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Some Events In The Life of...
Part III
Written By Himself.
I now come to a period, which was very interesting to me, and, possibly,
on account of the incidents of this period, may be profitable to others.
In the month of October, my mind was graciously impressed with eternal
realities. Souls appeared very precious to me, and my heart was
drawn out in prayer for their salvation. Now, for the first time, I knew
what it was to travail in birth for the conversion of sinners. The words
of Rachel to Jacob were the words of my heart to God: "Give me children
or else I die." One night, as I lay on my bed weeping and praying,
I thought if it was spring instead of autumn, I would spend all my time at
the feet of Jesus in prayer, and at the feet of sinners, praying them to be
reconciled to God; but winter was coming on, the summer was ended,
and the opportunity past. On which reflection, the following welds burst
into my mind with surprising effect: "The shepherds rejoiced on a winter's
day." These words awakened all the latent energies of my soul. I
resolved to double my vigor, and had faith to believe that I should see souls
return to the Lord, and that I should rejoice at it that winter. For eight
months after this, I had the spirit of prayer to a degree beyond what I ever
had it in my life; and, if I mistake not, my preaching savored a little of
the same spirit. My field of preaching was from Orange down to York,
about one hundred and twenty miles. From November, 1779, to July,
1780, I baptized one hundred and thirty, the chiefest of whom professed
to he the seals of my ministry. As this was the first time that ever such
a work attended my ministry, it was refreshing indeed; nor can I think
of it now, without soft emotions of heart. The chiefest of my success
was in York, where Lord Cornwallis and the British army were made
prisoners, in October, 1781. Matthew Wood, Robert Stacy and Thomas Cheesman, (all preachers afterwards,) were the children of this revival.
In the first of my preaching in York, I had a meeting in the edge of
Warwick. Just as I had read my text, Col. Harwood, with six others,
entered the house. "Sir," said the Colonel, " I am come to stop you from
preaching here to-day." Without any time to think, I gave a heavy stamp
on the floor, and told him in the name of God to forbear. He replied, " I
did not come to frght, but to stop you from preaching." A Mr. Cole
Diggs, son of a counsellor, was there, and said, "Col. Harwood, you are
a representative in the General Assembly, and the Assembly has just
made a law to secure the religious rights of all, and now you come to
prevent them. What does that look like ?" Said the Colonel, "Mr.
Diggs, I only came to prevent an unlawful conventicle, for this meeting
draws away the people From the church!" Mrs. Russell, the mistress
of the house, replied, "Hah! Colonel, I think it is a pity that people
cannot do as they please, in their own house." "Madam," said the
Colonel, "I did not come to dispute with ladies." And here the fracas
ended. The Colonel and Co. went off, and the meeting was continued.
When he returned home, his mother said unto him, " Well, Neddy, what
did the man say unto you?" "What ?" said the Colonel, " He stamped at
me, and made no more of me than if I had been a dog. I shall trouble
them no more." Some of his servants I baptized afterwards.
Captain Robert Howard, of York, had a beautiful and pious wife whom
he adored. She wished to be baptized, but as he was a vestryman in the
church, he opposed it. At a time, however, she came forward and was
baptized. When he heard of it, he called for his carriage, and took his cowskin, and said he mould lash me out of the county. His sister replied,
"Brother Bobby, Mr. Leland is a large man, and will be too much for
you." "I know it," said the Captain, "but he will not fight." His wife
made answer," Perhaps he may--he goes well armed; and if he should
wound you in the heart, you would fall before him." "Ah!" said the
Captain, "I know nothing about this heart-work." "I wish you may, my
dear," said his wife. He finally declined the contest, and afterwards
became serious, penitent, believing, and was baptized. After his reform, as
he was riding in company with me to meeting, one of his uncles met him
in the road, and accosted him thus: " Nephew Bobby, I pity you in my
heart, to see you following that deluded people, and wasting your time so
much, that you will raise no corn this year." "My uncle," said the
Captain, "I wish you had pitied me as much two years ago, when you cheated
me out of my mill."
About the same time, a gentlewoman, in James City, was convinced that
it was her duty to be baptized, but neglected it until she could evade it no
longer. She came to my quarters on Saturday, and made known her desire;
accordingly the neighbors were collected,and she was baptized:
when she returned and told her husband of it, he would not sleep with her
that night, nor eat breakfast with her in the morning. She came to meeting
on Sunday and informed me of what had taken place, and asked my
advice in the affair. I knew the lady to be on excellent cook, and her
husband was fond of good dinners. My answer was, "My sister, give
yourself no uneasiness; his appetite will bring him to his reason by dinner
time;" which accordingly came to pass.
