 
 gates alleged, he had taught the same heresy. Law- 
 rence M'Combs and Timothy Merritt introduced a 
 resolution to take up the Bishop's sermon, and, after 
 a heated debate, succeeded in getting it referred to 
 the Committee on the Episcopacy. The committee 
 examined the discourse, and reported that it did not 
 contain the errors which had been charged. In the 
 debates which took place in the Committee, and also 
 in the General Conference, Dr. Wilbur Fisk managed 
 the argument, and made some strong points against 
 the Bishop, but failed to convict him. Those who 
 had introduced the question in regard to Mr. Soule's 
 orthodoxy were not dissatisfied with the result, inas- 
 much as the action of the General Con/erence was 
 of such a nature as to condemn the doctrine, while 
 it exonerated the' Bishop from the charge of teach- 
 ing it. 
 
Wilkcsbarre. 1 5 S 
 
 A resolution allowing the Genesee Conference to 
 divide itself was warmly opposed by some of the 
 Southern and Western members, on the ground that 
 it would tend to destroy the itinerancy and establish 
 Congregationalism among us. The idea of the oppo- 
 nents seemed to be, that the integrity and efficiency 
 of Methodism depended upon large circuits, large 
 districts, and large conferences ; and that it was in 
 the highest degree unwise for us, as they expressed 
 it, to " cut up the work into little patches." We suc- 
 ceeded, however, in carrying the measure. 
 
 On Friday, May 23, Bishop M'Kendree delivered 
 before the_ Conference an address of a truly primi- 
 tive and apostolic character. It made a fine impres- 
 sion. The next day Bishop Soule made some expla- 
 nations in regard to his sermon and its supposed 
 heresies ; and then the doxology was sung, prayer 
 was offered by Nelson Reed, and the Conference 
 adjourned. The Southern members took the steam- 
 boat and departed. We remained till Monday, in 
 honor of the Sabbath, and then were detained an- 
 other day by a great rain. Leaving Pittsburgh 
 Tuesday morning, the 27th, we had a pleasant jour- 
 ney, and reached home on Wednesday, June 4. 
 
 On the 9th of July Mrs. Martha Ann Castle died 
 at her father's house in Forty Fort, after an illness of 
 only three days. She departed in holy triumph. 
 Death came at an unexpected hour, while her hus- 
 band was absent on his circuit, so far away that the 
 utmost exertion on his part did not bring him to her 
 bedside in time to receive her last farewell. She was 
 a woman of deep piety, and unusual intelligence and 
 
IS6 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 force of character. An infant son survived her only 
 a few weeks. 
 
 The Genesee Conference began its session July 24, 
 1828, at Ithaca, N. Y. The Church in this place was 
 in a prosperous condition, and there had been a large 
 accession of members during the previous two years. 
 Some matters transpired during the session which 
 were of no great importance, and yet, as they belong 
 to my personal history, and at the same time show 
 that, in regard to the itinerancy, "former times" were 
 not as much " better than these " as some imagine, I 
 name them. Early in the session of the Conference 
 an active and somewhat fussy official member of the 
 Church at Ithaca informed me that it was the general 
 wish of the brethren there that I should be their next 
 pastor, and he hoped that I would not object. Two 
 or three days after this a member of another Confer- 
 ence visited us, preached a sermon, and made a mis- 
 sionary speech. My friend was_greatly pleased with 
 the eloquent stranger, and soon there were rumors 
 that Ithaca was to have a transfer, the clerical brother 
 in question agreeing to the arrangement. To make 
 every thing agreeable, some one brought forward a 
 resolution requesting the Bishop to transfer him to 
 our Conference. This resolution passed, and I con- 
 sidered the matter settled ; but when things came to 
 the test it was discovered that the visiting brother, 
 while he highly appreciated the compliment paid him 
 by our action, had no intention of coming to the 
 Genesee Conference, and the project failed. When 
 this result was reached the officious official of Ithaca 
 came to me once more to urge me to consent to 
 
Ithaca. 157 
 
 come to his Church. Not knowing exactly how mat- 
 ters stood, I made him no definite reply. Soon a 
 committee of the leading brethren waited upon me 
 to assure me that the ofificial board had taken no 
 action in regard to a transfer ; that the best men of 
 the Society deemed it altogether visionary and ill- 
 advised ; and that they did not wish to be held re- 
 sponsible for the action of the self-appointed com- 
 mittee of one. I believed these to be the facts, and 
 therefore replied that I should leave my case in the 
 hands of the Bishop, neither asking nor declining any 
 field to which he might see cause to assign me : and 
 in accordance with their request I was appointed. 
 
 The health of my family was such that I could not 
 remove immediately to Ithaca. Wilkesbarre had been 
 returned to the Wyoming Circuit, and Joseph Castle 
 and Silas Comfort were the preachers. I preached 
 at Ithaca the Sunday after the close of the Confer- 
 ence, and then, with the consent of the presiding 
 elder, arranged with Mr. Castle to change places 
 with him until we were able to move. This arrange- 
 ment continued till the middle of October, when we 
 made the transit. This time, moving was an opera- 
 tion of somewhat portentous dimensions. The dis- 
 tance was one hundred and ten miles, and the road 
 was over the mountains much of the way. Our 
 goods were loaded upon two wagons, and sent on in 
 advance, our oldest child, George, accompanying 
 them, in the care of the men in charge of that part 
 of the expedition. A strong carriage conveyed the 
 rest of the family, my wife and the nurse sitting on 
 the back seat, each holding a child, while a third was 
 
IS8 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 committed to me. These, with needful baggage, 
 made a heavy load, which demanded careful horse- 
 manship and slow marches. While we were descend- 
 ing a very steep hill near Tunkhannock the front 
 axle of the carriage broke like a pipe-stem, the car- 
 riage turned completely over, and the powerful horse, 
 tearing loose from the wreck, rushed away at the too 
 of his speed. Strange to tell, no one was injured. 
 As we crept from under the ruins I looked down the 
 road, and saw my horse coming back at the same 
 furious pace, and charging directly upon us. This 
 peril seemed as great as the other, but we were 
 again saved from harm, the horse stopping suddenly 
 just as he came within four or five steps of the group, 
 and standing still long enough to be caught. 
 
 We returned to Tunkhannock, and I addressed 
 myself to the question of repairs. A stage passing 
 through the village, I placed my family in it and 
 sent them to Montrose, and then followed with my 
 horse, arriving late at night. The next day I found 
 the poor beast so lame from injuries received at the 
 time of the accident that he could scarcely stand. 
 Then one of the children was taken sick, and the 
 sick child, the lame horse, and the broken carriage 
 detained us at Montrose nine or ten days. We were 
 so fortunate, however, as to find in the place an old 
 and intimate friend, Mrs. Daniel Baldwin, who re- 
 ceived us into her house, and, with her excellent 
 husband, did all that could be done to render us com- 
 fortable. I preached twice during my stay — once 
 on the Sabbath, in the Presbyterian Church, and the 
 other at the funeral of a grandchild of Putnam Cat- 
 
Ithaca. 159 
 
 ]in, the father of George Catlin, the famous painter 
 of Indian portraits. At last, after having 'been 
 twelve days on the journey, we reached Ithaca, 
 and found a most cordial welcome, and a new par- 
 sonage, comfortably furnished, awaiting us. I com- 
 menced my work, preaching three times every Sab- 
 bath to the same congregation of respectable and 
 highly intelligent people. The house was always 
 well filled. The intellectual character of my people, 
 the ability of my immediate predecessors, the state 
 of the Church at the time of my appointment, — every 
 thing being then at flood tide, — and the three sermons 
 weekly, tried my powers ; but, by diligence in study 
 and Divine help, the year passed pleasantly, and 
 not without fruit. The brother whose intermittent 
 friendship annoyed me during the session of the 
 Conference afterward treated me with all kindness 
 and respect. 
 
 This year I undertook a thorough review of two 
 branches of study : Ecclesiastical History and Meta- 
 physics. I had previously read Mosheim. Consid- 
 ered as the history of the Church as an organization, 
 its outward forms and manifestations, and in its cor- 
 ruptions, it is a learned and invaluable work. I now 
 studied Milner. In him I found elaborately traced 
 the history of the evangelical portion of the Church, 
 particularly that subdivision of it which took the 
 Augustinian type. In my metaphysical investiga- 
 tions I commenced with Locke, and went through 
 several of the best Scotch authors. I had previously 
 read Dr. Reid's works. I now studied Dugald Stew- 
 art and Payne. Notwithstanding the war made upon 
 
i6o Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 John Locke, I was strongly inclined to the judgment 
 of Dr. Beasley, that the reviewers of the great En- 
 glish philosopher had drawn from his premises un- 
 warrantable conclusions, and attributed to him opin- 
 ions which he did not hold, and which his theory in 
 regard to the elements of knowledge would hardly 
 authorize. I had some taste for these investigations, 
 arid, I think, derived some profit from them ; but I 
 hardly know, on the whole, whether the time which 
 I spent thus might not have been employed to better 
 advantage. 
 
 During the winter and spring we were visited with 
 domestic trials. Our children were all sick, the in- 
 fant died, and our little daughter was at one time, as 
 we thought, very near death. We were kept in a 
 state of anxiety day and night, for months. Our 
 people were very kind, and yet that long period of 
 weary watching and constant apprehension was a 
 burden upon soul and body. Still, I came to love the 
 people and the place. I began to cherish the idea that 
 if I should live to be old I would return, and there 
 spend the evening of my days. With this thought 
 in my mind I purchased two lots of land, one on the 
 corner opposite the Methodist Episcopal Church, and 
 the other on the hill. But we little know, -at thirty 
 years of age, at what point we may be tethered at 
 threescore and ten. Those pleasant visions of a 
 home in Ithaca have long since faded. The mem- 
 ory of the kind friends who gathered about us is still 
 fresh, but the only spot of ground there to which our 
 hearts are drawn is the little mound thgt covers the 
 dust of our infant son. 
 
Ithaca. i6i 
 
 The Genesee Conference, in accordance with the 
 action of the previous General Conference, had been 
 divided, one part retaining the old name, and the 
 other being called the Oneida Conference. Ithaca 
 was within the bounds of the latter. The Oneida 
 Conference held its first session at Cazenovia, June 
 TO, 1829, Bishop Roberts presiding. The room in 
 which we-assembled was the seminary chapel, once 
 the county court-house, in which I preached in 18 17. 
 The session was harmonious. The Conference was 
 visited by a large deputation of chiefs and other great 
 men of the Oneida tribe of Indians. Among them 
 was William Doxtater, a most fluent and beautiful 
 speaker in his own language, who had been the in- 
 strument of a great work of God in his tribe. I was 
 re-appointed to Ithaca, in accordance with the ex- 
 pectations of pastor and people. 
 
 This year, 1829, at the invitation of Herman Camp, 
 I delivered, at Trumansburgh, my first Fourth of July 
 oration, selecting for my special theme the Temper- 
 ance Reform. Some years afterward I heard a gen- 
 tleman in New York; who was supposed to be well 
 informed in such matters, state, as an historical fact, 
 that the first temperance celebration of the national 
 anniversary occurred in that city about the year 1832. 
 If the date of the New York celebration is correctly 
 given, that at Trumansburgh occurred three years 
 before it, and was probably the first instance of the 
 kind. I also spoke on the same theme the next year 
 at the celebration held at Speedsville. 
 
 In the Church matters went tolerably well this 
 year, and yet our numbers declined. The business 
 11 
 
i62 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 interests of the place were depressed, and a consid- 
 erable number of our members removed. The lull 
 which followed the great religious movement of three 
 years previous told seriously upon some whose piety 
 grew more out of the excitement of the hour than 
 from thorough conviction, and " because they had no 
 root, they withered away." I was also somewhat 
 annoyed by certain irrepressible female members of 
 the Church, who were ready to assume the control • 
 of every body and every thing, including the pastor, 
 his family, and all of his domestic arrangements. 
 These good sisters were gifted in prayer, and ear- 
 nest in spirit, and rendered much aid in social meet- 
 ings ; but they had been consulted so often, and 
 deferred to so much, that they were offended if they 
 were not consulted and their advice taken in every 
 case. This was the state of things which I found 
 when I came to the charge, and I was compelled to 
 inaugurate a new line of policy. I treated the ladies 
 with all courtesy, but did my work in my own way, 
 and the feminine dictatorship came to an end. I did 
 my best to render its last hours peaceful, but did not 
 -entirely succeed. There was some irritation, and the 
 course of the pastor was duly criticised, and the mo- 
 tives, real and imaginary, which led him to adopt it 
 were duly canvassed by the aggrieved party. It was 
 probably in view of these things that the brethren of 
 the official boards, at the close of my term of service, 
 were led to express their respect for me, and their 
 approval of my administration, by a complimentary 
 resolution, which was communicated to me as I was 
 leaving for Conference. 
 
Utica. 163 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 1830, UTICA 183I, CAZENOVIA 1832, CAZENOVIA AND 
 
 AUBURN 1833-4, AUBURN. 
 
 THE Oneida Conference met at Utica, July 15, 
 1830, Bishop Hedding presiding. We had, 
 during the session, two spirited debates over matters 
 of importance. The first occurred in connection 
 with a movement in favor of a more thorough ex- 
 amination of the candidates for admission into full 
 connection. A course of study had been arranged, 
 and every year committees of examination were 
 appointed, and went through the forms of their 
 duty ; but it seemed impossible to secure the needful 
 attention to study on the part of many of the young 
 men ; and when the question of their reception came 
 up, the Conference showed a disposition to be satis- 
 fied with very slender literary qualifications. The 
 presiding elders were so in need of men that they 
 generally had excellent reasons to urge in favor of 
 every candidate, however ignorant of the books named 
 in the course of study. I had been for several years 
 on the committee of examination, and often felt that 
 our action did not accomplish much, the Conference 
 attaching little importance to our reports. This 
 year the committee requested me to address the 
 Conference, in connection with our report,- and urge 
 the necessity of a higher grade of qualification. I 
 
164 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 did so to the best of my ability. My friend John 
 Dempster strongly seconded the movement, and 
 from that time there was a marked change in our 
 modes of action. As might have been anticipated, 
 however, the increased tendency to be stringent in 
 our demands upon candidates led to innumerable 
 skirmishes between the committee and the presiding 
 elders over special cases. 
 
 The other matter of interest was a warm discus- 
 sion in regard to the measures of the temperance 
 reform. A resolution was offered in favor of tem- 
 perance societies. A strong party in the Conference 
 held the position then maintained by Dr. Bangs, the 
 editor of our Church paper at New York, that the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church is, in itself, a temper- 
 ance society, and that there was no need of our unit- 
 ing with any other for the promotion of the cause. 
 Others, of whom I was one, held the position of Dr. 
 Fisk, that Methodists, both ministers and people, 
 ought to encourage and unite with special organiza- 
 tions for the prosecution of the reform. In debating 
 this resolution the Conference became strangely ex- 
 cited, and finally fell into a state of wild confusion. 
 A dozen members were upon the floor at the same 
 moment, and a dozen voices were shouting " Mr. 
 President," in continuous roar. I was standing up 
 with the others, and probably making my full share 
 of the noise. In the midst of the confusion the old 
 bishop brought his great foot to the floor with em- 
 phasis, and thundered, " Silence ! Now, brethren, 
 stop ; I will have no more of this ! " In an- instant 
 every man was in his seat, and all was still. I do 
 
Utica. 165 
 
 not know how the others felt. I was mortified, and 
 never allowed myself to be caught in any similar 
 situation afterward. The motion was laid upon the 
 table, and thus, for the time, was lost ; but not long 
 after both the Oneida Conference and the "Advo- 
 cate " changed their position. 
 
 At this Conference I was appointed pastor of the 
 Church at Utica. I had left this station only six 
 years before ; but since that time a new church had 
 been erected on Bleecker-street, and considerable 
 changes had taken place in the Society, though I 
 was still acquainted with nearly all the leading mem- 
 bers. We moved with all convenient dispatch to our 
 new charge. I found that the stewards had rented 
 a small house situated in a marsh, in the western part 
 of the town, where the streets were not graded, nor 
 the sidewalks laid, and where there were around us 
 on every side open ditches full of water. The house 
 was new, the walls still damp. Some of the people 
 demurred at our moving into it, and, agreeing with 
 them in opinion, I rented another near the church on 
 my own responsibility. This did not please the leading 
 steward, and he gave me no help, either in getting set- 
 tled in my new house or in paying the rent afterward. 
 
 I entered upon my work with unusual hopefulness. 
 Our congregations were crowded. In the fall the 
 Presbyterian brethren held a protracted meeting, and 
 there was bonsiderable religious interest among them. 
 Mr. Akin was still pastor of the First Church, and 
 Dr. Lansing of the Second, in Bleecker-street ; and 
 the latter minister especially was attracting great 
 attention by his zeal and eloquence. My own con- 
 
1 66 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 gregation shared the general feeling, and the interest 
 seemed to be growing every week. 
 
 I was apprehensive. There had been in the 
 Church at Utica from the beginning two parties, one 
 in favor of shouting and other noisy demonstrations 
 in public worship, and the other totally opposed to 
 them. 
 
 These parties were always more or less in conflict. 
 I made strenuous efibrt to call the attention of the 
 rival factions to the state of things within and around 
 us, and the necessity of harmony in the Church. I 
 visited the members, and strove to rouse them to 
 Christian activity. I called the official board to- 
 gether, and made it the special business of the meet- 
 ing to inquire into the religious state of each brother 
 present. I found their hearts tender. While we 
 were praying and counseling together the cloud broke 
 over us, and we were overwhelmed with the influences 
 of the Spirit of God. O what confessions followed ! 
 We humbled ourselves and wept like children. I 
 never saw a more complete breaking down and sur- 
 render than I saw and felt that evening. 
 
 On the next Sabbath morning I entered the pulpit 
 with hope and courage, assured that God had given 
 me a message for the people. The house was filled to 
 its utmost capacity. While I was preaching from the 
 words, " See that ye refuse not Him that speaketh," 
 God was in his own truth ; the people seemed to.trem- 
 ble like the leaves of the forest before a mighty wind. 
 In the evening I invited those who were awakened 
 to come forward for prayers, and ten presented them- 
 selves, some of whom found peace before they left 
 
Utica. 167 
 
 the house. The work went on during the week. 
 There was now a deep reHgious interest throughout 
 the city, and popular revivalists were employed to 
 assist the pastors of several Churches. I held a 
 meeting every evening, and visited the people all 
 day. A large number of promising converts were 
 brought into the Church. I received eighty at one 
 time. About one hundred had found peace, and 
 there seemed no indication of any abatement of the 
 interest. And then, in the very height of the battle 
 and the victory, my strength suddenly failed, and I 
 was compelled to retire at once from the field. ' Even 
 so, Father ; for so it seemed good in thy sight." 
 
 This illness was the greatest trial which I had ever 
 encountered. At first I was wholly unreconciled to 
 it, and thought that it must not be ; but finding my- 
 self completely broken down, I submitted and was 
 quiet. About the same time a young lady, resident 
 in my family, was prostrated with an alarming hem- 
 orrhage of the lungs, and for weeks my wife had two 
 invalids for whom to care. The weary watching and 
 anxiety broke down her strength, and she, too, became 
 ill. Lying sick in the same room, we condoled with 
 each other, and tried to gather comfort from Divine 
 sources. When the brethren came to see me they 
 looked sad and seemed desponding. The presiding 
 elder, Brother George Gary, came to utter words of 
 friendly cheer. He bade me give myself no anxiety 
 in regard to the Church. Supposing that the brethren 
 would be gratified to hear my experience in the hour 
 of trial, I wrote a few lines, which Mr. Gary read in the 
 love-feast. He released me from all responsibility in 
 
1 68 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 regard- to the charge, and directed the Rev. Isaac 
 Stone to supply my place. 
 
 The winter passed slowly away, and as the spring 
 opened, I found myself able to attend church, and 
 move about a little in good weather. My hopes began 
 to revive in some degree, and 'one day I made to my 
 friend, who was walking with me, a remark which 
 looked in the direction of a possible resumption of 
 the work. He looked at me with astonishment, and 
 asked me if I expected ever to preach again, adding, 
 " You never will ; your work in that line is done." 
 " Well," thought I, " if such is the will of God, 
 be it so." At the same time, I saw no reason to 
 suppose that my friend pronounced this opinion 
 under the influence of inspiration, and I therefore 
 did not regard it as the conclusion of the whole 
 matter. 
 
 I resolved to try the effect of a little journey. Early 
 in the month of May I gave up my house, stored 
 most of my goods, and secured for my family two or 
 three rooms in the house of a friend. On the ninth 
 of the month snow fell so abundantly that if it had 
 not partly thawed as it fell there would have been a 
 depth of perhaps twelve inches. On Wednesday, the 
 nth, I took passage on a canal-packet going east, 
 then the most comfortable conveyance, and as expe- 
 ditious as any. To my great joy I found my old 
 friend, Loring Grant, on board, on his way to New 
 England. In the company of Mr. Grant, and that of 
 the other passengers, who were very friendly, I al- 
 most forgot my weakness. Being invited to preach 
 a sermon in the saloon of the packet I did so, and 
 
Casenovia. 169 
 
 felt no particular harm from the exe'rtion, although I 
 had been silent for three months previous. 
 
 In due time I reached the city of New York, where 
 I found a home with a relative, and placed myself 
 under the medical care of Dr. D. M. Reese. I 
 remained in the city only a week, during which I 
 visited Newark, and had an interview with the Rev. 
 Nathaniel Porter, who was in the last stage of pul- 
 monary consumption, and passing peacefully home. 
 Leaving New York I proceeded to Springfield, Mass., 
 the seat of the New England Conference, where I 
 attended some of the daily sessions, and made vari- 
 ous little excursions to points of interest, meanwhile 
 steadily gaining strength. Here I saw John N. 
 Mafifitt for the first time. He was in some kind of 
 trouble. The last time I saw him he was in similar 
 circumstances. From Springfield I proceeded north 
 and west, crossed the Green Mountains, visited Troy, 
 and halted at Saratoga. After a stay of ten or 
 twelve days at the springs, during which I drank 
 quantities of the water, and preached once, still 
 improving steadily, I returned to Utica, and went 
 thence with my family to Wyoming Valley, where I 
 spent a week or ten days, and then proceeded to 
 Conference. 
 
 The Oneida Conference met at Lowville, Lewis 
 County, July 14, 1831, Bishop Soule presiding. On 
 my way thither I spent a night in Cazenovia, where 
 I was waited upon by the stewards of the Church, 
 who stated their desire that I should be appointed to 
 serve them the next year. I explained to them the 
 state of my health, saying that I had preached but 
 
I/O Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 twice in four months — that I feared I would not 
 be very effective — and that I certainly could not 
 undertake to preach three sermons every Sabbath. 
 They replied that they would be satisfied with what I 
 found myself able to do, and that they would secure 
 for me all the aid I might need. I saw no reason to 
 decline their kind invitation. 
 
 During the session I preached once, and made a 
 missionary address. For the first time I was asked, 
 on the conference floor, whether I desired to say any 
 thing in regard to my health. I answered promptly, 
 " Nothing," being resolved to try another appointment, 
 trusting in the grace of God. I was accordingly ap- 
 pointed to Cazenovia, and also elected delegate to 
 the next General Conference. I at once removed my 
 family to my new field, and began my work. Our con- 
 gregations filled the Seminary Chapel, in which all 
 our religious services were held, and I soon became 
 greatly interested in my people. There were mem- 
 bers who joined the Church when I was laboring on 
 Cortland Circuit in 1817. The teachers and stu- 
 dents of the Seminary formed a large part of the 
 audience at every meeting. To preach twice every 
 Sabbath tried my physical strength severely for a 
 time ; but I gradually improved, and before the close 
 of the year my health seemed fully re-established. I 
 went on with my studies during the year, taking reg- 
 ular lessons in Greek, under the instruction of Pro- ■ 
 fessor Hoyt, and attending lectures on several of the 
 natural sciences, I derived great advantage from the 
 new opportunities afforded me. 
 
 Having no place of worship except the chapel 
 
Casenovia. 171 
 
 of the Seminary, the leading members of the Society- 
 were very anxious to erect a church edifice. A sub- 
 scription had been circulated, but failed to secure an 
 amount sufficient to warrant the commencement of 
 the work. I proposed to the trustees the plan of 
 selling the pews, and thus securing the needed funds. 
 They adopted the suggestion, fixed upon the size and 
 style of the building, prepared a diagram of the audi- 
 ence-room, numbered the pews, and set them up at 
 auction. At the first sale about half the pews were 
 sold, the proceeds amounting to more than half the 
 sum needed for the building, and contracts were im- 
 mediately entered into for the erection of a stone 
 edifice. 
 
 A protracted meeting held during the winter re- 
 sulted in the conversion of twenty-five or thirty souls, 
 and yet was not, on the whole, as useful as we had 
 hoped. Little things are sometimes greatly in the 
 way of important enterprises. , An active and erratic 
 local preacher, a student in the Seminary, had intro- 
 duced into Cazenovia and the region round about a 
 mode of conducting prayer-meetings which caught 
 the fancy of some and greatly annoyed others, in 
 the Church and out of it. His plan was to set all 
 present praying aloud at the same moment. Instead 
 of saying, " Brother B. will now lead us in prayer," 
 he would say, " Now let us all pray," and imme- 
 diately there would arise a miniature Babel, a noisy 
 chaos of indistinguishable sounds. Finding this to 
 be the local custom, I did not at first interfere with it ; 
 but soon becoming convinQcd that it was doing evil, 
 I set myself to the work of reform. The transition 
 
172 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 from the old way to the new, however, could not be 
 made easy and pleasant to all ; and while some were 
 rejoicing in the new order of things, others shook their 
 heads mournfully, and talked about the lost " life and 
 power " of our meetings. Still the disorderly method 
 was laid aside, and a wiser one established. 
 
 The General Conference of 1832 sat in the city of 
 Philadelphia. I was entertained at Thomas Kelley's, 
 with George Pickering, Peter P. Sandford, and George 
 Harmon. Bishops M'Kendree, Roberts, Soule, and 
 Hedding were present at the Conference, all appar- 
 ently in robust health, except Bishop M'Kendree, 
 who was scarcely able to preside. He undertook to 
 preach a sermon in memory of Bishop George, who 
 died in August, 1828. The text, " He was a burn- 
 ing and a shining light," was well selected, but the 
 sermon of the venerable bishop was almost a failure. 
 
 During this General Conference we had an earnest 
 debate on the subject of pews. There was a very 
 decided difference of opinion. New England was 
 in favor of them, and it was generally conceded that 
 the plan was useful, and perhaps necessary, in that 
 part of the work. The South and West were op- 
 posed. Dr. Fisk took a leading part in the debate, 
 urging such a change of the Discipline as would leave 
 each Society to decide the question or its own local- 
 ity. The delegates of the Genesee and Oneida Con- 
 ferences united with those of New England in sup- 
 port of the proposed change, and for the first time 
 I made a set speech in General Conference. The 
 change, however, was not effected. Some of the 
 brethren who were in the majority admitted that 
 
Cazenovia. 173 
 
 they could not deny the local necessity, but they still 
 were unwilling to change the rule, and thus encour- 
 age a general abandonment of the old method. They 
 preferred to see the rule disregarded in certain sec- 
 tions of the Church rather than repeal it, and thereby 
 inaugurate agitation and strife every- where else. 
 
 Two bishops were to be elected, and there was 
 a great deal of talk over possible candidates. Dr. 
 Capers proposed that a meeting, composed of one 
 delegate from each Conference, be held to consider 
 the subject. At this meeting I represented the 
 "Oneida Conference. Dr. Capers proposed James O. 
 Andrew as the Southern candidate, stating that he 
 held no slaves, and was therefore wholly unexcep- 
 tionable. "Some one present asked the doctor why 
 he himself would not consent to be a candidate. He 
 answered with great apparent candor, " I am, from 
 necessity, not from choice, a slaveholder. Slavery is 
 a local institution, and it would prejudice a bishop at 
 the north to be connected witlj it. When I was a 
 delegate to the British Conference I felt the embar- 
 rassment. I there really represented the whole 
 Church — slaveholders and non-slaveholders ; but I 
 was so identified with the South in policy that I 
 found it difficult, not to say impossible, for me to 
 properly represent the views and feelings of the 
 Northern portion of the Church." 
 
 This was the spirit of Dr. Capers's remarks, and 
 this, so far as I recollect, was the language. The 
 delegates from the North and East proposed the 
 name of John Emory. When I reported the result 
 to our delegation, all seemed satisfied with it except 
 
174 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 Elias Bowen, who strongly objected to Mr. Andrew, 
 and declared that he intended to vote for Dr.Capers, 
 even if he was a slaveholder. In my reply to Dr. 
 Bascom's pamphlet, in 1845, I referred to this mat- 
 ter, and said that, so far as I knew, all our delegates 
 voted for Mr. Andrew, but an examination of my 
 private memoranda, and more thorough reflection, 
 make it necessary to admit the exception. John 
 Emory and James O. Andrew were elected. 
 
 On the last day of the Conference Bishop Emory 
 took the chair for the first time, and, as is generally 
 the case during the last hours of the session, there 
 was a great press of business and great difficulty in 
 keeping order. The new bishop, however, displayed 
 great ability as a presiding officer, and won the admi- 
 ration of all parties. 
 
 The Oneida Conference met at Manlius, Ononda- 
 ga County, N. Y., July 12, 18^2. I was reappointed 
 to Cazenovia, and had a prosperous year. A revival, 
 in the autumn, occurred at Woodstock, in the neigh- 
 borhood of my old acquaintance. Elder John Peck. 
 The work was carried on chiefly by the instrumen- 
 tality of one of the preachers on Madison Circuit. 
 Several local preachers from the seminary, as well as 
 myself, assisted him. A large class was formed, com- 
 posed of Elder Peck's regular hearers and the chil- 
 dren of his members, who held their meetings within 
 sight of his residence. 
 
 Our new church was dedicated on Christmas Day. 
 The presiding elder, John Dempster, preached in the 
 morning, the pastor in the afternoon, and Z. Paddock 
 in the evening. We commenced a protracted meet- 
 
Casenovia. 175 
 
 iiig immediately, and had a gracious revival, during 
 which a large number of the students were brought 
 into the Church. Early in February, 1833, 1 preached 
 one of the sermons at the dedication of the new stone 
 church at Auburn, and was requested to remain and 
 preach again the next evening. I did so, and the 
 truth was indeed "the power of God unto salvation." 
 A considerable number of penitents presented them- 
 selves, asking the prayers of God's people. I was 
 invited to stay and preach the next evening, and 
 again complied. The meetings continued, and I was 
 still constrained to remain, and did remain for three 
 weeks, preaching every evening as well as on the 
 Sabbath. The work assumed a very interesting 
 type, taking hold of a large number of leading citi- 
 zens, some of whom had been avowed Universalists, 
 and others infidels. 
 
 Returning to my home at the end of the period 
 named I resumed my regular duties, but had hardly 
 recovered from the weariness of the Auburn cam- 
 paign when the presiding elder made his appearance, 
 and announced that he must remove me to Auburn, 
 and that I must be there by the next Sabbath. He 
 called the official members together, explained the 
 emergency, and asked their consent to my removal. 
 One of the brethren asked : — 
 
 " What if we do not give our consent .-' " 
 
 " Then I shall remove him without it," replied Mr. 
 Dempster. 
 
 We made our arrangements as soon as possible, 
 and started for our new charge. My wife was so 
 exhausted by the fatigue and excitement of the sud- 
 
176 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 den movement that she became seriously ill on the 
 way, and I was obliged to leave her at the house of a 
 friend at Camillus. It was three weeks before she 
 was able to complete the journey. 
 
 My new situation was somewhat delicate. The 
 congregation was chiefly new, gathered from all 
 quarters in a time of wonderful excitement. No 
 doubt my reputation in the community was suffi- 
 ciently high, but it had been acquired under peculiar 
 circumstances. The aggressive revival influence, 
 which, when I was there before, swept onward with 
 the force of a mountain torrent, had subsided. And 
 as the rocks which are buried out of sight in the 
 flood come again to the surface when the waters ebb, 
 so the time had come for old prejudices to appear, 
 and old associations to assert their power. Fully 
 aware of the adverse influences, I thought I saw the 
 hand of Providence in the matter, so far as I was 
 concerned. I resolved, therefore, to put my trust 
 in God, and go. forward. I studied diligently, and 
 preached with all my might three times every Sab- 
 bath, and once during the week. 
 
 The general result was, perhaps, equal to reason- 
 able hopes. A number of prominent men had been 
 received on probation, only a few of whom became 
 full members. The second Presbyterian Church re- 
 ceived a large number of our converts, and the pastor 
 had the candor to say, on their reception, that they 
 were not the fruits of his own labors. But with all 
 these and other losses, we still had a strong Church 
 and a fine congregation. 
 
 Being anxious to avail myself of all the advantages 
 
Auburn. lyy 
 
 within my reach, I commenced soon after my removal 
 the study of Hebrew under the instructions of Dr. 
 Mills, professor in the Theological Seminary, and after 
 a few private lessons joined the class, and went on 
 regularly with the students. The hours allotted to 
 study I devoted chiefly to Hebrew, Greek, and bib- 
 lical criticism. I derived great assistance from Dr. 
 Mills, who gave me free access to his large and valu- 
 able library. All this was what I had greatly desired. 
 It was hard for me to leave my kind friends at Caz- 
 enovia ; the burdens of our new circumstances were 
 not light, but here was the compensation. Becom- 
 ing exceedingly interested in the history of the prim- 
 itive Church, I formed the project of writing several 
 small books, embracing the lives of the apostles and 
 their immediate successors. Dr. Durbin, then the 
 editor of the "Advocate" and of our publications, 
 favored the plan, I accordingly prepared a small 
 -volume, entitled the " Lives of the Apostles and 
 Evangelists," which, in due time, was published, 
 but subsequent events interrupted my labors in 
 that direction, and I never completed my project. 
 In fact I was tasking myself beyond reason, and be- 
 fore long paid the penalty. My head began to feel 
 heavy, and there was a dull, steady pain. Taking a 
 little drive one day this pain became so intense that 
 I was compelled to stop at the house of a friend and 
 ask to be permitted to lie down and rest. A physi- 
 cian was immediately summoned, but it was several 
 days before I could be conveyed to my own house, 
 and weeks before I preached again, or attempted any 
 
 kind of labor. I resumed my studies by degrees, but 
 12 
 
178 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 it was a long while before I could endure my usual 
 amount of close application. 
 
 The Oneida Conference held its session at Caz- 
 enovia, commencing September 28, 1833, Bishop 
 Hedding presiding. The chief matter of interest 
 connected with the session was the movement made 
 in behalf of the seminary. The preachers were urged 
 to pledge certain amounts, which they were to be at 
 liberty to raise among the people, or pay out of their 
 own pockets. I had already subscribed and paid a 
 sum which was more than all I was worth financially 
 at the time of subscription ; but, moved by the exi- 
 gency, we all pledged ourselves again, and the insti- 
 tution was placed upon a secure basis. 
 
 Dr. Fisk attended this session of our Conference. 
 He was then in the height of his fame. On Sabbath 
 morning he preached a most powerful sermon, under 
 which men quailed and wept, from whom, perhaps, 
 the Gospel had never before drawn a tear. As we 
 were walking together afterward Bishop Hedding, 
 alluding to the sermon, said : 
 
 " That's preaching for you ! No one who heard it 
 will ever forget it." 
 
 I was at this Conference appointed to Auburn. In 
 the latter part of February, 1834, we held a pro- 
 tracted meeting, which continued for two weeks, 
 and was blessed in the conversion of about seventy 
 persons. 
 
 Two or three incidents occurred during the meet- 
 ing which may be worthy of mention. One of the 
 leading Universalists of the town had attended the 
 revival meetings of the previous year, and professed 
 
Auburn. 179 
 
 religion. He wished to unite with the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church, but his wife, who belonged to an- 
 other denomination, strongly opposed it. The result 
 was that he did not unite with any Church, became 
 discouraged, and perhaps irritated, and finally re- 
 turned to his old ways. When our meetings began 
 this winter I noticed that this man was often pres- 
 ent in the congregation, generally sitting near the 
 door, with a number of wild young men about him, 
 and I soon began to suspect that some mischief was 
 on foot. 
 
 The work commenced, and numbers came forward 
 every evening for prayers. One evening I gave the 
 general invitation, and immediately about twenty 
 of these young men arose and came in procession 
 through the middle aisle of the church, and knelt 
 down in a row. I saw at once the spirit of the move- 
 ment, but proceeded as if all was right, first giving a 
 brief exhortation, and then holding a prayer-meeting. 
 When the time came to close, I requested the breth- 
 ren to pass along the line and take the names of the 
 professed penitents. This was not an unusual thing, 
 and attracted no particular attention. The next day 
 the town was full of talk in regard to the "hoax" 
 which had been played off at the expense of the 
 Methodists, and some of our people were greatly 
 disturbed. I thought I saw a way to deal with the 
 case, and had no fears. 
 
 The next evening I preached, and then referred to 
 the occurrence, stating that I was fully aware that 
 the young men had done what they did in pursuance 
 of a plan devised by older heads, with the design of 
 
i8o Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 making a burlesque of our services. I denounced it 
 as a foolish scheme, planned to hinder the work of God, 
 and sure to fail. I assured them that they might as 
 well expect to extinguish the flames when a house is 
 burning by scattering straw upon it ; but that the 
 wickedness of the design and the greatness of the 
 insult were in nowise diminished by the utter failure 
 in which it was destined to end. Then, drawing a 
 paper from my pocket, I added, " I have here the 
 names of those who engaged in this business. I 
 warn you, at your peril, not to repeat the offense. If 
 you do, you will be punished. You will find that we 
 have rights, and know how to maintain them." 
 
 I then went on with the service, inviting, not hypo- 
 crites, but honest penitents, to come and seek the 
 Lord. To the astonishment of many, the commun- 
 ion railing was nearly filled with those who came to 
 weep and pray, of whom ten found peace that hour. 
 The whole congregation remained till the close of 
 the meeting, and all felt that the right had triumphed. 
 The whole community condemned the insolent and 
 heaven-daring conduct of the scoffers, who soon 
 learned also that they had committed, in the eyes 
 of the law, a very serious offense, for which they 
 could be severely punished. Several of them became 
 so alarmed that they called upon me to apologize, 
 and beg me not to expose them. This affair made a 
 talk for a time, but our meetings went on prosper- 
 ously, and we had a large accession to the Church. 
 
 Just before the close of our meetings another sin- 
 gular affair occurred, which, however, did not come 
 at that time to the knowledge of the public. A young 
 
Auburn. i8l 
 
 man, over whom an old and respectable minister of 
 the Episcopal Church seemed to have some sort of 
 guardianship, professed to experience religion among 
 us. He had a degree of talent, and took part in 
 prayer and exhortation in the young people's meet- 
 ing. Suddenly he ceased to attend. Then I received 
 a note from the minister informing me that a young 
 man, a resident in his family, had practiced an impo- 
 sition upon me, for which he required him to make 
 an apology, and wished me to call at his house for 
 that purpose. I went, taking with me my friend 
 Goodwin. The parson and his wife seemed quite 
 grieved at the occurrence. The young man was 
 called in and requested to state the case. He re- 
 plied briefly, in a low voice, to the effect, that he had 
 made a false profession ; he knew it was wrong, and 
 was sorry for it, that he desired to ask my pardon, 
 and have nothing more said about it. I listened to 
 the confession, but hardly knew what reply to make ; 
 and to this day, I do not know whether the hy- 
 pocrisy was in the profession of religion, or in the 
 retraction. So far as I could see, he seemed full as 
 sincere in the first performance as he did in the 
 last. 
 
 This was, to me, a winter of severe labor and trial, 
 but of prosperity in the Church of which I was pas- 
 tor. My family was in the Wyoming Valley, and I 
 lived a sort of solitary life, spending much time 
 among my books. In reading Professor Stuart's 
 " Commentary on Hebrews," I found that he gives 
 up the Calvinistic exposition of the passage, chapter 
 vi, 4-6, and suspends, upon a mere spider's web, the 
 
1 82 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 theory of the impossibility of total apostasy. I wrote 
 an examination of his exegesis, and it was published 
 in " The Methodist Magazine and Quarterly Review," 
 vol. of 1835, pp. 221-230. 
 
 The Oneida Conference assembled in Auburn, 
 September 25, 1834. Bishop' Hedding presided. 
 The various services exerted an excellent influence 
 upon the public mind. I was returned to the charge 
 at Auburn. By previous appointment I was to de- 
 liver an address before the Literary Society of the 
 Conference at this session. I selected the subject of 
 Ministerial Education as my theme. The question 
 of theological seminaries had been discussed in the 
 Magazine and Review by two writers. Dr. D. M. Reese 
 in opposition, and Rev. Le Roy Sunderland in favor 
 of them ; and so much acrimony had been displayed, 
 that the editor. Dr. Bangs, declared the contro- 
 versy at an end, so far as that publication was con- 
 cerned. The discussion greatly interested me, and 
 I regretted its sudden termination. I wrote to Dr. 
 Fisk, asking his opinion. He replied, admitting the 
 importance of theological training, but declaring that 
 the time to establish seminaries for that purpose had 
 not yet come, nor could we attempt it without crip- 
 pling our rising colleges. 1 
 The friends of theological seminaries in the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church were few. The discussion 
 had also got into the columns of " The Advocate," 
 but was very distasteful to many readers. A number 
 of preachers of the Philadelphia Conference had 
 united in a formal remonstrance against its admis- 
 sion into the paper, and the editor. Dr. Durbin, ac- 
 
Auburn. 183 
 
 cordingly excluded it. In my address, I took the 
 unpopular side, and declared myself in favor of such 
 institutions. Willing to let my argument go before 
 the whole Church, I afterward revised my notes so as 
 to leave my reasoning unchanged, and yet avoid all 
 terms and allusions that would involve me directly in 
 the prohibited controversy ; and the substance of the 
 address was published in the Magazine and Review 
 for 1836. I have lived to see precisely my line of 
 argument adopted by the General Conference, and 
 leading that body to action in favor of theological 
 schools. I name these facts, not through ostentation, 
 but hoping that my being at one time twenty years 
 ahead of the age may be pleaded in mitigation of the 
 offense, if I should at any time be convicted of fall- 
 ing behind it. 
 
 During my second year at Auburn I performed 
 the duties of chaplain at the State Prison one third 
 of the time, often preaching one sermon there, and 
 three in my church, the same Sabbath. In August, 
 1835, I received a letter from the Board of Trustees 
 of the Oneida Conference Seminary, informing me 
 of my election to the principalship of that institu- 
 tion. I had never aimed at any such position. My 
 studies of every kind had been prosecuted with sole 
 reference to my high calling as a minister of Christ. 
 I vi'sited the seminary, however, conversed with the 
 trustees, and finally accepted. 
 
184 Life and Times of G, Peck, D.D. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 1835-8, CAZENOVIA SEMINARY. 
 
 THE Oneida Conference met at Osw^o, Sep- 
 tember 24, 1835. Bishop Hedding presided. 
 In addition to the usual business, the Conference 
 discussed the project of a local paper for the special 
 benefit of the Genesee, Oneida, and Black River 
 Conferences. 
 
 The Rev. Green P. Moore, formerly of the Maine 
 Conference, and Francis A. Wiggins, of New York, 
 proposed to undertake the enterprise. They had 
 printed a specimen number of the proposed journal, 
 entitling it " The Western Banner," and came to Con- 
 ference seeking recognition as the Conference organ. 
 The movement was strongly opposed by Dr. Bangs, 
 the editor of the " Advocate," and Rev. B. Waugh, 
 then Book Agent at New York. The Conference, 
 however, favored the enterprise, and so declared itself 
 in formal resolutions. This first attempt to secure 
 an organ in Central New York was not altogether 
 successful, as we shall see hereafter, but it did good 
 service, and resulted in something stronger and more 
 permanent. 
 
 I was again chosen one of the delegates to the 
 General Conference. Z. Paddock succeeded me as 
 pastor of the Church at Auburn. 
 
 Immediately on the adjournment of Conference I 
 
Cazenovia Seminary. 1S5 
 
 removed to Cazenovia, and entered upon the duties 
 of my new position. For nineteen years I had been 
 devoted solely to the work of an itinerant Methodist 
 preacher, declining no labor, and hesitating at no 
 sacrifice, which the needs of the Church required. I 
 felt that my new path deviated from the old, but re- 
 solved, nevertheless, that I would not give up the 
 ministry as the great business of my life. When the 
 school opened in the autumn we had about two hun- 
 dred students, of whom about a hundred and fifty 
 boarded in the seminary buildings. I taught He- 
 brew, Intellectual and Moral Philosophy, Logic and 
 Rhetoric, managed the general business of the insti- 
 tution, and yet found opportunity to preach. The 
 health of the pastor of the Church at Cazenovia, 
 Rev. N. Rounds, was not firm, and I took his place 
 once every Sabbath, and also labored at various 
 points in the vicinity. 
 
 In the seminary we had good order and attention 
 to study, and our affairs moved on smoothly till about 
 midwinter, when I discovered that there was among 
 the students a little knot of young men who pro- 
 fessed to be infidels. They were not timid in the 
 declaration of their sentiments, and yet showed no 
 active hostility until we were favored with a season 
 of religious interest in the school. There were many 
 professors of religion among the students. Prayer- 
 meetings in their rooms were of frequent occurrence, 
 and the young men were sometimes overheard in 
 earnest prayer for " backsliders and infidels." This 
 excited the anger of those who deemed themselves al- 
 luded to in these terms, and they threw off their mask. 
 
1 86 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 One Saturday morning, while I was conducting the 
 usual exercises of the day, one of the students, whose 
 father was a very respectable member of the Church 
 and a trustee of the seminary, undertook to read, as 
 the essay for which I called, a paper designed to 
 bring revivals and religion itself into contempt. I 
 ordered him to stop, and directed him at the same 
 time to leave his paper on the desk, according to our 
 rule. He ceased reading, but refused to leave his 
 essay. I went on with the exercises, and at the con- 
 clusion addressed the students on the subject, stating 
 what I considered it my duty to do as a Christian 
 minister, placed at the head of an institution founded 
 by a body of Christian ministers. Public attacks on 
 the religion of Christ could not be tolerated. The 
 offender must apologize for his conduct, but I would 
 allow him a certain time to consider the matter. 
 
 He refused to comply ; his case was considered in 
 a meeting of the "trustees convened for the purpose, 
 and he was expelled, and informed that he must 
 leave the institution by nine o'clock the next morn- 
 ing. Precisely at the hour named the young man 
 left, attended by twelve or fifteen others, who es- 
 corted him to the gate, where a sleigh, drawn by four 
 horses decorated with ribbons, received them, and 
 they drove two or three times around the square, 
 carrying a flag, and cheering as they passed the 
 seminary. After the excitement was over I had 
 private interviews with these sympathizers, and all 
 yielded but one, who was expelled, and the infidel 
 club came to an end. The institution was charac- 
 terized thenceforward by a decided religious tone. 
 
Cazenovia Seminary. 187 
 
 The General Conference of 1836 met at Cincin- 
 nati, a place which I and the other Oneida delegates 
 reached by divers methods of traveling. We rode in 
 a wagon to Nanticoke, where we embarked upon a 
 raft and floated down the Susquehanna, forty or fifty 
 miles, to Northumberland ; thence we rode by stage 
 to Duncan's Island ; thence took a packet boat on the 
 Pennsylvania canal to Pittsbuigh, where we took a 
 steamboat down the Ohio, reaching Cincinnati on 
 Saturday, April 30. 
 
 The General Conference convened on Monday. 
 Bishops Roberts, Soule, Hedding, and Andrews 
 were present. Two had gone to their reward within 
 a year, Bishop M'Kendree having died in triumph in 
 May, 183s, and Bishop Emory having been thrown 
 from a carriage and killed instantly the following 
 December. Two or three matters were disposed of 
 by this General Conference in a way which looks 
 curious at the present time. Dr. Martin Ruter was 
 chairman, and I a member, of the Committee on 
 Education. The doctor wanted the committee in 
 their report to consider the subject of theological 
 seminaries, and pronounce against them. I resisted, 
 arguing that there was no such institution in con- 
 nection with our Church ; that the General Confer- 
 ence had given us no instructions to examine the 
 question, and that it was not expedient for us to go 
 out of our way for a subject. These views prevailed, 
 and thus the Conference was, perhaps, saved from the 
 embarrassment of a false position. 
 
