USA > New Jersey > Memorials of Methodism in New Jersey : from the foundation of the first society in the state in 1770, to the completion of the first twenty years of its history > Part 13
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At the age of eight or nine years, he was beset with temptations to curse God, which, he says, " would often make me shudder, and with all my might, I would try to put away such troublesome thoughts out of my mind, but was not able; so that it was not uncommon for me, at such times, in the utmost distress inwardly to reply- No-no! not for the world; but would conclude that, as God knew my heart, I had actually cursed him as though I had spoken aloud, and that this was the unpar-
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donable sin that our Saviour said should never be for- given, which would greatly distress me; while I thought myself, at such times, one of the vilest sinners on earth, and was frequently afraid that all who saw me would know how wicked I was. At other times I was much terrified with thoughts of death and the torments of hell ; though it was a very rare thing I ever heard any one say a word on those momentous subjects.
" As I grew older, I was more and more engaged in seeking death in the error of my ways, and by the time I was twelve or fourteen I took great delight in dancing, in card-playing, in attending horse-racing, and such like pernicious practices; though often terrified with the thoughts of eternity in the midst of them, which would frequently so damp all my momentary joys, that I would feel very miserable indeed. Thus did my precious time roll around, while I was held in the chains of my sins, too often a willing captive of the devil; I had no one to tell me the evil of sin, or to teach me the way of life and salvation. The two ministers in the two parishes, with whom I was acquainted, were both immoral men, and had no gifts for the ministry ; if they received their salary, they appeared to think but little about the souls of the people. The blind were evidently leading the blind, and it was the mere mercy of God that we did not all fall into hell together."
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In the summer of 1770 the Methodists preached in the neighborhood where he was brought up, and he had frequent opportunities of hearing them. They preached the doctrine of the new birth, but he could not conceive what it meant; and for some time he gave but little thought to the truths he heard, yet he dared not despise and revile the Methodists as many then did. "By fre- quently being in company with several of my old ac- quaintances," he says, " who had embraced and professed Methodism, amongst whom was my eldest brother and his wife, (whom I thought equal to any religious people in the world), and to hear them all declare, as with one voice, that they knew nothing of heart religion, the re- ligion of the Bible, till since they heard the Methodists preach, utterly confounded me; and I could but say with Nicodemus, 'How can these things be ?' While I was marveling and wondering at these unheard-of things that those strange people were spreading wherever they came, and before I was aware, I found my heart inclined to forsake many of my vain practices, and the last place of merriment I was ever at, I remember well, I was hardly even a looker-on."
The Spirit strove with him, and he soon became quite serious, read his Bible with attention, was uniform and earnest in private prayer, took pleasure in the company of the pious, and shunned the society of others. He
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embraced every opportunity of hearing the gospel and the last month before he was fully convinced of his real condition as a sinner, he says, he seldom, if ever, omitted bowing his "knees before the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, four or five times a day." Yet all this while, he says, he was but a Pharisee, seeking to be justified by the deeds of the law, though he was sincere in all that he did.
At length, after having more than an ordinary amount of religious concern for several days, he attended a prayer meeting one Sabbath day. "While one was at prayer," he says, "I saw a man near me, who I knew to be a poor sinner, trembling, weeping, and praying, as though his all depended on the present moment; his soul and body were in an agony. Mercy-Mercy for Christ's sake ! was the burden of his cry. The gracious Lord, who works by what means he pleases, blessed this cir- cumstance greatly to my conviction ; so that I felt, in a manner which I have not words fully to express, that I must be internally changed-that I must be born again, born of the Spirit, or never see the face of God in glory. Without this I was deeply sensible that all I had done, or could do, was vain and of no account, if not done as the Lord had appointed, in order to obtain this Divine change, this new nature. I went home much distressed, and fully determined, by the grace of God, to seek the
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salvation of my soul with my whole heart, and never rest till I knew the Lord had blotted out my sins, and shed his love abroad in my heart by the Holy Ghost. In this frame of mind, I soon got by myself, and fell upon my knees before my merciful God, who had spared me through a life of sin and ingratitude. But, oh ! alas ! my heart, my sinful heart felt as a rock ! and, although I believed myself in the 'gall of bitterness, and in the bonds of iniquity,' and, of course, that if I died in that state, I must die eternally ; yet I could not shed one tear, neither could I find words to express my wretch- edness before my merciful High Priest. I could only bemoan my forlorn state, and wandered about through the afternoon in solitary places, seeking rest, but found none.
