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(Accession No.■-■•—/--A'-/—-
MEMORY COLLEGE LIBRARY.^
OXFORD. GEORGIA.
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REMINISCENCES
AND
SERMONS
OF
REV. JAMES DUNWODY,
OF THE SOUTH GEORGIA CONFERENCE.
MACON, GA. :
J. W. BURKE & CO., PRINTERS AND BINDERS.
1872.
TO THE READER.
In the course of the two last years, I have been requested
by several of our ministers, both traveling and local, to
write an account of my travels and labors, together with
half a dozen sermons, to be published with them. This re¬
quest was first made by my son Samuel, with the design of
keeping it as a family record, that they might peruse it af¬
ter I am laid away in the grave.
In the year 1833, Rev. John Howard, then my Presiding
Elder, said to me that he desired to see an account of my
travels and labors in print. Besides these, a large number
of my friends have expressed a desire to see such an ac¬
count published. It is with great diffidence that I have un¬
dertaken the task, and only in deference to the judgment
of my numerous friends. My diffidence proceeds from sev¬
eral causes : First, I never kept a journal and have to
write entirely from memory. Secondly, I have traveled a
great portion of my time on some of the poorest and hard¬
est of the circuits in the Conference, and had nothing to
write about that could be of interest to the general reader.
Thirdly, I have written so little in my time, that writing is
almost a new employment. The reader will find no rhe¬
torical flourishes, but a plain, simple, unvarnished statement
of facts.
Reader, if you find yourself profitably entertained in
reading the following pages, pray for your unworthy brother
in Christ.
JAMES DUNWODY.
October, 1869.
Reminiscences.
JAMES DUNWODY, son of Robert and Mary
Dunwody, was born in Screven county, Geor¬
gia, May 4th, 1790. My parents were natives of
Pennsylvania; my mother's maiden name was
Creswell; my grand-parents, both paternal and
maternal, were from Ireland. My parents and
grand-parents were members of the Presbyterian
church. My two brothers, Samuel and John, and
my sister Susanna, were born in Chester county,
Pennsylvania ; my sister Esther, at our uncle's,
Br. James Dunwody, in Liberty county, Georgia;
myself and sister Mary, in Screven county. My
father was a wagoner in the army in the revolu¬
tionary war. Uncle John Dunwody, and several of
my mother's brothers, fought in the battle at Bran-
dywine. These facts I learned from my mother.
My father died when I was between four and five
years old, and being raised up by a poor widowed
mother, my education was limited and confined
only to the English ; and for want of competent
teachers, was rather defective. My religious im¬
pressions commenced as early in life as I can re¬
member well. Under the ministry of the Rev.
John Goldwire, I felt a number of times the con¬
vincing power of truth, for he was a pious Bap¬
tist minister. But I had most of my convictions
under the ministry of M ethodist preachers. The
convincing and convicting power of truth was a
slow and gradual process with me. I had no sud¬
den flashes of light, producing sharp and severe
pangs of conviction, but simply the word preached,
6
Reminiscences.
attended by the spirit of God, applying it to my
understanding and conscience, producing a thor¬
ough conviction of my lost and sinful state, and
my absolute need of Christ and his grace. Then
came on the conflict—the choice between life and
death—the war of passions—the flesh lusting
against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh.
Notwithstanding being poor and having to labor
hard, and having but few opportunities of enjoy¬
ing carnal pleasures, I was so passionately fond of
them that I was a number of times on the verge
of the desperate resolution to enjoy the pleasures
of sin, at the expense of the loss of my soul.
Truly, " the heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately wicked, and who can know it ?"
But when I reflected seriously on the greatness
and eternity of heli torments, the thought was
too tremendously awful, so that I could never
brook the idea of dwelling in everlasting burn¬
ings, so I determined, by the grace of God, to
seek the salvation of my soul. -
About the eighteenth year ot my age I began
to pray, but continued to do so only a short time,
until being ashamed to pray in the presence of
others, I left it off, thinking I would commence
again in a short time; but such was the deceit-
fulness of my heart that it was about twenty
months before I had the resolution to begin again.
In January, 1810, I began to seek the Lord by
prayer; our preachers this year on the Louisville
circuit, were .Revs. Hilliard Judge and John Tar¬
rant—both were good preachers. Brother Judge
was a man of superior talent, sound in doctrine,
eloquent, of dignified appearance, graceful ges¬
tures, a quick, penetrating mind. In conversation,
affable, polite, winning in his manners. He was,
subsequently, Presiding Elder for many years.
He then married and settled in Fairfield District,
South Carolina, where he ended his days early in
Reminiscences.
7
the year 1820, in holy triumph. I visited him
about two weeks before his death and found him
far gone in consumption. His brother informed
me three or four years ago, that after being dead
awhile, to all human appearances, he revived, and
told his family that he had had a view of the
heavenly world. " Precious in the sight of the
Lord is the death of his saints."
To return : after waiting several months for an
invitation to join the church, I at length otfered
myself and was received by Rev. Solomon Bryan,
who was employed on the circuit part of that
year. I continued seeking religion daily, as sin¬
cerely as I could, until September, 1811, when I
attended a camp-meeting, near Milledgeville,
where I became concious that I felt the love of
God shed abroad in my heart. The change was
gradual and almost imperceptible. While I con¬
tinued in the use of the means of grace, the grace
of God was distilling into my soul as slowly and
as silently as the night dews.
Our residence was now in Twiggs county, Oc-
mulgee Circuit. Revs. A. Talley and Drury Powell
were our preachers. I began to assist the class-
leader in our class-meetings, and continued to do
so until 1814. Revs. Ashley Hewett and James B.
Turner were our preachers, when, at the request
of our venerable class-leader, Jeremiah Dupree,
brother Hewett appointed me class-leader. In
1815, Revs. Benjamin Scott and Wm. Collings¬
worth were our preachers. The first quarterly
meeting was held at our church, Shiloh, at which
I received license to exhort; but continued to act
as leader, assisted by father Dupree. In 1816,
Revs. Travis Owen and Jesse Sinclair were our
preachers. Early in the year, I told brother Owen
I wished to apply for license to preach, but being
a neglectful preacher, he did not obtain the re¬
commendation until the last quarterly meeting,
8
Reminiscences.
at which time I was licensed to preach, and re¬
commended to the Annual Conference to be re¬
ceived on trial in the traveling connection ; but
my crop being cut very short by a severe di*ought,
I failed to get my widowed mother out of debt,
and was not willing to leave her involved; so my
recommendation was withhold, and I was em¬
ployed on Ocmulgee Circuit, in 1817, by Rev.
Lewis Myers, Presiding Elder. My colleague
was Rev. Charles Dickinson.
This was a very large and laborious circuit of
twenty-eight appointments, for twenty-eight
days ; the lower part, in the wire grass, was
very thinly inhabited; rides long; one ride,
twelve miles ; three, fourteen miles ; two, sixteen
miles; and one, eighteen miles. Brother Dickin¬
son having traveled several years, and his health
being delicate, said he could not bear the labor
without some rest days ; so he made it a five
weeks' circuit, one coming two weeks after the
other, and the other three weeks after him.
In this circuit we had a number of useful local
preachers. Rev. Jesse Stancel, who had been a
traveling preacher seven years, was a man of em¬
inent talents, and indomitable zeal and energy.
Rev. Frederick D. Wimberly, he also had been a
traveling preacher seven years, and was a useful
man. Rev. Joseph Harley had also been a trav¬
eling preacher a number of years—was a man of
great fervor—had professed for many years to en¬
joy the blessing of entire sanctification. Revs.
Henry Saxon, Levi Peacock, Boling Swearingen,
Jacob Lassiter, John Simmons and John Joiner,
were useful men.
I went to Sparta camp-meeting and met my
brother there. He was stationed in Augusta that
year. The most remarkable effect produced at
this meeting, was from a sermon preached by my
brother, from I. Timothy, vi: 10—" For the love
Reminiscences.
9
of money is the root of all evil: which, while some
coveted after it, they have erred from the faith,
and pierced themselves through with many sor¬
rows." After showing how the love of money
led to the breach of the ten commandments, he
traced the history of the Church from the Apos¬
tles' days, then through the ten persecutions, and
through the dark ages of Popery ; he drew such a
picture of the unparalleled miseries of the Church
and the world, traceable to the love of money as
its source, that the preachers and the congrega¬
tion were in a flood of tears. When the sermon
was through, the venerable Myles Greene arose
and said : I have not got up here, my friends, to
add anything to the sermon which you have
heard ; but I think by this time, preachers and
people are ready to say amen to the doctrine;
that he had been thirty years a member of the
Methodist Church, and plainly saw there was a
great declension in the church. He exhorted
them to get back into the old paths.
At our camp-meeting in Twiggs county, the
Rev. James Russell was with us—much excitement
was pi'oduced by his preaching; a good many
were converted.
It was my rule to preach if I had three grown
hearers ; so one day I had but three female mem¬
bers ; so I preached from, " Fear not, little flock,
for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you
the kingdom." They all got happy and shouted.
I remember it, with gratitude to God, to this day.
One day, having a borrowed mare, I rode up near
a log meeting-house, tied her, and went in and
commenced woi-ship, as a little cloud was rising
in the west. As soon as we arose from prayer,
the wind blowing fiercely, I saw a tree fall directly
toward the little mare. We ran out immediately,
and found that the tree had caught her between
its branches so close, that she could not stir, and
10
Reminiscences.
hurt her not; this, also, I remember with un¬
feigned gratitude to God to this hour. Although
we had not a very large increase, we bad some
net increase, and our labors were not in vain.
Brother Dickinson's talents, though not brilliant,
were acceptable and useful. He lived and labored
several years after this ; was married, and I had
the following account of his death:
" When near his end, his wife asked him if any¬
thing troubled his mind ; he said nothing, only
she was not willing to give him up. She said
the will of the Lord be done. He then told all
the people to come round his bed, and he would
show them how a Christian could die. He then
closed his own eyes and sweetly fell asleep in Je¬
sus."
At the next Conference I was admitted on trial,
and appointed to Sparta Circuit, Bev. Nicholas
Talley in charge. 1 see in the history of the
Methodist Church in Sparta: ("1818, Nicholas
Talley, and James Dunwody—a man renowned
for his intellect and his eccentricities." No,
brother, neither the one nor the other. I suppose
brother Pendleton had heard this of my brother
Samuel, and by mistake applied it to me. My
brother in advanced age became very absent-
minded, but in early life was not so.) This was
an easy and pleasant circuit, with only nineteen
appointments and nine rest days, and in such form
as afforded brother Talley and myself the pleas¬
ure of meeting each other at Greene's meeting¬
house every two weeks, and hearing each other
preach. This was a large and respectable society.
Happy for them, they had not heard, " week day
preaching has seen its day." There was regular
attendance of the members. Local preachers in
this circuit were Bevs. William Arnold, Osborn
Bogers, Dudley Hargrave, Thomas Thweatt, Ben¬
jamin Cook, old brother Waller, and Perry. Many
Reminiscences.
11
of the members in this circuit were very pious—
we sometimes had lively and happy meetings.
One night at brother O. Woodward's, having
called in his colored people for family worship,
the power of the Lord came down among us in a
gracious manner; the shouts of holy triumph
were heard afar-off. His dear old mother, who
had just left her sick bed, clapped her hands and
shouted, glory to God. It cures body and soul;
and very soon she recovered her usual health. At
another time, I spent a rest day with brother
John Lucas, in Sparta; in the evening I went to
spend the night with Rev. T. Thweatt; there
were four girls boarding with him, who were stu¬
dents in the academy. In family worship, I
prayed with more fervor than usual, and on rising
from prayer, I began to sing,
" The wondering world inquires to know," etc.,
When one of the girls cried out under conviction,
and in a few minutes all the others were pleading
for mercy. A black woman, hearing the noise,
came running in, and being struck with conviction,
fell on the floor agonizing in the pangs of the new
birth. This continued until midnight, in which
time, all the five were happily converted. This
produced a good effect on the congregation in
church ; they became more serious and attentive to
the preached word.
That summer was remarkable for a long and
fatal drought, which seemed to threaten a famine.
This produced great concern in the minds of the
people in the neighborhood of Shy's meeting¬
house, and on Saturday the little log meeting¬
house was nearly full of people. I had good lib¬
erty in preaching to them. I told them I fully
believed the judgments of God were on the land
for the wickedness of the people. Great serious¬
ness pervaded the congregation, and as I believed
12
Reminiscences.
there were signs of repentance, I ventured to pray
for rain ; that afternoon the Lord sent us a good
rain. The people took notice of it, and believed
it was not a vain thing to pray. A gracious revi¬
val commenced at that place from that time.
There being week day preaching at Cook's meet¬
ing-house, I generally preached for the blacks at
night, and had lively meetings and several con¬
versions. Then our camp-meeting came on ; the
Lord was with us, and we had a good meeting.
Then brother Tarply, Presiding Eldei*, removed
meto Appalachee Circuit, to fill a vacancy; Rev.
William B. Harnett, by affliction, not being able to
preach, and his colleague, Thomas A. Smith, be¬
ing removed to Cedar Creek Circuit, brother Ar¬
nold was employed to take my place on Sparta
Circuit. It was indeed a solemn scene at parting
with my beloved friends, with whom I had spent
so many pleasant hours, the greater part of whom
I have never seen since.
In going my first round on this circuit, I spent
one night at the house of the Rev. Hope Hull, one
of the pioneers of Methodism in Georgia; had
been near death, but was much better, so that he
could sit up and converse cheerfully ; but this was
the first and last interview I ever had with him.
About two weeks after this, Major Floyd told me
the aged pilgrim had gone home. He told his
family that marching orders had come and he
must leave them, cross over Jordan and settle in
the promised land.
I went to Rock camp-meeting, in Wilkes county,
S. K. Hodges, Presiding Elder, J. B. Turner,
preacher in charge, and met with Benjamin Blan-
ton, Nicholas Powers and West Harris, who had
been traveling preachers; all had located. I
preached a sermon from Zachariah ix: 12th, and
learned that one young lady was converted. Most
of the societies in Appalachee Circuit were in a
Reminiscences.
13
cold, dull state; two or three, however, were
lively. Prospect here was a large, lively soci¬
ety ; several local preachers had their membership
here, one of whom was the venerable John Pen-
dergrass, whose obituary I lately read in the Ad¬
vocate. They were some of the excellent ones of
the earth. It was truly delightful to preach to
them. Another society, in Greene county, was
also lively and prosperous.
I have nothing more to relate concerning this
circuit, except that it was a pleasant circuit, kind
people and a healthy country. At the next Con¬
ference I was appointed to Cedar Creek Circuit,
Rev. James Bellah in charge. This was a very
pleasant circuit, with nineteen appointments, in¬
cluding Milledgeville, there being no stationed
preacher there. There were more than twenty
local preachers in the circuit; of this number
were the venerable Myles Greene, Malone, Dr. Al¬
len, Isaac Moreland, William Sharp, Arthur Red¬
ding; also, Samuel Johnson, and John Wright, and
Charles Kennon, who had been traveling preach¬
ers ; Hanover Donnan had also been a traveling
preacher. These, with a good many others not
named, were men of weight of character, talents
and usefulness.
We wei'e favored this year with a gracious re¬
vival. Our night meetings, for preaching and
prayer, were often seasons of refreshing from the
presence of the Lord. At one society, the flame
burned high all the year, and it was common for
the members, on their way home, to make the
woods ring with the songs of Zion. Our night
meetings at brother Turrentine's were greatly
blessed, and the Lord was always with us in the
power of his spirit. Our camp-meeting at Rock
Spring was attended with wonderful displays of
divine power; six were converted the first night;
the work went on every day and night until the
H
Reminiscences.
close. The last night of the meeting was a time
never to be forgotten; such a scene as my eyes
never beheld at any other time. After the holy
sacrament was administered to a very large num¬
ber of communicants, being in the altar, brother
Tarply, Presiding Elder, looked at me and said,
" Brother Dunwody, don't give out." Instantly
I felt as if inspired with new life, mounted over
the altar rail and found mourners down in com¬
panies through that large congregation. I went
from one company to another, exhorting and
praying for them, until I was exhausted, and had
to retix*e for rest. It was ascertained that one
hundred and three whites were converted, and
we believed, at a moderate calculation, not less
than fifty blacks were converted. After the camp-
meeting, brother Bellah received forty-six into
the church at Zoar, and I received thirteen at
Rocky Mount; of this number were John D.
Chappel and George A. Chappel, who became trav¬
eling preachers, and Carey Cox, a local preacher.
After this, we had another camp-meeting in
Baldwin county, a new camp-ground, at which
there was a gracious work of God. The Presid¬
ing Elder not being with us, brother Bellah had
the charge of the meeting. After a few invita¬
tions to the mourners to the altar, it was not nec¬
essary to invite them any more ; after the sermon
and conclusion, they would sing, and a crowd of
mourners would rush into the altar. There were
about one hundred converted at this meeting.
The revivals were mostly at our week day ap¬
pointments.
A few words concerning brother Bellah. He
was a man of great modesty, meekness and hu¬
mility—one of the most faithful men that I have
been acquainted with. His talents, though not of
the highest order, were acceptable and useful.
Reminiscences.
15
His labors were much blessed. He has long since
gone to his reward.
At my last appointment, in Milledgeville, the
pulpit was filled in the forenoon by Bishop George;
in the afternoon by Rev. Benjamin Dulaney; in
the evening by Rev. John Murrah much to our
edification and comfort. When I had finished my
labors on the circuit, I was off to Conference, in
Charleston, January, 1820.
On the evening before the opening of Confer¬
ence I heard an animating sermon in Trinity
Church, from Rev. Joseph Travis; the text was,
" But the people that do know their God shall be
strong." Daniel xi: 32. As soon as the benedic¬
tion was pronounced, the preachers clapped on
their hats in church. Rev. John Honour, a local
preacher, said to me, make a motion in Confer¬
ence that the preachers be requested to keep off
tbeir hats while in church, the people will make
remarks; but being a young preacher, and not
until then a member of Conference, I had not the
courage to do so, and to my great mortification,
many of our preachers continue the practice un¬
to the present day. The Conference convened
through the session at 8£ o'clock, and set until
1£ o'clock, being five hours each day. I had to
walk a full mile, and some others had farther to
go, and yet so faithful and punctual were the
preachers that at the opening of Conference there
would be scarcely any absent. Alas! how we
have fallen! At this Conference, with twelve
others, I was received into full connection, (and
together with four others who had not been or¬
dained at the previous Conference) and several
local preachers were ordained Deacons in Trinity
Church, on Sabbath afternoon. As Bishop George
stood in the altar, surrounded by this army of
ministers of the living God, he was greatly ani¬
mated, and I think I have scarcely ever known a
16
Reminiscences.
more interesting and solemn season on a like oc¬
casion. We had a pleasant time in attending di¬
vine service; every night, especially, the churches
were crowded with attentive hearers, and were
seasons of refreshing from the presence of the
Lord.
After a harmonious session cf our Conference,
I was appointed to Wateree Circuit, in South and
North Carolina. Brother Robert Adams, a resi¬
dent in Charleston, being admitted on trial at this
Conference, was appointed to travel with me, and
a more agreeable fellow-laborer I think I never
had. Rev. Daniel Asbury was our Presiding El¬
der. Our labors this year were blessed.in a good
degree. Here, I think, it may be interesting to
a number of my readers, to state a few incidents
of the venerable Daniel Asbury, which I learned
when traveling in Carolina. When a boy he was
captured and carried off by a party of Indians, and
remained among them about seven years. Being
now fully grown, he made his escape from them
and found his way back to his father's house in
North Carolina, and arrived just as the family
were at dinner. They had a very fierce dog—more
fierce at meal time than any other time—which
made it dangerous for a stranger to approach. As
Daniel walked through the yard the dog met him
with expressions of joy. He went in and sat down,
and began talking with his parents. He asked if
their name was Asbury ?
" Yes."
" Did they have a son named Daniel ?"
" Yes."
" Was he not captured and carried off by the
Indians ?"
" Yes."
" What became of him?"
11 We know not; but suppose he is dead."
" Well," said he, " I am that lost son !"
Reminiscences.
17
The joy of the family can be much better con¬
ceived than expressed. He said he was born on
the Sabbath, was captured and carried off by In¬
dians on the Sabbath, returned to his father's
house on the Sabbath, was converted on the Sab¬
bath, preached his first sermon on the Sabbath,
and said he believed he should die on the Sabbath ;
and it was so !
Our Presiding Elder having to attend General
Conference, was not with us at our first quarterly
meeting. As I was preaching one Sunday, on
judgment, from Revelations xx : 12, I felt uncom¬
monly awful, and told the congregation that I
thought some were hearing for the last time. The
next time I went there I was informed that a
man who was at church that day, while running
his horse a few days after, was dashed against a
tree and killed.
Soon after this, I was removed by order of the
Presiding Elder to Sandy River Circuit, in Fair¬
field and Chester Districts, to supply my brother's
place during his absence to General Conference.
This was a very pleasant three weeks' circuit for
one preacher. The kindness of this people will, I
trust, live in memory until mortal life shall cease.
While 011 this circuit, the Rev. Reddick Pierce,
(then a local preacher,) told me ho had received
Joseph Holmes into the church, and asked me if
he had done right ? I answered yes, perfectly so.
He became a traveling preacher, who in piety,
zeal and indefatigable labors had but few equals
and scarcely any superiors. I continued on this
circuit about two months and a half, during which
time nothing remarkable occurred. The church,
I think, was in a healthy state, and gave indica¬
tions of improvement.
In Winnsboro I had a pleasant home at old
brother Buchanan's. He told me that he and
brother Harris, who lived near Winnsboro, united
18
Reminzsccnccs.
in building a brick church in Winnsboro; got a lit¬
tle help from a few others, but bore the main bur¬
den of the expense themselves; set about it in
faith, not knowing how they would ever pay for
it; but the Lord so blessed and prospered them
that the burden was comparatively light. Here
we had a membership of between fifty and sixty
whites and a less number of blacks. Brother
Buchanan said he did not doubt but that the church
would be full of Christians at no very distant day.
My brother's wife got bdard this year with her
aunt .Russell, taught a little school part of the
year in Chester District. Here their first child,
Samuel Hart, was born, who was several years a
traveling px-eacher in the South Carolina Confer¬
ence. When my brother l'eturned we had a pleas¬
ant quarteidy meeting at Zion meeting-house. On
Sabbath my bi*other was assisted by Rev. Thomas
Griffin, a delegate from the Mississippi Confer¬
ence ; an intei*esting sermon from the parable of
the sower.
