Liberty County, Georgia - Special Events - Revivals, 1903

Though not in the habit of holding protracted meetings, yet the church has frequently been visited with the outpouring of the Spirit and precious seasons of revival. The . following account of some of these revivals is from the pen of Rev. T. S. Winn, a native of the county, and for seven years co-pastor of the church: ;

Dear Bro. Stacy: - Some few- weeks ago you wrote me, asking of me some account of the previous seasons of revival - of religion that had occurred in my day, in connection with the old Midway church, of Liberty county, Ga. I have thought over the matter and will give you a brief statement - of some of the facts as my memory can recall them.

1. The first of those ''seasons of revivals'' of which I have any distinct recollection occurred at Midway, about 1827, the pastor, Rev. Robert Quarterman, being assisted, I think, by Dr. Joseph Stiles, then in the prime of his manhood. Being then a little boy and not an eye witness, I will tell it as reported to me by some of the older ones of the community. It was spoken of as a meeting of uncommon power, bringing into the church such persons as Messrs. John B. Mallard, Samuel Spencer, Sr., Ezra Stacy, Rev. James Dunwoody, and many others, who afterwards led very useful lives.

relative of mine, who was so much troubled that formonths it was feared by his friends that he would lose his balance of mind. In the midst of it he visited my mother, and in the silent hours of the night on his bed he obtained a hope of salvation through Christ. Arousing the family he sent a half mile distant for Mr. Thomas Mallard, an aged deacon of the church, to come and hear the glad tidings, ''and there was joy in that city." I was then a little boy lying on my bed, and not. understanding the import of what was going on around I witnessed the most touching scene of my life. It reminds me of ''Paul and Silas at midnight in the prison of Philippi singing praises unto God." Tomy youthful mind, it seemed mysteriously wonderful and sublimely beautiful. This people in those days were greatly in earnest and made no child's play of religion. In speaking of the meeting many years after, I heard Mr. Stiles tell of two deadly enemies meeting in the aisles of the church in the presence of the congregation embracing and becoming reconciled.

then a branch of the Midway congregation, probably about the year 1832. That meeting was begun by Mr. Stiles, and in a week or so after was renewed by Rev. Daniel Baker, D. D., and finally closed by Rev. Josiah Law, of the Baptist church. In all, it must have lasted several weeks, and wasa mighty outpouring of the Spirit's influence. I can think of such persons as Messrs. John E. Ward, Peter Winn, Augustus Bacon, Patrick H. Mell, Charles West, jr., Josiah Dunham, of Darien, and many other promising young men, who were professedly converted. Several of them became ministers of the gos pel or occupied other high positions inlife. Its influence on the village was very happy. The meeting lasted several weeks. The exercises began every day with a sun-

8. The third one of these revivals of religion was at Midway in December of the same year, when the pastor, Mr. Quarterman, was assisted at least in the first part of the services by such ministers as Rev. Horace Pratt, Messrs. Engles, and Dwight, of middle Georgia, Rev. Samuel Law, (Baptist), and by Rev. S. J. Cassels, who did most of the preaching. Mr. Cassels was then in the bloom of youthful vigor, and preached with energy, pathos, eloquence, and soon manifested, that many sent home for provisions and - bedding and camped on the ground, the only such meeting ever held at that place. No where else have I ever seen such ~ exhorting layman; and old man Sharper, thecolored preacher, was not idle. Assembling his people under a bush arbor he thundered forth the law and the gospel by day and by night. It was one of the most remarkable revivals, I presume, that ever occurred in Georgia. Mr. Cassels, who seemed to be the leading spirit there, accomplished probably was most favorable. For years after, there seemed to be a silent work of grace going on all of the time. At that meeting such persons as Messrs. S. M. Varnedoe, John Jones,

R. Q. Way, Joseph W. Bacon, and Dr. J. M. B. Harden, with a great many more of like sort were brought into the fold of Christ ; some of them, may be all, shining bright to the end of Tife. %

