ihat i was I list! j eondormied” When
I '.vent home mother asked me li 1
did not want somebreakhist. I turned
my back to her and toM h.er that I
die! not want any thing in this world.
81ie prej)ured brealdast and I drasik
one sip of colibc anl goc up from the
table. Slie told me that it she was
iu my condition s'ne won hi never go
to another party. 1 tokl her if tiie
Lord would forgive me for that time
1 would never o'o as'riii. (Ic was nid
wonii while for me to say 1 would
not go, for the very tilings that i
#^a!(i i w( U d not do we.e the very
things I did.) bho told me to go lo
the hoiise and lie down and go o.
siee|) that 1 won d ieei better. J
wentofl’and tried to pray to the Loru
to have mercy on and pardon me and
i wouiel never go to another [lurty, i
have never lieen to one since. 1 lett
her and went on as though 1 was go
ing to the house, but I got Over tin
fence ami went down into tiie wootl-
'where i genoraily wentto pray. Al
ter romaining there lor some time,
ttying to beg the Lord to liave nior
cy on me, 1 thought I had neither
friend in lieaven nor in earth. 1
coi'cluded Inat it was not wortn
while to j)ray for Jesus would not
ha-te mercy on me. I felt that my
«ase was too low for any merey to
ever teach me. I t'ioug..r J wouidi
go to the house and never prav again,
f()r if I went to hell it uordd be no
more than just, and role that there
was no other place fit for .me—hut to
keep from it J could not to ^.aYe my
liU:, flir I would try to l>eg t!ie Lord
fui^ mcivy day af ter cirtv. i u AiI} j,->
and see i-.ome of my playmates but T
could not enjoy myself witli them, 1
wouM stay in young crowds but w is
Jike one to mvseinbr it .seemed that
Ihev eared nothing for me. I tohl
rny mother that she did not care any
thing I’or me am! she fold me that she
loved me better than any thing in
this workt ; but it seemed that sh.e
made more of everybody tlianshe dii.
of me. I went on so until September
when i .-tarted to school—one day
my trm!blr..-i eanie upon me with
double fbree, more than tiiey had
ever been before—I tliought 1 would
5'o bank home, for I thought that
would be my kiet day on earth am!
that 1 would, go and see my mother
before i died, i fhositght my disease
had got v/orse ami sure I could not
live long i told her that I should
Slot go to school that day sis I could
dot Larn smylhing. I did not tell
iicr how J felt—I thought it woul-I
(disturb her. I knew 1 could not
aive much longer with my iiearfc in
fihis eomlitiim. I did not fee! like i
w. aid live to see the next day, and
W'ould .siiy if I had never been bom I
would be ten thousaud limes better
•otF. I felt willing lO exciiange places
witli smyLhing that had no soul to be
/saved or lost. 1 went on so about
three weeks, ami went to rny uncle’s
he had to go away, he asked me
■to take up a little fodder for him,.—
■I told him I would try. That night
i did not think I should live to gee
the next moining. I got up feelit g
worse than I ever Imd ami went to
breakfast but could not eat hut verv
little. I then want iu the field
ami came to the conclusion tliat I
was dying and t'Kmght J would go
to the house and tel! iny aunt inv
feirllngs, for I wanted some one to
knotv my feelings betiire 1 died. I
commencing telling her my feelings
and sue commeneed erving ami told
me slic was glad of it. i left ber that
morning and started on hack in tin
field ami thooght I would go in the
woods ami try to p^av one more
time. 1 eame to fvo stacks of fodder
a ,d went lieiiind thorn, thinking no
one would oce me, and fell with my
tiice upon the ground and said. Lord,
s.ve 'ue, a sinmad And a voice
seemed to say to me, Bear these iroii-
)!('S, you sliall have peace. I felt
some better but d d not know what
o) make ot t, t r I did not think
