THE PASTOR'S JOURNAL, OR, SKETCHES OF REAL CHARACTERS, CONVERSATIONS, AND STRIKING FACTS, FURNISHED CHIEFLY BY CLERGYMEN. A missionary record of trials the Sabbath, within six rods of where and deliverances. WHEN Contrasted with the state of things five years since, when I commenced my labors here, the state of things is indeed delightful to my own feelings, and I trust to the feelings of many others. When I first entered the field, it was forbidding, seven only could I find of our order, even pretenders to religion. My first sermon was the second or third preached by our denomination here. Almost the only place of concourse was the public house; no church had been erected. The Sabbath was the day of resort to the village centre, where, commencing with drinking, and closing with wrangling and tumultuous fighting, games of almost every description were the order of the day, for the Sabbath. I have often been assailed by the foulest language, my life threatened if I did not cease from exposing the wickedness of the place, and at the midnight hour, the lives of my little family have been periled by a shower of stones from more than thirty desperadoes, surrounding my dwelling alter a temperance meeting, and because of it. On another occasion, I had to flee from the village with my family, on a Saturday night, before an infuriated rabble of more than two hundred, convened to cheer on and sustain a town board in licensing rum-selling establishments. Magistrates have been known to spend the Sabbath at the gambling board, and nameless and numberless other immoralities have been committed both at midnight and at noon day. To crown the whole, a master builder with his assembled multitude, convened on the morning of I was at the time engaged in public worship with my church, to raise a church edifice for all denominations who wished to participate; but were dispersed by the entreaties of some of my afflicted weeping people. And you will not wonder that God should interpose to vindicate his injured honor, in repeated signal instances. Once in a still and solemn revival, when arrangements were making to trample us down on the fourth of July, just at hand, one of the chief opposers was smitten lifeless to the earth by a shaft of lightning, and a fellow railer by his side, was blistered, and scorched to his fingers' end, in the act of profane and vulgar scoffs at religion. Again on the 3d of July, at evening, a ring-leader with his inebriate crew, bearing their jug along, erecting a liberty pole on either side of the river, ascended the last to show his dexterity. It gave way and crushed him in its fall; he lingered a day or two, and expired upbraiding every Christian that approached him. On the afternoon of the same day, an adopted daughter of the selected marshal, a niece, 9 years old, was laid in the grave. No Sabbath evening, that has ever rolled over us, was more solemn than the ensuing 4th. In the year following, during a season of uncommon interest, when opposition was rife, a hail-storm so dreadful fell upon our village, that desperate ones were heard in their terror to cry for mercy. And on the occasion of licensing dram shops, referred to above, a leader of the mob closed a harangue to the giddy rabble with the shocking imprecation, that in one week from that hour he would tar and feather old (mean ing myself,) or he would be in hell. It was from that very hour a week, when in convulsive agonies he was drowned in the presence of a number who seemed spell-bound, and unable to relieve him. With many of the wicked themselves, it was at the time a proverb, that to oppose religion was to peril life. I think, dear brother, I am not superstitious, but I have stood, and I have at times deeply felt it, in the presence of an awful God, who seemed wonderfully revealed. amount required. One alternative only remained, and that appeared hopeless. In the centre of the town was a man of wealth, and influence, by whose assistance, the object might be accomplished and not without it. But he was a man of the world. They again went to God in prayer, and arose from their knees to appoint a committee to call on the gentleman, and request his assistance, while the remainder still continued to beseech God to aid them with his presence and blessing. The committee immediately attended to the duties of their appointment. The gentleman received them courteously, and inquired their business. They answered, “We want to build a But the contrast, to witness now the solemn stillness of the Sabbath, the general peace and good order that to a great extent prevails; to be received with respect as a minister of the Gospel in every circle, and to reflect, that dur-place of public worship." "Then why ing the five years of my residence in do you not build one?" "We are not this place, the Spirit has been poured able." "Have you made any efforts?" upon us in repeated refreshing show- "Yes, we have opened a subscription, ers, and that many, very many, we trust and find we cannot raise one fourth as have been converted to God (though much as the expense." "Let me see many have passed away with the float- your subscription." He took it, and ing population of this region,) these running his eyes over it, inquired, things are gladdening to my feelings, and "Will you give all you have submakes the reinembrance even of trials scribed?" They answered they would. delightful. "Then give me your subscription list, and I will build you a church." The Corner Stone. He forthwith selected a suitable spot on his own land, collected the stone and the timber, and the boards, and the shingles, and deposited them near the building spot. All things being now ready, the time drew near for laying the foundation; and all eyes were turned to the benevolent donor, to lay the corner stone. The day arrived-the whole neighborhood were assembled to witness the ceremony, and in solemn prayerful silence, encircled the spot. The gentleman descended to the stone, but, as he lifted the hammer to perform the office, a thought, sharper than a barbed dart, pierced his bosom !