Page:The Rocky Mountain Saints.djvu/49

Rh youthful prophet, as it has many others before and since. His mother, two brothers, and a sister were "proselyted" to the Presbyterian Church, but he experienced in his "deep and often pungent feelings" partiality for the "Methodist sect." He was greatly excited, and in the midst of this war of words and tumult of opinions, his mind by some influence was directed to that Scripture which saith: "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God that giveth unto all men liberally and upbraideth none, and it shall be given him." This admonition was peculiarly encouraging to one in his situation, and he resolved to test it practically. For this purpose he retired to a solitary place in the woods, and the following is his statement of what then occurred:

The original purpose of the boy's prayer being to learn which of the sects he should join—for up to that time his mind had not embraced a wider range of freedom—as soon as he was able to speak he made the inquiry with the following results: