ACCOUNT OF THE WORK OF GOD IN NASHVILLE DISTRICT.
Nashville District, Oct. 15th, 1820.
DEAR BRETHREN,
I would communicate the intelligence contained in the following letter to one of our Bishops, if I knew where a letter could reach him in safety: but as afflictions have prevented their contemplated route through this country, I take the privilege of making the communication to you, that you may, if you think proper, give it a place in our Magazine, and by that means, let the lovers of Jesus know what God is doing for us in Tennessee.
In the opening of last spring, we witnessed something more than an ordinary attention to the ministry of the word, especially in those parts of Nashville and Lebanon circuits, which lay adjoining. There were frequent awakenings and conversions in other parts of the district; but this seemed to be the point where the prospect of the work was the most promising. On Saturday the 24th of June, a Quarterly-Meeting commenced at Ross’ Meeting-House, Nashville circuit, Wilson county. The preachers from Lebanon circuit attended with us, together with many of the members from both circuits. They brought the fire with them. The meeting continued until Tuesday, and the Lord crowned it with seventeen converts. Thus far the work progressed, rather silently indeed, but very sweetly; and during one quarter in Lebanon circuit, upwards of two hundred were added to the Church, and about one hundred souls converted at the regular circuit appointments. The expectations of the people were up. Zion travailed. The professors were sending their prayers to heaven, and the general attention of the people, seemed to be turned toward our approaching Camp meeting, which commenced on Friday, July 14th, at Center-meeting-house, in Wilson county. Thursday was a day of incessant rain, and the prospect seemed very unpromising: But on Friday morning, the material sun arose without a cloud to obstruct his cheering rays. All nature seemed to smile, and every thing was calculated to inspire the human mind, and call forth its energies in praise to God. The people began to collect very early, and came in crowds from every direction. The Campground had been considerably enlarged; but still we had to double the lines of the tents. Thirty-three preachers, and I think not less than five thousand people, attended this meeting.
Divine service commenced on Friday at 2 o’clock. After a sermon was delivered, the order of the meeting was published, and an invitation given to (he mourners to come into the altar;* about thirty came forward, and before son-set, four of them professed conversion. At candle light we had another sermon, the mourners were again invited into the altar, about fifty were supposed to be on their knees when we engaged in prayer for them, and before next morning, nine of them found the blessing. On Saturday morning at sun-rise a sermon was delivered, and the altar was nearly filled with mourners. We had preaching at eight, eleven, and three o’clock, but the work was too great to admit of preaching at candle-light; we had the trumpet blown according to the order of the meeting, for the purpose of having a sermon delivered; but just at that moment, two or three struggled into liberty and rose praising God, while several others sunk under the power of conviction. We saw it was impossible for the people to hear preaching, so we declined it, and consented that God should work his own way, and thirty-one souls professed to find peace with God during the day and night. On Sabbath we had preaching at sun-rise, at eight, ten, and eleven o’clock. The work was great. Jehovah was in the Camp. We did not attempt to preach in the afternoon, or at night. The convictions and conversions were almost perpetual; and on Monday morning it was estimated there were eighty-six souls who professed to get converted through the preceding day and night. At seven o’clock on Monday morning, the ordinance of baptism was administered to seven adults, and twenty-five children: a divine power rested upon us, and the Lord was present to sanction the ordinance in which we are called by his name. The sacrament of the Lord’s Supper was then administered to several hundred communicants. It was a time of sweet communion with each other, and with our Lord. We closed the administration of the ordinance with a sermon about twelve o’clock, after which there were no more preaching through the afternoon or night. On Tuesday morning at eight o’clock, a sermon was delivered, and about twelve o’clock the meeting ended. Through Monday, Monday night, and Tuesday, until the close of the meeting, fifty-eight professed to find the Lord. About forty mourners were on their knees, when the congregation was dismissed: fourteen of whom obtained the blessing, some on the ground, and others on their way home; making in all two hundred and two, who professed faith in the Lord Jesus. On Tuesday morning we opened a door for the admission of members, and one hundred and eleven joined the Church, sixty of whom were young men.
