"In all my labors I was greatly assisted by the Spirit of the Lord, and my soul was comforted exceedingly; for the sick were healed, the lame walked, and in several cases where persons had lain upon their beds in a consumptive state for many years and were not able to sit up, they would be taken in a carriage, perhaps a mile, to the water, where I baptized, laid my hands upon them and confirmed them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost, and rebuked their disease in the name of Jesus Christ, and said unto them 'be thou made whole,' and they would leap and shout glory to God, and begin to mend from that hour. This was a common occurrence on our first mission to England. Many scores of persons were healed by our sending a handkerchief to them.
"I was instrumental in building up churches in the following places, viz.; Eccleston, Wrightington, Askin, Dauber's Lane, Exton, Chorley, Whittle, Hunter's Hill, and Leyland Moss, after laboring about four weeks, and baptizing in the neighborhood of two hundred persons, which caused me to rejoice that I had not labored in vain. More loving and affectionate Saints I never saw before; they were patterns of humility. All the above villages are within a short distance of each other, and near to Preston.
"After my return from those places I took a tour to the northeast of Preston, in company with Brother Joseph Fielding, where we labored a short time with considerable success, and raised up churches in Ribchester, Thornley, Stoney Gate Lane, and at Clithero, a market town containing several thousand inhabitants. At Clithero I baptized a preacher named Thomas Smith and six members of the Methodist Church, immediately after I had preached the first time.
"One night while at the village of Ribchester I dreamed that in company with another person I was walking, and we saw a very extensive field of wheat; more so than the eye could reach; such a sight I had never witnessed. The wheat appeared perfectly ripe and ready for harvest. I was very much rejoiced at the glorious sight which presented itself; but judge of my surprise, when on taking some of the ears and rubbing them in my hands, I found nothing but smut; not any sound grain could I find. I marveled exceedingly and felt very sorrowful, and exclaimed 'what will the people do for grain! Here is a great appearance of plenty, but there is no sound wheat.'
"While contemplating the scenery, I looked in another direction, and saw a small field in the form of the letter L, which had the appearance of something growing in it. I immediately directed my steps to it, and found that it had been sown with wheat, some of which had grown up six inches high, other parts of the field not quite so high, and some had just sprouted. This gave me some encouragement to expect that at the harvest there would be some good grain. While thus engaged, a large bull, looking very fierce and angry, leaped over the fence, ran through the field, and stamped down a large quantity of that which had just sprouted, and after doing considerable injury he leaped over the fence and ran away. I felt very much grieved that so much wheat should be destroyed when there was such a prospect of scarcity.
"When I awoke next morning the interpretation was given me. The large field with the great appearance of grain, so beautiful to look upon, represented the nation in which I then resided; which had a very pleasing appearance and a good show of religion; which made great pretensions to piety and goodness, and consequently of the gifts of the Spirit. The small field I saw, clearly represented the region of country where I was laboring, and where the word of truth had taken root, which was in the shape of the letter L, and it was growing in the hearts of those who had the gospel, some places having grown a little more than others. The village I was in was that part of the field where the bull did so much injury; for during my short visit there, most of the inhabitants were believing, but as soon as I departed, a clergyman belonging to the Church of England came out and violently attacked the truth, made a considerable noise, crying, "False Prophet! Delusion!" and after trampling on truth and doing all the mischief he could before I returned, he took shelter in his pulpit.
"However he did not destroy all the seed, for after my return I was instrumental in building up a branch in Ribchester. A mob of Catholics had combined, that when I went to baptize any persons they would pelt me with stones. I made arrangements with each of the candidates to go singly to the place of baptism, and about the time the last one got there I started quickly, got to the place and baptized them all. As I was baptizing the last one the mob came up and were disappointed in their vengeance, for I came out of the water, and they did not know how many I had baptized."
CHAPTER XXIII.
THE VOICE OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD—HEBER CONVERTS WHOLE VILLAGES—THE SPIRIT OF THE MASTER UPON HIS SERVANT—THE CHRISTMAS CONFERENCE IN PRESTON.
"My sheep know my voice, and a stranger they will not follow." So said the Shepherd of Israel.