Monday, November 10, 2014

Jacob F Miller - I find these people regard pleasure as a much worse evil than sin.

[A continuation of my GGGrandfather's missionary journal in Tennessee. For all his entries posted so far look here -BAllen]

Laurel Hill, Saturday June 2, 1883 Stopped last night with Prettyman Jones. He is much interested at present in a volume of sermons by one Benjamin Franklin, a Campbellite preacher. Visited Jefferson Lee today.

Laurel Hill, Monday June 4th 1883 Stopped Saturday night H. with Squire Felix Smith. Attended the meeting at the Baptist The Church yesterday. Preacher first read the 19th Chapter of First Corinthians then offered prayer. The reading however had been preceded by singing and was followed by singing. The preacher then took for his text the 13th verse of the chapter he had read and labored very hard to show first that repentance always, in and of necessity, and as taught by the Scriptures precedes Faith, and Second that as soon as one believes by the act of belief he obtains remission of sins and is saved. The minister then called upon the Methodist, Mr. Clark who had objected to us the preceding Sunday to pray after which he sang a hymn, prayed and then arranged for a meeting Saturday June 30th for the people to decide whether they wished him for a pastor or not. As the meeting was dismissed, I announced that by permission, the people generally known amongst them as Mormons would hold meeting there the next Sunday, and also that we would hold meeting at the Garner schoolhouse that afternoon. The Minister at once spoke up that he had forgotten to give out an appointment for a meeting in the afternoon, which he was going to hold. After we had got out of the house, Marion Pullham, a deacon of the Baptist Church called the attention of the congregation and announced that the appointment given out for next Sunday was objected to by the Church. I replied that it would then be withdrawn. I understand that warm words occurred about the affair after we left the house. We took dinner at Squire Smiths and came on up to our appointment at the Garner schoolhouse where we are writing today but which is in Putnam Co. and must therefore belong to some other district aside from Laurel Hill. We had a good audience. Stopped with the Clemmens Brothers last night and until after dinner today.

Laurel Hill, June 6, 1883 Stopped night before last at John Jones' in Buffalo Valley. Yesterday Sophronia Welch a neighbor of Mr. Jones sent for us to come and pray for her. We had no oil but held prayer in the house and then prayed for her, placing our hands on her head as in administration. I asked her if she was in much pain. She replied "not now." I asked her if she felt better to which she replied that she did. I then  explained to her our method of administering to the sick, told her that we had so far been unable to procure any oil, but would endeavor to do so, and enquired as to whether she wished us to return if we got the oil. She replied that she did. We went to the drugstore kept by Mr. Gilliam the Baptist Pastor of the Sunday before. He had sent for Olive oil and received sweet oil instead. He was very polite and told us of a neighbor, Captain Mr. Gee who was wishing to see us. We stopped last night at S. H. Smith's. He told us that Mr. Bartlett had gone to a lawyer for advice about disposing of the Church and had been advised to complete it and then sell it if the Church did not pay him what he had advanced above his donation. Mr. Smith added that the Church would never pay him, they were not able to do so. Squire Smith had told us that Bartlett was talking of selling the Church and he hoped that he would do it. We came here to Dr. Sybert's today to write our mail. He informs me that Bartlett is intending to sell the Church and added if he does we are going to buy it for a schoolhouse and hold it free for all denominations to preach in. The weather is very warm with frequent showers. We stay at Dr. Sybert tonight.

Laurel Hill June 8, 1883 Fasted yesterday until supper. Visited Mrs. Welch. She was sitting up and is better. Both Mr. and Mrs. Welch urged us to call on them when we were passing and Mrs. Welch wished us to hold meeting as she was unable to attend at the Garner schoolhouse. We stopped last night at Capt. McGee's, a neighbor of his, Mr. Wallace spending the evening with us. McGee is a Christian without a Church. We meet a number of these men who unwilling to accept the Doctrine taught by any of the denominations, have established a code for themselves, and my experience has been that such men are more inclined to bend the truth to serve their opinions than men who have with their opinions the belief of the community and the tradition of their fathers. Perhaps this is from the egotism of human nature displaying itself in supporting out all hazards opinions so peculiarly their own both in origin and faith. The Captain received us very kindly and urged us to call again. Stopped last night at W. E. Bartlett's. Learn of a Methodist meeting this evening, which we are expecting to attend. 

Garner Schoolhouse, Monday June 11, 1883 Attended Methodist meeting last Saturday night. The circuit rider gave a discourse, taking for his text First Thessalonians Fifth Chapter Twenty-third verse. [I'll quote it here so you don't have to look it up: And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.]  I find these people regard pleasure as a much worse evil than sin. Saturday night we stopped with Mayberry Smith, a son-in- law of W. E. Bartlett's. Sunday we came here expecting to hear Mr. Chaffin, but it rained severely during the forenoon and no one but ourselves reached the schoolhouse. The rain ceasing, we went to George Jones' for  dinner and returning found a large congregation for the building. Elder Holbrook spoke less than ten minutes, I  followed speaking an hour, but being tired from our rapid climbing up the hill I found the effort at speaking very tiresome. We stopped over night with James Jones, an uncle of George Jones. Talking of war times, he relates an anecdote of a man with whom he was acquainted who fled to Kentucky, afterward attempted to visit his family here and was captured by some of his neighbors who first cut off his arms at the elbows, afterwards at the shoulders, then cut out his tongue and finally shot him. I gave out an appointment for meeting here on Sunday July 1st at 3 P.M. I think the Campbellites here were convinced yesterday that we were not teaching Campbellite doctrines. That has been talked considerably by them and by other parties but I think the remarks yesterday would give them some idea of a vast difference between us.

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