BX 8495 .C48 E38 1852 Edwards, John Ellis, 1814- 1891. Life of Rev. John Wesley Childs LIFE REV. JOHI WESLEY CHILDS. Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2014 https://archive.org/details/lifeofrevjohnwesOOedwa_0 LIFE OP REV. JOHN WESLEY CHILDS: FOR TWENTY-THREE YEARS AN ITINERANT METHODIST MINISTER. BY REV. JOHN ELLIS EDWARDS, OF THE VTROLNIA CONFERENCE OF THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, SOUTH. RICHMOND, VA., AND LOUISYHLE, KY.: PUBLISHED BY JOHN EARLY, FOR THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, SOUTH. "' 1852." MAR 17 1998 CM. SE* Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, by JOHN EARLY, : the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States in and for the Eastern District of Virginia. STEREOTYPED BY 1. JOHNSON 4 CO. PHILADELPHIA. PRINTED BY SMITH & PETERS, Franklin Buildings, Sixth Street below Arch, Philadelphia. PREFACE. The following Biography lias been prepared at the suggestion of the friends of the deceased, and with an earnest desire to do good by its publication. If it shall meet with a favourable reception, and the publisher shall find the sale of it profitable, then the widow and children of the deceased will be allowed a suitable remuneration for the copyright. Since the sum which the widow will receive for the copyright depends upon the sale of the book, we hope that a generous public will give it a cordial reception. The author has no interest whatever in the pro- ceeds of the sale ; these are, in part at least, to accrue to Mr. Childs's family, for whose benefit, so far as a pecuniary consideration is concerned, it has been prepared. But the main object has been to do good, by laying before the public the life of one of the holiest men that has ever lived. In the preparation of this work, the author has, in some instances, been at a loss for material to supply certain connecting links in the chain of G PREFACE. events making up the life of the subject of this Memoir ; but he has done the best he could with the materials in hand, and has chosen rather to present certain portions of his life in a disjointed manner, than to supply the connection from the imagination, or from unsatisfactory sources of information. The author takes this occasion to acknowledge his indebtedness to Mrs. E. B. Early, of Lynchburg, Virginia, wife of the Rev. John Early, D. D., for her kindness in collecting material for the biography, and in arranging Mr. Childs's correspondence for publication. The book has been prepared under the pressure of bodily afflictions, and amid frequent interruptions from various causes ; but, as the great object of the author has been to do good, and not to gain celebrity in authorship, it is now submitted to the public with- out any other concern than that which arises from the desire that it may prove successful in the mission on which it is sent. The Author. Norfolk, Virginia, April 1, 1852. CONTENTS CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTORY. Advantages of biography — Especially religious biography — An account of the general habits of Mr. Childs — A de- scription of his person and manners — Extract of a letter from Mrs. Childs rage 13 CHAPTER II. HIS EARLY BOYHOOD. His birth — Parentage — Early education — Habits and tem- per — Goes to Georgetown to live— Letter from Rev. Wil- liam McKenney, giving an account of him while an inmate of his family — His return home 24 CHAPTER III. HIS RESIDENCE IN RICHMOND. Goes to Richmond — Lives with William Allison, Esq. — His habits — Associates — Awakening — Conversion — Joins the church — Extract of a letter from Mrs. Childs — Spiritual conflicts — Wellnigh becomes discouraged — Reconsecrates himself to God — Mrs. Allison's account of him — Painfully exercised on the subject of preaching — Leaves Rich- mond 32 7 8 CONTENTS. /IAPTER IV. RESIDENCE IN FAIRFAX FROM 1822 TO 1827. Mr. Childs's attachment to Mr. Allison and family — His health — Returns to Fairfax county — Attempts merchan- dising — Farming— Teaching — Fails in all — Unhappy — Call to the ministry — Painful conflict with his convictions of duty — Obtains a license to exhort — Makes a round on the Calvert circuit with his father — Licensed to preach — Travels Carlisle circuit part of the year — Obtains a re- commendation to the Baltimore Annual Conference — Is received and transferred to the Virginia Conference, and • placed on the Albemarle circuit Page 43 CHAPTER V. BRUNSWICK AND CAROLINE CIRCUITS. 1828 AND 1829. Entrance upon his work — His reception — Close preaching — Revival — Rev. J. G. Claiborne's account of his habits, labours, and usefulness — Attends Conference — Appointed to Caroline circuit — State of the circuit — Letter to Mr. Claiborne — Death of his father — Closes his labours on the circuit — Attends Conference — Appointed to the Mecklen- burg circuit 61 CHAPTER VI. MECKLENBURG AND GREENVILLE CIRCUITS. 1830 AND 1831. Early at his work — His labour — Revival — Letter to Mr. Claiborne — His habits and temper of mind — Influence — Successful year — Goes to Conference — Is appointed to the Greenville circuit — Rev. R. G. Bass his colleague — Walks round his circuit — His reasons for it — Difficulties on the circuit — Attends Conference — Is appointed to the Buck- ingham circuit 62 CHAPTER VII. BUCKINGHAM CIRCUIT. 1832. His activity in his work — Fidelity as a preacher — Troubled again about walking and preaching — Letter to his presid- ing elder on the subject — Letter to Rev. R. G. Bass — His faithfulness as a pastor — Sanctification— End of the year — Attends Conference, and appointed presiding elder of the Yadkin district CONTENTS. 9 CHAPTER VIII. YADKIN DISTRICT. 1833. The office of presiding elder — The Yadkin district — Author's first acquaintance with Mr. Childs — His attention to his work — Impression he made on the district — Troubled in mind about walking and preaching — Letter to Miss Rives — Letter to Mr. Bass — Great revival — Camp-meetings — A thrilling anecdote — Extracts from his Diary — Letter to Mr. Bass — Diary — Anecdote — Increased earnestness upon the subject of sanctification — Close of the year — Trip to Lynchburg, Va. — Thence to Richmond — Thence to Raleigh — Conference — Returned to the district — Goes to Lynch- burg — Extract from his Diary on the day of his mar- riage Page. 80 CHAPTER LX. Correspondence with Miss Martha S. Rives — His mar- gin ion CHAPTER X. SALISBURY DISTRICT. 1834. Returns to his district — Diary — Narrow escape of himself and wife — Letter to Mrs. E. — His labours — Revivals — Letter to his wife — Diary — Attack of illness — End of the year — Leaves his wife and child for Conference — Ap- pointed to the Amherst circuit — Review of his labours as a presiding elder 140 CHAPTER XI. AMHERST ASD AMELIA CIRCUITS. 1835 AND 1836. Returns to North Carolina for his family — Goes to his circuit — Letter to his wife — Diary — Circuit labour — Visit to Al- bemarle circuit — Old friends — Extracts from his diary — Close of the year — Attends Conference — Anecdote — Ap- pointed to Amelia circuit — Repairs to his appointment — Letter to Mr. Bass — His own experience — State of the circuit — A subject that gave him trouble — Letter — Thinks of a transfer to another Conference — Attends Conference — Sent to Prince Edward circuit 10 CONTENTS. CHAPTER XII. PRINCE EDWARD CIRCUIT. 1837 AND 1838. Failure to get a transfer — Reception on his circuit — Fall from his horse — Injury — How he bears it — Confined seve- ral weeks — Diary — Letters — Great revival commences — Anecdote — Always about his Master's work — Attends Conference — Returned to Prince Edward circuit — Letter to Mr. Bass — Religious experience unsatisfactory to him- self — Year closes — Mr. Bass's death — Detained from Con- ference—Mr. Redd's recollections of Mr. Childs — Ap- pointed to the Bedford circuit Page 1G6 CHAPTER XIII. BEDFORD CIRCUIT. 1839. Goes to the circuit — Letter to his wife — Troubled again upon the " old subject" — Letter explanatory of his course — Afilictions — His ministry not crowned with great suc- cess — Closes the year — Goes to Conference — Assigned to the Chesterfield circuit 181 CHAPTER XIV. CHESTERFIELD CIRCUIT. 1840 AND 1841. Reception— The circuit — State of his mind— Work of revival commences — Death of his brother — 300 Souls converted — Attends Conference — Returned — Letter to Mrs. E. — Labours through the year — Rev. Staunton Fields's recol- lections of Mr. Childs — Attends Conference — Sent to Cumberland circuit 186 CHAPTER XV. CUMBERLAND CIRCUIT. 1842 AND 1843. Goes to his circuit — Parsonage— Letter— State of the work — His own Soul — Another letter — Year expires — Confer- ence — Return — Letter — His labours — Recollections of Mr. Childs by Rev. John M. Saunders — Conference — Appointed to Nottoway circuit 193 CONTENTS. 11 CHAPTER XVI. NOTTOWAY AND CAMPBELL CIRCUITS. 1844 AND 1845. Rather dissatisfied — Old difficulties — Determines to go to another Conference — Letter — Division of the Methodist Episcopal Church — Leaves the circuit — Singular provi- dence — Detained in Lynchburg — Sickness of his family — Letter — Abandons the idea of removal — Conference — Ap- pointed to the Campbell circuit — Year's labours — Con- ference—Sent to the Bedford circuit Page 203 CHAPTER XVII. BEDFORD CIRCUIT. 1846 AND 1847. His Field of Labour — Extracts from his Correspondence — No extensive revival — Conference — Return — His pecu- liar views — End of the year — Recollections by Rev. J. D. Blackwell — Conference — Appointed to Brunswick CHAPTER XVIII. BRUNSWICK CIRCUIT. 1848 AND 1849. Removes his family to the parsonage at Lawrenceville — Is pleased with his appointment — Old friends — Sickness in his family — Unabating zeal — Conference — Returned — Letter to Mrs. E. — The work of the Lord revives — Carries his daughter to college — Letter to her — The work of the Lord progresses — Other letters to his daughter — Year draws to a close — He regrets to leave the circuit — Strong attachments — Conference — Appointed to Gloucester cir- cuit — Further recollections by Rev. J. G. Claiborne 221 CHAPTER XIX. GLOUCESTER CIRCUIT. 1850. Leaves Lawrenceville — Starts to Gloucester — Leaves his family on the way — Letter to his daughter — Letter to Mrs. E. — Visits the circuit to prepare for the reception of his family — Letter to his wife — Difficulty in procuring a suitable parsonage — Removes to the circuit — Rapid de- velopment of consumption — Unable to preach — Confined 12 CONTENTS. at home — Reflections — Winter passes away — Prepara- tions to go to Norfolk — Rev. James E. Joyner's letter — Arrives in Norfolk. — Carried to his brother's — Medical attention — Conversations — Resignation— Closing scene — Remains carried to Lynchburg — Funeral discourse by Rev. G. W. Langhorne— Burial Page 232 CHAPTER XX. CONCLUSION. General reflections on his life and character — Suggestions as to the use that should be made of his life — Further recollections by Mrs. Early — Conclusion 253 LIFE OF REY. JOM WESLEY CHILDS. CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTORY. Advantages of biography — Especially religious biography — An account of the general habits of Mr. Childs — A description of his person and manners — Extract of a letter from Mrs. Childs. Biography is attracting a very large share of atten- tion in the present day. Some of the best writers of the age have devoted their pens to this department of litera- ture. The illustrious dead of past generations have been summoned again u the stage of life, to teach the living by their example, to instruct V their wisdom, and to warn by their errors. This is well. It is meet that the principles, the sayings, and the recorded sentiments of the departed should be rescued from the wave of time that bears them to oblivion, and preserved in such a form as shall render them sources of useful instruction to fu- ture generations. It admits of a doubt whether any de- partment of literature is exerting so great an amount of influence upon the formation of character, as biography. The young are fond of the lives of those who have dis- tinguished themselves in the cabinet, the field, the forum, the studio, and the pulpit. There is no class of books 14 LIFE OF THE sought after with greater avidity, or read with greater eagerness, than memoirs, remains, biographical sketches, and extended lives of those not unknown to fame. Thou- sands of the youths of our own and of other lands have been stimulated to vigorous effort, in their exertions to obtain an education, by the example of a Franklin. Men of letters and science have been nerved for study by the recorded habits of thought and investigation of a Newton and a Leibnitz. Ambitious young men have been urged forward in the pursuit of military fame by the lives of such men as Washington, Alexander, Bonaparte, and Tay- lor. While thousands upon thousands, in the church, have felt the influence of the published biographies of such men as the sainted Fletcher, the learned Whitby, the pious Henry, and the critical Dr. Adam Clarke, in leading them to a moro patient study of the Holy Scrip- tures, and to more laborious and self-sacrificing efforts to make known to the world the rich and inexhaustible trea- sures of knowledge contained in the sacred word. There is yet another class of persons whose lives have exerted a still more widely extended influence upon the great masses of the miuistry and laity of the church, and upon the world, than any yet mentioned. We allude to such men as Henry Martyn, Brainerd, Legh Richmond, Car- vosso, David Stoner, Harlan Page, Samuel Hick, and John Howard ; and such women as Mrs. Fletcher, Mrs. Elizabeth Fry, Sarah Martin, and others of a similar typ- 1 of charac- ter, whose lives have led„Vrnuieds of thousands of men and women to habits of closer communion with God, to plans of more extended usefulness, and to more indomi- table energy and untiring zeal in their labours for the universal diffusion of gospel light and truth in all the world. The benefits, therefore, resulting from biography can be neither few nor small. The State derives advantages from the lives of wise and far-seeing statesmen, whose views of state policy are enlarged and sound, and from the biogra- phies of able and profound jurists, who have devoted the study of many years to the intricacies of the law. The REV. JOHN WESLEY CHILDS. 