,,trials ,,and ,,triumphs ,,of ,,faith  
,,by ,,mary ,,cole  ,finally1 my        
brethren1 be strong in the ,lord1 and in
 the power of his might4 ,put on the    
whole armor of ,god1 that ye may be able
 to stand against the wiles of the      
devil4--,paul4     ,,preface  ,the      
history of the world consists mainly of 
the stories of the lives of certain men 
and women whose deeds have been of      
sufficient importance to make them worth
 relating4 ,the lives of some persons   
have been worth narrating because of    
their abounding in deeds of great merit1
 such as the lives of ,washington1      
,gladstone1 ,frances ,e4 ,willard1 and  
,joan of ,arc4 ,the lives of others have
 been thought worth narrating because of
 their great wickedness1 as the lives of
 ,nero and ,queen ,mary of ,england4    
,but the church too has a history4 ,this
 history differs from the history of the
 world1 in that it does not record      
merely the doings of man1 but the       
workings of ,god through man as his     

instruments4 ,god is a jealous ,god who 
manifests himself only through those who
 are willing to give him all the glory4 
,hence not many names of the wise1      
powerful1 talented men of the earth have
 been enrolled on the history of the    
church1 since they were not humble      
enough to submit fully into ,god's      
hands4 ,in the church truly this        
scripture has been proved3 ,god has used
 the weak things of the world to        
confound the mighty4  ,sister ,mary     
,cole1 of whose life this book is a     
brief1 authentic sketch1 had a natural  
inheritance that seemed calculated to   
shut her forever out of a place in the  
history of the world or of the church4  
,born with a body that from her earliest
 childhood was racked with pain1        
deprived by ill health of education1 she
 seemed naturally unfitted to fill any  
place in the world and doomed to be only
 a burden to herself and her friends4   
,how ,god took her1 healed her1 and     
fitted her for his service1 and how he  

used her as an instrument for his glory1
 is the story of her life4  ,the        
publication of the story of her life was
 so remote from her thoughts that it was
 only by the solicitation of some one   
who had been greatly helped by her faith
 and experience and the workings of ,god
 through her1 and who was unwilling that
 her trials and triumphs should be lost 
as a part of the history of the church1 
that she was prevailed upon to write    
this brief narrative of her life and    
work4 ,the story of her life would not1 
indeed1 be worth telling were it        
stripped of the manifestations of ,god's
 power4 ,as you read this simple story1 
you will see clearly that1 as ,sister   
,cole has herself expressed so many     
times1 what she is she is by ,god's     
grace1 and that all she has accomplished
 she has accomplished through ,god's    
power4 ,if you will take at their value 
the oft-repeated expressions1 ,god told 
me1 ,god spoke to me1 ,god made me to   
understand1 realizing that these words  

tell us something that actually         
happened1 you will get some idea of how 
marvelously ,god can use even the       
weakest members of the human race4      
,aside from the interest this brief     
history will have for those readers who 
have had the pleasure of a personal     
acquaintance with ,sister ,cole and who 
have had the privilege of listening to  
her stirring messages delivered under   
the anointing of ,god's ,spirit1 it can 
not fail to interest and profit all who 
take pleasure in reading about the      
dealings of ,god with man4  ,it is the  
sincere wish of the author and of all   
those who had a hand in preparing this  
work1 that it will show some their      
greater privileges in the kingdom of    
,god1 and that it will help some to     
covet the divine help1 guidance1 and    
power that are the heritage of all      
,god's children4  ,j4,w4,p4             
,,contents  ,i4 ,birth and ,ancestry    
,,ii4 ,early ,afflictions  ,,iii4       
,incidents of ,childhood  ,,iv4 ,events 

,during the ,war  ,v4 ,conversion and   
,sanctification  ,,vi4 ,events of ,early
 ,christian ,life  ,,vii4 ,my ,call to  
the ,ministry  ,,viii4 ,seven ,years of 
,preparation  ,,ix4 ,healed by ,divine  
,power  ,x4 ,entering the ,gospel ,field
  ,,xi4 ,laboring in a ,new ,field      
,,xii4 ,out of ,sectarian ,confusion    
,,xiii4 ,the ,evening ,light  ,,xiv4    
,various ,experiences in ,gospel ,work  
,,xv4 ,various ,experiences--,continued 
,,xvi4 ,god's ,care ,over ,me  ,,xvii4  
,my ,california ,trip  ,,xviii4         
,visiting ,relatives in the ,east       
,,xix4 ,mission ,work in ,chicago  ,,xx4
 ,a ,battle ,with ,smallpox  ,,xxi4     
,camp-,meetings in ,various ,states     
,,xxii4 ,caring for ,my ,aged ,mother   
,,xxiii4 ,exhortation to ,workers and   
,ministers     ,,poems  ,birthday ,lines
 in ,memory of ,february #e1 #ahbb  ,the
 ,refiner's ,fire     ,chapter ,i       
,birth and ,ancestry  ,like many other  
people of ,european descent1 born in    
this country1 ,i can trace my ancestry  

back to their emigration from ,europe2  
but being so far removed from ,european 
environment1 my nationality can best be 
expressed by the short but comprehensive
 term1 ,american4  ,my father was born  
in ,hunterdon ,county1 ,new ,jersey4 ,he
 was a descendant of the ,german        
,hessians who were brought to this      
country by the ,english to fight against
 the ,americans in the ,revolutionary   
,war4 ,it is said that from his mother's
 side he inherited a small portion of   
,turkish blood4 ,father's childhood days
 were spent near some of the            
,revolutionary battle-fields1 where he  
played with cannon balls that had been  
used during that great struggle4        
,perhaps his early surroundings may have
 developed in him the spirit of         
partiotism that manifested itself later 
when1 during the ,civil ,war1 he stood  
by his country and defended the stars   
and stripes4  ,my mother was born in    
,ohio near the ,pennsylvania border1 but
 was reared in ,carroll ,county1 ,ohio4 

,her father1 whose name was ,fleming1   
was of ,scotch-,irish descent4 ,his     
ancestors came from ,ireland at an early
 day and settled first in ,pennsylvania1
 and later in ,ohio4 ,when ,mother's    
great-grandfather and his cousin came   
over from ,ireland and landed in ,new   
,york1 they heard a parrot talking4 ,it 
said1 ,a beggar and a clodhopper2 a     
beggar and a clodhopper4 ,they had never
 heard of a parrot before4 ,the         
great-grandfather said to his cousin1   
,pat1 ,pat1 what kind of a world have we
 got into8 ,aven the burds of the woods 
are making fun of us4  ,my mother's     
mother was of ,german descent1 and could
 speak the ,german language2 but she    
died when mother was but a small child4 
,very soon afterward ,mother's father   
married an ,irish lady by the name of   
,margret ,potter4 ,mother's stepmother  
took her drams1 had dances1 etc42 but   
,mother was spiritually inclined4 ,in   
her eighteenth year while attending a   
,methodist meeting1 she was convicted of

 her sins4 ,she was not saved at the    
meeting1 but prayed through by herself  
to an experience4 ,god revealed himself 
to her in a marvelous way and gave her  
the witness that she was born of him4   
,mother's father was a ,universalist    
until after she was grown4 ,at that     
time1 although he had never professed a 
change of heart1 he joined the          
,christian church4 ,mother's steady     
,christian character was1 therefore1    
developed without human encouragement2  
she got help from no one but ,god4 ,her 
older sister said to her one day1       
,rebecca1 our dear mother died a        
,universalist2 are you going to forsake 
her faith8 ,mother answered1 ,if ,mother
 did the best she knew1 that is between 
her and her ,god2 it is my duty to do   
the best ,i know4 ,later this sister    
joined the ,catholic ,church and finally
 died in the ,catholic home for widows4 
,i was born ,august #bc1 #ahec1 the     
seventh of a family of twelve           
children--eight sons and four daughters4

 ,two died before the last two were     
born1 so that there were never more than
 ten of us living at the same time4     
,the oldest child was ,jeremiah4 ,mother
 said that at his birth she gave him to 
the ,lord1 and prayed earnestly that    
,god would make him like ,jeremiah of   
old4 ,god chose him for the ministry1   
and he died triumphant in the faith4 ,he
 discerned the one body1 the church1    
from the time the truth of the unity of 
,god's people was first preached4 ,his  
body lies in the cemetery near ,hammond1
 ,louisiana4  ,the second child was     
,john4 ,he enlisted in the army and gave
 his life for his country4 ,out of this 
family of twelve children1 ,god chose   
three for the ministry3 one of these has
 gone to his reward and the other two   
remain to work for the ,master4  ,at the
 time of my birth1 my parents lived on a
 farm adjoining the town of ,decatur1 in
 the ,state of ,iowa4 ,later the town   
was enlarged until it included ,father's
 farm1 which was sold for town lots4 ,my

 parents remained in ,iowa until ,i was 
a year old1 and then moved to ,illinois1
 where they remained for two years4     
,when ,i was three years old1 they      
settled in ,pettis ,county1 ,missouri1  
near the town of ,belmont1 afterwards   
called ,windsor4 ,it was there that ,i  
spent my childhood and the years of my  
young womanhood4     ,chapter ,,ii      
,early ,afflictions    ,misery stole me 
at my birth   ,and cast me helpless on  
the wild4  ,the words of this hymn      
express my condition from my first      
advent into the world4 ,my mother had   
overworked before ,i was born2 and1 as a
 result1 ,i suffered bodily affliction  
from infancy4 ,i was scarely two years  
old when ,i began having spasms4 ,my    
eyes would roll back in my head1 ,i     
would froth at the mouth1 the tendons of
 my jaws would draw1 causing me to bite 
my cheeks until the blood ran from my   
mouth1 and ,i would become unconscious4 
,although ,i would remain unconscious   
for only a short time1 yet while ,i lay 

in that condition ,i seemed as one dead4
 ,upon regaining consciousness1 ,i      
seemed dazed all the rest of that day2  
and not until ,i had had a night's      
sleep1 did ,i have a clear perception of
 what was going on around me4 ,sometimes
 two or three days would pass before ,i 
was fully restored4  ,i hada number of  
these spansm when ,i was too young to   
know anything about them4 ,the first one
 of which ,i remember1 ,i begain to turn
 blind and did not know what was the    
matter2 but ,i soon learned the nature  
of my affliction4 ,i had to be very     
careful what ,i did4 ,if ,i exposed     
myself to the direct rays of the sun or 
even looked straight at the sun1 ,i was 
likely to have a spasm2 if ,i drank     
sweet milk it was likely to have the    
same result4  ,when ,i quit school at   
the age of ten years and had nothing to 
occupy my mind1 my thoughts centered on 
my suffering and the frequency of my    
spasms seemed to increase4 ,after having
 a spasm my mind was greatly afflicted  

with melancholy and depression4 ,i      
dreaded the recurrence of the fits1 and 
looked forward to their coming with such
 abhorrence that often the fear of      
having a spasm would bring on the very  
thing ,i dreaded4  ,from the time ,i can
 first recollect1 most of my life was   
spent in sadness and disappointment4 ,it
 seemed as if my whole being were a mass
 of suffering and affliction4 ,the      
doctor said there was nothing sound     
about me but my lungs4 ,most of my time 
,i appeared to be nothing but a voice4  
,so far as ,i remember1 not one day of  
that period of my life was passed       
without pain and suffering4 ,my high    
temper1 of course1 added mental         
suffering to the physical4  ,many times 
,i wondered why ,i could not die4 ,my   
suffering was greatly increased by      
melancholy and mental depression4 ,i    
often sat beside my mother and cried1   
,mother1 why can't ,i die8 ,why did ,i  
not die when ,i was a child8 ,i am a    
trial to myself and to all around me4   

,mother would say1 ,mary1 ,god has a    
bright design in all this4 ,we do not   
know the reason why you are so          
afflicted1 but we will know sometime4   
,with such comforting words she many    
times soothed my troubled spirit4 ,god  
blessed me with a dear ,christian       
mother4 ,her gentle1 patient life--so   
loving and ,christlike--stamped upon my 
soul in early childhood the ideal of    
real ,christian character4 ,i had before
 me constantly an example of what ,i    
ought to be4 ,as ,i look back at those  
days1 my association with my mother     
seems to have been the only bright spot 
in my early life4  ,at six years of age 
,i began to have dyspepsia1 and as a    
result1 could eat but very little food  
without suffering4 ,up to this time and 
later1 ,i could walk a mile or more2 but
 was liable at any time to have a fit4  
,when about twelve or thirteen years of 
age1 other afflictions set in1 such as  
spinal and female trouble4  ,in my      
fifteenth year ,i became a helpless     

invalid1 and lay in bed for five months 
at one time4 ,when ,i first became      
helpless1 ,i thought ,i was dying4 ,i   
knew if ,i went into eternity as ,i then
 was ,i would be lost1 and suffered     
terrible mental anguish4 ,my dear mother
 came to my bedside with comforting     
words3 ,mary1 put your trust in the     
,lord4 ,i could move neither hand nor   
foot but could only say1 ,mother1 ,i am 
trying to1 knowing at the same time that
 ,i was not capable of meeting the      
conditions--repentance1 etc41 ,i decided
 that ,i would not tell ,mother nor any 
one else that ,i felt that ,i was lost1 
even if ,i died in that condition2 but  
,god in his mercy saw fit to lengthen   
out my life4  ,viewed from the          
standpoint of mature life1 those early  
years remind me of the experience of the
 ,israel-ites when they came to ,marah1 
where the waters were bitter1 and where 
,moses put something into the bitter    
waters to make them sweet4 ,in my       
unsaved condition1 ,i was at ,marah2 but

 when the ,lord saved my soul1 he put   
something into the bitter stream of my  
life that made it sweet1 and ,i can     
truly say1 ,my ,december is as pleasant 
as ,may3 my summer lasts all the year4  
,yes1 ,i can now obey ,god's ,word3     
,rejoice evermore2 pray without ceasing2
 and in everything give thanks 7#a      
,thessalonians #e3ad-af74 ,oh1 what a   
wonderful change ,god wrought6 ,it is   
all through grace divine2 for the       
promise is1 ,all things work together   
for good to them that love ,god4        
,chapter ,,iii  ,incidents of ,childhood
  ,the old home farm near ,windsor1     
,missouri1 where ,i spent my childhood  
and early womanhood1 was heavily        
timbered on the west and the south4     
,there was also a good-sized apple      
orchard north of the house and a number 
of beautiful shade trees in the yard1   
which gave the place a homelike         
appearance4 ,the house was very         
ordinary--just a large front room1 a    
large bedroom1 an attic large enough for

 three or four beds1 and a large log    
kitchen4  ,in those days1 and even until
 long after the ,civil ,war1 the houses 
were lighted mostly by candles4 ,the    
old-fashioned fireplace gave us both    
light and heat in the rooms where they  
were1 and made very pleasant the long   
winter evenings4 ,of course1 in many    
ways they were not equal to our modern  
improvements1 but we had some very happy
 times around the old fireplace4 ,mother
 made the candles we used1 in molds     
especially designed for that purpose4 ,i
 will not soon forget how ,i used to    
watch her put in the cotton wick1 tie it
 at a certain place1 and then melt and  
pour in the tallow4 ,as soon as the     
tallow cooled1 we had candles4          
,sometimes when we had no candles1 we   
used what was called a grease lamp4     
,this was merely a saucer with a little 
grease in it and a twisted rag1 the     
greater part of which lay in the grease 
in the bottom of the saucer4 ,the end   
which extended up over the edge of the  

saucer was lighted1 and this device     
served as a lamp until ,mother could    
make more candles4  ,near the house was 
a garden from which ,mother used often  
to gather bouquets to cheer me in my    
lonely hours4 ,these loving acts of     
,mother's meant much to me in my        
affliction4 ,jesus said that the gift of
 a cup of cold water will be rewarded4  
,i am sure that ,mother's reward will be
 great4  ,when ,i was about five or six 
years old1 an incident occurred which   
shows that ,i1 although greatly         
afflicted1 was not altogether wanting in
 activity4 ,two of my older sisters and 
,i were playing on a shed adjoining one 
side of the corn-crib4 ,my sisters      
wanted to jump off the shed1 but were a 
little afraid to do so for fear they    
would hurt themselves4 ,they finally    
decided that they would have me jump    
first1 and if it did not hurt me1 then  
they would jump4 ,little as ,i was1 ,i  
understood their scheme4 ,nevertheless1 
,i jumped4 ,it hurt me quite a little2  

but when they asked me if ,i was hurt1  
,i said1 ,no4 ,thinking then1 that it   
would not hurt them1 they jumped but    
they were considerably hurt too4 ,again 
they asked if it hurt me1 and ,i        
admitted that it had4 ,why did you not  
tell us8 ,because1 ,i replied1 you were 
playing off on me because ,i am the     
youngest1 and ,i would not let you know1
 so that you would have a chance to get 
hurt too4  ,one morning when ,i was     
about six years old1 ,i was going to    
school in company with my brothers and  
sisters and other children who went the 
same road4 ,it was late in the fall1 and
 a heavy rain that had recently fallen1 
made the narrow lane through which we   
were obliged to pass1 very muddy4       
,cattle had made deep tracks in the mud1
 in which the water had collected and   
then frozen4 ,the bubbles underneath the
 ice had the appearance of money1 and we
 children ran along looking at the      
bubbles1 and saying ,i have found some  
money4 ,all at once ,i was sure that ,i 

did see a real coin under the ice at the
 bottom of one of the holes4 ,when ,i   
called out ,i have found some money1 my 
brothers came quickly to investigate2   
and1 sure enough1 there was a fifty-cent
 piece stuck to the rim of an old pocket
 book4 ,it had lain there so long that  
the leather had all rotted away4 ,i was 
so delighted and spent so much time in  
enjoying the treasure ,i had found that 
,i learned but very little that day4    
,one of my earliest recollections is of 
committing these lines to memory3  ,in  
,his pure eyes it is a sin ,to steal a  
penny or a pin4  ,not long after this1  
when ,i was about four years old1 ,i    
think1 ,i went with my oldest sister to 
one of our neighbors on an errand4 ,my  
sister1 who could weave1 wanted me to go
 to the home of another neighbor near by
 to borrow a part for the old-fashioned 
loom she was using4 ,while at the house 
,i saw a piece of pink calico about an  
inch square that attracted my childish  
fancy4 ,i thought how nice it would be  

for the little quilt ,i had begun to    
piece4 ,as ,i had no pocket1 ,i put the 
piece of calico into the bosom of my    
dress and went back to my sister holding
 it as if ,i feared it would get away4  
,noticing what ,i was doing1 she said1  
,mary1 what is the matter8 ,nothing1 ,i 
answered4 ,what have you there8         
,nothing1 ,i replied again4 ,right there
 ,i told two falsehoods1 the first of   
which ,i had ever been guilty4 ,they    
were like black spots on a white robe4  
,my sister said1 ,i know you have       
something1 and drew out my hand still   
grasping the scrap of calico4 ,where did
 you get it8 ,i told the truth then1 and
 she said that ,i must go back and tell 
the woman ,i had stolen it4 ,she took me
 back2 but she had to do all the        
talking4  ,the old lady wanted to excuse
 me1 and said1 ,oh1 let her have it2 it 
dosen't amount to anything2 but my      
sister said1 ,no1 she shall not have it1
 for she did not ask for it4 ,oh1 how   
awful ,i felt6 ,it was about a mile to  

our house1 and ,i cried nearly the whole
 way home4 ,on the way ,i said1 ,ell1   
don't tell ,mother2 and she promised    
that she would not4 ,i had experienced  
now what ,paul meant when he said1 ,sin 
revived and ,i died4 ,it was the first  
time in my life ,i had ever known what  
guilt was4 ,reproof given at the first  
offense has saved me many temptations in
 later life4 ,only twice afterward do ,i
 remember of having had a like          
temptation4  ,perhaps the influence of  
this incident was strengthened by a     
story that my mother related to me while
 ,i was still a child4 ,this story made 
a deep impression upon my young heart4  
,in ,carroll ,county1 ,ohio1 not far    
from where she was raised1 there lived  
two families by the name of ,long4 ,the 
fathers were brothers4 ,two boys of the 
two families used to trap for mink and  
other fur-bearing animals during the    
winter season4 ,as the fur of the mink  
at that time brought a good price1 the  
boys were more anxious to catch mink    

than any other animal4 ,one of the boys 
once found a mink in his cousin's trap4 
,when he told his mother what he had    
seen1 she said1 ,go back1 take the mink 
out of your cousin's trap1 set the trap 
just as it was before1 put the mink into
 your own trap1 and tell your cousin    
that you have caught a mink2 he will    
never know the difference4  ,the boy did
 as his mother advised1 and the cousin  
never learned of the deception until    
many years later4 ,the boy who had      
stolen the mink went from bad to worse  
until1 during the outbreak of the       
,mormons1 ,i think1 he was implicated in
 the murder of ,colonel ,davenport of   
,iowa4 ,while on the scaffold1 he       
confessed that his first step downward  
was in taking the mink out of his       
cousin's trap and telling a falsehood   
about it4 ,god's ,word was verified3    
,for they have sown the wind1 and they  
shall reap the whirlwind4  ,parents1 be 
careful what example you set before your
 children4 ,if you set a wrong example1 

they may rise up and curse you3 but if  
you teach them the good and right way1  
they will rise up and call you blessed4 
,if when parents see one of their       
children entering upon his first        
temptation to take things that do not   
belong to him1 they would do their duty1
 there would be more honest children    
today4  ,train up a child in the way he 
should go1 and when he is old he will   
not depart from it4  ,from my earliest  
childhood ,i liked poetry and could     
readily commit it to memory4 ,i often   
learned poems that were quite difficult 
for one of my age4 ,the beautiful poems 
,i learned were like rays of sunshine on
 my pathway and added much comfort to a 
life that had but few pleasures4  ,i    
learned the alphabet at home and so made
 quite rapid progress after ,i began    
attending school1 although ,i was       
greatly hindered because of stammering4 
,some of my teachers were very helpful  
to me in overcoming this difficulty4    
,when ,mr4 ,nutter1 who taught our      

school one winter1 saw that ,i could not
 recite because of my impediment of     
speech1 he had all the classes recite   
with me so as to take away the          
embarrassment4 ,i felt very grateful for
 his kindness4  ,one day when ,i was ten
 years old1 ,i had a fit at school4     
,father thought that while ,i was       
afflicted in this way1 it would be hard 
on my mind for me to study1 and it would
 be best to keep me at home4 ,during my 
last term at school1 ,i read in         
,mc,guffey's ,fourth ,reader1 studied   
the second part of ,arithmetic1 had     
learned to spell fairly well in the old 
,elementary ,speller1 and had also begun
 geography--a study which ,i liked very 
much4 ,i was beginning to learn to      
write2 but as ,i was left-handed1 my    
movements were very slow and awkward4   
,chapter ,,iv  ,events ,during the ,war 
,i was eight years old when the ,civil  
,war began4 ,the first event that ,i    
remember in connection with the war was 
our teacher's dismissing school one day 

so that we might go over to the public  
road to see the ,union soldiers4 ,i     
suppose there were at least a regiment  
of these troops1 if not more4 ,as ,i had
 never seen soldiers before1 their fine 
appearance as they marched by1 dressed  
in their uniforms1 with their guns1     
bayonets1 drums1 and full military      
equipment1 made a lasting impression on 
my childish mind4  ,at the beginning of 
the war1 my father wished to move from  
the ,state where we were then living4   
,missouri was a slave ,state and he knew
 that there was trouble ahead4 ,perhaps 
father would have had his way1 had not  
,god shown mother in a dream that he    
would protect us1 and that we would be  
as safe in ,missouri as in any other    
place4 ,subsequent events proved that we
 did well to obey ,god1 for none of our 
stock or property was taken4 ,the deaths
 of my brother and sister were the most 
severe trials through which we had to   
pass4  ,in ,january1 #ahfb1 the ,federal
 soldiers again came to our neighborhood

 and camped near the same place where ,i
 had first seen them2 but1 at this time1
 the scene excited in me entirely       
different emotions4 ,snow was on the    
ground2 the weather was very cold2 and  
the soldiers took rails and made a large
 bonfire to keep themselves warm4 ,the  
sky was lit up with the flames1 and to  
me1 in my nervous condition1 the scene  
was frightful4  ,that same evening some 
of the soldiers went down to our little 
town 7then called ,belmont1 afterwards  
,windsor71 brought back to the camp with
 them the hollow trunk of a tree        
containing a swarm of bees1 and laid it 
down to take out the honey4 ,mrs4       
,hammond1 the wife of our nearest       
neighbor on the east1 who lived but a   
short distance from the camp1 thinking  
that they were planting a cannon1 became
 frightened and came over to our house  
with her two little children4 ,she was  
afraid there was going to be a battle1  
and sought our house as a place of      
safety4 ,she wanted to stay all night4  

