January 11, 1796 — to Thomas Haskins
CHARLESTON, S.C.
ASB_VOL3.PDF, PDF page 176
This letter was written just after the burning of Cokesbury College. Thomas Haskins was a trustee of St. George’s Church,
Philadelphia. It is mainly a newsletter.
CHARLESTON, S.C.
January 11, 1796
[TO THOMAS HASKINS]
My own dear Son:
As Cokesbury…1 Attention will be turned toward the spiritual interests of our Society chiefly. This hath perhaps been one cause of its consumption. I wished and prayed if it was not for his glory it might be destroyed. It hath taken up my time, consumed my spirits and would eventually have rendered me useless if I had not given it up. As to the bill for the fund, it must be drawn according to the section in the form of Discipline on the subject. 3,000 pounds will be sufficient.
The subject of relief of the superannuated preachers and widows and orphans of preachers, as are this order2 in the minutes and recommended from year to year by the Bishop and Conference or President and Conference held in any part of the U.S. Oh, my dear Brother, how I pant for thy soul to be wholly alive to God and flowing with holy love. I hear of a stir of religion in [New] York, and we have had the city in motion here. God is with and hath perfectly recovered its love, one distracted with Solomon wronghear [gossip].3 It is very low times here with the separate people.4 Our Society is greatly augmented with the return of old and increase of new members.
Dr. Coke writes me he is now about to sail for Timboo in Africa with six companions. One of the kings hath invited him. I am in great hopes God will work upon our prosperous darker continent. I am solemnly happy in God, but I am pained to be cooped up here 2 months, but the winter campaigns are the cause of my pain. So I must submit. My love to… Norths and Bakers5 and all that ask after me, thrice more than ever, F. ASBURY
The Historical Society of the Philadelphia Conference and Old St. George’s Methodist Church, Philadelphia
Notes (5)
- The Cokesbury College fire occurred on December 7, 1795. The reference is clearly to that. (See Journal, 1852 ed., January 5, 1796.) Note the following comment on Cokesbury College in an excerpt from a letter from Devereux Jarratt, of Virginia, to John Coleman, an Established Church preacher in Maryland, January 28, 1796. “I have heard of the fall and destruction of Cokesbury; but as I am not a prophet, nor a prophet’s son, I will not tell you what I said to the little doctor [Coke], when he first opened to me his design of building that great house. However, like Micaiah, I gave him no mighty encouragement—nor have matters there turned out much better than I expected. When men, like those on Shinar’s plain, have determined to build, that they might get themselves a name, the Lord has frequently blasted the design. However I was sorry when I heard of the catastrophe: I felt for Mr. Asbury—though I never expected any great things, or good purposes, would result from the erection of that vast pile. Indeed, I see not, how any considerate man could expect any great things from a seminary of learning, while under the supreme direction and control of tinkers and taylors, weavers, shoemakers and country mechanics of all kinds—or, in other words, of men illiterate and wholly unacquainted with colleges and their contents.” (The Life of Devereux Jarratt, written by himself, 181. Also see letter of October 17, 1806, in which Asbury refers to Coleman’s publication of Jarratt’s life.) Jarratt died January 29, 1801; and on April 19, 1801, when Asbury was passing through Virginia, he preached Jarratt’s funeral, paying tribute to his friend. (See Journal reference for this date.) ↩
- It seems he means “are in this order.” ↩
- Reference to O’Kelly schism. Note Jarratt’s comment on O’Kelly in the following excerpt from his letter to Coleman, March 3, 1794. “Though I have not had a letter from you since my last—yet being favoured with an opportunity by the little man [Coke], I must write a few lines. With regard to religious affairs in general I refer you to him, who is both intelligent and communicative. I hope to have some respite from methodistical tongues for a while, as they seem to have work enough to do among themselves. O’Kelly does great things in the devisive way and I dare say he will make Asbury’s Mitre set very uneasy on his head, so as to give sensible pain to his heart, and it may be to such a degree, that he may sincerely wish Dr. Coke had never given him a Mitre at all. Indeed I never expected that Mitre would set easy for any considerable length of time, as it was but a cobbled piece of work at first—and Dr. Coke was the principal agent. The divisions and animosities now subsisting are greater, perhaps, than you can conceive, and yet all these may be but the beginnings of sorrow. In a word I have seen and heard so much of the party zeal, party interest and party spirit of the people called Methodists, and the nefarious methods made use of to put down one and set up another, that I really doubt whether there would be any propriety in giving them the epithet of a religious society. Not that I doubt but are numbers of good people among them. What the end of these things may be, I know not. The little man [Coke], will inform you of more than I can write.” (The Life of Devereux Jarratt, written by himself, 78.) ↩
- The Hammett faction, followers of William Hammett, who had separated in Charleston. ↩
- Laymen at St. George’s Church. ↩