Qass 
 
 £^4i 
 
 Book^ 
 
5!r»%-L 
 


 RECOMMENDATIONS. 
 
 Bro. Graham : — 
 
 I think you are engaged in a good work, in preparing 
 sketches of the life of Bro. Phinney for publication. May 
 you have success. Jona. Woodman. 
 
 Lawrence, Mass., Jan. 25, 1851. 
 
 Bro. Graham : — 
 
 I am glad you are preparing sketches of Bro. Phinney's 
 life for publication. I think such a work must be very 
 interesting, and if I can do anything to help, I shall gladly. 
 
 D. Waterman. 
 
 Unity, Me., Feb. 11, 1851. 
 
 Bro. Graham : — 
 
 I was exceedingly glad to learn that you are about to 
 publish the life of Elder Clement Phinney. 1 think there 
 are many incidents which ought to be preserved, and 
 which would be of interest to the church and the world. 
 The old man is one of nature's original paintings, and 
 ought to be framed before it is too late. E. Notes. 
 
 Providence, R. I., Jan. 14, 1851. 
 1 
 
t^v.Vvil»tti:i: 
 
J". W Surford.' I.ith 
 
 mmmmR a? jli^iMii it ^j^ jphc je m J^:^r jj jt. 
 
THE LIFE 
 
 OF 
 
 CLEMENT PHIMEY. 
 
 BY 
 
 D. M. GRAHAM, 
 
 PASTOR OF THE FIRST F. TV. BAPTIST CHURCH, NEW TORS. 
 
 DOVER, N. H, 
 
 WILLIAM BURR, PRINTER. 
 
 1851. 
 
b^j^in 
 
 'C5' 
 
 
 Entered according to 'lli^ Act of Congress, in the year one tliousand 
 eight hundred and fifty-one, by 
 
 Clement Phinney and D. M. Graham, 
 
 in the" Clerk's Office of the District Court of New HampshirCc 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 Less than two y«ars ago, at a session of the Kenne- 
 bec Yearly Meeting, the subject and the writer of this 
 little volume first met. This happened to our lot by the 
 
 invitation of Mr. ■ — Frye, of Lewiston, where the 
 
 meeting occurred. During the meeting a sermon was de- 
 livered, which was more deficient in other respects than in 
 doctrine or arrangement. It was formal — it was without 
 life. Mr. Phinney followed in a brief exhortation. Con- 
 densing the whole sermon into a few simple sentences, he 
 delivered it to the hearers, whereas it had previously only 
 been delivered before them. He breathed into the corpse- 
 like sermon ihe breath of life. He caused it to burn up- 
 on the hearts of those for whom it was designed. It then 
 occurred to the writer that it would be a good service to 
 the church, to write the life of one whose words so easily 
 carry truth to the heart. On the way home next day, 
 this conviction was mentioned to a clerical friend, who not 
 only shared in it, but who immediately urged it upon his 
 incompetent friend to undertake the book desired. 
 
 A few months after, at a convention holden at Great 
 Falls, N. H.j hopes were excited that the time had come 
 when the F. W. Baptist Connexion would sustain a peri- 
 odical, a leading object of whioh should be, to record in 
 chronological order, such accounts of the early laborers 
 in the denomination, as time has spared. The biograph- 
 ical feature of the proposed periodical naturally recalled 
 
VI. PREFACE. 
 
 the thoughts just mentioned concerning Mr. Phinney, and^ 
 as it was understood that he had kept no journal, it was 
 felt to be important for some one immediately to set about 
 collecting the materials for a proper notice to appear in 
 due time on the pages where his fellow laborers were to 
 be remembered. With the design of accomplishing this 
 purpose merely, an invitation was sent, a little more than 
 a year ago, to Mr. Phinney to spend a few days with the 
 writer, who then resided in Saco. This had doubtless 
 been the end of the affair, had not Rev. B. D. Peck, of 
 Portland, by whom the invitation was communicated, 
 taken great pains to overcome the old gentleman's reluc- 
 tance, and to prevail upon him to comply at once with the 
 wishes of his friends. 
 
 When he came and related such events as occurred to 
 him, the hasty notes were taken which form the principal 
 portion of this book. In it, therefore, there must be mis- 
 takes, but there is ground to hope they are neither seri- 
 ous, nor numerous. The great deficiency that will be 
 felt, especially by those long acquainted with Mr. Phin-. 
 ney, is the omission of the very events that seem to them 
 the most interesting things in his life. This is a source 
 of regret, but to none more than the writer, and he may 
 add, had he not been fully aware of this deficiency, this 
 volume would have aflx)rded no one, except himself, either 
 pleasure or pain, for some years to come. But, however 
 unwise it may appear to others, he permits it to go forth 
 now, with the hope that the regret awakened by the defi- 
 ciency alluded to, may evoke many valuable reminiscen- 
 ces that would otherwise never appear. 
 
 Though the writer owes much to the kindness of many 
 friends whom he must pass in silence, it would be entirely 
 unjust not to mention Rev. Silas Curtis, who has, aside 
 from looking over most of the manuscript, afforded much 
 assistance by furnishing many more facts than he has 
 
PREFACE. VU. 
 
 credit for in the following pages, where, for the most part, 
 such assistance from others is acknowledged. 
 
 It is hoped, whatever views the reader may entertahi 
 relative to Phrenology, Mr. Fowler's description may 
 prove acceptable. On the day of the date of the descrip- 
 tion, the portrait, without name, fact, or hint of any kind, 
 was handed to him. No change has been made in his 
 manuscript, not even in the tense of the verbs, from 
 which it seems Mr. F. thought he was describing the 
 character of one no longer in the land of the living. 
 
 It has not been in the power of the writer to see a single 
 page of the proof sheets. He has sent off chapter after 
 chapter, as soon ^s it was off his hands. These hints,*" 
 besides being in part an apology for repetitions and in- 
 congruities, will lead the reader to make due allowance 
 for any other errors he may notice. 
 
 If this little volume, prepared under many embarrass- 
 ments, shall prove of any service to the Kingdom of Christ, 
 it is enough. D. M. G. 
 
 New York, May 1, 1851. 
 
THE PHRENOLOGICAL CHARACTER 
 
 OF CLEMENT PHINNEY, AS GIVEN BY L. N. FOWLER, FROM 
 
 HIS PORTRAIT. 
 
 Clinton Hall, April 7, 1851. 
 
 This likeness indicates strong vitality, power, and a 
 long-lived ancestry. He was prepared to take life more 
 calmly than most men — neither its toils or its allurements, 
 deranged his state of mind, or drew him off from a bal- 
 ance so much as to make much difference with his char- 
 acter. He was generally uniform, steady, stable, and 
 could be relied upon. The nutritive functions appear 
 large, which gave an ample degree of the vital principle, 
 enabling him to go through with severe exercises, if nec- 
 essary, and exerted a healthy, benign influence over oth- 
 ers, and so presented his subjects and conversation, that 
 others became interested not only in them, but in him. 
 He had a fair amount of motive and mental power, giving 
 a good degree of force of character and mental activity ; 
 still, he did not often go to extremes, and when he did, 
 there was consistency even in the extreme. 
 
 Plis Phrenological organization indicates a predominance 
 of the intellectual and moral faculties — his head was high, 
 and comparatively narrow, — the selfish propensities must 
 have been rather we^k, especially Destruictiveness — he 
 was not inclined to cruelty — was more disposed to love 
 than to hate — to create happiness rather than misery — to 
 do good rather than evil — to relieve distress rather than 
 to promote suffering, and inclined to oppose all kinds of 
 violence, and punishment as a matter of revenge, and 
 would worship a God of benevolence rather than a God 
 of revenge. He had control over his appetite, and ate to 
 live, rather than lived to eat. He M'as naturally frank, 
 candid, open-hearted in the development of his disposi- 
 tion, and yet was comparatively cautious, especially as to 
 what kind of influences he exerted. He was particularly 
 firm, persevering, steady, and had a high degree of moral 
 courage — was not afraid to tell the truth, and stand by it, 
 yet he was not reckless, or extra radical in his actions in 
 this respect. The moral faculties all appear to be prom- 
 inent, which indicate a high sense of justice, love of truth, 
 feeling of devotion, sense of the sacred, and regard for 
 
 ;>ij(-c-. '^ J. 
 
X. PHRENOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT. ' 
 
 law and authority — spirituality of mind, hopefulness and 
 sanguineness of feeling, sympathy, humanity, desire to 
 live for others as well as himself, and to interest himself 
 in the general welfare of mankind. It was comparatively 
 easy for him to spend his time in doing good. He was 
 remarkable, intellectually, for his practical common sense 
 — was not so brilliant, theoretical or philosophical, as he 
 was capable of excelling in history, the sciences, and in 
 all practical off-hand kinds of business. Experience was 
 his teacher — he sought truths from nature, and learned 
 more from observation and experience, than in any other 
 way. The truths he uttered were wholesome, and his 
 teachings practical, and always had an eye on the utility 
 of what he said and did, and was a good judge of 
 things and circumstances. He was naturally systematic, 
 methodical, precise, and had a way to do every thing. 
 He was free in conversation — apt in teaching, and very 
 much disposed to tell others what he knew himself. He 
 was good at describing, comparing, and associating — was 
 apt in criticism, and made many striking remarks. He 
 was a good judge of human nature, and seldom missed 
 in his efforts to do good. The social faculties were prob- 
 ably strong, jcdging from the physiognomy, and general 
 make of the head ; if so, he was lively, warm-hearted, 
 fond of society, and delighted to come in contact with 
 others, was decidedly fond of female society, and appre- 
 ciated the marriage relation much, also children, and took 
 great interest in their welfare. His selfishness was based 
 in his animal wants — they being fairly supplied, left his 
 mind free to live for the welfare of others. 
 
 If a professional man, he Avould succeed best as a min- 
 ister or physician ; next to those, as a teacher. If a 
 business man, his practical judgment — how to manage 
 men, and buy up stock, and take advantage of circum- 
 stances, was his forte. 
 
 His jokes were decidedly practical, useful and appro- 
 priate ; he mingled much useful information with his 
 jokes — was really witty ; could be quite sarcastic, yet was 
 so good natured about it, as to give no offence — in fact, 
 he had license by common consent, to say what he pleased, 
 and no one took offence at it, because it was said in so 
 common-sense a manner. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Page. 
 CHAPTER L— From his Birth to his Conversion, 13 
 CHAPTER n. — From his Conversion to his Union 
 
 with the Church, .... 25 
 CHAPTER HI.— From the time of his Admission 
 to the Church to his First Tour as an Evan- 
 gelist, 34 
 
 CHAPTER IV.— His First Tour as an EvangeHst, 45 
 CHAPTER v.— His Second Tour as an Evangelist, 55 
 CHAPTER VI.— His Ordination, and Trials in re- 
 gard to the Support of his Family, . . 68 
 CHAPTER VII.— Cochran and Cochranism, . 78 
 
 CHAPTER VIII.— To his Removal to Harrison, in 
 
 1824, 93 
 
 CHAPTER IX.— To his Removal to Buckfield, . 112 
 CHAPTER X.— Sketches of his Labors from 1830 
 
 to 1842, 129 
 
 CHAPTER XL— Mr. Phinney as a Preacher, . 148 
 CHAPTER XIL— Miscellaneous Incidents.— Clos- 
 ing Remarks, 167 
 
 ..Sir->.' ^--■-'•^ " - - . 
 
LIFE or CLEMENT PHINNEY. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 FROM HIS BIRTH TO HIS CONVERSION. 
 
 Clement Phinnet was born in Gorham, Maine, 
 August 16th, 1780. To this town, John Phinney, his 
 great-grandfather, removed from Cape Cod, Mass., 
 more than a hundred years ago. That this ancestor 
 of his first settled Gorham, and the date of his settle- 
 ment, appear from the following copy of a part of the 
 inscription on a block of granite, erected at " Gorham 
 Corners," by public authority : 
 
 Capt. 
 John Phinnev 
 commenced the 
 first settlement of this town 
 May 1736. 
 To Edmund Phinney, son of John, and grand- 
 father of Clement, though only fourteen years of age 
 at the time of "the settlement," is attributed the hon- 
 or of felling the first tree cut in the town by the 
 
14 THE LIFE OF 
 
 white man's axe. Tradition makes him the hero of 
 other exploits in equal esteem among pioneers. Of 
 these the following may be of interest to some : 
 
 The first inhabitants of Gorham, like those of most 
 frontier towns, especially in those times, suffered from 
 the attacks of hostile tribes of Indians. "When Ed- 
 mund was only twenty years of age, it is related, 
 that to ascertain if the enemy was near, he with two 
 others was sent forth from the fort, which the inhab- 
 itants had built upon a spot still known as " Fort 
 Hill." The party had proceeded but a little way, 
 when Edmund, as he stepped upon a stump the bet- 
 ter to observe, saw three Indians skulking in the 
 thick under-wood. He had time only to exclaim, 
 " Here they are," till they fired upon him. He fell, 
 and his companions snatching him up for dead, hast- 
 ened back to the fort. Fortunately, being only 
 stunned, he speedily recovered. Two balls wounded 
 his head, and a third passed through the flesh of the 
 arm. It was ascertained afterward that these Indians 
 were his personal acquaintances and play-fellows ; 
 and, that they aimed at him especially, as they them- 
 selves confessed when peace returned, because they 
 feared in him a formidable enemy. 
 
 This anecdote, though without the heroic denoue- 
 ment of many that are related of him, gives us a 
 glimpse of the kind of training through which many 
 of our ancestors passed, preparatory to the great strug- 
 gle for Independence — a struggle which was then 
 approaching, and in which this Edmund served to 
 good purpose as a Colonel. 
 
CLEMENT PHINNEY. 15 
 
 One of those wlio carried him to the fort was his 
 future father-in-law, Clement Meserve, whose Chris- 
 tian name has descended to the subject of our sketch- 
 es. Edmund's third son, Edmund, Jr., was Clement 
 Phinney's father. He married Sarah Hamblen, some 
 descendants of whose family are still residing in Gor- 
 ham. Of the eight children sprung from this mar- 
 riage, the eldest is Clement, to whom we now re- 
 turn. 
 
 Of his childhood and youth we have but few things 
 to relate, and none of these wonders. There is not 
 often a case of which it may be said with so much 
 truth, however, that he inherited a good physical con- 
 stitution, and consequently a large share of good na- 
 ture and cheerfulness, as well as that strong common 
 sense which is so exceedingly rare, notwithstanding 
 its name. 
 
 His intellectual endowments present that combina- 
 tion which is adapted to quick and accurate observa- 
 tion, rather than to profound and consecutive reason- 
 ing. His talent, as we say, is practical, rather than 
 theoretical — adapted to present visible execution, rath- 
 er than to operating silently and systematically upon 
 ages. His impulses in youth and middle age were 
 strong, but combined with those generous sentiments 
 which render even a forcible nature agreeable. 
 
 His love of music, even in childhood, was exces- 
 sive. He early learned to exercise his powers of 
 song, by which he attached his equals to himself, and 
 rendered his company desirable to adults. This tal- 
 ent, being cultivated and consecrated to God, has 
 
16 THE LIFE OF 
 
 been, as we shall hereafter see, very instrumental in 
 awakening in the human heart responses to the calls 
 of the Divine Word. Aptness " to teach" he pos- 
 sesses to a degree quite above mediocrity ; and anoth- 
 er talent, quite as important to the minister, an in- 
 stinctive capability of acquiring friends, without mak- 
 ing at the same time an equal number of enemies. 
 
 The other natural endowments by which, through 
 a long series of years, he has been able to hold the 
 undivided attention of large audiences, may be indi- 
 cated, perhaps sufficiently, by saying that he has in 
 his composition a rich vein of genuine wit, and not a 
 slight sprinkle of enthusiasm, accompanied by an 
 eccentricity, which, though it will not bear imitation, 
 is nevertheless very agreeable, because in him it is 
 perfectly spontaneous. The glow of enthusiasm, and 
 a striking eccentricity, when combined in a public 
 speaker of no more than ordinary qualifications in 
 other respects, while they have no little effect upon 
 the learned, never foil to exercise a controlling influ- 
 ence over the mass of mankind. 
 
 His advaiitages for education, in the ordinary sense 
 of the term, were such only as the district school of 
 New England fifty years ago affi^rded. The educa- 
 tion here received he improved, however, by teach- 
 ing ; but. it must be remembered that the common 
 school fifty years ago was not what it now is. If we 
 judge of the schools of those days by the noble men 
 with which they blessed the world, we shall not, how- 
 ever, come to the conclusion that they were altogeth- 
 er deficient. 
 
CLEMENT PniNNEY. 17 
 
 To become acquainted with his theological educa- 
 tion, we have not to follow him to the feet of any 
 Gamaliel, but to follow him long years in the actual 
 warfare of practical life. So far then, as he has pro- 
 ceeded in his studies — for he has not yet graduated — 
 it is our purpose to follow him. Having introduced 
 the reader to the natural man, we invite him to ob- 
 serve the development of this combination of facul- 
 ties, under the various influences of good and bad to 
 which he has been subjected, and under the like of 
 which each one, who lives long in this world, must 
 decide for himself whether he will be saved or lost. 
 
 The reader rightly infers that in youth he was very 
 fond of merry-making company. Still, amid youth- 
 ful excitements and the influence afforded by the ex- 
 ample of depraved companions, he never fell into the 
 disgusting vice of profanity. For this preservation 
 he still cherishes a lively gratitude for his mother's 
 influence. Happy will it be for our country, when 
 each son can bear a similar testimony to his mother'i 
 worth. 
 
 When about eighteen, Mr. Phinney was attacked 
 on a side, however, not so well fortified by parental 
 influence. By some vile men, such as yet infest soci- 
 ety in great abundance, he was enticed to places for 
 drinking and gambling. "Well nigh did his musical 
 talent, in this instance, prove the occasion of his ruin. 
 Under the admonitions of the Spirit of God, he was 
 toon rescued from those places of degradation. 
 
 Soon after, he was taken very ill of a fever, from 
 
 which his friends despaired of his recovery. He 
 2 
 
 (_ii^f 
 
18 THE LIFE OP 
 
 began to reflect upon his religious interests. Beyond 
 the grave there was for him neither light nor hope. 
 In the deep anguish of a soul, conscious of a want of 
 preparation for the exchange of worlds, he vowed, if 
 his life should be spared, to devote the rest of his 
 days to the service of God. His vows, like all oth- 
 ers made to postpone present duty, were made only 
 to be broken. Upon his recovery, though no longer 
 found in the company of gamblers, there were few 
 balls within his reach without his presence. In mere 
 pleasure he sought for happiness. 
 
 For the age of twenty-one he looked forward with 
 those bright anticipations which are the invariable 
 ushers of disappointments correspondingly sad. A 
 gloom overtook this pleasure-seeker, as, sooner or 
 later, all such are overtaken. It was so marked that 
 his father and other friends inquired for its origin. 
 To them he returned almost any answer but the true 
 one, a want of communion with his Maker. Vainly 
 he pursues the same course, though his mental night 
 becomes more and more dismal. 
 
 In his twenty-third year, [March, 1803,] he was 
 married to Joanna, daughter of Captain Josiah Wal- 
 lace, of Cape Elizabeth. Both with hearty good 
 will left their pleasure-going associations to seek for 
 happiness in the pursuit of wealth. With good pros- 
 pects he entered upon business in his native town. 
 But success in worldly good cannot banish a sense of 
 internal poverty. 
 
 During his twenty-fourth year, under the pressure 
 of his unhappy spirit, he betook himself to prayer for 
 
 ■i> If f1li> iir • 
 
CLEMENT PHINNEY. 19 
 
 the first time in his life. This only revealed to him 
 more clearly his sad want of conformity to the divine 
 law. Sin revived in him with unwonted power. His 
 hopes died. But, instead of applying to a crucified 
 and risen Christ to deliver him from the death in 
 which his spirit was struggling, he thought to banish 
 his wretchedness by fleeing to the company of those 
 who spoke of the Savior only to deride. Such, how- 
 ever, is God's mercy, that his Spirit, to increase con- 
 viction, often employs the very means to which the 
 sinner resorts to escape from it altogether, and thus 
 leads him who was bent upon destruction to that re- 
 pentance not to be repented of. Take some illustra- 
 tions. 
 
 In the winter of the twenty-sixth year of his age, 
 Mr. Phinney, with the express design of gaining a 
 respite from his convictions, took great pains to devote 
 one day to the kind of company before named. Fri- 
 day night he dismissed his school. Having engaged 
 to accompany him a neighbor who, upon every con- 
 venient opportunity, was accustomed to become intox- 
 icated, he went on Saturday morning to Portland, a 
 few miles distant. There they met a large company 
 of glee companions. They all gave themselves up to 
 bacchanalian revelry. Of this company Mr. Phinney 
 was leader and life. Calling himself Paul, Junior, 
 he delivered mock sermons, and engaged in mock the- 
 ological debates with some of those who so much dis- 
 grace the cause of Christ, known as backsliders. On 
 their way home that evening his drunken associate 
 
20 THE LIFE OF 
 
 was converted into a real preacher. " Clement," said 
 be, ** your wickedness to-day has fairly frightened me/* 
 This remark carried to the heart of his hearer con- 
 Ticfeion, no less pungent than that experienced by 
 John Bunyan, when a wicked woman said to him, that 
 he ** was the ungodliest fellow for swearing that she 
 ever heard in all her life." " That day," to use Mr. 
 Phinney's own words, " was the worst of my life. I 
 can scarcely recur to it without a shudder.' ' 
 
 Having spent most of two nights and the inter- 
 vening Sabbath in great distress of mind, he was on 
 his way Monday morning to his school. While pass- 
 ing through a woody vale that seemed to his excited 
 imagination a chosen place for Divine manifestations, 
 he hears a voice which, though deep in the recesses 
 of his own heart, seems to him to come from above. 
 " Whither," cried the voice of the Eternal, " whith- 
 er, O young man, art thou bound ?" " To destruc- 
 tion," he involuntarily responds. *' Why press on 
 to that destiny," said the voice, " why not turn and 
 live ?" « Lord help," said he, " and I will." 
 
 He still procrastinated and still suffered. How the 
 day passed he cannot remember. But he well re- 
 members that a release from cares and the solemn 
 hours of night brought him to a full consciousness of 
 his wretched condition. 
 
 At the close of this term he accepted an invitation 
 to take charge of a school at Standish Neck, within 
 himself again resolving, when separated from hig 
 wicked associates, to pay his vows. He prepareoi 
 
CLEMENT PHINNEY. 21 
 
 himself thus to learn by bitter experience that truth 
 of the Bible, so hard for us all to learn, " Behold, 
 now is the day of salvation." 
 
 " It is a poor relief we gain 
 To change the place but not the pain." 
 
 By contract he was to board in the family of John 
 Plaisted. He wished to board in that quiet Christian 
 family the better to carry into effect his resolutions. 
 When he arrived he found that his evil fame had pre- 
 ceded him. Mrs. P. consented to take him into the 
 family only till other arrangements could be made. 
 
 He commenced his school, and in a few days his pu- 
 pils, as usual, became warmly attached to him. Among 
 them was an adopted son of his hostess. The time 
 came for the change. The son plead with the mother in 
 his teacher's behalf. The teacher determined to stand 
 upon the contract or leave the school. All the children 
 of the district declared for their teacher, and Mrs. P. 
 herself had seen nothing out of the way in her boarder. 
 It is scarcely necessary to add that, as in most cases, the 
 children carried the day, and the school continued. 
 
 Sometimes Mr. Phinney strove to derive from 
 conversation with Mrs. P., some light concerning the 
 way of life. She mistrusts in him only a desire to 
 play the sanctimonious part for his own amusementj 
 and, therefore, afforded him very little instruction, 
 For the same purpose he attended prayer meetings, 
 but with like success. He was regarded as one who 
 came in merely to spy out the liberty of Christians, 
 and, therefore, they took the precaution to change 
 meetings appointed for vocal prayer into those of the 
 
22 THE LIFE OF 
 
 most approved Quaker style. The faith of such 
 Christians never removes mountains. 
 
 In the same town, though a few miles distant, re- 
 sided Sargeant Shaw, a Christian to whom living and 
 walking " in the Spirit," imported something more 
 than attention to forms and dogmas. He believed 
 the Holy Spirit prompted him to visit Mr. Phinney 
 for religious conversation. He obeyed the inward 
 call, notwithstanding some of his friends urged him 
 not to expose himself to the ridicule of " the wicked 
 teacher." He arrived at Mr. Plaisted's a little before 
 the teacher was expected to return. As soon as he 
 heard him he hastened to meet him. " Mr. Phin- 
 ney," said he, " I have come to converse with you 
 on the subject of religion." " I am glad to see you 
 on that errand," said Mr. Phinney, adding, " I greatly 
 feel the need of religion." He related in full to Mr. 
 Shaw his trials of mind. 
 
 This visit gave great strength to the Christian, and 
 to the seeker a determination never to yield till he 
 should experience the pardoning mercy of Christ. 
 Should we always be as prompt to obey the Spirit's 
 call as was Mr. Shaw, how often might we act the part 
 of an Ananias to some groping Paul. Though God 
 speaks from the sky to awaken in the human heart 
 a deep yearning for salvation, he leaves it to his writ- 
 ten word and to Christians to give specific directions. 
 
 The next Saturday after this visit, while Mr. Phin- 
 ney was on his way to Gorham to spend the Sabbath 
 with his family, he was overtaken by one of his com- 
 panions. " Clementj" said he, " what makes you look 
 
CLEMENT PHINNEY 
 
 23 
 
 SO solemn?" The unhesitating reply was, "I am 
 seeking God." To his family's inquiries he made 
 similar reply. Sabbath evening while at singing 
 school, (for he was accustomed to teach such,) a very • 
 profane man, during an intermission, roughly address- 
 ed him as to his seriousness, but the candid reply soon 
 checked the spirit of ridicule. Here is one whose 
 soul is in earnest ; he cares not how many or who 
 know that he is seeking for redemption through 
 Christ. Many a one brought near to the kingdom of 
 heaven loses his soul, for want of resolution to face 
 the sneer of some worthless associate. 
 
 May [1806] had made the earth glad and gay be- 
 fore he entered upon the last week of his term ; but 
 still there was yet no joy in his heart. He felt, as he 
 remarked this week to one of his pupils, that he was 
 «a poor lost sinner." But to his sad heart joy was 
 approaching. He had lost all dependence upon him- 
 self He was wholly intent upon mercy through 
 Christ. Slumber had forsaken his eyelids. As at the 
 midnight hour he wrestled in prayer the burden of his 
 guilt passed away. A glorious light burst upon his 
 soul and filled it with a divine ecstacy. He waited not 
 till morning to communicate the glad intelligence to 
 the Christian family in which he was boarding. To- 
 gether, till break of day, they praised and prayed. 
 
 This morning, as he passed along the shores of a 
 beautiful lake to a grove where, in his darkness, he 
 had often prayed and wept bitter tears of repentance, 
 it seemed to him that literally "old things" had pass- 
 ed away, and all things become "new." All things 
 
14 THE LIFE OP 
 
 seemed to partake of his own joy. The bright wa- 
 ters wear a new smile ; the birds have new songs ; 
 the groves are filled with the presence of a life-giving 
 Deity. 
 
 In a day or two he entered his school for the last 
 time. He felt much more like praying with his pu- 
 pils, and exhorting them to flee to Christ, than attend- 
 ing to his ordinary duties. He commenced his ac- 
 customed routine, but soon the scene was changed. 
 One of the pupils while reading began to shed tears 
 at the thought of parting so soon with her teacher. 
 Many from kindred feelings soon imitated her. The 
 teacher found himself unable to restrain his tears. 
 He spent the remaining hour in accordance with his 
 own feelings. " Though more than forty years have 
 passed," said one of those pupils the other day, " I 
 have not forgotten that scene. I never shall. We 
 all wept." Years afterward Mr. Phinney had the 
 privilege of reaping fruit of that day's sowing. 
 
 Dear reader, you have seen in this case the sinner 
 strive to sear his conscience by plunging deeper and 
 deeper into sin. But such is the nature of the soul 
 of man, that it can never be at rest till reconciled to 
 God. In -a state of alienation it has tribulation, but 
 in Christ it has peace. May that peace be yours, 
 evermore. 
 
 :iifkri-i 
 
CLEMENT PHINNET. 25 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 TROM HIS CONVERSION TO HIS UNION WITH THE CHL'RCH. 
 
 Upon Mr. Phinney's return from Standish, the 
 news of his conversion soon spread among his neigh- 
 bors, and furnished them with a theme for not a little 
 conversation. Many of his former associates took 
 early occasion to call upon him, that they might con- 
 Terse with one after his conversion, who before, had 
 80 often made them merry by his witticisms in regard 
 to religion ; and, when they found him who once " had 
 the legion, in his right mind," they were not a little 
 astonished. When they left, instead of the idle curi- 
 osity which had prompted their calls, a wholesome 
 conviction of their need of a similar change, had 
 possession of their minds; and one of the number 
 »oon submitted to God. 
 
 Though for no good reason he delayed joining the 
 church, he exercised his influence in awakening the 
 consciences of others, and his own soul made rapid 
 advancement in the new life. But he could not long 
 remain in this condition in safety ; for soon he began 
 to feel the need of sympathy and encouragement from 
 others, both for his own progress, and for his highest 
 usefulness toward others. On the other hand he be- 
 gan to fear, that if he should join the church, and be 
 faithful to the grace already operating in his heart, 
 he would be called to a life more public than he de- 
 sired. Here he faltered. His zeal departed. He 
 
26 
 
 THE LIFE OP 
 
 wounded his conscience. He could no longer be at 
 peace among Christians. He forsook the house of 
 God, and the cares of this world choked the germ 
 that had begun to unfold itself in his inner life. This 
 plant will not endure neglect. It seems not to be in- 
 digenous to the human heart. It seems rather to be 
 an exotic that requires careful culture. It must strike 
 its roots into the soil of a soul wholly submissive to 
 the Divine will, and supported, under ordinary cir- 
 cumstances, by the sympathies arising from "broth- 
 erly love." In such a soil it rapidly absorbs all the 
 energies, till every plant not of heavenly planting is 
 rooted out. 
 
 ^ Step by step Mr. Phinney departed till he was en- 
 tirely conformed to the world. He was however 
 more unhappy than before his conversion. In the 
 year 1809, some three years after his conversion, 
 there was a revival that extended its influence over 
 a considerable part of AYestern Maine. Under the 
 labors of Elders Z. Leach and Samuel Hutchinson, it 
 visited Fort Hill, to which part of Gorham Mr. 
 Phinney had' moved soon after his conversion. Dur- 
 ing this series of meetings he, by public confession of 
 his sins, returned to his " Father's house." From that 
 time to the present he has led a very faithful Chris- 
 tian life ; enjoying almost without interruption, a 
 high degree of communion with God, and, as we 
 shall see, he has been, as a consequence, a great bless- 
 ing to the church ; and eternity itself can only unfold 
 the amount of good the Savior has wrought through 
 mm. 
 
CLEMENT PHINNEY. 27 
 
 During the same revival were converted five young 
 men who became ministers, viz., Joseph White, Zach- 
 ariah Jordan, David Sweat, Allen Files and Sargeant 
 Shaw, son of the Christian so instrumental in Mr. 
 Phinney's conversion. Of these, one only, Joseph 
 White, has been called to his reward ; and it is grati- 
 fying to be able to state, that an account of his life 
 will soon be given to the denomination to which he 
 was both a great blessing and high honor. 
 
 After alluding to those above named, it is painful 
 to state in contrast, that many, who at the same time 
 and place professedly passed from death unto life, 
 have given us good reason to fear, if we judge them 
 " by their fruits," that the Savior will say to them in 
 the great trial-day, " Depart from me, ye that work 
 iniquity." This revival in the vicinity of Gorham 
 commenced in the following manner : At one of the 
 accustomed weekly prayer meetings, quite a young 
 lady began to pray for the conversion of sinners. 
 She became quite enthusiastic, and at length exhaust- 
 ing her strength to a great degree, she fell prostrate 
 upon the floor in what they called a " swooning fit." 
 Thereupon considerable excitement arose, and soon 
 other similar cases occurred. Not many weeks pass- 
 ed until it was regarded as a great virtue to feel so 
 much for souls, as they called it, as to induce this 
 " swooning." Whenever religion is made to consist 
 in any thing but real submission to the will of God — 
 in any thing but genuine goodness — there religion 
 will have an abundance of votaries. So in this case. 
 Not only did nervous young ladies become subjects of 
 
28 THE LIFE OF 
 
 this folly, but even many able-bodied men. Personi 
 seeking this " experience," would arise in prayer meet- 
 ings and begin at first, perhaps, quite calmly to ex- 
 hort; soon, however, by self-moved efforts on their 
 own part, and sympathetic efforts on the part of oth- 
 ers, they would become more and more excited, till 
 at last, whirling round and round, they would fall 
 prostrate in " a swoon." 
 
