We read that the woman with her lighted candle discovered her treasure; so the Divine Spirit, by awakening and searching hearts, found souls, though they had been buried under sins, worldliness, and neglect, and that for many years.  It was astonishing to hear persons who had been dull and silent before, break out into full and free expression of spiritual truth; and their liberty and power in prayer were not less remarkable.  It was truly an opening of eyes to see, and ears to hear, and hearts to understand—­a raising of the dead to spiritual life and animation.  It was as wonderful as the speaking of tongues on the day of Pentecost, with this difference—­that those people spoke what they knew, in tongues they had not known; and these, in their own speech, declared things which they had never seen or known before.

We had another distinctive sign of Pentecost, which was, that while believers rejoiced with overflowing joy, and sinners were pricked to the heart, and cried out, “What must I do to be saved?” there were those who mocked, saying, “These men are mad, or drunk.”  But, as St. Peter testified long ago, these men, women, and children were not drunk, but under the influence and power of the Holy Ghost.

We had yet another sign.  The prophet Joel predicted, “It shall come to pass that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions; and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my Spirit” (Joel 2:28, 29).  And I think my narrative would be very incomplete, and I should be holding back the truth, if I did not tell of some of the dreams and visions which continually happened at this time amongst us.

Every week, almost every day, we heard of some remarkable dream or striking vision.  Such things may be called “superstitious” by incredulous people, but I merely state what actually took place without attempting to explain or account for it.  My own feeling is that I would rather be among the superstitious than the incredulous; for I think that the former lose nothing by believing, and the latter gain nothing by their unbelief.

Among the people who are alive to spiritual realities these remarkable tokens are not suspected or doubted.  To believe nothing but what you can understand or account for, is to believe nothing at all.  Cornish people at that time—­and they may still be the same—­lived in a spiritual atmosphere, at least in their own county; so much so, that I have often heard them complain, when they returned from the “shires,” of the dryness and deadness they felt there.  I can certainly set my seal to this testimony, and declare that those of us who had visions in Cornwall have not had them in the same way out of that district.

I will give a few specimens, but only one of a kind, for it would fill the volume if I told all; the reader can judge if there was meaning or import in some of them or not.