PUBLIC LABORS, MARRIAGE, TRAVELS.--1816.
Renewing his zeal in the reflections of the opening year, Mr. Badger
continued to be active in the field according to his ability,
intellectual, moral, and physical. He acted up to his faith. He was no
idle dreamer, but was a lover and an inspirer of lively times. The
variety _in_ him naturally called up variety in his outward life. People
everywhere are agreed in preferring the man who throws himself into the
circle of human action and living interests, honoring always the
courageous actor whose sword and helmet are bright with use; and they
are equally unanimous in rejecting the isolated ones, who would be great
through separation from their fellows. Having experienced the summer
bloom of the religious sentiment in his own heart, he casts himself upon
the same sacred fire in which his own sins were consumed, and carries
the flame to others.
This was indeed the most popular way of taking hold of the religious
interest, for it is feeling that proves contagious, and thought immersed
in feeling. Intellectual abstraction, even of the highest order, never
was very popular, and never can be, unless mankind should arrive at some
age when philosophical intellect shall be general--an age which, in all
probability, is at least as far off as the millennium; whilst it is
equally evident, that the man whose thoughts have an eye toward
practical results, and toward the living heart of the active millions,
is the one whom the people understand, and the one whom they willingly
crown.
In January of this year, Mr. Badger continued to hold meetings in
several towns, often from one to three in number per day, and as usual
witnessed the effects of his labors. He speaks of being present at the
death of Dr. Gray, a man of deistical principles, and whose life had
been wicked. He visited him on Sunday, and remained till his death on
Monday evening; and never did he witness more earnest prayers and
pitiful expressions of grief than here by the bedside of the dying
unbeliever, whose "philosophical fabrics all seemed to fail him in the
trying hour;" on the 18th he presided at his funeral, and endeavored to
console his disconsolate widow, and his "four weeping orphans."
"Strange," says Mr. B., "that souls will live without faith, and strange
that they will neglect the salvation of their souls to the last earthly
day." In the early part of this month he spoke to an assembly from the
merciful plea of the dresser of the vineyard, Luke 13: 18: "Let it alone
this year also;" and some eight or ten were baptized this month. At
Rochester, N. H., one of his "small friends," as he styles him,
attempted to draw away the audience by the alarm of fire, crying to the
utmost of his voice; but the more sacred fire of the speaker and of the
meeting proved the stronger attraction, so that no essential disturbance
ensued.
We might take the month of February as a sample of the manner in which
his days and nights were used. In glancing over the dates of his
appointments, the following figures stand out for this month: they were
on the 1st, 2d, 3d, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th,
13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 22d, 23d, 24th,
25th, 26th, and the remaining two days, which were passed at Lee, the
place of his last appointment, are the only ones in which there is no
record either of an appointment to preach or of time spent in visiting
the sick. On his way from Farmington to Newmarket, he speaks of stopping
at Capt. Richardson's tavern, at Durham, where he saw many strangers,
and heard a conversation on political topics between two distinguished
gentlemen, a conversation that ran quite high, as it just preceded the
election.
"I thought," says Mr. B., "that they placed Mr. Plummer on
a very low seat, much lower, indeed, than their
fellow-citizens placed him a few days after; and they
extolled federalism exceedingly high. Capt. T. spoke out
with an air of consequence, and said: 'These runabout
preachers, I find, are continually propagating the devilish
doctrines of democracy.' 'O yes,' replied Col. R., 'that is
their business.' I was indeed sorry for them. They little
supposed that I was one of the persons they had spoken of,
who, unlike themselves, had faith in the ability, good
sense and integrity of mankind. I then rode to Lee, where I
breathed a different atmosphere in the society of saints.
"The 1st and 2d of March I stayed at Newmarket; the 3d,
held meeting at Mr. Sanborn's, of Epping; the 4th, at
Newmarket, I was taken sick with the measles; the 5th, rode
to Lee and preached a funeral sermon, also baptized one;
the 6th, attended meeting in the evening at Nottingham;
the 7th, through much infirmity, arrived at Deerfield and
preached at the house of J. Hilton, where I received the
kindest attentions during my severe sickness of one week.
