Zion’s Landmark : Wilson, N. C.
4
] would try to pray again,
Afllii’tions, though they seem scyeix?,
(fin tiinwgh mercy sie sent,
They stopped tlie prodigiil's career
And caused him to repent.
I reached nty lonely liouse, and bc-
fitre rcacSutig the door these words
were whispered in my ears, Yoa are
not fittetl to live, and not prepared to
tlie. I for a few minutes wished that
the nountatns tuight fall down on
nil, and iidc me from evay niortal
■fn-e. My sins came up liefore me on
every side, and I felt t!u\t I was com
pletely wailed in by sin. I opened
the door of the house and everything
was as still a.s death. My wife was
gone, and my two little diildren sep
arated from me.
My tirst thoiEght was to take the
ministers advice and read David’s
troubles. I seated myself out in the
porch and commenced reading the
Yew Ttstament, and to my surprise
these words were whispered in my
«irs, “ Jesus is knocking at the door
Cff your heart.” I immediately left
niy seat and went back in the house,
and while meditating I was con-
s-tr'iined to try to pray, which I did,
but seemed to get no better. I tried
to ask the Lord that I might not be-
iccelv‘(!. It seemed to be niv
\ !», o *
»tc!onge.-t mi[)ression to pray an hon-
c.st; .prayer. I seated myself again,
and the colored man that lived with
me passed by and asked mo (o go
over and look at tlie tobacco plants;
1 ''told him that I would after a
while. Soon I left the house, and
on my way to look at tlie plants I
r>.me to a small stream, and thougiit
could
man
loll
lie vJwy 'real!li|(r agreed to, aiill took
up his plow and started off in the di
rection where we intended to work.
I remarked to him that I would go
by the house. I. had not gone more
than fifty steps (near the foot of a
liill,) when I heard these words, in a
small still voice, ‘'stand still and.see
the salvation of your own soul.” I
called the cclored man to come down
tome; he did so, and brought his
wife with him. I told them that I
wanted to pray, and vlesired them to
bow down with me. They did so.—
At this moment I was shrouded in
darkness with both hands clenched.
The woman ran and brought a buck-
r-t of water, and when I found myself
I was on my feet with both hands in
the bucket. The man took me by
the hand and lead me to his cabin.
As I entered the door I requested him
to let me lay down across the bel—
tliere I remained for some time, in a
praying condition. Seou I found
myself setting up on the bed, view
ing my hands; and asked the colored
people to be not alarmed, for it was
Jesus. I asked the woman to sing—
she commenced a song, and I began
to rejoice. Light here, I can safely
say, that it was beyond expression to
tell of the joy that I was filled with.
I went over to my sister’s, still
nfioicing. I then went to see aiioth-
«r sister who had belonged to the Old
School Baptists for a great many
vears. Still, in this feast of reji icing,
1 had to go to my father-in-lav\'s.
I returned home at last and asked
myself this question, Is it possible
that I have deceived my best frieuds?
God forbid, if I had done them any
wrong. Fear and doubt seemed to
he ail about me. I seated myself
and had a desire to open the book
and that it might give me some ease
and comfort, t read from the first
cliajJer of James down to the last
verse, “ Pure religion and undefiled
before God and the Father,” &c.
Here i became reconcileil tliat it is
God that works in us both to will
and to do of Ids good pleasure.
After reading the scriptures for
some time I offered to the Clmrch,
and was received and haptisted by
Fdder James S. Damerou. After
this I had lasting impressions to try to
|ireach the word of God, and refused
to do so for some time. At last my
impression continued to grow so
strong that I went out in the woods
and made a shelter, and made seats,
and had two appointments a day—
one for the white people, and one for
(he colored people. My imjiresslon
wa-s first drawn out to the colored
people, for I thought they had been
neglected.
Mav^ God bless what lias tieen
written—may his name have the
praise
Eliason C. Dodjson.
ri ir.cetoii, N. C., Sep., 17th, 1876.
