Life and Labors of Elder John Kline, the Martyr Missionary Part 45

FRIDAY, February 5, 1858. Attend council meeting at the Old meetinghouse. Brother John Thomas is forwarded; Joseph Early is elected to preach the Word; and Benjamin Byerly is elected to the deaconship.

SAt.u.r.dAY, February 27. Council meeting at our meetinghouse.

Brother Samuel Zigler is elected to preach the Word.

MONDAY, March 8. This day a snow falls about one foot in depth.

WEDNESDAY, March 10. This day completes the fortieth year of my married life.

FRIDAY, March 26. Council meeting at the Brush meetinghouse.

George Wine, son of Samuel Wine, and John B. Kline are each elected to the deaconship.

MONDAY, May 10. Brother Kline and Martain Miller, in company of each other, start to the Annual Meeting. On the following Friday they arrived at Brother J.P. Ebersole's, Ohio.

Between Sat.u.r.day, May 15, and Friday, May 21, the two brethren in company of each other attended four meetings, and visited families as follows: Abraham Ebersole's, Daniel Rosenberger's, Jacob Leedy's, Jonathan d.i.c.key's, Michael Baserman's, Jacob Miller's, Samuel Miller's, Daniel Miller's, Abraham Miller's.

FRIDAY, May 21, after dinner, they go to Lima and wait for the train, which does not come in till ten o'clock at night. It had run off the track near a place called Forest. The Diary note says: A man was killed here by the western train while we were waiting. He got between the woodpile and the cars. Death overtook him without a moment's warning. If unprepared to die, how sad the thought of his being launched into the "eternal deeps" of misery and despair! My eyes often turn with sorrow to the hopeless condition of those who live without G.o.d in the world. How men and women of common sense can be satisfied to live year in and year out, on the verge of ruin, is a mystery to me. A glow of enthusiasm often enters my soul, in which I feel as if it would be an ineffable joy to me could I send my voice all over the land in tones of thunder repeating:

"Stop, poor sinners, stop and think, Before ye further go!

How can ye sport upon the brink Of everlasting woe?

On the verge of ruin, stop!

Now, the friendly warning take: Stay your footsteps ere ye drop Into the burning lake."

And to those whose attention might be arrested by such a call, as they would turn their ears to hear, would I love to say, pointing heavenward: "Behold the Lamb of G.o.d that taketh away the sin of the world." "Look unto me, all ye ends of the earth, and be ye saved."

"For whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved."

"Even so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth on him may have everlasting life."

We arrive at Fort Wayne quarter past one A.M. After breakfast take train to Delphi; then go in hack ten miles to place of Annual Meeting.

Preaching in afternoon. Revelation 5 is read. Brother J. Quinter speaks on the chapter. We take supper on the meeting grounds and then go to Brother John Flory's to stay all night.

SUNDAY, May 23. A very great concourse of people on the grounds. I speak from Revelation 5, the same chapter spoken from yesterday. Some rain to-day. Stay all night at Brother John Flory's again.

MONDAY, May 24. This morning much rain. Committees are formed. Take in questions. Form subcommittees. Go to Brother Young's.

TUESDAY, May 25. Discuss questions. Much rain. Waters high.

Stay all night at Brother Flory's again.

WEDNESDAY, May 26. Discuss questions. Get through about two o'clock. Come to Delphi on a wagon. The sky partially clears up to-day. We have night meeting in Delphi. Brethren John Wise, George Hoover and myself speak on Romans, first chapter.

THURSDAY, May 27. Get back to Jacob Miller's near Lima. Clear to-day.

FRIDAY, May 28. Meeting and love feast at meetinghouse.

Ephesians 2 is read. Stay at Daniel Miller's.

SAt.u.r.dAY, May 29. Get to Brother John P. Ebersole's.

SUNDAY, May 30. Meeting in meetinghouse near J.P. Ebersole's.

Brother Quinter speaks from Hebrews 6. In afternoon I speak from Hebrews 2. Stay all night at Brother Daniel Rosenberger's.

MONDAY, May 31. Meeting and love feast at same place. Matthew 19 is read. Rain in morning; clear in evening. Stay at Brother Ebersole's.

TUESDAY, June 1. A beautiful morning. Take breakfast at the meetinghouse. Have service. Read a farewell address, which I here copy:

Brethren and sisters in the Lord, dearly beloved: Our greetings for this time have been exchanged, and the atmosphere of love in which we all have so freely breathed and moved since our first meeting together must soon be exchanged for the atmosphere of the world. Our blessed Lord meant a great deal when he said: "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved; and shall go in and go out, and find pasture." In meetings like this, and others we have for some while been attending we feel that our spirits and souls and bodies are visibly and experimentally in the fold, with the Great Shepherd in our midst. We are "made to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus," warmed and cheered by "the Sun of Righteousness."

