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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of William Black, by John Maclean
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: William Black
+       The Apostle of Methodism in the Maritime Provinces of Canada
+
+Author: John Maclean
+
+Release Date: February 26, 2008 [EBook #24693]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WILLIAM BLACK ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Diane Monico and The Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was
+produced from images generously made available by The
+Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: WILLIAM BLACK]
+
+
+
+
+WILLIAM BLACK
+
+THE APOSTLE OF METHODISM IN THE
+MARITIME PROVINCES OF CANADA.
+
+BY
+JOHN MACLEAN, PH. D.,
+
+Author of "Canadian Savage Folk,"
+"The Indians of Canada,"
+"The Making of a Christian," &c., &c.
+
+HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA:
+THE METHODIST BOOK ROOM,
+1907.
+
+
+
+
+Entered according to Act of the Parliament of Canada,
+in the year one thousand nine hundred and seven,
+by John Maclean, at the Department of Agriculture.
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE.
+
+
+While there are several sketches of the life and work of the subject
+of this book, they are all based upon the "Memoirs of William Black"
+by the Rev. Matthew Richey, D. D., which was published in Halifax,
+Nova Scotia, in 1839. Some additional information is to be found in
+Dr. T. Watson Smith's History of the Methodist Church of Eastern
+British America. The former volume contains the interesting Journal of
+the famous missionary, and is therefore of great value. As it has long
+been out of print, and it is well-nigh impossible to secure an old
+copy, and as there is no likelihood of it being republished, we have
+deemed it commendable to publish the following pages. We have sought
+to condense as far as possible, giving the chief facts in his life,
+and to produce in popular form a volume which might be read with
+profit, and within the reach of all. As a study of spiritual forces
+and an appreciation, it might have been enlarged to considerable size,
+and it has been difficult indeed to keep within the limits which we
+had set for the volume, but that would have been to defeat our object,
+of writing a small book, in which the salient features of his life and
+work were seen, and at such a price that the poorest in the land might
+secure a copy.
+
+We dare not forget the work of our fathers, and we must not permit the
+memory of William Black to be lost in oblivion, for he builded better
+than he knew, and we are heirs of his work and influence, and his
+example is a stimulus to us all. In that spirit have these pages been
+written, and we hope that they will help keep alive the memory of a
+great and noble man, a pioneer and patriot, who gave his life for
+Christ and his fellow man.
+
+                      JOHN MACLEAN.
+
+WESLEYAN OFFICE,
+  Halifax, Nova Scotia.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS.
+
+
+_Chap._                                _Page._
+
+  I. The Birth of a Movement              9
+
+ II. Making the Man                      17
+
+III. The Maritime Itinerant              24
+
+ IV. The Intrepid Pioneer                33
+
+  V. Black and Wesley                    40
+
+ VI. Personal Characteristics            49
+
+VII. Last Days and After                 57
+
+
+
+
+_WILLIAM BLACK._
+
+I.
+
+THE BIRTH OF A MOVEMENT.
+
+
+Had Longfellow the poet extended his studies a few years later than
+the time of the event which formed the subject of Evangeline, he would
+have come in contact with another race of men, of different breed,
+language and faith, than that of the Acadians, who were as brave as
+any of those who sailed away from the valley of the Gaspereaux. For
+almost coincident with the expulsion of these hardy folk from the
+fertile fields of the Annapolis Valley, there came visitors from the
+New England colonies, induced by offers of land, but these were
+deterred from settlement on account of a fear lest freedom of
+religious worship should not be accorded them.
+
+Brought up under the influence of the descendants of the Pilgrim
+Fathers, they prized too highly their religious liberty to barter it
+for lands or gold, and not until a second proclamation was issued,
+granting liberty of conscience and worship to all Protestants, did
+settlers come in large numbers. Five years after the Acadians were
+expelled emigrants began to arrive in considerable numbers from New
+England and from Great Britain and Ireland. This was the beginning of
+a new era, in which the principles of the Protestant Reformation were
+to be tested, upon soil consecrated by the faith and piety of the
+Roman Catholic exiles, and an opportunity was found for the expression
+of the new faith in the moulding of individual character.
+
+While the province was issuing invitations for new settlers and
+wishing to grant concessions to sturdy and loyal folks, a great
+awakening was taking place in England, the influence of which was
+destined to become a strong factor in making a new race on the Western
+Continent, and to mould in a great measure the social and religious
+life of the people of Nova Scotia. A revival of spiritual life was in
+progress under the preaching of Wesley and Whitefield, which was
+quickening the consciences of the people, imparting high ideals and
+renovating the social and political life of the nation.
+
+Methodism was doing greater things for the English speaking race than
+Luther among the Germans, as it infused a spirit of joy and freedom
+from ritual, with greater liberty of thought and action. It was an era
+of great names beyond the pale of the national church. The passion for
+souls became so intense in the hearts of many of the clergy that they
+gladly espoused the hated name of "Methodist," while others no less
+zealous stood aloof from the special movement because of its Arminian
+doctrines.
+
+Whitefield, the prince of orators, stalked through the land
+proclaiming salvation for sinners, and not content with conquests won
+in the sea-girt isles, he needs must cross the ocean to tell the story
+of the ages to wondering thousands. John Berridge, the witty yet
+zealous vicar of Everton, itinerated through the country and in one
+year saw not less that four thousand awakened. William Grimshaw, the
+eccentric curate of Haworth, superintended two Methodist circuits
+while attending to his own parish, and Vincent Perronet, vicar of
+Shoreham, who was so trusted a counsellor that Charles Wesley called
+him the Archbishop of Methodism, gave two sons to the Methodist
+ministry, and besides being the author of the hymn, "All Hail the
+power of Jesus Name," Wesley dedicated to him the "Plain Account of
+the People called Methodists."
+
+The great revival brought into greater prominence Rowland Hill, the
+eccentric preacher; Augustus Toplady, the author of the Hymn "Rock of
+Ages;" Howell Harris, the famous Welsh orator, and the Countess of
+Huntingdon. These and many others were brought into closer touch with
+the great spiritual movement, at the period when Nova Scotia was
+bidding for settlers, by the famous controversy on Calvinism, which
+was full of spleen, and has shown us how good men may retain their
+piety, and still say bitter and nasty things, and use gross epithets
+in their zeal for religious doctrines.
+
+But Methodism, though treated as a sect composed of ignorant and
+illiterate folks, was not lacking in men of culture and force. It had
+discovered the secret of picking men from the streets and transforming
+them into saints and scholars, and it was successful in its efforts.
+It found Thomas Olivers, a drunken Welsh shoemaker, and led him on,
+till he became known as a great force in the pulpit, and the author of
+that majestic lyric, "The God of Abraham praise" and of the tune
+"Helmsley," sung to the hymn, "Lo, He comes with clouds descending."
+It laid hands upon Samuel Bradburn, the shoemaker, and developed his
+gifts by the grace of God, until his discourses, rich in sublimity,
+and pulsating with great thoughts, charmed multitudes, and his
+eloquence was so irresistible that Adam Clarke, the famous scholar,
+declared that he had never heard his equal, and could give no idea of
+his powers as an orator. In its ranks at this period were to be found
+able scholars as Joseph Benson, the commentator, Fletcher, the saintly
+and acute theologian of the new movement, and Thomas Walsh, whom
+Wesley called, "that blessed man," and of whom he said, that, he was
+so thoroughly acquainted with the Bible that "if he were questioned
+concerning any Hebrew word in the Old, or any Greek in the New
+Testament, he would tell after a brief pause, not only how often the
+one or the other occurred in the Bible, but what it meant in every
+place. Such a master of Biblical knowledge he says he never saw
+before, and never expected to see again."
+
+There were many others possessed of great gifts and culture, whose
+hearts were set on fire with a passion for souls, and the revival
+started spiritual forces which were felt far beyond the shores of
+Great Britain.
+
+Wesley was drawing near to seventy years of age, and while travelling
+incessantly, and preaching every day, he was engaged in the
+publication of a collected edition of his works, in thirty-two
+duodecimo volumes. The Calvinistic controversy was at its height, the
+first anniversary of Trevecca College, the pet scheme of the Countess
+of Huntingdon, had just been held, and Fletcher was writing his famous
+"Checks to Antinomianism," yet, the founder of the Methodist movement
+was looking for other worlds to conquer, by the preaching of the
+Cross.
+
+Wesley's early associations with America as a missionary to Georgia,
+naturally gave him an interest in the affairs of the western
+continent, and Whitefield's frequent visits helped to deepen Wesley's
+love for the people among whom he had spent the early years of his
+ministry. Whitefield had crossed the ocean and visited America seven
+times, and his visits were seasons of great power, when thousands were
+converted, and when he suddenly died at Newburyport, there passed from
+earth one of the greatest pulpit orators and evangelists in the
+history of the Christian Church. His death was an invitation to
+renewed efforts for the evangelization of America. The Countess of
+Huntingdon and her ministers organized a missionary band, which
+labored with much success in Savannah and the surrounding country,
+especially among the African population.
+
+Methodism was neither silent nor powerless in sharing in the progress
+of the Gospel, and striving to evangelize the new world. While the
+great revival was stirring the heart of England, a small band of
+German "Palatines" which Methodism had redeemed from demoralization in
+Ireland, emigrated to New York, among whom was Philip Embury, and
+these were followed by Barbara Heck and her friends, through whose
+efforts Methodism found a secure place in America. The new movement
+received an impetus from the preaching of Captain Webb, and a call for
+preachers was sent to Wesley, with the result that Richard Boardman
+and Joseph Pilmoor were sent. Later Francis Asbury, the faithful
+preacher and administrator, followed, and Methodism became a church.
+Meanwhile Lawrence Coughlan had found his way to Newfoundland, and
+laid foundations upon which others built.
+
+Bermuda had been visited by Whitefield, and in the general awakening
+it could not be expected that Nova Scotia and New Brunswick and Prince
+Edward Island would be forgotten. It was a period of emigration and
+revival, and in the great commotion, the present Maritime Provinces of
+Canada shared in the blessings of the new movement.