15 higher departments of literature derive henefit from the life-pictures of men eminent for learning, drawn by skilful hands. In a word, all the departments of society embraced in the learned professions, the mechanical arts, the com- mercial and agricultural pursuits of life, receive immense benefit from biography. Lessons of patience under pain- ful reverses of fortune; lessons of courage in the midst of appalling difficulties and discouragements ; lessons of resignation under bereavement, and lessons of fortitude under the trials and dangers incident to our probation in this world, may all be learned from the histories of those who have trod the path of life before us. While it is profitable and proper, therefore, that the lives of men should be preserved for the benefit of the State, and for the advancement of learning, and for the improvement of the arts, it is especially proper that they should be imbodied in a permanent form for the benefit of the church. The lives of great reformers have their use, such as Luther, Knox, and Wesley; the lives of learned theologians, such as Arminius, Calvin, Stackhouse, Watson, Hall, and Dwight; the lives of able and eloquent preachers and expounders of the word in the pulpit, such as Bascom, Chalmers, MeCheyne, Summerfield, and others of the same class. But still there is that other class of persons referred to above, whose lives are no less valuable to the church than those to whom we have just alluded. We mean that class of men and women who may rather be denominated good and useful than learned, brilliant, and profound. They are found in the laity as well as in the ministry of all the churches. They are such as have been eminent for piety, for faith and good works ; such as have displayed more than ordinary zeal for the promo- tion of God's cause on earth ; such as have thought but little of themselves, humble, laborious, experimental Chris- tians, who have made the world better for having had a residence in it. While the lives of others may have a tendency to make great men, these have a tendency to make good and useful men. These latter send out an in- fluence for God and his cause, all along the quiet, seques- 16 LIFE OF THE tered walks of life. There is a more suitable adaptation in the modes of thinking, habits of life, and style of expres- sion in this class of persons to the great masses of society, than in any other. There is a sympathy and a fellowship of feeling and sentiment peculiarly favourable to useful- ness. Eternity alone can reveal the extent of the good accomplished by the lives, actual and written, of such men of God. We maintain that not only the lives of ministers of the class to which we now refer, but the lives also of many of the lay members of our churches, sbould be written and preserved for the benefit of the church. The Bible sanc- tions it. It contains a record, brief, to be sure, of the ex- traordinary piety of those who occupied the humble walks of life. These are preserved as models for our imitation. They, being dead, yet speak. No more valuable contribu- tion can be made to our Sabbath-school and religious cir- culating libraries than the religious biographies of active, useful, and deeply pious members of the church. No one can even conjecture what amount of good would result from the written every-day walk and conversation of too many who are permitted to pass away without any lasting memorial of their exalted worth. The life of a single faithful class-leader might, at this time, produce the hap- piest results among the membership of the Methodist Episcopal Church. It is hoped that the thoughts to which we have given utterance may draw the attention of the cburch more fully to this subject. We have taken in hand to lay before the reader the life of one of the holiest and purest men that it has ever been our good fortune to know. We will not say that he was without an infirmity or imperfection. What mortal ever was ? But his whole life was, perhaps, as free from those blemishes which ordinarily mar the symmetry and beauty of the characters of the best of men, as any man's who has lived in modern times — nay, perhaps, in any age of the world. This is saying a great deal. It may, in- deed, startle the reader who has heard but little or nothing of the man whose life we are about to write. But hold, REV. JOHN WESLEY CHILDS. 17 till his life and the end of his life are before you, and then say whether we have made an exaggerated or unwarranted statement. In the examination of his life and character, we shall be especially struck with the singular consistency of his conduct with his acknowledged principles of action ; and icith the extreme and scrupulous conscientiousness of the man, in every act of his life, both great and small. We shall see that the Bible was his rule of conduct in every thing ; and that he was always willing sooner to give up the dearest objects of his affections, or to suffer any privation of life, than to consent, for a moment, to any thing, however trivial it might appear to others, which his own conscience disapproved or he believed the word of God condemned. ■ It was a privilege of no ordinary value to enjoy his ac- quaintance and society ; for no one could long be in his company without feeling the influence of his piety. His manner, conversation, and spirit were eminently adapted to impress the mind of every one with the conviction that he had been with Jesus. Rev. John Wesley Childs was an extraordinary man; — not in mental endowments; not in the highest gifts of eloquence and oratory; not in varied and erudite scholar- ship ; nor was he what is commonly called a genius; — and yet he was a most remarkable man. Remarkable for his deep and influential piety ; for his habitual communion with God; for his profound humility; for his self-denial and devotion to his Master's work ; and especially for his consistency and conscientiousness. We repeat, that he was the most scrupulously conscientious man we have ever known ; and we very much doubt whether any one ever obeyed the behests of the inward monitor with more uni- formity than did this singularly good man. In all things he laboured " to keep a conscience void of offence towards God and man." And in the development of his history, we shall find a number of incidents and facts illustrative of this trait of his character. Some, we doubt not, will be disposed to think that he carried his conscientious scruples too far — that he was IS LIFE OF THE tender and careful in relation to some things which should not have been dignified with the importance which he at- tached to them. But it will be seen that he could not have been happy had he not obeyed the dictates of his own conscience. There were some things in relation to which he differed from his brethren in the ministry ; and yet he always en- tertained the kindest feelings towards those with whom he differed. He was firm in the maintenance of his opinions, but never lost sight of the respect that was due to an adversary. He was, for the most part, a silent member of the con- ference ; and yet he was always in his place, and never inattentive to the business, even in the detail of the pro- ceedings. There he sat, solemn and serious, with his memorandum in his hand, carefully noting down every thing of interest ; but scarcely ever spoke a word on any question of debate. Mr. Childs left a good impression wherever he went. In every family which he visited he left behind him an influence that told happily upon the lives of the inmates. There was something in his meek and affectionate manner, and even in the tone of his voice, that never failed to im- press every one who was thrown in contact with him. His presence often excited a kind of awe and reverence in the minds of all who knew any thing of his manner of life. There have been but few men, in any age of the church, who have regularly spent as much time in private devotion as did Mr. Childs. We have no means of ascertaining certainly how many hours of each day he ordinarily spent in secret prayer, accompanied with the reading of the Scriptures; but we have often been with him when we have noticed something like the following order in his de- votions for several days in succession, and we have been informed by those who knew him best, that it was the uni- form course and habit of his life. We have known him to rise at four o'clock in the morning, partially make his toilet, and then take his Bible and kneel at a chair near a table or stand on which his light was placed, and there REV. JOHN WESLEY CHILD8. 10 continue in earnest secret prayer for a considerable length of time, becoming occasionally very much engaged and ex- cited. Then he would open his Bible and read, taking the Scriptures in regular order, every few moments audibly asking God for light upon the Divine word. Sometimes he would take Mr. Wesley's notes, a copy of which ho always had at hand, and consult them upon the portions of Scripture before him. And thus he would continue until he had gone through his allotment of chapters for the morning. Then he would again engage in silent, se- cret prayer, spending altogether from one to two hours in this exercise. He would then arise from his knees, finish his toilet ; after which he usually made his entry in his private diary, generally writing from six to ten or a dozen lines. He would then return to his private devotions for a short time ; after which he arose from his knees and commenced his regular course of study or reading for the day, which he pursued till he was called to family prayers. He ordinarily remained with the family then till break- fast, conversing on some profitable subject : after breakfast he immediately retired to his room, where he spent a while in private prayer, rarely ever less than fifteen or twenty minutes, and very often at least half an hour. Then again he went to his books, or to his writing, which he pursued, with occasional intermissions for prayer, till time to go to his appointment ; not, however, without first praying with the family in which he was staying. On his way to church, when his time would allow it, he would frequently stop at houses upon the road, step in, speak to the family on the subject of religion, and propose " a word of prayer." Kneeling down, he would sometimes pray with great fer- vour and power, and often leave the grateful and astonished family bathed in tears, pronouncing blessings upon the kind stranger, who seemed to have so much of the spirit of that Divine Being who "went about doing good." On his arrival at the church, if in a forest, he usually retired to some secluded and quiet spot, beneath the overarching trees, where he spent a short time in prayer before going into the place of public worship. He then conducted the 20 LIFE OF THE services, scarcely ever failing to give an invitation to seekers of religion to designate themselves as such ; and if any were present, he always spent some time with them in singing and prayer, and often rejoiced over their conver- sion before he left. At the close of the services he would *go home with the person who seemed to need him most; and when dinner was over, he usually proposed to unite with the family in prayer around the table ; and there he poured out his soul in thanksgivings for the mercies re- ceived, and in earnest supplications for the favour of God to the family ; and very often, on such occasions, he would pray for each member of the family by name, asking for them such blessings as their various ages, circumstances, and relations in life seemed to indicate they needed most. He would then retire to his room and spend from fifteen minutes to half an hour in private prayer, accompanied with the reading of a few passages of the Scriptures. And then again, about the time of the evening twilight, in the holy calm and hush of that serene and silent hour, he always spent some time in secret calling upon God. This seemed to be the period in which he most enjoyed his de- votions. Sometimes his full soul would overrun with holy joy, which he could not suppress; and heaven itself, at such times, "seemed let down with a strange, bewildering splendour" around him, in these sweet and hallowed mo- ments of communion with God. Directly after supper and family worship, he usually retired to his room, where he spent his time till nine o'clock — which was his hour for sleep — upon his knees, in prayer and reading the Scrip- tures. This was his uniform course of life. When he spent a whole day in the same family, he generally, in ad- dition to the morning and evening family worship, called together the members of the family about the house, and conducted prayer about the middle of the day. It is fairly to be presumed that he spent at least from three to four hours of each day upon his knees in private devotion, in additiou to the public prayers which he held in the church and in families. He fasted every Tuesday and Friday of each week ; and very often abstained from animal food for REV. JOHN WESLEY CHILDS. ■J I several months together. He rarely ever indulged in des- sert; always wore cheap and plain clothing, and was scru- pulously careful that his family should not indulge in the fashions or amusements of the world. He was crucified to the world. He was dead to the world. Nothing that he conceived to be wrong was ever suffered to pass in his presence without a suitable reproof. This he always took care to administer in the mildest and kindest manner; but still with such a spirit as fastened it upon the conscience. Gayety of apparel, and especially decorations of the person, he never spared. He talked many a ring from the fingers of worldly-minded professors of religion, and stripped many a bonnet of its artificial flowers. He has even been known to refuse to distribute the elements to communicants at the Lord's table until they would remove the rings from their fingers. And yet the subjects of his reproofs were but seldom, if ever, offended with him. His own life was so consistent, while his manner of reproof was so affection- ate, and so full of the words which the Holy Ghost teach- eth, that no one could easily resist his appeals under reproof. He often made persons fall out with themselves — rarely ever with him. In person, Mr. Childs was a good-looking man. He was full six feet in height, large frame, and well proportioned ; rather light complexion ; black eyes, and dark hair. His abstemious habits and delicate health gave him, for the most part, a pale and rather cadaverous face. There was, indeed, a singular and remarkable expression of counte- nance. It was that expression with which pure thoughts, deep spiritual meditation, and holy communion with God invest " the human face divine." It was something rather unearthly. Every one was struck with the sanctity and heavenly-mindedness of that face. He stood erect; and in the pulpit he was always solemn — deeply solemn. His appearance in that sacred place never failed to impress a congregation. His voice was slender, and yet strong. In pathetic appeal the tones were peculiarly touching. His gait was serious, and yet not slow or sluggish. What- ever he did, he performed with his might. He was always 22 LIFE OF THE employed; never triflingly employed. He observed me- thod in every thing. He possessed pleasant social quali- ties ; but scarcely ever spent more than an hour at a time in company. He indulged sparingly in anecdote; and, although he frequently smiled, he rarely ever laughed. His apparel was always very plain, but exceedingly neat. With him, "cleanliness was next to godliness." He was even in his temper, and was never excited on any subject except the subject of religion. We have thus introduced to the reader in advance, and of design, a general view of the life and character of the man whose biography we are about more fully and in de- tail to submit to the public. Some may have taken up the impression, from what we have stated, that he was slightly tinged with asceticism ; others that he was " righteous over much ;" while others may be ready to regard him as an enthusiast. Let us calmly examine his life in the light of his own motives and intentions, and suspend judgment in the premises until we shall have seen the close. One who knew him best, the pious and devoted partner of six- teen years of his life, thus speaks of him — " I can say, after sixteen years' acquaintance with him, he came nearer being a perfect man than any one I ever saw. Since his departure, I have reviewed his life in every relation, and compared it with the requirements of God's word, and, so far as I can see, it comes up to those requirements in every respect." In another letter she writes as follows : — "Af- ter our marriage, he frequently told me that if he ever seemed to neglect me, not to attribute it to any want of affection ; for," says she, " when engaged in his work, every thing else was lost to his mind; so great was his desire to be found of God as a faithful workman. I have often been with him at his meetings," she continues, " when his arrangements would be made to leave as soon as the services were over, for the neighbourhood of his next ap- pointment. But he would seem to forget all, and labour on until four or five o'clock in the afternoon, without re- spite or refreshment. He seemed to forget that he was mortal. I have sometimes ventured to tell him he ought REV. JOHN WESLEY CH1LDS. 23 to take some rest. His reply invariably was, t Not till I rest in the grave.' During the last two years of his life, 1 have often thought he seemed to be trying to see how much he could crowd into each hour. He preached more, fasted more, and visited more. As to reading and prayer, when at home, there was no room for amendment; for his life was prayer. He was never moved in spirit by any of the incidents connected with domestic affairs. If at any time any thing disagreeable occurred, he instantly resorted to prayer. There was ever that same meek and quiet spirit at home as abroad. A kinder husband or father never lived." Such is the testimony of one who was intimately acquainted with his private walks, and who knew more of his habitual spirit and temper than any other person living. From the foregoing glances at his life, the reader will be prepared for the further and more minute details of his history, developing more fully his extraordinary devotion to the cause of Christ; his unceasing and superabundant labours ; his unabating zeal for the salvation of souls ; his rigid self-denial; his deadness to the world; his singular confidence in the providence of God, and his uniform con- sistency till the end of his days. The Lord, of his mercy, grant that the perusal of the following pages may be made a blessing to the reader. 