Columbia 5BnitJem'tp 
 intfteCitpoflfttigurk 
 
 THE LIBRARIES 
 
 Bequest of 
 
 Frederic Bancroft 
 
 1860-1945 
 
EECOLLECTIONS 
 
 0» 
 
 ITINERANT LIFE 
 
 INCLUDING EARLY REMDTISCENCES. 
 
 BY 
 
 HEV. GEOEaE BROWN, D. D., 
 
 OP THE METHODIST PUOTESTANT CHUUCH. 
 
 NOT THAT WE HAVE DOMINION OVEK YOUR FAITH, BUT ARE HELPERS OP YODB JOT: 
 
 FOR BY FAITH YE STAND."— 2 Coritithians, i: 24. 
 
 SECOND EDITION. 
 
 CINCINNATI: 
 
 R. W. CARROLL & CO., PUBLISHERS, 
 
 No. ilV "^V^nsT I orRTH Street. 
 SPRINGFIELD: METH. PROT. PUBLISHING HOUSE. 
 
 1866. 
 

 \' 
 
 9 2 
 /3f/ 
 
 3 
 
 Entered according to Act of Congi-ess, in the year 1806, by 
 
 Eev. GEORGE BROWN, D. D., 
 
 In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern 
 
 District of Ohio. 
 
 ,'^n7(L 
 
 gTEnEOTVPF.n AT THE 
 jTRXi^KJlAH SVgg BOUNDBK, 
 CINCHt'AM'I, 0.' 
 
DEDICATION. 
 
 TO THE 
 
 l^inistErs anb Pcmbcrs of llje P^ttljobist '^xottstnnt €hvizc^, 
 
 AND THE FraENDS OF CHRISTIAN LIBERTY IN ALL DENOMINATIONS. 
 
 THIS WORK, ENTITLED "RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT 
 
 LIFE, INCLUDING EARLY REMINISCENCES," 
 
 IS MOST RESPECTFULLY 
 
 DEDICATED, 
 
 BX 
 
 The Authob. 
 
 Springfield, Ohio, February 5, 1866. 
 
INTHODUCTION, 
 
 BY REV. JOHN SCOTT, D.D., 
 Editor Western Methodist Protestant. 
 
 "Days should speak, and multitude of years should teach 
 wisdom." The experience of the past, when duly considered, 
 is well calculated to cast light on the present and direct us in 
 the future. Abstract principles are intangible, and it is only 
 when they receive a practical exemplification that their nature 
 and importance are clearly demonstrated. While we look to 
 the future as a theater of action, we must look to the past 
 for an illustration of the power and influence of those princi- 
 ples which direct and control action. These principles may 
 be considered in the light of our own experience, and also as 
 illustrated in the experience of others ; and the more extensive 
 and varied the experience, the more complete and important is 
 the illustration it affords. It is this that gives value to his- 
 tory, and particularly to biography, which is the history of 
 individual life and character. This species of history is valu- 
 able in proportion as it presents correctly and fully the princi- 
 ples and motives which, under certain circumstances, influenced 
 and controlled individual action. But while the biographer 
 may be able to trace clearly the actions of an individual, he 
 is often unable to determine with certainty the motives by 
 which those actions were prompted; and actions, considered 
 without reference to the motives from which they spring, may 
 very easily produce an entire misapprehension of an individual's 
 character. In autobiography, however, this difl&culty does not 
 
 (V) 
 
VI INTRODUCTION. 
 
 exist. The motive and the action are alike known to the 
 author, and both may be clearly presented in their mutual re- 
 lation to each other. This enables us to form a correct theory 
 of an individual's life and character, and to derive instruction 
 from his example. The present volume is of the latter class, 
 and we shall detain the reader but a short time from its perusal 
 by a brief notice of the Author and his Work. 
 
 Doctor Brown, the recollections of whose itinerant life are 
 contained in this volume, belongs to a past generation, and 
 lingers among us for a short time as a worthy representative 
 of a noble class of men whose memories will be ever green, 
 and the recollection of whose Christian virtues and faithful 
 labors shall be imperishable in the Church. As a man, he is 
 eminent for his strength of intellect, his great social power, 
 his earnestness of purpose, and his unswerving adherence to 
 principle. Quick in perception and clear in judgment, he 
 readily grasps whatever subject he investigates. Although 
 possessing a strong relish for abstract metaphysical questions, 
 he has the peculiar talent of presenting, in a clear and simple 
 form, the results of his most profound investigations. His 
 social qualities are also of a high order. With a heart over- 
 flowing with kindness, and a memory well stored with inter- 
 esting and varied reminiscences of the past, his social inter- 
 course possesses a peculiar charm, rendering his society both 
 attractive and instructive. In the performance of the labors 
 of life, he has always manifested great earnestness of purpose. 
 Impressed with the true nature of his duties, he has bent all 
 his energies faithfully to discharge them. Regarding life as a 
 reality, he has never trifled with his life-work, but, with the 
 earnestness produced by an abiding conviction of its impor- 
 tance, has devoted himself with energy to its performance. 
 Integrity and adherence to principle have always been promi- 
 nent traits in his character, and, sooner than renounce these, 
 he has manifested a willingness, in the privations and sacrifices 
 of personal comfort which he has endured, to sacrifice every 
 thing else. Rather than abandon his convictions for the sake 
 of prominence and place, he has often exposed himself to op- 
 
INTRODUCTION. VU 
 
 position and reproach. Preeminently a man of peace, sooner 
 than renounce his principles, he has engaged in discussions, 
 which, for a time at least, resulted in the alienation and sac- 
 rifice of cherished friends. Principle and duty with him, 
 throughout life, have always been paramount to every other 
 consideration. — His strength of intellect, his warmth of sym- 
 pathy, his earnestness of purpose, and his integrity of prin- 
 ciple, united with ardent piety, constitute a character, partially 
 exhibited in the present volume, alike worthy of our study and 
 imitation. 
 
 Eminence in any department of life, whatever a man's nat- 
 ural abilities and moral excellencies may be, depends, to a 
 great extent, upon his own industry and application. These 
 are necessary to develop and strengthen his powers, discipline 
 his thoughts, and enable him to use with facility the knowl- 
 edge he acquires. Doctor Brown has been a life-long student, 
 patient and diligent in the acquirement of knowledge. Preem- 
 inently a student of the Bible, he has not been indifferent to 
 other branches of learning, but has acquired an extensive 
 knowledge of books, and is familiar, especially, with the older 
 authors, in almost every department of philosophical thought. 
 Not satisfied with superficial inquiries, his investigations have 
 been deep and thorough, enabling him to master the subjects 
 which have engaged his attention. Although now in the seventy- 
 fifth year of his age, his former habits of study have not been 
 abandoned, but most of his time is devoted to his books, and 
 he still delights in the investigation of the most profound sub 
 jects connected with Christian theology. In this he presents, 
 especially to young men in the ministry, an example every way 
 worthy of imitation. 
 
 With such natural endowments, and such habits of studious 
 application, it is not surprising that Doctor Brown should 
 occupy a prominent position as a Christian minister. As a 
 preacher, in his day he had not many equals, and few if any 
 superiors. Deeply skilled in the word of God, he brought out 
 of his treasury things "both new and old." Although always 
 chaste, he preferred strength to beauty of style, and sought to 
 
Viii INTRODUCTION. 
 
 enlighten the judgment and arouse the conscience rather than 
 please the fancy. Clear in exposition, forcible in argument, 
 apt in illustration, and powerful in appeal, his preaching wa3 
 often accompanied by a divine energy to the hearts of the 
 people. We have seen vast assemblies spell- bound by his 
 thrilling utterances, or swaying, like the forest in the breeze, 
 beneath the power of truth as it fell, with burning fervor, from 
 his lips. In the days of his prime, he towered in the pulpit 
 like a giant in his strength, and wielded the sword of the Spirit 
 with a dexterity and power seldom surpassed. Hundreds are 
 now living, many of whom are ministers of the Gospel, who 
 were converted through his instrumentality, and thousands no 
 doubt have gone to their final rest who were saved through 
 his faithful labors, and who will "shine as stars in the crown 
 of his rejoicing forever." 
 
 As an executive, whether as the Superintendent of a circuit 
 or the President of a conference or a college, Doctor Brown was 
 always gentle, but firm. Possessing a kind and merciful spirit, 
 he sought to reclaim the erring by Christian counsel, admoni- 
 tion, and reproof; and not until he had exhausted, without suc- 
 cess, every effort in the spirit of kindness and love to reclaim 
 them was he willing to resort to the exercise of discipline 
 and punish the guilty. But when all other means failed, and 
 it became necessary, he shrunk not from the performance of 
 his duty, but, with a firm and impartial hand, administered 
 justice to the transgressor. Under such circumstances punish- 
 ment was rendered doubly severe, because it was felt to be not 
 the result of personal enmity, but of necessity; for no man ever 
 felt that in Doctor Brown he had an enemy. 
 
 Like all noble and generous minds, he always sympathized 
 with the weak and oppressed. Although often straightened in 
 his own circumstances, he never turned a deaf ear to the voice 
 of the needy, but often, beyond his ability, contributed to the 
 supply of their wants. His benevolent heart, in its yearnings 
 of sympathy, went out after the poor, whom the Saviour declares 
 we shall always have with us. 
 
 His sun is now fast declining, and will soon set in beauty. 
 
DTTRODUCTION. IX 
 
 His graces, like the ripened fruit trembling on tlie bough ready 
 to be gathered, have attained a mellow richness, giving to his 
 character more than an earthly charm. Cheerful and happy, 
 with resignation and hope he waits the coming of the Master 
 to call him to his reward. 
 
 The present volume, containing the recollections of such a 
 man, dating back to the commencement of this century, and 
 coming down to the present time, connected, as they are, with 
 great social and religious changes and important ecclesiastical 
 refoi'ms, in which the Author bore a prominent part, can not 
 fail, we think, to interest and instruct the reader. Many thrill- 
 ing incidents connected with pioneer life and early itinerant 
 labor are here recorded. Human nature is presented in many 
 of its phases, and numerous anecdotes illustrative of peculiar 
 manners and traits of individual character are related. The 
 important principles of 'Mutual Rights and Ecclesiastical Liberty, 
 which the author has labored so zealously for years to promote, 
 are with propriety considered, and the causes which led to 
 the organization of the Methodist Protestant Church, of 
 which he was one of the founders, and with which he has been 
 so long identified, are presented, and the reasons justifying such 
 an organization are clearly set forth. The volume will also be 
 found to contain much that is calculated to edify the Church, 
 and especially to instruct her young and rising ministry. 
 
 In order to preserve the truth of history, and also to vindi- 
 cate his own character, the Author, in a few instances, has been 
 under the necessity of presenting others in an unenviable light; 
 but having stated the facts and vindicated himself, in the true 
 spirit of Christian charity, he becomes their apologist, and in- 
 stead of referring their conduct to moral obliquity of purpose, 
 ascribes it rather to the weakness of human nature. 
 
 The volume, as its title imports, is composed principally of 
 recollections, aided in part by written and printed documents. 
 It may appear singular to some how the Author, after the lapse 
 of so many years, could relate with such precision so many im- 
 portant incidents, giving names, dates, and localities, and even 
 the particulars of numerous conversations. This serves to ex- 
 
X INTRODUCTION. 
 
 hibit some of the peculiar traits of his character. Endowed 
 with a memory of uncommon tenacity, which, like all his other 
 mental faculties, retains its vigor unimpaired, he has treasured 
 up all the important facts and incidents of his life, and has the 
 ability to call them forth at pleasure. This faculty has been 
 cultivated and strengthened by the habit, in which he has in- 
 dulged for many years, of enlivening the hours of social inter- 
 course with intimate friends by the relation of important facts 
 connected with his former history. By this means they have 
 not been permitted to fade from his memory, but, according to 
 a law of our mental constitution, by frequent repetitions have 
 been indelibly impressed upon his mind. During the last thirty 
 years, it has been our privilege to hear him relate, at different 
 times, most of the facts and incidents contained in this volume. 
 It is a source of real satisfaction to his numerous friends, that 
 these recollections are now given to the public in such a form 
 that all may enjoy the pleasure which has heretofore been re- 
 stricted to a few, and possess a valuable memento of one on 
 whom the Church has bestowed its highest honors. 
 
 We shall not further detain the reader from the perusal of 
 the work itself, which we know can not fail to amuse and in- 
 struct him. Rich in facts, abounding in wise counsels, and en- 
 livened by incidents of special interest, it requires only to be 
 read to be appreciated. 
 
 Springfield, 0., January 31, 1866. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 FAOB 
 
 Writing from Memory and Recollection — Diary Lost — Why I have 
 Written— Place of Birth— The Mad-Dog and Cow — Whisky In- 
 surrection — Narrow Escape from Drowning — Crossing the Ohio 
 River at the Tail of an Ox— The Brown Family— From 1797 to 1800 
 go to School — The Site of SteubenviJle — Western Civilization — 
 Fighting — Rev. R. Dobbins 17 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Removal to Ohio, then a Territory — Captain John Henlick and his Two 
 ■Wives — The Game and the Snakes — DifQculties Connected with Bor- 
 der Life — Methodist Preachers make their Appearance — The Wolf- 
 hunt — A Large Farm Cleared Out in Five Years — Border Settlers 
 make their own Clothing from the Raw Material — No Schools for 
 Ten Years — Early Religious Impressions— Cowardice in Religious 
 Matters — Evil Efiects of Wicked Associations 24 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Learn the Fulling Trade — Trip to Canton — Go to School in Virginia — 
 Death of My Father by Drowning — Commence Teaching School — 
 Enter the Army in 1812 — The Wild Horse — Johnson's Island — Gen- 
 eral Harrison — Winchester's Defeat — Volunteer to help away the 
 Wounded — The Retreat — Camp Inundated — Fort Meigs — Honorably 
 Discharged — Start for Home — Difficulties of Travel — Failure of Pro- 
 visions — My Religious Condition 43 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Trip to Baltimore— Had to Decide Between my Two Brothers— The 
 Camp-Meeting and the Giants of Methodism — My Conversion and 
 Happiness— Robert Fisher— The Prayer-Meeting and the Cross — 
 Joined the Church— Gilbert Middleton, Class- Leader— His Faithful- 
 ness — Members of his Class— The Class of Young Men who held 
 Prayer- Meetings — Commenced Preaching white on Probation — My 
 
 (xi) 
 
XU CONTENTS. 
 
 PAoa 
 
 Studies — The Baltimore Local Preachers — An Effort to Repair an 
 Injury to my Brother — Studies Continued in my Brother's Tan- 
 Yard — A Soldier Again, in Defense of Baltimore against the Brit- 
 ish — A Soldier Condemned to be Shot — Eeflections on that Thrilling 
 Scene — First Love-Feast I attended in Baltimore — Licensed to 
 Preach in 1814 59 
 
 CHAPTER V, 
 
 My first Itinerant Sermon — The Negroes Sleeping in Meeting — My De- 
 sign in going on Anne Arundel Circuit — Jackson's Victory — Peace 
 Restored — The General Joy — Not being Recommended to Confer- 
 ence, I Return to Work and Study — Was Immediately Called to 
 Prince George's Circuit — The Horse — The Money — My Colleagues — 
 The Circuit — The Bilious Fever and its Cause — Kind Friends who 
 Cared for me in my AfSictions — Chambersburg Circuit — My Col- 
 leagues — My Presiding Elder — Carlisle Circuit — My Colleague — 
 Much Opposition — Success in Gettysburg — The Infidel Converted — 
 A Marriage Extraordinary — Stafford Circuit — My Assistant — The 
 Various Sects — The Camp-Meeting — How Methodists at that day 
 Regarded Slavery 75 
 
 CHAPTER VI, 
 
 "Washington Station — DiflSculty about the Choir — Revival of Religion — 
 Study of Greek and Hebrew — Rev. Matthew Brown, D. D. — Wheel- 
 ing and Short Creek — Noah Zane — Methodism and Calvinism — Lay 
 Delegation — Dr. David Stanton — Washington Station Again — My 
 Marriage — Ohio Circuit — Old Bachelors — Insufficient Support 95 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Conference in Baltimore — Appointed Presiding Elder of Monongahela 
 District — Effort to Change the Manner of Appointing Presiding 
 Elders — Bishop McKendree's Vindication of his Course in the Pre- 
 ceding General Conference — Removal to Washington — My First 
 Quarterly Conference — Trip to Ohio with Bishop McKendree — The 
 Bishop's Views on Church Polity — My Views — Conference in Win- 
 chester, Virginia — Conference in Baltimore — Formation of Pitts- 
 burgh Conference — Failure in Health — Recovery — The New Lights 
 — The Baptists — Camp-Meetings — My First Public Connection with 
 the Reform Movement — The Mutual Rights — Bishop George 112 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Conference in Washington, Pennsylvania — Reform Movement — Bishop 
 Hedding's Address against Reform — Reasons for Replying — D. W. 
 
CONTENTS. Xm 
 
 PAOK 
 
 Clark, D. D. — Friendly Relations Existing between Bishop Hedding 
 and Myself — Timothy's Address to the Junior Bishop — Convention 
 of Bishops in Baltimore — Bishop Hedding's Note to the Chairman 
 of the Editorial Committee Demanding Timothy's Real Name — My 
 Reply, Surrendering my Name — Rev. H. B. Bascom's Testimony as 
 to the Truthfulness of Timothy's Address — Similar Testimony from 
 Rev. John Waterman, Rev. Asa Shinn, Thomas Morgan, Esq., Rev. 
 Joshua Monroe, Rev. T. M. Hudson — Reasons for Present Self- 
 Defense 129 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Letter from Bishop George — His Conciliatory Efforts — Concessions to 
 the Pittsburgh Conference — Passage of my Character — Private In- 
 terview between Bishop George, H. B. Bascom, A. Shinn, and My- 
 self — Letter Published in the Mutual Rights, signed " Plain Deal- 
 ing" — The General Conference of 1828 — Mr. Shinn's Eloquent 
 Speech in Favor of the Restoration of D. B. Dorsey and W. C. Pool — 
 Bishop Hedding and Myself before the Committee on Episcopacy — 
 Decision of the Committee — My Defense 158 
 
 CHAPTER X, 
 
 A Church Trial in Steubenville in 1827 — A Lady Preacher — Conference 
 in Mercer County — New Lisbon Circuit — Determination to leave the 
 Church — Reasons for so Doing — Invitation to go to Pittsburgh — Ac- 
 ceptance — Letter to my Presiding Elder 180 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Church Property — Plan to Crush Reform in Pittsburgh — Effort to Ob- 
 tain Possession of Sraithfield Street Church — Decision of Supreme 
 Court of Pennsylvania in favor of Reformers — Effort to bring Fe- 
 male Influence to bear Against Reform — First Reform Conference — 
 Amusing Objection to Moral Character — Convention in Baltimore — 
 True Piety of Ministers and Members of Methodist Episcopal 
 Church — Contemptuous Treatment from Old Friends 203 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Church Failures in "Wheeling — My First Year in the Presidency — Re- 
 elected President — The Reform Methodists — Discussion on Church 
 Government-^A Forgetful Preacher — Lectures on Church Govern- 
 ment — Elected President the Third Time — First General Confer- 
 ence — Presidential Tour through the West 228 
 
XIV CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 PAOH 
 
 Bemoval to Cincinnati — An Opinion on Ecclesiastical Law — Second 
 Year in Cincinnati — General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church — Anecdote of Rev. N. Snethen and Rev. W. Burke — Elec- 
 tion of Bishop Morris — Transfer to the Pittsburgh Conference 255 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Transferred to the Pittsburgh Conference — Removal to Alleghany — 
 Remarkable Dream — Lorenzo Dow and General Jackson — An Arbi- 
 trary Sexton — Second General Conference — Debate on Slavery — Lib- 
 erty of the Press — Meeting of Pittsburgh Conference — Removal to 
 HoUiday's Cove, Virginia 267 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 Conference in New Lisbon, Ohio — Elected President — Removal to 
 Steubenville — Conference in Pittsburgh — Appointed to Pittsburgh — 
 The Use of Tobacco — Conference in Alleghany — Reappointed to 
 Pittsburgh, with Rev. J. Cowl as Assistant — Annual Conference Ac- 
 tion on the Slavery Question 281 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 Division of Pittsburgh Conference — Elected President — Exercise of 
 Church Discipline — Removal to Steubenville — Tour in Western Vir- 
 ginia — Conference in Pittsburgh — Re-elected President — Discussion 
 on Phrenology — Lumbermen at Goose Creek — Adventures in the 
 Mountains — Conference at Fairmont — Third Year in the Presidency. 291 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 Appointed Conference Missionary — General Conference in Cincinnati — 
 A Quarterly Meeting among the Colored People — Pittsburgh Con- 
 ference held in Alleghany — Elected President — Public Discussions 
 on Church Government with Methodist Episcopal Ministers — Con- 
 ference at Waynesburgh, Pennsylvania — Re-elected President — 
 A Sketch of Border Life in Western Virginia 316 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 Removal to Connellsville, Pennsylvania — A Revival of Religion — 
 Modes of Baptism — Camp-Meeting — General Conference — Madison 
 College— Family Afflictions 338 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Conference in Uniontown, Pennsylvania — Removal to Manchester Cir- 
 cuit, in Virginia — Elected President — Elected President of the Board 
 
CONTENTS. XV 
 
 PAQB 
 
 of Trustees of Madison College — Tour through West Virginia — Re- 
 elected President of Pittsburgh Conference — Removal to Uniontown, 
 Pennsylvania — Funeral of Rev. Asa Shinn — Resignation of the 
 President of Madison College — Elected President pro tem. of Col- 
 lege — Return to the Labors of the District 348 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 Rev. Francis "Waters, D. D., President of Madison College — His Resig- 
 nation — Rev. S. K. Cox, President — Pecuniary Embarrassments in 
 College Affairs — General Conference of 1854 — The Eutering-wedge 
 of Church Division — Cholera during the Session of the Pittsburgh 
 Annual Conference in Alleghany — Visit as Fraternal Messenger to 
 the Pittsburgh Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, at 
 Blairsville, Pennsylvania — Serious Trouble at the College — Expul- 
 sion of a Student — Reconsideration of the Sentence Urged — Threat 
 of the Faculty to Resign unless Sustained by Board of Trustees — 
 Faculty Sustained — Visit to Cincinnati — Military Discipline — Pro- 
 phetic Opinion on Political Matters Expressed by Ex-Governor 
 Branch, of North Carolina — Secession of Faculty and Founding of 
 an Institution at Lynchburg — Election to -the Presidency of Madi- 
 son College 361 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 A New Faculty — Pecuniary Condition of the College — Traveling on 
 College Business — Tour through Old Virginia — Visit to Lynchburg — 
 A Southerner's View of Slave-trading — College Commencement — 
 Change in the Faculty — College Closes 388 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 Delegates Elected by Pittsburgh Conference to the Convention at 
 Springfield, Ohio — Missionary Work and Farming Operations — 
 Meeting of Committees on the Union of the Wesleyan and Methodist 
 Protestant Churches — Compilation of a Hymn-book — Visit of Fra- 
 ternal Messengers from the Methodist Episcopal Church to the 
 Pittsburgh Conference — Visit as Fraternal Messenger to the Pitts- 
 burgh Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, at Blairsville, 
 Pennsylvania — Removal to Vicinity of McKeesport, Pennsylvania — 
 Elected Editor of Western Methodist Protestant — Removal to 
 Springfield, Ohio — Death of both My Sons — Views and Wishes on 
 Ecclesiastical Matters , 399 
 
 An Address to the Ministers and Members op the Methodist Peot- 
 SSTANT Church 415 
 
Iccijlltctwns 0f Itinerant Sfe. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Weitino feom Memory and Recollection— Diaet Lost— Why I have Written— Re- 
 form Controversy- Place of Birth— The Mab-Dug and Cow— Whisky Insukeec- 
 TiON— Narrow Escape from Drowning— Crossing the Ohio River at the Tail of 
 AN Ox— The Brown Family— From 1797 to ISOO go to School— The Site op Steu- 
 benville— Western Civilization— Fighting— Rev. R. Dobbins. 
 
 It is now proposed to commit to writing some recollections 
 of past life, and of the times wliieh God hath permitted, or 
 caused, to pass over me. In doing this, I must depend mainly 
 on memory and recollection. Memory has retained many things 
 with a tenacious grasp ; others come up to view by mental effort 
 and the laws of association : these are properly recollections. 
 The events which have so far faded away from my mind, as to be 
 beyond all my efforts to fully regain by recollection, will be re- 
 garded as irrecoverably gone ; of them nothing will be written. 
 In 1848, my diary, with all that I had written, including many 
 letters, documents on the Reform Controversy, and some ser- 
 mons, was entirely lost in Steubeuville, Ohio. At the time of 
 a removal, when I was from home, the box containing them 
 was, by mistake, thrown into the cellar, and there they lay until 
 the exuding glue attached all my papers together in one insepa- 
 rable mass — all were lost. After that I wrote but little more, 
 being discouraged by the loss I had sustained. 
 
 Why shall I not write what I remember and can recollect of 
 past life? It will do me good in many ways; it will give me 
 employment in my old age, and thereby promote my happiness. 
 2 (25) 
 
26 RECOLLECTIOXS OF ITINERANT LITE. 
 
 A careful and honest review of past life, I am confident, will 
 deeply humble my soul, under a sense of my numerous imper- 
 fections and short-comings before the Lord. At the same time 
 it will call up to my mind and heart the goodness and mercies 
 of God, which have followed me all the days of my life, and 
 tlyereby increase my gratitude to the Giver of all good. My 
 children claim it of me to give them some account of what I 
 have been doing these many years past. Many in the Church 
 make the same claim, and all have a right to be gratified. 
 
 Having stood connected, as an active laborer, with the con- 
 troversy in the Methodist Episcopal Church, which resulted in 
 the expulsion of many of the leading friends of reform, the 
 withdrawal of others, and the ultimate organization of the 
 Methodist Protestant Church, I shall deem it my duty, as I 
 pass along, to notice and correct certain historical and bio- 
 graphical errors into which some writers have fallen, who were 
 opposed to lay delegation in those days. These friends of min- 
 isterial supremacy have nearly all passed away ; for this reason 
 I shall strive to deal in all possible candor with their charac- 
 ters, opinions, and statements. Yet the truth will have to be 
 told, on the living and on the dead; and when this is done 
 without bitterness, with fairness and Christian candor, no man 
 on earth will have a right to complain. 
 
 If right had taken place, I should have been born in Brooke 
 County, Virginia, on the bank of the Ohio River, about oppo- 
 site the middle of Brown's Island. But all the border settle- 
 ments were then involved in the horrors of Indian warfare, and 
 our family, with other border families, had fled before an irrup- 
 tion made by the savages on the frontier settlements, to a place 
 of safety, just over the line, in Washington County, Pennsyl- 
 vania. In that place I was born, on the 29th of January, 1792. 
 I recollect nothing of that fort, place of safety, or whatever it 
 was called. In a short time my father and mother, Hugh and 
 Ruth Brown, with their family, returned to their homes on the 
 bank of the river; and among the beauties and grandeurs of 
 nature in that romantic place are located my first recollections 
 of things in this transitory life. Behind our log-cabin home 
 rose the wood-covered and far-stretching hills, overlooking our 
 
THE MAD-DOa AND COW. 27 
 
 humble habitation. In front of us ran the beautiful Oliio, on 
 wbose shores I delighted to play; and a little further in front 
 the eye rested on Brown's Island, three miles long, covered 
 with heavy timber, mostly sugar-trees. In the river there was 
 fish, and in the forest game in abundance. A part of the island 
 was cleared and under cultivation. My father and my uncle, 
 Colonel Richard Brown, raised their bread there ; and on that 
 island, and about our rural home on the bank of the river, 
 memory still loves to cling. Many things in that place made 
 too deep an impression on my mind ever to be forgotten. I 
 will name a few of them. 
 
 Memory goes back still with abiding gratitude to God, for 
 preserving me, when quite a child, from destruction by a mad- 
 dog. My father and brothers rose early one morning, let the 
 cow into the yard to the calf, and then went to the island to 
 work. I was out, looking at the calf, when a mad-dog, re- 
 sembling in size and color our own trusty dog, sprang past me 
 and seized the cow. She fought furiously for her calf. I was 
 either knocked down in the fight, or fell down, and the cow 
 stood right over me, as though she fought for me as well as 
 her calf. My mother came running, with a long pole, to beat 
 oif the dog and get me away, but failed, until our dog came 
 running from the hill and seized the mad-dog. The cow, being 
 relieved, left her position over me, and my mother took me into 
 the house, all covered with slaver from the cow or the dog, 
 perhaps from both; and my back showed many a scratch from 
 the nails of the dog. Immediately, my brothers, and all the 
 young men of the neighborhood, were out with their guns, in 
 pursuit of the rabid animal, but did not find him. But toward 
 noon he returned; my father and my uncle, each with a hand- 
 spike, standing one on each side of the road along which he 
 came, smote him down and killed him. He had destroyed 
 much property; our cow, calf, and dog all went mad, and had 
 to be killed. I remember well seeing my brother Arthur shoot 
 our cow; she fell on the slope of the bank, and rolled over and 
 over into the river, which was then very high, and away she 
 went. In this dreadful hazard of life, how mercifully did God 
 preserve me ] At that time I was about two years and a half 
 
28 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 old; but, young as I was, tlie hazard of my lifa by the mad- 
 dog made too deep an impression upon my mind ever to be 
 forgotten. 
 
 I remember, too, the closing up of the Whisky Insurrec- 
 tion in Western Pennsylvania. One day an insurgent, by the 
 name of Sutherland, came running through our yard, with all 
 his might, and to the river he went, stole our canoe, and started 
 down stream to avoid his pursuers. A short time afterward, 
 while I wks at play in the yard, a man rode up in military 
 garb, hitched his horse at the gate, and, as he entered the 
 yard, my mother screamed out, and running to him, threw her 
 arms around his neck and kissed him. I felt scared, and won- 
 dered what big ugly man that was kissing my mother. It 
 turned out to be my brother Edward, from Maryland, who had 
 remained behind when my parents moved to the West, and 
 whom I had never seen before. He was a soldier in the Whisky 
 Boy expedition to Western Pennsylvania, and had now come 
 to pay us a visit, before his return home to Maryland. 
 
 When about five years of age, I came very near being 
 drowned in the Ohio River. I was a venturesome boy. I 
 went to the river alone, got into the canoe, and went to the 
 stern, which lay square oif from the shore, over deep water, 
 which at that time was both clear and still. I got up near 
 the stern, with one foot on each side, and commenced rocking 
 the craft, to see the waves roll, as I had seen others do. For 
 some time I got on with my fun pretty well, but a slip of one 
 foot threw me into the river, and I went to the bottom.' That 
 moment I realized my perilous condition, and, opening my eyes, 
 I found I could see the shadow of the canoe on the bottom ; 
 so, instantly, on hands and feet, along the black mark, with all 
 my might I made for the shore. When I had to take breath, 
 I rose to my feet, and found that my head was out of the water. 
 This narrow escape never was known to my parents, who often 
 warned me about the dangers of the river. 
 
 When about six years of age, being on the island one very 
 warm day in the month of June, toward the middle of the aft- 
 ernoon I felt a strong desire to cross the river and go home to 
 my mother. So, I went down to the canoe and waited awhile; 
 
THE BROWN FAMILY. 29 
 
 but no one came to go over, nor did any one come to my Uncle 
 Kichard's canoe. After awhile, tlie cattle came down to drink. I 
 had often seen them swim across that stream ; so a new thought 
 came into my mind, and I drove them into the river, which was 
 full from bank to bank, it being the time of the June rise, and, 
 as they went in, I took old Bright, our off-side ox, by the tail, 
 and he, being a little wild, felt somewhat frightened, went in with 
 a plunge, and over we went, I holding on to the tail. When we 
 got over I let go the tail, and Bright ran up the bank ; then, 
 turning round, he looked at me and blowed, like an animal terri- 
 bly seared. What next was to be done ? To go home all wet 
 would not do. My mother would find out how I had crossed the 
 river, and deal with me as I deserved, for my adventurous and 
 rash conduct. To escape punishment, and meet the case as well 
 as I could, my clothes were taken off and wrung ; then hung on 
 the fence in the hot afternoon sun to dry. Meantime I, being 
 naked, hid in the bushes. About sundown they all came over, 
 and, as they came, my clothes were put on, and I waited among 
 the bushes until all had gone past, then followed in the rear to 
 the house, no one appearing to notice but what I had been 
 with them all the time. To the day of their death my parents 
 never knew any thing of this rash adventure. 
 
 I will here give some account of the Brown family. My 
 grandfather, George Brown, was from England. He was about 
 five feet and one inch in height, strongly built, and of great 
 strength. My grandmother was a Stevenson. They settled at 
 Pipe Ci'eek, Maryland, and had fourteen children, eight sons 
 and six daughters. My father, Hugh Brown, was the young- 
 est but one of the fourteen. Nearly all of them raised large 
 families, thus connecting me with an extensive relationship, 
 now vastly multiplied throughout the land. My mother was a 
 Barney, daughter of Absalom Barney, of Maryland, and, I 
 think, her progenitors were from Wales. On both sides of the 
 house, all the Church proclivities of my ancestors were toward 
 the English Establishment. But when the Revolutionary War 
 sundered the American Colonies from the mother country, 
 Church of England attachments gave way, and my relations 
 are now found among all Christian denominations in our coun- 
 
30 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 try, the largest portion being among the Methodists. The 
 Browns, Stevensons, and Barneys entered largely into the Rev- 
 olutionary struggle; but among them all, Joshua Barney, first 
 cousin to my mother, then quite young, was most distinguished. 
 He was afterward known in history as Commodore Barney, 
 and fought bravely in the war of 1812. My father and mother 
 belonged to the first class of Methodists ever formed in the 
 state of Maryland. It was organized by Robert Strowbridge, an 
 Irish local preacher. And when they came to the West, about 
 1789, they, so soon as practicable, connected themselves with the 
 Methodists, then few in number, and both remained in that com- 
 munion until God called them from labor to reward in heaven. 
 
 My parents had ten children, eight sons and two daughters, 
 nine of whom they raised. The tenth one perished in the 
 flames, when my father's house was burned, just before the fam- 
 ily came to the West. My father had sold his land and other 
 property; the money was all in the house, and was all destroyed. 
 Worst of all, my brother Barney, five years old, was burned 
 with the house, while my parents were paying a visit among 
 the neighbors, before their removal. So, then, they came to 
 the West very poor, which, upon the whole, may have been 
 for the best, as it led the whole family to laborious diligence 
 and economy to make a living; all of which is friendly to re- 
 ligion. Idleness and wealth generally corrupt the heart. 
 
 From 1797 to 1800 I went to school, and, it was said, made 
 good progress in such branches as were taught; but, in com- 
 parison with the present day, schools were then less than nothing 
 and vanity. About the year 1796, my mother took me over 
 the river, and, in my bare feet, I ran all over the ground where 
 Steubenville now stands, mostly then in heavy timber, a little 
 only being cleared near the fort, which stood, according to my 
 recollection, about where Dr. Beatty's female seminary now 
 stands. I heard the first sermon ever preached in Steuben- 
 ville; it was called the Christening Sermon, and was delivered 
 by Dr. Joseph Doddridge, in the old log court-house, up 
 stairs. We went up rough stairs on the outside to the place 
 where the meeting was held. At that time there were but 
 three or four houses in the town, besides the aforesaid court- 
 
REV. ROBERT DOBBINS. 31 
 
 house. In those days, there was not much done in court- 
 houses. The border settlers decided controversies, in many 
 instances, as in all new countries, by a trial of manhood. He 
 who could "lick" his neighbor with whom he had a dispute, 
 generally carried his cause. Civilization and religion have 
 measurably changed all this. Blessed be God for civilization 
 and religion! What wonders they have wrought! They can 
 yet do more, if human passion will allow them. But in that 
 half-civilized state there was a great deal of fighting. Men 
 fought fur mere trifles; so did boys; and in many companies 
 could be heard more talk about fighting, and who was the 
 stoutest man in that community, and what boy, in a short 
 time, would be able to "lick" all the boys in the neighbor- 
 hood, than could be heard about the crops, the government of 
 the country, or the Christian religion. Still there were thought- 
 ful men and women, who read the Scriptures, prayed to God, 
 attended Divine worship whenever practicable, and strove to 
 bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the 
 Lord. Among these were my beloved pai-ents, Hugh and Buth 
 Brown, whose memory has always been dear to me. Thou- 
 sands of times have I reproached myself for slighting their 
 counsel in the days of my youth. They would have led me to 
 Christ, but from Christ I ran away. Such is youthful folly! 
 
 In my boyhood it was considered a great matter to be a good 
 swimmer. I could swim the Ohio Biver equal to any Indian, 
 before I was eight years of age. This was great sport; so 
 were shooting, hunting, fishing, and all kinds of athletic exer- 
 cises, by which the human constitution is invigorated. 
 
 While we yet lived at the river, in Virginia, Bev. Bobert 
 Dobbins established preaching at the house of my uncle. Col- 
 onel Bichard Brown. He was called the great Methodist 
 preacher. The border settlers generally turned out to hear 
 him. Much religious interest was waked up, and he certainly 
 would have done good, had he continued his labors. After a 
 long and useful career in the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
 and then in the Methodist Protestant Church, he died, a few 
 years ago, in great peace, a member of the Ohio Conference of 
 the latter denomination. 
 
32 RECOLLECTIOXS OF ITINERAIs'T LIFE. 
 
 CHAPTER II. - 
 
 REMOVAt TO Ohio, then a Territory— Captain John Henltck and his Two Wives— 
 The Game and the Snakes— Difficulties Connected with Border Life— Meth- 
 odist Preachers make their Appearance — The Wolf-hunt — A Large Farm 
 Cleared Out in Five Tears— Border Settlers make their own Clothinq from 
 THE Raw Material— Xo Schools for Ten Years— Early Religious Impressions- 
 Cowardice IN Religious Matters— Evil Effects of Wicked Associations. 
 
 In 1800, my father, with his family, moved to Ohio, then a 
 territory, and built his cabin on a branch of Cross Creek called 
 Cedar-Lick Run, in Jefferson County, on Congress land, intending 
 to enter it when the land was surveyed and brought into market. 
 But here there was a failure, for another man came in before 
 him, entered the land, and got all the improvements made in 
 two or three years. It may be we lost nothing by it, as my 
 father bought better land higher up Cross Creek, where we 
 again settled in the woods, opened out a large farm, and lived 
 in the midst of plenty — at least at that time we thought so. 
 But the plenty of that day would not do the people now. 
 
 In my boyhood I had an instinctive horror of Indians. Their 
 barbarities to the whites, as related by every body, had been 
 very great. To utter the word Indian would always frighten 
 children ; and it so happened that our first cabin was included 
 in their hunting-grounds. Our cabin had but one door; oppo- 
 site to this was a window, and then another window near the 
 fireplace. One day, as I was employed under the window op- 
 posite the door, and my father sat mending his shoes by the 
 other window, I heard a footstep, and turned to look. 0, hor- 
 rible ! there stood within the door a very large Indian, and two 
 squaws just behind him ! Every nerve in me quaked; my very 
 blood thrilled at the sight. He had his rifle, tomahawk, and 
 scalping-knife, and was just raising his hand, and opening hia 
 mouth to give his whoop j and he did give it, in about the fol- 
 
THE GAME AND THE SNAKES. 33 
 
 lowing style: "Whoo! Great big man me, Captain John Hen- 
 lick! have two wife!" and turned his hand back as if he meant 
 to introduce them. My father rose up; knowing we had peace 
 with these red children of the forest, he came forward and 
 kindly shook each of them by the hand; my mother coming in, 
 did the same. Seeing all this, my fears were measurably re- 
 moved, but in me, after all, there was an instinctive dread. I 
 had heard too much about savage cruelties to believe we were 
 altogether safe with Indians in our cabin. They asked for 
 "milk and bread," and my mother supplied their wants. After 
 eating, the big Indian rose up and said, "Now me got enough- 
 how far down to Make-whisky?" — meaning a distillery, an 
 abominable sink of vice, away down Cross Creek, where, as he 
 said, "Indian could make drunk come." Even savage barbarity 
 has been made more savage and furious by these distilleries, 
 that "make drunk come." I then began to see Indians so fre- 
 quently that my fears wore away. Often did they lodge in our 
 cabin of nights, occupying the whole floor. Their little boys be- 
 came my playmates, and very interesting little fellows they were. 
 We used to swim, and fish, and play ball, and run races to- 
 gether; and I really came at last to love those little boys of 
 the woods, notwithstanding their fathers had been our terrible 
 enemies. 
 
 There was game all around us : deer, bear, turkeys, wolves, 
 wild-cats, and panthers, often coming in sight of our cabin, and 
 once in awhile an elk might be seen, with his high, branching 
 horns. I heard an estimate made by John Hammond, an hon- 
 est Quaker, and a capital hunter, that, taking our cabin for a 
 center, within a circle of six miles around us, six hundred deer 
 had been killed in one hunting season, including autumn and 
 winter. As for snakes of all kinds, they were met with every- 
 where. In those days my two brothers, Nicodemus and Rich- 
 ard, helped my father in his farming operations; I was the 
 herdsman, and, morning and evening, brought home the cattle 
 from the woods. Often did I, in my excursions over the hills 
 and along the valleys, come in contact with snakes, and to be 
 ready for them I always carried a club. One morning, in the 
 month of October, on a limestone knob, where they had come 
 
34 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 out from under tlie shelving rocks to sun themselves, I killed 
 thirteen large rattlesnakes at one time. At another time I 
 found a den of them of several sorts — blacksnakes, rattlesnakes, 
 and copperheads — and killed nineteen. Many other encounters 
 had I, in my boyhood, with snakes. Once I was bitten by a 
 copperhead, a mean, sly, venomous serpent, and it nearly cost 
 me my life. Never, since that time, have I owed any good- 
 will to copperheads — especially just now, (August 14, 18G3,) 
 as a copperhead is made the symbol of a Northern sympathizer 
 with the great slaveholding rebellion in the South, as full of 
 the horrible poison of treason to our beloved country as the 
 old serpent, the devil, was to the government of God. . All the 
 copperheads. North and South, must be put down; both the 
 symbol and the meaner thing symbolized must be forever 
 crushed. 
 
 While I was suffering almost unto death from the bite of the 
 copperhead above referred to, the neighbors came in to see me. 
 Every one had his cure, and every cure was tried, but nothing 
 did me any good; the thing run its course, spent its rage, and 
 ultimately health returned. During my illness I thought much 
 upon the Indian's cure — namely, to apply the lips immediately 
 after the bite, and suck out the poison before it went into the 
 circulation. But to this I had some objections: the poison 
 might get into defective teeth, or some of it find its way into 
 the stomach. It occurred to me that to squeeze it out with 
 the thumbs and fingers would be equally effectual, and more 
 safe; so I resolved to try this method of cure, if I ever had a 
 chance. A few years afterward, in a harvest-field, where there 
 were eight reapers, I, being a half-hand, was behind ; AVilliam 
 Gutshall, a German, was next before me ; and as we went on, I 
 saw a terrible rattlesnake bite William just under the ankle- 
 bone. He leaped, screamed like a panther, and jerked the snake 
 after him. I called to the reapers to kill it, and got William 
 instantly to throw himself on his back, and hold up his foot to 
 me. I applied my thumbs and fingers strongly to the wound, 
 and forced out the poison mixed with blood, green and hor- 
 rible. It was then one hour until dinner; we all waited during 
 that hour to see the result. The swelling was not larger than 
 
REMEDY FOR SNAKE-BITES. 35 
 
 would have been made by the sting of a wasp. We then went 
 to dinner, and William came out with us in the afternoon, and 
 labored on as if nothing had happened. This gave me great 
 confidence in this new remedy for snake-bites — a remedy which 
 proud science never thought of, but which I know to be of 
 sovereign efficacy. 
 
 About two years after tliis, my brother Richard and I went 
 into the woods to gather service-berries, which were at that 
 time very plenty. A small tree, richly laden with fruit, was cut 
 down ; the berries, being very ripe, were all shaken off by the 
 jar of the fiill, and covered the ground. While Richard was 
 in among the branches and weeds, gathering up the fruit, a 
 snake bit him on the hand; he withdrew it, saying, "What is 
 that?" He then put back his hand to about the same place, 
 and was bitten again : that time we both saw the snake ; it was 
 a copperhead, and it ran. I told him to let it run, we had no 
 time to lose in killing it, and to hold his hand to me. The 
 wounds were within an inch of each other, on the back of his 
 hand ; and, by the vigorous application of my thumbs and 
 fingers, the poison, from both the orifices, was forced out, 
 bloody and green, and did him no harm ; no swelling followed 
 larger than would have been made by the sting of a bee. A 
 short time after this — I think the same summer — Richard went 
 to the stubble-field, to bring in the horses to plow, and was 
 bitten by a rattlesnake, a very large one, on the foot. With- 
 ou.t waiting- to kill the snake, he instantly applied his thumbs 
 and fingers and forced out the poison ; the swelling was not 
 much more than perceptible, and did not hinder him from 
 plowing that day. Here, I think, is proof positive that a bite 
 from the most venomous serpent may be cured, if taken in time, 
 by a proper application of thumbs and fingers. I leave this 
 upon record for the benefit of all who may come after me. In- 
 deed, I published it many years ago, and now jiublish it again 
 in a more permanent form, to keep it from being forgotten by 
 my fellow-citizens. 
 
 In this new country of snakes and game, we, at that early 
 time, labored under many inconveniences and disadvantages. 
 There was little money to be seen ; neighbors were few and far 
 
36 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 between ; no schools for several years ; it was a considesable dis- 
 tance to a blacksmith-shop, a store, or a mill ; each made his 
 own shoes ; the women spun the yarn, wove the cloth, linen or 
 linsey, and made all the clothing worn by their families. But, 
 in addition to the game in the woods, we had plenty of meat 
 of home growth, stock in abundance, and the earth yielded 
 enough and to spare, for man and beast. Among the many 
 mercies of God was this : the Gospel was preached to the poor. 
 The Methodist preachers kept pace with the new settlements. 
 Within two miles of us, at the house of Thomas Bolin, Rev. 
 John Cullison, the first regular circuit preacher I ever saw, 
 held forth the Word of Life to the people every four weeks. 
 He was a good man, a plain, scriptural preacher, full of faith 
 and the Holy Ghost, and wherever he went there was a revival 
 of religion ; many were added to the Church through his in- 
 strumentality. People went then a great distance to hear the 
 Gospel, meet in class, and attend prayer-meetings. To the Bolin 
 class my father and mother attached themselves ; and with 
 them, my two brothers and I, with my sister Mary, three years 
 younger than myself, in early life, generally went to hear the 
 Gospel every four weeks. It was a week-day appointment, yet 
 crowds attended. At last an excellent young preacher, by the 
 name of John Meek, came to help Mr. Cullison ; then we had 
 preaching every two weeks, and the whole country seemed to 
 be moved by the power of the Lord. About this time, too, the 
 Baptists and Presbyterians commenced operations among the 
 new settlers, and both denominations assailed the Methodists 
 on points of doctrine. The Methodists allowed of sprinkling, 
 pouring, or immersion, in baptism. The Baptists held to im- 
 mersion alone, and were close communionists. The Methodists 
 taught the doctrine of general redemption, holiness of heart 
 and life, the witness of the Spirit, etc., and that there was a 
 possibility of falling from grace. Here both Baptists and Pres- 
 byterians met them in conflict, and the struggle between the 
 parties was long and arduous. Thus, in the days of my boy- 
 hood, was I made to see and understand the bitterness of heated 
 controversy on the subject of religion. Yet, after all, good was 
 the result, for the whole community went to searching the 
 
THE WOLF-IIUNT. 37 
 
 Scriptures daily, to see wlio was right. From parental teacliiog 
 aud reading the Bible, I deemed the Methodists to be right, 
 and had my controversial sword whetted up, and ready for a 
 passage at arms with any boy of my age in the neighborhood. 
 From that day to this, I have always been fond of doctrinal 
 discussions. 
 
 When we had moved to our new home, higher up Cross 
 Creek, in 1804 — I being about twelve years of age — new set- 
 tlers having come in, I began to have other playmates besides 
 Indian boys. One day in the month of May, while my parents 
 were absent at meeting, there came a boy, John Adrian by 
 name, to pay me a visit. We were of the same age; but he 
 was rather under my size. He was just out from Maryland, 
 and, knowing nothing of backwoods life, was rather fearful of 
 snakes, wolves, bears, panthers, and Indians. I told him I had 
 heard the old hunters say, that where the wolves howled in 
 the morning, between daylight aud sunrise, in the month of 
 May, there they had their young; and that for some time past, 
 every morning, about due east from our house, I had heard 
 them howling. We talked the matter over until we became 
 excited — a wolf-hunt we must have. Not having the fear of 
 God before our eyes, Sunday as it was, we took the gun and 
 dog, in the evening, and away we went, about two miles, and 
 camped out on the top of the Piney Fork Ridge; thus choos- 
 ing an elevated position, that we might hear what was going on 
 all around us. That night we slept but little, fearing snakes 
 rather than wolves, though of wolves we had some fears, as we 
 supposed ourselves to be near the den. Our lodging was in an 
 old hunters' camp, covered with bark. At the peep of day we 
 were up and on the alert, moving down the south side of a 
 deep ravine. No wolves yet had howled. In about ten min- 
 utes from the time we started from our camp, we saw the old 
 she-wolf, on the opposite side of the ravine, start from the 
 mouth of her den in full chase after our dog. He came run- 
 ning to tis with all his might, terribly scared, with the hair on 
 his back all turned the other way. The wolf saw us, and 
 passed clear round us like a streak. I found it impossible to 
 ehoot with any hope of hitting her, in her flight, so my fire 
 
38 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 ■was reserved. In a few moments she and lier mate came to- 
 gether, just over the ridge beyond the deu, and set up a terri- 
 ble howling. Immediately, John and I cros-sed the ravine, and 
 up we went to the mouth of the den, and could hear the young 
 cubs playing. If we had possessed the skill of experienced 
 hunters, we would have stopped the den, retired behind a blind, 
 and shot one or both of the old wolves when they came; but 
 we never thought of this. Our plan was immediately laid to 
 take the cubs. John was stationed at the mouth of the den, 
 with an emphatic charge to fight hard if the wolves came; to 
 shoot one and kill the other M'ith the butt of the gun — not 
 doubting but that he could do it. After listening a moment 
 at the howling, just over the hill, in I went, about twelve 
 feet, and there were the cubs, playing about. The den was 
 about eight feet in diameter, and, as to height, there was room 
 enough to admit of my standing on my knees. It was bedded 
 with leaves and moss, and, for wolves, it must have been quite 
 comfortable. I took two of the cubs by the hind legs and 
 backed myself out. I gave a hind leg of each cub to John, in 
 his left hand, and told him to hold the gun in his right, and 
 urged him to defend me manfully if the old wolves came. 
 Then I went in again, and brought out two more, and gave 
 John a hind leg of each in his right hand. So, squatting 
 down on his "hunkers," he took the gun between his knees, 
 and gave some signs of fear, as the old wolves over the ridge 
 were howling furiously. I noticed his fears, and renewed my 
 charge to be brave, and, if they did come, to let them all go, 
 and fight like a hero, and not let them into the den after me. 
 I then went in again, and brought out two more; so then he 
 had to take three hind legs of cubs in each hand, six in all. 
 Again I renewed my charge to John, and, for the last time, 
 crawled in, searched the den thoroughly, and finding no more 
 young wolves, came out, and away we went in triumph, leav- 
 ing the old wolves howling. We were at home by eight 
 o'clock in the morning, with our six cvibs. We took them 
 alive to 'Squire Leech, before whom I made oath that the 
 wolves were captured in Wayne Township, Jefi'erson County, 
 Ohio, and got from him an order for the township bounty; 
 
CLEARING OUT A FARM. 39 
 
 likewise an order on tlie county treasurer for the state bounty; 
 then, cutting off the heads of the cubs in the presence of the 
 'Squire, we went home. The next day we went to Steuben- 
 ville, and from the county treasurer drew the state bounty. 
 Neither John nor I ever had so much money before. John 
 Ward, the county treasurer, said that, for two such boys, our 
 wolf-hunt was an exploit indeed, rather ahead of General Put- 
 nam's. So, hearing all this from him and others, we began to 
 think we had doue something a little above par, and that, after 
 awhile, we might be of some consequence among mankind. Our 
 vanity set us to stepping largely along the streets of Steu- 
 benville. Any one interested, by searching the record, might 
 find that in May, 1804, John Ward, Treasurer, paid George 
 Browu a certain sum of money (amount now forgotten) for 
 six wolf-scalps; and there are persons now living in Jefferson 
 County, Ohio, who know all about the success of our wolf-hunt, 
 and the noise it made. 
 
 It is a little remarkable that my father, a very strict Meth- 
 odist, did not bring me to a rigorous account for a breach of 
 the Sabbath, in this wolf-hunt. As every body spoke favora- 
 bly of the adventure — of its daring and success- — may be the 
 old gentleman thought it best not to throw a cloud over the 
 general joy by giving me the chastisement I deserved. 
 
 In our new home we were again in the woods; had our 
 cabin to erect, land to clear and cultivate, and our bread to 
 raise. I was still the herdsman, and, morning and evening, 
 from the woods, had to bring home the cattle. Here, too, as 
 at the other place, we were in the midst of the wild grandeurs 
 of nature, and there were snakes and game in abundance. My 
 father was a man of very industrious habits; my brothers and 
 myself were brought up to hard labor. Here I began to be a 
 working boy. We all worked. In about five years we cleared, 
 fenced, and brought under cultivation, about one hundred and 
 thirty acres of wild land. So we began to live at home, in the 
 midst of what were then called the necessaries of life. But, 
 as before intimated, the necessaries of life then were different 
 from the necessaries of life now. I was full fifteen years old 
 before I ever saw a carpet. We, and all our neighbors, went 
 
40 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 up into the second stories of our cabins by step-ladders. We all 
 grew our own flax and wool. The women had spinning-wheels 
 and looms. They spun and wove, and made nearly all the 
 clothing worn by the families in those early times; and, of all 
 such things as we could make ourselves, we had an abundance. 
 Once in awhile, at meetings and other public gatherings, we 
 saw people in better clothing than our own, made of goods 
 bought at the stores then being established here and there in 
 the country. Then, again, we saw the Indians, then beginning 
 ito recede from our vicinity, and many of the whites around us, 
 in much worse garb than our own. So, if our clothing was 
 not the best, it was not the worst. We made it ourselves, and 
 were not in debt for it, and to wear it we were not ashamed, in 
 the best society then to be found. 
 
 At that time it was with us as with all new and sparsely 
 populated settlements; we had no schools for about ten years, 
 in our neighborhood, after we moved to Ohio. A school, in- 
 deed, was started, to which I went three days; then the house 
 was burned, and there the matter ended, to the great grief of 
 the neighborhood. My sorrow was great, as I then saw no 
 chance for an education. I had been three years to school be- 
 fore I left Virginia, and had done what I could to retain the 
 rudiments of an education then laid in, and to improve, in 
 every way in my power, the little stock of learning I had 
 gained. Now the school-house was burned, and the neighbors 
 divided about a site for a new one — each man wanted it near 
 his habitation. So nothing was done, and I was greatly dis- 
 couraged; yet the matter was not by any means given up. I 
 had a confidence that, somehow or other, I would, at least, get 
 a good business education. 
 
 In early life, conviction for sin often took a powerful hold 
 of my mind. My father's house was a house of prayer, and 
 there the Gospel was occasionally preached. It was a place of 
 resort for religious people. Besides, with my father and 
 mother, I, with my brothers and sisters, generally attended 
 the stated preaching in the neighborhood. So, here I was con- 
 stantly within the reach of religious truth, surrounded at all 
 times by Christian influences j and, in my heart, often felt my- 
 
EARLY RELIGIOUS IMPRESSIONS. 41 
 
 self to be a lost sinner. From a very early age, " I knew my 
 duty, but I did it not." Bold in sin, indeed, I was; but on 
 the subject of my soul's eternal salvation I was a coward. 
 All my religious impressions and convictions were carefully 
 kept to myself; neither father nor mother, nor any friend I 
 had upon earth, knew any thing about them. And, it may be 
 added, that it was my settled determination, if the Lord, in 
 mercy, converted my soul, to keep that a secret too. With 
 such views and feelings, I prayed for mercy night and day, in 
 secret places, mostly in the barn and in the woods, often tempted 
 by the devil to give the matter over ; and, if I did not, he 
 would appear and claim me as his lawful prey. But, with all 
 his threats, however terrifying, the devil never did succeed in 
 driving me from the mercy-seat in time of secret prayer. My 
 faith was weak ; my views and determinations were wrong in 
 relation to secrecy in matters of religion. The Lord did not 
 intend to light a candle in my soul to be put under a bushel. 
 So I spent my strength for naught, became more and more 
 wretched in my soul, until I nearly reached the borders of de- 
 spair. At last, becoming completely discouraged, I gave over 
 the struggle, and plunged more deeply than ever into sin. 
 Often, between my twelfth and sixteenth years, was my soul 
 deeply awakened to a sense of my sins ; often did the pains of 
 hell well-nigh get hold upon me ; then, day and night, as be- 
 fore, I resorted to secret prayer, keeping all my sorrows to my- 
 self, determining, if the Lord did bless me with the knowledge 
 of salvation by the remission of my sins, I would keep that 
 also a secret ; and I always failed, because my ignorant, proud 
 heart was not willing to come out openly and above-board on 
 the Lord's side. I wanted a secret religion, and wanted to 
 keep it a secret from all my young associates, most of whom 
 were very wicked ; but the Lord did not intend to have it so. 
 He meant to bring me out openly before the world. The truth 
 is, it is a great calamity on any youth to have wicked asso- 
 ciates, who sneer at religion. Such associates kept me back from 
 Christ for several years. My cowardly heart was bound by 
 their influence, as by a fetter of iron, which I had no power to 
 break. Gospel sermons, parental instruction, example, and pray- 
 3 ^ 
 
42 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE, 
 
 ers, all seemed unavailing and powerless over me for good, 
 while in the midst of wicked associates ; and, alas for me ! I 
 had no others, and from them, at that time of life, I had not 
 the moral courage to break away. Had it not been for the re- 
 straining grace of God, my ruin for time and eternity would 
 have been complete. 
 
LEARN THE FULLING TRADE. 43 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Learn the Fulling Trade— Trip to Canton— Go to School in Virginia— Death of mt 
 Father by Drowning— Commence Teaching School— Enter the Army in 1812— The 
 Wild Horse— Johnson's Island— General Harrison— Winchester's Defeat— Vol- 
 unteer to help away the Wounded— The Retreat— Camp Inundated— Fort 
 Meigs— Honorably Discharged— Start for Home— Difficulties of Travel— Fail- 
 ure OF Provisions- My Religious Condition. 
 
 Near the close of my fifteentti year, by the advice of my 
 parents, I undertook to learn the fulling trade with Robert 
 Smith. Before being bound as an apprentice, it was deemed 
 advisable by the parties concerned, that I should be considered 
 on trial for nine months, to see how I would like the business 
 and the man to whom I was to be bound, and how he would like 
 me. This happened to be a good arrangement, for, at the end 
 of that time, we mutually agreed to part. Finding myself put 
 to running a saw-mill, to farming, to being a general lackey 
 for the family, and every thing else that I did not go there to 
 learn, I became uneasy, and indicated my dissatisfaction, be- 
 cause I had but little chance to obtain a knowledge of my 
 trade; whereupon I was told I had the usual chance given to 
 boys, and, if I did not like the course of treatment, I might go 
 home. I did not exactly like this, for I greatly desired to 
 learn the trade. Withal, I had no objections to Smith or his 
 family; but I could not consent to be employed in time to 
 come as I had been up to that date, so I declined being 
 Smith's indented apprentice, and went home to work on the 
 farm. Here were nine months of my life as good as thrown 
 away, for I had learned but little of Smith, save to make full- 
 er's soap — a capital thing, by the by; but I have long since 
 
44 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 forgotten how to do it. This I have often regretted, as there 
 can be neither civilization nor religion without soap. 
 
 When the fall work was pretty well done up on the farm at 
 home, feeling desirous of making a little money for myself, I 
 went to Canton, in Stark County, Ohio, then quite a new place, 
 about sixty miles off, and, for about three months, made good 
 wages at hard work — cutting, splitting, and hauling wood into 
 town. Returning home about the last of January, 1809, in 
 fine health, I felt pretty well, indeed, at being able to clothe 
 myself with the proceeds of my own labor, and to extend a 
 little help to the family. When I left home on this youthful 
 enterprise, my mother gave me a quarter of a dollar, and a 
 little provision in my sack, and away I went on foot. When 
 night came on, I slept in a barn, warm enough, in the soft 
 hay. The second day, in the afternoon, I reached Canton; had 
 my quarter of a dollar yet; got employment immediately; and 
 the next morning, on my way to the woods, I found a new half- 
 dollar in the road. This I took as a good indication, and felt 
 quite encouraged by the occui-rence; nor did 1 spend one cent, 
 while I remained in Canton, in any useless way. Now, indeed, 
 I was free from the influence of wicked associates, nor had I 
 any good ones. There were at that time no meetings in the 
 place; no Christians that I could hear of. I kept no com- 
 pany, either good or evil, further than business required. Yet 
 experience taught me that I could be a sinner without sinners 
 to entice me, and, I suppose, even without a devil to tempt 
 me, for in my poor fallen nature there was a constant gravita- 
 tion to the wrong, a proneness to forget God, and live accord- 
 ing to the dictates of my own carnal heart. Nothing now 
 engrossed my attention like the making of money. Even a 
 beardless boy, as well as an old miser, can be carried away by 
 the love of money. Still, I scorned to make it in any dishon- 
 est way. 
 
 In the spring of 1809, a most crushing injury received on 
 my head, breast, and back, cut me loose from all further labor 
 on the farm, and toward winter, having somewhat recovered, I 
 •wont from home to school in Western Virerinia. It was the 
 
DEATH OF MY FATHER BY DROWNING. 45 
 
 overturning, on a hillside, of a sled, upon which, was a large 
 log of rail timber, that inflicted the injury, and from it I have 
 suffered between the shoulders, more or less, to the present 
 day. In Holliday's Cove, Brooke County, Virginia, I found 
 comfortable boarding with my cousin, Richard Brown, Esq., 
 a real, practical philosopher, and a man of great benevolence 
 of heart, who took pleasure in rendering me all the assistance 
 in his power, in the prosecution of my studies. Hugh Laird 
 was my preceptor — a man of extensive attainments, a compe- 
 tent and successful teacher; but, alas! he loved liquor too well 
 for his own good and the good of his school. However, dur- 
 ing the two years I was with him, he took a deep interest in 
 me, and gave me a pretty fair chance for what, in those days, 
 was considered a good business education. But this only 
 waked up in my soul a desire for a higher education; a thor- 
 ough course in college was what I wanted, but was never able 
 to obtain. Like all others who have had to be self-taught, I 
 found my way strewed with diiEculties in the acquisition of 
 knowledge, yet I have done what I could in a course of men- 
 tal improvement. 
 
 In the month of February, 1811, my uncle. Colonel Richard 
 Brown, died. He was a real Western pioneer; a man of great 
 physical and mental energy, universally respected for his use- 
 fulness as a citizen, and for his genuine benevolence of heart. 
 That same year, July 11, I lost my father. He was drowned 
 in the Ohio River, on the Ohio side of Brown's Island. In 
 the time of harvest vacation, I went home to assist in harvest 
 labor. When all the grain was in the shock, word came, by a 
 swift messenger, that my Aunt Honor, the widow of my Uncle 
 Richard, was sick, and supposed to be near unto death. Im- 
 mediately my father and I went to see her — he on horseback 
 and I on foot. The distance was fifteen miles, and all the 
 way, as we went, my excellent father was most engaging in 
 religious conversation. Neither of us knew that that was his 
 last day on earth ; but, had he known it, he could not have 
 been more faithful and aff"ectionate in the counsels he gave me. 
 When we came to the river it was very low, and we both 
 
46 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 crossed it on the same liorse, and found my aunt, as was 
 supposed, quite out of danger. The next morning, my father, 
 on his return homeward, was seen, by myself and others, to 
 cross from the Virginia shore to the island in safety. But, on 
 the Ohio side of the island, instead of inclining a little up 
 stream, to the out-coming place, he kept too straight over, and 
 got into very deej) water, where he and his horse were both 
 drowned, for neither of them could swim. The horse was found 
 on a bar near the lower end of Brown's Island, but my father 
 lodged against a rock on the Ohio side, about one mile and a 
 half above Steubenville. He was drowned on Wednesday, 
 found on Friday, so swollen that no one knew him, and, after 
 an inquest was held over the body, he was buried below high- 
 water mark that same day. A sea-shell, found in his pocket 
 at the time of interment, by some one present, who supposed it 
 to have come from my Cousin Richard Brown's, where I 
 boarded, led to the identification of his body. The shell was 
 brought on Saturday morning, inquiry was made, and it was 
 found that my father had got the shell. Thus the dreadful 
 secret was revealed, that my beloved and venerated father was 
 the drowned man. In the water all alone, no wife, son,, daugh- 
 ter, or friend near to witness the death-struggle, he yielded up 
 his soul to God. My father was a good man, and, from the 
 days of Robert Strowbridge to the day of his death, had been 
 a consistent member of the Methodist Church. He left his 
 children a bright example of every Christian virtue. I gave 
 the family notice of the sorrowful occurrence on Saturday after- 
 noon, and on Sunday he was disinterred and biiried again, in 
 the Presbyterian Cemetery in Steubenville. His funeral was 
 preached, to a very large audience, by Rev. William Lambdin, 
 from the fourth verse of the Twenty-third Psalm. That day I 
 began to feel myself an orphan, and settled it in my heart that 
 the God of my father should be my God. As if a voice from • 
 heaven had spoken to me, I felt called to abandon sin and sin- 
 ners, and betake myself to a life of religion. 
 
 In the autumn of 1811, I left school and returned home, 
 and in a short time was called into service, in the neighbor- 
 
ENTER THE ARxMY IN 1812. 47 
 
 tood, as a school-teacher. This gave me a fine opportunity to 
 review past studios, and to fasten more firmly on my mind what 
 I had learned at school. But in 1812 the war came on. My 
 two brothers were drafted; my school was given up, and I 
 went home to take care of the farm. My broth'er Nicodemus 
 had not long been married, and his wife brought on herself a 
 sore spell of sickness, through grief at his going into the 
 army. Nothing seemed likely to comfort or cure her but the 
 return of her husband. I thought I could more readily stand 
 the hardships of war and the bullets of the British, than the 
 •wailings of my brother's wife. So, away to the army I went, 
 and was accepted as orderly sergeant in my brother's place, and 
 let him go home to take care of his wife and the farm, two 
 important duties which I was not fully able to perform. 
 
 On the 21st day of September, 1812, the regiment marched 
 from Steubenville, Ohio, to join General Harrison in the North- 
 west. John Andrews was our colonel; Thomas Latta was cap- 
 tain of our company — both soldierly-looking men; and the 
 whole regiment looked like rendering good service to our coun- 
 try, if called into action. Being orderly sergeant, I was taken 
 into the captain's mess, ate at his table, lodged in his tent, was 
 exempt from many hardships to which others were exposed, and 
 did public writing during my whole term of service. Not many 
 men in the army, at that day, could make out a pay-roll or a 
 subsistence account. By permission of the captain, I did a great 
 deal of this kind of work for the officers of our regiment, and 
 all without charge. Some of them, however, rendered me a 
 compensation for my labor ; others did not, as they lacked the 
 generosity to offer pay where no formal charge was made. But 
 I had my compensation at last; such business was an improving 
 school to me, while it saved me from the harder duties of the 
 camp, and gave me favor with most of the officers of our regi- 
 ment — a matter of no small importance to me, at that time. 
 
 From Steubenville the regiment marched by Canton to Hu- 
 ron, then, after considerable delay, moved on to Lower San- 
 dusky. While at Huron, Captains Latta and Stidger, with 
 their companies, were detailed to take six large open boats, 
 
48 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 loaded with provision, from the mouth of Huron River, round 
 by the hike, to Lower Sandusky. Stidger's comjiany went as 
 guard along the lake shore ; Latta's company took the boats. 
 On the 4th day of December, the wind from the north being 
 very high, th^ cold most intense, and the fearful breakers roll- 
 ing in against the southern shore, out we went into the lake. 
 Each of the four boats that went out of the mouth of the river 
 before the one I was in, as it passed over the breaker into the 
 trough between the waves, was for a time lost from sight, but 
 presently it rose on the nest wave, and away it went. The 
 wind being against us, our small sails did us no good ; so, we 
 had to row the boats — it was row or perish, so terrible was the 
 wind, so fearful was the cold. About midnight, being driven 
 by the wind in near against the shore, all our boats ran hard 
 aground on a bar, at the mouth of Sandusky Bay. We left 
 the boats, and waded about sixty yards to the shore ; I had the 
 good fortune to be carried out on the back of a soldier. How 
 clever was this ma.n ! How thankful I felt for so great a kind- 
 ness when so thoroughly overcome by cold ! Both the compa- 
 nies there came together and built fires behind a large sand- 
 bant that sheltered them from the wind, to dry their clothes 
 and warm themselves. In a little time all were cheerful and 
 merry, and long before daylight all but the guards, and a few 
 to keep up the fires, were sound asleep. When I awoke in the 
 morning, I went right to the boats. The wind had fallen ; the 
 lake had receded to its proper level and left them high and dry, 
 full fifty yards from the water; and there stood a large iron- 
 gray horse, eating corn out of one of the boats. He was a beau- 
 tiful animal, and as wild as a deer. Immediately I ran back 
 and made report, and the two companies, with guns in hand, 
 formed a semicircle from the water to the water, closing him 
 in. He tried at every point to break the ranks, but the fearful 
 array of bristling bayonets alarmed him, and he plunged into 
 the water, and away he went three miles across the mouth of 
 the bay. About midway he struck a bar, where the water came 
 only up to his sides ; he turned, lifted up his head and tail, 
 gave us a look of scornful defiance, and snorted ! — then, turning, 
 
GENERAL HARRISON. 49 
 
 lie went in a gallop for several rods, and plunging into deep 
 water, he swam away to the point above the bay. When he got 
 out, he gave us another scornful look, turned, and galloped up 
 the point as far as we could see him. I was told by a gentle- 
 man from Sandusky City, about five years ago, that that horse 
 was the sire of the best breed of horses in all that region of 
 country. He was a noble animal. 
 
 In a short time, the wind came again from the north, and 
 brought the water, swelling high, to the southern shore of the 
 lake. Then we got our boats off, and started wp the bay for 
 Lower Sandusky ; but being obstructed by the ice, we landed 
 on what is now called Johnson's Island, where we found corn, 
 turnips, potatoes, and about two hundred fat hogs. The owner 
 of the island had left all, and fled to Canada. Being, as we 
 learned, a Frenchman, in sympathy with our enemies, we took 
 possession of every thing that would be of service to the army. 
 The hogs were killed, cleaned, and salted ; and after waiting in 
 vain about ten days, in hope of a thaw, so that we could reach 
 our destination, we gave the matter up, and returned down the 
 lake to Huron, bringing all we had gathered up on the French- 
 man's island along with us. While on that island I came near 
 losing my life, by eating a frozen turnip ; a heavy cold settled 
 on my lungs, fearfully indicating an approaching consumption, 
 but in about six weeks my health returned. This was the only 
 sickness I had while in the army. From Huron, our wing of 
 the army, now amounting to a brigade, under command of Gen- 
 eral Simon Perkins, moved on by land to Lower Sandusky, 
 where we remained several days under constant drill. Xo army, 
 until thoroughly drilled, is in a condition to meet the enemy in 
 the day of battle. About the 17tli of January, 1813, I saw 
 General Harrison for the first time. I was greatly disappointed 
 in his appearance. I had formed the idea that our command- 
 ing General, the hero of Tippecanoe, must be a man of vast 
 proportions, a real giant in his whole frame-work ; but how I 
 was surprised and disappointed when I saw him, a mere hoop- 
 pole in military costume ! But he looked as tough as a hickory- 
 withe, and his dark, keen, intelligent eye, and his care-worn and 
 
50 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 thougttful look, immediately impressed us all witli the belief 
 that we had an able, trustworthy commander — the right man in 
 the right place. 
 
 About three o'clock that same day, while General Har- 
 rison was reviewing the troops, an express from General Win- 
 chester arrived, containing information that he had defeated 
 the British and Indians at the River Raisin, and was holding 
 that position, with a considerable amount of military stores 
 taken from the enemy. He called upon Harrison to bring on 
 the forces, and make that the point of concentration for the 
 whole North-western Army, instead of the Rapids of the Mau- 
 mee, the place designated by General Harrison. This was a 
 rash act of disobedience to orders ; and, in a council of war 
 immediately called, Harrison predicted, among his oiEcers, dis- 
 astrous results to Winchester, unless our wing of the army 
 could, by forced marches across the Black Swamp, reach him 
 in three days. This was about the 18th of January, 1813. 
 That night we received orders to prepare three days' rations, 
 and to be ready to enter, at four o'clock the next morning, 
 upon a forced march to relieve Winchester. We were off at 
 the time appointed ; but, as our train of wagons often broke 
 through the ice in the Black Swamp, our progress was greatly 
 retarded, for it would not do to leave our artillery and baggage - 
 wagons behind — a loss to ourselves, and a prey to the enemy. 
 On the third day, in the afternoon, our advance-guard reported 
 that all that morning they had heard the roar of artillery 
 ahead. This put new life into us all ; though faint with march- 
 ing, late and early, we nearly doubled our speed. But, on 
 reaching the Maumee Bay, we began to meet the refugees flying 
 from the field of battle — some without hats or shoes, others 
 without coats, others were wounded, and all reported that Win- 
 chester was defeated ! 0, how sad this news was to all our 
 hearts ! But we went on down the bay on the ice, still meet- 
 ing more and more of our defeated soldiers, all in a sad plight. 
 At last we came to a final halt, and General Harrison, after a 
 most thrilling speech — which he wound up with a flood of tears 
 for the brave sons of Kentucky who had, with British allow- 
 
Winchester's defeat. 51 
 
 anoe, after they became prisoners, been slaughtered by the mer- 
 ciless savages — called for volunteers to go to the battle-field, 
 or as near as they could get, to help away the wounded. Three 
 hundred and sixty men responded to the call. I was one of 
 that number. We were gone, on this trying expedition, from 
 about three o'clock P. M. until about daylight the next morn 
 ing, when we rejoined the army, on Wayne's old camp-ground, 
 very much exhausted. During the afternoon and night, as we 
 moved on toward the field of disastrous conflict, we built many 
 fires to warm the sufferers, and helped many a poor soldier in 
 distress. One major had five wounds — both his arms were dis- 
 abled — still he kept in his saddle, and, by some means, man- 
 aged his horse with his feet. On approtaching near the scene 
 of strife, we learned from several wounded soldiers that the 
 British commander, with his Canadian forces, had retired to 
 Fort Maiden, leaving about fifteen hundred drunken Indians 
 on the field, who wei-e burning up Brownstown, with all the 
 wounded who had been left in the houses. These horrid atroc- 
 ities greatly exasperated us all, and Ave felt that blood called 
 for blood ; but our force was inferior, and our orders restrained 
 us from making an attack upon these furious savages. 
 
 When we reached camp in the morning, the scouts came 
 in with the intelligence (which afterward proved to be false,) 
 that the British and Indians were advancing upon us in full 
 force. After a council with his ofiicers, General Harrison or- 
 dered a retreat. So, after a hasty breakfast, we retreated all 
 that day through a heavy rain, and in the evening crossed a 
 small river on the ice, (name not now remembered,) and en- 
 camped along with the Pennsylvania troops, threw up breast- 
 works of heavy timber as a defense against the enemy, got 
 supper, and prepared as best we could, amid slush of snow 
 about knee-deep, to get some sleep. Indeed, we all needed 
 sleep. The forced march, the night spent in helping away 
 the wounded and stragglers from Winchester's battle-field, the 
 day's retreat, without halting to eat or rest, made sleep neces- 
 sary for me, and I suppose for all the others, especially my 
 companions in toil, who volunteered to help away the wounded. 
 
52 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 That night was the first time, in a long while, that we were 
 able to pitch our tents ; the ground had been frozen so hard we 
 could not drive in our stakes. The snow was removed with a 
 shovel, the tent was put up, and with a little brush under us, 
 instead of feathers, we lay down, and were immediately asleep, 
 with a great log fire just in front of our tent. All this seemed 
 very fine ; but, about four o'clock in the morning, the whole 
 camp was inundated. As if a dam above us had broken, and 
 let loose the water upon us, here it came, about knee-deep, all 
 over the low bottom where we had pitched our tents, and there 
 was no escape. When about half buried in water, I awoke. 
 Supposing the snow had melted under me, I took up a pan and 
 commenced throwing out the water; but hearing it fall in the 
 water on the outside of the tent, I went out, and found that 
 the river had overflown its banks, and that the whole army was 
 in commotion — all were on the lookout to see what next was 
 to be done. To meet the difficulties of our situation in the 
 best manner our circumstances would permit, we raised log 
 platforms above the water, and stretched our tents over them, 
 and built large log-heaps higher than the water, and set them 
 on fire. Here we dried our clothes, cooked our rations, talked 
 over our troubles, and waited in patient hope of a better time 
 to come ; and, in some respects, a better time did speedily come 
 That morning the wind changed, and came furiously from the 
 north ; the cold became intense, and against night the soldiers 
 were running about on the ice, and by the next night the ice 
 would bear our heaviest ox-teams. So, all had solid ice to walk 
 and skate upon, and there was much sport among the boys in 
 the camp. But, alas for us ! these sports were soon interrupted 
 by disease; exposure and hardships brought on the bloody-flux, 
 and during the eight days we remained in that place, we buried 
 many of our comrades. 
 
 About the 1st of February, we returned to the Rapids of the 
 Maumee, and built Fort Meigs. While engaged in that work, 
 I went out on many a scout, but never came into conflict with 
 the enemy. About the 10th of March, as our term of service 
 was known to expire on the 21st of that month, our company 
 
START FOR HOME. 53 
 
 was sent, by Greneral Harrison, to finish some block-liotxses at 
 Lower Sandusky, and then and there to be discharged. .To turn 
 our i'aces homeward was a joyful event to us all; so we crossed 
 the Black Swamp, on the ice, in very high glee, accomplished 
 the work assigned us, and gained a few days of our time, and 
 were, all of us, honorably discharged. Honorably discharged, 
 having fought no battles ! Other portions of the army fought 
 battles, and we would have done so too, if a chance had been 
 given us : our regiment often sought battle, but it always fled 
 from us, and, to our mortification, we came home without a fight. 
 On the evening before we set out for home, we drew two days' 
 rations, which were supposed to be enough to last us through 
 to Mansfield. The night before we started, there fell a snow 
 about two feet deep. In the morning, at eight o'clock, without 
 dreaming of the trouble ahead, we were ofi" for home. We 
 crossed the Sandusky River in canoes ; there were thirty-two 
 of us. We gave three cheers on the home side of the river, 
 and were answered by our moi-e sensible and cautious comrades, 
 who, on account of the snow, declined to accompany ns. We 
 had to pass through an unbroken wilderness all the way to 
 Mansfield. Our only guides were the blazes on the trees. The 
 country was level and swampy. About eleven o'clock a rain set 
 in, which continued several days; that great body of snow was 
 dissolved, and the whole country was pretty much covered with 
 water, which, level on the surftice, revealed not the unevenness 
 of the ground underneath. Often we plunged, without any 
 warning of our danger, into holes, over head and ears. We 
 could tell when we came to a stream, by a gentle movement 
 of the water. We had two axes in company, some powder in 
 flat flasks, which the boys carried in their hats, tightly drawn 
 on their heads, and several rifles. Over creeks we felled trees, 
 lodging them on their own stumps, and against trees on the 
 other side. On these, instead of bridges, we always got safely 
 over. When we came to ponds, we always knew them by the 
 ice rising to the top of the water. Sometimes, when too many 
 would get upon the ice at once, it would break, and down we 
 would all go. These ponds and the creeks were numerous, 
 
54 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 and gave us a great deal of trouble ; often we suffered injury 
 by bruising ourselves against the ice. All this made traveling 
 very slow. In two days our rations were gone, and it took us 
 five days to get through ; so we were three days and nights 
 without any thing to eat, save two squirrels. After wading and 
 plunging in ice and water for four days, about four P. M., on 
 the fourth day, we came to a little elevation, and found two 
 squirrels. The guns' were put in order, and the squirrels were 
 killed, broiled, and divided among thirty-two of us. I got a 
 fore- leg for my share. Indeed, it was a sweet morsel to me ; to 
 this day I remember how pleasant it tasted. On this little piece 
 of rising ground we encamped for the night, built large fires, 
 and dried our clothes. We supposed ourselves about to get into 
 a more elevated and rolling district of country, and our joy was 
 very great. 
 
 The fifth morning came. For a little time we hunted sweet 
 hickory roots, to appease the hunger from which we were suf- 
 fering. We all had money ; but how very contemptible was 
 money, when we could buy nothing with it to keep off starva- 
 tion ! Finally, in Indian file, we proceeded, directing our 
 course by the moss always found upon the north side of the 
 trees, and in a short time came right up against another pondj 
 covered with ice, over which we could not see. Twenty-four 
 of the boys went in ; eight of us held back, to see how they 
 would get on. When they were nearly out of sight, among the 
 bushes that grew in the swamp, often breaking through the ice 
 as they went, and when at last we could get no further intelli- 
 gence from them, we turned up to the north, hoping to find a 
 better way. We had not gone far before we came upon the 
 track of a bear, and, for some time, our hunger prompted us 
 powerfully to try to overtake and kill him ; but at last we gave 
 up the pursuit, and in a little time crossed a stream about four 
 rods wide, and up to our arms in depth, which, in our opinion, 
 supplied that large pond with water. When safely over the 
 stream, we fired a gun, to let our companions know where we 
 were. The parties came together in about one hour afterward, 
 and they informed us that the report of the gun was heard, 
 
FAILURE OF PROVISIONS. 55 
 
 and that, at that time, the foremost of them had just got out 
 of the pond, and one man, a poor swimmer, was very near being 
 drowned. He was the largest man in the company, and the 
 smallest man among the thirty-two, by great exertions, drew 
 him along through deep water, where all had to swim, and saved 
 his life. About eleven o'clock A. M., being far behind, weary 
 and faint with hunger, I heard the boys ahead of me cheering 
 lustily. This inspired me with new energy, and on I went, to 
 find out the cause of the cheering. There they were, all in a 
 circle, looking at some object in the center, which proved to be 
 nothing more nor less than a grain of corn ! By this we were 
 led to suppose ourselves near the settlement, and it filled us all 
 with joy. By unanimous consent, John Potts, who found the 
 grain of corn, was allowed the high privilege of eating it ; and 
 ofi" we started in Indian file again. In about half an hour an- 
 other shout was heard ; it was prolonged and vehement, min- 
 gled with much laughter and joy. When we who were behind 
 came up, there were the boys on the ground, like so many tur- 
 keys, scratching out of the dirt, and eating to appease their 
 hunger, the grains of corn left where the Pennsylvania troops 
 had encamped and fed their horses and oxen. Weil, that corn 
 tasted sweet to me, and to us all ; we ate it with gladness of 
 heart. But one occurrence there greatly marred our pleasure, 
 and provoked general indignation. Oif to one side, on a log, 
 there sat the large man, who that day had been saved from 
 drowning by the small man, as before stated — eating bread ! 
 and he boasted that he had half a loaf left, and invited us, 
 then, to help him eat it; but no one would do it; every man 
 scorned him, and from that hour he lost caste among us. Often, 
 to help him along, had this man's heavy knapsack been carried 
 by his comrades. And often, during our three days of starva- 
 tion, while he carried it himself, did he fall back to eat, as we 
 now supposed, his morsel alone. Now, all agreed that he might 
 finish his loaf by himself, for we could not afi"ord to eat a mean 
 man's bread. That afternoon, about four o'clock, we came to 
 Mansfield, where we were amply supplied with all we needed; 
 and in about four days more I reached home, and felt glad that 
 
56 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 the toils of the campaign were over, and that God had spared 
 my life to see my relations and friends once more. 
 
 On a review of the campaign of 1812-13, though our wing 
 of the army had no battles, yet they had a great deal of toil 
 and suiferiug to endure. Our north-western frontier was then 
 an unbroken wilderness, full of streams to bridge, and swamps 
 to cross by bridging, or otherwise; sometimes the ice was our 
 bridge. As we had no railroads at that time, to carry armies 
 or military stores, wagons and pack-horses had to be used, and 
 the army marched on foot. Each night, before we slept, as a 
 protection against the enemy, breastworks were thrown up all 
 around the encampment. The winter was very hard; the 
 ground was frozen, and the snow was deep. During the hard- 
 est of the winter we could not pitch our tents, it being impos- 
 sible to drive the tsnt-stakes into the ground ; so we built large 
 fires to keep ourselves warm. Before these fires, with our tent- 
 cloth thrown over some brush, which we used instead of feath- 
 ers, wrapped in our blankets, with our knapsacks for pillows, 
 we laid ourselves down under the open heavens, exposed to 
 frost, or snow, or rain, or whatever came. Sometimes our heads 
 were white with frost in the morning ; often we were covered 
 several inches deep with snow, or drenched with rain. To en- 
 dure all this, and not be sick, required a very firm constitution. 
 Harrison's soldiers became nearly as hardy as wild beasts. By 
 the good providence of God, I returned home in perfect health, 
 even better than I had before I entered the army. 
 
 Of my religious condition while in the army, it may be 
 proper, in closing this chaj)ter, to say a little. From the time 
 of the death of my father, I had religious impressions, and fer- 
 vently prayed to God, in secret places, to show me the way of 
 salvation. On the subject of being born again, I was a perfect 
 Nicodemus — my gross mind could not comprehend that spiritual 
 change required by our Lord. In this condition I went into 
 the army, where I found very pious officers and soldiers, who, 
 on all convenient occasions, held prayer-meetings. These meet- 
 ings I attended, and took part in the singing, but never ven- 
 tured to lead in prayer j yet I constantly prayed in secret, until 
 
MY RELIGIOUS CONDITION. 57 
 
 near the close of my term of service, when I became discour- 
 aged and gave the matter up. One night, while doing public 
 writing in the captain's tent, some officers in a neighboring tent 
 commenced singing a vain, carnal song, with which I had for- 
 merly been familiar, and, before I was aware of what I was do- 
 ing, I found myself quite carried away with it, and was singing 
 with them lustily. When it was over, on mature reflection 
 upon what I had done, my spirit was wounded, my soul was 
 discouraged, all my power over sin had departed, and I did not 
 dare to pray any more until I returned home. I now see that 
 all this was utterly wrong. He who goes on an errand, and 
 stumbles and falls by the way, should not lie in the mud, cry- 
 ing, but should spring to his feet, and run the faster, and with 
 greater care. But so did not I. My soul was in deep distress ; 
 the devil now had me down in the mud, and he kept me there 
 for several months. What a blessing it would have been to 
 me, at that time, to have had the counsel of some faithful 
 Christian friend, to help me to recover from my fall ! But this 
 I could not have, because I had foolishly resolved to let no 
 one know my spiritual condition. It is truly wonderful to me 
 now, that, for so many years, I should have allowed the enemy 
 of my soul to lock up my mouth, and render me completely 
 dumb on the subject of my soul's eternal welfare. What Chris- 
 tian on earth could render me any service by his counsel, un- 
 less he knew my spiritual necessities? Evil associations and a 
 disposition to conceal all my religious impressions from Chris- 
 tian friends, whose help I so much needed, proved a very great 
 hindrance to me, in seeking the salvation of my soul. 
 
 During the summer of 1813, I attended a camp-meeting at 
 some distance from home. There I did hope to be out of 
 reach of the influence of my former associates, and that I 
 should have an unobstructed opportunity to seek the Lord. 
 There the Spirit of the Lord deeply moved my heart. But, 
 being an utter stranger, no one spoke to me about my soul ; 
 often did I wish that some one would. I had not the courage 
 to venture forward to the altar of prayer. So the meeting 
 ^nded, and I returned home without finding the Saviour. For 
 4 
 
58 EECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE, 
 
 a short time, I then indulged in all the pleasures of sin, as they 
 are called, and ran madly away from Christ. But I soon found 
 that to sin against the clearest light and knowledge that God 
 had given me, was an evil and a bitter thing; so I determined 
 on two things : first, to come out entirely from all wicked com- 
 pany ; and, secondly, that I would no longer conceal my spir- 
 itual condition from those who were both able and willing to 
 instruct me in the things of Grod. 
 
TRIP TO BALTIMORE. 59 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Trip to Baltimore— Had to Decide Between my Two Brothers— The Camp-Mebtino, 
 AND the Giants of Methodism— My Conversion and Happiness— Robert Fisher— 
 The Praver-Meeting and the Cross— Joined the Church— Gilbert Middleton, 
 Class-Leader— His Faithfulness— Members of his Class— The Class of Young 
 Men who held Prayee-Mf.etings— Commenced Preaching while on Prubation — 
 My Studies — The Baltimore Local Preachers— An Effort to Repair an Injury 
 to my Brother— Studies Continued in my Brother's Tan-Yard— A Soldier Again, 
 IN Defense of Baltimore against the British— A Soldier Condemned to be Shot— 
 Keflections on that Thrilling Scene— First Love-Feast I attended in Balti- 
 more — Licensed to Preach in ISU. 
 
 My two brotliers, Edward and Jolin, who resided in Balti- 
 more, on learning that I liad returned in safety from the North- 
 western Army, both wrote me letters, urging me to visit them, 
 and promising to aid me in getting into a clerkship, or some 
 other suitable business, in Baltimore. So, in compliance with 
 their wishes, I left my beloved mother in care of my brother 
 Richard, who managed the farm and all the home concerns, and 
 about the last of August I set out for that city. Nothing of spe- 
 cial interest occurred during the journey until I reached Pipe 
 Creek, Maryland, the old home of my parents — the place where 
 they espoused the cause of Christ, and became members of the 
 first class of Methodists ever organized in that state. There, 
 among my relations whom I had never seen before, I spent 
 about one week, and found many of them devoted Christians, 
 in fellowship with the Methodist Episcopal Church. With 
 them I attended several meetings, and was deeply imjjressed by 
 their conversation, prayers, the preaching, and other religious 
 exercises, with the absolute necessity of the conversion of my 
 Boul. To me it was as clear as Holy Writ could make it, that 
 I was utterly unfit for, and unworthy of, such society as I 
 was then inj so I determined upon a new course of life. 
 
60 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 While in the stage, passing on from Westminster to Balti- 
 more, some young Baltimoreans, whose exterior would have 
 passed them off for gentlemen, wei'e exceedingly profane; such 
 vulgar swearing I had never heard before. To myself, in my 
 heart, I said: "Are these Baltimoreans? Am I going to that 
 city? and are such men as these to be my associates? No, 
 indeed, this thing shall never be!" Then and there, in the 
 midst of those vulgar blasphemers, I entered into covenant 
 with the Lord, and sealed that covenant with many tears and 
 fervent prayers, that I never would, of choice, have another 
 wicked companion, and that the people of God should be my 
 people, to the end of life. That evening I reached Baltimore, 
 and found a hearty welcome at the house of my brother Ed- 
 ward. He and his family and my brother John were all in 
 good health, and expressed great gratification at my arrival, 
 and John immediately gave me an invitation to accompany him 
 to the theater, for he was a real man of the world, and made 
 DO pretensions to religion. My brother Edward, a good man, 
 and a very zealous Methodist, asked me to accompany him to 
 the prayer-meeting in Old Town. That night I had to decide 
 between my two brothers. I loved them both, and did not 
 like to offend either of them ; but, remembering my covenant 
 made that day with the Lord, in the stage, I determined to go 
 with Edward to the prayer-meeting; and I found that, in so 
 doing, all the religious purposes of my heart were invigorated, 
 and that Grod had given me more than ever to feel my need of 
 the Saviour. My heart was melted into tendeimess, and my 
 choking grief, on account of the sad condition of my soul, al- 
 most forbade utterance. A few days after this, my brother 
 Edward took me with him to a camp-meeting, about fifteen 
 miles out from Baltimore. All the way to that meeting I was 
 utterly unable to converse with any one; but wept and prayed 
 in deep distress, until we reached the encampment. There, for 
 the first time, I saw and heard the great giants of Method- 
 ism^^Bevs. Asa Shinn, Nicholas Snethen, William Ryland, and 
 Alexander McCain. The whole scene was new to me, and for 
 a short time I indulged in an agreeable survey of the encamp- 
 
THE CAMP -MEETING. 61 
 
 ment — so large, regular, and military in its appearance. In a 
 little time preaching came on. The preacher was a colored 
 man, whose name I have forgotten. He stood behind the stand, 
 and, with uncommon power, delivered a discourse to a large con- 
 gregation of colored people. This was the first son of Ham I 
 had ever heard preach the Gospel, and this sermon revealed 
 two things to me : first, that he was a capital preacher ; 
 and, secondly, that I was a poor, miserable sinner, in great 
 danger of losing my soul. The sermon being over, I went to 
 the woods, and sought a secluded place for prayer, for my dis- 
 tress was so great that it wonderfully exhausted all my phys- 
 ical energies. To this private place in the woods I resorted 
 for prayer at the close of every sermon, from Thursday until 
 Tuesday, eating but little, and sleep had well-nigh departed 
 from me. When the trumpet was sounded for preaching, then 
 my bower of prayer was vacated, and a seat taken in the con- 
 gregation, at the root of a venerable oak, near the corner of 
 the altar, where I sat, as a criminal before his judge, to hear 
 the Word of the Lord. To myself I could appropriate the ter- 
 rors of the law in all their dreadful severity, but had no power 
 yet to claim the great and precious promises of the Gospel. 
 
 On Sabbath morning, Mr. Shinn preached. The congrega- 
 tion was uncommonly large. His text was taken from John 
 xviii, 23 : " Jesus answered him, If I have spoken evil, bear 
 witness of the evil: but if well, why smitest thou me?" This 
 was a sermon directed against infidelity. His argumentative 
 eloquence was overwhelming; but from it I received nothing 
 but a deeper condemnation, for I, too, had smitten Jesus in ten 
 thousand ways, and deserved the sorest punishnient. So I la- 
 bored on, between the bower of prayer in the woods and the 
 root of the oak in the congregation, until Tuesday afternoon, 
 when Mr. Snethen preached from John xiii, 13-17: "Ye call 
 me Master and Lord, and ye say well, for so I am," etc. That 
 sermon did reveal to me my whole condition — the stubborn 
 pride and self-will of my soul. As a young forest bends before 
 a heavy wind, so did that immense congregation bend before 
 the power of the Lord, on that camp-ground. Not for a thou- 
 
62 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 sand dollars a man, would those young men of Baltimore, who 
 treated the order of the meeting with contempt, have lain on 
 their backs in the aisle, in the dust, if they could have helped 
 it. There was a power there that managed every body. No 
 one went to the altar that day : the whole encampment was the 
 altar, and all over it the people were down, crying for mercy; 
 and in all directions, from professing Christians, the shout of. 
 praise went up to God. To my bower of prayer my heart in- 
 clined me to go ; but, on making trial to accomplish my pur- 
 pose, I found that all my physical energy was gone, and there 
 I lay at the root of the oak, helpless as a child, calling on 
 "God to be merciful to me a sinner." When I could run no 
 longer, then I felt willing to be ranked among the penitents, 
 and that my spiritual condition should be known. My brother 
 Edward came, looking here and there, among the slain of the 
 Lord, and at last he found me, in deep distress, at the foot of 
 the oak. "0, brother George!" said he, "is this you?" His 
 warm tears fell on my face as he knelt by my side, and spoke 
 the words of scriptural encouragement to my heart. He then 
 prayed most fervently for my salvation, and, while he did so, 
 my strength came again, and he helped me up; and, as he was 
 taking me to Owen Dorsey's tent, in the upper part of the 
 encampment, I leaning on his arm for support as we went, 
 Rev. William Ryland met us. He was an aged minister, and 
 very much in earnest in his Master's work. Looking me fully 
 in the face, and stretching out toward me his long arms and 
 pale, withered hands, trembling at once with eagerness and 
 age, he said: "I am commissioned, by the Lord Jesus Christ, 
 to tell such broken-hearted, penitent sinners as you are, that 
 Christ died to save you. Yes," said he, "he died for you as 
 really as if there had been nobody else in the world for him 
 to die for but you ; and you have a right to believe it. All 
 men have a right to believe the truth ; and, if you do n't be- 
 lieve it, I '11 go and offer him to some one else." That man's 
 earnest manner, and the truth he declared, accompanied by the 
 Spirit of God, overcame my unbelief; and, as he turned away 
 from me, I did receive the Saviour, and felt in my soul a peace 
 
MY CONVERSION AND HAPPINESS. 63 
 
 hitherto unknown. The Master had spoken, the storm had 
 ceased, and there was a great calm! 
 
 We remained in that place a little time, and I begun to rea- 
 son on the state of my heart, in about the following manner: 
 "Can this be 'conversion? Is it the blessing of justification? 
 I have heard no voice from above ; no angel hath touched my 
 lips with a live coal, taken with the tongs from oflF the altar; 
 I have no rapturous joy such as many speak of as attending 
 conversion. It will not do to be deceived in this matter. I 
 would rather be a sincere seeker than a deceived professor." 
 So on we moved to Owen Dorsey's tent, where many penitents 
 from Baltimore were collected. After an address to earnest 
 penitents, by Rev. Asa Shinn, all the seekers of salvation were 
 invited to kneel at the mourner's bench. I went down among 
 the rest, but could not pray; the spirit of rejoicing had come 
 upon me — I had all joy, as well as peace, in believing. This 
 joyous state of my heart was soon found out by the brethren, 
 who lifted me up, and, in the midst of them all, I stood and 
 made an open declaration of what the Lord had done for my 
 soul. Thus I entered the service of Christ, on the 21st day of 
 September, 1813, just one year after I entered the service of 
 my country, under General Harrison. Before my conversion, 
 the distressed feelings of my heart cast a gloom over every 
 thing; but now all was changed — my soul was unspeakably 
 happy, and the whole creation smiled. I felt a delight in the 
 company of the children of God, that no tongue could express, 
 and with them entered at ouce most heartily into the exercises 
 of the meeting, at least so far as singing was concerned. The 
 next morning the meeting closed, and we all returned home. 
 
 After our return to Baltimore, Robert Fisher, a venerable 
 Methodist of about forty years' standing, came to the house of 
 my brother, and took me into the front parlor, to a private in- 
 terview. There he gave me much fatherly counsel, in a truly 
 Christian spirit. Before we parted, he gained from me a prom- 
 ise that I would never evade or run round the cross. " Young 
 Christians," he afl&rmed, "would absolutely backslide, if they 
 did not bear the cross. If called on to pray, even in the street, 
 
64 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 by your elder brethren, tbe cross must be borne, or your soul 
 will suffer loss." So, having me fully pledged in this matter, 
 he left me. 
 
 The next Monday night, at Adam Riley's, just in our neigh- 
 borhood, there was a prayer-meeting for the camp-meeting con- 
 verts and the penitents. Two rooms in the house were crowded 
 when I went. I could scarcely get in at the first door; and 
 there stood the venerable Fisher at the middle door, conduct- 
 ing the meeting. When the first prayer was over, he called on 
 me, by name, to come forward, take the book, and sing and pray. 
 This alarmed me; every nerve quaked, and I looked round the 
 room to see if some other Greorge Brown was not there, sup- 
 posing it hardly possible he could mean me, for I had been 
 only five days converted, and had not yet joined the Church. 
 Again he called my name, beckoned me forward, and I had to 
 go, or violate my promise to bear the cross ; but I found it to be 
 heavy indeed, and could scarcely find courage to go forward in 
 the duty assigned me. Taking up the hymn-book, I read the 
 first two lines of the first hymn : 
 
 "0 for a thousand tongues to sing 
 My great Redeemer's praise;" 
 
 and while they were being sung, my eyes were closed tight, to 
 avoid seeing the people, for I was perfectly terror-stricken. 
 When I came to read again, in my confusion I read the first 
 two lines of the second verse, and closed my eyes again. The 
 tune was changed to suit, and on the singing went, in fine style ; 
 but my mistake greatly increased my confusion. When the 
 book was opened to read again, my eyes could see nothing 
 clearly ; the words and lines were all mixed up, and so tangled 
 together that I could go no further. After a momentary pause, 
 I said, " Let us pray." Thus, with a cross on my soul more 
 weighty than I can describe, did I, for the first time in my life, 
 in a public assembly, undertake to lead in prayer to God. I 
 had given my pledge to Robert Fisher, that I would never 
 flinch from the cross, and he held me to my word ; and it af- 
 forded me satisfaction afterward that I had at least made the 
 
GILBERT MIDDLETON, CLASS-LEADER. 65 
 
 effort to keep the promise which he had induced me to make. 
 The old gentleman afterward met me, and gave me much good 
 counsel and encouragement. From and after that time I had 
 the cross to bear wherever the brethren could get an opportu- 
 nity to lay it on me. It never did me any harm. No, indeed; 
 it always did me good. It led to increased effort to obtain a 
 holy heart and life ; and in all after days, I have most consci- 
 entiously believed that the way of the cross is the way to the 
 crown. It is the settled conviction of my mind, that it is im- 
 possible for the Lord Jesus Christ to save any of the depraved 
 children of Adam, without, in a diversity of ways, laying the 
 cross upon them. If poor, fallen human nature, with all its 
 stubborn and rebellious inclinations, be left to take its own 
 course, without ever being crossed, or obstructed in its mad 
 career, it will certainly find its way to perdition. Christ saves 
 our souls by the blood of his cross, and by calling us to deny 
 ourselves, take up our cross and follow him. 
 
 Immediately after this memorable prayer-meeting at Adam 
 Riley's, without waiting for a public opportunity to join the 
 Church, I went to the parsonage and gave my name to the 
 preacher in charge of the Baltimore stations, (Rev. William 
 Ryland,) as a probationer in the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 The class to which he assigned me was led by Gilbert Middle- 
 ton, an old Revolutionary soldier, a man of advanced age, and 
 of great experience in the things of God. I was the only 
 young man in the class ; all the rest were men rather advanced 
 in life, and well matured in Christian experience. This was a 
 good class for me to be in. My leader was wise, tender, and 
 searching in his exercises ; and sometimes his pithy sayings 
 were a little amusing. One Sabbath morning it rained ; only 
 a few were present, and, after waiting a short time, one of the 
 members said to the leader, " I suppose you will not meet class 
 this wet morning — there are so few of us." The old veteran 
 lifted up his head, set back his spectacles, and said, " Brother 
 Wood, it is true there are but few of us present, but there are 
 entirely too many of us to go to hell : I believe we '11 meet class j" 
 and he proceeded with his work faithfully. 
 
66 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 The well-matured and far-advanced experience of tlie aged 
 Christian men belonging to our class left my infantile experi- 
 ence so far in the rear as to create doubts in my mind as to 
 the reality of my own justification and adoption into the family 
 of Grod. I was simply a young convert, a sinner recently saved 
 by grace ; but my classmates were hoary -headed saints, far ad- 
 vanced in the Divine life. My religious experience fell so far 
 short of theirs, that I was often, in class-meeting, led to fear 
 that I had deceived myself in my profession of the Saviour's re- 
 ligion, and that I had neither part nor lot in the matter. On 
 such occasions, my doubts and fears were faithfully reported, 
 and to me the kind sympathy of those aged Christians was ex- 
 tended. They had traveled over the same road, and had once 
 felt the same doubts and fears, and were, therefore, prepared to 
 give me counsel in the day of trial, and to assure me that, if I 
 continued faithful, what I knew not now. Cod would make 
 known to me hereafter. As is the difference between a prat- 
 tling infant and a full-grown, intelligent man, so was that which 
 existed between those aged Christians and myself. Among 
 them I was a babe in the family. They all loved me, prayed 
 for me, and watched over my soul with fatherly solicitude. 
 
 In the Old Town Church in Baltimore, to which I belonged, 
 there was a very zealous class of pious young men, who had 
 engaged to hold prayer-meetings in various parts of the city, 
 of evenings, during the week. They took me into their num- 
 ber, and often put me forward to lead the meetings, and to 
 deliver a few words of exhortation. However great the cross, 
 I did not dare to refuse, for, as I have said, I had brought 
 myself under a promise to Robert Fisher that I never would 
 evade it. These religious exercises were to me a means of 
 spiritual improvement and consolation. They were a bless- 
 ing to us all, and they did good in the community, for at our 
 prayer-meetings many sinners were converted to God, and by 
 them the Church gained an increase of members. 
 
 In a short time, the local preachers — in that day a very 
 zealous and laborious class of men — began to take me with 
 them, on Sundays, to their appointments in the country. On 
 
STUDIES CONTINUED IN MY BROTHER'S TAN-YARD, 67 
 
 euch. occasions I was directed to give an exportation after the 
 sermon, and to close the meeting with singing and prayer, and 
 it was not long before they laid on the cross more heavily, for 
 they called upon me to preach. This was a work which I 
 felt wholly unable to perform ; besides, I was only a proba- 
 tionary member of the Church. This, it was said by those 
 preachers, made no difference ; Paul preached in a few days 
 after his conversion, and the Lord had a work for me to do, 
 and I must do it. Having surrendered myself to the guidance 
 of my elder brethren, and being under promise always to bear 
 the cross, I at last consented to make a trial. Thus led on, 
 step after step, by means of the Baltimore local preachers, and 
 the providence of God, I became — before I was a full member 
 of the Church, and without any Church authority at all — act- 
 ively engaged in the great work of calling sinners to repent- 
 ance. 
 
 Shortly after my conversion, I entered into my brother Ed- 
 ward's tan-yard and went to work. I loved my brother, and 
 wanted to be with him, believing he would be of great service 
 to me in a religious point of view; withal, I deemed the tan- 
 ning trade a good one. Yet, after all, I did not believe I 
 should ever follow that trade, for my heart was now fully set 
 on the Christian ministry, and I was induced to believe I could 
 carry on a course of reading, and preparation for the ministry, 
 along with regular labor. In this tan-yard, therefore, I con- 
 tinued until the close of the year 1814. During that time, I 
 was a hard student, and read many valuable books. Of long 
 winter evenings, I went to school to acquaint myself with Eng- 
 lish Grammar. But the Holy Scriptures, Wesley's Sermons, 
 and Clark's Commentary — then coming out in numbers — en- 
 grossed my chief attention. While thus laboring in the tan- 
 yard, and carrying on my preparatory studies as best I could, 
 I still continued to preach in the country, as opportunity of- 
 fered; nor did the Lord let me labor in vain. The local 
 preachers who drew me forth, put me forward, and helped me 
 on, in my early efforts as a Christian preacher, were all men 
 of sterling moral worth, and very zealous in the cause of 
 
68 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 Christ. All the Methodist Churches in Baltimore, at that 
 time, were working, pious, and prosperous Churches, and they 
 were generally under the pastoi'al cai-e of the leading ministers 
 of the connection. All the iujfluences then surrounding me, 
 in my Church relations, were of the right kind to aid me in a 
 growth in grace, and help me on in the work whereunto I felt 
 myself called. Methodism in Baltimore, at that time, stood 
 very high in my estimation. 
 
 Here it may be proper to go back a little. While drinking 
 the bitter cup of penitential sorrow, and feeling a load of sin 
 and guilt too intolerable to be borne, I promised the Lord, if he 
 would grant me the knowledge of salvation, by the remission 
 of my sins, that I would not only live according to the Gos- 
 pel — his grace assisting me — in time to come, but would, to 
 the utmost of my ability, undo all the evil of my past life. 
 In this state of heart I found forgiveness, and was adopted into 
 the Divine family, and, for a short time, my cup of joy was 
 full. But, upon a careful review of the past, I found nothing 
 to give me joy. My whole career had been one of sin, and all 
 was past remedy, so far as I was concerned, except one thing, 
 and that, too, was beyond my power to rectify, unless the Lord 
 would help me. My |)rother Richard, about two years older 
 than myself, had been converted to God, and I, a thoughtless, 
 perverse youth, about thirteen years of age, by diverting my- 
 self with his religious exercises, had, in my own opinion of the 
 matter, caused him to backslide from the Saviour. During the 
 whole of after life I deeply regretted this awfully wicked act, 
 and now, since my conversion, as I thought more and more on 
 the subject, my concern was greatly increased. At last I left 
 Baltimore, with the consent of my brother Edward, and went 
 to Ohio, to see Richard. We talked the matter over, and I got 
 him to attend all the meetings which I held in his vicinity, 
 and at the house of my mother, during my stay of about two 
 weeks. The Lord gave me success ; my brother returned to 
 Christ, and I went home to Baltimore, greatly comforted in my 
 own soul. In my judgment, God will forgive a penitent 
 who promises reparation of injuries done to others, so far aa 
 
A SOLDIER AGAIN. 69 
 
 may he in his power; but if there is a willful failure to fulfill 
 the promise, forgiveness will thereby be forfeited, happiness 
 destroyed, and the soul be in danger of being lost. In all 
 cases where reparation to another for injuries done is at all 
 possible, it must be made; Grod requires it, .and no man, with 
 safety to his soul, can evade his requirements. Mine was a 
 case of unusual concern to me. I had injured my own dear 
 brother, in his soul, by unjustifiable mimicry. He became angry, 
 fell into sin, and gave up religion. The teaching of Christ, in 
 such a case, is very alarming. Matthew xviii, 6: "But whoso 
 shall off"end one of these little ones which believe in me. it were 
 better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, 
 and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea." To keep 
 my promise, retain my own justification, if possible, recover 
 my backslidden brother, and escape the condemnation indicated 
 by Christ in the foregoing terrible text, were all matters of 
 vast importance to me. My success in winning my brother 
 back again to Christ was wholly of the Lord. That brother 
 became a faithful disciple, and, I trust, is now among the 
 spirits of just men made perfect, in heaven. 
 
 On returning to Baltimore, and to the labors of the tan-yard, 
 I resolved on renewed efi"orts to improve my mind ; so I pro- 
 cured such books as were recommended by my elder brethren. 
 Shinn on the Plan of Salvation, Dr. Reed's Essays on the Active 
 and Intellectual Powers of Man, Drew on the Immateriality and 
 Immortality of the Soul, together with English Grammar, the 
 Bible, and the Commentaries, were my constant companions. 
 Several of these were very profound works, and to understand 
 and profit by them required very close application. My ad- 
 vancement in theological and mental science was but slow; still, 
 some progress was made, and my mind became gradually inured 
 to hard study. To acquire every kind of knowledge which 
 would be serviceable to me in the Christian ministry, and to 
 enjoy and practice vital godliness, were, at this time, the great 
 objects of my life, and have been, in the main, ever since. 
 