May their generosity be largely rewarded! As soon as I was
able to ride, I started for Farmington, where I arrived on
the 17th. After tarrying a few days, I went to Middleton
and Brookfield for the first time. At the latter place, my
first meeting was held on the 24th, at which time several
afterwards dated their convictions. The 26th, held meeting
at Middleton Corner. It was a solemn time. That night I
could not sleep, as the people of Brookfield were so much
in my heart and mind. The 28th, I attended the ordination
of J. L. Peavy, at Farmington, and heard an appropriate
sermon from Rev. Elias Smith, of Portsmouth. It was a
glorious time."
A sickness like the one here narrated would in these days have made a
greater break in the journal of a month than it did with this hardy
young minister. His body does not rest at the mere assault of disease,
but moves on till the heavier blows fall; then surrenders but a week--is
up again and doing as ever. Though his command of Greek and Latin may
have been incomparably less than those who have passed their years in
careful study, it would terrify the mass of graduates to attempt his
labors.
The month of April was busily and successfully employed, each day being
occupied with an appointment to preach, or with visiting from house to
house, in which he carried a countenance of calm and cheerful light to
all he met. Sometimes three meetings a day was his order of action. At
Wakefield he spoke on the 28th to hundreds of attentive hearers, among
whom was a respectable young woman, Miss Lusena Guage, and who within
seventeen hours of the time of his public address, departed this life; a
circumstance that impressed itself on all, from the fact that the
speaker that day had uttered, almost in an oracular manner, that the
whole of his assembly would never meet him again. In Brookfield, he
ended this month in the same evangelical spirit that brightened all his
arduous labor, thanking God for what he had seen among the people.
As May unfolded its numberless gems, it found him striving to unfold the
spiritual life that lay in his own soul, and that existed, perhaps, in a
wintry state, in the souls of others. The sun's increasing light and
warmth invite nature to come out; whereupon, in a million-fold dress she
stands arrayed before the celestial King. This is so, because the sun is
to life a friend; and is it otherwise when any mind uncommonly filled
with the Maker's light and love sheds itself vertically on other minds?
The effects are indeed similar. Now and then a late plant or an
obstinate root, that seems to be indifferent to the far-sent beam, at
last buds and sprouts afresh. In this May month, he speaks of an humble
twenty who met at Brookfield, N. H., and "agreed to acknowledge
themselves a little company of CHRISTIANS, or DISCIPLES, and to lay
aside all unscriptural names, doctrines and masters for the name of
Christ, his doctrine and laws;" which, he says, was a glad day to many.
"The converts were happy, the saints encouraged, the mourners comforted.
The Bible alone was their creed." He also adds:
"This day and this night were solemn to me. One young man,
by the name of L. Whitehouse, by reputation the wickedest
young man in town, one who had often wished me out of the
place, one who had despised the saints, came running to me,
his face suffused with tears, and said: 'Mr. Badger, can
you pray for such a man as I am?' I told him that I could.
He was in deep distress. After a time he returned home. At
midnight I was aroused from my slumbers by the message that
Mr. W. was dying, and that he wished to see me very much.
Leaving my room and walking through the darkness of night
to visit one who had despised both me and my counsels, I
heard him say as I entered the house where he lay, 'I am
dying; and the worst of all that troubles me is that I am
unprepared to meet God.' Several hours I passed with him;
and the more of such scenes I witness, the more I am struck
with the folly of men in neglecting salvation in prosperity
and health.
"Arriving at Farmington on the 5th, at L. Peavy's I fell in
company with Dr. Hammond, who soon introduced conversation
on the subject of religion. He stood on the old doctrine of
fatalism, and was what every man ought to be who honestly
plants himself on this ground, a Universalist. After he had
labored hard (for one must labor hard to support a false
doctrine, whilst the truth can support itself and all who
believe it,) to prove his theory, I said to him: 'Sir,
although you claim to make God a good and merciful being,
you make him inconsistent. You prove that he has decreed
one thing and commanded another. You allege that he
ordained all things. Of course he has ordained them right.
