sense of the worth of immortal souls was realized by all present. Brother Horatio Alden, of the Baptist church, and brother and sister Perkins, of the Congregational church, together with the deacons of both these churches, were much engaged at this time. Some that were

brought to kneel that evening, confessed that from time to time after that meeting, they had been brought to feel their need of a Savior; but the pride of their hearts had kept them from acknowledging it. I told my brethren at this meeting, that we must all take hold and be coworkers together with God, and we should see a great work of his power; and both denominations must unite in the meetings. This I was happily permitted to witness, and for some time this was the case, the Lord poured out of his Spirit in a glorious manner, and within three weeks the whole neighborhood seemed more or less impressed; but very few being left unaffected.

The next evening I preached at David Alden's, and the following evening at Andrew Alden's. At the close of the meeting, twenty-five persons arose for prayers. This meeting was exceedingly solemn.

I then preached at the meeting-house, to a numerous congregation, and was invited to preach at brother Paul Hathaway's. At this meeting the Rev. Mr. Colby attended and took an active part, and treated me as a friend and brother in the ministry, he seemed desirous for, the work to increase and spread. I preached that day from the words, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." This was a blessed meeting, and much good I trust was done. Many desired prayers at the close of the meeting. Several of brother Hathaway's children shared in the reformation, and are now living devoted to the Lord. I was informed that in fourteen days from the time the first person experienced religion in this place, upwards of seventy professed to indulge a hope in the pardoning mercy of God. It seemed to me at first, that this was one of the most unpromising fields I had ever worked in; but God soon appeared to vindicate his own cause, and the work of conversion in his hands was infinitely easy-soon the mountains were brought

low, the vallies were exalted, and the rough places made smooth.

"Great was the work, my neighbors cried,

And own'd thy pow'r divine;

Great was the work, my heart replied,

And be the glory thine."

From this time I continued to visit this people for more than eight months, and preached in both societies: I also held meetings with them at their private houses, and was cordially received by them. They also contributed for the support of my family.

After this work commenced, and a large number were converted, the Baptist church sent for Elder Stephen Nelson, to come and labor with them in this great work; he came and baptized a number. He continued but few weeks with them, and was succeeded. by Elder Niles, who also baptized several. I think his labors were blest.

About the first of June, I received an invitation to preach at the Universalist meeting-house in Halifax. I accordingly went; the people of all denominations attended, and the house was well filled. I had great liberty by the Holy Spirit in preaching, and have reason to hope that the meeting was blest of the Lord. A number dated their awakenings from this meeting, and some of the number whom I have since baptized, testified to the truth of what they then heard. The mem

bers of the Universalist society contributed at this time for my temporal benefit. I held several meetings with them, and was cordially received by Mr. Lion, a Universalist, and brother Horatio Thomas, a Baptist. I also held a number of meetings at the Baptist meetinghouse in Halifax, and trust some good attended my labors with them; I was received in a very kind manner by Elder Handy, and the members of the Baptist church.

After this, I went to attend an appointment in Middleborough, at a place called Miller's woods, which was a pleasant grove, where several hundreds collected together. It reminded me of the time when our Savior was on the earth, and preached to the multitude

with nothing but the green earth for a carpet, and the clear blue sky of heaven for a canopy-and his glorious doctrine was like the refreshing rain on the parched earth, bringing forth, in the hearts of his hearers, that blessed shoot, which, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, would soon spring up into light and life. No wonder that the astonished multitude said, "Never man spake like this man."

At the close of this meeting I reminded my Christian friends, of the different denominations present, of our Savior's sufferings in the garden of Gethsemane, when he no doubt knelt on the cold ground, and as he prayed, the bloody sweat rolled down his cheeks, and in agony and distress of soul he wept for the sins of the world. In view of this, I thought we all ought to kneel on the ground and pray. Not far from one hundred professors of religion came forward and knelt, and about fifty mourners also. We then prayed the Almighty God to pardon and forgive us. This, my readers, was a solemn time. I hope, if I ever am counted worthy to bow before the throne of God in heaven, to be attended by the same company, and then we shall see God as he is, and enter upon an eternity of happiness. And you, my dear reader-oh, are you preparing to meet Christ in heaven? or does his dying cry, 'turn unto me and live,' still plead in vain?