+
+During the period of emigration to Nova Scotia, four different parties
+came from Yorkshire, England, the first arriving in 1772. It was
+natural to expect, that coming from a district, memorable as the scene
+of many visits from the Wesleys, a bit of land consecrated with the
+tears and labors of John Nelson, the stalwart hero, and kept fresh
+with the hallowed memories of the saintly Hester Ann Rogers, there
+should be among the emigrants many who were loyal and devoted
+Methodists. Yorkshire Methodism was of that strenuous type which must
+give expression to its faith in hearty song, and lively preaching, and
+these sturdy settlers were an acquisition to the province, which the
+politicians were sufficiently alert to see, could not fail to supply
+the elements of stability and growth.
+
+The majority of these people settled in the county of Cumberland, and
+began life anew, with intense loyalty to the institutions, and high
+ideals. The province had not fully recovered from the effect of the
+spirit of disloyalty which culminated in the expulsion of the
+Acadians, although there followed a period of peace, but despite the
+efforts of the Government in making roads, and instituting public
+works, the settlements were sparse, and the Indian was still in the
+land. There was only one minister in the county, the Rev. John
+Eagleson, who had been sent out in 1769 by the Society for the
+Propagation of the Gospel, while in the province there were a few
+Anglican, Congregational, Presbyterian and one Baptist church, but
+places for holding religious worship were few and far between, and the
+first Methodists consequently began prayer meetings in their homes,
+and through them souls were led to Christ. Whatever religious services
+were held they attended, and thus kept alive the glowing embers of
+their faith and zeal.
+
+An incipient rebellion, induced by the Revolutionary war, and
+maintained by the sympathy of the colonists who had revolted in New
+England, unsettled the minds of the people, and made it dangerous for
+them to attend religious worship, and consequently the cause of
+religion suffered, and many forsook the faith of their fathers. A few
+still remained true, and amid many discouragements prayed for the dawn
+of a new day.
+
+Without any propagandist effort, Methodism was spreading.
+Spontaneously it had gone out over Great Britain and Ireland, and into
+what is now the United States, to the West Indies, and Nova Scotia,
+but the time was ripe for complete organization as a missionary
+church. The time had come and with it the man in the person of Thomas
+Coke. While Nova Scotia and the American colonies were suffering from
+the Revolution, Wesley and Coke had met for the first time, and thus
+began a union which made Methodism a great missionary organization.
+The man for America had not yet come to the fullness of his power,
+but Francis Asbury was reaching out and getting ready to become
+essentially the founder of Methodism in the United States. The man for
+Nova Scotia had not yet arrived, as he was only a stripling at his
+father's home in Amherst, and was still a stranger to the grace of
+God.
+
+The introduction of Methodism into Nova Scotia was not the
+establishment of a sect or a party in dogmatic theology, but it was
+the revival of spiritual Christianity, exempt from the trammels of
+ecclesiasticism and the exclusiveness of dogmatism. As such it became
+a strong and elevating factor in the social life of the people,
+imparting lofty ideals, which were wrought out in moral strength,
+making loyal citizens and men and women of power and gentleness.
+
+There was something lacking to secure unity and strength in the
+scattered forces of the new movement. Prayer meetings and preaching
+services were held, and souls were won to the faith, still there was
+no organization and there could not be until a leader should come
+forth, who would command by his genius and concentrated effort unity
+of administration.
+
+Though not the original founder of Methodism in Eastern British
+America, the man who in the providence of God was destined to unite
+the scattered forces and to give birth to the new movement, and who,
+by his intrepid spirit and enthusiastic and incessant labours as a
+great evangelist, was to spread the doctrines which were so full of
+power in the revival in England, throughout that portion of territory
+now known as the Maritime Provinces, was William Black, a man of faith
+and power, whose memory is revered by thousands, and whose descendants
+still abide with us.
+
+
+
+
+II.
+
+MAKING THE MAN.
+
+
+William Black was well born. The time was auspicious. The date of his
+birth is 1760, and with that date as a centre, despite the fact that
+the tone of public morality was low, there are names belonging to the
+period which suggest genius and influence. Edward Young had just
+published his "Night Thoughts," Thomson, the poet and author of "The
+Seasons," and Isaac Watts had just passed away, Lord Littleton had
+written "The Conversion of St. Paul," Gray's "Elegy in a Country
+Churchyard" was being eagerly read by the people, Blackstone's famous
+"Commentaries on the Laws of England," had made a profound impression,
+Johnson had completed his "Dictionary" and Oliver Goldsmith was
+writing his immortal works. There were others who were in the heat of
+the literary battle. This period saw the beginning of the modern novel
+in the writings of Richardson, Fielding and Smollett, then too was
+published Adam Smith's "Wealth of Nations," Hume's "History of
+England," and Gibbon's "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire." The two
+great literary frauds in our language were then given to the world in
+Chatterton's "Poems," and Macpherson's "Ossian." It was the age of
+Pitt and Burke, and Fox, of Horace Walpole and Chesterfield in English
+politics, Benjamin Franklin was then a potent force in America, Butler
+and Paley and Warburton, and Jonathan Edwards and Doddridge with many
+other equally powerful names were moulding the theology of the age.
+
+Greater than any of these, however, were the Wesleys and Whitefield,
+as they raised both sides of the Atlantic to new ideals, and stirred
+the nation to a larger and deeper life.
+
+William Black came into the world at a time when great events were
+being done, and though he was still young when he left the land of his
+birth, the silent and unseen forces which work upon men's minds and
+souls could not be without their influence upon him.
+
+He was born at Huddersfield, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England,
+an important market town, beautifully situated on a slope of a hill in
+the valley of the Colne, fifteen miles distant from Bradford, and a
+little over sixteen from Leeds. It was a place of considerable
+antiquity, being mentioned in Domesday, but its chief importance dates
+from the establishment of the woolen industry, being now the principal
+seat of the fancy woolen trade in England. Kirlees Park, three miles
+from the town, is popularly supposed to be the burial place of the
+famous Robin Hood.
+
+When William Black was only five years old John Wesley preached to a
+large congregation in the Rev. Henry Venn's Church in the town. This
+man of God was a zealous Methodist Churchman, who made Huddersfield
+the headquarters of extensive labors in all the neighboring region,
+sympathizing with the great Methodist revival, accompanying Whitefield
+on evangelistic tours, and for more than thirty years, he co-operated
+with the Wesleys and other workers in many parts of England and Wales.
+Though still retaining his connection with the Church of England, he
+continued in labors abundant, preaching in private houses, barns and
+in the open air, until old age. His son, the Rev. John Venn, became
+the projector of the Church Missionary Society. Methodism was firmly
+established in Huddersfield, and its influences were not unknown to
+the Black family. In 1767, one fourth of the members of the Methodist
+Church in the United Kingdom were in Yorkshire, and among the first
+settlers who came to Nova Scotia were some who were identified with
+that church, and had listened to Wesley and his preachers.
+
+William Black, the father of the future pioneer and evangelist, was
+born in 1727, in Paisley, Scotland, a large manufacturing town noted
+for its shawls, great preachers, and the birthplace of Tannahill, the
+poet. He came of an independent family, as learned from the fact that
+his father kept a pack of hounds, and spent his leisure in the chase.
+When he attained his majority he became a traveller for a large
+industry, which necessitated some journeys to England, and there he
+met his future wife, and made his home in Huddersfield. The spell of
+Scottish literature must have fallen upon the young man, for Robert
+Burns, the poet, was then at the height of his fame, Alexander Wilson,
+a native of Paisley, had not yet won his place as a poet, though he
+too, emigrated to America, and became the pioneer and founder of
+American Ornithology, but there were other writers whose impress must
+have been felt by the Scotch youth.
+
+In Elizabeth Stocks he found a lady of refinement and wealth, and the
+future missionary a good Christian mother. She had been converted at
+sixteen years of age, and her influence upon the home, and especially
+upon the lad was elevating, and destined to leave its mark upon the
+future. The father, with Scotch shrewdness, made a visit to Nova
+Scotia to spy out the land before removing his family from their
+English home. The mother watched tenderly over all the members of the
+family, but William, the second oldest, seemed to call for special
+care, and her tears and prayers found full fruition in after years,
+when she had passed to her reward. Frequently did she relate to her
+son William the story of her conversion, and with tears besought him
+to serve God. Alone she prayed with him, and pressed home upon his
+conscience the necessity of being born again. Surely this child was
+born well, and his future was not all of his own making.
+
+He must have been a precocious child, or else his religious
+sensitiveness must have been induced by his mother's teaching,
+influenced by the great doctrines of the Methodist revival. We are not
+now accustomed to hear a child of six years of age, bewailing his lost
+state in language suggestive of Bunyan's condition, when he was under
+deep conviction of sin. He tells us that when he was five years old he
+had some serious impressions, and God's Spirit began to operate upon
+his mind, and when he was six, he often wished that he was a toad or a
+serpent, because they had no soul, and were not in danger of being
+lost forever. Again he says, that many times before he was ten years
+old, he "would have overturned God's government and dethroned the
+gracious Author of my being." He enumerates his early vices and lashes
+his soul in despair. Such religious sentiments in one so young seem to
+mark him as one who had in his soul the elements of a monk, and we
+should not have been surprised had he become a zealous disciple of
+Saint Francis of Assisi.
+
+Like John Wesley, whose escape from perishing in the burning of the
+Epworth parsonage is noted as a remarkable providence, William Black
+had a narrow escape from drowning in a large trough when a child, and
+this circumstance made a lasting and favorable impression on his mind.
+In his mature years he recalled the event with gratitude to God.
+
+Several years of his childhood were spent with his maternal uncle, Mr.