"I returned in the evening to the neighbor's, above mentioned, where we had been for public worship, and several coming in, joined in prayer, and the Lord again smote my rocky heart, and caused it to gush out with penitential sorrow for my many sins against him who so ' loved the world, that he gave his only begotten .Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.' I was so melted down, and blessed with such a praying heart, that I should have been glad if they would have continued on their knees all night in prayer for me a poor helpless wretch. My concern was
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such, that I feared lying down or closing my eyes, lest I should wake in hell.
" The following day I was unfit for any worldly business, and spent that day mostly in private, while Christ on the cross, bleeding, and bearing the sins of the whole world in his own body, and dying to make a full atonement for the chief of sinners, that they might not die eternally, was continually before the eyes of my mind ; while, in the most bitter manner, did my soul exclaim, Oh! how have I slighted the bleeding Saviour, and trampled his most precious blood under my unhallowed feet, and have done despite to the Spirit of grace ! The thoughts and sight thereof, now, through Divine mercy, made my eyes to run down with tears, while my very heart was ready to burst asunder with sorrow. Thus was I bowed down and determined to wait at the foot of the cross, while I was stripped of all dependence in outward things, and was well assured that there was 'no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.'"
He continued to seek the Lord with strong crying and tears, oppressed with the burden of his sins, and refus- ing "to be comforted but by the Friend of sinners." So great was his distress that for three days and nights he could scarcely eat, drink, or sleep ; his flesh wasted ; his strength failed, and he felt most sensibly the force of the question-" A wounded spirit who can bear ?"
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For a little time he feared that his state was hopeless- that his day of grace had forever passed ; but for the most part he had a gleam of hope that at some distant time God would be merciful to him. At length some de- vout friends, who were acquainted with his state, visited him, and after some conversation he desired them to pray for him. It was about the middle of the day. The family were called in, and one gave out the hymn,
" Give to the winds thy fears, Hope and be undismayed ;" &c.
They all joined in singing, and sung with the spirit and in faith, while with eyes flowing with tears, and his face turned to the wall, he "felt a lively hope" that the Lord would show him mercy. And he was not disappointed. " The Lord heard," he says, "and appeared spiritually in the midst. A divine light beamed through my inmost soul, which, in a few minutes, encircled me around, sur- passing the brightness of the noon-day sun. This di- vine glory, with the holy glow that I felt within my soul, I feel still as distinct an idea of, as that I ever saw the light of the natural sun, or any impression of my mind. My burden was gone-my sorrow fled-my soul and all that was within me rejoiced in hope of the glory of God; while I beheld such fullness and willing- ness in the Lord Jesus to save lost sinners, and my soul
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so rested on him, that I could now, for the first time, call Jesus Christ 'Lord, by the Holy Ghost given unto me.' The hymn being concluded, we all fell upon our knees, but my prayers were all turned into praises. A super- natural power penetrated every faculty of my soul and body, and the words of the prophet were literally ful- filled in my conversion to God. 'And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteous- ness.' Such was the change, and so undeniable to all present, that they appeared greatly affected, and confi- dent that the Lord had descended in the power of his Spirit, and wrought a glorious work in the 'presence of them all.'"
This happy change occurred in May, 1771, in the same house in which he was born. Having never known or heard of any people but the Methodists, who professed to know anything of what he now enjoyed, and as they were instrumental in leading him to the attainment of salvation, he was led to unite himself with them, "and thought it a greater blessing to be received a member amongst them than to be made a prince."
The Methodists had no regular preaching in those days, and at that time there had been only three preachers in Maryland, Strawbridge, King, and Williams, so that
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some times quite a long period would elapse in which they had no preaching. " But, in one sense," he says, "we were all preachers. The visible change that sinners could not but see, and many openly acknowledged, was a means of bringing them to seek the Lord. On the Lord's day we commonly divided into little bands, and went out into different neighborhoods, wherever there was a door open to receive us, two, three, or four in company, and would sing our hymns, pray, read, talk to the people, and some soon began to add a word of ex- hortation. We were weak, but we lived in a dark day, and the Lord greatly owned our labors; for, though we were not full of wisdom, we were blessed with a good degree of faith and power. The little flock was of one heart and mind, and the Lord spread the leaven of his grace from heart to heart, from house to house, and from one neighborhood to another ; and though our gifts were small, yet was it astonishing to see how rapidly the work spread all around, bearing down the little oppositions with which it met, as chaff before the wind. Many will praise God forever for our prayer-meetings. In many neighborhoods they soon became respectable, and were considerably attended."
From the time of his conversion he felt a deep solic- itude for sinners, and was drawn out in prayer for their salvation. He felt willing to make any sacrifice in order
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to save them, but did not think it possible that he should ever be able to labor in a public capacity for their good. Finding, however, that his humble endeavors were blessed to the conversion of souls in several different neighbor- hoods, and that the hearts and houses of the people were open to receive him, and at the same time feeling a con- viction that it was his duty to labor for God, he sought, by fasting and prayer, for divine direction, and finally became convinced that he must go forth as a messenger of the Most High, to bear the offers of salvation, in His name, to the people.
His first regular field of labor, as an itinerant, was Norfolk, Va., where he went with Robert Williams in the autumn of 1772. They were kindly received by the friends there, but found the state of religion by no means encouraging. Hundreds of the people attended the preaching, but they were, he says, " the most hard- ened, wild, and ill-behaved of any people I had ever be- held in any place."
Mr. Pillmore, who was at that time in Norfolk, took a tour as far as Charleston, leaving Watters to fill his place during his absence. "As he returned through Portsmouth, two men, well dressed, at the ferry, were swearing horridly. He lifted up his hands, and with a stern voice, exclaimed aloud-' Well! if I had been
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brought to this place blindfolded, I should have known I was near Norfolk.'
" The Parish minister of Norfolk undertook, in a ser- mon, to represent us as a set of enthusiasts and deceiv- ers. His text, for this noble purpose, was, 'Be not over righteous.' Amongst other things he told his people, (what none of them would have otherwise suspected,) that he knew from experience the evil of being over righteous. He said so much that his friends were dis- satisfied. I suppose he thought that Mr. Pillmore was gone to return no more. But he found his mistake, for he returned in a few days after, and gave public notice that on such a day and hour he would preach to them from 'Be not over wicked,' the words following the par- son's. On the hour appointed the town appeared in mo- tion, and came out in crowds. After reading his text, he informed his congregation why he had given them the notice of his intending to preach from these words, and why he had made choice of them in particular. That he had been creditably informed that a certain divine of that town had given the citizens thereof a solemn caution against being over righteous. Lifting up his hands with a very significant countenance, he exclaimed, 'And in Norfolk he hath given this caution !' The conduct of the parson looked (as it certainly was) contemptible. Though these were severe reproofs, and from one capable of 16
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forming a sound judgment, yet Norfolk continued Nor- folk as long as I knew anything about it; and it was no ways strange to me that in a few years after it was con- sumed by fire."