24 LIFE OF THE CHAPTER II. HIS EARLY BOYHOOD. His birth — Parentage — Early education — Habits and temper — Goes to Georgetown to live — Letter from Rev. William McKenney, giving an account of him while an inmate of his family — His return home. John Wesley Childs was born in Calvert county, Maryland, in the year of our Lord 1800. He was the third son of the Rev. John, and Margaret Childs, both of whom were deeply pious and active members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. His father was a travelling minister in connection with the Baltimore Conference at the time of his marriage ; but within a year or two there- after he located, and turned his attention to farming, which he pursued until 1816, when he was readmitted into the conference and continued to travel until his death, which occurred in 1829. He was a man of sterling piety, and of useful gifts as a minister of our holy religion. Mrs. Childs's maiden name was Adams. She was of an old and influential Methodist family of Fairfax county, Virginia. Her father, the Rev. Wesley Adams, was one of the first Methodists in that part of the country, and was, for many years, a local minister of high respectability and extensive usefulness. Two or three of his sons sustained the same relation to the church ; one of whom, though far advanced in years, is still labouring as a minister in one of the Southern States. Mrs. Childs was a woman of fine sense, and was remarkable for her self-sacrificing spirit and deep devotion to the cause of God. As a mother, she under- stood her duty and responsibility; and most constantly and untiringly did she labour to discharge the whole mea- sure of obligation devolving upon her in this relation of life. Never was a child blessed with better parents than was the subject of this biographical sketch. REV. JOHN WESLEY GUILDS. 25 In the year 1802, while John Wesley was but an infant, his father moved to Fairfax county, in the State of Vir- ginia, where he continued to carry on his farming opera- tions, still exercising his ministerial function as circum- stances seemed to demand. His children were brought up on the farm, in habits of industry and economy. But amid the temporal cares which necessarily occupied the parent's mind, the spiritual welfare of his children was never forgotten. He did not permit himself to be so en- grossed with the questions " What shall we eat, and what shall we drink, and wherewithal shall we be clothed ?" as to disregard the higher claims which his family had upon him for spiritual provision. Morning and evening the whole household were summoned around the family altar, and a portion of time was consecrated to religious services. The reading of the Holy Scriptures, pinging the praise of God, and prayer, formed the devotional exercises in family worship. In the absence of the father, the mother or some other member of the family conducted the services. What- ever else was neglected, domestic worship was not; nor was it passed over hastily and carelessly, but with becom- ing solemnity as in the presence of God, and with direct reference to his glory and the salvation of the family. In the year 1810, Mrs. Childs died, and left the entire parental oversight of the children to the father. Most of the children, however, were at that time grown up to ma- turity ; so that the burden was comparatively light. And so well instructed were the daughters in household duties, that they were prepared at once to take the management of the younger children and of domestic affairs in their own hands. At an early age, John Wesley commenced his element- ary education under the tuition of his uncle, the licv. Wesley Adams, at that time a local minister in the Me- thodist Episcopal Church; Under the instruction of this holy and amiable man, the moral feelings of the lad were properly developed as well as his intellect. The exercises of the school were opened and closed with prayer. The Bible was the principal text-book. God was acknowledged 26 LIFE OF THE in all things. And, as might naturally be expected, tho influence of this teacher was great with his pupils. Espe- cially was it so with the meek and gentle little Wesley. He saw every thing in his pious uncle to admire and imi- tate. His mind was susceptible of impressions from such an example ; and till the day of his death he had occasion to thank God for so judicious, godly, and exemplary a guide and instructor of his youth. We entertain no doubt that the extraordinary cast of his life took complexion from those more than ordinarily pious persons with whom ho was surrounded in his boyhood ; and perhaps no one did more, by the quiet but irresistible force of example, to give proper direction to the current of thought and feeling which ran through his whole history, than did the man who had charge of his early training in letters. At the early age of twelve or thirteen years, his father sent him to live with the llev. William McKenney, at that time an extensive merchant in Georgetown, in the District of Columbia. Up to this period of his life, the only thing worthy of note is the habitual seriousness and gravity that charac- terized his deportment. He indulged but sparingly, if at all, in the ordinary amusements and sports of boys of his age. He seemed to prefer the society of persons beyond his years, and always manifested a singular interest in re- ligious subjects. He has often been heard to say that he never disobeyed his parents in any thing, great or small, and that he never knowingly uttered a falsehood. Strange to say, he was exceedingly fond of his Bible at this tender age, a copy of which he always kept at hand. His bro- thers, who were of a less sedate turn of mind than himself, jecringly called him a preacher, while he was but a boy; but this neither irritated him nor caused him to change his course of conduct. He prayed as regularly as any Christian, and was as attentive to the preaching of the word and other religious duties as if he had been a mem- ber of the church. The llev. William McKenney is still alive, and is at present a chaplain iu the United States Navy. In answer REV. JOHN WESLEY CniLDS. •27 to a letter addressed to him, asking for a written statement of his recollections of the spirit, temper, habits, &c. &c. of John Wesley, while he lived in his family, we have the following, which cannot fail to interest the reader : — Norfolk, Virginia. Dear Brother : — Your letter requesting me to furnish you with such incidents in the life of the late John Wesley Childs as I might be able to remember, while he was an inmate of my family in his boyhood, has been received. But so many years have elapsed since he was temporarily under my care, and so many changes, storms, and tem- pests, on the land and on the deep blue sea, have over- taken me since that time, that I am almost sure my remi- niscences of him will be imperfect and very few. However, .such as I can re-collect, by brushing up my memory, are at your service. Brother Childs came from a good stock — a family well known and highly appreciated for their deep-toned, experi- mental, and practical piety. The father was a faithful minister of the gospel in connection with the Methodist Episcopal Church ; and, although his talents were not adorned with the tinsel of modern rhetorical flourish, they were exactly of that order which suited the people and the times, and enabled him to portray, in the simplicity of gospel sincerity, the leading cardinal doctrines of our holy religion — repentance towards God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ; the regenerating power of the Holy Ghost, aud a life of practical piety. The mother, so far as I can recollect, was all that such a husband could ask — deeply pious, unassuming, faithful in all her duties — strong • in her attachments, and truly devoted to the best interests of her husband and children. Indeed, father and mother, husband and wife, seem to have caught and retained the spirit of their near neighbour and still nearer relation, the llev. W. Waters — a man, a Christian, and a minister of unsurpassed excellence. This holy man was amoug the first native American Methodists ; and was, no doubt, of incalculable service to the truly apostolic. Bishop Asbury 28 LIFE OP THE in his sublime efforts to train up a people and a church in these, then called, western wilds, upon the platform and model of the primitive apostolic churches. How well he succeeded we all know ; and, although it may seem a little out of the way, I will state, for the sake of its truth, so far as it goes, that a leading, prominent, and distinguished minister of the Protestant Episcopal Church, in the city of New York, said to me, in his own house, probably eigh- teen years ago, " Your church, sir, is certainly, in regard to your manner of employing your ministers, sending them out in pairs, or two and two, more apostolic than any other church." Might he not have admitted, with equal truth, that the doctrines and discipline of the Methodist Episco- pal Church are equally as apostolic as her manner of em- ploying ministers ? All this, however, by the way. Often has it been my privilege to hear Father Waters, even after age had so obscured his vision that he could not distinguish in his congregation the features of his most beloved and intimate friends, pouring forth, in strains of deep, impassioned, and scriptural eloquence, the fullness of his soul, while explaining, enforcing, and glorying in the precious doctrines of the cross — salvation by faith, holiness of heart, and integrity of life. Unlike too many ministers of modern date, who too often aim at great things and make great displays of oratorical flourish ; who elevate the cross of Christ to make themselves the more conspicuous; and who, as a necessary consequence, utterly fail, and leave their hearers as barren of spiritual comfort as the withered fig-tree was of fruit — he never failed. He always hit the nail on the head, and drove it home. He always fed his flock with the richest gospel food. The babe in Christ, the young men and fathers, had each his suitable portion in due season. He was always ready, and always good ; so that it was commonly said of him, "He is real bacon anal callage," a dish well known, and not lightly esteemed, in the South, and one always in season and at hand. Can it, then, be a matter of surprise or wonder that one so favoured as was our lamented brother Childs, with such parents as his were, and such a patriarchal leader and guide REV. JOHN WESLEY CMLDS. 29 of the whole neighbourhood and family circle as Father Waters, should have been a youth of more than ordinary sedatcness, humility, and fidelity ? lie was well trained, and that training received the impress of permanent at- tachment to all the beauties of truthfulness, simplicity of manners, obedience to parents, and reverence for age, from the preaching and example of his venerable uncle, Father Waters. When young Wesley Childs became an inmate of my family, I resided in Georgetown, District of Columbia, and was largely engaged in mercantile operations. My high respect for his parents and deep veneration for his uncle, although I did not need his services, induced me to take him into my counting-room. How long he remained with me I cannot now remember ; though I never shall forget, that, during the whole time he was with me, his conduct was without reproach. He was always cheerful, obedient, and faithful ; and was, without doubt, one of the most scrupulously conscientious youths I ever saw. I never had cause, as well as I now remember, to give him one single rebuke. He was treated by myself and family as one of our own children, and most tenderly and affectionately did he return our love. During the time he stayed with me, I was rearing one of my younger brothers. Wesley and he were like David and Jonathan. My brother was lively and cheerful ; and, like others of his age and temperament, was quite fond of what boys still call fain. There was nothing, however, in his sportive sallies approximating vice. He loved a good joke, and so did Wesley, who, with all his natural demureness, would now and then venture to crack one ; and whenever he did so, it was well done. In the family circle, as I have already intimated, Wesley was all that could be expected or desired for one of his age. He was a regular attendant on the public ministry of the word, and was equally prompt in his attendance on domestic worship around my family altar. He indulged in no pleasure-trips on the Sabbath, except, to him, as it will always be to all loving and dutiful children, the very 30 LIFE OF THE great pleasure of an occasional visit to Lis parents, distant about seven miles from Georgetown. At the time the city of Washington and the District of Columbia were attacked by the British army and navy in 1814, under the command of General lloss and Admiral Cockburn, I was engaged, as an officer of the district mili- tia, in aiding to make the necessary preparations to resist the threatened attack upon our national capital and the firesides of our families, and was necessarily much absent from my family and business. My store was left in the hands of my brother and young Wesley ; and faithfully did they watch my property and interests until the disas- trous results of the final encounter with the enemy, which left the city and Georgetown at their mercy. They then, sharing in the general panic of the citizens, fled, as they supposed for their lives, into Fairfax county, taking with them, among other moneys, a ten-dollar bank-note, which I had laid aside as counterfeit. This, with other moneys in their possession, they spent in settling up any business in their hands. I mention this for a special reason, which you will presently see. When the militia of the District were mustered out of the United States' service, I found my business so deranged and broken up, that I at once determined to close my store ; consequently I had no need of any other assistance than I could command in my own family. Hence, my young friend was not called back. He, however, often visited me, and was always received with every mark of kindness and affection. The impres- sions made upon my mind by his amiable and upright conduct while he was with me have never been effaced, and never will. I loved him as a lad ; I have loved him ever since, till the day of his death, as a man, a Christian, and a Christian minister. Having removed from the District of Columbia in 1824, I had lost sight of Wesley. Several years thereafter, I was most agreeably and unexpectedly surprised in meeting my former young friend in this city, a full-grown man, and a faithful minister of the Gospel. Whether at this interview or a subsequent one, I do not now remember, I REV. JOHN WESLEY CHILDS. 