,father pitied her2 and in spite of the 
fact that the children were sick with   
diphtheria1 he felt that he could not   
turn her out4  ,thus we children were   
all exposed to diphtheria2 and as my    
nerves were in such a bad condition1 and
 as ,i was greatly frightened because of
 the news from the camp and the presence
 of the sick children1 ,i was the first 
victim of the disease4 ,the next to take
 it was my sister ,katherine4 ,just     
before she took her bed1 she got her    
feet wet1 and therefore had the disease 
in a very malignant form4 ,the doctor   
who was caring for her1 assured us that 
she was better1 but he told some of the 
neighbors that she could not live until 
morning4 ,we did not know that she was  
seriously ill until ,father1 who was    
sitting up with her that night1 said1   
,katy1 it's time to take your medicine4 
,there was no answer2 her gentle spirit 
had taken its flight4  ,the thought that
 my sister was dead was almost more than
 ,i could endure4 ,the thought that she 

was gone into eternity1 that ,i would   
never meet her again in this world1     
almost broke my heart4 ,i wept for hours
 at a time4 ,i would sit beside my      
mother weeping and wondering why my     
sister had been taken4 ,it seemed that  
,i could never forgive the doctor for   
deceiving us2 and ,i think ,i never did 
fully forgive him1 until the time when  
,god pardoned my sins and gave me a     
forgiving spirit4 ,dear little sister   
,katherine6 ,she was twelve years and   
six months old when she died4 ,she was  
an unusual child--patient and kind--was 
never known to disobey her parents1 and 
was loved by all4  ,the other members of
 the family took the diphtheria one by  
one1 until all but my father and one    
brother had this awful disease4 ,some of
 us were sick for nearly two months and 
during this time none of the neighbors1 
except ,daniel ,douglas1 our nearest    
neighbor on the west1 came to lend any  
assistance4 ,he came over and sat up a  
part of every other night when the sick 

ones were at their worst1 and needed the
 most care4 ,even the woman who brought 
the disease to us refused to help1 until
 she was compelled to do so by ,mr4     
,douglas2 and then she only helped to   
prepare ,katherine's body for burial4   
,it certainly was a sad time4 ,even     
nature seemed to cast a gloom over      
everything--much sleet fell1 and        
everything had a dismal appearance4  ,it
 was during the war and sometime before 
,katherine's death that ,mr4 ,hammond   
used to cross our orchard going to and  
from his work4 ,one day ,father said to 
one of the ,hammond children1 ,come over
 and get some apples to eat2 to which   
the child answered1 ,oh1 ,papa brings us
 all the apples we want to eat4 ,he gets
 them out of your orchard4  ,one day    
while my brother ,harvey was passing    
through the orchard1 he saw an apple    
caught in the fork of two limbs4        
,supposing that the apple had fallen    
from the tree and accidently lodged     
there1 he ate it1 and soon began to feel

 very sick4 ,the doctor found upon      
examination that the boy was suffering  
from strychnine poisoning4 ,from remarks
 that had been dropped1 we thought we   
knew that a certain neighbor had        
poisoned the apple and that he had done 
it for spite4 ,a visitor at our house   
remarked that she feared that the ,union
 soldiers1 who were then encamped near  
her home1 would in their absence from   
home1 get the strychnine they had bought
 for the rats and poison their meal or  
their water before they got home again4 
,my brother suffered from the effects of
 the strychnine he had taken for a      
number of years before he fully         
recovered4  ,the husband of the woman of
 whom ,i have just spoken was a soldier 
in the ,southern army4 ,one time while  
he was out foraging1 he went into a     
,union woman's house and asked for a    
pie4 ,finding out that she had her pies 
hidden under the puncheon floor1 he     
raised a plank and proceeded to help    
himself4 ,the woman1 seeing her         

opportunity1 threw the plank onto his   
neck and jumped on the plank4 ,the man  
got a furlough1 came home1 and was      
confined to his bed for some time4 ,it  
was reported about the neighborhood that
 he had a spell of fever4  ,the woman   
who brought the diphtheria to us sought 
our house as a place of refuge1 because 
the house being low and in a low place  
the cannon balls would pass over it4    
,after the ,lord saved me1 this incident
 came to my mind as a lesson in         
humility4 ,low and in a low place4 ,if  
we as ,god's servants keep humble and in
 a low place1 the enemy may hurl his    
darts and shoot his cannon balls3 they  
will go over us and will not harm us4   
,if we don't want to be disturbed or    
crippled by the enemy of our souls1 we  
should keep low at the feet of ,jesus   
where he can continually shelter us4 ,he
 that dwelleth in the secret place of   
the most high1 shall abide under the    
shadow of the ,almighty4  ,some time    
after these events the ,southern        

soldiers1 commonly known as             
bushwhackers1 came into our neighborhood
 and camped in the woods4 ,one evening  
as it was growing dusk1 my oldest sister
 and the one next older than ,i went    
after water to a well half way between  
our house and the house of our nearest  
neighbor on the west4 ,from this well   
both families used water4 ,the girls had
 to go down a steep hill to get to the  
well2 and as they came back to the brow 
of the hill1 they found our dog lying   
dead4 ,while the girls were at the well1
 the soldiers had no doubt killed the   
dog with a club1 as no one heard a gun  
fired4 ,my sisters went home with the   
water and then went back to investigate2
 they wanted to be sure that it was our 
dog that had been killed4 ,they heard   
men in the brush near the place where   
the dog was lying1 and being very young 
and not realizing their danger1 they    
talked rather loudly and boisterously1  
saying that if they could see the men in
 the brush1 they would shoot them with  

their fingers4 ,the crackling in the    
brush indicated that the men were very  
near4  ,that night a large number of    
these bushwhackers entered our          
neighbor's house and stole bonds1 notes1
 and clothing estimated to be worth     
#bjjj4 ,mr4 ,douglas had just been to   
,sedalia1 where he had procured a good  
supply of clothing4 ,the soldiers       
pointed ,mr4 ,douglas's own gun1 which  
had never been known to miss fire       
before1 at his head2 but it failed to go
 off4 ,our house was not molested4 ,the 
next day these same men caught one of   
,mr4 ,douglas's boys1 made him take off 
his shoes1 hat1 and all his other       
clothing1 except his underwear1 and     
turned him loose4 ,in this condition1 he
 had to go about a quarter of a mile    
before reaching home4  ,it was probably 
some time after these events that the   
bushwhackers came to our house and      
wanted ,mother to cook a meal for a     
dozen men4 ,mother was hardly able to be
 out of bed1 but my sister ,mehala1     

thinking that they were ,union soldiers1
 said1 ,mother1 ,i can cook for them4   
,well1 ,mehala1 ,mother said1 if you    
can1 you may go ahead4 ,mother helped   
all she could4 ,they baked two large    
pones of corn-bread in the oldfashioned 
fireplace and fried plenty of fresh     
beef4 ,although the soldiers had ordered
 food for a dozen men1 only two of them 
came4 ,one of them took the provisions  
and the other guarded the house until he
 thought we would have no chance to     
report them4 ,then they went to the home
 of a neighbor and with much bad        
language said that ,mother was ,union   
and therefore pretended to be sick and  
did not want to cook for them4  ,during 
the war1 things we had to buy were very 
high and things we had to sell brought  
only a trifle4 ,father sold corn to the 
,union soldiers for #be cents a bushel4 
,in imagination ,i can see the          
government wagons coming to haul the    
corn away to their camp4 ,the beds of   
the wagons were somewhat like those used

 today1 only they sloped outward on     
either side until they would hold more  
than twice as much as our ordinary farm 
wagons4  ,at that time1 flour cost      
#aj4jj and upward1 a barrel1 calico from
 #ce to #de cents a yard1 and cotton    
yarn from #i4jj to #aa4jj a bunch4 ,this
 quantity of yarn would make only about 
#be yards of jeans4 ,mother did her own 
spinning and weaving until some years   
after the war4 ,we sheared our own      
sheep1 washed and picked the wool1 and  
sent it to the carding machine1 where it
 was made into rolls4 ,then ,mother and 
my older sister1 who was nearly grown1  
spun the yarn and wove it into jeans and
 linsey1 and also into flannel and      
blankets4 ,mother made all the clothing 
for the family--underwear1 pants1 vests1
 coats1 and even overcoats4 ,i well     
remember the old loom and spinning wheel
 and the little wheel on which ,i used  
to quill for my sister while she wove4  
,small as ,i was1 ,i had learned to     
knit4 ,i knit mittens for the soldiers1 

for which ,i got #ej cents a pair at    
,sedalia1 the nearest army post1 twenty 
miles away4  ,in the early part of the  
war ,father was a militiaman4 ,at one   
time he came very near being accidently 
killed in his own orchard by some of his
 own men4 ,some ,federal soldiers who   
were passing came into our orchard1 and 
seeing ,father at a distance1 thought he
 was a ,southerner4 ,father1 seeing his 
danger1 started to run2 but one of the  
soldiers who was near enough to         
recognize him1 cried1 ,cole1 don't run  
or they'll shoot you2 but ,father       
thought he said1 ,cole run or they'll   
shoot you4 ,finally they got him to     
understand what they meant1 and his life
 was saved4  ,i am not sure how near to 
our home actual fighting occurred4      
,there were no battles fought nearer    
than ,lone ,jack4 ,a number of our      
neighbors1 however1 were shot down in   
their own dooryards by those of the     
other side4 ,one of our neighbors who   
favored the ,south but who was willing  

to be anything for the sake of safety1  
got fooled three times in one day4 ,when
 the ,confederate soldiers came along1  
he thought they were ,federals and      
professed to be a ,union man2 and then  
when the ,federal soldiers came by he   
thought they were ,confederates and told
 them he favored the ,south4 ,when his  
own men came by again1 they took his    
property because he had lied to them4   
,his wife followed the soldiers         
pleading1 begging1 and crying1 until    
they gave up the property4 ,in his case1
 lies did not prove to be a satisfactory
 refuge4  ,at ,cole ,camp1 about        
twenty-five miles from our place lived  
some ,germans--good honest people1 who  
had worked hard and had gotten quite a  
bit of property together4 ,these thrifty
 farmers were not disturbing either     
side1 but some men around ,windsor1 who 
called themselves ,home ,guards1 went   
down to ,cole ,camp1 killed these       
inoffensive ,germans1 stamped their     
heads with their boot-heels1 took all of

 their goods that they could carry away1
 while the poor wives were begging for  
the lives of their companions4 ,then    
these miscreants returned to ,windsor   
and divided the spoil4 ,one of my       
brothers1 a mere boy1 who was working   
for one of the ,home ,guards1 overheard 
his employer quarreling with another man
 over the division of the booty4        
,before the ,home ,guards started on    
this raid1 a preacher named ,pierce1 of 
the ,m4 ,e4 ,south denomination1 prayed 
for their success4 ,after their return1 
my father overheard him and one of the  
raiders talking4 ,father overheard this 
man tell ,pierce that his brother had   
killed nine ,germans and stamped them on
 the head with his boot heel4 ,upon     
hearing this the preacher1 throwing back
 his head1 laughed heartily4 ,he seemed 
to enjoy the story very much4 ,up until 
this time ,father was a member of the   
,m4 ,e4 ,south denomination2 but after  
overhearing this conversation he no     
longer professed to be one of them4 ,it 

has often been remarked that war makes  
men wicked2 but ,mother used to say that
 usually the wickedness was in the men  
already and that war merely gave them a 
chance to put their wickedness on       
exhibition4 ,boys1 of course1 were      
especially demoralized by soldier-life1 
coming in contact as they did with so   
many wicked influences4  ,in the early  
part of the war1 both ,father and my    
second brother1 ,john1 joined the       
militia1 which was later disbanded4     
,before the war closed1 ,father reached 
his #deth year and after that was too   
old to go as a soldier4 ,john was quite 
patriotic and wanted to enlist for      
regular service4 ,nevertheless1 he and  
my oldest brother went to ,illinois to  
attend school4 ,when they started1      
,mother said1 ,john1 don't enlist in the
 army any more4 ,mother1 he answered1 ,i
 won't unless they draft me2 but if they
 draft ,i will volunteer1 for ,i don't  
like the treatment of a drafted soldier4
  ,soon a rumor came that a draft was to

 be made1 on purpose1 ,i suppose1 to    
beat up volunteers4 ,so to avoid being  
drafted1 my brother volunteered4 ,he had
 been exposed to the measles shortly    
before his enlistment1 but supposed that
 when he joined the army he would get a 
furlough for at least twenty days4 ,he  
was disappointed3 next day they got     
marching orders4 ,he took the measles1  
had to go out on duty when not able1    
took cold1 and soon died with congestion
 of the lungs4 ,his body lies in the    
soldiers' graveyard at ,chattanooga1    
,tenn4  ,about the year #ahid1 ,i think1
 while my youngest brother and ,i were  
out in gospel work1 the ,lord greatly   
burdened my heart to pray for ,mother's 
support4 ,my brother and ,i were        
supposed to help provide for her2 and at
 this time ,mother was especially in    
need1 although ,i did not know it4 ,the 
,lord showed me that ,i should save up  
what ,i had on hands for ,mother's      
support until ,i should reach home1 and 
that if ,i did not ,i would feel very   

sorry4  ,i did as ,god directed4 ,when  
,i reached home1 ,mother began to tell  
me of the poor crops and other drawbacks
 and what a hard time they had had4 ,i  
told her ,i was glad to see that she had
 salvation1 even if she did not have    
much of this world's goods1 for ,i had  
seen many people with much of this      
world's goods1 but with no experience of
 salvation1 and they were in worse      
condition than she4 ,i was still        
burdened to pray the ,lord to supply    
,mother's needs2 not only for the       
present1 but while she lived4  ,when1   
after about three weeks' visit at home1 
,i started again in the gospel work1 ,i 
gave ,mother all the change ,i had to   
spare4 ,as ,i did so1 she looked at me  
with tears running down her cheeks and  
said1 ,mary1 ,i don't want to take this2
 the cause needs it so badly4 ,mother1  
,i said1 you are a part of the cause4   
,she laughed and cried but took the     
money4 ,shortly after this ,i got a     
postal card from my brother at home1    

saying that he had news from            
,washington1 that ,mother had been      
granted a pension because of my brother 
,john's death during the ,civil ,war4   
,for three years she had been trying to 
get this pension and had about given up 
hope of ever receiving it4 ,mother      
received #djj4jj back pension and #ab4jj
 a month for the remainder of her life4 
,the ,lord showed me that my prayer was 
answered for ,mother's support1 and the 
burden left me4     ,chapter ,v         
,conversion and ,sanctification  ,a few 
years after ,i became a helpless        
invalid1 ,i was somewhat wrought upon by
 the ,spirit of ,god1 but had no advice 
as to what ,i should do4 ,i joined the  
,m4 ,e4 ,church on probation1 although  
,i was yet unsaved4 ,the minister who   
received me into the church1 did not    
inquire whether ,i was saved or not1 nor
 did he ask about my spiritual welfare4 
,in my nineteenth year ,i was convicted 
of my sins1 after the following         
circumstance3 ,i was having a quarrel   

with one of my younger brothers4 ,we    
were both high-spirited and each wanted 
to have his own way4 ,while the quarrel 
was in progress1 ,mother came on the    
scene1 and what she heard was enough to 
make her heart ache4 ,mary1 why don't   
you set a better example8 ,mother1 ,i   
said1 he commenced on me first4 ,if you 
make him behave himself1 ,i will behave4
 ,mary1 ,i am afraid you children will  
never stop your quarreling until you    
land in perdition2 and if ,i were out of
 the way1 you would soon be there4 ,you 
act just as if you wanted me out of the 
way4 ,i saw her standing there as pale  
as a corpse with the big tears rolling  
down her face4 ,she was always pale in  
those days4 ,i said1 ,mother1 don't     
break my heart4 ,mary1 said she1 you    
broke my heart first4 ,mother1 won't you
 forgive me8 ,yes1 she answered1 ,i     
forgive you2 but there is one higher    
than ,i whom you have offended1 and you 
will have to ask his forgiveness4  ,up  
to that time ,i was not under           

conviction1 but the ,lord now began to  
answer the prayer of my oldest brother1 
who had been praying for my conviction4 
,that same evening ,i went into the     
garden1 and earnestly asked the ,lord to
 convict me of my sins4 ,i remember now 
that he had convicted me in the past but
 that ,i had resisted until conviction  
left me4 ,i said to the ,lord1 ,i will  
not fight conviction now if it kills me 
right on the spot4 ,the ,lord took me at
 my word2 he knew ,i meant what ,i said 
with all my heart4 ,i arose from my     
knees1 and walked toward the house1 with
 such a deep realization of ,god's      
displeasure on my lost soul that it     
seemed as if the earth would open and   
swallow me up4 ,i shall never forget    
that awful experience4 ,i think ,i fully
 comprehended ,god's displeasure against
 rebellious souls1 but in his wrath he  
remembered mercy1 and ,i found myself   
seeking ,god with all my heart4 ,i could
 not weep1 but my heart was sincere and 
deeply determined to seek ,god until ,i 

should know that ,i was saved4  ,i did  
not find the ,lord at once and the enemy
 brought discouragement against my soul4
 ,i was just about to come to the       
conclusion that ,i would seek ,god only 
a week1 and that if ,i did not find him 
then ,i would quit4 ,but as ,i walked   
through the front room1 ,i noticed an   
old ,methodist hymn-book lying on the   
stand4 ,i opened it and as ,god would   
have it1 my eyes fell on these lines3   
,and will you basely to the tempter     
yield8 ,going to the kitchen where      
,mother was washing1 ,i said1 ,mother1  
there is a hymn in this book that ought 
to be torn out4 ,she said1 ,why1 ,mary8 
,after ,i had read the line to her she  
said1 ,mary1 can't you adopt the next   
line as yours8 ',no1 in the strength of 
,jesus1 no1 ,i never will give up my    
shield4' ,i decided then and there to   
seek ,god until the day of my death1 or 
until ,i found him4  ,my oldest brother 
and ,i went to prayer4 ,he asked me to  
pray1 but all ,i have ever remembered   

saying is1 ,lord have mercy on me4 ,lord
 hear me4 ,he said1 ,mary1 the ,lord    
does have mercy on you and the ,lord    
does hear you1 or you could not have    
prayed as you have been praying4 ,he    
asked me whether ,i was willing to live 
or die for the ,lord2 and ,i said1 ,i am
 willing to live1 but ,i am not willing 
to die in this condition1 ,he replied1  
,all the ,lord wants is your will4 ,he  
will not let you die in this condition  
when you want to get saved4 ,but ,i     
still persisted that ,i wasn't willing  
to die in that condition4  ,then the    
enemy tried to bring confusion upon me4 
,the burden of my guilt was all gone and
 the devil suggested that ,i was worse  
than ,i had thought1 that my heart was  
so hard ,i could not mourn for my sins  
any more4 ,howbeit1 the dear ,lord came 
to my rescue4 ,he reminded me that my   
repentance was genuine1 and therefore   
accepted by him2 and that all he        
required of me was to exercise faith in 
his promises1 and that if ,i could not  

do that immediately1 ,i could begin to  
quote his word1 ,lord1 ,i believe2 help 
thou my unbelief4 ,i kept repeating that
 declaration and prayer all day long and
 until late in the afternoon4  ,i got   
hold of a little tract in which ,god's  
promises were simplified2 for instance1 
,he is our light in darkness2 our wisdom
 in ignorance2 our counsellor in        
perplexity4 ,i said1 ,lord1 ,i am       
perplexed3 the burden of guilt is gone  
and ,i can't mourn any more1 but ,i     
can't say that ,i am saved4 ,mother had 
said that the ,lord had shown her that  
she was saved1 and ,i felt sure that as 
,god is no respecter of persons1 he must
 show me that ,i was saved too4 ,i could
 not be satisfied short of that2 so ,i  
said1 ,lord1 ,i take thee as my         
counsellor in perplexity4 ,then ,i      
repeated1 ,lord1 ,i believe2 help thou  
my unbelief4 ,before the sentence had   
dropped from my lips1 ,i said1 ,lord1 ,i
 know2 ,lord1 ,i know4  ,i can not tell 
you how happy ,i was4 ,i arose from my  

knees1 started out of my chamber and to 
my surprise met the brother with whom ,i
 had quarreled4 ,o ,oliver1 ,i said1 the
 ,lord has had mercy on me and saved me4
 ,i shall never forget that day4 ,it was
 ,may #c1 #ahga4  ,up to that time ,i   
had not opened my heart to my father    
concerning my soul's condition and      
needs1 as he was not living a           
satisfactory life himself1 but when ,i  
went to the supper table1 ,i was so     
happy that ,i said1 ,o ,father1 help me 
praise the ,lord4 ,not knowing how my   
soul had been longing for ,god and a new
 life1 he said1 ,mary1 what has broken  
loose8 ,i answered1 ,i can't praise ,him
 enough2 ,i want you to help me praise  
him4 ,i was too happy to eat supper1 and
 so went out into the yard and walked up
 and down praising the ,lord to my      
soul's content4  ,i might say here1 it  
was not fear of everlasting punishment  
that caused me to seek ,god1 but a good 
faithful mother's love4 ,i did not want 
to grieve her heart and as ,i could not 

keep from doing so without help from    
above1 ,i sought salvation with this end
 in view4 ,at this time there came very 
forcibly to me the scripture about      
,mary's anointing the ,lord before his  
burial4 ,i decided that she should be my
 example4 ,i would give ,mother some of 
the flowers of my experience1 and not   
wait until after she was dead and       
buried4 ,had ,i waited to strew flowers 
over her grave1 ,i would have expected  
to hear people say1 ,she is nothing but 
a hypocrite4 ,she did not treat her     
mother right while she was living1 and  
now she is trying to make a show4 ,let  
us take a lesson from ,mary of old--give
 flowers to the living2 but if we have  
no flowers1 let us see to it that we do 
not give thorns4 ,it was thorns that the
 enemies of ,christ placed upon his brow
 in mockery4  ,later ,i found that there
 was something in me that did not want  
to treat ,mother just right--a          
disposition arising in my heart to      
disobey her4 ,i felt that this grieved  

the ,lord2 and ,i went and asked him to 
forgive me4 ,one day ,i said1 ,mother1  
,i am going to set down on paper a      
record of every day that ,i keep from   
getting mad4 ,as ,i had a very high     
temper1 ,mother thought it very foolish 
for me to undertake such a record4      
,nevertheless1 day after day went by in 
which ,i did not become angry1 until a  
month had elapsed2 ,i had not been angry
 for a month4  ,just a month after ,i   
was saved1 my oldest brother1 who was a 
minister1 came with a message on the    
subject of sanctification4 ,he explained
 the doctrine to ,mother and me and     
showed us our privilege of attaining to 
this grace4 ,before noon of that day we 
made a complete consecration for time   
and for eternity1 grasped the promises1 
and both of us received the experience4 
,i am sure that my consecration was made
 in great ignorance2 but the ,lord      
understood that ,i was sincere1 and     
graciously granted me the experience4   
,when ,i received the sanctifying grace1

 ,i did not think of demonstration1 or  
of great feeling1 or of anything of that
 kind3 ,i simply consecrated all a      
living sacrifice1 and reckoned myself   
dead indeed unto sin and alive unto ,god
 through our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,i   
met the conditions and believed that the
 work was done4  ,not until the tempter 
came1 did ,i fully realize what ,god had
 done in sanctifying me4 ,that evening  
the devil tested me in such a way that  
had there been any of the old ,adam in  
me1 it would have been stirred up2 but1 
thank ,god6 the devil found nothing to  
work upon4 ,god had removed that        
depraved nature1 the sin-principle      
inherited from the fall of ,adam4 ,as   
there was nothing but ,god's glory in my
 soul1 nothing but glory could bubble   
up1 no matter how severe the temptation4
 ,i felt so secure--just as if ,i were  
out in mid-ocean upon a solid rock1 the 
waves dashing all around me1 but        
powerless to disturb my security and the
 peace of my soul4  ,soon after ,i was  

sanctified1 ,i testified to my          
experience1 in a ,methodist quarterly   
meeting4 ,the presiding elder made fun  
of me3 he said1 ,the testimonies of     
those that claim to be sanctified1 sound
 just like the tones of an old cracked  
cow-bell4 ,there was only one good      
testimony made this evening2 and that   
was by one who did not profess          
sanctification4 ,my only persecution at 
home came from a neighbor who made fun  
of my prayers4 ,her oft-repeated        
expression was1 ,pray like old ,mary    
,cole4 ,later when her grandchild lay   
dying1 she called on me to pray four    
times within twenty-four hours4 ,after  
the child was dead1 she said she was    
hurt because ,i did not pray for the    
child's healing1 because she was sure   
that if ,i had done so the child would  
have lived4  ,a minister who came onto  
our circuit some time after this decided
 that those who had the experience of   
sanctification should not testify to it4
 ,he gave as his reason that he wanted  

to bring the people to a level in their 
experiences2 in other words1 he wanted  
to bring the sanctified ones down to    
lift the justified ones up1 until they  
would all be on an equality in          
experience4 ,two sisters who were       
sanctified1 came to me and said1 ,sister
 ,cole1 we have come to the conclusion  
that we won't testify to sanctification 
this year1 lest we offend the minister4 
,i replied1 ,if the minister is going to
 oppose sanctification1 so much the more
 will ,i testify to it throughout the   
year4 ,i did so1 and ,god wonderfully   
blessed me4 ,these women stopped        
testifying to please the preacher2 and  
before the year was out1 they and the   
preacher were having trouble4  ,after ,i
 was sanctified1 ,i was so happy and    
victorious in my soul1 that ,i wanted to
 tell my experience to others4 ,at one  
time ,i was talking to a lady old enough
 to be my grandmother1 telling her how  
happy ,i was1 and how ,i enjoyed the    
fulness of ,god's blessing4 ,she seemed 

to appreciate my story greatly2 but     
after ,i got through1 the thought came  
to me that she would think that ,i felt 
myself important in trying to instruct  
one so much older than myself4          
,although ,i did not know it at the     
time1 this was the enemy whispering to  
me4 ,i apologized to her for saying     
anything about my experience3 ,you must 
not get hurt at me because ,i have      
talked so to you1 but ,i am very happy  
in the ,lord4 ,looking at me steadily   
she said1 ,you are not worth getting    
hurt over4 ,i saw the point4 ,this was  
,god's reproof4 ,i learned my lesson2   
and so far as ,i know1 ,i have never    
made an apology for what the ,lord has  
done for me4     ,chapter ,,vi  ,events 
of ,early ,christian ,life  ,one day    
soon after ,i was saved1 ,i felt ,god   
stirring within me1 and gave vent to my 
happy soul by praising his precious name
 aloud4 ,this seemed to disturb ,father1
 and he commanded me to be quiet4 ,but  
,god stirred me up more and more1 until 

my soul seemed to roar like a lion1 and 
,i quoted the following scripture to    
,father3 ,if these should hold their    
peace1 the stones would immediately cry 
out4 ,this looked like disobedience to  
my father2 but the outcome seemed to    
show that ,god was leading me1 for      
,father calmed down and did not again   
interfere with my praising the ,lord4   
,not long after ,i was sanctified1 ,i   
received my first light on the subject  
of dress4 ,one ,sunday morning while at 
the ,methodist meeting listening to a   
sermon1 a voice began to talk to my     
soul3 ,you profess to be sanctified1    
living a holy life1 and yet your        
head-dress shows conformity to the      
world4 ,these words did not come from   
the pulpit either3 nothing was being    
preached against dress or worldly       
conformity4 ,sunday after ,sunday the   
same still1 small voice talked to me in 
this way1 until ,i hardly knew what to  
do4  ,finally ,i said to myself1 ,i     
shall not allow my conscience to be     

tortured in this way any more4 ,early   
,monday morning1 therefore1 as soon as  
,i had an opportunity1  ,i took the     
flowers off my hat1 as they were what   
the ,holy ,spirit had been pointing out 
to me4 ,my ,mother1 who was sitting by1 
said1 ,mary1 what are you doing8 ,i     
said1 ,i am taking these flowers off4   
,what are you doing that for8 she       
inquired4 ,because1 ,i answered1 ,i do  
not want them on4 ,i did not explain    
matters to her just then4 ,she replied1 
,that is just a foolish notion of yours4
 ,you will soon want the flowers on     
again4 ,no1 ,mother1 ,i answered1 ,i    
never will4  ,so ,i took the flowers off
 and put them into the vase where we    
kept our winter bouquet4 ,as ,i did so1 
the voice of ,god said1 ,if you do not  
want to be tempted in this matter again1
 put those flowers into the fire4 ,i    
immediately obeyed1 and from that day to
 this ,i have never been tempted to     
restore the flowers to my hat4  ,about  
ten years later while ,i was holding my 

