Boston, Cape Cod and Salem

I left Hartford for Boston, in the state of Massachusets, in company with a lady, who was from the latter city: and the Lord went before me and cleared up the way; for, in the city of Boston, many doors were opened for my reception; and the Lord wrought wonderfully among the people. Many of the brethren were going to a camp meeting at Cape Codd, about sixty miles from Boston, and invited me to go with them, which I did with great pleasure, and we had very pleasant weather. Many thousands attended at that meeting, and the Lord manifested forth his glory and his grace. Hundreds came to that camp-meeting, to make sport and derision of the saints, and of their worship, who returned home themselves rejoicing in God their Saviour. A band of young gentlemen, connected with the highest families in the town of Lynn, chartered a large vessel, brought their tent, provisions, and every other necessary for a week’s sojourn on the camp ground, with the wicked intention not only of greatly annoying us, but of dispersing the camp meeting altogether: the manner in which they approached the encampment rendered it but too evident what kind of persons they were, and for what purpose they came. When these wanton young gentlemen arrived upon the ground, they went from tent to tent, and appeared to be greatly struck with astonishment at the novel appearance of the scene; for the Lord had set the hearts and consciences of the people in motion; some of them were weeping with godly penitence; others were rejoicing in the salvation of Christ, manifested to their souls; in the public services, the ministers were as a flaming torch, and their words as a two edged sword; and the powerful discourses they preached from the platform, made a wonderful impression on these giddy young men, and their conduct became greatly altered. On the Thursday, between twelve and two o’clock, matters were so changed that they prepared their tent for religious service, and sent for me to come and preach to them; I went accordingly, and commenced the meeting, and some of our ablest preachers followed soon after and assisted me, and the Lord owned and blessed our message, and many of these young gentlemen became deeply affected, and cried to God for mercy. The ministers evinced the greatest attention and tender care of them; but they more particularly desired to hear, “the woman:” and the next day I was sent for to preach to them again; after which, we all attended the prayer meeting at the preachers’ stand; and many of them found mercy with God. When the camp meeting broke up, all of them with the exception of four, together with many others both white and coloured, manifested the triumphs of redeeming grace, and evinced a saving conversion to God; and the happy result of that meeting was, that, in a short space of time, in the town of Lynn alone, upwards of two hundred persons were added to the Methodist Episcopal Church.

The brethren residing at the Cape having strongly solicited me to tarry for a time with them, I consented, and instead of returning with the brethren to Boston, went home with the Cape friends, and travelled with the itinerating preachers on the different circuits of the Cape district, and with great success; for the glorious camp meeting we had just before attended, had laid the foundation for an extensive and continuous revival: the fields were indeed white, already to harvest; and we went to reap them, and receive the rich wages of souls for our hire.

In the course of my excursions, I went into the Haverich circuit, and entered one of their chapels. After the service had commenced, I observed a young man in the assembly who appeared to idolise himself, and to soar very high into the regions of self-conceit; his excessive self-complacency very much attracted my attention, and I felt a desire to have some conversation with him; not suspecting that there was any probability of its coming to pass; but God overrules and arranges matters for His people, that they may glorify His name. It happened that we went that day to dine with this very young gentleman’s father-in-law; and during the time of dinner he came in. Some one at the table then asked him if there were many persons in attendance at the meeting in the morning; to which he replied, no; adding, that he was a fool in going, for it was complete folly to attend those meetings. These words came very painfully to my heart; but as I was to preach in the afternoon, and required much self-composure, I passed over his remarks in silence; when the service of the afternoon was over, I returned to tea with the family, and being now at liberty, having no sermon before me to preach, I was not indisposed for a colloquy with him; he was also desirous of having some conversation with me, and had prepared himself for that purpose; after tea, he came again, and brought many others with him to witness his feats of prowess: so he promptly commenced an attack upon me, worked himself into a great fury, and spouted away for a time; but his ammunition was quickly exhausted; his creed, if he had any, was that of modified deism; looking for a future paradise to be enjoyed by all men indiscriminately; he was, however, deplorably ignorant of the Scriptures; I replied to him according to the ability the Lord gave me; and conviction of the truth went with the word, so that he became of the number of believers in Christ, and subsequently behaved to me with very great kindness—to God be all the praise for ever and ever.

