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THE KING ’S BUSINESS
told ■Him how her husband behaved, and that he would not let her attend meeting; and she drew very near to God. “As the bell was tolling for the people to assemble^ she came out o f her closet, as I learned, and found that her husband had come in from the shop; and, as she entered the sitting-room, he asked her if she would not go to meeting; and said that if she would go, he would accompany her. He afterwards informed me that he had made up his mind to attend meeting that night, to see if he could not get something to justify his opposition to his w ife ; or at least, something to laugh about, and sus tain him in ridiculing the whole work. When, he proposed to accompany his wife, she was very much surprised, but prepared herself, and they came to meeting. “ O f all this, I knew nothing at the time, o f course. I had been visiting and" labor ing with inquirers the whole day, and had had no time whatever, to arrange my thoughts, or even settle upon a text. Dur ing the introductory services a text occurred to my mind. It was the words o f the man with the unclean spirit, who cried out, ‘Let us alone.’ I took those words and' went on to preach, and endeavored to show up the conduct o f those sinners that wanted to be let alone, that did not want to have any thing to do with Christ. “ The Lord gave me power to give a very vivid description o f the course that class o f them were pursuing. In the midst o f my discourse, I observed a person fall from his seat near the broad aisle, who cried out in a most terrific manner. The congrega tion were very much shocked; and the out cry o f the man was so great, that I stopped preaching and "stood still. A fter a few mo ments I requested the congregation to sit still, while I should go down and speak with the man. I found him to be this Mr. H., o f whom I have been speaking. The Spirit o f the -Lord had so powerfully convicted him, that he was unable to sit on his seat. When I reached him, he had so far recov ered his strength as to be on his knees, with his head on his wife’s lap. He was weeping aloud like a child, confessing his sins, and
that they were a good deal agitated, although they both laughed. I went slowly toward them. They saw me coming, and were evidently much excited. One o f them was trying to mend a broken thread, and I observed that her hands trembled so that she could not mend it. I approached slowly, looking on each side at the machinery, as I passed; but observed that this girl grew more agitated, and could not proceed with her wcrrk. When I came within eight or ten feet o f h.er, I looked solemnly at her. She observed it, and was quite overcome, and Sunk down, and burst into tears. This impression caught almost like powder, and in a few moments nearly all in the room were in tears. This feeling spread through the factory. Mr. W., the owner o f the establishment, was present, and seeing the state o f things, he said to the superintendent, ‘Stop the mill, and let the people attend to religion; for it is more important that our souls should he saved than that this factory run." The gate was immediately shut down, and the factory stopped; but where should'we assemble? The superintendent suggested that the mule room was large; and, the mules being run up, we could assemble there. W e did so, and a more powerful meeting I scarcely ever attended. It went on with great power. The building was large and had many peo ple in it, from the garret to the cellar. The revival went through the mill with aston ishing power, and in the course o f a few days, nearly all in. the mill were hopefully converted. W IFE ’S PRAYER ANSWERED “ There was a hatter, by the name o f H., residing at this time in Auburn. His wife was a Christian woman; but he was a Uni- versalist, and an opposer o f the revival. He carried his opposition so far as to forbid his wife attending our meetings; and for several successive evenings, she remained at home. One night, as the warhing bell rang for the meeting, half an hour before the assembly met, Mrs. H. was. so much exercised in mind about her husband, that she retired for prayer, and spent the half hour in pouring out her soul to God. . She
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