Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1886-03-25
SAN SIALLS EXPERIENCE.

Here is Sam Smalls religious expert
ence," as related by him in Cincinnati a
few days ago Perhaps some poor sinner
may read it and take heart to make a fight
for life:
Farther and farther, deeper and deeper |
was sinking; was getting hopeless for
business, hopeless for all social standing,
hopeless for all the temporal interests of
this world, hopeless for eternity; and in
the very madness Of my disordered brain,
and in my very soul, there seemed at times
no avenue Of escape at all from this self
imposed bondage except through insanity
on one hand, and through suicide on the
other.
saw that my wife and children had Civ
en- up all hope, they did not know, from day
to day, how / would come home to them.
They had seen me brought there, day after
day, time after time, insensible and unable
to recognize them from the influence of this
deadly and poisonous drug. They had seen
me when | was brought in and laid on my
bed covered with blood, and it seemed as
though my days were indeed numbered,
and that | would soon fall in the midst of
my iniquity. They had seen me when |
was brought home with the wounds Of the
knife and pistol on my body, and they had
heard the rumors from the streets and dives
Of the dangers with which had been con-
stantly surrounded Of late. To them it
seemed rs though there was no avenue, no
loophole of escape for me from a terrible
death. There was not the sign of hope or
spirit beaming out from their beautiful IA
ces. They knew not, from day to day,
whether | would live to greet them another
day They knew not whether, if my life
were prolonged, they would be able to pro-
cure the very necessities of life from day to
day.
They knew not at what hour the very
shelter that shielded them from the storm
and from the heat would be removed from
over their heads, and they removed from
under its shelter. There were visions Of
uncertainty, Of the sheriff to disposess, Of
the heartles landlord to distrain for rent, of
the creditor to come and take all. There
was no future ahead of them, except flu
ture of impenetrable gloom through which
seemed to come nothing but warnings Of
deeper woe and agonies yet to come. o,
Lord, how good thou vast to me thou hast
given me relief from that bondage at my
seeking.
At last there came a time when seemed
to have reached the limit Something
strange impelled me to take my little chill
dren, as a loving act, an act it seemed to
me Of reparation for negIects Of weeks pre-
ceding and 90 upon the train to Carriers
vile, where Brother Jones was preaching
to immense audiences, and from whence
the report had come that there were many
and many hundreds, and even thousands,
who were coming back into harmony with
God. And as / sat upon the platform en-
deayoring TO take in stenography the words
as they fell from his lips, it seemed to me
that God bad inspired him to preach upon
one certain line He preached it with the
faith that is his alone be preached with
that fidelity which is his distinguishing
Characteristic; he preached with the earn
estness and with the conviction that broke
down the easements Of my heart and went
home TO it. When he had finished those
words Of Conscience w Consciencew
'Conscicncer' r' and Of Record 7' Record p
Record God, the infinite, and all-seeing,
and eyerjudging God, came home to NE.
went away from there troubled in mind
and soul. / went home, and back into the
devious ways, back into the bar-room, back
into the open highways, back to the mad
dening bowl, in order to get away from the
torments ! was suffering from an awakened
conscience. But they would not leave me.
| could find no solace where / bad often
found insensibiiity. / could find no relief
in potations where had often found indif
ference and capabiity 10 take on a cool ex-
terror. There was nothing there 70 give me
surce4se from the sorrow in my bosom and
| went on and on until the second day, on
Tuesday, at noon. went into nay library
room, fell upon my knees, buried nay face
in my hands and ! pleaded with Christ
that be would let me cling 70 his cross, lay
down ail my burdens and sins there, and be
rescued and saved By bis compassion; that
might be washed in tie streams Of his
blood from his bleeding side; and that nay
sins, though they were scarlet, might be
white as snow.
wrestled for four long hours in as much
agony as 1 ever suffered. At the end Of that
dme, when had reached a conclusion, when
/ had come 10 understand that there was