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 9
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which had actually attended our partial division, would make us more cautious how we should entertain one thought of taking any step that should have the least tendency to so great an evil. It is an observation that I have seen in some of Mr. Wesley's works, None can so effectually hurt the Methodists as the Methodists. The more I know of Methodism, the more I am con- firmed in the correctness of the observation. The Lord make and keep us of one mind and heart."
Let it not be said that this brief account of the settle- ment of this dispute, given by one of the chief actors in the scene, is irrelevant to our work. This was a mat- ter in which every section of the Church was interested. The prospect of a division was like a cloud of densest gloom, which spread itself over the whole horizon of the Church, and this amicable adjustment of the difficulty was as if the cloud gathered up its black folds and calmly rolled itself away without discharging against the palaces of Zion the terrible artillery which it concealed in its bo- som. The Church in New Jersey could not but blend its exultant notes with the thanksgivings of American Methodism at large, for so happy a deliverance from the direful catastrophe which threatened it.
At this Conference the connection of New Jersey with Philadelphia ceased, and William Gill, John James, and Richard Garrettson were appointed to the State. None
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of the preachers however were appointed for a longer time than six months, as at the end of that period all were directed to change their field of labor. Who sup- plied the work the latter half of the year we are not able to tell, but according to Rev. Thomas Ware, George Mair volunteered this year to labor as a missionary in the eastern part of the State, in which for some time the Methodist preachers had not been permitted to travel. This was probably in the latter part of the year, as he was appointed by the Conference this year to Philadel- phia. His labors were productive of much good, and at the ensuing Conference two preachers were appointed to East Jersey.
The condition of the country was not such this year as to render the prospects of religion much more favor- able than they had been during the war; the American army of the North being quartered at Morristown in deep privation and distress, and the spirit of war being rife throughout the province. The winter was terribly severe, so that "the earth was frozen so deeply that in many places the ground opened in vast chasms, of several yards in length and a foot wide, and three and four feet deep." It was also difficult to obtain provisions ; "the rivers, creeks, and other water ways were frozen almost to their bottom, so that oxen, and sleds loaded, passed over the water as on solid ground. The birds and the
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wild animals of the West Jersey forests died in vast numbers." .Notwithstanding the unpropitiousness of the circumstances, the work advanced gloriously this year, and a brighter day than it had ever known dawned upon the infant Methodism of the province. At the close of the year five hundred and twelve members were re- ported, which was an increase of three hundred and sixteen, and almost treble the number reported the pre- vious year.
The tidings of the revival reached Asbury, who, in his Journal, says, "I rejoice to hear that the work of God is deepening and widening in the Jerseys." Shortly after he was in the province, where he was told " there is daily a great turning to God in new places, and that the work of sanctification goes on in our old societies."
While in New Jersey he met with an old German wo- man with whose simplicity he was much pleased. She said she had "lived in blindness fifty years, and was at length brought to God by the means of Methodism." She was rejoicing, he says, in the perfect love of God; her children were turning to the Lord, while she preached, in her way, to all she met.
While in New Jersey this time he heard Benjamin Ab- bott. He says, "His words came with power, the peo- ple fall to the ground under him, and sink into a passive state, helpless, stiff, motionless. He is a man of uncom-
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mon zeal, and (although his language has somewhat of incorrectness) of good utterance." Such is the opinion the sagacious and thoughtful Asbury has recorded con- cerning this "wonder of his generation," the most re- markable man, probably, in faith, zeal, and success, that American Methodism has ever produced.
