She was the first woman to speak to a mixed audience of men and women in America. She was born to free slaves, orphaned at five, and taken in as an indentured servant. She had no formal education but became a voracious reader. In her words, “I was brought to a knowledge of the truth as in Jesus Christ in 1830 and a year later made a public profession of my faith.” She married at twenty-three and became a widow three years later. Executors of her husband’s estate defrauded her of any inheritance, so Maria Stewart (1803-1879) resorted to public speaking. She delivered four speeches in Boston during 1832-1833. Her first speech was to African American women, urging them to turn to God and stand up for their God-given rights. She said, “It is useless for us any longer to sit with our hands folded, reproaching the whites, for that will never elevate us.” Her next two speeches were delivered to a mixed-race gathering of men and women. She called upon Black men to let their voices be heard. “Throw off your fearfulness and come forth in the name of the Lord and the strength of the God of justice. Have the sons of Africa no souls?” she asked. Her speeches sparked controversy. Some pelted her with rotten tomatoes and tried to jeer her off-stage. Even close friends distanced themselves from her. She delivered a “farewell address” to her church and turned to educating Black children in New York, Washington, and Baltimore. Her meditations, first spoken at her Baptist church in Boston, were collected in book form and published as Meditations from the Pen of Mrs. Maria W. Stewart in 1835 and revised shortly before her death with the inclusion of her speeches. We conclude with her stirring words followed by a portion of her prayer, “God is able to fill you with wisdom and understanding and dispel your fears. Arm yourselves with the weapon of prayer. Put your trust in the living God. Persevere in the path of virtue. Let nothing be lacking on your part, and in God’s own time, and his timing is certainly the best, he will surely deliver you with a mighty hand and outstretched arm.”
Maria Stewart
Return unto us, O Lord God, we beseech thee, and pardon the iniquity of thy servants. Cause thy face to shine upon us, and we shall be saved. O visit us with thy salvation. Raise up sons and daughters unto Abraham, and grant that there might come a mighty shaking of dry bones among us and a great ingathering of souls. Quicken thy professing children. Grant that the young may be constrained to believe that there is a reality in religion and a beauty in the fear of the Lord. Have mercy on the benighted sons and daughters of Africa. Grant that we may soon become so distinguished for our moral and religious improvements, that the nations of the earth may take knowledge of us, and grant that our cries may come up before thy throne like holy incense. Grant that every daughter of Africa may consecrate her sons to thee from the birth. And do thou, Lord, bestow upon them wise and understanding hearts. Clothe us with humility of soul and give us a becoming dignity of manners: may we imitate the character of the meek and lowly Jesus; and do thou grant that Ethiopia may soon stretch forth her hands unto thee. And now, Lord, be pleased to grant that Satan’s kingdom may be destroyed; that the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ may be built up; that all nations, and kindreds, and tongues, and people might be brought to the knowledge of the truth, as it in Jesus, and we, at last, meet around thy throne and join in celebrating thy praises.
Maria Stewart, Meditations from the Pen of Mrs. Maria W. Stewart, 1835.
Rev. Dr. Peter James served 42 years as the senior of Vienna Presbyterian Church in Vienna, VA — 21 years in the 20th century and 21 years in the 21st century. He retired in 2021 and now serves as Pastor-in-Residence at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.
Even as a pastor, prayer came slowly to Pete. Read Pete’s story.