Life and Labors of Elder John Kline, the Martyr Missionary Part 23

"It is probable that on this account our Lord used water to represent the divine truth of his Word. Let us turn to the testimony we may gather on this subject. First to my text, 'He that drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst.' I believe that this means the truth of his Word. What else could it mean? Now again: 'Blessed are they that do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.' Filled with what? I believe that such will be filled with the love of G.o.d and man, through a knowledge of the truth, to such a degree that they will seek to live righteous lives. 'He that DOETH truth is righteous.' 1 John 3:7.

"Again: Our Lord says: 'If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink.' And what is the drink the Lord will give? Not elementary water, I am sure; but if you will allow the expression, I will call it spiritual water. Let us return to the text again. If you will trace the chapter throughout, you will see how gently and tenderly the Lord approached the dark mind of this woman. He told her of things in her life that no stranger would be likely to know. In this way he gained her confidence. She said: 'I perceive thou art a prophet.' This was one point gained. Next he told her that 'ye' (including the cla.s.s of Samaritans to whom she belonged) 'worship ye know not what. We know what we worship.' This was another step with the cup of living water in his hand to apply to her lips. His next step was to tell her that G.o.d is a Spirit, and that all true worship must be from the heart, 'in spirit and in truth,' and that the Father seeketh such to worship him.

I do suppose this is the first time she ever heard G.o.d called Father.

It was new to her, so new that she confessed her belief in a coming Messias, who would be able to tell her all things; but that he would come in the spirit and love of a kind Father exceeded all her hopes.

"And say, Brethren, did not this poor woman take the cup from the Lord's hand and drink of the Water of Life? I think she did, for she turned missionary right away, and if you will read the thirty-ninth verse you will see something of her success, for 'many of the Samaritans ... believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.'

"I will now quote one more text to show that this living water, or life-giving water, also represents the Holy Ghost in his enlightening power and love. 'He that believeth on me as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. But this spake he of the spirit, which they that believe on him should receive.' Here, it does seem to me, the believer in Christ is compared to a spring of pure water. What makes a spring flow, and keep on flowing even in dry weather? It must be that deep down in the veins of the rocks, away out of sight, it is being constantly fed by an influx of pure water. What a lesson we have here! Brethren, the Spirit, or what is the same thing again, the truth of G.o.d's holy Word, must not lie dormant in us. We must, as the pa.s.sage quoted puts it, we must give out rivers of living water. These rivers flow out of our hearts into everything of our lives in a way to make others know that we are full of the water of life.

"I very lately read about the Dead Sea. And how did it get its name? I will tell you. It got the name 'Dead Sea' from its resemblance to a human being who is constantly taking in G.o.d's gifts, and giving nothing out in any visible way. If you will look at a map of Palestine you will there see that the river Jordan is constantly pouring its flood of fresh water into this sea; but with all this influx of fresh water this sea is so full of all manner of impurities that even fish cannot live in it, and no waterfowls, I am told, are ever seen on its sh.o.r.es. Truly it deserves to be called 'Dead Sea.' It has no outlet; no refreshing stream ever flows from its bosom.

"But, Brethren, if we are truly alive in the Lord we will be like the garden of Eden that sent out a river to water the garden, whence it was parted and became four heads, and each head was a river. Does not all this throw some light on what our Lord meant in what he said to the woman, 'It shalt be in him a well of water, springing up into everlasting life;' and this: 'Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water?' There is nothing like a dead sea here. All, all is life from the Lord. But water is beautiful. Who does not admire a clear, flowing spring or river! In this respect water is an emblem of the Lord's Word. Can any one read the Scriptures, and not be struck with their beauty? Take, for an example, the story of creation. Even children see its beauty and love it. Take the last two chapters of Revelation. Who can read them without perceiving in them a beauty that is all divine? The Bible opens in beauty and closes in beauty.

"And now, dear Brethren, whilst my subject has only been touched a little, I will close by briefly directing your minds and hearts to the river that John saw in vision, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of G.o.d and of the Lamb. I believe this river to be a symbol of G.o.d's love and truth. It proceeded from the throne of G.o.d. Now, 'heaven is his throne, and the earth is his footstool.'

"You know the Lord said to the Pharisees: 'The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men?' They would not answer. But we can answer. It was from heaven. It was performed in the beauty and clearness of the truth that the Lord Jesus brought from heaven. It proceeded from the throne of G.o.d. What a high origin our baptism has! It is from heaven.

And the immersion of our bodies three times in water symbolizes, in a way more impressive than anything else ever could, that we have implicit faith in the love, wisdom and power of the divine Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Ghost. There is a trinity in every good thing we do. There must be the love to prompt or make the start, the wisdom to direct this love intelligently, and the power to execute what is in the will and understanding to be done. Our trine immersion of the body in water, the beautiful emblem of truth, shows our acceptance of it internally and externally, in life, in death, in heaven.

