The clerk’s conversion did not stop with himself, for it was a call to some of the ringers; they were still outside and unsaved, though they knew, as well as he did, that they ought to be otherwise.  One of these men began to attend the meetings regularly, but we could not get him to pray, or speak a word.  I said to him one evening, “You will never have a sound from the bell till you move it or its tongue; in like manner, you must move your tongue, for you will have nothing until you speak, nor get an answer until you pray.”  Still he remained silent, and shut up to himself; till one night, as we were putting out the lights at ten o’clock, the meeting being over, I said to him as he stood by, “James, I wonder when you will ever give your heart to God?” He looked at me and said, “Now.”  “That is right,” I replied; “thank God! let it be so.”  I at once stopped the extinguishing of the lights, and invited him to pray with me, but he took no heed.  It was evident he had deliberately made up his mind what he would do, for he took off his coat, undid his neck-tie, turned back his shirt-sleeves, and then, setting a form about nine or ten feet long, square with the room, he knelt down and began to say, “Lord, have mercy upon me!” “Lord, have mercy upon me!” This he repeated with every returning breath, faster and louder as he went on, till at last he worked himself up into a condition of frenzy.  He went on without cessation for two hours, and then stopped in an exhausted state, gasping for breath.  I pointed him to the cross, and told him of God’s mercy in giving His Son to die for sinners; but he was quite absent, and did not appear to hear me, or take the least notice.  After a little rest, he commenced again praying as before, and got into terrible distress.  What with his noise, and the energy he put forth, it was frightful to see the struggle.  He cried, and beat the form till I thought his arms would be black and blue; then he took up the form and beat the floor with it, till I expected every moment it would come to pieces.  The noise he made brought some of the neighbours out of their beds in a fright to see what was the matter.

At two o’clock in the morning, four hours after he began, he laid himself across the form, and begged with tears that the Lord would not cast him off.  I told him that the Lord was actually waiting for him.  At last he found peace, or felt something, and, springing up, he began to shout and praise God; and we all joined with him.  When this was done, he put on his coat and neck-tie, and saying “Good night,” went home.  From this time he became a changed man, and an earnest and steadfast believer.

CHAPTER 11

Dreams and Visions, 1851-4.

During the revival, the outpouring of the Spirit of God was very manifest and unmistakable, and was seen in various ways.  It was not, of course, by power or might of men, but by divine influence, that souls were awakened to see themselves in their true condition.  The candle of the Lord was lighted, and there was a searching of and for immortal souls, as typified by our blessed Lord in the parable of the lost piece of silver.