John Jasper
Listen as Daniel Whyte III covers this message from the famous slave preacher, John Jasper, in the slave dialect as well as in updated modern English. Also listen to the poem John Jasper frequently shared titled, “Everybody’s Got to Rise to Meet King Jesus in the Morning.”
Daniel Whyte III
Today, I am continuing the He Being Dead Yet Speaketh Podcast series with a sermon by John Jasper. In this series, I am covering the sermons of great preachers of the who we do not have the privilege of hearing today because they did not have the technology to record their messages back then. There are some blacks who do not like to honor this slave preacher because of his way of speaking which carried over from his many years as an uneducated slave, but the fact of the matter is that preachers today stand on his shoulders. He was a man who did not let his limitations prevent him from serving God.
According to William E. Hatcher and Mary J. Bratton, John Jasper is arguably one of the most famous black ministers of the nineteenth-century who gained popularity for his electrifying preaching style and his ability to spiritually move both black and white Baptists. He began his career in the early 1840s, preaching at funerals of slave and free black parishioners and giving occasional sermons at the First African Baptist Church. His popularity grew quickly and not only among those in Richmond, VA. After giving a guest sermon to the Third African Baptist Church in the nearby city of Petersburg, Jasper was invited by that congregation to preach every Sunday. Jasper’s accomplishments are even more remarkable given the fact that he was a slave in the tobacco factories and iron mills of Richmond during the first 25 years of his ministry work during a time when Virginia law expressly prohibited blacks from preaching. Following the Civil War, Jasper became a full-time pastor and in 1867 organized the Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church, ministering to hundreds of local black Baptists, but many whites as well. His sermons continued to attract eager audiences, but none seem to draw more listeners than his famous discourse, “De Sun Do Move” given in 1878. Jasper’s work extended far beyond preaching to the devoted and attempted to minister to all black Richmonders. The Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church became active in providing community services including aid to the elderly and the destitute. Jasper continued in this capacity until 1901 at the age of 88, after half a century of serving God.
I will be sharing with you another of John Jasper’s sermons titled, Those Seven Women. But first let me share with you a poem he used to share from the pulpit titled, Everybody’s Got to Rise to Meet King Jesus in the Morning.
I will be sharing the original version of both the poem and the sermon as they were recorded first, and then the plain English version of both the poem and the sermon.
“‘Ev’budy got ter rise ter meet King Jesus in de mornin';
De high and de lo';
De rich and de po’,
De bond and de free,
As well as me.
“‘Yer got ter rise ter meet King Jesus in de mornin’,
Weddur yer iz purparred er no,
Ter Gord’s trirbewnul
Yer got ter go,
Yer got ter rise ter meet King Jesus in de mornin’.
“‘De lurnid and de unlurnid,
Barbareun, Jentile and de Jew,
Hev yer red hit in Hiz wurd,
Dat de peepul wuz drondid in de flud,
Ev’budy got ter rise ter meet King Jesus in de mornin’.’
Now, I will share with you part 1 of DEM SEBUN WIMMIN as it was originally recorded:
Did yer ebur git yer mine on wat Iz’er say in chapter fo’ an’ vurs wun? Listen ter hiz wurds: ‘An’ sebun wimmin (seven women) shall tek (hol’ uv wun man in dat day, sayin’ we will eat our own bread an’ wear our own ‘parrel; only let us be called by Thy name; tek Thou erway our reproach.’ De Profit iz furloserfizin’ ’bout de mattur uv wimmin,–speshully wen dar is sebun in de lan’, wen wars dun thin out de men and de wimmins feels de stings an’ bites uv reproach. I tell yer, yer bettur not fling yer gibes an’ sneers at er ‘omun. (woman) She wuzn’t made ter stan’ it, an’ wats mo’, she ain’t gwine ter stan’ it. Shure ez yer iz settin’ on dat bench she will fly erway an’ hide hersef, or she will fly at yer, an’ den, ole fellur, yer had bettur be pullin’ out fer de tall timbur fast. God dun settled it dat wun ‘omun iz nuff fer a man, an’ two iz er war on yer hans,–bles yer, it is.
“But dar kums times wen it goze hard wid wimmin. Dey iz lef out uv de lottry uv heavun,–dey draws blanks an’ dey gits ter be a laughin’ stock uv de ungodly. Not dat dey iz crazy ter marry an’ not dat dey iz uv dat flautin’, slatturn lot dat’s allus gallantin’ eroun’ ertryin’ ter git a man ter ‘sport um. Dese wuz squar, alrite wimmin. Wurk wud not skeer um. Dey wuz willin’ ter mek dere bread an’ cloes, ter pay dere own way, purvidid dey cud be Mrs. Sumbody, an’ in dat way ‘skape de dev’lish jeers an’ slites uv base men. Fur my part, I feels quite sorry fur dat class uv ladiz, an’ I kinder feels my blud grittin’ up wen I finds folks castin’ reproachiz on dere fair names.
