The dealings of God, man, and the devil

Front matter

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Introduction

dition to relate, or some tale to tell of the visit and the preaching of Lorenzo Dow ; and scarcely an old man in all those regions that has not some one or more of the witty sayings of Lorenzo Dow to relate to his children and his 1 grandchildren.

The history of such a man, however mysterious the impulses which prompted him, and however strange his movements, belongs to the history of the race ; nor will justice to the race permit that the extensive memorials which he has left of himself should be lost in silence or forgetfulness. In the minute and extensive journals of his travels and sufferings and labors, and in his various mental exercises, upon a great variety of matters of doctrine and opinion, which Lorenzo Dow has left behind him, he has bequeathed to posterity a mental daguerreotype of himself. And however outre may be many of his expressions, however eccentric and amusing, and frequently inconclusive may be much of his speculation and reasoning — yet it is frequently instructive ; it is always entertaining ; it is always characteristic ; it is part of the history of mind. The reader is satisfied that there is no interpolation here ; that it is Lorenzo Dow himself who speaks, and no one else. And for the very plain reason, that his expressions, if not his thoughts, are entirely sui generis; they are strictly peculiar to himself. It is not denied that some of his ideas may have been

! uttered by others. It is safe to say that no man ever expressed them in the

j! phraseology of Lorenzo Dow.

If it were not for the fear of transcending the limits of the brief introductory essay, and of touching upon subjects that might lead us to diverge too much

I from the more immediate object with which this Introduction has been written

I — it might be interesting to examine somewhat minutely a variety of questions that naturally arise in the mind of the reader who carefully peruses the mental portraiture of himself, embodied in his life and writings.

Thus for instance, we might be disposed to ask — was Lorenzo Dow, in truth, a man of piety, savingly converted to God, or not 1 What were the motives that prompted him to so extraordinary and laborious a life ? What were his reasons, while retaining his connexion with the Methodist Church, for declining to submit to the regular course of labors and control prescribed by the Methodist discipline? Are there any reasons to doubt whether he was in truth a sane man, or partially deranged ? What was the secret of the prejudice so early imbibed, and so constantly exhibited through all his writings against whoever differed from himself in the Arminian scheme of doctrine he had adopted 1

INTRODUCTION.

V and liow did he acquire tliat habit of mind, which led him to be ever on the watch for every poor unhappy wight, tinctuied with the least particle of Calvinism, and to dub him with the singular, bat characteristic epithet of an double-L,-part man

Differing, as the writer of the present essay does, toto ccelo, from Lorenzo Dow on the subject of the doctrines of grace, so frequently made the themes of his severe but amusing caricatures, he would hardly feel justified in performing the present service, did he imagine that there was, from the laughable and witty sallies of Lorenzo Dow, any danger to be apprehended to the system of doctrine advocated in the seventeenth century by such men as a Bates, an Owen or a Howe ; or in later days by .an Edwards or a Bellamy, a Doddridge, a Fuller or a Payson. The reader will, doubtless, like the present writer, read and smile as he reads the cuts and thrusts of our good friend Lorenzo, at the " A,-double-L-part, men," and their supposed, but imaginary doctrine ; but beyond this, whatever be the views of the reader, he will take no offence. These ebullitions were necessary in order to complete the portraiture of Lorenzo's mind. They can hardly do any harm. They are simply amusing. That is all.

Leaving every reader to answer most of the questions above suggested to his own satisfaction, I shall proceed to state my reason for answering in the affirmative the first of the series — Is there ground to conclude, that with all his oddities and eccentricities, Lorenzo was, after all, at heart a pious man, truly and savingly converted to God ?

Some, I am aware, have expressed doubt on this point. Before making myself familiar with his life and writings, I might have been undecided myself. I can do no more than briefly sketch the conversion of Lorenzo Dow, and hint at some of the additional reasons that have led me to the conclusion that his piety was genuine, that his religion was that of the heart, that his faith was of the operation of the Holy Ghost.

In perusing the journal of Lorenzo Dow, it is impossible for one familiar with the history and writings of the immortal Bedford dreamer, to avoid being struck with the Bunyan-like character of the experience and religious exercises of our author. His frequent mention of remarkable dreams, his " strong temptations to end this mortal life," and many of his mental exercises and struggles forcibly remind one of Bunyan's experience, as described by himself in that singular i piece of autobiography — " Grace abounding to the chief of sinners." And if we compare the account given by each, of his conversion, I cannot perceive any

Vi INTRODUCTION.

reason why the evidence of a genuine work of grace, is any less satisfactory in the case of the Connecticut wanderer than in that of the Bedford dreamer.

The account given by Lorenzo of his conversion is characteristic of himself. — He was as yet a youth. Already had he been warned by more than one singular dream, which he relates with characteristic minuteness. Among other i things which tended to awaken him, was an assurance that he imagined himself to have received from the Prophet Nathan in a dream — though in this case, his dream did not come true — that he should live only to the age of twenty -two. " About this time there was much talk about the people called Methodists, who were lately come into the western parts of New England. Some said they were the deceivers that were to come in the last time. Some, on the other hand, said they were a very good sort of people. A preacher of this zealous sect come into the neighborhood. Lorenzo " went to the door and looked in to see a Methodist, but to my surprise," says he, " he appeared like other men After hearing two sermons, Lorenzo became the subject of deep and pungent conviction. " I durst not stir for some time," says he, " for fear I. should tumble into hell. My sins and the damnable nature of them, were in a moment exhibited to my view."

There is no greater evidence of the genuineness of conviction for sin, than when it is accompanied by a heartfelt sense of the justice of God in the condemnation of the sinner. This Lorenzo seems to have felt in a high degree. A day or two after these pungent convictions begun, he was at a prayer meeting. " Saints were happy, and sinners were weeping on every side, but I " says he, " could not shed a. tear. Then I thought within myself — if I could weep, I would begin to take hope, but 0 ! how hard is my heart ! I went from one to another, to know if there was any mercy for me. The young converts answered, — ' God is all love, he is all mercy,' — I replied — ' God is just too, and justice will cut me down.^ — I saw no way how God could he just, and yet show me mercy. "

A no less satisfactory evidence of the genuineness of conversion, is when it is accompanied by an entire renunciation of self and self-righteousness, and simple dependence for salvation upon the precious blood of Christ. This too was a prominent element in the religious experience of Lorenzo. At the crisis of his conviction for sin, after " striving to plead with God for mercy, for several hours, one night, as a man would plead for his life," he fell into a slumber. He dreamed that two devils entered the room each with a chain in his hand ;

INTRODUCTION. vii

thej laid hold on him, one at his head, the other at his feet, and hound him fast — to drag him down to hell. In the midst of a desperate struggle to break | these chams, he awaked from this terrific dream, " and Oh !" says he, " how glad I was that it was only a dream ! Still I thought that within a few hours, it would surely be my case. I again strove to lift my heart to God for mercy, and these words struck my mind — ' In that day there shall a fountain be opened to the house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and uncleanness.' A thought darted into my mind that the fountain was Christ ; and if it were so deep and wide for the wicked inhabitants of Jerusalem to wash in and be clean, why not for the whole world 1 why not for me ?

Discouragements arose. He thought he heard the voice of God's justice, saying, take the unprofitable servant, and cast him into outer darkness." He put his hands together, and cried in his heart, " the time has been that I might have had religion, but now it is too late ; mercy's gate is shut against me, and my condemnation for ever sealed : — Lord I give up ; I submit ; I yield ; if there be mercy for me in Heaven let me know it ; and if not, let me go down to Hell, and know the worst of my case. — As these words flowed from my heart," says he, " I saw the Mediator step in, as it were, between the Father's justice and my soul, and these words were applied to my mind with great power — ' Son, thy sins which are many are forgiven thee ; thy faith hath saved thee ; go in peace.' — The burden of sin and guilt, and the fear of hell vanished from my mind, as perceptibly as a hundred pounds weight falling from a man^s shoulder ; my soul flowed out in love to God, to his ways and to his people ; yea^ and to all mankind,^^ The next morning, says he, " I scarcely touched the ground, for I felt so happy, that I scarcely knew whether I was in the body or out of it. I did want a thousand tongues, and ten thousand to the end of it, to praise God for what he had done for my soul."

What Christian that reads the above brief sketch of the conversion of Lorenzo Dow, and then remembers that this glorious truth of salvation through Christ alone, constituted the leading theme in all his future ministry, and that the flame of love to Jesus then lit up, continued to burn in his bosom through all his life, and that the love of Christ constrained him, as long as me lasted, to labor, and journey, and suffer, and preach, and pray for the salvation of souls — can for a moment doubt that his experience was a genuine one, and that Lorenzo Dow was truly and emphatically a monument of sovereign grace, i; For my part, most firmly do I believe, that — although rejecting, (probably viii

INTRODUCTION.

througli misrepresentatioiij) some doctrines which I regard as bible truths — yet Ms faith was fixed upon the rock of ages, that he held most firmly the great fundamental truths of the glorious gospel — the depravity of man, the necessity of regeneration by the Holy Ghost, and the divinity and atonement of the Lord ! Jesus Christ — and that he will at the last day be found among those who shall i have turned many to righteousness, and who will shine as the sun ia the firmament, and as the stars for ever."

The wife of Lorenzo,— Peggy Dow, seems to have been a christian of a kindred spirit with himself. The reader will, doubtless, be gratified to learn that her journal is included in the present edition of the works of Mr. Dow, and also a number of the publications of the latter (obtaiQed by correspondence with the surviving members of his family.) which have never before been embodied in any edition of his works. The writer of the present brief essay therefore has no hesitation in commending the present, as the best and most complete edition ever yet published of the works of this extraordinary and eccentric, but godly and useftd man.

JOHN DOWLING.

Berean Parsonage, New York,

March 1st, 1849

EXEMPLIFIED EXPERIENCE, OK, LORENZO'S JOURNAL