 During the summer of 1814, the British took Washington, 
 aad burned the National Capitol and all the public buildings. A 
 
70 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 little after, they took Alexandria, and on the 12tli of September 
 commenced an attack on Baltimore. This was a trying emer- 
 gency ; martial law was proclaimed, and all the citizens put un- 
 der arms to defend the city. I was called out of the tan-yard, 
 and away from my books, again to be a soldier. Both of my 
 brothers went into service at the same time. Our army was 
 large, and well protected by breastworks, extending from the 
 bay about three miles round, on the east of the city. Our 
 regiment occupied a commanding position on Federal Hill. 
 From that point we could see Fort McHenry and the British 
 ships of war, and every shot from each side during the conflict, 
 which lasted about forty hours. And there, too, were the land 
 forces of the enemy in full view, across the valley, on a hill 
 about two miles off. They did not dare to attack us, because 
 of our superior numbers. On the second night, it being very 
 dark and raining, they sent six barges stealthily round to the 
 rear of the city, to set it on fire ; but, as they were landing, a 
 little fort hastily erected, of which their guide knew nothing, 
 opened on them a destructive fire, and it is not certain that any 
 of them escaped to tell the tale. Then, from that little Spring- 
 Grarden Fort, and from the army on Federal Hill, and from Fort 
 McHenry there was prolonged cheering. This was the final 
 stroke, and ended the conflict. I had labored hard five days 
 in the construction of that little fort, and felt much gratified, 
 indeed, in its efficiency in turning the tide of battle. Immedi- 
 ately after the failure of this effort to burn the city, and thus 
 confuse the army on the hill, all hope for the land forces of the 
 enemy to get into the city being cut off, a rocket from one of 
 the ships of war, of a peculiar color, sent up very high and 
 sloping off down the bay, indicated a retreat. In the morning 
 the land forces were all gone, and the ships of war retired a 
 little after daylight. General Samuel Smith was our Com- 
 mander-in-chief during this struggle ; but in a short time. Gen- 
 eral Scott took command, and enjoyed the entire confidence of 
 the army and the community. 
 
 In closing this little sketch of war matters about Baltimore, 
 it may be interesting to give a brief account of a soldier who 
 
A SOLDIER CONDEMNED TO BE SHOT. 71 
 
 was condemned to be sliot. The crime, as I was informed, was 
 an attempt upon the life of an officer ; some said that officer 
 was General Scott himself. But the pistol, deliberately aimed, 
 missed fire; the man was arrested, tried by a court-martial, and 
 condemned to die. The day of execution arrived. The place was 
 on the east slope of Federal Hill, in the head of a hollow. As 
 we marched out, I was near the prisoner, who was already in a 
 white shroud, and rode in a cart. A stake was driven into the 
 ground, and to it this doomed son of the Emerald Isle was 
 firmly tied,with a white cap drawn over his face. Nearest to the 
 culprit were the soldiers, all around the head of the hollow, in 
 amphitheatrical form. Next to them were the people from the 
 city and country — an immense multitude. A lane was then 
 made, along which to fire. Eight soldiers took distance twen- 
 ty-five paces above the criminal. The officer in command or- 
 dered them to "halt! to the right about — face." Then there 
 was a pause, as if waiting for something; and there stood the 
 poor condemned soldier in a perfect shiver — every nerve in him 
 quaked. Then came the order, "Make ready, take aim" — and 
 as each of the eight soldiers looked along his piece, I felt in 
 ;my heart an unutterable emotion ; and a glance at the multi- 
 tude revealed the fact that all were deeply moved. Like the 
 gentle clouds melting into showers, so fell the tears from the 
 eyes of that great assembly — if ever it rained tears, then was 
 the time — all expecting the word " Fire ! " Just at that painful 
 moment a voice was heard, and all eyes were turned to the right. 
 An officer in full uniform, on a white horse, came at the top of 
 his speed, with an open paper in his hand, crying, as he came, 
 "A reprieve! a reprieve!" The soldiers on duty were com- 
 manded to " order arms," and the tension of feeling became 
 somewhat relaxed; a more pleasant emotion followed. Poor 
 Pat was to have his life for a prey, and all hearts were glad. 
 The officer was not long in making his way through the crowd. 
 Some one informed the condemned man that a reprieve had 
 come ; but the news was too good ; he could not believe it. 
 There he stood, trembling as badly as ever. Finally, the officer 
 with the reprieve dismounted by his side, took oflF the cap, uu- 
 
72 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 tied him, and read his reprieve. Then he fell down on the 
 ground, rolled over and over again, blessed the Lord and Gen- 
 eral Scott and the Virgin Mary, (for he was a Catholic,) and 
 seemed almost as if he would die of joy. On this case, a re- 
 flection or two will be in place: First, if General Scott's par- 
 don securing natural life, when made known by proper author- 
 ity, did produce such overwhelming joy, will not God's pardon 
 to a sinner, who repents and believes in Christ, and is thereby 
 saved from eternal death, when it is made known to the heart 
 by the Holy Spirit, be productive of more abundant joy? Sec- 
 ondly, as that condemned soldier was in a safe state from and 
 after the time that his reprieve was signed, yet as he knew noth- 
 ing of it, was very uncomfortable, and needed to have the fact 
 of his reprieve made known by proper authority, in order to 
 his happiness ; so, in my opinion, a truly penitent sinner, whose 
 faith in Christ is very weak, may be in a safe state, and yet have 
 little or no comfort. The fact of forgiveness must be witnessed 
 to the heart by the Spirit of God, before there is "all joy and 
 peace in believing." Thirdly, as that soldier's pardon spread 
 joy through the immense multitude, then and there assembled, 
 so will the pardon of a truly penitent sinner, who hangs his all 
 for time and eternity on Christ, by faith, give joy to the Chui'ch 
 upon earth, and spread an exulting tide of joy all through 
 heaven. "Likewise I say uuto you, that joy shall be in heaven 
 over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine 
 just persons which need no repentance." 
 
 In the first love-feast which I ever attended in Baltimore — a 
 most spiritual and interesting meeting — I found much to en- 
 courage and strengthen me. It occurred shortly after the great 
 camp-meeting, at which I found the Saviour. Not only was I 
 profited by what I heard from advanced Christians, male and 
 female, and from young converts, but at times I was very much 
 amused. Many allusions were made, during the meeting, to the 
 great sermon preached by brother Shinn, on the Sunday morn- 
 ing of the camp-meeting, all going to show the high apprecia- 
 tion of the spirituality of that gi-eat and good man's Gospel 
 labors. One elderly lady, of very fine appearance, a German fey 
 
FIKST LOVE-FEAST IN BALTIMORE. 73 
 
 descent, in broken English, said many fine tilings of this remark- 
 able sermon. Then, in something of an ecstasy, she concluded 
 by adding, that '' it was as easy to tell the difference between a 
 preacher vat preached over the spirit, from one vat preached 
 over the letter, as it was to tell the difference between pone- 
 bread and pound-cake." My own heart had to say that this 
 witness is true. Even the poor and uneducated in human learn- 
 ing, if they have been taught in the school of Christ, can 
 easily distinguish a sermon full of the marrow and fatness of 
 the Grospel from one filled with literary quibbles and philosoph- 
 ical speculations; for what is the chaff to the wheat? 
 
 I sat far back in the church, and just in front of me there 
 was a large Irishman, a member of the Church, who, at times, 
 was very much excited. Several times he rose to speak ; but, 
 others having the floor, he had to sit down again. At last he 
 got a chance, and spoke in about the following manner : " The 
 brethren, in their wisdom, have ordained that I should come 
 here to-night and make a confession." At such a time and 
 place, " the Lord converted my soul, and for awhile I was ex- 
 ceedingly happy; but occasionally had some trials. If I but 
 took a glass of bitters in the morning, my conscience was ill at 
 ease about it all the day. But I grew in grace until I thought 
 the Lord had sanctified my soul. I got so far on that I could 
 take four or five glasses of bitters in the morning, before break- 
 fast, and go on my way rejoicing. And what do you think, 
 brethren ? The other day a man hauled me home, on his dray, 
 from the wharf, dead drunk! 0, my brethren, the devil had 
 deceived me until I mistook the hardening of my conscience by 
 crime for a growth in grace. Will the brethren bear with me, 
 and pray for me ? and, by the help of God, I '11 not let the devil 
 deceive me again." This man's confession was made in a droll 
 way; it amused me very much. Is it not possible that many 
 Church members have, like this Irish brother, been deceived by 
 the devil until they have mistaken a hardened conscience for 
 entire sanctification? To the damning sin the professor holds 
 fast until conscience becomes hardened, and chides no more ; 
 then on he goes, as he supposes, to heaven, when, in fact, he 
 5 
 
74 RECOLLECTIONS OP ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 is really going to hell. It takes afflictions and calamities, along 
 with the Spirit and truth of God, to wake such professors from 
 their criminal slumbers, and bring them back to Christ. 
 
 In the early part of the year 1814, I was received into full 
 membership in the Methodist Episcopal Church. This act led 
 to a new consecration of myself to Christ and his cause. Al- 
 most immediately after this, in the old Conference-room, in the 
 rear of the Light Street Church, the Quarterly Conference 
 granted me license to preach. This led to new efforts to pro- 
 pare myself for the work before me, in the vineyard of the 
 Lord. My having preached for some time without license was 
 not brought before the Quarterly Conference as an objection 
 against me, but was rather urged as an argument in my favor, 
 for it indicated a disposition to work, and they wanted men who 
 would work. From this time to the end of the year I labored 
 with the rest of the Baltimore local preachers. We kept up 
 appointments to the distance of twenty miles in the country, 
 all around Baltimore, often preaching two and three times a 
 day on Sunday, and returning home at night to hear preaching 
 in the city. These local preachers, who labored so extensively 
 in the country, had never been itinerants. They worked for 
 nothing; they paid at livery stables the hire of the horses they 
 rode ; they paid the city preachers. They were a noble-hearted 
 set of men. Never shall I forget James Armstrong, James R. 
 Williams, Joseph Shane, and several others, my fellow-laborers, 
 whose names are in the Book of Life. All these dear brethren 
 have died in the faith ; all my old classmates have passed away 
 to the heavenly country ; my dear brother Edward, who was a 
 counselor, helper, and friend to me, in the days of my spiritual 
 childhood, is now among the saved in heaven. Old age has at 
 last overtaken me, and I hope soon to join my friends. 
 
MY FIRST ITINERANT SERMON. 75 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 My Fiest Itinerant Sermon— TriE Negroes Sleepino in Meeting— Mt Design in goin<i 
 ON Anne Akundel Circuit— Jackson's Victory— Peace IIestored— The General 
 Jor— Not being Recommended to Conference, I Return to VVuuk and Study— Was 
 Immediately Called to Prince George's Circuit— The Horse— The Money— My 
 Colleagues— The Circuit— The Bilious Kever and its Cause— Kind Friends who 
 Cared for me in my Afflictions— Chambersburg Circuit— Mv Colleagues — My 
 Presiding Elder— Carlisle Circuit— My Colleague— Much Opposition— Success in 
 Gettysburg- The Infidel Converted — A Marriage Extraordinary— Stafford Cik- 
 cuit— My Assistant- The Various Sects— The Camp-Meeting— How Methodists 
 AT that day Regarded Slavery. 
 
 On the 1st of January, 1815, my itinerant life commenced, 
 on Anne Arundel Circuit, in the state of Maryland. At the 
 call of Rev. Daniel Stansbury, and being prompted by my 
 brother Edward, I left the tan-yard, my home, and Baltimore 
 friends, to meet brother Stansbury, at eleven o'clock A. M., 
 on New-Years day, to travel this circuit with him, until the 
 approaching Conference in March. But, alas for me ! Stans- 
 bury did not meet me, according to our appointment. So, I 
 had to preach myself, and found the cross most uncomfortably 
 heavy. The meeting was held in a farm-house, (name forgot- 
 ten,) in a large room, with a corner chimney; and there was a 
 very large fire, made of hickory wood about half seasoned. There 
 was an excellent turnout of the young people of the neigh- 
 borhood that day, for the sleighing was good, and the house 
 was crowded. I stood with my back against the front door, 
 and, over to my right, the colored people stood with their backs 
 against the wall, all the seats being occupied by the white ladies 
 and gentlemen. With much fear and trembling, the services 
 were opened, and, after singing and prayer, the text was read 
 and the sermon commenced. In a little time, I discovered that 
 the young people of that assembly were all very much amused, 
 
76 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 and inclined to elbow one another, and to titter, in a suppressed 
 ■way, all over tte house. This produced great confusion and 
 embarrassment in my mind, for I supposed they were laugh- 
 ing at my awkwardness. But, a glancing of their eyes toward 
 the colored people revealed the secret : they were all asleep 
 as they stood on their feet ! Coming out of the cold into that 
 warm room, the heat of the young hickory fire had wilted them 
 down. With heads hanging over their breasts, a little to one 
 side, eyes about half closed, mouths somewhat open, tongues a 
 little protruded, knees going apart, ^nd backs scraping against 
 the wall, down they were going, lower and lower, when I saw 
 them. In a moment, these sleepers, as if by concert, all started 
 up at once, and blew, as if a little scared. Having found out 
 the cause of the mirth among the young people, my embarrass- 
 ment left me, and I proceeded with my discourse, but had not 
 gone far before all looks gave indications of rising mirth again. 
 That time all the colored people kept awake but one. He was 
 a tall, slender, well-dressed mulatto — a waiting man — standing 
 against the door that opened into the kitchen. As he sunk 
 down, with knees parting, eyes half closed, tongue a little out, 
 his hard breathing amounting almost to a snore, all eyes were 
 upon him, and the mirth of the colored people was at least 
 equal to that of the whites. He went down so low that I 
 thought he certainly would come to the floor. Again he 
 straightened up and blew, and, looking wildly around the room, 
 he seemed to brace himself for a more determined resistance 
 against sleep. Then the smothered titter of the assembly al- 
 most reached the point of open 1-aughter. So far, I had main- 
 tained my gravity, but felt afraid to reprove, as I was a young 
 man; so I went on with my sermon as soon as quiet was restored. 
 But the hot hickory fire wilted down the yellow waiter a third 
 time. With all the evidences of sleep on him that he had be- 
 fore, he sunk down quite to his "hunkers," and the snore was 
 heavy. We all looked for him to fall right out on the floor; 
 but he caught himself going, and sprang until his head went 
 nearly to the ceiling, and, coming down, he whistled like an 
 old buck. Finding what he had done, he opened the door into 
 
Jackson's victory. 77 
 
 tTie kitchen, and away lie went, leaving the whole assembly con- 
 vulsed with laughter. This time I lost my, gravity, and joined 
 in the laughter with the rest. This ludicrous occurrence took 
 place during the preaching of my first itinerant sermon. I 
 have never seen the like since, and hope I shall never see the 
 like again. Why did I not restrain myself? Why did I not 
 admonish the people? Alas for me! at that time I had not the 
 nerve to do either. After a little time to collect my thoughts, 
 this much-disturbed congregation gave me a patient and re- 
 spectful hearing to the end of my discourse, which I deemed 
 prudent to close with all convenient dispatch. 
 
 Revs. James Reed and Daniel Stansbury were colleagues on 
 Anne Arundel Circuit. Stansbury came that night ; and until 
 the 1st of March I traveled with him, in view of gaining all 
 the information I could in relation to itinerant life, its sacrifices 
 and duties. Perhaps I did more than my share of the preach- 
 ing and meeting of classes, but did not complain, as I was un- 
 der pledge, from the outset, always to bear the cross whenever 
 my elder brethren laid it upon me. Above all other things, I 
 felt at that time a most intense desire to be useful to the souls 
 of my fellow-creatures, to build up the Church, and to glorify 
 Christ. I felt that this was my calling, and that to walk worthy 
 of such a high calling did require the utmost circumspection 
 and prayer. Brother Stansbury was neither methodical nor 
 powerful in his pulpit efi'orts ; but he was a man of great zeal 
 in all his exercises, and had considerable success in his minis- 
 try. He had great faith — was powerful in prayer. The longer 
 I was with him, the more I loved him, for he was of an excel- 
 lent spirit. In him I learned to understand how it is that weak i 
 preachers often do the most good. Being more faithful and 
 holy than men of stronger talents, and more diligent in attend- 
 ing to all parts of the work assigned them, God gives them 
 more abundant success than he will to the man of great talents, 
 who preaches his great sermons and then neglects all the other 
 duties of his charge. 
 
 While on Anne Arundel Circuit, the news came of General 
 Jackson's victory over the British at New Orleans. Then, too, 
 
78 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 came the news of peace between the United States and Great 
 Britain. These tw^ important events filled our entire country 
 with great joy, and were, every-where among the Churches, cel- 
 ebrated with appropriate thanksgivings to Grod. At last, Con- 
 ference came. Not being recommended to that body for em- 
 ployment, I went home to l^altimore, intending, if spared, to 
 work and study another year in the tan-yard. But, on the rise 
 of the Conference, Bev. Enoch George, Presiding Elder, sent 
 Rev. Joshua Wells after me, to supply a vacancy on Prince 
 George's Circuit. After consulting my brother and a few other 
 friends, I determined to respond favorably to this call. The 
 first thing was to secure a good horse. One was immediately 
 purchased by my brother Edward, and presented to me. " Now," 
 said he, " you will need a little money in the outset, until you 
 can get to your circuit, and be entitled to pay. This horse can 
 earn you all the money you need, in about two weeks. ' So, a 
 cart was hired of one of the neighbors, at twenty-five cents per 
 day, and a young man to drive it, at fifty cents per day ; and for 
 about two weeks, while my other preparations were being made, 
 that young man, with the horse and cart, finding constant em- 
 ployment on the wharf, earned me from two to four dollars per 
 day, clear of all expenses. Finally, the day arrived for me to 
 be ofi^ to my circuit. To leave Baltimore, where I had so many 
 kind Christian friends, and go out among strangers, was, to me, 
 a trial of considerable magnitude. On the morning before I 
 left home, I paid short visits to such friends as were near at 
 hand, to bid them fai'ewell. To me it was a tender time ; I could 
 not restrain my tears. The last one I visited was sister Mitch- 
 ell, a real mother in Israel. She had often said to me, that, un- 
 less I changed my vehement and vociferous' manner, my life 
 would be the forfeit. That morning, she took my hand, at part- 
 ing, and holding it firmly, she said : " Brother George, before 
 you go, I want to give you a bit of advice. Will you take it?" 
 "Well, sister Mitchell," said I, "what is it? I '11 take it if I 
 can." Holding my hand with a still firmer grasp, she said : 
 " But you must take it, and I want you to promise me now, 
 before we part, that you will take it." " Well," said I, " do 
 
CALLED TO PRIXCE GEORGE's CIRCUIT. 79 
 
 tell me, if you please, wliat it is, and I '11 take it if I can." 
 "Now," said she, "mind what I say: when you get out to 
 preaching on a circuit, meeting the classes, and laboring in the 
 prayer-meetings, take very good care of yourself, and do n't 
 burst your gall." At this droll advice I felt a little amused, 
 but promised compliance, and took my leave of this plain- 
 spoken Christian lady. The advice had much meaning in it. 
 Solid sense, sound piety, and a less vehement and vociferous 
 manner would save the "gall," and the life too, of many a poor 
 Methodist preacher. 
 
 That morning I left the house of my beloved brother Ed- 
 ward, for the itinerant field. He and his excellent wife and all 
 the children, with warm hearts, wished me prosperity and hap- 
 piness in my new and important undertaking ; so did many of 
 my Christian friends, and others, as I passed up Baltimore 
 Street. It was a time of many tears with me — parting with 
 those I loved so well, and' with whom my earliest religious asso- 
 ciations were formed. That day, in attempting to ride a branch 
 of the Patuxeut River, finding it rather deep, I halted to let 
 my horse drink, and while I was looking across, and up and 
 down the river, to see if there was a ferry-boat, my horse, be- 
 ing warm with travel, laid down in the water, and the current 
 swept clear over him, wetting me up to my waist. I got him 
 up, and crossed in a boat; and, disagreeably wet as I was, held 
 on my way until I reached Bladensburg, in the evening. By 
 that time my clothes had dried on me, and being called into 
 service by some warm-hearted Methodists, I preached that night 
 with more than usual liberty. The next day I found myself 
 within the bounds of Prince George's Circuit, and at the quar- 
 terly-meeting on Saturday was introduced to my two colleagues, 
 Revs. Thomas C. Thornton, preacher in charge, and John 
 Childs, assistant, and, by their joint request, I tried to preach 
 the opening sermon. The cross was exceedingly heavy as I ap- 
 proached it; but when the first prayer was over, I found the 
 fear of man, that always bringeth a snare, had left me. I could 
 not believe that where there was so much fervent prayer, there 
 could be much captious criticism ; so, with the Master's help, I 
 
80 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE 
 
 had great liberty in preacliing, and there was a heavenly state 
 of religious feeling among the people. 
 
 Prince George's Circuit lay between the Chesapeake and the 
 Potomac Rivers, and extended from Washington City and Bla- 
 deusburg to Point Lookout. We had preaching in a farm- 
 house on the Point, in full view of the junction of the two 
 rivers ; I suppose near the place where the United States Hos- 
 pital now stands. Ours was a six-weeks' circuit, and we three 
 followed each other at the distance of two weeks, going down 
 on the Potomac ^ide, and coming up on the Chesapeake side ; 
 and it was said by my colleagues that our traveling would be 
 so zigzag in its character, that each of us, to complete one 
 round, would have to travel six hundred miles, or about one 
 hundred miles a week. We had several small towns in our cir- 
 cuit, such as Upper Marlboro, Port Tobacco, Leonardstown, 
 etc., but at that time we had not planted Methodism in them. 
 The Roman Catholic and ProtestanC Episcopalian were the lead- 
 ing denominations ; and it would have been hard to tell which 
 was the greater, their bigoted attachment to their own respective 
 parties, or their determined opposition to the Methodists. Com- 
 mon sinners and open infidels drank in the spirit of these 
 Churches; so, Methodism had the honor to be persecuted on 
 all sides. Under these, and all other kinds of disadvantages, 
 ^evangelical piety, as maintained by the Methodists, gained con- 
 siderable growth that year. In general, our people were poor, 
 and a great portion of the country was poor, sandy, and worn- 
 out, producing but little for the subsistence of man or beast. 
 As for myself, I always fared very well, for they had plenty of 
 fish, oysters, and fowls, brought from the rivers and creeks, to 
 supply my wants. These, with a little corn-bread and a cup of 
 tea, which they generally had, did well enough for me while 
 among the humble poor ; indeed, they seemed to be real luxu- 
 ries, because they came with such a good-will. But I often 
 pitied my horse, for he could not live on what they were ac- 
 customed to give their little sandy-ground ponies. I have often 
 been asked by the servant, when I arrived at my appointment, 
 which I would have for my horse — "two bundles of blades now, 
 
THE BILIOUS FEVER AND ITS CAUSE. 81 
 
 and six ears of corn at night; or six ears of corn now, and two 
 bundles of blades at night?" "Well," I would say, "you see 
 my horse is large; let him cool a little, and then give him the 
 two bundles of blades and six ears of corn all now, and then, 
 when night comes, we'll see if he wants any more." When 
 night came, to the astonishment of the servant, my horse always 
 wanted at least as much more ! But there were parts of the 
 circuit where the land was better, and produced an abundance. 
 There we had a compensation for what we suffered in poorer 
 districts ; but the rich members could not possibly be more free 
 with what they had than were the poor, nor were they more 
 pious. Taken altogether, these persecuted Methodists on Prince 
 George's Circuit were an exemplary community of Christians. 
 They lived like lambs among wolves, were wise as serpents, and 
 harmless as doves. 
 
 On this circuit I had a sore spell of bilious fever. As I 
 came up on my first round, T. C. Thornton met me, and pro- 
 posed a change : he would fill my appointments up toward Wash- 
 ington City, and that would give him a chance to get mar- 
 ried, the following week, in the city, and I must turn back and 
 fill his appointments down the country. Well, to oblige my 
 superior, I agreed to the change. But in this change there was 
 a double wrong — one to me, and the other to the circuit. I 
 was thrown back, and kept too long in the lowlands, where I 
 took the bilious fever, which held me about two weeks, and 
 then tapered off with eleven weeks of ague and fever — a sad 
 injury to me. Meantime, Thornton utterly failed to fill my 
 appointments according to agreement. So, the circuit was in- 
 jured. The circuit, or rather the upper end of' it, did not 
 recover from this injury to the end of the year; and my con- 
 stitution was so shaken and predisposed to disease, that the ague 
 and fever returned on me for three summers in succession. I 
 shall always have cause to remember brother Thbrnton's mar- 
 riage, and the injury resulting to myself and the circuit. 
 
 It will be proper, in thi^ place, to record my gratitude to 
 several kind friends. At the house of Miss Betty Gant, during 
 the first two weeks of illness, I received all necessary attention 
 
82 EECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 and care from that excellent Christian lady and those of her 
 household. Being much concerned about the work assigned 
 me, I went out to my field of labor too soon, and took a re- 
 lapse. I was then taken to the house of brother James Friend, 
 where he and his amiable wife had me well cared for durinsr 
 several weeks. They lived at the Navy-yard in Washington 
 City, and I regarded them as true disciples of our Lord. But 
 my recovery was slow at that place, and Rev. William McKin- 
 ney, by consent of brother and sister. Friend, took me to his res- 
 idence in Georgetown. There I was on higher ground, had 
 purer air, and my recovery was more rapid. Never shall I for- 
 get the kind attentions of brother McKinney and his good wife. 
 But not until late in the fall was I able to resume my labors 
 on the circuit. In all my sickness I had good doctors, good 
 nurses, kind friends, and a merciful God to help me, in every 
 time of need. That long ajffliction did me a real spiritual good. 
 God meant all that I sufi"ered in body, for the good of my soul. 
 How often does our Heavenly Father find it necessary to teach 
 poor, frail mortals a lesson of humility and resignation on a bed 
 of affliction, which they were utterly unwilling to learn any- 
 where else ! How often has it been good for me that I have 
 been afflicted ! During the year, Enoch George, my Presiding 
 Elder, acted the part of a father to me, and both my colleagues 
 were kind. I loved them, and easily forgave the wrong done 
 me by brother Thornton, in keeping me too long in the sickly 
 region, where I took the fever. 
 
 Conference met in March, 1816, in Georgetown, D. C, at 
 which time I was received into the traveling connection, and ap- 
 pointed to Chambersburg Circuit. Bev. Bobert Wilson was 
 preacher in charge. He was an able minister, a pious Christian 
 gentleman, a real friend to me, and very useful in his laborious 
 efforts to build up the Church. At the end of six months he 
 was released, in consequence of feeble health, and Bev. John 
 W. Bond, who had been the traveling companion of Bishop As- 
 bury, was appointed in his place. Bond was a man of fine tal- 
 ents, ardent piety, and was untiring in his labors. To me he 
 was very kind, and we often took sweet counsel together. Our 
 
MY PRESIDING ELDER. 83 
 
 circuit extended from near Harper's Ferry, up the valley, on 
 the Maryland side of the Potomac, into Pennsylvania, a little 
 beyond Chambersburg, and included a number of towns, such as 
 Sharpsburg, Williamsport, Chambersburg, Hagerstown, Green- 
 castle, Mercorsburg, etc. Among the denominations of Chris- 
 tians in that region, the Methodists were, at that time, just 
 beginning to gain a prominent standing. The Lutherans and 
 Presbyterians looked upon thc-m with a jealous eye, and would 
 have kept them down if they could. Those who joined the 
 Methodists from among those bodies generally had to suffer 
 persecution. That year we had a most fruitful camp-meeting, 
 and the revival which commenced at that meeting extended to 
 nearly all the appointments on the circuit. There were large 
 accessions to the Church in Chambersburg, Hagerstown, Wil- 
 liamsport, and several other places, and the work went on to 
 the end of the Conference year. Rev. Jacob Gruber was our 
 Presiding Elder. He was a man of great physical energy, good 
 mental powers, pretty well cultivated, and a most ready and 
 powerful preacher of the Gospel. Never did I know a greater 
 wit, a more eccentric minister, or one more laborious in his ef- 
 forts to get sinners converted and to build up the Church of 
 Christ. At camp-meetings he was a real general, ably marshal- 
 ing all his forces. Sometimes he remained in the altar, super- 
 intending the work, the entire night, always requiring the pres- 
 ence and help of his preachers. It was a rule with him never 
 to permit a gun to be fired from the stand, at the great con- 
 gregation, that would not go ofi" in the altar, among the mourn- 
 ers. Revivals followed Gruber wherever he went. He had 
 many warm friends and some bitter enemies. My colleague, 
 brother Bond, had not the eccentric genius of Gruber, nor had 
 he his ability to manage the multitude on great occasions; but 
 he was his equal in zeal and perseverance in the great work of 
 saving souls. These men had great influence with me in mold- 
 ing my character and habits as a preacher. Who could look 
 upon the untiring diligence and faithfulness of Gruber and 
 Bond, and not feel in his soul that a ministerial drone was a 
 real nuisance in the Church of the Lord? My year closed 
 
84 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 pleasantly and profitably on Ctambersburg Circuit. I had many 
 friends, and if I had any enemies, I did not know it. That 
 year was a season of mercy and peace to me, and to the 
 Churches on that circuit. 
 
 In March, 1817, I received an appointment in Baltimore to 
 Carlisle Circuit, in Pennsylvania. Rev. Richard Tydings was 
 the preacher in charge, and Gruber the Presiding Elder. The 
 circuit lay in the Cumberland Valley mainly. It included 
 Carlisle, Shippinsburg, Gettysburg, York, and sundry other 
 towns of smaller note. It extended over to the Susquehanna 
 River at Harrisburg, and was quite a large and laborious cir- 
 cuit to travel. In the bounds of this circuit we found all the 
 various denominations of Christians, and none of them, save the 
 United Brethren, seemed to have any friendship for the Meth- 
 odists. At that day, Methodist preachers were held up to pub- 
 lic scorn, by many of the clergy, as the deceivers that should 
 come in the latter days ; as preaching false doctrine, to lead 
 astray, if it were possible, even the very elect. He who joined 
 the Methodists from any of the older denominations in that 
 region, had to make up his mind to bear a heavy cross and 
 suffer much persecution. 
 
 Nothing daunted by the opposition and bigotry to be met 
 with in that district of country, Tydings and I entered upon 
 the labors of the year on Carlisle Circuit. We both preached 
 the full and free salvation of the Gospel, and tried to live as 
 we preached. God, in mercy, opened our way, and gave us 
 access to the hearts of the people, and in almost all parts of 
 the circuit there was a revival of religion that year. Many 
 sinners were converted to God, the Churches were edified, and 
 the borders of Zion considerably enlarged. That year we es- 
 tablished a Church in Gettysburg, under rather trying circum- 
 stances. The previous year a trial had been made, but failed. 
 The man who entertained the preachers, being poor, would do 
 it no longer. So, Tydings and I, after consultation, determined 
 upon trying Gettysburg another year, and that we would pay 
 our own way at Gilbert's tavern. Our preaching was in the 
 court-house, on Sunday evenings. We had to preach twice in 
 
THE INFIDEL CONVERTED. 85 
 
 the daytime, and ride eighteen miles; then our third sermon 
 was in Gettysburg, at night. God at last gave us favor among 
 the people. The court-house was crowded to its utmost ca- 
 pacity, andjSa glorious revival of religion followed. Ever since 
 that year there have been plenty of comfortable houses for 
 itinerant preachers in that place, recently made so famous by 
 what will be known in history as the great battle of Gettysburg, 
 where the rebel army, under General Lee, was defeated by the 
 loyal army, under General Meade. 
 
 While this interesting revival was in progress, a Jewess — • 
 whose husband, a merchant, was a confirmed infidel, and had not 
 been at any place of public worship for thirteeen years — became 
 a convert to Christianity and joined the Church. Her whole 
 heart was deeply enlisted in the cause of Christ, and she had 
 also a very tender concern for the salvation of her husband, 
 and expressed to me a desire that I would pay them a visit, 
 and converse with him, and try to win him over to Chris- 
 tianity. At the same time, she cautioned me not to be offended 
 at any treatment I might receive from him, for she could not 
 exactly tell how he might act toward me, for he was not very 
 well pleased with her joining the Church. I was just about 
 leaving town, but concluded to visit him before I would go. 
 When I went into his store, and was introduced to him by his 
 wife, he immediately entered upon a tirade against Christianity, 
 alleging that the whole system was a congeries of absurdities, 
 utterly incapable of proof, and unworthy of belief by men of 
 reason. He then produced one of his infidel books, written by 
 a man whose name was Monday, and pronounced it unanswer- 
 able. Having never seen the book before, and not having time 
 then to enter into argument, I proposed to him that I would 
 take his book and read it carefully, and prepare myself to an- 
 swer all Monday's strong points when I came back, in four 
 weeks, provided he would take a book — Simpson's Plea — which 
 I had with me, and prepare himself, against my return, to an- 
 swer David Simpson's Plea for the Christian Religion. To 
 this he agreed, with an air of confidence that he would be able 
 to answer Simpson, or any other book written in defense of 
 
86 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 Christianity. So we parted for tliat time. In four weeks I re- 
 turned, having done my best to be ready to answer all the slip- 
 pery, serpentine sophism of Monday. When I entered the 
 store, I found the infidel store-keeper lying on .%e counter, 
 reading Simpson. On seeing me, he said, with tears in his eyes: 
 "You need not trouble yourself to answer Monday; Simpson 
 has answered me and Monday, too. I give the matter up. 
 Christianity is true, and I have myself been deceived nearly 
 all my life." Whether this man, whose name I have forgotten, 
 ever joined the Church or not, I can not say, for I was then 
 leaving the circuit. This was a victory gained for the Lord by 
 means of a book. how important it is for Methodist preach- 
 ers, wherever they go, to have on hand a good supply of the 
 right kind of books! What could I, a mere stripling, have 
 done with such a man as that without the aid of Simpson's 
 Plea? I think I could have answered Monday; but, perhaps, 
 not to the satisfaction of the infidel. It was the Lord who 
 made use of Simpson's Plea to convert that sagacious unbeliever 
 to the Christian faith. 
 
 During the year spent with my excellent colleague, PJchard 
 Tydings, on Carlisle Circuit, many cases of the conversion of 
 very hardened sinners occurred. We were called to preach at 
 a new place, about six miles west of Gettysburg. A wealthy 
 sinner, an oppressor of the poor, a noted money-shaver, one 
 whose lust had done much mischief in the community, was pow- 
 erfully awakened under the preaching of my colleague. His 
 distress was great and of long continuance. He had a large 
 family, and most of the members of it were under concern for 
 their souls. This Zaccheus had restitution to make, and he 
 could not be saved until he came under a pledge to the Lord to 
 make it. He invited preaching to his house ; and after brother 
 Tydings had delivered a faithful discourse, he stood up in the 
 congregation and declared his determination to lead a new life, 
 and to undo, to the utmost of his ability, all the evils of his 
 past life. "I have raised a large family of children," he said; 
 "but the mother of these children is not my wife — we have 
 never been married." This piece of information was astound- 
 
STAFFORD CIRCUIT. 87 
 
 ing to all present ; even the children knew nothing of the fact. 
 He then and there proposed being married to the mother of his 
 children, for he felt that the first reparation of wrong must be 
 made at hor^e. The father and mother then stood up before 
 their children, and, in the presence of all the assembly, were 
 duly married by my colleague. This being done, the whole 
 family were baptized and received into the Church as probation- 
 ary members. Such cases as the above clearly demonstrate the 
 power of the Gospel to save the chief of sinners. Richard 
 Tydings is still a sojourner among men. He resides in Ken- 
 tucky, and should he ever see this notice, would, undoubtedly, 
 give corroborating testimony to the material facts in this and 
 all the other cases referred to in relation to our joint labors on 
 Carlisle Circuit. 
 
 At the Conference in March, 1818, I was appointed to Staf- 
 ford Circuit, in Eastern Virginia. This year, having been or- 
 dained a deacon, I whs placed in charge, and E,iichard McAllis- 
 ter, my assistant. He was a Pennsylvanian by birth — a very 
 interesting young man, of good natural talents, considerable 
 mental cultivation, ardent piety, and fine preaching abilities. 
 In the outset of his religious career, he had sufi"ered banishment 
 from his father's house, on account of having joined the Meth- 
 odists. This act of his life, in the estimation of his father — 
 who was a man of great wealth, pride, and bigoted attachment 
 to a difi"erent creed — had degraded him so low that one house 
 could no longer hold them both. Richard had to go into ban- 
 ishment. Thus sternly driven from home, he went to Baltimore, 
 and there I became acquainted with him. He seemed to have 
 in him the spirit of a martyr, and to be ready to surrender his 
 life rather than abandon his Methodistical views of Christianity. 
 He was, however, in a short time recalled, and became the 
 means, under Grod, of the conversion of both his parents, and 
 entered the itinerant field with the full consent of both father 
 and mother, who, on being converted to God, did themselves 
 join the Methodist Episcopal Church, and gloried in having a 
 Bon in the ministry among that once-despised people. 
 
 Our circuit lay between the Potomac and the Pvappahannock 
 
88 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITES'ERANT LIFE. 
 
 Rivers, and included the counties of Fauquier, Prince William, 
 Stafford, and parts of King George and Culpepper, where, of 
 late, the mustering hosts of loyalty and rebellion have often 
 met in deadly conflict. In this district of country, the Meth- 
 odists, though equal in standing and numbers to any single 
 denomination of Christians, were, nevertheless, still " the sect 
 every-where spoken against." Infidels despised them because 
 they were witnesses against infidelity ; that it loved darkness 
 rather than light, because its works were evil. Proud, High- 
 Church Episcopalians, who rested in the outward form of godli- 
 ness, and denied the power thereof, despised them, because, in 
 addition to the form, they taught mankind a powerful spiritual 
 religion, coming home to the heart and saving the soul. The 
 Baptists, in that day real Antinomians, despised them, because 
 they insisted on good works as evidence of saving faith — held to 
 infant baptism — that sprinkling and pouring, in baptism, were 
 equally as good as immersion — that the whole world stood re- 
 deemed unto God by the death of Christ — and that as certainly 
 as angels and our first parents fell from the Divine favor, so 
 certainly might true believers fall from grace. The Roman 
 Catholics, drunkards, profane swearers. Sabbath-breakers, and 
 all classes of sinners, all seemed to have their reasons, such as 
 they were, for despising the Methodists. In that day, there was 
 no such thing as fraternal intercourse between ministers of other 
 denominations and Methodist preachers, as there is now. To 
 have helped us at our meetings would have been, in their vi.ew 
 of the matter, to have made themselves common or unclean. 
 But Richard and I, both of us young men, each having much 
 to learn, had a good, sturdy-souled membership in the Church 
 to shout us on. We studied the questions at issue between the 
 Methodists and all other parties well. We deemed self-defense 
 always in order; and taking on us the whole armor of the Lord, 
 as fully as such young men could, we went forth to the conflict, 
 in the name of Him who came into the world to destroy the 
 ■works of the devil ; and the Lord working with us and confirm- 
 ing the word of His grace, we had a good degree of success. 
 Many sinners were born again unto the Lord, and the borders 
 
HOW METHODISTS REGARDED SLAVERY. 89 
 
 of Zion were considerably enlarged. It was a year of revival 
 pretty much throughout the circuit. No man ever had a more 
 agi-eeable or trustworthy colleague than I had that year. Rich- 
 ard and I were like David and Jonathan — of one heart and 
 mind in the work of the Lord. But ray dear Richard now rests 
 from his labors. 
 
 In the summer of 1818, we held a camp-meeting within the 
 bounds of our circuit, on the land of old brother Fortune. It 
 was an exceedingly large meeting, very fruitful in converts, aud 
 was made a great blessing to our circuit and other neighboring 
 charges. At that meeting I saw Rev. John Emory, D. D., for 
 the first time, who afterward became one of the bishops of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church. There, too, I saw that eccentric 
 genius. Rev. William Cravens, a local preacher in the Church. 
 Rev. Joseph Fry, Presiding Elder, gave Emory the Sunday 
 morning appointment. With a voice entirely too weak for such 
 an immense audience, he preached a most valuable sermon; bu.t 
 I heard him with pain, because of an impression upon my mind 
 that not more than one-half of the multitude could hear him. 
 At three o'clock Cravens took the stand. He was a very large 
 man, with but one eye. His weight was three hundred and 
 thirty-three pounds ! his voice round, full, and strong. While 
 preaching, he drank a great deal of water, and handled the 
 slaveholders with uncommon severity. They felt the lash as 
 terribly on their souls as ever a poor negro did on his back ; 
 and, like the slaves, they had to take it in comparative silence, 
 for, at that day, public seutimeut still favored the freedom of 
 the pulpit. 
 
 There was at that time, in Eastern Virginia, a great abhor- 
 rence both of the internal and foreign slave-trade. Men who 
 bought up and drove slaves to the cotton and rice plantations 
 in the South, to sell them there in interminable bondage, were' 
 called " soul-drivers," and were generally looked upon with in- 
 effable contempt. For a Methodist to buy or sell a negro, ex- 
 cept to better his condition, was deemed a crime demanding 
 immediate expulsion from the Church. An instance in point 
 may be given. A colored woman, belonging to Colonel Richard , 
 6 
 
90 EECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 Beall, of Fauquier County, Virginia, robbed my saddle-bags, 
 while cleaning up the room in which I slept. This enraged 
 her master, and he sold her to a slave-driver, to go South. A 
 slaveholding member of the Church brought charges, and I 
 had to conduct a judicial investigation of Beall's case. Every 
 member of the committee that sat on the trial was a slave- 
 holder. The Colonel acknowledged the fact charged against 
 him, but pleaded the aggravating nature of the case. This plea 
 was not deemed sufficient, and the decision of the slavehold- 
 ing committee was, that Beall must buy back that woman, or 
 stand expelled from the Church. To this decision the Colonel 
 submitted, and did all he could to buy back the woman, but 
 failed. He spent both time and money in the eflFort, but could 
 not buy her back at any price. I then brought the case before 
 the ensuing Quarterly Conference for advice, as there was much 
 feeling in the community in relation to the matter. That body 
 ordered that Beall should make a confession of his crime be- 
 fore the Church, in the love-feast the next morning, and be 
 admonished by the preacher in charge, or stand expelled from 
 the Church. Colonel Beall confessed, with much humility and 
 many tears, the anger and rashness of the wicked act charged 
 against him. He was then admonished, according to the decis- 
 ion of the Quarterly Conference, and so the matter ended, and 
 Beall, as it were, by the skin of his teeth, retained his member- 
 ship. This action of the Church on the slave question is here 
 introduced to show the sentiment and temper of the Methodists 
 in Eastern Virginia at that day. 
 
 The case of Aaron Griggsby will give a further illustration 
 of the opinions and feelings of the Methodists in Old Virginia 
 on the subject of slavery at that time. The case now to be 
 narrated occurred before my arrival on Stafford Circuit, but I 
 have it from reliable authority, and, in its main points, it was 
 confirmed to me by Griggsby himself. He was a slaveholder, 
 a man of the world, and a persecutor of the Methodists before 
 God converted his soul. After his conversion he became a very 
 zealous Methodist, and had great concern of mind on the sub- 
 ject of holding slaves. It was his custom to have his negroes 
 
HOW METHODISTS REGARDED SLAVERY. 91 
 
 present at morning and evening worship. One evening, family 
 prayer being over, he requested them to remain a little while; 
 he wanted to talk to them. He then referred to his manner of 
 life before his conversion, and to the fact that he had been very 
 much opposed to the Methodists, and that in an attempt to take 
 his own wife out of the altar, at a camp-meeting, he was arrested 
 by the power of Grod, and, instead of getting her out, he got into 
 it himself, and that he and his wife, after a long struggle, were, 
 within a few minutes of each other, both converted to God io 
 that altar which he had once so much despised. He then said, 
 that ever since his conversion it had been his aim in all thinss 
 to be a Christian, according to the best light God had given 
 him ; and according to his present light, he could not innocently 
 be a slaveholder any longer. He could not do unto others as 
 he wo'uld have them do unto him, and hold slaves; he must let 
 the oppressed go free, and break every yoke ; and then, with 
 great kindness, he said, " From and after this date yvOu are all 
 free. To remain in Virginia longer than one year and a day, 
 and enjoy freedom, is out of the question. You would be liable 
 to be taken up by the sheriff and sold, to go down to the South- 
 ern plantations, and the money put into the poor fund of the 
 county. Your only chance for freedom is, to go either to Mary- 
 land or Pennsylvania. Make your choice and go, all of you. in 
 a body." He then promised to assist them in their removal, 
 and do all he could in the way of helping them to begin life 
 for themselves. All of this was as unexpected to these slaves 
 as a clap of thunder from a clear sky. and they all declined the 
 proffered freedom, and wished to remain where they were. 
 Griggsby and wife never had any children, and since their con- 
 version had treated their slaves with great humanity — more like 
 children than slaves — and they did not want to leave them. In- 
 stead of rejoicing that the day of freedom had come, they set 
 up a bitter, howling cry in every direction, saying they " did 
 not know that they had done any thing to massa, that he should 
 want them to go away." Seeing that these poor creatures could 
 not be induced to accept of freedom, Griggsby determined he 
 would not use compulsion in the matter, so he let them remaiii 
 
92 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 as they were, under the bond of the law, and treated them after- 
 ward more like hirelings than slaves. From and after that date 
 he would not admit that he was, in the moral sense of the word, 
 a slaveholder, as his negroes remained with him not because he 
 wished them to do so, but because they wished to do so them- 
 selves. 
 
 Poor, foolish negroes ! They did not know the value of lib- 
 erty to themselves and their children. Slavery had degraded 
 them. They did not reflect that, at the death of their master, 
 they might fall into cruel hands, or be sold at any time during 
 his life, by the officers of the law, to pay his debts. Griggsby 
 ought not to have yielded to their ignorant wailiugs; but, un- 
 der a sense of moral justice, he should have carried out his first 
 determination, and, whether they liked it or not, should have set 
 them all free. He who suifers himself to be overcome by the 
 wail of ignorance, will not, in all cases, be able to carry into 
 practical eflFect the principles of moral justice. Yet, after all, 
 Grriggsby might have done better if he had had more light. The 
 full blaze of light does not come all at once : we gain it grad- 
 ually, as we are able to bear it. He who acts up to the clearest 
 light that God gives him, as fast as he gets it, acts nobly. Who 
 among the sons of men can do any better? 
 
 Griggsby was a man of great strength of character, of warm 
 and generous sympathies, and ready at all times to defend the 
 cause of Christ. Woe be to the person who assailed the Meth- 
 odists in his presence ! If such an one had any defects in his 
 character, then was the time to receive information on that sub- 
 ject. I give the following anecdote as an illustration. A very 
 pragmatic lady once said to him : " Mr. Griggsby, what do you 
 think? Them poor, miserable Methodists over at the quarterly 
 meeting wanted me to join their Church!" "Did they, in- 
 deed?" said Griggsby. "I wonder what in the world they could 
 have wanted with you ! It could not have been your respecta- 
 bility they were after, for you have none. It could not have 
 been your wealth they were after, for you have been living on 
 the charity of your poor friends ever since I became acquainted 
 with you. It must have been your jpoor soul tliey were after !^* 
 
HOW METHODISTS REGARDED SLAVERY. 93 
 
 Such a retort was ricLly deserved, but it was, probably, a little 
 too severe, coming from a gentleman to a lady. Such a case 
 shows the man, always ready to make persecuting meanness 
 quail in his presence. 
 
 Edward Diggs, another prominent member of the Church, 
 always held himself ready to emancipate his slaves, provided it 
 could be done in the state. But, as the law of Virginia would 
 not allow this, he bold the law to be the sinner, and not him- 
 self, for his heart was not in unison with the law. 
 
 But John Gastou, still another prominent member of the same 
 Church, thought both the law and the master sinful, and was in 
 great distress of mind on the question of slavery. One day he 
 invited me to take a walk with him, and as we walked, he 
 turned to me and said: "I am afraid I shall be lost. In my 
 judgment, no slaveholder can be saved. The law will not allow 
 me to free my negroes in the state. I would free them and 
 send them out of the state, but can not." " Why can you not 
 free them and send them out of the state?" said I. "To do 
 80," he replied, "would part husbands and wives. Their mar- 
 riages, though informal, I regard as being as sacred and bind- 
 ing as my own; and they are interlocked by marriage with the 
 slaves of other people all around me. Nor would it mend the 
 matter to sell my real estate in Virginia, and move with my 
 slaves to a free state, to emancipate them there; for that, too, 
 would part husbands and wives. Nor am I able to buy the hus- 
 bands and wives owned by others, even if they were willing to 
 sell them, so as to free all of them together. Now, what am I 
 to do? The laws of the state, and the circumstances in which 
 I am placed, emban'ass me very much. Can you tell me what 
 I am to do?" Gaston I regarded as a very honest man, fully 
 bent on doing right; but I was utterly incapable of advising 
 him in the case submitted to my consideration. During our in- 
 terview, he wept bitterly over the sad condition in which slavery 
 bad placed him, and exj)ressed, again and again, his fears that 
 his connection with that unrighteous institution would eventu- 
 ate in the loss of his soul. 
 
 I have been very particular in stating my best recollections 
 
94 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 of the foregoing cases, in order that it may be clearly seen 
 that in Eastern Virginia, since 1818, there has been a fearful 
 apostasy from the principles of human freedom. At that time, 
 in the Methodist Episcopal Church, and in some other Churches, 
 and among statesmen, too, there appeared to be a settled con- 
 viction that slavery was a great moral wrong, and ought to be 
 done away. But, by degrees, throughout the entire South, this 
 apostasy from human liberty and moral justice has proceeded 
 from bad to worse, until slavery, with all its evils, is fathered 
 upon the living God as its author ! and the Christian Scriptures 
 are brought to defend it ! And, being rampant and furious, it 
 has brought on our beloved country the most gigantic war that 
 ever afflicted the world. Oar country, and the Churches, too 
 long in complicity with slavery, and other evils, have deserved 
 this scourge, or God would not have permitted it to come. 
 From the slaveholding and slave-trading South, God, after long 
 delay, took off all restraint, and left them at will to act out the 
 character that slavei-y had given them. So, despising all the 
 authority of the best government in the world, they brought on 
 that war to extend slavery. But now, according to the signs 
 of the times, God. contrary to the fii-st intention of our rulers, 
 is about to make use of this war to abolish its very existence 
 from our entire country. Hail to the President's Proclama- 
 tion ! Hail to Abraham Lincoln ! Henceforth, all the sons of 
 Ham will call him blessed. While there is such a thing as 
 civil history in existence, the name of Abraham Lincoln will be 
 ranked on the scroll of fame along with the name of George 
 Washington, as an American benefactor; and all the lovers of 
 freedom throughout the world will Jiave his name in everlast- 
 ing remembrance. God gave us, in the person of President 
 Lincoln, a ruler to suit the times in which we live. May hi3 
 wisdom and strength be according to his day, and through his 
 agency may freedom come to all the slaves, and salvation to the 
 country ! 
 
DIFFICULTY ABOUT THE CnOIR. 95 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Washington Station— Difficulty aboct the Choir— Kevival of Eeliqion- Study or 
 Greek AND Hebrew— Kev. Matthew Brown, D. D.— Wheeling and Short Creek— 
 Noah Zane— Methodism and Calvinism— Lay Delegation— Dr. David Stanton- 
 Washington Station Again— My Marriage— Ohio Circuit— Old Bachelors— Insuf- 
 ficient Support. 
 
 In Marcli, 1819, the Conference was in Baltimore, and Bishop 
 Roberts, in view of giving me an opportunity to visit my be- 
 loved mother occasionally, appointed me to Washington Station. 
 This was a new station, set off from the Ohio Circuit by Revs. 
 Asa Shinn, Presiding Elder, and Thornton Flcmming, preacher 
 in charge, at the close of the preceding year ; and they had 
 placed a choir of singers in the gallery. From the scat of the 
 Conference, in traveling to the West, I had the very agreeable 
 company of my Presiding Elder as far as Uniontown. Never 
 shall I forget the wholesome lessons of Christian instruction 
 given me by that pious and able minister of Jesus Christ, dur- 
 ing the journey through the mountains. When I arrived at 
 my destination, brother James Shannon, with whom I was to 
 board, immediately informed me that the Church, consisting of 
 about one hundred white members and twenty-five colored, was 
 unhappily divided about the singing — one half for choir sing- 
 ing in the gallery, and the other half against it. The next 
 evening, at a large party to which I was invited, I found my- 
 self among the enemies of choir singing, who all strove, most 
 earnestly, to gain me to their side, and secure the overthrow of 
 the singing. And when they failed in their effort, they very 
 gravely informed me that, unless I put the singing down, about 
 fifty of them would leave the Church. I entreated them to 
 give me a little time for reflection, to do nothing in the matter 
 
96 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 hastily, for it might look like presumption, in so young a man 
 as I, to jiut down what Asa Shinn and Thornton Flemming, two 
 venerable apostles of Methodism, had put up. The next even- 
 ing I was invited out to another party. There I found myself 
 among the friends of the choir. It was their wish to gain me 
 to their side, and to have me indicate my approbation of gal- 
 lery singing, by a public statement from the pulpit. This I 
 declined doing, and said I should take things as I found them, 
 and not connect myself with either party in this Church quar- 
 rel. I was then informed that about fifty of them would with- 
 draw from the Church, unless I sustained the singing in the 
 gallery, established by brothers Shinn and Flemming. The 
 singing party, by their heated and fiery manner, impressed me 
 with an opinion that, though they were very fond of music, 
 and could sing very well, they did not pray enough, and were 
 not as pious as they should be, to lead the singing of a Chris- 
 tian congregation. 
 
 It has always been my opinion that, as the singers in the 
 gallery lead one part of the devotions of a congregation of 
 Christians, and the preacher in the pulpit the other, common 
 sense requires decent propriety among the former, as really as 
 it requires talent, piety, and good behavior in the latter. Fear- 
 ing that the choir, in this case, had, somehow or other, misbe- 
 haved, and thereby given cause of offense to the other party, I 
 did not even let them know that I had any friendship at all 
 for choir singing, however well the singers might conduct them- 
 selves. To let them alone where my elder brethren had placed 
 them, and keep myself clear of party strife, in view of being 
 useful to the whole Church, was my object. I had to adopt 
 my own course, for neither of these parties could be safe ad- 
 visers. 
 
 My plan was simply this: to carry up the case to the living 
 God for help. So, I determined to visit the entire Church im- 
 mediately, hear what they had to say, and then have a season 
 of prayer. When I came to a family who opposed the choir, I 
 would hear, with the utmost patience, all they had to say; 
 then inquire, "Is that all?" "Yes." "Well, now let us 
 
REVIVAL OF RELIGION". 97 
 
 pray." When I came to a family in favor of tlie clioir, and 
 very bitter against its opposers, I would hear them, too, with 
 all due patience, and say, as before, "Is that all?" "Yes." 
 "Well, now let us pray." After this manner I went through 
 the whole Church, listening patiently to all parties, until they 
 were done, and making no other reply than this : " Now let us 
 pray." All parties, in a short time, began to regard me as a 
 queer kind of a man, for they would get nothing out of me, 
 in relation to their troubles, but, "Now let us pray." And in 
 the pulpit nothing was said by which any one could learn that 
 we had trouble in the Church, about singing or any thing else. 
 In that sacred place the pure religion of the Saviour was ex- 
 plained and enforced; the members were urged to higher at- 
 tainments in the Divine life, and sinners to seek the salvation 
 of their souls, for my faith was, that nothing but a revival of 
 religion would end this bitter strife and save the Church. In 
 about three months, sinners began to be awakened and con- 
 verted to God, and, through these conversions, God reached 
 the Church. All parties became ashamed of their strife, con- 
 fessed their folly to one another, and came to the altar as la- 
 borers in the revival. That year, a camp-meeting at Pike Run, 
 and another at Castleman's Eun, largely attended by our peo- 
 ple, were made a great blessing to Washington Station. The 
 work went on all the fall and winter. It got into the gallery 
 among the singers, all of whom were converted but one. It 
 also extended to the country round about Washington, and 
 reached many who were Calvinistically educated, and whose 
 connections belonged to other Churches. On various occasions 
 I have seen as high as seventy-five at the altar of prayer at 
 one time ; and about two hundred and seventy-five members 
 were added to the Church that year in my charge. God gave 
 the Church a better work to do than to contend with one an- 
 other about choir singing in the gallery. A more harmonious 
 and loving Church I never saw, and I felt in my heart an in- 
 expressible love for the spiritual children whom God had given 
 me, and for the whole Church. Yet I was afraid to return to 
 them the ensuing year, as, in my opinion, such a work, in such 
 
98 RECOLLECTIOXS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 a community, did require a preacher of more extensive knowl- 
 edge and experience than I knew myself to possess. 
 
 It was my fixed purpose, during the early part of my min- 
 istry, to go carefully through Murray's English Grammar once 
 a year, in view of establishing myself in all the rules of correct 
 speaking and writing. The progress made in this direction was 
 never satisfactory to myself, and, I suppose, not to others who 
 possessed much refinement in grammatical knowledge. While 
 in Washington I commenced the study of the G-reek language, 
 availing myself of the help of a student, Hugh Koontz, who 
 was in his junior year in the college at that place. My prog- 
 ress was slow, as I was overburdened with duties; and, not- 
 withstanding I continued the efi'ort for several years, my knowl- 
 edge of the Greek — though it saved me from being imposed 
 upon by those who pretended to more knowledge of that lan- 
 guage than they really had — never amounted to any thing like 
 critical accuracy. About the same time, I undertook the He- 
 brew, being very desirous of understanding the sacred originals 
 of both the Old and New Testaments. But, as the study of 
 both languages at once, in connection with my duties as a Chris- 
 tian minister, in the midst of a glorious revival, proved a little 
 too heavy for my health, I dropped the Hebrew, and confined 
 myself exclusively to the Greek. What labor throughout life 
 'is given to the man who enters the ministry with a defective I 
 education! Yet, to meet the demands of the age in which we 
 live, this labor must be performed; and many have performed 
 it, and have become the giants of the land. 
 
 While in Washington, I received much encouragement from 
 Rev. Matthew Brown, D. J)., pastor of the Presbyterian Church. 
 He was a liberal-minded Christian gentleman. He often at- 
 tended our meetings during the revival, and advised one or 
 two ladies, who were in good standing in his Church, to 
 join the Methodist Episcopal Church along with their hus- 
 bands, who had been very intemperate, but had been converted 
 and joined the Church during the revival. In the midst of so 
 much surrounding and overshadowing bigotry and intolerance 
 aa then prevailed, such an act of genuine liberality deserves to 
 
WHEELING AND SHORT CREEK. 99 
 
 be recorded by me, to the credit of Dr. Brown. Indeed, such 
 was the influence of that revival upon the community, that 
 intolerance in every direction had to lower its sails, and abate 
 something of the harshness of its tone and manner toward the 
 Methodists. Still, there were some who were strong, and even 
 fierce, in the faith that all this revival was of the devil, and 
 that his Satanic Majesty was my main support in all my labors. 
 To help on the work in town, I occasionally preached in the 
 country. One evening, about dark, as I was coming in on the 
 Wheeling pike from one of my country appointments, I found 
 myself riding in company with a very jolly Irish woman. As 
 we entered a little way into the town, she pointed with her 
 hand off to the right, and said: "What matin'-house is that 
 down there?" "Methodist meeting-house, ma'am," said I. 
 " Is that where that Brown praiches? " said she. " Yes, ma'am," 
 said I. "Sure," said she, "if all that the paple tell me be 
 corrict, the divil must help that man." "Why so?" I asked. 
 "Why," said she, "they tell me that he can praich, and ex- 
 hort, and pray, and sing, day and night, wake in an' wake out, 
 and that the paple can hear him a mile off, and, sure, no man 
 upon earth could do that unless the divil did help him." I 
 tried to get a little more of the same sort, but could not, for 
 she turned into another street, and so this amusing dialogue 
 ended. 
 
 This poor, ignorant woman was wrong in attributing to the 
 devil my strength to labor; it came from the Lord. And there 
 was no protracted meeting, "week in and week out;" the re- 
 vival at Washington was carried on at the ordinary meetings, 
 and we ought to have revivals at our ordinary meetings now. 
 
 In March, 1820, the Conference was at Alexandria, and I 
 was appointed to Wheeling and Short Creek, in Western Vir- 
 ginia. These two appointments were nine miles apart. The 
 Short Creek congregation was strong, while the one in Wheel- 
 ing was weak, and had lately been in a good deal of trouble 
 on the slavery question. Bev. John Waterman, my prede- 
 cessor, had preached a sermon against the institution of slavery, 
 which roused the wrath of some of the leading men of the 
 
100 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 place, and Waterman was driven out of Wheeling by a mob, 
 headed by Noah Zane, a wealthy citizen, and James Sprigg, a 
 lawyer. So, for several months, in that place, the Methodists 
 had no preaching. The year before, on going to Washington, 
 I found trouble, and now, in Wheeling, it did seem that I was 
 to have trouble again, for I had no way to interpret the Bible 
 in favor of slavery, and if I came out against it, another mob 
 might banish me, too, as well as Waterman. 
 
 On my first Sunday in Wheeling, after preaching morning 
 and evening, I announced preaching for Thursday night; and 
 there was a large congregation for a week night. Among the 
 rest came Noah Zane, and, wrapped in a large blue cloak, he 
 took his seat among the ladies, and paid very strict attention, 
 while I discussed the great question of moral justice, and 
 brought it home to the conscience as closely as I could. When 
 the meeting was dismissed, Zane, whom I had never seen be- 
 fore, went out and waited at the door for me. At last he sent 
 a man to tell me he wished me to go home with him. I 
 went to the door and declined, saying I had engaged myself 
 another way. But he would take no denial; said he had busi- 
 ness with me, and I must go to his house that night. I felt 
 some reluctance, knowing how he had used Waterman; but got 
 myself released from my other engagement, and went with him, 
 wondering, as we walked arm in arm together, what business 
 he could have with me. Finally, he introduced Waterman's 
 case ; said he was a man of splendid talents, and that he and 
 Sprigg had greatly misused him, and that he had been ashamed 
 of his part in the transaction ever since. " But," said he, 
 " Brown, while you discussed that question of moral justice to- 
 night, I resolved that I would free two negroes before I would 
 sleep, and my business with you is to have you sign their free 
 papers as a witness. On last Thursday, I sold two colored 
 women for fourteen hundred dollars, to go to the South, and 
 next Monday morning they were to have been delivered to the 
 purchaser. I know I am a wicked man; but still I have a 
 conscience. I can never put that money into my pocket. I 
 must cancel the transaction, and I will do it this night before I 
 
NOAH ZANE. 101 
 
 sleep. Your sermon led me to change my mind, and I want 
 you to witness their emancipation." This is the substance of 
 what he said, and, as ne;irly as I can recollect, the very words. 
 After introducing me to his wife, we went into the library- 
 room to look at his books. His library was large, and Mr. 
 Zane took apparent delight in showing his books and in dis- 
 cussing the merits of the various authors. At last, he said : 
 "It is growing late; the family have all retired, and we can't 
 have prayers to-night, as is our custom when preachers are 
 with us. We will have prayers in the morning, and in the 
 morning, too, I will have the emancipation papers ready for 
 you to sign as witness." So saying, he took a light and con- 
 ducted me to my sleeping-room. When he left me, I began 
 to fear that, as he had not freed the slaves before he slept, he 
 might cool oiF against morning, and not free them at all. 
 
 But, in the morning early, I found Mr. Zane in the library, 
 with the papers all ready, and I put my name to them both, as 
 witness. He then called in the two emancipated women, and told 
 them that, " for disobedience to their mistress, he had, on last 
 Thursday, sold them to a Southern trader, to be delivered to him 
 next Monday morning." There he paused, and the women gave 
 signs of alarm. "But," said he, pointing to me, " this is Mr. 
 Brown, and I want you to remember him. On hearing him 
 preach, last night, I changed my mind, and determined to set 
 you both free, and I want you to remember him as long as you 
 live, and that you owe your liberty to him." He then gave 
 each of them a paper of freedom and twenty-five dollars in sil- 
 ver, and advised them to go immediately to Ohio, and never to 
 come within fifty miles of him, as they could not retain their 
 freedom in Virginia. The family were then called in, and we 
 had morning worship, at which time the Divine blessing was 
 invoked on Mr. Zane and his family, but especially on the col- 
 ored women just now emancipated, and ordered to go forth into 
 the world and do for themselves. These freed women were 
 young, healthy, and handsome, and I hope freedom proved a 
 blessing to them. Zane then said to me : " This act of mine 
 will probably be considered as a political maneuver, to gain the 
 
102 KECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 votes of the Methodists, as I am now before the public as a 
 candidate for Congress. But I have freed these slaves in obe- 
 dience to the dictates of my own conscience, and, that my mo- 
 tives may not be misunderstood, I will go this day and with- 
 draw my name from before the public, and be no longer a 
 candidate." And he did so, for I saw the withdrawal in the 
 Wheeling papers. Many wicked men have some good things 
 about them, as the foregoing case will show. Sinner as he 
 was, Noah Zane had a conscience. 
 
 The country part of my charge was very prosperous that 
 year. We gained many converts to the Lord and additions to 
 the Church, by means of another camp-meeting at Castleman's 
 Run. We had a loving, faithful, harmonious membership in 
 the country — a real working Church. Who ever saw a working 
 Church foil of a revival? Who ever saw a lazy, do-nothing 
 Church have a revival ? In Wheeling, we had a faithful, work- 
 ing membership, and a considerable increase by conversions ; but 
 there was some trouble in the Church, after all. As I only 
 occupied the pulpit half the time in- town, the Presbyterians, 
 who, at that time, had no house of worship of their own, with- 
 out fee or reward, occupied our house the other half of the 
 time. In those days, the controversy between the Calvinistic 
 Churches and the Methodists, on what was called "the five 
 points," was rather bitter than otherwise. So, it happened that 
 in our own pulpit the doctrines of Methodism were assailed, 
 and grossly misrepresented, by Rev. James Harvey, and it be- 
 came necessary to give them the best defense in my power. 
 In doing this I ventured over a little into the regions of Cal- 
 vinism, with the Confession of Faith in my hand, to let the 
 people see how the doctrines of that book would stand in meas- 
 urement with the Holy Scriptures. In all, I preached six care- 
 fully prepared sermons on the points of difference between 
 Methodism and Calvinism. This ended our troiibles with our 
 Calvinistic brethren, for they drew off to another place, and we 
 pursued our own course in now efforts to evangelize this wicked 
 world. How glad I am that those days of controversial strife 
 have measurably passed away, and that a greater harmony now 
 
LAY DELEGATION. 103 
 
 prevails among the Chiirclies than in former years. The con- 
 verts gained to the Church on either side, in the time of a heated 
 controversy, are more apt to be sectarian bigots tlian thorough 
 evangelical Christians. Yet, the risk of all this is incurred, 
 •when the fundamental doctrines of Christianity are assailed, 
 either by infidels or heretics or mistaken Christians. Every 
 minister is set for the defense of the Gospel. 
 
 In Wheeling, and in the country part of my charge, the ad- 
 ditions to the Church during the year were about one hundred 
 and sixty members, many of whom still remain, but others have 
 fallen asleep. Some of the best Christian friends I ever had 
 in all my life were to be found in the Wheeling and Short 
 Creek charge. While preaching, on Christmas day, at the Short 
 Creek Meeting-house, my horse died. This fact was reported 
 me as soon as I came out of the pulpit, and I felt sad, for he 
 was a noble animal. But the brethren and outside friends 
 bade me be of good cheer, for I should soon have another 
 horse ; and before I left the place they then and there bought 
 and paid for a horse <every way equal to the one 1 had lost, and 
 presented him to me. Such acts of kindness deserve to be re- 
 membered. 
 
 On returning to Wheeling, I found in the post-office a circu- 
 lar, signed Adynacius, addressed "to all the itinerant preachers 
 of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in favor of lay delegation 
 in said Church, and strongly urging this measure upon public 
 attention. The light contained in this circular was rather 
 strong for my eyes ; it produced pain. In Methodistical econ- 
 omy, to which I had been familiarized from childhood, I had 
 supposed every thing to be exactly right ; but now, here was a 
 circular, powerfully written, going to show that in the govern- 
 ment of the Methodist Episcopal Church many things were ex- 
 actly wrong. After reading the above circular, I felt indig- 
 nant, and threw it away, hoping never to have another such 
 production sent to my address. I wanted Methodism to roll on 
 as it was, down to the end of the world. That week I went to 
 Steubenville to attend a quarterly meeting, to be held at New- 
 Year. In the Quarterly Conference, on Saturday, the preacher 
 
104 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. . 
 
 in charge, Rev. Curtis Godard, was charged with maladminis- 
 tration. A large class, of about forty members, had been ex- 
 pelled for continuing, contrary to his orders, to hold a class 
 prayer-meeting on a night that did not conflict with the regular 
 weekly prayer-meeting of the Church. Their class paper was 
 burned by his Reverence, and they were all publicly declared to 
 be no more members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The 
 Presiding Elder, Rev. William Swazie, gave his opinion in the 
 case, against the doings of Godard, and ordered all the expelled 
 to be publicly restored to membership again. They were ac- 
 cordingly restored, as directed by the Elder ; but the case left 
 in my mind ample materials for reflection on the legal powers 
 of Methodist preachers, as being so great that sometimes a dom- 
 ineering spirit is thereby induced, which goes away beyond the 
 law, into maladministration and tyranny. 
 
 I reported the above case to Rev. Daniel Hett, and he laughed 
 heartily, and said such cases were quite common among Meth- 
 odist preachers; and then told me how he had himself once 
 dismembered a large class, by burning the class paper and pro- 
 nouncing all the members out of the Church. They had a 
 member's case under judicial, investigation before the class, and 
 the whole of the members became unmanageable, and he took 
 this method to settle the difiiculty. He afterward made a new 
 class paper, and proposed to take all in again who would agree 
 to behave themselves ; but I think he told me that only a few 
 of them came. The rest were all aff'ronted, and well they might 
 be. To hold one's membership in the Church of Christ at the 
 mere will of the preacher in charge, liable to be burned out at 
 any time, to avoid a little trouble, is enough to aiFront any man 
 of sense. 
 
 But to return from this digression. On Monday evening, all 
 the preachers were invited to take tea at the house of Dr. 
 David Stanton, father of Hon. E. M. Stanton, now Secretary of 
 War. He was a profound thinker — a real practical philosopher. 
 While at the table, the Presiding Elder, who was always angling 
 for big fish, said: "Dr. Stanton, are you going to love-feast to- 
 night?" "Yes," said the Doctor, "it is my design to go." 
 
LAY DELEGATIOX. 105 
 
 "Well," said the Elder, "I wish you would join our Church; 
 your lady belongs, and we would like to have you, too." For 
 a moment all were silent. Dr. Stanton then replied, in his own 
 calm, slow manner: "Friend Swazie, I never shall join your 
 Church. I like the doctrines and I like the meetings ; but I 
 never will submit my moral standing to the operations of a 
 Church government which is wholly in the hands of the clergy." 
 The Elder then threw himself forward into a rapid illustration 
 of the principles of the Methodist Episcopal Church govern- 
 ment, by comparing them to the wheels of a great double-geared 
 mill. "There is," said he, "one great, all-moving wheel, rolling 
 on with tremendous energy" — at the same time making a circu- 
 lar motion with his hand — " which keeps the whole machinery 
 in motion, and it is the episcopal wheel. Within this wheel 
 there are sundry other lesser wheels, subordinate in character, 
 moving on with great efficiency, accomplishing much good for 
 the Church, and they are the presiding elder wheels. Within 
 these there are many other wheels, acting with great power, 
 and accomplishing an immense amount of good, and they are 
 the circuit and stationed preacher wheels. And within these 
 are many other smaller wheels, each in its own place, in due 
 subordination to all the rest, performing its part most benefi- 
 cially for the Church, and they are the local preacher, ex- 
 torter, and class-leader wheels. So the whole system moves on 
 like Ezekiel's vision — wheel within wheel. It is the most per- 
 fect government that ever was instituted ; and you could not 
 touch a cog or pin in any of its machinery without doing it 
 an injury." After this manner, as nearly as I can recollect, 
 spake the Elder, during which time eating was suspended, or 
 nearly so, and all waited for the Doctor's reply. In a moment 
 lie said, with a sarcastic smile, "^?/e, and all these wheels to 
 grind these peopled This retort was withering on us all. It 
 came like a clap of thunder from a clear sky. When no reply 
 was made by the Elder, the Doctor proceeded: "Gentlemen," 
 said he, " your Church government is more arbitrary than the 
 British government, which our fathers threw off at the expense 
 of so much blood and treasure, and which was finally banished 
 
 7 
 
106 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 from our laud by the sword of our valiant Wasliington. Tliat 
 goverumeut had three principles in it : the monarchical, the 
 aristocratical, and the republican. Yours has but two : the 
 monarchical and the aristocratical. Your episcopacy answers 
 to the British monarchy; your itinerants, holding j)ower for 
 life, answer to their peerage, or House of Lords. But they have 
 a House of Commons, composed of delegates elected by the peo- 
 ple. What House of Commons have you? You are a house 
 behind them. I never shall join your Church." 
 
 Here the conversation ended, and we all went to the love- 
 feast, which was, indeed, a queer meeting to me, though others 
 appeared to enjoy it well. There was much speaking of the 
 right kind, and the singing was very fin'e. But my mind was 
 busy another way. In my imagination I could see all the 
 wheels, spoken of by the Elder at the tea-table, rolling, and hear 
 the Doctor's sarcastic retort, "Aye, and all these wheels to grind 
 the people," ringing in my ears. From and after that time I 
 was a convert to lay delegation, and did believe in my heart 
 that the Methodist Episcopal Church had as much right to a 
 free representative government as the state ; and that to be a 
 republican in the state and a monarchist in the Church involved 
 a contradiction, from which I thought the Church ought to be 
 delivered as soon as practicable. 
 
 The widow of Dr. Stanton is still living in Steubenville. She 
 is a most excellent Christian lady, and a member of the Meth- 
 odist Protestant Church. About three years ago, she and I com- 
 pared our recollections of the conversation in her presence at 
 the tea-table, between Dr. Stanton and the Presiding Elder, 
 above referred to, and found a perfect agreement between us as 
 to the facts as I have stated them. And I have no doubt but 
 lawyer Dunham, of Beaver, if living, would bear testimony to 
 the accuracy of my statement, for he was present, and, being a 
 zealous Methodist, must have as deeply felt the mortification of 
 defeat as any of the rest of us. Indeed, he told me in my own 
 house, in Pittsburg, in presence of Rev. Z. Ragan, that he did, 
 and that his recollection of the matter was about like mine. 
 
 When I adopted the lay delegation principle, it was not my 
 
WASHINGTON STATION AGAIN. 107 
 
 intention to become immediately active in advocating its adop- 
 tion by the Church. I vranted the question discussed by our 
 most aged and able ministers, that the Methodist community 
 might be informed on that subject; and it never entered into 
 my mind that there would be any objection on the part of the 
 preachers to such a discussion. Indeed, I thought that the 
 preachers only needed to see that they had too much power in 
 the government, and the laity too little, to induce them to adopt 
 lay delegation. But in this thing I was undei*" a mistake, as I 
 have many times been in other matters ; for it was found, upon 
 fair trial, that the preachers were not willing to have their pow- 
 ers in the government of the Church publicly discussed, much 
 less were they willing to divide their powers by granting the 
 people lay delegation. I learned all this by slow degrees, as act- 
 ual experience brought the matter to light. What I knew not 
 at first I was made to know afterward, very much to my sorrow. 
 At the Conference, in March, 1821, I was appointed to Wash- 
 ington again. After an absence of one year — during which 
 time Rev. John Bear was their pastor — it was pleasant to re- 
 turn to my warm-hearted and faithful friends in Washington. 
 In that station God had given me many spiritual children, and 
 it was very gratifying, indeed, to find that brother Bear, my 
 successor, had taken good care of them, and that most of them 
 were prospering in the Divine life. I could fully appreciate the 
 language of the Apostle John, when he said, " I have no greater 
 joy than to hear that my children walk in the truth." But 
 during that year, so many of them removed to various parts of 
 the West, that I was made to feel sad at parting with them. 
 Yet, I should not have felt sad, if I could have seen the hand 
 of the Lord in their removal, as I saw it in after years ; for I 
 fouud them here and there in all the West, doing more service 
 to the cause of Christ than they would probably ever have done 
 had they remained in Washington. A few of them became 
 preachers of the Grospel; others, who were mechanics, settled 
 in towns, and became prominent members of the Church. Some 
 bought farms in new districts, opened their houses for preach- 
 ing, and contributed largely to the raising up of new Churches. 
 
108 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 God may liave wise designs in the removal of Churcli members 
 from one place to another. In one place, well supplied with 
 active laboring members, there may be no room for a young 
 class capable of equal activity in the cause of Christ. Now 
 this young class must either bury their talents where they are, 
 or remove to another place to find an opening for labor. Such 
 removals are of Providence, and are meant for the good of the 
 Church, the glory of Christ, and the welfare of the individuals 
 who remove. 
 
 This was a prosperous year in Washington Station, yet not 
 equally so with my first year in that place. We had preaching 
 in Claysville, Canonsburg, and at Dr. Moore's, John Scott's, and 
 other places round about, all opening the way for the forma- 
 tion of new circuits in after years. I went that year and 
 labored some time, doing missionary service in the formation of 
 the Chartiers Circuit, between Pittsburgh and Canonsburg. This 
 outside work — enough for one man — all came on me, and was 
 attended to through the week, without materially interfering 
 with my duties in the station assigned me. Along with all this, 
 my eflForts to acquire a knowledge of the Greek language, under 
 the instruction of Hugh Koontz, were still continued. In fact, 
 I felt an ambition — and there is nothing sinful in this word — 
 to improve myself all I could in the knowledge of ecclesiastical 
 and civil history, in mental and moral philosophy, as well as in 
 natural and biblical theology. My prompting adage was, "He 
 who will not learn, can not teach." As I felt myself called of 
 G-od to be a Christian teacher, I felt myself equally called to be 
 a learner in every branch of knowledge that would contribute 
 to my success in the Gospel ministry. He who addresses mind, 
 should understand the laws of mind, and all the emotive prin- 
 ciples of human nature. And the history of the Church and 
 of the nations will furnish many an illustration in pressing 
 home theological truth upon the souls of men. Yet, after all, 
 and above all, the pious, humble preacher, who pants for suc- 
 cess in building up the Church of Christ, must mainly study 
 three books: the Bible, for there he learns the will of God; 
 the congregation, for there he learns the wants of his people', 
 
MY MARRIAGE. 109 
 
 his own lieart, for there he learns the motives by which he is 
 actuated, and he should never allow those motives to be sinister 
 in their character. 
 
 In the summer of that year, two very successful camp-meet- 
 ings contributed largely to the increase of membership in my 
 charge ; and there were a goodly number added, as the result 
 of home labor. Nearly one hundred in all, if I remember 
 rightly, were received into the Church that year. And yet, 
 after so many removals, the increase was but small. 
 
 In the seventh year of my ministry, on the 6 th day of De- 
 cember, 18^1, I was married to Miss Eli^a Jackson, of Wash- 
 ington, Pennsylvania. I am now writing, January 12, 18G4, 
 , and my beloved wife still lives to be a blessing to me. I re- 
 gard such a wife as one of the best gifts of God to man. Often 
 had the thought of marriage entered into my mind before, and 
 once I felt inclined to indulge that thought, but, for several rea- 
 sons, I did not. "Why should a young preacher make haste to 
 take a wife, and thus double his claim on the Church for sup- 
 port, when he is not fully certain yet that he is worth his own 
 support? There are principles of justice involved here, and 
 young preachers should study them well. He who marries too 
 soon, and claims from the Church support for a wife, as well as 
 for himself, when, even in a judgment of charity, his kind of 
 qualifications for ministerial service will not entitle him to more 
 than a single man's salary, makes an unjust claim; and for so 
 doing, both he and his wife may, under a just Providence, have 
 to sufier, until further improvement will enable him to earn his 
 wife's support as well as his own. There are giving and taking 
 in this thing. A preacher should be able to render service to 
 the Church equal in value to the salary claimed, before it will 
 be just, in the sight of God and man, for him to take that sal- 
 ary. Why should not young preachers think of moral prin- 
 ciples, as well as love, when they are about to get married? 
 Marriage, they seem to think, is a matter of love, and who cares 
 for moral principle when love is under consideration? 
 
 At the Conference, in March, 1822, I was appointed to Ohio 
 Circuit, as an assistant to Rev. David Stevens, an old bachelor, 
 
110 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 about sixty years of age. This I understood to be a punish- 
 ment inflicted upon me by an old bachelor Presiding Elder, 
 because I had forsaken the ranks of old bachelors, and had en- 
 tered into matrimonial life, contrary to his wishes. There were 
 quite a number of old bachelors in the Baltimore Conference, 
 to which I then belonged, and all of them were, more or less, 
 celebrated for severity of temper. It takes the family relation 
 to call out the tender sympathies and social qualities of the 
 human heart. My colleague was not an exception to the gen- 
 eral rule. He had lived locked up within himself, as old bach- 
 elors generally do, and was testy, crabbed, and sour to me and 
 my wife. Even his very godliness had in it a tartness that was 
 noticed in the families where he lodged, and in the pulpits 
 where he preached. This infirmity, drawn on this aged man 
 by bachelor life, did not hinder him from being a most faithful 
 laborer in the vineyard of the Lord ; but, to some considerable 
 extent, it did hinder his usefulness in building up the Church 
 of Christ. The Lord's truth was never indebted to any man's 
 rasp for its success in winning souls to the Saviour of sinners. 
 To me this was a year of some suffering. My home was in 
 West Middletown, among a kind-hearted people. The circuit 
 was large and wealthy, yet my salary (only two hundred dol- 
 lars) was but little more than half paid. I felt this very much 
 in the outset of married life ; so did my wife ; but we kept the 
 matter to ourselves, and pondered it in our hearts. To keep 
 the cow from starving, in the winter, I tried to raise money 
 to buy provender, by the sale of books out of my own scanty 
 library ; and it would not do to be much at home, for the cir- 
 cuit had made no provision for the subsistence of my horse. 
 When the year closed, I had no clothes fit to go to Conference 
 in, and no money with which to buy any. So passed away the 
 first year of married life. It was a year of considerable suc- 
 cess; many sinners were converted and joined the Church. It 
 was a year of great mental conflict. When I saw the members 
 of the Church at preaching, or heard them speak in class-meet- 
 ing or love-feast, or talk about religion at home, I felt inclined 
 to admit their piety. But when I thought of their wealth, and 
 
INSUFFICIENT SUPPORT. Ill 
 
 of my poor, meager, starvation salary not being mucli more than 
 half paid, I was constrained to have my doubts about it. But 
 in after years my mind was changed in relation to the piety of 
 these people. I now charge all this apparent parsimony, as it 
 regards ministerial support, to their anti-Gospel education on 
 that subject. The high ordination of the Lord Jesus Christ, 
 "that they which preach the Gospel shall live of the Gospel," 
 had not, at the time of my ministry among them, been properly 
 brought home to their consciences, as it was in after years. 
 
 My Presiding Elder, Rev. James Painter — another old bach- 
 elor — and my colleague, both found out that I was friendly to 
 a change in the Church government, so as to admit lay delega- 
 tion, and from and after that date they were neither of them 
 very friendly to me. But this made little difference, for it was 
 a settled point in my creed that lay delegation ought to be in- 
 troduced into the Methodist Episcopal Church, and I knew that 
 all the friends of that measure would have to meet with oppo- 
 sition, so my mind was made up calmly to endure whatever 
 came upon me on account of my principles. As the year was 
 closing', many little tokens of friendship were given me as I 
 went my last round on the circuit, and I was kindly asked to 
 return the next year. The Quarterly Conference, also, asked 
 the Elder to have me reappointed. But, as I was going away 
 in rags and in debt, without my full pay, I made no pledges 
 that I would return. In Washington I was furnished with 
 clothes, to be paid for when I got able. So, leaving my wife 
 at her father's, I went on with the Western preachers to the 
 Conference, and we had a very pleasant time together, as we 
 passed over the mountains. I have always loved to attend Con- 
 ference. To meet the bretheren is refreshing;. 
 
112 EECOLLECTIONS OF ITI^'ERANT LIFE. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Conference in Baltimore— Appointed Presiding Elder of Mononoahela District — 
 Effokt to Change the Manner of Appointing Presiding Elders— Bishop McKen- 
 dree's Vindication op his Course in the Preceding General Conference— Re- 
 moval TO Washington- Mt First Quarterly Conference— Trip to Ohio with 
 Bishop McKendree— The Bishop's Views on Church Polity- My Views— Confek- 
 ENCE IN Winchester, Virginia— Conference in Baltimore— Formation of Pitts- 
 burgh Conference— Failure in Health- Recovery— The New Lights— The Bap- 
 tists—Camp-Meetings—My First Public Connection with the Reform Movement — 
 The Mutuax Rights— Bishop George. 
 
 At the Conference in Baltimore, in Marcli, 1823, I was ap- 
 pointed, by Bishop McKendree, Presiding Elder of the Mo- 
 nongahela District. This appointment was made, as I havo 
 reason to believe, with the full knowledge of my principles. 
 Daniel Hett and James Painter, two aged ministers, both Pre- 
 siding Elders and members of the Bishop's cabinet, and op- 
 posed to my views as to changes in Church government, did 
 certainly inform the Bishop that I took rank among the re- 
 formers. Indeed, Mr. McKendree's whole course with me aft- 
 erward made me fully understand that my principles were 
 known to him when he gave me that office. Whether he 
 meant this appointment as compensation for hard usage the 
 preceding year, or whether he meant to win me back again to 
 the anti-reform party, or whether, rising above all such con- 
 siderations, he made this appointment simply and alone for the 
 good of the cause of Christ, I know not, and it is useless to 
 speculate on the subject. At any rate, I was, entirely contrary 
 to my expectations, made Presiding Elder, and, without regard 
 to the motives leading to my appointment, I determined to do 
 all I could for the cause of Christ, and the extension of liberal 
 ecclesiastical principles in the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
 throuerhout the Monon"-ahela District'. 
 
BISHOP M'kENDREE's VINDICATION. 113 
 
 At tliat Conference, we had a very protracted and exciting 
 debate on Bishop McKendree's vindication of his course at the 
 General Conference of 1820. For about twenty years, efforts 
 had been made at each General Conference, by the liberal 
 party, so to change the economy of Methodism as to authorize 
 the Annual Conference to elect the Presiding Elders, instead 
 of having them appointed by the Bishops, as the law now or- 
 dained. At that General Conference the debate ran very high, 
 and brought out all the talent in that body. Finally, a com- 
 mittee was appointed, consisting of six members — three from 
 each party — who were to meet the three Bishops in council 
 and draft a report that would suit the views of all parties. 
 A report was drawn up and presented to the Conference, signed 
 by the six committeemen and two of the Bishops, George and 
 Boberts — McKendree dissented — and it received a two-thirds 
 vote of the General Conference, and so became the law of the 
 Church. . The substance of that report was as follows : When- 
 ever, in future, a Presiding Elder is needed for any district, 
 the Bishop, or Bishops, shall nominate three members of the 
 Conference, out of which number so nominated the Conference 
 shall elect the Presiding Elder wanted. If more than one is 
 wanted, the same routine shall be observed in a second and 
 third instance, and so on until the required number of Pre; 
 siding Elders is obtained. In case of a vacancy by death, or 
 any other cause, during the year, the Bishop shall appoint a 
 Presiding Elder, whose term of office shall expire at the ensu- 
 ing Conference. These Presiding Elders, so elected by the 
 Conference, shall be the advisory council of the Bishops iu 
 the stationing of the preachers. We only give the substance 
 of the law. 
 
 Upon the passage of the foregoing law — which secured a little 
 liberty for the preachers, but none for the people — there was, it 
 is said, much joy in the General Conference. But it did not 
 last long : the brethren were not quite out of the wilderness into 
 the promised land yet. That bright day was destined to be 
 overcast with very dark clouds, highly charged with ecclesias- 
 tical electricity and episc(^pal thunder. Bev. Joshua Soule, then 
 
114 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE, 
 
 elected to the episcopal office, but not yet ordained, immediately 
 after the foregoing action, addressed a note to Bishop McKen- 
 dree, in which the following strong language is held : " If they 
 should ordain me, under existing circumstances, I could not, 
 conscientiously, carry the above-named resolutions into effect, in- 
 asmuch as I conceive them to be an unconstitutional transfer of 
 executive powers from the episcopacy to the Annual Confer- 
 ence."^^ This note was immediately laid before the General 
 Conference by Mr. McKendree, accomjianied by his own protest 
 against the action of that body, as being an unconstitutional 
 transfer of episcopal powers to the Annual Conferences. This 
 high-handed measure of the Bishop and the Bishop-elect led to 
 a reconsideration of the whole matter, and, finally, to the suspen- 
 sion of the Presiding Elder law for four years. After the Gen- 
 eral Conference, Bishop McKendree prepared a vindication of 
 his course to lay before the Annual Conferences, to get them 
 to indorse what he had done. This document was now^ before 
 the Baltimore Conference for its approval, and, after having 
 been very distinctly read by the secretary, the debate was com- 
 menced by the brethren in real earnest, and the excitement was 
 very high. 
 
 Bishop McKendree occupied the chair during the debate, 
 and from the scathing manner in which his vindication was 
 handled by Byland, Griffith, and Emory, I was constrained to 
 feel a good deal of symj)athy for him, notwithstanding my op- 
 position to his course. S. G. Koezel and a few others under- 
 took to defend his document, but, in my judgment, they utterly 
 failed. Asa Shinn at last moved an indefinite postponement of 
 the resolution to approve of the Bishop's vindication, which 
 motion was carried by a very strong majority of the Conference, 
 and so the matter ended, very much to the mortification of 
 Bishop McKendree. 
 
 On returning from the Baltimore Conference to the West, I 
 removed from AVest Middletown to Washington, so as to situate 
 my wife among her relations and other valued friends, for I was 
 
 *See Bev. J. Smith's letter, Wesleyan Ke^ository, 2d vol., p. 129. 
 
MY FIRST QUARTERLY CONFERENCE. 115 
 
 now in the performance of official duties, destined to be a great 
 deal from home. The first quarterly meeting I ever held, as 
 Presiding Elder, was in Washington. On Friday evening 
 Bishop McKendree arrived in tawn. On Saturday morning I 
 waited upon him, to tender my respects, and know of him at 
 what hours it would suit h-im to preach. "Without giving me an 
 answer, he waived the conversation, and began to talk about 
 something else. In a short time, I told him it would give me 
 a great deal of pleasure to have him name the hours at which 
 it would suit him to preach, as I desired now to make an ar- 
 rangement for preaching throughout the meeting. The Bishop 
 then turned his eye keenly upon me, and said, in a harsh, stern 
 manner I shall never forget, "I do not like to see young men 
 too presuming." I arose, took up my hat, and said "it had 
 been my sincere desire to be respectful, and show him that 
 courteous regard which I held to be due to age and office; but 
 if he thought me presumptuous, I would retire." So I bade 
 him good morning and left the room, detertiained to trouble 
 him no more. At eleven o'clock, on Saturday, he sat in the 
 altar, while I strove, under many embarrassments, to preach. 
 After preaching was over we had no conversation at all. At 
 three o'clock he returned, and presided in the Quarterly Con- 
 ference. When it was over, he returned to his lodgings and I 
 to my home, without any conversation, for I was afraid to in- 
 troduce conversation with him, lest I should be considered pre- 
 sumptuous. He did not come to meeting at night. On Sunday, 
 at eleven o'clock, I found him in the pulpit, when I entered 
 the church, hunting his hymn. So, that morning he preached 
 and took the lead in the communion services. All that time 
 he said nothing to me; but, as we were going home, he called 
 after me, and, when I turned back to him, he said he was go- 
 ing to leave for Ohio on Wednesday, and wished me to go witli 
 him ; and, if it would be agreeable, he would like to dine at my 
 house on Tuesday. I assured him that it would give me a 
 great deal of pleasure to have him dine with me at the time 
 named. After this, we had a very considerable amount of pleas- 
 ant conversation together, and I excused the Bishop's behavior 
 
116 RECOLLECTIONS OP ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 at our first interview, under an impression tliat lie had been 
 worn out traveling, and was yet smarting under the defeat of liis 
 measure at the Baltimore Conference. On Tuesday, according 
 to appointment, the Bishop came to dinner, and a very pleas- 
 ant time we had, bating one circumstance, which was very mor- 
 tifying to Mrs. Brown and myself: there was a toughness in 
 our chicken which no amount of cooking could remedy. On 
 that account we regarded our dinner as being rather a failure. 
 We ought to have had better chicken for the occasion, for it 
 was intended as a feast of reconciliation, a confirmation of 
 friendship. The Bishop spent the afternoon with us, was very 
 cheerful, and gave me much fatherly counsel as to the duties 
 of my office, and the interview was closed with prayer. 
 
 In our trip to Ohio, I was with Mr. McKendree about ten 
 days, and observed his manner of life strictly. He read much, 
 prayed much, and was apt to teach, wherever he went, both in 
 public and in private. At first, I was afraid that his temper 
 was irritable, but I found nothing of the kind in him, save that 
 little snap he gave me in Washington, and that may have grown 
 out of causes referred to above. One thing I found to lie very 
 near his heart; namely, the maintenance of the present order 
 of things in the Church, as they were handed down to him from 
 Bishop Asbury. The itinerant general superintendency and 
 the present powers of the itinerant preachers must not undergo 
 any modification, by the election of Presiding Elders or the 
 admission of lay delegation. How could a Bishop oversee 
 ("overrule") this great work without agents; i. e., Presiding 
 Elders ? And if theAnnual Conferences elected them, then they 
 would be the agents of the conferences, and not of the Bishops ; 
 so the Annual Conferences would oversee the work through 
 agents of their own, and the Bishops, who are elected to super- 
 intend, by the General Conference, would be powerless nullities. 
 As to lay delegation, that would be destructive to the itiner- 
 ancy ; and, besides this, the itinerant preachers were instru- 
 mental in the conversion of the membership, and had, therefore, 
 a right to rule them. Children ought not to rule their fathers ; 
 but fathers ought to rule their children. The right of our 
 
MY VIEWS. 117 
 
 preacliers to all the power aud autliority tliey have, grows out 
 of the nature and fitness of things. So taught the venerable 
 Bishop McKendree, in 1823. He seemed to think I needed in- 
 struction, and, on all convenient occasions, he repeated these les- 
 sons with fatherly kindness. I never argued against his views, 
 during our sojourn together; but, still, I had in my own mind 
 the answer ready. AVhen we parted, I was strongly impressed 
 with a conviction of his honesty, piety, aud intelligence, but not 
 with his arguments. 
 
 The G-eneral Conference elects the Bishops to superintend the 
 whole work. Why should not that Bishop-creating body pass 
 a law to create Presiding Elders through the joint agency of 
 the Bishops and the Annual Conferences, as proposed by the 
 General Conference of 1820, to aid them in their work ? This 
 joint authority in the creation of Presiding Elders would im- 
 ply a responsibility of the Elders to the Annual Conferences 
 and Bishops who created them, and not to the Bishops alone, 
 as in former years, and as it is to this day. 
 
 As to lay delegation destroying the itinerancy, I held this to 
 be an indefensible assumption. Besides, I held then, and do 
 now, that if itinerancy can only live on the destruction of hu- 
 man liberty, it ought not to live at all. Christianity can be 
 maintained in the world consistently with human liberty. And 
 to say that instrumentality in conversion gives a right to rule, 
 looks like the old doctrine of kings ruling by the right of con- 
 quest. Moreover, it implies too much, for the purposes of those 
 who bring it forward. According to this, all the local preachers 
 in the Methodist Episcopal Church who are instrumental in the 
 conversion of sinners have a right to rule them. This is not 
 allowed. Any pious old lady, who, by her exhortations, pray- 
 ers, and tears, might be instrumental in the conversion of a 
 philosopher, would have the right to rule him as long as he 
 lived, for the good of his soul. After this "manner, in my own 
 mind, all the Bishop's ecclesiastical lessons were disposed of; 
 and I felt, on my return to my own field of labor, more than 
 ever, a disposition to promote the lay delegation cause. 
 
 In March, 1824, the Conference was in Winchester Virginia, 
 
118 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 and I was again appointed Presiding Elder. In Marcli, 1825, 
 the Conference was in Baltimore, and I still was continued in 
 the same office. That year, in September, the Pittsburgh Con- 
 ference, having been set off by the General Conference of 182-4, 
 held its first session in the city of Pittsburgh, and again I was 
 appointed Presiding Elder, making, in all, three years and a 
 half that I served in that office. A full account of all that 
 transpired while in that office can not now be written. Only 
 such things as memory has retained, or recollection can call up, 
 and are deemed of interest, will be introduced to notice. 
 
 The hard service rendered in' Washington, Wheeling, and 
 Short Creek charges made great inroads on my health. During 
 nearly the whole time of my presidency on the Monongahela 
 District, that most tormenting of all complaints, the dyspepsia, 
 afflicted me sorely. Every thing I ate in a few minutes became 
 acid on my stomach, and led to vomiting; perspiration was ut- 
 terly obstructed ; my skin was nearly as sallow as a seed cucum- 
 ber, dry and mealy; my head was hot, my feet were cold, 
 showing an unbalanced circulation of the blood. I was perpet- 
 ually harassed with a dyspeptic colic ; there was a giddiness 
 in my head, a ringing in my ears, floating phantoms before my 
 eyes — in fact, I was a sick man. Still, I hung to my horse and 
 filled my appointments on the district, trying, as I went, all 
 the remedies prescribed by the physicians, and growing worse 
 and worse. Finally, every doctor in my district, save one, pro- 
 nounced sentence of death upon me, and advised me to go home 
 and set my house in order, for I could not live. But, Dr. 
 Charles McClean, of Morgantown, Virginia, was of a different 
 opinion. He said life was sweet and worth preserving, and that 
 I must not be discouraged by the nonsense of the doctors. 
 "Come," said he, "I will make you a box of blue pills, on the 
 plan of those prepared by Dr. Phillips, which you are to take 
 at the rate of three grains a day, for six weeks, then go to Bed- 
 ford Springs a couple of weeks, and you will get well again." 
 I followed the Doctor's advice, and though I could not (because 
 of those who were with me) remain at the Springs but eight 
 days, I came away measurably restored to health, and took no 
 
THE NEW LIGHTS. 119 
 
 more medicine for twelve years, save once, and tliat was for an 
 attack, of fever. To Dr. McLean, then, under God, I certainly 
 owe my life ; and I make this record of tlie fact, with gratitude 
 to him and to the Lord. In the ecclesiastical controversy 
 which resulted in the organization of the Methodist Protestant 
 Church, the Doctor, who was a local preacher in the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church, did all he could against me and against the 
 cause I advocated; but still, I always admired his talents, and 
 felt gratitude for past favors, especially medical services. 
 
 A great portion of the Monongahela District, which was very 
 large, was a real battle-ground between the Methodists and 
 other denominations, especially the New Lights, who denied the 
 doctrine of the Trinity and the divinity of Christ. They held 
 that the atonement made by Christ was a reality, and that it 
 derived its value entirely from the appointment of the Father, 
 and not from the dignity and glory of the Godhead that dwelt 
 in his humanity ; that Christ, being the Son of God, could not 
 be eternal, as no son could be as old as his father; and that no 
 man would ever believe in the Godhead of Christ, unless he 
 were misled to do so by a creed. Against creeds and disci- 
 plines, and all forms of Church government, they had much to 
 say; and made sport of the Methodist preachers going about 
 with their saddle-bags full of disciplines to sell. I deemed it 
 my duty to rid my district, if I could, of New-Light heresy. 
 Accordingly, on all convenient occasions, in all parts of the 
 country where I traveled, I gave the doctrines of the Meth- 
 odists the fullest vindication, upon scriptural grounds, that I 
 could. Were the Metliodists Trinitariansf I showed this doc- 
 trine was found in all parts of the Bible ; and though above 
 reason, it did not contradict reason ; for reason must be able to 
 comprehend every possible mode of Divine existence, before it 
 could pronounce, infallibly, that God could not exist a trinity 
 in unity. Were they believers in the divinity of Christf I 
 showed from the plain Word of God that this doctrine was true, 
 and affirmed that no sane reader of the Scriptures would ever 
 deny the divinity of Christ, unless he were misled by some hard- 
 skulled leader, whose teachings operated upon his mind with all 
 
120 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINEEANT LIFE. 
 
 tlie force of a creed. As to the atonement being made by a 
 mere creature, divinely appointed to do that work, and all the 
 value of the atonement resulting from the Father's ajjpointment, 
 and none of it from the dignity of the person who suffered, the 
 Methodists held this to be monstrous. According to this doc- 
 trine, the Father, contrary to His own Word, had given His 
 glory to another — a mere creature — and ordained that the na- 
 tions of the earth should trust in a creature, and the doings of 
 a creature, for the salvation of their souls. If the Godhead 
 of Christ gave no value to the atonement, then why was his 
 divinity made so prominent a part of revelation? My doctrine 
 throughout the district was, that the atonement derived its value 
 from both the divinity of the Sufferer and the appointment of 
 the Father. To separate divinity from what Christ did to save 
 the world, would leave the world to be saved by the doings of a 
 creature ; and to call the Gentile nations off from idolatry to 
 trust in a creature, would be idolatry still. The preachers of 
 the district over which I presided were, generally, vigorous, 
 ^talented young men, well suited to the region of country where 
 they labored; and as we had to win every inch of the ground 
 we occupied by the sword of the Spirit — which, of necessity, 
 in many instances, had to be a controversial sword — they came 
 manfully up to the battle of the Lord, and the enemy had to 
 yield or retreat. There are very few New Lights in that dis- 
 trict now. 
 
 The Baptists also met us at every point, and resolutely op- 
 posed the doctrines of the Methodists. They were Calvinists in 
 doctrine, as well as immersionists in practice, and went, with 
 all their might, against the Methodist view of Christian perfec- 
 tion, and the possibility of falling from grace. On all these 
 points we gave them battle. Happily for us, they did not oc- 
 cupy a great deal of territory ; but where they did exist, they 
 were generally pretty strong as to numbers. In Pruntytown, 
 they and the Methodists had each a comfortable house of wor- 
 ship, and their preaching was on alternate Sundays. In those 
 days there were "go-betweens" to report to each preacher what 
 
THE BAPTISTS. 121 
 
 the other would say of his doctrines. On one Sunday the 
 Methodist preacher, in his sermon, had handled the Baptist 
 doctrine of the final, unconditional perseverance of the saints 
 with some severity. This was reported, by the "go-between," 
 to Dr. Waldo, the minister in charge of the Baptist congrega- 
 tion, who, on the next Sunday, at considerable length, defended 
 his doctrine in his usual lengthened tone, amounting, when 
 greatly in earnest, to something like a whine. In the course of 
 his sermon, as the ''go-between" reported, he illustrated the 
 impossibility of falling from grace, in the following manner: 
 *' My dear brethren, if you only have a desire to have a desire to 
 be saved, you are as sure of getting to heaven as if you were 
 already there. Religion is just like my old raccoon-skin. The 
 other day I brought an old raccoon-skin with me to town and 
 tried to sell it, but I could not sell it ; I tried to barter it, but 
 I could not barter it ; I tried to give it away, but I could not 
 give it away. I then rolled it up in a piece of newspaper and 
 tucked it under my arm, walked out into the street, lifted up 
 my arm and tried to lose it, but I could not lose it, for there 
 was a man just behind me, who picked it up and said, ' Holloa, 
 Waldo! here is your raccoon-skin.' Just so, my dear brethren, 
 it is with religion: you can't sell it; you can't barter it; you 
 can't give it away; you can't lose it. If you only have a de- 
 sire to have a desire to be saved, you are as sure of getting to 
 heaven as if you were already there." 
 
 What Methodist could stand before the logic of such an 
 illustration as this? The citizens of Pruntytown amuse them- 
 selves to this day by telling this 'coon-skin anecdote. Dr. 
 Waldo was an eccentric wit, had a good standing in the 
 community, and, from the anecdotal character of his preaching, 
 always drew a full house. From my own personal knowledge 
 of the man, I have no doubt of his being now among the saved 
 in that better land ; but his witty 'coon-skin illustration amounts 
 to nothing. There is no analogy between the free mind of man 
 holding on to or letting go religious truth and the Doctor's in- 
 ability to sell, barter, give away, or lose his raccoon-skin. If he 
 8 
 
122 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 had done as much to get clear of his religion as he did to dis- 
 pose of his 'coon-skin, and had failed, then his illustration would 
 be of some force; not otherwise. 
 
 The religious state of the district was good throughout my 
 entire term of service. In all the circuits and stations, each 
 year, there were revivals and large additions to the Church. 
 My district was famous for its camp-meetings. The lowest 
 number we held in one camp-meeting season was eight; the 
 highest, eleven. These meetings, as a general thing, were 
 largely attended, and were real working meetings ; not meet- 
 ings of feasting, parade, and show. God owned them by the 
 advancement of his children in scriptural holiness, and in the 
 conversion of sinners, in great numbers, from the error of their 
 way. Eev. William Barns, of the Wheeling Station, got leave 
 of absence from his charge, and accompanied me (my health 
 being feeble) as a fellow-laborer to the eleven camp-meetings 
 held in one season, and rendered very important service. He 
 is s,till a sojourner among men, and can bear witness to the 
 success of the Gospel in the conversion of sinners at the camp- 
 meetings among the hills of Western Virginia and Western 
 Pennsylvania. The day of judgment alone can disclose the 
 whole amount of good that was done, and how much labor and 
 care devolved upon me at these meetings. To see that order 
 was maintained, so as to prevent the outside world from doing 
 harm to the assembled worshipers, to give a right direction to 
 all the ministerial talent on hand, both local and itinerant, so 
 as to keep down the little, petty jealousies too often found 
 among the preachers on such occasions, and to employ the 
 whole force at command, both ministerial and lay, in the labors 
 of the altar, so as to bring as many souls as possible to Christ, 
 and to continue this kind of effort day and night, throughout 
 eleven consecutive weeks, was indeed labor and care such as 
 few Presiding Elders at this day know any thing about. The 
 state of my health gave indications that my career upon earth 
 would be short. To be ready to go into eternity at the call of 
 the Lord, and to get as many sinners as possible converted to 
 Christ before my departure, were then the all-engrossing objecta 
 
THE MUTUAL RIGHTS. 123 
 
 of my life. Paul said, "To live is Christ, to die is gain." So 
 I felt at that time, and, in the midst of my toils, enjoyed much 
 religious happiness. 
 
 The preachers who labored with me on the Monongahela 
 District have nearly all passed away, and, so far as I have been 
 able to learn, they died in the faith, hope, and charity of 
 Christianity. Revs. T. M. Hudson, C. Cook, W. Barns, H. 
 Furlong, and S. Chaney, I believe, yet remain, and, like my- 
 self, are far advanced in life. They are excellent men, and 
 have been worth more than thousands of gold to the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church. Nearly all the local preachers and promi- 
 nent lay members who labored with me, and at whose habita- 
 tions I was always made welcome and comfortable, are now on 
 the other side of Jordan — saved and crowned, heirs of God, 
 and joint heirs with Christ. 
 
 The institution of the Mutual Rights, in 1824, in the room 
 of the Wesleyan Repository; the action of the General Confer- 
 ence in Baltimore, preceded by the doings of the Baltimore 
 Annual Conference in Winchester, Virginia, all had a tendency 
 to rouse the spirit of inquiry in the Church, on the subject of 
 itinerant supremacy and lay delegation. At the Conference in 
 Winchester, Beverly Waugh, with some difficulty, obtained leave 
 to read N. Snethen's letter in favor of lay delegation. It was 
 heard by that body with mingled indications of favor and dis- 
 pleasure. Joshua Soule read a paper inflicting some heavy 
 censure on John Emory, for certain statements made (if mem- 
 ory serves me) by Emory and others, in a pamphlet, involving 
 Soule's course at the General Conference of 1820. Emory, in 
 the course of his i*eply, admitted the right of the Methodist 
 people to a lay delegation, and said they ought to have it, if 
 they so desired. Soule presided in a caucus held by the anti- 
 reform party to nominate delegates to the General Conference, 
 and, in his remarks before taking the chair, went against nom- 
 inating any reformer, as the ancient order of things must be 
 strictly maintained. Accordingly, Emory, Waugh, Shinn, Ry- 
 land, Davis, Griffith, Morgan, and others, known to favor re- 
 form — at least the election of Presiding Elders — were all left 
 
124 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 out of the nomination. That afternoon, the way being thus 
 prepared, R. Birch, in a very honeyed speech, tried to bring on 
 the election, but failed. After Conference adjourned, Emory 
 and Waugh took me with them to a self-defense caucus-meet- 
 ing of the friends of ecclesiastical liberty. This was the first 
 time I ever took an open, public part with the reformers. 
 The reform caucus, of covirse, nominated none but reform can- 
 didates for election to the General Conference. When the elec- 
 tion came on, so well had the other party managed, in adopting 
 their measures, that we were defeated by a small majority. 
 This defeat, in connection with that of the local preacher claim 
 to a share in the government of the Church, led Emory and 
 Waugh, and most of the others, it is supposed, to abandon the 
 cause of reform. Emory became a Bishop in 1832, and Waugh 
 in 1836. Thus these two men, who had been my leaders, 
 turned against me and the cause of Christian freedom, and 
 grasped the episcopal power which they had so long and so 
 ably opposed; "the march of which," they say, in their pam- 
 phlet, " is ever onward, and its tremendous tendency is to ac- 
 cumulation." 
 
 But nothing within my knowledge spread the reform con- 
 troversy like Bishop McKendree's address in vindication of his 
 action in arresting the Presiding Elder law of 1820. This ad-' 
 dress was carried round to all the Annual Conferences, in view 
 of getting those bodies to justify his course, and every-where 
 it elicited debate among the preachers in the Conferences. Here 
 were high powers claimed by the Bishops. Here were preach- 
 ers, claiming the right, as American freemen, to elect the Pre- 
 siding Elders who were to rule over them. This ministerial 
 struggle for power waked up inquiry among the people after 
 their rights ; and, to meet the wants of the times, the periodical 
 called " The 3Iutual Rights of the Ministers and Mevibers of 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church^' was instituted in Baltimore, 
 "edited by a committee of ministers and laymen." 
 
 On my return from the Conference in Winchester to the 
 Monongahela District, I took time for reflection on the state of 
 affairs in the Church, and to determine what was my duty in the 
 
THE MUTUAL RIGHTS. 125 
 
 premises. The conclusions at wliich I arrived were, that I owed 
 very high obligations to the Church, and to those in authority 
 over me ; hut that my highest obligations were to the truth, 
 and to the God of truth, and that I ought to obey God rather 
 than man. When the Mutual Rights appeared, I ordered it to 
 be sent to nearly all the leading men of my district, and paid 
 for it, in advance, out of my own scanty funds. So that paper 
 was read in all parts of the district, privately ; for a time, even 
 the preachers were not permitted to know any thing about it, 
 nor did any one suspect my agency in the matter. On the 
 subject of Church government, in public and in private, I 
 maintained the most profound silence; and, from the office I 
 held, it was generally supposed that I was unfriendly to the 
 changes contended for, and the periodical was kept very care- 
 fully out of my sight wherever I went. When dismounting 
 from my horse at the house of Thomas Maple, a valuable local 
 preacher, to whom I had sent the paper, I heard sister Maple 
 call out to one of the girls: "Run, Sal, run J take them Mutual 
 Rights off the table; there comes the Elder." And "Sal" 
 must have taken and concealed them in some by-corner, for 
 they were not to be seen during my stay. So it was in all 
 places, no one being disposed to let me know that he read so 
 obnoxious a paper as the Mutual Rights. All this was very 
 amusing to me. 
 
