The GOSPEL TRUTH

A HISTORY OF AMERICAN REVIVALS

by

Frank G. Beardsley PH.D, S.T.D.

1912

Chapter 9

 

DENOMINATIONAL MOVEMENTS: THE BAPTISTS.

 

Although the Baptists had shared somewhat in the results of the Great Awakening and to no inconsiderable extent in the Awakening of 1800, as a class they did not favor special efforts to promote revivals of religion. The cause is not far to seek. With the exception of the Freewill Baptists, who were Arminian in theology and the ardent friends of revivals, the Baptists as a rule were tinctured with the hyper-Calvinism of the period, which looked askance upon all human attempts to effect the regeneration of men. God's sovereignty rendered inconsistent any manmade attempts for the salvation of others. It was presumptuous to undertake anything of the kind. Regeneration was a divine work to be wrought independently of any human agency. The salvation of sinners being determined by God's electing grace, human efforts looking to that end were not only needless but useless. God knew who would or would not be saved, and in his own good time, and in accordance with his own good purposes he would gather the elect into his kingdom. The strength of the church was to "Lie still." As might have been expected where such views gained wide acceptance, as they had among many of the Baptists at the commencement of the nineteenth century, the churches were at a standstill and in many instances were dying out. Sunday Schools were unknown, missionary activity for the conversion of the heathen was scouted, and schools of theology were looked upon as "minister-making machines." Exceptions there were to be sure, ministers and laymen too who favored missions and revivals, but it was not until the first third of the century had passed that Baptists as a class began to be aroused from this state of apathy and opposition to human efforts for the conversion of men. Elders Jacob Knapp and Jabez S. Swan were the pioneer evangelists of the denomination, and through their earnest efforts, greater attention was given to revivals, and the denomination entered upon a new era in the work of evangelization. 

Elder Jacob Knapp was born in Otsego County, N. Y., December 7th, 1799. His parents were Episcopalians, and he was reared in accordance with the principles of that faith. Bereaved of his mother at the age of seventeen, he was led to thoughtful contemplation as to his spiritual state. After a period of introspection followed by profound conviction which threatened his health, he at length found joy and peace in believing. A short time afterwards he witnessed the immersion of some persons who had been converted at a Baptist meeting. Deeply impressed by the ceremony, he reached the conclusion that immersion was none other than the baptism of the apostles, but as he was still under age he did not feel at liberty to be immersed against the wishes of his father. Not being able, therefore, to live up to the light as he believed it, his religious experience went under a cloud, from which he did not emerge until his immersion two years or more later. 

From this time his religious life became more stable, and on reaching his majority, he resolved to prepare himself for the Baptist ministry. Receiving small encouragement, and attended with difficulties and hardships, which would have discouraged a less determined soul, the way was finally opened for him to attend the Hamilton Literary and Theological Institute, from which he graduated in 1825. During the next eight years he preached at Springfield and Watertown, N. Y. Numerous conversions attested the faithfulness of his ministry, but he was not satisfied, and as the news of successful protracted efforts reached his ears, he was led to look upon the first eight years of his ministry as comparatively wasted. Duty seemed to be calling elsewhere and he became convinced that he ought to enter the evangelistic field. 

This decision was not reached without a struggle, but finally yielding to the call of duty he bade farewell to the pastorate in September, 1833, and entered his new field of labor. For eighteen months he labored at various places in Jefferson and Lewis Counties. The churches were revived and upwards of two thousand persons were converted. At this time he did not confine his efforts to any particular denomination, but loyalty to Baptist principles led him thereafter to labor with Baptist churches only, although he never discouraged the co-operation of others in his revival efforts. 

From 1835 to 1839 Elder Knapp conducted successful revivals in Ithaca, New York City, Utica, Schenectady, Brooklyn, Rochester, and various other places in the State of New York. In some places he encountered great opposition because of his stern denunciation of sin and his invectives against certain of the prevailing evils of the day, such as intemperance, gambling, and the like. Notwithstanding this opposition conversions multiplied and lasting effects for good were accomplished. 

On the 3d of October, 1839, Elder Knapp commenced a series of meetings in Baltimore, Md., at the Sharp Street Church. The Baptist cause in Baltimore and the State at that time was at rather a low ebb, churches were weak, members were few, and but feeble efforts were being put forth to promote the extension of the Kingdom. Shortly after the commencement of these meetings evidences of converting grace began to appear, and for seven weeks, wave after wave of salvation seemed to sweep over the city. The Sharp Street Church was strengthened by the addition of more than four hundred members, an indebtedness of twenty thousand dollars was liquidated, while the other churches and denominations shared in the results of this great revival. The work extended in various directions and it was estimated that fully ten thousand persons were converted. The Baptist cause throughout the State was strengthened and the number of communicants doubled. 

