USA > North Carolina > Sketches of North Carolina, historical and biographical : illustrative of the principles of a portion of her early settlers > Part 32
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327
REV. JAMES HALL.
His mission was one of peace in the name of the Prince of peace. To encourage his congregations and his countrymen to the defence of their rights of conscience and of person, he went with them into the midst of wars and fightings ; but he went always as the Christian man and minister ; and when that object was gained, he declined military service when offered to him in high places.
After the skirmish at Cowansford on the Catawba, between the forces of Cornwallis and the North Carolina militia, in which his fellow licentiate, Thomas H. McCaule, was at the side of Gen- eral Davidson when he fell, Mr. Hall was singled out by General Greene to be commissioned as Brigadier General, to fill the place of Davidson. But the proffered honor was declined, not through disaffection or timidity. A nobler feeling possessed the heart of Mr. Hall-the thought that there were others that could fill that post as well as himself, or better, while there were few indeed to act in the cause of the gospel to which he had devoted his " whole life."
When the war of the Revolution was ended in the independence of the United States, Mr. Hall devoted himself, with undivided energies and unwavering purpose, to his beloved work, the gospel ministry. The effects of the long and harassing war upon the churches in the Carolinas were deplorable ; the regular ordinances of the gospel had been broken up-discipline neglected,-the preached word had become less valued ; some congregations mostly broken up, and the vices that ordinarily attend a camp, and are left by war, such as drinking, card playing, profanity and the like, ex- tensively prevailed. Though Mr. Hall's congregations were not in the track of either of the armies nor the seat of war; and though he had exerted himself during the war to sustain religion and morality in the congregation and in the camp, the general tone of public feeling had evidently declined, and the necessity of great efforts in the cause of the gospel to prevent the most melancholy effects, was stirring up his spirits to activity, and his heart to zeal for God. His efforts met the Divine approbation, and were at- tended with his blessing, and resulted in a revival of religion.
Soon after the war, his charge was greatly blessed ; the atten- tion of the people was very generally turned to the subject of re- ligion. The meetings were characterized by great solemnity and stillness ; and the preaching, for simplicity, earnestness and ten- derness, in setting forth the great truths of the gospel. At one communion season, about eighty persons were received into the church on the profession of their faith; at a succeeding commu-
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nion about sixty more made profession and united with the church. This revival was confined mostly to the churches in Iredell, there being no account of much unusual interest in other parts of the Presbytery till after some years. In consequence of the nume- rous calls upon him for ministerial labor, and his own great anxiety for the welfare of his fellow men, Mr. Hall's labors were inces- sant ; and under his continued preaching his health failed, and symptoms of a pulmonary consumption became alarming. By the advice of physicians he was induced to cease from his ministerial labors, and seek for renewed health in a sea voyage. Owing to head winds, his voyage from Charleston, South Carolina, to Phila- delphia, was long and boisterous, and proved, on that account, more advantageous. After attending upon the meeting of the Sy- nod of New York and Philadelphia, he returned home with renewed health and spirits, to engage in his ministry. The records of Sy- nod make this his first attendance to be in 1786; the traditions would place it somewhat earlier. He was on the Committee of Synod, appointed to prepare a plan for the division of the Synod in preparation for the formation of the general assembly of the Presbyterian Church. But as there is evidently an omission in the minutes of the preceding years, his first attendance might have been earlier.
The Synod of the Carolinas held its first meeting in 1788, at Centre Church ; during the next year measures were taken to re- lease Mr. Hall from the charge of Bethany and Concord churches, which took effect in 1790. In the year 1793, the year that his amiable successor, Lewis Wilson, was ordained and placed over these beloved churches, he commenced his missionary ex- cursions, under the direction of a commission of Synod. Besides a great many short excursions which he was in the habit of mak- ing in the counties nearer home, he performed fourteen long and toilsome missions, either under the direction of the commission of Synod, or by order and arrangement of the General Assembly. His reports were often made in writing, and some of them re- corded on the minutes of Synod. His mission to the Natches, the pioneer of Protestant efforts in the lower part of the valley of the Mississippi, was commenced in the Fall of 1800, under a commission of the General Assembly. The Synod ap- pointed two companions for this mission, which was expected to continue for eight months, James H. Bowman and William Montgomery. The report of these missionaries, made to the Synod of 1801, was received with a high degree of satisfaction.