first meeting at ,salisbury1 ,missouri1 
,i saw a number of young ladies who were
 dressed so saintlike1 and in a manner  
so becoming to holy lives1 that ,i was  
convicted immediately for plainness of  
dress4 ,some of the sisters who were    
gospel teachers1 came to me at the close
 of the service1 saying that they would 
like to have a talk with me4 ,i thought 
,i knew what they wanted to say1 because
 ,god had already been talking to me on 
the same subject4 ,i was not mistaken4  
,as you profess to be a holiness        
teacher1 said they1 you ought to be an  
example in plainness of dress4 ,i told  
them that ,i had no plain dresses4 ,all 
,i had were virtually a display of      
ruffles1 flounces1 pin-backs and        
tuck-ups4 ,they then inquired if ,i     
would be pleased to have them help me   
make my clothes over4 ,i told them1     
,certainly ,i would1 but some of my     
dresses are so cut up that they couldn't
 be made over4 ,i was very thankful when
 an opportunity was offered to make my  

clothes plain4 ,god had already given me
 an understanding of his will in regard 
to dress2 and it was not only easy for  
me to obey1 but a pleasure also4  ,it   
was not so very long after this--while  
,i was in my second meeting at          
,sturgeon1 ,mo4--that a minister handed 
me some money for my personal use4 ,soon
 afterwards his wife came and said that 
the ,lord had shown her that she must   
give me something too4 ,as this was the 
first money that had been handed me1 ,i 
hardly knew what to do2 but ,i accepted 
it4 ,then the sister said1 ,now1 ,sister
 ,cole1 ,i will take the money my       
husband has given you and what ,i have  
given1 and will buy the goods for a     
plain dress for you4 ,i will see that it
 is made plain and neat1 and so that it 
will fit you4 ,how glad ,i was when ,i  
got that dress6 ,only once after that   
was ,i tempted to build again what ,i   
had destroyed4 ,then ,i got a dress and 
trimmed it with lace1 but ,i could not  
wear it that way at all4 ,that was my   

last temptation to try to dress in      
style4  ,about nine o'clock one evening 
in the month of ,december1 of the year  
,i was saved1 ,mother and ,i were in the
 kitchen4 ,i was down on my knees mixing
 some sausage-meat in a vessel1 when all
 at once ,i looked up and saw a very    
bright light1 which seemed to be moving 
very rapidly4 ,mother1 said ,i1 what    
makes that light8 ,my first thought was 
that some of my younger brothers were   
carrying a light and trying to scare us2
 but when ,i saw that the light was so  
strong and moving so fast1 ,i felt sure 
that ,i was mistaken4 ,by this time     
mother was standing in the door and     
calling1 ,mary1 come quick and you can  
see what is causing the light4 ,what ,i 
saw1 was a large ball of fire4 ,starting
 from the west1 or a little north of    
west1 it moved southeast at a high rate 
of speed4  ,when we first saw the ball1 
about two-thirds of it was hidden behind
 the horizon1 and we gazed at it until  
it went out of sight4 ,perhaps our      

imaginations worked upon our senses2 but
 it seemed that sparks of fire flew back
 from the ball4 ,in two or three minutes
 after the ball disappeared1 there was a
 terrible trembling of the earth as if  
there had been a small earthquake4      
,probably the ball struck with such     
force that it shook the earth4 ,this    
sight was witnessed by people in        
different states4  ,my feelings at the  
time of this incident made me think how 
poor sinners will feel in the day of    
judgment when they will be standing     
awaiting their doom1 knowing that the   
wrath of ,god rests upon them1 and that 
they are without hope4 ,far more        
terrifying things than the passing of a 
comet will be happening then2 and many  
will be crying for the rocks and        
mountains to fall on them to hide them  
from the presence of him that liveth and
 reigneth forever4 ,i confess1 that     
though ,i was saved1 ,i trembled at     
seeing that ball of fire in its weird   
passage4 ,i thought that if this little 

incident had such an effect upon one who
 was saved and ready to meet ,god1 what 
a far more terrible spectacle would the 
day of judgment be to those who were not
 ready4  ,one fall1 not long after ,i   
was saved1 the grasshoppers came to our 
part of the country1 and laid their     
eggs1 and in the spring the young       
grasshoppers hatched out by the million4
 ,there were so many grasshoppers and   
they destroyed the vegetation so rapidly
 that people began to fear a famine4    
,the governor of the ,state proclaimed a
 day of fasting and prayer1 and many    
people gathered at the different houses 
of worship to plead with the ,lord to   
stay the plague4 ,even hardhearted      
sinners left their work and came to     
these meetings4 ,god heard our          
petitions1 and in three days the        
grasshoppers were gone4 ,then some of   
the unsaved people said1 ,oh1 well1 the 
grasshoppers would have gone anyway4    
,they just stayed until their wings were
 grown3 they would have gone without    

prayer4 ,thus they dishonored ,god4 ,we 
had an excellent crop that year--much   
better than usual2 but when             
,thanksgiving time came1 many of those  
who were at the fast-day meeting had no 
time to come and thank the ,lord for his
 mercies4  ,just when the grasshoppers  
were at their worst1 my mother was      
making garden4 ,some one said1 ,you     
would better not make garden because the
 grasshoppers will eat it up4 ,oh1 well1
 she replied1 ,i am going to plant it   
anyway and trust it with the ,lord4     
',they that sow in hope shall be        
partaker of their hope4' ,mother did not
 fight the grasshoppers at all2 she just
 trusted the ,lord4  ,a number of people
 had great battles with the             
grasshoppers4 ,i remember a doctor's    
wife who came to her death because of   
overheating herself in her exertions to 
keep the grasshoppers from getting her  
garden4 ,near one side of ,mother's     
garden there was a patch of fennel4     
,mother saw the grasshoppers in the     

garden but they did not seem to take    
anything but the weeds4 ,then they moved
 out into the patch of fennel1 stripped 
it of all its leaves1 and left only the 
stems standing4 ,i do not think ,mother 
ever had a better garden2 some of her   
vegetables were especially fine4 ,they  
that trust the ,lord shall not be       
confounded4    ,blind unbelief is sure  
to err1   ,and scan his work in vain2   
,god is his own interpreter1   ,and he  
will make it plain4     ,chapter ,,vii  
,my ,call to the ,ministry  ,when ,i was
 about twenty-two years of age1 ,i      
attended a camp-meeting held by a number
 of different denominations4 ,one night1
 while at this meeting1 ,i awoke and    
became conscious that ,god was calling  
me to get up and to go outside the tent 
to pray4 ,as ,i obeyed the voice of the 
,lord1 ,i became conscious of his awful 
presence and remembered what he said to 
,moses3 ,put thy shoes from off thy     
feet1 for the ground whereon thou       
standest is holy ground4 ,god then      

called to my remembrance how he had been
 leading me for sometime to pray in     
secret for many different persons and   
interests1 and made me to understand    
that he wanted me to exercise myself in 
that way at this time also4  ,after ,i  
had prayed for everything ,i could think
 of1 the ,lord burdened me to pray      
again1 although it seemed that ,i had no
 other language in which to express my  
petition4 ,the ,lord would in a special 
manner send down the glory in my soul   
and1 at every repeated petition1 fill me
 more and more with his presence4 ,this 
was done at least three times4 ,then he 
confronted me with this question1 ,will 
you consecrate yourself to go out as a  
life-worker for me8 ,lord1 ,i cried1 ,i 
thought ,i consecrated myself all to you
 when ,i was sanctified4 ,yes1 you did1 
but not as a life-worker1 was his       
answer2 although1 of course1 this was   
included in the all things that ,i      
consecrated to the ,master4  ,although  
,i realized that ,god was talking to me1

 yet ,i began making excuses3 ,lord1 ,i 
am not talented2 my education is so     
meagre2 there is no one to go with me2  
and1 besides1 ,i have a stammering      
tongue4 ,god cut my excuses short with1 
,who made man's mouth8 ,i gave ,moses   
,aaron as his spokesman2 but ,i will do 
a better part by you1 ,i will go with   
you myself4 ,praise the ,lord6          
,throughout the years that ,i have      
worked for him1 this promise has been   
fulfilled4  ,again1 when the devil      
suggested that ,i had no means of       
traveling1 the ,lord brought to my mind 
this scripture1 ,yea1 the ,almighty     
shall be thy defense1 and thou shalt    
have plenty of silver4 ,for every excuse
 ,i made1 the ,lord had a scripture1    
until ,i felt as did ,job1 that when the
 ,almighty speaks1 ,i will lay mine hand
 upon my mouth4 ,so ,i submitted and    
consented to obey ,god4  ,i now suppose 
that ,i was ready to go back to bed2 but
 the ,lord began to talk to me again4   
,he showed me that he wanted me to pray 

still more4 ,as ,i began again to pour  
out my heart to him1 he seemed just to  
pour the glory into my soul and to press
 it down until he saw1 ,i suppose1 that 
,i was ready to hear his plan for me--a 
plan that ,i had not yet contemplated4  
,when he said to me therefore1 ,go      
preach my gospel1 ,i was astonished     
beyond measure4 ,oh1 it was all so new6 
,i made excuses2 but again he gave      
,scripture to offset every excuse--and  
all so comforting and                   
strengthening--that ,i submitted to his 
will4 ,i went to bed almost overwhelmed 
by the glory of ,god4  ,next day ,i     
thought that as ,i had been blessed in  
learning ,god's will concerning me1     
others would be rejoiced too1 to hear me
 relate my experience4 ,but when ,i     
began to tell publicly how ,god had     
talked to my soul1 to my surprise1 it   
stirred up a spirit of jealousy in some 
and before night the devil tried to     
carry out his design to defeat the      
,lord's plan in regard to me4 ,the devil

 began by starting a wicked falsehood   
against me and thus1 almost crushing the
 life out of me4 ,i did not understand  
the devil's cunning way and did not know
 how to lean on ,god1 it was a dark hour
 for me4 ,i remembered how the enemies  
of ,moses tried to slay him when he was 
a child1 and how the ,jews tried to     
destroy our ,savior when he was a little
 babe4 ,god proved himself and protected
 me2 he lifted me above all my          
persecutions and made me more than a    
conqueror4 ,i had learned the useful    
lesson to let the ,lord be my defense   
and not to try to defend myself4  ,on my
 return home1 when ,i told my           
class-leader how ,god had revealed his  
will to me concerning my future1 he     
said1 ,you are a pretty looking thing to
 be called to preach4 ,i thought so too2
 but to excuse myself1 for ,i hardly    
knew what to say1 ,i replied1 ,i do not 
believe that every one called to preach 
will have to stand in the pulpit3 a     
person may preach by his life and       

conduct4 ,mother was the only other     
person to whom ,i told the story of my  
call1 until ,i began my ministry4       
,chapter ,,viii  ,seven ,years of       
,preparation  ,although ,god had given  
me a very clear1 definite call to the   
ministry1 and had made very plain his   
purpose in regard to me1 yet he did not 
immediately send me out to preach the   
gospel4 ,nearly seven years elapsed     
between the call and the sending--years 
in which the ,lord led me and in which  
occurred a number of incidents that had 
a very important influence on my life4  
,these together with some other         
incidents connected with them1 which    
occurred in after years1 will be related
 in this chapter4  ,about the time of my
 call to the ministry1 but whether      
shortly before or soon afterwards1 ,i do
 not remember1 ,i was again confined to 
my bed from ,september to ,march4       
,during a part of this time ,i was      
entirely helpless2 but oh1 with how much
 greater fortitude did ,i bear my       

sickness now than ,i did in my fifteenth
 year6 ,god in his infinite love and    
mercy had brought about a wonderful     
change4 ,instead of being tortured and  
tormented1 and in desperation wishing   
myself dead1 the nearer ,i approached   
death1 the happier ,i became4 ,at times 
it seemed that the angels were hovering 
over me4 ,one night ,i dreamed that my  
time had come and that ,i swooned away1 
falling into my sister's arms4 ,i       
thought ,i heard ,sister say1 ,mother1  
she is dying4 ,sister1 ,i asked1 do you 
call this death8 ,yes1 was the reply4   
,if this is death1 ,i answered1 ,i could
 die always2 it is so sweet1 so         
heavenly1 so satisfying4  ,but my couch 
at this time was not altogether a bed of
 roses4 ,i suffered greatly and was     
easily discouraged4 ,i realized that ,i 
needed much help and wished that ,god   
would in some way send me consolation4  
,the voice of ,god's ,spirit spoke      
directly to my soul1 ,if ,i send you    
consolation in a dream1 will you accept 

it8 ,i answered1 ,yes1 ,lord1 any way4  
,that night ,i dreamed that ,i was in   
,father's yard1 under a shade tree4     
,looking around me1 ,i saw some things  
that were not pleasant2 but when it     
occurred to me to look at myself1 ,i    
found that ,i was robed in pure white4  
,my soul was stirred as by heavenly     
music4 ,although ,i had never been able 
to sing1 yet now ,i felt as though ,i   
could not keep from trying4 ,my voice   
rang out like the clear notes of a      
nightingale2 and all at once ,i was     
joined by a myriad of heavenly voices4  
,the air was full of music4 ,peal after 
peal of the heavenly anthem struck upon 
my ear1 and in my dream ,i exclaimed1   
,is heaven so near the earth as this8   
,surely ,i hear the angels singing6     
,such music ,i have never heard upon    
earth6 ,then ,i awoke with this         
scripture sounding in my ears3 ,the     
angel of the ,lord encampeth round about
 them that fear him and delivereth them4
 ,without a doubt1 the angels were      

around me4 ,the strength and comfort ,i 
received in my soul that night were like
 ,elijah's meal1 in the strength of     
which he went forty days4 ,even now1 the
 thought of my experience sends a thrill
 of heavenly encouragement to my soul4  
,one evening when ,i was about          
twenty-three years old1 we were having  
family worship1 and all the saved       
members of the family had prayed2 ,i    
felt impressed that if we should have a 
second season of prayer1 ,god would do  
something unusual for us4 ,as the       
different members of the family were    
praying the second time1 my youngest    
,brother1 ,george1 ten years old1 was   
being deeply wrought upon by the ,spirit
 of ,god4 ,he arose from his knees and  
started to my chair4 ,as he was in his  
stocking feet1 and moved noiselessly    
across the floor1 nobody saw him4       
,before he got to my chair his heart    
failed him1 and he went back to where he
 had been kneeling4 ,again the ,spirit  
of ,god worked upon his heart stronger  

than before2 he came to where ,i was    
kneeling and said1 ,mary1 ,i want to be 
saved too4 ,we immediately called upon  
,god in his behalf2 the ,lord           
wonderfully saved him2 and after that he
 took part in family worship4  ,god had 
now given me such a love for my younger 
brothers that when they got into their  
little troubles they would come to me   
for help and consolation1 as ,mother    
with her large family and many cares had
 but little time to devote to their     
spiritual welfare4 ,this small burden   
that ,god placed on me was doubtless for
 my good4 ,when the boys got into little
 quarrels1 they would come to me1 and ,i
 would say to them1 ,do you know the    
scripture1 ',only by pride cometh       
contention'8 ,yes4 ,do you know what the
 matter is then8 ,yes1 ,i am up a       
little4 ,do you know what you have to   
do8 ,yes1 to get down4 ,and soon their  
difficulty would be settled4 ,god       
wonderfully blessed my soul in thus     
helping my younger brothers2 and all    

unaware to myself1 ,i was being prepared
 for my future work4  ,i believe that   
,i1 as much as most children1 always    
honored my father2 and1 after ,i was    
saved1 ,i believe ,i honored him as much
 as ,god required4 ,in the incidents ,i 
am now about to relate1 ,i mean to cast 
no reflection upon the memory of my     
father1 now many years gone to his final
 reward2 but ,i tell them that they may 
prove a blessing to others4  ,my father 
was not living a ,christian life        
satisfactory even to himself2 and1 as a 
result1 the enemy could at times use him
 as his instrument4 ,nervous and        
afflicted as ,i was in my childhood     
days1 ,i was afraid of ,father when he  
yielded to the enemy2 but after ,i was  
saved the ,lord gave me much help on    
this line4 ,at times however1 when      
,father was much under the influence of 
the enemy1 the trials were so severe    
that ,mother and ,i frequently had to   
seek ,god for help two or three times a 
day4 ,the ,lord always came to our      

rescue and lifted us above the trial4   
,when ,father showed his better self1 he
 was very dear to all of us4  ,when my  
brother ,harley was about fourteen years
 of age1 he was saved and living as true
 a ,christian life as one would expect  
of a boy his age4 ,it seemed at this    
time that the enemy was especially      
operating through ,father to crush and  
discourage the child4 ,god stirred up my
 soul to protect him and to keep him    
from giving way entirely4 ,one day      
,harley went on an errand for ,father   
and the mule that he rode accidentally  
got his ankle hurt4 ,when he returned1  
,father was very much displeased1 and   
said to my brother1 ,if you can do no   
better than that1 you had better go to  
bed4  ,this was in the evening4 ,i      
picked up the family ,bible1 walked     
across the room to my father and said1  
,we are all willing to go to bed1 but we
 usually have family worship first4     
,won't you read and pray8 ,you can read 
and pray yourself if you want to1 said  

he4 ,so ,i sat down and read1 and then  
we knelt down and prayed2 ,god's power  
came like a mighty wave from the glory  
world1 filling the room4 ,when we arose 
from our knees ,father had disappeared4 
,a few minutes later1 when one of my    
brothers went to the barn1 ,father said 
to him1 ,what is that noise at the      
house8 ,my brother answered1 ,god has   
given us the victory1 and ,mary is      
shouting4 ,well1 said ,father1 that     
won't do the mule any good2 but the boy 
answered quickly1 ,well1 we weren't     
praying for the mule1 and ,father never 
said anything more about the injury to  
the mule4  ,at another time ,harley was 
lying very sick1 and the enemy stirred  
,father up to treat him cruelly4 ,he    
told my brother that if he didn't get   
up1 he would give him a good whipping4  
,he started to get the whip4 ,in the    
meanwhile1 my soul was stirred to its   
limit2 ,god seemed to move my very being
 to protect the child4 ,i knew that he  
was really sick and that the enemy was  

using ,father for his own purpose4  ,i  
went into the room where my brother was 
lying and stood near him4 ,when father  
returned1 he could see me standing by   
the head of the old-fashioned bedstead  
near one of its high posts4 ,he knew by 
my looks that ,i was there to shield the
 sick boy4 ,he ordered me out1 but ,i   
made no reply4 ,he tried to remove me by
 force from where ,i was standing2 but  
,i held on to the bedpost until finally 
by a strong jerk he succeeded in loosing
 my hold and gave me a push that threw  
me across the floor a number of feet    
away1 where ,i fell and went to praying4
 ,god answered prayer1 and gave us the  
victory1 and ,father left the room      
without another word4 ,before beginning 
to resist ,father1 ,i had made up my    
mind to take the whipping myself1 rather
 than see my sick brother imposed upon2 
but ,god intervened1 and ,i did not have
 to suffer4 ,every time ,i interfered1  
,father seemed to realize that it was   
not ,i1 but ,god who was reproving him4 

,i was now about twenty-four or         
twenty-five years of age and ,i felt    
that the ,lord wanted me to make a few  
suggestions to ,father about his        
treatment of me4 ,i told him that he    
should be careful lest he lay himself   
liable to the law4 ,he answered me      
harshly1 but it seemed that ,god put his
 fear on him1 for that was the last time
 ,father became violent toward me4      
,shortly before my healing1 which will  
be described in the next chapter1 ,i had
 a very peculiar dream in which ,i saw  
the whole family sitting at the table   
eating4 ,father held in his hand an iron
 mallet which he began to motion in a   
threatening way toward ,mother4 ,i      
thought that he intended to take her    
life with the mallet4 ,then ,i thought1 
,mother has been so good and kind to me 
that ,i can not bear to stay in the room
 and see this deed done4 ,i started for 
the door4 ,as ,i went1 ,god spoke to me1
 saying1 ,pray2 ask for the strength of 
a ,samson1 if need be2 and ,i will give 

it4 ,i began praying and ,god answered4 
,his strength and power came over me4 ,i
 can not express how strong ,i felt as  
,i went to my father1 took the iron     
mallet out of his hand4 ,he was like a  
little child in my hands4 ,i held him   
until he promised he would never do so  
again2 and all the while his face was   
twitching with fear1 and he was         
trembling like a leaf4  ,when ,i was    
healed1 ,god put much of his divine     
power into both my soul and body4 ,it   
seemed that ,i was just filled with ,god
 and that ,i thrilled with his presence1
 until at times ,i was not on earth1 but
 rather in heaven4 ,at one such time    
,father began to bring false accusations
 against ,harley4 ,his unkind manner1 as
 well as the false charges1 showed that 
he was actuated by a wrong spirit4 ,god 
seemed to again stir my soul to speak in
 behalf of the boy4 ,at first ,father   
did not comprehend that ,god was talking
 through me1 and spoke roughly2 but he  
soon realized that ,god was using my    

lips of clay2 the fear of the ,lord came
 upon him1 and he trembled like a leaf4 
,i saw that ,god had fulfilled my dream1
 that he had helped me to take the iron 
mallet out of ,father's hand4 ,so far as
 ,i know1 ,father never acted so cruelly
 toward my brother again4  ,i wish to   
warn children who read this narrative   
not to use this incident to their own   
shame4 ,if the ,spirit of the ,lord     
should ever lead you to resist your     
father or mother1 he will give you the  
power to win a victory for truth and    
righteousness2 but1 if1 on the other    
hand1 you resist your parents in your   
own strength1 or for selfish purposes1  
you will bring upon yourself shame and  
confusion4 ,even if you should succeed  
in having your own way1 either through  
force of will or through your parents'  
meekly yielding to you1 ,god will make  
you feel the shame of your wrong-doing4 
,in my personal dealings with ,father1  
,god manifested himself and showed      
himself mighty in caring for me4 ,once  

as we were going to meeting1 the team   
became frightened and hard to hold and  
,i became so frightened that ,i had a   
spasm after we got to meeting4 ,father  
was ashamed because ,i had had a spasm  
in public4 ,he seemed to think he was   
disgraced1 and concluded that in the    
future ,i should stay at home4 ,i was   
now saved and sanctified and enjoyed    
very much attending public services1 so 
,mother and ,i prayed earnestly that    
,god would put it into ,father's heart  
to let me attend meetings again4 ,our   
prayers were answered and ,i had no more
 difficulty until sometime afterwards4  
,at that time ,i had been to a meeting  
several miles from home and had remained
 over night with some friends without   
asking permission4 ,as a punishment1    
,father again refused to allow me to go 
to church4  ,again ,mother and ,i sought
 the ,lord with prayer and fasting1 and 
the ,lord soon showed me that we had    
gained the victory4 ,we felt impressed1 
however1 to spend another day in fasting

 and prayer4 ,although ,father did not  
know that we were praying1 he came to me
 and said1 ,mary1 you can go to meeting2
 and from that time he never kept me at 
home from services4  ,father owned the  
farm on which we lived in ,pettis       
,county1 ,missouri4 ,it contained #bdd  
acres of fairly good land and was       
sufficiently stocked4 ,although1 in a   
financial way1 father was doing as well 
as his neighbors1 he had for a number of
 years been growing discontented4 ,these
 periods of discontentment seemed       
especially to trouble him in the spring 
before farm work began4 ,at such times  
he wanted to mortgage his farmland and  
to move out of the country4  ,every     
spring for a number of years1 ,mother   
and ,i would get on our knees and pray  
earnestly to ,god that he would overrule
 ,father's roving disposition and make  
him content to stay at home4 ,again and 
again the dear ,lord was gracious and   
answered our petition4 ,things would go 
on well for a while1 but with the coming

 of the next spring1 we would again have
 the same experience4  ,one spring when 
we took to our knees as usual to pray in
 behalf of ,father1 the ,lord gave me to
 understand that our petition would not 
be answered1 that ,father would have his
 own way4 ,this seemed almost           
unbearable1 and ,i cried and prayed for 
,father until ,i almost lost my voice4  
,god answered my petition with this     
suggestion3 ,if nothing else but to go  
among strangers and have a hard time    
will bring your father to the ,lord are 
you willing that he should go8 ,i       
answered1 ,lord1 from this standpoint1  
but from no other4 ,from that time the  
burden left me4 ,father went1 and the   
,lord said to me1 ,now you have no      
excuse for not going into gospel work4  
,father had been unwilling for me to go1
 and with his going my last excuse was  
removed4  ,father went first to ,oregon1
 but some years later came back as far  
as ,wymore1 ,nebraska1 where he bought  
property and settled4 ,a few years later

 he came and stayed with us at home for 
one winter4  ,in a meeting that my      
brother ,george1 ,sister ,lodema ,kaser1
 and ,i held in ,wymore1 ,father sought 
the ,lord and seemed to get a real      
experience of salvation4  ,later he had 
some little difficulty in retaining his 
experience4 ,he got tried at some of the
 brethren and thought he would leave the
 church1 as he had formerly done in     
sectarianism4 ,he found1 however1 that  
in leaving the church he was leaving    
,god1 since people can get out of the   
church of ,god only through sin4 ,soon  
after this he began to be troubled with 
heart failure4 ,he lived only a few     
months4 ,my sister who cared for him in 
his last illness1 informed me that at   
the time of his death he was fully      
restored to the fellowship of the church
 and that for some months before he     
died1 he showed every sign of being     
prepared4 ,god assured me that ,father  
was saved1 yet as by fire4 ,this seemed 
a real miracle as much of the time      

