place. I had fixed upon a dark corner in a large
deserted room, where we had stowed away bales and
bales of goods we did not care to open. Climbing
over the top of these stores, I landed on the other
side, and went to the spot I had chosen. I had
not prayed long before I heard master coming, cracking
his whip, and saying, ‘I’ll teach you to
pray.’ This made me tremble exceedingly,
and pray all the harder; but hearing that he was very
near and coming after me, I opened my eyes, and to
my surprise there was a beautiful silver ladder before
me. As quick as thought, I sprang with hands
and feet upon it, and began to climb for dear life.
‘Ha!’ said master, ‘I’ll teach
you to climb.’ Then I felt the ladder shaking
under me, and knew that he was coming up. I expected
every moment to be seized and dragged back, so I climbed
all the faster, and looked up to see how much farther
I had to go. Oh, it was such a long way, and
there was only a very small hole to get to at last.
My heart began to fail me, so that I almost let go
my hold, till I felt the master’s sulphurous
breath on the back of my neck, which made me rush
forward more vehemently. At last I reached the
top, and thrust my arm through the hole, then my head,
and then my other arm; thus I got through altogether,
leaving my old enemy blaspheming and cursing down
below. It was a most beautiful place that I was
now in, and angels were flying about, just as the
birds do in this world. I saw the Lord Himself,
and fell down before Him to give Him thanks. As
I remained a long time prostrate. He said to
me. ‘What is thy petition?’ I answered,
’Lord, grant that that hole may be made larger,
for I have nineteen friends down there in the power
of the cruel master.’ The Lord smiled,
and said, ‘That hole is quite large enough.’
So I awoke.”
Where there is a will, there is always a way of some
kind; and if worldlings are really tired of Satan’s
service, they can easily call upon God to deliver
them, and He will most surely do so when He sees they
are in earnest. This dream had the effect of spiritually
awakening the man who had it, and of bringing him
to the foot of the cross for mercy and salvation.
I noticed that in dreams and visions in Cornwall
the Lord Jesus very often appears, and the devil also;
these are real persons to the Cornish mind, and their
power is respectively acknowledged.
During the summer, a young gentleman, whom we invited
to our house in the hope of reaching his soul, came
to stay with us; and this in spite of his avowed prejudice
against us and our proceedings. I took this as
a token of encouragement, for I was sure that the
devil would have hindered his coming, unless the young
man had been constrained by a higher power. He
spent his time in riding about or smoking, and made
great fun of our meetings and services, though I observed
that he was very attentive to hear the sermon whenever
he did come.