of the world, and were making their way to the north, and when they had gained the northern extremity, the world would come to an end."
    Woolsey's father invited some Methodists to his house, and the family heard a long theological dispute between the Presbyterian minister and the Methodist. Eventually the entire Woolsey family left the established church and became Methodists, so it appears that the itinerant Methodist must have made a strong point.
    Woolsey's admiration for itinerant preachers is shown in the following comment: "I for one shall have cause, I trust, to bless
God to all eternity for that truly apostolical plan of carrying the gospel to every creature, by means of itinerant ministers. How many parts of our country would have remained destitute of the gospel and gospel ordinances to this day, if they could not have had them until they were able to have a minister settled among them!"
    Woolsey, with his brother and a few others, joined the Methodist church, and a class was formed in their neighborhood. The Methodist class meetings were for members only. Participants were called to report spiritual progress, back­slidings and temptations. The class leader and fellow members encouraged the progress of the individual.
    The Methodist leader's first experience praying in public occurred without forewarning. The local preacher sang, exhorted and prayed, and then called upon Woolsey to pray.
    "I had no time to make any excuse; so I opened my mouth, and words flowed freely . . . After I had finished, the preacher called on my brother in the same way. He did not refuse, and thus we were, as it were, caught in a snare; but, thanks be to God it was not the snare of the devil," Woolsey wrote.
    From that time on, Woolsey and his brother became more active and eventually both of them became circuit riders. The younger Woolsey received a license from a 1792 conference to preach and was appointed to a New York circuit.
    "When my brother returned from conference, father was not willing he should go to the circuit, he being under age, and I older than he, took his place, and the next day started for my appointment," Woolsey penned.
    However, after six months on the circuit, his brother Thomas met him. The younger brother continued on the circuit