In Chester we had no meeting-house, and we
pi*eached in the Court-house. Quarterly meeting
being over I returned to my circuit, and met
brother Adams at Carter's meeting-house; but the
Catawba river being swelled by heavy rains,
brother Adams did not get there until I was half
through my sermon. The power of the Lord
came down among us, and we had a gracious sea¬
son of refreshing. Having gotten once more
among the dear people of my charge, I went on
cheerfully in my Master's work.
At Liberty Chapel, North Carolina, thei*e were
but ten members, including the leader. Woi'ldlings
called it Poor Hopes ; but one day preaching here,
I had uncommon liberty, the power of the Lord
attended the woi'd ; one young man was convert¬
ed, and four joined the cliurch. I heard no more
about Poor Hopes here.
Reminiscences.
19
There was an alarming hail-storm this summer
in South Carolina, in that part of the circuit east
of the Wateree river. One young man, who per¬
haps never prayed before, while the storm was
raging with great fury, told his father's family
they must all pray ; so he fell upon his knees and
prayed earnestly ; then arose and looked out at
the blackened heavens, the storm still raging; he
said it would not do, they must come to prayer
again; so he went upon his knees again and
prayed earnestly, and the storm abated. His sis¬
ter, a pious young lady, was so rejoiced to see her
brother praying, she could do nothing but laugh
and shout. I know not whether it produced a
lasting reformation in him or not. His brother
having married a pious young lady, soon after
was visited with serious affliction, and sent for
me to come and pray for him. He vowed, before
God, that if his life was spared, he would serve
Him, and at the first opportunity after his recov¬
ery I received him into the church.
Our camp-meeting came on in September, at
McYVhorter's, Mecklenburg county, Horth Caro¬
lina. Here was a very large assemblage of peo¬
ple, from almost every part of this very large
circuit, from thirty to forty miles. The General
Conference having made a rule this year to hold
a District Conference in each Presiding Elder's
district for the local preachers, there was a large
Dumber of them in attendance. The day before
the meeting began, I was taken with a fever ; but
on the day the meeting commenced, being better,
in the forenoon I attended service and heard two
sermons ; but the fever rising in the evening. I was
confined to my couch unto the close of the meet¬
ing. We used the meeting-house for the preach¬
ers' tent; it Avas a log house, but had a gallery
along one side and across one end, for the colored
people; so they made me a little artificial room
20
Reminiscences.
in the corner of the house, under the staircase.
There not being room enough on the-lower floor
for all the preachers to lodge, a number of them
slept in the gallery, and I was greatly annoyed
every night and morning with the sound of their
feet, going up and down, just over my head.
I was reduced so low, that it was reported on
the camp-ground that I was dead : and I heard
the inquiry made at the door, if I was dead. But
it so happened in the order of divine providence,
that Rev. James C. Pastell, with his family, was
tented there, and I doubt not, was an instrument
in God's hands of saving my life. He administered
such remedies to me as were owned and blest of
God, and saw me on the mend before the meet¬
ing closed. I well remember the advice he gave
me before he left me—not to go to work too
Boon, but wait until I got more strength—true,
better wear out than rust out; but by waiting
until I got more strength, I would wear longer,
and wear better.
There was a wonderful work of God at this
camp-meeting, which continued with increasing
power until the close. The last night, intending
to administer the holy sacrament, they sounded
the trumpet three times, but could not stop the
people. The grace of God was poured out in such
divine torrents as bore down everything before
it. It was believed that four or five hundred
mourners were down at once, crying for mercy.
We did not find out the number of converts ; the
Presiding Elder said he did not number Israel,
but the oldest members in that county said they
had never seen such a work of God before. The
sacrament was administered Monday morning.
Rev. James Douthet brought in the elements, and
gave me the sacrament, as I lay helpless in the
corner. Farewell, brother Douthet! we meet no
more on earth!
Reminiscences.
21
The meeting ended, I was taken up in a sheet
and laid on a bed in brother Lawson's wagon, and
hauled a distance of four miles to his house, where
I had every kind attention that could be rendered.
Brother Lawson, though not a physician, was a
skillful man in giving medicine, and an excellent
nurse for the sick ; but my complaint baffling his
skill, he called in Dr. Porter, who did not think
it necessary to give me much medicine, but pre¬
scribed a stimulus, and brother Lawson having
some good Jamaica rum, gave it to me several
times a day, and soon had me on my feet.
My brother heai'ing of my affliction, came to
see me, and remained with me several days; and
on leaving me improved in health, requested me
to meet him at a two days' meeting at Chester
Court-house, which I did, and continued with
him until the next Saturday and Sabbath, another
two days' meeting. It was intended that I should
preach on Sabbath, but having a chill that morn¬
ing, I declined, but heard an excellent sermon
from Be v. Beddick Pierce, from Isaiah lxiii: 4;
another from my brother, from Acts xxviii: 22;
at the close of which, Wm. Holmes joined the
church, who, after being more than forty years a
zealous local preacher, died in peace near Borne,
Georgia.
When I came to Winnsboro I received a letter
from my sister Esther, informing me of the death
of my mother, and requesting me to come home
and take charge of the business. I did so, and
by traveling a short distance every day, arrived
safe at home. There being no Presbyterian church
in Screven county, Georgia, my mother joined
the Methodist church in 1805, and from that time
lived a pious life. She became still more devoted
as her end drew nigh; I doubt not that she now
rests in Abraham's bosom. I continued in feeble
health until Conference came on in Columbia,
22
Reminiscences.
South Carolina, January, 1821, so that it was with
difficulty that I reached the Conference. At this
session brother Tarply brought the case of the
Salem School, Clark county, Georgia, before the
Conference, with a request that it be taken under
the patronage of the Conference. This being the
first attempt of the kind ever made by us, it pro¬
duced a serious alarm among a number of our
preachers. One fear was that we would become
responsible for the finances, which was a great
alarm to us, some of whom could not at all times
keep whole clothes on us; but we were assured
there was no danger of that, they would-manage
the money matters themselves. Another fear was
that it was intended to have a learned ministry,
to the exclusion of all those who were not so
learned. They assured us they had no such in-
tion.
The school was received under the patronage of
the Conference. From this Conference I had my
appointment to Little Ocmulgee Circuit, Eev.
James Norton, Presiding Elder. He was an ex¬
cellent preacher, a lovely, friendly, open, free and
familiar man; but his health declined so much that
he resigned his Presiding Eldership at the end of
that year. He continued in feeble health for sev¬
eral years; was then superannuated, and so con¬
tinued until death sounded a retreat from his la¬
bors, sufferings and warfare.
" Happy soul, thy days are ended,
All thy mourning days below ;
Go, by angel bands attended,
To the sight of Jesus go."
This was a three weeks' circuit, with about
eighteen appointments for one preacher, a sparse
population, societies small, rides long; some of the
people were industrious and made a comfortable
living; others were indolent and lived in log huts.
Reminiscences.
23
I laid many cold winter nights with the wind
pouring in on my head all night. What was still
worse, in windy weather the wind would take a
sweep down the chimney and bring plenty of
soot and lumps of clay into the cooking vessels,
which would mix with the victuals, and I must eat
that or nothing. This was extremely trying to one
in feeble health, with almost no appetite; this
was my case a greater part of the year. Another
serious difficulty when the days were short, was,
that the women were very slow in cooking; break¬
fast would be late, and the ride being long, I
would be so hard pushed to reach my appoint¬
ment in due time that my strength would be al¬
most exhausted, and I would be so nervous that
I could scarcely hold my book steady enough to
read my hymn. My success in receiving mem¬
bers into the church was tolerably good, every¬
thing considered; the people being few, having
very few books, some almost none, only four
local preachers, preaching but little out of the
bounds of their own neighborhood; the greater
part of the people dependent almost entirely on
the circuit preacher for what they knew of Bible
doctrine. I was informed of two men in different
parts of the circuit who swore profanely that
they would join the church, and performed their
oaths; being informed of this in relation to one
of them I did not register his name. The other
remained with us but a short time, when he was
dropped for bad conduct. This county is much
infested with swarms of flies during the summer,
which are a great torment to the horse and a
great annoyance to the rider.
I had a spell of the fever in the fall of this year,
and soon after I had got on my work again, I
attended our little camp-meeting on the side of
Oconee swamp—a strange location indeed for a
camp-ground. Just on the edge of the swamp was
Reminiscences.
a very large spring of blue limestone water—so
clear that the fish might be seen at a great depth.
It was believed that the water was good for per¬
sons in low health. We had a few conversions at
the meeting. Soon after the meeting was over,
while I was yet weak, I had an attack of the
measles; one day, attempting to preach at a pri¬
vate house, I became so sick I was compelled to
desist and lie down on the bed; here I remained
from Wednesday noon until Saturday morning,
and had all the kind attention from the family
that was necessary. Being some better by this
time, and not willing to remain a burden to the
poor people any longer, and also being very weary
lying on the thin bed laid on hard boards, I
mounted my horse and rode eleven miles, to Rev.
Jesse Stancel's; but being very weak, I got down
twice on the way and laid down on the wire grass
to rest. Having arrived at the hospitable dwel¬
ling of my dear old friend and brother, I rested
for the night on a soft feather bed, so that by
Sunday morning I was refreshed—went to class-
meeting and led the class. After this I got on my
regular work until the end of the year; and so
finished one of the hardest year's labor ever per¬
formed by me in the itinerancy; but my work is
with my God, and my reward is from Him. Amen.
I attended the Conference in Augusta, Febru¬
ary, 1822, at which Bishop George presided with
his usual dispatch. He urged on every member
of the Conference to attend to nothing but Con¬
ference business during the session of each day.
At this Conference I was ordained an elder, and
as well as I recollect, fifteen others, who were
traveling preachers, besides a number of local
preachers. As we were here on General Wash¬
ington's birth-day, there was a great firing of the
cannon. From this Conference I received my
appointment to Big Ocmulgee Circuit, which,
Reminiscences.
25
though a four weeks' circuit, had hut one preacher
this year: Rev. Allen Turner, Presiding Elder.
Brother Turner was so well and so extensively
known, that I need only say that he labored with
his usual zeal and faithfulness. This was a pleas¬
ant circuit, including the counties of Twiggs and
Wilkinson. Early in this year I engaged all the
societies in a covenant to fast every Friday until
the afternoon and pray for a revival of the work
of God in the circuit. This, I trust, was not in
vain. A goodly number were added to the church
this year. Our camp-meeting was owned and
blest of God, and a goodly number of souls were
happily converted. In our Quarterly Conference,
held in the preachers' tent, we were favored with
much of the divine presence. For myself I would
say, it was one of the happiest hours of my life.
I had another attack of fever this fall, and was
confined a short time. Being recovered, I labored
as usual until the close of the year. Thanks to
the God of my life who had brought me safely
through another year's labor! Amen.
I attended the Conference in Savannah, Feb¬
ruary, 1823, at which Bishop Roberts presided
with great dignity. At this Conference the mo¬
tion was made that we meet at nine o'clock, a. m.,
and given as a reason by the mover, that it being
the first Conference ever held in Savannah, the
people not being used to our early hour of meet¬
ing, at half-past eight o'clock, might not meet our
regulations. Dr. Hall warmly advocated our old
usage (82), and said, let the people of Savannah
know at our first Conference in the place that
we are working men. The motion, howevei', pre¬
vailed, and nine o'clock, a. m., fixed as the hour of
meeting. At a subsequent Confei*ence, one o'clock,
p. M., was fixed upon as the hour of adjournment,
so making the session for each day one hour
shorter than in former years. I never liked that
b
26
Reminiscences.
in my life. One day a subject was debated at
great length ; at last the vote was taken and the
case decided. The Bishop then said, I saw that
this case was ripe for the vote half an hour ago,
hut that brother has kept working at it all this
time. From this Conference I was appointed to
Little Ocmulgee Circuit. Mow for another hard
year's labor and affliction. I had two attacks of
fever this year—spring and fall. As my labor,
fare and success were nearly the same as in 1821,
it would be useless to repeat the incidents that
occurred. I will state, however, that we had two
camp-meetings this year, both in Telfair county,
which were owned and blessed of God—some souls
converted at each—and as well as I now recollect,
I received more into the church this year than in
1821. The most notable event th-at occurred du¬
ring this year was my marriage with Sarah Sut¬
ton, daughter of Benjamin Sutton, of Twiggs
county, on the evening of the 6th of May: cere-
mony performed by Rev. Henry Saxon. She was
truly a help-meet for me forty-three years and
nearly eight months; but now she rests from her
labors, and I am left to toil and suffer a little
longer. My wife remained with her father (a
widower) as housekeeper, until the end of that
year, and got her bread there. Happy for us both
that there was bread on her father's table, for
such was my extreme poverty, (receiving only
$75 00 on the circuit), I could not procure it for
her.
Having ended my year's labors on the circuit,
I was off to Conference in Charleston, February,
1824, where our beloved and venerable Bishop
George presided. We had a harmonious Confer¬
ence. There was an uncommon poverty among
preachers who had traveled poor circuits, so the
stewards of Conference settled with the deficient
preachers, at $39 50 in the hundred. When the
Reminiscences.
27
Bishop saw this, he said, Bishop Asbury had said,
" our poverty is our purity," and, said he, " I ex¬
pect some of us will be purified before long." I
thought the Bishop was to be pitied, for I per¬
ceived that he had a large rent in his coat at the
back of his shoulder.
At tlie close of the session, the Bishop held up
a purse of silver money with $11 00 in it, and
said he met a black woman in the street who
gave him that, and said she, " Give that to Je¬
sus," and asked the Conference how they would
dispose of it. One brother said, divide it among
the most needy preachers; but no preacher was
willing to tell how poor he was. One said here is
a young brother who has not money enough to
pay for the stabling of his horse, so he gave
him some of it; and finding out some others very
needy, he divided it out among them.
I received my appointment to the Wateree Cir¬
cuit, with Rev. Nathan P. Cook for my colleague,
and Rev. Henry Bass, Presiding Elder. And now I
was in a great strait; nry wife in Twiggs county,
Georgia, about two hundred and fifty miles from
my circuit, and no vehicle with which to convey
her there; the $75 00 received on my circuit, as
before stated, nearly all spent, and no deficiency
made up at Conference. What is to be done ?
My brother was going to Georgia to visit our
friends, so I got him to bring her along in his
traveling wagon.
I went directly from Charleston to Columbia,
and met brother Cook there. From thence we
traveled together very pleasantly to brother Law-
son's, North Carolina; there we separated and
each got on his own work.
One day, after preaching at a place nine miles
above Camden, I went down and met my wife
and brother there—he having to pass through
my circuit on his way to General Conference.
28
Reminiscences.
After our first quarterly meeting, (at which my
brother preached twice,) I got my wife settled in
the parsonage, in Mecklenburg county, North
Carolina, a small, but snug log house, with a
young woman with her for company in my ab¬
sence. Here at Prospect meeting-house I had the
pleasure of hearing brother Cook preach once a
month. Here also, we were favored with a gra¬
cious revival of the work of God, which resulted
in the addition of thirty members to the society.
As to the circuit in general, 1 have nothing to re¬
late, only the regular routine of labor, attended
with a moderate success in winning souls to
Christ.
Being healthy this year, I lost no time by af¬
fliction. Brother Cook was equally attentive to
his work. Our camp-meeting was a good one. I
doubt not we left the circuit in a healthy state.
While I was at a camp-meeting, twenty miles be¬
low Camden, the weather was so intensely hot
that a number of blacks were sun-struck (so I
heard) and died in the field. The mercury in the
thermometer rose to 106, in the shade, in Camden.
Having ended my year's labor, I was again in a
strait. I had bought a gig, but had a contrary
horse that would not work in it. I had tried all
round the circuit to trade him off, but being bound
in honesty to tell his faults, I could not succeed
until near the close of the year, when 1 drove a
trade with a young man, but soon found again
that I was in the lurch; the young man not giving
me the true character of his horse, I found I had
exchanged one contrary horse for another. I had
been preaching Abraham's faith to my wife; that
when Isaac lay bound on the altar, Abraham took
hold of the knife—one more moment and Isaac
will be slain had not God interposed; but a voice
says, Abraham! forbear; and a ram is provided
for an offering. Now my own faith is put to the
Reminiscences.
29
test: I am at brother Lawson's; my wife is here,
my gig is close by; I have a few more appoint¬
ments to attend, which would bring us to the low
end of the circuit; my plan is, to mount my horse
and take my wife up behind me, and travel until
I had finished my work, and trust in God to open
my way. We were bidding the family farewell,
and I took up my saddle-bags, but just at that
critical moment a circumstance occurred which
caused our delay for a short time. Brother Law-
son having sent his son a short distance, when he
returned, bringing my gig with him, he came in
and told me there was a man out there who wan¬
ted to trade horses with me. I went out imme¬
diately, and in a few minutes made the trade, and
by giving a little boot, got a valuable horse, put
him in my gig and moved off forthwith.
When I had finished my year's labor we came
on to Georgia, and as I did not attend the Con¬
ference, (which I think was held in Wilmington,
.North Carolina,) we remained with our friends
until I received my appointment to Warren Cir¬
cuit, 1825, with Bev. Benjamin Cordon for my
colleague, and Bev. Nicholas Talley, Presiding El¬
der. This was a very large, four weeks' circuit,
and though brother Cordon was an older preacher
than myself, yet he being a supernumerary, I had
charge. There being no parsonage in this circuit,
after a long delay and much difficulty I got board
for my wife at brother John Carr's, in Warren
county, which was a very pleasant home for her.
The circuit being large, and having but few rest
daj^s, the labor was considerable ; it was, however,
a pleasant circuit, and certainly a very important
one. We had about eight local preachers, several
exhorters and a large number of valuable lay
members. We had three camp-meetings this year,
in .Richmond, Columbia and Warren counties, at
each of which we were greatly^annoyed by cer-
30
Reminiscences.
tain lewd fellows of the baser sort, the last named
worst of all; but the work went on and souls were
converted to G-od. The accessions to the church
this jmar, although not very large, were never¬
theless respectable, so that dear brother Gordon
and myself could rejoice that our labors were not
in vain. Brother Gordon has long since gone to
his reward. Farewell, brother, until we meet
where parting will be no more. This year was
memorable for the visit of General LaFayette to
America. A splendid entertainment was given
him in Augusta. Having to attend an appoint¬
ment that day I did not go. My brother being
stationed in Augusta this year, was introduced to
the General and had the honor of dining with
him. The Conference was held in Milledgeville,
January, 1826, Bishop Soule presiding with great
dignity, who as a disciplinarian had few equals,
and, I think, no superiors. We had with us Br.
J. Emory, our book agent, from Hew York; also
Rev. J. Burbin, Agent for Augusta College, Ohio.
The latter was greatly admired for his eloquence.
After a harmonious session I received my appoint¬
ment to Satilla^ Circuit, Rev. George Hill, Presid¬
ing Elder. This was a three weeks' circuit for
one preacher, embracing the counties of Wayne,
Glynn and Camden, and a little on the border of
Florida. This was a very thinly inhabited country
and some of the rides extremely long—one of
eighty miles, another forty, another thirty, and
so on. There being no stationed preacher in St.
Mary's it was included in the circuit. Here the
society was greatly reduced—only eleven white
members and a few blacks. The societies in the
circuit were generally small. I got board for my
wife at father Sheffield's, on the bank of the Satil-
la river, a very pleasant home indeed. This coun¬
try was so fiat that in a wet season of the year
the water lay over the whole face of the ground,
Reminiscences.
SI
which made traveling very disagreeable. In my
first round, after breakfast at father Sheffield's,
I set out for Trader's Hill, a long and dreary ride,
having to cross Satilla river; the water was so
deep in the swamp it was near swimming.
I got to Clark's mill on Spanish creek; they
were turning loose water at such a rate, that the
road was covered some distance from the chan¬
nel of the creek, and I could not see the bridge;
so I tied my horse and went through the mill to
some negro houses, and gave a negro a dime to
bring over my horse. I then rode a mile further,
to Mr. Loyd's, (who kept a ferry on St. Mary's
river), it being now dark, I called for quarters.
Mr. Loyd told me it was a bad chance; his wife
sick and no one to do anything for me. I told
him I had not seen a white man's house in many
miles, it being now dark, and I knew not where
to go. So he consented for me to stay; and the
weary pilgrim found a place to lay his head,
without either dinner or supper. It is six miles
to Hopewell meeting-house, Florida; he thinks I
cannot get there without swimming my horse ;
society diminished by removals; some of the mem¬
bers live on this side (Georgia) ; so in the morn¬
ing I accepted Mr. Loyd's invitation to breakfast
with him; he then went with me to show me the
way to sister Jyson's, two miles distant. Here I
found a pious widow lady and three daughters,
members of our church, who gave me a hearty
welcome. Here I rested happy and contented
until the next morning, when I started for St.
Mary's, ftu*ty miles distant, leaving an appoint¬
ment at Trader's Hill for the next time.
At St. Mary's, I would go over into Florida in
a boat which they would send for me and preach
on Friday, in the afternoon, and also on Saturday,
which was the regular preaching day. Here the
Eev. James Hutto had held a two days' meeting a
82
Reminiscences.
little before my arrival on the circuit, at which a
gracious revival commenced, and continued all
the yeai*, resulting in the addition of more than
thirty members to the society, and doubtless
the number would have been much greater if
we could have had the people, but the country
was so very thinly inhabited that some of the
members lived sixteen miles from the church.
The excitement would generally commence in
singing the jirst hymn, and get very high, with
all the signs of fullness of joy. They had an ex¬
cellent leader, brother Thomas Reynolds; learned,
intelligent, pious and zealous, at whose house I
spent many happy hours. Here we had all our
night meetings; not appointed; no need of that;
the people would go where the preacher was.
Neither was it necessary for the preacher to com¬
mence the meeting; a few young persons would
begin to sing, a great excitement would com¬
mence, and sometimes, after being in bed and
asleep, they would awake me with their noise.
They expressed their joy mostly by laughing.
We had a tolerably good camp-meeting in
Wayne county; some conversions. BrotherHutto
and brother J. Bigby were the only local preach¬
ers in the circuit, both living in Glynn county;
both had been traveling preachers.
During summer, man and horse were greatly
annoyed by swarms of flies, musquitoes, and other
insects. As the amount I received on this circuit
was far below $200 00, it was very fortunate that
father Sheffield did not charge me anything for
the boai-d of my wife. "A friend in need is a
friend indeed."
