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THE LIFE 
 
 RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 
 
 HIRAM MUNGER, 
 
 INCLUDING MANY SINGULAR CIRCUMSTANCES CONNECTED WITH 
 CAMP-MEETINGS AND REVIVALS. 
 
 WRITTEN BY HIMSELF. 
 
 PUBLISHED AND FOR SALE BY THE AUTHOR, 
 
 CHICKOPEE FALLS, MASS., 
 
 And at the Office of the " Crisis" 167 Hanover-st., Boston 
 1861. 
 
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PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. 
 
 In issuing a second edition of this work the 
 autobiographer has added an Appendix contain- 
 ing interesting details of some of the persecu- 
 tions experienced by the pioneers in the Advent 
 faith, together "with a concise narrative of sub- 
 sequent labors hi the year just past and gone. 
 
 The good which the Lord has been pleased to 
 accomplish through the instrumentality of this 
 minister is indeed great ; and when we look at 
 the wonderful revivals which have sprung up 
 under the most discouraging circumstances 
 wherever he went, we are ready to acknowledge 
 that God has blessed his works abundantly in 
 constraining sinners to come to Christ that 
 they might have life. 
 
 The quaint originality of the style is charac- 
 teristic of the man ; and those who are ac- 
 
4 PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. 
 
 quainted with our brother will therein see the 
 handiwork of the only Hiram Hunger which we 
 
 have, and, as Brother W , of Albany, once 
 
 said, the only Hiram Munger which we need. 
 
 The Appendix begins with a recital of a few 
 of the trials with which our earliest preachers 
 had to contend ; and the faith of Brother Ma- 
 thewson, the sufferings of Baker, and the cour- 
 age of Father Hastings are touched upon in a 
 style peculiar to the author, the perusal of 
 which will well repay the reader. 
 
 In addition to the above, there are added a 
 number of valuable recipes, which, to those who 
 are so unfortunate as to require their applica- 
 tion, are of themselves worth the price of the 
 book ; and their place there is a guaranty of 
 their efficacy. 
 
 A lifelike portrait goes with this edition, for 
 which we anticipate a rapid sale. 
 
 Jno. P. Cotton. 
 
 Boston, 1 January, 1861. 
 
lUSGEE'S 
 
 LIFE AND EXPERIENCE. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 In preparing this work, I must labor under 
 many disadvantages ; first, from the fact that 
 I cannot give but few correct dates, as I kept 
 no journal, and most of these incidents must be 
 given from memory for a number of years. But 
 I will endeavor to give facts, and in some in- 
 stances correct dates, and the sum and substance 
 of circumstances, as nearly as possible. 
 
 Another difficulty which I must necessarily 
 labor under is, omitting many names in this 
 narrative, as many of the persons are living at 
 this time, and many of the incidents are of such 
 a nature, that the names of persons to whom 
 they refer, being connected with the circum- 
 stances, might create sensitiveness and dissat- 
 isfaction. 
 
 This work is designed mostly to give a history 
 of my experience in more than one hundred 
 camp-meetings, and other religious meetings. 
 
10 munger's life 
 
 I have had the charge and oversight of the most 
 of these meetings, either directly or indirectly, 
 so that I felt a responsibility and duty to pre- 
 serve good order. This position placed me 
 where I necessarily came in contact with the 
 " Cain family/' or " Children of the Devil" as 
 our Saviour called them. So many curious and 
 singular circumstances have occurred at these 
 meetings, that are well known to my friends, 
 that I have been requested to write them, as 
 correctly and fully as I could recollect, that 
 they might see them together, and have the 
 privilege of relating them to others. I have 
 objected for some years from a number of con- 
 siderations : one good one was that I was not 
 competent to produce a published work of any 
 kind, to appear in this age of education and crit- 
 icism ; another was, I was not able to raise the 
 expense of publishing, and if others assisted 
 me, I did not want any book in the community 
 that was a drug to the people ; and fearing that 
 it might not prove interesting, I had good rea- 
 sons to doubt the propriety of the undertaking. 
 But as we are all liable to be overcome, I will 
 venture, therefore, to commence and proceed as 
 my memory may serve me, hoping that neither 
 religion nor morality will suffer on its account. 
 
 I was born in Monson, Mass., September 27, 
 1806, of poor parents. I was the oldest son of 
 Stillman and Susan Hunger, who were the pa- 
 
AXD EXPERIENCE. x 1 
 
 rents of five sons and six daughters, who have 
 all, except one, lived up to the present time, 
 this 9th day of August, 1855. I am consequent- 
 ly nearly 49 years of age. There is nothing re- 
 markable in my experience of early life any more 
 than in that of many others. But I can recol- 
 lect so distinctly circumstances that took place 
 when I was very young, that it may refresh my 
 memory concerning later dates to note a few 
 things as I passed from childhood up to where 
 I now am ; and as memory is the most I have 
 to depend upon, it needs refreshing, and this I 
 offer as a reason to my friends for commencing 
 my narration previous to what they or I expect- 
 ed at first. I recollect a number of circumstan- 
 ces that took place when I was less than two 
 and a half years of age, while living in Monson. 
 My father moved to Ludlow in the year 1809, 
 and tended a grist-mill for a Mr. Putman, in 
 the place then called " Put's Bridge/' since 
 called Jenksville. While there I tended the 
 toll-gate on the bridge. I recollect demanding 
 the two cents of a colored man, who refused to 
 pay me, and threatened me if I did not open 
 the gate. I went for help, or to inform my 
 father in the mill : when we came out in sight, 
 he was on the gate (which was very high) get- 
 ting over — my father shook him off, which so 
 enraged him, that he cursed and swore at a 
 great rate, which scared me for the first time 
 in my life that I recollect. The same hour, 
 
12 munger's life 
 
 and a short distance from that place, he com- 
 mitted a crime worthy of death, and was execu- 
 ted in Northampton. His name was Piner. — 
 Many will recollect this circumstance as well as 
 I do, for there was much excitement in that 
 place at the time of his capture and trial. 
 
 The next work I remember doing was going 
 into the small cotton factory over the grist-mill, 
 started by Benjamin Jenks & Co., who came 
 from Khode Island. This was the first factory 
 of that kind in Massachusetts. The help neces- 
 sary to carry it on was about twelve or fifteen 
 hands. Here was where I was first made ac- 
 quainted with American slavery in the second 
 degree. The treatment of the help in those 
 days was cruel, especially to poor children, of 
 whom I was one. Although I was young, I re- 
 collect of thinking that life must be a burden 
 if I was obliged to work in a factory under such 
 tyrants as the Jenks' were then, and they never 
 improved, unless it was when they failed and 
 cheated the community out of $100,000, or 
 more, and then left the parts. 
 
 In a few years, we moved to another mill 
 three miles north, but in the same town, and 
 lived there three years. Here I began my edu- 
 cation with tending grist-mill. There being 
 few inhabitants in the place, my mother was 
 sent for when there was any sickness, and I, 
 being the oldest of her four children, had all the 
 care when my father was absent. I remember 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 13 
 
 that my second sister was at play around the 
 fire, and her dress took fire ; father and mother 
 being gone, I tried in vain to put it out, 'till 
 she was very badly burned, — her screams terri- 
 fied the rest of the children, and no neighbors 
 being near, I was in a straight place sure enough. 
 I thought of the brook, and in an instant took 
 the child, and amid the screams, confusion and 
 fire, hastened down the bank a number of rods 
 through bushes and weeds, and threw her in. 
 The brook being large and high at the time, 
 she went down some distance before I could get 
 her out. This operation put the fire oat and 
 stopped her crying, for she had strangled by 
 rolling over so many times while going down to 
 a place where I could get her out. She soon 
 revived, to my joy, for I was afraid that my sud- 
 den remedy was fatal. But she got well, sooner 
 probably by having the cold water bath. I must 
 have been at that time about ten years of age. 
 We next removed to Wilbraham, and lived a 
 year or so. I worked that summer for Abner 
 Cady, on a farm, for three dollars per month. — 
 This was the cold summer of 1816. My sum- 
 mer wages bought my father a cow, which we 
 kept until we moved to Chicopee, the town 
 where I now reside. I was now large enough to 
 help in the mills, and was subject to my lather 
 for a number of years : with him I struggled 
 with poverty, the family now being large. 
 My second brother and myself were all the 
 
14 hunger's life 
 
 help he had, to carry on a grist-mill, and some 
 of the time two saw-mills ; and we were so poor 
 that I had not clothes that were comfortable for 
 winter or decent for summer much of the time. 
 This was the misfortune of being very poor ; it 
 was not caused by indolence nor intemperance 
 of my father, for there is hardly a man that 
 lives, or ever did live or ever will, that worked 
 harder and more hours to support a family than 
 he did, and my mother too. I was old enough 
 to know that it was out of their power to do any 
 better by their children. But, like other boys, 
 I was often dissatisfied with staying at home 
 without clothes to go to school or meeting but 
 very little. I was nearly 16 years old before I 
 could write, or read in a paper ; and I could 
 not cipher at all. I was ashamed to go to school 
 there then, and at last got rather headstrong 
 and unruly, and determined to run away. I 
 recollect setting a time to start : got my little 
 all done up in a cotton handkerchief, and about 
 8 o'clock in the evening I started for Monson, 
 to my uncle's — about fifteen miles. It looked 
 like a great undertaking in those days. But I 
 started, and had got about half a mile, when 
 my attention was arrested by hearing some one 
 praying up the river about one and a half miles 
 from where I then was. I could hear distinct- 
 ly what was said, and I staid nearly an hour and 
 listened, until I concluded to go back home and 
 put my goods in at the chamber window where 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 15 
 
 I got out. I went to bed thinking aboat that 
 praying up the river : that turned my mind 
 from running away. I staid at home peaceably 
 for a year. I soon found out about that pray- 
 ing up the river. It was three old fashioned 
 Methodists that could not have the privilege of 
 praying in the tenement where they boarded ; 
 this was in the upper village, now called Chico- 
 pee Falls, two miles from Cabotville. These 
 men were men of God who went to work for 
 him in good earnest. Their names were, Car- 
 ter, Patton and Crocker. Their place of resort 
 was half a mile down the river to a large, hollow 
 button-ball tree where they went to pray after 
 their day's work was done . Here was where they 
 were when I heard them at Cabotville, which 
 was at least one and a half miles distant. They 
 prayed so loud and fervent that the " Cain fam- 
 ily" found them, and commenced a violent perse- 
 cution, even to the injury of their persons, but 
 all to no purpose. These men of God were bent 
 on something being done, and kept praying un- 
 til some of their adversaries were struck like 
 Saul of Tarsus ; some two or three in one eve- 
 ning.*** God began to work in power, and it 
 
 * While these men were praying, one of the " Cain 
 family 5: procured a long pole, and inserting a sharp nail 
 in the end of it. thrust it into the tree where they were 
 praying. Instantly Patton cried out. K Lord ! that 
 wicked sinner has pricked me — now. Lord, prick him to 
 the heart." The indignity was repealed, and again he 
 
16 monger's life 
 
 gradually and powerfully went on in the midst 
 of persecution. It spread down the river, and 
 some were converted there, and I among them 
 felt the pardoning love of God and rejoiced. I 
 never shall forget that time. But I soon went 
 from there to Monson to work, and got in with 
 wicked young men, and, like thousands, neglect- 
 ed duty and got back from God. I came back 
 to Chicopee and staid a year or two. There I 
 was made acquainted with the fact that I must 
 pay a tax to the priest of the parish. This I 
 never had heard of ; but so it was : and so, after 
 all my flouncing, scolding and swearing, I had 
 to pay to the deacon the only fifty cents I ever 
 had had, or go to jail. That year a poor man's 
 cow was taken for the parish tax, and a young 
 man who was poor, had his boots attached while 
 they were at the shoemaker's ; and many other 
 similar specimens occurred in that region. — 
 This sickened and disgusted me with the old 
 fashioned way of supporting " the standing 
 order" by law, against our will. I heard some 
 talk about " signing off"* to get rid of paying a 
 parish tax ; and I thought if there was a way 
 
 cried, " Lord, he has pricked me again, now prick him 
 to the heart." The prayer was heard — awful conviction 
 rested on the scoffing crowd, and several who were that 
 night convinced of sin are now able ministers of the Gos- 
 pel. Behold the power of prayer. 
 
 * Persons belonging to other churches could, by certify- 
 ing the fact over their signature, avoid paying the regular 
 tax. 
 
AFD EXPERIENCE. 17 
 
 to get off, I should never pay Deacon Stedroan 
 another fifty cents till I got ready. I began to 
 doubt the Christianity of all professors. Aunt 
 Ruel Van Horn's kind of religion I thought the 
 best that I ever had seen, and would attend 
 meeting where she did. She was a Methodist 
 woman who had lately come into the place, and 
 who lived her religion out, and has ever since. 
 She was alive last week, and I called on her 
 and talked over the old times that we had twenty- 
 five or thirty years ago. I found her as strong 
 in God as ever, though now nearly seventy years 
 old. As there is nothing of importance from 
 this time, I shall skip a few years to come more 
 directly at the subject of Camp-meetings. 
 
 The year that I was married, I lived in South 
 "Wilbraham and tended Wm, Moseley's mills. 
 I heard of a Camp-meeting in Connecticut, about 
 twelve miles from there ; and as I had never 
 attended one, I concluded to go, and learning 
 that the Methodists had put some into the 
 preachers' stand for not obeying their rules, I 
 proposed to a man of equal strength, named 
 Goodale, to go with me, and see if the Metho- 
 dists could put us into the preachers' stand. I 
 had never seen a preachers' stand at this time. 
 We arrived in sermon time, and got a sight at 
 the stand, but concluded that it would not be 
 a stand, or standing long, if they put another 
 man into it. In the afternoon, while the com- 
 mittee was trying to get the men to take their 
 
18 hunger's life 
 
 side of the ground, we broke over their rules, 
 determined to do as we pleased, and did, and 
 were able to carry it out as far as masculine 
 strength was necessary, for probably it would 
 have needed a great number to have got either 
 of us into the stand. Our conduct in disobey- 
 ing and traveling where we pleased seemed to 
 suit a class, that had been somewhat disturbed 
 by the committee the day before, and seeing 
 our determination to persist in our course, and 
 break over their rules, these rowdies thought 
 they had got additional strength ; so when even- 
 ing came there was a mob assembled to tear 
 down tents, and do other mischief. But Good- 
 ale and myself kept back. The mob assembled, 
 expecting us to assist them in their operations, 
 but as we had been treated better by the Me- 
 thodists than we had treated them, we had no 
 disposition to injure them. The mob com- 
 menced their operations, and great confusion 
 followed ; women and children were screaming, 
 some were fighting, and Kilburn, the presiding 
 elder, called on every man to help protect the 
 encampment from this wicked mob, and all that 
 were interested on either side came together ; 
 but we looked on and had no part or interest on 
 either side. But human nature is of such ma- 
 terial that it will take sides in sympathy if no- 
 thing more, sooner or later. In a short time I 
 saw the mob had began to use clubs, and had 
 struck old father Henry (as he was called)— one 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 19 
 
 of our townsmen — and the blood was running 
 down his face. " Who struck you ? n said some 
 one. " I don't know, but God knows/' said he. 
 He called for help/and I couldn't be an idle 
 spectator any longer. I told Goodale it was 
 time for us to interfere. So we both agreed to 
 take sides with the Methodists, as they had been 
 shamefully treated and abused. We told them 
 to come on, and some of them followed. The 
 scuffle was near a bush-fence, and we went into 
 the merits of the case very suddenly, and began 
 throwing them oyer the bush-fence, and they 
 soon saw something very different from what 
 they had expected, for we made short work — 
 took a number, and the rest ran — and we stay- 
 ed on the ground and protected it during the 
 rest of the night. The mob dare not return, 
 and did not during the rest of the meeting. In 
 this case, God turned the hearts of two wicked 
 men to his glory. 
 
 So much for the first Camp-meeting I eyer 
 saw or attended. 
 
 The next year I moyed back to Chicopee to 
 a place called Willimansett, and took a saw- 
 mill. There I heard Wilbur Fisk preach for the 
 first time. I recollect people thought much of 
 the preaching. I soon heard Fisk and Orange 
 Scott preach at Hadley Falls, two miles north 
 of Willimansett ; then I was conyinced of be- 
 ing a wicked backslider, but kept it to myself, 
 and stopped going to meeting. Soon after, 
 
20 hunger's life 
 
 Priest Phenix, (so-called), a Congregation alist, 
 had an appointment in the school-house (near 
 where I lived) for a temperance meeting. I 
 was persuaded to go although I had a prejudice 
 against him, for it was his deacon who took the 
 fifty cents out of me for the parish tax, a year 
 or two before. But I went to meeting and 
 heard his argument in favor of temperance. — 
 His reasoning was better than I expected. He 
 was very zealous, and tried to get names on the 
 temperance pledge. He failed in the first at- 
 tempt, but he discovered that a number in the 
 house referred to me, and said if he would get 
 me to sign they would. The old man came to 
 me and ventured to ask me to sign the pledge. 
 I told him I was not a drunkard, and other 
 arguments that caused him to give me up for 
 that time. He kept trying others, and again 
 came to me privately, and asked me if I knew 
 that I stood in the way of his success in that 
 place. I told him no ; they were all of age 
 and could act for themselves. He persuaded 
 and I argued. At last he wanted to know if I 
 thought my signing the pledge would be the 
 means of saving one man, I would do it. I 
 told him I could not then, for I had got three 
 gallons of rum at home which I must drink, and 
 other like excuses. But the old man did not 
 like to give it up without having one sign the 
 pledge in that place, and so he tried me on an- 
 other tack, to know if I would sign for one 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 21 
 
 month. This was in July, and I thought it 
 was necessary to keep out heat, and keep off 
 sickness, &c. He did not give up then, but 
 told me if I would sign the pledge, he be- 
 lieved others would be saved from a- drunkard's 
 grave, if /was not, and appealed to my consci- 
 ence to know if I would not make the small sac- 
 rifice of stopping drinking spirit for one month 
 for the sake of others being saved from a drunk- 
 ard's grave. I told him if I had any evidence 
 that it would, I would stop. He said he had 
 the evidence that it would. I finally told him 
 that for his sake and his faith, I would sign that 
 evening, with the understanding that if I could 
 not stand it a month, I would take my name off 
 in a week or two, if I chose. He agreed to it, 
 and to the astonishment of others, I signed the 
 pledge, then took the paper and demanded the 
 names of those who agreed to sign if I would, 
 and got them to sign. Anda good many sign- 
 ed the pledge that evening ; none, however, up- 
 on conditions but myself; this was a secret bar- 
 gain between us alone. Next day I was called 
 a " cold water man," &c. Time passed on one 
 w r eek, and I did not drink any of my cherry rum 
 that I had just made, although I expected to ; 
 for I meant to get my name off the pledge soon. 
 One day I thought I would take it off, but 
 Priest Phenix had carried the pledge home with 
 him : so I thought I would stand it till I could 
 gee him without going three miles to his house ; 
 
22 monger's life 
 
 the cherry rum tempting me every day. I got 
 
 sick of my bargain, and meant to see him that 
 day, but something hindered me. I heard that 
 he was going to have a temperance meeting in 
 lower Chicopee the next evening, and thought 
 I would go, and then have my name taken off. 
 The old man was there, full of zeal and faith 
 that he should succeed in getting signers to the 
 pledge. I could not see him till the meeting 
 was over. Then, to my astonishment, he took 
 out the pledge, and showed the people what he 
 had done up at Willimansett, and my name 
 was first. This looked bad to me, as I had 
 come four miles to get my name off the pledge, 
 but to have it exhibited in public, and in my 
 old place of residence, was a set-back, sure 
 enough. To go to him then to get my name 
 off, was something that I would not do, if the 
 cherry rum stood untouched till doomsday. A 
 number signed that evening under my name, 
 and there was a society formed on the spot, and 
 three men were nominated to circulate the 
 pledge, and I was the first, and was voted in. 
 This was turning things about in a hurry. — 
 What to do I did not know. There I was 
 down for the purpose of getting out of the col- 
 lar, but I had got into the harness sure enough. 
 I had too much pride to let my business be 
 known then, so I took the pledge and went to 
 work, thinking, perhaps I might do somebody 
 some good, and could erase my name when I 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 23 
 
 pleased. I got a great number of names, many 
 more than I expected. On going home, the 
 cherry rum was in my way, and for me to be 
 offering the pledge to others, and keeping the 
 liquor in the house, looked to me hypocritical ; 
 so I got rid of the three gallons at once, bidding 
 it farewell forever. I then felt better in every 
 respect, for I had not drank a drop for about 
 three weeks, and was conscious that it was do- 
 ing no harm at least. I now had an inclination 
 to attend meetings, which I had not done only 
 occasionally for a number of years ; and I believe 
 the hand of God was in this movement, and per- 
 haps the man I was so much prejudiced against 
 (for having received the fifty cents paid to him 
 from his deacon) was the instrument in the hand 
 of Grod of good to me. At any rate, I commen- 
 ced with a pledge of a month, and have kept it 
 twenty-five years. I have never seen him to 
 speak to him since, for he soon moved off ; but 
 if he should be living, and should see this book 
 with this fact, he may know that his labor in 
 the temperance cause has been blessed in some 
 degree at least. All that I am acquainted with, 
 who signed the pledge that first evening, have 
 kept it to this day : and we have talked it over, 
 and looked at it as being a great and wise step 
 for us, for we are still willing to make a sacrifice 
 for the cause of temperance in all its phases, and 
 risk the stigma that may result therefrom. 
 The next year I moved from Willimansett 
 
24 munger's life 
 
 back to lower Chicopee, and added over two 
 hundred names to the pledge, and felt justified 
 in that, but condemned before God, for I was a 
 backslider. The meeting was still kept up, and 
 had been ever since the three men of God first 
 assembled in the hollow tree, a few years before. 
 By this time the Methodists had gained a foot- 
 hold, and built a small chapel, and had meetings 
 every Sabbath. I attended, and soon became 
 interested in them, and had a desire, like David, 
 to have God restore unto me the joys of his sal- 
 vation. I tried every way to get relief, but was 
 determined to keep my feelings to myself, until 
 I got what I was seeking after ; and month after 
 month I tried every possible way that I could 
 think of to please God . I would get all the peo- 
 ple that T could out to meeting, and often would 
 take them into my boat and carry them there, 
 hoping to do some good thing in this way to 
 please God, and come into his favor by good 
 works. I kept getting signers to the temper- 
 ance pledge, and in fact I did penance enough 
 in various ways to satisfy a Catholic priest, but 
 all to no purpose ; things grew worse all the 
 while. I was determined to get blessed before 
 I let my feelings be known, even to my wife. 
 I finally concluded that I would rise for prayers 
 when a good and convenient opportunity pre- 
 sented itself. I attended all the meetings, and 
 at this time the meetings were very interesting, 
 as there was a revival going on all the while in 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 25 
 
 the Methodist chapel. I heard different preach- 
 ers, Scott, Fisk, White. Stephens, and many 
 others, and did not find a convenient time to 2:0 
 forward all this time. 
 
 There was a great deal of persecution, for 
 the " Cain family" acted like their father the 
 Devil, and I made up my mind I would act as 
 regulator, and keep order at the meetings at 
 least, and defend God's people, for my sympa- 
 thy was with them. I prosecuted some twelve 
 or fifteen in a short time ; some were overseers 
 in the factories, others were members of other 
 churches. Some I pitched out of the house ; 
 others who had been stoning the meeting-house 
 I followed half a mile, and caught them, &c, 
 thinking perhaps that I was in some way at 
 work for God's people, if nothing more. Many 
 a time I have stayed out in secret places to 
 catch those who came to disturb the meeting ; 
 and some will long recollect the brief interviews 
 we had a short distance from the Methodist 
 chapel. But enough on this point. 
 
 The reformation still continued, but I found 
 no convenient time to go forward. I remember 
 well the hardest time I ever had to keep my 
 seat was when a vouns; convert testified, and 
 told her simple story of what God had done for 
 her, and the tears ran freely at the same time. 
 This was one of the daughters of father Carter, 
 so called, one of the first three who commenced 
 working for God down under the old button- 
 
26 hunger's life 
 
 ball tree that I have mentioned before. She 
 talked and cried, and talked till the sharp arrows 
 of the Almighty stuck fast in many hearts, mine 
 for one. None of the great guns that had been 
 fired at me before touched the tender place as 
 that small stone out of the little sling did. I 
 then agreed, with two others, to go forward for 
 prayers the next time there was an invitation. 
 The time came, and the question arose who 
 should start first. I mention this to show others 
 the need of individual decision in matters of 
 religion. Neither would be first, and so we all 
 sat still that evening. The next evening some 
 of my friends were present, and it was not con- 
 venient then, and I saw that the Devil would 
 have something in the way as long as I was un- 
 decided ; and I made up my mind, that if all 
 the whole world was present I would go for- 
 ward the next evening. The time came, and I 
 hoped that my friends would not be there, but 
 it seemed that all of them knew what I had de- 
 termined to do, and came to see if they could 
 not laugh me out of it ; and they would have 
 done it, had I not decided wholly that I would 
 make the trial that night. I recollect that Bro. 
 Josiah Litch called upon all to come forward 
 who felt the need of prayers. My heart thump- 
 ed and fluttered, until 1 thought every person 
 in the house heard it. 1 finally arose and went 
 to the front seat, and to my surprise, others 
 whom I supposed had come in to hinder, came 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 27 
 
 forward and took a seat with me, and some 
 whom I had previously had hold of, all which 
 helped to break me down before God. Brother 
 Litch and others prayed fervently for us ; some 
 came out clear, and I felt better at the close of 
 the meetings. While going home, I determined 
 to serve God if I was damned ; and while walk- 
 ing along in the road I lifted my heart to Him 
 for His blessing. All at once I had such peace 
 break in upon my mind that I stopped still. — 
 I dare not shout, for the road was full of people, 
 so I got away alone in some bushes, on the bank 
 of the river, and if ever any body was happy it 
 was me. I praised God, I laughed, I cried, I 
 shouted, and then tried to pray, but I could not 
 ask for any thing, for I had then got every thing, 
 I never found so delightful a place before. I 
 staid there until midnight, all alone, yet with 
 the best company I ever had. I could not sleep 
 after I got to my boarding place. 
 
 Now commences my Christian experience. — 
 I was about twenty-five years of age. I will 
 give a short sketch of my experience along a few 
 years, for the purpose of assisting others who 
 have had similar feelings, and fallen in time of 
 trial in consequence of not going forward in 
 duty. The great blessing which I had got con- 
 tinued for a number of days, and in this time 
 my wife was converted. I worked away from 
 home with a gang of hands wicked as Satan him- 
 self. I felt it duty to exhort them to seek God, 
 
28 munger's life 
 
 But the cross was very great, as the " boss" was 
 wicked, and I thought he would turn me away 
 if I ventured to introduce a subject so odious to 
 him as religion. So I gave up the idea at that 
 time, and thinking that I should have a more 
 favorable opportunity, I kept to work with them. 
 At last I got in the dark, and then I could do 
 duty of no kind. This continued for a week. 
 The preacher informed us that there was going 
 to be a camp-meeting down at Haddam, and he 
 wanted to get a certain number to go. I put 
 my name down for two, thinking it a good place 
 for me to get out into liberty again. The time 
 came, and about four hundred of us started on 
 a small steamboat for Haddam, a distance of sev- 
 enty miles down the Connecticut river. Many 
 will recollect that time : the journey was tedi- 
 ous. We arrived on the ground at midnight ; 
 there was no tent up, and we had to lay in the 
 woods. Next day we pitched the tent. We 
 were all tired out, and had no enjoyment : my 
 wife was homesick, and my little boy fell into 
 the fire and burned himself very badly, and it 
 did seem as though " the devil was to pay" all 
 around. I could not get home, for the boat did 
 not go under a week from then. I saw that I 
 could not live so, and I went forward for prayers 
 every time there was an invitation, and that was 
 a number of times a day, for God's people were 
 in the work, and sinners were converted at every 
 meeting. But I grew harder and more indif- 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 29 
 
 ferent. Prayer didn't touch my case ; but I 
 kept going forward, until a preacher (I wish I 
 knew where he was) came to me in the prayer- 
 circle, and said that he had observed me there 
 a number of times, and wished me to tell him 
 how I felt. I told him I had no feelings and 
 wanted to get some. He then wanted me to 
 relate my experience, vrhich I did a year or two 
 back. He then gaye me such instructions as T 
 needed : he told me it would do me no good to 
 go forward for prayers : I had neglected duty, 
 and fallen into darkness in consequence of it. — 
 God blessed me for taking up the first cross, and 
 condemned me for ne^lectino; the second. He 
 talked plain and I felt the force of his words. — 
 He recommended to me a class-meeting in which 
 to tell my feelings and experience, and I should 
 feel better. This w 7 as another cross, as I had 
 never yet spoken in meeting ; but I followed 
 his advice, and the Lord blessed me again ; and 
 always after that I found obedience was better 
 than sacrifice. During the remainder of this 
 meeting, I felt at home. I had attended a num- 
 ber of camp-meetings before, but always as a 
 spectator until now. There was one circum- 
 stance that took place worthy of note. There 
 was a gambler went forward for prayers, with- 
 out any conviction, to gratify his praying sister 
 who was there. I saw him go, and knew r him, 
 and had known him from a boy. He went down 
 on the boat and confessed he was going to gam- 
 
so 
 
 MUNGERS LIFE 
 
 ble. I kept watch of him to see what effect 
 prayer would have upon him : he laughed out 
 quite heartily once or twice in derision, seeing 
 others slain, till at last he was slain, and cried 
 for mercy in such distress of mind as I never 
 heard before nor since. His old comrades for- 
 sook him and ran. He was in such a state of 
 mind and plead so earnestly for mercy, that all 
 efforts to appease him and keep him still were 
 in vain. Even when the bell rung for the preach- 
 ing, the congregation could not be gathered to 
 the stand, the Presiding Elder left the stand 
 and came to the tent where he was, and tried to 
 comfort and still him ; but his agony was so 
 great, and his entreaties so cutting to the peo- 
 ple, that the elder said God was at work in a 
 mysterious way, and there would be no preach- 
 ing that afternoon. So all went to their tents 
 for prayer-meetings, and many were converted. 
 He found peace, and from that day to this nev- 
 er doubted the power which God's people had 
 over him in prayer. While coming up on the 
 boat, he fell off the deck and sprained his ancle. 
 The doctor who was aboard pronounced it a very 
 bad sprain. It was badly swollen, and very 
 painful. He told some of his friends, if they 
 would pray, he believed the pain would cease 
 and the swelling go down. He insisted, and 
 prayer was offered, the crew all eager to see if 
 the thing would be done. I among many doubt- 
 ed the effect of the medicine ; but they prayed, 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 31 
 
 and he said the pain ceased : at any rate, the 
 swelling went clown immediately, and I saw it. 
 He could add much to this circumstance, if he 
 was here : for he is yet alrve, and believes still 
 in the God of Israel as having all power. I omit 
 his name ; but G. M, will affirm this as being 
 true, and many others will recollect it. Nothing 
 else of importance occurred while on the boat, 
 and we all returned home in safety with more 
 than twenty converts. The work spread in every 
 direction, and with such power as astonished 
 many people. 
 
 Two facts I will relate. In the town of Lud- 
 low, in time of a powerful revival, two men op- 
 posed the work, and a friend of theirs who was 
 present at one of the meetings, requested prayers 
 for them. The church prayedfor them as though 
 they had been present ; but they were a num- 
 ber of miles off, and knew nothing of it. God 
 answered their prayers, and one of them, an old 
 man by the name of Collins, who was ploughing, 
 was stricken down, and, as I understood, lay 
 helpless for some time. I have seen him many 
 times, and heard him testify to the goodness of 
 God, and His power to save the hardest of sin- 
 ners, of whom he was one. The other man was 
 cutting bushes, and he was struck clown in the 
 held, and gave his heart to God, and I think 
 he told me that he went from the field to the 
 meeting-house before going home. He said ma- 
 ny more things ; but I have partly forgotten 
 
32 hunger's life 
 
 them, therefore I only write what I distinctly 
 remember. God worked in mysterious ways in 
 those days. This was when Methodists stood 
 in the liberty and faith of the gospel, and craved 
 more for the salvation of souls, than they did 
 for fine houses and fine clothes. Those times 
 were before the devil dared offer to come into a 
 Methodist church with his fiddle under his arm, 
 for he and everybody else knew them as far as 
 they could see or hear them, and that was a 
 great distance. ra 
 
 There was another circumstance worthy of 
 note, which took place about this time among 
 the " Cainite" generals, or " Hagarenes." See 
 Ps. Ixxxiii ; 5-6. A confederacy was entered 
 into by some three or four of the upper ten, to 
 break up the Methodists before they got too 
 strong a hold in the village. The agent was 
 considered a powerful man, and when he under- 
 took anything, it was done. His edict had gone 
 forth, that he would stop praying in the tene- 
 ments on the corporation ground, or he would 
 turn away every one that broke his great com- 
 mand. The fear of God (instead of man) is the 
 beginning of wisdom. The people began to 
 pray to God to take the agent in hand, and let 
 the reformation go on. Soon it broke out anew. 
 One family ventured to obey God rather than 
 man, broke the rules of the agent, and held a 
 meeting that lasted all day. It went in pow- 
 er^ and a number were converted. One was 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 33 
 
 the daughter of old father Carter, one of the 
 three who commenced holding; meetings under 
 the old button-ball before alluded to. She came 
 out alive, and like old Deborah, waited for no 
 man, when God called her to do duty. She 
 had an interview with the agent, told him what 
 God had done for her, and by so doing gained 
 a victory over him and his father the devil. — 
 She went back into the factory, and kept at 
 work for the agent and for God. She could do 
 double the work after she got such victory. 
 The work spread in the factory ; the agent 
 swore, and commenced putting his threats into 
 execution by turning away all those who had 
 ventured to have praying in his tenements after 
 he had objected. One afternoon, about two 
 o'clock, he started for the blacksmith's shop, 
 where two of God's servants were at work, to 
 give them notice to leave. Two of the girls in 
 the factory saw him going, and knew his errand, 
 and called upon God to stop him in his course. 
 One of them said that while she was looking at 
 him when he came within a few rods of the shop, 
 he fell to the ground like a dead man. She 
 spoke to the other, and said, " God has taken 
 Hanshaw in hand." She told me recently that 
 she knew God answered their prayers on the 
 spot. The men ran and picked their powerful 
 agent up, and carried him home. Poor Saul, 
 God stood in his way, and he didn't do his 
 errand. A council of doctors was called, but 
 
34 monger's life 
 
 no one knew what ailed him — they all called it 
 a strange, case. He lay in this condition about 
 three months, and the work of God spread so 
 extensively that he could do nothing with so 
 many converts. Even if he had wished to, I 
 think he had found it hard to kick against the 
 pricks ; at any rate, he never tried it after that. 
 This circumstance will be recollected by Otis 
 Waifc's wife, John Miller and his wife, and many 
 others whom I have forgotten. This is the way 
 God used to demonstrate his regard for that peo- 
 ple. But see them now. Said a Methodist 
 preacher to me the other day : " Bro, Munger, 
 we can never expect to bring Methodism back 
 again on the ground where it once was " Sure 
 enough, it is not destined to go back, but fore- 
 ward ; and those who have stopped to play by 
 the way, with the trifling toys of this world, 
 have become like the nations or neighbors around 
 them, lost sight of the old paths, and got back 
 into the dark ; and to bring the doctrines back 
 there is impossible, " for/' says John Wesley, 
 " when this people cease to carry out their 
 principles, God will raise another people, who 
 will carry them out, and go forward, and not 
 back/' 
 
 This new fashioned way of worship did not 
 suit me nor any of the old fashioned Methodists. 
 About the time that the fusion of the world and 
 Methodist church commenced, a circumstance 
 took place which it may not be amiss to men- 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 35 
 
 tion . There was a protracted meeting in Chic- 
 opee Falls, and the preachers mostly came from 
 the "minister factory/' in Wilbraham. They 
 were young, but very neat and particular, as is 
 generally the case. There was one who was 
 very much so. He preached a number of even- 
 ings, not hitting the heart, nor even the head 
 of any. His charges were spent in the air. — 
 Nobody laughed — nobody cried ; but those who 
 kept him over night muttered about how much 
 trouble he made them. His bed must be very 
 nice, and his room well furnished in city style. 
 His food must be served with the greatest care, 
 or he would make some remark telling them how 
 he lived in Boston. He took occasion to let the 
 people know that he had been an actor in a the- 
 atre, which accounted for his accomplished ges- 
 tures in the desk, and his way of living, and ly- 
 ing in bed so late ; for he would lie in bed until 
 called to breakfast, and then want cold and warm 
 water brought into his room, with two or three 
 towels, hindering the family half an hour or more 
 preparing his dignity with pomatum or some 
 other perfumery. This was a great trouble in 
 a factory village where people had to be govern- 
 ed by bell hours. The brethren and sisters got 
 tired of him in one day, and no one wanted to 
 keep this dandy preacher. One of the brethren, 
 I think it was Bufus Baker, came to me to have 
 me keep him over night. I told him that I 
 would take him, if he could travel half a mile 
 
36 munger's life 
 
 in the mud, up to my house. He consented, 
 as no one else gave him an invitation. We start- 
 ed, Indian-file : I went ahead in a path, and 
 travelled as usual at a good gait. We soon ar- 
 rived at home. My wife and children were in 
 bed, it being late. I was accustomed to have 
 something to eat before going to bed. I took 
 out the table drawer on to my knees, and took 
 hold of the cold boiled victuals, gave him a knife 
 and fork, and told him that he was welcome. — 
 He hesitated a little, but finally took hold. Af- 
 ter supper, I gave him a candle, and told him 
 where to sleep, and I went to bed. G-ot up in 
 the morning, did my chores, and, when breakfast 
 was ready, we sat down to eat, without calling 
 him. He heard the dishes rattle, and us eating, 
 so he got up and came out of his room just as 
 we were finishing our breakfast. He said he did 
 not observe any accommodation for washing in 
 his room. I told him there was a good skillet out 
 at the well and a towel behind the door. I dis- 
 covered that his dignity was dashed ; but my ac- 
 commodations were good enough for me and the 
 presiding elder, and other preachers of the old 
 stamp, and it was good enough for him, if he 
 had been .an actor. I had my horse harnessed 
 and must leave him soon. I told my wife to ask 
 him to pray after he had finished his breakfast. 
 I left him eating with the children. I never saw 
 him after that — before night he was gone. He 
 quit the meeting and the place, and was no more 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 37 
 
 trouble to any one there. I heard that he went 
 directly back to Wilbraham to finish his educa- 
 tion. If his eyes happen to light upon this 
 page, he will recollect the little red house about 
 half a mile east of Chicopee Falls, where this 
 took place. I live in the same village yet, and 
 keep a pilgrim's home. I am yet as partial as 
 ever to dandy preachers. Please call. 
 
