/
X
188
Zioirs LaiKliMirlvH.
C.'OMMIJNIOATED.
i leave ikis, tny special request,
tievo brother A. E. liicks write what-
 \'cr mav be written of rne after niy
heath in the-way of an obituary or
!, ioj^ra;)hy for the public, or for the
Kehukee Association.
This 12th day of Decenibr-r, 1872.
K. 1). Ha TIT.
I Ehb'r Lawrence and talked whh
hiiii, he told rm; that I never v.-ould
be satisliod till I becii.nie a Ba]»tist,—
So 1 W'ent to the Cliureh at Tarboro
j 18o5, not for my abilitu but to sl)0w I ceitfid heart in very emdy life. \V mci
j that oiu’ University w'as not a scotari- ; I was between tne vears or.siw en
' an institute, such, thing’s however I'j ten, 1 ui-e;'.MK-d one .nsgln t!te^
took verv little interest in. I moved | preached at vV illiaiti s L'.-.! -.
011 Saturday of Jn!
meeting
/d'.yr lirothcr Gold:—
The bumble tribute of our deceas-
-1 brotlier, togther with his autohiog-
:■ -foy is now ready, fir wh.ieh 1 ask
ri place in the columns of the I/AND-
MA,ni:8. Afrhetionately Yonre,
A. E. Etcks.
.1 fihnrt of flip. IJfp of R. JK
.Hart, inrlti/^i by hhmdf iv Oxford,
Graj'ivlUe Counhj, North Ccrolma,
r-eptembpr, 18(15.
1 was born near Williams’ Meet-
■ -g House in Edgeeombe Conntv, N.
b,’., on the 10th day of September,
!805, and ivas raisKl ami lived at the
■•amG plaee till a feiv years after i
- . tS n;!irriei. My father’s name was
itichard ScAsums Hart, son of Colonel
Ifenrv Hart of the revolution. ATy
motlum’s original name was Katharine
Higgs, daiigiiter of Eobort Higgs
lAn.., wlso, as may be seen in M hecl-
- r's llishorv of North Gu'olina, rep-
.fd-.enteil Eflgeeombc County in our
State Legislature in the blouse of
tlornraons:. b was the only sou in
tho iamity, and being very debeaJo
in hea’tli from infancy ivas mucli in
dulged and even spoiled in raising.—
'My laiber, was wdiat rnigbt he termed
,Ki independent liver,bu' not wealthy.
He died wliea I was quite young, so
dial I knew but very little of him,
willy that 1 remenibeacd to have
heard an old neighbor once remark,
that he could tell a good experience
or grace, but did not join any
oimreh. My mother vvas a Baptist
when Init one kind of Baiitisis was
iiiiown among ns, and wlien the dl-
’.'ision came she sided with those
;.-rmed the Old .Baptists, and I have
very often Iieard it said of her, that
.die w-as the brighto.T. Christian of her
day. I was .married on tho very day
liiat I was twenty yeais old, which.
\vas the lOtli of September, 1829, to
''■.lartha Ann Elizabeth Arrington of
\'ash County, daughter of Arthur
vrrington. Ksep, by whom I have
nad eight children, four boys and
'our girls. I grew up to. manhood
under conviciion as will be seen in
he aceompanying rc-jn’inted part of
iiv e.xperieneo. In the year 1840 I
-. ent to Alabama on business, and
.vhiie there artenuod an Old tChool
blaptist meeting, and seeing three
c.'u’sons re'eivel by the Moderator
giving them tlu right band of fellow-
5 ip, ] \vas much affected and drawn
;',it in love VO them, and the words
wcie..ai>plied “For ye know that yc
hriVC jias.-od irom 'leatii unto life
,f I'c lov'c the bretln'cn,’’’ .Mymind
j 10 lay hold rpx.a the word.
..uu hero I tirst experienced a hope in
tghrist Aber I returned iiome I be-
.-.inio muoii (xinccrned on ac-
connt 'of baptism. .1 went to see
1841
and was corthally receiveii, and on
Sunday mornir.g npy dear, precious
companion .«une forward and was
likewise received unto baptism v,4ii:;]i
Eider Lawrence put off till August
meeting, and on tlie 1st Sunday in
August 1841, si.sicr Ijiicy Batts, sis
ter llarriss, mvsedf and wife were
baptizcid in tiie Tarboro Church by
Elder Joshua Jjawrence.
