Saturday, September 17. Wonderful rain last night. Waters higher than they have been in a long time. Meeting at Liberty meetinghouse. Subject, Luke 24:46, 47. Stay all night at Adam Hevner's. Cloudy and misty, but waters partly run off.
Sunday, September 18. Sky almost clear this morning. Promise of a fair day. Meeting again at Liberty meetinghouse. Subject, "The Great Commission," Matt. 28:18, 19, 20. Come to John Riley's, where we stay all night. Clears up beautifully to-day. Our congregations have not been large, but they have appeared to pay attention to what has been said. A preacher of Brother Daniel Thomas's power cannot fail to impress an audience. He enjoys the rare ability of analyzing and arranging his subject matter in a way that makes its presentation easy to be understood. I have observed a very important truth, and I am learning its lessons more and more every day, that people can be interested only in what they understand. Uneducated people, and children even, will listen with attention to what they understand. Paul perceived this truth. Hence he said: "I would rather speak five words with the understanding, than ten thousand in an unknown tongue." Paul got at the very root of the truth, for his remarks imply that no man can make a thought clear to the mind of another unless it be first clear to his own mind. "If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into the ditch together."
Monday, September 19. Dine at Adam Hevner's; come to Greenbank, to Dunmore post office; then to Shenaberger's, but we cannot get across the river. We then go five miles down the river and cross on a bridge over to Knapp's Creek, and stay all night at William Harper's.
Tuesday, September 20. Afternoon meeting near Harper's. Subject, Heb. 12:12. Stay all night at the widow Harper's.
Wednesday, September 21. The widow Harper and Abraham Rankin are married this morning. Meeting at Andrew Harold's in Mt. Vernon. Subject, Matt. 7:21. After dinner we cross the Alleghany mountain to Alexander Gilmore's, on Back Creek. Night meeting at Green Hill. John 1 is read. Stay all night at John Divner's. Much rain this morning.
Thursday, September 22. We return to Gilmore's and get our horses, having walked from there to Green Hill and back to Divner's. From Gilmore's we cross over to Jackson's river, and have meeting at Valley Chapel. Brother Daniel Thomas preached to-day. His subject was 1 Cor. 1:8. Go with James Terry and take dinner with him. Night meeting at Valley Chapel. Subject, "The Conversion of Saul." Stay all night at James Terry's.
Friday, September 23. Come to new meetinghouse on Stony Run. Preach the funeral of Robert Gwynn. Subject, Heb. 9:28. Dine at David Stephenson's. Come to Godlove Hindgartner's; night meeting; subject, Matthew 11, three last verses. Fine day.
Saturday, September 24. Morning meeting at Hindgartner's. Subject, Matthew 7, last paragraph. After dinner preach the funeral of old man Robinson's wife. Subject, 1 Peter 1, last three verses.
Sunday, September 25. Meeting again at Hindgartner's. Subject, Heb. 12:14. I could wish that thousands could have heard Brother Daniel Thomas to-day. As he spoke of the holiness without which no man shall see the Lord, setting forth in strong and clear light what it is to live a holy life, tears of penitence fell from many eyes.
Monday, September 26. Come across to Liberty meetinghouse, on the Bull Pasture river in Highland County, Virginia. Subject, Luke 8:18. Dine at Dr. Pullen's; then come to Amos Deahl's on the Cow Pasture river in the same county and stay all night.