prospect of having the gospel preached to them. I preached on Saturday the 27th at old brother Foster's to about eighteen or twenty attentive hearers; and on Sunday the 28th, four miles down the creek at the house of Peter Rankin, to a small but attentive congregation: Here I collected the poor scattered and starving sheep in the wilderness, and encouraged them to look up for better times. This was then the beginning of Scioto circuit.

"Tuesday the 31st. I preached at Wm. Burkitt's on Ohio Brush creek, where I found a small class which had removed there from different parts, and we had a precious time: Here they had Simon Fields, a good man for their leader, and brother Moore, a local preacher, from Scioto Brush creek preach. ed to them. On Scioto Brush creek where brother Moore lived, I found a considerable society already formed, and a good congregation. At the mouth of Scioto, I found several Methodist families, who had removed there from Redstone and Kentucky, and Wm. Jackson, a local preacher, among them. Here I also formed a class, but had little success. At Pee-Pee (a creek of that name taken from two P's marked on a tree at its mouth, on Scioto-River) I found a considerable number who had been in society before. I preached at brother Seargent's, an old friend from Maryland, for the first time, on Sunday the 6th of October, 1799, and formed a class there of those who had been in society before in different parts from which they had moved; but found some in a barren, and some in a backslidden state. Wm. Talbott (once a travelling, but now a local preacher) was living there at that time: They all seemed to promise stability and diligence, and we had hopes of success in this place: I went still higher up the river and got two more preaching places, one at Elijah Chinoworth's, and another at Thomas Foster's, at the house of the latter I soon formed a large class, and thought our prospect was very good. Here we had two local preachers, Lewis Foster and Jesse Mounts."

We have but few remarks to make illustrative of the work, so far. Brother Thomas Foster and his excellent family still continue to reside at this place: He is the patriarch of this settlement Elijah Chinoworth, now resides on Darby creek, a branch of the Scioto fifty or sixty miles above, and has become the patriarch of a new settlement, and a large society formed around him. Old brother Lewis Foster, a very useful man, now resides on Darby also, not far distant from brother C's, where he is the patriarch and priest of a new and flourishing settlement. His place is supplied in his brother Thomas Foster's settlement by their brother John, who is acceptable as a preacher, and useful. Brother Mounts, after passing through much tribulation, continued faithful, when he was summoned to, and triumphantly

entered into a better country! He died praising the Lord about 1811 or 1812.

"On the 10th of this month (Oct.) I preached at the house of Thomas Landsdale, on the High bank of Scioto (High bank prairie, east of Scioto river) where I afterwards collected a class; but the people were living on what was called Congress land, and in a very unsettled situation, and withal very sickly. From there I went up to Deer-creek (on the west side of Scioto river) and on Sunday the 13th, I preached with great freedom to a very attentive and melted congregation." (This must have been at old brother Anthony Davenport's, where it is probable the first class was raised. Old brothers Henry and Thomas Bowdle, from Maryland, had settled in the vicinity on Dry-run, about this time: and in 1802 old brother White Brown settled at the mouth of Hay-run, on Deer creek, and became the patriarch of that settlement: His long and honourable standing in the church in the old country, and his great exertions in the cause, were the means of the work flourishing much in his settlement: The Camp meetings held first on his encampment, and afterwards at his chapel, will be long remembered by thousands. But to return to the journal.) "There I found a class already formed by Dr. Tiffin, who preached regularly to them, and had kept them together: We had a powerful time at our first meeting, and looked up for a revival of God's work, and an ingathering of precious souls."

"October 15 in the evening, for the first time, I preached in Chillicothe, to a considerable congregation; here prejudice ran high against us, and Satan opposed us from the very beginning; ten or twelve Methodists were living in the place, but we had no class till July 1800, when we united eighteen members together; But alas! some did no honour to the cause." (Too true oh King! But the Lord did not give up Chillicothe-after various convulsions to rectify and correct evil doers, the Lord took the cause at length into his own hands, and has done great things for this people. The writer has many reasons for speaking well of Chillicothe-It was in this place he obtained a knowledge of himself as a sinner, and claims it as the place of his second birth: He has many valuable friends, highly prized, and highly esteemed friends, here; and he knows of no society at this time of the same number of members any where, among whom he could expect to find more faithful and precious souls. There are now perhaps from four to five hundred members in the church here, and he saw at one time in a revival about one hundred blooming young men, who had just enlisted under the banners of the blessed Jesus! and perhaps nearly as many females. So great has been the change from 1800 to 1820. Prejudices have been wiped away, and Methodism stands now VOL. IV.

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on good grounds here-Indeed the out-pouring of the spirit has been such, that it has almost changed the character of the place, from an abandonedly wicked to a moralized place. See account of revival, &c. in Chillicothe, Vol. II. page 235 Methodist Magazine.)