,father's religious experience had not  
been satisfactory4 ,we serve a mighty   
,god who works miracles3 some of        
,father's children had been praying so  
earnestly for him that ,god would not   
let them be disappointed4 ,i believe ,i 
shall meet him in the glory world4  ,at 
the time my youngest brothers were      
saved1 and shortly afterwards ,i was an 
invalid and unable to go to meeting on  
,sunday4 ,they took turn about staying  
with me1 while my parents went to       
meeting4 ,as soon as the rest of the    
family were gone1 we would take down the
 family ,bible and ask the ,lord to help
 us to turn to some scripture that would
 be good for us4 ,then we would read4   
,whenever we came to a promise1 we would
 ask the ,lord to help us claim that    
promise and to get out of it all the    
benefit that ,god had in it for us4     
,after reading1 we would get down and   
pray asking ,god to help us retain what 
we had read and to make it a blessing to
 us4  ,when the family would come home  

from meeting1 ,mother would tell us all 
she could remember of the sermon1 as she
 was anxious to get to me all the       
encouragement she could4 ,as we listened
 to ,mother's account of the services1  
we realized that we had had the best    
meeting4  ,this fact became so          
noticeable that whenever they wanted    
,george to go to meeting1 he would say1 
,no1 ,i want to stay with ,mary4 ,after 
the others were gone1 he would say1     
,mary1 let us read as we did the other  
,sunday4 ,george1 ,i would answer1 ,i   
feel so weak this morning2 ,i don't feel
 able to hold the ,bible 7it was a very 
large book71 ,mary1 ,i will hold the    
,bible1 if you will do the reading4     
,weak as ,i was1 ,i could not refuse1   
and we would begin1 asking ,god to      
direct us1 stopping to claim each       
promise1 and asking ,god to bless the   
,word to our good1 and to help us to    
remember all that would be helpful to   
us4 ,we continued this practise until ,i
 was healed and able to attend the      

meetings again4 ,i shall never be able  
to tell the profit that ,i derived from 
this little ,bible school4  ,god himself
 was our teacher1 and through this      
responsibility he was preparing me for  
greater usefulness4  ,it was during this
 period of apparent inactivity that ,god
 gave me my first experience of divine  
healing4 ,at that time ,i think ,i was  
about twenty-five years of age4 ,i was  
ignorant that the ,lord is as willing   
and as able to heal our bodies as he is 
to save our souls4 ,i was suffering     
greatly with a swelling on the inside of
 my jaw that entirely closed my mouth4  
,the doctor said he would not dare to   
lance the swelling as the tendons and   
arteries lay so near that such an       
operation would be dangerous4 ,he       
prescribed a poultice1 and said that the
 swelling would probably break in about 
three days4  ,i went home suffering     
greatly3 ,i felt that ,i could not      
endure any more4 ,i told my two youngest
 brothers1 who knew how to pray and cast

 their burdens on the ,lord1 to call on 
,god earnestly that he would either     
relieve me of the suffering or give me  
grace to bear it4 ,soon they came to my 
room3 one said1 ,i prayed for the ,lord 
either to relieve you or give you grace 
to bear the pain1 and the other said1 ,i
 prayed the ,lord to relieve you4 ,in   
ten minutes every bit of suffering was  
gone4 ,a sweet calm settled over my     
body2 and to my happy surprise1 ,i found
 that the swelling had broken4 ,it was  
soon gone4 ,i suffered no more pain1 and
 next day was able to go to meeting4    
,about a year later ,i made the         
acquaintance of a young man to whom ,i  
soon became greatly attached4 ,after a  
time we became engaged4 ,as ,i had      
learned to seek the mind of the ,lord in
 all things1 ,i did not find it hard to 
submit the question of matrimony to his 
will4 ,the fact that ,i had had my own  
way so long1 made me feel sure that the 
,lord was going to let me have my own   
way about my marriage4 ,but this        

consideration did not at all affect my  
consecration1 either at this time or    
when ,i sought ,god for healing4 ,when  
,i sought ,god for healing1 he showed me
 that he wanted my entire service1 and  
that ,i must seek his benefits for his  
glory only4 ,it was wholly for ,god's   
glory1 therefore1 that ,i sought        
healing4  ,perhaps some of the young    
ministers and workers who read this book
 will wonder at the long period of      
inactivity1 as some might call it1      
between my call to the ministry and the 
time when ,i actually began gospel work4
 ,i now look back upon this period as a 
time filled with blessed experiences    
that moulded my character1 established  
my faith and peculiarly fitted me for   
the work to which ,god had called me4 ,i
 have always been glad that the ,lord   
had his way4 ,this time was not lost4   
,like ,joseph in prison1 whom ,god was  
educating to be a prince1 ,i was being  
prepared in ,god's own way for future   
usefulness4  ,during this time of which 

,i am now speaking1 ,god laid it upon my
 heart to read the many good books1     
which now fell into my hands1 such as   
,phoebe ,palmer's ,works--,faith and    
,its ,effects1 ,sanctification          
,practical1 and ,tell ,jesus4 ,the last 
named book was especially helpful in    
forming my ,christian character1        
containing as it does so many precious  
experiences of trusting in ,god4 ,i had 
the privilege also of reading the works 
of ,mrs4 ,fletcher1 ,hester ,ann        
,rodgers1 and ,john ,wesley4 ,for the   
privilege of reading all these1 ,i give 
,god thanks4 ,i put the experiences of  
which ,i read to a practical test1 thus 
proving that what ,god had done for     
others1 he would do for me also4 ,after 
the test these narrations of ,god's     
marvelous dealings were no longer       
stories in a book1 but they had become  
my own personal experiences4  ,at       
different times ,i have hunted awhile   
for some lost article1 when the ,lord   
would come with these words3 ,tell      

,jesus4 ,i would tell him and soon ,i   
would find the missing article4 ,he     
would even direct me to the very spot   
where it lay concealed4 ,soon after ,i  
read the book1 ,tell ,jesus1 ,i took my 
sewing machine apart thinking that ,i   
could clean it and put it together      
again1 just as one of my lady friends   
had done4 ,i soon found that ,i was not 
skilful enough1 told ,jesus1 and        
obtained help to get the machine        
together all right4  ,sometimes when ,i 
was not near a jeweler1 my watch would  
get out of repair1 and ,i would         
earnestly ask the ,lord to fix it for   
me1 provided he could do so without my  
becoming fanatical or being led wrong4  
,a number of times he answered my       
prayer4  ,one time ,i remember1 ,i let  
my watch fall and it was greatly        
damaged2 but ,i could not get to a      
jeweler to have it repaired4 ,as ,i felt
 the need of the watch very much1 ,i    
asked the ,lord earnestly to please fix 
it for me4 ,the watch soon began        

running4 ,i intended to take the watch  
to a jeweler later2 but as it kept      
perfect time ,i did not need to take it4
  ,during all these years ,god was      
teaching me as rapidly as he could1     
lessons of faith and trust4 ,in every   
severe trial or test1 no matter what its
 nature1 ,i would earnestly lay my      
trouble before ,god and he would        
marvelously lift me up and give me      
victory4 ,at such times he would give me
 precious promises such as these3 ,when 
the enemy comes in like a flood1 the    
,spirit of the ,lord shall lift up a    
standard against him2 ,the desire of the
 righteous shall be granted2 ,they that 
trust in the ,lord shall not be         
confounded1 and shall not lack any good 
thing4  ,from the beginning1 my         
spiritual life was one of trials2 but   
thank ,god1 the trials were always      
followed by triumphs4 ,thanks be to ,god
 who giveth us the victory through our  
,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,in such          
experiences1 ,i learned what has been   

verified to me again and again          
throughout the course of my life1 that  
it pays to cast all our cares and       
burdens upon him who has promised to    
bear them for us2 to leave everything   
with him2 to lay ourselves and all we   
possess at his feet1 tiusting him to    
care for us and to carry our sorrows4   
,god wants just such an opportunity4 ,he
 is a wonderful ,god1 a very present    
help at all times4 ,they that trust in  
the ,lord shall be as ,mount ,zion1     
which can not be moved1 but abideth     
forever4 ,as the mountains are round    
about ,jerusalem1 so is the ,lord round 
about his people from henceforth even   
forever4  ,dear young ministers and     
workers1 ,god may call you to his work  
and send you forth at once into the     
field2 but do not be impatient or       
discouraged if the ,lord sees fit to    
have you tarry awhile after he has      
called you4 ,remember1 you are          
implements in the hands of the ,lord4   
,as workers called of the ,lord1 you    

should be like clay for the ,master's   
use4 ,be careful1 however1 lest you     
become marred in ,god's hands as was the
 vessel that ,jeremiah saw in the hands 
of the potter4  ,do not get in ,god's   
way and so spoil his design4 ,remember  
that ,jesus at twelve years old knew    
that he must be about his ,father's     
business2 but he was thirty before he   
began his ministry4 ,remember that ,john
 the ,baptist tarried in the wilderness 
for a long time before he began         
preaching on the banks of ,jordan4      
,remember that the disciples spent ten  
days in the upper room before power came
 upon them from on high4 ,you know this2
 nor do you think that these times of   
tarrying were wasted4 ,neither will your
 time of waiting be lost4 ,abide ,god's 
time2 then1 when you do enter upon your 
ministry1 you will go1 sustained by his 
power and by his blessing4     ,chapter 
,,ix  ,healed by ,divine ,power  ,i have
 now to relate what to me is one of the 
most important events of my life4 ,up to

 this time ,i had been a hopeless       
invalid4 ,the doctors could not cure me4
 ,under the care of some1 my health     
would improve for a short time2 but     
others would not undertake to do        
anything for me4 ,after inquiring into  
my condition1 they would say that it    
would be as easy to make a world as to  
restore me to health4 ,i remember       
especially that this remark was made by 
the doctor who was attending me shortly 
before my healing4 ,at the time ,i was  
healed1 my case was in the hands of a   
specialist1 who said he could give me no
 permanent relief in less than a year4  
,having no hope of help from the doctor 
and having been taught that the days of 
divine healing were past1 ,i concluded  
that there was no hope for me1 and that 
the ,lord intended me to be made perfect
 through suffering4 ,in the spring of   
#ahhj1 my oldest brother1 who had been  
greatly afflicted with chronic          
dyspepsia1 was healed in answer to      
prayer4 ,not until that time did ,i know

 that any one had been healed by divine 
power since the days of the apostles4 ,i
 did not consider the healing which ,i  
have already related a healing1 but a   
special miracle performed in answer to  
prayer4 ,as he and ,i were the invalids 
of the family1 we naturally sympathized 
a great deal with each other1 opened our
 hearts to each other1 shared all our   
troubles and sorrows4  ,during the      
summer of the year ,i have just         
mentioned1 my brother came home and     
began to tell how well he was4          
,jeremiah1 what patent medicine have you
 been taking8 ,he looked at me1 smiled  
and said1 ,mary1 if you will take the   
kind of medicine ,i have1 you will be   
well too4 ,what kind is that8 ,it is    
faith and prayer--the ,lord's word      
received by faith4 ,this was all new to 
me--just like a strange language4 ,i    
asked no more questions1 for ,i did not 
know what to say4  ,finally1 ,mother1   
who had been listening to the           
conversation1 said to him1 ,can you eat 

a raw egg if ,i get it for you8 ,his    
health had been so poor that at times he
 could eat nothing but a raw egg1 and   
frequently he would refuse even that4   
,mother1 he replied1 ,i can eat two eggs
 if you can spare that many1 and you may
 cook them for me4 ,when ,mother cooked 
the eggs1 he looked at her and said1    
,mother1 have you any meat8 ,she looked 
at him doubtfully1 and not comprehending
 what ,god had done for his body1 said1 
,i don't believe ,i will give you any   
meat this time4 ,he made no reply1      
knowing that she did not understand4    
,it was ,october before ,i saw my       
brother again4 ,another swelling had    
appeared on my jaw1 stopping my mouth so
 that ,i could take my food only in a   
liquid form1 sucking it through my      
teeth4 ,my brother again encouraged me  
to trust the ,lord1 quoting ,god's      
promises to heal the body and relating a
 number of instances that he had        
witnessed where persons were healed of  
fits and other serious afflictions4 ,i  

told my brother that ,i did not doubt   
that the ,lord had healed others1 but   
said that ,i did not know whether or not
 he wanted to heal me4 ,perhaps1 said   
,i1 he is leaving me afflicted to keep  
me humble4 ,if ,i were healed1 ,i might 
not keep saved4 ,my brother showed me   
that ,god was just as willing to heal me
 as he was to heal anybody else1 and    
that it was both my duty and privilege  
to trust ,god for my healing4 ,look over
 your consecration1 said he and see if  
you are willing to be healed for ,god's 
glory alone4  ,i thought the matter over
 for some days4 ,one day ,i prayed for  
my healing until ,i thought ,i could    
claim it by faith2 but ,i soon found    
that the work was not done4 ,upon waking
 a few mornings later1 ,i said to       
myself1 ,i am going to let the ,lord    
heal me today if he will4 ,then the     
enemy whispered1 ,you have not enough   
faith yet to be healed2 put it off a    
week or two1 and by that time your faith
 will be stronger4 ,then came the voice 

of ,jesus1 ,oh thou of little faith2    
wherefore didst thou doubt4 ,dropping on
 my knees1 ,i cried ,lord if it is      
unbelief1 take it out root and branch2  
and ,i knew he did4 ,then ,i said1      
,lord1 what next8 ,he then showed me ,i 
should pour out my medicine4 ,god       
revealed to me that ,i was to be        
severely tempted1 and that if ,i had any
 medicine about1 that ,i would be sure  
to take it and so lose faith for        
healing4  ,god was now bringing me to a 
place where ,i must choose between      
trusting ,god and disbelieving his      
promises4 ,as a first act of faith on my
 part1 ,i poured out my medicine4 ,god  
showed me that if ,i were to doubt the  
,scriptures3 ,who healeth all thy       
diseases2 ,the prayer of faith shall    
save the sick1 etc1 ,i would not stop   
until ,i should reject all his ,word1   
die an infidel1 be lost in hell1 and    
perhaps be the means of the loss of     
scores of other souls4  ,i said to      
,mother1 ,if you ever prayed earnestly  

for me1 pray now4 ,so we bowed together4
 ,after she prayed1 ,i began praying1   
claimed the promise in ,matthew #ah3ai3 
,lord1 thou hast said1 that if two shall
 agree on earth as touching anything    
that they shall ask1 it shall be done   
for them of the ,father which is in     
heaven4 ,now1 ,lord1 we are agreed that 
thou shalt heal me--soul1 mind1 body1   
and spirit as completely as is most to  
thy glory4 ,as ,i said this1 ,i laid    
hold on the healing power by faith1 the 
witness came from heaven1 and the work  
was done4 ,i arose from my knees saying1
 ,mother1 it is done6 ,i am healed6 ,i  
am healed6 ,i felt the virtue go through
 my body2 and1 oh1 the showers of       
heavenly grace that filled my soul6 ,i  
began to praise the ,lord4 ,oh1 it was  
heavenly6 ,my soul was joyful in glory1 
for ,god filled my soul4 ,then was      
fulfilled that which was spoken by the  
prophet ,isaiah saying1 ,then shall the 
lame man leap as an hart and the tongue 
of the dumb sing3 for in the wilderness 

shall waters break out and streams in   
the desert 7,isaiah #ce3f74  ,this was  
the beginning of a new epoch in my life1
 the beginning of months to me4 ,it was 
the first time in my recollection that  
,i could say ,i was well3 the first     
bright hope of health that ,i had ever  
had in this world4 ,that same day ,i    
could eat and drink without the         
slightest distress1 anything that was   
fit for a sound stomach4 ,i had never   
been able to do this before4  ,but that 
night the trial came4 ,it seemed that   
all hell was let loose to try to rob me 
of my healing faith and to bring back   
all my diseases4 ,had ,i not poured out 
my medicine1 ,i surely would have       
yielded4 ,having no other refuge1 ,i    
clung to the promises of ,god1 and      
rebuked the devil until #b o'clock in   
the morning4 ,then ,i saw fulfilled     
,god's promise3 ,resist the devil and he
 will flee from you2 and there was a    
great calm4 ,it seemed that the angels  
came and ministered unto me4 ,my joy was

 full2 my cup ran over4 ,when morning   
came ,i began praising the ,lord2 and   
for several days1 ,i walked the floor   
offering almost ceaseless praises to    
,god4 ,the story was circulated         
throughout the neighborhood1 ,mary ,cole
 is having a whole camp-meeting by      
herself4 ,she claims that ,god has      
healed her2 but as soon as the          
excitement wears off1 she will be as bad
 as ever4  ,my appetite was now good1   
and my strength increased daily4 ,soon  
,i was able to attend a protracted      
meeting held by the ,methodists1 of     
which denomination ,i was still a       
member4 ,when opportunity was given for 
testimonies1 ,i arose and told of ,god's
 wonderful dealings with me--how he had 
pardoned all my sins1 made me his child1
 afterwards sanctified me wholly1 and   
how he had recently healed my poor      
afflicted body4 ,i exhorted them to get 
rid of unbelief and to move out for ,god
 on the ,bible promises4 ,after meeting1
 the preacher came to talk to me about  

my experience4 ,he said he did not doubt
 that ,i had been healed1 but ,i must   
not testify to it1 for said he1 the     
people can not stand so much light4  ,i 
very foolishly concluded to follow the  
preacher's advice2 and immediately the  
flood-gates of hell seemed to open4 ,the
 powers of darkness seemed to gather to 
destroy both soul and body--my mind was 
almost reeling2 intense suffering began 
in my body4 ,god showed me that ,i had  
broken my contract with him in order to 
please a blinded preacher4 ,my feelings 
were indescribable4 ,i did not know what
 to do2 but ,god showed me that if ,i   
would renew my covenant with him1 resist
 the devil1 and obey ,god in all things1
 all would be well4 ,i obeyed ,god1 and 
my faith again became unwavering2 my    
strength began to increase2 and a large 
scrofulous ulcer that had appeared on my
 face1 soon went away4 ,my blood became 
pure2 and warmth1 such as ,i had never  
felt before1 came into my body4 ,i could
 now sleep comfortably with half as much

 covering on my bed as ,i formerly      
required4  ,since my first healing1 ,i  
have had a few attacks of sickness but  
,god has healed me every time4 ,in the  
thirty-four years that have elapsed     
since ,i began to trust the ,lord for   
the healing of my body1 ,i have never   
resorted to doctors1 nor have ,i taken  
any medicine4 ,i have been as well as   
the average person1 and have been able  
to do work as hard as ,god has required 
of me4 ,i recommend ,god as a physician4
 ,at the time ,i was healed of my other 
bodily afflictions1 ,i was also relieved
 of stammering4 ,it is true ,i stammer  
some yet1 at times1 but not nearly so   
much as ,i did formerly2 and not enough 
to prevent my preaching the ,word4  ,at 
the time of my healing1 ,marion1 one of 
my unsaved brothers1 was batching near  
the old home place4 ,he frequently spent
 his evenings at home1 sometimes lying  
on chairs drawn up in front of the      
old-fashioned fireplace4 ,on the        
,wednesday after ,i was healed1 ,i found

 him lying before the fire and said to  
him1 ,oh1 ,marion1 have you heard the   
good news8 ,the ,lord has healed me4    
,and he said1 ,do you mean that he has  
healed you or that he has healed that   
sore on your face8 ,i mean that he has  
healed me1 sore and all4 ,then ,i went  
out of the room praising the ,lord4     
,near the close of that same week1      
,marion attended the revival meeting    
then going on at the ,m4 ,e4 ,church1   
came to the altar1 and got gloriously   
saved4 ,mother went to speak to him and 
to rejoice with him4 ,the ,lord has been
 good to you1 my son1 to save you4 ,yes1
 he answered1 ,i thought if the ,lord   
could heal ,mary when the doctors gave  
her up1 he could save a poor sinner like
 me4  ,in the years that have passed    
since the ,lord so graciously healed me1
 ,i have witnessed many cases of        
healing4 ,one that especially appealed  
to me occurred in ,december1 #ahhj1 at  
the ,jacksonville1 ,illinois1 ,holiness 
,convention1 where my brother ,jeremiah 

first met ,d4 ,s4 ,warner4 ,i was not a 
witness to this incident1 but ,i relate 
it as my brother1 who was present1 told 
the story4  ,a lady by the name of      
,sarah ,gillillen1 who was afflicted    
with a very bad internal cancer1 came to
 that meeting4 ,several months before   
the doctors had told her that her case  
was beyond their skill4 ,she felt       
impressed that she would be healed at   
this meeting1 and ,jeremiah1 ,brother   
,warner1 and others were very much      
interested in her case4 ,they sought to 
encourage her and to strengthen her     
faith as they had opportunity4 ,her     
faith in ,god seemed to increase        
rapidly4  ,one ,sunday morning she said 
that the ,lord had shown her that if she
 would get up that morning and testify  
to her healing he would finish the work4
 ,she got up before the large audience  
and began to give her testimony4 ,a rule
 had been adopted that if any one       
testified too long1 the congregation    
should sing him down4 ,as ,sister       

,gillillen testified for some time1 they
 started to sing her down2 but one of   
the ministers said1 ,brethren1 let her  
alone4 ,this thing is of ,god4 ,she     
continued her testimony2 but before she 
got through1 the power of ,god came     
down1 her face shone with glory1 and    
right then and there ,god finished her  
healing4 ,she was made perfectly well4  
,chapter ,x  ,entering the ,gospel      
,field  ,during the seven years that had
 elapsed since my call to preach the    
gospel1 years in which ,god had so      
wonderfully taught me and so gently led 
me1 ,i never doubted my call4 ,by the   
help and grace of ,god ,i had been able 
to live pleasing to the ,lord1 and      
throughout the entire time had no       
knowledge of his condemnation or        
displeasure4  ,i was still engaged to   
the young man of whom ,i have already   
spoken2 and after my healing1 began to  
make preparations for the wedding4 ,i   
was fully submitted to the ,lord on the 
question of matrimony2 but as my life   

had been running along in such a        
pleasant1 even course1 and as ,i had    
been having my own way in nearly        
everything1 ,i felt that ,god was going 
to let me have my way in this matter    
also1 when to my surprise1 ,god made    
clear to me that ,i should not marry4   
,he showed me that he had chosen me for 
himself1 and that he had first right4   
,he brought to my mind such scriptures  
as this3 ,thy maker is thy husband2 the 
,lord of ,hosts is his name4 ,as ,i     
submitted1 the ,lord did not leave me   
comfortless4 ,he showed me that ,i was  
not able to fulfil both the mission he  
had given me1 and the life that ,i had  
contemplated4  ,for so long a time now  
since my call to the gospel work ,i had 
been at home enjoying the companionship 
of my mother and of my brothers and     
sisters1 doing the little things that   
,god had given me to do1 and feeling the
 approval of ,god upon my soul1 ,i had  
failed to seek ,god earnestly to see if 
he would have me move out in active     

gospel work4 ,in ,may of the year #ahhb1
 my brother ,jeremiah1 who had been out 
in the active ministry1 returned home4  
,one day he said to me1 ,mary1 did not  
the ,lord call you to preach his gospel8
 ,yes1 ,i replied4 ,has he not shown you
 that that is your future work8 ,i      
thought he had in the past1 but it is   
not clear now4 ,do you want to know why 
it is not clear to you now8 ,my brother 
then showed me that ,i had not been as  
diligent as ,i should in seeking to know
 ,god's will in the matter1 that ,i had 
taken too much for granted that the     
,lord would have me continue doing as ,i
 had been for the past seven years4 ,he 
asked me to pray about going with him   
into the work at that time4 ,i did as he
 requested2 but1 as ,i was not anxious  
for an answer1 did not pray earnestly   
enough1 and as a result1 no answer came4
  ,it was not long until ,jeremiah asked
 me if ,i had prayed about my going with
 him into the work4 ,i answered that ,i 
had1 but when he asked me what the ,lord

 had shown me1 ,i was obliged to say1   
,nothing4 ,well1 he replied1 ,as you are
 not decided ,i suppose ,i would better 
go right on to the meeting of the       
holiness association at ,salisbury and  
not wait for you4 ,seeing that my       
brother was not satisfied with my       
answer1 ,i again went to prayer4 ,this  
time ,i called upon ,god with all my    
heart2 and the ,lord showed me that ,i  
could go into the ministry and be saved 
or ,i could stay at home and lose my    
soul4  ,doubtless no young minister1 no 
matter how consecrated he may be to the 
will of ,god1 finds it easy to take his 
first step in gospel work4 ,i was no    
exception to the rule4 ,twice already   
when ,i arose in the public assembly to 
bear witness to ,god's dealings with me1
 my testimony became an exhortation1 and
 ,god spoke through me to the           
edification of the people2 but ,i had so
 far done no preaching1 and now that ,i 
had reached the decision to go with my  
brother into the active ministry1 ,i was

 conscious of conflicting emotions4 ,on 
the one hand1 ,i was glad to go in      
obedience to ,god1 and on the other ,i  
hesitated to take the first step4       
,besides the natural human shrinking    
from taking the first step1 ,i knew how 
,mother would feel about my going1 and  
felt bad to grieve one who had been so  
kind to me4 ,you must understand1       
however1 that ,mother's feeling about my
 going into gospel work was very        
different from ,father's opposition of  
which ,i have already spoken4  ,at the  
time ,i broke the news to ,mother1 she  
was going through a severe trial4 ,it   
was about a week after ,i had my talk   
with ,jeremiah4 ,mother1 said ,i1 if you
 had a child that had been afflicted    
with a disease that had baffled the     
skill of all the physicians she had     
consulted1 and finally one physician    
undertook the case and performed the    
cure with the consideration that your   
child should go and work for him        
whenever and wherever he wished2 would  

you let the child go8 ,mother said1 ,i  
know just what you mean4 ,if nothing    
else will do1 you may go4 ,mother1 as ,i
 go out into an unfriendly world1 ,i do 
not expect to have an easy time2 but ,i 
believe it would not be so hard to      
endure the buffetings of the world1 if  
,i could look back and think that my    
mother gave me up gladly to the ,lord1  
who has done so much for me4 ,we went   
into earnest prayer and ,god gave us    
victory over the trial4 ,when a week    
later ,mother accompanied me to the     
train1 there were no tears in our eyes4 
,almost five years passed before ,i saw 
her face again4  ,before starting from  
home1 ,mother had said to me1 ,mary1    
here is a little change to buy your     
stamps and envelopes4 ,as ,i reached out
 my hand1 my brother said1 ,mary do not 
take that money2 ,mother will need it4  
,the ,lord will provide you with stamps 
and envelopes4 ,i thought1 ,why does he 
talk that way8 ,even if he can trust    
,god1 ,i can't2 and he ought to let me  

take the money4 ,he knew better than ,i4
 ,the ,lord provided all the stamps and 
envelopes ,i needed4 ,indeed1 ,i do not 
remember a time that ,i had to wait long
 to write a letter for the want of stamp
 or envelope4 ,as ,i exercised myself in
 trusting the ,lord1 my faith grew2 so  
that ,i had no fear but that ,god would 
provide everything ,i needed--my        
carfare1 my clothing1 and even a little 
money to give to the cause4  ,the first 
place my brother and ,i visited was     
,salisbury1 ,missouri1 where a holiness 
convention was being held4 ,a large     
concourse of people from all parts of   
the ,united ,states were assembled in   
the large new tobacco factory1 which at 
that time had not been used4 ,when we   
reached the place1 the meeting had been 
in session for several days4 ,a number  
of souls had been saved2 but at the time
 of our arrival1 not many of the people 
felt the power of conviction4  ,on the  
,sunday after our arrival1 the minister 
who had charge of the meeting got up and

 said1 ,the ,lord has not given me a    
message this morning1 but he has given a
 message to some one here4 ,if the      
person who has the message does not     
deliver it1 he will be responsible4 ,the
 pulpit was filled with ministers1 and  
workers were sitting all around nearby4 
,i was on my feet in a moment4 ,i had a 
message from heaven--burning words that 
went right into the hearts of the       
people4 ,god made my tongue as the pen  
of a ready writer4 ,the power of ,god   
was on me in such measure that ,i could 
hardly tell whether ,i was in heaven or 
on earth4 ,even old men bowed themselves
 and wept like children1 and sinners    
came flocking to the altar4 ,thank ,god 
for the blessing and encouragement that 
he gave me in delivering this my first  
public message6  ,as soon as the service
 was ended1 a merchant of the town came 
and invited me to his home for dinner4  
,i wondered why he should ask me to     
dinner2 but when he began to ask me all 
the difficult religious questions that  

he could think of1 the mystery was      
explained4 ,i felt my inability and     
ignorance as ,i never had before1 and   
leaned heavily on ,god for wisdom4 ,the 
scripture1 ,i will give you in that hour
 what ye ought to say1 was fulfilled4   
,after a number of difficult questions  
had been asked1 my host said1 ,i want to
 ask you one more question4 ,supposing  
that this question would be so difficult
 that it would be impossible for me to  
answer1 ,i called on ,god more          
vehemently than ever4 ,then came the    
question3 ,if you should die now1       
without a moment's warning1 do you know 
that you are ready8 ,i was agreeably    
surprised4 ,that was an easy question to
 answer4 ,yes1 said ,i1 with the utmost 
assurance4 ,i wish1 said his wife1 ,i   
could say that2 and a lady who was      
present added1 ,i think ,i would have to
 pray before ,i should be ready4  ,in my
 early evangelistic work ,i met         
considerable opposition to woman's      
preaching1 and at nearly every meeting  

