0\' , > c • • - "» ■* « t ■» o « o ' <^ .*^^ \ V' r o V-':^^^^*^' % ^. ''^cS^ % V • • • C" s* •t- /^ ^^ ^^ r O ^ V ^^'^ ^ "Black JJacob," A MONUMENT OF G R A C K. THE LIFE OF JACOB ITODCtES. AN AFRICAN NEGRO, WHO DltD IN CANANOAIGUAi N. Y.. I C B R L° A B T. IMS BY A. I). i:i)DY, /Truvft, AT 7. KBViagD BT THB COMMITTEB OF ri'BLICATIOB. AMERICAN SUNDAY-SCHOOL UNION. PHILADELPHIA: No. Itf CHESTNUT STBEET Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1842, by Herman Cope, Treasurer, in trust for the American Sun- day-school Union, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. s 1. L. JOHNSON, STEREOTYPER, PHILADELPHIA. I'KEFACE. At an early period in the selUement of this country, while the ulavr-trade was vigorously pursued, many of the natives of Africa were brought tu America and 8old into perpetual servitude. While this class of people has lonp excited the interest and sympathy of this benevolent, hut lilUe has been done to change, essentially, their relative position in society. While a portion remain in servitude, others, though free, nuist meet almost msurmountable obstacles to that improvement and elevation which, under other circumstances, and in thrir own native land, they might probably secure. Though this numerous class of men, as a l>ody, have improved but little for many gene- rations, there have been occasional exceptions to their general ignorance and degradation. 111 VI PREFACE. for crime, and no encouragement given to such as may be repeating the hazardous experiment of indulged depravity. While one abandoned sinner lives to repent, thousands die incorrigi- ble. While the grace of God reaches and secures one from the sentence of death, thou- sands are abandoned to the wages of unriglit- eousness, to reap forever the fruit of their crimes. JACOB HODGES. Jacob Hodges, the subject of the fol- lowing memoir, was born of African pa- rents, in Lancaster, l*ennsylvania, about the year 17G3. Tlje family, though ex- tremely depressed, living in ignorance and poverty, were not, as it is known, ever subjects of slavery.* Eitlier from the poverty, ignorance, or wickedness of Ins parents, Jacob was suffered to spend his early years wliolly without education or moral restraint. Un- der the intluences of such a condition, and the common associations of poor coloured children, nothinj^ of good could be ex- pected. It is not known that Jacob liad, ♦The place of Jacob's birth is not certainly known. At one lime he supposed it to be the city of Philadelpliia, subsequently he believed it to be Uie rity of Lancaster. 3 4 JACOB HODGES. at this time, a friend on earth lo counsel or to care for him. There were then no Sabbath-schools, nor such pubUc provi- sion for the instruction of the poor, as is now found in almost every commu-- nity. The child of ignorance and pover-- ty, wearing his sable complexion, in ai crowded population, was ordinarily passed I by with utter neglect, as the beast that perisheth. It is not known tliat a solitary lesson of useful instruction was ever given to this African child. After spending ten years in his native place, exposed to all the evils of his wretched parentage, Jacob was shipped on board the schooner Lydia, of Philadel- phia, in the West India trade, in the ca- pacity of waiting boy. In this situation, Avell calculated to perpetuate his igno- rance and to confirm him in every vicious propensity, and farther removed than ever from the means of education and moral improvement, he soon became distin- guished for every species of wickedness that his circumstances allowed. Being JACOB HODGES. 5 sprightly, insolent and daring, he was, alternately, the source of amusement and the subject of abuse to the olhcers and crew of the ship; yet it would seem that lie was capable of rendering himself usr- ful even in this hnmble station. In the capacity of wailinir and rabm boy on board dilfercnl ships, and at"t(T- wards as a common sailor, he continued for a great number of years. He visited almost every port m Kurope, as well as other countries, minL'liir.? in scenes of de- gradation and vice abroad, till he ac(piired the hardness, enterprise and viciousness of the most dissolute seaman. And who is more reckless and abandoned than a homeless, friendless African sailor ! Ad- dicted in early life to every species of pro- faneness, the sin of intemperance soon followed. To use liis own language, he was always profaiu; and always bad. After pursuing a sea-faring life till sometime during the last war between this country and England, the vessel in which he served was driven into New r 6 JACOB HODGES. York by a British armed ship, and he was cast upon shore, a destitute and abandoned sailor. During his whole life at sea he had not received the slightest education, but grew more and more im- moral, till he was utterly unfitted for any useful service on land where confidence in his sobriety and integrity was de- manded. Being dismissed from service, and des- titute of all means of support, his condition was as deplorable and hopeless as can well be imagined. How long he continued in these unhappy circumstances is not known. Being unable to procure any steady employment, or secure any perma- nent residence, he wandered through the country till he became settled in the county of Orange, in the state of New York. He was now too old to receive the ad- vantages of education provided for the poor at the public expense, and too ignorant and vicious to know its value. Having cast aside all the restraints of JACOB HODGES. moral iiirtuoiice, lie had become confirnied uii laiul ill all the habits of vice contracted, upon the sea. Notwithslandintj all tliis ii^iioraiice, vice and degradation, there wa.s in Jacob Hodges a native dignity and a ni»ble car- naj^e, which clearly illu.stratod traits of mind which cultivation and better circum- stances of life would have devploj>ed to the honour of our common humanity. Tliougli strikingly African, every feature and moveiii«'nt of Jacob showed tliat he was orii,'inally fitted for a higher and bet- ter character, and but for the disadvan- tages of his birth, and the utter neglect of his early education, he might have been a man indeed. I low long Jacob lived in the county of Orange is not known ; but an uncommon and painful occurrence is connected with his history here, which clianged the whole aspect of his subsecpient life. In the town of Warwick, about seven mih's from the village of (loshcn, there resided a man by the name of Jennings, 8 JACOB HODGES. who had already attained to the age of seventy years. By a process of tedious and vexatious law-suits, he had come into possession of property, by which another family was greatly disappointed and com- pletely impoverished. Hostility, which had long existed between the parties, be- came every day more and more violent. Revenge was constantly meditated and threatened. At length, the malignity of the aggrieved party was so exasperated that actual violence and bloodshed were not only meditated, but planned for speedy execution. The old man of seventy years was selected as the victim. The individual whose pecuniary in- terests he had injured secured two accom- plices, who, from sharing in his feelings of revenge, or from promises of pecuniary reward, entered into his purposes of mur- der. One of these was the poor, ignorant Jacob Hodges. He was selected as the immediate instrument of the fatal deed ; as if murder, though perpetrated by other hands, would secure them from the ven- JACOB HODGES. 9 geaiice of God, or the rigliteoiis dumandii of liuiiian law. It would seem iliat .Jacob liad been, lor some time, in tlie employment of these men as a common labourer, and that for more than a year tliey had been prepar- int^ for the nmrder of Jennings. During this whole period, they were endeavour- inc; to secure Jacob's consent to execute iheir bloody purpose. They told him di- rectly, that " he was the very person fit- ted for the old man's destruction." They promised him, at the same linn.', their co- operation, and a large ])ecuniary reward. Jacob for a lone: time hesitated. Another, and a desperate elfort was made. 'I'he wife of one of the parties be- came an accessary. She was a woman who, till tlien, sustained a respectable character for intelligence and morality. In her opinion Jacob placed tlie fullest confidence. She was now brought for- ward to persuade him of the justness and necessity of the act to which he was urged. Yet it would seem his heart 10 JACOB HODGES. shrunk back from the bloody deed. He asked her, "if it woukl be right ?" She repUed, "Yes, for if the old man is not put out of the way, he will ruin my husband and brother. They are entitled to the property which he has taken from them, and only by his death can they get it back." But neither her persuasions, nor the repeated promises of reward, fully satisfied the mind of Jacob. He still hesitated as to his final decision. To overcome his remaining difficulties, recourse was had to the use of ardent spirits, that fearful agent, which most effectually perverts the conscience and destroys the soul. From Jacob's long-established ha- bits of intemperance, this course soon drowned all remaining sense of moral rectitude, and left him the complete victim of his seducers. The wretched woman, alternately rea- soning with Jacob and ministering to his vicious appetite, prepared him to engage in the work of death. He was furnished by one of the men with a musket, powder JACOB HODGES. 