"One more thought, and I will close. Once within the city, we shall thirst no more: 'For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall lead us to fountains of living water.' All darkness will be removed. What is obscure here will be light there. For now we know in part. There we shall know even as we are known. Amen!"

SAt.u.r.dAY, May 17. Brethren Kurtz and Shively go to Lost River. Dine at James Fitzwater's, and stay all night at Celestine Whitmore's.

SUNDAY, May 18. Meeting at the Lost River meetinghouse. Matthew 7 is read. The brethren both take part in the speaking to-day. Dine at Jacob Motz's, then take leave of the dear brethren, Kurtz and Shively, and come home. Those two brethren and I were together three weeks, lacking only two days. The pleasant conversations we had, the unity of our faith, and the oneness of our aims in life have wrought in us an attachment for each other that made separation painful. But we parted not without hope of meeting again.

FRIDAY, July 25. Harvest meeting at our meetinghouse to-day. Luke 16 was read. The singing of devotional hymns, the offering of thanksgiving prayers, with instructions as to the way in which the worldly gifts of our heavenly Father to us may be most wisely used, occupied the time we spent together.

How best to help the poor has been a matter of much thought with me.

If we give to such as are able to work and support themselves, but do not, we rather encourage them in their habits of idleness. If we do not give to them, they complain that we care but little for them, and do not feel toward them as we should. I think the best way to help such is to encourage them to honest labor by aiding them to procure situations in which they can support themselves. If they then fail to provide for their families, I think they should be visited by a committee and instructed in regard to what Paul says: "He that provideth not for his own, especially those of his own house, hath denied the faith, and is worse than an unbeliever." Paul never aimed this stroke of condemnation at any who are not able to provide for themselves. I am glad to think that we have but very few poor members who are not able to help themselves. These are the ones of whom the Lord said: "The poor ye have always with you, and whenever ye will ye may do them good." In respect to such he also said: "It is more blessed to give than to receive."

SUNDAY, August 3. Meeting in our meetinghouse. First Peter 3 is read.

Daniel Glick, Hildebrandt, Sister Trump, Mary and Susanna Miller were baptized to-day.

SUNDAY, September 7. Meeting at Motz's. John 3 is read. Nimrod Judy and wife, Susan Randall, Mrs. Shireman, the widow Toppan and Mrs.

Ridenour were baptized by me to-day. We have a love feast this evening.

MONDAY, September 8. Return home. In my absence, on the thirtieth day of August, the following named persons were baptized in the Linville's Creek near my house: John Wine and wife, Elizabeth Glick, Mrs. Funk, Mrs. Rodecap, Mrs. Miller, and a young Sister Niswander.

FRIDAY, September 12. Attend our two days' council meeting above Harrisonburg. Stop on my way there, and a.s.sist in anointing Brother Daniel Garber with oil in the name of the Lord.

FRIDAY, September 26. Start to Albemarle County, Virginia. Benjamin Bowman is with me. Stay all night at John Leedy's.

SAt.u.r.dAY, September 27. Cross the Shenandoah river in a horse boat; dine and feed at Sipe's; cross the Blue Ridge mountain and on to Nesterville. Stay all night at Henry Coverston's.

SUNDAY, September 28. We have meeting in the Methodist church. The latter part of Luke 24 is read. Henry Coverston and wife were baptized by Benjamin Bowman. I think this is the first administration of the ordinance of baptism ever performed by the Brethren on the east side of the Blue Ridge in Virginia.

MONDAY, September 29. Get home after a ride on horseback to-day of forty-three miles. We got dinner and fed our horses at Donovan's.

SAt.u.r.dAY, October 11. Meeting and love feast at the Flat Rock. Luke 13 is read. Benjamin Bowman baptized John Rorabaugh and wife.

THURSDAY, October 16. Daniel Miller and Daniel Yount, in company with myself, start to Hampshire County, Virginia. We get to Jacob Warnstaff's, in Pendleton County, Virginia, where we stay all night.

FRIDAY, October 17. We have meeting at Bethel church. Matthew 11 is read. Cross the South Fork mountain and stay all night at Chlora Judy's. I am not surprised that these people are fond of hunting.

Several deer crossed our path in front of us to-day.

SAt.u.r.dAY, October 18. Meeting at Chlora Judy's. Romans 6 is read.

Magdalena Rorabaugh is baptized. Brother Daniel Miller spoke in the German on the twelfth verse of the chapter read; and I interpreted to such as could not well understand German, following him. Text: "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body."

He said: "Man, as he first came from the hand of his Creator, was not a sinner. He was included in the creation which G.o.d had just finished, and upon which he looked down and said that it was 'good, yea, very good.' With this agree the words of Solomon, greatly gifted in wisdom.