My ministry every where, on the Cape, was very numerously attended: there were but few buildings that could contain the numbers who flocked to hear the word of the Lord; as I journied from place to place, many an open waggon became my pulpit, from which I preached in the open air to listening multitudes, the candidates for immortality, and directed them to the Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world. My own soul was filled with heavenly hope, which maketh not ashamed; my affections were set upon things above; my treasure was in heaven; my hope bloomed with the glories of immortality and eternal life: it was the anchor of my soul, sure and steadfast; I rejoiced in hope of the glory of God; and in my ministry, I determined to be conversant with no other topic, to know nothing amongst men but Jesus Christ and him crucified. The divine treasures which God imparted into my earthen vessel I freely poured out; and the Lord constantly replenished me with more; so that I was always being exhausted, and ever being filled with the heavenly treasures of divine knowledge; and became more and more able to bring out of the good treasure in my heart things new and old. The Lord enabled me to keep my heart with all diligence; and having my own soul right with God, I was enabled to set others right also. I affectionately press it upon the attention of every minister of the gospel, who really desires that his ministry may be effectual to convert and sanctify men, to attend to himself first, to see that the work of genuine conversion be perfected in his own heart; that he is truly born again of the incorruptible seed of the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever; that he is thoroughly cleansed from his old sins; enjoying the remission of sins and justification to life; that the word of God abideth in him, and is fruitful; that he enjoys the spirit of adoption; is sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise; that the Holy Ghost dwelleth in him; that he comes to the light in every thing; is pure in heart, and hath his eye single to the glory of God; that he is sanctified by the truth; purified by obeying it; that he abideth in Christ the true vine; dwelleth in God and God in him; that he hath continual communion with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ; that he lives and walks in the Spirit; is led by the Spirit; that he is not proud of these attainments, but simple and of a childlike disposition; that his heart is preserved in a state of transparency, and so free from guile and sin, that he would not be reluctant to have it probed by a truly godly-experienced and judicious Christian of like attainments. Let him see to it that he is meek, lowly, patient, contrite and humble, habituated to self-denial, filled with charity or love which is the bond of perfectness; that his will is entirely submitted and resigned to the will of God; that his meat and drink is to do the will of his Father in heaven; that his attitude is that of a self-devoted, living sacrifice, utterly at the disposal of his God, taking up every cross placed before him; that he meekly and practically regards the sayings of Jesus and the precepts of the Christian Scriptures, aiming at a perfect observance of them all, that he may become a finished disciple of Jesus Christ, exercised in all parts of Christian duty and practise, and copying the pattern set by his Lord, devoting soul and body, time and opportunities, money and means, his entire all to the service of Jesus; not wedded to this life, but holding it as loosely as possible, rejoicing in hope of the glory of God, and seeking an increased knowledge of Christ, the fellowship of His sufferings, and the spiritual might of His resurrection. Such a man as this, if called and sent by Christ into His vineyard, is able to make men wise unto salvation; and is the kind of minister whose labours Jesus will deign to bless. Such ministers have adorned and blessed the church in all ages; and such ministers occasionally adorn it still. It is an axiom which holds good in Christianity, as well as in common life, that whatever man has borne, been, or done, man may bear, be, or do; and there is no more impossibility of attaining eminent saintship in the present day, than there was two thousands of years since: with the Scriptures in our hands and the Holy Spirit in our hearts, we possess advantages even beyond those Christians who enjoyed the living ministry of the apostles. He who would be a master in Israel should possess such an experimental knowledge of the Christian religion, as an university cannot bestow, but which is the exclusive endowment of the Holy Ghost. A well-disciplined minister is a father in Christ; an elder in the Christian church; and happy is that flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made him an overseer: who are fed by him, not with college lore, nor with orations such as are emitted by divines not yet out of their teens; but with such instructions as the Holy Ghost teacheth, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. When ministers aim at revivals in their flocks, they must first obtain them in their own souls; for he who has left his first love, is in no condition to communicate the glowing flame to others: he must first remember from whence he has fallen, and repent, and do his first works; strengthen the things that remain; stir up the gift of God in himself; obtain the pure gold of true faith, well tried in the fire, and anoint his mental eyes with the illuminating eye-salve of divine unction; render his body a temple for the Holy Ghost, and equip himself with the whole armour of God, and then he may efficiently contribute to the health and prosperity of the souls of others; being a discerning, faithful watchman, and a good shepherd to them. I have witnessed such ministers, (who are rightly named ‘Great Grace’,) lay open the heart, cast down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God: and with the Spirit’s two-edged sword, divide the sinner from his sins, slay the lion, and bring him a lamb-like penitent to the feet of Jesus; then take the new creature by the hand, lead him by the side of still waters, in paths of righteousness; comfort, exhort, warn, instruct, and build him up in our most holy faith, that he may eventually have the joy to present him faultless and perfect in Christ Jesus. Oh! that every leader of souls in Britain may speedily become a Joshua, to bring all the Lord’s Israel into the promised rest of faith.