Having entered the itinerant ranks, Watters continued to labor with zeal, fidelity, and success until 1783, when he located. His location was caused by his being in a feeble state of health, and not receiving that indulgence in his appointments which he thought needful under the circumstances. But he remained firm in his attachment to Methodism, and labored with as much zeal in the lo- cal sphere as he had before done in the itinerancy. As an illustration of his ministerial labors after he located, we give the following account of the first year of his lo- cation : "I attended Greenwich preaching-house, forty miles from me, every fourth Sabbath ; and Leesburg, thirty miles off, every fourth Sabbath, besides the places between me and those above mentioned. And though I was much fatigued in so doing, being still in a weak state of health, yet I found the Lord's service to be perfect freedom, and feared living to no good purpose."
In 1786 he again entered upon the regular work of the ministry in Berkeley circuit ; but before half a year had expired, family considerations compelled him again to retire.
As he was returning home from this circuit, he saw,
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for the last. time, his old friend and fellow laborer, Rich- ard Owen (or Owings), who was dangerously ill. He says, "He was the first American Methodist preacher, though for many years he acted only as a local preacher. He was awakened under the preaching of Robert Straw- bridge, a local preacher from Ireland, who, with one more, Philip Embury, were the first Methodist preachers in America. He was a man of respectable family, of good natural parts, and of a considerable utterance. Though encumbered with a family, he often left wife and children, and a comfortable living, and went into many distant parts, before we had any traveling preachers amongst us, and without fee or reward freely published that gospel to others, which he had happily found to be the power of God unto his own salvation. After we had regular circuit preachers amongst us, he, as a local preacher, was ever ready to fill up a gap; and by his con- tinuing to go into neighborhoods where they had no preaching, he was often the means of opening the way for enlarging old, or forming new circuits in different places. Several years before his dissolution, after his children were grown up and able to attend to his family concerns, he gave himself up entirely to the work of the ministry, and finished his course in Leesburg, Fairfax circuit, in the midst of many kind friends, but some dis- tance from his family. As his last labors were in the
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circuit where I lived, I had frequent opportunity of be- ing in his company, both in public and in private, and had every reason to believe that he had kept himself un- spotted from the world, and had the salvation of souls much at heart. I wish it was in my power to hold him up in his real character, as an example to our present race of local preachers. Plain in his dress, plain in his manners, industrious and frugal, he bore a good part of the burthen and heat of the day in the beginning of that work which has since so gloriously spread through this happy continent, and was as anxious to be a general blessing to mankind as too many now are to get riches, and make a show in the world. I shall need make no apology for giving this short account of so worthy a man to any who knew him. I have been led to it from my long and particular acquaintance with him, and there not having been (I am sorry to say it) a more public ac- count of him. 'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord, from henceforth; yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors, and their works do follow them.'"
He returned to the regular work in 1801, in which he continued until 1806, when he again retired from the ranks of the itinerancy.
Watters was a man of circumspect life, and of unre-
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mitted devotion to the cause and work of God. He ap- peared to be but little influenced by considerations of an earthly nature, but by prayer, by fastings, by watchful- ness, by labors, and by faith unfeigned, he sought the rewards of a celestial life. His memory is worthy of being cherished by the Church through all her genera- tions ; and with the lapse of ages his example will gather a brighter lustre, as it stands out serenely amidst the fading twilight of the early dawn of American Method- ism, invested with a wreath which the hand of Providence wove only for him,
THE FIRST AMERICAN METHODIST ITINERANT PREACHER.
RICHARD IVY was a native of Sussex county, Vir- ginia. He entered the itinerancy, probably, in 1777, as he stands in the minutes as continued on trial in 1778, which is the first time his name appears on the record.
