Key Verse: Verse 4 – “And said unto him, Run, speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls for the multitude of men and cattle therein:”
Key Words: Run, speak to this young man
The following was taken from the book The Day in Baptist History by Wayne Thompson and David L. Cummins:
“John Waller was one of the more able preachers of his time. As we have seen, before his conversion, his capability in profanity earned him the sobriquet of ‘Swearin Jack.’ His ability in the pulpit in preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ and pointing out the errors of the dominant religious system of his day attracted the attention of the religious civil authorities. Besides spending a total of one hundred and thirteen days in four different county jails for preaching, Waller was subject to severe physical abuse. John Waller gave the following account of one such attack that took place in Caroline County, Virginia, during a worship service in a home.
“‘While he was singing, the Parson of the Parish would keep running the end of his horse whip in his mouth, laying his whip across the hymn book, etc. When done singing, he proceeded in prayer. In it he was violently jerked off the stage; they caught him by the back part of his neck, beat his head against the ground, sometimes up, sometimes down, they carried him through a gate that stood some considerable distance, where a gentleman gave him something not much less than twenty lashes with his horse whip. After they carried him through a long lane, they stopped in order for him to dispute with the parson. The parson came up, gave him abominable ill language, and away he went with his clerk and one more. Then Brother Waller was released, went back to singing praises to God, mounted the stage and preached with a great deal of liberty.’
“Another time he was preaching, a huge fellow pulled him down and dragged him by his hair. A second, as stout as the first, ran to rescue Waller. One took hold one hand and the other of the other hand so that between friend and foe poor Waller was about to lose both arms. The hurt remained with him for many weeks.
“On November 8, 1793, he moved to the state of South Carolina. John Waller’s daughter had married Elder Abraham Marshall, a Baptist evangelist and son of the well-known preacher and planter, Daniel Marshall. Some speculate that she was Waller’s favorite daughter and he desired to be near them. Also, good land could be purchased cheaply there, and he felt that his labors had come to an end in Virginia. Waller’s work in his new home was blessed as he helped to establish two churches, but his ministry never had the impact of his ministry in Virginia.
“He preached thirty-five years, baptized more than two thousand persons, assisted in ordaining twenty-seven ministers and in constituting eighteen churches. His last sermon, at the funeral of a young man, was taken from Zechariah 2:4, “Run, speak to this young man.” He addressed the young in feeble, touching strains, saying that it was his last sermon. He spoke until his strength failed and then tottered to a bed from which he was carried to his house. He died July 4, 1802, in his sixty-second year.”
John Waller represents the men and women who paid a dear price for religious liberty. He carried the scars of his scourging to his grave, which is in the Waller-Hackett family burial ground in Abbeville County, near Greenwood, South Carolina.
Dr. Mike Rouse
What to do:
✞ Praise God for men and women who make a spiritual difference in our country.
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