 This Gr. M.j of whom I have already spoken, 
 was known for years as the noisy man, and he 
 was rightly named, for I saw him when he was 
 struck down, and he began his noise then and 
 kept it up for years. He had family prayers, 
 and all in the village who lived within half a 
 mile of him had to hear praying once a day at 
 least. One man said that he had to get through 
 before Miller began, or wait, for he could not 
 hear himself, and their houses were eighty rods 
 apart or more. It was unusual, in those days, 
 for him to have a boarder in his tenement a 
 month without getting him or her converted. 
 But I will not multiply words on this strange 
 subject. To some of our modest and modern 
 professors, these things are unknown, and they 
 would be surprised to hear any one say that they 
 had seen thousands cut down (as before men- 
 tioned) at camp-meetings and other meetings, 
 and among other denominations, when they 
 would let Grod work in his own way. I am not 
 writing this work to suit politicians, sectarians, 
 musicians. I only expect to 
 
38 hunger's life 
 
 touch different subjects as they come in my way 
 and to my mind, while passing along. To relate 
 what I have experienced is the design of this 
 book, without running into others views any 
 more than I consider needful to do what I think 
 is justice to the different subjects on which T 
 shall hereafter speak. I shall pass some years 
 now, by simply saying that I joined the Metho- 
 dist church nearly twenty-five years ago, and 
 had a great many good meetings with them, but 
 always was opposed to instrumental music being 
 brought into the house of God. I thought it 
 belonged to the other family, i. e., the " Cain 
 family/' and it was always used by the other 
 family at the dedications of idols, see Gen. iv : 
 21, and you will see that instruments were first 
 used by the sons of -Tubal, the grand-son of 
 Gain. I would to God they had always remain- 
 ed in the " Cain family" where they belonged ; 
 but by this time perhaps the fiddlers in Zion are 
 touched, and run to David to be justified, be- 
 cause lie used them. So he did, and Uriah's 
 wife too, and disobeyed God in so doing, and Na- 
 than reproved him ; and if you readPs. li : 11- 
 15, you will see him in a backslidden state 
 of mind in consequence. Then read Amos v : 
 21-24, and you will see how God hated songs 
 that had the sound of the viol in them. Next 
 read Amos vi : 1-5, and you will observe what 
 state the professed people of God were in when 
 they commenced fiddling. They were at ease 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 39 
 
 in Zion, and God reproved them, and mention- 
 ed the sin of David for inventing; instruments 
 of music. Eead it. you church fiddlers : then 
 look at his son Solomon, after he acknowledges 
 he has backslidden, see how he went into instru- 
 ments of music and other fooleries. See Eccl. 
 ii : 7-8 ; here he had musical instruments of 
 all sorts. Look at Job, and you will see that he 
 says great men are not always wise men. Now 
 if you can make anything out of David or Solo- 
 mon, when God has in so many places condemn- 
 ed it by his Word, you may. I have not quoted 
 half of the passages where the Lord has direct- 
 ly spoken or frowned upon it. And every man 
 of God knows by his experience when the work 
 of God is going on, that this trash of the sons 
 of Jubal, grates upon their ears. Even the old 
 king Darius, when he was under conviction for 
 the wicked act of putting Daniel into the lion's 
 den, sent the fiddlers all away, and would not 
 have any instruments of music come before him 
 the night that Daniel was in the den. Why ? 
 God was at work upon his mind ; and no man 
 ever did have an appetite for such stuff, when 
 the Spirit of God was at work as it was with 
 the king at that time. Read Dan. vi ; 18, 19, 
 20, and you will see that God had been at work 
 with the king all night : and he did not want 
 the " Cain family" about him, and he got rid 
 of them the next day, thank God. A few more 
 thoughts on this point and I will close. Look 
 
40 hunger's life 
 
 at the inconsistency of the Church that will not 
 let a wicked man take part in their social meet- 
 ings, nor pray around their altars, nor serve 
 their tables on sacramental occasions, much less 
 to go into the desk publicly and take the lead 
 of worshippers. Why not ? Why, he is not a 
 professor, and is not fit. Now, for my part, I 
 think the house of God is designed for the peo- 
 ple of God to worship in ; and the desk is no 
 more sacred than the orchestra in and of itself. 
 All are dedicated alike to God ; and singing is 
 as much worshipping, as praying or preaching ; 
 and common sinners would not be allowed to 
 preach or asked to pray ; but the meanest and 
 most abandoned characters, and publicly known 
 as such, are invited — yea, more, they are hired 
 to take a part in the service of God, and they 
 lead too. Many times this is a common thing. 
 No questions are asked, only " Is he a good play- 
 er ?" No wonder God will not smell in your 
 solemn assemblies ; they stink w T ith the instru- 
 ments and spirit of the " Cain family/' and he 
 says so, as before quoted in Amos. I think 
 David uttered a correct sentiment, as seen in 
 the last verse of the last Psalm, " Let every 
 thing that hath breath praise the Lord/' So I 
 say, and the organs that God has created to 
 praise him are the very ones which I am con- 
 tending for, and when put in tune by the Author 
 of their being, they will be acceptable worship, 
 and the singing wili be in the spirit and with 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 41 
 
 the understanding ; not solemn words and a 
 thoughtless tongue, as is the case in thousands 
 of instances. Many times it is more trouble to 
 manage a small choir of singers, than a church 
 of hundreds — why ? because they do not, as a 
 general thing, enjoy religion, yet they take such 
 a prominent part in the worship of God, that 
 they do not feel under any obligations to any 
 one in the church. Why should they, when the 
 church is so very dependent upon them ? Ma- 
 ny of the choirs are a nest of unclean birds, tol- 
 erated and supported by the church. The fore- 
 going are a part of the reasons why I hate instil- 
 ments of music in the professed house of God, 
 and by telling my views plainly, while in the 
 Methodist church, I caused the fiddlers in Zion 
 and those that sympathized with them, to come 
 down on me with the spirit of the u Cain family/' 
 and I never felt at home there after that.* 
 
 I will now give some account of the great 
 camp-meeting in Chicopee Falls in 1S42. In 
 
 * That my views on instrumental music are not new, will be 
 shown by the following, from Dr. Jennings, of England. 
 
 ' : The use of instrumental music in public worship was one 
 of the typical ceremonies of the Jewish religion, which is ab- 
 rogated, therefore, with the rest by the gospel dispensation; 
 and there is no revival of this institution in the New Testa- 
 ment. The ancient fathers were so far from practising or ap- 
 proving instrumental ninsic in Christian worship, that some 
 of them would hardly allow it was used in the Jewish: but 
 put allegorical interpretations on the texts that mention it. St. 
 Basil calls musical instruments the invention of Jitbal, of the 
 race of Cain. And Clement of Alexandria says, they are bet- 
 ter for beasts than men. That musical instruments were not 
 used even in the popish church, in Thomas Aquinas' time, about 
 
42 SITING ETt'S LIFE 
 
 the summer of '42, Bro. Keuben Kansom, the 
 presiding Elder, wished to know where I wanted 
 the annual camp-meeting that fall, as I had 
 attended every one, for years, and so many times 
 found fault with the location and management, 
 he was going to let me select the spot and man- 
 age the financial affairs of the meeting. I hesi- 
 tated a while, for I knew that my way would 
 be peculiar to myself and very different from 
 what he might expect. My father had said many 
 
 the year 1250, appears from this passage in his questions : ' In 
 the old law, God was praised both with musical instruments 
 and human voices; but the Christian Church does not use 
 instruments to praise Him, lest she should seem to Judaize.' 
 So that it seems instrumental music hath been introduced 
 into Christian worship, within about the lastfive hundred years, 
 in the darkest and most corrupt times of Popery. It is re- 
 tained in the Lutheran church, contrary to tho opinion of Lu- 
 ther ; who, as Eckard confesses, reckoned organs among the 
 ensigns of Baal. Organs are still used in some of the Dutch 
 churches ; but against the minds of their pastors ; for in the 
 National Synod at Middleburgh, 1581, and in that of Holland 
 and Zealand, 1594, it was resolved, that they would endeavor 
 to obtain of the magistrates, the laying aside of organs, and 
 the singing with them in churches. The Church of England 
 also, in her homilies, strongly remonstrates against the use of 
 organs and other instruments of music in churches. In the 
 homily on the place and time of prayer, after mention of 
 pipeing, singing, chanting, and playing on organs, which was 
 in use before the reformation, we are exhorted ' greatly to re- 
 joice, and give thanks to God, that our churches are deliv 
 ered out of these things, that displeased God so sore, and so 
 filthily defiled the holy house and place of prayer.' I only add, 
 that the voice of harpers and musicians, and of pipers and 
 trumpeters, is mentioned among the glories of mystical Baby- 
 lon, « that mother of harlots and abominations of the earth, 
 whom God will destroy with the sword of his mouth, and 
 with the brightness of his coming, Rev. xviii : 22." Jennings' 
 Jewish Antiquities, B. 1, chap, v; pp 193, 194. 
 
 t 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 43 
 
 times that I always had a way of my own and 
 different from others, which of course was "bred 
 in the bone." In July, I think, Elder Kan- 
 bom and some eight or ten other preachers, 
 came to my house as usual to talk over the 
 affairs about the prosperity of Zion and camp- 
 meetings, &c, and it w r as decided for me to go 
 ahead and locate the meeting, and I consented. 
 In a short time I selected a grove a short dis- 
 tance from the village, took the leases of the 
 different pieces of land adjoining, which were 
 eight or nine I think, and appointed the meet- 
 ing the 15th of August. This arrangement 
 disappointed the Elder, and he made haste to 
 see me, for this was a new T thing ; the meeting 
 was two or three weeks earlier than usual, and 
 exactly in the vicinity of rowdyism, therefore 
 he could not become reconciled to it, and ob- 
 tained some of the preachers' opinions, and they 
 were astonished also, and opposed the location 
 and time. I then gave my reasons for such a 
 course, which were as follow : 
 
 First — We had always held our meetings 
 the first week in September, and it was wet and 
 cold, and w r e should shun that by this arrange- 
 ment. 
 
 Second — We had always gone from ten to 
 twenty miles from home, and generally as far 
 from any village or house as possible, for the 
 sake of getting away from the devil, as we used 
 to say, and the stonier and muddier the road 
 
44 munger's life 
 
 the better. Some will recollect this fact, who 
 went, the year before, to Pelham, and it ap- 
 peared to me, that if we had the rowdies among 
 the citizens, they would not act as bad at home 
 as abroad. I gave other reasons, and argued my 
 case as well as I could. He finally concluded 
 that, as I had taken the leases, and had gone 
 so far, and had such confidence in the commu- 
 nity, that I might try the experiment, but lie 
 expected to be torn all up, and I must bear the 
 responsibility. He doubted whether the breth- 
 ren would dare come with their tents and fam- 
 ilies ; he went off feeling bad, poor man, and I 
 felt bad on his account, and would have aban- 
 doned it, had I not got so far along, for I had 
 heard others scold, saying, I had got the devil's 
 ground, because I had the ground of Elihu 
 Adams the tavern-keeper. But I had got to 
 try the experiment, and as this was the first 
 meeting that I had ever had charge of, I put 
 the best foot forward, seated the ground, and 
 some of the preachers fell in with me ; one 
 preacher, Bro. Phio Hawks, for the first one^ 
 Bro. W. Ward next, and so on, until the fears 
 of the Elder were somewhat lessened. The 
 time came for the meeting, and the people came 
 from every direction, and Monday night sixty 
 tents were pitched, and five more Tuesday ; 
 some of the tents were very large, the board- 
 ing tent was 100 feet long, and 22 wide, and 
 the lodging tent for strangers, was 110 feet 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 45 
 
 long and 20 wide. The meeting progressed 
 harmoniously Tuesday and Wednesday. There 
 was another new thing ; I let the pedlers into 
 the ground that I had taken the lease of, with- 
 in fifty rods of the camp. The Elder used 
 to drive them back a mile, to the extent of the 
 law. This always made them mad, and they 
 did not care how much the rowdies did trouble 
 us. I tried this experiment on my own hook, 
 by first letting them know the law. and then 
 giving them such privileges that they felt under 
 obligations to us and promised to help protect 
 the meeting. The rowdies had to pass the 
 pedlers' stands to get to the camp ground, and 
 finding the pedlers all still and quiet, and so 
 near the ground, it created a surprise, and they 
 inquired of the pedlers what this meant ? They 
 told them that the ground belonged to the en- 
 campment, and they were there by the permis- 
 sion of the Committee, on condition that there 
 should be no strong drink sold, nor any noise 
 from rowdies, and they should go against every 
 thing that would disturb the meeting. The row- 
 dies in that vicinity were headed in this way in 
 part : then Adams, the tavern-keeper, was de- 
 puty sheriff, and the rowdies there were known 
 by him and me, and they knew that I would 
 put " Caesar's dogs" on their track if they did 
 not behave. So you see the whole machinery 
 or arrangement was new, but it worked well, 
 and the meeting was one of the most quiet that 
 
46 hunger's life 
 
 was ever held in New England, although the 
 largest that I ever attended. Every one said, 
 they never attended such a meeting before, and 
 even the Elder was so happily disappointed, that 
 he proposed holding it over the Sabbath, and 
 they all agreed to it, a thing which they never 
 did before or since, to my knowledge. Over 
 one hundred were reported to have been con- 
 verted at this meeting ; it truly was a great 
 and good meeting, if I did venture out on a 
 new plan of operation. All were satisfied with 
 it. We had no difficulty with the " Cain fam- 
 ily" worth mentioning at this meeting. 
 
 About Friday or Saturday, Bro, Stebbins and 
 E. E. Ladd told me that the Millerites wanted 
 the ground the next week, and wanted the seats 
 to stand. They were going to pitch the largest 
 tent that I ever saw, in the centre of the ground. 
 I did not think much of it,for I had heard Mil- 
 ler preach one half day at Three Rivers, and he 
 whipped the churches so hard, that I was sore 
 then, and I felt off about it. Next came Elihu 
 Adams and J. V. Himes to see me. Adams 
 owned the ground, and was anxious to let the 
 Millerites have it. I believe Himes offered him 
 $525 for the privilege and use of the preacher's 
 stand and seats ; but I felt crusty, and object- 
 ed. As I had luckily taken all my leases for 
 the month of August, it was not Adams' to let 
 until September ; and I owned the lumber and 
 slabs, so I had a good chance to act " the dog 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 47 
 
 in the manger/' and keep off the Millerites. — 
 But Adams, Stebbins, Ladd, and I think, Himes 
 all came again, and offered me the §25 towards 
 defraying the expenses of our meeting, which 
 were about $200. This was an object ; and as 
 Bros. Ladd and Stebbins (who were brethren I 
 thought much of) were anxious, and Bro. Hawks 
 did not oppose, I consented to give the leases 
 over to any one whom they chose, the next Tues- 
 day, as our meeting broke up Monday. The 
 next Monday they all came to see me again, and 
 Himes wanted I should agree to keep on through 
 the next meeting, as I had my hand in, and keep 
 the leases and officers that I had, and for my 
 services offered me $25. After consulting my 
 brethren, I agreed to that also, and Himes want- 
 ed all the tents to stand — boarding tent, lodg- 
 ing tent, and all. I thought he looked like a 
 man that ought to know better than that ; but 
 1 had enlisted ; so I went to work to see how- 
 many would let their tents stand through the 
 next meeting ; and I found that nearly all would 
 if I would be responsible for their safety, which 
 I agreed to, Himes backing me up. After our 
 meeting closed, and all went home, it looked lone- 
 some. The tents stood empty, and I had to 
 watch them two days and nights ; for their 
 meeting was to commence Thursday, the 26th. 
 Their large tent came Wednesday, and a lot of 
 hands commenced cutting down the trees in the 
 grove. This looked like sacrilege to me : I was 
 
48 munger's life 
 
 sorry that I had enlisted. All of my old breth- 
 ren were gone, and a new set of people there, 
 and all the responsibility of the tents on me. — 
 But I could not back out, so- 1 went to work. 
 When they showed me the length of the tent- 
 pole they wanted, I was more astonished than 
 ever : it was to be 55 ft. high. The pole was 
 procured, and I helped raise it ; and their work- 
 men commenced to raise the tent. The novel- 
 ty of the scene drove off my blues, for the tent 
 covered all our seats, and a rod all around, be- 
 sides. It was 25 rods around it — I never saw 
 half so large a tent before. I, and others, thought 
 and said, " Where are all the people coming 
 from to fill it ? ;; for it was estimated to hold 
 from 3000 to 4000, The meeting commenced 
 with a few, and all strangers except a very few. 
 The meeting was so different from the other that 
 I took but little interest in it — excepting the 
 $25, and I hoped that they would not make out 
 much. The next day many more came: the 
 preaching was very good, Bros. Stoddard, Kenny 
 and Collins came on, and 1 found that they were 
 believers. The next clay a great multitude 
 came, and many of my Methodist brethren came 
 back and took possession of their tents, which 
 they had left in my care. This I was very glad 
 of, for I began to have enough to attend to. — 
 The congregation was so large, that the pedlers 
 took their old stands again, on the same condi- 
 tions as before. The next Sunday the people 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 4$ 
 
 began to come very early, and kept coining un- 
 til the whole tent was filled, and came till the 
 ■whole circle of tents was full, and the whole 
 grove literally filled with people, while the 
 preaching was listened to with great attention. 
 I goiild not hear much of it, for as the congre- 
 gation was large, and some rowdyism began to 
 appear, it took my attention mostly ; but I was 
 pretty well prepared if the " Canutes" did not 
 behave, for we had the high sheriff and one of 
 his deputies (Adams), and E. A. Chapman, 
 attorney, was present, and would attend to them 
 at short notice, and did to some of them. But 
 very good order prevailed, and the meeting in- 
 creased in interest, together with its vast num- 
 bers. The first time Bro. Himes attempted to 
 call on sinners to come forward to the altar for 
 prayers, I truly thought him beside himself, 
 for our meeting had been crowned with such 
 success that I did not think any would come for- 
 ward, and I kept watch while the three first 
 verses were being sung, when there was such a 
 rush to the altar for prayers as I had never seen. 
 This gave me the " lock-jaw" for awhile, for I 
 was so astonished to see those forward who had 
 stood through our meeting, that I did not speak 
 for sometime : truly, I thought, God was in the 
 place and I knew it not : and when prayer was 
 offered, such a work ensued as had not been 
 seen on that ground before. Some of my friends 
 were forward, and some church members — all 
 
50 hunger's life 
 
 pleading for mercy : it was a noisy place indeed. 
 Our officers came to me and said, " This is 
 worse than the Methodist prayer-circle. " I 
 suppose they meant as to noise. I recollect 
 asking Bro. Hawks what he thought of it. He 
 answered, " It is the work of God in good ear- 
 nest." By this time a number had come out 
 happy, and were rejoicing, which carried the 
 evidence to us ; that if ours was the work of God, 
 that must be. Bro. Hawks went into the work 
 as usual, laboring for sinners, while prejudice 
 was giving way before the work of God. This 
 meeting continued through with power, and was 
 instrumental in more conversions than the other, 
 saying nothing of the truth that was received 
 by thousands at this meeting. J did not receive 
 the doctrine, for I had not time to examine it, 
 nor did I want to. Immediately after the meet- 
 ing, I was shown a piece in a Baptist paper, 
 published in Hartford, stating that the Miller- 
 ite meeting at our place was a money-making 
 affair, and that Himes had got a great amount 
 of money, and I think it stated nearly a barrel 
 of jewelry : at any rate, it was all a great lie, 
 whether it was meant for one or not, and I knew 
 it, and felt it duty to give all the facts of the 
 case, and did so, and it was published in the 
 " Signs of the Times/' This was the first time 
 I had ever written for publication. I should 
 not have written then, only I had all the min- 
 utes of expense of both meetings, to a cent, and 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 51 
 
 all that was collected, and knew what the u jew- 
 elry" was prized at and sold for ; and I felt it 
 duty to speak out in defence of one who had 
 been so maliciously belied. At this meeting, 
 one or two circumstances took place, perhaps 
 worthy of a remark. One night, at 11 o'clock, 
 two great rowdies came on to the ground, and re- 
 fused to go off when requested by the night- 
 watch. I was called up, and took Bro. Tilden, 
 and went to see them. They refused to go un- 
 til they got ready. I told them that this was 
 a " time meeting/' and it was time for them to 
 be going, and I would give them one minute to 
 start in, and then, if they did not go, I would 
 find lodging for them. The smallest one start- 
 ed ; he was acquainted with me ; his name was 
 White. The other threatened some, told what 
 he had done, and what he would do. When 
 the time was up, I ventured to take hold of him. 
 Bro. Tilden and I took him to the stand, where 
 he was bound, and delivered over to " Caesar," 
 and had the honor and profit of it, the latter of 
 which was about $10 out of his pocket. Anoth- 
 er evening, three men came on to the ground, 
 they said, on purpose to fight with me. The 
 watch tried to get them off, but it was no use ; 
 they were bent upon making trouble. I was in 
 bed, and I think it was Bro. Ladd who came 
 and called me, and told me w T hat was going 
 on, and that I must get up and do something. 
 I went out, and at first thought that I would 
 
52 munger's life 
 
 put them all into the stand ; but observing that 
 the one who wanted to fight with me, had the 
 marks of a gentleman, when sober, I had a dis- 
 position to take hold of him, and told him that 
 I never had fought since I was a boy, but if he 
 would own whipped, if I could handle him at 
 wrestling, I would do the same. His comrades 
 said that was fair, and he agreed to it. We 
 went back into the woods. Bro. Lacld or 
 Stebbins was there. We took hold, and I cal- 
 culated to handle him hard, and I guess he 
 thought so, for he cried, "fairly done" a num- 
 ber of times. I kept him moving until he was 
 satisfied he was much better off than he would 
 have been to have fought, as he first proposed. 
 I pitied the fool, and took him to my tent, and 
 he slept with one that night, and his comrades 
 in another tent, but they left as soon as clay ap- 
 peared, leaving him with me. He slept until 
 breakfast was ready. I called him up, and 
 made him sit with me at the head of the table, 
 and if ever a fellow looked cheap, he did. He 
 told me that he had not a well bone in him, 
 and that he never was so sore in all his life, — 
 probably he told the truth. This had a better 
 effect than prosecuting would. He lives within 
 four miles of me, and is worth a great deal of 
 property, but he has not wanted to fig'Vt with 
 me since then. 
 
 The next week after this meeting closed, Bro. 
 L. 0. Collins offered me $25 to go to Plainville, 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 53 
 
 and take charge of another Advent camp-meet- 
 ing, which I accepted. I took (of a Mr. Rich- 
 ards) a lease of one hundred rods, each way, 
 from the centre of the ground. At this meet- 
 ing a great many attended who were at the other 
 meeting ; although it was over fifty miles, Bro. 
 George Storrs was there, and other Advent 
 preachers. I had more time, here, to examine 
 their doctrine, and I was astonished, when I 
 read the Bible for myself, without a Papal com- 
 ment upon it. I was convinced that they had 
 got the truth on the nature of the events, say- 
 ing nothing of the time, and many things I 
 learned that I never knew were in the Bible 
 before. It was a new book indeed, and had 
 some promises that I never had thought be- 
 longed to us. In fact I had never read expect- 
 ing to understand for myself, and thousands 
 are in the same situation, not even able to give 
 the reason for the hope that is within them. — - 
 Nearly all the blindness that there is in the 
 land is in consequence of not searching the 
 Scriptures, as is commanded by Christ, John v : 
 39, and other places. I do not care if we never 
 get a correct clue to the time, the doctrines will 
 stand the test, and the practice of them will give 
 us a " part in the first resurrection, on such the 
 second death will not have power ;" and seeing 
 such new beauty and glory to be revealed at the 
 revelation of Jesus Christ for us, we are com- 
 manded to "hasten unto" it, and because we 
 
54 
 
 have done so, it is considered a crime, by many, 
 because it did not come ; well, it is coming not- 
 withstanding, and those who love it will be 
 ready, and those who hate it will not. This is 
 all true, but as this book is not designed for the 
 discussion of any peculiar views, I proceed 
 with the meeting. Much good was done at this 
 meeting aside from the doctrine ; for many were 
 converted and reclaimed from a backslidden 
 state. Here, rowdyism was plenty, and I well 
 earned my $25. I will relate one circumstance 
 that may interest some who were not there : 
 The latter part of the meeting the " Cainites" 
 became very bold, because (on Bro. Storrs' ac- 
 count) the laws were, not enforced, for he was 
 on the principle of non-resistance. Thursday 
 evening, (I think) a lot of the "Cainites" tore 
 down the tent of the colored people, and did 
 other mischief, and then got into their omni- 
 bus, and commenced singing obscene songs, and 
 ran their horses so that we could not catch them. 
 The next day, the same team came back with 
 seventeen, and some of them came to disturb 
 the meeting, for they were the same that came 
 the day before. I kept thinking how to take 
 them if they commenced their deviltry again. 
 Along towards night, things looked squally, and 
 I was determined that they should not get off 
 my ground without being taken. The land ran 
 one hundred rods each way. I looked at my 
 lease to be sure that it was correct. The road 
 
Ind experience. 55 
 
 which they took, to and from the ground, was 
 not a public highway. I selected eight or ten 
 good men, placed them about fifty rods from 
 the camp-ground, with the directions in case 
 they made disturbance to seize the horses on 
 leaving, when I gave the sign, and that was — 
 " catch them." After these were in their places, 
 I selected as many more to stay on the camp- 
 ground till they started. Bro. Hawks and Geo. 
 Miller were among them ; and some of the col- 
 ored brethren, I cut up a clothes-line, for a 
 particular purpose, and gave each man a good 
 string, expecting that the "Cainites" would do 
 as they did the night before, and I was not dis- 
 appointed. They tore a tent down and then 
 ran for the team, which was all ready to start, 
 and piled in, any how, and the four horses were 
 in a keen run, at the crack of the whip, and we 
 followed as near as possible, they all the while 
 asking, " Won't you ride ? won't you ride ? 
 jump in," &c. When they got to the right 
 place I shouted, " take them!" and the boys in 
 ambush appeared, to their astonishment stop- 
 ped the horses, and we came up ; I told them 
 "yes,! will ride now/' and, getting into the 
 omnibus commenced pitching them out over 
 the sides on the ground, while the brethren 
 secured them. The ' strings' were very handy 
 and were used to good advantage. While I 
 was at work pitching them out, Bro. George 
 Miller discovered a sword or dirk drawing out 
 
56 munger's life* 
 
 of a cane, and cried, '"'Look out for that dirk.* 
 I looked round and saw the man that had it, 
 and taking him by the collar and the seat of his 
 pants, he went overboard so quick, that he only 
 had time to say c O, clear/ before he, dirk and 
 all, after an serial journey of some twenty feet 
 landed on the ground some feet from the wagon, 
 and Bro. Miller took good care of him, until we 
 got the whole load secured. There was one, a 
 miller by trade, or disguised in miller's clothes ; 
 he was stout and stubborn, and was determined 
 not to be bound. My nerves were strung up 
 pretty high by this time, seeing their conduct, 
 and the dirk. I made haste to secure him — I 
 felt that I could handle him, and laid him on 
 the ground so roughly that he begged, and said 
 that I had broken his back, and some of the 
 brethren thought I had better ' let him up/ 
 He took on so bitterly with his broken hack, 
 that he got the sympathy of some, and he was 
 not bound. But as soon as he got a chance he 
 started upon a keen run for the woods. One 
 of the colored men whose name was Fuller, 
 bounded after him like a deer, and in a moment 
 caught him, before reaching the woods, and 
 brought him back, puffing and blowing, exclaim- 
 ing, " here is your man with a broken back/' 
 and we bound him with the rest. They were 
 all taken back to the ground, except the driver, 
 whom I let go, he having made good promises 
 not to be caught in another such mean scrape. 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 57 
 
 I took his name, and lie was glad to be off. 
 After a while, a consultation was held to know 
 what was to be done with the prisoners. Some 
 thought one thins:, and some another ; most 
 however, thought it would be right to proceed 
 with them according to law, and that imme- 
 diately. But I saw a difficulty in that, as there 
 was not a Justice of the peace in that vicinity, 
 and it was now nearly twelve o'clock, Saturday 
 night, and as we had them, I proposed taking 
 their names, having a season of prayer, and, 
 unbinding them, letting them go. But some 
 were opposed to this, for they said that they 
 deserved punishment, and I thought that Bro. 
 Storrs' non-resistance began to fail him, as he 
 was at first opposed to letting them off so easily. 
 But I saw an objection, and reasoned with them 
 thus : We cannot keep them until Monday, if 
 we would. The sound had gone abroad, and 
 if we kept them bound, all the rowdies in that 
 region would be out, next day, and break up 
 the meeting in spite of all we could do, and we 
 should fail in our object, and punish ourselves 
 worse than we did them. Finally the brethren 
 concluded my way was best, especially Bro. 
 Storrs. I went to the tent, and talked with 
 the prisoners, telling them what I had concluded 
 to do if they would give their names, which they 
 glady did, confessed their folly, and were sorry. 
 Before unbinding them I told them that we 
 should have a season of prayer, and wished them 
 
58 mung-er's life 
 
 to stay, which they did, and a part of them 
 wept, and kneeled down with ns. They con- 
 fessed more after prayers, especially the one 
 who drew the dirk. He came from Hartford 
 that day, and begged of us not to prosecute him. 
 It would be a great crime to draw a dirk under 
 those circumstances, and it would kill his mother. 
 Others confessed, and all commended our cour- 
 age in our own defence, and especially the mer- 
 cy that we had shown them. One man said, 
 "I am the captain of a military company in 
 Hartford, and no money would have tempted 
 me to come if I had thought that the rest, or 
 some of them would have acted so ; but as I am 
 in the scrape, I shall have to stand it. I have 
 got to be at the head of my company on parade 
 Monday morning at sunrise, and now I am a 
 prisoner. The others knew that he tried to 
 keep order, and they admitted that he did, and 
 if they had heard to him, this would not have 
 happened. One of the men was a merchant in 
 Hartford — he said, u I had rather be kicked to 
 pieces, only leave my head whole, so that my 
 wife will know me, than to be kept bound until 
 daylight/' After a long chat, we took the dirk 
 cane, and cut off fifteen inches of the blade as 
 evidence against them if we saw fit to prosecute 
 them. After the meeting closed, they all saw 
 their situation if we did proceed against them. 
 All were as guilty as the one who drew the dirk, 
 but I gave the cane to the man, showing him 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 59 
 
 what I had cut off, leaving enough sc that it 
 did not spoil the cane. We then took off the 
 cords and set them at liberty, hoping that this 
 would work for their good, for which they 
 thanked us, and left us docile as lambs. How 
 they got home, twelve or fifteen miles, I do not 
 know, for their horses had been gone some 
 hours, and were probably at home. We had 
 no more disturbance from that source or com- 
 pany. We did not prosecute them, and the 
 last that I heard of any of them, two had died, 
 and the one who had the dirk, I have under- 
 stood, gave good evidence of conversion to 
 Christianity before he died. As many have 
 heard of this affair, and had not probably got 
 the facts, I think it worth relating, as this 
 work is designed to give a correct statement of 
 all these skirmishes, at the camp-meetings with 
 which I was identified. The above was wit- 
 nessed by many others, whose names I have 
 forgotten. 
 
 I do not consider the a"bove an act of grace, 
 neither have I felt condemned for bringing the 
 guilty to justice. I always have made it a rule 
 to show mercy after I get the victory over an 
 enemy. I attended other meetings that fall, but 
 did not have the charge of them, and therefore 
 had but little to do with the " Cainites ;" no- 
 thing worth relating that I distinctly recollect. 
 There are many interesting circumstances that 
 I have partly forgotten, that I shall not mention. 
 
60 hunger's life 
 
 I shall only take a few, and such as I can recol- 
 lect distinctly, and can prove by living witnesses 
 if questioned. In 1843-4, 1 attended meetings 
 all of the time, either camp or protracted meet- 
 ings ; for the work of reformation spread in all 
 directions. I remember of going to Middletown 
 to labor with Bro. Hawks and K. S. Hastings, 
 and there was a powerful work. It lasted for 
 months in spite of all opposition from a luke- 
 warm church and the "Cainites" combined, 
 which is always the way when God works. Be- 
 collect, the Koman soldiers were willing to serve 
 the church, when the church said that Christ 
 was heterodox, and the " Cainites" ran the risk 
 of their lives by telling a lie to please a back- 
 slidden church, by saying that the disciples stole 
 Christ away while they, the Roman soldiers, 
 committed a capital offence by getting asleep. 
 But the church agreed to back them up in this 
 lie, if they would stick to it. I could relate 
 facts and prove them, showing that church-mem- 
 bers have done no better than this, in these few 
 years of my experience in the doctrine of the 
 Advent near. The devil hates this the worst 
 of anything that I have seen yet. He knows his 
 time is short, and the shorter the better. 
 
 I remember attending a protracted meeting 
 in Westminster in company with Bro. Levi Allen, 
 where the " Cain family" attempted to break up 
 our meeting. They tried every way that they 
 could think of ; at last, they got into the upper 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 61 
 
 part of the town hall with a hand of music over 
 where our meeting was being held. But, in 
 spite of them, we got a number forward for 
 prayers. The work of God could not be drum- 
 med out of the place, and they said there was 
 no use, for the brethren would pray louder than 
 they could drum, or something like it. I re- 
 member one evening when the rabble again un- 
 dertook to break un the meeting by throwing 
 chestnuts, talking, &c. The preacher was bro- 
 ken off in his sermon, and I got up and exhort- 
 ed the people of God to keep looking to Him 
 for help. Bro. Allen arose and commenced ; he 
 soon got to crying for God to " work among the 
 wicked/' and there was such a power in it that 
 the wicked all started, and the door was crowded 
 to see which would get out first. I do not be- 
 lieve if a wild tiger had been let loose among 
 them, they would have cleared the house any 
 quicker. The work went on, and they dare not 
 come in again until the meeting closed, and 
 then only a few dare venture, for they never saw 
 it in that fashion before. " Gall this religion ?" 
 said one, as he returned after meeting to get 
 his hat — " Frighten a man to death/' Sure 
 enough, they were frightened, but we had peace. 
 We got the victory and left. On our way home 
 we stopped at. a friend of Bro. Allen for a short 
 time. I got home-sick, as they were all stran- 
 gers to me. and wanted to go home that night, 
 but to accommodate him, I consented to stay. 
 
