The Pickens sentinel. (Pickens, S.C.) 1911-2016, 1913-08-14

VIC CIluICD; q.
l nave had to provide for a VIII,
ana eleven children, the young
esG OF whom is now in her thir
Teenth year. l have had buI
ilttie rest in this world.
According to the best accoun,
l can give, l have tried to preach
near two thousand five-hun
cred sermons; baptized neal
1lve hundred persons, and mar
rled near two hundred couples.
l can't give any correct account
OF the number L have received
on probation, or Of the number
of funerals and burials I have
attended. or of the sick J. have
visited and prayed with. [ have
been in some great revivals-
one of precious memory, was at
Uni)n some fourteen years ago.
My first visit to that place was
to preach funeral, and al
though it was on Friday, and
in q very busy season Of the
year, there was a fine turnout,
and the times for n good revival
was most encouraging, | told
the people in the end that if
they would build q church Dr. q
stand, | would try to preach to
them monthly. They soon
built q stand, and in Il short
time a church, and in a very
short time we had q large So
cicty there. But many that II
administered to during that re-
yival, have gone to the church
triumphant in heaven. But /
can't forget Anderson Court
House. My first sermon in that
village was in 1884, at that
time, there was u very GOOD
state Of feeling generally, all
went to tie Methodist church,
and from that time till | lett
the State, | had many pleasant
meetings there, sometimes in
the PRESBYTERIAN and sometimes
in the Eaptist church; and l am
constrained to say, that there |
met with more gencralliberaIiyy
than in any field Of labor | ever
attended. MOI only from the
church, but from men OF the
world. And then in Pendleton,
my first sermon there was in
the old Court House, and some
times in thePresbyterian church.
At the request Of my old friend,
-. b, Benson and others, after
laboring awhile we got a Meth
odist church put up, and it was
one OF my regular appointments
until | left; and there | left
many kind friends; and l want
my old friends to remember as
they pass through Pendleton,
that their old friend and brothe,
has tried to preach in all the
churches in that >illage. -AnC
there is Sharon, / commenced
with that portion of countr,
some thirty wears since, before
there was any house Of wor-
ship The present house is the
third that has been built; the
first was too small, the second
likewise. The present house.
although tolerably large, was
often found to be too small tC
hold the congregation. | fee
a great regard for Sharon con.
Eregation. AT that church
often met many of my Presby.
terrain friends from Carmel, and
some from Pendlcton, and some
times my kind old brethren,
Kennedy and Ross; men will,
whom | have labored and CON
muncd; men who famed nv
fevcred brow in 1913, and were
ready, and did divide their good
things with me, as well as
many others I could name. II
causes me to look back with
feelings | can't adequately de-
scribe, and an satisfied that
ana wrong eyer to leave q field
OF labor where there was SO
much still to do.
A word in reference to Pick
ems G. IL. [ commenced trying
to preach there in 1886, at the
request of the Clerk of the Court
Silas kirksey and P. Alexander
and other. the three named are
all gone, and l am still contend
ing with the ills of life. The
Court House was the place
where all denominations wor-
shipped until a few years since.
when they built a Presbyterian
church. Since then we all wor-
ship in the same house.
Though the congregation was
small generally compared with
others, yot there was some noble
spirits there. both in and out of
the church. Oh! how | would
like to see them. There is Mt.
Zion, shall [ say my homo
church2 There have had some
gracious meetings, and there is
where tried to preach my first