Band of holy men travels the land

Old Time Preachers came in a variety of descriptions with the personalities to match. Mostly young, yet already weathered to a hardness that just did not fit their profession. This band of men that traveled alone through the harshest of conditions to fill a need that was pervasive throughout this primitive land. 

In addition to their Godly motivation for this travel, they brought news of the outside world You see, they were working with people that were forging new horizons, seeking new boundaries, chasing a dream. Sometimes these people were so remote that it might be months before they would have a chance to even see another human being. They were starved for news and welcomed these travelers with open arms. 

Sometimes it was overnight and then sometimes these travelers would stay and make a hand at what ever job was pressing at the time. These travelers faced dangerous situations that would include weather, wild animals, hostile inhabitants, and the boredom of solitude. But they had a calling, a direction for their being, a vision of doing God’s work. They were the itinerant preachers of yesteryear. 

They had accepted the call to spread the Word of God to inhabitants of the frontier. And they represented many denominations of the religious sect. Included were the Catholics, but these monks and priests were usually in tiny missions and not so mobile. But then there were the Methodist Circuit Riders, the Presbyterian mobile ministers, and the hellfire and brimstone Baptist preachers. 

Others came along, but these were the dominant denominations. The majority of these Godly men came to quietly teach the love of Jesus to the people, but as in any particular group of human beings there were some that were more flamboyant and colorful. 

For instance, the likes of “Choctaw” Bill Robinson. A hell and brimstone Baptist preacher that on September 17, 1855, slapped two pistols down on his makeshift pulpit and preached a 4-hour sermon, the first Christian sermon in Erath County near the present town of Dublin where he eventually founded the Leon Baptist Church that was Dublin’s only church for 20 years. 

And then there was Andrew Jackson Potter, born in Missouri April 3, 1830, and was orphaned at an early age, left to his own resources, he became a jockey with a rough horse racing crowd. On August 23, 1853, he married Emily C. Guin and in 1856, he attended a camp meeting where he was converted and was determined to be ordained a Methodist minister. 

In 1866 he was appointed pastor of the Prairie Lea circuit where he frequently held services in saloons and where his rifle and two pistols served as useful symbols to quiet down drunken hecklers. He stayed where other preachers had been scared away and became known as “the fighting parson.” He preached the first Methodist sermon at the site of future San Angelo. On October 21, 1895, he died in the pulpit while delivering a sermon.

In the late 1800s, Presbyterian mobile ministers Ralph J. Hall and Roger B. Sherman were legendary men and preferred to hold their services under the stars. They served people in such remote areas that they found the people had never read a bible, heard a sermon, or even stepped into the inside of a church. These men often spent hours working alongside the people, rounding up and working cattle, and branding cattle just to earn a place in the hearts of the people. 

Z. N. (Wildcat)Morrell, that crusty old Baptist, came to the Falls on the Brazos to bring the Protestant religion to the frontier land known as Texas and to hunt bear with John Marlin in the Brazos bottom land and to fight Indians. He came knowing the Mexican government outlawed any religion other than the Catholic religion. Then Texas gained her independence from Mexico and became a Republic. Reverend Morrell preached the first sermon in what would eventually be Falls County. He founded Marlin’s First Baptist Church in 1852.

And there were so many more, and they were just as colorful, all dedicated to the work of God.

With Bible and Pistol

The horizon beckoned, “Come on.”

The weary traveler wiped his brow,

His pony was lank and drawn,

One more hill he would allow. 

 

The trail was long, dark, and hard,

Danger could show anywhere,

But the rider was riding for the Lord,

On his lips was a constant prayer.

 

He prayed that God would see him through,

Tho sometimes it was hard to understand,

He believed the Bible to be true,

This man that rode for the brand.

 

God commanded him to spread the Word

And the people he vowed to reach,

He’d bring scripture they’d never heard,

In this sermon he would preach.

 

Of God’s sweet word and His glory,

Yes, something they could hold onto,

Verses about the redemption story,

God’s love for all mankind so true.

 

He thought to meet their every need,

To quench their spiritual thirst,

To save their souls, he would plead,

Teach them to always put God first!

 

His pistol nestled in his boot,

And his Bible in his hand,

This man of God was resolute,

To preach God’s word in this land

 

 

Yes, this was his job to do,

Knowing that this trail was hard.

But he would keep on and see it through,

It was his mission for the Lord!

©  Ol’ Jim Cathey

 

Thank you, Lord, for the old-time preachers.

God Bless you and God Bless America

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

The Rosebud News

251 Live Oak St
Marlin, TX 76661
Phone: (254) 883-2554
Fax:(254) 883-6553