The first attemp/t 1 made to try to
preach was at Joyncr’.s cliav.K'l in
Nc/i‘thamption Cotuity, Leing u-
shamed to try where I was rai.stxl.—
I felt however after this first attempt
that I couid not do worse elsewhere,
so I was content to try about b.ome.
1 had the benefit of a toitTably fair
education, and ray friends tbiought
that I couid preiich at the beginning
with less dhiiculty and emlarrassnvent
than our brethren generally, hut it
it was with :ne as othem “our suiii-
cioicy is of Cod.’’ I always p'ossecs-.
(h! a very retentive memory, and
couid repeat a great many sjiln’tua!
songs by heart, which I learned from
liearing my mother .sing them bel'orc
i I knew a letter in the ;iipiiabet. I
was chc'sem a deacon by the Tarlxu'O
Churcl.1, to fill the place made vacant
by the death, of brother Eli Porter,
and was ordained to tliat ollice by
Eider;; William Hyman and Joh.n H.
Hand in 1844. Aftdr'
preach and malung iailvu’vcs Ibr two
or three }’cars, the Ministering: breth
ren generally commenced proposing to
me to be ordained a regular hlinister.
I felt unwilling to be ordained and
begged tluTni to excuse me t»r a few
years at ieivst. The Clvureli however
unanimously called Oii me to submit,
and so cm Banday tlie 2nd day of
.December 1849, I was ordained by
Elders Hyman and Daniel, the same
that ordained me Deacon. I moved
t) Na;3h County near liilliurdston in
1847. After settling In Nash (,'oun-
ty I took a letter of dismission from
tb.e Tarhoro Church and joined tim
Ciuirch at tlic Falls of Tar Iliver on
the second Saiurday in October 1850,
where I lioivc my fellowship will re
main. .1 wi.is chosen Pastor ot the
Church at Falls, Tar River, the 15th
of December, 1856, the only one that
i am Ihistor of at present, but liave
served heia.'tofori; a.s .I’astor of Lie
Churches at Tarboro, and Peaeli
Tree, in l-'rankliii Couvity. .1 never
made a habit of lufiiyg ardient spirits,
and no one of my thmily either white
or bhtek ever saw me ijitoxieated, and
I luive even been afraid of, and have
tried to keep from, drunkeiTness from
infiu'.ov. 1 I'.ever held any office in
the gift of the peojfieor Court in the
State, but was four different times ap
pointed a Magistrate but Vvould never
ac-c;.'p't. The only place oiTiunor (by |
the world eadled) I ever- Lckl was ;
rhatof Trustee of the Hniversity ofj
the St^te, at Chapel Hill, to which 11
was diosea by tim Legislature in:
from N-ish Comity, to O.xford in | from tlie Iptli-chaiite
r . I
1 VC
Granville County, in December i8o t,
to educate my ciiildren, but have-suf
fered greaitly for tlie want of Cliris-
1 tian society. A few more w'ords and
1 am tlone.
When tmvt usele.-^s war
hrolce out between the North and
of Mark :. .Go ye Into all tivc world
and pixmcli the gospel t)' every eiv'i ■
ture: ami tliat 1 baptized.a bttc ooy.
a neighbor and ShOiooi luare, wno was
a few years mv senior; and Vihcn :a
was fifty v'ears old,' .1 ]>ren-:,‘he(t and
South I desired the perpetuity of our I baptized liim at the same, iifwm una
union, but when I saw that all hope ' whore ho has long been an-1 is stT , u
was gone, I sided with tlie South,
andtliongh we arc clefcate-:! and de
graded, yet 1 accept the result as the.
arbitrament of arn.s, believing that
[he church of God is one and indivisi
ble. in fear am! trembling,
RoiiKUT Diggs .rlAUT.
J J A G K A NG K, N. C., \
I. )eec f. n be r 9,18 71 ■ j
A ndrew J. Adoorc, I'Jsg. iiV'DKAiT
YOUNG ITKOTIIKU IN ClIUI-ST A.ND
inuiTSONAT. uuiKND :—I HOW proceed
worthy member, uii-d .Dcac..ui n s.-.,r.t
ciuirch ; how many and vane 1 uav-
been mv tivnibles between to.--
period oi' tills same dream am.! mv
becoming a member of tlu; churn,i,
no mortal tongue can t-eil. i imv
many ; oh ! iiovv many have t;n
ten(.ier buds of iiope, put fortli in my
case :scem;n'’’ly but to witiicr ana d,--
‘A •
cay. I imagine, an-:l feel sometumw
couildent, when casting a retrospec
tive view iU my experience, tint I
to addres.s you at length upon a .-ul)- , cmi trace tlic hand of a knui
ject which has long been ot fspemai ! pgnee lliat led me; and the eye I'nat
vital interest to mo, and 1 trust is not i jj,v ibntstims ; till n;y lert
uninteresting to you. I intend this
as a .Christmas gift, and hope that It
wii! be gladly received and .somewhat
appreciated by all your dear little
family. My text is the following:
“Come, hear, all ye that fear God,
and I will declare, what He hath done
for rny souk”—Pis. Ixvi. 16.