 Looking back from this date, it seems to us strange 
 that any but natural enthusiasts should have enter- 
 tained toward this proceeding any other feeling than^ 
 regret or disgust ; but we are assured by one who has 
 been through a long life, marked for his discretion, 
 not to say too much caution, that he even reproached 
 himself because he could not be among those favored 
 by such deep feeling for the conversion of others. 
 He even prayed and struggled for this blessing, as 
 he then deemed it. At length one evening, while in 
 meeting sighing for it, he began to feel " the spell 
 coming over him." To that point did he go, that he 
 felt certain, by yielding to his feelings, he could expe- 
 rience that for which he had been seeking. But at 
 once, like any honest man who is sufficiently on his 
 guard against self-deception, he aroused himself. " The 
 influence," to use the language of mesmerizers, soon 
 passed away, and he bitterly reproached himself for 
 his folly. Thereafter he failed not to bear his testi- 
 mony against it as a delusion. 
 
 This "swooning" did not accompany this great 
 revival in all the towns ; and it is a fact worth re- 
 membering, that wherever it did appear, there great 
 
CLEMENT PHINNET. 29 
 
 declension soon followed ; while in other places the 
 converts as a general thing remained steadfast. In 
 Gorham, Standish and Raymond, for instance, where 
 this feature was very prominent, such sad declension 
 followed, that in less than a year many of the con- 
 verts, as they were called, were in a condition far 
 more hopeless than before conversion ; while in New 
 Gloucester, Gray and other towns where this element 
 was absent, the converts have proved by useful lives 
 the reality of their conversion. 
 
 These facts have not been given on the authority 
 of one. The two ministers upon whose authority 
 these statements have been made unite also in saying, 
 that they cannot call to mind a single individual sub- 
 ject to this " swooning," who has proved, by a faithful 
 life, the genuineness of his conversion. In a town 
 some miles distant, some preachers went so far in 
 this delusion that they absolutely demanded it of their 
 converts ; and, if at any time, they feared that " the 
 burden" was too great for any under this influence, 
 they directed others to relieve them by taking it them- 
 selves, which they accomplished by taking those to be 
 relieved by the hand. 
 
 This " swooning" appeared from time to time for 
 years in that vicinity ; and indeed it is not yet wholly 
 gone, as within a year a few cases have occurred. 
 
 One circumstance that greatly facilitated the spread 
 of this delusion, ought not to be passed over in silence. 
 The young converts were regarded as peculiarly holy, 
 and suffered to give mold and character to the meet- 
 ings ; while Christians who had, by years of faithful- 
 
30 THE LIFE OP 
 
 ness, shown that they were living for God, were set 
 aside as of little or no importance. This mistake, to 
 call it by no harsher name, soon brought, as we have 
 seen, no small calamity. 
 
 All fanaticism produces sooner or later infidelity ; 
 and never have the friends of true religion more 
 cause for sadness, than when her garb is assumed by 
 such a delusion as we have described. But as it will 
 be our painful duty, before closing this volume, to 
 notice another similar delusion, we postpone such re- 
 flections as we wish to make upon this subject to a 
 future chapter. 
 
 To return. Mr. Phinney, after this revival, soon 
 found a field of usefulness open before him. One 
 day while engaged in his labor he felt impressed with 
 the importance of having a prayer meeting in that 
 part- of the t^wn where he resided. He says, he 
 " conferred not with flesh and blood," but started im- 
 mediately to Mr. Baker's, one of his neighbors, to ask 
 the privilege of appointing a prayer meeting at his 
 house. Perpiission being given, the appointment was 
 made. Some curiosity was excited to see how the 
 prayer meeting was to be managed, as no minister 
 was to be present. When the evening for the meet- 
 ing came, Mr. Phinney found the room full, but Mr. 
 Baker was absent praying in secret, as was after- 
 wards ascertained, for the rash man who was to un- 
 dertake, without any help from a minister, to conduct 
 a prayer meeting. When Mr. Baker returned, he not 
 only found his house full, but six of his unconverted 
 neighbors were on their knees begging for God's 
 
CLEMENT PHINNEY. 31 
 
 mercy. With such power was the Spirit present in 
 that meeting, that no less than jfive or six dated their 
 conversion from it. Among these was Mrs. Phinney, 
 who was immediately baptized and added to the church, 
 even before her husband. Mr. Phinney was making 
 another attempt to live without joining the church. 
 He at length became convinced that he would again 
 backslide, should he continue the experiment longer. 
 After various doubts and trials on the subject of his 
 duty as to baptism, he became settled in his course. 
 Some three or four years after his conversion, he was 
 baptized by Elder Samuel Hutchinson, whereupon 
 he joined the church. Thus at rest in his mind, we 
 shall see that important fields of usefulness opened 
 before him. 
 
 It will gratify the reader that we are able to give 
 the closing incident of this chapter in his own words, 
 communicated to us in a letter some time last year. 
 We will only remark, that the Catechism it contains 
 is much more efficient for enhancing that religion 
 which is to be judged by its " fruits," than all the 
 dogmatical or sectarian creeds ever proclaimed by 
 far-famed councils. 
 
 " It was, I think," says he, " sometime in 1810 — 11, 
 I was instructing a school in Gorham. One day 
 when I started to my school, I was intending to get 
 a stick on my way to chastise certain insubordinate 
 scholars. While thinking of the discipline of my 
 school, the following questions were presented to my 
 mind ; 
 
32 THE LIFE OP 
 
 Are you not a scholar ? Yes. Who is your Mas- 
 ter ? Jesus. Do you obey him as well as your pu- 
 pils do you ? No. Are you not a fallible teacher ? 
 Yes. But is not your teacher a perfect one ? He is. 
 
 With these thoughts I began, in my mind, to invite 
 the world to come and go to school with me. I for- 
 got my stick, and when I arrived at the school-room, 
 instead of punishing my scholars, I sung them the 
 invitation to my Master's school, composed on the way. 
 
 THE HEAVENLY SCHOOL MASTER. 
 
 Come, come, my friends, where'er you be, 
 Come — will you go to school with me ? 
 Christ Jesus is my Master's name, 
 Come deaf and dumb, come blind and lame. 
 So heart and hand to heaven we'll go, 
 Glory to God who reigns on high. 
 
 . My Master makes the blind to see, 
 Then come, ye blind, the school is free ; 
 My Master makes the lame to walk, — 
 He can teach the dumb to talk. 
 So heart and hand, &c. 
 
 He, too, can teach the deaf to hear, 
 Then, come, ye deaf and lend an ear 
 Unto my Master's pleasant voice ; 
 He'll make your mourning souls rejoice. 
 So heart and hand, &c. 
 
 He'll teach the swearing man to pray. 
 Come, ye profane, without delay ; 
 He'll change your tongues to praise his nam«, 
 And spread abroad the Master's fame. 
 So heart and hand, &c. 
 
CLEMENT PHINNET. tZ 
 
 His school-books are the Scriptures true, 
 His lessons are forever new, 
 His scholars nothing shall impede, — 
 It is a blessed school indeed. 
 So heart and hand, &c. 
 
 Come, brethren, dear, who are at school, 
 I pray attend to every rule ; 
 'Tis best for all *' to mind their books," 
 Who have all sinful ways forsook. 
 So heart and hand, &c. 
 
 When these frail tenements must die, 
 Then we shall lay our school-books by, 
 We'll reign with Master Jesus then, 
 Glory to God, glory ! Amen. 
 3 
 
34 THE LIFE OP 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 FROM THE TIME OF HIS ADMISSION TO THE CHURCH TO HIS 
 FIRST TOUR AS AN EVANGELIST. 
 
 After Mr. Phinney joined the church, his life was 
 an epistle known and read of all, as that of the faithful, 
 consistent Christian. Many, as soon as received to 
 the church, seem to settle down in a life of indiffer- 
 ence and selfishness, as though saying to themselves, 
 *' Now that we are saved we have no more to do." — 
 Not so with Mr. Phinney. He always seemed to be 
 on the alert to turn every opportunity to good account 
 in his Master's service. Often did he hold prayer 
 meetings, which, like that noticed in the previous 
 chapter, resulted in the conversion of sinners. He 
 always seemed to have a word of encouragement for 
 his fellow Christian, and a heart yearning for the 
 salvation of sinners. In protracted meetings he soon 
 became a very efficient laborer, both by reason of his 
 singing and his unction in prayer and exhortation. 
 At the earnest solicitations of ministers, he sometimes 
 accompanied them to neighboring towns to assist in 
 these meetings. Before him the field of usefulness 
 and influence constantly enlarged, as indeed it does 
 before every faithful Christian. To every true child 
 of God the Savior says, " As my Father hath sent me, 
 even so send I you ;" and every such one, whatever 
 may be his calling, has, in reality, nothing to attend to 
 but his heavenly mission. 
 
 MUOiMtfelMMMilkM 
 
CLEMENT PHINNEY. 35 
 
 In 1812, he moved from his native town with the 
 design of residing in the town of Phillips, in another 
 part of Maine, some seventy-five miles distant. But, 
 as the part of the town in which he designed to make 
 his home was very newly settled, he took his fam- 
 ily to Farmington, one of the neighboring towns, till 
 he could prepare for their reception. Unexpectedly, 
 however, he spent two winters at F. in teaching. 
 During the second winter he was permitted to see a 
 great revival, which owed its origin, in great part, no 
 doubt, to his prayers. 
 
 As many of his pupils were young gentlemen and 
 young ladies, and almost every one impenitent, his 
 heart was pained from day to day as he saw them 
 heedlessly pressing their way to ruin. He carried 
 the burden of his heart to the Lord in prayer. Soon 
 he was permitted to see the work of the Lord begin 
 among his pupils, and spread among others till there 
 was gathered in a great harvest of souls. 
 
 One evening four of his pupils, young ladies, paid 
 him a visit at his house. After a few minutes had 
 passed he turned the conversation, with a facility 
 almost his own, to religious subjects. His sprightly 
 visitors soon found themselves conversing with great 
 ease, upon topics concerning which they had been 
 scarcely able hitherto to frame a sentence. They 
 conversed freely with their teacher of their own 
 mental states, which they had before held as a pro- 
 found secret. When he affectionately urged upon 
 them their duty immediately to seek the Savior, he 
 only gave utterance to their own convictions. After 
 
 aB£ili^..-^..i. .J^^— ■■ ..,..■. ■ >;l.' ^^^^ 
 
iPBWBWfWi^^^ 
 
 SG THE LIFE OF 
 
 he had offered an ardent petition at the throne of 
 grace in their behalf, they, upon knees that had never 
 Before bowed in prayer, besought mercy for them- 
 selves. 
 
 Next morning, though no report of what had oc- 
 curred at the teacher's house had reached the school, 
 it seemed at least to Mr. Phinney, to be unusually 
 solemn. One of the young ladies above noticed, ap- 
 peared so different from what she was accustomed to, 
 that one of her companions at noon inquired for the 
 cause. The prompt reply to her inquiring friend 
 was, " I have been praying to the Savior to pardon 
 my sins, and my mind has been filled with peace." 
 This circumstance was soon understood by all the 
 tchool, and added much to its solemnity. 
 
 Another young lady was so deeply impressed with 
 the importance of religion, that she went home weep- 
 ing for her sins. Her father, a Universalist, sarcas- 
 tically said to her, " Have you been whipped to-day, 
 my daughter?" "I am a poor lost sinner," said she; 
 " I must perish unless forgiven through Christ." The 
 father replied, " I expected just such work when 
 Phinney was employed ; I'll see to this matter." 
 Giving vent to his passion in profane oaths, he left 
 the house, as if about to seek and annihilate the pray- 
 ing teacher. Before he could reach the teacher's 
 residence his passion, despite all his efforts to nurse 
 it, partly subsided. On the other hand, the teacher, all 
 unconscious of his danger, received his neighbor with 
 his usual good humor. By this time his wrathful neigh- 
 bor had not the courage to make known his errand. 
 
CLEMENT PHINNEY. 87 
 
 Soon, Mr. Phinney, with the facility before noticed, 
 gave a religious turn to the conversation. He pro» 
 ceeded to narrate his own experience ; his former 
 unsatisfied longings for bliss; his vain search for 
 it in pleasure and worldly good ; his vain attempts 
 to hush the voice of his conscience ; his resort at last 
 to Christ ; the manner in which the Savior had dried 
 up the fountains of wretchedness within him, and 
 filled his soul with a Divine peace. With a part of 
 this experience the unhappy hearer had formed a bit» 
 ter acquaintance ; for the other he had sighed in vain ; 
 so that Mr. Phinney's exhortation failed not to reach 
 his heart. During the night he told his wife that Mr. 
 Phinney had laid bare his heart ; that ho could not 
 live ; but " if I do not die," he added, " do not tell 
 any body what I say." 
 
 The wife, who was a Christian, feared not her hus- 
 band's immediate death ; nor could she hardly hope 
 for his conversion ; he wanted the Christian's comfort 
 without the Christian's character. 
 
 The next day he revealed to one of his neighbors 
 the very things which he had desired should be kept 
 in such sacred confidence. Better still, twenty-four 
 hours from the time he went to pour out his wrath 
 upon the innocent teacher, he was in the prayer meet- 
 ing, confessing his sins ; and only a day or two later, 
 he was heard in a similar meeting, praising God, and 
 exhorting his associates to flee to Christ. His heart 
 rejoicing in the Savior*s salvation, his head was soon 
 freed from the errors of Universalism. 
 
 This proved the beginning of better days in Farm« 
 
38 THE LIFE OF 
 
 ington. Others besides the one noticed, who, at the 
 time the revival begun, exercised the spirit of perse- 
 cution, were converted before it closed. Many of 
 Mr. Phinney's pupils were among the converts. This 
 work resulted in the organization of a church at F. 
 under the direction of Elder Samuel Hutchins. 
 
 How happy would it be for us all as Christians, if 
 from day to day we enjoyed such a fulness of Christ's 
 precious love, as to be able spontaneously to improve 
 every opportunity to awaken in the hearts of the im- 
 penitent a sense of their spiritual necessities, and of 
 the Savior's ability and willingness to meet every 
 want ! God could then consistently make us the hon- 
 ored, instruments of leading many precious souls to 
 His Beloved Son. Most efficiently, too, should we 
 then contend for the faith once delivered to the saints. 
 There are, doubtless, other methods of overcoming 
 heresies, but surely no other is so successful as this. 
 The adversary would always expect us to be engaged 
 in tearing down his kingdom; nor would he be disap* 
 pointed. 
 
 In 1814, after this revival closed, Mr. Phinney ful- 
 filled his intention of making his home in Phillips, in 
 which place we shall see the Lord had a precious 
 work for him to accomplish. "Wherever the true 
 Christian is, whether in the forest or temple, if he 
 will, he may be engaged in his heavenly Father's 
 business. 
 
 The part of Phillips in which Mr. Phinney resided 
 was, as before noticed, very new. There had been 
 no religious meetings held for a long time. The Sab- 
 
CLEMENT PHINNEY. 89 
 
 bath was almost unknown. The day which others 
 observed as such, was there devoted to the ordinary 
 occupations of the week, save that here and there one 
 seemed, by his hunting and fishing, to remember that 
 the Sabbath had come. But into the midst of the 
 dwellers there God had sent one by whom he was 
 soon to confer upon them not only the observance of 
 the external Sabbath, but that divine communion also, 
 which is the earnest of the " nobler rest above." 
 
 This servant of God found, like one of old, that 
 his spirit could have no rest, being vexed from day 
 to day by the conversation of the wicked — he could 
 have no rest at all events, till he made efforts for their 
 reformation. As at Farmington, so now, he carried 
 his burdened heart to God in prayer, only with greater 
 importunity. At length he appointed a prayer meet- 
 ing at the house of one of his neighbor's. For a while 
 only two or three attended ; still he persevered. 
 
 It seems that his neighbors stayed away from these 
 meetings by concert, in order to discourage this attempt 
 to establish the worship of God in their midst. How 
 the human mind, in a state of disobedience, dreads 
 the light of truth. Finding this effort fail, they at- 
 tempted to break up the meetings in the following 
 manner: As hitherto they stayed away by concert, 
 so now they all attended with one accord. Ladies and 
 gentlemen with one consent kept up their vain con- 
 versation and mirth till the time appointed for prayer, 
 with the design of inducing their Christian neighbor 
 to give up his prayer meeting, and to join them in 
 their visit. To add to his embarrassment, the ladies 
 
^ THE LIFE OF 
 
 seemed determined not to desist from their industry 
 at sewing and knitting. Little did they understand 
 the spirit that they had to deal with. Despite every 
 hinderance, falling upon his knees in their midst, he 
 began to pray. Such was his unction in prayer, and 
 such the point and power of his address following 
 prayer, and, most of all, such the depth and earnest- 
 ness of his emotions as indicated in song, that the spirit 
 of levity and opposition not only was banished, but 
 very solemn impressions were made upon all present. 
 Before the meeting closed, not only did some for the 
 first time confess their sins, but comparatively a large 
 share of them, to the astonishment of Mr. Phinney 
 and each other, confessed that they were wandering 
 prodigals. 
 
 The following incident heightened the interest of 
 the meeting : During the day, Mr. H., confessedly a 
 backslider, spent his time in business with Mr. Phin- 
 ney. Toward evening the latter remarking that it 
 was about time to prepare for prayer meeting, invited 
 his neighbor to attend ; but he declined, assigning as 
 a reason that if he should attend, he should lose his 
 disposition to go to law with his neighbor H., with 
 whom he had a quarrel. In thus assigning in words 
 such a reason, he became too distinctly conscious of 
 his rebellion to God to remain at peace. He admit- 
 ted too much light into the dark prison house of sin 
 in which he was trying to incarcerate his soul forever. 
 He could no longer hush her complaining notes. At 
 a late hour, as if despite his efforts to the contrary, 
 he made his way to the meeting. He arrived just in 
 
 ti^iiuimaimaiiltmm 
 
CLEMENT PHINNEY. 41 
 
 time to hear another prodigal confess his wickedness 
 and degradation in consequence of departing from his 
 Father's house. This was too much ; he could no 
 longer keep silence. With tears he confessed his 
 sins, spoke of his former happiness as a Christian, 
 and concluded by relating the manner in which God 
 had employed the wicked excuse assigned to Mr. 
 Phinney as the means of rebuking his sins. It is 
 scarcely necessary to add that, in this case, the lawyer 
 lost his fees. 
 
 These meetings were held from time to time with 
 such good results, that the community, instead of 
 spending Sabbaths like heathen, soon assumed the 
 Christian character. Those who abide in Christ, and 
 Christ's words in them, however humble their sphere, 
 become the means of conferring unbounded blessings 
 upon others. " The wilderness and solitary place 
 shall be glad for them, and the desert shall rejoice 
 and blossom as the rose." 
 
 Though Mr. Phinney had most of his neighbors 
 now to rejoice with him in the mercy of God to sin- 
 ners though Christ, his heart was not satisfied with 
 the remembrance of past service. The same spirit 
 that induced him to labor in Christ's cause at home, 
 led him to establish prayer meetings in adjoining 
 places, many of which were destitute of any public 
 means of grace. In these meetings his labors, like 
 those at home, were blessed. In these meetings, be- 
 sides prayer and singing, by the latter of which, 
 many no doubt were induced to attend meeting, who 
 otherwise had spent their Sabbaths in hunting, he 
 
 Uiiliai&ttiiiiJliklMiiitaMMAii 
 
 " ■-—- -^ • - ■ " -.-■■■.^-.-■. 
 
42 THE LIFE OP 
 
 often spoke to considerable length on subjects sug- 
 gested by passages of Scripture. 
 
 But as much as he delighted in these labors, and 
 as much as the Spirit seemed to render his efforts in- 
 strumental in the conversion of souls, he had not yet 
 determined to give himself up to the ministry. He 
 was often impressed with a sense of duty so to do ; 
 but so keenly did he feel his want of scholastic ad- 
 vantages, that he could but hesitate. Still, as our 
 old preachers were accustomed to say, with a meaning 
 which too few now appreciate, he felt " the wo" rest- 
 ing upon him unless he should devote his life to 
 preaching the gospel. Before this, he had passed, 
 as we have seen, through very severe mental strug- 
 gles, still, they seemed now to him as nothing, as 
 compared with those pressing upon him in regard to 
 his future sphere of labor. His family, owing to the 
 amount of time he had already bestowed upon oth- 
 ers, and losses from poor crops, and the dishonesty of 
 land agents, was in a sad plight to be left without the 
 means afforded by his daily toil. His wife at this 
 time, moreover, found it difficult to consent to give up 
 her husband. But his chief trial was to obtain his 
 own consent. 
 
 Under various influences, he was thus kept month 
 after month, in a state of indecision. Sometimes 
 almost consenting in his own mind to yield to what 
 impressed itself upon him as a divine call to a sacred 
 work, he would devote himself with redoubled exer- 
 tions to leave his family in comfortable circumstances; 
 then he would try to cast off his impressions, as being 
 
CLEMENT PHINNET. 43 
 
 temptations from the adversary. As in most cases of 
 indecision, calamity succeeded calamity. Every day 
 he found it more difficult to leave his family than the 
 day before. The world seemed to be nothing but 
 gloom. By his hesitation and want of exercising 
 sufficient faith in God, he lost for a season his own 
 spiritual comfort. 
 
 At length he found grace to cast all his burdens 
 upon the Lord, resolving, at all events, to obey what 
 seemed to him the highest call. As to the present, 
 he determined upon making a visit to Westport and 
 Georgetown.* He had long felt deeply impressed 
 with a sense of duty to proclaim there the blessed 
 gospel. When thus fully decided, his peace return- 
 ed, even to an unaccustomed degree. His wife, also, 
 becoming convinced that he was called of God to 
 warn sinners to flee from the wrath to come, cheered 
 him in these trying hours. 
 
 The following extract of a letter not long since 
 written concerning his state of mind at the time of 
 which we have been speaking, cannot fail to interest 
 the reader : 
 
 " I was," says he, " one evening sitting with my 
 family, feeling under the most solemn impressions in 
 reference to leaving my family, and itinerating, when 
 the following words were suggested to my mind. So 
 was the tune in which I sang them. Before retiring, 
 I committed the words to writing ; 
 
 * These places, in the Life of Randall, are called respectively, 
 Squair. Island, and Parker's Island. 
 
44 THE LIFE OP 
 
 THE PREACHER'S CALL. 
 (composed 1815.) 
 
 The blessed Jesus, lovely Savior, 
 
 He has called on me to go ; 
 In the vineyard I must labor, 
 
 Or on me must come " the v«ro." 
 Farewell, dear wife and little children, 
 
 The Gospel Trumpet I must blow, 
 And sound salvation to poor sinners, 
 
 For the word to me is " Go." 
 
 O, hark, poor sinners, will you hear me? 
 
 O, come, dear sinners, now repent, 
 For the blessed Savior calls you, 
 
 'Tis by Him to you I'm sent ; 
 . O, come, poor sinners, be entreated ! 
 
 Say, will you have my Christ, or no ! 
 To you my errand is directed, 
 
 And still, the word to me is *' Go." 
 
 O, come, backsliders, who have wandered. 
 
 Come home, come home, to Father's house ; 
 Come home, come home, you wandering children, 
 
 Come home, come home, and pay your vows. 
 The blessed Savior now invites you. 
 
 All things are ready now I know, 
 And the fatted calf is killed. 
 
 And still the word to me is " Go." 
 
 Ye little lambs of my Redeemer, 
 
 Ye who feed in pastures green. 
 Follow, follow Christ your Savior, 
 
 Ever in his light be seen ; 
 Ever mind and love each other. 
 
 And shun the paths that lead to wo, 
 And travel on the way together ; 
 
 So farewell, brethren, I must " Go." " 
 
CLEMENT PHINNET. 46 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 HIS FIRST TOUR AS AN EVANGELIST. 
 
 Being now satisfied as to duty, Mr. Phinney left 
 home to preach the gospel in the islands named in 
 our last chapter. To ■preach, we say, if it be lawful 
 to intimate that one may possibly be a preacher who 
 has received neither a human license nor a human 
 ordination : who, perhaps, has neither heard of " Apos- 
 tolic Succession," nor been graduated at any Cam- 
 bridge or Oxford. He of whom we speak, had at 
 this time, none of the qualifications these confer. 
 The call of a world perishing in sin, was his only 
 license ; and the promptings of his own regenerate 
 heart, his only ordination ; the Holy Spirit, sending 
 life-currents through his heart, was to him in place of 
 priestly benedictions ; and a familiarity with God*8 
 Word, acquired by the daily study of King James's 
 translation, in place of Ancient Classics. Of educa- 
 tion, in the common acceptation, he possessed only 
 that modicum which, by revealing deficiencies, ban- 
 ishes the courage, or rather rashness, of ignorance, 
 and confers a becoming modesty. 
 
 By necessity, not by choice, when he set out on 
 this Quixotic expedition, as to many it well may 
 seem, he almost literally kept the injunction given to 
 others, to take "no money in their purse." He rode 
 no famous Rosinante, so romantic as to half partake 
 his master's zeal in fasting and enduring hardships to 
 
46 THE LIFE OP 
 
 accomplish some great purpose, but simply an honest 
 team horse, that must have his daily allowance of rest 
 and provender. It happened well, as we say, there- 
 fore, that our traveller the first night reached the 
 abode of an old friend, who kindly provided for him- 
 self and horse, without an eye to " filthy lucre." He 
 well might go on his way next morning rejoicing. 
 Nor could it have been less grateful to his feelings to 
 meet, soon after parting, with his worthy friend, a 
 Christian brother, who, upon learning his object and 
 destination, furnished him with the few shillings his 
 own scanty purse would afford. 
 
 But this day was still destined to have its trials. 
 By passing ferries and otherwise, he found his money 
 so reduced at night, that he felt himself compelled to 
 ask a charity at a private residence. He was, with- 
 out hesitation, refused the hospitality which most New 
 Englanders are happy to exercise. " As I left that 
 house," says he, " my heart almost sank within me ; 
 but, said I to mj'-self, my name is Phinney. I have 
 put my hand to the plough, and will not look back ; — 
 I'll never surrender." 
 
 This repulse was of great service to him, as it 
 taught him the important lesson, that whoever is in 
 need of charity must be careful not to reveal his 
 necessity. Though since that time he has been com- 
 pelled to ask favors, he at the same time has it under- 
 stood that it is not, so to say, a case of "life and 
 death" with him. 
 
 Soon arriving at a hotel, he made himself at home, 
 calling for whatever he wanted, as though possessed 
 
CLEMENT PHINNEY. 47 
 
 of a large fortune. He determined, if necessary, in 
 \the morning to give his horse for the bill — at all 
 events so to manage as not to crush his spirit by his 
 feelings of absolute dependence upon the mercy of 
 others. 
 
 "Soon after tea," says he, "a company entered 
 the hotel to drink, and swear, and gamble. The spirit 
 of a sing came upon me. I sang the * Preacher's 
 Call.' One by one, being convicted in their conscien- 
 ces, they went out." 
 
 Whatever was the effect of the singing upon the 
 company, among whom was he who, a little before, 
 had so coldly repulsed him from his house, it prepared 
 the landlord and his wife to confess to him, that though 
 professors of religion, they were far from leading 
 Christian lives. In the morning they not only dis- 
 missed him free of any charge, but they urged him 
 to call upon them upon his return. 
 
 The next night he arrived at the residence of Mrs. 
 Mary Card. This lady, though blind from her birth, 
 was endowed by nature with great intellectual pow- 
 ers, and by grace with spiritual gifts so rich, that in 
 absence of the minister, she was esteemed leader of 
 the church in the town of Woolwich, where she re- 
 sided. Of her, Mr. Phinney says : "her better never 
 lived on earth ; not even Anna, who lingered at the 
 Temple, was dearer to Christ. Having received her 
 blessing and the promise of her prayers, I felt hap- 
 pier than if the favor of princes had been bestowed 
 upon me." 
 
 He had now nearly reached his destination. The 
 
48 THE LIFE OP 
 
 next morning, when he arrived at the ferry, beyond 
 which lies Squam Island, though the waves ran high, 
 he hailed the ferry-man, and insisted upon being set 
 over. Though that boat carried no Caesar and his 
 fortune, our humble traveller felt it was none the less 
 protected by Him in whose hand is the ocean, and 
 whose will the winds of heaven obey. 
 
 The inhabitants of these islands were plain, indus- 
 trious fishermen. Kind and generous, their hearts 
 were easy of access to those of kindred spirit. Now 
 let us suppose that instead of our frank and generous 
 mechanic, a graduate from some Theological Sem- 
 inary is about to make his first attempt at preaching, 
 and that, too, among these fishermen. Our graduate 
 for several years has been to a great extent excluded 
 from the converse of plain laboring men. For three 
 at lerast, he hac-been upon the Procrustean bed-stead ; 
 he has been stretched where it was necessary ; ha3 
 been cut off according to exact measure; his memory 
 is well stored with dogmas ; his metaphysical pow- 
 ers so trained that, like Butler's hero, 
 
 " He can distinguish and divide 
 A hair, 'twixt south and south-west side." 
 
 Now even if his heart is warm, his modes of thought, 
 and his method of speech are nevertheless such as to 
 separate him so far from the hearts of this people, 
 that weary months and perhaps years must pass, be- 
 fore one sinner will, under his preaching, be convicted 
 of sin against God, — before one will be led to the 
 kingdom of Christ. 
 
CLEMENT PHINNET. . 49 
 
 On the other hand, Mr. Phinney has none of the 
 advantages conferred by the schools. But his lan- 
 guage, though comparatively good, is such as the peo- 
 ple are accustomed to every day ; his modes of 
 thought are like theirs ; such too are his methods of 
 manifesting his emotions, that he gains a ready access 
 to their hearts ; they easily believe that his heart is 
 rejoicing in the salvation of Christ; that his soul 
 yearns for their salvation, and that God has sent him 
 on an errand of mercy to them ; and, as he is really 
 baptized into the spirit of that very mission, he easily 
 wins them to Christ. 
 
 No sooner did he touch the shore of the island, 
 than he began to announce his message by singing 
 the "Preacher's Call" to such as stood upon the 
 beach, trembling for his safety ; and, as his mellow 
 notes, indicative of a heart more mellow, rose above 
 the voice of the surging waters, the generous island- 
 ers pressed around him ; they greeted him ; they wel- 
 comed him to their homes and their hearts. They 
 all entered the house nearest at hand, and immedi- 
 ately held a prayer meeting. Many were at once 
 deeply impressed ; and, before closing that meeting, 
 arrangements for others were made. The new 
 preacher's fame soon spread, and multitudes rushed 
 to hear from him the word of life. 
 
 When many on this island had been converted, 
 and when it seemed to him that the work for which 
 he had come here was accomplished, he passed over 
 to Parker's island. In the latter place he received a 
 welcome no less hearty than in the former; nor were 
 4 
 
50 THE LIFE OF 
 
 his labors less blessed. On botli these islands reside 
 at this day those who were then brought into the 
 kingdom of Christ. 
 
 This visit, which occurred sometime in the winter 
 of 1814 — 15, though of not more than six weeks' du- 
 ration, was blessed to the conversion of scores of 
 souls. Well might this faithful servant of Christ re- 
 turn to his family, rejoicing in his Master's saving 
 mercy. 
 
 It is, perhaps, no more than justice to return for a 
 few moments, to the comparison of our mechanic and 
 graduate. It will at once be conceded by all who 
 know any thing of human nature, that in these meet- 
 ings, attended by not a little excitement, and perhaps, 
 a little unwholesome enthusiasm, there were some 
 "spurious" conversions, and also some "declension" 
 afterwards. Still it is not difficult to see in this case 
 a wise adaptation of means to a good end. Neither 
 is it necessary, in accordance with this view, to main- 
 tain that Mr. Phinney and his like had, at that time, 
 the qualifications best adapted to lead those converts 
 forward in the divine life. For this all readily admit, 
 that one with his heart, his spirit, his sense of a divine 
 call, his adaptation to the state of the people ; who, 
 at the same time, was possessed of a thoroughly 
 trained intellect, would be better ; — that one thus 
 prepared could more efficiently aid his people in at- 
 taining to that state of society in which true piety, 
 true refinement, and true human culture are properly 
 blended — a state which is the highest gift of Chris- 
 tianity to earth. But it is very difficult, if not impos- 
 
CLEMENT PHINNET. 51 
 
 sible, to our nature, to combine these qualifications in 
 one person. It is especially difficult to combine in 
 one person the adaptation spoken of — tlie modes of 
 thought, forms of speech, and methods of manifesting 
 emotion, such as are congenial with those of the great 
 mass of the people — and that rigid discipline, which 
 is afforded alone bj severe and long continued study, 
 " For as we have many members in one body, and all 
 members have not the same office ; so we, being 
 many, are one body in Christ and every one members 
 one of another." 
 
 Well it must be, therefore, for any denomination of 
 Christians, to appreciate every gift ; to cherish those 
 who, though unlettered, are willing to go forth with 
 their lives in their hands, to preach to others that 
 gospel which has redeemed their own souls. Well, 
 too, it must be for those who are willing to invite our 
 graduate to his own office, whatever that may be. If 
 he is a little awkward at first in approaching the 
 hearts of the people, be sure that in that respect he 
 will soon improve. If he has true piety and a 
 true heart, the people will find it out. Not only will 
 he improve himself, but, what is far more to the pur- 
 pose, the people will, under his influence, improve in 
 their tastes and methods of thought. 
 
