June 30, 1811 — to Solomon Sias

Solomon Sias had been on the Withersfield charge on the Vermont District in 1810. He was moved to the New Hampshire District at the conference in 1811. Asbury was concerned over the elections to the General Conference to be held in 1812. The elections in the New England Conference had left the Vermont District

unrepresented. Asbury, it seems, wanted Joel Winch to be in the conference; and this letter was the result.

PERU, [NEW YORK]¹

June 30, 1811

[TO SOLOMON SIAS]²

Dear Son:

Oh my child, my dear child, I have no doubt but you will be wholly given up to God; conscious of the great charge, your Lord, and your elder brethren, have called you to perform. You know our love for you, and confidence, and unshaken dependence on you. Nothing that you will be called to do, will be hard or impossible, if your strength is with you, the God of power. Brother Frost³ will give you my journal hitherto. I greatly admire the wisdom and skill of our New England Conference, correct, impartial, expeditious, with such brethren I would spend my life, and fifty more years labours, if it was given me so to do. I have recollected one case; yet undesigned, unforeseen, in the election, yet they aimed at Apostolical uprightness. How needful that every district should be represented. But the Conference knew not the stations, at the elections. You only represent New Hampshire District. Who will represent Vermont? Every member in the delegation no doubt; but will not some preachers, and people say, Vermont District is not represented, by any person immediately sent from it. Who will represent New London District? Elder Hedding⁴ was upon it last year. Unless some of the members fail and Joel,⁵ which is in reserve and in the very neighbourhood of General Conference, and one stay back out of the redundancy of the Maine or Boston District, Joel Winch cannot take [the] place. From the Maine Districts and members with the reserve, 5 members elected from Boston District, 8 members with the reserve. You might remind our elders Beale,⁶ Soule,⁷ Pickering⁸ of this case, if a way… might be open for Joel Winch to attend.

I wish it may not be understood or thought that I have any partiality for men, or that the Conference courts men or wishes to exclude two important districts in the union of a respectable delegation. They knew not what would be the case at the time of election. It was not proper for me to change my plan I had digested with great care and much deliberation, and information, and lastingness. The wisdom of our General Conference may in future order that one or more delegates be always taken from each district in the annual conference. General Conference may improve and mend the Constitution, they in their wisdom may order that annual general conferences shall sit in rotation in every district in the union to prevent a corrupt partiality for great cities and towns, and to indulge none in local habits for those that will not willingly take high and mountainous stations, who will grow too lazy to attend Conference in such parts. An arm of just and decisive authority in our General Conference and the same in the superintendency will be necessary. Other denominations have it not, they are local, they are all bishops. I have no objection to you sending a copy to Brother Pickering and Soule. You will not fail to write us to Camden, South Carolina. It would be well for the stewards to send a statement of the temporal supplies of the stationed preachers and the quarter meetings to send letters of information of the work of God and spiritual state of the circuits and the usefulness of their preachers and success in the work to the Superintendency every year at conference. I am most heartily yours,

F. ASBURY

P.S. I have only to observe in systems of human religions the extreme parts have been neglected while the interior and more populous have grown into absolute authority with corruption as a rising people. [?] We ought to have our eyes about us, be purer and purer and very lively guard against evils in the smallest bud of being.

Farewell.

Drew University Library