A Short History Of The Methodists... - Media Sabda Org

encouragement, and some souls were savingly brought to the knowledge of the truth. On the 19th
of May we joined the first class in Stratford, composed of a few loving persons, who were much
despised in town on the account of their religion, and their attachment to the Methodists.
In March, New Haven circuit, was formed which extended along the post road from Milford to
Hartford. The first sermon preached by the Methodists in the city of Hartford was on the 9th of
December 1789, and on the 8th of November this year a class was formed in that city; but after a
while some of the members moved away, and all the others were scattered.
About the beginning of this spring, Litchfield circuit was formed, which took in the north west
part of Connecticut state. And in the latter part of the spring we formed Hartford circuit, which took
in both sides of Connecticut river. The first time the Methodists preached in the neighboring towns
in that circuit were as follows: On the 2d day of April 1790, in Tolland; the third day in East
Windsor; on the 7th in Windsor; on the 9th in Suffield; on the 11th in Granby; on the 22d in Infield;
on the 29th in Wintonberry; and on the 3d day of May in Wubraham, in Massachusetts. The first
sermon preached by the Methodists in the city of Middletown, was on the 7th day of December 1789.
I have given this account of the time when the Methodists first began to preach in certain towns,
that the people in those parts may know when they were first visited by us. No doubt, it will be
satisfactory to many, even of the rising generation.
I was appointed this year to the town of Boston, in order if possible to establish the Methodist
doctrine and discipline, and to raise up a people for the Lord. I took my station on the 14th day of
November. In the course of the preceding summer, Mr. Freeborn Garrettson had visited that town
and preached. I made them a visit in July. On one occasion, I went out on the common, and standing
on a table began to sing with only a few persons present. But having prayed and begun to preach, the
number increased so that there were two or three thousand attentive hearers. The number was still
greatly increased the next Sabbath day, at the same place, at six o'clock in the afternoon.
This may be considered the beginning of Methodism in Boston, and in all those parts of the
country. Methodist preaching was a strange thing in that part of the world. On the 12th day of July
the first Methodist sermon was preached in Salem; on the 15th in Newburyport; on the 16th in
Danvers; on the 17th in Marblehead; on the 20th in Charlestown; and on the 14th of December in
Lynn. In Boston it was hard to procure a place to preach in, and the word took but little hold on the
minds of the hearers; but as soon as we began to preach in Lynn, the word had a powerful effect on
the hearers who flocked to hear by hundreds. It soon appeared, that Lynn was the place that should
be attended to, in preference to any other. On the 20th day of February 1791, the first class was
formed in Lynn, consisting of eight persons, and that day week twenty-one persons more joined with
the former number, and some of them were truly engaged with the Lord, and much devoted to his
service; and others were sincere seekers of salvation.
There were abundance of people in that town who were fond of hearing the Methodists, and
wished to attend their meetings constantly; and on the 9th day of May, upwards of seventy men who
paid tax, came together and took certificates showing that they attended public worship with the
Methodists, and paid to the support of their minister. This was done to keep them, as far as possible