Joshua Soule
Encyclopedia
Joshua Soule (August 1, 1781 - March 6, 1867) was an American
bishop
of the Methodist Episcopal Church
(elected in 1824), and then of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South
.
(now Bremen
), Maine
, Soule was the fifth child in a Norman
-English
family. He was the great-great-grandson of George Soule
from Eckington
, England
, who in 1620 arrived at Plymouth, Massachusetts as a Mayflower
Pilgrim, eventually becoming a prominent Duxbury landowner. In the autumn of 1781, not long after the Joshua Soule's birth, the Soules moved to Avon
where his father, a former sea captain from Duxbury, was an original settler along the Sandy River. Although his parents were both strict Presbyterians, the adolescent Joshua Soule converted to the Methodist Episcopal faith in 1797, joining the New England Annual Conference
in 1799.
, Unitarianism
and Universalism
. Tall, dignified and able, Soule was ordained, both deacon
and elder
, by Bishop Richard Whatcoat
. He was appointed a presiding elder at the age of 23, placed in charge of the state of Maine. He also served as a book agent for the M.E. Church. In 1820, he was elected bishop, but declined consecration
because the General Conference had adopted a policy he could not approve. He did accept episcopal consecration upon being elected again in 1824.
In the 1844 division of the M.E. Church, he sided with the South
. Soule University
was named in his honor in 1856. At the age of 72 he was worn out with labor and travel. He died in Nashville
, Tennessee
. His body was buried first at the old Nashville City Cemetery
, but in 1876 reinterred on the campus of Vanderbilt University
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of the Methodist Episcopal Church
Methodist Episcopal Church
The Methodist Episcopal Church, sometimes referred to as the M.E. Church, was a development of the first expression of Methodism in the United States. It officially began at the Baltimore Christmas Conference in 1784, with Francis Asbury and Thomas Coke as the first bishops. Through a series of...
(elected in 1824), and then of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South
Methodist Episcopal Church, South
The Methodist Episcopal Church, South, or Methodist Episcopal Church South, was the so-called "Southern Methodist Church" resulting from the split over the issue of slavery in the Methodist Episcopal Church which had been brewing over several years until it came out into the open at a conference...
.
Birth and rebirth
Born to Joshua and Mary (Cushman) Soule at Broad Cove in BristolBristol, Maine
Bristol is a town in Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,644 at the 2000 census. A fishing and resort area, Bristol includes the villages of New Harbor, Pemaquid, Round Pond, Bristol Mills and Chamberlain. It includes the Pemaquid Archeological Site, a U.S. National...
(now Bremen
Bremen, Maine
Bremen is a small town in Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The population was 782 at the 2000 census. Located on Muscongus Bay and the Gulf of Maine, it includes the villages of Broad Cove, Turners Corner, Bremen, Medomak and Muscongus...
), Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, Soule was the fifth child in a Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
-English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
family. He was the great-great-grandson of George Soule
George Soule
George Soule was a signer of the Mayflower Compact, and one of the original 102 Pilgrims who arrived on the Mayflower to Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620.-Biography:...
from Eckington
Eckington, Worcestershire
Eckington is a small village near to the southern border of the English county of Worcestershire, according to the 2001 census it had a population of 1,202....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, who in 1620 arrived at Plymouth, Massachusetts as a Mayflower
Mayflower
The Mayflower was the ship that transported the English Separatists, better known as the Pilgrims, from a site near the Mayflower Steps in Plymouth, England, to Plymouth, Massachusetts, , in 1620...
Pilgrim, eventually becoming a prominent Duxbury landowner. In the autumn of 1781, not long after the Joshua Soule's birth, the Soules moved to Avon
Avon, Maine
Avon is a town in Franklin County, Maine, United States. The population was 461 at the 2010 census. Avon is home to Mount Blue, part of Mount Blue State Park.-History:...
where his father, a former sea captain from Duxbury, was an original settler along the Sandy River. Although his parents were both strict Presbyterians, the adolescent Joshua Soule converted to the Methodist Episcopal faith in 1797, joining the New England Annual Conference
New England Annual Conference
The New England Annual Conference is an Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. This conference serves the congregations in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and eastern Connecticut, plus one congregation in Vermont...
in 1799.