But, Sir, are you able to say that all the wars, blasphemy,
drunkenness, political and religious contention we have on
earth, proceed from your good God?' 'Certainly' responded
he; 'it is all for some end. Mortals must experience a
degree of misery, to prepare them for happiness. It is
best,' continued he, 'to have different beliefs and sects
in the world, and what you term religion is merely impulse
and imagination, which is good so far as it tends to good
among men. The fear of hell which you hold up, moves many
to reform, and I think it would not be so well if all men
were as I am.' In the last idea I acquiesced. I told him
that I never had known the opinions he avowed to work the
reformation of any man; that I had not yet met a
Christ-like and prayerful person of those views, and that I
had known them to be accompanied by much profanity,
professed in the grog-shop, and resorted to by the vilifier
of practical godliness as a shelter against the solemn
claims of Christ upon the heart. I said to him that truth
bears good fruits, and that I was sorry that he should
labor so hard to prove a doctrine of whose results he had
so poor an opinion. Here our conversation closed.
"6th, I returned to Brookfield; just before I arrived at
Middleton Corner I saw a funeral procession slowly moving
toward the grave, and being so near the funeral I had
attended when going down, it made a solemn impression on my
mind. I said, Oh, may I be prepared for a similar scene!
The 8th, after attending two meetings, rode to Wolfborough,
where I arrived in the evening, much fatigued; the 9th,
spoke for the first time to the people at Smith's Bridge;
the 10th, returned to Brookfield; the 12th, spoke to the
people from Job 20: 17, and though the rain, which fell
very fast, prevented hundreds from attending, we had a very
good time. At 7 o'clock I attended meeting at Wakefield,
and as I visited from house to house on the 13th, I
remember to have asked a lady whether she enjoyed the
religion of Jesus, to which she replied, 'I do not intend
to be a hypocrite;' I thought her purpose a good one,
though her courtesy might have been a little improved. I
was every where else kindly received. The 18th, 19th, 20th,
23d, 26th, and 28th, had good and effective meetings, the
last appointment being at Epping, where I found the people
low in the enjoyment of vital religion, and some who had by
experience known the life and power of God, settled down
upon their lees, or what, in Calvinistic phraseology, they
would call the doctrines of grace. Grace then became my
theme. I went so far as to say that not only all men, but
beasts, birds, and fishes, were in a state of grace or
favor with God, by which they are daily sustained. What oak
or rose-bush can grow without the Creator's kindness? The
30th I spoke from Ps. 117: 7, 'Return unto thy rest, oh, my
soul; for the Lord has dealt bountifully with thee.' Rev.
N. Piper was present, and with many others, spoke, whilst
the glory of God seemed to shine in our midst. The 31st I
was sick at Mr. B.'s, whose kindness I can never forget.
The Lord God alone can know whether I live through another
month. If I do, oh, help me to live it more to thy glory
than I have lived any month of my life."
No day of the month of June passed without an appointment to preach, as
a glance at the journal shows; and among the travels recorded, is a
journey to Providence, Rhode Island. At Canterbury, on his way, he
speaks for the first time of hearing Elder Mark Fernald preach, June
10th, and on the 11th of hearing Elder Benj. Taylor, who addressed the
meeting at Canterbury, fourteen ministers and many others being present.
He says:
"The 16th, I spoke at the State House, Providence, R. I.,
and had a good time in preaching and in breaking of bread.
The 17th, I rode to Boston, where I also spent the greater
part of the 18th, visiting the Museum, which made a strong
impression on my mind, and conversing with Mr. Elias Smith,
with whom I put up. In the evening I enjoyed a very good
time at Salem. The 23d, I went to hear Mr. Burgus, who
spoke from Acts 8: 22, in which he stated that prior to
prayer or any other duty, men must feel the love of God;
also, that all who denied that Jesus Christ had come in the
flesh, were false teachers, as are all those who regard him
only as a man; for, said he, Christ is the Eternal God:
there is none above him. When his afternoon meeting was
closed, I arose and told the people I had two remarks to
make on the sermon delivered in the morning, one in regard
to prayer, the other in regard to Christ. You remember, I
said to them, that the love of God was enjoined as
preceding every acceptable prayer. I ask you to compare
this statement with the order of facts contained in the
gentleman's text, which are, 1. Repentance; 2. Prayer; 3.
