USA > Indiana > Indiana miscellany : consisting of sketches of Indian life, the early settlement, customs, and hardships of the people, and the introduction of the gospel and of schools ; together with biographical notices of the pioneer Methodist preachers of the state > Part 15
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REV. JAMES HAVENS.
the industry, frugality, and economy of his excellent wife he continued in the itinerancy, gave his chil- dren a fair education, supported them decently, and accumulated a handsome little property upon which he and his wife could lean for support in the time of old age. When and where did James Havens neg- lect his appropriate work because his family were located? The abundant blessings God bestowed upon him are evidences that his course was appro- bated by the Great Head of the Church.
In 1826 he was appointed to Whitewater circuit, where he traveled two years. In 1828 he was ap- pointed to Rushville circuit. His health having to some extent failed, in consequence of his abundant labors, he was returned the next year to Rushville in charge as supernumerary, with a colleague to assist. In 1830, not having recovered his health, he was continued in a supernumerary relation and appointed in charge of Whitewater circuit with a colleague.
At the close of this year he was so broken down in health that notwithstanding his burning zeal in his Master's cause he was compelled to yield and take a superannuated relation. After resting a month or two, and recruiting his health a little, such was his unquenchable desire to be actively engaged to do something for the good of mankind and the glory of God that he took an agency from the "American Sunday School Union." In this de- partment he labored till toward the close of the
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Conference year, traveling quite extensively, organ- izing Sunday schools, and arousing the people on the subject of the great Sunday school enterprise. The next year, 1832, his relation was changed to that of supernumerary, and he was appointed Con- ference agent. In 1833 he was made effective, and appointed presiding elder of Madison district. The next year he was appointed presiding elder of Indi- anapolis district, where he continued four years. Having served the disciplinary term on the Indian- apolis district, he was, in 1837, appointed agent for the "Preachers' Aid Society." At the close of this Conference year he was appointed presiding elder of Centerville district, and the next year to Con- nersville district. At the close of this year he was appointed to Indianapolis district, where he con- tinued as presiding elder four years, when he was appointed to Rushville station. This had been his home since he came to Indiana. Here he had been preaching more or less each year for twenty years, and yet the people received him gladly. The next year he was stationed at Greensburg; in 1846 at Laurel. During this year his station was blessed with one of the most powerful revivals ever known in the Whitewater country. As the work continued from day to day it increased in interest and in power, till at the hour of service sinners by scores went forward to the altar without an invitation and kneeled down to be prayed for before the serv- ices had regularly commenced. " Mr. Havens was
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returned to Laurel the following year. At the close of this year he was appointed to Greensburg dis- trict, which he traveled three years, and was then appointed presiding elder of Indianapolis district, which he traveled four years, when he was ap- pointed Conference missionary.
Time and toil wore down his physical system till he was constrained to retire from the active work and take a superannuated relation, which he sus- tained to the close of his long and useful itinerant life. Though superannuated he did not cease preach- ing. He was called for in various places to assist at quarterly and protracted meetings, to preach funeral, missionary, and dedication sermons.
No man has done more for the moral and relig- ious advancement of the citizens of Indiana than Mr. Havens. When he came to the State there was much wickedness-intemperance, gambling, and profanity. Against these and all other vices he took a decided stand, attacking them wherever he went. He shunned not to declare the whole counsel of God, "giving to saint and sinner their portion in due season." He was bold and resolute-was never known to quail before an enemy. If he did not succeed in accomplishing whatever he undertook, it was because he could not. He only failed after having put forth all his strength.
