On the invitation of several leading men, I visited L----, east of the
mountains. The evening I got there the Rev. Mr. N---- called on me to
“hold forth the word of life” for him that night. He stated that there
was some interest in his church, and that he was unable to make any
special effort, on account of his health. Although I had travelled
forty miles that day by stage, in an hour I was addressing the people;
and for eight days meetings were continued by exhorting and scattering
tracts; at the close of which time twenty-two had professed faith in
Christ, some of them among the most influential men in the city.
On the first Sabbath morning I was there, a lady of earnest piety
prevailed on her husband, who was a Universalist and had been raised
in that faith, and a young German whom he had employed as a clerk, to
accompany her to the church. This German had been a tutor in one of the
colleges in Germany, a man of fine education; but he was connected
with a rebellion against the government, and had to fly in the night,
and made an almost miraculous escape in disguise. He was an infidel.
My subject was, “the worth of the soul;” and God truly gave me what I
said. They both became awakened; and seven years after, Mr. H---- the
husband of the lady joined the church, and is now an elder. He says he
was never without conviction from that Sabbath morning till he yielded
to Christ.
The German, Mr. S----, became intensely exercised. He attended all the
inquiry meetings, and often called on the pastor, Mr. N----. His agony
of mind bordered on despair. He was told again and again that whenever
he could give up all for Christ he would find peace. After spending a
whole night in prayer, he came to Mr. N---- in the morning, woke him
out of sleep, and said, “Mr. N----, I have nothing on earth I care for
but this box of rings and jewels, which my mother and sisters took from
their ears and fingers the night I fled from Germany; these I have held
as sacred mementos of their love. Take them, sell them, and give to
the poor.” Mr. N---- said, “Mr. S----, you are not far from the kingdom
of God; let us pray.” In a few moments he threw his arms around Mr.
N----’s neck, saying, “Oh, I have found Jesus.” Mr. N---- handed him
back the box, and said, “Mr. S----, the Lord does not need the jewels.
All he required was, that feeling of heart you manifested in giving
them up.” This man is now a missionary in some of the islands of the
sea. His talents are all consecrated to God.
A young lady, Miss L----, very wealthy and proud, became awakened, and
continued for many days on the verge of despair. She hardly ate or
slept. She even became desperate: said God was not as good as his word;
that she was willing to give up all for Christ, but he would not save
her. We talked and prayed with her several times each day, but all in
vain. At last I said to her, “Miss L----, you say you are willing to
give up all for Christ?” “Yes,” said she, “even life itself.” “Well,”
said I, “in the name of my Master I ask you, out of your large wealth,
to give me a donation for the Tract Society.” She replied sternly, “I
am not going to buy my salvation.” Said I, “The Lord can do without
your money; but I have asked this to show you the deceitfulness of your
own heart. You said a moment ago that you would give even life itself.
Now,” said I, “I shall leave you to reflect.” In a few days she sent
for me to rejoice with her, and the donation was heartily made.
I then labored for three weeks in other churches in the city, and a
large number professed religion.
Among other services, I was a week with Rev. Mr. W----, who has been
for some years president of one of our auxiliary tract societies. At
the close of his meeting one day, he said he would tell them what one
tract had done. He gave the tract, “Have you the Wedding Garment?” to a
young lady, with the request that she would go and read it over three
times. She did so, and the next day she came to him as an inquirer. He
then gave it to her sister, making the same request, and the next day
she was an inquirer. He then gave it to a young man, and he has been
led to Christ by it. “And here before you,” said he, “are all three of
them now rejoicing in hope.”
The last month of the year 1850, I was invited by the Rev. Mr. C----
to visit M---- county, and spend a week with him at each of his
charges, as he had two. The distance was ninety miles; the roads almost
impassable. I shrunk from the journey; but a voice seemed to say,
“You must go.” When I reached the town they were holding a temperance
convention, which I addressed on two occasions.
On Sunday morning I spoke first on the tract cause, and raised a
collection of $150. The night service was well attended. We continued
meeting twice each day, and visited families and distributed books and
tracts all the rest of the time till Wednesday, but with no very marked
results.
