ethers groaned, but I cannot say much good was done; however, I hope it was not altogether labour lost. Next morning, we went to quarterlymeeting at Barrett's chapel. Here we had a large congregation, to whom brother Asbury preached, and afterward he called on me to give an exhortation. Some of the preachers wondered where he had gathered up that old fellow. I sang, prayed, and began to exhort, and God laid to his helping hand, and came down in his Spirit's power as in ancient days; some fell to the floor, others ran out of the house, many cried aloud for mercy, and others were shouting praises to the God of hosts, with hearts full of love divine. Seeing the people set on the joists up stairs, I was afraid they would fall through, this caused me to withhold: I quitted the pulpit, and there was an exhortation or two given, and the meeting broke up. After meeting, brother Asbury said, Brother Abbott, you must go home with such a gentleman, and then went to the gentleman and brought him to me, and I went with him. After dinner I conversed with divers christian friends, of the dealings of God with his people, and what he was doing through our land. In the évening I asked if any of them could sing, Still out of the deepest abyss To see my Redeemer and die. A gentleman from Dorchester answered he could, and they sang it with such melodious voices, and with the spirit, that it was attended with great power. The gentleman's lady and two others, fell to the floor. When done singing, we kneeled down to pray, and several fell-the man of the house, who had been a backslider, got restored--many prayers were sent up to God, both by men and women.-Our meeting continued three hours. Next morning, our love-feast began at sun-rise-I just made out to get there as the doors were shut. The crowd was so great, that we could not go round with the bread and water as usual. It was supposed that as many were outside as in the house. After singing and prayer brother Asbury opened the love-feast. and bade the people to speak. Many of them spoke very powerfully several exhortations were given at intervals by the preachers-we had a preeious time. The house being opened, one of the preachers preached, and several spoke by way of exhortation, which was : attended with power, and we had a peaceable waiting before the Lord. After this meeting I returned home again, where I arrived in safety and peace. Thanks be to God for the same. My wife had been in a poor state of health for about seven years. About six weeks before her death, she told me that God would remove one of us; and I believe, said she, that you ought to be in his vineyard;—and if I am the cross, I shall be removed from you. About the same time she besought God to deliver her from her affliction of body, that she had so long laboured under ;-and in one moment she was restored to as perfect health as ever she had enjoyed in all her life, and continued so until the day of her death, which was about six weeks after. On the day which she died, she had been to market, and returned home in the evening. When I came into the house we had some conversation, and soon after she said, I feel very strange, send for brother Bilderback, to bleed me; for I believe I am going to have a fit of the cholie. He came, and made several attempts to let blood, but found it so stagnated that it would not run. My daughter Hannah stepped to her and said. "Mamma, you are dying!" She immediately be sought God in prayer to receive her soul, when it should take its flight from time to eternity. After she had done, I kneeled down, and prayed to God, that she might have an easy passage. She continued clapping her hands all the time I was at prayer-although she had the rattles of death on her. I asked her if she saw heaven sweetly opened before her. She was speechless;-but made three nods with her head, and her soul took its flight without either sigh, groan, or throb. I felt a perfect resignation to the will of God; so that I could truly say the Lord's prayer, Thy will be done. Neither did I feel a spirit of mourning, as the world feels, for I was sensible my loss was her eternal again, which was to me a consolation. The manner of her life, from the time she became a christian, was exemplary, she set apart three times a day for private prayer, and I never knew her to omit it. And when I was absent, she always kept up family prayer. She departed this life on the 14th of July, 1788. "Lord, she was thine, and not my own, "I thank thee for the precious loan, Afforded me so long." THE EXPERIENCE, &c. PART THE SECOND, Containing his Travels and Gospel Labours, after he entered the Methodist Itinerant Connection, in April 1789, until about May 1795. N the forepart of the year 1789, I found yard, as a travelling preacher ;--having heretofore considered myself only as a local preacher-I therefore arranged and settled my temporal affairs, and in April 1789, went to the conference held at Trenton, for the district of New-Jersey, where I was received on trial as an itinerant preacher, agreeably to the discipline of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and was appointed to Dutchess circuit, state of New-York. Accordingly, I took my station. I found the circuit was new, and but few converted souls on it. I rode round, and strove to regulate the classes;-and my mind was much drawn out to preach up sanctification to the people; but I consulted our presiding elder, brother Garrettson, on the ocea sion, and be told me it was not worth while to preach sanctification to unjustified souls. |