 Ultimately the readers of that work became more bold, and 
 ventured to, tell me of its coming to them; but by what agency 
 it came, or how the editorial committee ever found them out, 
 60 as to send it to them, they could not tell. I found, in every 
 instance but one, that the work was approved of; that lay del- 
 egation would, in their judgment, be of immense value to the 
 Church. As they knew that I had dealings in Baltimore, they 
 desired me to receive and transmit the pay for the Mutual 
 Rights to the publishers. I took the money and retained it, 
 having already paid for the work in advance. So I lost nothing 
 by my old friends, nor did they find out, during my time as 
 Presiding Elder among them, that it was through my agency 
 the paper was sent to them. Toward the latter part of my 
 
126 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIPE. 
 
 term of service on the district, in private conversation, I let 
 my friends know that the lay delegation cause had my appro- 
 bation; but in public I still remained silent, not wishing to 
 create an excitement, or call off public attention from the higher 
 interests of the Christian religion. But information went 
 abroad by loaning the paper; the district understood the lay 
 delegation question well. 
 
 It became known to Bishop George that I not only read but 
 circulated the Mutual Rights, and it grieved him very much. 
 He was a very effective preacher, of good natural powers and 
 sterling piety, but without much literary culture, and had, for 
 many years, been favorable to reform, so far as the election of 
 Presiding Elders went. But now, as the Mutual Rights had 
 given the controversy a wider range, and had taken in lay del- 
 egation, the Bishop held back, and all his influence was thrown 
 against the reformers. Having brought me out into the min- 
 istry, and taken great pains to shape my course for usefulness 
 in the itinerant ranks, watching over me as a father would over 
 a son, he took it very hard that I should be found among the 
 reformers, engaged, as he said, "in the disorganizing work of 
 striving to introduce lay delegation." This was no more dis- 
 organizing than his efforts, in preceding years, to introduce the 
 election of Presiding Elders. 
 
 On one occasion, while resting himself from the toils of 
 travel, in Washington, the Bishop invited Rev. C. Cook, the sta- 
 tioned preacher of that place, and myself, to take a walk with 
 him. When we were a little out of town, he turned to us, and 
 said he had it on reliable authority that we were both readers 
 of the Mutual Rights, and that we circulated that paper among 
 our people. Cook admitted that he was a constant reader of the 
 periodical in question, but denied any agency in its circulation. 
 I informed him that I had been a regular reader of that paper 
 from the commencement of its publication, and favored its doc- 
 trines, and, for that reason, had ordered it to be sent to a 
 number of my friends on the district. The Bishop then ex- 
 pressed great surprise that I should do such a thing, and won- 
 dered how I, as minister and Presiding Elder, could reconcile 
 
BISHOP GEORGE. 127 
 
 it with my obligations to the Church, to be found circulating a 
 periodical among our people which would only agitate them to 
 their injury. It did seem to me as if he deemed my ministe- 
 rial relation to the Church to be an utter foreclosure of my 
 way, so that I could not now, with such obligations as an or- 
 dained minister and Presiding Elder had assumed resting upon 
 me, do any thing, in any way, to reform the government of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church. With this view of the matter I 
 did not agree; but I did not attempt to argue the case with 
 my old friend. I felt then, as I do now, that my highest ob- 
 ligation was to God and his truth, and that reformation in 
 Church government never came from without, but, in the na- 
 ture of things, must come from within, and that I was now in 
 my proper place to do all I could for the introduction of lay 
 delegation. So, in mildness, I replied in about the following 
 manner : The controversy is now up, the inquiry is now abroad 
 in relation to introducing lay delegation into the Church. The 
 day is coming that will try men's souls. In that day I must 
 either act as some hard-headed leader may direct me, or take 
 pains to be informed, by reading all that is written on both 
 sides of this question, so as to be able to act on my own best 
 judgment in the matter. Taking this view of the subject, I 
 have been a reader of the Mutual Rights, and have put that 
 work into circulation among my people. " Bishop George," 
 said I, "did you ever read the Mutual Rights?" "Why, no," 
 said he; "but brother Roszel has, and he has told me all about 
 it, and he thinks it will do a great injury to the Church." I 
 then advised him not to make any further opposition to that 
 work until he would read it for himself. The good Bishop 
 was affected unto tears at what he considered my obstinacy, 
 and so the conversation closed, and we returned to town. The 
 next morning, at the Bishop's invitation, I accompanied him 
 on his journey for several miles, during which time nothing 
 was said on the lay delegation question. The whole conversa- 
 tion turned on metaphysical preaching, against which he strove 
 to guard me, and requested me to guard the preachers of the 
 district, as being "mere moonshine to the people." He ex- 
 
128 KECOLLECTIONS OF ITINEKANT LIFE. 
 
 pressed his fears that Rev. Asa Shinn's essay on the Plan of 
 Salvation, being so metaphysically written, would turn all the 
 preachers into hair-splitting metaphysicians, and lead them oflf 
 from the simplicity of the Grospel. Here, too, my opinion dif- 
 fered from his. He who addresses mind ought to understand 
 the laws of mind. 
 
CONFERENCE IN WASHINGTON, PENNSYLVANIA. 129 
 
 CHAPTER yiTI, 
 
 Conference in Washington, Pennsylvania— Kefokm Movement— Bishop IIeddino's 
 Address against Reform— Reasons for Replying— D. W. Clark, D. D.— Friendly 
 Kelations Existing between Bishop IIeddino and Myself— Timothy's Address 
 TO the Junior Bishop— Convention of Bishops in Baltimore- Bishop IIeddino's 
 Note to the Chairman of the Editorial Committee Demanding Timothy's Read 
 Name— My Reply, Surrendering my Name— Rev. H. B. Bascom's Testimony as 
 TO THE Truthfulness of Timothy's Address— Similar Testimony from Rev. John 
 Waterman, Rev. Asa Shinn, Thomas Morgan, Esq., Ret. Joshua Monroe, Rev. 
 T. M. Hudson— Reasons foe Present Self-Defense. 
 
 The Pittsburgli Conference held its session in Washington, 
 Pennsylvania, in September, 1826, Bishop Hedding presiding, 
 and I was appointed to Steubenville Station. At that Confer- 
 ence Bishop Soule was in attendance, and Bev. J. B. Finley, 
 with his two Indian chiefs, Mononque and Between-the-logs. 
 These chiefs lodged at my house, prayed in my family, asked 
 the blessing at my table, prayed in the Church, and deported 
 themselves, during their stay, in all respects like Christian gen 
 tlemen. I saw nothing light or trifling about them. To me 
 they appeared to be men of great moral worth and real sub 
 stantiality of character. All their exercises were in the Indian 
 language, and we had no interpreter, a matter much regretted 
 by us all. Finley said they were men of great mental vigor 
 and fine native eloquence. They had laid aside* the Indian 
 garb and assumed the costume of the whites, and, for plainness, 
 appeared like two Methodist preachers. 
 
 At this Conference the reformers were a little in the minority 
 as to numbers, but a little in the maj"ority as to talent. Dr. 
 Bond's book had come to hand, entitled "An Appeal to the 
 Methodists." Kev. A. Shinn induced Rev. T. Fleming — who 
 had Bond's book for distribution among the preachers — to hold 
 it back until his review of it should arrive, so as to let both 
 
130 RECOLLECTIONS OP ITINERANT LIEE. 
 
 books be distributed together. This would give each party an 
 equal chance; for among the members of the Conference there 
 was, at that time, a disposition to deal fairly with each other 
 on the question of reform. 
 
 As to myself, I did not like to see Bishop Soule there. I 
 remembered his efforts against the reformers, in the caucus, 
 during the Conference in Winchester, Virginia, by which their 
 election to the General Conference of 1824 was defeated. I 
 remembered, too, his opposition, in connection with Bishop 
 McKendree, to the Presiding Elder law passed by the General 
 Conference in 1820, which has already been noticed. At that 
 time he was only a Bishop-elect, not yet ordained ; and to avoid 
 a protest against his ordination, which his arbitrary measures 
 had led ministers of sterling worth to prepare, he deemed it 
 wise and proper to resign his position. But he was elected 
 and ordained Bishop in 1824; and now, being clothed with full 
 episcopal authority, however much I admired his talents and 
 trustworthiness in all other matters, I felt confident that reform 
 had nothing to hope from his presence at that Conference. All 
 the reformers disrelished his arbitrary principles ; and it is my 
 belief to this day, that, had he not been there to counsel and ad- 
 vise Bishop Hedding, that functionary would never have taken 
 the high ground he did against the lay delegation question, as 
 discussed in the Mutual Rights. In this belief I was not alone. 
 
 The business of the Conference passed on smoothly, and 
 greater harmony could not have been expected in a body so 
 divided in sentiment, on a subject so all-engrossing as the one 
 now demanding attention. Mr. Shinn and I, being yet in the 
 Bishop's cabinet as Presiding Elders, were called to a private 
 interview in my front room, up stairs, by Bishops Hedding and 
 Soule. The two Bishops and Mr. Shinn had dined with me 
 that day, and the conversation had been remarkably pleasant. 
 In that interview, the presiding Bishop, Mr. Hedding, took the 
 lead as chief speaker, and Mr. Soule took his position up in a 
 corner, and sat silent all the time. So we poor subordinates had 
 to take, as patiently as we could, a pretty long lecture on the 
 impropriety of our efforts to introduce lay delegation. " The 
 
BISHOP HEDDING AGAINST REFORM. 131 
 
 injurious tendency of the effort" — "The people did not want 
 what we were trying to crowd upon them" — "Lay delegation 
 would be of no value to them if they had it" — formed the 
 ground of his lecture. All this time the Bishop never called 
 in question our right to discuss the points at issue between the 
 parties, in the Mutual Rights, but only argued from supposed 
 evils that might result from the investigation. 
 
 At last he put the question to Mr. Shinn direct : " Is it your 
 intention to leave the Methodist Episcopal Church? It is my 
 duty to have an answer to this question before I make out the 
 appointments." Mr. Shinn replied that he had never thought 
 of such a thing, nor had he ever said to any person that he 
 would leave the Church ; and then, straightening himself up 
 and pointing with his finger at the Bishop, he said, in his own 
 peculiar, emphatic way, " I now demand of you, sir, to point 
 out to me, in any thing I have ever written, a single sentence 
 or word that would be a just foundation for the question which 
 you have now propounded to me." Mr. Hedding said it might 
 not be expressed in so many words, but he thought it was 
 clearly implied, in one or two of Mr. Shinn's articles in the 
 Mutual Rights. Mr. Shinn then said it was neither expressed 
 nor implied, and that no just construction of any thing he had 
 written would afford an inference of that kind. "Well," said 
 Mr. Hedding, " I am satisfied with your present declaration, 
 and can go on with my work and make out the appointments." 
 " But," said Mr. Shinn, " I want you Bishops to understand 
 well, that if you ever give the administration of the govern- 
 ment of the Church such a direction as to abridge or take from 
 me my right of free discussion of the reform question, in the 
 Mutual Rights, or wherever else I please, I will then feel my- 
 self bound to leave the Methodist Episcopal Church. I never 
 will belong to a Church that will deny me the rights of an 
 American freeman." "0, well, well, well," replied Mr. Hed- 
 ding, "we have said enough on the subject; let us talk of some- 
 thing else." Just at that juncture, the Presiding Elders were 
 heard coming up stairs, and the business next on hand was the 
 stationing of the preachers. I have stated the substance, ae- 
 
132 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 cording to my best recollection, of what was said by the parties 
 at the foregoing interview, and, on the main points, I think I 
 have given their own words. 
 
 The next afternoon the Conference adjourned, and just before 
 the appointments were read, Bishop Hedding made his cele- 
 brated address against reform. So soon as he was done, the 
 appointments were read; then came the closing prayer, immedi- 
 ately after which, the preachers all dispersed, leaving no oppor- 
 tunity for any one to reply to what many of them did most 
 highly disapprove of in that address. I then and there de- 
 termined that I would wait two months for Shinn or Bascom to 
 reply, and if neither of them did, I would do it myself; for I 
 did consider its doctrines inconsistent with the liberties of an 
 American Christian. 
 
 It may be proper in this place to record the fact that be- 
 tween Bishop Hedding and myself there was entire friendship. 
 I had been his confidential secretary. I had, therefore, no 
 wrongs to avenge, when I resolved on a reply to his address. 
 While I respected him highly for his piety, his talents as a 
 preacher, and his fine executive abilities as a presiding officer 
 in the Conference, I could not respect his opposition to the free 
 discussion going on in the Mufual Rights in favor of lay dele- 
 gation. It was, then, nothing but a feeling in my heart that 
 an aggression on our inalienable rights ought to be resisted 
 with all the manhood in me, that moved me to resolve upon a 
 reply. For, to my mind, it did appear that Church government 
 was as open to free discussion as any other question under 
 heaven. For the Bishops, Presiding Elders, and itinerant 
 preachers in the Methodist Episcopal Church to have all the 
 power in the government, and the local preachers and lay mem- 
 bers none at all, was bad enough ; but for Bishops, in Confer- 
 ence addresses, to deny the right of free discussion, as to this 
 order of things, made the matter worse — it looked like slavery. 
 
 After I had removed to Steubenville and become comfortably 
 situated among the people of my charge,' I soon found myself 
 among reformers. In a short time a union society was formed, 
 and leading members of said society informed me that Rev. 
 
D. TV". CLARK, D. D. 133 
 
 Josh.ua Monroe advised this measure. Being pastor of the 
 flock, and wishing to do religious good to all parties, I never 
 joined the union society in Steuhenville, nor attended one of 
 its meetings, nor did its members wish me to do so, lest I might 
 give offense to those in the opposition. Time rolled on: the 
 two months were out, and neither Shinn nor Bascom had replied 
 to Mr. Hedding's address ; so I made my preparations to per- 
 form that task. Already had I compared my recollections of 
 objectionable points in the address with those of other brethren 
 who had faithful memories, and had fixed, with all possible 
 care, upon the ground to be occupied. Then Timothy's Ad- 
 dres to the Junior Bishop was written. No one in Steubenville 
 ever saw that piece in manuscript, save A. Sutherland, Esq. 
 Knowing him to be a sound, practical philosopher, and a fine 
 critic on such compositions, I submitted the paper to him, 
 for his judgment. He made no changes in any part of it, but 
 said, "Publish it as it is, or not at all; but mind, if you do 
 publish it, all the Bishops will be on, you." So, determining 
 to incur the risk of whatever might come, I sent the document 
 to the editorial committee for publication. 
 
 As in my judgment, Rev. D. W. Clark, D. D., in his Life and 
 Times of Bishop Hedding, has done me great injustice, in his 
 representation of what occurred before the Committee on Epis- 
 copacy, at the General Conference in Pittsburgh, in 1828, in 
 relation to Timothy's Address to the Junior Bishop; and as it 
 has pleased God to spare my life to be my own vindicator 
 against the injustice done me in that work, I shall now proceed 
 to a careful and candid examination of the whole matter, from 
 first to last. 
 
 • In a letter published in the Mutual Rights, immediately after 
 the statements of the Committee on Episcopacy had appeared in 
 the New York Advocate -which statements were, I suppose, re- 
 lied on by Dr. Clark — and then again in a paper published in 
 Dr. Jennings's Exposition in 1831, but written at an earlier date, 
 I did aim, briefly, in each paper, to shield myself from the in- 
 jury intended me by the publication in the Advocate. But I 
 suppose the Doctor never saw what I had written; or, if he 
 
134 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 did, it miglit not, in his judgment, have suited his purposes in 
 exalting the Bishop's character, and in giving him a triumph 
 over all his opposers. Bishop Hedding saw what I had written 
 in my own defense, for he told me so himself, when he was at- 
 tending the General Conference in Cincinnati, in 1836; nor did 
 he mention any thing wrong in those articles. Our conversation 
 was free and full on the old controversy ; and, in conclusion, we 
 both agreed that peace was best. So we renewed our friendship, 
 and he and a few of his New England friends dined with me, 
 at my own house, on the Sabbath day, he having fixed the time 
 himself; saying, when he did it, " The better day, the better 
 deed;" and he introduced me to his friends as his son Timothy, 
 and they all indulged in much pleasantry on that occasion. 
 When dinner was over, the Bishop read a chapter and prayed 
 with us and for us, and for the Methodist Protestant Church, 
 that it might be useful and prosperous in all the land. And 
 we then parted in peace and friendship, expressing our hopes of 
 meeting in heaven. Bishop Hedding is now no more seen 
 among men; and I am sorry, indeed, that Dr. Clark has made it 
 necessary for me to vindicate myself against any statements 
 made by him in relation to the old controversy with a man be- 
 tween whom and myself the hatchet was, as I supposed, buried 
 forever. 
 
 The following is "Timothy's Address to the Junior Bishop:" 
 
 "I humbly trust you will not be offended, if an obscure 
 brother, a minister of that branch of the Christian Church of 
 which you are a superintendent, shall venture to address you on 
 a subject in which he, at least, feels deeply interested. I al- 
 lude, sir, to the address in opposition to reform, which you de- 
 livered to the members of the Pittsburgh Annual Conference, in 
 Washington, Pennsylvania, in September last. 
 
 " When you came to our Conference, every eye that saw you 
 was pleased; your appearance prepossessed the people in your 
 favor; your public ministrations were gratefully received by the 
 citizens ; and your manner of conducting the business of the 
 Conference gave general satisfaction to the preachers. So far, 
 
timothy's address to the junior bishop. 135 
 
 all went well ; and it is a matter of deep and sorrowful regret 
 that any thing should have occurred by which your popularity 
 should suffer the least diminution. But so it was, and you 
 ought to know it. Many of our most distinguished preachers 
 did feel most serious objections to the address which you, very 
 unexpectedly, took occasion to deliver, just before the appoint- 
 ments were read. It did seem to the reformers as if you had 
 taken advantage of the Conference to broach a subject, on that 
 occasion, which the preachers, for peace' sake, had, in their Con- 
 ference capacity, never thought proper to meddle with ; and you 
 gave no opportunity for any one to reply. 
 
 '■'■ Puhlic men and public measures, in a country liJce otirs, 
 will, most undoubtedly, be scrutinized by a thousand eyes ; and, 
 under an entire conviction that you believe your measures to be 
 correct, and are therefore willing to submit them to public scru- 
 tiny, I take the liberty of addressing you in this public way. 
 With your person I have no quarrel. I admit your piety; I 
 allow your talents to be respectable ; it is your address alone 
 with which I am now concerned. 
 
 " You opposed our preachers taking any part in the discussions 
 of the 'Mutual Rights;' you opposed our members in Church 
 fellowship having any thing to do with that work. You supported 
 your opposition by two arguments; viz., that the ' Mutual Rights' 
 would agitate the Church ; that the change called for by the re- 
 formers would never be brought about, because it was not de- 
 sired by one in twenty of our people. You then gave us an 
 advice to be still, and say nothing until we got upon the floor 
 of the General Conference, for there, and there alone, ioas the 
 proper place to discuss such subjects. Such was your opposition, 
 such your arguments, and such the advice which you gave on 
 that occasion, to all of which I shall take the liberty, in a plain, 
 yet, I hope, respectful way, to make my objections. 
 
 "I. You opposed our traveling preachers taking any part in 
 the discussions of the Mutual Rights. This was to have been 
 expected. You, perhaps, too easily arrived at the conclusion 
 that the preachers would favor the views of the Bishops; would 
 support their enormous power and prerogatives ; that they would, 
 
136 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 of course, be unfriendly to a liberal diflFusion of light on the 
 subject of Church government among our people ; that they, 
 consequently, would take no part in the discussion of such mat- 
 ters in any way. But when you found your mistake ; when mat- 
 ters of fact demonstrated to you that many of our best preachers 
 thought that our Bishops had too much power and the people 
 too little, and that the Bishops and preachers would do well to 
 divide their power and prerogatives with the laity and local 
 preachers ; when you saw that our preachers would write and 
 publish their sentiments to the world on these subjects, then, I 
 say, it was to have been expected that you would exert all your 
 power and influence against them. You were pleased to inform 
 the Conference that ' it never had been your practice to enter 
 upon public discussions of such matters anywhere, save on the 
 floor of the General Conference.' You most undoubtedly had a 
 right to observe this kind of secrecy, even on the floor of the 
 General Conference, if you chose; but does this go to prove 
 that it will be wrong for your brethren in the ministry to act 
 difierently? 
 
 "Whatever your practice hitherto may have been, whatever 
 your opinions now may be, it matters not. When delegates are 
 to be chosen to represent their brethren and the interests of our 
 Zion in the General Conference, to make laws that may be binding 
 on us and on our children, free men will speak and write — they 
 will communicate their ideas to one another. All, in fact, whose 
 persons, property, or character are to be in the least affected 
 by those laws when made, should claim it as their inalienable 
 right to discuss such subjects privately — aye, and in public, 
 too — long before the sitting of the General Conference ; for 
 then it might be, in many instances, entirely too late to arrange 
 business prudently and discuss important questions with suc- 
 cess. 
 
 " Is there any thing sinful in the investigations carried on in 
 the Mutual Rights? I, for one, am not convinced that there 
 is. Surely, it is not sinful to call the attention of our brethren 
 to a subject of vital importance to the future interests of our 
 Zion. It is not sinful for any man to search after truth. It is 
 
TIMOTHY'S ADDRESS TO THE JUNIOR BISHOP. 137 
 
 not sinful to spread the trutli abroad by every fair incaus. It 
 is not sinful to take every justij&able step to obtain a well bal- 
 anced form of Church government. And if Bishops and travel- 
 ing preachers should have to resign a little of their power in 
 favor of our members and local preachers, even this would not 
 be sinful. Nor is it sinful for our traveling preachers to labor 
 to bring this thing about. 
 
 " Is there any thing dishonorable in those investigations, that 
 our traveling preachers should abstain from them ? Make this 
 appear, and I contend no longer. But this you can never do. 
 All the measures pursued by the editors of the Mutual Rights 
 are honorable; nothing hidden, nothing dark. They spread what 
 they have to say before the whole Church, on the pages of their 
 miscellany ; and they give their brethren of the old side a con- 
 tinued invitation to state their arguments in favor of the present 
 order of things. In short, it is holy, it is honorable, to seek 
 our rights. It is equally so to give our people theirs. 'As ye 
 would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them, for 
 this is the law and the prophets.' 
 
 " Is the great law of love violated by our traveling p»reachers 
 taking part in those discussions? If you think so, show us 
 wherein, and I will abandon the Mutual Rights at once. He 
 who sins against the law of love, wrongs his own soul ; and to 
 bring about a change in our Church government, by injuring our 
 souls, would be infinitely foolish. But you certainly will not 
 attempt to say that the law of love was consulted when our 
 Church government was formed, or tliat it is by that law that 
 you Bishops and we ti'aveling preachers have all the power 
 and the people none ! I incline to the opinion that, were the 
 law of love consulted, and suffered to have unobstructed sway 
 over all our hearts, the point would be gained, the government 
 would be duly balanced, and all parties then ought to be satis- 
 fied. To conclude this point : if it be allowable to all to inves- 
 tigate the principles of our Church government, it must be the 
 privilege and duty of the preachers to take part in the investi- 
 gation as soon as any others; and if it be not our privilege nor 
 our duty, let us go back to Mother Church again, that she may 
 9 
 
138 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 feed us with a Latin mass and a wafer god, until we die, without 
 a question asked or an answer given. 
 
 "II. You opposed our members in Cliurcli fellowsliip having 
 any thing to do with the Mutual Rights. Were you afraid 
 that, by reading that work, they would understand their rights, 
 and take measures to obtain them? According to the New 
 Testament, the ministry and the membership were together in 
 deciding the great question at Jerusalem respecting circum- 
 cision; in electing a successor to Judas; in furnishing the Apos- 
 tolic Church with deacons. According to Mosheim's Church 
 History, the people were the source of ecclesiastical power dur- 
 ing the first century; and for the first three centuries the minis- 
 try and the membership were together in making and executing 
 the laws of the Church. The ministry soon found means to 
 lessen the power of the membership in ecclesiastical matters, but 
 a thousand years had rolled away before a single Pope ever sat 
 in St. Peter's Church at Rome without the concurrence of the 
 people.* The die was then cast; the liberties of the people 
 were gone ; princes held the Pope's stirrup, suffered him to set 
 his foot on their necks, and even kissed his great toe. No 
 wonder our people should, with this march of power before 
 them, start from their slumbers and inquire for their rights. 
 Human nature is still the same, and, if not well watched, will 
 do now as it did in former years. 
 
 " I think it is pretty clear, from Moor's Life of Wesley, that 
 Dr. Coke exceeded his authority in the affair of a third ordi- 
 nation, and in taking to himself and Mr. Asbury the name of 
 Bishop. The forming a Church government which gives all 
 ecclesiastical power to the ministry was a bold step. But 
 Bishops stop not here; the creation of Presiding Elders, who 
 are the special agents of Bishops, has given them a degree of 
 power over the whole Church which really looks alarming. And 
 now four of our Bishops divide the whole work, in these United 
 States, between them, and our Senior Bishop is arched over the 
 whole. What does this look like? In fifty years power has 
 
 * See Wesley's Notes on Bevelations. 
 
timothy's address to the junior bishop. .139 
 
 marcliecl further in the Methodist Episcopal Church than it did 
 in the first three centuries of the primitive Church; and yet, 
 with all these facts before you, the people are admonished to 
 abstain from reading the Mutual Rights, and to let such inves- 
 tigations alone! GOD FORBID. 
 
 "Reverend sir, I want you carefully to examine whether it be 
 not the privilege of all people, under whatever form of govern- 
 ment they may live, whether civil or ecclesiastical, to examine 
 into and understand the principles of those goveriiments as fully 
 as possible ; and whether such an examination is not essential to 
 our being good members of any community; and whether our 
 pronouncing our government to be good, before we have ex- 
 amined its principles, is not altogether premature; and whether 
 a mutual interchange of ideas between the members of such a 
 government might not be necessary; and whether to think, 
 speak, write, print, and read be not the birthright of every 
 freeman; and whether our nation does not appear to under- 
 stand it so, in the arguments for and against the alteration of 
 the constitution; and whether any but despotic rulers have 
 aught to fear from such investigations. 
 
 " We should be more inexcusable than the members of the 
 Christian Church in the rise of Popery, if we were to suffer our 
 spiritual rulers to enslave us. We have many advantages un- 
 known to them, particularly the printing-press. What a bless- 
 ing this has been to the world! what a scourge to wild and 
 lawless ambition ! 
 
 "To me it does appear to be a duty which we owe to the 
 glorious Author of our holy religion, to our fellow-citizens, and 
 to posterity, to discuss this subject before the whole Church, 
 that the slumbering sons of our Zion may be roused and kept 
 awake, with an attentive eye fixed on the stealing march of 
 ecclesiastical power. We have seen what the Christian Church 
 was in its origin. We have seen what it grew to in process of 
 time. The people trusted too much to the goodness and infal- 
 libility of the ministry; and the preachers, seeing this, took ad- 
 vantage of it, and went on increasing their own power, until 
 the Church was ruined. Let the Methodist Episcopal Church 
 
140 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITES^ERANT LIFE. 
 
 take warning. The wreck of one fallen Cburcli now covers the 
 world, and what has happened to the Church of Rome may 
 happen to us, if we are not careful, vigilant, prayerful, and res- 
 olute. 
 
 "I think it particularly my duty, since no one else has done 
 it, to hold up the attempt which you made against the rights 
 of a whole Conference, and, through them, against the rights 
 of a whole people — any one of whom would look as well med- 
 dling with your undoubted rights, as you did with theirs. I do, 
 sir, think it my duty to hold your conduct up to public view, 
 that all men may know what a genuine friend to the rights of 
 man you are, and how entirely republicanism governs all your 
 movements. The fame of this transaction shall float on the 
 winds of heaven, and the generations yet unborn shall hear the 
 wondrous deed. Verily, I say unto you, wheresoever our his- 
 tory is known, there shall this thing be mentioned, for a mem- 
 orial of Methodist Episcopal dictation ! 
 
 " But we return to your arguments. You oppose the Mutual 
 Rights, and you give as a reason for so doing that its discus- 
 sions will agitate the Church. If by agitating the Chui'ch you 
 mean that by reading the Mutual Rights a state of confusion, 
 of tumult and clamor will be produced, I think this may be 
 guarded against. Let those who write be temperate and ra- 
 tional, and so will those be who read ; for the feelings of the 
 reader are not apt, in general, to rise higher than those of the 
 writer. We do not wish to enlist the boisterous passions of our 
 people. We make our appeal to sober sense; we stand before 
 the bar of human reason to have our claim tried. We have as 
 much to fear from angry 2'>assions as our old-side brethren. 
 What blind, impetuous passion would never do for us, we think 
 enlightened reason will ; so that to agitate our people to their 
 injury is not our aim. If by agitating our people you mean 
 that the Mutual Rights will make them think for themselves; 
 will rouse them to inquire into the nature of our Church gov- 
 ernment; will excite them to ask of the General Conference 
 their long-neglected rights, I own that the Mutual Rights will 
 have such a tendency. And does this tendency of that work, 
 
timothy's address to the junior bishop. 141 
 
 this kind of agitation in our Cliurcli, alarm you? Is even sober 
 inquiry, on the part of oiir people, so terrifying to our Junior 
 Bishop? 0, my dear sir, let your present palpitations teach 
 you, if nothing else will, that all is not right in our Church 
 government; and that to assuage your fears, you must lessen 
 your power. Nothing is more alarming to men in your situa- 
 tion than even a just reaction of public feeling. Still, you 
 oppose the Mutual Ilights, for fear of agitating the people. 
 Did Luther, and Calvin, and Zuingle, and their coadjutors, feel 
 the force of this argument? Did they abandon their holy en- 
 terprise for fear of disturbing His Holiness in St. Peter's chair, 
 for fear of agitating the Church of Rome ? No, verily, they did 
 not; nor will we. 
 
 "I am inclined to think that no branch of the Christian 
 Church has, for several centuries, been in such a dilemma as 
 ours. We are in a strait between two — between 'agitating' 
 the Ghurch, on the one hand, (if calm discussion will agitate,) 
 and the bold march of ecclesiastical power on the other. If 
 we let power march on, the Church is ruined. If we attempt, 
 by our investigations, to arrest it in its course, the Church, it 
 seems, will be 'agitated.' Under a conviction that there is 
 some analogy between the natural and the moral world; that, 
 as the ebbing and flowing of the tide has a tendency to purify 
 the ocean, and that, as thunder-storms tend to purify the at- 
 mosphere which surrounds our earth, so, also, does the agi- 
 tating of the great political, ecclesiastical, philosophical, and re- 
 ligious questions, by which the attention of the community has, 
 now and then, been arrested, tend, more or less, to political, 
 ecclesiastical, philosophical, and moral purity. Under a convic- 
 tion of these things, I have been led to adopt my present 
 course, with a fixed determination to be troublesome to lovers 
 of power and prerogative so long as I live._ 
 
 " Your eflTorts, sir, at the close of the Conference, to silence 
 our investigations, and to tie us down to the present order of 
 things, were of no ordinary character. Your office gave you 
 influence, and you put forth all your strength. Your efi"ort 
 spoke volumes- It seemed to say, 'Let our power and prerog- 
 
142 RECOLLECTIOXS OF ITINERANT LITE. 
 
 atives alone ; let the people get to their burdens ; what have 
 they to do with making laws? To obey is enough for them — 
 aye, and more than they are willing to perform. We will not 
 let this people have their liberty ; if we do, they will only abuse 
 it. We rule them by a divine right, which ought not to be 
 examined or called in question. What do we care for Mos- 
 heim's account of the ancient order of things? The ministry 
 have all the power in the whole heaven and earth of Methodism, 
 and they ought to keep it unimpaired, and baud it down to their 
 successors. The preachers ought to say nothing before our peo- 
 ple, for they share our power with us ; let the people alone — do 
 not "agitate" them. Political liberty is desirable; but, in eccle- 
 siastical affairs the preachers are always supposed to be before 
 the people, and, therefore, have a right to rule them, by laws of 
 their own making.' What a lover of republican principle you 
 must be ! Surely no man in his senses would agitate the Church 
 for the purpose of changing this very agreeable order of 
 things ! ! ! 
 
 ''You told the Conference that not one in twenty of our 
 brethren desired a change; therefore no change would be given. 
 Granted. Let us have no alterations in our government until they 
 are desired by the people, provided, our people shall have had 
 proper opportunities to be suitably informed on the subject. 
 The reformers do not pretend that we are yet ripe for a change, 
 but they do insist upon it that we are ripe for examining the 
 subject in the light of open day; and if light can be cast upon 
 the subject, so that our people may see their rights, and ask for 
 them in a respectful way, we hope you will have the goodness 
 to yield them. You say the people shall not have their rights, 
 because they do not want them. This seems to say they shall 
 have their rights when they do want them. Thank you, sir, 
 for this concession in the people's favor. 
 
 " Time was when not more than one in twenty wanted Ju- 
 daism; wanted Christianity; wanted the reformation; wanted 
 Methodism. The odds against all these was fearful; but the 
 work went on, because it was of God. And so, I hope, will the 
 glorious enterprise in which we are engaged. So soon as our 
 
timothy's addkess to the junior bishop. 143 
 
 Chureli shall become sufficiently enlightened in lier ministry and 
 membership as properly to appreciate and understand her rights, 
 an overruling Providence will make our Zion free, and not before. 
 
 " But, my dear Bishop, you will pardon me if I can not 
 agree with you when you say not more than one in twenty 
 desire reform. You may sincerely think so, because you have 
 not the means of knowing any better ; you do not read the Mu- 
 tual Rights. Wherever you go, old-side men surround you. 
 They flatter you into the belief that reformers are very scarce 
 indeed. On the contrary, reformers, knowing they have very 
 little to expect from men in power, silently pass along, and you 
 know them not; they have no desire to provoke your opposi- 
 tion by declaring themselves reformers. If all such were known, 
 I am inclined to think you would change your opinion, and 
 mention another number — say one-fourth — and they on the in- 
 crease from day to day. 
 
 " As to your advice to ' be still and say nothing until we stand 
 on the floor of the General Conference,' I can only say that the 
 delegates for that body are yet unknown, and perhaps ai-range- 
 ments may be made, by caucusing or otherwise, to leave reform- 
 ers all at home. The like has been heard of* In such an 
 event, are we to be kept out of General Conference by strat- 
 agem, and forced into silence, too? This will -be very hard 
 indeed. A few such attempts have been made. They succeeded, 
 and a few more will make a new Church. Brethren ought to 
 be above stratagem when they select their delegates. Surely, 
 we are far gone after the mother of harlots when we can practice 
 pious frauds ! Every honest man should abandon the Church as 
 lie would abandon a sinking ship, so soon as she detei'mines on 
 carrying her measures by trick, stratagem, or pious fraud. It 
 is to be hoped that the Episcopacy will have nothing to do with 
 these things. If they do, I here advertise them, that they, and 
 not the reformers, must bear the blame, if commotions shall 
 ensue. 
 
 "Perhaps you will say, 'Cease to write for the Mutual Rights; 
 
 * Witness the Baltimore Conference at Winchester, 1824. 
 
144 RECOLLECTIOXS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 cease to circulate and read that work, and tlien we will abandon 
 our stratagems,' etc. And are old-side men serious iu asking 
 us to abandon our undoubted rights before they will refrain 
 from a systematic course of trick and stratagem? I hoj^e not. 
 It is our right to read the Mutual Rights, and to write for its 
 pages, if we choose. It is not the right of old-side brethren to 
 deal unfairly, to use trick and management, so as to defeat our 
 election to the Greneral Conference. 
 
 "I shall conclude by making two observations more on your 
 bold invasion of our rights. And, first, this opposition of yours 
 looked bad, as coming from a Bishop. Many advocates for the 
 high-handed measures of men iu power no doubt thought ex- 
 tremely well of the course which you adopted on that occasion. 
 Perhaps you had consulted with them, and were influenced by 
 them in all you did. If so, it would have been well for you if 
 your friends in council had been a little less impetuous, and a 
 little more under the influence of sober sense. You can not fail 
 to know that the power of the Bishops is one principal bone of 
 contention between reformers and old-side men, and that, so far 
 from producing any eflfect favorable to your views, you would 
 exhibit yourself to all present as a man pertinaciously cleaving 
 to power, authority, and prerogative. Every reformer, at least, 
 and perhaps old-side brethren, too, must have felt the following 
 sentiments spontaneously rising in their minds; viz.: the Bishop 
 has some fears for his power, or why all this exertion against 
 reform? Bishops and traveling preachers have all the power in 
 the government of our Zion, and this address plainly says that, 
 by the grace of God, or otherwise, they mean to keep it. A 
 love of power always marches onward, crying ' Give ! give !' And 
 men of great prerogatives are rarely known to yield them in 
 order to secure the general welfare. In short, sir, your hand 
 seemed to be against every man whose hand might be against 
 the episcopal and ministerial power of the Church. You took 
 your stand against all who would ask you for Christ's sake, for 
 the Church's sake, for peace sake, to let some of your eccle- 
 siastical power fall into other hands. 
 
 "I observe, in the last place, that your policy was unsound: 
 
timothy's address to the junioe, bishop. 145 
 
 you injured yovir own cause; you helped ours. Yes, reverend 
 sir, though you thouglit of no such thing, neither came it into 
 your heart; yet, in delivering your address, you certainly did a 
 very important service to the cause of reform. The mind of 
 man is naturally free; it can not be forced to surrender even 
 its errors, much less its undoubted rights. You only made 
 reformers more determined than they were before in pursuing 
 their glorious enterprise. You made others first sympathize with 
 them, then go over to the reformers. I could give their names. 
 According to the unalterable laws of human nature, the sym- 
 pathies of mankind will always be on the side of the injured 
 and oppressed, when such are contending amid many difficulties 
 for their native rights. Permit me, then, to inform you, sir, 
 that the reform will go on, it will succeed. Its germinating prin- 
 ciple can not be destroyed : the attempt has been made again 
 and again, in various places which we could name, and, instead 
 of injuring, such attempts have uniformly advanced our cause. 
 I have no advice to give you, except it be that you urge all the 
 other Bishops to enter upon a course of Conference address 
 opposition against reformers — aye, and all the Presiding Elders, 
 too — and if you can get all the old-side preachers who have 
 charge of circuits and stations to join with you, so .much the 
 better for us. The wrath of man shall praise the Lord, shall 
 defeat your own designs, shall work for our good. Opposition 
 will keep alive debate, and will wake up slumbering thousands 
 to habits of sober inquiry after truth. They again will, as 
 freemen always should, communicate it, as they learn it, until 
 in reference to our Church government we shall all know the 
 truth, and the truth shall make us free. 
 
 "I conclude as I began, without any quarrel against your 
 person, talents or piety ; and if I have been severe, I hope you 
 will pardon me, and so will the public, when they remember 
 that I write on no ordinary occasion. Our liberties had been 
 touched, and manly resistance was deemed to be indispensably 
 necessary. Very respectfully, yours, etc., 
 
 " Timothy, 
 
 "November, 1826." 
 
146 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 The question may well be asked, why did Bishop Hedding 
 deliver the address to which the foregoing is a reply? He 
 acted in that case either as a Christian minister or as an execu- 
 tive officer of the Church. If he acted as a Christian minister, 
 then where in the Holy Scriptures can a single text be found 
 to justify a Christian Bishop in an effort to obstruct the right 
 of free discussion, by the ministers and members of the Church 
 over which he presides, of the propriety and importance of a 
 change in the government so as tonntroduce lay delegation? No 
 such text can be found; Scriptural authority is wanting. If he 
 acted, in delivering that address to the Conference, as an execu- 
 tive officer of the Church, then what law of the Church was he 
 executing? No law of the Methodist Episcopal Church can be 
 found binding it on Bishops to deliver addresses to the Annual 
 Conferences in opposition to a free discussion of ecclesiastical 
 questions. "Timothy's Address to the Junior Bishop" was 
 written because, in his heart, the writer did believe that no law 
 of Church or State, human or divine, did justify the Bishop's 
 address in opposition to the free discussion of the lay repre- 
 sentation question. To "oversee," according to Bishop McKen- 
 dree's doctrine, meant to "overrule;" yet this "overseeing" and 
 "overruling" should be according to the Scriptures and the 
 laws of the Church ; otherwise, episcopal action is neither more 
 nor less than despotism. 
 
 When the address to the Junior Bishop appeared in the Mu- 
 tual Eights, Rev. Timothy Merrit rode fifteen miles (as Bishop 
 George informed me, in 1827,) to show it to Mr. Hedding. 
 After reading it carefully through, he laid it down, and said, 
 with tears in his eyes, " Now, Timothy, I am done. Grod knows 
 I never did want to be a Bishop." I had drawn legitimate in- 
 ferences from Mr. Hedding's points of opposition to reform, 
 which gave him great pain, and afforded me no pleasure, but a 
 just defense of a righteous cause demanded that these infer- 
 ences should be drawn. No monarchical aristocracy was ever 
 yet reformed without giving pain to men in power ; and reform- 
 ers have always been made to suffer by those in authority. 
 
 Not long after this there was a convention of the Bishops in 
 
CONVENTION OF BISHOPS IN BALTIMORE. 147 
 
 Baltimore. What the object of the convention was I can not 
 say, as its designs and doings were never made public. But 
 certain things followed which may have been devised and ar- 
 ranged in that convention. The case of Rev. D. B. Dorsey — • 
 who, for recommending the Mutual Rights to a friend, had 
 fallen under the displeasure of the authorities — was to be man- 
 aged. A plan was to be laid to crush the Mutual Rights or 
 expel its editors. The real name of the author of Timothy's 
 Address to the Junior Bishop was to be demanded. No doubt 
 as fixed a determination at that time existed among the Bishops 
 to crush the lay delegation movement in the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, as did exist among the Jewish high-jDriests to crush 
 Christianity in its origin, by the crucifixion of its Author. The 
 high-priests failed of their object, and Christianity was spread 
 through the nations. So, the Bishops failed to effect their ob- 
 ject, and lay delegation, after severe persecution, has found a 
 home in the Methodist Protestant Church, where its practical 
 utility is fully demonstrated. The principle is from God, who 
 made all men for freedom in the Church as well as in the State. 
 This principle now acts in the inside of the Methodist Episco- 
 pal Church as a powerful leaven, not easily removed; and on 
 the outside by a very strong pressure, derived in part from the 
 Methodist Protestant Church, but mainly from American re- 
 publican feeling. That Church, to save herself from rinnous 
 convulsions and divisions, will yet have to adopt lay delegation. 
 
 As God intends out of the Jews and the Gentiles to make 
 one Church, when the Jews embrace Christianity, so I think he 
 will out of the Episcopal and Protestant Methodists make one 
 free and powerful Church, when our Methodist Episcopal breth- 
 ren embrace lay delegation. But before that event occurs, the 
 old warriors on both sides will all be gathered to their fathers ; 
 none but a new race will be found worthy to enter into the land 
 of promise, and enjoy all the immunities of a free ecclesiastical 
 government. Here and there a Caleb and a Joshua may be 
 found on each side of this controversy — men of great virtue and 
 long life, who will, at the end of about forty years, go up and 
 possess the land. 
 
148 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 The following is the note of Bishop Hedding to the chairman 
 of the Editorial Committee, demanding the proper name of the 
 author of Timothy's Address, etc. 
 
 " Baltimore, April 6, 1827. 
 " Reverend and Dear Sir : 
 
 " There is a pj'ece in the ' Mutual Rights,' vol. iii, page 
 108, entitled, ' Timothy's Address to the Junior Bishop,' etc., 
 which I consider unjust, a misrepresentation throughout of an 
 address I made to the Pittsburgh Conference, and a vile slander 
 on my character. My object in addressing you as one of the 
 Editorial Committee of that work is to request of said com- 
 mittee, through you, the proper name of the author of said ad- 
 dress, whose signature is ' Timothy.' You will oblige me by 
 giving me the names of the committee. Please send your an- 
 swer to Mr. John T. Kepler's as early as convenient, at furthest 
 in this week. 
 
 "Respectfully, yours, etc., 
 
 '• Elijah Hedding. 
 "Rev. Dr. S. K. Jennings." 
 
 It may be justly doubted whether, in the excitement of the 
 times, Mr. Hedding fully weighed the meaning of his note de- 
 manding my name. It affirms of my "piece" three things: 
 First, the "piece," in all its parts, is "unjust." Secondly, 
 throughout every line and every sentence of my "piece," it is a 
 "misrepresentation" of his "address." Thirdly, the whole of 
 my "piece," taken together, is "a vile slander" on the Bishop's 
 "character." 
 
 I had represented Mr. Hedding as opposing the lay delega- 
 tion reform, as discussed in the Mutual Rights. But in his 
 note he affirms that my entire "piece" is "unjust, a misrepre- 
 sentation throughout, and a vile slander on his character." 
 Now, if this be so, it will clearly and logically follow that ho 
 did not oppose reform, as advocated in the Mutual Rights, at 
 all, and that it is " injustice, misrepresentation, and vile slan- 
 der" to say he did. Of course, too, it would follow, from his 
 note, that the Bishop was a very great friend to the lay dele- 
 
REPLY TO BISHOP HEDDIXg's NOTE. 149 
 
 gation movement of that day, and by no means opposed to the 
 discussion of that question in the Mutual Rights. 
 
 The Bishop did not mean all this, yet his very strange note 
 very fairly affords these inferences. His note sounds like the 
 clarion of war. My name is demanded — if we judge from the 
 tone of the note — not for argument, but for punishment. The 
 spirit of his epistle is quite belligerent, and seems to lack the 
 meekness and gentleness of Jesus, together with exact truth, as 
 we shall see hereafter. 
 
 The Editorial Committee declined surrendering the name of 
 the author of Timothy's Address until they had time to for- 
 ward Mr. Hedding's note to me, and receive my answer. On 
 the receipt of that note, I felt profoundly amazed that a Chris- 
 tian Bishop, now that the dark ages had passed away, should 
 write in such a harsh and warlike manner. My calculation 
 was, that I shoiild immediately be arrested and tried in an 
 ecclesiastical court for my Address to the Junior Bishop. So, 
 resolving to meet the case squarely, and in a Christian spirit, I 
 surrendered my name. The following letter was written, on 
 that occasion, to the chairman of the Editorial Committee : 
 
 '•Steubenville, April 15, 1827. 
 " Dear Brother: 
 
 " Your communication of the 6th inst. now lies before me. 
 You are at perfect liberty to make known to Bishop Hedding 
 the proper name of the author of Timothy's iVddress. I have 
 no time for consultation with any of the reformers in this re- 
 gion, but my judgment is in accordance with yours, as to the 
 propriety of giving the name. Timothy's Address is all my 
 own, in matter, form, language, etc. As to its being unjust, a 
 slanderous misrepresentation of the Bishop's address to the 
 Pittsburgh Conference, that remains to be made out hereafter. 
 
 I have a letter from brother , who heard the Bishop's 
 
 address, giving my paper his unqualified approbation; another 
 from brother , to the same effect, only he thinks Timo- 
 thy's remarks, in some places, a little too satirical ; another 
 from brother , agreeing precisely with the others — all 
 
150 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 members of tlie Conference. In short, no brother of either 
 side who heard the Bishop's address, and has read Timothy, 
 has ventured to say (that I have heard of) that my piece con- 
 tains any thing unjust, slanderous, or in the form of misrepre- 
 sentation. 
 
 " My reliance is on Grod and the Pittsburgh Conference, 
 Surely you, my dear brother, will not easily believe that I 
 slandered the Bishop, when I was aware that seventy-five 
 preachers could with one voice contradict me if I did; at least 
 1 could not, without having lost my senses first, and I think I 
 was sane when that address was written. I shall need support- 
 ing grace, that I may meet this trial in the spirit of a Chris- 
 tian and a reformer. I do not intend to go back from what I 
 have written, unless the Conference shall clearly convince me 
 that I misunderstood the Bishop. I know not what is before 
 me, but am of the opinion that even the sufferings of those 
 who labor in liberty's holy cause will be glorious in the eyes 
 of the American people. If I ftill, do you stand to your posts, 
 and God will be with you ; and let us all commit ourselves to 
 his keeping, as unto a faithful Creator. 
 
 " George Brown. 
 'Dr. S. K. Jennings." 
 
 The Editorial Committee at that time deemed it proper to 
 withhold the names of the brethren referred to in the foreffo- 
 
 o 
 
 ing letter. A. Shinn, H. B. Bascom, and T. M. Hudson are 
 the men — all good witnesses in such a case. 
 
 Here, then, was full liberty given to the Editorial Commit- 
 tee to surrender my name, and it was accordingly done, as the 
 following note will show: 
 
 "Baltimore, Maij 2, 1827. 
 
 "Reverend and Dear Sir: 
 
 " According to our promise, made 7th of April, we have cor- 
 responded with the brother who forwarded the ' piece ' published 
 in the Mutual Rights, entitled ' Timothy's Address to the Jun- 
 ior Bishop,' and have obtained for answer that we are at per- 
 fect liberty to make known to Bishop Hedding the proper 
 
REV. H. B. BASCOM'S TESTIMONY. '151 
 
 name of the author of Timothy's Address. We therefore now, 
 with all cheerfulness, inform you that the Rev. George Brown, 
 of the Pittsburgh Conference, is the author. 
 
 "Respectfully yours, etc., 
 
 "S. K. Jennings, 
 " Chairman Editorial Committee Mutual Rights. 
 "Rev. E. IIedding." 
 
 Here, then, over our own names, through the medium of the 
 Mutual Rights, Bishop Hedding and I were brought before the 
 public in open conflict: he charging me with injustice, mis- 
 representation, and vile slander, and demanding name ; and 1 
 giving up my real name, in expectation of all the pains and 
 penalties of which he might be able to prove me worthy in an 
 ecclesiastical court. If such a court had been called by the 
 Bishop, or his proxy, I was always ready to answer to his 
 charges and meet my responsibilities. To call me out, in so 
 public a manner, and under so foul a charge, and then give me 
 no chance for a hearing before a legally constituted Church 
 court, so as to relieve myself from the infamy which his note 
 to the committee had heaped upon me, was neither kind, fair, 
 nor just. Why did the Bishop do this thing? Having pub- 
 licly charged me with doing him injustice, misrepresenting, and 
 slandering him, would not moral justice require him to make 
 that charge good before a proper tribunal, or else withdraw it 
 altogether ? The charge, with all its blackness and darkness, 
 was left hanging upon me, and I was never brought to trial. 
 Why was this? I strongly suspect that the Bishop had his 
 doubts about being able to prove against me, by any witnesses 
 to be found within the bounds of the Pittsburgh Conference, 
 the charge of injustice, misrepresentation, and vile slander; so, 
 he cautiously avoided a legal investigation. 
 
 In this state of suspense, to shield my reputation, I requested 
 Revs. H. B. Basoom and John Waterman to say, through the 
 Mutual Rights, without consulting me, what they thought of 
 the truthfulness of Timothy's Address. The following is the 
 testimony of Mr. Bascom. (See Mutual Rights, vol. iii, p. 274.) 
 
152 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 "To THE Editorial Committee: 
 
 '■'■Gentlemen — L have been recently favored -witli a copy of 
 Bishop Heddiug's letter, of the 6th inst., to the chairman of 
 the Editorial Committee of the Mutual Rights, demanding the 
 real name of the author of Timothy's Address to the Junior 
 Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, together with a 
 request from the writer of Timothy that I would say to you, 
 ■without consulting him, what I think of the accuracy of his 
 address and the correctness of Bishop Hedding's letter. With- 
 out the least hesitancy, therefore, I sit in haste to report to 
 you what, at this distance of time, is my recollection of the 
 case. I heard the address of Bishop Hedding with great in- 
 terest, and not without some alarm, apprehensive that it might 
 lead, as the present state of things evinces, to unpleasant eon- 
 sequences. Some time after, I saw Timothy's Address. I read 
 it with great care, and in view of the probable effect it would 
 have upon the public mind. My impression then was, and it 
 remains unchanged, that every thing material in the address 
 was correctly reported. I have conversed with many preach- 
 ers who were present when the address was delivered, and who 
 have read Timothy, and they all agree that, so far as matter 
 of fact is concerned, the writer will be sustained in his state- 
 ments. I have the opinion of several preachers decidedly op- 
 posed to reform — and among them Presiding Elders — who think 
 the charge of injustice, misrepresentation, and slander against 
 Timothy will result more to the disadvantage of the plaintiff 
 than the defendant in this affair. Bishop Hedding is respect- 
 able for worth and talent, and so is the writer of Timothy, and 
 I regret exceedingly the present misunderstanding between 
 them; but it would seem 'offenses must needs come.' In the 
 present instance, I confine myself to my recollection of the 
 facts, without deciding ' by whom the offense cometh.' 
 
 "One thing I am certain of: that any high-handed authori- 
 tative attempt to sujjpress or discourage free inquiry, on the 
 subject of Church government, in this Conference, will be re- 
 sisted with the great weight of its talent and a large number 
 of its members. Beformers, so far as I know them, are willing 
 
REV. JOHN waterman's TESTIMONY. 153 
 
 to incur the usual tax laid on reformers in Churcli autl State 
 (the displeasure and hard speeches of the reigning ministry) ; 
 but when this opposition extends to persecution and legal disa- 
 bility, my impression is, they will assert their rights with be- 
 coming firmness. If they are put down, it must be by argument 
 and fair discussion, and I have heard the principal ones among 
 them repeatedly declare that they consider the use of any other 
 weapons of warfare cowardly and disgraceful, and in this opin- 
 ion it is likely the good sense of mankind will concur. Thus, 
 gentlemen, you have my statement, and when it becomes nec- 
 essary my name shall be forthcoming. 
 
 " A Member oe the Pittsburgh Conference." 
 
 The following testimony of Rev. John Waterman, who was 
 not in Conference when Bishop Hedding delivered his address, 
 is chiefly valuable as reporting faithfully what other members 
 of the Conference reported to him: 
 
 " To THE Editorial Committee : 
 
 ^^ Dear Brethren — I have just seen a copy of Bishop Bed- 
 ding's letter, addressed to you, demanding the name of the au- 
 thor of an address to him, signed Timothy. I am not a little 
 surprised that the Bishop should say that Timothy has mis- 
 represented him throughout, and that it is a vile slander. I 
 was not in the Conference at the time when the Bishoj) ad- 
 dressed the brethren on the subject of reform; but this address 
 was immediately reported to me by men of intelligence and 
 faithful memories, who gave me to understand that the Bishop 
 had recommended to the preachers not to agitate the subject 
 of Church government among the people, and not to support 
 the Mutual Bights. He said that the Greneral Conference was 
 the place to discuss these subjects; that he was friendly to re- 
 form so far as the election of Presiding Elders, and no further ; 
 that the liberty called for by the reformers, in the Mutual 
 Rights, could not be granted, for many reasons, one only of 
 which he stated, and that was, the people did not want it. 
 Since Timothy appeared, I have frequently conversed with 
 10 
 
154 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 preacliers of different sentiments on Churcli politics, and have 
 never heard Timothy charged with misrepresenting the Bishop. 
 "I have lately heard two Presiding Elders, both old-side 
 men, say that they thought the Bishop's address improper, and 
 an infringement on the liberties of the brethren; and one of 
 them, a man of science, concluded by saying that he had in- 
 tended to have addressed the Bishop himself on the impropri- 
 ety of his Conference address, if Timothy had not done it." — 
 Mutual Rights, vol. iii, p. 27-i. 
 
 This "man of science" was Kev. Charles Elliott. So Mr. 
 Waterman informed this writer, at the Conference in Steuben- 
 ville, in 1827. Dr. Elliott, now the editor of the Central Chris- 
 tian Advocate, is the gentleman alluded to, and there is at least 
 one witness living who heard him say the same thing. From 
 this I infer that the Bishop's address was a little too strong 
 for his own friends. No wonder, then, that the friends of re- 
 form had their objections to it. Had it been a political ad- 
 dress, delivered by some high officer of the civil government, 
 in the hearing of Bishop Hedding, no doubt he would have 
 stood in the front rank of objectors, and sounded the alarm 
 that our civil rights were in danger. But I infer from the do- 
 ings of the clergy in all past ages that the right of free discus- 
 sion is as valuable to the Church as it is to the State, and that it 
 is as much my duty to advocate free discussion in the Church 
 as it is in the State, for the Church of Christ, the "Jerusalem 
 which is above is [or should be] free." 
 
 How changed are things now from what they once were ! 
 So far as I am informed, at the time of this writing, all the 
 Bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church are in favor of 
 discussing, in all their Church papers, the propriety of intro- 
 ducing lay delegation. May be our sufferings have helped to 
 gain the people this liberty. 
 
 The following testimonials were sent to me in Steubenville, 
 and were afterward published in the Mutual Eights : 
 
TESTIMONY OF REV. ASA SIIINN. 155 
 
 REV. ASA SHINN's TESTIMONY. 
 
 "Dear Brethren: 
 
 " I am pre^oared to testify that, at the close of our last Pitts- 
 bui-gh Annual Conference, Bishop Hecldiug did deliver an ad- 
 dress in opposition to reform; that, in my judgment, he did 
 take advantage of reformers on that occasion, and gave no one 
 an opportunity to reply; that he did oppose our preachers 
 and people having any thing to do with the discussions of Mu- 
 tual Rights, and stated his opinion that the time of General 
 Conference was the only proper time to discuss such subjects; 
 that he did say lay delegation was inexpedient, inasmuch as 
 our members in general did not desire it ; and that he did 
 advise us to be quiet, and let such subjects alone, until we 
 should get on the floor of the General Conference, where we 
 should have a full right to express our sentiments and argu- 
 ments, either verbally or in writing." 
 
 This testimony is full and clear, and to the point in every 
 particular. Such a witness, so high in intellect, so unimpeach- 
 able in moral and religious character, would be deemed worthy 
 of credit in any court under heaven. The same may be said 
 of the preceding witnesses. 
 
 We will now introduce the testimony of a lawyer of Wash- 
 ington, Pennsylvania, who had heard Bishop Hedding's ad- 
 dress, and had read Timothy. Thomas Morgan is his name. 
 
 " Dear Sir : 
 
 " While I feel extreme regret that any thing has transpired 
 which can, in however remote degree, require a statement from 
 me, under the circumstances to which I have referred, yet, when 
 reputation is at stake, it would, it appears to me, be a fastidious 
 and reprehensible delicacy and in violation of the golden rule, 
 'Do unto others as ye would they should do unto you,' to with- 
 hold the statement you require. In unequivocal terms, there- 
 fore, I do not for a single moment hesitate to attest that, in my 
 opinion, Timothy has not treated Bishop Hedding unjustly, 
 misrepresented or slandered him in the statement of facts." 
 
156 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 Mr. Morgan, I believe, is still living, and is a gentleman of 
 higli standing in the community — every way qualified, by intel- 
 ligence and moral character, to be a competent witness in such 
 a case. 
 
 REV. JOSHUA Monroe's testimony. 
 
 " I was present at the Conference in Washington when 
 Bishop Hedding addressed the preachers on the subject of re- 
 form. I have also read ' Timothy's Address to the Junior 
 Bishop,' and, after a calm deliberation, I think I am prepared 
 to say that, if I understand the meaning of ■ terms, Timothy has 
 fairly represented the Bishop's adclress, and has done him no 
 injustice, and is not guilty of slander, unless plain truth bears 
 that appellation." 
 
 Mr. Monroe is still living, and has been in the ministry over 
 fifty years. He now holds a superannuated relation to the Pitts- 
 burgh Conference, and has a first-rate moral and ministerial 
 standing among his brethren. His testimony would be taken 
 in any court. 
 
 testimony op rev. thomas m. hudson. 
 "Dear Brother: 
 
 " In reply to your inquiries, I have only to say that I was 
 present and heard Bishop Hedding's address in Washington. 
 I have read 'Timothy's Address to the Junior Bishop,' and am 
 of opinion that it is correct, as to the statement of facts ; and 
 there is nothing unjust, no misrepresentation, and nothing in 
 the form of slander, contained in the whole piece." 
 
 Mr. Hudson is still living, an active laborer in the Pitts- 
 burgh Conference. He is a man of high and holy standing 
 among his brethren — every way qualified to understand the 
 subject on which he gives testimony. 
 
 As all the testimonials (eighteen in number) agree in char- 
 acter with the foregoing, it is deemed unnecessary to introduce 
 them here. They were all obtained in view of a legal investi- 
 gation; and when it became probable no ecclesiastical court 
 
REASONS FOE PRESENT SELF-DEFENSE. 157 
 
 would be called in ttc case, I published, in tbe Mutual Riglits, 
 the testimonials now introduced, and a few others, in self- 
 defense against Bishop Hedding's charge of injustice, misrep- 
 resentation, and slander. 
 
 Dr. Clark,* in his "Life and Times of Bishop Hedding," has 
 made it necessary to reproduce them, and give this matter a 
 more thorough overhauling. My reputation is worth more than 
 money to me and to the Methodist Protestant Church, and with 
 the help of facts, and the help of Grod, I mean to defend myself 
 before I go and stand before ' my Judge. An honest man's 
 character does not often need defense against the assaults of 
 private enemies. Such enemies generally do themselves more 
 harm than any body else.. But where public official action 
 wrongs a man, and that wrong passes into history, then self- 
 defense becomes a duty which no friend of truth and righteous- 
 ness will allow himself to neglect. If my defense shall lead me 
 to bring out some of the things of darkness, which I had hoped 
 to have left in the shades forever, what will be said? What 
 can be said? Simply this: self-defense required me to bring 
 them out. 
 
 *Tliis gcDtleman is now one of the Bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 
158 RECOLLECTIOXS OF ITINEEANT LIFE. 
 
 CHAPTEK IX. 
 
 Lettee from Bishop George— His Conciliatoky Efforts— Concessions to the Pitts- 
 burgh Conference— Passage of My Character— Private Interview between 
 Bishop George, H. B. Bascom, A. Shinn, and Myself- Letter Published in the 
 Mutual Rights, Signed " Plain Dealing "—The General Conference of 182S — Mr. 
 Shinn's Eloquent Speech in Favor of the Restoration of D. B. Dorsey and 
 W. C. Pool— Bishop Hedding and Myself before the Committee on Episcopacy- 
 Decision OF THE Committee— My Defense. 
 
 In tlie summer of 1827, while strong measures were being 
 taken in the Baltimore Conference against reformers, and prep- 
 arations for ecclesiastical action against the Editorial Committee 
 were likewise being made, Bishop George addressed a letter to 
 Revs. A. Shinn, H. B. Bascom, and myself, jointly, designating 
 us as being at the head of the reform movement in the Pitts- 
 burgh Conference. This letter was written in a friendly tone, 
 indicating, however, great solicitude of mind, and containing 
 entreaties, expostulations, and warnings of danger ahead, not 
 only to ourselves, but to the Pittsburgh Conference, if we per- 
 severed in our efforts to reform the government of the Church. 
 Mr. Shinn sent a copy of this letter to Mr. Bascom, and another 
 to me, with notes on all the leading points, and kept the orig- 
 inal himself. As to the "danger ahead," neither of us could 
 fully understand what it meant. We might either or all of us 
 be arrested and brought to trial according to the plan of doing 
 business in the Baltimore Conference; but how could the Pitts- 
 burgh Conference be in danger? This was a mysterious inti- 
 mation of something we could not fully comprehend. As to 
 myself, I took occasion to look forward to an account which I 
 would, in all probability, have to give at our approaching Con- 
 ference, for Timothy's Address to the Junior Bishop. Yet the 
 letter did not single me out personally for punishment, and 
 
CONCILIATORY EFFORTS OF BISHOP GEORGE. 159 
 
 gave no intimation of any thing of an unkind character toward 
 either of us. So matters stood until the Conference in Steu- 
 benville ; and Shinn and Bascom and I kept all these things, 
 and pondered them in our hearts, wondering what the "danger 
 ahead" to ourselves and to the Pittsburgh Conference could 
 mean. 
 
 About ten days before Conference, Bishop George arrived in 
 Steubenville. He seemed to be in fine spirits, and was pleasant 
 and agreeable in conversation. After attending a camp-meeting 
 in JeiFerson County, he returned to town and spent a day with 
 me in talking over the matters at issue between Bishop Hed- 
 ding and myself. He assumed, as I understood him, to act for 
 Mr. Hedding, who, as he said, could not be present. He wished 
 to have an understanding of the whole matter from first to last. 
 So, to be entirely private, we rej)aired to a beautiful shade on 
 the bank of the Ohio River, and there we overhauled Timothy's 
 Address, and spent the day (save the dinner hour) in very 
 friendly, earnest conversation. The address of Bishop Hed- 
 ding, my reply, the demand for my name, the testimonials 
 given me by the preachers, the publication of some of them in 
 the Mutual Rights, and the propriety of an amicable adjustment 
 in terms honorable to the parties concerned, were all under 
 consideration. 
 
 The Bishop said, at last, if I " would only make suitable 
 concessions — when my character was under examination before 
 the Conference — to be forwarded by him to Mr. Hedding, the 
 matter could easily be adjusted." I then informed him that "I 
 could not concede any of the facts ; they were all susceptible of 
 proof, as he had seen from my testimonials ; but I was willing to 
 admit, the whole ease taken into consideration, that in my 
 address there was an unnecessary severity of language, a kind 
 of familiar disrespect, which should have been avoided in an 
 address to an aged Bishop." " Come, now," said Bishop Geol'ge, 
 "can you not admit something more?" "That is all," said I; 
 "my facts are provable, and I shall never give them up." One 
 of us (I forget which) then proposed an amicable reference of 
 the matter to five of the preachers — he to choose two, and I two 
 
160 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 others, and these four to choose a fifth — by whose advice I should 
 be governed in the concessions to be made. This arrangement 
 was agreed upon, and we then returned home. When the Con- 
 ference came on, Bishop George chose (if I remember right) 
 Revs. T. Fleming and C. Elliott, and I chose Revs. A. Shinn 
 and H. B. Bascom ; and these four chose Rev. J. Waterman. 
 Here, then, we had an advisory council elected fi-om both sides 
 of the controversy. These brethren (save Waterman) had heard 
 the address of Bishop Hedding ; they had also read Timothy, 
 and were well qualified to give advice in such a case. They 
 all agreed, after mature deliberation, that it was not due to 
 Bishop Hedding for me to admit any ^^ injustice," '^'■misrepresent- 
 ation" or "slander" in the statement of facts. But as to tho 
 severity of the language used in Timothy's Address, conc^irision.s 
 were due to Mr. Hedding. So, on this basis, Rev. A. Shmu, at 
 my request, did then and there draw up a paper containing all 
 the concessions deemed by them to be due to Bishop Hedding. 
 To this paper I attached my name, and read it in open Confer- 
 ence when my character was under examination. The follow- 
 ing is the paper : 
 
 " Having understood that some of my brethren are dissatisfied 
 with me as the author of an address to the junior Bishop, 
 signed Timothy, I cheerfully avail myself of an opportunity to 
 offer a few remarks to the Conference on that subject. My 
 object in doing so is to assure my brethren that, for peace' sake, 
 I am willing to enter into measures of pacification. And that 
 I may not be misled by my feelings, and to prevent any future 
 misunderstanding on this subject, I have thovight proper to place 
 my present views and sentiments on paper. 
 
 "Peace is my object. I concede, therefore, that in two par- 
 ticulars in relation to Bishop Hedding I have erred, and failed 
 to select the most excellent way. In the first place, considering 
 the age and standing of Bishop Hedding, and my own youth 
 and relation to the Church, I think it more proper for me to 
 have conversed with the Bishop, or written to him for the pur- 
 pose of explanation, before I published. This seems to have 
 
PASSAGE OF MY CHARACTER. 161 
 
 been required by tbe law of brotherly love and Christian usage. 
 I admit and regret my error in this particular. Secondly, I 
 also concede that in some reflections and inferences in my 
 address I was unnecessarily severe, and that the asperity should 
 have been avoided, as tending to disagreeable results and unpleas- 
 ant excitements. This I also regret ;. for, although I thought, at 
 the time, that my severity was justified by the circumstances, 
 yet I now believe a more mild and cautious manner would have 
 been preferable. 
 
 "I will further concede that I may have misconceived the 
 meaning of Bishop Hedding in some instances, and hence may 
 have made an application of his positions beyond what he 
 intended ; but if this was the case, it was an inadvertency ; no 
 unfairness of construction was intended by me, and no departure 
 from principle, truth, and justice. Nevertheless, I do not admit 
 the charge by Bishop Ileddiug of '■injustice^' '■ misrej)resentation,^ 
 and '■ slander J 
 
 "After mature reflection, I ofi"er these explanations to the 
 Conference as due to Bishop Hedding, to them, and to myself, 
 and as required by the ties of our common brotherhood, Chris- 
 tian courtesy, and the pacific principles of our holy religion. 
 
 " GrEO. Brown." 
 
 The next day, when my name was called in Conference by 
 Bishop George, I arose in my place and distinctly read the 
 foregoing paper. When done, I remained standing for a little 
 time, waiting for objections; but, as none were made, the Bishop 
 instructed me to retire. While I was out. Bishop George, as I 
 was informed, said many good things in my favor, having knov^n 
 me from the commencement of my labors in the ministry. For 
 this kindness of the Bishop I felt thankful. Bishop George, 
 like the Saviour, came not into the world to destroy men's lives, 
 but to save them. Having diligently inquired into this whole 
 matter, while at Conference, he appeared to agree with my 
 advisers, that I had conceded to Bishop Hedding enough in the 
 paper read in Conference. My character was then ofiieially 
 passed by that body, with a refusal on my part to admit Bishop 
 
162 RECOLLECTIONS OP ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 Hedding's cliarge of "injustice," "misrepresentation," and "vile 
 slander." 
 
 The members of the Pittsburgh Conference, at their session 
 in Washington the preceding year, had heard Bishop Hedding's 
 address; they had read Timothy, and had likewise seen the 
 note of Mr. Hedding demanding my name, and were not willing 
 officially to sustain his charge. How could they be willing to 
 do such a thing? To say officially, in the sight of Grod, that a 
 charge so broad, so all-comprising, and so foul, was true, could 
 not be done by that body of ministers. That Timothy's entire 
 "piece" was "unjust" to Mr. Hedding; that the whole "piece" 
 "throughout" was a "misrepresentation" of his address; that 
 the whole "piece," taken together, was a "vile slander" on his 
 "character," were distinct propositions which neither my ad- 
 visory council nor the Conference could in conscience sustain 
 against me. So there the matter rested, and I felt thankful to 
 God and the Conference for sustaining me in the dark hour of 
 trial. All through this trial I felt it to be a fearful matter to 
 be in conflict with a Bishop ; to have all his weight of character 
 and influence against me. I saw, also, among the brethren, a 
 great tenderness toward Bishop Hedding's character; yet that 
 tenderness, which I could not blame, did not sway their judg- 
 ment; they relieved me of the terrible weight of the Bishop's 
 charge, in obedience to their clearest views of justice in the 
 case. 
 
 In relation to the paper read in Conference, it will be proper 
 to observe that, standing pledged to be governed, as to conces- 
 sions, by my advisers, I yielded a little more than I did to 
 Bishop George. I did it, not from conviction of moral obliga- 
 tion, but for "peace' sake." In this thing I allowed my breth- 
 ren to judge for me. Bishop Hedding did not consult the 
 Conference as to the propriety of his address against reform, 
 the time when it should be delivered, the manner how, or any 
 thing about it, but gave it to us at the close of the Conference, 
 leaving no opportunity for any one to reply. Under these cir- 
 cumstances, I did not feel myself bound, in moral justice, to 
 consult him by "conversing with him," or "writing to him," as 
 
LETTER PUBLISHED IN THE MUTUAL RIGHTS. 163 
 
 to the time or place, or manner, of my reply. In all this I felt 
 entitled to equal rights with the Bishop. Especially did I feel 
 so, as he had stepped outside of all law, civil, ecclesiastical, and 
 divine, when he made that address against reform, as discussed 
 in the Mutual Rights. 
 
 In the progress of affairs at the Conference in Steubenville, 
 Bishop George invited A. Shinn, H. B. Bascom, and myself to 
 his room, and there, in great earnestness and yet with Christian 
 tenderness, he breathed out all that was in his soul against our 
 reform movements. To him lay delegation was ruin to the 
 Church. To me the good old man did appear to be most re- 
 ligiously sincere. At last he said there did exist a determina- 
 tion — but he did not say where — to dissolve the Pittsburgh 
 Conference, at the ensuing General Conference, if we, and the 
 other brethren in the Conference known as reformers, did not 
 cease to agitate the Church on the lay delegation question. The 
 Bishop thought lay delegation would be ruin to the Church. 
 We thought that to admit the laity to a just participation with 
 the preachers in every department of the government would 
 be a ground of general prosperity to our community. So, with- 
 out making him any promise to give up the cause of reform, 
 the interview was closed, and we now understood for the first 
 time what was meant in the Bishop's letter, previously received, 
 concerning "danger ahead to the Pittsburgh Conference." 
 
 The following communication, said to have been written by 
 Mr. Bascom, and published in the Mutual Rights, vol. iv, p. 91, 
 will indicate the kind of feeling produced by this threat to dis- 
 solve the Pittsburgh Conference in the minds of reformers. It 
 is dated September, 1827, and signed "Plain Dealing." 
 
 " Messrs. Editors : 
 
 " There is a measure in contemplation which I think proper 
 to make known. It came from one of our Bishops, and the 
 witnesses are eight or ten in number. It is a determination to 
 dissolve the Pittsburgh Annual Conference, at the next General 
 Conference, should its members persist in their attachment to 
 the principles of reform. Now, in my judgment, there is more 
 
164 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITKERANT LIFE. 
 
 want of principle, more deliberate cruelty in this hard-hearted, 
 unjustifiable measure of oppression, than in all the petty deeds 
 of persecution with which our modern journals have been 
 stained. Merciful God ! are these the only weapons Christian 
 Bishops and their ministerial dependants can use to extermin- 
 ate error ! I heard it with regret, I write it with sorrow ; but 
 it is due to the Methodist public that it should be known. 
 
 " The territory embraced by the Pittsburgh Conference sup- 
 ports a population of several hundred tnbusand. There are 
 nearly ninety traveling preachers belonging to the Conference, 
 and some of them inferior to none in the United States. But 
 all this avails nothing ; reform must go down, right or wrong, 
 and hence the meditated blow at the very existence of the Con- 
 ference ! Other measures of a similar kind are in contempla- 
 tion, and as I have collected a large number of facts in relation 
 to these things, you may hear from me again. It may yet be 
 seen what share a Methodist Bisho]) can take in the persecu- 
 tions now going on in Baltimore. I have also had my eye on 
 the movements of a few individuals in that city who have been 
 forming alliances, that I may be compelled to expose, not much 
 to their credit, in order to aifect injuriously the reputation of 
 reformers. If private character must be assailed in this con- 
 troversy, let the inquisition extend to a few of the blustering 
 dupes of the artful and designing in your city, and it will be 
 found that they are not quite so invulnerable as they have imag- 
 ined. Should justice and humanity compel me to engage in 
 this business, I shall undertake nothing but what I can prove 
 in courts of law, civil or ecclesiastical." 
 
 Here, then, we have it clearly brought to light that, in the 
 high places of the Methodist Episcopal Church, " there did 
 exist a determination" to put down reform, by the abolishment 
 of the very existence of a Conference. Much has been said, iu 
 times gone by, and in later times, too, of the rashness and vio- 
 lence of the reformers, but nothing equal to this can be laid to 
 their charge. To kill a Conference in order to prevent lay del- 
 egation was an exceedingly violent proposition. Yet, according 
 
THE GENERAL CONFERENCE OF 1828. 165 
 
 to tte disclosures made by Bishop George, holy ministers of the 
 lowly Jesus were "determined" upon this thing. They must 
 have been ministers in high authority, and of great influence, 
 to hope to sway the General Conference in such a tragical trans- 
 action. The whole communication of "Plain Dealing," on the 
 proposed destruction of the Pittsburgh Conference, to defeat the 
 lay delegation reform, indicated a mind thoroughly roused and 
 indignant; his thoughts are all on fire, and his very words 
 burn. 
 
 Perhaps his scorching communication balked the purpose of 
 men in power, and hindered the dissolution of the Conference. 
 
 The ecclesiastical proceedings against reformers, in Baltimore 
 and other places, indicated trouble ahead to the friends of lay 
 rights at the approaching General Conference. Rev. C. Springer, 
 in a letter, informed me that " there was a rod in soak for me." 
 That the "directory of the Ohio Conference" had originated 
 a determination to bring up the Hedding case in General Con- 
 ference, and get it disposed of in such a way as would clear the 
 Bishop from all blame for his note to the Editorial Committee, 
 and seriously involve me. This I could hardly believe they 
 would do, as such a procedure would as deeply implicate the 
 Pittsburgh Conference as it would me ; for that body had offi- 
 cially passed my character, with an open declaration on my part, 
 at the time, that I did not admit the truth of Bishop Hedding's 
 charge made against me of "injustice," "misrepresentation," 
 and "vile slander." When the General Conference of 1828 
 assembled in Pittsburgh, Rev. C. Springer and I attended. We 
 saw, when there a few days, unmistakable evidence of great 
 hostility to reform. The prejudice against us and our cause 
 seemed equal to that of Jews against Christians, or of Catholics 
 against Protestants. There was in that prejudice no mercy to 
 the cause of lay delegation ; yet I heard nothing among the 
 members of that Conference about dissolving the Pittsburgh 
 Conference to put down reform. No such earthquake occurred. 
 Perhaps the "determination" to do that violent deed had been 
 given up, in view of other measures equally effective and less 
 repulsive to the common sense of majikind. I saw and heard, 
 
166 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 in a General Conference love-feast, on Sunday morning, enough 
 to satisfy me of the depth and force of misguided zeal and igno- 
 rant prejudice against the friends of ecclesiastical reform. Al- 
 most all who spoke praised the ancient order of things, and 
 placed their heaviest condemnation on those "restless spirits" 
 who were disturbing the peace of the Church by trying to in- 
 troduce lay rights. The Southern preachers, who were gen- 
 erally slaveholders, took the lead in this scandalous abuse 
 heaped upon the heads of reformers, in that love-feast meeting, 
 in the house of Grod, on the holy Sabbath-day. One could 
 hardly wonder that Southern slaveholding preachers, who deny 
 civil freedom to the colored race, should likewise deny ecclesi- 
 astical liberty to their white brethren ; for slaveholding is nat- 
 urally corrupting in its tendency. But how men in the free 
 states, educated to hate slavery, could, in a love-feast, reproach 
 reformers for seeking to enfranchise the Church of God with 
 ecclesiastical liberty, was to me incomprehensible. For Meth- 
 odists in the free North, always glorying in their civil freedom, 
 to be living from generation to generation under ecclesiastical 
 laws, in the making of which they had no more hand than 
 Southern slaves have had in the making of the laws under 
 which they are lashed and driven, from age to age, is to me 
 absolutely amazing. Does slavery, in many instances, stupefy 
 the faculties of the sons of Ham, and render them indifferent 
 to liberty? Does not ecclesiastical bondage, as seen in the 
 Roman Catholic and Methodist Episcopal Churches, have the 
 Bame tendency? To insure the perpetuation of American lib- 
 erty, all the Churches in this nation should, both by precept 
 and example, teach the doctrine of civil and ecclesiastical free- 
 dom. 
 
 But, to show still further that reformers had but little to 
 expect from the General Conference of 1828, I will now give, 
 according to my best recollection, a brief account of the trial 
 of the appeals of Rev. D. B. Dorsey and W. C. Pool, both of 
 whom had been expelled for reform movements by the Balti- 
 more Conference. Neither of these brethren could be present, 
 BO they had committed the management of their appeals to 
 
MR. Slimi^'S SPEECH. 167 
 
 Rev. A. Shinn; and, if I remember right, Rev. W. Fisk was 
 appointed by the Conference to assist him. The case came on 
 in the morning, and was opened by Mr. Shinn, who represented 
 the appellants, by reading the grounds of their appeal as set 
 forth by themselves in writing. Then the members of the Bal- 
 timore Conference, according to the forms of law govei'ning in 
 such cases, responded, justifying the action of their Conference 
 iu the expulsions. This brought on the hour of adjournment 
 for dinner. That day I dined with Mr. Shinn. He ate but 
 little, conversed none, but his great soul was full of thought 
 and prayer. At two o'clock the case was resumed, and there 
 was a full house to hear Mr. Shinn make the closing argument, 
 I sat back without the bar, to take down in writing the main 
 points of said argument. 
 
 AVhen Mr. Shinn arose and stood in silence for a few mo- 
 ments, the whole assembly became very still. He was pale, 
 calm, self-possessed, and very dignified in appearance. He com- 
 menced his argument with a clear, full, round tone of voice, 
 evidently reaching every ear in the house. His exordium was 
 simple, modest, chaste — going to show that all he wished for 
 in behalf of the appellants was, that the truth viight shine and 
 that justice Tnight he done. The facts of the case and the laws 
 of the Church were then most searchingly examined, and it was 
 made distinctly to appear that the expulsions were without the 
 sanction of the laws of the Church. He then made it appear, 
 from all the evidence in that high court of appeals, that the 
 things charged against the appellants in the court below were 
 not, in themselves, criminal actions. He then took the written 
 appeal sent up by the expelled brethren, and argued the truth- 
 fulness and justice of that paper in all its parts. He then 
 appealed to the justice, honor, and impartiality of that high 
 tribunal, and urged, with all the force of his logical energy, 
 the restoration of the appellants to their places in the Church, 
 and to the public confidence. In the peroration the speaker 
 became most overwhelmingly eloquent, and swept defiantly over 
 the enemies of mutual rights. The effect upon that great 
 assembly was thrilling. The Bishops, generally florid, now 
 
168 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 looked pale. Ex-Governor Findlej, of Pennsylvania, wlio sat 
 in the gallery, wept like a child. Many members of the Con- 
 ference felt like the Governor, so did many spectators; and I 
 found myself unable, some time before the speech was ended, 
 to take any more notes. 
 
 When Mr. Shinn resumed his seat there was a long pause — 
 a time to take breath. The Bishops, and other leading mem- 
 bers of the Conference, looked wisely at each other. Just then 
 a New England preacher, having seen me writing, came round 
 to me and said: "Why don't the Bishop put the vote? I hate 
 Shinn like fire, but I never heard such an argument before in 
 all my life. If they will put the vote now, the appellants will 
 be restored and the Baltimoreans defeated — and they ought 
 to be defeated." So thought I, and many more besides that 
 New England preacher. But the vote was not put, as the law 
 directed. E.ev. John Early, and other Southern preachers, 
 without introduciixg any new question, were suffered to run a 
 tirade against Mr. Shinn, during most of the afternoon, for a 
 piece in the Mutual Rights, published by him, entitled " Sov- 
 ereignty of Methodism in the South." To this disorderly 
 ramble Mr. Shinn made no reply, as it had no relation to the 
 question before the Conference. Finally, the Chair announced 
 that the vote would be taken the next morning. From that 
 moment the reformers had their fears of foul play. 
 
 That evening, at supper, at the house of John McGill, much 
 was said of the argumentative eloquence of Mr. Shinn's speech 
 that afternoon. Bishop Roberts, who sat by my side, said, 
 "Yes, that was true eloquence of the highest order." He then 
 added that he "did not remember ever to have heard a speech 
 surpassing Mr. Shinn's for argumentative eloquence." At that 
 table, however, no opinion was expressed as to how the vote 
 would go the next morning. 
 
 That night, about eleven o'clock, I met Mr. Bascom on the 
 street, who said: "There has been a caucus meeting to-night, 
 and I have been eavesdropping them. They have secured a 
 majority of twenty, pledged on a paper, against the appellants." 
 I said I did hope, for the honor of the Christian religion, that 
 
BEFORE TEE COMMITTEE ON EPISCOPACY. 169 
 
 lie was mistaken ; but he affirmed it was so, and said, You 
 will see, to-morrow morning." In the morning, when the vote 
 was taken, they had about the majority against the appellants 
 that Bascom had reported. This whole affair led me strongly 
 to suspect that reformers were to have no fair dealing in that 
 General Conference. In this case, would the end sanctify the 
 means? or the means sanctify the end? Were not both the end 
 and the means wrong ? The forms of law, in the main, had 
 been allowed during the trial; but the ends of justice had been 
 defeated by caucus management. 
 
 On hearing that Bishop Hedding had thrown his case before 
 the Committee on Episcopacy, I sought an interview with him, 
 at the residence of Rev. C. Avery, to give him an opportunity, 
 in person, to eonvinee me, if he could, of the "injustice," "mis- 
 representation," and "vile slander" contained in "Timothy's 
 Address to the Junior Bishop." That interview lasted about 
 four hours, during which time we overhauled the whole matter 
 at issue between us, without any unkindness of feeling on either 
 Bide. He complained that I had not done him justice; first, 
 in the broad, undefined sense in which I had used the word 
 ^Weform." It might be inferred, he said, from Timothy's Ad- 
 dress, that he was opposed to all reform, in the broadest sense. 
 This was not true, for in his address at Washington he had 
 claimed to be a reformer on the Presiding Elder question. Sec- 
 ondly, in the broad, undefined sense in which I had used the 
 word '■^discussion." It might be inferred, he said, from Timo 
 thy's Address, that he was opposed to all manner of discussion. 
 This was not true, for in his address at Washington he did 
 allow of preachers discussing matters of Church government 
 ^'■privately, hetween themselves." These were the main points on 
 which the Bishop founded his complaints against Timothy's 
 Address. The other complaints were of inferences which might 
 be drawn, to his injury, from the aforesaid terms being used in 
 too broad a sense. Neither of us had Timothy's Address with 
 us, nor had I read it for eight or nine months; so I supposed 
 that the Bishop was correct as to my using the two terms, 
 '< reform" and "discussion," in too broad a sense, and concluded 
 11 
 
170 RECOLLECTIONS OP ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 at once on making reparation. When I came to this conclu- 
 sion, I did certainly know tliat conceding that the two terms, 
 "reform" and "discussion," had been used in too broad a sense, 
 would not afford an honest logician any just grounds to infer 
 the truth of the Bishop's charge. It would not vitiate Timo- 
 thy's whole address so as to make the whole "piece" "unjust" — 
 the whole "piece" in all its parts a "misrepresentation" — the 
 whole "piece" a "vile slander" on the Bishop's "character." 
 I greatly desired to be an honest man, and felt entirely willing, 
 in this case, to make reparation so far as conscience might 
 require. 
 
 The next day, at the invitation of Bishop Hedding and two 
 of the members of the Conference, I went before the Commit- 
 tee on Episcopacy, for the purpose, as I was informed, of a 
 '■'■friendly cxplayiation'" of the difficulty between Mr. Hedding 
 and myself. It never entered into my mind that the results of 
 that pacific, friendly explanation to which I was invited on that 
 occasion were to be published in the Advocate and Journal. I 
 believed then, and trust I always shall believe, that no good 
 cause can be benefited by avoiding the light, or injured by a 
 candid acknowledgment of our unintentional errors. Four rea- 
 sons induced me to seek an interview with the Bishop, and 
 made me willing to go before the Committee on Episcopacy : 
 First, I wanted the truth of the case in hand to be clearly 
 ascertained, that I might make reparation, if any were due. 
 Secondly, terms of pacification were talked of, and, as I under- 
 stood it, greatly desired by leading men on both sides of the 
 controversy. I did not, therefore, want my difficulty with Mr. 
 Hedding to be in the way of so desirable an object as an honor- 
 able pacification. Thirdly, but if pacification proved a failure, 
 as I feared it would, and the reformers should be pressed out 
 of the Church, I wanted all my matters settled before we went, 
 80 as to leave it in the power of no one to injure me about this 
 affair after our separation. Fourthly, for the sake of my own 
 natural and spiritual health, I felt it a duty, as far as possible 
 on honorable principles, to be at peace with all men. Without 
 
BEFORE THE COMMITTEE. ON EPISCOPACY. 171 
 
 natural health, life is a misery; without spiritual health, our 
 eternal interest is ruined. 
 
 Rev. S. Gr. Roszel was the chairman of the committee, and I 
 knew him too well to have any hope of favors from him. He 
 was — to his honor be it recorded — no enemy in disguise. His 
 open hostility to the Wesleyan Repository, the Mutual Rights, 
 the Presiding Elder reform, and the lay delegation reform is 
 well known. To see S. Gr. Roszel in the chair, with all his 
 unbending antipathies and prejudices against all manner of re- 
 form, did foretell to me nothing favorable. When the chairman 
 had stated the object of the meeting, the delegates of the Pitts- 
 burgh Conference were called upon to state their recollections 
 of Bishop Hedding's address at the Conference in Washington. 
 They did so, one after another, in order. Shinn and Bascom, 
 the only reformers in the delegation, were not present. (^Query: 
 Had they been invited?) These delegates, severally, then an- 
 swered such questions as were proposed by the Bishop and the 
 committee. Then the Bishop read a paper, containing his recol- 
 lections of his address to the Conference in Washington. He 
 then pointed out what he conceived to be the "injustice," "mis- 
 representation," and "slander" in Timothy's Address. All this 
 time I had received no new light from either the Bishop or the 
 Pittsburgh delegation on the subject before us. My impressions 
 remained the same as they had been the night before, at the pri- 
 vate interview with Mr. Heddiug. Finally, I was requested to 
 make such statements as I might deem proper on that occasion. 
 I arose, and stated frankly that " I was willing to concede to 
 Bishop Hedding that I had failed, in uiy address to him, to dis- 
 criminate with sufficient clearness and accuracy in the use of two 
 words, and had, therefore, used those words in too broad and un- 
 defined a sense. The^ words were 'reform' and. ' dismission.' It 
 might be supposed by some, from my undefined use of the word 
 ' reform,' that the Bishop had opposed all manner of reform. 
 This supposition would be untrue, for he had said explicitly, 
 in his address, that he favored reform so far as the election of 
 Presiding Elders was concerned, and no further. It might be 
 
172 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 concluded by some, from my use of the word ' discussion ' — not 
 taving limited its meaning — that he had opposed all manner 
 of discussion. This, too, would be untrue, for he had allowed 
 of private discussion of matters of Church government among 
 the preachers. Any inferences injurious to Bishop Hedding, 
 drawn from these two terms used in too broad a sense, are 
 hereby given up. The premises being incorrect, all the infer- 
 ences may be erroneous." This is the substance, as near as I 
 can recollect — my notes being lost — of the concessions then 
 made; and they do not, as will be seen hereafter, affect the 
 general truthfulness of Timothy's Address, or afford a just and 
 adequate reason for sustaining the Bishop's charge. 
 
 Bishop Hedding, when I was done speaking, arose and said 
 frankly, in the presence of the committee, that ''he admitted iQie 
 uprightness of my intentions, and that I did not design to do 
 hifli any injustice, in any thing I had written." When the 
 Bishop sat down. Rev. W. Capers, a Southern slaveholding 
 preacher, came stepping out of a corner and said : " In publish- 
 ing this matter, it would only be necessary to mention the name 
 of Timothy; brother Brown's name need not appear.'' On 
 learning that they had been getting something out of me for 
 publication, I informed them that " I intended myself to give 
 a correct explanation of this whole matter to the public." 
 
 After some time, I saw in the Advocate and Journal the re- 
 port of the Committee on Episcopacy, justifying Bishop Hed- 
 ding and involving me, which thing, Rev. C. Springer had in- 
 formed me, the ''directory in the Ohio Conference" meant to 
 have accomplished by the General Conference. I will now give 
 the closing part of the report of the Committee on Episcopacy, 
 above alluded to, and then make my own defense : 
 
 "The plan pursued to attain this object [the character of 
 Mr. Hedding's address] was, for the members of^ the (Pitts- 
 burgh) delegation, severally, first to state their recollections of 
 that address, and then to answer the questions proposed to them 
 on the subject. After all those delegates had thus communi- 
 cated to the committee their recoyections, a paper was read con- 
 
MY DEFENSE. 173 
 
 taining as accurate an outline of the address of the Bishop as he 
 had been able to make out from his own recollection. The rec- 
 ollections of the delegates from the Pittsburgh Conference and 
 of Bishop Hedding were not only substantially, but, in a re- 
 markable degree, circumstantially concurrent. 
 
 "The Bishop then pointed out the injustice, misrepresenta- 
 tion, and slander of his character, which he considered as per- 
 vading the address signed ' Timothy.' After which, the author 
 of that article, having been permitted to address the committee, 
 acknowledged that, in not properly distinguishing in two in- 
 stances, he had done injustice, giving the general character of 
 the Bishop's address ; that some of the inferences he had drawn 
 were unjust; that, as his premises were incorrect, all the infer- 
 ences drawn from them might be erroneous. 
 
 "Your committee beg leave, therefore, to declare, as the re- 
 sult of their investigation in this matter, that they consider the 
 view presented in the Bishop's note to the editor of the Mutual 
 Rights, of the article signed 'Timothy,' to have been strictly 
 correct. The committee would further declare that, in their 
 opinion, the address of Bishop Hedding, as recollected by him- 
 self and the delegates of the Pittsburgh Annual Conference, not 
 only was not deserving of censure, but was such as the circum- 
 stances of the case rendered it his ofBcial duty to deliver. 
 
 [Signed] " S. G. Roszel, Chairman.^-^ 
 
 "PiTTSBUEQH, May 16, 1828." 
 
 The foregoing decision of the Committee on Episcopacy is 
 made to rest on three sources of testimony: 
 
 I. On the "recollection" of Bishop Hedding. Let it be 
 kept in mind that he is bearing testimony in his own be- 
 half. Here I claim equal rights all through the defense I now 
 make. The report says, "A paper was read containing as ac- 
 curate an outline of the address of the Bishop as he had been 
 able to make out from his own recollection.'^ Here I have the 
 advantage, for I wrote from memonj, and memory is more relia- 
 ble than recollection. In his case, some months having elapsed 
 
 ♦See Life and Times of Bisliop Hedding, p.SOii. 
 
174 KECOLLECTIOKS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 before lie saw Timothy, it required a mental effort, called recol- 
 lection, to recover back to the mind what he did say in his ad- 
 dress in Washington. But on the spot, before the Bishop had 
 left town, I compared my views with those of my aggrieved 
 friends, as to the objectionable traits in his address, and stored 
 the whole away in my memory, and in a short time committed 
 all the points to writing. I think, therefore, that my remem- 
 brances, as contained in Timothy's Address, are entitled to a 
 higher degree of credit than the Bishop's "recollections," and 
 that Timothy's Address, as to matters of fact, is a reliable com- 
 munication. Is it not a little remarkable that so important a 
 paper as the Bishop's "recollections," etc., should have been 
 omitted by Dr. Clark in his Life and Times of Bishop Heddiug? 
 It would have been very gratifying to me, indeed, to have seen 
 that paper in print. Then I should have been able to compare 
 it and Timothy together, and see whether his recollections were, 
 under the character of testimony, worth more than my remem- 
 brances. 
 
 II. The testimony of the Pittsburgh delegation. The report 
 of the committee says, " All those delegates had communicated 
 to the committee their recollections," etc. The recollections of 
 the delegates and of the Bishop are said to be " substantially 
 and circumstantially concurrent." Now let us examine this 
 boasted testimony, and, if possible, ascertain its worth. In the 
 first place, the report itself is wanting in truth. It introduces 
 all the Pittsburgh delegates as stating their recollections to the 
 committee. This is not the fact: Shinn and Bascom were not 
 there. Undoubtedly they would have been, had they been noti- 
 fied. Perhaps, as they were reformers, their recollections were 
 not desired, lest they should be on the other side. In the sec- 
 ond place, Timothy's Address stood indorsed already by two 
 other Pittsburgh delegates, Monroe and Elliott, in a very formal 
 manner. The first had voluntarily given me a written testimo- 
 nial sustaining the facts of my address, and the other, as a 
 member of my advisory council, had joined with his colleagues, 
 in judgment, that I ought not to admit any "injustice," "mis- 
 representation," or "slander," when my character passed the 
 
MY DEFENSE. 175 
 
 Pittsburgh Conference in Steubenville. Besides, Mr. Elliott 
 had said to Mr. Waterman and others that "he had intended to 
 have addressed the Bishop himself, on the impropriety of his 
 address, if Timothy had not done it." I watched these two wit- 
 nesses closely, as they were both old-side men, and of course 
 had their leanings toward the Bishop's side of the question, yet 
 I could not see that they contradicted their former testimony as 
 to the facts in Timothy's Address. 
 
 As to the other members of the Pittsburgh delegation — sur- 
 rounded by the influences and antipathies then felt, at that 
 General Conference, where even Bishops anticipated the disso- 
 lution of the Pittsburgh Conference, to put down reform — I 
 freely admit that, in their recollections of the Bishop's address, 
 they were unfavorable to Timothy; more so when answering 
 questions than in their first statements. Yet, why should their 
 testimony outweigh the testimony of all my witnesses, who, 
 against every consideration of self-interest, had indorsed, by writ- 
 ten certificates, the veracity of Timothy as to the statement of 
 facts? It may be said that all my witnesses were "radicals." Not 
 all of them. Monroe, and Holmes, and Hudson, and Calender, 
 •were all old-side men. But if they had all been " radicals," 
 would this have destroyed the worth of their testimony? If 
 BO, then the Pittsburgh delegates in question, all being old-side, 
 were not worthy of credit. Besides all this, these Pittsburgh 
 delegates did not truly represent the action of their own Con- 
 ference in my case. That Conference, when I read a paper 
 containing some concessions to Bishop Hedding, but distinctly 
 refusing to admit his charge of " injustice," "misrepresenta- 
 tion," and "vile slander," ofiicially passed my character, and 
 these delegates took part in that transaction. Bishop Hedding 
 did not bring that conference action before the General Confer- 
 ence for correction, so he thereby acknowledged its validity ; 
 yet, when he aimed a deadly blow at me personally, at the Gen- 
 eral Conference, these delegates, disregarding the action of the 
 body to which they belonged, came forth to the help of the 
 Bishop against me. Certainly, when this whole matter is fully 
 understood, this double operation of these delegates will uo-t 
 
176 RECOLLECTIONS OP ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 very mucli increase the weight of their testimony. He who has 
 a case before an impartial jury should bring better witnesses 
 into court than these delegates, if he expects to carry his cause. 
 
 III. The decision of the committee is made to rest on the 
 concessions of the author of Timothy. The report of the com- 
 mittee says: " The author of that article, having been permitted 
 to address the committee, acknowledged that, in not properly 
 distinguishing, in two instances, he had done injustice, giving 
 the general character of the Bishop's address ; that some of the 
 inferences he had drawn were unjust, and that, as his premises 
 were incorrect, all the inferences drawn from them might be 
 erroneous." 
 
 Now, on this quotation from the committee's report on my 
 concessions to Bishop Hedding, the following remarks will be 
 important. First : it will be seen that there was a willingness 
 on my part, amid all the hostile feeling against reform then 
 and there prevalent, to meet the cdfee in a fair and honorable 
 manner, and do ample justice to the character of Bishop Hed- 
 ding. Secondly : to say " the author of that article having been 
 permitted to address the committee," does not convey the true 
 idea. He was there at the invitation of Bishop Hedding and 
 two of the members of the Conference, and was not seeking 
 "permission to address the committee," but was requested by 
 the Bishop and the committee to do so. All that was said by 
 me on that occasion was regarded in the light of a "friendly 
 explanation" of the difficulty between Mr. Hedding and myself, 
 in view of a contemplated pacification between the two contend- 
 ing parties ; hence, in matters of concession, I went as far as 
 I possibly could. Thirdly : the report of the committee says I 
 "acknowledged that, in not properly distinguishing, in two in- 
 stances, I had done injustice in giving the general character of 
 the Bishop's address." So I really did believe at that time, 
 being misled in this matter by a sincere confidence which I had 
 reposed in the accuracy of the Bishop's statement of the wrongs 
 I had done him. Fourthly: but why is the committee's report 
 so incomplete? Why did tliey not state as fully in their report, 
 as I did in their presence, what the two instances were in which 
 
MY DEFENSE. 177 
 
 I liad done tlie Bisliop "injustice?" My guilt or innocence 
 was to be made out. If they had stated fully and fairly what 
 I conceded in their presence, they could not have reported that 
 the Bishop's charge against me was sustained. But if they left 
 the "two instances" unstated, then they could bring me in 
 guilty of every thing charged, and no one could gainsay their 
 decision. Fifthly : I can allow the committee and their friends 
 all I conceded as to the use of the two words, "reform" and 
 "discussion," in too large and comprehensive a sense; and that 
 it might hence be inferred that the Bishop was against the elec- 
 tion of Presiding Elders and private discussion of Church pol- 
 ity by the preachers ; and it will not logically follow, from all 
 this, that my entire address is a mass of corruption, a great 
 conglomeration of "injustice," "misrepresentation," and "vile 
 slander." Sixthly: but after the foregoing concessions were 
 made, and I had carefijlly reexamined the whole matter, I 
 found that I had been in error in making them. Timothy's 
 Address does not represent Bishop Hedding as opposing all 
 mariner of reform and all manner of discussion, but only the 
 kind of "reform" and "discussion" advocated in the Mutual 
 Rights. The Bishop's Presiding Elder reform had no place 
 in that periodical, nor had his private discussions between the 
 preachers themselves apart from the people. All cool-headed, 
 impartial men would understand me to represent the Bishop as 
 opposing the kind of "reform" contended for in the Mutual 
 Rights, and not all manner of "reform;" as opposing "discus- 
 sion" as carried on in that periodical, and not private "discus- 
 sion." The words used by me iu my address, and the period- 
 ical in which my article was published, limited the meaning of 
 the words reform and discussion, so as to leave the Bishop un- 
 troubled about the little reform he befriended and the jxrivate 
 discussion he alloioed. Why did not Bishop Hedding see this 
 matter in the light now presented, and forbear making his un- 
 just chai-ge against Timothy? Why did not I first examine 
 my address to him carefully before I made any concessions? 
 We often find out a little too late what should have been 
 done. 
 
178 EECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 I shall now bring this defense to a close, by introducing tes- 
 timony from Dr. Clark's Life and Times of Bishop Heddiug, 
 pages 327-328. He says: "The three [Shinn, Baseom, and 
 Brown] had been favorably situated for the propagation of 
 their radical views." "It was claimed that the radicals had the 
 ascendency." "The radicals, too, had adroitly drawn in Bishop 
 Hedding," as favoring all their "radical measures." This whole 
 matter had been " laid open to the Bishop by one of the Presiding 
 Elders." "The wisest and best men in the Conference were 
 perplexed and alarmed." "The Bishop was sorely afflicted at 
 this state of affairs, and was indignant at the unwarrantable 
 statements that had been made concerning himself." This Pre- 
 siding Elder, aided by Dr. Bond's book, had succeeded in get- 
 ting up some excitement, and had roused the Bishop, who now, 
 we are told, (page 354), "was compelled to breast the storm of 
 radical innovation at the Pittsburgh Conference, in 182G." We 
 are then informed by Dr. Clark, that his "firmness, decision, 
 and ability were equal to the task before him. Then, in a most 
 masterly speech to the Conference, he exposed the unfounded 
 assumptions of the radicals, the evils that would inevitably 
 result to the Church, should they succeed, and especially the 
 wickedness and baseness of the report that had been fabricated 
 and circulated, that he in any measure countenanced the course 
 of those men, whose action would rend and destroy the Church. 
 It was a masterly vindication of the Church and of himself. 
 It carried consternation into the hearts of the radical leaders. 
 They ventured no reply, but in silence saw the downfall of their 
 hopes." 
 
 Now, from all the foregoing, taken from Dr, Clark's Life* 
 and Times of Bishop Hedding, will it not follow, most inev- 
 itably, that Timothy's Address is a true representation of the 
 Bishop's opposition to reform, as contended for in the Mutual 
 Rights? Timothy has only reported what all candid men 
 would have expected from a Bishop wonderfully excited by a 
 mischief-making Presiding Elder. Dr. Clark, in what I have 
 quoted from his book, has furnished highly probable evidence 
 
MY DEFENSE. 179 
 
 of the truth of all tlie material facts contained in " Timothy's 
 Acidress to the Junior Bishop." Such an address as Mr. Bed- 
 ding's, in opposition to ecclesiastical liberty, deserved such a 
 reply, in behalf of ecclesiastical freedom, as that given by 
 Timothy. These were exciting times, and from the party in 
 power reformers could hardly expect impartial justice. 
 
180 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 A Chuech Trial iti Steubentiile in 1827— A Lady Preacher— Conference in Merceb 
 County— New Lisbon Circuit— Determination to Leave the Church— Reasons 
 FOR so Doing— Invitation to go to Pittsburgh— Acceptance— Letter to my Pre- 
 siding Elder. 
 
 At the Conference in Steubenville, in 1827, 1 was reappointed 
 to tlie charge of the Steubenville Station by Bishop George, at 
 the particular request of an informal delegation of leading mem- 
 bers, who waited upon him in behalf of the Church to secure 
 my return. In this instance the brethren did not deem it best 
 to leave my standing and usefulness among them to be repre- 
 sented to the Bishop by my Presiding Elder, Rev. W. Lambdin, 
 a man of prejudices against reform entirely too strong, in their 
 opinion, to be able to do me justice. This Presiding Elder had 
 invited me, in company with Bishop George, to attend the camp- 
 meeting already alluded to, which occurred just before the sit- 
 ting of Conference. "When there, he did not think it advisable 
 to invite me to preach, nor did I preach until he was gone. On 
 Saturday night, in a crowd near the preachers' stand, I heard 
 loud talking, and went in among the people to learn what was 
 going on. Several friends from Steubenville were with me, and 
 there we heard the Elder laying grievous things to the charge 
 of the reformers, and against me personally, and, alas for his 
 statements ! there were none of them true. He there stated that 
 I had, by getting up the Union Society, done the Church a great 
 injury, and that it was in a bleeding, divided, and ruined con- 
 dition. Neither of these statements was true. Rev. J. Monroe 
 advised the formation of the Union Society. I did not belong 
 to it, nor did I ever attend it; and at that time the harmony 
 of the Church was unbroken. 
 
A CHURCH TRIAL IX STEUBENVILLE. 181 
 
 In view of this evil treatment of me personally, the brethren 
 left the Elder to one side, and went, by their own deputation, to 
 the Bishop, and urged my return a second year to their station. 
 This camp-meeting statement, made by the Elder, ultimately 
 led to a Church trial, in which the Elder was seriously involved, 
 John Armstrong, while at work in a meadow, was informed that 
 the Elder had, at the aforesaid camp-meeting, stated publicly 
 that I had formed the Union Society, and thereby divided and 
 ruined the Church. On hearing this, Armstrong replied that, 
 if the Elder did make that statement, it was a lie, and he could 
 prove it. In a short time the Elder got to hear what brother 
 Armstrong had said, and immediately laid in a complaint to me, 
 as preacher in charge, against him. I advised a milder course — 
 "sinful words and tempers" required "admonition," etc. But 
 the Elder's pluck was up, and he would let me know that such 
 a foul charge against his character should not go unpunished. 
 "Well," said I, "you are the Presiding Elder, and if this trial 
 is allowed to go on, you will be in an awkward position: you 
 are the complainant, and will have to be the prosecutor; and, 
 in case of an appeal, you will be in the chair of the Quarterly 
 Conference, so the appeal will be to his accuser and prosecutor. 
 This will not look well." He then said he did not care how it 
 looked ; no member of the Church should call him a liar and 
 escape a Church trial. "But mind," said I, "Armstrong spoke 
 conditionally; he said if you made a certain statement at the 
 camp-meeting it was a lie, and he could prove it. Now, you 
 know whether you made that statement or not. so I leave it 
 with you to determine whether this trial is to go on or not." 
 The Elder then, with a great deal of warmth, demanded a 
 Church trial. 
 
 A committee was duly selected to try the case, and the time 
 was appointed. The trial was in the church, and there were 
 many spectators on that occasion. After prayer and other in- 
 troductory formalities, I read the charge. It was immorality. 
 Specification : calling Rev. Wm. Lambdin a liar, in a certain 
 meadow, in the presence of certain witnesses. " John Arm- 
 strong," said I, "do you plead guilty or not guilty?" " I plead 
 
182 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 guilty," said Armstrong. "It was said in my presence, in the 
 meadow, that our Presiding Elder had stated, in a crowd at the 
 camp-meeting, that our stationed preacher had got up the Union 
 Society in Steuh,enville, and, as a consequence, our Church was 
 in a bleeding, divided, and ruined condition. This statement 
 amazed me, and I said if the Elder did say that, it was a lie, 
 and I could prove it. I want now a direct answer from my 
 accuser, in the presence of this committee and these spectators: 
 did you, sir, make the statement in question?" The Elder 
 alleged that, as the accused had acknowledged himself guilty 
 of the charge, he had nothing further to do; and appealed to 
 me in the chair to know if he must answer Armstrong's ques- 
 tion. I decided that the question should be answered, as said 
 answer might materially affect the decision of the committee in 
 the case, and a just decision could not be reached unless the 
 whole truth were given in evidence. The Elder then found 
 himself hemmed in on all sides, and that he himself was the 
 man on trial rather than Armstrong. If he denied making the 
 statement at the camp-meeting, Armstrong had six witnesses 
 (of whom I was one) to prove that he did make it. If he 
 acknowledged that he did make it, then the accused had some 
 twenty witnesses to prove the statement false. So, after keep- 
 ing the Elder standing a long time before the committee, and 
 failing to get an answer to the question, I persuaded Armstrong 
 to forbear pressing the matter any further, and submitted the 
 case to the committee, and the spectators retired. The Elder 
 lost his cause. Armstrong was relieved of the charge of immo- 
 rality by the committee, but, on my own responsibility, I admin- 
 istered to him an admonition for the rashness of his language. 
 This Presiding Elder was not the first man who in his wrath 
 dug a pit for his neighbor and had the mortification to fall into 
 it himself. M. E. Lucas, M. M. Laughlin, and John Leech, of 
 Steubenville, who are still living, were all witnesses of the afore- 
 said Church trial, and can attest the correctness of my narrative. 
 This Church trial was in the early part of my second year in 
 Steubenville, and is here introduced as a part of my history; 
 and the whole case illustrates the futile efforts of short-sighted, 
 
A LADY PREACHER. 183 
 
 uarrow-mincled men — who by some means had got into power — 
 against the friends of ecclesiastical freedom. 
 
 Another occurrence which belongs to my first year in Steu- 
 benville, and forms a part of my history, it may now be proper 
 to narrate. A lady preacher from one of the Northern States, 
 of fine literary attainments, ardent piety, and highly accom- 
 plished manners, visited Steubenville in the summer of 1827. 
 Miss Miller was her name. She came highly recommended to 
 me by a number of distinguished Methodist preachers. Among 
 the testimonials she brought was one from Rev. Charles Elliott, 
 and another from Rev. John Waterman, of the Pittsburgh station. 
 These brethren, having heard her preach often, spoke in the 
 highest terms of her preaching abilities; and they expressed a 
 hope that her way would be opened by me to be useful among 
 our people. This excellent lady was courteously entertained at 
 the house of Dr. David Stanton. An appointment for her to 
 preach, on' the ensuing Sabbath, to the people of my charge, 
 was announced in all the schools and papers. When the Sab- 
 bath came the congregation was far too large for the house, and 
 the eiSect of her pious, tasty eloquence on that audience was 
 overwhelming. The fame of this lady preacher soon reached 
 the neighboring towns, and she had invitations to preach in 
 every direction. The invitation to visit Wlieeling, on the next 
 Sabbath, was very special and urgent, for that was the time of 
 their quarterly meeting. So appointments were sent to Smith- 
 field, Harrisville, Mount Pleasant, and Wheeling; and, at the 
 request of Dr. Stanton and other friends, I took Miss Miller in 
 a carriage to fill these appointments; and she had for a travel- 
 ing companion, during the tour. Miss Nancy Norman, sister-in- 
 law to Dr. Stanton. At the first three aj^pointments the con- 
 gregations were exceedingly large, and the preaching of that 
 lady was very impressive, and, no doubt, profitable to the people. 
 On Friday, in the afternoon, we arrived at the house of brother 
 Daniel Zane, on the island, intending to make that place our 
 home while at Wheeling. On Saturday morning, immediately 
 after breakfast. Rev. Henry Furlong, the stationed preacher, 
 John List, a prominent member, and the Presiding Elder came 
 
184 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 over to the island to make the acquaintance of Miss Miller, 
 and to know of her when, or at what hours, it would suit her 
 to preach. Miss Miller very frankly informed them that she 
 had understood, since her arrival on the island, that Bishop 
 Soul6 had written them a letter that he would be in Wheeling 
 on Saturday evening, and if he came, it would not do for her to 
 attempt to preach. 
 
