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were struck down on the floor, apparently dead, for some time; they were
taken up and carried out, and we continued till three o'clock next morning, when
we all returned to our houses to get a little rest
About six o'clock, I arose and went to see how the people
did, and found them in the same condition, or rather worse. I left them in
the hands of God, and told the elder to take care of them, and prayed with them;
I then sent an order to the captain of my boat to get her ready, as I wanted to
go to Barrington. About eleven o'clock, he came and informed me that she
was ready.
At half after eleven o'clock we set off for Barrington, by
sea, but could not reach any farther than Lance Point, where we went on shore
and stayed all night, and I preached from St. Luke xiv. 17, to a small company
of people.
On the 14th, in the morning, I preached from St. Mark vi. 12,
and then we sailed from thence for Barrington; going into the Harbour, we run on
shore, upon the sand bank; but after a little while, with the help of the Lord,
we got off again without any hurt; so we went up to Barrington Town, to visit
the man to whom I had a very strong recommendation by letter.
I went to his house, and he seemed somewhat shy, for the
Arminians had been there, and had told them falsehoods, desiring them not to let
me go into the chapel to preach, and by that there was a great division, for one
half was for me to go to preach and the other half was not; so the contention
was so sharp, that they parted asunder, those upon Rose Island, were part of
Dissenters, part Baptists, and part Presbyterians, so I stayed upon Rose Island,
and preached for them ten days and the Arminians could not stay away.
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On the 15th, we had a love feast, when we had much of the
our-pouring of god's spirit, and many souls rejoicing. Here I stayed till
the 25th, going from house to house; by this time the greatest part of the
Arminians were convinced of the false reports, and declared, when Mr. Garrison
came, they would have their names taken out of the book; and I was informed
afterwards, that there was a great division among them.
We sailed on the 25th, and reached as far as Glance Point,
and preached there that evening from St. Matthew vi. the two last verses; where
we had a great body of people fro Cape Negro. They expressed a great
desire for me to go to Cape Negro with them. I told them I could not go,
as I was obliged to return to birch Town at present.
I preached in the morning of the 26th from St Paul's second
epistle to the Corinthians iv. 10; when there was a great out-pouring of God's
spirit, so that many were crying in the congregation, "What shall we do to
be saved. After a little conversation with them we sailed for Birch Town,
where we arrived at midnight.
On the 27th, in the morning, several people came into my
house, after prayer meeting, with three petitions in their hands, which, when I
opened and read, I found them expressing a great desirer for me to go to
Halifax, to the governor, to request tools, spades, hoes, pickaxes, hammers,
saws, and files, such as they should want, and blankets. I told them it
was not in my power to comply with their request, that they should go to their
colonel. They answered my, that he was gone out of town, and had left
them. However, after eight days, having collected the people together, I
found it was the request of the whole. I enquired into those things they
had, and found they really stood in want of more.
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I took their petition on the 14th, and sailed for Halifax, and arrived on the
15th; and on the 16th I presented the petition to the governor, which was complied
with.
On the 24th, I sent them to Birch Town, by a
man, and desired him not to let ay of them be given out before I arrived.
On the 26th, I left Halifax, for the Eastward
Preston Town, and arrived there the same evening, and preached to a large concourse
of people. I said stayed here till the 29th, preaching and visiting, finding
much comfort among the people rejoicing in God.
On the 30th, I set off for Cold Harbour, where
I arrived a two o'clock, and preached from St. Matthew xi. two last verses,
to a small company of people.
Next morning; the 31st, I preached from St. John
iii. 5, to a greater congregation than in the evening; and, after conversing
with them, finding but few of them Protestants, I took my leave of them. About
ten o'clock in the day, I arrived at Dartmouth. At five o'clock in the afternoon,
we got over to Halifax. In the evening, finding the pacquet arrived from Shelbourn,
I received letters expressing that I must return immediately.
On June the 1st, I preached to a large
congregation in Halifax, and on the 2nd I sailed for Shelburne.
I arrived on the 4th and was saluted upon the
wharf; I was much distressed, when I found the man that I had delivered the
things to, had taken them all out and given them to the Arminians. I made the
best way over to Birch Town, in order to rectify this mistake. When I arrived
there, I found the Town in an uproar; the old blind man, who preaches for the
Arminians, had broken his agreement, and had sold the place for three guineas
to the
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Arminian preachers. I went to him to know the certainty of it. He told me,
that I should not preach there any more. I answered him, that the place was
built for the people at large, not more for one connection than another; and
with God's leave, this night I was determined to preach in it.
In the evening, a multitude of people gathered
together, and found the doors shut against them; but when some of the elders
came, they went and demanded the key, and were denied, but they took it away.
The doors were opened, and the people went in and prepared for preaching. The
old man, in order that I should not preach, came and sat in the desk, and began
to give out an hymn, but nobody would sing with him until I came in, and he
not knowing that I was in, I gave out the same hymn over his head, when the
house rang with the praises of God. After singing, he went immediately to prayers.
Some of the people touched him, and asked him whether he knew what he was about;
and while they were talking together, I went to prayer ad when he heard me,
he crept out, and I saw him no more that night. We here see, by this, that the
devil ca never stand against the truth, but will always fly. I preached from
St. Luke xiii. When the Lord was pleased to bless the fouls of the people; so
that we found that the devil was disappointed of his hope, and hell of her expectation.
On the 5th , after prayer meeting in the morning
was over, I desired to have all the people together, and this man brought before
them all. After examination, he was found guilty of all the reports, and desired
them to go ad gather all the things that he had given out; and two of the elders
went with them. Finding, from house to house, that they all had one saying, That
he did not give them away, but bought them of him, and would not deliver them
without they had the money back
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I afterwards wet and conversed with them, telling them the consequences, that
it was the king's property, and it would go hard with them if we went to law;
they the freely gave them up.
On the 6th day, they brought them all to my door,
expressing their sorrow for being to foolish as to listen to what he had said,
and declared they would be paid back again their money. I continued the remainder
of this month, confirming the people, and setting all right again.
On July the 1st, I sailed for Jordan River, to
be with them on the Sabbath day, and to return again on Monday; but when I came
there, the devil had also been among them, for the Arminian preacher had been
had bee among them, and insinuated into their mind that I was not right. When
they asked, why? they said he did not come from Mr. Wesley, therefore could
not be right. When they could not allege anything else, they drove them away,
and told them that they must not come there any more. Here the devil was disappointed
also; and here I was two days, preaching and confirming them.
On the 4th Morning, I preached from I John iv, I. and then set off for Birch
Town again. I arrived in the evening, found the people all turned upside down
again, for the Arminian had been amongst the people again; the people expressing
how glad they were I came that day; I asked them, why that day more then another?
they answered, because Mr. Garrison was to be there o the 5th evening, to read
Mr. Wesley's society book, ad to take all their names down that would join them,
and that was to be done before I returned; so they were all invited to hear.
I told them not to make a noise that I was come, and I would be there too. So
in the evening a vast concourse of people gathered together; after the candles
were lighted, I went in, but was not discovered by the
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preacher, nor them that accompanied him. I got pretty close to the pulpit,
that nothing should flip; he began with an hymn, and then engaged in prayer,
and told the people he should not preach, but read Mr. Wesley's society book;
and expound from that, and shew them how the order of their society was, and
it was the best order that could be adopted, ad expressed himself thus to the
people-that he was very sorry that they had a man come from England, and was
not or Mr. Wesley's society, and had sown the feeds of discord |
