History Of Methodist Reform, Volume I - Media Sabda Org

Lee affirms that, during this eventful year, or from December, 1791, to September, 1792, eighteen
Conferences were called by Asbury, with a change of method in that they began in Virginia, went
southward, then northward, and returned to Baltimore. Eleven new circuits were formed, fifty young
preachers received, and 2314 added to the membership. It was a great falling off compared with the
6,257 of the previous year. He makes no attempt to account for it; but the prevailing unrest of the
preachers the strife between power and principle — must be accepted as a large factor in the case
The statistics as thus given by Lee do not quadrate with those of the minutes in Dickins' edition of
1795. He gives for 1790 whites, 45,949, colored, or "blacks" in the phrase of the day, 11,682; for
1791, whites, 63,269, blacks, 12,884; for 1792, whites, 52,109, blacks, 13,871. Further comment on
these figures will be made under the results of the O'Kelly secession. Mention must also be made
in this connection of the historical fact that in 1789 Bishop White of Pennsylvania called a
Convention of the Episcopal Church, now dissolved as a national one by the declared Independence
of the United States. A Constitution was formed recognizing equal representation of the clergy and
laity, the latter to be elected as delegates to the Conventions, Annual and General, by the local vestry
of each congregation, the vestry being elected annually by the congregation, thus securing a direct
lay-representation. This Constitution was adopted by the General Convention of that Church in 1792.
Thus the only denomination in America except the Roman Catholics, not directly controlled by the
primary assembly of the people in membership, came into line and harmonized with the civil
government of the country. These examples were before the English Bishops of the American
Methodist Societies, but instead of proving an incentive to a scriptural and rational polity for the
Methodists, the very presence of the laity seemed to repel these autocratic men, for the overtures
which were made for a union of the two churches in 1784 were rejected by Coke and Asbury, this
reason no doubt being one of the determining ones, as was learned from Kewley's disclosures upon
the subject. Lay-participation and popular suffrage were inimical to Wesley's views, and his
American Superintendents would have none of it. Alas, for the peace and unity of Methodism in
every quarter of the globe; from 1784 for the Deed of Declaration and also for the organization of
the Methodist Episcopal Church.
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