The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1889-01-19
SKETCHES
CECIL COUNTY M. E. CHURCHES.
CHERRY HILL AND UNION HIS
TORICALLY.
BY REV. T. A. Fl. o'BRIEN.
SECOND PAPER.
UNION CHURCH.

| UNION CHURCH.
Tho doctrines of Methodism and heI
| peculiar methods of work were so out OF
harmony with the doctrinal standards and
all praconceived notions of church work
that while her preachers attracted atten-
ton because they were so out of harmony
with prevalent church customs, yet the
| suspicion of disorderly fanaticism with
held from her laborers the sympathy to
which the cause they advocated entitled
them. The same thing came to pass here
as in almost every other place. There
were raised up those who put their hand
to and their heart in the work, standing
like the stake driven by the side of q
tender plant until it became rooted. The
Millers. large and influential family, at
very early date in the history of the
Methodsts. VIM. Miller's name is in
the list of members at North East in 1901.
He lived at Mechanics Valley and operated
-four mill which he had erected there
in 1885. He was made leader of the class
in 1902 or 1903 which met at his house
and sustained that relation to the Quar-
terly Conference in 1904. The Third
Quarterly Conference was held at Bethel
December 1st 1904 and the assistant
preacher Richard Sheath was directed to
make appointments every other Sabbath
for each local preacher at such distance
from their respective places of abode
that they shall be able to go to, fill the
houses in one day." In harmony with Lhis
action, James Cook who had been Or
dained a deacon by Bishop Asbury at
North East in 1904, was given list of
appointments to serve. Among the eight
places named is VIM. Mlller's for the 7th
of April 1905. We are quite confident
that this was the first place where the
Methodists had any thing like a perma-
nent location for holding service at or
near Union. VIM. Miller was licensed to
preach November 2Sth 1907 and year
after year his licenses were renewed till
1916 when his uame disappears from the
Quarterly Conference record. He died
October 14th 1926 and his body awaits
the resurrection in the old cemetery in
Elkton. Among the first converts to
Methodism in this community we're VIM.
Miller, Jane Miller, martha Miller,
Thomas Miller, Sarah Miller. Thomas
Warburton, John Williamson, John w.
Hall, Isaac Hall, John Grant, John E.
Shippers, Martha Gill and others. Martha
Gill, in letter written in 1860 says: J.
Lattamus and Luther Taylor were the
preachers when obtained religion and
joined the church; have been Methodist
80 years. Enoch Cloud was the class leader
and the class met at VIM. Miller's. The
following taken from a paper read before
the Preachers Association of Wilmington
District, in St. PauPs Church by Rev.
Joseph Miller, Wednesday, February Sth
1860, speaks for itself. Thomas Miller
was born about the year ITO, and died
in 1S4S in the 18th year OF his age. His
father was an Irishman, but with his
mothers nativity am unacquainted. She
was member of the Presby terian Church
woman of much prayer and zeal. She
trained her son up in that faith so that
rly h.. 81
her church and then an elder and was
reported as very exemplary and pious
man, and so deeply rooted and grounded
in the Presbyterian doctrines that he
thought them right and all others wrong
On his way home from church one
Sunday about the year 1900 he remarked
to Mr.. Kilgore, who was also an elder,
that the Methodists were preaching some
fifteen miles off and he had learned that
they preached different doctrine from
theirs, that is free grace for all and that
a man could fall from grace, ETC., etc.,
which he thought was perfectly ridicu-
lous and that he could not see how some
men could do so, the Presbyterian doc
TRUE was so plain, SO scriptural and SO
reasonable. The elder replied by asking
if he had ever read Fletcher's writings.
He replied, mo" Well, then will tell
you. A man in England by the name of
John Fletcher has written book and in
that book he tore up all our doctrines,
and his arguments are 80 strong that not
man of our church has been able to
answer him. This was the first shock
that ever his faith received; this put him
to thinking. A little after this his brother
William went to hear the Methodists and
became converted. My father heard of
it and said William had gone crazy, and
finally told mother that he would go and
see William and put him out of his wild
notions. Away he went and when he
arrived at Williams the latter was as
anxious to see him as he was to see Will
liam. He stopped his mill, for he was a
miller, and met my father and began to
exhort and tell him what God had done
for him, and father could get no chance
to put word in edgewise; aud although
he went to show William his folly, Will
liam had the right-side and took the
floor and kept it and father came off
second best. When he came home he
told mother William was not as crazy as
they supposed, and that he had made up
his mind to go and hear the Methodists
for himself, that there was something i'll
Williams manner that he did not under
stand. She said you had better go and
turn fool too" The first opportunity he
had he went to hear for himself, was
awakened and convicted and when he
came home and told his wife, oh what
trouble it gave her. she thought he was
ruined and said that he would be by
word and a reproach and that he would
be song for drunkard. He replied,
Sally am content to have my name
cast out as evil and now, Sally, before we
say anything more let US pray" and
down he got and began to pray that her
| eyes might be opened and before be
prayed long she began to pray and they
continued to pray the balance of the day
and nearly all that night. and a little
before daylight the Lord in mercy con
verified her. Shortly afterward the Presby
terrain pastor heard of his conversion aud
said if he could get to see him he coulc
convince him of his error. He then ap
pointed a meeting at one Mr.. Maffitt'.
and requested father to meet him there