62 hunger's life 
 
 There were no Advent meetings in the place, 
 nor any other that evening. While Bro. Allen 
 was out in the fields with his friend, I sat in 
 the house reading. There was a young and in- 
 telligent looking woman getting supper. I 
 thought of asking her if she enjoyed religion ; 
 but knowing that I was going away in the morn- 
 ing, and she being an entire stranger and so 
 busy, I deferred it for that time. Soon after I 
 -felt it a duty to ask her, which I did. She an- 
 swered me, " No, sir !" I replied, " Tou are 
 too good looking for the devil to have." This 
 was all that was said. I then went out where 
 Bros. Allen and Barrows were looking at some 
 fat cattle : they called my attention to them, 
 but I took no interest in them. It appeared to 
 me that Grod would get hold of that woman in 
 the house, and I said so, which seemed to aston- 
 ish Barrows, for said he, " She has had more 
 prayers offered for her, than for any other per- 
 son I know of." She had lived through a great 
 reformation in that place, and nothing had mov- 
 ed her yet, and all the preachers that came 
 there, felt interested in her case, especially Bro. 
 Cook, the Baptist minister of that place. Bar- 
 rows wanted to know what made me think that 
 the Lord was at work with her. T told him I 
 did not know, but it seemed so to me. He re- 
 plied, " I hope your impressions are correct," and 
 he went off about his business, and I went off 
 by myself. Nothing was said during supper 
 
AND EXPKRIEWCE. Cv 
 
 time upon the subject. Bros, Allen and Bar- 
 rows and his wife had a good time visiting, and 
 talking over old times ; but as I never had seen 
 them before, I took no interest in their conversa- 
 tion. I wanted the time to come for family 
 prayers, for I wanted to pray. When the time 
 came, Bro. Allen was asked to lead, he being 
 an old friend. This young woman sat in her 
 chair, and I told her, if she would kneel down, 
 I would pray for her. After some hesitation, 
 she dropped upon her knees to the astonishment 
 of all present, especially her mother, who was 
 gone from home when we arrived. I had great 
 liberty in praying for her, and after I had fin- 
 ished, they all prayed around again for her, — 
 This routed the rest in the house and some of 
 the neighbors, for while we were praying, Bro. 
 Cook, the Baptist minister, and his wife, heard 
 strange voices in prayer after they were in bed, 
 and seeing a light down at Bro. Barrows, got up, 
 partly dressed themselves, and came in while I 
 was praying the second time. I shall always 
 recollect his first words, as he entered the house : 
 " Glory to God !" He and his wife took hold 
 with us, and all worked in harmony. But it 
 did not affect her any, and I felt it duty to- ask 
 her to pray for herself, which she did, but her 
 prayer was very short. All prayed around again, 
 but still without any effect. I asked her if she 
 was willing to make any sacrifice for God : she 
 said she was, and would do anything to get re- 
 
64 hunger's life 
 
 lief, for her conviction was strong ; but all the 
 spirit of supplication seemed to cease at once. 
 I thought something was the matter, I asked 
 her if she had given up all. She said she could 
 not think of anything else, but wanted I should 
 pray again, for she could not live so. I then 
 discovered the wedge of gold. She had on jew- 
 elry, and I proposed to her to take it off, and 
 make it a sacrifice to God. She did not comply, 
 but kept upon her knees. Bro. Cook and his 
 wife prayed again, but no change. I then told 
 her I believed God would convert her that night 
 if she would make up her mind to take off those 
 little "gods of gold/' and that I could not pray 
 for her again until she did. Bro. Cook said 
 that he thought this was going too far ; for God 
 did not look at the gold, but the heart. But I 
 .insisted upon it, and all at once she began tak- 
 ing it off, and putting it upon the chair ; and 
 when the last piece was off, God took her in 
 hand, and, instead of my praying, she occupied 
 the time in good earnest, and in a few moments 
 was converted, and came out very clear and 
 happy. We all rejoiced, especially Bro. Bar- 
 rows, and Bro. Cook and his wife, for they had 
 labored so much and so long for her conversion, 
 that they were discouraged. While we were 
 all rejoicing, down came a doctor and his wife 
 from up stairs, and wanted prayers. It appears 
 that God's Spirit had ransacked the house. I 
 did not know of any one else living in the house. 
 
AXD EXPERIENCE. 65 
 
 but late as it was, Bro. Cook and his wife stayed, 
 and we all prayed for the doctor. His exercise 
 of mind and body was so great that he sweat 
 like a man mowing. I think the doctor and his 
 wife both got converted that night. This I be- 
 lieve was Friday night, and Saturday morning 
 we expected to go home. The young people 
 came in to see Miss Barrows at an early hour. 
 She had not slept off her religion, and told with 
 great boldness what God had done for her the 
 evening before, and it cut like a new two-edged 
 sword, for she had been so very hard, and had 
 stood in the way of the work of the Lord so long, 
 that it surprised all of the village, and when 
 they heard that she was converted, they wanted 
 to see for themselves and be sure, especially her 
 young associates. As they came in, she exhort- 
 ed them, telling; them how good religion was. — 
 These truths were backed up by the Spirit of 
 God, and conviction was all over the place. In- 
 stead of our taking the cars for home that morn- 
 ing, as we expected, we stayed, for sinners were 
 enquiring what they must do to be saved. We 
 commenced praying and laboring for them in 
 our weak way, and God blessed many, and we 
 kept up meetings all the next day and evening 
 and until a late hour Saturday night, and at 
 every meeting more or less were converted.— 
 Sunday morning I thought that sectarianism 
 was at work, and I persuaded Bro. Allen to 
 join me and get a team, to go ten or twelve 
 
66 MCJNGEPJs LIFE 
 
 miles to a Methodist quarterly meeting, We got 
 the team and started early, and when we were 
 about to start, some one told us that we were 
 not in the way of duty, and that we were run- 
 ning away from the work of God which we had 
 started, and that there were going to be some 
 baptized that morning, and that we had better 
 stay ; but it was all to no purpose, for I had de- 
 termined not to stay there any longer — so we 
 started. Soon the harness gave way ; but we 
 repaired it, and went on awhile longer, and then 
 the wagon broke down and run us into a ditch 
 or a fence. This time Bro. Allen spoke about 
 what we were told before we started, of running 
 away from duty, but I remember how I, in my 
 sectarian Methodism felt and perhaps said, that 
 I would not stay there and attend the Baptist 
 meeting, for we should not hear anything that 
 would profit us, for they were going to baptise 
 some that morning who were only a day old, &c, 
 so we drove on to the meeting, and it was 
 " death in the pot," I was disappointed and 
 more home-sick than before, and we started back 
 before the last meeting, and found that we had 
 lost a great deal by going away, for in the morn- 
 ing while Bro. Cook was baptizing, the power 
 of God settled down upon the congregation, and 
 some were u slain" under it, and sinners were 
 still enquiring. We got back in the afternoon 
 and went to work for them again in the old 
 kitchen of Bro. Barrow, God working in power 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 67 
 
 until evening, when Bro. Cook came in and said 
 that there were hundreds out of doors, and he 
 wished the meeting to be removed over to the 
 Baptist church, a few rods from there, and he 
 was so anxious that I told the people that they 
 had better go over, and then closed the meet- 
 ing. All but a few went. I then thought as 
 he had got the meeting on his hands, I should 
 do no more about it, and did not go over. 
 
 Here I hesitate about giving the rest of the 
 account, for it will look to some, as if I was 
 taking too much honor upon myself, which God 
 knows is not the case, for I never had a worse 
 trial in all my life up to that time, than I had 
 for a short time, after the people had gone over 
 to the meeting house, I felt like this, and I 
 mean to speak the truth in the fear of God in 
 this thing, if it goes against my feelings. I felt 
 as though it was all a contrived plan to break 
 up our meeting in the kitchen of Bro. Barrows, 
 where God began to work, and get it over to the 
 Baptist church for a sectarian purpose, and I 
 w r ould not go near it, and I did not believe that 
 God would work over there, especially if this 
 was the case, and many things ran through my 
 mind of a jealous nature, while in this trial of 
 an hour or so. About 8 o'clock, some one came 
 over, to have me go over to the meeting house, 
 for there were a great many in, and the meet- 
 ing was dead ; nothing had moved. I would 
 not go, for I thought, that they might work it 
 
68 
 
 out themselves. They came again, and I made 
 some excuses, but at last consented to go, but 
 would not take any part in the exercises. When 
 I got there, the house was a perfect jam ; the 
 galleries and all the aisles were full. I stood 
 in one aisle, and saw Bro, Allen in another, on 
 the other side of the church near the pulpit. 
 I tried to beckon to him to go out, but Bro. 
 Cook called on him to go forward, which he did, 
 and then called on me, but I did not go. A man 
 whom I supposed to be the deacon, came to me, 
 and requested me to go with him to the altar. 
 Every eye was upon us, and I felt like death, 
 for I had said that I would not take any part 
 in the exercises in the Baptist Church. But 
 he was so urgent, that I went and took a seat 
 with him near the altar, and there was an effort 
 made to get sinners forward for prayers, but not 
 one came. Bro. Cook told me that it was my 
 duty to take hold, for he could not do anything 
 as long as we were present. His wife said some- 
 thing to that effect in my presence. I thought 
 of going out, but Bro. Allen was on the other 
 side of the house, and I was at a loss whether 
 to break my promise, and do what little I could, 
 or run. I was not used to such straight places 
 as this. Here I was among strangers, in a Bap- 
 tist meeting house, crowded full, the preacher, 
 his wife, and the deacon, present, and all in- 
 sisting on my doing something, and it did seem 
 for a few minutes as if they looked to man. 
 
AXD EXPERIENCE. 69 
 
 more than to God. and a very w<*ak man. too, 
 for I shook and trembled like a leaf. T finally 
 told tiro. Cook that I couldn't stand it so. hut 
 didn't want to move, for my way was so differ- 
 ent from other people's that some would be as- 
 tonished, and, perhaps, leave the house. To 
 this he replied. " Take your own course ; the 
 burden of the meeting is on you/'' I was then 
 on my feet ; I recollect of standing a short 
 time, until my trembling stopped. Perfect si- 
 lence prevailed by this time. I recollect dis- 
 tinctly the first words I spoke, and nearly all I 
 said for a few moments, for it seemed as if an 
 invisible dictator was helping me. The words 
 were as follows : " Three good unimpeachable 
 witnesses were sufficient to cause any man in 
 the congregation to be hung by the neck, until 
 he was dead, dead, DEAD, if he was guilty 3 
 and, as every sinner was guilty, and under sen- 
 tence of death, they must die unless a Mediator 
 was applied for, who was willing and able to 
 save all who applied/' I then introduced Christ 
 as the one who was willing and able, and had 
 shown himself so, within two or three days. I 
 was going to call on the witnesses to testify to 
 this fact, and I should get more than three, and 
 every one that arose would be a swift witness 
 against every sinner in the house. I then called 
 on those who had been converted or blessed 
 within two or three days to arise. Miss Barrows 
 rose first, and then others followed in exhorta- 
 
70 MUNGEK/S LIFE 
 
 tion which had a good effect. Bro. Cook and 
 his wife shouted for joy, for they saw that the 
 work of God was going on. I next requested 
 the front seat to be cleared for the converts, that 
 they might be together, which was done. I 
 then requested the second seat to be vacated. 
 By this time I had forgotten that it was a Bap- 
 tist meeting, and called on sinners to come for- 
 ward if they wanted the prayers of God's peo- 
 ple, and of those young converts. They came 
 immediately and filled the second seat, and the 
 third one was vacated and that was filled. I 
 then wanted the fourth vacated, and when thai 
 was done, I saw a wonderment pictured on many 
 countenances, to know what the last seat stood 
 empty for. I then called upon the old hopers 
 that had not done anything for sinners for 
 months, to come forward, and go to work in 
 God's cause, and show those, then forward, that 
 they were interested in their case. In a few 
 minutes the seats were filled, and I think that 
 two of them were filled with members of the 
 church. A prayer meeting commenced in good 
 earnest. I do not remember many particulars 
 after this, for it was one continual scene of pray- 
 ing and shouting for some time. A number 
 got blessed, and the wicked looked God-forsaken, 
 especially those in the galleries, who were look- 
 ing down on their young companions who had 
 taken a step so much wiser than they had by 
 staying back. When the meeting broke up, 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 71 
 
 some went over to Bro. Barrows 5 house, and 
 we prayed for them till very late, for we were 
 going away in the morning train at an early hour. 
 Some others came in and wanted us to pray for 
 them before we went. We spent the time in 
 praying until we heard the whistle of the engine, 
 and then left very suddenly. I heard afterwards 
 that some came out clear that morning after we 
 left. There are many who will remember Bro. 
 Barrows* kitchen in Jewett city. 
 
 I did not think of penning so many of these 
 circumstances when I commenced to write a 
 sketch of my life ; but some friends thought it 
 worth while, and I conform to their wishes. I 
 write entirely from memory, and cannot hope to 
 be exact in language ; but I find, come to take 
 things up, my memory improves very much, so 
 that events of years ago seem but yesterday to 
 me while writing, I have consulted a number 
 of persons who are referred to in this narrative, 
 and find that I have got circumstances correct 
 thus far. After we got home from this tour of 
 nearly two weeks, and attended to our business 
 matters, we started again on a similar errand to 
 try to work for the good of others. We stopped 
 in Hartford, Conn. We had a number of good 
 meetings, and some in the house where we board- 
 ed. The Bro, and his wife had just been con- 
 verted, and their hearts were warm and full of 
 zeal. Thinking no evil, they of course supposed 
 that their friends, being professors, would love 
 
72 munger's life 
 
 every one that loved God and was trying to serve 
 Him. They gave us an introduction to their 
 friends and boarders at the supper table. All 
 passed off quietly for that time. In the even- 
 ing, after meeting, we returned, had a praying 
 season, which stirred the elements of sectarian- 
 ism from the bottom. Poor children, they little 
 thought what trouble it would make them by 
 asking us home with them. The next morning 
 we ate breakfast alone ; not a boarder or rela- 
 tive, who were there the day before, were at 
 the table. I saw that something was c to pay/ 
 and tried to find out the cause. I thought of 
 leaving. Bro. Allen did go over to Mansfield, 
 some twenty miles, to see his friends, and I was 
 alone, pondering over these things. I saw the 
 good brother and his wife crying and looking 
 very sad ; there was some talking, which led me 
 to believe that our coming there had made a 
 fuss in the family, and I ate my supper at an- 
 other place. As there was an appointment out 
 for that evening, I concluded to stay to the 
 meeting, and then leave, and either go home, 
 or over where brother Allen had gone. But 
 the meeting was very good, and when it was 
 time to close, I felt like giving an invitation for 
 any one to come forward for prayers who felt 
 the need of them. One man came (a stranger 
 to me), and I think a number of others came. 
 We had a season of prayer, and this man in 
 particular felt very deeply, and I prayed the 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 73 
 
 second time, and gave him the hest advice that 
 I could, and began to look up another lodging 
 
 place for that night, calculating to leave in the 
 morning, for I saw plainly that the devil was 
 1 in the wind' up on Main-street, where I had 
 been staying with brother Allen. He had gone, 
 and I would not stay in that place and work 
 alone, for I depended much upon him, as he 
 was the instrument of getting me to believe that 
 I could do anything, often telling me that if I 
 would try to do it, God would help me, etc. I 
 for years found fault with him and others for 
 not conducting meetings right, and would not 
 take any part myself on the account of incom- 
 petency, bashfulness, and other trivial excuses. 
 These did not satisfy him, until I ventured to 
 make the trial. I never shall forget the first 
 time that I ever undertook to open a meeting. 
 Others will recollect it too. It was only the 
 year before this, in 1843. But to return. — 
 While I was talking about going home with 
 some one, this man who was forward for prayers 
 gave me an invitation to go home with him, for 
 he wanted to talk with me. I accepted the in- 
 vitation, and, to my astonishment, went to the 
 very house where I first went, and where I sup- 
 posed the devil was raised, and had quit. Here 
 I found the Bro. and his wife before alluded to, 
 crying, and what it meant I did not know : it 
 seemed to be mingled with joy and thankfulness. 
 Nothing was said that I remember, and we went 
 
 O 
 
74 
 
 to bed in the very chamber where Bro. Allen 
 and I stayed before. He wished me to pray for 
 him before going to bed, as he had not got rid 
 of his burden, which I did, and then told him 
 to pray for himself, which he did ; and he felt 
 hotter. After we got in bed, he wanted to know 
 how I came there, what my profession was, and 
 what I did for a living, &c. I told him that I 
 was a miller by trade, and a Millerite by pro- 
 fession, and had come clown with Bro. Levi 
 Allen to hold a few meetings : lie had gone, and 
 I was going in the morning ; but he seemed to 
 doubt it. I was a little inclined to be skittish, 
 but thinking a man that prayed as he did, could 
 not be a dangerous one, I dismissed those feel- 
 ings. Soon he commenced telling me how he 
 came there, and it was as follows : He had that 
 day received a letter from one of his brother's 
 boarders, a friend, stating that John had got 
 two Millerites there, and they could not sleep 
 nights, &c. and as he (this man) owned the 
 property, the boarders notified him that they 
 had quit boarding with John, his brother, and 
 should not eat again at his table, until he came 
 down and made John rout us or did it himself ; 
 and he came for that purpose, and tried to have 
 John tell me to go, for he had learned that the 
 other one had gone. John, not knowing that I 
 had made up my mind to go, told him, Daniel, 
 that he could not and would not turn his breth- 
 ren out of the house, if he had to beg his bread. 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 75 
 
 He might do the errand himself. After a long 
 talk, John cried and felt so bad, that it set the 
 family affections at work, and Daniel wanted to 
 know what to do. I think he said that John 
 told him that if he would go to meeting that 
 evening, he would see whether it were himself 
 or his boarders that were to blame in making 
 such a fuss. He told me that John got him to 
 promise that he would go, and that was the rea- 
 son why he was there, and he thanked God that 
 he went and began to rejoice. By this time I 
 began to see the hand of God in this work. I 
 could then account for John and his wife feeling 
 so badly the day before, and their strange cry- 
 ing just before we went to our chamber. His 
 brother Daniel, who had been sent for to turn 
 me out of the house, had been forward for pray- 
 ers, and had invited me home with him, and of 
 course had taken all the responsibility off of 
 them, he being the owner of the property. I 
 could not sleep much, for I kept thinking, won- 
 dering, and wishing that Bro. Allen was there. 
 In the morning, while the} 7 were getting break- 
 fast, Daniel was out, I suppose among his friends 
 telling what God had done for him. When the 
 time came for prayers, I saw the folding doors 
 open, and another family in the other part of 
 the room. This was the first I knew of it, and 
 an old and venerable looking man came up to 
 me and asked me to go in the other room, and 
 I discovered some faces there that I saw at the 
 
76 hunger's life 
 
 table the first time that Bro. Allen and I took 
 supper there. The old gentleman asked my 
 forgiveness. I could not forgive him, for I had 
 never seen him before, as I knew of, and what 
 this all meant, I did not know. But he said 
 that God had been there, and he knew it not, 
 and that he was amons; the rest that sent for 
 Daniel to turn us away, and God had done a 
 work for Daniel which put him thinking, and 
 he could not rest until he made a confession. — ■ 
 He was a Baptist deacon. After telling this 
 strange tale, he asked me to pray, but I could 
 not ; for this affair was clothed with such a 
 mystery, I could cry, but could not pray, 
 nor could any one else. There was a general 
 crying time for some minutes. In a short time 
 the deacon prayed, and when he got through I 
 tried, but could not help mixing crying and 
 praying together, whether it was popular or not. 
 I felt that God was at w r ork, and I did not care 
 how the Spirit did work. All that professed 
 religion prayed, and I discovered one in the 
 farther part of the room crying, and felt it a 
 duty to go and ask her if she wanted to serve 
 the Lord. She said she did. We had a season 
 of prayer for her, and she was blessed. Her 
 face fairly shone with the joy that she felt. — 
 This family prayer meeting lasted until nine 
 o'clock in the morning. Those present will re- 
 member this time- — I shall never forget it. The 
 brother-in-law of John and Daniel., one of tb^ 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 17 
 
 petitioners for my removal, saw the old deacon 
 and others break clown, and found that he had 
 " a case in court/' too, and went out to the 
 barn to get rid of it. But God was going to 
 work in his own way, and brought him in again. 
 He wanted prayers, and got them, and God 
 blessed him. He then got his daughter forward, 
 and she was blessed. He then got a team, and 
 went about twelve miles after his wife, and she 
 was blessed : so the whole family went home re- 
 joicing in God. The last time I saw them they 
 were holding on. The work seemed thoroughly 
 done. How many days I stayed after Daniel 
 was converted I do not recollect ; but I did not 
 get turned out of the house. The deacon's son- 
 in-law often inquired how we obtained a living. 
 I told him, by working with our hands, and he 
 gave us §25 each, and told us to spend it in the 
 work of home missionaries, for he had made up 
 his mind that he had paid enough to foreign 
 missions, and he had concluded to pay us $100, 
 §25 each at a time, to keep at this work until 
 it was gone, and when the 050 was gone, to call 
 for $50 more. Soon after this, Daniel sent me 
 
 a letter desiring me to come to T , twelve 
 
 miles from Hartford, where he owned a tavern, 
 and hold some meetings. His brother John 
 came after us, and myself and wife, Bro. Hawks 
 and Bro. Allen, started and got there about 
 noon. But Daniel was disappointed in getting 
 a house, so he had a meeting in the dining-room 
 
78 munger's life 
 
 at his tavern in the afternoon. The Lord be- 
 gan to work in the first meeting, and before it 
 closed, the bar-keeper and others were on their 
 knees for prayers. This was a strange thing for 
 a tavern. When their customers came in and 
 inquired for the bar-keeper, they found him in 
 another room, forward for prayers, — and this 
 strange and sudden overturn ran like fire in dry 
 stubble. The neighbors came in, and among 
 them one or two preachers. When they saw 
 that God was at work, they offered Daniel their 
 meeting houses, which they denied him before. 
 If I recollect rightly, the Baptists opened their 
 church first, and brother Hawks preached from 
 Daniel v : 27, and God commenced his work on 
 the spot, for while he was preaching, my wife, 
 for the first time, I think, had a peculiar exer- 
 cise. She lost her strength, and stood upon her 
 feet some time, perfectly paralyzed and stiff. — 
 This was a strange thing to me at that time, 
 but a good old " mother in Israel," known as 
 mother Bryant, was present, and said it was the 
 work of God, and I did not try to hinder it, for 
 I had much confidence in her judgment in reli- 
 gious matters. After the meeting was closed 
 or preaching done, a number were convinced of 
 sin by seeing this strange exercise. The next 
 evening there was no need of ringing the bell, 
 for it had been rung the night before, and to 
 some purpose, for the house was full at an early 
 hour. The Lord's work went on in both churches, 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 79 
 
 for w*» went first to the Baptist and then to the 
 
 Methodist, and so on for nearly a week, and the 
 whole place was moved. Some Catholics w<*re 
 forward for prayers. When we had a notice of 
 a conference in our place, we came home very 
 suddenly, and left the meeting with the two 
 preachers. 
 
 I recollect when we got into the meeting- 
 house at home, Moses Stoddard came to me, 
 and said we had run away from our work down 
 there, and from God, and ought to go back, — > 
 He offered to go back with us, but we did not, 
 and sure enough there the work has stopped by 
 trying to proselyte. 
 
 We staved at home a while, and I will state 
 some of the circumstances which happened in 
 our own village at different times. Some took 
 place before the above and some after, but all in 
 the village where I now live. Others will re- 
 collect the facts when they see them. As I have 
 always had more or less to do with the u Cain 
 family/' here some things may be of interest to 
 others, that /never thought of laying up, much 
 less of publishing. One Sabbath, I arrived at 
 meeting rather late, and the meeting had not 
 begun . The people were standing outside of the 
 house. It appears that a crazy man had got 
 into the church, taken a seat, and began talking 
 and swearing, and the minister, Bro. Bosworth, 
 told the people that he should not begin the 
 meeting until the man was removed, and a nam- 
 
80 munger's life 
 
 ber of efforts were made to get him out, but he 
 resisted. When I came up, there was a revela- 
 tion of the fact, and I went in and tried to flat- 
 ter him out, but all to no purpose. 1 informed 
 the congregation that he would go out, and they 
 must be quiet for a few moments. I took hold 
 of him, and started ; he took hold of a seat, and 
 kept hold. But I was enabled to carry him out. 
 Some screamed, but he was soon at the door, 
 and when he saw that he had got to go out, he 
 tried to bite my hand. I let go of him, and he 
 went out headlong, and hurt him a very little. 
 Why I name this, is because some at the time 
 not knowing the facts of the circumstance, found 
 fault with the act, and thought no one ought to 
 be ejected from the house of God. I do not re- 
 cord this as an act of grace, nor a privilege, but 
 a duty. He never was seen there again, although 
 he lived in the place for years. 
 
 Another duty presented itself about this time. 
 On coming home one day, I heard that one of 
 our neighbors was dead, and I was sent for, to go 
 and help lay him out. I thought strange, for 
 there were enough near by ; the boy that came' 
 after me, said that there w r ere four there already. 
 When I arrived, nothing had been done. It 
 was a bad job, and the four agreed that if I 
 w r ould get a kettle and heat some water, they 
 would do the rest. I was glad of this chance, 
 and went into the kitchen to the old lady, (or 
 devil) for a kettle. She refused, and flew into 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 81 
 
 a rage. I saw then why nothing had been done, 
 and I had got the worst job after all ! Thev told 
 me that she would not let them have a thing, 
 and this was the tuife of the deceased. This was 
 so inhuman, that I determined to fulfill my con- 
 tract, and went to look for a kettle. I found 
 one at the back of the house, and took hold of 
 it, and as I stooped over, the old hag jumped 
 on my back, evidently with the intention to 
 break me down, for she weighed over 200 pounds, 
 some thought 300 ; but, as I had agreed to do 
 that part of the work, I went at work to do it, 
 and I carried the kettle, old woman and all into 
 the house. This created such a laugh that it 
 did not look or appear much like the house of 
 death. After she got into the house, she went 
 to the door after the kettle, for the men' had 
 taken it into the room where the corpse was, 
 and in spite of four good strong men who were 
 holding the door, she got it part way open. I 
 took hold of her to pull her back, but could not 
 reach around her, and she had got part way in- 
 to the room again, but, among us all, we got 
 the door closed. She insisted upon getting the 
 kettle. I thought if I had got to do any more, 
 I would do something in earnest. I took hold 
 of her clothes, put my foot against the ceiling 
 and laid out my strength to pull her away from 
 the door, when the door ha.ndle came off, and 
 we both landed across the kitchen and fell on 
 the floor, and it fell to my lot to keep her there, 
 
82 
 
 MTJNGE X S LIFE 
 
 until her husband was " laid out." She abused 
 him in his last sickness, which the people thought 
 shortened his days. This disagreeable duty, 
 she never forgot, while she lived, and / never 
 shall. The men present, were Davis Dunham, 
 Theodore Williams, Seth Clough, Thos. Frost, 
 and Jacob Yance. They are all but one living, 
 and in this place, and will recollect this dis- 
 graceful scene, and another about the same 
 time, with a demon in human shape, who drove 
 his family off to his neighbors, and I was again 
 obliged to do another duty, more disagreeable 
 than the above, but I will not relate it. The 
 "Cain family" do not like me because I have 
 always taken up against them, and have been 
 very lucky in bringing them to justice, some 
 way or other, sooner or later, and it is a proverb 
 among many, that "Old Hunger will find you 
 out." I have made myself ridiculous, by con- 
 tending for the right way in this ungodly world 
 through which I am now passing. I have had 
 to do with thieves, robbers, Sabbath-breakers, 
 rowdies, rummies, and murderers more or less, 
 for many years in this place. There are such a 
 number of curious circumstances connected with 
 my life, that I shall omit most of them where 
 they are not connected with religious meetings. 
 I have learned by experience, that when I get 
 a victory over an enemy or opponent, that it is 
 an act of mercy to show mercy, as in the case 
 of the seventeen rowdies who were taken and 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 83 
 
 bound at the Newington camp-meeting. 
 
 There are hundreds in this vicinity that know 
 I have spared no pains to detect them, and 
 when I have done it, they have been let off in 
 the easiest manner, especially if they were will- 
 ing to "own up" and yield, and promise to 
 behave. Of all that 1 have entered complaint 
 against, for various crimes, I have never in- 
 tended to punish them to the extent of the 
 law, and I dare appeal to the whole " Cain 
 family," that I have had to do with in these 
 matters, and let them take a vote, and I will 
 get nearly all to testify to the above assertion. 
 I now remember a circumstance that occur- 
 red here, which I will relate. There was a man 
 by the name of Philips, the first inventor of 
 " friction matches," who got drunk, and abused 
 the citizens beyond measure. One Sunday the 
 tavern keeper, although a sheriff, applied to me 
 for help, and as it was Sunday, and I was tith- 
 ing man, (which I had been for many years,) 
 he thought it proper to take him for breach of 
 the Sabbath. The next day, I think, he (Phi- 
 lips) came into the village and began as before, 
 threatening and swearing at a great rate, when 
 I put a warrant into the hand of one of Geesar's 
 household, and he immediately demanded my 
 assistance, to help take him, for he was a dan- 
 gerous desperado. We gave chase to the wag- 
 on. It had three persons in it of the same 
 stamp. We cornered them and stopped the 
 
84 hunger's life 
 
 horse, and Philips jumped out near an officer, 
 a Mr. Hubbard, .who caught him, and before we 
 could get there, Philips struck Hubbard on the 
 head with a loaded whip stock, and laid him 
 senseless across a low fence, and raised the whip 
 to strike the second blow, which must have 
 proved fatal, just as we arrived. Without 
 thinking, I struck Philips one blow and lie lay- 
 senseless by him, on the same fence, and did 
 not revive until we had carried him nearly a 
 quarter of a mile. They were both in the tav- 
 ern when the doctor arrived to do up the wound 
 of the officer. He said that Philips looked the 
 worst hurt, and he did the next day, for I cer- 
 tainly never saw a man so blacked up, even with 
 a dozen blows. He could not see the day he 
 had his trial. I felt that he ought to be con- 
 sidered some on account of his looks ; but it ap- 
 peared that he was an old offender, and no mer- 
 cy was shown him, and he paid a heavy fine. — 
 Now it was my turn : he then vented his spite 
 all upon me, and swore revenge ; for I had com- 
 plained of him and stopped up both his eyes, 
 and he said, that the first time that he saw me 
 after he got w r ell, there would be another law- 
 suit, if not & funeral, or something of that kind 
 that made my friends anxious about my safety, 
 and they wished me to keep out of his way — 
 Bat I didn't want to go skulking through the vil- 
 lage, as I had done nothing but my duty under 
 the circumstances. I heard one day that he was 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 85 
 
 in Mr. Barrows' store, threatening me at a great 
 rate ; so I went in, and the storekeeper told him 
 that I had come, and that it was a good time 
 to settle our affairs, and told me what he had 
 just been saying. This was the first time that 
 he had seen me since he had got so he could see. 
 He asked me if I was the man who complained 
 of him. I told him I was. He then asked if 
 I struck him, and made him look as he then did. 
 I told him I was the very man, and that he had 
 threatened enough, and I was ready to have him 
 carry his threats into execution then, and show- 
 ed some signs of taking hold of him. He said 
 he thought it was a smaller man that struck him, 
 and was not ready then ! He soon tamed down, 
 and we talked some time together. I told him 
 how it was — I didn't think of striking him until 
 it was done, and if I hadn't done it, his second 
 blow would have killed Hubbard, the officer, and 
 it was a mercy to him after all, and the rest 
 told him so too. But he was one of Cain's worst 
 boys, and although he dare not put his threats 
 into execution then, yet he threatened revenge 
 in some sly way. He was going to get help, 
 and secrete himself out near the falls, where I 
 fished every nighty and knock me down with a 
 stone or something else, and the water was so 
 swift that it would carry me over the falls. This 
 was told to me, and I was cautioned about go- 
 ing on to the falls one night, for Philips was out 
 there, and had a large man w T ith him. There 
 
86 
 
 had been a rain that day, and the water was 
 rising. I knew of no other man in town who 
 dare set a boat out at that pitch of water. He 
 had waded out before the water ros«e, and didn't 
 know his danger, and I hneio it, and told White, 
 my comrade, that I was going out on to the falls, 
 and that if Philips wanted to drown me, he 
 could do it, for he had threatened enough. We 
 started, and landed our boat near his. After 
 making it fast to the anchor placed there for 
 that purpose by myself, I went up to Philips 
 and bid him good evening, and told him I had 
 come to be drowned according to his threats. — 
 We had each of us a witness, the water was up 
 just right, and we would settle it very quick. 
 I gave White my things, hat, bag, &c., and 
 Pftilips began to tremble and beg, saying he was 
 only in fun. I told him that his fun was a se- 
 rious thing, and I was about to put a stop to it, 
 by trying who could swim best, &c. He beg- 
 ged, and asked my forgiveness, and would have 
 got on his knees, but the water was so swift that 
 he couldn't remain a minute on the falls on his 
 knees. White and I then went on shore and 
 turned home. After a few moments I heard a 
 halloaing, while I was changing my clothes, and 
 some of the men from the shore came and told 
 me that the men out on the falls were calling 
 for me, and had been for some time. I started 
 and hurried to the spot, about a mile and a half. 
 When I reached it I couldn't hear what was 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 87 
 
 said, being down by the water, but I went back 
 up the bank and could hear distinctly. Philips 
 was calling my name, and I saw that they had 
 swamped their boat, and were partly over the 
 first bar, and would go over the falls unless they 
 had help soon. Now my courage and mercy 
 were both tried. Here was my enemy in clan- 
 ger, and as he was subdued, now was the time 
 to show mercy. I tried to have my comrade go 
 . out again with me to help him, but he refused. 
 I tried Mr. Murphy and others, and all refused 
 on account of the danger. The water was still 
 rising, and they were partly over the first bar, 
 with their boat full of water, still crying for 
 help, and calling for me, knowing as all others 
 did that if any one in town could help them, I 
 could. Their situation was such that a great 
 risk must be run to get to them. When no one 
 else w T ould risk his life to go, I said, " I will try 
 it alone, if I go over the falls. I w T ill show my- 
 self willing to run some risk to save others/' — 
 When I started White got into the boat with 
 me : I told him what to do. There was a large 
 rock near where Philips was, and when I got 
 to that I would tell him and he must jump out 
 of the bow and hold the boat until I could get 
 a rope to them, and if we failed, and went over 
 the falls he must stick to the boat, &c. I saw 
 that his courage began to fail, and I pushed the 
 boat into the current, to prevent his getting out, 
 and so we started. My nerves were like iron. 
 
