Our Baptist mourner and her husband were there, and listened with marked attention to what we had to say. By their request we spent that night with them, and gave them a lengthy talk on the elementary principles of Christianity. When we closed our talk the old woman was too much overcome to speak, and left the room, evidently, to weep in solitude. We, of course could not tell whether her tears were tears of joy, or otherwise. We saw her no more till called to breakfast next morning.
She was as pleasant and cheerful appearing as I ever saw any woman. While we were eating a neighbor called. The old man invited him to eat, remarking that they had some nice new honey. The woman said, very pleasantly, "I told the old man that after having such a good sermon as we had last night the preacher must have some nice honey for breakfast." Our next appointment in that vicinity was two weeks off, and we promised that wife and I would get to their house Saturday evening before. The Baptists became alarmed and sent for "Uncle Ike." He came and labored very hard to make her believe that she had religion, and was prepared to join the Baptist Church. They were, however, too late, for she had obtained too much light. At our next appointment she obeyed the gospel. This so stirred the Baptists that a challenge was submitted for debate. The challenge was accepted, but the debate was slow in maturing, for they evidently aimed to run a bluff. Additions to the one Body were now constant, and the war began in earnest. People talked religion everywhere, and many, wherever we went, expressed themselves delighted with the simplicity of the gospel of Christ.
Our second appointment had been filled at Berryville, and our first two discourses were delivered. It was now evident that Berryville was destined to become the seat of war. The place was noted for its educational enterprise. Clarke's Academy was located there and was well patronized. When we preached there, hence, we had the privilege of preaching to the young from many parts. The sects concluded to mass their forces there in a big union meeting. They had eight preachers engaged, Uncle Ike among the number. The meeting had been in progress a few days and we concluded to go and see how they were getting along. We reached town late and none of the preachers learned that we were in town. Just as they were ready to commence services we went to meeting and found a seat near the pulpit. An elderly man was in the pulpit and busily engaged with the Bible, turning down its leaves in various places, evidently arranging his discourse for that occasion. As soon as I was seated I saw a general whispering commence among the preachers, and soon one of them stepped to the old brother that was in the pulpit and whispered something. Immediately the old brother closed the Bible, laid it on the stand, left the pulpit and took a lower seat. There was a general whispering among them for some minutes, then Uncle Ike went into the pulpit, but his effort was a failure. Uncle Ike told Mr. Owen that when the preachers learned I was present they all backed out and he had to preach or there would have been no preaching that night.
Our field of labor was continually widening. We were in a missionary field indeed, the war was an incessant one, lies flew like rockets in the sky. I could, I now thought, understand the providential interference with