 Still it will be of no little service to the cause of 
 Christ that this view of the subject has been intro- 
 duced, if from it our young men, who are preparing 
 by study to enter the ministry, shall again be reminded 
 that, while it is impossible to be too thorough in their 
 studies, still, much, very much depends upon their 
 
 ism 
 
52 THE LIFE OF f 
 
 spirit, their baptism into the work of their mission, 
 and their acquaintance with human nature, not as it 
 appears in school, but in this suffering world. God 
 help us to be " members one of another." 
 
 Upon leaving home, Mr. Phinney had so much 
 anxiety of his own to surmount, that he entirely for- 
 got to consult his neighbors as to what they would 
 think and say about the propriety of his course ; or, 
 possibly he thought they would not make it their busi- 
 ness. But in this he was mistaken ; for no sooner 
 was it "noised abroad" that their good neighbor 
 " had really gone off to preach," than they took the 
 matter under their consideration. Some said that it 
 must.be that he was beside himself, — too much zeal 
 making him " mad." Some said, that one who would 
 go off and leave his family so, to spend his life for 
 others, had deip'ed the faith, and was worse than an 
 infidel ; others, more charitable, were of opinion that 
 he had only " taken it into his head to be a great 
 man ;" and others still, either better acquainted with 
 him, or more disposed to appreciate him fairly, said 
 that God was calling him to a great work, and would 
 undoubtedly provide for the preacher and his family. 
 It is gratifying to state, that a few of the last class 
 were not content merely to say to the family, " Be ye 
 warmed and fed." 
 
 One who held a small note against Mr. Phinney, 
 had more to say against the impropriety of his course 
 than any other ; he threatened, that in case he should 
 ever return to town, " to sue" him. This threat, he, 
 like others who have no confidence in their own ve- 
 
CLEMENT PHINNET. 53 
 
 racity, confirmed by a profane oath. But what of the 
 threatened law-suit ? As we have said, Mr. Phinney 
 had been among men of generous hearts. They did 
 not therefore receive of his rich spiritual gifts, and then 
 forget his wants. He was able not only to " take up" 
 the note, but also to lay out a few dollars for the com- 
 fort of his family. This, forsooth, furnished the man 
 of threats with a clue to the problem which all others 
 had attempted in vain to solve, and here is his solu- 
 tion : neighbor P. has gone to preaching for money. 
 
 "We will close this chapter with an incident or two 
 illustrative of Mr. Phinney's method of heaping " coals 
 of fire" on his enemy's head. 
 
 During his residence in Phillips, the whole commu- 
 nity were thrown into great distress, by learning that 
 they had purchased their lands of an agent who could 
 not make their titles good in law. They had either 
 to buy their lands again, or leave their homes, the 
 toil of years. After Mr. Phinney had secured the 
 title to his land, he called upon the pretended agent, 
 to ask of him the return of a fifty dollar note that he 
 had given in part pay, but got for his pains a " take 
 care of your business and Pll take care of mine." 
 After appealing in vain both to his sense of justice 
 and generosity, Mr. Phinney left him, saying, " I'll 
 not forget to pray God to make you willing to do 
 right." A few weeks after, the note was returned. 
 
 At another time, after he had entered upon the 
 work of the ministry, the following incident occurred : 
 He had paid his tax ; but by some mistake, he was 
 called upon for the same again. Of course all he 
 
54 THE LIFE OP 
 
 did was, to say he had paid and had the receipt. 
 The collector afterwards, however, wrote to him to 
 call and pay, and " save costs." Mr. Phinney, calling 
 at the office one day, said to the officer, " What does 
 this mean ?" He became excited ; but Mr. Phinney 
 produced the " voucher." "When the officer saw that 
 he had been making a show of his authority at his 
 own expense, he undertook to intimidate the honest 
 man by falling into that kind of blustering, to which 
 those are liable who have a bad cause to maintain ; 
 he still insisted upon having certai-n fees, adding, " pay 
 or I'll make you suffer." " I know my rights, and 
 am not to be intimidated," said the preacher ; " but, 
 to show you that I love peace, I'll give you the last 
 money I have for my family." The other, as though 
 he had just made a discovery, said, " Oh, you are 
 that Phinney that goes on preaching expeditions, are 
 you ?" " The same, sir." " I shall of course take 
 your money," said he, adding, "I have a perfect 
 hatred of hypocrites." " Take it, sir, if your con- 
 science will let you," was the answer, as the money 
 was handed over. 
 
 It may not be best always to yield to such unjust 
 demands, but the spirit in which Mr. Phinney did it, 
 was not without its good results. Some years after 
 this occurrence, the officer heard him preach. At the 
 close of the meeting he not only returned his ill-got- 
 ten gains, but, what was much more difficult, he made 
 proper confession. 
 
CLEMENT PHINNEY. ^^ 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 HIS SECOND TOUR AS AN EVANGELIST. 
 
 For more than a year after his return from the 
 visit, some incidents of which are narrated in the pre- 
 ceding chapter, Mr. Phinney preached but httle. giv- 
 ing his attention for the most part to secular business. 
 Durino- this time, having disposed of his land m PhiUips, 
 he had removed to Berlin, a town adjoining, where 
 he was doing his utmost to provide for his family a 
 comfortable and permanent home. Though thus 
 enc^a-ed in business, he had not abandoned the hope 
 of "entering "the gospel vineyard" sometime as a 
 permanent laborer ; but, at present, he found himself 
 unable to make any definite arrangements in this re- 
 spect, as some debts which would soon fall due must 
 be paid. We shall see, however, that he was soon 
 led in a way not of his own devising. 
 
 Some time in June, 1816, he started to Gorham to 
 
 eno-acre in labor, to procure the means of meeting the 
 
 demands just mentioned. The first day, arriving 
 
 some time before night at Farmington, many of his 
 
 friends who had, as we have seen, been converted 
 
 under his influence, insisted upon his preaching to 
 
 them that evening. He consented, and the meeting 
 
 was not in vain ; as two at least of the redeemed will 
 
 in heaven no doubt, as they now do, look back to it 
 
 as the time in which they were enabled to make their 
 
 escape from the kingdom of evil. 
 
56 
 
 THE LIFE OF 
 
 Next morning, instead of proceeding directly to 
 Gorham, as had been his intention, he was induced to 
 turn aside to Wilton, a town adjoining Farmington. 
 To this decision he was influenced by learning°that 
 Page, usually called " Father Page," had re- 
 cently held there a series of meetings ; that, when 
 some had been converted, and many more deeply im- 
 pressed with rehgious truth, the meetings had unhap- 
 pily been brought to a close by the riotous proceed- 
 ings of certain opposers of religion, who took their 
 wives and others by violence from the meetings, 
 especially those of their friends whom they supposed 
 to be under conviction ; and that " Father Pao-e," 
 broken-hearted by persecution, had relinquished'the 
 field ; and, as his death soon after occurred, it was 
 supposed it had been hastened by the abuse there 
 received. This was too much for our preacher to 
 bear unmoved. ^ He hastened to bear comfort to the 
 "lambs among wolves." 
 
 "When he arrived at the river which he must cross 
 in going to Wilton, he found the bridge borne away 
 by the freshet, by which the river was then greatly 
 swollen. But he was not to be turned aside by so 
 slight an obstacle. By the appropriate use of a voice 
 that can do good service on such an occasion, he soon 
 brought to his assistance a young lady, who ventured 
 to cross the river in a small boat. So swimming his 
 horse before them they passed the river in safety^ 
 
 After paying due tribute to the courage and skill 
 of the fair one who had ferried him so safely over 
 the swollen river, he spoke to her in his own way 
 
CLEMENT PHINNEY. 57 
 
 concerning the Savior. " Well, dear," said he, " have 
 you found any one who can safely ferry you across 
 the dark river of death ?" When she replied that 
 she had not, he added, " AYell, dear, you will soon 
 need some one ; there is no bridge across that stream : 
 I have come to lead you to the only one who can con- 
 duct you safely." So did the words of the earnest 
 preacher deepen the impressions she had already re- 
 ceived at the meetings before alluded to, that, as soon 
 as she had conducted him to her father's residence, 
 she betook herself to prayer, and very soon found 
 Him by whose grace she was enabled to say, " O 
 death, where is thy sting ?" 
 
 Mr. Phinney next visited the family of Mr. Gam- 
 mon, whose wife and daughters were among those re- 
 cently converted. While here engaged in devotional 
 exercises, one of those who had dragged his wife from 
 meetings came in. At the moment he entered, the 
 preacher was singing ; and immediately taking the 
 wicked man by the hand, he continued to pour out 
 his soul in praise to God. The man of wrath had 
 now, as he afterwards confessed, met more than his 
 match. Though he was not at that time converted, 
 deep impressions were made upon his mind ; at least 
 his spirit was so far conquered, that he never after- 
 wards prevented his wife from acting her pleasure 
 concerning meetings. 
 
 He next called upon Mr. B., who was full of wrath 
 because his wife and two daughters had been con- 
 verted. The preacher had now to take his turn. Mr. 
 
58 THE LIFE OF 
 
 B. immediately began to abuse him with all the in- 
 sulting language he could command, concluding with 
 emphasis, by saying, " I am mad." Mr. Phinney, 
 who well understands that violent feelings soon ex- 
 pend themselves, calmly waited for the appropriate 
 time, when he politely asked the privilege of con- 
 versing with his family upon the subject of religion. 
 The reply was, " You may go in, if you will behave 
 yourself" "I will do just as you bid me," said the 
 preacher. The preacher was invited into the house, 
 and, after a little conversation, even to pray. After 
 he concluded prayer, Mrs. B., the wife of the persecu- 
 tor, also presented a fervent petition for the conver- 
 sion of all her family, and especially her husband, 
 and thus in this family established the family altar. 
 At parting a great change was perceptible in the 
 father. To lalwr for the conversion of such men as 
 have here been introduced, requires great meekness, 
 and especially that wisdom which enables one to keep 
 possession of his own soul under abuse. In these 
 qualities our preacher is not deficient. 
 
 Having thus spent the day in giving comfort to the 
 newly converted in Wilton, and exhorting them to 
 steadfastness in the faith, he was next morning on his 
 way again to Gorham. He went no farther this day 
 than Buckfield, where he called on Elder Joseph 
 Hutchinson, who was then residing there. When he 
 came within sight of this place, he experienced emo- 
 tions similar to those of which he was the subject, as 
 described in the preceding chapter. When Elder 
 
CLEMENT PHINNEY. 59 
 
 H. met and welcomed him to his home, he expressed 
 the hope that Mr. Phinney had been sent to that peo- 
 ple on an errand of mercy. 
 
 By his own heart, seconded by the solicitations of 
 the good minister with whom he was staying, he was 
 prevailed upon to remain next day and preach in the 
 evening. Though the meeting was well attended, 
 the preaching was without any marked effect, — a cir- 
 cumstance of no little embarrassment to many of our 
 preachers in those times, as they expected to see at 
 almost every meeting no little impression made upon 
 the impenitent. 
 
 Next day being Sabbath, he attended meeting in a 
 town adjoining with Elder Samuel Hutchinson, where 
 the latter had stated appointments. During one part 
 of the day Mr. Phinney was called upon to preach 
 the funeral sermon of a child. On that occasion his 
 soul seemed to attain to more of his wonted freedom, 
 and his hopes rather revived ; but, attending meeting 
 next day in company with Elder S. H., in Buckfield, 
 at " The Federal School House," he became again 
 somewhat disheartened, fearing that he had mistaken 
 the path of duty. He determined to start the same 
 day again to Gorham, and for this purpose his horse 
 was even led out. But the following incident changed 
 his purpose : An impenitent young lady from one of 
 the neighboring families, upon learning that Mr. Phin- 
 ney was about to leave, hastened to entreat him as he 
 loved the Savior, to remain. " The Lord," said she, 
 " has work for you here. I am yet in my sins, and 
 
60 THE LIFE OF 
 
 SO are many of my young friends. For my part," 
 she added with much earnestness, *' I want religion." 
 Mr. Phinney says, " As I loved my own soul's wel- 
 fare, I dared not go ; I told them to put out my horse, 
 and circulate an appointment for a meeting. How 
 her earnestness rebuked me !" 
 
 A series of meetings was commenced. The Lord's 
 Spirit was poured out. The young lady just men- 
 tioned soon found the pearl of great price ; she also 
 proved an efficient laborer in winning others to Christ. 
 The work continued till many were converted. 
 
 Impenitent reader, oft have you felt your need of 
 the Savior's pardon, — oft have you felt that if you 
 possessed millions you would freely give all for the 
 religion of the Son of God. You cannot buy it ; but 
 rich or poor you may receive it without money and 
 without price-^ Emulate the moral courage of this 
 young lady. Express freely your conviction to some 
 Christian friend, or faithful minister. Like her, 
 frankly tell what you want, and ask an interest in the 
 prayers of Christians. What though no revival may 
 follow ; be assured that your own soul may be saved. 
 
 Before passing, we add a few incidents that occur- 
 red in this revival. Mr. Phinney says, "Be sure 
 to tell about the drunkard converted there, for the 
 encouragement of others." It so occurred that a lady 
 well stricken in years, who was professedly a Univer- 
 salist, attended these meetings. At length her heart 
 was touched ; she sought and found pardon. Her 
 husband, an inveterate drinker of the poison-cup, 
 
CLEMENT PHINNET. 61 
 
 was by consequence induced to attend the meetings 
 also ; he was at length converted. He lead a faithful 
 Christian life, and died in the triumphs of faith. 
 
 " Come all the world, come sinner thou ; 
 All things in Christ are ready now." 
 
 The meetings in Buckfield being closed, Mr. Phin- 
 ney once more set out for Gorham, where he ex- 
 pected to arrive the second day ; but the following 
 incident changed his plan : In his way lay Raymond, 
 where Elder Zachariah Leach, of lasting memory 
 among the good, then resided. He found this friend 
 of his just ready to go to Standish Neck to attend the 
 funeral of a young man who had been drowned. The 
 deceased had been a pupil of Mr. Phinney, and he 
 could not resist the promptings of his heart to accom- 
 pany his friend to the funeral, to offer to the bereaved 
 parents his condolence. That every thing connected 
 with the interests of his pupils affects the teacher's 
 heart not less than if connected with his own, many, 
 not naturally affectionate, are able to testify. But 
 here was an uncommonly warm-hearted teacher, in 
 company with other pupils, attending the funeral of 
 one of their number who had been suddenly snatched 
 from bright liopes, and that too, in the very place 
 where the light and joy of the pardon-granting Sav- 
 ior first beamed upon his own souL What wonder 
 then that, after an affecting sermon by Elder Leach, 
 he exhorted in words of power his young friends to be 
 also ready. The sermon, the exhortation, the occa- 
 sion, were not in vain. Many, being deeply im- 
 pressed, urged Mr. Phinney to remain and hold a 
 
62 THE LIFE OF 
 
 series of meetings. However pressing secular inter- 
 ests may be, he is not the man who can refuse to 
 comply with such a request from such a source. 
 
 The meetings thus commenced resulted in a great 
 religious awakening, in which many, not only in 
 Standish, but also in other towns, were converted. 
 This revival at length reaching Gorham, its interests 
 called Mr. Phinney to that town. 
 
 Thus, after spending more weeks than he expected 
 to days, he reached his native town ; but in a capacity 
 how changed. " In his own country," however, his 
 preaching w^as not without its wonted power. So 
 large were the audiences he drew, that it was difficult 
 to accommodate them in the ordinary places of wor- 
 ship. In that part of the town called " Horse Beef," 
 it was found necessary to hold his meetings in open 
 air J one of his friends, though not a professor of re- 
 ligion, generously preparing a pulpit and seats in his 
 orchard, to which he invited the preacher and his 
 hearers. 
 
 Many ze^ilous Christians worked and prayed with 
 the preacher, staying up his hands by their sympathy, 
 and by manifesting an interest in their own spiritual 
 attainments, and the salvation of the impenitent. The 
 result was, that in a few weeks not less than sixty, 
 who had been without hope, were brought to Christ. 
 
 Among those who were very useful in this revival, 
 and whom Mr. Phinney would be happy to name, he 
 mentions Miss Almira Westcott, since Mrs. Jeremiah 
 Bullock. 
 
 However unexpected it was to Mr. Phinney to 
 
CLEMENT PHINNEY. 63 
 
 visit his native town in the capacity of an evangelist 
 instead of that of a cooper, it was more so, that he 
 was able to return home, as soon as the interests of 
 the meetings would permit, more than prepared to 
 meet his creditors ; that he should thus in opposition 
 to a false sentiment, then generally prevalent in that 
 region, and indeed among all our churches, receive 
 temporal blessings where he had bestowed his spirit- 
 ual labors, was very surprising. But so it was. The 
 grace of God abounding in the hearts of those just 
 brought to Christ, so triumphed over even this sad 
 error of the head, and the pinching economy not un- 
 natural to that cold year, [1816,] memorable for three 
 snowy days in June, that the faithful preacher's debts 
 were paid, and his children did not cry for bread. 
 
 On his return, calling again upon his friend Leach, 
 he was introduced to another field of usefulness. A 
 series of meetings was commenced in Raymond, 
 which resulted in the conversion of several, who were 
 baptized and added to the church. 
 
 At this place and time he first met that eminently 
 faithful servant of God, Zachariah Jordan, in the 
 capacity of a preacher. From Raymond these friends 
 travelled in company to Berlin, Mr. Phinney's home, 
 and back again in a few weeks, having holden a great 
 number of meetings at Buckfield, and several other 
 places. 
 
 We will close this chapter with the two following 
 incidents : 
 
 During the revival in Gorham, above noticed, at a 
 prayer meeting, though at a private house, the young 
 
64 THE LIFE OF 
 
 people present seemed so fully possessed with the 
 spirit of the evil one, that they came near exhausting 
 the patience even of our good natured preacher. At 
 all events, he thought, as he could be of no service to 
 them, it was best for him to leave them to their own 
 way ; and with this design, he took his hat to start. 
 One of his mischief loving friends, a young lady, in 
 a manner half playful and half serious, said to him, 
 " Are you then going away to leave us sinners to per- 
 ish?" "The world," said he, "is full of sinners, 
 many of whom not only treat ministers with polite- 
 ness, but have some desire to be saved : among such 
 I can do more good." " I want religion," said she, 
 becoming at the same time more serious. " Then," 
 said he, " let us kneel and pray." 
 
 The season of prayer accordingly began. " They 
 told me afterwards," says Mr. Phinney, " that I prayed 
 very loud, and more than an hour. I presume I did ; 
 for I was unconscious much of the time, and when I 
 came to myself I was completely exhausted, and my 
 throat was very sore ; but that sight I shall never 
 forget ! As soon as I opened my eyes I saw nearly 
 every one present was prostrate, and most begging 
 for mercy in great earnestness. The meeting con- 
 tinued till a late hour, but before it closed fifteen 
 persons passed from death unto life, and thirteen oth- 
 ers that were present were soon converted, who attrib- 
 uted their awakening to that meeting. Among the 
 number was the man of eighty years, and the child 
 of fourteen. 
 
 Mr. Phinney remarks also that some were so 
 
CLEMENT PHINNEY. 65 
 
 affected by the intense excitement, that they were not 
 at first able to control themselves fully, and " stag- 
 gered like drunken men," 
 
 Once when P»lr. Phinney was on his way from Gor- 
 ham to Farmington — a journey that he often made — 
 overtaking a stranger, the following characteristic 
 dialogue took place between the travellers. It may 
 be interesting to some to know that the stranger was 
 Mr. Heifford of Canton, and that this occurred in 
 what was then a forest, where that village now 
 is. After salutation, INIr. P. said, " Do you love the 
 Lord ?" 
 
 H. O, yes ; I always loved him ; for " He is kind 
 unto all, and his tender mercies are over all his works." 
 
 P. It is not so with me. I once hated God and 
 his righteousness. I despised salvation through Christ, 
 I was not disposed to think I needed salvation, and 
 though God was kind to me, I would not allow him 
 to save me. My proud heart would not accept his 
 tender mercy. But now I love him. Would you 
 not like to pass through a like change .'' 
 
 H, There is no need of such a change in my case. 
 I never hated that lovely Being ; and He is so merci- 
 ful that it will be well enough with all hereafter. 
 
 P. I perceive thou art in the bonds of iniquity. 
 Shall I pray for you ? 
 
 H, Do as you please. Do your duty. 
 
 No sooner was this banter given than Mr. Phinney 
 began to dismount. Leading his horse to the fallen 
 trunk of a large tree, he knelt, still holding the rein, 
 5 
 
66 THE LIFE OP 
 
 Mr. Heifford, from curiosity, remained while the 
 preacher offered a fervent and affectionate petition to 
 the throne of grace fot the conversion of his fellow 
 traveller. After prayer, as their roads parted, they 
 took leave of each other ; the preacher dropping in 
 his own impressive manner the single expression of 
 the Bible, " Except a man be born again, he cannot 
 see the kingdom of God." 
 
 Twenty years passed away, and Mr. Phinney, in 
 company with Elder Jordan, was engaged in a revival 
 at Hartford, (Me.,) not far from Canton. Mr. Heif- 
 ford was present. As soon as he heard Mr. Phinney's 
 voice, he said to himself, " Thank God, that is the 
 voice — that is the man who prayed for me when I 
 was a Universalist." At the close of the meeting, 
 Mr. Heifford pressed forward, and taking Mr. Phin- 
 ney ■ by the hand, " Did you," he began, " did you 
 pray for a Universalist on Canton hill twenty years 
 ago?" 
 
 P. « I did." 
 
 H. " I'm the very man. After we parted I began 
 to reflect upon what had passed. I felt that you pos- 
 sessed something I did not. I began to feel wretched. 
 I tried to pray. I went back to the place where you 
 prayed. I looked at the prints of your knees. I 
 often stole up to the hut of a poor man w^ho knew 
 God, to hear him pray. In short, I had no more 
 peace till I was born again. How I did want to hear 
 your voice again ! I praise God for your faithfulness 
 to me." 
 
CLEMENT PHINNEY. 67 
 
 The best logic to use with the self-righteous, is the 
 manifestation of a life hid with Christ in God. 
 
 Even in this life we meet some results of our lives 
 — whether good or bad ; in eternity we shall meet 
 alh Shall they afford us bliss ? 
 
68 THE LIFE OF 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 HIS ORDINATION, AND TRIALS IN REGARD TO THE SUP- 
 PORT OF HIS FAMILY. 
 
 It is proper to inform the reader that hereafter we 
 shall not try, and should we try, we should be entirely 
 unable, to trace the events of Mr. Phinney's life in 
 the order of their occurrence. Sometimes we shall 
 be wholly without dates. If any feel disposed to 
 complain on this account, let it be remembered that 
 Mr. Phinney kept no journal ; that the writer has 
 been compelled to obtain one fact here and another 
 there ; that a little more than a year since there was 
 not a- single shred of writing in regard to the events 
 he relates, save what is employed in the next chap- 
 ter. We have no further apology to offer. 
 
 In the last chapter, we have seen Mr. Phinney, 
 however without design, fairly enter upon the labors 
 of an evangelist. He henceforth expected to devote 
 his life to that calling. Having disposed of his farm 
 in Berlin, he, in compliance with the solicitation of 
 many of his friends, moved in the autumn of 1816 to 
 Standish Neck. Soon after this the Gorham Quar- 
 terly Meeting held its session in the place of his resi- 
 dence. Requests for his ordination came in from 
 several churches. After the accustomed examination, 
 he was duly set apart to the work of the ministry at 
 the game session of the Quarterly Meeting. 
 
CLEMENT PHINNEY. 69 
 
 It is said that the occasion of his ordination was 
 one of deep interest. It took place, it will be remem- 
 bered, where he was converted ; here, too, he had 
 taught ; and here the Spirit of God had been poured 
 out upon his labors for the conversion of his pupils 
 and others. Besides, the ordination sermon from the 
 passage, " Study to shew thyself approved unto God, 
 a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly 
 dividing the truth," delivered by Elder Joseph White, 
 was one of the happiest efforts of that able minister ; 
 and, still more, the ordination prayer was made by 
 Elder Z. Leach, a man who, in his supplications to 
 the throne of grace, always seemed to approach into 
 the very presence of his heavenly Father. More 
 than one at this day speak of his remarkable prayer 
 on this occasion. At its close there was not a dry 
 eye of saint or sinner present. 
 
 From the time of his ordination, Mr. Phinney re- 
 sided in Standish, Gorham and Scarborough, till 
 1824, or 1825, at which time he moved to Harrison. 
 During the period just named, besides the towns 
 above mentioned, he preached in Portland, Gray, 
 Buxton, Harrison, and many other places, his preach- 
 ing ahnost always resulting in revivals. Having been 
 consecrated to the sacred work, he did not feel at lib- 
 erty to relinquish it, whatever might be the pressure 
 of poverty or the calls of his family. He assured 
 his family as from God, that they should never want 
 for bread while he pursued his calling faithfully as a 
 minister. 
 
70 THE LIFE OF 
 
 We have seen when he began to preach he fared 
 peculiarly well, for those times, in his pecuniary in- 
 terests. But on this score there was experience in 
 reserve for him that put his faith to severe trial. A 
 few illustrations from his life will not prove unaccept- 
 able. 
 
 At one time, while his family was residing in Scar- 
 borough, he was engaged in a revival at Gray. One 
 day he began to feel uneasy concerning the welfare 
 of his family, notwithstanding they were in the midst 
 of brethren on whom he had bestowed not a little la- 
 bor. His brethren in Gray tried in vain to dissuade 
 him from leaving the revival at such a crisis. He 
 must go ; he feared they might be in want of provis- 
 ions. One brother said, " Well, if you must go, I 
 will give you a bushel of meal ;" others gave him 
 meat and other ^necessaries. He took them upon his 
 horse and started. When he was almost within sight 
 of his house, he met his wife and children. " Well 
 dears," said he, " where are you all going ?" " We 
 have started," said she, " to find our dinner ; you told 
 us as long as you preached we should never want for 
 food." "You have had your breakfast, have you 
 not ?" " Yes ; but we have nothing for our dinner." 
 Putting his hand upon the bag of meal, he said, " Here 
 is our dinner ; we shall never want for food." 
 
 When he returned to Gray, the brethren of that 
 place sent one of their number to take provisions to 
 Mr. Phinney's family. When he arrived, he asked 
 Mrs. Phinney if she thought it right for a man to 
 
CLEMENT PHINNEY. 71 
 
 devote all his labors to the good of others, while he 
 left his own family exposed to destitution. She had 
 been tried on this point and had given up her hus- 
 band to follow what she believed to be the path of 
 duty; she replied, therefore, "It is right to obey 
 God." This good brother, no doubt, returned with 
 clearer ideas of faith than he came, and the wonder 
 is that such things did not suggest to his mind and 
 that of others, that it is important to adopt some sys- 
 tematic way of supplying the wants of ministers and 
 their families. But when a denomination commences 
 with false views upon this subject, the covetous are 
 attracted to it, and what is a thousand times worse, 
 those naturally generous become covetous, as if in 
 obedience to religion. 
 
 Once certain brethren, prompted by their better 
 impulses, determined to secure a piece of land and 
 build a house for him. The house was begun. He 
 labored upon it himself; perhaps he laid out some 
 money upon it. He and his family began to dream 
 of home and comforts. But stronger impulses over- 
 took these kind brethren, and of course they were 
 under no contract to fulfil any obligations to a preacher. 
 " Cochranism" swallowed them up. What now is to 
 become of the preacher who has been acting upon 
 their promises ? He was simply to " take care of 
 himself." 
 
 However, he came out of this storm better off than 
 could be expected, as the bare frame of his house 
 was assigned to him, in part payment for the labor 
 and means he had expended in preparing what he 
 
72 THE LIFE OP 
 
 expected was to be his new home. Money enough 
 had been sent to him by unknown hands to buy him 
 a horse, to enable him to travel to his appointments. 
 At length he disposed of his horse, to procure a piece 
 of land, on which the frame now in his possession 
 might be placed. To this piece of land, which was 
 in Gorham, some kind brethren of that town moved 
 his house. He was now well off; he had his land 
 and the frame of a house ; but how could his family 
 live there ! 
 
 But he continued to preach. On his way, on foot, 
 now, of course, to Gray, to fill some of his appoint- 
 ments, he was in Windham driven by a storm into 
 the house of Peter "White, brother of Joseph. As 
 he entered the house with a portmanteau on his 
 shoulder, all dripping with rain, Mr. White welcomed 
 him, - saying, " Come in, thou blessed of the Lord ; 
 you look like one of the old apostles." 
 
 How often some similar commendation is the end 
 of care, with many, for the faithful preacher. They 
 admire and praise the self-denying labors of their 
 preacher. They do more ; they trust to the goodness 
 of their preachers to take them to heaven in their 
 covetousness. But not so with Mr. White. He was 
 a man of works as well as words. If the preachers 
 of that day had trained him in the false idea that the 
 church member is never to support the cause of 
 Christ by any systematic efforts ; if they had trained 
 him to do his part only by impulse, only when he 
 " felt to give," he was one of those rare men who 
 often " felt," and freely gave. He did not suffer Mr. 
 
CLEiTEXT PHIN'yET. 73 
 
 Plimney to go the rest of the way on foot. He re- 
 membered, too, that the preacher had the frame of a 
 house that needed covering, and a family that could 
 not always live on air. He looked to it that a week 
 did not pass till the family were well supplied with 
 provisions ; that lumber and mechanics were on hand 
 to prepare them a comfortable habitation. Not that 
 he did all himself. But when he had done his part, 
 he knew how to stir up others — a kindly office very 
 important, and yet easily accomplished by the man 
 who never hansrs back himself From "Windham and 
 Moderation, from Gorham and other places, came 
 lumber, men and money. The work was soon done. 
 
 It is not difficult to see that such an event caused 
 no little excitement. It is easily imagined that many, 
 who never before had thought of doing anything by 
 way of supplying the wants of their preacher, par- 
 taking of the general enthusiasm, would not on this 
 occasion be found wanting. Among these, one exam- 
 ple must not be passed over in silence. One good 
 brother of the church, though possessed of a good 
 property, still never before had anything to spare : 
 but now he did not withhold his hand from giving. 
 Though he lived some two or three miles distant from 
 Mr. Phinney's new house, one day, near twelve o'clock, 
 he was seen approaching on horse-back. When he 
 came up he remarked to 'Mr. Phinney, that he thought 
 he must do something for him, and so had come to 
 brinsr him and his two workmen their dinner. It 
 would do vou sood to hear Mr. Phinney tell with 
 
74 THE LIFE OF 
 
 what pride and satisfaction the old gentleman deliv- 
 ered the precious morsel which constituted " his part" 
 
 Such was the pressure of poverty at another time, 
 that Mr. Phinney, yielding to the solicitations of oth- 
 ers, undertook, in addition to preaching, to teach a 
 district school. This is the only time he ever con- 
 sented to turn aside in any degree from his great call- 
 ing. In this step he was unhappy ; duty, he feared, 
 after all the wisdom of his friends, called to another 
 field. Before the term upon which he entered was 
 half out, a good man dying in another town, [Scar- 
 borough,] made it as his last request that Mr. Phin- 
 ney should preach his funeral sermon. In compli- 
 ance with this request, the preacher dismissed his 
 pupils, not to return to school till they heard from him. 
 He never returned to the school ; the funeral proved 
 the- occasion ibr the commencement of a great re- 
 vival, which he did not feel at liberty to leave, how- 
 ever soon the utmost destitution might overtake him. 
 
 It was good for the progress of truth that the false 
 principles in regard to the support of the ministry, 
 early adopted in the denomination, so soon led minis- 
 ters confessedly faithful into trial and suffering. Suf- 
 fering is to our stupid race the great teacher of pro- 
 gress. The lessons of revelation, nature and com- 
 mon sense are neglected, till the neglect itself, by 
 consequent sufferings, so enforces these lessons, that 
 at last they are heeded. So in this case. Some por- 
 tion of our ministry, by the severe pressure of want, 
 were, at an early day, convinced of their error. New 
 
CLEMENT PHINNEY. 75 
 
 ideas in regard to the support of the ministry thus 
 gained a place in many minds. A strife between the 
 conservative and progressive doctrines arose. For 
 the last fifty years, the truth has been gaining. In 
 this important reform, we shall see Mr. Phinney has 
 done his part. 
 
 This would be a good place, if Mr. Phinney would 
 permit it, to give the particulars of his greatest pe- 
 cuniary trial. For the present, at least, it must suf- 
 fice to say, that it was of such a nature that it 
 cornpelled him to spend the winter of 1819 — 20 in 
 Portland. But he was not there in vain ; as under 
 any trial he still continued to preach the gospel. His 
 preaching in this city resulted in great good ; but for 
 the present we pass. 
 
 A year or two before this he went to Moderation 
 in Buxton, to hold a series of meetings. The result 
 was a revival, that not only proved a rich blessing to 
 the church there, but it resulted in the conversion of 
 not a few in Hollis. 
 
