Asahel Nettleton

Asahel Nettleton was born on April 21, 1783, in North Killingly, Connecticut. He grew up on a farm in a family of limited means. He had only a little schooling, and as a young man he worked the fields and taught school in winter. He was a thoughtful and serious person, and he was strongly affected by a revival that touched his community in 1801. He came to faith in Christ and soon felt called to the ministry. After years of saving money, he entered Yale College in 1805 and graduated in 1809.

He was licensed to preach in 1811 and began work as a missionary in the poor parts of Connecticut and in the neighboring states. He was never the pastor of a church. For most of his life he was an itinerant evangelist, traveling on horseback from town to town, preaching and visiting. He lived simply and gave himself to prayer. He took no fee for his preaching, and he depended on the hospitality of those he visited.

His meetings were marked by quiet and order. He did not seek emotional excitement. He spoke plainly about sin and judgment and the way of salvation, and he urged people to turn to Christ. He met with those who were concerned about their souls in private conversations, and he guided them carefully. In the years after 1812 he saw revivals break out in town after town. It is estimated that thousands were converted under his preaching during those years. He was one of the leading figures of the Second Great Awakening in New England.

His work also left behind a mark in song. In 1824 he compiled a collection of hymns called Village Hymns for Social Worship, which was widely used in revival meetings and in churches. It included hymns such as "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing" in forms that became standard. He chose texts that spoke of the cross and of the believer's hope.

In 1822 he became very ill with typhus fever while on a preaching tour in Virginia, and he never fully recovered his health. He suffered from weakness for the rest of his life. He continued to preach as he was able but was forced to reduce his work.

He is also remembered as a critic of the new methods introduced by Charles Finney, who came to prominence in the 1820s. Nettleton believed that revival was the work of God and that preachers should avoid devices meant to produce a response. He objected to practices such as the anxious bench, in which those under conviction were called to sit in a front seat, and to the pressure he felt in Finney's meetings. The disagreement became public, and it grew bitter. Nettleton's more cautious approach lost influence in the following years, and the more energetic style of Finney became dominant.

He lived out his last years in Connecticut, teaching at a seminary in East Windsor, and died on May 16, 1844. He is not widely remembered today, though his labors had been blessed. His life shows that a quiet, prayerful servant can see great fruit and that the manner in which the gospel is preached matters as well as the message.