True American. [volume] (Steubenville [Ohio]) 1855-1861, 1856-12-24
A Wonderful Vision &.

The following account is extracted from
a Memoir of DR.. Bond, very distinguish
ed Methodist divine. The Memoir ap-
peared in the Christian AdUocate. We
do not question the truth Of the narrative,
nor do we explain:
"About this time occurred very ex-
traordinary incident in the life Of DR..
Bond, which we narrate with great doubt
as to the propriety of its publication. He
very rarely mentioned it, and never ven
tured to designate Or explain it. Its
truth is, however, beyond question. The
circumstances forbid the supposition of
optical illusion, or temporary hallucina
tion. There are those living who testify
such of the facts as were subject to OBJ
servation, and the memorials Of the trans
action are yet distinctly preserved in the
religious character of sons and daughters
Of some who were Immediately affected
by it.
Being on a visit to his father, he was
deeply grieved 10 find the church, which
he had left in state Of prosperous activ-
ity, languishing, lukewarm, and weak -
His thoughts were much occupied with
the subject and of course it was the mat
ter of earnest and frequent prayer. In
this state of mind one morning he was
walking over the fields TO neighboring
house, when suddenly he seemed to be in
room where number of people were
assembled, apparently for worship. The
room he recognised as an apartment in
the houss Of neighbor, where prayer
meeting was to be held on the eveneng Of
that day. Had he stood in the midst oi
it, he could not have been more conscious
of the scene. There was nothing of the
dim, or shadowy, or dreamy about it,
He recognized the people, noticed where
they sat and stood, remarked his father
near the table, at which preacher wa:
rising to give out hymn, and near the
middle Of the congregation he saw man
named c., for whose salvation he felt con
siderable anxiety, standing with his sor
beside him. While gazing with astonish'
meht upon the scene, he heard the words
Go and tell g., be has an offer of sal
vation for the last time"
Naturally supposing that the too grea
concentration of mind upon one subject
had induced some halucination of the
senses, DR.. Bond fell down on his knees
and besought God to preserve his reason
The scene, howeevr, continued it would
not disappear or change in any of its par
ticulars. In vain he struggled to dispe
it; the voice yet repeated, with indubita
BILE distinctness, "Go aud tell c., he ha
an offer of salvation for the last time.
But how would he dare to deliver so aw
full a message! For a great length o
time he struggled for deliverance from
what he still considered an ilusion. Al
length au expedient occurred to him which
he adopted. He had never been in tht
room in which he was apparently present
when it was used for public religious
meeting. He, of course, did not know
how it was commonly prepared for 'sucl
occasions. He therefore noted with grea
care the particulars Of the scene. H
saw where the little table for the preach
er, the benches and chairs for the people
were placed. He noticed his acquaintan
ces where they sat and stood and wheI
he was satisfied that he had possessed
himself perfectly Of these details, he SAID
"I will go to this meeting, and if fin
all things there to correspond with wha
now see, il shall be sign from tn,
Lord, and will deliver the message.'-
Immediately the scene vanished, and h
was alone in the green fields. '."''
"With spirit indescribably agitated
he returned home where he found ladies
who required him to escort them a lonl
distance, and il was somewhete past tn
hour fixed for the meeting, when he reach
ed the awful place, During the day h
had freely INDUCED the hope that on hi
entrance into the room bis trouble woul
disappear. He thought he had been TIL
subject Of an ilusson, the fruit Of an ex
cited brain, and that want Of cores
!; ence-immediately to be detecte
J between the real scene and the on
, presented to his disordered fancy. woul
: at once satisfy him, as to the morbi
{ character Of his morning vision, and re
, lease him from the obligation Of his Dc