History Of Methodist Reform, Volume I - Media Sabda Org

these conversations, Kewley's knowledge of it is easily traced from Magaw, if not Bishop White. In
the now almost forgotten newspaper controversy of Kewley and the Methodist preachers in Easton,
Md., of 1806, Kewley fortified himself in every possible way, and it is antecedently probable that
he wrote to Magaw, as he did to Bishop White, and obtained the points which he used, and afterward
embodied in his pamphlet containing the averment that Wesley was privy to the Coke letter to
Bishop White. And if anything were wanting to clinch the argument, it is found in a sermon preached
in Baltimore and published, in 1820, in which Rev. Dr. Wyatt repeats the allegation that Dr. Coke's
proposal to Bishop White was "made with the approbation, if not direction, of Mr. Wesley." Did he
make this declaration solely on Kewley's pamphlet? It cannot be known, but if he did it evinces
confidence on his part in the veracity of Kewley; but the probabilities are that he had collateral
evidence, as he does not give Kewley as his authority. And, finally, Dr. Coke, in the letter to Bishop
White, says farther, "I am conscious of it that secrecy is of great importance in the present state of
the business, till the minds of you, your brother bishops, and Mr. Wesley be circumstantially
known." The implication here is indubitable that he had mentioned it to Wesley; but he was not
prepared to act until his mind should be "circumstantially known." And this leads to the gist of a
matter otherwise immaterial: Wesley knew of the Coke proposal, but not of its embodiment in the
letter. It cannot be known to what extent he intended to support Coke in it; but as he was always
open as the day in all his transactions, while Coke was close as the night in many of his, what Coke
says of Wesley's cooperation needs to be largely qualified. The justification for this elaborate
digression is that it establishes one of the fundamental contentions of a tripartite struggle of Coke
and Asbury, with the knowledge, if not the approval, of Wesley, the object of which was, on Coke's
part specially, to circumvent Asbury and restore himself to his lost coordinate position as a "joint
superintendent" with him over the American societies.
Resuming comment upon Coke's letter to Bishop White, the next thing to be observed is that he
declares the affection of the American preachers and people for Wesley, "notwithstanding the
excessive ill usage he received from a few." He refers to the Conference of 1787 in dropping his
name from the minutes, and so abrogating his authority. There can be no doubt that most of the
leading preachers took part in it, understanding that Asbury approved of it, though "mute" himself
as to speech about it, as their attachment to Asbury, whom they personally knew, was greater than
their attachment to Wesley, whom they did not personally know. One of the itinerants present in
1787 affirms in substance that the resolution to drop Wesley's name was passed in the absence of all
the juniors; "when we juniors were admitted it had been done." How Coke regarded it will be seen
when his sermon upon the death of Wesley is considered. It was no doubt a minority act; but it was
the Baltimore Conference, in which were Asbury's trusted partisans, that did it.
In the letter now under analysis Coke informs Bishop White that "between 60 and 70 only out of
the 250 have been ordained elders, and about 60 deacons only." That is to say, only 120 or 130 were
Conference voters out of 250 preachers. As that was in 1791, it is probable that the number of voters
was much less in 1787. It emphasizes Coke's statement that he received "excessive ill usage from
a few." The letter sets before Bishop White the fact that the accretion to the Protestant Episcopal
Church would be 60,000 adults, and this he multiplies by five for families, and these again by
three-fifths, and so he covers about 750,000. "About one-fifth of these are blacks." He names several
obstacles, and then gives the following paragraph: "My desire for a reunion is so sincere and earnest
that these difficulties make me tremble: and yet something must be done before the death of Mr.