A History of the Rise and Progress of the Baptists in Virginia.
Richmond: Published by the Author, John O’Lynch, Printer, 1810. First edition. 8vo (8.63 x 5.25 inches), original full calf, [viii], 446, [2] pages. No free endpapers. Boards and a portion of the text block stained by damp; cheap paper quite browned in a number of gatherings, with some staining and foxing; a good, sound copy. Item #21182
“In every generation, there will be some odd and eccentric religious men; who, like Sampson and Jonah, do much good, with a considerable mixture of evil. Mr. Chiles is an instance of this sort of men. Before he embraced religion, having a sturdy set of limbs and a resolute spirit, he often employed them in bruising his countrymen’s faces. He was likewise a gambler. But God, who is rich in mercy, plucked him as a brand from the burning. However converted in things of greater consequence, he was never converted from his oddness.” A detailed history of the Baptist church in Virginia, with a number of biographical sketches and anecdotes, as well as tabular statistics. Includes an account of the resistance of the Williamsburg Black Baptist church under the leadership of the enslaved tavern worker Gowan Pamphlet: “This church is composed almost, if not altogether, of people of color. Moses, a black man, first preached among them, and was often taken up and whipped, for holding meetings. Afterwards Gowan, who called himself Gowan Pamphlet, moved from Middlesex, where he had been preaching for some time; he became popular among the blacks, and began to baptize, as well as to preach. It seems, the association had advised that no person of colour should be allowed to preach, on the pain of excommunication; against this regulation, many of the blacks were rebellious, and continued still to hold meetings.” Gowan died in 1807, but not before he had managed to bring the church into association with the Dover Association. This copy with an early bookseller’s ticket on the front pastedown, “Sold by John R. Jones, Nearly opposite Eagle Tav., Richmond.” With scattered (and partially erased) ink ownership inscriptions for various Jones men scattered throughout the volume, with the occasional correction or emendation to the text, including a note on the verso of the title noting that the book had been bought for $2 on Nov. 20, 1811. Howes S-289; Starr, Baptist Bibliography, S2067; American Imprints 21322.
Price: $350.00