 The slavery question came up, and caused some 
 excitement. The address of the British Conference 
 
1 88 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 alluded to the subject, and there was opposition to 
 its publication on that account. A committee on 
 slavery was appointed ; but before they reported, 
 another incident, small in itself, occurred to add to 
 the agitation. Two of our delegates, Orange Scott 
 and George Storrs, one evening attended an aboli- 
 tion meeting, and took part in the proceedings. 
 This was considered by some to be of sufficient 
 importance to justify extraordinary action in the 
 General Conference. Hence Stephen G. Roszel, of 
 the Baltimore Conference, introduced a preamble and 
 resolutions, which were passed, censuring the two 
 brethren, and taking ground that looked decidedly 
 pro-slavery. This action, and the discussion which 
 preceded, not only increased the excitement, but 
 gave great advantage to those who were anxious to 
 prove that the Church was a defender of the "pecul- 
 iar institution ;" an advantage of which they availed 
 themselves for years. I was opposed to the resolu- 
 tions, and voted against them, believing them wrong 
 in principle, a misrepresentation of the attitude of 
 the Church, and practically mischievous. I was in 
 the minority, which was very small ; but time soon 
 vindicated our position. 
 
 The agitation, moreover, soon showed itself at 
 another point. The Conference resolved to elect 
 three new bishops, and the Southern delegates, for 
 the first time in the history of the Church, openly 
 demanded the election of a slaveholder. They nomi- 
 nated W. Capers, J. Early, and T. A. Morris. Dr. 
 Capers had utterly changed his opinions since the 
 previous General Conference. He made no objec- 
 
Cazenovia Seminary. 189 
 
 tions now to be named as a candidate for the Epis- 
 copacy. The Northern candidates were B. Waugh, 
 M. Ruter, and G. Peck. Dr. Fisk stood very high in 
 the estimation of the Church, and would have been 
 the first choice of the Northern men could he have 
 been spared from the Wesleyan University. It was 
 also believed that he would prefer to remain there ; 
 but he was in Europe at the time, and could not be 
 consulted. Dr. Winans, however, nominated him in 
 open Conference, possibly with a view to disturb the 
 plans of the Northern delegates. Messrs. Waugh 
 and Fisk were elected on the first ballot. The vote 
 stood thus : Whole number of votes, 153 ; necessary 
 to a choice, ^^. B. Waugh, 85 ; W. Fisk, ^^ ; T. A. 
 Morris, "jQ ; M. Ruter, 54 ; W. Capers, 47 ; G. Peck, 
 35 ; N. Bangs, 26; J. Early, 10. T. A. Morris 
 needed but one more vote to elect him, but he did 
 not receive a majority till five or six more ballotings 
 were had. 
 
 During the session I received the sad intelligence 
 of the death of my friend and colleague. Rev. Josiah 
 Keyes, who was to have roomed with me at the Gen- 
 eral Conference. He was an eloquent and powerful 
 preacher, a wise administrator, and a devoted Chris- 
 tian. By untiring perseverance he had made himself 
 a thorough scholar. He read Greek, Latin, and 
 Hebrew almost as readily as English. His constitu- 
 tion was broken down with excessive labor in the 
 study and the pulpit, and he died at the early age 
 of thirty-seven, having really done enough work to 
 occupy a much longer life. He departed in great 
 peace. 
 
igo Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 The General Conference adjourned June 26th, and 
 I hastened home, and resumed my work in the 
 seminary. Meanwhile our paper, the "Western 
 Banner," had become embarrassed. One of the two 
 proprietors had left, the other was dying with pul- 
 monary disease, and the project would have to be 
 abandoned unless its friends came to the rescue. The 
 three Conferences chiefly interested, the Genesee, the 
 Oneida, and the Black River, appointed committees 
 with power to act in the case. In November, 1836, 
 the first committee met, bought the paper, appointed 
 an executive committee of three — G. Peck, Luther 
 Lee, and James Richardson — to manage the business, 
 and elected Z. Paddock editor. Loring Grant was ap- 
 pointed agent. The name of the paper was changed 
 to "The Auburn Banner, and the Genesee, Oneida, 
 and Black River Conference Record." 
 
 Thus we ventured upon an enterprise which proved 
 useful and troublesome. The paper was a valuable 
 medium of communication to the three Conferences ; 
 but we had begun wholly without capital, and the 
 finances were hard to manage. I had no connection 
 with the matter until appointed a member of the 
 joint committee by the Oneida Conference ; but as 
 a member of the executive committee, I did what I 
 could to secure success, and often was compelled to 
 become personally responsible for the debts of the 
 concern in order to keep it afloat. After a finan- 
 cially feeble existence of about three years it came 
 to an end, leaving us somewhat wiser from our little 
 experiment. The advantages of a Church orgdn in 
 central New York were so evident, however, that the 
 
Cazenovia Seminary. 191 
 
 Conferences not many years afterward established 
 one on a better foundation. 
 
 This year the antislavery excitement in our Church 
 reached a fearful height. " Zion's Watchman," a 
 weekly journal, published in New York, and edited by 
 Rev. Le Roy Sunderland, a superannuated preacher 
 of the New England Conference, did some good, and 
 much evil. It helped to stir the national conscience 
 on the subject of slavery, and so far was right ; but 
 its spirit was bitter, and its style inflammatory beyond 
 description. It denounced the Bishops, the General 
 Conference, and the Annual Conferences. It as- 
 sailed private character, it violated the sanctities of 
 private life, seeming to aim, not so much to win men 
 to the advocacy of real reform, as to compel them to 
 accept its leadership and adopt its methods. The 
 justice of the cause which it represented gave it influ- 
 ence, and rendered its errors the more mischievous. 
 
 Dr. Fisk entered the field against the agitators, 
 and wrote some scathing articles which were pub- 
 lished in the Advocate at New York He did not 
 defend slavery, but rebuked the blind destructiveness 
 of its unwise assailants. The positions assumed, and 
 the demands made by the abolitionists of that period, 
 were these : i. Slaveholding is a sin under all cir- 
 cumstances ; 2. Immediate and unconditional eman- 
 cipation ; 3. No fellowship with slaveholders ; 4. Con- 
 ference action. Church action, all through the Con- 
 nection ; 5. War upon Church councils, and Church 
 officials, who refuse or hesitate to act in harmony 
 with the leaders of the reform; 6. No toleration 
 of the Colonization Society, or sympathy with its 
 
192 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 designs. This was the image which the Watchman 
 set up, and called upon bishops, preachers, and people 
 to fall down and worship, or be cast into its fiery 
 furnace of slanderous denunciation. Such were the 
 spirit and the measures of the agitators whose errors 
 Dr. Fisk, Dr. Bangs, and Bishop Hedding opposed. 
 
 Baron Macaulay remarks that slavery is a devil 
 which always rends the body which it leaves. The 
 evil may possibly have been so imbedded in the poli- 
 tics and financial interests of the nation, that a zeal 
 which seemed blind, and a violence which looked 
 reckless, alone could rouse the Church and the people. 
 Nevertheless, multiplied evils followed. The contro- 
 versy engendered secession and disintegration ; soci- 
 eties were torn in pieces, and friends were turned to 
 enemies. I did not escape. I could not adopt the 
 language nor the measures of those who claimed to 
 be leaders, and consequently Twas misrepresented 
 and reviled, and denounced as an enemy of all truth 
 and righleousness. 
 
 Orange Scott and George Storrs, one a member 
 of the New England, and the other of the New 
 Hampshire Conference, gave themselves wholly to 
 the work of agitation. The principal points of ex- 
 citement within the bounds of the Oneida Conference 
 were Utica, Auburn, and Cazenovia. Our village 
 would have remained free from strife had it not been 
 brought to bur doors by others. A convention was held 
 in the place, and the orators on the occasion, Mr. 
 Goodell, Gerrit Smith, and others, assailed the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church in unmeasured terms, vilifying 
 her councils and her leading men. Bishop Hedding 
 
Cazenovia Seminary. 193 
 
 had oflfended certain ultraists by refiismg to put to 
 vote, in the New England Conference, resolutions 
 indorsing their favorite measures. In retaliation for 
 this, a layman from Utica offered, in the Cazenovia 
 Convention, a resolution to the effect that they would 
 not receive a preacher from the hands of the Bishop 
 who refused to put such resolutions to vote in the 
 Conferences over which he presided. 
 
 Mr. Gerrit Smith charged, in his speech, that the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church was a rumdrinking, 
 pro-slavery Church. I replied in the columns of the 
 " Auburn Banner " to this assault, charging him with 
 misrepresentation. Mr. Smith replied, and we had a 
 brief controversy. He admitted, in his final article, 
 that he had been misinformed in regard to our true 
 position. 
 
 The Oneida Conference held its annual session in 
 Cortlandville, New York, August 30, 1837, Bishop 
 Hedding presiding 
 
 Messrs. Scott and Storrs came to the place on their 
 peculiar errand, and applied to the Baptists for the 
 use of their church. Supposing it was needed for con- 
 ference business, the Baptist brethren opened the 
 doors of their edifice, and Storrs and Scott com- 
 menced lecturing every afternoon on slavery and the 
 Church. Seeing that our neighbors did not exactly 
 understand the case, I offered a resolution in Confer- 
 ence, condemning the action of the invaders as irreg- 
 ular and intrusive. The house was full, and many 
 Baptists were present. Learning the true state of 
 things, they withdrew their consent in regard to the 
 
 use of the church. The lecturers tried in vain to 
 13 
 
194 Life and Times ok G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 secure another place, and then left the village. There 
 were about a dozen members of the Conference who 
 sympathized with them.. They were restless and dis- 
 contented, and most of them finally left the Church. 
 So fierce an agitation could hardly fail to work divi- 
 sion. The leaders, Scott, Storrs, Sunderland, Prindle, 
 Lee, and others, had taken such a position that they 
 must either bring the Church into their measures or 
 leave its communion. Failing to secure the general 
 adoption of their views, they seceded and formed the 
 True Wesleyan Church. 
 
 The session of the Conference was quite harmo- 
 nious, but t)n returning to their Churches, the preach- 
 ers here and there encountered difficulties. The 
 spirit of controversy was abroad in the land. I was 
 formally waited upon, and asked to give my consent 
 to the organization of an Abolition Society among 
 the students of the seminary. I inquired the object, 
 and was told that the aim was discussion. I assured 
 the petitioners that they need not fear restriction. 
 The question was brought into the Seminary Lyceum. 
 We finally drifted into a public debate on the com- 
 parative claims of the abolitionist and the coloniza- 
 tion societies ; and for three evenings in succession, 
 the Congregationalist minister on the one side, and I 
 on the other, maintained our respective opinions. 
 This discussion had a good effect among the students, 
 and we had no further uneasiness on the subject. 
 
 In the disturbed condition of the Church within 
 our bounds, Lfelt it obligatory upon me to do what I 
 could to warn our people against ill-advised measures 
 and hasty action, and accordingly wrote a series of 
 
Cazenovia Seminary. 195 
 
 four articles which were published in the Banner 
 over the signature of 'AXrjOeig ?t.oyoi. With another 
 good object in view, I also wrote a series of twelve 
 articles on the subject of education, which were pub- 
 lished in the same journal. 
 
 During the winter of 1837-8 we were favored with 
 a gracious outpouring' of the Holy Spirit in the semi- 
 nary, forty or fifty students being converted. One 
 notable and very pleasant fact connected with this 
 revival was, that every student in the seminary who 
 was concerned in the infidel rebellion of the previous 
 winter was brought into the fold of Christ. 
 
 The Oneida Conference began its annual session 
 at Ithaca, August 22, 1838. The ultra-Abolitionists 
 had given us some annoyance, and at various points 
 of our territory had done some damage ; and I was 
 anxious that the Conference should take such action 
 as would, on the one hand, vindicate the Church, 
 and on the other, rebuke unreasoning destructive- 
 ness. The Conference, however, was slow to act, 
 and, as I thought, showed timidity and indecision. 
 
 The seminary was prospering. For three years I 
 had labored in the utmost harmony with the trustees 
 and the teachers, and had begun to feel at home in my 
 position. Providential circumstances, however, were 
 destined to Sunder my connection with the institution. 
 A member of my family took the measles, and the 
 disease attacked every one of the circle except myself 
 My wife was very ill for a long time, and when she 
 began to regain her strength a little, a tendency to 
 lung disease was developed. Our physician warned 
 us of the danger of her remaining during the winter 
 
196 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 in so cold a climate, and advised us to go Soutli. I 
 accordingly informed the trustees of the seminary 
 that I must have at least six months' leave of absence. 
 I resigned my office as president of the board, and 
 Hanford Colburn was appointed principal pro tern. 
 I sold most of my household goods, and arranged to 
 leave the older children in Cazenovia. We set out on 
 our journey, October 13, 1838. 
 
 Traveling with an invalid is not apt to be attended 
 with incidents of much interest to the public, and 
 therefore I do not propose to devote much space to 
 this part of my story. Still, things have so changed 
 within the past few years, that the younger class of 
 readers will not find a brief recital wholly destitute 
 of the charm of novelty. 
 
 The first Sabbath was spent at Syracuse, where 
 I heard an able sermon from the Rev. William 
 W. Ninde, now deceased. He was one of the 
 most gifted of our young ministers. His discourses 
 were eloquent, and often powerful — overwhelming. 
 He was a devoted, earnest Christian. He died 
 ,early, but his name is still held in grateful remem- 
 brance. 
 
 Progress was slow in those days. To reach Ithaca 
 from Auburn, a distance of forty miles, by stage, 
 occupied twelve weary hours. A miserable horse- 
 railroad between Ithaca and Owego afforded no more 
 speedy transit. On the 24th of October I embarked 
 with my wife and infant child on a canal packet at 
 Wilkesbarre. The next day we were delayed several 
 hours at Northumberland. This place was the last 
 residence of the celebrated Dr. Priestley, who was 
 
Cazenovia Seminary. k^j 
 
 equally famous for his discoveries in natural science 
 and his heresies in theology. He discovered oxygen 
 gas, and advocated materialism. I visited his grave. 
 A marble slab contains the following inscription : 
 " To the memory of the Rev. Joseph Priestley, who 
 departed this life the i6th of February, 1804; anno 
 (etatis 71. ' Return unto thy rest, O my soul, for the 
 Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee.' " " I will lay 
 me down and sleep, till I awake in the morning of 
 the resurrection." 
 
 At nine o'clock in the evening of the 25th October 
 we reached the junction of the North Branch and 
 Pennsylvania canals, and went on board a western 
 packet. The boat was crowded, and the captain in- 
 formed us that he could offer us no accommodations 
 for sleeping. My wife made some kind of terms with 
 the chambermaid, and disappeared. I pushed my 
 way into the main cabin, which was packed with men, 
 the majority of whom were noisy, restless, and pro- 
 fane, and many of them half-drunk. I jaassed the night 
 not in sleep, but in- serious thought, suggested by 
 what I saw and heard. The next morning the packet 
 grounded, and a large number of the passengers, I 
 among the rest, went ashore to help push her off. 
 We succeeded, but were compelled to walk three 
 miles before we could get on board again. On Sat- 
 urday, the 27th, we reached Huntingdon, where we 
 learned that a breach had occurred in the canal, 
 and that for the next eighteen miles it was not nav- 
 igable. The passengers were crowded into large 
 wagons, which were covered with coarse canvas, and 
 without springs, and we thus made the eighteen 
 
igS Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 miles. We embarked again ten miles from Holli- 
 daysburgh, which place we reached at eight o'clock 
 in the evening. Here we spent the Sabbath, and had 
 a delightful season of rest and religious privilege. It 
 was quarterly' meeting ; the presiding elder,. Rev. 
 John Miller, was in the place, also President Durbin, 
 of Dickinson College. In the society of these and 
 other good brethren we spent two pleasant days, our 
 enjoyment being heightened by contrast with the 
 noise and profanity on the packet, and the murder- 
 ous ride over the mountains. 
 
 We reached Pittsburgh on Thursday, November i, 
 and were cordially received by our old friend, James 
 Borbidge. Here we learned, to our consternation, 
 that the Ohio was so low that it was not navigable. 
 Three thousand travelers, it was estimated, were 
 gathered in the city, waiting for the moving of the 
 waters. We were detained thus three weeks. Our 
 friends exerted themselves to the utmost to make 
 our detention tolerable, and even pleasant, and we 
 received many tenders of hospitalities, more than we 
 were able to accept ; but our child became danger- 
 ously sick, and we greatly desired to reach our jour- 
 ney's end. Meanwhile the host of detained travelers 
 continued to accumulate, and daily grew more im- 
 patient. It was the policy of the eastern agents of 
 the companies interested in this route to conceal the 
 fact that steamers were not running on the Ohio. 
 Resort was had to all sorts of devices by the impa- 
 tient travelers. Some purchased flatboats, and even 
 skiffs, and embarked upon the shallow river, with 
 the hope of thus reaching the Mississippi. Others 
 
CazcHovia Seminary. 199 
 
 chartered miserable stages, which promised neither 
 speed nor comfort. 
 
 Finally there came a rise in the Ohio, and the steam- 
 ers were once more afloat. On Saturday, November 
 24, we embarked on board the " Canton," and started 
 down the river. But after we had gone about ten 
 miles we ran upon a ledge of rocks and were fast. 
 Another steamer came to our rescue, fastened a haw- 
 ser to us, and tried to drag us into deep water, but 
 failed. There we stayed all night, and nearly all the 
 next day until at last an " ark " was brought along- 
 side and freight transferred to it till our steamer 
 floated, when we began our voyage again with the ark 
 in tow. The cold was intense, and the river full of 
 floating ice. We went on a few miles further, some- 
 times touching the bottom, sometimes drifting side- 
 wise, sometimes going stern foremost, sometimes 
 standing still, considering what to do next. At last, 
 surrendering to the inevitable, w^e reached the shore 
 and tied our steamer to the trees. A small stern- 
 wheel boat was obtained, by which we succeeded in 
 reaching Wellsville, fifty miles from Pittsburgh. 
 From this place a crazy old hack bore me and mine 
 to Steubenville, where we spent the Sabbath. 
 
 On Monday, December 3, we embarked on another 
 small steamer, the last one that went down the river 
 that season, and arrived at Wheeling, where, contrary 
 to our original plans, we were destined to remain till 
 spring. The preacher stationed in Wheeling, the Rev. 
 Wesley Kenney, received me as a brother beloved, 
 and adopted me as a co-laborer in the Gospel. He 
 commenced, soon after our arrival, a series of meet- 
 
200 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 ings which were very successful. I aided him in his 
 work, and also spent some time in teaching a select 
 school. We enjoyed the situation so well, found so 
 many warm friends, and saw so much good done, that 
 we were ready to consider our detention providential, 
 and on leaving the place in March, felt somewhat as 
 we had often felt in leaving a pastoral charge at the 
 end of our term of service. 
 
 Leaving Wheeling, March 25, 1839, we spent the 
 succeeding Sabbath at Louisville, where I preached 
 twice, and on the 5 th of April reached Nashville, 
 where we remained till the 23d. During our stay 
 we took the opportunity to visit General Andrew 
 Jackson. The Hermitage was a large, well-con- 
 structed house, with spacious piazzas front and 
 rear, in the midst of a beautiful plantation. The 
 general's wife had died some years before, and had 
 been interred in a corner of the garden. A spher- 
 ical ropf, supported by graceful columns, covers her 
 grave, and a horizontal marble slab records her vir- 
 tues. -By its side was another slab of the same kind, 
 without inscription, which I inferred was intended by 
 the General for his own tombstone. 
 
 I found the old hero alone with his family, and free 
 to entertain me with the story of his remarkable 
 career. He was now in his seventy-third year, but 
 genial, cheerful, and companionable, seeming more 
 like an old friend than the acquaintance of an hour. 
 He invited me to remain with him till the next day, 
 which invitation I accepted. Mrs. Donaldson, the 
 wife of his adopted son, and her group of beautiful 
 children, seemed almost to worship him, and to be hi 
 
Cazenovia^ Seminary. 20 r 
 
 turn the objects of his idolatry. Religious order 
 appeared to pervade the household, and the old age 
 of the famous warrior and statesman was as the calm 
 sunset after the day of clouds and storm. He died 
 in June, 1845. 
 
 We spent three Sabbaths in Nashville, and I 
 preached twice each Sabbath. One of the most 
 interesting services was held in the African Church. 
 The congregation was large and the worship earnest, 
 and in the best sense of the term, enthusiastic. 
 We found many friends in the city, and our recol- 
 lections of our visit are very pleasant. 
 
 We left Nashville in the latter part of April, visited 
 St. Louis, where we spent a few days, and thence went 
 to Lebanon, Illinois. Here we found our friends Mr. 
 and ■ Mrs. Baldwin, who had removed hither from 
 Pennsylvania some years before, and taken up their 
 abode on Looking-glass Prairie. Here we also found 
 M'Kendree College, then just beginning its career of 
 usefulness and honor. This prairie contains one of 
 the most perfect mounds of the west. It is about 
 forty-five yards square on the top, and perhaps fifteen 
 feet high. Six or seven smaller ones surround it. 
 Who erected the group, and for what purpose, none 
 can with certainty tell. They stand the mementoes 
 of an age which has passed away and left no other 
 records. 
 
 Leaving my wife and child at Lebanon, I returned 
 to St. Louis, and thence took passage on a steamer 
 bound up the Mississippi. Some two hundred miles 
 above St. Louis we saw, on the Illinois side of the 
 river, a very singular encampment. A multitude of 
 
202 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 people, men, women, and children, ragged, dirty, and 
 miserable generally, seemed to be living in tents and 
 covered wagons, for lack of better habitations. This 
 strange scene presented itself along the shore for a 
 mile or more. We were informed that they were 
 Mormons, who had recently fled frpm Missouri. The 
 place where we saw them became afterward Nauvoo, 
 the city of the Latter-day Saints. 
 
 On Saturday, May 1 1, we landed at Stevenson, Illi- 
 nois, and finding that we were destined to remain 
 here till Monday, set out to examine the situation in 
 regard to religious opportunites. I ascertained that 
 there was a Society of Methodists in the place, and 
 that it was the time of quarterly meeting. I was 
 among total strangers, and on board the steamer had 
 been known only as " the 'squire," the captain hav- 
 ing bestowed that honorable title upon me in token 
 of respect ; but the Methodists found me out, and I 
 had the privilege of preaching once on Saturday and 
 twice on Sunday, besides listening to three other ser- 
 mons, and attending a love-feast. 
 
 The next day the presiding elder, Rev. Henry 
 Somers, kindly offered to take me in his carriage 
 and help me on my way. We rode to Dixon's Ferry, 
 and thence to Kishwaukie, following an Indian trail 
 a part of the time. We passed the place where, in 
 the year 1S32, a battle was fought with the Indians, 
 and our forces, commanded by General Stillman, 
 were defeated. We saw the place where the troops 
 were encamped, the stakes to whicJa the tents were 
 fastened, the ashes of their camp-fires, and the com- 
 mon grave in which the slain were buried. Only 
 
Caze7iovia Seminary. 203 
 
 seven years before, Black Hawk and his savage bands 
 swept over these beautiful plains, and spread terror 
 far and wide among the newly-planted settlements. 
 We tarried a day at Pine Creek, the very day on which 
 a committee, appointed to choose a site, located the 
 Rock River Seminary at that place. On Saturday 
 we directed our course across the open prairie to 
 Gap Grove, the place of the next quarterly meeting. 
 Four brethren accompanied us on horseback, and 
 we all came near being lost in a slough of unfathom- 
 able mud. 
 
 The arrangements for the meeting were ample, 
 but primitive. The place was a log school-house, 
 without a sawed board in it. The floor was made of 
 split-oak planks, the door was of the same, and was 
 hung on wooden hinges. Seats of rails were arranged 
 before the door, with an awning of green boughs. 
 Mr. Somers preached at noon on Saturday, and Mr. 
 Wood, a presiding elder from the Indiana Confer- 
 ence, in the afternoon. The next day we had a love- 
 feast and two sermons. There was a large congrega- 
 tion. I counted fifty wagons ranged around us. On 
 Monday we crossed the Winnebago Swamp, and the 
 next day reached the residence of my esteemed friend. 
 General Samuel Thomas, from Kingston, Pennsyl- 
 vania, where I had a delightful visit. Thus, in vari- 
 ous visits, and little explorations of a country new to 
 me, the remainder of the month was passed, and I 
 then returned to St. Louis, and thence started home- 
 ward, on a steamer bound for Pittsburgh. 
 
 Both the Mississippi and Missouri were high and 
 obstructed with flood-wood. During the night the 
 
204 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 floating logs pounded incessantly upon the bow and 
 the wheels of our vessel, and the engineer's signal- 
 bell was continually ringing. We entered the Ohio, 
 and, touching at Louisville, proceeded up the river on 
 the afternoon of the 3 ist of May. About four o'clock 
 the next morning all on board were startled by a tre- 
 mendous crash. I hurried out of my berth to see 
 what had happened. As I did so a gentleman 
 who occupied the other berth said, in a quiet way, 
 " Stranger, you are not scared, nor nothing ! I am 
 going to finish my sleep." I found the vessel sink- 
 ing. Rushing to the ladies' cabin, I hurried my wife 
 out, with the child, and was on the point of going up 
 to the hurricane deck, when the vessel grounded, with 
 the water within eighteen inches of the floor of the 
 saloon. There was, of course, great excitement. My 
 sleepy friend postponed the remainder of his nap, 
 came out of his room, and I saw him, when the dan- 
 ger was over, pensively gazing down into the hold 
 where a large quantity of groceries belonging to him 
 were submerged. A blind man stood leaning against 
 his state-room door, perfectly motionless and silent. 
 I said to him afterward, " My dear fellow, were you 
 not dreadfully frightened .' " " O, no," said he, " I 
 never am scared ; I never yet got into any trouble 
 where I could not see my way out." 
 
 The disaster was caused by the breaking of some 
 part of the engine, the fragments of which had torn 
 a hole in the bottom of the vessel. If the mishap 
 had occurred when we were in deep water, and un- 
 able to reach the shore in time, there would have 
 been a fearful loss of life. Thankful that things were 
 
Cazenovia Seminary. 205 
 
 no worse, the passengers were disposed to be cheer- 
 ful. The pilot had run the boat ashore, and we lay 
 very near the land. A forest of large trees lined the 
 margin of the river. Morning came, ushering in a 
 beautiful day. A large number of those on board 
 were transferred to the shore. The cook, with his 
 stove, accompanied them ; a coffee mill was nailed 
 to a tree, and in due season a satisfactory breakfast 
 was spread before us. Here we waited for another 
 boat going up the river. Just as evening came, a 
 steamer approached and took a part of our pas- 
 sengers. The rest of us waited till the next 
 chance. About ten o'clock at night another steamer 
 coming up received us on board, and we arrived safe 
 at Cincinnati the next morning. It took four days 
 more to reach Pittsburgh ; and six thence to Wilkes- 
 barre, where we arrived on the 12th of June. 
 
 The journey had not been in vain. My wife had 
 been greatly benefited ; and, in addition to this, I 
 had acquired a little knowledge of the great West by 
 personal observation, seen some old friends, formed 
 some new ones, and preached the Gospel about as 
 often as I would had I been at home. 
 
2o6 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 1839, SUSQUEHANNA DISTRICT. 
 
 THE Oneida Conference met at Norwich, August 
 21, 1839. Bishop Hedding presided. I had 
 previously sent the trustees of the seminary a letter 
 dissolving my connection with the institution. I 
 was appointed presiding elder of the Susquehanna 
 District, and also elected a delegate to the General 
 Conference. The appointments were read Thursday 
 evening, and my first act in my new position was 
 early the next morning to behold the distress and 
 the tears, and hear the protest, of a young man who 
 had been set down for that same Canaan Circuit to 
 which I was sent in 1820, when it was almost a wil- 
 derness. Now a railroad ran through the center, 
 and good roads traversed it in every direction ; the 
 people were living in comfort, and not a few were be- 
 coming rich. Still, the Bishop was so far moved by 
 this young preacher's anguish of soul that he released 
 him from the unwelcome appointment, and left him 
 in the hands of the presiding elder for another, if any 
 could be found worthy of him. The district over 
 which I was appointed to preside comprised, in 
 1839, fifteen appointments, twenty preachers, and 
 about four thousand members. 
 
 I spent the Sabbath succeeding the Conference at 
 Cazenovia, where I heard Bishop Hedding preach a 
 
Susquehanna District. 207 
 
 great sermon, which stirred the depths of my soul ; 
 and then, bidding farewell to my many valued friends 
 there, returned to Kingston, the place fixed upon as 
 our residence. 
 
 The early part of this year was to me a memorable 
 period on account of certain religious experiences 
 which, not without much reflection and some hesita- 
 tion, I have concluded to record more at length 
 than has been my custom. 
 
 I was not conscious of any spiritual decline, but, on 
 the contrary, felt that I was advancing. The evi- 
 dence of my acceptance with God was clear. From 
 the time of my conversion, and especially from the 
 time of my entrance into the ministry, I had striven 
 to exercise a constant faith, " to have always a con- 
 science void of offense toward God and toward men," 
 to be obedient to every Divine call, yielding a willing 
 service. Still, I was not at rest. Grateful for all 
 that I had received, I felt that there were better 
 things in store for me. I began more and more to 
 hunger for deeper spirituality, a stronger faith, a 
 prompter and more complete victory over temptation, 
 a new advance into better light and richer joy. 
 
 At my first quarterly meeting on the district I 
 preached on the subject of holiness, with no great 
 satisfaction to my own mind, but in pursuance of a 
 determination to seek a deeper work of grace in my 
 own soul and preach it to others. The next week I 
 went to a camp-meeting in M'Clure's Settlement, on 
 the Lanesborough Circuit, where I preached three 
 times with unusual liberty, my yearning after a clean 
 heart constantly increasing. It was a time of rejoic- 
 
2o8 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 ing and of power. Two brethren were active and 
 useful in the meeting, and attracted my attention. 
 One was Major Dixon, a great and good layman, 
 famous as a leader in the prayer-meetings, which 
 were in his charge throughout the entire week. Plis 
 control over a crowd was something wonderful. He 
 issued his orders with the air of a general on the field 
 of battle. When he shouted, " Power ! power ! On, 
 brethren, on ! " it was like the storming of a battery ; 
 and when he paused and said, " Hark ! hark ! Si- 
 lence," the stillness of night followed. None of the 
 preachers interfered with his management. There 
 was always unity of design, perfect harmony, and 
 uniform success in his plans. His equal, in his own 
 line of service, I never saw. 
 
 The other one referred to was Dayton F. Reed, 
 afterward a member of the Newark Conference, and 
 now, I doubt not, in the home above. He had been 
 for a short time at the Cazenovia Seminary, but could 
 not confine himself to study. He was at this time a 
 young man of about twenty-one years of age, deeply 
 pious, enthusiastic, with a very acute and active 
 mind, and a reputation for eccentricity. He had 
 received license as an exhorter, and on the strength 
 of the authority bestowed was constantly preaching. 
 He came to me on Sunday morning, and said that he 
 thought that God required him to " sound the alarm 
 somewhere" that day. I told him that older men 
 must occupy the stand ; but that if he felt like it he 
 might, at the close of the morning sermon, mount a 
 certain wagon that stood a little way off, and preach 
 till the time for the afternoon service to as large a 
 
Susquehanna District. 209 
 
 congregation as he could gather. This seemed to 
 please him, and as soon as the morning service 
 closed he mounted the wagon, and with all the 
 strength of his lungs shouted, " All you who want to 
 hear the crazy boy talk for awhile draw near." The 
 whole multitude gathered about him, and he held 
 them for two hours hstening to an argumentative 
 and convincing discourse on the existence of God, 
 the divinity of Christ, the certainty of a general judg- 
 ment, and the eternal do6m of the lost. I stayed to 
 hear every word of the sermon. For conclusiveness 
 of argument, originality of illustration, and forcible 
 appeal, I have seldom heard its equal. 
 
 The next week I attended another camp-meeting 
 in South Canaan, during the progress of which I 
 preached four sermons. My spiritual necessities 
 were pressing more heavily than ever upon my 
 heart. We closed Saturday morning with a sacra- 
 mental service. As I was making some remarks 
 after the sacrament I came, without any previous 
 intention, to speak of my own religious state, and 
 observed that my experience had been somewhat 
 variable, and of too low a grade, but that I expected 
 to be " made perfect in love in this life." This acci- 
 dental allusion, as it seemed, to a solemn question 
 which I had answered at the time of my ordination 
 and reception into Conference membership, fell upon 
 my own soul with so much weight that I could not 
 refrain from weeping. 
 
 Spending a Sunday in my quarterly meetings at 
 DundafF and Carbondale, I returned home, where I 
 remained several days suffering great mental de- 
 14 
 
2IO Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 pression, and feeling an increasing self-abhorrence 
 and thirst after God. 
 
 The next Sunday, in the love-feast at Gibson, sev- 
 eral clear testimonies were given to the enjoyment of 
 perfect love. I began now to feel the blessing near, 
 and was more than ever fixed in my purpose to seek 
 until I attained it. Monday morning, September 30, 
 I woke in the spirit of penitence and prayer. The 
 Rev. William Reddy, one of the preachers on the 
 circuit, led the family devotions in the house where 
 we lodged. As he read the fifty-firstpsalm the words 
 came home to my mind with new light and power, 
 and pierced my soul like sharp arrows. During his 
 prayer my tears flowed freely, and it was only by 
 strong effort that I refrained from weeping aloud. 
 As we were traveling in the same direction that 
 morning I took a seat with Mr. Reddy in his car- 
 riage, and led my horse. He had told us something 
 the day before of the possession of the blessing, and 
 I wished to converse with him on the subject. His 
 account of his past experience and his present enjoy- 
 ments was modest, clear, and, as I judged, scriptural. 
 He was much younger than I, but I was ready to be 
 taught by any messenger whom God might send, so 
 I fully opened my mind to him. My hunger and 
 thirst for holiness were increased by our commun- 
 ings, and when our roads diverged and I left this 
 dear brother and rode on alone till night, I prayed 
 with every breath. 
 
 Tuesday, October i, I rose, in the spirit of prayer, 
 and resumed my homeward journey. I crossed the 
 Susquehanna at Tunkhannock, and rode forward in 
 
Susquehanna District. 2 1 1 
 
 inexpressible anguish. When passing through the 
 forest and solitary places, where there was none but 
 God to hear, I uttered aloud my burning supplication 
 for a clean heart. I came to a stream where the 
 oridge had been swept away in a recent flood, and 
 as I was preparing to ford it these words came with 
 power to my soul, " O that thou hadst hearkened to 
 my commandments ! then had thy peace been as a river, 
 and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea." As 
 my horse entered the water, and went in deeper and 
 deeper, the great deep of my soul was broken up, 
 and I wept aloud, with exclamations of self-condem- 
 nation and self-abhorrence. My whole being seemed 
 dissolved in a torrent of godly sorrow ; but in a mo- 
 ment I caught encouragement from the language of 
 the prophet. It implied a Divine wish that men 
 would hearken. I was most assuredly willing, eager 
 to hear the voice Divine. Quick as lightning I felt that 
 God would bless me and write his commandments on 
 my heart. An indescribable change passed through 
 all the avenues of my spirit. God seemed to be 
 there, in the glory of his grace. I melted like wax 
 in the presence of the Lord. I sank into nothing. 
 Christ was all, elevated upon the throne of his holi- 
 ness. As my horse gained the shore I felt that I, 
 too, was emerging from troubled waters and gaining 
 the land of rest. In the fullness of my joy I wept 
 aloud and gave glory to God in the highest. I went 
 on my way exulting in God, the holy and adorable 
 God, whose glory I now saw, as never before, im- 
 pressed upon mountain and rock, forest and river, 
 and whose presence and favor I felt so powerfully 
 
212 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 that I seemed almost in heaven. In this inexpressi- 
 bly happy state of mind I reached my home in the 
 evening, scarcely knowing how I had passed over 
 the road. 
 
 This was the way in which God led me, and for 
 his glory, and with devout gratitude, I pen the nar- 
 rative. I write not for "the wise, the scribe, the 
 disputer of this world." My years are passing, and 
 soon, to me, neither the praise nor the censures of 
 men will possess any value. Still, when my eyes no 
 more behold the light, other eyes may rest upon this 
 page, and the record is made with the humble hope 
 that here and there a reader wbose soul thirsts for 
 the living God may be thereby encouraged, and 
 therefrom gain, possibly, a little light. 
 
 I would also add, with humble gratitude and 'giving 
 God all the glory, that the impulse which my relig- 
 ious life then received has helped me ever since, even 
 to this hour. From that day I have had a stronger 
 faith, a deeper joy, a clearer evidence of my accept- 
 ance with God, a readier and more thorough victory 
 over temptations of every kind. I have labored to 
 exercise a faith which would enable me to hold my 
 position, and I have never wholly failed. Gloom has 
 gathered about me at times, but the light has always 
 returned. A "faith that constantly appropriates the 
 blood of Christ is able to maintain, in the soul, a 
 constant fellowship with God the Father, the Son, 
 and the Holy Ghost. 
 
 In regard to the duty of relating what God has 
 done for us, one cannot well judge for another. I 
 have seldom felt that I was called to say much in 
 
SusqueMnna District. 213 
 
 mixed assemblies about this peculiar experience ; 
 still there certainly are times and occasions when an 
 unostentatious profession may not only be allowable, 
 but beneficial. When earnest Christians commune 
 one with another in regard to the possibilities of the 
 religious life, and are of one heart and one mind, wait- 
 ing for the salvation of God, it is certainly right for 
 each to tell all that God has done for him. This 
 question came before me at an early period of my 
 own experience, and I find my conclusions thus set 
 down in a memorandum made at the time : — 
 
 " I. God should be acknowledged in his gifts 
 whenever an opportunity occurs which promises 
 good results. 2. The example of eminent Chris- 
 tians, both the living and the dead, encourages us 
 in this course. 3. The help and encouragement 
 which such relations afforded me when I was athirst 
 for full salvation, convince me that they may be of 
 service to others in like circumstances." 
 
 I will here take the liberty of expressing, in regard 
 to another phase of the general subject, an opinion 
 to which I tend. I incline to think that one who has 
 enjoyed a great salvation, does not by unfaithfulness 
 decline into simple justification, but falls into con- 
 demnation, from which new acts of repentance and 
 faith must lift him, if at all, not simply to a justified 
 state, but to something of the condition from which 
 he has declined, though it may be in some cases a 
 shade less joyous, than before. 
 
 There were soon indications of a high degree of 
 religious interest throughout the district. There was, 
 in fact, a revival in every charge. Many were con- 
 
214 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 verted, and many attained the love which " casteth 
 out fear." Protracted meetings were every-where in 
 progress* Wherever I went to attend my quarterly 
 meetings I was importuned to remain and help in 
 the work. Even the few days which I ocpasionally 
 spent at home were not an exception. Revivals were 
 in progressin the Churches at Wilkesbarre and Forty 
 Fort, and for weeks services were held every even- 
 ing, and between the two my "rest days" were as 
 busy as any. 
 
 This year, dating from tbe organization of the first 
 Methodist Society in London, was the centenary of 
 Methodism, and was celebrated as such both in En- 
 glanfi and America. One evening, in the latter part 
 of October, I .delivered an address in the old church 
 at Forty Fort on the subject of education, in which 
 I advanced the idea that a Methodist seminary was 
 needed in the Wyoming Valley, and that Kingston . 
 furnished as good a location as could be found for 
 such an institution. This was the first formal step 
 in the movements which resulted in the establish- 
 ment of the Wyoming Seminary, a school which is 
 an ornament of the beautiful valley in which it is 
 located, an honor to the Methodist Episcopal Churchy 
 and one whose strong sons and daughters, " polished 
 after the similitude of a palace," are found on every 
 side. 
 
 'During the year I read every thing upon the sub- 
 ject of holiness which fell in my way — Wesley, Ben- 
 son, Treffry, Watniough, Carvosso, and especially 
 Fletcher, whom I esteemed the greatest of modern 
 Christians, and whose words and spirit were sweeter 
 
Susquehanna District. 215 
 
 to me than " honey and the honeycomb." I found it 
 a large field for study, the source of grand inspira- 
 tions, the marrow of the Gospel, and an essential 
 element of Methodism. I became more and more 
 convinced of the great practical value of the doctrine, 
 and grounded in the Wesleyan theory of it. I gave 
 my brothers an account of my experiences without 
 giving them any definite name, however, and also 
 wrote to Bishop Hedding on the subject. My letter 
 seemed greatly to interest him, and we seldom talked 
 together afterward without his referring to the matter, 
 and inquiring in regard to my progress. 
 
 On the 23d of October, 1839, our beloved mother, 
 aged seventy-one years, died in the house of my 
 brother, Jesse T. Peck, at Gouverneur, N. Y. She 
 became a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church 
 in 1803, and continued such, without reproach, until 
 she was removed to the Church triumphant. She 
 was a true mother in Israel, kind and conciliatory 
 in disposition, firm and patient under trials, praying 
 without ceasing, with strong and victorious faith, 
 "fervent in spirit, serving the Lord." She had a 
 sympathetic heart, which prompted her to care for 
 the sick and the poor, and seek diligently the wan- 
 dering, the discouraged, and the reckless. Her burn- 
 ing zeal impressed all who came into her presence. 
 The giddy and the profane were struck dumb by her 
 tender reproofs, uttered in well-chosen words, and in 
 the spirit of kindness ; and her desire for the salva- 
 tion of souls often engaged her in personal efforts 
 which won them to the Saviour. 
 
 She was the mother of five sons and six daughters. 
 
2i6 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 She early consecrated her children to God, and 
 sought, by precept and example, to lead them to 
 Christ. They were all converted, and united with 
 the Church. Two of her daughters died before her, 
 in holy triumph, and she lived to see all her sons 
 ministers of the Gospel. When she heard the last 
 one of them preach, she said, " Now, Lord, let thine 
 handmaid depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen 
 thy salvation." Her death was peaceful, triumphant ; 
 a fitting close to such a life. The Rev. E. Went- 
 worth, D.D., now editor of the " Ladies Repository," 
 was present at the closing scene, and in reference to 
 it, penned the following : — 
 
 " Sacred music is appropriate to the chamber of 
 death. At that hour, when worldly concerns have 
 receded, when it is almost profanation to converse 
 above a whisper, the sacred song 
 
 " ' May stir the brooding air.' 
 
 " Years ago I stood by the death-bed of a mother 
 in Israel. A venerable servant of God, in other days 
 a leader of sacred song, was. waiting to close the eyes 
 of the companion of his youth. The breeze of an 
 autumnal evening rustled the drapery of the open 
 window ; but besides this, there was no sound save 
 the deep breathing of the aged sufferer. Suddenly 
 the soft, silvery, tremulous voice of the white-haired 
 veteran fell upon the ear : — 
 
 " ' Give joy or grief, give ease or pain. 
 
 Take life or friends away. 
 But let me find them all again 
 
 In that eternal day.' 
 
Susquehanna District. 217 
 
 " I fancied that the dying saint listened to the 
 music of two worlds, and listening, smiled and 
 died." 
 
 Spring found me considerably worn down with ex- 
 cessive labors. My finances, also, were in an unsatis- 
 factory condition. I had expended something in im- 
 proving my place at Kingston. My receipts from the 
 district amounted to about ;^300 for the year, and 
 were not equal to my wants, as may well be imagined. 
 How to avoid ultimate embarrassment I could not 
 see. I was solicited, in two or three directions, to 
 take charge of literary institutions, and very possibly 
 might have accepted an invitation of the kind, had 
 I not been providentially led into another field of 
 labor. 
 
 On the 29th April, 1840, I reached Baltimore, the 
 seat of the General Conference. On Friday, May i, 
 the Conference assembled in Wesley Chapel. Bishops 
 Roberts, Hedding, Andrews, Waugh, and Morris 
 were present. Bishop Soule was detained a few 
 days by sickness. Rev. Robert Newton, delegate 
 from the English Wesleyans, was present, and made 
 a brief address, as did also Revs. John Ryerson and 
 Joseph Stinson, of Canada. Sunday morning I 
 preached in the Lutheran Church, and at five o'clock 
 heard Dr. Newton preach to an immense multitude 
 from the piazza of Barnum's Hotel, in Monument 
 Square. His text was : " This is a faithful saying, and 
 worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into 
 the world to save sinners." The eloquent sermon 
 made a profound impression. 
 
 Several petitions on the subject of slavery had 
 
21 8 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 been previously presented ; but on Monday a num- 
 ber more came from the New England, the New 
 Hampshire, and the Genesee Conferences ; and the 
 Southern members of the General Conference were 
 evidently becoming uneasy. Dr. Few, of Georgia, 
 felt that he was called to define his position in re- 
 gard to these memorials. He was ready to hear 
 brethren on any subject if their language was re- 
 spectful. They might address the Conference on the 
 evil of poverty, for instance, and he would hear them 
 at reasonable length. Poverty, he said, is as great 
 an evil as slavery. Bishop Waugh, who was presid- 
 ing at the time, pronounced the remarks out of order, 
 as no motion was pending ; but it was evident that 
 the North and the South were drifting away, each 
 from the other, in their views on the whole subject 
 of slavery. 
 
 In the afternoon and evening of the same day we 
 had a political episode. It was the beginning of the 
 memorable campaign which resulted in the election 
 of General Harrison as President of the United 
 States. When the name of the General was first 
 publicly brought forward, some editor or orator on 
 the other side spoke of the candidate as a man of 
 little mind and low pursuits, whose sordid ambition 
 rose no higher than a log-cabin, and a satisfactory 
 supply of hard cider. The Whigs at once took up 
 the foolish expression, wrested it into an insult to the 
 common people, and proclaiming their man as the 
 people's candidate, inaugurated extraordinary meas- 
 ures for rousing popular enthusiasm. Mass meet- 
 ings were held, processions were got up, in which 
 
Susquehanna District. 219 
 
 miniature log-cabins figured, ornamented with raccoon 
 skins and cider barrels, and serio-comic songs were 
 sung, with thunderous choruses, in praise of " Tippe- 
 canoe and Tyler too." We saw one of these proces- 
 sions, some three miles long, pass through the streets 
 of the city, the concourse of participants and specta- 
 tors being estimated at a hundred thousand. In the 
 evening I heard Henry Clay address an immense 
 crowd in Monument Square, but was too far off to 
 hear well. After him, Mr. Graves, of Kentucky, of 
 duel notoriety, poured forth a torrent of invective 
 against the Democratic party and its measures. 
 While this eruption was in full blaze I and my friend 
 left, and went to another meeting held at the same 
 hour, where Daniel Webster was to speak. We suc- 
 ceeded this time in getting near enough to hear the 
 speech. He first addressed the delegates from his 
 own State, who were present in large numbers, a 
 thousand or more, and then proceeded to an exami- 
 nation of the faults and failures of the national admin- 
 istration. He was calm, respectful in his language, 
 and seemed to appeal to the reason rather than to 
 the passions. His voice and manner reminded me 
 of Dr. Newton. The intonations of both were upon 
 the same grave key ; when in thorough earnest, they 
 were overwhelming, and neither of them descended 
 at any time from proper self-respect and manly 
 dignity. 
 
 I was a member, and the secretary, of the Com- 
 mittee on Slavery. The first time we met the 
 whole afternoon was spent in an irregular discussion 
 between the delegates from the two sections, W. A; 
 
220 Life and 'Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 Smith taking the lead of the South, and O. Scott of 
 the North. The Southern delegates took the posi- 
 tion that slavery was a merely civil institution, with- 
 out any moral character whatever, and therefore not 
 a proper subject of Church action. The extreme 
 Northern view was, that slavery in itself, and under 
 all circumstances, is wrong, sinful. Both Smith and 
 Scott agreed that the Church must adopt one or the 
 other of these views, and contended against any 
 middle course. 
 