88 munger's life 
 
 When I got to the rock, I told him to jump ; 
 but instead of jumping out of the boiv of the 
 boat, as I told him, he jumped out of the side, 
 and didn't hit the rock, and so he went into the 
 water out of sight. When he came up, he got 
 into the boat and wouldn't try it again. But 
 the cries of the men urged me to try once more, 
 and I had no one to help, for White was deter- 
 mined not to try it again : I jumped myself and 
 hit the spot. I held the boat until White got 
 out, and then we got to them. It was a happy 
 meeting to them, for they were exhausted and 
 must have given up to the current, very soon. 
 I ordered them to let their boat go, and get in- 
 to ours. I succeeded in setting the boat ashore 
 safely. I should think a hundred people met 
 us at the water's edge, all rejoicing, and when 
 we got out we couldn't walk for some time. I 
 was completely exhausted, but soon got over it. 
 This was the way that this fuss ended, and while 
 Philips lived he was a good friend to me, often 
 saying I run the risk of my own life to save his, 
 and it was so. God delivered him into my hands 
 to heap coals of fire upon his head. He was shot 
 two years after in a drunken row, and soon died 
 of the wound in Cabotville. This is one of ma- 
 ny circumstances that I could relate, where it 
 seems God delivered my enemies up to me to 
 be merciful to them. I can now think of two 
 or three such instances ; but I will omit them 
 for the present, and perhaps wholly, unless they 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 89 
 
 should be connected with religious meetings. — 
 To return to the subject of religion in this vi- 
 cinity, without giving dates, but stating facts. 
 I had meetings at my house once a week for a 
 number of years, for the express purpose of 
 praying for a deeper work of grace in the heart, 
 or sanctification, as it was called in those days. 
 I gave out the appointment in this way : There 
 will be a meeting every Wednesday evening at 
 my house, for all that love God, and all that 
 want to love him enough to do their duty. — 
 This appointment was considered by some as 
 picking out a certain few, and it created some 
 sensitiveness in the church, and some nicknamed 
 the meeting " the upper church/' " the picked 
 party/' &c. ; but I felt it my privilege to do as 
 I pleased in my own house, and the fact was 
 
 1 didn't want two classes there. First, there 
 was a class there that wouldn't do a thing in 
 meeting, and were only dead lumber. The se- 
 cond class were still worse. They would talk 
 and pray eternally, and the meeting would run 
 down all the time. They had nothing but a 
 form of godliness, and would find fault with 
 everything that went beyond their narrow con- 
 tracted views or dead experience. They would 
 deny or fight the power of the gospel, Paul, in 
 
 2 Tim. hi : 5, exhorts Christians to "turn away" 
 from such as " have the form of godliness but 
 deny the power," and we had obeyed this once 
 a week at least, and God seemed to be well 
 
90 mtjnger's life 
 
 pleased ; for if I could remember the number 
 converted and reclaimed at these meeting's, the 
 statement would seem incredible in this day of 
 backsliding and formality. With all the scold- 
 ing and opposition of some of the church, the 
 meetings were well attended by persons of the 
 right stamp. All others kept away, and I was 
 glad of it, for we had to hear their long, dry 
 stuff once or twice a week at the meeting-house, 
 and that was as much as we could bear. At 
 " the upper church/' there was scarcely a meet- 
 ing that there was not some signal manifestation 
 of G-od's power. I recollect one evening in par- 
 ticular going to bed and leaving eight or ten 
 prostrate in the kitchen. They were shouting 
 and singing all times in the night, until the bell 
 rung in the morning. 
 
 These meetings were bad places for sinners 
 to remain in sin. There would occasionally one 
 come in to see what was going on. I have seen 
 many cut down in a moment in answer to pray- 
 er. One circumstance I remember in particular. 
 A young man came in, and after we had sung, 
 I told all present the object of the meeting, and 
 if there were any in who did not understand it, 
 and were not willing to kneel down in prayer 
 time, I requested them to retire before we com- 
 menced praying, for the meeting was not de- 
 signed for idlers. Sometimes a number would 
 go out, some muttering about forcing religion 
 upon them. These mostly were members of 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 91 
 
 the church, and if they had not religion, nor 
 
 would show any signs of wanting it by kneel- 
 ing down, we did not want them there to hinder 
 the work. These remarks caused some to go 
 out that eyening. But this young man would 
 not kneel, nor go out unless he was put out. — 
 The meeting dragged, not much liberty in pray- 
 er, for all knew him and his disposition, and I 
 thought that some of the church members en- 
 couraged him to take the course that he did ; 
 for some were ready to do anything to discour- 
 age us, but I said we would try the strength of 
 prayer once more, and perhaps God would take 
 this man in hand, as he had others ; and so it 
 was, for in less than two minutes he fell on 
 to the floor, and cried for mercy. This gave the 
 meeting a new start, and we obtained the vic- 
 tory in spite of the devil that time. I think 
 others that had gone out came in, and some 
 came forward for prayers that same evening, for 
 I recollect distinctly of this young man telling 
 his friends what God had done for him that 
 evening, and exhorted them to seek God. He 
 told what he did before coming to meeting. He 
 had stolen a cabbage coming up to the meeting, 
 and it was out under my garden fence then. — 
 But God had forgiven him, and he wanted all to 
 do so. He returned the stolen cabbage, and 
 lived in the enjoyment of religion, and met with 
 us every meeting. He was not only willing to 
 kneel, but would pray in faith for others, and he 
 
92 munger's life 
 
 was a great help to the cause of God at that 
 time. Many will know to whom I refer without 
 giving his name. He told me that he boarded 
 with a class-leader at this time, and I know 
 that he was opposed to our meeting, and I had 
 reason to think that this young man w r as a tool 
 for the backslidden or cold part of the church. 
 But God was with us, and we didn't fear or envy 
 those who were against us. 
 
 Many other circumstances of interest might 
 be named, that took place in " the upper 
 church/' Some may call this mesmerism, as 
 skeptics and formalists always have done so, and 
 rappers do now. Call it what you please ; God 
 worked, and sinners were converted, and live 
 their religion out till this day. One other case 
 I will mention. At a Tuesday night meeting 
 at Bro. Dickinson's, a young -woman came in, 
 and when the meeting commenced she got up 
 and told her feelings ; she was in a backslidden 
 state, but desired to return, and resolved to 
 serve God better and not quench his Spirit, as 
 she had done, for that was the cause of her state 
 of mind, and she was willing to be blessed any 
 way that God saw fit. In an instant she fell 
 over backwards with such force that it made the 
 house jar. Her head struck the floor so heavily 
 that some were afraid that it had killed her, or 
 hurt her very badly, for she was stiff, and ap- 
 parently lifeless. But the meeting went on, 
 and closed. She remained in the same situa- 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 93 
 
 tion and position all night, and the next day. 
 Many came in to see her, and the doctor was 
 called. Some of the formalists in the church 
 took every occasion to scoff and put down every 
 thing that their cold hearts, and small, half 
 converted heads or minds could not comprehend. 
 But there were some that had seen hundreds 
 of such cases, and said that God would bring 
 her out right, and a doctor would do no good. 
 They opposed her being moved home, or stirred 
 until she revived. Wednesday night she lay 
 just so. Thursday, the formalists determined 
 to have something done, and proposed giving 
 her some nourishment, for fear she would starve. 
 They were told that God would take care of her, 
 but they got some coffee and fed it to her, but 
 it didn't work as they expected, and she made 
 signs for water. After she had drank, she re- 
 mained in the same quiet state as before, and 
 in the same place where she fell, all that day and 
 night. Friday morning, there was a stir in the 
 place, and many came in to see the phenome- 
 non. I went to Ludlow that day, and told of 
 it, and I must confess, I was at a loss what to 
 say, for I had never seen one lie so long before, 
 and hoped she would revive before I returned 
 home. But she still lay on the floor. Some 
 that were with her that day, said she looked 
 very happy at times. This was encouraging to 
 us who had called it the work of the Spirit of 
 God. There was so much sympathy manifested 
 
94 hunger's life 
 
 for her, both by the formalists and the wicked, 
 because she had lain three days and nights on 
 the hard floor, that we consented to have her 
 moved home to Bro. Ward's house, for she lived 
 with him then . She was removed there, and 
 as it was some distance, we went across the lots, 
 and many were astonished at us. She remained 
 in the same condition Friday night and Satur- 
 day. There were a great many came to see her, 
 among them the tavern keeper. He had never 
 seen one under the influence of that kind of 
 spirit before ; he tried to bend her little finger. 
 I didn't see her after we left Bro. Ward's until 
 Sunday morning. It appeared that she re- 
 mained in the same state all day Saturday and 
 all night, making four days and five nights. — 
 Sunday morning she revived, happy in God, and 
 perfectly well. She felt no inconvenience from 
 lying so long on the floor, or going without food. 
 She remembered that the coffee hurt her, and 
 also the moving. When Adams tried to bend 
 her finder it hart her, and her finger was lame 
 and sore for some time. All that were present 
 Sunday saw that the " dead was alive again," 
 for such exhortation, I hardly ever heard be- 
 fore. She upbraided the people for their un- 
 belief in her case as well as in others of a similar 
 character, where God had c slain' the body, to 
 subdue pride. She was conscious nearly or quite 
 all the time, and knew what was going on, and 
 why she couldn't move. She had been opposed 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 
 
 to " losing her strength," and fought against it. 
 But when she came to the conclusion that slv- 
 would not fight God's Spirit any longer, let 11 
 do what it would, she fell under it. But pride 
 still worked, and she was, some of the time, 
 ashamed of her position, and was unwilling to 
 yield. Then she would be stiffened and feel 
 worse, and then when she consented to have the 
 Spirit work any way, she felt better. She said 
 that God kept her in that situation until she 
 was fully subdued, and was willing to be a fool 
 for Christ's sake. These are her words. She 
 has lived her religion ever since, or till the last 
 time I saw her, which was some six years after 
 this. She had married a Methodist minister, 
 and was a great help to him in the work of God, 
 and I have heard of them since as being yet at 
 work. Come skeptic, what say you to this, guil- 
 ty or not guilty ? You will plead not guilty of 
 course. But the day is near when God will 
 show you that your reasoning from a cold and 
 wicked heart will not answer your purpose. I, 
 and hundreds of others know these things to be 
 true, and are "willing to meet them in the judg- 
 ment. In those davs it was no uncommon thins: 
 to see demonstrations of the power of God upon 
 the human svstem anions; all denominations that 
 were not dead or frozen together with formali- 
 ty. Some may say, these things happened, be- 
 fore people were enlightened, and as fast as 
 people get educated these things disappear. — 
 
96 MUNGER S LIFE 
 
 So they do, and the vitality of godliness with 
 them. For the wise of the world always over- 
 look the simplicity of the gospel, and therefore 
 becomes blind to things of God, and call them 
 foolishness, when in fact, they were the fools. 
 This class of wise fools existed in Christ's day, 
 and for the want of godly knowledge, they cru- 
 cified the Lord of glory. Read the second chap- 
 ter of first Corinthians, and you will see who 
 knew the most about the knowledge of God's 
 ways, a few ignorant fishermen, or the D. D.s 
 of that age. If this is sound reasoning to say, 
 the more education, the more religion, then you 
 should look to this wise republic, to find a holy 
 place, and what do you find ? one of the most 
 wicked places under heaven, except a convent, 
 or combination of Catholic priests. Look at 
 the city of Washington, and the Senate and 
 House of Representatives. Every command- 
 ment of God is broken by that body. 
 
 But to proceed with camp-meeting interest. 
 In the year of ; 43, in May. I took a lease of 
 a Mr. Potter, of Palmer, of a piece of land, for 
 a camp-meeting. It began in spirit, and went 
 on in power. Many who were there, will recol- 
 lect that this was the time that Bro. K. S. 
 Hastings prayed nearly an hour, and God shook 
 the whole encampment, and many fell pros- 
 trate in front of the stand, which were the best 
 notes that this man of God could have before 
 him while preaching. Father Wm. Miller was 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 97 
 
 at the meeting, but did not oppose the work, 
 although he never saw it in that fashion before. 
 One young woman rose up, while under an ex- 
 ercise, and pointed her finger at a wicked rowdy, 
 nnd he fell as quick as if a bullet had hit him. 
 He came forward for prayers, and many others. 
 He was converted, and told me that nothing 
 ever set his sins in such a light before him, as 
 that did- He was satisfied that the hand of 
 God was in it. He was a perfect stranger to 
 this young woman. She lived in Middletown, 
 and was very deaf. She had heard nothing that 
 he had said that caused this involuntary move- 
 ment of the hand, and she was tried about it 
 afterwards. This was the meeting where one 
 of the backslidden sisters was found in the 
 woods by some men who supposed she was 
 dying. Her groans attracted them to the spot. 
 She didn't speak, or pay any attention to them, 
 and they came to the camp-ground and told me 
 that there was a woman down in the woods, 
 dying. Myself and another man went down to 
 see, and as soon as we got within hearing, the 
 thing was revealed to us, and when we arrived 
 there, prayer was offered, without any conver- 
 sation with her, and God set the dying woman 
 at liberty again. This was a strange thing to 
 the men. Why didn't they know what ailed 
 her ? They had worldly wisdom enough, for 
 they appeared to have come from the "Minister 
 Factory/' in Wilbraham, a few miles off. Why 
 
98 hunger's life 
 
 not know what the work of God was ? I will 
 let Paul answer. See 1 Cor. ii : 11. 
 
 I shall he obliged to omit many things. I 
 have written much already that skeptics will not 
 believe ; hut this hook is not designed to please 
 any one in particular, and as I shall lose nothing, 
 and do not expect to gain anything, I will re- 
 late another circumstance which took place at 
 this meeting. Among the wheat or good things, 
 there are tares or wicked things. The " Cain 
 family" acted like their father Cain : They got 
 mad because " Abel's family" got the blessing. 
 One of them was uglier than the rest, and had 
 been all through the meeting. He picked up a 
 pocket-book containing money and some valua- 
 ble papers in it, and refused to give it up. I 
 was informed of the fact, and set to work to get 
 it. 1 asked counsel of a lawyer on the ground 
 by the name of Kogers. He didn't think it 
 worth while to do anything, for the fellow had 
 a right to keep it for a certain length of time. 
 But this didn't satisfy me. I believed that I 
 could get it. Knowing that he was a rowdy, 
 I expected that he would do something that 
 would justify me in putting him into the preach- 
 ers' stand, which was our prison at camp-meet- 
 ings. I kept watch of him, and soon saw him 
 throw a stick in a tent where there was a pray- 
 er-meeting. This was enough. I laid hands 
 on him, and took him to the stand : he was 
 down at the mouth immediately, and wanted to 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 99 
 
 know what he had done. I told him that he 
 had stolen a pocket-book, and thrown sticks in- 
 to a tent, &c, and that he was now detected, 
 and would be dealt with accordingly. He said 
 that he found the pocket-book, and told where, 
 which I knew was true. He told the truth, and 
 was willing to give the pocket-book to me. I 
 then called in Mr. Eogers the lawyer, to hear 
 the statement, and he said that I had fairly out- 
 witted the fellow, and was safe in taking the 
 pocket-book, as I had the charge of the meet- 
 ins; and a lease of the ground. I took it, count- 
 ed the money, and gave it to the owner the next 
 day. The lawyer talked with him, and he pro- 
 mised to behave, if I would let him go, which I 
 did for that time. The next night, about two 
 o'clock, the whole encampment was awakened 
 by some one near by cursing and swearing, and 
 making all kinds of noises. He soon came on to 
 the ground, and the watch couldn't still him. 
 They threatened to call me. He damned me 
 and every body else, and defied any one to lay 
 hands on him, &c. I lay and heard it for some 
 time. Bro. Hawks spoke to me, and said that 
 there was a job for me, and I began to think 
 so, for I was out of patience just at that time. 
 I got up, and in my hurry put on one of Bro. 
 Hawks' boots, and went out of the tent just as 
 he said he wanted to see the committee. I 
 made myself acquainted with him very sudden- 
 ly. Being out of patience, I made him take some 
 
 LOFC. 
 
100 muxger's life 
 
 very long and singular steps off the ground. — 
 I wanted no help, and told the brethren to go 
 back on their watch, I took him off down the 
 road, over the hill, some 15 or 20 rods : he 
 tried to yet away, but had stopped swearing, 
 and had no desire to see the committee. I dis- 
 covered a sprout that had been broken off from 
 a walnut stump, and I took it up. I thought 
 it just the thing for him, and let him have it 
 around the legs. He struck at me, but his arm 
 was too short to hit me. I put the sprout on 
 until he begged. It was daybreak then, and as 
 he promised good behavior, I was about to let 
 him go, but just then I discovered that he was 
 the very one that I let off the day before that 
 had taken the pocket-book. He had broken his 
 promise once, and I thought he might again, 
 and as the sprout held good, I gave him another 
 lacing, until he appealed to my Christianity for 
 mercy, saying, " If you are a Christian, do stop/' 
 when I let him go, upon his promising again to 
 go off and be peaceable, which he did : he went 
 as far as I could see him, and didn't look back. 
 When I came in sight of the ground, there were 
 half a dozen or more of my brethren, who had 
 been looking over the hill all the time. Hence 
 it was not as private as I expected. Some of 
 them say to this day, that I said when I came 
 back that I flogged him in the name of the 
 Lord ; but I do not remember it. John Ord- 
 way said that I certainly did say so, and others 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 10 1 
 
 heard it ; so I shall not deny it. These are the 
 facts in this case, that so many have heard of, 
 and may have asked me about it : now it is 
 made public. This worked a lasting' reforma- 
 tion on him, if not in him, for he has always be- 
 haved well ever since. He never has denied be- 
 ing the one that Munger whipped. I should 
 not know him now ; but probably he yet re- 
 members me, although it is more than eleven 
 years ago. There is something singular in my 
 case that astonishes others as well as myself. — 
 When I lookback, and see the continual hatred 
 manifested towards me by the " Cain family," 
 and the various plots and plans that have been 
 laid by them, at different times, to revenge 
 themselves upon me, it seems as if God had 
 helped me ; for I never have had a drop of my 
 blood spilled, nor have I been hurt in any way 
 whatever by them, although it has been report- 
 ed that I have been whipped a number of times, 
 and there was great rejoicing with the enemies 
 of G-od, and such have always been my enemies. 
 I never have begun anything of the kind with- 
 out accomplishing it sooner or later. 
 
 At a camp-meeting in Westfield, a rowdy 
 struck me while he was passing in a wagon, and 
 then drove off at full speed. I told the people 
 that I should find him out sooner or later. — 
 About fourteen years after, a man came and ac- 
 knowledged the deed. A man named Murphy 
 heard him relate this story, and as he thought 
 
1 02 munger's life 
 
 that I was dead or had gone off, he felt quite 
 safe until Murphy told him that I lived within 
 two miles of hira, and that he was not safe un- 
 less he settled it with me. He told him many 
 awful things about me that were not true, on 
 purpose to see what effect it would have upon 
 the fellow. It scared him so, that he came up 
 to see me, but I was not at home. He came 
 the second time, and wanted it settled. I had 
 given this case up, years before, and it came very 
 unexpected to me. It was settled before he 
 went off, and that was the last that I ever heard 
 of him. Another time, I was helping survey 
 some land on the rail-road, and the surveyer 
 called me by name. I told him that I didn't 
 remember him. He said, he did me, and said 
 that a number of years before that, I took him 
 at a camp-meeting as a prisoner, handled him 
 very roughly, and put him into the preachers' 
 stand. But he succeeded in getting out in my 
 absence, and ran away out of the place to get 
 rid of the scrape. He soon saw the folly of his 
 course, and turned over a new leaf. He was 
 very good natured about it, and found no fault 
 with me. His name was Phelps. He was worth 
 considerable property, and had a large salary 
 yearly. I could multiply such cases, some on 
 steam-boats, rail-roads and various other places 
 in other states. I have met with similar recep- 
 tions from people that T had long before forgot- 
 ten. All this leads me to wonder that I have 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 103 
 
 not been killed, when I see so many straight 
 and dangerous places that I have been through, 
 with the hatred of the " Gain family/' Three 
 times, a dirk has been drawn on me, and once a 
 jack-knife. But, thank Grod, I continue to this 
 day, safe and sound, and am at war with the 
 devil, his works, and his workmen, and always 
 shall be, I hope, while I live here in this state 
 of temptations and trials. I have one consola- 
 tion, the " Cain family" do not like me, and I do 
 not feel like compromising with them, at the ex- 
 pense of truth, righteousness and morality. I 
 will close the " stick and whipping" part of this 
 narrative, by saying to all that I have dressed 
 down in various ways in this and other places, 
 It has been for your good. I consider it a bet- 
 ter, shorter, and cheaper way than to commence 
 a suit against you, and so I have no account un- 
 settled up to date. 
 
 I will now proceed yet farther with camp- 
 meetings : for a few months I cannot recollect 
 dates, for it was about the time that I attended 
 ten in one year. I attended one at Walling- 
 ford, Ct., and I think it was the same year of 
 the last mentioned. This was characterized by 
 a number of strange things, It was about the 
 time that the Lord was expected, in ; 44, All 
 the Advent presses stopped, and it was general- 
 ly believed that our warfare was nearly at a 
 close, and of course there would be much ex- 
 citement and honesty, and so it was. It was 
 
104 munger's life 
 
 at this meeting that one of the rowdies had been 
 threatening what he would do, and said that lie 
 would do so and so, if he went to hell. But he 
 failed of doing what he proposed, for he fell from 
 a high mill-dam the day that the meeting be- 
 gun and broke his neck, and died on the spot. 
 This secured us good order during the meeting. 
 The work of getting ready to meet the Lord was 
 of the utmost importance, and all felt it. I 
 never saw so solemn a place before ; scores con- 
 fessing their faults, and asking each other's for- 
 giveness ; sinners forward for prayers in every 
 tent, and men trying to give their money away 
 to any one who would take it. I saw a large 
 pile of bank bills on the preachers' stand that 
 no one would take. Calls were made a number 
 of times, for any one that wished, to come and 
 take what they had a mind to. It seemed that 
 no one dare take a dollar of it unless they need- 
 ed it for immediate use. Such was the hon- 
 esty, that it carried conviction to the hardest 
 sinners' hearts, and many wept to see the sight. 
 None dare take the money not even the wicked. 
 It was a godly sacrifice, offered in good faith 
 and honesty. Soon after breakfast one morn- 
 ing, a young woman of excellent character and 
 unassuming appearance, had an exercise that 
 astonished all present. About ten rods from 
 the encampment she " lost her strength," and 
 began talking in an unknown tongue. No one 
 present understood it ; but there was a power in 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 105 
 
 it, that made all feel that the Lord ordered it 
 for good. Sinners quailed under it, and all won- 
 dered what this strange thing meant, especially 
 those who were acquainted with the modesty of 
 the one speaking, for she was very bashful. Her 
 face looked like an angel of light, while speak- 
 ing. I knew her at Mkldletown, and was as- 
 tonished when I was told who it was, for her 
 appearance was very much changed. She talked 
 a number of different languages, so said good 
 judges, for she had everybody on the ground 
 to hear her — s;ood and bad. learned and iff*. 
 norant. This phenomena continued four hours 
 and forty minutes. All this time she stood out 
 in the sun bare headed, and talked very fast. 
 When she had done speaking, she seemed to be 
 perfectly well, and unexhausted. What this 
 thing meant, I never knew, and no one else 
 pretended to account for it, A number dated 
 their convictions from this scene. This young 
 woman did not know what she said, but knew 
 what she meant, for her message was to the peo- 
 ple there, and she couldn't help talking, and 
 made no effort of her own to commence or stop. 
 Soon after this, there was baptizing nearly 
 all day, for every person wanted to do their 
 duty. There was a sermon preached on bap- 
 tism, showing that immersson was the only 
 scriptural mode, and nearly a hundred went 
 into the water, old and young, and most of them 
 came out shouting. The meeting continued 
 
106 munger's life 
 
 interesting to its close and much good was done, 
 although some fanaticism was discovered, as is 
 usual on such occasions of excitement. Many- 
 will recollect this meeting as being the most 
 exciting one of this age. Many things I have 
 probably forgotten, which others will remember, 
 when they read this account. Brn. Hawks, 
 Allen, and G. Miller went to this meeting from 
 this place, and perhaps others who will know 
 all these facts, as well as I do. 
 
 The next meeting that I shall give an ac- 
 count of, was the second meeting held at Ches- 
 ter factories. There was little of much im- 
 portance here, but one thing I will mention. — 
 The "Cain family" determined to break up our 
 meeting, the last night, and it appeared that 
 there were two to our one. I felt that God 
 would help us out of trouble if I would go into 
 the tent and pray. This was an uncommon 
 impression for me to have, and I tried to get 
 rid of it, but couldn't. I told sister Wait how 
 I felt, and she told me to go, and she would 
 take the light, stand out among the rabble, and 
 take my place, I went into the tent, and re- 
 member of seeing Bro. Mathewson there, when 
 I got down to pray, and how long I prayed or 
 what for, except for God to chain the wicked, 
 I do not know. Sister Wait said that there 
 wasn't a thing done while I was praying. There 
 seemed to be a chaining influence among them. 
 This was a strange exercise of mind for me ; but 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 107 
 
 it was all that I had to do about keeping order 
 that night. I think that Bro. Mathewson 
 
 preached ; at any rate, others took hold, after 
 I had done praying, and God gave us the vic- 
 tory. The "Cainites" all went off in such a 
 hurry that they forgot to take their implements 
 of war, part of which were about a peck of eggs. 
 The next morning we found them, and as they 
 were all good, they were all put to a good use, 
 that is, cooked, to feed the saints their last meal 
 on that ground. Truly, the wicked fled, that 
 time, when no man pursued. 
 
 I continued going to meetings most of the 
 time for a long while. I recollect of coming 
 home about those times from a long tour all 
 worn down. I had been to Middletown with 
 Bro. K. S. Hastings. I took my wife, and 
 started to visit her friends, and rest awhile. On 
 our way we heard of a protracted meeting on 
 that road, and thought we would stop a short 
 time. Sister Higgins was lecturing. After 
 the lectures, liberty was given to pray and ex- 
 hort as the Spirit moved. Some prayed ; but 
 it seemed to be a dead set. When the man of 
 the house, being a preacher, requested me to 
 take hold, I told him that I was worn out, and 
 was going further that night, and must be off. 
 But he was very urgent, and I told him that 
 the meeting was prayed to death, and that such 
 prayers as were then being offered would kill 
 any meeting. The sister prayed for everything 
 
108 munger's life 
 
 that she could think of, and then repeated them 
 over again. I told Bro. P. that I would stop 
 a little while, and make a few remarks on long 
 praying, &c. I got tired of waiting for her to 
 finish, and cried out, " Lord, bless that sister 
 now. so that she can stop praying V She stop- 
 ped, and I talked short and plain. I told them 
 what killed the meeting, and then we started 
 a class-meeting. I spoke to some whom I knew 
 did not enjoy religion, and was pointed in my 
 remarks : I felt that something might be done. 
 The Spirit of God began to move, and the 
 wicked and triflers began to scatter, and, in a 
 short time, we had a good meeting. As I was 
 going, for T had stayed much longer than I had 
 expected, we got into the entry, and we saw a 
 young woman making sport of some of the ex- 
 pressions I made use of in the meeting. I felt 
 like speaking to her, but it was late, and we had 
 two miles further to go, so we started ; but I 
 wanted to speak to her, and I knew it would 
 take but a moment, so I left my wife stand- 
 ing at the door, and that was the last I saw 
 of her till the next day, for here began a work 
 that took nearly all night to finish. I spoke 
 to the woman, and will give the language as 
 nearly as possible between us. cc Young wo- 
 man, do you enjoy religion ?" " No, sir/' — 
 " Did you ever ?" " No, sir/ 7 " Do you ever 
 expect to ?" " No, sir/' " Do you believe in 
 the Christian religion ?" " Yes ; sir/' "- Do 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 109 
 
 you believe you will go to hell without it ?" — 
 u Yes, sir/' She was so prompt, that I hardly 
 knew what question to put next ; but I could 
 not £ive it up. I saw that all were still ; they 
 knew what I had to contend with, but I d^'d 
 not. Next question : " Do you expect to sin 
 against such light, and then go to hell after all?" 
 Answer was very prompt — " Yes, sir." " Do 
 you believe that God will answer the prayers of 
 his people ?" " Yes, sir, I do." " Well, inas- 
 much as you expect to go to hell, would it not 
 be appropriate to pray to God to take you away 
 this night, rather than let you go on in sin any 
 longer, as your torment would be worse ?" — 
 " Yes, sir," was the horrid and unexpected re- 
 ply. I paused, and trembled. " Will you go 
 and kneel down for me to pray ?" " Yes, sir." 
 And she did : this was a trying time to all pres- 
 ent, saint and sinner. I commenced praying 
 and telling the Lord what he had heard said by 
 us both, and prayed that, if it were possible to 
 save this sinner, he would do it now. But, if 
 not, to answer prayer. At this moment, she 
 cried out for mercy. Others knelt down, and 
 God took the work into His hands, and she soon 
 came out happy, and praised the Lord. She 
 went to work for others, and God blessed a 
 number of them. After we closed, I requested 
 something to eat, and this woman took me in- 
 to the buttery. She stopped in the kitchen and 
 embraced her father and mother, rejoicing in 
 
110 munger's life 
 
 what God had done for her since the meeting 
 closed. This was the first time that I learnt 
 that she was Elder P. Powell's daughter. It 
 always astonishes me when I tfhink of this scene. 
 I have talked this over with Azuba since, and 
 she says that God plucked her as a brand from 
 the fire, for her breath had stopped, and she 
 would have died, if she had not cried out be- 
 fore I had spoken the next word. This was the 
 work of God, and it was marvelous in our eyes. 
 I saw her father and sister recently, and they 
 told me that Azuba was trying to live religion. 
 This circumstance took place about ten years 
 ago, at Three Eivers, in Palmer, Mass. 
 
 About this time, I heard from my brother who 
 had been gone twelve years. He had wander- 
 ed around like the prodigal son, and he had done 
 worse than to feed swine, for he had made him- 
 self one by intemperance. I found him at Ni- 
 agara a confirmed infidel ; he worked Sundays, 
 swore about Christianity, and forbade his family 
 attending meeting. But his wife and eldest 
 daughter had disobeyed him when he was gone, 
 and had made a profession of religion., which en- 
 raged him so, that he forbade their attending 
 church or praying in his house. This was the 
 state that I found him in. After talking over 
 old times, his wife opened her book of sorrows 
 to me, and said that her conviction was so great 
 that she had concluded to commit suicide, and 
 once opened the door to throw her girl into the 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. Ill 
 
 river, and then jump in herself. She showed 
 me the place. The house stood on the bank of 
 the east branch of the Niagara river, and a few 
 rods above the falls, and near the grist mill, so 
 it would have been sure death to both of them. 
 She told me that she opened her door and took 
 hold of her girl, but the child mistrusted that all 
 was not right, and took hold of the rocking-chair 
 to prevent her mother throwing her in. She 
 tried in vain to unclinch her hands, and the 
 child screaming, " Don't drown me, mother I" 
 so affected her, that she shut the door, surprised 
 that the child should mistrust her design. — 
 After hearing this sad tale, I had all that I 
 could bear. Lucia had been telling me her 
 troubles which showed out some of his tyranny, 
 but kept others back on my account. I had not 
 yet introduced the subject of religion, for she 
 told me that I could not pray in the house, if 
 he was present. I told her that I could stay 
 but two days, and I should not leave without 
 praying, and that he was not able to put me out, 
 and I should pray that night, if God so directed, 
 and if I called on her to pray, she must follow. 
 She dared not promise. She believed God had 
 sent me there for some purpose. He came in 
 from work, (this was Sunday evening,) for he 
 worked all day in the mill. After supper, I in- 
 quired if there was a meeting in the place. On 
 learning that the Methodists had one, I request- 
 ed them all to go. This was a curious request 
 
112 munger's life 
 
 to my brother ; but as I had come over four 
 hundred miles to see him, he consented to go. 
 We arrived at the house, and he seated me. — 
 The people looked astonished to see that infidel 
 in meeting, after saying and doing what he had. 
 However, the meeting commenced. I soon saw 
 that it was a general class-meeting. The leader 
 seemed to dread to come to us, not knowing 
 who I was, but supposed I was a friend of that 
 infidel, Munger ; and if so, we were no friends 
 to God or his cause. But he ventured up, and 
 spoke to my brother first, as he was on the end 
 of the seat. He told the class-leader that he 
 had not altered his mind, and did not want any 
 conversation, for he only came in with his bro- 
 ther (pointing to me,) and said that / would 
 turn in a hand, or something similar, I arose 
 and had uncommon liberty. I saw that the 
 effect was good on the congregation : it allayed 
 their fears in regard to us, if nothing more. — 
 His wife and daughter cried for joy or fear, which 
 made him uneasy ; but he staid until meeting 
 was' out. After we got home, we talked awhile 
 about home and friends. I called for his Bible, 
 read and prayed without consent or molestation. 
 I then called upon his wife, and she ventured 
 to begin for the first time before her wicked 
 husband, and had disobeyed his commands. I 
 felt confident that he would not disturb us ; 
 and after his wife had finished praying, I called 
 on his daughter with the same confidence that 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 113 
 
 she would pray unmolested, which she did very 
 feelingly. She prayed for her father, which 
 caused him to hitch in his chair, and I saw that 
 he had got " a hook in his jaw :" I thanked G-od, 
 and took courage. I slept with him that night, 
 for the sake of talking about home, &c., but did 
 not feel at liberty to introduce the subject of 
 religion at all. The next day, we went over 
 into Canada, saw the great falls and other cu- 
 riosities ; but all the time felt no liberty to say 
 anything about religion. We went home, and 
 at the table he wished me to ask a blessing. — 
 This affected his wife, as she never expected to 
 see any alteration in him ; and this was the 
 reason why she determined to commit the rash 
 act of drowning herself and child, rather than 
 live as she had done. I told her that God had 
 begun to' work w T ith him, and he would have to 
 come down. We all prayed that night. This 
 was the last night that I was going to stay with 
 them, and it was affecting even to him ; but he 
 suppressed his feelings. I slept with him that 
 night, but did not mention the subject of religion 
 to him then. He was uneasy in the night, rest- 
 ed but little, and in the morning was very dif- 
 ferent. He consented to go sixty miles with 
 me to a place called Holland's Purchase, now 
 called Batavia, to look up some relatives. On 
 the way, we had occasion to travel on foot about 
 four miles. I felt it duty then to talk upon the 
 subject of religion, and he lent a listening ear, 
 
1 14 monger's life 
 
 and, for the first time in his life, had a disposi- 
 tion to read the Bible. We spent an hour and 
 a half under a large tree, and God began to 
 work visibly. I had liberty in talking then, and 
 he acknowledged that he wanted religion, but 
 would not consent to pray ; but I persuaded 
 him not to prevent his wife and daughter pray- 
 ing, I told him that his wife consented to set 
 up the altar till he forbade it. She said that 
 she would pray that night ; and I made him 
 promise that he would encourage his wife and 
 daughter. I gave him my Bible, and bade him 
 farewell, and told him that unless he repented, 
 God would trouble him. As I stepped into the 
 cars, I saw the tears start as he turned to go away. 
 I felt very sure that he had a load to carry home 
 such as he never had before. The letters which 
 I had from them soon after told the story ; I 
 wish I had them recorded verbatim in this work, 
 but they are lost. But it was as follows : — 
 After he arrived at home, his wife saw such a 
 difference in him, that she was not afraid to ful- 
 fill her promise to me that she would pray that 
 night, which she did, and God took him in hand 
 in good earnest. His convictions were so great 
 that it seemed to him that he must die before 
 morning. The neighbors came in, and all the 
 different preachers prayed with him, and I think 
 it was not till the next day that he found relief. 
 God showed him to his content and heart-felt 
 sorrow what it was to be an infidel. He little 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 115 
 
 thought that God was going to work in that way 
 when he consented to let his wife and daughter 
 pray. But his letter to me was full of thank- 
 fulness and praises to God that I ever hunted 
 him up, and took the course that I did ; for, if 
 I had crowded the subject too fast, he should 
 have resisted ; but, strange as it may seem to 
 some, was blessed of God. He often spoke of 
 the little red-covered Bible that I gave him, 
 and the promise which he made to me in return, 
 and thanked God in his last letter for the two 
 days' interview that I had with him. He went 
 still farther west, and from there started for Cali- 
 fornia, and I have reasons to believe that he died 
 on the road, as nothing has been heard from him 
 for a number of years. But I feel that I did 
 my duty ; for God converted him, and it was 
 his duty to keep converted by obedience, which 
 he did the last I heard of him, and I hope to 
 meet him in the kingdom of God when it is set 
 up. 
 