4. The fourth revival took place at Flemington, proba: bly about the year 1836, under the ministrations of Rey. Robert Quarterman, senior pastor of the church, then residing at that place, when such persons as Mr. T..Q. Cassels, - Col. Artemas Baker, Capt. Moody, Mrs. Sarah Baker, Miss Mary Bacon, Miss Mary Quarterman, and a goodly num- -

_ That revival was deep, pungent, powerful, and lasting; _ though it was noiseless, and hardly heard of at the time beyond the precincts of the village. It began and continued under the ordinary means of grace, and was purely a work of divine power, with very little of human agency visible. It continued more or less for a whole year, and probably called forth not a single extra public service. I doubt very much if the village of Flemington has to this day lost the hallowed influence of that precious season of unusual grace. It made them notable for spirituality as a branch of the large Midway congregation.

5. The fifth of those special seasons of revival, of which Ihave a distinct recollection occurred at Walthourville again under the preaching of Dr. Stiles. Its influence seemed to have been confined mostly to the young ladies of Miss Pyncheon's school, the boys and young men, in the main,

I remember one Sabbath night Dr. Stiles, after preaching, held in the church an inquiry meeting for the interested ones, which was attended only by the young ladies, the boys and wild young men standing about the doors of the church making many disparaging remarks. Mr. Stiles, I presume, hearing all that was said, through others, the next night in the conclusion of his sermon, left the pulpit and standing on the bottom step in a few feet of where the youngsters were congregated, repeated to them all that had been said, and then poured on them a volume of the most scathing rebuke I ever listened to, all to the delight of the congregation in general, but to the terror of the boys. Fired with holy indignation and love for souls, he gave them a tongue lashing that they never forgot. Sitting myself amongst them, though in truth innocent, I never felt so guilty in my life. The address was 2bout fifteen minutes in length, but it seemed to me to have been more than fifteen hours. It was like one of John Randolph's scathing congressional lashings of his opponents in the halls of the National Assembly. In short, it withered all before it. Self condemned, I never morning, but not before taking the fort, and so far as I know never returned to preach in the county until sent there twenty-two years after as an evangelist, by the Synod of certainly signalized his departure from us by his tongue lashing of the boys in the corner of the church, a place then familiarly known as the "'Bull pen.'"' '"'The young bullocks,

That meeting, I think, was in 1834 or 1835. The impression which that man left on my youthful mind, from his numerous ministrations in the Midway congregation was, that he was a prince among preachers, the most consecrated and holy, the most unselfish and noble minded, and the greatest intellect that the United States ever produced. And nothing has since occurred to change my opinion. Peace be to his ashes. a

6. I will mention another precious season, not so fruitful in immediate results, but pleasant to contemplate. In the summer of 1838 Messrs. S. J. Cassels and the saintly and lovely George Howe, being on a visit to friends in the county, commenced a meeting in Walthourville, Messrs. Quarterman and I. S. K. Axson, D. D., being then co-pastors of us 'a feast of fat things.' On Sabbath night of the meeting Mr. Cassels preached one of his most interesting sermons from a text in John 3:12. After the close of the services my old friend and kinsman, Mr. Thos. W. Fleming, hastened to the pulpit and entreated with tears in his eyes that the 'meeting be continued, for the benefit of his own unconverted _ kindred according to the flesh. The ministers were willing ___to go on, but on consultation with some of the older members, it was deemed advisable to stop just there. I have often thought it was a happy opportunity left unimproved. They stopped where they ought to have begun, for the gen- ___eralinterest was beginuing to be very great. Many of the _ dry bones in the valley were being stirred. I remember that __- mine were in a quiescent state, and the stopping of the meeting was somewhat ofa relief to some. But if the voice of the preacher was silenced, the work of the Spirit went on. Impressions then made, under the after - ordinary means of grace, brought a goodly number of the unconverted into the kingdom of Christ; such as Mrs. John B. Barnard, Mrs. Jesse Cooper, Mrs. Mary Leonard. There was a general noiseless religious awakening throughout the community that toldin time. The precious seed sown yielded its fruit in God's own way and time. aes 7. ButIcan not stop yet. Thereis another great work -. ot grace to tell of in connection with the old church of our fathers. In the month of December, 1841, Messrs. Quarterman and Axson, still co-pastors, held a meeting at Midway, in connection with their fall communion season, which resulted in glorious things. It was but little, if any, inferior in fruit to the campmeeting of 1831. It shook the strongholds of Satan, bringing into the church such old veterans as Col. William Maxwell, Capt. Joseph Jones, Mr. Irwin : Rahn, John Andrews, Joseph M. Quarterman, and many noble ladies. People were so enthused, that during the meet- _ ing they seemed loth to leave the place after the services of -. the day were closed. I saw scores of them standing around the church door in a drizzling rain talking ofthe great things God had done for them and theirs. One might go into the graveyard during the intermission of services and he would see ladies in little groups falling on their knees in prayer. At the next communion in February, 1842, including the colored people, there were between fifty and sixty accessions to the church. In this meeting the pastors, aided chiefly by

