History of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ by Daniel Berger

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History of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ

^p.217 Fourth Period—1815-1837
CHAPTER XIII
THE FIRST GENERAL CONFERENCE —1815
I. PREPARATION FOR THE CONFERENCE

The year 1815 marks a notable era in the history of the United Brethren Church, as that in which the first General Conference was held. The two annual conferences, the old conference of the East and the Miami of the West, were widely separated geographically, and there could be but little interchange of attendance of members of either at the annual sessions of the other beyond that of an occasional visit. No authorized bishop was present at the sessions of the Miami Conference until after the election of Bishop Newcomer, in 1813, and the Discipline as then existing did not constitute a strong bond of union. The Eastern Conference, since its first regular session in 1800, had been accustomed to transact all business for the Church, and now that the conference of the West had rapidly grown into strength and importance it is quite possible that its position was not sufficiently recognized by the brethren of the East. This may have been especially the case when the old conference elected a bishop in the year 1813, and again in May, 1814, and also when it adopted a body of rules for the government of the Church. No representatives of the Western conference were present to bear a part in these important proceedings, and it seems probable that the Eastern Conference, relying upon its ^p.218 past prestige, did not think it necessary to consult the Western brethren.

However this may have been, the Miami Conference, at its session of August, 1814, uttered a protest against the Rules of Discipline, and resolved that a convention, or General Conference, composed of delegates representing all portions of the Church, should be called to frame a body of rules. The following is a literal translation of a portion of the minutes of 1814:

The present order [or Discipline] of the Church was taken under consideration and protested against.¹ It was moved and adopted that there shall be a convention, and that two members from each district shall assemble at Abraham Draksel's In Westmoreland County. The districts were arranged as follows:² . . . The delegates shall come together November 2 ; the time, however, was set forward to June next year. This convention shall form a church-constitution for the Brethren.

The record as a whole gives the impression that considerable warmth characterized the discussion.

Mr. Spayth, in his history of the Church, makes the following statement of the steps leading to the holding of the proposed conference :

"The conference in the East met at Hagerstown, in Maryland, May 24, 1814. Here the demand for an improved and printed Discipline was under consideration, and two manuscript copies were laid on the table, one by Brother Christopher Grosch, and the other by Brother C. Newcomer. A General Conference was anticipated, but no definite action was had in the premises,³ from a desire to consult the conference in the West, which was to meet at the house of Brother Andrew Zeller, near ^p.219 Germantown, Ohio, August 23, 1814. Brother C. Newcomer was requested to call the attention of that conference to the contemplated plan of a General Conference, to be held the ensuing year, leaving the mode for the election of delegates to the Miami Conference to determine. This conference most cheerfully took up the subject, and recommended that the members which were to meet in General Conference should be elected from among the preachers from all parts of the Church, by a majority of the votes of the members in the Church."⁴

Dr. Drury, who has given most careful study to the early records, including some which were not in the possession of either Mr. Spayth or Mr. Lawrence, doubts the historical accuracy of this statement of Mr. Spayth. In an article in the United Brethren Quarterly Review⁵ Dr. Drury says :

"It may be observed that the Eastern Conference, the only conference up to 1810, when the Miami Conference was formed, transacted all of the business for the Church, its records, however, being very meager and defective. In 1814 the Miami Conference, which in the four years of its existence had a rapid growth, felt itself entitled to share in the government of the Church, and therefore proposed the formation of a General Conference, and made all necessary arrangements as to the time and place of meeting and the mode of electing delegates, which arrangements were acquiesced in by the Eastern Conference."

Whatever Mr. Spayth's knowledge of the facts may have been, it is well known that his education was chiefly in the ^p.220 German language (he was born in Germany), and quite defective in the English, so that the manuscript for his history had to undergo severe revision before it could be given to the printer. This work was done by Mr. Lawrence, who was allowed to use great liberty with the manuscript.

Two or three things may here be said: First, the minutes of the Eastern Conference for 1814, or any other year, are absolutely silent as to any contemplated General Conference. From this, therefore, as an official source, nothing can be proved. Second, the minutes of the Miami Conference contain no reference to any communication, either oral or in writing, from the Eastern Conference relative to any proposed General Conference. The entire record of the Miami Conference is that which has been quoted above, together with that relating to voting districts for the election of delegates, to be presently referred to.

And yet this silence of the minutes of both the conferences is not to be taken as proof conclusive in the premises. The minutes of the Conference of 1800 are equally silent as to the election of Otterbein and Boehm as bishops, and those of the General Conference of 1815 tell us nothing of the essential things which were done there, the very object for which the conference was assembled. The facts in these instances are established by evidence from independent and unofficial sources. A probable solution may be found in the supposition that the brethren of the Eastern Conference felt some misgivings as to the propriety of retaining the legislative functions wholly in their own hands, and that they discussed the question of a General Conference in an unofficial way, with the understood wish that Bishop Newcomer convey their thoughts to the brethren of the West, while no record of their discussion or action on the subject was made in the minutes.

^p.221 But whether the statement in Mr. Spayth's history be correct or not in regard to "leaving the mode for the election of delegates" to the General Conference "to the Miami Conference to determine," it is certain that this is what the Miami Conference did. Referring again to the official record, we find that they decided to divide the entire territory of the Church into ten districts, each district to be entitled to two delegates. The following are the districts, as shown by the minutes : First district, Baltimore ; second, Hagerstown ; third, Carlisle; fourth, Pennsylvania south of the Alleghanies; fifth, Pennsylvania north of the Alleghanies; sixth, Muskingum ; seventh, New Lancaster, Ohio; eighth, Miami; ninth, Indiana and Kentucky ; tenth, Virginia.

Thus early in the history of the Church was the entire membership asked to give expression to its will by a popular vote. The election of delegates to this highest body, the General Conference, has remained permanently with the people. Once in every four years the entire denomination has the opportunity for uttering its voice, with only such modification of methods and ratios of representation as the General Conference from time to time may deem just, thus preserving all ultimate power in the hands of the people.

A further and very important reason for assembling a General Conference lay in the fact that the Rules of Discipline existed up to this time only in the briefest form. They were excellent as far as they extended, but quite too limited in the ground covered to meet the requirements of a growing denomination.⁶ The methods of ^p.222 administration needed to find fuller expression in an appropriate way, and a General Conference alone could make them finally authoritative. In addition to this was the fact that the Discipline, brief as it was, remained as yet unprinted. This proved frequently a serious hindrance to the preachers, especially when going into the places where the Church was unknown, as they found it difficult to answer authoritatively the reasonable inquiries of the people concerning the Church which they represented. The Eastern Conference appreciated this difficulty, and at their session of 1813 placed on their minutes the following action :

Resolved, That the Confession of Faith and the Christian Discipline of the United Brethren in Christ be printed.

Whether this resolution was carried into effect cannot now be known, as no printed copies of that date are known to exist. The same is true also of the Discipline of 1814.

II. THE CONFERENCE.

The election of delegates to the General Conference was duly held, and at the appointed time, June 6, 1815, fourteen out of the twenty who were chosen were found to be present. The place selected for the conference, near Mount Pleasant, in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, was fairly midway between the eastern and western sections of the Church. The delegates, as classified by States, were found to be as follows:

Pennsylvania—Abraham Mayer, Henry Kumler, John Snyder, Abraham Draksel, Christian Berger.

Maryland—Christian Newcomer, Jacob Baulus.

Virginia—Christian Crum, Isaac Niswander, Henry G. Spayth.

Ohio—Andrew Zeller, Abraham Hiestand, Daniel Troyer, George Benedum.

Bonnet's School-House.

^p.223 Among those elected, but not present on account of sickness, was Joseph Hoffman, then pastor of the Otterbein Church, in Baltimore.

The place of meeting was a country school-house, known as John Bonnet's, a very humble place indeed for the assembling of this body, whose counsels were to affect the faith and life of generations of devout followers. The location is about one mile east of Mount Pleasant, on the old turnpike road leading across the Alleghanies. It was named for Mr. Bonnet, a member of the United Brethren Church. Near it was the home of Abraham Draksel, then far advanced in years. The great beauty of the natural scenery about the place has been often remarked. In this secluded spot, far from the great city with its lofty spires and deep-toned bells, its daily press and ubiquitous reporters, from telegraph wires then undreamed of, from all the imposing circumstances so often attending important religious assemblies, this body of ministers met to discharge the grave trust committed to them. The ministers themselves were men of humble appearance, as were the fishermen and tax-gatherers who followed the call of Jesus when he summoned them to the apostolate. Some of them, of Mennonite antecedents, adhered to the plain garb of their fathers, and might have thought it even sinful to dress according to the ways of "the world," as did their brethren of a sister denomination, whose first General Conference forbade giving tickets for the class-meeting to any who wore fashionable dress or superfluous ornaments.

As one looks over the list of names, it is found, too, that none were distinguished for learning, none bore titles as doctors of divinity, or were known to literature, or eminent in any special sense as men recognize eminence. Yet they were men of strong, plain sense, well versed in ^p.224 the Scriptures which they preached, familiar with the fundamental elements of Christian doctrine, and, withal, devout, earnest, laborious, faithful servants of the gospel to whose promulgation they were called. Not widely different, indeed, were they from that company of plain toilers whom Jesus gathered about him, and to whom he committed the building of the kingdom after his departure. Nearly or perhaps quite all of them had personal acquaintance with Otterbein; all of them possessed something of the spirit which he infused into the hearts of his followers.

Bishop Newcomer presided, Andrew Zeller assisting. Mr. Zeller opened the session with Scripture reading and prayer. Jacob Baulus and Henry G. Spayth were then elected secretaries, and the first General Conference of the United Brethren Church was organized for business. As the brethren looked upon one another, they felt sadly the loss of the great leaders who had been transferred to the church triumphant. Good men indeed were they who sat at the head, but all missed the majestic personality of Otterbein, the saintly presence of Boehm, and the magnetic power of the eloquent Guething. Indeed, for a time, the conference, in the absence of strong leadership, seems to have had rough sailing—more discord in the proceedings than harmony. So says Mr. Spayth, and so notes Newcomer in his diary. Perhaps it may not be amiss to hear Mr. Spayth tell of this storm which seemed to threaten the conference, and of the shining out of the bright rainbow of peace:

"Nor will we disguise the truth," says Mr. Spayth in his history; "the sky was not exactly clear. A heavy atmosphere would ever and anon press and swell the bosom, and then came ruffling breezes and sharp words. This could not last long. The darkening clouds which hung over the conference must, be cleared away. A calm ^p.225 atmosphere and a clear sky could not be dispensed with. A pause ensued. The conference agreed to humble themselves before God in prayer. And such a prayer-meeting your humble servant never witnessed before nor since. Brethren with streaming eyes embraced and thanked God. From that hour to the end unanimity and love smiled joyously on that assembly.

"Permit a special notice here. Nothing perhaps was anticipated with greater certainty by any delegate in going to that conference, than that the meeting should take place in the sweetest and most humble subordination to each other, each esteeming his brother higher than himself, and worthy of more honor. But the spirit of the children of Zebedee and their mother is still visible on such occasions, and never more so than when wise and good rulers, either in church or state, are removed by death. For who should have sufficient wisdom, who should be so well qualified to take the helm and guide the vessel safely as the Zebedees? And should a doubt be raised, they are ready to answer, We are able.

"Our last word when we made the digression was, 'smiled joyously on that assembly.' Here were dear brethren who had stood long and stood firmly in the cause of God and man. The spirit of ambition had vanished ; its shadow was seen no more. The brethren, it was manifest, had but one eye, one ear, one soul, one great thought, and that was to form a Discipline containing the fewest sections or divisions practicable, and in as few words as the grave subject would admit of, in order to convey the sense and meaning of church rules, as held by the United Brethren in Christ.

"After mature deliberation, the conference found it good and expedient to deliver the Confession of Faith and Rules of Discipline to the Church, in love and humility, with the ^p.226 sincere desire that the doctrine and rules, together with the Word of God, might be attended to and strictly observed."⁷

III. THE CONFESSION OF FAITH AND RULES OF DISCIPLINE
OF 1815.

The Book of Discipline, as agreed upon and set forth by this first General Conference, comprises two parts, namely, first, a Confession of Faith, and, secondly, a body of rules for the government of the Church. Both the Confession and the rules are based upon the earlier body called the Discipline of 1814, but which existed in 1813. The Confession was substantially that adopted by the Conference of 1789. The rules also are distinctly traced back through the earlier Disciplines to the rules adopted for Otterbein's church in 1785.⁸

The introduction to the Discipline as adopted by this General Conference is a historical statement which is preserved in the introductory statement as found in our Discipline now. Then follows "Section First," the "Confession of Faith," and after it seven additional sections, the Rules of Discipline proper. No practical movement was made for the adoption of a constitution until the conferences of 1837 and 1841.

The Confession of Faith, as adopted by the conference, is brief, simple, comprehensive, and really beautiful, lacking in some essentials of a compact statement of Christian doctrine, and yet worthy of a most honorable place among the creeds which have been framed through the ages to express Christian belief. The whole is comprised in seven articles, as follows:

[1.] In the name of God we confess before all men, that we believe in the only true God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; that ^p.227 these three are one, the Father in the Son, the Son in the Father, and the Holy Ghost equal in essence with both ; that this triune God created heaven and earth, and all that in them is, visible as well as invisible, sustains, governs, protects, and supports the same.

[ 2.] We believe in Jesus Christ; that he is very God and man; that he, by the Holy Ghost, assumed his human nature in Mary, and was born of her; that he is the Saviour and Redeemer of the whole human race, if they with faith in him accept the grace proffered in Jesus ; that this Jesus suffered and died on the cross for us, was buried, rose again on the third day, ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God to intercede for us ; and that he shall come again at the last day, to judge the living and the dead.

[3.] We believe in the Holy Ghost; that he is equal in being with the Father and the Son; that he proceeds from both ; that we are through him enlightened; through faith justified and sanctified.

[4.] We believe in a holy church, communion of saints, resurrection of the flesh, and a life everlasting.

[ 5.] We believe that the Bible, Old and New Testament, is the word of God ; that it contains the true way to our salvation; that every true Christian is bound to receive it, with the influences of the Spirit of God, as his only rule, and that without faith in Jesus Christ, true penitence, forgiveness of sins, and following after Christ, no one can be a true Christian.

[ 6.] We believe that the doctrine which the Holy Scriptures contain, namely, the fall in Adam and the redemption through Jesus Christ, shall be preached throughout the whole world.

