Sells Out at Alexandria. Moves to Crittenden. Preaches there and at
Williamstown. Low State of these Churches. Plan of Work. Memorizing in
Sunday-school. Lack of Church Discipline. One-Man System. Moves to New
Liberty. Visits Mount Byrd.
In the spring of 1866, we sold out at Alexandria, and spent most of the
summer in Oldham county, among our friends, while I was recuperating my
health.
The meeting-house at La Grange had been blown down in a storm, and at
the solicitation of the church I visited a number of congregations and
obtained help to rebuild it. Midway was one of the places visited. Bro.
Franklin was there holding a meeting. This was my first acquaintance
with that grand hero of the Cross of Christ.
In September we moved to Crittenden, Ky. I preached for that church and
at Williamstown, each half the time, for the rest of that year, and for
1867. The churches were both at low ebb. They had had no regular
preaching for some time; had not met on Lord's day; had no discipline;
and everything was in decay and disorder.
I decided upon a plan of work for each church. The first point was to
get them to meet on the Lord's day and break the loaf, having social
worship, when I could not be with them. This done, we carefully revised
the church records, excluding whom we could not induce to attend the
house of the Lord and to try to discharge their Christian duties. This
was followed by protracted meetings at neighboring school-houses,
through which quite a number were added to both churches. Meetings were
then held in each church. By this time both churches were in a
prosperous condition. They both had good Sunday-schools, and a number
of members were taking an active part in the work of the church. We
disposed of the old house in Williamstown, and got the new house roofed
in 1867. We also repaired the house at Crittenden, getting it in nice
order, and putting in a baptistery.
For the year 1868, the church at Crittenden wanted all my time, and I
gave up the church at Williamstown, devoting all my energies to the one
church. We arranged a book in which each member promised to pay so much
a week. Envelopes were given them, through which they were to pay their
weekly installment on each Lord's day. The congregations were large and
regular, and double the amount of money was thus collected that had
ever been raised before.
That was before the days of Sunday-school "helps," and we made
memorizing the Scriptures a prominent feature in the work. The first of
January, 1868, I offered a reward to the one memorizing and repeating
the most Scripture that year. Quite a number started in to win the
prize, but it was soon evident that the contest was between three
girls. The amount of Scripture memorized was immense. All the scholars
memorized largely. Soon it required a teacher's whole time to hear the
verses of one of those girls. Then we had them recite during the week;
and, finally, I had them examined on the Scripture committed, repeating
here and there as called on. This was harder than repeating it all. The
first of June another little girl entered the lists. On the day they
were examined they could repeat with ease and accuracy any passage
committed to memory during the year. They were examined for several
hours.
Incredible as it may appear, two of these girls committed the whole
Bible, and another committed Anderson's Translation of the New
Testament in addition; still another did not begin till June, and
committed the Bible by the end of the year. I never intended such a
result, nor can I approve that way of cramming the memory.
While the church at Crittenden was in other respects in a flourishing
condition (indeed, rather too much flourish), it was difficult to get
it to act promptly and strictly in the administration of discipline.
The officers and church generally had more lax ideas on that subject
than I had. But in this particular I suppose they were about on a par
with most other congregations in Kentucky, both among our people and
others. Indeed, I must confess that at that time I was unusually strict
in such matters. I wanted everything pertaining to the church to come
square up to the mark in all respects, and I was unnecessarily worried
over every shortcoming. On account of not having discipline attended to
as strictly as I desired, I was disposed to resign at the close of
1868. But the elders promised more hearty coöperation in the matter,
and I accepted for another year conditionally. I stated publicly that I
would begin on three months' trial, and if at the end of that time the
church had not so coöperated with me as to effect certain ends, our
engagement would close. I did not succeed in getting the coöperation
desired, and the first Lord's day in April I announced to a crowded
house that my relation to them as preacher had closed. It fell upon
them like a thunder-clap from a clear sky. I stated the reasons, which
they understood, but had not regarded. Thus ended my ministry with that
church.
My preaching at Crittenden, and the subsequent history of the church,
impressed upon me a very important lesson, upon which I acted in after
life. While everything was "booming," I could not teach them
self-reliance. They depended upon me. I had to take the lead in
everything. Consequently, when I left, it was just like taking the
engine off a big lot of machinery. Everything came to a standstill. I
feared this, and tried to guard against it. The material, however, was
of such a nature that it was next to impossible to get them to go
forward in church work without being led. But I was so impressed with
the virtual loss of my work then, that I made it a special point, ever
after, to develop the church in self-reliance, and make it largely
independent of a preacher.
In 1869 I decided that it was not best for the Master's cause for me to
longer give all my time to the Crittenden church, as I wanted them to
learn to do without me. So the first of January I engaged to preach for
the church at New Liberty, Owen county, one-half my time. Resigning at
Crittenden in April, in May I moved to New Liberty. Here I found a
good, substantial set of brethren, and did a substantial work. We soon
had a good Sunday-school, renovated the house, cut off a lot of dead
material, and got the church in good working order.
In May, 1869, I held a successful meeting in Owenton, and established
the cause in that place. Up to this time we had no organization there.
In 1870 I held them the second meeting. The cause continued to grow
there. In a few years they built a house of worship. The church has
generally been in a prosperous condition.
In August of this year, I held another meeting for my old home church,
Pleasant Hill. It resulted in a goodly number of additions. It was
always a peculiar pleasure to hold a meeting among these old
associates, and I held quite a number.
In August, 1869, Bro. I. B. Grubbs and I met at Mt. Byrd to hold a
protracted meeting. It was the first in their new house, after its
completion. We had an enjoyable and successful meeting. This was my
introduction to Mt. Byrd, which has since afforded me a home, has stood
by me through good and evil fortune, has never wavered in its devotion
and fidelity, and among whose good members my frail body will rest,
till it rises in the likeness of Christ.
Here I might as well express my views upon the lack of church
discipline, as they have been formed from an extensive observation in
this and other States. I must, however, do this briefly. No one can
read the epistles of the apostles, and especially those of Paul, and
not be profoundly impressed with the belief that the administration of
discipline engaged a large share of their attention; and we may infer
the necessity of this from the very nature of the case. The first
churches were largely formed of Gentile converts, and these came from
heathenism; and they had to be recovered from its debasing practices;
and even the converts from among the Jews had to be reformed from many
evil ways. Any one who will read even casually Paul's pastoral epistles
will see these evils and sins exposed. These were contrary to the
purity and benevolence of the new religion, and hence the necessity of
self-denial and constant diligence on the part of both people and
pastors.
"The times have changed and we have changed with them," but the _forms_
of sin have changed rather than the thing itself, and we have as much
need to practice watchcare over ourselves and others as ever. It was
Cain that asked, "Am I my brother's keeper?"
I am satisfied that the two crying needs in our Kentucky churches, and
I suppose elsewhere, are the faithful administration of discipline by
our elders and activity in Christian work by our members. I think we
are growing in the latter, and fear we are falling off in the former.
The reasons for both these opinions are not, in my opinion, hard to
find. Had I time and strength I should like to give them in full.