 Besides these there was a third party, who held 
 that while slavery is wrong, and not for one moment 
 to be defended as an institution, yet the individual 
 maybe so compassed about by circumstances that the 
 legal ownership of a slave may not be a sin. Thus 
 the Committee was divided into three parties, each 
 tenacious of its own theory ; and as it was composed 
 of one delegate from each Annual Conference, it em- 
 bodied and expressed the state of opinion existing in 
 the General Conference, and throughout the Church 
 itself. 
 
 The Committee held sessions almost daily for about 
 two weeks, but could agree on nothing except the 
 merest generalities. The South demanded that the 
 General Conference censure the Abolitionists, and 
 reduce them to silence, and indorse the existence of 
 slavery in the Church. The Abolitionists, on the 
 other hand, demanded that the General Conference 
 condemn slavery irrespective of circumstances, and 
 rid the Church of it by enacting laws to deal with 
 slaveholders as we deal with thieves and murderers, 
 Between these upper and nether millstones the mod- 
 
Susquehanna District. 221 
 
 erate party was in danger of being ground to powder ; 
 but, after a long discussion, their views finally pre- 
 vailed, and a short-lived truce was secured. 
 
 I was also a member of the Committee on Educa- 
 tion. After passing in review the various institu- 
 tions of learning under the patronage of the Church, 
 a question was raised in regard to the future policy 
 which ought to be pursued, ^nd several of our leading 
 educators were invited to express their views before 
 the Committee. Dr. Bascom, Dr. Dui;bin, and others 
 argued that it would be wisest to reduce the number 
 of our colleges, and concentrate our means and ef- 
 forts in the establishment of two, or at most three, 
 great universities ; that two or three strong institu- 
 tions would be more creditable and more useful than a 
 multitude of feeble schools, without endowment, num- 
 bers, or reputation. 
 
 Professor Emory, on the other hand, took the posi- 
 tion that the Church was at work in all parts of the 
 land striving to foster education, and that the strong- 
 est appeal would be made to the people, and the 
 largest number of students gathered, by multiplying 
 colleges, though many of them must of necessity 
 have small beginnings. The question was considered 
 at great length in the Committee, and the conclusion 
 reached was in favor of retaining all the institutions 
 we already possessed. 
 
 Dr. Bascom brought forward a proposition from 
 the trustees of Transylvania University, Kentucky, 
 to place that institution in the hands of the Church. 
 The Committee favored the plan, the General Con- 
 ference adopted the recommendation, and the transfer 
 
222 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 was made. The friends of the University were so 
 zealous in its behalf, that they moved the Legislature 
 of the State to repeal the charter of Augusta College, 
 the oldest of the institutions of learning under our 
 care. Dr. Bascom was elected president of the Uni- 
 versity, and it died in his hands. Thus ended our 
 first attempt to do things on a grand scale in the 
 matter of education. 
 
 A somewhat delicate matter came before the Gen- 
 eral Conference. Bishop Hedding had presented 
 charges against two members of the New England 
 Conference. The Conference tried the accused 
 brethren, and acquitted them. The Bishop memo- 
 rialized the General Conference on the subject, alleg- 
 ing that they were acquitted contrary to the facts 
 and the evidence. N. Bangs, W. H. Raper, G. Peck, 
 and J. Early were appointed a committee to exam- 
 ine the case. The Bishop and the delegates of the 
 Conference appeared before us ; and, after a. full dis- 
 cussion of the affair, the delegates conceded that the 
 Conference had erred in its action. Bishop Hedding 
 thereupon expressed himself as unwilling to press the 
 matter further, and withdrew the complaint. 
 
 Another question came before us which occasioned 
 some excitement in the General Conference at the 
 time, and the shedding of much ink subsequently. 
 The Rev. Silas Comfort, then a member of the Mis- 
 souri Conference, admitted, in a Church trialj the evi- 
 dence of a colored person against a white member. 
 For this action he had been tried by his Conference, 
 and censured by formal vote. He appealed from 
 the decision of the Conference, and not being able to 
 
Sztsquekanna District. 223 
 
 attend the General Conference, requested me to con- 
 duct his case for him. I did so, urging the very ob- 
 vious fact that the appellant had violated no law of 
 the Church, and therefore could not be legally tried, 
 convicted, and censured. The action of the Missouri 
 Conference was set aside. The Southern delegates 
 were greatly dissatisfied with this result. Some days 
 after, Dr. Few came to me, asking me to approve the 
 following- resolution, and favor its adoption by the 
 General Conference : — 
 
 "Resolved, That it is inexpedient and unjustifiable 
 for any preacher among us to permit colored persons 
 to give testimony against white persons in any State 
 where they are denied that privilege in courts of 
 law." 
 
 The best men of the South solemnly alleged that 
 without such a resolution to cover them, the decision 
 of the General Conference in the case of Mr. Com- 
 fort would ruin Methodism in the Southern States, 
 and that, without it, they would be obliged to leave 
 us. This Dr. Few declared with all earnestness and 
 all apparent sincerity. I had been firm in maintain- 
 ing the rights of Mr. Comfort, and had been success- 
 ful ; but the appeals of the Southern brethren were 
 very strong, and I was moved to favor the resolution, 
 which passed. This was my first attempt to concili- 
 ate aftd save the South. 
 
 But a little reflection and comparison of views 
 convinced me that the rule in regard to evidence 
 thus established was unjust and wrong. Moreover, 
 Dr. Few's resolution would do more injury at the 
 North than the action of th6 General Conference in 
 
224 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 the Comfort case could do in the South. I, there- 
 fore, moved to reconsider the resolution. This 
 brought on a protracted and somewhat fierce debate: 
 Various attempts to amend were made, but all failed. 
 Motions were made sundry times to lay the whole 
 subject on the table, but these, too, failed, and the 
 daily session closed without a decision. In this un- 
 satisfactory state it remained some time, creating 
 great uneasiness. ' 
 
 On the 2d of June, Bishop Soule assumed the un- 
 usual position of a member of the Conference, and 
 read what he ^called a " Plan of Pacification," as fol- 
 lows :— 
 
 " First, Resolved, That in the decision of the Con- 
 ference in the case of the appeal of Rev. Silas Com- 
 fort, it is not intended to express or imply that the 
 testimony of colored persons against white persons 
 in Church trials is either expedient or justifiable in 
 any of the slaveholding States or Territories where 
 the civil laws prohibit such testimony in trials at law. 
 
 " Second, Resolved, That it is not the intention of 
 the Conference, in the adoption of the resolution of 
 the Rev. Ignatius A. Few, of Georgia, in regard to 
 the a:dmission of the testimony of colored persons, to 
 prohibit such testimony in Church trials in any of 
 the States or Territories where it is the established 
 usage of the Church to admit it, and where, in' the 
 judgment of the constitutional judicatories of the 
 Church, such testimony may be admitted with safety 
 to the peace of society, and the interests of all con- 
 cerned. 
 
 " Third, Resolved, That it is not the intention of this 
 
Susquehanna District. 225 
 
 Conference, in either of the above cases, or in any 
 action had by this body, to express or imply any 
 distrust or want of confidence in the Christian piety 
 or integrity of the numerous body of colored mem- 
 bers under our pastoral care, to whom we are bound 
 by the bonds of the Gospel of Christ, and for whose 
 spiritual and eternal interests, together with all of 
 our fellow-men of every color, and in every relation 
 and condition of life, we will never cease to labor." 
 
 These resolutions were passed by a vote of ninety- 
 seven to twenty-seven. It will probably strike the 
 adherents of parliamentary rules as somewhat sin- 
 gular that these resolutions should be introduced and 
 passed while my motion to reconsider was still pend- 
 ing, and that, after the passage of Bishop Soule's 
 resolutions, my motion was gravely laid on the table. 
 Bishop Soule's paper was a mere temporary expe- 
 dient, and really did nothing toward the settlement 
 of the great questions coming before the Church and 
 the whole nation. 
 
 Meanwhile this particular phase of the slavery ques- 
 tion was not the only shape in which it came before 
 the Conference. The Committee on Slavery present- 
 ed their final report on the 21st of May. O. Scott and 
 three other members of the Committee brought in a 
 minority report, but as its publication in the Journal 
 was objected to, Mr. Scott contented himself by using 
 the substance of it in an extended speech which he 
 made against the adoption of the report of the major- 
 ity. He was earnest, bold, full of invective against 
 slavery, reflecting on the action of the Southern Con- 
 ferences, and arraigning the " Christian Guardian," 
 15 
 
226 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 the organ of the Canada Methodists. Dr. Bangs re- 
 plied, defending the report, and Dr. Ryerson ex- 
 plained his course as editor of the Guardian. 
 
 Dr. Capers followed in a speech an hour long, 
 characterized by pathos rather than logic. He com- 
 plained that northern interference hindered the south- 
 ern preachers in the blessed work of saving both 
 masters and slaves ; that northerners denounced 
 slavery as a greatmoral evil, while the southern men, 
 who alone understood the matter, lamented it as a 
 great providential misfortune. With tears he be- 
 sought the assailants of the peculiar institution to 
 cease their interference, and let those manage slavery 
 who were competent to the work. This speech pro- 
 duced considerable emotion in certain quarters, but 
 did not move the antislavery men of the North and 
 East a hair-breadth from their position. 
 
 The Rev. J. Crowther, of the Virginia Conference, 
 made a plain, homely, out and out defense of slavery, 
 taking the ground that it is right, and justified by 
 the word of God. Dr. Few and W. Winans threat- 
 ened rebellion and secession. Dr. W. A. Smith un- 
 dertook to demonstrate that slavery is philosophically 
 an essential element of the social state. 
 
 " Cannot brethren see," asked the doctor, " that 
 slavery is service ? Now if service is unjust and- im- 
 moral, a man's children cannot serve him, his wife can- 
 not serve him, without a breach of the moral law." 
 
 The principal speakers on the antislavery side were 
 O. Scott and P. Crandall, who argued against the 
 morality and justice of the institution, and all the 
 measures necessary for its defense. 
 
Susqtcehanna District. 227 
 
 On Saturday, May 23, another firebrand was thrown 
 to increase the conflagration. O. Scott had presented 
 an abolition petition from the city of New York, said 
 to contain the signatures of eleven hundred and fifty 
 members of the Church. The news that such a pe- 
 tition had been presented at Baltimore created quite 
 a stir in New York, and much curiosity to know who 
 were the signers, and the petition was sent back to 
 the city for investigation, though not by the direction 
 of the Conference. In due time Rev. C. A. Davis 
 and Dr. D. M. Reese came to Baltimore, bearing a 
 protest against the petition, and were heard before the 
 Committee on Slavery. They alleged that the peti- 
 tion contained the names of persons who were not 
 members of the Church, and names of persons ap- 
 pended without their consent, and that some names 
 were inserted twice, and others three times. Warm 
 words passed between these gentlemen and Mr. Scott, 
 and some of the southern members of the committee 
 charged him with imposture. He replied that the 
 memorial was placed in his hands by a respectable 
 member of the Church, and that he had no personal 
 knowledge in regard to the matters complained of 
 Thus, in one form or another, the subject continued 
 to harass the Conference to the very last session, 
 when Dr. Bascom read his report on a memorial 
 coming from Westmoreland, but read it before a 
 body of men who were weary and impatient, more 
 desirous of going home than of continuing a discus- 
 sion which produced no changes of opinion. 
 
 The temperance question also excited some in- 
 terest. It had been previously discussed in the 
 
228 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 Church papers, the point at issue being the expe- 
 diency and necessity of excluding from the Church 
 all persons who manufacture, sell, or use intoxicating 
 beverages. In the North there was a conviction that 
 the General Conference ought to take such action as 
 would secure their exclusion. In the South new leg- 
 islation of any kind on that subject was opposed. 
 The chief argument against it was, that the proposed 
 action would introduce a new condition of member- 
 ship ; that it would be really a change of the General 
 Rules. I wrote an article for the Advocate, taking 
 the ground that the rule which requires members of 
 the Church to " do no harm," and " avoid evil of every 
 kind," fully covered the case, and consequently the 
 new legislation proposed by the friends of temperance 
 was designed to be merely a specific application of 
 the rule. I argued, also, in favor of restoring Mr. 
 Wesley's original rule on the subject. 
 
 In March, 1840, Rev. George Lane, who was vis- 
 iting the Southern Conferences on the business of 
 the Book Concern, wrote me a letter containing a 
 reference to this subject : — 
 
 " I was much pleased with your article in the 
 Advocate respecting the restoration of the rule 
 on ardent spirits. To me it is a subject of vital im- 
 portance, one in which the Church and the world are 
 deeply interested. Its restoration will meet, however, 
 with strong opposition from that quarter particularly 
 where it has always been opposed. The principal 
 grounds which will be taken are the following : — 
 
 " I. It changes the terms of membership. 
 
 " 2. The conduct prohibited is not ' clearly for- 
 
Susquehanna District. 229 
 
 bidden in the word of God,' nor does the Spirit 
 ' write ' the proposed law ' on all truly awakened 
 hearts.' 
 
 " 3. It is not expedient. We are not prepared for 
 it. It would drive many from the Church." 
 
 Dr. Capers, the editor of the Charleston Advo- 
 cate, made a formal reply in his paper to my article. 
 I rejoined in the columns of the New York Advo- 
 cate, and soon after we met in the General Confer- 
 ence. To change a General Rule requires a three- 
 fourth's vote of all the Annual Conferences, and a 
 two-third's vote of the General Conference. The 
 process may be inaugurated either in the General 
 Conference or any one of the Annual Conferences. 
 The New York Conference had inaugurated the vote 
 in favor of the restoration of Mr. Wesley's original 
 rule, but the measure failed to obtain the requisite 
 majority. An effort was now made to originate the 
 movement in the General Conference, but the vote 
 was seventy-five in favor to thirty-eight opposed, and 
 for the want of one more vote the attempt failed, at 
 least for the time. 
 
 I was elected editor of the Quarterly Review. 
 I had come to the Conference with no aspirations in 
 that direction. My mind was drawn to the subject 
 of education, the establishment of a seminary in the 
 Wyoming Valley. I had had some experience in the 
 management of an institution of the kind, and had 
 some taste for the work of a teacher, but the position 
 of an editor would be new to me, and I might not 
 succeed either in my friends' estimation or my own ; 
 still I was fixed upon, chiefly by the Northern delegates, 
 
230 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 and elected; Dr. Bond, who had been the candidate 
 of the South, was elected editor of the New York 
 Advocate. 
 
 The General Conference appointed a Committee to 
 prepare a Pastoral Address. I was a member of the 
 Committee, and it fell to my lot to write the Address, 
 which is found in the Journal, but without name or 
 date. 
 
Methodist Quarterly Review. 231 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 1840-4, METHODIST QUARTERLY REVIEW. 
 
 T REACHED Wilkesbarre on Sunday morning, 
 J- June 7, preached at the quarterly meeting, and 
 then crossed the river to see my family and the 
 humble home at Kingston, which we were learning 
 to love, but now were called to leave. I moved my 
 family at once to New York and began my work. I 
 found an abundance of important business waiting 
 for me. The Book Agents were anxious to put the 
 Journal of the General Conference and the new edi- 
 tion of the Discipline in type at the earliest practicable 
 moment, and I was expected to read the proof and 
 supervise the whole matter. Dr. Elliott's work on 
 Romanism was going through the press, and I read 
 the manuscript, chapter by chapter, before it was 
 placed in the hands of the compositors. The Rev. 
 P. C. Oakley, of the Oneida Conference, had been 
 designated for the Sands-street Church, Brooklyn, 
 but was to remain at Ithaca two months ; and I 
 was requested by Bishop Hedding to supply the 
 pulpit till his arrival. Amid engagements and re- 
 sponsibilities like these I was still to find time and 
 strength for my main work, the editing of the Quar- 
 terly Review. 
 
 Under the rule of the Discipline, as it then was, 
 the Editors and Book Agents were, by virtue of their 
 
2 32 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 office, members of the New York Conference. I visited 
 my old Conference, the Oneida, in August, and, by 
 the request of the bishop, attended the sessions of 
 the council, and gave an account of the district of 
 which I had been the presiding elder. It was a great 
 pleasure to me on this occasion to be for a few days 
 the guest of my old and tried friend, John Williams, 
 Esq., for whom I here desire to record my respect 
 and esteem. He was a noble specimen of a man — 
 just, generous, true, high minded, one of the wisest 
 and most efficient of the trustees of the seminary, 
 and an invaluable citizen. 
 
 In the closeness of my application to my new work 
 I overdid matters. After a long day in the office I 
 was accustomed to go home and have some one read 
 to me in the evening. Before many months I was pros-, 
 trated by illness, and was warned by my physician 
 that I must pay more attention to my health, and lay 
 aside some of my business, or my labors would not 
 be likely to continue long. And yet it was hard to 
 find the right place for retrenchment. The duties of 
 my office could not be curtailed, and the calls outside 
 were hard to deny. There was an incessant demand 
 for sermons. There were then twelve Methodist 
 churches in the city, in each of which three services 
 were held every Sabbath. Lest the officials at the 
 Book Room should grow rusty for want of work, the 
 preachers' meeting made out a plan, which assigned 
 at least two sermons every Sabbath to each editor 
 and agent, and sent him in turn to every church in 
 the city. During the autumn and winter we were 
 often called to aid in protracted meetings, and I 
 
Metfiodist Quarterly Review. 233 
 
 sometimes preached three or four times during the 
 week, in addition to the labors of the Sabbath. 
 
 Our missionary interests also demanded time and 
 care. A heavy debt pressed upon the treasury, and 
 alarmed the more cautious members of the Board. 
 The idea had prevailed that a bold policy was the 
 best, and that the Church would not fail to meet all 
 the demands of the work. The result was a debt of 
 fifty thousand dollars. Dr. Bond questioned the wis- 
 dom of this method, and with his views I fully sympa- 
 thized. Retrenchment was finally resolved upon — 
 not without strenuous opposition — and the missions 
 in Oregon, South America, and Africa were singled 
 out as the fields which could best bear it. I was 
 chairman of the Standing Committee on the Oregon 
 Mission for a year or two, and then was appointed 
 chairman of the Committee on the African Mission, 
 which post I occupied, I think, until my connection 
 with the Book Room terminated. 
 
 Our mission in Africa had become involved in 
 difficulty with the Colonial Government. The colony 
 was financially weak, our mission had been liberally 
 supported, and the superintendent of it had more 
 money than the governor. Hence jealousies sprung 
 up between the two functionaries, and collisions oc- 
 curred. The superintendent of the mission. Rev. 
 John Seys, wrote to the Board of Managers, stating 
 that timber was abundant in Liberia, but that the 
 Government provided no means of making it of use 
 to the colonists. He therefore asked that the ma- 
 chinery for -the erection of a saw-mill be sent him. 
 The machinery was sent, but when it arrived the 
 
234 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 governor seized it, and refused to surrender it till the 
 regular duties were paid. 
 
 The Board determined to abandon the saw-mill 
 project, and the machinery was left in the hands of 
 the authorities to be destroyed by rust. The feud 
 occasioned by this affair was serious and protracted. 
 There were two little periodicals published in the 
 colony, the " Liberia Herald," which was the Govern- 
 ment organ, and " Africa's Luminary," which was pub- 
 lished by our mission. These periodicals went into 
 the war with great zeal and acrimony, the Herald as- 
 sailing the mission, and the Luminary stoutly defend- 
 ing it, and both belligerents publishing many things 
 which considerate men of all parties regretted. 
 
 The authorities at home took the matter in hand. 
 Judge Wilkinson, president of the Colonization So- 
 ciety, addressed our Missionary Board, complaining 
 of the action of Mr. Seys, and insisting upon his re- 
 call. It was even intimated that if the Board refused 
 to remove him he would be expelled by force from 
 the colony. Mr. Seys came home on business, and 
 an earnest discussion took place between the two 
 Boards in regard to his return to Africa. A large 
 committee was sent by our Board to Washington, to 
 confer with the Board of the Colonization Society, 
 and we had a full investigation and a protracted 
 discussion. Congress was in session, and several 
 members attended the meeting, and took part in the 
 debate. Mr. Mason, of Ohio, Mr. Underwood, of 
 Kentucky, and Dr. Spring, of New York, were partic- 
 ularly severe in their attacks upon Mr. Seys. I was 
 appointed to set forth our side of the controversy. I 
 
Methodist Quarterly Review. 235 
 
 showed, from the columns of the two African papers, 
 that Mr. Seys was not the aggressor; that the 
 Herald had endeavored to bring our mission into 
 disrepute, and had assailed the superintendent per- 
 sonally ; that he had aided the colonists very materi- 
 ally in all their interests, and that hostile action on 
 the part of the Colonization Board against our mission 
 would injure all parties. The conference resulted in 
 an amicable adjustment of the difficulty ; Mr. Seys 
 returned to Africa, and harmony was restored both 
 at home and in the colony. 
 
 The Oregon Mission, established for the evangeliz- 
 ing of the Indians west of the Rocky Mountains, was 
 accused of having become too secular in its measures. 
 The superintendent. Rev. Jason Lee, had secured 
 large tracts of land, and explorers not connected 
 with the mission began to complain of it as a monop- 
 oly. Several families, sent thither by the Board, were 
 ill prepared to encounter the privations of frontier 
 life, and became weary of the work which they had 
 been sent to prosecute. These complaints and fail- 
 ures greatly annoyed the Board, and especially the 
 missionary secretary. Dr. Bangs, who had planned the 
 arrangements of the mission. There was also a lack of 
 harmony among the missionaries, and the condition 
 and success of the mission generally did not satisfy 
 the expectations of the Church. 
 
 At this juncture, and in pursuance of the policy of 
 retrenchment which had been found necessary, the 
 Rev. George Gary, of the Black River Conference, a 
 gentleman of distinguished prudence and ability, was 
 sent to Oregon as superintendent of the mission, with 
 
236 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 instructions to reorganize it, and to sell all lands and 
 other property not needed for a purely missionary 
 undertaking. The good offices of Mr. Gary brought 
 order out of confusion ; but unforeseen events soon 
 changed the aspect of Oregon as a field of mission 
 work. Immigration increased along the coast, the 
 Indians receded before it toward the mountains, 
 and wars broke out between the settlers and the 
 native tribes. As an enterprise for evangelizing the 
 savages of the Pacific Coast, the mission failed of its 
 object. The Board, however, adapted its plans to 
 these changing circumstances, and the mission be- 
 came the nucleus of the Oregon Conference, and its 
 fruits are seen in the Churches and literary institu- 
 tions which we have been enabled to plant in that 
 new and rising State. 
 
 The mission in Buenos Ayres was also taxing our 
 treasury too severely. The missionary, Rev. John 
 Dempster, was planning for the erection of a semi- 
 nary, but the Board deemed the needed outlay im- • 
 practicable and the project was postponed. 
 
 The action of the Board in reference to these three 
 missions was, by some of the real friends of the cause, 
 denounced as timid and ruinous ; but the effect was 
 to establish confidence in the management of the 
 missions, and increase the liberality of the Churches, 
 so that the debt began to decrease and was finally all 
 paid. 
 
 An attack was made upon the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church about this time in "The Churchman," the 
 organ of the Episcopalians, and I was led to re- 
 ply in the columns of The Advocate. The first of a 
 
Methodist Quarterly Review. 237 
 
 series of sixteen articles was published December 16, 
 1840, under the heading of "The Church and the 
 Methodists," a title borrowed from our assailant. 
 The series contains much that is old, and, perhaps, 
 some things which are new and original, in the debate 
 with the High-Church pretenders. The Oneida Con- 
 ference passed a resolution requesting that my arti- 
 cles be published in book form, and I was inclined to 
 comply ; but Dr. Abel Stevens, who had been study- 
 ing the same subject, announced a volume in much 
 the same general line of research and argument, and 
 my project was abandoned. 
 
 It may be recollected that the year previous to my 
 coming to New York I had been greatly interested 
 in the subject of entire sanctification. I found a 
 deep interest in it in the New York Churches. In- 
 creased attention had been called to the doctrine by 
 the fact that several Congregational ministers, Mahan, 
 Upham, Fitch, Finney, and others, had lately assumed 
 a new position in regard to it, and were earnestly 
 engaged in preaching what was called Perfectionism. 
 I read their publications with interest, and often 
 heard them preach. It looked, at the first glance, 
 as if they had embraced the Wesleyan theory of Chris- 
 tian perfection ; but a close examination of the lan- 
 guage which they employed convinced me that they 
 had a theory of their own, and on several vital points 
 were in error. By the request of the pastor of the 
 Mulberry-street Church, where my family attended, 
 the Rev. J. H. Perry, D.D., I delivered a series of 
 lectures on the subject in that Church, and afterward 
 repeated them, also by request, in the John-street 
 
238 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 Methodist Episcopal Church. Continuing my re- 
 searches, I gradually gathered a mass of matter 
 which I finally concluded to put in print. 
 
 I believed that the subject needed a more thorough 
 review, and more comprehensive treatment, than it 
 had hitherto received at the hands of any one author. 
 I studied the Church fathers and the Reformers, and 
 found that conflicting theories on the subject had 
 existed for centuries. Wesley and Fletcher had ably 
 discussed the doctrine of Christian perfection in op- 
 position to the Antinomian tendencies of their times ; 
 but since then the old, exploded dogma of legal per- 
 fection had been revived, clothed in a new and spe- 
 cious dress. The measures of Finney, Mahan, and 
 the rest, attracted attention among our people, while 
 their publications called forth from the ranks of 
 both the Old and New School Calvinists a host of 
 champions in advocacy of the doctrine maintained 
 by Augustine and Calvin, of the necessary continu- 
 ance of sin in believers. 
 
 These defenders of the Calvinistic theology were 
 not content with attacking the errors which had 
 arisen among themselves, but undertook to demolish 
 all theories of Christian perfection. They brought 
 into the discussion nothing that was really new, yet 
 the old logic assumed new forms, and was applaud- 
 ed in certain quarters as if it had been hitherto 
 unknown. My plan was to set forth the history of 
 the doctrine, and of the controversies which had 
 gathered about it ; to define it in accordance with the 
 Wesleyan standards ; to prove it from the Scripture ; 
 to answer the objections which had been brought 
 
Methodist Quarterly Review. 239 
 
 against it ; and to develop its practical bearings upon 
 the Christian life. 
 
 In the historical exhibit of the polemics of the 
 question, my plan embraced every thing essential to 
 a full understanding, not only of the doctrine itself, 
 but of the arguments of friend and foe. I had ob- 
 served among our preachers a want of precision in 
 defining the Wesleyan doctrine ; a want of acquaint- 
 ance with the controversy as found in the writings 
 of Wesley and Fletcher ; and what seemed to me, a 
 growing indisposition on the part of some to study, 
 with the diligence necessary to a mastery of the sub- 
 ject, the war of mighty thought and mighty words 
 which gave Methodism its early triumphs, and enti- 
 tled it to be respected not only as a great revival of' 
 religion, but as a theological system. Consequently, 
 I quoted my authorities suflSciently in extenso to give 
 a clear idea of the perspicuity, theological accuracy, 
 and logical skill of the old champions of evangeli- 
 cal truth. This method of treating the theme in- 
 deed makes increased demands upon the attention of 
 the reader ; nevertheless, I deemed it needful to a 
 thorough understanding of a very important subject. 
 
 The work was published in 1 842, and thoroughly 
 revised in 1848. In the revision of the work I 
 availed myself of the light derived from the criti- 
 cisms of both the adherents and the opponents of 
 the doctrine ; and the book, as it stands, records my 
 settled views on the subject. 
 
 In December, 1843, I put to press a work on the 
 Rule of Faith, which I intended to be an exhaustive 
 discussion of the question. I examined extensively 
 
240 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 the Romish and High-Church authorities ; I com- 
 pared the traditionary systems of these writers with 
 those of the Jewish Talmudists, and found a striking 
 parallel between them. They all obscure the light 
 of revelation, introduce serious error, and are con- 
 demned by the great Teacher as making void the 
 law of God. Dr. M'Clintock published an able re- 
 view of it in the Methodist Quarterly Review. 
 
 In the winter of -1843-4 the Rev. James Sewell, 
 pastor of the Washington-street Church, Brooklyn, 
 having been transferred to the Baltimore Conference, 
 I took the charge, occupied the parsonage, and was 
 the acting pastor until the following June. 
 
 In May, 1844, the General Conference met in the 
 ' Greene-street Church, New York. I had been elected 
 a delegate by the New York Conference, of which 
 the laws of the Church at that time made me a mem- 
 ber. I regarded my election by that body as evidence, 
 not only of kind feelings toward me personally, but 
 of liberality toward strangers. The question of 
 slavery was attracting great attention. The session 
 had scarcely begun before there were exciting rumors 
 afloat in regard to one of the bishops having become 
 connected with the institution by a second marriage. 
 The Rev. F. A. Harding, of the Baltimore Confer- 
 ence, had also become by marriage the legal owner 
 of slaves, whom he refused to set free. For this he 
 had been tried and expelled by his Conference, and 
 had appealed to the General Conference. The ap- 
 peal was presented by the Rev. W. A. Smith, of the 
 Virginia Conference, while the action of the Balti- 
 more Conference was defended by the Rev. John A. 
 
Methodist Quarterly Review. 241 
 
 Collins, and the other delegates of the Conference. 
 •These two champions were both able debaters, ambi- 
 tious to do good service to their respective causes, 
 and thoroughly interested in the question at issuk 
 The contest was long and arduous, and in its prog- 
 ress the Conference and the whole Church became 
 greatly agitated. It was a conflict between freedom 
 and slavery, and the right triumphed. The action of 
 the Baltimore Conference was confirmed. 
 
 On the 20th of May the second act of the ecclesi- 
 astical tragedy began. The Rev. John A. Collins 
 and J. B. Houghtaling offered a resolution directing 
 the Committee on Episcopacy to inquire whether 
 there was any foundation for the report that " one of 
 the bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church had 
 become connected with slavery." Two days after- 
 ward the committee reported a communication from 
 Bishop Andrew stating the circumstances of his con- 
 nection with the obnoxious institution. On the re- 
 ception of this paper the Revs. A. Griffith and J. 
 Davis, of the Baltimore delegation, offered an elab- 
 orate preamble and a brief resolution requesting the 
 Bishop to resign his episcopal office. The remainder 
 of the daily session was spent in discussing the mo- 
 tion. The next day the Revs. J. B. Finley and J. M. 
 Trimble introduced a substitute in the following lan- 
 guage :— 
 
 " Whereas, The Discipline of our Church forbids the 
 doing of any thing calculated to destroy our itinerant 
 general superintendency ; 
 
 "And, whereas, Bishop Andrew has become con- 
 nected with slavery by marriage and otherwise, and 
 16 
 
242 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 this act having drawn after it circumstances which, 
 in the estimation of the General Conference, will' 
 greatly embarrass the exercise of his office as an 
 itinerant general superintendent, if not in some 
 places entirely prevent it ; therefore, 
 
 "Resolved, That it is the sense of this General 
 Conference that he desist from the exercise of his 
 office so long as this impediment remains." 
 
 This substitute was discussed day after day. Sev- 
 eral plans of compromise were brought forward, but 
 failed! On the first day of June the question was 
 decided, and the substitute passed, one hundred and 
 ten delegates voting in the affirmative, and sixty- 
 eight in the negative. 
 
 The debate had been characterized by great de- 
 corum, but the excitement which it occasioned was 
 intense. On the Sth of June a' deiclaration was pre- 
 sented, signed by all the delegates from the slave- 
 holding States, except those of the border Confer- 
 ences, that " the continued agitation o"n the subject 
 of slavery and abolition in a portion of the Church — 
 the frequent action on that subject in the General 
 Conference^ — and especially the extra-judicial pro- 
 ceedings against Bishop Andrew, which resulted in 
 the virtual suspension of him from his office as su- 
 perintendent — must produce a state of things in the 
 South which renders a continuance of the jurisdic- 
 tion of this General Conference over these Confer- 
 ences inconsistent with the success of the ministry in 
 the slaveholding States." 
 
 This declaration was referred to a committee of 
 nine — Revs. "IRobert Paine, Glezen Filmore, Peter 
 
Methodist Quarterly Review. 243 
 
 Akers, Nathan Bangs, Thomas Crowder, Thomas 
 B. Sargeant, William Winans, Leonidas L. Hamline, 
 and James Porter. 
 
 The next day Dr. Bascom read a protest against 
 the action of the Conference in relation to Bishop 
 Andrew, and a committee of three, consisting of S. 
 Olin, J. P. Durbin, and L. L. Hamline, were ap- 
 pointed to prepare a statement of the facts connected 
 with the proceedings in the case. Dr. Olin was ex- 
 cused from serving on this committee on account of 
 ill health, and Dr. Hamline in consequence of his 
 election to the episcopacy, and C. Elliot and G. Peck 
 were appointed to fill the vacancies. The protest 
 which Dr. Bascom read was the work of his own 
 pen, and was marked by great boldness of statement 
 and strength of language. He read it in his best 
 style. The report of the Committee of Three took 
 the form of a reply to this Protest. 
 
 The Committee of Nine reported a paper, which 
 was adopted. This measure has since been styled in 
 certain quarters the " Plan of Separation," but not 
 truly, its design being simply to designate the prin- 
 ciples by which the Church would shape its action in 
 case the Southern Conferences should secede. 
 
 As chairman of the Committee on Slavery, it fell 
 to my lot to report the following resolution : " That 
 the resolutions passed at the General Conference of 
 1840, on the subject of colored testimony in Church 
 trials be, and the same hereby are, rescinded." 
 Bishop Soule was presiding at the time. He had a 
 peculiar way of expressing his opinion in regard to 
 any action proposed when he was in the chair. I 
 
244 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 made a few remarks in support of our resolution, and 
 while I was doing so I saw the scowl gathering on 
 the Bishop's brow. He shook his head, significantly 
 and solemnly, and shrugged his shoulders in token 
 of general disapprobation. When he came to put the 
 motion, he characterized it as a proposal to rescind 
 the " Bishops' resolutions " adopted by the last Gen- 
 eral Conference. But neither his obvious displeasure 
 nor his little strategy produced any effect. Our re- 
 port was adopted by a vote of one hundred and fifteen 
 in the affirmative to forty opposed. 
 
 A new arrangement was made by the General 
 Conference for the appointment of the Book Com- 
 mittees at New York and Cincinnati. Hitherto the 
 committee had consisted of the preachers stationed 
 in those cities ; and the power to supply vacancies 
 occurring among editors and agents was with the 
 New York and Ohio Conferences. It was now or- 
 dered that the Book Committee at New York consist 
 of six preachers, the New York, New Jersey, and 
 Philadelphia Conferences each electing two. The 
 committee of the Western Book Concern were to be 
 elected in like manner by the Ohio, Kentucky, and 
 Indiana Conferences. These Committees and the 
 Bishops were empowered to fix the salaries of editors 
 and agents, and fill all vacancies. This transfer of 
 responsibilities and powers was not altogether popu- 
 lar with those from whom the transfer was made, but 
 was generally approved. It was also determined by 
 the General Conference that an editor or agent might 
 retain his membership in his own Conference. 
 
 Another change of some importance was made, re- 
 
Methodist Quarterly Review. 245 
 
 stricting the power of the bishops in the appointment 
 of presiding elders. Thenceforward no elder, having 
 served a term of four years on a district, could be re- 
 turned to that same district until after an interval of 
 six years. A restriction was added in reference to 
 the appointment of preachers in cities, it being de- 
 termined that no preacher should remain more than 
 four years in the same city at any one time, nor re- 
 turn till after an interval of four years. Those re- 
 strictions I regarded at the time as of doubtful utility, 
 and the latter has since been repealed. Some prob- 
 ably favored them, with the idea that they would aid 
 the bishops, and lessen the temptations of the preach- 
 ers to localize their labors. It is said, however, that 
 the chairman of the committee which reported them, 
 Rev. J. B. M'Ferrin, rather boastingly declared that 
 his object was, before he left us, to tie up the North 
 to the itinerancy, and prevent our going into Congre- 
 gationalism. My convictions have always been that 
 the efficiency of our system depends upon the exist- 
 ence of a strong and untrammeled superintendency. 
 Still another important measure wag the appoint- 
 ment of an editor for our Sunday-school literature. 
 This measure I earnestly advocated. Dr. Bangs op- 
 posed it as involving a needless expenditure. Dr. 
 Bond, who, although not a member of the General 
 Conference, had been invited by vote to participate in 
 the deliberations, earnestly seconded the arguments 
 of Dr. Bangs, maintaining that his assistant would 
 have ample time to do all the work of the Sunday- 
 school department. It was argued, on the other 
 hand, that we were doing too little in this promising 
 
246 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 field, and that its interests were of sufficient magni- 
 tude to demand one of the best minds of the Church. 
 These more progressive views prevailed. 
 
 The proposition to restore to the Discipline Mr. 
 Wesley's rule on the subject of spirituous liquors was 
 again introduced. The Southern delegates had de- 
 feated the measure in 1840, and they still opposed. 
 Bishop Andrew had decided, in 1840, that the "ma- 
 jority of two thirds," named in the Restrictive Rule 
 as necessary to inaugurate a measure of the kind, 
 means two thirds of all the members elected to the 
 General Conference. When the proposition was 
 again brought forward, the Rev. J. Early, of the Vir- 
 ginia Conference, offered a resolution that it required 
 " two thirds of all the members " to take the proposed 
 action. This motion created an animated debate, in 
 which I took part, maintaining that a constitutional 
 quorum constituted the General Conference ; and, a 
 quorum being present, "two thirds of the General 
 Conference " are simply two thirds of the members 
 present and voting. Mr. Early's motion was lost, 
 the vote being fifty in favor of it, and ninety in the 
 negative. The vote was then taken on the main 
 question, and resulted in favor of the restoration of 
 the original rule, there being ninety-nine in favor, and 
 thirty-three opposed. The resolution went the rounds 
 of the Annual Conferences, and, having obtained the 
 requisite three fourths of all the members, the rule 
 was restored to its place among the laws of the 
 Church. 
 
 The measure afterward termed the Plan of Separa- 
 tion was provisional only, to be of no effect unless 
 
General Conference of 1844. 247 
 
 the Conferences in the slaveholding States should 
 find separation inevitable. It was pressed by the 
 Southern delegates as a peace measure. Some of 
 the leading men among them held out the idea, in 
 their conversations with the Northern delegates, that 
 the Report of the Committee of Nine, if adopted, 
 would tend to prevent separation rather than pro- 
 mote it ; that it was an olive branch to carry through 
 the South, showing that the Northern Conferences 
 were not hostile to the Southern, and had no dispo- 
 sition to deprive them of their rights. 
 
 In a conversation with me, Dr. Capers said that he 
 " hoped there would be no division. On his return 
 home he would go by way of Washington and con- 
 sult Mr. Calhoun and Mr. M'Dufifie ; and if they 
 thought that the Methodists in the Southern Confer- 
 ences could be held in connection with the General 
 Conference under existing circumstances, he would 
 use his influence to prevent secession." He seemed 
 very sincere in all this, and, on the strength of such 
 representations, the report was adopted by a strong 
 majority ; but before the Southern delegates left New 
 York they met by themselves and determined on 
 separation, laid their plans accordingly, and returned 
 to their several Conferences to carry them into effect. 
 It is very possible that the time has not yet come for 
 us to pass final judgment on the men who took part 
 in these transactions. These things were, in fact, a 
 part of the great conflict which was steadily ap- 
 proaching — the first scattering drops of the coming 
 storm. 
 
 Slavery tends to make the master-race bold, arro- 
 
248 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 gant, conceited, savage, unscrupulous, and remorse- 
 less. He who would uphold it must neither fear God 
 nor regard man. It is a despotism which is brutal 
 in all its instincts, and blind to justice, honor, hu- 
 manity, every thing but its own sordid interests. In 
 the free States opposition to the system, on moral 
 and rehgious grounds, was becoming daily more 
 general, more active and strong. In the slave 
 States the institution held an iron sway, ruling polit- 
 ical parties, the press, the Church. It was swift to 
 reward its friends, and equally swift to punish its 
 enemies. It tyrannized over men's lips, and minds, 
 and consciences. He that doubted was damned. All 
 must bow down and worship the hideous image set 
 up, or be cast into the fiery furnace. 
 
 The delegates from the two sections, aside from 
 their own personal convictions, were subject to a 
 fearful pressure. The proslavery sentiment of the 
 South and the antislavery sentirrient of the North 
 were equally exacting and vigilant. The one re- 
 quired action in the direction of universal liberty, 
 the other demanded concessions in favor of slavery. 
 If the action of the General Conference seemed for a 
 moment to lean in the one direction, there was indig- 
 nation and threatened disintegration at the North ; 
 if in the other, there was alarm and threats of separa- 
 tion in the South. How far the Southern Confer- 
 ences were wrong in giving way before the pressure 
 — how much of good or evil, as God sees it in the 
 hearts of men, was involved in each man's agency 
 — none but the Great Judge can tell ; but we do the 
 Southern delegates the merest justice when we rec- 
 
General Conference of 1844. 249 
 
 ognize the straits in which they were placed. No 
 possible measures of the General Conference could 
 avert calamity. To do what the Southern members 
 deemed essential to the welfare of the Churches in 
 their ^section would ruin whole Conferences at the 
 North ; and even to temporize was full of peril. To 
 do all that Northern sentiment demanded would have 
 torn the Southern Conferences to shreds. 
 
 Nor were the convictions which men expressed, 
 and the positions which they took, determined by 
 the latitude of their homes. The field of the Balti- 
 more Conference lay chiefly in slave territory, and 
 yet its action was steadily in accordance with the tra- 
 ditions of the Church. It had expelled Mr. Harding 
 for refusing to free the slaves of whom his marriage 
 had made him the legal owner, and when his appeal 
 came before the General Conference its delegates 
 defended its action with the determination of men 
 whose convictions are fixed. The Rev. Mr. Collins 
 did very effective service. TTwo others, Messrs. 
 Griffiths and Davis, introduced the resolution request- 
 ing Bishop Andrew to resign his episcopal office. 
 Throughout the entire struggle the whole delegation 
 " stood as an iron pillar strong." 
 
 The debate in the cases of Mr. Harding and Bishop 
 Andrew was marked by great Christian courtesy, yet 
 it foreshadowed a rupture of the Church. The North 
 was in the right, both morally and ecclesiastically. 
 It had been the settled policy of the Church not to 
 elect to the office of General Superintendent any man 
 implicated with slavery. It was maintained by the 
 North, and granted by the South, that such compile- 
 
250 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 ity would impair the efficiency of an officer whose 
 duty was to travel through the whole connection, 
 North and South, to preside in the Annual Confer- 
 ences, to ordain and appoint the preachers, and super- 
 intend the whole work. All knew that a slaveholding 
 bishop would not be tolerated at the North. Bishop 
 Andrew had been nominated in 1832 as a non- 
 slaveholding southern man, and as such had been 
 elected by northern as well as southern votes. 
 When by his own voluntary act he became a slave- 
 owner, he voluntarily unfitted himself for his high 
 office, and violated the virtual compact. It there- 
 fore became the duty of the General Conference to 
 remove the impediment. It was a sad issue for the 
 delegates to meet, but they met it like men of nerve 
 and men of God. The result is before the world. 
 
 The General Conference adjourned on the tenth of 
 June, thus terminating a quadrennial session which 
 had dealt with more momentous issues, and left a 
 deeper mark in the history of the Church, than any 
 which had preceded it. Two new bishops were 
 elected and ordained at this General Conference, E. 
 S. Janes and L. L. Hamline. I was re-elected editor 
 of The Quarterly Review. 
 
 At this point I pause in my narrative to sketch a 
 few of the leading men who took part in the contro- 
 versy which affected so seriously the destinies of the 
 Church, and who, by their own action, were soon to 
 have no more place among us. 
 
 Bishop James O. Andrew was placed by circum- 
 stances in a very conspicuous position. He was 
 elected to the episcopacy in 1832, as the choice of 
 
General Conference of 1844. 251 
 
 the Southern Conferences. He was never a favorite 
 at the North. His election was urged by his friends 
 on the ground that, while he was every way accept- 
 able to the South, he was not embarrassed with the 
 ownership of slaves, and consequently would not be 
 unacceptable at the North. As we have already seen, 
 these views of the matter were openly advanced by 
 Dr. Capers in the council called to consult in regard 
 to candidates. There never was a time when a slave- 
 holder could have been elected bishop in the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church. At the General Conference 
 of 1832, a few Southern delegates, among whom Dr. 
 W. Winans was conspicuous, did, indeed, take the 
 position that slaveholding ought not to be a bar to 
 any office in the Church ; but the utterance was 
 feeble, and seemed to find little favor, even among 
 the representatives of the Southern Conferences. 
 
 Bishop Andrew was the occasion of a contest which 
 divided the Church, and yet there is reason to believe 
 that if he had been left to determine his own course, 
 he would not have occupied this unenviable position. 
 He had confined his official labors chiefly to the South- 
 ern part of the work, never once going the round of 
 the Northern Conferences. He did not know the 
 depth and power of the Northern feeling against 
 slavery. Unwise counselors, perhaps as ill-informed 
 as himself, clamored against his taking any step to 
 relieve the difficulties of the situation. He was not 
 aware of the gravity of his action when he deliber- 
 ately implicated himself with an institution upon 
 which the abhorrence of mankind was steadily gath- 
 ering. When he began to awake to the disastrous 
 
252 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 consequences of his action, and was prompted to 
 resign his office, and thus avert the catastrophe, his 
 Southern friends relentlessly refused to allow him 
 to resign. His bearing during the discussion showed 
 an utter misapprehension of the facts connected with 
 his election, and of the state of opinion in the Church. 
 In some in'stances he exhibited a want of dignity, 
 and in others the weakness of impatience. In one 
 thing he never wavered : he was always a sectional 
 Southern man, controlled by narrow views, blind to 
 all beyond the line which separated the slave States 
 from the free. Pitied for his weakness by some North- 
 ern delegates, and condemned by others for his reck- 
 lessness, he was the idol of the Southern representa- 
 tives, who honored him as a martyr. 
 
 The Rev. Henry B. Bascom, D.D., was the cham- 
 pion of the ecclesiastical secession. He was a won- 
 derful man. Without the advantages of early educa- 
 tion, he had become the prince of orators, endowed 
 with an affluence of thought and language unsur- 
 passed by -the greatest names of this age. Fitted 
 by nature to be one of the brightest ornaments of 
 the Church and of the nation, he became the tool 
 of a faction, and the special advocate of a doomed 
 institution. 
 
 During the General Conference of 1844 up to the 
 time when a rupture was evidently threatening, he 
 was silent, and occasionally seemed pensive. He 
 manifested no interest in Bishop Andrew. He even 
 conceded, in private intercourse, that the Bishop's 
 conduct indicated a great lack of discretion. At one 
 time there was a rumor that Dr. Bascom was about to 
 
General Conference of 1844. 253 
 
 propose a plan of compromise which might satisfy all 
 parties ; and the expectation was so strong, and ap- 
 parently so well founded, that the Northern delegates 
 were called together to hear his proposition. But the 
 Southern delegates met at the same time in another 
 place, Dr. Bascom being present. At the close of 
 the Southern council he came directly to the meeting 
 of the Northern delegates, and, being invited to state 
 his plan of pacification, arose, and stood some seconds 
 wringing and twisting about like one sensible of the 
 awkwardness of his position, and then saying curtly 
 that he " had nothing to propose,'' sat down. 
 
 The Rev. John Early then arose, and said that he 
 wished it to be distinctly understood that Dr. Bas- 
 com was in full accord with the rest of the delegates 
 from the South, and would act with them. 
 
 Dr. Bascom gave this declaration the assent of 
 silence; and the next thing we heard from him was 
 the famous protest. He made no speeches on the 
 subject ; indeed, he seldom spoke on any subject, but 
 he became the grand scribe of the Southern faction. 
 In addition to the Protest, which he read in his most 
 impressive mariner in the General Conference, he 
 published two large pamphlets, characterized by re- 
 markable strength of language and equally remark- 
 able inattention to facts. These productions were 
 saturated with wormwood and gall. All his wonder- 
 ful powers of declamation and invective were enlisted 
 for the occasion, and the venom of his pages spread 
 far and wide through the South. Thus his splendid 
 powers were abased to the fostering of sectional prej- 
 udice and hate. Thus he applied his giant strength 
 
254 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 to push the nation toward the bloody chasm of fratri- 
 cidal war. Six years afterward he was elected one 
 of the bishops of the Southern Church, but died in 
 September of the same year. 
 