An incident occurred when he was a boy twelve or fourteen years of age which made a deep impres- sion upon his mind and taught him a lesson that
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profited him in all after life-never to despair or cease his efforts to accomplish a good thing as long as he had any strength left. The family were mov- ing. The country was new. They came to a river some two hundred yards wide which had to be ferried. The wagon and team, stock, and family had all been ferried across save James, who, for some reason, had been left behind. The ferry-boat had by some means become disabled, so that it could not be taken back after him. Night was approaching. There was no house near to which he could go for protection and shelter. There seemed to be no alternative but for James to swim the river or remain alone among ravenous beasts through the night, and till the boat could be re- paired the next day. His father, speaking to him across the river, asked him "if he could swim it." He said he "would try." He put into the water. The current, which was rapid, carried him down stream. He became discouraged, finding his strength giving way. But his father walked slowly down the river on the bank for which he was struggling, and constantly encouraged him by saying, "Don't be discouraged, my son; you'll come out. Don't be discouraged, James; you'll reach the shore." These words of encouragement from his father nerved him afresh, and putting forth all his remain- ing strength he reached the shore much exhausted, and was assisted from the water by his father. This incident he frequently referred to in conversa-
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tion in after life as being an important period in his life.
When he traveled a circuit in Ohio, there was one neighborhood in which the men generally were so rough and wicked that no one had made an effort to establish religious worship among them. Mr. Havens determined to give them a trial, and accord- ingly made an appointment to preach in a school- house in the neighborhood. The wicked inhabitants sent a message informing him that he should not preach, and if he made his appearance on that day they would mob him. As the time drew near his friends tried to dissuade him from his purpose, but he was resolved to fill his appointment or fail after every effort he was capable of making had been put forth. When the day arrived he took a few faith- ful friends and went to the school-house. When they arrived there they found the door locked and a large company of men, with a jug of whisky, in the yard. They threatened what they would do if he attempted to preach. Mr. Havens stepped upon a log near by and told them he had come to preach, and, by Divine assistance, intended to do so. He dared any of them to cross a pole which lay a little way in front of him till he invited them. He then announced the following text: "Yea, the light of the wicked shall be put out, and the spark of his fire shall not shine. The light shall be dark in his tabernacle, and his candle shall be put out with him. The steps of his strength shall be straitened,
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and his own counsel shall cast him down. For he is cast into a net by his own feet, and he walketh upon a snare. The gin shall take him by the heel, and the robber shall prevail against him. The snare is laid for him in the ground, and a trap for him in the way. Terrors shall make him afraid on every side, and shall drive him to his feet. His strength shall be hunger-bitten, and destruction shall be ready at his side." Job xviii, 5-12. While he poured out the terrors of the law not a man dared to move toward him, but many of them turned pale and stood trembling, while some wept freely. At the conclusion of his sermon he told them "if they desired to escape the damnation of hell, and would obtain mercy and pardon, and be prepared for heaven, to come and kneel down at the log upon which he stood and he would pray for them." Several came. His victory was complete.
We give another incident: In the bounds of a circuit which he traveled in Ohio, there lived a pious lady whose husband was so desperately wicked that he would not allow her to hold membership in any Church, nor suffer any minister to visit her. He owned a large farm and kept a distillery, em- ploying many hands. He was a man of great mus- cular power, and was when enraged feared by most men. This pious lady's health declined till she was prostrated upon her bed. Mr. Havens desired to visit her, but his friends thought if he did he would get himself into trouble, and accomplish no good.
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Reflecting upon the subject for some time, he felt it his duty to go, and resolved to make the attempt. His plan was to spend a night at her residence. He selected a friend to accompany him. They arrived at the place a little before the going down of the sun. He introduced himself to the lady, telling her who he was, and had some religious conversation with her. She expressed great gratification in see- ing and enjoying with him a few minutes' conversa- tion on the subject of religion, but said she could not invite him to stay all night, as her husband would not allow it. He told her to give herself no uneasiness on that subject, that he had come to stay all night and that he expected to do so.
