Page:Signswondersgodw0000wood.djvu/67

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Life and Work of Mrs. M. B. Woodworth-Etter
61

Many were received into the church, and we raised several hundred dollars toward building a church. I gave a farewell exhortation to them, and closed by shaking hands with them all. It was a hard trial for me; they seemed like my own children. Brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers—we were all weeping together, and many tears were shed. But we looked forward to that great gathering in the mansions fair.

My next meeting was in the country a few miles from Columbia City. The Lord did a great work in that neighborhood. Nearly every house became a house of prayer. Praise God who gives us the victory in every place, over all opposition and persecutions. He convinces the people that he has called and sent me to preach the gospel with power sent down from heaven, and that he is with me to take care of me, and deliver me from the enemies of the Lord and his work.

We next went to Syracuse, Ind., and held services in a large Union Church. We had a hard battle, but God gave us the victory. The spirit of conviction fell upon the town and surrounding country. Sinners fell as dead men. Others cried for mercy. One night the power of God fell so, that the solemnity of the judgment seemed to rest upon the people. The Lord showed me there was some there that would never have another call of mercy. I rose with tears running down my face and told the congregation that death was very near to some of them; that the pale horse was so near them they could almost hear the clatter of his hoofs, and if they left the house that night without making their peace with God they would be lost forever. In less than one hour after the meeting, a young man and lady were lying in the bottom of the lake, a few yards from the church. They were skating, and the ice broke. They were trying to drive off conviction. I talked to them many times about accepting Christ. I urged them that night to give their hearts to the Lord; to not wait any longer. Many of their friends tried to bring them to Christ that night, but they would not yield. The lady said there. was going to be a dance in a few days, and she would wait till after that. They lost their souls and their right to eternal life, by turning Christ away, and looking forward to a few hours sinful pleasure. But they were not permitted to attend the dance. In such an hour, as they thought not, death came. They fell into the hands of the living God: went into Eternity and the Judg-