Smyrna times. [volume] (Smyrna, Del.) 1854-1987, 1880-02-04

FO3 Uc Smyrna Times
Methodist History on the Peninsula.

ON l779 Mr.. Asbury's acquaintance
began with DR.. McGaw. There were
friendship and intimacy between them as
long az they both lived. Both Messrs.
Asbury and Garrettson speak in the high.
est terms of the good service he rendered
them, and the cause of Methodism. Through
his friendship, some of the preachers
gained access to a number Of families that
became Methodists. Soon after this he
became Rector Of st. Paul's Church in
Philadelphia. The first Sabbath that DR..
Coke spent ia America, he preached once
Tor DIR. McCiaw, at St. Paul's, and once at
st. Georges. When Bishop Coke and
Bishop Asbury preached in this city, the
doctor was generally one Of their hearers. =
On quarterly meeting occasion in
| 1879 in DR.. Edward Whites barn, attended
by number Of Methodist preachers, there
were present, also, three clergymen, Mr..
Neal, DR.. McGaw, Of Dover. and parson
| Thorn, Of the old church that stood North
of Milford, aiding the Methodist in friend.
ship. In the first age Of American Metho-
dlsm the quarterly meeting was tha
great meeting. II attracted the Metho-
dlsts from a distance; and was looked to
as season of uncommon spiritual benefit :
and often did they realize in these meetings
their higEests expectations At one of
| these meetings held this year near Dover,
there were said to be present six or seven
| hundred people. They came from Somer.
set, Sussex, Caroline, Queen Anns's, Kent,
| and New Castle counties, and some from
| Philadelphia
| In lISO Il new circuit was formed, ir
| Dorchester, Md. The same year Mr.. Sam
uei Rowe, preacher, introduced Metho.
| dlsm into Accomac county. Virginia. The
first society was formed there in 1888. The
same year the preachers began to occupy
| Northampton county. And now the Meth
| Odlsts were in every county on the PENN
sula. Ia 1874 there were about one hun
dred Meth0dlstS on the Eastern Shore OF
| Virginia. In speaking Of those counties
! Mr.. Asbury said, Here there is an abund.
ance of the productions Of the earth, and
sea; and of the people he said, they were
well featured, good livers, generous, hospit.
able, social, and polished in their manners,
! but blind in spiritual matters, and gay in
| life Coming to Snow Hill the Judge Of
the Court, opened the Courthouse for him
and he preached his first sermon in the
place to large congregation"
! In 1883 at the Conference ut Ellis's
Chapel, a second rule pr2hiJucdHe MttL0atgt.
from making, selling or drinking sp:rituoa
| Eygorsn
"In 1888 and 1884 Mr.. f. Garrettson wa,
on Talbot Circuit. This is one of the first
instances we meet with, Of preacher
! being appointed two consecutive wears tc
the same field Of labor at that early period
| OF Methcdian. The practice had been tc
| change every SIX months. 1t WAS the
policy OF Mr.. Asbury at that time, to dis
tribute his well tried preachers throughout
! the work with whom he coYresponded ana
| who were his substitutes IN his absence. tt
exercise subordinate supervision over
| both preachers and people, while he
| travelled once a year through the entire
field"
The great honor as well as respoasi
bility of being Mr.. WesIeys representative
as chief head of the Methodist Society in
this country with all its arduous duties
its long journies, with the appointment Of
| the preachers to their circuits and charges
were borne by Francis Asbury with becom
Ing dignity and humility. And yet with
the weight Of all this care upon him, he
looked into the future, and bsheld the
rising generation coming forward and soor
| to occupy the seats now held by their
| seniors. He devised means for their intel
lectual advancement A plan was formed
between him and DR.. McGaw to educate
the youth. The school was to be in Dover
and the DR.. was to have charge of it. Mr.
Asbury brought Mr.. Coleman FROM Virgins
in 1850 to teach the school, 1t was a schoo,
for boys, and lasted only few years
S. P. NJ.
SMYRNA, Jan. 25th. 1880.