At another time, during a big revival in the
Methodist Church in 1869, I went forward with
others, and for two nights I -worked as hard as
any one to get saved. At last some one asked
me if I believed. I told them I did. Then thev
said, "Get up, you are saved." I was sincere, so
I accepted their teaching and stood up, but I felt
no particular change, as my head hung down and
I felt ashamed; but I took their word for it, sup-
posing it to be all right. But, oh, what a mistake !
and that same mistake is being made with thou-
sands to-day. The country is full of what we
called backsliders that never had anything to
backslide from, and this deception has made their
last state worse than the first.
I was taken into the Church and baptized, but
it did me no good. I was worse than ever, and
for three years I lived a very wicked life. But
thank God! on the 14th day of December, 1872,
God Almighty got hold of me, and this time He
was the teacher, and He showed me a thing or



30 Thirty-three Years a Live Wire.
two, and like Jacob of old, He nearly used me
up, but I got something as lasting as the stars,
and which will stand when the world is on fire.
