Latest / William Penn / Narrative of the Life of Rev. Noah Davis, A Colored Man-Noah Davis

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Narrative of the Life of Rev. Noah Davis, A Colored Man-Noah Davis · William Penn

• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Introductory material from a narrative of the Life of Reverend
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: Noah Davis, a Colored Man. This is a LibriVox recording.
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recorded
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: by Brian Ness A Narrative of the Life of Reverend
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: Noah Davis, a Colored Man, by himself. Introductory material. The
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: object of the writer in preparing this account of himself
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: is to raise sufficient means to free his last two
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: children from slavery. Having already, within twelve years past, purchased himself,
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: his wife, and five of his children at a cost
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  Speaker 1: altogether of over four thousand dollars, he now earnestly desires
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  Speaker 1: a humane and Christian public to aid him in the
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: sale of this book for the purpose of finishing the
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: task in which he has so long and anxiously labored.
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: God has blessed him in an extraordinary manner, not only
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: by granting freedom to him and so large a portion
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  Speaker 1: of his family, but by giving him the hope of
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  Speaker 1: the Gospel, and permitting him to preach that gospel among
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: his own people, in which calling he has been engaged
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  Speaker 1: for about twenty five years. End of introductory material recorded
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: by Brian Ness. Chapter one of a narrative of the
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: life of Reverend Noah Davis, a Colored Man. This is
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: Recorded by Brian Ness. A narrative of the life of
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: Reverend Noah Davis, a colored Man by himself. Chapter one.
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: Early life in Virginia, example of pious parents. I was
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: born a slave in Madison County, Virginia, March eighteen o four.
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: My father, John Davis, and his family belonged to Robert
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: Patton Esquire, a wealthy merchant residing in Fredericksburg, who was
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: also owner, in connection with mister John thom of a
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: large merchant mill located on Crooked Run, a stream running
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: between Madison and Culpeper Counties. My father was the head
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: miller at that large establishment in which responsible station. He
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: was much respected there I was born and remained until
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: I was twelve years old. Mister Patten was always considered
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: one of the best masters, allowing his servants many privileges,
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: but my father enjoyed more than many others. Both he
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: and my mother were pious members of a Baptist church,
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: and from their godly example, I formed a determination before
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: I had reached my twelfth year, that if I was
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: spared to become a man, I would try to be
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  Speaker 1: as good as my parents. My father could read a
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: little and make figures, but could scarcely write at all.
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  Speaker 1: His custom on those Sabbaths when we remained at home
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  Speaker 1: was to spend his time in instructing his children or
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  Speaker 1: the neighboring servants out of a New Testament sent him
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  Speaker 1: from Fredericksburg by one of his older sons. I fancy
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: I can see him now sitting under his bush arbor
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  Speaker 1: reading that precious book to many attentive hearers around him.
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: Such was the esteem I had for my pious father
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  Speaker 1: that I have kept that blessed book ever since his
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: death for his sake, and it was the first New
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: Testament I read after I felt the pardoning love of
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  Speaker 1: God and my soul. My father died August twenty eighteen,
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: twenty six, aged sixty years. My mother, Jane Davis, at
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: the death of my father, removed from the farm where
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: my father died and spent the remainder of her days
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  Speaker 1: in Fredericksburg with her children. She lived to good old
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  Speaker 1: age and fell asleep in Jesus December twenty four, eighteen
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  Speaker 1: thirty one. My father had been allowed to keep a
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  Speaker 1: cow and horse for his own use, and to raise
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  Speaker 1: and feed his hogs and poultry from the mill. He
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: had the privilege of keeping his children with him until
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  Speaker 1: they were old enough to put out to such trades
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  Speaker 1: as they might choose. I had several brothers and one sister.
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  Speaker 1: Two of my brothers, one older, the other younger than myself,
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  Speaker 1: lived with our parents at this place. My oldest brother
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  Speaker 1: worked in the mill with my father, while my youngest
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  Speaker 1: brother and I did little else than play about home
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  Speaker 1: and wait upon our mother. I had several playmates besides
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  Speaker 1: my brothers, and among them were the sons of Colonel
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: Tom and the servant boys who stayed at his house.
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  Speaker 1: Although many years have passed away since, it gives me
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  Speaker 1: pleasure even now to recollect the happy seasons I enjoyed
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  Speaker 1: with the playmates of my childhood. But this pleasant state
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  Speaker 1: of things was not to continue long. The owners of
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: the mill and farm concluded to sell out the The
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: whole concern my father and his family then removed to
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  Speaker 1: another farm belonging to our owner, located in Culpeper County
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  Speaker 1: near Stevensburg. Here I remained nearly two years, working part
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  Speaker 1: of the time with a carpenter who was building a
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  Speaker 1: summer residence for my master, and the rest of the
• 5:17
  Speaker 1: time assisting my father to cultivate as much ground as
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: he and his family could tend. Here I learned something
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: of a farmer's life. The overseer, mister Daniel Brown, had
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  Speaker 1: the reputation of being one of the best overseers in
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  Speaker 1: the county, but my father's family was not put under
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  Speaker 1: him further than for his protection, For after our owner
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  Speaker 1: sold the mill, he set my parents free and allowed
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  Speaker 1: them to maintain themselves by cultivating as much ground on
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  Speaker 1: the farm as they needed. Sometimes my father would leave
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  Speaker 1: his little place in charge of my brother Roberton myself,
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  Speaker 1: and would hire himself to work in some mill, or
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: go peddling poultry, vegetables, et cetera at some of the
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  Speaker 1: market places. Around end of chapter one recorded by Brian
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: Ness Chapter two of a narrative of the life of
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: Reverend Noah Davis, a colored man. This is a LibriVox
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For
• 6:22
  Speaker 1: more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: Recorded by Brian Ness a narrative of the life of
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: Reverend Noah Davis, a colored man by himself. Chapter two,
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: Apprentice to the shoemaking learns housework in temperance a negro
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: can't be trusted, learning how to write and cipher. In
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: December eighteen eighteen, for the first time in my life,
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  Speaker 1: I left my parents to go a distance from home,
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  Speaker 1: and I was sad at the thought of parting with
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  Speaker 1: those whom I loved and reverenced more than any persons
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  Speaker 1: on earth. But the expectation of seeing Fredericksburg, a place which,
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: from all I had then learned, I supposed must be
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  Speaker 1: the greatest place in the world, reconciled me somewhat with
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: the necessity of saying good bye to the dear ones
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  Speaker 1: at home. I arrived at Fredericksburg after a day and
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  Speaker 1: a half's travel in a wagon a distance of some
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  Speaker 1: fifty miles. Having arrived in town a boy green from
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  Speaker 1: the country, I was astonished and delighted at what appeared
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  Speaker 1: to me the splendor and beauty of the place. I
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: spent a merry Christmas at my old master's stately mansion
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  Speaker 1: along with my older brother, and for a while forgot
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  Speaker 1: the home on the farm. But soon another home was
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  Speaker 1: selected for me where I might learn a trade, and
• 7:44
  Speaker 1: as I preferred the boot and shoemaking, I was put
• 7:47
  Speaker 1: to mister Thomas Wright, a man of sterling integrity who
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: was considered the best workman in the whole town. Here
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: I had an older brother living, which was some inducement
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  Speaker 1: for my going to live with misters. I was bound
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  Speaker 1: to serve until I should be twenty one years old.
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  Speaker 1: This was in January eighteen nineteen. Upon entering with mister Wright,
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: I learned that the colored boys had to serve one
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: year with Missus Wright in the house and kitchen. The
• 8:15
  Speaker 1: object of this was to train them for future usefulness
• 8:19
  Speaker 1: when called from the shop to serve as waiters or cooks.
• 8:23
  Speaker 1: Missus Wright was a good manager and a very particular housekeeper.
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  Speaker 1: I used to think she was too particular, but I
• 8:30
  Speaker 1: have learned better since I have often wished, when I
• 8:33
  Speaker 1: have been seeking homes for my children, that I could
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  Speaker 1: find one like Missus Wright. She would spare no pains
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  Speaker 1: to teach her servants how she wanted her work done,
• 8:41
  Speaker 1: and then she would spare no pains to make them
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  Speaker 1: do it. I have often looked back with feelings of
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  Speaker 1: gratitude and veneration to that pious lady for her untiring
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  Speaker 1: perseverance in training me up in the way I should go.
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  Speaker 1: But she is gone, as I trust to receive the
• 8:57
  Speaker 1: reward of righteousness in a better world. After I had
• 9:01
  Speaker 1: been under missus Wright's special charge the first year, she
• 9:04
  Speaker 1: could leave me to cook a dinner, or clean the house,
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  Speaker 1: or do anything she might set me at without her
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  Speaker 1: being present, I was now considered fit to take my
• 9:13
  Speaker 1: seat among the hands in the shop. Here I found
• 9:16
  Speaker 1: quite a new state of things. The shoemakers at that
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  Speaker 1: time in Fredericksburg were considered the most intemperate of any
• 9:23
  Speaker 1: class of men in the place, and as the apprentice
• 9:26
  Speaker 1: boys had always to be very obliging to the journeyman
• 9:29
  Speaker 1: in order to get along pleasantly with them, it was
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  Speaker 1: my duty to be runner for the shop. And I
• 9:35
  Speaker 1: was soon trained how to bring liquor among the men
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  Speaker 1: with such secrecy as to prevent the boss, who had
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  Speaker 1: forbidden it to come on the premises, from knowing it.
• 9:44
  Speaker 1: But in those days the drinking of ardent spirits was
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  Speaker 1: a common practice, even among Christians. With such examples all around,
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  Speaker 1: I soon learned the habit of drinking, along with every
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  Speaker 1: other vile habit to which my companions were addicted. It
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  Speaker 1: was true in my case that evil communications corrupt good manners.
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  Speaker 1: And had it not been for the strictness with which
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  Speaker 1: my boss and his amiable lady watched over me, I should,
• 10:09
  Speaker 1: in all probability have become a confirmed drunkard before my
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  Speaker 1: time was out. But they held the reins over me
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  Speaker 1: and kept me in until I had served out my apprenticeship.
• 10:19
  Speaker 1: I can say, however, that much as I was inclined
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  Speaker 1: to other vices and sins, mister Wright readily gave me
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  Speaker 1: a recommendation for honesty, truthfulness, and goodness of character. In fact,
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  Speaker 1: he had felt such confidence in me that he would
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  Speaker 1: often leave his shoe store in my care when he
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  Speaker 1: would have to go to the north for a supply
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  Speaker 1: of stock. And I can truly say that I never
• 10:41
  Speaker 1: deceived him when he thus trusted me. Nothing would mortify
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  Speaker 1: me as much as to hear it said a Negro
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  Speaker 1: can't be trusted. This saying would always nerve me with
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  Speaker 1: a determination to be trustworthy. If I was trusted, I
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  Speaker 1: would deserve to be trusted. I wanted to show that
• 10:58
  Speaker 1: principle was not find to color. But I have been
• 11:02
  Speaker 1: led to look at it since and have thought that
• 11:04
  Speaker 1: perhaps it was more pride than principle in me at
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  Speaker 1: that time, for I was a wicked sinner. The first
• 11:11
  Speaker 1: idea I ever got of writing was from trying to
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  Speaker 1: imitate my employer, who used to write the names of
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  Speaker 1: his customers on the lining of the boots and shoes
• 11:20
  Speaker 1: as he gave them out to be made. So I
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: tried to make letters, and soon succeeded in writing my name,
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  Speaker 1: and then the word Fredericksburgh, and so on. My father
• 11:29
  Speaker 1: had previously taught me the alphabet in the spelling book
• 11:32
  Speaker 1: before I had left the mill. After I became religious,
• 11:36
  Speaker 1: I would carry my father's New Testament to church, and
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  Speaker 1: always try to get to meeting in time to hear
• 11:41
  Speaker 1: the preacher read a chapter before a sermon. If he
• 11:45
  Speaker 1: named the chapter before reading it, I would soon find it.
• 11:48
  Speaker 1: In this way I gathered much information in pronouncing many
• 11:51
  Speaker 1: hard words in the scriptures. It was a long time
• 11:54
  Speaker 1: before I learned the meaning of the numeral letters put
• 11:57
  Speaker 1: in the Bible over the chapters. I had often seen
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: them in the spelling book, running alongside a column of figures,
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  Speaker 1: but no one ever told me that they were put
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  Speaker 1: there for the same use as the figures. End of
• 12:10
  Speaker 1: chapter two. Recorded by Brian Ness. Chapter three of A
• 12:23
  Speaker 1: Narrative of the Life of Reverend Noah Davis, a Colored Man.
• 12:27
  Speaker 1: This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
• 12:31
  Speaker 1: the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
• 12:36
  Speaker 1: visit LibriVox dot org. Recorded by Brian Ness. A narrative
• 12:43
  Speaker 1: of the Life of Reverend Noah Davis, a colored Man
• 12:46
  Speaker 1: by himself. Chapter three Religious Experience Conviction conversion. Just about
• 12:54
  Speaker 1: the close of my apprenticeship, as I began to feel
• 12:57
  Speaker 1: myself a man, I commenced to visit them girls, which
• 13:00
  Speaker 1: induced me to go still more frequently to church. At
• 13:04
  Speaker 1: that time there were four churches in Fredericksburg. The colored
• 13:07
  Speaker 1: people had apartments for worship with the white people at
• 13:10
  Speaker 1: each of these churches. They were Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopalian, and Baptist.
• 13:16
  Speaker 1: I had no particular preference for any one of these
• 13:19
  Speaker 1: denominations more than another, but went wherever my favorites went.
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  Speaker 1: One night, a young lady invited me to go to
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  Speaker 1: the Methodist church where a prayer meeting was to be held.
• 13:30
  Speaker 1: During the meeting, a venerable old gentleman rose to his
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  Speaker 1: feet and related an account of the sudden death of
• 13:36
  Speaker 1: a young lady which he had read in a newspaper.
• 13:39
  Speaker 1: When he related that solemn circumstance, it so affected me
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  Speaker 1: that I felt as if I was about to die
• 13:45
  Speaker 1: in a sudden manner. Also, having always from parental training,
• 13:49
  Speaker 1: purposed in my mind to become religious before I died,
• 13:53
  Speaker 1: I thought that now was the time to begin to pray.
• 13:56
  Speaker 1: But I could not try to pray in the church,
• 13:58
  Speaker 1: for I was afraid that the girls would laugh at me.
