The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1870-04-01

heard him relate it to Bishop Early several
years ago. "
A Methodist Conference was holding its
session in Abingdon, and Wilburn had
been prevailed upon to leave his solitude
for awhile, to participate in the privileges
and enjoyments of the occasion, He came,
and Bishop Early, who presided over the
deliberations of the body, became very
much interested in him, and talked a great
deal with him about his wild and lonely
life, as well as about his religious Joys and
sorrows, One evening near the close of
the term of the Conference, during the en-
tire session of which the devotional eXer-
cises had been unusually formal, dull and
liteless, particularly to Wilburn, whose
ideas of spirituality consisted in excite
ment, shouting and great noise, the Bish-
OPP asked him what he thought of the min
istrationS and other exercises of the occa-
sion.
"Well Bishop" said he 81 will answer
your question by giving on bit of history
in my own religious experience About
three years ago heard of camp Getting
on Horse Creek, in Carolina, some 25 miles
from nay cabin, and on Friday night |
made up my mind to go, fixed up my traps,
creased my boots and started towards it
early on Saturday morning. On the way
| had to pass store, and as the hat / had
on was rather shabby, concluded to step
i'll and buy me new one, as much to hon
or the Lord as anything else. did so,
put it on, left the old one and my gun at
the store till | should return, and was soon
at the encampment When | arrived, q
minister was in the stand preaching a cold
and inanimate sermon, and quietly took
seat as near the altar rs [ could get, put
ting my hat under my seat for safety. Just
as | was about to raise my heart i'll prayer,
heard some ones feet shuf1ling under my
seat, and | knew my hat was in danger.
moved it, and sat it on the ground beside
me, but had scarcely done so before man
who sat behind me spirited amber close to
it, and | began to think it would be ruined
in spite ofme if | didn't keep it on my
head, which couldn't we'll do in the con-
gre9ation. | moved it to the other side.
where another man seemed to have like
grudge at my hat, and | took it into my
lap. The minister preached on, and tried
to pray, but that lat was in my way and
iillad my mind, and my prayers seemed to
stick fast in my throat. The meeting was
lifeless and formal, and when [ tried to
be devotional, something would whisper in
my car, 'Wilburn, you had better take care
of that hat, or you'll get iJ spoiled AT
length the sermon closed, sunset came, and
some one proposed, as the Lord had not
poured out His Spirit upon us, perhaps He
would, if we would all, with one heart and
one mind, go out into the silence of the
grove and supplicate Him. We went,
with my new hat in my hand, fearful all
the time it would get mashed in the crowd
or get injured in some way. We prayed
and sung, and sung and prayed, but oul
prayers didn't seem to rise higher than oul
heads, and our songs higher than the tree
top. At last a good old brother said, well
brethren, there must be an Achan in the
camp, the Lord refuses to bless us, and we
might as we'll return to our tents.
81 stood musing few minutes, not know
ing what to do, my hat still in my hand
when heard a man utter deep and bit.
ter groan. Looking around, l saw that all
had left except that man and myself, and
he seemed to be in great agony. | asked
him what was the matter, when he replied
that he was great sinner, and he didn't
believe the Lord would pardon him. Yes
He will, said |, if you pray. He said he
had prayed, but it didn't do any good, and
asked me if | wouldn't pray for him.
told him yes, bless God l would, and at il
I went with all my might, soul and spirit
How long | prayed l don't know, but |
was carried away by the Spirit, and when
| came to myself the stars were all out, the
whole congregation had returned, the de-
spairing man was shouting and praising the
Lord, and for the first time after the man
asked me to pray for him thought of my
new hat, and it was gone l began to
look round, and finally seeing something
black IN the dust where the whole congre-
CATION had been shouting and shaking
hands, picked it up and shook it out,
and it was that new hat of which / had
been so careful, and which had occupied
allmy thoughts Forgetting it, my heart
went out to the Lord. He heard my sup
plications, the unhappy man was CONVEX
ted, the Son of Jesse came into the great
congregation, the cry of what shall do to
be saved p rang out upon the night air like
the rain OF many waters, and there was joy
and gladness in the encampment.
"And now, Bishop" said he, "there is
moral in this story, and it is this-there are
too many neo hats in this Conference"
In the many times l have met with the
Bishop since, he has rarely failed to in
quire about Wilburn Waters, remark ing
that the hat story was one of the most
practical sermons he had ever listened to.
Begging your pardon, Messrs. Editors,
for troubling you with this long and per-
haps uninteresting story,
l am yours, most respectfully,
q r O.