Notice had been given that meetings would begin at B----, Mr. C----’s
other charge, nine miles distant, on Thursday morning at eleven. We
reached there at the hour, and had only eleven hearers. At the close
of the service we were invited to a Mr. B----’s to dine. He was a
backslider, rich and eccentric. We had determined to visit families,
talk, pray, and circulate tracts, till the time for the night service.
When we came to Mr. B----’s, the old man invited us into the parlor,
and in a few minutes one of his daughters came in, a very beautiful
girl, and highly educated. After a little time I introduced the subject
of religion to her kindly and politely. She gave me one of the most
scornful looks I ever got, and rose to leave me. I was holding in my
hand the tract “_Don’t be Offended_;” and just as she was passing me I
presented it before her. I saw the father was offended too. Rev. Mr.
C---- and I both felt unhappy; but in a few minutes we were called to
dinner, and Mr. C---- introduced me to two other daughters, which made
all the family.
When we were nearly through dinner, the offended one came to the
table. Her eyes indicated that she had been weeping, but nothing was
said. After dinner we went to another house, and met a young lady who
was teacher in the female academy and also in a dancing-school. She
made very light of religion, and said she preferred the ballroom to
the church. I spoke to her the truth very plainly, and gave her a
tract on dancing; and she turned away offended, and said she had no
respect for such Puritanical religion. At night we had a tolerably
good congregation, and the Lord was there indeed. Such was the state
of things, that we invited all that were concerned about their souls
to remain; and to our utter astonishment, the two offended ones were
among them, weeping bitterly. The exhibition they had made of their
wickedness had so overwhelmed them that they could scarcely wait till
night to confess their sins.
The next morning we resumed our visits. The first visit was to Mr.
T----’s, an elder in the church. In conversation with a daughter of
his she manifested much feeling. I gave a tract to one of his sons,
who, after reading it, came to his mother, and said, “Oh, mother, if
I was to die as I am, my soul would be lost.” That day and night the
congregation was large. By this time the pious people in the church had
awoke, and all were at work with books and tracts. Business was almost
suspended in the village, and religion was the only theme. Almost all
were inquiring the way to Zion, with the exception of half a dozen
men, who threw every obstacle they could in the way. One of the worst
of them went away to get out of the influence of the meetings, and was
dead in three days. Another left his business and went to the country
to avoid the presence of God, and has since died without hope.
The interest had become intense. On the way home from church three
young ladies obtained hope almost simultaneously, and were all embraced
in each other’s arms. A short time after, a number of the anxious were
assembled at Mr. T----’s, where I was stopping. All were pleading for
mercy, but soon they began to sing praises to God. They were heard by
people around, and in a short time many assembled. The new-born souls
were rushing into the arms of each other, and of their fathers and
mothers, and thanking them for their prayers. This joy was no doubt
much like that of the day of Pentecost. One hundred and twenty-five
professed their faith in Christ, and were soon after added to the
churches; and so far as I have been able to learn, there was no
case of backsliding. Where God does the work, the work is well done;
but where it is done by mere human machinery, the results are very
unsatisfactory. The town was revolutionized by this outpouring of the
Spirit. The ballroom gave way to the prayer-meeting, and the drunkard’s
songs to those of Zion.
I gave Baxter’s Call to a youth during this meeting, who told me, eight
years afterwards when I met him a preacher, that that book was the
means of his salvation, and had it not been for it, he never should
have entered the ministry.
At another meeting some months afterwards in C----, there was a
powerful work of grace, in every respect like those to which I have
alluded. One old man professed faith in Christ, who was the third
unbeliever in the family who had been led to Christ by the same copy of
James’ Anxious Inquirer.
I visited J. C. C----, a highly distinguished civilian of threescore
years and ten, who had filled many important stations in life, and who
now felt that his days were nearly ended. He took me by the hand very
kindly, his countenance expressive of deep emotion, and said, “I am an
inquirer on the subject of religion; _I have attended to every thing
but my soul_.” I directed him very briefly to the Saviour, and at the
close told him I would send him a little book in the morning, that
would direct him more fully. He thanked me kindly for the interest I
felt in him, and urged me to call again. The next morning I sent him
James’ Anxious Inquirer.
