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ESTABLISHED 1855.
The Christian Advocate.
203J Fayetteville St., Raleigh, N. C.
The Official Organ of the Xorth Caro
lina Annual Conference of the Method
ist Episcopal Church, South.
SUBSCRIPTION HATES :
One year, in advance, f2.00
Six months, in advance, $1.00
Three months, in advance, .50
To Ministers at hall price.
Entered at the Post-Office in Raleigh
as second-class matter, in accordance
with Postal Laws and Regulations.
POETRY.
Passing Away.
MARK TRAFTOX, 1. 1.
Yes, I go; I may not stay;
All I've loved have passediaway;
Strangers now are those I meet
Coldly passing on the street.
From earth's bonds I would be free;
Friendly death, I welcome thee.
Little now tor me to do,
Long the;way I've struggled through;
Weary now, I sigh tor rest,
By life's burden sore distressed,
;(rant me now a swift release,
End the conflict, give me peace.
jl have filled my three-score years,
j Strangely marked by smiles and tears:
Fearless met the battle's shock,
' -Stood with feet upon the Rock.
Now the sword drops from my hand,
1 can only cheer the band.
"" jl would choose to leave the field,
Borne upon my battered shield,
As the Grecian mother gave
aFo her son the shield and glaive:
r'This, or on it," from the field,
'Fa)l you may but scorn to yield!"
I Trust Him who is "strong to save",
?Grlad to fill the victor's grave;
,f Conq'ror through his kingly power,
Trust him in the final hour;
Shout, "O death, where is thy sting?
I
Jn, O Christian soldier, on,
Till the final vict'ry's won!
if iooa the conflict will be o'er,
Tears disturbed thy peace no more;
f Un his kingdom resting there,
jRaeh his triumph then shall share.
Fitt&burg Christian Advocate.
COMMUNICATIONS.
For the Advocate.
he History of Methodism in
iNorth Carolina Prior to the Or
ganization of the North Caro
j Una Conference in 1837.
BY KEY. ROBERT HENRY WILLIS, A. B.
AND KEY. JESSE ARMOR BALDWIN,
A . B.
WITH A CRITICAL ESSAY OX THE
SOURCES OF INFORMATION.
BY STEPHEN B. WEEKS, PH. D.
! II.
History of Methodism in North
Carolina in the Eighteenth
Century.
BY REY. ROBERT HENRY WILLIS,
A. B.
( Continued.)
CHAPTER III.
EARLY TROUBLES.
o far the writer has undertaken to
give some idea of how Methodism
w. introduced into North Carolina,
bit has refrained from speaking to
any extent of the difficulties with
which it had to contend. He will
new undertake to show under what
discouragements the early pioneers
laid the foundations of this move
ment. One of the greatest of the clouds
that overhung them was the Revolu
tionary War. In the other states the
work wa3 begun either before or after
the war, and so of course under much
less difficulty. In North Carolina,
lm if ever, the first circuit was formed
iiii ibevery beginning of the war, and
ynaay trials and hardships had to be
'undergone.
Asbury and his brethren from Eng
land were truly in a critical condition.
The material on the relation of the
Enghh preachers to the Kevolution-
' :ry vVar s obtained from McTyeire,
g9-92, unless stated to the contrary.
They Were missionaries in America,
nd America was at war wuu uieir
L n country. They loved their
retbren in tne wilderness ana had a
fDgj0g for the souls of those who
PUBLISHED
CL
were looking to them for help, yet
they coukl not side with them against
their own country. They could not
remain silent and take neither side
for they were already suspected of be
ing in the interest of England. Many
were only too glad to regard tliem as
such, for they could in this way crip
ple the Methodist movement very
materially. As Lee says, " if a per
son was disposed to persecute a Meth
odist preacher, it was only necessary
to call him a Tory, and then they
might treat him as cruelly as they
pleased." Lee, 74.
To make matters still worse, about
the beginning of the war Wesley
wrote a " Calm Address to the Ameri
can Colonies," and it was printed and
scattered broadcast over the land. He
exhorted them to be peacemakers and
to say nothing of evil about either
side. The publication of his letter
raised a storm in England as well
as in America, for there were
many men in England who thought
the colonies were right. No doubt
the purposes of Mr. Wesley were
goodjhe was simply using his influence
to get the matter settled without war.
