History Of Methodist Reform, Volume I - Media Sabda Org

a rigid disciplinarian, while George Shadford was a young man and a great favorite with Wesley. The
former bore with him his commission as General Assistant to Wesley in America, thus outranking
Asbury. It is the method of autocratic minds that, if complaint is made of the arbitrary administration
of a chief subordinate, not to give instructions for the relaxation of rigor, but to relieve the
subordinate and appoint one of severer temper and a firmer hand. A pause is called for a reflection
of Snethen's applied by him to Wesley, and equally to his appointees, in these cases, "I can never be
brought to believe that it argues any extraordinary sagacity in men, to take for themselves and their
successors as much power to do good as is possible, without any regard to the power which it would
give them to do evil." It detracts not a jot of its force to answer that these are good men and they
would not abuse their power. Granting it all as a matter of fact in the given cases, the impolity of it
must be apparent to every mind not of the same type. The early workings of the false principle are
soon seen. Rankin, Shadford, and Yearbry were welcomed by Asbury and the Methodists in
Philadelphia on the 3d of June, 1773. There is no evidence that Asbury knew of his supersedure, any
more than Boardman. There was no reason he should know on Wesley's plan. Snethen again puts
it, with the reasons for it, in justification, as far as it can be justified: "During the life of Mr. Wesley
he held everything in his power. His maxims were, You come to me, not I to you. If you are not
willing to help as I direct, you shall not help me at all. The ground in which he exercised this
authority was not only that he considered himself as the father of the connection, but that the
members of his society were also members of the National Church, and that those who left his
society experienced no change of church relations." Rankin and Asbury preached before each other,
and journeyed together to New York. Shadford went to New Jersey and labored effectively. Rankin
was a strong and discerning man, and felt himself competent to any situation. He took in the causes
of dissension between Asbury and the preachers, particularly Pilmoor. He appears to have taken sides
with neither party. Asbury submitted to Rankin's authority, but there is abundant evidence that
inwardly he felt his reduction to the ranks by Wesley. Evidently he was disappointed in the turn
things took. If Wesley himself had come over, as he partially promised he would, Asbury knew that
he could make such a case as would in the end subdue the malcontents and settle him more securely
in his position as head of the American Church. The preachers soon realized that they had gained
nothing by a change of superintendents as to disciplinary administration. It was more rigid than ever,
and much ill-feeling was engendered against Rankin, but he largely outlived it and conciliated most
of them. He determined to call a meeting of all the preachers in Philadelphia, and this brings us to
an event of greatest moment, and marks a new chapter in these stirring transactions.
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