Shortly after having reached the conclusion that the immersion of believers is the only Scriptural baptism, at a great meeting at Concord, when mourners were daily invited to collect around for prayer, as was their custom then, and many persons were prayed for without receiving the expected comfort, the words of Peter rolled through Stone’s mind—“Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit”—and he thought, “were Peter here he would thus address these mourners.” So he quickly arose and addressed them in the same language and urged them to comply with this demand. The effect, however, was the reverse of what he intended. Instead of comforting the mourners, it only perplexed and confused them by directing their attention to an untried course of procedure utterly unknown to “revivals,” and for which they were wholly unprepared. “While their hearts were filled with ardent desires for special operations of the Holy Spirit and of fire, this unexpected presentation produced a chilling effect, and tended to cool the ardor of their excited imagination. Mr. Stone himself, indeed, quoted Peter’s language on this occasion evidently more from his anxiety to suggest some means of relief, and from his unbounded confidence in the Word of God, than from any proper understanding of the relation of baptism to remission of sins.” The independent stand that Stone took on the Bible alone greatly increased his labors. Kindred spirits speedily rallied to his support. The Presbyterians forbade their people to associate with them in their worship, on pain of censure or exclusion, but this caused many to cast their lot with them. Churches quickly sprang up over a wide region, rejecting all standards but the Bible and refusing to wear any name but that of “Christians.” Stone and his co-laborers now devoted themselves to encouraging and strengthening these widely-scattered churches. “SHAKERISM” Scarcely had the work been inaugurated, however, before the very life of the churches was threatened by the appearance of a strange delusion. A semi-religious, socialistic movement, known as “Shakerism,” had some years before this established several communities in the State of New York. Its leaders, hearing of the revolt against Calvinism led by Stone, sent three missionaries—Bates, Mitchum and Young—among them. They were eminently qualified for their work, and soon made sad havoc of the newly-planted churches. Stone thus describes them and their work: