The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1899-04-14
OLD TIME METHODISM.
Graphic Description of Ones First I'm
preston of "The Preacher"
No ~

v
for some months, but / was a wild
boy and did not go to his appoint.
ments, as they came in the week,
and not on Sunday. During
that year he was called upon to
preach my grandfather's funeral on
Sunday.
When [ went to the house where
the funeral was to be my first desire
was to see the preacher, about whom
had heard so much, for and against.
asked if he had come. | was told
he had. | asked where he was, and
was told that he had walked out,
pointing to the way he had gone.
Immediately set out in that direction
in pursuit of him, along a small path,
for | was determined to have a good
look at him. Presently | met him.
l had been accustomed to brave
dangers of many kinds unflinching,
and had been raised in the horrors
Of the wilds of the wilderness, but
never felt myself so completely un-
named. | had been accustomed to
see preachers (of other denomina-
tions), but this one looked so differ
ent from any other that [ had ever
seen; his long blue cloak, his pale
countenance, his chaste and sancti-
fled look; he seemed TO be an inhab-
tant of eternity, though a man on
earth. Never, never, shall / forget
his looks. [ felt my strength give
way as he passed by me, and / liked
to have fallen to the ground. He
seemed to me to be in deep thought
L felt in my thought he was
messenger from God. | determined,
God permitting, to hear him that
day. In reading his hymn and in
his prayer there was the same inter-
esting and solemn appearance; his
sermon was argumentatively strong
and powerful. | saw religion was
very dignified and beautiful, Just
such religion as could make people
happy and what they ought to be.
From that time until [ professed
religion, which was many years,
never lost the impressions of that
day. That scene impressed me with
the fact that he was a messenger
from God. All the world could not
have convinced me otherwise. In.
deed that circumstance taught me
a lesson, that after years has suffici-
emily confirmed, that if minister S
countenance and appearance do not
make an appearance in his favor, it
will be sometime before his preach
ing and conduct will do it,"
Glass Meeting.
"Class meetings and love feasts
were entirely new things in the diff
ferent churches of that day. And as
other churches in some districts
had been established previous to the
coming of the Methodist circuit
rider, these new innovations and the
minister who brought them
were opposed and prosecuted by
them. This little society (of which
L was member) had class meetings
every Sunday (there being no regu-
lar stationed preacher). 1t was
steady to it's own meetings.; for its
members had no encouragement tC
go to other meetings, just to hear
themselves abused. They frequently
got shouting happy at church meet
ings; indeed it was seldom other.
wise. The shutting of the doors in
class meetings and love feasts, and
turning all others out, though always
acting according to the rules of the
discipline on these points, gave
| great otfense to all, and was muct
spoken of by other denominations
In these meetings, the young as wei
as the more advanced, prayed ir
public, with and for one another anC
for all men; they watched over one
another in love, and then in kind
ness told each other their fears
about one another, and exhorteC
each other to all faithfulness, giving
each other all the help they could tC
work out their salvation with feal
and trembling. The greater portion
of them were poor people; they LIVED
entirely upon their own labor, henc,
when the appointment of tn,
preacher was in the week, the mel
were often deprived of attendance
they had horses to work, but none t.
spare IN the week; in work or croI
time the men had to frequently sta!
at home, for there was no time to bt
lost and everything must be save(
by the poor man that he and hi
family might live. the womeI
would always go, and frequent
ly would walk two, three, or fou
miles to meeting, wet or dry. n
one was suffered to neglect thei
class meeting (this was on Sunday
and remain in the church, ric
: or poor-if they were able to b
present. The preachers were YER
strict to inquire at every time the,
came to their appointments, wheth
er the members walked orderly o
not in their common course of life
AS to their attendance on class
meeting, the preacher bad only t
: call for the class paper and eX
anime it on that subject, and h
; could know the VIII ole truth, for
was faithful record of that matter
The order of it was as follows: A
! regarded class meetings, ii the
were sick the letter -" was Sc
down at the end Of their maine. /
, absent without the class-leade
knowing the reason, the letter "A
was put down. IL from home, tn
letter ID y
Il have thus been careful to Civ
; the formation and walk Of the frs
Methodist society / ever saw, for tn
reason that what that society wa,
! both in itself and its ministers, al
, other societies in the bounds of IN
!. knowledge were likewise, the min
listers obs rving the same course i
their administration of discipline
with very few exceptions, up to tn