 On hearing this, these brethren said the Bishop was moving 
 to the West, with his family, and, as a weary traveler, might not 
 be in a condition to preach ; at any rate, he was not invited to 
 by them, but she was, and the citizens of Wheeling generally 
 would expect her to preach the next morning. To this Miss 
 Miller replied that Bishop Soule had always opposed her, 
 wherever he had crossed her path, and had spoken of her in a 
 disrespectful manner, as a strolling country girl, who had no 
 authority to preach, and she, therefore, greatly desired to be 
 excused from preaching, as she wished to have no collision with 
 the Bishop. The Elder, Furlong, and List then became more 
 importunate than ever, saying they represented the wishes of 
 the Church and of the entire community of Wheeling — all 
 wanted her to preach, and would be greatly disappointed if she 
 did not do it. But Miss Miller still continued firm in her res- 
 olution, as the hazard of collision with so distinguished a func- 
 tionary as Bishop Soule was vei'y painful to her mind. At 
 that stage of the matter, I interposed in behalf of the lady, 
 and entreated the brethren to forbear pressing the matter any 
 further, as I was unwilling, as her protector, to do any thing 
 myself, or allow any thing to be done by others, that, in her 
 opinion, would cause so much distress of mind. The three 
 brethren then drew off and consulted together. List went 
 home; the Elder and Furlong remained on the island for din- 
 ner. When dinner was over, the effort was renewed by the 
 Elder and Mr. Furlong to induce Miss Miller to preach. 
 They urged that the wishes of the entire Church and all the 
 citizens should not be set aside and disregarded for fear of 
 offending Bishop Soule, or any other man. What right had 
 the Bishop in this case? They could see none; so she must 
 
A LADY PREACHER. 185 
 
 preach. Finally, about four o'clock in the afternoon, with tears 
 in her eyes, Miss Miller gave her consent that it might be aS 
 they desired ; that, if spared and blessed with health and strength 
 . equal to the occasion, she would fill the morning appointment. 
 After an early supper, the Elder went to his room, in the city, 
 to prepare for preaching in the evening. Mr. Furlong went to 
 the hotel to await the arrival of Bishop Soule, and, in a short 
 time, the Zane family, with Miss Miller, Miss Norman, and my- 
 self, all repaired to the Church to hear the Presiding Elder 
 preach. 
 
 While the first hymn was being sung, in came Furlong, in 
 great haste, in very perceptible agitation of mind, and took me 
 from the altar Avith him into the pulpit. "Bishop Soule and 
 family," said he, "have come, and the Bishop is sorely dis- 
 pleased with the arrangement for to-morrow. Immediately on 
 his arrival, he made inquiry as to what our arrangements were 
 for the Sabbath. I informed him that brother Brown, at the 
 instance of our people, had brought Miss Miller, a lady preacher, 
 with him to attend our quarterly meeting, and the arrangement 
 is for Miss Miller to preach in the morning, and you [Bishop 
 Soule] at three o'clock, and brother Brown at night. The 
 Bishop replied : ' I highly disapprove of your arrangement. I 
 will not hear that girl. She has no authority to preach. 
 Brother Brown had better have stayed at home, minding 
 his own work, than to be accomjjanying that strolling girl 
 about the country.' On hearing this, I immediately left the 
 Bishop, and have come to see if the arrangement can not be 
 changed." 
 
 "Now, Furlong," said I, "do not attempt to change the ar- 
 rangement. You can not change it and keep good faith with 
 that young lady. You have invited her here to preach. You 
 knew this morning that the Bishop was coming, yet, with this 
 knowledge, you and your colleagues, from early in the morning 
 until late in the afternoon, have urged her to preach. She 
 frankly acknowledged her dread of the Bishop ; I interposed in 
 her behalf, and still you urged the matter. Your argument 
 was, that all the members of the Church and all the citizens 
 12 
 
186 EECOLLECTIOXS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 wanted to hear her. That argument is still good. You can not 
 now make a change without deeply wounding her heart and dis- 
 appointing public expectation. Come, now, be firm — do not vio- 
 late good faith with that young lady." 
 
 By this time the text was read and the sermon commenced, 
 80 our conversation ceased ; but as I sat there, silent, in the 
 pulpit, and in my heart admitted the general goodness of the 
 stationed preacher and the Elder, I had my fears that they both 
 lacked firmness to meet the present emergency. The terrors of 
 the Bishop were upon them, and under their influence, to act 
 correctly would be no easy matter to men of their feeble nerve. 
 While I was closing service by singing and prayer, I heard the 
 two brethren change the whole programme for the coming Sab- 
 bath, which was immediately announced by the Elder, as fol- 
 lows : " Bishop Soule will preach here to-morrow at eleven 
 o'clock, and not Miss Miller. I will j^reach at three o'clock, 
 and brother Brown at night." 
 
 On hearing this announcement, I said, in my heart, my part 
 of the work will not be done; so, taking my hat and cane, I 
 stepped down into the altar, to go immediately out, feeling pro- 
 foundly indignant at what had taken place. Rev. S. R. Broek- 
 unier, being a little excited, as well as the rest of us, said, "Hi! 
 hi ! hi ! what is the matter now ? Is not that lady to preach 
 at all?" Then spoke I unadvisedly with my lips, and said, 
 " A great bull has come to town, and given a roar, and scared 
 all the preachers ! I '11 take that lady right back to Steuben- 
 ville in the morning; she shall not be abused among ye." So 
 I joined my company and returned to the island. That night 
 I reconsidered the matter, and determined to remain over Sun- 
 day, and give the Wheeling community an opportunity to hear 
 Miss Miller in some other house. Neither the members of the 
 Church nor the citizens had done her any wrong, nor would 
 Furlong or the Elder, if they had not been terror-stricken by 
 the Bishop. On Sunday morning early, several of the disap- 
 pointed and mortified brethren of the city came over to the 
 island to arrange for Miss Miller to preach in some other house 
 at the eleven-o'clock hour, and thus let Bishop Soule and her 
 
A LADY PREACHER. 187 
 
 come into exact competition for public favor. None doubted 
 but the lady preacher would carry off the multitude and leave 
 the Bishop with a very slender congregation, and that his harsh 
 treatment of that lady did merit for him such a public j^unish- 
 ment; but, for various reasons, another and I think a better 
 course was adopted. The brethren agreed to accept the offer 
 of the Protestant Episcopal Church for three o'clock P. M., and 
 John List was to have the appointment announced at the close 
 of service in the Methodist Episcopal Church ; so, having made 
 this arrangement, all went to hear the Bishop and be present 
 at communion, except myself. I felt too deeply wounded by 
 the Bishop's haughty and injurious language concerning " that 
 strolling girl," as he harshly called her, and my leaving my 
 work to "accompany her about the country," to see, or hear, or 
 commune with the Bishop that day ; and I sent word to that 
 effect to the Presiding Elder, who, no doubt, informed that 
 Church dignitary all about the matter. 
 
 When the afternoon appointment came on, the Protestant 
 Episcopal Church was much too small for the audience. There 
 were about as many people outside of the house as could crowd 
 inside. Miss Miller, according to her custom, stood in the altar. 
 Neither in her opening prayer nor in her sermon did she make 
 any allusion to any opposition from the Bishop or any body 
 else. Her discourse was truly evangelical, abounding with j5ne 
 thoughts, beautiful delineations, and tasty eloquence, all of a 
 heavenly character. The doors and windows being open, and 
 her voice clear and strong, she was well heard, I was told, by 
 those on the outside of the house. God gave her help in time 
 of need. Her strength of body and soul was equal to the oc- 
 casion, and the impression upon that great assembly was very 
 fine. At the request of the Methodist brethren, she preached 
 at ten o'clock A. M., on Monday, in their house. The congre- 
 gation was large, and her discourse, in my judgment, was every 
 way equal to the one delivered on Sunday. On Tuesday, Miss 
 Miller preached in Wellsburg, to a large assembly, in her usual 
 heavenly strain, with very fine effect, and in the evening we 
 returned to Steubenville, where she rested a few days at my 
 
188 RECOLLECTIONS OP ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 house ; and, after preaching for my people the following Sun- 
 day, with great credit to herself and benefit to the Church, she 
 went on her way to the East, and ultimately became the wife 
 of Rev. William A. Smith, D. D., of the Virginia Conference of 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 
 When the, Conference came on in Steubenville — where I had 
 to meet the Hedding case, already narrated — the Presiding 
 Elder who had figured in the foregoing transaction in Wheel- 
 ing took me out of Conference, before my character passed that 
 body, and gave me notice that he intended to bring a charge 
 against me, for misusing Bishop Soule in Wheeling. " Well," 
 said I, " do so, in welcome, and I will at the same time hold you 
 responsible to the Conference for violating good faith with Miss 
 Miller. Had you kept good faith with that lady, there would 
 have been no occasion for my speaking in that rough manner 
 of the Bishop, as ' a great bull that had come to town and 
 given a roar, and scared all the preachers.' You were scared 
 into a most glaring violation of good faith, and I shall hold you 
 accountable. Come, now, go ahead; I am ready to meet the 
 case." The Elder then said: "I reckon we had better drop it; 
 there is no use in bringing such matters into Conference." So 
 there the matter ended. The Elder had not the nerve to ke^p 
 good faith even with a lady, when a Bishop frowned on his act 
 in so doing. Furlong was overruled in this matter by the Elder, 
 and was, therefore, not deserving of blame; hence, I have men- 
 tioned his name as a good minister of Jesus Christ. But the 
 Elder's name is not mentioned, because he violated faith with a 
 most amiable Christian lady, and outraged the feelings of the 
 entire Wheeling community, and all this for fear of the frowns 
 of a Bishop, who lacked courtesy to accommodate himself to 
 the state of the times. Yet, upon the whole, the Elder was a 
 good man, and was useful to the Church. His lack of nerve 
 ought to be forgiven. ' 
 
 My two years in Steubenville were among the most pleasant 
 years of my life in the ministry. That station included a con- 
 siderable number of noble-hearted, influential members. I had 
 some very valuable outside friends, and God gave me a good 
 
NEW LISBON CIRCUIT. 189 
 
 degree of success in building up the Church.. The increase 'of 
 members is not now recollected, but, by the Divine favor, I had 
 many seals to my ministry. Of these, some have gone to their 
 heavenly home; others have "made shipwreck of faith and a 
 good conscience;" and a few yet remain true to the cause of 
 Christ, and I trust will be faithful until death, and receive the 
 crown of life. But toward the close of my second year, as party 
 lines became more distinctly drawn on the reform question, I 
 did, on that account, suffer the loss of several old and highly 
 valued friends. This was mainly through the efforts of the 
 Presiding Elder, who seemed incapable of being the friend of 
 any man who was active in the cause of lay delegation. 
 
 At the Conference of 1828, in Mercer County, Pennsylvania, 
 held at Leech's Meeting-house, in connection with a camp- 
 meeting, I was appointed to the charge of New Lisbon Circuit, 
 with Rev. Isaac Winans for my assistant. This was my last 
 Conference, and my last year in the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
 At that Conference Bishop Roberts presided, and in a private 
 interview he gave me some needful encouragement, supposing 
 I had suffered much in mind on account of the report of the 
 Committee on Episcopacy being published in the New York Ad- 
 vocate. Well, the Bishop was right; I had suffered on account 
 of that uncandid, illogical, and most unrighteous publication. 
 But most of all did I suffer from the defeat of the appeals of 
 Dorsey and Pool, right over Shinu's overwhelming argaxment, 
 by the caucus management reported to me, as already stated, 
 by Bascom. When I found that Methodist preachers, in whom 
 I had all through life placed so much confidence, could allow 
 themselves to defeat justice, and cause the innocent to suffer by 
 the trickery of caucus pledges on paper, I lost confidence in my 
 brethren, and was powerfully tempted by the devil, for about 
 one whole year, to doubt the truth of the Christian religion. 
 According to a pamphlet published by Revs. A. Griffith, Gr. 
 Morgan, B. Waugh, and John Emory, a caucus pledge on paper, 
 at the General Conference of 1820, defeated the Presiding Elder 
 law. Now, if we judge of the truth of Christianity by the con- 
 duct of ministers of the Gospel, who, when they fail to accom- 
 
190 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 plish tlieir purposes in a General Conference by fair arg-ument, 
 resort to the underhanded management of a secret caucus pledge 
 on paper to carry their measures against reformers, we shall 
 certainly be led into doubts. Alas! for me, I had done this, 
 and my doubts had filled my soul with great distress; nor could 
 the fatherly kindness of Bishop Roberts relieve me. Always, 
 while preaching, I had full faith in Christianity; so I had, too, 
 in time of prayer, and in all other religious exercises. But 
 when alone, my doubts returned, and my soul was troubled. 
 But a thorough reexamination of the Evidences of the Truth 
 of Christianity, written by Paley and Chalmers, removed all my 
 doubts and restored my happiness. 0, what a blessed thing it 
 is to be firmly grounded in the faith of the Gospel ! 
 
 Conference being over, I returned home and prepared for a 
 removal to New Lisbon. At no time of my itinerant life did 
 I feel so much reluctance to leave a people whom I had served 
 in the ministry, as I did at that time to be separated from 
 my kind-hearted brethren and friends in Steubenville. On the 
 morning we started for our new appointment, very much to my 
 surprise, some twenty-five or thirty members of the Church, 
 with a few outside friends, male and female, in carriages and 
 on horseback, accompanied us to Newburg, nine miles on our 
 way. There we all dined together and prayed together, after 
 which we had a very tender parting. They returned to Steu- 
 benville, and I, with my family, went on our journey to New 
 Lisbon. 
 
 My reception on New Lisbon Circviit was by no means cor- 
 dial. The members of the Church knew nothing of me, except 
 that I was a reformer; and the enemies of reform had prepared 
 their minds to give me rather a cool reception. My colleague 
 was a married man.; this was his first year in the itinerancy, 
 and he was received and appointed with only the claim of a 
 single man as to salary. This he did not know until he came 
 to the circuit, as he had not been at Conference. He was, 
 therefore, much discoui'aged, and announced, at the first quar- 
 terly meeting, his determination to return to his home. In my 
 heart I disapproved of taking any promising young man, with 
 
NEW LISBON CIRCUIT. 191 
 
 a wife, into the Conference on any such hard terms, and asked 
 the Quarterly Conference to .make brother Wiuans and myself 
 equal as to pay. This act pleased my colleague and the breth- 
 ren, and at once gave me public favor. It was said, " If our 
 preacher in charge is a reformer, his reform principles have not 
 destroyed his generosity." So I retained my colleague, found 
 him a fast friend and a valuable fellow-laborer; nor did I, from 
 that day forward, lack friends or the necessaries of life while 
 I remained on that circuit. I will here add that, throughout 
 a pretty long life, God never let me lose any thing by acts of 
 generosity to those in distress. 
 
 Throughout the whole time I remained on New Lisbon Cir- 
 cuit the Chvirch had prosperity, but in the midst of it all I was 
 unhappy. 1. My doubts as to the truth of Christianity, already 
 mentioned, still returned upon me whenever I was alone. 2. 
 The action of the Church authorities in Baltimore, and other 
 places, especially in the General Conference in Pittsburgh, against 
 reformers, was, in my judgment, so unjust, so much like the 
 slippery, serpentine management of worldly politicians, as mate- 
 rially to weaken my confidence in my brethren in the ministry. 
 This gave me great pain of mind. 3. All the members I received 
 into the Church were placed under an ecclesiastical government 
 which ignored the rights of the laity. Thus I was strengthen- 
 ing an establishment which I believed to be contrary to the 
 self-evident laws of nature, the teachings of the New Testament, 
 the lessons of Church history, and the best interests of mankind. 
 This gave me much concern. 4. The structure of the Conven- 
 tional Articles, adopted for the government of the Associated 
 Methodist Churches by a convention of reformers, in Balti- 
 more, in 1828, did not suit me. They seemed to give the local 
 preachers an undue power in the government. Here, again, I 
 was in trouble. 5. During the first half of the year my Pre- 
 siding Elder gave me trouble by trying to turn my people 
 against me, because of my reform principles. He would leave 
 the quarterly meetings before they were half over, on the ground 
 of my being a reformer, and therefore, as he said, did not like 
 Presiding Elders, and he did not like to be where I was. On 
 
192 KECOLLECTIOXS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 two occasions, in liis sermons, he attacked reformers and handled 
 them very roughly ; all of which \jas meant for me, as there was 
 no other avowed reformer present. But as the year wore away, 
 this weak brother changed his course, and came in on me upon 
 the other side. Finding that he could not bend me to his will 
 by harsh treatment, and supposing that I might probably leave 
 the Church if it were continued, he, all at once, became very 
 mild, and treated me with unusual kindness, proposing to use 
 his influence in my behalf at the next Conference, and open my 
 way to one of the best stations. I understood it all, and let 
 it all pass, believing that my days in the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church were fast drawing to a close. 
 
 Letters received from leading reformers, from all quarters, in 
 answer to letters of inquiry written by me, gave me full assur- 
 ance that the undue power given to the local preachers by the 
 Conventional Articles of 1828 was only a temporary arrange- 
 ment; that the Convention of 1830, in the formation of a regu- 
 lar Church Constitution, would, by instruction from the primary 
 assemblies, give us a well-balanced form of Church government, 
 securing ecpal rights to all parties concerned. So I hesitated 
 no more as to my future course. 
 
 To build up religion and religious liberty, both together, was 
 the great work to which I then prepared to devote my life. 
 Yet, while on New Lisbon Circuit, I did nothing to advance 
 the cause of reform. This forbearance on my part was not 
 owing to any pledge given by me to be silent, but mainly to 
 my distressing doubts as to the truth of Christianity itself. 
 Why perplex myself about Church government, if Christian- 
 ity itself be nothing but a cunningly-devised fable ? But 
 now, having once more examined the arguments of Paley and 
 Chalmers in proof of the truth of the Christian religion, and 
 feeling myself fully confirmed in the faith of the Gospel, I 
 felt ready, as above stated, to do all within the compass of 
 my power to advance the cause of Christ upon liberal princi- 
 ples. 
 
 He who changes his Church relations should have very good 
 reasons for so doing. My reasons are found in the following 
 
REASONS FOR LEAVING THE CHURCH. 193 
 
 statement, which I drew up about one year before I left the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church. . I give the substance of the state- 
 ment, a little modified: 
 
 I. In 1784, in the city of Baltimore, at the organization of 
 the government of the Methodist Episcopal Church, Dr. Coke 
 and Francis Asbury, and a few itinerant preachers, did then and 
 there boldly march up to a principle of ecclesiastical polity and 
 take it into their safe-keeping, after which the Roman clergy 
 struggled, by tarick, stratagem, and pious fraud, for 1160 years 
 before they laid their hands upon it, and took it into their safe- 
 keeping; and when they got it, the Church was ruined. The 
 principle is this, namely : that to the itinerant clergy alone does 
 pertain, of divine right, all legislative and, virtually, all judicial 
 and executive power over the whole Church, leaving nothing 
 to the local preachers and the lay members but absolute sub- 
 mission to their will, or expatriation from the Church. Their 
 will, officially expressed by a delegation of itinerant ministers 
 from the several Annual Conferences of preachers in the Glen- 
 eral Conference, is now the law of the Church, against which 
 there is no balance of power, no check or defense, in any way. 
 A single Pope never sat on St. Peter's chair at Rome for 
 1160 years without the elective voice of the people, as may 
 be seen by an appeal to Mosheim's and Gregory's Church His- 
 tories ; but when had the local preachers and lay members a 
 voice in the election of Bishops in the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church? Never! 
 
 II. In changing the title of Superintendent, in 1787, for that 
 of Bishop, without the consent of the American Conference, (see 
 Lee's History of the Methodists, p. 128,) and contrary to the 
 express instructions of Mr. Wesley, (see Moore's Life of Wes- 
 ley, p. 285,) and thus becoming a Methodist Episcopal Church, 
 independent of Mr. Wesley, Dr. Coke, Mr. Asbury, and the itin- 
 erant preachers, with the aid of the high-sounding title ^^Bishop," 
 did abundantly strengthen themselves in the possession of the 
 power which they assumed at the time of the organization of the 
 government. Titles draw courtiers, power, and prerogatives after 
 them. 
 
194 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 III. According to Lee's History of the Methodists, (p. 183,) 
 the jiower to make Presiding Elders, which was first assumed 
 by the Bishops, and "used for several years" without law, was 
 finally established to said Bishops by the General Conference. 
 This gave them a power over the whole Church, which, indeed, 
 really looks alarming. This Presiding Elder system gives a 
 kind of ubiquity to a Bishop, for by it he is in all places 
 throughout the entire territory of Methodism, with eyes to see, 
 ears to hear, and hands to handle all ecclesiastical matters. It 
 renders the whole government, in its practical operations, ex- 
 ceedingly powerful. 
 
 IV. In 1796, according to Lee's History of Methodism, (p. 
 234,) a deed of settlement was got up, to be carried into execu- 
 tion throughout the whole connection, so far as the civil author- 
 ities and laws would allow. This deed makes Church property 
 a kind of common stock ; or, at least, the use of it is made com- 
 mon to all the Methodists in every state and every Conference. 
 It is placed under the absolute legislative control of the General 
 Conference of ministers, for the people can only use it according 
 to their legislation. It is placed under the absolute appointing 
 power of the Bishops, who have power to put the occupants into 
 the pulpits and parsonages, without consulting any will but their 
 own. Thus the itinerant clergy, by taking this anti-Christian 
 hold of the temporalities of the people, have immense power 
 over them. By controlling the property they control the peo- 
 ple themselves, "for power over a man's substance really does, 
 in most instances, amount to a power over his will." 
 
 V. In 1808, the restrictive instrument, improperly called a 
 constitution, was formed, by which the Bishops became officers 
 for life. The General Conference became a delegated body, and 
 the whole government was so saddled vipon the Methodist com- 
 munity, by the itinerant ministry alone, that no vital changes can 
 be effected or hoped for, without the consent of the Annual Con- 
 ferences and a vote of a majority of two-thirds of the subse- 
 quent General Conference. This the Bishops, if so disposed, can 
 easily hinder, as they hold all the appointing power, and, conse- 
 quently, all the Church livings, in their hands. 
 
REASONS FOR LEAVING THE CHURCH. 195 
 
 VI. In 1820, if I mista-ke not, the Bishops became pensioned 
 upon the Book Concern at New York for all their table ex- 
 penses. Henceforth, they are not to know want like other itin- 
 erant preachers. Their support is as certain as that wealthy 
 establishment can make it. Numbers have given them power. 
 Wealth of membership has given them power : for what would a 
 king be, with all his arbitrary principles of government, without 
 men and money in his dominions? 
 
 Thus we see that the principles assumed by the itinerant 
 clergy of the Methodist Episcopal Church, at the time of the 
 organization of their ecclesiastical government, are without a 
 parallel in our country for their tyrannical character. In these 
 principles the itinerant clergy have become amazingly strength- 
 ened by their various additions, and by nothing have they been 
 more strengthened than by their firm grasp on Church property, 
 through the medium of the "deed of settlement," and the con- 
 stitution, as they call it, of 1808. These gird the government 
 fast upon the people, and leave them no hope but in ecclesias- 
 tical expatriation. 
 
 VII. This ecclesiastical power is professedly held by the itin- 
 erant ministers of the Methodist Episcopal Church as a divine 
 right, granted to them by the great Head of the Church. Only 
 hear the General Conference of 1828 : " The great Head of the 
 Church himself has imposed on us the duty of preaching the 
 Gospel, of administering its ordinances, and of maintaining its 
 moral discipline among those over whom the Holy Ghost, in 
 these respects, has made us overseers. Of these, also, viz., of 
 Gospel doctrines, ordinances, and moral discipline, we do believe 
 that the divinely instituted ministry are the divinely authorized 
 expounders ; and that the duty of maintaining them in their 
 purity, and of not permitting our ministrations, in these respects, 
 to be authoritatively controlled by others, [a lay delegation, for 
 instance,] does rest upon us with the force of a moral obliga- 
 tion, in the discharge of which our consciences are involved." 
 
 A very learned and sagacious Catholic priest saw in this mani- 
 festo of the General Conference a family likeness, and pub- 
 lished it in the Catholic Telegraph, in Cincinnati, declaring that 
 
196 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 the Cliureli of Rome never made a higher chxim to spiritual and 
 ecclesiastical power than this. Why, then, shall I not oppose 
 the popery of Methodism, as well as the popery of the Church 
 of Rome ? I hold both alike have departed from the teachings 
 of the Holy Scriptures in ecclesiastical matters, and both alike to 
 be unwilling to be reformed. St. Peter, in his first epistle, chap. 
 V, 3d verse, clearly forbids the Elders of the Church to exercise 
 a lordship over God's heritage; and Paul, in his second epistle 
 to the Corinthians, chap, i, 2-tth verse, places a veto on minis- 
 terial dominion over the faith of the saints ; and the Saviour, 
 in Matthew, chap, xx, 25th and 2Gth verses, in rebuking the 
 aspiring ambition of James and John, said: "Ye know that the 
 princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they 
 that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not 
 be so among you." In Mark, chap, x, 42d verse, this Gentile 
 dominion is called a " lordship." So it is in Luke, chap, xxii, 
 25th verse. Here, then, we have, in this Gentile government, 
 the words "lordship," "dominion," and "authority," all im- 
 plying an absolute power over the people, against which there 
 was no check, balance, or defense, in any legal way. Now, our 
 Lord forbids this kind of Geutile lordship, dominion, and au- 
 thority on the part of his ministers over his Church, and says, 
 "It shall not be so among you." I forbid that thing. There 
 shall be no such lordship, dominion, or authority, on the part 
 of my ministers over my members, as there is on the part of 
 the princes of the Gentiles over the Gentiles — "ii! shall not be 
 so amoiiff i/6u." With doctrines, piety, and morals all so pure, 
 scriptural, and holy, why did the Methodist preachers, after the 
 example of the Romish clergy, institute a Church government 
 so contrary to Christ's teaching, and so Gentile in its charac- 
 ter? Could the voice of the people have been heard in 1784, 
 such a government never would have been formed. But now 
 that it exists, who can hope to change it for the better? The 
 following ecclesiastical law, found in the discipline, stands guard 
 against all reform. "If any member of our Church shall be 
 clearly convicted of endeavoring to sow dissension in any of our 
 societies by inveighing against either our doctrines or discipline, 
 
INVITATION TO GO TO PITTSBURGH. 197 
 
 such person so offending shall be first reproved by the senior 
 minister or preacher of his circuit, and if he persist in such. 
 pernicious practices, he shall be expelled from the Church." 
 
 On this rule, very properly denominated " the gag-law," a 
 few remarks may be allowed. First : It puts the discipline 
 made by men on a level with the doctrines of Christ, and re- 
 gards inveighing against each as equally criminal, and awards 
 to each a similar punishment — first, reproof, then expulsion. 
 Secondly : The government of the Methodist Episcopal Church 
 is of itinerant origin, and is wholly in itinerant hands, and is 
 so strictly and powerfully guarded by this odious "gag-law," 
 that reformation becomes impossible. Thirdly : He who at- 
 tempts a reforming process must, necessarily, point out some- 
 thijig wrong in the government, or in the administration, or in 
 both; and, if he does this, and perseveres in so doing, "the 
 divinely authorized expounders" of the law will deem him an 
 incurable inveigher against the government and those who ad- 
 minister it, and "expel him from the Church." This is about 
 the ground upon which all the expulsions in Baltimore and 
 elsewhere have been effected. 
 
 Now, in view of the arbitrary principles of the government 
 of the Methodist Episcopal Church, as above stated; and in 
 view of the fact that the itinerant ministers in many localities, 
 and finally in the General Conference of 1828, had brought 
 their whole power to bear upon reformers, to crush them and 
 their cause under the aforesaid "gag-law;" and in view of the 
 fact that my principles as well as my friends had been expelled 
 from the Church, and that my writings had been made a ground 
 of charge against the expelled ; and in view of the fact, too, 
 that all hope of an honorable restoration of the expelled breth- 
 ren was now cut off by the degrading terms ofiered to them by 
 the General Conference, I did deem myself, in principle and in 
 honor, bound to go with them into ecclesiastical banishment. 
 
 Near the close of May, 1829, brother Thomas Freeman, a 
 messenger from Pittsburgh, came to me in Wellsville, Ohio, with 
 a letter from the reformers in that city, inviting me to come and 
 organize them into a Church, under the Conventional Articles. 
 
198 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 To this letter I- I'eplied, tliat I would comply with their wishes 
 so soon as I could return home to my family, in New Lisbon, 
 and make my arrangements. But, being a little delayed by the 
 brethren, and by affliction in my family, I wrote them the fol- 
 lowing letter: 
 
 "New Lisbon, 31ay 27, 1829. 
 "Dear Brethren: 
 
 "Your second communication has been received, and I hasten 
 to inform you that on next Sabbath I close my labors forever 
 in the Methodist Episcopal Church. I had supposed myself 
 already done, and had fixed on this morning to be oif for Pitts- 
 burgh; but, by an importunity that I could not resist, on the 
 part of my brethren and other friendly citizens, I have been 
 overcome. I love this people : they have evinced a friendship 
 for me and mine, during my residence among them, that has 
 made me greatly their debtor ; and, besides, they are nearly all 
 reformers, so far as they understand the subject, and they de- 
 sire me to state my reasons, on Sunday, for leaving the old 
 establishment. This, through Divine help, I design doing at 
 the close of my second sermon, in as clear and candid a manner 
 as possible. 
 
 " There is another consideration of some moment. Mrs. 
 Brown's health is still very feeble ; but, thank God, it improves 
 a little, and against next week I can, in all probability, leave 
 home with more propriety 'than now. I shall be off on Mon- 
 day next, God willing, and shall probably be with you on Tues- 
 day next. I have just received a letter from brother Sliinn, 
 inviting me to Cincinnati, to form a circuit round that city. 
 He assures me, on good authority, that a good circuit could be 
 formed in a very little time. I have, also, received official in- 
 formation from Ohio Circuit, stating that they go at the end 
 of this Conference year, and will take no preachers from the 
 old side. They have asked me to come over and help them. 
 
 "I have just received another private communication from 
 *>i«^>i;* Circuit, calling for help. The "divinely authorized" 
 have forbidden a very respectable local preacher, whom no 
 threats could terrify into silence, the occupancy of some of 
 
LETTER OF ACCEPTANCE. 199 
 
 their pulpits, and tlie brethren think this is the proper time to 
 be oif. The circuit is large — say one thousand strong — and it 
 is thought a majority of them are reformers. The letter stated 
 that .the Conventional Articles, though somewhat objectionable, 
 would be adopted for the present. If we can only get a con- 
 stitution formed on purely republican principles, under the 
 blessing of our glorious Lord, we shall abundantly succeed 
 with a liberty-loving people. I think the day may yet come 
 when w^, who are only becoming a people, shall sit under our 
 own vine and fig-tree, eating the pleasant fruit of ecclesiastical 
 liberty, none daring to make us afraid. Our opposing brethren, 
 from the Bishops down, have done all they could to crush the 
 Mutual Rights, but surely they have failed of success. Much 
 less will they be able to withstand us, when our preachers go 
 an person, preaching the same Gospel, carrying with them the 
 same moral rules of holy living, giving the people an itinerant 
 ministry, love-feasts, class-meetings, and distributing our prin- 
 ciples of government in pamphlets as they go. Ours is the 
 glorious cause of ecclesiastical emancipation, and has no ene- 
 mies in America, save on the old side ; and I greatly miss my 
 guess if the very means which they have employed, and are 
 now employing, against us and our cause, do not ultimately 
 help us in many ways. 
 
 " Give my love to all the holy brethren of like precious faith 
 with ourselves, and tell them that I desire an interest in their 
 prayers. I am a frail child of the dust. I tremble much at 
 the vastness of our undertaking. Our help is in the strong God 
 of Zion. He inhabits eternity, but his eye is on the truth, and 
 on him who loves it, however poor he may be. Him I love, 
 and most ardently long for that perfect liberty from sin which 
 he alone can give; and I most cordially believe that we need 
 not remain in ecclesiastical bondage in order to enjoy this 'glo- 
 jious liberty of the sons of God.' 
 
 "Very aflPectionately, yours, etc., 
 
 "W. Stevenson, "^ "GeO. BrOWN. 
 
 "S. Remington, y Commiiiee." 
 
 "C. Ckaig, 
 
200 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 According to my promise, as intimated in the foregoing let- 
 ter, at the close of my second sermon on the following Sunday, 
 my reasons for leaving the Methodist Episcopal Church were 
 given in a calm and candid manner to a crowded audience. As 
 those reasons have been already introduced, in consecutive or- 
 der, I need not here repeat them. It may be proper to observe, 
 however, that before that audience I enlarged on various points 
 to a considerable extent, so as to render every thing as satisfac- 
 tory as possible. When I returned home, nearly all the mem- 
 bers of the Church and many of the citizens came to me, filling 
 up the house and the yard, wishing to know more about reform. 
 They stayed until a late hour at night, pressing me hard to re- 
 main with them, and organize them into a Church under the 
 Conventional Articles. This I could not do, as I was pledged 
 to the brethren in Pittsburgh. Finding I must go the next 
 morning, they then got from me a few copies of the Conven- 
 tional Articles, held a meeting during the week, and adopted 
 the Articles themselves, without any preacher to help them. 
 These brethren remained firm in the reform cause all summer, 
 waiting and calling for ministerial help. At our first Confer- 
 ence, held in Cincinnati, October, 1829, Rev. C. Springer was 
 appointed to New Lisbon; but, from some cause, never yet ex- 
 plained, he failed to go to that people until in the winter. By 
 that time they were discouraged, and the most of them, just 
 before his arrival, returned to the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 This delay did an injury to the Methodist Protestant Church 
 in that place, which we have never been able to overcome. 
 
 On Monday morning I "was off for Pittsburgh. On Tuesday 
 evening I reached my destination, and was very kindly received 
 and comfortably entertained at the house of Rev. Charles 
 Avery, in Alleghany. On Wednesday I wrote the following 
 letter to my Presiding Elder : 
 
 " Pittsburgh, Penn., June 3, 1829. 
 "My Dear Brother Eddy: 
 
 "The time has now arrived for me to follow my principles, as 
 a reformer, or abandon them. I have taken time and written 
 
LETTER TO MY PRESIDING ELDER. 201 
 
 extensively to the reformers, and particularly to the members of 
 the convention in Baltimore, and am now satisfied as to the ob- 
 jectionable articles. They and all the rest were well meant, 
 and for the present may be useful; and, for my own part, I do 
 not entertain a single doubt that the Convention of 1830 will 
 construct an ecclesiastical government which will be, in all re- 
 spects, perfectly congenial with republican principles and feel- 
 ings. 
 
 My feeble services have been called for in four different direc- 
 tions. The brethren of three out of four desired me to be in 
 readiness against a certain time, but the fourth was a call that 
 would admit of no delay. Being unable to ascertain where a 
 communication would find you, on your district, and being 
 much pressed with other business about the time I left New 
 Lisbon, I have delayed until now to inform you, as my Pre- 
 siding Elder, that on last Sabbath my labors in the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church were brought to a final close. I have many 
 valuable friends in the Methodist Episcopal Church, in the 
 ministry and among the members. I now, as heretofore, testify 
 my affection for the doctrines, class-meetings, love-feasts, moral 
 discipline, sacraments, and itinerancy of the Church. But the 
 government I do most conscientiously disapprove; and since all 
 hope of change is new cut off, and since the brethren who were 
 expelled — in part on my account — can not honorably return, 
 and since a new Church had to be formed, I have deemed my- 
 self bound, by all the principles of Christian honor, to go with 
 the reformers. You will hot understand me to have one unlov- 
 ing sentiment or feeling about my soul in reference to you. No, 
 my brother, nor have I in reference to a single individual, this^ 
 day, on earth. I love my God. I love his people of every 
 name. I desire the happiness of all the human race. I go with 
 the reformers because I love their principles; and my prayer to 
 the great and glorious Lord of the whole creation is, that they 
 may universally prevail ! 
 
 "With great respect, I am, etc., 
 
 " Geo. Brown, 
 "Rev. Ira Eddt, P. E., Ohio District." 
 
 13 
 
202 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 To leave the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which my par- 
 ents had lived and died, and in which I had myself labored 
 and suffered nearly fifteen years in the itinerant ministry, and 
 in which, among the preachers and members, I had so many 
 warm-hearted friends, was indeed, to me, a trial of no ordinary 
 magnitude. But my principles lay in the reform ranks, and for 
 those principles and, in part, for my writings in defense of them, 
 my friends in Baltimore and elsewhere had been expelled from 
 the Church. I did, therefore, really feel myself under the 
 strongest moral obligation to leave a persecuting Church, and 
 help the reformers in their new organization. Self-respect, 
 Christian honor, and a due regard for truth, all required me to 
 adopt this .course. 
 
CIIUECH PROPERTY. 203 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Chufxh Property— Plan- to Crush Keform in Pittsbdroh— Effokt to Obtain Posses- 
 sion OF Smithfield Street Church— Decision of Supreme Court of Pennsylvania 
 IN Favor of Reformers— Effort to Bring Female Influence to Beak Against 
 Keform— FiEST Reform Conference— Amdsino Objection to Moral Character — 
 Convention in Baltimore— True Piety of Ministers and Members of Methodise 
 Episcopal Church- Contemptuous Treatment from Old Friends. 
 
 I WENT to assist tlie reforniers in Pittsburgli, iu full view of 
 the facts that au attempt was being made by Rev. AVm. Lamb- 
 din to crush them, and that they intended to hold fast their 
 interest in the Church property, and resist his efforts to the last 
 degree. A charter had been obtained from the Legislature of 
 Pennsylvania. The corporate body was called the Methodist 
 Church of Pittsburgh. The word "Episcopal" was most signifi- 
 cantly left out of the charter, as indicating the reform sentiment 
 prevalent when the instrument was obtained. Nine trustees, 
 annually elected by the corporate body, held the property, and 
 had full charge of all the Church's temporalities. Seven out of 
 the nine trustees were reformers. These seven, at the instance 
 of the whole body of reformers, called for me through the me- 
 dium of a committee. 
 
 Having arrived among the brethren io Pittsburgh, and takeu 
 up a temporary residence with brother Stephen Remington, I 
 met the reformers for the first time, June 3, 1829, in Kerr's 
 School-hous6. These brethren gave me, officially, a most cor- 
 dial welcome, and infornied me of the state of affairs; to all 
 of which I responded in an address of considerable length, and 
 commended myself to their prayers and to the care and help of 
 God, for I felt that a work too great for my strength was now 
 hefom me. Previous to my arrival, N. Holmes and J. Verner, 
 
204 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 the two anti-reform trustees, had served notices on the reform 
 portion of the board, threatening them with legal consequences 
 if they dared to put me into the puipit of the new meeting- 
 house. On the 5th of June, a similar notice was served on me 
 by the preacher in charge, and on the same day another by the 
 stewards. The sexton, too, R. White, a noble-hearted Irish 
 brother, was likewise forbidden by the stewards, on his peril, 
 t) allow me to enter the Smithfield Meeting-house.* All of 
 this looked threatening; but it was no more threatening than 
 the reformers, under legal advice, desired. They wanted to test, 
 in open court, the validity of the "Deed of Settlement" found 
 in the book of discipline of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 So, when Sunday, the 7th of June, came, I appeared at the door 
 </f the church at nine o'clock A. M. There I was met by Thos. 
 Robinson, President of the Board of Trustees, and Stephen 
 Remington, Secretary of said Board, and, with one of them on 
 each side of me, I was conducted up the aisle, and with much 
 formality ushered, by legal authority, into the pulpit. The 
 congregation was large and attentive. My text for the occasion 
 was taken from Isaiah, xl, 31: "But they that wait upon the 
 Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with 
 wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they 
 shall walk, and not faint." That day I opened my mission 
 among the reformers with a sermon on experimental religion. 
 Many of our opponents, who were present, were disappointed. 
 They came expecting to hear the old Church abused, and to get 
 something out of which to make capital against us; but God 
 led my heart another way. to the gratification and comfort of 
 all our maltreated people. 
 
 At three o'clock that same day we had service in a grove 
 on the Alleghany side; but, being interrupted by a storm, my 
 discourse was concluded in the Presbyterian church, which was 
 near at hand. The congregation was exceedingly large — a 
 mixed multitude, made up of all denominations and nothing- 
 arians of all sorts. So ended this first day's labor in the reform 
 
 *This church was on tlio corner of Smithfield and Seventh Streets, and was called 
 "Smithfield Meeting -house," and also "Brimstone Corner." 
 
PLAN TO CRUSH REFORM IN PITTSBURGH 205 
 
 ranks. It was a good day to my soul, and I felt quite encour- 
 aged to hope that the Lord would be with me in my eiforts to 
 spread religion and ecclesiastical liberty both together. From 
 that day until some time in November, the reformers occupied 
 the Smithfield Meeting-house at nine o'clock A. M. and at 
 three o'clock P. M. every Sabbath, and our old-side brethren 
 held service each Sabbath, in the same house, at eleven o'clock 
 and in the evening. The house was likewise occupied by each 
 party for preaching and prayer-meetings, on separate evenings 
 during the week. So matters stood at the beginning between 
 the parties. 
 
 It is not at all pi'obable that the reformers would have called 
 me to Pittsburgh, in view of a new organization, at the time 
 they did, if they had received any thing like fair and honorable 
 treatment from Rev. W. Lambdin, the preacher in charge. That 
 gentleman had been appointed to the charge of the Pittsburgh 
 station by Bishop Pwoberts, (who fully understood the state of 
 affairs in that city,) with a solemn pledge, on his part, to the 
 Bishop, that he would "know no man after the flesh;" i. e,, make 
 no difference in his administration between reformers and their 
 old-side brethren on account of their principles. When he 
 came to the pulpit in Pittsburgh, he, in accordance with his 
 pledge to the Bishop, declared himself in favor of equal justice 
 to all parties. This declaration put the reformers off their 
 guard, to some extent; so they felt themselves in no hurry to 
 organize a new Church. After some time, the preacher in 
 charge, in a meeting of old-side leaders and a few other confi- 
 dential friends, submitted a plan for the overthrow of reform in 
 the city of Pittsburgh. The plan was something like the fol- 
 lowing: 1. To induce all the members he could to take transfers 
 from reform to old-side class-leaders. 2. This process would 
 have the effect greatly to weaken the classes of reform leaders 
 and strengthen those of the old-side. 3. This state of things 
 would justify the preacher in charge in removing the reform 
 leaders from office, because of the non-prosperity of their classes. 
 4. It would likewise justify him in dividing the classes of old- 
 6ide leaders, now grown too large, and appointing other leaders 
 
206 KECOLLECTIOXS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 in addition — men in all respects after his own heart, and 
 suited to his purposes. 5. Thus it was proposed to degrade the 
 reform leaders from office, and by this new accession of his own 
 creatures into the leadership, fill up the Quarterly Conference 
 with such men as would sustain him in all his efforts to expel 
 the friends of ecclesiastical liberty from the Church. 
 
 From this Jesuitical plan of Mr. Lambdin, so fully disclosed, 
 and so violative of his pledge to the Bishop and to the whole 
 congregation, two of his leaders — John McGill and Standish 
 Peppard — turned away in disgust, and went and communicated 
 the whole matter to brother Thos. Robinson, a leading reformer. 
 Upon the receipt of this information, a meeting of the friends 
 of reform was called, and measures were immediately taken for 
 a new organization. Mr. Lambdin, on the 14th of June, made 
 an effort, in the pulpit, to vindicate his course in relation to the 
 transfers in question. He admitted that the transfers had been 
 made from the classes of reform leaders, and said it was because 
 the members could not, with safety to their souls, remain with 
 those leaders any longer. But this statement was not according 
 to truth, for he transferred many against their will, and could 
 not, with all his efforts, induce them to leave the reform leaders 
 and go to the old-side classes. The violation of his pledge to 
 Bishop Roberts, and to the whole Church in Pittsburgh, to 
 ''know no man after the flesh," and make no difference on 
 account of ecclesiastical sentiment, could not be explained away 
 in the estimation of the community. 
 
 On the 18th of June, a committee of twenty-four members, 
 appointed by the reformers, met at the house of Stephen 
 Remington, to prepare the way for a new ecclesiastical organ- 
 ization. On the 22d of June, at an adjourned meeting of the 
 male members, the plan of organization prepared by the com- 
 mittee of twenty-four, and recommended by the attorneys, 
 Walter Forward and Henry Baldwin, was taken under careful 
 consideration, and the vote to adopt it was unanimous. Then, 
 on Wednesday night, June 24, 1829, a thorough effort having 
 been made to have the whole body of reformers present, both 
 male and female, after calm and due consideration, the "Meth- 
 
EFFORTS TO OBTAIN POSSESSION OF A CHURCH. 207 
 
 odist Church of Pittsburgh," by a solemn vote, entered into an 
 organization under the Conventional Articles, omitting the title 
 Associated Methodist Church for the present, on account of 
 their claim to a due share of all the Church property. At that 
 same meeting I was elected to the pastoral charge of this newly- 
 organized Christian community. This .was the first time, in 
 all my ministerial life, that I ever received a pastoral charge 
 directly from the hands of the people, and I am sure I felt much 
 better than I would if it had come from the hands of a Bishop. 
 My soul felt toward this flock, thus committed to my care, in 
 a manner that words can not express. I felt that I belonged 
 to the Lord and to his Church, and that to glorifiy God, and 
 serve the best interests of his people, was now, more fully than 
 ever, to be the great aim of my life. 
 
 On Thursday, June 25, James Verner, anti-reform trustee, 
 preferred charges to Rev. W. Lambdin against all the reform 
 trustees, save Rev. C. Avery, to-wit: against Thomas Robin- 
 son, Stephen Remington, Charles Craig, John Phillips, An- 
 drew Applegate, and Edward Moore, for violating the charter, 
 and for contempt of authority. Specifications accompanied 
 the charges, and all were summoned to appear the next day, 
 in the new meeting-house on Smithfield Street, at two o'clock 
 P. M. 
 
 Friday, June 26. Our brethren declined Mr. Lambdin's 
 jurisdiction, as not extending over them, either spiritually or 
 temporally. Spiritually, they were now under another's pas- 
 toral charge ; and temporally, as trustees, they were amenable to 
 the corporate body, under the charter. Of that corporate body 
 Lambdin was not a .member; and to the charter his spiritual 
 authority was unknown. To attempt to correct pretended vio- 
 lations of the charter in an ecclesiastical court was nothing but 
 usurpation. As their committee meeting was not for public 
 worship, but merely an efi"ort to get possession of the meeting- 
 house, and to crush reform. Sexton White did not let them in; 
 so they went to another place, proceeded with their trial, and 
 expelled all the reform trustees, save Mr. Avery, who was im- 
 mediately notified to meet N. Holmes and J. Verner, and help 
 
208 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 to fill the places made vacant in the board by the expulsions; 
 but he did not obey the summons. This efi"ort of the authori- 
 ties made no hair white or black. The reform trustees still 
 held the property under the charter, and both parties wor- 
 ehiped in the house. 
 
 The Church property question gave the parties a long, ex- 
 pensive, and vexatious struggle. If my recollection is not at 
 fault, during the summer of 1829, the reformers, through their 
 lawyers, presented, at diflferent times, four distinct propositions 
 to their old-side brethren for the settlement of the claims of 
 each party to the property. One proposition related to the 
 hours at which divine service on the Sabbath should be held; 
 for the reformers clearly saw that, on the approach of winter, 
 nine o'clock in the morning would be too early an hour to se- 
 cure a congregation. These propositions all failed of success, 
 and were treated with disdain. After the style of their own 
 Bishops, on another occasign, they "knew no such rights, and 
 comprehended no such privileges," as were claimed by the re- 
 formers. Our old-side friends had more female members than 
 we, but our male members were more numerous than theirs ; 
 and it was known to us, and might have been known to them, 
 that the reformers had by far the most money invested in the 
 Chuich property now in dispute. Our claim, founded on money 
 and on members, was half the property, or its worth in money, 
 and an equitable proportion of the time for its use, until a final 
 adjustment could take place. Their claim was all the property 
 and all the time, and that we should go forth without one cent, 
 and do for ourselves as best we could. In view of this state 
 of things, our brethren determined to hold on to the property, 
 under the charter, and give the other party the chance of cast- 
 ing us out by a writ of ejectment, if they could. If they must 
 have all, let the court so determine, and if it did so decree, we 
 knew full well, after all, that moral justice was on our side. 
 
 James Knox was the old-side sexton ; Robert White was 
 ours, under the charter, and performed all the duties belonging 
 to his OiSce at the SmithSeld Meeting-house; while Knox's op- 
 erations were confined exclusively to the old meeting-house oa 
 
EFFORTS TO OBTAIN POSSESSION OF A .CnURCH. 209 
 
 Front Street, which was not in the occupancy of the reform- 
 ers. Toward the close of the summer, at an old-side quarterly 
 meeting, Robert White prepared the bread and wine for the 
 sacrament, as was his custom on such occasions. When Rev. 
 David Sharp, the Presiding Elder, came in, he went to the 
 table, and said, "Who made these preparations for the sacra- 
 ment?" Some one answered, " Robert White." "Then," said 
 the Elder, "take them away; we want none of your radical bread 
 and wine. Let Knox prepare bread and wine for the communion." 
 This angry act, in the house of God, in the presence of a large 
 congregation, on the Sabbath-day, was not very creditable to a 
 Christian minister. It showed the spirit of the man and the 
 temper of the times, and was in perfect keeping with his con- 
 duct upon another occasion. At a camp-meeting, near Pitts- 
 burgh, while inviting all Christians of other denominations to 
 the communion, he lowered himself down from the dignity of a 
 Christian minister, and called our people "rads" and "schismatic 
 scamps," and said he " did not mean to invite them." When 
 Presiding Elders gave us such usage, what might we not expect 
 from men of lower rank and lesser growth? 
 
 On Monday, in the afternoon, our old-side brethren held their 
 Quarterly Conference in the Smithfield Meeting-house. As 
 they continued late, R. White, our sexton, who had the care of 
 the house, left the door and went to his supper. When he re- 
 turned, the old locks had been taken from the doors and new 
 ones put on, and the keys and the care of the house were 
 committed to the hands of. Sexton Knox. Our sexton opened 
 his eyes very wide when the Presiding Elder told him that "he 
 had remained at supper a little too long, and that he must now 
 go and tell his masters that they could not use that house any 
 more." This matter showed craft, and was a good joke through- 
 out the city. That night the house was strongly guarded by its 
 captors, and the reformers left them undisturbed. The trustees 
 met in the evening, for consultation with our attorneys as to 
 what next was to be done. They were the legal holders of the 
 property for the corporate body, under the charter, and were 
 advised to appoint a trustee meeting, in the new meeting-house, 
 
210 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 at ten o'clock the next morning, and see whether an illegal 
 party would obstruct them. When morning came, a whistling 
 boy from the street reported to Stephen Remington that the 
 men on guard were all gone to their daily avocations, and that 
 the sexton and another old man were sitting in the meeting- 
 house door, talking — perhaps about the fall of man, or the de- 
 pravity of the radicals ! 
 
 That morning, Thomas Freeman came into the alley, in the 
 rear of the Church, with a cart, to take away some sand which 
 lay within the meeting-house lot. While removing the boards 
 to get the sand, the sexton heard the noise, and went round 
 the house to see what Freeman was doing. On being informed 
 that he was after some sand, the sexton supposed all was right; 
 so he returned to the front of the house, and seated himself 
 again with his friend, in the door, to renew their conversation. 
 The two old men were not good watchmen. They were too 
 jubilant over their success in recovering possession of the 
 house, and the consequent defeat of the radicals, to attend to 
 the duties assigned them. Stephen Ptcmington came, by an un- 
 observed route, to Freeman, in the alley, bringing our sexton, 
 R. White, with him, and they entered the lot at the place 
 where the sand was being taken out. With a suitable iron in- 
 strument, the shutters of a window were opened by Remington, 
 the sash quietly raised, and in went Remington, Freeman, and 
 White ; nor did the two men at the door see them until they 
 were half way down the aisle. Remington's eye caught sight 
 of the keys dangling in the door. To get them into his cus- 
 tody was now a prime object with him. The old-side sexton 
 came at him with his cane, aiming heavy blows at his head. 
 He fended off bravely with his uplifted arms, still working 
 round until he got his back toward the door — then toward it 
 he went, faster and faster, the sexton following up with blow 
 after blow, until, in the door, he snatched the bunch of keys. 
 "Here, White," said he, " take these keys and take care of them. 
 What a careless thing it was to leave them dangling in the 
 door!" This, for the present, ended the matter. The sexton 
 and his friend were put out, in a very quiet way; we again had 
 
EFFORTS TO OBTAIN POSSESSION OF A CHURCH. 211 
 
 full possession of the house, and the trustees held their meet- 
 ing in it, according to appointnaent. About this time, in Pitts- 
 burgh, the excitement was very high, but it was mingled with a 
 great deal of mirth. The joke was fairly rolled back upon our 
 old-side brethren. 
 
 In the niontli of November, the nine-o'clock hour was deemed 
 too early to secure a good congregation. The reformers having 
 failed in all their efforts to get an adjustment of property mat- 
 ters with their old-side brethren, and finding that if they ever 
 got a better hour than the one they had, for morning worship 
 on the Sabbath-day, they would have to take it. In the hope, 
 therefore, of retaining the congregation, and of inducing the au- 
 thorities in the opposition to bring their often-threatened "writ 
 of ejectment," so as to settle the whole matter in court, the 
 trustees, instructed by the corporate body, and advised by their 
 attorneys, passed an order changing the time of public worship 
 from nine to half-past ten o'clock A. M., on Sabbath-day, 
 which order was to take eff"ect on the following Sabbath morn- 
 ing. I now saw plainly that a very great trial was before me; 
 but to meet it was a necessity. We could see no other way to 
 save our congregation, or to bring the property question into 
 court for a legal decision of our claims. So, with much prayer 
 to Grod that strength might be given me according to my day, I 
 resolved, with calmness and firmness of soul, to be at my post at 
 the time appointed. 
 
 This change of time had become generally known. When I 
 entered the church, at precisely ten o'clock, there sat Stephen 
 Remington, wrapped in his blue cloak, with his back against the 
 pulpit door, keeping guard. He looked very formidable, for he 
 was an unusually large man. And there sat Rev. Z. Costen, the 
 old-side preacher in charge, on the outside of the altar, with a 
 paper in his hand, and in his face there was a look indicating 
 firmness of purpose. A few young people were already in po- 
 sition in the gallery to witness the transactions of that day. 
 When I went forward, Costen arose and stood firmly against the 
 gateway of the altar, to prevent my entrance. He then gave me 
 the paper which I had seen in his hand. This paper I received, 
 
212 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 and, without reading it, put it in my pocket, crossed tlie railing 
 of the altar, and. Remington opening the door for me, I went 
 into the pulpit. This done. Remington resumed his seat as guard 
 at the door, and Costen returned to his, beside the altar. Imme- 
 diately the choir appeared in the gallery, the congregation as- 
 sembled for worship, and the services of the sanctuary were com- 
 menced. Remington then left the door of the pulpit, and took 
 his usual seat in the assembly. It was then about fifteen minutes 
 before the appointed time of beginning, as set forth in the order 
 by the Board of Trustees. Just at the close of the first hymn, 
 which was sung by the choir and the whole congregation in fine 
 style, in came the old-side brethren in full force, with their most 
 sturdy men in front, pressing on quite up to the altar. Seeing 
 this, our men of might and courage, from all parts of the house, 
 came crowding up and stood beside them. These strong men of 
 both sides, now standing together, seemed to be measuring each 
 other, with the eye, from head to foot, as if war was about to 
 commence. But, the hymn being ended, I called the whole 
 assembly to prayer, and in that prayer the Lord gave me 
 strength to help in that time of need. Costen, who had got 
 in and come up to the top of the pulpit steps, responded 
 "Amen" to many of my petitions. So far as the crowded 
 condition of the assembly would allow, all were on their knees. 
 Indeed, it seemed to be a praying time, and the usual "amen" 
 was heard in various parts of the house. AVhen prayer was 
 over, Costen came forward and handed me another paper, which, 
 without reading, I put, as in the other instance, into my pocket, 
 still keeping my place close up in the pulpit, with my left hand 
 on the Bible. He then made a formal demand of me to sur- 
 render the pulpit to him. I replied that "the trustees, acting 
 under the charter granted by the Legislature of Pennsylvania, 
 had put me into that pulpit, and I did not intend to surrender 
 it to him or any other man." This was spoken in a calm, firm 
 tone, and was distinctly heard all over the house. Costen then 
 came forward to the front of the pulpit, and announced to the 
 assembly that all his claims in the house, at that hour, had been 
 rejected by the present occupant of the pulpit. He then called 
 
WRIT OF EJECTMENT ISSUED. 213 
 
 upon all his friends to repair to tlie old mecting-liouse, wliere 
 liev. Homer J. Clark would preach to them. So they all turned 
 for the door and quietly withdrew, and, as they went, the choir — 
 aye, and all the remaining portion of the congregation with 
 them — sung, in their best style, the following appropriate hymn, 
 by liev. C.Vesley: 
 
 " Prisoners of hope, lift up your heads, 
 The day of liberty draws near," etc. 
 
 The music was fine, the hymn glorious; and against they 
 were done, I felt in good order for preaching. My text was 
 taken from James, chap, i, 25th verse: " But whoso looketh into 
 the perfect law of liberty, and coutinueth therein, he being not 
 a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be 
 blessed in his deed." That morning God gave me help from 
 heaven. Men can feel better, who, with unflinching firmness, 
 contend for their undoubted rights, than others can who obsti- 
 nately refuse to yield the claims of justice to their neighbors. 
 It is not pleasant to have such contests; but who ever got their 
 rights out of the hands of clerical power without a struggle ? 
 
 Not long after this, a writ of ejectment was brought against 
 the trustees, myself, and Sexton White. While the property 
 question was in the hands of the law, the parties had compar- 
 ative rest; and each party, 1 think, strove in real earnest to do 
 religious good in the Pittsburgh community. In September, 
 1831, according to the judicial report in the case, the trial came 
 on. Judge Rogers recommended an amicable adjustment of the 
 matter between the parties, and our lawyers, Forward and Fet- 
 terman, said that was all we wanted, and had made many efforts 
 to get the matter settled in that way. The case was then laid 
 over for nine days, to take its regular turn, and to give the 
 parties time for an amicable accommodation. But no adjust- 
 ment with the other party could be had ; so the trial came on. 
 Three days were, spent in taking the testimony. The point our 
 old-side friends aimed to prove, and on which they seemed en- 
 tirely to rely, was, that the reformers had formed themselves into 
 a separate body. This was conceded by our people, in the 
 
214 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 promptest manner possible. If it could be proved tliat we were 
 seceders from tbe old body, they supposed it would follow, as 
 a matter of course, that we had no right to any portion of the 
 property. But .the reformers maintained that money had given 
 them a right, and that the deed by which the property was 
 held was utterly worthless. However, a verdict pro forma, at 
 the instance of Mr. Forward, and by the instruction of the 
 Judge, was rendered by the jury (without leaving the box, or 
 a moment's consultation,) for the plaintiffs. This was done iu 
 view of carrying up the case, without any argument in the court 
 below, to be argued as an appealed case before the Supreme 
 Court of the state of Pennsylvania. All parties desired the 
 highest legal authority in the State to decide the matter at issue 
 between the litigants. When the aforesaid verdict was rendered 
 for the plaintiffs, it caused great joy in the tents of Episcopal 
 Methodism; but the reformers, the appellants, held their peace 
 and felt no fears, being confident of final success. 
 
 At the October term of the Supreme Court of the state of 
 Pennsylvania, for 1832, before Chief-Justice Gibson and Jus- 
 tices Rogers, Huston, and Ross, this appealed case was argued 
 by Forward and Fetterman for the appellants, and by Wilkins 
 for the otlior party. These gentlemen were all very able law- 
 yers, and put forth all their strength on that occasion. The 
 "Deed of Settlement" was found wanting; the reformers car- 
 ried their cause most triumphantly. Church property is always 
 local in its origin, and for a local people in some designated 
 place, among Episcopal Methodists; yet, when it comes to be 
 deeded, according to their form of deed, it becomes a general 
 property for the use of all the Methodists, in all the states, and 
 in all the Conferences. It is placed- under the legislative con- 
 trol of the General Conference of ministers living in all the 
 states of the Union. It is placed under the appointing control 
 of the Bishops, who may not live* in the state in which it is 
 Bituatod. So many general ideas and so much foreign control 
 as were found in that Deed of Settlement would not allow it to 
 pass ; it was condemned by the Supreme Court of the state. 
 There were other principles contained in the deed, involved in 
 
DECISION OF SUPREME COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA. 215 
 
 tliis controversy and disastrous to tlie plaiutiifs, wliicli I liave 
 not mentioned. 
 
 When the suit in court terminated in our favor, we told our 
 old- side frieuds that we had never claimed more than half of 
 that property; that if they would get up a committee of three, 
 we would appoint a committee of the same number, then let the 
 six meet and divide the property. This was done, and the par- 
 ties were satisfied. Nothing but a little ill-blood — of which the 
 old-side always charged us with having too much, and of which 
 we always knew they had a little more than enough — hindered 
 this kind of equitable settlement at the beginning. The re- 
 formers had often aimed to get such a settlement, and only got 
 it now because all other hope had been cut off from our oppo- 
 nents, by the highest legal authority in the state. That "Deed 
 of Settlement," got up by the itinerant clergy, had been a 
 mighty engine of power in their hands — a tremendous hoop, 
 binding the whole connection together, under their authority. 
 By controlling the property, they controlled the people them- 
 selves ; as, in most instances, power over a man's substance 
 amounts to a power over his will. To break down this "Deed 
 of Settlement," by a decision of the Supreme Court of the state 
 of Pennsylvania, did, indeed, give great joy to the reformers, 
 not only in Pittsburgh, but in all the land. And we rejoiced 
 as much in giving the other party their full share of the prop- 
 erty, as we did in the legal victory we gained over them. 
 
 From the first Sabbath in June, 1829, until the autumn of 
 1830, I had no itinerant help in Pittsburgh. Eev. A. Shinn 
 was in Cincinnati, Rev. C. Springer in the vicinity of Zanes- 
 ville. Rev. W. B. Evans in the region of Harrisville, and Rev. 
 Josiah Foster on the Ohio. Circuit. None of these brethren 
 could render me any assistance in Pittsburgh. Having stood 
 connected so long with such a large body of ministers, and now 
 to find myself pretty much alone, in the origin of our cause, 
 was rather oppressive to my feelings. Often did a sense of lone- 
 liness come over my heart, with a most crushing weight; often 
 did I seek society and friendship with those itinerant reformers 
 whom I had left behind me in the old Church ; but only a few 
 
216 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 of tliem dared to look my way, and to preach for me was out 
 of the question for them all. In Pittsburgh I had some local 
 preachers who rendered me occasional assistance in the pulpit : 
 Charles Avery, James Munden, W. Schdly, and James Small- 
 man. Avery was always ready, and did good service whenever 
 called on ; the others, though good men and true, did not often 
 preach. But I had a noble body of official members to help 
 me, and nearly all the members were active and efficient in re- 
 vivals. I generally preached three times every Sabbath — twice 
 in the Smithfield house, and at night in Alleghany, Birming- 
 ham, or Pipetown — -constantly meeting a class in my house after 
 morning service. My pastoral labors were very great ; made so 
 by the peculiarities of the circumstances in which the people 
 of my charge were placed. It was supposed by our old-side 
 friends that the female portion of the reformers did not fully 
 understand the questions at issue between the parties, and that, 
 if they did, they might be induced to return to the old Church ; 
 that, by getting back the wives and daughters of the reformers, 
 they might, ultimately, through female influence, reach the men, 
 and bring them back. This was a crafty piece of policy: it was 
 once tried upon the father of the human race, by a very crafty 
 agent, and did succeed, and it might succeed again — who could 
 tell? At any rate, nothing would be lost by a trial, and much 
 might be gained. So it came t(5 pass in those days that an effort 
 was made by the old-side class-leaders, and their more promi- 
 nent female members, to enlighten the sisterhood of the re- 
 formers on the subject of Church government. No doubt this 
 effort received its direction from head-quarters. It was a long- 
 continued effort, and those who made it may have been sincere. 
 They may have thought, amid the excitement of the times — • 
 being deceived in this matter — that clerical bondage was jjrefer- 
 able to ecclesiastical liberty ; but, as a general thing, they failed 
 of their object: our ladies, as well as their fathers, husbands, 
 and brothers, had weighed the matter well, had counted the 
 cost, had taken their position among the reformers from prin- 
 ciple, and it was not easy to move them from the ground they 
 occupied. 
 
KEFORMERS' FIRST' CONFERENCE IN CINCINNATI. 217 
 
 Wherever these visitors went among our people, there I went. 
 All their arguments against Christian freedom I strove to an- 
 swer. Some of those arguments were very silly, if not wicked. 
 To ascribe the great^good done by Methodism to the structure 
 of their Church government, instead of attributing it to the 
 power of the Gospel, did seem to me to be a perversion of the 
 truth. And to propagate the doctrine that a lay delegation 
 and an itinerant ministry could not live and prosper together, 
 was equal to telling me that an itinerant ministry was destruct- 
 ive of human freedoiji, and should, for that reason, be imme- 
 diately abolished. I did not send agents, but went myself, into 
 all places where the old-side visitors went among our people, 
 and, generally speaking, .1 found them firm in "the faith once 
 delivered to the saints," and in the doctrines of mutual rights 
 and Christian freedom. It was the fixed determination of my 
 heart not to be outdone by the other side in pastoral visita- 
 tions, and to lose none of my members by a neglect of duty, 
 if I could help it. This state of things added greatly to the 
 ordinary labors of a pastor, and made my whole time in Pitts- 
 burgh a season of uncommon toil. But God gave me success; 
 my people stood firm, and I enjoyed unspeakable happiness 
 among them. 
 
 In the month of October, 1829, the reformers held their first 
 Ohio Conference, in the city oft Cincinnati. It was held under, 
 the Conventional Articles. The greater part of the ministers 
 in attendance had been local preachers in the Methodist Epis- 
 copal Church, and most of them had been very roughly handled 
 for their reform principles and actions in the old Church. They 
 all came to Conference balanced by lay delegates, duly elected 
 by the people. This was the first Conference I had ever seen, 
 in all my life, where the ministers and members acted ofiicially 
 together, and the action was as harmonious as could have been 
 expected from beginners. The Conference made a very fine im- 
 pression upon the community. Some few of the preachers were 
 appointed to circuits and stations then in existence ; others were 
 appointed to certain localities to make circuits, and we had no 
 missionary funds to sustain them. This state of things looked 
 14 
 
218 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 gloomy — it seemed to require the faith of Abraham ; but the 
 brethren took Grod and their country for support, and went 
 forth to their work in very fine spirits, and many of them had 
 glorious success. In those days the cross i?f Christ and mutual 
 rights went together, and they ought to be together still. I 
 was appointed to Pittsburgh, without any assistant. This I re- 
 gretted, as in that region there was an ample opening for more 
 laborers — a large field, more ground than I could cultivate. 
 
 In the winter of 1829-30, at the call of the friends of reform 
 within the bounds of the Monongahela District, I went with 
 Rev. C. Springer into that region, to organize societies under 
 the Conventional Articles. The seed had been sown while I 
 Berved that people as Presiding Elder, and we found them ready 
 for action — ripe unto the harvest. A goodly number of socie- 
 ties were formed, and immediately on my return to Pittsburgh, 
 William H. Marshall, an interesting, pious, and talented young 
 brother, was sent to Springer's assistance, and the cause, under 
 their judicious and efficient labors, greatly prospered. In the 
 month of July following, at the call of the brethren in Youngs- 
 town, Ohio, I organized in that place a valuable society of 
 thirty-eight members. These brethren had been reformers from 
 the beginning of the controversy, and were prominent members 
 of the Church. They had done the main part in erecting a 
 very fine house of worship, and had sufi"ered much from the 
 party in power for their principles ; but, for peace' sake, they 
 quietly relinquished their just claim to a share in the Church 
 property, and took their stand among the reformers. The next 
 time I visited them, W. Fitch, their leader, went on Sunday 
 morning to a neighboring village, to obtain the consent of the 
 trustees for me to preach in the Methodist Church the follow- 
 ing Wednesday, at eleven o'clock A. M. He found them all 
 in class-meeting. When it was over, he asked the trustees for 
 the use of the house, at the time above named, for me to preach 
 in. With one consent they all agreed that the house should be 
 
 at my service at the time specified. Up rose brother M , 
 
 who had got a hint of Fitch's intention, and had ridden fifteen 
 miles that morning, to try, if possible, to prevent the grant of 
 
AMUSING OBJECTION TO MORAL CHARACTER. 219 
 
 the house, and said "he hoped they would reconsider the mat- 
 ter and not let me into the house, for I had left their Church." 
 The trustees answered, that, "if I had left their Church, I had 
 not forsaken the Lord, and they would like once more to hear 
 
 me preach." M then expressed great sorrow, and said "if 
 
 they did let me into that house, he knew it would be a great 
 grief to the hearts of the preachers of the circuit." The trust- 
 ees replied that "my preaching there would not pollute the 
 house ; that they expected to hear from me nothing contrary to 
 sound doctrine, and that they all wanted me to preach at the 
 
 appointed time." "Well, but," said M , "Mr. Brown don't 
 
 sustain a good moral character." Then my friend Fitch said, 
 
 "If brother M can prove any thing against Mr. Brown's 
 
 moral character, I will withdraw my request for the use of the 
 
 house." "Yes," said the trustees, "if brother M can 
 
 pro.ve any thing against Mr. Brown's moral character, we will 
 close the doors against him." All parties then united in de- 
 manding of brother M proof of something against my moral 
 
 character. "Well," said brother M , "I suppose I must 
 
 now state the facts: Mr. Brown, while on New Lisbon Circuit, 
 did say, in my hearing, that the Methodist Episticle Church had 
 a horistocral government." There followed no little laughter 
 
 at brother M 's expense. " But," said the trustees, " is 
 
 that all?" "Yes," answered brother M ; "is not that 
 
 enough?" "Well, if that is all," said the trustees, "Mr. 
 Brown can have the house." So, at the appointed time, I did 
 preach in that house to a crowded congregation, at the close 
 of which meeting Fitch and the trustees related to me the 
 foregoing amusing interview between the parties in the class- 
 room. How matters change! This brother M , by Church 
 
 authority, was made to feel ; feeling set him to thinking and 
 reading ; thinking and reading led to a change of Church rela- 
 tions. A few years after his unsuccessful effort to exclude me 
 
 from that village meeting-house, I found brother M and 
 
 his family, with a tent, at a camp-meeting near Bucyrus, a very 
 zealous member of the Methodist Protestant Church ; at which 
 
220 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 time lie confessed tlie ignorance and bigotry by wbicli he had 
 been influenced in the case above related. 
 
 In this early period of the reform movement, I had many 
 pressing calls, from various parts of the country contiguous to 
 Pittsburgh, to visit the brethren, in view of organizing Churches. 
 A Church was organized in Steubenville, and another in Wash- 
 ington, about that time. Shortly after this, the brethren in 
 Beaver and Wellsville took their position in the reform ranks. 
 Connellsville Church came into being at a little later date. How 
 to supply the Churches with preachers was a matter of great 
 concern to me. Either a dread of persecution, a fear that they 
 would not be supported, or something else, prevented the itin- 
 erant preachers of the Pittsburgh Conference of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church, who, up to that time, had been known as 
 re6:)rmers, from identifying themselves with our work. If Bas- 
 eom and Waterman, and several others, who had been promi- 
 nent as reformers, had been faithful to their avowed principles, 
 and had rendered us help in the new organization, the impres- 
 sion on the community would have been greater, and, in my 
 estimation at least, their standing would have been higher. 
 When men, from any cause, abandon their avowed principles, in 
 favor of which, for years, they have written, and preached, and 
 prayed, and throw all their influence against those principles, 
 and against those who risk their all to sustain them, mankind 
 will please to pardon me if I can not find it in my heart to 
 make psalms, or hymns, or spiritual songs, in honor of their 
 backslidings, or take upon myself to sing their praises. 
 
 In October, 1830, the Ohio Conference held its second session, 
 in Cincinnati. It was a good Conference. God had greatly 
 opened our way, and the young Church had been favored, in 
 the midst of all sorts of trials, with a thrifty growth through- 
 out the West. I was reappointed to Pittsburgh, with Rev. Z. 
 Ragan for my assistant. In a short time his brother. Rev. Joab 
 W. Ragan, of the Ohio Conference of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, came to pay him a visit. He ultimately identified 
 himself with our young Church. So, the two brothers, both of 
 whom were vigorous and intelligent but persecuted young men, 
 
PROSPERITY OF THE CHURCH IN PITTSBURGH. 221 
 
 of much promise, became my fellow-laborers in Pittsburgh and 
 vicinity. They were both companionable, social-hearted breth- 
 ren, and were capital preachers. With their help, the work 
 was considerably extended that year. Meanwhile, other minis- 
 terial brethren came to us, some of whom had been local 
 preachers in the old Church, and others grew up from our own 
 ranks. So great was the necessity for laborers in the opening 
 vineyard, and so imperfect was our knowledge of the workmen 
 whom we felt obliged to employ to meet the pressing wants of 
 our people, that we often found, to our sorrow, we had men in 
 the itinerancy who ought never to have been among us. They 
 did more harm than good, and soon passed away from us to 
 hunt a morsel of bread in some other denomination. Our best 
 laborers have generally been of home growth ; but we had to 
 use such as we could get, until better could be obtained from 
 ourselves. The sons of the Church are the men for the work. 
 From June, 1829, until October, 1831, the Church of which 
 I had charge in Pittsburgh was in a prosperous condition. 
 No opposition of any description with which we met, proved 
 sufficient to arrest the regular progress of the work of the Lord. 
 Two camp-meetings held by the reformers — one in the summer 
 of 1830, the other in 1831 — were a great blessing to our peo- 
 ple, and added considerably to our numerical strength. As the 
 old-side brethren occupied the Smithfield house every Sunday 
 night, we were much at a loss for a place in which to hold 
 service on Sabbath evenings. Sometimes we went to the court- 
 house, at other times to a German church near at hand; but, 
 finally, it was agreed that the state of the work could be best 
 promoted by a prayer-meeting at my house, which was large, 
 and near the church on Smithfield Street. The folding-doors 
 of the rooms on the first floor were thrown open to accommo- 
 date the worshipers ; but that was not enough for the people 
 who came : the large room, eighteen feet by twenty-four, in the 
 third story, was occupied at the same time with the rooms 
 below; then the large hall, then the stairway, from the meeting 
 below to the meeting above — all were crowded; and often, on 
 pleasant evenings, nearly as many people would be left out in 
 
222 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 the street, in front of the door, as could get into the house. 
 The laborers were then divided ; part remained below, and part 
 went to the third story. It was a glorious revival time. Many 
 sons and daughters were born to glory there, and the Church 
 was greatly built up. Perhaps we lost nothing by not occupy- 
 ing the new meeting-house on Sunday evenings. Preaching 
 twice every Sabbath-day, and these glorious prayer-meetings 
 every Sabbath-night, brought the Church along in a growing, 
 prosperous condition during about the last half of my term of 
 service in Pittsburgh. To the original stock of reformers, who 
 entered into the organization June 24, 1829, were added, ac- 
 cording to my record, two hundred and ninety-one members. 
 These were seals to my ministry, given me by the Lord Jesus 
 in very troublous times. 
 
 In my house, every Sunday, there were two class-meetings, 
 and the above-named prayer-meetings at night. On Monday 
 night, the leadei's' meeting was there ; on Tuesday, my own 
 class met there ; on Thursday night, the choir met there ; on 
 Friday, brother Avery's class met there ; and on Saturday 
 night, the Young Men's Association for mutual improvement 
 was there — making eight in all, every week. Several of these 
 meetings were held in the third story. It may well be sup- 
 posed that so many meetings gave a great deal of labor and 
 trouble to the female portion of my family ; but Mrs. Brown 
 and her sister. Miss Jackson, were one in spirit with me, and 
 we all went for the cause, cost what it might. He who prefers 
 his ease to success in a righteous undertaking, will never ac- 
 complish much for the Church or the State. 
 
 It ought to be mentioned in this little sketch, that, in No- 
 vember, 1830, Rev. C. Avery and I attended the convention in 
 Baltimore, as delegates from Pittsburgh, to aid in the formation 
 of the Constitution and Discipline of the Methodist Protestant 
 Church. That was a grave assembly — a venerable body. There 
 were many gray heads in that convention — men of reliable char- 
 acter, talents, experience, and wisdom; and in the work which 
 they accomplished, a monument was erected to their memory, 
 which will stand as long as ecclesiastical liberty has a name and 
 
CONVENTION IN BALTIMORE. 223 
 
 a place in the world. But, after all — to mark the imperfection 
 of human wisdom — a great wrong was done to the colored race. 
 On the tears of the Baltimoreans — whose local preachers had 
 lost their standing by the votes of colored men — came floating 
 into the Constitution the word "white." "White" will do well 
 enough in the right place; but just there it never did any thing 
 but mischief, as it cut off all the colored people from voting 
 power in our community. Nor could we gain Southern co- 
 operation in conventional action, until their slaveholding laws 
 were as strongly guarded by our Church constitution against 
 the action of all our ecclesiastical bodies as the " morality of 
 the Holy Scriptures." It may be admitted, too, that the con- 
 stitvitional rule adopted by the convention, regulating the sta- 
 tioning authority of the Annual Conferences, was entirely too 
 stringent for the well-being and diversified wants of the Meth- 
 odist Protestant Church. The constitution, as it now stands 
 amended by the convention of 18G2, is entirely free from the 
 foregoing ill -working and embarrassing features, and, it is be- 
 lieved, will be found acceptable to the Churches in the free 
 states, and all other places where Christian liberty has found a 
 home. As to the parties in controversy in Pittsburgh, I did 
 believe that the great body of the members in the old estab- 
 lishment were religiously in earnest to save their own souls and 
 the souls of others ; and that they really thought they did God 
 service in yielding "passive obedience and non-resistance" to 
 the will of the itinerant clergy, and in holding on to all the 
 Church property. Their ministers, too. Rev. Z. Costen and 
 Rev. H. J. Clark, who succeeded Mr. Lambdin, I believed to 
 be faithful Christian laborers, who did all they could for their 
 cause. Not having studied the question of lay delegation, and 
 having been taught, by the General Conference of 1828, that 
 the itinerant ministry held all ecclesiastical power in the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church by divine right, I could not blame them 
 for their opposition to me and to the cause I advocated, as, in a 
 ju(|gment of charity, I supposed they knew no better. Invin- 
 cible prejudice, in those days, hindered thousands from seeking 
 information • indeed, it was deemed, in high places, an expella- 
 
224 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 ble offense to read the Mutual Rights or to belong to a Union 
 Society. 
 
 When Costen and Clark had closed their term of service in 
 Pittsburgh, Rev. R. Hopkins came on. He was an old fellow- 
 laborer of good standing, yet he cited to trial and expelled a 
 considerable number of our male members. This was done 
 more than one year after we had become a separate religious 
 pommunity ! What did Hopkins mean by this transaction? 
 Did he intend to vex and worry the reformers? Perhaps not. 
 May be he thought that to expel the brethren would operate 
 against their claim to any portion of the Church property. If 
 this was his design, the expulsions amounted to nothing ; he 
 failed in his purpose. The reformers held fast their claim to a 
 due share of the Church property under the charter, and sus- 
 tained their cause in the Suj)reme Court of the state of Penn- 
 sylvania. 
 
 As to the reformers, they were a pious body of Christians, 
 full of zeal for the cause of Christ and ecclesiastical liberty, 
 well informed on the subject of Church government, and, in 
 their judgment, the Church had as much right to a free repre- 
 sentative p;6vernment as the State. In them dwelt the revival 
 spirit all the time. Never did I know a people more punctual 
 in attending all the means of grace. I wish from my heart 
 that the children were, in all respects, equal to their fathers. 
 A more devoted Christian community I never labored among 
 in all my life. These pious persons did not deem it necessary 
 to the salvation of their souls, that they should live under a 
 Church government where the voice of a layman could never 
 be heard; or that they should surrender rights which their 
 money had given them in the Church property, and quietly 
 walk away with empty pockets ; so they determined to try, in 
 the highest court of the state, the validity of the " Deed of 
 Settlement," which they regarded as a great hoop to hold the 
 membership together, under the rule of the itinerant clergy. 
 To break this "deed" would, in their opinion, lower the arbi- 
 trary tone of Episcopal Methodism, and open the way of tliou- 
 
CONTEMPTUOUS TREATMENT FROM OLD FRIENDS. 225 
 
 sands to Cliristian freedom ; and in this thing they were not 
 mistaken. 
 
 When I went to Pittsburgh to preach for the reformers, it 
 was my determination to meet all my friends who yet remained 
 in the old Church in the spirit of Christian kindness and lib- 
 erality. Thomas Cooper, who had once presided at a meeting 
 of reformers in Pittsburgh, but now had taken rank on the old 
 side, was a highly valued friend. His house had long been my 
 home, when in that city. He was from England, and possessed 
 the usual characteristics of his countrymen ; but grace had, in 
 my opinion, done much for him, and he stood very high in the 
 Church. I had been informed that brother Cooper did not 
 think any the better of me for joining the reformers, and that 
 I had nothing to hope from his friendship in future. I could 
 hardly believe this, yet I did not know how far sectarian ran- 
 cor might have the control of him, as he was brother-in-law to 
 Mr. Lambdin, the preacher in charge, whose Jesuitical double- 
 dealing with the reformers had driven them into a separate 
 organization. One day I met brother Cooper on Wood Street, 
 and, turning his back, he- went by me edgeways, refusing to 
 speak or give me his hand.. "Once," said I to myself. In a 
 short time, in the same part of the city, a crowd of people 
 were about to throw us together, but he leaped over the curb- 
 stone to avoid me. " Twice," said I. Not long after this, as 
 I went up Wood Street, and he came down Fourth, we met on 
 the corner. When his eye glanced upon me, he went like a 
 dart across the street, without the slightest friendly recogni- 
 tion. " Three times," said I. '' When I have given an old friend 
 three opportunities for Christian or even civil greetings, and 
 he has treated me with rude contempt every time, then I shall 
 take no further notice of him until he returns to his senses; 
 yet I can not afford to cherish wrath or harbor ill-will against 
 any man, especially an old friend." 
 
 The old-side preachers boarded with brother Cooper, and the 
 two Ptagans with me; so brother C. and myself often met in 
 market to purchase the necessary supplies for our respective 
 
226 KECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 tables. I determined that my preachers should live on as good 
 things as his. When he bought butter from a country-woman, 
 I would go and stand by his side, talk to the woman, and buy 
 butter out of the same basket, without offering to speak to him. 
 When he went to another place to buy eggs, I would be at his 
 elbow, buying eggs out of the same basket, talking to the 
 woman, but saying nothing to him. When he went to the 
 butcher's stall to buy meat, I would immediately be at his 
 side, to take the next cut, talking to the butcher as pleasantly 
 as I could, but uttering no word to Cooper. This course I 
 continued for several months, until brother C. was, I suppose, 
 of the opinion that I meant to tease him into some kind of an 
 utterance. Often he would give me a quizzical look, as if about 
 to speak or laugh, I could hardly tell which. But it was my 
 determination that he, having treated me with contempt three 
 times, as before stated, should now be the first to speak. One 
 day, on entering Hazleton's store, there sat brother Cooper, far 
 back by the stove. As soon as he saw me he left his seat, came 
 right forward, held out his hand, which I took with much cor- 
 diality, and the kindness of his greeting was equal to that of 
 former years. We then had much pleasant conversation, and 
 our former friendship was renewed. Several other old friends 
 in Pittsburgh, who, like Cooper, had treated me contemptu- 
 ously for my reform principles and actions, and against whom 
 I had put my three-times rule in force, ultimately broke silence, 
 when they found that their frowns were of no avail, and we re- 
 newed our former friend.ship. The fact is, in those days I had 
 a little too much spirit to admit of my crawling in the dust to 
 gain the friendship of any man who ignored the ecclesiastical 
 liberties of a Christian people. 
 
 To show still further the spirit of the times, and how good 
 men, through party zeal, can be influenced by sectarian rancor, 
 I will introduce another case. At three different times, while 
 living in- Pittsburgh, I visited Uniontown, Pennsylvania. Each 
 time I made an effort to speak to my old friend Rev. Thornton 
 Fleming; but he treated my approaches with contempt; so I 
 brought my three-times rule to bear upon him. Near Zanes- 
 
CONTEMPTUOUS TREATMENT FROM OLD FRIENDS. 227 
 
 ville, as I was going to Conference, in 1831, Mr. Avery and 
 T. Greenough being witli me in the carriage, we met brother 
 Fleming and lady, on the pike. He drew up as if he meant to 
 speak, but I drove on. Mr. Avery asked me why I did so. 
 ''Three times in his own town," said I, "did brother Fleming 
 contemptuously refuse to speak to me, and now he can't be per- 
 mitted to do it on the pike in Ohio. If we ever speak again, the 
 approach must be on his part, and it must be in his own town." 
 The brethren said I was "plucky," but about right — there was 
 no other way to bring such men to their senses. The next time 
 I visited Uniontown, brother Fleming came to me at my lodgings, 
 and we had a very pleasant interview. Our Christian friend- 
 ship was renewed, and I trust it will be eternal in the heavens. 
 
228 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Church Failures in Wheeling— Mt First Tear 'in the Presidency— Re-elected 
 President- The Reform Methodists— Discussion on Church Government— A Foa- 
 qetful Preacher— Lectures on Church Government— Elected President thb 
 Third Time— First General Conference— Presidential Tour through the West. 
 
 In the month of October, 1831, the Ohio Conference was 
 held in Zanesville, and I was elected President. This was, in 
 my judgment, a hard appointment, as all the territory west of 
 the Alleghany Mountains was then included in the bounds of 
 one Conference, and if I met the requirements of the law and 
 the expectations of the people, I would have to be much from 
 homo. We were now operating under a regular Church con- 
 stitution, which was well received by the people and the public 
 generally. The reports from the work were cheering. Our 
 cause had greatly advanced during the preceding year. All 
 we seemed to need, to insure success, by the blessing of Grod, 
 was the right kind of men in the ministry. But, alas for us! 
 in many instances, the men whom necessity compelled us to , 
 employ were not suited to the work of the Christian ministry. 
 Some lacked talent; others, piety; others, prudence; others, all 
 these things together; and our young Church suffered greatly 
 in such hands. 
 
 On my way to Conference, brother Greenough, the delegate, 
 and myself spent a night in Wheeling, at Teeters's tavern. My 
 old friends in that city wore not well pleased that I did not 
 stop with them, as formerly. On my return, I went again to 
 the same public house, not, as yet, knowing that it would be 
 agreeable to my old friends to have me stay with them, as I 
 was now identified with the reformers. In the morning, before 
 I started for Pittsburgh, John List, Daniel Zane, and Joseph 
 
MY FIRST YEAR IN THE PRESIDENCY. 229 
 
 Woods, all prominent members of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, called on me, and i;emonstrated against my stopping at 
 a public house when I came to Wheeling, and expressed a 
 ■wish that I should "always, when I visited their city, take 
 lodgings among my old friends, as in former years. I said to 
 them that, having changed my Church relations, I felt a diffi- 
 dence in seeking entertainment among the members of the old 
 Church, lest the preachers should handle the matter to my dis- 
 advantage. They then claimed for themselves, and about three- 
 fourths of the members oi" the Methodist Episcopal Church in 
 Wheeling, that they were as much in favor of reform as I was, 
 and that I need have no hesitancy about seeking quarters 
 among my former friends, whenever I visited Wheeling. Their 
 object in calling upon me that morning was then more fully 
 made known. They wished me, at that time, to leave an ap- 
 pointment, and preach for them at my earliest convenience. 
 As Rev. E. S. Woodward w^s stationed among our people in 
 Steubenville, they wished me to secure his assistance, and hold 
 the meeting at least one week, in the Methodist meeting-house, 
 which they pledged themselves to obtain for that purpose. I 
 named the Sabbath when I would, if spared, be with them. 
 Then they suggested the following plan: 1. I was to go by 
 Steubenville and secure Woodward's services, and tell no man, 
 besides him, of the contemplated meeting. 2. Let Woodward 
 come down on the morning boat, on Wednesday, and go, for 
 entertainment, to the house of Rev. A. Hawkins, who would 
 give them notice of his arrival. 3. They would immediately 
 see the trustees, get the use of the house, send out the ap- 
 pointment, and let the meeting be continued night after night, 
 until I could get there on Saturday. 4. On Sunday, have sa- 
 crament and love-feast, and continue until Wednesday. 5. 
 Nothing was to be said by Woodward or myself about reform, 
 or an organization, as they wanted to manage all that matter 
 themselves, in their own way, as it was done in Pittsburgh and 
 Steubenville. 
 
 The foregoing arrangement being made, I went on to Steu- 
 benville and saw Woodward, who agreed to attend the meeting 
 
230 RECOLLECTIOXS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 and help to carry out the plan suggested by the brethren in 
 Wheeling. Accordingly, when the time came, he went down 
 on the morning boat; but he utterly ignored all the rest of the 
 plan. Instead of going to the house of brother Hawkins for 
 entertainment, he went to the Virginia Hotel. Instead of seek- 
 ing, through the trustees, to get the Methodist meeting-house, 
 he got a boy to ring the old court-house bell, and determined 
 to hold meeting in that house — a miserable, filthy place, where 
 there was but little chance for a respectable congregation. 
 About thirty persons assembled, and among them a few mem- 
 bers of the old Church, of questionable standing, and some 
 who had been subjected to disciplinary treatment for improper 
 conduct. To these people Woodward preached on Wednesday 
 night, and had rather a discouraging time. What better could 
 he expect, since he had violated the plan and determined to 
 take his own course? The next night he preached again in 
 the same place, to about the same congregation. At the close 
 of service in that old court-house, he beat up for volunteers to 
 form a Methodist Protestant Church, and got seven or eight 
 names on a piece of paper — all of inferior standing in the com- 
 munity. So, on Friday, being convinced that he had made a 
 failure, he published my appointment for Sunday, in that same 
 old court-house, and returned home, very much mortified at his 
 defeat. 
 
 On Friday evening, I reached Steubenville, on my way to 
 Wheeling, and, on learning from AVoodward what he had done, 
 I felt disappointed and discouraged by the indiscretion and bad 
 faith of the man. In an injudicious efi"ort to efiect, in his own 
 way, an organization before my arrival, and without regard to 
 the wishes of the brethren who were expected to go into the 
 organization, I supposed that offense had been given, and that 
 nothing now could be done. However, as an appointment had 
 been published for me, in the Wheeling papers, I resolved to 
 go on, and, if possible, rally my friends. My appointment in 
 the court-house was filled on Sunday morning. None of the 
 reliable reformers were there ; all were offended, as their plana 
 and wishes had been disregarded. They said if that was the 
 
CnURCn FAILURES IN WHEELING. 231 
 
 tray tte new-side preachers treated the people, the old-side 
 preachers could do no worse, and they would remain where 
 they were. On Sunday evening we occupied the old Masonic 
 Hall. The congregation was larger, but our offended brethren 
 stood aloof from us. The meeting was continued until Wednes- 
 day night, with growing hopes of success. At the close of the 
 meeting, I dfenied that Woodward had effected any Church or- 
 ganization in Wheeling at all, as the constitution had neither 
 been read nor adopted, nor had any Church officers been elected. 
 I then promised them another meeting in one month, at which 
 time, if spared, an organization would be effected. 
 
 At the appointed time, I was at my post in Wheeling, in that 
 Bame hall. The meeting continued about one week, in a true re- 
 vival style. During the time we had a sacrament and a love- 
 feast. At the close, an explanatory lecture on Church govern- 
 ment was given, the constitution of the Methodist Protestant 
 Church was read, and a regular Church organization was ef- 
 fected. Forty-seven members entered into that organization — 
 twenty of them were from the Methodist Episcopal Church, and 
 twenty-seven were young converts — the immediate fruits of that 
 meeting. Thus, through the indiscretion of Woodward, who 
 was a good preacher but a bad manager, we lost the great body 
 of the reformers in the old Church — perhaps the meeting-house, 
 too — and had to begin with forty-seven members, and worship 
 in the Masonic Hall. I have been utterly unable to account I 
 for it, that some men have sense enough to be capital preach- ! 
 ers, while entirely destitute of all the requisite qualifications ) 
 for good management in Church affairs. Such was the case 
 with Woodward. 
 
 I might as well, right here, continue the history of Wheel- 
 ing's failures. In that city, notwithstanding the above-men- 
 tioned sad occurrence, we had a very pleasant, growing Meth- 
 odist Protestant Church. In the autumn of 1832, I situated 
 my family among that kind-hearted people. It was more in the 
 center of my woi'k, and I did hope to render them some assist- 
 ance during the year, when at home with my flimily. On the 
 first day of January, 1833, at the request of the Church, I 
 
232 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 went to Noali Zane, Esq., the wealthy proprietor of a great 
 many town lots, to secure, as a donation, a suitable piece of 
 ground upon which to build a meeting-house. I found him in 
 a new bookstore, which was just being opened out. He was 
 in a very pleasant, conversational mood, and taking me, by the 
 arm, around the counter, he told me to select a book, for he 
 wanted to make me a New- Year's present. I selected a book; 
 he applauded my choice, and told me to look again. He kept 
 me looking, while he continued to applaud my selections, until 
 the worth of the whole lot amounted to nearly one hundred 
 dollars, for which he then and there gave the salesman a check 
 on the bank, and told him, when other books came on, to let 
 me have any thing I wanted, and charge it to him. Said I, 
 " Mr. Zane, you are very good, and I am very thankful for thia 
 valuable New- Year's gift; but this is not the thing I am after 
 this morning. I am sent by the Methodist Protestant Church 
 of your city, to ask you to do for them as you have done for 
 all the other Churches in Wheeling; i. e., to give them a lot on 
 which to build a meeting-house." "No, Brown," said he, "I 
 can't do that; my word is out; I shall not give any more lots 
 to the Churches. What are Daniel Zane, John List, and the 
 other reformers about — who some time ago were all in favor of 
 your cause — that they can't he'lp you?" I had to evade re- 
 porting to him the Woodward bungle, by which we had lost all 
 those men. After a little reflection, he said : " I must do some- 
 thing for your Church. I approve of your principles, and hope 
 you will succeed. Go back and tell your people to appoint a 
 committee to examine my lots and make a selection. When 
 this is done, I will go and place a fair valuation on the lot; 
 then let them get up a subscription paper and bring it to me, 
 and I will head it with the price of the lot." This was gen- 
 erous, and was like the liberality of the man ; it placed us on 
 a par with other Churches, and my report of the case was a 
 matter of great joy to our young Church in Wheeling. 
 
 But delays in the performance of immediate duty are always 
 dangerous. When the spring opened, I went forth to the 
 labors of the Ohio District, expecting to meet my family in 
 
DEATH OF NOAH ZANE. 233 
 
 Cincinnati on the first of June. But I received a letter from 
 Dr. D. B. Dorsey, of Wheeling, containing the sad intelligence 
 that my mother-iu-law then lay dead in my house ; that my 
 wife and her sister, Miss Jackson, were both prostrated by sick- 
 ness; and on that day twenty-one deaths had occurred from 
 cholera. So, leaving my horse in the care of a friend, I went 
 to the river, and was immediately off, on the steamer Boston, 
 for home. The gentlemanly captain, to whom I stated my 
 case, promised to put me in Wheeling with the least possible 
 delay. We averaged about nine miles per hour, against a very 
 heavy river all the way. When we landed, about midnight, at 
 the Wheeling wharf, in a very heavy rain, Captain Brickels 
 charged me nothing for the trip, and said, " God bless you, my 
 friend. I hope you will find your family better." After thank- 
 ing him for his kindness and good wishes, I made my way home. 
 We lived in Mills's Bow of nine houses; oui's was next to the 
 corner. When I knocked at my own door I got no answer; 
 all was silent and dark. I knocked again and again ; still all 
 was silent, and I feared that all were in their graves. At last 
 Mrs. Mills, in the corner house, raised an upper window, and 
 said, "Is that Mr. Brown come home?" My emotion at the 
 time was too great for utterance. I could make no reply, being 
 fearful that I should hear, in her next words, that all were 
 dead. But this kind lady immediately relieved me — guessing 
 who I was — by informing me that my family had been removed 
 to brother Woods's, at the other end of the row, and were recov- 
 ering. To me this good news brought great relief. It was 
 life from the dead, to see my family once more. On the day 
 before I reached home, Noah Zane, who had died of the cholera, 
 was buried ; and, to my great mortification and disappointment, 
 our membership had not secured the lot on which to build a 
 meeting-house. Was this attributable to negligence on the part 
 of Bev. Z. Bagan, the preacher, or the members, or both? At 
 any rate, our friends in Wheeling did not appear to know the 
 day of their visitation. A people in their condition should 
 have jumped at such a chance, and, on the terms suggested by 
 Zane himself, secured that lot. 
 15 
 
234 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 Several years after this, our brethren in Wheeling lost an- 
 other opportunity to obtain a lot for a meeting-house, in a man- 
 ner somewhat similar to that above related. E. W. Stephens, 
 J. L. Sands, and J. Armstrong, with their families, had removed 
 from Pittsburgh to Wheeling. This gave strength and encour- 
 agement to the Church in that place. A lease of three years 
 on the new Masonic Hall, in which they worshiped, was soon to 
 expire. What next was to be done for a place of worship, was 
 a matter of very grave consideration. At the close of a meet- 
 ing in that city, while I was President of the Pittsburgh Dis- 
 trict, brother E. W. Stephens invited me to accompany him to 
 look at three lots, and see which of them I would choose as 
 . most suitable to build a meeting-house on. The three lots 
 were, in my judgment, equally good, and equally central. 
 "Now," said Stephens, "if you will go to our preacher and get 
 him to call a meeting of the Church, and appoint a committee 
 to select one of these lots, I will buy it, pay for it, and give it 
 to the brethren. Besides, I will do my full share in erecting 
 the building. He further urged that this matter should receive 
 immediate attention, as lots, building materials, and mechanical 
 labor were then cheap, and we should have a house against the 
 time when the lease of the Masonic Hall would run out. When 
 I went to the preacher. Rev. N. Watson, and laid the whole 
 matter before him, and urged, by every argument I could com- 
 mand, an immediate action in this case on his part, he utterly 
 refused to have any thing to do with the matter. " Selecting 
 of lots and building of churches belonged to the membership, 
 and not to him; let the members attend to their own business, 
 and he would attend to his." I was astonished at such a reply 
 from brother Watson, who was an excellent preacher and stood 
 high in the community, but labored under a mistake as to the 
 duties of a pastor. He was so much opposed to the firm hold' 
 taken by the itinerants of the Methodist Episcopal Church upon 
 the temporalities of the people, that he would not even call a 
 Church meeting among our people, in view of securing a lot 
 on which to build a meeting-house. When the peoj>le of his 
 charge saw this, they should have acted themselves, without 
 
TRIP TO WESTERN VIRGINIA. 235 
 
 their minister, but they never did. So, to this day, Methodist 
 Protestantism has no home in Wheeling. At one time, in the 
 history of this Church, Rev. F. A. Davis, who was a man of 
 some talent, abandoned his charge, to avoid his duty in the ex- 
 ercise of discipline in a difficult case, and they remained in a 
 disorganized state for several years. This same Davis succeeded 
 Watson, and by bad management broke down the Church again, 4;|[^ 
 and left them to shift for themselves; since which time we have 
 had no Methodist Protestant organization in Wheeling. Davis 
 went South, and, it is said, is now a chaplain in the rebel army. 
 I have deemed it right to state the foregoing facts, that the 
 future historian may be able to tell why we never succeeded in 
 Wheeling. 
 
 After this brief history of Wheeling's disasters, it will be 
 proper to return to the rest of the district. My first trip from 
 home was to Western Virginia; to the region where I had la- 
 bored as Presiding Elder in the Methodist Episcopal Church; 
 where I had sown the seeds of reform by a free circulation of 
 the Mutual Rights among the people, without their knowing 
 who sent them that periodical; where brother C. Springer and 
 I, the preceding winter, had found them ripe for organization. 
 It was, indeed, a great gratification to see my old friends in 
 that section of country, and to find so many sturdy advocates 
 of ecclesiastical liberty among them. The work, in the hands 
 of Springer and Marshall, had greatly extended the preceding 
 year ; the parent circuit had been divided, other laborers had 
 been employed, and the spirit of revivals was to be found in all 
 parts visited by our preachers. The cross of Christ and Chris- 
 tian freedom stood firmly associated together in the heads and 
 hearts and lives of our ministers, and God gave them abundant 
 success in their labors. On the Monongahela Circuit, we had 
 John Wilson and Israel Thrap ; on Hacker's Creek Circuit, 
 Daniel Gibbons; on Western Virginia Mission, John Mitchell. 
 Thrap and Gibbons were both young men, not yet trained to 
 war; but Wilson and Mitchell were men of age, talent, and ex- 
 perience, every way prepared to plant and defend our cause, 
 and they did good service. Methodist Protestantism, from that 
 
236 KECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 time to the present, has had a firm hold on the community in 
 Western Virginia. 
 
 I next directed my course to Western Pennsylvania, and at 
 Uniontowu, in the Presbyterian Church, we held a very profit- 
 able meeting, and a number of sinners were brought to the 
 Saviour. Nine months before that time. Union Circuit had no 
 existence. The number of members was now three hundred 
 and fifty. The preachers, M. Scott and W. H. Marshall, were 
 greatly favored of the Lord among that people. Passing 
 through Connellsville, Mount Pleasant, and Blairsville, preach- 
 ing as I went, I came to Clearfield Circuit, and met my ap- 
 pointment at the residence of brother David Mitchell, among 
 the high pines of the Susquehanna. That year Clearfield Cir- 
 cuit had no preacher, but was blessed with a living member- 
 ship. In a large upper room, in brother Mitchell's house, we 
 had a crowded audience on Saturday, in the daytime and at 
 night, and a still larger one on Sunday. But word came from 
 the river that high water was sweeping off their lumber. These 
 men deemed it a duty, even on the Sabbath-day, to save their 
 lumber — the labor of a whole summer, and their only means of 
 living. So, this temporal interest caused many to vacate their 
 places at the meeting; then we had about room enough. It 
 was a glorious meeting. There were a goodly number of con- 
 versions and additions to the Church. There was a wild, rude 
 grandeur in their singing, suited to the splendors of nature 
 around them. Even the little boys prayed, when called on, 
 among the mourners; and with a great deal of gravity, when 
 the small folks came to the table, asked God's blessing on their 
 meals. Among those lofty Susquehanna pines — some of them 
 nearly two hundred feet high — I found a Christian people, 
 members of our Church, who, by their religious energy, greatly 
 captivated my heart. In that section of the country, I was 
 told of one venerable brother who, in order that nothing might 
 escape him, usually prayed for '■'■all the world and elsewhere.'^ 
 Some were desirous to know where this "elsewhere" could be; 
 finally, we fixed upon Clearfield Circuit, and to this day, by 
 many of our brethren, it is called by that name. 
 
LABORS ALONG THE OHIO RIVER. 237 
 
 On returning to Pittsbui'gh, I obtained board for my family, 
 during the winter, with brother William Stevenson, where they 
 were well cared for. The winter months were spent in visiting 
 the work in Western Pennsylvania and the north-eastern part 
 of Ohio. In all places where I went, I found an open door for 
 Christian freedom, and there were, as in the days of Paul, 
 "many adversaries." To stand up stoutly for civil liberty, and 
 then put forth, all their strength in support of ecclesiastical 
 bondage, did involve a great contradiction on the part of our 
 old-side brethren. The more I found of this kind of opposi- 
 tion, the more lectures did I deliver on the subject of Church 
 government, to expose the absurdity of such opposition, and 
 to convince the people that liberty was as good in the Church 
 as it was in the State. 
 
 About the first of March, having found, by experience, that 
 brother Stevenson's house was not large enough for two fami- 
 lies, I took my family to a boarding-house, kept by Samson 
 Averal, a member of our Church, and thought they would be 
 comfortable; but it turned out otherwise. In a short time, to 
 get the worth of their money, and secure the comforts they 
 needed, a house was rented, and they went to themselves. From 
 and after that date, my wife never had the least idea of board- 
 ing, in preference to being mistress of her own house. Then 
 came my five-mouths' tour in the West. 
 
 As much of my w'ork on the district lay along the Ohio Uiver, 
 I went by boat as far down as Louisville, Kentucky. Wherever 
 I had work, I would stop at the nearest point, get a horse or 
 other conveyance, and go out; when my work was done, return 
 to the river, and go on by boat to the next field of labor. 
 Thus all that portion of the district bordering on the river in 
 Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana was attended to. In 
 all places, at the call of the people, I gave explanatory lectures 
 on the subject of Church government. This I did because it 
 was a maxim with me that the Methodist Protestant Church 
 only existed to be despised, unless very good reasons could be 
 shown for her existence. Every-where I found the public 
 mind favorable to our principles, except in the old Church. 
 
238 RECOLLECTIONS OP ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 Even among them we had many friends; but the Church-prop- 
 erty question and a hick of competent ministers gi'eatly re- 
 tarded our progress. If the ministers in the Methodist Epis- 
 copal Church favorable to reform had all come with us in the 
 beginning, and if the people could have brought their Church 
 property with them, our young brotherhood would have taken a 
 higher position than it did. But, after all, as an experiment 
 had to be made, to see whether an itinerant ministry and a lay 
 delegation could operate favorably together, it was, no doubt, 
 of Providence, that we opened out at first on a small scale. 
 Our principles, now tested, may be of service to others. The 
 old Church may profit by our example, if she will. 
 
 While in Indiana, I spent a few days in New Albany, with 
 my brother, Edward Brown, whom I had not seen for eleven 
 years. All his children were married, and resided in the same 
 city. He and his wife and children were all members of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, but were all liberal in their feel- 
 ings toward the Methodist Protestant Church, to which a very 
 considerable proportion of my relations belong. It is gratify- 
 ing to me that so many of my kindred have taken the side of 
 ecclesiastical freedom, and that most of my race sustain Church 
 relations somewhere. Very few of the extensive family connec- 
 tion to which I belong were Roman Catholics or Calvinists: 
 free government and free grace suited them best. 
 
 On my return up the river, about the middle of May, I 
 bought a horse, saddle, and bridle in Cincinnati, as my work 
 now lay in the interior of the state of Ohio, and I had out- 
 standing appointments until the last week in July. God had 
 given me a fine constitution, yet the labors cut out for me by 
 the preachers was rather beyond my strength. Each superin- 
 tendent would meet me with an appointment on the frontier of 
 his circuit, and preach me on from place to place, until I came 
 to some central point, whei'e the principal meeting was held. 
 When that was over, and the usual lecture on Church govern- 
 ment delivered, I went out of the circuit as I came in, preach- 
 ing all the way. This was the course adopted on most of the 
 cii'cuits, and it proved a great trial on my physical energies. 
 
RE-ELECTED PRESIDENT OF OHIO CONFERENCE. 239 
 
 Having finished my Western tour, I readied home, in Pitts- 
 burgh, in safety, much worn down with my toils, and found 
 my family in comfortable health. After an absence of so many 
 months, all the time among strangers, I felt it pleasant to be 
 once more at home with my family and friends. After a little 
 time for rest and refreshment, I went with brothers Shinn and 
 Avery to a camp-meeting, near Connellsville, Pennsylvania. It 
 was a meeting of great religious interest; many sinners were 
 converted to God, and about one hundred were added to the 
 Church. that I could, before I die, enjoy such another 
 campTmeeting! Both preachers and people were baptized with 
 the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, and the glory of God 
 filled all the woods. Not only on the camp-ground, but all 
 through that splendid forest, the voice of prayer went up to the 
 Father of Mercies, and sinners were found seeking salvation. 
 Immediately after the above meeting, I attended, in company 
 with a few friends, an exceedingly valuable camp-meeting on the 
 Youngstown Circuit, and another on the Mount Pleasant Circuit, 
 of no less value to the Church. So ended my first year in the 
 presidency, and preparations were then made for the approach- 
 ing Conference. 
 
 On the 18th day of September, 1832, the Ohio Conference met 
 in Pittsburgh. We had fifty-one itinerant preachers, and seven 
 thousand, seven hundred and fourteen members. The increase 
 during the preceding year was two thousand, one hundred and 
 sixty-three. I was again elected President. This, to me, was a 
 great trial, for I now knew, by one year's experience, the priva- 
 tions and toils of presidential life. Yet, as it was the will of 
 the Conference, I submitted to the lot assigned me. To me it 
 was a matter of joy that the people, through their delegates, as 
 Well as the preachers, had a voice in my election, and I felt it a 
 pleasure, notwithstanding the trials, to serve in freedom's holy 
 cause. The Conference made a very favorable impression on the 
 citizens of Pittsburgh, and our own preachers, on receiving 
 their appointments, went forth full of hope to the labors of an- 
 other year. 
 
 My family were left to move to Wheeling, without my assist- 
 
240 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 ance, wliile I weut, under instructions from the Conference, with 
 brother Sylvester Dunham as traveling companion, to the neigh- 
 borhood of Cleveland, to attend a Conference of the Reform 
 Methodists. These brethren had, in writing, expressed a wish 
 to be received into the fellowship of the Methodist Protestant 
 Church, and I was commissioned to attend their Conference — ' 
 which met a few days after the adjournment of ours — and if, in 
 my judgment, their views of Scripture doctrine, morality, and 
 ecclesiastical economy were in accordance with our own, to re- 
 ceive them into our branch of the Christian Church. The case 
 of these Reform Methodist brethren was carefully examined into 
 for about three days, during which time I conversed freely with 
 all their leading men, preached among them, and, by request, 
 delivered them a lecture on Church government, explaining our 
 principles as fully as possible, in view of giving them a perfect 
 understanding of what might be gained or lost if they came into 
 our fellowship. Finally, a resolution was passed by their Con- 
 ference, declaring themselves ready to adopt our constitution and 
 discipline. By this time, public attention was waked up to what 
 was about to transpire, the crowd was great, and, for the accom- 
 modation of the people, the trustees of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church offered us the use of their house, very much to the grief 
 of the preacher in charge, who happened to be absent when 
 the deed was done. Early in the evening, the house was 
 crowded. The members of the Conference were all up near the 
 altar, in a body, so as to act together. My first work was to 
 preach them a sermon on the constituent principles and advant- 
 ages of a Christian fellowship. This being done, the constitu- 
 tion and some of the more important portions of the discipline 
 were read and adopted by the Conference, with great unanimity. 
 It was then agreed that the appointments made by that body 
 should stand for one year ; that the action then taken should 
 be laid before their societies for ratification, and that all their 
 itinerant preachers, with their delegates, should attend our next 
 Annual Conference ; and so ended the chapter in relation to 
 these brethren. In this transaction we gained several useful 
 
DISCUSSION ON CnUllCII GOVERNMENT. 241 
 
 itinerant preachers and about three hundred members. There 
 were about twenty-two members of Conference, ministers and 
 lay delegates. Nearly all of them have since passed away to 
 another world. 
 