11 and shot, and instructed as to the mode of executing their purpose. He was first advised to proceed by nieht to the house ot the old man, and fire througli the win- dow. To this Jacob objected, as he might in that case injur*; other members of his family : yet he was fully prepared to meet their wishes whenever a favourable mo- ment should arrive. . Early on the morning of the 21st of December, 1819, Mr. Jennings, the aged and unsuspecting victnn of this conspiracy, left his family to visit some grounds whirh had been the subject of litigation, and on which the opposite party, wlio still held possession, were committing depredations. In his way, he passed the dwelling where the conspirators were met. Jacob was at breakfast, in the room of his miserable adviser, Mrs. T. On being inl'ormed that the old man was passing, he rose from the table, and took his gun from behind the door, while Mrs. T. brought him the powder and shot, giving him, at the same time, more ardent spirits, that Ig JACOB HODGES. he might not shrink from his desperate purpose. Jacob hesitated ; turning to her he anxiously inquired, " If it was neces- sary to proceed to business?" She repUed, " It is time that the old savage was out of the world." Thus stimulated and urged forward, he crossed the fields into an ad- joining grove, while one of the white men went forward in the road. Having over- taken Mr. Jennings, he detained him in conversation till Jacob came from the woods and joined them. The old man asked him if he had been cutting wood from his lot? Jacob replied that he had. He then inquired if his gun was loaded ? Jacob said, No. His accomplice stepped aside, when Jacob raised his gun, and, taking aim at Mr. Jennings, fired at the distance of ten feet. The shot struck upon one side of the face, near the eye, and glancing, cut off" part of the ear. Either from the etfect of the wound, or from agitation, the old man fell back to the ground. In the opinion of the surgeon, however, who examined the body, the JACOB HODGES. 13 shot was not mortal. Jacob, on seeing the prostrate condition of his aged victim, and rciiecting upon what he had done, was filled with liorror, and being about to go away, his accomplice ran to him, and exclaimed, profanely, " He is not dead yet; will y<>n uikIi rtakc a piece of busi- ness, and not tiiush it?" Sprini?inc for- ward, the while man i>eized the gun, and struck Jennings several times upon the head, till the stock was l)n>kL'n in ]»ieces, and the old man was pule dead. 'I'lie body was lelt in its blood, unburied and unconcealed, Jacob n^lurncd to the house of Mrs. T., and told lier what he had done. She appeare(i pleased, and gave huii mure ardent spirits. Oiven over to delusion and madness, she mnni- lested no symptoms of remorse or contri- tion. It was not so with Jacob. Neither the attempts of the nnirderous })arty to convince him that he had done right ; nor the promise of large pecuniary reward, with the power of stnnulants, could quiet the agitated nnnd of this poor negro. He 14 JACOB HODGES. was a murderer ! The groans of his aged victim would not die from his ear ! That gory head he could not forget ! The broken and pallid countenance continually followed him ! He not only carried in his bosom the conviction of guilt, but his whole conduct betrayed his emotions of remorse and anguish. Twenty-two years after this tragical event, he rehearsed to me its horrid details, and it seemed to pass almost in living reality and freshness be- fore him. He went to the chief instigator, wlio had employed him to commit the murder, and told him how he felt. It was not considered prudent for him to remain longer in the place. Immediate measures were adopted to induce him to leave the country ; but he continued to linger about for some days, hesitating what to do ; in part, from the agitation of his own mind, and also, perhaps, to secure his share of the promised reward. On Saturday, five days after the murder, he was persuaded to start for Newburg, JACOB HODGES. 15 With the view of going to New York, wlieiice he was to proceed to sea. 'I'hoiigh Newburg was but twculy miles from Warwick, he did not reach that place till the next day at sun-set. Fearing that he would not make his escape witli suliicient expedition, one of the conspirators fol- lowed him on Sunday, and overtook him ])efore he reached Newburc. Here they both lodged for the night. The next niormng, Jacob crossed the river, witli the tlesign of hastening to New York, that h«j might ship for sea as soon as possible. Tlie other man returmd to Warwick. By tins lime, the unusual absence of Mr. Jennings from his family began to create alarm for his safety, and search l)eing made, his body was soon Ibund when' It was left by his nmrderers. Th(} suddtMi disapi)earance of Jacob, and the fact that he was seen on his way to New- biug, in company with one of the conspi- rators, caused suspicion to rest at once upon him, and those who had instigated him to tlir murder. Jacob, in the mean 16 JACOB HODGES. time, had passed down the river to New York, while all the others, including Mrs. T., were arrested and imprisoned. Vigor- ous measures were adopted to secure Jacob. Two parties were sent in pur- suit of him ; one of which traced him to New York, where he was arrested and returned up the river to Haverstraw. Jacob at first denied having any know- ledge of the murder, but appeared greatly distressed. He continued firm in his de- nial, resisting the solicitation and advice of his attendants, till the latter part of the night following his arrest, when he made a full confession, and gave a minute rela- tion of the whole transaction. This he repeated in all his subsequent conversa- tions and critical examinations in court. He also gave to me the same account substantially, as late as the summer of 1841. From Haverstraw he was taken to Goshen, and after being examined before five magistrates, was fully committed to JACOB UODGES. 17 await his trial, at the next session of the court of oyer and terminer. At this court, indictments were found by the grand jury against the three white men, Jacob, and Mrs. T., for the wilful murder of Jennings. Upon the trial of tho wliite men and Mrs. T., Jacob was the chief witness on the part of the prose- cution. His testimony commences as foi- Knvs : " About one year ago, one of the prisoners told me that I was a fit person to destroy Jeiuiings. Another said to me, I wish I liad killed him, and in the even- ing he requested me to do it. During the sitting of the court, last fall, two of them several times spoke to me, and wished I u'(^iild do it; and told me not to let my mind fiil me, for I should have spirits enough ; that T. and I), would assist me, and would divide one thousand dollars between them and me. On Thursday, be- fore the mtirder, after an hour's conversa- tion. I agreed to kill Jennings. On Satur- day, C. loaded the gun, and showed me how to do it. \N'hen the sun was about an 2* 18 JACOB HODGES. hour high, I went towards T.'s with the gun. (T. was the one who was to assist me in the murder.) He was gone to New York. I conversed with Mrs. T. and D. about the murder. They both approved of it, and D. said that he would assist me. Mrs. T. gave me some whisky, and told mo to help myself when I wanted. The next day Mrs. T. went to meeting, and told me to make free use of the whisky. Ou Monday morning, when I was at break- fast, D. came in and told me that Jennings was passing. I arose from the table and took the gun." Then follows, as seen from the records of the court, a full and minute statement of the manner in which the murder was committed, and the sub- sequent steps of Jacob's departure to New York, his arrest and return to Go- shen jail. The testimony of Jacob was direct and positive, going to criminate the four other prisoners. He was closely examined several times, and uniformly told a rational and consistent story. At one JACOB HODGES. 19 time he was more than seven hours uninterruptedly under examination, and no essential deviation or inconsistency was detected in any part of liis lons^ and tedious statement. There was such a frankne&s and appearance ot trutli and candour in liis wliole demeanour, tliat the court and sj)t'Clalors were fully s;itisfied with the correctness of his story. Though th»! j)arties all pleaded not guilty, the three whife men, with Jacob, were Ibund i^uilty, and sentenced to b(; executed on the Kith of April, following; and after execution, the body of Jacob Hodges was to be delivered to the Presi- dent of the Orange County Medical So- ciety, for dissection. Mrs. T., when brought to trial, as she had seen her husband and his two accom- jilices found guilty upon the same testi- nionv that was to be adduced against her, withdrew her plea of " Not guilty," and as the purposes of justice did not seem to demand her execution, she was sentenced upon her own confession to merely a no- 20 JACOB HODGES. minal punishment, viz. imprisonment in the county jail for the term of one month. In justification of this mitigated punish- ment, the court remarked, that the man- dates of a stern and inflexible Imsband might have influenced her conduct in rela- tion to the murder ; but that however this might have been, the destitute situation of her children, already deprived of a father, so that she was now to be their only pro- tector — the only parent to whom they must in future look for support ; this and a variety of other considerations, pressed themselves upon the minds of the court, who had thought proper to extend to her all the mercy the law would allow. The simplicity and honesty of Jacob's whole deportment while upon trial and as chief witness for the State, made a most favourable impression upon the court, and excited strong sympathy in his behalf. They saw that he had been led into crinje by the deep-laid plan of wicked men, who had been goaded to desperation by re- peated disappointments, and whom no- JACOB HODGES. 