Methodism in Earnest

James Caughey

MY DEAR BROTHER: -I was once in the very position you describe. The church, over which God had placed me, had long been unvisited by an extensive revival. My soul became more deeply concerned than usual for the conversion of sinners; and I was led to pray most earnestly for a revival. I began a series of meetings, in the month of December, first in one private house, and then in another. I preached every night, and held a prayer-meeting afterwards; but we never got the matter fairly before the public; only a few attended, and the special effort was a complete failure.

The meetings dwindled down to nothing, and we gave them up with as good a grace as we could, and returned to the ordinary means. But, you will inquire, “Why such a defeat?” Weakness of faith, and distrust in God, were perhaps the chief causes. We missed our way, by not lighting up the chapel at once. We endeavoured to take hold of the population by means of these little meetings in various parts of the town, and failed to make a sufficient impression upon the public mind. Sinners cared nothing for us and our paltry movements; there was no expectation raised, no curiosity excited; we were down, nor could we recover ourselves; and so the effort was abandoned. “But why did you take such a course? Why then did you not open the chapel?” There were several reasons:

1st. We could not obtain the proper preachers to assist in such an arduous undertaking. They were, all engaged in vigorous efforts for souls, in “protracted meetings” on their own circuits.

2nd. I had at that time a very small stock of sermons that were any way suitable for a revival. Unhappily, I had spent much of my time upon speculative divinity; in composing sermons, fifteen thousand of which would not, it is probable, have brought one sinner to God. The truths embodied in them, were not at all calculated to bring about an instantaneous revival. The few sermons likely to make an impression had been exhausted in the ordinary services.
3rd. I concluded that, in these private meetings, some good might be done by taking up new texts of a revival tendency, and preaching as I best could. But not having at command the proper materials for the illustration of truth, nor those arguments which are best adapted to awaken sinners, and excite public attention, I could only dwell upon the dry materials of theology, and so I was as one beating the air.

4th. Aware of my deficiencies, pride or prudence suggested the impropriety of my attempting to preach every night in the chapel, where a failure might he attended by a serious reaction.

But the same difficulties accompanied me, of course, to the meetings in the private dwellings. I knew my want of preparation for so many sermons, and, though it should not have affected me, (for my trust ought to have been in God,) yet it weakened my faith, and I had no courage. The praying men caught my spirit also; thus, instead of being able to fight a battle manfully for God, during several weeks I could only stand a few skirmishes, and the devil and sin were victorious.

Here I received a lesson never to be forgotten. I now saw the necessity of turning my attention to that style of preaching which would be likely, by the aid of the Holy Ghost, to awaken sinners, and bring penitents to God. Revival artillery, I resolved to have. I fasted and prayed, and searched the Scriptures. My reading, thinking, conversation, and all my observations, were laid under contribution to one end; -preparation for soul-saving, which I now perceived to be the main end of the gospel ministry. My little stock of sermons suitable for a revival, increased rapidly. When a text presented itself as suitable for a revival, my cry was, “Lord God, open the eyes of my understanding; give me a clear perception of thy meaning in this passage.” A forenoon was generally spent upon my knees, pleading for divisions and sub-divisions; sometimes a simple proposition was presented. Having completed my “skeleton,” I returned to my knees, and pleaded for an introduction, and that flesh and sinews might come upon these dry bones. And the pleading was not in vain; thoughts of a moving character came into my mind in troops. Having finished the rough outline, it was folded up till next day. On the morrow, I returned to my knees, read the subject over, expunged such extraneous and superfluous matter as only tended to load the memory and encumber the subject, but retained all that had point, and was likely to do execution among sinners. The holy Scriptures were then called in, to prove or illustrate the sentiments; commentators were referred to; and lastly, my private Journal and Common-Place Book. It is proper to remark, that I had long attended to that advice given by an aged American minister, to a young preacher:

“This I would advise you, wherever you, in any reading, meet with a curious illustration, prize it, seize it, enter it in papers where you may design a lodging for such inestimable jewels. Like Hezekiah, have your treasures for precious stones; and let these be such unto you. Get such an amassment of them, that among them you may be like the king of Tyrus, and ‘walk up and down in the midst of the stones of fire,’ when you are upon the holy mountain of God. One of these may be like an ingot of gold, and a whole discourse may be rendered acceptable by having such a jewel studded in it.” After walking thus in the mount with God, among my jewels and stones of fire, some original, others by right of conquest, and collecting such as were calculated to move an assembly, -supposing I could do nothing more with them at present, the written outline was brought to the footstool of God, thus: “O Lord God of hosts, God of the armies of Israel, and head of the Church, I ask thy acceptance of my body, soul, and spirit, and of this my humble offering, -this outline of a sermon, which I now present to Thee. Forgive all that may be wrong in it, or which savours of human infirmity; and grant that, wherever and whenever it shall be preached, the power of the Holy Ghost may attend it to the hearts of sinners and believers. Grant that I may obtain, by its instrumentality, thousands of souls to my ministry, from the ranks of wickedness, through Jesus Christ my Lord! For this, and the pardon of all my sins, and the purification of my nature, I offer the atonement of the Saviour. I trust; in the blood of Jesus Christ thy Son; I cast myself upon it by faith, and upon the veracity of Christ Jesus in that promise: ‘what things so ever you desire when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.’ I have desired these things, I have prayed for them, and I do receive what I have asked, agreeably to thy will.” The sermon was then placed among kindred subjects, and carefully put away, under the label REVIVAL; and I held myself in readiness to take up another text, in a similar manner.

