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

1 Watson's Annals, vol. i., p. 385.
A HISTORY
OF THE
RISE OF METHODISM IN AMERICA
by
John Lednum
ENDNOTES
2 Brother Stanford became a local preacher, and settled in Kentucky, where the Rev. Henry Smith
found him.
3 Ellen Moale was the first child born in Baltimore. "Watson's Annals," vol. i., p. 513.
4 Extracted from Mr. Wesley's Missionaries to America.
5 Abridged from Mr. Wesley's First Missionaries to America.
6 A very racy anecdote is preserved in relation to Brother Hoffman, and was communicated to us
by Dr. A., a Methodist, who often saw Mr. Hoffman. Soon after he became happy in religion. It
seems he was, on a certain occasion, engaged in closet devotion, and had such thoughts and feelings
of heaven as every Christian loves to have. Just then he heard a quick striking over his bead, and a
voice which seemed to say "Yarech! Yarech! Yarech!" which is something like the German name
for George, which was his Christian name. He supposed himself to be called, and concluded that an
angel had come down to invite him to heaven. Feeling no hesitancy in exchanging a worse for a
better world, he replied, "I will go with you as soon as put on my new buckskin breeches." In haste
he put on his Sunday go-to-heaven apparel; going out into his yard, and looking up to see the
Celestial Messenger, to his great disappointment, instead of an angel, he saw a woodpecker on his
house. This anecdote was quite current among the old Methodists of Chester county.
7 The Bible records many dreams, that God in his providence gave to his people under former
dispensations. He declared that He would "speak to his prophets in a dream;" and again that "God
speaks in a dream, though man perceives it not." The moral Governor of this world speaks to
mankind in every age. We have already brought to view several that seem to be strongly marked with
Divine origin. We will give another that is connected with the introduction of Methodism into New
England by the Rev. Jesse Lee.
Mrs. Risley, Mrs. Wells, and Ruth Hall -- three women constituted the first society that he formed
there. Mrs. Risley came from Egg Harbor, in New jersey, where the Lord was working through the
instrumentality of the Methodists, to Fairfield, Connecticut. She and some of her well disposed
female friends agreed to pray that the Lord would send faithful laborers into that part of his vineyard.
Not long afterwards Mrs. Mary Wells dreamed that she saw a large man coming towards her with
four companies gathering from the east, west, north, and south. She asked the stranger what these
great companies meant. He answered "The glorious day is just at hand." She awoke with these words