Elder P. G Go/d,—Dear Brother:—
Having been requested by some of
the brethren, and having an uncle
who is a member of the PriHiitive
Baptist Church, who cannot hear, al
so desiring t' know the reason of my
ho[)e in Christ, I have concluded to
try and write a portion of what I am
trusting to lie (the dealings of l!u^
child. The child, for a time, would
grow weaker, till almost all hopes of
its restoration were banished. I at
last concluded that the child was suf
fering on my account. I would
sometimes be in the house and some
times would be walkibg the yard,
and sometimes be in some secret
place, trying to pray for the restora
tion of the child. It appeared to me
that even my wife could bear to part
with it better than I could, I went
off* in the dark to try to implore God
to spare it. I went, and on my re
turn from the lonesome place, I
heard sometliing say with power,
that no one knows only by experi
ence—yon had better pray for your
self. I stopped, and desired to see
the salvation of the Lord. I then
turned around and went back and
tried to pray for myself, feeling that
it would be an everlasting separation
between me and our dear child to de
part from it. After a wliile I went
to the house, feeling that I was go
ing to die. It was then about an
hour till day. J went and lay down
across the bed with the child, never
expecting to .see the snn rise again.—
There I saw, as it were, a pole—one
end was at the door of my house, ex
tendi
iort
Something said.
did, until I
; (tlie (lealii)
||^M|as sho^
[.orJ wis,^) nioj^rqas sho^ii '■'py ay;*-
know luAv.
The first awakening was one Sat
urday about 10 o’clock—meeting day
at Joimstoii Union. I had not been
aceustomed to going to meeting dur
ing the week. So I went to plowing
(as that was my occupation at that
time,) and saw people pass on their
way to preaching. I heard a voice
saying to me, forcibly, “Go and hear
the gospel preached !” I ran to the
house and mv wife asked, “ What
is the matter
•V’
I
said
I believe
I will go to meeting!” She said,
“ Your clothes are ready !” About
this time I felt to be in the same
condition tluit I was before the voice
spoke to me ; therefore I returned to
niy work and never went to preach
ing until Sunday. I then discover-
ed that the preaching did not sound
to me as it did before. My feelings
(sins) caused mo to take as low a seat
in the house as I could get; though
notwithstanding my low down feel
ings [ contiiuierl to go to meeting,
desiring to know the way of truth
that maketii free indeed.
I always believed, .sentimentally,
in the doctrine i>reac!ied by Primi
tive Baptists.
After a while we had a child tliat
was taken very ill ; all the ueighbor.s
believed it would die. The suffering
cliild and the full anticipatiau of its
death caused mo trouble beyond ex
pression, ural, at the same time, I be
lie re, brethren and sisters, that my
sins were going on to judgment,
wiiile it appeared that conviction for
my sins was all or more than I could
bear^ In my feeble petitions I would
try to pray for iio recovery of the
walk the pale! which J
met two men, and one of them said
to me, St'ek and ye shall find, knock
and it shall be ojtened unto you. I
eontiiuied*to walk the pole until I
got in sight of a new, large, white
building—a house, I trust, not made
iwith hands. Mdien I saw the build
ing I ran as fist as I c«iuld until I
t!>o iMor. when it;^ was open
ed and I we|it in, wlierc I .saw the
man that led me, and all his chil
dren, Tliey were all dressed alike.
I looked and fnind that I was dress
ed like they were, and took a scat
with them. I did not sit long before
I got np and said, I must go back.
The same man, I trust, who said, J
will lead the blind by a way they
have not trod, Ac., told me to go
back and stay a while, that I should
come again, for there was a .seat pre
pared for me. I went out and walk
ed the pole until I got to the end
and stepped off. I then awoke, and
got up.and went to the door to try to
keep in sight of the wonderful scene
or vision. j\Iy wife asked me what
was the matter. I told her there
was nothing the matter with me. I
felt new and everything seemed to
The 81111 was then
and it shone
high
be praising Goii
about one hour
beautifully.
