Extracts from the Diary of John Early (November 18–December 21 1807)

Assigned to the Cumberland Circuit in the Virginia piedmont, Methodist minister John Early recorded several encounters with jerkers during the fall of 1807. Early’s diary entries feature a valuable description of a young Baptist woman who violently opposed his ministry but converted to Methodism after experiencing the jerking exercise. Conjectural readings and textual defects appear in square brackets.

Wednesday [November] 18th [1807]. To Patersons & Back 6 miles. There I Saw a young Woman (P. D. By name) Who had had the Jirks 2 years & was Very Wicked (her parents were Baptists). I told her I Believ’d the Jirks would never Leave her until she prayed in Earnest to GOD. She Said it would be time enough for her Several years hence & said the Jirks came from the Devil & wou’d go Back to him again. I told her to pray or [I] Did not know But the Jirks wou’d Kill her & she’d go to hell & she said she wished I might to go Hell above all people & she told me afterwards for She got converted. In meeting she Looked Very serious & Cry’d & Believ’d she had home shot as a nail in a Sure place. Yet she persecuted me.

Next Day I preach’d Old father Brothers’s funeral 7 miles & the Lord came Down In awful Power. Some shouted some Cry’d & the place Look’d awful On account of the presence of my King. Glory to GOD in the highest. After I preach’d we went to the grave. I gave a exortation in the rain & had a serious time Indeed. I felt my lungs shattered & My Body Very weak But I felt like fighting for my Jesus Forever. The people invited me to come again. The above young Woman Was there & Cry’d Powerfully & told some Body she was sorry for What She had Said about me the Day Before for She now liked me Very well. (She had no more rest in sin.) I went that evening through the rain 6 miles & had meeting at J. Taylors & the Lord was with us. After meeting I asked a young Woman (who staid all night there) to give me a strand of Beads she had around her neck. She to try me what I wou’d Do with them throw’d to me. I Opened the fire & put them in to let [her] know I wanted to Burn old Sam up [i.e. the devil]. She hardly understood me, though she Profesed religion & I hope had religion.

Friday 20. We had meeting there again & a moving time & some shouted Some Cry’d.

Saturday 21. To Mount Comfort to a two Days meeting & Brother W. Pinnell with me 9 miles & met Brother J. Pinnell the Elder. He preached & the Lord come Down & all had a glorious time. The above young Woman Was again [at] meeting at W. Christians at night & God was with us in a Wonderful Awful manner.

Sunday (22). Morning we had the Lord Supper Administered By the Elder & the God of Israel Gave Sanction to it By coming Down among us. Some Spoke the Language of Canaan Indeed [Is. 19:18]. At 12 O’Clock the Elder preach’d, & the Lord Continued his Blessings & Several mourners came forward & Kneeled Down for us to pray for us & meeting lasted until late in the evening. At night we had meeting at M. Thompsons. I tried to preach’d But Before I was Done Jesus preach’d to[o] in a Wonderful manner to the hearts of the Dear people so that I had to stop. Christians shouted & Jump’d and Jirk’d & roll’d & for 3 or 4 hours my eyes or Ears hardly ever saw or heard such a time among Christians & the Lord Of all mercies came to the Deliverance Of the above young Woman who only the Wednesday Before wish’d I might go to hell. She had the most Powerful manafestation I ever saw. She leaped from the floor & Jump’d & Shouted & Jirk’d all night & untill I left her next Day 10 O’Clock. I hardly think Besides many Others I ever saw the like Before. She praised GOD that She ever saw the Methodist preacher & asked In public my Pardon for What she had said to & about me. She said she had heard it said that he that Believeth & Was Baptised was sure of heaven. But if she never again saw Water she had the substance & not the shadow & wou’d be saved. She said She Saw a rich fulness in Christ for all mankind Which caused me to tell the people I never Saw a Predestinarian When they Were first converted to God….

 

Wednesday [December] 16. Tried to preach & had a Great time. Glory to King Jesus. At night preached again though unwell & the Lord came Down in Power. Converted a young woman who had been seeking a long time & such before & Jumping & smacking of hands I never saw shouting praising praying & Jirking. Glory to God. I heard the Language of [Canaan] & it was music to my happy soul. Hallalujah & 2 join’d [the] Society. Good times a coming & better….

 

Monday, [December] 21st. To J. Pattersons 4 miles. I tried to preach on James 2:5 Verse & the Lord Jehovah helped us & some Jirked & Others shouted Glory to King Jesus. O how sweet the Language of Canaan is to the Christian. Among others [present was] the young woman mention’d 4 weeks ago (that go[t] converted). She had Baptist relations & her father and mother was Baptist. She wanted to Be a Methodist & her relations wou’d not agree to it & she told me if her sorrow was as great for 4 weeks to come she did [not] know how she shou’d bear it. I commended her to Jesus & told her to Join the Methodists through every opposition if she thought it was the will of GOD. She said she had often wished she cou’d be reconciled to Be a Baptist so that her friends might be Satisfied but she cou’d not be reconciled to Be a Baptist so that her friends might be Satisfied but she cou’d not be reconciled to Be a Baptist. I thought it was Just like some of the Baptist Doings with their Children. I thought the Consequence wou’d be serious in this circumstance either one way or the Other. That is she wou’d either leave them & Join or else she wou’d loose religion. Or GOD wou’d send some Judgment upon them for the abominable crime. O ungrateful parents. Lord pity the Baptists Indeed. At night a precious meeting again.

Source

John Early, Diary, 1807, John Early Papers, 1800–1856, Flavia Reed Owen Special Collections and Archives, McGraw-Page Library, Randolph-Macon College, Ashland, Va.