"O Edwin!" his brother cried, "why is it that we have never heard of these things before? Surely God has sent you to us."
As a large revival was being held in the city at that time, they all decided to attend, and at the meeting and with Edwin's help the brother and his wife were gloriously saved.
When the meeting was over, Edwin was urged to prolong his stay. This he did, and he spent a few weeks very profitably in helping his relatives to become established and to learn how to study the Bible that had so long been only an ornament in their home.
His sister also was deeply impressed with the wonderful things that God had done for Edwin, but she was the mother of several small children, and her life was such that she thought that she was unable to make the necessary sacrifices. Edwin read to her from the seventh chapter of Matthew these words of Jesus: "Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock." Then he explained to her about the house that fell, but she only answered: "No, Edwin, it is of no use. I can not live it now," and thus Edwin left her feeling her need but unwilling to yield.
From his sister's home Edwin returned to Mrs. Kauffman's, where he was again treated with the greatest affection and respect. As he told of his experiences, his kind friends were deeply interested as well as astonished at the manner in which he had succeeded in his brother's home, and Mrs. Kauffman thanked God for so wonderfully answering prayer.
Learning that Edwin was again in the neighborhood, the farmers with whom he was acquainted did their best to engage him to work for them, but to all he said: "No, not yet. I have not satisfied my mind. I am still a guest in the home of Mrs. Kauffman, and since they are satisfied to have me stay, I think that there must be more things that God would teach me from his Word, so I will study my Bible for a while longer."
Baptism was the next subject that bothered him. During his recent visit with his mother he had learned from her that, as an infant, before he was taken to the poorhouse, he was baptized; but he had read in his Bible, "He that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved" (Mark 16:16). "No infant could believe or reason anything about the Lord Jesus," he told Mrs. Kauffman, and he asked her advice about having the work done again.
"You had better go to your minister and ask him what he thinks," Mrs. Kauffman said. Edwin improved the very first opportunity, which happened to be the following Sunday immediately after the morning service. Replying to him, the minister asked:
"Don't you think the baptism in your infancy amounted to anything?"
"I don't know," Edwin answered cautiously. "That is what I came to see you about. The Bible says, 'He that believeth and is baptized,' and I'm sure that I didn't know enough at that time to 'believe' anything, and the way that I understand that verse is that I am to be baptized after I am converted."