It was now evident that there would be no debating to do in those parts. The preachers were, as a rule, an ignorant class, and moral cowards. They could superintend a mourners' bench exercise, but were profoundly ignorant of God's plan of justification. We kept a challenge before them, proposing to meet any man that they would put forth, and, if nothing more, affirm the proposition, "The mourners' bench system is idolatrous." They pronounced such a proposition sacriligious, yet they could not find a man possessed of courage enough to negative that proposition.
There was no church house in Berryville. The public school had been given into the hands of Prof. Clark, principal of the academy, and the public school building appropriated to church purposes, to be free to all. One Lord's day was vacant when we commenced there and we had held that day. The conclusion was that they could take that day, and so deprive us of any place to preach in town. When we went to our appointment, which was always for Saturday night, Lord's day and night, we found an elderly man there with an appointment for each hour that we had been occupying. We succeeded in compromising with him in an agreement to divide the time. At our next appointment we found another man there with three appointments covering our time. He was more stubborn than the first, but we succeeded in compromising with him as with the first. That was a disappointment to those who had engineered the matter, and they concluded that they would, at our next appointment, have matters more to their notion.
At our next appointment it was between sunset and dark when we reached town. The men were watching to see what we would do. As we passed in to the stair I asked us what we would do, for, said they, "There are three Presbyterian preachers here in a protracted meeting, and have had meetings several nights." I replied, "I will preach here tonight and tomorrow." They said, "You cannot for they will not allow that." I said, "Go to meeting and I will manage the preaching part." When I got to the meeting house two elderly men were in the pulpit, and the audience was singing. I walked direct into the pulpit and sat down between the preachers. I had never seen either of the preachers, but, of course, they knew who I was, and their looks were as though they thought that Satan had again presented himself among the Sons of God.
When the song closed I told the preachers who I was, that I had been preaching there for some time, and that was my regular time; that I was glad to be with them, and I thought we could get along in a brotherly manner- that I had not come there to interfere with their meeting, but to meet my own appointment, and beyond that I would have no farther claims. I proposed to divide the time that night and next day at eleven and I would leave town. To my proposition they objected and made excuses, but I would not listen to excuses. I told them that I thought it would look fearful bad for us, as preachers, to show that we did not have the spirit of Christianity enough to preach together the two hours I proposed. One of them said, "You say you will quit and go home if we will divide the two hours with you?" "Yes," said I, "I promised that and will make my promise good." "With that understanding," said he, "we will divide the two appointments with you. I will preach tonight
