'tfjn^ust ossS* 
 
THF OOOD " V\ 
 
THE <;ooi> MAN'S MEMORIAL. 
 
 \ SKETCH 
 
 T II K LIFE AND CHARACTER 
 
 OF 
 
 SAMUEL PITTS. 
 
 BY JOSEPH P. THOMPSON, 
 
 PASTOR OF THE BROADWAY TABKRNACLH CHURCH. 
 
 NEW-TO KK : 
 
 PRINTED UY B. BRADFORD, 
 
 Ho. 11 John Street. 
 
 18.",:,. 
 
.Tu77s- 
 
 7 
 
 
TO THI 
 
 "PITTS BIBLE CLASS," 
 
 THIS BRIEF MEMORIAL 
 OF THEIR BELOVED AND HONORED TEACHER, 
 
 Prepared and Published at their request, 
 IS AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 Wkkk I to sum up iii one statement the life and 
 character of the subject of this brief Memoir, I would 
 quote the comprehensive and emphatic language of the 
 sacred historian, concerning Barnabas: — "He was a 
 
 (jno'J man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith ; 
 and much people was added to the Lord."* These few 
 words unfold at one view his personal character, the 
 sources of his power, and the results of Ids life. Like 
 Barnabas, the subject of the following sketch was a "son 
 of exhortation ; n ready, fervent, eloquent in pleading for 
 Christ ; administering warning to the ungodly ; instruc- 
 tion, hope and comfort to the penitent ; motive, appeal, 
 animation, joy, to the believing; consolation to the sick 
 and the dying. Like Barnabas, at the beginning of his 
 Christian life, he brought all that he had and devoted it 
 to the service of Christ. Like Barnabas, he hastened 
 wherever the intelligence of a revival of religion invited 
 
 * Acts, XI, 24. These words were the text of a discourse commemorative 
 oT Mr. Pitts, preached in the Broadway Tabernacle, February 25th, 1965, 
 
6 PREFACE. 
 
 him to labor; "and when he saw the grace of God he 
 was glad," and helped forward the work by prayer and 
 exhortation. Like Barnabas in receiving Saul, lie em- 
 braced with generous confidence the inquirer and the 
 convert, and proved to many a friend and a helper when 
 others were suspicions and cold. Like Barnabas, he was 
 designated by his brethren to offices of trust and respon- 
 sibility, and fulfilled every appointment with clean hands 
 and a pure heart And like Barnabas, wherever he went 
 he received the willing testimony of the churches, as "a 
 brother beloved, ready to lay down his life for the name 
 of our Lord." 
 
 For seven years he was intimately associated with the 
 writer, in the spiritual care of the Broadway Tabernacle 
 Church : virtually a co-pastor, though not an ordained 
 minister of the Gospel. In this capacity he ever com- 
 mended himself to my regard, by the warmest personal 
 friendship, the sincerest devotion to the welfare of the 
 church, and the most untiring zeal in the service of our 
 Lord and Master. His manner of discharging the func- 
 tions of this anomalous but useful office was in all respects 
 unexceptionable ; his integrity was above suspicion ; his 
 life was without reproach. 
 
 I could wish that his useful and blessed life had come 
 serenely to its close in the sphere to which he was so 
 
well adapted, and amid the Bcenesofhis most protracted 
 and useful labors: that I might have witnessed the final 
 triumph of a faith that bo often cheered and sustained 
 me under the burdens and responsibilities of a peculiar 
 poet: that the church, whose life he cherished as his 
 own. might have ised with prayer and sympathy 
 
 die chamber of his last . and have gathered around 
 
 his bier; and that the feet of the young men whom he 
 had led in the way of holiness, might have been at his 
 door to carry him to his rest. 
 
 But although debarred the privilege of ministering to 
 him in his last days, and of profiting by his experiei 
 of • of Christ, I rejoice in the opportunity to 
 
 which the young men of his favorite Bible-class have 
 called me, of commending to others the virtues of his 
 life, and of putting upon record an example of Christian 
 fidelity, which, like that of Harlan Page, may animate 
 many in the blessed work of saving souls. The outward 
 incidents of that life may be recounted in few words. 
 These will serve as a brief introduction to the analysis of 
 his character and his tabors as a Christian. 
 
 vi -York, March, 1865. 
 
LIFE AM) CHARACTER, 
 
 del Pitts was born in Richmond, 4 Ontario County, 
 •NVu Fodc, August 2nd, 1802. Bis mother was remov- 
 ed by death in his infancy; but the step-mother to whom 
 his nurture was afterwards confided, made him to "know 
 all the sweetness of a mother's love and the fidelity of a 
 moth.-r'- devotion. No organic life could be closer than 
 thf lit. i of spiritual affection with which she infolded her 
 bob. To him she was ever the mother of his memory 
 and his k>ve. In his later years he was wont to recall 
 the impressions of her teaching- and example, as having 
 given him those views of moral obligation and of depend- 
 ence upon the grace of God, that were so happily com- 
 bined and illustrated in his personal experience. 
 
 One incident of his childhood he loved to recall.** 
 When eleven yean old, he was sent to school in Litch- 
 
 * For the rabstance of tUfl .effecting story I am indebted to Rev. H. G. Minn, 
 of Tecuinseh, Michigan ; to whose friendly offices I am also under great 
 obligation for other facts interwoven with this narrative. 
 
10 LIKE AND CHARACTER OF 
 
 field South Farms, Conn.; which, forty years ago, was 
 many days' journey from his native town. The night 
 before he Bet out upon this journey, he went early to 
 
 bed, with a schoolboy's anticipations of the morrow. At 
 midnight he was aroused by the voice of prayer at his 
 bedside; and on waking, he felt the warm pressure of 
 his mother's hand on his forehead, while her tears were 
 wetting his pillow. Her solicitude for the dear boy who 
 was about to be withdrawn from her care, and to be ex- 
 posed to untried scenes, drove sleep from her eyes, and 
 brought her to his bedside to repeat to him once more 
 the lessons of a religious faith, and to commend him to 
 God in fervent prayer. And thus mingling counsels and 
 prayers with her caresses and her tears, she remained at 
 his bedside till the morning dawned. His mother had 
 "lent him to the Lord ;" and through her he heard the 
 voice of the Lord at midnight, calling him : — " Samuel ! 
 Samuel ! " Even in his last sickness our friend would 
 often recall that scene ; and, with choked utterance, would 
 thank God for the influence of that mother's life. What 
 power on earth can be compared with a mothers love, 
 in molding the heart and the life of the man ! 
 
