DREISBACH AND ASBURY. 409 a journey down the Susquehanna River to Harrisburg, Pa. The conversation drifted to the subject of union. The bishop proposed to Mr. Dreisbach that he should withdraw from the "Albrights," accompany him to Baltimore, Md., join the Methodist Conference, and travel a year with the reputed Jacob Gruber, at that time a presiding elder. In this way he would become familiar with the English tongue, so that he might preach in both languages. He was to have the same salary as though he regularly traveled. The bishop further pleaded that he could thus be more useful than by preaching only in one language, and that in their communion there would be less danger of selfexaltation and pride than in Dreisbach's present position. The latter answered that the "Albrights" felt called of God to labor especially among the German-Americans. But the bishop rejoined that the German language would not continue long in this country. Dreisbach then made this counter-proposition: "Give us German circuits, districts, and conferences, and we will as one man make your church ours, will be one people, under one and the same ecclesiastical government." "That cannot be; it would be inexpedient," remarked the bishop. They parted with the best of feeling. Asbury at parting presented Dreisbach with a copy of Fletcher's" Portrait of St. Paul," embraced him affectionately, and gave him his blessing. But they parted in more senses than one. Bishop Asbury's remark has become historic. It made union impossible at the time when it might have been accomplished with advantage apparently to both bodies. But it was not to be. The Evangelical Association had a distinctive mission to perform, which could not have been done had she been merged in another church. Nor has she by any means confined herself to the German people, but as Providence opened the way and circumstances made it necessary she also labored among the English-speaking population, doing everywhere the same work of emphasiz ing the importance of sound conversion, vital godliness, and spiritual worship. God has blessed her labors with great success. She has flourished amid persecution and poverty, and has succeeded often where others failed, reaching especially the common people. To-day she is represented in three languages upon the grand divisions of the globe, North America, Europe, and Asia, also publishing literature in all three of them. She has conferences in all the States of the Union north of Mason and Dixon's line, besides one (Texas) south of that line, and one in Canada. Two conferences are in Europe, and one (organized in 1893) in Japan. About one third of the membership in America worships in English, and two thirds in German. Most of these are more or less familiar with both languages; the two labor side by side in peaceful coöperation and mutual helpfulness, with an outlook as hopeful and bright as the promises of God. CHAPTER III. LEADERS OF THE CHURCH. DURING these years of slow and steady growth the Evangelical Association has been blessed with many noble leaders—men of spiritual power and immense influence— not so much among the learned as among the common people. One of the earliest after Albright, Miller, and Walter, whose characters have been briefly delineated in the preceding chapter, was John Dreisbach. He was born June 5, 1789, in Northumberland County, Pa. His parents were pious and God-fearing. In 1806 he experienced a change of heart, and was licensed to preach at a quarterly meeting in 1807 by Jacob Albright. For fourteen years he served regularly in the itinerancy, the half of that time as presiding elder, being the first man ever elected to that office in the Evangelical Association. His district embraced the whole church. During the first six months of his life he had the privilege of frequent association with Mr. Albright, whose fatherly interest and wise counsel greatly aided the young preacher. Mr. Dreisbach bore an important part in the early development of the work of the church. As an itinerant he was active, zealous, and enterprising; as a presiding elder he was strictly disciplinary, methodical, watchful, and a consummate leader of men; as a preacher he presented the vital truths of the gospel in a comprehensive and analytical manner. His manly bearing, his mobile countenance, his expressive gestures, profound moral earnestness, and stern, logical com mon sense combined to make him an unusually impressive and effective preacher. As a theologian he was distinctively Wesleyan, thoroughly familiar with the Arminian system of doctrine. He made the doctrine of entire sanctification, as taught by Albright and Miller, particularly prominent, frequently inviting believers forward to seek this state of grace definitely in his camp-meetings and quarterly meetings. In a letter to Rev. R. Yeakel, written as late as 1869, he solemnly said: "If a time shall ever come when the Evangelical Association rejects this doctrine and discards it, then should Ichabod be written in the place thereof, for then the glory is departed from Israel.' As an ecclesiastical legislator in the General Conference he was invaluable. His comprehensive grasp of thought, his logical methods of reasoning, his profound and thorough acquaintance with the spirit, genius, scope, and mission of the Evangelical Association enabled him to devise laws and arrangements admirably adapted to the need of the church. Mr. Dreisbach was not inexperienced, either, as a civil legislator, having been a member of the State legislature of Pennsylvania during the years 1828 and 1829. Mr. Dreisbach was a man of literary ability. In 1816 he edited jointly with H. Niebel the “Spiritual Psaltery," a hymn-book for popular use. He was also a hymn-writer of considerable prominence. It was he also who, with Mr. Niebel, the same year completed the revision of the discipline left unfinished by the death of George Miller. * In October, 1854, he became editor of the English organ of the church, "The Evangelical Messenger," published in Cleveland, O. Ill-health compelled him to resign this important position April 16, 1857. He was twice married, and the father of a large family, of whom he was able to say, late in life: "All of them, we believe, embraced religion in their younger days." He lived to a good old age, dying in triumph at Circleville, O., August 20, 1871, aged eighty-two years, two months, and fifteen days. His remains lie buried in Ebenezer Churchyard, Pickaway County, O., amid the scenes of his later life. Another of this galaxy of men great in goodness was John Seybert. He was born at Manheim, Pa., July 7, 1791, of Christian parents, and born again, or, as he expressed it, "converted deep into eternal life" (tief ins Ewige Leben hinein bekehrt), June 21, 1810. In 1819, after much hesitation and prayer and many a severe inward struggle, he yielded to the conscious call of the Holy Spirit, and began to preach. His sermons, at first, were not remarkably able or exceptionally brilliant. Like most of the early preachers, he lacked literary training, but was endued with the power of the Holy Ghost. He improved very rapidly, and in a few years became a preacher of extraordinary spiritual power, an itinerant of untiring zeal, and a missionary of wonderful intrepidity and enterprise. Phenomenal success attended his labors. He was the ideal pioneer circuit-rider. He entered the Eastern Conference in 1821. In 1825 he was elected presiding elder, and assigned to duty on Canaan District, Eastern Conference, reëlected in 1829 and assigned to duty on Salem District. In this capacity he not only superintended his district, large as it was, but helped his preachers extend their fields of labor, made frequent incursions into the regions beyond, and sought out new territory for the introduction of the gospel. At the expiration of his second term as presiding elder Seybert offered himself to the conference as a missionary. His offer was accepted, and he was accordingly sent forth to labor anywhere in northwestern Pennsylvania. He was to spend |