 During these meetings, Mr. Phinney relates, that one 
 evening there knelt some thirteen or fourteen persons 
 who were seeking mercy through Christ. Some 
 were not more than thirteen or fourteen years of age, 
 others were of middle age, and others still were, by 
 the weight of years, trembling on the verge of the 
 grave. All but the youngest were soon rejoicing in 
 redeeming love. But he seemed sometimes driven 
 almost to despair. At length, his soul rejoiced with 
 the rest. Whence was this struggle, this despair "^ 
 
76 THE LIFE OP 
 
 He had slandered a neighbor ; he was unwilling to 
 confess ; it was only a slight offence ; surely, there 
 could be no need of confession ; but it was in vain he 
 attempted to climb up some other way. At last he 
 yielded this point and was happy. 
 
 " Strait is the gate and narrow is the way which 
 leadeth unto life." The whole heart must be yielded ; 
 there can be no reserve. Confession and restoration, 
 if within our ability, however mortifying, however 
 trying, must not be neglected by those who would 
 enter into "life." Many, by neglecting smaller 
 crosses than the one just noticed, have gone on from 
 sin to sin, till at last they have been numbered in that 
 unhappy company that shall at length hear even the 
 Lover of sinners say, " Not every one that saith un- 
 to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of 
 heaven; but ha that doeh the will of my Father in 
 heaven." 
 
 Among the converts of this revival were Andrew 
 T. Hobson, since a minister, and others of the same 
 family, still pillars in the church of Christ. "A 
 number of the converts of that meeting, both of Bux- 
 ton and Hollis," says Mr. Phinney, "are now in 
 heaven ; a few remain unto this ^ present' ; but a few 
 more faithful days, and they and this poor dust shall 
 be gathered to our fathers, and our spirits be happy in 
 the company of those gone before us. Will our 
 children fill our places in the church ?" 
 
 Mr. Phinney was never much given to tears. But 
 as he thus recurred to the associations of other days, 
 
CLEMENT PHINNET. 77 
 
 and looked forward with the Christian's hope to the 
 renewal of friendships in heaven, the tears stole over 
 his furrowed cheek. They were not tears of sorrow. 
 The Christian has comfort the world knows not of. 
 
 Moderation is among the few places of Mr. Phin- 
 ney's early labors, that it has been the privilege of 
 the writer to visit, and his visit there will alwavs be re- 
 membered with pleasure. The church of this place. has 
 been peculiarly blessed with faithful pastors. Not 
 only has it been blessed, therefore, to the conversion 
 of many souls, but is always ready to lend the help- 
 ing hand to others. The billows of " Cochranism," 
 and other later delusions, have beaten in vain. The 
 faithful Shepherd has protected it. Still, as we write 
 of this place, there is a sense of sadness with our 
 pleasure : for there may be seen the grave of Seth 
 F. Chaney, that star whose light had only begun to 
 beam with blessings upon that church, when it was 
 eclipsed by death.* But on this painful occasion this 
 church were worthy of such a pastor ; for though he 
 died far away from them, they did not rest till his 
 remains were sleeping in their church-yard. 
 
 We must in our next chapter follow our preacher 
 through a new class of trials. 
 
 * Bro. Chaney was ordained pastor of this church in June, 1842, 
 and deceased October, 1843. 
 
78 THE LIFE OF 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 COCHRAN AND COCHRANISM. 
 
 To place upon the page of history the errors and 
 defeats of the church is scarcely less serviceable, in 
 securing her true developments and permanent ad- 
 vancement, than to proclaim her virtues and her vic- 
 tories. In this view, it may not be considered entirely 
 without service to the cause of truth, to place even 
 upon our ephemeral pages some account of that man- 
 ifestation of religious delusion and fanaticism, known 
 as " Cochranism." Besides, in tracing the life of Mr. 
 Phinney, when it became necessary, at least, to touch 
 upon this subject, it was not deemed unwise to devote 
 to it labor sufucient to collect the principal facts con- 
 cerning it. 
 
 Care has been taken not to put down anything as 
 fact^ which is not supported by the concurrent testi- 
 mony of witnesses who are familiar with what they 
 relate. Among those upon whom we rely, besides 
 Mr. Phinney, may be mentioned El^r Zachariah 
 Jordan, and Elder Ephraim Stinchfield. The testi- 
 mony of the latter we find in a pamphlet which he 
 wrote at the time this delusion was at the height of 
 its power, and which was pi'inted in 1819. This 
 pamphlet, as well 'as other efforts of its author, did 
 not a little in checking the evil to which it relates. 
 For what is probably the only remaining copy of it, 
 we are indebted to the kindness of a lady who not 
 
^ CLEMENT PHINNEY. 7^ 
 
 only is, but who is worthy to be, a grand daughter of 
 Elder Stinchfield, a name of holy memory. 
 
 About the close of the year 1816 or the beginning 
 of 1817, Jacob Cochran, from whom this ism derived 
 its name, moved from Conway, N. H., to Scarbor- 
 ough, Me. He began immediately to preach in Scar- 
 borough, though we have been unable to ascertain 
 anything as to his character or calling before. 
 
 Though a preacher, he belonged to no denomina- 
 tion of Christians ; he was however friendly to all ; 
 on the one hand, he did not wish to tear down any 
 existing religious organization, nor, on the other, did 
 he wish to add another to their number. He desired 
 rather to work through any or all to restore to the 
 church apostolic religion and the lost miraculous 
 powers. Such were his professions. 
 
 Though uneducated, he was by no means deficient 
 in what is called native talent ; indeed he seemed to 
 possess a large share of it ; but it partook of shrewd- 
 ness, rather than of sound discretion. If he was not 
 able at once to carry his point, he had that self-pos- 
 session which can successfully conceal disappointed 
 feelings, till it at length reaps from defeat the fruits 
 of victory. If he possessed not genuine piety, he 
 well knew how to assume the look and gesture of ex- 
 traordinary sanctity ; and, if he had not the powers 
 adequate to true eloquence, he could successfully sway 
 the multitude by vehement zeal and a kind of mes- 
 meric inspiration. 
 
 When this new preacher had won not a little upon 
 the attention of the good people of Scarborough, Mr. 
 
 ^^..^^^^AMiMMHittiiiiiiiMiiiiifikai- 
 
80 THE LIFE OF 
 
 Phinney went there, as he was accustomed to from 
 time to time, to hold meetings. Mr. Cochran was 
 among the first and most attentive of his auditors. 
 When the sermon was closed, upon liberty being 
 given to others to speak, as was then the custom after 
 almost every sermon delivered by preachers of our 
 Connexion, Mr. Cochran arose, apparently over- 
 whelmed with holy emotions, and said, " To-day I 
 have heard the gospel in its purity. God has sent 
 this servant of his here for a great work of salvation." 
 After many similar remarks, he concluded by pro- 
 posing publicly to give up his appointments to Mr. 
 Phinney, reserving to himself simply the privilege of 
 exhorting occasionally, as the spirit might give him 
 utterance. By way of securing for his proposal the 
 more favor, he concluded by giving utterance to a 
 kind of prophetical' conviction, that should his plan 
 ' be acceded to, a most remarkable revival would im- 
 mediately follow. 
 
 AVhatever were Mr. Phinney's feelings of repug- 
 nance to acceding to this plan, and whatever were his 
 apprehensions of evil, he could not well decline a 
 proposal, thus publicly made, without bringing against 
 himself serious charges of uncharitableness and sec- 
 tarianism. The event proved, however, that Mr. 
 Phinney did not sufficiently rely upon his own con- 
 victions. 
 
 Mr. Phinney, entering upon the duties of the pro- 
 posed series of meetings, Mr. Cochran accompanied 
 him, faithfully availing himself of his reserved priv- 
 ilege : he exhorted sinners to flee to Christ ; he often 
 
CLEMENT PHINNET. 81 
 
 wept excessively, as he listened and as he spoke. 
 The consequence was that his prophecy was fulfilled, 
 and he won the entire confidence of the people. 
 
 Though thus successful with the people, there wa& 
 still one Mordecai sitting in the king's gate. He 
 was conscious that Mr. Phinney withheld from him 
 his confidence. Other efforts were to be put forth, 
 either to win him, or deprive him of his power among 
 the people. For this purpose he chose an opportu- 
 nity when he and Mr. Phinney were in the com- 
 pany of several of the brethren of leading influence. 
 " Brother Phinney," said he, " you are very hard- 
 hearted ; you do not love me ; it is as cruel as the 
 grave ; for I never before saw the man I love half as 
 much as I do you." Mr. Phinney, raising his cane 
 to a horizontal position, replied, " Jacob, I love you 
 at the end of that, but I cannot receive you to my 
 heart." This kind of jugglery, however, succeeded 
 too well. 
 
 About the same time Mr. Cochran went to Hollis 
 to preach. Here again he resorted to a similar trick 
 to secure influence. " Go to Scarborough," said he to 
 his hearers, many of whom had been converted under 
 the labors of Mr. Phinney, "go to Scarborough, and 
 listen to Mr. Phinney, if you want to hear the pre- 
 cious gospel in its purity. I have travelled in ten 
 States, but never before has it been my privilege to 
 listen to such a man of God." 
 
 Though Mr. Phinney was all the time conscious of 
 
 danger, both to himself and the church, he struggled 
 
 in vain to break from the toils which were laid before 
 6 
 
 ■iMili 
 
82 THE LIFE OF 
 
 his own eyes, and in which, notwithstanding that, he 
 was but too successfully taken. The following inci- 
 dent was the source of the most hope for a successful 
 escape : Mr. Phinney having returned to Scarbor- 
 ough, ascertained that Mr. Cochran had grieved even 
 his warmest friend, by an attempt to perform a mira- 
 cle ; for, on this point, he had as yet said but little, 
 and that very cautiously. At this time, however, he 
 undertook to cast the devil out of a man who was 
 under deep conviction. Placing his hand on the 
 head of the subject, he prayed, and bid the devil de- 
 part. He then tried to convince the man that he had 
 really undergone a great change, but all in vain ; he 
 insisted that he was no better ; despite every thing, 
 the exorcist made a complete failure in his experi- 
 ment ; and, as before stated, grieved his best friends, 
 ■who prevailed upon Mr. Phinney, when he returned, 
 to rebuke the evil spirit in their friend. He accord- 
 ingly called Mr. Cochran to account in the presence 
 of a part of those who were witnesses of his trans- 
 gression. At first he insisted that the power of work- 
 ing miracles still remained in the church, and, that all 
 the faithful could exercise it ; but, w^hen he found he 
 was losing ground, he made his retreat with such dex- 
 terity that his retreat was his greatest victory. Turn- 
 ing his eyes to Mr. Phinney, with great apparent pen- 
 itence, he said, " I bless God for such a faithful man ; 
 O how faithful ! I have sinned ; I have wronged the 
 cause of Christ ; forgive me ! What shall I do !" 
 While he thus spoke, tears flow^ed in streams over 
 his cheeks. 
 
CLEMENT PniNNET. 83 
 
 Such penitence, or rather, signs of it, fully restored 
 him to the confidence of his friends. They wondered 
 that Mr. Phinney could not fully forgive such a meek 
 man of God, as they called him. On the other hand, 
 Mr. Cochran ceased not to praise the faithful preacher 
 who rebuked him. Thus at length he succeeded in 
 destroying in a great measure the influence of Mr. 
 Phinney over the people, and then very soon run his 
 miserable career, as we shall soon see. 
 
 Here we get a glimpse of Mr. Phinney's weakest 
 side. He never was a man of strife. He was not 
 born for war, however heroic his ancestors might have 
 been. He is so little disposed to war, that his char- 
 ity is in more or less danger of degenerating into lat- 
 itudinarianism. Too much charity is a fault, of which, 
 however, we do not often have reason to complain. 
 Every virtue has a corresponding error, into which 
 the virtue, so to say, without much watchfulness, easily 
 passes. On this ground, had it been our object to 
 make the subject of our pages a hero, our hero would 
 have been, at least, out-generaled if not conquered. 
 
 But to return to Mr. Cochran. By the sort of dex- 
 terity described — by his great enthusiasm, and by as- 
 suming an extraordinary degree of sanctity, by prais- 
 ing at lirst those ministers dear to the hearts of youn"" 
 converts, and by insinuations afterwards — he at length 
 succeeded in destroying, with many persons of a pe- 
 culiar cast of mind, the influence of those who had 
 shown their character by their faithful lives, and 
 attaching the same to himself in a sort of fanatical 
 friendship, by which he prepared^ them to go any 
 
84 THE LIFE OF 
 
 length in absurdity, folly and even crime, that his in- 
 terest or caprice might dictate. " Those who join 
 and become members of this brotherhood," said Elder 
 Stinchfield in his pamphlet, " must renounce every 
 natural connection, and be exclusively under the con- 
 trol of their leaders, who, while they promise them 
 liberty, are themselves the servants of corruption j 
 for, of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he 
 brought into bondage." Again : " I had, before I left 
 this place," says he, in speaking of what he witnessed 
 in Kennebunk, " such a discovery of the mystery of 
 iniquity, working to the subversion of all social ties, 
 between husband and wife, parents and children, rulers 
 and ruled, ministers and people — the rising genera- 
 tion corrupted by the introduction of such vicious 
 practices under the cloak of religion — that it seemed 
 as if r should be constrained to cry day and night 
 against the abomination that maketh desolate." Again : 
 " When I arrived in the upper towns in the County 
 of York, I found this dreadful hydrophobia with all 
 its dire effects — children denouncing their parents ; 
 members of churches, their pastors ; neighbors, one 
 another." 
 
 When Mr. Cochran had organized a party for him- 
 self, and had thus become free from his dependence 
 upon the ministers, by whose influence he at first con- 
 trived to secure to himself power, he revived his doc- 
 trine and practice of miracle-working. " They, like 
 all other enthusiasts," says Elder Stinchfield, " pre- 
 tend to a light superior to that of any other religious 
 society since the apostles ; and the power of healing 
 
CLEMENT PHINNET. 85 
 
 the sick, raising the dead, and casting out devils — all 
 of which thej said had been literally performed among 
 them. Extraordinary dreams and visions, they as- 
 serted, had been experienced, and wonders wrought." 
 Among the " wonders wrought," was a pretended bap- 
 tism of the Holy Ghost. The preacher, while all 
 around him was intense excitement, placing his hand 
 on the head of the candidate, exhorted him to " Press 
 to the light." An adherent to this party told Elder 
 Stinchfield, that Mr. Cochran, " by only laying his 
 hand upon a person's head, could so effect him that 
 " he would immediately fall to the floor and cry out 
 in great distress ; and after continuing in that frame 
 a short time, he would then be delivered from that 
 distress and shout, Glory." 
 
 From this extraordinary degree of ^* holiness," so 
 dependent upon mere states of the body, as induced 
 by fear, the glow of emotions, and various other 
 mental states or exercises, it was no long step to holy 
 physical exercises. Then came logically enough holy 
 dancing, marching, and " reaping ;" then a luxurious 
 feast called " the Passover ;" then, verging from the 
 sensual to the spiritual, came the spirituality of mat- 
 rimony — ordinary marriage being proclaimed as of 
 the Pharisees, not of Christ ; spiritual ties alone have 
 validity for Christians ; then, of course an outer tem- 
 ple for the uninitiated, and an inner for the initiated ; 
 then a sanctum sanctorum for the high priest ; and 
 last of all, this holy place, like the Romish confess- 
 ional, became a shrine of Venus. 
 
86 THE LIFE OP 
 
 Let us hear Elder Stinchfield again : " At one 
 time a cry is uttered by him or some other in his 
 assembHes in the language of the angel in the Rev- 
 elation, Thrust in thy sickle and reap, for the harvest 
 of the earth is ripe. A number in the assembly will 
 then be thrown into the greatest agitations ; a violent 
 exertion of the arms and body, for a long time to- 
 gether, takes place. These are called reapers, and 
 the operation reaping. To other violent motions of 
 the arms and body, they give the appellation of win- 
 nowing, and separating the chaff from the wheat ; 
 another they call, gathering and hirning the chaff. 
 
 " Cochran pretends to have the power of life and 
 death in his hands, and frightens his pupils into a 
 compliance with any of his injunctions, by threaten- 
 ing to stop their breath in a moment; by which means 
 he takes females from their parents and carries them 
 to his brothel. He declares he has the keys of the 
 kingdom of heaven, and pretends to open it for, or 
 shut it against, whom he sees fit, by stretching out, 
 and making a Violent twist with his arm, one way or 
 the other." 
 
 To such excesses of crime, especially in violation 
 of the seventh commandment, did this pretended re- 
 former recklessly proceed, that he was soon arrested 
 in his career, and, after due examination and convic- 
 tion, sent to the State's Prison to suffer its well de- 
 served penalties. Though his arrest took place in 
 Feb. 1819, only about three years from the com- 
 mencement of his preaching in Scarborough, yet, \% 
 
CLEMENT PHINNEY. 87 
 
 is said, that at one time Lis adherents numbered more 
 than two thousand ; but before this, even, his numbers 
 had begun rapidly to diminish. 
 
 Among those who successfully opposed this de- 
 structive delusion was Elder George Parcher, of 
 Saco, where Mr. Cochran at length established his 
 head-quarters. At no great distance from Elder 
 Parcher's residence was Mr. Cochran's gloomy and 
 " dreary mansion, provided wholly with wooden shut- 
 ters on the outside, the better to conceal, no doubt, 
 the works of darkness practiced within its walls. The 
 general family consists of twelve females, besides 
 those who visit the house occasionally. Some of these 
 are widows, who, wdth the rest of the females, have 
 surrendered their persons, character and property 
 into the common stock ; and remain in this place, as 
 those declare who have left them, destitute, to all ap- 
 pearance, of any profitable business ; and are, most 
 of them, forbidden to labor with their hands for a 
 living ; and intend, as I was informed in the neigh- 
 borhood, that the wicked shall maintain them ; though 
 I believe it is generally thought they will be hungry 
 soon, as the property which has been brought together 
 by this religious fraud is nearly spent ; and not much 
 prospect of his realizing his original purpose, of hav- 
 ing all things common, for any considerable time to 
 come."* 
 
 Aside from this new movement, religious excite- 
 ment, had, in that vicinity and in various denomina- 
 
 * Cocliranism Delineated. 
 
88 THE LIFE OF 
 
 tions, run to a very high degree in what were called 
 revivals ; so that the way was so well prepared for 
 Mr. Cochran, that very many otherwise discreet and 
 even pious persons yielded to this new fanaticism. 
 Indeed it seemed to be carrying all before it. Things 
 in this state, Mr. Parcher, as we were about to relate, 
 was so deeply impressed with a sense of duty to warn 
 his neighbors against their impending danger, that one 
 Saturday morning leaving his field, his horses in the 
 furrow, he went from house to house among the doubt- 
 ful, and those already gone over, pleading with them, 
 in the name of his Master, to flee from the destroyer. 
 The next day he went to their assembly, and, at length, 
 obtaining permission to address them, he charged them 
 in the name of God to cease from their abominations. 
 His warnings and exhortations were not in vain ; for, 
 though many hissed and brawled, gnashed their teeth, 
 and threatened to take his life, so much was God's 
 power in the word of this bold and faithful preacher, 
 that he not only came off unharmed, but he was en- 
 abled by these and similar efforts to put an effectual 
 check to the further spread of this fanaticism in that 
 vicinity, to save the doubtful, and indeed to leave the 
 apostate with only a few adherents. These soon ran 
 to the excesses named, which aided not a little in 
 bringing their own abominations to a close. 
 
 Under the influence of this delusion, many made 
 shipwreck of their piety, who, under happier auspices, 
 might have been ornaments to the church ; some were 
 led into great domestic aflilictions, — husbands and 
 wives being parted for life, and the unmarried so cor- 
 
CLEMENT PHINNET. 89 
 
 rupted, that some were compelled to drag out life, con- 
 scious of guilt, and others in public disgrace. After 
 the imprisonment of Mr. Cochran, Mr. Phinney, in 
 company with Elder John Boothby, of the Christian 
 denomination, went over the fields thus laid desolate. 
 " Never, never," said one of the unfortunate victims, 
 " can I be happy again ; I have lost all self-respect." 
 This is only a specimen of what every where made 
 their hearts sad and even sick. Some who had been 
 in affluent circumstances, were compelled in old age 
 to suffer for the necessaries of life. 
 
 It might well be supposed that a delusion so speed- 
 ily followed by such sufferings — sufferings that had to 
 be endured without the consolations of conscious inno- 
 cence — would ere this have lost all adherents. But 
 ft delusion once fastened upon the religious feelings, 
 is not so soon cured. Though thirty years have 
 passed since Mr. Cochran went to prison, near the 
 site of his " gloomy, dreary mansion," there is this 
 day the abode of some five or six of " the faithful," who 
 still, perhaps, wait for either their old prophet or a 
 new one to arise and lead them to the substance of 
 the bright visions that fired their youthful imagina- 
 tions. Besides these, here and there, in Saco and 
 vicinity, may be found one who still lives in hope. 
 These, it is said, occasionally meet to cheer their spir- 
 its by a religious dance, so as to enable themselves 
 the better to endure the ills of their sad pilgrimage. 
 
 It is said that, notwithstanding this delusion is so 
 ludicrous where it is not too sad, some of its adher- 
 ents, by a long life of integrity and general good 
 
90 THE LIFE OF 
 
 character, enjoy tlie high esteem of all their acquaint- 
 ances. Vilio that by his own experience kno^YS any- 
 thing of the frailty of our nature, would deal harshly 
 with such ? Who havino; such self-knowledge does 
 not tind it congenial with his heart, to throw around 
 the foibles of such the ample folds of the mantle of 
 charity, as he commends them to him whose judg- 
 ment alone is without mixture of error. But this ex- 
 ercise of charity must not prevent us from learning 
 the lessons of wisdom which human frailties and suf- 
 ferin2;s are desisrned to teach. 
 
 As to jMr. Cochran himself, his term in prison so 
 crushed his spirits, or, at least, moderated his hopes, 
 that he completely fiiiled of the honors of martyr- 
 dom. By a natural death not long after his release, 
 he was called to his last account. 
 
 Tims inglorious, Protestantism suffers most of her 
 enthusiasts and fanatics to die. Had he fallen under 
 the care of " the holv mother," how different would 
 have been his fate ! Then might the sacredness of 
 the confessional, or the gloomy walls of a nunnery, 
 have screened his crimes from the knowledge and 
 penalties of justice ; the gencralsliip of a new order 
 of chaste monks rewarded his zeal on earth; after- 
 times given to him fame and saintship ; and to his 
 saintship might have been muttered the prayers of the 
 devout of cominsr centuries. To manv of no more 
 virtue and not half the talent of Mr. Cochran, are 
 offered up every day in papal churches thousands of 
 prayers. 
 
 Only now and then among Protestants can a great 
 
CLEMENT PHINNET. 91 
 
 enthusiast attract to himself power and honor. When 
 the church is just arousing herself from a long sleep 
 of formalism and dead works ; when she begins anew 
 to breathe the breath of that life oftered to his people 
 bj the Savior; when this new life just begins to malvc 
 itself felt ; then an enthusiast may lead off* great num- 
 bers of those who are of peculiarly ardent tempera- 
 ments, especially if they have not enjoyed the ad- 
 vantaires of education. 
 
 Just such a state of affairs existed when Mr. Coch- 
 ran began his movement. He had the warmth of 
 emotion, apparent sanctity and shrewdness to attract, 
 combine and control the elements, made ready to his 
 hand. Already '' swoonings," and various other mes- 
 meric phenomena, had begun to be considered indica- 
 tive of peculiar holiness. Nothing but sheer greedi- 
 ness for sensual indulgence prevented his party from 
 rapidly spreading through the conntry. But for this, 
 temples of more splendor than those of Kirtland and 
 Nauvoo miolit lonix aw have been built to his honor. 
 But the honors, if such we may call them, which he 
 might easily have won, are now associated with the 
 name of the Mormon martyr. 
 
 Antinomianism, that keeps the children of the 
 church from the consciousness of the redemption 
 wrought out by Christ, is the parent of that enthusi- 
 asm which places all religion and religious blessings 
 in the emotions. This enthusiasm, when the feelings 
 have spent their life, as they soon must, produces in 
 its turn antinomianism and infidelity. Formalism 
 
92 
 
 THE LIFE OP 
 
 cannot save the church from over-excitement ; over- 
 excitement cannot save her from formality. The 
 consciousness of redemption in the human heart — the 
 gospel itself, in short — can and must save her, if she 
 is ever saved, from both. 
 
CLEMENT PHINNET. 93 
 
 CHAPTER VIIL 
 
 TO HIS REMOVAL TO HARRISON, IN 1824. 
 
 The Free-will Baptist denomination may be re- 
 garded as having had its origin in the great religious 
 iwakening that occurred under the labors of Wesley 
 md Whitefield. The last sermon ever delivered by 
 he latter, (in 1770,) was blessed to the conversion of 
 1 sail-maker, Benjamin Kandall, the acknowledged 
 bunder of the denomination. At first, he joined 
 • the Standing Order," as the Congregationalists were 
 hen called in New England ; but owing to a differ- 
 jnce of opinion in regard to baptism, he soon after 
 oined the Calvinistic Baptists, among whom he was 
 icensed as a preacher. Possessed of strong practical 
 common sense, and a judgment un warped by the the- 
 )logical training of those times, it was, of course, im- 
 )0ssible for him to adopt the high toned Calvinism 
 hen prevailing in the two denominations with which 
 le had been, thus far, associated. Besides, it was, 
 iltogether uncongenial with his heart, warmed by the 
 ' brotherly love" of a life-giving gospel, to refuse to 
 jommune with acknowledged Christians, simply from 
 I difference of opinion in regard to baptism. Hence, 
 n 1780, he was led to form a Free- Communion Bap- 
 ;ist church, holding to the freedom of human will. 
 Hence sprung the nick-name Free-will Baptists, and 
 ihe denomination designated by it. 
 
94 THE LIFE OF 
 
 Soon after the foundation of the denomination, came 
 those times in which the freedom of the State, then 
 so lately achieved in our country, began to react 
 upon the church, breaking down, to some extent, re- 
 ligious aristocracies, and detracting somewhat from 
 the currency of the ideas upon which they were 
 founded. Old men, who had been through the revo- 
 lution, fought over their battles for independence and 
 equality as they sat in their easy chairs, surrounded 
 by their children and their grand-children. Irregu^ 
 lars in the church as well as in the State gained 
 strength, and, at length, a recognition of their rights 
 from the old esta,blishraents. 
 
 This reaction of the American Revolution upon the 
 church is a subject of importance to all, and its pe- 
 culiar influence upon us as a denomination is cer- 
 tainly not enough considered by ourselves. On other 
 pages, if life be spared, we hope to give more atten- 
 tion to the topics here indicated. 
 
 The origin of the denomination being such, and in 
 such times', it wall readily appear to one, upon reflec- 
 tion, that it was at first peculiarly exposed to various 
 hurtful eccentricities, and especially to the enthusiasm 
 of the religious feelings. Of the truth of this remark, 
 we have already given some painful examples. But 
 these evils, having their origin mostly in the feelings, 
 more speedily pass away than does the influence of 
 false dogmas. The denomination owing its origin in 
 so great a degree, as we have intimated, to the anti- 
 nomianism then prevailing in the old denominations, 
 it was but human to attribute. that spiritual death to 
 
CLEMENT PHINNEY. 95 
 
 wrong causes, for instance, to an educated and well 
 paid ministry. Would that ihisjnsfance were a mere 
 supposition. Still further, it would be quite in ac- 
 cordance with what usually takes place in all rehgious 
 secessions, if these false ideas took a stronger hold of 
 the minds of the seceders, by reason of the arrogant 
 bearing assumed by the conservatives toward those 
 whom they regarded as erring brethren. 
 
 These remarks may seem, to some, quite out of the 
 way in tracing the life of Mr. Phinney, but we can 
 learn little as we ought to learn, of the spirit and use- 
 fulness of a man, unless we keep in mind some of the 
 principal circumstances, in the midst of which he is 
 compelled to act. We must remember that Mr. 
 Phinney was constantly exposed to over-action, in the 
 direction of that kind of religious excitement which 
 owes its origin too little to the genuine convictions of 
 the intellect, and furthermore, that he had constantly 
 to contend against the influence of the false ideas 
 already mentioned. Not only are these things neces- 
 sary to a proper view of his life, but it may be wor- 
 thy of remark, that he who would be very service- 
 able to any new^ denomination, especially as a preach- 
 er, needs to study well its origin, and to discern clearly 
 the leading ideas it is struggling to develop and or- 
 ganize. It is only thus, that he can learn its peculiar 
 exposures to evil, present deficiencies, and, what is 
 still more important, how to remedy such deficiencies, 
 without introducing something worse. 
 
 The following sketch of a Quarterly Meeting, 
 which one of our oldest ministers, who was present, 
 
96 THE LIFE OF 
 
 relates, illustrates one point above named. The 
 meeting occurred during that part of Mr. Phinney's 
 life, of which we write in this chapter. It was hold- 
 en in a Confyresrationalist meetinoj house at L. On 
 the morning appointed, the house was filled to over- 
 flowing ; for Quarterly Meetings in those times at- 
 tracted people from great distances, and great and 
 good were their spiritual influences. Elder Z. Leach 
 presided on this occasion. He entered the pulpit and 
 invited some other preachers to take a place with him. 
 One after another refused from mere embarrassment. 
 Perhaps they had never been in a pulpit ; for we 
 must try to keep in mind the true state of things. 
 Mr. Phinney accepted the invitation. As he started 
 he began to sing. So did he sing, with the spirit and 
 the understanding, that scarce one restrained his tears. 
 So the meeting began. In Ihe afternoon the minis- 
 ter, in whose church the meeting was held, was in 
 the pulpit. When Elder Leach v/as about to enter 
 it to open the afternoon session, the man of the pul- 
 pit would not suffer it. Elder Leach then took his 
 stand on the lower part of the stairs leading to the 
 pulpit. But the other, as if fully conscious of belong- 
 ing to "the standing order," with his long cane, push- 
 ed the irregular away entirely from the pulpit and 
 all pertaining to it. To this unchristian course it was 
 well that those who had the charge of the meeting 
 opposed a spirit so strikingly in contrast, that the 
 cause of arrogance lost much, while that of reform 
 gained not a little. The common people, who, for 
 the most part, hear the truth gladly, were so disgusted 
 
CLEMENT PHINNET. 97 
 
 with their minister, that they soon permitted him to 
 find a field of labor more congenial to his feelings. 
 
 It can but excite the sense of the ludicrous, to 
 think of a minister, in such circumstances, posting 
 himself in the pulpit, armed, not with the brotherly love 
 and spiritual graces conferred by the gospel, but with 
 a huge cane, to guard his sanctum from the contam- 
 ination of the uninitiated ; as though he would say^ 
 " True, my people have voted to let these fellows 
 have the house for their Quarterly Meeting, but not 
 the pulpit ; this sacred spot is mine, and guard it I 
 will." As straws are said to show which way tho 
 wind blows, so this apparently trifling incident may 
 indicate the intolerance with which the fathers of the 
 denomination had to contend. Since, despite many 
 weaknesses and errors, we have at last, through God's 
 blessings, won a respectable standing among our sis- 
 ter denominations, it may be well for us thus to glance 
 at the past. It certainly will, if thus we may improve ; 
 if we may learn never to manifest an arrogant spirit 
 toward beginners in such a religious course as their 
 consciences may dictate, however different that may 
 be from ours. 
 
 We may not pass without alluding in this connec- 
 tion to the pleasure we experienced in being permit- 
 ted to witness, only a year or two ago, a very different 
 »cene from that above described. It occurred, too, 
 near the same place. At a session of the Maine 
 Western Yearly Meeting, a corresponding messenger 
 from the Association of Congregationalists of tho 
 
 State was received. The object of the correspond- 
 7 
 
98 THE LIFE OF 
 
 ence thus begun is to promote brotherly love among 
 Christians of different names. May it continue, till 
 among all who profess to be followers of Christ, sub- 
 stance shall be more cared for than shadow. 
 
 When " Cochranism" was at its height, and had 
 quite driven Mr. Phinney from his field of labor in 
 the towns where it was raging, he went to Harrison, 
 to commence there a series of meetings.* His labors 
 were blessed. The revival which followed resulted 
 in the organization of the Harrison church, which 
 yet remains. Already it has done good service in 
 the Master's cause : long may it continue to win souls 
 to Christ. 
 
 At the commencement of these meetings there was 
 every prospect of good. Joseph Phinney, brother of 
 Clement, resided there. He was not only impeni- 
 tent, but very rude. After the first meeting, Joseph 
 gathered his impenitent friends around him to put 
 them on their guard against his brother. " Look out," 
 said he, " or Clement will have you. I know him 
 well. He will have a great revival here." How 
 often the impenitent harden their hearts to resist the 
 influence of the truth, and yet, when on their death- 
 beds, think they have a claim to be converted ! But 
 notwithstanding this preparation against the truth, 
 the revival began ; the people became deeply inter- 
 ested ; scarce could they pursue their labor, although 
 pressed by the cares of harvest. As the preacher 
 went from house to house, and from field to field, to 
 
 *TI)iswasinl818. 
 
CLEMENT PHINNEY. 99 
 
 converse with the people, he found many anxious in 
 regard to their salvation. 
 