The Washingtonian temperance movement was an indirect result of this revival, concerning the origin of which Elder Knapp wrote: 

"During the progress of the revival several well-known drunkards had been converted. This fact had enraged the rum-sellers. On the evening on which I preached on temperance, two men, named Mitchel and Hawkins, together with other hard drinkers, were present. From the church they went to the grog-shop, whose proprietor began to indulge in outbursts of rage and cursing against me and my preaching. After a while Mitchel got up and declared that he could not hear Mr. Knapp abused any longer; that he believed he was doing a great deal of good in the city; and turning towards the rum-seller, he remarked, 'If you keep up this abuse any longer, I will never drink another drop in your house, nor anywhere else, as long as my name is Mitchel.' But the enraged proprietor continued to deal out his anathemas; whereupon Mitchel, true to his word, then and there solemnly pledged himself to absolute and total abstinence thenceforth through life. Hawkins and others joined with him in the pledge. This was the origin of the Washingtonian temperance movement, which swept over the country with such wonderful power,' and by which tens of thousands of drunkards were reformed, and thousands of families were made happy for this life and the life to come."*

* Autobiography, p. 100. 

From Baltimore Elder Knapp went to Albany, where fifteen hundred persons, including many of the wealthy and influential, were converted. Thence he went to the Tabernacle Baptist Church, New York City. The attendance soon filled the church to overflowing, and the sidewalks were often overrun with people. As a consequence the revival became a topic of the day. A reporter of the New York Herald wrote up burlesque accounts of the meetings, caricaturing the sermons of the revivalist and distorting his expressions. This served only to advertise the meetings more widely, so that scores who otherwise would have manifested no interest in the work, were attracted to the services, and many of these were led to embrace the gospel. Thousands from all classes, including the most godless and profane, were converted under the influence of these meetings. There were four hundred accessions to the Tabernacle Church, while numbers swelled the membership of churches of every denomination throughout the city. 

In December, 1840, Elder Knapp conducted a successful revival at Hartford, Conn., going thence to New Haven. Here the Christians of the city, irrespective of denomination, co-operated with the revivalist in his work. Some hundreds, including seventy students of Yale College, were converted. 

In December, 1841, after having labored with excellent results in Providence, R. L, Elder Knapp went to Boston in response to an invitation from nearly all of the Baptist pastors in the city. The revival spirit had been enkindled to some extent through the labors of Charles G. Finney, so that the fields were already white unto the harvest, when Elder Knapp commenced his labors. As a result one of the most remarkable spiritual quickenings in all the annals of American revivals visited Boston and vicinity. As in other places, on account of his scathing animadversions of Unitarianism, Universalism, gambling and intemperance, a great deal of opposition was encountered, and on several occasions the preacher narrowly escaped being mobbed. But the opposition was overruled and the revival went on to the conversion of multitudes. 

Of the influence of the revival Elder Knapp said: "Several of the places of amusement were closed; billiard tables and bar-rooms were neglected; and you could scarcely meet a man in the market or on the street whose countenance did not indicate seriousness, and whose language was not subdued. The streets at midnight were deserted, and the stillness of the hour was disturbed only by the voice of prayer or the song of praise, as they were wafted from counting-house, garret, or parlor."*

* Autobiography, p. 129. 

As a result of the Great Boston Revival, as it was called at the time, upwards of four thousand persons were added to the churches, the Baptist churches of the city and vicinity being strengthened by about two thousand accessions. Elder Knapp was not alone in conducting the services of this mighty spiritual quickening. He had been preceded by Charles G. Finney and was followed by Edward N. Kirk, who labored among the Orthodox Congregationalists, while John N. Maffit, the eloquent Methodist divine, labored for a time in the principal Methodist Church of the city. The labors of all of these men were highly successful, and all things seemed to combine to make this revival the most remarkable, perhaps, which had ever visited Boston. 

After the Boston revival. Elder Knapp conducted successful meetings in Lowell, Concord, Marblehead, and Salem, Mass., but about this time his ministry as a great revivalist culminated. He had already encountered the opposition of "lewd fellows of the baser sort" but now he was obliged to suffer from "perils among false brethren." A man of marked views and of unswerving fidelity to what he believed to be the truth, it was not strange perhaps that he should have awakened antagonism on the part of certain of his contemporaries. 

