EERFIELD, Portage County, was noted for the spirit of earnest religious inquiry which prevailed there for years before Scott visited that place and gathered so rich a harvest. This was the home of Jonas Hartzell and many others, who afterwards aided so much to spread the truth in that region.

      As the result of the investigation of religious matters in that community, a little society was formed for the express purpose of examining the Scriptures, and, if possible, arriving at something like common ground. This little band was composed of Cornelius P. Finch, who was a Methodist preacher, and his wife; Ephraim P. Hubbard, an active Methodist, and his wife, who was a Baptist; Samuel McGowan, a Baptist, and his wife, who was a Presbyterian; Peter Hartzell, a Presbyterian, and his wife, a Baptist; Jonas Hartzell, a Presbyterian, and his wife, a Methodist; and Gideon Hoadly, an active and venerable member of the Methodist Church, and a few others. Differing, as they did, scarcely any two of the same family being of the same religious faith, they all agreed that the New Testament was right, and that it was safe to receive whatever was recorded there. The sadly divided state in which they at first found themselves was soon discovered to be the effect of partyism, and the measurable unity which they soon attained from an honest examination of the Word of God, they attributed rightly to the power of the truth.

      In the various families composing this little band, Finch and his wife were the only ones who agreed; but when the "old paths" were found, it was easy for all to walk and dwell together in peace and unity. [68]

      One of the members--Ephraim Hubbard--had stipulated, on uniting with the Methodist Church years before, that he should not be bound by the Book of Discipline; but baptism by immersion had been denied him by several ministers, on the ground that it would amount to a denial of sprinkling, to which he had been subjected in infancy. Hearing that a baptism was to take place some miles distant by what he deemed to be the only scriptural mode, he took a change of clothing and started for the appointed place; on reaching it he found his brother, who was a Methodist preacher, there, and informed him of his purpose; his brother said, "You cannot be more dissatisfied with your baptism than I am with mine; and if I had a change of clothing I would go with you." That want was soon supplied, and when the invitation was given for the candidates to present themselves, the two brothers were the first to do so.

      He still retained his membership in the Methodist Church, but the change which was continually going on in his mind in consequence of increasing light, soon led the preacher who was over the small charge of which he was a member, to declare that Hubbard and all those who agreed with him were not Methodists, as they acknowledged no other rule of faith and practice save the Holy Scriptures; and when his congregation--about eighteen in number--were present, he drew the line between those who sympathized with him and the church and those who had adopted the views entertained by Hubbard by asking all who were Methodists to rise; five did so, and thirteen stood up for the Word of God. [69]

      These, of course, had the sympathy of all in the community who had become dissatisfied with the teaching of the various religious parties with which they were associated; and the way having been prepared by the meetings previously described, and the discussions and investigations which had taken place among them, they met to see if some way could not be devised by which they all could be united in a New Testament church. The chief difficulty was that they had no model among them that they could safely imitate; but having heard that there was a church at Braceville on a strictly Bible foundation, Hubbard and Finch paid a visit to the church there, and, to their great joy, found that it was true.

      They invited Marcus Bosworth, who was the teacher of the congregation, to visit and preach to them; he came, bringing with him Adamson Bentley, who, with his congregation at Warren, had but a short time before accepted New Testament views, and abandoned all human creeds; and, under the teaching of these godly men, all who had not been immersed received that ordinance and were organized into a gospel church; and Finch, who had preached among the Methodists, was formally set apart to the work of the ministry.

      This little band grew and prospered rapidly. Nearly all the men became public speakers; among them was Jonas Hartzell, who became a most zealous and efficient public laborer both with tongue and pen; and it was a current saying through the Western Reserve that all the male members of the Deerfield church were preachers. [70]

      The visit of Elders Bentley and Bosworth opened the way for a visit from Scott, which was attended with great success and permanent results.

      More than forty years after that visit these lines were penned at the scene of these labors amid those who never will forget him, who threw so much light on their pathway, and who expect, at no distant day, to meet him in the better land.

      A sister Allerton had been at Canton, Stark County, for some time for medical treatment, and on her return home was informed by her sister of the religious changes which had taken place during her absence. She told of the few disciples who had begun to meet there, and said: "I have been to hear them, and O sister! they reminded me of the twelve who followed our Lord when on earth; they are plain, pious men; they talk just as the Bible reads: they surely are the people of God!"