In the course of my travels on the Cape, I one day met with a young lady recently married, whose pride and self-consequence were superlatively high; her parents, brothers and sisters were decidedly religious; but her vanity and haughtiness had hitherto resisted the humbling impressions of true godliness. I felt my mind much drawn after this young lady, but she rejected every advance of mine, and contemptuously avoided my conversation. I spent a day at her father’s house; during which time she was with us; but she sat as a queen, and maintained all the dignity of haughty reserve to every religious topic; at night, we had family prayer; and I followed the impressions of my mind, in fervently praying for her; and took my leave of the family. In about two years afterwards, I again met with her mother, who informed me that, on that evening, this young lady was brought to repentance towards God: she was afflicted with penitential anguish to an extraordinary degree, ere she was enabled to exercise faith in our Lord Jesus Christ; since that time, she evinced as great anxiety to see and unbosom her mind to me as she had previously to shun and repulse me. Verily, God doeth all things well: all praise to His glorious wisdom and power; His rich and free mercy, and adorable grace.

Having reaped a rich harvest of souls on the Cape, I returned to the city of Boston, where I remained for a few months; the Lord having made my way prosperous, many doors were opened to me, the word of God had free course and was glorified; many who sat in darkness there saw the great and the true light, and turned to the Lord with all their heart; from thence I proceeded to the city of Salem, and laboured amongst the Methodists with much attendant prosperity. The coloured people had a chapel in course of erection, and stood in great need of assistance; the Methodist brethren therefore, in conjunction with several gentlemen in the city, subscribed a considerable sum of money, with which they furnished them with a pulpit and seats for the chapel. When the building was got in readiness, I delivered the first discourse therein, from Zech. ii. 10, “Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion; for I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord.” The Lord graciously manifested and recorded His name there on that occasion; and many considered their ways, and turned from their vanities to serve the living God. The Lord was pleased also to apply a portion of His word with much power to my own soul, as it was delivered by His angel. Zech iii. 7. “Thus saith the Lord of Hosts, if thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by.”

