The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1884-12-06
WHOLE No. 1882

three passes at me, intending to knock
me down; the last time by force of his
own effort he threw the side OF his face
toward me. 1t seemed at that moment
| had not power to resist temptation.
and | struck sudden blow in the burr
of the ear and felled him to the earth"
The riot was quelled but many of the
preachers thought the meeting broken
up and not a single one was found will
ing to conduct public service. Hear
Peter again: "Seeing we had fallen on
evil times my spirit was stirred within
me. | said to the Elder | feel a clear
conscience, for under the necessity of the
circumstances we have done right, and
now | ask you to let me preach. Do,
said the Elder, there is no other man on
the ground can do it, My text was ''the
gates of hell shall not prevail" A ser
mon under such circumstances, from such
a text, preached by such man could
have but one effect. There was says
Peter "no need of calling for mourners
for they were strewed all over the camp
ground" two hundred professed religion
and joined the church.
You must not think, however, that
the energies of the church were confined
to such work as | have mentioned. In
the more ICpulous cities and among more
cultured people a different class of
preachers was required and Methodism,
even at that early day, was not without
the material to meet the demands made
upon it in this quarter. AS Christ died
to save all men SO there must be no neg
lect in publishing the tidiags of salvation
to men of al classes and conditions, and
all must be united by the fusing fire of
Gods love. BY the judicious manage
ment, the ceaseless oversight of Asbury
preachers were sent to the places where
their peculiar gifts could be utilized
the best advantage, for said he Nh
dsm is union all over. Union in
change of preachers, union in exchanges.
of sentiments, union in exchange of in
terests, we must draw resources from the
centre to the circumference"
| 1t is certain that among the plans con-
ceived by Coke and Asbury and the
leading spirits of the movement Of 1874
the question of education had large
place. The ridiculous idea that ''ignor-
ance is the mother of devotion" had no
| place in their theology. They knew
that Methodism had its origin in the
university and among the students and
fellows whose standing for scholarship
was highest. They knew that at the
birth of Methodism in 1879 Wesley es-
tablished the Kingswood school and at
his first conference 1144, proposed a
seminary for laborers or lay preachers;
| that the countess of Huntingdon in 1868
established by the aid of other noble
| ladies, the Trevecca college. That while
| Oxford and Cambridge both excluded
| from their doors all students who showed
any signs of Methodist madness. Ire
vecca welcomed and provided for candi-
dates who protested to have been truly
| converted to God, and were resolved to
| devote themselves to the ministry either
| intheestablished church or in any denom-
ination of dissenters. They knew that
Coke had declared it to be one of the
| darling schemes of his life to establish
schools which should provide for 1000
children and one which was only thwart-
ed by ignorance and prejudice. They
| would have been as we'll satisfied with
the seventy or eighty preachers, who
| then composed the whole ministerial
| corps of the church, and said ''these are
enough as with church organization
| having no we'll considered plans for edu-
cation. They knew that in the course of
time, as material prosperity increased,
there would come also education, and
refinement and culture, and that the
church must fit itself to meet the ext
gencies of the improved intellectual cor
dition of the people. Hence in that year
1884 Wien they organized the church
they also projected Cokesbury its first
college, and in 1887 it was consecrated
by Bishop Asbury with public ceremon-
les, and thus, as Stevens says, 1.-THE de-
nomination began its remarka able educa-
tional career" Cokesbury was soon
afterwards burned down and Asbury was
undoubted discouraged, but the assertion
that he abandoned education as an i'm.
portant part of the work of the church
is wholly without foundation. He did,
however, conclude not only that the
church was too weak financially to build
up a great educational centre Metho-
dist university like Oxford or Cambridge,
but that such great central institution
would be far less beneficial than num-
bQr of academies and seminaries
in different parts of the territory.
And here, l think l may say, without
claiming too much for Methodism, was
originated what may be distinctively
termed the American idea of education.
The scheme of founding great central
academies such as Harrow and Charter
house and Rugby; and great Central
Universities such as Oxford and Cam
bridge while it may have its advocates
has never been favorite oae
in this country, among the great
body of Intelligent people. In &C.
cordance with this deliberate result
of his clear Judgment, which | say has
| given tone and form to the educational
plans Of the American nation, Asbury
formulated (very soon after the Gestruc-
ton of Cokesbury) plan for an academy
in every district, district being then
conference, AMI the church almost imme-
diately caught the idea and began prepa-
rations for carrying it into practical ope.
ration. Institutions of learning were
speedily organized in Georgia. Kentucky,
Eastern and Western Pennsylvania, New
York and various parts of \ g England.
In 1870, although Asbury had been dead
four years, the general conference sLow W.
ed how thoroughly his spirit had perme-
ated the whole body of the church, by
recommending that all the annual con-
ferences should establish seminaries
within their boundaries and thus supply
the whole republic with schools,-for
mark you friends the boundaries of
Methodism were coextensive with the
inhabited portions Of the nation. This