Forgiveness. 'Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and
pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be
forgiven thee.' As none contend that the enjoyment of the
love of God precedes the forgiveness of sins, I am amazed
at so bold a contradiction of the passage on which the
sermon was professedly founded. I then noticed Christ,
informing the people that I knew not the sect who held him
to be merely a man, for who does not know that the most
ultra of the Socinian school place him above all men in the
divinity of his spiritual endowments? and what class, I
inquired, could more plainly deny Christ than he had been
denied a short time previous, by the statement that he is
the Eternal God? I stated that I believed him to be the
Son of God, the great Mediatorial Centre of grace to
mortals, and that he has received all power in heaven and
on earth. If he is the Father, he cannot be the Son; and if
the plain declarations of the New Testament are to be
relied on, it is certain that he was dependent on God, and
that he knew One greater than himself, to whom he offered
worship, and of whom he gave a new revelation.[25] About
this time the clergyman saw fit to leave without offering
any public remarks. I continued my address. At the close,
many spoke of the love of Christ; and though we were
deprived of the presence of the clergyman, we had, I think,
the presence of God, which was far preferable. The 30th,
met an attentive multitude at T. Burley's barn, to whom I
spoke in the forenoon, from Ps. 11: 12, and in the
afternoon from Eph. 4: 5, on baptism. Many spoke freely. We
then retired to a pleasant water near by, where, with great
satisfaction, I baptized six happy youth. Here closes one
month more. O God, I pray thee to prepare me for all that
may await me in the next."
July, 1816. We read of his being at Brookfield on the 1st, of his
attending the funeral obsequies of Mr. L. J. Hutchins, at Wakefield, on
the 2d, and of his spending the month industriously in the several
places of his accustomed labor. Not far from this time there was in his
mind a temporary conviction that he would select Providence, R. I., for
his permanent residence, as he was anxious to concentrate his labors in
one field, and no longer extend them over so wide a surface. Bearing
date a few weeks later is a letter from Rev. Benj. Taylor, of Taunton,
Mass., congratulating him on the change of his condition from single to
married life, and earnestly inviting him to make the city of Providence
his stand, assuring him that the condition of about thirteen churches
within an area of forty miles called for his influence, ability, and
zeal in their midst. Though Providence had the preference in his mind
over the several places that occupied his attention as a permanent home,
circumstances seemed to have ordained a different lot. He never became a
citizen of that beautiful city.
July the 17th he was married to Miss Mary Jane Peavy, of Farmington, New
Hampshire, daughter of Capt. Anthony Peavy, of that town. The lady that
now became his companion in the cares, hopes, and sorrows of life, was
of the tender age of eighteen; and though doubtless inexperienced in the
trials that belong to the ministerial sphere, having been herself most
carefully and tenderly brought up in one of the best of New England
families, her devotion to her husband, and to the cause in which he was
engaged, during the brief period of her life, was ever worthy of the
noblest praise. All the letters and documents of these few years
indicate a mutual depth of sentiment and devotional regard. So
paramount, however, was the cause of the ministry in Mr. Badger's mind,
that the happy and important change recorded of his social relations
made no essential vacancy in the accustomed duties of his profession.
The days and evenings as they passed were continually laden with his
sermons and prayers.
In a letter to his brother, dated July 17th, he writes of the gloomy
prospects of the husbandman throughout that country, saying, "We have
been afflicted with war and with pestilence, and now we are threatened
with famine, which is, if possible, a greater evil. I hope the people
may learn righteousness whilst these various judgments are abroad in the
earth."
When speaking of the funeral of Mr. Hutchins, he says, "There was indeed
a great solemnity in this scene. The widow's heart was a fountain of
sorrow. The sons wept much, and on the face of one of the daughters sat
the serene impress of eternity, whilst all the connections and friends
seemed to mourn the loss of a Christian, a patriot, and a worthy member
of the community. Several hours before the meeting, I spent in a
pleasant grove; my retired moments, which were very solemn, were passed
in meditation, prayer, and weeping; at the close of the services the
afflicted family manifested to me an uncommon degree of friendship.
Though very unwell, I rode to Middleton that day." In speaking of his
trials, at the close of this July journal, he says: "It is well for
mankind that they know not what the future conceals, lest they might
shrink before the approaching conflict. I found in all my trials God's
grace sufficient for me. 'In me ye shall have peace,' and to God I make
my prayer that he would save me from whatever is unlike himself. 'Make
me even as one of thy hired servants.'" There is an inward living
current of faith flowing through his mind; nor were there any crises in
his life, nor were there any trying positions into which the force of
circumstances brought him, that, carefully examined, are found to be
unvisited and unrefreshed by this living water of life in his soul. Like
the mystic rock the Hebrew prophet smote, his heart flows out in living
water.
