36. BIOGRAPHY OF
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he meeting being closed, I returned with ardent _spirits to my congregations. I reached my appointmentaki Caneridge on Lord’s-day. Multitudes had collected, xious to hear the religious news of the meeting Ihad attended in Logan. I ascended the pulpit, andgave a relation of what I had seen and heard; thenopened my Bible and preached from these words: “Goye into all the world and preach the gospel to everycreature. He that. believeth and is baptized. shall besaved, and he that believeth not shall be damned.”’ Onthe universality of the gospel, and faith as the condi-tion of salvation, I principally dwelt, and urged the sin-ner to believe now, and be saved. T labored to removetheir pleas and objections, nor was it labor in vain.The congregation was afiected with awful solemnity,and many returned home weeping.. Having left ap- —pointments to preach in the congregation within a fewdays, I hurried over to Concord to preach at night. At our night meeting at Concord, two little girlswere struck down under the preaching of the word,and in every respect were exercised as those were inthe south of Kentucky, as already described. Theiraddresses made deep impressions on the congregation.On the next day I returned to Caneridge, and attendedmy appointment at William Maxwell’s. I soon heardof the good effects of the meeting on the Sunday be-fore. Many were solemnly engaged in seeking salva-tion, and some had found the Lord, and were rejoicingin him. Among these last was my particular friendNathaniel Rogers, a man of first respectability and -in-fluence in the neighborhood. Just as I arrived at thegate, my friend Rogers and his lady came up; as soonas he saw me, he shouted aloud the praises of God.We hurried into each others’ embrace, he still praisingthe Lord aloud. The crowd left the house, and hurri-ed to this novel scene. In less than twenty minutes,scores had fallen to the ground—paleness, trembling,and anxiety appeared in all—some attempted to fly from » the scene panic stricken, but they either fell, or return- BARTON W. STONE. ai ed immediately to the crowd, as unable to’ get away.In the midst of this exercise, an intelligent ai st in theneighborhood, stepped up to me, and said, Mr. Siontiye 4I always thought before that you were an honest man but now I am convinced you are:deceiving the people. I viewed him with pity, and mildly spoke : a few wordsto him—immediately he fell as a dead man, and rose nomore till he confessed the Saviour. ‘The meeting con-tinued on that spot in the open air, till late at night,and many found peace in the Lo | The effects of this meeting through the country werelike fire in dry stubble driven by - strong wind. Allfelt its influence more or less. Soon after, we had a »protracted meeting at Concord. The whole countryappeared to be in motion to the place, and multitudesof all denominations attended. All seemed heartily to ©unite in the work, andyin Christian love. Party spirit,abashed, shrunk away. To give a true description ofthis meeting cannot be done ; it would border on themarvellous. It continued five days and nights withoutceasing. Many, verymany will through eternity re-member it with thanksgiving and praise. On the 2d of July, 1801, I was married to ElizabethCampbell, daughter of Col. William Campbell andTabitha his wife, daughter of Gen. William Russell,of Virginia. My companion was pious, and much en-gaged inreligion. We hurried up from Muhlenberg;where her mother lived, to be in readiness for a greatmeeting, to commence at ‘Caneridge shortly after. ‘Thismemorable meeting came on Thursday ordriday before.the third Lord’s-day i in August, 1801... The roads wereliterally crowded with wagons, car iages, horsemen,and footmen, moving to the solemn camp. ‘The sightwas affecting. It was judged, by military men on theeround, that there were between twenty and. thirthousand collected. Four or five preachers were fre-quently speaking at the same time, in different parts ofthe encampment, without confusion. The Methodistand Baptist preachers aided in the work, and all ap- ~*
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