Gathering Jewels Part 10

RESOLUTIONS OF THE ALLEN STREET CHURCH.

NEW YORK, March 2, 1887.

_Whereas_, It has pleased Almighty G.o.d, our kind and compa.s.sionate heavenly Father, in the solemn dispensations of His providence to remove from our midst by death, our dear and highly esteemed friend and brother, Elder James Knowles, and his wife, Matilda Knowles, of the Allen Street Presbyterian Church; and

_Whereas_, It becomes us not only as brethren in Christ, but as a Session of said church, to express our hearty appreciation of their work in and worth to the cause of Christianity, which they so dearly loved; and while we bow in humble submission to the Divine will, nevertheless we strongly realize that, as co-workers together with them in the Master's vineyard, we have sustained a severe and irreparable loss by this sad bereavement;

Therefore be it _Resolved_, That as a Session now a.s.sembled, we do hereby tender our heartfelt sympathy and sorrow to the bereaved family in their great grief; and we do earnestly and sincerely commend them to G.o.d and the Word of His grace, that is able to keep them from falling, and to give them an abundant entrance into His everlasting kingdom; and be it further

_Resolved_, That the Clerk of Session be requested to enter these resolutions on the records of the church, and that a copy be immediately forwarded to the family of the deceased.

(Signed),

DUNCAN M. YOUNG, _Pastor._

J. H. ALLEN, M.D., J. M. MORRISON, J. R. BATTY, MARTIN BRAITMAYER, _Elders._

JEROME H. OWENS, _Clerk of Session._

[Ill.u.s.tration: MATILDA KNOWLES]

GATHERING JEWELS.

MATILDA KNOWLES.

BEING THE RECORD OF A CONSECRATED MISSIONARY WOMAN'S WORK FOR OVER A QUARTER OF A CENTURY IN THE TENTH WARD OF NEW YORK CITY.

"She hath done what she could."

CHAPTER VII.

BRIEF MEMOIR OF MATILDA KNOWLES.

They walk with G.o.d whom none can shame From trusting in His holy name; Who looking for a glorious morn, Shrink not before the lip of scorn.

The subject of this memoir was born in Tichon, near Ballymena, County Antrim, in the north of Ireland, March 22, 1811. Her ancestors fled from Scotland during the dark days of persecution, "when the minister's home was the mountain and flood." Little can be gleaned of her early history. Her mother died when she was six years old, leaving a sister older than herself, and a brother, a baby eight months old. Her father died shortly after her mother. When she was only eight years old, she went to the corner of the house, and asked the Lord to be a father and a mother to her. She was ultimately taken to her uncle's, at which place she resided until she came to America.

During her stay with him, she became acquainted with a young girl, who told her of the love of Jesus, and shortly before her death, she would frequently say how good G.o.d was to her, in bringing her in contact with her friend, who early told her of the life of the Saviour, and His never-dying love. At the same place, being filled with those desires, and having those Christian principles instilled into her heart, and not having conveniences to study and pray in the house, she would repair to the barn, to attend to her devotional duties, experiencing the truthfulness of G.o.d's Word, "They that seek me early shall find me." At this time she committed to memory the Psalms, and the Book of Proverbs, and several pa.s.sages of the New Testament.

It seems that certain influences were brought to bear upon her, for the purpose of getting her settled in life, contrary to her own wishes; but the party so chosen was without Christian character, and although every inducement was offered, so far as wealth was concerned, she remembered the injunction of the Scriptures, "Be ye not unequally yoked to unbelievers," and like Moses, who refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, but chose rather to suffer affliction, penury, and loss with the people of G.o.d, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, she declined to enter into the proposed matrimonial connection.

And then she decided to emigrate to the United States, friendless and alone.

In 1833--the time of the great cholera epidemic in this country--she was left by herself, in a house where all its occupants had fled through fear. Trusting in the G.o.d of Israel for protection, she experienced the full force of those sublime words of King David: "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night, nor for the arrow that flieth by day; nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noon-day." On arriving in New York, she immediately connected herself in church fellowship with the Ca.n.a.l Street Presbyterian Church, under the ministry of the Rev. Dr. McCarthy, and became a Sabbath-school teacher. Some of the first impressions made on her mind by her pastor were continually repeated, even up to the hour of her death.