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REV. JAMES HALL.
An account of this mission was published by Mr. Hall in the newspapers of the day, and was read with great interest, as being the best description ever given of that part of the southern coun- try, in which he had spent about nine months.
The extracts from the records of the Synod of the Carolinas, which form part of this volume, contain some of the more interest- ing parts of Mr. Hall's reports, especially those that are of abiding interest ; particularly his method of preparing questions on the Confession of Faith, and instructing the congregations he visited on his mission ; his account of his visit to Lincoln county in 1809 ; and his report of a. mission on the Cape Fear ; and his visit to Colin Lindsay and Angus McDermaid. These will be read with great interest by multitudes now living ; and will assist the general reader to a better understanding of the revival that spread over the country from 1802 to 1806, and onward, the effects of which are distinctly visible throughout the State.
His exertions in the cause of Domestic missions are worthy of all praise, and have conferred upon the State and the southern coun- try lasting obligations.
He attended the sessions of the General Assembly in Philadel- phia sixteen times, as delegate of the Presbytery of Orange, and was once the moderator of that venerable body. Travelling by private conveyance, in his chair (or sulky), he embraced the op- portunity afforded for preaching on his journey, and made his trips to Philadelphia domestic missions : and by taking different routes much enlarged his acquaintance and the sphere of his usefulness. In one of these excursions, being driven into a house by a storm of rain, and detained all night, he kindly and courteously intro- duced the subject of religion. The family had hitherto been utterly careless on the subject of their salvation ; but that night they were deeply convicted of their sinfulness. The servant of God passed on, unaware, perhaps, of having accomplished anything for his Lord. A Methodist minister who became acquainted with the circumstance related to a friend of Dr. Hall that the impres- sions made that night were never effaced ; that shortly three of the members professed faith in Christ; and one after another the whole family entered the visible church.
In a sermon, while urging his congregation to religious conver- sation, he mentioned the circumstance, that a private conversation he had with two young men before he became a preacher, resulted in their hopeful conversion ; and they both became ministers of the gospel. These instances are mentioned as showing the effect
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produced by his kind and affectionate manner in introducing a faithful conversation on the subject of religion.
One sphere of usefulness in which Mr. Hall excelled, was the education of young men. He must have commenced the work of superintendence, for he did not confine himself to the teaching of a classical school, very soon after his licensure, as the certificate given to Humphrey Hunter, afterwards a minister of the gospel, says he had been a student at Clio's Nursery from August, 1778, to October, 1779. The institution was located on Snow Creek, in a pious neighborhood, that formed an important part of Bethany church and congregation. This he superintended with care, and through its agency brought out many useful men, that might not otherwise have obtained an education,-as the Rev. Richard King, of Tennessee, esteemed the man of the finest powers of mind ever trained in Western Carolina,-Dr. Waddel, of South Caro- lina, and Judges Laurie, Harris, and Smith.
To remedy the inconvenience felt by those unable to meet the expense of attending a northern college, and yet wishing to acquire a knowledge of the sciences, he purchased a philosophical appa- ratus, and opened an "Academy of the Sciences," at his own house, himself being the sole professor. This institution was continued for many years ; and, previously to the establishment of the University, was considered the best scientific school in the State. A large number of eminent men received their scientific education there ; besides a number of ministers, who studied theo- logy under his direction, whose names will be hereafter given, there were Andrew Pickens, Israel Pickens, late Governor of Alabama, Hon. Joseph Pearson, and Judge Williams, of Tennessee.
To promote useful knowledge in his congregation, he formed a class of young people to meet him every Saturday, to take lessons in grammar. To remedy the want .. of books, which threatened the ruin of his plans, he wrote out a system of grammar, and had manuscript copies circulated among the members of the class. He afterwards published through the press, and circulated it ex- tensively.
He founded a circulating library in his congregation, which became eminently useful ; and encouraged debating societies among the young people, sometimes attending, and often availing himself of the opportunity of laying before them some written communication on important subjects.