21 tliiii'4 could satisfy but llie violent death of ilicir victim. 'J'lic* court saw that ap- I)eals liad been made to Jacob's sense oi obligation to bis employers; and also that in aflcJilion to tbe promise of co-operation in tbe crime and a lame pecuniary ro- Avard, iiis moral sense had been stupefied by freely administered stimulants. P'rom tiiesc considerations, exertions were early made to save him from the fatal sentence that had been passed upon liini. And some of the court, even while they felt that justice nnghl demand the sentence ot (leaih, voluntarily promised to reconunend liim to the clemency of the legislature. Providentially, the legislature of the Slate were in session at the tinn; appointed for Jacob's execution. \\'hile the execu- tive had the power of prantinu: an un- (|ualilicd j>ardon,lhe lei^islative branch of govermnent alone rcnild change the sen- tence which the court had j)assed upon Inm. Upon n^presentations being made in favour of Jacob, his sentence of death was commuted to that of liard labour in 22 JACOB HODGES. the State's prison, for the term of twenty-- one years. Another of the convicts had his sentence changed to imprisonment for life. The remaining two were executed according to the sentence of the court, on the 16th day of April, 1819. Leaving the scaffold of these miserable felons, and this ruined and imprisoned woman, who had been instrumental in bringing misery and guilt upon a poor, ignorant African, we must follow him to his dreary cell in the penitentiary on JNIan- hattan Island. These gloomy walls he now entei's, a wretched outcast, a con- demned murderer. At this time but little attention was paid to the habits, education, or moral improve- ment of the inmates of our prisons gene- rally. They were regarded more as places of punishment and means of restraint upon the lawless and desperately wicked, than as designed for instruction and moral influence. The idea of making them, nurseries of education, means of moral reform, and sanctuaries for moral and re- JACOB HODGES. 23 ligious culture, was not entertained evoii by the Christian community. Tliere was httle of kindness, sympathy, or mercy felt for tlie prisoner. All was conducted upon the ordinary principles of strict, impartial, legal justice. Towards Jacob Hodges, a miserable African, a nuirderer, ther*.' may have been some severity, owing either to his own refractory temper, or iIm* character of liis keepers. While, as lie told nu', he was not over-worked and had eiiouijh to eal and dnnU, there was iioihing to win his ronfidence or to excite his belter feelings. lb; was treated as an ignorant, aban- i?ether with his stately, resolule carriage, may all have served to turn away all 24 JACOB HODGES. sympathy, and to excite far other than charitable feehngs towards him. Upon the completion of the new prison at Auburn, Jacob was among the number of State convicts that were removed to that place. A new system of prison dis- cipline was adopted at the opening of this spacious penitentiary, and the keepers appeared admirably fitted to carry out its details according to the peculiar character and disposition of its iimiates. The su- perintendent of the prison, the late Mr. Powers, was a man of uncommon excel- lence of character, of remarkably kind feel- ings, and condescending to the prisoners. He regarded them, though felons, still as men and moral beings, susceptible of better feelings, and capable of being edu- cated and reformed. Every thing was here arranged for the purpose of cultivat- ing among the prisoners a desire for edu- cation, the means of an honourable sup- port in life and the maintenance of correct' morals. For the first time in his life, Jacob was JArOB HODGES. 2.'> treated like a man. For tlio first tiiiH* ni his life lie felt that lie had a friend. His heart was iniinediateiy won, his ronu'li spirit was subdued, his generous and con- fiding nature was called forth, prepared to receive instruction and good from those who showed an interest in his sad con- dition. No sooner had .lacoh entered this prison and .seated himself in his narrow cell, than he found a HihN" l)y his side and himself alone. This was something new. lie had never been in solitude before, where ail was silence and solemnity, llcrt' he had nothing to do by niuht hut to review his lite, to think alone iqion his melancholy state and what miuht he be- fore hini. There lay his Ihhie, but it was to him a sealed book, yet it awakened a train of the most solemn retleclions as he received from day to day some nmv I lessons of instnution from his friends I and keepers. Amoim the first and most faithful of . these was the chajdain of the prison, the :i 29 JACOB HODGES. Rev. Mr. Curtis, who at once made him- self acquainted with the previous history of Jacob and his pecuUar disposition. The chaplain was forcibly struck with his fixedness of attention and his grateful emotions at the kindness he received, to- gether with that certain manifestation of human nobleness which Jacob always exhibited even in his worst days. At this time Jacob was extremely igno- rant, he did not know his own age accu- rately, and could not read at all. All moral and religious truth had been kept from him, and he was yet to learn his character and destiny as an accountable and immortal being. The chaplain came to him with the Bible, and notwithstanding his extreme ignorance and advanced age proposed to teach him to read. The first lesson he gave him was the first word in the Bible, I-n. The chaplain said to him. That word is in. Can you see how many letters^ there are in it ? Jacob replied. Two. He was then directed to look for the same JACOB HODGES. 27 letters on oiIkt pages of the Hible, and soon learned to understand the ditlerence between letters whicli resembled eacli other, till he cuinprehended their lorce wlien combined in words. Being informed of the great truths wlncii were contained in the liible, whicli he might yet read for himself and more fully uudrTstand, Jacob was stimulated to con- stant exertion, till he was able to study out short sentences alone, which the chaplam 111 his frequent visits to his cell would explain and apply to his individual case. It was not long before more than com- mon interest was manifested by Jacob for Ills spiritual condition. Wv awoke to the melancholy lact that he was a lost and ruined sinner, li was from the faithful instructions of the chaplain that he re- cen ed his lirst religious impressions, and they were from the beginning of a pecu- liarly marked and decided character. He repeatedly gave to his friends a minute account of the o})erations of his mind and his religious experience while 28 JACOB HODGES. in prison. One who was particularly in- terested in Jacob recorded his narration at the time he gave it, almost in his own words, and it has already been read by thousands in the " Young Christian," as an illustration of the power ot" Christian truth and the grace of God. Being inquired of in relation to the crime for which he was imprisoned, how this sin appeared to him; " Very great," he replied : but understanding the ques- tion as relating solely to the injury he had done to a fellow-man, he added, " but not so great as my other sins towards God; my profaneness and intemperance." In giving this history of his feelings, he said, "When I first began to retiect in my cell, I saw my sins so great that I felt I could not be forgiven. When I told the chap- lain what was the crime for which 1 was imprisoned, 'That,' said he, 'is one of the greatest crimes ; but pray to God and put your trust in him, and you shall find rest to your soul.' He told me also JACOB HODGES. 29 if I could not read, he would visit me in my cell and put me in the way. 1 shall «ver love him while (iod gives me breath. 1 shall love the chaplain for he put me in the way to i*ain the salvation of my soul. llcmad(;nK' promise him faithfully that I would go to (iod and try to find mercy ; and yet I had d(nibt in my lieart, my sin was so lieavy, whether 1 should be for- given. " Tlie chaplain soon lelt me, and 1 went into my cell and poured out my heart to (Iod to have mercy on mr. The more 1 prayed, the more miserable I grew ; the heavier and heavier were my sin.s. ''The next day I recjuested an indivi- dual to read to me a chapter, and as Hod would have it, he turned to tlie /joth chap- ter of I.saiah. It said, 'Kvery one that thirstetli, com<^ ye to tlu* waters, and he that hath no money, come ye and buy wine and milk without price.* "' lie read along where it says, ' I^et the wicked man forsake his ways and the un- righteous man his thoughts, and let him 3' 30 JACOB HODGES. retuin unto the Lord, and he will ha mercy upon him, and unto our God, 1 he will abundantly pardon : For nt thoughts are not your thoughts, neith- are my ways your ways, saith the Lok For as the heavens are higher ih; the earth, so are my ways higher tli;, your ways, and my thoughts than yo thoughts.' " I found this gave me great encourag ment to go on to pray, to see if I con find relief from ail my troubles — the loo of sin that was on my heart. I thougl and prayed, and the more I prayed ll more wretched I grew ; the heavier m sins appeared to be. " A night or two after this, tlie chaplai came to my cell, and asked me how I fel I told him my sins were greater than could bear — so guilty — so heavy. If asked me if I thought praying won make my sins any less. I gave him ii answer. He soon left me, and I wen again to prayer. I was almost fit to ex- pire." At this time, Jacob had but ju'- fcJACOn HODUBS. 