[7.] We believe that the outward means of grace are to be in use in all Christian societies; namely: that baptism and the remembrance of the death of the Lord in the distribution of the bread and wine are to be in use among his children, according to the command of the Lord Jesus; the mode and manner, however, shall be left to the judgment of every one. Also, the example of feet-washing remains free to every one.

After this follow seven additional sections, comprehending the Rules of Discipline, very complete in their provisions for the government of a church whose life was yet in the simplicity of its earlier years. The first of these, "Section Second," relates to the General and annual conferences. The General Conference is to be held every four years. This is the general provision. This conference itself, however, provided for a session to be held after two ^p.228 years, for an earlier and fuller consideration of some of the things done by it. The third section refers to bishops— their election, ordination, powers, and duties. The feature providing for a special ordination for bishops was stricken out in 1825 as being not supported, as was believed, by Scripture precedent. The remaining sections, from four to eight, refer to presiding elders, their election and functions, to elders, their ordination and duties, to preachers generally, the method of receiving them, their office and duties, to method of procedure against preachers in case of immoral conduct, and to members in general. The whole is very succinctly stated, and is essentially the same as found in the Discipline now on these subjects, only such modifications having been made from time to time as were suggested by experience.

The Discipline as thus formed was ordered to be printed. The publication seems to have been deferred until the year following, and hence the title-page of this first printed Discipline, as previously stated, bears the date of 1816.⁹

It should be observed here that this General Conference did not take it upon itself to create a new Confession of Faith, or to make new rules for the government of the Church. The Confession of Faith varies but slightly in expression from the admirable instrument adopted by the Conference of 1789, in which the skillful hand of Otterbein was so plainly visible. And the rules are simply a well-crystallized expression of the previous practice of the Church. The itinerant system of ministerial supply, already so well tested for its efficiency, was more clearly defined and adopted as the settled policy of the Church. The essential features of this system included bishops, presiding elders, and pastors.

It is noticeable that the same spirit of generous and ^p.229 brotherly concession was manifest in this first General Conference as in the Conference of 1789. The freedom of conscience, for example, as to mode of baptism, was again distinctly provided for, so that those deriving their church lineage and education from Reformed sources could be free to sprinkle, and those from Mennonite or other sources could baptize by pouring or immersion.¹⁰

IV. RESULTS OF THE CONFERENCE.

The beneficial results following the first General Conference were most marked. There had been, since the death of Otterbein, a somewhat widespread feeling of doubt as to whether the Church would be able to hold permanently together. This feeling was the stronger because within so brief a period the three most distinguished leaders had been removed by death. Others, indeed, remained, or were soon to rise up and take their places, but they were as yet untried. The government of the Church, which had before derived its strength from its leaders rather than from a well-crystallized system, was now actually weak. The itinerant system, so far, existed chiefly in name, the preachers, nearly all,—though many of them traveled extensively,—being classed as local. Many of these men, indeed, were almost constantly in the work of preaching, but not as members of an organized system. Other elements of weakness existed, some of which were becoming quite apparent. Large hope was entertained as to the influence which a General Conference might exert in building the Church into strength, and these hopes were not doomed to disappointment. As a bond of union for the widely separated sections of the Church, as well as in providing wisely for its government and the operation of its working machinery, ^p.230 the influence of the conference upon the Church was most beneficent, and it was felt that henceforth ministers and people could address themselves to their work with new assurance as to the future.

V. THE GERMAN THE EARLY LANGUAGE OF THE CHURCH.

It will be of interest to note here that the business of this General Conference, as of several others that followed, was conducted entirely in the German language. The German, as has been heretofore stated, was the language of the fathers of the Church. Otterbein, Boehm, and Guething used the German exclusively. Their mission was to the German population of Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia. The preachers who arose from among their converts spoke the same tongue and extended the work among others speaking the same language. The first printed Discipline, that of 1815, appeared only in the German. But about this time a good many of the ministers began preaching also in the English language, while some came forward who used the English only. The General Conference of 1817, therefore, ordered a translation to be made, and accordingly in 1819, after a delay of two years, the book appeared in the English also, the German and the English being printed on opposite pages. As Mr. Spayth was secretary of the conference, the translation is believed to have been his work. The German continued to be the predominant language in the General Conference until 1833. In 1837 the Discipline appeared first in English, and the German version as a translation.¹¹

The long delay of the Church in adopting the English as its principal tongue operated greatly against its growth. By an unavoidable necessity its field was narrowed, the ^p.231 German population always constituting but a small fraction of the whole. The German-speaking people, too, were less progressive than their English neighbors, and this conservatism militated against a more rapid expansion. There was a constant tendency also among the Germans, just as we find it now, to drift over into the English. The children of the German families were steadily breaking away from the old moorings and finding homes in the English-speaking churches. The Methodist Episcopal Church, from its close resemblance to the United Brethren in doctrine, polity, and general church life, and from the intimate association of the ministers and people of the two denominations, naturally gained by far the largest share, while others gained in lesser numbers.

