USA > New Jersey > Memorials of Methodism in New Jersey : from the foundation of the first society in the state in 1770, to the completion of the first twenty years of its history > Part 15
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turn him aside from the path of right. He went to Dorset circuit in 1786, where he found the work of re- ligion declining, but the failing embers soon broke forth into a flame. This he attributed to the excluding of un- worthy members and the maintaining of discipline in the Church. "I view it," he says, " as a capital fault in a Methodist preacher not to be a disciplinarian; and if ever our Church loses the life of religion, it will be for want of discipline." Utterances so weighty and truth- ful deserve to ring through the Church like notes from the trumpet of destiny.
" Wherever he traveled and labored," say his breth- ren, "he was like a flame of fire, proclaiming the thun- ders of Sinai against the wicked, and the terrors of the Lord against the ungodly. Few men in the ministry were ever more zealous and laborious ; he was bold, un- daunted, and persevering in the discharge of his various ministerial duties, and the Lord prospered his labors and gave him seals to his ministry. He was abundant in la- bors as long as his strength endured. He feared the face of no man, but sought the good of all."
At length, after a long life of seventy-seven years, and a ministry of nearly thirty years, remarkable for activity and success, he came down to the verge of Jor- dan. The Saviour, in whom he had trusted, and whose presence had cheered him amid his toils and trials, was
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with him to the last. ' The final scene was one of im- pressive, of sublime Christian triumph. "His last ex- piring breath, his last articulation with the quivering, exhausted lamp of life, were devoutly employed and closed in the solemn and pious exercise of giving honor, and praise, and glory to God; in the same important moment, his life, his breath, and his shouts were hushed in the solemn silence of death, while his enraptured spirit took its flight from the tenement of clay, or earthly tabernacle, to the habitation above, the house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens."*
On the night of his death, October 16, 1809, he awoke from a gentle slumber, and with emotions of ecstatic rapture he shouted, Glory ! glory ! glory ! and in this holy and exultant exercise, so befitting the end of his victorious career, he continued about twenty-five minutes, when, as the sound of the last note of triumph from his lips died away in the silence of the chamber of death, his purified and heroic spirit passed through the celestial gates, to join the innumerable company of angels, and the Church of the first born in heaven.
* Minutes of Conference, vol. I. pp. 180-81.
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CHAPTER XIII.
INCIDENTS AND LABORS.
THE Conference of 1783 was held at Ellis's Preach- ing-house, Virginia, the 6th of May. Of this Confer- ence Asbury says, "Some young laborers were taken in to assist in spreading the gospel, which greatly prospers in the north. We all agreed in the spirit of African liberty, and strong testimonies were borne in its favor in our love-feast ; our affairs were conducted in love."
The ministerial force in New Jersey was increased this year, six preachers being appointed to the State. Sam- uel Rowe, James Thomas, Francis Spry, and William Ringold were appointed to East Jersey, and Woolman Hickson and John Magary to West Jersey. At this Conference New Jersey reported a membership of one thousand and twenty-eight, four hundred and ninety of whom were in West Jersey, and five hundred and thirty- eight in East Jersey. The number of members in the
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entire connection was thirteen thousand, seven hundred and forty.
Methodism was now exerting such an influence in dif- ferent parts of the State, that some of the ministers of other sects proclaimed their opposition to it. Asbury visited the southern part of West Jersey this year, and on Sunday, the 21st of September, he was at New Eng- landtown, a small village five miles south of Bridgeton, " but their minister," he says, "had warned the people against hearing us." He proceeded the same day to Bridgeton, and found that a Mr. Vantull had made an appointment to preach at the same hour as himself, al- though his appointment had been published some time previously. As he arrived there before Vantull, how- ever, he "preached in the Court-house, and cleared out : those who remained met with hard blows." Methodism did not become established in Bridgeton until about twenty years afterward. The following evening he was at Sa- lem, where he preached; a number of Friends being present and attending with seriousness upon the word.
The progress of the cause in West Jersey, this year, was not considerable, but it held its own, and added twenty-three to its membership.
