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There were no other colored churches of other denominations. It can be seen at a glance that to raise up and establish a Presbyterian Church in the city was a movement as judicious as necessary, and wise as desirable; thus we may conceive them laboring to this end. In the brief notice I have taken of Mr. Gloucester and of his labors I called attention to the method at first adopted of gathering up the people, by preaching and holding prayer meetings in private houses, and often in the street. These meetings, or, as they were more properly regarded, religious gatherings, were not without interest, and to a considerable extent successful. Many who were heretofore careless of their souls' spiritual well-being were alarmed, and convicted under Mr. Gloucester's preaching; others were converted unto God under the hammer of the Word as it fell from his lips. Not a few connected with other churches were struck with the intelligence of the man, and the power of his preaching, the unction that attended his appeals, and the ability with which he handled his subject, so that in a comparatively short time, taking everything into consideration, it became very evident that a favorable impression upon the minds of the people was being made. The large number of persons that attended upon his stated ministry, whether in the house, or in his open-air meetings—the deep attention paid to his discourse as being delivered, together with the healthy influence he was creating all around him—are so many points in proof that he was gaining rapidly, into the good graces of the community, and working himself into the affections of not a few. An offer was made, and a very strong inducement held out to Mr. Gloucester to relinquish his efforts of raising a
