Pastor of my dreams - Baptist Bible Tribune

Baptist HistoryBy Thomas RAYAbraham MarshallThe Eloquent Baptist PioneerAbraham Marshall was a worthy successor to his illustriousfather, Daniel Marshall. The elder Marshalland Shubal Stearns were the founders of the SeparateBaptist movement in the South.Abraham was born in Windsor, Connecticut, in 1748.He was converted at the age of 19 at Stephen’sCreek Baptist Church in South Carolinaand was baptized by his father in theSavannah River. Immediately after his conversion,Abraham began his preaching ministry.The first 20 years was devoted almostexclusively to itinerant preaching. Upon thedeath of his father in 1784, he assumed thepastorate of the Kiokee Baptist Church, achurch he would serve for the next 35 years.But he would never desert his first love, theitinerate ministry.His extensive “labors were not confinedto a single city or town, to any one county orstate, still less to a single church.” Abrahampossessed a gift not afforded to most of hiscontemporaries — the ability to clothe hismessages in eloquence. A biographer wrote,“His voice was one of great power, melodyand flexibility. In nothing, perhaps was hemore remarkable than the power of description.He would portray the glories of heavenwith such matchless force and breadth, thathis hearers could scarcely remain upon theirseats; and he would depict the miseries of the lost in suchterrible, burning language, as almost to make the hair standerect upon your head.”No man founded more churches in Georgia than AbrahamMarshall. One of the churches he founded was FirstBaptist Church of Augusta, which he organized in 1817 andpastored until May 1819. Marion Symms, historian of theFirst Baptist Church of Augusta, describes “Marshall ridingdown the streets of Augusta on his old white horse, his saddlebags packed with New Testaments and tracts which hefreely distributed, at the same time inviting all to come andhear the Gospel preached at the Court House. Often, merrygroups of young people would go expecting amusement,but they left us their testimony that having heard AbrahamMarshall they stayed to pray.”One of the most remarkable events in Abraham Marshall’sministry began on May 10, 1786, when he left Kiokeeon a trip to Connecticut, which ended six months lateron November 17. He had ridden horseback approximately3000 miles through 11 states preaching a minimum of 197times. Conversions on the tripwere counted in the hundreds.But the numbers who heardhim were astonishing. In NewEngland, he spoke time aftertime to hundreds and on oneoccasion to 3,500 eager listeners.Not since the days of Whitfieldhad such large and enthusiasticcrowds gathered to hearthe gospel preached and neverby a Baptist preacher. Benedict,the historian, states that,“Crowded assemblies followedhim wherever he went.” It is calculatedthat Abraham Marshallpreached to between 40,000 and50,000 on his journey to andfrom New England.One of his greatest personaltriumphs while in New Englandwas the winning of his cousin,Eliakim Marshall, to Baptistprinciples. Eliakim had been amuch respected and highly esteemed pedo-baptist ministerfor 30 years. After several discussions with Abraham, Eliakimbecame convinced that infant baptism was unscriptural,and in spite of family opposition, he and Abraham Marshallwent to a nearby river where Abraham preached a sermonon baptism and immersed Eliakim in the presence ofhundreds who had never witnessed a baptism according tothe biblical pattern. On the following day, Abraham had theprivilege of delivering the sermon at Eliakim’s ordination,who was faithful to his decision and embarked late in life ona new ministry in the Baptist denomination. The next day,Abraham left on his return trip to Georgia.For the next 33 years he labored faithfully and consistentlyuntil his death on the evening of August 15, 1819, atthe age of 71.20 Baptist Bible Tribune [ February 2009 ]