81 found the mind of Brother Childs somewhat troubled, and he was not long in letting me know the cause. It seems that he had often been troubled about the supposed coun- terfeit ten-dollar bank-note which he and my brother had spent at the time and under the circumstances referred to above. He had often thought of it, and had ever felt the greatest anxiety to repair the damage to the injured person to whom it was passed. " Tell me what I shall do V said he. " What shall you do V said I ; " why, if you can fiud the injured person to whom it was passed, or any of his ' kith or kin/ who has suffered thereby; or, that being, in all human probability impossible, if you can find any ■per- son who received the note for its supposed full value, it might, in that case, be your duty to replace it by a genu- ine note. But as I think this about as impossible as it would be for you to find a needle lost thirty years ago in one of your father's wheat-stacks, I advise you to banish the subject from your mind, and rest content with a consciousness of your integrity in the sight of God." This will serve to show the extreme sensitiveness of his conscience, even from his youth. You may feel at liberty to make any use of these recollections, very imperfectly thrown together, that you may deem proper. With high esteecm, I am truly yours, in Christian bonds, W. McKenney. The above impresses us favourably with the early boy- hood of the subject of this biography. His habitual mild- ness, his docile spirit, his affectionate disposition, and his extreme conscientiousness are all apparent. And as the germ contains the future plant in embryo — or, as the un- developed bud contains the miniature flower which is to expand and bloom in fragrance and beauty — so do we see the man in the boy : — " The child is father of the man." He remained at his father's several months after leaving Georgetown. He was young, and the unsettled state of 32 LIFE OF THE the country seemed to shut him up to the farm. But the delicacy of his physical constitution, which seemed to dis- qualify him for agricultural pursuits, led his father to look out for him some other situation in life. What he should do was difficult to determine. The foot of the invader was still on our shores ; the blast of the war-trumpet was still echoing in the land ; the roar of artillery was still heard upon the field and booming over the waters ; but as hostilities began to cease, and the pulse of commerce began again to throb, there was an opening for young Wesley to enter a business-house in the city of Richmond, Virginia. The father did not long hesitate in placing him in this situation. His residence in Richmond, with its attendant incidents, will form the subject of the next chapter. CHAPTER III. HIS RESIDENCE IN RICHMOND. Goes to Richmond — Lives with William Allison, Esq.- — Tlis habits — Associates — Awakening— Conversion — Joins the church — Extract of a letter from Mrs. Chikls — Spiritual conflicts — Wcllnigh hccomes dis- couraged — Reconsecrates himself to God — Mrs. Allison's account of him — Painfully exercised on the subject of preaching — Leaves Rich- mond. Near the close of the last war with Great Britain, in the year 1814, the late William Allison, Esq., commenced business in Richmond as a China merchant. Previous to his removal to Richmond, he was engaged in mercantile pursuits in the town of Alexandria, in the District of Co- lumbia; and during his residence in this latter-named place, the Rev. Mr. Childs, father of Wesley, had made his acquaintance. He knew him to be a man of active, industrious business habits, a man of unshaken integrity, and a man of solid and genuine piety. He therefore did REV. JOnN WESLEY cim/ns. 33 not hesitate a moment, when the opportunity offered, to place his son under his care, and in his employment. Mr. Allison had a partner in business who was an irreligious and worldly-minded man ; but it was understood that young Wesley was to be especially under the charge of Allison ; that he was to board with him, and associate with him as a companion. All this was settled in advance. In the latter part of the year 1814, young Wesley made his preparations to leave the parental roof again, to enter upon a new sphere of action. It was not without a strug- gle that he tore himself away from his mother's grave and from all the fond and cherished endearments of home. He was next to the youngest of the sons; and from his kiud and affectionate disposition, his amiable and docile spi- rit, he had become the pet of the family. His sisters were devoted to him, aud almost idolized him; his father loved him, and his brothers and young companions were ten- derly attached to him. It was, therefore, a painful thing for them to give him up, and it was no less painful for him to leave the home of his youth and the scenes of his childhood. But his father was then making arrangements to enter again the travelling ministry; his brothers and sisters were beginning to scatter and settle in life; the family connections were breaking up ; and it was necessary for him to begin to prepare more fully for the active and responsible duties that awaited him. He repaired to llich- mond, according to previous arrangements, and entered immediately upon business, as a salesman in Mr. Allison's store. In Mr. Allison he found a kind and judicious friend and counsellor. He made every allowance for his inex- perience; fully appreciated his strict conscientiousness, aud did all that lay in his power to advance his spiritual as well as his temporal welfare. Mr. Allison was, at that time, an unmarried man, and he therefore made John Wesley his associate and companion. They ate together, slept together, walked and conversed to- gether, and were almost inseparable. Mr. Allison was a man of uniform and consistent piety, and, as might be antici- 34 LIFE OF THE pated, he was constantly making a deep religious impression upon the mind and heart of his youthful friend. The gentle- man who was in business with Mr. Allison, being an irreli- gious man, and somewhat averse to religion, was not at all prepared to appreciate the conscientious scruples of young Ohilds. He regarded his extreme tenacity for truth and his exact honesty in selling goods as mere affectation and an over-scrupulous morality. The whole was but foolish fastidiousness in his estimation. The consequence was, he became an eyesore to this member of the firm. This, however, did not affect the conduct of Mr. Allison toward the youth ; nor did it in the least change the habitually strict deportment of the young man himself. It was a matter of settled principle with him, even before his con- version, "to deal justly" with men, and at all hazards to preserve a good conscience in the sight of God. He would a thousand times sooner have sacrificed his situation than have surrendered this point. He was always attentive to business. Rising at an early hour, wasting no time in frivolous amusements, devoting his attention untiringly to the interests of his employers, he won the confidence and esteem of Mr. Allison, and commanded the reluctant re-' spect of bis partner in trade. He was cautious in select- ing his associates. Living as he did in a city where he was constantly surrounded with idlers ever ready to lead the unwary from the paths of virtue, he studiously avoided their company. He remembered the early lessons of a sainted mother, the parting advice of his father, and care- fully restrained his feet from the destructive haunts of vice. Fortunately for him, there were then living in llichmond two young men who were equally circumspect in their deportment and careful as to their society as him- self. They still live. Both of them are extensive mer- chants — one in Petersburg, and the other in llichmond, Virginia — men who are worthy of any age, of any coun- try, and of any church — men who, in the " sere and yellow leaf" of life, are still reaping the fruits of their early habits, in the elevated positions which they occupy in the church of God, and in the communities in which they re- REV. JOHN WESLEY CHILDS. 35 spcctively live. We allude to D'Arcy Paul and Samuel Putney. The subject of our biography was fortunate enough to have these young men for his associates and companions in his youth, and precisely at that period of life and under those circumstances when he most stood in need of such associates. And these men now boar the highest testimony to the probity and integrity of John Wesley Childs at this part of his history. We have no means of ascertaining at what period of his life he first became concerned upon the subject of his soul's salvation. It is, however, fairly to be presumed that he scarcely knew himself. He was, from his earliest recol- lections, convinced of the truth of religion, and also of its necessity to make one happy in this life and in the life to come. He had seen its effects upon the lives of many of his nearest and dearest friends and relatives. He had wit- nessed its power, when but a child, in the triumphs of his mother's closing-scene on earth. There was no particular time to which he could revert, at which he received his convictions of the indispensable necessity of religion. He was no skeptic. He believed the Bible, and was well instructed in it from his childhood. Every sermon he heard upon the subject of conversion deepened the impres- sions upon his mind, and he was constantly, in his own way, seeking to be a Christian. Pride, he has often been heard to say, was his besetting sin. He was fond of dress, and was exceedingly particular as to his personal appear- ance. And yet, such was his habitual demeanour, and such the apparent meekness of his disposition, that scarcely any one would have suspected him of being proud. Mr. Putney and Mr. Paul, however, who were most intimate with him at the time of which we now write, partially, at least, confirm his own statements in relation to this point. We have learned from them, verbally, that he was very particular in regard to his clothing ; and that the attention which he paid to his wardrobe and toilet fully justified the opinion that he indulged a slight degree of inordinate self- esteem. This, however, was not characterized by ostenta- tion or hauteur. He was conscious, nevertheless, of its 36 LIFE OF THE existence, and it seems to have formed the greatest im- pediment to his conversion. He could not gain the con- sent of his mind publicly to confess Christ. Under his awakenings, he often wept and prayed in secret places be- fore the mercy-seat. He struggled hard against the un- subdued pride of his sinful heart. He earnestly besought God to forgive his sins, and to "Assuro his conscience of a part In the Redeemer's blood." He regularly waited on the ministry of the word. No one was more punctual in his attendance upon the weekly prayer-meetings of the church than he. The Bible and religious books were his constant companions ; and yet he lingered at the door of mercy without tasting " the joys of pardoned sin." And all, as he subsequently avowed, because of the pride of his nature, which would not yield to an open confession of his concern upon the subject. He was ashamed of Jesus — ashamed publicly to confess him — ashamed to bear his reproach, and identify himself with his followers. At this point he halted for some time. No one was aware of the deep aud abiding anxiety which he felt about the salvation of his soul. He was reluctant to open his mind even to Mr. Allison, whom he had ever found a kind and sympathetic friend and adviser. His in- terest at length became so intense that he determined no longer to conceal it; and having obtained the consent of his employers, he attended a camp-meeting, held in the summer of 181G, in the Lancaster circuit, in the Northern Neck of Virginia, then in the bounds of the Baltimore Annual Conference. He went to this meeting for the pur- pose of seeking religion. His mind was fully made up publicly to confess himself a guilty sinner in the sight of God — to humble his heart in the dust ; to ask an interest in the prayers of Christians, and to seek till he should hud. It so happened, that his father, the Ilev. John Childs, at that time a travelling preacher in the Baltimore Conference, had charge of the Westmoreland circuit that year. It is REV. JOHN WESLEY CHILDS. 37 not improbable that this fact had its influence upon his mind in determining him to attend the meeting. An op- portunity would be presented to see his father, to enjoy his society, and especially to receive his counsel and the benefit of his prayers at this peculiarly interesting stage of his religious exercises of mind. He had unbounded confidence in his father's piety ; and he knew that no one living felt a deeper concern for his salvation than he. Being a stranger on the camp-ground, he had no ungodly associates to draw off his mind from the subject, and but little to divert his attention from the great work in which he was engaged. The full and unreserved consent of his mind having been gained publicly to seek Christ, and never to rest until he was found, he had but little to do. He was in that state in which he could say, "Speak, Lord, for thy servant hearcth." He was ready to exclaim, " Lord, I do believe, help thou mine unbelief." At a suitable time, when an invitation was given to penitents to come forward publicly and receive the prayers and instructions of the people of God, he deliberately arose and went for- ward to the place appropriated to seekers of religion ; and in a very short time arose, professing to have obtained the blessing for which he had so long prayed. His conversion was not attended with preat excite- ment; but was peaceful and tranquil. The tears of grateful joy danced upon his cheeks. A radiant smile lighted up his meek and delicate face. His heart swelled with joyful emotions which his tongue could not ex- press. The burden of guilt had been removed from his heart. The evidence of his conversion was full and complete. Nature around him seemed to have put on a garb of unwonted loveliness. The forests and the skies, the sunshine and the flowers, the faces of those who re- joiced over his conversion, and all the objects on every hand, seemed to glow with an expression of praise to the great and good Creator of all. Love to God and love to man arose spontaneously in his bosom ; and, feeling an in- disputable evidence in his own heart of his personal ac- 38 LIFE OF THE ceptance with his Maker, be was enabled with an unwaver- ing tongue to say — "My God is reconciled, His pardoning voice I hear; He owns me for his child, / can no longer fear : With confidence I now draw nigh, And Father, Abba, Father, cry." Tlie name of Jesus bad a peculiar charm. The songs of Zion, as they arose in the tented grove and died away upon tbe hills, had never sounded so sweetly before. He was born a^ain — born of tbe Spirit — he had passed from death unto life ; old things had passed away and all things had become new. So clear and satisfactory was the evidence of his conversion to bis own mind, that he never doubted, at any period of bis after life, the genuineness and thorough- ness of the change that he tben and there experienced. He returned to Richmond from the camp-meeting, and immediately united bimself with the Methodist Episcopal Church. He was afraid to risk himself without the pale of tbe church of Christ. The church be regarded as a di- vine institution, and, as a disciple of Jesus, he did not feel himself at liberty to decline a union with it. He felt the need of its discipline and ordinances, of its associations and its prayers, and be deferred not to avail himself of the privilege of church fellowship. He was young, being but seventeen years of age, and he felt tbe need of counsel and religious instruction and advice from tbe more experienced members of the body of Christ. At his own request, he was placed in the class in which his employer, Mr. Allison, met. Tbis was a good indication. It showed that be was not disposed to sbrink from the closest scrutiny as to his religious character. It sbowed, also, his confidence in the piety of his employer. They met together in class, prayed together in their room, read the Scriptures together, and hand in hand trod the path that leads to tbe mansions of the blest. But our young convert was, at an early stage of his Christian experience, the subject of painful and dis- REV. JOHN WESLEY CIIILDS. 