III Tcy could reach my case. I went
0.1 trying to ask the Lord lo h.ive
’m'rcy upon me when I hearda voiie
saving, Bear tliis cimss and tirliowon,
a.dinner snail be born again. J did
nnt fee! friendless then for 1 felt that
r had fotimJ a Saviour—I never fe.t
so happy in all my life. It se^imHi
that i loved everything beiter than i
did befi're anci felt as light as a feaih
er. I then felt that I could praise
my Siviotir fiirever, and commenced
si-ging and started to tlie hou.se to
ell my feeling-.; hut, before 1 got
tliere I thought if I told it that 1
w’onid deceive them all. 1 thought
il l was deceived I did not want to
dece.'\Mi_anV ((oe ol.-;s. f tried fo p-jg
my burden b.ack f>r I thought tliat
1 bad not siiflered half enough, and
thmigln if ! oiiid g ) over it again I
conl-i te'i how it left me. It seemed
to me that I loved the Baptists better
til 111 anything iu this w'orld. I w'ent
home and toid my mother of my
feeling, siie said she was glad to hear
me talk so, thatshe thouglit that that
was wiiat was the matter
with me h('f()re then, I then lelt
tliat I wc/ulii go before the ehuren the
next meeting, bu! felt so iiiiworthv
that L did not feel wmrtiiV ol'
their fellowship. I felt that no one
ever went before f he church with as
tittle a hope as I had to tell. I went
away and pronii.sed the Ijord if he
would enable me to go to (he next
meeting I would try and oifer. J
went on begging the Lord to give
me something to go before the church
with. I did not get any better until
Saturday before the third Sunday in
Xovember, w'lieu I went before the
church at Conoho, was received ami
baptized on Sunday. It was a happy
day with me and / felt that there was
nothing more for mo to do. 1 wont
oil so fer two or three days, then
doubts and fears began to ari.se, and
I think they will last me as long as i
1 i ve.
Your unworthy brother in iiope,
Whitmel Davis.
A .oopY of “Naaman the Syrian”
\5,’iU he furnished free to each new
subscriber to Zion’s Lakdmaeks,
Davi.sT. N,Tallapoosa Coxtmty, Ala., >
April 30lh, 1874. J
Elder P I) Gold :~
Dear Brother in Christ,—I was
iiorn in the year 1808, yet throngii
the merev of God Iain spared, and
pcrmitD'd to remain on the stage of
ail! ion a poor jinismner from time to
eternity, and why it is .«o must be im
puted to the goodne.ss ofGod. 1 have
for some time piast had it on inv iniud
to oiler in my weakness, for [uililii'a-
tion, some of my past exficrienee
and what I hope God in his great
goo ini'ss and love tlirough merev
has done tor my poor souk I was
iirought up I>y good parents, who
strictly reproved me for evil words or
actions.
Wlien 1 wa.s nine years old I went
'0 a funeral, and the Ministir near
the begimiiiig of his remarks sated
that he pi’eached not tr> tlie dead hut
to (he living, that all w'ere sinners,
and all waa’e eomnianded and ought
to pray, litlie hoys you are siniua-s,
and you ought to pray, wliieh wi,rds
seemed to reach my lieart, and 1 felt
troubled in my mind, and thought
that I was a sinneragainst God. Soon
after tliis b.'ing to mvselfltried to
pray, and it appeared to me that I
knew not wliat to .say, and felt (vorse
ilriii before. I feare.l (.lod greatly,
and looked upon him v,-h; n.v" be
cause I h.au ofFeiuie and s.niied
against him. I was me,An.-holy, and
when J mediiale-d or wlieii :o invseif
I felt lonely and .s.,Ie:cii liefore liiin
and knew not what n.d',. .After tiiis
I '.vent on. siiniing and pravnig at
tniH's a.s ] grew. 1 sometimes would
>
[ ;-o to vooatin-/, and woiifd (iceome
. more fully alarmed, renew inv dili-
I geiiee in prayer and meditation on
I mv unhappy condition. Again I
would grow cold and become ca eless
and uueoneerned about my condition
and omit going to the grove to jiray.