      One of the most prominent persons in the community was Amos Allerton, a natural ruler of men, tall, erect, sinewy, of strong mind and clear judgment, which, in a measure, compensated for lack of educational advantages; a man of noble impulses, kind and helpful, yet severely just. In religious matters he was skeptical, rendered so by the discords and conflicting views of the various religious bodies; he could not imagine how a system could be divine which abounded in contradictions; how God could send men, as was then claimed, to preach doctrines subversive of each other: he supposed that the Bible must teach what the preachers of various denominations claimed that it did, and hence rejected the Bible the had attempted to be religious according to the popular theories of the day, but they did not [71] satisfy either his mind or heart; he could not endure to walk in doubt or darkness, or rest his hopes upon transient feeling or a peradventure; he desired to feel the rock under his feet; but the human theories to which he was directed were as uncertain and unsafe as the desert sands.

      It was noised abroad that Walter Scott would preach at a private house in the vicinity, and, as his fame had preceded him, a large concourse assembled to hear him; among the throng was Amos Allerton, not at all favorably impressed by what he heard of the preacher and his new doctrine, but on the contrary, disposed to criticise and cavil. He had been told that Scott preached a water salvation (as his views of baptism for the remission of sins were termed), and on that bright morning on his way to hear the strange preacher, he had stopped at a clear brook to quench his thirst, and as he did so, he said in scorn and disdain: "Can this element wash away sins?" Reaching the appointed place, he found in the preacher not a glib and noisy religious polemic, but a meek, earnest, and gifted advocate of the pure and simple gospel of Jesus Christ, which he unfolded with a clearness, tenderness, and earnestness that he had never witnessed before. His skepticism yielded before the array of truth which was presented, and his heart was touched with the love of Him who came to save a lost world. He saw that the gospel call was not to baptism only, but to an abandonment of sin to an earnest, true, and pure life. He listened for hours, which scarcely seemed more than minute, every sentence convincing his judgment and appealing to his heart. The preacher closed with an appeal to those [72] who believed the truth to avow their faith publicly in the Son of God.

      Allerton started forward; Ephraim Hubbard, a faithful and earnest disciple, saw the movement and trembled, thinking that he was advancing to make some disturbance; but as he came nearer, he saw eyes not flashing with the light of rebuke and controversy, but melted to tenderness and tears, and with a shout of joy he welcomed him gladly. With profound earnestness he confessed his faith in the Savior of mankind, and was the same day buried with Christ by baptism; and the sun on that day set on few happier men than Amos Allerton. Nor was this change a transient one, but a change of the entire current of his thoughts and life; he soon began to teach others to walk in the way upon which he himself had entered. His rare, clear sense and spotless integrity soon made his influence felt, and a little practice sufficed to enable him to present his thoughts with a vigorous, common sense, and an earnestness that it was difficult to resist.

      Grateful for his own escape from the dominion of doubt and chilling unbelief, he began to point out the way of emancipation to others. The cross and its bleeding Victim to move the heart, and the teachings of Jesus to direct the life, were used with wonderful power. His fame spread; large audiences gathered to hear the plain farmer, so suddenly transformed into a preacher of righteousness; and the curiosity which brought them to hear was, in many cases, changed into a deep and abiding interest in the great themes he presented; and scores and hundreds were, through his labors, brought to a knowledge of the way of life. Though destitute of the aids of [73] learning, he was a vigorous and original thinker. His Bible was his theological library; and from nature and society he drew illustrations which all could understand; while his zeal, his earnestness, and his life, all rendered his teaching searching, impressive, and convincing.

      Living yet in a vigorous old age, the moisture will gather in his eye, and his voice tremble with emotion as he speaks of Scott, who, nearly half a century since, helped him out of the perils of infidelity, and pointed out the true pathway on which the true light shineth, even the light of God.

      Another incident connected with Scott's first visit to Deerfield is worthy of a place here. He presented himself first at the residence of E. Hubbard and offered to preach if a suitable place could be procured. He immediately went to consult Finch, who was not in favor of Scott's preaching, saying it would ruin them. This was in consequence of the rumors that were afloat with regard to his eccentricities and the misrepresentations of his teachings. Hubbard insisted, however, that Scott must preach, and the Methodist church was procured. Finch was present, and Scott had not completed his discourse before he was convinced that he could sit at his feet in matters pertaining to a knowledge of New Testament Christianity. Hubbard himself soon became a public teacher; and so prudent and careful was he, that a Lutheran minister of fine abilities and education, after listening to him, said, "Mr. Hubbard, I came here to criticise you and point out your errors." "Why do you not do so then?" he asked. "Because," he replied, "you have said nothing but that which I feel compelled warmly to approve." And it [74] was not very long after that this same minister gave up his place as pastor of a large congregation, his salary, reputation, and all that could bind a man to a powerful and influential religious party, to receive baptism at the hands of a plain farmer who, with the Bible in his hands, could teach Christianity as it came from the apostles of the Lamb.

      Hubbard, after a long, honorable, and useful career, still lives at the age of fourscore, the days of his active usefulness past, but waiting patiently for his change in glorious hope, trusting to say with his latest breath, "Thanks be to God that giveth us the victory!"