His efforts in leading young men into the ministry, were emi- nently successful. His character for talents and piety, and public
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spirit ; his soundness as a Theologian ; his great facility in im- parting instruction ; and the pleasure he took in the employment ; and his well selected library, caused his house to become a school of the prophets, from which came out some of the best ministers in our southern Zion. The following catalogue will show the im- portance of this school of divinity : Rev. Messrs. Robert Hall (his brother), James McEwin (his brother-in-law), Daniel Thatcher, Ga .; Francis Cummins, D.D., Ga .; John Brown, D.D., Ga .; James Blythe, D.D., Ken .; J. M. Wilson, D.D., Rocky River ; George McWhorter, S.C .; John Robinson, D.D., Poplar Tent ; J. Andrews, Ohio ; James Adams, S.C .; Thomas Price, S.C .; James McIlheney, S.C .; Wm. Barr, D.D. ; Andrew Flinn, D.D., Charles- ton ; John Bowman, Tenn .; James Bowman, Tenn. ; Thomas J. Hall, Tenn. ; Joseph D. Kilpatrick, N.C .; and Thomas Neely, S.C. These have now, with scarce an exception, passed away from the earthly vineyard ; but their memorial is with us ; they have rested from their labors, and their works do follow them. Their history will show that Iredell county has been the nursery of good men, and the birth-place of the most laborious ministers of the last generations.
The views Mr. Hall had of the proper preparation for the labors of the gospel ministry, and his own experience, so eminently suc- cessful, of the advantage of training the young for the work, led him to desire a seminary for the purpose. The motion in the Assembly of the Presbyterian church to found a Theological school, met his hearty approbation and co-operation. He greatly desired a more southern location than Princeton, with the hope that one would unite all the South ; but when it was determined that Princeton should be the place, he united in giving it existence and stability, by giving to its funds, by donations to the library, by riding extensively as an agent in its favor, and by remember- ing it in his will with a bequest of two hundred and fifty acres of valuable land in Tennessee.
He was zealous and active in the circulation of the Bible. As a delegate, he was present at the formation of the American Bible Society, and became a life member by the contribution of thirty dollars. On the formation of the North Carolina State Bible Society, he was elected the first president, and in his attendance on its meetings gave an example of his punctuality in attending upon appointments, and in meeting with those ecclesiastical bodies with which he was connected. His residence was about one hundred and fifty-six miles from Raleigh. On a certain occasion,
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setting off to attend an annual meeting, a violent storm of rain and snow came on, the first day of his journey, and continued all the way through. . A legal friend meeting him on the way, in surprise he accosted the venerable minister : "Where are you going, in this storm ?" "To attend the Bible Society in Raleigh." " Where were you yesterday ?" "I travelled about thirty miles ; where were you ?" "O, I was lying by ; it was too bad to travel." On his arrival in Raleigh, he found himself the only delegate present. The inclemency of the weather rendered it " too bad to travel."
He attended all the meetings of the Synod of the Carolinas from 1788 to 1812, but one, and was the last moderator; the Synod of North Carolina was then constituted, and on its sessions he attended with punctuality, till age and infirmity took away his ability to travel. His attendance on Presbyterial meetings was equally exact ; his various missions being so assigned, as, with the exception of his trip to the Natches, to permit his meeting with his brethren in the judicatories.
In his reproofs he was generally very kind and tender, and spake as one entreating or instructing; sometimes his boldness and decision were felt in the tone of authority, and severity of manner, in which he addressed bold transgressors. To them he seemed rough and unreasonable, and sometimes angry, especially when his indignation was roused. During one of his missions to the eastern part of the State, he accepted a very polite invita- tion to tea, after divine service on the Sabbath. The residence of his host was on an eminence, commanding a beautiful view of the.low grounds, and of the river that wound its way towards the ocean. After a little time he observed a boat sailing along the stream, and soon after, that the men were hauling a seine. Turn- ning to the gentleman, he inquires, "Whose seine is that ?" " It is mine, sir." "Is this the way you keep the Sabbath ?" " Oh, it is the fishing season ; I will give God Almighty another day in a slacker time of the year." Mr. Hall, rising and taking his hat, "I cannot consent to remain under the roof of a man that treats his God in that way," with a bow, left the house, and returned to his former lodgings.