 The next season after I visited Niagara, I 
 hired a piece of ground for a camp-meeting in 
 Manchester, Ct., in '43. The meeting pro- 
 gressed in spirituality, and the " Cainites," as 
 usual, commenced "swearing their prayers/' 
 and making disturbance. I thought that the 
 shortest way would be, to run the ring-leader 
 down the hill. I got behind him, and started 
 him so suddenly that his companions could not 
 help him. He resisted what he could, but could 
 
116 
 
 not turn round, for I was behind him, and had 
 hold of both arms, and on a good speed down 
 the hill. He cried out for help, and the rabble 
 came, like so many demons. I gave him a push, 
 and he went headlong over the fence at the bot- 
 tom of the hill. I dodged behind a tree when 
 I pushed him, and his companions supposing , 
 that it was me who was down, jumped on him 
 and beat him unmercifully, so that he got more 
 pay in his own coin than he bargained for. He 
 went home not thinking much of the blessings 
 of camp-meetings. In a day or two, the rabble 
 assembled again, and just as they got near the 
 ground, God sent one of the heaviest thunder 
 storms that I ever saw. They ran in every di- 
 rection — some for home, others for the tavern 
 which was about a half mile off ; some came on 
 the ground, and I took pains to invite them 
 into the tents that did not leak, and then, set 
 the prayer meetings going in those tents in par- 
 ticular. Many of these fellows appeared serious, 
 and as they were used well, concluded to go 
 home peaceably, which they did. This ended 
 the rowdyism of this meeting. But there was 
 some skepticism left, which God only could cure. 
 There was one of those dandy professors squint- 
 ing about, to find something to find fault with. 
 If any one was " slain/' or shouted, he would 
 question the propriety of such things. He was 
 told, that his religion lay in the propriety of 
 finding fault with others. He was exhorted 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 117 
 
 and advised to seek God, and get religion, for 
 it m as evident that he did not know what it was. 
 He kept around in the way, all day, and saw 
 Brn. Allen and Anderson jump when they ex- 
 horted. This was also as strange as losing their 
 strength. He finally said, that if these things 
 were a reality, he wished that he might have it, 
 and appeared serious about it. Soon after, a 
 prayer meeting commenced at the stand, and 
 when it got well agoing, I heard some one cry 
 out for the Lord to help, and save them. I 
 knew that God had taken some one in hand by 
 the way they cried. On going to the stand, 
 there, to my surprise, lay that dandy professor, 
 wallowing in the dirt and taking on bitterly. — 
 His clean nankeen pants, and gentlemanly, 
 fault-finding religion, fared something alike; 
 neither were worth but little after God took 
 him in hand. Many will recollect this circum- 
 stance. I believe that there are thousands of 
 professors, who never saw themselves sinners, 
 and know nothing of conversion. 
 
 In those days, I went to meeting so much that 
 I got worn out, and my financial affairs needed 
 my attention, for this was the time that people 
 who were dishonest could take advantage of the 
 rogues 9 laiv, known as the " assignment law." 
 I had nearly all that I was worth out in debts. 
 One after another that owed me, signed over ; 
 and I lost in every way. Some that owed me 
 were honest, but could not pay. I held notes 
 
1 1 8 MUNGEPJs LIFE 
 
 of $400 against one person, but gave them up, 
 without receiving a cent. Another owed me 
 $65, Then down went D. and J. Ames, which 
 was worse than all the rest, and so on until I 
 lost all that I was worth, which was about 
 $1,500. I had, at this time, a large family of 
 little children, and had to move out of the 
 house that I had labored hard to build, for a 
 shelter for my family. I hired a tenement 
 in the village. But soon sickness set in, and 
 death entered the family circle, and in less than 
 eighteen months, it robbed us of three children, 
 two in one week : this was in '46. This was a 
 time of trouble, and the Lord only knew what 
 we should do, for I did not. Property all gone, 
 and death doing its work. I was in debt, and 
 but very few true friends, for I could not even get 
 the use of a meeting house to have the funeral 
 services in ; I tried the Methodist and Baptist, 
 but was denied. I thought of Job, and read it. 
 But God raised up one friend that helped me 
 in this time of affliction. That was Harvey 
 Holkins of Warehouse Point, He at different 
 times, let me have $150 without any security, 
 and ran the risk, (for it was a risk) of getting 
 his pay. He has not got it yet, nor even men- 
 tioned it to me ; but I have mentioned it to 
 him. Many poor people that have been in 
 trouble, can thank God for his having a chari- 
 table heart. His faith was shown by his works, 
 and is yet. May the Lord reward him. In those 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 119 
 
 two years I invented a water-wheel, got it pa- 
 tented in the fall of '46, and in '47 we moved 
 to New Hampshire. I took some mills in com- 
 pany with Timothy Cole, and put in a number 
 of my patent wheels, and procured a good liv- 
 ing, without getting in debt. But we were all 
 homesick, for part of our family were buried in 
 Massachusetts, and their graves often came to 
 our remembrance, and I made arrangements to 
 sell out and come back, which I did in a short 
 time, and had something left for my creditors. 
 I always said that I never would take the ben- 
 efit of the bankrupt law, and I kept my word, 
 although I was advised to do it, and out of $600 
 that I received for my profit on the patent. I 
 gave up $400 to be distributed amono; my credi- 
 tors as they saw fit. Some still hold small de- 
 mands against me. but I feel justified with the 
 course that I took in regard to money matters, 
 and can look any man in the face, for I have 
 done all that I could, thus far, and still mean to, 
 for I am not trying to lay up a treasure liere. 
 
 On returning from New Hampshire, sickness 
 a^ain entered the family. The first week it was 
 the varioloid, and one girl seven years old, had 
 the small-pox, and died. I was in N. H. on busi- 
 ness, and never saw her after I left home. — 
 This makes five children out of eight, that have 
 died, leaving only three. So all can see that I 
 have had my share of trouble, and do fully rea- 
 lize that the curse is not yet removed, and I 
 
120 
 
 long for the time to come, when death, and him 
 that hath the power over it. which is the Devil, 
 shall be destroyed. This time is soon coming, 
 and all Bible Christians know that their re- 
 ward comes then, and not before, Catholics and 
 spiritualists to the contrary notwithstanding. 
 God's word will stand. 
 
 While in New Hampshire I attended meeting 
 somewhere nearly every Sabbath, but religion 
 was at a very low ebb in that region ; my being 
 a stranger, and my coarse uncouth way, pre- 
 vented me in a great measure from being: as ac- 
 tive as where I was known. But I will state 
 two circumstances which took place while I 
 lived there. The first was in Lake village. — 
 While on business there, I learnt that there 
 was dissatisfaction in the place about two soci- 
 ties coming together. The facts were these : 
 The regular Baptists had got so low that they 
 could not support a minister, and made a pro- 
 position to the Free-will Baptists to meet with 
 them if they would, and take the choir off their 
 hands that was already hired for a year. This 
 included one or two fiddlers as wicked as Cain, 
 as is generally the case. To this, some of the 
 old fathers of the Free-will Baptist church ob- 
 jected, and argument was used on both sides. 
 I offered to deliver a lecture on instrumental 
 music in the church on Sabbath evening. The 
 arrangements were made, and the notice given 
 out, and there was a general turn out. I went 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 121 
 
 on to show by the Scripture, that instrumental 
 music was first invented and used by the Cain 
 family — the sons of old Jubal, see Gen. 4: 21, 
 and ought always to be kept there. I showed 
 that David backslid in consequence of his fid- 
 dling disposition, and showed how, and where ; 
 and also Solomon after he backslid, went into 
 instrumental music, and that of all sorts. See 
 Eccl. 2 : 8, and the fiddling spirit was what 
 caused the low state of religion in the Baptist 
 church in that place, and it always did in old 
 times. I then quoted Amos 5 : 23, to show 
 that God would not smell in the assemblies 
 where their songs were identified with the sound 
 of fiddles, or viols, and it is noiv, as it was 
 then — it is offensive to the nostrils of the Al- 
 mighty, and then quoted Amos, 6th chapter, 
 1-6, to exhibit the condition of the church iu 
 olden times, for following the examples of Da- 
 vid. God pronounced a curse upon them, and 
 he has not changed any since, and even where 
 fiddling was tolerated there would be a back- 
 slidden state of the church, or at ease in Zion. 
 The teachings of Christ and the Apostles did 
 not mention it, which they would have done if 
 it belonged to divine worship. But they knew 
 that it belonged to the other side of the house. 
 All that were godly, and had consulted the 
 Scriptures, could now see that the curses of God 
 follow the Cain family's practice, &c. I then 
 took up the character of some of the fiddlers in 
 
122 munger's life 
 
 our State. They would raise the devil all the 
 week, get drunk Saturday night, swear their 
 prayers, calling on God to damn their souls, 
 &c., and Sunday morning, get up just in time 
 to go to the house of God, and take the lead 
 of the religious services. Just at that time a 
 man arose and said it was u a damned lie" and 
 then left the house, swearing and scolding. I 
 waited a moment and then proceeded, having a 
 good chance to make the application, which I 
 improved, and gave way for remarks from others, 
 which resulted in the dismissal of the fiddlers 
 from the Free will Baptist church. This man 
 that went out swearing, was the very character 
 that I had described, and was the first fiddler. 
 He took the lead of singing. He was drunk 
 the night before, which was Saturday night, 
 and had been fiddling that day in the place, 
 with the expectation of a year's job, and then to 
 have his plans upset, it was more than he could 
 bear patiently. " I'll lick that man," said he. 
 " But you can't do it," said another. " Then 
 d — n him, I'll kick him, and run." I knew 
 nothing about the character of their fiddlers 
 until after the meeting was out, and then mem- 
 bers of the Free will Baptist church told me 
 the above facts. The next day I came away, 
 and have not seen the place since. I had a let- 
 ter from there soon after, stating that the fid- 
 dlers in Zion were down on me, for they had lost 
 their job. 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 123 
 
 I will mention one more circumstance that 
 took place while I lived in N. H., which may not 
 be amiss. Just before leaving the State, I had 
 occasion to go to the upper part of it on business. 
 On learning that a Dr. Kelly, who had moved 
 from our State and town, lived up still further, 
 I went to see him. The family knew me while 
 fifty rods or more from the house, although it 
 was a number of years since we had met. My 
 dress has always been of the same fashion, which 
 will account for this in part. The doctor was 
 gone, and I was uneasy, but could not get back 
 that ni°;ht, for the cars had s;one the last time 
 for that day ; so I made myself as contented as 
 I could, and in our conversation it was mention- 
 ed that there was a camp-meeting being held 
 about two miles still further north, and to pass 
 the time off, I went up, I have forgotten the 
 name of the place, but it was on the right hand 
 track, from fifty to seventy miles from Concord. 
 I arrived at the ground about 5 o'clock, P. M. 
 It was rainy, and there was preaching in two or 
 three tents. I listened to a sermon on holiness 
 which had much more of the letter in it than 
 the spirit. After preaching, I looked around 
 the ground, but could see no one that I knew, 
 or ever saw before. This was something new 
 to have all strangers to me on a camp-ground. 
 I was homesick, and started to go back to Dr. 
 Kelly's ; but seeing a good fire, I stopped to 
 warm me, and engaged in conversation with a 
 
124 munger's life 
 
 good Christian, no doubt, but rather a simple 
 one. He said to me, "It is rather rainy. " I 
 answered, " Yes/' He then asked me where I 
 came from. I told him. He then wanted to 
 know if I enjoyed religion. I evaded the ques- 
 tion in part, seeing what he was. He then told 
 his experience, and questioned me closely. I 
 gave him to understand that I professed religion, 
 but did not have much enjoyment there, for I 
 was among strangers, &c. This made him the 
 more interested in my case. He said there was 
 going to be a general class-meeting in the prea- 
 chers' tent, and showed it to me. I learned 
 that it was a class of young preachers that came 
 from Concord. He was so anxious about me, 
 that I told him I would go into the class-meet- 
 ing a little while, as he thought I might get 
 blessed. When the singing commenced we went 
 in. There were three rows of seats, and I took 
 one in the middle row, near the door. After 
 prayer by one of the young preachers, the meet- 
 ing commenced : I soon saw that it was no 
 place for me. The preacher was a dandy-look- 
 ing fellow ; had a fine cane which he hooked on- 
 to his arm, while leading the class. 
 
 Ten or fifteen spoke ; but not one spoke of 
 having any enjoyment. If they had, I should 
 not have believed them, for their silks, bows and 
 ribbons spoke as clearly as they did, of no re- 
 ligious enjoyment. In reply to any of them, the 
 leader would say, " Go on, brother/' or " sister/' 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 125 
 
 That was to encourage them in their backslidden 
 state which they acknowledged they were then in. 
 I thought " Good Lord, where is Methodism | w 
 and was about starting to leave, when to my as- 
 tonishment, the leader touched me on the shoul- 
 der, and desired me to lead the rest of the class. 
 He thought by my dress that I was a Method- 
 ist, I suppose. 
 
 I had to think quick ; but I arose, and in 
 short told my experience with Methodism, and 
 soon felt the burden of the meeting upon me. 
 I spoke to one, and she said that she did not en- 
 joy anything. I told her that I knew it before 
 she arose. I spoke to the second : she hesita- 
 ted, but finally arose, and said that she must 
 say what the first one did. I reproved her 
 sharply, and called upon the third. This was 
 a dead set ; she would not stir, I felt like talk- 
 ing, and told them that I had not heard one 
 speak of any religious enjoyment, and they were 
 a pack of proud backsliders. God gave me great 
 plainness of speech, and liberty while talking. 
 I looked at the fellow who was so anxious about 
 my welfare, and you can judge how astonished he 
 looked. I then proposed clearing one of the 
 middle seats, and called all forward who said they 
 wanted prayers ; for when they spoke, they all 
 closed by saying, " I desire your prayers that I 
 may be more faithful/ 7 &c. This expression was 
 a habit, not sincere, and unless they took that 
 seat ; it was proved that they didn't mean what 
 
126 munger's life 
 
 they said, and honesty was the first step towards 
 getting blessed : and I told the whole tent's 
 company that God would work, if they would 
 let him. I commenced singing, and they began 
 coming forward. This young dandy preacher 
 looked very strange ; but I had got the meet- 
 ing in hand, and he saw it. Soon the seat was 
 nearly rilled, and I told them that God would 
 bless all that were willing to ask him, and that 
 all could pray at once, for it was no confusion 
 to the Lord. We knelt down before God, and 
 I led in prayer. Soon the work of God broke 
 out, and a number were praying at the same 
 time. The work increased, and others came 
 forward : there was a general cry all over the 
 tent. Some were slain. I scarcely ever saw 
 the power of God more manifest than on that 
 occasion. The one that I spoke to, who would 
 not come forward nor arise, was slain where she 
 was. This was an old-fashioned Methodist meet- 
 ing. It did me good to see the gauzes, ribbons, 
 and starched dresses lay in the wet straw. Ma- 
 ny came out happy and shouting, and went to 
 praying for others. 1 thought I would leave 
 the tent, which I did, very suddenly, and no 
 one noticed it, as I sat near the end. I started 
 for Dr. Kelly's in the dark, and I never felt more 
 sensibly the blessing of God, than I did all the 
 way to the Dr's I could hear them shout when 
 a mile off. I was wet through, and the doctor 
 wanted to give me some medicine ; for fear that 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 127 
 
 T should take cold. But I told him that God 
 had so blessed me I should not take cold. I 
 went to bed but could not sleep for rejoicing. — 
 I started home in the first morning train of cars. 
 The whole encampment was searched over to find 
 that stranger that led the class. He was des- 
 cribed as a tall man, wore a broad-brimmed hat, 
 &c. No one knew him nor where he came from, 
 except the weak man, that I have mentioned, 
 and lie did not know when I went out, nor where 
 I had gone. A great deal of anxiety was felt 
 to know who that was that started the meeting 
 where God blessed so many. But I was 100 
 miles from there by 2 o'clock, and never saw 
 but one man who was at that meeting, and that 
 was about a week after. This man saw me in 
 the city of Manchester, N. H., and knew me by 
 my hat. He ventured into conversation, and 
 asked me if I attended such a camp-meeting. — 
 I told him that I did, and then the mystery was 
 revealed to him. He told me what took place 
 after I left. The work did not stop, although 
 they were all very anxious to know where that 
 strange man was. The work continued that 
 day, which was the last day of the meeting. — 
 God got all the glory that time, for no one knew 
 who or where the instrument was. I do not 
 suppose that such narratives will suit every 
 body, and don't care, for I am independent, and 
 state facts that have taken place in my experi- 
 ence, Some will read this who have seen just 
 
128 munger's life 
 
 such things in times of revivals, when God had 
 a fair chance at the hearts of men, and was not 
 kept back from doing his work in his own way, 
 as is the case now-a-days. There is so much 
 fancy kind of religion, and popular chit-chat 
 that will not hurt the feelings, or disturb the 
 sinner, that it is sickening to any Christian of 
 the old stamp. 
 
 After I came back from New Hampshire, in 
 1849, my temporal business was about the same ; 
 just as much as I could do to get a living, and 
 travel as much as I did to attend meetings 
 and my business. There has nothing of much 
 importance occurred at camp-meetings and 
 other religious meetings of late. 
 
 One thing I will mention. About this time, 
 I took a lease of a piece of land for a camp- 
 meeting in North Wilbraham. The meeting 
 commenced, and went on well, and but very 
 little rowdyism until Friday, when one of the 
 Cainites made some disturbance at the water, 
 w r hile the ordinance of Baptism was being ad- 
 ministered. I did not want to have another 
 scrape with this class, for I had got tired of al- 
 ways having the burden of the meeting upon 
 me. But it was no time to back out, then. — 
 This fellow came on the ground, and wanted to 
 find the committee. He was referred to me. 
 He wanted to hire that coop, pointing to the 
 preachers' stand, to put one of his company in 
 who was drunk, until he got over it. I told 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 129 
 
 him, that was the place where we put rogues, 
 and it was not to be let. He swelled up and 
 said that he should like to see a man or any 
 number of men that could put him into it. I 
 told him that / had eyed him all day, and if he 
 did not behave, he would see the man that could 
 put him into it, and he would be the first one 
 to be put in, too. At this, he made much sport 
 among his friends, and in the evening came on 
 the ground, with some others, and commenced 
 throwing sticks at Bro. King S. Hastings who 
 was in a prayer meeting. But that old soldier 
 did not break down for that, for he had stood 
 and faced a shower of stones once before, when 
 every other preacher had left the stand, I 
 knew that small sticks would not drive him out, 
 but these fellows were bent upon seeing if I 
 dare keep my word. As soon as things were 
 ready, I took the first man that attempted to 
 pick up another stick, by the shoulders. He 
 felt it, and made a fuss, and out came one after 
 another from the tent. I stood at the door and 
 passed a number over to the officer, and point- 
 ed out others who were taken care of, for we 
 were all ready before we commenced. Soon this 
 great brag came out of the tent, (for they had 
 gone into the meeting and were making sport.) 
 and wanted to know what the trouble was. I 
 told him that, that coop was ready for him, took 
 hold of him, and ordered the iron wristbands to 
 be put upon him. He tried to show his strength 
 
130 munger's life 
 
 and courage by resisting, but it was of no use ; 
 ho was the first man that was put into the coop, 
 as I had said that day. In the morning he was 
 a sober boy. He begged so hard, promised so 
 fair, and said that he knew me, and his father 
 and I were good friends, and both belonged to 
 the Methodist church. He told me his name. 
 I was surprised to find that Elijah Plumley had 
 such a son. But he was humbled, and willing 
 to pay anything to settle it, so I let him off by 
 paying the cost of the officers. His neighbors 
 told me that it was the best thing that ever 
 happened to him, for he behaved much better 
 always after. 
 
 I am now within the circle of a few years, 
 where the account of camp-meetings will not be 
 so interesting in this region, for rowdyism has 
 been very much subdued and the religious meet- 
 ings less interesting. But my course of life has 
 not changed, neither has my faith in the Scrip- 
 tures. I believe that I have attended a camp- 
 meeting every year, but to record any more 
 would only be a repetition, and I believe in short 
 prayers, sermons, epistles, and books. I have 
 traveled much, for the last few years, in dif- 
 ferent places, and I find that the world is grow- 
 ing wiser in everything but religious matters, 
 or the work of godliness. The adulterated state 
 of religion has made way for nearly everything to 
 belong to the church, that wishes to, and this lax 
 state of things I think, is ushered in by reaching 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 131 
 
 after popularity, which has always loaded the 
 church with a lot of dead lumber, that is worse 
 than nothing. It is a hard matter to find a 
 church that contends for the old landmarks 
 that their fathers ran out. But there are a few 
 left, and I enjoy myself best with such, and 
 seek their company, let me find them where I 
 will. 
 
 In this age of improvement, there is an effort 
 to improve religion also. But this improve- 
 ment consists in throwing the cross of Christ 
 out of it, and the resurrection up into the skies, 
 the cardinal doctrines to the four winds, the 
 prophets into the nest of witches and wizards 
 of olden times, and Christ himself among bas- 
 tards, and his miracles among cheats and satanic 
 wonders. This class, I have been at war with 
 for the last four or five years. They are known 
 by the name of Rappers, in this age, but their 
 ancestors had the name of witches and wiz- 
 ards. Since this new array against the Chris- 
 tian doctrine has appeared, I felt it my duty to 
 buckle on what little armor I have, and give 
 them battle, and they will admit, themselves, 
 that I have waited for no combined force, but 
 commenced on my own hook, and done all that 
 I could to destroy their fleet, and never have 
 backed out, when challenged for a debate.— 
 This, Mr. Morse knows, for he gave me the first 
 challenge. I soon began to lecture upon this 
 subject, and have been into many places, and 
 

 132 
 
 done what I could. To relate here, all that I 
 have said or published on this subject, would 
 swell this work beyond the original intention. 
 In my debates and discussions, I don't pretend 
 to a display of eloquence or education, for I 
 have neither, but use only what weapons I have 
 providentially procured with my limited means. 
 I will omit all the forms of discussion, and all 
 that I have published, except one short article, 
 which was published in the Advent Watchman, 
 June 28th, 1854. This will suffice as showing 
 my mode of defence in a challenge generally. 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 133 
 
 A SHORT CONTEST WITH THE RAPPERS. 
 
 We are commanded to give a reason of our 
 hope or position to every one that asketh us. — 
 A short time since, the Rappers in a certain 
 place procured a lecturer to upset the truth, 
 and establish spiritualism on the ruins thereof. 
 May 20th, in the evening the Rapper spent 
 nearly all his time squibing at the few believers 
 he supposed he had before him, and closed by 
 giving notice that the next Saturday evening 
 he would do some great things, tell them some 
 things they never knew, and ask some hard 
 questions, &c. 
 
 The time came, and I had an invitation (and 
 a disposition) to be present and see my poor 
 brothers and their doctrine all evaporated into 
 ether. The lecture had commenced when I got 
 there. I will state the sum and substance of 
 the matter as near as I can recollect, to show 
 that God's promise holds good, viz : That he 
 will furnish his children with the necessary rea- 
 sons or arguments to stand their ground when 
 attacked by the other family, the descendants 
 of Cain. The lecturer strove hard to blend to- 
 
134 
 
 gether the Angelic Communications, and the 
 pretended spiritual ones of this age. 
 
 1st question. — ^Can any one tell me where 
 the first record of an angel can be found ? I 
 answered in the Garden of Eden. He denied 
 it by saying it was a cherubim, not an angel, 
 as many supposed. 
 
 He then referred to the men that called on 
 Abraham, and took the position, that the com- 
 munications of all times, came through literal 
 men and they had not changed, and then quo- 
 ted Ezekiel and others to show what foolish 
 things we were commanded to believe, more ri- 
 diculous than we were asked to believe in these 
 days by the spiritualists, and many other things 
 of like import. He then dwelt largely on Corin- 
 thians chap, v : 5, to show that a man had 
 an immortal spirit that must be saved in the 
 day of the Lord Jesus, and quoted Stephen and 
 the thief, and Eev. xxii : 9, to show that the 
 spirit of one of the prophets spoke to John, and 
 that the Scriptures were being fulfilled by the 
 pouring out of his spirit in these last days in 
 giving us these spiritual communications that 
 lead to prophesying, dreaming, and miracles. 
 The Witch of Endor was introduced as one of 
 these good mediums that was driven out, or off, 
 for the light she possessed. He wanted to know 
 if the people could not see something in these 
 days that appeared like the work of miracles or 
 to that effect, as it did in the days of Moses in 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 135 
 
 Egypt. After exhausting his strength of ar- 
 gument and the time, until nearly 10 o'clock 
 at night, he courteously offered the time up to 
 the Advent friend to mend up the great breach 
 he had made in their foundation, seemingly. — 
 One Methodist Bro. arose and took exceptions 
 to his view of the Witch of Endor and the thief 
 on the cross, but thought this was honest, &c. 
 Another undertook to say something, but the 
 time was so far spent that the people were tired 
 out and began to leave the house, and he sat 
 down. 
 
 He then called on me at 10. I thought if 
 there was not more than five minutes, I would 
 show myself ready to dissent in sympathy, if 
 nothing more. I told the people it was so late 
 I only had time to say I didn't think the Bap- 
 pers honest, and wanted it distinctly under- 
 stood, that I considered them anti-christ that 
 was to come in the last days, and deceive if pos- 
 sible, the very elect. That they were a sub- 
 ject of prophecy, and were deceiving and being 
 deceived, and if they would give me a chance, 
 I would track them from the days of Moses in 
 Egypt, down to the present day, as plain as a 
 fox was ever tracked in a new snow, for the 
 Bible which they disregarded, had pointed them 
 out. By this time the people gave attention, 
 and I sat down. He replied, saying, they be- 
 lieved the Bible, and that I had misrepresented 
 them, &c. I then arose and informed the peo- 
 
136 
 
 LIFE 
 
 pie that I was able to prove my statements 
 from their own papers and admissions in their 
 great world's convention at Hartford, Ct. ; also, 
 by remarks from the Kappers in other places, 
 as follows : The Bible is no better authority 
 for us, than any other old licentious book, not 
 as good as an almanac ; that Christ was a bas- 
 tard, and that his blood had no more efficacy in 
 it than the blood of Abel or any other man. I 
 then repeated, that for any people to make 
 such remarks as these and others that could be 
 named, it was imposing upon a religious com- 
 munity to open the Bible to prove anything 
 they could say, and that they were wolves in 
 sheeps' clothing. This kindled up a fire that 
 set the serpents calling for charity, and they 
 wanted a Christian spirit manifested, and I sat 
 down. The nest got stirred up by this time 
 you may depend ; one man said he was a citi- 
 zen of that place, and he had not been imposed 
 upon by the Eappers taking the Bible, he pro- 
 fessed to be a young convert to their views. — 
 Another said, if this is a Christian spirit, he did 
 not want it, &c. 
 
 I told him that his old brethren that tried to 
 turn the deputy from the faith, did not fancy 
 Paul's spirit when he said, " 0, full of all subtle- 
 ty ! thou child of the Devil, how long will you 
 cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord ?" 
 and that old hag of Endor did not fancy the 
 spirit of Samuel that drove her out of the land. 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 137 
 
 She was the first female Kapper we read of, 
 and God killed old Saul because he went to 
 consult her about the dead. 
 
 I quoted Chronicles x: 13, 14, and argued, 
 as God did not change, he would curse all that 
 consulted the Kappers as he did Saul, for he 
 (Saul) could not tell what form Samuel was of, 
 only as he asked the old witch, nor can any one 
 know which of the spirits are at work except 
 they ask the clairvoiant, an old witch, and they 
 will often lie, and lay it to the spirit then com- 
 municating. I then again sat down, thinking 
 perhaps they would think I had said enough ; 
 at least, to let the people know I had no sym- 
 pathy with them. But they could not let me 
 alone, the speaker wished to inform the people, 
 that some that had been Adventists had em- 
 braced the views he had held forth that even- 
 ing, and was among them, addressing his re- 
 marks to me. 
 
 I felt called upon again to take the floor. I did 
 so, stating, although it was late, I wanted the 
 people to know it was a fact, and that I acknow- 
 ledged it, and that very fact proved my position 
 true, for the Apostle, speaking of these last 
 times, said, "some shall depart from the (belief 
 in the Advent or) faith, giving heed to seducing 
 (or rapping) spirits, or doctrines of devils/' — 
 These were to be backsliders, and of that class 
 whose consciences would be " seared as with a 
 hot iron, forbidding to marry, and creeping in- 
 
138 munger's life 
 
 to houses and leading captive silly women/' that 
 they could lead away with divers lusts ; and this 
 is the exact character of the Eappers in these 
 days. In connection with that they have got the 
 same faith that the Shakers and Mormons have 
 who believe in talking with the dead and working 
 miracles. Now read 2 Tim. iii ; l-9 ? and you 
 will see the character spoken of in the scriptures, 
 that stood in the way of the work of God, just 
 as you Rappers do now. God pity you ! You 
 are the Anti-christ of the last days, and if you 
 are honest, it is because God's word is fulfilled 
 upon you, as he said in 2 Thess. ii : 8-13, and 
 you are the very people that God has poured 
 out this strong delusion upon, that you may be- 
 lieve a lie and be damned — because you have 
 pleasure in unrighteousness and obey not the 
 truth. 
 
 This application made such a stir with the 
 speaker who gave the challenge to the " Miller- 
 it.es," and wished them to attend, that he for- 
 got his call a few minutes before for a Christian 
 spirit, and spoke out at the top of his voice, and 
 said that I was a liar. I told him and the rest 
 that I did not expect they could or would 
 stand the truth, any more than they would obey 
 it, and I had used only about fifteen minutes to 
 answer or reply to what he had said in two hours, 
 and if they would give me half the time he had 
 used, I would meet them at any time, and prove 
 to them who believed in the Bible, that the Eap- 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 139 
 
 pers were from the same piece as the ancient 
 sorcerers, and are the witches and wizards of 
 the last days, who are to come just previous to 
 the coming; of the Lord, and it was one of the 
 strongest signs of the correctness of our position, 
 I then closed, and went to the door, when the 
 sexton came in and told the speaker that he had 
 only hired the hall till nine o'clock, and it was 
 then after ten, and he should put out the lights 
 in a moment or two. 
 
 This ended the short battle between truth 
 and error for that time. 
 
 If any of the Eappers see this article, just let 
 them recollect that the Advent people are not 
 afraid to meet any or all of them together. 
 
 About this time the Maine liquor law ques- 
 tion came up. I had always been interested in 
 the subject of temperance after Priest Phenix 
 got me fairly harnessed, as you will recollect. — 
 The Maine law was very unpopular, especially 
 among the rowdies and rummies. I ventured 
 out on that question, and consented to stand as 
 one of the vigilant or prosecuting committee, 
 and endeavored to do my duty. This brought 
 a new class of people to contend with, which 
 made me unpopular with three classes, rappers, 
 rummies and rowdies. I saw that I had got in- 
 to business, sure enough ; but knowing that I 
 
140 mtjnger's life 
 
 had made myself ridiculous to this class years 
 before, I would not back out, and did what I 
 considered to be my duty, notwithstanding those 
 influences that were working against me tempo- 
 rally : it made a great difference with me about 
 obtaining labor and jobs ; but I concluded to 
 take it easy, and see how the wheel would turn. 
 I would not beg for a job, and some of my near 
 neighbors who wanted just such work done as 
 I could do, would give the chance to others in- 
 stead of me, on account of the strong position 
 I had taken against the above influences, they 
 being in sympathy with some or all of the three, 
 I stood nearly alone for some time, watching hu- 
 man nature. I occasionally went by request to 
 lecture and hold meetings in different sections, 
 and took up jobs, if any came in my way. I un- 
 fortunately got one in the spring of '54, through 
 the influence of a good, honest man ; but I got 
 into the hands of one of the greatest scoundrels I 
 have ever met with yet, in all my experience 
 with mankind. I agreed to get up the machin- 
 ery for a saw-mill, and start it running, for $1,50 
 per day, for Nathan Lavee, or leviathan, it ought 
 to be. 1 went to work immediately, making the 
 necessary arrangements and contracts, without, 
 any writings, but havinggood evidence of the bar- 
 gain ; and it was a short job, only calculated to 
 last but sixty days. All went on satisfactorily un- 
 til I was involved in debt $300 for the necessa- 
 ry machinery for his mill. I called for the mo- 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 141 
 
 ney to pay for the same, and received $140. — 
 According to the agreement, he was to pay for 
 the machinery as fast as I contracted for it, 
 He at the same time, agreed to get the frame 
 up for the reception of the machinery when it 
 was ready. He failed in this, and requested 
 me to get some one to frame the mill, as he had 
 failed to get the man that he expected. I got 
 a man from our place, and took him down there. 
 All was satisfactory for some time : but soon 
 the tide turned. The man that Lavee had then 
 got was the right kind of company ; for Lavee 
 had told me that he had got a barrel of good 
 rum, and often asked me to drink. Upon my 
 refusing, he said that he had got a man that 
 would drink, as often as he did, and it was 
 " hail, fellows, well met/' The position that I 
 took against rum drinking did not take with them 
 at all. We had considerable of conversation 
 on the subject, and this man that I took down, 
 knew that I belonged to the vigilant committee 
 in our place, and had been concerned in spilling 
 more liquor than they should both want while 
 they lived. I did not think so much of it then, 
 for I supposed that Perkins was a friend to me, 
 for he had worked for me a great deal. I came 
 home, and sent down the machinery that was 
 done. I received a letter from Perkins to come 
 down to the raising. On arriving t here, I saw that 
 the devil had been at work. Every thing, that I 
 had done was found fault with, and I could do wo- 
 
142 
 
 thing right. I learned that in my absence, every 
 fort had been made to destroy my influence as 
 a mechanic or Christian. Lavee refused to pay 
 me anything more, and would not take the ma- 
 chinery I had got for him. I found that he had 
 told the truth when he said to me previously, 
 that he supposed God never made another such 
 an ugly man as he was, and then told what he 
 had done. I didn't think much of it then ; but 
 to my sorrow, I found it to be true. I could 
 not get him to refer the difficulty to his own 
 neighbors, nor would he pay one cent. I stayed 
 over night close by, and took a man with me 
 to see if he could do anything with him in the 
 morning, for I was in trouble. All the account 
 not paid would come upon me, and I had noth- 
 ing to pay with. When we arrived next morning 
 his wife met us and said that we could do noth- 
 ing with her husband, for he had been crazy all 
 night, and had not slept any, or to that effect. 
 1 went in and got my valise : I saw him, and 
 thought of what he had told me about his being 
 ugly, for I never saw but one man that showed 
 the devil in his eyes as he did, and that one was 
 a murderer. I took my valise, and came home, 
 talked with my creditors, and was advised to sue 
 him, as it was a clear case ; but I thought of 
 trying again to settle it, and on the 4th of July, 
 I took Samuel Bradley, from Tolland, and told 
 him the story, and asked his advice. We both 
 went to see Lavee. I offered to " leave it out" 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 143 
 
 again to any three persons that he might choose. 
 He said that he would not leave it to G-od, man, 
 or the devil, and used such language as I never 
 heard before. Bradley then advised me to sue 
 for my pay, as the only possible way of getting 
 anything, especially as my creditors of whom I 
 purchased the machinery, would only wait for 
 their pay on condition of my prosecuting him. 
 I gave the matter into his hands, and he com- 
 menced a suit against him, which so enraged 
 him that he undertook to destroy my character 
 in every possible way. He spared no pains nor 
 money to accomplish his hellish purpose. He 
 ransacked both states, Mass. and Ct., and suc- 
 ceeded in getting one of my creditors to sue me 
 for the very things I had got for him, Lavee. — 
 This was a rummy, by the name of Hovey. He 
 could not get the Trasks, my other creditors, 
 to either sue me or sell the account ; they knew 
 me and were temperance men. He worked 
 among my enemies, the rappers, rummies, and 
 rowdies, to get something against my character 
 to appear against me in court. He also got one 
 of the lowest stamp of lawyers to assist him. — 
 He is considered a disgrace to the profession. 
 After a number of days hard labor, they succeed- 
 ed in drumming or buying up some half dozen 
 disaffected persons to give in their depositions 
 as to my character, and these all lived in another 
 town, they not being able after two or three days' 
 trial to get even one in the village or town where 
 
144 munger's life 
 
 I had lived for thirty years or more. The depo- 
 sitions are all in being now, and will read as fol- 
 lows. In the main, First : I know nothing 
 against Munger myself; but some people don't 
 like him. I should think by what I have heard 
 that his reputation was not good. Second — J 
 never had any difficulty with Munger, but have 
 often heard him spoken of as not minding his 
 own business ; and character bad. Third — I 
 have known Munger many years. T never had 
 any difficulty with him, but he has had difficul- 
 ty with others, On cross-examination, he said 
 that this difficulty grew from his prosecuting 
 'people. Fourth — Nearly the same. Fifth — / 
 never had any difficulty with Munger, and 
 thought he was a first rate man, only he put 
 some boys into the " town-pound" for fishing 
 Sunday. This was a foreigner, as well as two 
 of the others. 
 