 The Rev. William Capers, D.D., was famous dur- 
 ing^ his earlier ministry for his powers in the pulpit, 
 and even more noted for his ability on the floor of the 
 General Conference. In 1820 he was one of the prin- 
 cipal speakers in opposition to the election of presid- 
 ing elders. During the session of 1824 he took part 
 in many of the discussions, and was heard with pro- 
 found respect. His delivery was fluent, his whole 
 manner pleasing, his logic good. I always listened 
 to him with pleasure. In the great debate of 1844, 
 however, the unwelcome impression was made upon 
 my mind that the silver-tongued orator lacked both 
 depth and breadth ; that he often was merely pathetic 
 when he ought to have been convincing, and, where 
 the occasion demanded the work of strong men, spent 
 his efforts on the surface of things. 
 
 Dr. Capers was a good man. He really desired the 
 peace of the Church. His heart was right, but he 
 was in fetters, bound by his sectional associations. 
 He regarded the prospective division of the Church 
 as a misfortune, if not a^idgment upon us, and looked 
 forward to it with sighs and tears ; but he lacked the 
 needful courage and strength to lead in active resist- 
 ance to it. He seemed to hope, almost to the last day of 
 the session of 1844, that the catastrophe would some- 
 how be averted ; but at last yielded, and was swept 
 along by the current of sectional influence. He was 
 elected to the episcopacy by the first General Con- 
 
General Conference of 1844. 255 
 
 ference of the Southern Church in 1846, and died in 
 1855. In his early days Dr. Capers was what might 
 be termed a handsome man, well formed, of rather 
 small stature, with a beautiful black eye. His elo- 
 quence in the pulpit was engaging and persuasive ; 
 his conversational powers were rich. Time wrought 
 changes in him ; his brilliancy was less, but he was 
 still good. 
 
 Dr. Lovick Pierce, of Georgia, was an independ- 
 ent thinker, a scholar, and a gentleman, but intensely 
 southern in all his views and feelings. He made no 
 set speech on the case of Bishop Andrew, but exer- 
 cised as much influence as any other man. He was 
 an eloquent preacher, albeit his style was somewhat 
 peculiar. He was accustomed to deal in loose sen- 
 tences, piling one great thought upon another, and 
 closing with a climax, which was like the bursting 
 forth of a volcano. In his best efforts he swept all 
 before him, like a mountain torrent. He had the" 
 singular method of linking one sentence with another, 
 holding upon the first till he began the second, and 
 fusing the second with the third, and yet this did not 
 affect the hearer unpleasantly. He passed through 
 the debates of 1840 and 1844 without any loss of 
 reputation as a Christian and a man of honor, even 
 among those who differed from him in opinion. 
 
 Dr. William Winans, of Mississippi, was in many 
 respects a great man. I heard him make his maiden 
 speech in the General Conference of i'824, and list- 
 ened, perhaps, to all he made, until the separation. 
 He was a clear thinker and a logical reasoner. He 
 was peculiar in dress, in manner, and in his style 
 
256 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 of speech. He never wore a cravat, and his collar, 
 soiled with perspiration, generally hung awry. His 
 speeches in General Conference were always delivered 
 in a loud tone of voice, with the vehemence of a 
 camp-meeting serraon ; but there were point and 
 method in every thing he uttered. His attachment 
 to slavery was strong, and his onslaughts on the 
 abolitionists were ferocious. He was the first man 
 who had the hardihood to take the position that the 
 General Conference should protect slavery, and honor 
 it by conferring upon slaveholders the highest offices 
 in the gift of the Church. This he declared to be 
 the only basis of true peace between the North and 
 the South. He represented the ultra-southern party. 
 He always said what he meant, and meant what he 
 said. He never courted the dark, nor concealed his 
 aims. In his opinions on the subject of slavery he 
 was a fanatic, but in every thing else he was a sober, 
 honest, straightforward, hearty Methodist preacher. 
 He made a characteristic speech in favor of Bishop 
 Andrew, in which he explicitly declared that the 
 action of the General Conference would result in the 
 secession of the Southern Conferences. 
 
 The Rev. John Early, of Virginia, exercised un- 
 bounded influence among the Southern delegates. 
 He was a man of courtly manners, and somewhat 
 haughty in his bearing. In the General Conference 
 he never made a long and elaborate speech, but spoke 
 on almost every question, and always with the assur- 
 ance of an oracle. His chosen work was to extol 
 " the good old Discipline," and defend it against the 
 attacks of Northern innovators. He generally con- 
 
General Conference of 1844. 257 
 
 trived to get a seat near the president's chair. In 
 speaking he was accustomed to saw the air with his 
 right hand, bringing it down with an emphatic jerk 
 at the end of every sentence. He was no favorite 
 with the Northern delegates. He led his own party, 
 and worried the other more by secret plots and com- 
 binations than by his arguments or eloquence upon 
 the floor of the Conference. He was a zealot for his 
 section and its peculiar institution, and had a full 
 share of the' responsibility of the rending of the 
 Church. He was the very ideal of a gentleman in 
 his intercourse with his friends, and seemed made 
 for a leader. He was elected bishop by the South- 
 ern Church in 1854, and died in 1873. 
 
 The Rev. William A. Smith, D.D., of Virginia, was 
 first a member of the General Conference in 1832, 
 and froin the first was the most noisy and blustering 
 defender of slavery with whom the North had to 
 contend. He was bold, fluent, vehement, and often 
 exceedingly offensive to those whom he opposed. 
 He occupied more of the time of the General Confer- 
 ence of 1844 than any other man. He defended 
 Mr. Harding and Bishop Andrew with a will. He 
 had not the weight of many of the Southern dele- 
 gates, but his confidence and readiness in debate made 
 him a convenience to his party, and gave him prom- 
 inence in the great discussion on the subject of 
 slavery. His speeches were not characterized by 
 strength nor ingenuity, but were made up of bold 
 oratorical dashes, which excited the admiration of his 
 friends and the contempt of others. Both in the 
 pulpit and on the floor of Conference he was a thun- 
 17 
 
2S8 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 derer, but produced more noise than rain. Without 
 the mental grasp to estimate its far-reaching, disas- 
 trous consequences, he entered heartily into the 
 project of severing the Church. Still, in his private 
 intercourse he was agreeable ; and though at times a 
 little too presuming, he passed, even among Northern 
 delegates, as a very pleasant companion. 
 
 The Rev. A. L. P. Green, of Tennessee, was a man 
 of influence and talent, a kind-hearted gentleman, not 
 easily excited, but firmly holding his opinions, and 
 strongly opposed to abolitionism. His speech in the 
 case of Bishop Andrew was bold and defiant, and 
 showed some originality and strength. His manner 
 of speaking was somewhat monotonous, but the mat- 
 ter compensated abundantly for the manner. His 
 influence in Tennessee was potent, the 'more so be- 
 cause of his quiet, dispassionate manner. Many of 
 the old members of the Church were little moved by 
 the boisterous declamations of agitators ; but when 
 Dr. Green arose in the assemblies which were called 
 together to decide the question, and said, calmly, 
 " Brethren, we had better go : the North will not 
 let us stay on any terms : if we try to remain we 
 shall be thrust out " — the opposition gave way ; and, 
 although many did it with reluctance, they submitted 
 to what they were taught to regard as inevitable. Dr. 
 Green was a strong partisan, but nevertheless a high- 
 minded, honorable man. 
 
 The Rev. B. M. Drake, of Mississippi, was one of 
 the noblest specimens of a Methodist preacher, a 
 Christian, and a gentleman. He earnestly desired 
 some adjustment of the Church troubles which 
 
General Conference of 1844. 259 
 
 would prevent division. While the leaders in the 
 evil work were shouting, " To your tents, O Israel," 
 and laboring to thwart every effort to restore har- 
 mony, his great heart bled. Through the whole con- 
 test he maintained amicable relations with his old 
 friends of the North, but was finally overborne, and 
 fell into line under the Southern leaders. He was a 
 man of more real pulpit eloquence, of. more polish 
 and kindness of heart, than any of his compeers of 
 the South. He made a short speech in the case of 
 Bishop Andrew, but his remarks were free from acri- 
 mony. He, too, has gone to his reward. 
 
 The Rev. A. B. Longstreet, of Georgia, was a man 
 of genius, and an out-and-out Southern man. He 
 made a speech on the case of Bishop Andrew which 
 abounded in references to ecclesiastical history, but 
 was not particularly strong in argument. He held 
 abolitionism in utter abhorrence. 
 
 " Brethren," said he to the more conservative 
 Northern delegates, "you take us by the throat, and, 
 in your paroxysms of love, choke us to death." 
 
 Lest his position should be misunderstood, and he 
 be suspected of retaining a lingering hope of peace 
 and union, he declared, with all emphasis, " I will 
 never meet with you again." Judge Longstreet, as 
 he was often familiarly called, was a man of ability 
 and of influence, but sectional in all his views and 
 purposes. 
 
 The Rev. Thomas Crowder,- of Virginia, was a 
 plain, earnest, religious man. He pleaded in behalf 
 of the colored people. He insisted that the Southern 
 men were the only true friends of the slaves, and that 
 
26o Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 while they were laboring for their salvation, the abo- 
 litionists threw obstacles in their way. He appeared 
 to be a good man, only partially comprehending the 
 great issues which were before us. His zeal for the 
 interests of the slave, as he understood them, brought 
 him out in earnest speeches in the General Con- 
 ference which had but little effect upon the final 
 result. 
 
 The Rev. Samuel Dunwoody was an old country- 
 man, of Celtic origin. He made a long speech in 
 defense of Bishop Andrew, in which he essayed a 
 Scripture argument in behalf of human bondage, but 
 produced more mirth than conviction. His homely 
 eccentricities did something toward putting the body 
 in good humor, but the great majority evidently 
 deemed the time which he occupied wasted. 
 
 The Rev. Robert Paine, D.D., now one of the 
 bishops of the Southern Church, was regarded as a 
 man of very high character and great influence, es- 
 pecially in the State of Tennessee. . He went decid- 
 edly, though without passion, with his section. In 
 the General Conference of 1844 he was the chairman 
 of the Committee of Nine, and reported what the 
 Southern delegates at once named the Plan of Sep- 
 aration. He followed his report with a speech, 
 which was conciliatory in language, and dispassionate 
 in manner. His explanation of the report, and the 
 mode in which it would be acted upon by the South- 
 ern Conferences, was in precise accordance with the 
 views and intentions of the North. The plan was to 
 be without effect until adopted by a constitutional 
 majority of all the Annual Conferences. Secession 
 
General Conference of 1844. • 261 
 
 was not a foregone conclusion. If it was ever inau- 
 gurated it must be by the Annual Conferences. He 
 declared that he loved and cherished the unity of the 
 Church. The circumstances which threatened divis- 
 ion were among the most painful events of his life. 
 Nothing, he said, could exceed the depth of his feel- 
 ings in regard to them but the pangs of conviction 
 for sin when he was first awakened. This speech 
 made a profound impression, and did much to recon- 
 cile Northern members to the adoption of the report. 
 His declarations were accepted in good faith, no one 
 dreaming that the Southern delegates would inaugu- 
 rate secession before they left for home. 
 
 The Rev. George F. Pierce, D.D., of Georgia, now 
 a bishop of the Church South, is the counterpart of 
 his honored father, with a better elocution, more pol- 
 ish, less caution, and perhaps less impressive in man- 
 ner. He delivered a speech in the case of Bishop 
 Andrew which was remarkable for the beauty of its 
 imagery and the power of its eloquence, but which 
 contained bitter passages denunciatory of New En- 
 gland. He said : — 
 
 " I prefer that all New England should secede, or 
 be set off, and have her share of the Church prop- 
 erty. I infinitely prefer that they should go rather 
 than this General Conference should proceed to make 
 this ruthless invasion upon the connectional unity and 
 integrity of the Church. Let New England go, with 
 all my heart. She has been for the last twenty years 
 a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet 
 us. Let her go, and joy go with her, for peace will 
 stay behind. The Southern Church has nothing to 
 
262 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 fear, and she has nothing to ask on this subject. So 
 far as we are concerned, sir, the greatest blessing 
 that could befall us would be a division of this 
 Union." 
 
 This passage sufficiently characterizes the speaker. 
 It defines his position, it is an exponent of his policy, 
 and a specimen of his style. It shows his estimate 
 of the land of the pilgrims ; the field where Jesse Lee 
 toiled ; the birthplace of Fisk, Hedding, and Soule. 
 It also reveals his views in regard to the national 
 Union. Although the orator was almost too bitter 
 to be courteous during this stormy Conference, yet 
 there were moments of sunshine, in which he exhib- 
 ited good humor, and even playfulness. He is one 
 of the men of whom the ^outh has been proud, but 
 whose counsels, nevertheless, history has already 
 condemned. 
 
 Thus I have briefly described the Southern men 
 who were most prominent in the great movements 
 of 1844. It is very possible, in those times of con- 
 flict, when the North and the South found themselves 
 in collision from which neither saw a way of escape 
 — when prejudice was strong and passion not want- 
 ing on either side — 'that those who came before the 
 public eye did not always show their best side — moral, 
 religious, or even mental. It is possible, too, that 
 even when they did themselves no injustice, those 
 on the other side of the controversy would naturally 
 tend to severe judgments of them. Such, however, 
 were my impressions at the time, and they are given 
 as they were formed. 
 
 Able speeches were made in favor of the proposed 
 
General Conference of 1844. 263 
 
 action of the General Conference ; but I shall not at- 
 tempt to trace the debate. Some of these speeches 
 were exceedingly conciliatory, almost to the point of 
 surrender; but the most of them were earnest, ex- 
 plicit protests against the innovation of a slavehold- 
 ing episcopacy. J. B. Finley and Peter Cartwright 
 handled the subject in their blunt, merciless way, 
 saying many things which grated upon Southern 
 ears. John A. Collins, one of the readiest debaters 
 of the body, pressed hard upon the offending bishop, 
 and met, with the facts of history and the deductions 
 of sound logic, the arguments and apologies of those 
 who sought to justify his conduct. Dr. Durbin made 
 a conclusive argument in favor of the contemplated 
 action. Many others made speeches characterized 
 by ability and by an appreciation of the difficulties 
 of the case and of the magnitude of the interests 
 involved. 
 
 The great speech of the occasion, however, was 
 delivered by Rev. Dr. Hamline, at that time editor 
 of the Ladies' Repository. He brought forward all 
 his resources of legal knowledge, logical acumen, and 
 beautiful elocution, fearlessly meeting the pretended 
 constitutional difficulty, and effectually disposing of 
 it. The Southern speakers had rung the changes 
 upon the alleged unconstitutionality of disfranchising 
 a bishop without charges, specifications, 'and trial. 
 Dr. Hamline argued that the General Conference has 
 all power — legislative, judicial, and administrative — 
 limited only by the Restrictive Rules of the Church ; 
 and that, consequently, the office of a bishop may be 
 taken from him for the time being, or permanently, if 
 
264 Life and- Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 he should by any means render himself incompetent 
 to exercise its functions to the profit and edification of 
 the Church, and that he may be thus suspended or re- 
 moved by the General Conference without the charge 
 of malfeasance. He treated the constitutional ques- 
 tion more at length than any other speaker, but did 
 not neglect to discuss the expediency of the measures 
 proposed. The argument was so clear and conclu- 
 sive that nothing was left to be desired, and the repu- 
 tation of Dr. Hamline was established as a master 
 of forensic eloquence. This speech had much to do 
 with his election to the episcopacy, only a few days 
 after its delivery. 
 
MetJiodist Quarterly Reveiw. 265 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 1844-48, METHODIST QUARTERLY REVIEW. 
 
 UNDER the provisions of the report of the 
 Committee of Nine, as explained by Dr. Paine, 
 the chairman of the Committee, there was to be no 
 severing- of the Church unless the tendencies in that 
 direction should pi^ove invincible ; and, even then, the 
 measure was null and void until the constitutional 
 majority of three fourths of all the members of all the 
 Annual Conferences should favor it. In case of its 
 ultimate adoption, the Churches on the border line 
 between free and slave territory were to have the 
 right to decide for themselves to which section they 
 should belong. But, as we have seen, the Southern 
 delegates, before they left New York, held a meeting 
 and took action which assumed that separation was 
 inevitable. Returning home, they proceeded to call 
 public meetings for the purpose of explaining to the 
 people the action of the General Conference, and 
 evoking their judgment in the case. As might read- 
 ily be inferred from the animus of the delegates them- 
 selves, the Southern Conferences all went one way. 
 .Delegates were elected to attend a General Conven- 
 tion, which met in the city of Louisville in May, 
 1845, and organized the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
 South. 
 
 Along the border lay a broad belt of territory. 
 
266 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 where among the people all shades of opinion could 
 be found, from extreme pro-slavery to ultra-abolition ; 
 and when the individual societies came to vote on the 
 question of their future ecclesiastical relations there 
 was strife and collision. Dr. Bond, editor of the 
 (New York) Advocate, was from Baltimore. He was 
 deeply interested in the action of the Churches on 
 the border, and from his nativity, his ability, his 
 former services in behalf of the Church, and his per- 
 sonal acquaintance with leading men, had great in- 
 fluence in that section. He took ground against the 
 constitutionality of the measures which were being 
 pursued, and labored hard to persuade the people not 
 to follow the preachers into the secession movement. 
 He received communications daily from individual 
 members of the Church, declaring their opposition 
 to separation, and for a time he hoped that the proj- 
 ect to divide the Church would fail. A fierce war 
 of words was carried on between the Northern and 
 Southern Methodist newspapers, and great agitation 
 was engendered on both sides. 
 
 Dr. Bascom issued a pamphlet of one hundred and 
 sixty-five pages, characterized by the same kind of 
 logic which marked his " Protest," but far exceeding 
 that document in virulence. It professed to be a re- 
 view of the reply to the " Protest." I was requested 
 by Drs. Elliott and Durbin to prepare a reply to Dr. 
 Bascom's review, which I did, in a pamphlet of one' 
 hundred and thirty-nine pages, entitled " Slavery and 
 the Episcopacy." Aside from this publication I took 
 little part in the controversy. Bishop Hamline was 
 anxious that I should go into the discussion in the 
 
On the Ocean. 267 
 
 columns of our Church papers, and wrote me a letter 
 on the subject ; but I saw no prospect of doing good 
 sufficient to tempt me to launch upon the stormy sea 
 of passion which was then raging. 
 
 A number of the leading men, ministers and lay- 
 men, of the Protestant Churches of various countries 
 had been for some time discussing the project of a 
 world's convention, to be composed of representatives 
 of the various branches of the general Church, and 
 to meet for the purpose of spending a few days in 
 Christian communion. The meeting of this body, 
 which assumed the name of the " Evangelical Alli- 
 ance," was to be held in London in the month of 
 August, 1846, and the Oneida and Black River Con- 
 ferences elected me to represent them. 
 
 On the 15 th of July I left my home, and the next 
 day embarked at Boston on the steamer Britannia, 
 of the Cunard line, our party consisting of President 
 Emory and Professor Caldwell of Dickinson College, 
 Dr. John Kennaday of Philadelphia, Dr. Roberts of 
 Baltimore, the Rev. George Webber of Maine, and 
 myself We had about one hundred passengers, of 
 various nationalities. On the third day out we were 
 approaching the rock-bound coast of Nova Scotia, 
 and were enveloped in so dense a fog that nothing 
 could be seen a few yards from the vessel. The cap- 
 tain was evidently anxious, and the passengers began 
 to be apprehensive. The engine was " slowed," and 
 the lead thrown constantly ; but in spite of all precau- 
 tions the ship struck heavily upon the rocks, first on 
 the bow, and then, as we slid off that obstruction, 
 amidships, and then, as we swung around, on the 
 
268 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 stern of the vessel. The scene was exciting. There 
 were one hundred and seventy souls on board, and, in 
 case of wreck, the small boats would hardly suffice to 
 save even the women and children. Some of the 
 ladies began to cry with terror, and could not be 
 comforted. Dr. Emory produced his life-preserver, 
 and proceeded to inflate it, his example being fol- 
 lowed by many others. William Lloyd Garrison' 
 stood in silent consternation in the midst of the con- 
 fusion, and I noticed that he had under his arm a 
 book which he had been diligently reading for the 
 last three days — Sue's "Wandering Jew." Sundry 
 profane, brandy-drinking gentlemen, whose faces 
 usually bore the perennial blush which pertains to 
 their habits, turned pale, notwithstanding the alco- 
 hol. A little boy clapped his hands with glee, and 
 exclaimed, " I always warCted to see a wreck ! " A 
 schooner suddenly came out of the fog, and a voice 
 hailed us. " Where are we .■' " shouted our officer. 
 " Don't know," was the reply ; and the schooner 
 vanished in the fog as suddenly as it came. A small 
 boat was lowered, and by repeated soundings a way 
 into deep water was discovered, and we once more 
 got in motion. Night came on, a night of alarm and 
 suspense. The steam pumps were in operation, in- 
 dicating that the vessel had been damaged by the 
 collision ; but the event was better than our fears, and 
 at sunrise the next morning we entered the harbor of 
 Halifax. 
 
 It was the Sabbath, and our party went ashore and 
 attended service in the Wesleyan Chapel. On our 
 return to the ship we held a council in regard to the 
 
England. 269 
 
 expediency of continuing our voyage. The port ad- 
 miral had made an examination, and had found a part 
 of the false keel gone, and discovered a large leak. 
 Some repairs had been made, and we were notified 
 that the vessel would sail the next morning. All de- 
 cided to proceed except Doctors Roberts and Ken- 
 naday, who determined to return home, and did so, 
 and again came near being wrecked on their way. 
 Early on Monday we steamed out of the harbor, and 
 once more plunged into the fog, which enveloped us 
 day and night till we passed the banks of Newfound- 
 land. There was still room for anxiety. The ship 
 was leaking badly, and the coal in the hold prevented 
 the water from reaching the pumps, so we were told, 
 and therefore quantities of coal were brought up and 
 piled on the deck. Slowly steaming along, with 
 speed diminishing daily, we reached Cape Clear, on 
 the fifteenth day from Bostpn, and the next day ar- 
 rived at Liverpool, grateful to God for bringing us 
 safe to land after a succession of alarms and serious 
 dangers. 
 
 We were, of course, waited upon by the Custom- 
 house officials, and our baggage closely exarnined, 
 with the usual experiences. One of our passengers, 
 a devotee of the weed, had a private store of segars 
 laid up in a hat box. They were discovered, and a 
 demand was made for the sum of two dollars and 
 fifty cents due the British Government. " Hang your 
 Government," said the wrathful Yankee. " Take the 
 segars, and much good may they do you." A huge 
 trunk belonging to an old Frenchman was turned up 
 from the bottom, and its contents were scattered over 
 
270 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 the pavement in a style which was immeasurably 
 provoking to 'the owner of the chattels. 
 
 It was a gala day in Liverpool, Prince Albert vis- 
 iting the city for the purpose of laying the foundation 
 of a new dock, and the corner-stone of a Seaman's 
 Home. We, however, were so occupied with the 
 Custom-house business that we missed the sight, so 
 we postponed exploration, and went to our lodgings. 
 In the evening there was a splendid illumination. 
 The next morning we looked at the town a little, 
 and then took the train for Bristol, and passed 
 through a beautiful agricultural region. On our ar- 
 rival we engaged rooms at an hotel, and the same 
 afternoon called upon the Rev. Dr. Robert Newton, 
 who gave us a very cordial reception, and promised 
 us an early introduction to the Wesleyan Conference, 
 then in session at Bristol. 
 
 This favor was not granted, however, until our 
 names and standing had been announced, and also 
 our relations to the subject of slavery duly explained. 
 This being done, one of the members of the Confer- 
 ence called upon us at the hofel, and conducted us to 
 the place. We were invited to the platform, intro- 
 duced to the president, and by him to the Conference, 
 and then seated among the various dignitaries gath- 
 ered there, ex-presidents, secretaries, and visitors of 
 distinction. We found ourselves in the presence of 
 a most talented and dignified body of ministers. 
 They were generally ruddy, stout, healthy looking 
 men, with a great deal of good nature exhibited in 
 their words and manner, and no special lack of self- 
 assertion. Dr. Bunting was the Nestor of the body, 
 
Wesley an Conference. ' 271 
 
 a beautiful speaker, an able debater, always perti- 
 nent, and always good-tempered and respectful. He 
 watched the business carefully, spoke often, and his 
 opinion was generally decisive. In person he was 
 well formed, with a florid complexion, and was some- 
 what inclined to corpulency. Dr. Bunting was at 
 the head of the conservative party of the Conference, 
 and thus had the great majority with him. Dr. 
 Beaumont led the progressives. He was a very ready 
 debater, and spoke often, not hesitating to engage 
 Dr. Bunting whenever he judged that opposition was 
 appropriate. 
 
 The entire body consisted of, perhaps, three hun- 
 dred members. The " Legal Hundred," who form in 
 law the Wesleyan Conference, sat by themselves next 
 to the platform. Those who took pa^l: in the discus- 
 sions were few in number, the. great majority being 
 content to listen and cheer. There was more dispo- 
 sition to express approbation and disapproval in a noisy 
 way than is common on our side of the Atlantic in 
 similar assemblies. We listened to what was to us a 
 novel thing — the reading of the appointments for the 
 consideration of the Conference. The secretary read 
 rapidly. When a member heard his name in con- 
 nection with some arrangement which did not accord 
 with his judgment or desires, he would start to his 
 feet, exclaiming, " Stop there ! " The secretary would 
 then pause, and the objector assign his reasons for 
 opposing the appointment made, declaring, perhaps, 
 that he was worthy of a better field of labor than the 
 one named. Then followed a general debate, more 
 or less protracted, in which the advantages of the 
 
272 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 circuit and the claims of the preacher were discussed 
 with a plainness of speech, and sometimes an asper- 
 ity, which, in an American Conference, would be re- 
 garded with alarm as imperiling personal friendships 
 and brotherly love. The debates were conducted in 
 strict parliamentary form, and the speakers were ready 
 and fluent, with no such hesitation and drawling as 
 is sometimes represented as the prevailing English 
 manner. 
 
 None of our company was honored with an invi- • 
 tation to preach on the Sabbath. This, however, 
 must not be construed as indicating a lack of court- 
 esy, inasmuch as the custom is to make the appoint- 
 ments for the occasion months beforehand. We heard 
 Mr. Stanley, Mr. Atherton, Mr. Rowland, and Dr. 
 Beaumont. I vRls especially impressed with the ser- 
 mon of the doctor. His eloquence was peculiar, 
 characterized by somewhat extravagant figures and 
 violent gestures, but at times overwhelming. We 
 saw the old chapel built by Wesley. It is a very 
 plain structure, with high galleries, and for seats, 
 oaken benches without backs. A staircase leads 
 from the pulpit to an opening in the ceiling, commu- 
 nicating with a kitchen and bedroom up under the 
 roof, where Wesley was accustomed to take his meals 
 and sleep. We visited Clifton, and the Hot Wells, 
 where Wesley once, went for an affection of the lungs ; 
 we looked at Kingswood from a distance, and left 
 Bristol for Ireland. 
 
 On Friday, August 7, we embarked on the " Sham- 
 rock," a clumsy and comfortless steamboat landed the 
 next day at Kingston, and took the train Tor Dublin. 
 
Ireland. 273 
 
 Having secured rooms at an hotel, we paid our re- 
 spects to Mr. Grier, the pastor of the Abbey-street 
 Society. We found the parsonage, like Wesley's 
 rooms at Bristol, up in the roof of the chapel over 
 the audience room, the way of approach being a nar- 
 row staircase. 
 
 Mr. Grier introduced us to the superintendent of 
 the circuit, and on the Sabbath each of us preached 
 morning and evening. We also attended service in 
 '*St. Patrick's Cathedral ; and took tea, Sunday even- 
 ing, in the tea-room of Centenary Chapel, with the 
 official brethren of that Society. These Sunday 
 " class teas," as they are styled, are a sort of social 
 religious gathering. Prayer is offered, speeches are 
 made, and every person present is expected to repeat 
 a passage of Scripture. 
 
 On Monday morning we were taken in charge by 
 Mr. Carson, a very respectable member of the Wes- 
 leyan Society, and made a round of sight-seeing. Our 
 conveyance was that peculiar Irish institution, a jaunt- 
 ing-car. We visited the Museum, the Bank, the old 
 House of Lords, the University, the Castle, several 
 old churches, and many other objects of interest. In 
 the library of the University, which contains ninety 
 thousand volumes and a multitude of curious man- 
 uscripts, we examined the Codex Montfortii, a Greek 
 manuscript copy of the New Testament of unknown 
 age, which is one of the authorities referred to in the 
 debates concerning the disputed passage in i John 
 V, 7. We called upon Daniel O'Connell, and were 
 very kindly received, although Mr. Carson, before we 
 were invited into the study of the great " Liberator 
 18 
 
274 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 of Ireland," was required to give assurance that we 
 were not slaveholders. 
 
 We found Mr. O'Connell clad in a green blouse and 
 cap. He was frank and free in Conversation. We 
 talked about American slavery, of course, and when we 
 told him that, even in the Southern States, the major- 
 ity of the white people owned no slaves, he was sur- 
 prised, and asked with emphasis, " Do you say this 
 of your own knowledge, or is it matter of report ? " 
 Our interview closed with a touch of blarney all 
 around, Mr. O'Connell assuring us that " he was 
 very proud to be visited by such distinguished gen- 
 tlemen from America." The same afternoon we 
 looked in at a repeal meeting in Conciliation Hall, 
 where we again saw him, with his son John, Smith 
 O'Brien, Mr. Steele, and others. The next day we 
 bade adieu to our friends in Dublin, where we had 
 been entertained with generous hospitality, and di- 
 rected our course toward Belfast. We made the 
 journey from Drogheda by stage ; and riding on the 
 outside, had a good view of the country. 
 
 We saw a beautiful farming country, with a few 
 splendid mansions, and a great number of cottages 
 and shanties along the road. It was harvest-time, 
 and many men and women were at work in the fields 
 ■ cutting the grain close to the ground with sickles. 
 In Ireland, the good and the bad, the sublime and 
 the ridiculous, never separate. Palaces and hovels 
 form a part of every landscape. Splendidly dressed 
 gentlemen and ladies, and the raggedest of paupers, 
 are seen with the same glance of the eye ; and before 
 the doors of fine churches, beggar women hold out 
 
Scotland. 275 
 
 their hands, beseeching " your honor, for the love of 
 God," to give them a penny for their poor childers. 
 
 Arriving at Belfast we took a steamer for Scotland. 
 A crowd of Irish laborers, men and women, perhaps 
 two hundred in number, were our fellow-passengers, 
 on their way to seek employment in the Scotch har- 
 vest-fields. Night came on, with a drizzling rain, and 
 this crowd had no rights anywhere except on deck, 
 where they had no shelter or covering of any kind. 
 But Irish humor is unquenchable. It was amusing 
 to see the captain collect the fare. Not a few had no 
 tickets, they had lost them, they said ; or, " Pat had 
 taken it, jist, and they would be afther getting it for 
 his honor, in a hurry.'' Landing at Androsson, we 
 took the train for Glasgow. I looked to see what 
 became of the Irish laborers. They also got on the 
 train, but took the third-class cars, which were mere 
 pens on wheels. They were as hilarious and noisy 
 as ever. 
 
 We spent only a few hours in Glasgow, visiting 
 the Cathedral, the University, and the Necropolis, 
 and then set off for Loch Lomond. A small steam- 
 boat took us to Dumbarton, on the Clyde, whence we 
 rode to the loch, four miles, in an omnibus drawn 
 by three poor horses. Reaching the lake, we em- 
 barked on the little steamboat. It was a rainy after- 
 noon, but we spent most of the time on deck, admir- 
 ing the wild and beautiful scenery. The loch is 
 about twenty-four miles long, dotted with islands and 
 surrounded by mountains, affording, as says Walter 
 Scott, "one of the most surprising, beautiful, and 
 sublime scenes in nature." On the western shore, 
 
276 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 Ben Lomond, covered with verdure to its very sum- 
 mit, rises with a gentle ascent to the height of three 
 thousand feet above the sea. The humidity of the 
 air is such that even the slopes of the rocks, where 
 moss or mold can find lodgment, are beautiful with 
 grass and ferns. 
 
 We took rooms for the night at the little hotel at 
 the head of the loch, and began the return voyage 
 at five o'clock in the morning. After another brief 
 stay in Glasgow we took the train for Edinburgh, 
 where we found lodgings at the York House, a tem- 
 perance inn. We visited Calton Hill, where several 
 beautiful monuments are located. Ascending Nelson's 
 monument, we had a splendid view of the city and its 
 suburbs. We also ascended Salisbury Crag, resolved 
 to see a sunset from Arthur's Seat, a rock on the 
 summit. On the way two little urchins succeeded in 
 fastening themselves upon us as guides. We stopped 
 at St. Anthony's Well and drank some of the water, 
 and glanced at the ruins of the old Monk's Chapel, 
 hard by. The view from Arthur's Seat is magnifi- 
 cent. A large tract of country is spread before the 
 eye, embracing several towns and villages. The 
 smoke of Dalkeith was visible on the south, and 
 Sterling on the west. 
 
 The next day we called on Alexander Hay, Esq. 
 to whom we had letters of introduction from his son, 
 a Wesleyan minister in Dublin. Mr. Hay was a 
 mqmber of the city council, and, of course, had access 
 to all the places of interest. We first visited Holy 
 Rood, the old palace of Mary Queen of Scots. We 
 saw. the queen's private room, her bed, and chairs, 
 
Scotland. 277 
 
 and tables, Lord Darnley's boots and spurs, and what 
 are said to be stains made by the blood of the mur- 
 dered Rizzio, her secretary. We saw also the little 
 handful of bones which Cromwell, in quest of mate- 
 rial for bullets, turned out of their leaden coffins, and 
 which are all that remains of the kings who reigned 
 before the Commonwealth. 
 
 The Castle is one of the wonders of the city. 
 There we saw the crown-jewels of Scotland, which 
 were long supposed to be lost. There was a tradition 
 that they were somewhere in the Castle, inclosed 
 in the masonry, but no thorough search had been 
 made for them until Sir Walter Scott prevailed on 
 George IV. to command an investigation. They 
 were found walled into the tower, inclosed in a strong 
 iron-bound oaken chest, which is exhibited to the 
 curious. 
 
 We visited the house which was once the residence 
 of John Knox, and which bears on its corner an effigy 
 of the sturdy Scotch reformer, with a Bible in his left 
 hand, and the right extended, as if he were still thun- 
 dering his denunciations against all who take away " the 
 key of knowledge " from the people. After examin- 
 ing various places of interest, among them Heriot's 
 Hospital for Orphans, established two centuries ago, 
 and still doing its benevolent work, the Council 
 Chamber, and the Methodist Chapel, we took passage 
 on the coach, and, after a beautiful ride, reached Mel- 
 rose, and examined the ruins of the ancient Abbey 
 by twilight. Enough of the structure is still stand- 
 ing to show that it cost a vast amount of labor and 
 skill, and to impress upon the memory a vision of 
 
278 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 beauty. A statue of St. Peter, on the ruined wall, 
 stands amid the desolation, still clutching the keys, 
 much as his "successor" at Rome stands among the 
 ruins of his ecclesiastical empire, proclaiming his 
 owninfallibility, and asserting his divine right to 
 rule the nations which have revolted from him, never 
 more to own his sway. 
 
 The next morning we visited the ruins of Dry- 
 burgh Abbey, which, like that of Melrosej dates back 
 to the twelfth century, and was almost the equal of 
 Melrose in beauty and grandeur. Here is the grave 
 of Sir Walter Scott, surrounded by a railing, but 
 without a monument of any kind. From his grave we 
 went to Abbotsford, once his residence. When he 
 took possession of the place it was simply a naked 
 moor. It is now a beautiful park, showing every- 
 where the results of industry arid refined taste. The 
 house was built a part at a time, each addition in a 
 different style of architecture, and contains relics of 
 almost all ages and nations. His library was to us 
 the greatest attraction. We seated ourselves in the 
 chair which he was accustomed to occupy, and 
 leaned upon the desk on which he wrote his famous 
 works. The room contains many curious things : 
 suits of ancient armor ; Rob Roy's gun, (which is a 
 clumsy matchlock;) Sir Walter's suit of tweed, in 
 which he used to ramble over his fields with his 
 favorite dog ; also his spade, hoe, and pruning-knife. 
 On his birthday, August 15, the same day on which 
 his statue was set up with great ceremony in Edin- 
 burgh, we were walking thoughtfully through the 
 apartments in which he had dwelt, and examining 
 
Scotland. 279 
 
 the rare and beautiful things which he had gathered. 
 We left Abbotsford with increased admiration of the 
 genius of Scott, but with regret that his splendid 
 powers had not been devoted to still nobler themes, 
 and left still more valuable memorials of his 
 greatness. 
 
 From Abbotsford we took the coach for New- 
 castle-upon-Tyne. The day was rainy, and we had 
 a very uncomfortable journey. The road, like all 
 roads in England, Ireland, and Scotland, was very 
 hard and smooth, and yet it led, for a considerable 
 distance, over extensive moors — wild, uncultivated 
 lands, kept in their present condition as the shooting 
 grounds of the gentry to whose, estates they belong. 
 This land, now devoted to a not very refined or hu- 
 mane sport, would afford employment and food for 
 thousands of the poor, over whose sufferings British 
 philanthropy is -in a constant worry, but whose num- 
 bers show no diminution. About half-past seven in 
 the evening we reached Newcastle, wet and weary, 
 and went to an inn. 
 
 The next day was the Sabbath. In the morning 
 we attended the Wesleyan Chapel, and heard a fair 
 sermon. At the close of the service we went into the 
 vestry, and inquired of the preacher where we would 
 find Mr. Wesley's old chapel, which we visited. It 
 was occupied as a Sunday-school room. In the aft- 
 ernoon we heard a minister of the Church of England 
 read a dry lecture in an old church, the pews of which 
 had straight backs as high as the heads of the people 
 who sat in them. 
 
 On Monday morning we took the train for York. 
 
28o Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 By this time we had begun to understand the ways of 
 the country. In America, when the traveler pays his 
 regular bill at the desk of the hotel, he puts on his hat 
 and gloves and departs in peace. In England, after the 
 bill is paid, the traveler finds himself surrounded by 
 a group of men and women, from five to ten in num- 
 ber, the employes of the house, who come forward 
 with their most captivating smirk and ask to be 
 " remembered," by which dainty phrase they divulge 
 the fact that they expect a fee of a shilling or two. 
 The cook, the waiter, the chambermaid, the boot- 
 black, the porter, all desire to be held in remem- 
 brance, and seem to feel no humiliation in telling you 
 so. The driver and the guard on the coach are also 
 fearful that they will be " to dull forgetfulness a 
 prey." To those not accustomed to it, these exac- 
 tions seem a little meaner and more annoying than the 
 outstretched hands and importunities of the street 
 beggars. On this occasion we thought that we had 
 squared accounts with the whole tribe, but when we 
 rode to the next station the porter got on the box 
 with the driver, took our one small trunk and three 
 or four valises from the carriage, laid them on the 
 platform, and again presented himself with out- 
 stretched palm. 
 
 At York we examined several objects of interest. 
 The Minster is a fine specimen of the old Enghsh 
 Cathedral. The old city wall, built by the Romans, 
 is still standing. Leaving York we went on to Ches- 
 terfield, where we stopped long enough to ride out to 
 Chatsworth House, a splendid palace belonging to 
 the Duke of Bedford, Here we saw many objects 
 
London. 281 
 
 worthy of note ; among others, a green-house which is 
 said to be the most magnificent in the world. Leav- 
 ing Chesterfield we dined late in the day, and then 
 took the train for London, which city we reached 
 at five o'clock in the morning. At Mr. Randall's I 
 found Mr. Willard Ives, from Watertown, New York, 
 my fellow-repr6sentative from the Black River Con- 
 ference ; also Rev. Dr. S. Olinand lady, and several 
 other Americans. At ten o'clock the same morning 
 a large committee met in Exeter Hall, consisting of 
 delegates from every country represented in the 
 movement of the Evangelical bodies. 
 
 We were now in London, the largest and most 
 important city in the world. It was founded before 
 the Christian era. It now numbers two and a half 
 millions of people, and in it are seen the men, the 
 manners, costumes, and habits of all nations. I de- 
 voted eight days to sight-seeing, but months would 
 be none too much time for those who desire to see 
 all. I was hospitably entertained during the session 
 of the Alliance by Edward Corderoy, Esq., whose 
 residence was on the Surrey side of the Thames, in 
 Lambeth Terrace, near the palace of the Archbishop 
 of Canterbury. Mr. Corderoy was a distinguished 
 member of the Wesleyan Methodist Society. 
 Thi-ough his agency I obtained access to public 
 places under more favorable auspices than usually 
 falls to strangers. We visited together the Bishop's 
 Palace. Passing through the vast library, with its 
 treasures of books and manuscripts, the picture gal- 
 lery, where we saw the portraits of all the Archbish- 
 ops of Canterbury, we ascended the tower and entered 
 
282 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 the Lollards' Prison. What a place, and what asso- 
 ciations ! Here, by the authority of Rome, the fol- 
 lowers of Wiclif were imprisoned for reading the 
 word of God, and teaching the. doctrine of justifica- 
 tion by faith. Here some of them died from the 
 rigors of imprisonment, others were taken hence to 
 the scaffold or the 'flame. The walls of the prison 
 are lined with heavy oak plank ; and the massive door, 
 studded thick with the heads of iron bolts, groaned 
 on its hinges as we entered. The rings to which the 
 prisoners were chained yet remain in their places ; 
 and here and there, rudely carved upon the oaken 
 walls, the blessed promises in which martyrs and 
 confessors trusted in the hour of trial, such as these : 
 " Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a 
 crown of life ;" " He that endureth to the end shall 
 be saved." 
 
 We went up to the top of the tower for the sake of 
 the view which it affords. The whole city was spread 
 before our eyes, though the more distant parts were 
 obscured by mist and smoke, from which the atmos- 
 phere of London is scarcely ever free. 
 
 " There," said my friend, " you see London to its 
 utmost bouxids.'' 
 
 "Yes," I replied, "and a magnificent spectacle it 
 is. All it needs is an American sun to light it." 
 
 " An American sun ! " responded he in a tone 
 which showed that he was a little annoyed by my 
 impromptu suggestion. " Nothing is worth seeing 
 except in the light of an American sun." 
 
 I, of course, disclaimed at once any intention to 
 depreciate the English luminary. 
 
London. 283 
 
 Several objects of great interest arrest the atten- 
 tion as we survey London from the tower of Lam- 
 beth Palace. The most prominent feature of the 
 scene is St. Paul's Cathedral. It is of Grecian ar- 
 chitecture, built, as were all the old cathedrals, in the 
 form of a cross, and stands on somewhat elevated 
 ground. Its length within the walls is 510 feet, the 
 breadth 282 ; the interior circumference of the dome 
 300, the height from the lower floor to the cross 340. 
 It was commenced in 1675, and was completed in 
 thirty-five years, at a cost of a million and a half of 
 pounds sterling. The next most striking object is 
 Westminster Abbey, a Gothic structure, which was 
 begun by Henry III., but which was so extensive and 
 elaborate in its plan that the portions first erected 
 began to feel the tooth of time before others were 
 completed. A part of the work, indeed, has been 
 added in comparatively modern times. 
 
 Westminster Abbey is full of the mementos of the 
 past. The chapel of Henry VII. was to me the most 
 interesting part of the edifice. It was built for a royal 
 burial-place. Here are the graves of the English sov- 
 ereigns, each tomb surmounted with an effigy, in a re- 
 cumbent posture, carved in coarse stone, of the king 
 or queen whose remains sleep below. Here are also 
 the monuments of England's great men, her states- 
 men, her generals, her philosophers. The south 
 transept is called the Poets' Corner, and hef5 you 
 see the sculptured names of Chaucer, Spenser, Shak- 
 speare, Ben Jonson, Milton, Gray, Dryden, Thom- 
 son, Goldsmith, and others. Here, too, is seen the 
 throne used on the coronation days of the kings and 
 
284 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 queens of England. It is simply an old oaken chair, 
 the back of which has a pointed top. Here is also 
 shown a heavy oblong stone, said to be the throne 
 on which the kings of Scotland were crowned. It 
 was brought to England by Edward I. In the olden 
 time of superstition it was believed to be the very 
 stone on which Jacob's head lay, when he saw the 
 wondrous vision. 
 
 Buckingham Palace, the ordinary residence of the 
 royal family, is in full view from our tower. We 
 afterward took a little stroll about the royal habita- 
 tion, and were impressed with the beauty of the 
 grounds and the fussy officioiisness of their guard- 
 ians. The English are pre-eminently a loyal, law- 
 abiding people, with great respect for authority, and 
 for all who wield it. The shadow which follows this 
 luminous point in the national character is, that every 
 petty functionary is morbidly pompous, anxious to 
 show his authority, and never easy in his mind un- 
 less he is bullying somebody. 
 
 " Don't put your hand on that gate, sir ;" " Don't 
 lean on that pillar, sir ;" " Keep away from the wall, 
 sir ;" said one and another of them to us as we walked 
 around. 
 
 "Don't be alarmed," finally replied one of our 
 party ; "we don't intend to break into the' palace." 
 
 The Tower of London, a stronghold built by Will- 
 iam the Conqueror, is well worthy of a prolonged ex- 
 amination. It is not a single structure, such as its 
 name would naturally suggest, but a series of build- 
 ings devoted to various purposes, and surrounded by 
 a wall and moat, the inclosed space being an area of 
 
London. 285 
 
 twelve or thirteen acres. Within, we find a church, 
 the Old Mint, the Horse Armory, the Jewel Office, 
 and sundry other curious places. The Horse Ar- 
 mory contains a series of figures clad each in the 
 armor of the century which it represents, and 
 mounted on horseback. Henry VHI., Queen Eliza- 
 beth, and various other kings and queens, are repre- 
 sented as they appeared on the field in grand reviews. 
 In the Jewel Office, protected by an iron railing and 
 a wire screen, are the imperial regalia worn on cor- 
 onation days. Here is the crown which was placed 
 upon the head of Victoria. It is said- to contain the 
 most valuable diamond in the world. The value of 
 the crown-jewels deposited in this office is estimated 
 to be ten millions of dollars. 
 
 We were shown the cell in which Sir Walter Ra- 
 leigh was confined, and where he wrote his great 
 " History of the World." Here is the block on 
 which royal and noble offenders lost their heads, and 
 the cruel axe with which the dreadful work was done. 
 Two deep cuts in the wood show the force of the 
 fatal blows. I looked at them and thought of Ann 
 Boleyn, Sir Thomas More, Cardinal Wolsey, and 
 others, and so many melancholy reflections thronged 
 upon my mind that I was glad to turn away from the 
 place. ' 
 
 But it would require a volume to do justice to the 
 various objects of interest spread before the traveler 
 who visits London. We turn, therefore, to the Con- 
 vention, which tempted us across the ocean. 
 
 The Evangelical Alliance met in Freemason's 
 Hall on the 19th of August, 1846. I thought it, 
 
286 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 morally, the grandest gathering of modern times. 
 The entire number of delegates in attendance was 
 nearly nine hundred. The United States sent sev- 
 enty, of whom seventeen were ministers or members 
 of the Methodist Episcopal Church. There were 
 representative men, clerical and lay, of fifty different 
 denominations, and from all parts of the world, as- 
 sembled for the purpose of counseling together in 
 regard to the cause of Christ, and strengthening the 
 bonds which unite his followers. Great gravity and 
 decorum characterized the assembly, and the devo- 
 tional feeling predominated. The permanent chair- 
 man elected was Sir Culling Eardley Smith, an Ox- 
 ford scholar, an earnest Christian, and a man of 
 excellent spirit, who presided with great propriety 
 and urbanity. In mental grasp, and a knowledge 
 of parliamentary usages, several other members of 
 the Alliance excelled him. Among the distinguished 
 men, Europeans, of the body were John Angell James, 
 Dr. Wardlaw, the Hon. and Rev. Baptist W. Noel, 
 Horace Binney, Howard Hinton, Edward Bicker- 
 steth, Dr. Raffles, Dr. Bunting, and Adolph Monod. 
 Among the Americans were Doctors S. H. Cox, 
 Olin, Patton, De Witt, Dempster, Erskine Mason, 
 and Edward N. Kirk. 
 