+Thomas Stocks, at Otley, where he was placed at school. There he
+remained until he was about thirteen years of age, when the
+disciplinary rules of the school, and very likely a severe
+castigation, so annoyed him, that he left his uncle's care and
+returned to his father's home. His father was at that time making
+preparations for his voyage to Nova Scotia, and deemed it prudent to
+allow the lad to remain with his mother, though he had decided
+objections to his apparent ingratitude and stubbornness, in leaving
+the home of his uncle. Under the influence of his mother's teaching
+and prayers, his religious impressions were deepened, but the jests of
+his companions at school made him stifle his convictions, and continue
+his career of youthful carelessness and sin.
+
+In April 1775, the whole family, consisting of the father and mother,
+with four sons and one daughter, sailed from Hull, and after a
+prosperous voyage arrived at Halifax, Nova Scotia, where they remained
+a fortnight, proceeding afterward to Cumberland, which they reached in
+June. A serious blow fell upon the family in their new home, by the
+death of Mrs. Black, about a year after they had settled in the
+province, she having been seriously injured when boarding the vessel
+at Hull. Unfortunately for the lad of sixteen, so sadly bereft of his
+good mother's care and influence, he was thrown among gay companions,
+who in a new country gave free rein to their passions, in wild orgies
+by day and night. His evenings were spent in dancing and playing
+cards, yet amidst the frivolity he was unhappy, and he betook himself
+to prayer, that he might be able to break the chain of evil habits.
+
+For three years this condition of affairs existed, and the spirit of
+unrest increased, with discord in the family, but the dawn of a better
+day was close at hand. There were several in the neighborhood who
+enjoy the honor of being the first Methodists in Canada, among whom
+were the families of Dixon, Wells, Trueman, Fawcett, Newton, Scurr,
+Chapman, Oxley, Donkin, Dobson and Weldon, whose descendants, with
+those of the Black family, remain with us till the present day.
+
+Through the zealous labors of these families in class meetings and
+prayer meetings, there was a great revival in the spring of 1779,
+which stirred the whole neighborhood. Among those who were awakened
+and soundly converted, were all the members of the Black family.
+William was then nineteen years of age, and shortly afterward he wrote
+an account of his conversion to John Wesley, who introduced it in his
+journal, under date of April 15th, 1782.
+
+The story of his spiritual struggles, his prayers for release from the
+burden of sin, and the great joy he experienced when light came to his
+soul, form a charming bit of biography. The change in his own life was
+thorough, the home was transformed by the conversion of every member
+of the family, and though he subsequently experienced doubts and
+temptations, he gradually grew in grace, being confirmed in the faith,
+until the Sabbath became a market-day in his soul.
+
+Like every new convert he became anxious for the spiritual welfare of
+his fellow men, and first of all he became solicitous for the
+salvation of those in his own home. His father having married again,
+and all the members of the family being strangers to the joy of the
+forgiveness of sins, his first care was for their salvation. On the
+Sunday that he found peace, he spoke to his brothers one by one,
+waking them from sleep, and they too, were led into the light. Then he
+roused his father and stepmother, and they besought him to pray for
+them, and peace came to their souls. And the climax was reached, when
+next day his sister found the Lord. Thus the whole family through his
+exhortations and prayers, became earnest followers of Christ. Along
+with the joy of seeing all at home possessors of the joy of
+forgiveness, he set up the family altar, and then became anxious for
+the souls of his neighbors. As he passed them on the road he lifted
+his heart in prayer for their conversion, in company, he seized the
+opportunity of denouncing sin, much to the annoyance of some, but
+ultimately with spiritual profit. His early efforts at winning souls
+were so richly blessed, that he seized every opportunity of speaking
+of the good things of Christ.
+
+In the summer of 1780, at a Quarterly Meeting held at Mr. Trueman's,
+he received so great a blessing that he wept, and the same evening at
+Fort Lawrence he made his first attempt at exhortation. From that hour
+he exhorted or prayed at every meeting, and though his knees trembled
+with fear, his tongue was loosened, and he spoke with much liberty.
+During the following winter he was invited to Tantramar to hold
+meetings, and had great joy in seeing many led to Christ. Assisted by
+some of the old class leaders and local preachers, he travelled over
+the country, exhorting as often as his duties on the farm would
+permit.
+
+His first attempt at preaching from a text was in the spring of 1781,
+when he visited a settlement on the Petitcodiac River, and the word
+was with power. With so many tokens of the divine favor, it was
+evident that he was a marked man, and though not quite twenty-one
+years of age, and without any special training, he was being literally
+thrust out, and seemed destined to be the man who should lead the
+forces, and lay the foundations of Methodism, far beyond the limits of
+his own neighborhood. The man possessed of gifts and grace, in whom
+the people had confidence, and who was singularly blessed in winning
+souls had come, and the stripling on the farm was called to leave the
+plough and go forth, to proclaim the great truths of the Gospel of
+Christ. He was truly a chosen vessel, and fitted for a great work.
+
+
+
+
+III.
+
+THE MARITIME ITINERANT.
+
+
+The population of Nova Scotia in 1781 numbered twelve thousand, of
+whom there were about one hundred Acadian families, and exclusive of
+Cape Breton, three hundred warriors of the Micmac, and one hundred and
+forty of the Malicete tribes of Indians. Places of worship were few
+and widely scattered over a large extent of country, and so destitute
+were the people of religious privileges that many of them seldom heard
+a sermon, and as some of these people had been brought up in the
+bonds of the faith, they naturally felt very keenly their condition.
+
+These facts could not fail to impress very deeply such a sensitive
+soul, rejoicing in his first love, and possessed of a burning passion
+for the salvation of men, whose lips had been touched with holy fire.
+When his labors had been so richly blessed in the conversion of many
+souls, while preaching in the time spared from his labor on the farm,
+his mind was led toward a complete consecration to the work of a
+Christian minister, and when he had arrived at the age of twenty-one
+years, he dedicated himself wholly to the cause of Christ, as the
+first Methodist missionary in the Maritime Provinces. Without any
+college training, or the help of any minister or church institution,
+he left his father's home on November 10th, 1781, and commenced a
+career of undaunted energy, and boundless influence, laying
+foundations for others, and becoming essentially the founder of
+Methodism in Eastern British America.
+
+During the eight years of his life from 1781 to 1789, he passed from
+the position of a raw youth, entering alone amid great difficulties
+upon the work of a pioneer evangelist, to that of Superintendent of
+the Methodist Church in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward
+Island, and Newfoundland. With the zeal of an apostle he entered upon
+a career of usefulness, which for courage and incessant travelling and
+preaching, place him side by side with John Wesley and Francis Asbury.
+Here and there, all over the province he went proclaiming the message
+of salvation, preaching every day, and sometimes more frequently, as
+we learn of him preaching eighteen times in eight days, and upon
+another journey which occupied eighteen days, he preached twenty-four
+times.
+
+He travelled on snow-shoes in the winter, and by boat or on horseback
+in the summer, and when these failed, he journeyed by log canoe, or
+walked over the bad roads. Once he walked forty five miles that he
+might spend the Sabbath with the people in Windsor. Sometimes he was
+in dangers by the sea, and glad after a hard day's work in the winter
+to have a little straw to lie upon, and a thin cover to shelter him
+from the cold. Like the early preachers he was often compelled to
+suffer opposition, rough fellows disturbing the services by shouting
+and seeking to break up the meeting, and some who were possessed of
+education demanding his authority for preaching the gospel, but to
+them all, he was patient, and some of his revilers were soundly
+converted, and learned to revere him as a man of God.
+
+As a preacher he was eminently successful in awakening the people from
+a state of spiritual torpor, and winning many souls for Christ. In
+nearly every service there were conversions, and deep manifestations
+of the presence and power of God. When he preached at Memramcook,
+"some were deeply affected;" at French village, he left the people in
+tears, and the truth had a softening power upon the hearts of the
+people; and when he was leaving them, "weeping was upon every hand,"
+and they pressed him so hard, that he remained another day, when many
+were deeply affected, and he left them in tears. On the same day and
+the one following, he was at Hillsborough, when "it was a moving time,
+many were in great distress, as appeared from their heaving breasts
+and weeping eyes;" at Tantramar, "many were remarkably happy," and one
+little girl of seven or eight years of age, "got up on a form, and
+told in a wonderful manner, what Jesus had done for her soul," and in
+this journey of eight days he preached eighteen times, and excepting
+two meetings, he says, "I know not a single occasion in which it was
+not evident that many who heard the Word were melted into tears, if
+they did not cry aloud for mercy."
+
+All through his journal, there are evidences that he was a preacher of
+great power, eminent in the conversion of the people, for the pages
+abound with references to the services as "a time of power," where
+"many were in sore distress" as they hung around him, "eager to catch
+every word," and "weeping was on every hand," as they besought him to
+remain longer with them. When preaching one evening a young man
+trembled exceedingly, and cried out in agony of soul, and about
+bed-time, the preacher heard him praying and crying in the barn. On
+one of his missionary tours there were so great manifestations of
+power, that at Horton many cried for mercy, and others rejoiced and
+shouted aloud; at Cornwallis the arrows of conviction were felt by
+some "as they had never felt them before, and wept aloud most of the
+time;" and at Falmouth, "many felt the power of the word," and
+rejoiced exceedingly.
+
+There were many notable conversions under his preaching. At
+Petitcodiac a lady whose sons had been converted looked upon him as a
+deceiver and opposed his work. "She wrung her hands in great distress,
+and cried 'O that Black! that Black! he has ruined my sons! He has
+ruined my sons!'" But she too found peace to her soul, after some days
+of deep conviction. At Horton a lady who had opposed the work of
+grace, was laid upon a bed of affliction, and she became so greatly
+agitated that for three weeks she could hardly sleep, but when William
+Black was praying with her, she burst forth into transports of joy in
+finding Christ precious to her soul, shouting, "the Lord has delivered
+me! O I am happy! I am happy!" All through the pages of his journal
+there abound remarkable accounts of striking conversions, and of
+people being stricken down by the power of God.
