Morning Star

For the Morning Star

I wish to solicit the attention of the F. W. Baptists, particularly their ministers, to the situation of Northern Indiana and Western Michigan. Here is a large territory of fertile country, rapidly populating with intelligence, intellect, and wealth, people who are ready and willing to hear the free gospel preached. But Freewill Baptist preachers are but few in this wide extent of country, while there is every thing afloat for them to encounter. Though they feel not to faint, and are willing to stand to their posts, and give their substance for the support of the gospel, yet their numbers and means are too small to meet their desires, which causes Zion to mourn, and cry for help. And I think she might be helped, if we had preachers who were willing to locate in this beautiful and fertile country, who had the means to come and preach here and establish churches. They would get their reward with interest; and while I have heard my brethren exhorted to put all on board of Zion's ship and support the preached gospel, I have been led to inquire, if we had no preachers that felt willing to take their life in their hands, trust in the promises of God, and run the risk of starving or going naked in this land of plenty? The people here are willing to support preaching and help their preachers, and if we had Freewill Baptist churches, they would support Freewill Baptist preachers. But we cannot expect to reap where we have not sown. I believe this country will raise Freewill Baptists as well as Maine or New Hampshire; but they will not grow and do well without free pastors. I have discovered that those men who first came into this country had to fare hard until they got the turf broke, their land cleared, and the prairie cultivated; but now they fare sumptuously every day, and have to sell and to keep. So let the minister of the gospel come on with the gospel plough, bring a good stock of meekness and humility, holy boldness and Christian fortitude, a living faith in the Lord Jesus, and preach not himself, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and count not his life dear unto himself, and he will soon see God's moral vineyard bud and blossom as the rose, and will be sustained by those to whom he preaches.
A Freewill Baptist Preacher of THe Old SchooL.