39 tressing temptations ; and in the midst of them he en- countered very great discouragements. The following ex- tract from a letter written hy his widow, relating to this period of his life, will throw some light upon the subject, and will interest the reader : — " During his residence in Richmond, he became concerned about saving his soul. He had always been very moral — never swore an oath or told an untruth. He left Richmond to attend a camp- meeting, with his mind fully made up to seek God in the forgiveness of his sins. He did seek, and successfully. He returned to the city, resolved to devote his all to his God. But his hitherto besetting sin was pride, which now again stood in his way. Satan greatly harassed him from time to time with the most awful suggestions, which seemed to threaten his eternal destruction. Often did he wrestle for hours, prostrate on the floor, pleading for deliverance. In his anguish of soul, he ventured to unfold his mind to an old member of the church, who not only did not teach him to expect deliverance from all sin, but rather made light of his exercises. Such was the effect upon his mind, that for a while he was greatly tempted to give up his con- fidence and abandon his pursuit." He has frequently been heard to speak of his exercises of mind during the period to which the extract above relates. The author has heard him say that the pride of his heart came wellnigh ruining him at this time. His fondness for dress was exceedingly hard to over- come. His mind was too much occupied with the fashions and customs of the world. He determined, through the aid of Divine grace, to gain the mastery, and to become a holy Christian. He took the word of God for his guide, and set his standard high. The devil seemed determined to defeat him. The conflict was fierce and strong. At times he felt as though he was rapidly gaining the victory — that he was putting the world beneath his feet, and that he was casting Satan behind him. The in- judicious advice of the old Christian gave the enemy the advantage for a while. He scarcely knew what course to pursue. His soul was cast down within him — his sky 40 LIFE OF THE was overcast with clouds — his feet seemed stumbling again upon the dark mountains. In his despondency he was ready to say — "There is a heaven o'er yonder sky; A heaven where pleasures never die; A heaven I sometimes hope to see, But fear again 'tis not for me." In this state of mind he continued for several months. He attended church regularly — never missed his class- meeting, and was always present at the weekly prayer- meeting. His conduct, however, in the church frequently attracted the attention of his acquaintances and friends. It was observed at the prayer-meeting that he uniformly sat in the remotest corner of the room, and, if possible, got a position where he could not be seen by the person con- ducting the services. The design on his part — for there was manifestly design — was not then understood. He was regarded by all who knew him as deeply pious and exem- plary, and it was a matter of surprise that he should not seem to manifest a more lively interest in the public ex- ercises of the church. In the class-room he spoke but little, and often despondingly. There seemed, indeed, a mystery about his spiritual condition and exercises. In IS 19, Mr. Allison was married, and very soon there- after commenced housekeeping in Richmond. Mr. Childs, then nearly a grown young man, was taken as an inmate of their little family; and Mrs. Allison, an intelligent and pious lady, was daily cognizant of his private walk and conversation. In a letter received from her in reply to one of inquiry, asking for her impressions of his reli- gious character at the time he lived in her family, she thus writes : — "I always considered Brother Childs deeply pious, lie was remarkably modest and unpretending — said no- thing and did nothing for appearances. One trait I considered remarkable — he always preferred meeting in class with his employer, with whom he lived and slept until within a year or two of his leaving Richmond. I believe the latter had his entire confidence. He was REV. JOHN WESLEY CIIILDS. 41 always very conscientious. After I came to Richmond, I always noticed, whenever there was any excitement in the church, that he seemed to take no part in it ; indeed, it seemed to render him uncomfortable. He never went for- ward to take a part in the exercises, but always took an obscure scat and kept silence. I wondered at this, feeling, as I did, assured of his genuine piety. He was always ready for any and every other good work. But the mys- tery was unravelled in after years to my entire satisfaction by himself. He said he was so much afraid of being called to the ministry that he carefully avoided every thing that might lead to it. And from his unhappy appearance on such occasions, I doubt not he was deeply exercised on that subject at that time ; feeling that he was out of his place, and consequently restless and unsettled." Mr. Childs's associates plainly saw that something was preying on his mind that revealed itself in his face ; but what it was they knew not, and he studiously avoided making any revelations on the subject. The fact was, God had laid the coal of prophecy upon his heart, and he felt that a dispensation of the gospel was committed unto him. But he laboured under such a painful conviction of a want of qualification for the great and awfully re- sponsible vocation, that he attempted to smother the fire in his own bosom ; and his language was that of Jei'emiah when the word of the Lord came unto him saying, " I have ordained thee a prophet unto the nations," " Ah ! Lord, God, behold I cannot speak : for I am a child." But it continued to echo in his ears, " Say not, I am a child : for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak." His concern was most intense. It was almost painful to his Mends to see him. There he was in their midst, diligently pursuing his business, mingling with them in their religious ser- vices, yet holding himself aloof from any active part in the exercises. The fire began to fade from his eye, and the rose from his cheek. His health began to decline. And yet amid all he was a pattern of piety. Holiness of heart and life was his constant end and aim. His convcr- v 42 LIFE OF THE sation was " seasoned with salt, fit to minister grace to the hearers." He ahstaiucd from jesting and foolish talking, which he found hurtful to his soul, and destructive of his iufluence. Every one that saw him knew that he had been with Jesus. Upon the streets, in his place of business, in the company of the irreligious, in the social circle, every- where he was the same. The decline of his health rendered it necessary for him to change his business, lie accordingly made up his mind to leave Ilichmond and return to Fairfax county, which he did, as nearly as can now be ascertained, in 1822. His residence in Fairfax until his entrance upon the work of the ministry will form the subject of our next chapter. We part with him here with feelings of melancholy in- terest. We are impressed with his piety. We admire his modesty — his humility. We are forcibly struck with his conscientiousness, and with his strict propriety of deport- ment. We are almost ready to weep over the concealed con- flict that is passing in his mind. It is a critical point in his history. But God's providence is over him, and an un- seen hand is directing his paths. For there is a provi- dence that shapes our lives, rough-hew them as we will. REV. JOHN WESLEY CIIILDS. 43 CHAPTER IV. RESIDENCE IN FAIRFAX FROM 1822 TO 1827. Mr. Childs's attachment to Mr. Allison and family — His health — Re- turns to Fairfax county — Attempts merchandising — Farming — Teach- ing — Fails in all — Unhappy — Call to the ministry — Painful conflict ■with his convictions of duty — Obtains a license to exhort — Makes a round on the Calvert circuit with his father — Licensed to preach — Travels Carlisle circuit part of the year — Obtains a recommendation to the Baltimore Annual Conference — Is received and transferred to the Virginia Conference, and placed on the Albemarle circuit. Mr. Citilds's residence in Richmond embraced that portion of his life in which our strongest and most abiding attachments are formed for places and for persons. He went to the city an inexperienced youth and a stranger. Besides Mr. Allison, his employer, he knew no one. Per- haps this was fortunate for him ; for in this kind-hearted, Christian gentleman he found all that he could desire in a friend, a companion, or a judicious counsellor and guardian of his youth. He became warmly attached to Mr. Allison, and also to his intelligent and amiable lady; and this at- tachment was mutual. There were also several young men, who joined the church about the time he did, whom he held in very high regard. These were his associates ; with them he had held sweet converse, and walked to the house of God in company. They had been his companions in his early Christian conflicts. With them he had wept, and prayed, and rejoiced. Together they had visited the habitations of the destitute and suffering, and mingled their prayers and tears at the bedside of the afflicted, and his heart was wedded to them. He loved the place of reli- gious worship, where, for several years, he had met with Cod's people to hear the precious word of life dispensed. Richmond, with its hills and valleys, its hospitable firesides and sanctuaries, had become endeared to him. From the 44 XIFE OF THE Capitol square, occupying an elevated and central position in the city, be had gazed upon the surrounding scenery until a picture was formed in his mind in which every lo- cality and point of interest was limned in its appropriate colours. The majestic James, with its willow-tufted islands, its foaming rapids and bristling rocks; the far-stretching holds and woody hilltops beyond; the quiet-looking town of Manchester, imbosomed among trees and skirted with highly cultivated farms ; the beautiful country-seats dot- ting the plains ; and rising swells that mark the course of the river as it glides away to the ocean — these had all made their impress upon his mind. He loved llichmond, and the kind friends of his youth that lived there ; and it was not without a struggle that he gave it up as a place of residence. His health, however, seemed to require a change ; and he therefore consented to do violence to his feelings in tearing himself from it. But till the day of his death he cherished the most affectionate regard for the friends he loved when a boy in Richmond. On his return to Fairfax, he found things wonderfully changed. His brothers and sisters were gone ; his father had broken up housekeeping ; the old homestead was tem- porarily in other hands, and every thing wore a different aspect. He had a relation still living in the neighbour- hood, and he entered his family as an inmate, not having yet determined on his occupation for a livelihood. At first he was at a loss what course to pursue. He felt a clear and powerful conviction on his mind that it was his duty to preach the gospel ; but this he kept in his own bosom. He did his utmost to banish the thought, and to free his mind from the harassing and unwelcome impression, which almost utterly disqualified him for any other busi- ness. He attempted school-teaching, but this did not suit his health. He then turned his attention to farming; but in this he did not succeed. The providence of God seemed to be against him. From farming he turned his attention to merchandise. He opened a small store, but this did not prosper. Thus he was constantly changing his pur- suits in life, but all without success. REV. JOnN WESLEY CIIILDS. 45 Mrs. Allison, from whose letter we have gleaned the facts above, further adds — "The Lord had other work for him to do, and the labour of his hands did not prosper. He was fighting against God; and so fierce was the conflict, that he was forced to the conclusion that he must preach or give up all pretensions to religion." And yet he studiously avoided any reference to the subject. He had never conferred with any one, and the < concealment, like the worm in the bud,' was withering and sapping all his joys. Whenever he gained the consent of his mind to enter the ministry, then all was bright and joyous with him ; but when again he began to hesitate and fight against his convictions of duty, then the heavens grew dark above him — the lights of hope on his pathway paled and expired ; and while he halted and endeavoured to excuse himself, he found himself with- out a particle of Divine comfort. It was only while he held to his purpose to preach that he enjoyed the smiles of an approving God. From exercises like these he was forced to the conclu- sion that he must preach or perish. He began to feel, as he had not, what that meaneth, "Wo is unto me if I preach not the gospel." In his moments of retirement and meditation, when the conviction was strong on his mind that no alternative was left him — that he must go out and call sinners to repentance or meet the doom of the servant who knew his lord's will and did it not — he would resolve to open his mind freely to some pious friend on the subject. But, strange to tell, when in company he seemed to shrink from the remotest allusion to the severe and painful mental and spiritual conflict that had for seve- ral years disturbed his peace, and, at times, seriously threatened his salvation. He saw no way of relief except in conversing with others in relation to his exercises of mind, and in embracing the first opportunity of entering the ministry, and yet he delayed carrying his purposes into execution. At length, to ease his conscience, he applied to the society of which he was a member for a license to exhort and to conduct public religious worship. He hoped that by taking this step his mind would be relieved and 46 LIFE OF THE his spiritual enjoyments increased. His license to exhort is dated December 15th, 1825, and signed by Rev. "William I'rcttyman. lie held meetings in his neighbourhood, and exhorted the people with great fervour and zeal. His labours were blessed by the Great Head of the church ; >and he felt that he was in the line of duty, but he was not content. There was yet a moi - e extensive work for him to perform. But he continued strangely to strive to sup- press the conviction that he must become a travelling preacher. Mrs. Childs says, in a letter relating to this portion of his life, that, " Fortunately for him at this time, he boarded with a relative who, with his wife, was un- usually pious — spending three hours every day in secret devotion. From these pious relatives he received, by pre- cept and example, the help he so much needed. But still he was not at ease. He gave up one pursuit and tried another, but nothing he undertook seemed to prosper. He was striving against God — praying all the time that Tic might send by whom he would, but not by him — said he felt he had rather die than to go out as an itinerant Me- thodist preacher. After many and sore conflicts," con- tinues Mrs. Childs, "he sought an interview with his father, who was then a member of the Baltimore Con- ference, and made known his exercises to him. He told his father all that was in his heart on the subject. The old gentleman heard attentively, and when he was done, replied, ' Well, my son, God has called you to the work of the ministry, and it is useless to contend longer with him. Get your horse and saddle-bags, and come, go with your father.' He obeyed, and immediately commenced a tour on the circuit with his father." v- His father was then travelling the Calvert circuit, in the State of Maryland; and by the time he had made two or three rounds with his son, he had him fairly initiated. The circuit embraced a section of the country in which a pretty fair specimen of Methodist itinerancy was presented to the novitiate. He saw that he was to become accustomed to every variety of society and fare ; that he was to inure him- REV. JOHN WESLEY CHILDS. 