THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY 
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I have discovered lately that I am a great sinner.” — Page 78. 
 
THE 
 
 AFRICAN TREACHER. 
 
 AN AUTHENTIC NARRATIVE. 
 
 BY THE 
 
 REV. WILLIAM S. WHITE, 
 
 Pastor of the Presbyterian Church, Lexington, Virginia. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA: 
 
 PRESBYTERIAN BOARD OF PUBLICATION, 
 NO. 265 CHESTNUT STREET. 
 
 / 
 
Entered according to the Act of Congress in the year 1849, by 
 A. W. Mitchell, M. D., 
 
 In the Office of the Clerk of the District Court for the Eastern District 
 of Pennsylvania- 
 
 Stereotyped by Wm. S. Slote, No. 19 St. James Street, 
 Philadelphia. 
 
 ( 2 ) 
 
To the Rev. Benjamin H. Rice, D. D., 
 
 Pastor of Hampden Sidney Church, Va. : 
 
 Rev. and Dear Brother — By your counsel, my 
 humble labours as a Domestic Missionary were com- 
 menced in the county of Nottoway ; and to your 
 sympathy and co-operation is to be ascribed a large 
 portion of the little good which may have resulted 
 from those labours. It is, therefore, most reason- 
 able that a narrative resulting, as this does, from 
 that mission, should be inscribed to you. 
 
 Accept it, then, as an humble expression of the 
 respect, the gratitude, and the love of 
 
 Your Friend and Brother, 
 
 William S. White. 
 
 The Manse, Lexington , Va. t March 10, 1849. 
 
 ( 3 ) 
 
 7 
 

 
 t 
 
THE AFRICAN PREACHER 
 
 The prominence given in the Scrip- 
 tures to the characters and lives of 
 such persons as Ruth, Esther, and 
 Nehemiah, proves, that “ God hath 
 chosen the poor of this world, rich in 
 faith, and heirs of the kingdom which 
 he hath promised to them that love 
 hi m ” — that he hath moreover “chosen 
 the foolish things of the world, to con- 
 found the wise, and the weak things of 
 the world, to confound the things that 
 are mighty.” Since the days of inspi- 
 ration ended, the dealings of God’s 
 providence and the dispensations of his 
 grace, have beautifully harmonized with 
 the revelations of his word. Hence, 
 in all ages of the world, down to 
 the present hour, many of the loveliest 
 
 1 * ( 5 ) 
 
6 
 
 THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 specimens of true piety, have been found 
 in the humblest walks of life. Here, 
 God’s wisdom, love, and mercy shine 
 with a lustre all their own; and here re- 
 ligion displays its richest fruits. 
 
 The narrative now to be given is 
 designed to illustrate these remarks. 
 The subject of it was a native of Africa. 
 When about seven years of age, he was 
 kidnapped, brought to this country, and 
 enslaved. He was supposed to belong 
 to one of the last cargoes of this sort, 
 ever landed on the shores of Virginia. 
 He was purchased at Osborne’s, on 
 James’ river, by a Mr. Stewart, and 
 was subsequently taken to the county 
 of Nottoway, Virginia, where the whole 
 of his long and interesting life was 
 spent. 
 
 He grew to manhood, ignorant of 
 letters, and a stranger to God; engaged 
 in the occupations common to those in 
 a state of bondage. The region of coun- 
 
THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 7 
 
 try in which he lived, was, at this 
 period, deplorably destitute of the means 
 of grace. The gospel was seldom preach- 
 ed, the Sabbath scarcely known as a 
 “ day of sacred rest,” and few were found 
 willing to incur the odium of a public pro- 
 fession of religion. 
 
 Before w T e proceed further with our 
 narrative it is important to state, that 
 “ Uncle Jack,” for so he was univer- 
 sally called, possessed great acuteness 
 of mind, and understood and spoke the 
 English language far better than any 
 native of Africa we have ever known. 
 His pronunciation was not only distinct 
 and accurate, but his style was chaste 
 and forcible. His great superiority in 
 this respect must be ascribed to the 
 following causes : — First, to his having 
 left his native land at so early an age. 
 Next, to the freedom with which he 
 was permitted and encouraged to mingle 
 in the best society the country afforded ; 
 
8 
 
 THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 and above all, to the familiar acquaint- 
 ance he soon formed with the language 
 of the Bible. The reader must not be 
 surprised, therefore, that nothing occurs, 
 in what we quote from his own lips, of 
 the jargon peculiar to the African 
 race. Nobody ever heard the good old 
 preacher say massa for master , or me 
 for I 
 
 It was during the period of intel- 
 lectual and moral darkness already re- 
 ferred to, and when he had probably 
 reached the fortieth year of his age, 
 that he became anxious on the subject 
 of religion. The account he gave of 
 his early religious impressions was 
 very simple. He said nothing of dreams 
 and visions, as is so common with 
 persons of his colour. Ilis attention 
 was first arrested, and his fears excited, 
 by hearing from a white man that the 
 world would probably be destroyed 
 in a few days. On hearing this, he 
 
THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 9 
 
 asked his informant what he must do 
 to prepare for an event so awful. He 
 was told to pray. “ This,” he said, “ I 
 knew nothing about. I could not pray.” 
 At length he was enabled to recall some 
 portions of the Lord’s prayer, which 
 he continued to repeat for a considerable 
 time. But these efforts brought him no 
 relief. 
 
 That which thus commenced in 
 mere alarm, soon led to a deep and 
 thorough conviction of his guilt, help- 
 lessness, and misery, in the sight of 
 God. He now exerted himself in vari- 
 ous ways, and with untiring zeal, to 
 obtain a knowledge of the truth as it 
 is in Jesus. There were literally none 
 in his vicinity, either in the ministry, 
 or among the private members of the 
 church, qualified to teach and to guide 
 an inquiring mind like his. The Pres- 
 byterian church, then recently estab- 
 lished in Prince Edward, was within 
 
10 
 
 THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 thirty miles of his residence. The 
 ministers of the gospel from that coun- 
 ty, made occasional excursions into 
 Nottoway. From these he soon obtain- 
 ed the help he needed. His own state- 
 ment on this subject is as follows: “I 
 had a very wicked heart, and every 
 thing I did to make it better, seemed 
 to make it worse. At length a preacher 
 passed along ; they called him Mr. Presi- 
 dent Smith.* He turned my heart 
 inside out. The preacher talked so 
 directly to me, and about me, that I 
 thought the whole sermon was meant 
 for me. I wondered much, who could 
 have told him what a sinner I was. 
 But after a while there came along 
 a young man they called Mr. Hill ;f and 
 about the same time another, with a 
 sweet voice, they called Mr. Alexan- 
 
 * The Rev. John Blair Smith, D. D., then Presi- 
 dent of Hampden Sidney College. 
 
 f The Rev. Wm. Hill, D. D., of Winchester, Va. 
 
THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 11 
 
 der.* These were powerful preachers 
 too, and told me all about my troubles; 
 and brought me to see that there was 
 nothing for a poor, helpless sinner to do, 
 but to go to the Lord Jesus Christ, 
 and trust in him alone for salvation. 
 Since that time, I have had many ups 
 and downs; but hitherto the Lord has 
 helped me, and I hope he will help me 
 to the end.” 
 
 He now became deeply interested in 
 hearing the Scriptures read. As his 
 knowledge of the Bible increased, he 
 found, to use his own language, “ that it 
 knew all that was in his heart.” He 
 wondered how “ a book should know so 
 much.” 
 
 He was still unable to read, but now 
 determined to learn. To this end he 
 applied to his master’s children for as- 
 sistance ; promising to reward them for 
 
 *The Rev. Archibald Alexander, D. D., afterwards 
 Professor of Theology, Princeton, New Jersey. 
 
12 
 
 TIIE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 their pains with nuts and other fruits, 
 as tuition fees. By the aid of his youth- 
 ful instructors, his object was soon at- 
 tained/and .he read the word of God 
 with ease. The sacred volume now be- 
 came the constant companion of his lei- 
 sure hours. So rapid Avas his progress 
 in di\dne knowledge, and such his pru- 
 dence, good sense, and zeal, that many 
 of the most intelligent and pious people 
 of his neighbourhood expressed the de- 
 sire to have him duly authorized to 
 preach the gospel. The Baptist church, 
 of Avhich he had become a member, took 
 this matter into serious consideration; 
 and after subjecting him to the trials 
 . usually imposed by that denomination, 
 licensed him to labour as a herald of the 
 cross. 
 
 Upon the duties of his new and re- 
 sponsible office, he entered with a truly 
 apostolic spirit. He commenced his 
 ministry in a neighbourhood where there 
 
THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 13 
 
 were literally none to break statedly to 
 the people the bread of life. His labours 
 were abundant and faithful. He was 
 often called to preach at a distance of 
 more than thirty miles from his home. 
 He was still a slave, and never seemed 
 to think of any better state, until his 
 attention was called to it by others. He 
 belonged to the undivided estate of his 
 original purchaser, who was now dead. 
 Some of the legatees of this estate were 
 willing to emancipate him, but others 
 were not. This, however, constituted 
 no serious obstacle. He had rendered 
 himself so useful, and had gained the 
 confidence and good will of the com- 
 munity to so great an extent, that a 
 sum of money was soon raised by sub- 
 scription, quite sufficient to satisfy the 
 demands of those who were unwilling 
 to liberate him. Some idea may be 
 formed of the estimation in which he 
 was held, when it is known that many 
 2 
 
14 
 
 THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 contributed liberally to the fund thus 
 created, who were not professors of reli- 
 gion. Having thus secured his free- 
 dom, he settled on a small tract of land, 
 of which he became the proprietor, chiefly 
 through the munificence of others, and 
 lived in a way which satisfied his hum- 
 ble wishes. Here he literally earned 
 his bread with the sweat of his brow, 
 while he faithfully dispensed to others 
 the bread of life, with scarcely any com- 
 pensation, except the consciousness of 
 doing good. 
 
 The late Rev. John H. Rice, D. D., 
 had a brief interview with our preacher, 
 in which he was deeply interested. This 
 occurred during the summer of 1826 , 
 when the old man had nearly reached 
 the 80 th year of his age, and one year 
 before our acquaintance with him com- 
 menced. 
 
 Referring to this interview after- 
 wards, Dr. Rice said, “ The acquaint- 
 
THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 15 
 
 anee of this African preacher with the 
 Scriptures is wonderful. Many of his 
 interpretations of obscure passages are 
 singularly just and striking. In many 
 respects, indeed, he is one of the most 
 remarkable men I have ever known.” 
 
 At this period, Dr. Dice was editor 
 of the Virginia Literary and Evangeli- 
 cal Magazine ; and entertaining the views 
 expressed above, it is not surprising 
 that the pages of this valuable periodical 
 should contain a brief but interesting 
 memoir of “ Uncle Jack.” It may be 
 found in the first number of Vol. 10. 
 In this memoir, Dr. Dice expresses 
 himself thus : “ There lives in a neigh- 
 bouring county, an old African, named 
 Jack, whose history is more worthy of 
 record than that of many a man whose 
 name has held a conspicuous place in 
 the annals of the world. There is a 
 book which, I have no doubt, contains 
 the name of Old Jack, but not those, 
 
16 
 
 THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 I fear, of many great men and nobles 
 of this world. It is ‘ the Lamb’s book 
 of life.’ 
 
 “ Jack possesses the entire confidence 
 of the whole neighbourhood in which he 
 lives. No man doubts his integrity or 
 the sincerity of his piety. All classes 
 treat him with marked respect. Every- 
 body gives unequivocal testimony to the 
 excellence of his character. 
 
 “ He possesses a strong mind, and, for 
 a man in his situation, has acquired con- 
 siderable religious knowledge. His in- 
 fluence among people of his own colour 
 is very extensive and beneficial. 
 
 “ Old Jack is as entirely free from all 
 bigotry and party spirit, as any Chris- 
 tian I have ever seen. He acknowledges 
 every man to be a brother, Avhoni he 
 believes to be a Christian. A very 
 striking proof of his humble, teachable, 
 catholic spirit, is given in his conduct 
 towards two Presbyterian missionaries, 
 
THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 17 
 
 ■who were successively sent to the part 
 of the country where he resides. On 
 their arrival, he seemed very cautiously 
 to investigate their character. The re- 
 sult was a conviction that they were 
 pious and devoted men; and a hearty 
 recognition of them as ambassadors of 
 Christ. He found, too, that they knew 
 a great deal more than he did, and re- 
 solved to employ his influence in bring- 
 ing the black people in his neighbour- 
 hood under their instruction, lie also 
 frequently consulted them in regard to 
 matters of difficulty with himself, and 
 used their attainments for the increase 
 of his own knowledge, and for enabling 
 him the better to instruct the numerous 
 blacks who looked up to him as their' 
 only teacher. 
 
 “ It has before been said, that the 
 conduct of this old Christian had se- 
 cured the respect and confidence of the 
 white people. As evidence of this, some 
 2 * 
 
18 
 
 THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 time ago a lawless white man attempted 
 to deprive him of his land, under a plea 
 that his title was not good. As soon as 
 the design was known, a number of the 
 first men in the neighbourhood volun- 
 teered to assist him in maintaining his 
 right, and a lawyer of some distinction, 
 not then a believer, rendered gratuitous 
 service on the occasion, because every- 
 body said, Uncle Jack was a good 
 man. 
 
 “ But while the white people respect, 
 the blacks love, fear, and obey him. 
 His influence among them is unbounded. 
 His authority over the members of his 
 own church is greater than that of the 
 master, or the overseer. And if one of 
 them commits an offence of any magni- 
 tude, he never ceases dealing with him, 
 until the offender is brought to repen- 
 tance, or excluded from the society. 
 The gentlemen of the vicinity freely 
 acknowledge, that this influence is highly 
 
THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 19 
 
 beneficial. Accordingly, he has permis- 
 sion to hold meetings on the neighbour- 
 ing plantations whenever he thinks pro- 
 per. He often visits the sick of his 
 own colour, and preaches at all the fune- 
 rals of the blacks w r ho die any w r here 
 within his reach.” 
 
 The high source from whence this 
 extract is taken, and the extent to 
 which it must sustain and enforce the 
 subsequent portion of our narrative, is 
 a sufficient excuse for its introduction. 
 
 One of the most gifted and honoured 
 sons of old Virginia,* who resided for 
 more than forty years within one mile 
 of the subject of this narrative, and 
 was thoroughly acquainted with his 
 public and private life, and even ac- 
 knowledged himself under obligations 
 to this humble preacher of righteous- 
 ness as a spiritual instructor, furnished 
 
 * Dr. James Jones, of Mountain Hall. — See Ap- 
 pendix. 
 
