3
November 1784 A.D. Thomas
Coke Lands in NYC with Secret Orders—Ordained by John Wesley for the American
Methodists
Graves,
Dan. “Thomas Coke Landed with Secret Orders.” Christianity.com. Jun 2007.
http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1701-1800/thomas-coke-landed-with-secret-orders-11630301.html. Accessed 6 Jun 2014.
Thomas Coke was pleased. After a "very
agreeable voyage" of almost seven weeks, he stood once again on firm soil.
On this day, November 3, 1784 he landed in New York
with secret orders from John Wesley that few Methodists even in England knew
about.
Just two months earlier, Wesley
had secretly ordained Coke as superintendent of the Methodist Church in the
American colonies with power to ordain other superintendents in the new world.
For several years, Wesley had tried to persuade the Church of England to ordain
Methodist bishops. His requests met with rejection. Events in America forced
his hand. The Anglican church had virtually collapsed in Virginia after the
Revolutionary War, and the Methodists, who received the sacraments from Church
of England ministers, had nowhere to go. Searching Scripture and historical
precedent, Wesley concluded that presbyters like himself had authority to
ordain bishops. With the aid of Rev. James Creighton and two newly ordained
elders, he did just that.
Within a few days, Thomas Coke
sailed. Shortly after arriving in New York, he headed to Philadelphia. On
November 14th, he preached at Barrett's Chapel, a few miles from Dover,
Delaware. After the sermon, a plain, robust man came up to the pulpit and
kissed him. It was Francis Asbury, the man who had ridden across America for
thirteen years pouring his energy into the creation and supervision of the
Methodist church.
When John Wesley ordained Thomas
Coke, it was with the understanding that he would ordain Asbury to be a superintendent
of the American church. Thomas confided his mission to Asbury and a few others,
and all agreed that a conference should be held. A date in December at
Baltimore was settled on and messengers rode out to advise the Methodist
preachers. Meanwhile, Asbury encouraged Thomas to make a thousand mile circuit
on horseback so that he might learn first-hand the condition of the United
States.
During this time, Thomas Coke
baptized hundreds of converts who had never enjoyed this rite because no bishop
was available. He admired the Virginia countryside which reminded him of his
native Wales.
Sixty Methodist ministers showed
up for the Baltimore conference. Asbury refused appointment as supervisor
unless the Methodist pastors voted for him. He knew how Americans thought. Coke
and he were elected as co-bishops and shared power in America. Most of the work
rested with Asbury, however, because Coke crossed and re crossed the Atlantic
eighteen times in connection with missionary endeavors and became leader of the
British church after Wesley died.
But Thomas Coke achieved the
purpose for which he had come to the United States: to establish a legitimate
authority to head the American Methodists. He was still working for Christ when
he died years later, a smile on his lips, during a voyage to India where he
hoped to set up a mission.
Bibliography:
1. Cross, F. L., editor. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church.
Oxford University Press, 1997.
3. Vickers, John. Thomas Coke, Apostle of Methodism.
Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1969.
4. Various encyclopedia and internet articles.
Last updated June,
2007
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