WILLIAM GILL stands first among the preachers ap- pointed to New Jersey this year. He was one of the greatest men of the Church in his day, and would have been great at any period in the cause. Lee mentions him in a very laudatory style as a man, a Christian, and a minister. Dr. Rush of Philadelphia warmly admired him, and is said to have remarked that William Gill was the greatest divine he had ever heard. He was a native of Delaware, and was admitted on trial by the Conference in 1777, and was appointed to Baltimore; in 1778 he was sent to Pittsylvania, in Virginia ; in 1779, Fairfax ; 1781, Kent, Delaware; 1782, Sussex, Virginia ; 1783, Little York ; 1784, Baltimore ; 1785-6, Presiding Elder in Maryland; 1787, he and John Hagerty were "El- ders" over a district which included only two "appoint- ments"-Philadelphia and Little York. In 1788 he was appointed to Kent circuit as preacher in charge, and before the next Conference he finished his labors and went to his reward. He was somewhat deficient in physical strength, but he possessed a keen, strong, and
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subtle intellect, a clear judgment, "and by those whose powers of vision were strong like his," says Mr. Ware, "he was deemed one of a thousand. But by the less penetrating his talents could not be appreciated, as he often soared above them. In conversation, which afforded an opportunity for asking questions and receiv- ing explanations on deep and interesting subjects, I have seldom known his equal." He was a man of blameless deportment, possessed a meek spirit, and was "resigned and solemnly happy in his death." One of his cotemporaries, who knew him personally, says, " His death was truly that of a righteous man. After witness- ing a good confession, leaning upon the bosom of his God, he closed his own eyes, and sweetly fell asleep. This was characteristic of the man." Though a man of eminent abilities, it appears from a passing remark by Asbury, that in common with most Methodist preachers of his time, he was subjected to the stern discipline of poverty. Asbury says, "I feel for those who have had to groan out a wretched life, dependent on others-as Pedicord, Gill, Tunnell,* and others whose names I do not now recollect; but their names are written in the book of life, and their souls are in the glory of God."
Even a grave stone with an inscription sufficient to
* These were all eminent ministers, and they each labored in New Jersey.
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designate his resting place was denied him. A person who visited his grave writes in the Christian Advocate : " He died in Chestertown, Kent Co., Md. ; and when a few more of the older men of this generation pass away the probability is no one will know the place of his sep- ulchre, as I was unsuccessful in endeavoring to persuade the Methodists there to erect at his grave only a plain head and foot stone ; but his record is on high."
JOHN JAMES entered the Conference this year on trial, and the following year he was appointed to Amelia, in Virginia. In 1782 the question is asked in the minutes, " Who desist from traveling this year ?" and the answer is, "John James." Mr. Ware, in his Life, gives an ac- count of a preacher visiting Cumberland and Cape May during the time that East Jersey was inaccessible to Methodist laborers, and the editor of the book says he learned from Mr. Ware that the name of the preacher was James. As no other preacher of that name was ap- pointed at this period to New Jersey, nor indeed was in the traveling connection, the inference is that it was the colleague of Gill and Garrettson. Mr. Ware's account of his proceedings there is as follows : " His manner was to let his horse take his own course, and on coming to a house, to inform the family that he had come to warn them and the people of their neighborhood to prepare to meet their God; and also to direct them to notify their
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neighbors that on such a day one would, by Divine per- mission, be there to deliver a message from God to them, noting his appointment in a book kept for that purpose ; and then, if he found they were not offended, to sing and pray with them and depart. Some families were much affected, and seemed to hold themselves bound to do as he directed. Others told him he need give himself no further trouble, for they would neither invite their neighbors, nor open their doors to receive him if he came.
" This course soon occasioned an excitement and alarm through many parts. Some seemed to think him a messenger from the invisible world. Others said, 'He is mad.' Many, however, gave out the appointments as directed; and when the time came he would be sure to be there. By these means the minds of the people were stirred up, and many were awakened. While thus la- boring to sow the seed of the gospel, he came one even- ing to the house of Captain Sears, and having a desire to put up for the night, made application to the captain accordingly. Captain S. was then in the yard, sur- rounded by a number of barking dogs, which kept up such a noise that he could not at first hear what the preacher said. At this the captain became very angry, and stormed boisterously at them, calling them many hard names for which the preacher reproved him. When
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they became silent so that he could be distinctly heard, he renewed his request to stay over night. The captain paused a long time, looking steadily at him and then said, 'I hate to let you stay the worst of any man I ever saw ; but as I never refused a stranger a night's lodging in all my life, you may alight.'
