. The history of Methodism. occupied Philadelphia they seized theMethodist cathedral, old St. Georges, where the first Con-ference had been held, and used it for a riding: school. TheMethodists were allowed to use the Baptist church on La-grange Place. The Revolution dispersed some societies and crippledothers by silencing the English preachers and throwing ob-stacles in the way of the American itinerants. Yet it wasnot unmingled with blessing. Its alarm and bloodshedhelped the preachers to arouse mens souls to their desperatecondition without Christ; it hurried into the itinerant min-istry so
. The history of Methodism. occupied Philadelphia they seized theMethodist cathedral, old St. Georges, where the first Con-ference had been held, and used it for a riding: school. TheMethodists were allowed to use the Baptist church on La-grange Place. The Revolution dispersed some societies and crippledothers by silencing the English preachers and throwing ob-stacles in the way of the American itinerants. Yet it wasnot unmingled with blessing. Its alarm and bloodshedhelped the preachers to arouse mens souls to their desperatecondition without Christ; it hurried into the itinerant min-istry some of the choicest young Americans of that genera-tion ; it gave an impetus to travel and migration which inanother quarter of a century had settled an empire west ofthe Alleghanies; but, most important of all, it broke the or-ganic connection between the Methodists of England andAmerica, and prepared the way for the organization, undernew and favorable conditions, of an independent Church inthe new-born American CHAPTER XXI Preachers—or Ministers ? The Sacramental Controversy.—Wesleys Demands.—Conditionsin America.—Strawbridge Baptizes.—Flight of the Clergy.—Shall We Re Ministers?—An Open Breach.—Asburys Lead-ership \ Breach Closed. FROM i/// to 1781 the American Methodists, harassedby political enemies, fell prey to an internal dissen-sion which, but for the iron will of Francis Asbury,must have ended in disaster. This may be called the Sacra-mental Controversy. It grew naturally out of the difficultyof fitting a British institution to American conditions, andmust have come up in due course of time, but it was the warthat suddenly made it a vital issue. Until the organization of the Methodist Episcopal Church,at the Christinas Conference in 1784, the Methodist societiesin America had no ecclesiastical standing whatever. Theywere mere associations for the improvement of their mem-bers in spiritual life. They had preaching places in
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