He and his friend went out and put their horses in the stable, but did not venture to feed them. A little after dark the lady's husband came in with his hired hands from the farm. When he entered the room his wife introduced him to Mr. Havens. He immediately commenced abusing preachers, saying none had ever staid about his house, and never should. Mr. Havens informed him that he need feel no uneasiness on that account so far as he was concerned, that he had simply come in the discharge of his duty as a minister, to visit his sick wife. In a short time supper was announced in an adjoining room. This man and his hired men commenced gathering around the table, but no invitation was given to the visitors. Mr. Havens passed quickly into the room and took a seat at the table. As
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soon as he was seated he commenced asking a bless- ing. The landlord, who had not yet taken a seat, stood in amazement. While they were eating sup- per he continued his attacks upon religious people, particularly upon the Methodists, and very particu- larly upon Methodist preachers. Mr. Havens occa- sionally parried his thrusts. When supper was over, as they passed into the room where the sick woman lay, the husband said to Mr. Havens: "Well, you asked a blessing at my table, but you sha' n't pray in my house." He had no sooner spoken the words than Mr. Havens said, "Let us pray," and drop- ping upon his knees offered up a most earnest prayer, in which he presented the case of the sick lady, telling the Lord of her sufferings and trials, asking that grace might be vouchsafed unto her, and that God would have mercy upon her husband, and bless him and the children of the family. Dur- ing the prayer the landlord stood aghast. At its conclusion he called his hired men and went off to the still-house.
Mr. Havens spent the evening till bedtime in re- ligious conversation with the sick lady and her children. He and his friend were directed to lodge in a bedroom at the end of a long portico. Late in the night they heard the landlord with some of his hired men returning from the still-house. It was not long till they heard horses running in the barn- yard and dogs baying them. Mr. Havens said to his friend, "That fellow has turned our horses out
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of the stable, and is trying to dog them off. We must go and see to it." His friend pleaded to remain where they were-that it would be hazardous to go out, but he said, "No; we must go and see after them." They arose, and quickly dressing themselves went out to the barn-yard. Sure enough, the land- lord was there hissing his dogs on their horses. Mr. Havens said to him, "Sir, what are you dogging our horses for?" The reply was, "You were too cursed lazy to feed them, and they have broken down my stable door and got out." " Very well," said Mr. Havens, "if that is all that is lacking we will at- tend to that now," and accordingly put them in the stable and gave them plenty of corn and hay. They then returned to the house and lay down again. The next morning they arose early and were pre- paring to depart when the landlord told them they could not leave till after breakfast. Said he, "You would stay all night, and you would pray, now you shall pray this morning, and have your breakfast before you go." They cheerfully consented.
Mr. Havens prayed with the family before break- fast, and when they were all seated at the table the landlord very politely invited him to ask a blessing. When they were about leaving the landlord said to Mr. Havens, " You are the only preacher that ever prayed in my house, or staid all night with me. Whenever you are passing this way call on me, and I will treat you like a gentleman." We give these incidents to show a prominent trait in Mr. Havens's
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character-a resolute will, a firmness of purpose to accomplish whatever he undertook.
He was a man of great power in prayer. Often while praying before preaching, Divine power so rested upon the congregation that sinners were made to tremble and the pious were filled with the love of God. He made it his rule to ask the Lord for whatever he needed. An incident occurred when he was preparing to enter the itinerancy which greatly encouraged him in all his after life to go to the Lord with all his wants. He was somewhat in debt, but had a sufficient amount in good promissory notes if he could cash them for any thing near what they called for to pay all his in- debtedness. Times were hard and money scarce. There was but one man in all the region where he lived who paid cash for promissory notes. He was very wicked, and when he found a man in straitened circumstances he shaved him without stint, sometimes to half the amount of the face of the note. There was no alternative for Mr. Havens in raising the amount of money necessary to meet his indebtedness but to go to this extortioner. On his way he turned aside from the road, alighted from his horse, got down upon his knees and told the Lord his circumstances, that he was preparing to enter the itinerancy to call sinners to repentance; that he needed money to pay his debts, and earn- estly besought him to soften the heart of the man to whom he was going, and influence him to let him
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have what money he needed at a reasonable per cent. When he reached the residence of the man he wished to see, he told him he was preparing for the itinerancy ; that he had some good notes and wanted them cashed, as he was in need of money, and requested him to discount them as lightly as possible. The man took his notes, looked at them a moment, then went to his drawer, counted out the money and returned, saying, "Havens, I believe you are an honest man. You say you want to pay your debts and then go and preach. Here, I'll give you the face of your notes." And so he did, dollar for dollar.