After going over and investigating the whole human family, as far as his knowledge and wisdom enabled him to go, he returned to his own reflections and expressed the sad conclusion of his mind in these words: 'Lo, this only have I found, that G.o.d made man upright: but they have sought out many inventions.' The Word of G.o.d from beginning to end shows us that man is no longer upright. The inventions which Solomon speaks of are inventions of evil. They are not good inventions. In the opening chapters of the Bible we learn how man fell from the high and holy state in which he was created. It is there declared that 'G.o.d made man in his own image, in the image of G.o.d made he him.'

"The Apostle John says that 'G.o.d is light.' By this I understand him to mean that G.o.d is infinitely wise, knowing all truth. The same apostle says that 'G.o.d is love.' By this I understand that the Lord G.o.d has a will for good to every creature that he has made. That he has no other feeling than that of love for the human race and for every individual of the human family. Now, it was in the image and likeness of G.o.d that man was made at his first creation. Is it not plain from this, then, that he must have been wise in regard to the things of his understanding, and filled with love in his heart for all that is truly good? In this state he could love the Lord his G.o.d with all his heart, and with all his strength, and love his neighbor as he loved himself. But what does the Bible, and what does the history of the world tell us about man ever since he fell from this heavenly state in which he was first created? The Bible declares that the 'heart of man is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.'

The Lord said to the Pharisees, a cla.s.s of people who even claimed to be religious: 'Ye are of your father the devil; and the works of your father ye do.' From the Bible we turn to the history of man's career through all the ages down to the present time, and we find its lines all written in characters of blood. Revenge, murder, cruelty, deceit, malice and ill-will of one toward another are manifest on almost every page of history.

"But in the very face of all this evil G.o.d still loved the world; and he so loved it that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life. And I declare him to you to-day as my Savior and your Savior; able to save to the uttermost all who come unto G.o.d through him. And what does he save us from? He saves us from h.e.l.l. And what is h.e.l.l? I say to you that it is the place where the devil, and all his angels and evil spirits of men live after they leave this world. It is the fire prepared for the devil and his angels. It is the everlasting fire into which the accursed depart. It is the place from which the rich man lifted up his eyes, tormented, as he himself confessed, sorely tormented in this flame. But, dear friends, G.o.d does not will that any of us should go to h.e.l.l; for he says: 'As I live, I have no pleasure in the death of a sinner, but would that all should turn and live.'

"And he tells us how we are to turn and live. He says to all: 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Repent, that your sins may be blotted out. And what is it to repent? It is to turn away the heart from the love of sin. It is to die unto sin and live unto G.o.d. The meaning of my text is not to let sin reign in our mortal bodies to fulfill the l.u.s.ts thereof. And what does true repentance lead to? It leads to a life of obedience to all the commands of our Lord Jesus Christ. 'Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name,' that means in obedience to the command 'of Jesus Christ, ... and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our G.o.d shall call.' This takes in all. It may be that some who hear me to-day are very far off. Still, friend, the promise is to you.

And more: I am sure you are hearing the Gospel to-day, so G.o.d is calling you now, and the promise is to as many as the Lord our G.o.d shall call, and this means every one who hears the Gospel sound.

"When I was young I was afraid I had sinned against the Holy Ghost.

But I found some precious words from the lips of our blessed Lord himself that took away all my fear and gave me a hope which has never, up to this time, left my heart. You begin to wonder what precious words these were. I will tell you where they are and you can find them yourself. John's Gospel, sixth chapter, and the thirty-seventh verse is where they are, and these are the words: 'And whosoever cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out.' The word whosoever takes in every one, without exception. I tell you joyfully, it took me in, and it has kept me in, and by the grace of G.o.d it will keep me in forever.

"As I have told you some things the Bible says about death and h.e.l.l, I must tell you a few things it says about life and heaven. Jesus says: 'I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead' (as to his body), 'yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.' O, can this be true? Yes, it is true, because Jesus never said what is not true. He is life and truth, and when we have him in our hearts we have the witness in ourselves that what he says is true. We then 'know of the doctrine that it is of G.o.d.' Our bodies will all die, but the real man is more than the natural body. Paul tells us about a spiritual body that will never see death. This is what Jesus says 'shall never die.' This is the body that will rise and live forever.

"Our Lord said to his disciples: 'I go to prepare a place for you.'

The place which the Lord prepares is heaven. In his prayer he said: 'Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory.' Where is the Lord's glory, and where is he in his glory? We read that he ascended to heaven. He is in heaven, the heaven of glory and bliss to which he ascended. He is there preparing a place for you and for me, if we live faithful to him by our obedience to his commands. Let us be faithful to him, that we may be accounted worthy to enter in through the gates into the city."