 The next had known nothing against Mun- 
 ger for thirty years. All this did not touch the 
 point desired, and this 200 lb. attorney con- 
 tended that he had a right to testify, and after 
 some questioning with his eloquence, he got 
 the privilege, and swore solemnly as near to a 
 lie as he could, and keep his supposed dignity 
 up above ground. The depositions show these 
 facts. 
 
 An offset to the above : — I asked some of my 
 neighbors to go before lawyer Whittaker and 
 depose. I didn't tell them what I wanted, and 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 145 
 
 was present only at the taking of only a part of 
 the testimony. The questions were mostly put 
 by Mr. Whittaker, Lavee's first attorney or 
 counsellor in this place, Lavee being present 
 with his great intellectual 200 lb. to hear what 
 men would say where I lived. 
 
 Testimony of T. W. Carter, Esq., agent of the 
 Armes Manufacturing Company, in Chicopee 
 Falls : — I have known Munger for twenty years 
 or more. His character good as a Christian and 
 mechanic. I think him fully competent to de- 
 sign and get up the machinery for a saw or grist 
 mill. 
 
 Testimony of Otis Chapman, Esq., Paymas- 
 ter of the Chicopee Manufacturing Company, 
 alsoa Justice of the peace : — Have known Mun- 
 ger for over twenty years, and never heard his 
 character called in question. I consider him 
 an energetic and thorough business man, and 
 of good repute among us. 
 
 Rev. R. K. Bellamy, Baptist minister : — 
 Have known Munger about seven years. Con- 
 sider him a good Christian and citizen, actua- 
 ted by correct religious principles. Cross ex- 
 amined : — Do you think his doctrines correct ? 
 Ans. — Probably as correct as mine, although 
 we differ in some things. 
 
 Ezekiel Blake, agent of the Chicopee Manu- 
 facturing Company : — I have known Munger 
 seven years or more, and knowing nothing 
 against him as a Christian or mechanic, have 
 
146 MUNGER/S LIFE 
 
 employed him on our works to my satisfaction. 
 He is a good mechanic to build either saw mill 
 or grist mill. Cross examined : — How do you 
 know of his competency ? Ans. — Because he 
 has erected both, in this place,' and they show 
 for themselves. John E. Marsh, Mr, Blake's 
 foreman in mechanism, testifies to the same 
 thing in substance. 
 
 L. Dickinson, Post-master : — I have known 
 Munger eighteen years or more, and have lived 
 near him. I cannot say anything against his 
 character as a Christian, and a good citizen. — 
 Plinny Cadwell, Justice of the peace, testifies 
 to nearly the same thing. 
 
 Jeduthan Gleason testifies : — I have known 
 Munger from twelve to fifteen years, and know 
 nothing against his Christian character. I have 
 employed him to take charge of planning, build- 
 ing, and starting my grist mill, and have not 
 been dissatisfied. 
 
 Leivis Calkins testifies : — I have known Mun- 
 ger by reputation, twelve or fifteen years, and 
 been acquainted with him ten or twelve years, 
 and know that he stands as high as any man 
 among us, for truth, veracity, and a good Chris- 
 tian character. I have seen his work on mills, 
 and I would sooner hire him than any other 
 man that I know of, to erect a saw, or grist 
 mill for me. 
 
 There are a number of other testimonies of 
 similar character which I do not mention, for 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 147 
 
 here is enough to hang any man, even if he was 
 not guilty. These are witnesses who stand as 
 high in the community as any in the State, and 
 are men who are not identified with me in any 
 way, temporally or spiritually, and came at a 
 moment's notice, without knowing what ques- 
 tions were to be put to them, for I did not con- 
 sult them. It would have done no good if I 
 had, for they were independent minded men, 
 and the 200 lb. nothing found it so, in trying to 
 cross-question some of them. I did not call 
 upon one of my particular friends, nor relations, 
 which are numerous. I thought if the devil 
 wanted me to be put to the test, I would stand 
 it, and one of his friends said to me, your char- 
 acter stands 100 per cent, better than I ex- 
 pected. 
 
 I will now say that I am very much obliged 
 to the friends who so promptly came forward 
 to my help in this time of need and deep trial, 
 caused by the devil and his workmen, and as I 
 have not yet been able to pay you even your 
 traveling fees, if I am prospered, you shall have 
 your reward. Let me here say, that I had no 
 more idea of publishing this circumstance when 
 it happened, than I have now of applying for 
 the president's chair. But I felt it a privilege 
 at least, to let the Cain family know that I shall 
 not dodge into the dark yet. 
 
 With these facts, and many others, brought 
 on the stand by the personal appearance of my 
 
148 monger's life 
 
 friends at Tolland, I met the issue after two 
 clays' trial. The decision was in my favor, but 
 only a part of my bill was allowed. How far 
 politics, rum, or the devil had to do with the 
 decision, I cannot yet tell ; but it was evident 
 that some if not all of these three influences 
 had a finger in the pie. To see the class of evi- 
 dences arrayed against me, and hear them 
 swear, for some of them did swear to facts, two 
 or three times over, and had to come into court 
 the next day and retract, to save being taken 
 for perjury. There was a determination on the 
 part of the u Cain family" to destroy me, and 
 when they were likely to fail in their hellish de- 
 sign, their last resort was to get a Hide of 
 some kind and apply to me ; which was inge- 
 niously and maliciously applied in his plea. I 
 got a part of my case, but lost all that was due 
 me, which was $150. This is the justice in go- 
 ing to law with the " Cain family." This is the 
 first case that I ever had in money matters that 
 went to judge, or jury, for a settlement, and it 
 will be the last,. This will come up again I 
 hope, where justice will be done, and the Judge 
 cannot be bribed. j 
 
 Great credit is due to my attorneys, Messrs. 
 Loomis and Brockway, for the fair and manly 
 course which they took, and I dare here ap- 
 peal to them for the truth of the statements 
 which I have made. I mean to give battle to 
 these three unclean or wicked spirits to which I 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 149 
 
 have alluded, and by which I have been so un- 
 justly injured. But the wicked will not go 
 unpunished. This is a promise, and vengeance 
 belongs to God, and he says that he will repay, 
 and I leave this subject there, and proceed with 
 a more agreeable subject. With all my tem- 
 poral troubles, I have endeavored to encourage 
 others to look beyond this ungodly world for 
 enjoyment, and thousands know that I have la- 
 bored the last few years, mostly in other places, 
 as I feel the words of Christ to be true, where 
 he says, no prophet or Christian is without 
 honor save in his own country and in his own 
 house. This is the reason why I feel that my 
 weak efforts will do more good in other places, 
 especially when I have so many pressing invi- 
 tations to go out from home. 
 
 I will now give a synopsis of the lecture which 
 I delivered against the Eappers in Warwick, 
 K. I., by a special request from the citizens of 
 that place. I pen this, because it is the last 
 one that I delivered up to date, August 6th, 
 '55, and fresh in my mind. 
 
 It appeared by the letter that I received, that 
 the Rappers had nearly taken the place, for no 
 one understood their design, and religion was 
 very low at this time. This new fable was pre- 
 sented as the most holy thing ever yet out. — 
 They used prayer, and quoted scripture, sung 
 hymns, &c, all calculated to deceive if possible 
 the very elect. Many had left their several 
 
150 
 
 churches, and followed this fable. One of the she 
 clairvoyants, dared the preacher, or any one else, 
 to open their mouths against them. This, and 
 other things, scared some and provoked others. 
 The above is the state in which I found the 
 place when I arrived. There was some anxiety 
 to know whether I would come, or not. Deacon 
 Wait, the man that wrote me the letter, came 
 some eight or ten miles with a team, after me, 
 at the rail-road. Sunday arrived, and when I 
 was attending another appointment some dis- 
 tance off, I was told that the cashier of the bank 
 and another gentleman had come on purpose to 
 see if I was in town. On being told that I was, 
 they desired an interview ; it being at noon time, 
 some one pointed me out to them. The man 
 came up and introduced himself, and wanted to 
 know if I was the man that was going to lec- 
 ture down town at 6 o'clock. I told him that I 
 intended to, if the Lord was willing. He said 
 that he came on purpose to see if I had come, 
 for there was much anxiety on both sides. He 
 said that the Eappers had heard that some one 
 was coming and had been fortified. They had 
 obtained extra help, and had two meetings that 
 day in the house where I was to lecture. He 
 hoped that I should not labor so hard as to 
 make me unable to attend down town. I told 
 him that he must pray, for God could do great 
 things. This appeared to be a new idea to 
 him. I found, after they had left, that they 
 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 151 
 
 were both Universalists. Six o'clock arrived, 
 and the house was full, so that I had to take 
 some of the boys up in the desk with me to make 
 room for the ladies to sit down, so ladies were 
 accommodated and boys kept still. I saw that 
 there was much anxiety. After I got my nerves 
 still, I arose, and commenced as follows : 
 
 I suppose that this congregation have come 
 here to hear something about the spirit-rap- 
 pings, according to notice. I shall use the 
 Scriptures to establish the position that I take. 
 First, to show that Rapology is not what it 
 pretends to be. Second, to show what it is, or 
 what it will be, when the fruit appears. The 
 Eappers pretend to have communications from 
 the same source that the prophets did, for spir- 
 its of just men made perfect, are the angels, 
 and all the manifestations were had when the 
 prophets were in vision, or a clairvoyant state, 
 for they were clairvoyants or mediums, through 
 which the spirits communicated, and Job showed 
 that fact. The Witch of Endor was a good me- 
 dium, and the Revelator said that he had a spir- 
 itual communication from one of the prophets, 
 and this communication is recorded in the Bible, 
 as true, and they all pretend to believe it. Now 
 I shall try to disconnect this web of the devil, 
 and show that there is no resemblance between 
 the communication given to the prophets, and 
 that angels are not spirits of dead men — Heb. 
 ii : 2. See the account of the first angels, Gen. 
 
152 hunger's life 
 
 iii : 24. Here is a literal work done, and an 
 effectual one, which was true, and not false. — 
 There were no mediums, no tables tipped nor 
 raps heard. "Why ? because, this is the work 
 of two angels. By the way, you Eappers, look 
 at this fact, Adam's spirit had not yet departed. 
 Where do you get the proof that spirits are 
 made into angels ? Not from the Bible, for 
 this fact alone unhitches your old dirt car, and 
 it will go down grade, to hell, where it belongs. 
 But I will give you the account of the work of 
 a few more angels that God created before he 
 did man on purpose to send on errands of judg- 
 ment and mercy ; and, according to the text, 
 their words were steadfast. Gen. xviii: 23. — 
 These angels said that they were going to destroy 
 Sodom : Did they tell the truth ? See chap- 
 ter xix : 1, 28, 29, and you will see whether 
 their words were steadfast or not. Look at the 
 visit which Gideon, the son of the Abiezrite had 
 while threshing wheat, not in a clairvoyant 
 state. Here was literal conversation, a bargain 
 closed, a work done, and without any rapping 
 or table tippings. See Judges vi : 11, 20, 21, 
 22, and you will be ashamed, if you have any 
 shame, to try to blend this transaction with 
 your jugglery. But to proceed. — Look at the 
 visit of an angel to the three worthies in the 
 midst of the fire. Let us see you come up to 
 your work, and take one "sitting," in such a 
 place as that, and if you do not get scorched, 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 153 
 
 then I will believe. Now see Dan. vi : 22. and 
 viii : 16, and onward, and hear the angel Ga- 
 briel, a servant to Daniel, sent by God, on an 
 errand, and ix : 21, 22, &c. He comes again, 
 but no table tippings nor rappings. Now look 
 at the New Testament, Luke i : 18, 19 : hear 
 the same Gabriel saying that he stands in the 
 presence of God, and is one of God's cabinet, 
 giving instructions to Zacharias about John the 
 Baptist's birth, &c. Again, in six months, he 
 appears to Mary, and tells her about the birth 
 of Christ. In less than a year he appears unto 
 the shepherds, and tells them where they can 
 find the Saviour. There was great rejoicing, 
 for Gabriel had taken many other angels with 
 him on this occasion, for it was a great one. — 
 Now look at this, you green rappers. The ripe 
 rappers have said in Chicopee Falls that this 
 Christ, who caused so much rejoicing, was 
 nothing more than a bastard, and I can bring 
 those who heard them say so. This is one of 
 the ripe fruits of Eapology, and you will find it 
 so if you go on to perfection in Eapology. — 
 Look at the visit of an angel to Peter in prison. 
 See if this transaction agrees with your flat, 
 sinful, pretended communications. Eead the 
 account, you will find it in the Acts, xii; 7, 8, 
 9 ; and v: 19. Now bring on your mediums, 
 and do something worth while ; not sneak 
 around in the dark, tipping tables and rapping, 
 and then getting nothing but lies, unless you 
 
154 hunger's life 
 
 happen to guess right occasionally. Don't try 
 to make this community believe that your com- 
 munications are from the same source that the 
 Prophets, Apostles, Gideon, Lot, Mary, and the 
 shepherds were, for no one who reads their Bible 
 will believe you. See Be v. xxii: 8 ; here is your 
 favorite text, to show that the spirit of one of 
 the Prophets came to John ; but on this, you 
 are as blind as a beetle. You are willingly de- 
 ceived, and are deceiving others. Now let us 
 examine this. Look at the 6th verse, and you 
 will see that the Lord God of the holy Prophets 
 se«nt his angel. See 8th verse, and John says 
 that it was an angel, and he fell down to wor- 
 ship him, and the angel said to John, See thou 
 do it not, for I am only thy servant, and {servant) 
 of thy brethren the prophets. See him serving 
 the three worthies. He told John not to wor- 
 ship him, but God. Now read the 16th verse, 
 I, Jesus, have sent mine angel to testify unto 
 the church, or John, which is the same thing 
 here. Now where is your proof that this is not 
 an angel the same as the others. To deny this, 
 you wrest the scriptures to your own destruc- 
 tion. I have shown, that your foolish pretend- 
 ed proceedings, bear no resemblance to the posi- 
 tive, steadfast words and works of the angels. 
 
 Of course you are not of that class, and as 
 you belong somewhere, I will try to find your 
 proper place, and show you and this congrega- 
 tion where it is. I want you should understand 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 155 
 
 that I shall be pointed in attacking' this delu- 
 sion, and whatever I may say. it is not person- 
 ally applied to any individual, for I know not 
 a person in the house ; you are all strangers to 
 me, and I want you to be as quiet as possible 
 while I feel for the main pillars of Eapology, 
 and if any of you have taken shelter under this 
 old hovel, that is erected upon the sand, don t 
 find fault with me, as having any personal dif- 
 ficulty at stake ; it is your doctrine that I am 
 after/ But to proceed. — The doctrine of Bap- 
 ology is not a modern thing, it is as old as Mo- 
 ses, and commenced then. It began to be a 
 torment to the church then, and has been ever 
 since. God has, in every age. pronounced a curse 
 upon this class, and those that consulted them, 
 instead of the Lord. You are in very happy 
 circumstances, compared to your ancestors, who 
 lived under the Mosaic dispensation, for you 
 would all be killed, or have to run as your fath- 
 ers did. Now I am about to introduce a class 
 of Scriptures to show what Eapology is, and 
 track it down from the days of Moses, to the 
 present day, as clear as a fox was ever tracked 
 in a new snow ; see Ex. vii : 11, 12. This 
 kind of anti-christians was called the wise men 
 of Egypt by Fharaoh, and they withstood the 
 children of God, just as you Eappers do, now, 
 in pretending to work miracles, as the sorcerers 
 and magicians did then. But God's Moses and 
 Aaron out-did them at last, and liberated his 
 
156 monger's life 
 
 children from slavery. Moses was the first abo- 
 litionist that effected the emancipation of his 
 people ; see Ex. xxii: 18. Now see how much 
 God thought of your ancestors. He had seen 
 their works, and ordered the Israelites to kill 
 them. Now read Lev. xix : 31. God tells his 
 children not to regard what these ancient Rap- 
 pers said, and so I tell you ; see Lev. xx: 6. — ■ 
 You will now see their character as to chastity. 
 I will notice that again in its place. Next read 
 Deut. xviii: 10-15, and you will see the hatred 
 of the Almighty towards this same class, and 
 forbidding his people to follow their example 
 in any way. Now see if I have done you injus- 
 tice by classing you with the witches and wiz- 
 ards of olden times, for here is a case in point, 
 a fac-simile of the Eappers. Here I intend to 
 hitch your old dirt car to the right train. See 
 1 Sam. xxviii: 6-18. Here you will see a back- 
 slider from God, just as nearly as all the Rap- 
 pers are, after God will not communicate with 
 them, on account of their wickedness, and like 
 Saul hunting around after a witch, who pre- 
 tended to talk with the dead. See now the first 
 performance of the old rapper with Saul. After 
 an introduction, he wanted to ask questions. — 
 She knew all the while who he was, and had 
 kept watch of his movements, and his trying to 
 disguise himself only fitted him the better to be 
 deceived by her, for you recollect that those per- 
 sons possessed great wisdom, and you Rappers 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 157 
 
 brag of yours. This old hag knew Saul from 
 his height. For the Bible says that he was a 
 whole head and shoulders taller than any other 
 man in Israel, and it does not look likely that 
 she did not know him, from this fact. A^ain, 
 she left her former residence, for fear of this 
 same Saul, when he was in favor of God, and 
 obedient to Samuel. He was the very one that 
 threatened her with death. She did know him, 
 and knew that he had got away from Grod, and 
 got over there, and she had a good chance to 
 make herself popular at his expense. Now see 
 the clairvoyant or rapper operate. What do 
 you want, my friend ? I want you to raise 
 Samuel to talk with me. This gave the old 
 witch the advantage completely, and she kept 
 it. She then pretended everything done, and 
 Saul saw nothing himself ; all was done through 
 her, after this, for Saul 'asked, (when she pre- 
 tended to be so frightened,) what she saw ? — 
 He saw nothing ; and again asked, what form 
 lie was of. He saw nothing yet, nor didn't at 
 all. only believed what the witch told him ; just 
 as the Rappers do now, believe their witches. 
 They see nothing themselves, but must believe 
 what the medium says, and this is the very way 
 that Saul perceived that it was Samuel speak- 
 ing to him. See Adam Clarke's comment upon 
 this passage. These witches and wizards had, 
 among the rest of their arts, the art of ventri- 
 loquism. That was calculated to deceive. This 
 
158 munger\s life 
 
 was what Saul heard, and with her knowledge 
 of his affairs, and the backslidden state which 
 she knew that he was in, she could well guess or 
 know what would become of him, and his sons, 
 if the Philistines did conquer, which they must, 
 and this is all the knowledge that she had, and 
 she guessed partly right, that time, as the me- 
 diums do now. 
 
 I have not finished yet. Now, if the course 
 of the old witch had pleased the Lord, as she 
 pretended to do a part of his work, that is to 
 raise the dead, would not mention be made of 
 it in another place, as is the case, for God 
 always kept his books on the principle of double- 
 entry, especially such an important transaction 
 as this. He certainly would, and did ; and you 
 will find it in his ledge?* kept for that purpose, 
 1 Chron. x : 13, 14. Here you will see that 
 God has not yet chariged his course as some 
 have supposed, but dealt with Saul just as 
 he had said he would previously, if any one of 
 his professed followers consulted one of these 
 things. Saul disobeyed the Lord, and the 
 Lord killed him for going over to Enclor to con- 
 sult the old she-rapper ; for she is the first one 
 that we have any particular account of, that 
 pretended to talk with the dead. 
 
 Now I think all can see that I have done you 
 no injustice by placing you just where the Scrip- 
 tures do. This whole affair taken in its connec- 
 tion makes out this fact only — that Saul never 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 159 
 
 saw Samuel, for he never arose. It was all a 
 piece of deception played on Saul at the expense 
 of his character and even his life. And as God 
 has not changed, he will curse all of you, if you 
 continue in this ungodly course. I am now 
 talking to professors ; for there are always a 
 class, as scum floating upon the community, 
 that God never mentions, unless they come in 
 contact with his people, as the above. This 
 class may as well be Rappers, as anything else, 
 for they will only be a curse to the community 
 wherever they are ; and this rake of the devil 
 may as well gather them into one <; bundle" first 
 as last, " to be burned up/' root and branch. 
 But you, oh man of God, flee from these things 
 and turn unto Him, and he will pardon you for 
 what little you have been deceived, if you will 
 now hear the truth and obey it. But to return 
 to the subject and follow it down still further. 
 Look at the book of Job, at the place where the 
 Rappers claim that he had a spiritual commu- 
 nication ; see Job iv : from the twelfth verse to 
 the end of the chapter. If you notice it is old 
 Eliphaz, Job's enemies, or miserable comforters, 
 as he calls them. This was an old Rapper who 
 pretended that he had a vision, &c, see 18 th 
 verse. He contradicted himself twice, Just as 
 the Rappers do now. The thing that he saw 
 stood still ; but he could see nothing of a form, 
 yet it ims an image that passed before his eyes. 
 There was perfect silence, and yet he heard a 
 
160 hunger's life 
 
 voice, saying, Shall mortal man be more just 
 than God, &e. Now he goes on to tell Job a 
 number of lies. Hear him in the 18th verse 
 telling Job that God puts no trust in his ser- 
 vants, and even his angels he charged with folly. 
 Now all of this was a lie, and does not corres- 
 pond with God's word anywhere ; and I have 
 been astonished when T have heard old profes- 
 sors and some preachers take this account for 
 the words of Job, who was a perfect man of God, 
 when it came from one of his enemies. Now, 
 to show that Eliphaz was a Rapper, look at the 
 5th chap., 1st verse, and you will see that after 
 he had told all of the above story to Job, he 
 supposed that he was convinced by that time of 
 his talent, and wanted him to call the spirit or 
 saint that he would like to have answer Mm. — 
 Now, who does not see that this was the work 
 of one of the old Rappers that tormented Father 
 Job in his afflictions ? God condemned their 
 course, and they had to go to Job, and confess 
 their sins, and get Job to pray for them. Now 
 if you Rappers can make anything out of this 
 account to benefit your case, you are welcome 
 to it. The evidence is all against you, just like 
 the case of Saul and the witch. But I shall fol- 
 low you still further — Isaiah viii : 19, 20. You 
 will see that the people of God are cautioned 
 against your ancestors, and they were told then 
 when they were asked to seek after those that 
 have familiar spirits that peep and mutter, (and 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 16i 
 
 rap,) and want the living to go to the dead for 
 light, to go then to the law and testimony, try 
 them, and if they speak not according to that, 
 it is because there is no light in them. This is 
 God's advice, and I have endeavored to follow 
 it, and am after your dark lanterns of iniquity, 
 and in His name I mean to follow up this devil 
 while I remain in the vineyard. 
 
 I will now follow your ancestors down into the 
 Christian dispensation. See Paul contending 
 with a false prophet, a sorcerer, whose name was 
 Bar-jesus. He did all that he could to counter- 
 act the work of God done by the Apostles, in 
 turning the deputy from the faith of the Gospel, 
 Paul, being filled with the Holy Ghost, hated 
 them much worse than I do you, who are doing 
 the same work. He himself gave them their true 
 character, " Oh, full of all subtlety and all mis- 
 chief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of 
 all righteousness, you are perverting the right 
 ways of the Lord ;" and for this Paul pronounced 
 a curse upon him, and God smote him with 
 blindness, which caused the deputy to see the 
 difference between these two powers, and he be- 
 lieved in God, and was steadfast afterwards. — 
 For this fact see Acts xiii : 6-13. Still Paul 
 kept at his work, and more of this same class 
 came in his way, and tried to counterfeit the 
 Word of God, just as the Eappers do now. — 
 These were vagabonds : there w r ere seven of them, 
 and this number made a wod circle. But the 
 
 I 
 
162 munger's life 
 
 spirit they called up happened to be ugly, just 
 as theyare now according to your own admission. 
 This spirit was cross, and said, -Jesus 1 know, 
 and Paul I know ; but who are ye : and the spir- 
 it fell upon them, and overcame them, and pre- 
 vailed against them. Fear fell on all the clair- 
 voyants in that region, and the work of God still 
 went on. You see that I am on your track ; 
 for this class always have been opposed to the 
 work of God. It is anti-christ. For the above 
 account, look at Acts xix : 10-18. Still fur- 
 ther ; you will see in Gal. v : 19-22, the char- 
 acteristics of ripe Eappers — fornication, adult- 
 ery, murder, witchcraft, and many other things 
 classed under the head of the works of the Jlesh. 
 I can name some men who are living with other 
 men's wives at this time, claiming that it was 
 directed by the spirits, and if I should tell one 
 half of the truth about these unchaste anti- 
 christians, called Rappers, you would hide your 
 head. I am told by those that have left them, 
 that one of their great mediums (after they had 
 been led by him for months as " the great pow- 
 er of God") got drunk and swore at a great rate 
 at the spirits for not tipping the table soon 
 enough. Soon after, the spirits dictated him 
 to take a she-clairvoyant for his spiritual wife. 
 They went off together, and I suppose, by re- 
 ports, that they have got a spiritual baby. Now 
 you delicate rappers here, don't blush at this, 
 for you will soon know of worse things than this 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 163 
 
 if you keep on ; for you are coming on to the 
 ground with Shakers, Mormons and Catholic 
 Priests, in this respect, as well as your other 
 faith, i.e. holding communications with the dead. 
 These are all oMer children than you are. — 
 Look at your old mother of harlots peeping in- 
 to purgatory to see the spirits of the dead and 
 damned, and offering to get them out for so 
 much money. Again, see old Ann Lee, the 
 Shaker. She had spiritual communications. — 
 The Shakers told me that they had commu- 
 nications from her every week. Now see Joe 
 Smith and his followers in the same line, only 
 a little ahead of you, and all forbid to mar- 
 ry, but have wives enough, and you are follow- 
 ing in the same spiritual line. I think these 
 institutions are the devil's three-legged stool, 
 and I will warn you to keep clear from the whole 
 concern — in the name of God, keep clear, But 
 lastly, see 2 Tim. iii : 1-9, you will find that 
 in the last days perilous times shall come, and 
 it tells what thes<j perils ^consist of, and the 
 worst one is that the same spirit will be revived 
 to withstand the Church down here, that with- 
 stood it in the days of Moses, that is, by pre- 
 tending to work miracles. The Eappers are 
 the very people that are trying to imitate this 
 thing, as Jannes and Jambres tried to imitate 
 the works of Moses, and the sorcerers tried to 
 imitate Paul. I told you that this was as old 
 as Moses, and have proved it by tracking it 
 
164 RfUNGEPJs LIFE 
 
 hack to where I first started, showing clear- 
 ly that I have the straight track, for you can 
 see from one end to the other. I do not pre- 
 tend to be a prophet or a prophet's son, nor a 
 preacher or a preacher's son ; but I do profess a 
 little common sense, and have an interest in this 
 warfare, and mean to serve the church. If the 
 gun that I use is not so large as many that are 
 now lying still, I will load it, and fire the heavi- 
 est shot that I can throw, for small shot will not 
 answer for the devil in these days — he has got 
 quite too bold under these squibs. I will close 
 now by saying, I have come over a hundred 
 miles to attend this appointment, I have spoken 
 nearly an hour and a half ; you have paid good 
 attention, and I hope it will be a lasting bless- 
 ing to some of you at least ; and if any of this 
 class (before mentioned) call upon you to give 
 heed or hearing to this devilish seducing spirit, 
 let my last advice be to you, Give it a tremen- 
 dous letting alone. Amen/' 
 
 a o 
 
 After the exercises closed, there was an offer 
 made of the town hall for the next evening, whicli 
 I accepted. I consented to speak Monday eve- 
 ning on the subject of Practical Christianity, 
 which I hope was not lost upon the congregation. 
 It was large and attentive : -many appeared se- 
 rious, and shed tears freely. Thus ended my 
 first and last visit at that place. I did my duty 
 as well as I could, and left my skirts clear from 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 165 
 
 the blood of all in that place, knowing that I 
 should shortly meet them in the Judgment. I 
 arrived at home in season to attend to the duties 
 of the Wilbraham camp-meeting, which com- 
 menced August 20, 1855, of which I will not 
 make any record, although it was a good, profit- 
 able meeting, like many others that I have at- 
 tended which I have not named. I have now 
 nearly done with this short and imperfect nar- 
 ration, and if it is the means of any good or 
 light, I shall be glad. I hope that it will not 
 do any hurt, and all the good it does will not 
 atone for any of my sins, and if I am saved, it 
 will be a sinner saved by grace. 
 
 I will give a part of a letter received from a 
 member of the church in Warwick, two weeks 
 after the lecture. 
 
 Warwick, Aug, 24, ; 55. 
 Mr. Munger — Dear sir : I will say in regard 
 to your visit to this place, we shall always be 
 very grateful. The Eapping excitement is 
 dead. Their sandy foundation shook, and there 
 are very few now that meet at all. Our church 
 has been much blessed by your coming among us 
 only once. May Grod bless and sustain you in 
 the labor of his works, and give you a final re- 
 ward in his kingdom at last. In haste, 
 
 J. B. Wait. 
 
 I have many letters similar to the above, but 
 don't consider them worth publishing. Per- 
 
166 
 
 MONGER'S LIFE 
 
 haps one moie fact will not be amiss. While 
 I was on a journey, I stopped at a depot, 
 when a stranger came to me, and offered his 
 hand. I told him that I did not recollect him, 
 but he said that he recollected me, and never 
 should forget me, and as the cars would not go 
 under an hour, he wanted me to take dinner at 
 his expense. I refused, thinking probably, that 
 this was some one that I had made an impres- 
 sion upon, either by law or the rod, or some 
 other unwelcome instrument, as I often met 
 with such cases. He insisted, and I saw that 
 he had called for refreshments for two. When 
 we got through eating, he wished to explain 
 himself. Said he, do you remember a man that 
 got up once when you was lecturing and went 
 out, scolding ? I told him that I did not, in 
 particular, for that thing often occurred, es- 
 pecially among the Eappers, but I hoped that 
 he was not one. He said that he was, at that 
 time, and he had established a circle in that 
 place. He had two sittings that Sunday, and 
 was assembled for the third, when one of his 
 neighbors told him that there was going to be 
 a lecture against the Eappers, that evening, 
 and he (his neighbor) wanted to go, and so did 
 others. He finally suspended his operations, 
 for two hours, took his mediums and went over 
 to see if anything could be said against his po- 
 sition, for he had never heard anything then, to 
 weaken his faith in it. Accordingly they all 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 167 
 
 sat together to strengthen each other, and op- 
 pose Hie, by their concentrated wills. When I 
 got about through, he said that he saw that I 
 had got the ears of the congregation, and some 
 of his anticipated converts. He said that my 
 fifty or sixty passages of Scripture were differ- 
 ently arranged, from anything that he had ever 
 heard, or thought of, and when I called his me- 
 diums the descendants of the sorcerers of olden 
 times, and all that consulted them the descen- 
 dants of that old backslider, Saul, and proved it, 
 and many other hard things, he could not stand it. 
 He went out, and when he got to the head of the 
 stairs, he said that he called me a damned liar, 
 or rascal. When he got down, he saw a num- 
 ber at the foot of the stairs, who heard what he 
 had said, as he left the hall. They knew him, 
 and told him that he had got his match that 
 time, and other things that irritated him. He 
 stayed down stairs until I closed, and when his 
 little flock got together, he dismissed them for 
 that time, for he saw that he could do nothing 
 that night. After he got home, he took the 
 Bible and looked over the passages, and found 
 them correct. He then began to reflect, and 
 was converted to the truth of my position, and 
 if he admitted that, he must the rest. He 
 saw that he was doing the work of the devil, 
 and was in trouble. He tried to pray, and sat 
 up till three o'clock. He became convinced of 
 his wrong, and promised God, that if he would 
 
168 MUNGER/S LTFE 
 
 forgive him, he would try to undo what he had 
 done. The next day, he commenced the work, 
 by telling the circle that he was convinced that 
 he, and all the rest, were in the wrong, and God 
 had handled him hard all night. This broke 
 up that circle, and many had gone back to their 
 churches, and he among the rest. He was that 
 day on his way to meet a circle that he had 
 established, and tell them that God had showed 
 him his wicked course, and to warn them of 
 theirs. He told me that he had every passage 
 of scripture that I quoted with him, and used 
 them. He showed them to me and others, at 
 the time, for there were a number in the saloon 
 when he told this tale. It had a good effect 
 upon some who were leaning towards E-apology. 
 He bade me good bye, and I have since heard 
 that he was a good, devoted Christian. 
 
 A few Thoughts on Miscellaneous Subjects, 
 Politics. — This is a subject that I have taken 
 but little interest in for the last twelve years, 
 not enough to go to the ballot-box once in that 
 time. Such a confusion of ideas, and interest* 
 to be consulted, took more knowledge than I 
 had to know what duty was ; and it certainly 
 had ceased with me to be a privilege to follow 
 the changes caused by office-seekers, having 
 their own interests at stake rather than the 
 good of the people — and the very laws that were 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 169 
 
 made by such mighty efforts, were broken by 
 the very ones who made them. I came to the 
 conclusion to obey, rather than to make them 
 for others to break, which was so fashionable. 
 
 Fashion, — This is a very expensive luxury. 
 It costs more to support it than it does the 
 actual necessities of the poor. To keep up with 
 the fashion, it would need something swifter 
 than the express train. Those who have spent 
 all their time and money, after all have not got 
 anv thing; substantial. It is like reading novels : 
 the more you read, the less you have : or, in 
 other words, like a " cribbing horse, " fill up with 
 wind and grow poor all the time, only creating 
 an appetite for wind, which destroys the diges- 
 tive organs for solid food. 
 
 Eiches-. — They are a convenient curse gen- 
 erally. How seldom do you see the rich happy. 
 They are like a troubled sea that casts up mire 
 and dirt, always in a fret to take care of what 
 they have got, and mad because they haven't 
 got more, or show no signs of thankfulness "for 
 what they have got. They go through life on 
 a gallop, to run away from the foolish poor who 
 are chasing them up, with appearances only. — 
 This puts me in mind of two sheep that I had 
 the care of. One, in trying to get out of the 
 pasture, fell into the mud and disfigured him- 
 self. This disgusted the other that had the 
 clean coat, so he ran to keep out of the w^ay. — 
 
170 munger's life 
 
 The dirty one, not seeing his own situation, gave 
 chase to gain the company of the other, and 
 both ran themselves nearly to death. Kiches 
 generally prove a curse to those who have them, 
 and the poor who are so foolish as to covet them, 
 commonly imitate the rich in appearance. — 
 This curse follows the next generation. How 
 seldom do you see the rich man's sons make 
 good citizens. They are generally indolent, ex- 
 travagant, intemperate, and wicked, setting bad 
 examples to all around them, and often spend 
 what their parents left them, and many times 
 come to want before the eyes of their parents, 
 if they are not degraded and loaded with crime. 
 Look into the halls of legislation, and see how 
 few you find there of rich parentage. Look into 
 the former and present battle fields, and see who 
 have gained our liberties, and yet maintain them. 
 Look into the different departments of industry 
 and improvement, and see where the acknow- 
 ledged intellectual strength that this country 
 boasts of, comes from. Not from the sons of 
 rich men. Look into the ministry, and see who 
 you will find. You will not find the sons of rich 
 men there half so often as you will in the jail, 
 penitentiary, or on the gallows. These are facts, 
 that I have observed, and I envy not the rich, 
 for their troubles are double the honest poor 
 man's, who has struggled with poverty, brought 
 up a large family of children, and educated them 
 in the school of economy and good morals, and 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 171 
 
 in his old age can look back with pleasure upon 
 his children, who are winding; their way into in- 
 fluence, gained by their own hand of indus- 
 try and perseverance, becoming the bone and 
 sinew of the country, knowing quite well what 
 money and character costs. These men make 
 the good financiers, prudent in all things, while 
 obedient and trustworthy. This is generally the 
 case with the sons of poor men. They have 
 been trained up in the way that they should go, 
 while, on the other hand, the sons of the rich 
 have always been dandled upon the knee of in- 
 dulgence, and if they ever do get an office, it is 
 not because they have merited it by their in- 
 dustry and good morals ; but it is because they 
 have had friends of influence that have pushed 
 them into office. This accounts for so many 
 public spendthrifts in the land — they have never 
 learned the first great lessons of industry and 
 prudence. 
 
