I next went to Mr. P----’s and had a long talk with his daughter, a very intelligent girl of twelve summers. In a short time she professed religion.
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.