Mr. Havens was particularly in his element when conducting the services at a camp meeting. On such occasions his great power over an audience, his ability to command were more fully developed. He was one of the best generals that ever took command of God's sacramental host on an encamp- ment. When he had to come in contact with those who were disposed to violate the rules adopted for the government of such meetings, he never suf- fered a defeat. On one occasion, when he was hold- ing a camp meeting on the southern border of Marion county, a huckster came and established himself with his commodities a short distance from the encampment, in violation of the law. Mr. Havens went to him and requested him to leave and go to a more remote distance, where he would not, by his traffic, produce disturbance. He refused
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to do so, and threatened if he was not let alone he would, with the whisky he had aboard, make drunk enough men to go to the encampment and drive the Methodists, preachers and people, from the ground. Mr. Havens left him and returned to the encampment, had the trumpet sounded and the peo- ple collected at the stand as quickly as possible. He told them what the huckster threatened to do, and called upon the young men in the audience to know if they were going to allow their mothers, wives, and sisters to be insulted and driven off the ground in that way. "No! no! no!" was re- sponded from every part of the audience. One young man arose and said, " Mr. Havens, we will rout him. Come on, boys!" and, leading the way, some two hundred young men followed him. They proceeded to the huckster's establishment and in- formed him that he must leave immediately. He said " he reckoned not." They told him " it was even so." He proposed to go in a few hours. They said, " Now, immediately, or we will stamp your traps in the ground beneath our feet." They made him pack up and move instanter. They followed him some distance, and then warned him what the con- sequences would be in case he returned.
In fighting Satan at a camp meeting, if Mr. Havens did not succeed by one mode of attack he would change his tactics, and try another way. We give one instance: He was holding a camp meet- ing in Hamilton county. It had been in progress
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several days, but the Church had gained no decided victory. The camp-ground had been occupied for several years. Some of the meetings held there had not been very successful. Mr. Havens called "a council of war." He proposed to the preachers to fight the battle the approaching night upon new ground-not in the old altar. Said he, "We have fought the devil there till he understands that ground as well as we do; we will take him by surprise to- night." His plan of battle was agreed upon. The encampment was large, the tents inclosing much more space than was filled up with seats. He ordered several posts planted in the open space upon which to place lights, and a quantity of straw to be spread upon the ground where the light-posts stood, then a number of benches were brought and placed upon the straw. While these preparations were being made the people looked on with wonder and amazement. The inquiry was frequently made, " What does this mean ? what are they going to do here ?" but Mr. Havens and his preachers did not reveal the plan of battle. About the going down of the sun, he ordered prayer meetings commenced in various tents in different parts of the encamp- ment, and appointed skillful men to lead them. Af- ter night had fully closed in, and while the prayer meetings were in full blast, he formed a circle of men joining hands around the light-posts and benches, directing them to admit no one within the circle but penitents, preachers, and such other per-
24
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sons as he might direct, and who would heartily enter into the spirit of the meeting.