 The doctrinal basis agreed upon contains nine arti- 
 cles. One of these, which affirms the doctrine of the 
 eternal punishment of the lost, occasioned consider- 
 able discussion. The French and the Germans were 
 willing to draw the line so as not to exclude the a'l- 
 vocates of universal restoration, and a few of the 
 English agreed with them. In defense of the article 
 
Evangelical Alliance. 287 
 
 in question, Dr. Cox made a brilliant speech, which the 
 chairman pronounced the grandest specimen of elo- 
 quence which Freemason's Hall had ever witnessed. 
 
 The subject of slavery called forth much discussion, 
 and occasioned great anxiety. The English and the 
 Scotch were in favor of excluding slaveholders from 
 participation in the Convention. The Americans 
 agreed that the subject of slavery ought not to be 
 brought into the deliberations of the Alliance. Drs. 
 Cox and Olin, Dr. Smyth, of Charleston, and Dr. 
 Morse, "of " The New York Observer," took an active 
 part in the debate. A compromise was finally 
 efEected. 
 
 Large portions of time .were spent in devotional 
 exercises, in addresses on Christian experience, and 
 the essential unity of all evangelical Churches. The 
 speeches were extempore, always respectable, often 
 brilliant, and of a most Catholic and brotherly spirit. 
 They were grand exhibitions of intellect and heart. 
 The style of delivery was e.asy, natural, with little to 
 criticise. In regard to the conduct of the audience the 
 European manner was in the ascendant ; applause 
 was quite common, signs of disapprobation not un- 
 known, and occasionally what Americans deemed 
 confusion reigned for a brief period. When the 
 chairman found things getting amiss, he would call 
 out loudly, " Order ! order ! '•' If this did not suffice 
 to restore order, he would demand, " Shall the Chair 
 be sustained .' " Then would follow cries from all 
 parts of the assembly, " Chair, Chair, Chair," and 
 silence, a statement by the chairman of the state of 
 the question, and then things would move on again. 
 
288 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 During the session of the AlHance, several public 
 meetings, held in Exeter Hall, were attended by vast 
 multitudes of people, and made a fine impression. 
 The rounds of applause which sometimes rose were 
 overwhelming. Some singular scenes were wit- 
 nessed. The speakers were each assigned a certain 
 number of minutes, generally twelve, but it was not 
 always easy to keep them to the limit. One evening 
 Chief-Justice Crampton, of Ireland, held on nearly 
 half an hour, and the immense auditory began to 
 murmur and stamp. Still the speaker held on, and 
 the tokens of impatience grew more emphatic. See- 
 ing the peril of the moment. Dr. RafHes rose, and 
 with a stentorian voice cried out, " Hear him ! hear 
 him ! He has fought the battles of Protestantism 
 in Ireland ; let us hear him in England." Silence 
 was restored, and the speaker had at least a patient 
 hearing. On another occasion the venerable William 
 Jay was present, and was invited to take part in the 
 meeting, but his physical force was evidently abated ; 
 he was tremulous and timid, and though importuned 
 to speak, declined. The two Doctors Cox (of En- 
 gland and America) were appointed to speak to- 
 gether under the twelve-minute rule. The Amer- 
 ican Cox, who came first, could not condense himself 
 into so small a space, but occupied half an hour. As 
 the speech progressed the other Cox became very 
 uneasy, and at the close rose up and said, in a not 
 very dignified or amiable manner, " My time has 
 been used up ; I will not speak at all." The audience 
 called upon him to " go on." He attempted to do 
 so ; but had suffered himself to become irritated to 
 
Evangelical Alliance. 289 
 
 such a degree that he was unfitted for the task, and 
 so made a palpable failure. 
 
 Liberal provisions were made for the foreign mem- 
 bers of the Alliance. We were all entertained with 
 warmest hospitality in Christian homes, and as some 
 lodged at a distance from the place of meeting, a din- 
 ner was served up daily for our accommodation in 
 the grand saloon of the hall. These dinner hours 
 were precious to us, in that they furnished opportu- 
 nity for the cultivation of personal acquaintance. 
 Now and then little passages at arms occurred which 
 made all around hilarious. On one occasion a blow 
 was given that hurt. The Rev. Tobias Spicer, of 
 Troy, sat directly opposite an English Doctor of 
 Divinity. There was wine on the table, and the 
 Englishman helped himself to it quite liberally. As 
 might be inferred, his potations did not increase his 
 wisdom. Looking across at Father Spicer, he in- 
 quired, in a rather peremptory manner, 
 
 " Sir, what is the principal mark of difference be- 
 tween Englishmen and the Americans .■■ " 
 
 Mr. Spicer did not consider the conversational 
 opening very promising, and tried to evade the ques- 
 tion. His interlocutor, however, was so mentally 
 unhinged by the alcohol that he had lost his sense 
 of propriety. He demanded an answer to his 
 question. 
 
 " Well," said Mr. Spicer at last, " I think that you 
 drink more wine than we do." 
 
 "Sir," replied the Doctor, "Sir, you insult me. 
 
 Do you say I have drunk too much .' I am not 
 
 drunk, sir." 
 19 
 
290 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 " I did not say that you were," responded the Amer- 
 ican. At this juncture friends interfered, and the con- 
 versation ended. The next day the two met at the 
 door of the hall, and the Doctor, approaching Mr. 
 Spicer, said, 
 
 " Sir, my friends tell me that I owe you an apology 
 for what occurred yesterday." 
 
 " O, no ! " responded Mr. Spicer, blandly. " I un- 
 derstand it. You were not exactly yourself, or you 
 would not have said what you did." 
 
 " Sir," replied the Doctor, in greater wrath than 
 ever, " Sir, do you mean to say that I was intoxicated ! " 
 Friends again interposed to bring an unpleasant 
 scene to an end. This affair created a deal of amuse- 
 ment, the English enjoying it as heartily as did the 
 Americans. Mr. Corderoy, my generous host, heard 
 the story from the Rev. William Arthur, and related 
 it to me with great glee, begging me to take the first 
 opportunity that occurred to point out Mr. Spicer to 
 him. 
 
 The Alliance sat thirteen days in great harmony, 
 and I trust with great profit. The doctrinal basis was 
 adopted in the evening session of the fifth day. The 
 next day the following proposition came before us for 
 consideration : — 
 
 " That the members of this Alliance earnestly and 
 affectionately recommend to each other, in their own 
 conduct, and particularly in their own use of the press 
 carefully to abstain from and put away all bitterness, 
 and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, 
 with all malice ; and in all things in which they may 
 yet differ from each other, to be kind, tender-hearted, 
 
Evangelical Alliance. 291 
 
 forbearing one another in love, forgiving one another, 
 even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven them, in 
 every thing seeking to be followers of God, as dear 
 children, and to walk in love, as Christ has also loved 
 them." 
 
 Possibly in consideration of my pertaining to the 
 editorial fraternity I was appointed to speak on the 
 resolution. I take the liberty of subjoining a part 
 of the brief speech which I made in response to the 
 call :— 
 
 " It has been announced that persons engaged in 
 the business of conducting the press have been chosen 
 to speak on the resolution placed in my hands. I am 
 not sure but that my American brethren have had 
 something to do with my appointment to this duty. 
 I have been drawn into various controversies in the 
 course of my life, and very possibly it is thought ex- 
 pedient to commit me fully to the principles of peace 
 before I go home ; to bring me into circumstances 
 which will compel me to promise to conduct myself 
 hereafter according to the rules of Christian charity, 
 the rules which bind this association together, and 
 which, we trust, are ultimately to bind together the 
 whole world. I am not averse to be brought to this 
 issue. I should feel that I am unworthy to be placed 
 in charge of a publication devoted to the interests of 
 the Church of which I am a minister if I were not 
 prepared to-day to pledge myself to the whole of this 
 resolution. The religious press has much for which 
 to answer. There is a record against it which must 
 be put away by that repentance which brings amend- 
 ment. It has given a thousand occasions for infidels 
 
292 Life and Times of Gf Peck, D.D. 
 
 and enemies to taunt us with our disputes and the 
 bitterness with which we conduct them ; .with our 
 lack of Christian love as well as of unity in doctrine. 
 No controversies have been conducted with more 
 acerbity than the religious controversies of the past 
 and the present age, and the religious press is re- 
 sponsible for much of the evil. 
 
 " It is high time that • charity, which is the bond 
 of perfectness,' should pervade our religious periodic- 
 als and books ; that the press should be sanctified, 
 in order that our literature may partake of that spirit 
 of union, of forbearance and Christian charity, with 
 which we endeavor to imbue our sermons, our 
 prayers, our private intercourse, all that we say, 
 and air that we do in the. character and capacity of 
 Christians. Let the press be imbued with the spirit 
 of brotherly love which pervades this Conference and 
 the work is done. That consummation which is so 
 devoutly to be wished, and for which we have so de- 
 voutly prayed, will have been accomplished. The 
 Churches will be united, the world will be silenced, 
 and God will be glorified. 
 
 " I most heartily commit myself to the doctrine of 
 this resolution. I pray that God, in his infinite 
 mercy, may help all those who are engaged in the 
 great work of informing the public mind, of dissemi- 
 nating knowledge through the medium of the press, 
 especially the religious press, that they may, in the 
 spirit of Christ, be ready to sacrifice prejudice and 
 curb passion, so that all which is offensive to the 
 most sensitive Christian conscience may be put away 
 forever from among us. With these observations 
 
London. 293 
 
 and views, very imperfectly expressed, I leave the 
 resolution in your hands." 
 
 My friend Corderoy was a noble specimen of an 
 Englishman — liberal in his opinions as well as in his 
 projects for my gratification. My sojourn in his 
 house was exceedingly pleasant He aided me much 
 in my plans for visiting places of historic interest. 
 Among the excursions arranged by him was one to 
 Hampton Court, a famous old palace on the north 
 side of the Thames, thirteen miles from London by 
 land, and twice that distance by the river. The 
 party consisted of Mr. and Mrs. Corderoy and their 
 two daughters ; the Rev. Mr. Crowther, his wife and 
 two other ladies ; Dr. Corson, of New York, and 
 myself. We went to the place by omnibus, and re- 
 turned in a barge. Hampton Court was erected bj 
 Cardinal Wolsey in the sixteenth century, and was 
 at that time the finest palace in Europe. It was the 
 favorite residence of William and Mary, who left 
 there many evidences of their taste. The Cardinal's 
 room is still exhibited. His name is seen in the 
 colored glass of the windows, connected with mottoes 
 or legends, which at once attract the attention of 
 the curious. When we entered the palace we were 
 told that copying any of these was prohibited, unless 
 we first obtained permission from the authorities. 
 Forgetting the rule, I was copying some words, when 
 the fellow who admitted us at the entrance rushed 
 up, with an immense show of authority, and demanded 
 what I was doing. " I told you not to copy any 
 thing," said he. I afterward found them published in 
 full in the guide-book. The incident illustrates the 
 
294 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 insane love of authority which prompts every petty 
 functionary in the land to worry every body within 
 his reach. The picture-gallery is quite extensive, 
 and contains many works of great merit. Many of 
 the pictures were painted by the Dutch artist, Van- 
 dyck, who came to England by the invitation of the 
 Prince of Orange. The grounds now look somewhat 
 neglected, but exhibit the fruits of the industry and 
 good taste of bygone years. We saw a grape-vine 
 seventy-eight years old, and covering twenty-two 
 hundred square feet. There were upon it at the time 
 thirteen hundred bunches of grapes, which we were 
 informed, as usual, that we must not touch, not even 
 the leaves. The fruit is a perquisite of the queen. 
 
 On entering our little barge we partook of an ex- 
 celletit collation, and then moved on down the river, 
 admiring the beautiful scenery. Reaching Rich- 
 mond, we landed, and made a brief visit to the Wes- 
 leyan Theological Seminary. Dr. Farrar, who was 
 then presiding over the institution, treated us with 
 great courtesy, and showed us the buildings, and 
 their various arrangements. At Richmond is also 
 an ancient palace, in which Queen Elizabeth died. 
 It is made additionally interesting by Walter Scott, 
 in his " Heart of Mid-Lothian." We gave a passing 
 glance at the palace, but had no time to examine it 
 further. This excursion was one of the most pleas- 
 ant events of my sojourn in London. 
 
 Two other episodes of the Alliance are worthy of 
 mention. Sir Culling Eardley Smith invited the 
 foreign members to breakfast at his house. About 
 forty were present, among them Americans, Germans, 
 
London. 295 
 
 French, Irish, and others. Some of the most nota- 
 ble members of the AlHance were there, Mr. Justice 
 Crampton, the Earl of Roden, Chevalier Bunsen, 
 Adolph Monod, and other celebrities. Breakfast was 
 served at nine or ten o'clock, as is the fashion on 
 such occasions, and at the close there were speeches, 
 of course. Sir Culling stated that one object which 
 he had in view in this gathering was to invite dis- 
 cussion in regard to the propriety of forming an As- 
 sociation in London for the protection of foreigners. 
 Chevalier Bunsen and the Earl both spoke in re- 
 sponse. I was fully as much interested in the 
 speakers as in the subject. The Chevalier had a 
 very decidedly German physique and manner, but 
 spoke good English. The Earl was tall, and digni- 
 fied in his bearing, but he lisped, and mumbled his 
 words. Both were men of simple manners. 
 
 The other pleasant event alluded to was a tea 
 meeting, planned by Dr. Bunting, at the Wesleyan 
 Mission House, in honor of the foreign Methodist 
 members of the Alliance. The guests numbered 
 about twenty. At the close came the inevitable 
 speeches. Dr. Bunting complimented us all in a 
 felicitous speech, and then thp Rev. Mr. Cook, 
 Wesleyan missionary at Lausanne, the Rev. Mr. 
 Toase, missionary at Paris, Drs. Olin, Dempster, 
 and Peck, responded. The Missionary Secretaries, 
 and all the leading men of the Mission House, were 
 present. It was an exceedingly pleasant occasion. 
 
 Several of the Americans had planned a little visit 
 to the continent. Our company _ consisted of Dr. 
 Emory, Professor Caldwell, Rev. J. B. Merwin, and 
 
296 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 myself. At eight o'clock in the evening of Septem- 
 ber 1st we embarked on a clumsy steamboat at 
 Brighton, and early the next morning found our- 
 selves at Dieppe, France. We had very little bag- 
 gage, but it gave us great trouble. The Custom- 
 house officials seized upon every thing, however 
 small, which happened to attract their attention. I 
 had packed in a hat-box what I needed for a few 
 days' touftr The ofScer looked at it, and said, " Cha- 
 peau" and passed on. Not being familiar with the 
 French language, I did not attempt to explain. Pro- 
 fessor Caldwell had a small valise ; an officer laid hold 
 of it, and the Professor resisted. This excited the 
 suspicion of the official, and the result was a vigorous 
 struggle, in which the American proved victorious. 
 
 Having at length got through the ceremony of in- 
 spection, we took passage in a diligence for Rouen. 
 The scenery was strange to American eyes. There 
 were no fences, and even the landmarks which divide 
 the diminutive farms were invisible. There were 
 flocks of sheep watched by shepherds and dogs, the 
 shepherd usually sitting upon the ground while his 
 sagacious canine assistant ran along the boundary 
 line of the pasture and drove back every trespasser. 
 Horses, wagons, carts, harness, every thing was dif- 
 ferent from what we had been accustomed to, and 
 every thing looked to us clumsy, and behind the age. 
 
 At Rouen we dined, visited the cathedral and 
 other interesting objects, and at six in the evening 
 took the train for Paris, which city we reached at ten 
 o'clock. After another babblement with Custom- 
 house officials we reached the Hotel Bedford, which 
 
France. 297 
 
 we made our home during the five days we spent in 
 Paris. The next morning we secured a guide, one 
 of the professionals who conduct travelers about the 
 city, and began our round of sight-seeing, which we 
 kept up during our stay. We took our breakfast at 
 the hotel, and then set forth for a day's exploration, 
 taking our other meals where it was most convenient, 
 and returning at night more weary than " quarry 
 slaves." Thus we visited Notre Dame, St. Roche, 
 the Pantheon, Chamber of Deputies, Hotel des In- 
 valides. Garden of Plants, Palais Royale, the Louvre, 
 and many other places of interest, each of which is 
 worthy of more space in description than can be 
 devoted to all. 
 
 Notre Dame, the metropolitan church, is an edi- 
 fice of great splendor and architectural beauty. It is 
 said that this church occupies the site of an old hea- 
 then temple. A church was built here about the 
 year. 375, in the reign of the Emperor Valentinian. 
 The foundation of the present structure was laid in 
 1 160 by Pope Alexander III., but three centuries 
 elapsed before it was completed. The two splendid 
 Gothic towers of this church are visible from every 
 part of Paris. 
 
 The Pantheon was at first the church of St. Gene- 
 vieve, but it was desecrated by the authority of the 
 National Assembly, and being made a burial place 
 for the distinguished men of the nation, received the 
 heathen name which it bears. The tomb of St. 
 Genevieve, however, is still seen in a dark part of 
 the basement, with a number of little tapers burning 
 before it, stuck on the sharp points of the iron rail- 
 
298 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 ing. Here are buried Voltaire, Mirabeau, and Rous- 
 seau, three men who employed their genius to poison 
 the mind of France, and lent their mighty influence 
 to bring incalculable calamity upon her people. 
 
 The Hotel des Invalides is a hospital for disabled 
 soldiers, four or five thousand of whom find a home 
 within its ample walls. In the chapel sleep the ashes 
 of the great Napoleon. Here also are shown the 
 crowns of Napoleon and Josephine, and a large num- 
 ber of flags of other nations taken in battle. 
 
 We made interesting excursions to Versailles and 
 Fontainebleau. The former is about twelve miles 
 from Paris. Louis XHI. first built a palace there, 
 which his son Louis XIV. greatly improved and 
 made his principal residence. Millions of money 
 have been expended on the buildings and the 
 grounds. The palace is now a grand museum of art. 
 It is rich in specimens of the works of the great mas- 
 ters. The vast halls and galleries, measuring an ag- 
 gregate length of seven miles, are filled with pictures 
 and statuary. The battle scenes and memorable con- 
 claves of Napoleon I. are seen every-where, the fig- 
 ures life-size. The parks and fountains are numerous 
 and beautiful. The Great and the Little Trianon are 
 two small palaces in the forest of Versailles, whither, 
 in other days, kings and queens retreated from the 
 cares of State and the laborious splendors of the 
 Court, put on the dress of servants, cooks, and dairy- 
 maids, and for the time tried to fancy themselves 
 rustics. It was here that the unfortunate Louis XVI. 
 and his queen were arrested, and carried to Paris in 
 a common cart to perish beneath the guillotine. 
 
France. 299 
 
 Fontainebleau, a town of eight or nine thousand 
 inhabitants, is thirty-five miles south of Paris, is sur- 
 rounded by forests, and is famous for its splendid 
 palace. It was once the favorite residence of Napo- 
 leon and Josephine, and still abounds in the baubles 
 of royalty. Here, in the center of a fish pond, is a 
 little summer-house, where the Emperor was accus- 
 tomed to hold confidential consultations beyond the 
 reach of listening ears. Pictures and statuary abound 
 in the palace, and much of the furniture is said to be 
 the same as in the times of Napoleon. Part of it 
 belongs to an earlier date, and part has been added 
 since the days of the empire. The bed of Louis 
 Philippe is something of a curiosity. One side of it 
 is composed of feaithers, the other is a hard plank, 
 with a thin mattress upon it. The hard side was for 
 his Majesty, who, it is said, learned to sleep on beds 
 of that sort during his rambles in America. We saw 
 a fac-simile of Napoleon's abdication, and the little 
 table on which it was written. There are still shown 
 marks upon the surface of the table which he is said 
 to have made with his penknife in the agony of his 
 emotions. After a day spent amid scenes like these, 
 we returned to the city late in the evening weary 
 enough. 
 
 Leaving Paris we passed through Belgium, and 
 came to Cologne, on the Rhine. Embarking on one 
 of the steamboats which ply on that river, we spent 
 the whole day among its famed scenery, its vine-clad 
 slopes, its ancient castles, rich in historic associations 
 as well as in natural grandeur and beauty. Late in 
 the day we reached Mayence. Landing at this place 
 
300 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 we hastened on to Wiesbaden, where we spent the 
 next day, which was the Sabbath. 
 
 Sunday morning we attended service in the chapel 
 of the English Legation. Some two hundred people, 
 chiefly English travelers or invalids, were present. 
 We dined at the Kursaal, one of the most magnifi- 
 cent hotels in Europe. A band played during dinner, 
 which was an elaborate affair, lasting two hours. 
 When it was finished the people scattered, some 
 going out to warlk in the garden, some hastening to 
 the billiard room, others to the dancing hall, others 
 still to the card-tables. On the colonnade the shops 
 were open, and business and pleasure were pursued 
 as at other times, except that there is more of gay- 
 ety and dissipation on the Sabbath than any other 
 day of the week. We had thus seen two Sundays 
 on the continent, the first being spent in Paris. In 
 neither case would we have suspected, from the de- 
 meanor of the people, that we were in a Christian 
 land, although churches were around us on every 
 •side. 
 
 On Monday, September 11th, we turned our faces 
 westward again. Embarking on the Rhine, we spent 
 the remainder of the day and all the succeeding night 
 in sailing down the river. Reaching Rotterdam at 
 sunrise, we spent the day in that city. We ascended 
 the tower of the Cathedral, from which the greater 
 part of Holland can be seen. The Hague, Delft, 
 and Dort, were distinctly visible. The next day we 
 took a steamer for London, passed through the North 
 Sea into the Channel, and thence into the Thames. 
 Landing at Blackwall we took the train for London, 
 
Home. 301 
 
 where I was again cordially greeted by my friend 
 Corderoy. Spending a day or two more in sight- 
 seeing, we visited Greenwich, the British Museum, 
 the Thames Tunnel, and other noted places. Bid- 
 ding adieu to my generous friend, I went to Liver- 
 pool, embarked for Boston, in due time entered its 
 harbor, took the train for New York, and at nine 
 o'clock in the evening of Saturday, October 3, reached 
 my home. 
 
302 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 CASE OF JOHN N. MAFFITT. 
 
 NOT long after my return home another import- 
 ant, but not so pleasant, a duty was laid upon 
 me. If I were sure that the matter is buried, no 
 more to be heard of among men, it would be no self- 
 denial for me to be silent. But more than one attempt 
 at a resurrection has already been made, after consider- 
 able periods of silence, and I therefore deem it right 
 to put on record an outline of the facts in the case. 
 
 John Newland Maffitt came from Ireland to Amer- 
 ica in 1 8 19. Some years after he published an autobi- 
 ography, in which he notes this fact thus : " From 
 the romantic retreats of far-famed Erin, borne on the 
 fickle winds of adverse fortune, a lonely stranger 
 brings his mite of sorrow, and lays the dew-starred 
 treasure at Columbia's feet." He was a tailor, and for a 
 time worked at his trade in the city of New York. He 
 first appeared as a preacher in New England, where 
 his attractive manner drew multitudes to hear him. 
 He found favor among the ministers as well as the 
 people, and was admitted into the New England Con- 
 ference. He became famous for his eloquence. His 
 power over the human heart was wonderful, and his 
 success in revivals almost without a parallel. Still, 
 he was a creature of fancy, lacking prudence and 
 weight of character. He had left in Ireland a wife 
 
Case of John N. Maffitt. 303- 
 
 and several children, who heard of his fame, and fol- 
 lowed him to this country. His wife was a shrewd, 
 eccentric lady, who had no sympathy with the re- 
 ligious labors in which he had won his popularity. 
 Damaging rumors got into circulation, some growing 
 out of alleged family feuds, others originating in his 
 peculiar manners in the society of ladies. He pros- 
 ecuted an editor for slander ; but the suit neither 
 replenished his purse nor improved his reputation. 
 He undertook the publication of a magazine in the 
 city of New York, but was not successful in his 
 venture. Becoming involved in some trouble in his 
 conference relations, he finally located, and began 
 the independent life of a general evangelist. 
 
 Henceforth, Mr. Maffitt selected his own fields of 
 pulpit labor, and fixed his own terms of compensation. 
 He generally agreed to preach a specified number 
 of sermons, in consideration of having the use of the 
 church for public lectures, the proceeds of which 
 were to be his own. On this plan he visited all the 
 large cities from Boston to New Orleans, and gained 
 unequaied celebrity. His lectures were not only 
 well attended, but largely remunerative. He found 
 many warm friends, both among the preachers and 
 the people. His eccentricities and weaknesses did 
 not escape notice, but they were borne with, in view 
 of his apparent usefulness ; still scandalous stories 
 began to float about. 
 
 Mr. Maffitt came to New York in 1 846, and preached 
 and lectured in several of the churches. At the close 
 of his engagements in the city he went into the west- 
 ern part of the State, to preach and lecture. Shortly 
 
334 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D 
 
 after his departure, the family with whom he had 
 boarded while preaching in the Madison-street 
 Church communicated to their pastor, the Rev. Dr. 
 Floy, certain details in regard to his conduct while 
 an inmate of their house which had filled them with" 
 astonishment and grief, and which they did not feel 
 at liberty to conceal. Dr. Floy communicated these 
 details to several confidential friends, who heard them 
 with profoundest surprise and regret. As there was a 
 rumor that Mr. Maffitt was about to return to the 
 city to resume operations, Dr. Floy deemed it neces- 
 sary to state in the Preachers' Meeting something of 
 the charges made against him, and inquire what 
 course ought to be pursued in reference to the mat- 
 ter. The opinion was unanimously expressed that 
 Mr. Maffitt should be informed of the scandal, and 
 have an opportunity to meet it before he began his 
 labors in the city. 
 
 I was appointed one of a committee to confer with 
 Mr. Maffitt, inform him of the allegations against him, 
 and aid in securing a meeting of the parties, and, if 
 possible, a settlement of the difficulty. This move- 
 ment originated in no unfriendly feeling. All hoped 
 that the alleged facts were capable of explanation ; 
 that Mr. Maffitt, if not wholly able to justify himself, 
 would at least show extenuating circumstances, and 
 that confession and penitence would justify the Church 
 in refraining from further proceedings. When Mr. 
 Maffitt returned to the city, with the expectation of 
 occupying the Norfolk-street Church, the pastor, Rev. 
 Stephen Martindale, informed him of the reports, and 
 of the action of the Preachers' Meeting. Mr. Maffitt 
 
Case of yohn N. Maffitt. 305 
 
 professed to be ready to meet the parties referred to, 
 and to defend himself against every imputation. A 
 meeting was accordingly appointed at the Book 
 Room. 
 
 Mr. Maffitt and the gentleman at whose house the 
 alleged misconduct occurred attended this meeting, 
 and had some conversation ; but the females of the 
 family, who were the direct witnesses in the case, were 
 not present. Mr. Maffitt, however, was informed of 
 the things alleged against him, some of which he 
 denied, and for others he apologized. As no satis- 
 factory result could be reached in the absence of the 
 main witnesses, another meeting was appointed. At 
 this second meeting all the witnesses were present, 
 but Mr. Maffitt was absent. The committee exam- 
 ined the witnesses, and made notes of their evidence. 
 Mr. Maffitt, hearing of this procedure, called upon 
 the witnesses, and first undertook to win them to 
 silence by entreaties and flattery. He pleaded for 
 mercy. He said that it would ruin him ; and he 
 begged them, '"for God's sake," not to appear against 
 him. Finding his blandishments vain, he became 
 fearfully excited, and resorted to threats. He would 
 prosecute them for slander ; he would blast their rep- 
 utation ; he would make the thing cost them all that 
 they were worth in the world. The family, however, 
 were firm against threats as well as flattery, and the 
 preachers, being satisfied that there were solid grounds 
 for proceeding against him, requested Revs. G. Peck, 
 D. Smith, and M. L. Scudder, to draw up charges 
 and specifications, in accordance with the facts 
 
 alleged against him. 
 20 
 
3o6 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 Mr. Maffitt had become a member of the Norfolk- 
 street Church, New York, by depositing with the 
 pastor, the Rev. Mr. Martindale, his certificate of 
 membership and official standing as local elder. 
 Mr. Martindale was notified that on or before a cer- 
 tain day named formal charges would be presented 
 against Mr. Maffitt. On the specified day the charges 
 were forwarded. The next day Mr. Martindale called 
 at my office and informed me that Mr. Maffitt had 
 gone West. He came to Mr. Martindale the day 
 before the charges were presented, and stated that 
 his business required him to be absent for some little 
 time, but he would return and meet any charges 
 which might be brought against him. To secure 
 the objects of his visit at the West he said that he 
 needed something of the nature of a certificate of 
 character. Mr. Martindale gave him his old certifi- 
 cate of membership, with the words " Correct, S. 
 Martindale," indorsed upon it. Mr. Maffitt did not 
 go West, but went to Brooklyn, and commenced 
 preaching in the Centenary Church, of which the 
 Rev. John C. Green was pastor. 
 
 A copy of the charges was sent to Mr. Maffitt, 
 who named a day for the trial. Mr. Martindale sum- 
 moned five local preachers to try the case, and at the 
 ajjpointed time the parties met. Mr. Martindale, as 
 a preliminary to the proceedings, requested Mr. Maf- 
 fitt to return the certificate of membership. Mr. 
 Maffitt replied that the paper was in the hands of his 
 other lawyer, but that he would certainly return it. 
 This promise he repeated several times. Mr. Mar- 
 tindale, however, was not willing to proceed until the 
 
Case of John N. Maffitt. 307 
 
 paper was restored, and the trial was adjourned to 
 another day of the same week. 
 
 Instead of doing as he had promised, Mr. Maffitt 
 sought admission to the Centenary Church on the 
 strength of the old certificate by which he joined the 
 Norfolk-street Church, and which he had again ob- 
 tained on the plea that he needed something to vouch 
 for him in his western tour. Mr. Green received this 
 paper as a valid certificate, entered Mr. Maffitt's 
 name on his Church record, and notified the com- 
 plainants that he had selected a committee to try the 
 case, before whom he cited them to appear, with their 
 witnesses, on a certain day. The complainants at 
 once notified Mr. Green that they did not recognize 
 his jurisdiction in the case, Mr. Maffitt being a mem- 
 ber of the Norfolk-street Church, and no other. Per- 
 ceiving that the ends of justice were in danger of 
 being frustrated by a contest in regard to jurisdic- 
 tion, the complainants invoked the aid of the bishops. 
 
 Bishop Hedding, who had presided at the last pre- 
 ceding session of the Conference, and to whom, con- 
 sequently, the supervision pertained, directed Mr. 
 Green to stay proceedings until the question of juris- 
 diction could be examined. Coming to the city for 
 the purpose, the bishop conferred with Mr. Martin- 
 dale, Mr. Green, and the complainants, and decided 
 that Mr. Maffitt was legally a member of the Norfolk- 
 street Church. He therefore directed Mr. Green to 
 erase the name from his record, and Mr. Martindale 
 to recognize Mr. Maffitt as a local elder in the Church 
 of which he was pastor. Bishop Janes was present, 
 agreed wholly in the decision of Bishop Hedding, 
 
3o8 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 and affixed his signature to the paper which stated 
 the results of the investigation. 
 
 Mr. Maffitt and his friends took umbrage at these 
 proceedings, maintaining that Bishop Hedding had 
 no right to interfere, and consequently his decision 
 was legally of no effect. Mr. Maffitt's lawyer drew 
 up a paper, and sent a copy to Bishop Hedding, for- 
 mally denying his authority to interpose in the case, 
 and protesting against any decision which might 
 affect Mr. Maffitt's membership in the Centenary 
 Church. The Rev. Dr. P. P. Sandford, presiding 
 elder of the New York District, as well as Mr. Mar- 
 tindale, received notice forbidding the reception of 
 any charges against Mr. Maffitt, or the utterance of 
 any thing prejudicial to his character. 
 
 Upon the receipt of the decision of Bishop Hed- 
 ding the complainants again presented their charges 
 against Mr. Maffitt, and Mr. Martindale again sum- 
 moned the committee and the parties to appear on a 
 stated day. When the time arrived Mr. Maffitt was 
 not present, but his lawyer was in attendance, with 
 several of Mr. Maffitt's friends, and placed in the 
 hands of Mr. Martindale an elaborately written pro- 
 test, declaring that Mr. Maffitt would never appear 
 before him, or perform any act which could be con- 
 strued as an acknowledgment of his jurisdiction. 
 Mr. Martindale then dismissed the case, on the 
 ground that the Discipline of the Church makes no 
 provision for the trial of a local preacher in his ab- 
 sence. I then gave notice that the charges would 
 be carried up to the Quarterly Conference of the 
 Norfolk-street Church. Mr. Maffitt's lawyer asked : 
 
Case of John N. Maffitt. 309 
 
 " Dr. Peck, do you say that you will present charges 
 against Mr. Maffitt to the Quarterly Conference of 
 the Norfolk-street Church .? " 
 
 I responded, " I do." 
 
 " Then," said he, " it becomes my duty to serve on 
 you this notice." 
 
 The paper which he handed me, dated Brooklyn, 
 February 12, 1847, and signed by John Newland 
 Maffitt, notified the committee, jointly and severally, 
 that if they presented charges against the said Maffitt 
 before any body but the Rev. John C. Green, they 
 would be held responsible " before any and all courts, 
 j udicatories, civil, criminal, ecclesiastical, or in equity, 
 known and recognized in the State of New York, or 
 in the United States, or in the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, to which he may have occasion to apply for 
 redress." 
 
 Notwithstanding this fulmination, we went before the 
 next Quarterly Conference, which met in March, 1847, 
 with our charges, specifications, and witnesses. Mr. 
 Martindale presented the case by reading the decision 
 of Bishop Hedding, and the communication from Mr. 
 Maffitt. The Presiding Elder, Dr. Sandford, decided 
 that a local preacher removing from the Church of 
 which he has been a member without a disciplinary 
 certificate, and denying his membership in that place, 
 forfeits all rights and privileges in the Church to 
 which he belonged. By this ruling Mr. Maffitt, by 
 his own voluntary act, was clearly no longer a mem- 
 ber of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The decis- 
 ion of Dr. Sandford was carried up to the next An- 
 nual Conference, in the form of an appeal, according 
 
310 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 to the provisions of the Discipline in such cases, 
 and the presiding Bishop, Dr. Hamline, affirmed the 
 decision of the Presiding Elder. Thus, so far as 
 Church action is concerned, the case terminated. 
 
 Meanwhile the matter got into the papers. An 
 anonymous pamphlet, said to have been written by 
 a member of .the bar, also assailed Bishop Hedding's 
 decision as both illegal and oppressive, and it was 
 deemed best to make public, by means of the press, 
 a correct version of the case. It fell to my lot to 
 prepare these statements, and I accordingly replied 
 in the Advocate to the attacks made on Bishop Hed- 
 ding's administration. When Dr. Sandford's ruling 
 in the Quarterly Conference was made known, rumors 
 calculated to mislead the public were set afloat in the 
 daily journals and otherwise, and the complainants 
 determined to publish the history of the case, but 
 without giving the charges and . specifications, and 
 without any expression of opinion in regard to the 
 guilt or innocence of the accused. This paper is 
 found in the Advocate of April 7, 1847. Mr. Maffitt 
 was at that time in the south-west. On the 5 th of 
 May his lawyer caused, a writ to be issued, under the 
 authority of the Supreme Court, against G. Peck, D. 
 Smith, and M. L. Scudder, the signers of the publi- 
 cation named, and also against Dr. Bond and G. Coles, 
 the editors of the Advocate. The offense was de- 
 nominated slander, and the damages claimed were 
 fifty thousand dollars. 
 
 This prosecution was trumpeted as the forerun- 
 ner of Mr. Maffitt's complete justification before the 
 public, and the defeat and disgrace of his assailants. 
 
Case of John N. Maffitt. 311 
 
 Proceedings were also had in Church law. When the 
 Annual Conference met, the Rev. Mr. Green brought 
 forward charges of falsehood against the complainants 
 in the Maffitt case. The matter was introduced in 
 open Conference, the church where the session was 
 held being crowded in every part. I arose and re- 
 quested that the trial immediately proceed. When 
 Mr. Green came to explain his charge, it turned out 
 to be this : In our history of the case, we stated that 
 Bishop Hedding's decision of the point of law had 
 been read on a certain occasion, and that " upon the 
 reading of this decision in the presence of the parties 
 the Rev. Mr. Green announced his purpose immedi- 
 ately to erase Mr. Maffitt's name " from the records 
 of the Centenary Church. Mr. Green alleged that 
 the word " upon " implies that his announcement of 
 his purpose was the next thi"ng done, that it took 
 place immediately, whereas, as he affirmed, some min- 
 utes intervened, and some conversation was had, be- 
 fore he declared his intention. We brought forward 
 one witness, and read from Webster's Dictionary the 
 various meanings of the redoubtable word in which 
 the falsehood lurked, and the Conference decided, by 
 a unanimous vote, that the charge was not sustained. 
 The complainants then presented charges against 
 Mr. Green for allowing Mr. Maffitt to preach for 
 weeks in the Centenary Church after he had for- 
 feited his membership in the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church. We also charged him with giving Mr. 
 Maffitt a certificate of good character after proceed- 
 ings against him had been instituted. The Confer- 
 ence devoted nearly two daily sessions to an examin- 
 
312 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 ation of the case, and then decided that Mr. Green 
 had been guilty of high imprudence, and a degree 
 of moral dereliction. The penalty affixed to this con- 
 duct was that he be suspended from his ministerial 
 office for one year. 
 
 The Rev. Benjamin Griffen was appointed to suc- 
 ceed Mr. Green as pastor of _ Centenary Church, but 
 before he reached his new charge the trustees and 
 other official members met and resolved to declare 
 themselves independent, reject the new pastor, and 
 employ Mr. Green, who immediately notified his 
 Presiding Elder that he had withdrawn from the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Griffen went to the 
 church the next Sunday morning, but was met at the 
 door by the trustees, who forbade his entrance. He 
 secured a room for worship, where a part of the mem- 
 bership of Centenary Church assembled with him, 
 and service was maintained till the next Conference. 
 The case was taken into the courts, where it was 
 argued by able counsel on both sides, and decided 
 against Mr. Green and his friends, who were at once 
 ousted from church and parsonage. Judge Ed- 
 monds, who presided, gave an elaborate opinion on 
 the powers and rights of trustees, which he treats so 
 intelligently and lucidly that his decision is of great 
 and permanent value to all denominations. 
 
 I have dwelt upon this affair at some length, not 
 merely because of its singularity, but because in its 
 progress great principles were involved, and legal re- 
 sults of permanent value were reached. Mr. Maffitt's 
 subsequent career was in sad contrast with his earlier 
 ministerial life. He had been for years separated 
 
Case of John N. Maffitt. 313 
 
 from his wife, and claimed that he had obtained a 
 divorce from her in Missouri, on the ground of her 
 having abandoned him and refused to return. He 
 was quite attentive to the ladies, especially those 
 who were young and handsome. He finally married 
 a young lady of seventeen, who had been captivated 
 by his eloquence while he was preaching in Brooklyn. 
 The marriage took place in March, 1 847, and created 
 almost a riot. A crowd collected about the house 
 and made no little noise, but committed no violence. 
 Soon after this event Mr. Maffitt's first wife died in 
 Galveston, Texas, much respected and regretted. 
 
 The second marriage proved unhappy, and the 
 young wife left her husband, and returned to her 
 parents. Finding the atmosphere of the East grow- 
 ing cold around him, Mr. Maffitt went West. He 
 every-where attempted to excite sympathy. He had 
 instituted a suit for slander, as has been already stated, 
 the defendants had filed their plea, which he was re- 
 quired to answer in October, 1847. His attorneys 
 procured an extension of twenty days, and then one 
 extension after another, until seven or eight months 
 passed. Meanwhile Mr. Maffitt was pretending to 
 wail piteously, because his " persecutors " were de- 
 laying the case. He had the effi-ontery to write 
 thus to a friend at Pittsburgh : " The suit has been 
 postponed by their reverences, for what reason I 
 know not, unless it is to crucify me a little longer, 
 and put me to more expense and trouble." ' His friends 
 sought to enlist public sympathy in his favor, or at 
 least delay public condemnation, by supplying certain 
 newspapers with paragraphs bearing on the case, but 
 
314 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 generally false and grossly unjust to those who had 
 deemed it their duty to arraign him. The time 
 finally came when I thought that forbearance on our 
 part could no longer be classed among the virtues, 
 and I accordingly prepared a communication on 
 " John N. Maffitt and his Sympathizers," which was 
 published in the Advocate of February 23, 1848. 
 Sydney Smith put away among his fugitive pieces a 
 certain manuscript indorsed with the words, " I have 
 always denied writing this paper." I signed my com- 
 munication " Inquirer," but I never denied writing 
 it. The article had the desired effect. 
 
 The young and beautiful wife was seldom seen 
 abroad after her separation from her husband. Every 
 thing conspired to annoy and distress her. Her mar- 
 riage to Mr. Maffitt and. subsequent separation were 
 the subjects of universal discussion, and comments 
 wise and unwise, flippant, coarse, and malignant, 
 continually reached her ears. The journals which 
 make a specialty of criminal news gloated over the 
 case, and, anxious only to sell papers, dwelt upon it 
 in endless repetition, with brutal disregard of the 
 feelings of innocent sufferers. Mr. Maffitt, too, was 
 guilty of the amazing folly and cruelty of seeking to 
 defend himself by uttering insinuations against her 
 character. Her health began to decline, and in No- 
 vember, 1848, her unhappy life ended. Some time 
 before her death her father came to me, and invited 
 me to his house, where I had an interview with his 
 daughter. It is needless, now,. to rehearse what she 
 narrated to me in regard to the circumstances of her 
 marriage, and her husband's conduct. It is sufficient 
 
Case of John N. Maffitt. 315 
 
 to say that the facts stated had no tendency to lighten 
 the shadows which hung around Mr. Maffitt, nor 
 create in me any regret that I had consented to aid 
 in calling him to an account. 
 
 Mr. Maffitt went to Little Rock, Arkansas, where 
 he joined the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, 
 and was licensed to preach. His strange history 
 terminated in the city of Mobile, in May, 1850. 
 He had gone thither to preach and lecture, as was 
 his wont. About the time of his arrival there, one 
 of the Nejv York journals of crime had secured, 
 how I know not, statements in regard to his conduct 
 toward his wife, and copies, not only of the charges 
 and specifications made against him, but also of a large 
 number of letters which he unwittingly left behind, 
 written to him by foolish and romantic girls. All 
 this nauseous material was put into print, and papers 
 containing it in full were sold in the streets of Mo- 
 bile, and even around the doors where he was lectur- 
 ing and preaching. His way was hedged up, and a 
 few days afterward he died. 
 
 I give this history after a thorough review of all 
 the publications upon the subject, and the numerous 
 letters connected with it which I have preserved, 
 supplying deficiencies from the resources of a memory 
 which, considering the painful interest which I had 
 in the details, ought to be reliable. My aim has 
 been, " nothing to extenuate, nor set down aught in 
 malice." I have had from the beginning of the mat- 
 ter till now no personal feelings to gratify nor per- 
 sonal ends to serve ; but have sought only to secure 
 the honor of God's Church and the interests of his 
 
3i6 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 cause. Nor am I conscious of having been betrayed 
 into any act of persecution or undue severity against 
 the unhappy man. I have in my possession ample 
 documentary evidence of the truth of the narrative 
 which I have given, but trust that hereafter there 
 will be no occasion for appealing to it. 
 
 In the autumn of 1844 several brethren belonging 
 to the Washington-street Church of Brooklyn, with a 
 view to the organizing a new Church in that city, pur- 
 chased a building in Pacific-street, which had been 
 occupied for several years by a Presbyterian congrega- 
 tion, who were now building a church in the vicinity, 
 and who stipulated for a partial occupancy of the edifice 
 till spring. I was invited to take charge of the Church 
 till the next session of the Conference, and did so, at 
 some personal sacrifice, and wholly without compensa- 
 tion. I had, however, the satisfaction derived from a 
 constantly increasing congregation and a growing 
 general interest. A Sunday-school was formed, and 
 class-meetings and prayer-meetings were regularly 
 held, and the new enterprise prospered. 
 
 At the close of the conference year a communi- 
 cation was handed me from Thomas Kirk and others, 
 the leading men of the little Society, " tendering their 
 unfeigned thanks" for what they were pleased to 
 call " unwearied and disinterested labors of love " 
 among them, praying that " the blessing of that 
 gracious Providence under whose guidance so happy 
 a relationship had existed between us " might rest 
 upon me ; and proposing that I should remove my 
 residence to Brooklyn, and that my son, Luther W. 
 Peck, be their pastor the ensuing conference year. 
 
Quarterly Review. 317 
 
 I yielded to their request, and my son was received 
 on trial in May, 1846, and appointed pastor of the 
 Pacific-street Church. It was a very pleasant year. 
 We had a fine congregation, good meetings, and 
 conversions. At the close of the conference year 
 I returned to New York. 
 
 There was one member of this Church who is de- 
 serving of special mention. Thomas Kirk was a 
 native of Ireland. When he was a boy his parents 
 entertained John Wesley. Mr. Kirk often men- 
 tioned the fact that Mr. Wesley laid his hands on his 
 head, and gave him his blessing. He was thus, as 
 he playfully said, a Methodist in the regular succes- 
 sion. He had been a member of the firm of East- 
 burn, Kirk, & Co., printers and publishers of the olden 
 time. Nicholas Murray, afterward the Rev. Dr. Mur- 
 ray, of Elizabeth, New Jersey, then a printer's boy 
 in the employ of the Harpers, boarded in the family 
 of Mr. Kirk at the time he experienced religion.* 
 
 Mr. Kirk was an ardent lover of good books, espe- 
 cially of poetry, and would often quote long passages 
 from his favorite authors, Bryant's " Thanatopsis," 
 for instance, with literal accuracy. A genial, simple- 
 hearted, pure-minded man ; a gentleman in person, 
 manners, and all his tastes, a Christian in speech and 
 action, he had the respect and confidence of all who 
 knew him. His excellent wife was every way worthy 
 of him, and the two, like Zacharias and Elizabeth, 
 walked in all the commandments of the Lord blame- 
 less. With him I canvassed our neighborhood for 
 
 * This is doubtful. Dr. Murray was not only an apprentice of the 
 Messrs. Harper, but was also a resident of the family. 
 
3i8 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 funds to establish our hew enterprise, and saw how 
 welcome he was every-where, and with what respect 
 he was treated. On returning once to his quiet home 
 after a day spent thus, and sitting down at the table, 
 he remarked with seriousness, after some moments 
 of silent thought, " I am really sorry for the rich. 
 How much money they have to raise to meet their 
 obligations. How many expenses they have. How 
 much it costs them for equipage, and to keep up 
 their chosen style of living." He lived to see the little 
 edifice superseded by a beautiful and commodious 
 stone church, and the handful of hearers become a 
 thousand ; but he and his faithful wife are now both 
 gone to their reward. 
 
 I found the work of editing " The Quarterly Re- 
 view" more easy and pleasant during my second 
 term than it had been the first. The corps of writers 
 which I had gathered was constantly increasing both 
 in numbers and ability, and there was also a steady 
 increase of the subscription list. The Review had 
 gained some reputation abroad. We had sent a 
 few copies to a house in London ; these were bought 
 up and read ; and during my stay in England I found 
 that many had become acquainted with the publica- 
 tion. I was not a little pleased by being told that it 
 was considered one of the best in the English lan- 
 guage. It was gratifying to know that the first 
 Quarterly Review established under Methodist au- 
 spices had proved successful. I may add, that during 
 the second term of my editorship the Review became 
 self-supporting. 
 
