The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1882-09-02
His YORICAL SKETCH
OF The M. E. CHURCH OF NORTH
EAST
ca Mp MEETINGS.

Another means by which Methodism was
extended, and its adheren;S rapidly multi
| piled, was the camp meetings, originating
i'll the necessities of scattered population
| and IL scarcity Of churches, these feasts OF
tabernacleS soon proved occasions Of so
| great interest and profit that they became
universally popular throughout the church.
! The first one ever held on the Peninsula,
! was held three miles south of smyrna, Del,
| from Thursday TO Monday, July 25-29,
/ 1900, in Gov. Bas>itts' woods. Bishop As
bury makes this entry in his journal, Aug
| |, 1900, 'received several letters, from which
| learn that there WIS great order ut
Duck Creek Camp Meeting; that great good
was done--three hundred souls were blest' -
thousands attended, says Brhm, "Sixty.
eight preachers, among whom were Jesse
Lee Chalmers, Totten, Ware Alvin White,
Eph. Chambers and Il. Sneath,-two hun
dred white and as many coiored were con-
| verified; DIR. Chandler was in charge. The
revival spread through the Peninsula and
thousands We're added to the church in a
few months" North East shared in the
gracious visitation
At the Conference of 1871 Thomas Miller
was returned TO Cecil circuit :ls preacher i'm
charge, with John Price as his assistant.
lilShop Asbury records Il visit to Daniel
Sherldin, Esq, one of the leading members
OF the church in North East, Friday. April
|, OF whom he speaks as -, son of deep af-
fiction in body, mind and circumstances.
lie Is one Of my spiritual children and has
remained dlScipal for forty years; we
prayed together and God was with us of
truth
Monday, April ,, 1915. the venerable
bishop is again at North East: his journal
has this reference, Eat North East Chapel,
gave them farewell discourse, passed a |
restless night Oh, the kindness of the
people to poor sinner saved by grace
alone. Wednesday James Smith went for |
ward and preached in Elk Chapel at one |
o clock we came up, eNh0rted, sung and |
prayed. In less than year this apostolic !
bishop fell at his post, sat he head of the |
h"Sts OF MefhodistS who had been marshal !
cd and led OH chiefly by himself over all he |
republic for nearly half century,
DR.. Stevens says: "the history of christi
anlty since the apostolic age, affords not a
more perfect example Of ministerial and |
spiritual devotion than was preventative in
this great mans life. He preached almost
daily for more than half a century Dur
ing forty-four years he travelled, with hard
ly an intermission on the North American
continent, from North To South and East
to West, directing the advanced church
with the skill and authority of a great Cap
tain. beginning his itinerant ministry in
England when but seventeen years of age,
he came to America in his twenty-Sixth
year, was ordained bishop of the church
when thirtynine years old, when it COM
prised less than fifteen thousand members
and but about eighty preachers, and fell in
death i'll his srventy-tirst year commanding
an army of more than two hundred and
eleven thousand Methodists, and more than
seven hundred itinerant preachers 1t has
been estimated that in his American minis
try he preached about sixteen thousand five
hundred sermons, and at least one day,
and travelled, on horseback and in carriages
about two hundred and seventy thousand
miles, or six thousand a year. that he pre-
sided i'll no less than two hundred and
twenty-four annual Conferences, and or
dained more than four thousand preachers.
He was in fine, one OF those men of extra
ordinary, of anomalous greatness, in esti-
mating whom the historian is compelled to
Use terms which would be irreyelant, as
hyperboe, to most men with whorl he has
to deal. His discrimination of character
was marvellous; his administration talent
would have placed him in civil government,
or in war by the side of Richeleiu and Cesar
and his success placed him at the head of
the leading characters of American eccesi-
astical history. No one has done more for
christianity i'll the Western hemisphere
His attitude in the pulpit was solemn and
dlgnitied, his voice sonOrus and command
ing ami his diScourSeS were often attended
with bursts Of eloquence which spoke soul
full of God and like mountain torrent
swept all before it. He preached his last
sermon in Richmond, Va, on Sunday af-
ternoon, March 24th, 1916. Being unable
to stand or walk, his friends carried him
from his carriage TO the pulpit and seated
him on Il table prepared for the purpose
The next Sabbath, AT the house of an old
friend the indumitable Bishop lay down the
sword OF his lifelong warfare, TO receive the
crown of final victory. This great and
good man honored the church AT North
East with frequent visits, preaching here at
least once year for more than twenty years.
At the camp in 1915, Henry Buhm WAS
to the District and John Gofpr,h
and Samuel T. Lewis to the Circuit.