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Elijah Hedding (7 June 1780 – 9 April 1852) was an American bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, elected in 1824. ==Early life== Hedding was born near Pine Plains in Dutchess County, New York to parents of English origin. He was trained in prayer by his mother, who was brought into the church under circuit preacher Benjamin Abbot. It is said that when he was only three years old, his mother taught him the first principles of the Christian faith and he felt the fear of God. For several years he practiced secret prayer. When Abbott began preaching in the neighborhood, his ministry resulted in the conversion not only of Hedding's mother, but his grandmother and other relatives as well, all of whom joined the Methodist Episcopal Church. Hedding attended public worship with his mother and remained with her in class-meeting after the preaching. Bishop Matthew Simpson related one occasion in Hedding's young life of Christian faith: :after Mr. Abbott had spoken to the class, he went to little Elijah and said, "Well, my boy, do you think you are a sinner?" He replied, "Yes, sir." Mr. Abbott then, with vehemence and loud voice, said, "There's many a boy in hell not as old as you are," and most impressively exhorted him to seek religion. Bishop Hedding says of this event, "It not only frightened me but produced real religious concern, as I doubt not it was accompanied by the operation of God's Holy Spirit." When he was about 10 years old, Hedding's parents moved to Vermont. When he was about 15 or 16, a Methodist family from Connecticut moved into the neighborhood and began holding meetings in their home. There was singing and praying, and Hedding, being a good reader, was appointed to read one of John Wesley's sermons or a portion of Baxter's Call. These meetings were kept up regularly until 1798, when this home became a Methodist preaching place on a regular circuit. The woman of the house, reportedly a Mrs. Bushnell, used to frequently talk with young Hedding privately on the subject of the Christian religion. He is reported to have said about those conversations (quoted by Bishop Simpson): :Her conversation, more than anything else, was the means of my seeking religion. After one of these conversations, on my way home I turned into a grove and kneeled by the side of a great tree and covenanted with God to part with all my idols and seek salvation with all my heart. About six weeks after this, Hedding remained in class-meeting after preaching, when the preacher and brethren, seeing his distress, kneeled in intereceded for him. During the meeting he received spiritual comfort and gave his name as a probationer in the Methodist Episcopal Church on 27 December 1798. At the time of his awakening, Hedding received some comfort but he had not a clear consciousness of his acceptance and conversion. He says of this, quoted by Bishop Simpson: :About six weeks after this, while conversing with a brother about the Witness of the Spirit, the light of the Spirit broke in upon my mind as clear and perceptible as the sun when it comes from behind a cloud, testifying that I 'was' born of God, and that it was done at the time before named, when my guilt was removed and I found peace in believing. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Elijah Hedding」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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