I wonder that God spared my unprofitable life so long. My father was a lover of the truth, as it is in Christ Jesus. He had great respect for the Sabbath--hence the children were not allowed to play and frolic about on the Lord’s Day. I praise God for these early, godly impressions. Well do I recollect, when a very small child, sitting in my little chair, and singing with my father these beautiful lines, “O, how happy are they who their Saviour obey,” etc. At the age of eight I went with my father to a quarterly meeting, held in a barn. While the saints were upon their knees in prayer, I was upon my knees calling upon the name of the Lord. I felt something going through me like lightning, producing a heavenly sweetness; also that I had suddenly been put in possession of wings, for I felt like flying. As I look back upon this scene, I have no doubt but that God’s blessing was upon me on that occasion. I was frequently under such deep conviction of sin that I could not sleep nights. These seasons of deep conviction continued with me until I was converted to God. After these seasons of conviction I became more hardened in sin. On several occasions I was brought near to death by disease, drowning, and in other ways. If being delivered from the jaws of death in a variety of ways is evidence of our election, then I am elected, for I have been thus delivered. I praise God that our election has a different foundation--even JESUS CHRIST--the Saviour of men. At the age of twenty, I agreed with some of my associates to go forward to the mourners’ seat for prayers, as the preacher had said that the next night would close the meetings unless there should be a move among the sinners. We did not want the meetings to close, neither did we mean to get religion at that time. I loved to attend religious meetings, not because it was _right_, but to _see_ and be seen, and to enjoy the society of kindred spirits. The night arrived in which we had agreed to make a move, to prevent the meetings from being broken up. Meetings had been run for several weeks, without any apparent success, until _the_ night in which we had agreed to move. After preaching, the invitation was given to any wishing religion. One of the company went forward, and then another. I thought of my word; I had agreed to go. It was an awful moment with me. I thought that we were trifling with the Almighty. I would have given worlds, if I could, to be out of the scrape. I shook from head to foot, like Belshazzar of old. I was completely covered with sweat, so terribly was I exercised. The company had all gone; I was left. I started; had all I could do to get to the seat. God overruled this for His glory. Some twenty-five went forward that night. The meetings went on with power and profit. Many were converted to God. My condition was painful in the extreme. For several days after this I seemed to be on the boundary line between the two worlds, and about to be ushered into the everlasting burnings.