History of the M.E. Church, Vol. IV - Media Sabda Org

thousands more, to the third or fourth generation; are still on the way. Bless the Lord, O my soul, for
what my eyes have seen! If the men that labored and suffered here were unlearned in the classics,
and, therefore, in the judgment of some, incompetent ministers, yet hath the great Head of the
Church, through their instrumentality, given to his people and the world many competent ministers,
who have been, and still are, both burning and shining lights. If Chenango Circuit, formed in 1800
by Peter B. Davis, gave the Methodist Episcopal Church her senior bishop, (Roberts,) Guyandotte,
formed in 1803 by William Steel, and traveled in 1804 by Asa Shinn, furnished her with her junior
bishop, (Morris;) and if Kanawha, Muskingum, Hockhocking, etc. have not sent out bishops, they
have sent out scores of deacons and elders, and with them a goodly number of scholars and
professional men; but the preacher-making prerogative still belongs to Christ. O, Methodists, never
forget this! I may have attended and superintended one hundred and thirty or forty camp-meetings,
and witnessed most powerful displays of God's amazing grace, in the conviction and happy
conversion of some thousands of souls. At first we used to erect two stands, with seats at each, one
in the encampment, and the other some twenty or thirty rods distant, and no altar at either. At these
we had preaching alternately through the day, but only the one in the encampment was illuminated
and occupied at night. Each public service was followed by a prayer-meeting, which was not to be
broken off to make way for preaching; but the trumpet was sounded at the other stand, whither all
who wished to hear preaching were wont to repair. Here also a prayer-meeting ensued, and so
alternately through the day. There were no altars, no 'mourners' benches,' or 'anxious seats' in those
days, nor were any invitations given to seekers of salvation to present themselves for the prayers of
the Church; but soon after the commencement of the prayer-meeting, praying and singing groups and
circles were seen and heard throughout the encampment, even to the outskirts of the congregation;
and there was no great difficulty in keeping pretty good order, for an awful sense of the majesty and
glory of God often appeared to pervade the whole assembly. As an evidence of the great good
resulting from camp-meetings, it is a fact that a large proportion of the members, and many
eminently useful ministers, in the western country, have been brought to a knowledge of salvation
at these meetings." Burke, Shinn, Oglesby, Sale, Lakin, Parker; William Young, Lotspeich, Lasley,
Manley, Cummings, and many other energetic men, soon to be noticed, were co-laborers of Quinn
in these regions, throughout these years.
From Ohio the systematic work of the Church extended westward over Indiana, Illinois, and
Missouri.
Indiana territory was constituted in 1800; in 1805 it was divided by the organization of Michigan
territory, and in 1809 that of Illinois was detached from it.
In 1802 the first Indiana Methodist society was formed, at Gassoway, in "Clark's Grant," Nathan
Robertson being the first Methodist of the territory. Two years later there was an Illinois mission.
Whitewater Circuit was formed in 1807, with Thomas Hellams for its preacher, and sixty-seven
members; Silver Creek in 1808, and Vincennes in 1810. In 1815 there were, in the entire territory,
Whitewater, Silver Creek, Illinois, Little Wabash, Vincennes, and Lawrenceburgh Circuits, having
one thousand seven hundred members and seven preachers. The latter were John Strange, W. M.
Hunt, Shadrack Ruark, John Scripps, John Shrader, James Noland, and W. C. Harbesson.