Not long after his withdrawal from the Church O'Kelly issued a pamphlet in which he gave his rea- sons for protesting against the " jMethodist Episcopal government." This production was chiefly remarkable for its perversion of the plainest historical facts of Meth- odism, the misrepresentation of its economy, and an unbounded abuse of Asbury. His strictures on the gov- ernment of the Church, as well as his defamation of Asbury, demanded a reply. Asbury himself collected ample materials for this purpose, and submitted them to the conferences for their action. The papers were accepted, and a committee appointed to prepare them for publication. Nicholas Snethen, on behalf of the committee, published a work in which he "not only vindicated Methodism, but placed the pretended facts and groundless assertions of O'Kelly in a position so variant frotn truth as to leave the character of their au- thor in more need of an apology than was the mere fact of his ceasing to be a Methodist." O'Kelly came for- ward in another small pamphlet, entitled A Vindication of an Apology. This was promptly met by Snethen in An Answer to James O'Kelli/s Vindication of his Apol- ogy. The readiness with which O'Kelly's charges were met, and the ability with which they were refuted, gave a decided check to his revolutionary measures. He proceeded, however, with the formal organization of the Republican Methodist Church. He scrupled not to or- dain such preachers as consented to receive ordination at his hands, although he denounced Methodist ordi- nation, in the line of which he himself stood, as a " spurious episcopacy." The success of the separatists in making proselytes was far below their expectations. By a careful comparison of the returns from the large cir- cuits in O'Kelly's old district, and where he wielded the greatest influence, we find that from 1792 to 1795, when the schism was at its height, the largest decrease in any one circuit was only a little over two hundred, while in two circuits lying in the very field of strife there was a gain of nearly four hundred. It is true that the returns from all the Virginia circuits in 179-1 show a decrease of two thousand members; but there were probably other causes for this besides this schis- matic movement.
In 1801 O'Kelly changed the name of his party. Ke- nouncing their original title, he issued a pamphlet in which he announced himself and his adherents as The Christian Church, Some of his societies readily as-
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sumed the high-sounding name, others hesitated, a few protested, and divisions speedily followed. The more modest among them shrunk from an appellation that declared all men heretics except themselves. Divis- ions and subdivisions became the order of the day. One party clung to O'Kelly as the Christian Church ; another followed John Robertson as Kejjublican Method- ists ; and yet another, under the lead of William Guirey and others, set up for themselves under the title of "The Independent Christian Baptist Church." These differ- ent parties continued to maintain a sickly existence for some years; but their numbers and influence gradually diminished. The decline continued until there could be found no organization worthy to be called a Church, but only fragments of societies scattered over the country, almost equally powerless against the Church they had left, and against the wickedness by which they were sur- rounded.
It is not difficult to discover the causes that pro- duced the failure of OTvelly's plans. The most potent was the heresy which his system contained. This was the taint that corrupted the whole scheme. His Unitarian errors allowed no Saviour to be offered to the people ; and destitute of this vital and central force, his Church was soulless and its name a mockery. But the motives of the leaders seem to have been devoid of purity, as their system was of saving truth. " If the real cause of this division were known," says Asbury, " I think it would appear that one wanted to be immovably fixed in a district; another wanted money; a third wanted ordination ; a fourth wanted liberty to do as he pleased about slaves, and not to be called to account." The fierceness of their attacks on Asbury contributed to their ruin. Their swords, raised to strike him down, pierced their own hearts, and their violent dealings came down on their own heads. Their wrath against him knew no bounds. In one of their ephemeral pamphlets he was called the " Baltimore Bull," and a rude picture of a bull's head graced the title-page. They proclaimed him an enemy to the country, and charged him with laying up money to carry with him to England. Such injus- tice could not fail to have a speedy and powerful reac- tion ; and as the light shone more brilliantly on the path of Asbury. the darkness grew deeper on that of his tra- ducers. Many, who had been drawn off in a moment of excitement, after calming down and re-examining the points in controversy, returned to the Church. Although Asbury spared no pains to expose O'Kelly's errors and to thwart his plans, yet he kept his heart right towards him, and when occasion offered treated him with Chris- tian courtesy. The first and last meeting after the rup- ture took place at Winchester. Hearing that his former friend was lying ill, Asburj' sent two brethren to say that he would wait on him, if he desired it. They " met in peace, asked of each other's welfare, talked of persons and things indifferently, prayed, and parted in peace. Not a word was said of the troubles of former times." This, as far as we know, was their last interview on earth. O'Kelly lived to an extreme old age, the sad spectator of the failure of his cherished schemes. He saw the man whom he had sought to ruin descend to his grave in peace and full of honors, mourned by grate- ful thousands as the father of American Methodism. He saw Asbury's place filled and his principles defended by another whom he had fondly marked for a leader in his own ranks. He saw hundreds of his own followers for- saking him. and rallying again to the standard of Meth- odism. He saw those who remained scattered and broken into contending factions. But in the face of all these facts the stern old man clung to his cause with a heroism worthy of a better fate, and with fal- tering voice and failing strength proclaimed his confi- dence in its ultimate success. In 180.") Asbury, passing through Virginia, writes of O'Kelly as ''coming down with great zeal, preaching three hours at a time on gov- ernment, monarchy, episcopacy, occasionally varv-ing the subject with abuse of the Methodists." Hope did not de-