April 22, 1813 — to Joseph Benson
WILMINGTON, DELAWARE
ASB_VOL3.PDF, PDF page 586
The Journal indicates that Asbury was the guest of Governor Bassett. Bassett was an old friend. The letter is to the editor of The Methodist Magazine. It, with the appended letter, has much information on Asbury’s proposed visit to England which, however, did not materialize.
WILMINGTON, DELAWARE
April 22, 1813
[TO JOSEPH BENSON]1
My venerable Brother:2
Will be so benevolent as to present this letter to the Conference at their next sitting. He may feel himself at liberty to present the original to the President; and to smooth3 and point and print a copy for each member, as a token of my love, if it should be eventually as my last Will and Testament.
Your brother4 well presumes that the Methodist society hath done more in Missions than other societies, or all the European societies put together. He says America was a mission; the daughter, as to names and numbers little inferior to the Mother; as to men of talents, as great speakers, great learning, great writers, we boast not; we trust in missions you will abound more and more. Should two of our young men volunteer with me on a visit of love, will the British Conference and people accept their services, should we find our way open?5 This I submit to your gracious consideration, and wait your will, that we may perfectly understand and harmonize; possibly these young men will obtain recommendations from their conferences, and wherewith to bear their expenses.
I remain yours,
FRANCIS ASBURY
The Methodist Magazine (1813), 877
Notes (5)
- Joseph Benson was looked upon as the agent of American affairs in London. He published the letter in The Methodist Magazine in 1813, p. 720. It was odd that Asbury did not send the letters to Coke. ↩
- See Asbury’s letter of January 15, 1816: “When I was a youth, between fifteen and sixteen years of age, you were a man.” Actually Asbury was two-and-a-half years older than his “venerable brother,” for Benson was born on January 25, 1748. Asbury’s memory is at fault, for he himself was twenty when John Wesley appointed this grave-looking youth of eighteen to be classical master at Kingswood School. (Frank Baker.) ↩
- Another instance of Asbury’s desire to have his letters edited and corrected. ↩
- Asbury refers to himself. ↩
- It is obvious that Asbury was far from abandoning his projected visit to England. An interesting illustration of this comes in a letter from his correspondent Zachariah Myles of Baltimore to his brother William Myles, the English preacher: “June 18, 1813 My dear Brother, We had our annual Conference in March last. Sixty preachers, and our two good bishops, were present. I lent Bishop Asbury, the Methodist Magazines for 1811, and gave him extracts from your letters. He is still of the mind to visit England, if peace should take place, wishing much to see the Parent Connexion. He travelled four years in England before he came to America. He feels very grateful to the British Conference for their generous offers to him. He thinks of taking two preachers with him, and of staying about three months in England… Bishop Asbury has a great desire to have Mr. Benson’s Commentary on the Bible printed for our Connexion: He thinks it calculated to be very useful…” Transcribed by Frank Baker ↩