I often went to hear the Baptists
preach, and it seemed that the Min
ister kmew my feeluig.s much better
than 1 could express them mvself —
It w'us sfrange and nivsterioiis to
me that the Mini'.^ter‘.vlio iiad not seen
UK' or had information about me
I'onld know what mv situation was.it
u[)peared that he had aspiritdlseern-
ment that I knew nothing of, some
thinglike siipi'niatiiral. The.se things
in r ased my fears, and excited mv
mind to more activity in trving to
investigate or fiml out what my con
dition leally was. I went on this
wav fin- a time, and it .seemed tiiat
*■1)0 burden on my mind grew' lighter,
J became more careless about altnid-
ing to prayer, some time pas.sd while
in this more ea.sy or nneom ernetl con
dition, until being w-arned at niglit
in a dream ora vision either asleep or
awake. I tfsongiit that I was in an
old three story building much decav-
ed by time or age, viewed my.eelfin
the second story, knew not how I
came there, and looking towards the
-East end of the building I saw a
number ol'young permits running on
in fheir pastime and fooILshness at
which I felfdistresiied in feelings,
aii'l on the right of this company a
few paces from (hem I saw/ my
B;iviour and he looked upon me and
.saiti to me in a soft and gentle tone,
pray ye, go ye and pray. I hesitated
u moment t'loiigh fully decided in
my mind, and wisiied to ohev. I
found myself immediately out oftue
tne building, and he looked upon'me
and movetl off along a narrow white
path a little ascending, I followed
after liirn with a qnicK pace yet he
gained upon me, I tried to quicken
my steps, I tried to run he still gain
ed upon me, hut 1 kept the [tath a
considerable distance and came to
whi'i’e were three roads, right) left
and (he narrow or proper road. I
looked at the riglit, left and middle
or narrow stiait fiward road and saw
•ny 8aviour at the top of the moun
tain in the stand with his hands
stretclied, he looked upon me with a
look of love, he was fairer tliaii any
of the sons of men, virtue, love and
majesty, seemed to beam in his coun
tenance, and seemed to express great
desire for me to come unto him, (and
if I ever shall be so blessed as tc
reach the realms of bliss, I believe I
shall know liim.) It seemed at tin.?
time that I w’as notable tofoilo'.v him,
not al)le to a.-eend the mountain but
turned to the right which led into a
ilangeroiis forest inhabited by beasts
of prey, W'here there was no; uad, awful
fears seized my mind which are inex-
pressahie. I found myself in a
mighty wilderne.'-s.
I was attacked by three furious
d'og.s, which inereasedmy fears but tts;-
caped with but little injury. I press
ed fortvard where there was no road
until I came to a precipice of great
heiglit and .started head-long down it.
As 1 sta'ted down it / looked to the
top of tlie mount and .saw my Saviour
looking at me with a look of love
and aiixiou-. care for me. As /start
ed down the precijiice / caught liolrt
of some rotien root which g ive way
with me and a-^ /started to lean into
desti’uetion all was darkness. Soon
after this i saw mv,seif near the nar
row road I had left. Here closed
m\’ view and / was restored to my
com moll reiiolleetioiK Meditating on
tiirse tilings, i decided to live a spir
itual life, sill! / was at this time, liv
ing a niiurui lite. /.saw inv.self on
the pr.'cipiee, beyond tiie possibility
of recovering. My decision was, that
111 / soul had gone lo destruction and
was eternal ly first. / searched the
scriptures and read religious \V > to
find out mv coiKiiriou. / went to
the Baptist and Metliodist meetings
and finmd no relief. My case be-
came de.sperate—ho tongue (“an ex-
prcRs my .siifibrings—/ had eommii-
ted the uiqiardoiiahle sin. “Bun.yan’’
seemed to express my feelings, whicli
gave me a gienm of hope, thinking
he had traveled the .same road I iiad
wliich gave me a little co'nfort, /
re.solved in iny mind to read the
Bible tlirongh in order to find out
where / stood in the sight of G(k1.—
My c'a.se was euch an one as never