 Among these was Major Emerson, upon whom the 
 impenitent relied much for their support in opposition 
 to the revival. Joseph heard he was anxious, and 
 had visited him to strengthen him. Mr. Emerson 
 told him that he had determined to seek the Savior. 
 Joseph was not sparing in his ridicule. When the 
 preacher visited the penitent man he said to him, 
 " Your brother will kill me ; he gives me no peace." 
 Most earnestly did Mr. Phinney pray that all obsta- 
 cles to the revival might be removed ; he prayed in 
 faith ; he believed what he asked would be granted. 
 While he was thus pleading with God, Joseph was 
 just leaving his horse, a mile distant from the place 
 of prayer. God arrested him in his wicked career. 
 He fell to the earth like the persecuting Paul. He 
 cried for help. His wife assisted him to return to his 
 house. As he lay prostrate he lifted up his voice in 
 prayer. A messenger hastened with the glad tidings 
 to the preacher, around whom a company of the anx- 
 ious had gathered. When it was said to that com- 
 pany concerning the persecutor, " Behold he prayeth," 
 they were overwhelmed as by the power of God. 
 
 Mr. Emerson and Joseph soon found peace ; the 
 revival rapidly advanced ; in it Joseph was very use- 
 ful. Six weeks after, when Mr. Phinney left, his 
 brother, in absence of preachers, took the lead of the 
 company of Christians there gathered. He eventu- 
 ally became a preacher. 
 
 Lof^ 
 
 Ui ' 
 
100 THE LIFE OF 
 
 At the meeting in which Joseph first publicly con- 
 fessed Christ, Mr. Phinney had been setting forth 
 various obstacles that hindered the progress of relig- 
 ion. He said, some professors of religion become 
 Pharisaical, they care more about the letter than the 
 spirit; they prevent their children from attending 
 meetings where the life and power of the gospel are 
 manifested. As soon as the preacher took his seat, a 
 lady arose, and in great excitement said, " I don't like 
 to be twitted of my faults in public ; strange that a 
 preacher cannot come into the neighborhood, but 
 that my neighbors must run to him each with a bud- 
 get of tattle. I will not be treated so ; my character 
 shall be cleared up." " Dear," said Mr. Phinney, 
 '* who are you ; I have been preaching about Phari- 
 sees ; no one has said a word to me about any such 
 here." The lady sent word to him afterwards to come 
 and "clear up" her character, and Mr. Phinney's 
 friends advised him to call and to re-assure her that 
 he was not personal ; but of course he had other em- 
 ployment on hand. 
 
 This was not the only time that he has been charged 
 with personalities, as every preacher is liable to bo 
 who understands human character. 
 
 In 1820, in company with Elder Mark Fernald, of 
 the Christian denomination, Mr. Phinney visited Kit- 
 tery, in the western part of Maine, and a portion of 
 N. H., Portsmouth and vicinity. He attended a largo 
 meeting of importance among the people just named. 
 He relates that at this meeting he attempted to preach, 
 
CLEMENT PHTNNET, 101 
 
 but made, as he considered, a perfect failure. A sea- 
 son of mortification followed, possibly repentance, 
 for repentance is usually more needed than mortifi- 
 cation at such seasons of a preacher's experience. 
 The parents of the family he passed that night with 
 were greatly backslidden. Early the next morning 
 he betook himself to a retired grove for a season of 
 prayer and humiliation. He resigned himself to the 
 needed chastisement received the day before. As he 
 returned happy in his soul, he met at the door a 
 young lady, the daughter of his host. " Daughter," 
 said he, addressing her, " do you love the Savior ?" 
 " I do not," said she. " You ought to ; he has been 
 very kind to you." This simple rfimark having noth- 
 ing of cant in it as employed by him, had its effect 
 upon her mind. At family worship that morning 
 she yielded her heart to the Savior. She praised 
 God ; her parents were rebuked. In the fulness of 
 her joy she hastened to one of the neighbors to tell 
 some of her associates what had been done for her 
 soul. As she rushed into their midst, she exclaimed, 
 " The Savior is good ! the Savior is good." The 
 preacher, (who accompanied her,) gave his hearty 
 "Amen, Amen." A season of prayer was com- 
 menced in that family. Soon two young ladies came 
 to the door, being attracted, as they said, by some 
 one shouting "Amen, Amen." Those who heard 
 Mr. Phinney in those days will not find it difficult to 
 believe that he might have been heard at a consider- 
 able distance on such an occasion. '< Come in, come 
 
102 THE LIFE OF 
 
 in," said he ; " the Savior is here forgiving sinners ; 
 come, join us." 
 
 This resulted in the conversion of three or four 
 young persons besides the one with whom the work 
 commenced. When the mind is enlightened, the 
 work of salvation may be speedy. Neither weeks 
 nor days of distress need pass, nor even hours ; let 
 the heart yield, and the work is done. So, too, in a 
 single moment the grace of Christ may be rejected 
 forever. Of this the following is a painful illustra- 
 tion: 
 
 A few days later, Mr. Phinney was preaching in 
 the town of Rye, N. H. The audience was largo 
 and attentive. A man of more than sixty years en- 
 tered the house and approached the pulpit ; his throat 
 was apparently cut from ear to ear, and the blood 
 dripping therefrom. He gazed a moment, earnestly 
 and wildly, upon the preacher, and then rushed from 
 the church. The feeling of horror that pervaded all 
 present, cannot be described. Mr. Phinney after- 
 wards visited him, and received the following, in sub- 
 stance, from his own lips : 
 
 " Some thirty years since, I was awakened to a 
 sense of the need of salvation through Christ. I 
 sought the Savior of sinners and was happy. It was 
 a pleasure to me to pray. Soon my mind came again 
 under the influence of my former habits. I thought of 
 wealth. The issue seemed to be presented distinctly 
 to my mind : ' Will you be a genuine Christian, or 
 will you be a rich man ?' I chose wealth ; the Spirit 
 
CLEMENT THINNEY. 103 
 
 of God left mj heart ; I was given over. I have 
 weaUh, but I have lost my soul ; my life is a burthen 
 to me ; I would rather be in hell than suffer such tor- 
 ments on earth ; I tried to take my life, but was pre- 
 vented. I escaped from my friends to the church." 
 
 His wound did not prove mortal. He would not 
 consent to have any one pray for him ; he insisted 
 that he had sinned a^i^ainst the Holy Ghost — tliat he 
 was beyond the reach of hope. I have understood 
 that he died in the same wretchedness. How truly 
 it will be said to some, " Son, remember thou hadst 
 thy good things on earth." Already they seem to 
 feel the fires of hell in their own bosoms, and eternally, 
 as they reflect upon their fool's choice, they will feel 
 the gnawings of the worm that never dies. Reader, 
 what choice have you made ? 
 
 At Portsmouth, N. H., Mr. Phinney met the eccen- 
 tric Lorenzo Dow. " Though many other preachers 
 were present," says he, " as Dow was about to enter 
 the pulpit, he selected me to take a place with him, 
 doubtless because I was the shabbiest of all in my 
 apparel." Similar poles do not always repel each 
 other. 
 
 In this tour, also, he visited Hampton, where he 
 preached in the Calvinistic Baptist church. " TThen 
 I saw the people assembling," says he, " I felt de- 
 pressed in spirits. I betook myself to a place of re- 
 tirement, and asked God for a message. He gave 
 me one, and I delivered it : the people gladly heard 
 and were deeply affected ; but much good was pre- 
 vented by the devil, for he put it into the heart of a 
 
104 THE LIFE OF 
 
 well known hypocrite to take on at a great rate, and 
 pretend to praise God." A distinguished divine give« 
 it as his opinion that the devil, for a similar purpose;, 
 put it into the heart of " a certain damsel" to follow 
 Paul and others, crying out, " These men are the ser- 
 vants of the most high God, which show unto us the 
 way of salvation."* 
 
 During this tour he preached almost entirely in 
 churches not of his own denomination. In several 
 places he witnessed the out-pouring of the Spirit 
 After an absence of many weeks, he returned home 
 by way of Kennebunk, where he baptized several, 
 who had been converted under his labors. 
 
 Mr. Phinney was a man of faith. When laboring 
 once about this time, in Standish, he perceived that 
 the good work was much hindered by a young man 
 of leading infltience among the youth. In secret re- 
 treats he prayed God to change this hinderance into a 
 help. It was so. Many were converted and added 
 to the church. " Next," says he, "I looked over into 
 Raymond ; I felt my heart moved for the church there 
 in perils." It appears that a great declension . had 
 followed a great revival — a fact so often occurring 
 that it should attract more attention than it does. The 
 younger members of the church were in the habit of 
 attending dancing parties, and the older did little if 
 any better. Between two members there had been, 
 not only a quarrel, but a blow on one part. Here he 
 found Elders Jordan and Leach j he told them that 
 
 ♦ Acts xvi. 16—18. 
 
CLEMENT PHINNET. 105 
 
 he came to weep over the desolation of Zion. He 
 visited from house to house. Saturday, at covenant 
 meeting, many were in attendance ; humble confes- 
 sions were made by many, among whom were the 
 two offenders alluded to. The next dav, as Mr. 
 Phinney undertook to preach, he could only weep ; 
 his swollen heart compelled him to take his seat. 
 Tears, when they cannot be restrained, are not with- 
 out their eloquence. The people began to weep for 
 themselves. 
 
 Cyrus Latham, son-in-law to Elder Stinchfield, 
 had just moved into a newly finished house. He pro- 
 posed to have a conference meeting at his house next 
 evening. His invitation was accepted. It was the 
 custom of the young people to dedicate the new 
 dwellings by a dancing party, Avhich they called a 
 "house warming." In mentioning "the meeting for 
 the following evening, Mr. Phinney could not pass 
 over the coincidence. So, notwithstanding the solem- 
 nities of the meeting, he invited the young people, 
 especially, to be present, as he was about to introduce 
 a new kind of " house warming." His grave associ- 
 ates were schocked, and besought him to apologize, 
 to retract, but in vain. 
 
 Next evening the house was, of course, crowded, 
 but too many came from mere curiosity. The meet- 
 ing was sluggish. Perhaps the over-excitement of 
 the previous day had some influence in rendering it 
 so. The meeting was dismissed in disappointment. 
 Still, many seemed loth to leave. Mr. Phinney be- 
 gan to sing. The cry, " God, be merciful to me a 
 
106 THE LIFE OP . ♦ 
 
 sinner," was soon heard. The meetings were pro- 
 tracted; the church was healed, and many sinners 
 converted. Some who had been backslidden many 
 years, were reclaimed, and among those baptized, was 
 one who had been awakened many years before, un- 
 der his preaching in another part of the country. 
 For their encouragement the faithful are permitted 
 from time to time to meet cheering results of their 
 efforts. 
 
 Tn 1822* Mr. Phinney attended a Quarterly Meet- 
 ing in South Parsonsfield, where he first met Elder 
 Jonathan Woodman, who, though he has endured 
 many years of hard and faithful service, is still firm at 
 his post. Here, too, was Elder John Buzzell, the per- 
 sonal friend and faithful coadjutor of Benjamin Ran- 
 dall. He has done good service in writing the biog- 
 raphy of his friend. In his palmy days he was a 
 minister of great power, and many have, through his 
 labors, been made savingly acquainted with Christ. 
 Already he has lived to see generations pass away, 
 and still, for the sake of others, our prayer is, " Late 
 may he return to heaven." 
 
 This meeting was protracted, and a revival followed, 
 as was usual after Quarterly Meetings in those times. 
 God be praised that this feature seems to be again 
 returning. Mr. Phinney was pleading at this meet- 
 ing with sinners to accept the pardon procured by 
 Christ. " In the war of the Pwcvolution," said he, " a 
 soldier deserted ; he was pursued and apprehended, 
 
 ♦Elder Woodman writes in reference to the Quarterly Meeting, 
 " I am very sure it was in 1822." 
 
CLEMENT PHINNEY. 107 
 
 convicted and sentenced to suffer deatli. Lady Wash- 
 ington heard of the unfortunate soldier ; she plead 
 with Washington to grant him a pardon, if possible. 
 The soldier was led out to suffer his sad fate ; he 
 kneeled upon his coffin ; the soldiers were just ready 
 to fire upon him. At that moment the pardon came. 
 The deserter was saved. With what joy did he ac- 
 cept the pardon ! Sinners, you are guilty, and con- 
 demned. Already you kneel upon your coffins. Soon 
 you will pass to the world of the lost. But the Sav- 
 ior has procured your pardon. O receive it !" Mr. 
 Lord, a Calvinistic Baptist minister, being present, 
 remarked, that he was an eye-witness of a scene in 
 the Revolution similar to the one related. He spoke 
 of the great rejoicing of all the spectators when the 
 pardon came. A military man was present. All this 
 was too much for him ; he arose and said with much 
 emotion, " 1 know I am guilty, condemned and just 
 ready to suffer the penalty ; the soldier rejoiced when 
 the pardon came ; the pardon has come to me, but 
 my hard heart rejects it." He soon after, with oth- 
 ers, accepted the pardon from Christ. 
 
 The next place we find Mr. Phinney is at Water- 
 borough, at a session of the Quarterly Meeting. A 
 revival succeeded it, and spread into adjacent towns. 
 Mr. Phinney travelled around " Ossipee Mountain," 
 as a high hill situated there is called, preaching at 
 various points. He compared these journeyings to 
 the siege laid to Jericho by the trumpeters of Joshua. 
 He called on Elder Pelatiah Tingley, who was spend- 
 ing his last days with David Burroughs, his son-in- 
 
y 
 
 108 THE LIFE OP 
 
 law. The old gentleman was then slowly recovering 
 from a severe illness. He insisted upon having one 
 meeting at his house, so that he could once more hear 
 the gospel preached. His wishes were complied with. 
 At the close of Mr. Phinney's sermon, he exhorted 
 all to seek the Savior. He said he felt the spirit of 
 revival, and that, if like Simeon, he could see the 
 Lord once more, he would be content to depart. Next 
 morning, he insisted upon being placed once more up- 
 on his horse. No one could dissuade him, though 
 feeble Avitli disease and the weight of years. He 
 went forth with Mr. Pliinney once more into the 
 Lord's vineyard. He witnessed once more the work 
 of the Lord in the salvation of sinners. He seemed 
 to renew his age. This, however, was his last effort; 
 he was soon after called to_his reward. 
 
 Elder Tingley was one of the oldest men in the 
 denomination. He came over from the Congrega- 
 tionalists at an early day, and rendered very efficient 
 service in those times, when all had yet to be sys- 
 tematized. Mr. Phinney takes great pleasure in 
 telling of one of the old gentleman's prayers. It 
 occurred in a time of great interest, by reason of pe- ' 
 culiar responsibilities to be undertaken by a Yearly 
 Meeting. It is as follows : " O Lord, teach us each 
 to know thy will, and do it ; teach us each to find our 
 places, and keep them : Amen." 
 
 At an evening meeting, during this revival, a gen- j 
 
 tleman became very deeply convicted. Mr. Phinney 
 exhorted him never to leave the house till he had j 
 found peace. His soul was soon happy in the love 
 
CLEMENT PHINNEY. 109 
 
 of God ; he exhorted two old professors of religion 
 who had a strife, to remove that stumbling block out 
 of the way of the impenitent. His exhortations were 
 heeded. 
 
 In the midst of the revival came " Thanksgiving," 
 an occasion often observed in a spirit very different 
 from that possessed by tliose who instituted it. So 
 noAV, the impenitent determined to make it tell against 
 the cause of God. A ball was determined upon ; 
 but God's Spirit had taken deep hold of the public 
 mind. Old men who braved it out, were compelled 
 to attend the ball without their wives, and young men 
 went in vain for their partners. Of course the ball 
 was broken up. Some of the disappointed attended 
 the meeting for the purpose of disturbing it, but they 
 went away praying. When Christians feel their re- 
 sponsibilities, and look to God for help, they become 
 acquainted with that power that overcometh the 
 world. 
 
 In Waterborough, Elder Hobbs was pastor. He 
 had just returned from the Legislature, of which ho 
 was a member. He was full of politics, and back- 
 elidden, as most ministers and professors of religion 
 are, though unnecessarily, when they have passed a 
 session in such bodies. Mr. Phinney felt it very im- 
 portant that he should be revived before the converts 
 were left alone to his care. Soon the time came 
 when the converts demanded baptism and admission 
 to the church. The pastor's mind was so filled with 
 Eomething besides the Spirit of God, that he felt un- 
 prepared for these duties. But Mr. Phinney ulterlj 
 
y 
 
 110 THE LIJbE OF 
 
 declined to attend to them for him. The consequence 
 was, that the pastor, by prayer and humiliation, pre- 
 pared to lead forth his fiock. 
 
 Nothing, perhaps, to which we shall refer, presents 
 the character of Mr. Phinney in a more favorable 
 light than the trait brought out in the above incident. 
 In the case given, he acted upon his well-settled prin- 
 ciples in relation to the rights of others. He always 
 exercises a care to check all such personal attachment 
 to himself as will injure the usefulness of others. Of 
 the hundreds converted under his labors he baptizes 
 but few, where there is a pastor. Converts often in- 
 sist upon being baptized by him because his labors 
 have been blessed to their conversion. He says to 
 them, " I am soon going away ; your pastor is hence- 
 forth to be your spiritual ^uide ; he ought to baptize 
 you, especially if you regard it as a point of attach- 
 ment." So he utterly refuses to marry those who 
 apply to him, where there is a pastor. By these 
 and other methods he strives to attach the hearts of 
 the people to their ministers. Sometimes persons 
 begin to whisper to him, " We wish our pastor was a 
 man of revival spirit." He quickly perceives the 
 strife to which such whisperings tend. He proceeds 
 to explain the differences between the duties and la- 
 bors of a pastor and those of an evangelist. " Your 
 pastor," says he, " wears much longer than I could ; 
 my preaching is over in a very few weeks ; my ser- 
 mons are few, his are many." Every pastor feels him- 
 self strengthened and cheered by him. How differ- 
 ent this from what sometimes takes place ! Some, 
 
©LEMENT THINNET. Ill 
 
 whose labors are even blessed to the conversion of 
 manj, either from want of proper care, or a proper 
 spirit, sow in every church they visit seeds of discord. 
 
 It would appear from a little attention to the sub- 
 ject, that the rights of pastors in many places might 
 be treated with more respect than they are ; but the 
 fault alluded to, may be regarded as an evil incident 
 to a state of transition : it will doubtless pass away in 
 a few years. The pastoral office will soon be more 
 fully appreciated among us. 
 
 From Waterborough he went to Limington ; from 
 there to Newfield. Jn the latter place, he labored in 
 connection with Elder vSamuel Burbank. All things 
 here appeared at first forbidding, but still they prayed 
 in faith. " The reformation cloud soon appeared, and 
 a good work followed." 
 
112 THE LIFE OF 
 
 CHAPTER IX, 
 
 TO HIS REMOVAL TO BUCKFIELD. 
 
 In 1824, Mr. Phinnej moved to Harrison. The 
 brethren of that place built him a house ; he under- 
 took a pastoral charge, and his labors were apparently 
 blessed ; but we never find hiin long at home, nor 
 happy in constant labors with one church. He says 
 of himself that he could never be anything but what 
 he is as an evangelist, " Not even a good cooper." 
 Thoujrh we are not obliged to a";ree with him in 
 this view of himself, we should appreciate his wisdom 
 and goodness in pursuing so perseveringly the duties 
 of the sphere to which he is so manifestly adapted. 
 
 About the only time of which we shall have occa- 
 sion to speak of any suffering of his from ill health 
 is this : Soon after he settled in Harrison, by exces- 
 sive labors and continual exposures, he became much 
 reduced in strength. The influenza then setting in, 
 caused him to fear that he should soon be called away 
 from the church on earth. When he could no longer 
 labor in public, he was faithful in his private exhorta- 
 tions to brethren, begging of them, as they loved tho 
 Lord, to cast aside all indifference, and serve God 
 with undivided hearts. 
 
 While he was yet feeble, being scarcely able to 
 speak above a whisper, a Quarterly Meeting occurring 
 at Moderation, he could not deny himself the priv- 
 ilege afforded by it of meeting his fellow laborers 
 
 1 
 
CLEMENT PHINNET. 113 
 
 once more on earth. Though he met, on this occa- 
 sion, not less than fifteen ministers, the moderator 
 exhorted him with the rest, as the custom then was, 
 " to look for duty/' After preliminaries, he arose to 
 deliver the message that rested upon his own heart 
 with great weight. At first he could scarcely be 
 heard, but at length, his voice becoming clear, he pro- 
 ceeded in his discourse with freedom and power. His 
 sickness was gone. When the eye is single to some 
 great purpose, when the soul is swallowed up in self- 
 forgetfulness, man rises above many "ills flesh is 
 heir to." 
 
 The last year the Legislature of Maine held its 
 session in Portland, many of his townsmen wished to 
 send him to represent his town in that body. They 
 urged him to take this step, as he could be elected 
 without entering into party strife, and from another 
 motive that sometimes has great force with good men 
 whose families are next door to suffering by poverty, 
 and especially he ought to accept, they thought, this 
 proffered kindness, as he might be of great service 
 by preaching on Sabbaths, during the session, in the 
 city where his preaching had been instrumental in the 
 conversion of so many. Whatever other preachers 
 might think their duty under such pressure, he told 
 his friends that they must look out some other man 
 to " serve tables," as he had given himself entirely 
 " to the ministry of the word." But still, many of 
 his townsmen were determined to elect him, and he 
 only accomplished his own defeat through the efforts 
 
 of his relatives. Such singleness of devotion to a 
 8 
 
114 THE LIFE OP 
 
 worthy object rarely goes unrewarded, even in this 
 life. " Seest thou a man diligent in his business ? he 
 shall stand before kings ; he shall not stand before 
 mean men." 
 
 Having thus refused to turn aside from the duties 
 of the ministry, he immediately started on one of his 
 " preaching tours," taking his way through Lewiston 
 and Bowdoin to Richmond. When at Lewiston, he 
 was prevailed upon to attend the funeral solemnities 
 of " the oldest inhabitant." At Bowdoin, he preached 
 a few times with good effect in reviving the church, 
 which he found in a " low condition." 
 
 At the close of one of his meetings here, a lady 
 confessed herself to be a backslider. In conversa- 
 tion, after this, one of her neighbors remarked that 
 she was happy to hear such a confession, as it had 
 long- been necessary. " It was good," said he, " and 
 there is much more hope of a confessing backslider, 
 than of one who does not apprehend his condition." 
 This remark resulted in the confession and reforma- 
 tion of the self-righteous. 
 
 At Richmond, he attended a meeting that lasted 
 several days, appointed for Christians of every name, 
 to unite in supplicating God to revive his work. Af- 
 ter this meeting closed, in which he labored with all 
 his heart, he continued to preach in the same place. 
 The Spirit of God began to be poured out, but, as 
 the ground had always been occupied by other denom- 
 inations, sectarian whisperings were begun, which, of 
 course, always endanger God's work. Mr. Phinney 
 had seen enough of human nature to know that 
 
CLEMENT PHINNET. 115 
 
 prompt steps must be taken to prevent the progress 
 of this evil. In the public assembly, alluding to the 
 danger, he therefore said, " My Master never sent 
 me to throw clubs, nor to proselyte, but he sent me 
 to preach his gospel. If, in this meeting, minister or 
 layman attempts to proselyte, let him be marked as a 
 transgressor. Permit each to follow his own prefer- 
 ences, but let us all, as brethren in Christ, work to- 
 gether for the salvation of sinners." Such statements 
 are not unfrequently made by the veriest proselyters 
 the earth ever sustained, still, to keep their spirit in 
 its fulness is always indicative of a soul raised by 
 Christ's indwelling love far above the mean sectarian 
 self-seeking that too often appears among so called 
 embassadors of God. 
 
 After this, all worked together in unity, and the 
 result was, one of the most glorious and extensive 
 revivals in which Mr. Phinney has been permitted to 
 labor. It spread to many towns. Elders Robinson, 
 Allen Files, Samuel Hathorn and Andrew Rollin, 
 were faithful and successful laborers in this revival. 
 And as fruits of it, several churches were gathered. 
 
 Soon after Mr. Phinney commenced labors in 
 Richmond, being called upon to deliver a funeral dis- 
 course, he selected as his text the words, " The Mas- 
 ter is come, and calleth for thee." There was pres- 
 ent a large audience, and his words fell with power 
 upon the hearts of many. Among those deeply con- 
 victed was D. R., who was the ringleader of the irre- 
 ligious in what was then called " the Reed neighbor- 
 hood," a place then noted for its wickedness, rather 
 
116 THE LIFE OF 
 
 than for its piety. Soon after this, D. R. attended 
 " a raising," and in the evening, was expected to lead 
 in the dance. All were ready and waiting. Oddly 
 enough for him, he hesitated, but being pressed, he 
 exclaimed, "I cannot do it; I have danced long 
 enough over hell ; God have mercy on my wicked 
 soul." His earnest words, under such circumstances, 
 were to his companions like a clap of thunder in an 
 unclouded sky. His wife was likewise under convic- 
 tion, at home. As she thought of the influences to 
 which her husband was exposed that evening, she de- 
 termined to go for him. She had gone but a little 
 way in her path, which led through the forest, when 
 she heard her husband's voice, and saw by the light 
 of their lanterns several of his companions with him. 
 She hastily returned, and retired to bed. The hus- 
 band and his company soon arrived. He called up 
 his wife and son ; they all cried mightily to God for 
 mercy ; the whole family found peace. As they re- 
 lated their experience, it appeared that conviction had 
 fastened upon their minds at the funeral spoken of; 
 the husband had not mentioned his conviction to his 
 wife from fear of her mirth : she had been alike silent 
 from fear of his profanity ; and the son from fear of 
 the frowns of both his parents. Often, even the im- 
 penitent, might aid each other in finding the true path 
 to happiness, if, instead of the reserve they usually 
 maintain in regard to their own mental states, they 
 should freely and frankly express to each other their 
 desires and aspirations, hopes and fears, in regard to 
 Uieir own religious interests. 
 
 Ml 
 
CLEMENT PHINNET. 117 
 
 Soon, the report spread that God's work had bro- 
 ken out in the " Reed neighborhood." It was strange, 
 but true, and this carried conviction to the hearts of 
 many. Those who considered themselves reprobates, 
 began to hope there was yet mercy for them, if, in- 
 deed, the Lord was working in that wicked place. 
 Saturday came, and with it a meeting for inquirers. 
 " Such confession and begging for mercy," says Mr. 
 Phinney, " I never listened to before or since." 
 
 After many had made confession of their sins and 
 asked an interest in the prayers of Christians, one 
 lady arose to confess her wrongs toward another, her 
 neighbor ; but, concluded in that manner that marks 
 the half-sincere confession, "you, too, have done 
 wrong, and ought to confess." Mr. Phinney, with 
 mildness, promptly rebuked the evil spirit, assuring 
 the possessed, till it was cast out, that she could have 
 " neither part nor lot in this matter." This incident 
 afforded an opportunity of checking that fanatical 
 spirit of confessing in public those things that it is 
 requisite to confess in private to the individuals 
 wronged, or to God alone. 
 
 One Sabbath, a C. Baptist minister asked him to 
 preach from the text, " How shall we escape, if we 
 neglect so great salvation." This preacher, though 
 entirely blind, had proved himself very useful in Bos- 
 ton ; but at length, wine, and flattery, that still greater 
 destroyer, especially of preachers, caused him entirely 
 to backslide. In the afternoon, Mr. Phinney announced 
 the words proposed as his text. They made such an 
 impression upon his own mind, that his emotion ren- 
 
118 THE LIFE OB' 
 
 dered him unable to proceed : he paused not less than 
 fifteen minutes : indeed, his text constituted mainly 
 his sermon ; he was compelled to take his seat ; but 
 the very power of God seemed to be in the words as 
 he read them : the whole assembly was moved to 
 tears ; then followed a conference, in which each 
 spoke as he was moved by the Holy Spirit, and 
 sinners, publicly confessing God is in you of a truth, 
 cried out, " Men and brethren, what must we do to 
 be saved." 
 
 Among the latter class that day was D. Waterman, 
 now an able minister of the gospel. He arose and 
 said, "I often hear you Christians say, you have a 
 heaven to go to heaven in : however that may be, 
 one thing I certainly know, that I have a hell to go 
 to hell in. Pray for me, that I may escape, and re- 
 ceive salvation by Christ." 
 
 Another impenitent man who was accustomed to 
 ridicule the cause of Christ, went to meeting that day, 
 as he said, to get a half dollar's worth of religion. 
 He went home weeping, begging for mercy through 
 the Savior. 
 
 There is ground to hope that the backslidden 
 preacher who proposed the text, was also benefited, 
 as he was subsequently restored, and lived a life of 
 faithfulness. 
 
 In Litchfield, D. P., a young man, who attended 
 the meetings, appeared for many days to be deeply 
 convicted, but he could find no peace. He thought 
 an associate had wronged him, and he determined to 
 avenge himself. In this state, it was of course im- 
 
CLEMENT PHINNET. 119 
 
 possible for him to be forgiven. He attempted to 
 pray in the language of the Lord's prayer. "When 
 he came to the words, " Forgive us our debts as we 
 forgive our debtors," he could go no further. He 
 felt he was calling down the vengeance of God upon 
 his own head. He was at work at midnight in a saw- 
 mill when he gave up the spirit of revenge. So great 
 was his joy, that he hastened to his father's house, 
 where Mr, Phinney was passing the night, to tell him 
 what God had done for him. 
 
 Two or three of his fellow-laborers, under whose 
 care the meetings were mostly conducted in Litch- 
 field, rejected the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's 
 Supper. Soon, however, the converts demanded bap- 
 tism at their hands. The preachers called upon Mr. 
 Phinney to baptize the converts, as they did not like 
 to say to them, " Baptism is an idle ceremony." He 
 utterly refused, urging them at the same time, to at- 
 tend to their own duties. This resulted in the con 
 version and the obedience of the preachers. 
 
 The closing scene of this revival in Richmond was 
 impressive. After the candidates had been baptized, 
 they, and the multitude in attendance, took position 
 upon the banks of the stream, around the preacher, as 
 he stood upon an elevation of land. After he ex- 
 plained briefly his views as to a few fundamental 
 principles of the gospel, he desired those who wished 
 to be formed into a church to come forward. They, 
 taking each other by the hand, formed a circle about 
 him. He knelt and prayed. They became a church, 
 and appointed their officers. Then he said, " I have 
 
120 THE LIFE OF 
 
 now labored with you fifteen weeks, night and day ; 
 many here have been almost persuaded to become 
 Christians ; to-day I leave you : before I go, I wish 
 to pray once more, especially for such as design now 
 to seek Christ. Let such form a circle within the 
 church." A great many coming forward, knelt around 
 him. Once more the man of God lifted up his voice 
 in prayer in behalf of perishing sinners. " In that 
 prayer," says he, " I was nearer heaven than I ever 
 expect to be again, till I arrive there." 
 
 In concluding our account of this revival, it is wor- 
 thy of remark, that the brethren did not forget that 
 the preacher has temporal wants. They put into the 
 hands of Mr. Phinney, more, by far, than he would 
 have received for " serving tables," had he gone to 
 the Legislature. In this time of declensions, how 
 needful is that faith which trusts that he who feeds 
 " the fowls of the air," will not see his faithful ser- 
 vants suffer. Should more go forth with the same 
 spirit of devotion, with the same single eye, should 
 we not hear 'less complaint about temporal wants, and 
 instead thereof hear of revivals ! 
 
 From Richmond he went to Topsham. Here he 
 was invited to preach in the old meeting houses which 
 the congregations had left for new places of worship. 
 He accepted, and the people said the old gospel was 
 preached in the old houses, and they went in multi- 
 tudes to hear him. The President of Bowdoin Col- 
 lege was among his hearers. Those converted, were 
 all added to other denominations, as there was then 
 in that place no F. W. Baptist church. 
 
CLEMENT PHINNET. 121 
 
 After a short excursion to Bath, where he was very 
 kindly treated by the C. Baptists, he returned to 
 Topsham, and there protracted his labors. He still 
 advised those converted under his preaching, to unite 
 with the churches already organized. Notwithstand- 
 ing this truly liberal course, the anger of one of the 
 ministers was stirred against him, and for once Mr. 
 Phinney was accused of something like sectarianism. 
 " The people," said the complainant, " leaving their 
 pastor, go off after you;" and finally charged him 
 with unchristian conduct. "Have you," said Mr. 
 Phinney, " seen anything in my course that leads you 
 to think I am not a Christian ?" " I have seen noth- 
 ing," the other pettishly replied, "that makes me 
 think you are one." Mr. Phinney proposed to have 
 a season of prayer and then to go into a calm inves- 
 tigation of the complaints. But the other would 
 neither pray, nor stay while Mr. Phinney prayed. 
 The interview closed, and Mr. Phinney continued to 
 labor as before. This is in direct contrast with the 
 treatment he has been accustomed to receive, for the 
 most part, from the preachers of other denominations. 
 