In four days after I called again. His health had improved. He rose to
his feet, his countenance bespoke peace within, and giving me a cordial
shake by the hand, he said, “I have read that little book through
twice; the great question is answered. I think I understand what is
meant by faith in Jesus Christ.” I then explained to him as fully as I
could the nature of the _new birth_--the evidences by which we might
decide for ourselves the reality of the change. His very appearance
was entirely changed--the deep anxiety that sat on his countenance had
passed away, and happiness was expressed in every feature.
In a few days he was able to walk, and called to see me. He said he
had read the book through again; that it was “_a great book_; but
the writer had omitted one important point--he did not inform the
reader how long the work of sanctification must be continued after
a man was justified; that justification was an act _instantaneous_,
but sanctification was a work.” I replied, “Our Saviour said to the
thief on the cross, ‘This day thou shalt be with me in paradise;’ here
sanctification was completed in a few hours.” “I thank you, sir, that
is enough: here is a check for $30, for the Tract Society; it is doing
a great work.”
For six years he remained steadfast in the great doctrines of
salvation by faith in Christ, and in a blameless Christian life,
though ever distrustful of himself. Soon after his death in February,
1856, at the age of seventy-seven, the Rev. Mr. M---- justly said
of him, “Well-deserved tributes have been paid by the governor of
the commonwealth, and by the legislature and other public bodies to
the distinguished public worth and private virtues of this eminent
citizen. His views of salvation by faith in the crucified Redeemer
were clear and scriptural, and showed that the powers of a vigorous and
highly cultivated mind had been brought to bear upon the all-important
subject. He often expressed surprise that any one could read the holy
Scriptures in the proper spirit, and not be convinced of the reality
of religion, the divinity of the Saviour, and the atoning efficacy of
his precious blood. His faith was simple and childlike. No dependence
whatever was placed in his own merits or righteousness. The atonement
of the Son of God was ‘the anchor of his soul,’ the basis of his hopes
of heaven.”
CONCLUSION.
Most of the facts and incidents in these sketches were committed to
writing about the time of their occurrence, and may be relied on as
simple verities. Much of deep inherent interest, which met my eye, or
fell upon my ear, might have been added, but for its inappropriateness
to the character of this work, or unduly swelling the narrative.
Those enjoying the calm refinements of social life in our favored
cities and villages, who have never entered the abodes of ignorance and
poverty in the moral wastes of the land, may be unwilling to credit
even the facts related; but in a matter of such infinite importance
as the enlightenment and salvation of perishing souls, could the real
facts have been consistently withheld?
In the providence of God I was sent out as a watchman, not upon the
walls of Zion, but _outside of those walls_; and ought I to conceal
the facts, and report, “All’s well,” when hundreds of thousands are
dying in sin and ignorance of the great salvation? Would not such
unfaithfulness be criminal in the sight of God?
And when the Holy Spirit was poured out in marvellous effusions, almost
as in the day of Pentecost, should not the facts be recorded to the
praise of divine grace in Jesus Christ?
Reared as I was from infancy under religious privileges, I had no
idea that any part of our land was in the sad moral condition which I
found actually to exist; or that the distribution of printed truth and
personal labors “publicly and from house to house,” were ever so richly
blessed. And such erroneous and defective impressions as to the wants
of our fellow-men, and the encouragements to labor for their good, I
believe are very prevalent.
I remember the day when I was confident that all around me were well
supplied with the Bible, but on examination I found eight families,
and among them my next door neighbor, who had no Bible; and a pastor
who regarded Bible efforts in his congregation as quite unnecessary,
on investigation received from family after family the report, “No
Bible,” the family of his own sexton being among the number. An
excellent young man, now a missionary in a distant land, on faithfully
exploring a wealthy county, stated what he had seen to Mr. W----,
a distinguished Christian citizen. “I have heard of you,” said the
gentleman. “I don’t believe the statements you are making about the
moral destitutions of this county. I have made up my mind to go with
you and see for myself.” The young man welcomed his company. In the
first dwelling they entered the family had no books, not even a Bible.
Said Mr. W----, “Give them $2 50 worth, and I will pay for them.” In
the next they entered, and in the third, they found equal destitution;
and in each case Mr. W---- said, “Give them $2 50 worth, and I will
foot the bill.” They went further, but soon Mr. W---- said, “My young
friend, the half is not told; take this $20 and go on with this
heaven-directed work.”