-"What am I doing! laying the corner stone of a church for the worship of that God whom I never worshipped! Here will the Gospel of Jesus Christ be preached; In one of those new settlements on our frontier, so often destitute, not only of the stated means of grace, but of a place for public worship, a few pious individuals, with their families, were accustomed to assemble on the Sabbath, in the most commodious room that could be obtained in a private house, and there read the word of God, and unite in singing his praises, and in prayer. As these meetings continued, their numbers so increased that they had no room which could contain them. They now felt their need of a place for public worship; but, like most new settlers, they were too poor to do much to accomplish the object. In their extremi-here the voice of prayer, and of praise, ty, they went to God for direction and and thanksgiving, will ascend to God; assistance; and, as a certain result of and here will souls be borne to immorhumble and importunate prayer, they tal life and glory; while I-have neither resolved to make a strong effort them-lot nor portion in this matter!" Having selves. A subscription was opened, with great agitation performed the ceand although each subscribed to the full remony he withdrew from the crowd, a extent of his ability, alas! the whole" stricken deer," and enjoyed not a modid not equal the one fourth of the ment's peace, nor rest, till the Great I can almost fancy I see, as in those days I saw, the play ground attached to the village school, and the pond in the meadow, on whose glassy surface, our wintry sports were held. But where are the ruddy and buoyant youth who made the landscape ring with their shouts of mirth? Alas! there were but few of them whose parents did not keep in their houses, and freely dispense to their inmates the deadly poison; and this fact is a key to the subsequent history of the children. Some have passed beyond my knowledge; but of others the following are some brief notices. One grew up a tipler; at eighteen he was a bully, and was held in bonds to a large amount for a violent personal attack on a worthy citizen. Soon after in a western state, after a short career of proffigacy, he ended his days by cutting his own throat. A brother of colder blood, indulged in no scenes of open profligacy, but drank in secret, and in secret wasted away, till he dropped neglected into an unhonored grave. A third, died of a brain-fever, brought on by "a spree," on the 4th of July. A fifth, the son of wealthy parents, his mother a professor of religion, learned by sipping toddy mingled by that mother's hand, to drink full bowls ere the blush of childhood had faded from his cheek. When last I heard of him, he drove a lumber wagon for his daily bread, on the same road where his father's neat two-horse carriage used to roll to the neighboring village. My most intimate associate, ran away from his parents, and after various" fortunes by land and sea, became a confirmed inebriate, and is supposed to have perished in some of the civil broils at that time frequent in Bolivia. Another still, of noble frame and a daring soul, headed a mutiny on board a ship, was shot through the body, and thrown into the sea. All these, except the last, were the children of the church; and I know of no reason why I am made to differ from them, except that my parents never allowed the deadly poison a place in their dwelling; while the parents of my unhappy associates gave it a cordial welcome and a conspicious place; and by their example taught their children to regard it as an undispensable good. Pleasure in doing good. It is very natural to suppose that a Being who has uniformly connected pleasure with the exercise of our physical powers, in their appropriate functions, would annex a degree of gratification to the discharge of those moral duties which he has made binding on us. This is found to be the fact by all who set themselves zealously to fulfil those duties. When the Lord Jesus commanded his followers to "go and teach all nations," he did not impose upon them a galling yoke and an oppressive burden. Whoever in sincerity attempts to obey this command, by endeavoring to do good to souls, finds that he has not to wait for his reward till "the end," but often enjoys, in the progress of his work, a luxury which far outweighs all the self-denial he endures. It was a fine star-light evening in August, when my friend and I left the conveyance, in which we were travelling, to enjoy a walk in advance, and to distribute tracts to the footmen whom we occasionally met, or to the inmates of the few houses which stood at intervals on our way. It was a somewhat broken and hilly country. This circumstance gave us leisure to call at the huts, and leave a few tracts, and spend a few minutes in religious conversation with the occupants, and still to keep in advance of our fellow travellers. 