• 14:01
  Speaker 1: Yet I became so troubled that I left the house,
• 14:04
  Speaker 1: girls and all, intending to seek some place where I
• 14:07
  Speaker 1: might pray. But to my horror and surprise, when I
• 14:10
  Speaker 1: got out of the church, this reflection occurred to me.
• 14:13
  Speaker 1: God is in heaven and you are on earth. How
• 14:16
  Speaker 1: can he hear you? Oh, what distress of mind I
• 14:19
  Speaker 1: now felt. I began to wonder how God could hear
• 14:22
  Speaker 1: my prayer? For sure enough, he was in heaven and
• 14:25
  Speaker 1: I on the earth. In my perplexity, I started for home.
• 14:29
  Speaker 1: Just before I reached the shop where I slept, this
• 14:32
  Speaker 1: thought struck me, if possible, with more force than the
• 14:35
  Speaker 1: former reflection, God does see you. It really appeared to
• 14:40
  Speaker 1: me as if I could see that God was indeed
• 14:42
  Speaker 1: looking at me, and not only so, but I felt
• 14:45
  Speaker 1: that He had been looking at me all my life.
• 14:48
  Speaker 1: I now said to myself, it is of no use
• 14:50
  Speaker 1: for me to pray. If God has seen all my wickedness,
• 14:53
  Speaker 1: as I feel that he has, then there is no
• 14:55
  Speaker 1: mercy for me. So I ran to my lodging place
• 14:59
  Speaker 1: and tried to hide myself in a dark room. But
• 15:02
  Speaker 1: this was useless, for it appeared that God could see
• 15:06
  Speaker 1: me in the dark as well as in the light.
• 15:09
  Speaker 1: I now felt constrained to beg for mercy and spent
• 15:12
  Speaker 1: the time in trying to obtain pardon for my sins.
• 15:15
  Speaker 1: But the morning came and the hour drew near for
• 15:18
  Speaker 1: the hands to go to work, and I was still unhappy.
• 15:21
  Speaker 1: I felt so very different to what I had always
• 15:24
  Speaker 1: felt that I tried to examine my impressions of the
• 15:26
  Speaker 1: previous night to learn if it was true that God
• 15:29
  Speaker 1: did see me or not, for I thought my imagination
• 15:33
  Speaker 1: might have deceived me. Up to this time, I was
• 15:36
  Speaker 1: not fully convinced that God knew all about me. So
• 15:38
  Speaker 1: I began to study about the matter. As I sat
• 15:42
  Speaker 1: on the shoe bench, I picked up a bunch of bristles, and,
• 15:45
  Speaker 1: selecting one of the smallest, I began to wonder if
• 15:48
  Speaker 1: God could see an object so small as that. No
• 15:51
  Speaker 1: sooner had this inquiry arose in my heart than it
• 15:54
  Speaker 1: appeared to me that the Lord could not only see
• 15:57
  Speaker 1: the bristle, but that he beheld me as plainly as
• 16:00
  Speaker 1: I saw the little object in my hand. And not
• 16:03
  Speaker 1: only so, but that God was then looking through me,
• 16:06
  Speaker 1: just as I would hold up a tumbler of clear
• 16:08
  Speaker 1: water to the sun and look through it. This was enough.
• 16:13
  Speaker 1: I felt that I must pray or perish. And now
• 16:16
  Speaker 1: I began to pray. But it really seemed that the
• 16:19
  Speaker 1: more I prayed, the less hope there was for me.
• 16:21
  Speaker 1: Still I could not stop praying, for I felt that
• 16:24
  Speaker 1: God was angry with me. I had sinned against his
• 16:27
  Speaker 1: holy laws, and now if he should cut me off
• 16:30
  Speaker 1: and send me to hell, it was but right. These
• 16:33
  Speaker 1: thoughts followed me day and night for five weeks before
• 16:37
  Speaker 1: I felt relief at length. One day, while sitting on
• 16:40
  Speaker 1: my shoe bench, I felt that my time had come
• 16:43
  Speaker 1: when I must die. What troubled me most was that
• 16:46
  Speaker 1: I should have to appear before God in all my sins. Oh,
• 16:50
  Speaker 1: what horror filled my soul. At that thought, I began
• 16:54
  Speaker 1: to wonder what I must do. I knew I was
• 16:56
  Speaker 1: not prepared for death and the judgment. It is true
• 17:00
  Speaker 1: that two of my shop mates at that time were
• 17:02
  Speaker 1: members of the church, but they did not seem to
• 17:04
  Speaker 1: care for my soul. All the rest of the hands
• 17:07
  Speaker 1: were as wicked as myself. What shall I do? Was
• 17:10
  Speaker 1: in my mind all the time I sat at work.
• 17:13
  Speaker 1: The reflection occurred to me, your mother is a Christian.
• 17:16
  Speaker 1: It may be she can save you. But this suggestion
• 17:19
  Speaker 1: appeared to be offensive to God. Then came another thought,
• 17:23
  Speaker 1: as my master was a rich man, could he not
• 17:26
  Speaker 1: do something to help me? But I found no relief
• 17:28
  Speaker 1: in either. And while I sat thus, hoping and praying,
• 17:32
  Speaker 1: light broke into my mind. All my trouble left me.
• 17:35
  Speaker 1: In an instant. I felt such a love and peace
• 17:38
  Speaker 1: flowing in my soul that I could not sit longer.
• 17:41
  Speaker 1: I sprang to my feet and cried out glory to God.
• 17:45
  Speaker 1: It seemed to me that God, whom I had beheld
• 17:48
  Speaker 1: a few seconds previously angry with me, was now well pleased.
• 17:52
  Speaker 1: I could not tell why this great change had taken
• 17:55
  Speaker 1: place in me, and my shop mates were surprised at
• 17:57
  Speaker 1: my conduct, saying that I must beginning crazy. But just
• 18:01
  Speaker 1: at this moment, the thought came into my mind that
• 18:04
  Speaker 1: I was converted. Still, as I felt so very different
• 18:07
  Speaker 1: from what I had expected to feel, I could not
• 18:09
  Speaker 1: see how that could be. I concluded to run and
• 18:13
  Speaker 1: see my mother and ask her how people felt when
• 18:15
  Speaker 1: they got converted. So I went right away to my
• 18:19
  Speaker 1: mother's house, some five or six squares from the shop.
• 18:22
  Speaker 1: When I reached the door of her house, it appeared
• 18:24
  Speaker 1: to me that everything was new and bright. I went
• 18:27
  Speaker 1: in and sat down. Mother asked me how I was.
• 18:30
  Speaker 1: I told her I felt right smart. This was a
• 18:33
  Speaker 1: new sound from me, for my answers to this question
• 18:37
  Speaker 1: had long been poorly, but now came the trial to
• 18:41
  Speaker 1: ask mother how people felt when they were converted. I
• 18:44
  Speaker 1: felt ashamed to ask the question, so I went into
• 18:48
  Speaker 1: another room, and, seeing a hymn book lying on the table,
• 18:51
  Speaker 1: I took it up. The first hymn that struck my
• 18:54
  Speaker 1: sight began with these words. When converts first begin to sing,
• 18:58
  Speaker 1: their happy souls are on the word. Their theme is
• 19:01
  Speaker 1: all redeeming love. Fain would they be with Christ above
• 19:05
  Speaker 1: with admiration? They behold the love of Christ, which can't
• 19:08
  Speaker 1: be told, et cetera. These lines expressed my feeling precisely,
• 19:13
  Speaker 1: and being encouraged from them, I went to my mother
• 19:15
  Speaker 1: and asked her the question, how do people feel when
• 19:19
  Speaker 1: they get converted? She replied, do you think you are converted? Now?
• 19:23
  Speaker 1: This was a severe trial, for although I felt that
• 19:26
  Speaker 1: I was really changed, yet I wanted to hear from
• 19:29
  Speaker 1: her before I could decide whether I was actually converted
• 19:32
  Speaker 1: or not. I replied no. Then she said, my son,
• 19:36
  Speaker 1: the devil makes people think themselves converted sometimes. I arose
• 19:40
  Speaker 1: and left, immediately, believing that the devil had made a
• 19:43
  Speaker 1: fool of me. I returned to my shop more determined
• 19:47
  Speaker 1: to pray than ever before. I arrived and took my
• 19:50
  Speaker 1: seat and tried to get under that same weight that
• 19:53
  Speaker 1: I had felt pressing me down but a short while before.
• 19:57
  Speaker 1: But it seemed to me that I could not, and
• 19:59
  Speaker 1: instead of feeling sad, I felt joyful in my heart,
• 20:02
  Speaker 1: and while trying to pray, I thought the Savior appeared
• 20:05
  Speaker 1: to me. I thought I saw God smiling upon me
• 20:08
  Speaker 1: through Christ, his Son. My soul was filled with love
• 20:11
  Speaker 1: to God and Jesus Christ. It appeared to me I
• 20:15
  Speaker 1: saw a fullness in Jesus Christ to save every sinner
• 20:18
  Speaker 1: who would come to him. And I felt that if
• 20:21
  Speaker 1: I was only converted, I would tell all sinners how
• 20:24
  Speaker 1: precious the Savior was. But I could not think myself
• 20:27
  Speaker 1: converted yet, because I could not see what I had
• 20:30
  Speaker 1: done for God to pardon my sins. Still, I felt
• 20:33
  Speaker 1: a love to Him for what he had done for
• 20:36
  Speaker 1: my soul. Then I began to think upon my shopmates,
• 20:39
  Speaker 1: and oh what pity ran through my soul for them.
• 20:42
  Speaker 1: I wished to pray for them, but I felt so
• 20:45
  Speaker 1: unworthy that I could not do it. At last, I
• 20:48
  Speaker 1: promised the Lord that if he would convert my soul,
• 20:51
  Speaker 1: I would talk to them. It was several months after
• 20:55
  Speaker 1: that before I was made to realize this to be
• 20:57
  Speaker 1: the work of God. And when it was made plain,
• 21:00
  Speaker 1: and oh what joy it did bring to my poor soul.
• 21:03
  Speaker 1: I shortly became a member of the Baptist church, and
• 21:06
  Speaker 1: was baptized in company with some twenty others by Reverend
• 21:09
  Speaker 1: George F. Adams, who was then pastor of the Baptist
• 21:13
  Speaker 1: Church in Fredericksburg, September nineteenth, eighteen thirty one. This church
• 21:18
  Speaker 1: then contained about three hundred colored members. End of chapter three,
• 21:25
  Speaker 1: recorded by Brian Ness. Chapter four of A Narrative of
• 21:36
  Speaker 1: the Life of Reverend Noah Davis, a colored Man. This
• 21:40
  Speaker 1: is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the
• 21:44
  Speaker 1: public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit
• 21:49
  Speaker 1: LibriVox dot org. Recorded by Brian Ness, a Narrative of
• 21:56
  Speaker 1: the life of Reverend Noah Davis, a colored man himself.
• 22:01
  Speaker 1: Chapter four Marriage License to preach Purchase of Freedom, A
• 22:06
  Speaker 1: call to Baltimore. I had not been a member of
• 22:09
  Speaker 1: the church a great while before I formed an attachment
• 22:12
  Speaker 1: to a young woman who ultimately became my wife. I
• 22:15
  Speaker 1: have ever regarded her as the special gift of God
• 22:18
  Speaker 1: to me. She embraced religion about the same time that
• 22:21
  Speaker 1: I did. We had been acquainted with each other for
• 22:24
  Speaker 1: several years previous, and although we associated frequently in the
• 22:28
  Speaker 1: same social circle together, yet nothing of a special liking
• 22:32
  Speaker 1: had manifested itself until the day she was baptized. But
• 22:36
  Speaker 1: we were both slaves, and of course had to get
• 22:38
  Speaker 1: the consent of our owners before we went further. My
• 22:42
  Speaker 1: wife belonged to the late Carter L. Stevenson, Esquire, who
• 22:46
  Speaker 1: was a brother to Honorable Andrew Stevenson of Virginia. My
• 22:50
  Speaker 1: wife's master was quite indulgent to the servants about the house.
• 22:54
  Speaker 1: He never restrained visitors from coming on his premises to
• 22:57
  Speaker 1: visit his domestics. It was said he had the likeliest
• 23:00
  Speaker 1: set of servant girls in the town, and though I
• 23:03
  Speaker 1: cannot say I got the prettiest, yet I think I
• 23:06
  Speaker 1: got the best one among them. We have lived happily
• 23:09
  Speaker 1: together as husband and wife for the last twenty eight years.
• 23:12
  Speaker 1: We have had nine children, seven born in slavery and
• 23:15
  Speaker 1: two since my wife's freedom. Five out of the seven
• 23:19
  Speaker 1: in slavery I have bought two are still in bondage.
• 23:22
  Speaker 1: Before long, the brethren chose me to fill the office
• 23:25
  Speaker 1: of a deacon, but it never seemed to me to
• 23:27
  Speaker 1: be the place that God designed for me. Though I
• 23:30
  Speaker 1: felt willing to do whatever lay in my power for
• 23:33
  Speaker 1: God's glory and the good of his people. The impression
• 23:37
  Speaker 1: made upon my mind at my conversion to talk to
• 23:39
  Speaker 1: sinners increased on me until I could wait no longer.
• 23:43
  Speaker 1: I related my convictions of duty to my brethren, and
• 23:46
  Speaker 1: particularly to one who was always held in high esteem
• 23:49
  Speaker 1: for his piety and excellent character, a colored brother, Armistead Walker.
• 23:55
  Speaker 1: My case was first brought by him before the colored
• 23:58
  Speaker 1: portion of the church, and after after a full hearing
• 24:01
  Speaker 1: of my statement by the white brethren, with regard to
• 24:04
  Speaker 1: my call to preach, et cetera, I was licensed to
• 24:07
  Speaker 1: preach the Gospel and exhort sinners to repentance as opportunity
• 24:11
  Speaker 1: might be afforded. I had ample opportunities at that time
• 24:15
  Speaker 1: for doing good by preaching to my fellow men, both
• 24:18
  Speaker 1: in town and country. Several other colored brethren about this
• 24:23
  Speaker 1: time gave evidence of having been called of God to
• 24:25
  Speaker 1: the work of preaching the Gospel. Among these was a
• 24:29
  Speaker 1: dear brother named Alexander Daniel. He was a bright and
• 24:33
  Speaker 1: shining light among our people, and everything considered, I think
• 24:36
  Speaker 1: he was the best preacher of color I ever heard,
• 24:40
  Speaker 1: But alas he is no more. He was esteemed as
• 24:43
  Speaker 1: a Christian minister, and his friends, both white and colored,
• 24:45
  Speaker 1: united in erecting a monument over his grave. In my
• 24:50
  Speaker 1: attempts to preach the Gospel to my fellow sinners, I
• 24:53
  Speaker 1: often felt embarrassed not knowing how to read a chapter
• 24:56
  Speaker 1: in the Bible correctly. My desires now increased for si
• 25:00
  Speaker 1: such a knowledge of the sacred scriptures as would enable
• 25:03
  Speaker 1: me to read a chapter publicly to my hearers. I
• 25:06
  Speaker 1: thought that if I had all my time at my
• 25:08
  Speaker 1: own command, I would devote it all to divine things.