Here our son, John Wesley, was born, who died
in Twiggs county, at the age of thirteen months
and four days. And now I have come through
another year of hard labor and privations; but
Reminiscences.
33
blessed be God, I have had much peace of mind,
and we have been blessed with good health.
On leaving the circuit, we spent nearly a week
with my cousin James Dunwody, in Mcintosh
county, two miles above Darien ; here, also, I had
the pleasure of meeting with cousin John Dun¬
wody and family, from Liberty county, who had
come to spend Christmas with his brother and
family. Cousin John and wife, and cousin James'
wife, were members of the Presbyterian Church.
In Darien, on Sabbath forenoon we heard a ser¬
mon from Kev. Henry Pratt, from Isaiah iii: 10.
I gave them another sermon in the afternoon,
from Luke xix: 41, 42.
From thence, after a travel of about one hun¬
dred and sixty miles, we arrived among our friends
in Twiggs county. I have now traveled four
circuits since my marriage, and only found one
parsonage, and my wife's situation was so very
disagreeable, and going to a strange circuit, with¬
out a home to go to, I resolved to settle her in
a home of our own, and having made arrange¬
ments for doing so, I was off to Conference in
Augusta, January, 1827. Bishop McKendree and
Bishop Soule were both there. It was there that
I heard Bishop Soule's admirable sermon on the
"Law of Liberty," from James i: 25, and I
thought if I had had no other business at Au¬
gusta than to hear that sermon, I was well paid
for going a distance of one hundred and twenty
miles.
Being through the business of Conference, I re¬
ceived my appointment the third time to Little
Ocmulgee Circuit. On my return from Confer¬
ence, I found my little family in the house built
by myself for my mother, in her lifetime, having
undergone some repairs. We are now to begin
house-keeping, without chair or table; and what
was worse, money nearly exhausted. Having an
Reminiscences.
old negro man, I bought a mare, to cultivate a
small farm, for $75 00, depending upon the collec¬
tions on the circuit to pay for her; so it took
every dollar received on the circuit to pay for the
mare, and now where are the table expenses to
come from. It so happened that my brother-in-
law, B. A. Saxon, was in my debt a small amount,
so I got a scant supply of provisions from him,
and a present of a cart load of corn from a kind
neighbor; and having bought a table and half a
dozen chairs, and a little sugar and coffee, we had
a prospect of living, with the most rigid economy,
and such it had to be, to all intents and purposes.
To add to our distress, a thief broke into our
smoke-house one night and took nearly all our
meat. I had no money to buy any more; we
must now do without the greater part of the
year. Having sold a set of Benson's Commenta¬
ries, in Florida, while on Satilla Circuit, and not
receiving pay for them, but settled with the Pre¬
siding Elder for them, at the old price, twenty-
five dollars, I was that much out of pocket;
this added very much to our other distresses. I
was so hard pressed with want, that I took a
journey all the way to Florida, in hopes I might
get the money due me. When I arrived at the
house of my dear friend, T. Beynolds, he was
kind enough to send a boy with a note to Mr. H.,
sixteen miles distant, requesting him to send me
the money, but the boy returned with the woeful
news that he had not the money on hand. So I
had to return home with a sorrowful heart, to
meet poverty like an armed man. The money
was sent to me at the next Conference, but the
price having been reduced by our book agents, I
lost several dollars. I loaned five dollars to a
brother in the circuit to keep his family from suf¬
fering, which he never paid. And now, reader,
do you not think I had need of Abraham's faith?
Reminiscences.
35
As to my labors, privations and sufferings this
year, they were so exactly similar to those of for¬
mer years I will not trouble the reader with
them. My success was less than in former years.
Rev. G. Hill, Presiding Elder, was a valuable
preacher, a man of strong mind; preaching plain,
practicable, pointed, explanatory and argumen-
tive sermons. He patiently shared with his fel¬
low-laborers in their privations and sufferings.
He has long since gone to his reward.
Sueh was my situation that I did not attend
the Conference in January, 1828, which was held
in Camden, South Carolina, from which I had
my appointment to Upson Circuit—Rev. William
Arnold, Presiding Elder. This was a pleasant
two weeks' circuit, embracing Upson and part of
Crawford county. It was the first year of its ex¬
istence as a separate circuit. It had been part of
Monroe (afterwards Forsyth) Circuit, and was a
full day's ride from my home in Twiggs county.
Our Baptist brethren had great success in Up¬
son county, for more than half the year baptizing
from a half-dozen to a dozen at every monthly
meeting, at which they became so elated that
some began to prophecy that the Methodists
would fall and come to nothing in three years.
We now see that this was not a divinely inspired
prophecy, for after a lapse of forty years, the
Methodists are not extinct. Mr. Wesley said he
"did not fear that they ever would cease to exist
as a denomination; his only fear was, that they
would degenerate into a dead formality." My
success in the early part of the year was small,
but more prosperous in the latter part of the year.
Our camp-meeting was owned and blessed of God.
A goodly number of souls found peace in believ¬
ing. Local preachers—old brother Waller, Jesse
Sinclair, A. P. Edwards, (brothers S. and E. had
been traveling preachers), Eli Bennett and Green
36
Reminiscences.
Cousins. This year was remarkable for a severe
cold about the 25th of April; the ground was
frozen hard. "Wheat was so badly killed that a
great many fanners did not save seed.
On the 18th November of this year, my wife
gave birth to two children, whom we named Sam¬
uel Newton and James Norton. The former is
still living, the latter died in Crawford county,
April 23d, 1854; he had joined the church and
was converted at camp-meeting, September, 1853.
My place in Twiggs county proving very sickly,
and having drawn a piece of land, in the lottery,
in Crawford county, I determined on moving my
family there, in consequence of which, I did not
attend the Conference, in Charleston, in 1829, but
received my appointment to Houston Circuit,
Eev. Joseph P. Andrew, my colleague, Eev. Jo-
siah Evans, Presiding Elder. Brother Evans was
a man of small talents, with but a small stock of
knowledge, with no great variety of entertain¬
ing matter, and a poor disciplinarian ; he did not
at all times respect the feelings of the preachers
under his charge. Brother Andrew, on the con¬
trary, was a man of kindly feelings, a pleasant
companion ; in preaching, he was a son of thun¬
der; was admired for his fast speaking, doubt¬
less leaving the thinking powers of his hearers far
in the rear. He had but a small stock of knowl¬
edge, which, I think, was nearly exhausted in six
months. He continued on the circuit the remain¬
der of the year with reluctance, often preaching
the same sermons, but to different congregations.
He doubtless had a mind capable of large im¬
provement, if he had applied himself diligently
to reading and study. Those two brethren have
long since gone to their reward.
As nothing remarkable occurred in the circuit
during the year, I will simply state that we went
on with our regular routine of labor, and our
Reminiscences.
37
labor was not in vain in the Lord. We had one
camp-meeting in Houston, and another in Dooly
county, at each of which a number of souls were
converted.
I attended the Conference in Columbia, South
Carolina, January, 1830. Bishop Soule presided.
There being much business in Conference, it con¬
tinued in session ten days. At this session we
divided the South Carolina Conference, and made
a Georgia Conference, including Florida. I was
appointed to Ocmulgee Circuit, with Dev. George
A. Chapel for my fellow-laborer. He loved the
work, and was faithful and useful in it. He was
fervent in spirit, and generally well received—
a brother beloved.
Circumstances of a painful character occurred
in the circuit this year. Three of our local
preachers (I forbear to name them) seceded from
our church and joined the reformers, (Methodist
Protestant Church); two of them were so back-
sliden that they could do no harm ; but the other,
having stood fair in our church up to the time of
leaving it, did us great injury. He took off one
whole society of thirteen members, including the
leader, and, as we had no deed to the meeting¬
house, he took that also. At another society,
some larger, he got the greater part, though some
came back to us. At another society, still larger,
he got about half. His own brother, who was
one of our faithful leaders, told me I "must come
out publicly and defend the church." I told him
I intended to do so in case they made a violent
attack. He said it was made now. So I began
that day at his church (Mt. Zion) with the inten¬
tion of making a defense in every society in the
circuit; but when I had gone a little more than
half way round the circuit, I found all the other
part of the circuit in peace. This war was the
more painful to me, as it was a war against breth-
38
Reminiscences.
ren with whom I had been long acquainted, and
with whom I had often taken sweet counsel, and
we had walked to the house of God in company.
"We had had many happy seasons together at
camp, quarterly and other meetings. My method
of defending the church was to give a simple, un¬
varnished explanation of those parts of the disci¬
pline which they had grossly misrepresented.
This so perfectly satisfied our people that the
reformers could not make another proselyte the
whole year. From this time the good work went
on, and our labors were owned and blessed of God,
so that our ranks were replenished, and I think
we had some net increase.
The first Georgia Conference was held in Ma¬
con, January, 1831, and having no Bishop, Rev.
Thomas Samford was chosen to preside. When
we were through with the business of Conference,
I received my appointment to Liberty Circuit,
with Tilman D. Purifoy for my fellow-laborer. He
was a gifted young man—zealous, useful, and an
agreeable traveling companion. This appoint¬
ment was a great affliction to my feelings, and a
still greater distress to my wife, it being one hun¬
dred and twenty miles from home to the nearest
part of the circuit, which was eighty miles long,
including Tatnall, Liberty, and parts of Mont¬
gomery, Bryan, Emanuel and Mcintosh counties.
I am now to visit my family only once in three
months, on an average, through the year, and
this at a time when I was acquainted with veiy
few of my nearest neighbors, and doubtless might
have been as useful near home; besides this, the
solitary condition of my family—not visited nor
cared for by the preachers on the Forsyth Cir¬
cuit.
I labored on this circuit until our first quarterly
meeting came on—the last Saturday and Sabbath
in March—at which I received all of four dollars.
Reminiscences.
39
The meeting being over, I started to visit my
family, one hundred and thirty miles distant—
two rivers to cross, ferriage twelve and a half
cents. My horse became lame on the way, which
rendered it a wearisome drag to get home; but I
had the pleasure of finding my family well. I re¬
mained at home but a few days, spent one Sab¬
bath with my family, but must be in my circuit
by the next Sabbath ; so I set out on my horse,
still lame, a distance of one hundred and twenty
miles, with twelve and a half cents in my pocket
to pay my ferriage across two rivers, leaving
$3 75 with my family to support them until next
July. Having acquaintances on the way, with
whom I could lodge, I was at no expense until I
crossed the Oconee river. Then being out of the
range of my acquaintances, and having crossed a
deep creek, which came near swimming my horse,
1 dined on half allowance, taken from my saddle¬
bags, about noon on Saturday, and realized the
truth of the old adage, that "half a loaf is better
than no bread." I traveled until a little after
sundown, and having no money to pay for a
night's lodging, I stopped with a traveler who
had just kindled his camp-fire by the roadside.
Here, having nothing for myself or horse to eat,
I let him loose to graze on the wiregrass, but he
soon began to be troublesome about the man's
tent, so I had to tie him up; the man gave him a
bundle of fodder.
Early in the morning I saddled and mounted
my horse, and after a hard ride, I reached my
Sabbath appointment by twelve o'clock, it being
then the usual time to begin worship. I found
the congregation waiting, and after preaching to
them as well as I could, 1 retired to a house near
the church and partook of a comfortable repast,
which was, indeed, very acceptable, not having
eaten anything in twenty-five hours. This was
40
Reminiscences.
a Presbyterian (log) church ; being poor, and hav¬
ing no pastor, they requested my predecessor,
brother Jackson, to take it in the circuit and give
them preaching. He did so, and I think about
half of them became members of our church; the
others said " they did not wish to leave their own
church," but were as regular attendants at church
as any of our own members: coming from five to
six miles, the old people riding on horseback and
the young people walking. This was mostly a
Scotch settlement.
Our second quarterly meeting was held at Ea-
son's meeting-house; was a good meeting, and
resulted in the addition of a goodly number to
the church. After this, I again visited my fam¬
ily, and remained with them until after the birth
of my son, Joseph Benson, July 14th, and then
returned to my circuit. We had two camp-meet¬
ings—one in Tatnall, the other in Liberty county;
some souls converted at each. We also held a
three days' meeting at the "Sand Hills," which,
being protracted, continued fourteen days, and
resulted in the conversion of twenty souls. This
was a free meeting-house. We had with us bro¬
ther Evans, Presiding Elder; Rev. Daniel Baker,
pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Savannah ;
the Rev. Mr. Law and his son, both Baptist min¬
isters. The preachers could not remain with them
all the time, having other engagements, but the
meeting was carried on by zealous and gifted lay¬
men. Such was my extreme poverty this year,
that I had to appear in the pulpit in tattered gar¬
ments, patched until they would bear patching
no more.
I remember only tbree local preachers on this
circuit, father Eason, brother Strickland, and
brother Alexander Gordon. The former died this
year, an old man and full of days; the last words
he uttered were " Glory to God." He was of a
Reminiscences.
Dutch decent, had lived in Tatnall county, and
preached to the people a good many years before
any circuit was formed there ; but at last the Dev.
Angus McDonald was sent and succeeded in form¬
ing a Circuit there, then called the Ohoopie Cir¬
cuit. Brother Gordon was employed this year to
form a new circuit in a destitute portion of the
country, to be called Canoochy Circuit, and after
this entered the traveling connection. Having
been so great a portion of the year absent from
my family, and having very little money, I did
not attend the Conference, but received my ap¬
pointment to Harris Circuit, 1832, Eev. A. H.
Mitchell my fellow-laborer. As brother Mitchell
is so well and so extensively known, I will say he
did a faithful year's work, and doubtless was
eminently useful. This year was memorable for
the death of Eev. Thomas Darley—that aged,
venerable and talented man of God. His health
having failed in so great a degree his name was
put on the superannuated list at the late Confer¬
ence. He, with his family, had just got moved
from Jefferson county into Harris county a little
before I arrived on the circuit. The weather be¬
ing extremely cold, and he being near his end,
his friends having failed to get his house built as
was expected, he was kindly received into the
house of brother Hiram Eeid until his house could
be built. As soon as his log-house was finished
but before it was ceiled, (the weather yet very
cold) he moved into it; as soon as he could, had it
ceiled with boards rived out for that purpose. I
visited him one clear but cold day, found him sit¬
ting in his chair by the side of a good fire. He
conversed cheerfully; he said to me, " brother
Dunwody, I am truly a superannuated man." I said
you certainly are. He requested me to feel his
backbone—he was almost a living skeleton. He
said, " the Conference has several times designed
Reminiscences.
putting my name on the superannuated list, but I
would not consent to it because I was not worn
out, but now," said he, "I am worn out, and I
accept that relation thankfully." Our first quar¬
terly meeting was held at Mount Zion, in his im¬
mediate neighborhood. He had requested that
the elements should be brought and the sacrament
of the Lord's Supper administered to him at his
own house. This was omitted on account of the
coldness of the weather. At this omission he was
much grieved. As I did not see brother Darley
at that time until the quarterly meeting was over,
the request was not made to me; had it been, no
coldness of the weather would have prevented
me from attending to it.
Brother Darley was a powerfully awakening
preacher. When, in addressing a large audience,
he handled the Law, smoking and blazing from
Mount Sinai, the arrows went abroad, and many
a stiff-necked and hard-hearted sinner was made
to quail before the convincing power of truth.
He also well knew how to point the stricken sin¬
ner to the healing Saviour:
11 Deep wounded by the spirit's sword,
And then by Gilead's balm restored."
I honestly believe he will have as many stars in
his crown as any preacher we have ever had
among us, the venerable Hope Hull not excepted.
Happy soul! he rests from his loved toil, and his
works follow him. We had two camp-meetings
in the circuit this year—one in Harris county and
the other in Talbot county—which were success¬
ful in an ordinai'y degree. Our labors this year
were blessed in a good measure, with some in¬
crease in the membership.
Among the local preachers in this circuit, was
the Rev. Charles Fisher, (who had been a travel¬
ing preacher,) living in Talbot county; increasing
Reminiscences.
43
in "wealth, hut, as I charitably believe, living and
preaching the true gospel. Our Presiding Elder
this year was Rev. Andrew Hamill; he is so well
known, he needs no encomiums from me. He
has long since gone to his reward.
The Conference for the ensuing year was held
in LaGrange, at which Bishop Andrew presided.
Here we were visited by two College Agents,
Bev. John Early, (now Bishop,) from Randolph
Macon College; the other, the Bev. William Mc-
Mahon, from LaGrange College, in North Ala¬
bama. Our Conference decided to endow a pro¬
fessorship in Randolph Macon College, at a cost
of $10,000 00, (afterwards raised to $20,000 00,)
and invited them to send an agent to raise collec¬
tions. Brother Early urged the Conference to
appoint an agent from its own body. To this it
was objected—we had no man to spare. Brother
Early said "this was a new thing in Methodism,
that men could not be found to do all the work
that needed to be done." He further said, " this
thing of an itinerant car, on local wheels, was a
thing he did not understand." This made some
of our preachers look hard at him, for they had
already introduced a kind of local itinerancy,
moving in a narrow circle around their local resi¬
dences.
From this Conference I was appointed to labor
on Lee Mission, in Lee, Sumter and Marion coun¬
ties, Rev. John Howard, Presiding Elder. There
was but one local preacher in the mission, living
in Marion county, in the upper corner of the mis¬
sion, and one exhorter, living in Sumter county,
so I had almost no ministerial help. The preacher
was Rev. David N. Burkhalter, who had been a
traveling preacher. The exhorter was brother
Glass, who afterwards became a preacher, but has
now gone to his reward. We had no meeting¬
house in Americus; it was a new place; I preached
JReminiscences.
part of the time in a private house, and part of
the time in a small log house, which was used as
a Court-house also. There was no framed house
in the place. How great was the contrast be¬
tween what it was then, and what it was when I
was there at the Conference, in 1856. We had
one camp-meeting in Sumter county, at which
a few persons were converted. Though my suc¬
cess was small, we had, I think, some net in¬
crease of members in the mission. It was forty
miles from home to the nearest appointment in
the mission. Brother Howard was so well and
extensively known that I need only say he atten¬
ded to his work with his usual diligence and faith¬
fulness. Blessed man! he doubtless rests in Abra¬
ham's bosom! Amen!
At the close of the year I started to reach
the Conference, which was held in Washington,
Wilkes county, and at which Bishop Emory pre¬
sided. But there having been a heavy fall of
snow and a hard freeze, and my horse much worn
down traveling on the mission, and being in com¬
pany with John D. and G-eorge A. Chappel, they
advised me to return back home and they would
attend to my business in Conference. I did so,
and received my appointment to McDonough Cir¬
cuit, 1884; Bev. Anderson Ray, in charge; Rev.
Charles Hardy, Presiding Elder. The circuit in¬
cluded all of Butts, and parts of Henry and New¬
ton counties.
On leaving home I had a ride of between fifty
and sixty miles to reach my appointment in the
circuit. I was often so wearied with those long
rides that I could not rest at night until a lato
hour; this was putting my little bodily strength
to a severe test, but these with all other labors,
privations and sufferings dwindle into perfect in¬
significance in comparison with the immortal in¬
terest of thousands of souls for whom Christ shed
Reminiscences.
his most precious blood. I could only spend from
three to four days in a month with my family. But
for all this I was more favored in my appointment
this year than I had been for a good many of my
former appointments. This was a healthy country,
good water; rides in the circuit not very long. I
suffered some difficulty (as was common with me)
in the way of support, but not so largely deficient
as at other times. Our labors this year were owned
and blessed of God in a good degree. We had
a revival in McDonough, in which a goodly num¬
ber of young persons were converted; had three
camp-meetings, at each of which souls were con¬
verted. Brother Bay was a man of sterling worth,
a man of good mind—plain and simple in his
preaching, but a sound divine, and very profitable
to his hearers—a good disciplinarian, had been
blamed for being too stern and rigid, but not
so when I had the honor of being his fellow-
laborer ; his administration was as mild as it ought
to have been. He was a very agreeable fellow-
laborer, but he has gone to receive the welcome
plaudit: " well done good and faithful servant, en¬
ter thou into the joy of thy Lord."
Our Conference was held in Savannah for 1835,
Bishop Andrew presided; we had a very interest¬
ing session, which was memorable in the annals
of our Conferences by the consecration and ap¬
pointment of our dear brother Barton to the
African Mission. He was ordained Deacon and
Elder by Bishop Andrew. I think it might be
said of that dear man of G-od, as was said of his
Master, "The zeal of thy house hath eaten me
up." I was informed that when all the members
of his father's family hung round him with tears,
pleading with him not to leave them, it took hold
of all the sympathies of his nature, but still the
language of his soul was: Oh! Africa, how can I
give thee up. He went, and after laboring suo-
46
Reminiscences.
cessfully for a time, (I know how long) he ended
his life and labors in that far oif land. The king
of the land thought it a great honor to be pres¬
ent when brother Barton was instructing those
sable Africans. One day, when he was catechis¬
ing children, he asked the question, How ought
children to behave toward their parents? And told
them how to answer the question. The king spoke
to his own son, and said, "Dat be good for you,
you bad boy, you no mind daddjq you no mind
mammy." We trust our dear brother Barton will
have many stars in his crown of rejoicing in the
day of the Lord Jesus. From this Conference I
was appointed to travel on Forsyth Circuit, Rev.
James E. Evans in charge, Rev. William J. Parks,
Presiding Elder. This was a very important and
pleasant circuit, including Munroe, Crawford and
part of Bibb counties. A populous and healthy
country—rides not very long. Some others had
complained of the hardness of the labors on this
circuit, but to me it was like a year's rest. Here,
for the first time since I settled my family, (in
1827,) I had my home in my circuit. Here brother
Evans and myself, like true 3Toke-fellows, labored
pleasantly, and I trust, successfully. As I never
kept a journal, and having to state everything
from memory, I cannot say what our success
was. We had two or three camp-meetings, at
which a goodly number of souls were converted.
This was the most prosperous year with me in
the way of support which I ever had. I received,
including table expenses, $898 00 in current money.
According to the best, of my recollection I never
received as much as that in any other year. This
was the first time in my life that I received my
table expenses over my quarterage. Here I met
with a number of my old friends, at whose houses
I found a very pleasant home in Cedar Creek Cir¬
cuit in 1819; of this number was the venerable
Reminiscences.