31 gall lo learn llic naliire ol" siii, and Ins lations to (iotl an«J Ins holy law. As lio )oke(l hack n|)on Ins ledums, he adds, J In all n»y sorrows, 1 had iioi u hghl sor- row. iMyr sorrow was, because 1 had sinned against man/' I "The Snnday follownig/' he proceeds I' to siiy, "just alurr 1 had aimed my dinner \ to my cell, I |Hit my dinner down, and vent to prayer. I rose, and just as I rose iioni prayer, the ohuplam was at the door. We are all guilty creatures,' he said to me, *and wo cannot he saved, except (i()(l, lor ('hrisi's sake, will save us. If we j)rayand go toCiod,we must go in the name of Jesus Christ. Il we ex|>ect to he saved, we must he .s:ived ihron^'h the hlood and riiihleousness ot Jesus Christ.* 'VUcn 1 picked up encouragement. " 'The sins which you have conuiiitted,* \\v went (HI to siiy, *are against your r«3llow-creatures, but they are much more against God.' Now, I never knew l>efore that they were against Ciod. When tin; chaplain Ictl me I went to [>rayer again. 1 32 JACOB HODGES. could eat nothing that day. I did not eat a mouthful. " I recollected at that time, that a mini- ster had told me whenever I had a chap- ter read, to have the fifty-first psalm. I could not see any body to get to read it, and how to find it I did not know. The Sunday following, before the keeper un- locked the door, I rose up, and I went to prayer, and I prayed: ^0 Lord, thou knowest I am ignorant ; brought up in ignorance. Thou knowest my bringing up. Nothing is too hard for thee to do. May it please thee, Lord, to show me that chapter, that I may read it with un- derstanding. I rose up from prayer, and Avent to my Bible and took it up. I began at the first psalm, and turned over and counted every psalm, and it appeared to me that God was with me, and I counted right to the fifty-first psalm. I could read a little, and I began to spell — H-a-v-e m-e-r-c-y, &c. I looked over the psalm, and spelled it and read it, and then put the Bible down and fell upon my knees : JACOB HODGES. 3d * Have mercy u[)C)ii me, God, according unto the multitiule of ihy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me iho- rouL^hly from mine iniquities and cleanse me from my sins ; for my sin is ever be- fore me. Against thee, thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sigiitj that thou nuijditest be justified when thou speakrst and clear when thou judiftsl.' •WIku 1 rame to tin; words, Deliver iiie from blood-guiltiness, I was struck dunii*. I could not say any more at tlial time. 1 UtW upon my kjiees, and prayed to (lod to have nn-rcy on me for Christ's sake. liul I only grew more and more miserable. The load of my sins was lieavier and heavier. All that I had ever done came j>l:iin and open in my sight, and 1 was led to see that I must perish, 'i'hcre was no help for me. All my sins was upon my own head.'' Jacob was fully sensible of the ignor- ance in which he had grown up, and the manner in wliich lie had been led astray and tempted to the commission of sin, yet 84 JACOB HODGES. none of the circumstances attending liis crimes ever induced him to plead the least justification. His clear perceptions of sin and deep agony of heart, arose from the conviction that he had offended not against man alone, but against God. It was this that caused his " load of sin to grow heavier and heavier." For some time there was, apparently, no change in the character of his feelings. All was constant reflection, intense study, deep feeling, bordering on despair. The fifty-fifth chapter of Isaiah, and what the chaplain had told him of the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ, served to keep his mind still inquiring for relief. At length, as he himself described it, "One day, when I was praying in my cell, my burden of guilt was removed. I felt that I might be pardoned through Jesus Christ." The relief which this gave him seems to have been almost indescribable. Every thing wore a new aspect. Even the gloomy prison seemed a cheerful and happy place. His expressions of joy JACOB nODGES. 35 would appear almost extravagant to any j)erson not sufliciently acquaintpcl with ilie luunan mind to understand how the whole asj)ect of external objects will !)e controlled by the emotions which r«'ijn m the heart." 'I'he narrativ<.' whi. 17*^. 36 JACOB HODGES. the public preaching on the Lord's day. To all these, lie gave the most strict atten- tion. Considering his age and past habits of life, his improvement was really as- tonishing. In nothing was his advance- ment so great as in the knowledge of divine things. He was evidently taught of the Spirit, and daily grew in grace and every Christian virtue. His temper, which had been uniformly rough, and at times almost indomitable, became subdued and tender. At the remembrance of his sins, he would melt almost in a moment to penitence and tears ; and, as he saw more and more of the Saviour, he was filled with gratitude and love. He was most obviously a new creature in Christ Jesus. The profane, drunken murderer, immured in his cell, was a broken-hearted penitent, a man of prayer. His prison now be- came a Bethel indeed. It was here that I first met him: I shall never forget the day ; it was the 4th of July, 1827. Having been engaged in re- ligious services during the morning, in the JACOB HODGES. 37 afternoon we visited the penitentiary. The prisoners were all confined t*) their cells, wliile their keepers were abroad, en- joying the freedom and recreation ol* the anniversary. Passing thronah tlie ex- tended corridors, tijonirli in tli«' nndst t)!' five hundred souls, all was silent as tlie grave, and no human beint,' was visible, except liere and there one leaning ai^ainst the iron ^rate ol' liis cell. Tlie chaplain conducted ni(* to the door of Jacob's narrow apartment. He arose before its small ai)erture, and I had a full view of his broad African face, every line of which sj)ok(* the language of a mind and lieart of no ordinary character. There was a subdued, tender, yet cheertul aspect to his countenance, as if fully conscious of wlial he had been, yet blessed with the conviction of a new heart, and in liope of a better state yet to come. On learning my i)rofession and tlie ob- ject of my visit, Jacob became free and cheerful in liis conversation with me. While it has mostly pa.ssed from my me- 38 JACOB HODGES. mory, tbe impression it left upon my mind is still vivid and affecting. He had just become able to read, with much effort, short sentences in his Bible, and was constandy engaged during his leisure hours in studying its pages. He had fully committed to memory the fifty-first psalm, and those who have heard him read or repeat that psalm will never forget the emphasis, the deep and solemn intonations of his voice, when uttering the petition, " Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, God, thou God of my salvation." After conversing some time, and learn- ing from his own lips the great change which he had experienced under the in- structions here given him, I said, " Jacob, it has proved a mercy to you that you were brought to this prison." " yes, master," he replied, " 1 bless God that I was brought here. I love every stone in this building." It was his uniform custom on retiring at night from labour to the soUtude of his cell, to seize his Bible, and employ the JACOB HODGES. 39 few moinenls that remained of the light of day in studying its pages, in his poor way. Never did the word of God appear more precious to any one than it did to Jacob. In reply to my (luesiions respect- ing his interest in the Scriptures, he said, " Master, if you will beheve me, I have come into my cell at night, and setting my supper by my cot, I have taken my Hible and become so much engaged in reading and meditating upon its truths, that I wholly forgot my meal, till I siiw it un- touched in the morning." To almost every Christian visitor at the prison, Jacob soon became an object of peculiar interest, as well as a favourite of the keepers. He was selected to head one of the " gangs," as they were arranged and marched from their workshops to their tables and their cells at night. Here those who were utter strangers to Jacob have been forcibly struck with the peculiar expression of his countenance and the marked dignity of his movements. He daily secured more and more the 40 JACOB HODGES. confidence and esteem of the chaplain and his teachers in the Sabbath-school, till they could have no doubt of his entire reformation and genuine repentance. Though his circumstances were unfavour- able, and his opportunities very hmited for the developement of Christian character, he was by no means deficient in the mani- festation of some of the most striking traits of rehgious experience. In the sohtude of his cell, he learned the true nature and the value of prayer, as the great means of access to God by a Redeemer ; and it was evidently the abundance of his supplication here, that laid so firmly the foundation of his whole Christian character through the remainder of his life. It was by prayer that he found the Saviour, and it was by prayer that he drew from the Bible its most pre- cious truths and abiding consolations. Such was Jacob's uniform deportment, .his fidelity and apparent piety, that the great ends of justice were felt to' be satis- fied in his case, and interest was at length JACOB HODGES. II made with the governor of tlie State to obtain his pardon for the remaining part of the time for which he was sentenced. He was asked if he thought he would conduct himself properly if he