• 25:12
  Speaker 1: This desire, I think, led me more than anything else,
• 25:15
  Speaker 1: to ask permission of my master, Doctor F. Patten, to
• 25:18
  Speaker 1: purchase my freedom. I made this a subject of prayer
• 25:22
  Speaker 1: both night and day, that God would show me what
• 25:24
  Speaker 1: he would have me to do. I felt encouraged to
• 25:28
  Speaker 1: hope that I should find favor with my owner, as
• 25:31
  Speaker 1: he had always treated me kindly. But how shall I
• 25:33
  Speaker 1: get the purchase money provided he grants my request? This
• 25:37
  Speaker 1: appeared a difficult matter, but I thought if my master
• 25:40
  Speaker 1: would give me a chance, that I should be able
• 25:42
  Speaker 1: to raise the money. I went to him and stated
• 25:46
  Speaker 1: my wishes, informing him why I wanted to be free,
• 25:49
  Speaker 1: that I had been led to believe the Lord had
• 25:52
  Speaker 1: converted my soul and had called me to talk to sinners.
• 25:56
  Speaker 1: He granted my request without a single objection, fixing my
• 25:59
  Speaker 1: price at five hundred dollars. But now I had to
• 26:03
  Speaker 1: tell him that I had no money, and that I
• 26:04
  Speaker 1: desired him to grant me another request, which was to
• 26:08
  Speaker 1: let me travel and find friends who would give me
• 26:10
  Speaker 1: the money. After learning my wishes fully, he consented and
• 26:14
  Speaker 1: told me when I got ready to start, he would
• 26:16
  Speaker 1: give me a pass to go where I pleased. I
• 26:20
  Speaker 1: thanked him sincerely for this privilege, and after making arrangements
• 26:23
  Speaker 1: in the way of obtaining suitable letters of recommendation, I
• 26:27
  Speaker 1: left Fredericksburg in June eighteen forty five for Philadelphia, New York, Boston,
• 26:32
  Speaker 1: et cetera. After spending nearly four months in visiting the
• 26:36
  Speaker 1: northern cities, I returned home with about one hundred and
• 26:39
  Speaker 1: fifty dollars, greatly disheartened. Previous to going north, I had
• 26:43
  Speaker 1: raised about one hundred and fifty dollars, which I had
• 26:46
  Speaker 1: already paid on my debt. The cause of my failure
• 26:49
  Speaker 1: to raise all the money, I believe was that I
• 26:52
  Speaker 1: was unaccustomed to addressing large congregations of strangers, and often
• 26:57
  Speaker 1: when I was favored with an opportunity of presenting my
• 26:59
  Speaker 1: case to the people, I would feel such embarrassment that
• 27:03
  Speaker 1: I could scarcely say anything. And I met another obstacle
• 27:06
  Speaker 1: which discouraged me very much, which was that some persons
• 27:10
  Speaker 1: would tell me they sympathized with me in my efforts
• 27:13
  Speaker 1: to get free, but they said it was against their
• 27:16
  Speaker 1: principles to give money to buy slaves. I confess this
• 27:20
  Speaker 1: was new to me and would cut me down much
• 27:23
  Speaker 1: in my spirits. Still, I found generous and noble hearted
• 27:26
  Speaker 1: friends who treated me with every mark of kindness. I
• 27:30
  Speaker 1: began to wonder to myself whether God was in this
• 27:33
  Speaker 1: matter or not, and if so, why I had not succeeded. However,
• 27:37
  Speaker 1: having returned home, I went to work at my trade
• 27:40
  Speaker 1: for the purpose of earning the remainder of the money,
• 27:43
  Speaker 1: having paid what I was able toward my debt, and
• 27:45
  Speaker 1: reserving enough to open a shop upon my own account.
• 27:49
  Speaker 1: My old boss, mister Wright, my true and constant friend,
• 27:53
  Speaker 1: became my protector so that I might carry on my
• 27:56
  Speaker 1: business lawfully. In this, however, I was not very successful,
• 28:01
  Speaker 1: but I had not been long engaged at it before
• 28:03
  Speaker 1: I received a communication from my white Baptist friends in
• 28:07
  Speaker 1: Baltimore through my pastor, Reverend Samuel Smith, informing me that
• 28:11
  Speaker 1: if I would come to Baltimore and accept an appointment
• 28:15
  Speaker 1: as missionary to the colored people of that city, they
• 28:18
  Speaker 1: would assist me in raising the balance of the money.
• 28:20
  Speaker 1: Then do upon myself. This was indeed an unexpected and
• 28:24
  Speaker 1: to me, an undesired call. I began to think, how
• 28:28
  Speaker 1: can I leave my wife and severn small children to
• 28:31
  Speaker 1: go to Baltimore, to live a distance of more than
• 28:33
  Speaker 1: one hundred miles from them? This I thought could not be.
• 28:38
  Speaker 1: I thought my children would need my watchful care more
• 28:41
  Speaker 1: now than at any other time. It is true they
• 28:44
  Speaker 1: were all slaves belonging to a rich widow lady, but
• 28:47
  Speaker 1: she had always given me the entire control of my family. Now,
• 28:51
  Speaker 1: if I should leave them at their tender age, mischief
• 28:54
  Speaker 1: might befall them. Still, as the letter from Baltimore was
• 28:57
  Speaker 1: from gentlemen of the best standing, became me to give
• 29:01
  Speaker 1: them an answer. This I could not do without first
• 29:04
  Speaker 1: consulting my master. I did so, and after giving the
• 29:08
  Speaker 1: matter a careful consideration, he thought I had better go
• 29:10
  Speaker 1: and see those gentlemen. He was perfectly willing to leave
• 29:13
  Speaker 1: the matter to me The result was that I accepted
• 29:17
  Speaker 1: the offer of the brethren in Baltimore, and by them
• 29:20
  Speaker 1: I was enabled to pay the debt I owed, and
• 29:23
  Speaker 1: I have never had cause to repent it, though I
• 29:26
  Speaker 1: had misgivings sometimes when I would get into trouble. But
• 29:30
  Speaker 1: I have found those who were my friends at first
• 29:32
  Speaker 1: are my friends still. In a few weeks after I
• 29:36
  Speaker 1: arrived in Baltimore eighteen forty seven, the white Baptists, who
• 29:40
  Speaker 1: were favorable to the mission in behalf of the colored people,
• 29:44
  Speaker 1: secured for me an appointment as missionary of the Domestic
• 29:47
  Speaker 1: Board of the Southern Baptist Convention in connection with the
• 29:51
  Speaker 1: Maryland Baptist Union Association. I now felt a debt of
• 29:55
  Speaker 1: gratitude to these dear friends that I could not show
• 29:58
  Speaker 1: more acceptably too them than by engaging heartily in the
• 30:02
  Speaker 1: work to which I had been thus called. I went
• 30:05
  Speaker 1: to work first by hiring a room in a private
• 30:07
  Speaker 1: house where I would collect what few children I could
• 30:10
  Speaker 1: get together in a sabbath school. I continued in this
• 30:14
  Speaker 1: place for nearly a year, teaching the little children and
• 30:17
  Speaker 1: preaching to a few grown persons who would come in
• 30:20
  Speaker 1: at times to hear what this Baptist man had to say,
• 30:23
  Speaker 1: and who, after satisfying their curiosity, would generally leave me.
• 30:28
  Speaker 1: During my stay in this locality, I could not find
• 30:31
  Speaker 1: half a dozen colored Baptists who would take hold with
• 30:34
  Speaker 1: me in this missionary enterprise. There were some few attached
• 30:38
  Speaker 1: to white churches, but only two of those showed any
• 30:41
  Speaker 1: disposition to help me in this great and good work.
• 30:45
  Speaker 1: I found that everybody loved to go with the multitude,
• 30:48
  Speaker 1: and it was truly uphill work with me. I found
• 30:51
  Speaker 1: some who are called anti mission or old school Baptists, who,
• 30:56
  Speaker 1: when I called upon them, would ask of what faith
• 30:59
  Speaker 1: I was, and when I would reply that I belonged
• 31:02
  Speaker 1: to what I understood to be the regular Baptists, they
• 31:05
  Speaker 1: would answer, then you are not of our faith, et cetera.
• 31:09
  Speaker 1: Now I felt lonely, indeed, separated far from home, from family,
• 31:13
  Speaker 1: from dear brethren and friends, thrown among strangers in a
• 31:16
  Speaker 1: strange place. Those I came to benefit stood aloof from me,
• 31:20
  Speaker 1: and seemed to look upon all my movements with distrust
• 31:23
  Speaker 1: and suspicion, and opposed to all I was trying to
• 31:27
  Speaker 1: do for the moral and spiritual benefit of our degraded race.
• 31:31
  Speaker 1: But thanks be to God, all I found in Baltimore
• 31:34
  Speaker 1: were not of this stamp. Those of the white Baptists,
• 31:37
  Speaker 1: who had been the means of calling me to this field,
• 31:40
  Speaker 1: adhered to me like brethren. Indeed, could I feel at
• 31:44
  Speaker 1: liberty to mention names, I would bring to notice some
• 31:47
  Speaker 1: dear friends who have ever stood by me in all
• 31:50
  Speaker 1: my efforts to do good, and whose acts of disinterested
• 31:53
  Speaker 1: benevolence have been rarely equalled. But their labors of love
• 31:57
  Speaker 1: are recorded on high, and I must forbear. End of
• 32:02
  Speaker 1: Chapter four, recorded by Brian Ness. Chapter five of a
• 32:14
  Speaker 1: narrative of the life of Reverend Noah Davis, a colored Man.
• 32:19
  Speaker 1: This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
• 32:23
  Speaker 1: the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
• 32:27
  Speaker 1: visit LibriVox dot org. Recorded by Brian Ness, a narrative
• 32:35
  Speaker 1: of the life of Reverend Noah Davis, a colored man
• 32:38
  Speaker 1: by himself. Chapter five experience in Baltimore, education, purchase of
• 32:45
  Speaker 1: a wife and two children, great distress of mind, generous assistants,
• 32:49
  Speaker 1: and church matters. When I came among the colored people
• 32:54
  Speaker 1: of Baltimore, I found to my surprise that they were
• 32:56
  Speaker 1: advanced in education, quite beyond what I had conceived of.
• 33:00
  Speaker 1: Of course, as I never had such advantages, I was
• 33:03
  Speaker 1: far behind the people, and as this did not appear
• 33:07
  Speaker 1: well in a preacher, I felt very small. When comparing
• 33:10
  Speaker 1: my abilities with others of superior stamp I found that
• 33:15
  Speaker 1: the great mass of colored professors of religion were Methodists,
• 33:18
  Speaker 1: whose piety and zeal seemed to carry all before them.
• 33:22
  Speaker 1: There were at that time some ten or eleven colored
• 33:25
  Speaker 1: Methodist churches, one Episcopalian, one Presbyterian, and one little Baptist
• 33:31
  Speaker 1: church located upon the outskirts of the city. The most
• 33:35
  Speaker 1: of the Methodist churches were large and influential, and the
• 33:38
  Speaker 1: Presbyterian church had one of the best sabbath schools for
• 33:41
  Speaker 1: colored children in the city. But the Baptist colored membership
• 33:45
  Speaker 1: was looked upon as the smallest, and under these circumstances
• 33:49
  Speaker 1: I was surrounded with discouragements. Although the ministers and brethren
• 33:53
  Speaker 1: of other denominations have always treated me with mart Christian kindness,
• 33:59
  Speaker 1: I had never had a day schooling, and coming to
• 34:01
  Speaker 1: one of the first cities in the Union where the
• 34:03
  Speaker 1: colored people had the advantages of schools and where their
• 34:06
  Speaker 1: pulpits were occupied Sabbath after Sabbath by comparatively intelligent colored ministers.
• 34:13
  Speaker 1: What could I expect but that the people would turn
• 34:15
  Speaker 1: away from one who was trying to preach in the
• 34:17
  Speaker 1: room of a private house some fifteen by twenty feet.
• 34:21
  Speaker 1: God had called me to the work, and it was
• 34:23
  Speaker 1: his cause I was advocating. I found that to preach
• 34:28
  Speaker 1: like other preachers, I must improve my mind by reading
• 34:31
  Speaker 1: the Bible and other good books, and by studying my
• 34:34
  Speaker 1: own language. I started afresh. I got a small stock
• 34:37
  Speaker 1: of books, and the White Brethren loaned and gave me
• 34:40
  Speaker 1: other useful volumes, to which they added a word of
• 34:43
  Speaker 1: instruction and encouragement whenever an opportunity offered, and the ministers
• 34:48
  Speaker 1: cordially invited me to attend their Monday ministerial conference meeting,
• 34:52
  Speaker 1: which was very useful to me. I had now been
• 34:55
  Speaker 1: in Baltimore more than a year. My wife and seven
• 34:58
  Speaker 1: children were still in Virginia. I went to see them
• 35:01
  Speaker 1: as often as my circumstances permitted, three or four times
• 35:04
  Speaker 1: a year. About this time, my wife's mistress agreed to
• 35:08
  Speaker 1: sell to me my wife and our two youngest children.