"I afterwards raised a class on Kinnianic creek at Mr. Crouse's, and another at Henry Haines's on the Pickaway plains, and visited two other places still further toward Hockhocking; in one place I could have collected a class, but could not take it into the circuit. A small class was raised about nine miles from Chillicothe, up Paint-creek, where brother William Kerns, a local preacher, lived; the people seemed to be fond of preaching in this place, and but little else could I see or hear of. I afterwards took Newmarket into the circuit, and the number of hearers that attended, and the seriousness of the people made the prospect flattering for a season." (Here appears to be an erasure in the journal, four or five lines stricken out, perhaps from prudential motives, having reference to the people having been carried away by an unstable Presbyterian minister, for] can but make out to read it. That Presbyterian minister here alluded to, no doubt, is now a deeply experienced and pious Methodist preacher, who with several sons are bright and shining lights. He himself now an old travelling preacher, wea ther beaten, worn out and worn down, yet pressing through all weather, encountering every difficulty, and although now between sixty and seventy years of age, is so indefatigable in the work, that he puts the young preachers out of countenance; I know the goodness of his heart so well that were I to name him it would not give offence. He has two sons in the travelling connexion, one a presiding elder. Our very dear old brother F***** had been a distinguished preacher in the Presbyterian Church, but misfortunes and other circumstances caused his fall. Speaking at one time on the subject of backsliding, "My dear brother," said he to me, in his loving and affectionate way of speaking, "You need not tell me any thing about it, for I know every hook and corner of it." When in this state, his family then growing up deplorably wild and wicked, Brother A***t G****d, a youth, was sent to the circuit, a very zealous, indefat igable young minister, whose labours were much blessed on the circuit, when the Lord made him an instrument of reclaiming the old gentleman and several of his family connexions. The old gentleman came boldly out into the cause, took up his saddle bags, and travelled ever since; and the best of all, his eldest son the Newmarket dl, and sometimes "The lion of the forest," as he was called, was also taken, and is at this time the dear old father's presiding elder! Marvellous, indeed, are the ways of the Lord! Oh could our dear brother Smith have looked forward from 1799 or 1800 only about eight or nine years,

how he would have rejoiced! If he sowed in tears, let him reap with joy.) "The first time I went through Newmarket (in Oct. 1799,) there were only two cabins in the place, but in the spring 1800 many had settled there"-(Hillsborough has now become the county seat of Highland, the county, where there is a delightful society, and the neighbourhood around is famous for religion.)

"We found the distance too great between Scioto and Miami to unite it to the Miami circuit;" (No wonder, for the two streams are near one hundred miles apart, and a wilderness between, and a swamp near twenty miles over!)." So at first I went directly from Hellers' bottom" (about nine miles from Chillicothe on Paint-creek) "to Foster's on Eagle-creek, not less than fifty miles" (not short of seventy or eighty miles; I know the ground well)" and intolerable roads; I afterwards preached at Mr. Bryan's on the waters of Eagle-creek and formed a small class; my congregations were large, and I thought my prospect of doing them good promising. I also preached at Mr. Roger's opposite to Cabin creek, on the Ohio. At the three islands or Manchester (in Adam's county) and at Washington, the mouth of Ohio Brush creek I preached, and also at several other places; Indeed I soon had more doors open than 1 possibly could attend to. The circuit was now formed; I had to ride from two hundred and twenty to three hundred and twenty miles, on a moderate calculation," [very moderate calculation, it could not have been much short of four hundred miles] "and preach about twenty sermons in three weeks, and very encouraging prospects seemed to be opening before me. It was afterwards made a four weeks circuit: (yes, well it might, for it comprises now a part of three or four presiding elders districts) "One thing made very much in favour of forming this circuit, viz: Such a number of the emigrants from many of the old settlements, scattered through every part of the country, who had been in society before, and were now willing to receive us, and glad to entertain us, as well as they could; I came to few neighbourhoods, but I met with some families, with whom I had been acquainted." (Yes, and our dear brother no doubt might have met many spiritual children, which his modesty prevented him from naming, and were he to do as some have done, all these emigrants might have been returned as new members.) "But here I must also remark, that many of these whom we hoped would help us, weakened our hands and hindered the progress of Methodism very much. The people moved to this country from various motives. Some fled from the noise, cries and groans of slavery; others to better their situation in life, and some perhaps to enrich themselves and families, or to get into some post of profit or honour. Hence some who were

lively and happy in religion and orderly in their conduct in the different societies from which they had moved, were very different when they came there: The perplexities of selling off property, settling business, the fatigues and trials of moving a family a long distance, the poor accommodations and strange manners of the people, among whom they settled, a privation of many of the means of grace and advantages of Christian society; but principally for the want of an eye singly fixed on God; a watchful spirit, and a diligent use of the means that were always in their power, they lost the spirit of religion, and a great change took place in them. The consequence was frequent disputes arose among themselves, or with. their neighbours, and they set but a poor example before them, and gave Methodism a wretched recommendation. The restless, unsettled, avaricious, speculative spirit which prevailed among the people, militated very much against the success of the gospel; withal the people were very much afflicted with fevers, which prevented them from coming to hear the word, and when they came they were dull and stupid, as if they had no souls to be saved."

"It is not an easy task to paint all the difficulties that Methodism had to struggle with in this wilderness, as it might then be termed. I laboured hard, and suffered much, and the Lord gave me a few souls for my hire, and made me the instrument of gathering together those who had been in the society before: My soul often mourned and sometimes rejoiced, that I was worthy to suffer a little in his cause."

Mount-Carmel, Illinois, Feb. 23, 1821.

THEOPHILUS ARMENIUS..

(To be Continued.)

For the Methodist Magazine.

ADDRESS OF BISHOP GEORGE TO THE MANAGERS OF THE MISSIONARY SOCIETY OF THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH.

PERMIT me, my brethren, to lay before you, and through you, before the friends of missions generally, the missionary fields where gospel labours may be employed with a fair prob ability of success, under the direction of Him who has commanded His ministers to preach the gospel to every creature ; that is to say, to the Jew and to the Greek, to the barbarian, to the bond and to the free. I am fully confident that the cause of missions cannot be successfully opposed, inasmuch as the great Founder of Christianity, our holy Redeemer, has given us such an example in his own individual labours, and the success of those whom He selected and appointed, while He was upon