August, 1816. "From the 1st to the 20th my time was spent
in Brookfield, Middleton, Farmington, attending to reading,
writing, preaching, and visiting from house to house. The
20th, had a good and solemn time at Brookfield; being ready
to start for R. I., after having a public meeting we held a
conference, in which brother Joseph Gooding, in an
animating manner, told his religious experience, and
requested baptism, which I administered at evening, whilst
it seemed as though the heavens were opened and the Spirit
descended upon the assembly. We then walked for a half a
mile, singing the praise of God. After changing my dress, I
rode to the residence of John Chamberlain, Esq., where I
was kindly received, and where I found the company of Mr.
F. Cogswell, of Gilmanton, whose visits among his brethren
were like the coming of Titus in the days of apostolical
truth and religious simplicity. The 21st, we rode to
Farmington and enjoyed a happy meeting; the 22d, being
ready to start on a journey to the South, I asked my
affectionate companion which she would prefer me to
do,--enter into business, accumulate property, and be
respectable in the world, or do the will of the Lord in
going forth to preach the Gospel, leaving her at home, and
subjecting ourselves to be poor in this world all our days.
After a moment's reflection, she burst into a flood of
tears, and said, 'I hope you will do the Lord's will,
whatever else may happen.' We had a weeping time. The next
morning I arose early and bade all my friends an
affectionate farewell, not expecting to see them again for
several weeks. Here my trial was very great. I had known
what it was to forsake father and mother, brother and
sister, houses and homes for Christ's sake, but in leaving
one who was so nearly a part of my own life, I found that
it exceeded all other trials belonging to the separation of
friends. The 24th I went to Deerfield to attend a general
meeting. I was there also on the 25th. The 26th it was
continued at Candia, and a blessing seemed to attend it.
The 27th and 28th, attended the Ministers' Conference at
Candia. The 29th, after the close of conference, I heard
the Rev. Elias Smith preach at Deerfield, N. H. From
several considerations, I was induced to postpone my
journey to the South, and, in company with Mr. E. Plan,
returned to Rochester and Farmington."
Sept. 1816. "From the 1st to the 10th I passed at
Farmington, holding several meetings: the 11th, went to
Gilmanton; the 13th, in company with Mr. Cogswell, started
for the province of Canada, to visit our relatives, and to
seek the welfare of Zion. The 14th, arrived at the house of
my eldest brother, in Wheelock, Vt., a distance of 112
miles; on Tuesday following, arrived at Danville, held
meeting at the Court House, where, favored by the presence
of a good assembly and six ministers of the Gospel, I found
liberty in speaking the living word. Our minds were
mutually refreshed. On Wednesday, held meeting in the north
part of the town, and at Mr. Wicker's in the evening, where
I was amazed to find Mrs. W. happy and in health, as she
had been sick for three years, and had, according to the
testimony of herself and friends, been miraculously
restored a few days before my arrival. Two years previous I
had visited her in her illness, which served to increase my
surprise at her present condition, induced, as I was told,
by simple compliance in faith with the direction of the
Apostle James 5: 14, 15. On Sunday, at Compton, we enjoyed
an excellent meeting with old friends, relatives, and
acquaintances, and on Monday evening rode to Ascott to
visit a company of Christians who had formerly been noted
for piety and engagedness, but were now the subjects of
delusion. Abundantly had they been blessed of God; but
instead of learning humility, they appeared to build
themselves up in the spirit of self-righteousness. One whom
they styled Apostle and Prophet was to them the highest
authority, equal to anything in the Holy Scripture. _He_
had revelations concerning all the business to be done by
his followers; also his pretended illumination extended to
marriages and to the intercourse of the sexes, and when his
_ipse dixit_ was given on these points, immorality was
unblushingly practised. Pretending to have personal
interviews with angels he had six followers, who, at his
command, would fall upon their knees, lie prostrate upon
the floor, or walk in a pretended labor for souls.
