Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 19.djvu/372

 354 REVEREND EZRA FISHER Grace of God in Christ for her acceptance with Him. While I found myself bereft of my dearest, best earthly friend, with two daughters and a son, all under the age of fifteen, on my hands, my field of labor seemed closed. All my prospects for the future seemed for the present closed. My path was dark- ened. It seemed to me that I could do nothing but wait on God. I could not think of breaking up my family. To leave the agency at this period, it seemed to me, would be attended with consequences far from being desirable. On the evening of the burial of Mrs. Fisher I called my family around me and inquired after the state of their minds and found three of them convicted of sin; also a lad of fourteen then boarding with us. 340 The following Sabbath Br. Chandler preached the funeral sermon on the occasion of Mrs. F.'s death. The congregation was large and solemn. Br. C. preached on Monday and Tuesday evenings at 7 and then left for his appointment on the Santiam. By this time the interest was so apparent that it was judged expedient that we keep up nightly meetings. I then entered the work and, with the assistance of Br. Post, who preached frequently evenings, and Br. Johnson, who preached once each Sabbath, the church continued her meetings nightly for something more than two weeks, and, during the present week, we have meetings every night except two. I have already baptized nine, three more are received as candidates for baptism and two more will relate their experience to the Church tomorrow; two of the converts have joined the Congregational Church, being for- bidden by their guardians to join the Baptist. Their guard- ians are a Congregational deacon and wife. 340a Among those who were baptized, three were my own children, one the lad who boarded at my house at the time of Mrs. F/s death, and one the son of Elder Johnson. 341 Mrs. F.'s physician 342 and wife are received for baptism. We still have a number of inquirers who are regular members of our congregation. The 340 This was Charles W. Shively, son of the first postmaster at Astoria. 340-3 Peter H. Hatch. 341 This was Hon. William Carey Johnson (1833-1912). He was for many years a prominent attorney and member of the Baptist Church at Oregon City. 342 This was Dr. W. B. Magers.