• 35:11
  Speaker 1: The price fixed was eight hundred dollars cash, and she
• 35:14
  Speaker 1: gave me twelve months to raise the money. The sun
• 35:17
  Speaker 1: rose bright in my sky that day, but before the
• 35:20
  Speaker 1: year was out, my prospects were again in darkness. Now
• 35:24
  Speaker 1: I had two great burdens upon my mind, one to
• 35:27
  Speaker 1: attend properly to my missionary duty, the other to raise
• 35:30
  Speaker 1: eight hundred dollars. During this time, we succeeded in getting
• 35:34
  Speaker 1: a better place for the Sabbath school, and there was
• 35:37
  Speaker 1: a larger attendance upon my preaching, which demanded reading and
• 35:41
  Speaker 1: study and also visiting, and increased my daily labors. On
• 35:45
  Speaker 1: the other hand, the year was running away in which
• 35:47
  Speaker 1: I had to raise eight hundred dollars, so that I
• 35:50
  Speaker 1: found myself at times in a great strait. My plan
• 35:54
  Speaker 1: to raise the money was to secure the amount first
• 35:57
  Speaker 1: by pledges before I collected. Any time of the year
• 36:00
  Speaker 1: was more than passed away, and I had upon my
• 36:02
  Speaker 1: subscription list about one half of the money needed. It
• 36:06
  Speaker 1: was now considered that the children had increased in value
• 36:09
  Speaker 1: one hundred dollars, and I was told that I could
• 36:11
  Speaker 1: have them by paying in cash six hundred dollars and
• 36:14
  Speaker 1: giving a bond with good security for three hundred more,
• 36:17
  Speaker 1: payable in twelve months. I had six weeks in which
• 36:20
  Speaker 1: to consummate this matter. I felt deeply that this was
• 36:24
  Speaker 1: a time to pray the Lord to help me, and
• 36:26
  Speaker 1: for this my wife's prayers were fervently offered with my own.
• 36:29
  Speaker 1: I had left my wife in Virginia and come to Baltimore,
• 36:32
  Speaker 1: a distance of over one hundred miles. I had been
• 36:35
  Speaker 1: separated thus for nearly three years. I had been trying
• 36:39
  Speaker 1: to make arrangements to have her with me for over
• 36:41
  Speaker 1: twelve months, and as yet had failed. We were oppressed
• 36:45
  Speaker 1: with the most gloomy forebodings and could only kneel down
• 36:48
  Speaker 1: together and pray for God's direction and to help. I
• 36:52
  Speaker 1: was in Fredericksburg and had but one day longer to
• 36:55
  Speaker 1: stay and spend with my wife. What could be done
• 36:58
  Speaker 1: must be done quickly. I went to my old friend,
• 37:01
  Speaker 1: mister Wright and stated my case to him. After hearing
• 37:04
  Speaker 1: of all I had done and the conditions I had
• 37:07
  Speaker 1: to comply with, he told me that if I would
• 37:09
  Speaker 1: raise the six hundred dollars cash, he would endorse my
• 37:12
  Speaker 1: bond for the remaining three hundred. This promise inspired me
• 37:16
  Speaker 1: with new life. The next thing was how could the
• 37:19
  Speaker 1: six hundred dollars be obtained? In six weeks, I had
• 37:23
  Speaker 1: upon my subscription list and in pledges nearly four hundred dollars,
• 37:27
  Speaker 1: but this had to be collected from friends living in Fredericksburg,
• 37:30
  Speaker 1: Washington City, Baltimore, and Philadelphia. I left Fredericksburg and spent
• 37:35
  Speaker 1: a few days in Washington to collect what I could
• 37:38
  Speaker 1: of the money promised to me there, and met much
• 37:40
  Speaker 1: encouragement several friends doubling their subscriptions. When I arrived in
• 37:45
  Speaker 1: Baltimore and made known the peculiar strait I was in,
• 37:48
  Speaker 1: to my joyful surprise, some of the friends who had
• 37:50
  Speaker 1: pledged five dollars gave me ten, and one dear friend,
• 37:54
  Speaker 1: who had promised me ten dollars for this object and
• 37:56
  Speaker 1: who had previously contributed largely in the purchase of my life,
• 38:00
  Speaker 1: now gave me fifty. I began to count up, and
• 38:03
  Speaker 1: in two weeks from the time I commenced collecting, I
• 38:06
  Speaker 1: had in hand four hundred dollars. Presently, another very dear
• 38:10
  Speaker 1: friend inquired of me how I was getting along, and
• 38:13
  Speaker 1: when I told him, he said, bring your money to me.
• 38:16
  Speaker 1: I did so. It lacked two hundred dollars to make
• 38:19
  Speaker 1: the purchase. This the best friend I ever had in
• 38:22
  Speaker 1: the world made up the six hundred dollars and said,
• 38:24
  Speaker 1: go get your wife, and you can keep on collecting
• 38:27
  Speaker 1: and repay the two hundred dollars when you get able.
• 38:30
  Speaker 1: I was now overcome with gratitude and joy, and knew
• 38:33
  Speaker 1: not what to say, and when I began to speak,
• 38:36
  Speaker 1: he would not have any of my thanks. I went
• 38:38
  Speaker 1: to my boarding house and shut myself up in my room,
• 38:41
  Speaker 1: where I might give vent to the gratitude of my heart.
• 38:44
  Speaker 1: And oh what a melting time I had. It was
• 38:47
  Speaker 1: to me a day of thanksgiving. Having now in hand
• 38:51
  Speaker 1: the six hundred dollars and the promise of mister Wright's
• 38:53
  Speaker 1: security for three hundred more. I was by twelve o'clock
• 38:57
  Speaker 1: next day in Fredericksburg. At first sight, my wife was
• 39:01
  Speaker 1: surprised that I had come back so soon, for it
• 39:03
  Speaker 1: was only two weeks since I had left her, and
• 39:06
  Speaker 1: when I informed her that I had come after her
• 39:08
  Speaker 1: and the children, she could hardly believe me. In a
• 39:11
  Speaker 1: few days, having duly arranged all things relative to the
• 39:15
  Speaker 1: purchase and removal, we left for Baltimore with feelings commingled
• 39:19
  Speaker 1: with joy and sorrow. Sorrow at the parting with five
• 39:23
  Speaker 1: of our older children and our many friends, and rejoicing
• 39:26
  Speaker 1: in the prospect of remaining together permanently in the missionary
• 39:30
  Speaker 1: field where God had called me to labour. I arrived
• 39:34
  Speaker 1: in Baltimore with my wife and two little ones November fifth,
• 39:37
  Speaker 1: eighteen fifty one, and stopped with Sister hester Ann Hughes,
• 39:41
  Speaker 1: a worthy member of the me E Church with whom
• 39:44
  Speaker 1: I had been boarding for four years. The Maryland Baptist
• 39:48
  Speaker 1: Union Association was now in session here, and it became
• 39:51
  Speaker 1: my duty to prepare my church letter and missionary report
• 39:54
  Speaker 1: for that body. The church had now been organized just
• 39:57
  Speaker 1: three years, commencing with only fours members, including the pastor.
• 40:02
  Speaker 1: Our church statistics for the year, as reported were baptized
• 40:05
  Speaker 1: two received by letter, two present number of members fifteen.
• 40:11
  Speaker 1: Sabbath School much revived under the special efforts of several
• 40:14
  Speaker 1: white brethren and sisters. Present number of Sunday scholars fifty.
• 40:19
  Speaker 1: This year was a joyful one to me, my little
• 40:21
  Speaker 1: church increasing and the Sabbath School flourishing under the superintendence
• 40:25
  Speaker 1: of the late truly excellent Brother James C. Crane, though
• 40:29
  Speaker 1: he was with us but for a short season. My
• 40:32
  Speaker 1: wife and little ones were also with me, both in
• 40:35
  Speaker 1: the church and Sabbath school. I was a happy man
• 40:38
  Speaker 1: and felt more than ever inclined to give thanks to
• 40:41
  Speaker 1: God and serve him to the best of my ability.
• 40:44
  Speaker 1: My salary was only three hundred dollars a year, but
• 40:47
  Speaker 1: with hard exertion and close economy, together with my wife's
• 40:51
  Speaker 1: taking in washing and going out at day's work, we
• 40:54
  Speaker 1: were enabled by the first of the year to pay
• 40:57
  Speaker 1: the two hundred dollars our dear friend had loaned us
• 41:00
  Speaker 1: in raising the six hundred dollars before spoken of. But
• 41:03
  Speaker 1: the bond for three hundred dollars was now due, and
• 41:05
  Speaker 1: how must this be met? I studied out a plan
• 41:08
  Speaker 1: which was to get some gentlemen who might want a
• 41:11
  Speaker 1: little servant girl to take my child and advance me
• 41:14
  Speaker 1: three hundred dollars for the purpose of paying my note,
• 41:17
  Speaker 1: which was now due in Virginia. In this plan I
• 41:20
  Speaker 1: succeeded and had my own life insured for seven years
• 41:23
  Speaker 1: for five hundred dollars, and made it over to this
• 41:26
  Speaker 1: gentleman as security until I ultimately paid him the whole amount,
• 41:30
  Speaker 1: though I was several years in paying it. Among the
• 41:33
  Speaker 1: number that joined our little church was a young brother,
• 41:36
  Speaker 1: Joseph M. Harden, who was baptized by Doctor Fuller, but
• 41:40
  Speaker 1: soon became a valuable member with us, both in the
• 41:43
  Speaker 1: church and Sunday School. He was born in Baltimore and
• 41:47
  Speaker 1: had been early taught to read, and though he had
• 41:50
  Speaker 1: been at ten years old bound out till he was
• 41:52
  Speaker 1: twenty one, his love of books had made him far
• 41:56
  Speaker 1: superior to colored people generally, and he was very valuable
• 41:59
  Speaker 1: to me. Things had gone on hopefully with me in
• 42:02
  Speaker 1: my little church, though our progress was very slow. But
• 42:06
  Speaker 1: we had to suffer a loss in Brother Harden's leaving
• 42:08
  Speaker 1: us for the great missionary field in Africa, where I
• 42:11
  Speaker 1: trust the Lord has sent him for a great and
• 42:13
  Speaker 1: happy work. But God has blessed us in the person
• 42:16
  Speaker 1: of Brother Samuel W. Madden, whose labours as a licensed
• 42:20
  Speaker 1: preacher for several years have been invaluable to us. End
• 42:25
  Speaker 1: of Chapter five, Recorded by Brian Ness. Chapter six A
• 42:37
  Speaker 1: narrative of the life of Reverend Noah Davis, a colored man.
• 42:42
  Speaker 1: This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
• 42:45
  Speaker 1: the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
• 42:50
  Speaker 1: visit LibriVox dot org. Recorded by Brian Ness. A narrative
• 42:57
  Speaker 1: of the life of Reverend Noah Davis, a colored man
• 43:00
  Speaker 1: by himself. Chapter six, a new movement in Baltimore, erection
• 43:05
  Speaker 1: of a meeting house for the African Baptist Church, heavy
• 43:09
  Speaker 1: indebtedness account of the enterprise and personal troubles. For several years,
• 43:15
  Speaker 1: previous to January eighteen fifty five, our little church and
• 43:18
  Speaker 1: Sunday School had occupied a very inconvenient upper room on
• 43:22
  Speaker 1: Courtland Street. Our particular friend, mister William Crane, with some
• 43:26
  Speaker 1: other white persons to aid him, was the devoted superintendent
• 43:30
  Speaker 1: of our Sunday School and the unfailing friend of our
• 43:33
  Speaker 1: own little church, as well as of me personally. Mister
• 43:36
  Speaker 1: Crane had felt with us the great disadvantage of our
• 43:39
  Speaker 1: place of worship, and had exerted himself much to obtain
• 43:42
  Speaker 1: a more commodious room for us. But in July eighteen
• 43:46
  Speaker 1: fifty three he commenced an extraordinary effort in our behalf
• 43:49
  Speaker 1: by purchasing a lot one hundred feet by forty six
• 43:52
  Speaker 1: feet with three fronts on Calvert, Saratoga and Davis Streets,
• 43:57
  Speaker 1: on which a chapel building has been erected for us.
• 44:01
  Speaker 1: Our chapel was opened for worship February eighteen eighteen fifty five,
• 44:05
  Speaker 1: and Reverend Doctor Fuller preached the opening sermon to a
• 44:09
  Speaker 1: crowded audience. On this occasion, mister William Crane read a
• 44:12
  Speaker 1: detailed report of all the facts relative to this building.
• 44:16
  Speaker 1: A full copy of this report may be interesting, probably
• 44:19
  Speaker 1: to my readers, and I have therefore obtained it and
• 44:22
  Speaker 1: here presented in connection with a picture of the building,
• 44:24
  Speaker 1: which will be found opposite the title page History of
• 44:29
  Speaker 1: the Saratoga Street African Baptist Chapel. The questions have often
• 44:34
  Speaker 1: been asked in this vicinity during the last six months,
• 44:37
  Speaker 1: who is putting up that large building called the Saratoga
• 44:40
  Speaker 1: Street African Baptist Chapel, What are they putting it up for,
• 44:44
  Speaker 1: who will own it when finished? How much will it cost?
• 44:47
  Speaker 1: And who will pay for it? These questions have often
• 44:50
  Speaker 1: been answered, but it seems proper and indeed necessary at
• 44:53
  Speaker 1: this time to answer them plainly and clearly for the
• 44:56
  Speaker 1: information of this large assembly. First, then I reply, the
• 45:00
  Speaker 1: entire building has been reared under my directions in the
• 45:03
  Speaker 1: name of the Saratoga Street African Baptist Church. This church
• 45:08
  Speaker 1: was organized with only four members six years ago with
• 45:11
  Speaker 1: Brother Noah Davis, a missionary of the Maryland Baptist Union
• 45:14
  Speaker 1: Association as its pastor, who has labored most faithfully in
• 45:19
  Speaker 1: his work. But although colored churches of the Baptist denomination
• 45:23
  Speaker 1: in all of our southern and western cities count their
• 45:25
  Speaker 1: members by thousands, this church has now only thirty members.
• 45:30
  Speaker 1: But our hope and prayer is that established here in
• 45:33
  Speaker 1: the center of a population of full thirty thousand colored people,
• 45:37
  Speaker 1: God may bless the humble, devoted efforts of his people
• 45:40
  Speaker 1: and increase their numbers one hundredfold. Four years ago, the
• 45:44
  Speaker 1: first of January, we commenced a Sunday School in Courtland Street,
• 45:48
  Speaker 1: where this church has always held its regular meetings, which,
• 45:51
  Speaker 1: notwithstanding its many discouragements, mostly from a want of devoted
• 45:55
  Speaker 1: self denying teachers, has been unremittingly kept up morning and
• 45:59
  Speaker 1: after noon till the present time, with an attendance varying
• 46:03
  Speaker 1: from thirty to over one hundred scholars. And we feel
• 46:06
  Speaker 1: assured that the hundreds of Bibles and Testaments, tracts, et cetera,
• 46:11
  Speaker 1: with the Sunday School instructions and the preaching of Brother Davis,
• 46:14
  Speaker 1: will have laid the foundation for a lasting blessing to
• 46:17
  Speaker 1: his people. This little church and Sunday school have met
• 46:21
  Speaker 1: today for the first time in this building, and in
• 46:24
  Speaker 1: the language of the psalmist David, probably on an occasion
• 46:27
  Speaker 1: like this, we would exclaim, send now we beseech thee
• 46:30
  Speaker 1: O Lord, O Lord, we beseech thee Send now prosperity,
• 46:35
  Speaker 1: Psalm one hundred eighteen twenty five. But what are the
• 46:40
  Speaker 1: objects for which this house has been built? I answer?
