The interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1872-1881, 1878-04-19

ful light illuminci the vast concave,
and amid the red waves Of the fire.
food, fragments Of red-hot rock shot
upward. Some unseen force from bc-
meath, hurled the damned spirits into
the hot sitting air from which they
fall with yells and shrieks upon the
points Of heated rocks, breaking them
into spiritual fragments, and as they
sank beneath the heated flood, they
wrote in letters Of lurid light, lost,
lost; No hope; no hope" The frame
Of the preacher irembled under the
reflection Of his own picture, and as
his own excitement increased. that Of
his hearers seemed TO follow him till
the whole vast assembly swayed like n
blsst-smitten forest under his magic
eloquence. A loud scream issued
from the very heart of the congrega-
ton, and a roted rowdy who had
sought TO disturb the meeting, fell
stiffened TO the earth.
The falling became general; on ev'
cry hand men and women. old and
young, dropped as &c mown down by
the scytle of death, and four or five
lay stretched ON the floor OF the altar
beside the exhausted speaker. One, a
large man of powerful frame, rose to
his feet with his eyes closed, and
moved up to the side of the speaker;
q heavenly smile played on his face;
he tried to shout but could not; he
rocked to and fro on his feet for the
space of minute as il held up by
some powerful attraction, and then
fell senseless at full length on the floor.
His body was stiff as most Of them
we're. The speaker soon began to feel
the effects of his tremendous power;
his voice became fainter. his gestures
milder; radiance Of glory passed
over his face Wd he sank back ex-
hausied upon his seat. Faint shouts
broke from some one in the congrega-
ton, then chorus of shouts went up;
hands were clapped, and praise God
was breathed by a hundred voices
over the assembly. The leaves on the
trees seemed to flicker with emotion;
and the very air seemed to kindle the
ether into spirit flame. The pale,
blue-eyed figure that sat by my side
in the tent, was lost in reverie, as
white as paper. She had taken my
arm TO support her trembling frame,
those blue.eyes were closed and the
gently parted lips softly whispered
again and again-Jesus! Jesus! Jesusl
Tweniy-nine years have elapsed
since the scene described, occurred,
but at times see those white tents,
the camp fires, the grave old forest
illumined with living light. That
silent soul.whisper, | hear it still, it
rushes along my nerves like a stream
Of fire, causing sensation ] cannot
describe. That marble brow in cold
now, those blue-eyes are closed, and
those whispering lips are silent forever.
This sympathetic excitement rush
ell through the congregation like a
trumpet, and continued for moro than
an hour, when it suhsided, the group
returned to their tents, but no sleep
came to the camp: the people were too
happy; God had blessed them; they
sang, prayed, shouted, and clapped
hands. and groaned in the depths Of
their deep delerious agony of joy. II
snch religious scenes are delusion,
then a lie may become extatic. One
after another Of these spiritual revel-
ers fell asleep, till the voice Of praise
and thanksgiving was hushed in every
tent, and when the sun rose with his
face bathed in smiling light and glanced
his beams on the camp where stiffness
reigned as in the house Of death, |
passed round from tent to tent, and
that deep pervading joy still fingered
on many face, and many dreamer
the name of Jesus in his
sleep, and clssped his hands in pray.
er. The scenes | have described is
vulgarly called the Power of the
Spirit, or q Spiritual outpouring"--but
much controversy has existed in the
world as to what it should he called, 7.
md to what cause il should he assign /.
NJ, similar phenomina have been seen
n all ages. We read of such scenes
'fien occurring during she ministra.
ions of John Wesley and his cola
,orers, sometimes with individuals,
md sometimes with the entire multi
ude. Those who deny the power of
he Spirit, look upon such occurrences
$ being either delusion or mystic.
y; but candor demands that some ex.
lanation should be found that will
olive the problem in more rational
manner. Whether this electric aura is
eneraied in the brain OF a speaker
Iith powerful love elements within