20 THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 the folloAving just and beautiful delinea- 
 tion of his character. 
 
 “ I regard this old African as a burn- 
 ing and shining light, raised up by 
 Christian principles alone to a degree 
 of moral .purity seldom equalled, and 
 never exceeded in any country. Think 
 of him as an African boy, kidnapped at 
 seven years of age, torn away from his 
 heathen parents, thrust into a slave- 
 ship among hundreds of the most de- 
 graded beings, transported across the 
 Atlantic, landed on our coast, brought 
 by a very obscure planter in what was 
 then the back-woods of Virginia, here 
 kept in bondage at the usual occu- 
 pation of slaves, under circumstances 
 but little calculated to improve the 
 mind, or mend the heart; without 
 letters, without instruction, until a 
 glimpse of divine truth, caught by hear- 
 ing the Bible read, arrested his atten- 
 tion. Seizing on the truth thus obtain- 
 
THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 21 
 
 ed, and appreciating its excellence, 
 almost without assistance, lie soon learns 
 to read the sacred volume. His re- 
 searches are now pursued with growing 
 zeal, and signal success, until he is en- 
 abled to penetrate into some of its 
 most sublime mysteries, to feel the 
 force of its obligations, to enjoy its con- 
 solations, and to become an able and 
 successful expounder of its doctrines to 
 others. 
 
 “As a preacher of the gospel, he 
 gained the good will and secured the 
 confidence of all who were capable of 
 appreciating true excellence of charac- 
 ter, gained admittance into the best 
 families, and was there permitted to 
 enjoy a freedom of intercourse that I 
 never witnessed in any other similar 
 case. 
 
 “x\ll these views of this old man’s 
 character, have excited in my mind 
 somewhat of an enthusiastic admiration 
 
22 THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 seldom felt by me for any member of 
 the human family, of any rank or sta- 
 tion. Such effects under all the circum- 
 stances of the case, must be traced up 
 to a cause altogether superhuman, and 
 set the seal to the superlative excellence, 
 the divine authenticity of the Christian 
 system.” 
 
 A lady, whose rank, intelligence and 
 piety, place her among the first of her 
 sex, and who still lives to bear testi- 
 mony to the literal truth of this narra- 
 tive, has kindly furnished the following 
 statement written more than ten years 
 ago. 
 
 “ My acquaintance with the old man 
 commenced about thirty years since, 
 when there was scarcely a vestige of 
 piety, especially among the higher classes 
 in this community. The Baptist church 
 to which he belonged was in this region 
 nearly extinct. The few members who 
 remained, he regularly visited and in- 
 
THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 23 
 
 structed. His first visit at our house 
 was intended for a Baptist lady who 
 was spending some time with us. In 
 his conversation with this lady, I was 
 surprised at the readiness and propriety 
 with which he quoted the Scriptures; 
 and especially at the sound sense which 
 characterized his practical reflections on 
 the passages quoted. This induced me 
 to seek a more intimate acquaintance 
 with him; and as he found I was inter- 
 ested in his conversation, he often called 
 on me. 
 
 “He has been eminently useful to 
 many persons of my acquaintance. 
 When under spiritual concern, they 
 would apply to no other teacher. During 
 the period of dreadful darkness, to which 
 I have already alluded, he went from 
 house to house, doing good. About 
 this time, he became signally instru- 
 mental in the conversion of his former 
 master’s youngest son. This youth gave 
 
24 THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 abundant evidence of vital piety, both in 
 his life and his death. 
 
 “ I think the most prominent traits 
 in his character, are meekness, humility, 
 and rigid integrity. He possesses na- 
 turally a strong mind, a very retentive 
 memory, with the happiest talent for 
 illustrating important truth, by the ob- 
 jects of sense, and the ordinary employ- 
 ments of life. I trust, dear sir, you will 
 be able to furnish the public with an in- 
 structive account of this humble and ob- 
 scure, but interesting and useful old 
 man.” 
 
 This communication was designed to 
 aid in the preparation of a series of 
 biographical sketches of “The African 
 Preacher,” which appeared in the co- 
 lumns of the Watchman of the South 
 in 1839 ; and was so used. The writer 
 still lives, and would doubtless acknow- 
 ledge that in her transition from dark- 
 ness to light, and from the power of 
 
THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 25 
 
 Satan unto God, slie was mainly indebt- 
 ed, through divine grace, to the visits 
 and conversations of the good old African, 
 referred to in her letter. 
 
 Uncle Jack’s views of the funda- 
 mental doctrines of the Bible, were 
 thoroughly evangelical. He was parti- 
 cularly fond, to use his own words, of 
 “ that preaching which makes God every- 
 thing, and man nothing.” The total 
 depravity of man — the absolute sove- 
 reignty of God in electing him to salva- 
 tion through the imputed righteousness 
 of Christ — the necessity of regeneration 
 by the Spirit, through the belief of the 
 truth — the growth in grace and final 
 salvation of all who truly repent and 
 believe the gospel; these were his 
 favourite themes, both in his sermons 
 and conversation. And these, with 
 all then’ kindred topics, he could illus- 
 trate by allusions to nature and art, 
 with a clearness which left no obscu- 
 3 
 
26 
 
 TIIE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 rity about his real sentiments. He 
 was particularly fond of the Epistle 
 to the Homans, and often spoke of it, 
 as containing “ the very marrow of 
 the gospel.” He often bestowed much 
 time on a single passage. On one occa- 
 sion, he called our attention to the third 
 verse of the eighth chapter of Romans, 
 saying, “ Master C. and I have been 
 studying a great deal over that verse 
 for the last three weeks, and we do not 
 fully understand it yet. Do tell me all 
 about it.” 
 
 Anxious to know what his own con- 
 struction was, we insisted that he 
 should give us his opinion, promising 
 to give him ours when he had con- 
 cluded. With this proposition he was 
 very reluctant to comply, but finally 
 consenting, he proceeded as follows. 
 We give the exposition in his own 
 order, and almost verbatim as he gave 
 it to us. “Well,” said he, “I will do 
 
THE AFRICAN PREACHER 
 
 27 
 
 the best I can. The verse begins thus : 
 ‘ For what the law could not do.’ And 
 what is it the law can’t do? Why, it 
 can’t justify us in the sight of God. 
 Why not? Because ‘it was weak 
 through the flesh.’ There is no weak- 
 ness in the law. That is as strong as 
 its Author. But the weakness is in 
 man’s flesh. Observe, this is a weak- 
 ness 1 through the flesh! That is, the 
 weakness is in man’s corrupt nature. 
 Now, what is to be done for man in his 
 helplessness and guilt ? The text tells us 
 plainly, ‘ God sending his own Son’ — 
 for what ? Why, to do for ruined man 
 what the law could not do on account of 
 his sinfully weak nature. And when 
 God sent his Son, how did he come ? 
 1 In the likeness of sinful flesh.’ I sup- 
 pose that means, he came as a man, 
 though not a sinful man; for he knew 
 no sin. And why did he come ? The 
 text answers, ‘and for sin, condemned 
 
28 
 
 THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 sin in the flesh.’ That is, on account of 
 sin in man, he suffered the condemna- 
 tion due to that sin in his own person. 
 So,” says the old African — his dark 
 visage brightening with the emotions 
 within — “ what God’s law cannot do, his 
 own Son can do. Thanks be to God for 
 his unspeakable gift !” 
 
 We could only join in his closing ex- 
 clamation, assuring him that, according 
 to our best judgment he had adopted 
 the true interpretation of the passage, 
 and we left him, blessing God, as we 
 shook his hand, for bestowing such grace 
 and knowledge upon one so humble and 
 so unpretending. 
 
 His knowledge of human nature was 
 profound, because it w T as derived wholly 
 from the Bible, confirmed by his own 
 observation. Hence his extensive use- 
 fulness, not only among those of his 
 own colour, but also in a large circle of 
 whites, embracing many of the most 
 
THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 29 
 
 intelligent, wealthy, and refined people 
 of the county. 
 
 In the familiar intercourse to which 
 he was admitted by the latter class, he 
 was never known to offend by any 
 thing like forwardness. Says one who 
 knew him well : “ His humility has 
 always been of the most rational kind — 
 entirely removed from all cant and 
 grimace. Before he became superan- 
 nuated, the great field of his operations 
 as a preacher was the funeral sermons 
 called for by the owners of deceased 
 slaves. He was universally employed 
 in this way, with the hearty consent of 
 persons of all descriptions in this com- 
 munity. I have known him to be sent 
 for to a distance of more than thirty 
 miles to attend to a service of this kind. 
 In every instance he would receive the 
 most polite and friendly attentions of 
 the white portion of the family; and 
 even by the irreligious, was frequently 
 3 * 
 
30 
 
 THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 remunerated in money for his ser- 
 vices.” 
 
 Through life, he manifested a sur- 
 prising thirst for knowledge. He em- 
 braced with avidity every opportunity 
 of getting instruction, both in public 
 and in private. Nothing pleased him 
 more than the opportunity of conversing 
 with ministers of the gospel. Moun- 
 tain Hall, the delightful residence of 
 the late Dr. Jones, was a home for 
 Christ’s ministering servants as they 
 journeyed through that part of the 
 country. The African Preacher lived 
 at the distance of a mile from this place. 
 He seemed to know, almost by intui- 
 tion, when a minister called to spend 
 the night with the good doctor and his 
 lady. And however dark or even 
 stormy the night might be, when the 
 bell rang for evening family worship, 
 the good old African would be seen 
 with tremulous steps slowly entering, 
 
THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 31 
 
 and with deep solemnity, seating him- 
 self in a retired part of the room to at- 
 tend upon the service. A stranger 
 would not be likely to observe him, 
 unless indeed the person conducting 
 the worship should happen to sing 
 Windham, or Mear, or Old Hundred, 
 to some appropriate psalm or hymn. 
 Then his attention would very pro- 
 bably be arrested by a voice, not re- 
 markable for its melody, nor yet remark- 
 able for its strength — but a voice so 
 solemn, so tremulous with the emotions 
 which seemed to accompany it from the 
 depths of a heart all alive to God’s praise, 
 that he could no longer remain unob- 
 served. 
 
 When the service closed, he resumed 
 his seat — so modest as never presuming 
 to seek an introduction to the reverend 
 visitor. The polished, but pious in- 
 mates of that mansion, were his special 
 patrons and friends, and had given him 
 
32 
 
 THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 a prescriptive right to that comer and 
 to that chair. But he was never per- 
 mitted to remain unnoticed. The visi- 
 tor was invariably taken to the place 
 where the old man sat, and told, “ this 
 is our friend and neighbour, Uncle Jack, 
 who has come to-night expressly to 
 join in our worship, and to make your 
 acquaintance, with a view to his im- 
 provement in divine knowledge.’’ Then 
 followed an interview, in which the 
 teacher rarely failed to learn as much as 
 the scholar. 
 
 He greatly delighted in hearing the 
 gospel preached by those who were well 
 educated, as well as pious; and never 
 seemed to enjoy a sermon which con- 
 sisted mainly in empty declamation. We 
 have often heard him say, “ I don’t like 
 to hear more sound than sense in the 
 pulpit.” 
 
 He uniformly opposed, both in public 
 and private, every thing like noise and 
 
THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 33 
 
 disorder in the house of God. His 
 coloured auditors were very prone to err 
 in this way. But whenever they did, 
 he suspended the exercises until they 
 became silent. On one of these occa- 
 sions, he rebuked his hearers substan- 
 tially as follows : “You noisy Christians 
 remind me of the little branches (streams) 
 after a heavy rain. They are soon full, 
 then noisy, and as soon empty. I would 
 much rather see you like the broad, deep 
 river, which is quiet, because it is broad 
 and deep.” 
 
 On another occasion, when a very 
 large assembly had convened, and when 
 he had reason to suppose there might be 
 a good deal of mere animal excitement, 
 before he sung or prayed, address- 
 ing himself to one of his audience by 
 name, he said, “ Suppose your master 
 had directed you to go to Petersburg 
 to-morrow; and suppose, on your tell- 
 ing him you knew nothing of the road, 
 
34 THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 and therefore could not go, he should 
 repeat the command, and say, “You 
 shall go, whether you know the way 
 or not, and shall be severely punish- 
 ed, if you fail to go.” Now you are in 
 great trouble, and going to look for 
 some one who can tell you the way, 
 you happen to find a good many peo- 
 ple together, all of whom say they 
 know the w T ay perfectly. You tell 
 them the trouble you are in, and beg 
 them to tell you the way to Petersburg. 
 Now, there happens to be one in that 
 crowd, older than the rest, and who is 
 thought to know the way rather better 
 than they. So, all wait for him to talk. 
 Now, suppose that, just as this old man 
 begins to tell you about the road — 
 where this fork, and where that is — 
 when you must turn this way, and 
 when that, all his companions com- 
 mence clapping their hands, groaning 
 and shouting so, that you cant hear dis- 
 
THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 35 
 
 tinctly a word the old man says. Could 
 he possibly teach you the road to Peters- 
 burg, unless they would keep still? 
 Now, here are a great many sinners, 
 who must find the road to heaven or 
 perish for ever. I am about to tell 
 them as well as I can, how they may 
 find that road, and escape that destruc- 
 tion, and don’t you Christians bother me, 
 and hinder their learning by your noise. 
 Let every mouth he stopped, and let all 
 keep quiet until I am done.” 
 
 His sentiments and his practice on 
 this subject seem the more remarkable, 
 when it is remembered, that at this 
 time nothing was more common, not 
 only among the blacks, but also among 
 the whites, than noise and confusion 
 during public worship. Indeed, they 
 were thought the best Christians who 
 shouted the oftenest and prayed the 
 loudest. This sentiment he literally 
 abhorred, and did his utmost to exter- 
 
36 
 
 THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 minate. He was particularly fond of a 
 tract published by the American Tract 
 Society, entitled, “ The importance of 
 distinguishing between true and false 
 conversions.” lie often applied for this 
 tract, that he might take it to some 
 white neighbour, who had recently pro- 
 fessed conversion; expressing the fear, 
 that the individual for whose benefit he 
 wanted it, was in danger of resting in a 
 groundless hope. With those of his 
 own colour, he talked thus on this sub- 
 ject : “ You who can read the Bible, 
 should read it much; and you who can- 
 not, should embrace every opportunity 
 of hearing it read. If you do not, how 
 will you ever know that your religion 
 is such as God will approve? God alone 
 knows, and lie alone can tell us, what 
 will satisfy him, and this he lias done 
 in his word. Why, persons fond of 
 smoking, can't tell whether their pipe 
 is lighted, if they smoke in the dark; 
 
THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 37 
 
 much less can you tell whether your 
 heart is right in the sight of God, unless 
 the light of his word is poured upon 
 your experience.” 
 