Moses Mathews, who had been a Presiding Elder,
Rev. Arthur Redding, and several others of the
Redding family, my dear friend, Dr. James My-
rick, and his dear family, and his dear mother-in-
law, sister Flewellen, and my no less dear brother,
Tarply Holt, and his precious family, also his son,
Dr. Holt, and family. These were some of the
excellent ones of the earth. But the greater part
of them are now resting in Abraham's bosom. I
could name many others who were holy persons.
The kindness of many friends in this circuit is to
this moment deeply engraven on the tablet of my
heart.
The Conference for 1836 was held in Macon,
Bishop Andrew in the chair. At this time our
daughter, Susanna Newton, was born. I left be¬
fore the session closed, but received my appoint¬
ment to Knoxville Circuit, in Crawford and Bibb
counties, a two weeks' circuit taken from the
Forsyth Circuit. About this circuit I have but
little to say. Although my success was not great,
yet my labors were not in vain. Being an easy
circuit, and my home in it, I visited delinquent
members in person and admonished them. At the
last quarterly meeting the Conference requested
that they should be put back to Forsyth Circuit,
which was done, and no doubt was best so, as the
official members were so neglectful in attending
the Quarterly Conferences, they had need of others
to do their business for them.
Our Conference for 1837 was held in Columbus.
Bishop Andrew being sick, Rev. W. J. Parks pre¬
sided most of the time. The people of Columbus
were remarkably kind and liberal; they made up
the deficiencies of all the laboring preachers in
the Conference.
I received my appointment to McDonough Cir¬
cuit ; Rev. A. T. Mann my colleague; Rev. Isaac
Boring, Presiding Elder. The circuit this year
48
Reminiscences.
included all of Henry and Butts counties, and did
not extend into Newton county, as formerly. We
had some valuable local preachers: Drs. F. E.
Manson, Samuel and David Daily; Revs. James
and Dempsey Clayton, Nathan Talley, — Craw¬
ford ; also Rev. Waddell Johnson, who had been
a traveling preacher in Virginia Conference a
good many years; he was a man of much energy
and a very successful preacher. His death, which
happened a good many years after this, was i'e-
markable for its suddenness—(which I will relate
as I heard it.) On Sunday morning, being just
about to start to his appointment, he suddenly
felt unwell and laid down on the bed to rest, and
in a few minutes his spirit passed from its clay
tenement into Abraham's bosom. How applica¬
ble to him were those lines of Mr. Wesley:
"My body with my charge lay down
And cease at once to work and live."
Here I had the pleasure of meeting with some
of my old friends from North Carolina. Here
were the Stillwells, and some others, among whom
were Peter and Joseph Wolf, who were set to
mind the sheep, (they were class-leaders), and the
flock prospered under their watchful care. We
were honored with the presence and faithful la¬
bors of Bishop Andrew, at McDonough camp-
meeting, which I doubt not were made a blessing
to the people; had a good camp-meeting, and our
labors on the circuit were blessed in a good de¬
gree. Brother Boring and brother Mann being so
well and extensively known, 1 need say nothing
more about them.
The Conference for 1888 was held in Athens—
Bishop Morris in the chair. Here I had the
pleasure of boarding with my dear old friend,
sister King; she was a loud Methodist—would
sometimes exhort and pray in public. She was
Reminiscences.
an aged pilgrim, but still steadfast in the faith. I
was appointed to travel on Zebulon and Fayette-
ville Circuit; Eev. John Taylor my colleague;
Bev. William Arnold, Presiding Elder. The cir¬
cuit included Pike and Fayette counties, a pleas¬
ant and healthy country. Our labors were blessed
in a good degree. Brother Taylor was a studious
young man and agreeable traveling companion.
We had two camp-meetings this year, at both of
which the gracious displays of the divine power
was manifested; and a good many souls were con¬
verted.
This year my mind was much exercised about
locating, for the following reasons : I found, by
long experience, that it was the pleasure of the
appointing power to keep me almost all the time
a long way from home, spending but from, three
to four days in a month with my family—was
almost a stranger to my own children—my fam¬
ily not visited and my children instructed by the
traveling preachers, and my business badly man¬
aged by an old and careless negro. I conversed
with a good many experienced members of our
church on this subject, and was surprised to find
that they all disapproved of my intention. They
said I was one of the old-fashioned preachers—
that we had but few of them remaining—that it
was important, and for the good of the church, to
keep those few in the work as long as possible. I
told them I was powerless, there being a popular
influence against me. They still insisted it was
important to keep those few in the work as long
as possible. I was still more surprised when, in
conversing with a pious Baptist lady, I told her
of my intention of locating, she said "she thought
it would not be right—thought I ought to con¬
tinue in the work." I also told brother Arnold my
intention of locating; he said but little about it.
Conference in Eatonton, Putnam county; Bishop
C
50
Reminiscences.
Andrew in the chair; 1839. Rev. Thomas Mason,
book agent, was with us, with whom I settled my
book account. We had a love-feast on Sunday-
morning. Brother Mason opened the meeting,
which was a very interesting one; the time all
occupied by speakers in quick succession; the
speaking was lively and animating. Among the
speakers was the aged and venerable Jackson
Harwell, who, according to his established cus¬
tom, told us the number of camp-meetings he had
attended. I do not remember the exact number,
but think it was not less than one hundred and
seventy, which custom got him the harmless
name of "Old Hundred."
At this Conference, when my name was called,
I asked for a location, without giving my reasons
for so doing, which I would willingly have done
if any brother had asked me to do so. I knew
that they had been urgent on some other brethren
who had asked for a location, to give their rea¬
sons for so doing. I had served the church with
hard labor for twenty-two years; was always
among the first to enter on my labor at the be¬
ginning of the year, and among the last to leave
it at the end of the year. The Conference de¬
cided, in consideration of my long continued
labors, not to give me a location, but gave me a
superannuated relation, that I might have a claim
for some support on the funds of the Conference.
When informed of this decision, I told Bishop
Andrew I did not want that relation, for the rea¬
son that I was in good health and able to labor;
that if they retained me in the traveling connec¬
tion I wished to have work assigned me; but the
Conference would not alter their decision ; so I
went home and did a hard year's labor in my
farm, taking time now and then to hold a two
days' meeting at a distance from home, and so
losing time from labor in my farm, the grass got
Reminiscences.
51
very strong and made our labor harder; but by
the blessing of God, we made a comfortable sup¬
port.
The Conference for 1840 was held in Augusta;
Bishop Morris in the chair. Brother James A.
Everett and Colonel Campbell having applied to
have a missionary sent to preach to their colored
people, with promise of $100 00 for his support,
with my cordial consent I was appointed to that
work—then called Fort Yalley and Flint .River
Mission. So I went to work and formed the mis¬
sion ; got four preaching places—two plantations
belonging to brother Everett, one above Fort
Yalley, the other near Hog Crawl Creek, near
which was Col. Campbell's plantation; another
place at brother Russel Flewellen's, on Flint river.
Such was my success that I received into the
church a large majority of the people to whom I
preached ; so that at brother Everett's request, I
continued on the mission five years in succession.
The greater part of them gave evidence of a genu¬
ine work of grace, by the scripture mark, " By
their fruits ye shall know them." One important
advantage in preaching to them separately was
in adapting our discourses to their capacity of un¬
derstanding, in plainness and simplicity. I would
sometimes utter a word which I knew they did
not understand, but would always explain its
meaning. This I did to improve them, and from
long acquaintance with them, found they did im¬
prove. I found some superstition among them,
but which the light of the gospel (the only reme¬
dy) succeeded in removing. During the five years
in which I labored among them there were seve¬
ral very triumphant deaths—one of which I will
notice here. A man, whose name was Dempsey,
could read, had a bible, testament and hymn-
book—in his last illness was attended by Dr.
Ball, (a pious member of our church), who said it
52
Reminiscences.
was the most triumphant death he had ever wit¬
nessed. He united with his brethren who sur¬
rounded his dying bed in singing the hymn ending :
"That when Thou comest on Thy throne,
I may with joy appear."
With the last words of the hymn he sung out his
last breath, and sweetly passed into the rest that
remains for the people of God.
In 1845 my name was again put on the super¬
annuated list, without my consent or approbation.
As is well known, the funds of our Conference are
always small, and do not afford a sufficient sup¬
port to the superannuated preacher. I was driven
to the necessity of hard labor on my farm—such
as splitting rails, mending fences, cutting, rolling
and burning old logs, etc. This brought on me a
kind of spasms, which made it impossible for me
to sleep at night until long after midnight, from
which I was relieved by the kind attention of
Rev. Dr. McGehee and Dr. Coleman.
From 1846 to 1848 I labored on the Ocmulgee
Mission, with considerable success.
I was appointed to Fort Valley Circuit, 1849,
with eleven preaching places, going round every
two weeks—Rev. J. W. Glenn, Presiding Elder.
Having been employed on colored missions, I had
not been on a circuit for ten years. I was sur¬
prised to find that discipline had gone down, and
had been but little attended to. I found, on sev¬
eral class books, names of persons who had been
dead to the church for several years. I did what
I could to revive discipline; but it required more
than one year to do that. I was seriously afflict¬
ed, this year, with a nervous disorder; so that I
did very little labor on the circuit in July and
August. Part of this time my place was supplied
by Rev. John Fulwood, a faithful man, and an old
and well tried friend. He has long since gone to
Reminiscences.
53
realize the glories of the heavenly world ; hut has
left his son on the walls of Zion, proclaiming salva¬
tion to perishing sinners. Recovering from my af¬
fliction by the first of September, I resumed my la¬
bors and served the church regularly and efficient¬
ly until the end of the year, when, at the Confer¬
ence in Marietta, I was again put down and my
name entered on the list of superannuated preach¬
ers. Prom that time until now, being sometimes up
and sometimes down, what remains of my history,
I think, cannot be interesting to common readers,
except a brief and passing notice. Part of this
time I sustained an effective relation to the Con¬
ference, and by appointment, labored successfully
oji the Everett, Ocmulgee and Hawkinsville
Methodist Colored Missions; success not so good
as in former years. Then, at the Rome Confer¬
ence, Bishop Kavanaugh in the chair, I received
my appointment to the Isabella Mission; Rev.
Thomas B. Lanier, my colleague; Rev. J. T. Turn¬
er, Presiding Elder. Here some of the preachers
tried to make out that I was a worn-out preacher;
but, behold, when my appointment came out, the
man of seventy years was sent to a mission forty
miles from home, extending into five counties,
viz: JDooly, Worth, Dougherty, Irwin and Wil¬
cox—a sparse population, rides extremely long,
and fare rough and hard. I honestly believe it
was the hardest appointment in the Conference.
Brother Lanier got board in the Mission, whereas
every visit I made to my family, cost me a ride of
eighty miles.
Prom the best calculation I could make, my
traveling this year (including a visit to my brother
in Louisiana) was not less than five thousand
miles; lost no appointment, attended strictly to
discipline, class-meeting, and visiting from house
to house, and felt warmly attached to the dear
people with whom I labored.
5/f Reminiscences.
The Conference for 1861 was held in Augusta,
Bishop Pierce in the chair. Although my health
and strength were not impaired by the hard labor
of the past year, yet the hue and cry was again
gotten up in the Conference against the " old
man," it being insisted that he was worn-out.
Let the reader judge if a worn-out preacher could
do all the traveling (a great part of it on horse-
hack) and labors which I did the past year. It
reminds me of a man I heard of who murdered
the King's English. He said, " Some people are
made up of such a strange compredunction, that
when once they got a compinion of a thing, there
was no consequencing them." Despite this hue
and cry, my effective relation was continued, and
I was appointed to Jeffersonville Circuit, Rev. 1ST.
B. Ousley in charge; Rev. L. B. Payne, Presiding
Elder. This was a distressing appointment to
me; for the reason, that there was not work
enough to do. Think of it, reader, two preachers
on a little circuit, with only nine preaching jfiaces,
on the slow Sunday preaching plan—going round
once in eight weeks. They tell us you need not
be idle—visit from house to house. I did more of
this than any other preacher of my acquaintance ;
still I was too idle. Think of this, the preacher
remaining in one neighborhood a whole week,
preaching only on Saturday and Sunday, the white
population thin ; of course but few places to go to.
I went to every house, but one, where I was in¬
vited, and to some places where I was not in¬
vited; but the coldness of my reception at such
places rendered me very uneasy all the time I
remained with them. This being the first year
of the war, the peoples' minds were so absorbed
in matters of that sort, that often we could get
no congregation on Saturday. But this was my
last year in the regular itinerant work. At the
next Conference I was made superannuated, in
Reminiscences.
55
name—only in name. I have never been a worn-
out preacher in my life. This is a fact well known
to all the old preachers in the Conference. I am
now in the seventy-ninth year of my age, and, by
the blessings of God, enjoy good health, generally.
Preaching is no labor to me. At one protracted
meeting, this year, (1868), I preached six sermons
in five days and nights. At another 1 preached
six sermons in four days and nights, without
weariness. Many of our younger preachers com¬
plain heavily if they preach from two to "three
times a week.
I now close with a few reflections: This year
(1868) closes the fifty-second year since 1 entered
the itinerant field. I had not much physical
strength; but what I had was severely tested, I
think more so than any other preacher in the
Georgia Conference. I have truly borne the bur¬
den and heat of the day. And here I record my
bumble and unfeigned gratitude to my Heavenly
Father for his wonderful kindness to me, in pre¬
serving me in the midst of so many dangers
through which he has brought me.
As has been before stated, thirteen of us were
admitted on trial at the same time. Of this num¬
ber, I think not less than nine have ended their
warfare and are at rest with Jesus. My constitu¬
tion, though not strong, was inured to labor and
hardship, and so fitted for endurance, and J think
also, for resisting the attacks of disease, or recov¬
ering from disease when attacked. Had it not
been for this, 1 think I would have been in the
grave long ago.
I have never been a revivalist, in the modern
acceptation of the word, neither have I desired
to be. 1 have seen, in many revivals, that the
work was too superficial—and consequently of
short duration. I once heard Rev. Joseph Tarply,
when preaching at a camp-meeting, relate a story
56
Reminiscences.
of several persons conversing together, each giv¬
ing his opinion who was the greatest preacher he
had ever heard. But one man remained silent
until a personal appeal was made to him, and he
was requested to give his opinion. He said, he
"thought Mr. Watters was the greatest preacher
he had ever heard." They were all surprised at
that, for Mr. Watters was a very plain preacher ;
and he was asked to give his reason for thinking
so. He said, "when I hear one and another of
those preachers that you speak of, I always leave
the church highly pleased with the preacher; but
when I hear Mr. Watters preach, I never fail to
leave the church greatly displeased with myself."
He is, indeed, a great preacher who can do this.
Indeed, unless we can do this by cogent argu¬
ments, drawn from the Oracle of God, there will
be no sound conversions and permanent reforma¬
tions. It is a solemn fact, that some peoples' pas¬
sions may be variously and highly excited, where
no lasting reformation follows. I have known
some of our preachers, who were very successful in
producing such excitements, by having a large
stock of stirring anecdotes on hand, and dealing
them out very liberally at the close of their ser¬
mons. It was said of Mr. Whitefield, that he had
a peculiar tact for trying people, to know wha^t
spirit they were of. Once when preaching in Sav¬
annah, and treating on the sufferings of the Mes¬
siah, he saw that the congregation was listless
and unaffected. He then related a very mournful
story, (which had nothing of religion in it), and
presently had the congregation in a flood of tears.
He told them at once that they had no religion ■
for that which was of the greatest importance, in
which was involved their eternal interest, did not
affect them at all; while that wrhich did not con¬
cern them, affected them the most.
SERMONS.
i.
Preached in Perry, Houston County, Georgia.
November 17th, 1867.
II. Corinthians, v. : 14, 15.'—For the love of Christ
constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died
for all, then were all dead : and that he died for all, that
they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves,
but unto him who died for them, and rose again.
It is intended in this discourse to exhibit the
Divine character in relation to the covenant of
redemption, which is doubtless a subject of vital
interest to all mankind. I now call the reader's
attention to the peculiar phraseology of the text,
" wTe thus judge, if one died for all, then were all
dead, and that he died for all," etc. Here it must
be plain to every attentive reader that the Apostle
lays it down as an undoubted truth in the prem¬
ises that Christ died for all, without exception,
and that "all were dead" is an inference drawn
from said premises. It is equally clear that he
died for the same all that were dead. Strange as
it may appear to some, I will venture the asser¬
tion, there are some things impossible with Cod.
When Christ said, "with Cod all things are pos¬
sible," his meaning must be, all things which are
right and consistent with his nature and attributes.
Many things are not thus consistent, and there¬
fore not possible with him. Cod cannot destroy
his own existence; he is a necessary being, he ex-
58
Sermon.
ists because it is impossible it should be other¬
wise. Again, he cannot change his own nature,
nor the mode of his own existence, because im¬
mutability is an essential attribute of God. " But
he is in one mind, and who can turn him?" Job,
xxiii: 13. "Fori am the Lord; I change not;
therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed
Malachi, iii: 6. " With whom is no variableness,
neither shadow of turning:" James, i: 17. His
nature is as essential to him as his existence.
Again, " that by two immutable things, in which
it was impossible for God to lie, that we might
have a strong consolation, who have fled for ref¬
uge, to lay hold on the hope set" before us:" He¬
brew, vi: 18. Why impossible? Because truth
is an essential attribute of God. He would as soon
cease to exist, as cease to be a God of truth.
Again. Holiness is another attribute of God.
He can do nothing against, or contrary to holi¬
ness. It has, indeed, been asserted by many, both
in confessions of faith and from the sacred desk,
that God created millions of human beings called
reprobates, who were such from the first moment
of their existence, doomed to inevitable destruc¬
tion by an eternal, unconditional and irreversible
decree, being excluded from the covenant of re¬
demption. Against this " horrible decree " I eu-
ter my most solemn protest. Like must produce
its like. God's love of, and infinite delight in ho-
lin ess, and essential hatred to sin, renders it not
only morally, but absolutely impossible for him to
create sinful beings. To suppose the infinitely
wise and holy God should create rational and in¬
telligent beings, who, from the first moment of
their existence, are objects of his eternal hatred,
is to suppose that there is a capital defect in the
workmanship, which is such an absurdity that
one might well suppose that to name it is suffi¬
cient to confute it. The Scriptures declare God's
Sermon.
59
work is perfect. The attention of the reader is
now invited to the account of the creation, in the
first chapter of Genesis. Moses gives us a very
graphic account of the several parts of each day's
work, and God pronounces each part good. Man,
though the most noble, was the last part of the
divine workmanship. The goodness of God shines
conspicuously in this. Everything necessary to
complete man's happiness was provided before he
was brought into existence. "And God said, Let
us make man in our own image, after our like¬
ness " so God created man in his own image :
in the image of God created he him ; male and fe¬
male created he them:" Gen. i: 26, 27. Mr. Bos¬
ton, in his four-fold state of man, very properly
says, " God did not first make man and then make
him holy, but in the very making, made him
holy," so that the moment he became a living
soul, he was a holy soul. "And God saw every¬
thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very
good." It could not be otherwise, for infinite
goodness is an essential attribute of God, and he
could make nothing that was not good. Thus
Mr. Wesley spoke:
"No evil can from Thee proceed,
'Tis only suffered, not decreed ;
Darkness is not from the sun,
Nor mount the shades till he is gone."
Just as soon might we expect to see the bright
orb of day, shining with dazzling splendor in the
midst of heaven, producing darkness on the earth,
as for a pure and holy God to create unholy be¬
ings. The image of God, in which man was crea¬
ted, was righteousness and true holiness. But
another part of the image of God, in which man
was created, was that he was constituted a moral
agent and had moral liberty. I believe there is
but one way for a man to go to hell, and that is
60
Sermon.
by the abuse of his moral liberty—in rejecting the
kind offer of the grace of God, and choosing the
"ways and pleasures of sin, and continuing therein
to the end of life. Now every man is conscious
that he is a moral agent, that he acts not by con¬
straint, but according to his own free choice. To
suppose otherwise is to represent man like a ma¬
chine, that can only act as it is acted on. If man
be not a moral agent he cannot be an accounta¬
ble creature. To illustrate this, suppose a strong,
athletic man forces a loaded gun into the hands
of a weakly boy, and forces him to fire the gun
and kill his neighbor. I ask, who is the real au¬
thor of that murder? Men of reason would say
the strong man; the weakly boy was as innocent
an instrument as the gun itself. If man bo not a
moral agent, there is neither moral virtue in his
good actions nor moral evil in his bad ones. Once
more: If man be not a moral agent, he is neither
rewardable nor punishable. Who ever thought
of rewarding his machine for ginning his cotton,
or his mill for grinding his corn.
Another glaring absurdity in the doctrine of
the decrees, (that of reprobation, in particular) is
that it represents the attributes of God at vari¬
ance, two against all the rest—His sovereignty
decreeing and His power executing the decree,
in manifest hostility to all his other attributes—
whereas the divine perfections consist in the per¬
fect unity and harmony of all His attributes. A
question may arise, why did God make provision
for the salvation of fallen man, and make none for
the fallen angels? I will offer four reasons, which
are satisfactory to my own mind; the reader may
receive them for what he thinks they are worth :
And first, it is a doctrine of Christ, that, " where
much is given much will be required." And by
parity of reason, where less is given less will be
required. Now the scripture saith : " Man was
Sermon.
61
made a little lower than the angels." It follows
by fair inference, that the angels sinned against
greater light and knowledge than man, conse¬
quently their sin was more heinous in the sight
of God than that of man.
Secondly, though man had a spiritual and in¬
tellectual nature, he had also a corporeal nature,
his Maker had made him dependent on the fruit
of the trees of the garden for the nourishment of
that body and the preservation of that life which
he had given him. Not so the angels—purely
spiritual and intellectual beings, had no corporeal
nature, no earthly wants; it follows I think, by
just inference, that their sin was more wanton,
and of course more henious than that of man.
Thirdly, man sinned through the influence of a
tempter, who appeared in a visible form and made
his attack on the weaker vessel, and through
Adam's wife got at Adam himself. Doubtless the
woman perceived that in knowledge and intellect
the tempter was superior to herself, hence, the
Scripture saith the woman was deceived. Not so
the angels; they had no tempter. Dwelling in
the high and holy place, in the more immediate
presence of the infinitely pure and holy God, be¬
holding his face openly, without a veil, it is evident
that their sin was much more wanton and pre¬
sumptuous than that of man, and of course more
henious in the sight of God. A fourth reason is,
I think, more weighty than all the others taken
together. It is this : Adam was a public man—
he did not stand for himself alone ; he was our
federal head—the representative of a numerous
progeny—a multitude that no man can number.