 During the foregoing exercises, Rev. Mr. Janes, the preacher 
 in charge, who had been sitting back in the congregation, came 
 into the pulpit. He asked if we were through with our busi- 
 ness. I replied that we were. Pie told us he had something 
 to say. He then called in question the truth of the statements 
 contained in the prefiiee of our discipline, pronounced the fun- 
 damental principles of our Church government false ; said we 
 slandered both the living and the dead, and gave us a most bit- 
 ter overliauling. Brother Dunham, being a vei-y sagacious law- 
 yer, took up all his points, and replied at considerable length, 
 in a very respectful and courteous manner. This did not sat- 
 isfy the gentleman. He returned to the charge with increased 
 bitterness, called Dunham a " monkey," and sometimes referred 
 to him (he being a little bald) as the "man that had no hair 
 on his head." It was then growing late, but I asked to be 
 heard by the assembly a little while. All shouted for me to 
 "go on." So I told the people I should sustain all I had to 
 say by books published at the gentleman's own book-room, No. 
 14 Crosby Street, New York, which books I had with me, and 
 was, therefore, ready for all such eases as we had now on hand. 
 Then, with all my might, for about forty minutes, I carried the 
 war into the camp of the enemy, bringing up before that audi- 
 ence all the objectionable features in the ecclesiastical economy 
 of the Methodist Episcopal Church, as contained in their dis- 
 cipline, proving them to be wrong in the light of the New 
 Testament, in the light of Mosheim's Church History, and in 
 the light of the American Bill of Rights, under which the bat- 
 tles of the Revolution were fought and won. When I sat 
 down, Mr. Janes arose to speak again; but the people started 
 from their seats and left the house, complaining, as they went, 
 that he had mistreated the strangers, who had given him no 
 cause of oiFense. Whether men are Christians or not, they 
 
242 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 generally know how Christians ought to behave. A man of 
 rudeness of manner and language will always injure his cause 
 in public estimation, be it good, bad, or indifferent. 
 
 Leaving brother Dunham with our newly-adopted brethren, 
 to attend their principal ratification meetings, and to meet me 
 again at New Lisbon, to assist in holding a two-days' meeting, 
 I visited several points on the AVestern Reserve, to open the 
 way for our cause in that part of Ohio. It was my plan, in all 
 places, first to preach to the people a Gospel sermon, without 
 reference to the ecclesiastical controversy: and then, if they 
 desired it, a lecture was given on the subject of Church govern- 
 ment. These lectures were, generally speaking, well received. 
 I deemed- it best not to organize societies where it was imprac- 
 ticable to supply them with preaching; yet, in several places, I 
 found it difficult to avoid allying the people to the Methodist 
 Protestant Church, whose ecclesiastical economy so fully met 
 their approbation. "When I met brother Dunham, at New Lis- 
 bon, he reported the Reform Methodist societies all satisfied 
 with their new relation, and we then proceeded with our two- 
 days' meeting. It was well attended, and resulted in good to 
 our small Church in that place. After that meeting, brother 
 Dunham and I separated. He returned to his family in Beaver, 
 and I went to mine in Wheeling, where I found them in good 
 health, and comfortably situated in the midst of kind. Christian 
 friends, with brother Ragau for their pastor, who appeared to 
 be doing good service among his people. 
 
 After making the necessary preparation for the wants of my 
 family during the approaching winter, I again visited all parts 
 ill Western Virginia and Western Pennsylvania, and found the 
 cause of Christ — or rather the Methodist Protestant department 
 of it — as a general thing, in a prosperous condition. Wherever ", 
 we had faithful, self-sacrificing, pious laborers in the vineyard, ■ 
 there we had prosperity. Wherever we had, through any mis- / 
 take, employed a ministerial drone, there we failed, and the work ; 
 went down. Faithful, intelligent ministers, full of the constrain- 
 ing love of Christ and of souls, I have always found enlarging 
 their work, getting into new fields, and unfurling the banner of 
 
A FORGETFUL PREACHER. 243 
 
 the Cross wherever there was an opening. But an indolent, 
 ease-loving preacher will soon, if the Quarterly Conference will 
 allow him, narrow down his work to nothing. I returned to my 
 family ahout the last of December, and was employed during 
 the winter in visiting those parts of the work nearest to Wheel- 
 ing, and in rendering what assistance I could to brother Ragan, 
 in advancing the cause in that city. 
 
 Early in the spring, I sat out on a tour through the interior 
 of Ohio, with brother James McHcnry, of Pittsburgh, for my 
 traveling companion. My plan of work was so arranged as to 
 keep me absent from home until after Conference in September, 
 but my family were to meet me in Cincinnati the first Sunday 
 in June. I found McHenry to be pious, intelligent, and a great 
 reader of books. Withal, he was very forgetful of his books and 
 articles of clothing. Once he forgot his saddle-bag's, at a public 
 house where he dined, nor did he miss them until we had trav- 
 eled fifteen miles. We were then near the place of my meet- 
 ing, and it took James all next day — Saturday — to go after his 
 saddle-bags and return. Edward Holmes tells a good joke 
 about James's bewildering abstractions. When on his way from 
 Pittsburgh to join me in Steuben ville, to make the tour through 
 Ohio, he stopped at Briceland's Cross-roads, to rest a few mo- 
 ments. Hitching his horse to the sign-post, he went into the 
 public house, laid aside his cloak and hat, and lighted a cigar. 
 While he sat smoking, the thought of the twelve miles he had 
 yet to go came into his mind. He looked at his watch and 
 found it was late. "Bless me!" said he, "I shall be in the 
 night." Forgetting his hat, but throwing on his cloak, out he 
 went, in haste, to be off for Steubenville. He forgot to unhitch 
 his horse, but mounted from the wrong side, with his face to 
 the tail, and giving the horse a cut with the whip, the fright- 
 ened animal bounded up against the sign-post, amid the laugh- 
 ter of all the spectators. Now, if Holmes has reported cor- 
 rectly, who upon earth that witnessed such a comical scene 
 could have avoided laughter? Yet, after all this, McHenry 
 could remember what he read. His mind was well stored with 
 historical knowledge, carefully laid up in chronological order, 
 
244 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 and, considering his youth, he was a capital preacher. After 
 traveling with me for several weeks, I gave him an appointment 
 to assist brother W. H. Collins, on Paris Circuit, in Kentucky. 
 He served a short time in the itinerant ranks, but having poor 
 health, he returned to his friends. He now resides in Pitts- 
 burgh, where, for a' number of years, he has been a valuable 
 teacher in one of the public schools. I trust he will pardon 
 me for relating the foregoing anecdote, as I hardly know how 
 to leave it untold. 
 
 This was a great cholera year in various parts of our coun- 
 try. As already stated, when I reached Cincinnati, on the first 
 of June, instead of meeting my family, according to arrange- 
 ment, I received a letter calling me home to Wheeling, and 
 stating that twenty-one deaths by cholera had occurred the day 
 the letter was written, that Mrs. Brown's mother was one of the 
 victims, and that my wife and her sister were both very danger- 
 ously ill. I immediately returned home, spent about two weeEs 
 among the sick, and then brought my family to Cincinnati, and 
 left them in the care of my highly-esteemed friends, Moses 
 Lyon and his good lady — both excellent members of our 
 Church — until I completed the labors of the year in Indiana 
 and Kentucky. In Illinois, some circuits at that time were 
 being formed, but, owing to the great extent of the work in 
 other regions, it was impossible for me to reach that distant 
 field. 
 
 During this year my lectures on Church government were 
 very frequent. I did not volunteer them, or force them on the 
 people. As our Church was in her infancy, the people every- 
 where seemed desirous of knowing our ecclesiastical principles, 
 what the difference was between our Church government and 
 that of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and all the reasons of 
 our independent existence as a Christian community among the 
 Churches already established in our country. To my mind it 
 was as clear as the daylight of heaven could make it, that, as 
 sects were so numerous, the Methodist Protestant Church only 
 existed to be despised, unless very good reason could be shown 
 for her existence. Yet I deemed it safest to put the people 
 
LECTURES ON CHURCH GOVERNMENT. 245 
 
 'between me and harm, by refusing to lecture unless they called 
 for it. Most generally, where information was wanted on the 
 questions at issue between the old Church and ours, some one 
 would bring the matter before the public congregation at the 
 close of service on Sunday morning, and, by a rising vote, call 
 for a lecture. When this was done, the responsibility rested on 
 the people, a-nd they could not apologize to our angry opponents 
 in the old Church, by saying the lecture was thrust on them 
 without their consent. I have always found that lectures de- 
 cently and respectfully delivered, by request of the people, on 
 Church governmeut, have been defended by the people. 
 
 At Zanesville, Rev. Joab W. Ragan got the Quarterly Con- 
 ference, on Saturday, to call for a lecture. But I declined giv- 
 ing it, unless the Sunday congregation would call for it. The 
 case came before the congregation, and a full house, by a rising 
 vote, requested it to be delivered on the following Wednesday 
 ntwht. On Monday, I found that the contemplated lecture was 
 causing considerable excitement among the members of the old 
 Church. To intimidate me, I was informed, by one who pro- 
 fessed to know, that three distinguished ministers of the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church, D. Young, L. Hamline, and J. Trim- 
 ble, intended a reply. I then and there expressed a wish to 
 have them reply at the time of my lecture, or whenever it might 
 suit them. On Wednesday night, my lecture was delivered to 
 a crowded assembly, and I was told that Hamline and Trimble 
 were present. It occupied two hours and ten minutes, covering 
 the whole ground of controversy between the parties. I then 
 mentioned the boast of the sheriff — an Episcopal Methodist — 
 which I had heard of fifty miles off, that he would sell the meet- 
 ing-house we were then in, for a debt that was on it of six hun- 
 dred dollars ; and returned thanks to the citizens for helping 
 our brethren to pay that debt the week before, so that the re- 
 lentless sheriff could not now get his rapacious hands on it. 
 The anecdote of the wheels was told, to the great amusement 
 of the assembly. In conclusion, I informed the audience that 
 I had been very much gratified to learn that D. Young, L. 
 Hamline, and J. Trimble stood pledged for a reply. I intended 
 
246 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 to tave tteir points of opposition taken, and sent to me: if 
 spared, I would return to Zanesville and review them. 
 
 The day following, I found that the contemplated reply was 
 to be made in the Methodist Episcopal Church the next Mon- 
 day evening, and that there was no small stir in town about 
 my lecture. It had many friends and some very bitter enemies. 
 As it was not possible for me to be present to hear the reply, 
 I appointed two young gentlemen to attend and take notes sep- 
 araieljj^ that from the two I might, with certainty, be able to 
 review the reply of my opponents with fairness and candor. 
 Monday evening came, and with it a crowded assembly at the 
 appointed place. My two young friends were there to take 
 notes. David Young was in the altar. The congregation, after 
 waiting long, began to be impatient. Hamline and Trimble, 
 who had been relied on for the reply, did not appear; and I 
 was informed that there was much mirth and many speculations 
 in the assembly as to the reasons of their absence. If these 
 gentlemen did not appear, and no reply was made, the inevita- 
 ble result would be, that Methodist Protestant stock would take 
 a rise in the Zanesville market. Finally, David Young arose, 
 went into the pulpit, and said, in his own peculiar way, with a 
 nasal twang to»all his utterances, " I believe our brethren have 
 concluded to treat George Brown's lecture on Church govern- 
 ment with silent contempt;" so, lifting up his hands, he said, 
 "Let us look to God and be dismissed." When the benedic- 
 tion had been pronounced, the people went forth with laughter 
 to their homes. After all, was not this "silent contempt" the 
 better policy? To have attempted a reply and failed in argu- 
 ment, or to have supplied the place of argument with abuse, 
 would have injured them and helped us, in that community, 
 and these men had sense enough to know it; therefore, they 
 honored me with their "silent contempt." To overthrow a lec- 
 ture in favor of Christian liberty, founded on the Holy Scrip- 
 tures, the American Bill of Bights, Mosheim's Church History, 
 Lord King's Account of the Primitive Church, and other stand- 
 ard works, published at their own Book Concern in New York, 
 these men had not the heart to undertake; so they treated me 
 
LECTURES ON CHURCH GOVERNMENT. 247 
 
 •with "silent contempt," and the community laughed contemptu- 
 ously at their cowardice. 
 
 The foregoing is the account of this ludicrous aifair from my 
 two young friends, whom I had appointed to take notes for me, 
 to use when I returned to Zanesville that same week. Indeed, 
 it was the general account. So, having nothing to review, I 
 •went on my way, with renewed confidence in the correctness of 
 our principles. 
 
 I will here give another sample of ecclesiastical lecturing. 
 Brother Forsha, in Preble County, Ohio, published an appoint- 
 ment, on his own responsibility, for me to deliver a lecture on 
 Church government, in an orchard, and came fifteen miles after 
 me to perform that service. So I turned aside eight or nine 
 miles out of my regular course, to fill the appointment in the 
 orchard. When I arrived, I found in waiting a very large as- 
 semblage of people. Among them were thirteen preachers, one 
 of whom was Dr. Joseph Waterman, then in charge of the cir- 
 cuit in that vicinity. By request, I preached them a sermon. 
 My text was Romans, chap, xiv, verse 12: "So then every one 
 of us. shall give account of himself to God." Human responsi- 
 bility to God was the theme. On it I spent one hour and ten 
 minutes, without sparing my strength. Dr. Waterman, in clos- 
 ing the exercises, spoke very favorably of his' old friend's dis- 
 course, pressing home its principles and duties upon the audi- 
 ence with a most emphatic exhortation. I then stated to the 
 people that I had come to lecture on Church government, but 
 had been drawn into preaching a sermon, contrary to my ex- 
 pectations, and must now dismiss them, get a little refreshment, 
 and go on my way. Against this there was a general backing 
 of ears — an indication of dissatisfaction. I told them that 
 through the heat I had traveled fifteen miles, had preached 
 with all my strength for more than an hour, and was hungry, 
 and not in a good physical condition to do justice to my cause. 
 But these people would take no denial — a lecture they must 
 have. A Methodist Episcopal local preacher moved that "Mr. 
 Brown proceed at once to deliver a lecture to that assembly;" 
 a Baptist minister seconded the motion, and brother W. W. 
 
248 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 Paul, of our Cliurcli, put tlie question, calling for a rising vote. 
 Every soul in that assembly arose but Dr. Waterman. He 
 wanted the lecture, but pitied me in my fatigued condition, so 
 he remained on his seat, and laughed heartily at the enthusi- 
 astic zeal of those around him. 
 
 Being thus pressed into service, under circumstances so un- 
 favorable to success, I asked for a few moments' rest, that I 
 might cool oiF, get out my books, and make my arrangements. 
 This being done, all my strength and freshness seemed to have 
 returned to me, and I had full command of all my powers. 
 Then, for about two hours and a quarter, with all my might, 
 I gave them that lecture on Church government. All the au- 
 thorities I used, save the Bible, were from the Methodist Epis- 
 copal Book-room in New York. I aimed to cover the whole 
 ground of the controversy, to give hard arguments in mild lan- 
 guage, knowing that harshness might offend, but would not 
 convince. Toward the close, I glanced at the millenial glory 
 of the Church in the light of prophesy, when the knowledge 
 of the Lord shall cover the earth as the waters cover the 
 sea ; when there shall be nothing left to hurt or harm in 
 all God's holy mountain; when the progressive reign of the 
 Son of God shall have put his enemies under his feet — shall 
 have put down all adverse "rule, authority, and power," in 
 Church and State, throughout the world. I then asked the 
 question. Can such an ecclesiastical government as that of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church live in that glorious day ? In the 
 full blaze and glory of that millenial day, can a Church gov- 
 ernment exist in which the itinerant clergy have all the legis- 
 lative, judicial, and executive power, and the people none? 
 From all parts of the assembly the answer came, " No, no, no ! " 
 Will not all civil, ecclesiastic, and domestic slavery be done 
 away? The answer was, "Yes, yes, yes!" Does it not seem 
 likely that in the millenial era, our doctrine of mutual rights, 
 under the light of heaven, will be very popular, and fill the 
 world? Again the answer was, "Yes, yes, yes!" So my lec- 
 ture closed in something like a camp-meeting excitement. 
 
 Dr. Waterman then arose and expressed his approbation of 
 
LECTURES ON CHURCH GOVERNMENT. 249 
 
 tte lecture. He said my quotations from the authorities I had 
 used were all undeniably fair, and that my lecture had been 
 mild and re.-pectful. If at any time, in the hurry of speaking, 
 a harsh word had been used, I had always recalled it, and sub- 
 stituted a milder one in its place. "But," said he, "I think 
 I can fairly draw other conclusions from my old friend's his- 
 toric facts and premises." The Doctor then gave out for him- 
 self an appointment to lectui'e on Church government, at their 
 meeting-house, in three weeks from that time. He named the 
 four propositions he intended to sustain. (I have forgotten 
 them.) Then beginning at the first, he said: "This first prop- 
 osition I mean to sustain from the writings of the early Chris- 
 tian fathers." A lusty, shrill-voiced Baptist minister, piping 
 hot with enthusiastic zeal, called out to him, " You had better 
 sustain it from the Holy Scriptures." The Doctor was startled 
 at the loud, half-screaming demand, and threw up his hand as 
 if to fend off a blow. After a moment's pause, he said again, 
 " This first proposition I mean to sustain from the early Chris- 
 tian fathers." Then came the shrill scream of the Baptist 
 preacher, more piercing than before, " You had better sustain 
 it from the Holy Scriptures." The Doctor, being unable to 
 state how he would sustain his propositions without that kind 
 of screaming interruption, gave the matter up in despair. 
 
 I then pi'oposed to the Doctor to give us his lecture then; he 
 had heard me, and I wanted to hear him ; but he declined, say- 
 ing the day was far spent, and the people were weary. I told 
 him I should, if spared, be in Louisville, Kentucky, the Sun- 
 day after his lecture, aud then appointed two young lawyers to 
 be present, take notes, and send them to me, and if there were 
 any material contradictions of my statements and arguments, I 
 would return and defend my lecture. When the day came, 
 there was, as my two friends informed me, an immense gather- 
 ing of the people, but the Doctor did not appear. He had 
 thought better of the matter. He spent the latter part of his 
 life an active itinerant in the Ohio Annual Conference of the 
 Methodist Protestant Church. He was a man of splendid in- 
 tellect, deep piety, and great moral worth. 
 16 
 
250 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 I give these cases as samples of my struggles in the origin of 
 our cause in the West. Others wrote more than I did, but I met 
 the opposition on the stump, throughout the West. I had to 
 perform this labor to save our cause. These lectures made the 
 public acquainted with the ecclesiastical principles of the two 
 Churches, and gave us sympathy and defense in all places where 
 they were delivered. All our preachers, even down to the pres- 
 ent day, and in all time to come, should be thoroughly acquainted 
 with the principles of our ecclesiastical economy. Wherever the 
 people need information, or our cause needs defense, lectures 
 should be given. Would the General Conference of the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church, in 1864, ever have hinted to their mem- 
 bers that they may have lay delegation if they want it, if the 
 Methodist Protestant Church, by her present existence and past 
 discussions, had not, like John the Baptist, gone before in this 
 matter, to prepare the way of the Lord? Many mountains have 
 been pulled down, valleys filled up, the crooked made straight, 
 and rough places even, by the founders of the Methodist Prot- 
 estant Church. Let no man stand on their shoulders and un- 
 dervalue their labors. 
 
 The fifth Annual Conference of the Ohio District was held 
 in Cincinnati, in September, 1833. We then had fifty-eight 
 itinerant ministers, one hundred and fifty unstationed ministers 
 and preachers, and ten thousand three hundred and forty-eight 
 members in the district. At that Conference the Pittsburgh 
 District was set off"; Rev. A. Shinn was its President, and I was 
 continued in the presidency on the Ohio District. This third 
 year in the presidency involved a great struggle in my mind. 
 The two preceding years had been hard on my physical ener- 
 gies, and hard on my family. I had been thrown upon my own 
 scanty means for full half of my support. They desired my 
 services in Wheeling, and gave a pledge of an ample supply of 
 all my wants. To accept of the presidency necessitated a ro» 
 moval from Wheeling, where I had my family comfortably sit- 
 uated, to Xenia, Ohio, and an additional exhaustion of my own 
 means, which I could not conveniently afi"ord. But, upon re- 
 flection, for the sake of good example, and remembering that I 
 
REMOVAL TO XENIA. 251 
 
 and all I had upon earth belonged to the Lord, I made up my 
 mind to take the appointment. I had no sooner done this than 
 an effort was made by William Disney, in Cincinnati, and all 
 the money raised to bear the expenses of my removal. Many 
 a time have our Cincinnati brethren helped the poor preachers, 
 and encouraged them onward in their itinerant toils. The Con- 
 ference was, as usual, well sustained in that city, and made a 
 fine impression on the public mind. The preachers all went 
 forth to their appointed work full of hope, and we all felt our 
 new Church relations to be very comfortable. To spread re- 
 ligion and all kinds of freedom proper to man is a glorious 
 work. Christianity in chains is a mclanchohj sight. 
 
 When Conference was over, my wife and I traveled in com- 
 pany with brothers A. Shinn, W. Garrard, and their wives, as 
 far as Wheeling. There we stopped to prepare for a removal, 
 and our agreeable companions went on to Pittsburgh. When 
 we parted, brother Garrard, who had paid our expenses all the 
 way, refused to have the money refunded, and generously gave 
 me twenty dollars in addition, saying, " You will, no doubt, 
 have need of it out in the West." Such instances of kindness 
 deserve to be recorded. Many a time God hath sent me help 
 in time of need, by the hands of his servants, and even wicked 
 men have sometimes been my benefactors. Such is the good- 
 ness of God. 
 
 In due time we effected our removal to Xenia, where all were 
 strangers; yet, we soon found friends, among whom no one 
 proved to be a better friend than Rev. James Towler, who care- 
 fully and constantly attended to the wants of my family, sup- 
 plying them, when I was out on the district, with all the neces- 
 saries of life. He who travels as extensively as I did, needs a 
 James Towler near his family, to watch over their interests with 
 fatherly kindness. This brother had induced me to locate my 
 family in Xenia, under certain promises, and he made all his 
 promises good. He was a noble-hearted, Christian gentleman. 
 Happy in his life, triumphant in his death, he now rests in 
 heaven. 
 
 This was to me a year of more than ordinary toil. The au- 
 
252 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 tuma, the winter, and until the middle of April, were spent in 
 visiting the circuits and stations in Ohio, Indiana, and Ken- 
 tucky. Then came the General Conference in Georgetown, D. C. 
 In going to that Conference I took my family with me to Wheel 
 ing, and left them to visit among our friends, until my return. 
 Then, taking the venerable N. Snethen, who came by steam- 
 boat from Louisville, into my carriage, I proceeded across the 
 mountains, to the seat of the Conference. What man upon 
 earth ever had a more agreeable traveling companion ! He had 
 great hoards and stores of information on all subjects that could 
 come within the range of the conversation of travelers. His 
 temper was cast into the mold of heavenly mildness. His 
 logical and philosophical powers were of the highest order ; and 
 for richness of instructive and amusing anecdote, he could not 
 be surpassed. The General Conference elected Mr. Snethen its 
 President. A better choice for that office could not have 
 been made. However, one afternoon the members were greatly 
 amused to find their President fast asleep in the chair. Per- 
 haps this was owing to one of those good dinners for which 
 Georgetown was so famous. The business of that General Con- 
 ference was transacted in great harmony, and we all returned 
 to our homes, full of hope of final success in our ecclesiastical 
 enterprise. For a traveling companion, on my return to the 
 West, I had my good friend Rev. Saul Heukle, of Springfield, 
 Ohio, until I came to Washington, Pennsylvania, where I met 
 my family, with whom I made a brief visit to Pittsburgh and 
 Steubenville, and so returned to Xenia. 
 
 After spending June and July in the Ohio part of the work, 
 I took Daniel H. Home, jr., a youth of eighteen years of age, 
 into my carriage as a traveling companion, and set out on a 
 tour of about eight weeks and nearly eleven hundred miles of 
 travel through Indiana and Illinois. We attended two camp- 
 meetings in Indiana and three in Illinois — all very successful. 
 Beside these, I met all my other appointments in the West, 
 preaching the Gospel of Christ, and lecturing on Church gov- 
 ernment wherever I went. Rev. W. H. Collins and wife fell 
 in with us in Indiana, and were with us in all our travels, and 
 
PRESIDENTL\L TOUR THROUGH THE 'WEST. 253 
 
 at all our meetings, until Daniel and I turned for home. At 
 one of the camp-meetings in Indiana, held on a Presbyterian 
 camp-ground, an elder of that Church gave me a very curious 
 account of a way to comfort mourners. He said that the year 
 before, at their meeting on the same ground, they had power- 
 ful preaching. Many were awakened under the Word, and cried 
 to God for mercy. Others fell to the ground, and lay there in 
 deep distress, asking, in the language of the jailor, "What 
 must I do to be saved?" With them no conversation, singing, 
 or praying was allowed by the preachers, lest their cases should 
 be made worse. But from the well near at hand pitchers of" 
 water were brought and poured on them, to relieve them of 
 their distress. Gold comfort this! Presbyterians now under- 
 stand the work of God better. 
 
 Besides the enjoyment I had in preaching the Gospel among 
 my brethren of the ministry and membership of the Church, 
 and in witnessing the conversion of sinners and the advance- 
 ment of our cause in the West, I was greatly delighted with 
 the splendor of the prairies in that region. Sometimes we were 
 quite out of sight of timber; the blue sky came down to the 
 green grass all around us. As there had been no rain for sev- 
 eral weeks, the boundless view, the dust, and the heat hurt my 
 eyes, and ever since that tour I have had to use spectacles. I 
 have often thought of moving to Illinois, but finally concluded 
 that mine was an upland constitution, and that I had better 
 remain somewhere near the mountains, to drink the pure water 
 and breathe the free air of a higher region. The splendor and 
 glory of a country are nothing when weighed in the balance 
 with good health. 
 
 During my first two years in the presidency, my traveling 
 was nearly all on horseback, of which, at that time, I was very 
 fond, and I rode down three horses each year. The third year 
 I wore out two in the service. After my return from the Gen- 
 eral Conference I went my great Western tour in a carriage. 
 By this mode of traveling, a hoi'se would last longer. None of 
 my horses died on my hands: when they cculd serve me no 
 longer, I exchanged them for others — generally at great sacri- 
 
254 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 fice — and went on my way. My horses cost the Church noth- 
 ing; all this expense fell on myself. In the incipiency of our 
 Church operations, we had no regularly digested financial sys- 
 tem: as a consequence of this, I was very poorly paid. Each 
 year, according to financial reports now in my possession, my 
 income from the Church was about one hundred and sixty-two 
 dollars. But to establish and build up the Methodist Protest- 
 ant Church was my object, and if what I received, together 
 with my own scanty means, would keep me going, I determined 
 to go on in the service of the Church. I performed hard labor, 
 with poor pay, in a good cause, and have left it for all after- 
 grumblers to quit tlie itinerant field because they could not 
 grow rich by preaching the Gospel. I freely own that the 
 high constitutional principle of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ 
 is : " They who preach the Gospel shall live of the Gospel ;" 
 but there have been times, and there may yet be times, when, 
 pay or no pay, the work of the Lord must be done, if a man's 
 own means, added to the salary aJBForded by the Church, will 
 enable him to do it. In such a day I have lived, and, to the 
 best of my ability, I have discharged my high obligations. Three 
 years of such constant absence from my family, together with 
 the incessant tolls of tnivel, preaching, lecturing, writing let- 
 ters, and attending love-feasts, quarterly conferences, etc., made 
 a deep impression on my physical constitution, and a more local 
 sphere of action bec-ame desirable. To avoid a removal and 
 oblige kind friends, Xenia was the place in which I wished, if 
 the Conference would so appoint, to labor the ensuing year. 
 
REMOVAL TO CINCINNATI. 255 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Removal to Cincinnati— An Opinion on Ecclesiastical Law— Second Year in Cin- 
 cinnati-General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church— Anecdote of 
 Rev. N. Snetubn and Rev. W. Bueke— Election of Bishop Moeeis— Transfer to 
 THE Pittsburgh Conference. 
 
 The Oliio Annual Conference held its sixth session in Louis- 
 ville, Kentucky. On my return from the West, Daniel Home 
 and I rested a few days with my brother Edward in New Al- 
 bany, Indiana, and then went on to the Conference. I was ap- 
 pointed to the Cincinnati Station, with Rev. Josiah Denham, 
 late of the Baptist Church, for my assistant. He was from 
 England — a man of extensive learning, a capital preacher, and a 
 real Christian gentleman. Yet, after all, I would rather have 
 gone to Xenia, to avoid a removal of my family, to oblige be- 
 loved Christian friends, who had pledged themselves for my sup- 
 port, and to gain a little retirement from the great, busy world, 
 that I might pursue my studies. I had been so long away from 
 my books that I greatly desired to return to them. 
 
 This was, all things considered, a pleasant Conference, and 
 made a good impression on the community. Yet, some parts 
 of the official action gave me pain ; but I cast the mantle of 
 charity over them, and will not write them, as it sometimes 
 happens that excited official bodies may do wrong, yet really 
 think themselves right. My wife met me at the Conference, 
 reported all well at home, and when the session closed we 
 spent about a week in New Albany, at the house of my brother, 
 and then returned home to prepare for a removal to Cincin- 
 nati. "We sent our household goods to Dayton, to go by canal, 
 but the family went by carriage, with our two little children 
 
256 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 singing all tlie way. Our first night in Cincinnati was spent 
 with my old friend Moses Lyon; but the next, our goods hav- 
 ing come, was spent in our own house. My first work in that 
 station, besides preaching and attending other meetings, was to 
 pay a pastoral visit to all the members of the Church. Mean- 
 time, occasional calls were made by the sisters to see my fam- 
 ily; but we were in Cincinnati two full months before a single 
 soul ever invited us out to eat dinner, or take tea, or any such 
 thing. At our house we had social hearts, but in that city we 
 seemed likely to have no social intercourse, and began to feel 
 that the change from Xenia to Cincinnati was an unhappy one 
 for us. This thing led to many speculations in our minds, all 
 of them resulting in our discomfort. One evening, at Wm. 
 Hart's shoe-store — a kind of head-quarters, where the brethren 
 met to talk over matters — I was asked, by Moses Lyon, how I 
 liked Cincinnati. I said, " That is a very plain question, and 
 I must give it a plain answer. I am not comfortable here ; we 
 are kept at arm's length, cut ofi" from all social intercourse 
 with our people, save in the religious meetings, and have not 
 been invited to break bread with a single family since we have 
 been here, which is now about two full months." There was 
 then a brief pause. Some one said the thing was utterly and 
 shamefully wrong, and he wondered at it, for it did not look 
 much like Cincinnati. Another said he supposed each one 
 thought all the rest of the brethren were inviting us to their 
 houses for social entertainment, and it would soon come his 
 turn; but it appeared all had neglected it, to the great discom- 
 fort of the pastor and his family, whose feelings all felt sa- 
 credly bound to respect. Moses Lyon then drew himself up 
 to his full height, and giving me rather a quizzical look, said: 
 " You and your family may now prepare yourselves ; I '11 go 
 bail that you will soon have as much good eating among our 
 people as you are able to do." Here the matter ended; we all 
 went to our homes, and I soon had invitations enough, and 
 more than enough. As it was once said of Henry Clay eating 
 his way through Virginia, so it might be said of me; I was 
 kept going until I had about eaten my way through our Church 
 
FIRST YEAR IN CINCINNATI. 257 
 
 in Cincinnati. A more social-hearted, kind, benevolent, Cliris- 
 tian people I have never served, since I have been in the Gos- 
 pel ministry, than I found in the Methodist Protestant Church 
 in Cincinnati. They proved their faith and Christian love by 
 their works, as my family still very affectionately remember. 
 Their liberality is known to all the Churches. 
 
 My conjectures, during the two months of probation before 
 we were fully admitted into society, were about the following: 
 Probation is a law that runs throughout all animal nature, from 
 the least to the greatest. If a duck, a goose, a chicken, a pig, 
 a cow, or horse happened to get among strangers of the same 
 species, he is looked upon with suspicion, as an intruder that 
 has no business there. In nine cases out of ten they make 
 war upon him, and he has to undergo something of a probation 
 before he is admitted into full fellowship, and can quietly go 
 to feeding in the pasture along with the rest. This is the law 
 among animals, and in many new cities it obtains among men, 
 where strangers do not bring introductory letters upon which 
 to claim recognition at once. Cincinnati was a new city, of 
 sudden growth, full of strangers, but few of whom knew their 
 next-door neighbors. As many of these persons were not, upon 
 trial, found to be of the right kind, the older inhabitants grew 
 cautious, put all strangers on probation, and only took them 
 into society when, after due trial, they were found worthy. 
 With this conjecture on my mind, I felt it painful to be re- 
 garded as a suspicious stranger, compelled to stand out a pro- 
 bation before I could have social intercourse with a people who 
 knew me to be an accredited minister of Jesus Christ, and had 
 sought my services as a pastor. But there was no such idea 
 among them. Each thought the others were inviting us to the 
 socialities of their families, and all intended to do it in due 
 time. The moral conclusion of the whole matter is this : 
 Preachers should not be hasty in judging their people for ap- 
 parent neglects ; and the people, immediately on their pastor's 
 arrival among them, should make haste to show themselves 
 kind. This will promote the happiness of all parties, and secure 
 the greatest amount of usefulness. 
 
258 EECOLLECTIONS OF ITINEKANT LIFE. 
 
 Those of our members in Cincinnati who came out from the 
 Methodist Episcopal Ciiurch — some by expulsion for their prin- 
 ciples, others by withdrawal on the same grounds — were Chris- 
 tians of the highest order of intelligence, piety, and unflinching 
 firmness of character. The new additions were, in the main, 
 equally respectable. The wants of such a Church, scattered, 
 as it was, all through the city and out into the country, gave 
 my colleague and myself full employment. The leaders' meet- 
 ing and the Quarterly Conference were strong, intelligent oflicial 
 bodies, and the whole Church at that time was in a growing, 
 healthy condition. To make my pulpit labors as valuable as 
 possible, the forenoon of each day in the week, so far as prac- 
 ticable, and the whole of Saturday, were sacredly devoted to 
 study, in the full faith that no man can teach such a people as 
 were committed to my care, who is not himself a constant 
 learner. Paul's advice to Timothy seemed especially applicable 
 to me : " Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman 
 that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of 
 truth." The sermon that cost me neither mental labor nor 
 prayer I generally found to be of little or no advantage to the 
 people. Yet, after all, what God gave me, as if by immediate 
 inspiration while preaching, and which I had never thought of 
 in my study, often appeared to be most productive of good. To 
 study hard and pray much, in pulpit preparations, is certainly 
 right; then, if a man is not confined to a manuscript, as a mere 
 reader, God, by expanding the mind and firing the heart, will 
 often make glorious additions, speaking for Himself, through 
 an organ of clay, directly to the people. Men may call this 
 enthusiasm — I do not ; it must be as I have said, if Christ, ac- 
 cording to his promise, is with his ministers always, even unto 
 the end of the world. With the mere reader of sermons, who 
 strictly confines himself to the manuscript before him, written 
 out in his study, all after-thoughts and sudden promptings of 
 the heart by the Holy Spirit are cut ofi". Let preachers have 
 their well-digested plans, if they will. These, too, may be be- 
 fore them in the pulpit, if necessary, as mere landmarks; but let 
 the inventive mind clothe this skeleton with flesh and blood 
 
AN OPINION ON ECCLESIASTICAL LAW. 259 
 
 and skin, and glowing colors, as the impassioned mind marches 
 through the subject, gathering inspiration, as it goes, from the 
 nature of the theme, the state of the congregation, and the 
 Spirit of God. 
 
 All things considered, I had a happy year in Cincinnati. In 
 connection with the Cincinnati Circuit, we had a very profitable 
 camp-meeting, which brought our Church a considerable in- 
 crease of members. At home, in the city, there was quite a 
 revival. God owned our labors; much good was done in the 
 name of the Lord. I was, however, destined to have some 
 trouble, even among very kind friends. While in the chair of 
 the Quarterly Conference, I was appealed to for an opinion on 
 the proper course of bringing private, unofficial members of the 
 Church to trial. On that occasion I read to the brethren the 
 law of the Church on that subject. It is as follows : " It shall 
 be the duty of each leader in stations to report to the leaders' 
 meeting all cases of transgression and disobedience in the mem- 
 bers of his class which he believes may require the exercise 
 of discipline. The leaders' meeting shall then appoint a com- 
 mittee of three, to examine whether the case requires a judicial 
 process; and if they find it does, the chairman of said com- 
 mittee shall have it prosecuted according to the provisions 
 of the discipline." This law, I told the brethren of the Con- 
 ference, contained the only plan in our economy for the 
 origination of the trial of private, unofficial members of the 
 Methodist Protestant Church in stations. All complaints must 
 come by the leader to the leaders' meeting. The leaders' 
 meeting has in the case no discretionary power — "they shall 
 appoint a committee of three," having grand-jury powers, to 
 find a bill of charges, if there be any, against the accused. If 
 no bill is found, the accused goes free, and there the matter 
 ends. But if a bill is found, the chairman of the committee is 
 lield as prosecutor in behalf of the Church, against the accused, 
 and all the angry passions of the accuser are hereby shut out 
 from perplexing the trial. Official members, when accused, are 
 referred for trial to the proper authorities, by the Quarterly 
 Conference. 
 
260 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 This opinion was well received by the body, and we acted on 
 it throughout t"he year. But when the President of the Con- 
 ference, a young, inexperienced man, came to the city, he held 
 the doctrine, I was told, that under our economy every man had 
 a right to bring his own charges, without reference to the leader 
 or leaders' meeting, or the grand-jury committee, and prosecute 
 the case himself — thus superseding the Church's prosecutor. 
 In this way a small party was formed against my administra- 
 tion. One zealous brother, signing himself "A Lumber Mer- 
 chant," wrote against my opinion, in the Church paper pub- 
 lished in Baltimore. An editorial, by brother Shinn, appeared, 
 favoring the views of this writer. I wrote a reply to "A Lum- 
 ber Merchant" and the editor, but deemed it best, after all, not 
 to publish it, lest I should stir up strife. Two of my oppo- 
 nents were elected delegates to the Annual Conference in Madi- 
 son, Indiana, with instructions to bring me back a second year 
 to the Cincinnati Station. They and I agreed to submit the 
 matter at issue between us to the Conference, for its judgment 
 in the case. After the parties were heard, the Conference, by 
 an overwhelmiug majority, confirmed my opinion as correct. 
 The two delegates, thus foiled, were not satisfied. Toward the 
 close of the session, when I was out on the stationing com- 
 mittee, they got the Conference to reconsider the matter, and 
 lay it on the table. But that was the last of it. During my 
 second year I heard no more of their objections to my opinion 
 on ecclesiastical law. When brother Shinn, the editor who had 
 favored their views, returned to Cincinnati, and read my un- 
 published reply to "A Lumber Merchant," and to his own 
 editorial, he gave it as his deliberate judgment that my opinion, 
 given in the Quarterly Conference, on ecclesiastical law, was 
 right; and expressed his astonishment that he and "A Lumber 
 Merchant," with the law of the Church in their hands, should 
 ever have thought otherwise. He did not stop there, for, a3 
 I have been credibly informed, he carried my opinion of the 
 law into practical efiect, when superintendent of the Cincinnati 
 Station, the following year. 
 
 During my second year in that city, we had another glorious 
 
REVIVAL IN CINCINNATI STATION. 261 
 
 camp-meetIng, iu connection with tlie Cincinnati Circuit. It 
 was held on the hind of Mrs. Hargrave, whose mother was at 
 that time one hundred and six years of age ! She was tall, 
 straight, slender, and active — walked, every day of the meet- 
 ing, from the house to the camp, a distance of at least a quar- 
 ter of a mile. Such cases of activity, at such an advanced 
 period of life, are very remtirkable. This old lady was, accord- 
 ing to information, a very exemplary Christian, and exceedingly 
 fond of class-meetings. In this connection, another case of 
 longevity, still more remarkable, may be given. Andrew Whit- 
 tier, near Cambridge, Ohio, was one hundred and twenty-five 
 years old when he died. He lived a bachelor one hundred 
 years, and then married a widow, who was a member of the 
 Methodist Protestant Church. In ten years she died, and then 
 the old gentleman lived a widower fifteen years. All through 
 life he had been temperate and industrious, a man of fine health 
 and good moral character. Not long before his death, he went 
 out into the harvest-field and reaped, bound, and shocked one 
 dozen sheaves of wheat, then said his work on earth was done. 
 He returned to the house, took to his bed, and, after lingering 
 a short time, passed away to the eternal world. The disease 
 of which he died was old age; the clock of life had sinvply run 
 doion. This account I had from Mr. Whittier's neighbors, and 
 have since seen it in the public papers. 
 
 The above-mentioned camp-meeting was followed by a gra- 
 cious revival of religion in Cincinnati Station. A goodly num- 
 ber of sinners were converted and added to the Church. As 
 we protracted the meeting night after night, a case occurred 
 which gave me much pain. A young gentleman, apparently in 
 great earnest for the salvation of his soul, came to the altar of 
 pi-ayer every night, for about one week. The agony of his 
 mind was great; the crushing load upon his panting, praying 
 heart seemed to be wearing down his health. The friends of 
 the Saviour took a deep interest in his case ; but all the prayers 
 and counsels of the people of God seemed to avail nothing in 
 his behalf. At last, lifting up his head, he beckoned me to 
 him, and said, in my ear, "There is a difficulty between my 
 
262 RECOLLECTIONS OP ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 brother, wlio sits back by the door, and myself. We have not 
 spoken to each other for three years, and unless a reconcilia- 
 tion can be effected, I shall be lost. Will you please bring him 
 to me?" I went to the person designated, and said, "Your 
 brother at the altar has sent me to request you to come to 
 him." In an angi-y tone, and with a bitter oath, that hard- 
 hearted man repulsed me, and refused to go. Finding that no 
 entreaties would move him, I returned to the altar, and, in the 
 mildest way I could, reported to the penitent sinner that his 
 brother declined coming. Upon hearing this, he arose, left the 
 house, went to the river, and took a boat for Louisville. That 
 night the boat was burned, and the young man perished in the 
 flames. IIow sad my heart felt when I heard of his death! 
 His unnatural brother treated him harshly, yet he desired a 
 reconciliation. May it not be that he ultimately found mercy 
 with the Lord? 
 
 It was in the month of May of this year that the General 
 Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church was held in Cin- 
 cinnati. Rev. T. M. Hudson, my brother-in-law, and member 
 of the Conference, together with his family, made their home 
 at my house. At that time the ill-feelings which had grown 
 out of the old controversy began to abate. Our pulpit was 
 occupied by the preachers of the Conference. Many of my old 
 friends in the ministry, who were members of that body, visited 
 me in a very friendly, social manner, and partook with me, at 
 my table, of the bounties of God's providence. Bishops Rob- 
 erts, Hedding, and Waugh all honored me with a visit, ate at 
 my table, prayed in my family, and prayed for my Church. All 
 this kindness of former friends was like healing balm to a 
 wounded heart. Yet it made no change in principle. Minis- 
 terial rule in the Methodist Episcopal Church was to me still 
 as objectionable as ever, and the right of the people to a free 
 representation I still held to be as good in the Church as it 
 was in the State. But, in my heart, I felt bound to love my 
 old friends, while I believed them in error on the subject of 
 Church government. 
 
 I will not attempt to write all my recollections of that Gen- 
 
ANECDOTE OE SNETHEN AND BURKE. 263 
 
 eral Conference. The following anecdote concerning Rev. N. 
 Suethcn and Rev. W. Burke is too good to be lost. These 
 venerable brethren had once been pioneer laborers in the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church, but now neither of them belonged to 
 it. They were both large, fleshy men, of about the same size, 
 age, and general appearance; each had on him a venerable gray 
 head, which was indeed to him a crown of glory, being found 
 in the way of righteousness. Though so much alike in per- 
 sonal appearance, there was a great dissimilarity in their voices. 
 The voice of Burke was coarse, harsh, broken, and husky. Sne- 
 then's voice was as clear, smooth, and oily in its tones as the 
 sound of a silver trumpet. These aged brethren were in daily 
 attendance on the doings of the General Conference. One 
 morning they had taken their seats together just outside of the 
 bar, to hear Rev. Orange Scott deliver his great abolition argu- 
 ment. Somehow, they forgot themselves, and entered into con- 
 versation about old times. 
 
 "Altered times," said Snethen to Burke, "since you and I 
 used to go to General Conference;" and in his clear, silvery 
 tones, he added, "These brethren all look like they were well 
 paid, well fed, and well clad; times have very much changed." 
 " Then," Burke replied, in his coarse, harsh, and husky tones, 
 "I recollect, in the early days of Methodism, that I went one 
 day into Nashville, with a blanket-coat on me, to preach in 
 the market-house. It was not a blanket-coat either: it was 
 a blanket with a hole cut through the middle of it, and my 
 head poked through the hole, and it was tied round my mid- 
 dle with a tow string. In that kind of garb I preached to the 
 people." Then Suethen's silvery tones rung out, louder far 
 than he was aware of: "I recollect," said he, "when I traveled 
 up North, on the Kennebec River, that I w^as clad in a kind 
 of stuiF like the common Kentucky jeans. My clothes were all 
 threadbare, and my breeches were broken at the knees. I had 
 not a dollar in the world, and I was in a peck of trouble. 
 Where or how to get new clothes I could not tell. I went 
 home to my lodgings, took oif my clothes, went to bed, and 
 dreamed that Iliad no breeches at all!" 
 
264 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 All this time tlie two old men kept tlieir lieads down behind 
 the back of the seat iu front of them. But this private con- 
 versation was generally heard; it arrested debate. Orange Scott 
 paused, turned, looked, and smiled. The Bishop in the chair 
 looked and smiled. All eyes were turned to Sncthen and 
 Burke, and, for a short time, the Conference was very much 
 amused. Yet the two venerable men were not aware, at the 
 time, that they had given amusement to any one. Mr. Sne- 
 then, who was stopping with me, laughed heartily when I told 
 the company at the dinner-table what had occurred in the Gen- 
 eral Conference that day. He said it was not the first time his 
 voice had betrayed him. 
 
 I was present in the General Conference when that body 
 elected their Bishops. Wilber Fisk and Beverly Waugh were 
 elected without much difficulty. But they wanted another. 
 John Davis, of the Baltimore Conference, Thomas A. Morris, 
 of the Ohio Conference, and William Capers, of the South Car- 
 olina Conference, were in nomination. xVfter a number of bal- 
 lotings it became apparent that Capers, the Southern slave- 
 holder, was fast gaining ground, and that unless either Davis 
 or Morris were withdrawn, he would be elected. To elect a 
 slaveholder to Episcopal office did not exactly suit the tastes 
 and principles of most of the Northern members, so they laid 
 the matter over until the next day. That night they held a 
 meeting to consider what was to be done. Either Davis or Mor- 
 ris must be dropped, so as to concentrate the Northern vote 
 wholly on one man, or Capers would be elected. But the main 
 question was, which of the two should they drop? Each candi- 
 date had his warm friends, and those friends, on each side, 
 greatly desired the election of their candidate. These brethren 
 were very much puzzled; but, sooner than let a slaveholder be 
 elected, they mutually agreed to refer the matter to me. I had 
 served in the Baltimore Conference, of which Davis was a mem- 
 ber, and was well acquainted with him. I had lived about two 
 years in Cincinnati, the home of Morris, and had, by informa- 
 tion in relation to him, been very favorably impressed with his 
 character. All this was known to some who were present at 
 
ELECTION OF BISHOP MORRIS. 265 
 
 the meeting, and will account for tlie desire of the parties to 
 have my opinion. 
 
 Before brfeakfast the next morning, Rev. David Steele, of the 
 Baltimore delegation, an old friend of mine, with two other 
 members of the General Conference, came as a deputation from 
 the meeting, and desired a private interview with me. They 
 informed me of the election of Fisk and Waugh the pi'eceding 
 day ; that the Southern members were running Capers ; that the 
 votes of the delegates from the Northern Conferences were di- 
 vided between Davis and Morris, and that unless they withdrew 
 one of their candidates* and concentrated their whole force on 
 the other. Capers, the slaveholder, would certainly be elected, 
 and this would be a calamity to the Church. They said to me, 
 "You are not now a minister in our Church; you are not, there- 
 fore, interested in this aifair as we are; you are in a favorable 
 position to give us a candid oj)iuion in this difficult matter, and 
 the parties have agreed that, as you know both the men, your 
 opinion shall rule the ease. Our question to you is, upon which 
 of these two men shall we concentrate our votes for the Epis- 
 copal office?" After a little pleasantry with the brethren about 
 their calling on a radical to help them make a Bishop, and the 
 third ordination which they gave their Bishops, etc., I told 
 them, in all sober seriousness, that, as the matter was referred 
 to me, I must advise them to elect Morris in preference to 
 Davis; and I then gave the reasons on which my preference 
 was founded. This done, the brethren left me. After break- 
 fast, I went over to the Conference in time 'to witness the elec- 
 tion. Davis was, in the main, dropped from the vote, and Mor- 
 ris was elected by a very handsome majority over Capers. After 
 this statement of facts, I leave mankind to judge whether I did 
 not, since my connection with the Methodist Protestant Church, 
 go a little beyond the lines, to help make a Bishop in the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 
 Bishop Morris and I reside in the same city, and he occa- 
 sionally preaches for our people. I regard him as an amiable, 
 
 *If, as I have since learned, Dr. Euter was a candiJate, I was not so informed by the 
 bretkren who waited on me. 
 
 17 
 
266 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 liberal-minded Christian gentleman, and a good minister of 
 Jesus Christ. If my advice to the deputation sent to me did 
 turn the election in ftxvor of Bishop Morris, then- I think the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church owes me a debt of gratitude, for 
 he has been to them a very valuable presiding officer. In any 
 event, the whole case goes to show that my judgment was 
 deemed worthy of regard, in a difficult case, by men who once 
 presented the boldest front of opposition against me, on account 
 of my lay delegation principles and actions. Time brings its 
 changes. 
 
 My second year closed. The Conference was held in Cin- 
 cinnati, September, 183(>. For many reasons, I considered it 
 my duty to take a transfer to the Pittsburgh Conference. My 
 main reason was founded in a conviction of duty to my mother, 
 now in the eighty-fifth year of her age. I was her youngest 
 son, and she wanted me near her in the decline of life; so I 
 went, but she had passed calmly away to her heavenly home 
 before I got to see her. Her death brought a sense of loneli- 
 ness over me that I had never experienced before. Now I had 
 neither father nor mother, and felt my orphanage to the full. 
 But they both lived the life and died the death of the right- 
 eous. If faithful until death, I shall see them again, where siu 
 and sorrow, pain and death are felt and feared no more. 
 
TRANSFERRED TO THE PITTSBURGH CONFERENCE. 267 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Teansferred to the Pittsburgh CoNrEBENCE— Eemoval to Alleghany— Kemarkablb 
 Dream— Lorenzo Dow and General Jackson— An Arbitrary Sexton— Second Gen- 
 eral Conference— Debate on Slavery— Liberty op the Press- Meeting of Pitts- 
 burgh Conference- Kemoval to Holliday's Cove, Virginia. 
 
 After the Oliio Conference had been in session about three 
 days, I left, in company with brother Shinn and his lady, for 
 the Pittsburgh Conference, which was to meet the week follow- 
 ing in Pittsburgh. It was no easy matter to sunder the ties 
 •which bound me to the Ohio Conference. Nor was it any 
 trifle to go by a small boat, in hot weather and in time of low 
 water, from Cincinnati to the Iron City. Through much trib- 
 ulation, we reached the Conference on the second day of the 
 session, and had a joyful meeting with old friends whom I had 
 not seen for several years. The river trip had hurt my health, 
 yet I was immediately assigned to duty on the Stationing Com- 
 mittee, and suffered much in the performance of the labors en- 
 joined upon me. In this Conference some unpleasant occur- 
 rences gave me a good deal of pain. Sore, cutting, thrusting 
 contests between preachers have always been painful to me. 
 Some preachers are strong — uot in faith, like Abraham, giving 
 glory to God — but strong in bitter feeling, to worry one an- 
 other in Conference. This savors more of hell than heaven, 
 and argues an utter want of the mind that was in Christ. 
 However, matters were ultimately adjusted among the brethren, 
 and they all, at the close of the Conference, took their appoint- 
 ments and went to their work for another year. I was ap- 
 pointed to the Alleghany Station. This was gratifying to me, 
 as I found it to be in accordance with the wishes of the peo- 
 ple committed to my pastoral care. I entered immediately 
 
268 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 ■upon the duties of my charge, but sickness in my family de- 
 layed tlieir removal, and I had to return to Cincinnati, and 
 remain there about one month, before it was deemed practica- 
 ble and safe for them to accompany me to Alleghany. This 
 was effected early in November, and then, with all my might, I 
 went into my ministerial and pastoral labors. I did my best 
 in pulpit preparations, and with all my soul did I strive to 
 preach the Gospel of Christ. I went through the whole Church 
 in a course of pastoral visitations. My congregations were 
 large and attentive, but uncommonly dull and formal ; but few 
 of the signs of spiritual life were to be found among them, and 
 so they continued until the early part of the winter. This 
 state of things gave me great concern of mind. It seemed to 
 me that my Gospel mission had about run out. I preached 
 religion from the pulpit ; I talked and prayed religion in all 
 the families of the Church, and I tried to practice it in my 
 life ; yet in all places religion was undermost and the world 
 uppermost — all was cold and formal. What could be the mat- 
 ter? Was this a rebuke to me for past unfaithfulness? or was 
 it for leaving the Ohio Conference? To me this was a dark 
 day of trial, a time of great mental anguish. The Church 
 had made the best provision for my temporal subsistence 
 that had ever been made since my entrance into the minis- 
 try, and yet it seemed to me that I was doing them no spir- 
 itual good. 
 
 One evening, at leaders' meeting, in a free and full conversa- 
 tion with that official body on the state of the Church, I dis- 
 closed to the brethren, as fully as I could, all the sorrows of 
 my heart — that to live and labor among them, to be comfort- 
 ably supported by them, and to do them no spiritual good, was 
 painful, in the extreme, to my feelings. What shall we do? 
 What can we do to change the existing state of things in the 
 Church for the better? These brethren seemed to enter, to 
 some extent, into sympathy with me, bade me to be encouraged, 
 and said a better day was coming. We then prayed together 
 for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and returned to our 
 homes. That night I had a remarkable dream. In general, I 
 
REMARKABLE DREAM. 269 
 
 put no coufidcnce ia dreams, but in tliis one I did, for it 
 changed the whole current of my feelings, and filled my soul 
 with buoyant hope. I dreamed that I was at a splendid feast. 
 Every thing in the room was in the finest order, and' it was 
 most brilliantly illuminated. The guests were patriarchs, proph- 
 ets, and apostles — all arrayed in white. At the head of the 
 table sat the Saviour himself, in mild and heavenly dignity. 
 The table was long, the company large, and there was but one 
 between me and the corner, at the far end, on the left-hand 
 side. In sucli an assembly, a sense of littleness and unworthi- 
 ness came over my soul, and I felt amazed that I was permitted 
 to be there. All eyes were turned toward the Saviour, who 
 graciously cast a benignant look on the whole assembly, and 
 fiuall}^ fixed his eyes on me. It was a look of tenderness, and 
 seemed to indicate that he knew the state of my heart. Be- 
 fore blessing the food, he arose, came to me, and took me to a 
 private interview. He said, " I have witnessed all your trials, 
 and the sorrows of your heart : be encouraged ; preach the pure 
 Gospel faithfully — I will be with you and give you success." 
 As he turned to resume his place at the table, my soul followed 
 hard after him, and was well-nigh drawn out of me in desire to 
 be with him. Being greatly excited, I awoke ; the feast had 
 vanished from my sight, but on my mind a favorable impres- 
 sion remained. The very next time I went to the pulpit, on 
 the Sabbath-day, a glorious revival of religion commenced, and 
 continued all through the winter, and the Church was greatly 
 strengthened by the additions to her membership a^id her own 
 higher attainments in the Divine life. 
 
 Toward the close of the year, a crash came in the financial 
 interests of the country. President Jackson had removed the 
 deposits, then, after some time, issued his specie circular. As a 
 defense against these governmental acts, the State banks, gen- 
 erally, suspended specie payment, and the distress throughout 
 the country was very great. Most of the manufocturiug estab- 
 lishments about Pittsburgh and Alleghany suspended opera- 
 tion, and the hands employed in them were thrown out of work. 
 This had a serious effect on the Church under my pastoral care. 
 
270 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 I gave about sixty certificates in one montli to members of my 
 charge — mostly young converts — who removed into the country 
 to find employment and the means of living. This state of 
 things gave me great concern. Any action of the Government 
 producing financial distress in time of peace, equal to that ex- 
 perienced in time of war, must be wrong, and no political logic 
 under heaven can justify it in the court of sound morality. 
 When President Jackson broke down the old Bank of the 
 United States, Lorenzo Dow, then confined to bed by his last 
 illness, in Georgetown, D. C. — as I was informed by Rev. W. 
 C. Lipscomb, of that city — arose from his couch, girded on his 
 mantle, went to the White House, and stood before General 
 Jackson, like the prophet Elijah before Ahab, and reproved 
 him, in the name of the Lord, for the injury he had done to 
 the country. Dow had often been entertained by the General 
 at the Hermitage in Tennessee, and had always agreed with 
 him in politics; but now he thought him wrong, and having 
 gathered up all the remaining energies of life, he stood before 
 Jackson, leaning on his staff, as a reprover. The General, see- 
 ing how feeble he was, and remembering their former friend- 
 ship, desired him to be seated and have a little refreshment. 
 But the stern old prophet said, "No, he would neither sit down 
 nor eat bread in his house." So, turning to his carriage, he 
 went to his room, and in a few days he died. This last act of 
 Lorenzo's life had in it a real moral grandeur, and was cer- 
 tainly the work of a fearless, honest-minded man. 
 
 In addition to the preaching due my people in the Alleghany 
 Station, I did much ministerial labor in various localities be- 
 yond the bounds of my charge, in view of establishing our 
 cause. No matter how good a cause may be, living agencies 
 are necessary to its establishment. Christianity itself required 
 living, active agents to plant it in all the world. Nor have I 
 ever dreamed that our ecclesiastical j^rinciples, however good, 
 could establish themselves. Our preachers who have full faith 
 in our views of Christian doctrine and principles of ecclesias- 
 tical government must, by laborious diligence, carry them out 
 into practical operation among the people. Where this is not 
 
AN AEBITRARY SEXTON. 271 
 
 done, our cause does not extend, nor does Christianity in any 
 form. A conviction of this truth led me to perform much out- 
 side labor during my term of service in Alleghany Station. 
 
 My pastoral duties, too, were very onerous. A membership, 
 spread over so mvich space, to be visited once a quarter — all 
 the sick much oftener — and so many funerals to attend, did 
 not leave me a great deal of time for rest or study. Yet, by 
 carefully adhering, as far as practicable, to my old plan of 
 forenoon study and afternoon visiting, I kept up all my woi'k. 
 The people of my charge worked with me well, in the revival 
 already mentioned ; indeed, they had become religiously in 
 earnest in the work of the Lord, and a better band of laborers 
 among penitents at the altar was rarely to be found. It did 
 my heart good to witness the whole-hearted energy of my dear 
 old friends Rev. C. Avery, E. W. Stephens — men of wealth — 
 and Henry Williams, Gr. Kurtz, and many others, in the hum- 
 bler walks of life, together with the ladies of the Church — all 
 baptized into the spirit of this revival. Around the altar of 
 the Lord the rich and the poor met together in one common 
 cause, and upon our united labors the blessing of the Most 
 High came down abundantly. 
 
 It may be worth while to say something of our sexton, as 
 we pass along. To look at human nature in every phase might 
 be instructive. A little brief authority will spoil some men. 
 To put some sinners into office is to place them beyond the 
 reach and force of Gospel truth. To put some professors of 
 religion into office is to fill them with pride, and render them 
 an intolerable nuisance to the Church. Our sexton had once 
 been a very intemperate man ; but, on his making a profession 
 of religion and joining the Church, so orderly was his life, and 
 such were the evidences of his piety, that he gained the confi- 
 dence of his brethren generally, and might have lived and died 
 a good Christian, if he had never been taken from the ranks 
 and put into office. By some hap, W. G. was appointed sexton 
 of the Methodist Protestant Church in Alleghany, and in a short 
 time he began to assume airs of great self-importance. The 
 office made him feel large, and his actions became insufierably 
 
272 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 insolent. No advice would lie take ; all remonstrances were dis- 
 regarded. At precisely nine o'clock at night, during the revival, 
 he would call out : " It is time to close the meeting, and for all 
 honest people to be at home." Then, without waiting for the 
 congregation to retire, or the penitents to be taken from the 
 altar, he would extinguish the lights, leaving us all in the dark. 
 Several times we had to light up again, it being inconvenient to 
 move out at a moment's warning. Our remonstrances against 
 such arbitrary and ill-advised conduct were again and again 
 repeated, but all to no purpose. Our sexton grew worse and 
 worse, alleging that the meeting-house and all who came into 
 it were under his control, and that he had the right to close 
 the meeting when he pleased. When nothing else would do, 
 this man's office was taken from him and given to another. 
 This so enraged him, that we had to turn him adrift by an ab- 
 solute expulsion from the Church. When he became cool, he 
 lowered sails, and, to appearance, became very humble, but in 
 my day it was deemed advisable not to receive him again into 
 the Church. This man's case is the case of thovisands. From 
 the bottom to the top of society, a weak-minded man is pretty 
 certain to be spoiled by office, especially in the Church of 
 Christ. Paul says of a Christian bishop, that he must "not 
 be a novice, lest, being lifted up with pride, he fall into the 
 condemnation of the devil." So, it appears that an angel of 
 light, through pride, from the height of his position fell, and 
 was turned into a devil, and that "novices" in ecclesiastical 
 offices are very apt to follow the example of that apostate 
 angel. In relation to this matter, the Churches can not be too 
 careful. The advice given by Paul to Timothy, concerning or- 
 daining men to the Christian ministry, is valuable, even to the 
 appointment of a sexton : " Lay hands suddenly on no man ;" put 
 no man into any responsible position in the Church of Christ, 
 until his character is well understood to be every way trust- 
 worthy. 
 
 In September, 1837, the Pittsburgh Conference was held in 
 Wheeling. At that time the Methodi-st Protestant Church in 
 that place was in a prosperous condition, and the Conference 
 
SECOND GENERAL CONFERENCE. 273 
 
 •was well entertained, and made a favorable impression on the 
 community. I was reappointed to the Alleghany Station. As 
 the distress in financial matters still remained, and was rather 
 growing worse every day, my success in building up the Church 
 was not very great. So many removed, to hunt business and 
 find the means of living in other places, that our increase was 
 hardly equal to our losses. A time of financial distress brings 
 out the faultiness of character among professors of religion, in 
 a manner not to be conceived of in a time of prosperity. Some 
 were really not able to pay their honest debts during the press- 
 ure, and there were others who did not appear to want to pay 
 them. Against this latter class there were many complaints, 
 and in adjusting matters in which their integrity was implicated 
 I had no little trouble. Yet the great body of the member- 
 ship were of a reliable character, and struggled hard to main- 
 tain the honor and advance the prosperity of the Church. 
 
 In the month of May, 1838, our second General Conference 
 was held in Pittsburgh, and there was a pretty full representa- 
 tion from all the Conferences, North and South, in attendance. 
 Of that body I was a member, and was chairman of the com- 
 mittee on the slavery question. The other members of the 
 committee were from the following Conferences : Rev. R. B. 
 Thompson from Virginia, W. Disney from Ohio, N. Green from 
 Champlain, and W. S. Stockton from , formerly the vet- 
 eran editor of the old Wesleyan Repository. Stockton, Green, 
 and I, being a majority, brought in a report against slavery, as 
 being inconsistent with the morality of the Holy Scriptures. 
 Brothers Thompson and Disney made a minority report. The 
 slavery question was then ably discussed for about three days. 
 Finally, the whole matter was referred back to our people, in 
 their primary assemblies, for instruction as to how it should be 
 disposed of at the next General Conference. This was done on 
 Saturday afternoon. That night we had a session, in view of 
 acting on the report of the committee on the Church paper. 
 That report being read. Dr. Armstrong, of Tennessee, offered 
 a resolution to the effect that all matter on the subject of 
 slavery be excluded from its columns. Then followed, on Arm- 
 
274 RECOLLECTIONS OP ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 strong's resolution, one of the most excoriating discussions, be- 
 tween the members North and South, that I ever remember to 
 have heard in any deliberative body, on the subject of slavery. 
 Judge Hoskins, of Ohio, did battle for the South, and was 
 most provokingly severe on brother Shinn's argument in favor 
 of the liberty of the press. Several of the Southern members 
 followed in the same pro-slavery strain — all exceedingly bitter 
 against modern Abolitionism. Sliinn then replied to the whole, 
 in a speech of great logical, sarcastical, and ironical power. 
 He gave a showing-up of the Southern manner of bullying and 
 blustering our Northern statesmen in Congress, on the slave 
 question; "but," said he, "for one, I am determined that South- 
 ern blusterers, with all their Northern satellites, shall meet with 
 a manful resistance in the General Conference, in their attempt 
 to break down the liberty of the press, in order to cover up 
 the horrid crime of slavery." 
 
 All this time the discussion had proceeded by mistake, on 
 the supposition that the General Conference had full power over 
 the question at issue. I made several attempts to get the floor, 
 to show that the freedom of the press was secured to the Church 
 by the Constitution, but failed to get a hearing. Brother 
 Springer finally moved an indefinite postponement of the whole 
 matter before the Conference, believing, as he said, from the 
 temper of the body, that we could not come to an agreement 
 so as to have any Church paper at all, and he gave it as his 
 opinion that Church papers could be best managed by the An- 
 nual Conferences. I then got the floor, but the friends of 
 Springer's motion called the previous question on me, and I 
 took my seat. At that juncture, brothers Kesley and Brown, 
 of Maryland, kindly interposed in my behalf, and got me a 
 hearing, on the ground that I had made several attempts to 
 speak, but some one else always got the foreway. They desired 
 to hear me, and hoped, as I had the book of the law in my 
 hand, I could east some light on the subject then before the 
 Conference. 
 
 I then proceeded to say: "As a citizen of this nation, the 
 Constitution of the United States is the charter of my rights 
 
LIBERTY OF THE PRESS. 275 
 
 and privileges. As a citizen of the Keystone State, fhe con- 
 stitution of Pennsylvania is the guarantee of my rights and im- 
 munities. As a Christian, the New Testament is the book under 
 which I hold my claims to rights and privileges. But, as a 
 Methodist Protestant, the constitution of our Church is the 
 charter of my rights, and the rights of all here assembled. 
 This constitution, made in 1830, by a convention of the whole 
 Methodist Protestant Church, is of binding force on this Gen- 
 eral Conference. We are not here to nullify or amend it, but 
 to obey it in all our ecclesiastical legislation. Our Church con- 
 stitution, which I will now read, plainly says, (Article X, Item 
 III,) ' No rule shall be passed infringing the liberty of speech 
 or of the press, but for every abuse of liberty the offender shall 
 be dealt with as in other cases of indulging in sinful words and 
 tempers.' This, certainly, settles the question. The press with 
 us is constitutionally free, and this body has no power to make 
 it otherwise." 
 
 Dr. Armstrong then asked me what I understood to be the 
 freedom of the press in the Methodist Protestant Church. To 
 this question I immediately replied, that, in order for our press 
 to be free, at least all official documents must be published, and 
 that to reject them would be an infringement of the liberty of 
 the press. As to private communications written by individ- 
 uals, over these the editor must have discretionary control, and 
 he would, in many instances, deserve as much credit for what 
 he left out as for what he published. As no one objected to 
 this view of the freedom of our press, I said if Springer and 
 Armstrong would withdraw their motions, I had one to make. 
 These brethren complied. I then called for the reading of the 
 first section of the law, then in order, regulating the publica- 
 tion of our Church paper. When it was read, I moved its 
 adoption; the vote was unanimous for adoption. I then called 
 for the second section : when it was read, I moved its adoption, 
 and the vote in its favor was unanimous, and so on until every 
 section in the law was adopted.* I then moved the adoption 
 
 * In this place, the published minutes, owing to the great excitement, are very de- 
 fective in the statement of facta. 
 
276 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 of tlie law as a whole, and the vote was again unanimous. 
 Here, then, in this free country, under the free constitution of 
 the Methodist Protestant Church in General Conference assem- 
 bled, we all agreed to have a fi'ee Church paper. When all 
 was over, and I had resumed my seat, the whole Conference 
 gave indications of joy at the favorable termination of this 
 stormy debate. Those who had indulged in harsh expressions 
 against their opponents recalled them, and asked forgiveness, 
 which in every instance was cordially granted. Then followed 
 a general shaking of hands and a great deal of mirth. About 
 eleven o'clock at night we adjourned and went to our homes, 
 all in a very pleasant state of mind. My own feelings were 
 cheerful, too ; God had helped me to assist the brethren in the 
 dark hour of trial, and I was contented and happy. Especially 
 was I happy, because the freedom of the press had triumphed. 
 Gn the next Monday morning, Rev. T. H. Stockton was 
 elected editor of our free Church paper. Our Church constitu- 
 tion made it free, and the whole General Conference had, in the 
 foregoing way, declared it should be free. In view, therefore, 
 of the premises, brother Stockton went on to Baltimore, to enter 
 upon the duties of his office, and on his arrival had the deep 
 mortification to find that, on the slave question, the Book Com- 
 mittee, right in the teeth of the constitution, and over the ac- 
 tion of the General Conference, had gagged our Church paper! 
 This was a daring act of usurpation, and the names of that 
 famous Book Committee must be given to my readers. They are 
 the following: James B. Williams, Samuel K. Jennings, John 
 Chappell, John Clark, Dr. F, Waters, L. J. Cox, Philip Chappell, 
 Beale H. Richardson, and the stationed preachers of Baltimore. 
 These are names of renown in our history; but, in bowing to the 
 genius of slavery, they tarnished their former glory. Brother 
 Stockton, with all the Christian and American manhood in him, 
 declined the editorial chair, and refused to have any official 
 connection with a muzzled press. Rev. E. Y. Reese was then 
 appointed editor, by the Book Committee, and filled his position 
 with fine ability. But, alas for him and for us all ! in a free 
 country, and in a free Church, he edited a gagged paper ! a 
 
MEETIXG OF PITTSBURGH CONFEREXCE. 277 
 
 thing much, abhorred in the North, and intended to shield 
 slavery. To meet the demand for a free press in the North 
 and West, and to open the way for free discussion of all moral 
 questions, the Western Recorder was originated that same year, 
 with Rev. C. Springer for editor. But that, being an individual 
 enterprise, did not wholly satisfy our people. Our only official 
 paper sat there in Baltimore with a gag in its mouth, and they 
 were disgraced. Great numbers of them went to other Churches. 
 In September, 1838, the Pittsburgh Conference was held in 
 New Lancaster, Ohio, where we had, at that time, a prosperous 
 Church. The Conference was handsomely entertained by the 
 community, and seemed to make a good impression. But, from 
 ■Bome cause, not known to me, our Church in that place had 
 been on the decline. It was a time of suspicion as to the in- 
 tegrity of some of our preachers. Rev. W. W. Arnett, ap- 
 pointed by our last Conference to Steubenville, had, while in our 
 employ, gone through a course of study with Rev. D. Morse, 
 in view of connecting himself with the Protestant Episcopal 
 Church at the close of the year. Now, it was believed that his 
 father-in-law, Rev. E. S. Woodward, who had been stationed in 
 New Lancaster the preceding year, was about to take the same 
 course, and that no minister would build up a denomination 
 which he was preparing to leave, and that it was not morally 
 honest to make our Church a mere boarding-house, where a 
 man might eat, and sleep and live at our expense, while making 
 ready to renounce our form of ordination and take work else- 
 where. To meet this case fairly — and others of a like kind, if 
 there should be any — a new question was, by direction of the 
 Conference, added to the list of those propounded to the 
 preachers. It was, in substance, as follows: "If you receive 
 an appointment from this Conference, is it now your intention 
 to devote your whole time and talents to the performance of the 
 work assigned you, faithfully, to the end of the year?"* Mr. 
 Woodward answered this question, when his character was un- 
 der examination before the Conference, very distinctly, in the 
 
 * Bev. Z. Eagan moved the addition of tliis question. 
 
278 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 affirmative. He was then reappointed to New Lancaster, on the 
 faith reposed in the honesty of his answer. But, in a short 
 time, he passed away to the Protestant Episcopal Church, hav- 
 ing first made an eifort, as I was informed, to take our little 
 membership in that plac.e along with him. 
 
 At this Conference I was appointed to the Ohio Circuit. In- 
 stead of occupying the parsonage at Eldersville, by consent of 
 the brethren, I situated my family in Holliday's Cove, among 
 my relations, near the place where I had spent the first eight 
 years of my life; near where the old school-house once stood 
 in which, from my fifth to my eighth year, I had acquired some 
 of the rudiments of learning; and nearer still to the old stone 
 school-house, yet standing, where, on my approach to manhood, 
 I had spent nearly two years in an eflbrt to carry forward my 
 education. Though forty-six years of age, still around the 
 scenes of my childhood there was an indescribable charm. 
 Even down to over three-score years and twelve, I look back 
 with a great deal of pleasure to the place where my race in life 
 commenced. 0, the happy days of childhood and youth ! no 
 more to return on earth; but I look forward to all the glory of 
 eternal youth in heaven. My hope is full. 
 
 Rev. AV. Ross was stationed in Washington. He and his 
 people desired to be united to my circuit. The union was 
 formed ; so Ross and I traveled together that year, and I found 
 that pious, talented young man to be all I could desire in a 
 colleague. This was, in many respects, one of the most pleasant 
 years of my ministerial life. I was, truly, among kind people, 
 had a noble-hearted fellow-laborer, and at most of the appoint- 
 ments Grod gave us success in our work. My support was in- 
 adequate, but this was no new thing for me. The disciplinary 
 allowance was too small, and the financial regulations of the 
 Church were to blame for this, rather than the people. 
 
 One very cold Sunday, after preaching, at eleven o'clock A. 
 M., in Washington, Pennsylvania, I had to ride eleven miles to 
 preach at night in West Middletown. The intense cold, made 
 more severe by a strong wind meeting me in the face all the 
 way, against which my cloak was but a poor protection, did me 
 
REVIVAL IN STEUBENVILLE. 279 
 
 a very serious injury. About midway, I took the cramp in 
 my legs and feet. To remedy this, I dismounted from my 
 horse. At first I could scarcely stand or walk, but finally got 
 relief, and walked about a mile. I then took to my horse again, 
 but did not ride far before the cramp seized me with greater 
 violence than ever. After enduring it for a short time, and 
 feeling that life itself was in danger, I once more dismounted. 
 To stand or walk had now become more difiicult than before. 
 But, by great efibrts, such as a man will make for his life, I got 
 my blood a little into circulation, the cramp relaxed its terrible 
 grip, and I walked about another mile. Then I returned to 
 my horse again, and in a short time the cramp seized my whole 
 frame, and held me firmly as in a vise. I would have stopped, 
 but there was no house near the road. To dismount I regarded 
 as dangerous, as I might neither be able to walk nor return to 
 my horse; so I remained in my saddle, enduring all the pain 
 the cramp could inflict, for the last three miles. When I 
 reached West Middletown, Judge McKeever and his sons came 
 out, and, on learning my condition, carried me into the house. 
 Here, from the Judge and his family, I received every kind 
 attention that my case required. The cramp left me, and, after 
 some refreshment, I went to the meeting-house and filled my 
 appointment. But the next day, on my way home, a fever set 
 in, and I had a sore spell of sickness. By the time I got out 
 to my work again, kind friends had furnished me with a first- 
 rate, warm overcoat, to protect me against the chilling blasts of 
 winter in future. 
 
 During this year, under the administration of Kev. John 
 Burns, there was in Steubenville a glorious revival of religion. 
 Many of my old friends, and some of my relations, embraced 
 religion and united with the Church. All my spare time was, 
 by request of brother Burns and his people, spent in that 
 work. Sometimes he supplied my place on the circuit, and left 
 me to work for him. This was an agreeable change to us 
 both. In those days I did regard brother Burns as a choice 
 laborer in the vineyard of the Lord, and he still remains in 
 the itinerant ranks, a faithful Christian minister. He and I 
 
280 KECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 differ as to tlie propriety and necessity of the action of the Con- 
 vention of 1858, in cutting loose from all the slaveholding Con- 
 ferences and Churches in the South. But the events unfolding, 
 against the conclusion of this great and terrible war, will, no 
 doubt, bring us to see alike. Good men may differ in opinion, 
 and still be kind to one another, until further light is obtained 
 
CONFERENCE IN NEW LISBON, OUIO. 281. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 Conference in New Lisbon, Ohio— Elected President— Removal to Steubenvilie— 
 conference in plttsburoir— appointed to pittsburgh— tue use of tobacco— con- 
 FERENCE IN Alleghany— Keappointed to PitTSBUROH with Kev. J. Cowl as Assist- 
 ant-Annual Conference Action on the Slavery Question. 
 
 In the mouth of September, 1839, the Pittsburgh Conference 
 was held in New Lisbon, Ohio. Our Church in that place was 
 not strong, but still had friends, and the Conference was enter- 
 tained in a very satisfactory manner. Once more I was elected 
 President. Having been out of that office for five or six years, 
 it was now deemed my turn to serve again. Yet, if I had been 
 aware of the full amount of labor before me, I should certainly 
 have shrunk from the task. Rev. Hugh Kelly's case gave the 
 Conference some trouble. He had been stationed in New Lis- 
 bon the preceding year, and for very grave oifenses against the 
 people of his charge, and others, complaints were laid before 
 the Conference against him. A committee, with Rev. A. Shinn 
 for chairman, was appointed to examine into the matter, and 
 report a bill of charges and specifications, if a judicial investi- 
 gation should be deemed necessary. The committee did find a 
 bill of very serious charges against him, and ordered his case 
 to be referred to the proper authorities for trial. Kelly then 
 arose, made an abusive speech, refused to go to trial, and with- 
 drew from the Church under charges. The night after the ad- 
 journment of Conference, some citizens got up an indignation 
 meeting in the court-house, to denounce that body for finding 
 a bill of charges against Kelly, and ordering him to be tried, 
 according to the laws of the Church. Rev. Z. Ragan and my- 
 self, with a few other preachers, remained to attend the meet- 
 18 
 
282 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 ing in the court-house, and vindicate our action. Several law- 
 yers and one doctor spoke in favor of Kelly, neither of whom 
 seemed to know exactly the nature of the case. Then a young 
 Presbyterian minister gave the Conference a most ample vindica- 
 tion. Ragan and I each made a speech, showing that the charges 
 against Kelly were very grave; that the witnesses in behalf of 
 the Church were numerous and respectable ; that the Confer- 
 ence had proceeded in the case according to the forms of law ; 
 that Kelly had fled from justice; that that assembly was not 
 the place fairly to determine the guilt or innocence of the man, 
 and that a due respect for themselves, and for the Church from 
 ■which he had fled, ought to cause them to forbear any action 
 that would cast censure on the Conference. By this time, that 
 crowded audience began to think, I suppose, that they did not 
 fully understand the case in hand ; so, looking wisely at each 
 other, they all took their hats and quietly went home, leaving 
 Kelly to his fate. The meeting closed with a great deal of 
 mirth at his expense, and that of his friends, who certainly 
 meant to teach us a lesson not soon to be forgotten. This 
 Kelly was from England, and had been eight years a sailor. 
 He had been the means of great injury to one of our Northern 
 Conferences, and then went to Canada, from whence he came to 
 us in Pittsburgh, where he was kindly received, for at that time 
 we knew nothing of his history. He hated our civil govern- 
 ment, and was often heard to say that our nation would never 
 be respectable until it became a monarchy. 
 
 After moving my ftimily to Steubenville, and comfortably sit- 
 uating them among kind friends, I went forth to the labors of 
 the presidency. The Pittsburgh District then included Western 
 Virginia, Western Pennsylvania, and North-eastern Ohio, down 
 to the Scioto and Sandusky Rivers. Within these bounds, our 
 cause having prospered, a great deal of work was to be done. 
 To give a Sabbath to each circuit and station filled up the 
 whole year. It was a time of ingathering to the Churches, and 
 on week days and nights, as well as on Sundays, they kept me 
 preaching. Besides all my labors in traveling, attending Quar- 
 terly Conferences, love-feasts, sacraments, revivals, conversation 
 
APPOINTED TO PITTSBURGH STATION. 283 
 
 among friends, and keeping up a heavy correspondence, I av- 
 eraged six and a half sermons per week, throughout the whole 
 year. By the close of it, however, my health had very much 
 failed; my liver, lungs, and diaphragm were all in a bad con- 
 dition. From that time to the present, (1864,) my lungs have 
 never regained their original elastic power, and, as a conse- 
 quence, an occasional stutter comes over my speech, and my 
 articulation in preaching has to be more deliberate than iu 
 former years. But wounds received and the scars of war, 
 whether inflicted in the defense of our country, or in the bat- 
 tles of the Lord, will never be considered as marks of disgrace 
 by any candid man. When I returned from the toils of the 
 district, at the end of the year, I found my family in sorrow. 
 My youngest son lay dead in the house, and I was not aware 
 of that fact until I reached my own door. It was a time of 
 great political excitement. Martin Van Buren and General W. 
 H. Harrison were the candidates for the chief magistracy of the 
 nation. Both political parties had a meeting in Steubenville 
 that day. The town was full of people and banners and noise. 
 Amid the whole of this confusion, two hours after my arrival 
 at home, our dear little Benjamin was laid in his grave. To 
 bury lovely children is a sore trial to parents. Yet, with all 
 the certainty that the truth of Holy Writ can give, we know 
 we shall, if faithful, see them again, ''for of such is the king- 
 dom of heaven." Heaven is full of little children. What a 
 Turkish divinity that is which teaches the doctrine of infant 
 reprobation! It is not found in the Bible: it is a metaphysical 
 deduction from a mere assumption, and has neither justice nor 
 mercy to stand upon. 
 
 In September, 1840, the Pittsburgh Conference was held in 
 Steubenville, and I was appointed to the Pittsburgh Station. 
 This appointment was in agreement with the wishes of my old 
 friends in that city, and with my own inclinations. But, after 
 all, it ought not to have been made, as I was really unable to 
 perform the labors of that weighty charge. That year my 
 health required rest and care, but it was impossible to take 
 either, and yet attend to all the duties of such a station. So 
 
284 KECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 ray health and the station both had to suffer together. But 
 brother Shinn's retvirn to his home in Alleghany gave me some 
 relief, as, by an arrangement, he filled the pulpit for me every 
 other Sunday morning. His age, experience, and heavenly wisdom 
 were all of great value to me and to the people of my charge. 
 Yet, the balance of the labors of the pulpit and the toils of 
 pastoral visitations required more strength than I could com- 
 mand. So kind-hearted were the people of my charge, that 
 they bore with me in my afflictions, and placed a higher value 
 on my services than they de^ierved, and many a time I felt sor- 
 rowful because I could not be more efficient as a laborer among 
 them. The congregations in the Fifth Street Station, consid- 
 ering my defective ministrations, were generally good. This 
 ■was attributable more to pastoral visitations and brother Shinn's 
 assistance in the pulpit, than to such preaching as mine that 
 year. But, in the midst of all my infirmities, I did the best I 
 could, and my labors were not in vain in the Lord. Sinners 
 were converted, and there was quite an encouraging addition 
 made to the Church ; some of whom have gone to heaven, some 
 have moved to other places, and others yet remain to honor the 
 cause of Christ, and to greet me when I return to visit my old 
 friends in Pittsburgh. 
 
 On the first day of January, 184:1, Bev. Z. Bagan, then Presi- 
 dent of the Conference, and I entered into an agreement that 
 we would discontinue the u<e of tobacco, regarding it as hardly 
 reconcilable with personal decency, and as prejudicial to health. 
 Though I had used tobacco for about nine years, and its use in 
 that time had become habitual, yet a fixed resolution carried 
 me forward, and I used it no more for one whole year. This 
 effort, instead of resulting in physical improvement, had pre- 
 cisely the contrary effect. It was about the most unhealthy 
 year of my life. In about two months I accumulated thirty 
 pounds of additional flesh, of not a very sound character. The 
 cavity of my chest became gorged with fat, leaving but little 
 room for the expansion of the lungs in breathing. They 
 seemed constantly prone to run into inflammation, by being 
 too tightly compressed together^ and my breathing was a mere 
 
THE USE OF TOBACCO. 285 
 
 pant with the upper part of them. A constant determination 
 of blood to my brain, vertigo, a sense of weariness, as if my 
 weight were far too great for me to carry about the streets, all 
 indicated danger of an attack of apoplexy. With these symp- 
 toms of disease upon me, I struggled /through the year, often 
 having to seek relief for my head and lungs by getting freely 
 bled, when out from home visiting my flock. 
 
 My ultimate conclusion was, after one year of fair trial, that, 
 somehow or other, I had made tobacco constitutionally neces- 
 sary to my life and health and usefulness. I then returned to 
 its use: my flesh gradually became reduced; all the various 
 symptoms of disease left me, and I have been able, with but 
 little obstruction, to pursue my ministerial calling ever since. 
 The conclusions which I draw from this whole matter are the 
 following: First. It is utterly wrong to get into the habit of 
 using tobacco, and all men who have not yet gone so far as to 
 have made it constitutionally necessary to them, should quit the 
 use of it at once and forever. Secondly. In those cases of 
 fleshy men, where long use has made it constitutionally neces- 
 sary to them, it is better to use it than to throw away health 
 and usefulness and life. Thirdly. Persons who have but little 
 flesh should never use tobacco ; it is a constant drain upon the 
 physical system. If it would reduce a fat man like me, it 
 would reduce them, and they have no flesh to spare, and must 
 sufl"er injury by its use. The very argument, therefore, which 
 justified me in using tobacco would be strongly against the use 
 of it by persons who are lean in flesh. I have no doubt that 
 persons of a slender physical constitution often waste themselves 
 down to consumption by using tobacco. Fourthly. Some rank 
 the use of tobacco among the moral evils — as a positive sin in 
 all cases. I have not so regarded it, but have placed it among 
 things indifierent. Still, when it injures health, it is certainly 
 a moral evil, for every man who abuses his health is a sinner. 
 Fifthly. What Jesus said in reference to another case may, on 
 general principles, be applicable here : " Hearken unto me, every 
 one of you, and understand: there is nothing from without a 
 man that entering into him can defile him: but the things 
 
286 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 which come out of him, those are they that defile the man. 
 From within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, 
 adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wicked- 
 ness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, fool- 
 ishness. All these things come from within and defile the 
 man." 
 
 Ih September, 1841, the Pittsburgh Conference was held in 
 Alleghany, and I was reappointed to Pittsburgh. I accepted 
 this appointment as a matter of favor to me, personally, in a 
 time of feeble health. Some few of the brethren, I was in- 
 formed, desired a change, and to have a more efficient laborer. 
 This was natural, and I could not blame them. But all parties 
 were accommodated, as the Conference gave me Rev. John Cowl 
 for a colleague. lie was a vigorous, talented, pious, faithful 
 young man. He boarded in my family, was a hard student, a 
 good preacher, and possessed a generous, social heart. We had 
 a pleasant year together. 
 
 At this Conference the representatives to the General Con- 
 ference of 1842 were elected. This was the time to receive in- 
 structions from the primary assemblies as to how we were to 
 act in General Conference on the slave questioij. Very few of 
 the circuits and stations had expressed their wishes, yet the 
 brethren, on the few memorials we had, proceeded to give in- 
 structions. While this matter was on hand, the debate ran very 
 high ; not that any one favored slavery, but, as not more than 
 one-eighth of our people had spoken, and the Conference could 
 not be authorized by such a small minority to instruct their 
 representatives — of whom I was one — to the General Conference 
 to take action either for or against slavery, it was deemed by 
 myself, and some others, best to he left free until a competent 
 majority of the primary assemblies should give direction to our 
 action in opposition to that evil. But instructions were given, 
 and I made up my mind that, as a representative to the General 
 Conference, I would do no act in that body which, in my judg- 
 ment, would rend the Church. Sound Christian morality, I 
 knew, condemned slavery, and I was ready to condemn it, too, 
 whenever the Annual Conference, authorized by a majority of 
 
VIEWS UPON SLAVERY. 287 
 
 our Cliurcli members, instructed me to do so. The General 
 Conference of 1838 had thrown out the shive question to the 
 Churches, that during the following four years they might give 
 direction as to what should be done with it at the next General 
 Conference, and I was not willing to act in the premises until 
 the Churches had spoken, demanding condemnatory action at 
 my hands. How could the General Conference of 1842 act any 
 better upon this question, without instruction from the primary 
 assemblies, than the General Conference of 1838 ? And for 
 the Annual Conference to assume the right to give instructions, 
 apart from, the people, to whom the case had been referred, I 
 held to be ecclesiastically wrong; so did many others. 
 
 These views I continued to entertain at the time of the Gen- 
 eral Conference in 1842, and by acting on them I brought upon 
 myself, from the ultra Abolition party, a great deal of censure. 
 But few of the Conferences had asked the General Conference 
 for action on this subject, and I was not willing to be drawn 
 into it by a minority. Such was the character of our Church 
 constitution, that we could not legislate against slavery, for this 
 would be an attack upon the civil laws of the South, and was 
 prohibited by that instrument. Nor could we legislate in favor 
 of slavery, for that would be contrary to the Holy Scriptures, 
 and was, likewise, forbidden by the constitution. This was 
 equal to a prohibition of all legislation on the question. But 
 the General Conference might express its sentiments in a reso- 
 lution. This I was not willing to do at the request of a minor- 
 ity of our Churches. In my judgment, it took a majority to 
 command General Conference action in a case which might di- 
 vide the Church. In my opinion, at that time, a resolution 
 condemning all sUveholders, indiscriminately, as guilty sinners, 
 would have done the slaves no good, would have so exasperated 
 the masters as to divide the Church — a thing I very much 
 wished to avoid — and would have precluded the possibility of 
 the Northern Churches doing any good in the South on the 
 slave question, or in spreading the Gospel among them, in all 
 time to come. 
 
 Finding that action of some kind must be had by the body, 
 
288 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 and feeling unwilling to put the integrity of the Churcli at too 
 great a hazard, I went with the conservatives, both in speech 
 and vote, and the following resolution was adopted : 
 
 '^Resolved, That, in the judgment of this General Conference, 
 the holding of slaves is not, under all circumstances, a sin 
 against God ; yet, in our opinion, under some circumstances it 
 is sinful, and in such cases should be discouraged by the Meth- 
 odist Protestant Church. This General Conference does not feel 
 authorized by the constitution to legislate on the subject of 
 slavery, and by a solemn vote we present to the Church our 
 judgment, that the different Annual Conferences, respectively, 
 should make their own regulations on this subject, so far as 
 authorized by the constitution." 
 
 This resolution was in agreement with the light we then had, 
 and, in our opinion, saved the Church from immediate division. 
 My action in the premises was assailed with a great deal of mis- 
 representation and bitterness by Revs.. John Clark, jr., Edward 
 Smith, and John McKaskey, in a paper called the Spirit of 
 Liberty. Smith, the editor, very kindly called upon my con- 
 gregation, in an editorial, to withhold my support and starve 
 me into measures. Did not this look like persecution in its 
 worst form? To doom me to death by starvation, for difference 
 of opinion, would be about as merciful as to burn me at the 
 Btake. My defense against these attacks was made in the West- 
 ern Recorder, and our people, in general, justified my course. 
 The light we had, the progress of events in our cooperation 
 with the South, and the unfoldings of Providence had not, at 
 that time, prepared us for a separation from slaveholding 
 Churches and Conferences. 
 
 I could not vote for the foregoing resolution at the present 
 time. In my deliberate judgment, not only the slave-trade, but 
 slaveholding under any circumstances, is always sinful. If the 
 sin is not in the man who holds the slave and would free him 
 if he could, it must be in the law which hinders freedom. And 
 where the slaveholder's heart is in agreement with the wicked 
 
ANNUAL CONFERENCE AND THE SLAVERY QUESTION. 289 
 
 law wliicli hinders freedom to the slave, the sin is both in the 
 law and in the man who holds the slave. This thing of part- 
 ing husbands and wives, parents and children, and making mer- 
 chandise of the souls and bodies of human beings, is certainly 
 a sin of the highest character against the spirit and laws of the 
 Christian religion. And for complicity in this mammoth wrong 
 to the colored race, and for other sins, our nation is now un- 
 dergoing a terrible punishment at the hands of a just God, in 
 the form of a most desolating civil war. God he merciful to ws 
 sinners. 
 
 As the year advanced, my health improved, and among the 
 good people of Pittsburgh I found myself comfortable and 
 happy; and not one of them, to the best of my recollection, 
 ever attempted to starve me by withholding support, as advised 
 by the editor of the Spirit of Liberty. A considerable number 
 of my charge were Abolitionists, but they were a liberal-minded 
 people, and allowed me to think and speak and act for myself, 
 without bringing the pressure of starvation to force me into 
 their peculiar views. Where was ever found a more thorough 
 Abolitionist than Rev. Charles Avery? Who was ever more 
 liberal and courteous to those who differed from him in opinion, 
 than he? And the great body of the members of the Pitts- 
 burgh Church were of the Avery stamp, and copied after him 
 in liberality of sentiment and action. Edward Smith, I was 
 told, aided by John Clark, got up a meeting of the leading 
 abolition members of the Methodist Protestant Church in Pitts- 
 burgh, and used his utmost endeavors to draw them off from 
 me, because I could not, or would not, pronounce the true Abo- 
 lition Shibboleth in his style. But they resisted him manfully, 
 and said to me the next day, with a good deal of pleasantry, 
 that they had found it necessary to defend themselves against 
 Smith's efforts to take them into a new organization, by the use 
 of my arguments. 
 
 The year drew to a close. Cowl and I had labored together 
 in harmony. At a protracted meeting during the winter, the 
 Church had been much revived; sinners had been converted and 
 cast in their lot with us, and all was peace throughout the 
 
290 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 brotlierhood. A more orderly Churcli I never knew, nor have 
 I ever found a Christian community of a more trustworthy, re- 
 liable character. Many a time have I thought that I would 
 like to close my life among my Pittsburgh friends, and sleep 
 in death somewhere near the resting-place of brother Avery, 
 my old benefactor, and brother Shinn, the prince of preachers. 
 But God has, I suppose, ordered it otherwise. My sons lie 
 buried here, and I must find a resting-place with them. No 
 difi'erence where our bodies lie on earth, so we all meet in 
 heaven. 
 
DIVISION OF PITTSBURGH CONFERENCE. 291 
 
 CIIAPTEK XVI. 
 
 Division or PiTTSBunGii Conference— Elected President— Exercise op Church Dis- 
 cipline— Kejioval TO Steubenville— Tour in Western Virginia— Conference in 
 Pittsburgh— Ke-elected President— Discussion on Phrenology- Lumbermen at 
 Goose Creek— Adventures in the Mountains— Conference at Fairmont— Third 
 Year in the Presidency. 
 
 In September, 1842, tlio Pittsburgh Conference was held in 
 Mt. Vernon, Ohio. On my way to that Conference, my horse 
 became so seriously diseased that I had to leave him in St. 
 Clairsville. When I returned, poor Jack was near his end, 
 and died in a short time. From thence, Mrs. Brown and I 
 went, by stage, to a camp-meeting near Brownsville, on the 
 Muskingum Circuit. It was a glorious meeting. Brothers 
 Shinn, Springer, J. Dalbey, and a good many other ministers 
 were there, on their way to the Conference. The preaching was 
 attended by the unction of the Holy One ; sinners felt the power 
 of saving grace and were converted to God, and professors were 
 greatly revived. From the meeting we were taken to Mt. Ver- 
 non in a private conveyance. At that Conference the Mus- 
 kingum District was set off. Rev. Israel Thrap was elected 
 President, and so was I. We were left to settle the question 
 between ourselves as to our fields of labor. I offered Thrap his 
 choice, hoping he would be equally generous and refer the choice 
 back to me, for I wanted Muskingum; but he at once chose that 
 Conference, so I was left, rather contrary to my wishes, to the 
 Pittsburgh District, with all the hills, mountains, and valleys of 
 Western Virginia and Western Pennsylvania before me. Yet 
 among these mountains, hills, and valleys I had many warm 
 friends, and felt very well satisfied with my field of labor. My 
 
292 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LITE. 
 
 district, being in an elevated region, afforded me good water and 
 pure air, and thus contributed very much to my health. 
 
 The Conference was comfortably entertained at Mt. Vernon, 
 and made a favorable impression on the community; but the 
 slavery question, as usual in those days, occasioned us no little 
 perplexity. Two of the preachers gave us trouble. Each, by 
 mismanagement, had become embroiled with his circuit, and on 
 each circuit a strong party was formed against the Superintend- 
 ent, with an unstationed preacher at its head. On neither cir- 
 cuit did the membership act together in the election of delegates, 
 so each party on each circuit sent up a delegate, and in each 
 case the party adverse to the Superintendent laid in charges 
 to the Conference against him. These double delegations were 
 rejected by the Conference, and both the preachers were re- 
 ferred back to the scene of their strife for trial, under my ad- 
 ministration. As both of these afflicted circuits were large and 
 valuable, I made all due haste to bring on the trials. On nei- 
 ther of the circuits were there any neutrals; all the members 
 were strongly for or against the men to be tried. In each case 
 there were about sixty witnesses, and the indications were un- 
 favorable for harmony in the testimony. Party coloring might 
 be expected under the circumstances, and conflict in testimony 
 might ruin the circuits. In each case I approached the day ap- 
 pointed with much concern of mind^perhaps more than either 
 of the accused felt — and, before going into trial, preached a ser- 
 mon to the assembly, which was large, on Christian charity, 
 showing the absurdity of expecting forgiveness from Grod if we 
 did not forgive one another. In each case I made the parties in 
 controversy a proposition to try, fii'st of all, to settle their diffi- 
 culties on Gospel principles, by mutual confessions and mutual 
 forgiveness, provided the preacher be removed to some other 
 field of labor. This proposition was accepted, the confessions 
 were made, not only by the accused, but by many others on 
 each side of the controversy, and the brethren generally mu- 
 tually forgave one another. The preachers were then removed 
 to other places, and the whole matter was left to calm down. 
 
 Some few were dissatisfied, because the accused had not been 
 
REMOVAL TO STETJBENVILLE. 293 
 
 tried as the Conference had ordered. But what better could I 
 do with such overwhelming, wide-spread, untoward cases on my 
 hands? I maintain that in each of these cases I did conduct a 
 Gosjiel trial, which reached not only the accused, but both par- 
 ties, with its humbling and reforming influences. The object of 
 all just Church discipline must be to serve the cause of Christ, 
 and I think this end was accomplished. I have stated these 
 cases together because of their general similarity. I had never 
 seen the like of them before, and hope I never may again. The 
 ensuing Conference, very much to my gratification, approved of 
 my administration. Many Churches might be saved from ruin 
 if the mutual confession and forgiveness plan were more gener- 
 ally adopted. 
 
 That year I retained my house in Pittsburgh until spring, 
 with brother Cowl still boarding in my family. When he was 
 with them, I felt less concern of mind while out on tho district, 
 as I had all confidence in his kindness of heart and willingness 
 to see to their welfare. On the 1st of April, 1843, I removed to 
 Steubenville, to cheapen my rent and living, and to situate my 
 family among old, well-tried friends, where there was a first-class 
 female seminary, to which I could send my daughter. There, 
 too, my eldest son had the advantages of Dr. Scott's academy. 
 Itinerant ministers can not, in the nature of things, leave worldly 
 wealth to their children. Let them make sure of giving them a 
 good Christian education. This is the true wealth of the mind 
 and heart. 
 
 After living one year in a rented house, I bought a comforta- 
 ble little home of Edwin M. Stanton, Esq., the present Secre- 
 tary of War. When, through the assistance of brother Avery, 
 I made the last payrnent on my property, the interest, amount- 
 ing to ninety-three dollars, was all forgiven by Mr. Stanton. 
 "Now," said I, "this is all very kind, and completes the whole 
 transaction save the removal of the mortgage." "About that 
 mortgage," he replied, "there will be no trouble, as I never had 
 it recorded." So, from among his papers, he drew it out, and 
 handed it to me, with a laugh, saying he had "never entertained 
 any fears of my not paying him." My opinion is, if he had 
 
294 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 found me seriously puzzled to make the last payment, three 
 hundred dollars, the whole would have been forgiven by that 
 kin^-hearted man. I am justified in this opinion by his vari- 
 ous acts of kindness to me since that time, especially since he 
 has been Secretary of War. The help he gave me in the recov- 
 ery of my dying son from Grant's army, near Vicksburg, when 
 all other help had failed, will never be forgotten. While I live 
 and cherish the memory of my dear son George, who is now in 
 heaven, I shall always be thankful for such a friend as Secretary 
 Stanton. I have known him from his boyhood. I took him into 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church when he was about twelve 
 years of age, drilled him about two years in a Bible-class, and 
 have full faith in the integrity and benevolence of his character. 
 I felt my home in Steubenville to be agreeable, for I was 
 among an excellent class of citizens. The Methodist Protestant 
 Church in that city stood well in the community, and I regarded 
 the membership generally as pious, earnest, intelligent Chris- 
 tians, among whom it was a pleasure to have my family situ- 
 ated. It was an agreeable place in which to spend what little 
 time I might have to rest from the toils of the district. Some 
 of the best Christian friends I erer had in my life still reside in 
 Steubenville. Among the more prominent of them, it gives me 
 pleasure to name Captain J. A. Dohrman, M. M. Laughlin, and 
 M. E. Lucas. Captain A. Devinny has passed away to the eter- 
 nal world; so has A. Sutherland, Esq. This last-named brother 
 was drawn crooked by rheumatism, and was a man of feeble 
 health ; but he was a real, practical philosopher, and had in his 
 mental constitution a rich vein of ready, pungent wit. Shortly 
 after I organized the Methodist Protestant Church in that city, 
 the following anecdote was told me by Rev. T. M. Hudson, pas- 
 tor of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the same place. The 
 contest in coui't between the Hicksite and Orthodox Quakei'S, 
 about Church property, was just over. Judge Tappan had been 
 the leading lawyer for the Hicksites. One morning, the Judge, 
 having just heard of the new swarm out of the old Methodist 
 Episcopal hive, met 'Squire Sutherland on the way to his office, 
 and said, with a nasal twang in his voice, while he peeped into 
 
TOUR IN WESTERN VIRGINIA. 295 
 
 Sutherland's face with his squint eyes, "Hey, 'Squire! I hear 
 you have got the devil in your Church, too." " I did not 
 know that. Judge," said the 'Squire; '■'■lohen did you join?" 
 "Humph!" said Tappan, and away he went, amid the pealing 
 laughter of the bystanders. Mr. Sutherland was a true Chris- 
 tian as well as a great wit — a man of sound judgment in ecclesi- 
 astical matters. 
 
 Having visited all the central part of the district during the 
 fall and winter, the two extremes demanded my attention the 
 remainder of the year. Early in May, with my wife and two 
 of the children, Ann Eliza and George, I started on a long 
 Southern tour in Western Virginia, intending to leave Mrs. 
 Brown and the children with my brother-in-law, Robert Jack- 
 ^. son, at Milford, Harrison County, Virginia, until my return from 
 the Greenbrier country. To make the stages of travel easy, I 
 had arranged to have appointments at suitable distances, both 
 going and coming. While resting at Dr. O'Kelly's, in Morgan- 
 town, George, while at play with the Doctor's children, in the 
 yard, fell and broke his arm. This was a sad disaster; but the 
 bone was immediately set by the Doctor, and we moved on that 
 afternoon to Fairmont. When my meeting in that place was 
 over, it was deemed best not to take the family any further. 
 Robert Jackson was then called on, by letter, to visit them in 
 that place; and, on Monday morning, leaving my carriage, I 
 took my horse and was oif for Greenbrier Circuit, with J. W. 
 Beshor, the assistant on Morgautowu Circuit, for my traveling 
 companion. It took us pretty hard traveling until Saturday, 
 eleven o'clock A. M., to reach our destination. After a good 
 meeting with our Methodist Protestant brethren, at a place 
 called the Bush, it took us until meeting-time on the following 
 Sunday morning to return to Fairmont. Thus, it will be seen, 
 that, to meet the wishes and expectations of that distant circuit 
 and of the Superintendent, Rev. D. R. Helwick, I traveled hard 
 for near two weeks through most intense heat. To go so far, 
 right off from all our other work, for but one general meeting, 
 did seem to be a hardship. Yet Presidents of Conferences have 
 to do these things, or the cause will suffer. Men may say what 
 
296 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 they will, but I know tliat presidential visits have a tendency 
 to harmonize our body, and are very valuable to our people, 
 especially on border circuits. A traveling presidency, at the 
 expense of the whole district, ought to be kept up for the gen- 
 eral good of the Church. 
 
 On my return I found George's arm improving, and my wife 
 and daughter well. After a few days of rest among old friends, 
 we journeyed on toward Pennsylvania, where we spent about 
 three weeks attending my appointments, and then shaped our 
 course for home. This whole tour was accomplished in six 
 weeks, and, bating a little for the breaking of George's arm — 
 which was well by the time we reached home — it was a very 
 pleasant trip to us all, and prosperity attended the meetings 
 generally. 
 
 J. W. Beshor was a quarter-blooded Indian ; his mother was 
 a half-breed. This part of his history is true, but in every 
 thing else his statements were mere fabrications. He reported 
 himself to have been born among the Indians, about one thou- 
 sand miles above St. Louis, on the head-waters of the Missis- 
 sippi (I do not now remember the name of the tribe) ; that he 
 was brought in by a missionary, to be educated at Marietta 
 College; that, having spent some time at college, he left and 
 went in search of the Methodist Protestants and joined them, 
 and finally entered the itinerant ministry among them. lu 
 many places he delivered lectures on the peculiarities of In- 
 dian character, and generally took up collections. He did this 
 once — perhaps more than once — while with me on our tour 
 through South-western Virginia. He denied ever having be- 
 longed to any other Church than ours, and seemed desirous to 
 be sent back to his tribe as a missionary from our Church, for 
 "he was greatly concerned," he said, "for the salvation of the 
 much-neglected children of the forest." 
 
 Finally, Beshor came to me and took a transfer to one of the 
 Western Conferences. Immediately after this, it came out in 
 proof that he had been born in Belmont County, Ohio, near 
 St. Clairsville, and had never been among the Indians at all ; 
 also, that he had been a member of the Methodist Episcopal 
 
CONFERENCE IN PITTSBURGH. 297 
 
 Cturcli in Ohio, and was actually a runaway apprentice from 
 some tin-sliop in Wheeling. As this young impostor had de- 
 ceived me, I reported his case faithfully to the brethren in the 
 West, and he could not get a standing among them. He went 
 then, I was told, to the New-School Presbyterians, but his char- 
 acter followed him. He then went to the Campbellites, and 
 there, too, his character followed him. From thence he went to 
 the Roman Catholics. He seemed to have a "through-ticket." 
 Whether he ever joined the Jews or not, I have never heard. 
 It is an awful thing to be an impostor. Besh'or was a talented 
 young man, but he lacked honesty of character. 
 
 After accomplishing my tour in the north-eastern part of the 
 district, where I attended an excellent camp-meeting, distributed 
 Evans's Ecclesiastical Catechism among the people, and, at the 
 request of the congregation, gave them a lecture on Church 
 government, I returned home and prepared for Conference. 
 Though the Pittsburgh District had, by the division the year 
 before, been reduced in size, yet I had found in it full employ- 
 ment for all my time and all my strength, and at the end of the 
 year felt very much worn down. 
 
 In September, 1843, the Conference was held in Pittsburgh, 
 and I was again elected President. We had a very pleasant, 
 harmonious session, and the impression made by the body on 
 the community was decidedly good. This year I had no eccle- 
 siastical investigations to conduct; all the preachers were at 
 peace among themselves, and success generally attended their 
 labors. All my traveling was by buggy, which I now found to 
 be less fatiguing than by saddle. From the lake on the north 
 to Greenbrier in the south, I found no hills or mountains that 
 I could not manage to pass over in my buggy. The noble an- 
 imal I drove was always safe and reliable ; she was of great 
 spirit, and, when it was found necessary, could take me fifty 
 miles a day, if the roads were good. As the usual amount of 
 labor and privation were required this year, I shall not enter 
 into details, but only give a few of the more interesting occur- 
 rences. 
 
 In attending to my appointments, I traveled among the hills 
 19 
 
298 RECOLLECTIONS OE ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 of Western Virginia, until I came to Parkersburg, in my 
 buggy, and then left it and "Lize" in the care of a friend, 
 and took a steamer for a point ninety miles below, on Jackson 
 Circuit. My meeting was at Ripley, in the court-house, twelve 
 miles out from the river. When I landed at the mouth of Mill 
 Creek, an elderly gentleman met me on the bank, to whom I 
 made myself known, and that I wanted a horse to carry me out 
 to Ripley, to attend my meeting the following day — Saturday. 
 Said he, " If you will come and rest yourself with me to-night, 
 I will furnish you with the best horse for the trip in Jackson 
 County; provided, you will agree to leave an appointment and 
 preach for us, at my house, on your return." To this I agreed, 
 with a great deal of pleasure, and was very kindly entertained 
 by that courteous family. In the morning, when the horse was 
 brought out, he had on an old Mexican saddle, with a piece of 
 carpet under it instead of a pad, and the old gentleman apolo- 
 gized for his lean appearance, by saying, "The winter has been 
 long and hard, feed very scarce, and, as a consequence, the horse 
 IS rather low in flesh; but he has a stout frame, and will carry 
 you very well." When I saw that animal and his rigging, I 
 thought of what I read in a newspaper about the productive- 
 ness of Jackson County. A gentleman passing through a lane 
 ■said to a colored man sitting on the fence, "Is this a pretty 
 good country?" The answer was, "First rate, massa, first rate; 
 it brings two crops a year." "Ah!" said the gentleman, "how 
 is that?" "Why," replied Sambo, "in de fall ob de year 
 massa sells off all de hay — dat one crop; den in de spring ob 
 de year he sells off all de skins ob de cows — dat two crops." 
 It did seem to me that the skin of that horse was very near 
 going into the second crop. A rain had fallen, the road was 
 slippery, and the horse had no shoes — up hill it was bad, down 
 hill it was worse. The feebleness of that poor horse, and the 
 slipperiuess of the road, made my ride dangerous to life and 
 limb all the way. Finally, with no little mud thrown on me 
 by the long, sweeping tail of that "best horse in Jackson 
 County," I reached my destination, and preached in the Ripley 
 court-house, to quite a large congregation. 
 