47 self to privation and change ; that he was to encounter the cold and heartless as well as to receive the greetings and wel- come of the generous and cordial ; that he was to preach to the large and intelligent congregation in the comfortable house of worship, and to a mere handful in the school-house in some obscure part of the country; that he must press onward amid sunshine and clouds, smiles and tears, success and defeat, through summer's heat and winter's cold ; and that he must not even " count his life dear to him, so that he might finish his course with joy, and the ministry which he had received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God." This, his first year of service, embraced the winter of 1826. On the 29th of April of that year, he received a recommendation to the Baltimore District Conference for license to preach, signed, in behalf of the Quarterly-meet- ing Conference of the Calvert circuit, by Joseph Frye, president, and Richard Brown, secretary. He was duly licensed by the District Conference, at its session in the spring of 1826. A short time thereafter, he went to the Carlisle circuit, in the State of Pennsylvania, and travelled the remainder of the conference year under the direction of the presiding elder of the district. We have no reliable data from which to gather any thing of particular interest relating to his labours at this early stage of his ministerial career. From the surviving members of his family we have learned that, from the time of his entrance upon the work of the sacred office, he was more than ordinarily strict and conscientious. He set a high standard, and laboured from the start to bring his life and experience up to it. The Bible was his constant companion. One of his brothers says that he had a copy of the Scriptures at this time, which he had read and marked with his pencil till almost eVery page in it had a passage around which he had drawn a line. Over this precious book he had wept and prayed, till its leaves had been saturated with his tears, and many of them partly detached from the bind- ing. Upon his knees, again aud again, from the first 48 LIFE OP THE verse of Genesis to the last of tbe Apocalyptic vision, ho had read it through and through. In all his strug- gles upon the subject of his call to the ministry, this book had been his vade mccum. It was always in his pocket, or at the place of his private devotions ; and he had already become so familiar with its contents that he could, with perfect ease, quote almost any portion, giving at tbe same time the chapter and the verse. At tbe close of the conference year he attended the ses- sion of the Baltimore Annual Conference, held in the city of Baltimore, on the 12th of April, 1827, and was received on probation, according to the usage of the church, in the travelling connection. When the appointments were an- nounced, at the close of the session, be was not a little surprised to learn that he was transferred to the Virginia Conference. His previous acquaintance had been almost exclusively with the ministers of tbe Baltimore Conference; his relatives lived principally in the bounds of that con- ference; he bad selected that as the field of his ministerial labour, and the announcement of a transfer to another con- ference was not only a matter of surprise, but was a source of trial to him. But the Baltimore Conference was full at that time, while the Virginia Conference stood in need of supplies. He therefore acquiesced in tbe arrangement, being assured that his fathers and brethren in the ministry deemed it best. Besides, he felt that in consecrating him- self to the work, it was bis duty to submit himself to the authorities of tbe church, and cheerfully to perform that work which, in their godly wisdom, they might assign to him. He returned from the conference first to Fairfax, where he spent a short time with bis relatives and friends ; from Fair- lax be went to Richmond, on his way to the Albemarle cir- cuit, to which he had been assigned for the remainder of the year. In Richmond be stopped with bis kind friend Mr. Allison. Some five years or more had elapsed since he left the city. Mrs. Allison, in spoakmg of this visit, says, in the letter referred to above, " The next I saw of him he came to our house, on his way to his appointment some- REV. JOHN WES tire CniLDS. 49 where in the Virginia Conference, with saddle-bags on his arm, and the usual accoutrements of the Methodist travel- ling preacher, and having on the rovnd-breastcd coat, so commonly worn by our ministers in those days. This latter I did not think in keeping with his years; and as I had always been in the habit of speaking very unreservedly to him, I ventured to remonstrate with him on the sub- ject. He replied that I could not dislike the cut of the coat more than he did, and that he had adopted it purety to mortify his pride." He spent but a few days in the city, which were occupied principally in renewing his old acquaintances and reviving the associations connected with his former residence in the place. It was during this visit that he explained to his friends why he had so studiously avoided taking any part in pub- lic religious exercises while he lived in Richmond. But they all saw that he had entered the ministry with all his heart; that he had torn himself away from the world; that he had given up all to follow Jesus ; and that his afl'ec- tions were placed on things above. He went to his circuit, which embraced a large aud beautiful section of Virginia, skirting the Blue Bidgc Mountains. Nature nowhere spreads out a more fascinat- ing picture to the eye than in this portion of the country. The valleys are fruitful and in a high state of cultivation. The country residences are neat and often elegant. While in every direction the eye is greeted by the magnificent swell of mountain ranges, shooting up their lofty, rock- crowned peaks in the clear blue heavens, and stretching away in graceful lines till mountain and sky are blended. Here, amid these hills and valleys aud mountain gorges, .Mr. Childs pursued his work with a zeal and devotion that really excited the astonishment of his people. He was u instant in season and out of season." His labours were abundant. Not content with the regular appointments, which occupied nearly every day of the week, he sought new fields of labour, preaching at night in private houses and in neighbourhoods not supplied with the regular minis- trations of the word. He did not labour in vain. The 50 LIFE OF THE churches were quickened under his ministry, and sinners were converted to God. We will close this chapter in his history with an anec- dote connected with this part of his ministry, as furnished by Mrs. Childs. She says — " The first camp-meeting he attended, he resolved, as he had often heard it sneeringly remarked that the young preachers preferred to instruct and pray with the female penitents during religious re- vivals, that he would confine himself to the gentlemen's altar, and scrupulously avoid conversing with the ladies even upon the subject of religion. Several days of the meet- ing passed, and although he had faithfully endeavoured to do all he could, he was, nevertheless, without spiritual comfort ; and at last he became so depressed that he came to the conclusion to leave the encampment. Just at this time, a female friend who was in the altar, in great distress of mind about her soul, sent for him to converse with her on the subject of religion. He had not been with her long before she was happily converted. He was then re- quested to talk with another, and still another, until seve- ral in rapid succession were converted around him, and rejoicing in a knowledge of sins forgiven. He then saw the snare which the great enemy of all good had laid for his feet, and resolved henceforth to go wherever duty called, and to labour wherever he found a sinner to point to Jesus." "We have now followed the subject of this biography till we have seen him fully engaged in the work of preaching Jesus and calling sinners to repentance. The commence- ment of his career is full of promise of extensive usefulness to the church. We find him a man full of zeal and full of the Holy Ghost. He is a man of prayer and of deep devo- tion to his high vocation. God had given him seals to his ministry, and he no longer doubted that his commission to preach the gospel bore the signature of the Great Head of the church. Thus encouraged and sustained, he went up to the Conference which held its session, in the month of Febru- ary, 1828, in the city of Raleigh, N. C. From this Con- ference he was appoiutcd to the Brunswick circuit. KEY. JOHN WESLEY CII1LDS. 51 CHAPTER V. BRUNSWICK AND CAROLINE CIRCUITS. 1828 AND 1829. Entrance upon his work — His reception — Close preaching — Revival — Rev. J. (J. Claiborne's account of his habits, labours, and usefulness — Attends Conference — appointed to Caroline circuit — State of the circuit — Letter to Mr. Claiborne — Death of his father — Closes his labours on the circuit — Attends Conference — Appointed to the Meek lenburg circuit. On the adjournment of the Conference, Mr. Cbilds has- tened, without an hour's unnecessary delay, to his new field of ministerial labour. It was his first year in charge of a circuit; and he seemed fully to appreciate the duties and responsibilities of his appointment. When he arrived within the bounds of his circuit he found himself among strangers ; but he was everywhere cordially received, and every thing was done that could be desired by the kind and hospitable people of his charge to render him com- fortable and to make him feel at home among them. At first, the apparently unsocial manner of Mr. Childs seemed to excite a little prejudice against him, with those, more especially, that had not formed his acquaintance. He did not spend as much time in social conversation with the families in winch he visited as other ministers before him had done. He was habitually serious, and unusually grave for one of his years; and to those who were not intimate with him, he appeared to be somewhat captious and censo- rious. He reproved sin in all of its forms, wherever he met with it. He talked plainly to worldly-minded pro- fessors of religion, wherever he found them. In the class- room, and in all his private associations with the members of the church, he faithfully reproved whatever he deemed wrong in them. Wherever he discovered external con- formity to the fashions and customs of the world, he en- deavoured to correct it by gentle admonition and rebuke. 52 LIFE OF THE lie did not hesitate to ask a professor why he wore a breast- pin or a finger-ring ? why she wore artificial flowers in her bonnet or costly decorations upon her person ? and, after re- ceiving the usual answers, proceed to admonish the person of what he regarded the evils of such indulgence. Scores of searching texts of Scripture were plied to the conscience in rapid succession — appeals were made on the ground of consistency, and on the score of example and Christian in- fluence. He left no loophole of escape. He personally interrogated the members of his church wherever he met them, if the circumstances would at all allow of it, in relation to their personal Christian expe- rience. On entering a house, he never took his seat, after kindly shaking each member of the household cordially by the hand and asking after the health of the family, before he proposed prayer; and while upon his knees in fervent supplication, he prayed the peace of Cod upon the house — he prayed for every member of the family, white and co- loured, and asked that God might make him a blessing to all the inmates while he remained beneath the roof. He was also remarkably strict in the observance of the Sabbath. In every family, privately, as well as in his pub- lic addresses, he strongly remonstrated against visiting, idle conversation, secular reading, political discussions, cooking, and whatever else he thought violative of the sanctity of God's holy day. He carried his views and practice so far as even to refuse to eat any thing that was cooked on the Sabbath. No matter what family he was in, nor who might be present, if he thought the conversation was too worldly for the Lord's day, he did not hesitate mildly to suggest a change of the topic. All this, as may naturally be supposed, led to a good deal of conversation among his members and with the people of the world. Some condemned his course, while others approved. It was not long, however, before the influence of his example began to be felt. It was found that he did not preach one thing and practise another. His own life was found to be, in the strictest sense, iu har- REV. JOHN WESLEY CHILDS. 53 mony with the principles which he laid down for the con- duct of others. His daily walk was a practical comment upon the precepts which, from the pulpit, and in the private circle, he urged upon the people of his pastoral care. He recommended fasting and abstinence by exam- ple ; and, while he exhorted his flock to abstain from all improper conformity to the world, he himself " crucified the flesh with its affections and lusts." In every Christian vir- tue he was a pattern to believers. No one could turn upon him with the cutting rebuke, "Physician, heal thyself." The effect of his daily walk and conversation was, in some instances, and not a few, to lead good and pious persons to suspect the genuineness of their own piety. His stand- ard was so high, his life so blameless, and his experience so exalted and spiritual, that many, in comparing their own lives with his, really came to the conclusion that they knew nothing of true, experimental godliness. . We stop not here to"pa5s any judgment upon his course of life at this period of his ministry. We simply state the facts. The circulation of such a man in the community created great interest. The people crowded to hear him preach, and many went away astonished at his doctrines. Some cavilled, some criticised, some censured; but for the most part, the congregations returned to their homes much displeased with themselves, and not without secretly resolv- ing to profit by his instructions. The word of life dis- pensed by him, and his estimable and worthy colleague, the llev. Samuel T. Moorman, began to take effect ; and with the opening of the spring, the signs of a general revival everywhere became apparent. The membership was quick- ened, sinners were awakened, " and there was a noise and a shaking among the dry bones of the valley." We have been favoured with a communication from the Rev. John G. Claiborne, of Brunswick, containing many interesting recollections of Mr. Childs, a part of which relates to the portion of his life now under review. The following extract is made^in this connection, from this com- munication : — 6* 54 I/IFE OP TOE Roslin, Brunswick Connty, Va., November 22d ; 1850. Dear Brother : — I have lately received your letter, requesting me to contribute to the materials which you are collecting for the life of the late Rev. John Wesley Childs. I very cordially avail myself of the opportunity to aid in fulfilling the will and the words of the Lord, that " the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance." More- over, I shall, iu performing a religious duty, pay an hum- ble tribute of gratitude to the memory of a friend whose pastoral nurture, sanctified by the word of God and prayer, hath often ministered grace unto me when feeble and ready to faint through manifold temptations. I became acquainted with the Rev. John W. Childs in the year 1828, the time of his first appointment as pastor of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the Brunswick cir- cuit. The Rev. Samuel T. Moorman was his colleague. They were young men, and young in the ministry, but they were "true yokefellows," and gave no man any occasion to " despise their youth ;" but were " examples of the be- lievers in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." Their circuit then embraced a district of country sixty miles iu length and twenty-five in breadth, in which there were between twenty-five and thirty stated appointments. But they "endured hardness as good soldiers of Jesus Christ," and approved themseves the ministers of God, in labours abundant, in much patience, in fastings often, in watchings unceasing, " by pureness, by knowledge, by longsuftering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, by the word of truth, by the power of God;" for God divinely authenticated their ministry by the broad seal of his Spirit inscribed on the regenerated hearts of hundreds who believed. There were, [ think, nearly three hundred added to the church on the Brunswick circuit that year. I was licensed a local preacher in the Methodist Episcopal Church the year of their ministry on this circuit. Duty and inclination asso- ciated me often with them, and they are still associated, " pars nobile fratrum," in my fondest and most grateful re- ItEY. JOHN WESLEY CHIEDS. 