Life and Labors of Elder John Kline, the Martyr Missionary Part 46

Brother John Kline's main point in reply to this was, that bathing or was.h.i.+ng of the whole body in water, as also the setting out of bread and wine before guests, was likewise included among the rites of hospitality in the East and also in southern Europe. If feet-was.h.i.+ng is to be discarded from the list of church ordinances on this ground, what becomes of baptism and the Communion? Can they, logically, fare better?

Friend Cline's next point was, "that feet-was.h.i.+ng has a spiritual significance, that the example given by the Lord is complied with and obeyed when we, in humility and love, do works of charity." In reply to this, Brother John Kline merely asked the question: "What denominations of professing Christians exhibit the deepest sense of humility, and show the warmest affections of charity, those that observe feet-was.h.i.+ng as an ordinance of the church, or those that reject it as such?" "It is not for me," said he, "to answer this question. I leave it to the consideration of all."

"What I do, thou knowest not now." "This declaration of our Lord,"

said friend Cline, "clearly discards feet-was.h.i.+ng from being a church ordinance." In reply to this Brother Kline said: "I would like to ask friend Cline if he claims to understand all the meaning and significance of water baptism and the Communion. If he does lay claim to such attainments in the knowledge of what G.o.d has not clearly revealed in his Word, he must have had access to information from which all other honest men have been debarred. Before friend Cline's argument against feet-was.h.i.+ng as a church ordinance can have any weight, on the score that we do not clearly see all that is intended to be signified by it, consistency does require him to show the full meaning and significance of baptism and the Communion of the bread and wine. It is self-evident that the argument which rejects feet-was.h.i.+ng from the list of church ordinances, on the ground of its not being fully understood as to its entire significance, with equal power rejects and discards baptism and the Communion from being ordinances of the house of G.o.d."

In this brief report of Brother John Kline's sermon on this occasion I have but touched some of the points in his argument, gathered from the Diary, and from a personal conversation with him afterwards. He wound up with the Fable of the Clock and the Sundial, as follows:

"The Town Clock claimed that it ought to be highly respected. 'Look,'

said the Clock, 'at my beautiful face, and the exquisite delicacy of my hands. My head, too, internally and externally, is a perfect model of scientific exactness and mechanical skill. You should depend upon what I say. I run with regular steps, and strike the hours of the day as I run. You should hear ME. Look at that broad-faced, flat-headed sundial away down there. It has not a word to say.

_I_ am going to strike now. One--two--three! There--how musical!'

But when this bombastic speech was ended, the sun broke forth, and the Dial only smiled to show that the boasting clock had not told the _truth_ by some hours. The thirteenth chapter of John is the Lord's sundial on feet-was.h.i.+ng. Probably, after all, the best way to discuss this question with any one would be just to read in his hearing the thirteenth chapter of John."

SUNDAY, November 21. To-day we have our first meeting in the new meetinghouse at the Plains. Hebrews twelfth chapter is read.

FRIDAY, November 26. Start for Pendleton and Hardy Counties.

Stay all night with Brother Jack Ratchford and his son Hugh Ratchford, on top of the Shenandoah mountain, where we have an evening meeting for prayer and exhortation. Cloudy and cold.

SAt.u.r.dAY, November 27. Come to Peter Warnstaff's. No meeting appointed. Clean John Pope's clock. Fix Mrs. Warnstaff's clocks, and stay there all night. Snows to-night.

SUNDAY, November 28. Meeting at Warnstaff's tanyard. Speak on 1 Cor. 1:30. Dine at Peter Warnstaff's. I am always refreshed by visiting this worthy and intelligent family, composed of Peter Warnstaff, his sister Susanna, and their widowed mother. I can never depart from their house without breathing a prayer for blessings upon them. Night meeting at Lough's church. Speak on John 14:6. Stay all night at Joel Siple's near the top of the South Fork mountain. Joel Siple is raising an intelligent and industrious family.

