Western  Evangelist and Baptist Messenger, edited by Elder  Peter 
Long, Greenville, Illinois, Vol. 5, No. 2, August 1849, page 15.

Morgan County, Ill., June 17, 1849.

Dear  Bro. Long:- As I have some new subscribers, I have  thought 
proper to address a few lines to you, and if you think proper you 
are  at  liberty to insert them in your paper, as I  have  had  a 
desire  for some time to write to you, but being a poor  scholar, 
and my unworthiness has been the main cause why I have not  wrote 
before now, and I have thought I would give a short account of my 
birth, and parentage.  My parents were both born in old Virginia, 
and  their  parents came to North Carolina in an early  day,  and 
settled  on the Yadkin river in Wilkes county, where  father  and 
mother  both  professed a hope in Christ, and mother  joined  the 
Regular  Baptist Church in her youth, and remained  amongst  them 
until  her  death; and father I think never  joined  until  1811, 
though  he led an orderly life, and was in the habit  of  holding 
prayer  in his family.  And I was born in the above named  county 
in August the 9th, 1795, and I must say to you as my parents were 
pious, I received many godly admonitions from them, and sometimes 
I  was  uneasy about my condition, but I was what  was  called  a 
moralist,  but  like  the rest of my  fellow  beings  in  natures 
garden,  at a guilty distance from God; and the most part  of  my 
time  "I loved the distance well," and went on in sin,  till  the 
24th  of December 1820, almost at the close of a revival, and  it 
appeared  like the christians got greatly concerned for me; so  I 
could  not pass without being talked to on all occasions  on  the 
subject of religion, but without availing any thing; but I have a 
desire to be thankful, I believe their prayers were in my behalf, 
and  on  the above named day at a night meeting, I  felt  what  I 
never  felt before, and I did not know what was the  matter  with 
me;  I  went home in great distresss, and could not go  to  sleep 
till  a late hour in the night. Here I must omit a dream  that  I 
had  that  night which is too long for this sheet, and go  on  to 
what I want to relate to you, but the thought makes me tremble, I 
must  say  to  you, I saw myself a great sinner,  so  I  gave  up 
everything like work and went to meeting day and night; I thought 
every  body knew what a wretch I was, (and I want to say  to  all 
that looks at this) that many times in a formal way I went on  my 
knees  in  time of prayer, but never did I try to pray,  until  I 
began to hate sin and cleave to holiness, and had I been left  to 
myself I should have still been in the broad road to ruin; and  I 
thought I had sinned so long that now it was too late, I think  I 
could  say with the woman, "come and see a man that told  me  all 
that ever I did," and I can say I hated sin in myself, or in  any 
person  else; and I must say to you there was a time when all  my 
bodily strength left me at the sight of my sins, and I thought  I 
was going to die and I would meet my final doom, but my  strength 
returned,  and  I was glad when I found that I did  not  meet  my 
final doom. So I went on in this way, and I thought I was getting 
further from God; so my burden of distress was heavy, and I think 
my very breathings was, Lord have mercy on me, the vilest of  the 
vile,  and  went on this way mourning of my  condition,  and  how 
freely  would I have given the world, had it been mine  to  give, 
for a saving hope in Christ, and I thought my days were few,  but 
I was willing to suffer anything that mortal man can suffer. So I 
can find Him precious in the dying hour.  And when I was  willing 
that his will should be done, prostrate at the feet of  sovereign 
mercy,  all  in a moment on the thirteenth day of  March  in  the 
morning,  just before day, my distress was gone, and my soul  did 
rejoice  in  God  my Savior. And such  another  morning  I  never 
witnessed in my life, and on the seventeeth day of the next month 
I joined the church, and was baptized on the 18th by Elder Thomas 
Whiteley,  in the year of our Lord 1821, and have been  a  member 
from  then  until now, and I have only lived  in  three  churches 
since and the nearest church I have lived in, has been five miles 
from me, and I have, when able with some few exceptions  attended 
to  the church meetings, to which I belonged, but have been  much 
afflicted  of  late, and am unable to work, or to  preach  to  do 
myself justice; but I still attend to two churches, but have made 
no  appointments  to preach since the first of my  affliction.  I 
have  one  to  baptize on the fourth Sunday in  this  month,  and 
several  more  at the same place we are looking for, and  I  hope 
that more will come forward at the next meeting, and relate  what 
the Lord has done for them. My sheet is full, and I would be glad 
for  to write more if I had room, but I must come to a  close  by 
subscribing myself,
 
Yours in tribulation,

THORNTON SHEPPARD.


An  obituary  of Lewis Shepherd appears on page 67 of  the  April 
1850  issue  of  the Western Evangelist (by  Elder  Peter  Long), 
written by Thornton Shepherd.

Obituary.