At the close of the eight months, which I am now treating of, as I was
taking leave of the young disciples in York, to return home to Orange,
and was preaching to them, from "Little children, keep yourselves from
idols," I was taken with a pain in my head, and an ague, followed by a
bilious fever, and preached not again for eighteen weeks. Reports reached
my home that I was dead, and a kind of funeral sermon was preached
on the occasion. Notwithstanding this, I was carried home in a carriage,
after six weeks sickness, but did not preach until twelve weeks more had
elapsed. In this sickness, my mind was greatly depressed. The spirit
of prayer left me. My hope for heaven was shaken to the centre. The
truth of what I had been preaching was doubted. The fear that I had
been governed by an ambitious spirit, like Jehu, was great. In short, I
was a poor, forlorn, sick worm of the dust.
One thing, however, stuck; by me, because I felt it, viz: "That a death
unto sin, and a new birth unto righteousness, was absolutely necessary to
constitute a man either safe or happy." When my sickness abated, my
spirit was set peevish that I was out of all esteem of myself.
When my health was so far recovered that I could preach, I resumed
the work again, but ah! my hair was shaven, my strength was gone.
Through the mercy of God, however, I was holpen with a little help;
and after I was tried I saw brighter days.
From this time to the year 1795, by the siege of Lord Cornwallis, the
refunding of paper money, and removals to Kentucky, religion ran low in
Virginia. A few events that took place in those four years, connected
with the narative which I am here giving, I shall nevertheless notice.
One day, I went from home about eight miles. On my return, there
arose a heavy thunder storm. Being in summer dress, I stopped under
the large branches of a lofty oak, to shelter me from the rain. The rain,
however, continuing, I started for home. I had gone but a little distance
before the lightning struck. The next time I passed the road, I found the
lightning had struck the oak, and split off one of the huge limbs, which had
fallen on the very spot where I had stood about three minutes before.
In the bend of Pamunky river, a little below New Castle, there is an
Indian town. By the circle of the river, and a cross creek, a gate, with
two lengths of fence, enclose it around. There was at that time about
seventy-five proprietors. The name of their king was John Tohon. His
royal majesty gave me an invitation to visit the town, and preach among
them. Accordingly I went, and preached at the royal pavilion. After
preaching, I baptized two persons, and then heard the king preach; for,
like Melchizedeck, he was priest as well as king. His majesty did not
seem to be possessed with much regal power, and by the text which he
preached from, one would think that he did not seek after hierarchal
authority. His text was, "Be ye not called Rabbi, for one is your master,
even Christ, and all ye are brethren." I ate a good dinner with the king,
slept in his apartment the following night, and left the town in the morning.
Soon after this he died.
Funeral sermons in Virginia are seldom preached at the time of the
interment, but sometime afterwards. I was invited to preach a sermon, on
the death of a small child, long after it was dead. This was in the county
of Louisa, about eighteen miles from home. The text was Isaiah lvii. 2.
At this meeting, three persons were first awakened, who became and lived
shining Christians. This was the first fruits of my labor in Louisa, where,
afterwards, the Lord gave me a rich harvest.
An inn-holder in Pagestown strongly importuned me to preach at his
house. When I went there, he did not open his own doors for worship,
but provided another place. There was some appearance that he wished
the people to collect, more to purchase his drink and dinner, than to have
their souls converted. After some time, he pressed me again to come and
preach; when I went, he would not open his house, nor could he get any
other; we, therefore, repaired to a tobacco house for worship. In this
instance, I felt as if my master was mocked; and if I had felt gracious
enough, I should have shaken off the dust of my feet against him; but as
I was a poor imperfecf creature myself, I peaceably pursued my course,
after the meeting was over. Some weeks afterwards, as I was travelling
the road a little distance from the place, I saw the landlord's chimney
standing, but the house was consumed by fire. When I saw it, my heart
burst out in sacred language, " Righteous art thou, Lord God Almighty,
because thou hast judged thus."
In the year 1784, I travelled northward as far as Philadelphia, where
I tarried six weeks. As I went in company with Mr. Winchester, the
Baptists in Philadelphia were so fearful that I was a Universalist, that
I was not invited by them to preach in their meeting-house. I therefore
preached Sundays and almost every night in the Hall of the University,
and in private houses. But when I saw the many thousands of people in
the city, and those who attended at the Hall did not exceed 200, I was
resolved to try the street. Accordingly, I appointed a meeting to preach
one afternoon at five o'clock, at the sign of the Blue Bell. When I went,
but few appeared. I stepped upon a stick of ship timber and began by
singing: on which the people came running from every lane, and continued
to increase until preaching was over, when I judged there was about
three hundred people. I then appointed to preach there again, when there
were aboul twice as many. During my stay in the city, I baptized four
persons in Schuylkill river, and returned home to Virginia by water. Six
years afterwards I was in Philadelphia, and having preached one evening
in the Baptist meeting-house, a man took me by the hand and invited me
to take lodgings with him that night, which I accepted of. As we were
walking to his house, he gave the following account of himself: "Sir,
formerly I attended meeting nowhere, but when you was here six years
ago, as I was at work in my shop, I heard the voice of singing as if it
came down from heaven. I left my shop and ran out to see what was
coming, and beheld you, sir, upon a stick of ship-timber at prayer. After
prayer, I attended to your preaching, which sunk so deeply into my heart,
that I have never lost it; and am now a member in the Baptist church."