,i had to explain the ,scriptural       
teaching on this subject4 ,nearly all   
opponents to woman's preaching fortified
 themselves with such scriptures as     
these3 ,it is a shame for a woman to    
speak in the church2 ,suffer not a woman
 to teach or to usurp authority1 etc4   
,the ,lord helped me to successfully    
drive these opposers out of their false 
positions and to show them that they    
were misusing the ,scriptures4  ,in this
 connection1 too1 ,i would call         
attention to #a ,corinthians #aa3e1     
which gives instructions how a woman    
should pray or prophesy4 ,if a woman be 
instructed how to prophesy1 she surely  
is granted the right to prophesy4 ,the  
,new ,testament definition of prophesy  
is3 ,he that prophesieth speaketh unto  
men to edification1 exhortation and     
comfort4 ,if1 then1 a woman be allowed  
to prophesy2 that is1 to speak unto men 
to edification1 exhortation1 and        
comfort1 she is granted all the         
privileges that any minister enjoys4    

,we read also in ,acts #a3ad that after 
the ascension when the disciples        
gathered in the upper room1 ,there all  
continued with one accord in prayer and 
supplication1 with the women1 and ,mary1
 the mother of ,jesus1 and with his     
brethren1 which scripture proves that   
there were women present at the         
,pentecostal baptism4 ,after the descent
 of the ,holy ,spirit upon those        
assembled1 ,peter says 7,acts #b3af1ag71
 ,but this is that which is spoken by   
the ,prophet ,joel2 ,and it shall come  
to pass in the last days1 saith ,god1 ,i
 will pour out of my ,spirit upon all   
flesh3 and your sons and daughters shall
 prophesy1 and your young men shall see 
visions and your old men shall dream    
dreams4 ,we see then1 according to the  
prophecy of ,joel1 that the daughters as
 well as the sons were to prophesy4     
,according to ,acts #b3d1 they all spake
 as the ,spirit gave them utterance4    
,does not the all include the women     
present8 ,was not their speaking as the 

,spirit gave utterance the act of a     
minister in preaching8  ,in ,romans     
#af3a ,paul says1 ,i commend unto you   
,phoebe1 our sister1 which is a servant 
of the church which is at ,cenchrea4 ,is
 not the servant of the church the      
minister8 ,when they used to tell me    
that this scripture means that a woman  
could serve the church only by doing    
temporal work1 such as cooking for      
ministers1 etc41 ,i would answer1 ,if   
the inference of this scripture is that 
a woman can serve the church by doing   
temporal work only1 the preachers are   
not doing their duty1 because in the    
second verse the ,lord commanded the    
other ministers to assist ,phoebe4 ,if  
then the women's only service be to cook
 for the ministers1 the ministers1 if   
they would obey this scripture1 should  
certainly help the women cook4  ,before 
going to our second meeting1 at         
,sturgeon1 ,missouri1 ,i had learned    
that the women in that place were not   
allowed to preach4 ,on my arrival ,i    

asked some of the women if the sisters  
had liberty4 ,yes1 said they1 to pray   
and sing1 and to testify a little4      
,well1 said ,i1 ,i can't sing2 but ,i   
can pray1 and 'testify a little4' ,i    
learned that during this meeting a      
petition to license a saloon in the town
 had been drawn up and that a number of 
the women in attendance at the meeting  
had signed the petition4 ,during the    
latter part of the meeting ,god's       
,spirit fired my soul to preach the     
,word1 but ,i had no opportunity4 ,i    
counseled with some of the ministers    
about it and received conflicting       
advice4 ,some said1 ,sister ,cole1 you  
know the restrictions2 you would better 
not preach4 ,others said1 ,go ahead1    
,sister ,cole3 ,god will see you        
through4 ,on the last night of the      
meeting1 whenever ,i would decide to    
speak1 ,god would bless my soul2 but    
when ,i would decide to keep still1 it  
seemed as if ,i should be paralyzed4    
,one brother made a remark that had a   

strong tendency to keep me from speaking
 that evening3 ,if you get up on the    
last night of the meeting1 said he1 it  
will look as if you were taking         
advantage of the man who has the meeting
 in charge4 ,finally1 after two of the  
brethren had spoken for a short time1 ,i
 felt clear to take the floor1 and ,god 
spoke through me in power4  ,i reminded 
them of the petition to license the     
saloon for the purpose of damning souls1
 and sending them to hell1 and spoke of 
the women's names that had been signed  
to the petition to license the saloon4  
,from childhood1 said ,i1 ,i have heard 
that woman is the downfall of this      
world4 ,she is now offered the          
opportunity to destroy souls1 but it is 
a shame and a disgrace to any town that 
its women are not allowed to preach in  
the church to help save souls4 ,before  
,i came to this meeting1 ,i knew the    
restrictions2 but ,i made up my mind    
that if ,i was thrown into the furnace  
of trial1 ,i would go into that furnace 

praying for the one that had put the    
restrictions upon me4  ,the power of    
,god wonderfully attended the message4  
,at the close of the meeting1 a wealthy 
gentleman1 the one who had denied women 
the privilege of speaking1 came and     
wanted to shake hands with me4 ,may the 
,lord bless you1 said ,i1 extending my  
hand4 ,i believe the ,lord blesses you1 
he answered4 ,i replied that he did4 ,i 
was told later that on the next day he  
told certain persons on the street that 
doubtless that little girl was relieved 
since she had got her mouth off4  ,at   
the time of which ,i now speak1 ,i had  
never heard a woman preach4 ,my own     
preaching had been done by ,god's power 
and under his anointing4 ,at about the  
time the ,sturgeon meeting closed1 ,i   
heard of a woman preacher some forty    
miles away1 and felt quite anxious to   
meet her4 ,in company with my brother1  
,i went to visit her and found a dear   
saint of ,god who had been used much in 
the salvation of souls4 ,she had taken a

 severe cold1 which had later settled on
 her lungs2 and at the time of our      
visit1 her affliction had developed into
 consumption1 and she was growing       
rapidly worse4 ,it seemed that her faith
 could not grasp ,god's promises for    
healing4  ,we wanted to help the sister 
all we could1 but ,i had been working   
very hard1 washing and ironing1 and was 
feeling quite exhausted2 so much so1    
indeed1 that ,i did not feel like       
sitting up while my brother was talking 
to her4 ,as ,i was lying on the couch   
trying to rest1 my brother said1 ,mary1 
is there anything you want from the     
,lord8 ,nothing1 said ,i1 unless it be  
rest4 ,well1 said he1 if you can take   
the ,lord for it1 he can rest you in an 
instant4 ,the words were scarcely       
uttered before my faith grasped the     
,lord2 ,i was rested from head to foot1 
jumped off the bed1 and fairly bounced  
up and down with joy1 feeling as though 
,i had never been tired4 ,the sister for
 whom we had been praying1 remarked1    

,that gets away with my faith4 ,do you  
doubt my having been tired8 ,i asked4   
,no4 ,do you doubt the ,lord's resting  
me8 ,no2 but ,i never saw it on this    
fashion4  ,that afternoon we took the   
train for ,jefferson ,city1 ,missouri4  
,after we arrived at our destination1 my
 brother hunted a place for me to board 
while he went about sixty miles into the
 country to get a team and wagon to take
 us to our new field of labor1 there    
being no railroads in that direction4   
,after a day or two1 the lady with whom 
,i boarded learned that ,i was a gospel 
worker4 ,if ,i can get a congregation   
together1 said she1 will you talk to    
them8 ,i told her that ,i would4 ,the   
people come together1 and ,i asked some 
one to lead in prayer1 but no one made  
any response4 ,finally they said that   
there was a man across the street who   
could pray1 and asked if they should    
call him4 ,the man came in2 he and ,i   
led in prayer1 and the ,lord gave me a  
message4 ,after the service was over1   

different ones came and congratulated   
me1 saying1 ,it was a grand message2 you
 highly entertained us1 just as if ,i   
were an actress and they came for no    
other purpose than to be entertained4 ,a
 number of those present were professors
 of religion2 but ,i doubted whether    
there were any possessors4  ,for a time 
the woman with whom ,i was staying      
seemed quite suspicious of me1 but ,god 
helped me to live so that before the    
week was out she had perfect confidence 
in me1 and sometimes left her house in  
my care all day4 ,i helped her what ,i  
could about her housework2 and at her   
request1 held as many as three cottage  
meetings during the week4 ,god gave me  
favor with the woman2 for when ,i went  
away she charged me only half the usual 
price for my board and lodging1 and even
 gave me some presents4 ,she did not    
know that ,i paid her all the money ,i  
had2 but the ,lord knew all about it1   
and saw to it that she did not charge me
 too much4  ,my brother had now come    

with a team and wagon4 ,accompanied by  
the owner of the outfit1 we started on  
our difficult journey to our new field  
of labor4 ,the roads were very rough and
 rocky1 and we met with some hardships4 
,we tried to camp out one night1 but the
 mosquitos were so bad we had to resume 
our journey as soon as we could see to  
travel in the morning4 ,before we       
reached our destination1 our provisions 
well-nigh gave out4 ,at the end of our  
journey we had nothing left but a little
 stale bread and some bacon4 ,having no 
chance to cook anything1 we made our    
last meal on dry bread and raw bacon4   
,chapter ,,xi  ,labors in a ,new ,field 
,for the next three years my brother and
 ,i worked in ,missouri1 in territory   
lying in ,maries1 ,phelps1 ,pulaski and 
,miller counties4 ,the country was very 
rough and hilly4 ,many of the people    
were very wicked--most of them being of 
the type that live in a rough country   
remote from railroads4  ,a ,baptist     
minister whom we met soon after we began

 work in this part of the ,state1 is a  
fair illustration of the religious      
standard of the people4 ,this man1 who1 
for the want of a better name1 we shall 
call ,father ,b--1 a name by which he   
was known far and near1 was called on   
all occasions where a minister was      
needed throughout a territory twenty or 
thirty miles in extent4 ,he served as   
evangelist and pastor1 and officiated at
 weddings and funerals4 ,the people     
among whom he labored supported him     
quite liberally2 but he used the money  
they gave him in buying whiskey1 and    
spent a good share of his time in a     
drunken1 or semi-drunken condition4  ,he
 used frequently to attend our meetings1
 because as he expressed it1 he liked to
 hear the woman preacher4 ,very         
frequently he staggered into meeting    
supported by the man who accompanied    
him1 and sometimes had to be supported  
after he was seated4 ,his seat on the   
front bench of the small country        
schoolhouse in which the meetings were  

held1 brought him so near me that the   
offensive smell of his breath sickened  
me almost beyond endurance1 and ,i could
 scarcely continue my sermon4 ,yet this 
man1 habitual drunkard as he was1 and   
filthy with tobacco1 was considered     
throughout that region worthy of        
financial support and of the title and  
office of minister4  ,about fifteen     
years before we went to that country1 a 
certain woman1 who for many years now   
has been a true sister in the church1   
had been saved in one of ,father        
,b----'s meetings1 obtaining1 as she has
 always believed1 a real experience of  
salvation4 ,but when she saw that       
,father ,b---- drank whiskey and chewed 
tobacco1 she became discouraged and took
 to attending parties and dances4 ,when 
called before the church to give an     
account of her conduct1 she defended    
herself by saying that she did not think
 it any worse for her to attend parties 
and dances1 than it was for the preacher
 to drink whiskey and to chew tobacco4  

,i do not now remember what action the  
congregation took in regard to her2 but 
at any rate1 she went into sin1 and lost
 her experience4 ,this sister came to   
our meetings1 sought the ,lord1 and was 
again restored to divine favor4  ,father
 ,b---- was a very old man when we first
 met him4 ,he died before we left that  
part of the country4 ,his last illness  
was preceded by a drunken spree1 during 
which some rougish boys painted a barren
 fig-tree on his bald head4 ,he died    
soon afterward4 ,notwithstanding the    
efforts of those who prepared the body  
for burial1 his head went to its last   
resting-place still marked by some of   
the paint that portrayed him as a barren
 fig-tree4  ,but not all of the people  
had such a low conception of religion4  
,god had some true children in that part
 of the country4 ,my brother had already
 held meetings in these countries2 ,god 
had blessed his efforts2 and a number of
 souls had been saved and sanctified4   
,nevertheless1 when we arrived1 the     

outlook for holding meetings was not    
good4 ,it was now late in the fall--too 
late for outdoor meetings--so we began  
holding services in small schoolhouses4 
,the people came out in crowds4 ,god's  
,spirit worked on their hearts1 and     
numbers came to the ,lord4  ,you must   
not suppose1 however1 that any one could
 preach the straight gospel very long in
 such a place without meeting           
opposition4 ,one night while my brother 
and ,i were holding our first series of 
meetings1 at a schoolhouse on ,dry      
,creek1 in ,maries ,county1 ,missouri1 a
 mob of about a dozen drunken men came  
with the intention of breaking up the   
meeting4 ,when they came1 the service   
had not yet begun4 ,the men entered the 
room in a boisterous way1 talking       
loudly1 and acting in an offensive      
insulting manner toward every one in the
 room4 ,i do not remember just how it   
came about1 but for some reason one of  
the men caught hold of my brother and   
gave him a jerk that sent him whirling  

for some distance across the room4 ,i   
was afraid that ,jeremiah was in danger2
 but when ,i saw that he was not at all 
frightened1 my fears subsided4 ,there   
was so much noise and loud talking1     
however1 that we could not begin the    
meeting1 so we offered earnest prayer   
that the ,lord would take charge of     
things and quell the disturbance4 ,i    
tried to preach1 but there was still too
 much confusion4  ,while ,i was standing
 in the pulpit1 one of the drunk men    
near the door pointed a revolver at me1 
but ,god protected me3 the weapon did   
not go off4 ,the man who had pointed the
 revolver at me1 soon went out1         
accompanied by his comrades and by a    
number of other men who wanted some of  
the whiskey4 ,some of the women went to 
the door to beg their husbands and      
brothers to come in1 and stood there    
crying1 fearful that their relatives    
would be killed4 ,i went to the door and
 said to the women1 ,come in4 ,if there 
is any trouble you can do nothing to    

prevent it4 ,we would come in too1 said 
one of the rowdies1 but you always begin
 on us4 ,no1 ,i answered1 we will not   
begin on you4 ,we shall be glad to have 
you come in1 and we shall expect you to 
behave yourselves4  ,most of the men    
outside came in1 and the meeting began4 
,the ,lord gave me the message4 ,during 
my discourse1 ,i said1 ,fools make a    
mock at sin1 but who is it that mocks   
,god8 ,no fools1 no tun4 ,you know that 
too1 cried one of the men4 ,then he     
began to say the ,lord's prayer1 but was
 too drunk to finish it4 ,i paid no     
attention to the interruption1 and      
continued my sermon4 ,there was no more 
disturbance1 and not a revolver was     
fired until the mob was some distance   
from the house4 ,one of the men gave    
himself up the next day and three others
 were arrested4 ,they were a shamefaced 
set of fellows after it was all over4   
,early in ,december we were holding     
meeting on ,dry ,creek not far from     
where we held our first series of       

meetings in ,meries county4 ,some       
grown-up boys and girls1 who had been   
drinking freely1 came to the services   
and created such a disturbance that     
,jeremiah thought it best in the        
interest of good order to have them     
arrested4 ,on the day of the trial the  
two lawyers employed to defend these    
young men and women1 ridiculed and      
belittled my brother1 calling him the   
immaculate ,jeremiah1 and insinuating   
that he thought himself almost equal to 
,christ4 ,at first ,i felt greatly      
tried1 but when ,i looked round and saw 
that ,jeremiah's face was glowing and   
that he seemed almost happy enough to   
shout1 my burden all left me4 ,i made up
 my mind that since my brother was so   
triumphant ,i1 too1 would throw off the 
burden and claim victory4 ,the young    
people who had disturbed the meeting had
 to pay a small fine4 ,so far as ,i     
know1 they behaved better in the future4
  ,just a few days after the occurrence 
just related1 we began a meeting in the 

,bell schoolhouse1 about five miles     
further down ,dry ,creek4 ,my brother   
and ,i were staying with different      
families in the district4 ,an ,m4 ,e4   
,south preacher who lived in the        
neighborhood1 and who had heard of our  
trouble with the young folks in the     
other district1 sent word to my brother 
that a mob was coming that night to     
break up our meeting1 and that we should
 stay away and let him hold that        
service4 ,he believed that the young    
people opposed us because we taught     
holiness1 divine healing1 etc42 and     
thought that his age1 and the confidence
 of the people of the neighborhood in   
him would enable him to control the mob 
and to hold the meeting without         
difficulty4 ,he tried to send word to me
 too2 but1 as ,i was staying with a     
family who lived some distance away1 ,i 
did not receive his message4 ,jeremiah  
remained at his boarding place4  ,i went
 to the schoolhouse that evening        
expecting nothing unusual2 but to my    

surprise ,i found in the house and yard 
a boisterous crowd of twenty-five or    
thirty men1 who had been drinking freely
 of the liberal supply of whiskey they  
had brought with them4 ,they were banded
 together for the express purpose of    
having a good time and breaking up the  
meeting4 ,i can give you no adequate    
idea of the scene that greeted me as ,i 
approached4 ,men were running in and out
 of the schoolhouse1 drinking1 yelling1 
swearing1 and talking at the top of     
their voices4 ,the confusion was        
terrible4  ,soon after my arrival the   
old preacher attempted to begin the     
service4 ,he gave out a song1 which a   
few of those present tried to sing2 but 
the crowd was so noisy that the preacher
 alternately plead with them and        
reproved them1 but without avail4 ,the  
noise increased3 the confusion became so
 great that1 in despair1 the old        
preacher gave up the attempt to hold a  
meeting and began to take down the names
 of those members of the mob whom he    

knew4 ,the men had with them a number of
 bottles and jugs of whiskey4 ,drinking1
 swearing1 and yelling continued without
 intermission1 and from time to time we 
could hear the firing of revolvers4 ,as 
soon as it seemed safe to do so1 ,i went
 home with one of my friends1 who lived 
near by4  ,as soon as possible1 the old 
minister had a number of the members of 
the mob arrested and brought to trial   
for disturbing the peace4 ,the          
preacher's actions during the trial     
showed that his object was1 not so much 
to preserve the peace1 as to take       
vengeance4 ,not content with a fine1 he 
insisted on a jail sentence4  ,after the
 prosecution had offered its evidence   
against the mob1 the lawyers on the     
defense made fun of the preacher saying3
 ,what6 you6 ,a minister of the gospel6 
,you want to send them to jail6 ,you    
should be praying for them and trying to
 get them saved4 ,his reply was1 ,yes1  
,i will do all ,i can to send them to   
prison and then ,i will go and grin at  

them 7in derision7 through the bars4 ,i 
do not now recall whether or not the    
culprits received any punishment2 but at
 any rate1 the preacher's desire for    
vengeance was not satisfied4 ,it was a  
common report about the country that he 
was so disappointed and mortified over  
what had happened that he did not sleep 
any that night4 ,the difference of      
spirit manifested by my brother and that
 manifested by the old preacher shows   
the difference between the operation of 
the love of ,god and of human vengeance4
  ,soon after we began our labors1 ,i   
became afflicted with the itch1 which   
was then epidemic in that part of the   
country4 ,a neighboring high school had 
been closed because of this disagreeable
 affliction4 ,previous to taking the    
disease myself1 ,i had met some of the  
saints who had it1 and who had not been 
healed as soon as ,i thought they should
 be4 ,i shall have to relate that       
through ignorance--to my shame1 be it   
said--,i was not as compassionate to    

those unfortunate ones as ,i should have
 been4 ,i had made assertions similar to
 this3 ,if you can't trust the ,lord for
 healing1 ,i would advise you to use    
remedies4 ,mother says that any one who 
would keep such an affliction any length
 of time is not decent4 ,many of the    
people were wounded because of my       
heartless way of talking1 though ,i did 
it ignorantly4  ,the ,lord saw that ,i  
needed a good lesson1 and therefore let 
the malady come upon me in a severe     
form4 ,while preaching in small         
overheated school-houses with but very  
poor ventilation1 my body became        
overheated1 thus aggravating the        
disease1 and soon ,i was not able to be 
in the public services at all4 ,my arms 
swelled so that ,i could not straighten 
them2 and for some months1 ,i had but   
little use of my hands4 ,this affliction
 baffled my faith more than any that ,i 
had had up to that time1 but ,i had no  
temptation to resort to remedies4 ,the  
case of the lady preacher whom we       

visited in northern ,missouri stood     
before me as a warning4 ,i decided to   
have my battle now1 and not to give way 
and lose my healing faith4 ,so ,i held  
on steadily by the help of my brother   
and fought the battle through until ,god
 gave me victory4  ,it was some time    
before ,i got rid of all the symptoms4  
,the ,lord showed me that ,i must be    
willing to go into the work again with  
them still showing4 ,to do so1 required 
humility1 and ,i had to seek the ,lord  
for help4 ,i met rebuffs of which only  
the ,lord and ,i knew2 but ,god was     
ordering this experience1 and the trial 
lasted no longer than was for my good4  
,to complete the lesson1 ,god laid upon 
me the duty of confessing publicly the  
attitude ,i had held towards those who  
had the itch before me1 and the way ,i  
had talked to them4 ,i made my          
confession1 humbly asking the           
forgiveness of all who had been wounded 
by my words4 ,god's way is humility     
before honor4 ,the going down is        

painful2 but ,god's lifting up          
afterwards is sweet4 ,praise his dear   
name6 ,christ was a meek and lowly      
,savior4 ,to follow his example we must 
go the lowly way4  ,while yet in        
sectarianism ,i got the impression that 
the devil had to be stirred before a    
good revival could be held4 ,acting on  
this principle1 ,i prayed that the ,lord
 would stir the devil in the series of  
meetings my brother and ,i were then    
beginning at the ,tennyson schoolhouse4 
,my prayer was answered4 ,one evening   
near the beginning of this revival nine 
respectable young men of ,vichy1        
,missouri1 hired horses and saddles at  
the livery barn and came out to the     
schoolhouse to attend the meeting4 ,two 
desperate characters1 reputed to have   
escaped from the penitentiary1 were     
present1 but remained outside the house4
 ,the services proceeded unmolested2    
but1 after the service1 when the nine   
young men from ,vichy went to get their 
horses1 they found that some one had cut

 the saddles and bridles in pieces and  
turned their horses loose4 ,others found
 their harness cut and the nuts of their
 wagons gone4 ,the two desperadoes now  
began walking back and forth through the
 yard1 displaying their weapons and     
threatening to shoot any one that       
accused them of committing any          
depredation4 ,as the burrs had been     
removed from the wagon in which ,i came1
 ,i had to ride home on a mule behind   
another person4 ,jeremiah said1 ,mary1  
,i hope you have learned the lesson to  
not pray the ,lord to stir the devil    
until you know you are able to cast him 
out4 ,it is not always necessary that   
the devil be stirred before a revival4  
,souls can be saved and even devils cast
 out without the devil's being stirred  
and the power of the enemy being put on 
exhibition4 ,i never again prayed for   
the devil to be stirred4  ,about the    
beginning of the new year1 the          
affliction which ,i have already        
mentioned1 rendered me unfit for public 

service1 and for about three months my  
brother and ,i stayed at the home of    
,brother ,baugh on ,dry ,creek1 where we
 read and studied and prayed and fought 
the affliction that had been imposed    
upon us4 ,my brother got his prayers    
through and obtained healing much sooner
 than ,i4 ,he used afterward to say1 ,i 
shall thank ,god through all eternity   
for having had the itch2 because when ,i
 prayed through for healing1 ,i struck  
the evening light1 meaning that he was  
beginning to discern the unity of ,god's
 people4 ,this remark was often followed
 by a happy1 hearty laugh4  ,early in   
the spring ,i had so far recovered from 
my affliction that my brother and ,i    
began again to hold meetings in the     
schoolhouses in the counties where we   
had been working1 covering in all a     
territory about fifteen or twenty miles 
in extent4 ,these meetings usually      
lasted two1 three1 and four weeks at    
each place1 and were very profitable in 
the salvation of souls4 ,there were some

 things in connection with our work1    
however1 that puzzled us greatly4 ,for  
instance1 after we had held a good      
meeting in which a number of souls had  
been saved1 and had gone on to other    
appointments1 preachers of different    
denominations would follow us up1       
preaching against two works of grace and
 divine healing1 and casting reflections
 on us as ministers1 with the result    
that upon returning after an absence of 
several weeks1 we would find the people 
discouraged1 and the congregation in a  
bad spiritual condition4  ,these things 
made our hearts ache4 ,we saw that in   
our absence the people needed some one  
to give them advice1 encouragement1 and 
spiritual help4  ,finally my brother    
said to me1 ,mary1 ,i am going to write 
to the ,free ,methodists and ask them if
 they will send us a preacher that will 
preach holiness4 ,it was not long until 
we received the following letter from   
the ,free ,methodist ,conference3 ,if   
you get a congregation large enough to  

