Baptist History, Heritage and Distinctives Spencer Houghton Cone – Under Conviction & Searching for Answers PART FIVE –

Thomas E Kresal November 27, 2019

Baptist History, Heritage and Distinctives
Spencer Houghton Cone – Under Conviction & Searching for Answers
PART FIVE –

I went home to dinner, endeavoring to conceal my feelings as much as possible from my wife. The day wore heavily away; I was at the auction room at the hour; purchased the book that seemed to be strangely connected with my weal and woe; returned to my house immediately, and read Newton’s eventful life entirely through before retiring to rest. There seemed to be some strange points of resemblance between us; he had been rescued from the wrath to come! What would become of me? I found that he read the Bible, and obtained light. I went to bed with determination of rising early to imitate his example, and search the Scriptures. My dear young wife thought I was going mad. Oh no! no! I was not mad! He who had compassion on the poor Gadarene, was now bringing me to my right mind in a way that I knew not.

“I commenced reading the Scriptures with deep interest, to find out how a sinner could be saved; and in two months read the Psalms and different portions of the Old Testament, and the New Testament, I think more than twenty times through. The Psalms, John’s Gospel, and the Epistle to the Romans, were particularly precious. It required great efforts to attend to domestic duties, and my business in the office; for I felt continually that it would profit me nothing ‘to gain the whole world, and at last lose my own soul.’ I sought out preachers, and heard Dr. Duncan frequently, but could not learn from any of them the way of salvation.

One evening, after the family had all retired, I went up into a vacant garret, and walked backwards and forwards, in great agony of mind; I kneeled down; the instance of Hezekiah occurred to me; like him I turned my face to the wall and cried for mercy. An answer seemed to be vouchsafed in an impression, that just as many years as I had passed in rebellion against God, so many years I must endure before deliverance could be granted. I clasped my hands and cried out, ‘Yes, dear Lord, a thousand years of such anguish as I now feel, if I may only be saved at last.’ I continued to read, and whenever I could steal away unobserved into the garret, there I walked the floor, when all around was hushed in sleep; there I prayed and poured out tears of bitter sorrow.

Thomas E. Kresal from – S. H. Ford, editor, Repository and Review, 1855, pp. 546-558.