Bishop Asbury being invited to preach in the elegant Presbyterian church, did so at three o’clock from 2 Cor. v, 11, “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord we persuade men,” etc. Five hundred listened to his solemn persuasions. At six I preached in Brother Wrenshall’s yard to about three hundred attentive hearers from Heb. ii, 1. On we journeyed to Zanesville, where I preached in the Court-house, as we had no house of worship there then. In New Lancaster I preached in German, and Robert Cloud exhorted after me. This is the man who was so useful in the East, and who was once under a cloud; but he was doing better, and the sun was once more shining upon him. He had a son, Caleb W. Cloud, a very good preacher, a member of the Western Conference. We went to Chillicothe, and were made welcome at Dr. Edward Tiffin’s; then to Deer Creek, at White Brown’s. Here I saw Stephen Simmons, who used to travel our circuit in Lancaster County. He had located and married the daughter of White Brown. On Wednesday we reached Peter Pelham’s. I preached in German almost every day through this part of Ohio. On Saturday, September 23, we reached one of Bishop Asbury’s best homes, that of one of his dearest friends, Philip Gatch. While the bishop rested there I took a tour among the Germans. Some of them had not heard preaching in their own tongue since they left their native land. Tears flowed from many eyes, and they heard with delight the word of life. What has God wrought since among the Germans![25] On the 28th we reached Cincinnati, the seat of the Western Conference. FIRST CONFERENCE IN CINCINNATI. On Saturday, September 30, 1809, the Western Conference commenced its session in Cincinnati. This was the first conference held in what has since become the Queen City of the West. We were kindly entertained by Oliver Spencer, Esq. When a boy he was taken captive by the Indians, and his early history is full of wild romance and sober truth. There were some splendid men at this conference, who were destined, under God, to lay the foundations of Methodism in what is now the mighty West. I heard some excellent preaching here. The evening before conference began I heard Miles Harper on “Set thine house in order,” etc. He was one of their strong men. I preached on Saturday from John i, 11, 12, and Brother Lakin exhorted. The Lord was eminently nigh. Several souls professed to find the Lord in the pardon of their sins.