My burden then seemed to he
gone, and 1 felt tliat God, for Christ’s
sake, had extended his. inerey to me
— instead of death—and eau.sed me to
rejoieo with joy nnspeakabh; and full
of glory. Our child .soon recovered.
Brethren, I wish [ emild use lan
guage to expro.ss my,self.
I was received in the Church at
Johnston Union, and baptized witli
five others, July 9th, 1870.
Brother Gold, in iny distrc.ss I
felt to bo friendles,s and forsaken—
ti'iendles.s both in heaven and on
earth.. In time of mv conviction 1
tried to do all I could to plca.se my
wif‘(‘ and motlier.
My wife will send you her cx[>eri-
enco aficr a while.
Yoiurs, ill hope of eternal life, '
/sADOCK. TuoMF.SO>\
Columbia, Tyriell County, N. C.,
October 21st, 1876.
Dear Brother Gold:—
H aving been requested by the
Churches composing the Union Meet
ing which assembled at Betlilehem
Meeting House, in Tyrrell County,
N. C., on Friday before the tliird
Lord’s day in October, 1876, I send
you this:
The above named Church, and the
Church at South Mattamuskeet, in
Hyde County, N. C.^ having unitesi
together in a union meeting capacity,
the following is the plan of their con
stitution :
1st. This meeting sliall be known
by the name of the Eastern Union
Meeting.
2nd. Each meeting shall have
power to adjourn to any time and
place they may see proper, so that the
diff'ereut Churches in the Union l>e
equally beiiefitted by their several
appointments.
Srd. When assembled they shall
make choice of a Moderator and Clerk,
and the Clerkof said meeting shall en
ter the minutes of the Conference;
and transmit them to the next meet
ing-
4tii. a book shall be procured, in
which all the minutes of the different
Conferences shall be inserted, from
time to lime, and a Clerk appointed
to record the same.
5tii. In time of Conference each
mtraber shall be entitled to liberty of
speech, but shall first arise and ad
dress the Moderator.
6th. Eo person shall be admitted
to speak more than three times on
any .one subject, without perndssion
frorrrtlie Conference.' T /
7th. Any motion made aqra sec
onded shall come under considera
tion of the meeting, unless withdrawn
by the j)er.son who made it.
8th. Every cxise or cpiery present
ed in writing shall l^e twice read, if
recpiircd, and before debated shall be;
received by a majority of the meeting
then pre.sent.
9th. New Churches that may
hereafter be constituted, or now con-
constituted, lying and being within
the bounds of the Eastern part of the
Kehukee Association, or convenient
thereto, may be admitted into-this
Unli'ii.
10th. At the time of Conference a
door shall be opened for admis.sion to
Church membership by tlie ordinance
of baptism.
11th. The ordinance of the LorcFs,
Supper shall he administered at tlie
time of each Union Meeting, on one
of the dav,s which the Confereme
may appoint.
12th. The meetings shall lx; open
ed and closed by prayer and prair-i.v
to Almighty Goi!.,
! Our next Union meeting Is a]>-
[ polmcd to he lield’ with South Matta-
i muskeet Cbnreh, at Eeaulah Meeting
i lIou.se, in Hyde County, N. C.. to
I commenc'e-uu Friday before tlie fir.~t
I Lord’.s (fciy in December,, 1876,; wor-
sliip. to commence at 10 o’clock, .1.
M.,, stid continue tLree days. At
which, timio and ])l:U'e, iirethren, we
liojie to see-a goixlly number of you.
present, so thnt we luny experieiusi
I Imw gooil and how p.leasant it is fir
■ brethren to dwell together in unify.
Done I'V order of Uouference, and
sIi’^iK'd In bolialf of the Union.
Mav the Eoi’d envwn tlu'se mce;-
ing.s. with .success, Is the prayer ot* the-
imwostlry writer,
IV .M. Rx7V.S>EJ>8..
/-r-