Now no one can doubt that it was God's original
purpose that Adam should have such a numerous
offspring, and his purposes being founded in in¬
finite wisdom, are immutable, firm as the pillars
of his throne, so that Adam's sin did not and
62
Sermon.
could not change his purpose. JSTow Adam's pos¬
terity having only a seminal existence in him at
the time of his transgression, became involved in
the ruins of the fall without their choice or agency.
Thus Mr. Fletcher, " When Adam had personally
and consciously Sinned, God would have been
just if he had inflicted on him the personal and
conscious punishment, which we call damnation.
When we had seminally and unknowingly sinned
in Adam, God would have been just if he had in¬
flicted a seminal and unfelt damnation upon us
for it; for then our punishment would have borne
a just proportion to our offense. We should have
been punished as we had sinned, that is, seminally,
and without the least consciousness of pain or
loss." Checks volume 3, page 276. I admit that
as far as his justice alone is concerned, God could
have sent our first parents to hell immediately
after their transgression ; but he could not have
done so consistent with his original purpose—that
Adam should have a numerous posterity. We
are now come to a crisis, and the argument stands
thus :
1st. It was God's original purpose that Adam
should have a numerous posterity, and that pur¬
pose remains unchanged.
2d. This posterity became involved in the ruins
of the fall without their choice or agency.
3d. If said posterity be brought into personal
existence in this involved state without a remedy
being provided, a sinful life and everlasting per¬
sonal suffering would be the inevitable conse¬
quence. The just conclusion is, that it is con¬
trary to all equity to punish a sin, seminally and
unknowingly committed, with an eternal punish¬
ment personally and knowingly endured. It fol¬
lows, therefore,
4th. That God has laid help upon one who is
mighty to save, even Jesus, mighty to deliver.
Sermon.
63
" Who being the brightness of his glory and ex¬
press image of his person, and upholding all things
by the word of his power, when he had by him¬
self purged our sins, sat at the right hand of the
Majesty on high.
" Here the whole Deity is known,
Nor dares a creature guess
Which of the glories brightest shone,
The Justice or the Grace."
I will now give the reader four texts of Scrip¬
ture which prove plainly and unequivocally the
universality of the atonement. My text, is first,
" For the love of Christ constraineth us, because
we thus judge, if one died for all, then were all
dead. And that he died for all, that they which
live should not henceforth live unto themselves,
but unto him who died for them, and rose again."
But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower
than the angels, for the suffering of death, crowned
with glory and honor, that he by the grace of
God should taste death for every man : Heb., ii:
8. For there is one God and one Mediator be¬
tween God and man, the man Christ Jesus, who
gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in
due time: I. Timothy, ii: 5, 6. And if any man
sin we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus
Christ, the righteous. And he is the propitiation
for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for
the sins of the whole world : I. John, ii: 1, 2; yes,
says one, for the elect world. Hold my brother!
We read not a word about an elect world in all
the Bible; but Christ, speaking to his disciples,
said, ye are not of the world, but I have chosen
you out of the world, therefore the world hateth
you. What world was it then for whom Christ
died? Answer: And we know that we are of
God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness:
I. John, v: 19. For I am not come to call the
Sermon.
righteous, but sinners to repentance: Mathew,
ix: 13. For the son of man is come to seek and
to save that which was lost: Luke, xix: 10.
Flow, we have been told that the elect were
saved from all eternity. If so, they never were
lost; and so it follows, by necessary consequence,
that Christ, as a Saviour of lost and perishing sin¬
ners, had no concern with them. I once heard a
sermon, in which the preacher said, " The reason
that the Scriptures speak in unqualified terms of
Christ's dying for all, is that he died for some of
all nations." Is not this a tacit acknowledgment,
a giving up the point ? For, surely, if those Scrip¬
tures mean that he did not die for all, without ex¬
ception, there would be need of some qualifying
words to convey the idea of a limited alonement;
but as we have no such qualifying word, it is evi¬
dent that " he died for some of all nations," is a
forced construction that will not bear the light.
"And when he was come near, he beheld the city,
and wept over it, saying, ' If thou hadst known,
even thou, at least in this thy day, the things
which belong unto thy peace! but now they are
hid from thine eyes " Luke xix : 41, 42. Here it
is evident that they had a day (time, verse 44,)
of merciful visitation, in which they might have
repented.
Secondly, there were things which belonged to
their peace which implied nothing less than re¬
conciliation with God, and entire conformity to
his will and image, which could not be said of
reprobates, in the Calvinian sense.
Thirdly, "Now they are hid from thine eyes."
In some places in Scripture, things are said to be
done which will soon be done. I think this is the
meaning here: " O, Jerusalem, Jerusalem! thou
that killest the Prophets, and stonest them that
are sent unto thee ! how often would I have gath¬
ered thy children together, even, as a hen gather-
Sermon.
65
eth her chickens under her wings, and ye would
not." When Christ hung on the cross, he prayed
for his enemies : " Father forgive them ; for they
know not what they do." That prayer was heard,
and God gave them a respite for near forty years,
until the destruction of Jerusalem; but proving
utterly incorrigible, St. Paul says, " the wrath is
come upon them to the uttermost; they will per¬
ish everlastingly." Why this long suffering pa¬
tience of God toward them ? St. Peter says he is
not willing that any should perish, but that all
should come to repentance. And Ezekiel says:
"As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure
in the death of the wicked; hut that the.wicked
turn from his way and live; turn ye, turn ye from
your evil ways ; for why will ye die, oh! house of
Israel?" Now, if people will not believe the
Lord on his oath, it is in vain to reason with
them. When our Saviour gave his broad com¬
mission to his Apostles: "And he said unto them,
Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to
every creature Mark xvi: 15. The only legiti¬
mate inference is, that there is a gospel for every
creature. Peter was, awhile, full of what we now
call Calvinism, but when he came to Cornelius
and heard his story, a flood of divine light broke
into his mind. "Then Peter opened his mouth
and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no re¬
specter of persons : but in every nation he that
feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accep¬
ted with him:" Acts x: 34, 35.
Objection: If Christ died for all, then there
are souls in hell for whom Christ died—which is
shocking to suppose. It is indeed; but it is much
more shocking to suppose that there are souls in
hell for whom he did not die, for that would be,
in plain terms, souls in hell who never had the
possibility of escaping that torment.
The objector goes on: If there are souls in hell
66
n
O&rttuuto*
for whom Christ died, shall Christ's blood burn in
hell ? Not so ! The Lord knows well how to dis¬
pose of his gifts. The man who received the one
talent and did not improve it, was indeed sent to
hell; but the talent was taken from him and
given to him that had ten. So if sinners will not
improve the gifts of God, they will be taken from
them and given to the Christians. If Christ had
not died for that sinner, he never could have re¬
ceived that talent; it was bought for him by the
precious blood of Christ. And now, though the
scriptures abound with many more evidences of
the universality and all-sufficiency of the atone¬
ment, I must let the above suffice. And here I
wouldT3ay. notwithstanding the unfair and unkind
treatment the Arminians met with from the Cal-
vinists at the Synod of Dort, the Calvinists were
never able to meet the Arminians on the ground
of the atonement.
The love of Christ! Behold a fallen world,
tying in ruins—silence in heaven—a solemn pause!
Angels look on with amazement! Infinite wisdom
is tested—the Son of God emptied himself of the
glory which he had with the Father before the
world was. Behold his infinite condescention !
The king of kings and Lord of Lords takes upon
him the form of a servant, and was made in the
likeness of men. The infinite lawgiver becomes a
subject of law, and learned obedience; he led a
suffering life; pi'eached his own gospel; suffered
many contradictions of sinners against himself—
a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief—was
betrayed into the hands of sinnex*s. Fie who had
the power to dash his enemies to jfieces as a pot¬
ter's vessel, meekly subixiits to be seized and
bound as a malefactor; condemned on the testi¬
mony of tying witnesses; scoux'ged and crowned
with thorns; mocked, buffeted and spitted on—
led away to be crucified; hands and feet nailed to
Sermon.
67
the fatal cross. And there the Lord of life and
glory, whose character was infinitely pure, hangs
between two thieves ; and there, for three dread¬
ful hours, he suffers between rending rocks and a
blushing sun. He bore all our sins in his own
body on the tree.
Though his bodily sufferings were extremely
great, they bore a very small proportion to the
amazing conflict which his soul passed through,
" when thou shalt make his soul an offering for
sin." His tender soul was penetrated with the
deepest sense of the vast number of souls for
whom he died; the almost infinite number of
their sins, their magnitude and moral turpitude ;
and the just measure of the wrath of God due to
each of them. This, his human soul, with its
limited powers, was utterly incapable of, only by
virtue of its union with the divine nature. Here
is mystery! redemption; it was creation more
sublime—it was the labor of the skies—it was
death in heaven. " These things the angels de¬
sire to look into. Angel minds are lost to ponder
dying love's mysterious cause But he arose tri¬
umphantly from the grave and ascended to the
Father's right hand, and ever liveth to make in¬
tercession for us."
" Now the full glories of the Lamb
Adorn the heavenly plains ;
Bright seraphs learn Immanuel's name,
And try their choicest strains.
Oh ! may I bear some humble part
In that immortal song,
Wonder and joy shall tune my heart,
And love command my tongue."
"To Father, Son and Holy Ghost,
Who sweetly all agree,
To save a world of sinners lost,
Eternal glory be." Amen 1
68
Sermon.
And let every Christian on earth say, Amen !
And let all the angels in heaven say, Amen ! And
let all the redeemed spirits around the throne
repeat the loud Amen! And let the song of re¬
demption ring and reverberate through the vast
expanse of heaven to all eternity! That they
who live should not henceforth live unto them¬
selves, etc. "We owe our personal existence to the
redemption which is in Christ. It is impossible
for any child of Adam to be born otherwise than
under the covenant of redemption. We inherit a
corrupt nature, with a natural bias to evil; but
God gives every man preventing grace, as capital
for improvement. "Work out your own salva¬
tion with fear and trembling. For it is God which
worketh in you, both to will and to do of his own
good pleasure Phil, ii: 12, 13.
"And they that are Christ's have crucified the
flesh with the affections and lusts." Thus being
dead to sin and hating all iniquity, we live unto
God, and have our fruit unto holiness. Behold¬
ing as in a glass the glory of God, we are changed
into the same image, from glory to glory, as by
the spirit of the Lord. The love of Christ con-
straineth us. Here is love like an ocean, deep
and full, without bottom or shore. And now,
sinner, can you fight against this love ? Can you
wade through this blood and stumble over his
mangled body into bottomless perdition? Where
is that adamantine heart which cannot melt be¬
fore such beams of. divine love, like wax before
the burning flame ?
Ye ministers of our God, can you rest at ease
while thousands are perishing around you? I
once heard of a woman who said she had been
the wife of a traveling preacher a number of
years, but had never found out what sort of men
these traveling preachers were; when th<J preach¬
er would come to spend a few rest days at home,
he would manifest as much joy at meeting his wife
Sermon.
69
and children, and show as much affection toward
them as any man she ever knew; but the preacher
would not be at home more than three or four
days before he would seem to he uneasy and want
to be gone. The reason was, the love of Christ was
like a fire in his bones, and he could not rest long
at home while souls were perishing by thousands.
I once heard a sermon in which the preacher
related a story of the beloved John, which he had
met with in the course of his reading. It was as
follows: St. John had a young man under his
pastoral care, who was deemed very pious and of
bright talents, and seemed to promise great use¬
fulness to the Church. St. John, intending to
visit some churches at a distance, left this young
man in the pastoral care of a Bishop; but during
his absence, the young man apostatized and join¬
ed a band of robbers, and became their captain-
When St. John returned, he inquired for the
young man. The Bishop told him of his apos-
tacy, and where he had gone. St. John said, I
must go after him and bring him back. The
Bishop said it would be in vain—that he was per¬
fectly incorrigible. The Apostle made this brief
reply: "He is redeemed by the blood of Christ;"
and off he went in quest of the young man. When
he was come near and met one of the company,
he requested him to point out his captain; he did
so, and St. John made toward him. As soon as
the young man saw his aged preceptor approach¬
ing him, his heart melted and he ran to meet him,
and in a flood of penitential tears, threw his arms
around him, and was happily reclaimed and re¬
stored to the bosom of the church.
I believe the saints will be in a higher state of
holiness and happiness than that of our first pa¬
rents in their paradisiacal state.
" In him the tribes of Adam boast,
More blessings than their father lost."
Dr. Watts.
70
Sermon.
Yea, more, I believe with pious Mr. Baxter, the
joys of glorified saints will exceed the joy of an¬
gels. For which, I give the following reasons:
First, redemption was a greater work than crea¬
tion.
11 'Twas great to speak the world from naught,
'Twas greater to redeem."
Again, holiness is natural to the angels; their
obedience to the law of holiness is perfectly natu¬
ral and easy. Not so with the redeemed ; they
all inherit a corrupt nature—are by nature the
children of wrath—so that their attainment of
holiness is with great difficulty. They strive, as
in an agony, to enter into the gate of holiness.
The Christian's life is one of continual struggle,
daily self-denial and bearing the cross, fighting
the good fight of faith, crucifying the corrupt de¬
sires and affections, painful to the flesh, resisting
innumerable temptations, passing through great
tribulations, opposed by a wicked world, Satan
and all the powers of darkness; labor for the meat
that endureth to everlasting life; the soul dwel¬
ling in a corruptible body, suffering many afflic¬
tions and infirmities, is weighed down, so that it
is often very difficult to bring the mind into a
train of meditation on divine things. Besides all
this, the body must die and return to the dust
from whence it was taken. Now, this is but a
brief outline of what the Christian passes through
in his pilgrimage through this evil world. ''The
creature was made subject to vanity, not willing¬
ly, (not by our own choice or agency) but by rea¬
son of him who hath subjected the same in hope."
Bom. viii: 20. Now the saints will have an am¬
ple reward for every duty faithfully "performed.
Even a cup of cold water given to a disciple in
the name of a disciple shall not lose its reward.
And not only for duties performed, but the saints
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71
will have a great reward for all their sufferings,
that have been endured patiently and with resig¬
nation to the divine will. "For I reckon, that
the sufferings of this present time are not worthy
to be compared with the glory which shall be re¬
vealed in us." Rom. viii: 18.
Once more: The angels are related to the Son
of God, (being one with the Father), as being
their Creator, preserver, the source of their happi¬
ness, and the true object of their worship. Again,
when he bringeth in the first begotten into the
world, he saith: And let all the angels of God
worship him. He is Lord of angels; but not their
Redeemer. The saints can sing a new song in
heaven, never known there before. "Unto him
that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his
own blood, and hath made us kings and jmiests
unto God, and his Father: to him be glory and
dominion forever and ever. Amen." Rev. i: 5,6.
That we have a nearer relationship to his glo¬
rified humanity than the angels, is undeniable.
Oh, how exceedingly great will be the joy of the
saints in their final triumph. "And I saw heaven
opened, and behold a white horse; and he that
sat on him is called faithful and true," etc. "And
the armies which were in heaven, followed him
upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white
and clean." Rev. xix : 11, 14. "For the fine linen
is the righteousness of the saints:" verse 8.
Some have objected, that if the saints are raised
to so much holier and happier state than they
would have enjoyed if sin had not entered into
the woidd, sin, instead of being an evil, has proved
an everlasting benefit to the saints. The mistake
lies here: Redemption through Christ, and not
sin, is the source of all the benefit to man. It is
the infinite goodness of God, in redemj)tion, tri¬
umphing over all the effects and consequences of
sin.
II.
Preached at Hickory Grove Church, on the death of
Mrs. Sarah Grace,
December 27th, 1868.
Matthew, xxv: 1-12.—" Then shall the kingdom of
heaven he likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps
and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them
were ivise, and five were fdolish. They that were foolish
took their lamps, and took no oil with them : hut the wise
took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bride¬
groom tarried they all slumbered and slept. And at mid¬
night there toas a cry made, 1 Behold the bridegroom cometh,
go ye out to meet him.1 Then all those virgins arose and
trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise,
lGive us of your oil, for our lamps are gone out.1 But the
wise answered, saying, 1 Not so, lest there be not enough
for us and you-, but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy
for yourselves.1 And while they went to buy, the bride¬
groom came; and they that were ready, ivent with him into
the marriage, and the door was shut. Afterward came
also the other virgins, saying, ' Lord! Lord 1 open unto
us.1 But he answered and said, 1 Verily, I know you
not.111
As many portions of scripture, both in the Old
and New Testament, were spoken in allusion to
ancient Eastern customs, so this parable has a
manifest allusion to a prevailing custom of cele¬
brating their marriages in the night, when ten
young virgins, in a state of preparation, waited
with lighted lamps in some convenient place un¬
til a herald announced the approach of the bride¬
groom, at which time they all arose without a
Sermon.
73
moment's delay, and put themselves in a complete
posture of readiness to meet the bridegroom and
conduct him into the bride-chamber. In this par¬
able we may understand, the bridegroom is Christ
himself; the bride is the church. The marriage
feast will be celebrated when the whole number
of the elect shall be completed, their probation
on earth ended, their warfare past, all their trials
and conflicts over, and their souls perfectly puri¬
fied by the blood of Christ.
Rev. xix: 7-9.—" For the marriage of the Lamb
is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
And to her was granted that she should be ar¬
rayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine
linen is the righteousness of the saints. And he
saith unto me, write, 'Blessed are they which are
called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.'"
B}r the kingdom of heaven is meant the candi¬
dates for it, as the whole scope of the parable
shows. These were represented by ten virgins.
These, I believe, were all converted souls at the
commencement of their Christian course; but as
some believe the foolish virgins were never con¬
verted, I will give the following reasons for my
belief: First, they were all called virgins; but a
defiled virgin is a contradiction of terms. I know
of no scripture that represents a defiled person
under the character of a virgin. St. Paul says,
"I have espoused you to one husband, that I may
present you as a chaste virgin to Christ." Again,
in Rev. xiv: 3, 4: "And they sung as it were a
new song before the throne, and before the four
beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn
that song but the hundred and forty and four
thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.
These are they which were not defiled with wo¬
men, for they are virgins. These are they which
follow the Lamb, whithersoever he goeth." But
some have objected, that the foolish were called
D
n
Sermon.
foolish virgins from the first. I admit they were;
hut by whom? I answer, by him who sees the
end from the beginning, and accordingly has
given a full, though brief account, of their whole
conduct from first to last, and has clearly shown
us thi foolish part which they acted. Secondly,
I see no evidence in the parable that the lamps
of the foolish were different in any respect from
those of the wise. Mr. Wesley says, the lamp is
faith, and a lamp with oil is faith working by
love. Some have said that the foolish had noth¬
ing but a lamp of profession. I confess I know of
no scripture in which an empty profession is com¬
pared to a lamp. A lamp is designed to give
light, and surely an empty profession gives a very
poor light. But by this time their lamps had
gone out, and they had not light to direct their
steps, much less to let "their light so shine before
men that they may see your good works and glo¬
rify your Father which is in heaven." The fool¬
ish took their lamps and took no oil—none to
supply their future wants—none to recruit their
lamp's decay. This is the plain, simple meaning.
As oil in a lamp is necessary to feed the flame,
and as the lamp, in burning, consumes the oil, so
if there be not a supply of oil at hand to recruit
that decay, the lamp will go out, as a necessary
consequence. So if a soul, once justified by living
faith, and having the love of God shed abroad in
his heart, does not apply daily at the throne of
the heavenly grace for fresh and continual sup¬
plies of grace to nourish his soul and keep faith
alive and burning like a lamp, that faith will for¬
sake its hold, hope decline, and love grow cold
and finally die, and the soul be left in obscure
darkness.
Mr. Burkett, who calls theirs a lamp of profes¬
sion, nevertheless, says, they had oil in their
lamps at first, which kept them burning for a
Sermon.
75
short time. The fact that their lamps went out
is sufficient evidence that they had been lighted;
and that they went out as soon as the oil was ex¬
hausted, is also evidence that a lamp will not
burn without oil. From all this, I think it is evi¬
dent they were once converted and had faith,
working by love. In what then did their foolish¬
ness consist? Most certainly in this, that they
trusted entirely in what was done for them at the
hour of their conversion, and so sung to themselves
a requiem of ease, saying, "once in grace, always
in grace." True, this is the way it ought to be,
and so it is with all who are faithful to the grace
received. Doubtless there are hundreds of per¬
sons in the present day who are acting the part
of foolish virgins; who have settled upon their
lees, in an habitual neglect of many of the known
duties of religion, plainly taught in God's word;
sunk into a stupid insensibility; who, according to
their own confessions, are living in a state of doubt
and uncertainty, without the present knowledge
of sins forgiven, depending entirely on past expe¬
rience for their final salvation. Another thing
that adds to the horror of that darkness which
blinds their minds, is their making a boast of
their ignorance, saying they do not pretend to
know their sins forgiven, and even mock at those
who profess to have this knowledge. Thus we
see, that with all their confessed ignorance, they
are wise in their own conceit; yea, wiser than
seven men who can render a reason. Here we
see the fatal consequences of an implicit belief in
the impossibility of falling from grace, once re¬
ceived, so as to perish everlastingly. We see how
such persons are rendered impervious to all the
warnings and threatenings in the book of God.
Christ says, "Strive to enter in at the straight
gate, for many I say unto you will seek to enter
in and shall not be able." " Watch and pray lest
76
Sermon.
ye enter into temptation." St. Paul says, " Let
him that thinketh that he standeth, take heed lest
he fall." Some made "shipwreck of the faith,"
which signifies the total and final loss of it, for
a ship once wrecked can never be made a ship
again : I. Tim. i: 19, 20. "For if after they have
escaped the pollutions of the world, through the
knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,
(the only possible way of escaping them), they
are again entangled therein and overcome; the
latter end is worse with them than the begin¬
ning. For it had been better for them not to
have known the way of righteousness, than after
they have known it, to turn from the holy com¬
mandments delivered unto them:" II. Peter, ii:
20, 21. Cursed children, "which have forsaken
the right way:" Ibid. This they could not do, if
they had never been in it. In short, to set down
all the warnings against apostacy, would be to
transcribe a large portion of the Bible. But all
these are lost on those deluded souls who cry, "a
little more sleep, a little more slumber, and a lit¬
tle more folding of the hands, together to sleep,"
from which, we fear, many will not awake until
the midnight cry is uttered at death or judgment,
when, to their awrful consteimation, they find the
door of mercy forever bolted against them. "But
the wise took oil in their vessels with their
lamps." The meaning is, each one took a vessel
containing oil to pour into the lamp when need
should require. Hei*e obseiwe, in the literal mean¬
ing of the pai'able, the wise took a sufficient sup¬
ply of oil along with them from the first. But no
Chinstian receives a sufficient supply of grace at
the hour of conversion, to last him through the
whole course of his earthly pilgrimage. Here we
see the absurdity of sti-aining metaphors in eveiy
point. This seems to have been the error of the
foolish vii'gins. They vainly supposed that they
Sermon.