Rev. Geo. A. Raybold gives the following concerning early Methodism in Atlantic county, in which were some of the first societies in West Jersey : "In early days,
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when Methodism was first introduced in the neighbor- hood of Hammonton, the deer were so numerous that they could often be seen from the doors of the village houses. The original proprietor of the property has often shot down with his gun the stately buck or burly bear, within a few hundred yards from the dwelling of the family. Many a thrilling narrative of hunting scenes could be recounted, if the recital would not be considered too much of an episode in the annals of Methodism. The preachers of those days sometimes went out into the deep forest to bring down the deer for the purpose of securing food for their own families. Old brother W., a Jerseyman by birth, was an expert hunter of beasts, as well as men, and this was all right. Many a rough hunter and woodsman possessed and car- ried with him constantly the gem of grace. Many a rough, rustic cabin of logs, contained a family devoted to God, wherein, at stated intervals, all the members gathered round the family altar, and the social fireside, where the huge pine logs, rolled into the vast, cavern-like fireplace, sent up a ruddy flame, augmented to a degree of almost fierce brilliancy, by the blaze of the pine knots, gathered for the winter fire, and used instead of candles. Perhaps the oldest grave-yard in this part of West Jersey, is that of Pleasant Mills. Ancient head- stones are standing therein, dated one hundred and fifty
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years since. The Church was erected on this spot by some of the very first preachers ; but by which of them no record can be found. The present Church edifice su- perseded a log Church more than fifty years ago. The very trees, the groves, and the scenery of the river Mul- lica, all have an ancient appearance. To the antiquary it is quite a pleasure to gaze upon those remains of a past age. And here are found yet the children's children of some of the early Methodists. Here, some of the fa- thers in the ministry have held forth in by-gone days, and scores have been converted within the old walls of Pleasant Mills' Church. Not quite two miles distant is the old village of Batsto, where was an iron furnace long before the Revolution. Its large mansion-house is a good specimen of the aristocratic style of building, a hundred years ago; and it has, also, many dwellings built of huge logs, now falling into decay, which were put up long ago, for the accommodation of the workmen of the furnace. Cannons were cast here for the army of Washington, and a military corps was formed by the workmen of the village. Here, also, the venerable As- bury, in passing over all parts of the vineyard of the Lord, proclaimed the glorious doctrines of the gospel, and in the hospitable mansion of Mr. R. found a most cordial welcome. This family, even to the present third genera- tion, are possessors of the immense estate originally pos- 18
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sessed by their ancestor, and to this day they are hearty supporters of Methodism. Amidst this village congre- gation, rich and poor, educated and illiterate, all meet as upon one common platform : the wealthy owners, and their poorest workmen, unite sincerely in the worship of the great God."
· A society must have been formed at New German- town, Hunterdon county, in 1783 or some time previ- ously. A Quarterly meeting was held there about this year which was productive of good. Mr. Mair, proba- bly, introduced Methodism there. The love-feast, which Mr. Ware has described, was probably held in that neighborhood, or not very far distant. A daughter of Nicholas Egbert, who told his experience in that love- feast, professed religion about that time, and after walk- ing more than fifty years in the way of life, peacefully finished her pilgrimage in the month of May, 1837.
In East Jersey, while most of the ministers of other denominations opposed Methodism, some of the Episco- pal ministers were friendly. One, especially, to whom allusion has already been made, the REV. UZAL OGDEN of the Protestant Episcopal Church, showed himself to be the friend of the weak and struggling cause. He re- sided at this time at Newton, Sussex county, and culti- vated a very extensive field, embracing about forty ap-
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pointments in the counties of Sussex, Morris, Essex, and Hunterdon, in New Jersey, and Northampton, in Penn- sylvania. He was a successful minister of the gospel, and an assistant and counselor of the Methodist preach- ers. He sympathized with the doctrines of Methodism, as they agreed substantially with the creed which he de- duced from the Scriptures. "When I began to preach the gospel," he says, "I endeavored to obtain a just idea of it, without regard to any man's notions concern- ing it ; and, though I do not mean to mention here all the conceptions I have of the doctrines of Christ, I shall observe, that I think it is incumbent on me, as a teacher of religion, among other things :
"1. To declare to men their fall from a state of in- nocence ; and that in themselves they have no ability to regain that moral excellence which they lost, nor to ob- tain the Divine favor and affection.