It was charged in the first place that his work was lacking in permanency. It was true that a reaction followed the revival in Boston, but it was neither so disastrous as to be unusual, nor could it in any sense be attributed to the indiscretions of Elder Knapp. The overwhelming majority of those who had professed conversion remained true to their vows. Deacon Asa Wilbur of Boston made an exhaustive study of the facts, and proved that the five Baptist churches in Boston under whose auspices the revivalist had labored, in the four succeeding years baptized 1,058 persons, and excluded during the same period 158, thus making a net gain of 51 per cent., while the percentage of those excluded was but 15 percent, of the baptisms. The two remaining Baptist churches in the city which did not co-operate in the revival received during the same period 122 by baptism and excluded 36, the percentage of those excluded to those received being 29 per cent. The exclusions in all of these churches during these years being but one and one-fourth per cent, annually of their entire membership, disproved completely the complaint of "spurious converts" "numerous exclusions." etc. 

Dr. Edward N. Kirk in speaking of the thoroughness of Elder Knapp's ministry said: "Complaints were heard of the superficialness of the conversions under his ministry. But following him as I did, in 1839 and 1840, in Baltimore, New Haven, and Hartford, I am able to testify that in all those places men's religious sensibilities had been deeply moved. I found the ground ploughed for the seed, and the harvest ripe for the sickle."*

* Lectures, p. 142. 

The second charge was that of avarice. It was alleged that he dressed and appeared so as to give the impression that he was very poor in order to increase the contributions of the benevolent minded towards his support. At Elder Knapp's own request the charge was investigated by his ministerial brethren, and their verdict was that there "was nothing in the case which ought to interrupt Elder Knapp's connection with the church, or his labors as a minister of the gospel." 

Groundless as these charges were, they interfered no doubt with his usefulness for a time, but he did not suffer himself to be set aside thereby. Up to the time of his death at Rockford, Ill., in 1874, he continued to do the work of an evangelist, especially among the weaker churches of the West, laboring through evil as well as good report for the salvation of men. If other evidence were wanting, his long and faithful subsequent career as an evangelist furnished a sufficient refutation of the charges which had been named against him. 

In its doctrinal aspects, Elder Knapp's preaching was a sort of an Arminianized Calvinism. While he recognized the work of the Spirit in the conversion of men, he exhorted sinners to immediate repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. In dealing with inquirers he made use of the anxious seat, since it served not only as a test of character, but also enabled the individual to publicly commit himself to the service of Christ, and was a source of encouragement to others who might be seeking salvation. 

Of the general results of his labors, Elder Knapp said: "For a time I endeavored to keep an approximate account of the persons who professed conversion in my meetings, but after my reckonings took in more than one hundred thousand cases I gave up the attempt. They came in such crowds, from all denominations; so many united with other churches, and so many were reported in meetings commenced by me after I had left, and so many were strangers from distant towns and States, sojourning for a few days or weeks where I was preaching, and so many other meetings sprang up from those I was holding, that I found the attempt to number Israel an impossibility, and suspected that it might be sin."*

* Autobiography, p. 190. 

Elder Jabez S. Swan with Elder Knapp shared the distinction of being a pioneer evangelist among the Baptists. He was born in Stonington, Conn., February 23, 1800. In his youth he was subject to serious impressions, but it was not until he reached his majority that he became a Christian. After his marriage he felt called of God to enter the ministry. Accompanied by his wife he went to Hamilton, N. Y., to pursue a course of study in the Literary and Theological Institute, from which he graduated in 1827. 

After a three years' pastorate at Stonington, Conn., he accepted a call to the church at Norwich, N. Y. About two years after his settlement he attended a four days' meeting some miles distant, where there was a remarkable revival, in which a hundred or more persons were converted. Impressed doubtless with a sense of his fruitlessness in ministerial labors, on his return to Norwich he confessed to his congregation his want of earnestness and faithfulness in the work to which he had been called. He begged the church and the unconverted to forgive him. A profound impression was thus made. The church was aroused and the unconverted were deeply moved. A revival followed, in which numbers were converted. From this time Elder Swan was abundant in revival labors, preaching at various places in the vicinity with excellent results. Hardened sinners were converted and the waste places were built up. In one of the meetings not far from Norwich a whiskey distiller was converted, and he advised with Elder Swan as to what he should do. He was promptly told to "sign the pledge and put out the fires." He did so and was baptized, twenty-one others being baptized with him. Swan remained at Norwich eight years, during which more than three hundred united with his church, mostly by baptism. In his revival labors, moreover, he had ranged north as far as Utica, south as far as Binghamton, and west to Oswego. After the close of his pastorate at Norwich, Elder Swan served brief pastorates in Preston, and Oxford, N. Y. 