+
+Churches were organized at the places he visited, nearly eighty
+persons being enrolled during one visit to Hillsborough and
+Petitcodiac. There wore notable revivals at Windsor, Cornwallis,
+Granville, Horton, Liverpool and other places. The most difficult part
+of his extensive field was at Halifax, where wickedness abounded, and
+the opposition was so great that at one time, when he was on his way
+to the city, his friends tried to persuade him to delay his visit, as
+they feared the press gang, but he went boldly forward, and preached
+with power.
+
+During his labours he was not forgetful of the needs of the coloured
+people, who flocked to hear him preach, and many of them were soundly
+converted. In 1784, he preached to about two hundred of them at
+Birchtown, and during the year upwards of sixty of them found peace
+with God. Of two hundred members at Shelburne and Birchtown, there
+were only twenty white people, and at Birchtown alone, there were
+fourteen classes in a prosperous condition. At Digby in the following
+year, there were sixty-six coloured people members of our church.
+
+A study of the topics and texts of his sermons shows that he preached
+the old doctrines, from familiar texts, easy to be grasped by the
+people, and he laid special emphasis always upon sin, the need of
+regeneration, and repentance and faith, and as he pressed home these
+great truths upon the souls of his hearers, there was seldom a service
+at which conversions did not take place. Like many other faithful
+ministers, he was often compelled to mourn on account of the
+backsliding of the people. These were seasons of depression, when he
+became subject to severe temptation, and mourned the leanness of his
+own soul. The beginning of every year however, was a time of
+refreshing, as he regularly and solemnly made the renewal of his
+covenant with God.
+
+Despite the fact that the whole province of Nova Scotia and part of
+New Brunswick lay before him as a wide field of enterprise, he yearned
+after larger conquests, and therefore in 1784, at the earnest and
+repeated request of Benjamin Chappel, he paid a visit to Prince Edward
+Island.
+
+He spent about a fortnight there, preaching in Charlottetown and St.
+Peters, with small tokens of success, and returned mourning the
+spiritual condition of the people.
+
+After much thought and prayer, he was married on Feb. 17, 1784, to
+Miss Mary Gay, of Cumberland, an estimable woman, who had been led to
+Christ about two years previously under his preaching. She was
+possessed of gifts and grace as her letters testify, and was eminently
+qualified for the high duties of a minister's wife.
+
+So extensive was the territory and so great the spiritual needs of the
+people that the young missionary of twenty three years of age, with a
+burning passion for souls, wrote to John Wesley in 1783, earnestly
+requesting him to send missionaries to Nova Scotia, who replied that
+he had hopes of sending assistance a few months later when Conference
+met. There being no missionaries, however, sent from Great Britain, he
+naturally looked towards the United States for help, and a few months
+after his marriage, he started for Baltimore where the Conference was
+to be held under the superintendence of Dr. Coke. He travelled by way
+of Boston and preached twice in the city, when under the first sermon
+one person was converted, and at the second service several were
+deeply convinced of sin. As he passed through New York he preached in
+the Methodist Church, and after the services visited a dying woman,
+whom he found in great distress about her spiritual condition, and he
+had the great joy of leading her to Christ, as she died next day,
+shouting, "Glory! Glory be to thy blessed name!" On his journey he
+preached at every opportunity and always with blessed results, and
+before the Conference assembled in Baltimore on December 24, 1784, he
+gave Dr. Coke a detailed account of the state of the work in Nova
+Scotia, and the Conference appointed Freeborn Garretson, and James O.
+Cromwell to labor in that field. Both of these ministers hastened at
+once to that province, but William Black spent some time in the United
+States preaching here and there, and called for his wife who was
+visiting her friends in Massachusetts, she having been born in Boston,
+and with the tedious travel he did not reach Halifax till the end of
+May. As he was returning homeward, he and his wife spent over three
+months in Boston, where he had the honor of laying the foundations of
+Methodism in that city, "the first Methodist preacher who appeared in
+New England after the visit of Charles Wesley," says Dr. Abel Stevens.
+He preached in several of the churches, removing from one to another,
+as the edifice became too small to accommodate the crowds who flocked
+to hear the young minister from Canada, until the largest church was
+filled to overflowing with three thousand people. A gracious revival
+followed this visit, and as there was no Methodist organization, the
+converts united with other denominations. After a period of thirty
+years, he preached again in the city in 1822, and many hung around the
+pulpit, glad to listen to the man who had led them to Christ in 1785.
+Six years before Jesse Lee preached under the old elm on Boston
+Common, William Black declared the old doctrines of Methodism, and
+witnessed many conversions.
+
+With the arrival of Freeborn Garretson the work of organization was
+begun, as he was a leader, a man of zeal and piety, "of cordial spirit
+and amiable simplicity of manners, but a hero at heart," says Abel
+Stevens, the Methodist historian. He was a gentleman of wealth and
+character, who as a preacher in the United States, had been stoned,
+imprisoned, and his life imperilled by angry mobs with firearms, but
+he was dauntless in his labors for Christ. Under his preaching there
+were extensive revivals in the province, societies were formed and
+churches built. There were now five missionaries at work, Freeborn
+Garretson who acted as Superintendent, and made his home at Shelburne,
+James Oliver Cromwell at Windsor, William Black at Halifax, William
+Grandine, a young man who had formerly been a Methodist in the Jersey
+Islands, and who had just begun to preach was at Cumberland, and John
+Mann who came from the United States, was stationed at Barrington.
+
+At the first District Meeting of Nova Scotia, which was held in
+Halifax, commencing October 10th, 1786, and lasted four days, William
+Black and Freeborn Garretson were appointed to the Halifax circuit,
+which embraced Halifax, Annapolis, Granville, Digby, Horton and
+Windsor, a field sufficient to tax the powers of a dozen strong men,
+but these were heroes in the brave days of old. Before the next
+District Meeting Garretson and Cromwell had returned to the United
+States, and their places were filled by William Jessop and Hickson.
+With the departure of Garretson there was lost to the province a man
+who was eminently fitted to lead the forces and unite them, and
+William Black mourned greatly that he was bereft of a friend, and a
+gentleman of ability and grace.
+
+
+
+
+IV.
+
+THE INTREPID PIONEER.
+
+
+The mantle of Garretson fell upon Black and he was again compelled to
+lead the forces, and take the initiative in opening up new places and
+preaching at every opportunity. Aroused by the sad spiritual condition
+of the people, he spared not himself in excessive labors, and so
+successful were his efforts for the conversion of souls, that John
+Wesley became more concerned than ever, in the affairs in the Maritime
+Provinces and Newfoundland. Dr. Coke who constituted in his own person
+the Methodist Missionary Society, was commissioned by Wesley to visit
+Nova Scotia, and he embarked on September 24th, 1786, with three
+missionaries for Nova Scotia, but a dangerous storm which cast the
+vessel on the ocean for nearly two and a half months, compelled them
+to land at Antigua, in the West Indies, and Black was left without the
+promised help, as the missionaries remained there, and a new era of
+successful missions was begun. His field was large enough surely, for
+Wesley had said in a letter to him dated London, Oct. 15, 1784, "Your
+present parish is wide enough, namely Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. I
+do not advise you to go any further." During the year 1786, there was
+a great revival in Liverpool under John Mann, a church had been
+erected in Halifax in which William Black preached for the first time
+on Easter Sunday, and at Barrington and Horton, there were several
+notable conversions, still through lack of missionaries, there could
+not be given any assistance to Cumberland, Annapolis, Digby, and the
+whole Province of New Brunswick. He was however greatly encouraged by
+a visit to Liverpool where the revival was in progress, and by good
+news from River Philip, where his eldest brother John had settled as a
+farmer, and who had begun to exercise his gifts as a local preacher,
+and with so great success, that at one meeting, ten persons rejoiced
+in having found Christ.
+
+At the second District meeting held on October 15th, 1787, in Halifax,
+there were present, William Black, William Grandine, William Jessop,
+and the two brothers, John and James Mann, who had come from the
+United States to labor as missionaries in Nova Scotia. After the third
+District Meeting which was held in the May following, William Black
+spent about a month visiting Shelburne, Barrington, Cape Negro, Port
+La Tour and Port Medway, and when he returned to Halifax, he was
+greatly encouraged by the good work which had gone on under James
+Mann's labors during his absence. Meanwhile, the Rev. James Wray had
+been sent out from England with a general charge to superintend the
+work, as William Black and the other missionaries had not been
+ordained, and could not therefore dispense the sacraments, but the
+relations between Wray and Black became somewhat strained, and
+threatened seriously to interfere with the advance of the Kingdom of
+God. With good judgment and much patience William Black laid the whole
+matter before John Wesley, but without his counsel the breach was
+healed, and they labored again in harmony. James Wray felt that the
+duties of superintending the work in the Province were too onerous
+for him, and he requested to be relieved of the position, and Dr. Coke
+appointed William Black, Superintendent of the Methodist Church in the
+Maritime Provinces and Newfoundland, James Wray removing to the West
+Indies, where he died in 1790.
+
+The growth of Methodism was somewhat retarded by the fact that William
+Black had not been ordained, and consequently could not dispense the
+sacraments, and it was felt that his influence would greatly extend
+were he to assume all the responsibilities of a Christian minister. An
+opportunity was afforded him of being ordained, by the presence of Dr.
+Coke at the Conference held in Philadelphia in 1789, and accompanied
+by John and James Mann, who went for the same purpose, he attended the
+Conference, and on May 19th he was ordained a Deacon, and on the
+following day, an Elder. During a month spent in that city, he lost no
+opportunity of seeking to do good, and was cheered by learning of some
+being blest, among whom was a lady who had been converted under a
+sermon preached there by him, during his previous visit in 1784.
+
+In a report sent to John Wesley during the year, there are shown
+gratifying results of the labors of the missionaries in Nova Scotia,
+as the church in Halifax had grown in numbers and spirituality, and
+throughout the Province there were about five hundred members, and
+with pardonable pride and joy, William Black remarks, how greatly he
+was comforted, as the church had grown in two years, "eight times
+larger, and eight times more serious and spiritual." The care of the
+churches pressed so heavily upon his soul, and there was so great
+need of additional missionaries to meet the growing demands of the
+wide field, that William Black hastened to Philadelphia to consult Dr.
