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

In 1786, we had three conferences. The seventeenth conference was held at Salisbury in North
Carolina, on the 21st of February. The eighteenth conference was held in Virginia, at Laine's chapel,
on the 10th day of April. The nineteenth conference was held at Baltimore on the 8th day of May.
At these conferences we took in five new circuits. Two in South Carolina, Santee, and Pee Dee;
one in North Carolina, Newbern: one in New Jersey, called Newark: and one in Kentucky, called
after the state, Kentucky.
We admitted on trial twenty-three young preachers. Seven hundred and ninety-one members were
added to the society this year.
Jeremiah Lambert died this year, who was an Elder, and had been traveling six years. The year
before he died, he was sent to Antigua, in the West Indies; but finding himself declining, he returned
to Maryland, where he died. His character is thus stated in the minutes, "A man of sound judgment,
clear understanding, good gifts, genuine piety, and very useful, humble and holy: diligent in life, and
resigned in death; much esteemed in the connection, and justly lamented.
James Thomas, a young man, died also: he was a pious man, of good gifts; blameless in his life,
and much resigned in his death.
William Glendenning, (according to the minutes) desisted from traveling this year. By some
means he lost his reason: which his own words will prove.
As his case was rather extraordinary, I will give some account of his stopping, &c in his own
words; taken from a book written by himself, and published in Philadelphia in 1795, entitled, "The
life of William Glendenning."
He says in page 11 and 12, "In 1784, I traveled in Brunswick, in the state of Virginia, where my
mind got more and more darkened, and I lost sight of my reconciled God, and all spiritual comforts
departed from me." Page 13, at the Christmas conference this year, "They wanted me to go as a
missionary to Nova Scotia; which I refused with warmth." However, he was proposed for the elder's
office, and he says page 14, "I was rejected from the eldership. The reason assigned was, that I
wanted gifts." Afterwards, "While Mr. Asbury was at prayer, I felt all light of divine mercy, as in a
moment, take its flight from me. My soul then sunk into the depths of misery and despair." Page 15,
"I stopped traveling in the month of June 1785." Page 16, "I staid first at the house of Robert Jones
in Sussex county, Virginia."
Page 18, "About the last of November the same year, I was removed to Leonard Smith's, in North
Carolina;" page 19, "and in about six weeks I was removed to John Hargrove's." Page 21, "When I
would be in the fields, I would for hours together be blaspheming in the most horrid manner."
He wrote to the general conference in 1792, wishing to be united with us, &c The conference
believed him to be beside himself at that time, and would not receive him.