66 As we were pursuing our way, and counsel and sympathy which we offered, had just entered on a region which thanked us for our visit, and begged us seemed peculiarly lonely and unculti-to speak to her husband, who was busy vated, we perceived a light glimmering at the door, if peradventure he might be through the leaves a little before us, on induced to think of his soul. We did the left. Here, we observed to each so, and were listened to with respect, other, probably resided some candidates and apparent interest. A few brief mofor eternity, ignorant of the way of sal-ments ended our interview, and we devation. As we were turning our steps parted. towards the house whence the light proIn this manner did we endeavor to ceeded, a man met us, to whom my leave some small testimony for the Lord companion tendered a tract and addres- behind us, as we pursued our journey. sed some solemn counsels, while I pro- And although the little we did was perceeded to the door, and after knocking, formed with such imperfect motives, was admitted with an air of reluctance and with so little holy zeal, yet we then and surprise on the part of the inmates. felt, and the writer still feels, that there I immediately perceived that it was the was a luxury in the employment which abode of poverty, and probably of ig- has been seldom equalled by any enjoynorance. Madam," said I, in a tonement of his whole life. of kindness, designed to conciliate her feelings, which I saw were those of distrust, "I am passing through this region, and I thought probably you would be glad to have some good books which I have with me, and have no money to buy them with," said she, interrupting me; "the times are hard for poor folks, and we live so out of the way here." "I do not wish you to pay for them, but freely give them to you, if you will read them and lay to heart their contents." I then laid on the table the "Dairyman's Daughter," and one or two other narrative tracts, and also that entitled, "To Mothers." My friend coming in at this moment, we joined in urging upon her the importance of attending to her soul's concerns. Soon, the downcast look and attentive air, showed that she was not destitute of sensibility, and needed only faithful instruction to be deeply interested on the subject. ""We Ministerial Zeal. The minister of God must DIE. Does he know it? True. Why then is he not always "zealously affected?" The honest hour that overtakes the man of humble occupation, arrests the official dignitary; the iron-nerved hand has hold upon his heart-strings, and while he bows to the "common leveller," what shall sustain his departing spirit? Will the retrospect of his domestic enjoyments, his literary progress, his hardearned honors, his influence on the passing morality of the world, the applause of his congregation, the esteem of the learned and the great, or the incense of flattery, that has burned on a thousand altars, console him then? O! that death-bed scene! On earth there is nothing like it. Whether the monarch or the philosopher die, there is no thrill of agony or delight felt in other worlds like that created by the departure of the minister of God from the scene of his mighty responsibilities. Almost can the eye of sense discern the scroll in the hand of the recording angel, bearing on its flaming We journeyed on, repeating our calls, and made our brief appeals till late in the evening, with various success, but with a deep impression of the value of truth and thankfulness to God, that we had been brought up in a land of light. In one small house, stuck under a cliff that towered to a great height above it, we found a pious woman, surround-page the deeds of the summoned spirit ed by her little flock. Shut out from the privileges of religious worship and intercourse, and even from an opportunity of sending her children to school, her soul mourned over the prospects of her family. She drank in the words of and the forth coming seutence, "Well done, good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord!"-or, "Bind him hand and foot, and cast him into outer darkness, where is weeping and gnashing of teeth!"-Dr. Storrs. Grand Scheme for planting Irish Catholic Colonies in the Western States. As the organs of a large portion of the American churches, in the work of spreading the Gospel throughout our land, the conductors of the American Home Missionary Society feel bound to observe, and to make known, those signs of the times which portend any important results to the moral interests of our beloved country. Accordingly, they have, from time to time, held up to public view those great considerations, which are adapted to move the philanthropic heart; such as the extent of our territory, the magnitude and rapid increase of our population, the comparative supply of the means of religious instruction, and the bearing which political changes are likely to have on the progress of evangelical principles. Among other important causes of good or of evil, the immigration of Romanists, and their growing institutions and influence, especially in the West, have been repeatedly adverted to. While these exhibitions of facts and arguments have not been without effect, we regret to say that the great mass of American Christians are in a most profound slumber as to the importance of the heritage which God has given them, and to the danger of its being wrested from their hands. We have repeatedly said, that we have no fear of Romanism in our country, provided Protestant Christians are true to their trust. But we are firmly persuaded, that the only condition on which we can hold our institutions free from the control of the Papacy, is unceasing vigilance, and the most strenuous efforts to make the Gospel light so intense in our land, that error shall find no corner so dark that it may securely abide there. That there is a formal conspiracy of the crowned heads of Europe, to bring our republic under Papal control, as has sometimes been asserted, may be, or may not be true. But there can be no doubt that many of the potentates and grandees of Catholic Europe greatly desire such a result. In this desire, of course, the whole Romish Church sympathizes. The nobility, and political economists, who regard with amazement and terror the accumulation of masses of population, in the overcrowded states of the old world, without instruction, without em13 VOL. XV. |