DISCUSSION ON PHRENOLOGY. 299 
 
 That day, in company with two other preachers, I dined with 
 the clerk of the court. At table the conversation turned on 
 phrenology, the company being divided in opinion. A young 
 preacher of the Methodist Episcopal Church, who took the lead 
 in favor of that so-called science, said to me, " You had a very 
 talented lecturer on phrenology to hear you to-day, and he will 
 be here in a few minutes to see you." The clerk of the court, 
 who was also a local preacher in the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, asked my opinion of phrenology. Being thus called 
 out before that company, I said, without any hesitation at all, 
 that I had not the least confidence in it as a science. " But," 
 said I, " for the sake of accommodating the present company, 
 I will admit that if a man has no head he can not think. But 
 that the power of thought on all subjects, or the cast of char- 
 acter, is made to depend upon the bumps on the cranium, is a 
 matter which, in my judgment, lies beyond the reach of proof. 
 Some of the finest heads I ever saw — taking phrenology for my 
 guide — I have found on the shoulders of natural fools; and 
 other heads, absolutely under phrenological condemnation, be- 
 longed to profound philosophers, statesmen, and divines; so, 
 when a pretended science contradicts experience, I must re- 
 ject it." 
 
 "I wish," said the young preacher, "you had been present 
 to hear the lectures during the past week ; you certainly would 
 have been convinced that phrenology is a real, substantial sci- 
 ence — as truly so as mathematics." "Gentlemen," I replied, 
 "in my judgment, phrenology is in open conflict with the moral 
 government of God. It is certain, according to the Bible, that 
 truth, justice, benevolence — in short, religion, is required of us 
 all. It is also certain as Holy Writ can make it, that through- 
 out all nature God has indicated his designs. He need not give 
 us a revelation to teach us the use of the eyes, the ears, the 
 teeth, the hands, the feet : in all these, and in other cases, the 
 gift indicates the intention of the giver. Now, where a man, in 
 his original formation, lacks eyes, ears, or teeth, it is equally 
 clear that God does not intend that he shall see, hear, or chew 
 his food. And it is just as clear, too, that if God, in any man's 
 
300 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 original formation, has given him no organ for veracity, he 
 means liim to be a liar; if he has given him no organ for jus- 
 tice, he means him to be a rogue ; if he has given him no organ 
 for benevolence, he means him to be a selfish miser; and finally, 
 to include all this in one thing, if Grod has given him no de- 
 velopment for religion, he means him to be a wicked infidel. 
 So here phrenology and God's moral government are in con- 
 flict, and I am constrained to reject the former because it can 
 not be reconciled with the latter. 
 
 "Suppose we admit all this," said the young preacher, "edu- 
 cation will develop all these organs of truth, justice, benevo- 
 lence, etc." "So, then," I answered, "it comes to this: God's 
 work, in forming man's cranium, was defective, and man, by 
 education, is to improve God's work and make man capable of 
 morality and religion ; thus, in all cases where education de- 
 velops the organs, morality, religion, and eternal happines-s are 
 not of God, but of man." Just at this juncture, we saw the 
 lecturer coming on to the porch, and out went my opponent, to 
 have his head examined scientificMlly . When dinner was over, 
 the rest of us went out. The young preacher cast his eye on 
 me, and said to the phrenologist, "This man don't believe in 
 your science." At this the individual addressed gave me a 
 very grave look, and said, " I hope, sir, you will be open to 
 conviction." "Yes, sir," said I, "if you have any thing to con- 
 vict me with." "What kind of an argument," he asked, "do 
 you want?" I replied, "Fifty-one years have now passed over 
 me ; by this time I may be supposed to have a tolerable degree 
 of knowledge of my own character. If you will examine my 
 head and come any way near making a correct estimate of my 
 mental and moral character, I will be an unbeliever no longer." 
 "Agreed, sir," said he; and I sat down to undergo a phreno- 
 logical examination. As the operator progressed, the chart was 
 marked carefully. While this was being done, I saw rather a 
 rough class of people collecting about us, but suspected no evil 
 design. When all was over, I took the chart, went in and 
 seated myself at the back window of the dining-room, to over- 
 haul the marks, and see what kind of mental and moral char- 
 
LUMBERMEN AT GOOSE CREEK. 301 
 
 acter scientific phrenology had given me. It was in all respects 
 too good. I came out too great a man. He even gave me ex- 
 traordinary poetical powers, at which I laughed heartily. Im- 
 mediately the crowd came in to inquire " what I thought of 
 phrenology as a science?" I told them that, "in my judgment, 
 it was nothing but a humhuc/.'" Out they all went, and in about 
 ten minutes, on hearing a great noise, I looked out, and there 
 went the phrenologist on horseback, with the mob after him, 
 hurling sticks, stones, and eggs, and making a furious uproar. 
 The poor fellow was flying for his life, with his hat off and 
 his saddle-bags on the pommel of his saddle, crying "Murder! 
 murder!" He was much more frightened than hurt. Though 
 I did not believe in phrenology, yet I always abhorred mobs, 
 and felt afraid that I had, unintentionally, had some influence 
 in getting up that one. I found, on inquiry, that matters had 
 for several days been ripening to that result, and when I pro- 
 nounced phrenology a "humbug," it was the last drop in the 
 cup of bitterness, that made the waters overflow and sweep the 
 phrenologist out of town. 
 
 After a pretty good meeting inllipley — somewhat embittered 
 by the fate of the phrenologist — I returned to the river, with 
 my borrowed horse in better plight, and the road in better 
 order, and preached to a crowded congregation in the house 
 of my old friend who lent me the horse. The next morning 
 I returned by boat to Parkersburg, to go on my way to the 
 Greenbrier country. After a night's rest at Parkersburg, with 
 James Dagg — a cousin of my wife — who had taken good care 
 of " Lize," I was off early the next morning for Weston, a dis- 
 tance of about eighty-four miles. Traveling on the Staunton 
 pike and making fine speed, I came to Groose Creek, a distance 
 of twenty miles, by eleven o'clock A. M. About one quarter of 
 a mile, on the Parkersburg side of said creek, I saw three men 
 in the road, who had just come out of a tavern, all very drunk. 
 Two of them were trying to put the third one on a very poor 
 horse, with high hip-bones, and on the horse there was an old 
 ragged saddle. I drove up beside them and halted, to witness 
 the effort. They had him by a leg and an arm on each side, 
 
302 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LITE. 
 
 and were hoisting away io get him into the saddle, still calling 
 out as they lifted, "Are ye up now, John?" "No, not yet," 
 was John's reply. Then another eiFort was made, with another 
 call, "Are ye up now, John?" and the same answer was made, 
 "No, not yet." After taking breath, another effort was made, 
 and John was thrown into the saddle. He then reached for- 
 ward over the pommel of the saddle, took the horse round the 
 neck with his arms, and rolled as if about to fall on one side 
 or the other. At last, with his leaden, heavy eyes, he gave me 
 a real drunkard's look, and said, "Who the d — 1 are you?" 
 
 "Grentlemen," said I, "is this Goose Creek I am coming to?" 
 One of them swore it was Goose Creek. Said I, "Is there not 
 a toll-gate at the creek?" With an oath, one of them replied 
 that there was, and coming right up, he demanded toll of me. 
 " It will be time enough to pay," said I, "when I get to the 
 gate, which is a quarter of a mile ahead." But he contested 
 the point stoutly, with oaths, insisting upon immediate payment 
 of toll. "Come, my good fellows," said I, "when I pass the 
 gate I'll pay my toll, and not before." Then said I, "Is there 
 not a man living about half a mile up this creek by the name 
 of Thornton?" Then one of them, with both hands and his 
 right foot lifted up, and an oath in his mouth, said, "That man 
 married my sister." Just then one of them came near, laid 
 his hand on "Lize's" mane, looked up in my face, and said, 
 "x\-a-a-aint you a preacher?" "Yes, sir," said I, "that is my 
 calling; I try to do a little in that way." "Well, sir," said he, 
 " if a body might make so free, wha-wha-wha-what Church do 
 ye belong to?" "The Methodist Protestant Church, sir," said 
 I. Then lifting up both hands and one foot, with great vehe- 
 mence he said, "Be d — d if I don't b'loug to the same Church 
 myself." So there I was, right among the brethren, for they 
 all claimed to "belong to the same Church." 
 
 Immediately they all got at me to stop in the neighborhood 
 and preach, saying that just beyond the creek they had a h — 1 
 of a fine meeting-house, and if I would only allow them, they 
 would circulate the appointment, and get me one of the d — dest 
 congregations that any man had ever preached to in all that 
 
APPOINTMENT AT MORRISON's. 303 
 
 country. I excused myself, as lucking time, and drove on to 
 Thornton's for dinner. I liave given this narrative just about 
 as the facts occurred, deeming all the various phases of human 
 nature capable of ministering instruction. I found, on inquiry, 
 that these men were members of the Methodist Protestant 
 Church; that before they joined the Church they had all been 
 very intemperate ; that they were hard-working lumbermen, and 
 had, generally, since they became members of the Church, con- 
 ducted themselves with sobriety; but that sometimes, when 
 they went down the river with lumber, they came back in what 
 ■was called a "spree." When they got sober, confessions and 
 promises of amendment were made by them to the Church, and 
 it was deemed best still to allow them to retain their member- 
 ship, in order, if possible, to save them. (Query : was not this, 
 under all the circumstances, the better way?) In them the vir- 
 tuous principle was in a perjjetual struggle against an old, 
 vicious habit. To have excommunicated them would certainly 
 have been their ruin. To bear with them, and keep the bond 
 of Church obligations upon them, was, in all probability, the 
 only way to save them. Yet, after all, great care should be 
 taken, and the lenity of the Church should only be extended 
 when it is in evidence that persevering efforts are being made 
 to overcome evil habits. 
 
 At Weston I left my bugg}', took to my saddle, and went on 
 to my appointment at Morrison's, on Braxton Circuit. There 
 I met with Rev. John Hardman, who, with Dr. Williams, agreed 
 to accompany me through the mountain ranges, to the Green- 
 brier 'eamp-meeting. The meeting at Morrison's was quite fruit- 
 ful in conversions and in the general edification of the Church. 
 When we started for*tjreenbrier, it was found by Hardman and 
 I that Dr. Williams ^'' had an ax to grinds In that case I 
 could not help him ; but Hardman did, by carrying his saddle- 
 bags full of the Doctor's books. When we started, "Now," 
 said brother Morrison to the Doctor, who was his nephew, " do 
 you take these brethren to the house of my daughter to-night, 
 one mile off from the main road, seven miles this side of-tNich- 
 olaa Court-house. There they will be comfortably entertained." 
 
304 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 That day, in a cabin b^- the wayside, we made our dinner on 
 rough corn-bread and very sour buttermilk. Toward sundown, 
 "Now," said the Doctor, " 1 11 turn off here, and spend the night 
 with my cousin, and overtake you in the morning, before you 
 leave Nicholas Court-house." This roused our indignation, 
 for we thought, according to the instructions of his uncle, we 
 were all to go to his cousin's. To be impressed with the idea 
 that the Doctor was treating us unfairly, and to have his books 
 to carry too, was rather galling on brother Hardman, with whom 
 I felt no little sympathy. We both regarded Williams as a 
 tricky doctor. A little after dark we reached the village and 
 put up at a tavern, ate a hearty supper, and sat up late, to let 
 the digestive process go forward. So, after a good night's rest, 
 we were up early, had breakfast, and waited for the Doctor until 
 eight o'clock ; but he did not come. From the Court-house, 
 through that vast range of mountains, to Greenbrier, we had no 
 road — nothing but a blind path — no Doctor to be our guide, as 
 promised ; and Hardman was carrying that man's books ! What 
 a bore ! 
 
 Without a guide, we sat out, determining to find the mount- 
 ain-path, if possible, independently of Dr. Williams. In four 
 miles, we came to the Gauley River, an exceedingly rapid 
 stream. Under cover of an island, in a very small ferry-boat, 
 we went up a great distance, to take the shoot for the other 
 shore. If we missed the landing, we should be dashed against 
 rocks, for there was but the one place to get out. Our horses 
 were very much seared at the noise of that thundering rivei*, 
 and could scarcely be held in the boat. But the ferryman un- 
 derstood his business well, and made the landing in safety. So, 
 paying him forty cents each, and thanking him kindly for his 
 skillful management, we betook ourselves to the path of the 
 mountains. That day we traveled hard, got very hungry, but 
 found no place for refreshment. At last we met four hunters, 
 with three horses loaded with four deer, which they had killed 
 at a deer-lick. They told us of a house, about ten miles ahead, 
 where we might possibly get entertainment for the night. On 
 
ADVENTURES IN THE MOUNTAINS. 805 
 
 we went, hungry enough, men and horses all jaded down. Those 
 were ten long, weary miles. 
 
 Finally, about four o'clock in the afternoon, we found, in a 
 gap in the mountains, the place named by the hunters, and 
 there we put up for the night. It was an unpromising place 
 in appearance ; but to go the remaining fourteen miles across 
 
 the mountains was impossible. That place was called C 's 
 
 Tavern. It was a mere cabin, with one room, and a little shanty 
 at one end of it for a kitchen. After seeing the horses get a 
 little hay, I called for supper, and told the lady of the house 
 we both desired tea. "God bless you," said she, "there is not 
 an ounce of tea in all this county." "Well, now," said I, "if 
 you have n't any, I have, and sugar too." So, opening my sad- 
 dle-bags, I handed her the tea and sugar, of which, to all ap- 
 pearance, she took out plentifully, and returned the balance to 
 me. Then we waited, with as much patience as hunger would 
 allow, for our suppers ; but, seeing no favorable signs, we went 
 out to a peach-tree, but the fruit (it being October) was hard 
 and bitter ; so we failed in this resort. Returning to the house, 
 we continued to wait. Finally, the table was drawn out, the 
 cloth laid on, and a saucer, with something in it intended for 
 butter — but it looked like bear's oil — was placed upon it ; then 
 came the plates and tea things. At these promising signs our 
 appetites were whetted up to the highest degree. But still we 
 were doomed to wait awhile longer. Ultimately came a plate 
 of corn-dodgers, to appearance finely baked, and, last of all, a 
 shoulder of bear-meat in a large dish. We were then invited 
 10 the table. When the blessing was asked, then said the 
 
 woman — who had taken the place in that house of Mrs. C , 
 
 a banished wife — "Gentlemen, I owe you an apology; I have 
 spilt your tea, and have nothing for you in place of it but 
 warm water." "Why, madam," said I, "why did you not come 
 and get more? You knew I had plenty." "0," said she, "I 
 was ashamed." (The history of this woman, as I got it after- 
 ward, would indicate that she was incapable of shame.) That 
 bear-meat was so black, and coarse, and hard, and tough, with 
 
306 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 such an offensive smell, that I could not eat it, and but for the 
 hunger I felt, I could not have remained at the table where it 
 was. My old friend Ilardman — in former years a great bear- 
 hunter — ate of it freely, but found afterward, to his cost, that 
 his stomach had not the power to digest it ; so he became sick 
 from his bear-meat supper. My supper was made exclusively 
 on corn-dodgers and warm water well sweetened. 
 
 That night, about nine o'clock, in came about twelve men, all 
 dark, suspicious-looking fellows. Hardman and I were much 
 concerned at their appearance, supposing them to be a band of 
 robbers. Their whole manner indicated their character. They 
 talked together here and there, in little companies, and we could 
 hear them talking of us, as being the very men they had seen 
 back in the mountains. Finally, they quit talking among them- 
 selves, and came to us, and desired to be informed what busi- 
 ness we were on — whether purchasing land, or cattle, or some- 
 thing else. I at once told them, "We are two Methodist 
 preachers, on our way from Braxton County over to Greenbrier, \f 
 to attend a camp-meeting." When these words were uttered, 
 up started a small, crooked man, who had come in unobserved, 
 and seated himself in a corner, and said, "Yes, that camp- 
 meeting will commence to-morrow, on the land of Richard Wil- 
 liams. I left his house this morning, and they were all busy 
 making preparations for the meeting." The confirmatory testi- 
 mony of that stranger, given in the nick of time, I have no 
 doubt saved us from the hands of the gang. They gave the 
 matter up, seemed disappointed, but let us alone. 
 
 I then said to the proprietor of the house, " It is my custom, 
 wherever I tarry for a night, to pray with the family, if it is 
 found to be agreeable. Will you, sir, allow me the privilege of 
 praying to God in your family?" "Certainly, sir," was the 
 reply. "Then," said I, "have you a copy of the Holy Scrip- 
 tures in your house? I usually read a portion of the Word of 
 God before family prayer." He said he " thought there was." 
 After a long search, he found a part of the New Testament, on 
 an upper shelf of an old corner cupboard, and handed it to me. 
 After reading, with a strong, full voice, a most lovely chaj)ter — 
 
HAIN IN THE MOUNTAINS. 307 
 
 the fourth of the Eijhesians — I said, " Now let us all kneel 
 down before the Lord and pray." All obeyed the request, and 
 went to their knees. That was a most solemn season of earn- 
 est, feeling, pleading prayer. When it was over, I felt no more 
 fears of either men or devils. While I prayed, God gave me a 
 firm confidence in his almighty protection. Hardman and I 
 went to bed, and the gang slept on the floor in the same room, 
 and nothing disturbed our rest throughout the night. 
 
 In the morning early we left those men all fast asleep on 
 the floor, and were ofi" for the camp-meeting, in a very heavy 
 rain. In a short time, as we ascended out of the gap of the 
 mountains to the higher regions, the rain became finer and 
 finer, until at last we were fully in the cloud, enveloped by a 
 dark mist which floated slowly over the mountain, with no de- 
 scending rain at all. After traveling on the higher land some 
 distance, we began to descend into another gap. Shortly we were 
 in the fine rain, which became coarser and coarser, until we got 
 fully under the cloud, which lay like a bridge across the gap 
 from peak to peak : there the rain was falling in torrents, and 
 the darkness was not so great. When we again went up out of 
 the gap into the cloud, and reached the highest point of fine 
 rain, with our umbrellas over us, there we stopped to examine 
 into the works of God — to see, if we could, the attraction of 
 the aqueous particles so as to form drops of rain. But this 
 operation was so minute as entirely to elude our visual pene- 
 tration. Where the cloud melted into rain we could not dis- 
 tinctly see. God not only hides many of his works from us, 
 but he hides himself in his works; yet his works reveal his 
 being and his glory. He is in all places, to give efi'eet to all 
 the laws of nature established by himself. 
 
 About nine o'clock in the morning we came to Martin's, be- 
 yond the*'Meadow River, got a good breakfast, and were over- 
 taken by Dr. Williams. He came up just in time to be our guide 
 when we were through the wilderness, and felt that we could do 
 very well without him. We did not regard him afterward as 
 one of us, and had very little sociality with him. That even- 
 ing we reached the camp-meeting. Hardman was yet sick from 
 
308 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 that indigestible bear-meat supper eaten in the gap of the 
 mountains, and went to Richard Williams's for medical assist- 
 ance. I remained on the camp-ground and preached the open- 
 ing sermon to a very attentive audience, but was much inter- 
 rupted by the crying of children. Crying children and barking 
 dogs did not disturb the people of that country, but it was not 
 so with me. A good state of civilization, to say nothing of re- 
 ligion, ought to be an eflfectual guarantee against all such an- 
 noyances at a place of public worship. Yet, it will not do to 
 measure all people by the same standard. At that camp-meet- 
 ing there certainly were a goodly number of plain, earnest 
 Christians. A holy unction attended the preaching, many sin- 
 ners were converted, and the Church, notwithstanding the cry- 
 ing of children and barking of dogs, was greatly revived. 
 
 In a tent adjoining the one occupied by the preachers, where 
 several of the ladies had met to smoke and talk, I overheard, 
 as I lay in my bed, a conversation which very much amused 
 me, concerning my inability to preach among crying children. 
 "Did you not see," said one of the ladies, "that Mr. Brown 
 had to stop altogether when that little boy bawled so in the 
 altar, and while the dogs back of the stand were barking?" 
 "Yes," said another; "he is no such a preacher as brother Hel- 
 mick, though he is President." Then another said, "Brother 
 Helmick would never have minded the noise if he had been 
 there." "0," said another, "brother Helmick is the greatest 
 preacher I ever heard in all my life ; I have heard him preach 
 where there were a dozen children in the congregation, all bawl- 
 ing as loud as that boy in the altar to-night, and he never 
 minded it, but went right on ! " I think that woman must have 
 exaggerated. How could brother Helmick have hoped to do 
 any good while preaching to a congregation where there were 
 one dozen of crying children ? Such meetings are disorderly. 
 At any rate, the case is given as it occurred, because all sides 
 of human nature deserve to be seen. My silent reproof did 
 good. We were not much troubled afterward with crying chil- 
 dren. When the meeting was over, Hardman and I returned 
 by Huntersville and Beverly to Weston j from which point 1 
 
A MEETING-nOUSE MOVED IN A STOKM. 309 
 
 again traveled in my bnp'gy, wliicli I found the easier way for 
 me to get through the country. 
 
 In September, 1834, the Pittsburgh Conference was held in 
 ^--Fairmont, Virginia, and was handsomely entertained by the 
 Churches and citizens. The impression on the community in 
 favor of the Methodist Protestant Church was good, as it was 
 there seen that the lay delegation system worked well, and that 
 we had a valuable body of ministers. Again I was elected 
 President, and had another year of hard labor on the Pitts- 
 burgh District. To give in detail the occurrences of this year 
 will not be necessary ; a few incidents only will be given. As 
 iisual, the centi-al portion of the district was visited during the 
 fall and winter. Early in the spring, I made a tour through 
 the river counties of Western Virginia. While preaching at 
 Harrisville, in a large frame, unfinished meeting-house, on the 
 Sabbath-day, at eleven o'clock A. M., there came on a most 
 fearful storm of wind, rain, hail, thunder, and lightning. The 
 violence of the tempest increased for about twenty minutes. 
 During all that time, the congregation, which was very large, 
 looked pale and terror-stricken, and seemed inclined to fly to 
 some place for safety. But it was about one-half mile to town, 
 and there was danger from the falling timber, there being many 
 trees in that vicinity. All concluded, finally, to remain. I 
 ceased to preach while God walked upon the wings of the wind, 
 glanced the lightning flash of his eye upon us, rocked the 
 world with the thundering artillery of heaven, and, with his 
 mighty hail, startled every living creature. How terrible was 
 that storm! How critical was that moment! All hearts were 
 lifted up to God in solemn prayer for safety. At last came the 
 final mighty rush of the tempest, and moved the meeting-house, 
 with that large congregation in it, about eight inches on its foun- 
 dation I Every joint in that frame house creaked as if all were 
 going to pieces. The congregation started up in expectation of 
 a general ruin. But in a few moments the Master hushed the 
 tempest, and, behold, there was a great calm! My discourse 
 was resumed and finished ; then followed the holy communion. 
 It was a time of great mercy to us all. Never, while memory 
 
310 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 lasts, can I forget tliat storm, or the solemnity inspired by the 
 terrible majesty of God on that occasion. 
 
 Such a storm brings to mind the 18th Psalm: "Then the 
 earth shook and trembled ; the foundations also of the hills 
 moved and were shaken, because he was wroth. There went 
 up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth de- 
 voured: coals were kindled by it. He bowed the heavens also, 
 and came down: and darkness was under his feet. lie made 
 darkness his secret place ; his pavilion round about him were 
 dark waters, and thick clouds of the skies. At the brightness 
 that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail-stones and 
 coals of fire. The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the 
 Highest gave his voice; hail-stones and coals of fire. Yea, he 
 sent out his arrows, and scattered them ; and he shot out light- 
 nings, and discomfited them. Then the channels of waters were 
 seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy 
 rebuke, Lord, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils." 
 
 Having visited the Susquehanna part of the district in the 
 summer of that year, on horseback, I returned to Indiana, 
 Pennsylvania, where I had left my buggy. On my way from 
 thence — through Kittanning to the circuits up toward Lake 
 Erie — in a very narrow lane, I met a drove of frightened cattle, 
 running about up to the top of their speed. They were young 
 stock cattle, about three hundred in number, not yet broken to 
 the road. They came from a wood-covered hill, to the right of 
 the mouth of the lane. The noise made by their running, be- 
 fore they came in sight, threw my faithful "Lize" into a ter- 
 rible fright, and set her to snorting and prancing; but, finding 
 myself in a low place in the lane washed out by the rain, I 
 could not turn back or get into a corner of the fence; so I had 
 to face the danger, fearful as it was. 
 
 Immediately the cattle appeared in sighi, and came pitching 
 down the hill. As they entered the lane, filling it from side 
 to side, and came rushing fearfully on, the indications were that 
 my whole establishment would be a wreck before the cattle were 
 passed. But I knew " Lize," in times of alarm, had, in many 
 instances, been quieted by my taking the bridle and standing 
 
CAMP-MEETINa AT COXNEAUT. 311 
 
 at her head until the danger was passed. So I leaped from my 
 seat in the buggy, took hold of the bridle close up to her chin 
 with my left hand; then, with the whip in my right hand, I 
 fought off the cattle to the right and left, shouting and halloo- 
 ing with all the voice I had. "Lize," during the time the 
 cattle were passing, was perfectly quiet, though they raked the 
 buggy on each side, and the fence likewise on both sides of the 
 lane. When the danger was over, I felt thankful to God for 
 presence of mind all the time, and for having preserved me from 
 all harm — man, horse, buggy, all safe ! What a mercy ! Then 
 came the men who drove the cattle, and offered their hearty 
 congratulations. They had witnessed my danger from the hill, 
 and said they saw no way for my escape, and expected man, 
 horse, buggy, and all to be crushed. As no injury was sus- 
 tained, we all thanked God together for the merciful preserva- 
 tion. On looking over this interposition of Providence, I have 
 felt like saying, with David, " Thy righteousness is like the 
 great mountains; thy judgments are a gi"eat deep; Lord, thou 
 preservest man and beast" — yes, and the buggy likewise — all 
 saved by the Lord. 
 
 When this whole affair was past, I found that I had been very 
 much excited, for I was trembling and exhausted, and hardly 
 able to remount the buggy to pursue my journey. Such, how- 
 ever, has been my experience from early life. In danger I have 
 been cool and collected, but when the danger was past there 
 came a sense of exhaustion. Were I a soldier in battle, how I 
 should fight I can not venture to say but; if not slain by the 
 enemy, I might die of ex,haustion when the battle was over. 
 
 After spending two hours in Kittanning, I came to Butler 
 by five o'clock in the evening, a distance of fifty miles from In- 
 diana. This was fast traveling over a hilly country. The next 
 day I passed on to the Conneaut camp-meeting. That meet- 
 ing was good throughout : sinners were converted, and the cause 
 of Christ advanced in that community. As usual, I was called 
 on, by a rising vote of the Sunday congi'egation, for a lecture on 
 Church government, which I accordingly delivered on Monday 
 afternoon, to an unusually large audience. The New Lights of 
 
312 RECOLLECTIONS OP ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 that vicinity were there in full force, with their preacher, to hear 
 me deal with the arbitrary principles of the government of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church. Their minister, who was a tal- 
 ented man of good standing in the community, had moved the 
 congregation to call for a lecture. Of course I had to remem- 
 ber him and his Church in my lecture, for they, professing to 
 take the Bible alone as their rule, went against all creeds, con- 
 fessions of faith, and Church discipline made by men. So I 
 placed the New Lights, who opposed all human regulation in 
 Church government, on one extreme ; and the Episcopal Meth- 
 odists, in whose ecclesiastical economy all legislative, judicial, 
 and executive power and authority was claimed as of divine 
 right by the itinerant clergy, on the other. Then the ground 
 occupied by the Methodist Protestant Church was shown to lie 
 between these two extremes, securing effectually the Mutual 
 Rights of the ministers and members of the entire Church. 
 
 In that lecture I aimed to convince the New Lights that, 
 taking the New Testament to be the grand constitution of the 
 kingdom of Heaven set up in the world, some by-laws, under 
 the constitution, either written or unwritten, such as human 
 reason could frame, were necessary, in order to carry out Chris- 
 tianity into practical operation among men ; and that these by- 
 laws, which were all we meant by Church government, should 
 always be printed in a book and be circulated among the people, 
 so that they could be read and known of all men. Unwritten 
 rules always render Church operations very uncertain, as they 
 might be twisted any way to suit the whim or ambition of 
 popular leaders. The New Light minister, seated right in 
 front of the stand, nodded assent to all I said, and I did hope 
 that good would result to him and his people, from that 
 lecture. 
 
 I then brought into view the Methodist Episcopal Church 
 government, as occupying the other extreme; as being too 
 strong; as placing in itinerant hands all legislative, judicial, 
 and executive power; all creed- making, property-controlling, 
 member-receiving, member-expelling, ofl&ce-making, officer-ap- 
 pointing, officer-removing power, etc., in the whole heaven and 
 
LECTURE ON CHURCH GOVERNMENT. 313 
 
 earth of the government, leaving nothing to the local preachers 
 and lay members but absolute submission to their will or ex- 
 patriation from the Church. Against this I argued as being 
 Roman Catholic in its character, contrary to the teachings of 
 the New Testament, contrary to Lord King's Account of the 
 Primitive Church, contrary to Mosheim's Ecclesiastical History, 
 and contrary to the American Bill of Rights, as well as injuri- 
 ous to the liberties of mankind. A people educated to rever- 
 ence such a Church government would find no great difficulty 
 in exchanging our republic for a monarchy. 
 
 I then affirmed the Methodist Protestant principle to be 
 this : that the Church of Christ has as much right to a free 
 representative government as the United States, and that to be 
 monarchists in the Church and republicans in the State involves 
 a contradiction which every lover of civil liberty in the land 
 should make haste to put away. I then showed a similarity 
 between the Book of Nature and the Book of Grace; that the 
 "inalienable rights" seen by our Revolutionary fathers in the 
 Book of Nature had an exact parallel in the teachings of Christ 
 and his Apostles in the New Testament. If it be true, as our 
 Methodist Episcopal brethren affirm, that the Holy Scriptures 
 only give us the principles, and not the form, of Church govern- 
 melit, then it follows, with all the strength of a logical conclusion, 
 that they were not obliged by the oracles of Grod to adopt their 
 form of ecclesiastical economy, by which the rights of the laity 
 are so completely ignored. The men who took upon themselves 
 the task of giving Methodism a government in this country 
 were P^uropeans; so they established the only kind of govern- 
 ment familiar to their minds — an ecclesiastical monarchy ; and it 
 never suited the American people, as the various efforts to have 
 it amended, followed by disruptions from the bod}^, will abund- 
 antly declare. 
 
 The self-evident truths contained in the American Bill of 
 Rights are such as the following: "God hath created all men 
 equal, and hath given them certain inalienable rights, such as 
 the right to life, liberty, and a pursuit of happiness. That to 
 secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, 
 20 
 
314 RECOLLECTIONS OP ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed." 
 In this way did our Revolutionary sires read and understand 
 the Book of Nature. Now, if the God of Grace is not against the 
 God of Nature, there will be principles found in the New Testa- 
 ment — which is the Book of Grace — in exact agreement with 
 those found in the Bill of Rights. See the following: "We 
 have one Father, even God;" "we are also his offspring" — 
 equally near and dear to him, and upon one common level among 
 ourselves. All are equal in the fall — "all have sinned and come 
 short of the glory of God." All are equal in redemption — 
 " Jesus Christ, by the grace of God, hath tasted death for every 
 man." All are placed under spiritual treatment — "I will pour 
 out my Spirit upon all flesh;" "the manifestation of the Spirit 
 is given to every man to profit withal." All are equally eligi- 
 ble to salvation, if they repent and believe in Christ ; all equally 
 liable to be lost without repentance and faith in Christ; all are 
 held to a just account at last — " So, then, every one of us shall 
 give account of himself to God." After this manner, and with 
 many other arguments from the Holy Scriptures and other 
 sources, did I, in that lecture, sustain the- position that "the 
 Church of Christ had as much right to a free representative 
 government as the United States, and that to be monarchists in 
 the Church and republicans in the State does involve a contra- 
 diction which every lover of civil liberty in the land should 
 make haste to put away." I was calm and respectful to all par- 
 ties, and the lecture evidently made a strong impression in favor 
 of our cherished doctrine of " Mutual Rights." 
 
 It is to be deeply regretted that the preachers now holding 
 the foreground in our itinerant ranks know so little of the con- 
 troversy which resulted in the expulsion of many of the cham- 
 pions of ecclesiastical liberty from the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, and thereby necessitated the org-anization of the Meth- 
 odist Protestant Church. Their knowledge of the doctrinal, 
 experimental, and practical truths of Christianity, generally 
 speaking, is admitted, and it is a matter of thanksgiving to God 
 that they are thereby enabled to build up Scriptural Christianity 
 in the land. But for want of a competent knowledge of the 
 
LECTURE ON CHURCH GOVERNMENT. 315 
 
 controversy in question, and of ecclesiastical history in general, 
 the testimony of our Church in favor of mutual rights, and 
 against all manner of despotism in the Church of Christ, has 
 been measurably dropped, to the injury of our cause. If our 
 principles were right at first, they are right now, and should 
 be faithfully, intelligently, and powerfully advocated by our 
 preachers every-where. Christianity in all its parts is aggress- 
 ive, and the war of truth against error should be eternal. Prot- 
 estantism has never droj)ped its testimony against Popery, nor 
 should our Church ever drop her testimony against the Popery 
 of Methodism. When the Methodist Episcopal Church admits 
 lay delegation into practicalf and efficient oj^eration in all her 
 official bodies, and enfranchises her people with all the immu- 
 nities of ecclesiastical freedom, then should our testimony cease, 
 and not before; for to us is this great work committed of 
 spreading the Christian religion and religious liberty all over 
 these and other lands, as fast and as far as God, in his provi- 
 dence, may open our way, and all our preachers should be quali- 
 fied for the e;reat work assigned them. 
 
316 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITESTERANT LIFE. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 Appointed Conference Missionart— General Conference tn Cincinnati— A Quar- 
 terly Meetink among the Colored People— Pittsburgh Conference Held in Al- 
 LKGHANY- Elected President— Public Discussions on Church Government with 
 Methodist Episcopal Ministers— Conference at Waynesburgh, Pennsylvania— 
 Ke-electbd President— a Sketch of Border-Life in Western Virginia. 
 
 In August, 1845, the Pittsburgh Conference was held in Con- 
 nellsville, Pennsylvania, and I was appointed Conference Mis- 
 sionary, with the understanding that I was to work at such times 
 ajid places as would be most favorable to my health, for hard 
 labor on the district had nearly prostrated my physical energies, 
 That was a very pleasant and interesting Conference. It was 
 well sustained, and highly appreciated by- the citizens. But 
 Rev. T. H. Stockton's sermon, splendidly eloquent as it was, 
 gave some offense to the Masons. They were not by any means 
 gratified at being compared to "owls and bats and other doleful 
 birds of night," by a man who, in the nature of things, knew 
 nothing certainly about them or their institution. Why inflict 
 censure and contumely on an institution and an order of men 
 when, in his own confession, he knew nothing about them? 
 These hits in the dark are unworthy of a dignified mind; they 
 never did any good, and they never will. He who attacks Ma- 
 sonry, or any other institution, without a competent knowledge 
 of the subject on which he speaks, is sure to speak unadvisedly 
 with his lips, and will be regarded by all who have knowledge, 
 as speaking nonsense, and setting aside, in every such instance, 
 the laws of Christian charity. Yet, after all, with this little ex- 
 ception, I regard Stockton as being at the head of the American 
 pulpit — fervent in piety, profound in general knowledge, and 
 splendid in argumentative and rtoetic eloquence. 
 
LABORS AS CONFERENCE MISSIONARY. 317 
 
 The Conference elected Dr. P. T. Laisliley President for the 
 first time, and he gave g-eneral satisfaction in the performance 
 of the duties of his office. At that Conference representatives 
 ■were elected to our fourth General Conference, to be held in 
 Cincinnati the following May, and I was one of the members 
 elected. 
 
 About three months' hard labor as Conference Missionary, 
 mainly in North-western Pennsylvania, convinced me fully that 
 whatever good I might do as a pioneer in a new district of 
 country, in breaking up new ground, I could not obtain among 
 the people a support for my family. Late in the fall, I re- 
 turned home to Steubenville, a little the worse of wear, both in 
 body and in mind. Five dollars clear gain for three months' in- 
 eessant toil did not look very promising ! But the winter was 
 spent in assisting the brethren at their protracted meetings in 
 the circuits and stations nearer home, where the wants of my 
 family were liberally provided for by my old friends. Among 
 these. New Manchester Circuit, under the superintendence of 
 
 Rev. Josejih B , took the lead. Will God in mercy be 
 
 pleased to remember that once faithful and useful minister, and 
 bring the wanderer to the fold again! His case is proof posi- 
 tive, I think, that men may fall from grace. May it also be 
 proof that a backslider may be reclaimed ! 
 
 Early in the spring I was called to Washington, Pennsyl- 
 vania, to assist in adjusting a difficulty between Rev. S. Claw- 
 son, the superintendent, and his people. He was a high-strung, 
 eccentric, impulsive man, and being overruled by the vote of 
 his Quarterly Conference, he took it in very high dudgeon, and 
 at once renounced his charge. After due time for reflection, 
 he repented of his hasty act, and wished to return to his work 
 again, but he had men of spirit to deal with, who held him at 
 bay for a time. Ultimately, the parties agreed to leave the 
 whole matter to my judgment. I went at their call. The 
 whole Church was convened. The parties stated the matter at 
 issue between them, and I found it a small matter, indeed, about 
 which to have so much trouble. Clawson, at last, made all due 
 acknowledg-ments as to the rashness of his conduct in abandon- 
 
318 -KECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 ing his people, because his favorite measure was voted down in 
 the Quarterly Conference. At my instance the Church, then 
 agreed to forgive him, and let him continue in pastoral charge 
 to the end of the year. Yet a few of the best members of the 
 Church were not entirely satisfied with this adjustment: they 
 were displeased with Clawson's eccentricities. In after years, 
 he was nearly bereaved of his senses, by a report that a great 
 estate in England had fallen to his wife. In the prospect of 
 getting it, he borrowed money in considerable sums, in various 
 places; but, as the estate was never obtained, his friends were 
 injured by lending him money which he never will be able 
 to pay; and he himself, having lost public confidence, is now 
 among the rebels and traitors. When I last heard of him, he 
 was a prisoner at Camp Chase. 
 
 On attending the General Conference of May, 1846, in Cin- 
 cinnati, I found that we were again to have trouble on the slave 
 question. After a long and rather irritating discussion, a con- 
 servative resolution on that subject, similar to the one adopted 
 at the preceding General Conference in Baltimore, was finally 
 carried, but it left all parties dissatisfied. The Southern mem- 
 bers were displeased to have it declared by that body that 
 slavery, under any circumstances, was inconsistent with the 
 morality of the Holy Scriptures. The thorough-going Aboli- 
 tionists were displeased because they could not get a resolution 
 through the Conference declaring it to be a sin against God 
 under all circumstances. The conservatives wanted no action 
 at all, in the full persuasion that God, in his Word, had already 
 settled and declared all moral principles that were to govern 
 his Church, . and that the local authorities in all the Confer- 
 ences, without any declared opinion of the General Conference, 
 had the right to sit in judgment on all moral questions — as 
 well the question of slavery as any other — and decide them, not 
 according to a General Conference opinion contained in a reso- 
 lution, but according to the revealed will of God. Besides, from 
 the light they then had, they supposed that there might be cir- 
 cumstances under which a man might hold a slave without be- 
 ing a sinner against God. But, as the question was pressed 
 
GENERAL CONFERENCE AT CINCINNATI. 319 
 
 upon the body, and action had to be taken, a conservative res- 
 olution, that satisfied nobody, was finally adopted, and I was 
 found acting among the conservatives. I now believe that 
 wherever there is slavery there is sin. If the sin be not in the 
 master, who would free his slaves if he could, it is in the cruel 
 law and the law-makers, by whom emancipation has been ren- 
 dered impossible. 
 
 At this Greneral Conference the mission question, brought up 
 from the Maryland Conference, in which Rev. T. H. Stockton 
 took so deep an interest, was finally adjusted on a plan pro- 
 posed by Dr. F. Waters, President of the Conference, and was 
 incorporated into our book of discipline. It then served to set- 
 tle a question, but was of very little utility to the Church, and 
 has since been superseded by a better plan. My recollection is 
 not sufficiently distinct to enable me to state exactly the origin 
 of the controversy in the Maryland Conference concerning mis- 
 sions, but it certainly involved the following questions: 1. What 
 territory within the bounds of an Annual Conference can fairly 
 be considered missionary ground? 2. Can an old charge, either 
 a circuit or station, by calling itself a mission, thereby legally 
 take itself from under the operation of the restrictive rule, and 
 retain its pastor for an indefinite term of time? Brother T. II. 
 Stockton was in favor of the right of old charges to become 
 missions if they chose to do so, and of a continuation of a pas- 
 toral relation beyond the time allowed by the restrictive rule. 
 His argument was eloquent and powerful, and, had it been 
 yielded to, would have revolutionized our whole connection, by 
 turning all our most important chai'ges into missions, where the 
 pastoral relation could have been continued after the manner of 
 the Congregational Churches, and our beloved itinerancy, left 
 to operate on the feeble outskirt appointments, would certainly 
 have come to an end. Much as brother Stockton was loved by 
 the whole body, it was not deemed best to substitute Congre- 
 gationalism for our itinerant system, in accordance with his 
 views. Yet, toward the conclusion of the Conference, he did 
 succeed in getting a new district set off, including Philadelphia 
 and other adjacent places. But the brethren in the charges in- 
 
320 KECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 eluded in tliis new Conference were not all agreed to substitute 
 the settled pastorate in the room of the old itinerant plan, so 
 they sought an alliance with the Maryland Conference, and at 
 the next General Conference the Philadelphia District was, by 
 action of that body, included in the Maryland District, very 
 much to the grief of brothers Stockton, Wilson, Ward, and other 
 valuable Christian brethren. Some of them went into Inde- 
 pendency, but brother Stockton still holds his membership in 
 the Pittsburgh Conference, where he is greatly beloved by the 
 brethren. 
 
 During the General Conference in Cincinnati, the colored 
 brethren, having bought the Millerite Temple, were about to 
 dedicate it with a quarterly meeting. At that dedication a num- 
 ber of the members of the Conference were present. Among 
 them was Kev. Josiah Varden, from whom we have the follow- 
 ing amusing anecdote. The house was a perfect jam. The del- 
 egates were near the center of the congregation, wedged in so 
 tightly among the colored brethren that a retreat was impos- 
 sible. The windows in that queerly-constructed house were so 
 high, that they could not conveniently be reached and raised 
 to admit fresh air. The weather was quite warm, and the odor 
 of that crowded assembly was by no means pleasant, yet it had 
 to be endured by the delegates during a pretty long sermon. 
 When the sermon came to an end, up rose a short, thick col- 
 ored preacher, and went into the pulpit. With eyes laughing 
 and white teeth showing, he said, " We hope our white friends 
 will excuse de smell to-day. When we did buy dis house ob 
 de Millerites, we did employ de carpenter to cut a hole in de 
 roof for' let out de effervescence ob de gas. After some time, 
 we found he would not do it widout de money in advance, and 
 we had no money to give him. So now, gentlemen and ladies, 
 we are going to make a collection to-day, for pay de carpenter 
 to cut a hole in de roof for let out de effervescence ob de gas. 
 Brother 3Ioses, hand round de hat." It is to be hoped that the 
 delegates of our General Conference, after such a rich treat to 
 their olfactory nerves, did contribute liberally to help the col- 
 ored people to pay the carpenter for cutting a hole in the roof, 
 
SORE PROVIDENTIAL AFFLICTION. 321 
 
 to let out tte eiferveseence of the gas. Never, from that day 
 to this, have I thought of the very pleasant fix of our delegates 
 on that occasion, and the ludicrously-pompous speech of the 
 colored preacher, without being deeply moved to laughter. In 
 such cases mirth becomes irrepressible. 
 
 "^ While at that General Conference, Dr. Laishley, the Presi- 
 dent of the Pittsburgh District, engaged me, as Conference mis- 
 sionary, to fill his appointments in the north-eastern part of 
 Western Pennsylvania. The Doctor gave me a plan of the ap- 
 pointments, and was to publish them immediately, for me to 
 fill and receive his pay. So I returned home to Steubenville, 
 and in due time set out to perform the labor assigned me. I 
 reached every appointment before the paper got there to notify 
 the brethren that I was coming. So I had, in every instance 
 but one, to get up my own appointments as best I could. I 
 believe the Doctor sent on the appointments for publication in 
 time, but either in the printing-ofiice or in the mails there was 
 a tardiness which caused me a great deal of trouble. So I had 
 hard labor and a very meager remuneration. In another respect 
 I had a very sore providential affliction. The day I left home, 
 driving merrily on, singing as I went, a rough, harsh bug 
 dashed against my ear, and in he went, struggling hard, as if he 
 meant to go clear through my head ! He was at once beyond 
 my reach. I had no means to withdraw his bugship from his 
 position. His struggles nearly convulsed my whole nervous 
 system, and threw my entire frame into the most intense agony. 
 But here came a lady on horseback. I leaped from my carriage, 
 and implored her to dismount and remove the bug from my ear. 
 Instantly, she kindly made the trial, but failed. Iler effort did 
 no more than kill the bug; it was still in my ear, and my agony 
 was more intense than before. I then drove on with all speed 
 to Wellsville, to the house of brother Joseph Wells, but there 
 was no one at home. I then turned back to the ofiice of Dr. 
 Stevenson, but he was not there; however, kind friends soon 
 found him and brought him to my relief. He tried to float the 
 bug out with sweet-oil, but did not succeed. He then picked 
 it out, a bit at a time, with an instrument. My ear bled freely, 
 
322 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 the fever was liigt, and the pain very great. With sweet-oil 
 and wool in my ear, I drove on that afternoon to Beaver, the 
 pulse near my ear sounding like the stroke of a forge-hammer 
 all the way. Three times during my tour of five or six weeks 
 did suppuration take place, and bloody matter was discharged. 
 For a time I entertained fears that the tympanum, or drum of 
 the ear, was utterly destroyed. That forge-hammer-like sound 
 still followed me in all my toils — for I filled all my appoint- 
 ments — nor did I wholly recover for about six months. But 
 my recovery was complete, and, by the blessing of Grod, I have 
 good hearing even down to old age. 
 
 This thing of supporting one's family on the proceeds of 
 Conference missionary labor was, in my case, an utter failure. 
 But for my own scanty means, and the voluntary assistance 
 granted me by several of the circuits and stations in the dis- 
 trict, my family would have sulfered. To me this was a year 
 of trial and sore conflict with the enemy of my soul. My re- 
 ligion was tested at every point, and, in some instances, I frankly 
 own that I did not maintain my ground against the enemy as 
 a true Christian soldier should have done, '^o myself I take 
 shame and confusion of face, but to the Lord my God I give 
 glory, honor, and praise for bearing with me and taking care 
 of me in all my trials. 
 
 In September, 1846, the Pittsburgh Conference was held in 
 Alleghany, and I was again elected to thp presidency. The 
 Conference was well cared for by the community; but the 
 weather being excessively warm, the brethren were by no means 
 comfortably accommodated, crowded, as they were, in the base- 
 ment of the new meeting-house. There were certain of the 
 members of that station who expressed an unwillingness to 
 allow the Conference to remove its sittings to the main audience- 
 room, up-stairs, lest the house should be defiled by tobacco- 
 chewers. They alleged that "the basement was good enough for 
 such a set of men." Rev. C. Avery and E. W. Stephens, lead- 
 ing brethren, who mainly built both the meeting-house and the 
 parsonage, expressed a wish that the Conference would pay no 
 attention to these offensive objectors, but go at once up-stairs 
 
A TROUBLESOME BROTHERHOOD. 823 
 
 into the body of the church, where they would have a free cir- 
 culation of pure air. But the brethren of the Conference, under 
 an impression that the objectors were numerous, felt themselves 
 a little offended, and determined to finish their business, with all 
 possible dispatch, in that sultry basement, and then return to 
 Alleghany no more to hold a conference, until they were sure 
 of more respectful treatment. They were, perhaps, a little too 
 sensitive. It is probable that the number of members opposed 
 to their using the body of the church was but few. The feel- 
 ing on this oiFensive matter in a short time passed away. In 
 nine years we held Conference there again, and found that the 
 over-nice brother, who was head and front of the opposition to 
 the Conference occupying the audience-room, lest it should be 
 defiled by tobacco-chewers, had not been over-scrupulous on 
 questions of high moral character, and had been excluded from 
 the Church for dishonesty in his dealings. 0, how many there 
 are who strain at a gnat and swallow a camel — are very nice 
 about little things, tithing mint, anise, and cumin, while they 
 pass over the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, 
 and the love of God. Let men be nice, and keep a clean 
 church, but, at the same time, let them maintain a good moral 
 character before God and all the people. 
 
 During this year I visited all the circuits and stations in the 
 district. My great tour of hard travel and labor in Western 
 Virginia nearly broke me down. On returning from the Green- 
 brier country, I rested and recruited my health a little at home 
 in Steubenville. While there, God put it into my heart to 
 attack a very troviblesome brotherhood of infidels, all of them 
 members of the Church. At first they were Restorationists, 
 and believed in a limited punishment of sinners who might die 
 without repentance. Then they went further, and adopted Uni- 
 versalism proper, and did not believe in any future punishment 
 at all. The next step was to embrace Deism, and renounce 
 the Christian religion and the Saviour of sinners altogether. 
 This was a legitimate consequence of Universalism ; for if there 
 be no hell, no future punishment at all, there is no sinner upon 
 earth in any danger of being lost; the Bible is false, the Chris- 
 
324 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 tian religion is a fable, and Christ is an impostor for pretend- 
 ing to save sinners wten they are in no danger of being lost. 
 But these men did not stop here; they went on to open Athe- 
 ism, and believed in no God at all. I knew these men well, 
 and was aware of the existence of their debating club, where 
 Atheism was openly and defiantly advocated. Often did I 
 wonder why their minister did not come out against them, for 
 they were generally in the congregation on the Sabbath-day. 
 
 The first Sunday after I got home, I was invited to preach, 
 and, without notifying any one of my design, I took up the 
 case of these infidels. That afternoon I received a note from 
 the leader of the club, requesting me to "repeat the dose" — 
 they "wanted to hear more of it." On Monday evening, the 
 Quarterly Conference, by resolution, desired me to preach a 
 series of sermons on the authenticity and Divine authority of 
 the Christian religion. So, being requested by both parties, I 
 prepared myself, and with all the intellectual and moral power 
 that God gave me, I handled the question in six consecutive 
 discourses. By the time I was done, the Chuix-h was in the 
 temper to bring these infidels under disciplinary treatment, and 
 either reform or expel them. But they all declined a trial, and 
 left the Church. Yet some of them did not want their families 
 to leave the Church, embrace their sentiments, and associate 
 with infidels ; for they frankly confessed that infidel society, 
 as a general thing, was not sufiiciently respectable for ladies to 
 associate with. In my opinion, men who talked in this way 
 did not more than half believe their own doctrine, and, but for 
 a false pride, would have recanted their errors. 
 
 It is certainly a matter of Christian propriety for a Church 
 to bear with erring brethren while their errors are of a minor 
 character, and no attempt is made to propagate them or to dis- 
 turb the peace of the body. But when error becomes rampant 
 and fearfully infidel in its character, and seeks, in the club- 
 room and elsewhere, to extend a poisonous influence through 
 the community, then a Church should immediately take action 
 against its advocates, and reform or expel them, as the case 
 may require. The man who led the above-mentioned Church 
 
DISCUSSIONS ON CHURCH GOVERNMENT. 325 
 
 members astray was a talented, eloquent Restorationist, sound 
 in the Christian faith on all points save that one, nor did he 
 ever suppose that those who adopted his views were taking the 
 first step to Atheism. The beginning of error is like the let- 
 ting loose of waters — small at first, but finally becomes a rush- 
 ing torrent, sweeping all before it. By any means, and to any 
 extent, to fritter away or lower down the Divine Law, or its 
 penalties, certainly tends to the increase of crime and the ruin 
 of souls. 
 
 From Steubenville I proceeded to New Brighton, then to New 
 Castle, and then to Couueaut, holding my annual meetings as I 
 went. Between Lockport and Gerrard we held a very profitable 
 and interesting camp-meeting. I had, on several preceding 
 visits to that region, circulated among the people who attended 
 my meetings Bev. W. B. Evans's "Questions and Answers on 
 Church Grovernment," and I had also delivered lectures on the 
 same subject. This had roused Rev. Mr. Flowers, of the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church, who came to the camp-meeting with 
 the determination, as I was told, to call me to a public account, 
 in case I delivered a lecture on Church government, or circu- 
 lated any more of Evans's Questions and Answers. The Quar- 
 terly Conference on Saturday, by I'esolution, requested me to 
 deliver a lecture. I agreed to do so, provided tlie Sunday con- 
 gregation, at the close of the morning service, would vote for 
 it, but not else. I did not intend to thrust my lectures upon 
 the people without their consent. On Sunday morning it was 
 called for by an almost unanimous vote of a very large congre- 
 gation, and was then announced for Monday, at two o'clock 
 P. M. Rev. Mr. Flowers, being present, was publicly informed 
 that he should have a fair opportunity to reply. Monday morn- 
 ing came. After sacrament and dinner were over, I took my 
 position in front of the stand, spread out my books and papers 
 on a table, and then invited Mr. Flowers to come forward and 
 be seated near me. After being introduced to him, we had a 
 little friendly conversation of rather a pleasant character. I 
 then proposed to him, in the presence of that large assembly, 
 that we should choose a presiding ofiicer, to maintain order. 
 
326 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 Tin's was accordingly done, to our mutual satisfaction. I thea 
 proposed to deliver my argument against the ecclesiastical econ- 
 omy of tlie Methodist Episcopal Church, and in favor of that 
 of the Methodist Protestant Church, at full length, without in- 
 terruption from hira or any one else ; that he, Mr. Flowers, 
 should have an opportunity to reply, at whatever length he 
 chose, after which I would review him and he might review 
 me, and that this should close the discussion. To all of this 
 he agreed, without one word of objection. 
 
 I shall not attempt, in this place, to give any part of my 
 argument, though I still have my notes. I spoke a little over 
 two hours, covering the whole ground of controversy between 
 the two Churches. It was my aim, throughout, to treat the 
 old Church with all possible fairness ; to be kind in language 
 and strong in argument, and to bring the doctrine of Mutual 
 Rights before that assembly under as favorable circumstances 
 as I conveniently could. Indeed, I was religiously in earnest 
 in my effort to get the whole truth on the subject at issue 
 before the people, and I think I did succeed. The impression 
 appeared to be very fine. 
 
 When I was done, and had taken my seat, Mr. Flower's was 
 called for, but he declined a reply that afternoon. He was 
 urged four different times, but, on one ground or another, he 
 still declined, and said his reply would be made the next morn- 
 ing. The people, however, were not satisfied, and insisted upon 
 his going on, according to arrangement. I then interposed in 
 his behalf, and expressed a wish that he might have suitable 
 time to prepare himself for the work before him. So the meet- 
 ing was adjourned until ten o'clock the next day. That night 
 I did not rest well ; my nerves were affected by the effort I had 
 made, and I arose in the morning quite unwell, and felt entirely 
 unfit for duty. By ten o'clock the congregation had assembled, 
 and Flowers was on hand to make his reply. He would not 
 occupy my position in the altar, but took the stand, supposing 
 he could speak better from thence. In his argument in sup2:)ort 
 of Episcopacy, he made pretty free use of Dr. Emory's " De- 
 fense of the Fathers." He brought forward most of the old 
 
VISIT TO CLARION CIRCUIT. 327 
 
 exploded arguments in favor of the powers in the government 
 of the Methodist Episcopal Church, claimed and held by the 
 itinerant preachers. He admitted that the bishops and itiner- 
 ant clergy' did hold all the ecclesiastical power in their Church 
 that I had shown them to possess. He asked, "What of it?" 
 Had it done any harm? Did not the Church mainly owe her 
 success to that form of government? He seemed to forget all 
 my arguments and authorities from Scripture, history, and rea- 
 son against their high claims to clerical power, and that it was 
 " the Gospel of Christ," and not the power of the clergy, that 
 was " the power of Grod unto salvation to all them that be- 
 lieve." 
 
 In the review of my opponent, I showed that my main posi- 
 tions had been admitted ; that his boasted form of Church 
 government had already done much harm ; that none of the 
 divisions in England or America had grown out of doctrinal 
 dissensions; all had resulted from disputes about clerical power; 
 and that, in such a country as ours, such a government as 
 theirs was destined to do harm, in many ways, as long as it ex- 
 isted. It might, ultimately, injuriously affect our civil govern- 
 ment. When my opponent came on with the closing speech, 
 he was somewhat kind and complimentary to me, but aimed 
 greatly to laud and magnify Episcopal Methodism as the great 
 instrumentality by which the world was to be converted. He 
 gave the ciudlence a zealous exhortation to take passage on the 
 Old Ship which had landed so many thousands on the heavenly 
 shore. She was well built, her timbers were good, and there 
 was no danger of her being wrecked or cast away. In all of 
 this there was nothing like a review or argument. The evident 
 intention of the speaker was to raise the highest amount of 
 feeling possible in favor of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 The discussion closed with entire good-will and kindness be- 
 tween the parties. 
 
 From the aforesaid camp-meeting, in company with Rev. W. 
 H. Doe and lady, I went on to Clarion Circuit. My first ap- 
 pointment was in a small village called Troy. The congrega- 
 tion was large. There was quite a revival influence abroad 
 
828 RECOLLECTIOXS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 among tlie people. Some lively singing and praying followed 
 tlie sermon. Then a motion was made, and carried by an al- 
 most unanimous vote, requesting me to deliver them a lecture 
 on Cliurcli government, the next day, at ten o'clock A. M. The 
 Methodist Episcopal preacher of that circuit then asked the 
 assembly to grant him the privilege of making a reply. That 
 privilege was allowed him. So here I was, in for another public 
 discussion. The preliminary arrangement was then and there 
 made, and was exactly the same as that adopted at the discus- 
 sion at the camp-meeting. That night my opponent, whose 
 name I have forgotten, paid me a visit at my lodgings. He 
 said he did not know the ground I meant to occupy in my 
 lecture in opposition to their Church government. He wanted 
 to be informed, so as to know how to frame his reply. After 
 mature reflection, I told him he was asking too much ; that 
 when he heard my lecture he would fully understand the ground 
 I occupied. However, as I saw he was in trouble, and as I 
 desired to afford him the fairest opportunity I could to defend 
 Lis ecclesiastical system, I stated to him the entire plan of my 
 lecture. When this was done he left me, and spent the whole 
 night, as I was informed, in preparation for the coming struggle. 
 In the morning, when the people assembled, my lecture, of 
 something over two hours in length, was delivered. It was the 
 same I had given on the previous Monday, at the camp-meet- 
 ing, only an enlargement on some points was deemed necessary. 
 The congregation gave me a very patient hearing, and I thought 
 I could see signs of approbation among the people generally. 
 My opponent, for a time, took notes. Finally, he laid by his 
 paper, and seemed to indicate, by his manner, an irritated state 
 of mind. Yet, throughout my lecture, my language was en- 
 tirely kind : there was nothing to offend, unless quotations from 
 Scripture, history, the Discipline of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, and fair argument were deemed offensive. When I 
 was done, my opponent came forward and took the stand. 
 After some feeble attempts at a reply, he lost his temper, and 
 poured forth upon me and upon the Methodist Protestant 
 Church a perfect torrent of abuse; nor could he be kept in 
 
ABUSIVE SPEECH. 329 
 
 order. The leading rQcmbcrs of his own Church, after remon- 
 strating against the abuse given me, left the house, declaring, as 
 they went, that I had "treated their Church with all due kind- 
 ness, and they were not going to sit there and hear their 
 preacher disgrace himself, and his Church too, by abusing me." 
 I went out and persuaded them to return, by telling them, " I 
 can stand all his abuse, and you must; it will not do to break 
 up this meeting in disorder." So we all went back and heard 
 him out. 
 
 In my review I was very brief, claiming that my entire argu- 
 ment stood in full force against the anti-republican character 
 of the government of the Methodist Episcopal Church. I 
 claimed, too, that my opponent would have done better but 
 for a lack of arguments. I excused him for the abuse heaped 
 upon me and upon my Church on the sole ground of a want 
 of argument. " The mouths that lack argument are always 
 filled with abuse." This, I think, was the general opinion of 
 that assembly ; indeed, all sensible men admit the truth of this 
 maxim. My opponent had the closing speech. He did noth- 
 ing at argument ; he did not recall his abusive language, but 
 left things as they were; and so the discussion closed, leaving 
 a very general impression in favor of the Methodist Protestant 
 Church in the vicinity of Troy. This gentleman, having failed, 
 on that occasion, to defend the government of his Church suc- 
 cessfully, fell into trouble among his brethren, and ultimately 
 joined our Church. After this, in conversation with him con- 
 cerning our discussion, he told me, frankly, that before I was 
 half done with my lecture, he felt in his soul that he could not 
 answer my arguments, which to him was a very vexatious mat- 
 ter, and roused in him a disposition to cover his retreat by a 
 Tolley of abuse. Many men besides him have made this last 
 resort, but it is not a very reputable way to get out of trouble. 
 Better yield the point at once than to adopt such a plan of 
 retreat. 
 
 From Troy I went on with brother Doe to his quarterly- 
 meeting, a distance of about thirteen miles. It was held in a 
 very large barn, owned by a wealthy farmer, whose name I have 
 21 
 
830 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 forgotten. During the meeting, which was a very good one, 
 the two lectures in the past week were much talked of by the 
 people. On Sunday the congregation called on me, by a rising 
 vote, for a lecture on Church government, and on Monday it 
 was delivered to a crowded audience. It was well received by 
 the people, but it lacked the interest of the former lectures, as 
 there was no one to reply. After visiting the circuits in the 
 Susquehanna country, and the Johnstown Station, I returned 
 home to Steubenville, and prepared for Conference. 
 
 In September, 1847, the Pittsburgh Annual Conference was 
 held in Waynesburg, Green County, Pennsylvania, and I was 
 again elected President. The Conference was most handsomely 
 entertained by that community, and the brethren began to think 
 that country towns took immensely more interest in an Annual 
 Conference than did the large cities, where such assemblies are 
 80 frequent as to lose their novelty. An Annual Conference 
 in a large city moves nobody beyond our own membership; 
 but let one be held in an interior town, and the whole popula- 
 tion is astir. From the town and the country people come pour- 
 ing in, to see what is going on at these Conference gatherings. 
 At that time there was, on the part of the preachers, a very 
 able and interesting discussion on the restrictive rule, in the 
 presence of a crowded assembly. No result was reached. 
 Brother T. H. Stockton was present with us, and laid before 
 the Conference and the citizens, who densely packed the house, 
 his entire plan for a Brotherly Love Association. It looked 
 beautiful, but was thought impracticable. It might do in the 
 Millennium, but not in the present state of society. If I re- 
 member right, there was in that plan no provision against an 
 evil-doer. It was taken for granted that every body in the asso- 
 ciation would do exactly right. Even the defects in the scheme 
 showed the goodness of the man. Brother Stockton has a very 
 pure and elevated spirit. On the Sabbath-day, as no house of 
 worship in Waynesburg would accommodate the great multi- 
 tude of people that assembled, we all repaired to the grove, to 
 hear brother Stockton an one of the great central doctrines of 
 Christianity — the Atonement — a world's redemption by Jesua 
 
APPOINTMENT IN SUTTONVILLE. 331 
 
 Clirist. The theme was grand, and the minister was surpass- 
 ingly eloquent. 
 
 I shall not deem it necessary to give a detailed account of 
 all the occurrences of this year. To note such matters of in- 
 terest as have made a lasting impression on my mind will be 
 sufficient for my purpose. I spent, as was my custom, the fall 
 and winter in visiting the circuits and stations in the central 
 portion of the district. Our young Church in the free States 
 had suffered much by the abolition controversy; still she main- 
 tained her conservative ground. She was anti-slavery in her 
 eentiments, but not yet ripe to cut loose from the slaveholding 
 Conferences in the South. The Wesleyans, because of our re- 
 lation to the South, had made inroads upon us, taken away 
 many of our societies, some of our circuits, and in one instance 
 nearly a whole Conference. But now, at last, we began to have 
 peace and prosperity. In the course of this year many souls 
 were converted to God. I engaged Rev. D. R. Helmick to visit 
 the Greenbrier region for me, and only extended my own labors 
 into the Virginia part of the district as far as the Braxton Cir- 
 cuit. All through the West Virginia portion of the Confer- 
 ence there were revivals of religion, and the Redeemer's king- 
 dom was greatly advanced by means of Methodist Protestant 
 preaching. 
 
 On my way to my appointment on Braxton Circuit, at the 
 Union Mills, on Elk River, I spent a night in Suttonville, the 
 Beat of justice for Braxton County. Elijah Squires, my travel- 
 ing companion, got up an appointment for me to preach in the 
 court-house that night. In that town there was, in those days, 
 a half-finished court-house and some sort of a jail, but no 
 Bchool-house or meeting-house, and intemperance was doing its 
 terrible work among the people. During Divine service, the 
 clerk of the court, a man of tine talents, and one of the " F. F. 
 V.'s," felt himself insulted by the overhauling given in my ser- 
 mon to intemperance, and occasioned no little disturbance to the 
 congregation and myself. Never would that man have done 
 Buch a thing if he had been sober. Poor Suttonville is now 
 (1865) in ruins, having been desolated by the war. The next 
 
832 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 morning, brother Squires and I made an early start for the 
 quarterly meeting, twelve miles up the river. Most of the way 
 there was no bottom land ; the lofty hills came precipitately 
 down to the Elk River, whose waters ran rapidly and were very 
 clear. It was found somewhat hazardous to travel along a very 
 narrow path, with the river to the right, sometimes from fifty 
 to one hundred feet below, and a steep hill or mountain on 
 the left, rising high above the travelers. In one place the turn- 
 ing of a boat in the river was a very interesting sight. The 
 boat, bottom upward, with a large pile of rocks on it, was floated 
 out into deep water ; then the rocks were all moved over to one 
 side ; that side went down, the other side was elevated, until at 
 last over it went, and, as it turned, the men who conducted the 
 operation took to the skiff for safety. 
 
 Ultimately, we reached the Union Mills, the place of the 
 quarterly meeting. Here, among the mountains, was found 
 some good bottom land and several farms. But from the banka 
 of the river to the tops of the mountains, on each side, the 
 height looked fearful, and the whole scene was truly grand — 
 well calculated to fire a poetic imagination. The people assem- 
 bled for worship in the fjxmily residence of brother Skidmore. 
 It was indeed a crowded house. Where all the people came 
 from was more than I could even guess. When the preaching 
 was over, the Quarterly Conference was announced. But very 
 few left the house; all seemed anxious to see all that was to be 
 done. Before we entered upon business. Rev. A. J. Warin, the 
 superintendent, brought to me a man rather under middle size, 
 with black hair and keen black eyes, who wore what is called 
 in that region a hunting-shirt, girded on with a leather strap, 
 and introduced him in about the following style: "Brother 
 Brown, I wish to make you acquainted with brother Hosea, our 
 class-leader; he has killed five bears this fall!" — thus seem- 
 ing to commend him in his ofiice of class-leader by a careful 
 mention of the number of the bears he had killed. A good 
 deal of pleasantry followed, and it was wound up with an 
 invitation from brother Hosea to go home with him, just 
 
LIBERALITY OF THE MOUNTAINEERS. 333 
 
 across the river, and eat bear-meat for dinner. But, fond as 
 I was of bear-meat, and otter kinds of wild game, to which I 
 had been accustomed in early life, I had to decline his invita- 
 tion, in view of attending to the business of the Quarterly Con- 
 ference. 
 
 When the Quarterly Conference and dinner were over, away 
 went all the men present, to carry boards from the saw-mill 
 hard by, to. prepare seats for the Sunday congregation. A 
 great oak, rather low, with wide-spread branches, standing on 
 the bank of the Elk River, afforded a splendid shade for the 
 occasion. Sunday came, and although it was the 1st of No- 
 vember, yet no frost in that region had seared the leaves of 
 that magnificent tree. The congregation was very large — too 
 large by about one-half for the extensive preparations made. 
 Where did they all come from? It was amazing to see such an 
 assemblage of people in such a mountain region. A few from 
 distant points were clad in the richest style, but the great mass 
 wore the homespun dress of the mountains. All were civil and 
 very attentive to preaching. That day, under the shade of that 
 venerable oak, God gave me unusual liberty in preaching Jesus 
 and the resurrection, and there were throbbing hearts and burst- 
 ing emotions throughout the congregation. God alone can tell 
 what became of the good seed sown that day. Doubtless some 
 of it fell in good ground, producing fruit unto life eternal. 
 When the harvest comes, we will know. 
 
 At the close of the sermon, the superintendent said : " The 
 President's claim on Braxton Circuit is just ten dollars, and, 
 from the look and feeling of this assembly, I am confident every 
 cent of it can be raised. Stewards, please proceed and take up 
 the collection." Away went the two stewards, very tall, stilty- 
 looking men. They went in a hand-gallop ; too fast, I thought, 
 to get any thing. People must have a little time to get their 
 purses open. While this collection was being made, I was say- 
 ing to myself, " Can there be money in these mountains ? Out 
 of what can it be made? No doubt the people would give it 
 if they had it to give." But the superintendent had faith in 
 
334 KECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 his mountaineers. In a trice the stewards returned to the stand 
 with ten dollars and twelve and a half cents. The superintend- 
 ent thanked the people for their liberality, then turning to me, 
 said: "This is a lumber country; just now money is plenty, and 
 these people take delight in paying their President, and their 
 preacher, too." I regarded this as a good example, worthy to 
 go down, like their own clear, mountain stream, into all the 
 land below. Some people, in the midst of plenty, always " make 
 a poor mouth," and give grudgingly. These mountaineers al- 
 ways gave liberally when they had it, I was told, and only re- 
 fused when all their money was gone. Next followed the holy 
 communion, attended by a rich flow of heavenly feeling. It 
 was a time of refreshing from the presence of the Lord. City 
 Christians, who have this privilege once a month, can hardly 
 form an idea of a communion season among mountain Chris- 
 tians, who rarely have it oftener than twice a year. 
 
 When the congregation was dismissed, they all sat down 
 again, and seemed loth to leave the place. Mr. Skidmore, the 
 proprietor of the premises, came to me and said; "Do you see 
 that man with a blue hunting-shirt on? He sits on the corner 
 seat to the right." I replied in the affirmative. Then turning 
 a little to the right, he continued: "Do you see that high 
 point of rocks across the i-iver?" Again I answered, "Yes." 
 "Well," said he, "that man was born in a cave under that point 
 of rocks." "Why," said I, "you astound me. I should like 
 to know his history." Mr. Skidmore then gave me the follow- 
 ing narrative. 
 
 "On the opposite side of the river, the two Carpenters, the 
 first white men that ever settled in this country, erected their 
 cabin. They were brothers. The elder had a wife and one 
 child; the younger was a single man." Then pointing still fur- 
 ther to the right, Mr. Skidmore said : " About where the lower 
 fence of that meadow stands, the younger, brother was killed 
 by seven Indians. Immediately, the elder Carpenter removed 
 his wife and child to the cave under the rocks, and went in 
 pursuit of the Indians. He had a far-shooting, trustworthy 
 
BORDER LIFE IN WESTERN VIRGINIA. 335 
 
 rifle. He soon overtook them, and, at long range, brought 
 down one. The others all turned and fired, but their balls fell 
 short. They gave chase after him; but he loaded as he ran, 
 and, at a convenient place, turned and brought down another. 
 Then the Indians halted, and while they were trying to carry 
 off their dead companion, he killed a third, and before they 
 could possibly get out of the country, this daring warrior killed 
 five out of the seven Indians. The remaining two escaped, 
 leaving their dead, with all their guns and ammunition, behind 
 them. 
 
 "Carpenter then returned to his cabin, buried his brother, then 
 went to the cave under the rocks, where he found, to his sur- 
 prise, that during his absence his wife, in that lonely place, had 
 given birth to another son. That son is now sitting before you! 
 Carpenter remained with his wife in the cave until she was able 
 to endure a removal to the cabin. Starvation had then over- 
 taken them ; they had neither meat nor bread : as for tea and 
 coffee, they were out of the question in those early times. The 
 cows had not been heard of for more than a week, so they had 
 no milk. Carpenter took his gun and went to the woods for 
 game, and, in a little time after his departure, Mrs. Carpenter 
 heard the cow-bell in the distance, up a valley" — toward which 
 Mr. Skidmore pointed. " This wonderful woman, every way 
 equal to her husband in pioneer life," continued Mr. Skidmore, 
 " disposed of her children by putting the babe into the bed, and 
 tying the little boy, who could run about, to the bed-post. This 
 done, she waded the river, then a little over two feet deep, and 
 started after the cows, fully determined to have milk for her 
 children, if possible. 
 
 "Being feeble, and the distance greater than she expected, she 
 was absent several hours. When she returned to the river with 
 the cattle, to her profound astonishment, a rain on the mount- 
 ains — none had fallen where she was — had caused a sudden rise 
 in the river of about twelve feet. From the place where she 
 stood, she could plainly see that the water was in the house, 
 and already covered the floor where her little boy was tied 1 
 
336 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 All the deep, moving feelings of a mother's heart were stirred 
 within her, and, with the courage of a lion, she drove the cattle 
 into the river, and as they went in, seized one of the largest 
 by the tail, and over she went, and saved her children. In a 
 short time her husband returned with game ; so they had milk 
 and meat, if they had no bread, and rejoiced together in their 
 homely fare and in the safety of their children." 
 
 This is a little sketch of border life in West Virginia in early 
 times. Ever since the rebellion, that people have had another 
 kind of foe to deal with, in most instances far worse than the 
 Indians. They have needed the spirit of Carpenter and his 
 wife to sweep the rebellion from their mountains, hills, and 
 valleys. Blessed be God ! loyal hearts were found to fight the 
 battles of West Virginia, and she is now, by her own voluntary 
 action, a free State. The bodies of the Carpenters lie entombed 
 among her mountains, but their spirits — like that of Elijah in 
 John the Baptist — have gone abroad among her people, to urge 
 them onward to the battles of freedom for themselves and for 
 the nation; and to-night (February 3, 1864,) this nation is free 
 from all complicity with slavery, not only by the Proclamation 
 of the President of the United States, but by the action of our 
 National Legislature. Will Grod, in mercy, now forgive the sins 
 of this nation, restore the Union, bring this terrible war to an 
 end, and give us peace in all the land ! 
 
 In the northern portion of the district I had much hard 
 ministerial labor, but no further controversy on the subject of 
 Church government. Our cause had some prosperity, but our 
 success in that quarter has never been of a gratifying character. 
 The extremes of the work have often been found to suffer, be- 
 cause the tendency of our preachers, like the blood to the heart, 
 has been so constantly toward the center of the Conference. 
 Can not this tendency be a little changed? Let the warm life- 
 blood of the Conference, in the form of ministerial piety, tal- 
 ent, and influence, be thrown, by the appointing power, to the 
 extremes, and prosperity will follow. At the close of the year, 
 I returned to my family in Steubenville, sich. Fearing that I 
 
ATTEND CONFERENCE. 337 
 
 would not be able to attend Conference, all my Conference busi- 
 ness was committed to the hands of Rev. John Cowl, who agreed 
 to take care of my interests, and convey my message of love to 
 the brethren. Yet, after all, weak as I was, being encouraged 
 by two medical friends, I did make the effort, and reached 
 Conference about the third day of the session, with Mrs. Brown 
 as my traveling companion. 
 
838 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 Removal to Connellsville, Pennsylvania— A Kevival of Religion— Modes of Bap- 
 tism— Camp-Mbetisg— General CoNFEKENCE— Madison College— Family Afflic- 
 tions. 
 
 In September, 1848, the Annual Conference was held in Fair- 
 mont, Virginia, and I was stationed in Connellsville, Pennsyl- 
 vania. Never had we been better entertained than at Fairmont. 
 The country towns have always done well by our Conferences. 
 A sore spell of dysentery had reduced me to a mere skeleton. 
 I had been almost at death's door. When I reached the Con- 
 ference I could scarcely walk, and on entering the church and 
 seeing the brethren, I was overcome by emotion, and could do 
 nothing but weep nearly all that afternoon. In due time, how- 
 ever, my strength returned, and I was enabled to take part in 
 the business of the Conference. 
 
 That year I ought to have rested, for I was really unfit for min- 
 isterial service; but preachers being scarce, and the Church at 
 that time without funds to sustain disabled ministers, I yielded 
 to the necessity of the case, and, at the instance of brother 
 J. W. Phillips, the lay delegate from Connellsville, I consented 
 to be appointed by the Conference to Connellsville Station the 
 following year. Against I returned home my health was much 
 improved, and I felt quite encouraged to hold on my way. Af- 
 fliction had done my spirit good, and I felt like more fully con- 
 secrating myself to Christ and his cause. To be instrumental 
 in saving sinners and in building up the Church of Christ was 
 every thing now to me, and all things else seemed less than 
 nothing and vanity. 
 
 In removing to Connellsville, my household goods went to 
 
REMOVAL TO CONNELLSVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA. 339 
 
 Pittsburgli by the river, in a keel-boat, tlie water being at a 
 very low stage. The children went across the country in my 
 buggy, while the remainder of the family went by stage to 
 Pittsburgh, then on a steamer, with our goods, to Brownsville. 
 From that point, the latter were taken in three open wagons, on 
 a very rainy day, to the. place of our destination. All our fur- 
 niture and other things — about all we had — were exceedingly 
 injured. Such is often the lot of an itinerant j^rcachcr. Those of 
 us who went by the steamer with the goods to Brownsville 
 were taken by stage from that point to Uniontown, thence by 
 private conveyance to Connellsville. Finally, by various routes, 
 no little trouble, and great damage to our property, we all 
 reached our new home, and were cordially received by the 
 Church. 
 
 The Connellsville Church was not wealthy. No hope of 
 worldly gain moved me to go to that people. I went by invi- 
 tation of the delegate, and by appointment of the Conference, 
 because in that Church I had many highly valued Christian 
 friends; and because my health required care, a small field of 
 labor suited me best. I have reason to believe that my appoint- 
 ment had the Divine sanction, for, during my first year there, 
 God favored us with a glorious revival of religion. Many souls 
 were saved by grace, and added to the Church. Yet, in that 
 place there were evil influences and agencies at work, which 
 caused some, upon whom much labor and care had been be- 
 stowed, to backslide from the Lord. This was a grief to my 
 soul. To see those in whose conversion I had entire confidence 
 grow cold in religion, neglect the means of grace, yield to old 
 sinful habits, drop out of the ranks of the sacramental host, and 
 finally die of intemperance, could bring me nothing but grief. 
 At their graves I had no word of cheer for surviving friends — 
 nothing but warning to sinners, mingled with tears for the 
 lost; for no drunkard can inherit the kingdom of God. But in 
 that charge there was, after all, a sterling membership, real 
 workers, valuable in a revival, and trustworthy Christians under 
 all circumstances. It may be added, that many of the con- 
 
840 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 verts maintained their integrity to Christ and the Church, and, I 
 trust, will ultimately inherit eternal life. 
 
 In that place there were two Baptist Churches. One of them 
 of the old order, and the other of the Campbellite persuasion. 
 Of course, as is usual in such eases, each of these parties did 
 all it could to indoctrinate the converts, whom God had given 
 us during the revival, into the belief that infant baptism was 
 wrong, and that immersion was the only Scriptural mode of bap- 
 tism for adult believers. Before I was aware of it, most of the 
 converts had been visited, and informed, by those who could not 
 possibly know, that "bapto," the root of the Greek verb to 
 baptize, and "baptizo," the derivation, in all parts of the New 
 Testament meant immersion only, and that all the learned 
 agreed with them in their interpretation of the two words. 
 After some time, it became necessary for me to vindicate our 
 position on the subject of baptism before that community. 
 This I did — public notice having been previously given — in our 
 own pulpit. On that occasion it was shown, from some very 
 learned authorities, that the two Greek words in question had 
 sundry other shades of meaning beside, immersion, all favoring 
 our view of the matter ; and that for men who knew nothing 
 of the learned languages, and scarcely any thing of the-ir own, 
 to be passing through my congregation, trying to make prose- 
 lytes to the Baptist faith and order among the young, unedu- 
 cated portion of our Church members, on the ground that they 
 had all the learned with them, when they afl&rmed that "bapto" 
 and " baptizo," in the New Testament, meant immersion only, 
 were acting dishonorably and unjustly toward my people and 
 myself, and deserved to be called impostors. This vindication, 
 covering the whole ground of controversy, and occupying about 
 two hours, was all that I ever found it necessary to say in de- 
 fense of our position on the subject of baptism, while in that 
 station. 
 
 During my first year we had a very interesting and profitable 
 camp-meeting, in connection with the Connellsville Circuit, about 
 five miles in the country. At the meeting the preaching was 
 
MADISON COLLEGE. 341 
 
 luminous, spiritual, and powerful. It was marrow and fatness 
 to Christians of advanced experience ; it was wine, and milk, 
 and honey to the young converts; and there was in it a heav- 
 enly power to awaken and save sinners. The Church of which 
 I had charge derived great spiritual advantage from that meet- 
 ing. Yet the devil struggled hard to maintain his ground 
 against the Lord and his anointed Son. Ungodly men strove 
 to give us trouble ; but there were magistrates and other friends 
 of order there, and we were protected against all harm. Most 
 gladly now, in my old age, would I attend another such meet- 
 ing ; but I suppose I never shall, for our people have no more 
 camp-meetings. 
 
 It was during this year that Madison College was offered to 
 the Methodist Protestant Church by the Board of Trustees. I 
 had been called up from Connellsville, to appear before the 
 board on that occasion. After giving that body a pretty full 
 history of our college efforts and failures, I declined having any 
 thing to do with that college unless it were tendered by the 
 board to the whole Church, to be placed under the control of 
 the General Conference. No one, two, or three Conferences in 
 our fellowship had the means or the patronage to sustain such 
 an institution as it should be done. But if the General Con- 
 ference would take it, and make it an institution of learning for 
 the whole Church, then, in my judgment, we might reasonably 
 hope for success. The board then, by a resolution, tendered 
 Madison College to the General Conference, and I agreed to 
 bring the question of its acceptance before all the Annual Con- 
 ferences, and try to induce them to recommend its adoption by 
 the General Conference, which was to assemble in the city of 
 Baltimore, in May, 1850. My part of the work was performed, 
 other friends of the measure assisting, by able articles published 
 in our Church papers, on the importance of such an institution 
 to the permanence and welfare of our Church. A large ma- 
 jority of the Conferences favored this college enterprise, and so 
 the matter was left to the final action of the General Confer- 
 ence. 
 
 In September, 1849. the Pittsburgh Annual Conference was 
 
342 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITIjSTERANT LIFE. 
 
 held in Pittsburgli. J. W. Phillips was again the delegate, and, 
 by appointment of the Conference, I was again stationed in 
 Connellsville. This was very gratifying to me, for, after sus- 
 taining the pastoral relation to that kind-hearted people for one 
 year, I felt entirely willing to try them again. But to me this 
 second term was one of great and sore afflictions in several ways. 
 The preceding was a year of revival ; this was a year of sifting 
 out faithless backsliders. Added to this, my support fell off, 
 and I had but little means of my own to meet the wants of my 
 family. To find myself without the means to subsist and clothe 
 my family, and to be getting in debt, with a poor prospect of 
 being able soon to pay, was, indeed, very afflicting to me. A 
 Church in a revival state, full of heart and spiritual life, gen- 
 erally supports her preacher well. But while the discipline of 
 the Church is being brought to bear on faulty members — who, 
 with all their defects, have their friends — the purse-strings are 
 generally drawn pretty tight upon the preacher. For fear of 
 this, may not a preacher be tempted of the devil to let corrup- 
 tion in the Church go on, "unwhipt of the law," lest he should 
 fall short in his support? I think there have been such cases, 
 and wherever they have occurred, the purity of the Church has 
 been bartered away for the means of living. Christ ivas sold for 
 thirty pieces of silver. Yet I rejoice to record the fact that the 
 great body of Connellsville Church, like Zacharias and Eliza- 
 beth of old, "were righteous before God, walking in all the 
 commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless." BIy 
 failure to "receive a righteous compensation for my labors" 
 was not for want of means or will in these poor people. A 
 well-digested financial system was wanted, and J. W. Phillips, 
 the master-spirit in all such matters, had removed to Union- 
 town, and there was no good financier to take his place. A 
 good financial system, ably executed, is very important to min- 
 isterial support. 
 
 In the month of May, 1850, I attended the General Confer- 
 ence in Baltimore. At that Conference, as usual, the slave 
 question gave us trouble; but, as only a few memorials on the 
 Bubject, from the Churches, came before the body, no definite 
 
MADISON COLLEGE. 343 
 
 action was taken, and that troublesome question was left about 
 where the two preceding General Conferences had placed it. 
 Such ecclesiastical bodies as ours, limited as we were by the 
 constitution of the Church, could do nothing with it. We were 
 not ripe yet for a division of the Church — even that would not 
 have destroyed slavery; so we hung on to our constitutional 
 relation to the Southern portion of the Church awhile longer. 
 The time of our deliverance had not fully come. 
 
 At that General Conference, after careful examination, it was 
 found that a competent majority of the Annual Conferences de- 
 sired that body to accept Madison College, as offered by the 
 trustees, and make it an institution of learning for the whole 
 Church. A college committee was created, and an elaborate 
 report, full of legal forms and technicalities, was drawn up by 
 J. H. Deford, Esq., who was chairman of the committee. A 
 minority report was also presented. After both were read, the 
 matter was discussed at great length. Both reports were voted 
 down, and the Conference adopted a few brief resolutions, which 
 I had drawn up, in favor of accepting the college. Seven com- 
 missioners were then appointed by the body, to visit Uniontown 
 at the time of the Pittsburgh Annual Conference in that place, 
 the following September, examine the college property, and 
 either accept or reject it for the General Conference. We 
 may here add, that a majority of the commissioners attended, 
 according to appointment, and, after due examination, Madison 
 College was accepted by them as a General Conference institu- 
 tion. Arrangements were then and there made to put the col- 
 lege under the control of our trustees. When this was done, 
 the duty of the commissioners was accomplished, and it never 
 entered into their minds that our Board of Trustees would im- 
 mediately commence operations in regular college form. So 
 grave and important an undertaking required ample prepara- 
 tions, but we had made no preparations at all. It was not long 
 before Rev. R. H. Ball was called by the board to take charge 
 of that institution, and a college was opened, instead of an 
 academy or high-school. This, to us, was the beginning of 
 sorrows. 
 
344 ' RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 Before tlie close of the aforesaid General Conference, I was 
 called home by a dispatch. My son George was seriously ill of 
 the typhoid fever, and my wife of the pleurisy. Mrs. Brown's 
 health was soon restored, but it was a long time before my sou 
 recovered. Almost immediately after this, my son Henry, thea 
 in Pittsburgh, was taken sick. My wife and I started to see 
 him. We traveled in a buggy, and as we journeyed on through 
 intense heat, I had what is called a "sun-stroke." So, leaving 
 the horse and buggy in Monongahela City, in care of a friend, 
 with whom we spent the night, and where I suffered great pain, 
 we went the next day, by steamboat, to Pittsburgh. There I 
 received medical assistance, found my son better, and in about 
 one week my wife, Henry, and I all returned home together, 
 in rather feeble health. Not long after this, I was stricken 
 down myself with typhoid fever, and lay about three weeks in 
 a very low condition, without any visible change for the better. 
 After I had been sick about ten days, my wife, worn out with 
 constant nursing and care, fell sick of the bilious dysentery. 
 So, here we were, both in bad condition as to health, and most 
 of our neighbors were afraid to come to the house to render any 
 assistance in taking care of us, lest they should take the typhoid 
 fever, or the cholera, which my wife was supposed to have. 
 Yet a few of them did commit themselves to the risk of ren- 
 dering us help in our distress, for which we were very thankful 
 to God and to them. 
 
 During my illness I was wonderfully favored of the Lord in 
 several respects. 1. I had the full use of my mental faculties 
 all the time. 2. I had grace given me according to my day 
 and trial. I was very happy in the Lord. 3. I had not only 
 a skillful, but a very sympathizing Christian physician to at- 
 tend me. 4. Every day I could learn that not only our own 
 members, but those of other Churches, were praying for me- 
 Satan was kept at a distance, and the Saviour was with me all 
 the time. One morning, two consulting physicians, after exam- 
 ining the cases of my wife and myself, withdrew to the far 
 corner of my room, and there, in a low whisper, talked the mat- 
 ter over. The fever had quickened my hearing, so that I dis- 
 
FAMILY AFFLICTIONS. 345 
 
 tinctly heard all they said. Among other things, I heard them 
 say that " there was no chance to raise either of us, unless they 
 could salivate us." On hearing this, I laughed so loud that 
 they heard me, and came to inquire what had moved me to 
 laughter. "Why," said I, "my end has come; you have just 
 pronounced my doom. If my recovery depends upon my being 
 salivated, you can't do that; it has been tried by several physi- 
 cians, and they all failed, and you will, too; so my end has come. 
 Then I laughed again for joy. Doctors Lindley and Fuller 
 were pleased to find me so whole-hearted, and spoke of certain 
 preparations of calomel, which they were certain would salivate 
 me, if I would agree to have the trial made. "Gentlemen," 
 said I, " you can salivate my wife, but you can not succeed with 
 me. However, I am in your hands, and have not the least ob- 
 jection to your making the trial on us both. Save my wife if 
 you can, but me you can not save." After a little rest and 
 reflection, I told them, " whether they salivated me or not, I did 
 believe that God would raise me up, for it was impressed on 
 my heart that all my work for Christ was not yet done." The 
 trial was made. With my wife it succeeded; with me it was 
 an utter failure. No preparation of calomel would do, nor 
 would any mode of application, however combined with acids, 
 answer the purpose, and they were left to wonder what sort of 
 a constitution I had. At last, the disease gave way, and grad- 
 ually God restored me to health again, without being salivated. 
 Yet, from that time to the present, my left shoulder has been 
 weak. To make a forward motion with my arm I have full 
 power; but in putting on my coat, requiring rather a backward 
 motion, I lack strength to raise my left arm. Other weak- 
 nesses of my system were, with care, gradually overcome, and 
 my health since that time, generally speaking, has been perma- 
 nently good. 
 
 During my protracted illness and slow recovery, my pulpit 
 was pretty well supplied by the ministerial brethren in that 
 vicinity, and the kind-hearted people of my charge attended 
 faithfully to the wants of my family. 
 22 
 
346 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 CONFEBENCE tN TJNIONTOWN, PeNNSTLVAXIA— REMOVAL TO MANCHESTER CIRCUIT IN VlB- 
 
 GiNiA— Elected President— Elected President of the Board of Trustees oj" 
 Madison College— Tour throuoh West Virginia— Re-elected President of Pitts- 
 burgh Conference— Removal to Umontown, Pennsylvania— Funeral of Rev. Asa 
 Shinn— Resignation of the President of Madison College— Elected President 
 pro tem. of College— Return to the Labors of the District. 
 
 In September, 1850, the Pittsburgh Annual Conference was 
 held in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, where it was most comfortably 
 entertained by the Church and citizens. It was a very harmo- 
 nious session, and made a favorable impression on the public 
 mind. I went to it in very feeble health, being scarcely able 
 to ride in my buggy, with my wife driving. When I got there 
 I was unable to take any part in the transactions of the body; 
 and when the commissioners went to examine Madison College, 
 as directed by the General Conference, I had to be conveyed 
 in a carriage. At that Conference there was a desire on the 
 part of some of the brethren to put me into the Presidency; 
 but, owing to the state of my health, I had to decline that labo- 
 rious office. Indeed, it was a matter of doubt with me whether 
 I ought to take any appointment or not. But the stationing 
 committee, with whom I left my case, wishing to retain me in 
 the work, finally appointed me to Manchester Circuit, among 
 my relatives, where the work was light, and the probabilities 
 of a competent support good. To this appointment I gave my 
 most hearty consent, and returned home to prepare for our re- 
 moval, which proved very fatiguing. My eldest son and my 
 daughter went by buggy. The rest of us were taken by car- 
 riage to Brownsville, and from thence by steamboat to the place 
 of our debarkation. We were landed, jibout midnight, goods 
 
REMOVAL TO MANCHESTER CIRCUIT. 347 
 
 end all, on tlie river bank, near the residence of John Brown, 
 a relation of mine. Having been attacked with something like 
 cholera, on the boat, shortly after leaving Pittsburgh, I was 
 scarcely able to reach the house of my relative. When there, 
 by a free use of John's cholera medicine and a warm foot-bath, 
 I was relieved, and slept soundly until morning. The holy Sab- 
 bath-day had then come, and, weak as I was, I attended Divine 
 service, and spoke to the people in the name of the Lord. The 
 next day our goods were moved to the parsonage in New Man- 
 chester, where we resided among very pleasant neighbors for 
 about two years. 
 
 On this circuit, all things considered, I had a pleasant year, 
 and the Church had some prosperity. But circumstances, orig- 
 inating with other agencies, over which I could not possibly 
 have any control, and which, owing to my full confidence in 
 the Christian integrity of those concerned, I will not narrate 
 in this reminiscence of jjast life, greatly obstructed my useful- 
 ness, and to that extent interfered with my happiness; for use- 
 fulness and happiness are very closely associated in my creed. 
 All these matters have long since gone by. Let them be buried, 
 never to have a resurrection, and let my most unfeigned love 
 be confirmed to those concerned, now and forever. Amen. 
 
 Owing to the circumstances above alluded to, or to some 
 other cause not known to me, my meager salary on Manchester 
 Circuit was not fully paid. But in those days I had a living 
 friend, Bev. Charles Avery, who occasionally assisted me in an 
 emergency; and to bring me through the year in credit and 
 safety, he sent me a present of two hundred dollars. Wheu 
 that man died, I, and thousands of others, lost a real friend. 
 But his bright example still lives; may it always animate the 
 Church! I had on that circuit a goodly number of relatives: 
 the Browns — James, John, Jacob, and George — their sisters, 
 the two Mrs. Hewitts, Mrs. Brenneman, and one unmarried sis- 
 ter, Elizabeth. They were nearly all members of the Methodist 
 Protestant Church — plain, sensible. Christian people. I loved 
 them much, and often wished, if it could be so, to arrange mat- 
 ters so as to finish my course on earth among th,em. Of my 
 
348 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 own brothers and sisters, who have nearly all passed away, it 
 grieves me to say that no two of them rest in the same ceme- 
 tery, so greatly have we been scattered in life and in death. 
 Even my dear father and mother lie in separate graveyards. 
 I have often felt a wish to rest in death among my own rela- 
 tions. God has taken to himself my five sons — all I had — and 
 they are buried in different places, distant from each other. 
 Well, let it he so ; let me not murmur against Providence. The 
 resurrection morning will bring us all together again; one 
 heaven, I trust, will be our home at last. Such is my hope. 
 
 In September, 1851, the Pittsburgh Annual Conference was 
 held in Morgantown, Virginia. The Church and citizens of 
 that hospitable place entertained the Conference in their best 
 style, and the impression made by the body on the public mind 
 was, in all respects, favorable to our young Church. Rather 
 contrary to my expectations, I was elected to the presidency 
 again. During this Conference, the brethren took two perpetual 
 scholarships, at five hundred dollars each, in Madison College; 
 and shortly afterward the Board of Trustees took from our 
 itinerant ranks Dr. P. T. Laishley, to act as agent for that in; 
 stitution. We all felt a deep interest in the prosperity of our 
 newly-adopted college. 
 
 On my return home, it was agreed by the brethren that I 
 might remain in the occupancy of the parsonage, as the preacher 
 appointed to that circuit was a single man, and did not need 
 the house; and as my salary the preceding year had not been 
 fully paid, they would charge me no rent. This was both kind 
 and just to iTie. My family being pleasantly situated among a 
 very orderly people — mostly under Presbyterian influence — 
 where, at that time, there was no intemperance, Sabbath-break- 
 ing, or profanity, we all felt like remaining in 3Ianchester. All 
 the central parts of the district were visited during the fall and 
 winter. The condition of the circuits and stations was, in the 
 main, good. In consequence of high water in March, I found 
 great difficulty in meeting my appointments along the Ohio 
 River, in Western Virginia. I went by steamboats from cir- 
 cuit to circuit, then out on horseback, to fill my appoiutmenta. 
 
UNFAITHFULNESS IN THE MINISTRY. 349 
 
 My river tour ended witli Jackson Circuit, at the Falls of the 
 Ohio. In no portion of this trip did I feel myself to be in 
 Paradise; yet God took care of me, and at the end of about 
 five weeks I returned by steamer safely to my family. 
 
 I remained a short time at home, to rest, recruit my health, 
 and prepare for further duties on the district. My next tour 
 was up toward Lake Erie, in North-western Pennsylvania. 
 About the first of May, with health not very firm, I was ofi" 
 from home, to be absent until near the middle of July. In con- 
 sequence of great rains of several days' continuance, I found 
 the roads almost impassable. Deep mud, and streams greatly 
 swollen, very much impeded my progress. I had thrown "Lize" 
 out of the service. "Lucy," the animal I now had, was equal in 
 durability and trustworthiness, but not in speed. Yet, bad as 
 traveling was, I reached all my appointments in time. It will 
 be enough to say of this tour in the district, that it was one 
 of great labor and considerable success. On several circuits 
 there were revivals of religion, and the Churches were prosper- 
 ing. To this the Conneaut Circuit was an exception, having 
 been almost wholly neglected by the superintendent. The mem- 
 bership on that circuit had their mouths full of complaints to 
 me against their preacher, for his inefficiency in attending to his 
 work. He declined appearing at Conference to answer for his 
 conduct, but wandered oif to the West, got into worldly specu- 
 lations, and for several years mixed preaching and speculating 
 together, until, at last, we heard no more of him ; and Conneaut 
 Circuit, from the date of his mission there, began to decline, 
 and is now not numbered among the appointments in the Pitts- 
 burgh Conference. Such is the result of unfaithfulness iri the 
 ministry. The preacher who takes an aj)pointment from Con- 
 ference comes under a moral obligation to that body, to that 
 circuit or station, and to the Saviour of sinners, to discharge 
 all the duties legitimately connected with that appointment 
 faithfully, to the best of his ability, to the end of the Confer- 
 ence year. Do not let him plead a want of support as a reason 
 for neglecting his work ; for when a preacher faithfully performs 
 his whole duty, Christ generally puts it into the hearts of the 
 
350 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 people in the Church, or outside of it, to supply his wants. 
 But unfaithfulness will tighten the purse-strings of any people. 
 Who wants to feed and clothe an idle drone? Is it not the 
 law of the Lord that " if a man will not work, neither shall he 
 eat?" 
 
 At Johnstown, where, at that time, we had a promising little 
 Methodist Protestant community, I completed the labors of my 
 tour," and returned home through most intense heat. I found 
 all well, but was myself very much worn down with long-con- 
 tinued hard labor. "VVe still have a good meeting-house in 
 Johnstown, and a few excellent members; but, from some cause, 
 for several years past they have taken no preacher from Con- 
 ference. Why is this? In that rapidly-growing place we might, 
 I think, have a prosperous Church, if the right kind of meas- 
 ures were adopted. The truth of the matter I take to be this : 
 we lack a competent number of well-qualified ministers to build 
 up the cause of Christ in certain localities. The people want a 
 preacher to suit the place, or none at all. So the cause runs 
 down, and so it will continue to run down, until the Church 
 does more than heretofore to give her itinerant ministers a 
 competent training for the work. We must keep up with the 
 age in education, or suffer loss. Our doctrinal and ecclesias- 
 tical principles are certainly good, but they require well-trained 
 men to carry them out in all the land. Principles require agen- 
 cies to .establish them among the people ; they do not, by their 
 own abstract weight, establish themselves. 
 
 Having rested a short time with my family at home, I took 
 my son George for a traveling companion, and set out on a long 
 tour to the Greenbrier country, in Western Virginia. Having 
 been informed of my election to the presidency of the Board 
 of Trustees of Madison College, and that they were in some 
 trouble at that institution, I took Uniontown in my route, in 
 view of ascertaining, if practicable, what was the matter. It waa 
 about this, if I remember accurately: Certain students, in their 
 literary society, had introduced resolutions supposed to contain 
 sentiments disrespectful to the character and position of the 
 President of the college. Being high-spirited, they would not 
 
^ TOUR THROUGH WESTERN VIRGINIA. 351 
 
 retract, so the faculty expelled them. The case then, accordiuf 
 to the character, came before the Board of Trustees for a tinal 
 hearing. That body, overawed by the fliculty, and fearing the 
 resignation of some or all of the professors, confirmed the 
 expulsions, supposing it better to sustain even an unduly rigor- 
 ous action of the faculty than to give up the college. Against 
 all this weakness, the President of the board, who was a man 
 of irritable temper, made a speech of a most vexatious and ex- 
 asperating character. He was, in that case, certainly right in 
 principle, but his manner was not suited to our civilization ; so, 
 in the annual election he lost his position, and I was chosen ia 
 his place. On looking into this matter fully, I could not see 
 that I could afford to let the faculty override the chartered 
 rights of the board, if I could possibly hinder it, any more 
 than my predecessor; but I could be more respectful to all the 
 parties concerned in temper and language. As I was then Pres- 
 ident of the Conference, I could not hope to meet often with 
 the board. Once a quarter was all that I could promise, and it 
 was supposed that would be often enough, so I proceeded ou 
 my journey to the mountains of Virginia. 
 
 My first appointment was on Barbour Circuit. The congre- 
 gation was very large. A congressional election was just at 
 hand, and the candidates were there. In the house, during serv- 
 ice, they were very civil and respectful, but before and after 
 public worship, they were busy in all directions among the peo- 
 ple, even on the Sabbath-day, striving to secure votes. Who 
 can fully comprehend the arts and devices of a winding, slippery, 
 serpentine politician? And what preacher can hope to do any 
 religious good in the f)resence of such a i^olitical influence as 
 was felt to be there? I think it likely that my efforts to do 
 good at that meeting were all in vain. 
 
 The next morning, early, George and I were ofi" for the 
 Huntersville Circuit. We reached Beverly the first night, and 
 were kindly entertained at the house of Mrs. Earle, where we 
 rested one day. Then, going out by the head of Tygart's Val- 
 ley a little after nightfall, we came to Mr. Nace's, and were 
 comfortably entertained. The next day, having no further any 
 
352 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 graded road, we found it very difficult to travel with a buggy 
 along a blind path, obstructed by rocks and fallen timber and 
 mud. From the Gatewood Farm to Elk River our difficulties 
 came near being insurmountable. Finally, we came to Mr. Gib- 
 son's, on Elk River, about two o'clock P. M., and rested there 
 until the next morning. When morning came, we made an 
 early start for brother Buckley's, on Greenbrier River, the place 
 of my meeting for Huntersville Circuit. In passing across the 
 mountain from the Elk to the Greenbrier River, I became over- 
 heated. It was toward the last of August, and the scorching 
 power of the sun overcame me as I walked up the mountain. 
 A strong rush of blood to my brain bewildered me, and George, 
 who was ahead with the buggy, had to turn back and help me 
 along. I then concluded to ride, but was scarcely able to drive; 
 so George took me and the whole establishment in charge. That 
 dear son was of great service to me, as I was, indeed, a very sick 
 man. When we came to the river, we turned aside, up stream, 
 to the house of Mr. Gay, and there I received the best of at- 
 tention from that kind family, and by the next morning was 
 ready to go on my way to my appointment at Buckley's. Our 
 meeting at that place was well attended by our members from 
 all parts of the Huntersville Circuit, and by some from other 
 Churches who differed from us in doctrine. One man, with a 
 very shrill voice, kept George and me awake nearly all the first 
 night, arguing with his bedfellow on the foreknowledge and 
 eternal decrees of God. When unable to sustain the notion 
 that God had decreed all things that came to pass as being in- 
 consistent with man's free agency and accountability, he would 
 fall back to foreknowledge. "All men must admit fore- 
 knowledge," he said, "and knowledge has a binding force on 
 human actions." How did that man discover there was a bind- 
 ing force in knowledge? If God knew that man would sin, He 
 knew he would act freely in doing the very thing which had 
 been forbidden under the highest penalty; and if He knew he 
 would act freely in sinning. He knew that His knowledge would 
 have no compulsory influence in bringing about the sinful trans- 
 action. If God's knowledge of all the actions of created beings, 
 
TOUR THROUGH AVESTERN VIRGINIA. 353 
 
 good and evil, has a biuding force on ttose actions, so as to 
 compel tliem to be exactly what they are, may not God's knowl- 
 edge of what He intends to do himself have a binding force 
 on His own actions, so as to leave us the amazingly absurd con- 
 clusion that there is no such thing as freedom of action in the 
 universe, and that God himself is bound in the chains of fate 
 by His own knowledge? All manner of crimes are forbidden 
 by Divine authority, yet God's infinite knowledge extends with 
 a compelling force to all those crimes, we are told, necessitating 
 them to come to pass! Thus God's knowledge is brought to 
 overthrow His own government, and, along with this, to destroy 
 His own personal freedom, and bind Him and the whole intel- 
 ligent universe in the chains of fate. After this manner I 
 reasoned, while kept awake by that shrill-voiced man, arguing 
 with his bedfellow. 
 
 But to return to the meeting at Buckley's. The church was 
 far too small to contain the people ; so we went to a neighbor- 
 ing grove, and God gave me unusual strength and liberty that 
 day in preaching the Gospel. That assembly, collected from 
 the mountains and valleys of the Greenbrier region, seemed 
 hungry for the Word of Life. The message of grace which 
 Christ sent to them that day by me was well received. They 
 drank in the word as the thirsty earth drinketh in the rain. 
 City congregations, who have so much preaching, do not appre- 
 ciate or enjoy a Gospel sermon as do the mountaineers. Among 
 them it was not deemed a crime, nor yet a breach of order, to say 
 "amen" when an emphatic sentence in the sermon pleased them; 
 and to praise the Lord for the manifestations of grace was con- 
 sidered a general pi-ivilege. When I saw that God was at work 
 among the people, their amens and hallelujahs never disturbed 
 me; nor did the tears and sobs and cries of the penitents for 
 mercy. These things all belonged to the school of Christ in 
 which I had been trained, and, as a matter of course, I under- 
 stood them well. At the close of the sermon came the holy 
 communion. It was a time of great mercy — a season of abun- 
 dant refreshing; for Christ was with his people, and we all re- 
 joiced together in hope of a better life to come. 
 
354 KECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 The meeting closed that evening. It ought to have been 
 protracted. I think the results would have been valuable to 
 the Church; but, as I had appointments ahead, I had to leave 
 very soon for brother Cochran's, at the Droop Mountain, where 
 I preached the next day to a large congregation. Again God 
 gave me liberty in preaching His word, and I trust good to 
 the people was the result of my labors. In that region I 
 had many dear friends — among them brother Jesse Cochran, 
 who gave me a namesake among the boys of his household. 
 At the time of the battle at the Droop Mountain, I thought 
 of all my old friends in that vicinity, and wondered whether 
 they were for or against the Union. As they had no slaves, I 
 think they had no interest in the rebellion, and my hope is that 
 they remained loyal to the United States. The next day after 
 we reached Cochran's, George and I went home with brother 
 Eli Taylor, who lived at a distance of about five miles, a little 
 ofi" from the direct road to Frankfort, the place of my meeting 
 for Greenbrier Circuit. In consequence of heavy rains and 
 high water, we were detained at Taylor's until Saturday morn- 
 ing, and it was even then with great difficulty that we forded 
 the streams and reached our destination. The meeting at 
 Frankfort was one of great interest, but, owing to circumstances 
 which I need not detail, it had to be closed on Sunday evening. 
 Brother William Bolton was, if I remember correctly, rendering 
 service that year on both Huntersville and Greenbrier Circuits. 
 He has since joined the Baptist denomination; and I leave it on 
 record in this sketch of the past, that he was considered in the 
 Greenbrier country to be a man of excellent character and a 
 valuable minister , of Jesus Christ. My dear George, who is 
 now in heaven, and who always had a social heart, became 
 greatly attached to brother Bolton and to the Greenbrier friends 
 generally. There was much in that region to interest him. 
 
 On Monday morning we started for the camp-meeting on 
 Braxton Circuit. Going across to the Lewisburg and Kanawha 
 pike, we lodged at a tavern that night' at the foot of the great 
 Sewell Mountain, on the west side. The next morning we were 
 prevented from taking an early start by finding that our horse 
 
CONFERENCE IN PRUNTTTOWN. 355 
 
 had got out of the stable, and was gone, we knew not where. 
 We all supijosed that she was stolen, but a brief hunt brought 
 her from a field on the side of the mountain. George and I were 
 much pleased to see her again, and, after feeding her, we started 
 for Summerville, the seat of justice for Nicholas County. By 
 taking a right-hand road, about ten o'clock, we shortened the 
 distance, and reached our destination a little after dark. The 
 hard hills and hot weather had exhausted all my energies, but 
 George was blithe and gay, and waited on me and attended to 
 "Lucy" as though he had not felt the heat or the hills that 
 day. Such is the difference between youth and age. After 
 sleeping soundly through the night, and getting an early break- 
 fast in the morning, we were off from Summerville for the camp- 
 meeting on Braxton Circuit. The roads being muddy, the trav- 
 eling was hard that day ; but, a little after sundown, we reached 
 Suttouville, and were kindly entertained, free of charge, by John 
 Camden, who kept the only public house in the place. The 
 next day, by twelve o'clock, we came to the house of Richard 
 Walker, superintendent of Braxton Circuit. There we rested 
 until the following morning, and then went on with brother 
 Walker and his family to the camp-meeting. The ministerial 
 help expected did not come, so the labors of the meeting fell 
 too heavily upon me ; yet, as was my day, so was my strength. 
 God gave us an unusually good camp-meeting. Walker, now 
 among the rebels,- was a most indefatigable and successful la- 
 borer at that meeting. During the last night, even on until 
 the morning light appeared, his voice could be heard in a large 
 prayer-meeting tent, near the preachers' stand. The fruits of 
 that meeting will be seen in eternity. 
 
 My labors for the year were now ended. Next came the Con- 
 ference in Pruntytown, in September, 1852. On our way there, 
 George and I stopped awhile in Weston, with Mr. George A. 
 Jackson and Mrs. B. J. Hodgson, brother and sister of my 
 wife. They and their children and George and I had a very 
 pleasant time together for a few days. When at Conference in 
 Pruntytown, my home was with William Kimble. His parents 
 had often entertained me, and I loved them much j so I did 
 
356 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 William, who was an amiable member of the Methodist Prot- 
 estant Church. But, somehow or other, the rebels drew him 
 into their ranks, as they have several others whom I tenderly 
 loved, in West Virginia. How can I ever forgive the rebellion 
 for these breaches made in the ranks of my friends? How can 
 I ever forgive the efforts which they have made to destroy the 
 government of my country and its friends? At the thought 
 of their crimes, even an old Universalist admitted to me, a 
 short time ago, that, "in relation to future punishment, he had 
 changed his mind : he now believed in an eternal hell for rebels 
 and traitors. My conclusion, when I heard this speech, was, 
 if rebels and traitors deserve an eternal hell for their present 
 rebellion against the best human government upon earth, then, 
 certainly, eternal punishment is due to all sinners who, in league 
 with the devil and his angels, dare to live and die in rebellion 
 against the holy and perfect government of God. I shall, if 
 spared, try to press this conclusion home on my old friend 
 when we meet again. 
 