 At Litchfield the child Samuel was placed under the 
 immediate care of a worthy deacon of the church, who 
 ministered before the Lord with all his house. He re- 
 
ftfUU PITTS. I 1 
 
 ttained at Litchfield three yean. During that time he 
 was hopefully converted to Christ, under the pfeaohing 
 of the Rev. Mr. Nettleton, who was then at the Benith of 
 Ua labors in Connecticut One who knew him then, 
 informs me that he Showed thus early in his Christian 
 lit'** the same seal for the conversion of others that mark- 
 ed his later years. On his return to his early home, 
 Mr. Pitta engaged as a clerk in a store in Livonia, where 
 be continued for some years, leading an exemplary life, 
 (hough not distinguished, as far as I can learn, for ac- 
 tivity and zeal as a Christian. About the year 1825 he 
 entered into hotel-service at Geneva, where his gentle- 
 manly deportment and amiable character won the esteem 
 of all visitors. In 1826 he became the proprietor of one 
 of the principal hotels in Canandaigua. Meantime he 
 had married into a family which, like his own, was one 
 of the most respectable in Ontario county ; and with an 
 amiable partner, a pleasant circle of kindred and friends, 
 a good reputation, and an encouraging share of public 
 patronage, he had every condition of temporal prosperity 
 and happiness. But the fervor of his early religious 
 experience had passed away; and while his outward 
 life was blameless, and his native loveliness of disposition 
 and sincerity of heart were unaffected by the temptations 
 of his public occupation, yet he was hardly known in 
 
12 LIFE AND CHARACTER OF 
 
 Canandaigua as one who entertained the boj fa Chris- 
 tian, if indeed be still cherished that hope in secret 
 
 But now occurred the moat marked event of his reli- 
 gious experience ; what he was accustomed to term his 
 
 conversion; what was indeed the beginning of tliat 
 full consecration to God, which ever afterward charac- 
 terized his life. Under the ministry of the Rev. A. D. 
 Eddy, D.D., * and also in connection with the labors of 
 Rev. Chas. G. Finney, the village of Canandaigua waf 
 the scene of a general and powerful revival of religion. 
 In this revival Mr. Pitts renewed his personal consecra- 
 tion to Christ, with very marked evidences of the ge- 
 nuineness of his conversion or recovery. " I seldom 
 knew one," says his pastor, " whose exercises were so 
 distinctly indicated as sincere and Scriptural. His reli- 
 gious experience was so clear, so gentle. 
 manifestly genuine, so honorable to the truth of Godj to 
 the atonement of Christ, and to the office of the Holy 
 Spirit, that I love to dwell upon it. All took the most 
 lively interest in Mr. Pitts, and his conversion was the 
 occasion of very general rejoicing. Immediately after 
 his own conversion, he was intensely anxious for the 
 conversion of his wife ; and the scenes we had in prayer 
 
 * Now of Newark, N. J. 
 
BAMl i.i. )'ii L| 
 
 fresh and grateful to me, after the lapse of 
 rly thirty years, He soon found bis wife with him 
 
 in spirit and in truth." 
 
 During the continuance of the revival, Mr. Pitts 
 
 t'vh a prayerfulnesa and activity in bringing 
 
 ■linen to Christ : nor did his seal flag vrhen the special 
 
 of the revival subsided. Not long after these 
 
 ate, the failure of his business in Canandaigua, from 
 
 cause which I shall presently mention, led him to 
 
 return to his native town, where lie spent some time 
 in personal labors in revivals of religion, in the village 
 of Richmond and its vicinity. 
 
 By the advice of friends he now went to Geneva, 
 to pursue a course of study for the ministry of the Gos- 
 pel : but the state of his health soon obliged him to 
 abandon his purpose, and to seek again some active 
 employment. Accordingly he removed to Xew-York, 
 about the year 1835, and procured the office of steward 
 upon one of the steamboats running between this city 
 and Amboy. In this capacity he remained for some 
 year- ; maintaining a church connection in this city, 
 and giving t.j the in1 religion here such frag- 
 
 ments of time as he could command. His former inte- 
 rest in Mir. Finney attracted him to the Tabernaele 
 soon after it was opened, and he united with the original 
 
14 LIFE AND CHARACTER OF 
 
 church in that building. He retained that connection 
 until the church dissolved in 1840 ; when he united 
 with the sixty-seven who formed the present Broad- 
 way Tabernacle Church, by whom lie was unani- 
 mously chosen to the office of deacon. The late Mr. 
 David Hale, with his usual sagacity and breadth of plan, 
 perceiving in Mr. Pitts qualities that might be used to 
 great advantage in building up such an enterprise, by 
 the offer of a moderate salary and the prospect of a wide 
 field of usefulness, induced him to accept a stewardship 
 in the household of faith. Here, using the office of a 
 deacon well, " he purchased to himself a good degree, 
 and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus." 
 In this important post, Mr. Pitts rendered to the pastor 
 and to the church essential and invaluable services. Be- 
 sides superintending the secular concerns of the congre- 
 gation, Mr. Pitts devoted a portion of each day to visiting 
 among the people ; advised the pastor of cases requiring 
 special attention ; provided an extra supply when needed 
 for the pulpit ; relieved the pastoral office of many of its 
 burdens ; maintained a constant familiarity with the 
 members of the church, and promoted harmony and 
 good-will ; sought out strangers, and by various offices 
 of kindness attracted them permanently to the church ; 
 ministered to the wants of the sick and the poor of the 
 
-ami si. pirn. II 
 
 Book; labored without oeaung to win soula to Christ; 
 and especially watched over the welfare of young men, 
 fior whom he established a Bible-class, which still con- 
 tinues under his nam.'. Mr. Pitts remained in ilii^ j 
 until the Bpring of 1852, when the failure of his health, 
 and a general change in the financial arrangements of 
 the Tabernacle, led him to seek a now home in the W 
 On the occasion of his Leaving, the ehurch cordially 
 idopted tin 1 following resolution : 
 
 That the many offices of Christian kindness and love 
 performed by our brother Samuel Pitts, during his long connec- 
 tion with this church — his cordial assistance to, and co-operation 
 with the Pastor, in visiting from house to house — his ready sym- 
 pathy with the sick and afflicted of every name — his eminent 
 BUCCese in laboring for the cause of Christ, and the conversion 
 of souls — his untiring devotion to the spiritual welfare of young 
 men — and especially his labors in the Bible Class — merit the 
 heart-felt gratitude and never-ceasing remembrance of the mem- 
 bers of the church. 
 
 At the same time the members of the Bible Class, 
 who could hardly be reconciled to the loss of a teacher 
 who was to many of them a spiritual father, made up 
 for him a handsome testimonial, in a purse containing 
 $350 in gold. 
 
 Mr. Pitts removed to Tecumseh, Michigan ; where, 
 notwithstanding his impaired health, he devoted him- 
 
16 Lin \M) CHARACTER OF 
 
 self with unabated zeal to the service of his Master. 
 The Presbyterian church in that place, with which he 
 
 united, elected him to the office of elder; but while he 
 served the church with all fidelity, he did not desire 
 official prominence, and retained till the last a decided 
 preference for the principle of the equality of the broth- 
 erhood, in which he had been so well schooled in the 
 Tabernacle Church. 
 
 The comfortable degree of health to which lie was 
 restored by his removal to the West, encouraged in his 
 friends the hope of a permanent benefit from the change. 
 But disease had fastened itself upon his system too deeply 
 for any such hope to be realized. Last fall he suffered long 
 and severely from a renewed attack of the disease which 
 had already deprived him of the use of one lung ; and 
 just as he seemed to be recovering from this, other symp- 
 toms appeared which baffled medical skill, and on the eve- 
 ning of the 20th of January, he peacefully sank to his rest. 
 
