The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1884-12-06
Methodism From |784 to 1884,
A Resume Of its Educational Work Of
the Century.
As Delivered at the Commemorative Service
giving Evening-An Interesting History.

As Delivered at the Commemorative Service
giving Evening-An Interesting History
Below We give The full text of the very
| able and interesting address delivered
| by William J. Jones, Esq of this town,
at the Thanksgiving evening commend.
rative service held in the Methodist Epis
copal Church of this town last week. We
are confident that a careful perusal of it
will engage the attention of even the
ordinary reader, and more than repay all
interested in the progress of Methodism.
Mr.. Jones said
There seems to be an ever increasing
desire on the part Of our young nation,
not only to celebrate the grand epochs OF
our national and religious history, but to
call particular attention to those events
which show that we are no longer peo-
pie of yesterday, but have cast of our
| swaddling clothes and assumed the garb
BETTING maturing if not a matured
manhood. We seem to take rather a
pride in the few gray hairs which begin
to show themselves here and there; and
while we do not admit that the hundred
years, through which we have lived, have
in any degree weakened the force or "a
paired the vision of young America, and
are in no wise inclined to give up the
title of'Noung giant Of the west, (which
has 90 long tickled our fancy we do
begin to assume some of the perogatives
of advancing age, 70 speak of the rough
ness aud boastfulness of former years as
the wild oats CT our young days, to com
port ourselves with more quiet dignity
and claim the consideration due to gen
tleman of large experience and we'll de-
veloped powers.
And thus it has come about that the
nation has celebrated not only the cen
tennial OF the Declaration of Independ-
ence, but the centennial of every battle
| of the revolution from Lexington to
Yorktown, and in 1887, or perhaps 1889,
we will doubtless in somo mode celebrate
the centennial of the adoption of the con-
stitution. Following in the same line,
or rather setting the example, the Meth
olists celebrated in 1889 the centennial
of the innitiatory movement by John
Wesley, in 1866 the centennial of the in
stitution of American Methodism BY
Barbara Heck, Embury and Capt. Webb,
and now 1884 marks the centennial of the
organization of the Methodist Episcopal
church. If today this church had moth
iny to point to beyond the fact that she
Is about closing up the one hundredth
year of her exIstance, then the crowds
which have been meeting from time to
time during the year, to celebrate our
centennial might as we'll have been dis
missed before the services began, and the
benediction have been the first item in
the order of exercises instead of the last.
AS was well remarked by President Nc
Cauley, at the centennial of Dickinson
College, 'For mere longevity-years IN
crowned and barren-it were wiser to
invoke oblivion than to court remem-
brance." But when We knew that each
of these hundred years has been marked
by the tolls of men who knew no word of
command but the Ego thou and preach
the gospel" by spirit of selfsacrifice
which dims the lustre of the brightest
examples of Spartan story, and by results
tending toward ameliorating the condi
ton and promoting the good order and
happiness of society, which utterly silence
the boasting of mere craftsmanship,
must be recognized as right proper
thing, that, as we see the last sands Of
the century rapidly dropping away, we
should call up before US, not the ghosts
of dead and buried years, but the noble
achievements which, though the actors
have passed from labor to reward, still
live in the history of the nation and the
church.
The societies formed in New York city
by Embury kindled fire which spread
through the settled portions of that state,
thence to New Jersey, Delaware and Ma
ryland. Capt. Webb, the soldier preach
er, entreated Wesley, first by letter and
then by personal application, to send out
preachers to America, Straw bridge, with
his rich Irish brogue, preached and sang
the riches of redeeming love through the
Western Shore of Maryland from Fred
erick to Hartford aud thence down the
whole length of our Peninsula. Other
Jealous men went into the Western Shore
of Virginia and from there to North Car
DINA. In I'LL when a call was made by
| Wesley for volunteers for America Fran
| els Asbury came forward and was accept.
ed, and the next year was given charge
over the American preachers. Through
our revolutionary struggle American
| Methodism followed the flag and kept
step to the music Of American independ
ence. Inspired by the letter of Wesley
to Lord North, in which the American
revolutionists were denominated "enthu.
siasts for liberty" they demonstrate ed
that recognition of Gods right to rule
over men was consistent with the highest
patriotism. and that reason and common
sense alike dictated the necessity of a
mediator between God and man.
| The two classes of six or seven mem
bers each, which Embury organized il
New York city in 1766, had grown into
hundreds of societies spread over the
Middle and part of the Southern States
and comprising about fifteen Thousand
members in 11S4. What was to be done
with these people, how consolidate then
into an organized church, how provide
them with ministers authorized to ad
minister the sacraments? These were
the questions which pressed upon Yves
ley and Coke and Asbury. These people
were not Lutherns. However much the
preaching of Whitetield may have aided
American Methodism it never imbibeC
his doctrinal views but held fast to Ar
miniansm. Its articles of religion, it,
forms of worship and its creeds were al
essentially those of the Church of Eng
land. But in England the church hat
thrust Methodism from its doors and thu
acknowledgment of the independence o
the American colonies left no Church o
England in America. The King being