 In 1827, he preached in the Christian church, in 
 Portland, their pastor. Elder Band, being ill at that 
 time. A deep interest among the impenitent was 
 soon manifest ; many came forward for prayer, and 
 Christians were revived. The revival that com- 
 menced under his labors, reached other churches. 
 The Spirit of Christ being manifestly present, those 
 spirits opposed to him, " Cried out, saying, what 
 have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God ? art 
 
122 THE LIFE OF 
 
 thou come hither to torment us before the time?" 
 But despite the spirit of persecution the good work 
 still went on. He also preached occasionally in an 
 adjoining village, to good purpose. In the latter 
 place, in one of his sermons he dwelt upon the neces- 
 sity of salvation through Christ, enforcing the truth, 
 that by the deeds of the law no flesh " can be justi- 
 fied." A gentleman of influence being present, who 
 by his good works had been striving many years to 
 cast up a highway to heaven, remarked to the preach- 
 er, " Often have I heard that subject dwelt upon, but 
 never till now, understood it, — you have made many 
 sad rents in my mantle of morality." " Bless God 
 for that," responded the preacher, " I am glad, for I 
 want to see you clad in the robe of Christ's righteous- 
 ness." The preacher's wish was gratified. 
 
 He speaks of the conversion of Capt. Stockman, 
 in Portland, with great pleasure. At one of the 
 evening meetings, when the opposers of religion had 
 done their best to create disturbance, the invitation 
 
 # 
 
 being given for the anxious to present themselves at 
 the altar for prayer, the Capt. and his daughter were 
 the first to press forward. The influence of his ex- 
 ample did much in turning the tide of public opinion 
 in the right direction. He became a Christian of 
 that class whose life and property preach the power 
 and excellence of redeeming grace. He has gone to 
 his reward. 
 
 Mr. Phinney wishes the following account of Rich- 
 ard Relham, with whom he became acquainted in 
 Portland, preserved. Mr. R. was active in tliis re- 
 
CLEMENT PHINNET. 123 
 
 vival. Years before, he had been noted for crime. 
 He once attempted to escape the penalty due to his 
 crime by fleeing from Portland to Canada. Six men 
 in pursuit overtook him, but he would have proved 
 himself too much for them, and made his escape, had 
 not one of them, taking advantage of him, knocked 
 him down with a club. Being captured, he was, upon 
 trial, sent to the State-Prison. In his lonely cell 
 he gave his thoughts to the subject of religion. He 
 yielded his heart to the truth. His cell became a 
 heavenly place in Christ. But on his release, a trial 
 of his faith awaited him. Suspected, despised and 
 feared, he could find no employment. He was sus- 
 pected the more for professing religion. He was 
 driven almost to desperation by hunger and cold. But 
 he preserved his integrity. He determined to die, 
 rather than preserve his life in misery by crime. A 
 man who had compassion for a fallen brother, meet- 
 ing him, gave him five dollars, and, what was more, 
 spoke words of true sympathy and encouragement. 
 The unfortunate man persevered. Providence opened 
 the way before him : he soon won the confidence of 
 all who knew him : he not only obtained, by indus- 
 try, a competence, but he had something to bestow 
 upon the suffering. Let no one despair of salvation 
 through Christ. It will visit the prisoner in his cell, 
 or the prince in his palace, when sought in sincerity. 
 
 Mr. Phinney is one of those, who " have not the 
 faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with 
 respect of persons." He is debtor to all. In this 
 revival he visited merchants and truckmen, rich and 
 
124 THE LIFE OP 
 
 poor alike, to bear them the precious gospel. " It was 
 wonderful to see," says he, " the truckmen weep, as 
 they expressed to me their desire to receive the 
 Savior's mercy." " One day," says he, " I found a 
 merchant at his counter, weeping for his sins : he in- 
 vited me home with him to converse with himself and 
 family. All were at length converted, and he is now 
 in the ministry." 
 
 By this revival, which, it is computed, resulted in 
 the accession of eight or nine hundred members to 
 the various churches, the Christian church was so 
 much augmented, that their place of worship would 
 no longer suffice. Disposing of it, they built the 
 Casco Street church. It seems that such M^as the 
 prejudice, or what else you please to call it, against 
 instrumental music, that a solemn covenant was en- 
 tered into never to introduce it into this church. Of 
 course, some soon wanted an organ, and others were 
 as much opposed to it. This circumstance, and, per- 
 haps the want of Christian charity, resulted in the 
 division of the church. One party built the Temple 
 Street church. The other, ultimately becoming in- 
 volved in debt, sold the Casco Street church to the 
 F. W. Baptists. 
 
 The former has always been an evangelical, useful 
 church, notwithstanding the suspicions of some dog- 
 matists, that it is either too long, or too short, for the 
 iron bedstead of their own orthodoxy. In this church, 
 Mr. Phinney has since labored. 
 
 The present pastor of this church. Rev. Mr. Brown, 
 wrote, a few months since, as follows : " Elder Phin- 
 
CLEMENT PHINNET. 152 
 
 ney came to Portland Nov. 11th, 1836. On the eve- 
 ning of the 14th, four requested prayer. For eight 
 Sabbaths he preached in the morning, and attended 
 many social meetings. * * * * He left 
 the city the 10th of Feb. * * * On the 
 4th of Jan., I found the number of converts was 
 thirty-seven." 
 
 Casco Street church is flourishing, and has every 
 prospect of becoming one of the most efficient churches 
 in the denomination. We shall not soon forget the 
 pleasure afforded us by our visits to that church. 
 This church undoubtedly passed to its present posi- 
 tion owing to the acquaintance it cultivated with the 
 Free-will Baptists through Mr. Phinney, in his re- 
 vival labors. From his labors, too, indirectly sprung 
 a valuable church in Topsham. These are only 
 specimens of what might be named, as fruits in greater 
 or less degree, of his labors. 
 
 Mr. Phinney speaks in the highest terms of Elder 
 Rand, who has now gone to his reward. " He was," 
 says he, " a warm-hearted and trust-worthy friend, 
 an humble Christian, and an excellent pastor." 
 
 In the Fall of 1827, Mr. Phinney visited Limer- 
 ick, Me., and commenced preaching with the church 
 in that place, and visiting from house to house. The 
 church was in a very low, tried, and discouraged con- 
 dition. After preaching with them some three months, 
 during which time the church was greatly revived, 
 and there were signs of reformation among the un- 
 converted, Mr. Phinney left, to fill appointments else- 
 where, which he had previously made. The next 
 
126 THE LIFE OP 
 
 evening after he left, a prayer meeting was held by 
 the brethren, which was attended by a young man 
 who had been deeply convicted under Mr. Phinney's 
 preaching. In this meeting, he arose and acknowl- 
 edged, with much emotion, that he felt the need of re- 
 ligion, and was determined to seek it at the loss of all 
 things. Several other young men, who had also been 
 convicted under Mr. Phinney's preaching, soon united 
 with him in seeking God. These soon found the 
 Savior, and a most glorious and solemn revival fol- 
 lowed. One or two of the converts were connected 
 with the office of the Morning Star, which was then 
 published in Limerick ; and meetings were held by 
 the young converts in the Star office one evening in 
 a week for some months. These meetings were some- 
 times attended by as many as twenty-five young men, 
 who had either found the Savior or were seeking 
 him, and they were very solemn, powerful and re- 
 freshing seasons. Of these young men, some seven 
 or eight subsequently became preachers of the gos- 
 pel. Among the converts were William Burr, who^ 
 was employed as the printer of the Star, S. L. 
 Julian, P. S. Burbank, and M. M. Smart. The three 
 last named are now ordained ministers in the Free- 
 will Baptist denomination. The others who became 
 ministers are connected with the Congregational and 
 Calvinistic Baptist churches. The revival continued 
 for several months, and spread through the town, and 
 into the towns adjoining. Large accessions were 
 made to the Free-will Baptist, Congregationalist, and - 
 Calvinistic Baptist churches. 
 
CLEMENT PHINNET. 127 
 
 Some time before Mr. Phinney's removal to Buck- 
 iSeld, a revival commenced in Bridgeton, under the 
 labors of Elder Samuel Lewis, at that time a licensed 
 preacher.* Mr. Phinney went to his help. Some 
 who had passed more than their three score and ten 
 years in sin, were, in this revival, brought into the 
 kingdom of Christ; but, a more marked feature of it 
 was, the conversion of the heads of families in middle 
 life. Among those baptized, was George Whitney, 
 since a useful and acceptable preacher. Subsequently, 
 Mr. Phinney and Elder Joseph White, being ap- 
 pointed by the Quarterly Meeting for the purpose, 
 organized a church in this place. 
 
 On their way home, Mr. Phinney heard of his 
 father's death. He hastened to the house of mourn- 
 ing. Elder White on this occasion delivered a very 
 impressive sermon. No sooner were the sad rites, in 
 honor of a beloved parent, over, than Mr. Phinney 
 again entered upon his duties as an evangelist. 
 
 He mentions that, not far from this time, he held a 
 series of meetings in Sweden. Many were converted, 
 most of whom joined the Methodist church. He was 
 invited to this place by a gentleman of wealth, who 
 had built a meeting house, and given it to the public, 
 and who did not forget the wants of the preacher. 
 
 He also mentions in this connection, a revival that 
 occurred in Otisfield. In one of the social meetings 
 here, he observed near him an impenitent lady, weep- 
 ing. He requested her to express her wishes. " I 
 
 * Since writing the above. Elder Lewis has gone to his reward. 
 
128 THE LIFE OF 
 
 am a sinner," said she, " I want religion." He pro- 
 posed a season of prayer in her behalf, and when 
 about to kneel, the husband said, " Pray for me ; I 
 want religion too." Their conviction was apparently 
 deep, but they did not at once find peace. Mr. Phin- 
 ney having been absent a few days, upon his return 
 called upon them. The gentleman met him at the 
 door, in great joy, exclaiming, "I've found Jesus, 
 I've found Jesus." It may serve to indicate the 
 change that religion produced upon this money-lover, 
 for such he emphatically was before his conversion, 
 to observe that he said to his visitor on this occasion : 
 *' Since I saw you before, I have found out that the 
 houses, lands, and money that I called mine, are the 
 Lord's ; I am only his steward over these : what of 
 them do you need in his service ?" " If you are the 
 Lord's steward," said the preacher, " obey your Mas- 
 ter." He has never forgotten to heed this instruction. 
 Many deny in practice the religion they profess ; but, 
 if you are of those who possess it, you are sure to 
 let your "light so shine before men, that they may 
 see your good works, and glorify your Father which 
 is in heaven." 
 
CLEMENT PHINNET. 129 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 SKETCHES OF HIS LABORS FROM 1830 TO 1842. 
 
 In, 1830, Mr. Phinney moved to Buckfield, under 
 engagement to preach half the time to the church 
 there ; the other part of his time, he was to be at lib- 
 erty to labor as an evangelist. Under his care, the 
 church at Buckfield, it is said, was greatly refreshed; 
 but no further information concerning him, as con- 
 nected with that place, has been received. 
 
 It is well here to mention that, while Mr. Phinney 
 is able to trace with considerable distinctness, the 
 events of his life up to this time, of those of later 
 years, he is able to give only here and there one, and 
 that not with the same fulness as he can those of 
 earlier years. No one can regret more than the 
 writer, that one of an experience so rich and varied, 
 did not keep some account of his life ; but, most men 
 who do hard and faithful service in this world, write 
 their history in deeds alone. Both reader and writer, 
 must therefore be content with such scanty accounts 
 as we are able to collect. If we take these as speci- 
 mens only, we may learn the spirit and bearing of the 
 man, from them. Only here and there a date can be 
 afforded, and some of these must be regarded only as 
 approximations to the true. The first incident that 
 he mentions, after his removal to Buckfield, is one 
 that gave him great pain. He was engaged, in 1830, 
 in a series of meetings in Phippsburgh, with two min- 
 9 
 
130 THE LIFE OP 
 
 isters of that place, each of a denomination different 
 from that to which he belongs. It seems there ex- 
 isted between these two ministers a sectarian jeal- 
 ousy. However, the meetings proceeded with fair 
 prospects of good. Things being in this state, one 
 of them delivered a sermon, bearing somewhat against 
 the denominational peculiarities of the other. Upon 
 the close of his discourse, he began to invite the 
 anxious to come to the altar. The other insisted 
 upon a retraction on the part of the offender, but he 
 refused to make any concession. In vain did Mr. 
 Phinney protest, in the name of religion, against 
 their sinful course : in vain did he beseech them to 
 desist ; each cared much more for his denominational 
 dignity, than for the cause of Christ ! Though the 
 meetings continued for some days, all hope of good 
 was at an end. The selfishness at bottom in these 
 efforts, was too manifest to suffer them to be blessed 
 in winning any souls to obedience to the great law of 
 benevolence. With a sad spirit, Mr. Phinney left 
 this once promising field, and labored, not without 
 success, in some places adjacent. 
 
 He next revisited Georgetown. An impression, 
 favorable to religious reflection, had been made upon 
 the captain and crew of a vessel, by the loss of one 
 of their number, and their own very narrow escape. 
 The corpse of the sailor, who was drowned, was re- 
 covered, and Mr. Phinney attended the funeral. The 
 captain, whose name was Oliver, and three or four other 
 sea-captains, were soon after converted and baptized. 
 Our preacher, by his frank and benevolent heart, and 
 
 «l 
 
CLEMENT PHINNET. 131 
 
 friendly and unassuming manner, was always a favor- 
 ite among that class of generous men here alluded to. 
 
 Here is a sort of chasm in the life of Mr. Phin- 
 ney, which the writer has not been able to fill. Be- 
 sides what has been said of one of his visits to Port- 
 land, and what is soon to be said of another to Bangor 
 and vicinity, we have been able to learn nothing of 
 his labors for five or six years, extending from about 
 1831 to 1837.=^ Of one thing we may be certain, that 
 wherever he was, he was engaged in preaching. 
 
 It was probably in 1836 that he visited Bangor. 
 After enjoying a refreshing season with Bro. Jotham 
 Parsons,t he visited the north part of the town, where 
 he had some good meetings. Thence he went to 
 Dover, where his labors were blessed to the conversion 
 of a few persons, whom he also baptized. Here he 
 was invited by the committee of a Congregationalist 
 church, to preach for them a Sabbath or two, as their 
 pulpit was not supplied ; but owing to the movement 
 of a party in the church, much more sectarian than 
 their committee, he felt it his duty to decline the in- 
 vitation. He therefore, upon invitation, occupied the 
 Universalist meeting house. His meetings were large 
 and interesting, as above intimated. He met here 
 many friends, among whom he mentions Major Whit- 
 more and family. 
 
 * Mr. Phinney thinks he visited Topsham in 1831, at which time 
 he thinks there was a revival in that place. 
 
 j-Bro. Parsons resides now in Brooklyn, N. Y. He is a zealous 
 and liberal supporter of our infant cause in the city of N. Y. God 
 grant that he may live to see a flourishing church in his own city. 
 
132 THE LIFE OP 
 
 He next went to Sebec. Here he had the priv- 
 ilege of speaking encouraging words to a young min- 
 ister almost overwhelmed by trials in regard to his 
 support. It seems that though the young man had 
 been appointed by the Quarterly Meeting, to travel 
 for its benefit, he did not receive enough to keep his 
 horse shod. This is only a specimen of what more 
 than one of our young men, and we might say, old, 
 too, received in former times, to encourage them in 
 the arduous labors of the ministry. On this occa- 
 sion, Mr. Phinney attempted to teach some of the 
 brethren who possessed their thousands their duty 
 toward the preacher whom they had sent forth to visit 
 the churches of the Quarterly Meeting. To one he 
 said, " What do you mean by letting that young man 
 suffer so ? Here you have your thousands ; your 
 sons, too, are making thirty dollars a month ; the 
 young minister could do as well, and yet, you send 
 him off on your business, saying to him, * be warmed 
 and fed ;' your blessings are good enough in their 
 place, but a starving man must have food ; if I find 
 any body poorer than every body else, I take him to 
 be one of your preachers, and I am never mistaken." 
 
 He observes that though this man began by giv" 
 ing, as he called it, a single shilling to his minister, 
 it still was the turning point with the giver, as it pre- 
 ' pared him to apprehend his duty more fully. Thus 
 by private conversation with thoae who began their 
 religious life with false ideas in regard to the support 
 of the ministry, has Mr. Phinney opened the eyes of 
 many. His work in this direction has been all the 
 
CLEMENT PHINNEY. 133 
 
 more successful, because he knows so well how to ex- 
 ercise the charity that hopeth all things, even from 
 those laboring under the most destructive of all preju- 
 dices. It is a matter of devout thanksgiving, that the 
 prejudice alluded to, is so rapidly passing away. 
 
 Perhaps it was during this visit that he attended a 
 Yearly Meeting in the Sandy River country, that he 
 speaks of attending about this time, where he met 
 Elders Burbank and Lamb ; and where, also, he re- 
 ceived some valuable donations for Parsonsfield Sem- 
 inary. Of this tour he says, " It was profitable to 
 me in experience, and, if at any time I had occasion 
 to use the lash, I tried to dip it first in love." 
 
 In the Spring of 1837, he was called to Topsham, 
 in consequence of the death of Elder George Lamb, 
 pastor of that church. This excellent minister, whose 
 " praise is in all the churches," was called away very 
 unexpectedly. " There was great lamentation over 
 him by God's people," says Mr. Phinney. It would 
 seem that scarce any man of higher promise has 
 arisen in the denomination, than Elder George Lamb. 
 Of great natural endowments, — of deep, enlightened, 
 and well balanced piety, — of a sweet and conciliating 
 spirit, he exerted an influence for great good upon 
 the people of his choice. Though cut off in a mo- 
 ment, in middle life, Ms injluence still lasts. 
 
 The following letter from the present worthy pas- 
 tor of the church in Topsham, gives some particulars 
 concerning the revival there the spring following Eld. 
 Lamb's death. 
 
 "In the Spring of 1837, following the Winter of 
 
134: THE LIFE OF 
 
 Elder Lamb's death, there was a gracious manifesta- 
 tion of God's work in the church in Topsham. A 
 mighty voice, though silent, had been speaking since 
 the death of this devoted pastor, — now in glory. This 
 Spring, Elder Phinney went to Topsham, and contin- 
 ued three months with the people. Near the com- 
 mencement of his labors, a meeting was held in a 
 private house, and, under the sermon preached, a 
 mate of a vessel, just returned from sea, was cut to 
 the heart, and was subsequently converted. This 
 was the first-fruits of the revival. Many others were 
 gathered during its progress. Children were raised 
 up to perfect praise. Juvenile meetings were held. 
 Even in the public meeting, these spoke and prayed, 
 with great power and effect : — the infant was truly 
 * a hundred years old.' They filled the congrega- 
 tion with wonder, and hardly could the hosannas of 
 infant tongues be hushed, for the older saints to offer 
 their praise." 
 
 After the w^ork had been in progress about twelve 
 weeks, he recommended Elder Daniel Jackson, of 
 Waterville, as pastor of the church. He came be- 
 fore the Lord, and delivered his charge into the hands 
 of Elder Jackson, and prayed that the affection of the 
 converts might be transferred to their prospective pas- 
 tor, and left many of the converts for him to baptize. 
 In his own words, " I prayed God to hand them over 
 to Elder Jackson." Such was his noble principle in 
 relation to the rights of others, and the well-being of 
 all, as exemplified in other places. 
 
 In the following June, (1837,) a protracted meet- 
 
CLEMENT PHINNEY. 135 
 
 ing commenced in Brunswick, under the auspices of 
 Elders Phinney and Rollins. The Calvinistic Bap- 
 tists, Methodists, and Congregationalists, united with 
 the Free-will Baptists, in conducting this meeting. 
 More than one hundred were converted in the revival 
 that followed. A sea-captain of influence, kind, and 
 moral, though a stranger to Christ, was among the 
 hearers. One day, at the close of the sermon, his 
 wife arose and said, " Here sits my poor husband, with- 
 out religion ! I have these many years prayed for 
 him ! Christian friends, pray for him !" Conviction 
 fastened upon his mind ; he was soon rejoicing in the 
 mercy of Christ. Five others, of the same calling, 
 were converted in this revival. Henry Merritt, of 
 Brunswick, says he finds in his Diary the following 
 record : 
 
 " August 20, 1837. Almost every Sabbath since 
 June 30, there has been a baptism. I deem it worthy 
 of remark, that in five of the principal baptisms, the 
 company has been lead by a sea-captain, Otis, Mer- 
 ritt, Snow, Sylvester, and Clark." One of those 
 named above, had, like many others, made the differ- 
 ences that exist between different denominations of 
 Christians, an excuse for treating the Savior with 
 neglect. He attended this meeting, and saw Chris- 
 tians of various names, all laboring together in good 
 faith, and rejoicing in their common Lord. His ex- 
 cuse w^as gone. He said to one who knew the excuse 
 he was accustomed to make, " / am takeji" His wife 
 was also converted, and baptized. 
 
136 THE LIFE OF 
 
 In this revival, prayers in behalf of friends were 
 frequently requested. This practice, though often 
 abused, was, in almost every case, followed by the 
 conversion of those made the subject of special prayer. 
 One morning, prayer was requested for a man and his 
 wife, neither of whom had attended meetings of wor- 
 ship for years. Some were shocked at such rash- 
 ness ; others believed that grayer avails with God. 
 The same day, that husband said to his wife, as if in 
 derision of religion, "They are making Christians 
 down at the meeting house." She expressed a wish 
 to attend the meeting. He consented, and both were 
 there before night. Scarcely had they entered the 
 house, before they were deeply convicted. In a day 
 or two, both were rejoicing in Christ's delivering 
 grace. Mr. Phinney remarks, that when his labors 
 closed in this revival, his temporal wants were very 
 liberally supplied, but it is scarcely necessary to men- 
 tion this, after what has been said relative to the con- 
 version of " Those who go down to the sea in ships, 
 that do business in great waters." Pie adds, " It was 
 very affecting to see those weather-beaten men M^eep 
 in those meetings, like children." 
 
 In February, 1840, we find Mr. Phinney in Tops- 
 ham again, engaged in a revival, which resulted in 
 another in Brunswick. In relation to these revivals, 
 Mr. Fernald says : " Elder Phinney visited Tops- 
 ham again, in 1840, and was associated in another 
 revival with Elder Jackson, pastor of the church. 
 This revival was quite general among the evangelical 
 
CLEMENT PHINNEY. 137 
 
 churches of the place. Eighty-eight joined the Free- 
 will Baptist Communion. The meetings continued 
 during ninety evenings. Many children were the 
 subjects of the revival also." In relation to the same 
 revival, we copy a few remarks from the Diary of 
 captain Merritt. He says, under date of February 
 27, 1840: "A protracted meeting commenced in 
 Topsham in December last. Father Phinney is there 
 in his glory, and sinners are inquiring of him by 
 scores, what thev must do to be saved." Under date 
 of March 8, of the same year, he says, " The refor- 
 mation continues in Topsham ; God grant it may 
 cross over our Jordan, that Brunswick may share 
 largely in it." The Diary reads, " March 19, 1840, 
 2 P. M., protracted meeting commenced in this 
 place, — Elders Rollins and Phinney, — with prospects 
 good. 
 
 Saturday, March 28, '40, commences, AYind south, 
 warm, for the season. Snow nearly all gone. Ex- 
 tremely bad travelling, but good times — in midst of 
 reformation. The oxen are yoked, and people are 
 flocking to the house of God by sled-loads — starving 
 for the AVord. 
 
 Friday, April 3, '40. Extremely bad travelling. 
 Meetings are well attended, and a powerful reforma- 
 tion is progressing. 
 
 Sunday, April 5. Thirteen baptized and joined 
 the church, most of whom are heads of families. 
 
 Sunday, 12. Thirteen related their experience 
 yesterday, and are candidates for baptism. 
 
138 THE LIFE OF 
 
 Sunday, 19. A fine day. Thirty-seven were bap- 
 tized to-day, near the meeting house, of both sexes, 
 of all ages between eighteen and forty. 
 
 May o. A baptism. Seventy-eight, thus far, 
 added to IGl, our former number, makes 239, our 
 present number. 
 
 Aug. 10. Have taken a collection for Bro. Phin- 
 iiey, who has been laboring with us throughout our 
 revival, and, we trust, he has been instrumental in do- 
 ing much good. Notwithstanding the extremely bad 
 travelling, and dark, stormy nights, and his great in- 
 firmities, for seventeen days and nights in succession, 
 Bro. Phinney was constantly at his post, and alone. 
 May God reward him for his labors of love." 
 
 Previous to the revivals above described, near the 
 close of the year 1838 a Quarterly Meeting was 
 held in Harrison. "It was," says Mr. Phinney, 
 " a dragging meeting. Preachers and brethren of 
 different denominations who attended, requested that 
 the meeting might be protracted, promising their 
 assistance.' For several days, all was discourage- 
 ment, but at length the reformation cloud drew nigh. 
 Backsliders were reclaimed, and the impenitent re- 
 quested prayers. The interest continued to increase. 
 The meeting was moved to the Methodist meeting 
 house, in the south part of the town. At this time 
 I reached the place. When I entered the meeting, I 
 heard them confessing their sins, — their quarrels, 
 their hard speeches, their cheating in buying and 
 selling. The work went on gloriously, until nearly 
 
CLEMENT PHINNEY. 139 
 
 all, in that part of the town, were converted. Then 
 we thought it best to move the meeting to Bridgeton, 
 the town west. Here, one meeting begins in the 
 Congregationalist meeting house, and another in the 
 Free-will Baptist, for one house would not contain 
 aU. It was my lot to remain at the Congregational 
 house. The good work began in both houses. The 
 stoutest hearts, and false doctrines, bowed before the 
 power of the Cross. The temperate and intemperate 
 confessed their sins. It was wonderful to hear the 
 old drunkard, and others of vicious habits, praising 
 God." Next, he was invited to "VYaterford, by the 
 Congregational minister, who had invited another 
 minister of a different denomination, to unite with 
 him in the responsibilities and labors of a protracted 
 meeting. The latter refused to have anything to do 
 with it. The former proceeded. " When I arrived," 
 says Mr. Phinney, " the minister with whom I was 
 to labor, said that a large and anxious congregation 
 would be in attendance, ' but,' said he, ' we here, be- 
 fore God, are in a poor condition. "VVe have great 
 difficulties, arising from building a new meeting house, 
 and leaving an old one. Two parties have thus arisen, 
 and their strife against each other is warm. Those 
 who do not take either side, are greatly grieved. I 
 am afraid that a great many of my church never had 
 any religion.' Well, sir, I said, I have a never- 
 failing Bible-medicine for all such ailings. ' Confess 
 your faults, one to another, and pray one for another, 
 that ye may be healed.' This medicine has never 
 failed, and it never can. *Well,' said he, ^ you are 
 
140 THE LIFE OP 
 
 an old hand in reformations, I will give all up to 
 
 you.' " 
 
 Sometimes, the minister who would do good service 
 in his calling, is to be entirely silent, and even, so far 
 as possible, to ignore all strife or differences among 
 his hearers. But not so always. There are times in 
 which he can hope to accomplish no good, until these 
 are attended to directly, and their cause removed. 
 However disagreeable, it must he do7ie, or all is lost ! 
 Our preacher judged the present to be a desperate 
 case. When he arose to preach, " Brethren," said 
 he, "I have come to bring you some Bible -medicine, 
 for I understand you are sick. ' Confess your faults 
 one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may 
 be healed.' Not a word here about murder, high- 
 way-robbery, theft, or anything of the like. It may- 
 be about minor offences, faults, — -faults, just such as 
 you have here about your meeting houses ! Now, 
 nothing can be done toward curing you, until these 
 are all confessed ; but, remember, brethren, God does 
 not tell you to confess each other's faults I This is 
 the difficulty in your case. You are all forward to 
 confess each other's faults. Now, reverse this. Be- 
 gin to confess your own faults, one to another ! Con- 
 fess your OWN faults, not your brother's /" He affec- 
 tionately urged them to their duty, in a few additional 
 sentences, and then took his seat, A physician im- 
 mediately arose, with tearful eyes, and bore witness 
 to the truth. " Sir," said he, addressing his pastor. 
 " sir, I have been out of the way. I have lost my 
 interest in religion. 1 have often come here to sleep, 
 
CLEMENT PHINNET. 141 
 
 rather than to listen to the word of God ! Forgive 
 me /" " Don't confess to me," said the pastor, " I 
 have need, rather, to confess to you ! My preaching 
 has not had life enough in it, to keep any one awake. 
 I want you, and all my congregation, to forgive me." 
 Next, a lady arose, and, calling another by name, 
 said, "It is well known I have used many hard 
 speeches toward you, I have been in the wrong, — for- 
 give me !" " / have been most to blame," said the 
 other, " can you forgive itie ?" A physician, next, of 
 another church, addressing one of the deacons of the 
 Congregationalist church, confessed that he had held 
 a sectarian hardness against him, and had not, in 
 many other respects, acted the part of a Christian. 
 " ! sir," said the deacon, " I have abused you, how 
 can you confess to me ? Forgive me !" Thus they 
 continued to "confess one to another," until all their 
 trials in regard to their meeting house were settled. 
 Only one serious difficulty now remained in the 
 church, and that, a family quarrel. The pastor in- 
 vited the parties, and Mr. Phinney, to his house. 
 The case was stated. One of the party, an aged 
 mother, began, " O ! how I have been abused ! You 
 
 would not blame " Be still," said our preacher, 
 
 " he still, I tell you ; you are confessing the faults of 
 others. You must confess your own I" At this point, 
 her son approached her, and confessed to her that 
 he had done wrong, that he had not treated her as 
 a son should, and, moreover, concluded by saying, 
 " Mother, will you forgive me ?" The mother re- 
 plied with a reluctant " Yes !" Next, the son's wife 
 
142 THE LIFE OF 
 
 confessed to tlie mother-in-law, and with tears begged 
 her forgiveness. The old lady, a little moved, replied, 
 rather coolly, however, " I forgive you." Last of all, 
 came the other mother-in-law, confessing and begging 
 forgiveness. The heart of the other, by this time, 
 was quite soft, but she had not fully complied with 
 the text. " Are you now ready," said Mr. Phinney, 
 " to confess your faults ?" " Yes," said she, " I have 
 done wrong ; I am the cause of all these trials." The 
 church was now prepared to labor for the good of the 
 impenitent. 
 
 After a short sermon in the afternoon, the impeni- 
 tent were invited to come forward for prayer. Many 
 accepted, and among them was one known as an infi- 
 del, who said, " Though I have had many doubts as 
 ta the truth of the Christian religion, my doubts are 
 now entirely gone ; the humble confessions this morn- 
 ing, were not of man." Not only were sinners con- 
 verted, but the minister came to the conclusion that 
 he had many Christians in his church. 
 
 This meeting was greatly injured in its influence 
 by changing the place. The minister who at first re- 
 fused to have anything to do with it, became anxious 
 to have the meeting in his own church. " To prevent 
 hard speeches," says Mr. Phinney, "we complied 
 with his wishes, but in attempting to avoid one evil, 
 we fell into another far worse ; the minister we tried 
 to please, got a hardness against the one I was labor- 
 ing with, and in trying to settle their difference, an 
 occasion was given to gainsayers to say that the min- 
 isters had not religion enough to keep them from 
 
CLEMENT PHINNET. 143 
 
 quarrelling." He remarked in this connection, that, 
 so far as his experience goes, it is always a bad thing 
 to change the place of meeting during the progress 
 of a revival. 
 
 He then visited Bethel, Lovell, Fryeburgh, Nor- 
 way, and two or three other towns, in all of which 
 he was permitted to see sinners turn to the Lord. In 
 these places, he preached mostly in Congregationalist 
 churches. In Fryeburgh, at the close of a meeting, 
 in which he enjoyed great liberty, a young lawyer 
 was found in a condition so paralyzed as to excite 
 the worst fears of his friends. These merely phys- 
 ical phenomena, soon pass away, but sometimes they 
 serve as a transition point, so to say, to the character. 
 Perhaps it was so in this case. 
 
 In one of these places, a lady requested the privilege 
 of kneeling at the altar, and confessing to the congrega- 
 tion her manifold transgressions. Mr. Phinney, per- 
 ceiving that owing to the intense excitement, her mind 
 was in danger of becoming unbalanced, assured her 
 that the will would be taken for the deed. Caution is 
 to be exercised in such cases, or sad results are suf- 
 fered. The feelings must not be left without control. 
 
 The revival which we have here noticed, was very 
 extensive, reaching several towns not named. It 
 was supposed that in it were converted a thousand 
 souls, that united with different denominations. 
 
 We might have mentioned on a previous page, 
 that he was engaged, probably in 1838, in a revival in 
 Lewiston. " Other brethren," says he, " were engaged 
 
144 THE LIFE OF 
 
 with me. One day, after remarkable liberty in preach- 
 ing, for me, I went down to the altar, to beat up for 
 volunteers. Soon, a colonel, away back in one corner, 
 arose and said, * Sir, I accept your invitation. You 
 may think strange, my friends, to see me here ; but 
 for many years, I have at times sought for religion ; 
 in secret places I have prayed and wept, and then, 
 drying my tears, I have come back to act the hypo- 
 crite — to pretend I cared nothing about religion. But 
 I am now determined to seek God consistently. My 
 friends, follow me.' He then came forward, and 
 with him, young men enough to fill six or eight pews. 
 I continued to exhort till more than one hundred 
 came forward for prayer. Not long after, perhaps 
 the next day, the colonel found liberty. When he 
 returned to his family, he said to his wife, ' AYe have 
 lived long enough as heathen ; let us hereafter serve 
 God.' Many others were converted, whom I left in 
 the care of my fellow-laborers." 
 