MONDAY, November 29. Come to John Borer's on the South Mill Creek. Preach his wife's funeral. Meet Brother Michael Lion and Brother Martain Cosner there. We all stay over night at Brother John Judy's.

TUESDAY, November 30. Meeting at John Judy's. The two brethren Cosner and Lion speak to good acceptance, on John 3:14. Come to Isaac Judy's, and stay all night.

WEDNESDAY, December 1. Dine at Mana.s.seh Judy's. Mana.s.seh Judy always meets me with a pleasant face, such as makes me feel at home in his house. After dinner, fix his clock, and cross the mountain to John Davis's, in Hardy County. Night meeting at Zion church. Stay at Davis's all night.

THURSDAY, December 2. Spend most of the day at the widow Peggy Dasher's. In evening go to Nimrod Judy's, where we have night meeting, and spend the night.

FRIDAY, December 3. Get home.

THURSDAY, December 23. Perform the marriage ceremony of John Driver and Rebecca Kline, at the house of her father, David Kline, at half past three P.M.

FRIDAY, December 31. I have traveled this year 5,674 miles. I am at home, at the home of my life in the body; but I am not at home as to the life of my spirit.

As on the verge of life I stand, And view the scene on either hand, My soul would here no longer stay.

I long to wing my flight away.

Where Jesus dwells I long to be: I long my much loved Lord to see: Earth, twine no more about my heart: It is far better to depart.

SAt.u.r.dAY, January 15, 1859. Get Howell's "Evils of Infant Baptism." I regard this as a very instructive work on the subject indicated by the t.i.tle.

SUNDAY, February 13. Attend the burial of Christian Kratzer. Age, eighty-six years, three months and twelve days.

SAt.u.r.dAY, February 26. Attend a meeting which was held to-day, to elect directors for the establishment of an academy, to be known by the name of "Cedar Grove Academy," near my place. John J. Bowman, John Zigler and Daniel Miller are elected.

SUNDAY, March 6. Attend meeting in Sangersville, Augusta County, Virginia. Brother Daniel Thomas replies to Soule's sermon on "the modes and subjects of baptism." Friend Soule is a Methodist preacher in high standing with his denomination. He argued on the ground that "whilst the New Testament does allow immersion in water, and favor the baptism of adults, it does not cancel the validity of the rite when properly performed by pouring or sprinkling, either in the case of adults or infants."

Brother Daniel Thomas, on this occasion, exalted the truth by appealing "_to the law and the testimony_." He proved _baptism_ to be a positive term as to its signification; that the word BAPTISM, with its derivatives, has a specific and not a variable sense. He likewise established the great truth that all the good of obedience consists in doing what one is commanded to do. He showed that "to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken is better than the fat of rams." Any departure from the command vitiates the obedience, no matter how professedly honest the steps of that departure may be. He here quoted Peter's words: "Baptism is not the putting away of the filth of the flesh." It does us no more good physically, said he, than would be derived from bathing or immersing the body in water without any religious motive connected with it. It is one's conscious obedience in submitting to the rite, that gives "the answer of a good conscience toward G.o.d." Can little infants realize this? These premises being established, and after clearly stating the duty of all who desire to obey to find out what they are required by the Lord to do, he brushed away the ma.s.s of "wood, hay and stubble" which his antagonist had piled together, and erected an impregnable turret of "gold, silver and precious stones" on the solid rampart of Divine Truth. Brother Daniel Thomas carries a heart as pure and kind as I have ever found within the breast of any man, and a head as clear as I have ever seen upon the shoulders of any man.

After meeting Brother Daniel Thomas and I dine at Brother John Sanger's, and have evening meeting at Pudding Springs meetinghouse. I speak from Heb. 12:25. Stay all night at Brother John Driver's. Fine day.

MONDAY, March 7. Dine at Jacob Zigler's, and have night meeting in Jennings's Gap. Stay all night at David Adams's.

