Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 17.djvu/160



152 REVEREND EZRA FISHER

Mr. Fisher, I am a miserable, wretched sinner." The work of grace appeared most distinctly marked, from a conviction of his exceeding sinfulness in the sight of God to that of a full surrender of himself to God and the exercise of faith in a crucified Redeemer. Tuesday, about 5 P. M., hope sprang up in his soul and immediately he arose from his bed, which he had scarcely left for twenty minutes after Sabbath night, and bowed in the presence of his family and a few Christian friends in prayer. He still enjoys the consolation of a hope which fills the minds of his neighbors with surprise. . . . May God give me grace to improve this providence to His glory. All I will now say on this subject is that I find num- bers of our impenitent fellow citizens acknowledging that they have been unusually affected under the preaching of the Word the past winter. We can but feel an additional as- surance that the Spirit's silent, yet powerful influence has attended the preached Word the past winter. We feel great- ly the need of grace, lest these indications of divine favor pass away unimproved. Pray for us in Clatsop and in Ore- gon that we may quit ourselves as missionaries of Jesus Christ as well as missionaries of the churches.

I wrote you a large package by the Brutus and entrusted it to the care of Elder Gary. I also wrote in November by the bark Whiton, Captain Getston 145 a package of three sheets in which I made a regular report from August to No- vember. But I have recently learned that that ship is char- tered for a transport to the Pacific squadron and I fear the letter will be miscarried or be long delayed. We suffer great inconvenience in rendering the amount your Board appro- priate to our support available when needed, but hope to have a regular mail direct from this place to New York as soon as next winter. We shall then be able to make our reports and receive remittances from you timely so as to ob- viate the necessity of the too frequent interruptions of our missionary labors by the imperious demands of our families

145 Gelston, not "Getston." Oregon Spectator, July 22, 1847.