As to the rich blessing that has attended the reading of books and
tracts, it is well for those reared in the midst of church privileges
and good libraries to consider how different the influence of a good
book may be on such as have few books, or none at all. Take, if you
please, a prosperous family in the interior of the country, far from
any book-store, who may have an old family Bible, a few school-books,
or perhaps some other old books moral and religious. A colporteur
enters with his saddle-bags of beautiful books. The children are almost
frantic with joy. Each member of the family gets a book. It is devoured
with greediness--not by a gospel-hardened sinner, but by one who has
few or no gospel privileges.
Is it strange that such a one, on reading the Pilgrim’s Progress, the
Anxious Inquirer, or Come to Jesus, is immediately awakened to seek for
pardon and salvation? Is it not rather _more strange_, that every one
who attentively and solemnly reads such a book is not led to Christ?
And when we come down to those who are wholly destitute of books, who
rarely hear a sermon, and yet are able to read, the effect is often
still more powerful for good.
Notwithstanding all that has been done, I believe _one half_ of all the
families in our land now belong to one of these two classes.
Hence the necessity of this system of evangelization. We fear the time
is far distant when our country will be so well supplied with churches
and pastors as to reach the surging masses of all languages that
are crowding our vast territories, seeking homes for themselves and
families.
Let each one ask himself, in view of the final account he must give
to God, “What can I do for these perishing thousands?” Here a way is
pointed out by which every one can do something, either by _laboring_,
_praying_, or _giving_. An old lady unable to move about, with an
income of $600 per annum, gave $150 each year as the salary of a
colporteur, and she had a few other ladies to meet her once each week
to pray for God’s blessing on his labors. Few men in latter days have
done as much good as this colporteur, Mr. C----r. She thus labored by
proxy. The man is still living who at first paid $150 for my support,
and was thus instrumental in whatever good I have done. Hundreds would
be ready to go and work in this department of Christian effort if means
were provided.
This system of labor developes the dormant power of the church.
Hundreds whose influence for good was never felt outside of their own
family circle, have become successful laborers in this heaven-born
work. Many of them are now able ministers of the New Testament, who
would have remained “hewers of wood and drawers of water” had it not
been for this system of doing good. I call to mind the names of a score
of men who have been brought into the work of the ministry either
directly or indirectly by this system of colportage.
Shall a work of so much power for good, and so much needed, be
unsupported? The price of one ocean steamer would support it
efficiently over the whole land for one year.
The issuing of this history is what the writer never intended to
do, or allow others to do while he lived. He has prepared it, if he
knows his own heart, purely with the hope it may do good. He trusts
it may suggest to some whose supreme desire is to honor Christ in
the salvation of men, a way by which they may gain the blessing of
those who “turn many to righteousness,” and who shall shine, above
the brightness of the firmament, “as the stars for ever and ever.”
That this may be the gracious reward of him who writes, and of all who
read this book, is the fervent prayer of THE PIONEER COLPORTEUR IN THE
ALLEGHANY MOUNTAINS.
NOTE.--The labors of this single-hearted, devoted, and
fearless servant of Christ were at first secured for one year
to explore some of these wild mountain gorges. Having been
continued five years as above, they were extended southward in
the Alleghany range, and at length over the whole states of
Virginia and North Carolina, till he had had the coöperation
of three hundred colporteurs, and their visits had reached
five hundred thousand families, over forty thousand of whom
attended no place of evangelical worship. Usually they read
the Scriptures, conversed, and prayed in each family; and they
gathered into Sabbath-schools seventy thousand children, many
of whom received their first book and learned their first
lesson through this agency. Such wonderful effusions of the
Holy Spirit as in some instances above recorded, were rarely
witnessed, but these continued labors were evidently owned in
the conversion of multitudes of souls. As the writer of the
above sketches, now a commissioned minister of Christ, has
well said, “It must have been the work of God, who causes weak
things to confound the mighty. It was God who led the way, and
raised up men and means, and guided his servants, and blessed
them with his presence; and to him be all the glory.”
W. A. H. SEC’Y.
NEW YORK, December, 1863.
* * * * * *
Transcriber’s note:
Inconsistent spelling and hyphenation are as in the original.