CHAPTER XXXIII.

William McKendree: His Entrance upon the Ministry; Transferred to the West -Camp-meetings--Great Revival-Bodily Agitations-Methodism Planted in Missouri and Illinois; in Mississippi and Louisiana-Philip Cox, Enoch George, Gwin, Walker, Blackman, Tobias Gibson-Conference in Ohio-Results.

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ILLIAM MCKENDREE was born in King William county, Virginia, July 6, 1757. His parents were both natives of the same State. His father was a planter, and William was brought up in the same occupation. The schools to which he had access gave him a fair English education, so that he was for a time employed in teaching. Nature endowed him. with a fine and pleasing person and address, a quick apprehension, a sound and discriminating mind, a refined taste, and that element of all true greatness known as common sense. Piety quickened and developed his intellectual powers in a marked degree. The concentration of mind and heart upon a great vocation, and the drawing "all his cares and studies this way," made an era in his mental as well as in his moral history. The following is his own account of his early life:

I do not recollect to have sworn more than one profane oath in my life, yet, as far back as memory serves, I am conscious of the prevalence of evil passions—of a heart disposed to wickedness-so that, notwithstanding the restraints by which I was kept within the bounds of a respectable morality, my heart was far from being right with God. It was "deceitful and desperately wicked." Of this deplorable state of things I became exquisitely sensible by reading the Holy Scriptures in school when I was a small boy; and with the simplicity of a child I yielded to the dictates of conscience, refrained from what appeared to be wrong, and as a child endeavored to imitate those holy men of God as set forth in the Scriptures. I would frequently seek solitary places in the woods, there fall upon my face and weep freely while I thought I was talking to Jehovah. This practice I followed until I became so serious that I was taken notice of. The school-master (who was a vain man, and boarded at my father's) and others began to laugh at me, and make remarks, and finally laughed me out of all my seriousness. I then heedlessly pursued the pleasures of the world, and do not remember to have had any more serious impressions for several years. My own experience has led me to care for those who are under religious impressions in their early days.

Some time after the Methodist preachers came into the neighborhood, a revival of religion took place; my father, mother, and several others, became professors of religion, and many joined the Church. I was then deeply convinced of sin, and resolved to set out and serve the Lord.*

The Life and Times of McKendree, by Bishop Paine.

31

(481)

In conformity with this resolution, as a seeker of religion he was received on trial, but halting by the way, he failed to obtain the prize. His undisguised representation of his case shows the danger of awakened persons associating with companions, however civil, who neither fear nor love God: "But my attachment to worldly associates, who were civil and respectful in their deportment, had grown with my growth, and my conviction was not accompanied with sufficient firmness to dissolve the connection; and their conduct being accommodated to my reformed manners, I continued to enjoy the friendship both of the Society and of the world, but in a very imperfect degree. They continued to counteract and impair each other, until the love of the world prevailed, and my relish for genuine piety departed. I peaceably retired from the Society, while my conduct continued to secure their friendship."

Young McKendree bore his part in the Revolution, and was at Yorktown when Cornwallis surrendered. In 1820 he passed over the ground with a friend and showed him where his camp was. A spell of sickness brought him into the jaws of death. He prayed as sinners pray when great fear is upon them, and vowed as they vow. But his confidence in his own sincerity was shaken by the startling question, suggested he knew not how: "If the Lord would raise you up and convert your soul, would you be willing to go and preach the gospel?" He shrunk from the answer, and trembled at this test of obedience. With returning strength and health he went back to the vain world with lessened confidence in promises of amendment made under fear:

In this situation I continued until the great revival of religion took place in Brunswick Circuit, under Mr. John Easter, in 1787. On a certain Sabbath I visited a gentleman who lived in the neighborhood; he and his lady were going to church, to hear a Mr. Gibson, a local Methodist preacher. The church was open to any occupant-the clergy having abandoned their flocks and the country and fled home to England. My friend declined going to church, sent a servant with his wife, and we spent the time in reading a comedy and drinking wine. Mrs. staid late at church, but at last, when we were impatient for dinner, she returned, and brought strange things to our ears. With astonishment flushing her countenance she began to tell whom she left “in a flood of tears," who were "down on the floor," who were "converted," what an "uproar" was going on among the people—cries for mercy and shouts for joy, etc. She also informed us that Mr. John Easter was to preach at that place on the following Tuesday. My heart was touched at her representation. I resolved to seek religion, and began in good earnest to pray for it that evening.

McKendree Converted-Enters Upon his Life Work. 483

Tuesday I went to church, fasting and praying. Mr. Easter preached from John iii. 19-22, "And this is the condemnation, that light has come into the world," etc. The word reached my heart. From this time I had no peace of mind; I was completely miserable. My heart was broken up. A view of God's forbearance, and of the debasing sin of ingratitude, of which I had been guilty in grieving the Spirit, overwhelmed me with confusion. Now my conscience roared like a lion. “The pains of hell got hold of me." I concluded that I had committed the "unpardonable sin," and had thoughts of giving up all for lost. For three days I might have said, "My bed shall comfort me, then thou scarest me with dreams, and terrifiest me through visions, so that my soul chooseth strangling and death rather than life." But in the evening of the third day deliverance While Mr. Easter was preaching I was praying as well as I could, for I was alınost ready to despair of mercy. Suddenly doubts and fears fled, hope sprung up in my soul, and the burden was removed. I knew that God was love, that there was mercy even for me, and I rejoiced in silence.

came.