 Not long after this, he thinks he went to Phipps- 
 burgh, where he enjoyed a good season ; he went to 
 Georgetown next. In one or the other of these 
 places. Elder J. Fuller was engaged with him, and 
 perhaps also in Westport, to which place he went 
 soon after. " Here," he says, " we found the breth- 
 ren laboring with a prospect of good ; but there was 
 no breaking away. I exhorted them to greater ear- 
 nestness. They were great tobacco-users. No decent 
 person would dare to kneel on the floor of their meet- 
 ing house. I exhorted them to cleanse the house, 
 
CLEMENT PHINNEY. 145 
 
 and pulpit, for that was stained also. After that was 
 done, the meeting began again, and we invited sin- 
 ners forward. A goodly number were converted." 
 
 " Then I went to assist Bro. Page, of Edgecomb. 
 On my way I met him coming after me. We had a 
 good work in Edgecomb, and then I went to Booth- 
 bay. In this place, the Free-will Baptists and Meth- 
 odists had united to carry forward a protracted meet- 
 ing. We invited the Congregationalists to join us. 
 At first, they refused, but after a little, their minister 
 called upon me. I exhorted him to come. I told 
 him the reformation cloud was gathering about us^ 
 and the people leaving him. He said he would be 
 glad to, but some of his leading members were too 
 rigid to consent. But they at length consented and 
 joined in the meeting. I preached a sermon on 
 Christian union, and their member most opposed to 
 the movement, bore witness to its truth, and invited 
 me home with him. We labored together in love ; 
 the meetings were full, and the Savior with us." 
 
 During the time over which thie chapter extends, 
 he visited Bath, where his labors were greatly blessed. 
 " A reformation," says he, " had broken out among the 
 Methodists in that village, for it was not then a city ; 
 the stoutest hearts came forward for prayer, but for 
 reasons not necessary to state, a division arose — a 
 part went to the Town Hall to hold their meeting — 
 this party united with the scattering F. W. Baptists 
 in the place. They sent for Elder Hathorn and my- 
 self to come and labor with them. The result was,. 
 10 
 
146 THE LIFE OF 
 
 the organization of a church there. May it continue 
 to prosper." 
 
 Since writing the above, he writes, " In 1839 — 1840, 
 I visited Phippsburgh, Westport, Edgecomb, Booth- 
 bay, Georgetown, Bath and Falmouth." This is in 
 reference to the revivals already noticed. He also 
 sends the following note in regard to some of his 
 labors in 1841 : 
 
 " I attended the Farmington Quarterly Meeting, 
 held at Vienna, Kennebec Co., the second Wednes- 
 day and Thursday in Dec, 1841. After the close of 
 the meeting, tarried several days in compliance with 
 brother Edgecomb's request, and held afternoon and 
 evening meetings, during which, a number of back- 
 sliders were reclaimed, and some sinners hopefully 
 converted. From there I went to New Sharon, a beau- 
 tiful town situated on the Sandy river, in Franklin 
 Co. With the second church in this town brother 
 Edgecomb had labored with good success half the 
 time for three years ; the church, which was in a 
 very low state when he commenced laboring with 
 them, had been built up, large numbers added, a house 
 of worship erected, and, in short, God's abundant 
 blessing had followed his labors. But now, he had 
 decided to leave them, and as they had no pastor, he 
 wished me to go and preach to them on the Sabbath, 
 and in case they might desire it, hold a series of meet- 
 ings. I accordingly tarried more than two weeks, 
 preaching every afternoon, and attending prayer 
 meetings in the evening. God's Spirit was poured 
 
CLEMENT PHINNET. 147 
 
 out, and numbers rejoiced in the hope of the gospel. 
 Between twenty and thirty were reclaimed and con- 
 verted, among whom were some who for years had 
 been hardened Universalists, one, an old man, I am 
 told by one of his neighbors, has maintained a life of 
 prayer ever since. 
 
 During this time the brethren had engaged the la- 
 bors of brother Caleb M. Sewall, of Chesterville. I 
 then visited the fourth church, in the north part of 
 the town, at Weeks' Mills, and witnessed a good re- 
 vival there. C. P." 
 
 In 1842, he again visited Richmond, where his la- 
 bors were blessed to the conversion of sinners ; but, 
 owing to certain circumstances, not proper to publish 
 at so early a day, his visit this time did not result so 
 pleasantly as the one previously described. It should 
 be observed, that some also were converted in Litch- 
 field at this time. Relative to this vifiit to these 
 towns, we have gathered some interesting particulars, 
 which hereafter may be given to the public 
 
148 THE LIFE OF 
 
 , CHAPTER XI. 
 
 MR. PHINNET AS A PREACHER. 
 
 Much that has been said in the preceding chap- 
 ters, incidentally illustrates to such an extent the 
 character of Mr. Phinney as a preacher, that only a 
 few words need be added here. His success in win- 
 ning souls to Christ, is owing to what many regard 
 as a very humble talent. According to their standard, 
 they would give him credit for very little genius. His 
 success, it is true, is not to be attributed to what is 
 called onginality of thought, profound reasoning, nor 
 to eloquence ; but rather to the power of causing his 
 hearers to feel deeply that which they already know. 
 Call this talent by any name you please, but concede 
 it to him in large measure and you have the truth. 
 
 He is not a man of books. His heart has rich ex- 
 perience, however, in the glorious realities revealed 
 for the godly man in the Book of books. He speaks 
 of them as things he sees and knows. His illustra- 
 tions he draws from the world in which he lives. In 
 his delivery, he does not try to be natural, but what 
 is a thousand times better, he is natural. The fol- 
 lowing paragraph, which the writer cut from the Port- 
 land Argus more than a year ago, is in point here, 
 and alludes in a happy manner to Mr. Phinney's style 
 of preaching : 
 
CLEMENT PHINNEY. 149 
 
 "Elder Clement Phinnet. — This venerable 
 father in the gospel preached at the Methodist Church 
 in Chestnut Street on Sunday afternoon last. He is 
 now quite infirm, but in his pulpit efforts as unique, 
 and interesting and cheerful as ever. He is a warm- 
 hearted man, devoted to the cause, and never fails to 
 keep wide awake himself, and to keep his audience 
 so. His fund of anecdote and incidents of his long 
 life as a preacher, is inexhaustible, and he draws upon 
 it in such a manner as to interest both old and young. 
 We saw the tears stealing down the cheeks of many 
 faces, that tried hard to conceal the telltale of their 
 feelings. The Elder has the true key to the best 
 feelings of the human heart. May his descent to the 
 grave be gentle and happy." 
 
 In his preaching, he never fails to draw largely 
 from the " fund of anecdote and incidents," of which 
 the Argus speaks. Though his anecdotes, almost 
 without exception, are to the point, and well-timed, 
 there is much in his manner of relating them. No 
 matter how often you hear them, they produce their 
 effect. "When I resided in Monmouth, Me., in 1833/' 
 says Bro. Curtis, of Roxbury, Mass., " I sent for Bro. 
 Phinney to come and attend a Quarterly Meeting 
 held in that place. He came and preached two ser- 
 mons that produced considerable effect upon the con- 
 gregation. In about two years from that time he 
 attended a Quarterly Meeting in the same place, and 
 preached two sermons from the same texts that he 
 employed before. When he commenced preaching, 
 and began to relate the same anecdotes he did before, 
 
150 THE LIFE OF 
 
 — anecdotes which I had often heard him relate — I 
 thought I would look round upon the congregation, 
 and see if his preaching produced any effect. I saw 
 a great portion of the congregation bathed in tears, 
 and soon, to my astonishment, I found myself weep- 
 ing with the rest." 
 
 Once he was preaching upon the excuses which the 
 sinner makes to his own conscience for neglecting the 
 calls of the Savior. He followed the sinner from 
 refuge to refuge, revealing the groundless hopes he 
 entertains for his security. He pressed the truth 
 more and more closely. At length, one of the hear- 
 ers springing upon his feet, exclaimed, " Good God ! 
 I can tind no hiding place ; you have found me." 
 
 Some young preacher may wish to know how he 
 prepared his sermons. The following incident will 
 afford a clew to his method : He was at a Quarterly 
 or Yearly Meeting. The audience was very large, 
 and he was expected to preach. " It lacked," says 
 he, " but an hour of the time. My mind was uncom- 
 monly baiTen. I had neither text nor subject. I 
 began to be alarmed. I went to a grove to ask my 
 Father for a message. He assured me I should have 
 one. When I was returning, I saw a fly, busy suck- 
 ing at some sweet substance. I stopped to study. 
 Soon a spider came out cautiously from its lurking 
 place, and threw its web over the left wing of the 
 fly. The fly felt it, and fluttered its wing a little at 
 first, but was soon still, and kept on eating. When 
 the left wing was well secured, the spider began to 
 fasten the other in the same way. Again the fly flut- 
 
CLEMENT PHINNET. 151 
 
 tered, but kept on eating, and was soon at rest. I 
 was on the point of killing tlie spider, but something 
 told me to let it alone — if the fly would not escape 
 while it could, it deserved to die. Soon the right 
 wing was fast. The spider then rushed upon the fly ; 
 it attempted to escape, but in vain ; the spider killed 
 it, and dragged it off to its house. ^ Bless God,' said 
 I, ' for this message ; sinners cling to their pleasures 
 while the devil is throwing chain after chain around 
 them. I will go and tell them what the enemy is 
 doing, and warn them in the name of God to escape 
 while they can break his chains.' I went and told my 
 story. God's power was in it. Sinners all over the 
 house wept aloud, and many of them fled to Christ." 
 It is a source of regret that some of the sermons 
 he delivered in the prime of his life were not reported, 
 if, indeed, such sermons can be reported. But we 
 cannot avail ourselves of such. The best we can do, 
 is, to give the following, which a friend has kindly 
 furnished. This is a good specimen of his sermons 
 at present, so far as can be reported, but the reader 
 must remember the difficulty of representing on paper 
 what such a preacher delivers. 
 
 SERMON, 
 
 Preached in the Roger Williains Church, Providence, R. /., 
 JVov. 24, 1850, by Clement Phinney. 
 
 REPORTED BY ELI NOTES. 
 
 Text — Luke 10:42. But one thing is needful : and Mary hath chosen 
 that good part which shall not be taken away from her. 
 
 These words, to me, are weigJdy. They are the 
 words of the Savior, when he was here on earth. 
 
152 THE LIFE OF 
 
 At this time, he was in the place where Martha lived, 
 who had received him into her house. Mary, her 
 sister, was sitting at the Savior's feet, hearing his 
 words. Martha, it appears, became jealous, as all 
 worldly minded professors are apt to be, and she says 
 to the Savior, " Don't you care for me. Master ?" 
 
 Now, the Savior knew well what was the state of 
 mind of his poor erring daughter, and knew that it 
 was important for her to improve this occasion. The 
 Lord Jesus was not there every day. So he calls 
 upon her in language that waked her up, " Maitha ! 
 Martha ! ! thou art careful and troubled about many 
 things : but one thing is needful, and Mary hath 
 chosen that good part which shall not be taken away 
 from her." — These little children, when their names 
 are repeated, know that something is out of order, 
 so Martha must have known that her conduct had not 
 been exactly right. Jesus did not mean to be under- 
 stood that the things of this world were not needful 
 in their place, but he meant to let her know that one 
 thing was more needful than all the rest — Mary had 
 made choice of this one thing. She had chosen to 
 sit at her Savior's feet, and to hear his words. She 
 had doubtless investigated the subject before she made 
 choice of this one thing needful. She had looked 
 the matter all over, and had come to the conclusion, 
 that religion was more important than all the things 
 of earth. 
 
 But some will say that none but females and old 
 people — the weak minded — make choice of religion. 
 The infidel says it is altogether beneath me to choose 
 
CLEMENT PHINNEY. 153 
 
 religion. But remember that there are as giant 
 minds as ever existed, who have preferred religion to 
 all things else. There is Isaiah, that flaming old 
 prophet, who, with his prophetic glass, looked down 
 to this day of the Savior, 'and his good old heart got 
 so animated with the value of this one thing needful, 
 that he cried out, from the fulness of his soul, " Ho 
 every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters : and 
 he that hath no money ; come ye, buy and eat ; yea, 
 come, buy wine and milk, without money and without 
 price." — Ah ! Martha, with all her carefulness, could 
 never prepare a feast like this. 
 
 And there, too, is Moses, who, when he was of age, 
 chose the one thing needful. There was, in fact, 
 something very remarkable in him from his very 
 birth. His mother saw that he was a goodly child, and 
 lest he should be murdered by that cruel old slave- 
 holder, Pharaoh, she hid him three months, and then, 
 finding she could hide him no longer, she made an 
 ark of bulrushes, and having put him in it, she laid 
 it in the flags by the river's brink. Now, who should 
 first come down to the water but Pharaoh's daughter, 
 and as she and her maids were strolling about, she 
 saw this curious thing — a very curious thing for a 
 slave to make ; and so she sent her maid, who brought 
 it to her. When she opened the ark, she saw a babe 
 there, and the babe began to weep. This excited the 
 compassion of the king's daughter, and she determined 
 to adopt him on the spot. I will call him Moses, 
 said she, for he was drawn out of the water. She 
 supposed him to be one of the Hebrew children. 
 
154 THE LIFE OF 
 
 Now, Moses' sister, who had been standing, watching, 
 asked if she might go and call a nurse of the He- 
 brew women, and she was told to go. She now 
 tripped along to the door of the child's own mother ; 
 and glad enough was the mother to become the nurse 
 of her own child. O, bless God ! what a rod is pre- 
 paring for old Pharaoh's back. — Said the king's 
 daughter, " I have found a babe, and if you will nurse 
 him, I will pay you wages ;" and I have no doubt that a 
 handsome sum was paid out for nursing the child. 
 Now, hear, young gentlemen ! This Moses was 
 brought up at the king's court, in all the learning of 
 the Egyptians. When a young man, walking about 
 the streets, it would be said of him, this is the king's 
 grandson ; and who knows but that such an ambitious 
 little fellow might look forward to the sceptre and 
 crown of his old grandfather. But now, mark you : 
 when Moses came to be of age, he refused to be 
 called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing to 
 suffer affliction with the people of God, rather than 
 enjoy the ' pleasures of sin for a season. Now, you 
 see, this great Moses put all the afflictions which he 
 knew the people of God must suffer, with the recom- 
 pense of reward, into one of the scales, and all the 
 pleasures, and even the crown and sceptre of Egypt, 
 into the other, and up went the beam that contained 
 the pleasures of the world. "Well, Moses, which weighs 
 the most ? which will you choose ? "0 the recom- 
 pense of reward, with all the afflictions." He chose 
 that, and he went through with the afflictions like a 
 hero. Now, friends, we must, like Moses, look this sub- 
 
CLEMENT PHINNEY. 155 
 
 ject over, and count the cost. What will be taken 
 away, if we choose the one thing needful ? 
 
 In the first place, let us look at the things of this 
 earth. O how many beautiful things in this city ! 
 Its fine buildings and streets, and its wealth ! But, 
 have riches never been taken away ? O what heart- 
 rending scenes I have witnessed ! I once met a man 
 who had been a rich merchant in the city of Port- 
 land. He took me by the hand and said, " How do 
 you do, Elder T How do you do, dear ? "01 have 
 lost my all. When you was here in Portland, en- 
 gaged in a revival, I was worth my thousands ; but 
 now all is gone, except the family organ on which my 
 daughter used to play, to cheer me when my mind 
 was harrassed and confused with cares and business." 
 Ah ! dear, said I, you should get something that can- 
 not be taken away. I called to see his poor wife, and 
 O what a time I had with her. Tears rolled down 
 her cheeks as she said, " I have to resort to my needle 
 again, for a living." Thus it is, dear friends. There 
 are those who think their mountain strong as Gibral- 
 ter, who fall from a state of wealth into a state of the 
 most distressing poverty. Ah ! I have seen the fine 
 carpet done up, and the elegant furniture sent off to 
 the auction. — So insecure are men in the possession 
 of wealth. 
 
 And what more may be taken away from us ? Honor 
 may be taken from us — O, how taken are many with 
 the honors of this world ! — A letter comes from the 
 office, bearing a title of honor upon it — how gratify- 
 mg to the feelings ! But, alas, how vain and fading 
 
156 THE LIFE OP 
 
 are honors ! See the great Bonaparte, as he goes 
 forward with his conquests. Why, when I was young, 
 it used to make my blood boil to hear of his exploits. 
 The sound of his approach would make nations trem- 
 ble. But see him after the battle of Waterloo, dis- 
 appointed, and brought low. Here, his worldly honor 
 begins to wane, until we find him confined on the 
 island of St. Helena. A few years ago, my two sons, 
 with a large ship's crew visited his grave. As they 
 stood by its side, over which waved the weeping wil- 
 low, they said within themselves, this is the grave of 
 the great Bonaparte ; and here is the end of earthly 
 greatness. Who that witnesses the fall of such great- 
 ness will not adopt the language of the poet, and say; 
 
 "Farewell honor, empty pride, 
 Thy own nice uncertain gnst, 
 If the least mischance betide, 
 
 Lays thee lower than the dust ; 
 Worldly honors end in gall, 
 Rise to-day, to-morrow fall." 
 
 These words would be an appropriate epitaph for 
 Bonaparte's tomb-stone. 
 
 O how strange are the ideas of some men of the 
 value of worldly honors. A Brigadier General, under 
 whom I used to train, said in regard to a Congress- 
 man who had changed his politics, " If that man had 
 not changed his sentiments, he. might have had a 
 handsome inscription on his grave-stone. How blind, 
 to suppose such an inscription would have done him 
 any good. 
 
 And what else may be taken away, if we choose 
 the one thing needful ? Our friends may be taken 
 
CLEMENT PHINNET. 157 
 
 from us,— O how happy I have seen parents with 
 their dear little children. — Can this group be broken 
 up ? O, yes ; death enters the family circle, and sad 
 changes are made. How often I have seen the hus- 
 band weeping the loss of an affectionate wife, and the 
 wife weeping over the remains of a kind husband. 
 I have seen, too, the little children flock around the 
 bed of a dear mother. So it was with the little ones 
 of my eldest daughter. They came around the bed 
 of their dying mother, crying as though their hearts 
 would break. " We cannot give you up," said they. 
 " O yes," said their mother, " I am going to heaven, 
 and you must give your mother up." Death had 
 come to take her away, and he could not be denied. 
 
 Mother ! that rosy-cheeked daughter of yours, be- 
 fore six months, may fade and die. Father ! that 
 noble son, in whom you place so many hopes, may 
 soon be in his grave. I once put up at the house of 
 an old brother, where I had often visited. When I 
 arrived at the door, they came running out, glad to 
 see me. We went into the house, and soon we were 
 seated at the table. I observed that the place of one son 
 was vacant, and I inquired, where is Edmund ? The 
 mother dropped her knife and fork, her countenance 
 fell, and the tears dropped from her eyes. " Ah !" 
 said she, "have you not heard of Edmund? Oh! 
 Edmund, our dear Edmund, upon whom we depended 
 for support in our declining years, went out from us 
 with his team, and within 20 hours from the time, was 
 brought home a corpse. His body now lies in the 
 family burying ground." what is death doing in 
 
158 THE LIFE OP 
 
 our world ! Thus one goes after another. How often 
 I visit a family from which a member has been taken 
 away, — I see the hat he wore, and the farming uten- 
 sils he used, but his body lies in the grave. We are 
 all hasting onward to our final home. Some youth 
 may ask, why, old man, those withered cheeks, those 
 grey hairs, and crippled limbs ? Why go hobbling 
 about these streets with your cane ? Ah ! the iron 
 tooth of time is doing up its work, and I shall soon 
 be gone. 
 
 Go to that grave-yard, and you will find graves of 
 all lengths. Now, as your friends may be taken 
 away, how important to choose what will not be taken 
 away. 
 
 But for whom is this one thing needful? The 
 youth are apt to say, " It is needful for you, old 
 preacher, and for grandfather and grandmother, but 
 not for those as young as we are. But religion is of 
 the greatest importance to youth. Parents, what is 
 to become of your children who are leaving home ? 
 Many such children feel quite strong in themselves, 
 but, ah ! daughter, though you have a good educa- 
 tion, there are many things you do not know. You 
 need religion to keep you from the thousand snares 
 that are laid for you. Perhaps you will first be in- 
 vited, by some blackleg, to go to the museum, and 
 from this alphabet of the devil's kingdom, you will go 
 on to ruin. I knew a beautiful female, 18 years of 
 age, who went to live in one of our large factory 
 towns, who was thus led away ; and her mother after- 
 wards found her in a house of ill-fame. — Oh, how must 
 
CLEMENT PHINNEY. 159 
 
 that mother have felt as her poor erring daughter 
 fell down before her, and said, " If I had only got 
 religion before I left home, I should not have come 
 to this place." Take warning, young ladies, and re- 
 member the words of this old man when he is gone. 
 
 How many young men, too, who have left the pa- 
 rental roof, have been led away, until sin has proved 
 their ruin ! There is Robinson and his Helen Jew- 
 ett, and many others like them — gone down to death, 
 and their beauty with them. 
 
 But look at the other side. I once called upon a 
 sister, and asked her, where is your son ? She re- 
 plied that he was in the West, and she had just re- 
 ceived a letter from him. So away she tripped with 
 a light heart, and sparkling eye, to get it. The son 
 said in his letter, " Mother, I have got into a place 
 where there is no Sabbath, except what I keep my- 
 self; but on Sunday I read the Bible you gave me 
 when I left home, and pray. I try to keep up my 
 religion, and religion keeps me." 
 
 Business men, you need this one thing needful. 
 It keeps men in every time of danger. You are not 
 able to conduct the business of this great city, with- 
 out religion. Parents, you need it to enable you to 
 guide your little obstinate children. Father, what 
 will you do in bringing up that little boy, unless you 
 have religion to enable you to govern him ? Mother, 
 you can never manage that bright little daughter as 
 you should, without religion. 
 
 And O, it is needful for the aged. What sight is 
 more beautiful than to see old grandfathers coming to 
 
160 THE LIFE OP 
 
 the house, and the flock of little children leaping out 
 and seizing him by his hands and his garments, and 
 he placing his trembling hand on their little heads 
 and pronouncing blessings in the name of his God. 
 Never shall I forget the prayers of my godly old 
 grandfather, as he placed his dear old hand upon my 
 head, when I was a child. 
 
 Dear aged friends, what shall you and I do as our 
 eye grows dim, our ear deaf, our feeling benumbed, 
 unless we have religion ? O, may we, like good old 
 Jacob, be waiting for the salvation of God. 
 
 The President of the United States needs this one 
 thing. Were he here I would tell him so. Ah ! we 
 want such men for rulers as we had in our first Na- 
 tional Congress. Once when they got into great dif- 
 ficulties, Benj. Franklin said, ' Let us pray.' They 
 had prayers, and found their way out of the difficulty. 
 We want men who fear God, to manage the affairs 
 of our Government. As said Jefferson, " I tremble 
 for my country, when I remember God is just." 
 Unless there is a change in the character of our great 
 men, very soon, I believe I have seen the best days 
 of America. 
 
 See old George Washington kneeling down by the 
 side of the fence, lifting his heart to God in prayer 
 for his country. The old Quaker who overheard 
 him, knew that God would hear that prayer, and 
 give victory to America. Washington feared God, 
 and committed his cause to him ; but the sentiment, 
 " Our country, right or wrong," I fear will upset this 
 nation ! We must have a greater regard for religion 
 
CLEMENT PHINNEY. 161 
 
 on the part of those who figure in the politics of our 
 country, or we are gone. 
 
 Now, friends, after hearing what the old man has 
 to say about the concerns of this world, and the one 
 thing needful, which will you choose ? 
 
 O dear youth, will you not make the wise choice ? 
 Come one and all, and make choice of the good part 
 which shall not be taken away from you. 
 
 Brethren, I renew my choice this day — I choose 
 religion for my portion, forever. I know it will be 
 good in death, and good at the great judgment, Avhen 
 the supporters of infidelity will flee as a shadow." 
 
 The following is a sketch of a speech he made at 
 the last session of General Conference. "We are in- 
 debted to Bro. A. K. Moulton, of Lowell, for it. The 
 subject of the recent Fugitive Slave Law was under 
 discussion. Some of the young men had waxed 
 warm, as well they might, while considering some 
 features of that ungodly law. Some had spoken of 
 the right of resisting by arms in some cases, its exe- 
 cution. It will be seen by this speech that, while the 
 old gentleman is a thorough going Anti-Slavery man, 
 he deduces his anti-slavery from his religion, rather 
 than his religion from his anti-slavery. This speech 
 presents an illustration also of his power of giving 
 an interest to things with which the hearer has been 
 familiar all his life. 
 
 Eld. Clement Phinney being pressingly called 
 for by the Conference, and being quite infirm in con- 
 11 
 
162 THE LIFE OP 
 
 sequence of the weight of years, was assisted to as- 
 cend the pulpit stairs, and spoke something as follows : 
 " I was lately thinking over the condition of the 
 wretched slave, and saying in my heart — what will 
 become of him — things seem to be growing worse 
 and worse. But in the midst of this train of thought, 
 T heard my Heavenly Father say — true, I did not 
 hear any audible voice, but I seemed very sensible of 
 his presence, and it seemed as though his spirit whis- 
 pered to my soul and said, " Stop, stop, child. I'll 
 see to it. Just you and the other abolitionists do 
 your duty, and I'll see to it." Well, I looked about 
 me,, and I could see no possible way by which any- 
 thing could be done for the poor creatures, when all 
 at once I espied Moses, gazing at a burning bush, 
 which blazed and burned, and yet was not consumed. 
 Moses was gazing in perfect wonder, for though he 
 was skilled in all the learning of Egypt, he could not 
 account for this strange sight. But by and by he 
 heard a sound come out of the fire, which said to him, 
 Moses, pull off your shoes from your feet, for you 
 are on holy ground. Moses stripped off his shoes, 
 and the bush kept burning ; and God said, I have 
 seen the affliction of my people, and I have come 
 now to send you for their deliverance. Moses began 
 to make excuses about it, and said he wasn't fit to go, 
 he was slow of speech, but God finally told him 
 he would send Aaron with him. Moses had a rod in 
 his hand, and the Lord told him to throw it on the 
 ground, and he obeyed, and the rod became a serpent. 
 
CLEMENT PHINNEY. 163 
 
 Moses took it by the tail and it became a rod in his 
 hand. He held out that rod, and started on his mis- 
 sion. He didn't take any gun nor any sword, but 
 only his rod that had been made a serpent, and started 
 for Egypt. 
 
 Some of our young brethren have been talking 
 about shouldering their guns to light with the slave- 
 holders. Better let your guns hang, young men ; 
 you don't need them. Moses only took the weapon 
 God directed him to. Only do this, and you may 
 defy all the slaveholders that ever lived, from Pha- 
 raoh down — all welded together. Glory to God, 
 brethren, by this time, I began to feel better. I 
 watched Moses and Aaron as they went on together. 
 Moses was a stammering man, and Aaron spoke for 
 him, each doing his duty as God directed. They 
 went to old Pharaoh, and did their errand to him. 
 But Pharaoh looked down upon them with disdain. 
 Says he to them : You, Moses and Aaron, do you 
 go about your business. My slaves are in that brick 
 yard at work, and you must not meddle with them. 
 It did not seem as though they could do much. These 
 were all feeble instrumentalities, but still, however 
 dark their prospects looked, they worked on, and did 
 their duty. But they had to have awful work down 
 there before Israel was set free. The old wretch 
 hardened his heart and made the slaves work the 
 harder, and then to be beaten because they didn't 
 make as many brick when they had to gather stubble 
 for straw, as when they had their straw all found. 
 But God sent them judgment after judgment — he 
 
164 THE LIFE OF 
 
 slew their cattle, turned their waters into blood, 
 plagued them with locusts and frogs and hail and 
 darkness, and among other plagues he tormented 
 them with lice ; this was an awful plague. 
 
 Finally, old Pharaoh had to give up. He couldn't 
 stand it any longer ; and he said they might go. And 
 so they started, father, mother, grandfather and grand- 
 mother, and little children and all. O I thought then 
 I saw them starting out from the southern plantations, 
 just as the children of Israel from Egypt, and old 
 Pharaoh couldn't help it. Moses still held on to his 
 rod. But after they got out a little ways, the old vil- 
 lain said, " ril have some sport with them. I don't 
 know but that Moses thinks he will lead off those 
 slaves, but he won't do it. Til follow them and have 
 some- sport with them." So on he goes after them, 
 with his mighty army. But when they stood by the 
 border of the Bed Sea, crying to God, and the Egyp- 
 tians pursuing, IMoses still holding out his rod — O 
 that did me good, to see how he held out that rod- 
 pressed hard in the rear by the Egyptians, God spake 
 to him and said, " Speak to the people that they move 
 forward." Moses stretched out his rod over the sea, 
 and the sea divided, and gave the children of Israel 
 a dry passage through the midst. Pharaoh pursued. 
 But though the Israelites had a pillar of fire to en- 
 lighten them, the Egyptians had to work in the dark, 
 as the enemies of God's people always do, and just as 
 the slaveholders are now doing, while God enlightens 
 his children. 
 
 The face of the country was such that the Egyp- 
 
CLEMENT PHINNET. 165 
 
 tian hosts, compelled as they were to perform all their 
 operations in darkness, could not tell where the bed 
 of the sea commenced. So when they, by some 
 means, discovered that Moses was on the march, they 
 started too. As soon as they got fairly under way, 
 and had all got down into the bed of the sea, glory 
 to God, the Lord told one of his angels — " Here, do 
 you go down there and pull out that old wretch's 
 linchpins." So down flew the angel, and pulled out 
 the linchpins and their wheels came off in the dark, 
 and the sea poured in upon them, and destroyed the 
 whole of them, and they sank like lead in the mighty 
 waters. 
 
 Then I saw Miriam leading forth the daughters of 
 Israel with her timbrel in her hand, and a sweet singer 
 she was too. I have no doubt she was as sweet a 
 singer as Jenny Lind. [Great sensation, and some 
 laughter.] Why, I did not mean to make you laugh, 
 brethren. I am in earnest. I have no doubt she 
 was as good a singer as Jenny Lind. And she led 
 the choir, and they sang gloriously — a glorious song 
 of triumph, and of praise to the living God. 
 
 There, brethren, when I saw that, I shouted glory 
 to God. And I said, O Lord, I won't worry any 
 more about the slave laws, only try to do my duty, 
 and stir up the brethren to do theirs, and though the 
 slaveholders try their best, as sure as there is a God, 
 these fellows will have to give up by and by. If they 
 don't give up their slaves willingly, God will take 
 them in hand as he did old Pharaoh — no trouble 
 about it. You needn't take your guns, young men. 
 
166 THE LIFE OF 
 
 With God for our defence, we are safe against all the 
 slaveholders on earth. [Great sensation.] Well, 
 brethren, I had no thought you were going to cheer 
 me ; but you may depend, when I saw all this, I felt 
 better ; and I thought I would just relate it for the 
 benefit of my brethren. God will fix this matter 
 right, you may depend upon it. Glory to his dear 
 name.'* 
 
CLEMENT PHINNEY. 167 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 MISCELLANEOUS INCIDENTS. CLOSING REMARKS. 
 
 In this chapter, it is our purpose to gather up the 
 fragments. As bj our correspondence with Mr. Phin- 
 ney's friends, we have continued to receive items of 
 information up to a time when most of the book is in 
 type, some things to be mentioned here, appropriately 
 belong to former pages, both in the order of time, and 
 affinity of subjects. 
 
 By the following incident, the reader will be again 
 reminded that Mr. Phinney is keenly alive to the lu- 
 dicrous. When near sixty years of age, he was con- 
 versing at a Quarterly Meeting in presence of sev- 
 eral of his fellow laborers, about some aged ministers 
 who had entered upon their " second childishness." 
 "They think," said he, "they know as much as they 
 ever did, and they will not listen to the counsels of 
 those who know them to be in their dotage. If it is 
 not so with me now, it soon will be, I fear; but if I 
 must be a child, I will do the best I can to secure 
 good tutors and governors. I will now choose me 
 three guardians." Accordingly he named three min- 
 isters, " Now, brethren," said he, " in the presence 
 of these witnesses, I in good faith, choose you as my 
 guardians. When you see me in my dotage, and that 
 I do not keep my place, tell me, and advise me what 
 to do. I will believe, and mind you. Be faithful ; 
 watch over me ; I shall be a child before I know it." 
 
168 THE LIFE OP 
 
 Whenever lie meets with either of those brethren, he 
 tells them that he is in their hands, but they say they 
 have no occasion to exercise their authority. 
 
