John Corbly was a Scots-Irish boy born in the mid-1700's in Ireland. He came to America at the age of 14.
Many things befell this man. He served in the Revolutionary War. He was imprisoned for refusing to pay taxes to the Anglican Church, and yet preached from his jail cell. He lost most of his family to an Indian attack. Two of his daughters survuved the Indian attack, but had to undergo several surgeries which drained him financially. He was accused of being a part of the Whiskey Rebellion and arrested, although there was no evidence and no trial.
The most amazing thing about this Baptist preacher was not the terrible things that happened to him, but what he did in spite of these terrible acts. He knew that God had spared him from the Indian attack for a reason. He went on to help plant 30 churches and pastored the Goshen Baptist Church from it's beginning unil his death in 1803. The church's name was then changed to the John Corbly Memorial Baptist Church where it can be found today in Green County, PA. He lived to see the Second Great Awakening in America, and is an example that God's grace is sufficient no matter what the circumstances may be.
To learn more, you can read the book Pastor John Corbly by Don Corbly or you can visit the Corbly Family Blog.