 His funeral was attended at Tecumseh on the 2 2d of 
 January, by a large concourse of friends and citizens; 
 and an appropriate discourse was preached by Rev. 
 H. G. Blinn, from the words, Blessed are the dead which 
 die in the Lord, from henceforth ; yea, saith the spirit, 
 that they may rest from their labors ; and their works 
 do follow them. 
 
LMUBL imi i 17 
 
 Mod emphatically bis work- do follow liim. The 
 tVuits of his labors ai\- not all garnered Eis perooaal 
 influence tsnol yet dead. Hi^ eerj presence lives in 
 the nltnn mnm, where his bee was bo familiar, as, radiant 
 with joy or tearful with emotion, he urged and entreated 
 the young to come to Christ A long train of hallowed 
 deeds is thronging after him to the world of glory, or 
 lingering upon earth to consummate his latest prayers. 
 a few of the congregation worshiping at the Taber- 
 nacle, if called upon to testify to the immediate influence 
 in their conversion, would rise up and call him blessed, 
 lie rests from his labors ; he is blessed from henceforth ; 
 but we too are blessed even in his loss, in that his works 
 do follow him : for he ivas a good man, and full of the 
 Holy Ghost and of faith ; and much people was added 
 to the Lord. 
 
 In attempting an analysis of the character of Mr. 
 Pitts, the trait that comes most prominently into re- 
 membrance is, 
 
 I. His strength of religious principle. Sternness had 
 no part in his natural constitution. On the contrary, he 
 was sensitive and emotive even to a fault. His tempera- 
 ment was of that gentle, plastic kind, which a subtle 
 emissary of evil, a strong-willed, persevering opponent, 
 or an enticing and exciting pleader, might hope soonest 
 
18 LIFE AND CHARACTER OF 
 
 to overcome. l>ut deep under those fountains of emo- 
 tion, that gushed Avitli every stroke of pleasure or of 
 pain, was the living rock of principle, that no tempters 
 wand could move, that no enemy's staff could pierce. 
 He whom for any good purpose you could sway like a 
 child, whom for any kindly office you could use as a 
 brother, and whose tears were like the tears of woman's 
 sympathy, had a soul of iron where principle and duty 
 were involved. Rooted and grounded in the faith, he 
 needed but to know the right to do it, at any personal 
 hazard or loss. 
 
 Of his high-toned principle and unflinching integrity, 
 there are three prominent instances in his life, that in 
 this degenerate, time-serving generation, are worthy to 
 be written in letters of gold. When at Canandaigua, 
 some thirty years ago, Mr. Pitts openly consecrated 
 himself to the service of Christ, the cause of Temperance 
 was in its infancy. Few went so far as to advocate total 
 abstinence, and fewer still imagined that any effectual 
 restraint could be put upon the sale of intoxicating 
 drinks. Mr. Pitts was always strictly temperate in his 
 habits, but as the keeper of a hotel, which was also a 
 stage-house upon an important route, he was accustomed 
 to sell liquors at his bar, and found this the most profit- 
 able part of his business. But he became convinced 
 
mi i;i. I'M i 19 
 
 ili;ii this bar-traffic in intoxicating drinks was morallj 
 wrong, lli^ enlightened conscience ^;iw the gross in- 
 consistency and wickedness of thus helping <>n the 
 kingdom of Satan, while he was praying for the king- 
 dom of Christ He felt thai fora professed Christian 
 («> contribute to promote drunkenness in (In- community, 
 
 ! a scandal upon the cause of Christ too grievous t<> 
 be allowed ; and he promptly resolved to give up his 
 bar. s.> conscientious was lie that he would not sell 
 tin- -lock of liquors lie had on hand, hut emptied them 
 openly into the street, He made a clean conscience in 
 the matter, and washed his hands of that iniquity. He 
 
 Wished the first temperance hotel in western New- 
 York. This was looked upon by his friends at the time 
 a- little short of madness; and it resulted, as was pre- 
 dicted, in the failure of his hotel, and the loss of the 
 little property he had accumulated. Such was his early 
 sacrifice to principle. Thirty years ago the sacrifice was 
 far greater than it would be now. Then this branch of 
 business was more important to a village hotel, than in 
 these days of rail-road travel and moderate drinking; 
 and the general sentiment of the community, instead of 
 demanding such a measure, met it with opposition, with 
 coldness, or with ridicule. Rum-selling was not then 
 considered disreputable even in a professed Christian. 
 
20 III I! AM) CHARACTER OF 
 
 Mr. Pitts judged otherwise. In so doing lie lost his 
 property and his business, but he maintained a con- 
 science void of offence towards God and man. 
 
 The second act of high-toned principle to which I 
 icier, is connected with that very failure in business. 
 He made an honorable settlement with his creditors, 
 surrendering to them his entire property, which however 
 was not sufficient to meet their claims. But though 
 legally and, by the assent of his creditors, honorably 
 discharged from obligations which misfortune disquali- 
 fied him to cancel, he retained in his own conscience a 
 sense of moral obligation, a principle of right, which was 
 never satisfied until, by hard labor and prudent saving, 
 he had discharged every dollar of the original indebted- 
 ness. His first earnings went for that purpose ; and he 
 lived scantily for years, until he had paid to the creditors 
 with whom he had compromised the full amount of 
 their claims. 
 
 In a funeral discourse upon Mr. David Hale, I had 
 occasion to speak of a transaction precisely similar. 
 Though honorably released from his old liabilities in 
 Boston, no sooner was he prospered in this city than he 
 paid every dollar, with interest, upon his compromised 
 debts. In these days of abounding fraud, when so many 
 enrich themselves by failure, and take advantage of every 
 
iamuvl pm 21 
 
 shift and legal quibble to protect themselves against 
 
 their creditors, I am proud to mention tli.it the two 
 
 miiH'iit members of the Tabernacle church, non 
 
 I, have left in this respecl an example of the 
 
 highest Christian integrity. 1 commend that example 
 
 .'1 men of business : and especially to young men, as 8 
 tar better guide than the common maxims and practice 
 of the business world. 
 
 The third prominent instance of a supreme regard for 
 principle in Mr. Pitts, which I think worthy of mention, 
 is tins. When he filled the office of steward on one of 
 the steamboats in our harbor, it was resolved to run the 
 : od the Sabbath, and he was required to be at his 
 This he absolutely refused, and offered to resign 
 his situation rather than violate his conscience by Sab- 
 bath-day labor. His efficiency in that department, 
 however, and his general affability, had made him so 
 ■ntial to the int-e rests of the proprietor, that he excused 
 Mr. Pitts from making the trip on the Lord's day, for 
 ilit- sake of retaining him in his service. If I am rightly 
 informed, he was eventually displaced upon that ground. 
 But lie held the beginning of his confidence steadfast bo 
 the end. 
 