Even before he sent this letter to the I
colonies, he wrote one to Lord North,
the Premier, urging him not to begin
the war, showing how very imprac
ticable it would be. But this letter
was never published and, perhaps,
wTas never read by any save North,
and Dartmouth, the ColonialSecretary,
to whom a copy was sent, while
copies of the letter to the colonies were
seen and read by nearly everyone.
Whatever may have been the pur
poses and intentions of Wesley, he
got the credit of working in the interest
of the crown, and his followers in
America were likewise considered
loyal to the king of England.
The English preachers were not in
clined to desert their posts rashly;
they preferred to stay in America if
they could do so conscientiously. At
the Conference of 1777 they resolved :
That they would take no steps to
detich themselves frm the work o f
the ministry for the ensuing year,'?
and that "We purpose, by the
grace of God, to take no steps that
may separate us from our brethren,
or from the blessed work in which
we are engaged." Lee, 62. Fi
nally, however, all the preachers from
Great Brittain except Asbury saw fit
to return home. Some of them acted
very unwisely before leaving the
country, as did Rodda wrho "had
taken some imprudent steps in favor
of the Tories," and thus brought
1 1 many sufferings and much trouble
on the Methodist preachers and peo
ple." Lee, 63.
It is difficult to say how the native
preachers stood with respect to the
question. They had been very closely
associated with Mr. Wesley and it
would be hard for them now to break
off all connection with England on
that account. It is for this reason
probably that " some of our preachers
had scruples of conscience about tak
ing the oath of allegience in the dif
ferent states where they labored."
Life of Coke, 57. There is no proof
that they were opposed to the cause
of liberty for which their countrymen
were fighting. Maryland recognized
the fact and permitted the Methodist
preachers to perform their duties
without taking the oath of allegiance.
Some few of the Methodists were
opposed to war under any considera
tions; they, like the Quakers, thought
that war was wrong. Bennett, Me
morials of Methodism.
Jesse Lee, when compelled to go in
to the army, could not be made to
take a gun. IAfe of Lee, 88-9. It
is not correct, however, to say that
"the Methodists were as much oppos
ed to bearing arms as the Quakers."
Southern Methodist Review, Sept.,
'87, p. 80. The fact that a few Meth
odists were opposed to war is no rea
son for saying that the Methodist peo
ple as a whole were in opposition to
it. On the contrary there are many
instances in which prominent Metho
dists took part in this struggle. Green
Hill, a Methodist minister, was one of
the representatives from Bute county,
now Franklin, in the Provincial Con
gress which met in Newbern, April
4th, 1774. He was a member of the
Hillsboro Congress which met August
20th, 1775, and of theHalifax Congress
of April, 1776. He was elected 2nd
IN THE INTEREST OF METHODISM IN NORTH CAROLINA.
RALEIGH, N. C, WEDNESD J Y, JANUARY 3,
Major of the regiment to be raised
from Bute county. Cent, of
Methodism 47. Mr. Ogden, one
of the pioneers of Methodism in Ken
tucky, took a prominent part in the
war. Methodism in Kentucky, I.,.
23. Philip Bruce suffered many nar
row escapes from the Tories and was
" one of the best friends of the Ameri
can cause." He is said to have had
"opportunities for collecting infor
mation respecting the designs and
movements of the British,
jl possessed by few in the neighborhood,
and he never failed to make his
knowledge serviceable to the cause of
freedom." Bennet, 1-79.
The fact, however, that the Metho
dist movement was so intimately
connected with England, and that
some of the English preachers had
acted so rashly before leaving the
country, did much to hinder the
growth of Methodism at this time.
; They were often treated very cruelly
j and in some places fine and impris
j oned. Lee, 74. Then, too, the cause
;of religion always suffers from the
i ravages of war; it was much more so
f in this case. " It might be well said
during this year 1777 that without
were fightings, and within were fears.
War, and the shedding of blood, was
heard of in all directions: armies
marching back and forth, one after
another; and in many places the peo
ple were in great confusion, so that
religion was almost banished from
some neighborhoods where it had
been pretty lively." Ibid 62.