TUESDAY, March 8. Morning meeting at same place. Speak on Jude third verse, "the faith that was once delivered to the saints." I have somewhere read that the faith, or rather the doctrines, upon which the faith of the saints reposes, has never _but once_ been delivered to the saints, that since Jude's day it has been so much perverted, and so much mixed up with the opinions and doctrines of men that the saints never more have it declared unto them exactly as Jude understood and believed it. But I do not think exactly with that man.

Church history does disclose lamentable departures from the true faith; and we witness the same, with their evil results, in our own times; still G.o.d has had, even in the darkest hours of the Christian era, "a people prepared for the Lord." I believe that what he said to Elijah he might have said at any time since: "I have yet left unto me seven thousand in Israel; all the knees that have not bowed unto Baal, nor wors.h.i.+ped his image." We still have "the sure word of prophecy unto which we do well to take heed, as unto a light that s.h.i.+neth in a dark place;" and that word of prophecy is the Bible.

Something like this was the introduction to my discourse this morning.

Night meeting in Churchville. Speak on John 1:11, "He came unto his own, and his own received him not." His coming was not to their minds, nor according to their expectation. If earthly glory had been the goal of Christ's ambition, and he had promised them a large amount of stock in it, his welcome, on the part of the Jews, would have been sounded and sung from Dan to Beer-sheba. Jerusalem would have been illuminated in honor of him, and banners would have waved in praise of him. But how different from all this were the surroundings of his coming! Born in a stable--and if a certain poet _has_ beautifully and truthfully sung,

"The manger of Bethlehem cradled a King:"

still is his "kingdom not of this world;" and the King, instead of having the "right royal part," is "meek and lowly in heart; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief." And no wonder. The cross stands between him and the crown. "His own" could not understand this; and once he was rebuked by one of his disciples for making mention of the fact. They could not comprehend the spiritual character of his kingdom--that love was the throne and righteousness the scepter. The Jewish race, which are meant in the text by "his own," were not prepared for the kingdom of heaven, and on that account they "received him not." May there not be some in this house to-night who feel toward Jesus as these Jews felt? If he would confer upon them a large share of wealth, honor and power, would they not willingly accept him? I imagine he would be the very sort of King they would like to govern them. He would be the man for them. When such are told that worldly wealth, honor and power are not the foundation of the Lord's reign on earth and the glory of the heavens, and that these must be forsaken in heart as the chief good by all who would follow him, they shrug their shoulders, shake their heads with a down look and a half-suppressed smile of unbelief, and say: "Not yet awhile." Self-denial is the exact opposite of self-gratification. But our Lord declares that "except a man deny himself, he cannot be my disciple."

But you want to know something further about _self-denial_. First, I will say that it does not require any one to give up anything that is for his present or future good. Love is at the bottom of all the Lord says respecting it. He requires man to give up nothing but what is opposed to man's present and eternal good. But I find it very difficult to get people to realize that the only way to be happy is to be good. And the only way to be good is to love the Lord our G.o.d with all the heart, and our neighbor as ourself.

In the second place, self-denial is the giving up of all bad habits and the suppression and removal of those evil states of mind and heart out of which bad habits grow. When one is tempted to do evil, that means to take strong drink that causes drunkenness, or to take G.o.d's name in vain, or to steal something, or defraud someone, or to kill, or to commit adultery, or to wish evil to some one, or to tell for the truth what one knows is not true, self-denial for Christ's sake, stays the hand from doing the evil and restrains the heart from desiring to do the evil. This is the self-denial taught by our Lord, and this is the cause of the Jews not receiving him.

But self-denial with the enlightened Christian goes still further and suppresses all sense of pride or desire to appear above others. This feeling was often checked by our Lord. He told his disciples always to take the lowest seat when invited to a feast; that to be his disciples in the true sense and become prepared for the kingdom of heaven, they must have the meek and teachable spirit of a little child. With all this and more, the enlightened Christian is not desirous of being conformed to the world. True self-denial forbids all conformity to the vain and useless styles in dress which are ever changing in the circles of fas.h.i.+onable society. I will here relate what I once heard a preacher tell from the stand. He gave it as a fact that really occurred; but it appears plain to my mind that the incident proceeded more from a desire to amuse than to reform; nevertheless it does show that fas.h.i.+ons, long ago, were probably subject to as frequent changes as at the present time. This is it: A man who had several grown-up daughters in his family was going home, apparently in a great hurry, with a fas.h.i.+onable headdress or hat for each one, which he had just purchased at a shop in the city. On his way he met a friend who seemed inclined to exchange courtesies and a few words with him. But he apologized for being in a hurry by holding up the hats he had bought for his girls, saying as he went: "I must hurry home, or they will go out of style before my daughters get to try them on."