In one address, delivered to young people, he begged them not to allow Satan to get even his little finger in, for he generally commenced with little sins, and by and by he would get his two fingers in, and then his whole hand, and twist you around as he chose, instead of allowing you to obey the commands of G.o.d.

Shortly after she landed in this country she was invited by an acquaintance to go to Brooklyn, to church. She consented, and attended the service; but, on her return, while stepping off the ferry-boat, she slipped, and fell into the river, and narrowly escaped drowning. She resolved, by G.o.d's grace, that she would never put her foot on a ferry-boat on the Sabbath again, while she lived, which vow she kept to the close of her life.

It was her usual custom on the street, if she heard any person using profane language, to reprove them, by saying, "Don't dare take the name of my Saviour in vain."

In the year 1839 she was married to Elder James Knowles, by the Rev.

Dr. McLeod, of the First Reformed Presbyterian Church, Prince's Street.

At this time she joined the above church, that she might be in full fellowship at the same communion-table with her husband.

In her earnest endeavors to faithfully serve her Lord and Master, she was sorely tried by a woman who lived in the same house with her. And herein do we see the goodness of G.o.d, in imparting grace to her to strenuously resist temptation. This woman did all in her power to lead her astray by offering her strong drink. She would visit her frequently after her husband had gone to his business, and bring the bottle and gla.s.s. She determined to change her place of residence, and before her husband returned home, she had engaged new apartments, and had her furniture all removed. Even after her removal, the woman followed her up, and became a tenant in the same house, and the same temptations were renewed. She once more got up and moved out of the house, never once yielding to the woman's persistent temptation.

In the summer of 1848 she met with a narrow escape in a burning building. In trying to extinguish the flames, she was badly burned from the points of her fingers up to her shoulders. In this house she succeeded in getting some people to attend church; and at this time, seeing some women ordained to go to India, she earnestly desired to be in their place.

In 1860, when in her fiftieth year, she removed to the Tenth Ward, the scene of her future labors. When her son William went to the war, she was recommended by Mrs. Warren to Rev. Mr. Finney, who engaged her as a Bible Reader and Visitor in the district.

In the spring of 1862, during the great fratricidal war, she started a sewing-school in Rivington Street, which eventually merged into the Harper and Fiske Industrial School in Ludlow Street, which met every Sat.u.r.day. Gathering together from seventy-five to one hundred children, she taught them to sew, and endeavored to lead them to Him who said, "Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of heaven."

CHAPTER VIII.

THE VALUE OF PRAYER.

Oh, teach me, Lord, that I may teach The precious things Thou dost impart; And wing my words, that they may reach The hidden depths of many a heart.

Mrs. Knowles's life, throughout, was characterized by great sincerity and steadfastness of purpose. As an evidence of it, I will give a sketch of her experience and work from her own pen, ill.u.s.trating how the closing hours of her life were chiefly devoted to "Gathering Jewels" for Christ, as the secret of a truly beautiful life.

"In my field of labor I have met with much success and encouragement, though, indeed, there are more cases very trying and painful to witness, but _all difficulties can be encountered, and many overcome, by prayer. I feel more and more the blessedness of the privilege I enjoy in being permitted to labor for Christ in the salvation of so many poor souls_, and in being the means of aiding so many who are sick, cast down, and discouraged. How many there are who neglect the house of prayer from the contagion of bad example around them, and the want of a kind word of invitation, until the habit becomes fixed, and it needs urging to remind them of their duty? _I often think of the words of Christ_: '_Compel them to come in_.' Yes, compulsion of the right kind is very needful, and a word of interest and encouragement such a help. One poor woman whom I visited a short time since, told me her lot was the hardest in the world--that she had seven children all out of Christ. I told her not to be disheartened; that if she could say G.o.d was her G.o.d, she could say he was the G.o.d of her seed, and that Jesus had said: 'Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, believing, ye shall receive.' She said: 'I have hoped so long, but now I am discouraged.' I told her the mother of St. Augustine said she had prayed for fourteen long years for her son, and her friend said to her: 'I tell you the subject of so many long and earnest prayers cannot be lost.' And that son, of whom she was then in search, and whom she met a short time afterward, was then under deep conviction, and soon afterward brought to Christ, and became an earnest and devoted minister; 'and you, my friend, need not be discouraged, for the same Spirit can work as powerfully on the hearts of your children as on his.' I prayed with her, and left her begging me to pray for her; calling on her a few days since, she met me with a cheerful countenance, and told me what I had said, together with reading the promise of an answer to prayer, had greatly encouraged her, and that her eldest son, who was the most unruly of all, had accompanied her to church on the last Sabbath, and she believed now the rest would be led to follow his example. I told her to doubt no longer, and with a word of cheer left her."