 These instances show us how completely the life of 
 this true child of God was regulated by principle. His 
 
22 LIFE AND CHARACTER OF 
 
 personal interests were always made subordinate to his 
 
 religious obligations and his convictions of right. He 
 made no compromise with conscience. He attempted 
 no casuistry upon moral questions, with a view to saving 
 his pecuniary interests or his present convenience, by 
 some adroit evasion of the demands of duty. He al* 
 looked duty fully in the face. He was quick to discern 
 the right, and prompt and steadfast to obey it. It cost 
 him much to abandon his bar and to cast away his 
 liquors ; to pay old compromised debts ; and to refuse 
 to violate the Sabbath. But whatever outward loss he 
 sustained, the peace of God kept his heart and mind 
 secure in Jesus Christ our Lord. 
 
 II. Mr. Pitts was remarkable for the intenseness of 
 his consecration to Christ, and for the uniformity which 
 this gave to his religious life and experiences. If ever a 
 Christian complied with the injunction of the apostle, 
 " I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of 
 God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, 
 acceptable to God," he made such a consecration. He 
 could say with Paul, " the love of Christ constraineth 
 me ;" " none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth 
 to himself. For whether we live, we live to the Lord ; 
 and whether we die, we die to the Lord ; whether we 
 live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's." " At his con- 
 
LMUKL I'ITT8. 89 
 
 ronton," Bays his then pastor, u he took a irerj decided 
 and open stand, and assumed a verj prominent position 
 as a ]>i«>us man." To this he adds the following em- 
 phatic testimony, M I never knew a more upright, pure, 
 ami conscientious man, or one bo Gaultlesa in his life as a 
 Christian. In all my long acquaintance with him, I 
 con 1 .. 1 ii«<t specifyin him the slighted moral delinquency, 
 or the least breach of gentlemanly decorum or ofciu 
 co n versation. In all my ministry I place Mr. Pitts as 
 the most unexceptionable Christian, the most consistent 
 and mo>t useful Christian that I have ever had the privi- 
 lege to number among those that I have been permitted 
 to receive into the church. And if Dr. Hopkins could 
 say of the first conversion under his ministry — after 
 some years — ' abundant reward for all my labors,' T can 
 say, if I was instrumental at all in the conversion of Mr. 
 Pitts, I bless God for such an honor, and count it an 
 abundant reward for all my labors." 
 
 That this is not the exaggerated language of partiality, 
 but a just tribute to the grace of God in the character 
 of our departed brother, all must agree who had oppor- 
 tunity to mark that character through a series of years. 
 That entire consecration which marked his entrance 
 upon the Christian lite, when he abandoned an immoral 
 traffic and refused to touch its gains, when he braved 
 
24 LIFE AND CHARACTER OF 
 
 ridicule, opposition, and pecuniary loss, simply to do 
 right and honor his Savior, that whole-souled devoted- 
 oeflfi to Christ which made him willing to forego a lucra- 
 tive situation rather than seem to dishonor the Lord's 
 day, was but the habitual tenor of his life from the day 
 that he renounced the world till he entered upon his 
 rest. His time, his means, his services, all were Christ's. 
 When in the office of steward on a large steamboat, 
 obliged to be early at his post, and having the fatigue of 
 two trips daily, he was always present at the evening 
 prayer-meeting, full of fervor and of love ; always punc- 
 tual at the Sabbath School, and ready for every good 
 work. The opportunity of devoting his whole time 
 directly to the cause of Christ, which was given him by 
 his office of steward in the Tabernacle Church, was to 
 him an unspeakable privilege and a constant rejoicing. 
 He loved his Master's work, and was wholly given to 
 that work. Though he was deeply emotional in his 
 religious experiences, this entire consecration to Christ, 
 and the fixedness of principle already noted, gave to his 
 Christian character an elevated uniformity seldom attain- 
 ed. He needed no special preparation for a revival, but 
 was full of the Holy Ghost and of faith. 
 
 III. Mr. Pitts was eminently a man of prayer. No 
 one could hear him pray without feeling that he was 
 
 ! 
 
■ !, and bad dii 
 inn. ing man 
 
 □ling ;i certain minister, to whoi 
 -i he had been very much oppos odd 
 
 r his preaching, but a began to | I 
 
 j in to be I ; and if he had continued to pi 
 
 much longer, I should not have 
 
 Many a young man will bear tli 
 
 i the prayers of deacon Pitts in the Bible-class or 
 
 in his own room, where he was accustomed to invite the 
 
 members of his class to meet him one by one. There 
 
 a in these prayers of his a fervor, a sincerity, a depth 
 
 spiritual emotion, that swayed every heart, and seemed 
 
 tli-* Spirit of God into immediate contact with 
 
 all who heard them. Yet with all their sympathetic 
 
 influence upon other minds, they were always proper 
 
 prayers ; not exhortations, declamations, or- appeals to 
 
 men, nor communications addressed to God as if to ad- 
 
 the Supreme Being of wdiat was transpiring in this 
 
 —but petitions, supplications, with confession, 
 
 ration and thanksgiving. Hence they took hold at 
 
 upon the soul and upon God. 
 
 He was much given to secret prayer. One who had 
 
 the best opportunity of knowing his habits says : " His 
 
 great earnestne-s for the salvation of the impenitent often 
 
 3 
 
26 LIFE AND CHARACTER OF 
 
 led him to leave his bed and spend a portion of the night 
 in prayer. He allowed no circumstance to interfere with 
 his closet devotions. He also found unusual enjoyment 
 in family worship, to which he ever attached great im- 
 portance." 
 
 A gentleman of this city, formerly connected with the 
 Tabernacle Church, in whose family Mr. Pitts was an 
 inmate for years, says of him, that in all his intercourse 
 with Christians he has never met one so spiritually 
 minded, or so devoted to prayer as he ; that he would 
 often spend a great part of the night in supplication for 
 his beloved church and for the young men's Bible-class, 
 in which his soul was absorbed. He always spent the 
 first day of the year in private devotion in his own cham- 
 ber, instead of following the usual empty round of New- 
 Year's calls. 
 
 Mr. Pitts prayed "always, Avithout ceasing." I re- 
 member to have heard him say, that on returning in the 
 night boat from New T Haven, after having presented to 
 me the call of the Tabernacle Church, he laid awake all 
 night in his berth, pleading with God that I might be 
 led to a right decision. And when on a second visit he 
 received an unfavorable answer, he again converted his 
 steamboat berth into a Bethel, where he wrestled till 
 day-break on behalf of his dear Tabernacle. * He was 
 
 * See Appendix. 
 