North Carolina suffered most from
the war in 1780-81. The number of
Methodists had gradually increased
until 1780, when 1811 members were
reported.. In 1781 there was a de
crease of 471. They had not recover
ed from the effects of the war, in
1782, when there was a still , further
decrease. This was due of course to
the several effects that war always
produces. Many were called off to
enter the army, and either never
came back, or, if they did, their lives
had become &o corrupt thai, they were
no longer worthy to be counted as
church members. Some may have
revolted on account of the odium ex
isting against the people who were
accused of being hostile to liberty.
There was another effect of the war
which has not yet been mentioned.
The Methodist people were dependent
upon other denominations for the ad
ministering of the ordinances, as their
own ministers were not regularly or
dained. McTyeire, 311. They cou-d
not get their children baptized by the
Presbyterians unless one of the pa
rents was of their faith. They of
course could not have them baptized
by the Baptists nor could they receive
the sacrament from their hands. The
ministers of the church of England
were very worldly, and those who
had true religion were rather loath to
administer the ordinances to them.
The following words, which Jarrett
had written to Wesley, will serve to
give some idea of their character:
" Virginia (the land of my nativity)
has long groaned through a want of
faithful ministers of the gospel. Many
souls are perishing for lack of knowl
edge, many crying for the bread of
life, and no man is found to break it
to them. We have ninety-five par
ishes in the colony, and all except
one I believe, are supplied with
clergymen. But, alas ! you will un
derstand the rest. I know of but one
clergyman of the Church of England
who appears to have the power and
spirit of vital religion; for all seek
their own and not the things that are
Christ's." Ibid, 318.
These clergymen were nearly all
Englishmen and, when the war broke
out, they either fled the country or
retired into concealment so that the
Methodists were prevented almost
entirely from receiving the ordi
nances. Accordingly they began to
clamor for them from their own min
isters. The matter was discussed at
the Conferences in 1777 and 1778, but
was left unsettled. In 1779 the
preachers in North Carolina and Vir
ginia concluded that " if God had
called them to preach, he had called
them also to administer the ordi
nances of baptism and the Lord's Sup
per," Lee, 69., and so resolved to
ordain their ministers so that they
couid supply the wants of the people.
Their reason for doing so was that
" the Episcopal Establishment is now
dissolv 1, and therefore, in almost all
our circuits the members are without
the -finances." Philip Gatch,
quortd ny Mclyeire, 216. Philip j Jesus made no impression. The di
Gatch. "Reuben Ellis and James Foster j vinity in him was concealed, but
were appointed a presbytery with in- j when he walked upon the water or
structions first to ordain themselves, j raised to life the dead, men saw that
and i' m to ordain others of the within this body of flesh there was
brethren. j more than mere man.
The preachers thus ordained went j The miracle is a condescension on
to work at once with renewed energy, j the part of God to accommodate him
filling all their appointments and ad- j self to our grosser faculties. It is onlv
mini, ieiing the
ordinances wherever i
the p' -n!e would receive them. Some
of the der Methodists objected, but
the i. ...j rity of the people were influ-
encefi
: v
y the leading preachers to ac
. The preachers had consider
iccess and considered this a
f God's approval of their ac-
quier;
able
tokew
tion.
The
i-eachers north of the Potomac
censur 1 their Southern brethren very j
harsh!- for the step they had taken, j
Asbui anticipating the action of j
the prr .chers in North Carolina and j
Virgin. h, had called a quasi Confer- j
euce t; meet at Judge White's in j
Delaw e. They wrote a letter to the !
SouthxN. Conference warning themJ
against taking any action that might
cause reparation. They tnet again
in Bal: uiore in 1780, two weeks be
fore th Southern preachers were to
meet i Virginia. They regarded the
South n preachers as no longer Meth
odists -iless they would consent to
a band .j the step they had taken.
Asbur-s Waters and Garretson were
appoin ;d a committee to inform the
Southe"ii preachers, and if possible,to
bring t jout a re-union.