• 46:43
  Speaker 1: The first object was to furnish such a room as
• 46:45
  Speaker 1: this for the use of this church, where the Gospel
• 46:48
  Speaker 1: might be preached and its ordinances administered, and where Sunday
• 46:52
  Speaker 1: schools and religious associations might be properly accommodated. The second
• 46:57
  Speaker 1: was to furnish rooms in the next story for a
• 46:59
  Speaker 1: male high school at one end and a female high
• 47:02
  Speaker 1: school at the other, and where colored missionaries for Africa
• 47:05
  Speaker 1: might be educated for the most important field of labor,
• 47:08
  Speaker 1: with a large hall in the center for a lecture room,
• 47:11
  Speaker 1: or for any other religious, moral, or useful purposes. The
• 47:14
  Speaker 1: upper story has four separate rooms finished for renting to
• 47:18
  Speaker 1: associations of colored people with a view to paying whatever
• 47:21
  Speaker 1: debt may remain on the building, and for defraying its
• 47:24
  Speaker 1: current expenses. And it is hoped that at some future
• 47:27
  Speaker 1: day a reading room and a circulating library for colored
• 47:31
  Speaker 1: people may also be located here, the whole of it
• 47:34
  Speaker 1: combining a most respectable, central, commodious colored people's home. But
• 47:38
  Speaker 1: it is asked who owns this building? I admit that
• 47:42
  Speaker 1: it is an unusually mixed up affair, but I will
• 47:45
  Speaker 1: try to explain it. After a great deal of searching
• 47:48
  Speaker 1: and inquiring after a lot or building where this church
• 47:51
  Speaker 1: and Sunday School could have a settled home, about two
• 47:54
  Speaker 1: years ago I was informed that this lot was for sale,
• 47:57
  Speaker 1: and realizing instantly that my cherished object could here be accomplished,
• 48:01
  Speaker 1: I bought it without hesitation for five thousand dollars, But
• 48:05
  Speaker 1: the loss of two years interest and the amount paid
• 48:07
  Speaker 1: to tenants to move away makes the cost of the
• 48:10
  Speaker 1: lot now full six thousand dollars. I obtained the deed
• 48:14
  Speaker 1: of J. H. B. Latrobe, Esquire, who sold it as
• 48:17
  Speaker 1: trustee for the estate of Hugh Finley, deceased under an
• 48:21
  Speaker 1: order of court after a charter of incorporation for the
• 48:25
  Speaker 1: church had been made. I got mister Latrobe to draw
• 48:27
  Speaker 1: up also this deed here, presenting it, which he says
• 48:31
  Speaker 1: is a perfectly good one from William Crane and wife
• 48:34
  Speaker 1: to George F. Adams, J. W. M. Williams and John W.
• 48:39
  Speaker 1: Ball as trustees for all concern, conveying to this Church
• 48:44
  Speaker 1: all my right and title forever to all of the
• 48:46
  Speaker 1: proposed building on this lot above the first story, leaving
• 48:50
  Speaker 1: me the basement and the seller as my own property forever,
• 48:54
  Speaker 1: with the proviso that the Church in its own name
• 48:57
  Speaker 1: should put up the entire building. But I agree read
• 49:00
  Speaker 1: at the same time, to subscribe five thousand dollars on
• 49:03
  Speaker 1: the subscription book of the Church towards erecting it, so
• 49:07
  Speaker 1: that I am now sole owner of the store and
• 49:09
  Speaker 1: seller under the chapel. The Church has no ownership there
• 49:12
  Speaker 1: at all, but the Church is legal owner of this
• 49:14
  Speaker 1: chapel and all the rooms above it. The Church appointed
• 49:18
  Speaker 1: me their agent to build the house, and as such
• 49:21
  Speaker 1: I have made all the contracts, paid out all the monies,
• 49:24
  Speaker 1: and assumed all the liabilities before commencing the building. As
• 49:28
  Speaker 1: before stated, my own subscription was five thousand dollars. My
• 49:32
  Speaker 1: brother J. C. Crane, from whom I expected efficient personal aid,
• 49:36
  Speaker 1: gave one thousand dollars. Brother Franklin Wilson one thousand dollars,
• 49:41
  Speaker 1: a fuller crane five hundred dollars. John W. Ball two
• 49:44
  Speaker 1: hundred fifty dollars. JB. Thomas one hundred dollars, among our
• 49:48
  Speaker 1: colored friends about two hundred dollars, amounting to say eight
• 49:53
  Speaker 1: thousand fifty dollars. Since that time, the pressure on the
• 49:57
  Speaker 1: money market has prevented any general effort to obtain some descriptions.
• 50:00
  Speaker 1: But a city pastor has subscribed one hundred fifty dollars,
• 50:04
  Speaker 1: a sister of the First Baptist Church one hundred dollars,
• 50:08
  Speaker 1: Brother Jonathan Bachelor of Lynn, Massachusetts one hundred dollars, making
• 50:13
  Speaker 1: in all a total of eight thousand, four hundred dollars.
• 50:16
  Speaker 1: The entire cost of the building, notwithstanding the most rigid economy,
• 50:20
  Speaker 1: will be over eighteen thousand dollars, and full half of
• 50:24
  Speaker 1: this amount is yet unprovided for. The bills are not
• 50:27
  Speaker 1: all presented, but some of the larger ones, which have
• 50:30
  Speaker 1: been settled by notes, will be due in a short time,
• 50:33
  Speaker 1: while the largest one, the lumber bill, has six months
• 50:36
  Speaker 1: to run yet, so that I am bound to settle
• 50:39
  Speaker 1: up and pay the entire balance of expenditure on this
• 50:42
  Speaker 1: house as agent of the Church within the coming six months,
• 50:46
  Speaker 1: and whatever amount of money I advance over and above
• 50:49
  Speaker 1: the subscriptions and collections must of course remain as a
• 50:52
  Speaker 1: debt do me by the Church and beyond interest until paid.
• 50:56
  Speaker 1: The last question, how is the money obtained to pay
• 50:59
  Speaker 1: for the billings, has been partly answered, but a full
• 51:02
  Speaker 1: explanation of it will depend on what the friends of
• 51:05
  Speaker 1: the object will now contribute toward paying for it. I
• 51:09
  Speaker 1: will subscribe one dollar for every ten dollars that may
• 51:12
  Speaker 1: be subscribed and paid on account of the church debt
• 51:15
  Speaker 1: within the year eighteen fifty five. In other words, I
• 51:18
  Speaker 1: will add ten percent any amount which may be contributed.
• 51:22
  Speaker 1: I may remark that in engaging in this project I
• 51:25
  Speaker 1: had not a dollar which I wished to put out
• 51:27
  Speaker 1: at interest. I want much more than my capital in
• 51:29
  Speaker 1: my mercantile business. I am in fact borrowing to lend
• 51:33
  Speaker 1: to the Church. But it is God's cause and I
• 51:35
  Speaker 1: have had to trust in Him to bear me through it.
• 51:38
  Speaker 1: The failing health of my dear brother J. C. Crane,
• 51:41
  Speaker 1: and the want of his invaluable cooperation with me, as
• 51:45
  Speaker 1: well as the lack of hearty, zealous assistance on the
• 51:48
  Speaker 1: part of many other brethren and friends, has been painful
• 51:51
  Speaker 1: to me, But I hope now that the house is finished,
• 51:54
  Speaker 1: the friends of our Redeemer's cause and of the African
• 51:57
  Speaker 1: race generally, may not fail in lending their fia. I
• 52:01
  Speaker 1: have only to add, Brethren, the time is short. We
• 52:04
  Speaker 1: must all of us soon appear before the judgment seat
• 52:06
  Speaker 1: of Christ to render an account of all the talents
• 52:09
  Speaker 1: committed to our charge. If God has given me a
• 52:12
  Speaker 1: talent for the acquisition of money, over and above what
• 52:15
  Speaker 1: my duty to my family requires, I regard myself bound
• 52:19
  Speaker 1: as a good steward to exert that talent entirely for him.
• 52:23
  Speaker 1: I am not my own and I feel perfectly assured
• 52:25
  Speaker 1: that any individual who possesses the tact and ability for
• 52:29
  Speaker 1: acquiring money is necessarily the best qualified for a judicious
• 52:33
  Speaker 1: and proper disbursement of it. And I dare not try
• 52:36
  Speaker 1: to leave my earthly acquisitions in testamentary charitable bequests to
• 52:41
  Speaker 1: the inexperienced and uncertain management of those who may come
• 52:44
  Speaker 1: after me. May God help us to work for him,
• 52:47
  Speaker 1: and at last, may we hear well done, good and
• 52:50
  Speaker 1: faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.
• 52:54
  Speaker 1: This paper was read to the congregation probably a thousand
• 52:57
  Speaker 1: people immediately after Doctor Fuller had had preached the opening
• 53:01
  Speaker 1: sermon February eighteenth, eighteen fifty five, and a collection was
• 53:06
  Speaker 1: taken of about one hundred dollars. Subsequent to this, a
• 53:10
  Speaker 1: venerable widow lady of Baltimore contributed five hundred dollars, and
• 53:13
  Speaker 1: other quite liberal donations were made. On the first of
• 53:18
  Speaker 1: July eighteen fifty five, mister Crane rendered a full account
• 53:21
  Speaker 1: to the church and Trustees of all the moneies received
• 53:24
  Speaker 1: and bills paid on the building, showing that the entire
• 53:27
  Speaker 1: cost of it was eighteen thousand, two hundred seven dollars
• 53:31
  Speaker 1: and seventy three cents. Total amount of collections credited nine thousand,
• 53:36
  Speaker 1: five hundred forty seven dollars and eighty six cents, leaving
• 53:39
  Speaker 1: balance overpaid by him eight thousand, six hundred fifty nine
• 53:43
  Speaker 1: dollars and eighty seven cents. The Trustees then gave mister
• 53:47
  Speaker 1: Crane a bond for this balance and a lease on
• 53:50
  Speaker 1: the building until this debt, with interest on it, could
• 53:53
  Speaker 1: be paid. Our church now had great cause of gratitude
• 53:56
  Speaker 1: at finding ourselves in a fine, large chapel in the
• 53:59
  Speaker 1: centre of our city, a room one hundred feet long
• 54:02
  Speaker 1: and nineteen feet high, with a gallery at each end,
• 54:05
  Speaker 1: a baptistery, gas lights, and sliding partitions to make two
• 54:09
  Speaker 1: closed rooms under the galleries when needed for the changing
• 54:13
  Speaker 1: of clothes on baptismal occasions, as well as for our
• 54:16
  Speaker 1: church prayer and conference meetings. We were in hopes that
• 54:20
  Speaker 1: we could rent out the large hall, together with the
• 54:22
  Speaker 1: six other spacious rooms in the two upper stories, for schools,
• 54:26
  Speaker 1: benevolent societies, et cetera, so as to pay the interest
• 54:29
  Speaker 1: on our debt if no more. But so far we
• 54:32
  Speaker 1: have not been able to do this. My own trials
• 54:35
  Speaker 1: with my family have greatly retarded my efforts in this matter.
• 54:39
  Speaker 1: We have had the largest and best weekday school for
• 54:41
  Speaker 1: colored children in the city a part of the time,
• 54:44
  Speaker 1: with three teachers and over one hundred scholars, But for
• 54:48
  Speaker 1: four years no rent has been received from the school.
• 54:51
  Speaker 1: The prices for tuition have been so low that they
• 54:54
  Speaker 1: have hardly sustained the teachers. But we trust that our
• 54:57
  Speaker 1: people have derived much benefit from them, are at and
• 55:00
  Speaker 1: hope they may receive much more good from them in
• 55:02
  Speaker 1: the future. Since the dedication of our chapel, our church
• 55:06
  Speaker 1: has more than doubled its membership and the congregation has
• 55:10
  Speaker 1: increased fourfold, while on our baptizing occasions the hall is
• 55:13
  Speaker 1: generally full. We have always held three meetings for worship
• 55:17
  Speaker 1: every Sunday to accommodate many servants who have no command
• 55:20
  Speaker 1: of their time, and also regular Wednesday and Friday evening
• 55:24
  Speaker 1: prayer and conference meetings. Our Sunday school has always had
• 55:28
  Speaker 1: two sessions a day, an hour and a half in
• 55:30
  Speaker 1: the morning and an hour in the afternoon. I have
• 55:34
  Speaker 1: been necessarily much hindered in my own labors from pecuniary
• 55:37
  Speaker 1: embarrassments arising from the sale of my children who were
• 55:40
  Speaker 1: left in Virginia, two daughters and three sons. The first
• 55:44
  Speaker 1: of these, who was about to be sold and taken
• 55:46
  Speaker 1: away South, was my oldest daughter, and it was with
• 55:49
  Speaker 1: great difficulty and the help of friends that I raised
• 55:52
  Speaker 1: eight hundred and fifty dollars and got her on to Baltimore.
• 55:56
  Speaker 1: But I was soon called upon to make a similar
• 55:58
  Speaker 1: effort to save my eldest son from being sold from me.