 Poverty. — This, I am familiar with. I be- 
 gan with nothing, and have held my own very 
 well. I have found out that the way to enjoy 
 myself in poverty, is not to let my wants run 
 ahead of my means. A man's wants need bri- 
 dling, or cultivating. The actual wants of a 
 man are very small. Let him buy nothing that 
 he can do without, and save every thing that is 
 tvorth saving, and that will be every thing that 
 is worth making, or raising, even to a pin, a 
 nail, or a kernel of corn. A penny saved is 
 
172 hunger's life 
 
 worth more than one earned by ten per cent ; 
 for if you save it, you have it, but if you earn 
 it, you must collect it, and in these days many 
 are glad to get off by discounting ten or twenty 
 per cent, to have their earnings collected. — 
 There are many unnecessarily poor, on account 
 of getting their head forward of their heels in 
 the first start. They let their wants take the 
 lead, and try their credit, and wear it out, and 
 for years go bent over, scolding and muttering 
 and annoying every body that is better off than 
 themselves, when in fact they have had the same 
 or a better chance than the ones that they are 
 muttering about, and in reality this difference 
 in their situations was caused by the following 
 v course : one let his wants run away with his 
 means to keep up appearances, and by so doing, 
 wore poor credit out in its youth : the other 
 studied economy as well as fashion, saved as well 
 as earned, and never 'promised to pay, without 
 a good probability of doing so at the time. Pov- 
 erty is a virtue connected with honesty and econ- 
 omy, while riches are a curse without them, — 
 There are said to be three kinds of poor : 1st, 
 the Lord's poor — 2nd, the devil's poor — and 3rd, 
 poor devils. The first class of poor will serve 
 God contented with their lot, and are always 
 ready to contribute something to benefit others, 
 if it is not silver or gold. It will be helping 
 such as want help in sickness and distress, or 
 trouble. This kind of help is often the best ap- 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 173 
 
 predated, and does more good than money. — 
 See the Apostle's great gift — Silver and gold 
 have I none ; but such as I have give I unto 
 thee. The second class of poor are those who 
 serve the devil in their poverty, and make every- 
 body miserable around them, (dumb beasts not 
 excepted.) Everything goes wrong : if they are 
 at a boarding house, they will find fault with 
 the board, and want a great deal of partiality 
 shown them, and they will generally run away 
 and not pay for their board. This class is get- 
 ting to be very common. The third class are 
 those who are well off as to money, but put it 
 to such uses as to spread devastation and ruin 
 in their path. If they give at all, it will be 
 where it will be a curse to the community, like 
 helping the convict that ought to be shut up for 
 his crimes, to escape justice, and continually 
 scattering firebrands in the community, like 
 burning buildings, seduction, theft, drunkenness, 
 robbery, murder, &c. Many of this class have 
 escaped justice, through the influence of money 
 paid by this class until their money is all gone, 
 and when this is the case, you will see very 
 plainly that they are left to be poor devils. For 
 when their money is gone all is gone, and they 
 lost it by serving the devil. Poor devils truly ! 
 A word ox Law. — There are more kinds of 
 law than poverty, and resorts to law to get our 
 dues generally lead to poverty or perplexity, at 
 least. I shall not undertake to justify nor con- 
 
174 munger's life 
 
 demn others for using the law. I will only 
 here introduce the opinion that I had formed a 
 few years ago. After looking the subject over, 
 I published the following article : 
 
 APPEALING TO CilSAR. 
 
 Bro. Himes : — As there is such a variety of 
 opinions concerning the law of our land and the 
 use of it, it has become difficult or impossible to 
 have all suited. Some think to use laws in any 
 case is sin ; others that it is right to make and 
 use them. Now, with my experience in camp 
 and other meetings, it's my opinion that it is not 
 sin to use the law prudently on the lawless and 
 disobedient. Paul says it was made for such. 
 He himself applied a number of times to get 
 justice ; he once obtained the assistance of a 
 large number of armed men to protect him from 
 a wicked rabble that sought to injure him ? — 
 Why not suffer them to kill him ? Because he 
 thought G-od had given him a work to do, and 
 the law would protect him in some measure to 
 do it ; and he at certain times took advantage 
 of it, for the sake of preaching the truth to oth- 
 ers, which he could not have done, if he had not 
 used his common sense to save himself. This 
 was not lifting the sword as some would argue — 
 no brother going to law with brother. Our 
 Lord instructed us to watch, and not let the 
 thief come in and steal or break up our house, 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 175 
 
 and calls him a good man who keeps him oat. 
 Some of our late reasoners would say that he is 
 wicked to resist, and should take joyfully the 
 spoiling of his goods, &c. So I say, when you 
 cannot help it. But help it when you can, and 
 not lift the sword. I should think it justifiable, 
 if he did get my goods, to complain to Ceesar, 
 and let him take care of him, and not feel guilty 
 of going to law with my brother either. I claim 
 no relation to such — he belongs to the other 
 family. Our Lord seemed to take this view of 
 it at one time. He commenced whipping the 
 other family, who were intruders, out of the 
 meeting-house, or temple. I belieye it was be- 
 fore the meeting began, and his first public 
 meeting too. Why not take joyfully the spoil- 
 ing or defiling the goods or temple ? Let our 
 remarkable docile brethren answer and love 
 them, if they can. 
 
 I will not be hypocritical : I do not love the 
 devil, neither his works, nor workmen. God 
 does not require it, and I am glad of it. We 
 are to be separate until we see signs of repent- 
 ance. I do not mean to hate them, nor try to 
 injure them by lifting up the sword ; but to 
 shun their company, and let them know why I 
 do so. I have none of this mock charity that 
 will hug the devil. The most Scriptural bene- 
 volence that can be shown to an ungodly dis- 
 turber of your peace is, to let him know how 
 you view him, in the light of God's word, I 
 
176 MUNGEil's LIFE 
 
 must do it, and if I pray for them appropriate- 
 ly, it is for God to torment them day and night 
 while they remain in their wicked, rebellious 
 course against God and his children. 
 
 In many cases, feigned love and idle praying 
 for the conversion of the ungodly, have failed for 
 years ; for God does not convert until the sin- 
 ner's way is hedged up, and he feels the sorrows 
 of a guilty conscience. The sooner, therefore, 
 this is brought about, the sooner we have the 
 first evidence of a reformation. This is what I 
 call love to the sinner, as much as it is to a child 
 to use the rod in season to save it. To let the , 
 children disturb our family peace, turn things 
 upside down, drive us out of the house that we 
 have procured for our benefit and theirs, is like 
 letting the wicked rabble come in, and disturb, 
 and insult, and undo what God has told us to 
 do, without our taking any steps to prevent it. 
 Order is heaven's first law ; and those that have 
 none and want none, let them enjoy it ; but for 
 the Lord's sake, let those that have maintain it. 
 
 I have not written these things for a standard 
 for others ; but the position I have providenti- 
 ally been called to occupy in our public meet- 
 ings, has placed me in very trying circumstan- 
 ces, some wanting order that they might be ben- 
 efitted by the meeting they had made such sac- 
 rifices to attend ; while others believed in the 
 non-resistant plan wholly, and others, in part. 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 177 
 
 Such a state of feeling among the brethren ex- 
 ists at present, and what must be clone ? I 
 ask to be excused for taking the burden of 
 camp-meetings anywhere, unless order can be 
 preserved. The non-resistant brethren, I rind, 
 are as glad to enjoy a peaceable time as any one 
 else ; but some of them will resist all lawful 
 measures to bring it about. The Wilbraham 
 meeting for two years has spoken loudly in favor 
 of camp-meetings ; even the papers of different 
 States have noticed our good order and preach- 
 ing at that meeting ; which would have been lost 
 had the non-resistant principle been acted on. 
 We only ask Caesar to take care of his own 
 while we did our work. This, I think, was using 
 the law prudently. Some are so lavish or im- 
 prudent in using the law or anything else, that 
 they ought to be non-resistant ; for God has not 
 assigned them that portion of the work — see 
 Eom. xii : 4-8. Many such passages -might be 
 found : but I leave the subject fur brethren who 
 are capable of doing it justice. No one is res- 
 ponsible for this but myself. I do not expect 
 that all will agree with me, especially those who 
 are so very non-resistant as to invite the wicked 
 to do their worst, and in effect say, " We will 
 bear it all and pray for you/' I have seen this 
 done of late, and when the disturbance got at 
 the height, these brethren were among the miss- 
 ing, leaving the rest to suffer on account of their 
 invitations to the wicked to try their courage 
 
178 hunger's life 
 
 and grace, when in fact they had not enough of 
 either to stand the trial they had provoked. 
 
 H. Hunger, 
 Chicopee Falls, Sept. 11, '50. 
 
 Perhaps some may say that I tolerated fight- 
 ing. This is a mistake. In all the difficult and 
 dangerous places that I have been in, I never 
 took anything to defend myself with, not even 
 a stick. I never have struck a man, in anger, 
 since I w r as of age, except Philips before men- 
 tioned, and that was necessary to save Hubbard's 
 life : I have always found some other way better. 
 I never believed in fighting for peace ; but to 
 hand over the lawless and disobedient for Caasar 
 to govern : I never considered it wrong, if pru- 
 dence and wisdom w T ere used. I do not claim 
 infallibility, and have probably done a great 
 many things that others have thought wrong ; 
 but few know what trials I have been through. 
 Had they been placed in my situation, perhaps 
 they would have done better ; but God is mer- 
 ciful and wise enough to make allowance for 
 weak human nature. 
 
 After Law comes Gospel, and in this subject 
 I am much more interested than in either of 
 the others to which I have alluded. I have 
 changed some of my opinions on Bible subjects 
 within the past few years ; or rather I have, 
 tried to search the scriptures for myself ; for 
 before, like many professing Christians, I be- 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 179 
 
 lioved what men said was true to some extent, 
 instead of searching the scriptures to see what 
 God had spoken. Consequently light has bro- 
 ken in upon my mind. 
 
 If any body wishes to call me a turn-coat for 
 this, all I have to say is that Paul was a turn- 
 coat when he quit persecuting the church and 
 went to preaching Christ, and if any man is 
 foolish enough to wear his coat wrong side out 
 for fear that he will be called a turn-coat, he 
 can do so, but I shan't. 
 
 I find out however, that much which I sup- 
 posed to be neio, turns out to be old truth, 
 taught in all the purest ages of Christianity, 
 believed by all the reformers and by the founders 
 of the purest churches, and it is still held by 
 many of the more intelligent in all denomina- 
 tions. So that while many professors of reli- 
 gion suppose that they have the truth and are 
 walking in the old paths, they have not only 
 departed from the faith of the Bible, and the 
 faith of primitive Christians, but also from the 
 faith of their own founders and teachers. — In 
 proof of this I shall offer some quotations, most- 
 ly from a valuable book entitled "The Voice of 
 the Church on the Coming and Kingdom of 
 the Redeemer, or a History of the Doctrine of 
 the Reign of Christ on Earth," by D. T. Taylor, 
 which is published by II . L. Hastings : and 
 those who wish to investigate the matter fully, 
 are referred to that work. I shall proceed to 
 
180 MUNG Ell's LIFE 
 
 give a synopsis of some of my views. On many 
 points, as the belief of the scriptures, the work 
 of conversion, and many others, I need not 
 speak, for I agree doubtless with nearly every 
 Christian reader in those matters, but in some 
 other respects we differ ; and in these respects 
 ] claim to be agreed, in some cases, with all an- 
 cient Christian writers of note, and in other cases 
 with many who are well known and honored in 
 the Church of Jesus Christ, I find, however, 
 that now, as in years past, it requires some cour- 
 age and determination to believe and speak the 
 truth. Many dare not investigate, and many 
 more believe, but dare not speak the everlasting 
 Gospel of God. For my part, I wish to adhere 
 to the Old Standards. I am glad that I agree 
 in my faith with so many that are called " Fath- 
 ers" in the Church, and especially with the 
 " Grandfathers" the apostles of the Lamb ! 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 As the demands call for a second edition of 
 this book, I think it in keeping with the narra- 
 tive to give a further account of some of my 
 labors down to the present time. 
 
 Before I do this, I will relate the experience 
 of some of our ministers in the opposition 
 which they met while preaching the gospel as 
 it is in Christ, related to me by one who was 
 the principal persecutor in the affair. 
 
 For obvious reasons, I withhold the name 
 and place, but will give the substance as near 
 as I can relate. 
 
 When the doctrine was being first preached 
 
 in the town of , Conn., the churches there 
 
 violently opposed it, and said many hard things, 
 and one man, more zealous than the rest, 
 suggested what ought to be done with those 
 who preached it. This man, ready to do any 
 thing to serve the church in putting the error 
 down, commenced by going to meeting to dis- 
 turb and scoff*. But the work of God went on ; 
 souls were converted in spite of his opposi- 
 
182 hunger's life 
 
 tion. He being enraged and driven on by the 
 professors of religion, determined to use vio- 
 lent means. He gathered a company of row- 
 dies, and headed them, for the purpose of 
 taking the preacher, Brother S. G. Mathewson, 
 out of the meeting. The ringleader went first 
 into the house ; but God's power was there, 
 and he was scared, and retreated precipitately. 
 Not being satisfied, others tried ; but God de- 
 fended his own truth, and no man dared to 
 lay hands upon his minister. This red-hot 
 opposer told me afterwards that he never saw 
 a man that he was afraid of before. He said, 
 when the preacher looked at him he trembled 
 and left the house, swearing and much dissatis- 
 fied. 
 
 The Methodist class-leader put them up to 
 try once more ; but they dared not go in again. 
 The meetings went on, and opposition raged. 
 This man told me that, as he got headed in tak- 
 ing Brother Mathewson, he, with others, under- 
 took to stop his going to his next appointment. 
 They took his wagon to pieces, and carried the 
 wheels in different directions, some to the 
 mountains, and others rolled theirs into a 
 pond. They got a little victory, as they sup- 
 posed; but the triumph of the wicked was 
 short, for Brother Mathewson got another 
 wagon and went to his appointment, leaving 
 his case in the hands of God, expecting his 
 wagon would be in order for him when he re- 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 183 
 
 turned. I think this man told me that Brother 
 Mathewson prayed to that effect. But he 
 thought God would not answer that time, for 
 no one knew where all the parts were. But 
 that night he said the wagon haunted him. He 
 would swear about the Millerites, but could 
 not sleep. He at length had to go to work to 
 hunt up the fragments, and got others to help ; 
 but they could not find one of the wheels ; on 
 inquiring diligently, however, they found it 
 was rolled into the pond ; and he, having the 
 honor of being captain, had the pleasure (?) 
 of wading in and getting it out. He got it 
 together, swearing and working and wishing 
 the devil had them wagon and all. Besides, 
 on looking it over, he discovered the linchpins 
 were missing ; and although tired and mad he 
 commenced hunting them up. He found some 
 of them, others he had to get made. "When 
 the job was completed he damned the wagon 
 and left it ready for use when Brother Ma- 
 thewson returned. 
 
 Still mad because he had not accomplished 
 what the church expected, he being such a 
 bravo, he tried other ways to drive the preacher 
 out of town. The battle waxed hot. Brother 
 Baker told me that he had been taken while 
 praying, and pounded and dragged round the 
 room, over benches and out of doors, and 
 kicked until others thought him dead. But 
 the work of the Lord went on. 
 
184 hunger's life 
 
 scoffers were smitten by the power of God 
 whilst out of doors, and cried for mercy ; some 
 were struck down in the field, some in the 
 road, half a mile from the meeting, and were 
 picked up and carried back by their own re- 
 quest, and converted. God heard prayer and 
 stood by his people. The devil lost ground 
 every step in this persecution, which first 
 started with professors of religion, whose names 
 might here be given. These brethren, as well 
 as those in other places, know something of 
 opposition and persecution in the nineteenth 
 century (1843-44), caused by professed fol- 
 lowers of Christ. 
 
 But to return to the subject of this man's 
 persecuting spirit. After he had got headed 
 off in mobbing preachers, and unjointing wag- 
 ons, and many other bad things, he concluded 
 not to go in company with others, but alone, 
 for he was determined to follow up the Miller- 
 ites, as he called them. He told me he wanted 
 to fight them, but dared not touch Mathewson. 
 On hearing that a man by the name of Hastings 
 was going to preach in the neighborhood, he 
 went to see him. Hastings came late, and re- 
 quested the brethren to commence ihe meet- 
 ing while he was at supper, which he took 
 in his hand and ate in the room, the service 
 going on, and he occasionally saying " amen," 
 etc. This being out of the common order of 
 things, attracted the man's attention so that 
 
AND EXPERIENCE, 185 
 
 I13 kept quiet. When the preacher had fin- 
 ished eating, he knelt down and commenced 
 
 praying in such a strange way that it stirred 
 him up. He was first astonished, next pleased, 
 then scared, for the power God was present. 
 He could not well get out, and so stayed 
 through the preaching, which was as strange 
 as the praying. All served to stir the devil 
 in him 
 
 When the meeting was out, the brethren 
 all seemed very anxious to shake hands with 
 Hastings, while he felt more like knocking 
 him down. Soon Hastings came to him and 
 passed the compliment, but he swore at him. 
 Hastings shouted ; this he took as an insult, 
 and swore again, threatening to whip him, 
 which only made Hastings shout the louder 
 and come the nearer to him. The fellow 
 backed off, threatening and swearing, Hast- 
 ings following, shouting. He backed out of 
 doors and ran, Hastings after him, crying to 
 God to take him. The fellow jumped the wall, 
 and Hastings kept up till he was so frightened 
 that he ran for home across lots, thinking Hast- 
 ings was just behind. He jumped fences, 
 brook, and ditches, while those awful words 
 rang in his ears, " God Almighty, catch him ! " 
 On arriving at home, he did not stop for cer- 
 emonies, but burst into the house, and ordered 
 his wife to fasten the door. She asked him 
 what was the matter. He said that damned 
 
186 muxgkr's life 
 
 Millerite Hastings was after him. He jumped 
 into bed just as he was, all in a tremble, expect- 
 ing to see Hastings come in after him, for he 
 supposed him close behind, which was only im- 
 agination, for Hastings did not follow him any 
 distance ; but God pursued him by his Spirit. 
 This learnt him the fact that " one could chase 
 a thousand ; " for he said afterwards that if he 
 had had a thousand men with him, he should 
 not have dared to face that preacher. This 
 ended his captainship in persecuting the peo- 
 ple of God, for, like Saul, he found more than 
 his match to contend with, when his Maker in- 
 terfered. Soon after this he was converted, 
 and, like Saul, has since shared his part with 
 this people in their rejoicing, in their hope, 
 their suffering and persecution. 
 
 The above facts are but a fair sample of 
 what some of us have passed through; they 
 have been related to me a number of times by 
 the man himself, as I generally make his house 
 my home when I am in the place. If any one 
 doubts these facts let him call on John P. 
 Baker, and Rufus Whitehead, in West Win- 
 sted, Conn., and he will find that this is only a 
 synopsis of what they will tell him they have 
 witnessed and suffered in the way of opposition 
 and persecution, caused mostly by professors 
 of religion. But God occasionally makes an 
 example, as in the above cases, to show which 
 side he is on. Do you think we have reason 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 187 
 
 to believe that professors are eating and drink- 
 ing with the drunken, and joining hands with 
 the wicked ? Much more might be said about 
 our trials as a people ; but we expect to suffer 
 with Christ if we would reign with him, and 
 from the same characters as he did ; namely, 
 a cruel, backslidden church, which incited the 
 wicked to serve their master, the devil. What 
 other conclusion can we come to ? The fancy, 
 foppish, time-serving professors will shun these 
 things and miss of the kingdom. God has 
 said, If you will live godly, you shall suffer 
 persecution. I don't expect to see even the 
 majority of professors loving the appearing of 
 Christ, or even believing in it, or seeing the 
 signs of his coming. The Scriptures cannot be 
 broken. The wicked will do wickedly, and none 
 of them shall understand. The wheat and tares 
 will grow together till the harvest or end of the 
 world. Christ has said it, and we believe it. 
 Brother King S. Hastings will be long re- 
 membered by me and thousands of others, who 
 claim him as our spiritual father ; for he was 
 noted for his zeal and untiring effort ; work- 
 ing in every possible way to save sinners, spar- 
 ing neither time, money, nor reputation, nor 
 even health and life, for he wore himself out 
 in the cause, and died at the age of forty-eight, 
 hi peace and triumph over the fear of death, 
 fully believing that the next thing he should 
 know would be to hear the voice of the arch- 
 
188 hunger's life 
 
 angel and the trump of God, calling him from 
 the grave, to shout victory over it, and to enjoy 
 that eternal life which he had so justly earned by 
 complying with the claims of the gospel, which 
 are patient continuance in well-doing. He 
 went by the name of Father Hastings. All who 
 knew him felt a great loss when he died ; I in 
 particular, as we were about the same age, be- 
 longed to the same church, labored together at 
 camp-meeting among the Methodists, embraced 
 the Advent doctrine together, and I hope shall 
 live together on the new earth. Some of his 
 posterity are left to keep him in remembrance 
 before his many friends. 
 
 HIGHWAYS AND HEDGES. 
 
 In beginning my labors for the present year, 
 I thought it best to deviate from the beaten 
 track, — this working the old, worn-out fields 
 over and over again,— -therefore, I went into 
 Maine and came to South Berwick. I was 
 convinced of the correctness of my conclusion, 
 when I arrived here, finding twenty-one young 
 men all enjoying religion, and five or six young 
 ladies, from my weak efforts here last fall, when 
 I spent only five days. I sowed the seed in 
 what was considered to be a hedge of thorns 
 even by the preacher. On coming home one 
 Friday evening I was happily disappointed to see 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 189 
 
 the seed had taken root and the work had 
 started. 
 
 Nine requested prayers the last evening, and 
 I left for Portland, and heard nothing definite 
 from here until I came back this week, when 
 I was greeted with some twenty-five warm- 
 hearted converts I never recollected seeing be- 
 fore. This took me down, as stout as I was, 
 coming so unexpectedly. They all knew me, 
 but I could only say, " What has God done to 
 this thorny hedge ? " I could hardly believe that 
 God had given such increase to so little poor 
 seed. Said one of the church members to me, 
 " We were dead enough to bury when you 
 came last fall." Another said, " I held you 
 off because you were an Adventist, till God 
 broke down my son ; and that showed me that 
 I was fighting God's work ; I broke down and 
 am there yet. Thank God ! " Another said, 
 " I did not mean to get caught as my three 
 brothers did, and so I laid on the floor under 
 one of the back seats to hide from you. But 
 oh ! God took me in hand that night after you 
 had gone, and I had my case to plead alone 
 out in the barn before God." There were 
 other similar accounts of the work of God. 
 This cheered my heart to go into the hedges 
 and work occasionally. This work has spread 
 into the next neighborhood, and many have 
 been converted there. I heard that six re- 
 quested prayers here the seventeenth. 
 
190 munger's ltfe 
 
 Sunday. — - Although stormy, a good congre- 
 gation came out through snowdrifts and storm, 
 and four different preachers, to hear the doc- 
 trine of life through Christ, and on prophecy, 
 which I had liberty in delivering with very lit- 
 tle opposition. None seemed to be bitterly 
 opposed ; the converts all drank it down, and 
 now love Christ's appearing. I found only 
 two or three that got their corns trod on hard 
 enough to growl out aloud, and they were 
 barefooted Christians. I advised such to get 
 shod with the preparation of the gospel of 
 peace, for these shoes do not pinch the feet, 
 and will cure these kind of corns. 
 
 Wednesday, 22d. — The work increases. Last 
 evening nineteen new cases were forward for 
 prayers — some heads of families ; a deep feel- 
 ing prevails in town. Three meetings to-day, 
 and but little work done on the farms ; seven 
 different preachers out yesterday. 
 
 23d. — A good number have come out clear 
 and happy, and others are coming forward. 
 The family where I board have all lately en- 
 listed in the cause of God ; four of them within 
 four days. It did look blessed to see seven of 
 them on their knees for the first time. 
 
 2ith. — The interest is increasing. Yester- 
 day, although stormy, as it has been every day 
 since I have been here, the people turned out ; 
 some came five miles on foot, and others on 
 sleds drawn by oxen, bringing their dinner 
 
AND EXPERIENCE; 101 
 
 and staying all clay and evening. A good num- 
 ber were converted, and in the evening some 
 fifteen new cases, and some hard ones. The 
 church has got to work for sinners. 
 
 Yesterday, after preaching, forty-two spoke 
 in as many minutes. Last evening the inter- 
 est was still increasing. There has not been 
 a dog to move his tongue for two days. The 
 first three days there was some grumbling be- 
 cause I broke so many rum-jugs, so one man 
 told me. I find the new wine of the kingdom 
 will burst old rum bottles and jugs, and accord- 
 ing to report, quite a number of rum-jugs are 
 in mourning for absent friends. I told the 
 people they must not soak the seed in new rum. 
 Brother Hall, the former pastor, was rejected, 
 I understand, for preaching against rum-drink- 
 ing, which vvTtS practised by many of the mem- 
 bers. The old rum-shop now stands within a 
 few feet of the meeting-house ; it was built and 
 set in operation by the first pastor, a good, old- 
 fashioned man, that did not think it sin to sell 
 spirits, until he had a dream, and then sold out 
 to the deacon. Such an operation as this would 
 lead to rum-drinking in the church, they being 
 anxious to trade with their own members, and 
 keep their money in the church. This old 
 church rum-shop does not go now, but it has 
 left its effects behind on the inhabitants. Such 
 a state of things was rather forbidding to a 
 protracted meeting, and for a stranger ; but so 
 
102 :.IUXGEB/S LIFE 
 
 it was. The preacher that invited me said it 
 was a Sodom, but he did not go into particu- 
 lars ; if he had, I should not have undertaken 
 the job. I begin to see why there were such 
 sore feet and heads about my preaching. 
 Surely, it can be called a thorny hedge ; and 
 nothing but the power of the Almighty God 
 could ever revolutionize this place. The first 
 pastor heard of the work, and came nine miles 
 to see for himself. He staid five days and 
 helped what he could ; being infirm could do 
 but little, but did not stand in the way. He 
 enjoyed to see this work go after so long a 
 drought. Brother Hall, who lives in this neigh- 
 borhood, has taken hold with me and rendered 
 much service, although some rejected him be- 
 cause he came out so strong on rum-drinking ; 
 but God stands by him. 
 
 Saturday, 25th. — Leave to-day for Ports- 
 mouth after nine days' meeting. Some fifty 
 different persons have started anew to serve 
 God. I left the meeting last evening with 
 eighteen new cases on their knees pleading for 
 mercy. The interest has not abated. One 
 brother said some of the hardest cases in town 
 w T ere among the eighteen on Friday evening ; 
 but I was sick and had to leave as soon as I 
 called them forward. I understand this morn- 
 ing that a number came out blessed. Two men 
 and their wives resolved to serve God, and 
 came to the anxious-seats together. One of the 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 193 
 
 selectmen of the town is among the best labor- 
 ers, since God's spirit has melted him. His 
 family have been blessed by it, and one man 
 said as I was coming away, " What has God 
 done for Berwick ! I cannot realize it yet." 
 And another said, " This crooked people needed 
 a crooked instrument to hit them." Consider 
 the crooked work of God. Eccl. T: 13. I 
 think Satan and his workmen will have a job 
 to straighten things aeain in Berwick. 
 
 This work started as all others do when the 
 church gets into working order, and it cannot 
 before. The preacher can only preach the 
 people up to their duty of the Cross, and then 
 it will stop until the cross is taken up by those 
 that have it. God lays the right cross on the 
 right ones, and if they refuse to do that duty 
 they will stop the work, and die themselves. Xo 
 church need to expect a preacher to drive sin- 
 ners over them ; yet many block the wheels, 
 then find fault with the preacher. 
 
 NOTES BY THE WAY. 
 
 After leaving the Boston conference, I went 
 to Portsmouth. Had a good time. The Spirit 
 of the Lord was present to help. Four young 
 men and two ladies started in good earnest to 
 serve God. From there went to Barnstead. 
 Found a little company, hated and persecuted 
 
194 monger's life 
 
 by a formal church, watching every opportunity 
 to destroy their influence and get their con- 
 verts away. This made me think of that per- 
 son v\ T ho stole a child from its mother and stood 
 a trial before King Solomon, and lost her case. 
 The time is soon coming when justice will be 
 done by our King, and the barren will be 
 robbed of her stolen children. Thanks be to 
 God. This meeting resulted in deepening the 
 work of grace in the hearts of his people. A 
 number started anew. Some came in from 
 other towns and lent a helping hand. 
 
 Two men from West Clifton, twenty-six miles, 
 and one from Ossipee Pocket, thirty-eight miles 
 in the mud, came to hear this blessed truth. 
 This shows how they love the gospel of the 
 kingdom who are deprived of hearing it at 
 home. This brother said he had his sack full, 
 and it would last him forty days. He went 
 home rejoicing in the blessed hope. 
 
 Although the circumstances were very for- 
 bidding, we gained a great victory the last 
 evening, and left for Loudon Ridge. Here 
 things looked still more forbidding ; a division 
 of feeling ; a small congregation, and bad 
 weather, and but few to take a part in meeting. 
 Was most discouraged. Sunday preached on 
 life through Christ. Some were scared, others 
 grew mad, a few took courage, and we con- 
 cluded to hold a meeting Monday evening at 
 Brother Batchelder's house. I took up the 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 195 
 
 subject of worldly wisdom in the things of God 
 as found in 1 Cor. 2d chapter. Had a good 
 time. Brethren Leavitt and Batchelder backed 
 it up. The work started a little. Appointed 
 another on Tuesday evening. Spoke on the ne- 
 cessity of confessing from the heart. God sent 
 the word home, and the confession commenced 
 at nine o'clock and lasted until nearly two the 
 next morning. It appears that three young 
 men had covenanted together to brace them- 
 selves against any thing that could be said 
 by any one to them, even had an answer pre- 
 pared for me if I ventured to speak to them on 
 the subject of religion. They had their les- 
 son learned and followed up the meetings, ap- 
 parently secure, occasionally whispering and 
 laughing. I reproved some of them publicly, 
 not knowing their design. Tuesday evening 
 they came again. — that was my last meeting, — 
 stubborn, and determined to resist every thing 
 said. At the close of preaching, the brethren 
 and sisters took hold well. God's Spirit was 
 manifest. Confession commenced with them. 
 A backslider confessed, much affected, from ten 
 to fifteen minutes, then desired prayers. This 
 rolled the burden and cry on to the church. 
 
 The battle began to wax hot, and all had a 
 spirit of prayer for these three young men, and 
 commenced praying for them, some five or 
 six at a time. God heard. They felt; one 
 ran into the parlor, but it was of no use. TThen 
 
196 hunger's life 
 
 we all got hold together, God's power came 
 clown and prostrated the whole three of them. 
 The one in the parlor cried the loudest for 
 mercy. They remained on the floor over four 
 hours, pleading for mercy and confessing their 
 sins. One, the ringleader, confessed every 
 thing. Said he, " God ! I little thought of 
 this when I came to meeting. I thought I 
 could stand any thing, but this is too much for 
 me." Then they would plead for mercy. We 
 all lost our burden when God rolled it on to 
 them. I went to bed about one o'clock, leaving 
 them on the floor unable to get up. They were 
 left alone to work out their own salvation, 
 which they did about two o'clock in the morn- 
 ing by submitting to God. As one of them 
 was Brother Batchelder's oldest son, where I 
 boarded, he took the other two prisoners of 
 hope into his bed, well satisfied that God was 
 too much for them. They were tame the next 
 morning. All attended prayers, and prayed 
 with us, showing a determination to do their 
 duty, and if they do they will live. 
 
 This is the old-fashioned work of God. The 
 world don't know any thing about it ; it is hid 
 from the vain and the proud. One old hoper 
 called it excitement ; but the more candid neigh- 
 bor said it was something more than excite- 
 ment that brought those tears and cries. To- 
 day there is a stir in the place, and I have 
 agreed to stop and hold one more meeting with 
 them. 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 197 
 
 Wednesday, 19th. — Another meeting. The 
 people came from miles around. It -went in 
 power. Those three converts took hold of the 
 cross and were blessed, warning their friends 
 with tears to come to Christ. Some were so 
 convicted they left the house ; others requested 
 * prayers. After meeting, one of these young 
 men felt it his duty to start on a mission at 
 ten at night to see the one that left the meeting. 
 He went. The man was in bed, but got up 
 and opened the door, and seeing who it was, 
 jumped into bed again. But God had called 
 for him. The young man commenced to pray 
 for him in the dark. God heard prayer, and 
 the man arose again and prayed for himself. 
 So God is doing his own work in his own way. 
 
 I left for my next appointment in Portland, 
 ninety-eight miles. There are a few tried 
 friends struggling against the popular current 
 of worldly professors, but they say nothing has 
 hurt them so much as a late thunder-clap from 
 one from whom they should have thought bet- 
 ter things. 
 
 From there went to Yarmouth, Friday, for 
 a four days' meeting. Found Brother York at 
 the depot waiting, hi good spirits. First meet- 
 ing, one requested prayers, and was blessed. 
 
 Saturday. — Two meetings, with more inter- 
 est. A teacher of the languages came in to 
 hear the preacher, and to criticise ; but it ap- 
 peared criticism gave way to a powerful convic- 
 
198 hunger's life 
 
 tion which he carried home with him. Sunday 
 he travelled the lots, mourned and sighed and 
 prayed, but got no relief. He, knowing Brother 
 York, sought an interview with him, told him 
 his feelings ; his father was a rich sea-captain and 
 a professor of religion, and he a teacher in the 
 Academy. It was a great cross to come to the 
 Advent meeting to hear my language — it was 
 not Greek. But Sunday eve he came, not to 
 criticise on the proper use of language, but to 
 ask for prayers. When I gave the invitation, he 
 was the first that arose, to the astonishment of 
 many present that knew him. Among the 
 others, a female teacher in the Academy arose 
 for prayers. After prayers, this young man 
 prayed for himself, and spoke of his determina- 
 tion to be faithful, although he was placed in 
 peculiar circumstances, and requested prayers, 
 that he might be able to go through the opposi- 
 tion that he saw ahead if he should do his duty. 
 He has just been over to see me. This is the 
 first time I have spoken to him. He has come 
 out clear in his mind. Says he took up his 
 cross this morning, and prayed with the family 
 for the first time. The family were astonished 
 to see and hear him pray, having been such a 
 hard case. He said that he had just told his 
 mother that he had been to the Advent meet- 
 ing the evening before and asked for prayers, 
 and God had heard and blessed him, and he 
 had started to serve God for life. This was a 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 109 
 
 new tiling. He was asked, M Are you going to 
 be an Adventist ? " "I am going to be a Bible 
 Christian," said he. He asked many questions 
 on experience and doctrine, which I answered. 
 He left to attend his class. 
 
 Truly this looks like God's work upon Paul. 
 Imagine my surprise when Brother York told 
 me he was a teacher of the languages in the 
 academy ; but I thought I knew the language 
 of Canaan, and was willing to instruct him what 
 I could. Afternoon meeting, ten prayers in 
 twenty minutes ; fifteen spoke in thirty minutes. 
 This man prayed and spoke, and told what a 
 change had taken place in his mind in two days. 
 One person said, her daughter came home saying 
 there was a great change in her teacher, and 
 the whole school noticed it. God is at work in 
 the academy. 
 
 5 o'clock P.M. — More good news. A teach- 
 er in the Latin" school has just been to see me, 
 and wants to know what she must do to be 
 saved. She is under the cross, deeply convictde. 
 The battle waxes hot just now ; the old church 
 fighting, sinners crying, and we are praying. 
 
 Tuesday. — Our meeting last evening result- 
 ed in a victory. The two school teachers took 
 up their cross boldly before their associates and 
 scholars, which had a good effect upon the con- 
 gregation. Some of the scholars wept, the rap- 
 pers looked serious, and one Universalist said it 
 
200 hunger's life 
 
 was an interesting meeting. God's Spirit shook 
 the hearts of all present. The threatening of 
 the Pharisees to cast out of the synagogue, did 
 not prevent their hungry sheep from leaping 
 over the bars into better feed. Some said they 
 had been feeding on husks long enough, and 
 they would go where God fed his people. After 
 the meeting was out, one sinner broke down, 
 and we tarried to pray. God answered prayer 
 and she went home happy. I had the pleasure 
 of hearing the school-teacher pray this morning. 
 She has just gone to her school. I hope and 
 expect she will live and teach her pupils more 
 than one lesson. She left saying, " Pray for 
 me, that God will direct me ; " the tears starting. 
 
