A History Of The Rise Of Methodism In America - Media Sabda Org

A HISTORY
OF THE
RISE OF METHODISM IN AMERICA
by
John Lednum
CHAPTER 58
The Minutes show the names of twenty new men the entered into the itinerant work in 1788, -their
names were, Jesse Lee, Lemuel Green, William Phoebus, Thomas Curtis, Matthew Greentree,
Francis Spry, James Thomas, William Wright, Richard Swift, Thomas Humphries, Thomas
Anderson, Henry Merritt, Thomas Bowen, Samuel Breeze, Benjamin Roberts, William Cannon,
William Damaron, William Ringold, James Hinton, and Joshua Worley. Several of these preachers,
such as James Thomas, Thomas Curtis, Matthew Greentree, Jesse Lee, &c., had traveled part of the
preceding year.
The Rev. Jesse Lee was a native of Prince George's county, near Petersburg, Va.; born in 1758.
He experienced a change of heart in his fifteenth year; and, in 1774, when Mr. Robert Williams
began to form Methodist societies in his neighborhood, he, with others, united with them. In 1778,
when in his nineteenth year, he began to speak in public; and, in 1779, took his first text to preach
upon. In 1780 he was drafted to go into the army; and though he could not in conscience take human
life, yet he concluded to go, and trust the result with the Lord. When he joined the army, a gun was
brought to him, which he refused to take. For which he was put under guard. Many came and talked
with him, and sympathized with his condition with tears. Before he lay down he had prayer with the
guard; and rising early next morning he began to sing, in which exercise he was soon joined by some
hundreds of the soldiers, who made the plantations ring with the songs of Zion, after which he prayed
very fervently with tears, which caused many of the soldiers to weep freely. Permission being given
by the colonel, he preached in the camp on the Sabbath day; and both speaker and hearers were
bathed in tears. After the discourse was ended, some of the gentlemen went about making a
collection, from which he begged them to desist, as he was unwilling to receive any compensation.
The colonel released him from the guard, and appointed him to drive their baggage wagon. He was
in the army three months, during which time he was instrumental in doing much good by his
religious conversation; and his prayers were made a blessing to the well, and especially to the
soldiers who were sick, -- when many of them died he attended them to the grave, and prayed over
their remains.
From the Conference held at Ellis' Chapel this year, Mr. Lee went to travel Caswell Circuit, in
North Carolina. At this time, he had enjoyed religion about ten years, half of which time he had been
a public speaker. Before leaving Virginia to go to his circuit, he spent a Sabbath day preaching at
Mrs. Heath's, and at Brother Tatum's. On his way from the former to the latter appointment he saw,
while the sun was shining brightly, "a large meteor, or ball of fire," moving through the sky slowly.
After it passed from his view, he heard a loud noise like distant thunder. This to him was a singular
phenomenon.