Previous to this, Milway as a preaching station was - rather lagging behind. It had begun to be a question if it were not better to remove the church to some of the villages olden times, which she held to the close of the civil war. The centripetal force prevailed over the centrifugal, and Midway again stood erect in her position of solemn grandeur sgh ea the churches of the world.

Midway, and many additions were made to the church, under the preaching of Messrs. B. F. Burroughs and S.J. Cassels. It was considered a precious season. Mr. Cassels a dying man to dying men, and greatly moved the masses. It was his last effort in connection with protracted meetings on earth, and it was well done.

aside and hindered from preaching by a serious protracted affection of the throat. All the responsibilities of the large church falling on the shoulders of the junior pastor,! he was naturally intimidated and began casting about on the right and left looking for help. Just then, in the nick of time, appeared in our midst Rev. Daniel Baker, D. D., then living in Texas. It was a return to his native home after an absence of seventeen years, then in the sixty-third year of his age, with his eye undimmed and his natural force unabated. Ever ready to preach, he was at once put into service, and, in the course of about two weeks preached every day and night in all parts of the congregation, at Midway, Dorchester, North Newport, (Baptist) Walthourville and Flemington.

moved, and continued so for at least two years, up to the time of my departure from the community in February, 1855. It seemed to be a genuine revival of religion among themselves. During these two years they came all the time, late at nights, from the surrounding plantations to me and to others appointed for the purpose, to receive religious instruction. I think the records of the church will show that between March, 1853, and March, 1855, there were one hundred and fifty or possibly two hundred accessions to the church from that class of the population.

and left about the last of February, 1855. About a week after my departure, the church being then under the pastoral care of Rev. D. L. Buttolph, D. D., there was a meeting at Midway of very great power, when there were large accessions to the church. Not being present, I know nothing of the interesting events connected therewith. I think Dr. B. M. Palmer, then on a visit to the place, was the leading spirit of the meeting. They told me of strong men trembling under the power of the truth as proclaimed by him.

I have thus given you in compliance with your request, some of the chief items of the ''precious revivals in old Midway church,' as happened during my residence in that county. With the exception of a few occasional visits to the home of my nativity, an absence of forty years forbids any further attempt in that line.

Perhaps it is proper for me in conclusion to add, that the people of the Midway congregation were never strong advocates for protracted meetings. In the main they were rather afraid of them. They preferred a slower and lesser growth. They relied mostly on the ordinary means of grace, backed by judicious home»~government and instruction. Most ofthe protracted meetings mentioned in this pastor, but grew out of circumstances over which the members and officers had no control. In fact, they were the followings of the leadings of Providence. Minister orno minister present, they kept the sanctuary open every Sabbath. Bible classes, Sunday-schools, prayer meetings, and catechetical instruction, were the order of the day. Her strength and secret of success lay mostly in the orderly and faithful family government of her people. ''Train upa child in the way in which he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.'' Without this home influence her great meetings would never have been half so successful.

But it is sad to think that the things I have been relating are now things of the past, and that the doors of the old organization as handed down to us by our fathers are now closed. You have well said, ''It is a theme for the poet and subject for the pen of the historian.'"" And under present circumstances it now devolves upon you to take the pen of the historian and complete the record.