The proposition made by the Balti
more C ;nfeence was that the South
ern p -achers should refrain from
administering the ordinances for
twelve months, that they should all
then lr oet together at Baltimore and
that during the interval Mr. Wesley
should be consulted. The proposi
tion w at first rejected, and Asbury
was i ;ut to leave with a heavy
Iieai'tTiJ-vjiuitj ionig so he auu tli
other two spent much time in prayer,
and when he went to take leave of
the brethren they reported that they
had decided to acquiesce. Asbury
says in his Journal : " We then had
preaching by Brother Waters on
Come thou with us and we will do
thee good' afterward we had a love
feast; people and preachers wept,
prayed and talked, so that the spirit
of dissension was powerfully weaken
ed, and I hoped it would never take
place again." The preachers then
went away to their respective circuits
with thankful hearts that the separa
tion had been prevented.
At the next Conference the greater
part of the preachers decided to dis
countenance any tendency towards
separation. It seems that they were
wTaiting rather in suspense to see what
Wesley could do for them; and the
question was not settled until the
Christmas Conference of 1784, when a
separate church was organized.
What has been said concerning the
war and the ordinances was of Meth
odism in America rather than in
North Carolina alone. In both,
however, North Carolina is especially
concerned. It was necessary to give
an account of the effects of the war,
for a know ledge of these is necessary
to understand the great difficulties
under which Methodism was planted
in this state. North Carolina was
especially connected with the question
of the ordinances because she played
an equal part with Virginia in calling
for them.
(To be continued.)
For the Advocate.
The Provinces of Miracles.
BY QUESTUS.
A miracle is an act performed out
of the usual order of nature for the
purpose of indicating the presence of
an agent who has power over nature.
It is a wonderful work in that it
necessarily excites wonder in the be
holder. It is a sign, in that it indi
cates the supernatural presence.
There is a sense in which God is
known through nature in its ordinary
movements. But to the common
mind God is behind the curtain. His
presence is only surmised from what
we see of nature. Sometimes God
1894.
makes such movements in the curtain
which conceals him as to leave no
room foi doubt that he is there. To
the ordinary senses and faon'tips
a louder utterance of the voice of na-
ture so that our dulled sense can hear,
a more brilliant display so that our
j blinded eyes can see. Miracle is
! therefore a method of mainfestation,
j and when wrought in connection with
some new
teacher or new order of
things, it is also an attestation to the
truth of the new message, and the
authority of the messenger.
We do not need miracles now, since
the manifestation has been made, and
the true idea of God once given to
the world. The miracles wrought in
connection with the preaching of the
Gospel once for all attest the divinity
of the Gospel and serves the
original purpose for all time to come.
There will therefore be no more
miracles because,ubne will ever again
be needed. Having completed and
introduced the Gospel their work is
done except that the record of them,
so well attested, continues unto all
generations, their only useful effect
among men. Miracles are aids to
faith in that they make laith easier,
and in many cases possible. It is
noticeable that the miracles of Jesus
were typical of the work of the gospel
in its largest sense. The miracles of
healing for instance typified the re
sults of the Gospel in bringing about
a condition of knowledge and disposi
tion which would lift man above the
low planes of hopeless bondage to dis
ease. They also typify spiritual re
sults of the Gospel in its effects upon
the souls of men.
For tho Advooatk.
Coming Events.
BY REV. II. L. PERKINS, M. D.
People who read, reason and reflect
cannot fail to feel a deep interest in
the future of our religious and politi
cal movements. Among all the lead
ing powers we can see that there is a
spirit of unrest and dissatisfaction,
and the cry of " reform" is on the
wind; in some cases with reason and
in some without sufficient reason for
such a cry.