 The New York Conference again elected me in 
 
Quarterly Review. 319 
 
 1848 to the General Conference. The session was 
 held in Pittsburgh. The four years had been with- 
 out precedent for stormy discussion and a spirit of 
 revolution. During the whole period the Methodist 
 papers, North and South, had been engaged in fierce 
 controversies whose tendency was only to inflame 
 and alienate. On the border,.as it was termed, the 
 war of passion raged till charity wept, and what had 
 been a united, prosperous Church, now presented the 
 appearance of two hostile armies. This conflict was 
 at its height when the General Conference met. 
 
 The great problem which pressed upon the atten- 
 tion of the Conference was the report presented by 
 the Committee of Nine, and adopted by the General 
 Conference of 1844, and the questions which grew 
 out of that action. This report the South hastened 
 to name the "Plan of Separation," but the measures 
 which it proposed were wholly hypothetical. ' It was 
 assumed that a separation was possible, perhaps prob- 
 able, and the paper provided that in case of a seces- 
 sion of the Southern Conferences, first, that the Con- 
 ferences and Societies on the border should deter- 
 mine by vote whether they would remain with the 
 North, or go with the South ; secondly, that in the 
 event of a secession, the proposition so to change the 
 Restrictive Rules as to prepare the way for a division 
 of the capital of the Book Rooms, should be submit- 
 ted to the Annual Conferences. 
 
 The Northern Conferences which held their ses- 
 sions soon after the General Conference of 1844 
 voted, with large majorities, for the change of the 
 rule ; but the violence and passion of the advocates 
 
320 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 of separation, and the discovery of the fact that the 
 Southern delegates, before they left New York at the 
 close of the General Conference, had determined to 
 sever the Church, and took measures to consummate 
 their purpose, changed the current of Northern opin- 
 ion. So many proofs of what was deemed bad faith 
 on the part of the South were presented . that the 
 idea began to prevail in the North that the provis- 
 ional measure adopted partook of the character of a 
 treaty, which had been violated by one of the parties, 
 and, therefore, had ceased to be obligatory on the 
 other ; and the aggregate vote of the Northern Con- 
 ferences showed a large majority against the proposed 
 change. 
 
 In the organization of the General Conference of 
 1848 a committee was appointed, consisting of one 
 member from each Annual Conference, and called 
 the Committee on the State of the Church. I was a 
 member, and the chairman, of this committee. We 
 held daily sessions, and in the discussions which en- 
 sued upon the reports of our own sub-committees, 
 and the resolutions which were offered, the whole 
 ground of the difficulty between the North and the 
 South, as well as their present relations, was exhaust- 
 ively debated. The final report, which was adopted 
 by the General Conference, abolished the action of 
 1844, and thoroughly reviewed all the material facts 
 upon which this action was based. No man, either 
 of the North or the South, ignorant of the facts 
 presented in this paper, can understand the merits 
 of the case, or form a reliable judgment in regard to 
 it. Thus the North and the South were left to shape 
 
General Conference of 1848. 321 
 
 thoir course independently of the action of 1844. 
 The Rev. Lovick Pierce, D.D., was present, and an- 
 nounced himself as the representative of the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church, South, sent for the purpose 
 of opening fraternal intercourse between the two 
 bodies. He was not received, on the ground that 
 the Church, South, had placed itself in a hostile atti- 
 tude toward the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 
 The Commissioners of the Church, South, had 
 made a demand on our Commissioners for a division 
 of the capital of the Book Concern. Our Commis- 
 sioners, Nathan Bangs, George Peck, and J. B. Fin- 
 ley, replied that, as the Restrictive Rule had not 
 been changed, they had no power to act in the prem- 
 ises. The Southern Commissioners presented them- 
 selves at the General Conference of 1848, and 
 renewed the demand, receiving in substance the 
 same answer. Dr. Bascom was the leading spirit of 
 the Southern Commission. The venerable Bishop 
 Soule came into the General Conference, leaning 
 upon the arm of a friend, and took his seat in the 
 body of the church. It was an affecting sight to see 
 those two great men. Bishops Hedding and Soule, 
 companions and friends from their youth, and for 
 twenty years co-laborers in the responsible office of 
 the episcopacy, now sitting in the same room, but 
 separated by an impassabla barrier. 
 
 The session of the General Conference of 1 848 was 
 harmonious. The Rev. Abel Stevens was elected edi- 
 tor of the (New York) Advocate, but declined to serve, 
 and my old friend, the Rev. P. P. Sandford, arose and 
 
 nominated me for the position, and I was elected. 
 21 
 
322 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 1848-52, CHRISTIAN ADVOCATE AND JOURNAL. 
 
 ON taking my position as editor of the Advo- 
 cate, I resolved to close the old controversies, 
 and make the paper minister, as far as possible, to 
 the peace of the Church and the improvement of the 
 tone of religious feeling among the people. To carry 
 out this purpose was not altoge,ther easy. Sev- 
 eral prominent men, my personal friends, had come 
 into collision over the questions then agitating us, 
 and looked to the columns of the Advocate as the 
 proper battle-field in which to settle the points in 
 controversy. Still I adhered to my resolve, and had 
 the satisfaction of being abundantly sustained by the 
 patrons of the paper. 
 
 My pacific determinations were somewhat inter- 
 rupted occasionally by the hostile attitude of the 
 Southern press. The Church, South, claimed their 
 proportionate share of the capital of the Book Con- 
 cern, and G. Peck and N. Bangs were appointed 
 Commissioners in charge of the business. Soon 
 after the adjournment of. the General Conference of 
 1848, Dr. Bascom issued another ponderous pam- 
 phlet, entitled, "A Brief Appeal to Public Opinion, 
 in a Series of Exceptions to the Course and Action 
 of the Methodist Episcopal Church, from 1844 to 
 1 848, affecting the Rights and Interests of the Meth- 
 
Christian Advocate and youmal. 323 
 
 odist Episcopal Church, South. By H. B. Bascom, 
 A. L. P. Green, and C. B. Parsons, Southern Com- 
 missioners for the Settlement of the Property Ques- 
 tion between the two Churches." Into this document 
 the author infused all the asperity and gall of which 
 he was master. He charged the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church with "perjury and subornation of perjury, in 
 addition to the high moral blame of acting the part 
 of bad and dangerous citizens." " Hence," continues 
 Dr. Bascom, " the right and the duty of resistance on 
 the part of the Southern Methodists. We believe a 
 perverted, factitious conscience, and a wild, ungov- 
 erned fanaticism, have fearfully led the party astray. 
 The revelations of Heaven, and the Divine adjudica- 
 tions of Christianity, are no longer heeded. Want of 
 reverence for the word of God is, in our judgment, 
 the great productive source of the evils we depict." 
 Northern Methodists are also charged with "bad 
 faith," and with " deception utterly irreconcilable 
 with any virtue belonging to the Christian character." 
 I was urged to make formal answer to this pam- 
 phlet, but saw little prospect of effecting any good 
 result. The " Brief Appeal " was written to " fire 
 the Southern heart," and inspire hatred of the North ; 
 and in the haughtiness of its style and the venom of 
 its spirit it fairly equals the valedictory speeches of 
 the southern members of Congress at the breaking 
 out of the rebellion. I did, however, give in a brief 
 editorial my views of the bad spirit of the Appeal, 
 and the utter inconclusiveness of its reasoning, and 
 thus brought upon my head the storm of southern 
 wrath. 
 
324 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 The Book Agents and the Commissioners at New 
 York had taken the best legal counsel which the 
 country afforded in relation to their duties and 
 powers. They- were advised that neither they, nor 
 the General Conference, nor the Annual Confer- 
 ences, could legally perform any act to alienate the 
 Book Concern, or its proceeds, from the purposes 
 specified in the Discipline, without rendering them- 
 selves liable before the courts of the country. The 
 funds being in the hands of the Agents of the Con- 
 ferences as trustees, for charitable purposes, they 
 could only hold it in trust, for these uses, under the 
 regulations of the Discipline of the Church. The 
 Commissioners, therefore,*could do nothing but await 
 a legal decision before the appropriate tribunals. 
 
 .The General Conference of 1848 had directed the 
 Agents to take legal advice on the question whether 
 they could submit the southern claim to a legal arbi- 
 tration. In this action the Conference showed its 
 desire to settle the question upon equitable princi- 
 ples. Should arbitration be pronounced consistent 
 with the law, then the proposal to arbitrate was to 
 be submitted to a vote of the Annual Conferences. 
 The Agents were advised by their counsel that they 
 could not thus arbitrate the question, as that would 
 imperil their trust. 
 
 The Southern Commissioners commenced suits 
 against the Commissioners and the Book Agents at 
 New York and Cincinnati before the district courts 
 of New York and Ohio. Our working counsel, E. 
 L. Fancher, of New York, made answer to the dec- 
 laration of the Southern Commissioners, and put in a 
 
Christian Advocate and journal. 325 
 
 plea. The Hon. George Wood, of New York, and 
 the Hon. Rufus Choate, of Boston, were employed to 
 defend the case before the court. Preparations for 
 the trial were immediately commenced. The lawyers 
 had to be supplied with the materials for their argu- 
 ment. Mr. Fancher, being a member of the Method- 
 ist Episcopal Church, was well acquainted with the 
 history of the controversy and the form of our eccle- 
 siastical organization ; but Messrs. Wood and Choate 
 knew little of either, and therefore needed full and 
 accurate explanations in regard to our system and 
 the pending questions. Mr. Fancher and myself ac- 
 cordingly proceeded to Boston, where we had a long 
 interview with Mr. Choate. We found him strangely 
 ignorant of our ecclesiastical economy, seeming not 
 to know whether it was a monarchy, an aristocracy, 
 or a democracy ; whether the control was in the 
 hands of the clergy or the people ; but his lack of 
 information at the beginning was not more remarka- 
 ble than the rapidity with which he gained a mastery 
 of the whole subject. 
 
 We also made a visit to the city of Washington, 
 and had an interview with Mr. Ewing, the counsel of 
 the Western Book Room. It is hardly possible for 
 one who has never engaged in such matters to real- 
 ize the laborious preparations which they involve. I 
 spent weeks and even months of time in reading the 
 journals and debates of the General Conference, and 
 in examining the Conference records for materials. 
 
 The separation of the Canada Conference from the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, in 1828, had been re- 
 ferred to by both parties. This made it necessary to 
 
326 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 place all the facts connected with that case in the 
 hands of our counsel, and it fell to my lot to do the 
 work. The Southern Conferences were just now wail- 
 ing loudly over the injustice of the Northern Annual 
 Conferences in voting against the change of the rule, 
 and thus, as the South declared, clutching the prop- 
 erty of the South, and depriving of their rights the 
 superannuated preachers in that section, with their 
 widows and orphans. Let it be remembered that 
 although the Canada Conference separated from us 
 in the most amicable manner, and for reasons the 
 force of which was apparent, the Southern Confer- 
 ences, each and all of them, voted against giving 
 them any portion of the Church property, and thus 
 prevented the Canada brethren from ever receiving 
 any part of the common funds. Such is the influence 
 of self-interest upon the reasoning processes of poor 
 frail humanity. 
 
 The case was tried in New York before Judges 
 Nelson and Betts, and was decided in favor of the 
 South. The case in Ohio was tried before Judge 
 Leavitt, and decided in favor of the North. These 
 conflicting decisions would necessarily bting the case 
 before the Supreme Court at Washington, unless set- 
 tled by the parties themselves. 
 
 The Southern Methodist papers kept up a constant 
 war against the North, and it became my duty to cor- 
 rect some of their more glaring misrepresentations. 
 Our collisions were sometimes unpleasant. The con- 
 temptuous bearing of our assailants frequently fur- 
 nished strong provocation, still I tried to avoid acri- 
 mony. The asperity of the Southern press, both 
 
Christian Advocate and 'jFoumal. 327 
 
 religious and secular, was aggravated by a revival of 
 the antislavery controversy. The abrogation of the 
 Missouri Compromise, and the passage of the Fugi- 
 tive Slave Law, many of whose features were unjust 
 and irritating, kindled anew the fires of controversy, 
 and thoroughly aroused the North to a sense of the 
 aggressive character of the slave power. Even the 
 religious journals could not keep free from the agi- 
 tation which pervaded the land. 
 
 As editor of the (New York) Advocate, I was placed 
 in a difficult position. I had always hated slavery, 
 and now fully sympathized with the people of the free 
 States in their opposition to the encroachments of 
 the South. While I shared the public indignation 
 against the slave hunters, I believed that only evil 
 would result from my admitting into the columns of 
 the paper the discussion of the Fugitive Slave Law 
 and kindred topics. The principal part of the sub- 
 scription list lay in Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, 
 Pennsylvania, and New York. On what was called 
 the border, the Churches which refused to secede 
 with the Southern Conferences were compelled to 
 struggle for existence against the fierce onsets of 
 their enemies, and if the Advocate should enter into 
 the controversies of the times, its utterances would 
 be wrested into weapons for the destruction of our 
 friends. In addition to this, the supporter.'? of the 
 paper were, as a body, apprehensive of coming evil. 
 The hour was full of peril. There was danger, not 
 that the nation would sink into slumber over a great 
 wrong, but that the passions of men would hurl us 
 into some great gulf of disaster. So far as our pa- 
 
328 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 trons were concerned, I well understood the situa- 
 tion. My correspondence from all parts of the coun- 
 try was voluminous, and I knew that I could at any 
 time write an editorial of half a column which would 
 not only wreck the Advocate, but intensify an agita- 
 tion which was already sufficiently dangerous to the 
 national peace. Thus, notwithstanding the clamor 
 in some quarters in regard to my " cowardice " and 
 "non-committalism," I steadily refused to te forced 
 into measures, the results of which, so far as I could 
 foresee, would be " only evil continually." 
 
 I had opinions upon public measures, and was free 
 to express them on proper occasions, but as editor of 
 an official journal I felt that I must not take any 
 course which would deprive me of access to those 
 whom I was addressing, and make the paper a finan- 
 cial burden upon the Church, unless I saw in the 
 new measures proposed for me a promise of at least 
 sufficient good to compensate for the evil. I took 
 my position deliberately, knowing well what it would 
 cost. The radical prints misrepresented me, charg- 
 ing me with favoring slavery and the Fugitive Slave 
 Law. Many of my old friends in the Genesee, Black 
 River, and Oneida Conferences, led by the " Northern 
 Christian Advocate," then edited by the Rev. William 
 Hosmer, gave me up for lost. The most senseless 
 thing of all, and one which aroused my indignation, 
 was, that on the border some of the very men for 
 whom I had faced this storm of obloquy and labored 
 so hard, set it down against me that I had lost my 
 friends in the North. 
 
 I managed the Advocate through the four years' 
 
Christian Advocate and Journal. 329 
 
 term, my only assistant in the office being Stephen 
 B. Wickens. All the editorials were written by me 
 except one, and that one I felt constrained to repu- 
 diate the next week. I was sometimes absent from 
 the city attending the Confefences, but in such cases 
 always furnished a letter to fill the place of " leader." 
 In the instance referred to I was absent a week, oc- 
 cupied with business which left no time for editorials, 
 and so I engaged a friend to write one for me, select- 
 ing his own subject. It was soon after the invasion 
 of Cuba by Lopez, and my editorial substitute had an 
 intimate friend who took part in the raid. This 
 friend he seized the occasion to eulogize in the Ad- 
 vocate, and grew so enthusiastic over his labor of 
 love, that he seemed ready to indorse the fillibusters 
 and their doings in general. The readers of the 
 paper opened their eyes in astonishment at the bel- 
 ligerent attitude of the editor, and I deemed it expe- 
 dient at once to explain the matter. 
 
 On the 30th of September, 1848, my honored fa- 
 ther died. He united with the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church in 1804, and maintained an unblemished 
 Christian character for forty-four years. He was a 
 man of solid judgment ; stable, industrious, exe.mpla- 
 ry, universally respected, and exerting great influence 
 in the community where he lived. He was useful in 
 the Church. For years he was leader of the class at 
 Middlefield Center, and afterward at Hamilton. Liv- 
 ing in the country and on large circuits, where the 
 preachers visited each little appointment only once 
 in two or three weeks, he usually held class-meeting 
 and prayer-meeting on the Sabbath. He was a fine 
 
330 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 singer, a perfect master of the old melodies of Meth- 
 odism, and his gift of holy song made the services 
 which he conducted attractive, and increased their 
 power for good. His meetings were attended by the 
 unconverted, and often crowned with revivals, so that 
 when the preacher came he found numbers of con- 
 verts who had thus been led to Christ, and were 
 waiting to be received into the Church. In the ab- 
 sence of the preachers he was often called to attend 
 funerals, where his simple service of hymn and prayer 
 was very acceptable. By industry and economy he 
 maintained his large family, and lived to see his five 
 sons in the ministry, his six-daughters members of 
 the Church, and all his children, except the two who 
 died in their youth, comfortably settled in life. He 
 departed in great peace in the eightyTsecond year of 
 his age, and his remains rest in the burying-ground 
 at Hamilton, with those of his daughters Elizabeth 
 and Mary, and my Uncle Isaac Collar. 
 
 During the latter part of my four years the discus- 
 sion on the subject of lay representation in the Gen- 
 eral Conference was revived. A convention was held 
 in Philadelphia, composed of laymen from different 
 parts of the Church, and created considerable excite- 
 ment. The measure had, even at that date, a very 
 respectable body of friends ; but, like many other 
 causes, had some imprudent advocates, arid 'here 
 was a diversity of opinion among our wisest men,, 
 both lay and clerical. I admitted but little into the 
 Advocate on the subject, but being assailed as an 
 opponent of the principle, made some little defense, 
 and let the matter pass. As the session of the Gen- 
 
Christian Advocate and J^oumal. 331 
 
 era] Conference drew near, Dr. Bond, who had been 
 silent for four years, not writing a line for the paper, 
 came out with two strong articles against lay repre- 
 sentation, which I published in the Advocate. These 
 communications made considerable impression, and, 
 while they did not change the final result of the dis- 
 cussion, revived the partialities of the border Confer- 
 ences in favor of their author. 
 
 At the session of the New York Conference in 1852, 
 I was again elected a delegate to the General Con- 
 ference, having become a member of the New York 
 Conference in 1840 by virtue of the rule which made 
 Editors and Agents at New York members of that 
 body. I had been thus elected three times in suc- 
 cession, and this last time by the highest number of 
 votes. This I had a right to consider especially com- 
 plimentary and indicative of confidence, and it was the 
 more grateful to me seeing that I had been engaged 
 in controversies sufficient to create opposition. 
 
 Just before the session of the General Conference 
 the venerable Bishop Hedding, my fast friend, and, 
 take him all in all, one of the greatest men of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, was called to his reward. 
 Several times during his last illness I visited him, 
 and found him rapidly maturing for immortality. 
 Only a few days before his death I went to iaugh- 
 keepsie, in company with Bishop Janes, and had 
 what proved to be our last interview. I described 
 that final interview in the Advocate, and the de- 
 scription will be found in the "Life and Times of 
 Bishop Hedding," by Bishop Clark ; but I could not 
 then, I cannot now, adequately delineate the emotions 
 
332 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 of admiration, of veneration, of awe, and devout grati- 
 tude which the visit inspired. We remained nearly 
 two days, and thus enjoyed the fullest opportunity of 
 conversing with him. From the beginning to the 
 end of the period named all his expressions were in 
 the same vein — love for God and his Church, warm 
 attachment to old friends, patience under the severest 
 sufferings, complete, triumph in his mental conflicts, 
 bright anticipations of heaven. Hope, joy, and peace 
 were apparent in his countenance, his words, his hap- 
 py tears, and there seemed to be almost a halo of 
 glory about the scene. The place seemed indeed 
 "quite on the verge of heaven." On the 12th of 
 April, 1852, in company with a large number of min- 
 isters, among whom were Bishops Waugh and Janes, 
 Dr. Bangs, the venerable William Thacher, and Mar- 
 vin Richardson, I attended his funeral as a pall- 
 bearer, and saw the remains of this saint of God and 
 prince of our Israel consigned to their last repose. 
 
 The General Conference of 1852 held its session 
 in Boston. It had never before met in New England. 
 In addition to the usual business of the body, there 
 were several matters which had a spice of novelty. 
 Among the rest was an appeal case from the Ohio 
 Conference. A church had been erected in Cincin- 
 nati, and the pews made the private property, sever- 
 ally, of those who united in the enterprise. This was 
 contrary to our prevailing customs. The pastor was 
 understood to favor the peculiar arrangement, and for 
 this offense was arraigned by his Conference on a 
 charge of "disorderly conduct," tried, and found 
 guilty. He appealed to the General Conference, and 
 
Christian Advocate and Journal. 333 
 
 under this appeal the whole subject of the renting 
 and the owning of pews was debated. The discus- 
 sion was earnest and prolonged, and terminated in 
 action which left the question whether pews should 
 be free or otherwise to be decided by each Society 
 as local circumstances should render the one plan or 
 the other expedient. 
 
 A committee, of which I was ■ chairman, was ap- 
 pointed to consider the subject of slavery. In due 
 time we presented a report, which was left to sleep 
 on the table, there being little apparent disposition 
 to discuss the subject. 
 
 A deputation from the Lay Convention of Philadel- 
 phia presented a memorial from that body to the Gen- 
 eral Conference: A large committee was appointed, 
 before whom the deputation appeared, and were heard 
 at length, after which a sort of half-and-half report 
 on the subject was presented to the Conference, and 
 adopted, closing with the declaration that lay delega- 
 tion was inexpedient. 
 
 In the great lawsuit between the North and the 
 South, the Supreme Court for the District of New 
 York had given a decision in favor of the South, and 
 had recommended an amicable division of the prop- 
 erty without any further litigation. The Book Agents 
 at New York reported to the General Conference of 
 1852 that, in according with the instructions given 
 them in 1848, they had taken legal advice upon the 
 question whether they could submit the claims of the 
 Southern body to a voluntary arbitration, and had 
 been advised that they had no legal power to do it. 
 The Bishops, acting on the conclusions of 1848, 
 
334 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 proceeded to lay the matter before the Annual Con- 
 ferences, but before they had gone far the South com- 
 menced the suit, with the result already stated. The 
 question, as it presented itself in 1852, was whether 
 the General' Conference would still look to the civil 
 law, or seek an amicable adjustment of the matters 
 in dispute. After much consideration the General 
 Conference appointed a Board of Commissioners, to 
 whom the whole business was referred, with power 
 to settle it as justice and the interests of the Church 
 required. The Commissioners were the Book Agents 
 at New York, George Peck, John Davis, and John S. 
 Porter. 
 
 Levi Scott, Osmon C. Baker, Matthew Simpson, 
 and Edward R. Ames, were elected bishops. Dr. 
 Bond was elected editor of the Advocate. He died 
 in the fourth year of his official term. 
 
 The city authorities of Boston treated the General 
 Conference with great courtesy, giving the members 
 access to all the public institutions, and inviting 
 them to a steamboat excursion. The attentions be- 
 stowed upon us seemed to surprise somewhat the 
 more southern and western men, who had been 
 taught to regard the New Englanders as stoical, and 
 not over ceremonious. The session of 1852 was 
 short and pleasant. In addition to my duties as one 
 of the Commissioners having charge of the business 
 connected with the Book Room suits, I was appoint- 
 ed a member of the Book Committee. . 
 
Wilkes barre. 335 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 1852-3, WILKKSBARRE 1854, WYOMING DISTRICT 
 
 1855, BINGHAMTON DISTRICT 1856-7, SCRANTON. 
 
 I NOW returned to the regular work of the min- 
 istry. The General Conference of 1852 divided 
 the Oneida Conference, and constituted the south- 
 ern portion of it, lying chiefly in Pennsylvania, a new 
 Conference, giving it the classic name of Wyoming. 
 My home, so far as an itinerant may be said to pos- 
 sess a permanent earthly home, was in the famous 
 valley. Some of my earliest friends in the ministry 
 were members of the new Conference ; many of my 
 old friends among the laity lived in its territory, and 
 I hardly needed the repeated assurances which I re- 
 ceived that a hearty welcome awaited me. At my 
 request I was transferred to the Wyoming Confer- 
 ence. The time intervening between the adjourn- 
 ment of the General Conference and the session of 
 the Wyoming Conference I spent at Kingston. 
 
 The Wyoming Conference began its first session 
 on the 7th of July, 1852, Bishop Scott presiding. . 
 
 The first duty which devolved upon me was to act 
 as counsel for the Church in trying a member of the 
 Conference on the charge of heresy, he having adopted 
 all the follies of what is called Spiritualism, and dis- 
 seminated them in his sermons and by the press. 
 He was found guilty, and by a vote of the Conference 
 
336 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 was deprived of his ministerial office. He fixed his 
 residence at Kingston, and continued to preach where 
 ever he got a chance, and even married those who 
 applied to him under the impression that he still had 
 authority to perform the ceremony. Being still a 
 member of the Church he was arraigned for disobe- 
 dience to the orders of the Church, and was deprived 
 of his membership. He then went to Carbondale 
 and continued his operations, gathering a little hand- 
 ful of followers. The "spirits " communicated with 
 him very freely, and finally informed him, in a confi- 
 dential way, not to be divulged except in certain 
 cases, that so far as he was concerned the seventh 
 commandment had been repealed. He soon came 
 to the conclusion that he had better leave Carbon- 
 dale. He next went to New York, where he ingrati- 
 ated himself into the favor of a prominent Baptist 
 clergyman, joined that Church, was duly immersed, 
 received license to preach, and went West, where he 
 was operating when I last heard from him, his de- 
 liverances being chiefly notable on account of their 
 assaults ^n the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 
 I was appointed pastor of the Franklin-street 
 Church, Wilkesbarre, which was then the only Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church in that town. I was ap- 
 pointed to preach twice every Sabbath in Wilkes- 
 barre, and once in two weeks in the afternoon at 
 the Plains, which was then included in the pastoral 
 charge. 
 
 The first time I entered the pulpit after my ap- 
 pointment I was attacked with ague, and passed 
 from the chilly stage to fever while proceeding with 
 
Wilkesharre. 337 
 
 my discourse. -This was the beginning of an illness 
 wiiich lasted for weeks, and brought me to the verge 
 of death. My mind was for some time in a dreamy 
 state. For days all seemed to be dark around me. 
 Strange visions passed before my mind, some of which 
 made so vivid an impression that I still recollect 
 them. Now and then came a lucid interval, during 
 which I had much communion with God in prayer. 
 One evening I heard the physician say, " By to- 
 morrow morning I shall be able to tell how it will go 
 with him." That night I seemed to be in a land of 
 shadows. My life was trembling in the balance. I 
 had no gloomy forebodings. My heart from its very 
 depths said, "I am the Lord's, his will be done." 
 In case the verdict of the physician in the morning 
 was adverse, I determined to call my family around 
 me and utter my last words to them. In all this I 
 felt calm and peaceful, leaving all things with God. 
 
 When morning came, and the physician entered 
 the room, he glanced at me, and exclaimed, in a kind 
 of rapture, " Better, better, better ! " From this time 
 I slowly but steadily recovered. Almost the first 
 piece of intelligence which greeted my recovery was 
 the sad news of the death of my dear friend, the Rev. 
 Bartholomew Creagh, who died of the very disease 
 which had prostrated me so long. Two more of my 
 valued friends soon followed, the Revs. William K. 
 Stopford and Daniel Smith. They were all good 
 men and true. With them I had often taken sweet 
 counsel, occupied their pulpits, aided them in revival 
 services, and sat with them at their firesides. " The 
 memory of the just is blessed." 
 22 
 
338 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 After an absence of one month from my pulpit I 
 again began to preach to my people, though still 
 weak, and able to do little. In September I attended 
 a camp-meeting held on the grounds of Mr. Heft, 
 west of Kingston Mountain. Many souls were con- 
 verted, and many believers were built up in their holy 
 faith. I had not yet recovered my full strength, but 
 the beautiful scenery, the pure mountain air, and, 
 above all, the success which crowned the preaching 
 of the word, were better to me than medicine. I 
 preached several times, and returned home with new 
 strength and courage for my pastoral work. 
 
 I greatly enjoyed my return to the work of the 
 ministry. Studying God's word, preaching Christ 
 and him crucified, conducting prayer-meetings, visit- 
 ing the Sabbath-school, visiting my people, con- 
 stituted my entire business, and were the delight 
 of my soul. During the twelve years of my editorial 
 life I had almost forgotten what it is to feel myself 
 a free man. Now, no more editorials, no more insa- 
 tiate demands for " copy," no more conflicts with as- 
 sailants without, " wiser than seven men that can 
 render a reason ;" no more collisions over public mat- 
 ters with friends, wise or otherwise ; no more weary 
 hours spent in the drudgery of a newspaper office. I 
 was free. 
 
 The congregation increased in numbers and inter- 
 est. On New-Years day we began a protracted 
 meeting which continued three months. For two 
 weeks there was no movement among the uncon- 
 verted. The first one who presented himself as a 
 penitent was a young man who is now a member of 
 
Wilkesbarre. 339 
 
 the Oregon Conference. About one hundred were 
 converted. Some of *^^he converts belonged to fami- 
 lies connected with other branches of the Church of 
 Christ, and united with the Churches of which their 
 parents were members. Still, not only was the mem- 
 bership of my own charge greatly and permanently 
 strengthened, but also the spiritual life of the whole 
 body was visibly quickened. 
 
 But there are shadows even upon the path of the 
 pastor whose business is with high and holy things, 
 and there are painful scenes upon which he must look. 
 A boy of only sixteen years of age committed a delib- 
 erate murder in our vicinity. His object was money. 
 He was well acquainted -with his victim, whom he 
 decoyed into a field, shot him with a pistol, and rob- 
 bed the body. The bloody deed was traced to its 
 author, and he paid the penalty of his crime. I visit- 
 ed him several times before his trial. He seemed 
 pleased to have me come to see him, but appeared 
 very hard. After his sentence he began to relent, 
 and finally made full confession, with the condition 
 that it should not be published till after his execu- 
 tion. He became penitent, and gave such evidence 
 of sorrow for his crime that I baptized him, and ad- 
 ministered to him the Lord's Supper, and he died, 
 earnestly praying for mercy, on the ninth of Septem- 
 ber, 1853. 
 
 One painful scene I shall never forget. The widow 
 of the murdered man wished to see Evans, and I was 
 present at the interview, which occurred the day 
 before the execution. As she entered the cell,, her 
 black eye lit upon the murderer and seemed to pierce 
 
34° Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 him through. He quailed under it, and turned away 
 to avoid her gaze. 
 
 " Evans," said she, " why did you kill my hus- 
 band ? Had you any spite against him .■" " 
 
 " No ! " he replied. " Not any. I did very wrong. 
 I hope that you will forgive me. " 
 
 The next question revealed the motive which had 
 brought her to the cell of the murderer. She fondly 
 hoped that he could tell her some last expression, 
 some final word, which the dying man uttered in 
 regard to his family. 
 
 " Did he say any thing } Did he say any thing 
 about me .■• Did he say any thing aboyt the baby ? " 
 
 " No ! " he answered, sadly. Her cherished hope 
 was disappointed. There was no final word of the 
 husband and the father, to be treasured up in loving 
 hearts, for evermore. 
 
 " O, Evans ! " exclaimed she, in the bitterness of 
 grief, " what made you do it ? You play with my 
 baby, and then kill his father ! " 
 
 Evans was perfectly overwhelmed by this appeal. 
 " I do not want to talk about it," said he ; " will you 
 forgive me .'' " 
 
 " Well," said she, " I must forgive you. If I re- 
 fuse, it will do no good. It will not bring back my 
 husband. Good-bye, Evans." And with a heavy 
 sigh she turned away and left the cell. 
 
 The Hon. John M'Lean had opened a correspond- 
 ence with the Southern Commissioners, on the sub- 
 ject of an amicable settlement of their claims. There 
 had been a decision in Ohio in favor of the North, 
 and another in New York in favor of the South ; but 
 
Wilkesbarre. 341 
 
 neither decision was final, there being still the right 
 to appeal to the Supreme Court at Washington. He 
 advised a stay of legal proceedings, and a conference 
 of the Commissioners of the two parties, with a view 
 to a friendly adjustment of the matters in dispute. 
 The Southern Commissioners had been consulted, 
 and had agreed to meet us, in the presence of Judge 
 M'Lean, who wrote to me urging the adoption of the 
 measure, and tendering his services in securing such 
 an adjustment of the business as would be both just 
 and legal. The Book Agents at New York and those 
 at Cincinnati agreed in the opinion that the proposed 
 negotiations should cover both suits, and all matters 
 at issue, in regard to the Book Room property. In 
 May, 1853, Bishop Waugh called the Commissioners 
 and the Book Agents to meet at New York for con- 
 sultation before our final action was taken. After 
 thorough discussion of the case in its various aspects, 
 I was directed to prepare an answer to Judge M'Lean, 
 stating the principal features of a plan of settlement, 
 and indicating our willingness to meet the Commis- 
 sioners of the South, and negotiate on that basis. 
 
 In July, the Commissioners and the Book Agents, 
 both of the east and western branches of our Book 
 Rooms, met at Pittsburgh. Here we found a diiTer- 
 ence of opinion. The western suit had been decided 
 in our favor, and the western men were confident of 
 success, and favorable to a continuance of the legal 
 contest. The eastern men were equally sure that if 
 we risked another suit it would only result in defeat. 
 It was finally agreed that the eastern Commissioners 
 and Agents should settle their part of the business, 
 
342 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 in their own way, while the western suit was proceed- 
 ing in the courts. The eastern suit was conse- 
 quently withdrawn from the courts, and the business 
 was put in the way of adjustment on amicable terms, 
 while the western suit went before the Supreme 
 Court at Washington. Thus our part of the great 
 contest came to an end, so far as the courts were 
 concerned. 
 
 On my way home from the Pittsburgh consultation 
 I took a circuitous route, and attended a family gather- 
 ing at Cazenovia. Five brothers and two sisters, with 
 thirteen of the next generation, met and spent four or 
 five days together. The anniversary exercises of the 
 seminary occurred at the same time, Dr. J. T. Peck de- 
 livering the annual address, and Rev. Luther W. Peck 
 the poem at the festival of the Alumni. On Sunday, 
 Dr. J. T. Peck preached in the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, and Luther W. Peck and myself preached in 
 the Presbyterian Church. We also attended the 
 funeral of John Williams, Esq., a noble man, and 
 most estimable citizen. It seemed a strange provi- 
 dence, that, after so many years' absence from the 
 place, I should be there just in time to look once 
 more upon the loved face of my old and valued 
 friend. 
 
 The Wyoming Conference met at Brooklyn, Penn- 
 sylvania, (once called Hopbottom,) July 27, 1853, 
 Bishop Waugh presiding. On the Sabbath of the 
 session, by request of the Conference, I preached a 
 memorial sermon in reference to Revs. Marmaduke 
 Pierce and John W. Safford, who had died during 
 the year. The former was "a prince and a great 
 
Wilkesharre. 343 
 
 man " in those early times ; the other was " a good 
 man, full of the Holy Ghost and of faith." 
 
 I was re-appointed to Wilkesharre, and again en- 
 gaged in earnest labors for the good of souls. It 
 was a year of success. 
 
 In September a camp-meeting for the district was 
 held five miles west of the village of Wyoming, on 
 the grounds of Samuel Durland. I preached the first 
 sermon from the text, " The people had a mind to 
 work." A goodly number of souls were converted, 
 and the Churches represented were much quickened. 
 
 While we were engaged in this meeting an event 
 occurred which had a marked effect upon public 
 opinion in the valley, and which I narrate as neces- 
 sary to a faithful picture of the times. In one of the 
 hotels of Wilkesharre there was a negro who was 
 suspected of being a fugitive slave. Geographically, 
 the town was on one of the main lines of the famous 
 " underground railroad," and not a few of the fugitives 
 tarried there for a season. There was doubtless some 
 mean fellows in the place, who made a business of 
 worming their secrets out of the negroes, and selling 
 the intelligence to their masters. A number had 
 been arrested in a more or less secret manner, and 
 carried back to slavery. Wilkesharre had the repu- 
 tation of being decidedly conservative, their patriotic 
 devotion to the Union impelling some of the people 
 on one occasion to ride on a rail a very respectable 
 citizen guilty of the crime of being an abolitionist. 
 
 In this rather dangerous latitude Billy Thomas, 
 the alleged fugitive, was sojourning. He was a tall, 
 athletic man, intelligent, active, efficient in his place 
 
344 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 in the hotel where he was employed. His master 
 heard of him, and took measures to reclaim him. 
 Early one morning five ruffians, hired for the pur- 
 pose in Philadelphia, and duly clothed with the dig- 
 nity and power of deputy marshals of the United 
 States, came to Wilkesbarre, and attempted to seize 
 this misguided negro and drag him away from the 
 horrors of freedom back to the innocence and bliss 
 of the patriarchal institution. Armed with clubs and 
 pistols, the five rushed upon Billy, knocked him 
 senseless, and falling upon him, were proceeding to 
 put him in irons. Regaining his senses, he saw in 
 a moment the meaning of the murderous attack. 
 With the strength which is born of desperation he 
 rose up, dashing his assailants from him, and darted 
 from the house in the direction of the Susquehanna, 
 on whose banks the hotel stood. The marshals fol- 
 lowed in close pursuit, firing their revolvers at the 
 fugitive. Billy ran into the river, wading out till the 
 water was at his chin, and when summoned to return, 
 declared that he would drown before he would sur- 
 render. The slave-catchers stood upon the shore, 
 cursing the obstinacy of the " nigger," and firing their 
 pistols at his head. 
 
 Meanwhile the news of what was going on spread 
 through the town, and an angry crowd was rapidly 
 gathering. The marshals saw scowling faces, and 
 heard muttered threats on every side. Becoming 
 alarmed for their own safety, they abandoned their 
 murderous work in haste, hired a carriage and a pair 
 of fast horses, and fled over the mountain with all 
 possible speed. Thomas remained in the river till 
 
Wilkesbarre. 345 
 
 assured of the departure of his enemies, and then 
 crept to the land, and, exhausted, bleeding from his 
 wounds, and in an almost dying condition, lay upon 
 the shore till some kind hand assisted him to a place 
 of refuge. As soon as he was able to travel he left 
 for Canada. 
 
 This affair made more abolitionists in an hour than 
 all the antislavery lectures and publications had done 
 in years. It showed th-e real character of the insti- 
 tution of slavery, and illustrated the brutal measures 
 inseparable from its maintenance. It created also 
 general alarm among the colored people of the place, 
 and made them increasingly watchful and cautious. 
 There was in the town a very pious colored man, 
 who would never tell his name, nor the place of his 
 former residence. Somebody gave him the title of 
 Uncle Tom, and this, was all the name he bore. The 
 spies of the South sought in vain to draw his secret 
 from him. When he was plied with the question : 
 
 " Where did you come from .? " he made the shrewd 
 reply : 
 
 " Now, boss, that question's no 'count, no 'count 
 at all. It makes no difference where a man comes 
 from. The great question is, Where is he going to ? " 
 
 In September occurred one of the most afHictive 
 incidents of my whole life. I was one day on my 
 way with my wife to visit her sister, Mrs. Myers, near 
 Kingston. Certain men were digging a cellar near 
 the road, and blasting the rocks which they encoun- 
 tered. A charge exploded just as we were passing. 
 Our horse took fright, became utterly unmanageable, 
 and ran furiously down the hill ; the carriage made a 
 
346 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 sudden lurch, and Mrs. Peck was thrown with vio- 
 lence to the ground. Arresting the career of the 
 frightened animal, I at last ran back to the spot 
 where my wife had fallen, and there found her lying 
 insensible, her head mangled and bleeding, and one 
 of her limbs broken. It was months before she could 
 even walk across her room ; but, by the blessing of 
 God and a strong constitution, she finally recovered 
 her wonted health and strength. 
 
 In November the Commissioners having in charge 
 the New York Church suit were summoned to meet 
 Judge M'Lean and the Southern Commissioners, and 
 complete the business committed to their hands. 
 At the very beginning, wide differences of opinion 
 appeared between the representatives of the North 
 and the South, and a week of discussion was re- 
 quired to find common ground. -Our intercourse with 
 the Southern Commissioners was, however, character- 
 ized by a good spirit, and in time we succeeded in 
 harmonizing our views, and fixing terms which were 
 satisfactory to both parties. 
 
 In concluding my history of this famous suit, I 
 am constrained to say that, in my judgment, the law 
 was clearly in favor of the North. The legal doc- 
 trine in regard to trusts is clearly defined and well 
 established, and it does not allow seceders any por- 
 tion of charitable funds held by the original body 
 and guarded by constitutional restrictions. The 
 ground upon which Judge Nelson based his opinion 
 in favor of the South was, that the General Confer- 
 ence of 1844 had divided the Church into two eccle- 
 siastical jurisdictions, and that two Methodist Epis- 
 
Wilkesharre. 347 
 
 copal Churches had been constituted, having equal 
 claims to the common property. This ground as- 
 sumes what is not true, and the opinion based upon 
 it is wholly fallacious. If this style of reasoning were 
 generally admitted, it would unsettle all ecclesiastical 
 and charitable foundations. Still there were cogent 
 reasons why we should pursue the matter no further 
 in the courts. The New York Commissioners were 
 confident that the Cincinnati case, which had been 
 appealed, would be decided in favor of the South, 
 and the next year, 1854, it was so decided at Wash- 
 ington. Public opinion, too, which is not devoid of 
 influences even in the decisions of courts, was di- 
 vided in the North, and unanimously against us in 
 the South, and the sense of justice among our own 
 people would be better satisfied by an amicable set- 
 tlement made by the parties themselves than by the 
 results of litigation, however successful on our part. 
 Without waiting, therefore, to see the result of the 
 western suit at Washington, the New York Commis- 
 sioners adjusted the matters at issue on what both 
 parties deemed the principles of justice and honor, 
 and had no occasion afterward to regret the course 
 which they had taken. If the reader wishes to ex- 
 amine all the details of this famous case he will find 
 an accurate account of it in Dr. C. Elliott's history 
 of the "Great Southern Secession," pp. 779-815. 
 
 In February, 1854, an extraordinary revival com- 
 menced at the Plains, where I was preaching Sunday 
 afternoons, in a little old church. The locality was 
 formerly called Jacob's Plains, from the name of an 
 Indian chief who once inhabited it, with his people. 
 
348 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 In later times it was settled by the Searles, the Ab- 
 botts, the Starks, the Carys, and others, old pioneers 
 and heroes of the Revolution, whose descendants are 
 still numerous. A class was organized here long ago, 
 when the Methodist preachers first entered the val- 
 ley, but it was still small in numbers. When I came 
 to the appointment three brethren — James Stark 
 John Gary, and Jacob Sanders — constituted the act- 
 ive force of the little Society, with a few women, as 
 devoted as those who labored with Paul in the Gos- 
 pel, and " whose names were in the book of life." 
 
 For a long time the three named often constituted 
 the entire congregation at the weekly prayer-meeting. 
 James Stark, whose health was impaired, was some- 
 times absent, and then the meeting consisted of two. 
 One evening in the latter part of the month named 
 these three met. They were alone. They prayed, 
 each in turn, and were powerfully blessed. They 
 prayed again, each in his order, and the tide of holy 
 emotion rose still higher. They all prayed the third 
 time, and their joy became rapture. Thus they wor- 
 shiped, and wept, and shouted together. As they 
 were about to separate one of them said, " I cannot 
 wait a week for another such meeting ; let us come 
 again to-morrow evening." The others gladly as- 
 sented, and the meeting was even more joyous than 
 the first had been. 
 
 Some of the neighbors, the second evening, saw a 
 light in the school-house, an unusual thing on that 
 particular evening, and wondered who was there. As 
 they approached they heard the voice of holy song and 
 fervent supplication. Looking cautiously through the 
 
Wyoming District. 349 
 
 windows, they saw the brethren and stood still, look- 
 ing and listening. They heard an agreement made 
 to meet again the next evening. The next day the 
 neighborhood was full of rumors of the wonderful 
 meeting, and when evening came the house was full 
 of people. Nor were they mere idle spectators. The 
 profoundest solemnity prevailed, several persons re- 
 quested that prayer be made in their behalf, and 
 numbers were awakened to a sense of their danger. 
 This was on Saturday evening. Sunday afternoon. 
 Father Moister, a venerable local preacher of Wilkes- 
 barre, preached in the little Church to a crowded con- 
 gregation, and a large number of penitents presented 
 themselves for prayers. 
 
 A messenger came to tell me the good news and 
 request my presence. The meetings continued for 
 three weeks, and the Church was crowded every 
 evening, notwithstanding heavy storms arid unfathom- 
 able roads. From the mines and the slopes of the 
 East Mountain came people who had not attended any 
 religious services' for many years. Penitents, number- 
 ing from ten to twenty, presented themselves every 
 night. The little Society received many accessions 
 and became strong. The next year the Church at 
 the* Plains was organized as an independent charge, 
 and so remains. I write this brief history for the 
 encouragement of God's people where they are few, 
 and the discouragements many. Thus, with times 
 of refreshing, closed my pastoral term in the Wilkes- 
 barre charge. 
 
 The Wyoming Conference met at Waverley, New 
 York, June 21, 1854, Bishop Janes presiding. Noth- 
 
3SO Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 ing specially worthy of note occurred during the ses- 
 sion. On Sunday the services were held in a large 
 tent provided for the occasion, the church being too 
 small to accommodate the people. I was appointed 
 presiding elder on the Wyoming District. 
 
 I fixed my residence in the village of Kingston, 
 and began my work at once. I found the district 
 very large, as these things are now estimated, demand- 
 ing labor sufficient to tax the strength of a vigorous 
 man. It was a year of prosperity on the district. 
 We had a successful camp-meeting on the grounds of 
 Mr. Durland, commencing the thirtieth of August. 
 About seventy-five souls were converted, and good in- 
 fluences spread to many of the surrounding Churches. 
 The chief trial of the year was the repeated attacks 
 of chills and fever, to which I and my family were 
 subject, and for which there seemed to be no effective 
 remedy. 
 
 The Wyoming Conference commenced its session 
 June 20, 1855, at Wilkesbarre, Bishop Ames presid- 
 ing. I was again elected a delegate to the General 
 Conference. I expected, of course, to return to the 
 Wyoming District, but intended to remove my resi- 
 dence to some other point in it, in order to escape 
 from the ague, which prevailed at that time in the 
 valley. Learning this fact,, the Bishop concluded that 
 a removal still farther north would be no hardship, 
 and appointed me to the Binghamton District. 
 
 On the fourth of July I set out for my new field ol 
 labor, which was the more interesting to me from the 
 fact that it embraced a large part of the circuit which 
 I traveled during my first year in the Conference. 
 
Binghamton District. 351 
 
 Indeed, I found that, with some changes of the bound- 
 aries, Binghamton District was merely the Broome 
 Circuit of other days. Great changes, however, were 
 apparent on every side. The hills and the rivers 
 were there, but most of the people whom I knew in 
 18 16 had been gathered to their fathers. Here and 
 there was one, standing like an aged oak among the 
 luxuriant growths of later times. These few surviv- 
 ing friends welcomed me as I went around the dis- 
 trict, and the greetings were often a pleasant feature 
 of our quarterly meetings. 
 
 There was a scheme on foot for the establishment 
 of a Conference Seminary. Binghamton had been 
 selected as the location, and a school building erected 
 on an eminence west of the town. My predecessor 
 in the eldership had been one of the leading spirits 
 of the enterprise, but I was assured that my appoint- 
 ment to the district would lay upon me no responsibil- 
 ities in regard to the affair. No sooner had I arrived 
 upon the ground than I was elected one of the trust- 
 ees, and gradually drawn into what proved to be a 
 very unfortunate project. The location alone was 
 fatal. Methodism possessed little local strength. 
 The town was well supplied with public and private 
 schools. Patronage from the surrounding cftuntry 
 came slowly. The institution lacked capital. From 
 these and other causes it was a failure from the start. 
 It opened its doors with feeble hopes, and in six 
 months or so closed them again in despair. The 
 affair involved me in care, labor, mortification, and 
 pecuniary loss. Our own peopje in JBinghamton lost 
 heavily by the oi^eration ; and some of the citizens 
 
353 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 of the place, not connected with our Church, who 
 had generously come to our aid, shared our chagrin 
 and our losses. 
 