- v mi i i prn 
 
 lor years to spend an hour every morning 
 
 in the room adjoining my study in the Tabernacle, in 
 
 for God's ipiril to attend him through the day; 
 
 and often when be oame oul of thai room and entered 
 
 study, I have Been, in traces of tears and in his whole 
 demeanor, ho* earnestly he had been pleading before 
 
 L That prayer-chamber is a hallowed spot Such 
 no u]) from it as I doubt not have 
 prevailed with God. 1 have felt its quickening influence 
 in the study and in the pulpit: and doubtless the Great 
 Pay will make it manifest that many a blessing that 
 cam.' down upon the Tabernacle Church was in answer 
 to petitions uttered in that very room. There too he was 
 
 iistomed on Saturday evenings to meet such members 
 of the Bible-class as could assemble for prayer. Those 
 who enjoyed the privilege of that Saturday evening 
 meeting will never forget the prayers of deacon Pitts ; 
 when, as one expresses it, ' he would for awhile utter 
 
 ; monts and petitions in which all could join, and 
 then, unconsciously to himself, would seem to rise and 
 Boar beyond all the experience of those around him ; to 
 forget their presence ; to talk with Christ upon the mount 
 of transfiguration, and, like Paul, to be caught up into 
 the third heavens and to behold a glory that lie could 
 not describe/ He prayed much for specific objects ; for 
 
28 LIFE AND CHARACTER OF 
 
 particular young men in his class ; for the sermons of 
 the Sabbath ; for any who were serious or inquiring ; 
 concentrating his feelings and desires upon some one 
 thing whenever he approached the throne of grace. 
 Rev. C. G. Finney, who had heard his prayers in the 
 revival at Canandaigua, once held him up in this city as 
 the pattern of a praying Christian, not knowing that 
 Mr. Pitts was in the house among his hearers. 
 
 In his sickness, . both here and in Michigan, he was 
 accustomed to ascertain from his minister upon Saturday 
 the texts for the morrow's sermons, and the hymns and 
 Scriptures to be read ; and then at the hour of service he 
 would concentrate his thoughts upon these, and would 
 pour out his soul in prayer for a blessing on the congrega- 
 tion. He delighted in the house of the Lord ; in the com- 
 munion of the saints ; in the prayer meeting ; in all the 
 ways of God, The secret of all was that he delighted 
 in prayer, and was "full of the Holy Ghost and of 
 faith;' 
 
 IV. Equally eminent was he in zeal and in labors for 
 the conversion of sinners. Immediately upon his own 
 conversion, Mr. Pitts manifested an intense desire for the 
 conversion of others, especially of his own kindred. He 
 was forward in every good work. He did much good 
 in Canandaigua while he remained in that place ; and 
 
Ml II I'll I 2f 
 
 ith pecuniar] i himself 
 
 muoh the more earnest!] to the work of the Lord, 
 
 g in revivals in Richmond and in Livonia, with 
 
 eptableness and sue* ess. When employed upon 
 
 the Ambo] boat, he made it a daily duly to distribute 
 
 and tracts among the passengers and 
 
 hands; he improved opportunity for religions 
 
 fition ; and by bis Christian deportment, liis 
 
 obliging disposition, bis ready counsel, and his many 
 
 rindness, he gained the esteem of all with whom 
 
 ; . ll« i was always intent upon doing 
 
 Bis for U lay in bis mode of personal address to the 
 
 impenitent I have spoken of him as an exhorter. But 
 
 ixhortations were seldom public. He was no speech- 
 
 ll«' never came to the prayer-meeting to deliver 
 il exhortation, lie had quite a distrust of his own 
 ttcity for speaking in public, and rather shrank from 
 ortation in a mixed assembly. Yet was he daily an 
 to house, from street to street, by 
 er ready with a word fitly spoken, to 
 imend his Master and a soul. This personal 
 
 exhortation was his life, and was a grand element of his 
 Hi- favorite field was the little conference- 
 rand the Young Men's Bible-class. Thai cl 
 
30 LIFE AND CHARACTER OF 
 
 he bad founded at the very beginning of the Tabernacle 
 Church, and he watched over it with unceasing fidelity 
 while he remained in the city. He built up the class 
 and sustained it in numbers and in interest, by unremit- 
 ting personal effort. Often it numbered upwards of fifty 
 in regular attendance ; and it proved a nursery of the 
 church, from which souls converted and renewed were 
 continually introduced to its fellowship and to various 
 spheres of Christian activity. I doubt whether, in the 
 same period of time, any single institution in the city of 
 New- York has accomplished so much good for young 
 men. 
 
 Mr. Pitts continually recruited his class by extending 
 his personal acquaintance among the young men of the 
 city, and he labored habitually for the conversion of 
 every member of the class not already in Christ. 
 
 One great secret of his success in the class, as indeed 
 in all his labors with the impenitent, was his gentle- 
 manly address, and his tact in approaching persons on 
 the subject of religion. Mr. Pitts was a Christian gentle- 
 man. There was nothing rude or abrupt in his manner ; 
 no sanctimonious solemnity in his expression ; nothing 
 sour or repulsive, as if religion were a hard service, in 
 speaking of which he was doing task-work to earn his 
 own way to heaven. He was lively, pleasant, affable,, 
 
8 1 
 irhi], . . i imestj and thoroughly 
 
 , you tli.it be was a good man and ;i happy 
 
 Mian. 
 
 I would in>i<t much upon the graces of gentl< 
 .md courtesy bo prominent in him, as contributing to 
 
 f Christians in their labors with the impeni- 
 Mr. Pitts was Dot born to these graces; he did 
 acquire hii ease of manner in what is called hi 
 and fashionable Bociety. He Bometun 
 humble though always respectable splieres. He had no 
 station. But with an innate sense of propriety and 
 it kindness of heart, ho cultivated gentleness and 
 means of usefulness. And hence, he was 
 : in any society and by all classes. 
 
 II had also good tact or judgment as to the time, 
 [dace and manner of introducing a personal religious 
 conversation ; and knew how first to gain the confidence 
 of a stranger, and then to lead him to Christ. Two or 
 three examples will best recall this trait of his character. 
 
 When in passing the contribution box, or in showing 
 
 ts in the house, Mr. Pitts noticed the 
 
 or three times in attendance at the 
 
 Tal he would invariably contrive to meet them 
 
 the door, to exchange a few pleasant words upon the 
 
 preaching or some common topic, and thus wduld ingra- 
 
32 LIFE AND CHARACTER OF 
 
 tiate himself into their acquaintance, learn their place of 
 lence, and prove himself a spiritual friend. In this 
 way he helped to build up the Tabernacle Church, and 
 brought to it some of its most valuable members and 
 families. " No one can ever know," says a now promi- 
 nent member of that church, " how faithfully, kindly and 
 perseveringly, deacon Pitts labored with me. M 
 
 If he noticed among the young men in the gallery an 
 anxious, earnest countenance, or a tearful eye, he would 
 hasten at the close of the service to meet the individual 
 thus interested at the door, and by engaging conversa- 
 tion would draw him into the Bible-class, and thus, step 
 by step, lead him to Christ. He watched for souls as 
 one who must give account ; and he always did good as 
 he had opportunity. 
 
 An active member of the Bible-class and of the church 
 informs me, that he had not been in the city three 
 weeks, before Mr. Pitts, then an entire stranger, called 
 at his place of business and gave him a polite invitation 
 to attend the Bible-class. Though at the time impeni- 
 tent, the young man accepted the invitation, partly from 
 curiositv, partly through courtesy. After a brief attend- 
 ance he fell off; when, in came the good deacon at the 
 store, ' fearing that he had been sick or had changed his 
 residence: His calls were always well-timed and well 
 
mi ii. in r& 
 
 mai ling busi 
 
 mark. Bj • young man was won perma- 
 
 . the class; then drawn to the Saturday ereni 
 ing; thru persuaded to meet Mr. Pitts for 
 at his own room; where the good man 
 loin of ( Ihrist, with an earnest- 
 aist U<- followed that prs 
 with a consecration <'t'hi< heart to the Savior. 
 
 young man, once a member of the class, now 
 
 an . I liberal Christian, the superintendent of a 
 
 B bath school in another place, I will leave to tell his 
 
 :i words. 
 
 time I first bee [uainted with Mr. 
 
 - laboring under excitement from -nong 
 
 drink. I had been struggling hard to support a sick 
 
 ten who looked to me for assistance. I was 
 
 in receipt <»t*a -mail salary, in addition to which I occu- 
 
 inings in selling small articles to the retail 
 
 stores. I had met with indifferent success, and my 
 
 ivily upon me. I at last resorted to the 
 
 «mi]. in Older partially to drown my troubles, and it \ 
 
 on such ;;ii that for the first time I met Mr. 
 
 by the arm and asked me a few 
 
 . where 1 lived, 4c; then took 
 
 I, hired a room, and insisted on my taking 
 
AM) CHARACTER OF 
 
 some rest : after which he advised me to go home, and 
 
 promised ho would call and see me. I did so reluctantly ; 
 but having promised to meet him, and having a pride in 
 
 keeping my word, I met him at my house at the ap- 
 pointed time. I had then recovered myself sufficiently 
 
 to converse with him freely as to my position and diffi- 
 culties. He urged upon me the necessity of rising 
 above my troubles, and, above all, to endeavor to look 
 to God for aid and comfort. His efforts with me were 
 not merely confined to Avords, but his purse was brought 
 forward to assist. I doubted at first that any one could 
 be so disinterested as to do for me all he professed. But 
 as our intimacy increased, I found him all and more 
 than I could expect from any of my most intimate 
 friends. 
 
 " Having succeeded in securing my abandonment of 
 the cup, his next effort w r as to turn my thoughts to the 
 necessity of seeking my Savior. My confidence in him 
 increased with every succeeding interview. I permitted 
 him to lead me whither he would ; and, thanks be to 
 God, he did lead me into that life which I trust never to 
 forsake. And as the reward to me of this change, 
 brought about by his instrumentality, my temporal 
 affairs advanced with my spiritual. I was enabled to 
 do far more under the change, and my salary was ad- 
 
8AMUEJ . : I 
 
 i thai I abled to 
 
 I he had loa 1 me. It ended not here. I c 
 
 tinned to prosper; engaged in business on my own 
 
 ounl ; am now, I trust, a bumble servitor in a neigh- 
 boring church ; am enabled todo something respectable 
 tor the cause of Christ and the amelioration of the con- 
 dition of my fellows. From the first to the last of my 
 
 [uaintance with him, 1 have ever found him the si 
 warm friend, and always ready to talk of the love of 
 Christ His ideas of Christian duty and labor were 
 that we should make direct personal effort In whose- 
 soever salvation we were interested, we should not only 
 seri< je upon them the necessity of seeking the 
 
 Savior, hut should also make them subjects of earnest 
 prayer. This was, together with a consistent walk and 
 conversation, the secret of his great success with young 
 men/' 
 
 V. Besides this zeal for the conversion of sinners im- 
 mediately around him, Mr. Pitts cherished an equal 
 
 W towards the general interests of the Redeemer's 
 kingdom. He did not, like some good men, make a 
 hobby of revivals, of city missions, of tract distribution, 
 of this or that single branch of effort — not even of his 
 favorite Bible-class — and in his zeal for that, depreciate 
 or ignore all other modes of doing good ; but wherever 
 
oO ;> CHARACTER OF 
 
 lie heard of the grace of God he was glad. He rejoiced 
 
 in all phases of the work of Christ ; in personal home- 
 error ts ; in Bible-class instruction; in church visitation; 
 in the stated means of grace; in revivals of religion ; in 
 tract and Bible distribution; in home n and 
 
 foreign missions ; in charities to the poor ; in the relief 
 of the oppressed ; in whatever tended to promote the 
 freedom, the enlightenment, the evangelization, the sal- 
 vation of the world. He was a large-hearted Christian. 
 To him no genuine appeal for the cause of Christ was 
 ever addressed in vain ; for he was liberal, not only 
 according to his means, but even beyond his means, to 
 help forward that which was good. He delighted in 
 the intelligence the journals brought him of the progress 
 of Christ's kingdom. During his long confinement in 
 this city, before removing to the West, he would pore 
 over the religious newspapers, and gather up item by 
 item, as a theme for thanksgiving or a subject for prayer. 
 He always had a budget to talk oyer when I went to see 
 him. Thy kingdom come, was the daily bread of his 
 meditation and his prayer ; and his soul would melt in 
 tears or exhale in rapture as that kingdom seemed to be 
 retarded or advanced. For him to live was Christ. 
 
 VI. The grace of humility was ever apparent in the 
 walk and conversation of this dear child of God. He 
 
Mti.i. pent 
 had none of thai taU- humility, thai affected self-depre- 
 
 *-iati<>n. Of tli.it real hut morbid distrust and timidity 
 
 en mistaken tor the humility of the Gospel, which 
 would lead him t<> doubt his personal interest in Christ, 
 
 or to falter in his assurance ol' his final salvation. Least 
 
 of all was his the sluggishness, or bashfulness, or indiffer- 
 ence, that would shrink from duty and responsibility 
 under cover o( humility. He never felt too humble to 
 lead in prayer, or to converse upon religion. But he 
 ever manifested that deep consciousness of personal 
 unworthiness, that modest estimate of his own abilities 
 and services, that spontaneous readiness to give all the 
 glory to God and his grace, that mark the truly humble 
 mind. It was in perfect keeping with this spirit of 
 humility that he should leave no diary of his religious 
 experiences. There is no record to be found of his 
 spiritual frames, his resolutions, his prayers, and his 
 omissions or his attainments in the Christian life. 
 
 It has been customary to exhort young Christians to 
 keep a diary, as an expedient almost indispensable to 
 their spiritual life; and the diaries of good men and 
 women set forth by our religious book societies — often 
 but the records of morbid feeling and of physical or 
 mental disease — are sometimes held up as the invariable 
 models of a genuine Christian experience. Such jour- 
 4 
 
38 LIFE AND CHARACTER OF 
 
 rials have their uses; but when kept as a part of the 
 machinery of religious life, and with a view to con- 
 formity to a favorite model, they are apt to have the 
 savor of spiritual pride. Their elaborate entries in a set, 
 not to say a cant phraseology, squint decidedly toward 
 publication. It is difficult for one who has any reason 
 to suppose that he will be had in remembrance after 
 death, so to lose his consciousness of self and his mind- 
 fulness of the world, as to make the diary of his feel- 
 ings a transaction strictly between his own soul and 
 God. The habit of such record by the generality of 
 Christians, is of questionable benefit. There is danger 
 that it will turn those soul-experiences which should 
 ever be spontaneous and free, into a mechanical routine 
 or a subject for spiritual dissection. The piety of 
 deacon Pitts was an unwritten piety. Yet he himself 
 was a living epistle, known and read of all men. 
 