 A young minister visited once where Mr. Phinney 
 was engaged at the business of his trade. It seems 
 that he was not personally acquainted with the cooper, 
 though he had often heard of '' Mr. Phinney, the 
 preacher." He seems to have been as vain a mortal 
 as the young apostle described by Washington Irving 
 in a recent letter. Having attended to the spiritual 
 interests of the family, he turned, with an air of great 
 importance, to our good-natured mechanic : " Well, 
 old man," said he, ^' how fares it with your soul ?" 
 " My proud heart," replied Mr. Phinney, " does not 
 suffer me to follow my Savior with all that humility 
 that becomes a child of God." The young preacher 
 then gave him a long lecture, by which he tried to 
 make " the old man" feel that he was upon the bor- 
 ders of the grave, and that pride does not become 
 poor dependent mortals. This lecture was received 
 with great thankfulness and docility. At the close of 
 the interview, the parishioner, willing to teach his 
 pastor a little common sense, invited the " old man" 
 to pray. Though Mr, Phinney says it is wicked to 
 make the throne of grace " a whipping post," it would 
 be no wonder if he prayed with much unction for the 
 soul of the foolish young man. At all events, when 
 the self-sufficient preacher heard who had prayed for 
 him, either grace or shame enabled him to confess his 
 foUy ; and since that time, it is said, his walk has been 
 worthy of bis vocation. 
 
CLEMENT PHINNEY. 169 
 
 " One day, while he was preaching in a grove in 
 
 Buckfield, a Mr. C , an opposer of religion, who 
 
 resided in Turner village, went out of curiosity, to hear 
 Mr. Phinney preach. The text on this occasion, was, 
 'Incline your ear, and come unto me.' As Mr. C. 
 was walking round the grove, he heard the preacher 
 name the text. The Lord fastened it on his mind, 
 and it seemed to be continually sounding in his ear, 
 ' Incline your ear,' — ' Incline your ear.' He went 
 home in great distress of mind, and it seemed to him 
 that he still heard the sound ringing in his ears, — ' In- 
 cline your ear.' He went into his shop and locked 
 the door, and spent most of the night in great mental 
 agony. At one time he almost concluded to dispose 
 of his property, — leave his family, — and go to some 
 part of the country where no one would know him ; 
 but he finally concluded to submit to the Lord, and 
 * incline his ear' to divine instruction. He soon found 
 the pardoning mercy of God, and became a faithful 
 disciple of Christ. Soon after this, he went with the 
 C. Baptist church in the place where he resided, and 
 afterwards he became a deacon ; his office he has 
 filled with honor to the cause to this day. Soon after 
 Mr. C.'s conversion, he urged Mr. Phinney to go to 
 Turner village, and preach. Accordingly he went, 
 and addressed a large congregation in that place. At 
 the close of the discourse, an elderly man, who pro- 
 fessed to be a Universalist, came to the preacher and 
 thanked him for his sermon, and requested the priv- 
 ilege of asking a few questions. Mr. P. told him he 
 would hear him. The old Erentleman then said, ' Do 
 
170 THE LIFE OF 
 
 you believe any of the grace of God will be lost ? I 
 want you to be very cautious how you answer this 
 question.' Mr. P. then answered in the negative. 
 
 * Well,' said the inquirer, ' we read that the grace of 
 God which bringeth salvation has appeared to all 
 men. Do you believe that ? Now, be careful, and 
 mind what you say.' Mr. P. replied, ' Yes, I believe 
 it.' Then, said the Universalist, ' All men will be 
 saved, or some of the grace of God will be lost.' Mr. 
 P. said, * I wish you would now hear me for a few 
 moments. We read in the 25th chapter of Matthew, 
 that the kingdom of heaven is as a man travellino; 
 into a far country. [See Matt. 25:14 — 30.] So you 
 see that the talent of grace was saved, and the sinner 
 was lost. The Lord commanded that he should be 
 cast into outer darkness : there shall he weeping and 
 gnashing of teeth. Now, sir, have you ever heard 
 that that poor creature has ever been released from 
 that dreadful state ?' The man replied, ' I have not.' 
 
 * Neither have I,' said Mr. P., ' and if you should 
 ever ascertain that he has been released, I wish you 
 would have the goodness to send me a line, informing 
 me of the fact.' Said the old gentleman, ' I never 
 thought of that before.' ' AYell,' said Mr. P., ' think 
 now,' and so saying, he bade him good night. It is 
 well, sometimes, to answer a fool according to his 
 folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit."* 
 
 Bro. Curtis also gives the following particulars rel- 
 ative to the commencement of the revival that occur- 
 
 * For these two anecdotes, we are indebted to Rev. S. Curtis, of 
 Roxbury, Mass. 
 
CLEMENT PHINNEY. 171 
 
 red in Brunswick in 1837. Several ministers had 
 been engaged four or five days in the meeting, with 
 little prospect of good. Sabbath evening, Mr. Phin- 
 nej, and another preacher took tea with Mr. W., an 
 impenitent man. When the conversation turned upon 
 religion, he confessed that he had often been deeply 
 convicted, but still hesitated and postponed. Mr. 
 Phinney proceeded to describe the hesitating man's 
 experience: "You are deeply convicted," said he 
 to Mr. "VY., " under the preached word on Sabbath ; 
 you then think you will certainly give yourself up to 
 the service of the Lord, but you do not fully decide. 
 Monday morning, bright and early, you let the cares 
 of the world rush into your mind : you become wholly 
 absorbed in worldly interests, ' Come, boys,' you say, 
 * let's at the work ;' so on you drive, till your serious- 
 ness is gone, and so you get along week after week." 
 
 That night, Mr. W. fully decided. When at church 
 the invitation was given to the anxious, he w^as the 
 first to press forward to the altar ; seventeen others 
 followed him. Thus the glorious work began. How 
 much good one hesitating man prevents ; how much 
 good one manly act ensures ! How reasonable, that 
 for our influence we must give account. 
 
 It might have been stated more appropriately in 
 another place, that when Mr. Phinney was returning 
 home from this revival, he spent a few days in Free- 
 port. Sometimes he preached in the Calvinistic Bap- 
 tist church, sometimes in the Congregationalist. The 
 converts, of whom there were several, he advised to 
 seek a home in the churches already organized. 
 
172 THE LIFE OF 
 
 " Religion," said he to them, " is nothing to quarrel 
 about." He remembers the kind treatment he re- 
 ceived in that place. 
 
 It has been stated that in 1830 he took a pastoral 
 charge in Buckfield. That, so far as we have learned, 
 was his last charge of that kind. Two or three years 
 after that, he took up his residence in Raymond. 
 There, since then, we believe, his home was, till within 
 a year or two, when, in consequence of the death of 
 one of his daughters, it was changed to Portland. 
 
 " You doubtless understand," says one of his friends, 
 in writing to us, " that for the last twenty years, Bro. 
 P. has employed most of his time in either supplying 
 churches destitute of pastors, or the desks of pastors 
 in their occasional absence. A church destitute, in- 
 vites him to preach till they can obtain a pastor. Re- 
 vivals often follow his labors in such cases." Besides 
 this, however, he has from time to time made tours 
 as an evangelist, as in 1841, in New Hampshire, 
 through Tam worth. Sandwich, Meredith, Gilmanton, 
 etc., spending several weeks in each place. 
 
 Though many years desirous of visiting Rhode 
 Island, and going over the ground where Colby, 
 White, Lamb, and Jordan, had labored, and though 
 he had started more than once from home, with the 
 intention of visiting that State, he never accomplished 
 this purpose till last autumn. At that time, he was 
 doubly gratified, for he was then permitted to attend 
 a session of the General Conference at Providence. 
 He never attended a session before, and he is persua- 
 ded he never will have the privilege of seeing an- 
 
CLEMENT PHINNET. 173 
 
 Other. How he enjoyed the occasion, his own re- 
 marks will show. AVhen Conference was about to 
 adjourn, he, with others of the aged ministers, was 
 invited to speak. The following are the remarks he 
 then made, as reported by Bro. Moulton : 
 
 " He thanked God he could say that he could reckon 
 the days of this Conference among the happiest days 
 of his life. He had always known that himself and 
 his brethren were full of foibles, and so he did not 
 look for perfection in this Conference, but he had ad- 
 mired the general order, and mostly the spirit which 
 had been manifest in the Conference in the transac- 
 tion of all its business. As for the demeanor of 
 young men towards the old, he had reason always to 
 be thankful for the respect which young men had 
 shown to him since he had become aged and infirm. 
 They had honored him beyond what he deserved, but 
 he trusted that this abundance of respect would do 
 him no harm — he would try to keep humble under it. 
 He would say to the young ministers, he hoped they 
 would never leave the walls till death. He hoped 
 that sanctified education would increase among our 
 young men. He was not at all afraid that the young 
 men's shining so brightly would throw him into the 
 shade. The brethren perhaps had all read the few 
 reflections which he wrote for the Morning Star a few 
 years since, in relation to the big lamp and the little 
 one. Like that little lamp, he would keep shining 
 what he could, however many brilliant ones might be 
 about him. None of the old brethren need fear being 
 
174 THE LIFE OF 
 
 thrown into the shade. Let every one shine his own 
 bigness. 
 
 He rejoices that the blessed Master has told all his 
 disciples how to be great — it is by being little. If 
 any one would be great, let him be a servant of the 
 rest. He thought Bro. Knowlton had it right, when 
 he said, the main point was to be good. The best 
 man would do the most after all. We should now 
 part and meet no more here. But when should we 
 all meet again to part no more ?" 
 
 At another time, when the subject of Missions was 
 under consideration, he made the following remarks : 
 
 " He is a missionary. God made him a mission- 
 ary many years ago, and he has been engaged in the 
 work and the cause ever since. He loves it. He 
 sacrificed the society of wife and children, house and 
 home to engage in it. He did it cheerfully, and has 
 worn out a good constitution in travelling from place 
 to place to preach the gospel, and would willingly do 
 the same thing over again. He is glad he came to 
 this Conference, if it were only to attend this meet- 
 ing. He has often said he would be glad to live on 
 bread and water, if by so doing he could impart some 
 of his experience to others, especially to the young 
 men of our denomination who are just entering the 
 ministry. He had obtained his education not in sem- 
 inaries, nor, the greater part of it, from books. But 
 he had been educated in the school of experience. 
 And he thinks that book learning is but a small part 
 of the education which a young man needs to win 
 
CLEMENT PHINNEY. 175 
 
 souls skilfully. He needs first of all to have the 
 cause of God and the worth of souls uppermost in 
 his heart. If they have this qualification, they will 
 most likely be useful and will be sustained. He 
 has often been reduced in his circumstances, but has 
 usually had enough to supply his present wants, and 
 a little to impart to those who were more needy than 
 himself, and something to aid in the cause of God. 
 He has been pleading earnestly with God to raise up 
 others who would sound the alarm in the ears of a 
 guilty world; and while here assembled with the 
 ministers and brethren, he has felt that in some degree 
 God has answered his prayers. As he has looked on 
 the faces of so many promising young men, whom he 
 has never seen before, he has been ready to exclaim, 
 ' Whence came ye ?' and he has seemed to hear his 
 Heavenly Father say, ' I have raised them up, in an- 
 swer to your prayers.' He has been looking back 
 meanwhile for his former associates as he has found 
 himself among strangers. 
 
 He has inquired — where is Joseph White, with 
 whom he used to lock arms and walk to the house of 
 God? Bro. White used to say to the younger minis- 
 ters — ' Go to work in the vineyard of the Lord, if he 
 has called you, and if they give you enough, be thank- 
 ful for it, and if they give you but little, make the 
 most of it and work on ; and if you do not receive 
 enough to make you comfortable, we will divide with 
 you to the last loaf.' He saw Bro. White just before 
 he died, and conversed with him, as he sat in his arm 
 chair.' ' Go,' said he, ' Bro. Phinney ; go and sound 
 
176 THE LIFE OF 
 
 salvation. I can go with you no more.' And then, 
 as the tears were flowing from his eyes, he added, 
 * My spirit truly is willing, but the flesh is weak.' 
 He felt, as he remembered those who had gone, like 
 exclaiming. Oh ! that God would raise up more 
 Whites and more Colbys to supply the place of those 
 who have gone." 
 
 Here, having spoken of some of his own trials and 
 God's delivering grace, he proceeded :* 
 
 " He assures the brethren, that whether they shall 
 locate or evangelize, God will take care of them, if 
 they shall faithfully discharge their duty. He has 
 always been taken care of God's hand has been 
 stretched out towards him sometimes in a miraculous 
 manner, and he has not only been supplied with food 
 and clothing, house and home, and a little to bestow, 
 but, thanks to God, has a little left for a rainy day. 
 
 He reckons himself among the second crop of 
 Free-will Baptist ministers ever raised. The first 
 crop was Randall and his associates of about equal 
 age. They are gone. Randall did great good. He 
 was a man of God and possessed good native talents ; 
 but if he had had a thorough education he would 
 probably have done four times as much as he did. 
 He (Phinney) was made for a Free-will Baptist. 
 Was free-born. He was brought up by Hopkinto- 
 nian parents. His mother used to take him by her 
 knee and teach him the Catechism, beginning, ' What 
 is the chief end of man,' &c. But one day when so 
 
 * See chapter 6lb. 
 
CLEMENT PHINNET. 177 
 
 engaged, lie told her [in regard to the answer to the 
 question on the decrees of God,] that he did not be- 
 lieve it. His good mother was dreadfully shocked, 
 and the first opportunity she had, he heard her telling 
 his father what a dreadful boy Clement was — why, 
 he had contradicted the Primer ! But believe it he 
 could not, and did not. After he grew up, he went 
 to Fort Hill once, to meeting, and there he saw an 
 old gray-headed man, and heard him pouring out the 
 doctrine of free salvation. He said in his heart, 
 ' This is it,' and he at once formed an attachment to 
 that dear people, which has never been broken. 
 
 He hopes those who are called of God into the 
 work of the ministry, will be faithful, and study to 
 know duty, and be found much in prayer. And that 
 none will be set apart to this work, unless they are 
 called thereunto by the Holy Ghost. He thinks min- 
 isters sometimes mistake their appropriate sphere of 
 labor. He has been pained to see some, who were 
 never designed for pastors, undertake to settle down 
 with a church. When he has known of some, that 
 they had taken the pastoral charge of a church — some 
 who were useful evangelists — he has said — there will 
 be a smoke in that church ; and so it has been. He 
 wants to say one thing to the young brethren, and he 
 wants they should mind him — he wants them to find 
 their proper places, and keep them — for he is fully 
 certain, that they are, many of them, out of their 
 place. 
 
 He hopes we shall all be increased in faith, and 
 
 then we shall see better days." 
 12 
 
178 THE LIFE OF 
 
 Other remarks he made, were reported by Bros. 
 Moulton and Day, but perhaps enough has been 
 copied to show the reader his spirit while at Confer- 
 ence. 
 
 Having passed the Sabbath after Conference closed, 
 with Elder M. Cheney, in Olneyville, Mr. Phinney 
 went to Pascoag, where he spent four or five Sab- 
 baths with Elder D. P. Harriman. If we are cor- 
 rectly informed, he was permitted to see some in the 
 last place turn to the Lord. Several other places in 
 Rhode Island, he visited. In December, he returned 
 to Massachusetts. The first Sabbath of this year, he 
 passed with Bro. Curtis, whose pulpit he has often 
 supplied months together, in Roxbury, and other 
 places. Next, he went to Lowell, where he labored 
 with Elder Moulton during a part of the revival with 
 which that church has been recently blessed. Thence 
 to his home in Portland, where we now leave him. 
 
 " While I was at Pascoag," says he, " the people 
 of Harrisville, some miles distant, sent for me to hold 
 a meeting in that place. I complied. On my way 
 back to P., I observed, in Burrillville, an old meeting 
 house, in a state of decay, it having been deserted for 
 many years. On inquiry, the young man with whom 
 I rode informed me that this was a F. W. Baptist meet- 
 ing house, in which John Colby, Joseph White, Geo. 
 Lamb and Zachariah Jordan had often preached. I 
 told the young man to stop, and let me go in. He 
 did 60 ; I entered the house, and walked up into the 
 pulpit. I stood where my old yoke-fellows in the 
 gospel had stood and proclaimed free salvation to per- 
 
CLEMENT PHINNET. 179 
 
 ishing sinners. A few years have passed, and tliey 
 have all, except Elder Jordan, who is superannuated, 
 gone to their rewards. I am older than any of them. 
 This was a solemn time to me. As I stood there, I 
 thought of my old yoke-fellows, whose bodies are 
 slumbering in the dust, and whose spirits, young 
 again, are with those of Randall and others of " the 
 Fathers," around the glorious throne above. I looked 
 upon the crumbling walls of that old house, and I 
 thought of the decaying old house of my earthly tab- 
 ernacle. O how glorious to know that I have a build- 
 ing of God, an house not made with hands, eternal 
 in the heavens. I had a good, solemn meeting." 
 
 A little reflection upon the interesting scene just 
 described, will enable any one to understand how, 
 from the perversion of the best feelings of our nature, 
 arose in the early ages of the church, the invocation 
 of the Saints, veneration for relics, and finally, the 
 worship of images. The more deeply we are read 
 in human nature, the more charitable the spirit with 
 which we look upon the various superstitions of our 
 race, while at the same time we the more successfully 
 guard ourselves against them. 
 
 In his denominational relations there is one view 
 of Mr. Phinney that cannot be easily appreciated, 
 until, at least, another half century has passed. In 
 most, if not in all, new denominations, whatever other 
 evils may exist, there is little or no oppression. If 
 by appointment, there is one class of men in author- 
 ity^ there is no such thing in spirit. Nor does it make 
 any difference, in this respect, what form of govern- 
 
180 THE LIFE OF 
 
 ment is assumed. By necessity, there is substantially 
 an equality. Affairs proceed in obedience to an un- 
 written constitution, that is above all letter. It can- 
 not be written. In the next stage of development, 
 the number of adherents increasing, the interests be- 
 come more varied. Elements of disorder appear. In 
 most cases, now comes the strenuous effort to sys- 
 tematize, for the world has produced only one Loyola 
 and one Wesley. Specific laws, either written or 
 unwritten, must now be enforced. There now arise 
 two classes of men, the one makes efforts to secure 
 system and order ; the other, is either opposed to sys- 
 tem and order, or, what amounts to the same thing, 
 opposed to all efficient measures for securing them. 
 One part of the former class is composed of those 
 who strive for order, rather by giving the importance 
 of fundamental law to all the customs that sprung up 
 in the former period, though many of them are suita- 
 ble to it alone ; the other, of those who wish to sep- 
 arate the incidental and partial from the essential — 
 who seek to' embody in the constitution universal 
 principles by which the rights of all are secured by 
 clearly defined law. 
 
 In the strife of these elements, brotherly love is 
 too often forgotten. Passions, not altogether heav- 
 enly, are called into play ; wills, whose volitions are 
 not always in accordance with the law of love, be- 
 come fixed in purpose. Some, as if in imitation of 
 the leaders of the former period, become the conscious 
 managers of affairs, while, however, those whom they 
 would imitate, unconsciously fulfilled their destiny. 
 
CLEMENT PHINNET. 181 
 
 Others would become heroes of a new denomination, 
 and therefore exaggerate every appearance of evil, 
 that they may become the liberators of the oppressed. 
 This tendency to disunion in a new denomination, is 
 enhanced from the facts that seceders from it have 
 little to lose in comparison with those who secede 
 from a people of long standing, and that others, the 
 founders of the denomination in question, whom the as- 
 pirants have perhaps often seen and heard, have achiev- 
 ed for themselves a name that already begins to be ven- 
 erated. They forget the difference between being driven 
 forward by the uncontrollable spirit of the times, and 
 making one's own occasion. It happens thus in this 
 stage, that the bonds of union of an internal nature, 
 are on the whole, greatly weakened, while the time 
 for those of an external, has scarcely arrived. 
 
 It has fallen to the lot of Mr. Phinney, to spend 
 his life in what we call the second stage of develop- 
 ment of the denomination of which he is a member. 
 Now, though we may not always approve his posi- 
 tion, and though he may have passed from one posi- 
 tion to another in his relations to system and order, 
 one thing, every person who knows him will concede 
 to him, viz., the merit of walking in the spirit of 
 charity. If at one time he is borne along too far by 
 the fanaticism of Cochran, he has so manifested the 
 spirit of charity and moderation that he can do much 
 in saving others when he changes his course ; if we 
 see him borne onward by a disorganizing spirit till 
 he hesitates in regard to organizing churches, when 
 his duty becomes clear, he is able to save those whom 
 
182 THE LIFE OF 
 
 Others cannot approach nor influence to good ; if we 
 see him exerting his influence against narrow views 
 in relation to ministerial support, and ministerial edu- 
 cation, we see him patiently wait, as one conscious of 
 possessing the truth, till arguments have time to work 
 a change. If he cannot at once induce his brethren 
 to perform their duty, he perseveres in his own. All 
 who know him will concede that he is among those of 
 whom the Savior said, " Blessed are the peace-mak- 
 ers, for they shall be called the children of God." 
 He has been a mediator in a time when one was much 
 needed among the people with whom his lot has been 
 cast. The useful office, to which we have just alluded, 
 we might say he has unconsciously filled. This hap- 
 py result has arisen from that charity that is to out- 
 live faith and hope, operating in a constitution pecul- 
 iarly adapted by nature to such an office, but let the 
 heart of each be as fully permeated by that charity 
 as his has been, and, whatever his constitution, he 
 will accomplish some end worthy of the Christian 
 name. 
 
 The remaining portion of this chapter, though in 
 one or two points a repetition of what he said at Con- 
 ference, shall be given, almost word for word, as it 
 was taken from his lips. 
 
 CLOSING REMARKS. 
 
 " I have named," says he, " some places in which 
 the brethren have bestowed upon me liberally. I have 
 neglected to mention many places equally deserving 
 of gratitude. But I desire to say that, during the 
 first years of my service in the ministry, I was fre- 
 
CLEMENT PHINNEY. 183 
 
 quently compelled to leave reformations at their very 
 height, and resort to ray cooper's tools for the support 
 of ray faraily. While thus engaged, as I thought of 
 the reforraations I had left, ray heart was burdened, 
 and I lifted up my complaints to the Lord. I inquired 
 duty at his hand. ' I am,' said I, * but one poor man. 
 I cannot be in two places at the same time. I cannot 
 support my family by my daily labor, and at the same 
 time labor in reformations.' At length, my Heavenly 
 Father came to my relief. He seemed to say to me, 
 * Go preach to your brethren their whole duty. Tell 
 them of their duty to support their ministers, as well 
 as of other duties.' This was very crossing to me. 
 Most of the older ministers had preached against all 
 systematic raeasures for raising salaries for themselves 
 and others. They barely tolerated private gifts. If 
 they were at any time bestowed, the precept, * Let 
 not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth,' 
 must be remembered and kept. This doctrine had 
 been sweet to me in former years. I thought it noth- 
 ing less than gospel. How strange that my early 
 training had so blinded me ! How could I, year after 
 year, so pervert my blessed Savior's words. He told 
 me how I ought to bestow alms upon some suffering 
 stranger, perhaps, and I foolishly thought I raust treat 
 my minister like a beggar. But I now began to see 
 Paul meant something different from alms when he 
 was writing to his Corinthian brethren. ' For it is 
 written in the law of Moses, thou shalt not muzzle 
 the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth 
 God take care for oxen ? Or saith he it altogether 
 
184 THE LIFE OP 
 
 for our sakes ? For our sakes no doubt this is writ- 
 ten ; that he that plougheth should plough in hope ; 
 and he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of 
 his hope. If we have sown unto you spiritual things, 
 is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things/ 
 &c. 
 
 Soon after I began to see things in this new light, 
 I was riding with a deacon. Just in advance was a 
 minister, whose gray locks suggested to me a text for 
 a private sermon to my companion. ' Deacon,' said 
 I, * what a faithful man that is ; how hard he has la- 
 bored. He has been sent to Quarterly Meetings and 
 Yearly Meetings : the most of his life he has spent 
 in this town, in preaching the gospel — and all without 
 remuneration. As I had labored in the same town 
 without receiving anything like a compensation, the 
 good deacon mistrusted I was talking two words for 
 myself where I did one for my fellow minister. * Bro. 
 Phinney,' said he, * when you come to my place, your 
 horse shall have the best hay and grain my barn af- 
 fords ; you shall have the best food and bed my house 
 affords ; and you always have been welcome, and you 
 always shall be.' * Thank you, deacon,' said I, * you 
 are very kind ; you could not treat me better than 
 you always have ; but I never go to your place with- 
 out wishing my poor wife and children could have 
 some good things, as well as I and my old horse.' 
 
 Here a pause ensued. The deacon made no reply. 
 He rode along, pondering what had been said. I 
 think his thoughts were not in vain. Soon after, I 
 visited his town again. He treated me as he had 
 
CLEMENT PHINNET. 185 
 
 promised to, and when I was leaving, he sent to my 
 family 'some good things/ as he called provisions 
 and money. Ever since then, he thinks to inquire 
 about the wants of my family. 
 
 At another time, I was conversing with a farmer 
 on this subject. I tried to make him see the truth in 
 the following manner : You send your four sons, A. 
 B. C. and D. into the corn-field. You give each an 
 equal number of rows to hoe, as their task. They 
 go at it early in the morning. They all keep along 
 together. By and by, the sun being an hour or two 
 high, they are all thirsty. The others entreat A. to 
 go and bring water to quench their thirst. A. being 
 very thirsty himself, consents to go. He returns, sup- 
 plies them, and then must take time to put away the 
 vessel in which he brought the water. By this time, 
 his row is far behind the rest. But he goes to work 
 patiently ; toward evening, by his hard striving he 
 has gained on them somewhat, but still his row is not 
 quite even. Now, the brothers insist upon sending 
 A. for a lunch. Away he goes again, to bring food 
 for them. They neglect his row, as before, while he 
 is laboring to supply their common wants. When he 
 returns, he patiently works to accomplish his task. 
 Some time before the sun is down, their rows are 
 done. They leave him to toil alone till his locks are 
 wet with the evening dew, and at last, discouraged, 
 he relinquishes the field, though his work is not fin- 
 ished. ' Now tell me,' said I to my friend, the farmer, 
 * is that fair ?' He looked as though a new thought 
 had come to his mind, though he made me no reply ; 
 
186 THE LIFE OP 
 
 but afterwards, he occasionally helped me to bring up 
 my row. 
 
 When I was pressed in my mind in regard to duty, 
 as connected with reformations, as I mentioned a lit- 
 tle while ago, the Lord gave me the assurance that if 
 I would be faithful in my ministry, and never play 
 truant, my row should be brought up. Since that, I 
 have made preaching my principal care. I have 
 more than once seen hard times, but a way of escape 
 has always been opened. Though others have trav- 
 elled more extensively than I have, it is probable that 
 I have devoted more years to the ministry than any 
 of the ministers, excepting only Elder John Buzzell. 
 Many have relied in part for their support upon 
 sources aside from what they have received for 
 preaching. I have entirely relied, since the first few 
 years, upon what I have received from the brethren. 
 I have been so well provided for, that, aside from 
 bringing up to manhood ten children, I have enough 
 for the present for myself and companion, the sharer 
 of my toils, and if I am called to leave her in this 
 world, I can commend her to the care of the breth- 
 ren, with the sweet assurance that her last days would 
 be, to say the least, above want. 
 
 Here I will say, that the man who is called to 
 the ministry, should make it his principal care. He 
 is not at liberty to engage in other employments to 
 the detriment of his heavenly calling. His study, 
 his visiting, his funerals, his preparations, if he is 
 faithful to his calling, will take up the most of his 
 time. Now, brethren, I do not ask you that A.'s row 
 
CLEMENT PHINNEY. 187 
 
 should be in advance of the rest, but be sure it is 
 not left behind. Let his chance be an average one. 
 I do not ask that he should fare better than his peo- 
 ple, but let him fare as well. On the other hand, I 
 do not wish him to preach for money. But if he is 
 faithful to supply your spiritual wants, I hope you 
 will so treat him that, with his own prudence and 
 economy, he and his family may not, in old age, be 
 dependent upon charity. Don't go to play till A. can 
 go with you. 
 
 Said a man to me once, * It is dangerous to give 
 much to preachers, they will become proud.' ' Why 
 so,' said I. * Are your ministers more liable to be- 
 come proud than others ? Many of you are worth 
 your thousands, and I do not see that you are proud. 
 Have your preachers softer heads than others ?' 
 
 There are various gifts among preachers. Each 
 one should be at his own post. There must be hands 
 and feet, pastors and evangelists, etc. I have seen 
 great difficulties when pastors have tried to be evan- 
 gelists ; and when evangelists have tried to be pas- 
 tors, I have seen churches broken to pieces. We 
 ought to pray Elder Tingley's prayer oftener. Each 
 should pray for light to find his own place, without 
 reference to the calling or standing of others. Some 
 are able doctrinal preachers ; some are able in ex- 
 hortation ; others are revivalists, and others still, mis- 
 sionaries. 
 
 Each one should prepare for his own calling. Each 
 one has a born gift. When one is converted, his tal- 
 ent should be devoted to his own work. It is obliga- 
 
188 THE LIFE OF 
 
 tory upon each preacher to gain as much real knowl- 
 edge as is possible, not that he may neglect his peculiar 
 gifts, but that he may in all humility exercise them 
 the more successfully for the salvation of souls. Let 
 each labor for a sanctified education — not for the sake 
 of worldly fame, or the mastery. 
 
 This leads me to remark, I believe some ministers 
 of the present day are as weak as were the apostles. 
 They once had a strife as to who should be greatest. 
 So now, some ministers strive for the mastery. Some 
 are altogether too vain of the titles conferred in these 
 times upon preachers. This is not only a great wick- 
 edness, but a pitiable weakness. We ought to praise 
 God for all his gifts, though some differ from us, and 
 others are greater. I have seen men of education 
 and, fine cloth, aggravated because revivals sometimes 
 follow the labors of an humble cooper. We ought to 
 know that all these differences detract nothing from 
 the real value of any one. Each one can fill his own 
 place, if he does not wickedly try to pass for much 
 more than "he is worth. One day I took from my 
 pocket a handful of money. The quarter was worth 
 a quarter, and the shilling a shilling, though beside a 
 dollar. But there was a fourpence in my hand that 
 had been hammered out so that it was much larger 
 than it ought to be — so thin that it was bent. When 
 I had occasion to employ it, behold, it passed for five 
 cents only. Then, brethren, I thought what a good 
 thing it would be if we should never get under the 
 devil's hammer. 
 
 As I have said in another place, I was a Free-will 
 
CLEMENT PHINNET. 189 
 
 Baptist in doctrine, long before I was converted. By- 
 conversion, I was not changed in this respect, but aa 
 soon as I followed my convictions in all respects, as 
 the Christian profession requires, I found my home. 
 But, notwithstanding my warmth of attachment to 
 the doctrines and government of the church of my 
 choice, as well as to the people themselves, I have 
 always loved other Christians, of whatever name. 
 
 I could never believe in Calvinism, but I have 
 found among its believers as genuine Christians and 
 in as great proportion as I have found anywhere. I 
 have therefore rejoiced to see additions to them. Un- 
 der my own labors I have seen hundreds added to 
 them. If at any time we see in Christians what to 
 us are errors, however much we pity them, we must 
 never forget to love. It has always grieved me to 
 see any shyness among Christians of different names. 
 We all ought to be on a level. We ought to be get- 
 ting rid of every thing that does not necessarily sep- 
 arate us. 
 
 I would return my grateful acknowledgments to 
 all my friends, of different denominations, for the 
 many favors they have bestowed upon one so un- 
 worthy. They stood by me in my youth ; in middle 
 age I was not deserted by them ; in old age I am re- 
 ceived and treated as a father. 
 
 I am not aware that I have an enemy. If I have, 
 let him know hereby that he is forgiven. 
 
 My chosen brethren, as I have tried to labor in the 
 Master's cause, the last of my three score and ten 
 years has been unexpectedly numbered. I am now 
 
190 THE LIFE OP PHINNEY. 
 
 living on borrowed time. It affords me great pleas- 
 ure, however, now that I am so near the close of my 
 pilgrimage, to see around me so many evidences of 
 increasing intelligence, liberality, and Christian self- 
 sacrifice among those with whom I have labored, and 
 whom I am about to leave. There is much yet to be 
 done, but, thank God, take courage and press forward. 
 
 Though the shades of death are gathering around 
 me, I shall still labor for the salvation of sinners 
 while any light remains ; I still hope, through Christ 
 who has redeemed me, to do something to augment 
 that happy company that shall come up in robes made 
 white by His blood. Owing to my age and infirmi- 
 ties there are thousands of you I cannot expect to 
 meet again. My hope of meeting all the faithful 
 where there is no more pain, and no more parting, is 
 unwavering. Of all such of you as I shall not meet 
 till we arrive in that happy world, I here take ray 
 leave. Farewell." 
 
 Dear reader, we may or may not live to hear of 
 one more iinportant event in this pilgrim's progress 
 toward his Heavenly Inheritance. Beyond that event 
 there is no light for the natural eye, but to the eye of 
 the genuine Christian's faith, there are glorious vis- 
 ions. Let his faithful example stimulate us to double 
 our diligence to run with patience the Christian race, 
 that in the morning of the resurrection, awaking in 
 the likeness of our Redeemer, we may receive the in- 
 corruptible crown of righteousness. 
 

 I ■'-■ , 
 
 ^^ •