77
had received grace enough for all time to come,
and so were not careful to seek for daily supplies
of grace to nourish their souls. Happy for the
wise, they were "wise unto salvation." "But ye
brethren are not in darkness, that that day should
overtake you as a thief. Ye are all children of
the light, and children of the day: we are not of
the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not
sleep as do others, but let us watch and be sober:"
L Thess. v: 4-6. The first part of wisdom is to
place a proper estimate on the value of our souls,
and though no one knows the value of the soul
to its utmost extent save Him that made it, yet
we know that one soul far exceeds in value the
whole material and inanimate part of the creation
throughout the universe. We are but of yester¬
day, and know nothing only as we receive in¬
struction. God has made a revelation of his will
to man in his divine oracles. Here is the source
of wisdom. The holy scriptures are able to make
us wise unto salvation. Here we learn the end
of our creation. For his pleasure we are and
were created—created for his own glory. Here
we learn our relation to God and his creatures—
our great and unspeakable obligations to him—
our awful responsibility to him. Here also is re¬
vealed our lost and sinful state, the universal cor¬
ruption of human nature, the whole world lying
in wickedness, and our utter helplessness. Here
also is revealed God's love to fallen man, in the
wonderful scheme of redemption through the pre¬
cious blood of Christ—the ample provisions of
the gospel, and their perfect adaptation to all
man's spiritual wants; also, the conditions on
which we are to be made partakers of. all its
saving benefits.
Wisdom has been defined to be the using the
best means in order to the attainment of the best
end. A man may have knowledge, and not be
78
Sermon.
wise; but cannot be wise without knowledge, for
wisdom is the right use of knowledge. Thus our
Saviour saith, "If ye know these things, happy
are ye if ye do them." Solomon says, " Wisdom
is like water in a deep well; but the man of un¬
derstanding will draw it out." Wisdom is not
the spontaneous growth of nature's barren soil.
Those who are truly wise will not fail to apply
themselves assiduously to the reading and study
of the holy scriptures, reading a portion thereof
daily, making it the subject of their serious medi¬
tation. "In his law doth he meditate day and
night:" Psalm i: 2. He wishes to know the
whole will of God concerning him, and therefore
reads the whole book through, from Genesis to
Revelation, with deep attention and intense in¬
terest, lest anything connected with his immortal
interest should escape his attention. In obedience
to the command of Christ, he searches the scrip¬
tures like searching for " treasure hid in a field,"
and what he learns he reduces to practice with¬
out delay. The holy scriptures being divinely
inspired, the holy spirit is the best interpreter of
his own language, and he understands them best
who has the largest measure of the gift of the
holy spirit. "If ye, being evil, know how to give
good gifts unto your children, how much more
will your heavenly Father give his holy spirit to
them that ask him." The wise are always very
careful not to grieve nor quench the spirit, lest
he withdraw his light and saving influences from
them. Hence their unwearied watchfulness, and
avoiding evil of every kind ; not only that which
is expressly forbidden in the word, but they also
shun all "appearance of evil," remembering that
we are commanded to "work out our salvation
with fear and trembling." Considering the short¬
ness of human life, the certainty of death, the
retributions of eternity, and the infinite value of
Sermon.
79
that which is at stake, they "fear lest a promise
being left us of entering into his rest any of them
should seem to come short of it." Learning from
the Bible that the example of the holy saints of
old are recorded for our imitation, and as David
said, "Evening and morning and at noon will I
pray, I will cry aloud and he shall hear my
voice;" also the prophet, "Daniel went into his
house and kneeled on his knees and prayed three
times a day," as also did many of the New-Testa¬
ment saints, so will all wise-hearted Christians of
the present day who wish to prosper in a divine
life; so will all wise stewards of the manifold
grace of God, who are heads of families, not fail
to offer the morning and evening sacrifice at the
family altar, and train up their children in the
instruction and admonition of the Lord. Their
wisdom is also manifested in their aim at a high
degree of holiness, which is indeed the only sure
way to heaven, while many who lower the stand¬
ard of holiness are in great danger of falling be¬
low the gospel standard and so miss of heaven at
last.
Our calling is a high and holy calling. " If ye
then be risen with Christ, seek those things which
are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand
of God. Set your affections on things above, not
on things on the earth:" Col. iii: 1, 2. "They
that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the
affections and lusts." " They labor to enter into
that rest, lest any fall after the same example of
unbelief." The miscarriages of others serve as
beacons to warn them of danger. They "admon¬
ish one another daily while it is called to-day."
" Giving all diligence to make their calling and
election sure." "While the bridegroom tarried
they all slumbered and slept." This signifies a
state of rest, in which the wise enjoyed a true
peace; but the foolish trusted in a false peace—a
80
Sermon.
delusive hope. "And at midnight there was a
cry made, behold, the bridegroom cometh, go ye
out to meet him." An unexpected hour, perhaps,
even to the wise; but how much more so to
the foolish virgins ; but with this difference, the
wise were ready and the foolish were not. The
wise were not taken by surprise, for they were
watching; but the foolish, not watching, were
thrown into a dreadful consternation. " Then all
those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps, (ex¬
amined into the state of their lamps.) And the
foolish said, give us of your oil, for our lamps are
gone out." "What a critical and awful moment to
make this discovery—a moment which fixes their
destiny for eternity! "But the wise answered,
not so, lest there be not enough for us and you."
It is certain there would not. The most holy
persons that ever lived will have no grace to
spare. "And if the righteous scarcely be saved,
where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?"
"But go ye rather to them that sell and buy for
yourselves." Go to tbe Lord Jesus and buy "with¬
out money and without price." But, alas! it is
too late, the day of grace is past. They once had
light enough to come to Christ, the Saviour and
friend of sinners, and perhaps did so, but did not
continue to obey the divine injunction, "walk
while ye have the lignt," and therefore darkness
came upon them, and oh, how great is that dark¬
ness. The bridegroom came, and tbey that were
ready, waiting, watching, hoping and longing for
his appearing, went in with him into the marri¬
age, and the door was shut. It is not possible
for us, while in the body, to conceive of that ful¬
ness of joy which the righteous shall experience
when they find their wai'fare is forever at an
end; the toilsome journey of life, with all its cares,
labors, afflictions, temptations and conflicts, are
over forever. Where, in the peaceful jxresence of
Sermon.
81
God, in the unclouded light of heaven, they shall
see his face.
" Those holy gates forever bar,
Pollution, sin and shame,
And none can gain admittance there,
But followers of the Lamb."
On the other hand, how unutterably awful will
be the destiny of the foolish virgins when they
will cry in vain, "Lord! Lord! open unto us,"
when he will say unto them, " Yerily, I know you
not." What inconceivable horror to be driven
down to the blackness of darkness, to suffer the
vengeance of eternal fire: "where the worm
dieth not, and the fire is not quenched."
III.
St. John, vi.: 70.—"Jesus answered them, Have not I
chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil ?''
If it be possible for a soul, once soundly con¬
verted, so to fall from God as to perish everlast¬
ingly, the doctrine ought, undoubtedly, to be
preached ; the people faithfully warned and guard¬
ed against the danger. I honestly believe there
is no doctrine contained in the book of God more
clearly and fully set forth than this, of the possi¬
bility of falling from grace. The vast number of
faithful warnings, and the many examples given,
both in the Old and New Testaments, prove this
point to an ocular demonstration.
I have chosen for my text the case of Judas
Iscariot, which I believe to be as clear a case, in
point, as any in the Bible; not intending, however,
to confine myself entirely to the case of Judas.
We believe in the possibility, but not in the ne¬
cessity, of falling from grace. Some have quoted
it as scripture, that Judas was a devil from the
beginning. It is home-made scripture. There is
no such text in the Bible. The words of my text
say no such thing. "Have not I chosen you
twelve, and one of you is a devil?" Here, the
verb being in the present tense, concludes noth¬
ing against his former character. Some say, if a
man is a bad man now, he was always a bad man.
For instance, a man might maintain a reputable
character as an honest citizen for many years,
and then steal a horse. They would say that he
was always a horse-thief at heart. This they un-
blushingly assert, without a particle of proof, and,
in my judgment, it amounts to a positive slander.
Sermon.
S3
Now, I defy any man to bring a well authentica¬
ted charge against the character of Judas, from
the time he became a disciple of Christ until the
devil put it into his heart to betray his Lord,
which, I think, was when he took offense at the
woman for annointing Christ with the ointment.
I believe Judas was, for three years, as faithful a
disciple of Jesus as either of his fellow disciples,
which I will endeavor to prove by the following
arguments:
First, from the import of the word " chosen," as
it occurs in various scriptures, showing that the
object of this choice is holiness. I will use the
words " chosen " and " elected " as synonymous
terms. In the Old Testament we read, " The
Lord hath set apart him that is godly for him¬
self." Again, " I have chosen thee in the furnace
of affliction." As a heated furnace purgeth met¬
als from their dross, so do sanctified afflictions
purify the soul from the dross of sin. " Ye have
not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and or¬
dained you, that ye should go and bring forth
fruit, and that your fruit should remain:" John
xv : 16. "According as he hath chosen us in him
before the foundation of the world, that we
should be holy and without blame before him in
love:" Eph., i: 4. "Elect according to the fore¬
knowledge of God the Father, through sanctifi-
cation of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprink¬
ling of the blood of Jesus Christ:" I. Peter, i: 2.
" But ye are a chosen generation, a rojml priest¬
hood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye
should shew forth the praises of him who hath
called you out of darkness into his marvellous
light:" I. Peter, ii: 9.
In all these scriptures it is manifest that holi¬
ness is the object of their election, all of which
will apply to Judas with as much force as to the
other Apostles. I once heard a man say that
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Jesus chose Judas to exhibit an example of hy¬
pocrisy. Amazing! Nothing could have been
more foreign from his purpose.
Secondly. I argue the faithfulness of Judas,
from his being a disciple of Christ, and that Christ
owned him as such. We frequently read of the
twelve disciples and Judas named one of the
twelve. Now, a disciple is a learner, one who is
instructed in the mysteries of the kingdom of
God. Christ said, "Learn of me, for I am meek
and lowly in heart." These instructions Judas
had; and for a time profited by them. What is
it to be a disciple of Christ? We have it in Christ's
own woi'ds: " Then said Jesus to his disciples, 'If
any man will come after me, let him deny himself
and take up his cross and follow me" Math, xvi:
24. This Judas did. "If any man come to me,
and hate not his father and mother, and wife and
children, and brethren and sisters, yea, and his
own life also, he cannot be my disciple." " And
whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after
me, cannot be my disciple:" Luke xiv: 26, 27.
The meaning of the above is, that we must love
Christ more than all our earthly relations. Now
Judas, by forsaking all his earthly friends and
domestic concerns, and following a master who
had not where to lay his head, gave evidence that
he loved his master more than all earthly things.
Thirdly. I argue the faithfulness of Judas from
the high and honorable office which he held as
steward in Christ's family of disciples. The funds
of the society were intrusted to his care and man¬
agement. It is also believed that he acted as
almoner, occasionally, in giving something to the
poor: See John xiii: 29. Christ said, "My own
familiar friend in whom I trusted, hath lifted up
his heel against me." Here Christ calls Judas,
"His own familiar and trusty friend." Now it is
absolutely certain that Christ had no friendship
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85
nor familiarity with devils, and it is reduced to a
certainty that Judas was not a devil, during that
season of familiarity, which continued about three
years. Moreover, it is required in stewards, that
a man be found faithful; and it is evident that
Judas was, by Christ and the eleven Apostles,
found faithful in his office.
Fourthly. I argue the faithfulness of Judas from
his commission to preach the gospel. It is con¬
trary to the whole tenor of the divine oracles, to
suppose that Christ would send a devil to preach
his gospel. What! an enemy to Cod—to his
law—to holiness—to the interests of his kingdom ?
If a devil were to preach, he would preach the
doctrine of devils. But some, to evade the force
of this argument, have denied that Judas ever
did preach; that though Christ gave him a com¬
mand to preach, in common with the other Apos¬
tles, yet he held him back and would not let him
preach. Strange, indeed, to suppose that Christ
should force Judas to disobey his own command.
It also fixes the charge of hypocrisy on our Sa¬
vour, i. e., the want of sincerity in uttering that
command. I will prove that Judas did preach, in
the following manner: There is a rule in gram¬
mar, "That pronouns must agree with their ante¬
cedents, the nouns for which they stand, in num¬
ber and person." Jesus called his twelve disci¬
ples by name, Judas one of the twelve, and gave
them a command to go and preach; then it is
said, "they" went, and preached, that men should
repent. Here the pronoun "they," in the plural
number, agrees with its antecedent, "twelve Apos¬
tles," and with no other number, less or more.
The just conclusion is, that Judas did his full
share of preaching the gospel.
Now turn to the fmst chapter of the Acts of
the Apostles, and 17th verse: For he was num¬
bered with us, and had obtained part of this min-
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istry. Again, 24th and 25th verses: And they
prayed, and said thou Lord which knowest the
hearts of all men, show whether of these two
thou hast chosen, that he may take part of this
ministry and Apostleship, from which Judas, by
transgression fell, that he might go to his own
place. From this whole scriptural view of the
character of Judas, we arrive at the conclusion,
that in point of the dignity of his office—the
Apostleship—the exercise of his public ministry,
preaching and casting out devils, he was not a
whit behind the chiefest Apostles. But alas ! he
by transgression fell. We cannot fully conceive
of the horrors of his dreadful fall without consid¬
ering the height from which and the depth into
which he fell. I understand it to be a doctrine of
Christ himself, that those who fall from the high¬
est attainments of the privileges and blessings of
the gospel, will fall into a deeper hell. Another
thought is the baseness of the sin that caused his
fall, that of covetousness. This first discovered
itself in the offense which he took at the woman
for annointing Christ with the ointment. Why
was not this ointment sold for thx-ee hundred
pence and given to the poor ? This he said, not
that he cared for the poor, but because he was a
thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put there¬
in : John, xii: 5, 6. I believe the words, "he
was a thief and had the bag," etc., allude to his
office as steward, in purloining, appropriating the
funds of the society to his own private use, not
making an equitable division of said funds among
his fellow disciples. As St. John wrote his gospel
many years after this event occurred, the verb
would of course be in the past tense, and does
not necessarily mean that he was a thief before
that time, and I think I have vindicated his hon¬
esty and faithfulness in his office for near or quite
three years. Still more base was the sin of sell-
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87
ing his Lord and Master for the paltry sum of
thirty pieces of silver. But he is gone to his own
place. And where is that? Our Saviour said,
woe to that man by whom the Son of man is be¬
trayed. Good for that man if had never been
born.
I will now hold up another example of apos-
tacy as a warning to backsliders. The case
of king Saul. He was once a soundly converted
man, an humble man, little in his own eyes. God
gave him another heart. The spirit of the Lord
came upon him, and he was turned into another
man. But he became exalted and rebellious
against the Lord. The Spirit of God forsook
him, and an evil spirit from God troubled him;
sought for several years to murder innocent David,
knowing all the while that he was innocent, and
at last died in the act of self-murder, which left
no room for repentance. Another case is a very
doubtful one, that of king Solomon. He was
high in the favor of God. The Lord loved Solo¬
mon, and Solomon loved the Lord. But Solomon
married many strange women, and when he was
old his wives turned his heart from the Lord, so
that he fell into gross idolatry. And just there
in that dark and doubtful state the scripture leaves
him, without giving us any account of his repen¬
tance. I do not say that Solomon was lost, but I
would not be in his case for ten thousand worlds.
Ezekiel says : Where a righteous man turneth
away from his righteousness and committeth in¬
iquity he shall die thereby. He that despised
Moses' law died without mercy under two or three
witnesses. Of how much worse punishment shall
he be thought worthy who hath trodden under
foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood
of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified, an
unholy thing, and hath done despite to the Spirit
of Grace? Some say if they believed they could
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Sermon.
fall from grace and be lost they could not enjoy
happiness in religion. If your happiness depends
on a bare opinion, whether you can or cannot
fall, it is a poor dependence. My happiness is
from a better source, it is from a lively conscious¬
ness of the love of God shed abroad in my heart,
and sweet and happy communion with him, and
the fear of falling can never rob me of this hap¬
piness. Our fear of falling is not a tormenting
fear, on the other hand it stirs us up to greater
watchfulness and diligence in using the means of
grace, which always tends to the enjoyment of
a greater fulness of the blessings of the gospel of
peace. Amen.
IV.
Jeremiah oiii.: 20.—11 The harvest is past, the summer is
ended, and we are not saved J'
These words were spoken by the prophet Jere¬
miah, at a time when the Chaldean army beseiged
Jerusalem. It seems that their false prophets had
been flattering them with promises of deliverence
by the time of harvest, or at farthest, by the end
of summer. The prophet Jeremiah takes this op¬
portunity of convincing them by facts obvious to
their senses, that their prophets had deceived
them by lying insinuations. "The harvest is
passed, the summer is ended, and we are not
saved." In the prosecution of this subject, I will
attend to the following order : 1. There are times
and seasons favorable to human salvation. 2.
These seasons are fast passing away. 3. If not
improved, will soon be gone forever. Then it
may be said, with regard to all such, " The har¬
vest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not
saved."
1st. There are seasons and opportunities favor¬
able to human salvation. It has been said, "There
is a tide in human affairs, which, if taken at the
flood, generally tends to great prosperity; but if
taken at the ebb, they toil through life to great
disadvantage." I am inclined to think that, as a
general rule, it will hold good in matters of re¬
ligion. I think this flood-tide is the season of
youth. "Remember now, thy Creator, in the
days of thy youth, while the evil days come not,
nor the years draw nigh when thou shalt say: I
have no pleasure in them Eccl. xii: 1. Youth
has great advantages in a religious point of view,
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especially when favored with religious parents,
who take a deep interest in their spiritual welfare
and spare no pains in promoting their spiritual
interest. " Train up a child in the way he should
go: and when he is old, he will not depart from
it:" Prov. xxii: 6. I believe, as a general rule,
it will hold good. Where parents, both of whom
are pious, have taken in hand a course of religi¬
ous training, and have commenced with their
children at the first dawn of reason, and not be¬
come weary in well doing, they have, with very
few exceptions, had the happiness to see the
whole of their children converted and pious mem¬
bers of the church. This I have seen in many
families, in the course of my public ministry.
And just here I record with unfeigned gratitude
to my heavenly Father, that I and my dear com¬
panion had that success with our children; two
of whom died in infancy, six who lived to be fully
grown, all became members of the church, all
professed to be converted. One died in the faith
in 1854, the other five are plodding their upward
way to the home of the good. I exhort all parents
to look seriously and thoughtfully at all your child¬
ren, and ask yourselves, Which of those children
you are willing should be dragged, by merciless
devils, into the horrors of an endless hell ? Many
parents are not capable of giving all the needed
instructions to their children, on account of their
own limited knowledge. This, in many instances,
is owing to their own culpable neglect. Many
who are members of the church, are so slack in
their attendance on the ministry of the word,
that their knowledge of the general doctrines of
the Bible, is quite defective. I have been truly
ashamed at hearing some of them ask such sim¬
ple questions about some of the plainest points of
scripture doctrine. Also, I have visited many
families who had almost no library of religious
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91
books. In many such families, the money paid
for tobacco from year to year, if paid for religious
books, might, in a few years, place a respectable
librai'y of religious books in that family. But
what can I say? A large number of preachers
have set them the example in the use of tobacco.
Those who instruct children should have a gen¬
eral knowledge of the universal corruption of
human nature, that they may know the kind of
creatures they have to deal with. They all have
a moral disease, and, though nothing short of the
grace of God can effect a radical cure, yet, instru¬
mentalities and means are to be used. Many
years ago, a good many of our traveling and lo¬
cal preachers leaned to the Pelagian doctrine, be¬
lieving that infants were born free from the cor¬
ruption of human nature; but since our preachers
have pass'ed an examination on the course of
study, before a committee, four years in succes¬
sion, I think our preachers are more generally
sound in our doctrines than in former years.
Every Methodist family ought to have " Fletch¬
er's appeal to matter of fact and common sense,"
and " Wesley on original sin," and read and study
them well. To succeed well in training children,
there should be a well regulated family govern¬
ment ; no children can be well trained without it.
Let the morning and evening sacrifice be offered;
let no press of business shut out family prayer.
Attend to family prayer early in the morning,
before the business of the day comes on. Have
all your family together. Have all your children,
however small, attend family worship. Let your
children know from their early childhood that
they must conform to your rules. When your
children are small, have early supper, and prayer
immediately after supper, that your children may
go to bed, and do not, like many foolish pai'ents,
put yopr children to bed before prayers. Remem-
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ber you are training your children for eternity!
You have need of much prayer, as success will
depend on the divine blessing. Let father and
mother be united ; let not one spoil the good the
other does. Among the many^ advantages of
youth, there is this, that their minds are tender
and more susceptible of divine impressions than
people of more advanced age. This is obvious to
every attentive observer. What an encourage¬
ment to parents and Sunday-school teachers. I
have read of a number of young persons, hav¬
ing died in the faith, who said they received
their first religious impressions in the Sunday-
school. I doubt not that Sunday-schools will
prove a means, under God, of the salvation of
many thousands of the young and rising genera¬
tion. It is of unspeakable importance for young
persons to escape from the pollutions of "the world
before they fall into them, and have incurred the
guilt of many aggravated offenses. It is much
easier to keep out of the mire of sin than to get
out after being plunged into it. Impressions
made in early youth are apt to be the more last¬
ing. It is particularly so with regard to the mem¬
ory, Many things learned in youth are remem¬
bered in old age. Many old people are very for¬
getful of things of recent occurrence, at the same
time, things learned in youth are remembered to
the latest hour of life. Every one may perceive
the importance of storing the memory of youth
with the knowledge of God and divine things.
Again: Youth is the time for forming habits.
