The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1884-12-17

agreed to hold a Conference at Baltimore
in December
They dispatched Freebon Garretsou to |
notify the preachers TO meet at Baltimore |
on Christmas
Nov. II, Coke, Asburv and others met at |
Perry Hall, the home Of Cough, 15 miles !
from Baltimore.
Mr.. Cough, worth half O million, was
not ashamed to be a Methodist and occa-
sionally to preach the gospel of Christ
Travelling and preaching during the in
teryal before the meeting Of the Conference,
/ Coke was wonderfully impressed with the
magnitude Of thework to be doue in saving
the people.
In one Of his discourses, he said with q
| cOuntenance glowing with delight, 81 see a
great and effectual door opened for the
promulgatiOn Of MethOdism in America.
whose institutions I greatly admire, and
whose prosperity ] no less wish than I do
that Of the land which gave me birth. In
! the presence of Mr.. Asbury I feel myself
child. He is in my estimation, the most
| apostolic man I ever saw, except Mr.. Wes-
| ley.n
After a week of rest and preparation at
Mr.. Coughs home, the company on the
Oath Of December, rode to Baltimore, and
at 10 o'clock o. m began the first General
Conference in the Lovely Lane Chapel.
Bishop Coke on taking the chair, read Mr..
Wesley's letter dated Bristol, Sept 10th,
1884, and addressed to Dr. Coke, Mr.. As
bury, and our brethren in America. In this
letter Mr. Wesley set forth the reasons for
the step taken He pointed out the cOndi-
tiOn of the States, independent now of all
British rule, the disorganized condition of
all the churches, and the absence Of any
church government, and the fact that he
had applied in vain to the Bishop of Lon
don to ordain men for the United States,
and also stated his own mature judgment
and settled conviction that he had a perfect
right to Ordain according 10 the teaching of
Scripture And concluded the letter thus,
CAS- our American brethren are now totally
disentangled, both from the State and from
the English hierarchy, we dare not entangle
them again either with the one or the other.
They are now at full liberty simply to
follow the Scriptures and the primitive
Church. And we judge it best that they
should stand fast in the liberty wherewith
God has so strangely made them free"
In accordance with this document AS
bury says, "It was agreed to form ourselves
into an Episcopal Church, and to have
Superintendents, Elders, and Deacons."
Mr.. Asbury declined ordination to the
81 Superintendency, unless i'm addition to Mr.,
Wesley's appointment, his brethren should
formally elect him to that Office. Coke and
he were then unanimously elected Superin-
{ tendents Cor Bishops).
In this Conference so of the 81 preachers
, in the country we're assembled, and on
Saturday, the second day of the session,
Asbury was ordained deacon by Coke, as
1 sisted by his Presbyters Vasey and What
10 coat, and on Sunday they ordained him an
elder, and on Monday he was ordained a
Bishop by Coke, assisted by Ouerbein, of
the German Church, and the elders above
f. named Mr.. Wesley's plan was unani-
p mously adopted and the Liturgical service
D. which he had prepared
In COke's sermon at the conservation of
. Asbury, were many eloquent passages.
, After describing the true bishop it thus
b concluded, 80 thou lover Of souls, who
q willest not the death of a sinner, have pity
on the world. Remember Calvary. Hear
the pleading Intercessor, and raise up men
j after thine own heart, full of the Holy
. Ghost, full of love, and full of zeal Guide
IS by thy spirit accompany them with thine
g Omnipotenoe, that they may tread the king
dom of Satan under their feet, and build
It up thy glorious Church" Thus the Meth
o odist Episcopal Church was formed and
b started upon its mission of evangelizing
and saving the inhabitants of the New
p World
IS Do we need to defend our origin, or to
o offer an apology for our existence?
:. If 80, to whom? The success of the
is century is our sufficient vindication.
10 II. What are the results Of the first cen.
n tury of our existence?
l. 1. Spiritually
i We have succeeded in preaching the
d Gospel to the pOor-A full and a free saliva,
d ton.
T. TSome Of the leading doctrines preached
d were here discussed.
r 2. Numerically. Let us look at some OF
d the figures ON. E. Church alone.) In 1854
we had SO preachers and Is, 600 members
i In 1888 we have -, ,654 itinerant preachers
.e and / ,799, ,593 members. And Including
II the other branches of Episcopal Methodism
y in the United States: Itinerant ministers
st %, 500; local preachers, 33,O01; members
IS 3, 8O5, TAI. And adding non-Episcopa
If Methodists we have Itinerant ministers
r %, 1885, local preachers, 34.7l4; members
1r 4 900, 600. And if we take in Canada
s. Great Britain, and Missions, we have
y total Of 33, 1856 itinerant ministers; n, 93j
lt local preachers; 1904, 5G4 members. Thi
It it is estimated gives us a Methodist pOpula
.e tion of about %, OOO, 600 in the world.
g Let us look at a comparison with othe
b. denominations in the United States:
D. Organi- Edi-