Sometimes he kept them walking for several days and nights
without eating or sleeping, when they would frequently
faint and fall upon the floor. They often screamed, howled,
and barked, making various strange noises, and bending
themselves up into many shapes. They most tenaciously held
that they were the only true church on earth, and that no
person out of their pale was capable of giving them the
least instruction. Like all the fanatics I ever saw, they
evinced great hatred and spite when opposed, and sometimes
they were full of the spirit of mocking. As I had known
them when they were respectable young people, and had
enjoyed with them the best of Christian fellowship, I could
but deeply mourn over the delusion in which they were lost.
After spending eighteen hours with them, I bore the most
decided testimony I could against their sentiments and
procedure. How many are carried away by every wind of
doctrine, and allow the pure religion of Jesus, with which
they begin, to degenerate into an alloy of earth and
passion! Ever may I be kept in the Mediator, where I shall
be permanent and uncontrolled by the wild extremes of the
age. The week following I spent at Compton, holding
meetings in different parts of the town. On Sunday, the
29th, the assembly was large, and we had a weeping time, as
I bade them farewell in the name of Him in whom is our hope
and love; and on Monday visited from house to house. Being
ready to depart on the morrow, and thinking that it was the
last time I should repose under my father's roof, my
thoughts and feelings were deeply solemn, as I looked out
upon the world-wide field of my future labors. My very
heart was pained, and the night passed away in almost
entire sleeplessness. Here closes the month, and in
feelings of the greatest solemnity."
(Oct. 1816. Letter to his father. Montpelier, Vt., Oct. 12,
1816.) "Dear Father,--With pleasure I improve a few moments
in writing to you, that you may be informed of my good
health, and my agreeable visit at Stanstead, Wheelock and
Danville. I preached the next Sunday after I left home, at
Danville Court House, and in the evening at Major
Morrill's. On Monday I came to this town, and held a
meeting at the Hall of Esquire Snow; in this place and
Calace I have held meetings all through the week. Last
Thursday I attended the election. After the Governor was
chosen, the ministers of all denominations were invited to
his apartment, where all the choicest kinds of drinks were
placed before them, and a rich dinner was prepared. Gov. J.
Galusha was chosen by a very great majority. He is an
agreeable man, and apparently a real Christian. His conduct
through the day excited the admiration of the spectators,
and it manifested, I think, the spirit of true patriotism
and of sound Christianity. I have an appointment here
to-morrow and expect that some will be baptized. We intend
to start for N. H. on Monday. I am in great haste. Give my
love to Mother, Thomas, Hannah and all my friends. God
bless you all with life eternal. Farewell.
"JOSEPH BADGER."
"_Maj. Peaslee Badger._"
Resuming his journal we find the following on this month. After meeting
a large assembly at Danville, on Sunday, 13th, and administering baptism
as intimated in his letter, he returned to his home at Farmington, N.
H., the 16th, where he resumed his ministerial labor. He speaks of his
appointments in different places as being to his own spirit refreshing;
and of the sickness of his wife, and of outward trials and burdens as
being great. His fine and sensitive nature, with all its composure and
heroism, was alive to the influence of surrounding circumstances. Great
and trying must have been the difficulties into which his position in
the world at times must have brought him. These, however, only proved
the strength and competency of the man. He never bowed his manly head in
despair. He says, "Amidst all my conflict, in my retired moments I find
consolation in trusting in God and in hoping for better days; and before
the year shall end, O God, may I be allowed to see great displays of thy
power." His clouds were always colored in part with the sun's rays. In a
letter to his wife, dated Gilmanton, Oct. 31, he states the cause which
commanded all the faculties of his mind:--
"As I am so far on my journey I think it best to continue
it. Our parting at this time is no less disagreeable to me
than to yourself. If I were to return home, the cross and
the self-denial of our separation would not be diminished.
We must learn to forsake all for our dear Redeemer's cause.
It is not, dear Mary, to please myself or others that I
leave you. It is wholly for the benefit of mankind, and for
the promotion of the cause of Christ. In a few weeks, if
the Lord will, I shall return to your fond embraces. Be
composed and reconciled to my absence, and never utter a
murmuring sigh at the will of Heaven."
The journey he was about to take through the States of New Hampshire,
Vermont, and New York, led to the selection of the fruitful and pleasant
region of the county of Munroe,[26] in the latter State, as his
permanent home, a region of country which in conversation he frequently
styled "_the heart of the world_."
