The Deacon of Dobbinsville | Page 9

bitter enemies were obliged to admit
that a mighty change had come over him. His life had undergone a real
transformation. His life was an entirely new life. He had unshaken faith
in the God of his salvation. In his home he established a family altar,
where he worshipped God as regularly as the sun rose and set. In his
business relations he literally followed the Golden Rule. At church he
unflinchingly declared what his new-found religion had done for him.
He declared that God had saved him from his sins and had
subsequently sanctified him wholly. He even waxed bold enough to tell
in meeting how God had healed him of physical ailments in answer to
prayer. All this greatly incensed his fellow church-members. They
insisted that he had gone crazy and was no longer fit to belong to the
church. Accordingly he was put out. Jake took it all in good part and
rejoiced that he was counted worthy to suffer for Jesus' sake.
But Jake was not long obliged to stand alone in defense of his
profession. His simple life of trust soon began to have its effect in the
community; during the year his faithfulness had been rewarded by the
salvation of a number of persons in the neighborhood. Old Grandma
Gray had come out boldly on Benton's side. She said that for fifty years
she had been living as best she could, but that she had all this time had
a longing for the fulness of the blessing, such as Jake Benton testified
to, and she arose right in the public meeting and declared herself a
seeker for just such a blessing. This set Mount Olivet church all in a
storm. Deacon Gramps was furious. He said Jake Benton had a legion
of devils and that Grandma Gray was bewitched.

But when Grandma Gray took her stand for full salvation, the cause for
which Mount Olivet stood suffered a mighty blow. Nolan Gray, a son
with whom Grandma Gray had made her home for years, had been a
stanch member of the church since he was a child. In fact, he had
always said he had grown up in the church. Nolan Gray was a very
upright man of undoubted integrity, and he stood for high moral ideals,
but under the type of preaching to which he was accustomed he had
never experienced a change of heart. When he saw what a change had
come over his mother, he refused to be comforted with his religious
profession. Jake Benton was a tenant on Gray's farm, and from daily
contact with Benton, Mr. Gray was convinced beyond a doubt that
Benton's religion was real. One night at a prayer meeting held at Jake
Benton's humble home, Mr. Gray became so convicted that resistance
was impossible. He fully surrendered himself to Jesus and obtained an
experience that was marvelous even in the eyes of Grandma Gray.
The news of Gray's conversion spread like fire on a dry prairie. He was
a heavy contributor to the finances of Mount Olivet. On this account it
became a matter of conjecture as to whether or not he would be
excommunicated. However, Mr. Gray relieved all minds of any anxiety
when on the following week he quietly withdrew his membership from
the church.
The day following the night of Nolan Gray's conversion there occurred
an incident that meant much to Jake Benton, as well as to Deacon
Gramps. Benton was walking along the road that led around the fence
from his own home to the large, white house occupied by Nolan Gray
and his family. He was on his way to milk Mr. Gray's cow. He
commonly went through the field on such occasions, as it was much the
shorter route, but on this particular morning he had a mysterious
disposition to take the long route around the road. When he had reached
a point about a quarter of a mile from his home, to his astonishment he
met Deacon Gramps, accompanied by Gramps' hired hand. He saw at
once that the Deacon was in a most surly mood. So in a pleasant tone of
voice Benton said, "Good morning, gentlemen, nice mornin'," aiming
with salutation to pass on.

Gramps was not in any sense a brave man, as you may have guessed by
this time, but he always manifested great boldness where he was sure
there was no physical danger.
"They say Gray got your kind of religion at the prayer meetin' last
night," he said.
"Well, I guess it ain't my kind," answered Benton, "but he sure did get
Bible salvation."
Then the Deacon let loose in all his fury. "Jake Benton," said he, "this
religion of yours has got to be stopped, it's got to be wiped out, it's doin'