The Deacon of Dobbinsville | Page 4

nature with which you are
surrounded. These flowers and trees and birds all speak of the goodness
of God. I was remarking to my fellow traveler of how these beautiful
scenes remind us of God's goodness. Pardon a frank question, but may I
ask, Are you saved?"
This was all new language to Jake and he scarcely knew how to answer
this rather blunt question. "Wu-wu-well, ye-yes," he answered. "I try to
be a Christian. I belong to the church and have belonged for
twenty-seven years and accordin' to the preachin' we have I think I'll
get to heaven. I s'pose you fellers must be preachers."
"Yes, we are preachers," remarked the other. "We have consecrated our
lives to the blessed service of Christ and our greatest delight is in
preaching his gospel and telling others of the wonders of his grace.
There can be no higher calling than that of telling of the saving grace of
God. For fifteen years I was a cold professor of religion, but I lacked
vital salvation. I belonged to the church and paid the preacher, and
somehow I thought I would get through all right. I sinned more or less
every day and did not know that I could be saved from sin. In fact, I
never had been converted. I tried to live a Christian life, but I was
powerless. After fifteen years of this miserable existence I got a new
vision of things. God removed the scales from my eyes and I saw my
lost condition. I saw myself in an entirely new light. I wept before God
because of my sins. I was made very conscious that unless I was saved
from my sins they would damn me in hell forever. My churchianity and
my self-righteousness and my morality looked ridiculous when I saw

myself a sinner in the sight of God. I came to God and poured out my
soul in bitter repentance, and said, 'Save me, or I perish.' I promised
him that I would forsake my sins, make my wrongs right, and walk in
the light. I read in 1 John 1:9, 'If we confess our sins, he is faithful and
just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.'
Well, I confessed my sins and forsook them, and God for Christ's sake
pardoned all my sins. Praise His name. The joy and peace that filled my
soul were unspeakable. I was a new man. I loved everybody, even my
bitter enemies. Christ, in all his blessed reality, came into my heart as
an abiding companion. Some time after my conversion, through a
holiness paper, which fell into my hands, and through reading the Bible,
which had become a new book to me, I learned that it was possible for
me to be wholly sanctified and to have the Holy Spirit as an abiding
comforter. Oh, the joy of this blessed life. Its glories are untold."
Poor Jake stood amazed. He had never heard anything like this before.
He burst out, "If that's religion, I confess I hain't got none; and to be
plain, I ain't much inclined to believe such stuff as that. I have been a
member of Mount Olivet Church for twenty-seven years and I never
heard such preaching as that. That must be some new religion that's
goin' around. Talk about bein' saved from sin, why there's our dear old
Brother Simms, who was our last pastor at Mount Olivet. He died last
March and since then we ain't had no pastor--why I heard him say
more'n once from the pulpit that folks can't be saved from sin till they
get to heaven."
All this Jake said and a great deal more. He talked himself hoarse and
used up all his choicest terms in extolling the name of Mount Olivet
Church and all the pastors she had had since he had been a member. All
his arguments were quietly and lovingly answered by the ministers,
who read to him many passages of Scripture.
By this time the large elm cast a lengthy shadow eastward. The sun was
well-nigh set, and it was evident to the ministers that they should have
to prevail on their new acquaintance to lodge them overnight.
"Well, my dear brother," remarked one of the ministers, "we are far
apart in faith, but I trust we are all honest in our views and I pray that

God may lead us all in the way we should go. The day is gone, and to
get out of these hills tonight is unthinkable. I wonder if you could
arrange to keep us overnight, Mr. Benton--I believe that's the name? If
you will, we shall be a hundred times obliged and shall be glad to pay
you whatever you suggest."
Jake