 The reader will be interested also in 
 knowing something of his sentiments 
 in regard to revivals of religion. More 
 mistaken views on this subject could 
 hardly prevail any where, or at any 
 time, than prevailed in the region of 
 country in which the African Preacher 
 lived, and during the time of his minis- 
 try. His sentiments may be fairly and 
 fully learned from the following inci- 
 dent. 
 
 On a certain occasion, he attended a 
 protracted meeting, conducted by some 
 of the best white preachers in that part 
 of the country; at which “the new 
 measures” were used, and at which 
 there was a great deal of excitement 
 and no little noise. On his return, he 
 
 called to see me, and, during his visit, 
 4 
 
38 THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 gave me the following account of the 
 meeting : “ There were a great many 
 people, and a great deal of talking, and 
 singing, and praying. They call it a 
 revival; and if by a revival, they mean 
 a great increase of confusion and noise, 
 they are right. But so it is, I had no 
 enjoyment at the meeting. I heard 
 very little of what I call real preaching. 
 I Avas constantly thinking, and it may 
 be, this was a temptation of the devil — 
 any how, I was constantly thinking of 
 what I have sometimes noticed in new 
 grounds. If a man clears up a piece of 
 land in the summer, and has not time 
 to cut down and take aw r ay all the trees, 
 but belts a good many, and leaves them 
 standing about in the field, the leaves 
 die, but don’t fall. Now, w T hen winter 
 comes, and the wind blows hard, I 
 always noticed that one of these belted 
 trees made more noise in the wind, 
 than a half dozen green, living trees. 
 
THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 39 
 
 These noisy Christians look to me so 
 much like belted trees with the leaves on, 
 in a windy day, that I could not enjoy 
 the meeting at all. And yet the fault 
 might have been in me.” 
 
 Few things delighted him more than 
 to be made acquainted with the views 
 of standard evangelical authors on doc- 
 trinal subjects. He was at all times 
 particularly interested in clear and sound 
 expositions of such passages of Scripture 
 as are hard to be understood. A friend 
 says, “ After I had read to him, at some 
 length, the opinions of one of our ablest 
 divines on a disputed point in theology, 
 he said, ‘Well, I have long wanted to 
 have that matter explained, but all I 
 could gather about it, was like picking 
 up a few scanty crumbs and dry pieces 
 of crust, which could not satisfy my 
 hunger; but now, you have given me a 
 great loaf, that I may eat and be full at 
 
 > >9 - 
 
 once. 
 
40 
 
 THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 At another time, on having a very 
 difficult text explained to him, he said, 
 “ Whenever I came to that text, I was 
 like a little child two or three years old, 
 trying to go from one room of his 
 father’s house into another. After 
 trying again and again to reach and 
 raise the latch, but all in vain, his 
 father comes along, and does, without 
 the least difficulty, what the child could 
 not possibly do. Just so with me. You 
 have opened the door, and now I can go 
 in.” 
 
 He was a close observer of passing 
 events — an accurate discerner of the 
 signs of the times. He looked at every 
 thing in its bearing on the cause of 
 Christ. He said to us on one occasion, 
 u Real Christians are the salt of the 
 earth; and I do believe that this world 
 would have been destroyed long ago, 
 but for them. Does not the word of 
 
THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 41 
 
 God say, that for the elect’s sake those 
 days shall be shortened?” 
 
 There were two individuals in the 
 circle of his acquaintance, remarkable, 
 not only for their own destitution of 
 religious principle, but also for doing all 
 they could to suppress it in the large 
 families of which they were the heads. 
 During their lives, no member of either 
 household made any advance towards 
 forming a connection with the church. 
 Soon after their deaths, which happened 
 nearly about the same time, the widow 
 and several of the children of each, be- 
 came pious, active members of the 
 church. When his attention was called 
 to this fact, he said, “ I have often seen 
 a large, spreading oak, standing alone in 
 a field, with nothing growing under it — 
 but only cut that tree down and take it 
 away, and a little culture will make the 
 land very productive.” 
 
 We have already learned that he was 
 
 4* 
 
42 
 
 THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 admitted to terms of great familiarity 
 with persons of every grade in society; 
 and yet his deportment never savoured 
 of arrogance or presumption. There 
 was hut one class of persons with whom 
 he ever used a freedom which the most 
 fastidious could censure. These were 
 such as scoffed at sacred and divine sub- 
 jects. Persons of this sort would some- 
 times jeer him about his religion; and 
 endeavour to make Christ and his pre- 
 cious cause subjects of buffoonery and 
 ridicule. The old African was far more 
 jealous of his Master’s glory than of his 
 own ease or reputation. On such occa- 
 sions, his usual diffidence and reserve 
 would give place to a firm but dignified 
 defence of the truth ; and most happily 
 could he “ answer a fool according to his 
 folly.” Nor did one of this fraternity 
 ever encounter him without being seri- 
 ously worsted. 
 
 A man addicted to horse-racing and 
 
THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 43 
 
 card-playing, stopped him in the road 
 one day, and addressed him as follows : 
 “ Old man, you Christians say a great 
 deal about the way to heaven being 
 very narrow. Now, if this be so, a great 
 many who profess to be travelling it, 
 w T ill not find it half wide enough.” 
 “ That’s very true,” said the good 
 African, “ of all who merely have a 
 name to five, and of all like you'' 
 “Why refer to me?" asked the man; 
 “ if the road is wide enough for any, it is 
 for me.” “ By no means,” w T as the per- 
 tinent reply ; “ when you set out, you 
 will wish to take along a race-horse or 
 two, and a card-table. Now there’s no 
 room along this way for such things, and 
 what would you do, even in heaven, 
 without them?” 
 
 Another individual of large fortune, 
 who was accustomed to treat the sub- 
 ject of religion rather sportively, and 
 who at the same time prided himself 
 
44 
 
 THE AFRICAN PREACHER 
 
 on his morality, said to him, “ I think, 
 old man, I am as good as need be. I 
 can’t help thinking so, because God 
 blesses me as much as he does you 
 Christians, and I don’t know what more 
 I want than he gives me; and yet I 
 never disturb myself about preaching or 
 praying.” To this the old preacher re- 
 plied with great seriousness, “Just so 
 with the hogs. I have often seen them 
 rooting among the leaves in the woods, 
 and finding just as many acorns as they 
 needed, and yet I never saw one of them 
 look up to the tree from which the acorns 
 feH.” 
 
 He was fond of considering piety, 
 both internal and external, as progres- 
 sive in its developments. He opposed 
 with the utmost firmness and faithful- 
 ness, the idea of one’s getting religion , 
 as the phrase is, and then folding his 
 hands in utter idleness. He was fully 
 aware that this error prevailed to a 
 
THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 45 
 
 deplorable extent, among those of his 
 own colour, and he spared no pains to 
 resist and eradicate it. He was accus- 
 tomed to say, “ I have no notion of that 
 religion which is better at first than it 
 ever is afterwards. When Christians 
 hear a sermon on the text, 1 Turn ye, 
 turn ye, for why will ye die?’ they are 
 apt to conclude that it don’t suit them, 
 because they have turned long ago. 
 Now, the truth is, to be the real chil- 
 dren of God, we must continue to turn 
 as long we live. For my own part, 
 I often feel as if I had as much turning 
 to do now, as I had when I first set 
 out.” 
 
 His view’s on this subject were un- 
 usually enlarged and scriptural. They 
 reached into eternity. Nothing less 
 than the expectation of an eternal pro- 
 gression in knowledge, holiness, and 
 usefulness satisfied his desires. t)f 
 this, we are furnished with a striking 
 
46 
 
 THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 illustration in the following incident. A 
 pious young man, of considerable intelli- 
 gence, conversing with him on growth 
 in grace, said, “ We should strive to 
 grow until we die.” “ Yes,” replied 
 our preacher, “ and hope to grow after 
 we die. I trust in God I shall grow 
 for ever.” 
 
 Standing one day in sight of a 
 field of tobacco, he said to me, “ Some 
 fifty years ago, I expected the time 
 would come, when I should be of some 
 account in the Lord’s vineyard. But 
 now, I am very old, and have given 
 up this hope.” Then pointing to the 
 tobacco, which grew near us, he said, 
 “ That is very 'promising tobacco, but 
 it must be cut and cured, before it will 
 be of any service to its owner. And so 
 it is with me. All that now comforts 
 me on this subject, is the hope that 
 God will make some good use of me 
 in another and better world. The re- 
 
THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 47 
 
 deemed of the Lord are said to serve him 
 in heaven. What a service that must 
 be ! How unlike any thing seen or 
 known on earth!” 
 
 Here let the reader pause and con- 
 sider, that this old African could barely 
 read, and never learned to write. He 
 was taught in the school of Christ, and 
 only there. We never knew him read, 
 nor do we think he cared to read, any 
 book except the Bible, or something of 
 a kindred character. He was literally 
 taught of God, and thus became wise 
 unto salvation. With the jet black 
 colour, and all the features of the Afri- 
 can race fully developed, such were 
 the beauties of his mind and heart, as 
 to render him an object worthy of the 
 highest respect — the most profound 
 veneration. Often have we rejoiced 
 to sit at liis feet and learn, and with no 
 little delight do we anticipate the day 
 when we shall walk, side by side, 
 
48 
 
 THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 along the banks of the river of life, and 
 partake together of the fruits of that tree, 
 whose leaves are for the healing of the 
 nations. 
 
 Another very striking characteristic 
 of the African Preacher was solicitude 
 for the prevalence of pure and undefiled 
 religion. He sought, in every legitimate 
 way, the advancement of Christ’s cause. 
 Most truly could he say, “ If I forget 
 thee, 0 Jerusalem, let my right hand 
 forget her cunning.” Perhaps few, if 
 any, have ever lived, who entered more 
 fully into the spirit of the 80th Psalm 
 — or who, with reference to the interests 
 of Zion, could with greater sincerity or 
 deeper earnestness, adopt the beautiful 
 language of one of our hymns : 
 
 “ If e’er my heart forget 
 Her welfare or her woe ; 
 
 Let every joy this heart forsake, 
 
 And every grief o’erflow. 
 
THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 49 
 
 “ For her my tears shall fall 
 For her, my prayers ascend; 
 
 To her my toils and cares be given, 
 ’Till toils and cares shall end.” 
 
 All who visited him might expect 
 to he questioned on this subject, as 
 closely as good manners would war- 
 rant. No one, who made the attempt, 
 ever failed to interest him deeply on 
 the subject of missions. We have 
 often seen the tear roll down his dark 
 and furrowed cheek, as he listened to 
 some thrilling statement respecting the 
 spread of the gospel among the hea- 
 then. He fully believed, that “the 
 field is the world” — that the great com- 
 mission of the ascending Saviour hinds 
 the Church to preach the gospel to every 
 creature, and make disciples of all na- 
 tions. Here his faith and zeal were 
 such as to put to shame many who, 
 with advantages far superior to his, are 
 still strangers to the missionary spirit, 
 
50 THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 which is hut another name for the spirit 
 of the Gospel — the spirit of Christ. 
 
 When he prayed, as we know he did 
 with unusual faith and fervour, “ Thy 
 kingdom come, thy will be done on earth, 
 as it is in heaven,” his far-reaching mind 
 and heart extended to every nation and 
 kindred and tribe, upon the whole earth. 
 He had known what it was to live amidst 
 the darkness of heathenism, and what it 
 is to enjoy the genial light of the Sun of 
 righteousness. 
 
 On one occasion, after listening with 
 fixed attention and deep feeling to a 
 statement of a discouraging character 
 respecting the state of religion in a 
 neighbouring county, he said, “ There 
 seems to be a great coldness and dead- 
 ness on the subject of religion every 
 where. The fire has almost gone out, 
 and nothing is left, but a feiv smoking 
 chunks lying about in places" How 
 striking is the thought of one’s having 
 
THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 51 
 
 just religion enough “to smoke,” but not 
 enough to burn. No light, no heat — 
 only a little smoke. Who that has the 
 fire of divine love in his heart, can be 
 content to lead such a fife ? Indeed it 
 is extremely doubtful, whether a prin- 
 ciple of such potency can exist, and yet 
 exert no more influence. Let the inac- 
 tive, useless member of the church, 
 ponder the homely but expressive lan- 
 guage of the good old African, and hang 
 his head for shame, that he should hold 
 no higher place, and act no better part 
 in the vineyard of his Master, than that 
 of a “ smoking chunk ” lying by the way- 
 side. 
 
 Speaking of the causes of a low state 
 of piety, he said, “ Christians don’t love 
 each other enough. They don’t keep 
 close enough together . They are too 
 
 much like fire-coals, scattered over a 
 large hearth. Coals in that condition, 
 you know, soon die out. Only gather 
 
52 THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 them up, and bring them close together, 
 and they soon become bright and warm 
 again. So it is with Christians. They 
 must be often and close together — in 
 the church — at the prayer meeting, and 
 thus help one another along.” 
 
 His attention was frequently called 
 to the purposes and plans of the Ameri- 
 can Colonization Society. He always 
 said it would succeed if the natives 
 were duly restrained. Young as he 
 was when taken from that country, he 
 seems to have formed a just estimate of 
 the African character. Comparing their 
 superstitious practices and degraded 
 condition, with the privileges enjoyed 
 under the Christian system, he was often 
 heard to thank God that he had been 
 brought to America. “For,” he would 
 say, “ coming to the white man’s country 
 as a slave, was the means of making me 
 free in Christ Jesus.” He remembered 
 very distinctly having often been forced 
 
THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 53 
 
 to participate in the idolatrous rites and 
 ceremonies practised by his parents; and 
 he seldom exhibited deeper emotion than 
 when referring to these things. From 
 this subject he seldom passed, without 
 adding, “ If I were only young enough, 
 I should rejoice to go hack and preach 
 the gospel to my poor countrymen. 
 But,” he would say, “it would be a 
 great trial to live where there are no 
 white people.” 
 
 In every situation, whether of freedom 
 or of bondage, he had found in the white 
 man a friend and a brother. And we 
 scruple not to say, that the black man 
 has no better friend on all this earth, 
 than he finds in the educated, pious son 
 of the good old commonwealth, in which 
 the African Preacher lived, preached and 
 died — respected while he lived, and la- 
 mented when he died. 
 