November, 1816, leaving Gilmanton on the 2d, and passing through the
towns, Salisbury, New Andover, Springfield, Newport, Clairmont, N. H.;
through Weathersfield, Cavendish, Ludlow, Middleton, Poultney and
Clarendon, Vt.; also passing through Granville, Hartford, Kingsbury,
Saratoga, Milton, N. Y., he arrived on the 5th at Galway, where he met a
kind reception from many who, like himself, stood on the common faith of
one God the Father, one Christ the Mediator, one creed and platform of
faith and church polity, the Holy Scriptures of both Testaments, and one
common freedom of interpretation and right of private judgment. Here he
addressed the people on the evening of the 5th, and rode to Ballston on
the 6th, in which place and in adjoining towns, a great reformation had
occurred under the public improvement of a very worthy female speaker,
by the name of Nancy Gove. He gave to this community one discourse the
evening of his arrival. On the 7th he was greatly delighted to meet his
old friend and father in Israel, A. Moulton, from the Province, with
whom, in his early years, he says, "I had taken sweet counsel in a
strange land." Now he again heard his voice in the public assembly, on
the same themes as when, in his youthful days, he spoke with so much
feeling to his sensitive heart. In Amsterdam, a town of some prominence,
in old Montgomery County, he preached to the people on the 9th and 10th,
and carried the resurrection light of Christian consolation into the
dwelling of Mr. Green, whose guest he was, and whose companion in life
was wasting away with consumption. He had a fine faculty to light up a
house of sorrow and mourning with hope and cheerfulness. At Milton,
Ballston Springs, Charleston, and Canajoharie, he gave sermons; on what
topics his private journal does not record, but to those who know his
sagacious skill in adapting his subjects and discussions to the
assemblies he met, no evidence will be needed to convince them that for
the occasion and place they were happily chosen.
Parting with Mr. Thompson and family on the 18th, and passing through
several townships, as Minden, Warren, Litchfield and Paris, he arrived
at Clinton, Madison County, N. Y., where he spoke on the evening of the
19th. Continuing his journey through several towns he arrived on the
21st at Brutus, Onondaga County, N. Y., and addressed the inhabitants in
the evening of that and of the following day. He speaks of having there
met Rev. Elijah Shaw, a man whose labors were then and afterwards
greatly successful in leading the people into the inward experience of
the vital principles of the Christian religion. Parting with these
friends, in company with Mr. Moulton, he visited what was then the
village of Auburn, and crossing the lake on a bridge, which he describes
as a mile and a quarter in length, came into Junius, and reposed at
night in the "handsome village," as he terms it, of Phelps; on the 26th
he rode to Farmington, and there saw what in those days were considered
the "famous Sulphur Springs," which he describes as a stream running
rapidly out of the side of a small hill, in temperature about milk-warm,
in smell and medical quality of the nature of sulphur; the waters were
clear, and over the current a light cloud of vapor continually arose. I
find that Mr. Badger, whenever his eye is arrested by a scene in nature,
is sure to group together, in few words, all the essential qualities,
and nothing redundant or expletive ever appears in his descriptions,
which is nearly always the reverse with persons of unsubjected
imaginations. He saw nature quietly and truthfully. The journal of this
month closes with the account of several meetings held in Pittsford,
since named Henrietta,[27] which was the centre of his early labors in
this region of country.
The month of December was assiduously employed in and about the region
last mentioned. On the 1st, which was Sunday, he addressed a large
assembly for the space of two hours, and at evening, in another part of
the town, he spoke an hour and thirty-five minutes to a full house, a
considerable number of whom were members of the Presbyterian society.
From these meetings several of the people were accustomed to follow him
to his lodgings and spend hours in conversation. His personal influence
had a power to charm the people; and the statements of scores who still
survive him, agree that Mr. Badger's influence as a speaker in those
early years was, in this region of country, without a parallel.
