December 10, 1807 — to Nelson Reed

The concern here is with the proposals for the superintendency. Asbury is traveling the connection alone. Bishop Whatcoat is dead, and the General Conference of 1808 is soon to be held. Some were in favor of limiting bishops to an annual conference. Asbury was opposed to this. He was in favor of a general over-all superintendency.

CAMDEN, S.C.

December 10, 1807

[TO NELSON REED]¹

My very dear Nelson:

Great grace attend thee, and make thy last, the best of life. The sincerity of thy friendship, the soundness of thy principles in every part of Methodism, no one need doubt. If I write any thing in this letter in answer to a special part of thine it will be only to controvert the principle of some men sinking down; but not thine. As far as my observation has been in riding 4000 miles from Baltimore, the present year, by information, by official letters, I hope every, or at least most or all the districts have had a few happy hundreds converted; in a few districts, a few happy thousands. And we have as many campmeetings now as we had quarter meetings 20 years ago. Never failing blessings follow these meetings. Traveling and local ministers, sinners and saints, are blest, and dreadful apostates have died [?].

Harmony and order runs through our conferences. This has been a great year of labours and affliction to me. Surely I was directed of God, to ask of, and the Baltimore Conference to send, the present aid.² He has had to do but every thing almost for me. That his burden might not be insupportable, I have taken the saddle and sold my carriage. My former affliction you were a witness to in part; my latter affliction has been such I have been sick 4 weeks, have preached tho unable 4 times. I have had my former affliction, an inflamation in the breast that I thought would not only affect my voice, but vitals.

I am not at liberty to say what I will do, 6 conferences, to meet this winter, in 4 months. Oh what a toil! But I sincerely think I shall never be an arch superintendent much less an arch Bishop. Rather like great George Washington, let me peaceably retire and lay my commission at the feet of the General Conference, and after the rapid race from 16 to 63, be supernumerary, superanuated or located.

I have had very little upon paper; (more from you than any one) about the Superintendency, those that have talked with, think as I think, as follows, that there should be one, two or three of the most confidential men of the American connection, elected by the General Conference, to locate these men annually to the seven conferences and that they should do their best to attend every conference, and all that are or shall be in the union, every year; and visit the seventeen states and ten (territories) as oft as possible, and have their eyes and ears in every part of the Connection. This is the true Wesleyan Superintendence, this is the essence of the General Assistancy, this was formed in the constitution of 1784 and has been in operation ever since.

It is not to be wondered at in the church as well as the state we should have men that would destroy the best constitutions in church and state. A Bishop, oh that it had never been named.³ I was elected and ordained a superintendent as my parchment will show. One superintendent for each annual conference, his majesty might make Baltimore, Philadelphia, [New] York, or Boston, the Grand Metropolitan Church. What could one of these do for us, no not half as much as four presiding elders in the field, or cabinet counsel.

I never never will act under such a Roman, an English or Moravian Episcopacy. How it is to be tried, whether this hideous form shall take place or the pure apostolical form, a constitutional superintendency, to stand on equal ground, I am willing to embrace. My feet fail to take my crutches, yea as long as I have an ear to hear and eye to see, and to handle. But that this will want nothing to make it a beast but legal power. Excuse my letter I am very weak, my love to sister Reed and all friends from thine, F. ASBURY

Drew University Library