+Coke, and had the pleasure of attending the Conference held in that
+city commencing on May 17th, 1791, at which the venerable Bishop
+Asbury presided. The following week, he attended the New York
+Conference, when six missionaries were appointed to labor in Nova
+Scotia. About three weeks after his return home, he went on a visit to
+Newfoundland, which was marked by a gracious revival, and the cause of
+Methodism in the ancient colony was saved.
+
+The story of Methodism in Newfoundland, reads like a bit of romance.
+The first missionary Lawrence Coughlan went there in 1765, and
+remained seven years, amid great persecutions, being prosecuted in the
+highest court, an attempt made to poison him, yet not only was he able
+to rejoice in many conversions, but his enemies were silenced, as the
+Governor acquitted him, and made him a justice of the peace. His
+health failed, and he was compelled to return to England. His
+ministrations in Newfoundland however led to the founding of Methodism
+in the Channel Islands, as Pierre Le Sueur, a native of Jersey, during
+a visit to Newfoundland was deeply convinced of sin under a sermon
+which Coughlan preached, and when he returned to his home, spoke of
+the knowledge which he had received, but his friends thought him mad.
+When John Fentin, a recent convert, returned from Newfoundland to
+Jersey, Le Sueur and his wife found peace to their souls through
+Fentin's instructions and prayers, and a great revival commenced,
+which swept through the islands, and laid the foundations of religion,
+which have continued till the present time. After Coughlan's
+departure, John McGeary was sent to fill the vacancy but all that was
+left of the good work were a few women, and he suffered so many
+hardships and witnessed so little fruit of his labors that he became
+so despondent, as to entertain serious thoughts of abandoning the
+field. William Black arrived in St. John's on August 10th 1791, and
+spent one day in the city, during which he waited upon the
+Presbyterian minister, the Rev. Mr. Jones, who was a man of catholic
+spirit, and whose spiritual life was deep and genuine. The next day he
+went to Carbonear, where John McGeary was stationed, whom he found
+"weeping before the Lord over my lonely situation and the darkness of
+the people," and when he began to preach, a great revival followed,
+and Methodism in the colony was saved from disaster.
+
+The power of God fell upon the people at the very first service, and
+many were deeply convinced of sin at every meeting. At Carbonear the
+people cried aloud for mercy, so that he had to stop preaching, and
+betook himself to prayer, when the sound of his voice was nearly
+drowned by the people weeping, and he came down from the pulpit and
+passed up and down through the church, exhorting and directing them,
+as many as three and four persons being in an agony of spirit in every
+pew. Even after the service closed, the cries and groans of anxious
+persons could be heard at a considerable distance up and down the
+harbour. At Harbor Grace, Port a Grave, Bay Roberts and other places,
+similar scenes were witnessed, of deep conviction for sin, and many
+rejoicing in the knowledge of sins forgiven. At Conception Bay during
+a short time spent there, two hundred souls were converted, but that
+was not all, for throughout the colony, William Black marched in
+triumph, and saw very many souls won for Christ. It is no wonder that
+he considered this visit to Newfoundland, as "the most useful and
+interesting portion of his missionary life." The Rev. Richard Knight,
+who spent seventeen years in the colony says, that he "organized
+Methodism, settled the mission property, and secured it to the
+Connexion, increased and inspirited the society, and obtained for them
+the help they needed." Such a messenger could not fail to leave a deep
+and abiding impression upon the hearts of the people, and his
+departure was pathetic, as he stood for nearly an hour shaking hands
+with them, and at last as he tore himself away, he says, that he "left
+them weeping as for an only son." He secured fresh laborers from
+Wesley to carry on the work, and Methodism in Newfoundland was
+established upon a firm basis, and has continued vigorous till the
+present day.
+
+Upon his arrival in Halifax he found that the gentleman who owned the
+church property in the city, had severed his connection with the
+society, and become a bitter opponent, but William Black though sorely
+tried, was in no wise daunted, and immediately he started a
+subscription list, and secured prompt and efficient help, so as to
+proceed with the building of a new church. One hundred pounds were
+raised in one day, and the society took fresh courage, and grew in
+numbers and strength. Having set matters in order in the city he
+visited Horton, Granville, Annapolis and Digby on his way to St.
+John, New Brunswick, where Abraham John Bishop was stationed, who
+arrived there in September 1791, and a week later organized the first
+class meeting in the city. Previous to that time several Methodist
+ministers had visited the then growing town, through the earnest
+solicitations of Stephen Humbert, a United Empire Loyalist, who landed
+there on May 18th, 1783. He was a New Jersey Methodist and desirous of
+having a society formed there. William Black arrived in November,
+1791, and at once began to preach, but having seen some shipbuilders
+at work on the Sabbath, he denounced their action in a sermon on the
+same evening. A provincial statute existed forbidding anyone from
+exercising the functions of the ministry without a license from the
+Governor, and this was used to silence the courageous preacher.
+Undeterred by this opposition, and hindered from preaching, he spent
+his time visiting from house to house with blessed results. Three
+months later he visited St. John with permission to preach, and found
+a gracious revival in progress, then going to Fredericton he met a
+class of twenty-two, most of whom were soldiers, and during the few
+days spent there several conversions took place. On his return journey
+he visited St. Stephens, where Duncan McColl was the missionary, and
+he rejoiced in the evidences of growth, under the faithful labours of
+that devoted man of God, and this notable tour, closed with a farewell
+service in May to Abraham John Bishop. It was a touching scene, the
+people being much distressed at losing the young missionary, and well
+might they grieve, for after one year spent in Sheffield, he went to
+the West Indies to labor among the colored people and died at Grenada
+the following year. And thus passed away one who was esteemed as an
+eminently holy man, and William Black was bathed in tears.
+
+
+
+
+V.
+
+BLACK AND WESLEY.
+
+
+A memorable year for Methodism and William Black was 1791, as on the
+second day of March of that year John Wesley passed away at City Road,
+London, surrounded by preachers and friends. Eight years before the
+young minister in Nova Scotia wrote to the aged man of God entreating
+him to send out Missionaries, and also expressing his desire to spend
+a year or two at Kingswood School, and the correspondence then begun
+was continued until death. With the familiarity of an old man toward a
+youth, William Black poured out his heart in his letters to his
+venerable leader, who in turn gave him counsel in his difficulties,
+sent him books, and treated him as a son, closing his letters with "My
+Dear Billy." There would be a place for him in Kingswood School, but
+he was not urged to attend, as Wesley laid greater stress on piety
+than learning, and Nova Scotia could not well spare, not even for a
+year or two, such a brave and intrepid soul as William Black.
+
+It was natural that the intercourse should exert a strong and abiding
+influence upon the mind and heart of the missionary, who sent reports
+of his work, sought advice amid the difficulties which confronted
+him, and spoke of his spiritual yearnings with the familiarity of a
+little child with its parent. John Wesley became the model upon which
+William Black formed his habits and character, and he succeeded well,
+in a country with greater privations and more difficulties in
+travelling than in old England. Like the great itinerant, he rose
+early in all seasons, preached every day, as often as time and
+distance allowed, kept a journal in which were recorded the notable
+events that happened in his work, or person, and as he rode over the
+rough roads, the broad sky became his study where he read many volumes
+every year. These were not done through any servile imitation, but
+because of an admiration and unconscious hero worship which compelled
+him to follow where he admired. Wesley was to William Black a saint,
+an ecclesiastical statesman, an acute and learned theologian, a great
+winner of souls, and above all a personal friend, and when he died his
+loss was greater than he cared to express.
+
+With the passing of the Founder of Methodism, there were grave fears
+of disagreement among the preachers throughout the Connexion, and
+William Black shared in the general feeling, but Dr. Coke gave him
+peace, in his account of the harmony of the Conference following
+Wesley's death.
+
+At the Conference held in Baltimore in November of the following year,
+several preachers were secured for Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, and
+William Black who had gone to the Conference, for the purpose of
+meeting Dr. Coke, was induced at the doctor's request to take charge
+of the missions in the West India Islands, in succession to Mr.
+Harper, who was elected Presiding Elder of Nova Scotia, New
+Brunswick, and Newfoundland. Leaving his family behind, William Black
+accompanied Dr. Coke to the West Indies, visiting the islands, where
+they found wickedness and bigotry so rampant that one of the Methodist
+missionaries was in prison for preaching before he had resided there
+twelve months, and in some other places the society had dwindled on
+account of terrible persecution.
+
+The climate of the West Indies was so severe upon his nervous system
+that William Black had serious doubts as to his duty in remaining in
+the tropical clime, however he was induced by Dr. Coke to become
+Presiding Elder of the Leeward Islands and to reside at St. Kitts.
+After visiting the sphere of his labors and meeting the ministers at
+the Conference at Antigua, of whom there were thirteen present, he
+returned to Nova Scotia for his family. During this visit to the
+Province he found that the cause at Liverpool was in such a prosperous
+state, that there was great need of a place of worship, and with his
+accustomed zeal and determination, he started a subscription list and
+in a few days secured three hundred pounds. His return to the West
+Indies with his family was signalized by strenuous efforts for the
+salvation of the people, but his stay was destined to be short, as Dr.
+Coke became convinced that owing to changes in the Islands, and the
+importance of the work in Nova Scotia, it was necessary for William
+Black to take charge of his old field. Accordingly he was recalled
+after spending one year as Presiding Elder in the West Indies, and
+singular to relate, upon the day that Dr. Coke wrote his instructions
+for removal, the ministers were assembled in District Meeting at
+Windsor, and they passed a resolution asking that William Black be
+allowed to assume his position as General Superintendent of the
+Maritime Provinces and Newfoundland.