"Soon after entering the house, he requested a private room where he might retire. The family were curious to know for what purpose he retired, and con- trived to ascertain, when it was found that he was on his knees. After continuing a long time in secret devotion, he came into the parlor and found supper prepared. Captain Sears seated himself at table, and invited his guest to come and partake with him. He came to the table, and said, 'With your permission, captain, I will ask the blessing of God upon our food before we par- take,' to which the captain assented.
"During the evening the preacher had occasion to re- prove his host several times. In a few days the captain attended a military parade; and his men, having heard that the man who had made so much noise in the country had spent a night with him, inquired of him what he thought of this singular person. ' Do you ask what I think of the stranger ?' said he, 'I know he is a man of God.' 'Pray how do you know that, captain ?' inquired some. 'How do I know it?' he replied, 'I will tell
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you honestly-the devil trembled in me at his reproof.' And so it was. The evil spirit found no place to remain in his heart. I have spent many a comfortable night under the hospitable roof of Captain Sears. He lived long an example of piety-the stranger's host and com- forter, and especially the preacher's friend. By such means the work was commenced in this region, and spread among the people."
RICHARD GARRETTSON probably entered the ministry in 1778, as in the minutes of 1779, in which his name first appears, he stands continued on trial. His travels in the work were quite extensive until 1783, when his name disappears from the minutes. He was a brother of Freeborn Garrettson, and is represented as having been a good and zealous man and a useful minister. In 1781 he was sent to labor in Virginia, and towards the close of that Conference year Mr. Garrettson says, "I attended my brother Richard Garrettson's Quarterly meeting ; and we both had great freedom to preach the word, and a precious, powerful time. My brother traveled several days with me, and we had sweet times together." Af- terward he remarks, "I perceived that the Lord had blessed my brother Richard's labors in this place."
GEORGE MAIR was admitted on trial by the Confer- ence this year, and was appointed to Philadelphia, but, as we have seen, volunteered as a missionary to East
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Jersey. He was "grave, undaunted," and "invincible to everything but truth." Mr. Ware describes a love- feast held by Mr. Mair, which affords a good illustration of his labors and success in that unpromising portion of the province which he had the bravery and zeal to enter. The account, without which our work would be incom- plete, is as follows :--
"In the year of our Lord 1780, when we were con- tending for independence, not with Great Britain alone, but with her Indian and Hessian mercenaries, and what was worse, with many of our fellow citizens who despised independence, or, in despair of obtaining it, had joined the enemy ; when our country was laid waste by fire and sword, and many hundreds who had embarked in the cause of freedom were perishing in captivity, with hun- ger and cold ; when many bosoms were agitated with the thoughts of revenge on our cruel and unnatural enemies, and resolved with independence to live or die-it was at such a time as this, when little was known, or thought, or said about the way to heaven, a missionary of the Methodist order volunteered for East Jersey, and was instrumental in producing a religious excitement of a very interesting character. Many who seemed to have forgotten that they were accountable creatures, and lived in enmity one with another on account of the part they had taken in the great national quarrel, were
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brought to follow the advice of St. Paul, 'Be ye kind one to another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.'
" Of this I saw a pleasing exhibition in a love-feast at a Quarterly meeting held by our missionary, Mr. George Mair, previous to his taking leave of his spiritual children in the north-west part of East Jersey. I saw there those who had cordially hated, lovingly embrace each other, and heard them praise the Lord who had made them one in Christ. The meeting was held in a barn, attended by several preachers, one of whom opened it on Saturday, and great power attended the word; many wept aloud, some for joy and some for grief ; many, filled with amazement, fled, and left room for the preachers to have access to the mourners, to pray with and exhort them to believe in the Lord Jesus, which many did, and rejoiced with great joy. Such a meeting I had never seen before.
"Next morning we met early for love-feast. All that had obtained peace with God, and all who were seeking it, were invited, and the barn was nearly full. As few present had ever been in a love-feast, Mr. Mair explained to us its nature and design, namely, to take a little bread and water, not as a Sacrament, but in token of our Christian love, in imitation of a primitive usage, and
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then humbly and briefly to declare the great things the Lord had done for them in having had mercy on them. .