When once the transition from the German to the English became pronounced, the increase in membership began to proceed rapidly. A study of the statistics for the last half century presents in this regard some interesting features. Perhaps the fact is now rather to be deplored that the German has fallen so largely into the background. From the exclusive use of the German in the earlier years of the Church the change is so extreme that at the present time less than four per cent of the congregations use that language.

The transition to the English naturally placed the Church in a position to spread its work among the people of original English descent, and so to draw large accessions from that source. But the fact remains unchanged that a great part of its people are the descendants of the early German settlers, chiefly in Pennsylvania and Maryland. These as a class, exiles in great part because of religious persecutions in the old countries, were a people possessing strength of character, high moral qualities, self-reliance, and thrift, and furnished through their descendants a great proportion of the best citizenship of the States of their ^p.232 original settlement, as well as throughout the southern half of Ohio and westward.

VI. PERSONAL NOTES.

Before passing on from this first General Conference it will be fitting to pause and make a little closer acquaintance with the men who constituted this historic assembly.

1. Christian Newcomer.

We have already seen that Christian Newcomer, after the death of Bishop Boehm, was elected his successor. This election was made in 1813, by the conference of the East, for one year. In 1814 he was reelected for a term of three years. The General Conference convening in 1815, being higher in authority, elected him again for the two remaining years of the term. In 1817, and by each General Conference subsequently, he was elected for quadrennial terms, until death closed his labors in March, 1830. His life was one of the greatest activity. In the constancy and extent of his travels he surpassed all others of the early ministers of the Church. As earlier remarked, he was ever in the saddle, visiting congregations in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia, making frequent trips across the mountains into western Pennsylvania and over into Ohio, and a few times into Indiana and Kentucky, holding annual conferences, visiting camp- and other great meetings, preaching to large and small congregations, often two and three times a day. The last summer of his life, when in his eightieth year, he attended no less than eight camp-meetings, preaching and otherwise assisting at all of them.

Bishop Newcomer's Journal, beginning in 1795, and continuing to his death, though intended by him only as a diary for his own private use, and never for publication, ^p.233 has proved invaluable as a source of much that remains to us of early United Brethren history. It is prefaced by a brief autobiography, written in his eighty-first year. The notes, on account of their extreme brevity, are often disappointing, because they leave so much unsaid that we want to know. But as they were written for his own use only, no one, it may be supposed, has a right to complain, but there is cause rather for gratitude that so much of valuable material is left us. The records breathe a spirit of deep piety, and are characterized by cheerfulness and much spiritual rejoicing. This sweet spirit of gladness he retained quite to the end of his life. Among the notes near the close of the Journal is found, for example, the following: "This day I am so unwell that I am not able to leave my room. But, glory to my God, I can have sweet communion with him. Though solitary, I am not left alone. My Saviour is still with me, and continues the best of friends. Oh, how blessed is the condition of aged people, when they know that they have a reconciled God and Saviour."

The last entry in his Journal was made on March 4, just eight days before his death, with an evident presentiment that the end was near. On March 1, still retaining his buoyancy of spirit and his strong desire to be active in the Lord's work, he had started to make a trip into Virginia. Proceeding as far as Boonsborough, Maryland, he remained for the night. On the following morning, finding himself quite ill, he gave up his intended journey and returned to his home. His strength now declined rapidly, and on the 12th he answered the final call. His end was peaceful and blessed. Just before his death he requested a brother who was present to pray with him once more. Without asking assistance he arose from his bed and knelt down to join in the prayer. Rising, he ^p.234 sought his couch again, and in a few moments his freed spirit passed on into the presence of the Master whom he had so devotedly served. Rev. Henry Kumler, Sen., afterward bishop, preached his funeral sermon in the German language, Rev. John Zahn following in English. It may be truthfully said that from the time of the death of the first great leaders, Otterbein, Guething, and Boehm, no other man in the denomination exerted so great an influence in building it up as did Bishop Newcomer. He had just passed his eighty-first year when the messenger came.

2. Andrew Zeller.

Next to Bishop Newcomer in this conference stood Andrew Zeller, who was first made associate chairman, -and then elected bishop. In 1817 he was again elected to this office, after which, on account of his advancing years, he declined a further reelection, having served six years in all. His conversion is dated at about 1790. In 1806 he came to Ohio, then regarded as the "far west," settling near Germantown, in Montgomery County, about twelve miles from Dayton. In 1810 he was present at the meeting in Ross County where the Miami Conference was organized. He was one of the four representatives from Ohio in the first General Conference. He is described as a preacher of modest abilities, "mild, plain, and evangelical." But to this it is added that "his life was a sermon." His earnest, devout spirit impressed itself deeply upon the minds and hearts of others. As an illustration of this Mr. Spayth relates that while he was on an official tour, in 1815, he had occasion to stop in a place to have a small piece of work done. The mechanic was a worthy man, but declined to attend church, or hear the gospel preached. As he was proceeding with his work, ^p.235 he cast a casual glance toward Bishop Zeller, who stood at a little distance with his hands folded. He was impressed by the appearance of the bishop, and could not resist a second and third look. Soon afterward a deep conviction of sin seized upon him, and he found no rest until he found it in Christ. Through this incident, graciously used by the Holy Spirit, he and his household became devout believers.

