We have several hundred of his newspaper articles saved in scrap-books.  He preached altogether without notes, and never seemed to make any especial preparation for preaching a sermon.  I once asked him how long it took him to prepare a sermon, and he replied, “Sometimes longer, sometimes shorter, generally two or three years.  Of course I do not think of it all that time, but I seldom preach on a subject when it first enters my mind, but let it mature.  I always have several subjects on hand at once, and when I am reading I retain whatever strikes me as pertaining to anyone of my subjects.”  “When do you do most of your thinking?” I asked.  “Whenever I can; mostly on horseback.”

His education was never finished; he was a student to the day of his death.  Even during his last sickness he asked me to return a volume of Macaulay’s “History of England” that I had borrowed, so that some one could read to him from it.

In July, 1859, he was sick for some time; but in September reports thus:  “Since I recovered from my sickness I have held a series of meetings,—­one near Atchison, which resulted in eight additions; one at Big Springs, at which four were added by baptism; and one at Pardee, where there was one baptized.”

November 1, 1859, the Northwestern Christian Missionary Society was organized at Indianapolis.  Father attended it, and remained preaching and collecting money until February.  He collected about the same amount as the previous year.

In March, 1860, father and Bro.  Hutchinson held the meeting at Pardee, of which he speaks in Chapter XXIX., at which there were forty-five additions.  Father preached on Sunday night.  The school-house was closely seated with planks, and crowded almost to suffocation, while a crowd stood outside at doors and windows.  Father preached on the life of Paul, although he did not mention Paul’s name until near the close of the sermon.  He spoke of him as a talented young nobleman, brought up in ease and luxury in a great city, to whom were open the highest positions in his nation.  There were but few Christians in the land, and they were poor and despised.  But at length he felt the power of God, and learned to love the Savior.  He told how he gave up wealth and position, and became poor and despised, and went everywhere preaching Christ and his mighty power to save.  He told of his wonderful zeal and energy, as he traveled from country to country, preaching Christ to eager thousands.  He vividly depicted the courage with which he endured trials, hardships, and persecutions.  Then he told of his last days—­a feeble, gray-haired old man, ending his days in a prison, his few faithful friends far away, enemies on every hand, and a painful, violent death in store for him.  Did he see the folly of his course?  And then he quoted Paul’s triumphant words:  “I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things....  For I am now