When people form religious habits in early life,
they grow with their growth and strengthen with
their strength, and increase with their age. I.
have known many young persons to join our
church at the age of six years. I have known
some of them until they were grown men and
women, and they were among the most steady,
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93
faithful members in our church. Our Saviour un¬
derstood the matter well, When he said " suffer
the little children to come unto me and forbid
them not, for of such is the kingdom of heaven."
2d. These seasons are fast passing away. David
said, I made haste and delayed not to keep all
thy commandments. This was wise, when we
consider the shortness and uncertainty of life, de¬
lay is perilous in the extreme. Dor what is your
life ? It is even a vapor that appeareth for a lit¬
tle time and then vanisheth away. As long as
the sinner puts off the day of repentance he is
adding sin to sin, and cannot avoid it. There is
no salvation from sin but by the grace of God.
Every day that the sinner puts off repentance he
has more sins to repent of, less time to repent in,
and less inclination to repent. Every sin that a
man commits nourishes and increases the love of
sin, and in the same degree his aversion to God
and holiness, and this aversion in many is increased
tenfold by familiar associations formed with the
enemies of God and religion. Every sin that a
man commits leaves an indellible stain upon his
soul, which nothing but the blood of Christ can
wash out. Some have stayed away from hearing
the word preached, vainly supposing that they
incur less responsibility by not hearing than they
would by hearing and not practicing. I think
the former is the worst pinciple of the two, as it
seems to discover a more deep-rooted aversion to
God than the other. Most people who attend the
preaching of the word, manifest some reverence
for the worship of God, and intend to repent at a
future day. But those who will not hear appear
to be settled for life in their opposition to God.
Thus we see that those gracious seasons and times
of gracious visitation are fast passing away, and
thousands of immortal souls for whom Christ shed
his most precious blood are daily jeopardizing
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their immortal interest for a few of the empty
bubbles of this poor sinful world. May heaven
pity and save them before they sink into hell.
3d. If these seasons are not improved they
will soon be gone forever. God says my spirit
shall not always strive with man. Beware, sin¬
ner, lest he sware in his wrath that thou shalt
not enter into his rest. Bishop Horne, on the
119th Psalm, 126th verse: "It is time for thee,
Lord, to work, for they have made void thy law,"
says there is a certain measure of iniquity which
sinners are suffered to fill up, and when it is full
it is time for the great lawgiver to execute his
judgments and vindicate his authority. And how
ought we to fear lest the next sin we commit
should fill up the measure of our iniquity, and our
doom fixed for eternity. Some will no doubt per¬
ish through a settled habit of procrastination.
The habit of putting off from day to day becomes
a confirmed habit. It is the order of every day,
and many have continued in that confirmed habit
until the last hour of life, and have died in the
horrors of black despair. Some have believed
that moral liberty may be lost through the
strength of sinful habits. I believe it. I once
read of some people who went out in a pleasure
boat a distance from the land. At first they had
to use their oars, but soon got into the verge of
a dreadful whirlpool, and found to their great de¬
light that the boat glided along without any ef¬
fort of their oars. But their friends on the shore
who knew of the existence of the whirlpool, as
soon as the boat came near the land called aloud
to them, warned them of their danger, and beg¬
ged them to ply their oars immediately, and get
out of the danger. But they laughed at them,
told them that they were scared before they were
hurt, and so continued to sail round, performing
shorter circles every time, until the boat began
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95
to shoot rapidly. Then they cried aloud for help,
but none could reach them, and in a few minutes
they were swallowed up and lost. Such is the
condition of thousands of sinners at this day,
they have ventured beyond the bounds of recov¬
ering mercy. Farewell forever!
V.
Psalm 102: 13—Thou, shalt arise, and have mercy upon
Zion, for the time to favor her, yea the set time is come.
This was literally fulfilled when the Israelites
returned from, their seventy years captivity. The
Lord had said by the prophet Jeremiah, that he
would accomplish seventy years in the desolations
of Jerusalem. In Prideaux's Connections, the
doctor tells us there are two ways of counting
the seventy years. The first is, counting from
the captivity of Jehoiachin to the first year of
Cyrus, which he says is just seventy years. The
second is, counting from the eleventh year of Zede-
kiah unto the second year of Darius, which is
also just seventy years. The one period is from
beginning of their being carried into captivity to
the beginning of their return. The other period
is from their complete carrying away, until their
complete return. Their backslidings and idolatry
had been increasing for several generations, and
had risen to a climax, and they had become ripe
for the judgments of G-od. At this stage of their
moral disease, infinite wisdom saw with unerring
precision that no less disciplinaiy punishment
than a seventy years captivity in Babylon and
the land of the Chaldeans would reclaim them
from their apostacy, and the event proved that
the remedy was effectual. It is said they never
again fell into idolatry. On their return to their
own land they established an excellent custom—
that off reading the law, which was commenced
by Ezra and JSTehemiah. So they read in the
book of the law of God distinctly, and gave the
sense, and caused them to understand the read¬
ing: Nehemiah, viii: 8. They also built syna-
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97
gogues throughout the land, in which portions of
the law were read every Sabbath day. This was
an effectual preventative against relapsing into
idolatry.
To apply the words of our text to the gospel
church, I will remark, by the word Zion, is meant
the Church, and ChrisS the foundation. " There¬
fore, thus saith the Lord G-od, Behold I lay
in Zion for a foundation, a stone, a tried stone,
a pecious corner-stone, a sure foundation—he that
believeth shall not make haste:" Isa. xxviii: 16.
" For other foundation can no man lay than that
is laid, which is Jesus Christ:" I. Cor. iii: 11.
Jesus said to Peter, "Thou art Peter, and upon
this rock (perhaps pointing to himself) will I
build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not
prevail against it." It is essential to a saving
faith in Christ, that we believe in his Divinity.
"He bore all our sins in his own body on the
tree." It was by virtue of the union of the hu¬
man with the divine nature of Christ, that
stamped all his sufferings with an infinite merit.
Dr. Clark said, " There is an infinite demerit in
sin, and so there must be an infinite merit in the
atonement of Christ to meet and satisfy the
claims of justice." It is necessary for us, when
we approach the throne of the heavenly grace,
that we come with an humble boldness, and with
firm trust and confidence, that our advocate with
the Father has obtained eternal redemption for
us, and as our divine intercessor, being omnicient
and omnipresent, he knows all our wants, and
hears all our prayers, and renders them all ac¬
ceptable to the Father. Also, being omnipotent,
he is able to save to the uttermost all that come
unto God by him. The infinite importance of
these things demands our deepest and closest at¬
tention. Bishop Soule, when delivering his mem¬
orable sermon on the law of liberty, on the words,
E
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" Whoso looketh. into the perfect law of liberty,"
said he was not able to give us the full force and
meaning of the original; but he could say this,
" it meant stooping down—examining attentive¬
ly." A subject of such vast importance should
call into exercise our mental powers, to their ut¬
most tension. But alas! there are many who
make religion a sort of temporary concern, in
consequence of which their religion has but a
languid existence.
I now proceed to consider the church in a state
of declension. In this I will speak of our own
church, as being better acquainted with it than
any other. Comparing the present state of the
church with what it was from thirty to fifty years
ago, we see a manifest falling off". In the church
as a whole, there is not that deadness to the
world, that cross bearing, crucifying the flesh
with the affections and lusts, that groaning after
full redemption in the blood of Christ, that inde¬
fatigable zeal and energy in our ministry and
many of our lay members. I admit that we have
some in our church, both ministers and lay mem¬
bers, as spiritual as any we ever had. I also re¬
joice in believing that the church is in a much
better state now, than it was for a dozen years
before the close of the war. As to the causes of
the declension, I shall not take upon me to speak
of them all. At present, I will only speak of what
I believe to be the leading cause—covetousness.
" For the love of money is the root of all evil;
which while some coveted after, they have erred
from the faith, and pierced themselves through
with many sorrows:" I. Tim. vi: 10. We need no
better proof of this than the upward tendency of
prices on all articles of trade, for a long series of
years. To give one case out of many : the price
of slaves. When I was young, the highest price
of a slave was five hundred dollars; but prices
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99
rose gradually up to fifteen hundred, and even
higher. This principle of covetousness was de¬
veloped to a most alarming extent during the late
war, where extortion rose to such a height as has
never been known in our country since the war
of the revolution, while many poor widows and
families of soldiers, who were in the army fight¬
ing our battles, had the last dime wrung from
them by those pitiless extortioners, who gave un¬
mistakable evidence that they cared very little
for the lives of their fellow creatures, if they could
but increase their own wealth. But if the church
had kept clear of the evil, it had been a less mat¬
ter. It would have been like a nail in a sure
place. We might have preached down, and lived
down the evil. But alas! it was not so. I have
known many members of our church who were
so absorbed in the cares of this life, straining their
efforts to lay up treasures upon earth, contrary to
the express command of Christ, that they were
delinquent in the performance of many of the
known duties of religion. Yea, I have know many
of our members, wealthy farmers, who had all
the necessaries, and many of the luxuries of life,
who, through a desire to lay up more treasure
upon earth, have entered the mercantile business,
or into speculations of some other kind, have
failed in business and become bankrupt for life.
But have the ministers of the gospel kept them¬
selves free from the dreadful evil ? Not all. I
have known quite a number of our traveling
preachei'S—men as eminent for talents and use¬
fulness as any we had—leave the itinei'ancy, en¬
gage in the mercantile, fail in business, and be¬
come bankrupt for life. I know that this is an
extremely delicate subject, to write thus about
brethren whom I so dearly loved, and who, I be¬
lieve, are now resting in Abraham's bosom; and
could I believe the evil was done away from among
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us, I would, let the veil remain on the past. And
now I have given but a few outlines of the sad
picture. "Were it possible for any one man to see
the whole extent of the evils that may be traced
to the love of money as their source, I doubt not
he would unite with me in the belief, that infinite
wisdom saw that no less chastisement than a four
years' dreadful war, which can scarce find a par-
elell in the annals of history, was necessary to
cure us of the dreadful evil. The evil is not done
yet. The vast number of bankruptcies which
have occurred since the war, are standing evi¬
dences that extraordinary efforts have been made
to accumulate wealth, despite divine providence.
We come now to point out a few of the marks of
returning prosperity. " Thou shalt arise and have
mercy upon Zion, for the time to favor her, yea,
the set time, is come." It seems to me that this
is a metaphor taken from a laboring man, who,
being wearied with his toil, takes a recess, that
he may rest and recruit jpis exhausted strength ;
he then arises from his couch and falls to work
again. But here it is right to observe that meta¬
phors were never intended to be strained out in
every point, for, in some cases, it would involve
an absurdity, as in the present case. God is never
weary in, nor of his work. The cause of bis ceas¬
ing from his work, is found in the backsliding of
his people. " Behold, the Lord's hand is not short¬
ened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy,
that it cannot hear: but your iniquities have sep¬
arated between you and your God, and your sins
have hid his face from you, that he will not hear:"
Isaiah, lix: 1, 2. And Christ could not do many
mighty works among a certain people, because of
their unbelief. Observe, also, God's work don't
cease entirely ; their is only a decline. God car¬
ries on his work in the worst of times. When
Elijah said, "Lord, they have digged down thine
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101
altars, and slain thy prophets, and I only am left
a prophet of the Lord, and they seek my life."
God answered him, "I have reserved to myself
seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to
the image of Baal." And even in Chaldea there
were Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego,
Ezra, Nehemiah, and many others who were faith¬
ful to God.
First, a faithful ministry is a sure sign of God's
favor to his church. Men, chosen of God, and
having a special call from him; for the prophecy
came not in old time by the will of man: " But
holy men of God spake as they were moved by
the Holy Ghost:" IL Peter, i: 21. An essential
qualification of a gospel minister is love to Christ.
Jesus said to Peter, three times, " Simon, son of
Jonas, lovest thou me?" and being answered in
the affirmative, he said, " Feed my lambs; feed
my sheep." Again, feed my sheep. Many are
willing to address large, attentive congregations
of wealthy people, in elegant churches, but few
are willing to search for the lost sheep in the wil¬
derness, widely scattered; to enter their misera¬
ble, smoky huts and tell them the simple story of
the cross. Nothing but the love of Christ could
ever carry them there. Ministers should study
to show themselves approved unto God, rightly
dividing the word of truth. To illustrate this, I
will relate three anecdotes:
First, it was said of the Rev. Hope Hull, when
a young preacher, after preaching awhile, and
was improving, it began to leak out, from one
and another, that he was a smart preacher. This
got to his ears. He thought he would be smarter
still, and began to study connection in preaching;
but a female member perceived that there was
not the same power attending his preaching as
before. So one night, at her own fireside, she
said: " Brother Hull, do you think God ever
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called you to preach?" He said, "Yes, I know
He has." She said, " Is it not a wonder that God
should call such a man as you to preach ? " He
was struck dumb—thought about it in bed—said
to the good sister that he was discouraged, and
would leave the circuit. But when he started,
she followed him to the gate and said, " Brother
Hull, are you a mechanic?" He said, "Yes."
" Then you had better stay on the circuit, and
you can score in and beat off." He took the hint,
and ever after that, when he got in the pulpit, his
aim was to get at the sinner's heart.
The second was related by brother Tarply at
camp-meeting. Several gentlemen were convers¬
ing, each giving his opinion as to who was the
greatest preacher he had ever heard. One man
sat silent until a personal appeal was made to
him, and he was requested to give his opinion.
He said he thought Mr. Watters was the greatest
he had ever heard. They were all astonished,
for Mr. Watters was a very plain preacher, and
asked his reason for thinking so. He said, when
I hear one and another of those preachers you
speak of, I always leave the church well pleased
with the preacher; but when I hear Mr. Watters,
I always leave the church displeased with myself.
Thirdly. I once heard Dr. Hamilton, of Ala¬
bama, preach on the doctrine of the cross. He
said many of our preachers had adopted a popu¬
lar manner of preaching, and he thought, ob¬
scured the doctrine of the cross. He said a man
bought an image; it had an incrustation around
it; he picked it off with his fingers until he got a
sight into the interior, and there was a beautiful
image of Christ on the cross. This he used as a
figure of the true cross. He said, doubtless the
time was fast approaching when we would have
need of such men as Knox and Luther and the
Wesleys, to take off the incrustation and show us
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103
the naked cross. Ministers should he very punc¬
tual in attending their appointments, our disci¬
pline enjoins, and be sure never to disappoint a
congregation. It was one great cause of declen¬
sion in our church, that many of our congrega¬
tions were literally worn out with disappoint¬
ments. Our preachers are doubtless doing much
better now, and God is owning and blessing their
labors.
Another mark of the favor of God to his church,
is when the pastors visit from house to house. I
believe that this long neglected duty is being
more attended to, and if our preachers do not be¬
come weary in well doing, we shall look for gra¬
cious seasons of refreshing from the presence of
the Lord. Another mark of prosperity in the
church, is when the discipline of the church is
well attended to. Our church suffered much for
the want of it. Christ gave to Peter two keys—
the key of doctrine and the key of discipline. By
the one, he opened the kingdom of heaven to men
and gathered them into the church; by the other,
he cut off such members as could not be reformed
by the word, and so preserved the purity of the
church.
Secondly. Another mark of prosperity in the
church is a faithful membership. Ministers may
be faithful in preaching the pure word, and in
attending to all their pastoral duties, but cannot
be responsible for the success of their preaching;
they can preach the word, but cannot give it the
desired effect; that is the work of the spirit of
God. Faith cometh by hearing; but many there
are who, through the willful neglect of attending
the public worship of God, have no life of religion
in their souls. Secret prayer is but little attended
to by very many. Many heads of families never
pray in their families. About the year 1833, a
preacher on a large four weeks' circuit made in-
Sermon.
quiry and ascertained that one hundred heads of
families lived in the habitual neglect of family
prayer. I doubt if it is much better now. I
believe the greater part of our members do not
fast at all, except when a fast day is appointed.
From forty to fifty years ago, all our traveling
preachers, and many of ovir local preachers and
members, fasted apart of every Friday; and now,
as near as 1 can ascertain, there are few, if any,
of our traveling preachers who fast every Friday.
We are a fallen people! I heard of a Doctor of
Divinity who said "he thought it was not proper
for us to fast in these gospel days." I thought
he looked very late past the middle of the nine¬
teenth century, since the pious, in all ages of
the church, have attended so strictly to fasting.
There must be a greater attention to the per¬
formance of all religious duties before we can be
blessed with a general and lasting revival. All
Christians ought to pray three times a day in se¬
cret; heads of families have family prayer, morn¬
ing and evening, without fail; train their chil¬
dren for the Lord; all fast every Friday; attend
church, at every opportunity; read the Bible
through; meditate day and night; cut off all
needless expenses; save all you can; buy good,
religious books; keep a good library for yourself
and your children ; devote all your spare moments
to reading, meditation and prayer, and religious
conversation; keep your children to it. And
now, brethren, if we can see all these marks of
prosperity, we may safely conclude the time to
favor Zion—yea, the set time is come! Even so
come, Lord Jesus, and come quickly. Amen.
VI.
Deuteronomy vii.: 22.—" And the Lord thy God will put
out those nations before thee, by little and little."
It has been said that what Israel of old was, in
a literal sense, that the spiritual Israel are, in a
spiritual sense. Was Israel a chosen people? So
are the spiritual Israel. Were they once in bond¬
age under Pharaoh, King of Egypt? So were
these once in bondage to sin and Satan. Did
Pharaoh place over them task-masters, who caused
them to serve with rigor? So were these once
under rigid task-masters—the lusts of the flesh,
the lusts of the eye, and the pride of life. Did
the Lord send Moses and deliver them out of
Egyptian bondage? So did the Lord send Jesus,
of whom Moses was an eminent type, and deliv¬
er his people from worse than Egyptian bond¬
age. Did their enemies pursue them, and were
overthrown in the Red Sea ? So the spiritual
Israel have their sins washed away in the red
sea of the Redeemer's blood. So Dr. Watt's :
"His death has brought my foes to shame,
And drown'd them in his blood."
Did Israel sing a song of praise to God for their
deliverance ? So do the spiritual Israel, when
pardoned and renewed by grace, praise God with
joyful lips. And so was their long and tiresome
journey through the wilderness, their sufferings,
temptations and troubles, typical of the journey
of the spiritual Israel, through the howling wild¬
erness of this world, to the heavenly Canaan. In
discoursing from these words, I will speak : 1. Of
the enemies against which the people of God have
106
Sermon.
to contend. 2. How the people of God are brought
on the field of battle. 3. How the conquest is car¬
ried on and completed.
I. I am to show what enemies the people of
God have to contend with. The Israelites fought
against and conquered seven nations of enemies.
I propose to point out seven against which the
spiritual Israel contend. First, a nation of vain
thoughts. They may well be called a nation, in
consideration of their vast number. All thoughts
opposed to God, and to the purity and spirituality
of his law, are sinful and vain; all thoughts that
have a tendency to lead the mind away from God,
are sinful. Thoughts about evil things are not
sinful, unless we indulge and entertain them. We
cannot hinder such thoughts from entering our
minds, but we may think of them with abhor¬
rence, and reject them. I cannot hinder the birds
from flying over my head ; but I can hinder them
from building nests in my hair. These enemies
greatly annoy the Christian soldier, and he will
have many a sore conflict before he can drive
them all out.
2d. A nation of deceitful lusts. Lust is desire
in general. In scripture, it means unlawful desires,
such as the desire of earthly things, carnal pleas¬
ures, etc., all which are congenial to our fallen
nature. They are deceitful having so many plaus¬
ible pretenses for their gratification. We are sur¬
rounded by an endless variety of visible objects,
acting upon our senses, and attracting our atten¬
tion. It is very difficult for the Christian soldier to
"look not at things which are seen, but at things
which are not seen." It costs him many groans,
and tears, and sore conflicts, to gain the victory
over them all.
3d. A nation of heart plagues, the remains of
corruption even in believers, a doctrine plainly
taught in the scriptures, and well agreeing with
Sermon.
107
the experiences of the people of God in general.
" And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as un¬
to spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto
babes in ChristI. Corinthians, iii: 1. If they
were babes in Christ, they were born of the spirit
it, and yet were in a measure carnal. Again the
Apostle says to those that are dead and their life
hid with Christ in God. " Mortify therefore your
members which are upon the earth, fornication,
uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concu-
pisence, and covetousness, which is idolatry Col.
iii: 2, 4, 5. These evil tempers, though kept un¬
der by grace when excited by temptation, will
stir within us, which causes the christian soldier
many a sore conflict, and he often comes from his
knees groaning and bewailing his soul's imperfec¬
tions, until grace gains the victory.
4th. A nation of sins in life. Our sins are more
in number than the hairs of our heads. And
every sin committed fixes the stain of corruption
deeper in the soul. The christian soldier will not
be without many temptations to relapse into
former sins, and will not avoid it without constant
watchfulness and a vigorous resistance. Also on
close examination will discover many sins of omis¬
sion, many short comings and imperfections, and
improprieties over which he is called to mourn,
and to amend.
5th. A nation of evil men. These are implaca¬
ble enemies to God and his people, lurking in se¬
cret places, lying in wait to deceive, using every
artifice to ensnare and draw people away from
the service of God. Wherefore come out from
among them and be ye separate, saith the Lord.
Be not deceived, evil communications corrupt
good manners. Beware of forming familiar as¬
sociations with them. A holy man once said the
very breath of a wicked man was infectious.
There is need of great care and watchfulness.
108
Sermon.
6th. A nation of devils. Your adversary, the
devil, as a rqaring lion, goeth about seeking whom
he may devour. We read of the devil and his
angels, yea a legion of devils had entered into
one man. Their number is countless. Doubtless
those subtle spirits have learned very much in
the art of seduction in the course of near six
thousand years. It requires a great deal of watch¬
fulness, assiduity, and close examination to dis¬
cern their every secret snare and to make a firm
and invincible resistance, which can be done only
through the light and aid of the Holy Spirit.
7th. A nation of false doctrines. All doctrines
which encourage self-indulgence, are pleasing to
the flesh—sensual, are opposed to the spirit, con¬
sequently opposed to the cross, crucifying the
flesh with the affections and lusts. All these are
of pernicious tendency, as being opposed to holi¬
ness, without which no man shall see the Lord.
