Published Letter from James Robinson to Ashbel Green (November 10–December 10, 1804)

I SET out the 10th of November, and was from home four weeks, in which time I rode four hundred miles, and preached six and twenty times through the counties of Augusta, Rockingham, Hardy, Pendleton, and Bath. In Augusta and Rockingham there are some vacancies, and a number of destitute places where there appears some hopes of usefulness. But my labours were chiefly in the three latter counties, where this is not a Presbyterian minister settled. I struck the waters of the Potowmac at Moorfield, (Hardy County) a little town surrounded by a very opulent settlement, with but little appearance of practical religion. The people however give a serious attention to preaching; are generally attached to the Presbyterian cause, and could they have the gospel faithfully preached, I should hope a church might be formed. The Rev. Moses Hoge once had a small congregation here, but by removals and deaths there are but very few members of the church remaining. From this place I preached every eight or ten miles to the head of Potowmac (through Hardy and Pendleton) the distance of sixty miles, with very hopeful appearances. The people were attentive and solemn, and in a number of instances deeply impressed. Silent tears were frequently flowing among a people who have heretofore been wholly inattentive, & indeed almost wholly uninstructed in the truths of religion. I regretted very much that I could not spend more time with them: but my appointments being made I was forced to leave them, and crossed the Alleghany mountain to the head of Greenbriar river, where a revival of religion, (of which you have, no doubt heard) took place last winter and has been progressing ever since. Here among a people who, twelve months past were, in civilization and religious information, but one remove from savage life, I was happy to discover the most genuine marks of the power of true godliness. This work has extended about sixty miles. It is a thin settled country. However they have in the last summer organized two churches, and admitted upwards of one hundred members. A great number have also joined other societies, owing I believe chiefly to the want of a Presbyterian ministry among them. This work commenced without the preaching of the gospel, and has progressed with a very scanty supply. I spent here eight days, preaching every day, and conversing freely with the people when I was not preaching, as well to inform myself to the nature and circumstances of the work, as to benefit the people. I found them much better instructed in doctrinal truth than I could have expected. They appeared to me to have just conceptions of all the leading doctrines of the gospel, and to be farther removed, than I believe young converts frequently are from those sentiments which tend to foster the pride of self-sufficiency. This is the more to be admired, as they were previously uninstructed, had not, in our opinion, much preaching of that kind which brings these gospel truths clearly to view, and were very much mixed with a society, whose sentiments, in our opinion, have a tendency, at least to darken some of the most essential and delightful truths of the gospel. And, together with this knowledge, they manifest a zeal to which in the same degree I had been a stranger. I have said nothing of the strange phenomena which are connected in many cases with their religious exercises. I have not mentioned them with the evidences of religion, because I do not consider them as evidence, neither do the subjects of them as far as I could discover. Bodily exercises in a great variety of forms are common among them. But I shall not attempt a description, because I am persuaded it would baffle the most descriptive pen to give any thing like a true idea of them. I could give you the names, by which the different bodily exercises are designated; but, for the most part, these names convey wrong ideas to those who have never seen them. I will just observe, that in most cases they are obviously involuntary and, to me, clearly supernatural. They sometimes appear to be brought on by strong exercises of mind, whether they be of a happy or distressing nature: but not unfrequently the subjects of them are unconscious of any extraordinary mental exercise. In Greenbriar, the first subjects of these strange exercises were two firm and steady professors of religion, men of firm nervous systems, and one of them at least of a very strong mind. These strange appearances have crossed the Allegany and seem to be progressing pretty fast eastward. Religious characters appear most subject to them; however, they are no respecters of persons. Those who are affected in this way, if they are not humbled are deeply mortified. On the head of Potowmac, a few days before I was there, at a projected ball, the fiddler had his fiddle jerked out of his hands, he himself, and four of the dancers on the floor, became unwilling subjects of these strange bodily exercises. It was at the moment of commencing their sportive exercise, which was immediately exchanged for one of a very different nature. There are many bold conjectures by those who have never seen these things, respecting the cause, but those who have observed them, choose to be pretty cautious. For my own part, I believe the light of eternity will alone shew why it is, the Sovereign of the universe causes or permits these things.