In order that he might do the work of an evangelist. Elder Swan resigned the pastorate in the fall of 1841 and for the next two or three years devoted his whole time to the work of conducting revivals. He visited Owego, New York City, Auburn, and Wellsport, N. Y., Stonington, Mystic, and New London, Conn., and Albany, N. Y. In all of these places he was very successful and conversions were numerous. 

While he was laboring at Albany the Millerite excitement was at its height. Besides this he met with much opposition from the Universalists. Notwithstanding these hindrances a great revival commenced which went on until fourteen other protracted meetings were in progress at the same time, as a result of which upwards of three thousand persons were converted. 

At the close of his labors at Albany Elder Swan returned to the pastorate, in which he continued at various places up to the time of his death, with the exception of a few years as a home missionary evangelist in Connecticut. In his ministerial labors as pastor and evangelist, he baptized ten thousand persons with his own hands, besides great numbers who were baptized by other ministers or who affiliated themselves with other religious denominations. 

Emerson Andrews, an evangelist of considerable prominence among the Baptists, was born in Mansfield, Mass., November 24, 1806. While a student at an academy in Plainfield, N. H., he was converted through the preaching of Asahel Nettleton. At a later time, while a student at Union College, Schenectady, N. Y., he united with the Baptist Church. He was brought up in the Congregational Church, but becoming convinced that immersion was the form of baptism practised by the early followers of Jesus, he went into the Baptist denomination. 

In 1835 he accepted a call to the church at Lansingburg, N. Y., where he was ordained as an evangelist. Not long after he was called to Rome, N. Y. During a stay of two years the membership of the church was doubled and he was persuaded to relinquish the duties of the pastorate to enter the evangelistic field. For a period of more than thirty-five years with the exception of a brief pastorate, at Reading, Pa., he did the work of an evangelist, conducting more than three hundred protracted meetings, in which forty thousand persons professed conversion. 

The labors of these evangelists and others, such as A. C. Kingsley, Lewis Raymond, etc., who had entered the fields already whitened to the harvest, together with the efforts of scores of faithful pastors, had by the close of the first half of the nineteenth century brought about a wholesome revolution throughout the Baptist denomination, so that revivals were coming to be quite as common among the Baptists as in other evangelical denominations. Not only was there a quickening along evangelistic lines, but the Baptists had entered upon an era of expansion in missions, in benevolences, in education and in the religious training of the young. As a result of which the denomination had come to exercise a profound influence upon the religious life of our country and the world. 

Associated in their early history with the Baptists were the Disciples of Christ, or Campbellite Baptists, as they were sometimes called. The body owes its origin to the labors of Thomas Campbell and especially to his son, Alexander Campbell, both of whom had been connected with the Irish "Seceder" Presbyterian Church, and who emigrated to this country in 1807 and 1809, respectively. They formed what they termed a "Christian Association" in Washington County, Pa. For this organization they disclaimed the character of a church, but sought admission for it into the Synod of Pittsburg, which was denied. Being deprived of ecclesiastical standing, the "Association" was eventually transformed into a church which was founded upon the fundamental propositions of the Campbells, in which they advocated the union of all Christians on the basis of the overthrowal of human creeds and confessions of faith, and the refusal to adopt any doctrine or observance which was not expressly enjoined in the New Testament. Prior to this they had affirmed "Where the Scriptures speak, we speak; where the Scriptures are silent, we are silent," a principle which led to the rejection of infant baptism, and the acceptance a little later of immersion as the only form of baptism recognized by the primitive Christian church. The Campbells were accordingly immersed, and the members of their church soon after followed their example. Having practically become Baptists, they were invited to unite with the Redstone Baptist Association, which they did and continued fellowship therewith until the controversies over their distinguishing views became so heated that they withdrew. They then united with the Mahoning Baptist Association, but this Association adjourned sine die in 1827, leaving the Campbells and their churches without ecclesiastical affiliations. Accordingly their work about this time assumed the form of an independent religious body. Others entertaining similar views rallied about their standard, and the churches of their order entered upon a career of prosperity which has been uninterrupted from that day to this. 

During the early period of their history the Disciples were inclined to be belligerent towards other sects. With their platform of Christian union on the basis of the overthrowal of human creeds, they regarded other religious denominations as the legitimate fields of their endeavor, and by a system of proselytism they multiplied with great rapidity through the MiddleWest and SouthWest. Notwithstanding their belligerent attitude towards other denominations, and the number of proselytes therefrom that they succeeded in making, the Disciples did a great work in the evangelization of the unchurched and unconverted throughout the regions in which they labored, so that by the close of the first half of the nineteenth century they had come to be recognized as one of the important factors in the religious life of our country.

 

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