guarantee a minister a salary of five or
 six hundred dollars a year1 we will    
send you a man that believes in         
holiness4 ,as they did not say that the 
minister they would send would have the 
experience of sanctification1 their     
letter afforded but little              
encouragement4  ,while awaiting the     
reply of the ,free ,methodist           
conference1 my brother had visited the  
,tennyson schoolhouse where we had held 
meetings sometime before4 ,he found that
 no sect minister had yet demoralized   
the believers1 and the members were more
 spiritual than those of any            
congregation we had yet visited4 ,this  
occurrence threw some light on our      
difficulty4 ,my brother1 as was his     
usual custom when he had anything of    
great importance weighing on his mind1  
resorted to prayer4 ,as it was ,march   
and the weather quite cool1 he put on   
his overcoat and went out to spend the  
day alone until he got the leadings of  
the ,lord4  ,god began to show him the  

sin of division4 ,jeremiah did not see  
matters very clearly yet1 for he asked  
the ,lord how we could get along without
 any human organization4 ,the ,lord     
asked him what good they had done1 and  
brought to his mind the fact that it was
 only the spiritual ones1 those who had 
not partaken of the spirit of division1 
that ,god could use to any advantage4   
,my brother then inquired of the ,lord  
how this sin of division had been       
brought about1 and the ,lord showed him 
that he could find the answer to his    
question in history4  ,when my brother  
had an opportunity to read history1 he  
found that every sect builder told his  
own story4 ,he saw that not one of the  
human organizations measured to the     
pattern of the ,new ,testament church1  
and that since the sects have human     
founders1 they could not be the church  
of ,god as that institution is of divine
 origin4  ,my brother then went back to 
the ,tennyson schoolhouse1 and preached 
his first sermon on the subject of the  

unity of ,god's people4 ,the people     
joyfully accepted the truth and walked  
in the light4 ,jeremiah thought that    
when ,i heard what ,god had revealed to 
him ,i would be rejoiced2 but1 to his   
surprise1 ,i could not yet discern the  
body of ,christ4 ,i was still under the 
influence of the wine of ,babylon4  ,our
 meetings had been attended with        
excellent results4 ,many souls had      
sought the ,lord4 ,in one meeting1 which
 lasted three or four weeks1 the whole  
country was stirred4 ,many young men and
 even whole families got under deep     
conviction4 ,after a day spent in       
fasting and prayer1 we came together in 
the evening1 and conviction settled so  
heavily upon the people and ,god worked 
so mightily that we labored at the altar
 until two o'clock in the morning4      
,almost every seat was an altar4 ,rain  
was falling1 and the brush arbor in     
which the meeting was held did not      
protect the congregation2 but the       
interest was so great that the seekers  

paid no attention to the water that     
constantly dripped through the boughs   
overhead4 ,about twenty souls1 ,i think1
 sought the ,lord that night4 ,during   
the whole series of meetings1 a large   
number were saved4  ,about this time    
,sister ,julia ,meyers1 now of ,ima1    
,new ,mexico1 joined our company1 and   
for some months1 traveled with us in the
 work4 ,she had been healed before      
coming to us2 but she got light on the  
one church in our meetings4 ,the ,lord  
had been teaching me to more fully trust
 him for temporal needs as well as for  
spiritual benefits4 ,when ,sister       
,meyers joined our company1 ,i began to 
teach her the things that ,god had been 
showing me4 ,i saw that she needed help4
 ,first she began borrowing money from  
me now and then to get what she needed4 
,i felt that ,i should give her the     
money4 ,later1 when ,i needed a pair of 
shoes1 she began to feel that she should
 get them for me4 ,she had enough money 
to buy the shoes1 but found it a little 

difficult to obey the impression4  ,in  
the meantime ,i was earnestly praying   
for the shoes4 ,god made me to          
understand that my prayer had gone      
through1 and that ,i could have had the 
shoes sooner1 had ,i prayed more        
earnestly4 ,i was upstairs4 ,it came to 
me1 ,how do you know but that the shoes 
are downstairs waiting for you8 ,in less
 than five minutes ,i was called        
downstairs2 and1 sure enough1 there were
 the shoes4 ,at first ,i did not know   
where they came from2 but ,sister       
,meyers was so blessed in her obedience 
and sacrifice that she could not keep   
her secret1 and we praised the ,lord    
together4  ,as ,i was preaching the     
straight gospel of salvation from sin1  
sanctification1 and divine healing1 it  
was to be expected that ,i should meet  
with opposition4 ,i met with some very  
peculiar and unexpected persecutions4   
,falsehoods were told about me that     
should have shamed the devil himself4   
,one rumor was that ,i was one of the   

famous outlaws1 known as the ,james     
,boys1 disguised as a woman4 ,one of the
 truth fighters published a long account
 of my meetings in the county newspaper4
 ,he branded me as an impostor1 saying  
that ,i taught false doctrines4 ,he     
affirmed that sanctification and divine 
healing were not for the people of the  
present day1 that no one but ,enoch and 
,elijah had been sanctified1 both of    
whom went to heaven without dying4 ,he  
ended his tirade against me by saying   
that ,i ought to be driven out of the   
country1 and that he would join a mob   
raised for that purpose4  ,a ,methodist 
lady1 who no doubt had some             
understanding of ,bible doctrine1       
replied to the gentleman with an        
article1 in which she said that the     
,wesleys taught sanctification1 and     
,george ,mueller1 divine healing4 ,if1  
said she1 the gentleman would read more1
 he would be better informed4 ,there is 
some hope yet for ',tom ,paine1'        
referring to the fictitious name signed 

to his article4 ,i did not know of this 
wordy battle until it was ended4  ,at   
times my brother would hold a meeting at
 one place and at the same time ,i would
 hold one a few miles distant4 ,it was  
at one such time that ,i held a meeting 
in the county courthouse4 ,i was        
assisted by a brother of the ,m4 ,e4    
,south denomination--a young college    
student1 with but little experience in  
gospel work1 thought that he could not  
preach unless he had his sermons written
 out4 ,we preached on alternate         
evenings4 ,one evening he came to me and
 said1 ,i wish you would occupy the     
pulpit tonight4 ,i have been away and   
have had no chance for preparation4 ,i  
told him that ,i had not had time for   
preparation either4 ,sister ,cole1 he   
replied1 you can preach better without  
preparation than ,i can with            
preparation1 besides1 ,i haven't had my 
supper yet4 ,perhaps you could preach   
better without supper1 said ,i4 ,thus ,i
 held him to his duty and did not       

sympathize with him very much either4   
,that night he had to lean so hard on   
,god that many people said it was the   
best message they had ever heard him    
deliver4  ,perhaps no young preacher    
going out in gospel work ever felt his  
inability more than ,i4 ,as ,god had    
promised to be my sufficiency1 ,i leaned
 hard upon him and did not feel         
discouraged4 ,my education was so       
limited1 that sometimes during a sermon1
 while trying to explain the            
,scriptures1 ,i would lack words to     
express myself1 and would look to the   
,lord1 taking him as my wisdom4 ,on such
 occasions he would supply me with      
words1 and by his ,spirit show me how to
 use them4 ,later1 upon looking in the  
dictionary1 ,i would find that they had 
been used correctly4 ,this experience   
has been repeated many times in my      
ministry4 ,thus the ,lord proved true   
his promise to be my spokesman4 ,when ,i
 leaned on him1 ,i was never confounded2
 no1 not once4 ,truly our ,god is a     

covenant-keeping ,god1 whom we can trust
 under all circumstances and at all     
times4  ,when the ,lord healed me1 he   
bestowed upon me the gift of exhortation
 and with it such a great measure of the
 ,spirit's power that when ,i read the  
,scriptures1 there was a heavenly       
illumination upon it1 and ,i could see a
 sermon in almost every verse4 ,at times
 the strength of this heavenly light so 
dazzled me that my mind and body were   
well-nigh overwhelmed4 ,i studied and   
preached the ,word under a light whose  
brightness could come only from the     
,spirit of the ,lord1 and ,i by         
spiritual sight could see through the   
,scriptures with a vision as unclouded  
as the vision before my natural eyes    
when looking through a clear glass4 ,oh1
 it was wonderful6 ,i have always       
thought that ,god blessed me with this  
divine unfolding of the ,scriptures     
because ,i did not at all depend upon my
 own human understanding1 but leaned    
wholly upon him at the very time that ,i

 was studying or expounding the ,word4  
,as ,i became accustomed to this        
heavenly light1 ,i was not so much      
dazzled by its brilliancy1 but the gift 
of exhortation with its accompaniment of
 divine power1 has been mine1 except for
 one brief time1 throughout my ministry4
  ,as ,i went from place to place       
preaching1 ,i began to realize that ,i  
needed another gift of the ,spirit--the 
gift of teaching4 ,when the ,lord first 
impressed me that he wanted me to teach1
 ,i begged off1 saying that ,i stammered
 so that it was very hard for me to     
read4 ,the ,lord pitied me and took     
another plan to get me to do what he    
desired4 ,up to this time ,i had great  
freedom and much help in exhorting1 but 
now ,god seemed to have taken this gift 
from me1 and ,i became as one who had   
never had it4 ,the ,lord showed me that 
,i would have to trust him for ability  
to teach and to explain the ,word1 and  
for help to overcome my stammering1 or  
,i would have no gift at all4 ,so ,i got

 down and cried to him like a child and 
plead with him for help4  ,when the     
,lord saw that ,i was determined to obey
 him1 he not only gave me the gift of   
teaching2 but1 to my surprise1 he       
restored to me the gift of exhortation  
and let me exercise it as in days gone  
by4 ,surely the ,lord humored me4 ,i now
 had two gifts instead of one4 ,but ,i  
would not advise others to do as ,i did1
 for though the ,lord has no respect of 
person1 you may have more light than ,i 
had at that time1 and it may be that the
 ,lord would not excuse you because of  
ignorance1 as he excused me4  ,quite    
early in my evangelistic work ,i held a 
meeting in a neighborhood where lived a 
man who had been an ,m4 ,e4 exhorter4   
,he had once been saved1 so the         
neighbors said1 but having accepted a   
false doctrine that was being taught in 
that part of the country1 and having    
partaken of its spirit1 he was in a bad 
condition when ,i went there4 ,he had   
rejected ,christ entirely1 saying that  

,jesus was nothing but an impostor4     
,sometime before ,i went to the         
neighborhood1 one of his children had   
gotten saved1 and during the meeting    
that ,i held1 another one had also come 
to ,christ4 ,knowing their father's     
condition1 the children feared his      
persecution and insisted that ,i should 
come and visit him4 ,they thought that  
if ,i went to the house with them he    
would be more considerate4 ,for their   
sakes1 ,i went4 ,i had heard that his   
practise was to invite ministers to his 
house1 and then to belittle ,christ in  
their presence1 to give them no         
opportunity to return thanks1 and to    
make them feel as far as possible his   
opposition to ,christ4  ,after some     
conversation1 he took down the          
,bible--the ,old ,testament ,i mean1 he 
had no ,new ,testament in the house--and
 told me that he was going to prove to  
me that ,christ had never come4 ,i told 
him that he could not do that1 because  
by experience ,i knew that ,christ had  

come4 ,if1 said ,i1 you are going to try
 to prove to me that ,christ has not    
come1 you have gotten hold of the wrong 
person4 ,i would stake my life that     
,christ has come4 ,i have met the       
conditions prescribed in his ,word1 and 
he has given me the witness of my       
salvation1 and has also healed me4  ,i  
tried in various ways to see if there   
was a tender spot in his heart that ,god
 could touch4 ,among other things1 ,i   
said1 ,when ,i first started out in the 
work of the ,lord1 ,i wrote to my mother
 saying1 ',i have found many good       
friends4 ,all who are ,jesus' friends1' 
,i wrote1 'are my friends4' ,but1 ,i    
continued1 ,i suppose ,i have now found 
a man who is not a friend of ,jesus1 and
 yet is my friend4 ,i thought this would
 shame him4 ,yes1 he answered1 ,i am    
your friend1 but not his4 ,i returned   
thanks at the table and also asked him  
the privilege of praying before ,i left4
 ,the ,spirit of ,god intimidated him   
till he did not dare to refuse me4      

,never did the name of ,jesus seem half 
so sweet to me as when ,i got down to   
pray before this wicked man4 ,it seemed 
as though all the sweetness of heaven   
was wrapped up in that name4 ,i could   
say but little3 ,i could only breathe   
out the precious name of ,jesus2 and oh1
 how he magnified himself through ,his  
name6 ,although ,i felt the presence of 
infernal spirits all around me--the very
 spirit that crucified ,christ--yet ,i  
felt the presence1 too1 of the blessed  
,lord1 the ,christ of the ,bible4       
,still thinking that ,i might say       
something that would touch his heart1 ,i
 said1 as ,i was about to leave1 ,pray  
for me4 ,he said1 ,i will2 and you pray 
for me3 but not in the name of ,jesus2  
adding a moment later1 but ,i know that 
you will do as you please anyhow4 ,i    
felt then that unless ,god directly     
ordered it1 ,i never wanted to go again 
to a place where ,christ was so entirely
 rejected4 ,i thought of the scripture  
which says that they had forgotten that 

they were once purged4 ,if ever ,i met a
 man who had sinned against the ,holy   
,ghost1 this was certainly the man4  ,in
 the early years of my ministry1 ,i     
sometimes found that when the ,lord was 
burdening my heart to preach on certain 
subjects my sympathy stood in the way2  
that is1 ,i was afraid ,i would hurt    
somebody's feelings4 ,one night ,i      
dreamed that another minister and ,i    
were standing near a large casket       
containing two dead bodies4 ,it seemed  
that ,god wanted us to dissect these two
 bodies1 and ,i said to the minister who
 was with me1 ,brother1 we had better   
get to work before the stench fills the 
room4  ,when ,i awoke ,i knew that ,god 
was trying to teach me something4 ,just 
a few days afterwards ,i went across the
 country accompanied by the brother1 and
 his wife1 of whom ,i had dreamed4 ,some
 of the congregation at the place where 
we were going to hold meeting on the    
next ,sunday1 were professing to be     
saved1 and at the same time were living 

in adultery4 ,some others needed warning
 in regard to other sins4 ,the ,lord    
wanted me to preach to these people     
showing them where they stood2 but1     
because of my sympathy for them1 ,i did 
not want to handle the subject4 ,the ,i 
ord reminded me that ,i had promised to 
preach his ,word on any subject4 ,yes1  
,lord1 said ,i1 but ,i sympathize so    
with these people6 ,i would rather be   
whipped from head to foot than to preach
 on this subject at this time4 ,i       
preached1 talking first on one subject  
and then another1 and not coming to     
anything definite1 entirely failing to  
give them that portion of the ,word that
 they so much needed4  ,that night ,i   
took very sick4 ,it seemed that ,i      
should die4 ,i did not know what was the
 matter4 ,i asked the ,lord why ,i was  
suffering so2 and he reminded me that ,i
 had said that ,i would rather be       
whipped from head to foot than to preach
 on the subject he had given me1 and    
that now the whipping had come4 ,when   

,god administers correction1 he always  
does a thorough work4 ,i begged         
earnestly that he would take his hand   
off1 promising him faithfully that ,i   
would never grieve him in that way any  
more2 but ,i saw that ,i lacked         
sufficient ,holy ,ghost boldness to     
carry out my decision if ,i continued to
 sympathize with those for whom the     
message was intended4 ,so ,i asked the  
,lord earnestly for help1 telling him   
that if he wanted to use me in          
dissecting1 he must give me the ability4
 ,the lesson has never had to be        
repeated4  ,during my earlier ministry  
an incident occurred which to some might
 seem amusing2 but which to me furnished
 an excellent spiritual illustration4 ,a
 class-leader of the ,m4 ,e4 ,south     
denomination came a number of miles     
across the country to take me to a      
certain place to help in a meeting4 ,we 
had to ford the ,gasconade river4 ,it   
was winter1 and the ice was frozen      
thick4 ,before we reached the river1    

some men had cut a road through the ice1
 so that people could cross on          
horseback4 ,as we rode out into the     
stream the flowing water seemed to      
affect me strangely4 ,it seemed to me   
that the brother who was with me was    
trying to pull me off of the horse and  
drown me4 ,i said1 ,don't1 don't1 it is 
all ,i can do to stay on now4 ,when we  
reached the other side1 the brother     
broke into a hearty laugh3 ,sister      
,cole1 did you think ,i was trying to   
drown you8 ,i saw that the water made   
you dizzy1 and that you were about to   
fall off the horse4 ,it was all ,i could
 do to keep you from drowning4  ,many   
times since then ,i have thought of this
 incident1 as an illustration of a      
certain spiritual condition4 ,when a    
person gets somewhat cold spiritually1  
the doctrines of the church become      
indistinct1 and1 spiritually speaking1  
his head begins to swim4 ,at such a time
 he is likely to think that those who   
are endeavoring to help him out of his  

difficulties are trying to drown him2   
that they are in spiritual trouble      
themselves and that they are trying to  
pull him into the same difficulty4  ,at 
another time ,i was going to a meeting  
near the place of which ,i have just    
told you1 and had to cross the same     
river4 ,it was earlier in the fall2 and 
the ,gasconade1 although badly swollen1 
had not yet frozen4 ,the boy who was    
with me1 feared that the river was too  
high for fording1 and asked what we     
should do4 ,as the appointment had      
already been made for me1 ,i feared that
 the people would be disappointed and   
told him we would better go across if we
 could4 ,shall ,i go across first and   
see how deep the water is8 he asked4 ,i 
told him ,i thought that would be the   
better way4 ,he found the water to be   
deep enough to swim our horses1 but     
thought that we might get across1       
although we would risk our lives in the 
attempt4 ,he said that if ,i wanted to  
run the risk1 he was willing4 ,god      

protected us and we reached the other   
side in safety4  ,the young man said to 
some of his friends afterwards1 that he 
was afraid we would both drown1 but that
 he would not let a woman back him out4 
,i knew1 said he that if she drowned1   
she would be saved2 but that if ,i      
drowned1 ,i should be lost4 ,i certainly
 appreciated his generosity in risking  
his life to help me4  ,while holding    
meetings in that neighborhood1 this same
 young man and his brother1 although    
unsaved1 befriended me in every way     
possible1 because they knew that ,i had 
come there to do the people good4 ,their
 sisters1 who professed religion1 also  
manifested great friendliness for me4   
,at one time when some sectarian        
holiness fighters tried to shut me out  
of the schoolhouse1 the two brothers    
defended me like lawyers1 won the case1 
and secured the use of the house for as 
long as ,i desired to hold meetings4    
,whenever ,i needed a conveyance1 ,i had
 only to call on these young men4  ,i   

met a brother young in the ministry who 
had a very clear definite experience of 
justification and sanctification1 and   
who had had a very definite call4 ,he   
had had1 however1 but very little       
experience in tests and trials1 and was 
therefore not qualified to be the       
blessing to young converts or to young  
workers that he might have been4 ,as he 
had been so victorious in his religious 
experience1 he thought that trials and  
tests were a sign of weakness1 and that 
those who had them were spiritual       
weaklings4 ,whenever a young convert or 
worker had a test or a trial of faith1  
and needed special help or              
encouragement1 he would think1 ,oh1 well
 it isn't worth while to bother with    
him2 he doesn't amount to much anyway4  
,he will not stand1 and if he does1 he  
won't ever be very useful in the ,lord's
 cause4 ,he is not worthy of any        
attention4  ,god let this brother go    
through deep waters4 ,he had a severe   
test2 and when he came through1 his     

compassion was much increased1 and his  
care and consideration for the young    
converts and those in trouble was all   
that could be desired4 ,he did not find 
any one then unworthy his consideration4
 ,he had learned that every soul worth  
,christ's dying for1 is worth all the   
effort we can make1 either for its      
deliverance or its establishment4 ,well 
did the ,psalmist say1 ,when ,i was in  
trouble thou hast enlarged my steps4    
,the ,psalmist got the enlargement right
 in the trial1 just as we often do4     
,much of our development is obtained in 
the furnace of trial2 in fact1 ,i       
believe most of it4 ,let us be thankful1
 therefore1 for the dispensation of     
,god's grace1 whether it be bestowed by 
trial or in sunshine2 whether it comes  
in storm or in calm1 knowing that ,god  
allows all for our highest good4  ,quite
 early in our evangelistic labors my    
brother saw that ,i had been leaning too
 much on him4 ,frequently when ,god     
wanted me to deliver a message1 ,i would

 hold back and let my brother preach    
instead4 ,i was not getting the         
experience ,i should1 nor being as      
useful in the ,lord's work as ,i might4 
,my brother thought that if he should   
leave me to work alone for a time1 the  
,lord would have a chance to help me    
more4 ,he therefore began leaving me to 
hold meetings alone for weeks at a time1
 while he held services in some nearby  
neighborhood4 ,naturally1 ,i felt       
somewhat fearful about being left to    
carry on the work alone2 but the ,lord  
helped me and enabled me to hold a      
number of good successful meetings4  ,at
 one of these meetings ,god had been    
answering prayer and conviction was     
falling heavily upon the people4 ,the   
whole neighborhood seemed stirred1 and  
crowds were at the altar4 ,fathers and  
mothers came seeking salvation4 ,a few1 
however1 among them a ,campbellite      
minister1 came with the intention of    
causing trouble4 ,he wanted a chance1 he
 said to tell the people how to find    

,jesus4 ,i asked him what he would tell 
them4 ,obey the commendments4 ,what     
commandments8 ,join the church and be   
baptized4 ,if you have a message from   
,god1 said ,i1 we will hear it2 but1 if 
you have not1 we will not hear it4      
,souls are at the altar and their       
eternal interests are at stake4 ,this is
 too serious a time to deliver a message
 not from ,god4 ,he arose and went out1 
accompanied by the man who had come with
 him4 ,when the sinners laughed at him1 
he said1 ,if you had had such hot       
testimonies thrown into your faces1 you 
would have left too4 ,when this same    
minister came to another meeting to     
disturb1 ,god got hold of him and       
brought him to the altar4 ,i don't think
 he got an experience1 but he made no   
more attempts to disturb the meeting4   
,every time the enemy undertook to      
hinder the work1 ,god marvelously helped
 us4 ,at one time a certain minister    
came to try to look me out of           
countenance while ,i was preaching4 ,his

 plan was to confuse me so that ,i could
 not preach4 ,the enemy knew that if ,i 
became the least bit confused1 ,i would 
stammer so that ,i could hardly talk4   
,god was present to help me4 ,he so     
confounded the man that before the      
service was over1 his head went down and
 ,i had no more trouble with him4  ,at  
different times ,i held meetings of     
three or four week's duration1 preaching
 twice every day and three times on     
,sunday4 ,i had no help in the          
preaching1 and but very little at the   
altar service4 ,there were many people  
at the altar seeking ,god and the work  
was very heavy4 ,the ,lord wonderfully  
sustained me4 ,the fact that ,i went    
through such fatiguing experiences as   
these1 laboring sometimes far into the  
night1 shows how wonderfully ,god had   
healed me1 and how he was sustaining me 
in my work4  ,experience alone will show
 how much the dear ,lord can help us    
physically as well as spiritually if we 
but trust him4 ,unbelief and doubts     

hinder ,god from being to us our        
sufficiency at all times and under all  
circumstances4 ,faith will take hold of 
,god for things beyond the comprehension
 of our natural minds4 ,the ,word says1 
,all things are possible with ,god2 ,all
 things are possible to him that        
believeth4 ,as we trust in the ,lord1 he
 will honor our faith and give us the   
desire of our hearts4     ,chapter ,,xii
  ,out of ,sectarian ,confusion  ,i was 
still a ,methodist4 ,the ,methodist did 
not license women to preach2 but when   
the preachers found out that ,god was   
using me in the salvation of souls and  
that ,i was not especially interested in
 building up any certain denomination1  
,i had an abundance of calls4  ,god had 
already begun talking to my brother     
,jeremiah about the sin of division1 and
 he was beginning to see the evils of   
sectarianism4 ,the winter after ,i was  
healed1 he had attended the             
,jacksonville1 ,illinois1 holiness      
convention1 and had met there ,bro4 ,d4 