• 56:01
  Speaker 1: Entirely unexpected, I received the painful news that my boy
• 56:05
  Speaker 1: was in one of the traders jails in Richmond and
• 56:07
  Speaker 1: for sale. The dealer knew me and was disposed to
• 56:10
  Speaker 1: let me have him if I could get anyone to
• 56:12
  Speaker 1: purchase him. I was, of course deeply anxious to help
• 56:16
  Speaker 1: my boy, but I began to think that I had
• 56:18
  Speaker 1: already drawn so heavily on the liberality of all my
• 56:21
  Speaker 1: friends that to appeal to them again seemed out of
• 56:23
  Speaker 1: the question. I immediately wrote to the owners of my son,
• 56:27
  Speaker 1: and received an answer that his price was fixed at
• 56:30
  Speaker 1: seven hundred dollars. The fact is God had already done
• 56:34
  Speaker 1: so much for me and my family than we had
• 56:36
  Speaker 1: ever expected, that we could not tell what further help
• 56:40
  Speaker 1: he might give us until we had asked him for it,
• 56:42
  Speaker 1: and we could but pray over this trying affair. I
• 56:45
  Speaker 1: hardly knew what else to do but pray. The boy
• 56:48
  Speaker 1: was twenty years old and had been accustomed to waiting
• 56:51
  Speaker 1: in the house for the most respectable families. It occurred
• 56:54
  Speaker 1: to me that I might perhaps get him at home
• 56:56
  Speaker 1: near me, where we might see him and use our
• 56:59
  Speaker 1: parental influence over him. I thought it was possible that
• 57:02
  Speaker 1: I might find three hundred persons among my friends in
• 57:05
  Speaker 1: Baltimore who would contribute one dollar each to save my son,
• 57:09
  Speaker 1: and that I might then obtain some friend in Baltimore
• 57:11
  Speaker 1: to advance four hundred dollars and let my son work
• 57:14
  Speaker 1: it out with him, and give this friend a life
• 57:17
  Speaker 1: insurance policy on the boy as a security. This plan
• 57:20
  Speaker 1: seemed practicable, and I wrote to his owners asking for
• 57:23
  Speaker 1: ten days to raise the money, which they granted me.
• 57:26
  Speaker 1: I now got my case made known publicly to the
• 57:29
  Speaker 1: different colored congregations in the city, and was very much
• 57:32
  Speaker 1: surprised to find how many friends I had and how
• 57:35
  Speaker 1: kindly they engaged in helping me. The result of it
• 57:38
  Speaker 1: was that I obtained the three hundred dollars, and also
• 57:41
  Speaker 1: a kind friend to advance the four hundred dollars within
• 57:44
  Speaker 1: the ten days, and recovered my son, who is now
• 57:48
  Speaker 1: doing well and working out the money advanced on him.
• 57:51
  Speaker 1: So far, I felt that I had great reason to
• 57:53
  Speaker 1: say hitherto the Lord hath helped me. I had obtained
• 57:56
  Speaker 1: my own freedom, and also that of my wife and
• 57:59
  Speaker 1: four children, but three of my children were still in bondage.
• 58:02
  Speaker 1: In eighteen fifty six, the mistress of these remaining ones died,
• 58:06
  Speaker 1: and in settling up her estate, it became necessary to
• 58:09
  Speaker 1: sell all her servants at auction with her other property.
• 58:12
  Speaker 1: This was the decision of the Court and commissioners were
• 58:15
  Speaker 1: appointed to carry out the sale on the first of
• 58:18
  Speaker 1: January eighteen fifty seven. I felt now that I had
• 58:22
  Speaker 1: gone as far as I could in getting my family free.
• 58:25
  Speaker 1: For I felt very certain that my daughter, about whom
• 58:28
  Speaker 1: I felt the greatest anxiety, would sell at auction for
• 58:31
  Speaker 1: more money than I could get any of my friends
• 58:33
  Speaker 1: in Baltimore to give for her. And I saw no
• 58:36
  Speaker 1: way to do anything for the two boys. I thought
• 58:38
  Speaker 1: I had no chance of raising any more money myself,
• 58:41
  Speaker 1: and I could only pray the Lord to grant us
• 58:43
  Speaker 1: his grace, to reconcile us and the children to whatever
• 58:46
  Speaker 1: might come upon us. But before the end of the year,
• 58:50
  Speaker 1: when the sale was to take place, the time was
• 58:52
  Speaker 1: extended six months by the Court. My hopes now began
• 58:56
  Speaker 1: to revive again. I began to think that if I
• 58:58
  Speaker 1: could be at the sale, my daughter, though a grown
• 59:00
  Speaker 1: up girl, might possibly not bring over six or seven
• 59:03
  Speaker 1: hundred dollars. In that case, I might perhaps get six
• 59:07
  Speaker 1: or twelve months time and get some friend in Baltimore
• 59:10
  Speaker 1: to help me, as had been the case of my son.
• 59:13
  Speaker 1: The sale was postponed for six months longer, and finally
• 59:15
  Speaker 1: occurred January one, eighteen fifty eight. The money panic of
• 59:20
  Speaker 1: eighteen fifty seven had partially destroyed my hopes of doing
• 59:23
  Speaker 1: anything to relieve my daughter. But I had secured the
• 59:26
  Speaker 1: promise of a kind friend in Baltimore to go to
• 59:29
  Speaker 1: Fredericksburg with me, and if he liked the appearance of
• 59:31
  Speaker 1: the boys, to buy one or both of them. But
• 59:34
  Speaker 1: in this I was disappointed, for on the day of
• 59:36
  Speaker 1: the sale, this gentleman was confined to his house by sickness.
• 59:40
  Speaker 1: The sale went on, My oldest son, aged twenty one,
• 59:43
  Speaker 1: sold for five hundred sixty dollars, and the younger one,
• 59:46
  Speaker 1: just turning his seventeenth year, brought five hundred seventy dollars.
• 59:50
  Speaker 1: They were bought in by their young master. But my
• 59:53
  Speaker 1: daughter was run up to nine hundred ninety dollars by
• 59:56
  Speaker 1: a slave trader, who, after the sale agreed to let
• 59:59
  Speaker 1: my friends have for me for eleven hundred dollars. These
• 1:00:03
  Speaker 1: friends were gentlemen of the first standing in the place, who,
• 1:00:06
  Speaker 1: out of kindness to me, whom they had well known
• 1:00:09
  Speaker 1: for years, gave their bond jointly for the amount. And
• 1:00:12
  Speaker 1: in this case again I got the girl's life insured
• 1:00:15
  Speaker 1: for one thousand dollars as a security for them. The
• 1:00:19
  Speaker 1: girl was, of course, left in the hands of these gentlemen,
• 1:00:22
  Speaker 1: in whom I had the most implicit confidence. I returned
• 1:00:25
  Speaker 1: to Baltimore and prepared for the redemption of my child.
• 1:00:28
  Speaker 1: I had a circular printed showing the facts as they were,
• 1:00:31
  Speaker 1: and scattered it among my friends. End of Chapter six,
• 1:00:37
  Speaker 1: Recorded by Brian Ness. Chapter seven of A Narrative of
• 1:00:49
  Speaker 1: the Life of Reverend Noah Davis, a Colored Man. This
• 1:00:53
  Speaker 1: is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the
• 1:00:56
  Speaker 1: public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit
• 1:01:01
  Speaker 1: LibriVox dot org. Recorded by Brian Ness, a Narrative of
• 1:01:08
  Speaker 1: the Life of Reverend Noah Davis, a colored Man by himself.
• 1:01:12
  Speaker 1: Chapter seven account of a visit to the northern cities
• 1:01:16
  Speaker 1: and true friends during the winter and spring. I used
• 1:01:21
  Speaker 1: every effort in my power in the way of collecting funds,
• 1:01:24
  Speaker 1: But though I met with the most generous sympathy and
• 1:01:27
  Speaker 1: kindness from all my friends, up to the first of June,
• 1:01:30
  Speaker 1: I had in hand only one hundred and fifty dollars.
• 1:01:34
  Speaker 1: I then applied to the Mission Board for permission to
• 1:01:36
  Speaker 1: travel and solicit funds to help me out of my distress.
• 1:01:41
  Speaker 1: This was readily granted me, having obtained a certificate relative
• 1:01:45
  Speaker 1: to the objects of my journey, signed by Reverend Franklin Wilson,
• 1:01:48
  Speaker 1: Secretary of our State Missionary Board, as well as by
• 1:01:52
  Speaker 1: the pastors and other friends in Baltimore. I started once
• 1:01:55
  Speaker 1: more on this painful business of begging money to purchase
• 1:01:59
  Speaker 1: my fifth child wild out of slavery. I went to
• 1:02:02
  Speaker 1: Philadelphia and met with marked attention from the ministers of
• 1:02:05
  Speaker 1: the Baptist churches generally, and especially from reverend Messrs McKean,
• 1:02:10
  Speaker 1: Cole and Griffith, with whom I had been acquainted in Baltimore,
• 1:02:15
  Speaker 1: as well as Reverends Messrs Cuthbert and Malcolm, and the
• 1:02:19
  Speaker 1: editors of the Christian Chronicle, Presbyterian, et cetera. I obtained
• 1:02:24
  Speaker 1: in this city nearly two hundred dollars with a view
• 1:02:27
  Speaker 1: to meet a particular friend in Boston. I was induced
• 1:02:30
  Speaker 1: to visit that city next. The many acts of kindness
• 1:02:34
  Speaker 1: and sympathy I met with there can never be effaced
• 1:02:37
  Speaker 1: from my memory. I had a special introduction to the
• 1:02:41
  Speaker 1: Messrs Gould and Lincoln book publishers. To the latter I
• 1:02:45
  Speaker 1: owe a lasting obligation. Through him, I obtained a hearing
• 1:02:48
  Speaker 1: of my case in mister Anderson's Church, Roxbury, where I
• 1:02:53
  Speaker 1: obtained very liberal aid while the pastor was absent. As
• 1:02:56
  Speaker 1: well as in many other cases, I called on Reverend
• 1:03:00
  Speaker 1: Doctor Stowe, who allowed my case to be presented to
• 1:03:02
  Speaker 1: his congregation at an evening meeting, where I received some
• 1:03:05
  Speaker 1: fifty dollars. He also gave me a letter of commendation
• 1:03:09
  Speaker 1: to the other Baptist ministers, with a request that they
• 1:03:12
  Speaker 1: would also sign it, which a large number did. The
• 1:03:15
  Speaker 1: article was then published gratuitously for me in The Watchman
• 1:03:19
  Speaker 1: and Reflector and Christian Era. Reverend la Grimes, pastor of
• 1:03:24
  Speaker 1: the twelfth Baptist Church, colored from the respectable position which
• 1:03:29
  Speaker 1: he occupied in the community, did much for me in
• 1:03:32
  Speaker 1: furthering my cause and introducing me to others, especially at
• 1:03:36
  Speaker 1: the daily prayer meetings. I had the great privilege and
• 1:03:39
  Speaker 1: pleasure of mingling with the people of God of every
• 1:03:42
  Speaker 1: name in these blessed meetings. The first I went to
• 1:03:45
  Speaker 1: was at the Old South Chapel. Here I felt at
• 1:03:48
  Speaker 1: first greatly embarrassed when called on to speak or pray.
• 1:03:52
  Speaker 1: I thought that those who came to these meetings must
• 1:03:54
  Speaker 1: be among the most pious and intelligent people in Boston.
• 1:03:58
  Speaker 1: The kind manner in which they treated me confirmed me
• 1:04:01
  Speaker 1: in my impressions of them. But the best meetings I
• 1:04:04
  Speaker 1: think I ever enjoyed on earth for such a length
• 1:04:06
  Speaker 1: of time nearly two months, was at what was called
• 1:04:10
  Speaker 1: the North Street Prayer Meeting or Father Mason's. This was
• 1:04:13
  Speaker 1: in a large upper room. It really appeared to me
• 1:04:16
  Speaker 1: that the most of those who met at this place
• 1:04:19
  Speaker 1: each day at twelve o'clock to spend an hour in
• 1:04:21
  Speaker 1: prayer to tell what God had done for their souls,
• 1:04:24
  Speaker 1: had been made ready by the spirit of God before
• 1:04:27
  Speaker 1: they reached that sacred spot. I know I shall fail
• 1:04:31
  Speaker 1: to present a true picture of this heavenly place, for
• 1:04:33
  Speaker 1: such it was to me and many others. But it
• 1:04:36
  Speaker 1: may be that my own peculiar circumstances may have rendered
• 1:04:40
  Speaker 1: the meeting unusually precious to me. But they were good
• 1:04:43
  Speaker 1: to me in many respects. I was a poor colored
• 1:04:46
  Speaker 1: man in distress and needed Christian sympathy. I found it
• 1:04:50
  Speaker 1: truly among the many white friends with whom I met
• 1:04:52
  Speaker 1: in the North Street Prayer Meeting. There In that meeting,
• 1:04:56
  Speaker 1: the dear friends would pray with me and for me.
• 1:04:59
  Speaker 1: In a word, I I felt at times it was good
• 1:05:01
  Speaker 1: for me to be afflicted. For surely, if it had
• 1:05:03
  Speaker 1: not been for my peculiar circumstances, I should never have
• 1:05:07
  Speaker 1: been inside the Old South Chapel or North Street prayer meeting,
• 1:05:10
  Speaker 1: where I enjoyed so much of God's presence and found
• 1:05:14
  Speaker 1: so many real friends in the midst of strangers. I
• 1:05:17
  Speaker 1: felt that I realized what the apostle Peter meant, if
• 1:05:21
  Speaker 1: need be ye are in heaviness through manifold temptation, that
• 1:05:24
  Speaker 1: the trials of your faith, being much more precious than gold,
• 1:05:28
  Speaker 1: that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be
• 1:05:31
  Speaker 1: found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing
• 1:05:35
  Speaker 1: of Jesus Christ. First Peter won six and seven, Also
• 1:05:40
  Speaker 1: for I will show him how great things he must
• 1:05:43
  Speaker 1: suffer for my Name's sake, Acts nine sixteen. The arguments
• 1:05:48
  Speaker 1: I drew from these passages of scripture were to show
• 1:05:51
  Speaker 1: that when God wanted to purify our faith and strengthen
• 1:05:54
  Speaker 1: our confidence in Him, he would send trials upon us,
• 1:05:58
  Speaker 1: and to let us see how God greate the things
• 1:06:00
  Speaker 1: we must suffer for his name's sake. And to let
• 1:06:03
  Speaker 1: us see too how great the grace He gives us
• 1:06:06
  Speaker 1: to enable us to endure hardness as good soldiers of
• 1:06:09
  Speaker 1: the Cross. Suffice it to say the friends in Boston
• 1:06:13
  Speaker 1: and its vicinity gave me about four hundred dollars towards
• 1:06:16
  Speaker 1: the purchase of my daughter. I had the privilege of
• 1:06:19
  Speaker 1: meeting the Baptist ministers in their conference meeting here. The
• 1:06:23
  Speaker 1: Reverend mister Tilson, pastor of the First Baptist Church at Hingham,
• 1:06:27
  Speaker 1: invited me to spend a Sunday evening at his place,
• 1:06:30
  Speaker 1: which I did very greatly to my own satisfaction and profit.
