The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1880-01-29

all know what that is; an hiptiZin wild
; De Holy GhOs', dat's what we's come
here arter Tonight C"Amenln "Bress
God y "Dar nOwr'l But oaptizin' wild
tire-'clar, brodderiu' an sisters, Il alters
makes my ha'r stan straight up tn
think what that ar mus meant Bap-
tie with firel | spec dars the tryin'
ob de gold in de furnace-de Lords fur
nace-dat clars out all de dr1ss, but
mus be powerful hot :"
There was nothing remarkable at first
IN the exercises, except one man, who
, wOve back aud forth on his knees,and
shouted ia a voice which might have
been heard a mile, for some fifteen min
utes, only one senteuce-"Gather 'em
in o LOr, gather 'em in Gather 'em
in! o LOr, gather 'em in r'-in a
strange, singing tone, the effect Of which
upon the nerves was something terrible.
Men shouted, women screamed. Some
sprang from their knees aud danced,
shouting aud tossing their arms about
in an unconscious manner, reminding
me Of what / had read Of the dancing
dervishes Of the Orient. One woman
tainted; and finally the see-sawing
shouter himself fell over. Some water
was poured on his head, a slow, sOOth-
ing hymn was sung, and in five minutes
] AAAN eAo'NAANAA-rE y a. - NIAlEN 10 AtlA
country prayer meeting in Michigan
For me, found myself cliueing 10 Com
forts arm in almost bysterical fright. I
begged him TO take me away, but am
very glad now that he did not
After n time Uncle Jerry raised his
head, which had all the time been
bowed upon his knees since the meeting
began, and, lifting bis thin hands
toward the people, said, in a soft, clear
voice:
LET us all kneel down an pray-one
mo short pra'r! short prairw
He knelt with his face toward "a. The
guttered candle on the rough pine table
threw its hickering light over him, as,
with upturned face and clasping hands,
he talked with God" Oh, how simply
and directly. And, as he prayed, a
strange light seemed TO come over his
brown face, set in its white frame Of
snowy hair and beard. He PRAYED for
all, except himself and seemed to bring
the cares and troubles Of all before the
throne Of grace, as If he had the key to
I the heart OF each.
/ Then he came 10 pray for us-"the
| stranger fren' whom God has raised up
an led, in bis mysterious way, to do Us
/ good-bless him, o Lord, in basket and
sto', heart am homel He don't know
what hes got afO' him Stay his han
an, Keep him strong aud brave -
| But can never reproduce the strange
| tenderness and faith Of this prayer. |
leaned my head on Comforts shoulder.
and the tears fell like rain as listened
] All at once there was silence. The
voice of prayer had ceased; vet the
/ prayer did not seem ended. I raised
my eyes aud looked. Uncle Jerry still
kuelt at his chair, every Worshiper still
kneeling ia his place; but every head
was turned and every eve was fastened
on him. His eyes were fXed-on what Z?
He was looking upward, as il he saw be-
yond the earth. His face was set in
rigid lines. yet lighted up with look OF
awful joy. His breath came slow and
sobbingly, but, aside from that not a
muscle moved. Not n word was uttered
but every look was fastened on him
with hushed and fearful expectancy.
"Hain't bin dat way but once afo'
sence de surrender" I heard one OF the
women whisper, under her breath, to
another.
Five minutes-perhaps ten minutes
elapsed, and he had not spoken or
moved. II was fearful, the terrible ST.
lence, and that fixed, i'm movable face
aud stony figure. There WAS something
preternatnral about IL.
AT length there came q quiver about
the lips. The eyes lost their fixity
The hands which had rested on tie
chair were clasPed together, and a look
OF divine rapture swept across the up
turned face, as he exclaimed, in a tone
fairly burdeued with ecstaiic JOY:
81 sees Him sees Him Oar he
is ~ Aud he pointed, with thin aud
trembling hand, toward the farther cor
ner Of the room. 81 sees Him wild de
crown OBJ salvation on His head-de
keys o hebben a-hangin' in his girdle-
] Gods keys for de white pearl gates
wid de brass plate ob Holiness an' de
mantle ob Righteousness Dar He il,
a-walkin' among de caffilesticks Wit
[ He's a-cOmin' nigh us-hress His holy
name !-a-lookin' aTter His people, an
a-gatherin' on 'em inr'
/ cannot tell you what strange rhap-
sody fell from his lips; but IL ended as
! it began-suddenly aud without warn
ing The giOriiied look faded from his
face. The sentence died midway on his
/ lips. His eyes regained their conscious
look and ran around the hushed circle
OF attent faces, while a knowledge Of
what had taken place seemed first to
flash upon him. He covered his face
with his hands and sank down with a
groan, exciaiming, in apologetic tones
so Lor' o Lor' dou knowest de
weakness ob dy sarvant! Spar him
spar him p'
The meeting ended, and we went
home. somehow / cannot get over the
feeling that the little log-church is
place where one has indeed seen God.
They told Us afterward that Uncle
Jerry Often had these "spells," as they
call them, whenever there was a great
battle pending or imminent during the
war, and they could always tell which /
way the fight had gone by what be said |
in these frances. They say he knows /
nothing Of what he says 90 such times. /
asked him about it one day. He sim I
ply said:
al can't 'splain it, Missus. Pears ]
like It's cross hez specially to carry. /
It's made me heap o. trouble. Bin /
whipped for il heaps % times; an, sides /
Hat, / alters feel ez II I'd lived bout ten
years when | comes out o. one o. dem /
spells. Can't uuderstau' il, Missus; but
Uncle jerry ~ quit in some Of dem I
spells yitw
Enjoy the blessings Of this day If God
sends them: and the evils hear fatiar,tIx,