,s4 ,warner1 who at that time was editor
 of a holiness paper1 ,the ,herald of   
,gospel ,freedom1 then published at     
,rome ,city1 ,ind4 ,brother ,warner was 
already beginning to discern the unity  
of ,god's people1 but he had not yet    
received enough light on the subject to 
sever his connection with the           
,winebrennerian denomination1 of which  
he was a member4 ,it was about the time 
of the ,jacksonville meeting that ,the  
,herald of ,gospel ,freedom was         
consolidated with ,the ,pilgrim1 a small
 holiness paper published at            
,indianapolis1 ,indiana4  ,while at the 
,jacksonville meeting1 ,jeremiah        
subscribed for ,the ,pilgrim and had it 
sent to me at ,windsor1 ,missouri1 as ,i
 had not yet begun gospel work4  ,i     
received only a few numbers of ,the     
,pilgrim1 as that publication was       
consolidated with ,the ,herald of       
,gospel ,freedom ,january #a1 #ahha1    
under the name ,the ,gospel ,trumpet4   
,at a later date1 when ,brother ,warner 

had full light on the church1 ,the      
,gospel ,trumpet was no longer          
considered a consolidation of the two   
papers1 but an entirely new publication4
 ,the first issue of ,the ,trumpet      
7,january #a1 #ahha7 represented a new  
paper and was later designated as ,vol4 
#a1 ,no4 #a4 ,when the publication of   
,the ,pilgrim ceased1 ,brother ,warner  
began to send me ,the ,gospel ,trumpet  
to finish out the unexpired time of my  
subscription to ,the ,pilgrim4  ,during 
my brother's absence in evangelistic    
work ,i received several copies of ,the 
,trumpet4 ,as soon as ,i read in ,the   
,trumpet about the sin of division and  
saw that the new paper opposed the      
licensing of preachers1 my sectarian    
spirit was stirred4 ,i thought that     
holiness would make the churches1 as ,i 
called them1 better4 ,i was afraid that 
if people got hold of such literature as
 ,the ,trumpet it would disgust them    
with holiness forever4 ,i burned ,the   
,trumpets ,i had already received1 and  

then sat down and wrote ,brother ,warner
 never to send me another copy4 ,as ,i  
was traditionized1 and had opposed the  
truth in ignorance1 the ,lord did not   
hold my opposition as a wilful sin4     
,after my brother had got light on the  
one body1 he was so enthused with the   
truth that he wanted to explain it to   
every one he met4 ,while out walking one
 day the next summer after he discerned 
the one body1 he fell into conversation 
with a man about the ,scriptures4 ,after
 talking a little while the man said1 ,i
 have a paper that reads just as you    
talk4 ,going to the house1 he brought   
out ,the ,gospel ,trumpet and gave it to
 my brother1 who went down the road     
reading as he went4 ,he never stopped   
reading until he had finished the paper4
 ,at the earliest opportunity my brother
 wrote a letter to ,brother ,warner1    
asking him if he had enough light on the
 one body to set it clearly before the  
people4 ,he also asked him if many were 
accepting this divine truth4 ,to the    

first question ,brother ,warner replied1
 ,yes1 and to the second1 ,yes1 hundreds
 are discerning the one body4 ,as soon  
as my brother learned that ,brother     
,warner and many others had the same    
truth that ,god had made so clear and   
beautiful to him1 he rejoiced greatly4  
,he could not rest until he went where  
,brother ,warner was2 but1 as ,i had    
neglected to walk in the light1 ,i was  
left alone1 and that1 too1 in more ways 
than one4  ,some time before ,i         
discerned the body of ,christ1 ,i had   
some impressive dreams4 ,in one ,i      
thought ,i was in a large building      
belonging to some denomination4 ,a      
conference of that denomination was     
being held just outside the door1 and   
the ministers wanted me to come and take
 part4 ,i looked toward the door through
 which ,i must pass1 and ,i saw two     
large worms with their heads together1  
lying directly across the threshold4 ,in
 order to enter the room1 ,i would have 
to step over the worms and would be in  

great danger of receiving a deadly bite4
 ,i said to myself1 ,i will not run the 
risk for any man's notions or ways2 and1
 turning on my heel1 ,i went out of     
another door4  ,i soon saw my dream     
fulfilled4 ,the denomination that ,i had
 been holding a meeting for insisted    
that ,i should join their conference1   
saying that they would give me a license
 so that ,i could hold meetings in their
 territory4 ,i knew that1 according to  
their discipline1 they could not license
 a woman to preach2 and ,i said to the  
minister1 ,you don't dare to give me a  
license4 ,well1 said he1 ,i will tell   
you what you can do1 ,sister ,cole2 we  
can go to a place not far from here     
where you have had a good meeting1 lay  
this matter before the people1 and have 
them vote to give you a permit1 so that 
you can hold meetings in any part of our
 district4 ,i did not feel at all led to
 take such steps2 and1 as ,i had done in
 my dream1 ,i turned in the other       
direction4 ,i suppose ,god was using    

this method to get me ready for the     
truth4  ,the summer before ,i got out of
 sectarianism1 an ,m4 ,e4 ,south        
minister invited me to come to their new
 chapel1 to attend the quarterly        
conference1 and to help hold a series of
 meetings4 ,as the ,m4 ,e4 ,south       
denomination did not license women      
preachers1 women were not allowed at the
 quarterly conference4 ,they had        
arranged1 however1 that several other   
women and ,i should sit in a room       
adjoining the conference1 so that we    
could hear the proceedings4 ,this was on
 ,saturday4 ,on ,sunday morning they    
held their quarterly love-feast1 partook
 of the ,lord's ,supper1 and listened to
 a sermon by the presiding elder4  ,in  
the afternoon and the evening1 ,i       
preached4 ,while the afternoon service  
was in progress1 the ministers were     
holding a private meeting to decide     
whether or not ,i should proceed with   
the meeting ,i had come to hold4 ,in    
this part of the country was a wealthy  

man1 a sinner1 who contributed very     
liberally to the support of the work4   
,this man objected to women's preaching 
and opposed the continuance of the      
meeting4  ,it was decided that the      
meeting should not continue1 but the    
pastor of the congregation did not tell 
me4 ,the pastor and his wife were both  
present at the service on ,monday night1
 and both seemed well pleased4 ,on      
,tuesday evening the interest began to  
increase1 and one or two raised their   
hands for prayer4 ,just at the close of 
the service a note was handed me        
requesting me to close the meeting1 as  
they had decided not to continue at the 
present time1 but to wait until later in
 the season4  ,i could not keep from    
crying4 ,i had called the ,methodist    
,church my mother2 and now to think that
 my mother was treating me in this way1 
made me feel very bad4 ,i went home with
 a young couple who had been saved a    
short time before in a meeting held near
 this place4 ,they felt very bad over   

what had happened1 and we all cried     
together4 ,the young people tried to    
encourage me as best they could4  ,next 
day they took me to their aunt's1 a     
special friend of mine1 who had shown me
 kindness while ,i was in that          
neighborhood before4 ,as we went along  
the road1 ,i thought to myself1 ,any one
 treated as ,i have been ought to look  
sneaking2 and ,i tried to think of      
everything ,i could to make me look that
 way4 ,when we arrived at our           
destination1 the sister was not in the  
room1 so ,i hunted the smallest chair ,i
 could find1 and sat down4 ,as soon as  
she came in1 she saw that ,i was in     
trouble and inquired what was the       
matter4 ,i began to tell her1 crying at 
the same time2 but she began to laugh4  
,well1 she laughed and ,i cried2 but    
after a while ,i took to laughing too4  
,i never again felt bad about my        
treatment at that place4  ,i still      
continued to get calls from the         
sectarian preachers to go and help hold 

meetings4 ,i responded to these1 and    
held two or three meetings in different 
places4 ,late that fall ,i held a       
meeting at ,rolla1 ,mo4 ,the preacher   
could hardly get an audience when he    
preached1 so he sent for me1 thinking   
that a woman preacher would be quite an 
attraction and would draw crowds4 ,the  
crowds came4 ,although there were a     
number of ministers present1 including  
the presiding elder1 ,i occupied the    
pulpit1 ,i think1 during half of that   
meeting4 ,conviction came upon the      
people1 and a number came to the altar2 
but not many of those who came1 seemed  
to get an experience4  ,on the last     
night of the meeting quite a number of  
bright1 intelligent young people1 some  
of them college students came to the    
altar and some of them were getting     
saved4 ,as the minister went to talk    
with the seekers one by one1 ,god put it
 into my heart to listen to what they   
were saying4 ,not once did these        
preachers say1 ,seek the ,lord until you

 find him2 ,there is reality in         
salvation2 ,never stop until you know   
you are saved4 ,their instructions were3
 ,join the church2 ,get baptized1 etc4  
,god opened my eyes right there to the  
awful work that these so-called         
ministers were doing4 ,i said1 ,if they 
are going to help deceive souls that way
 and send them to destruction1 ,i will  
never help them again4 ,that was the    
last meeting in which ,i ever helped to 
build up ,babylon4  ,collections were   
taken up for the ministers and for the  
general expenses of the meeting1 but no 
one ever said to me1 ,do you need any   
means8 ,one of the sisters1 however1    
found out that ,i had a little money1   
and she asked me to give it to her to   
use in buying a little clothing for me  
so ,i would be suitably dressed to      
preach in their meeting4 ,i felt that   
even this was too good for me1 because  
,i had failed to walk in the light4  ,at
 the close of the meeting1 to my        
surprise1 ,i found myself under a wrong 

spirit4 ,i went to ,bro4 ,john ,p4      
,bailey and wife1 who had accepted the  
truth when ,jeremiah preached his first 
sermon on the church at that place4 ,i  
told ,brother and ,sister ,bailey my    
condition as best ,i could1 and the     
three of us fasted and prayed three     
days4 ,god delivered me from the false  
spirit1 gave me light on the one body1  
the church1 and made me glad to walk in 
the light as fast as it was revealed4   
,bro4 ,jake ,cruts came to ask my advice
 on the subject of baptism4 ,sister     
,cole1 said he1 what do you think about 
baptism3 is it a commandment of ,god8   
,if so1 what is the correct mode8       
,before ,i could answer him1 he         
continued1 ,i suppose we shall never    
know the right mode4 ,i believe1 said   
,i1 if we are sincere and come to ,god  
in earnest prayer1 he will show us his  
will1 even if the scripture on that     
doctrine has been wrongly translated4   
,the brother agreed with me1 and ,i     
said1 ,let us get down and pray4 ,while 

we were on our knees1 ,god made me to   
understand that in the near future1 he  
would make known to me his will on the  
subject of baptism4  ,i told the brother
 who was kneeling with me what ,god had 
shown me2 but it seemed that ,i needed  
to be humbled still more4 ,at this time 
,i received another ,trumpet in which   
there was an article by ,d4 ,s4 ,warner 
on the subject of baptism4 ,i said to   
myself1 ,he is nothing but a ,baptist   
preacher anyway1 and found myself going 
into gross darkness4 ,for about two     
hours it seemed that ,i was bound for   
hell4 ,i cried out1 ,o ,lord6 why is it 
that after you have used me in the      
salvation of souls1 some of whom no     
doubt are in the glory-world1 ,i must   
now be lost8 ,the ,lord made me         
understand that ,i was not responsible  
for not having been baptized1 as ,i had 
no knowledge of the teaching of the     
,scriptures on this subject1 but that ,i
 was responsible for my present light4  
,he showed me that1 if ,i would walk in 

the light1 ,i should not be lost4 ,i    
decided then and there to walk in every 
ray of light that ,god gave me4  ,as    
members of the ,m4 ,e4 ,church1 my      
parents had had me sprinkled when ,i was
 a child1 and up to this time ,i had had
 no light on baptism4 ,when ,i had      
opportunity and ,i was buried in        
baptism1 ,god wonderfully witnessed that
 ,i was being baptized in his order4    
,my first text after ,i got light on the
 one body of ,christ1 was ,jeremiah     
#a3f-aj and #ag-ai4 ,a short time before
 this ,i had held a meeting with an ,m4 
,e4 ,south preacher1 who now seemed to  
stand before me like an obstructing     
mountain4 ,as ,i began my sermon1 ,i    
seemed to see him in that capacity4     
,before ,i was through delivering the   
message1 however1 ,god had lifted me    
above the mountain1 so that ,i was never
 again troubled in that way4  ,my name  
was still on the ,m4 ,e4 class-book2 but
 ,god showed me that ,i ought to have it
 removed1 and how to have it removed4 ,i

 sent for my church letter and trusted  
the ,lord to direct me how to dispose of
 it4 ,one ,sunday after a sermon had    
been delivered on the church of ,god1 ,i
 rose and told the congregation about   
the church letter1 told them that the   
,lord had shown me that ,i could not    
have two valid contracts for my entire  
service with two different parties at   
the same time4 ,i said1 ,i have decided 
that the contract between ,god and my   
soul is the more important one4 ,then ,i
 proceeded to tear up my letter1 and    
,god sent his mighty power1 witnessing  
that my contract with the ,lord was     
ratified in heaven4 ,so much of heaven  
came down1 and the glory world seemed so
 near1 that ,i seemed attached to       
heaven1 not by a cord1 but by a mighty  
cable4 ,i shall never be able to express
 how satisfied ,i was with ,god's       
church4 ,some sectarian preachers       
prophesied that ,i should soon be back  
preaching for the denominations4 ,one of
 them was heard to say1 ,if ,i knew that

 ,mary ,cole would come and help us in a
 meeting1 ,i would send for her2 but ,i 
am afraid she won't4 ,i never got any   
more special calls from ,babylon4       
,shortly after ,i got light on the one  
body1 however1 the devil laid a snare   
for me4 ,i saw the snare before ,i got  
into it1 and ,god's ,word was fulfilled3
 ,in vain is the net spread in the sight
 of any bird4 ,it happened in this way3 
,a certain man who was starting a new   
sect tried to interest all he could in  
his project4 ,he did not call his new   
religious movement by any special name  
and professed not to have anything to   
join4 ,he would have the people come and
 shake hands1 inferring that in so doing
 they were not joining anything1 but    
were merely showing their mutual love   
and fellowship4 ,in order to be an      
encouragement to any that might really  
be trying to live for the ,lord1 ,i went
 up and shook hands with the preacher   
and others4 ,after we had shaken hands1 
his design became apparent4 ,he seated  

me and a few others on one side of the  
platform and called for others to come  
and shake hands with us4 ,the ,lion of  
the tribe of ,judah began to roar in my 
soul4 ,i got up very quickly1 and the   
plan was defeated4  ,a common remark    
made to me by sectarians was1 ,you ought
 to join some denomination so that you  
will be inside the pale of the church1  
thus inferring that because ,i did not  
belong to a human organization1 ,i was  
not in good pasture1 but outside on the 
commons with poor1 ill-fed stock4 ,i    
understood the figure of speech very    
well1 for ,i was brought up on a farm   
where the garden was enclosed with      
palings4 ,between these palings were    
spaces through which small animals could
 get in and destroy the vegetables--a   
very good illustration of the sectarian 
churches surrounded by their palings1   
through which unclean spirits can slip  
in and destroy the flock4 ,in the church
 of ,god ,i feel secure2 because ,god   
has appointed salvation for her walls   

and bulwarks 7,isaiah #bf3a71 and       
through these neither evil spirits1 nor 
even the devil himself can penetrate4   
,i was educated to believe1 and in this 
way ,i often expressed myself1 that the 
,m4 ,e4 denomination was my spiritual   
mother4 ,this idea remained with me     
until ,i got light on the sin of        
division and was spiritually able to    
discern the bride of ,christ4 ,then ,i  
saw that ,jerusalem from above is the   
mother of us all4 ,i saw plainly that if
 ,i had two mothers1 one must be a      
stepmother4 ,while my mother was living 
,i never cared to have a stepmother4    
,the prophecies of ,scripture so        
unmistakably point to the one church1   
the body of ,christ1 that they can be   
but poorly explained by those who are   
trying to make them conform to sectarian
 theology4 ,i am content with the church
 of ,god1 with ,christ as the door1 and 
nothing inside but the holy throng4     
,besides1 in sectarianism ,i did not    
have freedom in my ministry4 ,i could   

preach only as the sect ministers       
suggested4 ,if ,god gave me more light1 
and ,i tried to give it to the people1  
,i was likely to receive a rebuke4 ,i   
remember that at one time while ,i was  
holding a meeting for some denomination1
 ,god led me to preach on holiness4 ,in 
the very beginning of the meeting they  
had advised me not to preach on this    
subject4 ,what was ,i to do8 ,the ,lord 
reminded that ,i had promised ,i would  
preach any part of his ,word whenever   
and wherever he led me to do so4 ,he now
 brought me face to face with the       
question1 ,what will you do8 ,i said1   
,lord1 ,i will obey you if you will     
stand by me4 ,the ,lord assured me that 
he would4 ,i preached on sanctification 
as a distinct second work of grace1 ,god
 witnessing to the message by his mighty
 power4 ,after the service1 the minister
 who had placed the restrictions upon   
me1 said1 ,sister ,cole1 that is the    
best sermon you preached during the     
whole meeting4 ,i answered1 ,i knew that

 the things you didn't want were the    
things you needed4  ,after the ,lord had
 led me into the precious truth of the  
oneness of his people1 ,i was much      
better satisfied with what ,god did with
 me and through me1 with the meetings ,i
 held1 and with the results attained4   
,although at times not as many people   
professed salvation now as when ,i was  
preaching for the denomination1 yet     
those who got saved reached a settled   
experience1 being satisfied that they   
were in ,god's order4 ,they were not    
looking around for something that more  
nearly represented the truth4 ,as a     
minister ,i was satisfied1 knowing that 
,i was delivering the whole counsel of  
,god4 ,no one ever can be satisfied who 
is not walking in every ray of light    
that ,god turns on his pathway4         
,chapter ,,xiii  ,the ,evening ,light   
,this chapter is an article written by  
the author many years after she had     
received light on the unity of the      
church4 ,it will acquaint the reader    

with what is meant by the expression    
evening light4    ,at evening time it   
shall be light4  ,and it shall come to  
pass in that day1 that the light shall  
not be clear1 nor dark3 but it shall be 
one day which shall be known to the     
,lord1 not day1 nor night3 but it shall 
come to pass1 that at evening time it   
shall be light 7,zechariah #ad3f1g74    
,the expression evening light suggests  
the thought that there was at one time  
morning light4 ,the ,new ,testament     
dispensation is sometimes called the    
gospel day4 ,like the natural day1 this 
gospel day has its morning and evening4 
,when the ,new ,testament church was    
first set in order2 when this ,holy     
,ghost dispensation was ushered in2 when
 the gospel day began there was a       
wonderful outburst of light and power   
from the glory-world4 ,the people which 
sat in darkness saw great light2 and to 
them which sat in the region and shadow 
of death light is sprung up 7,matthew   
#d3af74 ,as a result of this mighty     

flood of power and light1 the place     
where the saints were assembled was     
shaken 7,acts #b3a-g71 the dead were    
raised to life1 the blind were made to  
see1 the deaf to hear1 the dumb to speak
 the lame to walk1 all manner of        
diseases were healed1 thousands upon    
thousands were converted to ,god1 and   
many signs and wonders were wrought in  
the name of the holy child ,jesus4 ,we  
also read of ,paul's wonderful          
conversion1 of ,peter's deliverance from
 prison1 and of many who were delivered 
from devils4 ,oh1 what wonderful light  
,god shed upon the hearts of men at that
 time6  ,the shining of this glorious   
light not only enlightened the minds of 
those who received it2 but it also      
revealed the effects of past traditions 
and brushed them away4 ,the light also  
revealed the ,new ,testament life and   
experience1 far exceeding the standard  
under the law4 ,the word says1 ,light   
makes manifest2 so under the gospel rays
 every one's condition was revealed4    

,the light not only showed the people   
their sins1 but also showed them how to 
get rid of them1 and then how later to  
get sanctified wholly4 ,for this is the 
will of ,god1 even your sanctification  
7#a ,thesselonians #d3c74  ,this1 of    
course1 is a much higher standard than  
was raised under the law4 ,the law was1 
eye for eye1 tooth for tooth1 love your 
neighbor and hate your enemy2 but when  
the gospel light revealed ,god's will in
 this dispensation1 all people became so
 responsible because of the knowledge of
 divine truth revealed to them and the  
unmeasured divine power bestowed upon   
them that it was consistent to raise the
 standard where people would love their 
enemies and do good to those who        
despitefully treated them4 ,nor did     
their love stop with that2 it so        
increased toward one another that all   
that believed were together1 and had all
 things common2 and sold their          
possessions and goods1 and parted them  
to all men1 as every man had need 7,acts

 #b3dd1de74  ,in many particulars far   
too numerous to mention can it be shown 
that the ,new ,testament standard was   
raised far above the law standard1      
showing ,god's compassion to fallen man4
 ,for example1 consider the woman taken 
in adultery4 ,the law said1 ,stone her  
to death2 but ,jesus said1 ,neither do  
,i condemn thee2 go and sin no more4    
,notice also his compassion toward the  
,syrophenician woman1 who was considered
 a ,gentile dog2 toward the people when 
he performed the miracles of the loaves 
and fishes2 toward the multitude when he
 fed enemies as well as friends4 ,again1
 when the disciples wanted to call down 
fire from heaven to destroy some who had
 opposed them1 ,jesus said1 ,i am not   
come to destroy men's lives1 but to save
 them4 ,jesus loved the people so well  
that he healed even the man in the tombs
 who was possessed with a legion of     
devils1 and also the ear of the servant 
of the high priest who was then helping 
to arrest him4 ,it was his compassion   

that sent out the disciples to heal the 
sick1 to raise the dead1 and to cast out
 devils4 ,all these things were a result
 of the burning light that shone forth  
in the morning of this gospel day4  ,we 
see that ,god's church in the beginning 
was a mighty moving power--a means in   
,god's hands to bring deliverance and   
salvation to souls1 and healing to      
afflicted bodies4 ,the work done and the
 signs wrought all so far exceeded what 
had been done before that the people    
were made to exclaim1 ,we never saw it  
on this fashion4 ,jesus summed it up    
well when he said1 ,the blind received  
their sight1 and the lame walk1 the     
lepers are cleansed1 and the deaf hear1 
the dead are raised up1 and the poor    
have the gospel preached to them4 ,and  
blessed is he whosoever shall not be    
offended in me 7,matthew #aa3e1f74 ,if  
from the morning time until now the     
light had continued to shine with       
unclouded brightness1 who knows how much
 might have been done toward the        

salvation of the world6 ,but1 alas6 the 
prophecy must needs be fulfilled3 ,and  
it shall come to pass in that day1 saith
 the ,lord ,god1 that ,i will cause the 
sun to go down at noon1 and ,i will     
darken the earth in the clear day 7,amos
 #h3i74 ,in ,paul's time he said1 ,for  
the mystery of iniquity doth already    
work 7#b ,thessalonians #b3g74  ,it was 
not long until the people began to drift
 away from ,god1 to substitute outward  
form for inward experience1 and penance 
for faith4 ,heresies sprang up4 ,men    
lost sight of the church of ,god1 and   
began to form creeds1 and to build up   
man-made institutions4 ,the first creed 
was formed in ,a4 ,d4    #cbe4 ,men     
drifted farther and farther away from   
the way of the ,lord1 and plunged into  
gross darkness1 until they could even   
kill the saints and think they were     
doing ,god's service4 ,they also fell to
 worshiping images after the manner of  
the heathen1 and doing many other like  
things4 ,this departure from light      

brought about a serious state of        
affairs2 so great was the persecution of
 ,god's true children that they were    
hunted for their lives1 and had to hide 
in dens and caves of the earth4 ,history
 tells us that death was the penalty for
 having in possession a ,new ,testament4
 ,with such a penalty hanging over the  
people of ,god1 not many would be       
professing that did not have the        
experience4 ,it doubtless took a        
martyr's consecration to keep a real    
,christian experience in those days1 and
 it is equally as much needed in these  
perilous times4  ,this reign of gross   
darkness continued hundreds of years4   
,behold1 the days come1 saith the ,lord 
,god1 that ,i will send a famine in the 
land1 not a famine of bread1 nor thirst 
for water1 but of hearing the words of  
the ,lord 7,amos #h3aa74 ,but ,god had  
designed to bring again his children out
 of darkness4 ,he proceeded to do so by 
giving light to such men as ,wycliffe1  
,huss1 ,luther1 and others4 ,history    

tells us that when light came to        
,luther1 he was steeped in ,catholicism1
 so much so that he was trying to gain  
favor with ,god by various acts of      
penance4 ,on one occasion while he was  
climbing the holy stairs at ,rome on his
 hands and knees1 the ,lord thundered in
 his soul that salvation is by faith in 
,christ alone4 ,we have no account of   
,luther's getting light beyond          
justification1 but the reformation did  
not cease with him4 ,later the ,lord    
gave to the ,wesleys1 ,fletcher1 ,hester
 ,ann ,rogers1 and others1 greater light
 on his ,word1 showing the privilege not
 only of justification but also of      
sanctification4 ,as the departure from  
the light and whole truth in the morning
 of the gospel day was a gradual        
process1 so the return to the light has 
been gradual4 ,the ,lord shed some light
 on the world through ,huss1 some       
through ,luther1 and some through the   
,wesleys and others1 thus restoring the 
full light according to his own plan4   

,while ,god wonderfully used these men  
to shed light on the world in their day1
 yet many effects of the apostasy were  
clinging to them4 ,divine healing in    
their day was almost unknown or known to
 but few1 and likewise the gifts of the 
,spirit4 ,wesley himself testified that 
he did not possess any of the gifts of  
the ,spirit1 and did not think that any 
one else did4 ,no one in ,wesley's time1
 so far as we know1 discerned the one   
body and the unity of ,god's children4  
,the one who perhaps came nearest to    
discerning the body of ,christ was      
either ,wesley or ,fletcher4 ,in their  
correspondence with each other1 one said
 in substance the following3 ,in        
searching the ,word on the unity of     
,god's children1 ,i see that the        
,scriptures relating to the gathering of
 ,god's children into one body must be  
fulfilled before the end2 but ,i        
scarcely think we are yet on the        
threshold of that period4 ,he expressed 
his desire to see that time by saying1  