Deism, consisting in a few moral rules, even de¬
nying that we have any moral disease inherent
in our nature, contrary to matter-of-fact and com¬
mon sense. (See Fletcher's Appeal.) Universal-
ism, flatly contradicting the plain word of God,
inducing thousands to hope to get to heaven with¬
out holiness. The doctrine of unconditional de¬
crees, unalterably fixing the destiny of all man¬
kind for heaven or hell, thereby rendering all
motives and incentives to virtue useless, paralyz¬
ing all efforts for the attainment of holiness. We
are glad to say that the practice of many who
hold to such tenets is happily inconsistent with
the belief of that doctrine being truly pious per¬
sons. The doctrine of Socinians and Unitarians,
Christ a mere man, and so is not "able to save
to the uttermost all that come unto God by him."
II. I am to show how the people of God are to
be brought on the field of battle against their
enemies. This is by little and little. They must
Seirmon.
109
be marched and counter-marched through several
fields before they come on the field of battle.
1st. The first field is the field of consideration.
Here the word of command is, " Thus saith the
Lord, consider your waysHaggai, i: 5. Hone
will ever commence a religious life without serious
consideration. I thought on my ways, said David,
and turned my feet unto thy testimonies. "Let
us search and try our ways and turn unto the
Lord." Search the Scriptures, said Christ. By
the law is the knowledge of sin, and the law is
our school master to bring us to Christ.
2d. The second field is the field of restlessness.
Here the word of command is, arise and depart
hence, for this is not your rest, because it it pol¬
luted. The sinner sees in the glass of God's law
that his soul is polluted, covered over with the
leprosy of sin. His conscience is troubled—guilt
lies as a heavy burden on his laboring conscience.
He is rendered still more uneasy when he reads
that " God is angry with the wicked every day.'
That he that believeth not the Son shall not see
life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.
3d. The third field is the field of concern. Here
the word of command is, "Let all the inhabitants
of the land tremble." He reads in the book of
God, " Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise per¬
ish." " Except a man be born again, he cannot
see the kingdom of God." God will rain snares,
fire and brimstone, in a horrible tempest, upon
the wicked, and this shall be the portion of their
cup. The wrath of God is revealed from heaven
against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of
men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness. At
all this he trembles and is greatly concerned.
The great deep of his heart is broken up, and
his soul wrung with remorse for his past sins.
4th. The fourth field is the field of despair.
Here, instead of a word of command, there is a
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Sermon.
kind of threat. "Cursed is every one that contin-
ueth not in all things written in the book of the
Law, to do them." Here he sees that he hasfbeen
guilty of ten thousand breaches of that perfect
Law, without being able to render the least satis¬
faction to otfended justice. His most holy deeds
are but splendid sins in the eyes of that holy
law. He is in debt to divine justice more than
ten thousand talents, and has not a farthing
wherewith to pay.
5th. From the field of despair their great and
wise captain leads them to a field of a more cheer¬
ful cast, called the field of hope. Here the word
of command is, " Hope thou in God." Though
guilty, self-condemned, and Law-condemned, he
reads, "Jesus is the friend of sinners, has power
on earth to forgive sins; in due time Christ died
for the ungodly; that he came to save the chief
of sinners ; that him that cometh unto me saith,
' Christ, I will, in no wise, cast out;' that where
sin abounded, grace did much more abound ; that,
though the wages of sin is death, yet the gift of
God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
' Look unto me and be ye saved, all the ends of
the earth, for I am God, and there is none else.' "
6. From the field of hope their great and wise
captain leads them into a precious field indeed,
called the field of saving faith. Here the Chris¬
tian soldier gets a view of his captain. In him
he has redemption through his blood ; the forgive¬
ness of sins is justified by faith; has peace with
God; has the witness of adoption into the family
of God, and sees in Christ a fullness of gospel
provision, adapted to all his spiritual wants, and
rejoices with joy unspeakable and full of glory.
III. I am to show how the conquest is carried
on and completed. This, also, is usually by little
and little.
First, the Christian soldier must put on the
Sermon.
Ill
whole armor of God; having your loins girt about
with truth, and put on the breast-plate of right¬
eousness, and your feet shod with the preparation
of the gospel of peace. Above all, taking the
shield of faith, and for a helmet, the hope of sal¬
vation, and the sword of the spirit, which is the
word of God. Though the battle is the Lord's,
and he will fight for us, yet we must not be inac¬
tive, but must put forth all our energies in the
exercise of all the Christian graces. The contest
is between virtue and vice. The flesh lusteth
against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh,
and these are contrary the one to the other. This
is the victory that overcometh the world, even
our faith. We must have an implicit faith in
Christ, the captain of our salvation ; a sure trust
in his never failing skill. He is infinite in wisdom,
and is the source of wisdom to us. We must not
lean unto our own understanding. If we look to
him, he will give us a mouth and wisdom that all
our adversaries shall not be able to gainsay or re¬
sist, and shall put to silence the ignorance of fool¬
ish men. There must be an unfaltering obedience
to every command of our captain. Oh ! that my
people had hearkened to my voice ! I should soon
have subdued their enemies. Christ having suf¬
fered, being tempted, he is able to succor them
that are tempted. Temptations to distrust the
providence of God; to impatience under afflic¬
tions; to murmuring at the afflictive dispensations
of God ; to doubt the real work of grace, wrought
by his spit it upon our hearts. These should be
met and repulsed by the sword of the spirit, the
word of God.
It is called the sword of the spirit, because given
by inspiration of God, and is wielded by the spir¬
it's help. Those who receive the largest measure
of the gift of the Holy Spirit, wield it to the best
advantage, and gain the most signal victories.
112
Sermon.
Many other assaults of the enemy should he met
with sword in hand. In this we follow the ex¬
ample of our Great Captain. With the sword of
the spirit he vanquished Apollyon three times,
and returned triumphantly in the power of the
spirit into Gallilee. The temptations of the devil
are adapted to some weakness or corruption of
our fallen nature. It was before stated that there
are some remains of corruption in the soul after
justification ; such as pride, anger, self-will, love
of the world, etc. These being kept under by
grace, do not have dominion; but when they be¬
come excited by temptations suited to ther sev¬
eral natures, bring on a conflict, often very se¬
vere. And now the Christian soldier is driven,
of necessity, to use other parts of his armor—im¬
portunate prayer, and active faith—he must come
boldly to the throne of grace. It is now a time
of need ; there must be victory or defeat. The
grace already received has not yet destroyed all
these evil roots. The tree has been cut down,
but some of the roots remain ; more grace must
he received—special grace for this specific pur¬
pose. " Speak the second time, be clean ; take
away my inbred sin." They are inward enemies,
and are more dangerous than outward enemies.
It is not sufficient that we so far over-awe, that
these unholy passions are laid asleep, and remain
quiescent for a time—but will be sure to be ex¬
cited by temptation, and stir again at every sub¬
sequent onset of the enemy. Continue the con¬
test ; besiege the throne of the heavenly grace,
with all the power of prayer; wrestle like Jacob;
engage your enemies on your knees. All this
will not avail without faith in God. Let your
faith take hold of the many great and precious
promises of God with a tenacious grasp—
il I can no denial take,
When I plead for Jesus' sake."
Sermon.
113
Plead the promises on your knees, in the very
words of scripture. To do this, you must be very
familiar with the Book of God. " Search the scrip¬
tures," said Christ, " for in them ye think ye have
eternal life." It is important that you quote them
correctly; incorrect quotations may injure the
sense. A sound faith must have a sound founda¬
tion. If you cannot quote correctly from memo¬
ry, I would advise you to read your Bible with
attention, and mark every place where a promise
of entire sanctification is recorded ; and when y6u
go upon your knees, have your Bible open before
you and read your quotations. Your faith will
be much stronger when you are sure you make
no mistake, and the victory will be sure. A state
of entire sanctification is that in which all our in¬
ward enemies are destroyed and cast out—but
shall still have to contend with outward enemies
to the end of life. But when all our inward ene¬
mies are destroyed, the conquest of our outward
enemies will be comparatively easy. According
to the testimony of a few, they have sought and
obtained the blessing of entire sanctification, as
an instantaneous work. But I believe that much
the largest number experience a more gradual
work, overcoming one evil passion after another,
until the victory over all our inward enemies is
complete. But remember, the war is not ended
yet; there are still very many outward enemies
to contend with. There is as great need of watch¬
fulness, care and vigilance, in guarding against
and resisting the enemy as ever. The holy treas¬
ure must be guarded and defended to the utmost
of our ability. The commander of an army is
very ambitious to capture a large and rich prize.
If Satan can capture a sanctified soul, the prize
would be so great that I think he would publish
the tidings throughout the extent of his dark do¬
main, and there would be a great shout in the
Sermon.
enemy's camp. There were some remnants of
the conquered nations left among the Israelites,
who were thorns in their sides and prickles in
their eyes. Perhaps this might, in some measure,
have preserved them from sinking into supine-
ness. I have thought the reason the Lord has
left many of his people to struggle with their re¬
maining corruptions till near the close of life, is
for a like purpose. But I believe there are many
who might have been sanctified long ago, if they
had used the means of grace as faithfully as they
might have done. I believe if all who profess
faith in Christ would be faithful to the grace
given, that sanctifications would be as common as
justifications; but alas! the church in general is
far below this gospel standard of holiness.
In conclusion, I invite all who love and fear
God, to unite with me in prayer to God, that he
wake up the church in general to an earnest and
persevering seeking for the great blessing of per¬
fect love. So shall our victory over the last ene¬
my be complete. " Oh, death, where is thy sting?
Oh, grave, where is thy victory ?" Thanks be to
God who giveth us the victory. Amen.
VII.
Hebrews, vi.: 17, 18.—" Wherein God, willing more
abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immuta¬
bility of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath; that by two
immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to
lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for
refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us.''1
The attentive reader, who is a candid inquirer
after truth, will clearly see in all the scriptures a
fullness of gospel provision, perfectly adapted to
all man's spiritual wants. True, in this life, we
are subject to many innocent infirmities. We
cannot be perfect in knowledge in this life. We
are liable to err in our understanding and judg¬
ment of things, failure of memory, and many
other similar infirmities, which are inseparable
from our present state of existence. These are
not imputed to us as sinful, while we continue to
aim at the glory of God in all that we do. On
the other hand, the scriptures clearly point out
all those unholy passions and affections which are
opposed to the purity and spirituality of the Di¬
vine Law. We are not at liberty to call these in¬
nocent infirmities, but should expect the grace of
God to subdue and destroy them utterly, that we
may perfect holiness in the fear of God.
We inquire, then, first: Who are the heirs of
promise ? St. Paul answers this question : Gala-
tians, iii: 29. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye
Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the prom¬
ise. This alludes to the promise which God made
to Abraham, that in his seed all nations of the
earth should be blessed. He saith not unto seeds,
116
Sermon.
as of many, but as of one, unto thy seed which
is Christ. So then all who are in Christ by a liv¬
ing faith are the children of Abraham, and heirs
of the promise. See verse 7. The next thing
that claims our attention is the immutability of
his counsel. By his counsel 1 understand his pur¬
pose to save mankind through the redemption
that is in Christ. His purposes being founded in
infinite wisdom are infallible—not liable to err,
and of course not subject to change. That which
is infinite admits of no improvement, neither does
it admit any change, because change implies er¬
ror and imperfection. Change also implies un¬
certainty. Here I would ask the reader to pause
and deeply consider this awful and yet glorious
subject, one which the angels desire to look into
with the most intense interest. Let us consider
what concern our faith has this glorious revela¬
tion of himself which God has made unto us.
The text assures us God is willing more abun¬
dantly to show unto the heirs of promise the im¬
mutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath.
What infinite condescension is this? His word
is as steadfast as his oath. He saith, heaven and
earth shall pass away, but my word shall not pass
away. It is only in condesension to human weak¬
ness that he has given us his oath, seeing we are
so slow of heart to believe. He was resolved that
nothing should be wanting to confirm and estab¬
lish our faith. That we should so run, not as un¬
certainly, and so fight, not as one that beateth
the air. It is our privilege and bounden duty to
attain to the full assurance of faith, and the full
assurance of hope unto the end. Though this be
not the privilege of those who are yet babes in
Christ, and as yet weak in faith, yet it is held up
as the mark of the prize for which we all ought
to run with unwearied diligence until we attain
the heavenly goal. It is truly distressing to know
Sermon.
117
that hundreds of members of the visible church
are living without the knowledge of sins forgiven,
and what is still worse, deny that this knowledge
is attainable in this life. Some have said that
they pitied others who did pretend to know their
sins forgiven. Do they not oppose their Maker's
will, who has declared his willingness so abundant¬
ly to reveal and make himself known to his people,
for them to shut their eyes against the light.
Rather let us hail with unspeakable joy the kind
otfer of our Heavenly Father, and realize the
truth of our Saviour's words, " This is life eternal,
that they might know thee, the only true God,
and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." This
is essential to our happiness in the present life.
Mo man who is in the habit of daily meditation
on the solemn realities of eternity, can keep his
mind at ease, while his salvation hangs in a state
of doubt and uncertainty, and knows not whether
he is traveling to heaven or to hell. In further
consideration of the importance and necessity of
the knowledge of God and divine things, I will
observe that every unregenerate child of man is
conscious of a sensible enjoyment of sinful pleas¬
ures. Here is reality, and no doubt or uncer¬
tainty in the case. While the sinner is dead to
God and divine things, he is all alive to the world,
fond of its pleasures and vanities. Mow the scrip¬
tures require, in order to be partakers of divine
nature, that he renounce all these sinful pleasures,
deny himself, take up his cross, aud crucify the
flesh with the affections and lust. Mow, I am fully
persuaded, in my own mind, that we can never
prevail on the sinner to comply with all these re¬
quisitions, if we have nothing to offer him but a
dry hope, which may, perchance, prove delusive
in the end. I believe, because I have seen many
instances of it, that many have been induced to
become members of the visible church, whose
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manners and habits differ nothing materially from
common worldlings, except in the performance of
a few outward duties, any of which may be omit¬
ted at any time when carnal pleasures invite their
attendance at the circus, theatre, ball-room, or
parties of pleasure. They have a name in the
church, but it costs them nothing to be there.
They make no sacrifices. If they get no spiritual
benefit, yet they are not losers, because they do
not abridge their pleasures.
We come next to consider, a little more partic¬
ularly, the solid and immovable foundation on
which our faith is built. That, by two immuta¬
ble things, in which it was impossible for God to
lie. His promise and his oath are equally un¬
changeable. But why is it impossible for God to
lie ? Because truth is an essential attribute of
God, and he could as soon cease to exist as to
vary one hair-breadth from the truth. Here is
our immovable foundation. When settled upon
this rock by a firm and abiding faith—a sure trust
and confidence in the unerring wisdom, truth,
power and faithfulness of God—storms may howl,
billows roll, men and devils rage—but all in vain.
We may say with the Psalmist, " God is our ref¬
uge and strength, a very present help in trouble,
therefore will not we fear, though the earth be
removed and though the mountains be carried in¬
to the midst of the seaPsalm xlvi: 1, 2.
We come next to give the reader a few thoughts
on God's immutability, i. e., his unchangeableness.
He is unchangeable in his love to holiness, and he
is unchangeable in his hatred to sin. He will ever
reward virtue and punish wickedness. To undei*-
stand this doctrine aright we should consider well
our relation to God as his accountable creatures.
As moral agents we have good and evil, life and
death, heaven and hell set before us, and directed
by our Maker himself to make our choice; and
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it is according to his own unchangeable procedure
to deal with them according to their choice. " For
we must all appear before the judgment seat of
Christ, that every one may receive the things
done in the body, according to that he hath done,
whether it be good or bad II. Corinthians, v:
10. Some in favor of a favorite theory—that of
the impossibility of falling from grace—have said
if a man could be a child of God yesterday, and
a child of the devil to-day, it would prove God
changeable. It would prove no such thing. It
would prove that the change is in the man and not
in God. This nation is founded on God's everlast¬
ing love, so interpreted that if God loved an indi¬
vidual at any one time and not at another it
proves him changeable. This notion is in direct
opposition to a very large portion of the holy
scriptures, a few of which may suffice for my pres¬
ent purpose. And first, God created all the angels
holy, and loved them all, but many of them kept
not their first estate, but left their own habitation,
whom " he hath reserved in everlasting chains, un¬
der darkness, until the judgment of the great
day Jude, vi. "And thou Solomon, my son, know
thou the God of thy father and serve him with a
perfect heart and with a willing mind, for the
Lord searches all hearts, and understandeth all
the imaginations of the thoughts; if thou seek
him he will be found of thee ; but if thou forsake
him he will cast thee off forever:" I. Chronicles,
xxviii: 9. The Lord loved Solomon and gave
him wisdom and riches above all that were before
him, but Solomon forsook the Lord and served
idols, and God was angry with him. But you
may say Solomon was reclaimed before his death.
When you prove that we will believe it, but this
never has been done yet. If you prove that,
still my point is gained, for I have clearly proved
that God loved Solomon at one time, and was an-
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gry with him at another time. Again, Aaron
was called the saint of the Lord, but when he
made the golden calf God was angiy with him
to have destroyed him, but Moses prayed for him
and the Lord forgave him. In that day thou shalt
say, " O Lord, I will praise thee; though thou wast
angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and
thou comfortest me Isaiah, xii: 1. St Paul avoided
being a castaway by keeping under his bod}7" and
bringing it into subjection, and so may every
Christian now. With the above named scriptures
agree the whole tenor of scripture doctrine.
Fi-om the whole tenor of scripture doctrine we
learn that the promises of God, as well as his
threatnings are conditional, and to inherit the
promises we must fear God and keep all his com¬
mandments always, yea we must give all diligence
to make our calling and election sure.
We come now to improve the latter part of
our subject. That we might have a strong conso¬
lation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold on
the hope set before us. This doubtless has a
manifest allusion to the cities of refuge in the
land of Canaan. They had six cities for refuge,
three on the east side of Jordan and three on the
west side of Jordan. They were cities of refuge
for the slayer to escape to, who had killed his
neighbor by accident and hated him not aforetime.
The reason they had so many of them was that
the way might be too long, and so give the
avenger of blood the better opportunity to over¬
take him before he could reach the city of refuge.
Besides this, it is said that the roads leading to
those cities were among the plainest roads in all
the country. This also was a great advantage
to the slayer. Besides all this we are told if there
"was a fork-in the road, there was a sign-board
pointing toward the city, with these words, in
large letters: REFUGE! REFUGE! What an
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unspeakeable advantage was this ? Consider the
slayer running for his life, the avenger of blood
close on his track, but the road is plain; at the
fork he lifts his eyes, and at a single glance he
sees the word, Eefuge ! not a moment to delay—
no need of any, he reads as he runs ; he arrives
at the gate of the city, calls to the porter, de¬
clares his cause ; the gates fly open, the elders
receive him safe and sound. This is typical of
the sinner awakened by the law's loud thunders
denouncing, the soul that sinneth it shall die. He
sees himself a lost sinner, self-condemned, and law-
condemned, is pointed to Christ as his only ref¬
uge—his only help and hope—is escaping for his
life, with the avenger of blood at his heels. In
the extremity of his distress he throws his help¬
less soul on Christ, the door opens and the accents
of pardon peal upon his ear, and joy unspeakeable
springs up in his soul—here is refuge for the weary
soul. We may draw a comparison from Lot's
flight out of Sodon. A storm of fire and brim¬
stone is gathering, the angels warn Lot to make
haste and get out, Lot lingers, mercy interposes;
the angels lay hold of his hand and the hands of
his wife and daughters, and brought them forth
abroad, and said unto them, escape for thy life,
look not behind thee, tarry not in all the plain—
escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.
How often is it so with the awakened sinner,
alarmed at the imminent danger to which he is
exposed, yet he lingers until Sinai's thunder again
peals upon his ear, and he is driven to take ref¬
uge in the cross of Christ.
I will use just one more figure. The prophet,
Isaiah, says, "Who are these that fly as a cloud
and as doves to their windows ?" It was common
in the Eastern country to have dove-houses on the
top of their dwelling houses, and doubtless many
windows to them, and a large gang of doves flying
■p
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together would resemble a cloud. Just think,
when a storm is gathering you should look out
and see a gang of doves flying like a swift cloud
toward their windows for shelter from the gather¬
ing storm, and you have a striking and impressive
figure of sinners flying to Christ for refuge from
the storms of divine wrath. Now we have already
fled to Christ for refuge and we have a strong
consolation. The word implies confidence also.
In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence, and
his children shall have a place of refuge. And
while we exercise a sure trust and confidence in
God, we find Him to be a never failing source of
consolation in the midst of all our trials and suf¬
ferings, so that we are exceedingly joyful in all
our tribulation that we endure, when, by faith,
we see all things working together for our good.
"VYe all, with open face beholding as in a glass the
glory of the Lord, are changed into the same im¬
age from glory to glory, as by the spirit of the
Lord.
The reason so many professors of religion have
such limited and imperfect views of the glory
and superlative excellency of divine things, is
that their heart is divided; they look too much at
the things which are seen, which are temporal,
(carnal), and not as they should at the things
which are not seen—which are spiritual, eternal,
heavenly and divine. Those who are frequently
running after worldly amusements and carnal
pleasures, attending balls, circuses, and various
other kinds of exhibitions, have their spiritual
vision greatly obscured, are never permitted to
see the depth of the riches of the glory of the
inheritance of the saints. Besides these, there
are others, who keep clear of these evils, who
nevertheless indulge in some idle and unprofita¬
ble (perhaps expensive) habits, which prevent, in
some measure, their attainment of the fulness of
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gospel grace. If all these evils were removed,
the work of entire sanctification would be much
more common among us than it is. When shall
we understand what is implied, in giving up the
whole heart to God ? Oh! could we attain to
this mark of the prize of our high calling of G-od
in Christ, what streams of consolation would re¬
fresh our weary spirits in our toilsome pilgrimage
through the howling wilderness of this world to
the glories of the heavenly inheritance. This is
the hope set before us. Hope relates to that
which is future. Whereunto we have already
attained is not now an object of hope. But there
is a field of religious improvement still lying out
in prospect before us—a greater length, breadth,
depth and height attainable. These are still ob¬
jects of our hope. Also, the vast reward that
awaits us in heaven, is still an object of our hope.
This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, sure
and steadfast, cast within the veil, in heaven's
broad bay, and has a cable reaching from earth
to heaven. This cable is winding up, and draw¬
ing our vessel onward, upward and heavenward,
by means of which, with Christ in the vessel, we
outride the storm, and ere long, with crowded
sail, and with a fresh breeze of heavenly air, and
with a flood-tide of glory, we shall enter the har¬
bor in holy triumph, and be hailed by millions of
angels and glorified saints, where we shall sing
the song of Moses and the Lamb to all eternity.
Amen.