Communities were carried away by it. Opposition to his doctrine availed
little in arresting the popular tide that moved at the lead of his will
and word. "In those years," said an aged professional man, to the writer
of this biography, "I regarded Mr. Badger as the most popular preacher I
ever knew, and I still think," continued he, "that all in all, I never
heard a man of so great natural gifts." At Westown, or Henrietta, he
ordained deacons in his society, to take a temporal oversight of its
affairs, and filling up nearly all the days with social visits and
public meetings, the month was one continued earnest effort at bringing
souls under the influence of Jesus and of Christianity. A theological
conversation between himself and Rev. Thomas Gorton, who lived on the
Genesee river, which occurred the 17th, and one with Rev. Mr. Bliss, may
perhaps interest the reader. I offer his own words:--
"We conversed for the space of five hours on different
subjects. He was indeed very firm, and all who did not
think as he did came generally under the name of heretics.
At the close he offered against me four objections, which
were thus stated: 1st. You believe that the sinner in the
reception of salvation is an active creature. 2d. You
believe in the possibility of falling from a state of
justification. 3d. You cannot reconcile all the Scripture
to either of the three systems of punishment for the
wicked, neither eternal misery, destruction, nor
restoration. 4th. You baptize all who give evidence of
their becoming new creatures, provided they are received as
such by a church with whom you have fellowship, without any
particular regard to their belief or doctrinal principles.
Thus ended our conversation. The next day, I understood
that this gentleman, in speaking of the communion, (he was
of the Baptist faith,) said that it was 'absurd to think of
feeding swine and sheep together,' which caused me to mourn
that he or that any should have so little charity for other
denominations. I preached in his neighborhood the same
evening, [he was prevented from attending by a bad cold]
and was introduced to Mr. Rich, another clergyman of the
Baptist denomination. Asking him to participate in the
meeting, I proceeded to speak from 1 Cor. 13: 13:--'And now
abideth faith, hope, and charity, these three; but the
greatest of these is charity.' The clergyman witnessed to
the truth of my sermon. The 18th I spoke at Avon, the 19th
went to Pittsford to administer baptism, the 20th enjoyed a
good time in the south part of the town, the 21st had a
very cold, disagreeable time at the village, the 22d
enjoyed a happy fellowship meeting, the 23d had an
excellent communion season in Pittsfield. At Briton, Mr.
Chapin, a missionary, after I had spoken, read a sermon
nineteen minutes in length, in which he alleged that in
Christ there are two distinct natures united, the human and
the divine; that the divinity never suffered, that humanity
alone was the world's saving sacrifice. No wonder that he
should teach a partial and a legal salvation. The 29th I
attended the funeral of an excellent young man, by the name
of Dorous Burr, which had on the minds of many a solemn
effect. For the first time, I met, on the 31st, Rev. Mr.
Bliss, of Avon. I think he was naturally a gentleman,
though on this occasion, prejudice against a people with
whom he was not acquainted had an overwhelming influence on
his manners. Many questions he asked in regard to total
depravity, a Triune God, the eternal Godhead of Christ, and
many others of the kind which are unnamed in all the Holy
Scriptures. Not caring to detail a lengthy conversation, I
would say that near its close he observed to me, that my
system was composed of Universalism and Deism; to this I
replied, that the old contradictory doctrine of fate,
originally introduced by the Stoics, and afterwards cruelly
applied and industriously propagated by John Calvin and his
followers, was the very root and foundation of both these
doctrines, and that if I was to take his statement for
truth, all the difference to be found between us was
this,--that Calvinism is the body of the tree, Universalism
the branches, and Deism the ripe fruit, and that whilst he
was the body, I was the branches and fruit; and being so
nearly related, we should hesitate thoughtfully before we
consented to quarrel, reminding him that in the forest body
and branches never contend. After some show of clerical
importance and authority, enough to remind one that if the
world was ruled by narrow-minded ecclesiastics, blood might
yet be shed for opinion's sake, our interview closed. On
the evening of the same day, I had a good meeting at Mr.
Gould's, in which eight or ten feelingly spoke of the love
of Christ, some of whom had never spoken in public before.
Here the month and the year close. I thank God for what I
have seen, and for what my soul has felt in this month; and
though it has been my lot this year to pass through
sickness and trials of many kinds, I thank Him that at its
close I feel a degree of salvation within, and I can say
with Israel's king, 'Before I was afflicted I went astray.'
Through all his agencies may God aid me to live more to his
glory the coming year than ever I have done. Thus end the
reflections and incidents of 1816."