I cannot find words to express the joy I felt in my own soul at the close of this day’s work. All nature seemed to rejoice with me, and I fully realized the promise, “He that watereth shall be watered.”
The next day I visited eleven families, talked and prayed and sold and gave books and tracts in every house. In almost every house some feeling was manifested, and soon after several professed religion. Among them was a Mrs. M——, who told me it was the Anxious Inquirer that led her to Christ. I visited half the town in a week, and sold and gave away many books and tracts. Quite a number of those visited showed much feeling while I talked with them.
At this time special religious services were held in one of the churches that had but little sympathy at that time with the Tract Society, or any thing else that was not under their own exclusive control; and I was advised to stop my work till their meeting closed, for fear they might say I was proselyting. I attended all their meetings, and prayed and exhorted when called on. Their meetings continued two weeks, during which time twenty professed religion, most of whom I had previously visited.
At the close of these meetings, I told the Rev. Dr. McE—— that now was the time for him to have meetings in his church. He said he was not able to do any extra work, and did not know where he could get any preacher. I proposed to get the Rev. R. N. D——, who was then laboring as a colporteur of the Tract Society some fifty miles distant, to which he agreed, and I wrote to Mr. D—— to come on a certain day. During the intervening time of ten days I visited all the balance of the town and held prayer-meetings every night. The meetings became more and more interesting, and religion became the theme of conversation in every circle.
When Mr. D—— came public preaching was held every night, and the word was attended with the power of God. Every morning we had a prayer-meeting, and through the day visited the inquirers from house to house, and scattered tracts. By the end of four days thirty-five were attending the meeting for inquiry, and at the close of the first week thirty-three had professed hope in Christ, most of them the most influential people in the town.
The Rev. Mr. V—— then came and aided another week, at the close of which forty-two were added to the church. Thus did God carry on his work with the humble instruments he had chosen.
One young lady who had been an inquirer for two weeks, told us at last she did not care about being converted then, and left the meetings. In three weeks she died. Her last words were, “I could have been saved, but I rejected God’s Spirit, and now I am lost.”
Another came sometimes to the inquiry meetings, but owing to the fact that she was soon to marry an irreligious man, put off her day of grace. In a few weeks the day of her intended marriage came. She rose in the morning in usual health to prepare for the ceremony, but before night her costly bridal dress was her winding-sheet.
Four miles from town Mr. W——, a colporteur, was at work during the time of this meeting in the town, and ten were there added to a little church.
I have been thus particular in stating the facts in relation to this work, as it was the starting point of one of the most powerful revivals that I have ever witnessed. It extended over one hundred miles square of a sparsely populated country, in which near one thousand souls were converted to God within about four months. The fidelity and perseverance in the service of Christ of those thus brought in, is the best evidence that this was truly the work of God’s Spirit.