Page:The rock of wisdom.djvu/45

 our hearts that sinners may see our good walks and hear our good counsel, that they may come to Christ and be healed from all their maladies; but seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you, Mat. 6 c. 33 v. these servants of God are representing the true church of Christ, this is a square number consisting of the twelve disciples, in allusion to the number of the. church of the old testament, who were the true and genuine offspring of the twelve patriarchs and to the church of the new testament of the offspring of the twelve apostles. It is also the number of the new Jerusalem, the church of Christ is expressed by this number here because at that very time all those heads of families had been brought into her bosom, which constituted the genuine lineage of the old dispensation and such of the church of Christ as by their posterity will reach the gates of the new Jerusalem, this you may call mercy unto thousands of them that loveth God, this great mercy reminds me of the time God told me to go forth and preach the gospel, and said unto me fear not and I taking encouragement trusted in his word and started on my circuit a foot, and preached as I went, and God worked great wonders to my astonishment.

On the 17th of July 1822, in the morning, I started on to my appointment from Attleborough, in Pennsylvania, going to New Hope I saw on the fence before me a milk white bird, and I thought it was a pigeon walking on the fence, and it seemed so tame I thought within myself I would catch it, I walked towards it and I lifted up my hand, and it stopped and I thought in my mind I would catch it, when I got to it my heart failed me, and I looked at it for some time, and while standing looking at it I felt very awful, and then concluded in my mind I would not catch it, then I- started on and left it, and it looked after me; when I had got about ten rods it flew and came close right over my head, it went on about five rods before me and lit on the fence, then I resolved in my mind to catch it, I would, I lifted up my hand again and stopped still as before, and I went towards it and when I got in reach of it, I lifted up my hand to catch it, an awful fear came over me, and so I only clapped my hand on its head, and rubbed it on the back to the the tail, and I stood in a maze for