55 collections. Propriety suggests that, in this communica- tion, I should say no more of Brother Moorman. I continue my recollections of Brother Childs at that period. lie habitually arose from bed very early in the morning — before the dawn of day in the winter — and, careful not to disturb the family with whom he sojourned, or any one occupying the same room with himself, he quietly kin- dled a fire when necessary, lighted a candle, and, with the Bible before him, on bended knees he silently sought in the Scriptures, with devout meditation and prayer, the deep things of God. Thus he exercised himself until others were up and preparations made for family worship : at this he was always present, and either led or accompanied with fervency of spirit. He often, and especially at night, suc- ceeded the usual family devotions with singing an appro- priate hymn or spiritual song, which rendered the occasion more impressive and profitable. He was richly furnished with the best effusions of the sweet bards of Israel, ami, like their royal master, he sought to waft on melody his devotions to the throne of God. His visits were all pas- toral, and bis pastoral offices were executed with fullness aud fidelity ; yet with such deference, meekness, kindness, and sympathy as dissolved in love every bitter ingredient, and rendered them grateful to the most fastidious taste, and healing and nourishing in their effects. He was, at this period, a man of one work, and, for the most part, of one booh- — that book was the Holy Bible, and that work was the salvation of his own soul and of the souls of those to whom the providence of God gave him access. To this he devoted every faculty of body, mind, and spirit, with a dili- geuce that never tired and a zeal that never abated, " con- stant in season, out of season," "warning every man, and teaching every man, that he might present every man per- fect in Christ Jesus." He regarded his own heart with watchful jealousy, and rebuked with severe abstinence and self-denial every disposition to exercise its affections in matters of temporal interest or indulgence, "crucifying the flesh with the lust thereof." In his pulpit ministrations, he sought not "excellency 56 LIFE OF THE of speech or of human wisdom," but rigidly confined himself to the " word of the testimony," delivering his message in scriptural phrase, "not in words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth, comparing spiritual things with spiritual." Hence, his sermons were not attractive to the vulgar taste by aught that was new or brilliant; but were plain, practical, pointed, and often attended by the demonstration of the Spirit. His inordinate conviction of the deceitfulness and natural depravity of his heart was the principle which prompted the rigid discipline to which he subjected him- self, and caused him to forego all special preparation, and to reject all adventitious aids in his public minis- try. Those who were unapprized of this principle, formed wrong conceptions of his condition and character. Some regarded him as a fanatic; others, as a monomaniac; and nearly all thought him ultra; but the generous sym- pathy and liberal indulgence which he extended to others indicated the spirit of love which animated his zeal, com- mended him to every man's conscience as a holy minister of God, and secured to him the veneration and cordial affection of all with whom he held converse. He left us at the expiration of the conference year, enriched by many seals to his ministry; endeared to the hearts and grateful affections of his people, and approved unto God, a work- man that needed not to be ashamed, having faithfully and successfully administered the word of truth. The remainder of Rev. Mr. Claiborne's communication relates to a later period of Mr. Childs's life, and will there- fore be reserved till we meet this man of God again, on the Brunswick circuit, near the close of his ministerial labours. The foregoing shows the type of the man at an early pe- riod in the history of his pastoral work. The people of his care became tenderly attached to him ; and, at the close of the conference year, he left his charge, .beloved by all. No man ever exerted a more holy and salutary influence upon the piety of a community than did Mr. Childs, in 1828, upon the Brunswick circuit. REV. JOnN WESLEY CFIILDS. 57 He attended the session of the Conference held for that year, in the month of February, in the town of Lynchburg-, Virginia, from which he was appointed to the Caroline cir- cuit, lying north-west of the city of Richmond, and em- bracing a section of the State noted, at that time, for its church difficulties and religious controversies. The Baptists, as a denomination, had long had the pre- dominance in this portion of the country ; and there had been some rather unfriendly controversies between the Methodists and Baptists, touching the mode and subjects of water baptism. The spirit of reform was also agitat- ing the Methodist Episcopal Church at that time ; and the Caroline circuit had not escaped its effects. Some few members had left the church, and unfortunate difficulties had arisen in some of the societies. The result was, scarcely any thing was heard from the pulpit but the con- troversial discussions of points of Christian doctrine and questions of church government. In the midst of this sea of strife, the subject of this biography was thrown when the storm was at its height, and when shipwreck and disaster threatened the dearest interests of the church of Christ. But Mr. Childs was a man of peace; independent in his views and in his expression of them, but kind and respectful to those who entertained opposing opinions. He carefully abstained from participating in the controversies so rife in the land, and set himself to work to call off the minds of his people from the exciting and profitless sub- jects in debate. He clearly saw that in the endless strife about icaler, "the hlood of sprinkling" was forgotten; that personal religion was scarcely once thought of, while party, party was everything. His soul sickened within him. He was ill at ease. He thought of the pleasant scenes of the past year on the Brunswick circuit; of the seasons of " refreshing from the presence of the Lord f of the souls brought to Christ ; of the prosperity of the church, and, looking around upon the scene of spiritual de- solation that met his eye on every hand, he was cast down and dispirited. This we learn from the following letter, 58 LIFE OF THE which he wrote to his warm and devoted friend, the Kev. J. G. Claiborne, of the Brunswick circuit : — Caroline Circuit, July 24th, 1829. Dear Brother Claiborne : — I have had but little in- telligence from you since I left the Brunswick circuit. My prayer, however, has been that the great " Head of the church" would continue his blessings among you, and that we all may be kept through faith unto full salvation. My labour this year is partly missionary ; our circuit, having only nine classes in it, is spread over a vast tract of country, and is decidedly the largest circuit (though divided at Conference) that I have yet travelled. We have succeeded in filling up our time as to appointments,* having now twenty-two in four weeks, and yet there is ground unoccu- pied. With regard to vital piety, we may say, in truth, "a moral waste" presents itself — not alluding to our mem- bers particularly, for I find here some of " the salt of the earth." But the general cry without seems to be " bap- tism, baptism ;" as though this were " the great command- ment," and ali the law and the gospel hung upon it. Oh ! when shall darkness be driven from the face of our earth, and the knowledge of God cover it as the waters cover the face of the great deep. As yet we have but little fruit of our labour. We have had comfortable times among our members generally; though two have broken ground and gone to the Baptist brethren. We have some mourners, and a few converts. But I am not satisfied. My prayer is, that God would send a mighty flood of grace and salvation upon the people. My dear brother, add the strength of your prayers to the weakness of mine, and the Lord, in fulfilment of his pro- mise, will give us the desire of our hearts. I am as much, and even more than ever convinced that nothing will avail instead of heart-felt piety. It is my mournful experience to find that there are but few profes- sors of religion — and professors, too, among the Methodists * The Rev. AV. W. Kenningham was his colleague that year. REV. JOHN WESLEY CIIILDS. 59 — whose company is not deleterious to a growth in grace. Indeed, so great has been the current of popular example, that I have been moved in some measure from my stead- fastness; and the fatal temptation, " Take thine ease," has wellnigh swept me from my moorings. But blessed be God, my fixed purpose is " to give myself wholly to prayer" and to the work of the ministry ; and, my dear brother, pray that my faith fail not. When with you, I have fre- quently remarked that without a true sense of God's pre- sence we could do nothing towards reforming the world. I still feel this to be true. ('"We may pronounce words, 'tis true, but what are they unless God be in the word and in the soundj) Ah ! Samson, with the jawbone of a dead animal, will do more than Goliath with all his armour. My God is still with me, and I think my whole soul is ripening for heaven. Oh when shall I meet you, with all our religious friends, in that happy place ! My bodily health has been much impaired since Conference; though now I believe myself something better. However, Jesus is precious; and to die would be infinite gain. How often do I reflect upon the happy seasons we have had together, and immediately I look forward and ask, " Shall we meet in heaven t" All, all my Brunswick friends, shall I meet them there ? "While I ask the question, I could wet my paper with my tears. Tell them, oh ! tell them all to meet me there. Since I left you, my dear father has taken his departure for that happy country. For it he had been contending for more than fifty years. He left the world shouting " glory." Bray, how does your dear father travel on ? I hope never to forget you and the souls that God hath given-you. Bear up amid all the difficulties of the way, and heaven will reward you at the last. When I was with you, I was afraid that the temptation to ease was so great that a circuit where more hardness was to be endured would suit me better. I am here sur- rounded with Baptists — some of whom are friendly, while others are hostile. Indeed, this seems to be their head- quarters. Our Methodist friends are remarkably kind; 60 LIFE OF THE and I have every reason to be satisfied, could I see souls justified and sanctified. O Lord, "revive thy work," and give me souls for my hire ! I hope that you have a pros- perous time, and that the good Lord is abundantly refresh- ing you and the church. Does your class continue to pros- per ? Do you experience heaven still in your own soul ? Does Sister C rejoice evermore ? God is my witness that I love you and pray for you. That earnest wrestling with God, let us never give up, until our souls are landed safely in Abraham's bosom. I could say much more, for my heart swells within me. Love, I feel, shall be my song. Oh ! for a gust of praise to go to the ends of the earth. Affectionately yours, Joiin "Wesley Ciiilds. This letter is a fair specimen of the spirit and style in which Mr. Childs wrote to his Christian friends at this stage of his ministry. Ileligion was his theme. He seemed rarely ever disposed to write or converse, for any length of time, on any other subject. He seemed to live in a spi- ritual atmosphere that invested him like a garment; and he carried it with him wherever he moved. We cannot fail to discover from this letter, as a specimen, that there was a great deal of ardour and zeal about him in his early days. He was warm and rapturous in his religious emo- tions. And yet his zeal and fervour were tempered with knowledge. He refers, incidentally, in the letter above, to the death of his father. He was deeply affected by this bereave- ment, and yet he met it with extraordinary Christian re- signation. The removal of his friends and relatives from earth only seemed to strengthen the tics that bound him to heaven. He looked upward through his tears, and saw the bow of God's providence bending upon the bosom of the dark cloud of sorrow above him, and then bowed submissively at the altar of resignation and said, " The will of the Lord be done." Amid all, he laboured on — never halting — never wavering. He was unmoved by trials and afflictions. REV. JOHN WESLEY CHILDS. 61 As the year progressed, there was an increase of religious interest on the circuit. Sinners were awakened, and peni- tents converted : this revived and cheered him in his work. He was not content without seals to his ministry. There were but comparatively few Methodists in his circuit ; these for the most part he had found good and true ; and in all the classes he found deep, experimental religion; but his cry was, " Lord, give me souls for my hire." In the month of December he wrote as follows to his friend in Brunswick: — "Our circuit seems to stand fast, and I hope that vital piety is spreading in this country. AVe have a gradual increase ; and, blessed be God, I rejoice to say, some of them bid fair to make firm and use- ful members of the church. I am endeavouring still to pursue the road to that glorious city, of which it is said, ' There is no night there.' 'Tis true, if any man will get there, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow the footsteps of his Master. But with Christ in my soul, all is easy ; and I am making progress in Divine things. My soul is feasting from day to day on the bread of heaven. The enemy thrusts hard at me, that I may fall ; but hitherto God has helped me, and I will trust and not be afraid." He closed up his year's labours on the Caroline circuit, not without seals to his ministry. The people became warmly attached to him, and gave him up with a great deal of reluctance. The church on the circuit had pros- pered under his labours, and he left the charge in a better condition than he found it. Up to this period, we find him everywhere the same self-denying, watchful, faithful Christian. His conscience was as tender as " the apple of an eye." He continued to guard against ease and slothfulness. These he feared and avoided as he would a serpent. He seemed afraid of him- self. He speaks of being wellnigh swept from his moorings and carried off with the current. But no one ever saw, during this time, any thing in his life or conversation that in the remotest degree indicated the slightest wavering in his course. The fact is, he was extremely jealous of him- LIFE OF THE self, and often condemned himself, and wrote bitter things of himself, when, to the most scrutinizing eye, he pre- sented an example as nearly blameless as could be expected from any human being. But his standard was high, and he saw defects that escaped the eyes of others. He went to the Conference held for that year, in the month of February, in the city of Richmond, Virginia, and was appointed to the Mecklenburg circuit, where we shall pursue his life and labours in the next chapter. CHAPTER VI. mecklenburg and greensville circuits. 1830 and 1831. Early at his work — His labour — Revival — Letter to Mr. Claiborne — His habits and temper of mind — Influence — Successful year — Goes to Conference — Is appointed to the Greenville cii-cuit — Rev. R. G. Bass his colleague — Walks round his circuit — His reasons for it — Difficulties on the circuit — Attends Conference — Is appointed to the Buckingham circuit. With his usual promptitude, Mr. Childs hastened to his circuit immediately on the adjournment of the Con- ference. The Mecklenburg circuit then embraced a very large district of country lying on the north side of the Roanoke river, and comprehending parts of Nottoway, Prince Edward, and Charlotte counties, with nearly the whole of Lunenburg and Mecklenburg. Nearly every day of the whole four weeks included in the tour of the circuit was filled with an appointment. Mr. Childs's health was not very firm, and yet he punctually met his appointments. He, perhaps, did not have sufficient regard to his health in this matter. It was of but little concern to him how the weather might be — his appointments must not be ne- glected. Through rain and snow, and cold and heat, he KF.V. JOHN WESLEY GUILDS. 