 But to return from this digression." The Conference in Prun- 
 tytown was most liberally sustained by our Church, the other 
 Churches, and the citizens. The impression made by the body 
 on the public mind was altogether favorable to our interests 
 as a Christian denomination. At that Conference I was elected 
 President for the last time. I then returned to my family in 
 Hancock County, Virginia, and immediately removed to Union- 
 town, Pennsylvania. This grew out of a desire to be able to 
 render some service to Madison College, as President of the 
 Board of Trustees. Moreover, I wanted to educate my son 
 George at that institution. This change of residence was very 
 fatiguing, and proved quite injurious to our household goods. 
 It is hardly worth while for itinerant preachers, who are sub- 
 ject to constant removals, to have valuable furniture, to be 
 abused in all sorts of ways while in transition from place to 
 place. In a short time after I got my family comfortably situ- 
 ated in Uniontowu, I attended a meeting of the Board of Trust- 
 ees, to ascertain as nearly as I could the state of affairs at the 
 college, and what duties I would be expected to perform, and 
 
FUNERAL OF REV. ASA SHINN. 357 
 
 then went forth to my appointed labors on the Pittsburgh Dis- 
 trict. The central parts were visited during the fall and win- 
 ter, and, generally speaking, the Churches were found to be in 
 a healthy condition. During that winter my physical energie 
 were very much exhausted by hard labor, and I began to feel 
 it to be entirely wrong for me to be so much from home. My 
 family needed my presence, and my whole nature, soul and 
 body, needed rest. A weakness in the lower limbs, a soreness 
 in the diaphragm, and a constant determination of blood to the 
 brain, began to admonish me that my itinerant toils must be 
 brought to a close. Yet I loved itinerant life, and hardly knew 
 how to lock the wheels which so long had rolled me on, and 
 call a final halt. 
 
 Just as I was about to close my labors in the Sharpsburg 
 Station, and return to my family in Uniontown, the remains of 
 Rev. Asa Shinn, who had died in Brattleboro, Vermont, were 
 brought home to his family, in Alleghany, for interment, and 
 I was called upon to preach his funeral sermon in the Alle- 
 ghany church. His death occurred on the 11th of January, 
 1853. 0, how I felt my inability to do justice to the mental, 
 moral, spiritual, and ministerial character of that good and great 
 man of God! lie had been under a dark mental cloud for eight 
 or nine years, but now had gone forth to the clear light of an 
 eternal day. Will I ever see his like again? Shinn, Snethen, 
 and Jennings — wjiat a trio ! — all giants in the Christian min- 
 istry, all leading reformers, and all have passed away to their 
 home in heaven ! Jennings was classically educated, yet always 
 yielded the palm of greatness to the other two; they, in turn, 
 conceded it to him. Shinn and Snethen, both self-made men, 
 were always found each to prefer the other before himself, and 
 neither of the three has left, in any of the Churches, a supe- 
 rior. Their greatness clothed them with deep humility of mind 
 and childlike simplicity of manners. They were lovely men, 
 and left to the Church the bright example of a holy life. 
 
 On my return to my family in Uniontown, I found there was 
 trouble in Madison College. In consequence of some disagree- 
 ment between the President, Rev. R. H. Ball, and his subordi- 
 
358 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 nates in the faculty, whicli bore very hard ou Mr. Ball's health, 
 and sorely afflicted his mind, he determined to resign his posi- 
 tion in the college. This step, no doubt, met the approbation 
 of the remaiuing members of the faculty, but it by no meaus 
 suited the views and wishes of the trustees. Were the truth 
 fully known, I think it was to gratify Mr. Ball that, in the out- 
 set, a college was started instead of a high-school, and now for 
 him, in consequence of trouble which ought to have been left 
 to the trustees to settle, to leave the institution so soon, was 
 not satisfactory to the board, the students, the citizens, nor the 
 friends and patrons of the college generally. An appeal was 
 then made to Bev. Francis Waters, D. D., to come and take the 
 presidency of the college. He answered to our call, came out 
 from Baltimore to see us in our troubles, and agreed to accept 
 the position, but, in consequence of existing engagements, could 
 not enter upon the duties of his office until the following Sep- 
 tember. Meantime, to carry on the college, the board, by the 
 advice of both Ball and Waters, elected me to serve as Presi- 
 dent jpro (em., until the collegiate year should close. So, here 
 I was, "Jack in a pinch" — many a time I have been "Jack in 
 a pinch " — compelled into service when every body else failed. 
 He who presides in a College should, in my judgment, un- 
 derstand, with critical accuracy, all that is taught in such an 
 institution, from the bottom to the top, and have good executive 
 abilities. But my qualifications would not come up to this 
 standard, as I was, mainly, self-taught; and with all my might I 
 remonstrated against my 2)'>^o tern, appointment, but all to no 
 purpose, as it was affirmed, by Dr. Waters and others, that very 
 few Presidents were thorough masters of the lohule college course 
 of instruction. When nothing else would do, I consented to 
 serve as best I . could. Mental and Moral Science, Logic, 
 Natural Theology, and Ancient and Modern History belonged 
 to my chair. All of these branches had been my favorite 
 studies in former years, as closely connected with my minis- 
 terial calling, and I thought myself able to teach them, and 
 did feel in my heart a confidence that, with the blessing of 
 God, I could govern the college without *a war with my col- 
 
RETURN TO THE LABORS OF THE DISTRICT. 359 
 
 leagues or witli the trustees. So, Rev. Noble Gillespie took my 
 place on the district for about three months, and I attended to 
 all his work in the Uuiontown Station, and performed the du- 
 ties of President in Madison College to the end of the year. 
 Our annual commencement was a credit to the institution. Dr. 
 Waters was there, and delivered his inaugural address, which 
 was very highly appreciated by the people. 
 
 My term of service in the college being at an end, and 
 brother Gillespie having returned to the labors of his station, 
 after filling my appointments, I took my son George again for 
 a traveling companion on the district in North-western Penn- 
 sylvania. Our route led us through Johnstown and to the Sus- 
 quehanna country; thence to Jeflferson, Clarion, Pleasant Valley, 
 and Gerrard, near lake Erie. From the last-mentioned point we 
 turned south, to a camjj-meeting near the Ohio line, on Sharon 
 Circuit. We were out from home about nine weeks. The 
 weather was excessively hot ; the traveling in a mountainous 
 country was very fatiguing to man and horse; my labor at the 
 various meetings was too great for my strength, and my health 
 at one time was so much broken down, that for about one week I 
 had to be nursed by kind friends on the Clarion Circuit. When 
 I reached home, all my physical energies were so far exhausted 
 as to produce a conviction in my mind that itinerant life with 
 me must now be brought to a final close. Had it not been for 
 the untiring watchfulness and care of my dear son, who managed 
 the horse and buggy and attended to all my wants, I could not 
 have accomplished the trip at all. After attending an excel- 
 lent camp-meeting near Counellsville, Pennsylvania, where I 
 preached but once — there being other good ministerial brethren 
 there to perform the labor — I returned home to prepare for the 
 Conference, which was held in Washington, Pennsylvania, Sep- 
 tember, 1853. At that Conference, being worn out in the serv- 
 ice, the brethren granted me a superannuated relation at my 
 own request. To be compelled, by the enfeebled state of my 
 health, to retire from the itinerant ranks, where I had labored 
 so long, moved me to tears, and I never shall forget the balmy 
 sympathy of kind friends who clustered round me with wprds 
 
360 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 of encouragement. That was an interesting and impressive 
 Conference, handsomely entertained by our people, assisted by 
 the community, and made a good impression in favor of the 
 Methodist Protestant Church on the public mind. Yet there 
 was one thing that occurred — a little too painful to be written — 
 which gave me no little trouble for several years. Will God, 
 in mercy, be pleased to give me the charity that hopeth all 
 things and never faileth. 
 
REV. FRANCIS WATERS. D. D. 361 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 Eev. Francis Waters, D. D., President of Madison College— His Resignation— Ret. 
 S. K. Cox, President— Pecuniary Embarrassments in College Affairs— General 
 Conference of 1851- The Enteuing-wedge of Church Division— Cholera Durino 
 THE Session of the Pittsburgh Annual Confeuence in Alleghany— Visit as Fra- 
 ternal Messenger to the Pittsburgh Conference of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, at Blairsville, Penn.— Serious Trouble at the College— Expulsion of a 
 Student— Ei-.consideration of the Sentence UR<iED— Threat of the Faculty to Re- 
 sign UNLESS Sustained by Board of Trustees— Faculty Sustained— Visit to Cincin- 
 nati—Military Discipline— Prophetic Opinion on Political Matters Expressed 
 
 BY Ex-GoVERNOR BeANCH, OF NORTH CAROLINA- SECESSION OF FACULTY AND FOUNDINO 
 
 OF AN Institution AT Lynchburg— Election to the Presidency of Madison College. 
 
 Being now free from itinerant service, and without any in- 
 come from the Church, I aimed to make a living for myself 
 and family by kee^jing boarders, but could not succeed. From 
 first to last, I sunk money by the operation. Nor was this all. 
 Heavy duties devolved upon my wife, which gradually wore 
 down her feeble constitution. Yet we were ambitious to sustain 
 our family, and continued at that business, much as we disliked 
 it, as long as we remained at Uaiontowu. But, in the winding 
 up, I found that I had drawn heavily on my own means in- 
 stead of making a living by boarding students. The fact is, 
 we did not understand the business, had not the tact for it nor 
 the health to undergo its toils, and from it, on the score of 
 prudence, should have abstained. 
 
 During my jpro tern, presidency in the college, Rev. William 
 Collier was in the presidency of the Board of Trustees. In a 
 short time he relinquished that office, and the board reelected 
 me to my former position. When the college was opened, on 
 the 1st of September, Dr. Waters, having removed with his 
 family to Uniontown, took his position as President, and every 
 heart was glad ; for he was a man of venerable age, of a com- 
 manding person, a thorough scholar, an able minister of the 
 23 
 
862 RECOLLECTIONS OP ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 Gospel, a perfect geutleman ia his social habits, and one of the 
 foremost educators in our country — the very man to build up 
 our institution. This, I believe, was the universal ojiinion in 
 relation to our newly-elected President. But in about two 
 months, owing to causes, as the Doctor informed me, not con- 
 nected with the college, or the Board of Trustees, or the citi- 
 zens, and not revealed to any one, he left the college and 
 returned to Maryland. As we had been greatly elevated in 
 our hopes and expectations by his coming, we were propor- 
 tionally distressed by his resignation and departure. Professor 
 Newell, at the instance of Dr. Waters, then took charge of the 
 institution, and the work went on as usual; but it was easy to 
 see, at home and abroad, that public confidence was very much 
 shaken. 
 
 Before Dr. Waters left Uniontown, the Board of Trustees 
 sought his advice as to a suitable person to be his successor. 
 He recommended Rev. S. K. Cox, who was at that time sta- 
 tioned in Georgetown, D. C. Immediately a correspondence 
 ■was opened by the board with Mr. Cox, who accepted the po- 
 sition, and in a short time came on. Again confidence began 
 to revive, for we found Cox to be a well-educated, ardent young 
 man, a good preacher, of fine social habits, and did not doubt 
 but he would do all he could to build up the college and win for 
 himself a high reputation as a first-class educator. In a short 
 time, however, we had reason to believe him to be somewhat 
 visionary, but did not dread evil results to the college, as he 
 was amiable in his intercourse with the trustees, and very labo- 
 rious in the discharge of all his duties in the institution. Mat- 
 ters for some time moved on very well. God gave us a revival 
 of religion in the Church. Many of the students were the sub- 
 jects of saving grace, and the President of our college proved 
 himself to be a valuable laborer in that revival, and thereby 
 gained an extensive influence over the students and among the 
 people at home and abroad. 
 
 But it will be necessary to turn back a little in the history 
 of events. In the month of March, 1853, the Board of Trustees 
 determined on the erection of an addition to the eolle2:e build- 
 
EMBARRASSMENTS IN COLLEGE AFFAIRS. 363 
 
 ings, at a cost of §3,200. The Methodist Protestant Church 
 was to pay one-half of this amount, and the citizens of Union- 
 town the other ; and agents, one for each of the parties, were 
 then appointed by the board to raise the required funds to ac- 
 complish the object. According to our contract with the build- 
 ers, the money was to be paid in four installments : one-fourth 
 when the foundation was laid, another when the roof was on, 
 another when the carpenters' work wa« done, and the balance 
 when the whole job was completed. As before stated, at the 
 conclusion of my labors in college, I had gone out to finish my 
 year in the Conference district as President. When I returned, 
 the building had progressed finely. Two payments were then 
 about due. The citizens had paid up ; eight hundred dollars were 
 due from the Church, and our agent had made no collections! 
 All of this was very painful and mortifying to me, especially 
 as the board determined that one or the other of two things 
 must now forthwith be done. Either we must abandon the 
 building enterprise altogether, or I must, by some means, raise 
 eight hundred dollars, to meet the Church's part of the pay- 
 ments, then due. 
 
 I took a little time for reflection, and was sorely grieved at 
 the failure of our agent. We had pulled down an old building 
 to put up a new one in its place. Unless we finished the new 
 building, we could not carry on a college at all, for want of 
 room. The idea of abandoning it altogether did not suit me, 
 as I knew the Church, from the beginning, had suffered much 
 for want of such an institution. Nor did it suit me to assume 
 the responsibility of borrowing eight hundred dollars. Yet, to 
 save the character of the Church, and relieve myself from un- 
 speakable mortification, and to open up the way for the college 
 to go on, I did, with Daniel Huston for security, borrow of 
 Mrs. Rachael Skiles the eight hundred dollars to pay the work- 
 man. To meet the other payments on behalf of the Church, 
 as they fell due, cost me a great deal of trouble, and by far too 
 much of my own money; yet the whole was fully paid. In my 
 judgment, that new addition to the college building ought not 
 to hav^e cost the Church one cent. The citizens should have 
 
364 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 borne the entire expense of its erection, as, by our carrying on 
 a college among them, they had the advantage of educating 
 their sons at home, and the students expended a great deal of 
 money in Uniontown. 
 
 In May, 1854, the General Conference was held in Steuben - 
 ville, Ohio. This was the last time the North met the South in 
 General Conference. For sixteen years the constitutional liberty 
 of the press had been broken down by the Book Committee, in 
 Baltimore, to please slaveholders. The Fugitive-slave Law, 
 enacted by Congress in 1850, by which Northern freemen were 
 compelled to be slave-catchers for Southern slaveholders, was 
 doing our Church great injury in all the free States. There 
 being left in our Church no medium of free communication for 
 thought and argument against the great moral, political, and 
 domestic evil of slavery, it was thought best, by the members 
 of the General Conference who were from the free States, to get 
 that body to establish a book concern and a Church paper, un- 
 der its own control, somewhere in the West. To be degraded 
 into slave-catchers for the South, and have no medium through 
 which to utter a complaint, offer an argument or a remonstrance, 
 under General Conference authority, was most provoking to our 
 people, and led to a constant drain of our members off to other 
 Churches in the North. But the committee in this case, com- 
 posed of Northern and Southern members, could not agree to 
 report in favor of a book concern in a free State, under General 
 Conference control. The South, evidently, was afraid that a 
 free press, in Northern hands, would a.ttack slavery and bring 
 trouble into the General Conference. The final action of that 
 body was to authorize the establishment of a book concern and 
 Church paper in the West, under the control of such Annual 
 Conferences as favored the measure, allowing the new estab- 
 lishment their proper share of the funds of the book concern 
 at Baltimore. At the same time, to make things even, the latter 
 was placed under the management of the Southern Conferences ; 
 and the Conferences North and South were authorized to carry 
 on their publishing interests by the action of conventions. 
 
 Here it will be seen that, to accommodate the slave power, 
 
ENTERING-WEDGE OF CHURCH DIVISION. 365 
 
 whicli at that time had a firm hold on the vitals of the Meth- 
 odist Protestant Church, an important portion of the constitu- 
 tional work of our General Conference was thrown out from 
 under the control of that body, to be subjected to the regula- 
 tions of conventions wholly unknown to the constitution of our 
 Church. Here, too, it will be seen that Church division was 
 commenced. A Church that will not, on account of slavery, or 
 any thing else, work together in sustaining vital interests of 
 a constitutional character, can not possibly remain united to- 
 gether. The members of that body generally thought their 
 action to be a "peace measure; " and that, as nothing published 
 on the slave question, by authority of these outside conventions, 
 could ever, in future, come before the General Conference to 
 disturb its harmony, henceforth the North and South would 
 be at peace among themselves. I, however, was of a difi"erent 
 opinion, and so was Dr. Armstrong, of Tennessee. We were 
 the only members of that body who opposed the measure as 
 tending to division. The Doctor protested against the action ; 
 I did not, but declared it to be my conviction that the General 
 Conference had "started an entering-wedge — division would fol- 
 low." When I sat down, with a sad heart, unable to restrain 
 my tears. Dr. Thompson, of Virginia, came to me to soothe my 
 feelings, and, in the blandest tones possible, said: "I regard this 
 as a peace measure. The slavery question can no more come into 
 the General Conference, and, as we shall have nothing to quarrel 
 about, all will be peace in future." "But," said I, "where will 
 be the use of a General Conference at all, when all our gen- 
 eral interests are thrown out to be managed by conventions?" 
 " There will be our missions and our college," he replied. I 
 was glad to obtain from him the least hint favorable to these 
 important interests, especially the college enterprise, as in that 
 I was deeply interested ; and it gave me unspeakable pleasure 
 to witness, on the part of the Conference, such a commendable 
 zeal to promote the welfare of our literary institution at Union- 
 town. 
 
 It is my firm belief that the friends of the foregoing "peace 
 measufe " were all of them sincere. Yet, on mature reflection, 
 
366 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 after tlieir *eturn to their homes, they were not satisfied with 
 what they had done, and it was soon most unmistakably under- 
 stood that this peace measure had waked up the spirit of war ; for 
 a desire was almost immediately eviuced by some of the members 
 of the General Conference, who had favored the action of that 
 body to call a convention, at once to dissolve our connection, in 
 order to avoid any further encroachments on our constitutional 
 rights by the slaveholders of the South. To accomodate them, we 
 had been deprived of the constitutional liberty of the press for 
 sixteen years, and now they had so managed as to get the Gen- 
 eral Conference to befriend slavery again, by throwing out the 
 book concern and Church papers to the unconstitutional con- 
 trol of conventions. The truth is, our Churches in the free 
 States were then in a condition where men of reason and re- 
 ligion could not easily be satisfied; but the time for division 
 had not yet fully come. 
 
 From the middle of May, 1854, to the month of September, 
 in Western Pennsylvania and the north-eastern parts of Ohio, 
 there fell no rain, of any account, to nourish the earth. There 
 was a general failure in the crops. Provisiong were very scarce, 
 and could only be purchased at exorbitant prices. The distress 
 among the poor was exceedingly great the following fall and 
 winter. That year I sunk money by boarding students at a 
 slightly increased price; but still I retained my boys and did 
 the best I could. The students must have accomodations or go 
 home, and the college run down, which would have been a grief 
 to all its friends, for at that time it was in a flourishing con- 
 dition. I will here record the generosity of my old friend 
 Rev. C. Springer. Hearing of the famine, he sent me, from the 
 vicinity of Zanesville, Ohio, all the way to Uniontown, Penn- 
 sylvania, four barrels of apples, to help me through the winter, 
 for which I felt very thankful. God and my friends helped me, 
 and I did all I could to help myself and to aid those who were 
 worse off than I was, for even poor men may assist one another. 
 
 In September, 1854, the Pittsburgh Annual Conference was 
 held in Alleghany. There came a great rain, the first we had 
 had of any special advantage to vegetation for more than three 
 
MATTERS AT MADISON COLLEGE. 367 
 
 montlis. Immediately the cholera made its appearance in the 
 cities of the two rivers, in the most alarming form. Rev. H. 
 T. Layton, one of our excellent itinerant ministers, fell by that 
 disease so suddenly that many of his brethren in Conference 
 had not yet been informed of his illness. Several other mem- 
 bers of the body were attacked, but by skillful medical treat- 
 ment, under the Divine blessing, they recovered. For fear of 
 this terrible scourge, several left for home. When Conference 
 was over, and I was about leaving, being delayed a little ia 
 Pittsburgh on business, my turn came to feel, for the third time 
 in my life, what it was to be stricken down by the cholera. By 
 the aid of appropriate remedies, I was, in a short time, so far 
 recovered as to be able to return to my family; but it waa 
 several months before my health was fully restored. 
 
 At that Conference, in the midst of so much cholera excite- 
 ment and alarm, the Western Virginia Conference District was 
 set off, very much to my grief. The brethren in that region 
 did not appear to favor the anti-slavery views and feelings of 
 the Pennsylvania portion of the old Pittsburgh Conference. A 
 new district they thought would enable them to extend the 
 work, and they would feel more comfortable by themselves; so 
 the brethren agreed to let them go. There was, undoubtedly, 
 an overruling Providence in this matter, as well as in the action 
 of the General Conference in Steubenville. God was preparing 
 the Methodist Protestant Church in the free States to escape 
 from the troubles which He saw were coming on the country 
 in consequence of slavery. Many a time have I found that 
 things that caused me the greatest grief had in them the 
 greatest good, upon the whole, when events more fully disclosed 
 the designs of Providence. 
 
 It will now be proper to give some further account of mat- 
 ters at Madison College. This is deemed appropriate as a part 
 of my own personal history. Early in March, 1855, at the 
 request of Rev. S. K. Cox, President, I took charge of his 
 classes, while he went to attend the Maryland Conference, on 
 business pertaining to the college, and taught until near the 
 end of the month, when he returned and resumed his place and 
 
368 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE, 
 
 duties again. On Sunday morning, the 18tli of Marcli,* while 
 I was attending an appointment in the country, three of the 
 students who boarded at my house, among whom was Washing- 
 ton Harbaugh, were requested to go into the room occupied by 
 W. and C. Bailey until their own room was put in order — the 
 Baileys and other boarders being absent at Sunday-school. 
 While there, Harbaugh took a book and read, but the other 
 two students put bits of paper in under the lid of W. Bailey's 
 desk to tease him. They all then returned to their own room. 
 After church, the Baileys came in, and W. Bailey, on seeing 
 the bits of paper sticking under the lid of his desk, became 
 very angry, and said Harbaugh had been in his room playing 
 tricks on him. One of the students, anxious for mirth, went 
 and informed Harbaugh that he was accused. Out stepped Har- 
 baugh and denied the charge. Bailey called, him a liar. He 
 again denied the charge; then Bailey repeated the declaration 
 that he was a liar. Harbaugh instantly took him by the throat, 
 and a fight ensued. The students who had played the trick 
 separated them, explained the matter, cleared Harbaugh, and 
 took the blame on themselves. Still, Bailey persisted in calling 
 Harbaugh a liar. 
 
 After preaching that night, Mrs. Brown gave me a statement 
 of all the foregoing particulars. It grieved me much that any 
 of my boarders, over whom I watched, and for whom I prayed 
 to God continually, should have outraged all moral order and 
 got into a fight. So I went up to talk to W. Bailey about the 
 impropriety of fighting, but found him in bed, fast asleep. I 
 then went into Harbaugh's room, and talked with him a long 
 time concerning the improper, disgraceful, dog-like practice of 
 fighting. He admitted all I said to be true, but insisted that 
 " there was no other way to deal with such fellows as Bailey 
 but to choke them, and he meant to choke back that lie on 
 Bailey the next morning." I then told him not to dare to do 
 such a thing; I prayed to God in my house, and could not 
 allow fighting among my boarders. So, after warning him 
 against indulging in anger, I left him for the night, hoping he 
 
 *I liera transciibe from a document written a little after tliat timo. 
 
SERIOUS TROUBLE AT MADISON COLLEGE. 869 
 
 would bo cooled off by morning. A good sleep often overcomes 
 blind passion. 
 
 In the morning the young gentlemen all ate their breakfasts 
 quietly together, and then started to college. On the way, Har- 
 baugh called upon Bailey to take back that lie that he had 
 charged him with. Bailey refused to do so, and then a fight im- 
 mediately came off, which was pretty sore on both sides. It 
 was just over as I came up. After prayer and roll-call in col- 
 lege, I reported the case to the faculty, and requested that due 
 attention should be given to it, and that the institution should 
 be saved from any further disgrace by their fighting. As they 
 both belonged to the preparatory department, I supposed that 
 such correction as they deserved would be administered by the 
 Principal. But a meeting of the faculty was' called for one 
 o'clock P. M. The parties were summoned to appear. The 
 students from my house, and myself, were called as witnesses. 
 All the other witnesses testified before me, and screened the 
 boys all they could. Then I was called, and said I knew noth- 
 ing of the matter, only what my wife had told me. The fac- 
 ulty replied that would be taken as evidence, and directed me 
 to proceed. I did so, and gave all the particulars as they oc- 
 curred at my house, as my wife had stated them to me. A 
 part of my testimony was, that " W. Bailey called Harbaugh a 
 liar twice, and then the fight began." Perceiving that the gen- 
 tlemen of the faculty talked among themselves while I was 
 testifying, and fearing that I was not understood, I repeated 
 my words: " W. Bailey called Harbaugh a liar twice, and then 
 the fight began." Still, I was not understood; for, in making 
 up their award, ten demerit marks were given to Washington 
 Harbaugh for calling W. Bailey a liar ! This was putting the 
 saddle on the wrong horse; it was neither kind to me, nor just 
 to Harbaugh, who, when he got his sentence, left the room in 
 a rage and went home, being in no condition of mind for col- 
 lege duties that afternoon. 
 
 Finding what was done, and how Harbaugh was grieved at 
 the injustice done him by the faculty, I desired him to be 
 calm, and I would have the mistake rectified; and so I did, the 
 
370 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 next morning, and reported that fact to Ijim before morning 
 prayer. To this, however, he paid no attention ; for, when called 
 on by Professor Carroll to give an excuse for absence from 
 recitation, the previous afternoon, he replied, cj-ustily, "I was at 
 home, sir." "That won't do," said Carroll, "You must have 
 a better excuse than that. I can't take that. Any gentleman 
 could say, I was at home.' "Were you sick ? or what was the 
 matter? Answer me, sir." His manner was quite tart. I was 
 near enough to hear every word, and felt that two angry spirits 
 were now in conflict. "You did me injustice yesterday," said 
 Harbaugh. " You gave me ten demerit marks for calling Bill 
 Bailey a liar, when Mr. Brown testified that it was Bill Bailey 
 that called me a liar; and I '11 go home when I please, and stay 
 at home as much as I please." He was greatly excited and 
 very impertinent, and the feeling of the faculty was roused 
 against him to the highest pitch. One of them, who stood near 
 me, said "his very blood boiled," and all of them evinced con- 
 siderable vindictiveness of spirit, on that occasion, against Har- 
 baugh. 
 
 It may be proper here to submit two remarks. 1. Harbaugli 
 got into the quarrel through the fault of others. They stuck the 
 bits of paper into the desk. He was accused; he denied the 
 charge, and was called a liar; so the trouble began. 2. An 
 unjust sentence passed upon him by the faculty, right in the 
 teeth of my testimony, twice repeated, led to all the following 
 impertinence. He was made to suffer for the fault of others. 
 On this account I was constrained to pity him, and try to get 
 him fair play in all his troubles. He had very high mettle, but 
 was of a noble, generous spirit. 
 
 Young Harbaugh, now fairly in the current, was swept along, 
 and his ultimate destiny seemed inevitable. At one o'clock 
 that day, he was called before the faculty again, under charge 
 of impertinence to the officers of the college. They were now 
 avenging themselves on that boy for disrespect provoked by the 
 injustice of their own administration. The case required ten- 
 derness, as they were a party concerned; but it got none. Five 
 demerit marks for being absent from recitation the preceding 
 
EXPULSION OF A STUDENT. 871 
 
 afternoon, and twenty for impertinence to the faculty that 
 morning, were given him. This I had from themselves. As 
 Harbaugh was leaving the room, after getting his sentence, he 
 turned back and stood in the door, and said: "Gentlemen, make 
 out your bill, and when I have got enough demerit marks, I'll 
 go home." For this they gave him twenty-five more, on the 
 spot, which made the whole amount one hundred and two. So, 
 that evening the faculty reported him to me, at my owa 
 house — expelled! Up to that evening, I did not know the na- 
 ture of their demerit-mark system, or that one hundred marks 
 expelled a student from college. I supposed the marks were 
 designed to go on the monthly reports, and be sent home to the 
 parents and guardians, as an indication of a young gentleman's 
 standing at college, and to be followed by letters from home 
 of an admonitory character. But now I began to see that the 
 college was under new regulations, which were not known to or 
 sanctioned by the Board of Trustees. 
 
 I was requested by the faculty to carry their decision into 
 execution for them the next morning. My age and character, 
 it was said by them, would give it weight. I excused myself 
 from performing the task, and said I was a member of the 
 board, not of the faculty. The case, according to the charter, 
 must come before the trustees; then would be my time to act. 
 I then requested them to change the sentence to sending him 
 home, instead of expulsion. To expel a student, and so pub- 
 lish it in the annual catalogue, was a deadly injury. A student 
 so expelled and published could not enter any other reputable 
 college in the land. But merely to send him home was a sen- 
 tence that left him under no such disabilities, and it would as 
 fully relieve them of any further trouble in the case as would 
 expulsion. To this they finally agreed. I then ventured a 
 little further with these angry men, and pleaded hard that the 
 sentence of sending home might not be executed until the Pres- 
 ident's return, but could not prevail. It grieved me sorely to 
 see three young gentlemen, of fine talents and literature, indulg- 
 ing so much ill-feeling against a delicate youth, of a noble heart, 
 •who had been brought into trouble by the faults of others, and 
 
372 KECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 maialy by their own. The injustice which, through mistake, they 
 had done Harbaugh, should have induced a feeling of tender- 
 ness toward him. But in them, alas ! there was no such feeling. 
 On the next morning, after roll-call and prayer, Professor Car- 
 roll, President pro tern., in open college, pronounced the awful 
 words, "Washington A. Harbaugh, having got one hundred de- 
 merit marks, is, by sentence of the faculty, sent home." Poor 
 boy ! His lips quivered, his face flushed, the tears started in his 
 eyes; he took his hat and left the college hall, and did not leave 
 a heart behind him more noble than his own. The men he had 
 to deal with never understood his character. In consequence 
 of feeble health, hard study was often irksome to him ; but kind 
 treatment, as health improved, would have brought him along 
 and made a first-rate man of him. About my house he was a 
 favorite. He was orderly, quiet, and respectful, but would resist 
 oppression at all hazards. His word could always be relied on. 
 I advised hira not to go out through town, nor to write 
 home, until President Cox returned ; but to wait until they re- 
 ported to his father what had taken place. He remained in the 
 house as requested, and cried much of the time; said he was 
 ruined, and could not go home nor see his father. He admitted 
 his errors to me very frankly, and said, now that the ten de- 
 merit marks, unjustly given, were removed, he deserved all the 
 rest. Finding his spirit very much humbled, I persuaded him 
 to write a penitent letter to the faculty. He said he would do 
 it if I would assist him; so the following was written by me, as 
 he requested. 
 
 "To THE Faculty of Madison College: 
 
 " Gentlemen — Having taken time for reflection on my present 
 painful situation, and having advised with confidential friends, 
 who are likewise your friends and the friends of the college, I 
 deem it proper, if possible, to undo all that I have done amiss. 
 A false charge and abusive language provoked me into a fight 
 with AVilliam Bailey. We were both brought to trial before 
 the faculty, where, through misapprehension of Mr. Brown's 
 testimony, ten demerit marks were inflicted on me more than I 
 
A PENITENT LETTER. 373 
 
 deserved. Being greatly Irritated at this grievous wrong, I did 
 not remain at college that afternoou. Next morning, being still 
 in an irritated state of mind when called on for my excuse, my 
 replies were exceedingly improper. Nor can I justify my lan- 
 guage to the faculty at the second meeting, where I was again 
 tried. Now, as the faculty, on being convinced of error, did, 
 in an honorable way, correct what they had done amiss in my 
 case, by striking out the ten demerit marks wrongfully given, 
 I hope they will allow me the privilege of rectifying my errors 
 too. 
 
 " I therefore acknowledge I did wrong in fighting, and that 
 my language to the officers of the college was entirely im- 
 proper. I am truly sorry for all that has occurred in this most 
 unpleasant and painful case, and ask the faculty to accept my 
 acknowledgment, to remove the demerit marks given me in this 
 case, place me where I was before, and let me remain at college. 
 If they will do this, I will try to do my duty in time to come. 
 The interests of the college will probably admit of this favor 
 being shown me. The feelings of my parents and my own wel- 
 fare appear to require that I should ask it at your hands. If 
 this request is granted, I shall be under great and lasting obli- 
 gations. Most respectfully, I am, etc. 
 
 " W. A. Harbaugh. 
 
 " Uniontown, 3Iarch 23, 1855." 
 
 This penitent letter met with no favor from the faculty. They 
 scorned it, and alleged that it made the matter worse, as it re- 
 ferred to the error they had fallen into and its correction, and 
 hoped that the writer would be allowed a like privilege to cor- 
 rect his errors. This reference to their error and its correction 
 was, in their opinion, the very height of insolence on the part 
 of Harbaugh, and they spurned him and his letter too. Find- 
 ing how his letter was treated, he sent a copy of it, by my ad- 
 vice, to President Cox, when he came home; and, from a con- 
 versation which I had with him, I had full confidence that our 
 troubles would soon be ended by Harbaugh's restoration. But, 
 on Saturday evening, March 28, the faculty met. Cox was 
 
374 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERAXT LIFE. 
 
 present, and, contrary to my expectation, gave liis official sanc- 
 tion to the decree of banishment pronounced against poor Har- 
 baugh. So his penitent letter availed no more with Cox than 
 with his colleagses. I was informed by Mr. Cox of his con- 
 firming their decision, on Sunday evening, as we returned from 
 church. I only remarked at the time, that "I hoped no injury 
 would happen to the college from what they had done." He 
 replied, that they "would have restored him, but he was a hypo- 
 crite." Hypocrite! said I to myself, as we parted; how can the 
 faculty know that? Who but the living God can search the 
 heart of that boy? Have these young Southerners attained to 
 infallibility ? 
 
 That night I slept but little. My heart was sorely troubled. 
 A college without mercy to the penitent ! A faculty claiming 
 infallibility, to sustain themselves in acts of cruelty ! Such 
 thoughts came and went at pleasure through my mind. Oa 
 Monday I took the charter of the college, and went to Cox, to 
 show him, from that document, that things in our college were 
 not right; that the faculty were bound to govern the college 
 according to the laws sanctioned by the Board of Trustees, and 
 that neither the charter nor the by-laws made by the trustees 
 gave any sanction to the military system introduced by the fac- 
 ulty. "Our college building," said I, "is at this time a place 
 of deposit for muskets. Our students are in military garb ; are 
 mustered on the commons and in out streets several times a 
 week. They attend church on the Sabbath-day in their military 
 uniforms. The demerit-mark system is a military affair. What 
 is to be done?" Cox said he " regarded all this as being in agree- 
 ment with the charter, as no infringement of the by-laws, and 
 as essential to the final success of our literary institution." So 
 lie and I difi"ered very widely in our opinion about what was 
 necessary to the success of a Christian college. At that time 
 he informed me he had communicated to Harbaugh's father that 
 he was to be sent home. "What," said I, "and no final action 
 of the board in his case!" After a little reflection, I said: 
 "Perhaps 'it is as well so; you have done it all yourselves. He 
 is now sent home by decision of the faculty alone. Don't 
 
FACULTY THREATEN TO RESIGN. 875 
 
 trouble the board with it." I felt afraid of the consequences 
 to the college. Cox said he " had only reported the case to Har- 
 baugh's father as far as it had gone; he knew it must come be- 
 fore the board." 
 
 On the following Saturday there was a meeting of the trust- 
 ees. After transacting all the business in a very harmonious 
 manner, Cox brought up the Harbaugh case, the other gentle- 
 men of the faculty being present. The entire fiiculty objected 
 to Harbaugh's being present and to his penitent letter being 
 read, for he had sent a copy of it to the board. It took con- 
 siderable time to hear the jiros and cons, and finally settle this 
 little matter. The faculty had speech about with the board. 
 Mr. Cox gave distinct intimations that resignations might be 
 expected if the board admitted Harbaugh, or allowed his letter 
 to be read ; as if the only office of the board, in such a case, 
 was blindly to approve of what the faculty had done, without 
 hearing the other side at all. If this were not done, resigna- 
 tions might follow. On an appeal to me, in the chair, I de- 
 cided that, " in a Methodist Protestant college, in an appealed 
 case, as I considered this to be, Methodist Protestant usages 
 should be maintained, as far as the charter and by-laws will 
 allow. In this case there is no obstruction from these docu- 
 ments; so Harbaugh may come in, and his letter may be read." 
 After this decision, the threatened resignations did not follow, 
 and we adjourned for dinner, all in a pleasant mood. 
 
 At two o'clock the board reassembled. All the members of 
 the faculty were there. Harbaugh was admitted, and his peni- 
 tent letter read. He had no defense to make ; that letter, he 
 said, stated his desires fully. All he wanted was mercy ; so he 
 was directed to retire. Not wishing to call in question the 
 military system — under which the college had been placed by 
 the faculty — until the end of the year, a motion was made by 
 J. L. Phillips, seconded by Hon. A. Stewart, to sustain the 
 action of the faculty, and recommend that body to restore Har- 
 baugh. After a good deal of discussion, Carroll and Cox evi- 
 dently aiming to overawe the board with their threats of resig- 
 nation, if a motion were adopted recommending the boy to their 
 
376 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 mercy, tliat motion was withdrawn to make way for anotlier. 
 Then Hon. R. P. Flenniken, with Dr. D. Gibbon for* a second, 
 oflFered another motion to the same effect, only a little more full, 
 for it assigned reasons for Harbaugh's restoration; namely, "his 
 penitent letter and his tender age." The first part of this mo- 
 tion was adopted, as it sustained the faculty; but on the second 
 part the tug of war came on. All the members of the faculty 
 opposed it in rather a fierce and fiery manner. They indicated 
 a determination to resign if the motion were carried requesting 
 them to restore Harbaugh. 
 
 In their opposition they were assisted by Hon. A. Stewart. 
 He admitted that Harbaugh ought to be restored ; but said, 
 "My doctrine is this: if we carry on the college, the faculty, 
 right or wrong, must be sustained." This gentleman would 
 have voted for the motion as a matter of right ; but, as a matter 
 of expediency, to retain the faculty and carry on the college, he 
 voted against it. He was not by any means the first man in the 
 world who "did evil that good might come." Cox then labored 
 hard, first, to sustain the action of the faculty in banishing 
 Harbaugh for his impertiueucej and, secondly, to show the great 
 mischief to the college which must inevitably result from adopt- 
 ing the motion then under consideration. Among the evils which 
 would immediately follow its adoption would be his resignation 
 and that of his associates. So, then, these gentlemen would 
 not even allow the board to ask them, respectfully, to show 
 mercy to a penitent student. If it was done, they would resign. 
 The very thought of such a spirit as was here evinced was 
 terrible to me. But Cox went on. " Hai'baugh," he said, 
 " never wrote that penitent letter. Besides, if he did, he was a 
 vile hypocrite; for, the very next day after it was written, he 
 was heard down street, by a respectable student, boasting how 
 he had, in that letter, given it to the faculty." I noted this 
 statement particularly, and knew it to be untrue and injurious 
 to Harbaugh's reputation. My whole fimily could testify that 
 he had not left my house to go anywhere for three days after 
 that letter was written ; and they, with the boarders at my house, 
 knew him to be an open-hearted, honest-minded youth — one who 
 
HELPING THE PENITENT. 377 
 
 had been trained by reputable Christian parents to detest hy- 
 pocrisy. 
 
 Hon. R. P. Flenniken then said he wished to hear from me. 
 So Dr. Gibbon was called to the chair, and, in the kindest man- 
 ner I could, I spoke of the faculty as gentlemen, as being well- 
 qualified instructors, etc., and that all who knew me would give 
 me credit for the sincerity of my efforts to promote the interests 
 of the college; and, in my judgment, to pass the motion then 
 before the board would accomplish that object. I then ex- 
 pressed my hope that no such evils as brother Cox had inti- 
 mated would follow its adoption, and went on to say: "He has 
 asked, with an emphasis. What good can it do ? It will do this : 
 it will let every body know that there is mercy in Madison 
 College for an erring student who repents and promises amend- 
 ment. At least it will show that there is mercy in this board. 
 It will ruin the interests of this institution, throughout the 
 Church and in all the country, if no forgiveness is extended to 
 erring students when they repent and promise amendment. 
 Brother Cox says Harbaugh is a hypocrite, and, to prove it, 
 tells us of a respectable student who heard him down street, next 
 day after his letter was written, boasting how he had given it 
 to the faculty. Now, at our house, we all know this statement 
 to be a mistake. Harbaugh did not leave our house to go any- 
 where for three days after. On the third day, he went out into 
 the town for the first time, and when he heard how his letter 
 had been treated — bitterly criticised, and regarded as making 
 the matter worse — he then complained of the faculty, and for 
 a time regretted having written it at all. 
 
 " It is said by brother Cox that Harbaugh never wrote that 
 penitent letter. What then? It will not follow that it was 
 wrong for him to obtain assistance in writing it. I wrote it 
 for him. It is my duty to help the penitent. I found him 
 weeping, and believed him to be sincere. After three days' sore 
 distress on account of his situation, I advised him to write that 
 letter, and, at his request, I wrote it for him, and think I did 
 right in so doing. It can not be wrong to help the erring to re- 
 turn to duty. His conduct was impertinent. Justice can do 
 24 
 
378 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 nothing for him. His only plea is mercy, and I hope he will 
 find mercy at the hands of this board." 
 
 The hard-hearted treatment received at the hands of the 
 faculty by Harbaugh roused the impetuous temper of J. H. 
 Deford, Esq., who gave us the next speech. I do not recollect 
 his points. His severity on the ficulty made me forget the 
 chain of his argument. He was several times called to order, 
 but refused to obey. Three members of the faculty left the 
 house while he spoke; so did several members of the board. In- 
 deed it was a moving time. By the threats of resignation pre- 
 viously made and repeated that day, and from their leaving the 
 house in an angry manner while Deford was speaking, I was led 
 to expect every one of them to resign if the action of the board 
 in the slightest degree disturbed their decision in the Harbaugh 
 case ; and I was prepared to let them go, for I wanted God's 
 mercy to the penitent fully established in the government of 
 Madison College. When Deford's speech, so offensive to the 
 faculty in its character, was over, the members of the board re- 
 turned, and about nine o clock at night the vote was taken, and 
 the question lost. So the f\iculty triumphed over the board 
 and over God's mercy. A Christian college, and no mercy in 
 it for an erring student who repents, implores forgiveness, and 
 wishes to return to his duty again ! What a burning shame I 
 The very men — excepting Flenniken and Deford — who brought 
 forward the motion requesting the faculty to restore Harbaugh, 
 in consequence of his penitent letter and tender age, abandoned 
 their own measure when it came to the vote, for fear the faculty 
 would resign. I knew full well that, unless a change could be 
 effected, this would be the death of Madison College ; and felt 
 in my heart that my days in connection with that institution 
 were, if things remained in their present position, about draw- 
 ing to a close. To trample on God's mercy for the purpose 
 of sustaining faculty authority was revolting to my judgment 
 and conscience, and I resolved not to do it. 
 
 On the following Monday morning the college was opened 
 as usual, and that day Mr. Cox told me all was quiet, and that 
 he thought there would be no resignations. But, in order that 
 
NO MERCY FOR AN ERRING STUDENT. 379 
 
 I might remain myself at Madison College, I felt it necessary 
 to make another effort to enthrone mercy over that institution. 
 To accomplish this, I got Mr. Flenniken to go to President 
 Cox and ask him, as the matter was now wholly with the fac- 
 ulty, and the board was done with it, to take early measures to 
 restore Harbaugh, and that the peace of the college would then 
 be reestablished. Mr. Flenniken soon returned, and informed 
 me that Cox said " nothing could be done then; they might do 
 it after awhile." Mr. Flenniken said, " If you can restore him 
 now, he can remain at college ; if not, Mr. Brown goes to 
 Cincinnati on Wednesday, and will take him to his parents." 
 "Well," replied Mr. Cox, "nothing can be done noio." So I 
 gave the matter up. Soon after, I met Cox on the street, and 
 said, "You saw Mr. Flenniken?" He answered, "Yes;" and I 
 then asked, "Can you do any thing to relieve Harbaugh?" 
 "May be we can on Saturday," he replied, "if you leave him." 
 " Do, brother Cox," said I, " restore him, and let me take him 
 home on Wednesday. His father has written me to bring him." 
 "But," said he, "if we restore him, why not leave him?" To 
 this I replied, "I can not leave him in the midst of his enemies; 
 he has not a friend in the faculty." I own that this was severe. 
 It was the first and only severe thing I said in all this most 
 painful struggle. He looked thoughtful for a moment, and then 
 walked away, making no reply. 
 
 On Wednesday morning, he came to my house and asked, 
 "Are you going to Cincinnati to-day?" I told him I was. 
 He remained some time in conversation, partly with me and 
 partly with the family. When he left, I went with him to the 
 door, not intending to say one word about the Harbaugh case. 
 But he said, " Will you indeed take Harbaugh with you?" I 
 told him I would. My heart being very full, I went on to say: 
 " Brother Cox, Madison College is ruined ! Your military ap- 
 pendage and demerit-mark system have taken it from under 
 the charter and by-laws. And, by faculty influence over the 
 board, there is no mercy in that body now for an erring stu- 
 dent when he repents. You have, likewise, taken the college 
 from under the control of the Methodist Protestant Church, 
 
380 RECOLLECTIONS OP ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 where penitents do find mercy. And, more yet, you liave taken 
 it from under the control of the Christian religion. In that 
 religion there is mercy for penitents, but with you and your 
 faculty there is none. Now, since the board, overawed by 
 your threats of resignation, has sustained you in these things, 
 I see no way left for me but to abandon my present position in 
 the Board of Trustees, and attack your military administration 
 in both of our Church papers." "But you will not do that," 
 said he, "if Harbaugh is proven to be a hypocrite?" "No," 
 I answered; "if he is proven to be a hypocrite by that 'respect- 
 able student' you spoke of — and there are many such, and some 
 I hold to be doubtful — I will give the matter up. I never will 
 sustain a hypocrite. But who is that 'respectable student,' 
 who heard Harbaugh, down street, the next day after his peni- 
 tent letter was written, boasting how he had given it to the 
 faculty?" "That student was not before the faculty," answered 
 Mr. Cox. "I do not even know his name; but Professor Car- 
 roll said in the faculty meeting that there was such a witness." 
 "My family," said I, "know well, and so do I, that Harbaugh 
 remained in my house for three days after that letter was writ- 
 ten, and did not go down town at all; so I know that thing is 
 not true. Can it be possible, brother Cox, that you have joined 
 with the faculty in pronouncing a sentence of condemnation 
 and banishment against a student of Madison College without 
 hearing the witness yourself, or even knowing his name? This 
 thing fills me with profound amazement! Bring me that stu- 
 dent if you can, and if you can not, then restore Harbaugh, or 
 I will, as I have already said, attack your administration in 
 both of our Church papers, and let the Methodist Protestant 
 Church know what you are doing at Madison College." 
 
 On hearing my earnest speech, all warm from my troubled 
 heart, away went Cox and assembled his faculty; but no witness 
 was brought to me. I suppose there was none to bring. In 
 about one hour he returned, and in a very pleasant manner 
 acknowledged a mistake in this whole matter ; said that Har- 
 baugh was restored, and that the faculty had agreed to show 
 mercy to penitent students in all time to come. This was all 
 
STATEMENT OF A FALSE CAUSE. 381 
 
 I wanted. We parted in Christian friendship, and that day, at 
 one o'clock, I was off for Cincinnati, taking Harbaugh with me 
 to his parents. There was a great change for the better in my 
 feelings. I supposed that peace was now permanently restored; 
 that at the end of the collegiate year we could easily put aside 
 the military system introduced by the faculty, and return to our 
 former plan of government. My hopes were high, and I felt 
 now like renewing my efforts in behalf of the college. At that 
 time our prospects of final success were very fair; so Cox had 
 reported them at the Maryland Conference, as may be seen by 
 our Church paper. His speech before that body was encour- 
 aging. He returned home with several new students, and had 
 been successful in making collections. Now that the vexed 
 question about young Harbaugh was disposed of, and God's 
 mercy had returned to the college, and we had increasing public 
 favor, why should we not get along well? Even the overruled 
 trustees, as well as myself, were hopeful. 
 
 But in those days there were thorns and briers in every path 
 for me. While in Cincinnati, at the house of Mr. Harbaugh — ■ 
 father of the young man who has figured in this narrative — I 
 read Cox's letter, informing him of the sentence by which his 
 son was sent home. In that letter no allusion was made to the 
 real cause of his banishment ; namely, a contest with the faculty. 
 All was put upon his inattention to study. This was only a small 
 part of the cause, and would not have led to his banishment at 
 all if there had been nothing else, for he was a youth of feeble 
 health, and did about as well as he could in his studies. I 
 myself was a witness to the fact in part, and had the balance 
 from the professors themselves, that young Harbaugh got more 
 than one-half of the demerit marks by which he was banished, 
 for his impertinence to the faculty during a three-days' contest 
 with them. So, here was a fjilse cause stated by the President 
 of our college to a father for the banishment of his son. I 
 could not have believed that Cox would have assigned a false 
 cause in this case, instead of the true one, if I had not seen it 
 with my own eyes. To have my confidence shaken in the 
 veracity of the President of our literary institution afflicted me 
 
382 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 very mucli. Wheu trutli fails in presidents, colleges fall of 
 course. Yet, again, when I returned to Uuiontowu, I was 
 amazed and confounded, and knew not which way to look for 
 relief to my heart, when I was informed, by a number of re- 
 spectable students, that, while I was absent, Cox had said, in 
 open college, after morning pi-ayer, that "it was not true that 
 Harbaugh had been restored, and that he had never said he 
 was, to any person." Now, this gentleman had informed me of 
 Harbaugh's restoration, in my own house, in the presence of 
 my family. I could not, therefore, be mistaken in the matter, 
 and the students affirmed that they were not mistaken as to his 
 denial of Harbaugh's restoration, or that he ever said he was 
 restored to any person. I took time for reflection as to what 
 was best to be done in this case, which gave me so much pain, 
 and finally concluded to do nothing, for the following reasons : 
 1. I was afraid of injury to the college. 2. I had already been 
 troubled enough in these struggles. 3. I had some reason to 
 believe that Cox had been led into all that he did, in intro- 
 ducing the military system into the college and in the Harbaugh 
 case throughout, by his colleagues. 4. At that time he was 
 involved in a good deal of trouble about temporal matters, and 
 I did not wish to add to his afflictions by an investigation of 
 a question of veracity. 5. I could not find that any one in that 
 community doubted his having told me that the faculty had 
 restored Harbaugh. In this view of the case, I deemed it best 
 to let the matter rest, and do all I could for the peace and 
 prosperity of the college. Cox was certainly a man of hand- 
 some talents, but impracticable and visionary in his conceptions 
 of things; easily involved in trouble in almost any direction, 
 and therefore more to be pitied than censured by me. 
 
 In the commencement of this college enterprise, as the lo- 
 cation of the institution was in a free State, the trustees deemed 
 it good policy to take the President and professors mainly from 
 the slave States. The only Northern man in the college was 
 Rev. G. B. McElroy, who had been Principal of the preparatory 
 department, and was, finally, made Professor of Mathematics; 
 but, under President Cox's administration, he was compelled to 
 
MILITARY DrSCIPLDTE. 383 
 
 resign his position under pressure of Southern influence. Mr. 
 McElroy was a fine schohir and an able mathematician ; but at 
 that time he was not a graduate of any college, and for this 
 reason, as Cox informed me, the Southern part of the faculty 
 did not favor him, nor was it long before the Southern students 
 asked for his removal. After enduring considerable persecution, 
 he resigned, and Mr. Murfee, a gentleman from the South, was 
 chosen to fill his place. So, now all the officers of the college, 
 from the bottom to the top, were from the South; and, in a 
 short time, the military appendage already alluded to was intro- 
 duced, and the character of the discipline was materially changed 
 by the faculty, without the knowledge or consent of the trust- 
 ees. This was a daring innovation on the established regula- 
 tions of the college, and gave us much trouble, as has been 
 already seen. It took Southerners to do such things. 
 
 I knew nothing of the theory or underlying principles of 
 this military appendage. I never saw the action taken by the 
 faculty in getting it up. I could, therefore, onlj- judge of it 
 by its practical workings. I saw that a great number of our 
 students were clothed like soldiers, and appeared in their uni- 
 forms in college, on the streets, and in church on the Sabbath- 
 day. I saw that they had muskets when on parade, and that 
 our college building was the depository of military arms. I 
 was informed that the college company had allied itself to the 
 regiment of the county, in order that it might be entitled to 
 draw these arms. I saw the constant morning drill in the col- 
 lege campus, and that they mustered on the commons and 
 paraded along the streets several times a week. I saw that the 
 faculty had become a standing court-martial, and that nothing 
 could be done, even in Prep-dom, with an offending student, 
 without a sentence from this court-martial. This left the Prin- 
 cipal of the preparatory department without authority and 
 without respect. One hundred demerit marks, given by these 
 assessors of damage for this, that, and the other, entitled a 
 Student to expulsion, and to have his name so reported in the 
 forthcoming catalogue. 
 
 This whole military system was a violation of the charter 
 
384 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 and by-laws. It was supremely ridiculous in a Methodist Prot- 
 estant college. Many have been the conjectures as to the de- 
 sign of the faculty in adopting that appendage. To me it is 
 now highly probable that the present rebellion, long prede- 
 termined by Southern statesmen of the Calhoun school, will 
 afford a clue to their design. West Point could not turn out 
 military men fast enough to satisfy the South. All the Southern 
 colleges, and others under Southern influence, must, if possible, 
 be induced to give young gentlemen a military training against 
 the approaching struggle, for the present rebellion had been in 
 contemplation, among the leading politicians of the South, for 
 the last thirty years. I am confirmed in my opinion on this 
 subject by the following fact: In 1854, Eev. John Scott, D. D., 
 the present editor of the Western Methodist Protestant, and 
 myself attended the Virginia and North Carolina Conferences 
 of our Church. While at the latter Conference, ex-Governor 
 Branch, who resided near at hand, sent his carriage, and took 
 brother Scott and myself to his house to spend the night. We 
 found him to be very intelligent, courteous, and communicative. 
 After supper, taking a box of Havana cigars in his hand, he 
 invited us into the smoking-room. So, away we went, took 
 each a cigar, and, as the smoke went on, we talked over the 
 politics of the day. The Kansas trouble was theji beginning 
 to be felt, and in our conversation the slave question came up. 
 The Governor spoke without reserve. "Gentlemen," said he, 
 "I am greatly concerned for my country. The slave-power 
 has always controlled this Government, and if the day shall ever 
 come when the South shall lose that control, she will break 
 down this Government and set up a Southern Confederacy." I 
 gave it as my opinion that he was mistaken. " Gentlemen, 1 
 am not," said he; "I am well acquainted with all the leading 
 statesmen of the South, and I know it to be a foregone deter- 
 mination among them to rebel and break down our National 
 Government, so soon as they lose the control of it, and set up 
 a government for themselves."* So, here we have one of the . 
 
 * Dr. Scott has reminded me, since the above was written, that Governor Branch thought 
 the next Congress would be the last. 
 
PROPOSED ENDOWMENT OF MADISON COLLEGE. 385 
 
 great men of the South bearing witness to the determination 
 of Southern states^men either to rule or ruin this nation — to con- 
 trol or destroy our Government. Will not this justify the in- 
 ference that thee-e crafty men had enlisted all the colleges then 
 under Southern influence to drill the students in military tactics 
 against the time when the Southern control of the Government 
 should cease and the contemplated rebellion come on? Presi- 
 dent Cox and his colleagues often spoke, in my hearing, of the 
 military drill of students in Southern colleges, and, by the 
 example of those institutions, aimed to justify the drill at Madi- 
 eon College. My opinion then was, that the thing was foolish; 
 now, I think, in view of the facts in the case, that it was in- 
 cipient treason, since fully developed in a terrible war. 
 
 The gentlemen of the faculty, in consequence of the military 
 character given our college without the sanction or the knowl- 
 edge of the board, and in consequence of their cruel treatment 
 of young Harbaugh, and of their overruling the board with 
 threats of resignation, if that body should ask them, by an 
 official act, to restore that penitent student, had brought on 
 themselves and their course of action pretty general condemna- 
 tion. The public mouth was opened wide. They and their 
 doings were much talked of in that community, which thing 
 made them all feel very sore, for they all loved popular favor. 
 In a short time it began to be alleged by these gentlemen that 
 the North had not done as much as the South for college in- 
 terests. Then again it came, in letters from the South, that 
 Eev. C. Avery, a great Abolitionist, had agreed to endow the 
 college, and that the Board of Trustees, in consideration of this 
 great favor, had determined to admit colored students along 
 with the whites into the institution. Letters written by at 
 least one member of the faculty were given as authority for 
 these reports. The first of the above complaints was partly 
 true: our agents had canvassed the South, and were only then 
 beginning in the North. The second was wholly false : neither 
 Mr. Avery nor the board had ever thought of an endowment on 
 that principle. But the idea of taking colored students into the 
 college, once thrown abroad on the Southern mind, had the in- 
 
386 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 tended effect: it prepared the Southerners to call home their 
 sons at the end of the term. To educate their sons along with 
 negroes was, to them, horrible. 
 
 As the collegiate year was drawing to a close, I was informed, 
 by a letter from Lynchburg, Virginia, that our faculty had, in 
 the early part of April, made arrangements to open a college 
 in that place. Yet, they gave us no information to that effect 
 themselves, until near the time of the annual commencement, 
 late in June. They were employed by our board, and under 
 our pay, and were, therefore, bound, in honor and justice, to 
 build up our institution; but, instead of doing this, they worked 
 against our college, from the time of their contest with the board 
 in the Harbaugh case to the end of the year, and finally drew 
 off nearly all of our Southern students to their Lynchburg in- 
 stitution. At that time the South went for a Southern col- 
 lege ; at a later date, for a Southern Confederacy. 
 
 At the close of the annual commencement exercises, the fac- 
 ulty all resigned; and President Cox stated, to a large assembly, 
 that they had made arrangements to open a Methodist Prot- 
 estant College at Lynchburg, the following September. Rev. 
 William Collier, J). D., then read a paper containing sundry 
 resolutions of the board, indicating a determination on the part 
 of that body to elect another faculty, and open the college at 
 the usual time in the fjill. Very much against my wishes, I was 
 chosen by the board as President, and instructed to use all pos- 
 sible diligence to secure a competent corps of firofessors during 
 the vacation. I felt great reluctance in accepting the ofiice as- 
 signed me by the board, because of a consciousness of a want 
 of literary competency for the work; and because of a con- 
 viction in my mind that, since the South had gone from us, 
 there would be an inability felt to sustain a competent faculty. 
 However, being urged, and assurances being given me that the 
 Church would lend a helping hand, I agreed to take the ofSce, 
 and do the best I could. The following gentlemen, all from 
 the free States, composed the new faculty: Rev. G. B. McElroy, 
 M. B. Goff, P. S. Bancroft, Professors; and A. Hutton, Princi- 
 pal of the Preparatory Department. These gentlemen being 
 
CONDITION OF MADISON COLLEGE. 387 
 
 secured as my fellow-laborers, I awaited the opening of the col- 
 lege, in September, with a great deal of anxiety. I was not 
 afraid of the integrity or ability of my associates, but I did dis- 
 trust my own qualifications. The character of the college had 
 been injured; many of our students, on false representations, had 
 left us, and our financial condition was not satisfactory. 
 
388 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 A New FAfui-Ty— Pecuniary Condition of thr College— Travelinq on Colleqe Busi- 
 ness— Toub Thuougu Old ViiiaiNiA— Visit to Lynohburo- A Southerner's View 
 OF Slave-trading- College Commencement— Change in the Faculty— Collegk 
 Closes. 
 
 On the first Mouday in September, 1855, Madison College 
 was opened under a new corps of professors. P. S. Bancroft 
 was elected to the chair of Mathematics; M. B. Goif, who was 
 not present at the opening of college, was chosen Professor of 
 Languages. These two gentlemen, in a short time, to gratify 
 preferences, exchanged chairs, without objection from the trust- 
 ees. Bev. Gr. B. McElroy took charge of the preparatory de- 
 partment. Bancroft and Goff, both excellent young men, had 
 recently graduated at Alleghany College. McElroy graduated 
 at the succeeding annual commencement at Madison College. 
 With these gentlemen for colleagues, I commenced the term 
 with great concern of mind. Indeed, I would not have taken 
 the presidency, or opened college at all, but for the urgency of 
 the Board of Trustees, especially the Church portion of it, who 
 assured me that tlie Church icould stand at my hack in all my 
 efforts to build up tJiat institution. Three Southern presidents 
 had left it. Eighty-five out of ninety of our Southern students 
 had been wrongfully carried off from us, by President Cox and 
 his colleagues, to Lynchburg. The character of the college, at 
 home and abroad, had been greatly depreciated. Our finances 
 were in a crippled condition. Now that the South was gone, 
 the college was not sufficiently central to suit the free-State 
 portion of the Church. Uniontown was, financially, rather on 
 the wane, was somewhat sectarian, and would not give much 
 support to a Methodist Protestant college. All these things 
 
RETURN TO COLLEGE DUTIES. 389 
 
 were rather against us; yet, it was deemed best to make a 
 trial, and give our friends in the North an opportunity to help 
 in this matter, as the college was very much needed by the 
 Church. 
 
 Shortly after the commencement of the term, the Pittsburgh 
 Conference held its annual session in Brownsville, Pennsylvania. 
 That body took spirited action in behalf of the college, and I 
 was encouraged to hope for an increase of students, and that 
 my old friend, Rev. C. Avery, now that the institution was no 
 longer connected with slavery, would do something handsome 
 toward its endowment. In a short time, I ventured to address 
 to him a most earnest appeal on that subject. To me he made 
 no reply, but placed in the hands of Revs. W. Collier and J, 
 Robison, as trustees, fifteen hundred dollars for the benefit of 
 our college. This was help in the right direction, and I was 
 inclined to hope, believe, and pray that he would do still more, 
 as he was abundantly able, and most munificently liberal. But 
 Madison College, owing to its location, not being sufficiently 
 central for the Northern portion of the Church, and to au 
 opinion entertained by him that enough had not been done for 
 the institution by men of wealth in its immediate vicinity, it 
 received nothing further from Mr. Avery. Certainly, men of 
 means who live near a college should be liberal in its support, 
 as they enjoy advantages not possessed by others who reside at 
 a distance. 
 
 I left the Conference at Brownsville, and returned to my 
 duties in the college on Monday morning. For two years I had 
 sustained a superannuated relation to the Conference, and did 
 not ask or expect that relation to be changed. Yet a change 
 was made, and I was placed back on the list of effective preach- 
 ers, as I was informed, because it was judged improper for a 
 superannuated minister to be President of the college. This 
 act cut me ofi" from a superannuated preacher's claim on the 
 funds of the Aid Society, and left me to depend exclusively 
 upon what our crippled college could give me. This was not 
 bringing "the Church to stand at my back," and I felt very 
 sure that all the funds that could be made by the college would 
 
390 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITIIS^ERANT LIFE. 
 
 have to go to pay my colleagues, or I would lose them as co- 
 laborers, and the institution would die on my hands. To get 
 along at all, I had to lean on my own limited means for more 
 than half the support of my family, while serving the Church 
 as President of the college. Would it, indeed, have been an 
 odium on the college for a superannuated minister to have been 
 its President? Or were the brethren mistaken in this matter? 
 At any rate, from the necessities of the case, I was compelled 
 to spend my own funds, to the injury of my family, and I did 
 not feel very comfortable under the circumstances. The above 
 is stated as connected with my personal history, and I take 
 pleasure in adding that this thing, long gone by, has left no 
 sore place in my heart. Grod has not yet, nor will he ever, 
 allow me and mine to suffer. Long ago, I made up my mind 
 never to forsake God, and I do most conscientiously believe that 
 he never will forsake me or mine. 
 
 My colleagues in college labor were all very agreeable and 
 companionable gentlemen. Bancroft and Goff were not profess- 
 ors of religion at that time, but were strictly moral. McElroy 
 had from boyhood been a member of the Methodist Protestant 
 Church, and for several years an itinerant minister. I felt it 
 pleasant to work with these men. They were all hard students, 
 and very attentive and persevering in the discharge of the duties 
 assigned them. But, unlike the Southern professors who had 
 preceded them, they did not mix much with society, and were, 
 therefore, supposed by some to lack social qualities. Perhaps 
 they did, and for this reason were not as popular as men of in- 
 ferior minds and attainments often are. Leaving the young 
 people of Uniontown to seek pleasure in their own way, they 
 seemed to have a high ambition to qualify themselves for suc- 
 cess as educators. In order to accomplish their purpose, they 
 drew me into an arrangement which, for a time, I did not like. 
 To open college at eight o'clock, instead of nine, and perform 
 all the duties of the day against the dinner hour, so as to have 
 no afternoon session, crowded matters on me a little too much, 
 the whole year round. Yet, it led to early rising, and gave the 
 students the whole afternoon more perfectly to prepare for reci- 
 
TRAVELING ON COLLEGE BUSINESS. 391 
 
 tatlon the next morning. So, while the professors gained time 
 for literary improvement, the students had an advantage, and I, 
 with the care of a large family on me, had pretty hard strug- 
 gling to be ready to open college at so early an hour. 
 
 Various efforts were made, during this collegiate year, to in- 
 crease the funds and patronage of the college. Being author- 
 ized by the trustees, I secured the services of Rev. W. Collier 
 to attend the Ohio and Muskingum Conferences, and the serv- 
 ices of Rev. J. Robison to attend the Genesee and Michigan 
 Conferences, in view of college interests. Three of these Con- 
 ferences secured to our institution, by notes, the sum of fifteen 
 hundred dollars ; but the fourth, after voting us five hundred 
 dollars, gave us no notes ; so we actually got nothing from that 
 Conference but a vote ! Was this the fault of the agent, or 
 the fault of the Conference? Who can tell? This was a small 
 addition to our permanent endowment fund, which at that time 
 was not over eleven thousand dollars. The interest of this small 
 amount, and the annual income from limited scholarships and 
 tuition fees, constituted our entire pecuniary support. 
 
 To meet the impoverished condition into which the college 
 was thrown by the withdrawal of the South, the board reduced 
 the salaries of the professors down to the lowest living point. 
 The next eiFort was to secure agents to sell perpetual and lim- 
 ited scholarships, and bring us in students. But in this we 
 failed. All seemed to wish us well, and pray to God to bless 
 us, but we could get no permanent agents. So we labored on 
 in a lingering condition, with about sixty students, through- 
 out the first year. In addition to my giving to my colleagues 
 nearly all the college funds, and relying mainly on my own 
 resources for the support of my family, I got a few friends to 
 join me in a note, and we borrowed five hundred dollars, to 
 meet the claims of my fellow-laborers at the termination of the 
 collegiate year. I found the board determined to carry on the 
 college under my administration, especially the Church portion 
 of it; and if I remained as President, I could only retain my 
 associates by seeing them paid, I supposed. So the above sum 
 was borrowed. But the understanding among the makers of 
 
392 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 the note was, that I was to make payment when the money fell 
 due. 
 
 Our annual commencement was considered by educated men 
 to be very creditable to the instructors. It was numerously 
 attended. The students acquitted themselves well. Our only 
 graduate was Rev. Gr. B. McElroy, who had gone through the 
 studies of the senior year while performing the duties of Prin- 
 cipal of the preparatory department. There would have been 
 others to graduate had they not been drawn oif to Lynchburg. 
 "In hope, believing against hope," we had struggled through 
 the year with public approbation, and felt encouraged to labor 
 on, in hope of final success. 
 
 During the vacation, I undertook to relieve myself from the 
 weighty responsibilities under which I was placed by borrow- 
 ing money for college purposes. The Board of Trustees had 
 offended Mrs. Skiles, of whom I had borrowed the eight hun- 
 dred dollars to pay the Church's part for the addition to the 
 college building. She sent for me and demanded payment. 
 The five hundred dollars borrowed to pay the professors would 
 be due at the end of four months. So, here was work for me. 
 An appeal had to be made to my friends for assistance. I went 
 to Pittsburgh, Steubenville, Cincinnati; to the Pittsburgh Con- 
 ference in Indiana County, Pennsylvania ; to the Ohio, Mus- 
 kingum, and Michigan Conferences; to Baltimore and Philadel- 
 phia; then returned by home, and went on to Western Virginia, 
 making collections to relieve myself of these debts. I had just 
 taken time, amid these toilsome journeys, to open college, in 
 September, and arrange for my classes to be attended to, and 
 then go on again. Finally, being broken down in health, I re- 
 turned home, and paid off the two notes, amounting in all, prin- 
 cipal and interest, to one thousand four hundred and forty-six 
 dollars and seventy-five cents. During my absence from col- 
 lege, after vacation, I gave up my salary, and agreed to take ten 
 per cent, on moneys collected. But when I came to pay the 
 notes, I lacked fifteen dollars of the necessary amount, without 
 taking the ten per cent. So I lost my salary in college, the ten 
 per cent., paid the fifteen dollars out of my own pocket, and 
 
TOUR THROUGH OLD VIRGESTIA. 393 
 
 was glad, even with this loss, to see this troublesome matter 
 ended. To this I will now add, that the whole truth may be 
 known, that fifty dollars, sent me by Mrs. Reese, of Maryland, 
 as a present, and twenty-five dollars as a present from John 
 Clark, Esq., of Baltimore, helped to make up the amount which 
 I had to pay on that occasion. Indeed, I felt willing to endure 
 any toil, or make any sacrifice within the compass of my power, 
 to meet the expectations of the Church, and give our people an 
 educational institution of our own. 
 
 The following March I attended the Maryland Conference 
 in Baltimore, and did well in making collections on outstand- 
 ing obligations. I did well, also, in the District of Columbia. 
 The debtors to the college in these places had not thought of 
 repudiating our claims because President Cox had left us and 
 started a rival institution at Lynchburg. While in Baltimore, 
 I gained information which led me to believe that, within the 
 bounds of the Virginia Conference, our college claims would be 
 paid, if an agent were sent there authorized to make collections. 
 In the month of April, the trustees determined to make the 
 experiment and see what could be done; and, for want of a 
 more competent agent, they sent me on that enterprise. After 
 making an arrangement with my colleagues so as to have the 
 duties of my chair in college attended to, I left home on a col- 
 lecting tour in Old Virginia. In the city of Washington, sick- 
 ness came upon me, and I was detained about ten days. Dur- 
 ing this time, I found a resting-place and very kind attention 
 at the house of brother Drake; and at intervals, as I felt able, 
 went out in the city, to Georgetown, Alexandria, and a little 
 into the country, to attend to our college interests. Wherever 
 President Cox's influence extended, I had no success. Yet I 
 made some collections even in Georgetown, his old home, where 
 he was stationed when we called him to Madison College. 
 
 Leaving Washington, I went by boat and railroad, through 
 RichTuond, to Lynchburg, Virginia, and took lodgings at a 
 public house. There I supposed myself to be an utter stranger 
 to every body. Soon a student, formerly of Madison College, 
 found me. He informed Rev. W. A. Crocker, superintendent 
 25 
 
394 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 of the Lynchburg Station, that I was in the city, and he im- 
 mediately called to see me. Then came a number of the stu- 
 dents who had been drawn off from Madison to Lynchburg 
 College, all glad to see me, one of whom wished himself back 
 again. The next morning I commenced early to hunt up the 
 men of whom I expected to make collections. All acknowledged 
 the claims of our college against them to be just, and that if 
 they did not send their sons to be educated at Madison College 
 80 as to get the value for their money, that was their own 
 matter, and did not destroy the validity of our claim. They 
 had given their scholarship notes, and thus created a reliance 
 upon them for money to carry on the college. But they wanted 
 a little time for reflection ; so I gave them until the next day, 
 and returned to my lodgings. I supposed these men wanted to 
 consult among themselves, or, perhaps, to take legal counsel as 
 to what was best to be done. 
 
 That afternoon. Rev. S. K. Cox sent his carriage, with a po- 
 lite note in the hand of the driver, inviting me to his residence, 
 a short dist^ance in the country, and to make his house my 
 home while I remained in that vicinity. On receiving this in- 
 vitation, all that Cox had done destructive of the interests of 
 Madison College came up to my mind. "What should I do? 
 Finally, I concluded that, as the injury he had done was not to 
 me personally, but to the college, and as a refusal to visit him 
 might not only offend him, but offend the people too, and ob- 
 struct my collecting operations in Lynchburg, it would, there- 
 fore, be best to accept his invitation. While at his house, I met 
 with Rev. R. B. Thompson, D. D., and one or two of the 
 former professors at Madison College, all very civil and clever 
 to me, but full of that Southern feeling which ultimately brought 
 on the rebellion. I visited the college buildings; saw the mili- 
 tary drill of the students ; went up to the observatory to view 
 the city and the surrounding country, and found the scene truly 
 grand. That night. Dr. Thompson, Cox, and I talked, until 
 a late hour, about matters North and South. They supposed 
 there were troubles brewing in our country, and if the troubles 
 came, they would certainly be true to Southern interests. In all 
 
A SOUTHERN VIEW OF SLAVE-TRADESTG. 395 
 
 this conversation, I took the ground that there was good sense 
 and good feeling enough in this nation to settle all our per- 
 plexing questions without a war. The next morning, Dr. 
 Thompson urged me to attend the Virginia Conference in the 
 fall, at which time he would pay his arrearages to Madison 
 College. Cox paid the interest on his college note then, and 
 they both wished me success in making collections. This was 
 better than I expected from them. AVhen I was about leaving, 
 Mr. Cox took me into the city in his carriage, and if he did 
 not aid, he did not obstruct me in accomplishing the object of 
 my mission. All the people with whom I had business treated 
 me kindly, and such of them as were able paid oif their notes. 
 I then went by railroad, through Petersburg, to City Point, 
 where I took a steamer for Norfolk. From thence I went to 
 Hampton and Fortress Monroe. In all these places I made 
 collections for the college, amounting in all to between four 
 and five hundred dollars. 
 
 The following conversation, which occurred at the tea-table, 
 in a pretty large company, at the house of brother John Brown, 
 in Hampton, while I was thei-e, will illustrate the feeling of the 
 people in that part of Virginia on the subject of slavery: 
 "Brother Brown," said one of the guests, "what did you think 
 of the Doctor's speech last night in the Old-side love-feast?" 
 "It filled me with horror," replied our host. " I never had such 
 feelings in a love-feast before in all my life. With gushing 
 tears the Doctor expressed his hope of meeting his dear old 
 father, who had died a short time before, in the kingdom of 
 glory, when in my heart I really did believe that his father 
 was in hell." "Come, come, brother Brown," said I, "who 
 made you the judge of all the earth, to fix the doom of a fel- 
 low-mortal in that kind of style?" "Why," returned he, "we 
 all, in this part of Virginia, think slaveholding, without slave- 
 trading, is bad enough ; but the Doctor's father had been for 
 many years in the slave-trade, buying up negroes — parting hus- 
 bands and wives, parents and children — and driving them to 
 the Southern plantations, and selling them there into hopeless 
 bondage. We, in these parts, do not believe such a man can 
 
396 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 be saved." "Now," said I, "if I had heard such a speech at 
 home, in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, I should have called it an 
 abolition speech, but what shall I call it here in Virginia?" 
 All at the table agreed that I might give it whatever name I 
 pleased. It fully expressed the sentiment and feeling of the 
 better sort of people in that part of the Old Dominion. 
 
 From Hampton I returned home by way of Baltimore, and 
 found all well ; but I was very much worn out myself by the 
 toils of travel in the South. After a little rest, I entered 
 upon college duties again, and continued to the close of the 
 collegiate year. When the annual commencement came on, in 
 June, we had six graduates ; to-wit : G . W. Burns, J. N. Cas- 
 sell, A. W. Ross, C. H. Causey, D. W. Lawson, and E. W. 
 Stephens. These were all respectable young gentlemen, of 
 promising talents and fine acquirements ; and J hope they are 
 now doing good service somewhere for the benefit of our race, 
 the honor of their Grod, and their own present and eternal wel- 
 fare. The exercises of that occasion gave general satisfaction to 
 the public ; and though there was much in our financial embar- 
 rassme^its to give me great concern, yet the trustees determined 
 that the college should be carried on. Again I had to make 
 myself responsible for three hundred dollars to pay my col- 
 leagues, all of whom left me. McElroy and Gofi" took positions 
 in a 3Iethodist Protestant college in North Illinois, and Ban- 
 croft returned to his home, near Meadville, Pennsylvania. This 
 was a great trial to me. Only Amos Hutton, who had been 
 Principal of the preparatory department, was left toward a new 
 corps of laborers for the ensuing year. 
 
 During the vacation, efi^orts were made in all directions to 
 secure patronage, an increase of funds, and a competent faculty. 
 Ultimately, John Deford, a graduate of Madison College, and 
 William Campbell, a graduate, I think, of Jeflierson College, 
 both of Uniontown, Pennsylvania, were elected by the trustees 
 as my fellow-laborers iu the up-hill business of running Madi- 
 son College. Amos Hutton was continued as Principal of the 
 preparatory department. At the appointed time, in September, 
 the college was opened in due form. We only had about forty 
 
SITUATION OF UNIONTOWN. 397 
 
 studonts. Neither the town, the country, or the Church had 
 given us the patronage that was expected. But we held on our 
 way, hoping, praying, and hiboriug hard for success. In the 
 fall, I attended the Virginia Conference, in view of college in- 
 terests, and had only partial success in collecting funds. At 
 our Conference in Pittsburgh, in September, I hq,d obtained but 
 little encouragement. A visit to Cincinnati, on college business, 
 toward spring, gave me but little hope. So, shortly after my 
 return, on consultation with the trustees, it was deemed advis- 
 able to close the college and give up the struggle. A contro- 
 versy in the Methodist Protestant Church, looking to a suspen- 
 sion of official cooperation between the North and the South, 
 was against us. The citizens of Uniontown had not paid more 
 than half of their part for the new addition to the college build- 
 ing, and the property was in danger of being sold to pay the 
 balance and other debts. This, too, was against us. That por- 
 tion of the endowment fund which came into the hands of the 
 treasurer was, by order of the board, used, from early date, to 
 pay the professors — the board promising interest. This, when 
 it became known to our people, was likewise very much against 
 us. A non-paying institution, crippled in so many ways, could 
 not be carried on. Madison College, if my information be cor- 
 rect, has been sold to pay debts due on the property and other 
 debts; and I have been a great sufferer in many ways by my 
 efforts to carry on that institution for the Church. My head 
 turned gray very fast while I resided in Uniontown. All col- 
 leges, to be successful, should have a full endowment, perma- 
 nently invested, before a single student is ever admitted to their 
 halls. 
 
 As to Uniontown itself, it was beautifully situated in a healthy, 
 picturesque region of country. Among the inhabitants there 
 was a considerable amount of mental and moral culture, and a 
 high degree of sociality of character. Yet it was not a good 
 place for a college. The railroad had drawn away travel from 
 the old National Pike, and had thereby greatly reduced the 
 amount of business done in the place. Business of all kinds 
 was very much run down. As in a man of declining health all 
 
398 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 energy for business is gone, so in a waning town all enterprise 
 is at an end. Colleges should always be located in the midst 
 of a prosperous, enterprising people. It takes a people to feel 
 assured that they are making money before they can be habitu- 
 ally in the spirit of giving money to build up colleges, or to 
 sustain any other benevolent enterprise. 
 
 While I was in Uniontown, the question of the Methodist 
 Protestant Church in the free States suspending all official con- 
 nection with the slaveholding Conferences and Churches in the 
 South was argued in our Church paper in the West. I was as 
 fully convinced that slavery was a great moral, social, political, 
 and domestic evil as any of my brethren. I was as certain as 
 any of them that an end of the cooperation of the Churches 
 North and South would soon come ; but, for a time, I did not 
 agree with them as to the manner of bringing it about. I now 
 believe that they were right and I was wrong, and that there 
 was an overruling Providence shaping our course and directing 
 our affairs, when, in the convention of 1858, the Methodist 
 Protestant Church in the free States did suspend all official 
 connection with the slaveholding Conferences and Churches of 
 the South. In doing that act, we defined our position as a 
 Church on the slave question. We retained our ministers and 
 members, who, on account of our connection with the South, 
 would have gone off from us to other Churches. In doing that 
 act we were guided by a higher wisdom than our own, in an 
 escape from the ruinous condition into which the coming M'ar — 
 not seen by us — would have plunged our Church. In doing 
 that act we did not, like the Methodist Episcopal Church, hang 
 on to slavery connections until the President of the United 
 States bad killed slavery by his proclamation of freedom. In 
 doing that act, in obedience to our clearest convictions of moral 
 right, without waiting for the civil or military power to open 
 our way, we did what we never expect to regret while life or 
 thought or being lasts, or immortality endures. 
 
DELEGATES TO THE SPRINGFIELD CONVENTION. 399 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 Delkoates Elected by Pittsbdrgh Conference to the Convention at Springfield, 
 Ohio— Missionary Work and Farmin(; Operations— Meeting of Committees on the 
 Union of the Wksleyan and Mf.tuodist Protestant Churches— Compilation of a 
 Hymn-book — Visit of Fraternal Messengers from the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church to the Pittsburgh Conference— Visit as Fraternal Messenger to the 
 Pittsburgh Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, at Blairsville, 
 Pennsylvania— Removal to Vicinity of McKeesport, Pennsylvania— Elected 
 Editor op Western Methodist Protestant- Removal to Springfield, Ohio— 
 DEA.TH of both My Sons— Views and Wishes on Ecclesiastical Matters. 
 
 In September, 1858, the Pittsburgh Annual Conference was 
 held in Conuellsville, Pennsylvania. It was an important and 
 interesting session of that body, and made a favorable impres- 
 sion on the community. Delegates were elected to the Spring- 
 field Convention, and instructed to take action in favor of a 
 suspension of all official ecclesiastical relations with slavehold- 
 ing and slave-trading Conferences and Churches, as already 
 stated. Kevs. J. Scott, J. Robinson, and myself were the min- 
 isterial delegates. Brothers John Redman, George Pogue, and 
 S. Homer were the lay delegates. At the above-named Con- 
 ference, I was again granted a superannuated relation, and the 
 brethren treated me with liberality in the apportionment of 
 the necessary funds for the subsistence of my family. But as 
 ministerial laborers were scarce, at the solicitation of friends, 
 I agreed to take charge of the Youghiogheny Mission. So I 
 left Uniontown — the scene of my college toils and sorrows — and 
 removed, in the fall, to Conuellsville, that I might by means of 
 the railroad conveniently reach my field of labor. Once more 
 I was actively engaged in the itinerant ranks, and felt myself 
 more comfortable in striving to build up the Church than in 
 the up-hill business of trying to sustain a falling literary insti- 
 tution. On that mission I had some success. A society was 
 
400 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 formed at Coultersville, of good materials, to which additions 
 have since been made, and there is, I have been informed, an 
 intention to build a house of worship the ensuing summer. No 
 Church can be permanent and prosperous without a house in 
 which the children of God can statedly meet for Divine service. 
 
 While on that mission, I rented a house and a few acres of 
 ground, near Braddocksfield, of my old friend Robert Milligan, 
 to which I moved my family on the 1st of April, 1859. Hav- 
 ing been brought up on a farm, and feeling it a duty to do all 
 I could in my old age for the support of my own household, 
 and wishing to give my two sons honorable employment, I en- 
 tered upon this farming enterprise, and crowded that six-acre 
 lot to its utmost capacity with corn, oats, potatoes, tomatoes, 
 beans, cabbage, melons, etc. But, alas for us ! the ground, be- 
 ing far worn, was not very productive; and there was not 
 enough of it for such agriculturists as we were to make a com- 
 fortable living on. The situation of this property was very 
 pleasant, as it overlooked .steamboat navigation on the Monon- 
 gahela River for several miles on one side, and the Pennsylvania 
 Railroad passed across the upper part of it on the other side. 
 So, between the passing of cars and steamers, we seemed to be 
 where the world was in motion about us. The neighborhood, 
 too, was vei-y agreeable; but our house was too small to suit 
 us, so we only remained there one year. 
 
 As to my farming operations, my ncighboi's gave me a good 
 deal of credit. They, on each side of me, planted the small, 
 refused potatoes, which were not fit for table use. I advised 
 them against this, and told them if they would have good po- 
 tatoes they must plant good potatoes — always to take the best 
 of every thing for seed. My seed potatoes were the best I 
 could find in the Pittsburgh market. My neighbors' ground 
 was about like my own, and the culture was about the same. 
 The tops of their potatoes were very luxuriant; mine were so 
 small as to make them laugh and say "they had the ague." 
 They had in number more potatoes than I had, but, like their 
 seed, they were generally small; while mine were very large, 
 and of a superior quality. 
 
EXPERIENCE IN FAPwMINa. 401 
 
 Oa the 4th of June, a very severe frost, which did much 
 damage over a great extent of country, cut off the young corn, 
 the tomatoes, and the Lima beans. My neighbors made haste, 
 as the season was far advanced, and plowed up their corn- 
 ground and planted again. My sons and I, with some other 
 help, immediately went all over our corn, beans, and tomatoes, 
 each having a pair of scissors, and cut the tops below where 
 the frost had reached. The beans and tomatoes sent outside 
 shoots from well-established roots, and produced abundantly ; 
 and the corn, being well-rooted in the ground, came right on 
 and did well. But I noticed that in every instance where we 
 failed to clip the corn below the part injured by the frost, the 
 disease went down into the root and destroyed the stalk alto- 
 gether. To be successful, this clipping must be done at once; 
 the third day may be too late. 
 
 On my grounds at Braddocksfield there was an abundance 
 of plum-trees, but they had brought no fruit to perfection, we 
 were told, for seven years; all had been taken by the curculio. 
 My neighbors had generally lost their fruit by the depredations 
 of the same insect. To remedy this evil, I followed the direc- 
 tions of some old agricultural paper, and, by applying a com- 
 bination of the following materials, successfully repelled the 
 enemy : " To one pound of whale-oil soap, add four ounces of 
 sulphur. Mis thoroughly, and dissolve in twelve gallons of 
 water. Take one-half peck of c{uickiime, and, when well 
 slacked, add four gallons of water, and stir well together. 
 When settled and clear, pour off the transparent part, and add 
 the soap and the sulphur mixture. To this mixture, add four 
 gallons of strong tobacco-water. Apply this compound with 
 a garden syringe to the plum-trees, when the plums are about 
 the size of small peas. Drench the foliage well. Should raiu 
 come within a week, the mixture should be applied again." 
 Not only did this compound save my plums from destruction 
 by the curculio, but it drove the yellow-striped bugs from my 
 melons. All were saved. I have heard it said that when 
 whale-oil soap could not be obtained, common soft soap has 
 been substituted, with entire success. I have introduced these 
 
402 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 little matters connected with my agricultural operations not 
 only for the attention they gained in the neighborhood, but 
 because they are in themselves valuable to farmers. 
 
 But it will be proper to turn back a little, in the history of 
 events, to the Springfield Convention of 1858. It fell to my 
 lot to preach the opening sermon, and to be presiding officer of 
 that assembly. I have already referred to the action of that 
 body in suspending all official cooperation with slaveholding and 
 glave-trading Conferences and Churches. At that convention, 
 at the instance of Rev. Cyrus Prindle, of the Wesleyan Meth- 
 odist connection, a committee on Church union was created, to 
 meet a committee of our Wesleyan brethren, in view of uniting 
 the two denominations in one body. The two committees met 
 in Pittsburgh, and, in great harmony, took such action and 
 recommended such measures as, in my judgment, ought to have 
 united the two communities in one brotherhood. But a discus- 
 sion sprung up on the secret society question, and the Church 
 union movement was a failure. As I was an acting member of 
 this joint committee, and took a deep interest in the success of 
 the enterprise, I felt afflicted that matters over which neither 
 civil nor ecclesiastical legislation ought to have any control 
 should have been brought in to defeat it. In view of the con- 
 templated union, the Springfield Convention, at the instance of 
 the aforesaid brother Prindle, agreed to appoint a committee to 
 act with Rev. W. A. Brewster, and other Wesleyan brethren, 
 in compiling a Union Hymn-book. I was appointed chairman 
 of said committee. Revs. Joel Dalbey, S. W. Widney, A. H. 
 Bassett, and J. M. Mayall were my associates. By an arrange- 
 ment, the labor of compiling a book was confided to brother 
 Brewster. When he had completed his work, the Methodist 
 Protestant committee was notified to attend at Cleveland and 
 examine it before its publiction. Brother Bassett and myself 
 were the only members who attended. After several days em- 
 ployed in a careful examination of brother Brewster's compila- 
 tion, we gave that work our unqualified approbation, and desired 
 its immediate publication, as our Church was in pressing need 
 of hymn-books. But, from some cause never fully explained 
 
VISIT OF MESSENGERS FROM THE M. E. CHURCH. 403 
 
 to me, brother Prindle declined issuing tlie book until after 
 their General Conference. With a famine for hymn-books then 
 on our Church, our people could not possibly endure this delay. 
 So, being urged by my brethren, I entered, about the 1st of 
 December, 1859, upon the task of compiling our present hymn- 
 book ; and by constant toil, day and night, I brought my work 
 to a close on the 14th of March, took it to Springfield, and 
 submitted it to the Board of Trust for publication. Brother 
 Bassett constructed the index and made various necessary cor- 
 rections. Such a work should not have been compiled in so 
 great a hurry. There was a young man of fine poetic taste by 
 my side, rendering me constant assistance in the execution of 
 this task. It was my own dear son, Henry Bascom Brown, 
 who has since passed away triumphantly to heaven. 
 
 In September, 1859, the Pittsburgh Annual Conference was 
 held in Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania. This was an unusually in- 
 teresting and profitable session, and was handsomely entertained 
 by the Churches and citizens. We had in attendance two fra- 
 ternal messengers from the Pittsburgh Conference of the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church — Rev. Homer J. Clark, D. D., and Rev. 
 Dr. Cox, both very amiable and talented Christian ministers, 
 whose excellent addresses to the Conference were very highly 
 appreciated by the members of the body and the spectators. 
 These two messengers, in their addresses, drew into notice the 
 points of agreement between their Church and ours in a very 
 happy style. I was then called upon by the Conference to 
 respond. In doing this, I brought into view the old contro- 
 versy, when brother Clark and I were on opposite sides, in 
 the origin of the Methodist Protestant Church in Pittsburgh; 
 that at that time both of us had honestly done what we could 
 for our respective causes, and in opposition to each other ; yet, 
 on my part, I had always believed him to be a Christian gen- 
 tleman, and I hailed him in our midst in the same character. 
 I then said it was true that in Christian doctrines, experience, 
 and practice the two Churches were alike; but in one thing we 
 differed. We had the lay element in our ecclesiastical economy, 
 and they had not. If the time should ever come when the 
 
404 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 Methodist Episcopal Church would adopt lay delegation in her 
 Annual and General Conferences, the two Churches could then 
 unite and become one body, but not until then; for we were 
 a lay delegation people, and did believe that the Church of 
 Christ had as much right to a free representative government 
 as the State. As I was proceeding, brother Clark threw in a 
 response in favor of lay delegation, saying that a very consider- 
 able proportion of the ministers of his Conference (I forget the 
 exact proportion) agreed with their Methodist Protestant breth- 
 ren on that subject. The whole assembly on hearing this gave 
 vent to their feelings of delight by thanking God, and in va- 
 rious ways indicated their gratification. Other responses were 
 made, (I forget by whom,) and the interview with these fraternal 
 messengers was an occasion of great pleasure to us all. Wil- 
 liam J. Troth, an excellent lay brother, and myself were then 
 chosen fraternal messengers to the ensuing Pittsburgh Confer- 
 ence of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and were instructed 
 to bear to that body friendly greetings from our brethren, con- 
 tained in a preamble and sundry resolutions, favorable to the 
 union upon proper principles. 
 
 During this Conference, I was appointed to preach on the old 
 battle-ground, corner of Smithfield and Seventh Streets. The 
 old meeting-house had been replaced by a new one, of greatly 
 superior style and capacity. A great change in the congrega- 
 tion had taken place. But few of the old members remained. 
 On that spot, in the old house, I had organized the Methodist 
 Protestant Church, in the month of June, 1829. Thirty years 
 since that event had now gone by, and I supposed the old an- 
 tipathies against me for my reform principles and actions still 
 remained among our Methodist Episcopal brethren in that sta- 
 tion. On hearing the appointments for the Sabbath-day an- 
 nounced, and that I was to preach in the aforesaid church, I 
 was taken by surprise. I arose and asked if that appointment 
 would be agreeable? I was assured by the appointing authori- 
 ties that it would, and that it had been made by the special 
 request of the minister and official members of that station. I 
 then agreed, with unspeakable pleasure, to fill the appointment. 
 
FRATERNAL MESSENGERS TO PITTSBURGH CONFERENCE. 405 
 
 I had a large audience, and God gave me unusual liberty in 
 preaching the Gospel to that people. When service was over, 
 and I had gone from the pulpit into the altar, a great number 
 came forwa-rd to greet me, and there was no little shaking of 
 hands on that occasion. I had many invitations to dinner, but 
 brother Siusebaugh, the preacher in charge, claimed me as his 
 guest. I was urged to remain and preach again at night, but 
 having another engagement, I could not comply. The secret 
 leading to all this kindness to me is found in the fact that, in 
 the course of thirty years, this people had become friendly to 
 lay delegation. They respected me because I had respected 
 m^ principles, which now, at last, God had taught them to 
 love. 
 
 In the month of March, 1860, brother W. J. Troth and my- 
 self attended the Pittsburgh Annual Conference of the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church, in Blairsville, Pennsylvania, as fraternal 
 messengers. On being introduced to Bishop Janes, he intro- 
 duced us to the body, and we were received and treated in a 
 very friendly manner by the brethren. By request of the 
 Bishop, I occupied a scat by his side in the altar until the Con- 
 ference adjourned for dinner, and he wished me to continue to 
 occupy it afterward, but I asked him to excuse me from sitting 
 in so conspicuous a place, and said, if it would be equally agree- 
 able to him, I would rather take a seat among the members of 
 the Conference. 
 
 I was then asked by the Bishop if it would suit us to pro- 
 ceed at once to deliver our fraternal addresses, or would we 
 prefer delaying them to a set time. I told him that brother 
 Troth and I were comparative strangers to the Conference, and 
 it would be an accommodation to us if a delay were allowed, so 
 as to give us a chance to become acquainted with the brethren. 
 The fact is, to appear before the Pittsburgh Conference, of 
 which I had once been a member, and in which thirty-one years 
 had made so many changes, by thinning out the old members 
 and introducing new ones, affected me much. I was in no con- 
 dition at that time to do justice to myself or to my Confer- 
 ence in delivering an address. A time was then appointed for 
 
406 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 our addresses. The next morning, at ten o'clock, tliere was a 
 Conference sacrament. The Bishoi^ invited me into the altar, 
 to assist him in those sacred services. It was an unusually rich 
 and solemn sacramental feast, and I was made to feel entirely 
 at home among the brethren. 
 
 When the appointed time came for our addresses to be de- 
 livered, the house was crowded. I was called into the altar to 
 speak. After reading our certificates of election as fraternal 
 messengers, and the preamble and resolutions of our Conference 
 on the subject of friendly relations between the two bodies, and 
 indicating a desire for a future union, I proceeded with my ad 
 dress, and brought to the notice of the Conference all the points 
 of agreement between the two Churches. When this was done, 
 I stated that there was one important point of difference : the 
 Methodist Protestant Church had the lay element; the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church had not. Then turning to the Bishop, 
 I said : " Mr. President, I ask your pardon ; I ought to have had 
 your permission before I broached this matter." " Not at all," 
 said the Bishop; "go on, go on." I then proceeded to say: "I 
 am not intrusted by my Conference with any terms for the basis 
 of union ; but, understanding it to be your doctrine that Bishops 
 and Elders are the same order, according to the New Testament, 
 and that you consider your third ordination as nothing more 
 than the conferment of ofl&ce, 1 will tell you what I will agree 
 to, and I think our Church generally would do the same. 
 We will take your episcopacy if you will take our lay delega- 
 tion." My remarks were, I think, well received by the breth- 
 ren. Brother Troth's address then followed. It was every 
 way creditable to himself as a layman, and to the cause he rep- 
 resented. A number of the members of the Conference re- 
 sponded in a very friendly and handsome style, making me feel 
 it very pleasant indeed to be in that assembly of Christian 
 ministers. At last came the old warriors — with whom I had 
 contended in former years — one after another, to the front of 
 the altar, and, with much tender feeling, gave me their hands 
 in token of friendship. Each spoke a few words of the hard 
 struggle between the parties in years gone by, and all seemed 
 
REMOVAL TO VICINITY OF m'kEESPORT. 407 
 
 disposed to peace and friendship now. My own Leart was 
 deeply moved, and I could scarcely restrain my tears. 
 
 When I proposed that we would take their episcopacy if 
 they would take our lay delegation, I knew then, as well as I 
 do now, that in their episcopacy there was a power that ought 
 not to be there. But it was then my judgment, as it is now, 
 that a lay delegation, admitted into the General and Annual 
 Conferences, would easily regulate all such matters. Let our 
 Methodist Episcopal brethren adopt lay delegation in an avail- 
 able form, then the way for Church union will be fairly open. 
 
 On the 1st of April, 1860, I removed with my family to 
 Prospect Hill, near McKeesport, seven miles further up the 
 Monongahela River. Here I had a larger and better house, 
 with twelve acres of ground, in an excellent neighborhood. I 
 leased this property from Edward H. Fisher for three years. 
 We were all well pleased with the change. Our habitation was 
 on an eminence, affording us a fine view of the Monongahela 
 for several miles up and down, and between us and the river 
 ran the Pittsburgh and Counellsville Railroad. So, the passing 
 of boats and cars made ours rather a lively country home. On 
 that little farm my sons, Henry and George, and I found full 
 employment. We occupied all our ground with something. 
 We raised oats, corn, hay, potatoes, tomatoes, cabbage, melons, 
 beans, etc. The orchard did well. We had an abundance of 
 peaches, plums, and cherries, of the finest quality, but not many 
 apples. While at that pleasant rural home, our coal only cost 
 us three cents per bushel. We lived in the midst of plenty, 
 and had many comforts to repay our toils. But there was one 
 drawback. We had no well-established Methodist Protestant 
 Church in McKeesport. We had a small society, but no house 
 of worship, and the members being generally poor, we were not 
 able to build one. In a short time a Church trial divided our 
 little brotherhood, and the downfall of the whole concern soon 
 followed. "A house divided against itself can not stand." 
 
 In September, 1860, the Pittsburgh Conference was held at 
 the Pleasant Valley Church, Green County, Pennsylvania. My 
 two sons, Rev. D. I. K. Riue, our preacher, and myself all went 
 
408 RECOLLECTIOXS OP ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 to it in a carriage together. We had a pleasant drive of nearly 
 two days, enlivened all the way by singing and interesting Con- 
 versation. The brethren were well entertained at the Confer- 
 ence by the people of the surrounding neighborhood, and were 
 brought to and taken from the place of our naeeting in buggies, 
 carriages, and wagons. A Conference in a country place was a 
 new thing. It excited great interest in that community, and was 
 numerously attended by the citizens. My sou Henry was there 
 received into the intinerant ministry. I regarded this step as 
 an experiment, as his lungs were weak ; but the brethren were 
 disposed to give him a trial. He had a heart to work for 
 Christ, and, with some degree of reluctance, on account of his 
 health, I agreed that he might go forth as a laborer in the 
 vineyard of the Lord, and do the best he could for the Saviour's 
 cause. 
 
 In the month of November I attended the convention in 
 Pittsburgh, and was chosen to preside over the deliberations of 
 that body. I was likewise elected editor of the Western Meth- 
 odist Protestant for the next two years. The brethren, I think, 
 did this because they desired to draw me forth from my rural 
 retreat, and make my services available to the Church awhile 
 longer. After a few days of consideration, I finally concluded 
 to accept the position, in view of trying in some way to be use- 
 ful to the Church to the end of life. In advanced age, as well 
 as in early life, men must have reputable employment in order 
 to be happy. I left my family, on Prospect Hill, in the care 
 of my son George, and, about the 1st of December, commenced 
 editorial life in Springfield. I found a comfortable home in 
 the hospitable dwelling of my old friend Rev. A. H. Bassett, 
 the former editor. Never shall I forget the kindness of that 
 dear brother and his excellent lady and niece. Had I been a 
 father to the whole family I could not have been cared for 
 with a greater amount of tenderness and respect. 
 
 In the month of March, I returned to my family, and at a 
 public sale disposed of my property, and prepared for a re- 
 moval to Springfield. Such a removal, being a very heavy 
 operation on the physical energies of my wife and myself, 
 
DEATH OF MY TWO SONS. 409 
 
 brought us both to the conclusion that we would move no more. 
 Itinerant life had kept us moving for about forty years; so we 
 deemed it time to stop. After rendering very imperfect service 
 as editor of the Western Methodist Protestant for two years, 
 and suffering much in my health from that sedentary employ- 
 ment, the convention of 18G2 elected Dr. D. B. Dorsey as my 
 successor, since which time I have retired from public life 
 altogether. 
 
 During the two years of my editorial toils I lived in rented 
 property. In the spring of 1862, having concluded to remain 
 in Springfield, I purchased a cottage on Pleasant Street, where 
 I now reside. This is a pleasant, prosperous inland city. We 
 live in an agreeable neighborhood. The Churches of this place 
 are all liberal in their bearing toward each other. Our own 
 Church, though small, is quite respectable. Among this peo- 
 ple I expect to remain until it shall please God to call me home. 
 I am now advancing rapidly into the seventy-fourth year of my 
 earthly pilgrimage. In the natural course of events, I shall 
 soon pass away. To be ready for my change is now the great 
 object of my life. In the review of the past which I have 
 taken, I have found much to humble me in the dust before the 
 Searcher of all hearts. Yet I thank God that by His grace, 
 in Christ Jesus, "I am what I am." It is now a little over 
 fifty years since I entered the itinerant ministry in the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church, and to this day I have never, in a 
 single instance, failed, either in the old Church or the new, to 
 attend the annual sessions of the Conference to which I be- 
 longed ; and I expect to attend them as long as I am able. For 
 about forty years in succession I was in the regular itinerant 
 work; then in the college; then on the farm; then editor; now 
 on the lookout for the eternal world. 
 
 In 1863, God, whose counsels are unsearchable, took from me 
 my two sons. This was a sore stroke. My son Henry, the su- 
 perintendent of Bellbrook Circuit, died in the midst of his peo- 
 ple, by whom he was greatly beloved, on the 9th of April, in 
 the full hope of a glorious immortality. His death scene — the 
 final parting with father, mother, sister, wife — who can describe? 
 26 
 
410 PvECOLLECTIOXS OF ITIXER.ANT LIFE. 
 
 George liad been in the ministry too, but left Ricbwood Circuit 
 and volunteered in the service of his country. He was in the 
 first battle at Vicksburg and at the taking of Arkansas Post ; 
 but being overtaken by disease, and his captain assuring me, 
 by letter, that he could not live, I greatly desired to bring him 
 home to die. When all authority from Governor Tod and Gen- 
 eral Burnside failed to reach him, I appealed to my old friend 
 Hon. E. M. Stanton, Secretary of War, and in one hour after 
 he received my letter, I had a dispatch from him, with full au- 
 thority to go myself, or .send an agent, and bring George home; 
 and directing all superintendents of railroads and commanders 
 of Government transports to give me, or my agent, free passage 
 and subsistence there and back. Immediately I repaired to 
 Cincinnati, and secured the services of S. D. Evans — a brave 
 young soldier, who had been discharged in consequence of a 
 wound in the leg, from which he had nearly recovered — to go 
 as my agent and bring home my son. Through most appalling 
 difficulties, Evans succeeded, and George was brought to Cin- 
 cinnati. His mother and I met him there, and, at the house 
 of my nephew, Mr. George B. Hodgson — who, with his dear 
 mother, showed us every possible kindness — we nursed our 
 emaciated son nine days, when he died. George had carried 
 his religion with him through the toils of camp-life, and it sup- 
 ported him in death. On the 23d of June he calmly passed 
 away to heaven. Our two beloved sons were called away from 
 us within two months and a half of each other. I had. often 
 indulged the hope that they would live long to preach the 
 Gospel of Christ after I had finished my course on earth, and 
 •would both be present to close my eyes in death and bury me. 
 But, alas for me! I was called to bury them. Such was the 
 will of God, "who doeth all things well." All my sons, five 
 in number, have gone before me. God took three of them in 
 infancy. The last two, whose training cost me great solicitude, 
 were called away in manhood, just as the prospect of usefulness 
 began fairly to opeu before them. God gave me but one daiigh- 
 ter. Upon her I strove to confer the advantage of a good ed- 
 ucation, and, what is still better, she is a conscientious Christian. 
 
VIEWS ON ECCLESIASTICAL MATTERS. 411 
 
 Her husband, Mr. S. J. Ridgely, an amiable Christian gentle- 
 man, passed away to his home in heaven a little more than five 
 years ago; so my widowed daughter, Mrs. A. E. Ridgely, and 
 her two little sons, George and Adrian, reside with us, and ai*e 
 a real comfort to my beloved and faithful wife and myself, in 
 the decline of life. Grod has greatly blessed me in my domestic 
 relations. Ours is a happy family, and we are all living in hope 
 of overtaking our loved ones in the heavenly country above. 
 
 My life is in the hands of the Lord, and I am striving to 
 hold myself in readiness to go hence into eternity, whenever it 
 may please him to call me. But, if it be God's will, I would 
 like to live to see an end of this terrible war; to see an end 
 of American slavery, and the perfect restoration of the govern- 
 ment of my country; to join in the transports of my fellow- 
 citizens at the return of peace; to see Christianity fill the 
 nation, North and South, and take a firmer hold of the Amer- 
 ican mind and heart and life than ever heretofore, and make- 
 the people of these United States one great civil and Christian 
 brotherhood. I would like to see the prospective union of all 
 the non-episcopal Methodists in our country consummated on 
 such principles as would secure the largest liberty to the 
 Churches that could be enjoyed consistently with a well- 
 guarded, efficient, itinerant ministry. I would like to see our 
 Methodist Episcopal brethren so modify their ecclesiastical 
 economy as to lower down the power of the itinerant clergy 
 and the episcopacy, and introduce a lay delegation into their 
 Annual and General Conferences, so that the whole Methodist 
 family could again be united in one body. But should these 
 desirable unions never occur, it is still the duty of the Meth- 
 odist Protestant Church to fulfill her mission in spreading 
 Christian holiness and ecclesiastical liberty throughout our 
 country, and to the ends of the earth, if she can. Our Church 
 at her organization, and for several years afterward, met with 
 much opposition from the Methodist Episcopal Church. Then, 
 again, she suffered from her connection with the slavery ques- 
 tion, until, in 1858, to -gain relief, and to save her very exist- 
 ence in the free States, she came boldly up to the act of sus- 
 
412 RECOLLECTIONS OF ITINERANT LIFE. 
 
 pending all official cooperation with Churches and Conferences 
 connected with slavery. From the beginning, our Church has 
 been greatly in need of a faithful, laborious, enterprising min- 
 istry. Many came among us, apparently, to lounge and loiter, 
 to eat bread and live, who always contracted but never enlarged 
 the work assigned them, under whose worthless ministry the 
 Church always suflfered loss. Such men do no good in any 
 Christian community. Preachers of this class have nearly all 
 passed away, and it will be well for the Church if they never 
 return. I think it can safely be said, that in our Church we 
 have now a more trustworthy class of ministerial laborers than 
 those who gave us trouble and brought us grief in former 
 years. 
 
 Notwithstanding all we have suffered by the war in the loss 
 of ministers and members, some of whom have fallen in battle 
 and others by disease, all through this terrible conflict the 
 cause of Christ, as committed to our young Church, has been 
 on the advance. Never, since we have been a Church, have 
 we done so much for missions as we are now doing. The pros- 
 pect of a permanently endowed first-class college is now very 
 good. This will afford educational facilities to our whole 
 Church. It will give to young men desirous of entering the 
 ministry among us the advantage of an education commen- 
 surate with the wants of the age in which we live. This will, 
 by the blessing of God, contribute largely to the permanency 
 and prosperity of the Church. Our book concern and Church 
 paper, through which we send out the literature of our connec- 
 tion into all the circuits, stations, and missions, are in an im- 
 proved condition, and are gaining a better support than formerly. 
 
 Should the contemplated union between all the non-episcopal 
 Methodist bodies be eflFected on principles satisfactory to all 
 concerned, I will be glad in the Lord. Should suitable modi- 
 fications be made in the government of the Methodist Epis- 
 copal Church, so as to admit of all who bear the name of 
 Methodism being united in one body, my joy will be greatly 
 increased. But if, from any cause or combination of causes, 
 the Methodist Protestant Church should be destined to remain 
 
CLOSING REMARKS. 413 
 
 alone, through all time to come, I shall still have happiness. 
 Ours is an excellent Christian organization. It includes at 
 this time a valuable body of pious, talented, useful ministers. 
 Our membership, in piety and liberality, is, in my judgment, 
 equal to that of any other Church in the land, in proportion to 
 their numbers. Let our college be established. Let us have 
 an educated ministry. Let educational facilities be extended to 
 all our people, male and female, every-where. Let it be the 
 high and holy ambition of the entire body to spread Christian 
 holiness, Christian freedom, and Christian education throughout 
 our country and elsewhere, then God will give to our Chu.rch 
 a glorious future. He will make her a great power in His 
 own hand for good to our race, and a happy spiritual home 
 for the lovers of Christ in all future generations. Why may 
 not the Methodist Protestant Church, with her love of religion 
 and liberty and literature, by the blessing of God, go down 
 through all the ages of the millennium ? 
 
 In closing my recollections of the past, I must add, with 
 gratitude to God, that this is a memorable day to me and to this 
 nation. The papers have this day, April 29, 1865, brought us 
 the news of the overthrow of the rebellion. This terrible war 
 is ended ; the Government is saved ; the slaves are freed ; peace 
 will soon be proclaimed, and the American flag, without the 
 loss of a single star, will henceforth wave in glorious triumph 
 over " the land of the free and the home of the brave ! " " Glory 
 to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward 
 men." "Hallelujah! for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth." 
 God grant that Christianity may now take a deeper hold than 
 heretofore on the whole American people, and heal all the sor- 
 rows of our entire country. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 AN ADDRESS TO THK 
 
 MINISTERS AND MEMBERS OF THE M. P. CHURCH 
 
 IN ALL THE ANNUAL CONFERENCES, GREETING. 
 
 Beloved Brethren: 
 
 It seems to me appropriate, as a conclusion to what I have 
 written in the foregoing pages, that I should now achlress a 
 brief communication to you on several subjects of abiding in- 
 terest to us all. Most of you know that I spent a number of 
 years in active itinerant labor in the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
 and that I had some share in the lay delegation controversy in 
 that Church, which, contrary to the wishes and expectations of all 
 the friends of reform, resulted in the organization of the Meth- 
 odist Protestant Church; and that, from the foundation of this 
 last-named Church, I have stood connected with her his.tory and 
 her interests, doing what I could, in every position assigned 
 me, for her advancement and prosperity. I therefore trust it 
 will not be considered an offensive intrusion if I speak freely 
 and plainly to my Christian brethren of things pertaining to 
 the welfare of our beloved Church before I am called away to 
 the eternal world. Nearly all the old Keformers with whom I 
 once had the honor to labor have gone to their reward. They 
 were men of precious Tnemory. I, too, must soon pass away. 
 Before I go, please indulge me a little. 
 