 Two striking instances of his humility are fresh in my 
 remembrance. He was often asked to estimate the 
 number of persons whom he had instrumentally brought 
 to Christ. But he always declined to make such esti- 
 mate ; saying that he would never allow himself in an 
 act that might so easily foster pride. Others have com- 
 puted the number of persons converted through deacon 
 Pitts at about two hundred. 
 
!i I.I. P] I I-. 
 
 When be was about leaving the city, in feeble health, 
 
 I begged him to furnish me with some memoranda 
 hie tile for future use. Be read mj meaning; and after 
 te hesitation thanked me, with tears, saying he could 
 not bring himself to write out, even for my eye, what 
 had passed between his own soul and God. 
 
 VII. It only remains for me to speak of this departed 
 brother's faith and hope* These graces he had ever in 
 lively exercise, He not only believed in Christ, but he 
 believed Christ. He had faith not only in an atone- 
 ment but in a Savior ; his 2~> er mortal Savior ; his living-. 
 present friend. This faith was manifest, as we have 
 !. to all who heard him pray or converse upon reli- 
 is subjects. This faith enabled him to bring the 
 Savior near to others ; especially when in the chamber 
 of sickness he administered consolation, and in the 
 meeting for inquiry he gave saving counsel. 
 
 His personal hope in Christ was always clear. His 
 was an unclouded prospect for the future ; the full 
 a— u ranee of hope. His was the strong consolation of 
 the Gospel ; his hope an anchor sure and steadfast, 
 entering into that within the veil. This hope was not 
 based upon any self-confidence. It rested solely upon 
 Christ, and upon those great doctrines of Redemption 
 which all true believers substantially profess, and which 
 
40 LIFE AND CHARACTER OF 
 
 he so profoundly cherished. It was a hope of salvation 
 through the redeeming blood of Christ, the sanctifying 
 virtue of the Spirit, and the gracious promise of the 
 Father. But it was a good hope, through grace ; and 
 being well-founded, it never wavered in the hour of his 
 extremity. During his illness of many months in this 
 city, I found him always bright with hope, and calm 
 and cheerful in the expectation of death which then 
 seemed near at hand. His sick chamber was the gate 
 of heaven ; and as I passed almost daily from the sick 
 chamber in my own house to his, I seemed to walk the 
 streets of the celestial city and to hold converse with its 
 shining ones. Blessed to the pastor are such illustra- 
 tions of the grace of the Gospel, and such communings 
 with those who linger at the gate of heaven. 
 
 During his later sickness, it is the testimony of one 
 who was with him constantly, that his communion with 
 God was uninterrupted ; his experience from day to day 
 clear and bright ; his confidence at all times unshaken. 
 Though he had much to live for in the world and 
 longed exceedingly for the full activity of his powers in 
 his new sphere, yet he had so familiarized his mind with 
 death and with the glory beyond, that he anticipated 
 with great delight the coming of the last messenger. 
 His new home in the countrv had manv attractions. 
 
SAMl EL I'll 1 1 
 
 II.' wm in a position of independence, where be oould 
 
 gratify without restraint his love of hospitality, and 
 
 could promote the happiness of others. Bui all this 
 
 he relinquished without one wish that it should be 
 otherwise. He was very cheerful during his sickness, 
 and would often indulge his native playfulness. Thou 
 accustomed to great activity, he was never known to 
 complain during the long trial of debility and suffering 
 to which he was subjected. 
 
 I have alluded to a disease of the lungs which pros- 
 trated him in this city three years ago, but from which 
 he had partially recovered. "About eight months since 
 he Buffered from an acute attack of the same disease ; 
 from which time he was confined to his house except 
 occasionally in very pleasant weather, when he was able 
 to take a short ride. During the most of that time he 
 suffered more or less pain ; and it was with the greatest 
 difficulty at times that he could breathe. Yet his appetite 
 remained, and he was able to walk about the house till 
 the day of his death. 
 
 " He exhibited the most patient resignation, and 
 deliberately made all his preparations for leaving his 
 wife and btisiness as if he were only going a short jour- 
 ney. During his sickness his love for the church and 
 his deep interest for the advancement of true piety were 
 
i'2 LIFE AND CHARACTER OF 
 
 strikingly manifested. Ilis constant and almost hi> 
 
 very last prayer was that God would pour out his Spirit 
 on the churches and revive his work." * 
 
 A hemorrhage of the bowels hastened the dissolution 
 
 toward which his system had been tending. Death, 
 though long anticipated, came as it is wont to do, sud- 
 denly at last. So peacefully did he He, in utter prostra- 
 tion for twelve hours without moving a limb, conversing 
 at intervals with his accustomed composure and affec- 
 tion of the preciousness of the Savior and the general 
 interests of religion, that no one present could realize 
 that death was near. 
 
 44 1 was with him," says his late pastor, u almost every 
 day ; and can testify- that I never knew a more devoted 
 and humble Christian ; that I never witnessed so bright 
 an example of practical piety and of the sustaining 
 influences of the Christian's faith as he exhibited. 
 
 " The morning of his death, as I entered his room. 
 Mrs. Pitts said to me, ' O, sir, you have come now indeed 
 to the house of mourning.' 'iYo, my dear,' was his calm 
 and cheerful reply ; 'not the house of mourning, but of 
 rejoicing and triu?nph. I am ready to go. This is the 
 day to which I have looked forward with such earnest 
 longing and joyful anticipation. God will take care of 
 
 * Rev. H. G. Blinn. 
 
- \mi 1:1. i-ii it, 
 
 you, m\ dear, And do* come Lord Jesus, oom€ 
 «jui<kl\ / m after he became unconscious. Bui 
 
 toward evening he revived, and taking his w i f* * by th<' 
 hand said. "I wish to have my death live after me; it 
 will live after me f then gently fell asleep. 
 
 tt Bui I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, 
 concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow Dot, 
 even as others which have no hope. For if we believe 
 that Jesus died and rose again, even bo them also which 
 p in Jesus will God bring with him. 91 "Blessed are 
 the dead who die in the Lord; yea, from henceforth:" 
 blessed not in prospect only — being delivered from the 
 flesh and sin to await in the unconscious grave their 
 glorification at Christ's coming — but blessed consciously, 
 superlatively : blessed with God's own Messing from 
 HENCEFORTH — from the instant of death to the ages of 
 eternal glory. Let us rejoice that the disciple whom 
 Jesus loved now rests upon the bosom of his Lord. 
 
 But who will arise to take his place \ Would that 
 this humble endeavor to recall his image and his virtues, 
 might stimulate others to follow his example of devotion 
 to the cause of our blessed Lord. Who will take his 
 place in visiting the flock of God ? The sick, the 
 infirm, the aged, the poor, remember him with grateful 
 love. Even- where in the chamber of sickness, in tin- 
 
44 LIFE AND CHARACTER OF 
 
 abode of poverty, I hear his name spoken with tears of 
 aliection. Who among the surviving members of the 
 Tabernacle Church, who among the tens of thousands 
 that profess Christ in this city, are now gathering such 
 blessings upon their heads ! Mines richer than those of 
 the Pacific shores, wealth vaster than that of a city's 
 commerce, honors brighter than the dignities of office 
 and more enduring than any worldly fame, are open to 
 those who in this ever driving city life will give of their 
 time to personal effort for the salvation of souls, and will 
 r/o about doing good. 
 