"2. That Christ hath not only made an atonement for our sins, but also merited for us eternal life.
" 3. That through the aids of the Divine Spirit alone, and the means of grace, we are enabled to accept of salvation as offered in the gospel; and obtain newness of heart, or a qualification for celestial enjoyments.
"4. That every person to whom the gospel shall be preached, who shall die impenitent, will be most justly
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condemned ; he giving the preference to death when life was offered to him."*
His first acquaintance with the Methodists, and the feelings with which he regarded them, are stated by him- self, as follows, in a letter to Bishop Asbury : "A few months past, some of the preachers, styled Methodists, were recommended to me by the Rev. Mr. Magaw, t of Philadelphia. Believing, in this day of irreligion, their wish to advance the interests of virtue, I have given them such countenance and advice as I deemed expedi- ent, and I humbly hope and fervently pray, that they and their successors in this country may be instrumental in 'turning many souls from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God.'
"Oh! when shall prosperity attend the kingdom of the Prince of Peace ? When shall vice, religious preju- dice, bigotry, and enmity be banished from the earth ? When shall we be Christians indeed, possess the same amiable and divine temper which was in Christ Jesus our Lord ? Father of mercies, compassionate a guilty world, and make bare among us the arm of thy salvation ! Pluck, oh! pluck sinners, through the means of grace, as
* Methodist Magazine, vol. v., p. 384.
¡ Dr. M'Gaw was a friend to the Methodists, and rendered them ministerial assistance. He was on very friendly terms with Asbury. At one time he was Rector of St. Paul's Church, Philadelphia.
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brands from the burning, and deliver them from the wrath to come !
"I am happy to add that your preachers here do honor to the cause they profess to serve ; and by one of them, my good friend Mr. Hickson, I send you a ser- mon just published, on Regeneration, which I beg your acceptance of."
This letter, bearing date of April 11th, 1783, reveals the fact that Mr. Hickson labored in East Jersey in the ecclesiastical year, 1782. Mr. Ogden's letters are our authority for the assertion, elsewhere made, that Hickson, Ivy, and Mair, were the preachers that supplied the work in East Jersey, after Tunnell and Everett left for the Philadelphia circuit, in November of that year. In his Journal of June 2, 1783, Asbury acknowledges the receipt of this letter, and the sermon as follows :- "I had the pleasure of receiving a letter (with a sermon) from Mr. Ogden, a man of piety, who, I trust, will be of great service to the Methodist societies, and the cause of God in general." Before he received this letter, however, he wrote to Mr. Ogden, to which the latter replied by the following epistle, dated Newtown, 10th July, 1783.
" DEAR AND WORTHY SIR :- Last evening I was fa- vored with your letter of the 28th of May.
" I am obliged to you for the expression of friendship contained in your epistle, and am happy that my con-
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duct to your people hath received your approbation. My deportment towards them proceeded, I humbly hope, from the love of God, which, for near thirty years, I trust, though I am not quite forty years old, hath been diffused into my heart.
"Some ill-natured things have been said of me on ac- count of the favor I have shown to Methodists; but I can truly say that it is a very trivial circumstance, in my estimation, thus to endure the judgment of men.
" I do not mean, in any instance, to omit an opportu- nity of advancing the Divine glory and the salvation of mankind, whatever may be the consequence of such con- duct with regard to myself; and I do not repent that I have shown friendship to your people, but rejoice in it, as I cannot but be of opinion that the countenance I have given them hath, in some measure, advanced the interests of the kingdom of the Prince of Peace. And I am happy to mention that the clergy of our Church, in this state, are disposed to be friendly to the Method- ists ; and, with cheerfulness, if called on, will administer to them the Divine ordinances.
"I cannot but applaud the unremitted diligence of yourself and those preachers of your community, who, without any worldly expectations, 'go about doing good ;' regardless of danger, toil, and the reproaches of men.