Bishop Zeller's influence in the early days of the Miami Conference told strongly for its welfare. A number of its earlier sessions were held in his hospitable home, and a session was in progress in Germantown at the time of his decease. He was then in the eighty-fourth year of his age, and when some of the brethren who visited him inquired of him if he thought the end was nigh, he replied, brightening up, "I hope so." In speaking of him Mr. Spayth says: "What a contrast between what men call great preachers and what God approves. One hears the echo of applause; the other is followed by a train of happy souls bound to meet in heaven. We now see through a glass darkly; fleeting visions pass before and around us which will prove happy realities when the veil shall be lifted, and we shall see the saints, who are the joy and diadem of the true minister, reflecting the light of Jesus Christ."¹²

Mr. Lawrence, in writing of Bishop Zeller, says: "As he appeared at fourscore, he is described as a little above the medium height, and remarkably straight; hair white, and, on the top of his head, thin; eyes gray and full, and skin very fair. To the last year of his life he walked perfectly erect, and with a quick and measured step."¹³

Bishop Zeller's death occurred on May 25, 1839. His ^p.236 remains were laid to rest on an elevated spot of land, near Germantown, to await the final summons to the resurrection of the just.

3. Henry Kumler, Sen.

Henry Kumler, Sen., was of Swiss parentage, his father having been born in Switzerland. The family, on arriving in America, seems to have settled in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Henry was born on January 3, 1775. His parents being members of the Reformed Church, he was brought up in that church. About the year 1810 he removed to a farm near Greencastle, where his conversion occurred. In a brief sketch of his life¹⁴ he tells of the protracted struggle he had before he finally found the light. In 1813 he united with the Eastern Conference, and was licensed to preach. The session was held at Hagerstown, Maryland. The following year the conference convened at his house, and after this he frequently accompanied Henry G. Spayth, Abraham Mayer, and others on preaching tours. When the delegates for the first General Conference were elected, he was among the number chosen. Four years later, in 1819, he removed to Ohio, settling on a fertile farm, near Trenton, in Butler County. His residence remained here until death closed his career. In 1825 he was elected to the office of bishop, in which relation he served for five consecutive terms, a period of twenty years. Having reached the age of seventy-one, and being no longer able to perform the long horseback journeys required in those days, he was released from further continuance in that form of toil.

He was the father of a large family, seven sons and five daughters. His oldest sons, Henry and Daniel C., became ministers, Henry becoming also a bishop. Ex-Bishop D. K. Flickinger is a grandson of the first Bishop ^p.237 Kumler. A number of others of his descendants have risen to positions of distinction in civil and religious life. Bishop Kumler was an earnest preacher, soulful, tender, and effective. Socially, he was cheerful and agreeable, his conversation frequently abounding in pleasantries, a characteristic which has been strongly transmitted to his now very numerous family. With his general conversation he was accustomed to mingle earnest spiritual counsel. He preached throughout his life only in the German language, a few attempts at the English satisfying him that his ministry was not to find expression in that tongue. He was noted for his abounding generosity. It was not an unusual thing for him to entertain an entire conference at his house. He died on January 8, 1854, having just entered his eightieth year. His influence, with that of his family, contributed largely toward building up the United Brethren Church in southwestern Ohio.

4. Other Laborers.

Daniel Troyer was another of the earlier pioneers of the Church. He was born in 1769, in Maryland. "When a young man he was on an occasion an interested listener to Mr. Newcomer. He next attended a sacramental meeting at Antietam. Bishop Otterbein preached the sermon and conducted the service. At the close he invited all who desired the prayers of God's people to come forward and give him their hands. Many responded, weeping, among them Mr. Troyer, his joyful conversion following soon after. In 1806 he removed west, settling in the Miami Valley, Ohio. He was present at the organization of the Miami Conference in 1810, becoming one of its members. In 1812 he went into the active itinerant service. "As a preacher," wrote Rev. George Bonebrake, "he was, in his earlier years, a man of power. He had a ^p.238 very strong voice, and great zeal; and at large meetings, when it became necessary to divide the congregation, the people would generally ask, 'Where will Brother Troyer preach?' and on such occasions he always had his full share of the hearers."¹⁵ Prof. Henry Garst, D.D., of Otterbein University, who was born and brought up near the home of Mr. Troyer, remembers him distinctly as he appeared in his old age. He describes him as short and heavy-set in person, with round face and kindly expression. Mr. Troyer lived to the great age of ninety-four years, dying in 1863. Dr. Garst says that "when the weight of years no longer permitted him to go to the house of worship, he requested that the class of which he was a member meet regularly at his home in Germantown." Dr. Garst, as a boy, "often attended these meetings, and vividly remembers how he used to be stirred by the words of instruction, warning, and encouragement Father Troyer, sitting in his great arm-chair, would utter."¹⁶