 The labors of the year, aside from the school 
 project, were pleasant, and not unsuccessful. In 
 September we held a camp-meeting five miles above 
 Binghamton, near the forks of the Chenango. The 
 attendance was large, the order good, the preaching 
 able, and there were a number of conversions, which 
 gladdened the hearts of the Church, and gave anew 
 impulse to the cause of religion. The Rev. William 
 Arthur, of London, my friend and (Correspondent, paid 
 us a visit, and saw, for the first time in his life, a 
 camp-meeting. Compared with some of the camp- 
 meetings of a later date, with their pleasant locations, 
 elaborate equipments, and worshiping hosts, it was 
 rather a small specimen of this effective means of 
 reaching the people. But our Wesleyan brother 
 surveyed the scene with the greatest interest, 
 shared cheerfully the primitive accommodations of 
 our life in the forest, and preached for us a beauti- 
 ful and impressive sermon, which, I doubt not, is 
 remembered by many to this day with pleasure and 
 profit. 
 
 The* winter was cold, with abundance of snow. I 
 traveled the district in my own conveyance, and it was 
 sometimes difficult for me to make my way through 
 the deep drifts and reach my appointments. Still, 
 I enjoyed the work. The quarterly meetings were 
 " times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord," 
 and the protracted meetings at various points were 
 seasons of power 
 
Binghamton District. 353 
 
 The General Conference of 1856 held its session 
 at Indianapolis, Indiana. 
 
 We found the city quite large, containing many- 
 very fine buildings, but evidently new. The site 
 was at that time wet in certain seasons of the year, 
 and the faces of the inhabitants hinted possible chills 
 and fever. I do not desire to speak evil of the good- 
 ly town where I was greeted so hospitably ; but I 
 was attacked by the malady named, and suffered 
 from it nearly all the month of the session. This 
 fact is probably a sufficient excuse for my seeing indi- 
 cations of malaria in the little ponds of stagnant 
 water here and here, as well as in the sallow faces of 
 the people. 
 
 On the second day of May the British delegates. 
 Rev. Dr. Hannah and the Rev. Mr. Jobson, were 
 introduced and made appropriate addresses. Dr. 
 Hannah was a delegate to the Conference of 1824, 
 the first of which I was a member, and the interven- 
 ing thirty-two years had made visible impress. He 
 was then a young and vigorous man ; now his head 
 was gray, his face wrinkled, and his motions tremu- 
 lous. He preached, however, with power and unc- 
 tion. Mr. Jobson was a fiery preacher, and made a 
 sensation whenever he occupied the pulpit or the 
 platform. 
 
 As usual, the question of slavery was debateS, and 
 the discussion this time was long and spirited. My 
 old friends, Drs. Chamberlain and Dempster, entered 
 with great zeal into the contest, the one dealing in 
 the most scathing denunciations of the great abomi- 
 nation, and the other demonstrating by formal and 
 23 
 
354 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 labored argument, that the institution is " only evil 
 continually." I felt constrained to examine the sub- 
 ject from another point of view. The General Con- 
 ference needed not to be convinced of the evil or the 
 wrong of slavery. On that point we were a unit. 
 But our Church on the border was suffering fearfully 
 in the collisions of the North and the South, and be- 
 tween these upper and nether millstones was being 
 ground to powder. New action on the part of the 
 General Conference would only inflame passions 
 already sufficiently excited, and increase perils al- 
 ready sufficiently great. The border Churches which 
 still adhered to the North could scarcely hold their 
 ground under the most favorable circumstances. 
 Extreme measures on the part of the Conference 
 would be fatal to them. The representatives from 
 Baltimore, Western Virginia, and Missouri, implored 
 the General Conference to refrain from new action 
 on the subject, and not make the ownership of a 
 slave a bar to membership, under the circumstances, 
 in the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 
 I sympathized with these brethren in their sore 
 trials. I felt no abatement of my convictions in re- 
 gard to slavery ; yet I deemed it right to use caution 
 and forbearance in pressing measures which would 
 place crushing burdens upon the very brethren who 
 were risking all things by their opposition to slavery 
 and their fidelity to their convictions. The Wesleyan 
 Methodists had not overlooked these considerations 
 in the West Indies. The primitive Church did not 
 overlook them in dealing with the evils of its own 
 times. 
 
Binghamton District. 355 
 
 The speakers were limited to one hour each, but I 
 was interrupted four or five times with questions and 
 explanations, and did not complete my argument be- 
 fore the limit was reached. The General Conference 
 closed its session at midnight the 3d of June. It 
 had been to me a period of considerable labor, per- 
 formed under very disadvantageous circumstances. 
 
 On reaching home I found affairs at the seminary 
 by no means improving. The principal, Mr. Carver, 
 managed his school well, but the number of students 
 was small, and the expenditure exceeded the income, 
 and he was worn with anxiety and overwork. To 
 give him a little respite I performed his official duties 
 while he took a vacation of some two or three weeks, 
 but I resolved that my connection with the institu- 
 tion should end with the Conference year. 
 
 The Wyoming Conference met at Binghamton 
 July 2, 1856, Bishop Morris presiding. 
 
 I requested the Bishop to release me from the 
 presiding eldership, and give me some minor appoint- 
 ment within the bounds of the Wyoming district, 
 and I was accordingly appointed to the Scran ton 
 Mission. 
 
 On taking possession .of my new field of labor I 
 found a little Society consisting of about forty reli- 
 able members, and an equal number of nominal ones. 
 The Scranton Iron Company had given us, ten years 
 before, a lot on the main street, upon which a little 
 frame church had been built. The services were 
 still held in this little edifice, which was the first 
 church built in the Lackawanna Valley. The Society, 
 however, had ventured into what was deemed a very 
 
3S6 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 ambitious project. A new lot had been secured on 
 Adams Avenue, and the church now standing there 
 had been begun, and the work prosecuted until the 
 basement was nearly ready for occupancy. But the 
 means of the feeble Society were exhausted, and the 
 enterprise was burdened with debt. This was the 
 condition of things at the time of my appointment. 
 
 On Sunday morning, July 19, I preached my first 
 sermon in the old church to about thirty people. In 
 about a month the basement of the new edifice was 
 completed, and the presiding elder of the district, the 
 Rev. William Wyatt, dedicated it to the worship of 
 God. The sum of one hundred and fifty dollars was 
 received on the day of dedication. Things did not 
 look encouraging. We had a good room for worship, 
 but the congregation filled only' about a third of the 
 space. It was clear that we needed, first of all, a 
 congregation. Prayer-meetings, and class-meetings, 
 too, had been held only at irregular intervals. I 
 felt that I had a great and difficult work in hand, but 
 I began it in faith and hope. My predecessor, the 
 Rev. Mr. Schoonmaker, had been active and labo- 
 rious, but much of his time and effort was spent in 
 seeking donations abroad, and the internal affairs of 
 the Society had suffered during his absences. I 
 preached with, all my strength, I visited the people, 
 and strove in all worthy ways to build up the Society. . 
 Our congregation continued steadily to increase. In 
 the winter we held special services for two weeks, 
 which benefited our members, but brought us no 
 additions to the Society. Still, the year closed with 
 signs of progress in all our interests. Financially, as 
 
Scranton. 357 
 
 well as otherwise, it was yet the day of small things. 
 We received four hundred dollars from the Missiona- 
 ry Society, and the society raised in sundry ways the 
 sum of one hundred and sixty dollars, making a total 
 of five hundred and sixty dollars for my support dur- 
 ing the year. I give these facts and figures that it 
 may be seen from what feebleness the Church at 
 Scranton has risen to its present importance. 
 
 The Conference met at Abington, May 6, 1857, 
 Bishop Scott presiding. I was reappointed to Scran- 
 ton. This year our congregation crowded the lecture- 
 room, and we began to feel that the larger room 
 above, as yet unfinished, was greatly needed. I 
 opened a subscription and secured a thousand dollars 
 for the completion of the church, about half of that 
 sum coming from the Society, and the balance being 
 donations from my personal friends in New York 
 and elsewhere. The work was resumed, and went 
 on without interruption, but the audience-room was 
 not opened till after my term of service had expired. 
 
 In November a deep religious interest began to 
 manifest itself in the congregation. We held special 
 services for about three months, and there were sixty 
 conversions. Nearly all the converts joined our 
 Church and became valuable members. 
 
 In the spring of 1858 we were blessed with another 
 outpouring of Divine influence. There were power- 
 ful revivals in various parts of the country. Daily 
 prayer-meetings were held in various cities. The 
 Presbyterians of Scranton commenced a daily 
 prayer-meeting in Odd Fellows Hall, calling it the 
 " Union Meeting," but carefully abstaining from shar- 
 
35 8 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 ing with others the burden of its management. My 
 ■people did not attend it in any great numbers, and 
 I resolved to commence evening meetings in our 
 own church. Not wishing to do any thing which 
 seemed illiberal, I consulted Colonel Scranton, the 
 leading man of the Presbyterian Church, and he 
 counseled me to proceed. Twenty-five persons pro-, 
 fessed conversion, and were added to the Church. 
 Thus my term of service in Scranton closed. 
 
 During these two years I spent fragments of time 
 in gathering up the traditions and examining the 
 history of the Valley of Wyoming, and finally con- 
 cluded to publish them. The work was published 
 by the Harpers in the spring of 1858, and is entitled 
 "Wyoming: its History, Stirring Incidents, and 
 Romantic Adventures.'' 
 
Wyoming District. 359 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 1858-61, WYOMING DISTRICT 1862-3, LACKAWANNA 
 
 DISTRICT. 
 
 THE Conference began its session at Pittston, 
 May 6, 1858, Bishop Baker presiding. As 
 we were pressed for time, the appointments were 
 made out, and the list sealed up on Saturday even- 
 ing. On Monday morning the Bishop departed, 
 having directed me to take the chair and complete 
 the business. At one o'clock the appointments were 
 read, and the Conference adjourned. I was made 
 presiding elder on the Wyoming District. 
 
 This year was marked by few events worthy of 
 special note. In May we had a family gathering in 
 Cortland, N. Y. My brother, Jesse T. Peck, had 
 been appointed to a Church in San Francisco, and 
 desired to see us all before he left for his new field 
 of labor. We spent two days in each other's society, 
 and then separated, some, probably, to meet no more 
 on earth. 
 
 During the year I officiated at the funeral of two 
 venerable local preachers. 
 
 Samuel Griffin, of Kingston, had been for many 
 years a local elder in the Church, and was a man of 
 great force of character, integrity, and piety. He 
 was an excellent preacher, laborious and useful, many 
 souls having been converted under his ministry. He 
 
360 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 was much beloved' and respected, and at his death 
 was greatly lamented. 
 
 Jacob Rice, of Truxville, was deeply pious, and 
 strongly attached to the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 His hospitable dwelling was long the home of the 
 preachers, where they always received a most cordial 
 welcome. His wife was a model woman, kind in her 
 manners, and a pattern of neatness and good order. 
 In this Christian home I spent many pleasant hours, 
 which I can never forget. 
 
 In September, 1858, the Church at Scran ton was 
 dedicated by the Rev. Pennell Coombe, of the Phila- 
 delphia Conference. From this time the Society 
 there has had a beautiful and commodious place of 
 worship, and has prospered. 
 
 This year I also built a house, and moved into it. 
 This, as nearly as I can estimate the number, was 
 about the fiftieth removal which we had made since 
 our marriage in 18 19. During the previous thirty- 
 nine years I had occupied but three regular parson- 
 ages. The rest of the time I was generally compelled 
 to rent a house, and pay the rent myself 
 
 The work on the district prospered, though there 
 was no general revival among the Churches. 
 
 On the 6th of May, 1859, I received information 
 of the death of my esteemed friend, the Rev. George 
 Lane. He died in Wilkesbarre, his early home, where 
 I first met him, and to which he had returned about 
 a year before his death. He was a man of deep and 
 earnest piety, of undoubted integrity in all matters 
 of business, and firm in his friendships. On Sun- 
 day, the 8th of May, I preached the sermon at the 
 
Wyoming District. 361 
 
 funeral of this venerable man of God, and we con- 
 signed his remains to the tomb in the beautiful cem- 
 etery on the banks of the Susquehanna. 
 
 The Wyoming Conference convened May 12, 1859, 
 in Newark Valley, N. Y., Bishop Ames presiding. 
 
 By the request of the Conference I repeated before 
 that body the sermon which I preached at Wilkes- 
 barre at the funeral of the Rev. G. Lane, the text on 
 both occasions being the words, " He was a good 
 man, and full of the Holy Ghost, and of faith." 
 
 To me, personally, the great event of the session 
 was meeting my old and much-valued friends, the 
 Revs. Loring Grant and Elisha Bibbins. While I 
 was preaching the memorial sermon, and Mr. Grant 
 was sitting with me in the pulpit, I saw Mr. Bibbins 
 in the congregation, and the presence of those two 
 brought back the thrilling scenes and events of my 
 early ministry with such force as almost unfitted me 
 to proceed with my discourse. I invited Mr. Bibbins 
 to take part in the services with Mr. Grant. My old 
 friends were personally known to few present on the 
 occasion, but their names had long been household 
 words, and all knew their history, their sacrifices, 
 labors, and successes in every part of the Conference 
 territory. 
 
 I was reappointed to the Wyoming district, and 
 began the labors of another year, official and volun- 
 tary. I had already made considerable collections of 
 material for a history of early Methodism within the 
 bounds of the old Genesee Conference. 
 
 The old residents and members of the Church in 
 Wyoming Valley gave me much valuable information. 
 
362 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 The journal of the Rev. William Colbert, one of the 
 early pioneers, supplied me with data which I could 
 find nowhere else, of the bounds of circuits and the 
 names of places and persons in Northern Pennsylva- 
 nia, and Southern, Central, and Western New York, 
 where he so long and so faithfully labored. While I 
 was studying the lines of missionary work on the 
 Hudson and the Mohawk, conducted by Rev. Free- 
 born Garrettson, in 1788, and deploring the incom- 
 pleteness of the records of the times, the veteran 
 Bibbins came to see me. His parents and one of 
 his brothers were among the first fruits gathered by 
 the young preachers who thus ventured into the 
 wilderness. 
 
 We talked incessantly for hours, a part of the time 
 in my study, and a part of it as we went to call upon 
 one of his old friends. As we were on our way Mr. 
 Bibbins paused several times, standing with his hand 
 upon his side, as if in pain. On one of these occa- 
 sions he remarked quietly, " Doctor Everett tells me 
 that I have disease of the heart, and will die sud- 
 denly. I am trying to be prepared." Returning to 
 my house, we spent the evening in calling up reminis- 
 cences, grave and gay. My old friend laughed heart- 
 ily over the recollection of some of the scenes nar- 
 rated, and yet there was an unusual pensiveness in 
 his language and manner. About ten o'clock we 
 retired to rest. 
 
 About three o'clock the next morning I was awak- 
 ened by his calling my name. Procuring a light, I 
 went to his room, and found him coughing, raising 
 blood, and complaining of being-cold. We at once 
 
Wyoming District. 363 
 
 kindled a fire, did what we could to make him com- 
 fortable, and sent for a physician. When the physi- 
 cian arrived Mr. Bibbins said to him, in response to 
 an inquiry in regard to his general health, " The old 
 machine is nearly worn out." The doctor adminis- 
 tered some medicine and departed, his patient being 
 apparently free from pain, though still unable to lie 
 down. We placed him in a large chair, and wrapped 
 him up warm. " There," said he, "that is just right. 
 Now, brother, lie down and rest, you must be tired." 
 Seeing no reason for apprehension I laid down in the 
 same room, and after a time fell asleep. When I 
 awoke it was morning. I looked at Mr. Bibbins. He 
 seemed not to have stirred a finger, and I thought at 
 first that he was in a sweet sleep. Placing my hand 
 upon his I found that my dear old friend was gone. 
 " The fathers, where are they .■' And the prophets, do 
 they live forever ?" 
 
 Funeral services were held in the church at Scran- 
 ton, Dr. Paddock preaching a brief discourse, and I 
 following with an account of the life and character of 
 this aged minister of Christ. The remains were con- 
 veyed to Orwell, where a second service was held, 
 and I preached a funeral sermon to a large and 
 deeply-affected congregation. 
 
 Elisha Bibbins was in many respects a remarkable 
 man. The sources of his great usefulness were his 
 deep piety, his great zeal for God, the wonderful 
 power of his exhortations and prayers, the melting 
 pathos of his singing, and the warmth of his great 
 heart. These things, under God, made his ministry 
 very successful. The Rev. George Landon, making 
 
364 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 an address at his funeral, said, as he pointed to the 
 coffin, " There lie the remains of the man who did 
 more toward forming my character and the history 
 of my life than any other, for he led me to Christ." 
 Multitudes could say the same thing. 
 
 In August Madison F. Myers, my brother-in-law, 
 died so peacefully, so triumphantly, that I deem his 
 departure worthy to be here recorded. He had been 
 a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church since 
 1836, and for many years filled the office of steward 
 and trustee. He was greatly respected and greatly 
 beloved. His last illness was protracted, and during 
 its progress I saw him almost daily. I was with him 
 when he breathed his last. Such a death is seldom 
 witnessed. Sometimes he seemed in an ecstasy of 
 joy. Once he called upon us to " sing, sing praise." 
 We began to sing the well-known hymn : 
 
 " Come sing to me of heaven, 
 When I'm about to die." 
 
 And with big tears of holy rapture falling from his 
 eyes he joined in the chorus, "There will be no sor- 
 row there." He summoned to his bedside, not only 
 the members of his own family and his relatives, but 
 every person in his employ, that he might take them 
 by the hand, and give them kind words of advice and 
 his last blessing. A little while before he, died he 
 seemed to be transported with the most sublime con- 
 ceptions of the other life, arid the utter insufficiency 
 of the things of this "vvorld. With intense emotion 
 he exclaimed, " O what should I now do, what can 
 any one in my condition do, without hope in Christ ? 
 
Wyoming District. 365 
 
 Millions of gold, millions of acres, are worthless, and 
 I count them as dross." He died the death of the 
 righteous. May ours be as peaceful ! 
 
 In the latter part of August we held a camp-meet- 
 ing on Everhart's Island, a beautiful place near 
 Pittston. The gathering was unusually large, and 
 from the beginning deep religious feeling prevailed. 
 On the Sabbath it was estimated that ten thousand 
 people listened to the preaching, and yet the order 
 was complete. There were about forty conversions. 
 
 In November I made ajittle journey to visit some 
 old friends, and gather additional materials for my 
 history of Early Methodism. At Mile Center I 
 spent three days with the venerable Loring Grant, 
 who was the means of my entering into the ministry 
 in 1 8 16. At Clifton I spent a day with Rev. Gideon 
 Draper, another of the veterans of the Church. Dr. 
 F. G. Hibbard, whom I also met at Clifton, gave me 
 valuable aid in my researches ; as did also the Rev. 
 Dr. De Puy, with whom I spent some time at Buffalo. 
 At Clarence I visited the Rev. Glezen Filmore, at 
 Camillus called upon the Rev. George Harmon, and 
 at Syracuse met the Rev. Charles Giles, three more 
 of the early heroes of Methodism, whose memories 
 were rich in the unwritten chronicles of the past. 
 The aid which I received from the brethren named 
 gives additional value to the volume which I was pre- 
 paring, and with pleasure I here note my obligations 
 to them. The work was published in the spring 
 of i860. 
 
 My labors during the year had been arduous, and 
 yet not burdensome. I had preached every Sabbath 
 
366 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 since the session of the Conference, and attended to 
 all my official duties. It was a year of peace, and of 
 some progress on the district, and at its close I felt 
 that I could " thank God and take courage." 
 
 The Wyoming Conference held its session at 
 Scranton, beginning April 19, i860. Bishop Scott 
 presided. 
 
 Not being able to reach the place in time," Bishop 
 Scott telegraphed to me to open the Conference and 
 proceed with the business. He arrived in time to 
 preside the second day of the session. On Saturday 
 I was sent to Ithaca to transact some business with 
 the trustees of the Oneida Conference, then in session. 
 Returning to Scranton on Tuesday, I was informed 
 that the election of delegates to the General Confer- 
 ence had taken place, and that I was one of the 
 members. 
 
 The General Conference of i860 assembled in the 
 city of Buffalo. The debate on slavery occupied 
 much time, and reached some valuable results. The 
 delegates from the border Conferences deprecated 
 all new action on the subject, and among them were 
 a very few who were ready again to rend the Church 
 in case any new advance was made. There seemed 
 to be in the minds of some an impression that the 
 conservative Conferences, so called, would be ready, 
 in case new action was taken, to separate themselves 
 from the North, and holding aloof from both North and 
 South, form a central Methodist Episcopal Church, 
 which should occupy the border territory, and hold 
 the same position in regard to slavery which it was 
 claimed that the Methodist Episcopal Church had 
 
General Conference of i860. 367 
 
 held previous to the General Conference of 1 844. The 
 discussion Wcis not characterized by extraordinary abil- 
 ity, nor did it bring any new light. Not a few of the 
 speeches were repetitions of addresses and orations 
 which had done duty elsewhere, and whose argu- 
 ments and ideas were familiar to all. Indeed, the 
 discussion, as I remember it, did not bring forward a 
 single new thought. 
 
 Two measures were proposed, the one adding to 
 the Discipline a new section declarative of our senti- 
 ments on the subject of slavery, the other inaugurat- 
 ing the Disciplinary process for such a change of the 
 General Rules as would exclude from the Church all 
 who held, in the eye of the civil law, the position 
 of owners of slaves. While these measures were 
 pending, and it had become evident that at least one 
 . of them would be adopted, an attempt was made to 
 inaugurate a new secession. 
 
 A meeting of the delegates of several Conferences, 
 whose territory lies in the middle States, was called 
 in the Pearl-street Church, the call, however, not 
 specifying the object. Some thirty or forty assem- 
 bled. Dr. Sheer, of the Baltimore Conference, was 
 invited to preside. On taking the chair, he remarked 
 that he did not understand the object of the meeting, 
 and that he would be glad if any one present who 
 did would explain it. The Rev. John A. Martin, alsq 
 of the Baltimore Conference, arose and presented a 
 paper, which he proceeded to read. The document 
 proved to be a recital of the burdens laid upon the 
 Church along the border by the extreme measures 
 constantly urged by Northern ultraists. It declared 
 
368 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 that the pending measures, if adopted, would render 
 it impossible for our Church in certain sections of 
 the work to hold its ground, and closed with an em- 
 phatic protest against any new action as being both 
 needless and ruinous. 
 
 As he finished the reading, Mr. Martin said that 
 there was no need of discussion. The facts were 
 known ; the paper spoke for itself ; all that was now 
 necessary was that the brethren should come forward 
 at once and sign it. And he placed the document 
 on the table for that purpose. No one moved. The 
 delegates sat in blank silence for some moments. Dr. 
 Crane, of the Newark Conference, then arose and de- 
 nounced the whole movement as a deliberate attempt 
 to rend the Church a second time. He declared that 
 if those present put their names to the papdr before 
 them, they would commit themselves to a plot for a 
 new separation ; that this was the aim and intent of 
 the paper before them, and would be the inevitable 
 result if they should sign it ; that if a general disin- 
 tegration of the middle Conferences was to be the 
 order of the day, as the paper argued, he would prefer 
 that the New Jersey Conferences should adopt meas- 
 ures that would take them wholly out of the contro- 
 versy ; that they should anchor by themselves and 
 wait till the storm was over. Little more was said, 
 _.^and the meeting broke up in confusion. Of this 
 affair, however, I knew nothing at the time. The 
 history is of interest now only as an illustration of 
 the universal agitation which, in less than a twelve- 
 month, ushered in the war of the rebellion. 
 
 I had come to the Conference wholly unpledged 
 
General Conference of i860. 369 
 
 to any particular measure. I hold that pledges are 
 seldom expedient. It cannot be known in advance 
 what light will be thrown upon a subject by a thor- 
 ough discussion of it, or what shape the question will 
 finally assume. I was ready to vote for such a change 
 of the General Rule in regard to slavery as would 
 render it more stringent in its provisions and a more 
 emphatic declaration of our abhorrence of human 
 bondage ; but I did not believe that it would be con- 
 stitutional for the General Conference, without chang- 
 ing the rule, to adopt measures which would have 
 the same legal force as a change of the rule. But 
 when the section as now found in the Discipline was 
 proposed, I saw in it a full and accurate declaration 
 of the sentiments which I held on the subject. The 
 country was on the verge of civil war. If the General 
 Conference should adopt the new section its action 
 would be final. If it should inaugurate a change of 
 the rule, the proposition must go the round of the 
 Annual Conferences, a flaming firebrand of strife and 
 passion. Viewing the matter in this light, I voted 
 in fevor of the new section on slavery, and against 
 a change of the General Rule. 
 
 At this General Conference the subject of lay 
 delegation made important advances. A committee 
 reported a plan for the adoption of the principle, to 
 be submitted to a vote of the laity. During the disa 
 cussion, the part containing the plan was stricken 
 from the report. This left nothing for the people to 
 vote upon except the bare principle.* Not approving 
 of the matter in this shape, I moved to lay on the 
 
 table what was left of the report, but my motion 
 24 
 
3/0 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 did not prevail. . The report was adopted, and the 
 measure was submitted, as a " glittering generality," 
 to the vote of the laity, and defeated, ast'l e;specte.d 
 that it would be. '"'' ' " -* ' ' * , 
 
 Nazaritism, as it was called, also occupied the atten- 
 tion of the General Conference. Several members 
 of the Genesee Conference had become alienated 
 from the rest. They complained ' that they were 
 neglected and oppressed, and professed to believe 
 that the influence of secret societies was potent in 
 the management of the ^ffairs of the Church in that 
 section. So zealous did they become in their oppo- 
 sition to secret sQcieties, that they organized a secret 
 society for the express purpose of making war against 
 them. Thejafalso professed high regard for old-style 
 MethodiOTi in its purity and power. In'time came an 
 open rupture, with collisions onthe floor of the Con- 
 ference, and a war of newspapers and pamphlets out- 
 side.. Four or five minist^s were tried under various 
 charges growing out of the troubles, and expelled from 
 the Church. They then organized what they named 
 the "Free Methodist Church," and sought to form 
 societies wherever they could, ^relying, for materials 
 chiefly upon discontented members of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church, or .those in whom they cquld create 
 discontent. Notwithstanding -thjpy had tmited in atr 
 ^tempt to found a new denomination, they appealed 
 to the General Conference for a reversal of the action " 
 by which they had been expelled from the Genesee < 
 Conference. The General Conference referred the, 
 matter, as it did all t^ip appeal oases, to the Court of 
 Appeals, a large committee selected for the purpose. 
 
Wyoming^ District. 371 
 
 Here the cases of the Nazarite appellants were care- 
 fully considered ; and it being ascertained that they 
 had utterly disregarded' the authority of the Church, 
 by which they had been 'deprived of their ministerial 
 office, and that they had also organized a society 
 openly hostile to the Church, they were adjudged to 
 have forfeited their right to an';appeal, and the cases 
 were dismissed. From that time the ministers and 
 members of the new society have been untiring in 
 their labors to establish it upon a permanent basis ; 
 but .the narrowness of their views and the acrimony * 
 qf their spirit are a very heavy load with which to 
 start in a race. Perhaps, as the years pass on, these 
 will be modified, and in the end, good come out of 
 what seemed unmitigated evil. 
 
 The General Conference adjourned on Monday, ^ 
 June 4, and I returned to my Jiome and my work. In 
 August, we had another camp-meeting on Everhart's 
 Island, which was well attended and successful. 
 Shortly after I was attacked, with inflammation of 
 the eyes, which proved of so serious a character as 
 to almost wholly prevent me from reading and writ- 
 ing for the space of two years. The abuse of the most 
 perfect physical powers involves retribution. 
 
 This year, i860, will be ever memorable in the his- 
 tory of our country. The suicidal arrogance and 
 folly of the slave power were approaching their culmi- 
 nation.' ' X)ay by day the political sky grew stormy. 
 ,The presidential campaign was characterized by a 
 -bitterness'hitherto unknown, and the very air seemed 
 full of foreboding. When the election came, and the 
 Republicans were victorious, the joy of the victors 
 
372 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 was mingled with apprehension. None could tell to 
 what desperate measures the slave power — blind, furi- 
 ous, and remorseless — might resort. 
 
 The Wyoming Conference met at Owego, April 
 II, 1861, Bishop Simpson presiding. 
 
 The session had scarcely begun before the telegraph 
 began to bring startling intelligence from the South. 
 Oil the 13th the news reached us that the war had 
 commenced, and the bombardment of Fort Sumter 
 wa#*in progress. The excitement was profound and 
 universal, and every true heart flamed with patriotic 
 fire. The business of the Conference indeed pro- 
 ceeded with some degree of regularity, but all minds 
 were full of the great subject which continually 
 thrust itself upon our attention ; and in the Bish- 
 op's coiyicil, the arranging of the appointments was 
 often interrupted, that we might hear the latest 
 news. 
 
 I was re-appointed to the Wyoming district. The 
 war spirit now ran high^ and in my quarterly visita- 
 tions I found not a few Christian men who were 
 earnestly canvassing questions of patriotic duty. 
 This led me to discuss national questions in the pul- 
 pit where I saw fitting opportunity. The South, in 
 its madness, had plunged the nation into the horrors 
 of fratricidal war. The only alternative left us was 
 either to resist with all our strength, or be torn in 
 pieces. I saw no way to escape national destruction 
 but by the most vigorous and determined resistance. _ 
 Consequently, every-where upon my district, I de- 
 nounced the crime of the South, and explained what 
 I held to be the duty of ^ the Christian citizen. ^ 
 
Lackawanna District. 373 
 
 In May a fall came near terminating my life. No 
 very serious visible injury was inflicted, but my 
 nervous system received a heavy shock. I rested 
 one Sabbath, and then resumed my work, but soon 
 found indications of worse injury than I had expected. 
 My memory was not so trustworthy as before, my 
 mental processes generally were slow, and there 
 were symptoms of coming paralysis. By the advice 
 of my physician I left my work, and spent a month 
 visiting in New Jersey and New York, and at the 
 end of that time returned home much improved in 
 health. 
 
 This year closed the disciplinary term on the Wy- 
 oming District. They had been four years of suc- 
 cess. The cause of religion had prospered at all 
 points, and the interests of the Church generally had 
 advanced. At the close my health was fully restored, 
 and I felt no hesitation in accepting any new field of 
 labor which my brethren in their wisdom might des- 
 ignate for me. 
 
 The Conference met at Wilkesbarre, April 9, 1862, 
 Bishop Scott presiding. 
 
 I was continued in the presiding eldership, being 
 appointed to the Lackawanna district. It contained 
 twelve appointments only, which enabled me to ar- 
 range my labors after the primitive Methodist style, 
 giving an entire Sabbath to each quarterly meeting. 
 The territory was 'familiar to me. A part of it had 
 been included in bid Canaan Circuit, on which I trav- 
 eled in 1820, and all of it was included in the Susque- 
 hanna district, on which I labored in 1839. I found 
 much enjoyment in reviving the friendships of those 
 
374 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 earlier days. Our quarterly meetings were seasons 
 of spiritual refreshing; 
 
 We held our annual camp-meeting on Everhart's 
 Island, the Wyoming and the Lackawanna districts 
 uniting. It was well attended, and productive of 
 good results. My year on the district was as fruitful 
 of good as could have been anticipated, considering 
 the state of the country. War was raging with all 
 its horrors. The Government called continually for 
 men to fill the ranks of our armies, and multitudes of 
 our youth were hurrying to the field of strife, many 
 to return no more. Many homes were sad because 
 of the sudden bereavements which every victory and 
 every defeat brought in its train. 
 
 The Wyoming Conference met at Susquehanna, 
 April 8, i>863. Bishop Janes presided, and the busi- 
 ness proceeded with usual harmony and dispatch. 
 There was, however, some difficulty in appointing 
 two or three preachers, who were charged with polit- 
 ical heresy. Popular sentiment was strong in favor 
 of the Union and the war for its preservation, and 
 the excitement was so great in many of the charges 
 that the slightest suspicion of sympathy with seces- 
 sion was sufficient to close every door against a 
 preacher, however unexceptionable otherwise. Even 
 silence on the subject could scarcely be tolerated. 
 Under the pressure one of the members of the Con- 
 ference not long afterward withdrew from the Church. 
 The Conference closed its session on Monday even- 
 ing. The Bishop requested me to address the Con- 
 ference, just before the reading of the appointments, 
 on the usages of the olden times, which I did, so far 
 
Lackawanna District. 375 
 
 as my own experience and observation gave me light 
 on the subject. I was re-appointed to the Lackawan- 
 na district. 
 
 In August we held our camp-meeting on Ever- 
 hart's Island. An attack of illness had laid me aside 
 from my work nearly all the month of July, and I 
 came upon the ground only partially recovered, but 
 consoling myself with the reflection that Dr. Nelson, 
 the efficient presiding elder of the Wyoming district, 
 would take the burden of the management. What 
 was my consternation on arriving at the island to 
 learn that two of the buildings of the Wyoming Sem- 
 inary had been consumed by fire the night before, 
 and that my colleague in labor would hardly be able 
 to be present at all. The preachers, however, lent 
 me most efficient aid, and I daily gained, instead of 
 losing, strength. A large number of persons were 
 converted. On Sunday morning I preached to a 
 vast congregation on the signs of the times, (Matt, 
 xvi, 3,) taking occasion to review the aspects of the 
 moral and political horizon.* Some of the audience 
 complained that I " preached pohtics," but I had not 
 only the approbation of my own conscience, but the 
 clearest evidence, that a very great majority of the 
 listening multitudes were entirely and enthusiastically 
 in sympathy with the sentiments of the sermon. 
 
 These were indeed days of fiery trial to Christians 
 and patriots. The second battle of Bull Run had 
 taken place. The Government was loudly calling for 
 volunteers, and a draft had also been ordered. Cow- 
 
 * This sermon may be found in the vohime of sermons entitled, 
 " Our Country: its Trials and its Triumphs," p. 36. 
 
376 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 ards were flying from their homes to escape from 
 military duty. The stoutest hearted and most patri- 
 otic were sad, even while they rose to a sterner de- 
 termination and loftier sacrifices. The blind party 
 fanaticism which demagogues cultivate so carefully 
 for their own profit, began to bear its legitimate fruit. 
 The July riots of 1863 occurred, and added a new 
 horror to the agony through which the nation was 
 passing. In our own vicinity there was talk of armed 
 resistance to the draft ; and a body of men actually _ 
 fixed upon a spot among the mountains, which they 
 tried to fortify for a refuge. 
 
 This state of things was known at Washington, 
 and vigorous measures were taken in reference to it. 
 While our camp-meeting was in progress the solemn 
 services were interrupted by the sound of a bugle, 
 and a regiment of United States' cavalry were seen 
 marching by in plain sight of the congregation. 
 This regiment, with part of a regiment of infantry, 
 was quartered at Scranton for months. Our town 
 was like a camp, military music and parades being 
 the most prominent objects of attention in our 
 streets. 
 
 Toward the close of this year a fearful epidemic, 
 called the black fever, raged in the northern part of 
 my district. At Carbondale four hundred persons 
 died. At Clark's Green, a village of five or six hun- 
 dred inhabitants, one third of the people fell victims. 
 In most cases the disease did its fatal work swiftly, 
 often in the space of a few hours. It reminded me 
 of what was called the Cold Plague of 1 8 1 2, which it 
 strongly resembled, if indeed it was not the same 
 
Lackawanna District. 377 
 
 malady. I remember well the terror inspired by the 
 epidemic of 181 2, and the fearful ravages which it 
 made. The alarm of the people of Carbondale and 
 the surrounding country was intense, and the Churches 
 of my district suffered the loss of many members. 
 
 The Conference met at Waverley, N. Y., March 23, 
 1864, Bishop Janes presiding. 
 
 The business of the Conference was delayed two 
 whole days in an attempt to find places where two 
 or three unacceptable preachers would be likely to 
 do the least harm. From this source come the worst 
 cares and anxieties which burden the superintenden- 
 cy of the Church. These men are to be blamed as 
 well as pitied. They ought to locate. The blame, 
 however, is not wholly theirs. The Conference some- 
 times receives men hastily, without evidence of their 
 probable usefulness and success. And presiding eld- 
 ers, who have such material on their hands, some- 
 times fail to be as candid and outspoken as their 
 duty to their brethren and the Church demands ; and 
 a doubtful man, unsuited to the work, is suffered to 
 drag his slow length along till he is so far advanced 
 in life that to set him aside involves very serious in- 
 jury. The question ought to be settled while the 
 man is young, and fields of honorable employment, 
 other than the ministry, are open before him. 
 
 I was again elected a delegate to the General Con- 
 ference, which met this year in Philadelphia. Ar- 
 riving in the city on the 30th of April, I found that 
 the home assigned me was the residence of the Rev. 
 T. K. Peterson, whose grandfather, Thomas Kelley, 
 was my hospitable entertainer during the General 
 
3/8 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 Conference of 1832. My comrades then were George 
 Pickering, Peter P. Sandford, and George Harmon. 
 Those of 1864 were Bishop Morris and Jesse T. Peck. 
 All my recollections of the month spent in the hos- 
 pitable home of Mr. Kelley are pleasant. 
 
 The General Conference organized on Monday, 
 May 2. I was appointed a member of the Committee 
 on the Episcopacy, and was made also chairman of 
 the Committee on the German work. I was in favor 
 of the organization of German Conferences. A long 
 and earnest discussion was had over this question in 
 the committee, terminating in the adoption of a re- 
 port recommending separate organization. This re- 
 port was adopted by the General Conference, and the 
 plan was inaugurated. On Tuesday the delegate of 
 the British Wesleyans, Dr. Thornton, made an able 
 address. Friday, the 6th of May, was observed as a 
 day of fasting and prayer for the nation. General 
 Grant had begun his advance movement in the cam- 
 paign which decided the fortunes of the rebellion, 
 and every patriot heart was throbbing with hope and 
 fear. For many days every prayer offered in the 
 General Conference commended to God the cause 
 which we loved so well. 
 
 In the Committee on the Episcopacy, strong efforts 
 were made to secure action in favor of dividing the 
 work into districts, and assigning a bishop to each 
 for the term of four years. After much time had 
 been spent in discussion, a resolution in favor of the 
 measure was laid on the table by a majority of two. 
 
 A committee, consisting of Bishop Ames, Joseph 
 Cummings, George Peck, Charles Elliott, and Gran- 
 
/ 
 Lackawanna District, 379 
 
 ville Moody, was appointed to bear to President Lin- 
 coln an address, assuring him of our sympathy with 
 him in the great responsibilities laid upon him, and 
 pledging our prayers "for the preservation of our 
 country undivided, for the triumph of our cause, and 
 for a permanent peace, gained by the sacrifice of 
 no moral principle, but founded on the word of 
 God, and securing righteousness, liberty, and- equal 
 rights to all." The committee went to Washington 
 on Tuesday, May 17. Colonel Moody sought a pre- 
 liminary interview with the President, and furnished 
 him with a copy of the address. Mr. Lincoln named 
 the hour of ten o'clock the next morning for the 
 formal interview. The Committee waited upon the 
 President at the time designated, and were intro- 
 duced by the Secretary of State, Mr. Seward. We 
 were received with great courtesy. Dr. Cummings 
 read the address. At its conclusion, Mr. Lincoln 
 picked up a paper from the desk near which he 
 was standing, and said, " I have already been made 
 acquainted with the character of this address, and 
 have prepared the following reply." He then read 
 as follows, in a clear, distinct voice, and with an air of 
 heartiness which seemed to say that, with him, it 
 was more than mere formality : — 
 
 " Gentlemen : In response to your address, allow 
 me to attest the accuracy of its historical statements, 
 indorse the sentiments it expresses, and thank you, 
 in the nation's name, for the sure promise it gives. 
 
 " Nobly sustained, as the Government has been 
 by all the Churches, I would utter nothing which 
 
38o Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 might in the least appear invidious against any. Yet, 
 without this, it may fairly be said that the Methodist 
 Church, not less devoted than the best, is, by its 
 greater number, the most important of all. It is no 
 fault in others that the Methodist Church sends more 
 soldiers to the field, more nurses to the hospitals, and 
 more prayers to Heaven than any. God bless the 
 Methodist Church— bless all the Churches ! And 
 blessed be God, who in this, our great trial, giveth us 
 the Churches ! 
 
 (Signed,) "A. Lincoln." 
 
 The President read the last sentence with a rever- 
 ence which seemed to indicate deep religious feeling. 
 
 At our request he presented us with the autograph 
 of his reply. We were invited to be seated, a brief 
 conversation ensued in regard to public affairs, and 
 we then withdrew. I turned to look at Mr. Lincoln 
 as we went out. He was already seated at his desk, 
 with his pen in his hand. While he was listening to 
 our address, and making his reply, he stood before 
 us straight as an arrow ; but the moment he sat 
 down to his work his shoulders fell, his back bent, 
 and he was the very impersonation of a care-worn, 
 weary man. I had seen him before. I never saw 
 him again. 
 
 We called upon Secretaries Chase and Stanton, 
 and also visited the hospitals, where the wounded 
 were arriving from the battle fields of the Wilderness. 
 'Some had suffered the amputation of legs and arms, 
 but not a murmur was heard. When we took the 
 train for Philadelphia we found a large number of 
 
Lackawanna District. 38 1 
 
 wounded men in the cars, on their way to hospitals 
 farther north. When we entered Baltimore, we met 
 a train laden with recruits on their way to the army, 
 and hearty cheers were exchanged. The enthusiasm 
 was contagious, and I was almost ready to say, 
 " Would that I were young again, that I might join 
 this band of heroes, and face the storm of war on 
 the plains of Virginia." 
 
 When we went into the Conference the next morn- 
 ing, proudly bearing the President's reply to the ad- 
 dress, we were taken aback by discovering that it had 
 been published in all the morning papers, and every 
 body had read it, and knew all about the affair. In 
 fact, it had been telegraphed at once to Philadelphia, 
 and was going into type before we left Washington. 
 
 Lay delegation came again before the General Con- 
 ference, and I was placed on the committee to con- 
 sider it. Governor Wright, of Indiana, Dr. Strong, 
 of New York, and others, came before the committee 
 as the representatives of the friends of the measure, 
 and urged immediate action by the General Confer- 
 ence. I replied, that the measure had been submit- 
 ted to a vote of the laity in 1862, and the majority 
 of votes was against the measure. The total vote 
 was indeed small, and the popular decision thus given 
 might not be the final judgment of the Church, but 
 the General Conference, in the face of that decision, 
 ought not to establish lay delegation without some 
 new declaration of the wishes of the people. The 
 General Conference finally submitted the question 
 anew, this time with a plan for the introduction of 
 lay delegates into the Conference. 
 
382 Life and Times of G. Peck, D'.D. 
 
 At this General Conference, I found myself, for 
 the first time, placed formally among the fathers of 
 the Church. Dr. Elliot and myself were invited by 
 vote to take our seats on the platform with the bish- 
 ops ; and we were also appointed, with Dr. William 
 Nast, editor of " The Christian Apologist," to visit 
 the Canada Wesleyan Conference, bearing the salu- 
 tations of the body that we represented. 
 
 On Friday, May 27, the General Conference ad- 
 journed. It had been, emphatically, a session of hard 
 work, and had done, what none of its predecessors 
 so far as I know had ever done, it had acted upon 
 every thing which had been brought before it, and 
 had cleared the table of every report and every reso- 
 lution, great and small. This may have been due in 
 some degree to the fact that it was now no longer 
 necessary to inquire, " What shall be done for the 
 extirpation of the evil of slavery .? " Lincoln's pro- 
 clamation had "proclaimed liberty throughout the 
 land, to all the inhabitants thereof," apd the vexing 
 questions, originating in slavery were no more. 
 
Lackawanna District. 383 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 1864-5, LACKAWANNA DISTRICT 1866-7, PROVIDENCE 
 
 1868, DUNMOKE 1869-72, WYOMING DISTRICT. 
 
 FAMILY re-unions have become an institution 
 with us. As my brother Jesse must soon return 
 to California, we arranged to meet at Cortland, New 
 York, on Friday the loth of June. At the time ap- 
 pointed the five brothers and two sisters, with seven 
 or eight children, assembled, and spent two or three 
 days together. By-gone scenes and events were 
 recalled, and the character and history of the de- 
 parted were reviewed. A part of our circle belong 
 to Xho. family above ; and as we pronounced their 
 names, we rejoiced in the hope of another gathering, 
 which should number all these precious ones now 
 absent. 
 
 The Sabbath was a day of deep religious interest 
 to us. Jesse T. Peck, Luther W. Peck, and myself, 
 preached in the Methodist Episcopal Church of Cort- 
 land ; and the last day of our family meeting was 
 spent in the worship of God, and the relation of 
 Christian experience ; and we separated with devout 
 gratitude to God for the past, and a good hope 
 through grace of life in heaven. 
 
 The General Conference had resolved to celebrate, 
 in 1866, the conclusion of the first century of the 
 history of Methodism in America. It was deemed 
 
384 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 wise so to shape the celebration that it would nol 
 spend itself in fruitless words, but leave behind it 
 useful and substantial memorials of our grateful joy. 
 Arrangements were therefore- made for the appoint- 
 ment of a large committee of ministers and laymen, 
 who should assemble after the adjournment of the 
 General Conference, canvass the whole subject care- 
 fully, and decide what plans of benevolent enterprise 
 should be laid before the Church in connection with 
 the Centenary services. I was honored with a place 
 on this committee, which consisted of the bishops, 
 twelve other ministers, and twelve laymen. The 
 committee met at Cleveland, Ohio, on the 22d of 
 February, 1865, and subsequently held another meet- 
 ing in the city of New York, and, I believe, performed 
 their onerous duties wisely, and to the satisfaction of 
 the Church. 
 
 All through the war, as has been already said, I 
 had availed myself of fitting occasions to discuss the 
 principles of Christian citizenship, and the duties de- 
 volving upon us in connection with the fearful trial 
 through which we were passing. Some of these ser- 
 mons had been published by the local journals at the 
 time of their delivery, and my friends often asked me 
 to publish others.* I resolved to issue a volume, and 
 accordingly prepared the notes of fifteen sermons 
 with this design. The work was issued in the spring 
 of 1865, and I had three copies beautifully bound for 
 presentation to President Lincoln, Secretary Seward, 
 and Secretary Stanton, with a letter accompanying 
 each. But Mr. Seward, the very day I wrote my let- 
 ter to him, was thrown from his carriage and nearly 
 
Lackawanna District. 385 
 
 killed, and a few days afterward the lamented Lincoln 
 fell by the hand of an assassin. 
 
 Our Conference met at Carbondale, April 12, 1865, 
 Bishop Baker presiding. 
 
 On Saturday, the iSth, the startling intelligence 
 reached us of the murder of Presiderlt Lincoln, and 
 the attempt on the life of Secretary Seward. When 
 the telegram was read in the Conference all faces 
 grew pale, and many wept. Sunday was a day of 
 darkness. The church was draped in mourning, and 
 the crowded congregation sobbed in deep distress. 
 Never before, not even when George Washington 
 died, had this nation felt so bitter a sorrow. All 
 tongues were eloquent in praise of our noble leader 
 in these times of peril, and all hearts throbbed with 
 grief at " the deep damnation of his taking off." The 
 Conference appointed a committee to draft a paper ex- 
 pressive of our sentiments on the occasion. The report 
 was read on Monday, and impromptu speeches were 
 called for. The large church was filled to its utmost 
 capacity, and it was an occasion of thrilling interest. 
 
 The Conference adjourned on Monday evening. I 
 was re-appointed to the Lackawanna district. On 
 my return home the next day I found that arrange- 
 ments had been made in Scranton for holding a me- 
 morial service in honor of the lamented President, 
 and that I had been selected to deliver the address. 
 I did so in the Presbyterian Church. A vast crowd 
 assembled, only part of whom were able to find places 
 in the church, those who could not get in standing 
 outside in reverent silence till the service ended. 
 