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" But well you may thus act, when you consider what Christ hath done for you. How ought we, indeed, to rejoice, that the merciful Saviour deigns to employ us in his service, and that we have an opportunity to evince, in some sort, our gratitude to him who, in goodness inef- fable, 'hath loved us, and washed us' from the pollution of iniquity, 'in the fountain of his own blood, and made us kings and priests unto God his Father, forever and ever !'
"Let us, my dear sir, more and more, if possible, contemplate the stupendous love of God towards us, and our own demerits ! Let us consider what it hath cost to redeem souls, and that, in a short period, we must 'render an account to God of our stewardship !' And, impressed with these ideas, let us endeavor to be more faithful in the discharge of the duties of our 'high and holy calling.'
"May we add zeal to zeal, diligence to diligence, in the performance of the offices of our vocation; and when our 'labors of love' shall cease, may we hear from the lips of our Divine Master the happy plaudit, 'Well done,' &c.
"I need not say it would afford me great pleasure to enjoy your conversation. It will not, however, be in my power to meet you at the Rariton. I expect to be in Newark, which is ten miles from New York, the 25th
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and 28th of August next; perhaps at Newark I may there be favored with your company."
Mr. Ogden lived to a good old age, and finally left the Protestant Episcopal Church, and joined the Pres- byterians. The Methodist preachers found a retreat in his dwelling, and enjoyed with him the delights of Christian and ministerial fellowship. He corresponded with several of them, and his letters uniformly breathe the spirit of true Christian catholicity, and religious and ministerial devotion. He was the author of several publications, among which was a treatise on Revealed Religion, designed to be an antidote to the infidel writ- Ings of Paine. Of this work Asbury says ; "The Rev. Mr. Ogden was kind enough to present me with his first volume, On Revealed Religion : it contains a soft, yet general answer to the deistical, atheistical oracle of the day, Thomas Paine ; it is a most excellent compilation, taken from a great number of ancient and modern writers on the side of truth; and will be new to common readers. So far as I have read, I can recommend it to those who wish for full information on the subject." Mr. Ogden was, it is said, a sound preacher, and rather eloquent in his palmy days. He was also successful in accomplishing the true end of the ministry, that of sav- ing souls.
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We shall hereafter witness further illustrations of his fraternal sympathy with Methodism.
The work appears to have not advanced in East Jer- sey, this year, as there was a decrease in that circuit of eighty-eight in the membership.
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CHAPTER XIV.
METHODISM IN FLANDERS.
FLANDERS, a small village, beautifully situated in a lovely valley in Morris county, surrounded by majestic hills, and a grand and varied natural scenery, is one of the very oldest fortresses of Methodism in the eastern part of the State. It was about the year 1783 that the Methodist itinerants began to sound the trump of the gospel there, which soon echoed among all the sur- rounding hills, and over all the adjacent mountain sum- mits.
The first Methodist that is known to have dwelt there was a lady. Her name was MARY BELL. She was born in the city of New York, October 25, 1753, and was awakened under the ministry of Joseph Pillmoor, sought and obtained pardoning and renewing grace, and united with the Methodist society.
In the commencement of the war of the Revolution she suffered many hardships, and was finally pillaged of
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her property by the soldiers, and to secure the safety of her person, she was obliged to flee from the city, when she sought a refuge amid the tranquil, yet inspiring scenes of the quiet valley of Flanders. Here she re- mained between thirty and forty years, when she re- moved to Easton, Pennsylvania, where, on the 19th of August, 1836, she finished her pilgrimage and ascended to her rest.
Mrs. Bell was a Christian of high spiritual attain- ments, and was active and zealous in her Master's ser- vice. Her religious example was a living, practical il- lustration of the excellence and power of Christian faith. Though her religious life was commenced in New York, and was consummated in her exaltation to glory, in Penn- sylvania, yet to New Jersey was much of the hallowed savor of that life given, and how much it contributed to the success of Methodism in the eastern section of our State is reserved for the disclosures of eternity.
One of the most important characters in the early Methodism of Flanders was DAVID MOORE, the leader of its first class. He was born at Morristown, N. J., November 25, 1749. At an early age he was bereaved of his father, but being placed in a pious family, he was early taught the fear of the Lord. When about nine- teen years of age he experienced religion and joined the Presbyterian Church. He lived in the fellowship of
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this Church, an acceptable member, about fifteen years. He resided in Flanders when the Methodist preachers first visited the place. He opened his doors for preach- ing, and they continued to preach there once in two weeks for several years. A society was formed, with which he united, and was appointed the leader. He ful- filled the responsible duties of this office about sixteen years.