But you will inquire: “Did you not preach them immediately to your people?” Sometimes I did so, but not always; nor could I the ordinary services being so few. I considered myself only in preparation for a campaign; that I was just getting my ammunition and engines of war in readiness for a great battle. The following Conference recalled me from the town alluded to, and sent me to another field of labour. After my arrival, I endeavoured to get the church into a prepared state for a revival; and proceeded with increased activity in the accumulation of “munitions of war.” As the time approached, when we were about to enter upon an extraordinary conflict with the powers of darkness, I endeavoured to secure ministerial help, but, in case of a failure in that quarter, had my own artillery ready. I had faith in God and good courage, because faith had been exercising itself for several months in active preparation for the holy war. Cromwell said to his soldiers, on the battle-field, “Trust in the Lord, and rely upon your pikes!” and, on another occasion, “Trust in the Lord, and keep your powder dry!” But had they had neither pikes nor powder, their trust in God would not have been very firm. In my last skirmishes with the devil and his children, I had a feeble trust in God, but had neither pikes nor powder; you know what I mean, and I have told you the results. On the eve of this battle, glory be to God! I had both pikes and powder. I trusted in God, however, knowing that both were useless, if not attended by an influence from heaven; and when fully in the engagement, the weapons were wielded with such an energy as if every thing had depended upon human might.

The people of God were fully aware of the difficulties in the way of a revival; but they were all of one heart and soul, and joined together as an impenetrable phalanx. The respective officers put on the heavenly armour of faith, and hope, and love. The intended conflict was talked of in every direction, and all was expectation in the town.

The time arrived; the house of God was thrown open, and hostilities commenced. Many people thronged there to witness the conflict. The weapons of our warfare were not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down strongholds, and casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalted itself against the knowledge of Christ. The pulpit was the “grand battery,” but there were several others along the ramparts; (if you will allow me to continue use of military phraseology, which I employ without scruple, as did St. Paid, because it was a real battle between mind and mind, light and darkness, truth and error, powers divine and diabolical;) and there were no “ blank motions,” no “powder and flash without ball.” The execution was tremendous. It appeared to some as if the devil had fled, and left the field to Zion’s sons. If so, he left his troops under a “galling fire,” and the surrender of some of his regiments was exceedingly grand. The battle lasted nine weeks; and the results were glorious. If victory had not been ours at the end of that time, we must have had to retreat, as my “ammunition” was nearly exhausted; but this only imparted a fresh impulse to my mind, to lay up “military stores” on a larger scale. In addition to this, my late experience had enabled me to detect the artillery that was weak or unwieldy, and therefore unfit for the service. There were weapons, some of whose points were too soft, others of a harder temperament than they should have been; and though they did some execution upon mind, they might have accomplished much more, had they been of better metal, kindlier temper, and keener edge. To remedy these defects, and get ready for another campaign, was my happy employment during the intervals of my pastoral duties.

In the meantime, the new converts received close attention; were appointed to classes; new classes were formed, and every possible means used, by visiting them daily at their own houses, and by affectionate pulpit discourses, to confirm and establish them in the practice of true piety. Books were placed in their hands for the improvement of their minds; and the absence of any one of them from class, was a subject of immediate inquiry. Thus the reaction talked of by some was avoided; we had, in fact, nothing of the kind. A few went back to the world, I admit, and shortly after, a number of the new converts died happy in God, and went home to glory; but a large majority remain to the present day, pillars in the church of God, and happy witnesses that “Jesus Christ hath power upon earth to forgive sins.”

I have now, my dear brother, given you a detailed account of my experience in these things. I could enlarge, but it is not necessary. If I have been, in some measure, successful among my brethren, in winning souls to Christ, the Holy Spirit of God has been the original and efficient cause; and to him be all the glory. That he works by means, you will readily admit, and, in the above hasty sketch, you have seen the progress of my mind in laying hold of that class of truths which is calculated, by divine aid, to awaken and convert sinners. I could give you an account of many revivals, in which I have been engaged during past years, and farther observations upon the effects of particular and pointed truth upon different characters, but time will not permit. My mind is quite as much alive as ever to seize upon illustrations in nature, science, and common every-day life, of which the world is full, was we only intent upon perceiving them. My common-place books and little pocket note-books, are always at hand, in which are noted down whatever may occur to my thought, in conversation, observation, and reading.