Ardor, tenderness of affection, and strong sympathy, character- ized the preaching of this successful minister of God. His man- ner was, in part, his natural temperament speaking out, and in part the fruit of his own distressing experience. An occasional depression of spirits was the vice of his constitution ; and a deep
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REV. JAMES HALL.
conviction of the sinfulness of sin and his own worthlessness, the characteristic of his religious experience. The influence of both these was occasionally felt at the same time, and produced a state of distress and degree of unhappiness not to be described. About the time of his licensure, a season of mental depression and heart- sickness so overwhelmed him, that for the space of about a year, he considered it to be little short of blasphemy, and a direct insult to God, for such a polluted, undone, hopeless wretch as himself to offer to preach the gospel. These seasons occasionally returned upon him throughout his whole life, so full of activity and useful- ness. Once at least, he was oppressed when on a mission; his friend Mathews, that served with him in the war, found him in Kentucky, so overwhelmed with melancholy and a sense of his sinfulness, that in compassion he took him under his charge and conducted him to his home. Even in his old age he felt the gath- ering of the cold clouds that shut out his Maker's face and hid the Saviour's beauty. At one time he intermitted his pastoral labors about a year and a half. Spiritual darkness overhung his mind ; he was always complaining that "God had hid his face from him ;" his own sinfulness was ever present with him, and he could not get a view of Christ as the Lord his righteousness ; and he refused to lead the devotions of his people. He attended the house of God and joined in the worship carried on by the elders, and could occa- sionally be induced to take a part by leading in prayer or giving a short exhortation from the clerk's stand in front and below the pulpit, esteeming himself too great a wretch to preach from the sacred desk, or even to enter it.
" Won't you preach for us to-day ?" said the eldership, one Sab- bath, when, in this state of mind, he appeared at Bethany among a large assembly of people. " Oh no-no-no-it is impossible !" One of the elders of Fourth Creek, William Stevenson, was later than usual that morning. Advanced in life, a convert under the preaching of Whitefield, grown to full manhood in piety, the congregation loved the elder, and from his small stature, and fer- vency in prayer, called him "little Gabriel,"-they thought he approached nearer the throne than anybody else in the congregation. The other elders waited for him. When Mr. Stevenson under- stood that Mr. Hall was still in darkness and distress, and could not preach, he was deeply affected. Entering the seat appropriated to the elders, before the pulpit, after a psalm was sung, he com- menced a strain of humble petition and adoration that touched all hearts. His first petition was-" O Lord, cast the deaf and dumb
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devil out of our pastor ; this deaf devil, that will not allow him to hear the promises of the gospel; and this dumb devil, that will not suffer him to preach as he has heretofore done." At the close of the prayer, the venerable form of the beloved pastor was seen rising and making its way to the long unvisited pulpit. "I will try to preach to-day," said Mr. Hall to Mr. Stevenson. The sermon that followed gave evidence that the prayer of little Gabriel had been heard and answered,-for the deaf and dumb devil was cast out.