He was appointed that year to Fluvanna, Va. The following year he was appointed to Brunswick, Va .; in 1780 he was sent to Pittsylvania, Va .; in 1781, to Kent, Md., with David Abbott, son of Benjamin Abbott ; 1782, West Jersey ; 1783, Nansemond, Va .; 1784, Camden. From 1785 to 1793 he was Presiding Elder, his districts being chiefly within the territory embraced in South Carolina and Georgia. In 1793 he was appointed
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Traveling Book Steward. In 1794 he desisted from traveling to take care of his mother. In 1795 he was appointed to Norfolk and Portsmouth. He returned to his native place and was making arrangements to retire from the itinerant field, when he was taken sick, and died in the latter part of this year. "He was a man of quick and solid parts," say his brethren, in the obit- uary notice given of him in the minutes, and he "preached," says Lee, "with a good degree of anima- tion." He was a devoted man, and manifested a self- sacrificing spirit. "He sought not himself any more than a Pedicord, a Gill, or a Tunnell-men well known in our connection-who never thought of growing rich by the gospel; their great concern and business was to be rich in grace and useful to souls. Thus, Ivy, a man of affliction, lingering out his latter days, spending his all with his life in the work. Exclusive of his patrimony, he was indebted at his death."*
"Soon . after I joined the Methodist society," says Rev. T. Ware, "Messrs. Pedicord and Cromwell were removed from our circuit, and Dudley and Ivy appointed in their places. In one part of the circuit there were several families who had received the preachers from the beginning. Some of these were the most wealthy and
* Minutes, vol. I. p. 67.
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respectable in the vicinity, only they were suspected of being unfriendly to the cause of their country. They had joined the Methodists before the war commenced ; and though they had committed no act by which they could be justly accused of opposition to the declaration of independence ; yet, as they refused to bear arms, they were considered hostile to it, and the preachers suspected of disaffection on account of continuing to preach at their houses.
"Learning that a company of soldiers, quartered near one of these appointments, had resolved to arrest the first preacher who should come there, and carry him to head quarters, I determined to accompany him, hoping, as I was acquainted with some of the officers, to con- vince them that he was no enemy to his country. The preacher was Richard Ivy, who was at that time quite young. The rumor of what was about to be done hav- ing gone abroad, many of the most respectable inhabit- ants of the neighborhood were collected at the place. Soon after the congregation were convened, a file of sol- diers were marched into the yard and halted near the door ; and two officers came in, drew their swords and crossed them on the table, and seated themselves, one at each side of it, but so as to look the preacher full in the face.
"I,watched his eye with great anxiety, and soon saw
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that he was not influenced by fear. His text was, 'Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.' When he came to enforce the ex- hortation, 'Fear not,' he paused and said, 'Christians sometimes fear when there is no cause of fear.' And so, he added, he presumed it was with some then pre- sent. Those men who were engaged in the defence of their country's rights meant them no harm. He spoke fluently and forcibly in commendation of the cause of freedom from foreign and domestic tyranny, looking, at the same time, first on the swords and then in the faces of the officers, as if he would say, This looks a little too much like domestic oppression ; and, in conclusion, bow- ing to each of the officers and opening his bosom, said, 'Sirs, I would fain show you my heart ; if it beats not high for legitimate liberty, may it forever cease to beat !'
" This he said in such a tone of voice, and with such a look as thrilled the whole audience, and gave him com- mand of their feelings. The countenances of the officers at first wore a contemptuous frown ; then a significant smile; and then they were completely unarmed, hung down their heads, and, before the conclusion of this masterly address, shook like the leaves of an aspen. Many of the people sobbed aloud, and others cried out, Amen ! While the soldiers without (the doors and win-
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dows being open) swung their hats and shouted, Huzza for the Methodist parson! On leaving, the officers shook hands with the preacher, and wished him well ; and afterward said they would share the last shilling with him."
From the slight information we can gather respecting his pulpit abilities, we infer that they must have been of a superior order. In public exhortation he was some- times very powerful. The man who could follow one of Abbott's successful sermons with an exhortation, and maintain the interest and feeling of the congregation must have possessed considerable power. And this Ivy did. At a Quarterly meeting in Maryland, Abbott preached on Sabbath morning with such effect that many cried aloud, and some were prostrated upon the floor, and, "after I concluded," he says, "brother Ivy gave an exhortation, and spoke very powerfully, many wept under his exhortation."
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