At the earnest request of Mr. H----, I promised to meet him on the
next Sabbath at one of his country churches, about six miles from
town, in one of the most densely populated and wealthy communities
in all Western Virginia, called Mount P----. It was only fourteen
miles from my home at L----. I reached the church a little before the
hour of service, a stranger to all except a few who had met me at the
meetings in town. The house, although large, was crowded, and I took
a seat in the back part of the house. In a few minutes Mr. H---- came
in and walked up into the pulpit. He looked sick and feeble, and while
glancing his eye over the house, saw me, and beckoned me to him. He was
unable to speak louder than a whisper.
Said he, “I am attacked with bronchitis and unable to preach, and you
must preach.” This I refused, on the ground that I had no authority.
Said he, “I will give you the authority here, and stand between you
and danger.” He arose, and with great exertion told the people that he
had never had such a desire to preach as he had that day, but the Lord
had shut his mouth, and sent me to do the preaching, for which he was
very thankful.
I at once opened with singing and prayer, and announced my text,
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock.” I felt that the thoughts and
words were not mine, but dictated by the Holy Ghost. I spoke for an
hour. The audience was still as the grave. After an interval of thirty
minutes, as was the custom, we resumed the service. My text in the
afternoon was, “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth.” The
feeling was deep. I asked the anxious to remain for instruction, and
twelve remained. At night I had a meeting at a private house, where
great interest was manifested.
At the earnest request of many, services similar to those of the
Sabbath were continued on Monday and for several days afterwards. On
Monday morning, when I came to the church, there was a crowd, and
much to my joy and relief, Mr. W----, one of our best colporteurs,
was there. He had labored faithfully over all that ground but a few
weeks before, and knew almost every one in that region. Although very
diffident, he conducted the morning meeting with great acceptance.
I spoke at eleven, and at two; and at the close of the last service
we had eighteen inquirers. God seemed to come down as on the day of
Pentecost. Ten of the number indulged hope, and their countenances were
lit up with joy.
At night we had a meeting at Mr. D----’s. One half could not get into
the house. He had a son that was desperately wicked, and had done all
in his power to oppose the work of God. During the time of the service
he went out of the house in an agony of conviction for sin. The next
morning, at family prayers, he cried out in the bitterness of his
anguish, “God be merciful to me a sinner.” A sister of his, that had
been a very thoughtless girl, also cried out in great distress. This
seemed instantly to electrify the whole family. The place seemed awful
with the majesty of God. I felt as much of the divine glory as I could
bear. Such a scene I had never witnessed. Soon the whole family were
embraced in each other’s arms, rejoicing in hope of eternal life. We
seemed to be in the inner sanctuary and the most holy place. Although
near fourteen years have since passed, while I describe this scene it
fires my own soul afresh.
Though it was a hurried season of the year with farmers, work was
suspended, ploughs were stopped, white and black were in the church, or
as near in as they could get, as the church would not hold more than
half that came.
The Tuesday morning prayer-meeting was one of the best I ever attended.
At eleven the Rev. Mr. H---- returned, and preached one of the best of
sermons. In the afternoon I spoke again. There were thirty-six more
inquirers, and twelve more were indulging hope.
On Friday night I held a meeting at the house of a Dr. N----, who was a
man of the world. I spoke on the _broad road and wide gate_. The doctor
was awakened that night, and has ever since dated his first impressions
on religious subjects to that time; and two young men, one of them
since educated for the ministry, likewise dated their conversion the
same night.
At eleven the next morning Rev. Mr. H---- preached, and in the
afternoon Dr. McE----. At the close of this service, sixty-two were
added to the church on profession of their faith.
When the hour for public worship arrived on Sabbath morning, one half
could not enter the church. It was arranged that I should invite those
who could not get in to assemble out of hearing of the church and
preach to them. I selected the graveyard, where most of the graves had
enclosures of rails around and over them. The circumstance suggested
my text: “Man dieth, and wasteth away; yea, man giveth up the ghost,
and where is he?” I felt as I never did before, standing among the dead
and the living, and spoke as I never did before or since. Some of the
wickedest men in all the country were before me.
One gray-headed sinner seventy years old, who sat on the rails which
were around the graves of his wife and children, shook as if he had the
ague. A year after, he died; and often, when he was on his death-bed,
spoke with deep sorrow of resisting God’s Spirit at that time. At the
close of the services in the church a collection of $120 was taken up
for the Tract Society, which was five times as much as could have been
obtained a week before. Books and tracts were circulated every day in
these meetings, and read with interest. Twenty persons told me that
books or tracts were the means of either awakening them, or directing
them to Christ. In addition to the sixty-two added to the church as
above, twenty-four who obtained a hope at these meetings joined a
church of another denomination a mile distant.
Only two miles from the above meetings, was the church of a large
congregation of Seceders. Till this time they had not gone to hear any
preacher but their own, nor admitted any other denomination to preach
in their church. But so great was this work that some of their young
people had been drawn away, and gained a hope in Christ, but kept it
secret. Their pastor, Rev. Mr. McG----, came himself on Saturday, and
became deeply moved with what he saw and heard. In the evening Rev.
