Unknown County GaArchives Biographies.....Goss, Benjamin 1810 - after 1864
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Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 February 4, 2005, 5:22 pm

Author: J. H. Campbell

BENJAMIN GOSS

  Was the eldest son of H. J. Goss, Sr., and was born in Elbert county, Georgia,
in 1810. He was reared to industrious habits, working on the farm from his early
boyhood; had scarcely any advantages of education, was quite moral, frugal and
industrious. While quite young he was awakened to the importance of religion,
and in a still and quiet manner sought the Lord, and found him, as he thought, a
precious Saviour, and enjoyed himself much in his private meditations upon God's
goodness. He delighted in visiting the house of God and in hearing the gospel
preached, but his timidity and backwardness prevented him from opening his mind
to any one. At length, after a lapse of several years, he was conversed with on
the subject of his Christian experience and was induced to relate it fully. This
inspired him with a little more confidence, and he ventured tremblingly to apply
to the church for baptism. About 1838 he was received into the fellowship of the
Van's Creek church, Ruckersville, and was baptized by Rev. Asa Chandler. Mr.
Goss soon became a zealous and active member of the church, would pray in public
when called on, and in a few years was chosen and ordained a deacon. He was ever
active and zealous in his religious duties, became a leader in prayer meetings,
in which he would sometimes lecture or exhort with great fervor. The conviction
was soon forced on the minds of his brethren that he was designed of God to
labor in a higher sphere, which, corresponding with his own impressions, he was
called to the work of the ministry. He would become so excited and animated when
speaking of God's goodness and love, that he seldom failed to impress those who
heard him.

  He was ordained about the year 1854, and for ten successive years he labored
in preaching Christ to the people with great earnestness, zeal and simplicity.
His discourses were uniformly short and well-timed as to the surroundings, and
were never known to weary his audience, but generally left the impression with
the most fastidious that, though the speaker was not a great preacher nor a
learned man, yet he was a good man, and was doubtless deeply in earnest in all
his unaffected and simple appeals to the hearts and consciences of his hearers.
He was pastor of Rock Branch church several years, and was greatly respected and
beloved by his flock and congregation. At the time of his death he was also
pastor of Bethel church. He preached his last sermon on Sunday, (preceding his
death on the following Friday,) at a school-house a few miles from his
residence, during the delivery of which he was observed to be unusually solemn.
His disease was brain fever, which produced delirium, so that he was deprived of
the privilege of hearing dying testimony to that religion which he had
illustrated so well in life. Eternity will doubtless disclose that he, and such
as he, accomplished more real good in life, and by the example they have left
behind, than many brilliant men whose eloquence has entranced thousands, but
whose lives lacked the savor of real godliness.


Additional Comments:
From:

GEORGIA BAPTISTS: HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL
BY
J. H. CAMPBELL,
PERRY, GEORGIA.


MACON, GA.: J. W. BURKE & COMPANY. 1874.

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1874, by
J. H. CAMPBELL,
In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.


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