+
+No sooner did he arrive and was reinstated among his brethren, than he
+threw himself with increased vigor into the work of consolidating and
+extending the congregations. Prince Edward Island was visited, where a
+cordial reception was granted him at Charlottetown, large
+congregations being present when he preached. At Tryon there had been
+a gracious revival two years previous under the ministry of William
+Grandine, the results of which were still apparent, the nucleus of a
+congregation had been formed at Charlottetown by a class led by Joshua
+Newton, Collector on the Island, which met at the house of Benjamin
+Chappel, and when William Black waited upon the Governor, Colonel
+Fanning, to thank him for the use of the Church, he spent an agreeable
+hour, conversing freely on the advantages of religion to individuals,
+and society in general, and the Governor closed the interview by
+expressing his friendship, with a promise of assistance in building a
+Methodist Church. Methodism had grown in the provinces during the
+years since it was established, so that in 1794, there were eleven
+hundred accredited members, not including the number of adherents who
+had not united with the church.
+
+The journal in which William Black recorded his personal experiences,
+and gave a faithful account, though brief, of the extraordinary events
+which happened in his travels, the notable conversions, revival
+services and progress of the kingdom of God closes with the year 1794.
+Limited as it is in the range of its subjects, it was characteristic
+of the man whose sole aim was the conversion of sinners and the
+upbuilding of the saints. He was too busy to continue the record, and
+though there were many things coming under the range of his
+observation worthy of preservation, he was too modest to think of
+writing his reflections with any view to publication.
+
+The year 1800 was spent in England, where he attended the British
+Wesleyan Conference which met in London, and during his visit he made
+a deep and lasting impression upon the hearts of many, by his zeal and
+modesty. He was welcomed as the founder of Methodism in British North
+America, and had the opportunity of meeting some of the leaders of
+British Methodism, especially Jabez Bunting, with whom he had several
+interesting and profitable conversations, and who remained till death
+one of his most devoted friends. In one of his letters to him while he
+was attending the Conference, Bunting wrote, "My letter will, at
+least, be accepted as an expression of that warmth of Christian
+affection and esteem which I shall ever feel toward you. Unworthy as I
+am of your friendship, I trust that a blessed eternity will confirm
+and perfect the attachment which my present short acquaintance with
+you has inspired and that, however separated on earth, we shall
+together spend an everlasting existence." Two years later in another
+letter he says, "I often recollect with pleasure the agreeable and
+profitable moments we spent together at Oldham and Manchester, during
+your last visit to England, and am thankful to God that ever I knew
+you on earth, because I am persuaded that through his abundant mercy
+in Christ Jesus, I shall hereafter know you in heaven, and there be
+permitted to resume and perfect that intercourse and acquaintance,
+which here were so transient, and so speedily suspended by separation.
+In the General Assembly, and Church of the First-born, I hope to meet
+my honoured friend again, and to mingle with his, and with those of
+ten thousand times ten thousand others, my everlasting Hosannas to the
+Lamb that was slain. Even so, Lord Jesus! I was pleased and thankful
+sometime ago in a Love-feast at Saddleworth, to hear the testimony of
+one, who was awakened under a sermon you preached at Delph, from
+'Behold I stand at the door, &c.,' on the Sunday you spent there with
+me in April 1800. I mention this to show you, that you have some seals
+of your ministry in these parts of the world, and that your labours of
+love among us were not in vain in the Lord."
+
+The kindness shown toward William Black during his visit to England,
+and the fact that he was born there, naturally induced him to
+entertain the idea of taking a circuit and spending his remaining
+years in the old land, but Dr. Coke was strongly averse to him leaving
+Nova Scotia where so great success had attended his labours, and his
+influence was unbounded. Feeling that he could not very well leave the
+care of the churches to others, without some provision being made for
+superintending them in the event of his going to live in England, he
+drew up a scheme of handing them over to the Methodist Episcopal
+Church in the United States, and wrote to Bishop Asbury on the matter.
+There were however political difficulties in the way, and being unable
+to make satisfactory provision for supplying the churches with
+ministers, and the danger of disaffection in the event of a war
+between Great Britain and the United States, he decided to remain in
+Nova Scotia and continue his active duties. Possessed of
+administrative abilities of a high order, added to the skill and zeal
+of an evangelist, he was a man of mark, who could not be left in
+charge of a single circuit, but must have a wider field. Consequently
+at the Conference held in Philadelphia in 1804, Dr. Coke requested him
+to take a station in Bermuda for three or four years, and in order to
+conciliate the members of the church in Halifax by the temporary
+removal of their pastor, the Doctor wrote them a letter, in which he
+said, "Mr. Black has been your apostle for above twenty years, and it
+is now high time that he should be an apostle elsewhere. I have no
+doubt that he will have a society of six hundred, or perhaps one
+thousand members in Bermuda in four years. He may then, if he please,
+return to superintend the work in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, but
+it will depend upon his own choice whether he return to you, or to
+England, or remain at Bermuda." William Black consented to go, and
+went to New York, where he engaged his passage, but was prevented from
+reaching his destination by some persons from Bermuda who were opposed
+to Methodism, and were going by the same vessel, and used their
+influence so that the passage was cancelled. Two years later the
+British Wesleyan Missionary Committee requested him to become
+Superintendent of Missions in the West Indies, and Dr. Coke renewed
+his request that he assume charge in Bermuda, but he declined the
+appointment to the West Indies on the account of the severity of the
+tropical climate, though he was willing to go to Bermuda. The Nova
+Scotia District Meeting however intervened, and petitioned the British
+Conference that he might be allowed to remain Superintendent of
+Missions in the Maritime Provinces and Newfoundland, and there the
+matter ended.
+
+Meanwhile the arduous duties of visiting the churches and preaching
+continued with much success, several new churches being built and
+numerous conversions, among whom was Colonel Bayard who commanded one
+of the British regiments at Halifax during the war, and afterwards
+settled about 30 miles from Annapolis. He had been strongly opposed to
+Methodism, but was led by William Black to a personal trust in Christ,
+and lived such a holy life that he became known as the John Fletcher
+of Nova Scotia. In the midst of a great revival which swept St. John,
+and through the District from Barrington to Liverpool, there came
+opposition from some preachers from Scotland, who spurned the idea of
+conversion, however success followed the faithful preaching of William
+Black and his fellow workers and many souls were led to Christ. In
+1809 he was stationed in St. John, New Brunswick, where he spent two
+years, but his active ministry was drawing to a close.
+
+The privations and incessant labors began to tell upon a strong
+constitution, so that in 1812 he was compelled to become a
+supernumerary, though not desisting altogether from rendering whatever
+service his health would permit in extending the cause that lay so
+near his heart. Along with the Rev. William Bennett he was delegated
+by the British Conference to attend the Conference in the United
+States, and lay before the members the question of Canadian Methodism
+retaining its allegiance with the British Conference, a task which was
+faithfully performed, though of a very delicate character.
+
+Increasing infirmities kept him in retirement, though he managed in
+the spring of 1820 to pay a visit to the United States, where he
+preached before Congress, and the passion for souls was still burning
+in his soul, for the text of the sermon was, "What is a man profited,
+if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?" Brave and ever
+resolute, he maintained his interest in the progress of the churches
+which he founded, and it was with a pathos born of love to his
+brethren, and the consciousness that his active work was done, that he
+wrote to the ministers at the District Meeting held in St. John in
+1823, that he was unable to attend, and sent them his blessing.
+
+This man of daring had a definite religious experience and all his
+preaching was with the individual in view, his sphere of labours was
+not large in extent of territory, but he widened it by incessant
+travel, without any show of rhetoric he won his way to men's hearts
+and that is eloquence, and he lived to move Eastern British America by
+translating his message in words imperishable, and lay foundations
+upon which others have built. He was no common man, but an
+empire-builder in the brave days of old.
+
+
+
+
+VI.
+
+PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS.
+
+
+A man above medium height, stout in body and well built, clad in the
+fashion of the Methodist preachers of the day, with a benign
+countenance, his face smoothly shaven, a kindly eye, a mind ever
+alert, a genial temperament, and strong force of character which
+fitted him well for his aggressive work in a new and rough country,
+and you have a fair likeness of William Black. Without any college
+education, and with no pretentions as a scholar, he was far from being
+deficient in education. The preacher with his saddlebags quickly
+learned the value of time, as he travelled incessantly, and preached
+every day, and we are not surprised to learn, that he formed habits of
+study similar to those of the circuit riders of old England. With an
+intensity which is often bewildering, we read of him moving with
+incredible swiftness from place to place, studying at every
+opportunity to fit himself as an able preacher of the everlasting
+gospel.
+
+His letters to John Wesley and other correspondents bear the impress
+of a cultured mind, in the grasp of the great doctrines which were
+under discussion, and the nervous strength, simplicity, purity and
+dignity of the language in which they are couched. The saddle, the
+open road, and the clear sky were his permanent study, and he read
+with the keen instinct of a student, whose hours were limited, as he
+had other work to do, and he must furbish his brain, and warm his
+heart by contact with the masters of literature who came at his call.
+
+He was a constant reader of Wesley's Journal and sermons. When he was
+travelling to the General Conference at Baltimore, he spent his time
+on the vessel in study, as he writes: "Most of my time since I came on
+board has been occupied in reading, chiefly Flavel's Treatise on the
+Soul, Littleton's Roman History and Knox's Essays. Lord let none of
+them prove improfitable!" For spiritual growth he was accustomed to
+read religious biography, which is an excellent study, and he found
+much comfort and food for serious reflection in the Lives of John
+Fletcher and Whitefield. But he was not forgetful of the benefits of
+the solid studies which are needful for the Christian minister, and he
+applied himself with splendid energy to the Latin and Greek languages
+and works on theology. Matthew Richey who was well qualified to speak
+on the subject, because of his own training, and his acquaintance with
+William Black says: "During the time of our personal acquaintance with
+him, he possessed a critical knowledge of the New Testament in the
+original, which must have been the result of many years' application.