He then appointed men to go to the different prayer meetings, and at the sound of the trumpet bring out the people and come sing to the circle, and if there were any penitents to bring them in and seat them upon the benches. By this time the excitement was running high. At the sound of the trumpet the people came in every direction from the prayer meetings, their songs rising and swelling, making the leaves upon the forest trees vibrate to the heavenly strains. The wicked were awe- stricken. Several penitents were brought inside the circle. Mr. Havens mounted a bench and gave an exhortation for burning pathos and moving power as seldom comes from the lips of man. At the con- clusion, and while the congregation were singing that good old hymn, commencing,
"Come, ye sinners, poor and needy,"
some sixty or seventy weeping penitents crowded within the circle. The services continued till a late hour at night. Many souls were born of God, and the shout was heard afar off. The victory was com- plete. From this time the camp meeting went on gloriously. The next evening Mr. Havens said to the preachers, "We will fight the battle to-night in the old altar. The devil expects us to fight him up yonder where we did last night, but we will take him by surprise again."
Many incidents might be given showing different
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traits in his character, but some of them have been published, and to give those that have not would extend this sketch beyond its proper limits.
His mind was vigorous and active-well-stored. His education was very limited when he entered the work of the ministry, but by industry and per- severance he acquired an extensive knowledge of men and things. He studied books closely. He was thoroughly acquainted with the standard writ- ings in Methodist theology, and was well-skilled in using them. The Bible was his main book of study. He " searched the Scriptures " daily, and knew well how to handle the " Sword of the Spirit." He was a close student of men and things, and gathered a revenue from every thing around him. Few men were better judges of human nature than he. He could come as near forming a correct judgment of a man's character by closely scanning his counte- nance as any other person. Some very striking proofs of this might be given. He was of sanguine temperament, devoted in his friendship. His social qualities were of a higli order. He possessed an almost inexhaustible fund of anecdote and repartee. Whoever undertook to break a lance with him in that way was very certain to come off second best. He had great compass of voice. It was soft and mellow in its tones till it became shattered by ex- cessive labor. He knew well how to modulate it. He could throw it with great effect upon the ears of his hearers. He has frequently said he " thought
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he could tell when his voice hit the people" during the delivery of his sermons. He enjoyed the full confidence of his brethren in the ministry. He was three or four times elected delegate to the General Conference. The number of years he filled the im- portant office of presiding elder shows to what ex- tent he enjoyed the confidence of the appointing power.
As a preacher father Havens-for so he was called all the latter years of his life-stood in the first rank. He understood well the doctrines of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and was an able defender of them. He seldom failed, especially on popular occasions, to move and stir the souls of his audience to their very depths, and cause tears to flow in copious showers. His powers of declamation were of the highest order. Rev. Allen Wiley once said, "James Havens is the best declaimer I ever heard." He had a peculiar talent for presenting that which was awful. He frequently preached from such texts as, " Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest;" and, "Woe to him that striveth with his Maker," and such subjects as led him to speak of the second coming of Christ, the resurrection, the destruction of the world, the day of judgment. But he did not present these alone. He loved to tell the story of the cross; to speak of the Chris- tian's triumph in a dying hour; of the glories of
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heaven, and of saints robed in white, with harps in their hands. He had no stereotyped sermons. Though he used a text he had preached before, he always prepared a new sermon. He has, perhaps, preached to more people in Indiana than any other man. His faithful wife died a short time before his work was done, and left him to finish his journey alone. From the time of her death he never re- gained his former cheerfulness. Among the last acts of his ministerial life was to preach a sermon on Sunday, standing at the head of his wife's grave, with the Bible resting upon her tombstone, to a large and weeping audience.
After a painful and protracted illness, on the fourth day of November, 1864, in Rushville, he closed his eyes on all terrestrial things and opened them on the glories of heaven. He died in holy triumph, feeling that the Gospel he had preached to multiplied thousands in Indiana sustained and com- forted him in a dying hour. His voice, which had fallen with so much melody upon the ears of listen- ing thousands, is now forever hushed in death. Its trumpet tones shall no more be heard cheering on the faithful soldiers of the Cross, and inviting sin- ners to the Savior, crying, " Behold ! behold the Lamb !" We see and hear him no more, but " his works do follow him." "He being dead, yet speaketh."
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