Friends, the Lord claims you for his own--all of you. "Ye are his people, ye his care; your souls and all your mortal frame." Ye are his by creation and providence. Say, will ye be his by salvation and redemption? He comes to you. Will the next century write the same sad history of your case that stands recorded of the Jews: "He came unto his own, and his own received him not"? Will this be the story? I hope and pray that it may not be. But it remains for you to decide this question. It remains for you to reject or to accept. If you receive him not, what then will your portion be! Think of it. But if you receive him, he will put you on the side of eternal salvation and give you power to become the sons of G.o.d, being born of G.o.d. G.o.d himself can do no greater thing for any one than to make him his son. What he offers you here this night exceeds all the wealth and pleasures of this world, as far as the light of the sun exceeds the light of that lamp; nay, more, for the sun itself shall be darkened, but the soul born of G.o.d, washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb, shall be eternally safe in the possession and enjoyment of an inheritance which is incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away. Repent, therefore, and believe the Gospel, that your sins may be blotted out in this season of refres.h.i.+ng from the presence of the Lord.

WEDNESDAY, March 9. Meeting again at Churchville. "The Great Prophet"

is my subject to-day. Dine at Brother Props's, and stay all night at Brother Zeyk's.

THURSDAY, March 10. Morning meeting at Mt. Pisgah and night meeting at White Hall. Stay at Brother Joseph Harshbarger's.

FRIDAY, March 11. Our District Council begins at the Valley meetinghouse. Business is disposed of very satisfactorily and pleasantly.

SAt.u.r.dAY, March 12. Get through. Dine at David Wampler's, and stay all night at Isaac Long's.

SUNDAY, March 13. Meeting in meetinghouse morning and night. A beautiful day and night. Stay at Samuel Kline's.

MONDAY, March 14. Stop awhile at Noah Bowman's. Dine at Joseph Wine's.

Call at Joseph Good's. Get home in evening.

SUNDAY, April 3. Meeting at Ritchey's schoolhouse, in the Gap. Dine at Brother Philip Ritchey's. Stay at Adam Baker's.

The writer will here relate a conversation he had with Sister Catharine Frank, who was a daughter of Philip Ritchey, who lived very high up among the mountains of Brock's Gap. Brother Ritchey's was a favorite stopping place with Brother Kline and other ministering brethren traveling that way. Sister Catharine Frank was buried on Wednesday, February 4, 1891. While on her deathbed the above-mentioned conversation took place. In this conversation she expressed herself ready and eager to depart. At the mention of Brother Kline's name her countenance and voice gave evidence of deep interest. "Ah," said she, "I never will forget that man. He was as dear to me as my own father.

He first led me to think about my soul and my Savior. Often and often did I hear him preach, and pray, and sing in our old schoolhouse. And I do not think," continued she, "that I ever saw him leave that house without first taking all of the young people in reach by the hand one by one, and saying something in a low voice to each one. I do not know what he said to others; but I know, as if but yesterday, what he whispered to me. It was this: 'Do not neglect the salvation of your soul: _it is the_ ONE THING _needful_.'"

THURSDAY, April 14. Council meeting at the Brush meetinghouse. Brother Jacob Miller is ordained.

SAt.u.r.dAY, April 16. Dine at Michael Wine's; call at Noah Lamb's; then have council meeting in Hoover's schoolhouse. Stay all night at Isaac Shoemaker's.

SUNDAY, April 17. Meeting in Hoover's schoolhouse. Emmanuel Rodecap is baptized.