 Perhaps no Christian grace shone 
 more brightly in his character, than hu- 
 5 * 
 
54 
 
 THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 mility. The attentions bestowed upon 
 him by persons of the highest standing, 
 were remarkable. He was invited into 
 their houses — sat w T ith their families — 
 took part in their social worship, some- 
 times leading in prayer at the family 
 altar. Many of the most intelligent 
 people attended upon his ministry, and 
 listened to his sermons with great de- 
 light. Indeed, previous to the year 1825, 
 he was considered by the best judges 
 the best preacher in that county. His 
 opinions were respected, his advice fol- 
 lowed, and yet he never betrayed the 
 least symptom of arrogance or self-con- 
 ceit. When in the presence of white 
 people, he seldom introduced conversa- 
 tion, and when he did, it was invariably 
 done by modestly asking some very per- 
 tinent question on some very important 
 subject. He was perpetually employed 
 either in seeking or communicating in- 
 formation, and when no opportunity pre- 
 
THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 55 
 
 sented itself of doing either, he was ha- 
 bitually silent. 
 
 His dwelling was a rude log cabin; 
 his apparel of the plainest and even 
 coarsest materials, and yet no one 
 ever heard him utter one “ murmuring 
 word.” Like the shepherd of Salisbury 
 Plain, his gratitude for wliat he had, 
 precluded all anxiety for what he had 
 not. 
 
 The tones of his voice, the expression 
 of his countenance, together with every 
 word, and every action, proclaimed that, 
 in true lowliness of mind, he esteemed 
 others better than himself. 
 
 An illustration of his meekness and 
 humility is furnished by the fact, that 
 when asked his opinion respecting the 
 law, then recently enacted by the State 
 Legislature, prohibiting coloured men 
 from preaching, he very promptly ex- 
 pressed his approbation of the law; add- 
 ing, “ It is altogether wrong for such as 
 
56 THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 have not been taught themselves, to 
 undertake to teach others. As to my 
 preaching, I have long thought it was no 
 better than the ringing of an old cow- 
 bell, and ought to be stopped.” He ac- 
 cordingly bowed to the authority of this 
 law; and although often told that the 
 penalty for its violation would not be 
 inflicted on him, he never preached after- 
 wards ; but became a constant and devout 
 worshipper in a neighbouring Presby- 
 terian congregation, which had been re- 
 cently organized, and over which the 
 first pastor of that denomination ever 
 settled in the county of Nottoway, had 
 been recently installed. 
 
 Another incident, illustrating his hum- 
 ble and contented disposition, must not 
 be omitted. Previous to the cessation 
 of his public ministry, a pious and 
 wealthy lady, feeling grieved to see him 
 so rudely clad, presented him with a 
 well made suit of black cloth. This 
 
THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 57 
 
 suit, he wore but once, and then return- 
 ed it to his kind friend, begging that she 
 would not be displeased at his doing so, 
 and justified his conduct thus : “ These 
 clothes are a great deal better than are 
 generally worn by people of my colour. 
 And besides, if I wear them, I find I 
 shall be obliged to think about them 
 even at meeting.” 
 
 We have already spoken of the polite 
 attentions he received at the hands of 
 white people. In truth, Uncle Jack 
 was always a welcome guest. In warm 
 weather, he always insisted on sitting 
 in the portico, or on the steps leading 
 into the house, as a place better suited 
 to his rank and character, than the par- 
 lorn*. Whenever he took this humble 
 position, the whole family would soon 
 gather around him, and hang upon his 
 words, as long as he could be induced 
 to remain. We have known the whole 
 of a large and fashionable dining party, 
 
58 THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 leave tlie gay attractions of the parlour, 
 and repair to the porch, or to the shade 
 of some venerable tree, under which he 
 had taken his position, each saying as 
 they Avent, “ Uncle Jack has come, let’s 
 go and hear him.” On such occasions, 
 he displayed great prudence and wisdom 
 in the topics introduced. He seemed 
 fully to realize the importance of not re- 
 pelling or disgusting the young and irre- 
 ligious, by pressing religious truth upon 
 their consideration, any further than they 
 were disposed to give him their serious 
 attention. The skill with which he could 
 “ rightly divide the Avord of truth, and 
 give to each his portion in due season,” 
 might well rebuke some far better educa- 
 ted and more distinguished ministers 
 than he. 
 
 He never seemed to suppose for a 
 moment, that the attentions shoAvn him, 
 were the result of any personal merit of 
 his oavh. lie considered them all as 
 
“Uncle Jack has come — let’s go and hear him.”— Page 58. 
 
THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 59 
 
 flowing directly from a regard to his 
 Master, and his Master’s cause. Nor 
 was he led by such attentions to con- 
 sider himself above those of his own 
 colour. Most meekly and humbly did 
 he “ condescend to men of low estate.” 
 Most tenderly did he love, fervently did 
 he pray, and faithfully did he labour for, 
 his “ brethren, his kinsmen according 
 to the flesh.” He sought their society, 
 and minsrled with them in their cabins, 
 with the utmost familiarity. The re- 
 spect shown him by the whites, united 
 with the vast superiority of his intel- 
 lectual and moral attainments over 
 theirs, rendered him the object of sus- 
 picion and jealousy with the more igno- 
 rant, and vicious of this class. He was, 
 moreover, a rigid disciplinarian. He 
 was the relentless enemy of all pre- 
 tended sanctity. Every departure from 
 what he deemed an orthodox creed, or 
 a consistently pious life, was sure to 
 
60 THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 meet witli his most decided opposition. 
 Hence, all feared, and some really hated 
 him. He was no stranger to persecu- 
 tion for righteousness’ sake. 
 
 A gentleman of our acquaintance de- 
 tected one of his servants, who belonged 
 to Uncle Jack’s pastoral charge, in some 
 petty theft. The master merely ad- 
 monished the offender, and dismissed 
 him, saying, “ I shall content myself 
 with laying this matter before your 
 preacher.” He retired, but soon re- 
 turned, and with the deepest concern de- 
 picted in his countenance, said, “ Mas- 
 ter, I have come back to say to you, 
 that if you think I deserve punishment 
 for what I have done, I would much 
 rather you would punish me at once, 
 as you think I deserve, than to tell 
 Uncle Jack about it.” The gentleman 
 very wisely concluded not to comply 
 with this strange request, and the ser- 
 vant was commended to the moral dis- 
 
' • THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 61 
 
 cipline of the good old pastor, 'which re- 
 sulted very favourably. 
 
 It is somewhat remarkable, that just 
 about the time that Alexander Campbell, 
 of Bethany, commenced the propagation 
 of his peculiar sentiments, which so 
 seriously disturbed and divided the 
 Baptist churches in the west, a coloured 
 preacher w 7 hose name was Campbell, 
 entered upon the work of “reforma- 
 tion” among the Baptists of his own 
 colour in south-eastern Virginia. This 
 man, however, struck out a course of 
 his own — in some respects the reverse 
 of the system adopted by his more 
 learned namesake, but possessing equal, 
 if not superior claims to originality. It 
 will be quite sufficient for our present 
 purpose, to mention two articles in the 
 new creed of this sable reformer. One 
 of these may be expressed thus : Inas- 
 much as very few of the blacks are able 
 to read, they should no longer rely 
 6 
 
62 
 
 THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 upon, or be directed in their faith or 
 practice by, the written word of God, 
 but depend entirely upon the teachings 
 of the Holy Spirit. The other was, 
 that the old Jewish law, forbidding the 
 use of swine’s flesh, was still in force, 
 and hence it was a great sin to eat pork 
 or bacon. 
 
 Our Mr. Campbell could read, but, 
 he said, God had shown to him in a 
 dream the great impropriety of his doing 
 so, as so many of his people were de- 
 prived of this privilege. He accord- 
 ingly called a number of his congrega- 
 tion together, told them his dream, and 
 gave them the interpretation thereof — 
 said it was very wrong for the preacher 
 to be above the people, and then, with 
 great affected solemnity, threw his Bible 
 into the fire and burned it to allies. The 
 success of this fanatic was considerable ; 
 so much so, as to awaken no little alarm 
 among the owners of slaves in that sec- 
 
THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 63 
 
 tion of the country. As soon as tidings 
 of these things reached our old African, 
 true to his principles, and faithful to 
 the cause of truth and righteousness, he 
 determined to make an effort to check 
 the evil. Accordingly, he set out on a 
 visit to the “ reformer,” and on reaching 
 the neighbourhood in which he lived, 
 called on several gentlemen whose ser- 
 vants had become his “ disciples” — stated 
 the object of his visit, and desired that a 
 meeting might be held for the purpose 
 of checking, if possible, these new and 
 strange doctrines. His approach was 
 hailed by these gentlemen, as if he had 
 been a second Luther, come to with- 
 stand another Tetzel. The meeting was 
 held. 
 
 Mr. Campbell commenced, with all 
 the self-importance so common to self- 
 constituted, and self-styled reformers — 
 pouring forth torrents of “ great swelling 
 words of vanity.” The people sympa- 
 
64 THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 thized with their leader, and joined 
 warmly in the clamour. The African 
 Preacher maintained the utmost silence 
 for a considerable time, but at length 
 arose with great solemnity and said, 
 “ My Bible teaches me, in all my ways 
 to acknowledge God, and never to lean 
 to my own understanding. Hence, I 
 can go no further in this business until 
 we have prayed for God’s guidance and 
 blessing.” This proposition was evi- 
 dently unexpected, and to many very 
 unacceptable. But the dignified and 
 solemn manner in which it was made, 
 awed them into momentary silence, and 
 kneeling, he prayed with strong faith 
 and deep feeling, that God would be 
 pleased to direct and bless them in then’ 
 efforts to learn and do his will. The 
 impression made by this prayer was 
 eminently salutary. Finding that the 
 people had become silent and more re- 
 spectful, our good preacher proposed to 
 
THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 65 
 
 this u setter forth of strange” doctrines, 
 to state and prove his creed. He com- 
 menced with an attempt to sustain his 
 positions by quotations from the Bible. 
 To this Uncle Jack objected, on the 
 ground that he had burned his Bible, 
 and accordingly had no right to the use 
 of any thing it contained. This was 
 extremely embarrassing. But the pro- 
 hibition was very properly enforced 
 with the utmost firmness. An appeal 
 to the audience as to the propriety of 
 this course, met with so much favour, 
 that Campbell, finding the current be- 
 ginning to turn against him, became 
 very angry, and resorted to personal 
 abuse of the good old African. Upon 
 this, the latter arose and w T ith a good 
 deal of biting sarcasm — a weapon he 
 knew quite well when and how to use — 
 said to the people : “ My friends, you all 
 see that what this man says about doing 
 without the Bible, and depending on 
 6 * 
 
G6 
 
 THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 the Spirit, cannot be true; for he was 
 not able to talk at all, when I told him 
 he had no right to quote a book he had 
 burned. And you can all see, by his 
 getting so angry, that if any spirit came 
 to his help, it was not the Holy Spirit. 
 And as to that notion of his about the 
 sin of eating liog-meat , if the half of what 
 I hear about him and a great many of 
 his members be true, the white people 
 ought to do all they can to encourage 
 that belief, as it will make the raising of 
 hogs down this way, much -easier and 
 more certain than it is now.” With this 
 he took his leave, and with this, coloured 
 Campbellism died entirely. 
 
 The life of the African Preacher was 
 one of no little toil and suffering. Per- 
 haps the most imprudent step he ever 
 took, was marrying a woman who was 
 in no respect “a help meet for him.” 
 Without mental culture, without reli- 
 gion, encumbered with a large family 
 
THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 67 
 
 of children, the fruits of a former mar- 
 riage, and surrounded by an extensive 
 circle of other relatives, she only served 
 to burden him with domestic cares, suffi- 
 cient to have crushed the spirit of any 
 ordinary man. These people were idle 
 and profligate ; he, industrious and econo- 
 mical. They hung around and imposed 
 upon him in the most shameful manner. 
 Often would they filch from him the 
 products of his own daily labour, and 
 then add insult to injury, by the gross- 
 est personal unkindnessj and even cruel- 
 ty. But all this only served to give ad- 
 ditional brightness and purity to his 
 piety. Some metals become the more 
 brilliant on being rubbed, and some 
 flowers are all the more fragrant when 
 trodden upon. So it is with pure and 
 undefiled religion, and so it was with 
 this good old African Preacher. 
 
 His thoughts, his affections, his aims, 
 were all lifted so far above the din of 
 
68 
 
 THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 domestic strife, that it seldom or never 
 disturbed his equanimity even for a 
 moment. The dreariness of his home 
 on earth only served to make him sigh 
 more deeply for “ that house not made 
 with hands, eternal in the heavens.” 
 He rarely alluded to these things, and 
 whenever he did, he never failed to say 
 all he could in extenuation of the guilt 
 of those who had injured him. To the 
 writer, he never alluded to these trials 
 hut once, and then he said, “I am such 
 a hard-headed , disobedient child, that I 
 need a whipping every day.” At an- 
 other time, referring to his poverty, and 
 also to the fact that he had no descen- 
 dants, he said, “ I left nothing in Africa, 
 and I brought nothing to this country. 
 When I die, I shall leave nothing be- 
 hind me, and shall carry nothing with 
 me, but the merits of my Saviour’s obe- 
 dience and death.” 
 
 The simplicity of faith, and the self-ap- 
 
THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 69 
 
 plication with which our good preacher 
 was accustomed to attend upon the min- 
 istrations of the sanctuary, were truly 
 remarkable. “A day in thy courts is 
 better than a thousand,” was not only 
 the language of his lips, but of his heart 
 and of his life. When more than ninety 
 years of age, we have known him to 
 walk two, and sometimes four miles to 
 reach the house of God. And this he 
 would sometimes do in very inclement 
 weather. Nor was he a forgetful hearer, 
 but a doer of the word. We have often 
 been surprised at the accuracy with 
 which he could give the outlines of a 
 sermon many days, and even weeks, 
 after he had heard it. Under faithful 
 and pungent exhibitions of the truth, 
 he was often very deeply affected. 
 After hearing a very lucid and impres- 
 sive sermon on the resurrection of the 
 dead, we found him, when the service 
 had ended, in the rear of the church, 
 
70 
 
 THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 leaning against the side of the house, 
 bathed in tears. On asking him why 
 he wept, he replied, “ I am afraid, sir, 
 that after all, I shall never realize what 
 that young preacher talked about to- 
 day. The glories of the resurrection 
 unto life are too high for me.” He was 
 reminded of what the preacher had said 
 about the changes which annually occur 
 in nature, as to some extent illustrative 
 of the resurrection. He was told to 
 recollect the astonishing difference in 
 the appearance of the trees in winter 
 and spring; and was then asked, if the 
 God who caused this difference, who, 
 in the spring thus adorned the forest, 
 could not, with perfect ease, beautify 
 and adorn his body in an infinitely 
 higher degree. To this he said, “ I do 
 not doubt the power or the love of God ; 
 but that which troubles me is this. If 
 the tree has not a good root, God will 
 never make it bloom. And so it is with 
 
THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 71 
 
 me. If I have not the root of the matter 
 in me, I shall never know any thing of 
 the resurrection unto life.” 
 