" Mr. James Sterling, of Burlington, West Jersey, was the first who spoke, and the plain and simple narra- tive of his Christian experience was very affecting to many. After him, rose one of the new converts, a Mr. Egbert, and said, 'I was standing in my door, and saw a man at a distance, well mounted on horse-back, and as he drew near I had thoughts of hailing him to inquire the news ; but he forestalled me by turning into my yard and saying to me, " Pray, sir, can you tell me the way to heaven ?" "The way to heaven, sir ; we all hope to get to heaven, and there are many ways that men take." " Ah! but," said the stranger, "I want to know the best way." "Alight, sir, if you please; I should like to hear you talk about the way you deem the best. When I was a boy I used to hear my mother talk about the way to heaven, and I am under an impression you must know the way." He did alight, and I was soon convinced the judgment I had formed of the stranger was true. My doors were opened, and my neighbors invited to come and see and hear a man who could and would, I verily believed, tell us the best way to heaven. And it was not long before myself, my wife, and several of my family, together with many of my neighbors, were well assured we were in the way, for we had peace with God,
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with one another, and did ardently long and fervently . pray for the peace and salvation of all men. Tell me, friends,' said he, 'is not this the way to heaven ?
"' It is true many of us were for a time greatly alarmed and troubled. We communed together and said, It is a doubtful case if God will have mercy on us, and forgive us our sins ; and if he does, it must be after we have passed through long and deep repentance. But our mis- sionary, to whom we jointly made known our unbeliev- ing fears, said to us, "Cheer up, my friends, ye are not far from the kingdom of God. Can any of you be a greater sinner than Saul of Tarsus ? and how long did it take him to repent ? Three days were all. The Phi- lippian jailor, too, in the same hour in which he was con- victed, was baptized, rejoicing in God, with all his house. Come," said he, " let us have faith in God, remembering the saying of Christ, Ye believe in God, believe also in me. Come, let us go down upon our knees and claim the merit of his death for the remission of sins, and he will do it-look to yourselves, each man, God is here." Instantly one who was, I thought, the greatest sinner in the house except myself, fell to the floor as one dead; and we thought he was dead; but he was not literally dead, for there he sits with as significant a smile as any one present.' Here the youth of whom he spoke uttered the word Glory ! with a look
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and tone of voice that ran through the audience like an electric shock, and for a time interrupted the speaker ; but he soon resumed his narrative by saying, 'The preacher bade us not be alarmed-we must all die to live. Instantly I caught him in my arms and exclaimed, The guilt I felt and the vengeance I feared, are gone, and now I know heaven is not far off; but here, and there, and wherever Jesus manifests himself is heaven.' Here his powers of speech failed, and he sat down and wept, and there was not, I think, one dry eye in the barn.
" A German spoke next, and if I could tell what he said as told by him, it would be worth a place in any man's memory. But this I cannot do. He, however, spoke to the following import :-
"' When de preacher did come to mine house, and did say, "Peace be on this habitation ; I am come, fader, to see if in dese troublesome times I can find any in your parts dat does know de way to dat country where war, sorrow, and crying is no more; and of whom could I in- quire so properly as of one to whom God has given many days ?" When he did say dis, I was angry, and did try to say to him, Go out of mine house; but I could not speak, but did tremble, and when mine anger was gone I did say, I does fear I does not know de way to dat goodest place, but mine wife does know ; sit down and I
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will call her. Just den mine wife did come in, and de stranger did say, " Dis, fader, is, I presume, yourn wife, of whom you say she does know de way to a better country, de way to heaven. Dear woman, will you tell it me ?" After mine wife did look at de stranger one minute, she did say, I do know Jesus, and is not he de way ? De stranger did den fall on his knees and tank God for bringing him to mine house, where dere was one dat did know de way to heaven; he did den pray for me and mine children, dat we might be like mine wife, and all go to heaven togeder. Mine wife did den pray in Dutch, and some of mine children did fall on deir knees, and I did fall on mine, and when she did pray no more de preacher did pray again, and mine oldest daughter did cry so loud.