The abiding recollection of the wormwood and the gall, which he had so often drunk to the very dregs of bitterness, made him sympathize with the afflicted, particularly those walking in dark- ness. He would go far to see them : and the interviews were the pouring out the sympathies of a wounded heart that had been healed by the balm of Gilead. He was tender to his fellow men seeking salvation : but his heart melted for those bowed down under a sense of the hiding of the Saviour's face. He scarce ever preached without exhibiting deep emotion, and was often in tears. One of the most eloquent and impressive sermons his people recollect to have heard from him, was drawn from him under the following circumstances. Mr. Charles Story, a gentleman of irreproachable character and piety, came up from Black River, S. C., with his family, to spend the summer in Iredell county, on account of his low state of health. His spirits were greatly depressed, and his mind became clouded with doubts about his spiritual state. At length his hope in Christ forsook him ;- his sins appeared always before him, and the light of God's countenance was hidden. Mr. Hall became deeply in- terested at once,-he had gone down into the dark vale, and had himself sunk in the mire. His kind and tender conversation, full of Christian sympathy, failing to relieve the sufferer's mind, he prepared a sermon for the occasion, from the words of Isaiah 1., 10 : " Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness and hath no light ? Let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God." From these words he described, with great clearness, the child of God walking in darkness ; then pointed out the foundation of his hope, Jesus Christ, the Chief Corner-Stone ; and brought forth the glorious promises and consolations of the gospel. His own heart was deeply affected : he preached in tears ; the people were moved and melted ; the place became a Bochin. The gentleman listened,-was enlightened,-was relieved, and went away from the sermon with a glad heart, as his minister had done from the prayers
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of " little Gabriel,"-his feet were placed upon a rock, and a new song was put into his mouth, even praise to his God. The hearers of that sermon could never forget the impression. The solemnity, the tenderness, the deep emotion of their pastor, from the first naming his text, the wonderful description of the saint in darkness, were all treasured in their memories and in their hearts.
Nassau Hall, his Alma Mater, honored him with the degree of Doctor of Divinity ; and the University of North Carolina repeated the compliment. And if activity as a pastor, enterprise as a mis- sionary, success as a guide of youth in their literary course, and ability in training young men for the ministry, are qualifications for that honorary degree, the honors were in this case well conferred.
His reply to the degree from the University of North Carolina is characteristic of the honesty of the man, and the tone of public feeling, at that time, in regard to that institution. He made a donation of sixty volumes to the Library, out of his own collection, which, though not large, was valuable. The copy of Turretine that stood upon the Doctor's shelf is now in the library of a pastor in the mountains of Virginia. How he ever found time to read enough to be able to lead young men in the study of Theology can be accounted for only on the ground of his having no family, and resolutely devoting all his time to build the church of the Living God.
In July, 1819, Dr. Hall returned from the Anniversary of the American Bible Society, and the sessions of the General Assem- bly, for the last time ; and soon after his return delivered his last sermon. The last seven years of his life were years of weakness, languor and depression; and not unfrequently spiritual sorrows gathered around his soul as he reflected upon his own sinfulness and helplessness. Confident that God had used him as the instru- ment for the conversion of others, he often feared about his own, lest having preached to others, he himself should be a castaway.
His body was entombed in Bethany church graveyard, by the side of his co-laborer and friend, Lewis Feuilleteau Wilson. On a white marble head-stone near the gate is the following inscrip- tion :-
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Beneath this stone are deposited the remains of The Rev. JAMES HALL, D.D., who departed this life July 25th, 1826, in the 82d year of his age. For 12 years he sustained the office of Pastor to the united congregation of Fourth Creek, Concord, and Bethany ; and for 26 years to that of Bethany alone. He was a man of science as well as piety ; and for his ex- tensive labors in the cause of his Divine Master, as well as for his great usefulness as a preceptor of youth, his memory is embalmed in the hearts of his people.
The pains of death are passed, Labor and sorrow cease, And life's long warfare closed at last, His soul is found in peace.
Soldier of Christ, well done, Praise be thy new employ, And while eternal ages run, Rest in thy Saviour's joy.
Thus rest, in this retired spot, the remains of the man whose charge was visited with the first revival of religion, in Concord Presbytery, after the American Revolution.
.
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REV. LEWIS FEUILLETEAU WILSON.
CHAPTER XXV.
REV. LEWIS FEUILLETEAU WILSON.
THE Rev. Mr. James Hall, upon giving up his pastoral charge of Concord and Fourth Creek in Iredell county, in the year 1790, was, in the course of two or three years, succeeded by the man whom on account of his private friendship, and his estimation of his talents for usefulness, he would have chosen of all others, recently entered upon the office of the ministry of the gospel, Lewis Feuilleteau Wilson. A foreigner by birth, Mr. Wilson both loved and served the country of his adoption; and was beloved and honored by all that were favored by his acquaintance, in his office as a physician, in which capacity he served in the Revolutionary war, and the more serious one of a minister of the gospel, in which he closed his days.
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