 On another occasion, we found him 
 in no little distress of mind; and on 
 asking the cause, were answered sub- 
 stantially as follows : “ About a week 
 ago, I heard a sermon on the text, 
 
 ‘ Turn ye, turn ye, for why will ye die ?’ 
 The preacher, who came from the 
 school up here in Prince Edward, 
 took more pains than common to tell 
 us what was meant by turning. He 
 jnade the gate appear so strait, and 
 the way so narrow, that he soon made 
 me fear I had never turned at all. lie ' 
 certainly convinced me that I had still 
 a great deal of turning to do, and that 
 this turning must be the great business 
 of the Christian’s whole life.” This was 
 a very favourite thought with him. In 
 strict conformity with his views on this 
 
72 
 
 THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 subject, he preferred the term converting 
 to converted. 
 
 In the course of a sermon on regene- 
 ration, he once introduced the following 
 illustration to enforce the duty of grow- 
 ing in grace : “ If a farmer,” said he, 
 “ in clearing and preparing a piece of 
 ground for cultivation, should do no 
 more than to cut down the trees, and 
 remove the bodies and branches of 
 those trees, whilst all the stumps were 
 left undisturbed, he would very soon 
 find that around every one of those 
 stumps a considerable number of sprouts, 
 of the very nature of the old tree, had 
 put up, and he would have even more 
 clearing to do than he had at first. 
 Now, to get his land in a proper condi- 
 tion, he must not only cut down the 
 trees, but he must grub up the stumps. 
 Yes, he must continue to grub as long 
 as any part of the root is left. Just so 
 
THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 73 
 
 with sin in a man’s heart and life. He 
 must not only forsake open sin, he must 
 look to the heart, where the roots of this 
 open sin are, and these roots must be 
 grubbed up. And this grubbing he must 
 keep at, as long as life lasts, or he will 
 never bring forth the peaceable fruits of 
 righteousness to the praise of God’s free 
 grace.” 
 
 Our good preacher was much oppos- 
 ed to the hasty admission of members 
 into the Church. He was accustomed 
 to say, “ It is much easier and safer, to 
 keep unworthy persons out of the 
 Church, than to get them out, after they 
 have been once received.” And again 
 he would say, “ The Church will not 
 suffer half as much, by keeping a dozen 
 worthy members out, a little too long, 
 as she will by admitting one individual 
 too soon. If you adopt this method of 
 admitting members, you must see to it, 
 that your back door is as wide as the 
 
74 THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 front. You must prepare for dropping 
 them , as readily as you took them up” 
 
 It should he remembered, that these 
 views were entertained and expressed, 
 by a native of Africa, at different pe- 
 riods, between the years 1828 and 1836. 
 Every one, at all acquainted with the 
 history of the Presbyterian Church 
 during those eight years, will be struck 
 with the difference between the senti- 
 ments of this sable son of a Pagan con- 
 tinent, and some who stood high, as 
 learned doctors of divinity, and even 
 professors in Theological Seminaries, in 
 these enlightened ends of the earth. And 
 we presume there are few or none now 
 in our communion, who would hesitate 
 to say, that the Church would have 
 fared much better, had she asked coun- 
 sel of the African Preacher, instead of 
 following the advice of some of her 
 “most enlightened and pious divines.” 
 Had this been done, our motto would 
 
THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 75 
 
 have been, a 'pure church , or no church. 
 It is true, the course recommended by 
 the African, would not have embla- 
 zoned our church registers with so long 
 and imposing an array of names; but 
 the purity, and by consequence the 
 moral power of the Church, would have 
 been far greater. The efficiency of an 
 army depends upon the patriotism, the 
 courage, and the activity of each soldier, 
 more than it does upon the gorgeous 
 uniform, the graceful movements, or 
 even the imposing numbers of those 
 who fill its ranks. So every one desti- 
 tute of the essential qualities of “ the 
 good soldier of Jesus Christ,” hinders 
 the progress, and detracts from the effi- 
 ciency of “ the sacramental host of 
 God’s elect.” Such views as these led 
 the good African Preacher to make the 
 Saviour’s rule his, and they should lead 
 us to make it ours. It is the only 
 reliable rule : “ By their fruits ye shall 
 
76 THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 know them.” The application of this 
 rule in any given case, requires more 
 than a day, a week, or a month. 
 
 The next thing deserving of conside- 
 ration in the character of this excellent 
 old man, was his method of dealing with 
 persons awakened to a sense of their 
 sinfulness in the sight of God. He was 
 very often consulted by persons in this 
 state of mind, of every grade in society; 
 as also by those who, having hope in 
 Christ, were asking what step they 
 should take next, to honour Christ and 
 do good. Here, as in other matters, his 
 course was characterized by good sense 
 and discretion. 
 
 On one occasion, a lady of great re- 
 spectability told him that she consi- 
 dered herself a Christian, but at the 
 same time avowed the purpose of not 
 making a profession of religion by con- 
 necting herself with the Church. At 
 this he expressed great surprise — 
 
THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 77 
 
 reminded her of what our Saviour said 
 of those who “ confessed,” and of those 
 who “ denied” him, and then added, 
 “ Mistress, if you should suddenly come 
 in possession of a large sum of money, 
 would you lock it up in your house, 
 and try to keep it a great secret? It 
 would neither do you nor any body else 
 much good, to take that course with 
 it.” 
 
 At another time, one gave him a long 
 account of a remarkable dream she had 
 had, and desired his opinion on the sub- 
 ject. To this he replied, “ The Scrip- 
 tures do tell us something about dreams, 
 but no where that I remember, of any 
 one converted by a dream or converted 
 when he was asleep. I can under- 
 stand people a great deal better when 
 they tell me of what they say and 
 do when they are awake, and when 
 they talk about a work of grace in their 
 hearts.” 
 
78 
 
 THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 There lived in his immediate vici- 
 nity, a very respectable man who had 
 become interested on the subject of 
 religion, and who, with some earnest- 
 ness, had begun to “search the Scrip- 
 tures.” He had been thus employed 
 but a short time when he became 
 greatly perplexed with some of those 
 passages which even an inspired apos- 
 tle has said, are “hard to be under- 
 stood.” In this state of mind he 
 
 repaired to our preacher for instruc- 
 tion, and found him at noon, on a sul- 
 try day in summer, occupied in his 
 field, hoeing corn. As the man ap- 
 proached, the preacher saluted him 
 with his accustomed politeness; and 
 then with patriarchal simplicity, leaning 
 upon the handle of his hoe, listened 
 to his story. “ Uncle Jack,” said he, 
 “ I have discovered lately that I am a 
 great sinner, and I have commenced 
 reading the Bible that I may learn 
 
THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 79 
 
 what I must do to be saved. But I 
 have met with a passage here,” holding 
 up his Bible, “ which I cannot under- 
 stand, and which greatly perplexes me. 
 It is this, ‘ God will have mercy on 
 whom he will have mercy, and whom 
 he will he hardeneth;’ what does this 
 mean?” A short pause intervened, and 
 the old African answered as follows: 
 “ Master, if I have been rightly in- 
 formed, it has only been a short time 
 since you commenced reading the Bible, 
 and I think the passage you have just 
 read is in the Epistle to the Romans. 
 Long before you get to that, at the very 
 beginning of the gospel it is said, ( Re- 
 pent, for the kingdom of heaven is at 
 hand.’ Now, have you done with that ? 
 The truth is, you read entirely too fast. 
 You must begin again, and learn the 
 lesson as God has been pleased to give 
 it to you. When you have done what 
 you are told to do in Matthew, come to 
 
80 
 
 THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 see me, and we will talk about that pas- 
 sage in Romans.” Having thus answer- 
 ed, he resumed his work, and left the 
 visitor to his own reflections. 
 
 Who does not admire the simplicity 
 and good sense displayed in thus deal- 
 ing with a person of this description? 
 Could the most learned polemic more 
 effectually have met and disposed of 
 such a difficulty? The gentleman par- 
 ticularly interested in this incident 
 gave the foregoing account of it to the 
 writer, and, if he still lives, will joyfully 
 say now, as he did when he first spoke 
 of it, “ It convinced me fully of the mis- 
 take into which I had fallen. I took 
 the old man’s advice, soon saw its pro- 
 priety and wisdom, and hope to bless 
 God for ever for sending me to him.” 
 The consequence was, that he soon be- 
 came an intelligent, consistent Chris- 
 tian, connected himself with the Church, 
 and contributed in no small degree to 
 
THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 81 
 
 the promotion of a cause he had once 
 hated and opposed. 
 
 Our preacher was not only skilful in 
 imparting instruction, hut patient and 
 submissive in the endurance of evil. 
 We have already seen with what meek- 
 ness he bore the domestic trials which 
 befell him. He sometimes suffered 
 abroad as well as at home. But his 
 Christian submission was every where 
 and at all times conspicuous. When 
 reviled, he reviled not again. He re- 
 joiced in being counted worthy to suffer 
 shame for the name of Christ. We 
 know of but one instance in which he 
 was threatened with personal violence. 
 A party of such as the Apostle Paul 
 denominates “lewd fellows of the baser 
 sort,” on one occasion interrupted him 
 while preaching, and took him into cus- 
 tody. After reviling him a good deal, 
 they avowed the horrid purpose of pun- 
 ishing him with stripes, and asked him, 
 
82 
 
 THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 tauntingly, what he had to say in his 
 own defence. “ I Avish to knoAV,” said 
 the good old man, “ why you intend to 
 punish me. If it is for preaching the 
 gospel, I have not a word to say.” 
 “ Why,” asked one of the party, “ you 
 are not Avilling to be Avhipped, are you?” 
 “ Perfectly Avilhng,” Avas the emphatic 
 ansAver, “perfectly willing; and I will 
 tell you why I am. I can read the Bible 
 a little ; and in reading it, hardly any 
 thing surprises and grieves me more 
 than to find that such a man as the 
 Apostle Paul, ‘ five times received forty 
 stripes save one,’ for preaching this 
 same gospel. Noav, when I remember 
 this, and then remember that an old 
 sinner, such as I am, should have been 
 preaching, or trying to preach this gos- 
 pel for more than forty years, and never 
 yet had one lick for it, I am perfectly 
 Avilling to be whipped.” 
 
 This reply Avholly disarmed his ad- 
 
THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 83 
 
 versaries. They were literally silenced. 
 With a moral courage which was fully 
 equal to his humility, he resolved to im- 
 prove the advantage he had thus gained. 
 The whole of his audience, frightened 
 by the brutal assault of these wicked 
 men, “ forsook him and fled.” He stood 
 alone, in the midst of his enemies, with 
 no eye to pity, and no hand to help. 
 But He who said, “ I will never leave 
 thee nor forsake thee,” fulfilled his gra- 
 cious promise. Thus sustained, thus 
 cheered, he addressed his persecutors 
 in language so pungent, and yet so ten- 
 der, that one by one, they walked quietly 
 away, leaving him in the undisturbed 
 possession of the ground. The leader 
 of this party, who gave us this story, 
 and who subsequently became a pious 
 man, was often heard to say, “ the im- 
 pression made on my mind and heart by 
 that incident, was never effaced.” 
 
 Knowing that the African Preacher 
 
84 
 
 THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 was now very old, and evidently near the 
 end of his earthly pilgrimage, and our 
 personal intercourse with him having for 
 several years ceased, we addressed a 
 letter, early in the winter of 1838, to our 
 best earthly friend and his, Dr. James 
 Jones, asking for information of his state, 
 now that the shadows were lengthening, 
 and his end supposed to be near. To 
 this letter, the good Doctor promptly 
 sent us the following reply : 
 
 “Mountain Hall, Nottoway, Dec. 31, 1838. 
 
 “ My Dear Sir — There are very few 
 persons, either among the living or the 
 dead, with whom I have had so long 
 personal intercourse, as with Uncle Jack. 
 I found him among my nearest neigh- 
 bours, when I first settled at my present 
 residence. His deportment, under all 
 circumstances, has never varied; always 
 modest, unassuming and humble. His 
 serene and placid coimtenance is sel- 
 dom without a smile, if engaged in 
 
THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 85 
 
 conversation, or great gravity, if disen- 
 gaged. Ever prone to enter into 
 conversation, where he thinks it not dis- 
 agreeable, he scarcely ever fails to make 
 religion the topic before it ends. He 
 visits my family with the utmost free- 
 dom, on all sorts of business and occa- 
 sions which are legitimate, and I think I 
 cannot be mistaken in the assertion just 
 made. His visits are now, perhaps, more 
 frequent than ever; and seem to be made 
 almost exclusively for the purpose of 
 getting information on some text or 
 parable or narrative in the Bible. When 
 this is his object, he announces it imme- 
 diately on his arrival, asks to have it 
 read from the Bible, and frequently in- 
 quires what our commentators say on 
 the subject. 
 
 “ It is proper here to state, that while 
 his memory is greatly impaired on all 
 matters of secular concern, it is reten- 
 tive and ready on every thing relating 
 8 
 
86 
 
 THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 to the Scriptures, in connection with his 
 own experience of the influence of divine 
 truth. On propounding his questions 
 for information, he invariably quotes, 
 most accurately, the chapter and verse; 
 not unfrequently, the words themselves. 
 Very frequently he will refer to the 
 occasion on which he first heard it read 
 or spoken of; perhaps thirty or forty 
 years ago, in some sermon or private 
 conversation. 
 
 “ Both his physical and mental 
 powers are evidently on the wane. 
 He exhibits no little debility by his 
 unsteady gait, his head inclining for- 
 wards, so that his chin almost rests 
 upon his breast; and he complains 
 much of rheumatism. Still, he mani- 
 fests great reluctance to confinement, 
 so long as he can use the organs of 
 motion. He gives his personal atten- 
 tion to every branch of business in his 
 little establishment, and is, at this time, 
 
THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 87 
 
 in a most comfortable situation, as re- 
 spects his supplies of the necessaries of 
 life. I perceive no alteration at all in 
 the temper and disposition, of his mind. 
 The same equanimity which has so long 
 distinguished him, still prevails; and so 
 remarkable has his character been, in 
 this respect, that I have never yet seen 
 an individual who has known him to be 
 put out of temper, or to show any thing 
 like petulance, or irritation, or resent- 
 ment, on any occasion whatever, through- 
 out his whole life. 
 