Christian Berger became a member of the original conference as early as 1802. Mr. Spayth says that "his preaching commenced in Washington County, Pennsylvania, where the fruit of his preaching Christ, to use a figure, still waves in succession like a handful of corn on the top of the mountain. His voice was as one crying in the wilderness. . . . Indefatigable in his preaching, he was one of those brethren who endured much for the gospel, in weariness, painfulness, and watchings, a man tried in the fire. His hire was the salvation of souls. The great day will present his great reward."¹⁷ Mr. Spayth further described him as a man of most devout spirit, earnest, laborious, always in deep poverty, yet always cheerfully toiling. He was among the earliest of the ^p.239 United Brethren ministers in western Pennsylvania, in Westmoreland and other counties, and in northeastern Ohio. His conversion occurred in a barn on the farm of a Mr. Dundore, in Berks County, Pennsylvania, the type of church-house in so common use in those earlier days, and in which so many souls were brought to the Saviour, who once was cradled in a manger. A meeting having been appointed, he hid himself in the loft to observe what would transpire below. As the meeting grew warm, the people were startled by loud cries and prayers from above. He was presently brought down, and ere long rejoiced in the new-found salvation. His ministerial career began soon afterward. His name appears again as a member of the General Conference of 1825.

The name of Jacob Baulus is among those which appear the most frequently in the early church records, many allusions to him occurring in Newcomer's Journal. He was one of the most efficient of the preachers of Maryland. In 1822 he removed west, settling near Fremont, Ohio. Mr. Lawrence, in speaking of him, says: "His home was located in the deep, dark forests of the Black Swamp. Wild game and wild men abounded. He was the first evangelical minister in that section of the country ; and he not only preached to the new settlers whenever opportunity was offered, but he opened his house and spread his table for evangelical ministers of all denominations."¹⁸ By his early advent and labors in that part of the State of Ohio he became the father of the Sandusky Conference. The sturdy character of the men who gathered about him, as of those who have followed in their steps, indicates how wisely and efficiently he laid the foundations of the Church in that region. That part of the State ^p.240 was originally included in the territory set off for the Muskingum Conference.

George Benedum, one of the Ohio delegates in the General Conference of 1815, was among the early fruits of the revival in Pennsylvania. He became a minister among the United Brethren in 1794, being then in the twenty-ninth year of his age. In the year 1804 his name appeared for the last time as present at a session of the old conference, and his removal to Ohio must have occurred not long afterward. "It is certain," says Mr. Lawrence, "that he was one of the first United Brethren evangelists in Ohio. Immediately after his settlement in the Scioto Valley he lifted up the standard of the cross, around which many of the early settlers were persuaded to rally."¹⁹ Many precious fruits followed his preaching. Among his converts were some who afterward became well-known ministers in the Church, as Dewalt Mechlin, a man of many labors and precious memory, Lewis Kramer, John Smaltz, and Bishop Samuel Hiestand. Mr. Benedum was present at the organization of the Miami Conference, and became one of its original members.

Bishop Russel, in a sketch written for Mr. Lawrence, describes Mr. Benedum as a man of high-class natural endowments, with accurate judgment and fertile imagination, and as a close student of the Scriptures, from which his sermons were enriched to an unusual degree. He preached wholly in the German language, and in the use of that tongue is said to have been a master. Bishop Edwards once said of him that "although he could not understand a sentence of the German language, yet he always became happy under his preaching." He traveled extensively, preached much, and gathered full harvests into the Master's garner, receiving of earthly compensation ^p.241 but slight measure, but of the eternal in great abundance. He died on March 27, 1837, in the seventy-second year of his age, after having given forty-three years to the gospel ministry.

Christian Crum, a member from Virginia in the first General Conference, was one of twin brothers, both ministers, and both achieving an honorable record in the early work of the Church. His brother's name was Henry. They were brought up in the German Reformed Church, and preached in the German language. Christian, who became the more prominent of the two, is frequently mentioned in Newcomer's Journal. He was a man of recognized abilities and large usefulness. His death occurred in 1823.

Abraham Mayer, whose name appears in the honored list of members of this first General Conference, joined the United Brethren Church, and soon afterward its ministry, about the year 1796. He was of Mennonite extraction, and continued to wear the dress of that people. He is described by Mr. Spayth as a man "of prepossessing appearance," and "in heart and life an Israelite indeed." He possessed fine gifts as a thinker and speaker. His home, not far from Carlisle, Pennsylvania, became a regular preaching place. At the first meeting held there, in May, 1798, Boehm, Newcomer, Draksel, and Pfrimmer were present. While not a regular itinerant, he preached much, often making long tours to meet appointments which had been made for him. Mr. Spayth relates that on one such occasion, in 1813, the first appointment in a series being forty-five miles distant, he rode to within about four or five miles of the place, when he stopped at a farm-house to inquire the way. A lady, coming to the door, gave him the desired information, and then inquired if he was the man who was expected to preach at Mr. K.'s. To his ^p.242 affirmative answer she replied, "But you do not look like one of our preachers; to what church do you belong?" Mr. Mayer answered, "The United Brethren." She misunderstood the answer, and on her husband's return reported that the minister who was to preach belonged to the Converted Brethren. " Converted Brethren !" said he; "who ever heard of such a church?" But the lady proposed that they go and hear him preach. They did so, and the result was their own conviction and most happy conversion, many others in the neighborhood joining with them.