But the duties of life lay upon us the necessity of breaking up and departing to our business and our homes. We must "go out," out among the elements of the world, and do our part valiantly in the great conflict of life--the conflict that forms our character and decides forever whether we shall reign with saints in glory, or be captives of h.e.l.l. Let us, brethren and sisters, be cheered with the Lord's promise, that even _out_ of the fold we shall find _pasture_, something to increase our love for the Lord and for one another, and strengthen our faith. How tenderly the Lord speaks to us, as though he regarded us as his little children! "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you." "And lo, I am with you to the end of the world, ... until I receive you unto myself, for where I am, there shall ye be also." "In the world ye shall have tribulations; ... but be of good cheer, ... in me ye shall have peace." In giving to each other the parting hand and the holy kiss tears and good wishes are not out of place. Connected with these a word of comfort to the feeble-minded, a word of encouragement to the brother or sister of weak faith, a word of gentle admonition whispered into the ear of the erring, a word of caution to the rich, lest they be exalted and trust in their uncertain riches, a word of approval and commendation to those who, like Barnabas, are full of good works, may do an amount of good which eternity alone can reveal.

And now, brethren and sisters, farewell. Be steadfast, unmovable; always abounding in the work of the Lord; inasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

Come to Carey for two o'clock meeting. Sup at Dr. Joseph Myers's. At one A.M. take train for Columbiana. Sup with Brother Quinter. Stay with Brother Henry Kurtz. Fine weather yesterday and to-day.

SUNDAY, June 6. Get home.

From this time on to the first of August Brother Kline was mostly around home. He wrote many letters to prominent brethren in nearly all of the States in which the Brethren had, at that time, representative men. He also preached some funerals, for people die even in summer; and death claims all seasons for his own.

FRIDAY, August 6. This day he and Brother John Wine start to the northwestern counties of Virginia, and cross over into Maryland and Pennsylvania. _Regularly_, they have meetings every day. They visit Nicholas Leatherman's, John Leatherman's, and Samuel Arnold's in Hampshire County, Virginia. They visit David Beachley's, John C.

Lichty's, and Elias K. Beachley's; also Jonathan Kelso's, David Livengood's and Franklin O. Livengood's, all in Maryland. We next find them at Brother Flanigan's, on Hughs's river, where they stay all night.

SUNDAY, August 15. Meeting. Speak on the Great Commission.

Roger Davis and wife baptized. Meeting in the afternoon. Continue on the same text. Stay all night with Brother Martain Cochran. Fine weather.

MONDAY, August 16. Meeting at Slab meetinghouse. Speak on John 4: 29. Dine at Brother Cochran's. Sup at Brother Roger Davis's, and have meeting at early candlelight. Brother John Wine speaks from Rom. 1: 16.

TUESDAY, August 17. Get back to Oakland.

WEDNESDAY, August 18. Meeting at Thomas Clark's. Speak from Matthew 12. Meeting in afternoon at Isaac Hays's. Martha and Mary, or the _one thing needful_, was our subject. Stay at Brother Lee's.

THURSDAY, August 19. Meeting at Greenland, in Hardy County, Virginia. A woman from Germany, in Europe, is baptized to-day. Dine at Samuel Barbee's, and stay at James Parks's. The two brethren had several other meetings by the way, and on

MONDAY, August 23, they reached home.

FRIDAY, September 24. Meeting and love feast at our meetinghouse. Andrew Crist and wife, Silas Turner, and Catharine Showalter were baptized to-day.

SUNDAY, October 17. This day Christian Shoemaker, George Rodecap and his mother, and William Ford and his wife were baptized.

MONDAY, October 18. Brother Kline started on another trip to Maryland. Among the names of those whom he called on, or pa.s.sed a night with, we notice Samuel Zimmerman, Jacob Saylor, Sister Jordan, Philip Boyle, John Roop, John Bowman, D.P. Saylor, William Nipe, Peter Gra.s.snicker, Daniel Rickerd, Jacob Wolf, and Mrs. Nipe.

WEDNESDAY, October 20. Love feast at Beaver Dam. Fine weather, and a large gathering of people. Much brotherly love, and general good order.

THURSDAY, October 21. Meeting at the Pipe Creek meetinghouse, and one at night at New Vinson.

FRIDAY, October 22. Meeting at the Meadow Branch meetinghouse.

SUNDAY, October 24. Love feast at the meetinghouse, near Brother William Nipe's. Large gathering and fine weather.

Brother Kline attended several other meetings on this trip; and on

SUNDAY, October 31, he reports himself at the Flat Rock meetinghouse, in Shenandoah County, Virginia, replying to a discourse on feet-washing delivered shortly before by J.P. Cline, a Lutheran preacher of the same county. In his reply Brother Kline proves himself "a master of his bow: his arrows never miss." I here present some points in this reply:

Friend J.P. Cline made feet-washing "a household or hospitable rite."