History Of Methodist Reform, Volume I - Media Sabda Org

one of them had ever seen it, or, indeed, ever heard of it. Coke probably lost his opportunity when
he declined to make it public, as Dickins proposed. For on either of the foregoing suppositions he
would have held the vantage. If the "plan" were a liberal one, Coke, by espousing it publicly before
he conferred with Asbury — as nothing was plainer than that unless Wesley's authority was to be
disputed or impaired it was not to be considered, but executed — would have brought over to him
that large majority of the preachers and the people who favored such a plan, and no doubt still
secretly entertained it. Such a course would have gathered about him an influence that Asbury would
have found much more difficult to contravene than in the case of the Fluvanna brethren. If the "plan"
were in accord with Coke's and Asbury's view he had nothing to lose by publishing at once. It may
be said that something of courtesy was due Asbury before such a step was taken, and that this was
the reason for Coke's refusal to divulge it publicly. But if this had any influence with Coke the same
courtesy demanded that he should not have revealed it first to Dickins. By such reasoning a strong
presumption, at least, is raised that the "plan" ran in neither of these grooves, and, if so, it establishes
a moral certainty that it was Wesleyan simply; and, if so, then what it was is foreshadowed by
Wesley's polity with the English Conference with, perhaps, such circumstantial differences as the
emergency that made a "plan" for the American societies a necessity required. At least four things
may therefore be assumed as parts of it: it did not authorize, in the widest construction that could be
placed upon it, the organization of a Church. This Wesley would never tolerate. It did not mean that
the "setting apart" of Coke and Asbury as "superintendents" was anything more than the subsequent
setting apart of Mather for Scotland and Black for Nova Scotia as superintendents under Wesley.
Neither of these ever presumed upon their self-evident office and work as, it will be seen, did Coke
and Asbury. It was never intended that Wesley's authority should be less absolute and permanent
than it was in England. It may be also safely assumed that it contained no liberal provisions. All of
these assumptions will be reduced to moral certainties as the story of American Methodism unfolds.
The upshot of the "little sketch," then, is that Dickins kept the secret; Asbury, when it was divulged
to him, dissented to its provisions; Coke concurred, suppressed, and, finally, destroyed it. It will
appear again in this History only as it forms a part of the McCaine-Emory controversy of 1827-30.
[1]
It is well to remember that the transactions in England as to the ordinations had become quite
generally known in America through the correspondence of Asbury with Wesley and Shadford; and
the public papers, so far as they took cognizance of Methodist affairs at home, so that the coming
of Dr. Coke and his companions was not a surprise, though the particulars of their commission were
not known even by Asbury. Coke himself says in his Journal, "By some means or other the whole
country has been, as it were expecting, and Mr. Asbury looking out for me for some time." Asbury's
semiannual tours of the continental work were methodical, so that it was not difficult to guess his
probable whereabouts at any time. Coke ascertained in New York that he was coming northward and
was put upon his trail. He did not wait, therefore, for him to reach New York in course of travel,
though but a few weeks would probably have elapsed. "The king's business requireth haste," and this
business is characterized with it to a suspicious degree, considering the momentous issues involved
and the steps taken. So that Coke, after tarrying but a few days in New York, preaching and taking
in the situation, hastened to Philadelphia, which he reached on Saturday evening of the same week.
On Sabbath he preached for Dr. Magaw at St. Paul's Episcopal Church and at St. George's to the
Methodist Society at night. Monday he was introduced to Dr. White, afterward bishop, and the
governor of the state. Learning that Asbury was in Delaware, he set out and reached Bassett's house
in Dover where he met Garrettson, then a young American preacher whom he much admired. The