should be released? He replied that he did not know, but he feared that he should not ; addwii:, *' unless the grace of (lod keep uv\ I know I sliall not." Ilr had naturally a very unirovernable temper, and he feared the result of its exposure when h<* should be broui^ht again into the temptations of the world. He remembered his former habits of in- temperance, and he nnglit soon be over- taken and fall. Above all, he did not forget his sinful heart, and lie trembled at the thought of being again exposed to the evils of life, when freed from the re- straints with which he was now sur- rounded. In Ins cell, he felt a security. In his daily labour, he met but few teni})- tiitions. In his solitude, he communed alone with his own lieart and his Saviour, and here he was satisfied. The place of 4- 42 JACOB HODGES. his confinement, was truly to inm, "more like a palace than a prison." At length his pardon was granted, and his prison door was opened. Few scenes in his whole life were so affecting as this. That cell which had been his place of anguish and of tears, his dark abode of penitence and searchings after God, where light had broken upon his mind, he had met Jesus and found peace to his soul : — that cell, his closet, his Bethel, he was now to leave forever. Taking his Bible, the only article that belonged to him, he walked out to have his last, parting interview with his keeper and the chaplain. And it was one truly affecting to them all. He was one whom they regarded as the first fruits of their experiment upon the new plan of prison discipline. Jacob stood before them, the murderer, the ignorant, wretched African ; but how changed! Intelligent in the knowledge of God, a man of prayer, blessed in the hope of eternal life. His prison garments were taken off and he JACOB HODGES. 43 was clothed in apparel suited lo ilie now circumstances in which he was now to ap- pear. He received the entire approbation of the superintendent, witli his advice and good wishes for his safety and success in BUbsequenl life. The chaplain then iravc iuni such counsel as his condition and prospects demanded, and kneeling with him, prayed that (lod would be his friend, his keeper and guide. The larire iron door then opened before hnn. The keeper and the rhaj)lain took liim alferiionaiely l)y the liand for the last time as an imnate of the prison, and Jacob went out, over- whelmed with emotion, as he bid adieu to these friends, and turned his eyes from the impressive memorials of his crimes and of the mercy of God to his soul. Jacob was now to try the streuirih of his new principles. As he looked, tlie first time for years, upon the heavens and the earth, a free man, lie actually felt more lonelv than when buried at niiiht in his narrow cell. His keeper had long been his friend. He had now left hira, 44 JACOB HODGES. and where would he find another as kind? The chaplain had been liis constant and faithful adviser, his spiritual guide through his darkest hours: and where would he meet another so tender-hearted and so true ? Who was to take this poor, deso- late, long-imprisoned, but now liberated African by the hand, to befriend and watch over him ? He had not a relative that he knew on earth; nor a spot that he could call his home, where to claim shelter even for a night. Putting his trust m God his Saviour, he went forth to begin the world anew: and indeed it was all new to him. When recurring once to this event, he assured me that it was with great reluc- tance that he left the prison. Expressing some surprise and waiting for his reasons, he said, " I loved that place. I loved the prison, /br there I first met Jesus.'''' And can we wonder that he loved it? All the useful instruction he had ever received, all the real friends he ever had, and all the good he had ever known were asso- JACOB UODG£x 45 rialed with this prison. Can we wonder that he loved il ? It was the hirth-i)lace of his soul, "//erf he firs I met Jesus.'* Great anxiety was felt for Jacob by all his friends, and they watched him daily to see whether he would show ih<; same meek and quiet spirit, and as highly honour religion iii the world, as he had done in his prison, lie must necessarily me«'l the temptations of life, which might be found too strong for his, as yet untried, moral principles, and in an evil hour lie might fall from his steadfastness. Of this he seemed to be well aware, and to have fortified his mind by reliance upon the grace of God. No one was aj)parently more alive to his own weakness and dan- gers. The lirst year after his release from prison, he spent with a private gentleman HI Auburn, wliore he fully maintained his Christian integrity. It was the wish of his friends tliat he should not go at once away from them, and it was ecpially his own desire to share their continued watch- 46 JACOB HODGES. fulness and care, where his eye might rest upon the walls of that prison in which he first gained a knowledge of himself and the consolations of hope in his Saviour. Being anxious to live where his re- ligious privileges would be greater, he succeeded in gaining employment at the Theological Seminary, in the house of the steward. He soon secured the entire con- fidence of the family, as well as that of the students of the institution generally. Such was the evidence he continued to give of his genuine piety and growing knowledge of religious truth, that he was soon admitted to the communion of the First Presbyterian church in Auburn. Several revivals of religion occurred in the village, during the continuance of which few were more deeply interested than Jacob. He had come out of his prison with a solemn resolution to serve God in the limited sphere of his influence, and prayer was what he chiefly relied upon. Here lay the secret of his power. Like Bunyan, he had hved upon prayer I! JACOB HODGES. 47 ,'iiid this had opened to him liis most « rirapturing visions, and drew from the word of Clod its most precious truths. There was a pecuhar charm, a depth and fervency in Jacob's devotional ex- pressions. They were always marked with uncommon propriety and replete with scriptural allusions. All that knew him felt persuaded that he had commu- nion with (iod and was taught by the Spirit how to pray. There was also something peculiarly deep and clear in the whole of Jacob's religious experience, while under the in- struction of the chaplain in the solitude of his cell. He heard the Bible read; prayed often and fervently, and he ot'tcn received the kind sympathy and prayers of those who came to teach him the way of life. But no instructions, however evangelical, no prayers of his own or those of his Christian visiters lessened the burden of his sins. Every new truth of the gos- pel, and every new view of his own heart, deepened his convictions of guilt and of 48 JACOB HODGES. his just condemnation. Nothing gave him relief or hope, till he saw Clirist his substitute as a suffering Saviour and atoning priest. It was not till he came to God through the Mediator and Re- deemer that he found peace. Pie never forgot this scriptural method of grace; this sure way of obtaining hope by faith in the blood of the Son of God. Yet he loved his Bible as the light of his path, and he loved prayer as the appointed method of securing the spirit that giveth life and peace. A happy illustration of his evangelical experience, of the true and proper use of the means of grace and of the nature-and office of prayer, occurred during a season of special religious interest, while he re- sided in Auburn. The daughter of the steward of the seminary, in whose family Jacob lived, became greatly distressed in view of her situation as a sinner. Her minister, and many Christian friends had conversed and prayed with her, but her anxieties were JACOB HODGB8. 49 not removed. Their syiiij)alliies, with all the sources of consolalioii presented lo )\or, allorded no relief to her troubled mind, but rather aggravated her sense of truili. It was at lenetfi proposed that Jacob should be recpifsied lo convers no one for whos«' salvation he mor*; earnestly prayed. Jacob stood before the weeping girl, lie knew from his own bitter cx|>erience, wiiat she was now suffering ; for, thouudi in eireumstancrs viuilly different, the hu- man heart is still the same, and tin* nece^i- sity for atoning blood is as absohue for the religiously educated and moral daugh- l< r (»1 Christian parents, as for the vilest of eonvicls. The heart that never has loved God supremely, and that has virtu- ally rejected the Saviour, is, in every in- stance, a heart at enmity with Goeak for itself. As we j)roceedcd to the jail, from the house where he lived, and came upon the side-walk in that beautiful villagf, and every thing around us appeared bright and lovpJv, :iiid our hearts l)urned within us toward the (iod of pn)vidence and grace ; .lacob said, " O, Mr. Doit,' little oking back upon my past life and feeling my hell-desert ; deserving nothing but the bottomless pit ; and tliis brings me to feel that nothing but the grace of God has kept me till this day." " You often speak of feeling so heavy, Jacob, what do you mean by that ?" "So heavy ?" " You spoke of it this morning, as hav- ing that feeling before you went into the woods." " 0, yes, when I look back and see my sins; when the Lord takes away his Spi- rit from me, and leaves me to myself, then I feel very htavy and distressed by my sin and guilt, till the Saviour appears to me again by his Spirit, and I feel like a new man, and I feel that my Saviour has come to me and raises me up, and puts joy and gladness into my heart, and causes me to feel liglit and joyt'ul. I have often felt that if I was left to myself, if it was not for the grace of God and his Spirit, that I should go into despair, and sink in despair.'