to call upon God to deliver me out
of the power of this enemy which had seized upon me, and at the
very moment when I was ready to sink into despair and abandon
myself to destruction--not to an imaginary ruin, but to the
power of some actual being from the unseen world, who had such
marvelous power as I had never before felt in any being--just at
this moment of great alarm, I saw a pillar of light exactly over
my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended
gradually until it fell upon me.

"It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the
enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw
two personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description,
standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling
me by name, and said, pointing to the other--_This is my beloved
Son, hear him!_

"My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of
all the sects was right, that I might know which to join. No
sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be
able to speak, than I asked the personages who stood above me in
the light, which of all the sects was right--and which I should
join.

"I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all
wrong; and the personage who addressed me said that all their
creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors
were all corrupt; that 'they draw near to me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me; they teach for doctrines the
commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny
the power thereof.'

"He again forbade me to join with any of them; and many other
things did he say unto me, which I cannot write at this time.
When I came to myself again, I found myself lying on my back,
looking up into heaven.

"Some few days after I had this vision, I happened to be in
company with one of the Methodist preachers, who was very active
in the before mentioned religious excitement; and, conversing
with him on the subject of religion, I took occasion to give him
an account of the vision which I had had. I was greatly
surprised at his behavior; he treated my communication not only
lightly, but with great contempt, saying, it was all of the
devil, that there were no such things as visions or revelations
in these days; that a