I do not remember that I ever saw more agreeable weather for a meeting in my life; and such was the continual and glorious display of divine power, that the altar was never empty of mourners from the time they were first invited into it, until the meeting ended, except when they were carried out, that we might administer the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper; neither did the people all leave the stage, day or night, from the beginning to the end of the meeting. The cries and groans for mercy among the distressed were perpetual; the shouts of the young converts and old professors were almost without intermission; and such a sense of the divine presence prevailed, that it seemed to impose a solemn awe upon the people as they entered the encampment, so that we had no interruption, nor a single instance of misbehaviour worth noticing during the meeting. An aged sinner was heard to say, “He had never seen the like before,—God had sanctified the ground, and none could walk upon it without feeling awful.” No opposition, nor a single remark was heard against the reality ot the work. Some who had once been opposers of religion, acknowledged they believed this work to be genuine. When the congregation was addressed on Tuesday, a request was made that all, not only those who had obtained religion, but those also who intended to seek it in good earnest, should get on their knees and join in prayer; and it was remarked that there was not an individual present who did not instantly drop on his knees. This was followed by a general cry for mercy throughout the congregation. We could no longer get the mourners into the altar—it was altar all over the Camp ground. When the meeting was drawing to a close, a young man who had obtained religion, stood up on one of the seats, and looking over the congregation, exclaimed, “O Lord, must 1 go home and leave these people, and leave this place!” This was repeated three times, with an emphasis that seemed to penetrate every heart, as though it was the language of each individual present.
I have been a little more particular in giving an exact account of this meeting, because it is considered as being the commencement of the greatest work, that ever was seen in the Western Country. The holy afflatus was felt like an electrical shock, in the surrounding counties, and its influence experienced, more than one hundred miles in less than a week. The Rev. Edward Morris, John M’Gee, John Page, and Charles Ledbetter, who have been instruments in planting the gospel in different parts of the United States, and are known by many of the old Methodists, were at this meeting, and pronounced it to be the greatest time they had ever seen.
Our Camp-Meeting for Cany-Fork circuit commenced on Friday, July 21st. at Goodhope in Warren county. This, upon the whole, was a great and good time. The Country is but thinly inhabited, and our congregation was comparatively small, though larger than usual at that place. We had sixty-eight converts, and thirty-one joined society. Another Camp-Meeting was held at the same time, near Shelbyville, by the Presbyterians, and Methodists jointly. This was the time of the Anniversary of their “Bible Society.” The Lord favoured them with his presence, and about seventy professed faith in Christ, amongst whom were some of the students belonging to the Academy. We have had a gracious work in Duck-river circuit. The Quarterly-meeting, June 10th. at the Big-spring meetinghouse in Maury county, was turned into a little Camp-meeting. It was a new place, and but few people attended; however the Lord was with us, and gave us twenty-six converts.—Our regular Camp-meeting for this circuit commenced on Friday July 28th. at Zion, in Maury county, and ended on Tuesday following. Here we had to contend with all the prejudices which Calvinism and Anti-pedobaptism are calculated to generate against the work of God; but our exertions were in proportion, and the Lord gave us eighty-two converts, and sixty-four joined the Church. I baptized twenty-seven children and sixteen adults, and administered the Lord’s Supper to upwards of four hundred communicants. Our Camp-meeting for Bedford circuit began on Thursday, August 3d. at Salera in Bedford county, and ended the Tuesday following. This was among the greatest meetings I ever saw. The work commenced with the commencement of the meeting, and continued without intermission day and night. On Saturday afternoon we had to fix a second stand, in another part of the Camp-ground, it being impossible to preach at the stage already built, when the mourners were collected in the altar. On Sabbath morning at eight o’clock we had a sermon delivered at the lower stage, after which it was absolutely impossible to preach within the limits of the encampment any more that day; such were the cries of the distressed, and shouts of the young converts, nothing else could be heard. It was therefore reported to the people, we would preach in a grove about three hundred yards distant; one of the pulpits being moveable, was taken up and carried to the place, and the people not engaged in the encampment attended. Here we preached at eleven, and three o’clock; and here the arrows of conviction fastened in the hearts of many sinners, and when wounded they would immediately fly to the Campground, as to a grand hospital, for there God was healing the sin-sick souls, and bringing the dead to life. On Monday morning I baptized thirty one children and twenty adults, and administered the Lord’s Supper to four hundred and eighty communicants. Two hundred and fifty-one professed to be converted at this meeting, and one hundred and forty eight joined society. One of the sons of Belial came to this meeting, and fixed his tent at a convenient distance from the encampment, where he intended to enjoy himself, with his wicked companions; but as he did not come until Friday, some of them came before him, and got religion, and as others came, they were struck under conviction, and left him, until, he said, he had lost even his Class-Leader. On Saturday evening about half an hour after the candles were lighted up, he came walking down through the Camp-ground, and stopped near where I happened to be standing ; at that moment the work was going on most gloriously at both stages, and in at least twenty tents; and after turning and looking all round for some moments,”Well, said be, if this is not enough to fret hell, I’ll be d****d;” he was by himself, we pitied him, but did nothing with him, as we saw he could do us no harm.