+In studying the Greek Testament, Parkhurst's Lexicon was his favorite
+thesaurus, and he knew well to discriminate the sound learning and
+theology with which that inestimable work abounds, from the fancies
+and eccentricities both etymological and philosophical, with which
+they are sometimes associated." It was his custom for many years to
+read Thomas a Kempis Imitation of Christ at family prayer in the Latin
+tongue, his wife reading the translation while he followed her in the
+original, and Matthew Richey adds that while he "carefully studied the
+Greek Testament, he was not forgetful of the Latin language, in which
+his attainments were very respectable." We have no record of the books
+he read or any account of his studies, but his Journal and letters
+show, that he was a student all his life, reading theology, history,
+biography and essays in literature with an economy of time, and an
+alertness, which put many of us to shame. With a yearning after wider
+culture he longed to go to Kingswood School in England, and when that
+became impossible, he devoted himself with greater enthusiasm to his
+studies, and employed John Wesley to send him books.
+
+Although he was a model itinerant and was preaching every day, he
+pursued the method of training his own mind and instructing his
+hearers by courses on systematic theology, which is an ideal system
+for any minister. He writes: "In my last sixteen discourses I have
+taken a view of man in his primitive state, and in his fall, the
+consequences of his apostacy, to himself and to his posterity, the
+interposition of a Mediator, his offices, incarnation, life, death,
+resurrection, ascension into heaven, and session on the right hand of
+the Father. O, how wonderful is the process of redeeming love!" Living
+in a real world and deeply impressed with the needs of the people, he
+had no time to devote to any literary work, though he might have
+rendered some service by his pen to the cause of Christ, but modesty
+barred the way, and he was above everything else a pioneer evangelist.
+Only once did he consent to have one of his sermons published, and
+that was a discourse preached at Windsor, Nova Scotia, on Deut.
+33:13. "He made him to suck honey out of the rock." When he preached a
+sermon on Bishop Asbury at the General Conference in Baltimore, and
+was importuned to have it published by that august body, he
+respectfully declined the honor.
+
+William Black was a great Christian without any singularity or
+ostentation, ever bemoaning his lack of spirituality and yearning
+after holiness of heart and life. As he read the lives of great saints
+of other days, he prostrated himself before God, and craved
+pre-eminence in the attainment of the higher virtues of religious
+experience. Humility was one of the dominant factors in his life,
+which became a habit, through contrasting his actual acquirements in
+piety, with the saints held in much esteem by the Christian Church. He
+was extremely sensitive, and this subjected him to periods of mental
+depression, when he was severely tempted and almost given over to
+despair. Seasons of melancholy seemed to follow him all through life,
+especially at the beginning of the year, when he passed under review
+his life and work. But there were times when he renewed his covenant
+with God in writing, and when he was privileged to listen to some
+eminent preacher and mingle with his brethren, that the sky shone with
+a beauty which was divine, and bliss serene abode in his soul.
+
+In one of his seasons of refreshing, when he dedicated himself anew,
+he writes: "O my God, I am Thine by a thousand ties, necessary,
+voluntary and sacred. Sanctuaries, woods, fields and other places,
+have been witnesses of the solemn vows and engagements I am under to
+Thee, and when I presumptuously violate them, they will bring in their
+evidence against me. O! by thy powerful grace, preserve me thine,
+thine forever!" He longed to be like Christ, and yet he could say:
+"Some appear to be alternately in raptures, and ready to sink in
+unbelief and despondency: filled with joy, or overwhelmed with sorrow.
+In general my walk (at least outwardly) has been pretty even. Through
+the severest exercises I have yet met with, the Lord has not suffered
+me to be greatly moved. I do not remember that anger ever had a place
+in my heart for one minute against any one, since I first knew the
+Lord. If I felt it rise, I looked to the Lord, and was delivered.
+Blessed be his Name for this! By grace I am saved: and grace shall
+have the glory. I am never enraptured with joy, nor overpowered with
+sorrow: yet neither am I without joys and sorrow. At times I feel
+Jesus inexpressibly precious: and at such seasons I long for holiness,
+for a full conformity to the divine will."
+
+He was a man of prayer, rising early to be alone with God. Never did
+hunter pursue game with greater zest than he in his passion for the
+souls of men. His sermons had ever in view the conversion of sinners,
+and he often employed his pen in writing to individuals about
+salvation. Three of these letters addressed respectively, to Lawyer
+Hilton of Cornwallis, Major Crane of Horton, and James Noble Shannon
+of Horton, who afterwards removed to Parrsboro where he died, breathe
+a spirit of intense solicitude, and remind one of the writings of
+Richard Baxter the noble Puritan. In the letters he pleads with these
+gentlemen to seek salvation, and with such arguments, persuasive
+speech and love, that they were effective in leading them to Christ.
+
+In conversation he was chaste in language and always spiritual. In one
+of his letters to his father-in-law, he pleads with him to be
+reconciled to God, and after pressing home the truth with fidelity
+without rudeness, he concludes; "This is the religion, in the
+propagation of which I desire to spend my life. This I recommend to my
+father. But I stop, perhaps I offend. I did not think of saying half
+so much. But this is my darling topic, and therefore I must beg you to
+bear with me." He was charitable towards others, though he differed
+with them in religious belief, and with commendable liberality, he
+held both ministers and people of the Anglican faith in the highest
+esteem, and associated with the Baptists often preaching in their
+churches, even going so far, though believing in the validity of
+sprinkling as a mode of baptism, as to baptize by immersion, those who
+desired that mode of having the ordinance administered. Whilst holding
+tenaciously the doctrines and institutions of Methodism, he loved
+those who were united to him by a common faith.
+
+During the first years of William Black's evangelistic labors, when
+several hundreds were converted and had joined the church, he was
+confronted with Antinomian teaching, through several visits from Henry
+Alline, who resided at Falmouth, Nova Scotia. Being called of God to
+preach in 1776, Alline itinerated through Nova Scotia, New Brunswick,
+and Prince Edward Island, preaching a strange mixture of doctrines,
+which unsettled the people in the churches, and many withdrew and
+formed the denomination of New Lights or Allinites, a body which had
+some influence until his death at Northampton in New Hampshire, United
+States, on February 2nd, 1784, when it gradually declined and was
+absorbed by other denominations, especially the Baptists. Alline
+published his peculiar views in a volume, entitled "Two mites on some
+of the most important and most disputed points of divinity cast into
+the treasury for the poor and needy, and committed to the perusal of
+the unprejudiced and impartial reader, by Henry Alline, servant of the
+Lord to His churches." A reply to this book was published in a volume
+by the Rev. Jonathan Scott, of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, which contains
+copious extracts from it. Alline misrepresented all the leading
+doctrines of Christianity, assailing predestination and election,
+maintaining the freedom of man's will and upholding the final
+perseverance of the saints, emphasizing strongly conversion, and that
+the soul is at the same moment completely sanctified, while sin
+remains in the body; denying the resurrection of the body, and though
+sometimes practising water baptism, he denied its utility. He was a
+man of good address, eloquent of speech and of a lively disposition,
+and there was no doubt of his piety, as he was a good man, and these
+qualities made him a successful evangelist. His rank Antinomian
+doctrines caused havoc among the Presbyterian, Congregational and
+Methodist congregations in the places visited by him, and William
+Black mourned the withdrawal of two hundred persons in a little over a
+year from connection with the Methodist Church. It was very natural
+that the young evangelist should consult John Wesley on the matter,
+but the only help he received was a package of books, including two
+volumes of the writings of William Law, the great mystic, and
+instructions not to mention Alline's name in public, only to go on his
+way preaching the gospel. Though much depressed by the loss of so many
+members from the church, he had the satisfaction of seeing some return
+to the old fold, and toward Henry Alline himself he entertained
+respect. There remained no harshness, though the blow was heavy by the
+breach made in the congregations, as shown by a letter which he wrote
+to Alline when he was sick, in which, after speaking of the souls won
+for God, and his joy in Alline's success, he added, "Although we
+differ in sentiment, let us manifest our love to each other. I always
+admired your gifts and graces, and affectionately loved your person,
+although I could never receive your peculiar opinions. But shall we on
+this account destroy the work of God? God forbid! May the Lord take
+away all bigotry, and fill us with pure, genuine, catholic love!" That
+was charity indeed, but Henry Alline went on his way denouncing all
+who did not follow him.
+
+William Black had no fine capacity for anger, for with his soul aflame
+with a holy passion he saw men and women as related to eternity, and
+he loved them. With an iron will he laughed at danger, without any
+austerity he was a great saint, his ideals were lofty, and
+cheerfulness sat upon his lips and shone in his face, a practical
+mystic was he without losing his head in the clouds, in brief, he was
+a man, a brave soul with a woman's tenderness, who held his eyes
+toward the Cross.
+
+
+
+
+VII.
+
+LAST DAYS AND AFTER.
+
+
+The long years of arduous labor began to tell upon a strong
+constitution, so that gradually the physical strength of the pioneer
+evangelist and missionary in the Maritime Provinces became so
+enfeebled, that during the last fifteen years of his life he was
+practically laid aside. For forty years he travelled, unhasting,
+unresting, swift of foot, and with an unquenching passion for souls,
+and the hardships of those early times left their abiding impress upon
+his body, though he still retained his natural vigor of mind. A
+journey now and then in quest of health brought cheerful patience, but
+his work was done, while still sixty years of age. Like another
+Whitefield he had worn himself out in his Master's service, yet he was
+content that foundations had been laid, and others might build, while
+he shared their joy.
+
+He lived in stirring times, and belonged to a sect that moved the
+world, recreating the national conscience, without disturbing the
+religious world with a new heresy. In 1807 the slave trade in the
+British Empire was abolished, and the Methodist revival introduced a
+new philanthropy, which brought a fresh impulse into the nation for
+the reforming of the prisons, greater clemency to the penal laws, with
+a noble and steady attempt to better the condition of the profligate
+and the poor, and the first impetus toward popular education. Limited
+in his range of vision by distance from the great centres of
+civilization, and absorbed in his noble task of leading men in their
+quest after godliness, he still kept in touch with the larger
+questions which affected the nation, so far as the literature of that
+day permitted.