Here I will make a few comments on the above.

_All difficulties can be encountered, and many overcome by prayer._--How true and weighty is this remark. Remembrance of this would guard and govern aright the actions of Christians, and deliver them from all unprofitable and injudicious murmurings. It suggests the only true antidote for the ills of life. A pleasant path to tranquillity of mind is prayer. Whether amid the crowded city or in the quiet hamlet, on land or on sea, at home or abroad, no matter where we are, G.o.d's ear is always open to the cry of His children. Prayer is the divinely appointed means to the attainment of peace. It lifts the soul above the cares and vicissitudes of life. Its effect is nearness to G.o.d. Earth's sighs are numerous. The tears flow thick and fast. Tears of affright. The enemy comes in like a flood, but the Lord lifts up a standard against them all; and the blest remembrance of the promise, "Cast thy burden by prayer on the Lord, and He will sustain thee," imparts fresh courage amid the conflict. The man who forgets to pray in the hour of trial is like one who has lost his way on a dark, stormy night; he is, indeed, a benighted traveller on a lonesome, dreary road. But let us thank G.o.d that--

From every stormy wind that blows, From every swelling tide of woes, There is a calm, a sure retreat; 'Tis found beneath the Mercy Seat.

_I feel more and more the blessedness of the privilege I enjoy, in being permitted to labor for Christ in the salvation of so many poor souls._--When we labor with an eye to the glory of G.o.d, and the exaltation of the name of Jesus in the salvation of lost sinners, it always imparts perpetual pleasure. It was for the joy that was set before Jesus that He endured the Cross. Pure pleasure springs from the motive of doing good. This was the standard from which Christ labored.

His compensation consisted in clarifying the natural and spiritual vision of those who sat in darkness and the shadow of death. This is the true explanation of His mysterious patience with those who frequently repelled His teachings and doings, when they were attributed to the power of the Prince of the Air. But the incarnate Son of G.o.d fainted not in His work, until He exclaimed, "It is finished." It is even so with all faithful missionaries. They feel it to be an unspeakable privilege to be co-workers with Christ; recognizing the fact that it is not their work but G.o.d's, and while they acknowledge their utter inability to save a single soul, yet, doubtless, their joy and satisfaction in all their work springs from the sacred consciousness that there is not only rejoicings and gladness of heart experienced on earth, but "joy in the presence of the angels of G.o.d over one sinner that repenteth."

_I often think of the words of Christ, Compel them to come in._--The scene is changed. From prayer in the closet, to kindly compulsion in the lanes and streets of the city. Here the reader will find the true secret of her beautiful life; namely, frequent reflection on the words of Christ, relative to Christian work in the world. "Go ye out into the highways and lanes," etc. This is the only method by which we can have communication with the souls of men and women who are perishing for lack of knowledge. The question has often been asked by the philanthropic men of the present day, How can we reach the ma.s.ses? How can we save the non-churchgoers? It is calculated that with a population of almost a hundred thousand souls in the Tenth Ward alone, of New York, only about one-fourth attend any place of worship. These facts and figures are startling, but they are, nevertheless, true. These precious souls, for whom Christ died, must be made the object of our affection. Our knowledge of the spiritual dest.i.tution of the down-town ma.s.ses is strictly based upon our experience and observation. And hence we say that a house to house visitation, systematically arranged, const.i.tutes one of the essential characteristics of Christ-like work. He labored not only in the temple and the synagogue, but in the market-place, and on the streets. His pulpit was the stern-sheets of the ship, on the Sea of Galilee.

_With a word of cheer left her._--Think of the power of a kind word.