      In the freedom of their social intercourse, Hayden once ventured the remark that his charity was too profuse for one of his limited means, and that it should never be carried to the extent of causing inconvenience to his own household. At this he winced a little, for it was true--his kindness of heart was apt to make him forget all considerations of prudence; for, though no man could love his family more tenderly than did he, yet he could not help giving whatever he had to the nearest needy object, leaving himself often in as great need as the object of his benevolence lately had been. In a word, the needs of others ever seemed to him greater than his own. It was not in his nature to say no when he had a dollar in his purse or a garment beyond what he had on, when others needed one or the other or both. Well knowing this weakness, if weakness it were, Hayden said: "Bro. Scott, you ought not to handle a dollar; whatever means you have ought to be in the hands of some one with less sympathy and more judgment than yourself, to manage for you, and see [75] that your own are well cared for before others are helped." Instead of becoming offended, he replied pleasantly: "Bro. Hayden, I believe you are right; you are a good manager, a man of thrift and prudence--will you do me this service?" "I will," was the reply. "You are the very man for the work," said Scott, "and I will hold you to it."

      While Scott was on a visit to Father Hayden's, near Youngstown, it was announced that Lawrence Greatrake, a Baptist preacher, notorious for his opposition to the Disciples, would preach in the vicinity. Scott determined to go and hear him, but fearing that he might be provoked to a reply by a man who was coarse and rude in his assaults, the family persuaded him not to go. He started off, but at parting told them to be sure to go and hear the Great Rake. After going some distance he changed his mind, rode to the place of meeting, and instead of going in went to an open window in the rear of the building, close to the pulpit. The preacher took the pulpit, and in his prayer, as preparatory to his meditated onslaught on the Disciples, said: "O Lord, do thou restrain or remove those wolves who are going about in sheep's clothing, scattering, the flock and destroying the lambs." At this point Scott, in a voice that could be heard by all present, uttered a hearty "amen," which so disconcerted the preacher that it was with difficulty that he could finish his prayer.

      It was in the early part of the year 1828 that Aylette Raines, a Universalist preacher, a young man of fine abilities, formed an acquaintance with Scott, the result of which was the abandonment of his former views and embracing and successfully advocating those set forth by his new and gifted friend. Raines [76] had heard of the new preacher, and also the current but distorted rumors with regard to his teaching, and his curiosity being aroused he sought an opportunity of hearing him, intending, if possible, to draw him into a discussion, supposing the views of Scott to be as vulnerable as those of other religious bodies, which, on account of their partial, one-sided, and even contradictory nature, he found but little difficulty in overthrowing.

      The first discourse he heard from Scott was in his best vein, clear, convincing, scriptural--so much so that Raines saw in it much to admire and nothing to condemn; and when at the close, as was his custom, he invited any one present to make any remarks he might think proper, Raines arose and expressed his great pleasure and warm approval of all that he had heard. After this he went to hear Scott frequently, not to cavil but to learn, for he soon perceived that he had no particular system of religious philosophy to advance, but set forth Bible truth with a vigor and simplicity that was entirely new.

      The system advocated by Raines did not deny the future punishment of the wicked, but set forth that it would be limited in duration, and that the subjects of it would finally be made holy and happy. This view Scott described as a gospel to get people out of hell, and that which he preached as designed to prevent them from going there--the one adapted to this world; the other, even if true, adapted only to the world to come, and consequently that it was useless to preach it here.

      Soon the views of Raines underwent a marked change, and he sought his friend Ebenezer Williams, the ablest advocate of Universalism in that region, [77] and laid before him the change which had taken place in his mind and the reasons for it. These were heard and carefully canvassed. The two friends spent many of the hours usually devoted to sleep in an earnest and candid examination of the Scriptures, and the result was that Williams was soon as firmly convinced of the truth of the views held by his amiable and gifted young friend, which he had learned from the lips of Scott, as he was himself; and together they went down to a small lake near at hand and mutually baptized each other in its clear waters. They then threw themselves with the utmost energy into the work of preaching the gospel as distinguished from human systems, and with great success.

      The first fruits of the labors of Raines alone, within a few weeks after his baptism, was the conversion of about fifty persons, including three Universalist preachers. Hundreds have been turned from their sins by their united and earnest labors, and Universalism has never received heavier or deadlier blows than those dealt with the sword of the Spirit in the hands of Ebenezer Williams and Aylette Raines. Nearly half a century has passed, and each succeeding year has only proved that they abandoned destructive error for saving truth. Williams not long ago departed to his rest; Raines still lingers on the shores of time, his work nearly done, his reward not distant. [78]

[LWSA 68-78]