I held many blessed meetings through the season in this grove, and while young converts and old pilgrims have united in singing praises to God, the birds in the grove have made the air vocal with their songs of praise.

How pleasant was this grove,

When Christians here did meet,
And mourning sinners low did bow
Their heads at Jesus' feet.

How sweet the songs of praise
That echoed through the grove:

It was, indeed, a sacred place
Of joy and heavenly love.

The glorious sound of Gospel grace
Did cheer each fainting soul;-
Here Jesus show'd his lovely face,
And made the wounded whole.

CHAPTER VI.

July 4, 1831, preach at Carver-Remarks on the dayAccount of my Ordination.

The fourth of July, 1831, I attended a meeting with my Congregational and Baptist brethren, at the Central meeting-house in Carver. The Christians in Carver concluded, some days before, that it was best to spend the day in worshipping God. I think this was a very proper resolution. Christians of all denominatious ought to regard the fourth of July as a day of prayer and thanksgiving. It is the Governor of the Universe that has made us an independent nation; to him we are accountable for our national blessings. If the God of Armies granted victory to our forefathers through the instrumentality of George Washington, to whom are we indebted for the blessings of our independence? And furthe what nation under heaven is under greater obligations to God, than we are, for temporal mercies? Shall we then, spend the day in dissipation, and every kind of licentiousness? The sin usually committed on this day, has been great, and has risen up before God Jike the wickedness of Sodom; it has been enough to draw down his judgments upon us as a nation. He has borne long with us in this way, and let us consider and not abuse his long-suffering. Turn to the language of Jeremiah, and let us give heed to the warning therein set forth against an unrighteous nation:, ch. xviii. 9, 10, 11; "And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build, and to plant it; if it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good wherewith I said I would benefit them. Now therefore go to, speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I frame evil against you, and devise a device against you: return ye now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good."

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This is the warning voice of the High and Holy One that inhabiteth eternity. Shall we not regard the warning, and pray God to forgive the iniquity which has been committed in his sight on this anniversary of our nation's freedom? Let us regard the day henceforth to the Lord; let us say, this is the Lord's day, and we will enter his courts with thanksgiving, and with songs of joy and praise.

Many young people that attended public worship that day, as well as aged people, observed to me, that they never before devoted that day to the Lord; and they never celebrated it in a more satisfactory manner. Let candid, reasonable men look back since the declaration of independence, and consider the lives that have been lost, and the cripples that have been made, by the vain and silly practice of discharging fire-arms; let them consider the evil which has arisen from intemperance, the murders, and fightings, and loss of property by gambling, and of health by dissipationlet them mark the widow's tears for the fate of an intemperate husband, and the father's anguish for the excesses committed by a profligate son-and let them think of the blasphemy committed against the holy name of Jesus of Nazareth, and the sin and wickedness that has otherwise been indulged in on this day; and then let them say, if such an observance of the day is either acceptable to God or advantageous to the nation. Hundreds of souls have not only been instantly sent unprepared to meet their God, by this way of celebrating the day, but the seeds of vice have been sown in the souls of thousands, which has forever blighted their prospects in this, and the world to come.

In this view of the subject, ought not every minister of the gospel to raise his warning voice against such a celebration of the fourth of July? and ought not every magistrate in the land to use his influence in assisting to stop the misery and crime which generally follow the abuse of this day? If the poor souls that have thus been lost, could be permitted to leave their abodes of darkness, to visit us again, they would warn us to regard the day as the Lord's, and tell us to profit by their example.