I am fully persuaded, the reason why some preachers are averse to what are called “revival movements,” is not because they have no desire for the conversion of sinners, nor from a conviction that God has not called them to bring sinners to repentance, for they frequently attempt it; nor because they have no talents for such an effort; but, chiefly, for the want of proper pulpit preparations, to begin and carry forward a revival. Although they may have a respectable stock of sermons, which procure them a rank, deservedly, among the accomplished theologians of the day; yet, the engaging a very few times in preaching would exhaust their capital; and then, to come forward with “long common-place sermons,” as unfit for producing immediate and beneficial effect in a revival, as snow upon a harvest field, would disappoint even the expectation of sinners, discourage penitents, and weary and unfit believers to enter the prayer meeting with life and zeal. A few such dull sermons would soon thin the congregation, and leave the preacher to address an array of empty seats. Such men have, therefore, no heart for such a continued and laborious struggle. What confidence could a general have in laying siege to a city, or in attempting to take it by storm; knowing that he has neither ammunition nor artillery sufficient for such an undertaking? But these, in a spiritual sense, every minister of Jesus must have, if he would undertake with proper energy to lay siege to and storm a population of sinners. Hence, the preachers on whom I have ventured to animadvert are shy of making full proof of their call to the work of the ministry, in this way; and when the matter is pressed home upon the conscience of one of these, he usually resorts to the pitiable apology, “I have no talent for these revivals. Every man has his particular gift. All cannot be revivalists. I must, therefore, proceed in my own way.”

Let the inquiry be put to his conscience and understanding, by a proper person, “But, my brother, what is your way? What are you aiming at in preaching? Upon what principles did you begin to preach at first? Excuse the inquiry; what were the secret feelings, which prompted you in the beginning of your career in the ministry? If the immediate conversion of sinners was not your object, what was it? Why? For what purpose do you yet enter the pulpit? Is it not to bring sinners to repentance? But, if you are incapable of conducting a prayer meeting, and of kneeling down to pray for a penitent sinner, to whom must the church of God look? If you are incapacitated to point a trembling sinner to the Lamb of God, and to tell him how to believe, to whom must the unhappy soul resort? Do you say, ‘I make such things known in the pulpit, and that is the place for the performance of my duty?’ But St. Paul preached Jesus ‘from house to house,’ and ‘ with many tears;’ is it, therefore, improper to do the same thing in a prayer meeting, under circumstances so interesting?”

Language more pointed than this might be used, but it is well even with this, if he keeps his temper.

You may depend upon it, you will find in the above hints, most of the prominent reasons for the aversion of some men to revivals; and why they discountenance extraordinary endeavours for the salvation of sinners. It is upon the same principles that we may frequently account for those mortifying failures, when special efforts have been made to bring about a revival.

I cannot close without an allusion to your mental conflicts. Have you not read Augustine’s advice to a young minister, Prepara te ad pressuras? To which a good man added, “When a man enters upon the work of preaching the gospel, He finds himself speedily, as it were, in the wine-press.” It is seldom the following sentiments of one now with God, have failed to be realized in one way or other in my experience: “You will hardly ever be engaged in any special service for the kingdom of God, but you will either just before it, or after it, meet with some special trouble; either from some failure of your health, or in some storm of groundless obloquies among the people; or, which is worst of all, some horrid colaphtisations from wicked spirits on your mind, strongly filling you with consternations and confusions, which, be they ever so unreasonable, yet will be intolerable.”

It is in the latter way, I have hitherto chiefly suffered, although I have had my trials from most of the above sources; but the onsets of those cruel and invisible spirits upon my mind have often been terrible. The devil has generally taken his revenge in this way, when I have been favoured with any remarkable success in the work of the ministry. These conflicts have often been very severe just before some remarkable conquest; and after the revival, he has come against me as a roaring lion; but the Lord hath hitherto delivered me, and by such commotions, prepared me for greater usefulness, and endued me with a larger measure of watchfulness and humility.

I have often shortened these days of trial, by plunging into another revival; then all has become light, and peace, and joy. I have therefore, of late years, arranged matters, so as to step into another effort for a revival, when my work has concluded in any given place. The devil has been baffled for the time, by these rapid movements; but he has still threatened my trembling soul in a manner I cannot describe; suggesting, that, for every instance in which he has been foiled in this way, he shall yet have his vengeance, in one concentrated and tremendous storm, which is brooding and preparing in the gloomy distance. “But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, if I may finish my course with joy, and the ministry I have received of the Lord Jesus.” “He that will wage war with hell, must suffer hell’s rage,” has long been my motto; but, if the devil and I must fight, I am determined to be the aggressor. I think there is an advantage here worth taking; and we may take it most fairly, as the apostle tells us he is wide-awake to “get an advantage of us!”

These trials, I admit with you, are “worse than preaching;” and, a succession of them, make a man look older by many years than he really is. The people who surrounded our Lord, mistook him for being nearly fifty years of age, when he was only a little more than thirty. “Thou art not yet fifty years old,”-this was their nearest guess, -“and hast thou seen Abraham?” John viii. 57.
J. C.