An extra Camp-meeting was held in Lebanon circuit, at Ebenezer, in Wilson county, commencing August 18th, and ended the Tuesday following. This is a place where Camp-meetings have been held for many years; but this meeting exceeded all the rest; the people came praying and believing, and God was with them. One hundred and eighty two professed to be converted, and one hundred and twenty-five joined society. The Rev. Valentine Cook attended this meeting, and preached on the subject of baptism with uncommon power and great usefulness. The sermon was much blest to the people.
The Camp-meeting for Richland circuit commenced August 25th, at Pisgah, in Giles county, and ended the Tuesday following. This is a place which God has highly honoured with signal displays of his power on former occasions. The people came out expecting to see gracious times, and they were not disappointed. The Lord gave us seventy-two converts, and sixty-five joined society. The Camp-meeting for Nashville circuit commenced September 8th, at Mount Nebo in Williamson county, and ended the Tuesday following. Here we had to contend with strong prejudices against Methodism, nevertheless, God was with us; the work of conviction was general, and deep in the hearts of the people, and we had some of the most distinguished and bright conversions I ever saw. According to the returns made, ninety-two* professed to be converted, and ninety-six joined society.
Our Camp-meeting for Stones-river circuit commenced on Thursday Sept. 21st, at Windrows Meeting-House in Rutherford county, and ended the Tuesday following. Here, I may say, the faith of the Christians rose to its proper point, and became the full persuasion of the truth of God’s promise, and the confident expectation that He would be with us. Many of the young converts from the other Camp meeting attended, and numbers under conviction, came for the express purpose of getting their souls converted.—The Camp-ground was enlarged, to twice its former size, and yet fully one third of the tents were outside of the lines. Two stages were erected, and seats made for the accommodation of two congregations, within the lines of the encampment, and another some distance on the out side. Although Thursday and Friday were days of almost incessant rain, the people appeared to be entirely regardless of it; they came in their carriages, fixed their tents, and collected round the stage to hear preaching with as much attention as if there was no rain falling. The time was glorious beyond description! It is impossible for me to give an account of particulars. Three hundred and fifty professed conversion, and two hundred and two joined society.† On Monday morning I baptized twenty-five children and fifty-six adults, and administered the Lord’s Supper to nearly six hundred communicants. Murfreesborough, the county town, and at “present the seat of Government in this state, shared largely in the benefits of this meeting. We have raised a society there of more than forty members, and the prospect of an increase is very promising.
On comparing the numbers returned at Conference, with the former numbers, I find we have nett increase of eighteen hundred and twenty members in the District; and in order to have a correct idea of the work, it must be recollected that besides the deaths and expulsions, at least five hundred members have emigrated from this district, to Missouri, Alabama, and Jackson’s purchase over Tennessee river, in the course of the past year.
The character of this revival is the least mixed with what is called irregularities or extravangancies of any that I ever saw. We have had nothing of what is called the jirks or dance among us. The work of conviction in the hearts of sinners has been regular, powerful, and deep; their conversion or deliverance from sin and guilt, clear and bright, and their rejoicings scriptural and rational. 1 think fully half of those who have been the subjects of the work are young men, and heads of families; many of them, among the most respectable in the country, men of education, men of talents. We anticipate help and usefulness from some of them, in the Lord’s Vineyard. Upon the whole, it is the greatest work, the most blessed revival, I ever saw. The whole country in some places, seems like bowing to our Emmanuel; religion meets with very little that can be called opposition ; and many who neither profess, nor appear to have any desire to get religion themselves manifest an uncommon degree of solicitude that others should obtain it, and express a high satisfaction at seeing the work prosper. May the Lord continue to pour out his spirit, and may the hallowed fire spread until all the inhabitants of the earth shall rejoice in his salvation. To God be all the glory. Pray for us, dear brethren, that this year may be as the past, and much more abundantly. We look for it, and expect it. The district is well supplied with preachers, men of talents, men of zeal, and in the spirit of the work. May the Lord bless their labours.
I remain as ever,
Your very sincere Brother in Christ,
Source
T. L. Douglass, “Account of the Work of God in Nashville District,” Methodist Magazine 4 (1821): 191-195.