 But the time of my departure is at hand. I 
 must soon take Nahum's last day chariots and 
 go to my next appointment. Oh ! I am glad 
 there is a gathering-day promised to God's 
 children. 
 
 In corroboration of the above I will here give 
 extracts from the letters of Brother R. R. York, 
 pastor of the church in Yarmouth. 
 
 Yarmouth, April 27, 1860. 
 Dear Brother Hiram, — The battle goes well, bless God. 
 Some new ones started Tuesday evening. The converts ap- 
 pear well. All sorts of lies are in circulation about us, but 
 we know it is false, and it is for Jesus' sake, so on we will go. 
 Our young " college convert " has been to sec me twice since 
 you left. He is strong for one so young in the cause. One 
 seeker after Jesus came to our house last evening, and ap- 
 peared earnest and decided to go ahead. One of those " twin 
 chickens " did a good thing Tuesday evening. After meet- 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 201 
 
 ing she went to tarry over night at the house of the man for 
 
 whom you prayed, that God would convert him or kill him 
 dead. While there he gave the meeting' a hard ran. Little 
 Sis, and others, went to singing a hymn ; this only stirred him 
 up more than ever. She then dropped on her knees and 
 went to praying earnestly, at which he was confounded and 
 said no more. I think he has got a hard row to hoe if he does 
 not submit to God. 
 
 To-night we have another meeting. Expect it will be a 
 good one. God bless you, Brother Monger. Rachel is here. 
 They are fighting her hard. Pray for us all. 
 
 Yours, in love, Keufus. 
 
 Yarmouth, Me., May 25, 1S60. 
 Dear Brother Hiram, — Perhaps you will think I have forgot- 
 ten my promise to write to you ; but no, I remember it still, 
 and now will give you a short epistle. I should have written 
 before, but our mother, at our house, has sickened and died, 
 which has taken up much of my time. We are still moving 
 on in the path of the just, I trust. Meetings good, and well 
 attended. The converts appear well, and the church generally 
 is awake. Persecution is raging strong, no mistake. The 
 case of the i( college brother" excites a great deal of atten- 
 tion. They have almost killed him, but bless God he has re- 
 vived, as Paul did, when stoned and left for dead. He is 
 strong, and is to be baptized the first Sunday in Jane. He is 
 a chosen vessel, I trust, for God to use in his vineyard. He 
 is humble and devoted, and says he only wants a chance to 
 get at the people, when he will give them a " thus saith the 
 Lord " for his course. Rachel, "the female teacher," is yet 
 in doubt, and will be till she goes forward. I think she will 
 go ahead yet. The husband of one of those Cumberland sis- 
 ters has been converted, and is good, bless God. Among the 
 many things we have to meet is the prayer you offered for the 
 husband of Sister Simons. You will remember how you 
 prayed that God would "convert or kill him." Strange to 
 say, he is in ail probability dead. He left home last Sunday 
 in a small boat, to go a few miles, and has not returned. xVll 
 think he is drowned.* This stirs up the people about that 
 
 * The wretched man was then dead, having been drowned, as 
 was supposed. " 'lis a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the 
 living God." 
 
202 munger's life 
 
 prayer, but it is all turning against them, for we tell them that 
 if the man is lost on account of your prayer, they had better 
 look out for themselves, for God hears prayer. So you see, 
 that although you have made work for me, we have a tremen- 
 dous power against them. Some say I ought to be hung, oth- 
 ers, taken care of; but I am full of courage, glory to God. I 
 go forth and hold up my head, and have no fear. I believe I 
 could walk up to the stake for Jesus' sake, if necessary. The 
 devil is stirring up his subjects, and, bless God, the saints are 
 prepared for the battle, and there is a " shout in the camp" 
 Well, I hope we shall keep humble and good, as well as valiant. 
 Brother Alfred, the college convert, bears his trials so meekly 
 that it really makes his persecutors mad, and they say lie 
 " makes it all" But he puts them to silence when he speaks 
 for God. One of those little innocent looking sisters has gone 
 to East Boston. If you go there you will of course see her 
 and cheer her up. I learn that Brother Champlin is coming 
 this way soon. If you see him, stir him up to come to Yar- 
 mouth, and come yourself when you can. 
 
 We are rather beat out with care and loss of sleep, and I 
 have a bad cold. Pray for us. 
 
 Wife joins me in love to you and yours. Write to me if 
 you can spare time enough from your " fishing voyage." 
 Yours, in love and tribulation, 
 
 R. R. York. 
 
 Meeting at Biddeford. — Found a remnant 
 left after the devastating and withering curse 
 of an influence worse than Mormonism had 
 swept over that region. A wolf with the hy- 
 drophobia among sheep is to be dreaded. 
 Brother Boutell has been trying to nurse them, 
 and has done them much good of late. Next 
 meeting at South Berwick, on the old battle- 
 field of last winter. The children generally 
 alive ; some had got wounded by the enemy, 
 but mean to fight their way through. A great 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 203 
 
 gathering in the evening. Some felt it duty 
 to be baptized. One of the selectmen led the 
 way. We had a good time at the water, also 
 in the afternoon ; over one hundred were out 
 to meeting. This shows an interest in a thinly 
 settled place. In the evening over three hun- 
 dred out ; the house full, great interest. The 
 reformation of last fall has spread in various 
 directions. I found Elder Hall, a brother still 
 ready to work with all that work for the salva- 
 tion of others. Our brethren need not fear 
 him ; he will do no harm. 
 
 I must now leave for Loudon Ridge again. 
 On coming back to this place, a variation of 
 feeling and circumstances made me think of a 
 soldier's life. After leaving the cars I took a 
 wagon ride over the mountains, passing through 
 a chilly, snowy air : for we see here a plenty of 
 snowdrifts the first of May. But after riding 
 fifteen miles, our hearts were cheered to meet 
 again with Brother Batchelder's kind family, 
 and some ten or twelve converts in the blessed 
 hope, all rejoicing. Ten of them requested 
 baptism, four young men and six young wo- 
 men. This was cheering ; but the devil had 
 suffered such a sudden loss the week before, he 
 commenced fortifying by circulating false re- 
 ports about the work of God. Some said it was 
 Spiritualism, and that I had embraced it ; and 
 every tiling possible was done to head the prog- 
 
204 hunger's life 
 
 ress of the work of God. Backsliders united 
 with Universalists and hypocrites in circulating 
 evil reports, but all this served to call the peo- 
 ple out. Carriages from all quarters were seen 
 coming. It looked like a training day. Just 
 before meeting a brother told me the cause of 
 such a turnout, which put me on my guard ; 
 but God gave me a sudden text, found in Matt. 
 11 : 7 : " What went ye out for to see ? " It 
 took half an hour to allay the idle curiosity. 
 Conviction began to settle on the congregation, 
 when the devil saw he was losing ground, 
 and after such a rally. He put up a scoffing 
 preacher to throw in an insulting joke, which 
 broke the s*olemity of the meeting and fed the 
 goats. I understand he was engaged for that 
 purpose; at any rate he acted the part of Ba- 
 laam all day. God pity him ! He failed at 
 last and left us to enjoy a blessed season in 
 communion with about forty that show signs 
 of enduring in the work of God. The season 
 at the baptism settled the question with every 
 honest Christian, that if this is a spiritual work 
 or brought about by Rapology, all other refor- 
 mations in past days were ; for the power of 
 God settled on the congregation while Eider 
 Leavitt prayed for it, and did not leave it until 
 the ordinance was over. The first candidate I 
 led into the water, went in crying, and came 
 out shouting. This was one of the young 
 men alluded to above, so suddenly taken from 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 205 
 
 the devil's ranks the week before. His com- 
 rades followed him, and every one of them 
 gave glory to God as soon as they were resur- 
 rected from their watery grave. The young la- 
 dies did the same ; every one came out shout- 
 ing. Two lost their strength in the water. 
 God gave me strength to help them out, and 
 we had a victory in spite of the devil and his 
 workmen. The children feel well. I must bid 
 them farewell for a short time to go to my next 
 appointments. 
 
 I will here give extracts from three young 
 men who were slain by the sword of t^e Spirit 
 in Loudon Ridge. The first is from the 4; ring- 
 leader." 
 
 Loudon Ridge. 
 Dear Brother Munger, — Agreeable to promise I take ray pen 
 to let you know that I mean to serve God the rest of my life. 
 I know that I have taken more comfort since I have tried to 
 serve God than when I served the devil. I am happy to-night, 
 fori have seen two sinners start for the kingdom. God is at 
 work here, and I believe that there will be more good done 
 yet. I will say as Brother Daniel says, that I hope God will 
 send the fish alono- so you can come and see us. 
 Yours, from the ringleader, 
 
 Stephen S. Kimball. 
 
 Loudon Ridge, May 12, 1S60. 
 Dear Brother Hunger, — God is good. He is a tender, mer- 
 ciful Being. I still feel to thank his holy name that he has 
 done that for me which man or holy angels could not do. He 
 has took me out of a horrible pit, and put a new song into 
 my mouth, even praise to the Lord. The Lord is with us. 
 
206 hunger's life 
 
 He is to work on the minds of the people here. I feci the 
 same determination to press my way onward to the kingdom. 
 I want you to pray for me that I may prove faithful to the 
 end. I hope the Lord will send the fish along so that you 
 will come back again to Loudon Ridge. 
 
 From your brother in the Lord, 
 
 Daniel L. Moore. 
 
 Dear Brother Hunger, — I thought I would write a few lines 
 to let you know how I was getting along in this good way. 
 God has been with us, and if we are faithful, I believe he will 
 go with us to the end. We have had many blessed meetings 
 since you left us. God has been with us by his Holy Spirit. 
 The Lord has been very good to me, and my determination is 
 to press forward to the kingdom. 
 
 Jeremiah Batcheeder. 
 
 Space will not permit an insertion of a tenth 
 of the letters from others who have felt that the 
 Lord is good. Here is one from a young lady, 
 a school teacher, who has taken up the cross. 
 
 Loudon Ridge, May 10. 
 Dear Brother, — I think I have abundant reasons for believ- 
 ing that there is a God in Israel, — a fact I have almost doubted 
 sometimes. Some Christians show forth such a faint copy of 
 Christ, one is not likely to fall very much in love with it. 
 However, I looked to religion as a last resort, when every 
 thing else failed. Well, every thing else did fail, and while it 
 left me the other alternative, it did not leave much faith to 
 begin with. I hated to step out on so desperate a chance, and 
 would not if I could have got rid of it. Notwithstanding I 
 had not a hope in the world, I really hoped your meetings 
 would not be the time after all ; so much for the natural heart. 
 I have gained a good deal of confidence in God since I started. 
 I was so completely down it will take some time to build me 
 up ; but the Lord is doing it, and in his own time will perfect 
 his work. 
 
 Helen M. Chase. 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 207 
 
 I have had other letters from Sisters Sarah 
 Leavitt, Henrietta Batchelder, Adelaide Moore, 
 and Sr. Batchelder, mother of some of the 
 young converts ; and also from Brother W. J. 
 Leavitt, all of them full of thankfulness to God 
 and resolution to press forward. God keep 
 them. 
 
 Stopped Monday at Dover. Found a few 
 poor sheep left alive after the wolf and his apos- 
 tles had devoured all they could, as they have 
 in every place where they have been. With 
 the right land of labor, there might be a refor- 
 mation in Dover. 
 
 Exeter. — Found the brethren firm, out some 
 of them in trial on account of the late destruc- 
 tive fire in that place, which took all the avail- 
 able property Brother Haley had. 
 
 Portsmouth. — Found them well engaged. 
 Four young men were rejoicing in God that 
 started three weeks before, with some others, 
 when I was there last. I was glad to hear them 
 speak of their resolutions, and hear them pray. 
 I learn that two of them agreed, over a bottle 
 of rum, to take that drink, and go into meeting 
 and ask for prayers ; and they did. But in- 
 stead of their drinking the rest of their rum 
 when they left the meeting, they agreed to seal 
 up the mouth of their bottle, with the remain- 
 der of the rum in it, as a memorial forever 
 
208 hunger's life 
 
 against drinking any more rum. This pledge 
 holds good yet, and will as long as they serve 
 God. I was glad to see them on my return, 
 but did not know them until they said they 
 started when I was there one evening, three 
 weeks previous, on my way to Maine. This 
 was good news, and proved true. " By the 
 foolishness of preaching" God saves some. 
 
 Salem. — Had a very good time with Brother 
 Berick's people. Found them very quiet. 
 Thence to East Boston among my peculiar 
 friends. It seemed like getting into port after 
 five weeks' hard storm and opposition, as you 
 see by reading this. 
 
 Truly I think Paul knew what it was to grow 
 poor while making others rich. In the first 
 three places I preached, there were no collec- 
 tions taken. My expenses had then amounted 
 to eight dollars or more ; but some places did 
 very well, so I have received in all, for five 
 weeks' labor and holding seventy-five meetings 
 over my expenses, about fourteen dollars in 
 collections. I think I have done my part at 
 present going into out places. Am now on my 
 way home to string my net to try fishing through 
 the month of May. Pray that the Lord will 
 send the fish along, so I can go out again and 
 bear my own expenses. 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 209 
 
 NOTES BY THE WAY. 
 
 After the camp-meeting at Wilbraham, I 
 thought it a privilege to attend meetings without 
 so much burden on my mind. Went to the 
 Methodist camp-meeting two days, with the in- 
 tention of selecting all that was good. The 
 two best sermons were very good, and there 
 were some good prayer-meetings. Friday I 
 went to the Westford meeting, and enjoyed the 
 two days I spent there. Sunday went to South 
 Reading. Pound the church alive. Thence 
 to South Pittsfield, to another barn meeting. 
 Found the brethren holding on well. Some 
 of the seed sown in the spring-time had taken 
 root, and being watered by Brother Emerson, 
 began to bear fruit, which roused the devil, who 
 set cold professors to reporting all kinds of 
 falsehoods. But I felt like bombarding the 
 place once more in the name of God. Here I 
 met some recruits from Portsmouth and Lou- 
 don Ridge ; and although young, they helped 
 mightily in carrying the battle forward. Some 
 came out while the enemy growled. Others 
 skulked when they saw persecution coming. 
 After about a week, I left for another old bat- 
 tle-field of last spring. Found the company 
 strong, with the whole armor on, not having 
 lost a single soldier ; no, not one severely 
 wounded in six months' battle. The selectmen 
 
210 munger's life 
 
 thought of taking care of me if I ever went 
 back ; but no officials appeared, and we had a 
 good time serving God with the young converts 
 from Portsmouth, who went out to see ttiose at 
 the Bidge. Their hearts were soon knit to- 
 gether like David's and Jonathan's. 
 
 Monday, by request, went back to South 
 Pittsfield, to stop three days more and contend 
 with Spiritualism in sheep's clothing. Then to 
 Chichester three days. Here were a few faith- 
 ful warriors who appreciated help. There 
 was a good interest. Some received the light. 
 Then went to Sandwich Centre. Here most of 
 the light had been put under the bushel ; but 
 four days brought it out in sight so others saw 
 it. God will bless them if they keep doing. 
 This is old ground forsaken by the brethren who 
 formerly used to preach in that region; but 
 sectarian darkness has not killed out all the 
 true principle. One old man said to me on my 
 
 departure, " Brother M , your visit has been 
 
 worth more to me than a thousand dollars." 
 This was the first Methodist that came into that 
 town. He embraced the whole truth, with a 
 good number of others, and confessed it pub- 
 licly. They have established an independent 
 free meeting every Friday evening. I hope the 
 preaching brethren will give them a call. 
 More good can be done in such places. There 
 ought to be two or three good evangelists to 
 visit such localities and feed the children. 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 211 
 
 I fear city salaries have called some from God's 
 work. From there I went to Machiasport, Me., 
 by especial appointment. Stopped at Portland 
 and Yarmouth. Found the churches holding 
 on. Took the steamer " Daniel Webster," 
 Friday evening for Rockland. Had a hard 
 time, sea rough. Took the boat at Rockland 
 for Machiasport. This was still worse. The 
 boat jumped about like a duck. Nearly all 
 were sick. I staggered, but was not sick, ex- 
 cept of my job. We encountered a snowstorm, 
 and things looked dark. While I was stagger- 
 ing about the deck, I said to some one, I 
 thought they had better tie the " critter "up 
 for the night. This made me a subject for 
 sport among the boat's crew. They all, sup- 
 posing me a " greenhorn " that was frightened, 
 had a good time, squinting and laughing at me. 
 I felt homesick, indignant, and hungry. I found 
 I was called the " blue surtout man." The " blue 
 surtout " was Brother Hastings' old blue over- 
 coat that he lent me at Portsmouth, he having a 
 new one. I must have suffered without it in the 
 snowstorm. Thank you, Horace, although it 
 subjected me to notice. 
 
 It was nearly time for dinner, so I started 
 for the cabin. Soon the bell rang, and a rush 
 came down-stairs. I went to the further end 
 of the table, to be as much alone as possible, 
 and sat down at the foot of the table, as I sup- 
 posed. Soon the captain and mate, and a 
 
212 munger's life 
 
 number of young sea captains, came down, and 
 seeing the old blue surtout at the head of the 
 table, commenced laughing, and proposed to 
 " tie the critter up," etc. Soon one said, " Put 
 on steam and run away from danger, for this 
 man is scared," referring to me. I stopped 
 eating and said, " Gentlemen, you had better 
 keep your gas for some one younger than I am. 
 In fifty-four years I have seen a great many peo- 
 ple and some fools." This stopped their fun. 
 I then told them that I had seen the salt water 
 before, for I had been the length of Long Island 
 Sound and back three times, and wasn't sick 
 nor scared. I then left for the deck. It ap- 
 peared that after I left, one of the oldest sea- 
 men said, " Boys, that old surtout man knows 
 more about the world than all the rest of us. 
 He has doubled the ' Horn ' three times. He 
 has come the game on us." Soon I had com- 
 pany enough inquiring about my voyages. I 
 kept in the dark about it, only saying I had been 
 the length of Long Island Sound three times. 
 This made it certain that I had doubled the 
 "Horn," and I was soon honored unexpectedly, 
 treated with respect, and got to my appoint- 
 ment Sunday morning in good time. Some of 
 the crew looked strange when they saw that 
 same old blue coat go into the desk ; but God 
 worked ; sinners were converted ; the whole place 
 stirred. The Baptists opened their doors, and 
 I preached three times. The work was started 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 213 
 
 there. Some were converted and others con- 
 victed. God moved the whole population. I 
 consented to stay the second sabbath. The 
 work increased all the week. Sunday, six re- 
 quested baptism. This was new and unex- 
 pected to the people in that backslidden place. 
 Sunday evening there was the greatest interest 
 I have seen for years. I presume there were 
 fifty under conviction the second Sunday even- 
 ing. But I had to leave it where it was ; to 
 stay another week I could not, and the boat left 
 Mondays only. 
 
 These brethren have held on without any 
 preaching but once for over two years, and then 
 Brother Lenfest called on them to see how the 
 seed looked that he sowed five years before. I 
 felt that my visit was greatly appreciated, by 
 them, and blessed to the conversion of a good 
 many sinners. It got among the seamen. One 
 mate of a vessel and his brother were among 
 the converts that were baptized. I left them, 
 probably never to meet again on earth. I hope 
 the preaching brethren will call on them. 
 
 This ended a tour of eight weeks. I had a 
 rough time coming home on the boats ; was 
 hindered two days for the storm to abate. I 
 took my line and caught fish enough for the 
 whole boat's crew one meal. So I became 
 noted again, and got two meals free. I had to 
 stay at Bockland over night. At six Wednes- 
 day morning I was awakened by the earth- 
 
214 hunger's life 
 
 quake, which said the whole earth groans for 
 deliverance, which will come soon. 
 
 I did not think of noticing this trip till some 
 suggested it after hearing some of these inci- 
 dents. There was a theft of thirty-eight dol- 
 lars on board, but the energetic efforts of the 
 officers detected the thief. Three men were on 
 board in irons, going to state prison, one for five 
 years. So we had a variety, all showing that 
 wickedness is not at an end. Let us keep do- 
 ing as long as God is willing to show mercy to 
 sinners. I think it safe to say, I have seen 
 fifty start to serve God this time out. Thank 
 the Lord, children. 
 
 The following extracts from letters from three 
 sisters and their brother in Machiasport show 
 that the Lord has been at work there also : — 
 
 Machias, Oct. 23, I860. 
 Dear Brother in Christ, — It is with pleasure that I address 
 you. I am enjoying myself quite well at the present. Oh, 
 had I known the love of Jesus I would not have lived in sin 
 and rebellion as Ions: as I have. But I ought to thank him, 
 for he has opened ray eyes, and brought me into his glorious 
 light. Pray for me that my faith fail not. 
 
 Margaret C. Wescott. 
 
 Dear Brother in Christ, — Agreeable to your request I now 
 write to you. I am still trying to serve my Lord and Saviour. 
 Oh, if I had tried to serve him before, I should have taken so 
 much pleasure ; but I ought to thank him for his goodness to 
 me, in showing me my sins. 
 
 Sarah E. Wescott. 
 
 Dear Brother Munger, — I love my Lord as well as ever, 
 
AND EXPERIENCE. 215 
 
 and I mean to praise him while I live. Pray for me that I 
 may ever be found watching. 
 
 Loweser G. Wescott. 
 
 Dear Brother, — We have many battles to fight, but our 
 enemies hang themselves as soon as they get rope enough. I 
 had a combat with one of the old Cain family. He said he 
 believed in Christ's literal coming ; but before he got through 
 he said it was to be a spiritual kingdom. We should be 
 pleased to have some one come and stop with us a while. 
 
 Stephen 0. Wescott. 
 
 From Bro. J. F. Cotton. 
 I was present when the invitation to visit Machiasport wag 
 pressingly extended to Brother Manger by Captain Abraham 
 Johnson of that place. Since Brother Hunger returned, 
 Brother Johnson, in my presence, congratulated the author 
 of this book on the success of his mission, and bore testimony 
 to the goodness of God in reviving his work in that portion 
 of his vineyard. 
 
 Jno. F. Cotton. 
 
 I have now brought the narrative of my la- 
 bors to an end for the present. I thank God 
 for his mercies to myself as well as others among 
 whom I have labored and sojourned. I would 
 admonish all who are in the good way to stand 
 fast, and those who are without Christ in their 
 hearts, the hope of glory, to lose no time in ac- 
 cepting the call of grace. Time is short, the 
 kingdom is at hand ! Let us be prepared with 
 lamps trimmed and lights burning in hopeful 
 watching for the bridegroom. 
 
USEFUL RECIPES. 
 
 The following recipes may be relied on. 
 
 EXTRACT OF LOBELIA. 
 
 Taken as an Emetic for Cramp, Fever, Fits, Asthma, or 
 as an Antidote. 
 
 The best thing, I think, that has ever been discovered for 
 an emetic, is the new way of preparing Lobelia in the form of 
 Extract. It is perfectly safe and thorough ; and the best ner- 
 vine I know of is a small dose on going to bed; also, for 
 cramp, fevers, and fits. No family would be without it if they 
 knew its value. It is the best remedy for asthma I ever saw 
 tried, and also for poison of any kind. 
 
 HOT DROPS. 
 Hot Drops are excellent to break up a cold ; also for cramp, 
 dysentery, and cholera, sores, sprains, and rheumatism. To 
 one gallon of new rum (high wines) add one-half a pound of 
 gum of myrrh (pulverized), two ounces of golden seal, two 
 ounces of barberry bark, two ounces powdered rhubarb, two 
 ounces cayenne pepper, put into a jug and set it into a kettle 
 of boiling water until the liquor boils, always leaving the cork 
 out. When it has boiled fifteen minutes, pour it out into a 
 vessel, and when cool strain it. Add half a pint of good mo- 
 lasses, and bottle it. One table-spoonful of the hot drops is 
 a dose for an adult. Those who make it should be careful 
 and not carry a light near the steam while boiling. 
 
 TREATMENT OF FELON. 
 
 There are three kinds of felon, the Whitlow, Frog, and Bone- 
 felon. 
 
 Receipt for my Mother's Poultice. — A gill of the 
 inner bark of basswood, scraped fine, half a pint of hot water, 
 steep half an hour, add the yolk of one egg, and a piece of 
 white pine pitch about the size of a walnut. Stir until well 
 mixed, then add wheat flour enough to make it of proper 
 thickness. The egg and flour must not be added till nearly 
 cold. Put it on while warm, and change as often as it be- 
 comes dry. Use while fresh. Before applying the poultice 
 soak the felon in hot soap suds. This poultice is as good for 
 any other sore as for the felon. If basswood cannot be got, 
 pulverized slippery elm will do. 
 
BOILS, CARBUNCLES, ANT-HILLS, ETC. 
 
 Whole mustard or burdock seed, taken, a teaspoonful at a 
 time, is good to purge the impurities of the blood, which is the 
 cause of those troublesome neighbors. The best external ap- 
 plication for a boil, that I ever tried, is a thin slice of salt 
 pork laid on the sore. It will ease the pain and allay the in- 
 flammation. 
 
 FOR PUTRID SORES. 
 
 Take two drachms of saltpetre, dissolve in half a pint of 
 water, and wash the sore two or three times a day, at the same 
 time using gentle purgatives. 
 
 BURNS. 
 
 Make an ointment from the green of elder. Dress the sores 
 with it, changing often. Yet I believe there is nothing as 
 good for a burn as cold water. Always keep the wound cov- 
 ered with a cloth, wet with water, until the fire is out, which 
 will take some time if the burn is bad. Water will put out 
 fire, if applied upon us, as truly as on a building. The same 
 remedy is good for frozen limbs. 
 
 FOR CRAMP FITS. 
 
 Bathe freely with warm water, at the same time giving 
 warming medicines. If people are forewarned, a dose of 
 6trong catnip tea will generally prevent fits. 
 
 FOR FEVER AND AGUE. 
 From J. F. Cotton. 
 
 Two table-spoonfuls of coffee, boiled in a pint of water, 
 down to half a pint. Into this liquor squeeze a lemon, and 
 take on the morning of the day usual for the chills to come on, 
 until vomiting ensues. 
 
 FOR GRAVEL OR DISORDERS OF THE KIDNEYS. 
 
 From J. F. Cotton. 
 
 Take equal parts of pine-pitch, saltpetre, sulphur, and char- 
 coal ; make into pills half the size of buck shot, and take two 
 before each meal. 
 
AN EXCELLENT FAMILY MEDICINE. 
 
 The Remedy for Fevers, Dyspepsia, Headache, Bowel Com- 
 plaints, Jaundice, Costiveness, Liver Complaint, and 
 all Bilious Difficulties, is 
 
 
 %m bP 
 
 DO NOT BE WITHOUT IT! 
 
DH PT"F~RP~F'S 
 INDIAN RESTORATIVE BITTERS. 
 
 Thousands of persons have been prostrated by Fevers, 
 Dysentery, Cholera Morbus, Diarrhoea, and bilious difficulties, 
 the result of which has often proved fatal for the want of some 
 seasonable, reliable, effective medicine, one which, while it 
 cleanses the stomach, bowels, and blood, removing unhealthy 
 matter, expelling the cause of disease, restores the vital ener- 
 gies, imparting health and strength to the whole system. 
 Such a medicine is Dr. Pierce's Indian Eestorative Bitters. 
 
 We have letters from a large nnmber of well-known persons who have 
 used this medicine, from which we give a few extracts : — 
 
 The best family medicine I know of is Doctor Geo. Pierce's 
 Indian Restorative Bitters. It is safe in all cases, effectual 
 and easy in its operation. I can honestly recommend it to 
 my friends to be the best and safest article to keep on hand. 
 I know it after twelve years' acquaintance. I do consider it a 
 duty and privilege to speak in its favor. It seems almost in- 
 dispensable to families that have used it. Probably more 
 recommendations could be got for the utility of this medicine 
 than any other in the world. I know what it is and what it 
 has done, and what it will do if used according to the direc- 
 tions. Hiram Hunger. 
 
 From Rev. E. T. Taylor, Pastor of Seamen's Bethel, well-known 
 as u Father Taylor." 
 
 We have used it in our family for a number of years, and 
 have always found it to answer your recommendations. We 
 should be very unwilling to be without it. It has relieved me 
 from severe attacks of Bowel Complaints, Dyspepsia, and 
 Costiveness. I would take it with me were I going to sea, 
 and also were I to travel. It might save me from detention, 
 and in my opinion it would be well for others to do the same. 
 
 Elder Daniel P. Pike, Newburyport, Mass, Oct. 31, 1856, says: — 
 "Dr. Pierce, — In my family, for the last twelve years, 
 your Indian Eestorative Bitters has taken the place of purga- 
 tive pills, and other nostrums destructive to the human system. 
 It should be in the medicine chest of every family." 
 
 I have used Dr. Pierce's Bitters, and consider it unequalled 
 as a family medicine. And also, from my knowledge of what 
 seamen require, I hold it the best remedy for those maladies 
 peculiar to the Tropics and the Southern States. 
 
 JNO. F. COTTON, Boston, Mass. 
 
Elder F. II. Eerick says : — 
 
 Dr. Pierce, — Of all the medical preparations in the shape of 
 Bitters, Pills, etc., 1 pronounce yours unqualifiedly the best of any 
 "with -which I have ever been acquainted. Having thoroughly 
 tested the medicine myself, I do the more confidently recommend 
 it to any and all who may be affected with Jaundice, Loss of 
 Appetite, Constipation, Bilious Colic, Dyspepsia, etc. In ail 
 Bilious difficulties I believe this medicine is unsurpassed. 
 
 Elder A. Hale, formerly editor of the Advent Herald, says : — 
 
 For Fever, Dysentery, Colic, Dyspepsia, or any of the numer- 
 ous intestinal derangements, I consider your Bitters so far supe- 
 rior to anything else to which I have 'any knowledge, and so 
 necessary* to the health of my family, that I should consider 
 myself inexcusable to be without it. 
 
 Elder M. Grant, editor of The World's Crisis, says: — 
 
 We do not believe much in drugs and medicines, but those 
 who have used Dr. Geo. Pierce's Indian Restorative Betters, do 
 say, that for Dyspepsia, Fevers, Dysentery, Bilious Complaints, 
 Costiveness, and the various intestinal derangements, it is the 
 best medicine that they have ever used — effecting cores when 
 various other medicines have failed. And from our knowledge 
 of the proprietors of this valuable medicine, we are sure that they 
 would not present to the public any other than an article worthy 
 of its full confidence; and that they rely upon facts only, which 
 they have in abundance, to demonstrate the truth of the superi- 
 ority of their medicine. 
 
 Dr. Geo. Pierce's Indian Restorative Bitters. 
 
 We would call particular attention to this truly most valuable 
 medicine. From our own knowledge, and from the testimony of 
 many who have experienced its beneficial effects, we most fully 
 recommend it to the community as a remedy worthy their confi- 
 dence — a most effectual one to cleanse the Stomach,' Bowels, and 
 Blood, and to breaking up fevers, thus preventing serious illness, 
 as well as curing it in more advanced stages. We regard it as a 
 medicine sure to'save much sickness and expense wherever used. 
 — Herald of Gospel Liberty. 
 
 PREPARED BY 
 
 GEO. PIERCE & CO., LOWELL, MASS. 
 
 For sale by Geo. T. Adams, at his Hat, Cap, and Clothing 
 House, 167 Hanover Street, Boston, Mass., and by leading 
 Medicine Dealers in New England. 
 
WHITTEN'S GOLDEN SALVE. 
 
 This is a very choice healing remedy, for the cure of Sores 
 and Humors of all kinds, and also for Piles, Spinal disease, 
 Rheumatism, Swellings, Boils, Chilblains, and' all grievous 
 accidents. 
 
 The Golden Salve has become a popular curative through- 
 out the country. Standing upon its own merits, and the cures 
 it has performed, it has attained a reputation as a healing 
 agent, hitherto unattained by any remedy known. 
 
 I feel great pleasure in offering my testimony to the great healing prop- 
 erties of this invaluable salve. I am prone to look with distrust upon 
 all *• puffed " medicines, and until I have tested them myself, or received 
 favorable testimony from persons of unquestionable honesty, I have little 
 confidence in them. For a considerable time before I tried it, I read in- 
 numerable paragraphs in the daily papers lauding it to the skies. But I 
 paid little attention to it till the dreadful catastrophe of the Pemberton 
 Mills brought its soothing and healing powers before the community. 
 When scores of bruised, mangled, and scorched victims were dragged out 
 of the burning ruins, Mr. Whitten came to the rescue with his money, 
 and } r et more precious ointment ; and many from that day bore testimony 
 to its qualities, who perhaps never would have known of it, save in name. 
 I was among the last named. I read a few of the many vouchers of its 
 efficacy, and resolved to try it. My wife was suffering with broken breast; 
 and the salve brought her relief. I was troubled with piles, and the 
 salve at once assuaged the irritation. I let a neighbor, whose child was 
 suffering from a bad chafe, have some, and the infant was shortly cured. 
 Space will not allow me. to say all that I might upon this subject; but I 
 would recommend it to the notice of every housekeeper in the country ; 
 and more particularly to those who, by their position, cannot at all times 
 command the services of a doctor. To sailors it would be of incalculable 
 benefit, and not one of them should go to sea without a supply in his 
 chest, if it can be found. 
 
 JNO. F. COTTON. 
 
 From Hlder Hiram Munger. 
 The Salve that is here introduced I have tried myself, and seen its ef- 
 fects on others, until I am satisfied it is the best Family Salve in use. 
 Try it and you will know what I say is true. I would not insert a thing 
 in this work, that was not thoroughly tested, for love or money. The 
 Salve is the best I ever used. I have been engaged in the healing art for 
 twenty-four years, and have found nothing so good. 
 
 H. MUNGER. 
 
 In Boston it can be found at the establishments of M. S. 
 Burr & Co., 36 Tremont St., Geo. C. Goodwin & Co., 11 
 Marshall St., Weeks & Potter, 154 Washington St., J. F. 
 Cotton, 167 Hanover St., and at nearly all Druggists and 
 Stores in the city or country. Made only by 
 
 C. P. WHITTEN, Lowell, Mass. 
 
"WHITE'S 
 
 SPECIFIC REMEDY FOR DYSPEPSIA. 
 
 Dyspepsia shows itself not only in a painful pressure 
 in the pit of the stomach, where the seat of disease is, 
 but in all the varied forms of bodily derangement, such 
 as headache, in its different forms, neuralgia, loss of ap- 
 petite, sometimes too great an appetite, wanting to eat 
 often, or all the time, vomiting the food, sour stomach, 
 flatulence, constipation of the bowels, diarrhoea, piles, 
 weakness of the limbs, rheumatism, general debility, 
 kidney complaints, unpleasant feeling about the region 
 of the heart, palpitation of the heart (often mistaken for 
 disease of the heart), cold feet, restless sleep, nightmare, 
 more tired in the morning on rising than on going to 
 bed, sometimes unable to sleep at all, and at other times 
 wanting to sleep too much, frightful dreams, faintness, 
 wanting to be eating something, though the stomach be 
 full, nervous diseases (in all their distressing features) 
 of body and mind. 
 
 This remedy for dyspepsia is composed of articles 
 known to be directly adapted to meet the case of every 
 one who may be afflicted by this malady. It is perfectly 
 safe in all cases. Knowing the nature of the composi- 
 tion, and preparing the remedy ourselves, we are confi- 
 dent that, with proper regard for the directions, it will 
 effect a cure of this dreadful disease. It will remove all 
 Humors from the system, and so assist nature to throw 
 off the morbid secretions, as that health shall be the 
 result. 
 
 ^p Put up in 25 cents to $1.00 packages, and sent 
 by mail to any part of the United States free of extra 
 expense. 
 
 To be had by addressing J. F. Cotton, Crisis Office, 
 167 Hanover Street, Boston, Mass., or the manufacturer 
 and proprietor, 
 
 J. S. WHITE, East Boston, Mass. 
 
f