Dear  brother  Long:  I write you a brief account of  the  birth, 
life  and  death of bro. Lewis J. Shepherd.  He was born  on  the 
20th  day  of December 1801, on the waters of the  Yadkin,  North 
Carolina,  Wilkes county.  When he was a child, father  moved  to 
Kentucky, and though young he professed a hope in Christ, and was 
the steadiest child I was ever acquainted with, especially on the 
Sabbath,  and lived a remarkably orderly life, but could  not  be 
prevailed on to join the church.  But when he grew to riper years 
his  christian observance was not so good.  He married a wife  in 
Kentucky,  and  emigrated  to Illinois,  Morgan  County;  and  in 
process  of time, there was a meeting house built by  the  United 
Baptists,  on his land, but since, they are known by the name  of 
Regular Baptists, where he was generally in attendance, and  when 
it was the good pleasure of the Lord, to give him courage to tell 
what  the Lord had done for his soul, it was on Sunday  of  their 
regular  meeting, at his request the church was  called  together 
and  after prayer invitation was given, and he came  forward  and 
related the dealings of God to him and of his goodness in setting 
his  soul at liberty.  He was cheerfully received,  and  baptized 
the  same  evening by myself, at their June meeting in  1833.  In 
process  of time he was appointed clerk, and served  for  several 
years  much to the satisfaction of the brethren. At  length,  for 
certain  reasons,  the  church was  dissolved;  he  was  somewhat 
unhandy to any other church; he retained his letter: although  he 
moved  and lived convenient to a church of Regular  Baptists,  he 
did  not  join, but was faithful in attendance, and when  he  was 
present  and they were needing his aid, he contributed as  though 
he  had  been  a member in full fellowship.  He  was  in  regular 
attendance  with the church, but retained his letter. I think  by 
living in omission of his duty, he got under a cloud, and had his 
misgivings of mind, and speak to him respecting his omission,  he 
would  complain of his unworthiness; and thus he remained out  of 
the pale of the church until his death sickness seized him, which 
was in June last. He appeared for some time to be irreconciled to 
die; but in process of time he became more resigned to his fate - 
in  the  fore part of January he became quite feeble in  body.  I 
went  to  see him on the eighth day of January, and to  my  great 
satisfaction,  I found him in a state of rejoicing. I  will  give 
his  own words. He said, "The dark gloomy cloud that has so  long 
been on my mind is gone. He has taken my feet out of the mire and 
clay and has placed me on a rock, and will soon put a new song in 
my  mouth: praise be to his good name!  If I had to live  here  a 
thousand years I could not praise him enough for what he has done 
for  me  this morning. Now" said he "I want to do what  you  have 
often urged me to do. I desire the church called together so that 
I  can lay in my letter."  A part of the church was present,  and 
at his request I made prayer; the brethren present set in council 
and after singing a hymn he handed me his letter, which was read, 
and  the right hand of fellowship given with quite a feeling.  He 
stated that he had realized that morning enough to compensate for 
all the trials and sore temptations he had ever passed through.
     In  a word, he seemed to be swallowed up in  victory.  Being 
asked if he would have something to eat, he replied, that he  had 
been feasting all the morning upon the good food that cometh down 
from heaven: if a man eat thereof he shall never die. On  another 
occasion,  he  said he thought he was like  Fearing  that  Bunyan 
spoke  of: that was always doubting; but when he came to try  the 
river, the bottom was good. He spoke of Satan being as a  roaring 
lion seeking whom he may devour, but gave God the praise for  his 
delivering  power  who had kept him. Friday, the  day  before  he 
departed,  he exclaimed, "O that I had strength of lungs  that  I 
could  sing, but I soon shall have immortal lungs given  me,  and 
then  I  can sing. He called for his burying clothes,  and  after 
examining  them,  a  piece  at  a  time,  with  great  composure, 
expressed entire satisfaction in the selection; as much so as  if 
he  had made the selection himself. He gave the parting  hand  to 
all  his  family  and  bystanders,  admonished  his  children  to 
obedience.   He  gave  the  strictest  evidence  of  a   glorious 
exchange,  and  said  he hoped he would meet us  in  Heaven.   He 
lingered in much pain, until about ten o'clock on Saturday  night 
the 12th, when his mortal sufferings were brought to a close. The 
scene  is well described in the 650th hymn of Lloyd's  selection, 
beginning at the 5th verse. It was a solemn time, mixed with  joy 
not  to  be expressed. I will just remark the church set  at  her 
regular  time to do business, on the day before he died, and  the 
case of receiving his letter laid before the church, and the  act 
approved  of by the body.  In conclusion I will give some  of  my 
reasons, why I wish this published.  We have a large  connection, 
widely scattered abroad. I hope in that number, some of them read 
the  Evangelist;  and  if so, through that medium  they  will  be 
informed that their relative is no more. Secondly there are  many 
I fear that hold their letters of dismission: as such are  living 
in  omission  of their duty, and I am in hopes that they  may  be 
stirred  up to the discharge of duty. Thirdly, and lastly,  there 
are  many  of  God's little ones that are lying  in  a  state  of 
obscurity,  who  have tasted that the Lord is  gracious,  and  my 
prayer to God is that they may take the warning given to them  of 
God,  and  developed in the Scriptures, and be  admonished  by  a 
friend  to take up their cross and follow Jesus, which alone  can 
give an answer of a good conscience towards God.

THORNTON SHEPHERD.

Copyright c. 2003. All rights reserved. The Primitive Baptist Library.