+
+His closing years were spent in the quietness of his own home, with an
+occasional service suited to his failing health. With a sublime
+simplicity and faith in the goodness of women, he found a continual
+benediction in his wife, who was a lady of good judgment, possessing a
+cheerful spirit, and as earnest as he in her yearning after holiness
+of heart and life, and a burning zeal for the salvation of souls. Born
+in Boston, Massachusetts, where she frequently heard Whitefield
+preach, she came with her parents to Fort Cumberland, Nova Scotia, and
+settled there, when the British troops evacuated her native city, and
+in the summer of 1781 she was converted under the ministry of William
+Black. For the long period of forty-three years of married life, she
+was the devoted companion and helper of her husband in every good
+work. The training of five children devolved solely upon her, as she
+was left alone during the long and frequent absence of her husband on
+his missionary tours, yet she complained not, but counted it an honor
+to share the joys and sorrows of a Methodist itinerant. With the true
+instinct of a mother she governed her home in the fear of God. When
+she chastised her children, she did not forget their spiritual
+welfare, as it was her custom after punishment, to take them alone to
+a private room, and there to pray with the culprit, and seldom were
+these seasons unproductive of serious resolves of amendment. Her
+letters to her husband bear the impress of a saint, in their spirit
+of patience, sympathy with the erring, and quest after a better life.
+During a period of severe sickness in the family, when three of the
+children were laid low, and faint hopes were entertained for the
+recovery of Celia, the eldest, the faith of the parents was severely
+tried. While they were convalescing, the mother was attacked with a
+raging fever, and in her weakened condition, she was strongly tempted
+to doubt her acceptance with God. In her distress she mourned: "I have
+lived too much at ease. How could I rest without daily and lively
+communion with God." But the clouds burst, and she was enabled to
+rejoice, and praise God for all his mercies to herself and family. She
+was a saintly woman, active in her efforts for ameliorating the
+condition of the poor in the city of Halifax, during her long
+residence there. With her own hands she made garments for the needy,
+stimulated others in connection with the Female Benevolent Society, of
+which she was treasurer for several years, and by the sweetness and
+beauty of her life, helped many in the paths of righteousness and
+peace. During the last year and a half of her life she gradually
+declined in health yet she murmured not, and when the end came on
+August 11th, 1827, as she was surrounded by husband, children,
+grandchildren and friends, she bade them an affectionate farewell. The
+last to receive her blessing was her faithful and pious black servant,
+but her power of speech having gone, she raised her hands to heaven as
+an evidence of her faith and joy, and passed home at the age of
+seventy-three years. Thus lived and died one of the most beautiful
+spirits to be found on the pages of religious biography, gentle in
+manners, firm in action, with a chaste reserve, a noble type of
+heroic womanhood.
+
+With the passing of his beloved companion, William Black felt keenly
+the vacancy in his home where ill-health kept him confined, and to
+ensure comfort and relieve the tedium, he was induced to marry Martha,
+the widow of Elisha Calkin of Liverpool, Nova Scotia, in the year
+1828. This marriage was highly congenial, as the lady was possessed of
+an amiable disposition, and she ministered to his needs and together
+they enjoyed good fellowship, to his death, after which event, she
+returned to Liverpool, where she resided till she died.
+
+The father of William Black walked through all the years of a long
+life in the ways of peace, and the son rejoiced that he had been
+honored in leading him to Christ. For the greater part of his life he
+lived on his farm at Dorchester, New Brunswick, dying there in 1820,
+at the age of ninety-three years. He was held in much esteem in the
+community being appointed in 1779, Judge of the Common Pleas, and in
+his old age he retained so much of his vigor, that when he was
+eighty-eight years old, he rode on horseback a distance of thirty
+miles to visit some members of his family residing at Amherst.
+
+"The world may not like our Methodists, but the world cannot deny that
+they die well," wrote John Wesley, and this sentence has been
+transformed into the well-known maxim, "Our people die well." William
+Black knew the art of dying well, as he always stood on the threshold
+of eternity, and there was no need in his closing days to make special
+preparation, for with heroic gladness he had fronted the foe, all
+through the strenuous years, and was ever ready to cross the bar. In
+the autumn of 1834, the cholera was prevalent in Halifax, and he was
+deeply concerned for the people, though he was suffering from dropsy,
+and his end was near. The Rev. Richard Knight who was stationed in
+Halifax, and had Matthew Richey as his colleague, was with him in his
+last hours, and he gives an account of the closing scene. "'I trust
+sir,' said I, 'You now feel that Saviour to be precious whom you have
+so long held forth to others.' He said, 'All is well. All is peace, no
+fear, no doubt, let Him do as He will, He knows what is best.' I
+referred to his long and useful life. He said very impressively,
+'Leave all that, say no more. All is well.' We joined in prayer, and
+his spirit was evidently very much engaged in the solemn exercise. On
+leaving the room I said, 'You will soon be in the glory of which you
+have so often spoken in the course of your long ministry.' 'I shall
+soon be there,' he said, 'where Christ is gone before me.' After which
+he sank very fast, and spoke little, and that with considerable
+difficulty. His last words were, 'Give my farewell blessing to your
+family, and to the society,' and 'God bless you. All is well.'"
+
+Patient in life, he was triumphant in death, and though there was no
+exultant notes in his last testimony, his faith stood the supreme
+test, as he drew near the borderland. He died on September 8th, 1834,
+aged 74 years. The remains of Mary and William Black rest in the old
+graveyard at Grafton Street Methodist Church, Halifax, and near the
+vestry door are their tombstones and those of their children. Within
+the church there are marble tablets to the memory of these pioneers
+of the faith, who laid the foundations of Methodism in the maritime
+provinces, and in the Methodist Church at Amherst, Nova Scotia, there
+is a memorial window to the founder of Methodism in these parts.
+
+There is a larger and more abiding memorial of the heroic figure who
+trudged over the country in quest of souls, and that lies in the
+silent influence of his life, and the permanence of his work. He was a
+great revivalist of the enduring kind, whose exhortations were not
+platitudes which spent themselves with the passing hour, but, being
+based on the leading doctrines of the Bible, remained as a spiritual
+impulse for the individual, and the church. In his History of the
+Methodist Church in Eastern British America, T. Watson Smith quotes a
+characteristic sketch of William Black and his wife.
+
+"The personal appearance of 'Bishop' Black in his late years, says the
+Hon. S. L. Shannon, who remembers him well, was very prepossessing. He
+was of medium height, inclining to corpulency. In the street he always
+wore the well-known clerical hat; a black dress coat buttoned over a
+double-breasted vest, a white neckerchief, black small clothes and
+well polished Hessian boots completed his attire. When he and his good
+lady, who was always dressed in the neatest Quaker costume, used to
+take their airing in the summer with black Thomas, the bishop's well
+known servant, for their charioteer, they were absolutely pictures
+worth looking at. In the pulpit the bishop's appearance was truly
+apostolical. A round, rosy face, encircled with thin, white hair, a
+benevolent smile, and a sweet voice were most attractive. Whenever my
+mind carries me back to those scenes, the vision of the apostle John
+in his old age addressing the church at Ephesus as his little
+children, comes up before me as I think of the good old man, the real
+father of Methodism in Halifax."
+
+When William Black was converted and began his career as the pioneer
+Methodist preacher in the maritime provinces, in 1779, there was only
+a small company in Cumberland, Nova Scotia, who reckoned themselves
+followers of John Wesley, but when he died in 1834, there were in
+these Provinces and Newfoundland, 3 Districts, 44 circuits, about 50
+ministers and local preachers, with more than 6000 members of the
+church. But the denomination has grown since then, until in the year
+1906, there are 3 Conferences, with 332 ministers, 194 local
+preachers, nearly 42,000 church members, 686 Sunday Schools with over
+45,000 scholars, 716 churches, and 219 parsonages valued at more than
+two and a half million dollars, and then add to these statistics, the
+value of the schools and colleges belonging to Methodism in the
+maritime provinces and Newfoundland, amounting to 567,000 dollars, and
+we may well say, "What hath God wrought?"
+
+Let us remember that when John Wesley died, there were only 287
+Methodist preachers in Great Britain and Ireland, and 511 in the whole
+world, and we may well ponder the significance of the growth during
+the last hundred years in the new country where William Black was the
+leader and pioneer. The movement which began with Black has run
+through a whole century without rest or failure, the stream of
+conversions has continued to flow, and the spiritual impulse has been
+maintained, despite many changes in manners and modes of thought. The
+old tradition of Methodism being an aggressive force, embodied in the
+apt phrase "Christianity in earnest" is still true, as it emphasizes
+the great spiritual forces of religion, as distinguished from
+ceremonial and even church organization, as the essentials of our
+faith ever abide within. The message of the apostle of Methodism in
+the Maritime Provinces was charged with great truths based upon
+doctrine and experience, and the power which swayed the people under
+his preaching, has remained as an abiding spiritual force. In Black's
+Journal we have a charming bit of autobiography, which reveals the
+inner life of a man who has become a historic figure, and yet he had
+no desire for fame. He was an evangelist first and last, begetting
+influences more abiding than the centuries, and if you would estimate
+his worth, and measure the value of his work, look around. He lived in
+a religious atmosphere of his own making with the help of God, he
+learned the triumphant secret of religion, and he gave a noble
+challenge to the world, in a heroic life for Christ. The pulse of his
+life beats still in the twentieth century in the Maritime Provinces of
+the Dominion.
+
+
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Transcriber's Notes
+
+Spelling inconsistencies, such as labor/labour and harbor/harbour have
+been retained from the original book. Minor punctuation irregularities
+and the following typos have been corrected:
+
+Page 18: tim changed to time.
+
+Page 46: Britian changed to Britain.
+
+Page 46: Williiam changed to William.
+
+Page 46: desti- changed to destination.
+
+Page 49: tempereament changed to temperament.
+
+Page 49: aggresive changed to aggressive.
+
+Page 60: yeare changed to years.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of William Black, by John Maclean
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