* 6 $^ JACOB HODGES. " How do you get rid of these feelings of despondency, Jacob ?" " Fall down at his feet and never give him rest till he gives me rest by his Spirit." " Fall down at his feet?" " Fall down at the foot of the cross and pray for his mercy and the enlightening influence of his Spirit." " Fall down, you say ?" " Kneel down, I mean by falling down." " Do you commonly do that when you pray?" "Yes; but then I am always looking to God, when I am working on any thing." " Does it do you good to kneel down to pray ?" "It does; I have found along back that I have let the Avorld and business stop me when I have been pressed by the Spirit to go and pray, and I have found lately that the only way that I can obtain the Spirit of God, at all times, is to pray often." " How often ?" JACOB HODGES. 63 " That is to say, set apart tliree times a day, and let nothing prevent."' " Three times a day ? Any particular place ?" " In the barn when I am about iiome ; il not, in the woods. No worldly object shall stoj) me when I am pressed by the Spirit of God ; and if I cannot go this moment, the Lord will make a way for mc to go the next." " You speak much of the Spirit of God pressing you." *' Y'es ; driving me to do my duty to my >raster." " What measures do you use to have ilie movings of llie Spirit upon your soul?'' " When I feel that 1 am left alone by tlie Spirit, I pray for the Spirit, and the Lord, according to the promise, sends his Sj)irit to comfort the mourning, weeping sinner." " Does the Bible help you any about this ?" *' 0, yes ; the Bible is my guide and 64 JACOB HODGES. my chart. It is a light to my feet and a lamp to my path." Mr. Dwight had often requested Jacob to read the Scriptures to him, an exercise in which he was peculiarly impressive. He always Uoed his own Bible : "//n)nouricing his sentence of death, said to him, " You possess a more than ordinary strrnffth of nnnd. Providence has blessed you with a memory without a parallel in all my experience." Mr. Dwight has often remarked that no human tongue ever read the word of God in his hearing in tones so impressive, and with emphasis so solenm and appro- ))riate. Wiienever he visited Jacob, he was accustomed to request him to lead m prayer, and he remarked that he never felt 68 JACOB HODGES. drawn nearer to God, or more nupressed with the coldness and feebleness of his own devotional exercises, than when at- tempting to follow this eminent servant of God. No one ever united with him without feeling similar emotions. Jacob was not only a constant attend- ant upon the appointments of the church of which he was a member, but he often lead in devotional exercises when re- quested to do so. In those services he engaged without the slightest appearance of pride. On the contrary, his public ex- ercises as well as his whole deportment were characterized uniformly with the most humble spirit. At the same time, there was a propriety, a richness and a glow of devotion in his services, that showed alike the superior order of his mind and the deep piety of his heart. I shall never forget one prayer-meeting iu particular. It was held at the house where he lived. After several others had led in the devotional exercises of the evening, all of whom had received the advantages JACOB HODGES. 6P of education, and exhibited nothing inap- propriate or defective in the character of their petitions, Jacob was asked to pray. Kneelint^ before us, he led our devotions in a manner so appropriate, so solemn, so tender, subdued and scriptural, tliat all which preceded seemed cold, formal and lieartless. There was such apparent near- ness to God, such great familiarity with the service of prayer, such breathing of a heavenly spirit, that in following him myself, 1 felt like treadniir on hallowed ground. In this exercise beyond all others he was most at home and happy. Indeed, there was often a majesty of thousht in his prayers that gave a maunilieent richness to the drapery that clothed ihera, till in listening to the glowing language of his sup})lications, 1 have often been reminded of the power of piety and the Spirit of God as illustrated in the inspira- tion of truth, where the clearness and sac redness of the subject forbid the use of any other than the most appropriate and impressive language. He had learn- 70 JACOB HODGES. ed the necessity and value of prayer Ironi the Bible, and tlience, too, he had at first i drawn the finest thoughts and language with which to approach the mercy-seat. It was not only in social prayer that he manifested his communion with God and his deep interest in the cause of re- ligion. His habits of secret prayer were well known to the family with whom he lived, and probably few Christians were ever more constant and punctual in the duties of the closet. No labours of the day found him too weary or unfitted for prayer at night. He could say with the psalmist of Israel, "As for me, I will call upon God and the Lord shall save me : evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray and cry aloud ; and he shall hear my voice." Those who often overheard the earnest pleadings of his heart in his closet, were assured, that it was not alone his own "poor soul" of which he so often spoke, but the salvation of others ; the state of the family and the church, and the glory JACOB HODOF«;. 71 of God that burdened his heart. He wrestled with God Hke the patriarchs of old, and he rose early, like the Saviour, to renew his vows and his service of de- votion. The same comprehensiveness and fervour, j)ropriety and (hrectness of expression, characterized all his religious exercises, and those tliat read his history were at no loss to discover the secret of Ins pietv and tin* source of liis abiding consolation. There was always somcihini; remark- ,ihlt; 111 his whole deportment and car- riag(\ While his stature was manly and erect, liis movement strikingly dignified and commanding, and in his intercourse nothiiic: servile and low, llu'r«' was at the same time a winninii modesty, a just ap- preciation of himself. .And while he made no claim t(> the kind regard and attention of others, he was never ungrate- liil for tlu'ir condescension to his low ^'state. He never seemed to know that his mind was at all superior to that of otheri 72 JACOB HODGES. who had grown up in ignorance, or tliat in any respect he was more deserving of attention. He was never known to com- plain of neglect, but often expressed his surprise and gratitude that his friends should remember "old black Jacob," as he was accustomed to call himself His humility was most of all manifested in his estimate of himself as a sinner. He never alluded to the history of his early life, or to his crimes, but with emotions the most deep and painful, and with expres- sions of the greatest self-abhorrence. In allusion to the character of the man that was murdered, he once remarked, " His conduct was no justification for me ;" and though his act would not alone have proved fatal, yet he never felt himself any thing but a murderer, nor denied the just- ness of the sentence that condemned him to the gallows. To the chaplain of the prison, he once said, "The man in the next cell to me always prays with his face toward the grate in the door, but,'' pointing to the re- JACOB HODGES. 73 molest part of his cell, he added, " away- down in that corner is the best place for mc." In all my acqnaintance with liiin, I never discovered the slightest symptoms of s[)irilual |)ride. When I left him for another and distant field of labour, his heart was too full to bid me farewell ; and when he received another minister, his atfections seemed to be divided between us, and he would unite us in his petitions at the llirone of grace with peculiar tenderness. At one lime, after iinplorini^ blessings upon the church and its pastor, he added, " Now let thy Spirit, Lord, be witli our former mi- nister ; let him feel in his soul at this mo- menty that his old people are praying for him." All my subsequent interviews with Ja- cob have only served to strengthen my confidence in his piety, and to increase my admiration of his character as a Christian and a man. And nothing has ever occurred since my removal from him to shake the confidence of others in his 7 74 JACOB HODGES. Stability and devotion to the cause of his Master. Indeed, he was regarded by his pastor and by the whole church, as an emhient Christian, daily growing in grace and seeking to render himself useful in the humble and limited sphere of his in- fluence. My successor at Canandaigua, the Rev. Mr. Thompson, has informed me that in a recent revival of religion in that place, Jacob was peculiarly animated and re- freshed. " I have often thought," he says, " that Jacob shared more largely in its blessings than any of us. Perhaps in this he was receiving his earthly reward, for no one could more justly claim to have been the favoured instrument of that work, than himself. His mind had been remarkably exercised for a long time, and for months his intense anxiety for the religious state of the people had been manifest in his prayers and in his whole conversation. Late in the winter of 1840 we were blessed with the evident indica- tions of the presence of the Holy Spirit. JACOB HODGES. 