Mr. Mayer was again a member of the General Conference in 1825, and in November of the following year went to his reward. He was in the sixty-fourth year of his age, and had given thirty years to the ministry of Jesus.

The name of Henry G. Spayth is reserved for the last in this connection. He was a delegate from Virginia, and served as one of the secretaries of the conference. Mr. Spayth's name first appears on the roll of members of the Eastern Conference in 1812, the session for that year being held at Antietam. His first work as a minister was rendered in Maryland and Virginia. He removed to Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, about the year 1815, probably soon after the session of the General Conference there.

Mr. Spayth was endowed with superior gifts, especially in matters of counsel, and in this first General Conference exerted an important influence. The reader will remember the quotation from his history respecting the contentions which darkened the earlier sessions of the conference, and also that after a season of fervent prayer the clouds were dispersed, and harmony reigned from that hour forward to the end. Mr. Spayth, modestly omits to speak ^p.243 of the part he himself performed in bringing about the restoration of better feeling. Mr. Lawrence mentions that "at the moment when a rupture in that body seemed inevitable, and the powers of darkness were ready to shout a victory, Mr. Spayth arose and delivered an address, which, with the prayer-meeting that followed, resulted in a complete restoration of good feeling and a most happy termination of the difficulties."²⁰

Mr. Spayth was returned to the General Conference at six subsequent sessions, namely, the second, fourth, sixth, eighth, ninth, and tenth. Possessing great strength of character, as well as sound judgment, he exerted much influence in these successive conferences, and it is remarked of him that "perhaps few men did more to shape the polity of the Church from 1815 to 1845, a period of thirty years."²¹

Soon after his removal to Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, Mr. Spayth became a member, after its formation, of the Muskingum Conference, a conference whose star, through change in name, has disappeared from our ecclesiastical horoscope. Later he removed to Tiffin, Ohio, becoming, in 1835, a member of the Sandusky Conference. The chief work of Mr. Spayth's life, that by means of which his memory will be longest preserved, was the writing of the first history of the United Brethren Church.²² Mr. Spayth died at his home in Tiffin, September 2, 1873.

¹The reference is to the Discipline adopted earlier in the year by the Eastern Conference.

²See p. 221.

³The statement that "two manuscript copies" for a proposed Discipline "were laid on the table," and that "no definite action was had" because a General Conference was anticipated, is to be taken in a guarded sense. First, there are strong indications that only one manuscript copy was presented, and that this copy was signed by Grosch and Newcomer; and, second, there are equally strong indications, in certain features which were afterward changed or eliminated, that this Discipline was at that time adopted, becoming the Discipline called the Discipline of 1814. Of these is Article 2, which provides for the election of bishops every three years. (See Disciplines of the United Brethren in Christ, 1814-1841.) Under this provision Christian Newcomer was, at this conference of 1814, elected to the office of bishop for three years. The article was amended by the General Conference which followed, making the time four years.

⁴Spayth's History, p. 140.

⁵Vol. III., p. 35.

⁶Of the number of followers gathered by Otterbein and his co-laborers, during Otterbein's life-time, Bishop Asbury makes this estimate: "We feel ourselves at liberty to believe that these German heralds of grace congregated one hundred thousand souls; that they have had twenty thousand in fellowship and communion, and one hundred zealous and acceptable preachers." See Dr. Nathan Bangs's History of the Methodist Episcopal Church, Vol. II., p. 374; also pp. 370, 371.

⁷Spayth's History, pp. 150, 151.

⁸For a fuller presentation of this see Professor Drury's Introduction to Disciplines of the United Brethren in Christ, 1814-1841.

⁹See p. 166

¹⁰See earliest Confession of Faith, with remarks thereon, p. 137 fl.

¹¹See Professor Drury's Introduction to Disciplines of the United Brethren in Christ, 1814-1841, p. ix.

¹²Spayth's History, p. 191.

¹³Lawrence's History, Vol. II., pp. 75, 76.

¹⁴Unity Magazine, Vol. I., p. 161.

¹⁵Lawrence's History, Vol. II., pp., 90, 91.

¹⁶Pioneer Address, by Dr. Henry Garst, before the Miami Conference, 1896.

¹⁷Spayth's History, p. 188.

¹⁸Lawrence's History, Vol. II., p. 299.

¹⁹Lawrence's History, Vol. II., p. 71.

²⁰Lawrence's History, Vol. II., p. 79.

²¹Ibid.

²²See p. 282.



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