 “Weak and feeble as he is at this 
 time, he seems to have been most 
 highly excited, both in mind and body, 
 by the revival of religion which has 
 been for some time past in jirogress in 
 the churches around him. He is un- 
 able to attend distant meetings, but 
 frequently walks to those near at hand. 
 He takes special care, however, to get 
 to very many of the families in which 
 
88 
 
 THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 conversions have been reported, let them 
 be far or near. I am often surprised to 
 hear from him an account of what passed 
 between him and certain families, in re- 
 cent conversations. Upon inquiry, I find 
 he has walked all the way expressly to 
 see them. lie would say, ‘ I could not 
 resist. I was obliged to try and get to 
 them, that I might tell them all I knew, 
 to help them on their way.’ 
 
 “ I can only add the assurance of the 
 undiminished esteem and affection of 
 Yours truly, 
 
 James Jones.” 
 
 It must not be forgotten, that the sub- 
 ject of this narrative was supposed to 
 be nearly eighty years of age when the 
 writer first made his acquaintance. 
 Both in mind and body he was already 
 on the wane. Little or nothing is re- 
 membered of what he was in the vigour 
 of mature- age. There were none at 
 
THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 89 
 
 /* , 
 
 that period, whose feelings and habits 
 prompted them to preserve for future 
 use the incidents of a life so unpre- 
 tending and so humble. They who 
 have rendered us so much assistance, 
 were not then professors of religion; 
 and few, if any, of those who were could 
 be considered capable of appreciating 
 the old man’s real worth. We have 
 therefore only called the attention of the 
 reader to the rays of a luminary near 
 the horizon. For any adequate concep- 
 tions of his noon-day brilliancy, we are 
 left wholly to conjecture. We have, 
 moreover, sketched the lineaments of a 
 mind almost entirely destitute of culti- 
 vation. With thorough training, may 
 we not reasonably suppose that our 
 African Preacher would have attained to 
 the intellectual stature of an Augustine 
 or a Cyprian — those distinguished sons 
 of his father-land ? 
 
 But we must resume our narrative. 
 
 8 * 
 
90 THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 Shortly after the foregoing letter was 
 written, he became extremely ill. He 
 thought the time of his departure had 
 arrived, and so thought all his friends. 
 Dr. Jones, who attended him as his 
 physician, during this illness, lias kindly 
 furnished us with the following account 
 of the old man’s views and feelings at 
 this trying time. 
 
 “ During his illness, I often listened 
 with intense interest to the views and 
 feelings he expressed, as he lay upon 
 what he supposed to be his death-bed. 
 And views more rational and scriptural 
 I never heard from any one. The most 
 perfect calmness, as to his future des- 
 tiny, pervaded his bosom. Gratitude 
 to God for all his merciful dealings 
 towards him, was the prominent exer- 
 cise of his mind. The neighbours vied 
 with each other in acts of kindness in 
 that crisis. In view of this, he said to 
 me, ‘What have I done to deserve all 
 
THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 91 
 
 this? I came, a stranger to all, thou- 
 sands of miles across the great water, 
 and as long as I have lived, I have never 
 wanted a friend. And now, when I am 
 about to die, I am loaded with kindness 
 far beyond any thing that I deserve.’” 
 The Doctor closes his statement thus: 
 “ Whenever this venerable African de- 
 parts hence, it may be truly said, that 
 a purer spirit than his never escaped 
 its clay tenement on earth, to its house 
 not made with hands, eternal in the 
 heavens.” 
 
 From this attack, however, he reco- 
 vered, and lived about four years longer. 
 During this period, his hearing, sight, 
 and speech were all impaired. Still he 
 enjoyed surprising health for one of his 
 advanced age. Nor did his interest in 
 the cause of Christ suffer the least abate- 
 ment. His path was emphatically that 
 of the just, “ which shineth more and 
 more to the perfect day.” The truth 
 
92 
 
 THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 is, when every thing else failed to arrest 
 his attention and excite his feelings, the 
 bare mention of that name which “is 
 above every name,” imparted, in no 
 small degree, the lustre of youth to his 
 almost sightless eyes, and the animation 
 and vigour of mature age to his emaciat- 
 ed frame. 
 
 In July, 1842, we saw him for the 
 last time. On reaching Mountain Hall, 
 we soon learned from the family that 
 Uncle Jack was then with them. He 
 had recently come on one of his accus- 
 tomed visits, and was taken suddenly so 
 ill that he could not return to his own 
 cottage. This was very favourable to his 
 comfort. For here he was supplied with 
 every thing necessary to check his dis- 
 ease or to cheer his spirit. On propos- 
 ing to go to his room, we were told that 
 he had been for some days in a stupor; 
 that he could scarcely be induced to say 
 any thing, or to notice any body; and 
 
THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 93 
 
 that it would be painful to see him. But 
 we determined to go, not doubting that 
 he could be roused. lie had no fever, and 
 suffered no pain. The candle had sunk 
 in the socket, and only needed raising, 
 to make it shine as brilliantly as ever. 
 And there was a way by which this 
 might be done. Accordingly, we went 
 to his room, accompanied by the good 
 friend, whose guests both Uncle Jack 
 and we were, as we had often been 
 before. We found him, on entering his 
 apartment, surrounded with as many 
 conveniences and comforts as any one 
 could reasonably have desired. He lay, 
 calm and tranquil, with his eyes fixed 
 on the ceiling. Approaching his bed- 
 side, we took his black and bony hand 
 in ours, but he spoke not, nor moved 
 his eyes. We then saluted him in the 
 usual style of ordinary civility, inquir- 
 ing, in a very distinct voice, after his 
 health. Perceiving that he scarcely 
 
94 
 
 THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 noticed what we said to him, Dr. Jones 
 advanced and said, “ Old man, don’t you 
 know who this is ?” He replied, “ My 
 hearing is better than my eye-sight. I 
 don’t know the face, but I am sure I 
 have heard the voice before. I think I 
 have heard that voice in the pulpit.” 
 We then determined to try the experi- 
 ment of rousing him, by merely quoting 
 passage after passage of Scripture in his 
 hearing; and soon succeeded, far beyond 
 our most sanguine expectations. When 
 the passage, commencing, “ For God 
 so loved the world, that he gave his only 
 begotten Son,” was mentioned, he re- 
 sponded with great animation, “ That he 
 did — that he did; and there rests all my 
 hope.” 
 
 He now expressed great pleasure in 
 recognizing an old acquaintance, and 
 said, “ Sometimes I hear of you in one 
 place, and sometimes in another; but 
 
THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 95 
 
 go where yon may, the Lord takes care 
 of you.” 
 
 On being asked how he felt in pros- 
 pect of death, he replied : “ Every 
 
 thing I call my own will soon be dis- 
 solved and pass away. Without Christ, 
 I am but as sounding brass and a tink- 
 ling cymbal.” After a short pause, he 
 proceeded to speak, substantially as 
 follows : “ Some years ago I heard you 
 preach a sermon on the text, ‘Behold, I 
 stand at the door and knock !’ That 
 text, I think, is in Revelations. I have 
 thought of that day and that sermon a 
 great many times since. You seemed 
 to be much in earnest, but I was sorry 
 to see how little interest the people took 
 in it. They seemed to go away uncon- 
 cerned. Then I thought, what will all 
 our knocking come to, unless the Lord 
 adds his blessing?” After another pause, 
 during which he seemed to be asleep, 
 he opened his eyes and said, “ We have 
 
96 THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 had a revival here lately. Some call it 
 a revival, and some say it is all trash. 
 Any how, the Lord can take even trash , 
 and make a real fire , if he chooses.” 
 
 Having joined with him in prayer and 
 praise, we left him for the night, greatly 
 revived both in body and spirit. We 
 had seen and heard that over which the 
 soul of man might well rejoice, and we 
 could but utter, in silent ejaculation, 
 thanksgiving to Him who not only came 
 into our world “ to seek and to save” 
 the rich publican, Zaccheus, but also to 
 provide that the poor should have the 
 gospel preached to them. 
 
 On the ensuing morning we found 
 him improved in health, but depressed 
 in spirit. “ I have lived a long time,” 
 he said, “ but all to no purpose. I do 
 not see the least fruit of any tiling I 
 ever did; and I suppose it would be no 
 better if I should live as long again. 
 For a long time I have tried to get a 
 
THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 97 
 
 new heart and a right spirit, but fear I 
 never succeeded. Such thoughts and 
 feelings as trouble me, would never dis- 
 turb a real Christian.” Here he was 
 reminded of the Christian warfare, and 
 particularly of what the Apostle says 
 about “ wrestling.” He replied, “ That 
 is all true. I have many a time gone 
 into the woods and wrestled in prayer, 
 until my enemies would all flee, and I 
 would think they were gone for ever; 
 but they soon came back and worried 
 me worse than ever.” 
 
 His attention was next called to our 
 Saviour’s interview with the woman of 
 Samaria; and particularly to this ex* 
 pression : “ If thou knewest the gift of 
 God, and who it is that saith to thee, 
 Give me to drink, thou wouldest have 
 asked of him, and he would have given 
 thee living water.” In this he was 
 deeply interested, and made many 
 pertineat remarks about the water of 
 9 
 
98 THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 life, and concluded as follows : “ This 
 water springeth up: it don’t run down 
 like common water. It is very pleasant 
 and refreshing water. Sometimes we 
 suffer the trash of this world to get into 
 it, and then it is not so good. But it is 
 our own . fault. The fountain is in 
 heaven, hut there are streams of this 
 water now running about almost every 
 where. I am nearly done with the 
 stream, and hope soon to be at the foun- 
 tain.” 
 
 Speaking of prayer, he said, “Where- 
 ever there is a praying heart, there is the 
 throne of grace.” 
 
 He was next told that a missionary 
 had recently returned from Africa, his 
 native land, and brought the pleasing 
 intelligence that many of his country- 
 men had received the gospel. At this 
 announcement he clasped his withered 
 hands, and, with much emotion, said, 
 “ Every word that cometh oul of the 
 
THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 99 
 
 mouth of the Lord is true. He said that 
 his word should he a witness among all 
 nations — that it should have free course, 
 run, and be glorified — and so the gospel 
 has gone across the great sea, all the way 
 to Africa. When the Lord works, none 
 can hinder. Then, I suppose, I shall 
 meet some of my countrymen in heaven. 
 Bless the Lord ! As we shall all sing 
 one song, I suppose we shall all speak 
 one language.” 
 
 When we rose to leave him, he said, 
 smiling, “ You have given me a snack 
 upon which I can feed for some time ; 
 such talk is meat and drink to me. 
 You must not go away to-day. I wish 
 you to say and do all you can before 
 you leave, to keep me from wandering 
 away any more. It is no wonder that 
 God’s child, when he leaves his father’s 
 side, should get crippled; and when he 
 does, he has nobody to blame but him- 
 self.” Shortly after we had left his 
 
100 THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 I 
 
 apartment, one of his attendants came 
 to me, saying, “ Uncle Jack has sent me 
 to tell you that his doubts and fears 
 and difficulties are all gone; that he is 
 now very peaceful and happy, and has 
 nothing more to do but to die and be at 
 rest.” 
 
 To the surprise of every one, he 
 lingered for several months, but never 
 fully regained his health. We left him, 
 never expecting to see his face in the 
 flesh again. Nor did we. All that we 
 subsequently learned of his state was, 
 that he so far recovered as to be carried 
 to his own humble home, where he lin- 
 gered a little longer, and then rested 
 from his labours, and now his works 
 follow him. 
 
 In the Watchman of the South, of May 
 4th, 1843, the following announcement 
 occurs : 
 
 THE AFRICAN PREACHER— He is Gone. 
 
 The following obituary, written by 
 
THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 101 
 
 one who had some knowledge of the de- 
 ceased through the last fifty years of his 
 life, wiU he read with lively interest by 
 many of God’s people. 
 
 “ The African Preacher, alias Uncle 
 Jack, departed to his rest on the 6th 
 of April, full of years, and full of the 
 hopes of the gospel. A perfect calm 
 marked his last moments. ‘I am ready 
 and waiting to go,’ were his last 
 words. 
 
 “ Since the publication of a series of 
 biographical sketches of this extraor- 
 dinary man, in the columns of the 
 Watchman of the South, between four 
 and five years ago, there has occurred 
 nothing in his subsequent life, different 
 from the uniform tenor of it, as de- 
 picted in those sketches. Both body 
 and mind gradually sunk, and gave 
 way to the pressure of nearly one hun- 
 dred years, which he had numbered on 
 earth. J. J.” 
 
 9 * 
 
102 THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 About the time the foregoing obituary 
 appeared, we received the following 
 communication from another, but a kin- 
 dred pen. 
 
 “ Nottoway, April 12 , 1843 . 
 
 “ Uncle Jack is no more. He sunk 
 gently down to the grave on the 6th in- 
 stant, under the pressure of nearly one 
 hundred years. His last days, like his 
 whole life, were calm and peaceful. But 
 little could be gathered of the exercises 
 of his mind, except from the attitude of 
 prayer, which was indicated by the fre- 
 quent raising of his hands and eyes up- 
 wards. A few hours before he died, he 
 revived a little, and said, 1 I am ready 
 and waiting for the Saviour;’ then gently 
 breathed his last. 
 
 C. J.” 
 
 It is pleasing to review such a life, 
 terminating in such a death. It might 
 be profitable to detain the reader with 
 
THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 103 
 
 the reflections which very obviously 
 arise from this unpretending narrative 
 of so humble and obscure a man. But 
 the writer is conscious that the moral 
 of these simple annals, will at once 
 occur to every serious reader. Let him 
 only remember, that this old man’s pil- 
 grimage commenced on the dark shores 
 of Africa: that when a heathen boy, 
 he was captured and brought to this 
 land; for a time enslaved, but soon 
 emancipated : that he was indebted 
 for his freedom, under God, to the libe- 
 rality of benevolent and Christian mas- 
 ters, whose sole object was to confer on 
 him the merited reward of an upright 
 life, and to enlarge his sphere of use- 
 fulness to others. Visited by “the day- 
 star from on high,” he was numbered 
 among those whom the Son makes free. 
 And having led a very long life of 
 humble, consistent, and devoted piety; 
 a life which won for him the kind 
 
104 
 
 THE AFRICAN PREACHER. 
 
 attentions and affectionate confidence 
 of the best people of the country in 
 which Providence had placed him, he 
 died, cheered by the bright prospect of 
 a blessed immortality. And through 
 all that country, his memory is cherish- 
 ed, and his influence felt to this day. 
 True, to use his own striking language, 
 “ having done with the stream, he is 
 now beside the fountain,” but still he 
 lives, and will live, as the wise, the 
 good, the useful always do, to the end 
 of time. 
 
 We conclude with the prayer, that 
 he who writes, and they who read, may 
 only live the life, and share at last, the 
 heavenly inheritance of the African 
 Preacher. 
 
