1053
THE KING’S BUSINESS
of this place; for we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the Lord; and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.” MARVELOUS POWER While I was relating these facts I ob served the people looking as if they were angry. Many of the people were in their shirt sleeves; and they looked at each other and at me, as if they were ready to- fall upon me and chastise me on the spot. I saw their strange and unaccountable looks, and could not understand what I was saying, that had offended them. How ever, it seemed to me that their anger rose higher and higher, ,as I continued the nar rative. As soon as I had finished the nar rative, I turned upon them and said, that I understood that they had never had a religious meeting in that place; and that therefore I had a right to take it for granted, and was compelled to take it for granted, that they were an ungodly' peo ple. I pressed that home upon them with more and more energy, with my heart full almost to bursting. I had not spoken to them in this strain of direct application, I should think, more than a quarter of an hour, when all at once' an awful solemnity seemed to settle down upon them; the congregation began to fall from their seats in every direction, and cried for mercy. If I had had a sword in each hand, I could not have cut them off their seats as fast as they fell. Indeed nearly the whole congregation were either on their knees or prostrate, I should think, in less than two minutes from this first shock that fell upon them. Every one prayed for himself, who was able to speak at all. Of course I was obliged to stop preach- ' ing; for they no longer paid any atten tion. I saw the old man who had invited me there to preach, sitting about, in the middle of the house, and looking around with utter amazement-. I raised my voice almost to a scream, to jnake him hear, and pointing to him said, “Can’t you pray?” He instantly fell upon his knees, and with a stentorian voice poured himself out to
first, I thought I must go-out. I finally put both hands over my ears, and held them with my full strength. But this did not shut out the discords. I stood it, how ever, until they were through; and then I cast myself down on my knees, almost in a state of desperation, and began to pray.- The Lord opened the windows of heaven, and the' spirit of prayer was poured- out, and I let my whole heart out in prayer. I had taken no thought with regard to a text upon which to preach, but waited to see the congregation. As soon as I had done praying, I arose from my knees and said: “XJp, get you out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city.” I told them T did not recollect where that text wàs; but I told them very nearly where they would find it, and then went on to explain it. I told them that there was such a man as Abraham, and who he was ; and that there was such a man as Lot, and who he was; their relations to each other; their separating from each other on ac count of differences between their herd- mett; and that Abraham took the hill coun-. try and Hot settled in the vale of Sodom. I told them how exceedingly wicked Sodom became, and what abominable practices they fell into. I told them that the Lord decided to destroy Sodom, and visited Abraham, and informed him 'what he was about to do; that Abraham prayed to the Lord to spare Sodom, if he found so many righteous there ; and the Lord promised to do so for their sakes ; that then Abra ham besought him to save it for a certain less number, and the Lord said he would spare it for their sakes ; that he kept on reducing the number, until he reduced the number of righteous persons to ten; and God promised him that, if he found ten righteous persons in the city, he would spare it. Abraham made no further re quest, and Jehovah left him. _ But it was found that there was but one righteous person there, and that was Lot, Abraham’s nephew. “And the men said to Lot, hast thou any here besides? Son-in-law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatso ever thou hast in the city, bring them out
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