""' From dat time I did seek de Lord, and did fear he would not hear me, for I had made de heart of mine wife so sorry when I did tell her she was mad. But de preacher did show me so many promises dat I did tell mine wife if she would forgive me, and fast and pray wid me all day and all night, I did hope de Lord would forgive me. Dis did please mine wife, but she did say, We must do all in de name of de Lord Jesus. About de middle of de night I did tell mine wife I should not live till morning, mine distress was too great. But she did say, Mine husband, God will not let you die ; and
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just as the day did break mine heart did break, and tears did run so fast, and I did say, Mine wife, I does now believe mine God will bless me, and she did say, Amen, amen, come, Lord Jesus. Just den mine oldest daughter who had been praying all night, did come in and did fall on mine neck, and said, O mine fader, Jesus has blessed me. And den joy did come into mine heart, and we have gone on rejoicing in de Lord ever since. ยท Great fear did fall on mine neighbors, and mine barn would not hold all de peoples dat does come to learn de way to heaven.' His looks, his tears, and his broken English, kept the people in tears, mingled with smiles, and even laughter, not with lightness, but joy, for they believed every word he said.
" After him, one got up and said, For months previ- ous to the coming of Mr. Mair into their place, he was one of the most wretched of men. He had heard of the Methodists, and the wonderful works done among them, and joined in ascribing it all to the devil. At length a fear fell on him; he thought he should die and be lost. He lost all relish for food, and sleep departed from him. His friends thought him mad; but his own conclusion was, that he was a reprobate, having been brought up a Calvinist ; and he was tempted to shoot himself, that he might know the worst. He at length resolved he would hear the Methodists; and when he came the barn was
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full; there was, however, room at the door, where he could see the preacher, and hear well. He was soon con- vinced he was no reprobate, and felt a heart to beg of God to forgive him for ever harboring a thought that he, the kind Parent of all, had reprobated any of his child- ren. And listening, he at length understood the cause of his wretchedness; it was guilt, from which Jesus came to save us. The people all around him being in tears, and hearing one in the barn cry, Glory to Jesus, hardly knowing what he did, he drew his hat from under his arm, and swinging it over his head, began to huzza with might and main. The preacher saw him and knew he was not in sport, for the tears were flowing down his face, and smiling, said, 'Young man, thou art not far from the kingdom of God; but rather say, Hallelujah, the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.' Several others spoke, and more would have spoken, had not a general cry arisen, when the doors were thrown open that all might come in and see the way that God sometimes works."
Mr. Mair enjoyed the acquaintance and friendship of Rev. Uzal Ogden, an evangelical and zealous clergyman of the Protestant Episcopal Church, who showed much friendly regard to the Methodists at that early day, and cooperated with them in the work of disseminating truth and righteousness among the people. He will appear
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more prominently in our pages hereafter. We make this allusion to him for the sake of introducing a letter addressed by him to Mr. Mair. It is dated Newtown [Newton, Sussex Co., N. J.], 10th July, 1783.
"TO MR. GEORGE MAIR, A METHODIST PREACHER."
" DEAR SIR :- Your favor of the 10th of April, I had the pleasure of receiving yesterday. The regard you express for me merits my thanks ; and be assured your piety and zeal have gained you my affection. I fer- vently pray that you may be the peculiar object of the love of God; that yourself and family may be blessed with his spiritual and temporal favors; that you may never be ' weary in well doing ;' that you may daily be- hold an increase of success of your 'labor of love ;' and that in due season you may shine as a star of the first magnitude in the celestial regions, because you shall have been instrumental in turning many persons from the commission of vice to the practice of virtue.
" Oh! the bright, the dazzling prospects the faithful servants of God have before them, when they look be- yond the things of time and sense. Let a due respect to the 'recompense of reward' of the faithful, a sense of the love of Christ towards us, and of the importance of the souls of men, cause us to be animated with new zeal to promote the interests of religion, occasion us to
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