The New Hampshire Gazette

RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE

For the N. H. Gazette,

Mess. Printers,

IT cannot be amiss to gratify your customers with something of a Religious Nature, which you may depend will be highly pleasing to many who read your useful paper; In this view of Divine things I wish you to publish the following account of my first coming to this town, and of what has taken place since; which may be relied on for truth :-

THE first of my coming here was last July—at that time I found several people who were anxious to hear the word : I preached twice and knew not that I should ever preach here again ; however, being solicited by some friends, I agreed to come again in three weeks ; at this time, Mr. Richards very kindly offered me his Meeting-house, which was the only one I was allowed to speak in at that time : I preached there three evenings successively to a crowded, and attentive assembly. One thing took place at one of the meetings which is worthy of notice, a very respectable woman living near the Meeting-house, who could not leave her children to attend the meeting ; went out and stood for some time under the pulpit window, to hear what was said—the text spoken from was Psalm xlv. 5, "Thine arrows are sharp in the hearts of the King's enemies whereby the people fall under thee." In the discourse, these expressions were used, "Sometimes the King's arrows pierce the hearts of his enemies when no person knows it but the enemy"—This thought struck her mind, "I must be the one, for no person on earth knows that I am here." While he was hearing the glory of the King described, she had these thoughts run through her mind, "must I be forever ignorant of the glories of that King!" The impression which these things made on her mind never left her 'till she had an evidence that she had seen the King in his beauty, was redeemed by his blood and made a friend to him. In the month of September the attention appeared to increase ; the first Lord's day of this month, I preached at the North School-house for the first time—soon after that the Selectmen of the town gave liberty to meet in the Market-hall ; there appeared to be a remarkable hearing ear—there was no place which would hold the people, and though they were attentive to hear, yet there was scarcely an instance of any person being brought out of darkness into light, 'till after the great fire, which was on the 26th of December, from that time I found a greater solemnity on the minds of my hearers, than ever had been ; one young man appeared to be born into the Kingdom and wished to be baptized ; on the 2d. of January, 1803, he and two other persons were baptized in the presence of a great crowd of people, who came to see the ordinance administered according to the scriptures, a sight which the greatest part never saw before ; From that time we held a meeting every Saturday evening to examine our articles, and to endeavor to be united as a Church of Christ upon the New-Testament plan ;-In February I baptized two more ; our Conference meetings now began to be crowded and several made mention of their undone situation, and their need of a Saviour ; on the 10th of March I baptized one more ; from that time to the present the instances of conviction and conversion begun to increase ; on the 30th of March the Church was constituted, consisting of 22 members—we had several Ministers from the country, who attended and gave us fellowship as a Church of Christ ; four were baptized on that day ; the next week on Fast day six more submitted to the ordinance and became members with us ; on the first Lord's day of April, we met to break bread, and of all the communion days I ever saw, this was the most peculiar ; the number who communed was about thirty ;, this was a day of light, joy and comfort to those who commemorated the death of our ascended Lord :-Many were constrained to say, "He brought me to the banqueting house and his banner over me was love ;" for five weeks past there has not been one night but what we have met either for preaching, or for prayer and exhortation ; our meetings have been solemn beyond what I ever saw before ; many times the precious youth have been so impressed with a sense of their undone situation, that a general sobbing has been heard through the whole house—yet there has not been any thing that looked like confusion in any of the meetings :-I have known nine or ten to speak or pray in an evening, with the greatest regularity. Those persons whose minds were taken hold of, appear to have a heart-felt sense of their ruined state as sinners, and of God's justice in cutting them off ;-when they are set at liberty, they speak of the riches of God's grace in saving such great sinners,— their desire to live to his glory, their readiness to leave all their sinful company, conversation and conduct ; they speak of the delight they find with the people of God, and the comfort they receive from the Scriptures; —it is very affecting to see whole-hearted young men coming and "confessing their deeds," owning that they have spent their time at the corners of the streets in blaspheming the God of Heaven, in gaming, drinking, and making a ridicule of the things of Religion, and admiring the long suffering of God, who has not cut them off as monuments of his displeasure :- These are things I often hear them mention, which is a striking evidence that God has wrought a good work in them—Last Wednesday eight persons were baptized, chiefly young people; the assembly at the water, was solemn beyond what I have ever seen on such an occasion in this town -since the 2d. of January, I have baptized twenty-four, who have lately professed to know the truth.-I have ever made it my practice to advise Converts to read the Bible to know what is right concerning baptism, and every one has uniformly agreed in this, that baptism belongs to a believer in Christ, and no other ; and that it is a burial with Christ, —Were all people to search the Scriptures and learn what is said there, it would not be long before there would not be one word said about any other baptism. At the present time there is considerable opposition, many are saying what meaneth this ! some cry delusion ! delusion ! ! and many despise and wonder ; the Lord grant they may not perish :One of the Ministers in this town appears to rejoice in the work, and has opened his Meeting-house for us ; he has spoken and prayed in our meetings to the satisfaction of all who heard him : I think that the attention is increasing, and there is scarcely a day but what we hear of some one who is born into the Kingdom : O ! that it may spread from house to house and from street to street, 'till "no one shall say to his neighbour, know the Lord."'--Sometimes I feel my strength almost exhausted, preaching once and twice in a day constantly but this promise remains firm, "as thy day is, so shall thy strength be ;" I consider this the happiest part of my whole life, to see young men and maidens, old men and babes praising the Lord : If this is delusion, for youth to forsake the ways of sin and serve God, my prayer is that the whole world may share in it to their joy, and the eternal honor of my Divine Master Jesus.

ELIAS SMITH

Portsmouth, April 25, 1803.