In one stratum of society the spirit of
anarchy prevails, with a special
tendency to the destruction of all law
and order. This is a craze and not a
well defined principle. In another
stratum of society there is a spirit of
indifference to everything outside of
wThat concerns self. Of this class noth
ing may be expected for the general
good of mankind. There is another
stratum of society having the general
good of mankind in view, and are
actively engaged in pushing forward
every enteptise that looks to the ele
vation of tljie human family. In this
class will bje found many statesmen,
lawyers, clergymen, farmers, mechan
ics and laborers of every condition in
life. They advocate law and order
and seek to promote the good of socie
ty by adherence to established prin
ciples. Should there be a general up
heaval of society, by revolutionary
methods, the second class would be
impelled by their selfish motives to
join their strength with the third
class to secure their fortunes against
the ravages of anarchy. That there
will be many upheavals in the shape
of rebellion against the existing order
of things there is but little room tc
doubt. But that law and order will
ultimate v :triu:rmh. there is as little
If room for 'doubt, especially among
1 . . . i
those who believe that the worm is
growing better. But here comes the
question, "; Is the world growing bet
ter or worse ?" To answer this cor
rectly we must notice what the world
has been, ! what it is now, and what
provision is made for the shaping of
future society. Those who dwell in
a dark room do not discover the filth
upon the Hoor turn, .on the light
and that which was unnotic
ed becomes offensive. The
superior light of the present genera-
F. L. REID, Publisher.
VOL. XXXIX.. NO..
tion causes the follies :f the age to ap
pear very' conspicuously. But he is
a dull reader of history who has failed
to notice that the benevolent institu
tions of the present generation fir
outnumber such institutions in the
past centuries. It will not be going
too far to say that a greater number
of institutions have been established,
for the uplifting of humanity, during
the present century, than in all the
past centuries combined. Such rapid
and extensive movements in favor of
suffering and down-trodden humanity
are attributable to the rapid spread
of Christian principles. Christ, the
light of the nations, hath shone upon
the people, and many who have made
no formal acknowledgment of his in
fluence are nevertheless affected large
ly by Christian civilization. While
it is true that, "wicked men wax
worse and worse,deceiving and being
deceived," it is also true that the
righteous are as a burning and
shining light, which shines more and
more unto the perfect day." As light
is stronger than darkness it gives us
all a chance to become optimists of
the most hopeful view.
In answer to the question " Is the
world growing better?" D wight L.
Moody says: "There is every indi
cation that the pr sent dispensation
will end in a great smash-up; but I
believe out of that smash-up the most
glorious age in the world's history
will come. So I look into the future,
not with despair, but with unbound
ed delight." The exact shade of
meaning to be attached to the term
"smash-up" in the above quotation
we cannot define. We know that the
Jewish dispensation ended in a
"smash-up" when Jerusalem with
the temple was destroyed and the
Jews dispersed, but we have not been
taught to look for a similar " smash
up" of the Christian dispensation.
On the contrary we have been taught
that Christ shall reign till all his ene
mies have been nut under his feet.
There will be, doubtless, many a
zations of the world. The present
j unrest is prophetic of such events.
I The great oppression of extravagant
governments on the eastern continent
is goading the people to desperation,
and in this way reforms are goaded,
into existence. But the end of op
pressive rule will be the beginning of
greater liberty and consequently of
greater light.
The church of God, under the lead
of the different denominations, each
moving in separate columns, but all
steadily advancing upon the same foe,
must prove invincible to the cohorts
of the Evil One. The prophecy was
uttered in heaven and committed to
St. John, for delivery upon the earth,
that the time would come when it
would be said that " The kingdoms
of this world are become the king
doms of our Lord and of his Christ."
Rev. xi. 15.
The mighty revolutions that the
present unrest portends are only God's
storms for purifying the political and
religious atmosphere of the world.
The present outlook indicates that
the coming century will find the
earth spotted with many battlefields,
with kings and emperors in distress
of fleeing for their lives, but let not
the Christian's faith forsake him, the
church will rise out of this baptism of
suffering with stronger faith and with
energy renewed for future conflict-.
Scraps.
How appalling is the condition of a
soul dead in trespass and in sin ! It
is in the dark stormy night of disobe
dience, wrapped in the shroud of sin,
lying in the coffin of condemnation,
near it stands the burning lamp of
perdition, and around it sit the black
demons of hell, awaiting orders to
form a funeral procession, take up the
soul, carry it out, and bury it in the
grave of everlasting punishment.
Rev. E. C. Sell.
" Watch and pray, that ye enter
not into temptation : the spirit is in
deed willing, but the flesh is weak."
This is a danger-signal erected by
Christ himself. No wonder! If it,
were possible for heaven to weep, and
if anything on earth could be sad
through to bring tears from above,
nothing it seems, would bring them
sooner than a soul's departure from
the favor of God. Rev. E. C. Sell.