>/
1 prayevrully trust that the Lmd
will euabie me to write, and you to
read this verv small portion of inv
hristian experience,, writ jou may
'l.ie enabled't'o draw cornfeert consovatiOn
rcstwl safily and socurdy on tb-r
Rock that’s iiiglier than i.—IGb t-'T.
2. if I am not deceived, grace opera
ted on my poor beiHglu-od soul at u
period too early for my rood ledlou ,
but I imagine even now 1’an.t I c.ao
well remember some of the oeep an(i-
pungi'iit convictions whicii try psv.r
.soul often endure-d, I lrcan;mi,y
made vows, and promises, ami
re.sointions, only to '»o broken. Aiy
icyble attempts to pray. -.add cease
wlum sore conviciion was removed -
and encouragement from pemsing niv attempted reformation av:
th-3 .same. .1 will commence then by
just observing in the outset, that a
godly sorrow for B'u commenced AVith
me in early infinicy or chiluhood, and
was accompanied Avith sorrows, trib- ■
r.as
transient and ficGting,a.s dream.s of tic-
night. 1 have never once entcr-.dnoi
the thought, that all God’s ciiildri-u
pa.s„s through tho same di’e::-.
(iarK,
gloomy apprehcn.sions of ciorn.d aax;-v.
Illations, trials and disappoiurments, | b-i-jt they all come to the conclusion al
whieh have grown AAutli my growth i period t'mit Jesus diiTst is the
and srengthened with iny strength, so
that I can safely say, tliat 1 have nev
er kiioAvn tile time, when sorrow, sad
ness, gloom and melancholy Avere not
rav eonstaiid companions. And I
have long since felt to enviome the
following lines from Madame Guion :
A.dien ; a-c vairgdelights of eartli,
Insipid sports of child.isk mirlii
I tast no sweets in you.
'Unknown delights are in the eroe-s,
All joy beside, to luo is dross
And Jesujj thougiit so too.
M soon as infimey gave place to
chiklh.ood in my instance, the elias-
teiiiug rod of my Heavenly Fatlmr
Avas laid upon me; and oh! how avcH
do I rememlAcr etiriy impression.s and
only balm and sovereign rcincdv fm*
the wouadsend brnisosorrdi poor sin-
afflicted souls. Avho feel t'lemsebves u>
be lost, ruined and iintioue. All pen
itent souls, no doubt, now ami then
entertain a fitiiit liope of heaven ami
everlasting rest and p-eaee, only but
to augment their gloom and sorroAV at
its departure. The nearer they ' ap
proach the liOrd, tlie farther off lhe\'
seem to be. And that I can see no-.v
AA'fis mv condition. The law hehi
me with an iron gra.sp, and made :ill
my beau tv to con.sume "away like a
moth.—IVi. xxxix, 11. Conscience
annoyed me every step I took, while
Avondering in this AAuklcnu'Bis of sin
convictions on account of siii, and np-
i and sorroivs iii a solitary avov,—-IT!.
prehensions of eternal banisnmont.
An awakened con.-icience in my most
tender years, drove rue to the throne
of mcrcA'. I knoAA’ not the hand that
smote m-e, and afflicted and chastened
me in my soul, yet I Avas made to bear
the yoke in my infancy or boyhood.
Ijumentations iii. 27. This text I
evii. 10. Notivithsianding my con
tinued attempts to pray to tho Lord
for mercy upon rne a poor .sinner, und
save me a Avretch condemiied to die,
still the law released not its grasp. 1
often became so sad, sorrowful and
desponding, under my heavy load of
guilt, that I. complained, murmured
doubt not has referemxito die ministry j I con-
end I can saffllv sav with truth and iceived lobe my oopeless conaitiori,
honesty, that this*highly important and sometimes I entortained hard
AV'ork Avas di^cply, and lastingly . im
upon my poor: ignorant, de-
tho'dghts of tile Ixird forn-c-t releaBing
me from my troableiy but only to