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Extracts
from the 1834 Diary of Rev. Jacob Lanius. – No. 4
(Rev.
Jacob A. Lanius was a circuit preacher and
at one
time the pastor of Paris M.E. Church South.)
Tuesday,
February 4 – Bro. Jameson and I rode to Bro. Jefferson
Marr’s and from thence to Paris, where I received two letters. On
opening one of them, a ten dollar bill (fell) from it, and on
reading it I learned, to my great sorrow, that my mother was
dead and also my grandfather. I feel that in the death of
my mother I have lost my best earthly friend. She never
seemed to forget my wants, and just the day before she died she
expressed the fear that her boy might be suffering with cold in
the bleak prairies of North Missouri, and requested father to
send him some money to buy flannel. My greatest consolation
in this hour of bereavement is that she “died in faith,” and
with the bright assurance of immortality. My mother has
left six children – myself, aged twenty; Sarah, fourteen;
Daniel P., thirteen; William, eight; Melinda, nine; Eliza, six.
Friday I
started in company with Bro. Jameson to Palmyra to attend his
quarterly meeting, and reached there on Saturday. Found
Elder Moore present. Preached Saturday night, Sunday night
and Monday morning. We had a good meeting. Five joined
by hand and one by letter, and twelve were at the altar for
prayers.
Tuesday I
spent in reading Mr. Watson’s View of the Deity of Jesus
Christ. I cannot see how Jesus Christ can be an eternal son
according to Mr. Watson, for the term itself seems to me to
imply a time when he began his existence, and thus his eternity
is denied. This doctrine is one in which I feel great
interest, and I am determined to prosecute study of it.
Sunday 23
– Preached in Paris to a crowded house. We had a feeling
time, and a sweet class after preaching. We raised
twenty-nine dollars for the relief of our presiding elder, Bro.
Monroe, who, through the bad management of his agents, has
fallen fourteen hundred dollars. The church in St. Louis
has manifested great lieberality and has contributed five
hundred dollars to this fund.
Saturday,
March 1 – By request I preached at Mr. Ealses. This is a
neighborhood of Mormonites. More than a year ago they began
their work here, and soon made proselytes of a small class of
Methodists, leaving only one, Bro. Johnson, an exhorter. They
now number about fifty.
Wednesday,
preached at Father Thrasher’s. We had a very feeling
time. Two females fell down on the floor and shouted,
prayed, etc. One was a Methodist and the other a Campellite. I
scarcely know what to think of such actions. I am afraid to
speak against them lest I should be found fighting against God.
On Monday
night I preached at Bro. Ransdell’s, and could go no further
for the river, which was very full.
On Tuesday I
crossed the river in a boat at Paris, and rode to Bro. Sharp’s
where on the following Saturday I preached on the subject of
Baptism. Circumstances seemed to require a discourse of
that subject. The Campbellites have prevailed here, and
their influence has been against the truth. One of their
preachers was present and took notes with a view of replying at
some future time.
After
preaching three hours and a half in the day, I preached again at
night to the negroes. For some time I have been impressed
that something ought to be done for our slave population. Why
send missionaries abroad and neglect those who are in our midst
and for whom Christ died? I verily believe I shall be as
amply rewarded for saving a poor son of Africa as a proud
Euroean, and so am resolved too make special efforts for the
slaves on my circuit.
On Thursday
I attended the burial of our beloved Sister Maupin, who died
very suddenly on Wednesday. She died in the faith, having
been a member of the Church for several years.
On Monday,
the 14th, Bro. Heninger and myself started to Troy,
in Lincoln county, to a wedding. Spent the first night at
my old friend Purdom’s and the second day reached Father
Ogelvie’s, where on the next day occurred the marriage of Mr.
Thompson and Miss Ogelvie, a handsome pair indeed. On our
return we spent a night at Bro. Pritchett’s, whose little
daughter was bitten during the day by a copperhead snake. We
left her the next morning in a very precarious condition.
On Friday,
Mary 2, 1834, we commenced our third quarterly meting at Bro.
Sharp’s. While Bro. Sharp was preaching a lady screamed
out and cried for mercy. On Saturday there were three
earnest seekers at the altar. Elder Monroe preached on
Sunday morning. Services were much disturbed by a company
of ruffians. At nigh five or six were at the altar for
prayers, and several were soundly converted and shouted aloud. In
all probability these were the first conversions that ever
occurred in the west end of Monroe county, and the effect was
wonderful in the community.
On the 10th
I preached for the first time on Lick creek. Prospects are
encouraging here for organizing a society.
Sunday, May
18, 1834 – Had the pleasure of hearing Rev. Mr. Wright of the
Presbyterian Church. He preached in the court house in
Paris, and at the close of the service raised a collection of
near $11 “for circulating the gospel on the printed page.” A
Campbellite lawyer arose and remarked that there were seven
gospels in Monroe county, and he wished to know which one was to
be thus “circulated on the printed page.” The preacher
very properly treated him with profound contempt, which seemed
to mortify him very much.
Wednesday,
June 4 – This day will long be remembered by me and other. I
reached my appointment at Father Thrasher’s at 12 o’clock. Found
a small congregation, mostly of Christians. As I entered
the house the old gentleman with streaming eyes informed me of
the death, on the day before, of his son Stephen’s wife. Just
two weeks before she had been baptized by immersion, and
contracted a cold which soon resulted in her death – another
argument against immersion as the only mode of Christian
baptism. She died in faith. I preached from “Come unto
me,” etc. God was present in mighty power. Soon one
man began in mighty power. Soon one man began shaking like
Belshazzar. The women also were very much affected. I
opened the church doors and one lady with loud cries came
forward and joined. The whole congregation was in tears. I
called for mourners and four came, leaving only two sinners in
their seats, and it was with difficulty they remained. Dear
me! What a shout we had! The whole house was filled
with it. The Lord is doing great things for us at this
point. We are surrounded here by Roman Catholics, but
“They that are with us are more than they that are with
them.”
Source: Pg 2
of the St. Louis “Christian Advocate” dated 30 Jan 1878 at
http://newspapers.umsystem.edu/archive/.
Note1:
Believe the “Mormonites” mentioned above were the
Ivie-Allred Mormon settlement. (For more info, see http://www.rootsweb.com/~momonroe/mormonarticle.htm)
Note 2:
Vincent L Milner’s “Religious Denominations of the World”
published in 1860 stated that the professed aim of the
Campbellite Baptist disciples was to bring Christianity back to
its primitive simplicity and reject all symbols of faith except
the Bible. (For more info, see http://www.mun.ca/rels/restmov/texts/rmeyes/RDW-DOC.HTM)
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