John Seybert was an American clergyman of the Evangelical Association.
Background
He was born on July 7, 1791 at Manheim, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States, the eldest of the four children of Henry and Susan (Kreuzer) Seybert. His mother was a native of Wurttemberg. ohn, Sr. was confirmed in the Lutheran faith.
Education
He received an elementary education in German and English.
Career
John Seybert inherited a little property from his father, who died in 1806, and became a cooper. He was troubled intermittently by religious incertitude until on June 21, 1810, through the instrumentality of Matthias Betz, an Evangelical preacher, he felt himself converted fully to the life eternal - "tief ins ewige Leben hinein bekehrt. "
He joined the Evangelical Association, was licensed as an exhorter by John Dreisbach, and was elected class-leader for Manheim and Mount Joy, but for ten years he continued to work at his trade. Then, on September 12, 1820, he set out as an itinerant preacher on the York circuit and devoted the rest of his laborious life to proclaiming the gospel as taught by his sect. He traveled other circuits in Pennsylvania and Ohio, was ordained a deacon in 1822 and an elder in 1824, was elected presiding elder in 1825 and assigned to the Canaan district, was reelected in 1829 and assigned to the Salem district, and in 1833 was sent at his own request to do missionary work in the northwestern counties of Pennsylvania.
At the General Conference of 1839 he was elected to the office of bishop, which had been vacant since the death of Jacob Albright in 1808. Under his leadership the Association became a vigorous missionary sect, extending its lines constantly to the west and north along the paths followed by German emigration.
His biographer, tabulating the records of his scrupulously kept journal, found that in forty years he had traveled 175, 000 miles on horseback, had preached 9, 850 sermons, had held about 8, 000 prayer and class meetings, and had made about 46, 000 pastoral visits besides some 10, 000 other calls on the sick and distressed.
He died at the house of Isaac Parker near Bellevue, Ohio, and was buried in the village cemetery at Flat Rock.
Achievements
Religion
Though raised, even confirmed, a Lutheran, John was converted at a revival held by an itinerant Evangelical preacher in Manheim, 21 June 1810.
Views
In his sermons he dwelt chiefly on the doctrine of entire sanctification in this life and denounced the sins of the world, or such of them as came to his notice, with a picturesqueness of objurgation that has been called "indescribable. "
Personality
Unencumbered by wife or child or by any concern for merely secular affairs, Seybert devoted himself to the work with apostolic singleness of purpose. He lived in the saddle. He was an almost perfect circuit rider; even his eccentricity and uncouthness were elements of his power.
He was especially hard on ostentatious dress, and such words as Modesucht, Putzsucht, Hurenschmuck, Teufelsputz flared like rockets through the smoke of his discourse. Transparent simplicity and kindliness of character were his most winning traits.