“But my mastur in de skies! Dis pikshur here uv de Profit iz too much fer me. It mek me feel lik tekin’ ter de woods, in quick ordur. Lord, wat wud I do ef I wuz pursued by er army uv seben wimmin axin me ter ‘low each wun uv um ter be call’d Mrs. Jasper? It may be dat each wun wuz fer hersef ter de limit, an’ hoped ter shet out de udder six an’ hev de man ter hersef;– an’ ef she wuz ter hev ‘im ertall she ort ter hav all uv im. Dar iz not nuff ter d’vide; I tel yer, dar ain’t, an’ wen yer git er haf intrest in er man yer iz po’ indeed, an’ ef only wun sevunth iz yourn, yer had es wel start on ter de po’house ‘fo yer git yer dinner.
“A gud ‘omun can’t byar ter be oberluked. It ain’t her nature, an’ it iz a site fer de anguls ter see wat sort uv men sum wimmin wil tek sooner dan be lef out inti’ly.
That concludes the first part of the sermon DEM SEBUN WIMMIN as it was originally recorded. Now, I will share with you the poem and the sermon in updated, modern English.
Everybody’s got to rise to meet King Jesus in the morning:
The high and the low,
The rich and the poor,
The bond and the free,
As well as me.
You’ve got to rise to meet King Jesus in the morning,
Whether you’re prepared or not,
To God’s tribunal
You’ve got to go,
You’ve got to rise to meet King Jesus in the morning,
The learned and the unlearned,
Barbarian, Gentile, and Jew.
Have you read it in His Word
That the people was drowned in the flood.
Everybody’s got to rise to meet King Jesus in the morning.
Now, I will share with you part 1 of THOSE SEVEN WOMEN in updated English:
Have you ever gotten your mind on what Isaiah says in chapter 4, verse 1. Listen to his words: “And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.”
The prophet is philosophizing about the matter of women — especially when there is seven in the land, when wars have thinned out the men and the women feel the stings and bites of reproach. I tell you, you better not fling your jibes and sneers at our women. She wasn’t made to stand it, and what’s more, she ain’t going to stand it. As sure as you are sitting on that bench, she will fly away and hide herself, or she will fly at you and then, old fellow, you had better be pulling out for the tall timber fast. God has settled it that one woman is enough for a man, and two is a war on your hands — bless you, it is.
But there comes a time when it goes hard with women. They are left out of the lottery of Heaven — they draw blanks and they get to be a laughing stock of the ungodly. Not that they are crazy to marry and not that they are flaunting and galavanting around trying to get a man to sport with them. These are square, alright women. Work would not scare them. They are willing to make their bread and clothes, to pay their own way, providing that they could be Mrs. Somebody, and in that way escape the devilish jeers and slights of base men. For my part, I feels quite sorry for that class of ladies, and I kind of feel my blood gritting up when I find folks casting reproach on their fair names.
But my master in the skies! This picture here of the Prophet is too much for me. It makes me feel like taking to the woods in quick order. Lord, what would I do if I was pursued by an army of seven women asking me to allow each one of them to be called Mrs. Jasper? It may be that each one was for herself to the limit, and hoped to shut out the other sic and have the man to herself — and if she was to have him at all she ought to have all of him. There is not enough to divide. I tell you, their ain’t. And when you get your half interest in a man you are poor indeed; and if only one seventh is yours you might as well start on to the poorhouse to get your dinner.
A good woman can’t bear to be overlooked. It ain’t her nature, and it is a sight for the angels to see what sort of men some women will take sooner than to be left out entirely.
I will continue with part 2 of this message in a future episode.
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If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, allow me to share with you how you can do that right now:
First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”
Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Also, the Bible states in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
Now that is bad news, but here’s the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will. Romans 10:13 says, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
God bless you.
Daniel Whyte III has spoken in meetings across the United States and in over twenty-five foreign countries. He is the author of over forty books. He is also the president of Gospel Light Society International, a worldwide evangelistic ministry that reaches thousands with the Gospel each week, as well as president of Torch Ministries International, a Christian literature ministry which publishes a monthly magazine called The Torch Leader. He is heard by thousands each week on his radio broadcasts/podcasts, which include: The Prayer Motivator Devotional, The Prayer Motivator Minute, as well as Gospel Light Minute X, the Gospel Light Minute, the Sunday Evening Evangelistic Message, the Prophet Daniel’s Report, the Second Coming Watch Update and the Soul-Winning Motivator, among others. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology from Bethany Divinity College, a Bachelor’s degree in Religion from Texas Wesleyan University, a Master’s degree in Religion, a Master of Divinity degree, and a Master of Theology degree from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. He has been married to the former Meriqua Althea Dixon, of Christiana, Jamaica for over twenty-seven years. God has blessed their union with seven children. Find out more at www.danielwhyte3.com. Follow Daniel Whyte III on Twitter @prophetdaniel3 or on Facebook.
