History Of Methodist Reform, Volume I - Media Sabda Org

esult of our rejecting the government which others had adopted; I would observe that only a
minority had received it at the time." There is no escaping the logical cogency of these forceful
words. Again, as in the case of the Fluvanna brethren, the bit was between his teeth. Before Asbury
left them O'Kelly reports that the young ministers said to him, "What shall we do, and what will
become of this district?" Asbury answered, "If you will agree that I shall be your bishop, I will
station you in this district on the old plan. They accepted his offer, and the district was committed
[2]
to their care: but no regard was paid to O'Kelly." When the minutes were printed, however,
Asbury's vehement displeasure had subsided, and O'Kelly was recognized as presiding elder and the
preachers of his district named as usual.
Asbury in his Journal notes upon the first Council says, "All our business was done in love and
unanimity." It was the surface indication. Under arbitrary systems absence is construed as giving
consent. As dissent is neither courted nor allowed, it seldom exhibits. It was early in January, 1790,
that Asbury received the letter O'Kelly had written him as already found, and quotation is given of
what he says in his Journal, confirming the statements of O'Kelly, and in proof of his general
reliability, though not always fully informed and at times biased by his prejudices. "I received a letter
from the presiding elder of this district, James O'Kelly: he makes heavy complaints of my power,
and bids me stop for one year, or he must use his influence against me. Power! power! there is not
a vote given in a conference in which the presiding elder has not greatly the advantage of me; all the
influence I am to gain over a company of young men in a district must be done in three weeks; the
greater part of them, perhaps, are seen by me only at conference, whilst the presiding elder has had
them with him all the year, and has the greatest opportunity of gaining influence; this advantage may
be abused; let the bishops look to it: but who has the power to lay an embargo on me, and to make
[3]
of non-effect the decision of all the conferences of the union?" This deliverance deserves analysis,
for the philosophical reflections it suggests and for matter of fact correction. It shows how the
autocratic mind frames its excuses. He keeps out of sight the fact that the presiding elder is
absolutely the creature of his will, and that every preacher under him is on the point of his pen for
assignment. O'Kelly did not attempt to make of "non-effect the decision of all the conferences of the
union." But three of the twelve had been held when O'Kelly made his protests at Petersburg and was
sustained by the preachers. What is particularly noteworthy is this, "This advantage may be abused;
let the bishops look to it." He took care to do so, by making the next Council more unamenable than
the first.
The minutes of 1789 were famous not only for the transactions already noted, but for the record
— "Philadelphia, John Dickins, Book steward." He was born and it seems well educated in the city
of London, came to America before the Revolution, and about 1774 was converted and entered upon
an active ministerial career in 1777. In 1778-79 he shared the leadership of Methodism with Gatch,
and was easily the best debater, as is evident from showings already made of his successful
controversial bout with Asbury, in defense of the action of the Fluvanna brethren in forming a
Presbytery and ordaining the preachers, as well as in laying the superstructure of a Presbyterian
polity for the Methodist societies while Asbury was in duress in Delaware in 1777-78 and part of
1779. What considerations afterward induced him to change his mind is open to conjecture. What
is known is that in 1780 he had some throat trouble and spoke with difficulty. He came under the
more direct influence of Asbury, who sent him to Philadelphia, where he once more entered upon
active work, and initiated the book business, exhibiting ability in the management of temporalities.