Abner Jones - 12-My First Experience Preaching

My First Experience Preaching As I was riding through a piece of woods, about half a mile from the place where the meeting was appointed, the following words came to my mind with great weight, "But they made light of it." In the language of my mind I cried out, O Lord, I know not where these words are; if it is they will that I should preach from them to day, I pray thee direct me immediately to them. My meaning was, that I might open the bible and cast my eyes immediately on that sentence, even that it might be the first word that I should see in the bible. When I arrived at the house, I found nearly all the neighborhood collected together, (I suppose they thought to hear some strange thing.) When I entered the house, a chair was presented me for a seat, with a small table before it, with a bible and psalm book on it; a new seat indeed for me, but I must take it without hesitation, as the people all expected I was about to try to preach. I soon took up the bible to see whether the Lord would answer my request, and to my great joy and surprise, my prayer was answered completely, insomuch, that the first place I opened was the very place, and the very first sentence that my eyes caught, was, BUT THEY MADE LIGHT OF IT, Matthew 22:5. The manner of the words coming to me, together with the manner of my finding them, raised my mind above every trial and fear, although I was about to attempt something very great and entirely new. After introducing the meeting by singing and praying, I read the whole parable to the people which reads as follows. "And Jesus answered and spake unto them again in parables, and said, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king which made a marriage for his son, and sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding; and they would not come. Again he sent forth other servants, saying, tell them which were bidden, behold I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and fatlings are killed, and all things are ready; come unto the marriage. But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm; another to merchandize, &c." And I think my mind on the occasion, was drawn out in such a manner as I scarce ever had it before. It pleased the Lord to deliver me entirely from the fear of man, and my whole mind was occupied on the subject, insomuch that I think I can say I was not interrupted with one worldly thought in my discourse; yea, I can say I was not troubled with one wandering thought of any nature whatsoever. It appeared to me as though every person present heard as for their lives, and a more attentive meeting I never saw.

I treated the subject in the following manner: First, to take notice of what the character in the text made light of; this I considered in two particulars; first, the gospel feast; secondly, the invitation to the same, and thirdly, I endeavoured to shew how people made light of the gospel feast, and invitation to the same. In giving a description of the gospel feast, I considered several particulars, such as its being full and exhaustless, rich and freely offered to all the sons of Adam, in such a manner as that they might receive it without money and without price. I held it up as being ready in the present time. The invitation to this feast I considered as being just as extensive as the nature of the feast would admit; and this I considered as reaching every son and daughter of Adam, without distinction, calling loudly as in the language of our context; Come, for all things are now ready. In shewing how people made light of the all important subject, I pointed out a number of ways which people made use of in performing the wicked action, viz. such as making sport of the work of God in reformations, making use of the scriptures in a funny way to carry on their sport; also, by ridiculing the expressions of young converts, and souls under distress, &c. I endeavoured to shew the consequence of making light, viz. that if persisted in, it would end in damnation; and in short, that the only reason why any were damned was, because they would not receive the gospel, when it was offered to them without money and without price. The people seemed to hear with all diligence, and even with astonishment, for it seemed as though they scarce moved hand, foot or eye, while I was speaking. Among the rest of my hearers, I observed one man by the name of Burns, who seemed as attentive to hear as any, but of his dress (and also of his intentions in coming to meeting, as he afterwards told me) merits a particular description. His dress was his dirty frock and trowsers, which he had worn about the dirtiest kind of work, he had neither stockings nor shoes on; however, he appeared to hear with as strict attention as any one present, and behaved himself with as much propriety. In preaching this discourse, I entirely freed my mind of the burden that laid on it. I felt almost, if not quite, as great a deliverance as when I was first converted. When I came to walk, it seemed as though I hardly touched the ground. I felt certain that the Lord assisted me in delivering his subject, as it was entirely unstudied, and as new to me as it was to my hearers; and at that present moment, I did not think whether I should ever want to preach again or not. The first assembly to which I preached, was almost as singular as my sermon; for there was not one present that professed religion, of any denomination whatever; and I do not know as there were more than two persons present that appeared (previous to this meeting) to have any regard for religion in the least.

Before I went from the house where I held the meeting, the man of the house asked me to come and attend another meeting. This threw me into a trial at first, but after calling to mind my vow, viz. that I would preach, wherever doors opened, I dared not refuse. So I appointed a meeting the third Sabbath from that day, unless I was detained by visiting the sick. Notwithstanding the evidences that I had of the Lord’s helping me when I attempted to preach before, yet my mind fell into great doubts whether the Lord was calling me to preach any more; although I was sure he assisted me the other time, yet my vow rested so weightily upon me that I dare not go back. Before the time arrived for my second appointment, I saw the above named Mr. Burns who desired me to step aside, being in company, and he thus began to address me, "Doct’r, I understood before you come into our neighborhood to preach, that you were coming on purpose to give me a dressing, on account of my making light of the reformation in Billymead, and when I heard of it I swore that if you said one word that come across me, I would oppose you; and when you come to preach, I fully believed what I had heard for I never had such a dressing in all my life." I then asked him why he did not do as he swore he would? he replied, "my wife asked me when I came out of meeting, why I did not oppose you as I said I would? I told her it was handsomely done, and I thought it best for me to hold my peace. And now I wish you would come and preach among us as often as you can.

I told Mr. Burns that I had no particular intention to preach to him, more than any one present, and also that I never said any such thing as he had heard; but that if any thing come close to him, he must conclude that the Lord directed it, as I had nothing studied out before hand, only to speak as the Lord enabled me. I suppose some rude chaps, hearing that I was expected to attend meeting in the neighborhood, made up this story in a funny way, and told it to Mr. Burns in order to make sport, in hopes that Mr. Burns would really blackguard me in meeting.