 The young men of the Bible-class, which for twelve 
 years he nourished, feel the loss of deacon Pitts more 
 deeply than words can express. God grant that they 
 may feel his influence too, and that their beloved and 
 revered teacher, though dead, may yet speak to them ! 
 They have expressed their estimate of his character and 
 their sorrow for his loss in these appropriate words : 
 
 " Resolved, That his labors of love, his complete con- 
 secration to the service of our Lord and Master, his 
 great success in his efforts to win souls to Christ, but 
 more especially his work among the young men of this 
 class, his self-sacrificing devotion to their best interests, 
 his ever kind and paternal regard for their w r elfare, both 
 temporal and spiritual, his direct instrumentality in lead- 
 
SAMl : I. PI i M 
 
 big many of as into the fold of Christ, merit ouf never 
 and grateful remembrance, and commend to u^ 
 aa example eminently worthy of our imitation. 91 
 If the Bentimentfl thus earnestly expressed shall here- 
 •r tind utterance in the daily life; it' by personal 
 .1. '\otion to the interests of 1 1 1 * * class, to tin 4 welfare of 
 young men, to 1 1 1 * * prosperity of the church and tin* 
 salvation of souls, the Pitts Bible-Class shall themselves 
 carry out the spirit of their teacher, they will besl prove 
 their appreciation of liis life and teachings, and their 
 gratitude to (rod for the benefits they have received 
 through his faithful servant. 
 
 If there be any of the older members of that class 
 yet living without Christ, to whom these words shall go, 
 may the voice of him who so earnestly sought their 
 salvation, thus coming from the very presence of the 
 Savior, win such at last to yield to the Word and the 
 Cross* 
 
 When such a good man dies how blessed is the 
 thought that he has not ceased to be ; that he is not 
 even wholly severed from us ; that we shall soon be 
 joined with him in the perfect service of the Lamb. 
 How fast is the roll of the redeemed in heaven swelled 
 by the translation of those who have here loved and 
 
46 LIFE AND CHARACTER OF SAMUEL PITTS. 
 
 honored Christ. Already the number of these dear 
 sainted ones whom we have known, more than half 
 divides our hearts from this world to their blessed 
 abode. Oh glorious company of the redeemed! Ye 
 blessed forerunners to the heavenly state ! We too are 
 of your family. Ye are not estranged from us by death. 
 We will enter awhile into your labors, till the Master 
 call us to your rest. Then gladly will we cry. Come 
 Lord Jesus, come quickly. 
 
A PPEN I) I X. 
 
 A.a :m illustration of the genial spirit of Mr. Pit 
 
 >tion to the Tabernacle, his longing for the con- 
 renion ot' souls and his delicate appreciation of his own 
 relations to the pastor of the church, the reader is h< 
 presented with a few extracts from a letter addressed by 
 Mr. Pitts to the writer, when lie had under considera- 
 tion the call of the Broadway Tabernacle Church. 
 
 New-York, December 1844. 
 
 Dear Brother — Permit me thus affectionatelv to 
 
 j 
 
 address you, though we have been privileged with but a 
 few moments 1 personal acquaintance. Since the return 
 of our delegation from your city, I have learned of the 
 interview with yon and those with whom you counseL 
 I am confident my brethren have not overdrawn the 
 importance of our enterprise. I know of no field of 
 ministerial labor more inviting, encouraging immediate 
 efforts for the conversion of sinner-. There are already 
 
48 APPENDIX. 
 
 some quite serious individuals, with one case of distress- 
 ing conviction for sin. There appears an unusual readi- 
 ness on the part of the impenitent to listen attentively 
 to personal conversation on the subject of religion. Our 
 dear church have never been more harmonious than at 
 present, and greater unanimity in making the call for you 
 to become our shepherd could not be possible ; not a 
 negative vote appeared in the church, and but one in the 
 congregation, and that by mistake. I consider it a 
 Macedonian entreaty, as directly emanating from the 
 Great Head of the Church as the one sent the apostle. 
 
 Our church commenced with earnest prayer accompa- 
 nied with a day of fasting, imploring Divine guidance 
 in the selection of the right one to preside statedly over 
 our interests. As an individual, my exercises and views 
 have been peculiar when before the mercy-seat, beseech- 
 ing our Savior to grant the favor our destitution de- 
 mands. I have most devoutly and solemnly pledged 
 myself before the Searcher of all hearts, to sustain you 
 with more than ordinary devotedness to the interests of 
 a pastor ; for any one in this position requires more sym- 
 pathy and prayer than is often felt and offered for pas- 
 tors of churches. Could I see you and unite in prayer 
 with you over this subject, it would greatly relieve my 
 burthened soul. 
 
Wl'KNDIX. 49 
 
 Now, my dear brother, lei us continue our unceasing 
 importunity with the Great Head of the Church, for the 
 
 agency of the Holy Spirit to open clearly before your 
 vision these perishing thousands, who, under God, may 
 be by your instrumentality impressed with a Bense of 
 their condition, while remaining eneqries to Christ ; and 
 also led to the Lamb of (Jod, complying with the condi- 
 tions of salvation ; — that hundreds, yea, even thousands, 
 may refer to your fidelity as the means employed in 
 their regeneration. Oh, that I could command langu. 
 to express my feelings and views in relation to the call 
 under your consideration ; but I find myself wholly incom- 
 petent, trusting the result of our prayers and delibera- 
 tions to His control, who will not fail to honor his great 
 name, if we are pained and disheartened with a disap- 
 pointment. My burthened spirit, my dear brother, sighs 
 for a release from this mountain of anxiety under which 
 I now labor. Will you not sympathise with your brother 
 in his great weakness, and pray for his support under the 
 weighty obligations he is now called to meet ? Oh, my 
 brother, do come, for my deliverance not only, for I am 
 but a feeble one ; and were it not that God often chooses 
 tlie 1 weak and simple, in man's judgment, for the accom- 
 plishment of his glorious purposes, I should shrink away 
 and conceal myself in obscurity; which I often should 
 
50 APPENDIX. 
 
 do if I consulted inclination, irrespective of my obliga- 
 tions to a dying world. I have made myself thus 
 prominent in this communication by the particular 
 request of my brethren. 
 
 My brother, if I am at all thought of in making up 
 your final conclusion, I can safely assure you of my affec- 
 tions, and engage with a most ready mind to stand by 
 you, and sympathise with you in all the trials and conflicts 
 you may be called to encounter. For it is a great work 
 to which you are called — none other than a Nehemiah 
 enterprise. Oh, my brother, may we not hope that the 
 God of Israel will grant a Nehemiah's victory, over all 
 the obstacles which may be delaying your decision. 
 Yours in Christ, 
 
 SAMUEL PITTS. 
 
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