Mr. H---- told him there were many still anxious about their souls,
and not a few of them were among his own people; “and now,” said he,
“this harvest must be gathered, and if you will go on with a meeting
next week I will close my meetings to-morrow.” This arrangement was
made, and it was agreed that I should go and assist Mr. McG---- on the
afternoon of the next day, after the services in that church should be
closed.
At four o’clock the Seceder church was crowded, and all the ardor of
feeling seemed to come along with the people. Rev. Mr. McG---- was very
feeble in health, but was a devoted servant of God; and it was arranged
that he was to take a text and speak ten minutes, and I was then to
fill up the hour. After that service we held another in a private house
at night.
The next morning at nine, we had the house full at the prayer-meeting.
At eleven, Mr. McG---- preached ten minutes, and I followed; and after
the service all were supplied with tracts. During the afternoon service
the presence of God seemed to move every heart. And as I believe that
when God moves on men’s hearts, they ought to move too as the prodigal
did, when I had ceased speaking, and the congregation were singing
the eighty-fourth Psalm, Rouse’s version, I said to Mr. McG---- that
I had no doubt but if an invitation was given some would remain for
instruction. He feared it would not be acceptable to the officers of
the church, all of whom had come from Scotland, and had been accustomed
to hear preaching only from Seceders, and considered _occasional
hearing_ an offence. But he said he would not interfere with what I
thought was duty.
As soon as the song was sung, I arose and told them that a piece of
old Scotch history had just come into my mind. That over one hundred
years ago, previous to their communion occasions, the minister at the
close of his services for some days would invite all that intended
to commune for the first time to remain for instruction in regard to
their duties; and that for want of that many came to the Lord’s table
who were ignorant of the nature of the ordinance. And as I believed
there were a number who contemplated joining the church and going to
the communion table on the next Sabbath for the first time, I would
ask all such to remain after the congregation was dismissed, to receive
such instruction as should be given. After some agitation all was
quiet, and I told them the first point of inquiry for them was, to know
if they were born again, and spoke some twenty minutes on the nature
and evidences of regeneration. The old elders sobbed aloud; and as soon
as the services were closed, they had me by the hand, and said, “That
is just what our young people need.” The oldest elder, whose daughter
was among the inquirers, came up leaning on his staff, and said, “That
did my soul good.” We had an appointment that night five miles distant,
and this old man went all the way with me on horseback. The house was
crowded. Many were awakened, and among them Mr. B---- the proprietor,
who was a hardened sinner of fifty years. He soon professed his faith
in Christ.
The next morning this old elder, Mr. M----, said to me, “Oh, Mr. C----,
I slept none last night. I have had a foretaste of heaven, and long to
be there. I have never experienced religious joy till last night; and
now I have one request to make, and deny me not, that is, that you
commune with me next Sabbath.”
The next day we had similar services, and at the close of the last
service I told them as all the congregation seemed desirous to hear
what was said to those wishing to consider their duty to join the
church, such would come forward while we sung the twenty-third Psalm.
Sixteen thus presented themselves, and Rev. Mr. McG---- spoke to
them with a heavenly unction. The next day there were twenty-eight
inquirers, and the next day thirty-nine, of whom twenty-two appeared
to be indulging a good hope in Christ. All the business of the field
was suspended, and many were saying it was the dawn of the day of glory
to the church. As the time had arrived for me to visit another place
fifty miles distant, to engage in similar labors, the pastor told them
he wanted them to make a thank-offering to the Tract Society, and in a
few minutes $80 was on the table, and a present of $20 to me. On the
Sabbath fifty-six were added to the church, and more than thirty to a
Methodist church near by.
Fourteen months after, I visited this church again. The presence of
God was still there, and many said they felt as if they were ready to
begin again where they had left off fourteen months before. The strong
prejudices against worshipping with other Christians were among the
things that had been.
During my brief stay many incidents were related to me. One young man
told me it was “Advice to a Married Couple” that awakened him, as he
was soon to be married. Three of the anxious got relief by reading the
tract “What is it to Believe in Christ?” A man well acquainted in the
community told me thirty family altars were reared on one Sabbath night.
In one instance two families lived in one house, and both the men
and their wives had joined the church. They felt that they must have
family worship, but neither was willing to pray. One said he could do
the singing, and the other said he would read the Bible. At last they
united in asking a lame negro man that was pious, and he led in prayer.
There is probably no region of our country, when all the difficulties
are considered, where the Tract Society and colporteurs have done as
much real good as in Western Virginia. Some of the most godly men we
ever employed had visited every house again and again, and most of the
books to be found in the houses were the Society’s publications. In
some of the poorer districts they were even the only school-books. I
have heard of schools in those mountains where one had Bunyan, another
Baxter’s Call, or Saints’ Rest, and so on all through the school. We
can say that in many places the work has made the wilderness and the
solitary place rejoice and blossom as the rose.