63 pressed on ; and scarcely ever failed to reach an appoint- ment in due time. His punctuality in this regard was remarkable. The people of the respective neighbourhoods of his appointments knew that he would certainly be pre- sent, unless providentially hindered, and that he would commence the religious services at the time appointed. The consequence was, he rarely ever failed to have a con- gregation assembled at the hour at which he had given previous notice he might be expected to preach. On the Mecklenburg circuit, as on those which he had travelled the two preceding years, he had, at first, to com- bat some prejudices which his unusual strictness excited. In the class-room, he went into a searching examination of his members, for the purpose of ascertaining, as clearly as he might be able, the state of piety among his people. The cold and formal he exhorted to increased diligence in the use of the means of grace ; the worldly-minded he ad- monished and reproved ; the light and trifling he rebuked ; the erring he laboured to reclaim. Some felt a little chafed and irritated at his course — some complained ; but this did not change his course. Steadily he pursued his work, and, in a very short time, his influence began to be felt, and the happy results were everywhere manifest. He preached in the most heart-searching manner, and then followed up the exhortations and instructions of the pulpit by private appeals and personal admonitions. He visited from house to house, spending a few hours with each family, reading the word of God and praying with the household. He sought out the sick and infirm, and ministered to their wants, temporal and spiritual, as his means and other cir- cumstances would allow. No part of his duty as a preacher of the everlasting gospel and a minister of a holy religion was omitted. He was truly "instant in season, out of season," and wherever he went he left the savour of a holy influence and a godly example. The people every- where " took knowledge of him that he had been with Jesus." We are dependent, almost exclusively, upon personal recollections of Mr. Childs for all that we know of the 64 LIFE OF THE results of this year's labours. He did not preserve his *" diary, if indeed he kept one at this stage of his ministry, and we have but few letters written by him while on the Mecklenburg circuit. His correspondence, in fact, seems to have been limited at this time. From a letter, under date October 24th, 1830, ad- dressed to the Rev. Mr. Claiborne, he writes as follows : — " Through the tender mercies of God I am spared, and my health is renewed, from day to day, as the eagle's. I can hardly tell what for; yet infinite Wisdom knows best. I am fully satisfied that ' life is war, eternal war with wo ;' and, in general, ' they who bear it best, deserve it least.' But I learn, ' Tho rougher the blast, the sooner 'tis past — The tempests that rise Shall gloriously hurry our souls to the skies.' Then let us submit, and with the Saviour say, ' Not as I will, but as thou wilt.' Even so assist, Lord Jesus. " I fondly anticipated an interview with you at our camp- meeting. What prevented your coining? The weather was unfavourable, but the Lord was eminently present with us. Say about fifty professed to find the pearl of great price. The Lord is reviving his work on our circuit ; and, in various places, the altars are crowded with mourners. But I long to sue the Lord take to him his glory, and cover the earth with his knowledge." We have no means of determining how many persons embraced religion, under his ministry, during the year; but from the allusion to the gracious work in progress at the time he wrote the letter from which the extract is made above, and from the statements of those who lived in the circuit during the year of his labours there, we learn that a very extensive revival prevailed, in which many sinners were brought to Christ. From the sentiment of the letter just quoted, it would seem that Mr. Childs was indeed tired of the world. He seems to have prized life rather slightly. One would infer that he was rather " impatient to be gone." But no un- REV. JOIIN WESLEY CIIILDS. 65 just inference should be drawn from the sentiment of this letter. It is very certain that he did not highly value life, except as a means of doing good. He did not live to eat and drink and to enjoy sensual gratifications. He mor- tified the body, and "crucified the flesh with its affections and lusts ;" and was ever looking forward to the hour of his dismissal from this life as the period of his introduction into real and substantial joy. And, with St. Paul, he was ever ready to say, " I have a desire to depart and to be with Christ." And yet he was resigned patiently to suffer and to toil, till his Master should call him away to his reward. It must be admitted that, at this period of his ministry, he did not enter into the social enjoyments of life to the extent that one would think he innocently and profitably might have done. His presence instantly checked what many pious persons regard as innocent humour and mirth- fulness ; and he, at that time, scarcely ever indulged in anecdote of any sort, or in conversation that excited, at most, any thing more than a smile. But his whole de- meauour, withal, was so gentle and meek, and his spirit so devout, that one could scarcely see how lie could act other- wise than he did. He prayed so much, and conversed so constantly on the subject of religion, that he seemed, while treading this earth, to be the denizen of another sphere. So heavenly-minded was he, that he seemed rarely ever to indulge a thought of earth. He expended but little, ex- ceedingly little, upon his person, and every surplus cent he had on hand he gave to the poor and to charitable and benevolent objects. There are hundreds now living who will bear testimony that the representation here given of his life rather falls below than exceeds the facts in the case. His presence seemed almost to excite a holy awe in the minds of those who were thrown with him ; for he always seemed just down from the mount of communion with God. The effects of his example arc felt to this day on the Mecklenburg circuit ; and in eternity, doubtless, many will rise up to call him blessed as the results of his ministry in 1830. 6* 66 LIFE OF THE He closed up his labours, and left his circuit beloved and lamented by all. On his last round on the circuit, the people hung upon him and wept when taking leave of him ; but he commended them to God and the word of his grace, and said, " The will of the Lord be done I" He went to the Conference, held in February, 1831, in the town of Newbern, North Carolina, from which he was assigned, for the ensuing year, to the Greenville circuit, adjoining the Mecklenburg on the east. Having travelled two circuits — the Brunswick and the Mecklenburg — adjoining his new field of labour, he was not entirely unknown to the church in Greenville. Many of the brethren had heard him preach, and had witnessed the results of his labours as a pastor and a preacher in the circuits just named. He was received very cordially, and a wide and effectual door was opened to him on his en- trance upon his work. As might be anticipated, various exaggerated representa- tions of his habits of life, plainness of apparel, strictness in watching over his members, and so forth, had been made in some parts of the circuit. On his first round, the people flocked to see him as well as to hear him. Curiosity was soon gratified; and the congregations everywhere were deeply impressed by his preaching and manner of life. The Rev. Rowland G. Bass was Mr. Childs's colleague on the Greenville circuit. He was a young man of deep piety, whose heart was fully in the work of the ministry ; and, in many respects, he seems to have been peculiarly suited for companionship with Mr. Childs. He was docile, meek, self-denying, and impressible. It is not an impro- bable conjecture, that the manifestation of his piety took mould and complexion from the spirit, life, and labours of Mr. Childs. They had been associated together on the Mecklenburg circuit, the previous year, where their ac- quaintance and friendship commenced ; and from a letter written by Mr. Childs to Mr. Bass, immediately on the adjournment of Conference, we learn that Mr. Childs de- voutly recognised the hand of Providence in again casting their lots together. In this letter, he says to his young REV. JOHN WESLEY CHILDS. 07 brother and co-labourer, " Ob let us set out afresb to win the prize and labour for souls." We have introduced Mr. Bass to the reader with some particularity, because of the intimacy and warm attachment which grew up between him and Mr. Childs, and because of the correspondence which was kept up between them till the death of Mr. Bass, which occurred in 1838. These men of God commenced their labours on the Greenville circuit with characteristic zeal and fidelity, and they did not labour in vain. The church was revived, and sinners were brought to the foot of the cross. We are now called on, in the prosecution of the life of Mr. Childs, to introduce another feature in his history — a feature which, in some sort, affected the whole of his sub- sequent life. He seems to have taken up the opinion, that it was his duty to travel on foot while engaged in preachiug the gos- pel. It, indeed, amounted to a solemn conviction upon his mind; and for many weeks he was singularly exercised on this subject. He clearly foresaw that it would expose him to the pity of some, and to the scorn and ridicule of others. He prayed over it, wept over it, and conversed with some pious persons in reference to it ; and yet there remained the conviction in his conscience that he must walk and preach. After some time, as the spring began to open and the roads became, good, he left his horse and took his saddle-bags on his shoulders, and in primitive style started round his circuit. He assigned, among other rea- sons, the following for adopting this mode of travelling: — First: It was, as he believed, conducive to his health. Secondly : He could the more conveniently drop in with families on the way, and dispense the word of salvation in the by-paths of life. Thirdly : It was less troublesome and less expensive to entertain him. Fourthly : He thereby set aside the excuse that so many of his people framed to justify their neglect of the week-day appointments — namely, that their horses were employed in the cultivation of the farm, and it was too far to walk to church. Fifthly : He thought it more truly apostolic. OS LIFE OP THE These are a mere specimen of the reasons which he as- signed for travelling on foot around his circuit. There was a great deal of opposition to his course ; and many of his brethren remonstrated with him on the subject. But it was a matter of conscience with him ; and whatever others might think, he believed it to be his solemn duty, in the fear of God, when his health and other circum- stances would permit, to ical/c and preach. The subsequent parts of his life will show us that this was no transient conviction with him. It did not end with a single experi- ment. It was not the result of a mere whim or fancy. It was not an enthusiastic glare, that blazed up with brilliancy for an hour, and then expired for ever. No : it was a set- tled conviction, that haunted him through life ; and it will be seen that his religious enjoyments were more affected by this one thing than, perhaps, by every thing besides. Let us not be hasty, then, in deciding upon the propriety or impropriety of his course. Let us hear him speak for himself, as he frequently docs, at a later period of his life. We admit that it is strange that he should have been so singularly exercised, and for so long a time, upon a matter which, it would seem, could not be very difficult to settle satisfactorily. How long he continued to travel on foot around his circuit on his first experiment, we do not know ; but, in the month of June, we find him writing to Mr. Bass in relation to some change in his appointments, and he says, by the way — "Bodily infirmity has forced me to resume travelling on horseback." His abstemious habits and abundant labours greatly en- feebled him ; and in the absence of a sufficiently nourish- ing diet, he was not able to endure the fatigue of walking from appointment to appointment. And yet nothing short of absolute necessity could induce him to resume travelling on horseback. He says, he was "forced" by "bodily in- firmity" to resume it. He must therefore have believed that, so long as he could walk and preach, he was in the path of duty in so doing. If the experiment had been followed by a loss of comfort, or an abridgment of liberty and success in preaching, he doubtless would have aban- UEV. JOHN WESLEY CHTLDS. 89 doned it, without being forced to do so by bodily infirm- ity. He was not an obstinate man. He bad no pride of opinion in this matter; and we must conclude that the experiment made by him, only the more fully settled the conviction in his mind that, to be happy, he must adopt this mode of carrying the message of salvation to sinners. He continued his labours, in the midst of bodily weak- ness and sore conflicts of mind, until the end of the Con- ference year. In December, 1831, in writing to his col- league he says, " I feel greatly encouraged still to mortify old nature, but weep and mourn that I have been so much like a broken reed. Oh, pray that God may heal me 'that I may recover strength before I go hence and be no more.' " There does not appear to have been any very extensive revival on the circuit during the year ; and yet, in some neighbourhoods, there were prosperous times, which conti- nued, at a few of the appointments, up to the hour of leaving the circuit for Conference. This was a year of more than ordinary trial to Mr. Childs. His mode of travelling excited not a little per- secution. This he brought upon himself. He met it, and passed through it with that meekness and gentleness for which he was so remarkable. But his principal trials grew out of the excitement in some of the largest and best societies in the circuit on the subject of "lleform." Several of the leading members subjected themselves to exclusion from the church, and the exercise of discipline in these cases was a source of deep and painful anxiety to him. But he was firm and decided ; and perhaps no one ever managed so delicate a matter with more caution and propriety than did Mr. Childs. The very persons who were excluded from the church, and who voluntarily with- drew under his administration, continued, till the day of their death, to cherish the kindest Christian regard for him, and he for them. ' The year's labours were closed up, and Mr. Childs re- paired to the Conference, which met in the city of Norfolk, February, 1832. From this Conference he was appointed 70 LTFE OF THE to the Buckingham circuit, lying south of James River, and between the city of Richmond and the town of Lynch- burg. In this new field of ministerial labour we shall pursue his history in the next chapter. CHAPTER VII. BUCKINGHAM CIRCUIT. 1832. His activity in his work — Fidelity as a preacher — Troubled again about walking and preaching — Letter to his presiding elder on the sub- ject — Letter to Rev. R. G. Bass— His faithfulness as a pastor — Sancti- fication— End of the year-Attends Conference, and appointed presiding elder of the Yadkin district. We bave now reached a period in the life of Mr. Childs from which we are better supplied with material for a con- nected history of his religious exercises and ministerial labours than we have been in the previous part of his bio- graphy. His correspondence had considerably increased, and from this year forward he kept a diary, fragments of which have been preserved; and from these, with the per- sonal recollections which have been furnished us, we shall be able to lay before the reader a strictly authentic record of his every-day life. Mr. Childs was early at his work, and with his accus- tomed diligence* and zeal commenced his pastoral labours. His appointments were regularly met — the classes were led — the delinquents were looked after — the erring were reproved — the desponding were encouraged — the sick and infirm were faithfully visited ; and everywhere he went, his godly example, his earnest prayers, and his pious ad- monitions produced the happiest results. From his diary we learn that he found great coldness and worldly-mindedncss in some portions of his chargt;, while here and there he met with persons that he regarded as decidedly pious and deeply coucerned for the prosperity REV. JOHN WESLEY CI11LDS. 71 of God's cause on the circuit. His great aim was holiness, and to this he everywhere laboured to lead his people. He was not content with a low standard of religion, or with low attainments in experimental godliness. He preached on the subject, and urged it home upon the consciences and hearts of his members. He held the opinions of Wesley and Fletcher upon the doctrine of sanctification or holiness, and he scarcely ever preached a sermon in which ' did not exhort those who had obtained justification to "go on to perfection." On this subject he always grew warm and pathetic in a hi