 It is often said by those who are not friendly to our young 
 Church, and too often believed by the uninformed, in and out 
 of our organization, that there is no difference between the 
 government of the Methodist Episcopal Church and that of the 
 Methodist Protestant Church, and that a change from the 
 former to the latter is attended by no advantage whatever. Now, 
 if this be so, it will certainly follow that the old Reformers 
 labored long and hard, and suffered much, all to no pui-pose, 
 
 (415) 
 
416 ADDRESS TO THE MINISTERS AND MEMBERS OF 
 
 and that it would be a dictate of sound practical common sense 
 for us all to return immediately to the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church. 
 
 But before we abandon our ecclesiastical organization, we ask 
 to be heard a little in defense of the old Reformers. Many of 
 you, my brethren, have often heard me say, in former years, and 
 I will here repeat the saying again, "that the Methodist Prot- 
 estant Church only exists to be despised, unless she can show 
 very good reasons for her existence." To multiply distinct 
 Christian denominations, without an adequate cause for so doing, 
 is certainly a most foolish and wicked transaction. Did the 
 founders of the 3Iethodist Protestant Church do this thing? 
 Let us see. 
 
 In order to justify the existence of the Methodist Protestant 
 Church, and likewise to show the advantages of her ecclesias- 
 tical economy over that of the Methodist Episcopal Church, it 
 will be necessary to go back and bring into notice the objec- 
 tionable features of the government of the old Church, out of 
 which we came. In doing this, I wish to use all possible kind- 
 ness, for against that Church I have no word of complaint, save 
 only against the government. 
 
 In 1784, just at the close of the Revolutionary War, Dr. Coke 
 and Francis Asbury, both of them from England — the laud of 
 kings and bishops — with but few republican ideas in their 
 minds, and certainly no Republican love in their hearts, did in- 
 stitute and establish an ecclesiastical economy for the Methodists 
 in this country, more arbitrary in its character than the civil 
 government of King George III, which the Americans, by a 
 seven years' war, had just thrown oiF, at the expense of so much 
 blood and treasure. By the Revolution, republican liberty was 
 gained in the State. By means of these two Englishmen, it 
 was lost in the Methodist Church; for they placed in the hands 
 of the itinerant clergy alone all the legislative, the judicial, 
 and the executive powers of the government, leaving the local 
 preachers and lay members of the Church without due protec- 
 tion against this itinerant domination. King Grcorgo's govern- 
 ment, which our fathers banished by a bloody revolution, had 
 three principles in it — the monarchical, the aristocratical, and 
 the republican. The government established by Coke and As- 
 bury in the Methodist Church had then and has yet but two— 
 the monarchical and the aristocratical. Methodist episcopacy 
 answers to the British monarchy. The itinerant power-holding 
 system for life answers to the British peerage. But in Eng- 
 land they have a House of Commons, where the people are rep- 
 resented by delegates elected by themselves. But in Episco- 
 
THE METHODIST PROTESTANT CHURCH. 417 
 
 pal Methodism there is no House of Commons. The people 
 are not repi'esented in either the Greneral or Annual Confer- 
 ences. 
 
 In the North Western Christian Advocate, for February 15, 
 1865, Dr. Charles Elliott tells a good story concerning the Brit- 
 ish king. He tells us that " Greorge III was himself a Meth- 
 odist and a member of a Methodist class. His principal gar- 
 dener was his class-leader. We are in possession of several 
 interesting historical items on this subject that have not yet 
 met the public eye; and the Methodist element imbued several 
 members of the royal family." 
 
 The British king, in whose government there was some re- 
 publicanism, was driven out of this land, with all his Methodism, 
 because he wanted to tax the colonies without allowing them 
 the right of representation. But what arbitrary rule lost in the 
 civil department, it gained and more than gained in the eccle- 
 siastical, when Dr. Coke and Francis Asbury placed the Meth- 
 odist Church under its present form of government. Now the 
 people bear all the pecuniary burdens without the right of 
 representation. 
 
 From the beginning of Episcopal Methodism in this country, 
 there were men of eminence to be found in the ministry and 
 among the laity of the Methodist Episcopal Church who were 
 not in favor of an ecclesiastical government which ignored 
 Church representation. The old Reformers were of this class. 
 As a general thing, they excused Dr. Coke and Mr. Asbury for 
 introducing a Church government so arbitrary in its character. 
 These gentlemen had been taught by Mr. Wesley, who was no 
 republican. They were both Englishmen, and probably had no 
 ideas in their minds of any other kind of government than au 
 ecclesiastical monarchy. But who can excuse the American 
 Methodist preachers, who in this free country, just after a seven 
 years' war for republican liberty, allowed such a Church gov- 
 ernment to be established? All the divisions in Europe and 
 America that have ever taken place among the Methodists, so 
 far as I am informed, have grown out of the arbitrary character 
 of the government. It was this ministerial government, then, 
 in which the people had no voice, that occasioned and did in 
 my opinion justify the controversy which resulted in the or- 
 ganization of the Methodist Protestant Church. The old Re- 
 formers did most religiously believe that the Church of Christ 
 had as much right to a free representative government as the 
 United States, and, acting on this conviction, they introduced 
 the discussion of lay rights, first in the " Wesleyan Reposi- 
 tory," edited by W. S. Stockton, a layman, au intelligent, noble- 
 
418 ADDRESS TO THE MINISTERS AND MEMBERS OP 
 
 hearted Christian gentleman; and then in the "Mutual Rights," 
 edited by a committee of Christian brethren, some of whom 
 ■were ministers of distinguished ability and piety, and others 
 were laymen of unblemished character and standing. When 
 this discussion was entered upon, none of those concerned in it 
 had any thought at all of making a new Church. Our object 
 was to reform the government of the old one ; but in this thing 
 we were doomed by the ruling authorities to a sad disappoint- 
 ment. 
 
 It now becomes my duty to justify the existence of the Meth- 
 odist Protestant Chui'ch as a distinct Christian denomination. 
 When a party in controversy in a Church is placed by the 
 ruling authorities on a ground that they can not occupy, with- 
 out an abandonment of their manhood and Christian honor, this 
 thing is equal to their expulsion. This was clearly done in the 
 ease of the old Reformers. 
 
 In the progress of the controversy, the parties, as is usual 
 in such cases, became a little warm. Old Adam showed himself 
 among his children on both sides. It is questionable whether 
 the temper and doings of the friends or foes of lay delegation 
 did fully comport with the doctrine of entire sanctification as 
 held by the Methodists. Still, the principle remained the same, 
 and if the party in power were not willing at that time to grant 
 lay delegation, they ought, in all fiiirness, to have left it an 
 open question, and allowed to all the right of fi'ee discussion 
 in relation to the matter at issue. But this thing was not done. 
 Some time in 1827, the whole ecclesiastical hierarchy of Meth- 
 odism seemed to be roused into action against reform and its 
 friends. Rev. D. B. Dorsey, a member of the Baltimore Con- 
 ference, was suspended by that body from all ministerial func- 
 tions for one year, because, in a letter to a friend, he had 
 recommended the Reformer's periodical, called "The Mutual 
 Rights." At the next session of said Conference Dorsey was 
 expelled, because, while peddling books to support his family, he 
 had sold Rev. A. McCaine's " History and Mystery of Methodist 
 Episcopacy." Bj that same Conference Rev. W. C. Pool was 
 expelled for delivering a lecture in favor of lay delegation. All 
 the local preachers who favored reform were forbidden the oc- 
 cupancy of any of the Methodist pulpits in the city of Balti- 
 more. Finally, about eleven of them, and, I think, all the 
 members of the Editorial Committee, because they declined aban- 
 doning the "Mutual Rights" and their Union Societies, in obedi- 
 ence to the demand of Rev. J. M. Hanson, the preacher in charge, 
 were likewise excluded from the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 These were all men of sterling integrity and great moral worth ; 
 
THE METHODIST PROTESTANT CnURCH. 419 
 
 SO acknowledged to be by those who expelled them. Their only 
 crime was, in fact, a great moral virtue. They loved Christian 
 liberty too well to abandon it, and the means of its propaga- 
 tion and defense, for the sake of retaining their standing in the 
 Church. Other expulsions in Virginia, North Carolina, and 
 elsewhere, for the same cause, and under similar circumstances, 
 occurred about the same time. Our cause had to encounter the 
 frowns of the stanch friends and supporters of Episcopal Meth- 
 odist authority in all places; for the daj^s of argument with 
 them had gone by, and the days of punishment had come. 
 So the Reformers understood it, and expected no favors. 
 
 Yet, to give the authorities a chance to do justice, if they 
 would, Dorsey and Pool sent up their appeals to the General 
 Conference, in Pittsburgh, in 1828. The cases of all the ex- 
 pelled, in some shape or other, were brought before that body, 
 to get that high court of appeals, if possible, to take some ac- 
 tion that would be healing in its character, and lead to a resto- 
 ration of the expelled brethren. All of them had a desire to 
 retain their standing in the Methodist Episcopal Church, if such 
 a thing could be done in accordance with Christian honor. But 
 the members of that Conference were not in a temper of mind 
 to favor the Reformers in any way whatever, so the appellants 
 lost their cause. The testimony of one of themselves, liev. 
 Jacob Young, who used to preach at my father's house, when 
 I was in my boyhood, may here be given. He holds the fol- 
 lowing language in his autobiography, page 387: "The great 
 Radical controversy, as they called it, was still in progress, and 
 it was the opinion of the most intellectual and pious members 
 of the Conference that it had progressed as far as it could 
 within the pale of the Church, and that the Reformers must 
 either submit to discipline or retire and set up for themselves." 
 Such "discipline" as had been exercised upon the brethren who 
 had been expelled they were not prepared to " submit to," as, 
 in their opinion, it was wholly unauthorized by the laws of the 
 Church. As for "retiring and setting up for themselves," they 
 had no inclination to do this, if it could be avoided; yet they 
 had often been urged to this by their opponents, and the fol- 
 lowing terms offered them by the General Conference of 1828, 
 and found in the fourth volume of the "Mutual Rights," page 
 335, will show that these American Christians had either to 
 submit to degradation or exjiatriadon: 
 
 " Whereas, an unhappy excitement has existed in some 
 parts of our work, in consequence of the organization of what 
 have been called Union Societies, for purposes and under reg- 
 
420 ADDRESS TO THE MINISTERS AND MEMBERS OF 
 
 ulations believed to be inconsistent with the peace and harmony 
 of the Church ; and in rehition to much of the matter contained 
 ' in a certain periodical publication called ' Mutual Rights,* in re- 
 gard to which certain expulsions from the Church have taken 
 place; and, whereas, this General Conference indulge a hope 
 that a mutual desire may exist for conciliation and peace, and 
 is desirous of leaving open a way for the accomplishment of 
 so desirable an object on safe and equitable principles; there- 
 fore, 
 
 '"'Resolved, hy the delegates of the Annual Conferences, in Gen- 
 eral Conference assembled, 1. That in view of the premises, and 
 in the earnest hope that this measure may tend to promote the 
 object, this General Conference affectionately advises that no 
 further proceedings be had in any part of our work, against 
 any member or minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
 on account of any past agency or concern in relation to the 
 above-named periodical, or in relation to any Union Society 
 above-mentioned. 2. If any persons expelled, as aforesaid, feel 
 free to concede that publications have appeared in said ' Mutual 
 Rights,' the nature and character of which were unjustifiably 
 inflammatory and do not admit of vindication ; and that in others, 
 though for want of proper information, or unintentionally, have 
 yet, in fact, misrepresented individuals and facts, and that they 
 regret these things. If it be voluntarily agreed, also, that the 
 Union Societies above alluded to shall be abolished, and the 
 periodical called the ' Mutual Rights ' be discontinued at the 
 close of the current volume, which shall be completed with due 
 respect to the conciliatory and pacificde sign of this arrangement, 
 then this General Conference does hereby give authority for the 
 restoration to their ministry or membership, respectively, in the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, of any person or persons so ex- 
 pelled as aforesaid; provided, this arrangement shall be mutually 
 assented to by any individual or individuals so expelled, and 
 also by the Quarterly-meeting Conference, and the minister or 
 preacher having the charge of any circuit or station within 
 which any expulsions may have taken place; and that no such 
 minister or preacher shall be obliged, under this arrangement, 
 to restore any such individual as leader of any class or classes, 
 unless, in his own discretion, he shall judge it proper to do so; 
 and pi'ovided, also, that it be further agreed that no other 
 periodical publication to be devoted to the same controversy 
 shall be established on either side; it being expressly under- 
 stood, at the same time, that this, if agreed to, will be on the 
 ground not of any assumption of right to require this, but of 
 mutual consent for the restoration of peace \ and that no indi- 
 
THE METHODIST PROTESTANT CHURCH. 421 
 
 vidua! will be hereby precluded from issuing any publication 
 which he may judge projier on his own responsibility. 
 
 "It is further understood that any individual or individuals,^ 
 who may have withdrawn from the Methodist Episcopal Church 
 on account of any proceedings in relation to the premises, may 
 also be restored by mutual consent, under this arrangement^ on 
 the same principle above stated^ 
 
 Here, then, are the terms of " conciliation, and peace" offered 
 by the General Conference of 1828 to the expelled Reformers 
 and their associates in the great struggle for lay delegation ; and 
 it is now my intention to analyze this document with calmness 
 and candor, and ascertain, if I can, all its attractino; and re- 
 pelling forces. Was there really any thing in the terms of "con- 
 ciliation and peace," under consideration, to win back to the 
 Methodist Episcopal fold all the expelled Reformers and their 
 friends? Let me carefully examine this matter and see. 
 
 1. I begin with the very structure of the General Conference, 
 whence this document emanated. It is composed exclusively of 
 itinerant ministers. No layman has a legal right to a seat, or 
 a voice, or a vote in that body. This is equally true of the 
 Annual Conferences. Yet all the pecuniary burdens by which 
 the institutions of the Church are kept up fall on the people. 
 This I consider as repelling in its character, as it includes the 
 doctrine, in effect, of taxation without representation. This 
 General Conference had ratified the decisions of the Baltimore 
 Conference in the appealed cases of Dorsey and Pool, and had 
 thereby made the arbitrary acts of that body their own. It 
 was not, therefore, to have been expected, after that act against 
 men guilty of no moral wrong, that they would offer very favor- 
 able terms of "conciliation and peace" to the expelled Reform- 
 ers and their friends. 
 
 2. The act of "conciliation and peace" passed by the Gen- 
 eral Conference, in relation to the non-expelled Reformers, I 
 consider nothing but a suspension of hostilities, to be resumed 
 again, if it should be deemed necessary, by the ruling authori- 
 ties. The Conference "advises [it does not authoritatively 
 direct] that no further proceedings be had in any part of 
 our work against any member or minister of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church, on account of any past agency or concern in 
 relation to the above-named periodical, [the 'Mutual Rights,'] 
 or in relation to any Union Societies above-named." The Ed- 
 itorial Committee in Baltimore, all of them, might have retained 
 their standing in the Methodist Episcopal Church, at the time 
 when they were expelled by the preacher in charge, if they had 
 
422 ADDRESS TO THE MINISTERS AND MEMBERS OF 
 
 agreed to give up the "Mutual Rights " and the Uuion Societies. 
 Now, the General Conference is ready to overlook, pass-by, and 
 ''forgive all the "past agency and concern" of the non-expelled 
 Reformers, etc. Surely, this was kind. But is it not a little 
 marvelous that the kindness of the Conference did not lead that 
 body to restore the expelled Reformers? And since their kind- 
 ness did not lead them to do this, why did not the justice of 
 the Conference put all on one common level, and expel all the 
 Reformers, for all had done the same thingsf The non-expelled 
 Reformers knew very well that the words "past agency or con- 
 cern " implied a threat in relation to the future, and that if, iu 
 time to come, they took any "agency or concern" in sustaining 
 the "Mutual Rights" and the Union Societies, they would be 
 made to follow those who had gone before into ecclesiastical 
 banishment. These non-expelled friends of ecclesiastical lib- 
 erty knew full well that their standing in the Methodist Epis- 
 copal Church now depended on conditions which, in conscience, 
 they could not comply with. To abandon their right to a free 
 and full investigation of the principles of Church government; 
 to discontinue their periodical, in which their investigations were 
 carried on, and to abolish the Union Societies, in order to meet 
 the wishes of arbitrary men, who had no right to make such 
 a demand, and all this for the sake of a standing in the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church, was a degradation to which the}'- never 
 could submit. Had they done it, they would have abandoned 
 their mental and moral manhood, and despised themselves for 
 deserting their principles to the end of life. The expulsions in 
 Cincinnati, shortly after the General Conference, clearly demon- 
 strated to the Reformers what their fate would be if they re- 
 mained in the Church and did not abandon the Union Societies 
 and the "Mutual Rights." Degradation or expulsion awaited 
 them. 
 
 3. I come bow to the expelled Reformers. Here I under- 
 stand Revs. D. B. Dorsey, W. C. Pool, the editors of the "Mu- 
 tual Rights," and the members of the Union Societies to be 
 mainly meant. These expulsions took place in part by the 
 Baltimore Conference, but in the main by the authorities in 
 one of the Baltimore stations. The circumstances attending 
 those expulsions were considered by the expelled, and by the 
 Reformers every-where, to have been very aggravating and un- 
 fair. This may be seen by the resolutions of Quarterly Con- 
 ferences East, West, North, and South, in remonstrance against 
 those most unjustifiable proceedings. To these expelled breth- 
 ren, who were really the salt of the earth, if the earth ever had 
 any salt, the following terms of "conciliation and peace" are ten- 
 
THE METHODIST PROTESTANT CHURCH. 423 
 
 dored by the Greueral Conference: (1.) They mvist "feel free to 
 concede that publications have appeared in the ' Mutual Rights,* 
 the nature and character of which are unjustifiably inflamma- 
 tory, and do not admit of vindication." (2.) "That others, 
 though for want of information, or unintentionally, have yet, in 
 fact, misrepresented individuals and facts." (3.) "And that 
 they regret these things." (4.) They must then "voluntarily 
 agree that the Union Societies be abolished; (5.) That the 
 periodical called the 'Mutual Rights' be discontinued at the 
 close of the current volume; 6. And that no other periodical 
 devoted to the same controversy be established." When all this 
 is done, what then? AVhy "this General Conference does hereby 
 give authority for the restoration to their ministry and member- 
 ship, respectively, in the Methodist Episcopal Church, of any 
 person or persons so expelled as aforesaid." Here is the 
 authority for the restoration of the expelled, but through what 
 strait and narrow way is this return to their former standing to 
 be effected? Why, through the medium of the Quarterly Con- 
 ference and the hands of the preacher in charge. They say, 
 "Provided, this arrangement shall be mutually assented to by 
 the individual or individuals so expelled and by the Quarteidy 
 Conference, and the minister or preacher having the charge of 
 any circuit or station within which any such expulsions may have 
 taken place." Now, in view of the foregoing terms of " concil- 
 iation and peace" offered to the expelled, the following remarks 
 may be in place. 
 
 1. Honesty and candor must admit that in this controversy 
 the parties became a little warm — human nature showed itself 
 to disadvantage on both sides. If there was any thing " un- 
 justifiably inflammatory" in the publications of the Reformers, 
 so there was in the publications of their opponents. If one party 
 deserved to be expelled for "these things," so did the other. 
 The better way would have been for each party to have looked at 
 home, corrected its own errors, cast the beam out of its own eye 
 before any attempt was made to pick motes out of a brother's 
 eye, or expel him from the Church. The expulsions, in my 
 opinion, were in such a ease unjusfifiahl^, and did no honor to 
 the Christian religion. Had the Methodist Episcopal Church 
 then been in the same temper she is in now those expulsions 
 would not have taken place, and the discussions might have been 
 carried on with advantage to the Church, many of whose minis- 
 ters and members now favor lay delegation. 
 
 2. But to require the expelled Reformers to "abolish the 
 Union Societies," to "discontinue the 'Mutual Rights,'" and to 
 promise '' that no other periodical devoted to the same centre- 
 
424 ADDRESS TO THE MINISTERS AND MExMBERS OF 
 
 versy sliould be established," in order to a restoration to their 
 former standing, was to ask too much of American Cliristians ; 
 and it often happens that when mea ask too much they get 
 nothing at all. These intelligent, pious brethren had in them 
 too high a sense of Christian honor to do a thing so degrading 
 as to voluntarily purchase back their lost standing in the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church by the sale of their right to free investi- 
 gation in the " Mutual Rights," sustained by the Union Societies. 
 In this thing all the expelled and non-expelled were of one 
 mind, with a very few exceptions. As in the days of Christ, 
 some "went back and walked no more with him," so we found 
 it in those days. 
 
 3. But let us suppose the expelled Reformers in Baltimore, 
 from a disinclination to stand alone in the world, or oi'ganize a 
 new Methodist Church, or scatter themselves out among other 
 Churches, or, from the uncomfortable circumstances surrounding 
 them, to have, in the deeply-discouraged and panic-stricken 
 feelings of their hearts, concluded to abandon their undoubted 
 rights, denude themselves of the sturdy manhood belonging to 
 American citizens and Christians, and to have come down into 
 the dust, in deep humility, before the Baltimore Quarterly Con- 
 ference. What are they to say for themselves? Why, this: 
 We voluntarily agree to abolish the "Mutual Bights", to aban- 
 don the Union Societies, and to establish no other paper, in all 
 time to come, "devoted to the same controversy," and con- 
 fess our "regret" for many things that have been published. 
 Would the Quarterly Conference, a body known to be hostile 
 to them, and the enemies of the cause they advocated, restore 
 them to their former standing? Would that body do it with 
 that same Presiding Elder in the chair who took such pains to 
 have them expelled? It may be they would. And it is pos- 
 Bible they might not; and if not, their deep degradation has 
 availed them nothing. But suppose they are restored by the 
 Quarterly Conference, what thea? Why, they must go through 
 the hands of the preacher in charge. And who is -he? Why, 
 the very man who, without justice or mercy, expelled them. 
 What chance have they with him? Very little, indeed. If he 
 rejects them, they are left out in the cold, the scorn of man- 
 kind; if he receives and restores them, like Judas, they must 
 meet the contempt of all men of integrity as long as they live 
 for the sake of a home in the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 
 Now, I ask my Methodist Protestant brethren every-where, I 
 ask all candid men in all the Churches and in all the land, if 
 such terms of "conciliation and peace" as were offered by the 
 General Conference of 182S to the expelled Reformers were not 
 
THE METUODIST PROTESTANT CHURCH. 425 
 
 degrading? Did not those brethren do right, in the sight of 
 God and man, when these terras were rejected by them? 
 
 But we must look a little further into the terms of "concilia- 
 tion and peace." In various parts of our country, there were 
 Reformers whose minds and hearts had been sorely pained at 
 the expulsion of their near and dear relations and friends by 
 the Church authorities. In Baltimore alone there were about 
 fifty excellent Christian ladies who withdrew, because, " for a 
 mere difference of opinion about Church government, their com- 
 panions, fathers, brothers, children, and friends" had been ex- 
 communicated from the Church. All these Christian ladies 
 obtained certificates of their good standing from llcv. J. M. 
 Hanson, the preacher in charge. This was, at least, one act of 
 justice on the part of Mr. Hanson. But the General Confer- 
 ence, in "offering terms of "conciliation and peace," can only 
 allow to members withdrawn the same terms granted to mem- 
 bers expelled. Thus all moral distinctions are broken down, and 
 the innocent and the guilty (if guilt there was in this case) are 
 all treated alike. These good sisters, if they desired to return 
 to the Church, were not allowed simply to return their certifi- 
 cates and claim their places, but their restoration is ordained 
 by the General Conference to be "under" the same "■arrange- 
 ment,^^ and on '■'■the sa/me principles above stated," that were 
 offered to the expelled. They withdrew with acknowledged inno- 
 cence ; they are to come back as criminals, abandoning their cause 
 entirely — "Mutual Rights," Union Societies, and all. Then, 
 upon a due confession of their "regrets," they might, like the 
 expelled, pass, through the hands of the Quarterly Conference 
 and the preacher in charge, into the Church — restored, indeed, 
 but never to respect themselves any more. Now, taking all 
 these three cases together — the non -expelled, the expelled, and 
 the withdrawn — could the General Conference, in offering such 
 degrading terms to us all, expect "submission" to this kind of 
 "discipline?" Did they not, in order to get clear of the con- 
 troversy, intend to compel the Reformers, whose cause, in their 
 opinion, to use the language of the Rev. Jacob Young, had 
 " progressed as far as it could within the pale of the Church, 
 to retire and set up for fhemsehesf" 
 
 It was not because there was not a majority in the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church at that time in favor of lay delegation, nor 
 because all our measures brought before the General Conference 
 failed, that we did "retire and set up for ourselves;" but be- 
 cause the right of free discussion in the "Mutual Rights," sus- 
 tained by the Union Societies, was now cloven down by an 
 irresponsible General Conference. Our friends had been ex- 
 
 27 
 
426 ADDRESS TO THE MINISTERS A\D MEMBERS OF 
 
 pelled, the standing of all the Reformers put to hazard, and 
 the way foreclosed, so that neither the expelled nor the with- 
 drawn could honorably return; nor could the non-expelled, on 
 principles of Christian honor, any longer remain in the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church. Here, then, the Methodist Protestant Church 
 finds her justification, in the doings of the General Conference 
 of 182S, for her separate and independent existence as a Chris- 
 tian community among the Churches of Christ in our country. 
 
 The Methodist Protestant Church came into being contrary 
 to the wishes or expectations of the old Reformers, who were all 
 true friends of the Methodist Episcopal Church, yet wanted 
 her government reformed. Over this matter of going out from 
 the old Church they had hardly any more control than a man 
 has over his parentage, or the time and place of his birth. Our 
 Church exists by the providence of God overruling the doings 
 of good but mistaken men. They meant to kill the cause of 
 Christian liberty; but God meant to embody the friends of re- 
 form, and demonstrate to the Methodist Episcopal Church and 
 to the world that ecclesiastical freedom was a good thing, and 
 that the Methodistical views of Scriptural Christianity could be 
 spread among mankind by an itinerant ministry and a lay dele- 
 gation working in perfect harmony together in all our official 
 bodies. 
 
 It may be admitted, from the structure of the government 
 of the Methodist Episcopal Church, that the old Reformers had 
 justifiable reasons for introducing the lay delegation question 
 and discussing it in the "Mutual Rights," sustained by the 
 Union Societies. It may be admitted, also, that the existence 
 of the Methodist Protestant Church, under the circumstances 
 connected with her origin, is fully justified. But still, it may 
 be affirmed by some that the two Churches are so much alike 
 that nothing is to be gained by a change of Church relations, 
 and that it would be a dictate of sound practical common sense 
 in all the ministers and members of the Methodist Protestant 
 Church to return immediately to the Methodist. Episcopal 
 Church again. Now if this be so — if the two Churches are so 
 much alike — why go to them? Why may not they come to us? 
 seeing it is just as far from Cork to Dublin as it is from Dub- 
 lin to Cork. Let an examination now be made into the similarity 
 of the two Churches; and here we gladly admit that they are 
 alike in their views of Christian doctrine, in their views of 
 religious experience, and in their views of Gospel morality. la 
 all these things Methodism is the same all over the world. 
 They are alike, too, in the names of all their official bodies. 
 Have they Quarterly, Annual, and General Conferences? So 
 
THE METHODIST PROTESTANT CHURCH. 427 
 
 have we. Have they circuits, stations, and missions? So have 
 we. Have they love-feasts, class-meetings, and leaders' meet- 
 ings? So have we. 
 
 Now, let me call the reader back to an examination after the 
 rights of laity in these two Churches. Go to the General Con- 
 ference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and there you will 
 find a body of ministers, representing none but ministers, and 
 no layman's voice can legally be heard among them ; yet this 
 body is the law-making department for the entire Church, as 
 well laymen as ministers. Go to the General Conference of 
 the Methodist Protestant Church, and there you will find a 
 body of ministers and an equal number of lay representatives, 
 all elected to their seats in that assembly by the entire Church 
 in the electoral colleges of the Conferences, composed of min- 
 isters and laymen. In this assembly, Representing the entire 
 community, the laws of the Church are made. Go to the An- 
 nual Conferences of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and there 
 you will find an executive body, composed of itinerant minis- 
 ters only, to transact all the business of the Churches in all 
 the districts, circuits, stations, and missions of the Conferences. 
 Go to the Annual Conference of the Methodist Protestant 
 Church, and there you will find all the itinerant ministers of 
 the district, and an equal number of lay delegates from all the 
 circuits, stations, and missions, transacting business together. 
 Go to an Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
 and there you will find a Bishop, advised by his Presiding El- 
 ders, appointing all the ministers and preachers to their work 
 in the vineyard of the Lord for the coming year; and no min- 
 ister or preacher so appointed has the right of appeal, nor have 
 the people any legal redress if the appointed preacher does 
 not suit them. Go to an Annual Conference of the Methodist 
 Protestant Church, and there you will find a stationing commit- 
 tee, elected by the ministers and delegates of the entire district, 
 making out the appointments for the ensuing year. On this 
 committee there are two ministers and two laymen chosen. 
 The President of the Conference is, in virtue of his office, 
 chairman of the committee, and has a casting vote in case of tie. 
 When the committee has done its work, and reports a plan of 
 appointments to the Conference, that plan is then the property 
 of the Conference, and may be amended to suit either ministers 
 or delegates. But when it is adopted by the Conference, it is 
 final, and is to be regarded as the work of the entire brotherhood 
 of ministers and Churches, acting through their delegates in 
 appointing the preachers to their fields of labor. Episcopal 
 Methodism says much of a great central power in the hands 
 
428 ADDRESS TO THE MINISTERS AND MEMBERS OF 
 
 of their Bishops, to ■wield all the itinerant talents of the Churcli 
 iu the use of his appointing power. But in Methodist Prot- 
 estantism this appointing power is not lodged in the hands of 
 one man; it belongs to the whole Church, including ministers 
 and members. Here is liberty and strength combined. When 
 this whole nation, through the President of the United States, 
 commands a citizen to perform a certain duty, is he not as much 
 obliged to do the thing commanded as if he had been com- 
 manded by a monarch who derived none of his power from the 
 people? Just so it is with us. When a whole people, through 
 an Annual Conference, appoints a preacher to a charge with his 
 own consent and that of the people to whom he is sent, he is 
 as much obliged to go and do the duties assigned him as if he 
 had been appointed by a Bishop who derived none of his power 
 from the people? Huftian nature requires a strong government, 
 as strong as it can be made consistently with human liberty. 
 Our people have liberty ; our Church government has power. 
 
 It may not be necessary to extend this examination any fur- 
 ther. In the Quarterly Conferences, leaders' meetings, and in 
 Church property matters the Methodist Protestant Church has 
 greatly the advantage — the rights of the community are better 
 secured. Our Church is now a well-organized body of Chris- 
 tians. Our people are, as a general thing, contented and 
 happy under our present economy, and it would not " be a dic- 
 tate of sound practical common sense" for us all to return to 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church. To abandon lay delegation 
 and the liberty of the local Churches, and place our ministers 
 and members under the government of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, where the itinerants alone have control, and where the 
 voice of the laity, in an Annual or General Conference, could never 
 be heard, and where it could only be heard in the management 
 of affairs in the local Churches, so far as they were brought 
 into action by the intinerant preachers, would never satisfy our 
 people. On the contrary, much would be gained, ecclesias- 
 tically, by the members of the old Church, were they to unite 
 with the Methodist Protestant Church. 1. They would gain 
 their rights, for they have rights in the government of the 
 Church as well as the State. 2. They would get clear of a 
 very troublesome contradiction in their principles. To be a 
 republican in the State and a monarchist in the Church does 
 involve a contradiction. 3. It would open the way to en- 
 larged usefulness. In the Methodist Episcopal Church there 
 are many men of prime qualifications for usefulness, in the 
 General and Annual Couierence and elsewhere, if they were 
 only brought into active service. 4. It would improve the 
 
THE METHODIST PROTESTANT CHURCH. 429 
 
 intelligence of Churcli members, ia relation to the entire 
 economy of Methodism — a thing that can hardly be expected, 
 unless a full share is given them in the government of the 
 Church. 5. All of this would lead to a more ardent attach- 
 ment to the Church, thus governed, according to the principles 
 of enlightened freedom, and a higher love to Christ, who es- 
 tablished the Church, in view of the salvation of the world. 
 
 Luther, in his day, did not reform the Church of Rome ; 
 but he did, under God, raise up a very respectable and influ- 
 ential Christian community, by which he gave a check to the 
 Pope's power, from which it never has recovered. He also 
 planted principles in that establishment, which have, like leaven, 
 been working ever since his time, and will work until Roman- 
 ism falls to rise no more. Wesley, in his day, did not reform 
 the Church of England; but, under God, he did raise up a 
 community of Methodists, who, for piety and intelligence, are 
 the "light" and "salt" of that island, and by them a leaven- 
 ing Christian influence has been sent into the English Church, 
 among the Dissenters, and into many other parts of the world. 
 The old Reformers did not reform the government of the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church, but when compelled by necessity, they 
 did frame an ecclesiastical economy, securing the " mutual 
 rights " of both the ministers and members of the Methodist 
 Protestant Church. In this denomination there are hundreds 
 of intelligent, pious ministers, and many thousands of valuable, 
 devoted members, and it is believed that, to some extent, Meth- 
 odist Protestant influence has been felt by the Methodist Epis- 
 copal Church; for in that community there appears to be a 
 growing desire to adopt our principles, and introduce a lay del- 
 egation. 
 
 It may be that influences from several quarters have ope- 
 rated on the Methodist Episcopal Church, so as to lead a large 
 portion of her clergy and laity to desire a lay delegation. Her 
 own cool reflections, since the old Reform controvei'sy closed, 
 may have led her to the conclusion that, after all, the Re- 
 formers were right in principle, and that she herself ought to 
 adopt those principles. The odium of being drawn into com- 
 parison with the Church of Rome, whose clergy have all the 
 power in her government and her people none, may have had 
 its influence ; or the shame of making her members bear all 
 the pecuniary burdens of the entire establishment, without 
 granting them a share in the government, may have moved 
 them in this matter ;' or the inconvenience of having two sets 
 of principles — republicanism for the civil department, and mon- 
 archical for the ecclesiastical — may have influenced them; or a 
 
430 ADDRESS TO THE MINISTERS AND MEMBERS OF 
 
 conviction that she had not been compelled by the Holy Scrip- 
 tures, nor led by the instructions of Mr. Wesley, nor guided 
 by Church history to ignore the rights of the laity, may have 
 done something in this case; or, having seen from our example, 
 right under her eye for the last thirty-six years, that an itin- 
 erant ministry and a lay delegation can, with great advantage, 
 work together; or all of these taken together, may have moved 
 her; for the Methodist Episcopal Church, to some extent, now 
 desires a lay delegation. And why should she not? If she were 
 to delay any longer in this matter, the very stones would cry 
 out. At the present time this whole nation, as in an agony, 
 is moving to the task of giving voting-power to the colored 
 freedmen of the South. Certainly it is now high time for the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church to grant the right of suft'rage and 
 a lay delegation to her own white members. As an island di- 
 vides a river, so did the Reform controversy divide the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church into two bodies; as the two streams 
 below the island come together and make but one river, so I 
 trust that the old Church will adopt lay delegation ; then these 
 two Churches, like the two rivers, may come together again. 
 Indeed, it would give me pleasure to see all the branches of 
 Methodists, episcopal and non-episcopal, united in one body, 
 sustaining and spreading Scriptural Christianity and ecclesias- 
 tical liberty throughout the world; for the Church of Jesus 
 Christ, in my judgment, ovight to be the home and nursery of 
 every kind of freedom properly belonging to man. I would 
 like to see the great Methodist family, with all her divisions 
 healed, and all her scattered fragments gathered up into one 
 unbroken whole, like a broad majestic river, going down 
 through the millennium a great agency in the hands of Jesus 
 Christ to bless and save our race. 
 
 In what I have now written, it has not been my object to 
 give pain to any portion of the Methodist Episcopal Church; 
 but it has been my intention and aim to state the facts of the 
 case as I understand them ; to show that in the structure of 
 the government of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in such a 
 country as ours, occasion was given for the controversy which 
 resulted in the organization of the Methodist Protestant Church; 
 to show that the circumstances under which the Reformers were 
 placed by the General Conference of 1823 were equal to their 
 expulsion, and that, therefore, our Church exists by a necessity 
 over which she had no control; and, finally, to show that 
 there is a strongly marked diiference in the ecclesiastical econ- 
 omy of the two Churches — a difference more strongly marked 
 than is that between the governments of Great Britain and tks 
 
THE METHODIST PROTESTANT CHURCH. 431 
 
 United States — so tluit a liberty-loving people, understanding 
 this difference, may well be contented and happy, holding Church 
 relations in our community. Here all the essentials of Meth- 
 odism are found; here an itinerant ministry, in all its effi- 
 ciency, and the liberty of the local Churches, to every needful 
 extent, are happily combined. A larger liberty of the local 
 Churches could not be enjoyed, unless we were to become Con- 
 gregational, in the absolute sense of the word, and then we 
 should lose all the advantages derived from an itinerant min- 
 istry. To this our community would never consent. 
 
 After the foregoing notice of the old controversy, and a 
 brief vindication of our Church existence, I shall now turn the 
 attention of the reader to other matters relating to the Meth- 
 odist Protestant Church, as she stands related to other Churches, 
 to our country, and to the Lord Jesus Christ, the onlj^ living 
 Head of the Church universal. 
 
 I shall begin with the Methodist Protestant Church, yet 
 some of my remarks may be applicable to other Churches. I 
 hold it to have been the intention of the Saviour of sinners to 
 maintain a standing Christian ministry among men down to 
 the end of time. He did not leave his religion to make its 
 way in the world by the force of its own internal energy, 
 without the employment of human instrumentalities. He did 
 intend to help man by man. Hence a Gospel ministry was 
 instituted by Christ to convey the glad tidings of salvation to 
 all mankind. My faith, and hope, and charity lead me to give 
 it as my solemn judgment that all the good, great, and useful 
 men did not live in some former age of the world; but that 
 there are at the present time in the Churches as pious minis- 
 ters — men as really called of Christ to the work of the ministry — 
 as were the original missionaries whom Christ commissioned to 
 preach the Gospel in all the world, to every creature. Yet it 
 must be admitted that the founders of Christianity, immedi- 
 ately appointed by Christ himself to that great work, occupied 
 the vantage ground over all ministers of the Gospel, in after 
 ages of the world, in four very important particulars. 
 
 In the first place, they had seen Christ, and had been trained 
 for their holy work under his personal ministry. What better 
 college could they have than this? Secondly, they had been 
 eye and ear-witnesses of his miracles and teaching, and in their 
 own preaching could "declai'e" unto the people "the things 
 which they had seen and heard" from the Saviour himself. 
 No ministers in after ages could do this. Thirdly, they were 
 empowered by Christ to gain credence to his religion by work- 
 ing miracles in his name, in all places, wherever they delivered 
 
432 ADDRESS TO THE MINISTERS AND MEMBERS OF 
 
 their Gospel message. None of tlieir successors could do this. 
 Fourthly, by the laying on of their hands and prayer, the Holy 
 Ghost and power to work miracles was given, in the name of 
 Christ, to those who believed on the Saviour. In all these 
 things they had no successors. The age of miracleg then ended. 
 Christianity being established by competent testimony from 
 heaven, signs, wonders, and divers miracles were no longer 
 needed. The truth once established remained like a fact proved 
 in court, established forever. If miracles had been continued, 
 they would have come at last to be considered no miracles at 
 all, and men would have ranked them under the ordinary op- 
 erations of the laws of nature. 
 
 Those who proudly claim to be in what is called the Apos- 
 tolical succession, and deny the authority of all ministers not 
 ordained by their Bishops to preach the Gospel and administer 
 the sacraments, have, as a general thing, made their claim to 
 rest on ordination alone, and not on an ability to work mira- 
 cles in the name of Christ themselves, or, by the imposition of 
 their hands and prayer, to impart miracle-working power to 
 believers. But can an unbroken succession of Bishops, from 
 St. Peter down through the anti-Christian Popes of llome to 
 the present time, be sustained by unimpeachable Church history? 
 Our most learned and reliable divines and historians think it can 
 not, and if it could the thing itself would be shameful. An Apos- 
 tolical succession that comes through the hands of " the man 
 of sin, the son of perdition," the head of the great apostasy 
 of the last times, looks to me more like it came from Judas 
 than Peter. Such a succession, in my judgment, is a figment 
 of Popery still remaining, and is not an honor but a burning 
 disgrace to any Protestant Church. 
 
 I have full faith in an apostolical succession of a different 
 kind from the foregoing. In my judgment, the hands of a 
 Bishop laid on the head of an irreligious dunce never made of 
 that man a true Gospel minister, and never can. Where men 
 are truly converted to God, and drawn by the Holy Spirit to 
 the work of the Christian ministry, and are filled with a burn- 
 ing desire to be instrumental in saving souls, whether these 
 men have five, two, or one talent it matters not. Christ calls 
 for various talents in his vineyard; he can use them all, each 
 in his proper place. When these men have the sanction of a 
 spiritually-minded Church, and are ordained by elders, these 
 men are in the true Gospel succession as it came down, not 
 from Judas, but from Peter, and he received it from Jesus 
 Christ. Peter was an Apostle by office, but an elder, as I 
 suppose, by ordination. Hear what he says of himself: " The 
 
THE METHODIST PROTESTANT CHURCH. 433 
 
 elders wliicti are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, 
 ^Rum preshuteros^ a fellow-elder,] and a witness of the sufierinas 
 of Jesus Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be 
 revealed." The elders addressed by Peter were the pastors or 
 shepherds of the flock; and in the next verse he directed them, 
 in his exhortation, to "feed the flock of God" — taking the over- 
 sight, {(•piscopountes^) discharging the ofiice of bishops or su- 
 perintendents. In the first verse he calls them elders, in the 
 second he calls them bishops; so, according to Peter, elders and 
 bishops were the same in his day. Now, while we deny the 
 false notion of apostolical succession, and believe in no such 
 absurdity, we hold, in the Methodist Protestant Church, that 
 our ministry is on the New Testament plan, and that our 
 Churches, raised up under such a ministry, in which elders and 
 bishops are one and the same order, and among whom the 
 pure doctrines, experience, and practice of Scriptual Christi- 
 anity are preached and enforced, is, in the highest sense of the 
 word, an Apostolical Chujch. 
 
 When Christ ascended to heaven, "He gave some, apostles; 
 and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors 
 and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of 
 the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all 
 come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the 
 Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure and stature 
 of the fullne.ss of Christ."— ^^j/i. iv: 11-13. 
 
 It may be proper to make a few remarks on this passage. 
 And, in the first place, apostles working miracles, and prophets 
 foretelling future events, are not now to be found in the Church. 
 It may, therefore, be legitimately concluded that these two or- 
 ders of ministers are not necessary to the welfare of Christ's 
 mystical body. But as prophets in the New Testament often 
 mean Christian preachers, as such they still exist, and will to 
 the end of time. 
 
 But, secondly, as to evangelists, I think they still exist in 
 the Church. An angel from heaven was the first evangelist. 
 "Fear not," said the angel to the shepherds, "for behold I 
 bring [or, as it is in the Greek, evangelize,] unto you good 
 tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto 
 you is born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour, which is 
 Christ the Lord." There were in the primitive Church men 
 who were not particularly fixed to any one place, but, like gen- 
 eral missionaries, went wherever the providence of God opened 
 their way, proclaiming the glad tidings of salvation. It has 
 been claimed for the Bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church 
 that they are evangelists ; but this can not be allowed, as they 
 
434 ADDRESS TO THE JVIINISTEP.S AND MEMBERS OF 
 
 are men of regular work. Those ministers wlio travel from 
 place to place, to promote revivals and raise up Churches in new 
 places, are evangelists. Such was Philip. Acts xxi: 8. Tim- 
 othy also was exhorted " to do the work of an evangelist." 2 
 Tim. iv: 5. No doubt he spent much of his time in this kind 
 of general missionary labor. 
 
 But, thirdly, there were " pastors and teachers." These two 
 offices were concentrated in the same persons. The pastors, or 
 shepherds, were commissioned to watch over the flocks, and 
 guard them from the wolves; as teachers, they were to instruct 
 the flock of Christ in all things pertaining to the kingdom of 
 God. The teacher or preacher of Christ's Gospel is, by virtue 
 of his ofiice, the pastor or Shepherd of the flock immediately 
 under Christ, the great shepherd ; and St. Peter very clearly 
 defines his duty. 1. He is to feed the flock of God. 2. He 
 is to take the oversight of them, not by constraint, but willingly 
 and of a ready mind. 3. He is not to be moved in any thing 
 he does for the flock of Christ by a love of "filthy lucre." 
 4. He is not to be a lord over God's heritage, for Christ has 
 forbidden that thing. 5. In every sense of the word, he is to 
 be an "ensample" — a pattern of all the Christian graces and 
 virtues to the flock committed to his charge. 6. He is to look 
 for his reward at the appearing of Christ: "And when the Chief 
 Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that 
 fadeth not away." But, according to St. Paul, this pastor and 
 teacher holds his office from Christ, "for the perfecting of the 
 saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the 
 body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and 
 of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, unto 
 the measure and stature of the fullness of Christ." 
 
 Here, then, we see the true character of the Christian ministry. 
 Here we see their great work, and here, too, we see their great 
 reward — a crown of glory in heaven. Who is sufficient for 
 these things? He alone in whom the spirit of Christ dwells. 
 When Christ "ascended up on high," he not only gave apostles 
 and prophets, then needed to found and establish the Chris- 
 tian Church, but he gave the "evangelists," to go out and pub- 
 lish the glad tidings of the Gospel in new regions and organize 
 Churches; and he likewise gave the "pastors and teachers," to 
 take care of the flock when it was gathered into the fold of 
 the Good Shepherd. In all the evangelical (churches these 
 pastors a,nd teachers are found to-day. The great body of the 
 ministers in the Methodist Protestant Church are of this evan- 
 gelical stamp. A good minister, a faithful pastor, is a most 
 invaluable gift of Christ to the Church; but an unfaithful 
 
THE METHODIST PROTESTANT CHURCH. 435 
 
 drone, who only lives to consume the produce of the soil, or a 
 money-hungry Judas, who would throw up his interest in time 
 and eternity for worldly gain, is a direful calamity on any 
 Christian community. All the Churches have a few of these 
 wolves in sheep's clothing — these selfish, earthly-minded men. 
 
 St. Paul, in ilomaus x : 13-15, places the call to the ministry 
 in a very strong light: "For whosoever shall call on the name 
 of the Lord shall be saved." Salvation comes to the human 
 soul by calling on the name of the Lord. Standing there in 
 the midst of the Gentile world, the Apostle asks, "How shall 
 they call on him in whom they have not believed?" Where 
 there is no belief in the Lord, there will be no calling on his 
 name, and, of course, no salvation. Again he asks, "How shall 
 they believe on him of whom they have not heard? Faith 
 Cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." His 
 next question is, "How shall they hear without a preacher?" 
 This makes the preacher's office among the Gentiles very im- 
 portant indeed. All involved in heathenish idolatry, and no 
 preacher to teach them the way of salvation by Christ. Then 
 again he asks, "How shall they preach except they be sent?" 
 It is the Lord's prerogative to call, commission, and send forth 
 the preachers ; and if he does not send them, there will be no 
 preaching, hearing, believing, calling on the name of the Lord, 
 or salvation. The vineyard is the Lord's, and he only has the 
 right to appoint the laborers. When the Savioilr calls one of 
 his faithful servants to preach the Gospel, he is certainly ca- 
 pable of making that man fally understand that he is called to 
 that work, and, at the same time, to convince the Church of her 
 duty to grant him her sanction and send him forth. A truly 
 spiritual Church will not often err in her judgment concerning the 
 piety, talents, powers of utterance, and other qualifications for 
 usefulness, of one of her own members, who is called of Christ 
 to preach the Gospel. The same spirit that moves him to the 
 work will move the Church to grant him her authority to go 
 out into the vineyard of the Lord as a laborer. 
 
 Christ called the twelve Apostles, and constituted them his 
 missionaries, to establish Christianity among all the nations of 
 the earth. He likewise "appointed other seventy," and directed 
 them to pray the Lord of the harvest, that he would "send [or, 
 as it is rendered by Dr. Clarke, 'thrust'] forth laborers into his 
 harvest." It takes '■^ thrust ing^^' sometimes, to get the right kind 
 of men to go. Some, who are thoroughly convinced of their 
 duty to preach the Gospel, make many excuses for not going 
 into the harvest-field. Others, like Jonah, rather than go to 
 the work, would prefer taking ship, and fleeing to Tarshish, 
 
436 ADDRESS TO THE MINISTERS AND MEMBERS OP 
 
 and risk the storms of tlie ocean. Yet there are others who, 
 like Isaiah, say, " Here am I, send me." The willing laborer 
 in any department of life is always to be preferred. "If I do 
 this thing willingly, I have a reward; but if against my will, 
 a dispeusatiou of the Gospel is committed unto me ; yea, woe is 
 unto me if I preach not the Gospel." In our itinerant field 
 some of the laborers are only moved on in the work by fear 
 of the woe. At last they do quit the field, enter into worldly 
 business, get overwhelmed in trouble, and find that the woe has 
 come, and this, with them, may be only the beginning of sor- 
 rows. Buried taleats are yet to be accounted for in the great 
 day of the Lord. Elessed is the man who cheerfully bears his 
 crosses and trials in the itinerant field, and faithfully does his 
 Master's work until the close of the day, or until he is other-, ^ 
 wise released from toil. God will give him a full reward. Yet 1 
 have known many who entered into the itinerant field reluctantly, 
 but came at last to like the work well. Amid all the embar- 
 rassments and trials connected with their calling, they held on 
 their way and finished their course with joy. Others of this 
 class are still in the field — men of prominence and good moral 
 worth. 
 
 To sum up all, as to the call to the ministry. As no power 
 on earth has a right to come into our country and appoint the 
 Postmasters of the United States, the Judges of the Supreme 
 Court of this "nation, or the Generals of our armies, it being 
 the constitutional prerogative of the Chief Magistrate of our 
 Republic to do that work, in like manner there is no earthly 
 power in existence that has the right to supply the Church of 
 Jesus Christ with ministers. The prerogative to do that work 
 is in Christ only, and he never has and he never will give that 
 power into other hands. My conclusion therefore is, that we 
 have had from the beginning, and have at this time, in the 
 Methodist Protestant Church, just such a ministry as it hath 
 pleased the Master to give us. I thank him most devoutly for 
 the gift of such a ministry. They have done well; the cause 
 has prospered under their ministrations. If our ministry needs 
 improvement to suit the times, so did the Twelve after Christ 
 called them to the work ; for he gave them the benefit of over 
 three years' instruction to qualify them more fully for the min- 
 istry. And there was the eloquent Apollos, who was " mighty 
 in the Scriptures;" even he needed an Aquilla and a Priscilla to 
 "expound unto him the way of God more perfectly." "They 
 who will not learn can not teach." That our ministers need a 
 higher grade of learning to suit the cultivated age in which we 
 live is granted, and we hope soon to have an institution of 
 
THE METHODIST PROTESTANT CHURCn. 437 
 
 learning where our youni^ men may go, not to get their call to 
 the ministry, but where they may go after they are called, and 
 receive an adequate outfit of the right kind of training for 
 their holy work. As in the origin of the Christian Church 
 Christ took fishermen and tax collectors and put them into the 
 ministry, so from the farms and the workshops of the land 
 he has given us our preachers. Such men need a further training. 
 
 It may have been best for the Methodist Protestant Church, 
 in the outset, to begin in a small way to test the advantages of 
 lay delegation. If the General Conference of 1828 had adopted 
 lay delegation, then the principle of Chui'ch freedom would have 
 been, to a great extent, in the hands of its enemies, or, at least, 
 in the hands of the uninformed, where its real worth could not 
 Jiave been properly appreciated ; so the whole scheme of re- 
 publican liberty in the Church might have been a signal fail- 
 ure. But, in the wisdom of Grod, matters in our case were or- 
 dered otherwise. As Judaism rejected Christianity, as a general 
 thing, and compelled it to go into a new organization and test 
 its principles, on the outside of the pale of the Jewish Church, 
 so the old Reformer;! were compelled, by the action of the 
 highest tribunal in the Methodist Episcopal Church, to retire 
 and enter into a new ecclesiastical organization. As Chris- 
 tianity, small at the beginning, did spread throughout the world, 
 meeting and overcoming all sorts of opposition and trials, so 
 the Methodist Protestant Church, small in the outset, has spread 
 into all parts of our country, meeting and overcoming in her 
 progress all sorts of trials, and has had an ample opportunity 
 to test, right under the eye of Episcopal Methodism, the great 
 worth of lay delegation as connected with an itinerant ministry. 
 And as the time will come when the Jews, together with the 
 fullness of the Gentiles, will be converted and come into the 
 Christian Church, so, according to the signs of the times, I 
 think the day is not distant when the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church will, in some available form, adopt lay delegation in her 
 Annual and General Conferences, and amply secure the liberty 
 of the local Churche.^. When this is done, then I trust that, 
 in the providence of God, all the various branches of the Meth- 
 odist family will again be gathered into one body. As this 
 nation, all over, from sea to sea, has not one inch of soil cursed 
 with slavery, so let the Methodist Episcopal Church, including 
 all her oifshoots, in one harmonious brotherhood, be ecclesias- 
 tically free, and so go down to the latest posterity. Amen!- 
 
 During the thirty-six years of the existence of the Methodist 
 Protestant Church, the progress of our cause has been gradual 
 and steady. For a number of years after the commencement 
 
438 ADDRESS TO THE MINISTERS AND MEMBERS OP 
 
 of our operaticras, every inch of ground we gained was contested 
 by the ministers of the old Church. This led us to bring our 
 principles constantly before the people. Those prinpiples gen- 
 erally met the public approbation, and our increase in those 
 days was more rapid than it has been since the contest measur- 
 ably died away. Opposition kept alive debate, the people 
 understood the controversy and all about mutual rights, and a 
 liberty-loving Christian always knew where to find a home; so 
 we moved on prosperously. Under a general impression that 
 our Church was on the right foundation as to doctrines and 
 ecclesiastical economy, the controversy for a number of years 
 has measurably been discontinued, the two Churches have be- 
 come quite friendly, and two results have followed. First, our 
 Church in time of peace has not increased in numbers as she. 
 did while the doctrines of ecclesiastical freedom were kept con- 
 stantly before the people; but I hope our religion has been none 
 the less pure. Secondly, our Methodist Episcopal brethren 
 have had time to cool off and reflect, and, upon due considera- 
 tion of the matter, have indorsed our principles, and are aim- 
 ing to introduce lay delegation themselves. If the controversy 
 had been kept up by us, they might have remained as hostile 
 as formerly and made no movement toward a lay delegation. 
 Even truth will hardly be admitted in a time of strife. 
 
 But if the advancement of Methodist Protestantism has been 
 somewhat retarded in the way above-mentioned, it has been 
 much more retarded by the slavery question. This question, as 
 discussed in our Annual and General Conferences, and in our 
 Church paper, did for a time greatly perplex our people. It 
 hindered our Sunday-school operations and our missionary work, 
 and broke up our college. At last, to save the life of the 
 Methodist Protestant Church in the free States, we were com- 
 pelled, in the Convention of 1858, to suspend all official coope- 
 ration with those Conferences and Churches which did tolerate 
 slavery and the slave-trade. We did love our brethren in the 
 South, but they held fast to what we deemed a great moral 
 evil. Union with them was destruction to us; so, on priueiples 
 of morality and necessity, we declined cooperating with them 
 any longer, unless the evil complained of was entirely done 
 away. how profoundly deep and mysterious are the ways of 
 God in his providential dealings with man ! It never entered into 
 the mind of any man, in the Convention of 1858, that God, by 
 means of a terrible civil war, would abolish slavery in every 
 State in the Union in 18G5; yet the deed is done, and, by the 
 blessing of God, I have lived 1» see my country a land of free- 
 dom for men of all colors and of all races. Now that slavery 
 
THE METHODIST PROTESTANT CHURCH. 439 
 
 is dead and can be no more a source of trouble, it is my hope 
 that the two wings of the Methodist Protestant Church, North and 
 South, will agree to work together again under the constitution, 
 and that abundant prosperity will attend our united efforts to 
 spread Cristianity through all the land. If it be desired by 
 the parties concerned, the General Conference of 1866 can 
 easily remove the suspension of 1858, and then both wings of 
 the Church, equally free from slavery, can act again in harmony 
 in building up the Redeemer's kingdom. It is time now, since 
 the war is over, to reconstruct the Churches as well as the 
 Union, provided it can be done on principles fair and honorable 
 to all concerned. 
 
 I have lately seen a disparaging allusion to the Methodist 
 Protestant Church in the New York "Christian Advocate and 
 Journal," which, in my judgment, deserves a rebuke. The 
 Methodist Protestant Church, now in the thirty-sixth year of 
 her age, holds a very respectable position among the Christian 
 Churches in our country. If the Advocate does not know 
 this fact, others do, and freely acknowledge it in every appro- 
 priate manner. Not having the Advocate at hand, I can not 
 quote its precise language ; but our Church is alluded to, in 
 a belittling way, as an obscure Church but little known ; and Rev. 
 T. H. Stockton's position in such a diminutive c-ommunity is 
 referred to in tones of commiseration. It may do good, and I 
 hope it will do no harm to any one, if I call the attention of 
 the Advocate back to the position of its own Church when she 
 was thirty-six years of age. Was she any more respectable in 
 her ministry or membership, or any more useful, than our Church 
 is to-day? The Methodist Episcopal Church had then 358 
 itinerant preachers and 86,73i members, colored and white. 
 Now, taking our Church, North and South, we have many more 
 itinerant preachers and members than they had at our age. 
 Since the war, however, we can not state our numbers with 
 certainty. The missionary interests of the two Churches for the 
 period mentioned have been about alike — no foreign missions 
 established. In the Methodist Episcopal Church, all their col- 
 lege enterprises failed during the time specified. During that 
 time we have had college failures too ; yet we did run Madison 
 College, at Uniontown, Penn., about six years, with some ad- 
 vantage to the Church and the country. Our book concern, I 
 think, is on as good a foundation as that of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church was at our age. During her first thirty-six 
 years the old Church had no denominational papers ; but we 
 have had one or more Church papers all the time. As to 
 houses of worship, parsonages, support of the itinerant ministry, 
 
440 ' ADDRESS TO THE MINISTERS AND MEMBERS OF 
 
 provision for the superannuated preachers, etc., I know that the 
 Methodist Protestant Church is now better off than the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church was during her first thirty-six years. 
 Our ministry now will suffer nothing in comparison with theirs 
 in 1815, when, under the direction of the Presiding Elder, Eev. 
 Enoch George, I entered the itinerant field. Our members, like 
 our ministers, I know, are no better than they should be; yet, 
 for intelligence, piety, and liberality, I hold them to be equal 
 to those of the Methodist Episcopal Church at any period of 
 her history. As to our lay delegation, for which the fathers 
 of Reform suffered ecclesiastical martyrdom, why are we re- 
 proached for that? Is not the old Church at this very time 
 seeking to advance her own interests by introducing that feature 
 of our economy? 
 
 Like John the Baptist, we have gone before the old Church, 
 to prepare the way, and we are ready to acknowledge, as did 
 John, that a greater than we are cometh after us. Now, as 
 Christ gave due credit to his forerunner, so let the old Church 
 do to us. Let them treat us as being as respectable and useful 
 a body of Christians as they were at our age; let them cease to 
 call us "rads" and "radicals," and to speak sneeringly of the 
 "old radical controversy" and its "violence," as though all 
 the "violence" was on our side. In their consciences they know 
 better than this. Let them remember that, in the days of their 
 youth, they were the people every-where spoken against; and ^ 
 now that they have grown strong, let them not become proud 
 and treat contemptuously those that are weak, calling them 
 ■•'radicals," etc. Why, if they did but know it, they are radi- 
 cals themselves ; for they seek a lay delegation, and this is the 
 very essence of radicalism. Yet, after all, I must do justice to 
 the old Church. I freely admit that her treatment to us has 
 been mild, compared with that of the Jews to the first Chris- 
 tians, or to that of the Catholics to the Protestants in the days 
 of other years. Her only Church paper that does us injustice 
 at this time, so far as I am informed, is the New York Advocate. 
 A little more mild, Christian candor in that paper would be an 
 improvement. As to the ministers and members of the old 
 Church, I do not charge on them the sins of the Advocate, and 
 I hereby take pleasure in acknowledging, in a general way, their 
 brotherly kindness to our denomination. 
 
 As to the other denominations of Protestant Christians in 
 our country, so far as ray information extends, peace and Chris- 
 tian friendship prevail. The Presbyterians — Old School and 
 New — the Congregationalists, the United Presbyterians, the 
 Cumberland Presbyterians, the Baptists, the Protestant Epis- 
 
THE METHODIST PllOTESTANT CHURCH. 441 
 
 copallans, the United Brethren, and the Wesleyan Methodist 
 Connection, etc., all treat the Methodist Protestant Church with 
 brotherly kindness and charity. Nearly all these denomina- 
 tions agree with us in according to the laity their ecclesias- 
 tical rights. And whatever may be in their standard books, 
 from their pulpits I have not heard any thing for many years 
 that would be offensive to the most delicate Methodist ears. 
 They occupy our pulpits occasionally, and our ministers occupy 
 theirs; and, on special occasions, the various congregations often 
 mingle together, in the same house of worship, with a great 
 deal of brotherly affection, feeling that " One is their Master, 
 even Christ, and they are all brethren." To have the good 
 will and occasional help of these influential denominations is 
 a real source of pleasure and profit to the Christian heart; 
 and it is likewise a matter of gratitude to God to see real 
 Christian sympathy so extensively prevailing over sectarian 
 bigotry. Christians may belong to different denominations, and 
 yet be one in heart. 
 
 Christian union is of two kinds — spiritual and ecclesiastical. 
 I wonder if even in the millennium all demoninational dis- 
 tinctions will be entirely done away. If Jesus Christ comes 
 from heaven to reign on earth in {person, this thing may be; 
 but should his reign be wholly spiritual, and carried on from 
 heaven, as at present, men, I think, will always find arguments 
 to justify denominational distinctions. If all the denomina- 
 tions above-mentioned, who have, in fact, a spiritual union, and 
 are of one heart and one soul, were to pull down their various 
 ecclesiastical establishments, and out of the old materials erect 
 a new edifice large enough to contain them all, that might not 
 make the spiritual union any more perfect than it now is. 
 Bring the whole under one roof, and if the Holy Spirit does 
 not now mold the whole of them, and fill them with love to 
 God and one another, and make the spiritual union complete, 
 an ecclesiastical union might be rather an injury than a bless- 
 ing. The more unsauctified, unloving souls you bring together, 
 the more trouble you have to maintain jrood order. Nothina; 
 heavenly love can be an adequate cement of Christian 
 union ; and that love, with its long arms, can embrace a brother 
 across the lines in another Christian community, and without it 
 we might persecute him if we had him in ours. We are all 
 social beings. Religious society is necessary to Christian happi- 
 ness, but that society need not include all Christendom in order 
 to our spiritual enjoyment. The great worth of a strong ec- 
 clesiastical organization is found not so much in the power it 
 has to impart happiness to its own individual members as in 
 28 
 
442 ADDRESS TO THE MINISTERS AND MEMBERS OP 
 
 its power to do a more extensive good to mankind, and thereby 
 bring a greater degree of glory to our Lord Jesus Clirist. 1 
 am, in this view of the matter, favorable to the proposed union 
 of all the non-episeopal Methodists. All these bodies are com- 
 paratively weak. Union may not make any member in either 
 body a better Christian, but it will give to the united body a 
 greater power to do good among men, and to glorify the Sav 
 iour of the world in a higlicr degree. 
 
 The Wesleyan Methodists came out from the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church on the anti-slavery question. We came out 
 from the same Church on the lay delegation question. Had it 
 not been for our connection with Churches and Conferences 
 that tolerated the slave system in all its branches, they would 
 have united with us at first, instead of going into a separate 
 organization. Ever since 1858, when our Church in the North, 
 through a convention, took action to relieve herself from all 
 slavery connections, and thus to save her own life, there has 
 been a growing desire for a union between the Wesleyans and 
 our body. Finally, the subject took a wider range, so as to 
 include all the non-episcopal Methodists in our country. In a 
 convention held in Cleveland, on the 21st of June, 1865, largely 
 attended by volunteer representatives from all the aforesaid 
 bodies, in great harmony, and with as rich a flow of heavenly 
 feeling as I ever witnessed in a deliberative assembly, the fun- 
 damental principles of union were adopted. Then a convention 
 to consummate the union was recommended. This convention 
 has been called by nearly all the non-episcopal Methodists to meet 
 in May, 1866, in Union Chapel, Cincinnati, and is clothed with 
 full authority to unite all those bodies together in one Church. 
 And it is my sincere belief that clear-headed, sound, Christian 
 logic will no longer justify these several Methodist communi- 
 ties in remaining apart. Their Christian doctrines are all cast 
 in the same Methodist mold; their principles of ecclesiastical 
 economy are the same. They must unite or abandon common 
 sense. In union there will be strcnyth; in separate existence 
 nothing but weakness. This writer, with all his heart, goes 
 for the union, in the full faith that it is the duty of all con- 
 cerned, in every laudable and honorable way, to increase our 
 power, to benefit our race, and glory God by a more vigorous 
 advancement of the cause of Christ in the world. 
 
 And now for one thing more. A mere ecclesiastical union 
 is not enough. There is need of prayer to God to harmonize 
 all the jarring elements in the several parties concerned, in 
 order that the union may be brought about. There will be need 
 of faith, hope, charity, and prayer in the convention where the 
 
THE METnODIST PROTESTANT CHURCH. ' 443 
 
 union is to be effected, and then it will require a great deal of 
 the right kind of religion to make the union valuable. 
 
 During the past four years of terrible war for the mainten- 
 ance of the invaluable Government of our beloved country, 
 the ministers and members of the Methodist Protestant Church, 
 with a very few exceptions, have given evidence of the reality 
 of their religion by an undeviating loyalty to the American 
 Union. It has been pretty generally understood, by both 
 preachers and people, that loyalty and religion aref enjoined by 
 the same Divine authority. "Render therefore unto Cassar, the 
 things which are Caesar's; and unto God, the things that are 
 God's," is the teaching of Christ. And St. Paul enforces obe- 
 dience to civil government in this lauguage: "Let every soul 
 be subject unto the higher powers. For there is' no power but 
 of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever 
 therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God; 
 and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation," 
 etc. These texts, taken in connection with many others in the 
 New Testament, plainly enjoin loyalty to civil government as 
 an essential Christian duty. A man might be loyal and not 
 be a Christian, but he could not be a Christian and at the 
 same time not be loyal, even to such a government as Ca3sar's, 
 and especially to so good a government as ours — the best that 
 the world ever saw. Hence, our Church, with this understand- 
 ing of her Christian duty, has given her most cordial support 
 to the union cause, until the rebellion was overthrown. What 
 Church, in proportion to her numbers, gave more ministers to 
 the army than ours? Some went as Chaplains, others as regi- 
 mental or company officers, and others again as common sol- 
 diers; while those at home who had sons sent them to help 
 save the country, some of whom fell in battle and others bj 
 disease. My stricken heart feels what I now write, for I, too, 
 lost a son, the last son I had, my beloved George. He was a 
 Christian preacher, a vacant soldier, and after some hard-fought 
 battles, he fell by disease. So it fared with many others of 
 our ministers — they lost their sons by the war. And the 
 preachers at home, in their several charges, while doing all they 
 could for the cause of Christ, did not forget their country and 
 the army. They prayed for our rulers and the salvation of 
 our country; they delivered sermons and lectures, when neces- 
 sary, in behalf of the cause. And what Church, in proportion 
 to her members, sent forth to the war more of her private 
 members than ours? The blood of our brethren has stained 
 many a battle-field; some have starved in Southern prisons, and 
 others fill soldiers' graves in the far-off regions of the Souxh, 
 
444 ADDRESS TO THE MINISTERS AND MEMBERS OF 
 
 ■while a goodly uumber have returned to cheer their familiefe 
 and bless the Church. Thank the Lord for a Church combin- 
 ing in herself the great elements of loyalty to our country and 
 piety toward God ! Thank the Lord that the war is ended, the 
 government is saved, the slaves are freed, and that in all the 
 land we now have peace! This is peace at home, within our 
 own borders, and we rejoice in it and give glory to God for it; 
 but the American eye is turned toward Mexico, where, by the 
 aid of the Emperor of the French, Maximilian, a vile intruder 
 from Austria, is seated on a tottering throne, aiming to subvert 
 republican liberty, which, according to the Monroe doctrine, our 
 nation never can allow; so now we may look for a foreign war. 
 May it not be so that we are now just on the eve of the last 
 /^ great wars of the world before the millennium? The great 
 despotisms of the Old World will no more yield to argument 
 than did the slaveholders of the South, and yet those despot- 
 isms must be removed before "the kingdoms of this world can 
 become the kingdoms of our Loi-d and his Christ." I think 
 that we are taught by the Holy Prophets that, in the provi- 
 dence of God, the terrible hammer of war will do this work. 
 The missionaries in all the world are making converts to Chi'is- 
 tianity, and implanting ideas of a higher civilization in those 
 despotic, idolatrous nations. Opposing principles will conie into 
 conflict, and a war of ideas will lead to war with swords ; then 
 comes on the last great wars of the world. 
 
 But, turning away from the Old World and looking at the 
 condition of our own beloved country, and leaving all our sister 
 Churches to pursue their own plans for the thorough evangeli- 
 zation of this nation, so as to make it to be as full of right- 
 eousness as it ever has been of sin. and praying God to bless 
 all the eiforts of those Churches for our country's good, what 
 does the Lord Jesus Christ require the Methodist Protestant 
 Church to do in this great work of evangelization? Certainly 
 there is a great work to be done in this field, now "white unto 
 the harvest," and we are not to " staiid all the day idle." Our 
 holy religion, with all its heavenly purity, did not propagate 
 itself. Living agents were chosen by Christ to spread the glad 
 tidings of salvation throughout the world. In like manner, our 
 methodistical views of Scriptural Chi-istianity, connected, as they 
 are, with the rights of the laity, will not propagate themselves. 
 We need living, active, competent, spirit-stirring agents in the 
 great Gospel harvest field to carry on the work. We need 
 good generals, who do not aim to do all the fighting themselves^ 
 but who know how to marshal their forces and lead on the 
 sacramental host of God's elect into the battles of the Lord. 
 
THE METHODIST PROTESTANT CHURCH. 445 
 
 "Will it not be for the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Great 
 Head of the Church, if there should be ia all parts of Meth- 
 odist Protestantism a glorious revival of religiou? Will it 
 not be for the Saviour's hoaor if all our lukewarm Churches 
 should be brought up to the higher Christian life and bltetised 
 with the Holy Ghost and fire?' Will not the Son of (lod be 
 glorified if, through the instrumentality of our ministers and 
 Churches, multiplied thousands of sinners should be converted 
 and added to the Church? To strengthen the Churches at 
 home, and thus more efi"ectually enable them to render service 
 abroad, is certainly our first work. 
 
 Now, since protracted meetings are the order of the day, how 
 may they be carried on to the greatest advantage? 1. Let our 
 protracted meetings, where all our people in any given place 
 arc expected to go into the work, be introduced by consent of 
 the Church, with all her members pledged to attend them, and 
 work for Christ in the meetings and among their friends and 
 acquaintances. Such a meeting requires all the influence the 
 entire Church can bring to bear on the community. 2. Under 
 a deep sense of the insufficiency of human eiforts, and of the 
 need of Divine assistance on such an occasion, the meeting should 
 be introduced with a day of solemn fasting and prayer, and car- 
 ried on a short time as a prayer-meeting, in view of obtaining 
 the baptism of the Holy Ghost. 3. All the preaching should be 
 directed to one point; namely, a revival of religion. Whether 
 one preacher or many shall be called into service, this one ob- 
 ject should constantly be kept in view. On such an occasion, 
 the preachers should agree among themselves all to preach for 
 a revival. Repentance must be faithfully preached in all its con- 
 stituent principles and feelings, and urged home upon the con- 
 sciences of sinners, in order to bring them as penitents to the 
 mercy-seat. Justification by faith alone, through the merits 
 of Jesus Christ, must be preached in order to bring penitents 
 into the glorious liberty of the children of God. The "clean 
 heart," the "right spirit," Bible holiness, entire sanctification, 
 the higher Christian life, filling the soul with perfect love, must, 
 in the preaching, be scripturally explained and urged upon be- 
 lievers ; nor must the poor guilty backslider be forgotten or 
 neglected. The preaching should faithfully and scripturally fill 
 the minds and hearts of the audience with true ideas of the 
 work of God to be accomplished. Let no preacher miss the 
 mark, and fill the minds of the hearers full of ideas foreign to 
 a work of grace. If he does this, his pretvflhing is a real hin- 
 derance, and God will have to cast all that he has said out of 
 the minds of the people, and fill them with other ideas of the 
 
446 ADDRESS TO THE MINISTERS AND MEMBERS OF 
 
 right kind before lie can get at them to carry on his work. 
 Better have no preaching at all than that which does not help 
 ou the work of the Lord. A discourse on the external evi- 
 dences of the truth of Christianity, or one showing that geology 
 does ^t contradict the Bible, on proper occasions, may be in 
 place. But at a protracted meeting such discourses are like 
 putting down the brakes hard on the car of salvation. They 
 arrest, at least for a time, the whole work. A sermon m;^de up 
 of abstract speculations, taken mainly from "Drew on the Resur- 
 rection," which I once heard in Steubenville in time of a revival, 
 ■where there were many penitents, put a chill on the whole meet- 
 ing. No j^eni'fents came to the altar that 7ii(/ht. But where a 
 spiritually-minded preacher, full of faith and the Holy Ghost, 
 comes forth to the congregation with a sermon not wholly in 
 his head, but mainly in his heart — one that has cost him much 
 thought to arrange it, and much prayer to Grod for a blessing 
 on it, that souls might be led to Christ by it — good will be 
 done, nobody will be chilled, all* will be warmed by a heavenly 
 fire running through the assembly, melting all before it. Under 
 such preaching sinners will be converted, and the Church 
 strengthened in her numbers and in the vital energies of all 
 her Christian graces. 
 
 But, in order to a proper efSciency in sending the Gospel 
 to the destitute of our own country and other regions of the 
 earth, our Church must have the help of a first-class college. 
 This, I trust, we shall soon have. Our Church must do her 
 whole duty in the education of the rising generation. We must 
 educate the children of our membership, if we would retain them 
 in our community. To suit the age in which we live, and place 
 our young preachers on a par with the ministers of other 
 Churches, they must receive a thorough classical and theo- 
 logical training in an institution of our own. To educate our 
 young men whose hearts incline them to the Gospel ministry 
 in literary institutions belonging to other denominations, is to 
 tempt them to leave our ranks and give their services to that 
 Chui'ch under whose influence they were trained. In this way 
 we have lost from our itinerancy many of our most valuable 
 young men. Now, I trust that Ave shall do so no more, but edu- 
 cate them at home, and keep them to build up our beloved 
 Church ; for she needs, at this time, not only a pious but an 
 educated ministry. 
 
 When we shall be able to give the sons and daughters of 
 our people a thorough classical and religious education at our 
 own college, and do our full share in training the youths of 
 our country; when we shall be able to send forth from our 
 
THE METHODIST PROTESTANT CHURCH. 447 
 
 college hcills well-cultivated meu into all the learned profes- 
 Bions; when they .shall be found in the medical department, at 
 the bar, in the pulpit, on the bench, and in the legislatures of 
 our land, every-where prepared to befriend the Church that 
 originated and sustained the institution where they received 
 their education, our Church, in the hands of Christ, will be a 
 much greater power for the accomplishment of good in our 
 country than she now is. 
 
 One evidence of the want of culture among the ministers of 
 our Church, and perhaps of other Churches, too, is the use of 
 other men's skeletons of sermons. Does this really grow out 
 of the want of culture, or of native talent, or of industry? To 
 be a driveling retailer of other men's wares is not creditable to 
 a Christian minister, and I do solemnly believe the practice is 
 injurious to the Churches of the present age. On this subject 
 the following is my creed : 
 
 Article I. The Lord Jesus Christ only has the right to sup- 
 ply the Christian Church with ministers. No other being, 
 power, or authority can come in here to take his place and 
 perform this work for him. 
 
 Article II. That in supplying his Church with ministers, 
 Christ did intend that there should be a diversity in their talents 
 and qualifications for service. " Unto one he gave five talents, 
 to another two, and another one;" an improvement is required 
 of all. No talents are to be buried, and all are held to a strict 
 account. 
 
 Article III. The Lord Jesus Christ never did call a man 
 into the ministry who had not at least one talent, or an ability, 
 with the aids afforded, to construct a sermon such as that man 
 ought to preach. 
 
 Article IV. If every minister called by Christ will preach 
 just such sermons as, by the aid of all sorts of good books and 
 the Holy Spirit he may be able to make for himself, then the 
 Church will get the variety intended for her by the Saviour, 
 and will prosper. 
 
 Article V. But should Christ's ministers, from any cause 
 whatever, decline making their own sermons, and try to satisfy 
 their consciences by preaching the sketches found in " Hannam," 
 "Simeon," "The London Five-hundred," or any book of bones, 
 then all the preachers using the same books will appear to be of 
 one and the same grade of intellect, the Church will lose that 
 variety intended for her by the Saviour, and there will be a 
 great spiritual dearth in the Churches in those days. All those 
 preachers who lack mental capacity to make a sermon should 
 immediately return to their homes. So should all those indo- 
 
448 ADDRESS TO THE MINISTERS AND MEMBERS OF 
 
 lent drones who do business on borrowed capital, simply be- 
 cause they are too lazy to read and write and think, so as to 
 be able to make their own sermons. To preach other men's 
 sermons, or the skeletons of other men, as though they were their 
 own, and give no credit to the real author, is considered " pla- 
 giarism;" i. e., a literary theft; and when thieves occupy our 
 pulpits, what is to become of the work of the Lord? No won- 
 der that the Churches decline under such a ministry. 
 
 Every preacher should not only be a man of prayer, but a 
 hard student and a maker of his own sermons. It is true his 
 sermons may not be equal to those of Shinn, or Suethen, or 
 Stockton, but they will be his own, and just such as Christ re- 
 quires him to preach. Christ never required any man to ap- 
 pear fine in borrowed clothes. Let every man appear in his own 
 garments, earned by the blessing of God on his own labor. Let 
 every preacher write out a plan of his sermon, that he may see 
 his subject in all its connections and bearings; let him get his 
 mind and heart fully imbued with its truths; let him pray God 
 to breathe into it the breath of spiritual life, and to give him 
 power from on high to preach it to the people; and then from 
 his knees let him go to his pulpit, and deliver his message in 
 the name of the Lord. A real Gospel sermon, thus prepared 
 and delivered, will prove a blessing to any people. Both saints 
 and sinners will feel its power. One such preacher will, like 
 Elijah, whom God answered by fire from heaven, be more than 
 match for four hundred and fifty of the prophets of Baal. Such 
 preachers are much wanted in all the Churches. 
 
 There is a practice among the preachers of stuffing their 
 text, as it is called. The test really has no sermon in it. No 
 doctrine, no experience or practice can be found there by any 
 kind of legitimate interpretation; yet the preacher's wonder- 
 working genius out of that text brings forth to the people a 
 pretty good sermon. He stufi's the text with a meaning not its 
 own, and then brings that meaning out tQ an admiring, assem- 
 bly. Thus the text is made to speak what the Holy Spirit 
 never intended. Ehud's words to Eglon, king of Moab, when 
 he slew him with a dagger, is a favorite text with some preach- 
 ers: "I have a message from God unto thee." (Judges iii: 
 20.) I once heard a strong preacher read this text to his con- 
 gregation. The sermon was addressed mainly to the wicked, 
 and it was a good one, powerfully delivered, but it did not 
 grow out of the passage read. In that text, with fair dealing, 
 nothing can be found but Ehud's dagger. On another occa- 
 sion, I heard a sprightly preacher read this text to his congre- 
 gation: "And there were six steps to the throne." (2 Chron- 
 
THE METHODIST PROTESTANT CHURCn. 449 
 
 icles ix : 18.) This text refers to Solomon's throne, and to 
 nothing else. The sermon was certainly a good one, but the 
 text did not contain it. According to the preacher, the first 
 step to the throne was consideration, the second was conviction 
 for sin, the third was repentance, the fourth was justification 
 by faith, the fifth was sanctification, and the sixth was glorifi- 
 cation in heaven. Will Christ be pleased with his ministers 
 for compelling a portion of Scripture to give forth a meaning 
 never intended by the Holy Spirit? If these "six steps to the 
 throne " had ever been referred to by the sacred writers as an 
 allegory, then the preacher might be justified in his use of it, 
 not otherwise. Preachers should be faithful expounders, not 
 misrepresenters of God's Word. With them this should be a 
 matter of conscience. At another time I heard a venerable 
 preacher, on a sacramental occasion, read to a large congrega- 
 tion this text: "And the Lord shewed me four carpenters." 
 (Zech. i : 20.) The sermon was rather too long, but it was good 
 and appropriate to the occasion. But what mortal man upon 
 earth could honestly say it grew out of the text? To stuff a 
 text, and then draw out from it what God never put in it, or 
 meant it to teach, is miserable work. Why is this done? Cer- 
 tainly the Bible is full of texts of the right kind, all of them 
 full of meaning, to suit all occasions. I wish I could success- 
 fully guard my brethren in the ministry against torturing a 
 meaning out of God's Word which he never intended. 
 
 It is very important for ministers of the Gospel at all times 
 to be appropriate in their discourses. A minister who does not 
 regard the signs of the times, and suit his discourse to special 
 occasions, will often appear before the public to very great dis- 
 advantage. I once heard a minister, who stood at the head of 
 the pulpit of this nation for many years, preach a most power- 
 ful sermon from this text on a sacramental occasion : "And 
 for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they 
 should believe a lie: that they all might be damned who be- 
 lieved not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." 
 (2 Thess. ii: 11, 12.) That was an awful sermon, full of truth 
 and sound argument. But it froze the audience with terror 
 instead of melting them with the Saviour's dying love. Indeed, 
 the tender strains of Calvary were not heard that day, and the 
 children of God came to the Holy Communion with a sad- 
 dened state of heart, produced by an inappropriate sermon, 
 full of the curses of the Most High against an apostate Church, 
 whose head is "the man of sin, the son of perdition." Such 
 sermons are certainly out of place at such a time as that, and 
 I and many others wondered at a man of such sound sense 
 
450 ADDRESS TO THE MINISTERS AND MEMBERS OP 
 
 delivering it before the eucharistic feast. On another occasion, 
 not long after the foregoing, I heard, from one of our best 
 preachers, a sermon before a sacrament, not on the death of 
 Christ, as it should have been, but on human responsibility, 
 from this text: "So then every one of us shall give account 
 of himself to Grod." Nothing could be more fearful and ter- 
 rifying than that sermon was. The awful day of accounts was 
 before the assembly. The Judge of the quick and dead, on his 
 great white throne, with open books to judge the world, was, 
 in imagination, a living reality before the people. What timid 
 disciple of Christ could venture to the table of the Lord un- 
 der the impression made by that discourse? Why is it that 
 men of great talents so often fail to suit their discourses to 
 times, plans, and occasions? I will give, in further illustration 
 of the absurdity of preaching sermons which do not suit the 
 occasion, an anecdote from the llev. Charles Buck, which I 
 will relate from memory. At the time of the plague in Lon- 
 don, in 1668, by which sixty-eight thousand persons were 
 carried off. Rev. Thomas Vincent delivered a discourse suited 
 to that most calamitous occasion, in which he dealt fearful 
 blows at the magistrates for their neglect of duty in not taking 
 measures to stay the plague, and for the health of the city. 
 About one hundred years afterward, when there was no plague 
 in London, a curate, an eloquent reader, by some means, got his 
 hands on Vincent's sermon, and, without considering whether 
 it would suit the occasion or not, he took it to one of the 
 leading pulpits of the city, and read it to a congregation made 
 up pretty much of estated gentlemen, magistrates, and other 
 dignitaries; and, as he swept along in his eloquent reading, 
 the attack on the magistrates was commenced. The sermon 
 represented them as guilty of an utter failure in duty. The 
 plague was raging in various parts of the city, and carrying 
 oif the people by thousands every day, and they were lounging 
 and loitering about the taverns and ale-houses, drinking their 
 wine and ale, and paying no attention to the health of the city. 
 At this the magistrates broke from their seats and came from 
 all parts of the house, and stood before the pulpit, and de- 
 manded of the curate to stop and tell them where the plague 
 was raging, that they might go at once and take measures to 
 arrest it. "Plague raging? Why, my God, gentlemen," said 
 the curate, "I don't know where it is raging; it is in my 
 sermon!" Yes, and the plague has raged in many a sermon 
 not suited to times, places, and occasions since that day. Why 
 will men of sense allow themselves to preach sermons in which 
 the plague rages? 
 
TUE METHODIST PROTESTANT CIIURCn. 451 
 
 I will conclude what I have to say to my beloved brethren 
 in the ministry by some notice of the practice of reading ser- 
 mons. In former years, among the Methodists, there were nb 
 readers of sermons. All who entered the sacred office were 
 preachers, and but few of them ventured to take more than a 
 few short notes or heads of their discourses into the pulpit, 
 and these they strove to hide from their hearers. To use even 
 skeletons was not popular, and it was supposed that no minis- 
 ters read sermons to. their congregations but the High Church 
 parsons, whose evangelical piety was very generally held in 
 doubt. But time has brought its changes. Other Churches, 
 who once opposed Methodist revival meetings, have come, at 
 last, to favor revivals, and to seek to build up the cause of 
 Christ by their means. The Methodists, who were in former 
 years so much opposed to Church parsons reading sermons to 
 their congregations, have now, in many places, readers of ser- 
 mons in their pulpits, instead of preachers. 
 
 Now, the question is, what advantage has the reader over the 
 preacher? He has none in reading books, none in study, none 
 in writing. The preacher can and does do all these things as 
 well as the reader. What advantage has the reader over the 
 preacher in the pulpit? None at all. To that sacred place he 
 comes with a sermon in his pocket, long ago written, and per- 
 haps very cold. The preacher has a well-digested sermon in 
 his miad and heart, warm and fresh. As to liability to confu- 
 sion, they are both in danger of that. If the preacher fails to 
 remember some of his points, the reader often slips over two 
 leaves at once, or,, in gesticulation, slips his finger a little too 
 low down on the page. This leads him, as I have sometimes 
 seen, when he looks at his paper again, to begin in the wrong 
 place, and so get into confusion. The reader, in bending over 
 to see his manuscript, where the light is rather dim, allows the 
 congregation the advantage of looking at the top of his head; 
 but the preacher can stand erect, and give the people the benefit 
 of his countenance, uplifted and beaming upon them. This is a 
 great advantage. Nearly all readers confine themselves strictly 
 to their manuscript. This cuts off all additional thoughts irt 
 spired by the occasion, the nature of the subject, or by the 
 Holy Spirit. The preacher takes all these in, and often finds 
 that God gives him burning thoughts in the pulpit that he 
 never had in his study. This must be so, as Christ is with his 
 ministers always, even unto the end of the world. The reader 
 of sermons' to the congregation has no New Testament example 
 for his modes of communication. 
 
 Neither Christ nor his Apostles read their sermons to the 
 
452 ADDRESS TO THE MESTISTERS AND MEMBERS OF 
 
 people, nor have they the Divine command to support them. 
 Paul did not say, How shall they hear without a reader? or how 
 shall they read except they be sent? but he did say, "How 
 shall they hear without & jjreacher? and how shall they preach 
 except they be sent?" And Christ did not, in the grand Gos- 
 pel commission, say. Go ye into all the world and read the 
 Gospel to every creature; but he did say, "Go ye into all the 
 world and preach the Gospel to every creature." Yet I do not 
 say that reading the Gospel to the people from a manuscript is 
 forbidden, or that God never blesses that mode of communica- 
 tion to the salvation of souls; but I do say, of the two modes 
 of communication, in my judgment, that of preaching has vastly 
 the advantage over reading. So Christ understood the matter, 
 or he would not have ordained preaching as the mode of pub- 
 lishing his Gospel. 
 
 But whatever be the mode of Gospel communication, the 
 great object must be kept in view, namely, to glorify our Lord 
 Jesus Christ in the salvation of perishing sinners. " All men 
 should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that 
 honoreth not the Son, honoreth not the Father that sent him." 
 How, then, may the ministers and members of the Methodist 
 Protestant Church be most successful in glorifying Christ? lu 
 a condensed manner, the following answer may be given to this 
 important question: 
 
 1. The Church, which is the pillar and ground of the truth, 
 and without which evangelical truth would perish from the 
 earth, must hold up Christ before this gainsaying world in all 
 the glory of his original divinity, or Godhead, as one with the 
 Father, the brightness of his glory, the express image of his 
 person, in whom dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, 
 and that he is truly and properly "God manifest in the flesh." 
 Now, he who represents the character of a man below the re- 
 quirements of the truth, is a detractor, and dishonors that man. 
 In like manner, he who denies the Godhead of Jesus Christ, 
 and represents him as a mere creature, does not glorify him, 
 but is a detractor from the essential character of this world's 
 Redeemer. 
 
 2. The ministers must lead on the Church to glorify Christ, 
 by giving to the world a true representation of the extent and 
 glory of that great work of redemption, which he did actually 
 accomplish on the cross. "All were dead." "One died for all." 
 He "tasted death for every man." He is the "propitiation for 
 the sins of the whole world." Now, as a man may be dis- 
 honored by detracting from the greatness and worth of his 
 Work, so he who limits the work of redemption to a few, while 
 
THE METHODIST PROTESTANT CHURCH. 453 
 
 the great mass of mankind are left out of the pale of God's re- 
 deeming mercy, can not be said in truth to glory the Saviour 
 of the world while he thus misrepresents the extent of his re- 
 deeming work. 
 
 3. VVe may glorify Christ by holding him up to the world 
 as the great Prophet, Priest, and King of the whole human 
 race. This world is in great mental and moral darkness. 
 Christ is a Prophet to enlighten it by his teaching. "He is 
 the light of the world," "the true light which lighteth every 
 man that cometh into the world." This world is in a state of 
 sin, guilt, and misei-y. Christ is a Priest to atone for the sins 
 of the world. He is both Priest and Sacrifice. In this he has 
 no parallel. Through his one offering of himself, once for all, 
 sin is pardoned, guilt removed, justification obtained, and eternal 
 life secured. This world is in a state of bondage to sin and 
 Satan. The whole world is placed under Christ's mediatorial 
 reign, and he can and will subdue all his and our enemies, and 
 put them all under his feet, and bring all who trust in him 
 into the glorious liberty of sons of Grod. Now, to disparage 
 a man in any official relation which he may sustain to society, 
 is to do him an injury, and dishonor him in public estimation. 
 Even so he who detracts from Christ's worth to the world, as 
 Prophet, Priest, or King, brings him no glory, and does him a 
 great dishonor, and, at the same time, inflicts a proportionable 
 injury on mankind. 
 
 4. To glorify Christ, the ministers and members of the Meth- 
 odist Protestant Church must maintain his holy religion in all 
 its heavenly purity of doctrine, experience, and practice. His 
 doctrines are the true foundation of experience, and experience 
 of his love in the heart will be a sure foundation for a good 
 moral practice. All these must go together. Ours must be 
 the religion of the head and heart and life; a religion that 
 may be felt and enjoyed in the soul. Now, to teach mankind 
 that Christ came into the world, died on the cross, and then 
 returned to his ancient seat in glory, to give our race a religion 
 consisting of nothing but outward forms and ceremonies, and 
 that all those who profess a knowledge of salvation by the for- 
 giveness of their sins, are distempered fanatics or willful de- 
 ceivers; and that no one worthy of credit ever yet professed to 
 have "fellowship with the Fatlaer and his Son Jesus Christ," 
 is certainly to dishonor Christ, by representing him as doing 
 and suffering so much to give our race a religion of very little 
 value. These men of outward forms and pompous ceremonies 
 should be led to understand, that to lower down the standard 
 of vital Christianity to suit the views of half-infidel professors 
 
454 ADDRESS TO THE MINISTERS AND MEMBERS OP 
 
 of religion is not tlie plan adopted by the Methodist Protestant 
 Church to glorify our blessed Saviour. We should, if possible, 
 lead all such people up to the higher Christian life, and induce 
 them to learn experimentally the meaning of St. Paul in the 
 following prayer (Eph. iii: 1-1-19): "For this cause I bow my 
 knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the 
 whole family in heaven and earth is named, that he would 
 grant you according to the riches of his glory to be strength- 
 ened with might by his spirit in the inner man ; that Christ 
 may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and 
 grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints 
 what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to 
 know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might 
 be filled with all the fullness of Grod." This -seems like an 
 amazing prayer, yet it only leads us to contemplate the privi- 
 lege of "all saints." All may be "strengthened by his Spirit in 
 the inner man;" all may "know the love of Christ -that passeth" 
 all the knowledge of worldly men; all may "be filled with all 
 the fullness of God." And to prevent us from "staggering at 
 the promises of God through unbelief," the Apostle tells us, in 
 this connection, that God "is able to do" for us "exceeding 
 abundantly above all that we can ask or think." And why tell 
 us of this, if he be not as willing as he is able to confer 
 all these great and unspeakable blessings upon his children? 
 Blessed are all they who do not mistake the outside of religion 
 for its inside, and rest in the form without the power of godli- 
 ness. Such shall be "the salt of the earth," and "the light of 
 the world," and have "all joy and peace in believing" in Jesus 
 Christ. 
 
 5. In order to glorify our Lord Jesus Christ, our whole 
 Church, including ministers and members, should voluntarily 
 consent to be the Saviour's instruments or agents in the great 
 work of the recovery of our lost race back again from the ranks 
 of proud rebellion to holiness and happiness and heaven. All 
 the talents of mind, moral influence, and wealth found in the 
 Church belong to the Lord, and should be used to promote his 
 glory in the salvation of sinners. A Church that works for 
 Christ will grow in grace ; a Church that does nothing for 
 Christ will certainly backslide. While in a state of sin, all 
 worked for Satan and themselves. Now, in the Church, all must 
 work for Christ and the extension of his kingdom to the ends 
 of the earth. No minister can build up and carry forward the 
 cause of Christ who does not find employment for all the heads 
 and hands and hearts of the people of his charge. Each 
 Christian has a soul to save, and were he to gain the whole 
 
THE METHODIST PROTESTANT CHURCH. 455 
 
 world and lose his own soul, the loss would infinitely outweigh 
 the gain. Personal religiotl, therefore, is first in order. "Work 
 out your own salvation with fear and" trembling; for it is God 
 which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." 
 (Phil, ii : 12, 13.) Then comes family religion. how important 
 is this ! Blessed is the house where both father and mother 
 are devoted Christians, and unite heartily in training up their 
 "children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." Such 
 a family is an incipient Church, where the worship of God, in 
 spirit and truth, is regularly maintained. Nest to this comes 
 the Church — the preaching and hearing of' God's word, the 
 prayer-meetings, which all should most scrupulously attend. 
 Why should a Church suS"er and spiritually die for want of a 
 well-attended prayer-meeting? All the fnstituted means of 
 grace, both commanded and prudential, should be faithfully 
 attended by all the members, to keep the Church in a healthy, 
 growing state ; and along with these duties, the Sabbath-school 
 deserves a very high regard. Here the children of the Church 
 and others are taught. Here our young members, and some of 
 the older ones, find room to work for Christ. Here the first 
 rudiments of a Christian education are imparted. From these 
 Sabbath-schools, with hearts deeply impressed by religous 
 truth, the children, by thousands, every year are passing into 
 the various Churches of our God. These Sabbath-schools, like 
 John the Baptist, are preparing the way of the Lord. 
 
 But, without delaying to notice our publishing interests and 
 our college, further than to commend them to the still more 
 extensive and liberal patronage of our people, I call the at- 
 tention of the Methodist Protestant Church to the great mis- 
 sionary field now open before us. Our holy religion is essen- 
 tially missionary in its character. God made all ; Christ died 
 for all ; the spirit is poured out upon all flesh ; the Gospel is 
 to be preached in all the world to every creature. If, by reason 
 of the youth and scanty resources of our Church, we can not, 
 just yet, get up and sustain missions in foreign lands, we can 
 do that work nearer home. All the new States and Territories 
 call for our missionaries. And since the close of the war, in 
 numerous places in the South, we have calls for missionary 
 laborers ; and nearer home, in some of the older Conferences, 
 there is much ground yet unoccupied where we ought to plant 
 Churches. Now, as Christianity is a religion for all the world, 
 and is aggressive in its character, and must yet triumph over all 
 the powers of darkness, until it fills the whole earth with the 
 glory of God as the waters cover the sea, let our Church go to 
 work in good earnest, and put missionaries into all those desti- 
 
456 ADDKESS TO MINISTERS AND MEMBERS. 
 
 tute places. It is as true now, as it was in the days of Christ's 
 sojourn upon earth, that " the harvest is great, but the hiborers 
 are few," and it is still the Church's duty to "pray the Lord of 
 the harvest to thrust forth more laborers into his harvest." 
 We have many valuable ministers who are out of the work, be- 
 cause they needed a better support than the Church gave them. 
 I hope Grod will call these men back to the work, and stir up 
 the Church to support them in the missionary field. I pray 
 God to call out others well qualified, and send them forth. 0, 
 how we need our college now to train young men for this glorious 
 work of evangelization ! We want ministers in the work at home, 
 and in the missions abroad, who, like John the Baptist, are 
 '' burning and shining lights." Some ministers burn all and shine 
 none, as though ignorance were the mother of devotion; others 
 shine all and burn none, as though knowledge alone were re- 
 ligion. But we want our ministers both to " burn " and " shine," 
 that they may glorify the Lord Jesus Christ by diffusing abroad 
 enlightened piety in all the laud. Not light without piety, nor 
 piety without light, but both together. It will take both to do 
 substantial good to man and bring the highest glory to Christ. 
 Along with this enlightened Christianity let the doctrine of 
 ecclesiastical liberty be inculcated every-where. It would be 
 dishonorable to Christ to teach mankind that he is, in any sense, 
 the founder of an ecclesiatical despotism, in which all the 
 powers of the government are in the hands of the clergy. The 
 Christian religion is at the foundation of American freedom, 
 and the Church has as much right to a free representative 
 government as the United States. So we believe, and so we 
 teach mankind every-where. 
 
 THE END. 
 
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A NEW VOLUME 01 SERMONS, FROM A POPULAR MINISTER. 
 DISCOURSES FROM THE PULPIT. 
 
 BY REV. WM. M. DAILY, D. D., LL.D., 
 
 LATE PBESIDENT INDIANA UNIVERSITY, CHAPLAIN U. 8, A. 
 
 C03ara7E!3sra?s : 
 
 1. THE FLYING ANGEL. 
 
 2. PKACE, STABILITY, AND PKOSPEKITY OF THE CHUBCH. 
 
 3. THE HANDFUL OF CORN. 
 
 4. THE GREAT MYSTERY. 
 
 5. LIFE-DFATH-LIKK; or, The Threefold State of Man. 
 
 6. THE TEAKS OF JESUS. 
 
 7. THE DEMOCRACY OF CHBISTIANITY. 
 
 8. GOOD NEWS FROM A FAR COUNTRY. 
 
 9. GOD IN LANGUAGE. 
 
 10. JEREMIAH IN THE POTTER'S HOUSE. 
 
 11. OUR MARTY'EED CHIEFTAIN, (a Dissonrse on the Assassina- 
 tiou of President Lincoln.) 
 
 lvol.,12mo. Illustrated with a Portrait of the Author. Keatly bouad 
 in cloth. Price, $1.50. 
 86^ Sent by mail, post-paid, on receipt of price. 
 
 R. W. CARROLL & CO., Publishers, 
 
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 THE HEROES OF THE WAR FOR THE UNION, 
 
 AKD 
 
 THEII?, -^CHCIE"^E3K^E3STTS- 
 
 BY REV. P. V. FERREE, M. D., 
 
 OF THE OHIO CONFEBENCE OF THE M. E. CHUBCH. 
 
 This volume contains Biographical Sketches of Officers and States- 
 men, Pictures of Great Battles, Sieges, Desperate Charges and Skirm- 
 ishes; Personal Encounters and Daring; Thrilling Incidents; with all 
 else of interest connected with the Nation's Struggle for Existence. 
 
 1 vol., 12mo. With a Portrait of General Grant. $2.00. 
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MUSICAL WORKS OF A. D. FILLMORE. 
 
 R. W. CARROLL &. CO. 
 
 Call attention to the following list of Mr. Fillmobe's Wobks, which 
 are published by them : 
 
 HAItr OF ZION: 
 
 A large Book of Church Music, in Figure-faced Notation on the Staff. 
 The work contains a concise course of lessons, and a series of Prac- 
 tical Exercises for Schools; also, a number of fine secular pieces, de- 
 signed for Social and School Practice. $1.25 per copy ; $12 per dozen. 
 (In preparation— entirely new.) 
 
 CONCOMDIA : 
 
 A Splendid Book of Church Music, with ample lessons for Schools, in 
 round notes, containing over four htmdred pages. $1.60 per copy; $15 
 per dozen. 
 
 POLYPHOJ^IC: 
 
 Designed for Sunday-Schools. Bound in boards, 35 cents per copy ; $3.60 
 per dozen. Paper covers, 30 cents per copy ; $3 per dozen. 
 
 Liberal discounts, on the above works, to Sunday-Schools, Teachers, 
 and the Trade. Sent by mail, post-paid, on receipt of price. 
 
 A Pleasant Volume for the Fireside. 
 
 HUMOROUS, PATHETIC, AND DESCRIPTIVE 
 
 INCIDENTS OF THE WAR. 
 
 BY ALF. BURNETT, 
 
 HUMORIST AND ARMY CORRESPONDENT. 
 
 With a Sketch of his Life; and Humorous Illustrations, from Original 
 Designs, by Thee. Jones. 1 vol., 12mo., cloth. $1.25. 
 
 Mr. Burnett has a reputation, throughout the entire country, as a 
 first-class Humorist. In this volume he has gathered incidents both 
 grave and gay, to convulse with laughter, and to subdue with tears. It 
 is a book which will be readily welcomed by a large clafis of readers, and 
 contains much worthy of preservation. 
 
 Sent by mail, post-paid, on receipt of price. 
 
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Sli.A.KZSIF'E^^I^B 
 
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 One Vol., Large Octavo, Elegantly Ulnstratedi 
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 This tB the handBomest one-volume edition published. It is prfnted 
 from clear, bold type, illustrated with steel engravings, and com- 
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 late George Steevens, with a Glossary and Notes, and a Memoir by 
 Alexander Chalmers. 
 
 B®" Sent by mail, postage paid, on receipt of price, "©a 
 
 A STANDARD WORK ON FREEMASONRY. 
 
 JUST READY, A NEW EDITION OF 
 
 THE MYSTIC CIRCLE, 
 
 AND 
 
 By Georqe H. Gray, Sb. 
 
 This excellent -vork contains a brief History of Freemasonry in 
 Europe and America— Symbolic Chart— Ancient Constitution of the 
 Grand Lodge of England— Ahiman Rezon— Constitutional Rules— Res- 
 olutions, Decisions, and Opinions of Grand Lodges and Enlightened 
 Masons, on Questions liable to arise in Subordinate Lodges, and a Code 
 of By-Laws for Subordinate Lodges— Instructions, Suggestions, and 
 Forms for Secretaries of Lodges. 
 
 One vol., illustrated, handsomely bound, S'S.OS. Sent by mail, post-paid. 
 R. W. CARROtL, Si CO., Publishers, 
 
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 227 
 
ISSOED EEfiULAELY ON THE lOth and 25tli OF EACH MONTH. 
 
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 The first number of the Register was issued on the 25th 
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 constantly increasing. The Publishers have secured the 
 services of an able corps of contributors, and flatter them- 
 selves that they will be able to furnish a first-class pe- 
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 of the Great West. There is no similar publication in the 
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A NEW AND COMPLETE BOOK-BUTER'S MANUAL. 
 
 NEW 
 
 PRACTICAL CATALOGUE 
 
 OUKEENT MISCELLANEOUS BOOKS 
 
 PUBLISHED IN THE 
 
 UNITED STATES. 
 
 1 Vol. 267 pages. Stiff Paper Cover. Price 50 Cta. 
 SENT BY MAIL, POST-PAID. 
 
 The need of a Catalogue of the current Book Publications of the 
 United States, simple in plan and comprehensive in matter, has been 
 much felt by booksellers and book-buyers. From causes apparent to all, 
 Foreign Books have become so expensive here that but few, compara- 
 tively, are bought, American Houses republishing at cheaper rates such 
 as the popular taste demands. 
 
 A COMPLETE Catalogue of American Publications would make an ex- 
 pensive and unwieldy book, not adapted to the wants of the majority of 
 readers. The publishers of this work have, therefore, adopted a plan of 
 a Catalogue of such Miscellaneous Books published in the United States 
 as are most likely to be called for by the public, confining it to reason- 
 able limits, arranging the works alphabetically (according to the names 
 of the authors,) and giving the prices fixed by the respective Publishers, 
 with a view to making it practically useful as a medium between book- 
 Bellers and book-buyers. 
 
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 ciirciNijrATi, o. 
 
R. W. CARROLL & CO., 
 
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 73 WEST FOURTH STREET, 
 
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 Call attention to their List of Standard, Useful, and Interesting Works: 
 
 The Works of Shakspeare. Complete. 8vo., shp. $4 f>0 
 
 Turkey antique, SIO. 
 
 Vagaries of Van Dyke Browne. An Autobiography |j 
 
 Verse. By Wm. P. Brannan. 1 vol., ItJmo., $1.75. 
 
 Lights and Shadows of Army Life; or, Pen Pictures 
 
 from the Camp, the Battlefield, and the Hospital. By Kev. W. W. Lyle, 
 Chaplain U. S. A. 1 vol., 12mo., $1.75. 
 
 Discourses from the Pulpit. By Rev. Wm. M. Daily, 
 
 A.M., LL.D., late President Indiana University. With portrait. 1vol., 
 12mo., $1.50. 
 
 The Mystic Circle and American Hand-book of Free- 
 
 MASONRY. By George H. Gray. 1 vol., 12mo., illus. New Edit ion. $2. 
 
 The Illustrated Book of Manners; A Manual of Good 
 
 Behavior and Polite Accomplishments. By Kobert De Valcourt. Illus- 
 trated, 16mo., $1.75. 
 
 The Odd-Fellows' Minstrel; A Collection of Odes for 
 
 All Occasions, for the Use of the Fraternity. By J. Fletcher Williame, 
 P. G. S. of Grand Lodge of Minnesota. 1 vol., flexible cloth, 75 cents. 
 
 The Heroes of the War for the Union, and their 
 
 Achievements. With a portrait of General Grant. By Key. P. V. Fer- 
 ree, M. D. 1 vol., 12mo., S2. 
 
 The Gun-Boat Series. By H. C. Castlemon, "The Gun- 
 boat Boy." Comprising: 
 
 FRANK, THK YOUNG NATURALIST. Illustrated, $1.26. 
 FRANK IN THE WOODS. Illustrated, $1.25. 
 FRANK ON A GUN-BOAT. Illustrated, $1.25. 
 FRANK BEFORE VICKSBURG. Illustrated, $1.26. 
 FRANK ON THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI. Illustrated, 81.35. 
 
 Incidents of the War: Humorous, Pathetic, and Descrip- 
 tive. By Alf. Burnett, Comic Delineator, Army Correspondent, etc. 1 
 ▼ol., 12mo., illustrated. Cloth, $1.25. 
 
 fSEE NEXT PAGE.'" 
 
The Sioux Massacre in Minnesota: A History of the 
 
 Great Massacre by the Sioux Indians in Minnesota; including the per- 
 gonal narratives of many who escaped. By Charles S. Bryant, A. M., 
 and A. B. Murch. 1 vol., 12mo., .504 pages, cloth, $1.75. 
 
 Trial of Clement L. Vallandigham by a. Military Com- 
 mission, and the Proceedings in Habeas Corpus. 1 vol., 8vo. Paper, 75 
 cents; law sheep, $2. 
 
 Interna! Rules and Regulations for Vessels of the Mis- 
 sissippi Fleet. Issued by order of Rear- Admiral David D. Porter. 8vo., 
 
 stitiiu'd. 25 cents. 
 
 Thrilling Adventures of Pauline Cushman, the Famous 
 
 Federal Spy. 1 vol., 12mo., stitched, 25 cents. 
 
 Poems. By Alice McClure Griffin. From the Riverside 
 Press. 1 vol., 12mo., cloth, gilt tops, $1. 
 
 Lawson on Consumption. A Practical Treatise on 
 
 Phthisis Pulmonalis. By L. M. Lawson, M. D., Professor of the Theorx 
 and Practice of Medicine in the Medical College of Ohio, etc. 1 vol., 
 8to., sheep, $.3.50. 
 
 A History of the Discovery of the Circulation of the 
 
 BLOOD. By P. Flourens, Sec. of the Academy of Sciences, Parig. 
 Translated from the French by J. C. Reeve, M. D. 1 vol., 16mo., cl., $1. 
 
 A Popular Manual of Practical Microscopy. By John 
 
 King, M. D. Illustrated with 114 cuts. 8vo., $2.,50. 
 
 The Eclectic Practice of Medicine. By William Byrd 
 
 Powell, M. D., and R. S. Nowton, M. D. 1 vol., 8vo., sheep, $4. 
 
 The Concordia. By A. D. Fillmore. A splendid Book 
 of Church Music, with ample Lessons for Schools, in round notes, con- 
 taining over 400 pages. $1.50 per copy ; $12 per dozen. 
 
 The Polyphonic; or, Juvenile Choralist. By A. D. and 
 C. L. Fillmore, containing a great variety of Music and Hymns, new 
 and old, designed for Schools and Youth generally, and adapted to usa 
 in Religious Meetings and in the Ilome Circle. Three Parts, in 1 vol., 
 128 pages. Paper covers, 30 cents per copy ; $3 per dozen. Stiff covers, 
 35 cents per copy ; $3. GO per dozen. 
 
 Teachers and Sabbath-Schools supplied by the dozen or hundred, at 
 a liberal discount. 
 
 Nelson's Mercantile Arithmetic, for Commercial Schools 
 
 and Colleges. By Richard Nelson. 1 vol., cloth, $1.25. 
 
 The Little Speaker. By J. C. Zachos. 60 cents. 
 The High School Speaker. By J. C. Zachos. $1. 
 
 8S?" Liberal discounts to the Trade. Any Work on our List senti 
 X»08t-paid, on receipt of price. 
 
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 73 West Fourth Street, Cincinnati, 
 
 70 
 
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES 
 
 This book is due on the date indicated below, or at the 
 expiration of a definite period after the date of borrowing, as 
 provided by the library rules or by special arrangement with 
 the Librarian in charge. 
 
 DATE BORROWED 
 
 DATE DUE 
 
 DATE BORROWED 
 
 DATE DUE 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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COLUMBIA UNIVER'^lTv i m„ 
 
 lif 
 
 938.6 
 
 B813 
 
 958.6 B81S 
 
 Broiim 
 
 Recollections of itinerant life 
 
 BRIHLEDO r:sT 
 PHOTOCOPY 
 
 41. 
 

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