Cross, Jonathan; Evangelists -- United States -- Biography; Missions -- Appalachian Region
I next entered the house of Mr. R----. He and his wife were two of the
friends to whom I had told my difficulties, and who had engaged to pray
for me. They had two very interesting daughters that moved in the most
fashionable circles of society. As soon as I entered the house they
knew my errand. I was directed to the parlor, and told by the father,
“I will send the girls in, and wife and I will go into our own room and
pray while you talk.” I felt God was there while I talked and prayed.
One received Pike’s Persuasives to Early Piety, the reading of which
led her to the Saviour soon after; the other got Baxter’s Call, and was
an inquirer during all the time I remained there.
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.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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