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

quick and solid parts, a sound and close reasoner, and a very plain, practical, and pointed preacher.
He was peculiarly attentive to his duty, and very conscientious in the discharge of the exercises of
prayer, both in the family and in the closet. His skill and fidelity as editor, inspector, and corrector
of the press, were exceedingly great. He conducted the whole of his business with punctuality and
integrity. He closed his life with uncommon joy and peace, and had a full assurance of eternal life.
His death was more sensibly felt by the Methodist connection in general, than we had ever known
or felt in the death of any other preacher that had died among us.
The conference that was held in Readfield this year, was the first that we ever held in the Province
of Maine. Many people came together on that account, especially on the day that some of our
preachers were ordained. Several came out on that day with their carts with cakes &c to sell; and
many of them appeared as disorderly as if they were at a public vendue, or in the court-yard. No one
interrupted us in the meeting house, but many were walking to and fro, and paid no attention to the
meeting.
We had ten traveling preachers at that conference, much united in love, and in the work of the
ministry; and we had some good accounts from different places, of a gracious revival of religion.
In the bounds of the Granville conference we had more than 1000 members added to the society;
upwards of 200 of them had joined us in the state of Vermont.
In the course of this year, our society in the city of Richmond in Virginia began to build a
meeting-house in that place, and after some time they finished it; but their difficulties in paying for
it were very great.
This year I took an account of all our local preachers in their different circuits, as correctly as I
could; I could not get a correct account from every circuit; but I found that there were about 850 local
preachers in our connection; and only 269 traveling preachers. We had in all about 1119 traveling
and local preachers in the United States, happily united in the same work in their different stations;
endeavoring to save themselves, and them that heard them.
The number of local preachers whose names I collected, in the different states was as follows: In
Georgia 33
Connecticut 13
South Carolina 55
Rhode Island 3
North Carolina 148
Massachusetts 3
Virginia 251
Province of Maine 6
Maryland 103
Delaware 21
Pennsylvania 50
New Jersey 53
New York 51