During his leadership the first meeting-house in Flan- ders was erected, and the society increased, so that it numbered thirty members. It is not known with cer- tainty in what year the meeting-house was built, but it was some years before the close of the last century, and was certainly not later than 1793,* and, possibly, as early as 1785. It was, in all probability, the first Church erected in East Jersey. "For many years it remained in an unfinished condition, without walls or doors, the floor itself being but partially laid, yet it was occupied as a place of worship every two weeks. It was finally completed under the administration of Rev. Elijah Wool- sey, who is said to have been a very popular minister."+ So strict was Mr. Moore in attending Divine worship that for seven years together he was not known to ne- * See Christian Adv. and Jour., 1828, p. 108.
+ Reminiscences of Methodism in Flanders, prepared for the writer by REV. EDWARD W. ADAMS.
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glect being at this house of prayer, though it was a dis- tance of six miles from his residence.
In the year 1800, he removed with his family to Cayuga county, New York. He there united with the Church, and was soon appointed a Steward, in which office he served the Church more than twenty years, when the infirmities of age compelled him to resign his charge.
He worthily represented the religion he professed. "Frequently, when it was mentioned in love-feasts, ' Let him first speak who feels most in debt to grace,' whom should we see but father Moore, with streaming eyes and a heart big with gratitude to God, saying that he thought himself the man; that he had found the Lord in his youth, who had supported him through middle age, and was still precious to him in the decline of life? It is worthy of remark, that a little more than a year be- fore his death, he was frequently heard to say he had for many years been privileged with meeting with his brethren in class, but he was rationally taught that he could not long continue here ; that his prayer to God was that he might live to see one more reformation, and so true is that text, 'The desire of the righteous shall be granted him,' that in the last year of his life he saw a glorious work of God in his vicinity, and more than
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thirty souls professed to be brought from the kingdom of darkness to that of God's dear Son; and, although in the seventy-eighth year of his age, he not only saw, but was engaged in it, for scarcely a meeting was held in the society but father Moore made one of the number, praying and laboring for God and souls. With an un- deviating constancy and uniformity of life, he persisted, in spite of age and infirmity, to shine with unabating lustre, until his sun set in death. The Sabbath before his death, in love-feast, he rose and said, that for more than fifty-eight years the Lord had been with him. On Thursday morning following, about one o'clock, he was violently attacked with excruciating pains, which greatly alarmed his family. A physician was immediately called, but to no effect. He must take his departure. And was he ready? Hear his own words: 'I thought I should not live till morning, and oh, how should I feel if I had no hope ? Bless the Lord!' Soon after his speech began to fail. He said, 'I have nothing here,' and continued to repeat it several times, when one pre- sent asked him if he would wish to say,
' I've nothing here deserves my joys, There's nothing like my God,'
to which he assented. On Saturday evening, Dec. 15th,
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1827, about half past eight o'clock, he ceased to live as an inhabitant of earth."*
The reader will be interested in the following reminis- cences of early Methodism in Flanders, from the pen of Rev. E. W. Adams :
"In those days to kneel during prayer, and stand during the singing were sufficiently contrary to general usage to bring down upon those guilty of such supposed irregularities, severe persecution from the opponents of Methodism.
" Miss Baxter, afterwards the wife of Judge Monroe, and mother-in-law to Rev. M. Force, was one of the carliest, and most devoted members of our Church in this vicinity. Subsequently to her marriage she was much opposed by her husband on account of her Meth- odistic principles. This was carried to such an extent that for peace sake she agreed to unite with the Presby- terian Church. But she found, after all, that to change her Church relation was not an easy matter. She had no rest day or night. In the mean time the pastor, the Rev. Mr. Fordham, being notified of her intention, called to see her. She frankly told him ' that, after all, she did not know what to do, she could not believe their doctrines.' He replied, 'If you cannot conscientiously subscribe to them, I do not wish you to do so.' Still,
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