Late in the year 1784, I travelled to the south-east about one hundred
and fifty miles, near the Dismal Swamp, and returned in six weeks.
In the spring of 1785, I went to the same district, and ranged and
preached much more than I did in my first visit.
I now come to a period when religious appearance began to assume a
more pleasing face than it had done for many gears. In Powhattan county
the work first broke out, and many became the subjects of victorious grace.
Some old professors, on the other side of James River, about Chickahominy,
went to see what was going on, who caught the spirit, and returning home,
were instrumental of a similar work in their neighborhood, and round
about in Goochland.
The last of this year I took a preaching tour into the lower part of North
Carolina. Preached eighteen times in that state, in a circular course,
then came into Virginia and steered home.
There was a place for preaching on the line between Louisa and Goochland,
called Hodger's Seats, where I sometimes preached. In the spring of 1786,
I appointed a long and circular string of meetings. And as I had
a strong impression that God would work at that place, I reserved five days
in my tour to spend among that people. After the Association at Boar
Swamp was over, I travelled through Goochland, where many people seemed
to be on the alert for heaven, and came to Mr. Hodger's, where a large
number of people were waiting for me. I introduced worship by repeating
a hymn,
"O that my load of sin were gone," &c.
All of a sudden, it seemed as if something fell from heaven upon the
people. I could not speak for weeping, for some time. I am but a poor
preacher, at best, and the sermon which I then preached was hardly
middling, but the effect on the people was amazing. Some were crying out,
some on their knees, and others prostrate on the floor. In the course of a
few weeks about forty were baptized ; and I believe that a majority of them
dated their first awakenings at the meeting at Mr. Hodger's.
In August, the same year, I attended a meeting of the General Committee,
at Buckingham; after which I travelled southward to Pittsylvania,
to visit that great man of God, Rev. Samuel Harris; and on my return,
preached on a Sunday in Prince Edward. In the midst of the meeting, a
Mr. Owen Smith was brought out, and by his shouting and praising, and
exhorting, he set the whole assembly in motion. I have never seen him
since, but have received a number of letters from him. His last letter
was in 1816. He was then well, and reminded me of the meeting in Prince
Edward, and wrote that nine of his family belong to the church.
I had met Mr. Harris on the banks of James river, and accompanied
him at his meetings through Goochland, Fluvanna and Louisa to Orange.
At a meeting in Goochland, after preaching was over, Mr. Harris went
into the yard, and sat down in the shade, while the people were weeping
in the meeting-house, and telling what God had done for them, in order to
be baptized. A gentlewoman addressed Mr. Harris as foilows: "Mr.
Harris, what do you think all this weeping is for? Are not all those tears
like the tears of a crocodile? I believe I could cry as well as any of them,
if I chose to act the hypocrite." On this address, Mr. Harris drew a dollar
out of his pocket and replied, "Good woman, I will give you this dollar
for a tear, and repeat it ten times;" but the woman shed no tears.
Among the seven that were baptized at that time, was a Mrs. Johnson,
daughter of Col. James Dabney, of whom take the following account:
Col. Johnson's son Christopher paid attention to the young lady, and gained
her good will, but could not obtain the consent of her Father; on which
Miss Betsey agreed to elope with young Johnson; and from her chamber
window, on a ladder, she descended in the night, and was conducted by her
lover to the house of his father. In the morning Col. Dabney missed his
daughter, and suspecting where she was gone, he armed himself with sword
and pistol, and steered his course to Col. Johnson's. call, he demanded
if his daughter Betsey was there? Being answered in the affirmative, he
gave orders for her to meet him on the risk of her life. Betsey's
affections no ways accorded with the demand of her father, and seeing him
thus armed, she was greatly distressed. Col. Anderson being at the house,
seeing what was passing, said, "Come Betsey, don't be discouraged, I'll
effect a reconciliation." With that, he armed himself with sword and pistol,
and marched into the field to meet Dabney, with his arm stretched out,
holding his glittering sword, and Betsey walking under it. When he got near
Dabney, he exclaimed, "Col. Dabney, here is your daughter, Betsey, who
wishes for a reconciliation; I have undertaken to protect her, and shall
defend her with the last drop of my blood." Betsey fell upon her knees--Dabney softened--a reconciliation was effected--the young couple
were married; and, at the meeting just spoken of, she was baptized: nor
was it long before her husband followed her example.
This event has often led my mind to reflect on an incident, infinitely
more important. The guilty runaway sinner is pursued by the holy, fiery
law, and threatened with eternal death; but the Mediator appears to
interpose, and when the sinner is humbled by grace, a reconciliation is
obtained.
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A
CHARGE TO DEACONS