Undated — An Affectionate Address From the Virginia Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church

The following letter has its own introduction.

EDMUND TAYLOR’S, N.C.¹

March 8, 1805

AN AFFECTIONATE ADDRESS FROM THE VIRGINIA

CONFERENCE² OF THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL

CHURCH

To all their official Brethren, local preachers, class leaders, and stewards, in their Quarterly Meeting Conferences in the Districts and Circuits of their charge.

Dearly beloved in the Lord:

Grace and peace attend you with our salutation to all saints. Possibly in your local situation you have not taken perfect knowledge of what God hath done for us a society, in the space of thirty-five years; we have not only planted, but have made a very gracious progress at the gospel in the seventeen United States, and in the Territorial Settlements, as also into the two Canadian Provinces, as may be seen by the Annual Minutes. What hath God wrought? We contemplate the happy hundreds already gone to Glory; and more than one hundred thousand now in fellowship with us, and the children and servants of our Brethren must still greatly augment our charge, to Christianize and spiritualize all these, we might calculate upon half a million of souls that stand in this relation to us. Again when we consider all those who regularly attend our ministry, as our own members, we might calculate upon one million, probably one-sixth part of the inhabitants of these United States. Should we take the distance of land from St. Mary’s in Georgia, to Passamaquoddy Bay³ we might find it to be 16 or 1700 miles, and from the extremities of the Districts of Maine to the Natchez would be found upward of 2000 miles. What, but a travelling ministry, and a very rapid one too, could have spread themselves, over such a part of so great and yet unexplored Continent westward in so short a time, opening and settling from 3 to 6 hundred miles and verging to a thousand miles in the width thereof. We have upwards of 400 travelling, and 2,000 local preachers, with exhorters, the latter a source from whence we can draw supplies to replenish and strengthen our travelling connections. O Brethren, help us by all and every laudable means in your power, what should not men do and suffer for souls, after the example of Christ, and in obedience to his word, our Local Brethren can keep our congregation together, by preaching in the absence of the travelling line. They can promote class-meetings, order and union among the Societies. They can see that none enter in among the Flock, to pervert or draw away disciples after them. Our Local Brethren, highly esteem the travelling plan; some of them have spent their happiest and most useful days in the work; the Local Ministry, can help us greatly at Camp and Quarterly Meetings, they can promote prayer meetings, and when the work of God breaks out in a society can nurse the good cause. When the Travelling Ministry are obliged to go on to their daily appointments, they can be always ready, if disappointments are unavoidably made by the travelling Ministry, to fill their places. When modesty or self-diffidency prevails among the travelling ministry, to ask the people to contribute a mite, the Local Brethren can exhort and urge the Societies to liberality, to give for their support, that could have been full and free, and probably independent if they had been able to have tarried at home. But the word of God, was like a fire shut up in their bones; they were weary of forbearing and could not stay at home. Indeed it is not possible to calculate upon the good that has been done since the sitting of the General Conference in May, 1804, from what has fallen under the notice of this Conference. There has been perhaps 2 or 300 camp and extraordinary meetings, when souls have been convicted or converted from 10, to 15, 20, 30, 100, 200 and, in one extraordinary case

400. And who can conceive what may be done in twenty years to come. Oh! Brethren, was there ever such a time like this. Help, help by your prayers, preaching and purses. Many of our travelling Ministry are married men, and do not receive above $82 per annum to support a wife and children; and whenever we have a surplus in our conferences, we do not Bank it or give it where there are no just claims, but send it on to the poorer conferences in the more extreme parts of the North and East. To conclude, such fields are opening, so many preachers to preach, and so many people to pray, and such multitudes to be converted, what shall we see in twenty years to come, if the travelling and Local Preachers are united, preaching the same Doctrine, approving and enforcing the same Discipline, and shall seek by every lawful means, Ministerial and Christian union among themselves, and among all Christian Ministers and Societies. Thus living and walking as dear Children, what will not a good and gracious God do for us?

FRANCIS ASBURY

Signed in, and by order of Conference, 8th March, 1805.

Drew University Library