APPENDIX I. 
 
 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF DR. JAMES JONES. 
 
 There occurs, very frequently, in the 
 foregoing narrative, the name of one with 
 whom the reader may wish to become better 
 acquainted. Such a wish is reasonable, and 
 should be gratified. But a higher purpose 
 may be answered by the brief sketch we now 
 propose to give. In thus associating two 
 individuals, in many respects so different, it 
 must be gratifying to the pious, and may be 
 useful to all, to see how the religion of the 
 Bible reaches up to the highest, then down 
 to the lowest; and disdaining the distinc- 
 tions which birth, education, rank and for- 
 
 105 
 
106 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF 
 
 tune create, can make companions and 
 friends of both. Thus it was with the Afri- 
 can Preacher and the late Dr. James Jones, 
 of Mountain Hall. During the last twenty 
 years of their lives, it was difficult to know 
 one, without knowing the other. They re- 
 sided for almost fifty years within one mile 
 of each other. The former was poor, the 
 latter rich; the former almost wholly des- 
 titute of the knowledge of letters, the 
 latter educated in the best schools on 
 two continents. The one humble in his 
 circumstances, unpretending, and unknown; 
 the other occupying several of the highest 
 civil stations ever held in this country, be- 
 sides shining as one of the brightest orna- 
 ments of the medical profession. What but 
 the gospel of the Son of God, could have 
 brought together two individuals, so diverse 
 from each other, and called forth so much 
 condescending kindness in the one, so much 
 
DR. JAMES JONES. 107 
 
 reverential regard in the other, and so much 
 fraternal sympathy in both ? 
 
 Dr. James Jones, was born in the county 
 of Nottoway, Virginia, December 11th, 1772 . 
 His parents were among the most reputable 
 and wealthy citizens of the county in which 
 they lived. They wisely determined to spare 
 neither care nor money in the education of 
 their son. He was accordingly sent to the 
 best schools, and as early as 1788, he matri- 
 culated at Hampden Sidney College, during 
 the presidency of the celebrated Dr. John 
 Blair Smith. Here his mind became deeply 
 imbued with religious principles, during one 
 of the most remarkable revivals of religion 
 ever known in this, or any other country, 
 since the great revival on the day of Pente- 
 cost, recorded in the Acts of the Apostles. 
 He left College, however, without making a 
 profession of religion, and mainly to gratify 
 his desire for religious knowledge, he became 
 
108 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF 
 
 a temporary resident in the family of the 
 celebrated Devereux Jarret, an Episcopal 
 clergyman of Dinwiddie. Here his religious 
 impressions were fostered; and although he 
 sometimes thought of the gospel ministry as 
 his profession, he seems not to have been 
 really converted. He remained but a short 
 time in the family of his friend Mr. Jarret, 
 and at the earnest solicitation of his father, 
 repaired to Philadelphia, where he prose- 
 cuted the study of medicine with great suc- 
 cess, under the celebrated Dr. Benjamin 
 Rush. Thence he was transferred to the 
 University of Edinburgh, where he gradua- 
 ted with signal honour, and returned to Ins 
 native State, and native county, a physician, 
 whose talents and education soon placed him 
 at the head of his profession. 
 
 Shortly after his return from Europe, he 
 married Miss Catherine Harris, of Surrey ; a 
 lady, whose mind, maimers and education 
 
DR. JAMES JONES. 
 
 109 
 
 were such as to enable her, in a very high 
 degree, to promote his happiness and con- 
 tribute to his success. Her dignified and 
 gentle mamiers, her polished mind, her 
 amiable disposition, her warm-hearted hos- 
 pitality, are extensively known and highly 
 appreciated through Virginia and else- 
 where, especially by travelling ministers of 
 the gospel, who so often found in her a sister, 
 and in her house a home. She survives her 
 husband ; and now, at an advanced age, in 
 all the loneliness of a childless widowhood, 
 she awaits, with Christian meekness, the 
 summons, which must ere long call her to 
 that land, where 
 
 “ Everlasting spring abides, 
 
 And never withering flowers.” 
 
 Dr. Jones was not permitted to continue 
 long in private life. He was frequently 
 
 called to represent his county in the State 
 
 10 
 
110 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF 
 
 Legislature. He served as Privy Counsellor 
 under the elder John Tyler; represented his 
 district in Congress during the administra- 
 tion of Mr. Madison, and was chosen to act 
 as a member of the Electoral College in the 
 election of four successive Presidents. In all 
 these important stations, he discharged his 
 duty with signal faithfulness and ability. 
 
 His extreme modesty, and nothing but 
 this, prevented his becoming distinguished as 
 a debater in our national councils. But he 
 was a politician whose prudence, whose accu- 
 rate and varied knowledge, sound judgment, 
 purity of purpose, and practical wisdom, ren- 
 dered him eminently useful. 
 
 His residence, as a student of medicine, in 
 Philadelphia, and still more, his subsequent 
 residence in Europe, was by no means fa- 
 vourable to the development of the religious 
 feelings and principles which had been 
 awakened at Hampden Sidney. Indeed, an 
 
DR. JAMES JONES. 
 
 Ill 
 
 opposite and a disastrous influence was ex- 
 erted. He returned to his native land very 
 decidedly skeptical in his views. Unfortu- 
 nately, such views had, at this time, become 
 very popular in Virginia, and particularly so 
 in the region of country in which our friend 
 commenced the practice of medicine. Here 
 a number of the wealthiest and most intelli- 
 gent gentlemen, had united in the formation 
 of an “ infidel club,” the place of whose 
 meetings is known to this day as “ Paine- 
 ville ” — thus named in honour of Tom Paine. 
 The high intellectual character of these gen- 
 tlemen was such, as to give them great influ- 
 ence over our young physician; and he was 
 accordingly led to think, and feel, and act as 
 they did. Thus he lived for many years, 
 and thus, to use his own language, he “ did 
 much to embitter the latter portion of his life 
 with wormwood and gall.” 
 
 His domestic relations were eminently 
 
112 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF 
 
 happy, and perhaps no man was ever better 
 fitted, by high social qualities, to impart and 
 to enjoy happiness as a husband and father. 
 In the wise but inscrutable providence of 
 God, the sources of our purest and most 
 elevated enjoyments often become the occa- 
 sions of our. deepest grief. It was thus with 
 these fond parents. God had given them 
 two lovely daughters, the only children He 
 ever gave them. One of these died in in- 
 fancy. The other had nearly attained matu- 
 rity, and gave abundant promise of the rarest 
 excellences. A lovely person, a sprightly 
 and well-cultivated mind, a tender and amia- 
 ble heart, made her almost the idol of her 
 doting parents. She seemed to them as a 
 source of light and comfort, by which their 
 footsteps were to be directed, and their 
 hearts cheered, amidst the darkness of old 
 age. But, in all this, they were sadly disap- 
 pointed. Death came again, and laid this 
 
DR. JAMES JONES. 
 
 113 
 
 lovely form by the side of her who had been 
 buried in infancy, and bore her spirit to Him 
 who is the resurrection and the life. 
 
 The death of two such children, with none 
 to supply their place, was an affliction almost 
 too heavy to be borne, and threatened to 
 crush those upon whom it fell. 
 
 The following extract is taken from a 
 paper found in his desk after his death, and 
 written at the time of his sad loss. It is 
 here presented, as furnishing proof of the 
 strength of his parental feelings, an illustra- 
 tion of the greatness of his grief, and as a 
 specimen of the efforts made by a vigorous 
 mind and tender heart — as yet, unenlight- 
 ened and unrenewed by divine grace — to 
 find consolation in sorrow. The extract is 
 as follows: 
 
 “ She was her parents’ sole delight ; 
 
 They had but one — one only child.” 
 
 “ The loss of this fair bud of being, just 
 10 * 
 
114 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF 
 
 beginning to bloom and spread all its sweets 
 abroad to our enraptured senses, nipped by an 
 untimely frost, has left me to wail in gloomy 
 silence. Ever dear, ever sacred shall be the 
 recollection of her! Yes, an all-wise Provi- 
 dence permitted her to shed on this benighted 
 world, the effulgent beams of her brilliant 
 soul, for a short time only, and then took her 
 back to himself, in order to attract more 
 forcibly the earnest longings, the ardent 
 aspirations of her afflicted parents towards 
 himself. Never can I again plunge into the 
 gay scenes, the flattering, beguiling plea- 
 sures of this troubled ocean of time. Whilst 
 I possessed such a treasure as she was, far 
 short of its intrinsic value was my estimate 
 of it. Now that I am bereft of it, my fond, 
 my mortified recollection goes back to scenes, 
 which, could I return to them again, would 
 afford me the most exquisite delight — the 
 antepast of heaven. To cultivate such a 
 
DR. JAMES JONES. 
 
 115 
 
 mind; to cherish all its virtuous emotions; 
 to guard it against the attacks of vice; to 
 direct its expansive operations in the fields 
 of fancy and of science ! 0 God ! what ex- 
 
 quisite enjoyments didst thou put within my 
 reach, and what shameful indifference did I 
 betray ! Pardon, 0 pardon, my gross in- 
 gratitude ! Give me resignation to thy hea- 
 venly will, believing that all things shall 
 work together for good to those who, through 
 faith and patience in well-doing, seek for 
 immortality of bliss in thy favour only.” 
 Here the manuscript ends abruptly. About 
 this time, whether before or after writing the 
 above we are not informed, the deeply-dis- 
 tressed father addressed a letter to a distin- 
 guished gentleman, whose acquaintance he 
 had made in Congress, asking for consola- 
 tion. His friend, who was an utter stranger 
 to the Bible, if not an avowed unbeliever, 
 replied with promptitude and kindness, say- 
 
116 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF 
 
 ing all that the light of nature, and all that 
 reason, unassisted by revelation, could say, to 
 cheer the heart, when well nigh crushed with 
 grief. Having read this letter again and 
 again, he exclaimed, “Is this all? Can 
 nothing more be said or done to cheer me in 
 my sorrow? There must be a God. This 
 I have always believed. It is equally ob- 
 vious, that this God is benevolent ; and if so, 
 he has somewhere made provision for support 
 and comfort at a time like this. But where 
 is this provision to be found? The letter of 
 my friend shows plainly that this world has 
 it not. Had it been discoverable by reason, 
 the writer would have known it. But, in- 
 stead of giving comfort, his communication 
 adds poignancy to my grief. It must be in 
 the Bible. I will look.” Thus he reasoned. 
 Then opening the inspired volume, he turned 
 its leaves somewhat at random, when his 
 eyes fell on this passage, “For our light 
 
DR. JAMES JONES. 
 
 117 
 
 affliction which is hut for a moment, worketh 
 for us a far more exceeding and eternal 
 weight of glory ; while we look not at the 
 things which are seen, but at the things 
 which are not seen: for the things which are 
 seen, are temporal, but the things which are 
 not seen, are eternal.” 2 Cor. iv. 17, 18. 
 
 This arrested his attention. This touched 
 his heart, and he exclaimed, “ I have found 
 it. This meets my case.” Thus encouraged, 
 he read on, and in process of time, became a 
 true believer in Christ, and a consistent and 
 useful member of his church. 
 
 He now sought to promote the spiritual 
 good of his friends and of the world, with 
 great liberality and zeal. Upon thorough 
 investigation, he became a Presbyterian, and 
 sought and obtained from the Presbytery a 
 missionary, who found in his house a home, 
 and at his hands a support, which enabled 
 him to prosecute his work with some success; 
 
118 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF 
 
 and thus, through the instrumentality of 
 this distinguished physician and statesman — 
 now an humble Christian — were the founda- 
 tions of a church laid, which has increased 
 in numbers and efficiency, until it has be- 
 come one of the largest and strongest coun- 
 try churches, in the Synod of Virginia. 
 
 At an early period of his Christian life, 
 he became a ruling elder in the church which 
 he had so materially aided in organizing; 
 and for many years served with great fidelity 
 in all our church courts, from the Session to 
 the General Assembly. 
 
 Dr. Jones had mingled freely, until about 
 the fiftieth year of his age, in the gayest, 
 most fashionable, and the least religious 
 circles of society. His manners and his 
 habits were accordingly such, as strongly 
 incline those who make a profession of reli- 
 gion, from the higher walks of life, to con- 
 tent themselves with the shadow, rather than 
 
DR. JAMES JONES. 119 
 
 the substance. As an illustration of the 
 mighty power of divine truth in remodeling 
 the character, and as a proof of the sincerity 
 and depth of his piety, it should be stated, 
 that on connecting himself with the church, 
 he engaged promptly and zealously in the 
 active duties of the Christian life. He 
 erected an altar, around which his family 
 were regularly called to offer their morning 
 and evening devotions. He took the deepest 
 interest in the religious instruction of his 
 large family of servants ; and few have suc- 
 ceeded so well in inducing this class of per- 
 sons to attend regularly and seriously on 
 divine worship, both social and public. From 
 his earliest connection with the Church, to 
 the end of his earthly pilgrimage, he had a 
 neat apartment kept as a private chapel, 
 where divine service was regularly performed 
 on the Sabbath, for the benefit of his own 
 servants, and such of his neighbours’ servants 
 
120 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF 
 
 as might choose to attend. For several 
 years, the writer was accustomed to officiate 
 in this place, and to this people, on the Sab- 
 bath afternoon ; and never can he forget the 
 dignified, yet subdued and chastened manner, 
 with which this excellent man regularly seated 
 himself in the midst of this humble audience, 
 to hear with them the words of life eternal. 
 There, too, sat the good old African Preacher, 
 with his dark visage, but brilliant mind and 
 pious heart, who never failed, when the ser- 
 vice was over, to remain, that he might pro- 
 pound questions, and make remarks suggested 
 by the sermon just delivered. 
 
 Our lamented friend became the early and 
 zealous champion of the temperance reforma- 
 tion. As early as the year 1828 , he attended 
 and addressed the first temperance meeting 
 ever held in that part of the country. He was 
 one of only eight persons who could be in- 
 duced to favour the holding of this meeting; 
 
DR. JAMES JONES. 
 
 121 
 
 and shared largely, but cheerfully, in the 
 public odium which this movement elicited. 
 In this war — and war it was of a truth — he 
 enlisted for life, and lived and died its wise 
 and prudent, but firm and fearless friend and 
 promoter. It was his happiness, too, to see 
 this cause, as well as that of his church, both 
 of which had so feeble a beginning, surmount 
 every obstacle, and attain a high degree of 
 prosperity and usefulness. 
 