• 1:06:34
  Speaker 1: During my stay in Boston, I visited several of the
• 1:06:37
  Speaker 1: smaller towns adjacent to it, Lynn, Cambridge, Melrose, Maldon, Chelsea,
• 1:06:42
  Speaker 1: and others, and I was kindly received at all of them.
• 1:06:45
  Speaker 1: I collected in Lynn something like fifty dollars, the most
• 1:06:49
  Speaker 1: of which was given to me by the members of
• 1:06:51
  Speaker 1: the Second Baptist Church. Just before leaving Boston, to my
• 1:06:55
  Speaker 1: great and agreeable surprise, I met doctor F. Patten, Surgeon
• 1:06:59
  Speaker 1: in the US News, my former owner in the street
• 1:07:02
  Speaker 1: in that city. I had not seen him for seven
• 1:07:05
  Speaker 1: or eight years, and had no thought of seeing him
• 1:07:07
  Speaker 1: in Boston. He recognized me first and spoke to me
• 1:07:11
  Speaker 1: before I knew he was near, but I instantly knew him.
• 1:07:14
  Speaker 1: We greeted each other heartily, and he invited me to
• 1:07:17
  Speaker 1: visit him at Chelsea. This I did the same afternoon,
• 1:07:21
  Speaker 1: and was kindly treated. While I sat there with him
• 1:07:24
  Speaker 1: and his children, and he was looking over my subscription book,
• 1:07:27
  Speaker 1: I was constrained to look back for fifteen years over
• 1:07:31
  Speaker 1: all the way the Lord had brought me since the
• 1:07:33
  Speaker 1: day this same gentleman had given me privilege to purchase
• 1:07:36
  Speaker 1: my freedom and handed me a pass, saying, I am
• 1:07:40
  Speaker 1: not afraid of you running away. Noah, you may go
• 1:07:42
  Speaker 1: where you please. I reflected, Suppose I had stayed away
• 1:07:46
  Speaker 1: when I was in Boston twelve years ago begging money
• 1:07:49
  Speaker 1: to buy myself, how would it be with me and
• 1:07:52
  Speaker 1: my family today. But I have tried to acknowledge the
• 1:07:55
  Speaker 1: Lord in all my ways, always asking counsel of him,
• 1:07:59
  Speaker 1: and I now feel that he has kindly directed and
• 1:08:01
  Speaker 1: kept me. I also visited New Bedford, where I met
• 1:08:05
  Speaker 1: a large number of my old acquaintances from Virginia and
• 1:08:08
  Speaker 1: had the privilege of presenting my object to several of
• 1:08:11
  Speaker 1: the churches, and I received in all about fifty dollars.
• 1:08:15
  Speaker 1: I next went to Providence, Rhode Island, where I spent
• 1:08:18
  Speaker 1: a couple of weeks greatly to my advantage. It was
• 1:08:21
  Speaker 1: indeed providence to me. I was permitted to present my
• 1:08:24
  Speaker 1: case to nearly all the Baptist churches in that city.
• 1:08:27
  Speaker 1: Five of these aided my cause, but their great kindness
• 1:08:30
  Speaker 1: deserved some particular notice. The first one I visited was
• 1:08:34
  Speaker 1: Reverend mister Stones, whose congregation, with himself, greatly encouraged me.
• 1:08:40
  Speaker 1: At the first church, I told my story before an
• 1:08:42
  Speaker 1: evening meeting, and shall never forget the kindness of the pastor,
• 1:08:46
  Speaker 1: the senior deacon, and others. I obtained here nearly one
• 1:08:49
  Speaker 1: hundred dollars. I was kindly assisted by Reverend mister Kaiser's church,
• 1:08:54
  Speaker 1: as also the fourth Baptist Church. But at the Central
• 1:08:57
  Speaker 1: Baptist Church, Reverend mister Fields, I found unbounded kindness and liberality.
• 1:09:02
  Speaker 1: After seeing my letters of recommendation, the pastor invited me
• 1:09:05
  Speaker 1: to his prayer meeting, where I was favored with the
• 1:09:08
  Speaker 1: privilege of telling my story freely. I had been from
• 1:09:11
  Speaker 1: home several months and had collected in all about seven
• 1:09:14
  Speaker 1: hundred dollars, but still ACKed about four hundred to accomplish
• 1:09:18
  Speaker 1: my object. I was receiving letters every week from my
• 1:09:21
  Speaker 1: church and family saying that my presence at home was
• 1:09:24
  Speaker 1: greatly needed. But the idea of going home without accomplishing
• 1:09:28
  Speaker 1: my great object filled me with distress. While speaking to
• 1:09:31
  Speaker 1: the meeting and telling how God had delivered me from
• 1:09:33
  Speaker 1: time to time out of trials, I felt such a
• 1:09:36
  Speaker 1: sense of my condition that for the moment I could
• 1:09:39
  Speaker 1: not restrain my feelings. My heart became so full that
• 1:09:43
  Speaker 1: it stopped all utterance. At the close of the meeting,
• 1:09:46
  Speaker 1: the people showed their sympathy for me by giving me
• 1:09:48
  Speaker 1: a collection of sixty one dollars. One dear brother, may
• 1:09:52
  Speaker 1: the Lord bless him, came forward and presenting me with
• 1:09:55
  Speaker 1: a ten dollar bill. Said, brother Davis, give yourself no
• 1:09:58
  Speaker 1: more trouble about that. Daughter, say you have to stop
• 1:10:01
  Speaker 1: in New York. Let me say that when you get home,
• 1:10:04
  Speaker 1: whatever you lack of the four hundred dollars, write to
• 1:10:07
  Speaker 1: me and I will send you a check for the balance.
• 1:10:10
  Speaker 1: This was spoken in the presence of the whole meeting.
• 1:10:12
  Speaker 1: I felt completely at a loss for words of gratitude
• 1:10:15
  Speaker 1: and thanksgiving and merely said, the day is broke, and
• 1:10:19
  Speaker 1: the Lord has appeared for me. Indeed, I now left Providence,
• 1:10:23
  Speaker 1: feeling in my heart that the place is rightly called
• 1:10:26
  Speaker 1: by that name, as far as I am concerned. I
• 1:10:29
  Speaker 1: then went to New York. In that great city, I
• 1:10:31
  Speaker 1: met with considerable assistance. I never started out, but it
• 1:10:34
  Speaker 1: seemed that the Lord directed my steps. I was allowed
• 1:10:38
  Speaker 1: to address a prayer meeting of the first Baptist Church,
• 1:10:40
  Speaker 1: whose pastor was the late Excellent Reverend A. K Not,
• 1:10:44
  Speaker 1: and was aided to the amount of over seventy dollars.
• 1:10:47
  Speaker 1: Reverend Doctor Lathrop, with much Christian kindness, invited me to
• 1:10:51
  Speaker 1: his night meeting, but a severe reign prevented any attendance.
• 1:10:55
  Speaker 1: He invited me again, and then he was absent because
• 1:10:58
  Speaker 1: of illness. I was depressed with disappointment, but he had
• 1:11:01
  Speaker 1: sent a request that I might be heard as I
• 1:11:03
  Speaker 1: afterward learned, and I was called on to state my
• 1:11:06
  Speaker 1: case to the audience. I was taken by surprise, for
• 1:11:09
  Speaker 1: the pastor's illness had taken all hope from me of
• 1:11:12
  Speaker 1: accomplishing anything. There. Still, I begun by telling my experience.
• 1:11:17
  Speaker 1: I said that when it had pleased God to convert
• 1:11:19
  Speaker 1: my soul. I thought that all my trouble was gone
• 1:11:22
  Speaker 1: and gone forever. But I had since learned that I
• 1:11:25
  Speaker 1: was much mistaken. I had learned that in the world
• 1:11:28
  Speaker 1: we shall have tribulation. I then went on to state
• 1:11:31
  Speaker 1: my present trouble and distress, and before I left the meeting,
• 1:11:34
  Speaker 1: I received with heartfelt gratitude, one hundred and thirty four dollars.
• 1:11:39
  Speaker 1: This reminded me of providence. Reverend Doctor's Jillette and armitage
• 1:11:43
  Speaker 1: treated me with much generous sympathy, as also did many others.
• 1:11:47
  Speaker 1: I visited Greenport on Long Island, where Reverend Henry Knapp
• 1:11:51
  Speaker 1: kindly aided me. Elders Swan and Red, and the brethren
• 1:11:54
  Speaker 1: generally at New London aided me to the amount of
• 1:11:57
  Speaker 1: about fifty dollars. End of Chapter seven recorded by Brian Ness.
• 1:12:11
  Speaker 1: Chapter eight of A Narrative of the Life of Reverend
• 1:12:14
  Speaker 1: Noah Davis, a Colored Man. This is a LibriVox recording.
• 1:12:19
  Speaker 1: All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
• 1:12:23
  Speaker 1: information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recorded
• 1:12:29
  Speaker 1: by Brian Ness. A Narrative of the Life of Reverend
• 1:12:35
  Speaker 1: Noah Davis, a Colored Man, by himself Chapter eight Conclusion
• 1:12:41
  Speaker 1: and Object of this book. I now left the North
• 1:12:46
  Speaker 1: for home and arrived there safely. My friends greeted me
• 1:12:50
  Speaker 1: cordially on my success in collecting money. I still lacked, however,
• 1:12:55
  Speaker 1: one hundred and forty two dollars of the needed eleven hundred.
• 1:12:59
  Speaker 1: I had used every effort in my power to prevent
• 1:13:01
  Speaker 1: the necessity of having to call on my generous friend
• 1:13:04
  Speaker 1: in Providence, But in spite of all my endeavors, I
• 1:13:08
  Speaker 1: had to make known to him this deficiency, which he
• 1:13:11
  Speaker 1: immediately and generously supplied by remitting me a check for
• 1:13:15
  Speaker 1: the full amount. I was now prepared to go after
• 1:13:19
  Speaker 1: my daughter, which I did December first, eighteen fifty eight,
• 1:13:23
  Speaker 1: thus releasing her within one year from the time she
• 1:13:26
  Speaker 1: was sold. She is now with me and doing well.
• 1:13:30
  Speaker 1: I received a promise from the young master of my
• 1:13:32
  Speaker 1: two sons at the time he purchased them, that if
• 1:13:36
  Speaker 1: I should succeed in paying for my daughter during that year,
• 1:13:39
  Speaker 1: he would let me know what I might have my
• 1:13:41
  Speaker 1: two boys for. At the time, my boys were about
• 1:13:45
  Speaker 1: returning to Richmond, where they had been hired out for
• 1:13:48
  Speaker 1: several years. I charged them to let me hear a
• 1:13:51
  Speaker 1: good report of their conduct, and if I could do
• 1:13:54
  Speaker 1: anything for them, after I had got through with the
• 1:13:57
  Speaker 1: purchase of their sister, I would do it. This pledge
• 1:14:00
  Speaker 1: I made to the boys in the presence of their
• 1:14:02
  Speaker 1: master's agent, Having through the aid of kind providence, been
• 1:14:07
  Speaker 1: enabled to pay for my daughter, I have felt it
• 1:14:10
  Speaker 1: my duty to turn my attention toward redeeming my word
• 1:14:13
  Speaker 1: to my last children now in bondage. But this, of
• 1:14:17
  Speaker 1: course has called up anxious thought and prayerful meditation. I
• 1:14:21
  Speaker 1: have also considered the peculiar condition of my church, the
• 1:14:25
  Speaker 1: large outlay of money in the erection of the building,
• 1:14:28
  Speaker 1: and the heavy debt hanging upon it, which is increased
• 1:14:31
  Speaker 1: every year by the interest. I have also considered how
• 1:14:34
  Speaker 1: long I have been supported in this field of labor
• 1:14:37
  Speaker 1: by the Missionary Board of the Southern Baptist Convention and
• 1:14:41
  Speaker 1: the Maryland Baptist Union Association. The question then occurred to me,
• 1:14:45
  Speaker 1: could I, not, by making a book, do something to
• 1:14:48
  Speaker 1: relieve myself and my children, and ultimately, by the same means,
• 1:14:53
  Speaker 1: help my church under its heavy debt, and also relieved
• 1:14:56
  Speaker 1: the Missionary board from helping me. This idea struck me
• 1:15:00
  Speaker 1: with so much force that I have yielded to it,
• 1:15:02
  Speaker 1: that is, to write a short narrative of my own life,
• 1:15:05
  Speaker 1: setting forth the trials and difficulties the Lord has brought
• 1:15:08
  Speaker 1: me through to this day, and offer it for sale
• 1:15:11
  Speaker 1: to my friends generally, as well as to the public
• 1:15:14
  Speaker 1: at large. And I hope it may not only aid me,
• 1:15:18
  Speaker 1: but may serve to encourage others who meet with similar
• 1:15:21
  Speaker 1: difficulties to put their trust in God. End of narrative
• 1:15:28
  Speaker 1: sermon by Reverend Noah Davis text. But if any provide
• 1:15:34
  Speaker 1: not for his own and especially for those of his
• 1:15:37
  Speaker 1: own house, he hath denied the faith and is worse
• 1:15:40
  Speaker 1: than an infidel Firs. Timothy five eight. In this chapter
• 1:15:46
  Speaker 1: we have several Christian duties set forth by the Apostle
• 1:15:49
  Speaker 1: Paul to Timothy, a young preacher of the Gospel, who
• 1:15:53
  Speaker 1: was to teach other Christians to observe them as evidences
• 1:15:56
  Speaker 1: of the genuineness of their faith in Christ. That faith
• 1:16:00
  Speaker 1: which does not produce obedience to the commands of Jesus
• 1:16:03
  Speaker 1: must be regarded as defective. Religion requires us to love
• 1:16:08
  Speaker 1: God and all men, and we must show our faith
• 1:16:11
  Speaker 1: by a life consistent with our profession. If human nature
• 1:16:15
  Speaker 1: fallen as it is prompts men of the world to
• 1:16:18
  Speaker 1: labor zealously to supply their own temporal necessities, and the
• 1:16:22
  Speaker 1: once of those whom providence has made to depend upon them,
• 1:16:26
  Speaker 1: How much more will it be expected of those who
• 1:16:28
  Speaker 1: profess to have drank of that pure fountain of love,
• 1:16:32
  Speaker 1: the spirit of our blessed Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
• 1:16:36
  Speaker 1: God has indeed doomed man to eat his bread in
• 1:16:39
  Speaker 1: the sweat of his face, But as if to reward him,
• 1:16:42
  Speaker 1: he has connected with it a pleasure in the labor,
• 1:16:45
  Speaker 1: and especially in our efforts to do good to others.
