The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-11-25


preachers.
However, Francis Asbury laid the
foundations of the now famous chapel
in April, l77i, and in October of the
same year Captain Webb preached in
it, and all the aristocracy of Maryland
turned out to hear one of the Kings
own preach In scarlet coat with his
sword across the pulpit under the Bible,
for the officers of the British army
wore their uniforms at all times and in
all places. In March, l775, Asbury in
spectcd the structure, and in April the
conference met there, for the first time
in Baltimore.
THE WAR CAME ON,
Then the war came on. Four Eng
lish missionaries returned to England.
Asbury steadily resisted the tendency
to take sides. declaring that their busi-
ness was to save souls and to serve no
cause but Chrst's. In the nortn Meth
odism was in hopeless confusion, the
societies were broken up, the preach
ers gave up their circuits. The John
Street chapel in New York was occu-
pied as a barracks during the occupa-
ton by British troops. In 1II9 there
was a schism between the preachers of
the northern circuit and those of the
south. owing to the fact that the preach
=" hn,,ti. an1 od,,,i,,;s,or
tho socran,ont This sh,n.,. nositiva-
w. forhadn and harmHnv was once
more restored.
But new conditions were gradually
forcing full churchlv duties and au
thority on these lonely bearers Of spir-
itual sOlace into the Wilderness For
,ror. tbn nnIv t,ochars nf thn word nf
CA p.,nlo das;,;n,, h,n,i,,, could
,nt oh+ain n nor u,ns tharn a n,rish
n;nis,er ~. cnmmurinn toilo pro,,uht
nm in Enisconniinn ~ ,raa;,inns ,nd bohl
its thry Innrnd fnr these nonsnIo tions
of relicion the wonid r,oIlw receive
these at tbe hor5s of The Wathodist
itiner,nts NOT one of these men who
felt thew were called of God hut wern
their lives unba ntized and denied the
j.ord,s sumner nnIess the WathnGist
could be authorized to administer
thew
The end of the war broupht n crisis
England M longer had outboritv over
the newly created Jrnited States either
temnoroI or sniri,nai In their dilnm.
ma tbev ,nneoiad ,n Jobn V,asiav ,rho
whole case of the American socioties
vas reviewed at tho RristoI conforonce
with the resn,t that Rev rhomns COLO
i II
Vosev and Ricbnrd wbatcoa, oIdors
were disna tchad to paItin,oro hea,nr
a letter from Wesley himself ,ivinS
then, fuIi outhorit;, fnr 80 ai,,;ms,
nreacbers and formipr m eniscnmni
hndv for tho govornmnnt nf Moth"'
dist church of the United States.
tone ,,am ,,o,. INA, Ina, nao't pouy vi reiS-
n,,,,n,,', Co.. n'. Na'.e .ose.leI III 'iils
..Ghn;,. nc. nc. s Will Is nhoMn us 'ne
T 1o,,a,,, ,'''as eonle.ence % Wh'ch met IN
Levy i.si '''1S TroaIen mSe,,s iouse III Decem-
Sef. ,;noI, espon % uafIetsoI' an IN
Ill. ;,, .';,. s, peaoheI, .raVeleu l'2oo
ats nn5 Sa,ii"s 'iic i.'He,-
that ,r "' p."us n', v'itt as ne went. 90
rranh "a uay "i'i'ou. ra,lro'lus, tele-
ha ,ra,hnnaS u H'an 49,, ''ie"sei p'Ha.c post
ni,o,,;, n;don, go NJ Su. VI e'sn'S one
Ci, nnd ne,. .,i Wv ioiN ~ ueor-
80, - ,t 'a,, ~. ,ncui 10 ba,.iniore III time
Rav M Cnlo ,,,a aa, .,,..,..
to- aiouS umo WaS uoc'or vi uiVih,
tar t,,' W,a WnJ ,au neel GIeateu prespy-
siar p".t ~ ePeI,ahy M ior this ms
nion,, a,'t No., ,o anu II. IL Nasev nau tme
.,'.,an ~, s.io.aiS iooh vi Ensiish ul-
nes ,unn,,,M wio woulu cuun'enanee nothing
lIiesu.ar. ~. ooke was lelt 10 nave the
i,ua San;, W ., o.snop, because Wesley
i,'t,,., iI,t Gu .na' ne saw no uiIlerence
, Viii '1;',i,. p'os h, anu pIespyters. 'ut
l,,. .onneu us ,i,ieS an" PIelerIeu to
,',,, ' .a'. ~. None anu I'ulic's AS
,9 nui9 us supei'h'eioeh's Vi 'he Amer
''"i' '''u''"'
YOUTHFUL PREACHERS
Nothing arrested tb. attontion of tbs
English commissionars more th,m tha
generally vouthful annearanca Of these
itineranf nreacbers Wnet NJ than,
bore the marks of bardsbin and toij
some of them had suffered imnrison.
ment for conscjence, solo E,ronn;s
Asburv nearly 40 was easily the senior.
of them Ali Only a few had been rid.
ing the circuit over five wears and
some less than n wear. They ali had
about them the prestige and yiror of
youth. Their work of ten davs has
stood the fest of more than n century
as n wise monument of human arrange.
ment for the good government of a re-
liCious body. They were all of one
mind and one heart Casting aside all
precedent as authoritative they looked
only to Christ and the apostles and the
example of the primitive church, feel
ing that they had primitive conditions
TO deal with.
The meeting house in Lovely Lane
was bare and rude never having been
properly finished, though used for nine
years. A rough gallery was hastily
constructeu' ana soou Methodist car
pehter nalleu some packs onto some OF
the benches, fearing the preachers
would be exhausted by the long ses-
sions. And they put in a huge stove,
that was kent roaring with dry wood
o. o,n ;,,au;no h,, this ,onn,,,. hou,
-, -" ' 'l9 ~"
parreh vi creature coiiilolt lAoNti!
Lane was III lts ordinary state, Win
DackleSS benches and no fire.
When DR.. Coke unsealed WcSley's
letter two Episcopal clergymen came
in and invited tben, to ali como into
H. 81, ~ tha iiisI,'h ot,,r,,, H.,
'he ioIu VI .he , tn'n 'llail1u ,nul'.' ur-
caring thelr rltual ana Greco 10 De
the same. ~ eS, but our experience
and practice are widely different re-
nli,6 Francis ASblIry Wcslpy's Eng