Mr. Easter confidently asserted that God had converted my soul, but I did not believe it, for I had formed to myself an idea of conversion-how it would come, and what must follow; and what I then felt did not answer to my idea; therefore I did not believe that I was converted, but I knew there was mercy for me, and I greatly rejoiced in that. However, I soon found myself in an uncomfortable condition, for I immediately began to seek and to expect a burden of sin answerable to my idea, in order to get converted. But the burden was gone, and I could not recover it. With desire I sought rest, but I thought that greater distress than I had felt must precede that blessing, and therefore refused to be comforted. And thus for several weeks I experienced all the anguish of grasping at an object of the greatest importance, and missing my aim-of laying hold of life and salvation, then falling back into the vortex of disappointment and distress. But deliverance was at hand. Mr. Easter came round, and his Master came with him, and in the time of meeting the Lord, who is merciful and kind, blessed me with the witness of the Spirit; and then I could rejoice indeed—yes, with joy unspeakable and full of glory! Within twenty-four hours after this I was twice tempted to think my conversion was delusive, and not genuine, because I did not receive the witness of the Spirit at the same time. But I instantly applied to the throne of grace, and, in the duty of prayer, the Lord delivered me from the enemy; and from that day to this I have never doubted my conversion. I have pitied, and do still pity, those who, under the influence of certain doctrines, are led to give the preference to a doubting experience, and therefore can only say, "If I ever was converted," "I hope I am converted," "I fear I never was converted," etc., but can never say, "We know that we have passed from death unto life."

The same preacher by whom he had believed followed, "not long after," with a sermon on sanctification. McKendree examined the doctrine, and found it true; examined himself, and "found remaining corruption, and diligently sought the blessing held forth." In its pursuit he says, "My soul grew in grace and in the faith that overcomes the world;" and he thus concludes the description of this phase of his experience: "One morning

I walked into the field, and while I was musing, such an overwhelming power of the Divine Being overshadowed me as I had never experienced before. Unable to stand, I sunk to the ground more than filled with transport. My cup ran over, and I shouted aloud. Had it not been for a new set of painful exercises which now came upon me, I might have rejoiced 'evermore;' but my heart was enlarged, and I saw more clearly than ever before the danger of those in an unconverted state. For such persons I prayed with anxious care. At times, when called upon to pray in public my soul would get into an agony, and the Lord would in great compassion pour out his Spirit. Souls were convicted and converted, and Zion rejoiced abundantly in those days. Without a thought of preaching, I began to tell my acquaintances what the Lord had done for me and could do for them. It had its effect, and lasting impressions were made. Thus I was imperceptibly led on until the preachers and people began to urge me to speak more publicly."

From preaching he drew back. It was too high, it was too heavy. The thought of appearing in public as God's embassador overwhelmed him. His father saw his silent struggle and perplexity, and gently warned him not to quench the Spirit. Again his spiritual father came to his help: "In the ninth month after I received the witness of my acceptance, the Conference came on. It was held in Petersburg. Mr. Easter requested me to fix myself and attend. I did so, and he kindly took me to his lodging. Upon his going to the Conference-room he invited me to come up at a certain hour and see the preachers. I went accordingly, and the first thing after prayer was to read out the preachers' stations, and I was appointed to Mecklenburg Circuit, with Philip Cox. This was an unexpected shock. When dismissed I was walking in another room, when my presiding elder came in and, discovering my agitation, took me in his arms and in the most feeling manner said, 'While you were standing be fore the Conference I believe God showed me that he had a work for you to do.' This had the most happy effect. It determined my unsettled mind."

McKendree has entered upon his life work, and we leave his history to develop with the Church. Much depends on a young preacher's first associations in the ministry, and he was fortu

nate in this. Philip Cox was an Englishman who led out into the

Mecklenburg Circuit-Philip Cox and Enoch George. 485

itinerancy not a few chief ministers. The next year (1789) Cox called out Enoch George, a young man even more diffident than McKendree. He introduced him to Asbury, and the Bishop sent him with a letter to a preacher who was forming a circuit at the head-waters of the French Broad and the Catawba, three. hundred miles distant. "I was astonished and staggered," says George, "at the prospect of this work, but resorted to my tried friend Cox, who animated me with his advice and directions, and I set off with his benedictions and the blessing of the Lord. Thus," he adds, "I began my itinerancy." Asbury knew that if any thing could be made of the "beardless boy" presented to him by Cox, the heroic work of the frontier would do it. Cox was a very small man. At one time he felt so poorly that he thought he must quit the itinerancy; but he had himself weighed, and found that he weighed a hundred pounds. He then said, "It shall never be said that I have quit traveling while I weigh a hundred pounds." He married when he was upward of fifty years old, but continued to travel until he died. Just before his death (1793) he observed that it was such a day of peace and comfort to his soul as he had seldom felt.

Philip Cox gave such attention to selling and distributing books and tracts that he was called the Assistant Book Agent. He bore a conspicuous part in the great revival of 1787 that brought in McKendree. Eight hundred were converted in Amelia Circuit, sixteen hundred in Sussex, and eighteen hundred in Brunswick. While Philip Cox was preaching at the funeral of a little child, on the text, "Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven," to a congregation of a hundred, "fifty of whom were old professors, out of the other fifty the Lord spoke peace to thirty before the meeting broke up." Cox, having been lamed. by an accident, preached this sermon sitting on a table. The next day he preached again, in the woods, sitting in a chair placed on a table, and more than sixty souls were converted.

The genuineness of this great work "received a thousand attestations in the altered lives, persevering fidelity, and increasing holiness of those who were brought from darkness unto light, and from the power of Satan unto God." It was a great advantage to begin one's ministry amid such scenes of saving power, and under such a guide and leader as Philip Cox.