After dinner we all go to Isaac Shobe's, where we have night meeting and stay all night.

SUNDAY, October 19. We have meeting at Brother Jacob High's. Acts 3 is read. Also night meeting at Parks's where we stay.

MONDAY, October 20. Meeting at Solomon Michael's, where we stay all night.

TUESDAY, October 21. Meeting at Joseph Arnold's, on Patterson's Creek, in Hampshire County, Virginia. I spoke to-day on 2 Timothy 1:13. Text: "Hold fast the form of sound words."

This pa.s.sage of Scripture is a part of the fatherly instruction Paul gave his spiritual son Timothy. G.o.d's works and man's works in the conversion and regeneration of man are so blended, so connected and identified one with the other that Paul sometimes speaks of doing what none but G.o.d himself can do. Thus to the Corinthians he said: "For I have begotten you through the gospel." And to Philemon he said: "I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds."

These pa.s.sages show how clearly the true child of G.o.d stands connected with the Holy Spirit, in his blessed work of regenerating man and qualifying him for heaven. The conjunction of effort may be compared with what we see and know to exist in husband and wife. When the twain are really one flesh, one heart, one mind, what is done by the one is regarded as done by the other. It must be in a sense somewhat like this that Paul calls Timothy his son. The aged John also says: "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth." He here means spiritual children. He calls them his children from the love he has for them, and the fatherly care he has over them, and the fatherly instruction he gives them. They are near to him, as children are to their own parents, and when he sees or hears that they receive the truth and walk in it, it gives him joy.

When Paul addressed the words of my text to Timothy, most of the New Testament had been written. It is to the New Testament Scriptures that he calls Timothy's special attention, where he says: "It is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of G.o.d may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." Here, in these Scriptures, is to be found the FORM of sound words which Timothy is admonished to hold fast. This instruction harmonizes with what was said to the angel of the church in Thyatira: "But that which ye have, hold fast till I come." And in the last of the book of Revelation there are awful warnings given against adding to or taking from what G.o.d has spoken.

The temptation to skip over, misquote, and misinterpret the Scriptures must be very great, as it is to these three sources that nearly or quite all the denominational differences among professing Christians can be traced.

Brethren, it becomes us to be very careful here, "lest Satan should get an advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices." I believe a departure from the form of sound words mainly accounts for the many errors in doctrine and practice which exist among professing Christians to-day. A departure from the form of our Lord's great commission has not only perverted the ordinance of baptism by applying it to infants; but it has destroyed the ordinance itself by setting aside trine immersion, which it so plainly teaches.

And what shall we say of the ordinance of feet-washing! When a parent or teacher wishes to impart to his child or pupil a clear understanding of some duty or obligation, he usually feels relieved of all further responsibility when he has given the necessary instruction to his child or pupil in words which he knows can be understood. But in the inst.i.tution of the ordinance of feet-washing our Lord did not depend upon oral instruction to impart a clear knowledge of his will; but he went through the performance himself, and at the close he said: "I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you." Are not these sound words? What are sound words, and what is their form? I answer that sound words are words which have no doubtful meaning; and the form of sound words is such a use of them as clearly expresses and conveys to the mind of the reader or hearer just what the writer or speaker wants him to know. But do the so-called churches hold fast these words? No, they do not. They let them go as things out of date, or unnecessary at the present advanced stage of enlightened thought. But "if the light that is in them be darkness, how great is that darkness!"

I can say of the Lord's Supper, which Jude calls a feast of charity, or love feast, which is the same, and which the Lord inst.i.tuted in connection with feet-washing, just what I have said of this ordinance.

It is let go. These, with many other omissions and errors, have crept into the so-called Christian faith and practice, by letting go the form of sound words. Still more. The injunctions to nonconformity to the world in dress and other things are all let go instead of being held fast, and loose reins are given to all manner of worldly forms and fashions. Professing Christians even defraud one another through covetousness, which is idolatry, going to law one with another. They also do not hesitate to bear arms in war, which is the greatest of all earthly evils.

Brethren and friends, I do not speak in this way from any feeling of ill-will toward any, but from the depth of love in my heart; for there is no joy that could be compared with the joy that I would feel could I see the whole Christian world bowing, meekly bowing under the weight and power of G.o.d's revealed Truth. Our way, Brethren, is to hold fast "the form of sound words." As we expect to have a love feast here on to-morrow evening, let each one examine himself to see whether in his faith or in his works he may have departed from the form of sound words of warning, of encouragement, of instruction, of exhortation, of doctrine. And it most a.s.suredly becomes us to inquire whether we have done our duty in the way of searching the Scriptures, giving ourselves to reading, to meditation, to prayer. We are too apt to seek for what pleases the taste of the natural mind, to the neglect of what is necessary to refresh the spiritual mind and keep that healthy and strong.