I was afraid to go, but could not stay away satisfied so I went to the church at Harmony, Putnam county, Ga. and told them what I hoped the Lord had done for me and was received Into the fellowship of the church August, 1834, and baptised by Richard Pace. This was another pleasant, joyful day: all is right all is well! But it was not my privilege to live in this happy frame of mind long at a time. I Soon found that there was a new and dangerous element, making Its way into the church; Fuller's followers began to come In With their new inventions, preaching free will, and a general atonement, etc. Some of the members were already soft enough to receive them and their new doctrine. Those who could not endorse their doctrine, but contended against it, notwithstanding they were often admonished not to oppose it, lest they be found fighting against God, no doubt caused some to stand still, for fear. Brotherly love and fellowship ceased to abound. Oh, how my poor soul was tried! Though I was young and ignorant, having never, up to this time, read a chapter in the bible, nor heard much preaching. But my own experience taught me that salvation was of the Lord and by grace alone. I could not endorse those new Ideas. And when we could no longer remain with them, in 1837 we withdrew from them, and built us a house and was constituted into a church called Mt. Zion.

The first impressions that were made on my mind in reference to the gospel ministry, or that it was my duty to preach or do something for the comfort and edification of God's people, was made the same morning that I obtained a hope in Christ. It seemed to grow stronger and stronger until it became a constant burden to my mind, I could not consent that it was my duty. I was young and ignorant, could not read the Bible, and I thought God was too wise to select such a poor creature as I was to preach the great and glorious gospel of the Son of God. I thought perhaps it might be something else that God designed me to do. I thought perhaps it might he public prayer. But I could not undertake that, because I was unmarried, as well as young. I could not volunteer my services to try to pray in any family, or church, though it was a continual weight on my mind. So I concluded I would marry, so that I could have a family of my own, where I would have the liberty of speaking in prayer. I soon made the arrangement and was married December 15, 1834, to Miss Sarah Moore. We soon moved to ourselves, pretty soon after we had settled in our new home. These thoughts and promises came with force into my mind, and seemed to say, "you wanted a family so that 'you could have the liberty of praying in it." But I found instead of going forward in prayer. I began to make excuses. But this did not relieve my mind, but after a few months I was forced by feelings to undertake it. I continued for some time through fear and trembling; though I felt some relief and ease of mind, it did not remove the burden from my mind. Passages of Scripture would often occur to my mind with such force that I felt as though some one had spoken the words directly to me, such as, "feed the flock of God," or "feed my sheep," but I would as often say, "Lord I cannot, I am too ignorant and too unworthy to speak to thy children in thy great and holy name; there are many others that can do it, send them: But my constant prayer was, "Lord what wilt thou have me to do'?" On one occasion the burden was so heavy, and my distress so great, that I stopped my horse, loosed him from the plow, and climbed the fence and went over into a patch of woods, and poured out my soul in prayer to God, asking him to remove this burden from me; and if it was His will that I should preach, to enable me to do so with as much ability as others; or if I had to try with the ability I then had, to let me die. Soon after this my wife was taken with a severe spell of fever.