United Church of Monmouth
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Church Photos
"The Man on Horseback"
This painting by Harry H. Cochrane depicts Bishop Francis Asbury on his way to the first New England Methodist Conference at Monmouth in 1802. He had ridden from South Carolina to preside. Our painting was unveiled on March 18, 1949, in this church. Rev. Joseph LeMaster presided with H. Earle Flanders singing, "The Prince of Peace" and Mrs. Ruby Hascall at the organ. The painting was installed by Beverly Slauenwhite, who once worked for Harry H. Cochrane.
"A Man of God"
(The following are excerpts from a sermon given by Rev. Philip G. Palmer on January 27, 1991. They are his reflections on the above painting.)~~All I can do today, all I want to try to do, is share with you some of what I see when I meditate on this great picture.
~~The rugged setting, what much of Kennebec County must have looked like 200 years ago. It suggests the kind of man Bp. Francis Asbury was. Remember this was no one time trip. The man spent his whole life much as you see him here. . . He is most often pictured on horseback. Two great statues of him, in Washington, D.C. and on the Drew Campus, show him that way. . .This is a picture of a man dedicated to what he was called to do.
~~Books. Both in the saddlebags and in his hand. How he could read on horseback, I cannot know. But we know he did. Harry C. has here captured something of the essence of the man. Probably the Bible or maybe the hymnal. And it could have been in Greek or Hebrew. This man was a scholar and willing to work at listening to what God had to say to him and through him. What a challenge to Preachers in particular, and I hope to all of us as Christians!
~~His Area was the whole country of the late 18th Cent. and he had to be on horseback and on the move. As I said, he did 6,000 miles per year, this way. It might have been easier to travel in some kind of coach or carriage. But as the picture suggests, nothing with wheels could go where he was called to go. Bp. Asbury was very much a Pastor. . . He travels with purpose. To meet his people and to bring them Christ.
~~His eyes. Is he looking up to God in prayer, or at the bird with some small creature in its talons? I wish I knew what Harry C. had in mind here. I can only guess that maybe Bp. A. is meditating on death as he sees the bird fly away. What do you think?
~~Why a RIVER, of all places? Bp. Asbury reports crossing rivers near here, in those days when there were not that many bridges. And this one seems fairly deep. But those things did not stop him. Maybe the river in this picture suggests crossing Jordan, an image of death. (I am not sure. What do you think?)
~~It is a little dark in the forest. Probably more so in those days when the forest was thicker than now. But in the distance you can see a hill with light shining on it. Is this a way of saying then even when we travel in the darkness, not far away this is a high place where the sun is shining? Is this a quiet sign of hope?
~~And at the foot of that distant hill is that a Lake I see? Maybe Cobbossee or another Kennebec County lake. Such places of beauty. Did Bp. Asbury stop to admire the beauty of such places as he traveled by them on his long journeys?
~~I don't know anything about horses. It looks to me as if this is not a very gentle horse. I can imagine that Bp. Asbury needed a spirited horse to keep up the pace. He was indeed a "traveling preacher"! Some scholars project that he probably preached at least once a day through his active life.
~~The whole picture speaks to us of dedication, as Clem told us last fall. . . The kind of Country this Land tries to be is in part because of the vision and dedication of people like this "Man on Horseback."
~~Dr. Buggia, Church Historian
778 Main Street (Route 132)
Monmouth, ME 04259
Reverend Desmond Parker, Pastor
(207) 933-2931
