He was in this state of mind when the day for his ordination came. He determined to tell the presbytery honestly his state of mind, and to request them to defer his ordination until he should be better informed and settled. When the day came a large congregation assembled, but before the presbytery convened he took aside the two pillars—James Blythe and Robert Marshall—and made known to them his difficulties and that he had determined to decline ordination at that time. They labored, but in vain, to remove his difficulties and objections. They asked him how far he was willing to receive the Confession of Faith. To this he replied, “As far as I see it is consistent with the Word of God.” They concluded that that was sufficient. The presbytery then convened, and when the question, “Do you receive and adopt the Confession of Faith as containing the system of doctrine taught in the Bible?” he answered aloud, so that the whole assembly could hear, “I do, so far as I see it consistent with the Word of God.” No objection being raised to this answer he was ordained.
The reception of his ordination papers neither ended his intellectual misgivings nor his difficulties with his strictly orthodox ministerial associates in the presbytery. His mind, from this time until he finally broke the fetters of religious bondage, “was continually tossed on the waves of speculative divinity,” the all-engrossing theme of the religious community at that time. Clashing, controversial theories were urged by the different sects with much zeal and bad feeling. At that time he believed and taught that mankind were so depraved that they could do nothing acceptable to God until his Spirit, by some physical, almighty and mysterious power had quickened, enlightened and regenerated the heart, and thus prepared the sinner to believe in Jesus for salvation. He began to see that if God did not perform this regenerating work in all, it was because he chose to do it for some and not for others, and that this depended upon his own sovereign will and pleasure. He then saw that the doctrine was inseparably linked with unconditional election and reprobation, as taught in the Westminster Confession of Faith; that they are virtually one, and that was the reason why he admitted the decrees of election and reprobation, having admitted the doctrine of total depravity. Scores of objections continually crossed his mind against the system. These he imputed to blasphemous suggestions of Satan, and labored to repel them as satanic temptations and not honestly to meet them with Scripture arguments. Often, when addressing the multitudes on the doctrine of total depravity, on their inability to believe and on the physical power of God to produce faith, and then persuading the helpless to “repent and believe” the Gospel, his zeal would in a moment be chilled by such questions as: “How can they believe?” “How can they repent?” “How can they do impossibilities?” “How can they be guilty in not doing them?” Such thoughts almost stifled his ability to speak, and were as great weights pressing him down to the shades of death. The pulpits were continually ringing with this doctrine; but to his mind it ceased to be a relief; for whatever name it was called, he could see that the inability was in the sinner, and therefore he could not believe nor repent, but must be damned. Wearied with the works and doctrines of men and distrustful of their influence, he made the Bible his constant companion. He honestly, earnestly and prayerfully sought for the truth, determined to buy it at the sacrifice of everything else.
He was relieved from this state of perplexity by this resolve. By reading and meditating upon the Word of God, he became convinced that God did love the whole world, and that the only reason why he did not save all was because of their unbelief, and that the reason why they believed not was because they neglected and received not his testimony concerning his Son, for the Scripture says: “These are written, that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye may have life in his name.” From this he saw that the requirement to believe in the Son of God was reasonable, because the testimony given is sufficient to produce faith in the sinner, and the invitation and encouragement of the Gospel are sufficient, if believed, to lead him to the Savior for the promised salvation and eternal life. From that moment of new light and joy he began to part company with Calvinism, declaring it to be the heaviest clog on Christianity in the world, a dark mountain between heaven and earth, shutting out the love of God from the sinner’s heart.
In the joy of this new-found liberty he received such power that made him one of God’s choicest instruments in awakening religious society out of its apathy, and in preparing the way for the great religious movement with which the last century was ushered in. Born with his new convictions of God’s all-abounding love, was an intense yearning to bring his fellow men to the joy of such a salvation. While the fire was kindling in his soul, he heard of a great religious excitement which had already begun in Logan County, Kentucky, under the labors of certain Presbyterian preachers, among whom was the same James McGready whose preaching had so strongly affected Stone, while a youth, in North Carolina. In the spring of 1801 he attended one of these camp meetings, and for the first time witnessed those strange agitations and cataleptic attacks, which baffled description. He describes them thus:
The scene to me was new, and passing strange. It baffled description. Many, very very many, fell down as men slain in battle, and continued for hours together in an apparently breathless and motionless state; sometimes for a few moments reviving and exhibiting symptoms of life by a deep groan or a piercing shriek, or by a prayer for mercy most fervently uttered. After lying thus for hours they obtained deliverance. The gloomy cloud which had covered their faces seemed gradually and visibly to disappear, and hope in smiles brightened into joy; they would rise shouting deliverance, and then would address the surrounding multitude in language truly eloquent. (Biography of Stone, page 34.)
REMARKABLE MEETING AT CANE RIDGE
Returning from these strange scenes, he entered the pulpit at Caneridge with heart aglow with spiritual fervor. No longer shackled by the doctrine of election and reprobation, he took for his text the inspiring message of the great commission: “Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to the whole creation. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned.” Old as was the text, it came like a new evangel to this people, who had known nothing but the hard terms of a Calvinistic creed. The audience was visibly affected, and he left them promising to return in a few days. This was the beginning of one of the greatest revivals in history. On his return a vast multitude awaited him, and he had scarcely begun to picture before them the great salvation when scores fell to the ground as if smitten by some unseen hand. It is well to let Mr. Stone describe the scene in his own language:
Some attempted to fly from the scene panic-stricken, but they either fell or returned immediately to the crowd, as unable to get away. In the midst of this exercise an intelligent deist in the neighborhood stepped up to me and said, “Mr. Stone, I always thought before that you were an honest man, but now I am convinced that you are deceiving the people.” I viewed him with pity, and mildly spoke a few words to him; immediately he fell as a dead man, and arose no more until he had confessed the Savior. (Biography, pages 36, 37.)
The report of this remarkable meeting soon spread through the country, and shortly afterward he held a protracted meeting at Concord. The whole country was aroused and multitudes of all denominations attended. Party spirit shrank away and all joined heartily in the meeting, which continued five days and nights without a break, and great numbers abandoned sin.
On July 2, 1801, Barton W. Stone was married to Miss Elizabeth Campbell, of Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. Soon after marriage they hurried on to Caneridge for the memorable meeting which began on Friday before the third Sunday in August. The news concerning the remarkable meeting at Concord had spread far and wide, and when the time came to begin the meeting at Caneridge the roads were literally crowded with wagons, carriages, horsemen and footmen, moving to the camp grounds. The crowd was estimated at thirty thousand. During the meeting four or five preachers were frequently speaking at the same time, in different parts of the encampment, without confusion. All denominations joined in the conduct of the meeting. Party spirit for the time had disappeared, and all united in the great work. Multitudes abandoned sin and entered the profession and practice of religion. The meeting continued six or seven days and nights, and would have continued longer but food for the multitude could not be found.