In that city, the ladies who were connected with the several Christian denominations, were in the habit of holding a monthly union prayer-meeting together; and as this brought the different denominations into closer contact with each other, it caused a rich intercourse of sanctified gifts and graces amongst them, for the edification of the general body; it also greatly promoted Christian love, for the pure, genial currents supplied by genuine gospel faith, purified the disciples from party bigotry, and caused them to love one another for the truth’s sake. It was delightful indeed to hear Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Baptists, and Methodists, avow the rich enjoyments they had in the spirit of adoption from God, who gave forth the corroborating testimony of His divine witness with their spirits to their heavenly filiations. The Christian church should manifest one fold and one shepherd; one body and spirit; one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism; and one God and father of all who is above all, and through all, and in all. O that the Christian community in Great Britain were all of one heart and one soul; only, but earnestly, contending for the faith once delivered to the saints; that there were no divisions among them, but all were speaking the same things, and perfectly joined together in the same mind, and in the same judgment; none being puffed up one against another, knowing that ministerial partizanship, doctrinal divisions, and sectarian prejudices flow from sheer carnality, and savours nothing of the grace of God. Rom. xvi. 17. 1 Cor iii. 3. During my stay in Salem, a great alteration was effected in the morals of the colored friends; I hope to be forgiven by my English brethren, in saying, that it is not an uncommon thing for white Christians to reprobate the morals of their sable brethren, without an adequate occasion; the intelligence, the circumstances, and the habits of the two races are widely different: and it is the part of a moted eye and biassed heart to require the same standard tale of bricks from the Ethiopean family! Or, in other words, an observance by them of all the proprieties attached to the refined Christian morals of the more cultivated Saxon stock; the illiterate colored Christian is competent to, and ought, practically, to carry out the precepts of the Christian religion to the utmost extent his circumstances admit of; but Christian charity will not rashly judge him, for an imperfect conformity to the politer standard of morals and tasteful delicacy, which have been superadded to the Christian precept, by the supererogative pride of high-toned sensibility and civilization; a more perfect exemplification of Christian morals than that which characterized the apostolic era has never been attained by any later age; but its simplicity and want of polish would have presented a very rude and vulgar exhibition in contrast with the whited exterior, the artificial delicacy and current respectability or pride of life of much of the present-day Christianity. The immoralities of the Abyssinian brethren, when they occur, are obvious and glaring, and are easily visited and purged by the discipline of the church; but those of more polished Christians too often flow in a deep and mighty under current: no principles are more vicious, no practices more immoral and debasing, than covetousness and worldly pride; the Scriptures exclude those who are guilty of them from any inheritance in the kingdom of God and Christ; yet it is a fact but too well known, that these vices have an unrestrained course throughout the more civilized Christian communities; and that an attempt to expel these immoralities from those communities, by subjecting all such offenders to the discipline of the church, would fill with confusion, and crumble to ruins every denominational superstructure in Christendom.

The Lord’s blessing on my visit to Salem was made apparent by the improvement which followed in the morals and habits of the colored population; many of whom became truly devout, righteous, holy, godly, spiritual, and heavenly-minded: by devout, I mean, devotional and religious; righteousness consists in being and doing right; holiness is purity internally and practically. Godliness is an assimilation of the human character to that of our heavenly Father; spirituality is such a practical acquaintance with spiritual things, and abiding sense of the existence and agency of spiritual and invisible beings, and converse with them, as gives a complete ascendancy to the moral and mental powers over the animal propensities; but it more especially consists in a discernment of the presence and operations of the Holy Spirit, fellowship with God and his Son Jesus Christ, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, together with an habitual and deep consciousness, and a blooming prospect of the momentous realities of a future life. Heavenly-mindedness consists in having our mind and hope fixed upon the things above; on the mercy-seat and throne of grace, the heavenly Jerusalem; the mansions which Jesus is preparing for us there; the heavenly Mount Zion; the general assembly and church, of the first-born; the innumerable company of angels; the blood of sprinkling; the mediator and high-priest of the new covenant; and upon God the judge of all. Many of my sable brethren became eminently spiritual, having ceased to be led by their animal appetites and worldly lusts, they were led by the Holy Spirit of God which dwelt in them, and whose temples they were. In the Methodist connexion, also, I had an extensive circle of young ladies who were constant attendants upon my ministry, and who were in an especial manner my charge in the Lord; these manifested great diligence in their pursuit of the higher attainments of experimental spirituality. The love of God being richly shed abroad in their hearts by the Holy Ghost, many of them attained to considerable eminence in the apprehension of, and conformity to, the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge; abiding in Christ, dwelling in God, and walking in the light as God is in the light, they experienced that perfect love which casteth out fear; the holy vigour and zeal with which they pressed forward after the life of God, the avidity with which they drank until they were filled with the Spirit, and the wonderful revelations God was pleased to manifest to them, provoked me to run forward in the heavenly race with increased earnestness, lest they should overtake, and leave me behind them: but as the Lord set me as their leader, He sustained me as such; and an abundance of grace was given to me as His commissioned servant, to maintain my leadership. I abode in Salem throughout the winter, and a most delightful winter it was.

I also paid a visit to the friends at Lynn; a town to which reference has already been made; the Rev. J. Melvill was the minister stationed there, who invited me to preach in his pulpit, which I did to an overflowing audience: on that occasion, I had the happiness to see many of those dear young men who had attended the camp-meeting as before narrated. On the conclusion of the service, they formed themselves into two ranks down the aisle of the chapel in order to salute me as I passed betwixt them; and we parted in the hope of a joyful meeting on the morning of the resurrection.