No one else on board the vessel seemed to be delighted with these vast and beautiful works as were our company, because unacquainted with our dear Father, whose hand of love has formed them all. Oh, how blessed the pure in heart who see God all along the voyage of life! What a vastly different aspect everything wears when looked at in the light of God! Oh, how poor and meager the pleasures of the children of this world! How utterly tasteless and empty their thoughts and conversation! No place on earth serves better to call out the glories of a life hid with Christ in God in its striking contrast with the dark minds and almost senseless twaddle of the aliens than the deck of a steamboat. Even the more elevated seldom have a worthy thought on immortal mind; while every object our eyes lighted upon in the passing panorama of nature inspired our souls with joyful acknowledgments of God, and moved our hearts and lips to praise his name. Oh, what a rapturous and heavenly kingdom we live in, all flashing with glory and yet hidden from the blinded sinners! Having lost our lives for Christ's sake we are raised to the heavenly joys of the life of God in us, a life of bliss, that already transcends the sinner's loftiest ideal of heaven itself. Oh, the beauties of holiness! "Out of Zion the perfection of beauty, God hath shined." Never in all past experience has our heart flowed out more in gratitude to God for the inexpressible bliss of a pure conscience, a pure heart through the blood of Christ, an innocent life through grace divine, a conversation in heaven flowing from a good treasure in the heart, and, above all, a soul illuminated and inspired to see and enjoy God in every bright sunbeam that gleams on earth and sparkles in the silvery stream and every object upon the footstool of God.
God is love; the angels know
That Father dearly loves us so.
But, oh, the ransomed feel within
The burning love we try to sing!
This evening we start for St. James, Mo., the Lord willing, where we expect to meet once more our dear Bro. J. Cole, and many others dear to our hearts by the fellowship of the Spirit whose faces we have never seen. And best of all, we are expecting a glorious harvest of souls turned to righteousness by the mighty power and love of God.
The next report was written from St. James, Crawford County, one hundred miles west of St. Louis. Bro. B. E. Warren says that after buying their tickets for St. James they had but seven cents left, and that after arriving at the latter place Brother Warner went to the post-office and received a letter containing five dollars from S. L. Speck, who felt led of the Lord to send that amount. Brother Warner's account of their reception in St. James, as follows, is interesting:
The night following our last report, which was from St. Louis, Mo., we landed at St. James, at 12:30 A. M. The Lord directed us to a friendly inn, where we rested until the morning. As we sat at the breakfast-table our grateful hearts flowed out in our sweet little table thanksgiving song. The Lord wonderfully blessed that sweet offering of praise. It rang out and greeted the ears of all in hearing as the music of heaven. After meal, requests soon came in for songs. The Holy Spirit gloriously inspired our voices to sing his praises. Many people soon collected in front of the room and some came in. After a few hymns, we had family worship. We invited all that would come to come in and bow with us in prayer. Some did so. The Lord blessed our souls. Soon Bro. J. H. Morrison came into town, and seeing the throng in front of the hotel he asked the cause, and was told that "your people have come to town." He came into the waiting-room and introduced himself, and the Spirit of God gave us a joyful meeting. Sinners looked on with wonder and amazement, and were led to say, "These are truly the real children of God, and this is the right way," according to the words of our Savior, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one for another." Many seemed quite serious. Had we tried to respond to the requests of the people we should have kept singing all day without cessation.
The people desired Brother Morrison to keep us right there and have a meeting that night in town, saying they would see that all our expenses there should be paid. The landlady and family were also very anxious we should stay, and treated us with much kindness. The Lord reward them. The Methodist preacher also came to see what this Pentecost fire was that had come to town. When asked if we could have their meeting-house that night he replied that he was going to "begin a protracted meeting tonight." Suddenly the preacher concluded a protracted meeting was needed in his charge. Whoever heard of a Methodist minister commencing a protracted meeting in the month of July in the latitude of central Missouri, especially since that sect has gone spiritually to the frigid zone where, as their oldest living bishop says, "spirituality is frozen to death"? Quite a capacious hall was procured and well filled, and we enjoyed preaching the precious gospel to the people. About all received the word. The M. E. meeting consisted of three or four women, and was not further protracted.