 In June Dr. C. Elliott and myself proceeded to 
 25 
 
386 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 Canada to visit the Wesleyan Conference, according 
 to the action of our General Conference. The ses- 
 sion was held in London, Canada West, which place 
 I reached, in company with my son, Luther W. Peck, 
 on the 6th, and we were met by the Rev. Mr. Jones, 
 the president of the Conference, and conducted to the 
 residence of Samuel Glass, Esq., where we received 
 a cordial welcome, and found a delightful home while 
 we remained in London. Mr. Glass is a frank, large- 
 hearted Canadian, and his wife a fine specimen of a 
 Yankee lady. 
 
 The session of the Conference was opened on 
 Wednesday morning. Dr. Elliott, accompanied by 
 Rev. Dr. T. M. Eddy, had arrived. We were re- 
 ceived with great cordiality, and a special meeting 
 was appointed to hear our communication. On 
 Thursday evening, the time fixed upon for the occa- 
 sion, an immense congregation assembled, and every 
 evidence of good feeling was exhibited toward us as 
 the messengers of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
 and as Americans. Dr. Elliott spoke first, the main 
 body of his address being a labored argument against 
 the legitimacy of the Methodist Episcopal Church of 
 Canada. Whatever may have been the logical force 
 of his speech, the propriety of i't was not clear. Our 
 Church was in fraternal relations with the Canada 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, and the General Con- 
 ference had appointed delegates to represent us at 
 their next session, and we were under no obligations 
 to debate the local questions which belong to our 
 neighbors. 
 
 I also addressed the Conference, and the following, 
 
Lackawanna District. 387 
 
 from the " Christian Guardian," is a report of my 
 closing remarks : — 
 
 I am happy to say that, notwithstanding the national troub- 
 les during the last four years, and the vast discount on ex- 
 changes, our missions have been carried on with vigor and 
 success, and the treasury, like the widow's barrel of meal and 
 cruse of oil, has always had something in it. Last year was 
 raised and paid into the treasury the sum of five hundred and 
 fifty-eight thousand dollars, and for the present year the Gen- 
 eral Missionary Committee has estimated six hundred and 
 twenty-five thousand dollars, and it will be raised. 
 
 The Society has a new field open for its cultivation in the 
 Southern States. The way is open there for the reconstruction 
 of Methodism in that desolated country. Rebellion has done 
 its worst to desolate one of the fairest portions of our heritage, 
 but allow the Yankees room to stand on and they will move the 
 •world. 
 
 The four millions of colored people who were lately in slavery 
 are now within the reach of a pure Gospel. Learning to read 
 has become a passion with the old and the young. If one of 
 these poor creatures finds a scrap of paper in the road with 
 letters upon it, it is taken up and spelled out. We now have 
 hundreds and thousands of them, young and old, receiving 
 regular instruction in school. They see " Massa Lincoln's 
 army" — they run after them — they shout — they sing — they 
 jump — they kneel and pray — they sit down upon the ground 
 and read — they go to school — they attend meeting — they march 
 — they turn soldiers and fight, and join in the chorus — 
 
 " It must be now dat de kingdom is a coming, 
 And de year of Jubilo." 
 
 I have come so near to our great national troubles that I am 
 sure you will not require me to proceed without giving them a 
 passing notice. 
 
 The Southern rebellion was inaugurated for the ostensible 
 object of securing liberty, but its real object was that of build- 
 ing up a great slave empire. There was no cause of complaint 
 
388 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 — it had long been in contemplation — it commenced in rob- 
 bery, theft, and murder — it culminated in the assassination of 
 our excellent President. I would say something of his charac- 
 ter, but cannot do justice to the subject. 
 
 Finally, our common object is to preach Methodism — orig- 
 inal, aggressive, progressive Methodism — that Methodism 
 which is like our grand primeval forests, that bathe their tops 
 in the clouds ; like our broad prairies, beautified with flowers 
 and fruitage ; like our grand old mountains that stand so won- 
 drous strong ; like the extended, progressing, cumulative, irre- 
 sistible Mississippi, which pours its vast volume into the sea ; 
 like our sublime Niagara, mighty, majestic, overwhelming, 
 darkening, roaring, thundering on till lost in the great ocean. 
 There is but one Niagara. I was about to say that Niagara 
 belongs to the States and to Canada, but it is the common 
 property of all. So with Methodism. It is not to be restricted 
 to time or place. It belongs to the world. It is the heritage 
 of the ages to come. And now, Mr. President, allow me to 
 ''say, in conclusion, that we join hands with you in prosecuting 
 this universal mission of Methodism, and its glorious consum- 
 mation, when it shall stand in the end of all things among the 
 most honored and successful instruments of the Infinite Mind 
 for the redemption of the world. 
 
 Friday was devoted to the reception of young men 
 as members of the Conference. Seven candidates 
 for admission, as is the usage of the Canada Wesley- 
 ans, as well as of the parent body in England, related 
 their religious experiences, and their call to the min- 
 istry. Their addresses were highly interesting, and 
 some of them deeply affecting. In listening to them 
 I thought, as I had thought years before, when I was 
 present on a similar occasion in England, that we 
 might adopt the custom with advantage. We have, 
 indeed, at every Conference a long address made by 
 the Bishop to the candidates for admission ; but as it 
 
Lackawanna District. 389 
 
 must needs come annually, repetition is unavoidable, 
 and the warm, simple stories of the young men them- 
 selves would touch us more deeply, and perhaps do 
 as much good. 
 
 On Saturday afternoon we attended a reception of 
 the Mayor of the city. The leading men of the Con- 
 ference were present, and the occasion was exceed- 
 ingly pleasant. Here, and every-where in Canada, I 
 was impressed with the fact that the Wesleyan min- 
 isters have the respect of the best classes of society 
 in the Province. 
 
 The business of the Conference was conducted in 
 a manner similar to that of the English Wesleyans. 
 The discussions were able and animated, and often 
 punctuated with the clapping of hands and the stamp- 
 ing of feet. Christian courtesy seemed to charac- 
 terize all the proceedings, and great deference was 
 paid to the old and leading men, and especially to 
 the presiding officer. The financial system of the 
 Canada Wesleyans is admirable, and we might even 
 adopt some of its features, particularly the Children's 
 Fund, and the fund for the Support of Disabled Min- 
 isters. But in regard to one of the main features of 
 the Wesleyan organization, both in England and 
 Canada, the appointment of chairmen of districts, I 
 could not avoid the conclusion that our own system 
 of presiding elders is preferable. 
 
 On Sunday I preached in the morning, and Dr. 
 Eddy in the afternoon, to crowded congregations. 
 In the evening Dr. Ryerson, of the Canada Confer- 
 ence, preached an able and eloquent sermon on the 
 death of the late president of that body. On Monday 
 
390 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 Drs. Elliott and Eddy took leave of the Conference 
 in brief addresses. In the evening L. W. Peck 
 preached. The next morning we also took our leave. 
 " The Guardian " thus notices the matter : " At eleven 
 o'clock the Rev. George Peck, D.D., delivered a very- 
 pleasing and affecting farewell address. The Rev. 
 L. W. Peck, son and associate of Dr. Peck, also 
 addressed a few words of affectionate parting to the 
 ministers present before leaving for his home in the 
 United States. At the close of the remarks made 
 by these honored brethren, words of kindly response 
 were spoken by the Rev. Mr. Carroll, Dr. Nelles, and 
 Dr. Ryerson." 
 
 Our visit to the Canada Conference increased our 
 respect for that body. We had a more perfect view 
 of the great work which Methodism has accomplished 
 in British America. We saw some of the valuable 
 results of their missionary enterprises ; we had an 
 evidence of the success of their educational efforts in 
 the growth of Victoria College ; we witnessed the 
 deliberations of a large and well-trained body of min- 
 isters ; we heard reports from the various charges, 
 their progress, and their contributions in aid of the 
 benevolent agencies of the Church, and could hardly 
 believe that the handful of young and inexperienced 
 men, who left us in 1828, had attained this greatness 
 and power for good. " What hath God wrought ? " 
 After taking an affectionate leave of our host and 
 his excellent lady we departed, and in due season 
 reached our homes in safety. 
 
 Having engaged to preach the annual sermon be- 
 fore the Missionary Society of the Wesleyan Uiii- 
 
Wyoming District. 391 
 
 versity in July, I set off, in company with my son, the 
 Rev. George M. Peck, who was a member of the 
 Committee of Examinations, and arrived in New 
 York city just in time to see Barnum's Museum in 
 flames. A seal which escaped from the ruins, or at 
 all events was said to have come from that quarter, 
 was sporting in the river as we went on board the 
 steamer. 
 
 Reaching Middletown, we were cordially welcomed 
 to the house of Professor Johnston. I performed the 
 duty which brought us hither, witnessed a part of 
 the Commencement exercises, and was present at 
 the meeting of the joint board of Trustees and Visit- 
 ors, where for the last time I looked on the face of 
 the patriarchal Laban Clark. 
 
 The Wyoming Conference met at Owego, April 18, 
 1 866, Bishop Thomson presiding. 
 
 The Conference had passed, the year before, a reso- 
 lution requesting me to preach before them in 1866 a 
 semicentennial sermon, as I would then complete fifty 
 years in the itinerant service. While we were hold- 
 ing our session at Owego, the Oneida Conference, of 
 which I had been a member from 1828 to 1840, was 
 in session at Ithaca, only some thirty miles distant. 
 The Oneida Conference proposed a reunion meeting 
 of the two Conferences at Ithaca, and requested also 
 that my sermon should be delivered at that time. 
 The arrangement was made, and on Friday the re- 
 union occurred. The place of assembly was the 
 Town Hall, a spacious edifice, which was filled with 
 a dense crowd. 
 
 The Rev. Dr. Comfort, in behalf of the Oneida 
 
392 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 Conference, delivered an address of welcome. By 
 request of the Wyoming Conference, Bishop Thom- 
 son responded for us. Both addresses were able and 
 interesting. Bishop Thomson's was in an especially 
 happy vein, and one of the Oneida brethren, who 
 had never seen him before, and who took him to be a 
 member of our Conference, remarked, "That little 
 Wyoming fellow is as keen as a razor. He beats our 
 man all hollow ! " His speech was, indeed, a fine 
 specimen of sentiment, wit, and humor. 
 
 After the welcome and the response came the ser- 
 mon, an hour and a half long. The day was excessive- 
 ly warm, and the audience uncomfortably crowded, but 
 they listened to the end with a degree of enthusiasm 
 hardly to be expected under the circumstances. At 
 ■ the conclusion the fathers were called out to give 
 their reminiscences of the early times. Then some 
 of the younger ministers made eloquent speeches, 
 and the scene closed with universal hand-shakings 
 and congratulations. The people of Ithaca opened 
 their doors to the visiting Conferences, and gave 
 them a sumptuous dinner. I was the guest of my 
 old and esteemed friend. Judge Dana, whom I then 
 saw for the last time. He was a noble Christian 
 gentleman, who "being dead, yet speaketh." In the 
 evening we returned to Owego, greatly pleased with 
 the events of the day. 
 
 On Sunday I preached in the Presbyterian church. 
 In the evening the Conference Missionary Society 
 held its anniversary, and Bishop Thomson made a 
 grand speech, contrasting the moral and rehgious 
 condition of Christian countries with that of heathen 
 
Providence. 393 
 
 and Mohammedan nations, and drawing his illustra- 
 tions from his own personal observations. The Con- 
 ference adjourned on Tuesday, the 24th. Having 
 completed my four years' term on the Lackawanna 
 district, I was appointed pastor of the Church at 
 Providence. 
 
 The principal matters which interested the Church 
 this year were connected with the general celebration 
 of the centennial anniversary. I had special right to 
 be interested, seeing that the year which terminated 
 the first century of Methodism in America closed my 
 half century of ministerial work. By far the greater 
 part of the progress of the Church in the visible ele- 
 ments of power had been made during my own min- 
 isterial life, and under my own observation. 
 
 In September we held our family reunion in the 
 village of Vermillion, New York. The five brothers 
 and two sisters were present, nor were the junior" 
 branches without representation. The time was 
 spent in relating reminiscences of the past, in con- 
 verse and devotion. On Sunday Brother Jesse and 
 I preached in the morning, and in the evening at- 
 tended a centenary celebration in the village of 
 Mexico, and made addresses in the place of certain 
 speakers who had been engaged for the occasion, but 
 who failed to appear. We had a large cpngregation, 
 and much interest was manifested. We separated 
 on Tuesday, with devout gratitude to God for his 
 infinite goodness. 
 
 In the autumn, centenary celebrations were pro- 
 jected in all the Churches. I began the campaign 
 by preaching to my people a series of sermons on the 
 
394 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 " History, Polity, Doctrines, and Progress of the Meth- 
 odist "Episcopal Church," closing with a celebration, 
 the most prominent feature of which was an able 
 discourse delivered by the Rev. Dr. Nelson. I also 
 preached a Centenary sermon in Stroudsburgh, where 
 a gracious revival of religion was in progress. 
 
 The Conference met at Hyde Park, April 17, 1867. 
 There being no bishop present at the hour named for 
 the opening of the session, I was elected, according 
 to the provisions of the Discipline, to preside until 
 his arrival. Bishop Simpson arrived in time to take 
 the chair on the second day of the session. On Sun- 
 day, which was Easter, the Bishop preached on the 
 resurrection of Christ, before a vast congregation in 
 Washington Hall, Scranton. It was one of his hap- 
 piest efforts, thrilling the audience with his vivid 
 description and conclusive logic. In the afternoon 
 he delivered an address at the ordination of elders, 
 in the church at Hyde Park. The effect was won- 
 derful ; sobs were heard, and shouts arose from every 
 part of the assembly, and there descended a baptism 
 of power which those present cannot forget. The 
 Conference closed its session on Monday, and I was 
 re-appointed to Providence. 
 
 I addressed myself with much earnestness and 
 prayer to my work, and prepared more new sermons 
 than I had done for years. The eight years previous 
 to my coming to Providence had been spent in the 
 eldership ; and in resuming the position of a pastor, 
 I felt the change, and saw how I could very easily 
 have prepared myself to feel it still more. It was new 
 work for me to look over the Church record, and 
 
Providence. 395 
 
 search out the delinquent and the neglected. It was 
 a new thing to canvass for subscribers for our Church 
 periodicals, and arrange for the multiplied confer- 
 ence collections. But to preach two sermons every 
 Sabbath to the same congregation was not burden- 
 some, because during the years of my presiding el- 
 dership I had not ceased from study, or lost, in any 
 degree, my mental discipline. On a district, a few ser- 
 mons, endlessly repeated, may be made to answer all 
 purposes, and an indolent man may cease to study, 
 cease to prepare any thing new, and at the end of his 
 term be confirmed in habits of indolence, and unfit- 
 ted for all vigorous, acceptable service in the pastorate. 
 He who would not deteriorate must keep at work. 
 
 I found great enjoyment in proclaiming the Divine 
 message, and great hope that my labor would not 
 prove in vain in the Lord. In January, during the 
 week of prayer, I held meeting every evening, and 
 looked for tokens of good, but there was no special 
 revival in the Church or congregation. I fancied that 
 the abundant snow and good sleighing which charac- 
 terized the winter diverted the attention of our young 
 people, and even some of the older ones, from serious 
 things, and kept them from the house of God. 
 
 Conference met in Binghamton, April 7, 1868, 
 Bishop Kingsley presiding. I was again elected a 
 delegate to the General Conference, and was ap- 
 pointed to Dunmore. 
 
 The General Conference met in Chicago, where I 
 was entertained at the house of my nephew, PhiHp 
 Myers, Esq. The Conference is rendered memo- 
 rable by the passage of measures preparing the way 
 
396 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 for the introduction of lay delegates into the General 
 Conference. After much earnest discussion a plan 
 for the election of delegates was prepared, to be 
 submitted to the people for their adoption. In fact, 
 few opposed lay delegation in the abstract. The 
 great difficulty was to determine the due propor- 
 tion of lay delegates, and the best mode of electing 
 them. 
 
 The General Conference of 1864 had authorized 
 the bishops to organize one or more new Conferences 
 " in the Southern States and in the Territories." If 
 this had been all that was done, there would have 
 been no place for doubt and debate ; but the curious 
 part of the story is, that two different resolutions, 
 one reported by the Committee on Boundaries, 
 and the other by the Committee on Missions, were 
 passed, giving the bishops the authority to organize 
 Conferences in new territory, and the two resolu- 
 tions were not of the same tenor. The geographical 
 spaces referred to were indeed the same, but the 
 trouble was this : one resolution, passed May 23, 
 provided that the Conferences thus constituted 
 should not be represented in the General Confer- 
 ence; nor vote on constitutional changes in the 
 Discipline, nor should the disabled members of these 
 Conferences, their widows or orphans, have any claim 
 upon the proceeds of the Book Concern and the 
 Chartered Fund, which restrictions were to continue 
 till the next General Conference after the organiza- 
 tion of the Conferences, and then lapse, unless new 
 action was taken. The other resolution, passed May 
 25, imposed no restriction whatever, and totally 
 
Dunmore. 397 
 
 ignored the action of two days before. Several new 
 Conferences had been organized under this action, 
 and had elected delegates to the General Confer- 
 ence. When these delegates presented themselves, 
 the question of the legality of admitting them was 
 at once raised, and occasioned a vigorous four-days' 
 debate. The ground was taken that the restrictions 
 laid upon the new Conferences prevented the recep- 
 tion of their delegates. The restrictions were to 
 "continue until the next ensuing General Confer- 
 ence." The Conferences had assembled, and conse- 
 quently the restrictions, by the very terms of the 
 resolution which gave them being, were now dead. 
 Nevertheless, a great battle was fought over these 
 null and void restrictions, like the tremendous fight 
 of heroes over the dead body of Hector on the plains 
 of Troy. The position taken by some was, that the 
 restrictions laid upon these new Conferences were 
 similar to those laid upon Mission Conferences, con- 
 sequently, the design of the action of 1864 was to 
 constitute Mission Conferences ; consequently, to 
 admit their delegates now would be to change the 
 whole plan and purpose of such action. 
 
 Many able speeches were made in the course of the 
 prolonged debate ; and when the vote was reached, 
 an overwhelming majority (205 to 17) voted to admit 
 at once the delegates of the new Conferences. Not 
 only was this done, but the restrictions of the Mis- 
 sion Conferences were removed, and their delegates 
 admitted. 
 
 This General Conference made an important 
 change in the boundaries of the Wyoming Confer- 
 
398 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 ence, by which two whole districts, the Otsego 
 and the Chenango, were given us from the Oneida 
 Conference. We had not asked for this addition to 
 our strength, but accepted it with all readiness. 
 While we were in session the National Republican 
 Convention met in Chicago, and nominated General 
 Grant and Mr. Colfax. This gave us an opportunity 
 of seeing many of the political celebrities of the 
 times. 
 
 The General Conference adjourned June 2. The 
 session was harmonious, and its action on several 
 important points will, doubtless, be of permanent 
 value to the Church. 
 
 Returning home, I resumed my pastoral work. My 
 people were very kind, manifesting great interest in 
 the services of God's house, and bestowing upon us 
 many substantial tokens of their regard ; but the pas- 
 toral work of the charge was somewhat taxing to my 
 strength. Still, it was a year of harmony, and not 
 without success. The people of Dunmore, and the 
 seasons of refreshing which we enjoyed among them, 
 will never be forgotten. 
 
 The Wyoming Conference met at Honesdale, 
 April IS, 1869, Bishop Ames presiding. 
 
 The session was characterized by the greatest good 
 feeling among the ministers, and a powerful religious 
 influence among the people. At its close I was ap- 
 pointed for the fifth time to the Wyoming district. 
 My field of labor was large and important, and I felt 
 a special interest in my work, from the fact that I 
 was every-where traversing familiar ground, and daily 
 meeting old friends ; the four previous terms, how- 
 
Wyoming District. 399 
 
 ever, only amounting to eight years in the aggregate. 
 At our District Preachers' Meeting the question of 
 holding a camp-meeting was introduced, and a reso- 
 lution was passed requesting the elder to select 
 ground for the purpose. A camp-meeting was ac- 
 cordingly held on the Bethel ground, at Dunning's, 
 commencing August 18. There were about forty 
 conversions reported. Revivals followed in various 
 Churches, and throughout the district it was a year 
 of prosperity. In June, our Golden Wedding was 
 duly celebrated. A friend furnishes the following 
 account of it : — 
 
 June 10, 1869, was the fiftieth anniversaiy of the marriage of 
 Dr. George Peck and Mary Myers, which took place at Forty 
 Fort, in the famous valley of Wyoming, June 10, 1819. The 
 marriage ceremony was performed by Rev. George Lane, and 
 the certificate signed by him and by Thomas and Harriet 
 Myers, both of whom were living and present at this interest- 
 ing anniversary. A large concourse of friends were assembled 
 in the Methodist Episcopal Church of Scranton. Hon. Lewis 
 Pughe was appointed to preside, and in a few well-chosen re- 
 marks opened the exercises of the day. The following mem- 
 bers of the family were present : George Peck, seventy-two 
 years of age ; Mrs. Mary Myers Peck, seventy-one ; Luther H. 
 Peck, seventy-six ; Andrew, William, and Dr. Jesse T. Peck, 
 Mrs. Annie Crowell, and Mr. Smith, and Susanna Smith, his 
 wife. Children present : George M. Peck, Luther W. Peck, 
 Mrs. Sarah M. Peck, Mr. and Mrs. Dr." J. T. Crane, W. F. 
 Peck and wife, and three grandchildren — George, Louise, and 
 George Luther, the latter being the youngest of the family 
 present. The seven hundred and seventh hymn was sung, 
 " And are we yet alive." Prayer was offered, and Rev. Dr. Nel- 
 son, principal of Wyoming Seminary, then addressed the as- 
 sembly in a very happy manner. He said Dr. Peck had trav- 
 eled a circuit larger than this Conference before most of them 
 
400 L[FE AND Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 were born. He had been principal of Cazenovia Seminary, 
 editor of the " Quarterly Review " for years with distinguished 
 ability, and editor of the " Christian Advocate and Journal." 
 
 We delight to honor him for his goodness, his greatness, his 
 distinguished abilities, and large attainments. He has been con- 
 secrated to the cause of God and the Church during a longlife of 
 trial and sacrifice. He closed with a prayer that God might 
 spare Dr. Peck yet longer to his family, the Church, and the world. 
 
 Dr. Jesse T. (now Bishop) Peck spoke in a feeling and im- 
 pressive manner. He said all the brothers and sisters looked 
 to Brother George as the living head of the family. He said. 
 The fourth generation is represented here. There were eleven 
 children in all ; four sisters had gone up higher. Five brothers 
 and<two sisters were present, and the loved departed might be 
 looking down from heaven on their honored brother who had 
 beheld the country during his eventful career marching onward 
 in the development of a grand Christian civilization to become 
 the future theater of God's great glory. When he was too 
 young to be without direction he owed his training and intro- 
 duction to the great field of action in life to this elder brother, 
 and it was to him a dear remembrance of his childhood. 
 
 Addresses were also made by Rev. G. M. Peck, Rev. L. W. 
 Peck, Dr. W. F. Peck, and Dr. J. T. Crane. James Gaylord 
 Clark sang with great impressiveness, " Where the rose ne'er 
 shall wither." Mrs. C. A. Bergtold also sang " John Anderson, 
 my jo, John," accompanied by Mr. L. B. Powell on the piano, 
 bringing tears to many eyes. Mr. J. C. Nobles, pastor of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, Scranton, read a beautiful poem 
 by " Stella," the last stanza as follows : — 
 
 "Friendship hath woven to-day a new chain. 
 Binding our twining lives earthward again ; 
 If there be joy in this sin-blighted sphere, 
 'Tis the warm sympathy greeting us here. 
 If there be gladness like that born above, 
 'Tis the communion of those that we love ; 
 And we forget all the sorrow and strife 
 In this sweet ending oi fifty years^ life." 
 
 Among the gifts was a gold watch and chain, presented by 
 R. H. M'Kuhe, with the inscription, " Presented to Rev. George 
 
The Golden Wedding. 401 
 
 Peck by the citizens of Scranton and Willcesbarre." Also a 
 gold-lieaded cane of tiie California yew, identical with the cedar 
 of Lebanon, presented by Dr. J. T. Peck. Fifty dollars in gold 
 was presented by the family to Dr. Peck, and fifty to Mrs. 
 Peck. 
 
 The closing remarks were by Dr. Peck. He said he wished 
 he was worthy the high encomiums which were heaped upor 
 him by Dr. Nelson, his brothers, his children, and friends. He 
 looked back on the last fifty years with wonder. He was aston- 
 ished at himself and the kind forbearance of the Church and 
 the public. He never thought himself to be very much in the 
 Church or the world as a Christian worker ; but he had done 
 his part without complaining. He started out with diffidence, 
 thought he could not preach, but had succeeded by trying all 
 his life to do by God's command what he knew he couldn't do 
 without Divine assistance. He had seen stupendous changes, 
 but if he had his life to live over again would not change its 
 grand direction toward humanity, the Church, and heaven. 
 
 The age of the relatives of the family met on this occasion 
 aggregated five hundred years, the preachers present aggre- 
 gating two hundred and fourteen years. 
 
 An ample dinner and collation was served in the basement 
 to the family and a large number of ministerial friends and 
 friends of the Churches. 
 
 The closing scene, so sacred, holy, and influential, where 
 prayer, and praise, and heart-communing made the hours most 
 memorable of any spent on earth, was on the last evening of 
 the meeting, and in it the spiritual welfare of no member of 
 the family was forgotten. The public was strictly excluded, 
 and God was invoked not in vain, as we hope eternity will 
 show. 
 
 The following is from a poem written for the occasion by 
 Rev. L. W. Peck, and was sung at the closing exercises by Mr. 
 Charles A. Hurlbutt, the audience joining in the chorus :— 
 
 " King out the solemn greeting o'er river, tower, and town ; 
 Let love, like golden sunlight, shower its blessings down ; 
 And may the hearts so glowing when ages hence have flown 
 In glory still be one." 
 26 
 
402 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 The next Conference met at Wilkesbarre, April 12, 
 1870, Bishop Janes presiding. 
 
 I was re-appointed to the Wyoming District. In 
 August we had another camp-meeting on the Bethel 
 ground, which resulted in a goodly number of con- 
 versions. On our way home, with a great crowd of 
 preachers and people on the train, we had a very 
 narrow escape. Another train ran into ours from 
 behind, breaking the platforms of the cars, prostrat- 
 ing the passengers by the violence of the shock, and 
 causing wild alarm, but happily doing no more serious 
 injury. The narrowest escapes and the worst perils 
 were those of persons who lost their presence of mind, 
 and came near losing life in attempting to save it. 
 
 The Wyoming Conference of 1871 met April 5, 
 at Norwich, New York, Bishop Janes presiding in 
 place of Bishop Clark, whose health had failed. The 
 Bishops who were still effective were doing double 
 service, and we were compelled to hurry our session 
 to a close at a little past the midnight of Monday. 
 
 This season I attended the carnp-meeting on the 
 new ground purchased by the Newark Conference, 
 at Denville, New Jersey. The grounds are beautiful 
 and well located, and the arrangements, projected 
 and begun, were admirable ; but copious rains were 
 falling nearly all the time I was there, compelling the 
 people to hold their services in tents, and greatly re- 
 ducing the numbers in attendance. Still, I was more 
 impressed than ever with the propriety of securing 
 permanent places for the holding of camp-meetings. 
 A project of the kind had been for some time under 
 consideration on my district, and the committee ap- 
 
Wyoming District. 403 
 
 pointed for the purpose finally selected and purchased 
 a location for our annual Feast of Tabernacles. 
 The spot chosen lies on the western slope of the 
 Susquehanna Mountain, five miles from Wyoming 
 depot. By strenuous efforts the ground was cleared 
 and put in tolerably good condition by Wednesday, 
 September 6, the day appointed for the opening. 
 The meeting was successful. The preaching was 
 able, the prayer-meetings were spirited, and souls 
 were saved. We closed about midnight on Thurs- 
 day, the 14th. The final scene was picturesque and 
 impressive. After the sermon the Lord's Supper 
 was administered, and then succeeded a procession 
 around the circle, after the olden fashion, with sacred 
 song and chorus, and shouts of praise. 
 
 The district was greatly blessed during the year, 
 many souls were converted, and the work was greatly 
 enlarged. 
 
 The Wyoming Conference met at Owego, April 3, 
 1872. Bishop Scott had been appointed to preside, 
 but was prevented by illness from attending the ses- 
 sion. I was elected to preside, and soon learned 
 that I should be called upon to perform all the duties 
 of the Episcopal office except that of ordination. 
 Bishop Simpson was presiding over the New York 
 Central Conference at Cortland. We telegraphed to 
 him, informing him of the illness of Bishop Scott, and 
 he came to our Conference, and spent a few hours, or- 
 daining the candidates for orders, and making three 
 appointments and one transfer. I was re-appointed 
 by him to the Wyoming district. The business 
 proceeded harmoniously, and the appointments in 
 
404 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 general were well received by the preachers and the 
 people. I was elected a delegate to the General 
 Conference, making the thirteenth time I had been 
 thus honored without a break in the succession. 
 
 On the first day of May the General Conference 
 began its session in the city of Brooklyn. The lay 
 delegates were formally admitted, and thus a new era 
 in our legislation was inaugurated. The laymen thus 
 added to the body were men of great respectability 
 and influence. Among them were judges, members 
 of Congress and of State Legislatures, and generals 
 in the army of the United States. The business of 
 the General Conference was, in many important re- 
 spects, aided by this reinforcement from the people ; 
 and the bearing of the new members, the fidelity 
 with which they applied themselves to the matters 
 committed to their hands, and the ability and efH- 
 ciency which they manifested, abundantly vindicated 
 the introduction of the lay element into the chief 
 council of the Church. 
 
 Many important questions came before the body, 
 and some that were unusual. Among the latter was 
 the inquiry concerning the management of certain 
 departments of the Book Concern at New York. 
 A committee, embracing some of our ablest lay- 
 men, thoroughly investigated the whole matter, and 
 brought in an elaborate report, which passed without 
 debate, and brought the agitation to an end. 
 
 During the previous four years, four of the Bish- 
 ops, Thomson, Kingsley, Clark, and Baker, had died. 
 Their death had laid heavy burdens upon the sur- 
 vivors, and scarcely one of them came to the General 
 
Wyoming District. 405 
 
 Conference in good health. It was evident that there 
 must be a large addition made to the Episcopal force. 
 After much discussion it was determined to elect 
 eight men to the office, and Messrs. Bowman, Wiley, 
 Harris, Merrill, Foster, Andrews, Haven, and Peck, 
 were chosen. In the ordination service I was called 
 upon to present my brother. 
 
 This General Conference was noted, among other 
 things, for the number of delegates who came to us 
 from other branches of the Christian Church, the 
 ability and eloquence of their addresses, and the 
 warmth of the fraternal feeling which they expressed. 
 
 Returning home at the close of the session of the 
 General Conference; I resumed my work on the dis- 
 trict, laboring with about the same ease and success as 
 had characterized the previous three years in the same 
 field. In August we held the second camp-meeting at 
 Mountain Grove, the ground which we had purchased 
 for permanent occupation. Considerable improve- 
 ments had been effected ; the avenues were in part 
 graded, and several public buildings and a number of 
 cottages had been erected. Our Sunday congrega- 
 tions were very large, and yet the order was perfect. 
 In the evening I preached with unusual liberty, but be- 
 fore I completed my sermon a sudden thunder storm 
 swept through the forest, and scattered the people to 
 their tents and all places available for shelter. About 
 seventy-five souls were converted during the meet- 
 ing. During the succeeding autumn and winter 
 there were gracious revivals at various points on the 
 district, and the year was one of success. 
 
 Our District Conference met at Pittston, on the 
 
4o6 Life and Times of G. Peck., D.D. 
 
 19th of March. I had repeatedly expressed my 
 desire to retire from the effective ranks at the close 
 of this year, and the brethren with whom I was asso- 
 ciated seized the occasion to give me multiplied 
 tokens of their kind regard. At this session of the 
 District Conference the brethren of the district pre- 
 sented to me an elegant and costly easy-chair, and 
 a series of resolutions, beautifully engrossed on parch- 
 ment, and set in a gilt frame. These resolutions 
 were as follows : — 
 
 Preamble and Resolutions adopted by the Ministers of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church of the Wyoming District, 
 Wyoming Conference, March, 1873. 
 
 Whereas, Rev. George Peck, D.D., is about to complete his 
 term of service as presiding elder of this district ; and, 
 
 Whereas, He, after rendering effective service for fifty-seven 
 consecutive years, is about to retire from the active work of the 
 ministry; and. 
 
 Whereas, It is eminently proper that we should indicate in 
 some manner our estimate of such unwonted service, as well as 
 our esteem for our beloved and venerable friend ; therefore. 
 
 Resolved, I. That we, the ministers of the Wyoming Dis- 
 trict, devoutly acknowledge and glorify that gracious Provi- 
 dence which has sustained his honored servant, and enabled 
 him so efficiently to serve the Church for so many years. 
 
 Resolved, 2. That we heartily express our high appreciation 
 and grateful recognition of the ability, pre-eminent labors, and 
 success of Dr. Peck in the various positions of honor and re- 
 sponsibility which he has from time to time been called to fill, 
 and that as educator, editor, author, and minister of Christ, he 
 has done so much for the elucidation and defense of evangelical 
 truth. 
 
 Resolved, 3. That the industry and consecration which have 
 marked the public life of our venerated father in the Gospel 
 furnish a commendable example and inspiration to those who. 
 
Superannuation. 407 
 
 younger in years, are engaged in the responsible work of 
 preaching tlie " unsearchable riches of Christ." 
 
 Resolved, 4. That we hereby Convey to the venerable Doctor 
 the assurance that we shall ever revere his character and mem- 
 ory, and earnestly pray that the consolations of Divine grace 
 may be the perpetual joy and support of his remaining days, 
 that he may " come to his grave in a full age, like as a shock 
 of corn cometh in in his season,'' and finally receive the plaudit 
 of the Master, " Well done, good and faithful servant, enter 
 thou into the joy of thy Lord." 
 
 The Conference of 1 873 met at Waverley, N. Y., 
 Bishop Ames in the chair. I attended to my duties 
 as presiding, elder as usual, and on the last day of 
 the session made a request for a superannuated rela- 
 tion, the first request I ever made to an Annual 
 Conference. I was not conscious that I was wholly 
 worn out. I felt that I could still preach twice on 
 Sunday, attend the weekly prayer-meeting, and visit 
 a few families daily, but I had reached the age of 
 seventy-five years, and to do all that a pastoral 
 charge needs to be done might prove burdensome, 
 or even impossible, and I deemed it unwise, both for 
 me and the Churches, to hazard the experiment. 
 The occasion stirred my heart to its lowest depths. 
 How good God has been to me all these years, and 
 what kindness and enduring friendship I have found 
 among his people ! In response to my request, the 
 following resolutions were offered, and unanimously 
 adopted : — 
 
 Whereas, The Rev. George Peck, D.D., a member of this 
 body, after fifty-seven years' service in the effective itinerancy, 
 now asks, in view of age and infirmity, to be released from the 
 special duties of the pastorate ; therefore, 
 
4o8 Life and Times of G. Peck, D.D. 
 
 Resolved, i. That we render devout thanks to the great 
 Head of the Church for continuing the life, health, and useful- 
 ness of our venerable brother' for so many years as a watchman 
 upon the walls of Zion. 
 
 2. That we do most cordially thank our venerable brother 
 himself for his unshrinking fidelity as pastor, teacher, editor, 
 author, and presiding elder, and especially that for a period so 
 unusually extended he has persistently resisted every tempta- 
 tion to turn aside from the great work to which, in early life, 
 he was divinely called. 
 
 3. That while we will earnestly try, in our several spheres, 
 to follow the example of fidelity he has thus set us, we do now 
 and hereby assure him that our sympathies and prayers shall 
 attend him to the end of his earthly pilgrimage, which, for the 
 sake of the Church, we trust will be reached only at a distant 
 day; 
 
 4. Finally, that we now comply with his request, and assign 
 
 him a superannuated relation. 
 
 Z. Paddock, 
 
 R. Nelson, 
 
 H. Brownscombe. 
 
 Thus ended an active itinerant ministry of fifty- 
 seven years. With what emotions I began the long 
 journey on that, to me, memorable first day of April, 
 1 8 16, when I left my father's house to go to my first 
 circuit ! How great and holy seemed the work in 
 which I was about to engage ! How unprepared for 
 it, how unworthy of it, I felt ! How sadly I looked 
 back and saw tearful faces lingering at the door watch- 
 ing me as I rode slowly away ! There was the begin- 
 ning ; here is the end. The eyes which then gazed 
 after me have long been closed in their last sleep. 
 The lips which then breathed benedictions on me 
 have long been silent in the dust. The rapid years 
 have fled. The swift morning of life long since gave 
 
Superannuation. 409 
 
 place to noon ; noon has come and gone, and the 
 shadows of the evening are lengthening about me. 
 But there is no gloom in their depths. Beyond the 
 gathering darkness lies the brightness of eternal day. 
 With humble gratitude to God for all his loving-kind- 
 ness to me and mine through all these years, I bless 
 him for the past, and, with unfaltering trust, look for- 
 ward to the future. , 
 
 THE END. 
 
Works of Rey. George Peck, D-D- 
 
 PUBLISHED BY 
 
 NELSON" & PHILLIPS, 
 
 80S Broad-way, N. Y. 
 
 Scripture Doctrine of Christian Per- 
 fection. 
 
 By Geobgb Peck, D.D. 12mo. Price, $1 75. 
 
 Formation of a Manly Character. 
 
 A Series of Lectures to Young Men. By GEORaE Peck, D.D. 
 16mo. Price, 16 cents. 
 
 Episcopacy and. Slavery. 
 
 By GEORaB Peck, D.D. 8to. Price, 35 cents. 
 
 Early Methodism 
 
 Within the Bounds of the Old Genesee Conference. By George 
 Peck, D.D. 12mo. Price, $1 75. 
 
 "Why are Yon a Methodist P 
 
 By George Peck, D.D. 18mo. Price, 60 cents. 
 
 Onr Country: Its Trial and its Tri- 
 umph. 
 
 By George Peck, D.D. 12mo. Price, $1 50. 
 
HiliDesstWirtliifliUfaliy'sClilta, 
 
 BY REV. J. T. CRANE, D.D. 
 16ino., pp. 144. Tinted paper. Price, 80 cents. 
 
 ■WHAT IS SAID OF IT: 
 
 " The fact assumed by the title of this book is unquestionably true. 
 Dr. Crane rejects the theory of remaining sin in the regenerate, neces- 
 sitating, for the attainment of holiness, the hypothesis of a 'seoonrl 
 distinct work.' He insists upon Growth in Divine Grace and Knowl- 
 edge as alike the birthright of the spiritual man and the great need of 
 the Ohnrcli. In this view there will be cordial concurrence on the 
 part of many who are not in accord with the theory of sanctification 
 by a second conversion." — Methodist Protestant. 
 
 " Dr. Crane writes with a special aim to set forth the real doctrine 
 of Holiness as it is taught in the Scriptures, in opposition to tliose 
 who would make it the result of a special work of the Spirit, wrought 
 after conversion, and standing for methods of divine agency and forms 
 of human experience quite unlike those belonging to regeneration. 
 He insists that regeneration induces the holy quality, and that each 
 redeemed soul is to go on, gaining more and more the quaUty for 
 which the word Holiness stands. We account this the true and 
 wholesome view, and are glad to see this forcible and charitable pre- 
 sentation of it." — Morning Star. (Baptist.) 
 
 " Had we been privileged to peruse Dr. Crane's brochure before pub- 
 lication, we should doubtless have endeavored to convince him that 
 there is no such diflference in his views as to require him to place 
 them in so frank an antagonism to Mr. "Wesley's. 
 
 " Dr. Crane's book is written in a pure, fresh, and living style. 
 However he overrates justification, he is about right in his statement 
 of sanctification. His tone and temper are .worthy the imitation of 
 his respondents, whose spirit in some instances seems hardty justi- 
 fied, much less sanctified." — Methodist Quarterly Beview. 
 
 "This volume, by Dr. Crane, comes nearer our ideas of correct 
 and safe teaching on the subject than any thing we have lately seen. 
 Pity, as we think, he bad not been a little more full and explicit in the 
 elaboration of some of his positions. He began well, and followed the 
 line of truth, but not quite so far as we would have liked. It is well 
 Dr. Crane wrote the book, and it will be well if it is generally cir- 
 culated and read by the ministers and membership of the Church, and 
 by others also." — St. Louis Chris. Advocate. (M. E. Church, South.) 
 
 " This little volume is destined to attract general attention among 
 the Methodists. The author is well known as a scholar of marked 
 ability, and he seems to have undertaken this work after extensive 
 research and mature thought. The book, we predict, will have a 
 large circulation, and constitute an important contribution to this 
 kind of literature." — Newark {If. J.) Evening Courier. 
 
 "We say to every thoughtful Methodist, read Dr. Crane's book; 
 and if you read it in a discriminating and devout spirit, it will serve 
 at once to cool your head and warm your heart. We do not expect 
 that the orthodoxy of our people at this time of day is to be pre- 
 served by an Index Expurgatorius." — Methodist Quarterly Review. 
 
ARTS OP INTOXICATION. 
 
 By J. T. CRANE, D.D. 
 ISmo. $1 na. 
 
 OPINIONS OF TEE PRESS. 
 
 We have at last something new and original In the literature of the 
 temperance cause. The treatise is a learned one ; but the style is 
 spirited and simple, and so plain that a child may understand it. . . . 
 Happy is that man who can bring to a moral enterprise tlie re-inforoe- 
 ment of fresh and vigorous ideas. This benediction must rest upon 
 the head of our friend, Dr. J. T. Crane. He comes to the front of the 
 temperance ranks, and offers valuable service at an hour wlien his 
 new weapon is peculiarly adapted to the result sought. It is a fresh 
 and original form of presenting an old and worn theme, and has been 
 so successfully executed that it will force a hearing from those who, 
 through familiarity with the topic, have ceased to be interested in it. 
 The style is so lively and clear, and the volume is so full of entertain- 
 ing as well as startling information, that ovir young people will be sure 
 to read it if it is once placed in their hands. — Ghristian Advocate. 
 
 The appearance of this neat and timely volume will be hailed with 
 great satisfaction by the friends of humanity. The question of intoxi- 
 cants is discussed with a broader range than usual. — Methodist. 
 
 " The Arts of Intoxication." — Dr. Crane has grappled with a mighty 
 subject, and done it grandly. He gives the history in outline of in- 
 toxication in ancient and modern times, and deals with the varied 
 aspects of his theme as a philosopher, a philanthropist, and a Chris- 
 tian. He has crowded an immense amount of valuable information 
 into the compass of a beautiful little volume. It is a work of decided 
 merit. We commend it to all our readers, old and young, ministers 
 and laymen. The facts and figures may seem astounding, but no 
 charge of exaggeration will be sustained against the author. — Western 
 Christian Advocate. . 
 
 Dr. Crane has placed the community under obligations for a volume 
 of rare excellence,' as a treatise upon all the means of intoxication and 
 their effects. It is valuable as a text-book upon a subject of vital 
 Importance. — New Jersey Journal. 
 
 We earnestly recommend it as a strong plea in behalf of temper- 
 ance, and one which should be liberally circulated and read by mem- 
 bers of temperance organizations, as supplying abundant arguments 
 against the use and abuse of the bane of civilization. — Sussex Register. 
 
 We have read it from preface to conclusion with constantly increas- 
 ing interest. The book is characterized by great breadth and range 
 of lliought, by fairness and thoroughness of argument, and by an uu^ 
 
NOTICE — Arts or Intoxication. 
 
 usual amount of practical common sense. It is a work of no ordinary 
 merit ; the most valuable contribution to temperance literature that 
 has appeared for a long time. — Orange Journal. 
 
 The results of the most careful scientific research are carefully stated, 
 while the moral and religious conclusions are presented with great 
 earnestness and power. Tlie book is valuable, timely, thorough, and 
 suggestive. — Newark Courier. 
 
 Written iu a very captivating style, that attracts and holds the 
 reader's attention to the close. — Newark Journal. 
 
 We consider this little volume a valuable addition to temperance 
 literature, and worthy of a place in the library of every family. We 
 most cheerfully commend it to the active advocates of the temperance 
 reform as a most thorough discussion of the subject, and one which 
 will greatly aid them in their work. — Stephen B. Bansom, Most 
 Worthy Patriarch of the National Division of the Sons of Temperance. 
 
 It is just the work needed at the present time, and it should have 
 a large circulation. Dr. Crane's style is very attractive, rising at times 
 to true eloquence. We commend It to all interested in the cause. — 
 Boston Nation. 
 
 No addition to the literature of the temperance reform, so able, con- 
 clusive, and impressive as this, has been made for a long time. The 
 work will at once take its high place as an argument and plea, as a 
 weapon of offense and a shield, and be among the foremost standard- 
 bearers in the good cause. The evident research, the candor, the perspi- 
 cuity, the scientific care, and the religious spirit that mark the work, 
 make it peculiarly fitted to reach a class of minds that have hitherto 
 withstood arguments and statements not so deftly or decorously pre- 
 sented. Let the work have wide circulation. — S. S. Times, (Philadel- 
 phia.) 
 
 Dr. Crane Is an animated and forcible writer, and he has condensed 
 tlie temperance argument within the compass of a small duodecimo in 
 a very skillful and interesting manner. He is absolutely uncompro- 
 mising, however, upon the subject of the use of stimulants. . . It 
 will be admitted by all who read this little volume that Dr. Crane is 
 an earnest and eloquent advocate of total abstinence. We might even 
 say that as an essayist he is the peer of Gough as a lecturer. — New 
 York Evening Post 
 
 Of all the books written in the interest of temperance, we think of 
 none better adapted to be generally useful. It gives a great deal of 
 valuable information, drawn from a wide circle of reading. It is an 
 able plea and argument, and a valuable contribution to the science 
 and conduct of life. — Newark Daily Advertiser. 
 
POPULAR AMUSEMENTS. 
 
 By J. T. Crane, D.D., of the Newark Conference. With 
 an Introduction by Bishop Janes. Pp. 209. 
 
 16mo. $1 00. 
 
 OPINIONS OF TEE PRESS. 
 
 "We doubt if the line can be more wisely drawn. Dr. Crane's work 
 is done in his best style. There are logic, rhetoric, philosopliy, and 
 now and then sonie lively " amusement " in it. — Methodist Quarterly 
 Review. 
 
 In this volume there is a happy medium between a sour asceticism 
 and free license of worldliness. "We trust its wide circulation will 
 prove that it is duly appreciated. — Christian Advocate. 
 
 We commend this volume to the perusal of our ministers, and then 
 urge them to see to its free circulation among their people. — Ladies' 
 Repository. 
 
 It is a timely production, and will do much to combat mischievous 
 popular amusements, as well as to introduce a harmless and bene- 
 ficial class of recreations. — Methodist. 
 
 Dr. Crane takes the only tenable ground respecting the amusements 
 most generally practiced among fashionable society. Its cautions 
 should be duly heeded. — Good News. 
 
 It is a capital work; we wish it were in every family. Headers 
 will find it written in an entertaining style, and we are very sure they 
 cannot escape from the grip of its logic. "We advise pastors and 
 leaders to send for it. — Nashville Christian Advocate. 
 
 No more timely or valuable book has issued from the Methodist 
 press in a long time. The author is a writer of rare ability and grace- 
 ful style. Pastors can do no better service in their charges than to 
 scatter it all around them. — Western Christian Advocate. 
 
 If all our young men and maidens would carefully read tliis book, 
 we would surely expect that reform concerning which the author is 
 " despondent." The insidious practices that are creeping into the 
 Church, the increased ease with wliich many of our members devote 
 themselves to amusements, are signs of sorrow, ill omens that wo 
 grieve to see. — Northern Christian Advocate.