75 Attendance upon the means of grace became much mcreased, and some were found anxiously iiKjuiring for the way of life. A day was set apart for fasting and special prayer. We nict in the lecture- room at noon. The meetmg was full, but it was heavy and lifeless. Just before dismissing the congregation, with feelings of deep depression and discourairement, I turned to Jacob and asked him if he had nothing to say to us? He rose instantly, sayifig, * Yes, master.' .Vnd a more elo- Jiuent address than that which followed, if I may judge from my present recollec- tion of it, or from the effect which it pro- duced, I do not think ever fell from the lips of a mortal. I wish I could recall it. He began somewhat in this way, as he rose in answer to my invitation, * Yes, master. When I was praying in my chamber, this morning, and trying to get ready for this meeting, it seemed to me just as if my Saviour spake to me, and said, 'Jacob, I want you to speak for me to-day to the jieople ; and now, my dear 76 JACOB HODGES. masters and mistresses, for I dare not call you my brethren and sisters.' He then spoke in most humiliating terms of him- self, apologizing apparently for sayin:: anything. He alluded distantly to hi^ own previous history, and spoke of what he deemed his present insignificance ui the church and in society ; but neverthe- less, he sought us to hear him, for the sake of Jesus. ' Not for my sake,' said he, ^for I am nobody, nothing but a with- ered and dry old leaf of the vine, away, aivay off, lying out on the ground. And now, my masters and mistresses, let a poor old black African entreat you to come up to the help of the Lord.' " I can only say," adds Mr. Thompson, "that the effect which followed Jacob's address, was overwhelming. Tlie very house seemed to rock where we were. All wept, and many sobbed aloud. " When he concluded, summing up all, by saying, ^ Now the question is, will you obey God — will you be for him — will you rise and work?' I do not believe that JACOB HODGE>. 77 there was a heart in the house whicli did not earnestly respond, * We will obey God, we will be fur hiin.' " Two weeks did not elapse before the house of God was thronged with imiuiriiiLj souls, and more than one hundred in our own congregation were the hopeful sub- jects of grace. '' Jacob, during tlie entire progress of tliat work, and indeed at all tunes, was an earnest labourer for the conversion of souls. He attended every meeting for re- ligious inquiry, and, taking his seal in a remote corner of tlie room, passed the time in silrnt prayer. One evening, when the people generally had retired, my attention was attracted by a very earnest voice at the door. I supjiosed that some one was engaged in prayer. I soon found Jacob liolding on literally to the skirts of a poor old woman, imploring her not to leave the ])lace till she had accepted of Clirist. 1 never heard such earnest pleading. He was indeed * beseeching her with tears.' " At this time Jacob seemed to be bap- 7* 78 JACOB HODGES. tized with a new spirit, and the salvation of souls was the subject of his thoughts, his prayers and his efforts. On passing from the house of worship, one evening, he observed a company of young ladies from the seminary, many of whom lie knew to be deeply sohcitous for their sal- vation. Modestly approaching them, he poured forth the feelings of his soul for them, in alternate exhortation to them and prayers to God that they might believe and Uve. " Do, do, dear youth," he cried, " repent of your sins and go to the Sa- viour. Go now. Don't delay. He will ac- cept you. Paul was a great sinner and he was accepted, and so you may be." Re- minded by his minister that it was time for him to retire, he turned from this interest- ing circle of youth, raising a most impres- sive ejaculation to God for their salvation. His efforts were not confined or limited here. Remembering his own ignorance and degradation, and knowing the power of the gospel of the grace of God, he de- spaired of the salvation of no one, however JACOB HODGES. 79 Ignorant and degraded lie was accus- tomed to visit certain families that most other Christians had overlooked, as it" they had long and by common consent been abandoned to the ways ot" unrighteousness. One family in particular excited his mte- rest. They were notoriously liardened and degraded in sin. Jacob, taking his own IJible in his hand, would sj)end evening after evening at their own house, reason- ing with them out of the Scriptures and luging, m his modest yet earnest way, the importance of tiieir reformation and re- pentance. They liad wholly neglected the Bible, and seldom if ever attended religious service at the house of (lod. lie would spend hours m reading to them the Scrij)- tures, and beseech them to go with him to the place of public prayer. He seemed letermmed not to relimiuish his object, l)ut pressed upon them, almost daily, the value of religion. His labours were not in vain. The son, perhaps the most unpromising of all, became awakened to his lost and riun- ed condition, in his gross darkness and f 80 JACOB HODGES. deep distress, he came at once to Jacob for advice. Jacob could only encourage him to resolute etibrts and point him to Christ. He went with him to the meeting for inquiry and to his minister, till ulti- mately he was numbered among the hope- fully converted. The mother soon became interested for her own salvation, and was at length brought to embrace the offers of life in the Redeemer. The father was next apparently reached by the Spirit of God, through the labours of their faithful friend Jacob. The mother and son are now mem- bers of the church, and the father is great- ly changed in his habits of life, if not actu- ally renewed by the Spirit of God. How many others may be found at last, saved through the humble labours of this pray- ing African, is known only to him who blesses the feeblest efforts of his saints. Jacob's sense of gratitude and his love for his friends were uncommonly ardent and strong, and I never heard of an ex- pression of unkindness falling from his lips. To his last hours, he could not speak JACOB HODGES. 81 of the superintendent and chaplain of the prison at Aiihurn hut willi tears of thank- ful and alfectionatc remenihrance. Of Mr. Dwight, who so often visited him hoth in prison and after his release, he always spoke in terms of ardent attachment, call- ing him uniformly " My friend Mr. Doit." To him he consented to bequeath his** pri- son Bible," as he called it, when he should die. While every tiling was manly and decorous, there was a touching tenderness and warmth of interest and love for his ministers and those Christian friends who were accustomed to see him most often and to iiupiire aficr his spiritual prosperity. Last summer I recpiested him to give me the history of his whole life. At first he hesitateil and positively declined, say- ing, " It distresses me to think of it." And his whole frame seemed to tremble, as his eye rested upon me, as if lie was astonished that I should ask him to re- hearse his crimes. I told him it might do good, and that 1 would make no improper use of it. He then consented, and went 82 JACOB HODGES. minutely into his whole history, which cor- responded with great accuracy to the re- cords of the court in which he was tried for murder, and the sketches which have been preserved of his hfe and rehgious ex- perience while in prison. Could all that he said, warmed with the emotion with which it was uttered, be written down just as it fell from his lips ; could some pencil pahit the varied expres- sions of his care-worn and sable counte- nance, with the beamings and tears of his expressive eye ; the suppressed heavings of his heart, with his marked gratitude for grace and mercy, no one could doubt that Jacob Hodges was a man of penitence, a man of prayer, a man of God. I never was more impressed and overawed by the dignity of Christian character, or saw more distinctly drawn the living symbols of the grace of God. This interview seemed to call forth afresh his confidence in me as his friend and adviser, and to secure warmer attach- ment. As I was leaving the place, Jacob JACOn HODGES. S3 came running to the carriage, to bid fare- well to liis master and mistress, as he called iLs. We saw him then for the last time. In February following, he was taken sick and suddenly died. And though no earthly relations were near him, many felt that they had lost an unwavering, Cliristian friend. The chunh saw one of her best and njost useful members removed. The day he was burieil was intensely cold and stormy. Some of the most re- sp(>etable gentlemen of the' village bore him to his irrave, while tJthers lelt it a ])rivileL'e and honour to attmd him to liis restini^-place among the dead. A friend and nc-iiilibour placed a silver plate upon his collin, with the inscription, — (J.VCOn lioDGES, A RKsrECTAIU.E CO- LOI^REI) MAN, AGED EIGHTY.) lie rests from his labours, and his works do lollow him. On the Sabl).'itli following- Jacob's de- cease, the Kev. Mr. Thompson, wlio suc- ceetled the author in the pastoral relation 84 JACOB HODGES. at Canandaigua, paid the following tri- bute to tlie memory of this servant of Christ. " Two weeks ago to-morrow Jacob spent not less than two hours with me in my study. We had much conversation in relation to himself. Among other things, he said, and from the connexion in which he said it, I know that it was not in the spirit of boasting, ' I have now lived ten years in Canandaigua : every body knows black Jacob, at least by sight, and I challenge all, men, women and children, to say, if I have ever injured any body, or done anything inconsistent with my profession, except that I have not been as humble and as much like my blessed Master as I ought to have been : and this I know better than anybody can tell me; and I am ashamed and mourn for it.' This was saying much ; more, I fear, than many of us dare say ; but we must all confess that it was a safe chal- lenge for Jacob. " Some things I would particularly say JACOB HODaSft. 