 All the benevolent enterprises of the 
 Church, enjoyed his confidence, and shared 
 in his benefactions. We have rarely known 
 a man, whose judgment more promptly ap- 
 proved, and whose heart more warmly em- 
 braced, whatever tended to elevate and bless 
 his race. Thoroughly educated himself, he 
 was the firm friend of the education of 
 others. An alumnus of Hampden Sidney 
 College, and subsequently a trustee, he was 
 
 the warm friend and liberal supporter of that 
 
 11 
 
122 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF 
 
 venerable and useful institution. He saw, 
 too, the obvious difference in rank and im- 
 portance, between the College and the Uni- 
 versity; and hence his zeal for the former 
 did not make him the blind opponent of the 
 latter. His private letters abound with ex- 
 pressions of - the highest admiration for the 
 University of Virginia. He, more than once, 
 visited this seat of learning, and informed 
 himself thoroughly respecting its course of 
 instruction and system of discipline by per- 
 sonal inspection; the result of which was, 
 an abiding conviction, that, without an in- 
 stitution planned, endowed, and conduct- 
 ed as that is, the literary and scientific 
 wants of the commonwealth could not be 
 supplied. 
 
 From the period of Dr. Jones’s conversion 
 no subject more constantly occupied his 
 thoughts, or more deeply enlisted his feel- 
 ings, than the condition and future prospects 
 
DR. JAMES JONES. 
 
 123 
 
 of his servants. We have already seen the 
 measures he adopted for their religious in- 
 struction. But when taught, he wished 
 them to enjoy the benefits of that instruction 
 to the fullest attainable extent. In a word, 
 he desired and he purposed to emancipate 
 them. 
 
 He fully believed that the only wise and 
 benevolent method of doing this, was to send 
 them to Liberia, under the auspices of the 
 American Colonization Society. Accord- 
 ingly, after corresponding with Mr. Elliot 
 Cresson, and other distinguished friends of 
 this cause, in reference to this matter, he 
 and Mrs. Jones, whose sentiments and feel- 
 ings were identical, commenced a course of 
 instruction designed to enlighten their minds, 
 and to form their characters with a view to 
 emigration. 
 
 But the condition of these servants was 
 rendered so extremely comfortable, by the 
 
124 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF 
 
 parental treatment received at the hands of 
 their excellent master and mistress, that not 
 one of them could be induced to go, until 
 that master and mistress should be taken 
 from them by death. 
 
 In 1837 he made his will, in which he 
 provides amply for the emancipation and 
 emigration to Liberia of as many as could be 
 induced to go, leaving the whole to be exe- 
 cuted at the death of his widow. This will 
 contains the following clause: “The whole 
 subject is to be fully and intelligibly pre- 
 sented to their minds, so that they may have 
 the option of going to the Colony, or remain- 
 ing in bondage. And I particularly desire 
 that any of them who may be willing to go, 
 shall at any time be emancipated by due 
 form of law, by my executors, and trans- 
 ferred to such agents of said Colony as may 
 be willing to receive them. I would prefer 
 that point known as Bassa Cove, under the 
 
DR. JAMES JONES. 125 
 
 direction of the New York and Pennsylvanie 
 Colonization Societies.” 
 
 The will of 1846, which is his last will 
 does not differ materially from the former 
 Knowing how tenderly his loved wife felt on 
 this subject, he only leaves the whole matter 
 more fully in her hands. 
 
 She has accordingly commenced the work, 
 both of colonization and emancipation ; hav- 
 ing tendered to some of them the privilege 
 of going this spring to Liberia, and having 
 actually emancipated others, in the best and 
 only way permitted by the laws of Virginia, 
 with the privilege of remaining in the com- 
 monwealth. 
 
 Were it expedient, we might easily and 
 greatly extend this sketch. We should like 
 to speak, as truth would warrant, of his 
 purity and patriotism; his unshaken con- 
 stancy as a friend; and particularly of his 
 almost excessive tenderness, faithfulness and 
 11 * 
 
126 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF 
 
 affection as a husband. But we can only 
 glance at his last moments. 
 
 He had lived the life of the enlightened 
 patriot, the hospitable and polished gentle- 
 man, the consistent, useful Christian. Such 
 a life might be expected to terminate in a 
 calm and peaceful death. His last illness 
 was protracted and severe; but borne with 
 Christian fortitude and Christian submission. 
 He was among the first to discover, that his 
 sickness would be unto death. With the 
 utmost composure, he proceeded to give such 
 directions respecting his temporal concerns, 
 as he deemed necessary; not neglecting a 
 full expression of his wishes as to his burial. 
 Having done this, he said to a friend, who 
 had travelled many miles to visit him, “I am 
 glad to see you. I have endeavoured, from 
 the first, to cast myself upon a gracious God, 
 through a Redeemer. This I now do. The 
 violence of my disease interrupts thought, 
 
DR. JAMES JONES. 
 
 127 
 
 and hinders devotion. I can only trust.” 
 Shortly after this, he seemed to have drawn 
 his last breath. All perceptible signs of life 
 were gone. His fond wife bent over him in 
 agony, exclaiming, “ It is all over.” To the 
 surprise of all around him, he opened his 
 eyes, and looked tenderly upon her who 
 was dearer to him than his own life, and 
 said, “Be still and wait. I am waiting 
 quietly.” 
 
 On another occasion he said, “ When I do 
 go, I hope to go straight to a better world.” 
 He was now unable to carry on a connected 
 conversation, but as he lay, struggling for 
 breath, and expecting every moment to be 
 his last, he was heard, from time to time, 
 indulging in such expressions as these: 
 “ Bluntly prepared. Yes, ready, and some- 
 times very anxious, to go.” — “ There is still 
 a great deal of evil in the world. Satan is 
 still permitted to have much power. But 
 
128 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF 
 
 the Lord reigns, and will do all things well.” 
 To the friend before referred to, who was, at 
 this critical moment, very reluctantly forced 
 to leave him, and whom, with much difficulty, 
 he was made to recognize, he said, “ Fare- 
 well ! God bless you ! It is all that I can 
 say.” 
 
 These were among the last expressions 
 which fell from that tongue which had so 
 often, and with so much eloquence, edified 
 and delighted the intelligent and pious visi- 
 tors, who were accustomed to frequent his 
 delightful residence. That tongue is now 
 silent in death, but the spirit which animated 
 it, lives in a purer and brighter world. That 
 body which, with so much dignity and grace, 
 was accustomed to move through the apart- 
 ments, and over the fields and gardens of 
 Mountain Hall, now lies beside the remains 
 of the loved ones lost in childhood; but his 
 character and his example still live, to teach 
 
DR. JAMES JONES. 129 
 
 surviving friends and relatives how to be 
 useful in life and happy in death. 
 
 Thus lived and thus died, the African 
 Preacher and his distinguished friend and 
 patron. The former ended his days on the 
 6th of April, 1843, supposed to be nearly 
 one hundred years old. The other followed 
 on the 25th of April, 1848, in the 77th year 
 of his age. 
 
 We bless the God and Father of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ for that gospel which can thus 
 influence all classes in society; revealing, as 
 it does, a Saviour, who could thus lay one 
 hand on the kidnapped African, and the 
 other on the polished graduate of a European 
 University; then mould and fashion their 
 habits and tastes so much alike, that it is 
 hard to say, whether the power and grace of 
 that Saviour are most conspicuous, in ele- 
 vating the former, or humbliTig the latter. 
 As unlike by nature as the two continents 
 
130 
 
 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 
 
 which gave them birth, by grace they be- 
 came one in Christ Jesus, and, beyond a 
 doubt, are now together before the throne, 
 singing, as with one voice and one heart, 
 “ the song of Moses and the Lamb.” 
 
APPENDIX II. 
 
 It is stated at page 29, that Uncle Jack 
 was very often called upon to officiate at the 
 funerals of the coloured people. Such occa- 
 sions on the plantations often exhibit scenes 
 of much solemn interest, both on the part of 
 the planters and the slaves. The following 
 extract from a popular journal, gives a 
 graphic sketch of such a scene. — [Editor op 
 Presb. Board op Publication.] 
 
 THE NIGHT FUNERAL OF A SLAVE. 
 
 Travelling recently on business, in the 
 interior of Georgia, I reached, just at sunset, 
 the mansion of the proprietor through whose 
 
 131 
 
132 
 
 THE NIGHT FUNERAL 
 
 estate, for the last half hour of my journey, 
 I had pursued my way. My tired companion 
 pricked his ears, and with a low whinny 
 indicated his pleasure, as I turned up the 
 broad avenue leading to the house. Calling 
 to a black boy in view, I made him inquire 
 of his owper if I could be accommodated 
 with lodgings for the night. 
 
 My request brought the proprietor himself 
 to the door, and from thence to the gate, 
 when, after a scrutinizing glance at my per- 
 son and equipments, he inquired my name, 
 business, and destination. I promptly re- 
 sponded to his questions, and he invited me 
 to alight and enter the house, in the true 
 spirit of Southern hospitality. 
 
 He was apparently thirty years of age, 
 and evidently a man of education and refine- 
 ment. I soon observed an air of gloomy 
 abstraction about him. He said but little, 
 and even that little seemed the result of an 
 
OF A SLAVE. 
 
 133 
 
 effort to obviate the seeming want of civility 
 to a stranger. At supper, the mistress of 
 the mansion appeared, and did the honours 
 of the table, in her particular department. 
 She was exceedingly lady-like and beautiful. 
 She retired immediately after supper, and a 
 servant handing some splendid habanas on 
 a small silver tray, we had seated ourselves 
 comfortably before the enormous fire of oak 
 wood, when a servant appeared at the end 
 door near my host, hat in hand, and uttered, 
 in subdued but distinct tones, the, to me, 
 startling words: 
 
 “Master, de coffin hab come.” 
 
 “Very well,” was the only reply, and the 
 servant disappeared. 
 
 My host remarked my gaze of inquisitive 
 wonder, and replied to it — 
 
 “I have been sad, sad,” said he, “to-day. 
 I have had a greater misfortune than I have 
 experienced since my father’s death.' I lost 
 12 
 
L34 THE NIGHT FUNERAL 
 
 this morning the truest and most reliable 
 friend I had in the world — one whom I have 
 been accustomed to honour and respect since 
 my earliest recollection. He was the play- 
 mate of my father’s youth, and the mentor 
 of mine; a faithful servant, an honest man, 
 and sincere. Christian. I stood by his bed- 
 side to-day, and Avith his hands clasped in 
 mine, I heard the last words he uttered; 
 they were, ‘Master, meet me in heaven.’” 
 
 His voice faltered a moment, and he con- 
 tinued, after a pause, with increased excite- 
 ment: 
 
 “ His loss is a melancholy one to me. If 
 I left my home, I said to him, ‘John, see that 
 all things are taken care of,’ and I knew 
 that my wife and child, property and all, 
 were as safe as though they were guarded by 
 a hundred soldiers. I never spoke a harsh 
 word to him in all my life, for he never 
 merited it. I have a hundred others, many 
 
OF A SLAVE. 135 
 
 of them faithful and true, but his loss is 
 irreparable.” 
 
 I came from a section of the Union where 
 slavery does not exist ; and I brought with 
 me all the prejudices which so generally 
 prevail in the free States in regard to this 
 “institution.” I had already seen much to 
 soften these, but the observation of years 
 would have failed to give me so clear an 
 insight into the relation between master and 
 servant as this simple incident. It was not 
 the haughty planter, the lordly tyrant, talk- 
 ing of his dead slave as of his dead horse, 
 but the kind-hearted gentleman, lamenting 
 the loss and eulogizing the virtues of his 
 good old friend. 
 
 After an interval of silence, my host re- 
 sumed : 
 
 “There are,” said he, “many of the old 
 man’s relatives and friends who would wish 
 to attend his funeral. To afford them oppor- 
 
136 
 
 THE NIGHT FUNERAL 
 
 tunity, several plantations have been notified 
 that he will be buried to-night. Some, I pre- 
 sume, have already arrived; and desiring to 
 see that all things are properly prepared for 
 his interment, I trust you will excuse my 
 absence a few moments.” 
 
 “Most certainly, sir; but,” I added, “if 
 there is no impropriety, I would be pleased 
 to accompany you.” 
 
 “There is none,” he replied; and I fol- 
 lowed him to one of a long row of cabins, 
 situated at the distance of some three hun- 
 dred yards from the mansion. The house 
 was crowded with negroes. All arose on our 
 entrance, and many of them exchanged 
 greeting with my host, in tones that con- 
 vinced me that they felt that he was an 
 object of sympathy from them ! The corpse 
 was deposited in the coffin, attired in a 
 shroud of the finest cotton materials, and the 
 coffin itself was painted black. 
 
OF A SLAVE. 
 
 137 
 
 The master stopped at its head, and laying 
 his hand upon the cold brow of his faithful 
 bondsman, gazed long and intently upon fea- 
 tures with which he had been so long fami- 
 liar, and which he now looked upon for the 
 last time on earth. Raising his eyes at length, 
 and glancing at the serious countenances 
 now bent upon his, he said solemnly, and 
 with much feeling— 
 
 “ He was a faithful servant and true Chris- 
 tian. If you follow his example, and live as 
 he lived, none of you need fear when the 
 time comes for you to lie here.” 
 
 A patriarch, with the snow of eighty win- 
 ters on his head, answered, 
 
 “Master, it is true, and we will try to live 
 like him.” 
 
 There was a murmur of general assent, 
 and after giving some instructions relative 
 to the burial, we returned to the building. 
 
 About nine o’clock a servant appeared 
 12 * 
 
138 
 
 THE NIGHT FUNERAL 
 
 with the notice that they were ready to move, 
 and to know if further instructions were 
 necessary. My host remarked to me that, 
 by stepping into the piazza, I would proba- 
 bly behold, to me, a novel scene. The pro- 
 cession had moved, and its route led within 
 a few yards of the mansion. There were 
 one hundred and fifty negroes, arranged 
 four deep, and following a wagon in which 
 was placed the coffin. Down the entire 
 length of the line, at intervals of a few feet 
 on each side, were carried torches of the 
 resinous pine, here called light-wood. About 
 the centre was stationed the black preacher, 
 a man of gigantic frame and stentorian lungs, 
 who gave out from memory the words of a 
 hymn suitable to the occasion. The Southern 
 negroes are proverbial for the melody and 
 compass of their voices, and I thought that 
 hymn, mellowed by distance, the most so- 
 lemn, and yet the sweetest music that had 
 
OF A SLAVE. 
 
 139 
 
 ever fallen upon my ear. The stillness of 
 the night, and strength of their voices, en- 
 abled me to distinguish the air at the dis- 
 tance of half a mile. 
 
 It was to me a strange and solemn scene, 
 and no incident of my life has impressed me 
 with more powerful emotions than the night 
 funeral of the poor negro. For this reason 
 I have hastily and most imperfectly sketched 
 its leading features. 
 
 THE END. 
 

 
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