• 1:16:51
  Speaker 1: In speaking from these words, let us first consider what
• 1:16:54
  Speaker 1: is here meant by providing for his own. Secondly, and
• 1:16:58
  Speaker 1: especially for those of his own own house, Thirdly, what
• 1:17:02
  Speaker 1: it is to deny the faith, And lastly, draw a
• 1:17:06
  Speaker 1: comparison between the one who hath denied the faith and
• 1:17:09
  Speaker 1: the infidel one. In the first place, we are to
• 1:17:14
  Speaker 1: consider the duty enjoined in the text to provide for
• 1:17:17
  Speaker 1: our own, which we understand to mean our own temporal wants,
• 1:17:21
  Speaker 1: such as food and raiment, and every temporal benefit. Every
• 1:17:26
  Speaker 1: man is bound by the laws of nature to provide
• 1:17:28
  Speaker 1: for himself the necessaries of life, honestly in the sight
• 1:17:32
  Speaker 1: of God and men, as far as in Him lieth.
• 1:17:35
  Speaker 1: This both reason and common sense dictate this religion inspires
• 1:17:41
  Speaker 1: he that will not work shall not eat, as the
• 1:17:43
  Speaker 1: teaching of the Word of God provide things honest in
• 1:17:47
  Speaker 1: the sight of all men. Is the instruction of the
• 1:17:49
  Speaker 1: Great Apostle to the gentiles, at the same time giving
• 1:17:53
  Speaker 1: them an example by working with his own hands to
• 1:17:56
  Speaker 1: supply his necessities and the ontce of those who were
• 1:17:59
  Speaker 1: with him. I have heard it said that a lazy
• 1:18:02
  Speaker 1: person cannot be a Christian, and the same idea seems
• 1:18:05
  Speaker 1: to be supported in my text. But if any provide
• 1:18:09
  Speaker 1: not for his own, religion benefits those who possess it
• 1:18:13
  Speaker 1: by regulating their appetite for temporal things, as well as
• 1:18:17
  Speaker 1: giving them a relish for spiritual ones. While we are
• 1:18:20
  Speaker 1: in love with sin, we labor hard to enjoy its pleasures.
• 1:18:24
  Speaker 1: How industriously do wicked men labor for what they can eat, drink,
• 1:18:28
  Speaker 1: and wear. And shall a Christian be less active to
• 1:18:31
  Speaker 1: secure for himself than necessaries of life, He would prove himself, indeed,
• 1:18:36
  Speaker 1: to be worse than the infidel. But we have other
• 1:18:39
  Speaker 1: wants to be supplied besides those of the body. God
• 1:18:43
  Speaker 1: is given to all men an intellectual nature, a mind
• 1:18:46
  Speaker 1: which distinguishes them from the brutes. These minds are capable
• 1:18:51
  Speaker 1: of improvement, and every man is under obligation to make
• 1:18:54
  Speaker 1: use of the means and opportunities which God has given
• 1:18:58
  Speaker 1: him for cultivating his mind, by educating himself, that he
• 1:19:02
  Speaker 1: may be useful to himself and those around him. But
• 1:19:06
  Speaker 1: man is a social being as well as an intellectual one.
• 1:19:09
  Speaker 1: God hath made of one blood all nations of men,
• 1:19:12
  Speaker 1: for to dwell on all the face of the earth,
• 1:19:15
  Speaker 1: Acts seventeen twenty six. Much of our happiness and usefulness
• 1:19:20
  Speaker 1: in this world arises from this quality which man possesses
• 1:19:24
  Speaker 1: over the animal creation. And just in proportion as we
• 1:19:28
  Speaker 1: shall cultivate and refine our social and intellectual natures, just
• 1:19:32
  Speaker 1: in that proportion shall we rise above the level of
• 1:19:36
  Speaker 1: the savage and the heathen. But man has a soul
• 1:19:39
  Speaker 1: which must be fitted for the enjoyment of God here
• 1:19:42
  Speaker 1: and hereafter. Now to provide for the wants of the
• 1:19:45
  Speaker 1: soul is our highest duty on earth. Sin has unclothed
• 1:19:49
  Speaker 1: us of that innocence in which our Creator first made us,
• 1:19:53
  Speaker 1: and the responsibility now rests upon every soul to provide
• 1:19:57
  Speaker 1: a clothing which will stand the inspection of God. This
• 1:20:02
  Speaker 1: clothing Christ has prepared through his sufferings and death, and
• 1:20:06
  Speaker 1: it is given to all them that believe in Him.
• 1:20:09
  Speaker 1: And surely, if it be our duty to provide temporal
• 1:20:12
  Speaker 1: things for ourselves and for those of our own house,
• 1:20:15
  Speaker 1: how much more are we bound to seek and secure
• 1:20:18
  Speaker 1: the one thing needful. Two But we will consider in
• 1:20:23
  Speaker 1: the second place, what is meant by providing for our
• 1:20:26
  Speaker 1: own house, and especially for those of his own house.
• 1:20:30
  Speaker 1: House here means family. First, we will consider the duty
• 1:20:34
  Speaker 1: devolving upon a Christian parent in making suitable provision for
• 1:20:37
  Speaker 1: his own house or family. This embraces all we have
• 1:20:41
  Speaker 1: urged as his duty to himself. It is the duty
• 1:20:44
  Speaker 1: of all parents to provide for their families every temporal
• 1:20:47
  Speaker 1: good which adds to their own comfort or usefulness in life.
• 1:20:51
  Speaker 1: And it is no less the duty of parents to
• 1:20:54
  Speaker 1: provide for the spiritual necessities of their own families. And
• 1:20:58
  Speaker 1: first we shall consider the duce of parents to provide
• 1:21:01
  Speaker 1: suitable training for their children. This is a duty which
• 1:21:04
  Speaker 1: God has enjoined and approves. He said of Abraham, for
• 1:21:08
  Speaker 1: I know him that he will command his children and
• 1:21:12
  Speaker 1: his household after him, and they shall keep the way
• 1:21:14
  Speaker 1: of the Lord, to do justice and judgment, that the
• 1:21:18
  Speaker 1: Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken
• 1:21:21
  Speaker 1: of him. The duty of parents to train their children
• 1:21:25
  Speaker 1: religiously is clearly taught under the Gospel dispensation. And ye, fathers,
• 1:21:31
  Speaker 1: provoke not your children to wrath, but bring them up
• 1:21:34
  Speaker 1: in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Here we
• 1:21:38
  Speaker 1: have divine authority for teaching our children the things which
• 1:21:41
  Speaker 1: make for their good, both in this life and that
• 1:21:44
  Speaker 1: which is to come. But it may be asked to
• 1:21:47
  Speaker 1: what extent our parents bound to comply with these high
• 1:21:50
  Speaker 1: and solemn obligations. We answer to the utmost of their ability.
• 1:21:56
  Speaker 1: To whom much is given of him, much is required,
• 1:21:58
  Speaker 1: and to whom little is given of him, little is required.
• 1:22:02
  Speaker 1: But all are bound to train up their children in
• 1:22:05
  Speaker 1: the way they should go, that when they are old,
• 1:22:07
  Speaker 1: they may not depart from it. This duty is seen
• 1:22:10
  Speaker 1: in the judgments which God has visited upon those parents
• 1:22:14
  Speaker 1: and children who have neglected to obey the Lord in
• 1:22:17
  Speaker 1: this particular, see for Samuel two thirty four three. We
• 1:22:23
  Speaker 1: are in the third place to inquire what it is
• 1:22:26
  Speaker 1: to deny the faith. Much is said in the scriptures
• 1:22:30
  Speaker 1: about faith, much depends upon it. We are said to
• 1:22:34
  Speaker 1: be justified by faith and saved by faith. We live
• 1:22:38
  Speaker 1: by faith. And inasmuch as such as are spoken of
• 1:22:42
  Speaker 1: in the text are said to be worse than an infidel,
• 1:22:45
  Speaker 1: because they provide not for themselves and families, thereby showing
• 1:22:50
  Speaker 1: that they have denied the faith. Therefore, let us try
• 1:22:53
  Speaker 1: to consider what genuine faith is and what it is
• 1:22:56
  Speaker 1: to deny it. This is the most important point in
• 1:22:59
  Speaker 1: the subject now before us. Without faith, it is impossible
• 1:23:03
  Speaker 1: to please God. We will consider some of the effects
• 1:23:07
  Speaker 1: of this distinguishing grace. There are several kinds of faith
• 1:23:10
  Speaker 1: spoken of in the Bible. In one case, men are
• 1:23:13
  Speaker 1: said to believe for a while. This faith is shown
• 1:23:16
  Speaker 1: us in the parable taught by our blessed Savior, in
• 1:23:19
  Speaker 1: the characters represented by the seed sown upon the rock,
• 1:23:23
  Speaker 1: which for a while believe, and in time of temptation
• 1:23:26
  Speaker 1: fall away Luke eight thirty three. There is a faith
• 1:23:31
  Speaker 1: which is called dead. Even so, faith, if it hath
• 1:23:35
  Speaker 1: not works, is dead, being alone James two seventeen. But
• 1:23:39
  Speaker 1: the faith which enables the Christian to obey. The Savior
• 1:23:42
  Speaker 1: in all things is said to work by love Galatians
• 1:23:46
  Speaker 1: five to six. Now we say that those who have
• 1:23:49
  Speaker 1: this faith will never deny it. The counterfeit may deceive,
• 1:23:53
  Speaker 1: but the genuine cannot. We say this faith cannot deny itself.
• 1:23:58
  Speaker 1: All who are spoken of in the Old Old Testament
• 1:24:00
  Speaker 1: as having this faith never denied it. By it Able
• 1:24:04
  Speaker 1: made a more excellent sacrifice to God than Cain. By it,
• 1:24:09
  Speaker 1: Enoch walked with God when the other portion of mankind
• 1:24:12
  Speaker 1: walked in the vain, wicked imaginations of their own hearts.
• 1:24:16
  Speaker 1: By faith, Noah, being warned of God of things not
• 1:24:20
  Speaker 1: seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark for
• 1:24:23
  Speaker 1: the saving of his house. Abraham believed God, and it
• 1:24:27
  Speaker 1: was counted unto him for righteousness. This is the grace
• 1:24:30
  Speaker 1: which enables believers to renounce the pleasures of sin, which
• 1:24:34
  Speaker 1: are but for a season. It gives them a complete
• 1:24:37
  Speaker 1: victory over the world. It abideth with hope and charity. Now,
• 1:24:42
  Speaker 1: whosoever professes this faith, and then by his unholy life,
• 1:24:45
  Speaker 1: denies it by neglecting to provide for his own and
• 1:24:49
  Speaker 1: especially for those of his own house, makes it manifest
• 1:24:52
  Speaker 1: that he never had it. It is as unchangeable as
• 1:24:56
  Speaker 1: its author, for it is the gift of God. It
• 1:24:59
  Speaker 1: prompted Noah to labor over a hundred years to build
• 1:25:02
  Speaker 1: an ark to save his house. And what it has done,
• 1:25:06
  Speaker 1: it will continue to do for those who have it.
• 1:25:09
  Speaker 1: This is the principle in religion which purifies the heart,
• 1:25:12
  Speaker 1: overcomes the world, and causes Christians to love one another,
• 1:25:16
  Speaker 1: whatever may be their circumstances, or color, or rank in life.
• 1:25:22
  Speaker 1: Four We are now in the fourth and last place
• 1:25:25
  Speaker 1: to draw a comparison between those who deny the faith
• 1:25:28
  Speaker 1: and an infidel. Now, an infidel is an unbeliever in
• 1:25:32
  Speaker 1: the religion of Christ. Yet he provides for his own
• 1:25:35
  Speaker 1: and especially for those of his own house. In this
• 1:25:39
  Speaker 1: he is consistent with himself. Here he acts from reason
• 1:25:42
  Speaker 1: and principles of nature. But the individual who denies the
• 1:25:46
  Speaker 1: faith is one who has taken upon himself the solemn
• 1:25:50
  Speaker 1: vow before God and Man, that he will act out
• 1:25:53
  Speaker 1: of what his profession supposes him to be in possession of,
• 1:25:57
  Speaker 1: which is superior in its influence to the infidel principles.
• 1:26:01
  Speaker 1: Yet he fails to do as much. But again, an
• 1:26:04
  Speaker 1: infidel is a bad man and makes no pretensions to
• 1:26:07
  Speaker 1: hide it. But he who contradicts his profession by denying
• 1:26:11
  Speaker 1: it in the manner here set forth is worse for
• 1:26:13
  Speaker 1: attempting to cover up a character which in itself is
• 1:26:17
  Speaker 1: no better. But consider the effect produced by a false faith.
• 1:26:22
  Speaker 1: And we have shown that such a faith, as does
• 1:26:24
  Speaker 1: not come up with the infidels, is false. It does
• 1:26:27
  Speaker 1: the person no harm. Many persons, when they make a
• 1:26:30
  Speaker 1: profession of faith, suppose it is the true faith. But
• 1:26:34
  Speaker 1: after a while they find that their faith does not
• 1:26:36
  Speaker 1: work by love. It does not purify their hearts. They
• 1:26:40
  Speaker 1: love sin secretly as much as before, they love worldly
• 1:26:43
  Speaker 1: company as well as ever, and they find the employments
• 1:26:47
  Speaker 1: which their profession enjoins upon them irksome and dry. Such
• 1:26:51
  Speaker 1: persons are greatly deceived, yet they are ashamed to confess
• 1:26:55
  Speaker 1: it and throw off the mask of profession. And such
• 1:26:58
  Speaker 1: persons are often the greatest fault finders with those whose
• 1:27:02
  Speaker 1: true faith inspires them to endure hardness, afflictions, and deny
• 1:27:06
  Speaker 1: themselves and take up their cross, so that they may
• 1:27:09
  Speaker 1: glorify their Savior in their bodies and spirits, which are
• 1:27:12
  Speaker 1: the lords. In conclusion, dear brethren, let us who have
• 1:27:16
  Speaker 1: made a profession of faith. Examine ourselves, whether we be
• 1:27:20
  Speaker 1: in the faith of the Gospel or not. Know ye
• 1:27:24
  Speaker 1: not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you,
• 1:27:27
  Speaker 1: except ye be reprobates Amen. End of Chapter eight and
• 1:27:35
  Speaker 1: of the book recorded by Brian Ness