8S of him, as furnishing examples well wortliy of imitution. "//e was a iiuin oj prayer, lie began his Cliristian course with a strong sense of his dependence upon (lod ; perhaj^s there was something in the peciihar (hlli- cullies which he had to overcome, tliat li'd lum in a j)eculiar manner to reahze this trulh ; certam it is tijat lie «hd reahze it more than almost any other Christian I ever knew ; and as a necessary conse- quence, he prayed more than most other Christians. Those; of you who have hrard liis eloquent ])leadings willi Clod in the prayor-moetinir, need no other evi- dence that tlie exercise was a familiar one. How often has the remark been made, that one of Jacob's prayers was enough to change the character of an otherwise dull and spiritless meeting. How full and fervent were his petitions! How near to the throne he always seemed to get. Think that it was not till he was in prison that he learned to read ; then re- member liow chosen was his language. 86 JACOB HODGES. how exceedingly fine it was sometimes; how apt and abundant were his quota- tions from Scripture ; how well he would adapt himself in prayer to the peculiar circumstances of the time, and you must be convinced that he was thoroughly practised in the duty. ^' Jacob was a very humble Christian. You may say that he had much reason to be humble ; so had he many temptations to be proud. You know with what marked respect he has always been treated among us, and he was the object of very general interest, so that strangers, visiting the place, have sought to be introduced to him. Many times I have been appre- hensive that he would be injured by the attentions which he received, but I never discovered that he was. He did not seem disposed, on any occasion, to put himself improperly forward, or anxious to attract notice. The memory of what he had been seemed always to be present with him. Many of you will remember that thrilling scene in our lecture room, a year JACOB HODGES. 87 ago, just previous to our precious revival : when as we were about to separate under most disheartening circumstances, Jacob was invited to address us. You have not forgot that truly eloquent and overwhelm- ing appeal which seemed to shake the very house in which we were assembled, while the whole congregation was con- vulsed with weeping. You remember the words with which he began : *■ My masters and mistresses, for I dare not call you my brethren and sisters.' There was breathed the spirit of the man, and I never knew him to appear to cherish any other. " There was a pecuharity in his prayers which you must have noticed. In that part of them wiiich consisted of confes- sion, he always used the lirst person sin- gular. He seemed to think lliat his con- fession of sin could only be appropriate for himself He often alluded to the past with expressions of the most profound abhorrence and shame. Sometimes he spoke of his crime, but it was always with such evident pain, that it was dis- 88 JACOB HODGES. tressiiig even to hear him. I have seen him seized with violent trembling at the bare mention of that subject. " He has said to me, ' Master, I do be- Ueve that my heavenly Father loves me, but how wonderful it is that he should love me. I cannot love myself: it seems to me that nobody ever sinned against him as I have done." ^' Jacob ivas an earnest Christian. He was constantly examining himself. Every sermon he heard, he sought to apply someway as a test of his own character; and he was never satisfied unless he saw evidence that he was growing in grace. To this end, he was diligent in his use of all the means of grace. Until his health began to fail, during the present season, he was very rarely absent from any reli- gious meeting ; and his familiarity with the Scriptures, acquired by the constant perusal of them, was truly wonderful. When I have met him and inquired after his health, nothing was more common than for him to reply in some such terms JACOB HODGES. B9 as these ; showing the channel m which his thoughts habitually flowed. * Very well, master, in body, but this wicked Jieart ; I want a great deal more grace.* He complained mucli of a disposition to worldliness. ' Mis little matters of busi- ness engrossed so nuich of liis attention, he was compelled,* he said, * to pray con- tinually against it. Hp wondered how rich Christians could keep along.* ^'' Jacob was a useful Christ iaji. Such a one could hardly be otherwise. It may be said of him, ' He hath done what he could.' There are not a few in this vil- lage who owe their conversion, under God, to his faithfulness, and I doubt not there are many who are ready to rise up and call him blessed. "His uniform and consistent life of piety cannot but have had a happy inlluence on all who observed him. He loved and longed to do good. I once asked him why he was so anxious to be rendering services to me, for he was constantly in- quiring if he could not do something for 8* 90 JACOB HODGES. me. His reply was, that it seemed almost the same as if he was preaching the gos- pel, when he was helping his minister. " There is an anecdote of him, highly illustrative of his character, which, though a proper place has not seemed to occur for it in this hurried sketch, I am unwill- ing to omit, because it shows so strikingly his feelings on a subject, in relation to which every Christian ought continually to examine himself Some two years ago he had a violent attack of the same dis- order (inflammation of the lungs) of which he died ; and it was supposed then that he could not recover. In one of the many delightful interviews which I had with him, I recollect to have asked him this question, ' Are you quite sure, Jacob, that you hate sin ?' I never can forget the earnestness of his manner, and the pecu- liar expression of his eye, as he rose up quick in his bed and stretching out his arms, exclaimed, ^ Master, I do hate my very flesh on account of sin.' "His death, at the time it occurred, was JACOB HODGES. 91 anticipated but a very few liours;. I saw liirn on Monday, and had much conversa- tion with him, though without any suspi- cion of the nearness of his end. lie n.'ferred to the lectures wliich I had been dehvering weekly, for some month.^' past, on Christian experience, and said they iiad been greatly serviceable to him. He told mo tliat hn had been led by them to go over the whole ^routid again, and to examine himself, to use his own language, 'all over anew, from beginning to end, 10 see whetlier he was on the sure fuunda- lion, *''\Vell, Jacob,' I said, 'and what is your conclusion?' " ' I think,' he replied, ' that it is all rii^ht, master.' " *Then you think,' I contiinied, Mhat you are rutuiing no risk, if you die now?' " * Not any,' was his prompt reply, ' Christ is able and faithful.' "To one who went into his room, the last morning of his life, to ask how he 92 JACOB HODGES. felt, and if he needed any thing, he simply said, *0, 1 want more grace in my heart.' " His last hours were passed in a state of unconscious stupor, and at six o'clock in the evening, he expired." About two weeks after the remains of Jacob had been buried, the credulous coloured people of the village circulated reports that his body had been removed from the grave for the purpose of dissec- tion. To silence this conjecture, his grave was opened. His coffin was found undis- turbed, and as the shroud was unfolded from his cold remains, he was reposing iu the sweet sleep of death, awaiting the re- surrection of the just. I have recently returned from the place of his residence, and from a visit to his grave. I felt that I was standing amid many of the congregation to which, for years, I had proclaimed the gospel of Christ. The oldest, and many of the best of the church Avere sleeping around me, and yet among them all, there was none who, for ardent piety, for simple faith, for < '^ -"• J?. 'I' €^r JACOB HODGES. 93 an humble, holy walk with God, had gone to ihu grave with brighter evidence of meeting Christ at his coining in glory, than Jacob Hodges. Ill the month of May last, the anni- VLTsary of the American Prison Discipline Society was held in the city of Boston. 1 was invited to be present, in conse- (jucnce of my past relation and intimate acquaintance with Jacob. Jacob's " prison Bible," which he had bequeathed to his friend, Mr. D wight, arrived just before the exercises were conunenced. This was the Bible which had been the only companion of his dreary cell. The only book lie ever read. '/'//(/Z /ii^/c, which had rested by his head while he slept, "that had guided him to Christ ; dear to him almost as his own soul." It was held up before a crowded congregation ; it demanded no supersti- tious reverence, as a consecrated relic, but deeply impressed upon every beholder the prcciousness and power of the truth 94 JACOB HODGES. of God to enlighten the bhnded, to guide the erring and to save the lost. Christian respect and aftection have or- dered a tomb-stone to be erected at the grave of Jacob, to bear the following in- scription : JACOB HODGES, AN AFRICAN NEGRO, Born to poverty and ignorance .- Early tempted to sin by designing and wicked men .• Once condemned as a felon .• Converted by the grace of God^ in prison .• Lived many years a consistent and useful Christian: Died, Feb. 1842, In the faith of the gospel: Aged about 80 years. IHE END. * ' ^ "^ ♦ -^ (3 o 4.'- ^ o - <. , <» ^ . ' ' • , ■^-o 1-1 • o <> C^ - FLA. xO^J. ^*^'^^:.