History Of Methodist Reform, Volume I - Media Sabda Org

METHODIST REFORM
Edward J. Drinkhouse, M.D., D.D.
Volume I
CHAPTER 39
Effect of the War of 1812-13 on the Canada Methodists — Organization of the Reformed
Methodist Church in Vermont, 1814; minified by historians; true account with comments — the
General Conference of 1816 — Asbury's Valedictory — Elective Eldership revived, but again
defeated — Election of George and Roberts as bishops — Action on slavery; wise and otherwise —
Salient event of this Conference the funeral of Bishop Asbury; large excerpts from his Journal on
various subjects with comments; Snethen and Asbury — Camp-meetings of the day depicted — last
days of Asbury; full account of his demise, and the most elaborate statement of his funeral in
Baltimore ever given, with new details; Black's estimate of Asbury; the author's analysis of his
character and work; philosophizings on him; his Episcopal views as set forth by others, and shown
untenable — the Episcopal system can never be made a factor of Union among Methodists; the trend
against it as such; proofs.
Before considering the Second Delegated Conference of 1816, the culminating point of this
volume, some salient events must be noticed to preserve chronological order. Shortly after the rise
of the last General Conference, war was declared against Great Britain. This brought on a collision
of sentiment with the Canadian Methodists. William Black was the Wesleyan General
Superintendent in that province, appointed as such by Wesley, and continued by the Conference, just
as Mather had been appointed to Scotland by Wesley. And the Methodist Episcopal Church also had
an organization of a missionary character, and ministers were sent to the work by the American
bishops. Such was the alienation now, that Nathan Bangs, who was appointed presiding elder for the
lower province with the charge of Montreal, was released from his engagement. After much
subsequent negotiation, at the close of the war, in which both parties seem to have made efforts to
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outdo the other in ecclesiastical finesse, Dr. John Emory was sent by the Methodist Episcopal
Church, in 1820, to the British Conference, and a final adjustment was made.
Pliny Britt, one of the New England preachers, located in 1813, and shortly after withdrew from
the Church. He, with Elijah Bailey and others, called a Convention of Methodists to meet at
Readsborough, Vt., on the 16th of January, 1814, and organized the Reformed Methodist Church.
Bangs, but no other historian, gives a paragraph to this defection and secession. He says of it. "They
succeeded in raising a considerable party, which, for a short season, made some inroads upon our
Church, but for want of unity of action and that amount of piety and talent necessary to command
public confidence, they gradually declined in influence. . . They finally sank into obscurity, and have
long since ceased to exist as a distinct denomination." He wrote this in 1838-39. It is another
illustration — the first being his account of the failure of the O'Kelly movement — in proof of the
adage, "We easily believe what we wish to be true." How much his statement at that time needed
large qualification to make it truthful, the following facts will show. There is now before me a
booklet, 36mo, 32 pp., paper cover, printed at "Fayetteville, Methodist Reform Press, 1841," with
the title, "Doctrines and Discipline of the Reformed Methodist Church of the United States and
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Upper Canada." An examination shows that the principles of the organization were substantially