Ministry
He became known as a "Boy Preacher," and an opponent of CalvinismCalvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
, Unitarianism
Unitarianism
Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....
and Universalism
Universalism
Universalism in its primary meaning refers to religious, theological, and philosophical concepts with universal application or applicability...
. Tall, dignified and able, Soule was ordained, both deacon
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
and elder
Elder (Methodism)
An Elder in the Methodist Church — sometimes called a Presbyter or Minister — is someone who has been ordained by a Bishop to the ministry of Word, Sacrament, Order, and Service...
, by Bishop Richard Whatcoat
Richard Whatcoat
Richard Whatcoat , was the third Bishop of the American Methodist Episcopal Church.-History:Whatcoat was born in Gloucestershire, England and, although reared in the Church of England, became a Methodist at age 22...
. He was appointed a presiding elder at the age of 23, placed in charge of the state of Maine. He also served as a book agent for the M.E. Church. In 1820, he was elected bishop, but declined consecration
Consecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...
because the General Conference had adopted a policy he could not approve. He did accept episcopal consecration upon being elected again in 1824.
In the 1844 division of the M.E. Church, he sided with the South
Methodist Episcopal Church, South
The Methodist Episcopal Church, South, or Methodist Episcopal Church South, was the so-called "Southern Methodist Church" resulting from the split over the issue of slavery in the Methodist Episcopal Church which had been brewing over several years until it came out into the open at a conference...
. Soule University
Soule University
Soule University was a private Methodist university in Chappell Hill, a rural community in Washington County, Texas, United States. Chartered in 1856, Soule replaced the male department of Chappell Hill Male and Female Institute and was intended to succeed the failed Rutersville College...
was named in his honor in 1856. At the age of 72 he was worn out with labor and travel. He died in Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. His body was buried first at the old Nashville City Cemetery
Nashville City Cemetery
Nashville City Cemetery is the oldest public cemetery in Nashville, Tennessee. Many of Nashville's prominent historical figures are buried there....
, but in 1876 reinterred on the campus of Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
.
Selected writings
- is said by Bishop DuBose (Life of Bishop Joshua Soule) to have been "the man who at the age of 27 wrote the Constitution of Methodism."
- is said by Bishop Simpson (Cyclopedia of Methodism) to have been the "author of the plan for a delegated General Conference."
- Sketch of William Beauchamp in Beauchamp's Letters on Itinerancy, published after his death.
- Sermon on Death of McKendree, delivered at General Conference, brochure, 30 pp., 1836.
- Christ the Author of Salvation, Akers, T.P., Sermons for the College, 1851.
- Sermon: Infant Baptism, The Southern Methodist Pulpit, Vol. II, C.F. Deems, Editor, 1849-52.
- Object and Nature of Religious Worship. Discourse at Dedication of John St. Church, N.Y.C., 4 January 1818, published 1857.
- Sermon: "The Perfect Law of Liberty," Methodist Pulpit, South, W.T.Smithson, Editor, 1859.
- Sermon in Sermons for the Home Circle, T.P. Akers, Editor, 1859.
- Religious Experience and Happy Death of Miss Eliza Higgins, 40 pp., n.d.
Biographies
- Stevens, A., Memorials of Methodism, 1848.
- Sketch by L.M.L. in Deems, C.F., Southern Methodist Pulpit, 1849-52.
- Wightman, W.M., Address in Appreciation of Bishop Soule, written manuscript, 1867, in the Methodist Bishops' Collection.
- Sketch by Tefft, B.F., in Flood and Hamilton, Lives of Methodist Bishops, 1882.
- Memorial Sermon, funeral of Joshua Soule, 1867, in McTyeire, H.N., Passing Through the Gates and Other Sermons, 1889.
- Denny, Collins, Joshua Soule, Sketch of Life, in Armstrong, J.E., Old Baltimore Conference, 1907.
- Dubose, H.M., Life of Joshua Soule, 1911.
- Garber, P.N., Young Man from Maine, Epworth Highroad, May 1940.