,god hasten the day4 ,no doubt if these 
men were living today1 and walking in   
the light as they were at that time1    
they would readily fall into line with  
the church in this evening time4  ,at   
evening time it shall be light4 ,that   
this scripture might be fulfilled1 ,god 
in his wisdom saw fit to shed more light
 on the one body and divine healing1 not
 upon one person alone1 but upon a      
number of his people in different parts 
of the world4 ,this light began to break
 forth about #ahhj4 ,i wish to call your
 attention here to the way in which ,god
 shed forth the light on the church of  
,god4 ,in making a new sect1 some man   
becomes the hub and center1 and round   
him or his ideas revolves the           
organization4 ,but ,god did not center  
this reform in one man1 but gave the    
light to different ones in various parts
 of the world about the same time4 ,the 
work of the ,holy ,spirit upon their    
hearts in sanctifying them1 caused them 
to see and flow together4 ,it might be  

said that the giving of this glorious   
light was in one respect similar to the 
second coming of the ,son of man3 ,as   
the lightning cometh out of the east1   
and shineth even unto the west2 so shall
 also the coming of the ,son of man be4 
,the fact that many persons in different
 parts of the world saw this light      
independently of each other and at about
 the same time is one evidence that this
 movement is ,god's work and not man's4 
,truly this is the evening time1 and it 
is light4  ,god's will1 order1 and plan 
are more fully revealed to his children 
now than at any other time since the    
days of the apostles4 ,the ,lord enables
 us more clearly to discern the one body
 and its operations1 and to know our    
place in it4 ,the gifts of the ,spirit  
are now recognized as belonging         
rightfully to ,god's children1 and are  
sought1 obtained and used to the glory  
of ,god4 ,it is now understood that the 
same purity of heart and life enjoined  
by the church in the morning time is not

 only our privilege to enjoy1 but also  
the standard to which we must measure1  
and the doctrine that we as ministers   
must both live and preach4 ,the old     
,babylon doctrine1 ,sin you must1 is    
exposed as a doctrine of devils4 ,the   
doctrine and practise of trusting the   
,lord for healing and at the same time  
using drugs and remedies to help the    
,lord out is cast aside as false1 and   
the true doctrine of entire trust in    
,god for healing is taught and practised
 instead4 ,truly the prophecy is        
fulfilled which says1 ,the light of the 
moon shall be as the light of the sun1  
and the light of the sun shall be       
sevenfold 7,isaiah #cj3bf74  ,at the    
same time that ,god is shedding more    
light on his ,word1 his plan1 and his   
holy bride1 he is also giving us more   
light on the workings of ,satan and his 
deceptive power4 ,as the light shines   
brighter1 of course the battle waxes    
hotter between ,god and the devil1      
between light and darkness4 ,as the     

light reveals the hiding-places of the  
devil and exposes his works1 he is      
becoming more and more enraged and is   
making a desperate fight1 for his time  
is short4 ,this means much to the true  
saints in these perilous times4 ,the    
enemy is not only doing all he can to   
hold those who are already under his    
power1 but is doing all he can to spot  
the pure bride4 ,since he already sways 
his scepter over the sectarian world1 he
 needs waste no time on them1 but can   
direct all his energies against the holy
 remnant4  ,the harder ,satan works1    
however1 the brighter shines the church 
of ,god1 the one body1 the bride of     
,christ1 the more glorious her splendor 
and beauty4 ,let us beware4 ,let us     
watch and pray1 that we may be kept pure
 and clean4 ,the ,lord is the same today
 as ever1 and his promises are as       
far-reaching4 ,while it takes more grace
 to live a holy life at this time1 yet  
the dear ,lord has provided a           
sufficiency4 ,as a result we have more  

to enjoy1 and more facilities for doing 
good4 ,the heavier the responsibilities1
 the greater the grace4  ,it is a thing 
indeed to be thankful for1 that instead 
of the reign of conferences and synods1 
priests and popes1 we have the blessed  
privilege of living under the loving    
rule of the holy ,trinity1 with ,christ 
himself as the head of the church1 and  
all we are breth-ren4 ,and ,i heard as  
it were the voice of a great multitude1 
and as the voice of many waters1 and as 
the voice of mighty thunderings1 saying 
,alleluia2 for the ,lord ,god omnipotent
 reigneth 7,revelation #ai3f7  ,truly we
 are highly favored among men4 ,while we
 are now living in a time of great      
spiritual peril1 and have to encounter  
many dangers by the way1 yet we have    
more to enjoy1 and ,god is more         
perfectly revealing himself now1 than at
 any other time since the apostles4     
,brighter days are sweetly dawning1     
,oh1 the glory looms in sight6   ,for   
the cloudy day is waning1   ,and the    

ev'ning shall be light4    ,misty fogs1 
so long concealing   ,all the hills of  
mingled night1   ,vanish1 all their sin 
revealing1   ,for the ev'ning shall be  
light4    ,oh1 what golden glory        
streaming6   ,purer light is coming     
fast2   ,now in ,christ we've found a   
freedom1   ,which eternally shall last4 
,do you not think we should be very     
thankful since we are the most highly   
favored people on earth8 ,and let the   
peace of ,god rule in your hearts1 to   
the which also ye are called in one     
body2 and be ye thankful 7,colossians   
#c3ae74 ,those of us who have been      
delivered from the dark night of        
,babylon confusion1 and translated into 
this glorious light1 surely have every  
kind of reason for which to be thankful4
 ,therefore let us be glad and rejoice1 
and give honor to him3 for the marriage 
of the ,lamb is come1 and his wife hath 
made herself ready 7,revelation #ai3g74 
,and the kingdom and dominion1 and the  
greatness of the kingdom under the whole

 heaven1 shall be given to the people of
 the saints of the ,most ,high1 whose   
kingdom is an everlasting kingdom1 and  
all dominions shall serve and obey him  
7,daniel #g3bg74 ,read ,daniel #g3ae-bh4
     ,chapter ,,xiv  ,various           
,experiences in ,gospel ,work  ,soon    
after ,i discerned the one body1 my     
brother and ,i visited ,st4 ,james1 ,mo4
 ,we had labored there but a short time 
when ,brother ,warner and his company   
came to the town to hold a camp-meeting4
 ,when ,i was first introduced to       
,brother ,warner1 he made the remark1   
,and so you are the sister that wanted  
to stay in ,babylon in order to get     
wolves to take care of ,iambs8 and then 
broke into a hearty laugh4 ,he referred 
to my remark that ,i was going to       
continue to work with the sects1 so that
 whenever a congregation was raised up  
,i could get a sectarian minister to    
serve as pastor4 ,i enjoyed ,brother    
,warner's merriment1 as ,i was free from
 sectarian bondage4 ,he was truly a man 

of ,god2 as meek1 humble1 and           
,christlike as any one ,i have ever met4
 ,meeting him seemed very much like     
meeting ,jesus himself1 ,he was always  
ready to comfort and encourage young    
workers4 ,he once felt so bad over      
having neglected to pray for a sister   
that was suffering1 that he went to the 
altar and sought forgiveness1 although  
his neglect had been due to the fact    
that he was so busy that he could       
scarcely have done otherwise than he    
did4  ,before ,i began traveling with my
 brother1 he had labored at ,st4 ,james1
 where quite a company of saints was    
raised up4 ,when we visited the town    
together1 strange things were happening4
 ,the members of the congregation were  
having peculiar manifestations in their 
services--jumping1 dancing1 and doing   
other strange things1 which they did not
 know whether to attribute to ,god or   
the devil1 but which they thought were  
of the ,lord4  ,my experience at this   
time showed that ,i was not entirely    

free from the influence of the          
traditions that ,i had received when a  
child4 ,in my early years ,i had been   
instructed that different bodily        
demonstrations1 such as dancing1        
jumping1 etc41 which occurred in the    
sect meetings some fifty years before1  
were all of ,god4 ,when1 therefore1 we  
visited this little town1 we accepted   
all their demonstrations as being of    
,god4 ,i even let some who were         
possessed with devils lay hands on me4  
,i became affected with their false     
spirit1 and on certain occasions my     
joints would become stiff and ,i would  
fall in a trance4  ,about this time     
,brother ,warner and his company came to
 the town to hold a camp-meeting4 ,as ,i
 went to shake hands with ,mother       
,smith1 who was with them at that time1 
,i fell stiff4 ,mother ,smith knew what 
was the matter at once4 ,at first       
,brother ,warner was somewhat puzzled1  
as he could see that although some of us
 were affected by this false spirit1 we 

still had the spirit of ,god4 ,as he    
wanted to be sure of every step he took1
 he began to work very carefully1       
holding on to ,god for guidance4        
,finally ,god showed him that the time  
had come to send forth judgment4 ,he    
read the #abth1 #acth1 and #adth        
chapters of ,i ,corinthians4 ,he said he
 was going to give us a big gospel dish 
at this time1 and when he came to the   
scripture1 ,charity does not behave     
itself unseemly1 the judgments went     
forth in mighty torrents4  ,i was       
sitting in the congregation1 knowing    
that ,i had some of the devil's chatties
 on me4 ,at first ,i thought ,i would go
 out and pray it through2 then ,i said1 
,no1 ,i will look to ,god right here    
where ,i am4 ,i raised my hand to ,god  
and said1 ,lord1 you must show me what  
is of ,god and what is not1 so ,i can   
take my stand for you4 ,before my hand  
went down1 ,god made me to know that    
,brother ,warner and his company were   
right1 and that the judgments going     

forth were of the ,lord4 ,i took my     
stand for the truth4  ,at this time and 
place it meant much to stand for the    
truth1 for the whole country was        
polluted with this false spirit1 and    
when judgment went forth1 it stirred up 
the enemy throughout the whole country4 
,as a result1 a mob came that night     
after the services were ended1 tore up  
the tents1 and loaded everybody and     
everything connected with the meeting   
onto wagons and quietly sent them off   
the camp-ground4 ,i was staying that    
night at a house about two miles from   
the camp-ground1 and so was not present 
when the mob came4 ,about two o'clock in
 the morning ,brother ,warner1 who had  
got separated from his company1 came1   
with a number of others1 to the house   
where ,i was staying4 ,i was awakened   
very early in the morning to pray for a 
brother's child that was sick4 ,i did   
not feel clear to do this alone1 as ,i  
had not sufficient victory over the     
recent attack of the enemy4 ,finding out

 that ,brother ,warner was there1 ,i    
called him4 ,we laid hands on the child1
 prayed for it1 and it was healed4      
,then ,i had them lay hands on me and   
pray that all the bad effects of the    
recent attack of the enemy might be     
overcome4 ,there was still a stir all   
through the country1 and soon the people
 began to gather at the house where we  
were staying4 ,many of them were now    
able to see that they had been under the
 influence of wicked spirits1 and       
desired deliverance4 ,so many came that 
from the time we had our breakfast in   
the morning until the sun went down at  
night1 we stopped neither to eat nor to 
rest1 but were continually in prayer for
 those who wanted help4  ,it had been   
the design of the mob to kill ,brother  
,warner1 but the ,lord graciously       
delivered him4 ,it was the second day   
after the mob came1 before ,brother     
,warner found his company2 he and they  
had gone in different directions4 ,in   
the days following1 ,mother ,smith was  

quite helpful to me1 as the enemy tried 
to depress and crush me2 but the ,lord  
brought me off more than conqueror4 ,a  
number of other honest souls were also  
gloriously delivered at this time2 some 
of whom are ,new ,testament ministers   
today4  ,god soon showed me that ,i must
 trust him for heavenly authority over  
devils and over every foul spirit4 ,i   
came to ,god in earnest prayer1 claimed 
my privilege as a minister1 and obtained
 the gift of miracles4 ,i soon had an   
opportunity to exercise the gift4  ,the 
following spring1 in company with my    
brother1 ,i had the privilege of        
attending the ,bangor1 ,michigan1       
camp-meeting4 ,for sometime ,i had felt 
the leadings of the ,lord to go to this 
meeting1 but ,i did not have the means4 
,i began praying earnestly that ,god    
would open the way for me to go1 but he 
saw fit to let my faith be tested4 ,the 
time of the meeting was drawing near1   
and the money for my trip did not seem  
to be forthcoming4 ,as the time         

approached and different people asked me
 if ,i was going1 ,i would say yes4     
,some would ask me if ,i had the means  
for my car-fare1 to which ,i would      
answer no4 ,well1 said they1 what will  
you do if ,god does not give you the    
means8 ,i replied1 ,i will trust him    
anyway4 ,soon1 however1 the ,lord showed
 me that ,i should begin fasting and    
praying1 and that ,i should not eat     
until the money was provided4 ,breakfast
 on ,saturday morning was my last meal  
until the following ,monday morning4 ,by
 that time ,god had answered my prayer3 
,i had enough money to take me to the   
meeting1 and there was a little left to 
apply on my return fare4  ,it is        
unnecessary for me to say that ,i       
enjoyed this my first meeting after     
getting victory over my sectarian       
blindness1 past traditions1 etc4 ,the   
meeting was certainly precious and      
heavenly4 ,the songs were so sweet1     
being sung in the spirit1 and having    
such a heavenly melody4 ,it seemed1     

almost1 that ,i was where angels had    
congregated4 ,brother ,warner would     
leap1 shout1 and praise the ,lord1 both 
in meeting and between meetings when he 
would meet a saint4 ,whenever a new     
saint came on the ground1 you would hear
 shouts1 praises1 and halleluiahs1 that 
would make the woods ring4 ,in the      
morning when we first met each other1   
our salutations were1 ,praise the ,lord6
 ,the ,lord bless you6 etc4 ,i have     
heard ,brother ,warner say when he met  
those who seemed to have no praises     
stirring in their souls1 ,have you no   
calves this morning8 referring to the   
scripture1 ,we should offer the calves  
of our lips1 even praises to our ,god4  
,i have been present when1 under the    
anointing of the ,spirit1 ,brother      
,warner preached three hours and        
twenty-five minutes2 and those that were
 interested were not the least bit      
tired4 ,while my brother and ,i were    
attending a camp-meeting at ,chanute1   
,kansas1 our systems got filled with    

malaria4 ,coming back to the home of    
,father ,bolds1 near ,webb ,city1       
,missouri1 ,i soon came down with       
typhoid fever4 ,my brother had an       
attack1 also2 but1 as he fought it more 
successfully than ,i1 he soon recovered4
 ,i had a fight of faith4 ,it seemed    
difficult for me to get hold of the     
,lord for healing4 ,on examining my     
consecration1 ,i found that ,i was more 
anxious to die than to live4 ,when ,i   
got that difficulty out of the way1 the 
,lord soon raised me up4  ,nevertheless1
 ,i lay three and one-half weeks1 most  
of the time with my tongue swelled stiff
 in my mouth4 ,i could eat no solid     
food1 not even softened bread4 ,during  
that time ,i lived on liquid foods1 such
 as grape juice and buttermilk4 ,prayer 
had been offered for me several times1  
but without avail1 for the reason that  
,i have already given4 ,one evening1    
however1 prayer was offered for me      
again4 ,this time ,god gave the victory1
 rebuked the disease1 and ,i was healed1

 although ,i was left very weak4 ,the   
next evening prayer was again offered   
that my strength be restored1 which     
petition ,god granted4 ,the following   
morning ,mother ,bolds helped me to     
dress1 and in company with her and      
,father ,bolds and my brother1 ,i got   
into a lumber-wagon and started to      
,joplin1 ,missouri1 seven miles away1 to
 begin a meeting4  ,that evening ,i     
testified1 and the next day preached    
twice2 although ,i could not walk alone1
 and had to be led by two persons for a 
week1 and by one person for two weeks4  
,it was two weeks before the saliva came
 into my mouth4 ,during this time1 also 
a number of disorders appeared on my    
body one after another1 almost like new 
diseases4 ,as each new affliction       
appeared1 ,god helped me to trust him   
until it was removed4  ,all this time1  
however1 ,god had enabled me to help in 
the services--to preach1 to testify1 or 
to pray--whatever seemed to be my duty4 
,although ,i seemed able to do so much  

in the services1 yet my mental vigor    
seemed not to have been restored        
sufficiently for me to carry on a       
conversation2 and between services1 ,i  
would scarcely talk at all4 ,indeed1 ,i 
was hardly able to think rationally very
 long at a time2 but during the services
 when the anointing of ,god's ,spirit   
was upon me1 ,i hardly think any one    
could have told that ,i was laboring    
under any difficulties at all4  ,the    
meeting at ,joplin lasted four weeks4   
,during that time my brother got a call 
to another place1 and ,i was left to    
finish the meeting alone4 ,in many ways 
my body was not yet normal1 but it was  
improving surprisingly fast4 ,soon after
 my brother left1 ,mother ,bolds came to
 call on me1 and ,i begged her to stay  
until the close of the series of        
meetings4 ,i felt so helpless yet that  
,i could not keep from crying like a    
child4 ,she encouraged me as best she   
could1 and told me that she would go    
home and see to things there1 and then  

come back next day and stay with me     
until the meeting ended4 ,she was a     
great encouragement to me and also a    
great help in the services4  ,shortly   
after this ,i went with ,father and     
,mother ,bolds to help hold a meeting   
some distance from there in southern    
,missouri4 ,large crowds were in        
attendance1 ,god blessed in the         
services1 and souls were convicted and  
saved4 ,a man and his wife who had      
professed to get saved1 sent for us to  
come to their house1 saying that they   
were sick4 ,it was a peculiar case1 one 
that we did not at all understand4      
,brother ,bolds and ,i both went to ,god
 in earnest prayer1 and the ,lord       
revealed to each of us independently of 
the other that we had on hands a case of
 evil spirits4 ,we laid on our hands1   
did all we could to cast them out2 but  
as we did not know how to trust ,god for
 authority over them1 they would not go4
  ,while dealing with this case1 ,i     
learned that the man and his father had 

a grudge against each other1 and had not
 been on speaking terms for sometime4   
,we remained at the house until the     
night service1 when the brother started 
with us to meeting4 ,we had to pass his 
father's house on the way4 ,before      
starting1 the man had asked me privately
 whether or not he ought to get the     
difficulty out from between him and his 
father4 ,i advised him that he should4  
,so when we came to his father's house1 
he tried to ask his father's            
forgiveness2 but instead of doing as he 
purposed1 the devils began to talk      
through him and to make strange noises4 
,the son's demonstrations stirred up the
 devil in his father1 who began to rage 
against ,brother ,bolds1 and to abuse   
him1 calling him wicked vile names4 ,i  
said to ,sister ,bolds3 ,the ,lord has  
used us as well as ,brother ,bolds in   
the meeting1 and ,i think we ought to be
 willing to take our share of the abuse4
 ,let us go up where they are talking4  
,as we appeared1 the father turned on   

me4 ,he said everything that the devil  
could bring to his mind1 but the more he
 said1 the happier ,i became4 ,finally1 
,brother ,bolds said1 ,sister ,cole1 ,i 
think we had better hurry on to meeting1
 as the congregation will be there and  
will be disappointed if we are late4 ,it
 seemed that ,i could hardly tear myself
 away from the place1 ,god was so       
wonderfully pouring his glory into my   
soul4 ,the demon-possessed man came     
along with us1 growling and whining like
 a dog1 and making other strange noises4
 ,he kept up these demonstrations during
 the entire meeting4 ,some of the       
unsaved people seemed to understand just
 how matters were and enjoyed it        
immensely4 ,they laughed and had great  
fun4  ,for two weeks afterward the      
devil-possessed man was completely      
deranged mentally4 ,his father guarded  
the house and would not let ,brother    
,bolds call on him2 although1 when the  
son saw ,brother ,bolds1 he would say1  
,if you will let that man in1 ,i will   

soon be all right4 ,after two weeks his 
mental powers were restored1 but he was 
completely turned against the truth1 and
 would not come to meeting any more4    
,on the night of which we have been     
speaking1 ,i had promised to go back and
 stay all night at the home of the son4 
,during the night the ,lord woke me up  
and brought to mind very forcibly that  
the powers of hell were there1 and that 
,i was in the presence of a murderous   
spirit4 ,the ,lord impressed me that ,i 
should lie awake and pray4 ,early in the
 morning my host began to call to me at 
the top of his voice3 ,leave1 old       
,satan6 leave1 old ,satan6 ,my first    
thought was1 ,this is his home1 and ,i  
shall be compelled to leave4 ,snow lay  
about a foot deep on the ground1 and the
 air was cold and sharp4 ,it was a mile 
to the nearest house4 ,my next thought  
was1 ,why1 my name is not old ,satan1   
and ,i will not answer to ,satan's name2
 but if he calls me ,mary ,cole1 and    
tells me to leave1 ,i will go as soon as

 ,i can1 because it is his place1 and   
not mine4  ,he left the house and went  
to the barn to feed his stock4 ,i got up
 and dressed and was impressed to remain
 until he came back1 and then to ask him
 the privilege of having prayer with    
him4 ,it seemed that he could not refuse
 my request4 ,so ,i read and prayed4 ,up
 to this time1 ,i had been bothered very
 much by my feelings2 but now ,i just   
leaned on ,god alone1 trusted in his    
word1 claimed the promises1 and prayed  
that he would bring me off more than    
conqueror4 ,the ,lord made me understand
 that he gave me power over all the     
powers of the enemy4  ,after prayer the 
man called me in to breakfast4  ,god had
 already shown me that he did not want  
me to eat breakfast2 so ,i told the man 
,i did not care for any4 ,he insisted   
that ,i come1 and began to cry2 but ,i  
did not go4 ,the door being open between
 the room where ,i was and the room in  
which they were eating1 ,i heard him    
say1 ,wife1 ,i believe we are mistaken2 

,i believe those are the people of ,god4
 ,the next morning being ,sunday1 he    
went with me to the meeting1 but that   
was the last one he attended4  ,this was
 but a short time after ,i had the      
typhoid fever4 ,the fight with the enemy
 in which ,i had been engaged1          
strengthened my faith greatly4 ,i was   
now more ready to cope with devils than 
,i had ever been before4 ,i had been    
very weak on that point4 ,before the    
experience which ,i have just related1  
if ,i felt all right1 ,i thought        
everything was all right2 but if my     
feelings were not good1 ,i began to     
doubt ,god's promises4 ,god had just    
brought me off more than conqueror in a 
severe conflict1 and ,i was now ready to
 take him at his word1 no matter how the
 enemy raged1 and no matter how bad ,i  
felt4 ,my faith was now grounded in     
knowledge4  ,during the meeting we were 
then holding1 we had to endure some     
persecutions4 ,one cold night some one  
put red pepper on the stove4 ,the stove 

was in the center of the room1 and the  
fumes from the pepper almost stifled the
 people4 ,they had to run out to keep   
from choking4 ,brother ,bolds quickly   
raised the window opposite the door1 and
 the draft between the window and the   
door soon drove the stifling fumes from 
the house4 ,although the people were so 
affected by the fumes of the pepper1 yet
 we ministers did not suffer a bit4     
,twice during this meeting we were      
egged--once with frozen eggs4 ,none of  
the eggs1 however1 hit any of us4 ,two  
persons who were not fully decided to   
stand for the truth1 got some benefit of
 the eggs4 ,on the road to meeting one  
night1 some of the opposers of the truth
 were egged by their comrades1 who      
mistook them for members of our company4
  ,several times after getting light on 
the church ,i had the privilege of      
helping in meetings in my own home4     
,these were attended with good results3 
a few got deliverance and were          
established in the whole truth4 ,some   

are true to ,god yet4 ,one time while at
 my home1 ,sister ,lodema ,kaser and ,i 
went to a little town named ,greenridge1
 about ten miles away2 and1 being       
solicited by some good honest souls to  
hold a meeting1 we began services at    
that place4 ,a good interest soon began 
to be manifested3 conviction settled on 
the people1 and hands began to go up for
 prayer4 ,the meetings had continued    
nearly a week1 when we received a       
pressing call from ,kansas to come at   
once to hold services in a certain town4
 ,as ,god was working in a marvelous way
 where we were1 ,i did not feel clear to
 go4 ,even after prayer ,i still felt   
that we should continue the meeting     
where we were4  ,the second letter had  
come1 ,i think1 insisting that we should
 come4 ,then ,i began to infer that if  
,i did not heed this call1 they would   
think that ,i was refusing because ,i   
was so near home4 ,so ,i submitted and  
went4 ,to the surprise of the brother   
who had asked us to come1 the ,spirit of

 the ,lord did not work in the meeting4 
,the brother soon saw his mistake and   
asked my pardon4 ,he said1 ,sister      
,cole1 ,i will never do such a thing    
again4  ,we did not remain long at this 
place4 ,the only fruit of our labors1 so
 far as we know1 was one dear sister who
 got under conviction1 but who did not  
get a chance to become acquainted with  
the whole truth until fifteen years     
afterward1 but the light that she got at
 that time and the conviction that came 
upon her1 followed her until she was    
gloriously saved4 ,this was ,sister     
,matilda ,magley4 ,the last news ,i had 
from her1 she was a precious saint of   
,god4 ,another result of this meeting   
was1 that we learned a good lesson4 ,in 
the future1 we were more careful how we 
let others persuade us out of ,god's    
order4  ,i hold that ,god's true        
ministers who live close to him are able
 to get their own leadings from the     
,lord1 especially where souls are at    
stake4 ,god wants us to have our own    

individuality4 ,true1 the ,word says1   
,be subject to one another1 but we are  
to be subject always in conformity with 
his will and his ,word4 ,i know that ,i 
have had to trust my individual lead    
ing2 ,i have had to depend upon them to 
keep me from being led off by wrong     
influences and spirits4 ,when ,i saw my 
privilege to individually learn ,god's  
will1 ,i took advantage of it1 and ,i   
have had reason to thank ,god for the   
protection of his ,spirit4  ,god's      
children should be very careful not to  
urge his servants away from a place     
before ,god says go1 nor should they    
urge them to come to a place until ,god 
is through with them where they are     
laboring4 ,by so doing1 souls may be    
lost that otherwise would be saved4 ,at 
one time ,i had four pressing calls to  
hold meetings in different places1 and  
every one of them contained the promise1
 ,we will pay your fare both ways if you
 will come4 ,god showed me that ,i      
should not accept any of them2 but      

should go in another direction1 taking  
my own money to pay my fare4 ,i went1   
happy in knowing that ,i was in ,god's  
order4 ,dear ones1 let us depend upon   
the leadings of ,god's ,spirit1 and not 
allow our financial interests to bias   
our decisions4  ,while traveling in the 
,west1 ,brother ,warner and his company 
had held a meeting at ,galesburg1       
,kansas1 in which a certain woman was   
saved4 ,previous to this time she had   
been a member of a sect and was unsaved4
 ,her husband1 who was a doctor and had 
once had an experience of salvation1 was
 greatly delighted to think that his    
wife had an experimental knowledge of   
,christ4 ,it seemed that he could       
scarcely have been happier had he been  
saved himself4 ,after his wife was      
saved1 he sent for ,sister ,kaser and me
 to come and hold a meeting4 ,we came2  
but when he met us at the train1 we were
 not the capable-looking people that he 
expected to see1 and he was quite taken 
aback4 ,nevertheless1 he invited us to  

his house and was very hospitable4 ,we  
found his wife to be a precious saint4  
,the meetings began2 conviction came    
upon the people2 and ,god began to save 
souls4 ,our burden was mostly for the   
soul of the doctor4 ,at first he seemed 
quite unconcerned about himself1 but    
much concerned for others4 ,but ,god was
 working1 and conviction soon fastened  
upon him4 ,at last ,i ventured to ask   
him to raise his hand for prayer1 which 
he did4 ,next day ,i asked him to take  
further steps toward his salvation2 but 
he said1 ,sister ,cole1 ,i did as you   
asked me to last night1 and ,i don't    
feel any better--,i feel worse4 ,i did  
what ,i could to encourage him1 and the 
,spirit of the ,lord continued to work  
with him4 ,after meeting one night1 his 
load had become so heavy he could not   
carry it any longer1 and he then and    
there requested earnest prayer4 ,it was 
near midnight before ,god spoke peace to
 his soul1 but a happier person you     
could hardly find4 ,he soon saw that the

 old sin principle was still in his     
heart and the enemy suggested1 ,do not  
get sanctified2 you will have to give up
 certain things that you won't care to  
give up yet4 ,just live a good justified
 life4 ,in some way ,god gave him a     
warning that he must seek               
sanctification4 ,he heeded ,god's voice1
 came to the altar1 and was fully       
sanctified4 ,god soon had his hand on   
him for the work4 ,this was ,bro4 ,s4   
,g4 ,bryant4  ,a man at ,essex1         
,illinois1 became interested in the     
meetings we were holding there4 ,he was 
educated in four different languages1   
made a profession of religion1 and      
belonged1 ,i think1 to some             
denomination1 but had no experience of  
salvation4 ,he soon saw that he needed  
help from ,god and came to the altar4   
,he had a desperate struggle4 ,he said  
his education did not help him to get   
saved1 but was only a hindrance1 and got
 between him and ,god4 ,he wept and     
plead with ,god just like any other poor

 sinner1 and finally broke loose from   
the things that seemed to hinder him and
 was made to rejoice in the ,savior's   
love4 ,later he came to the altar and   
was sanctified4 ,soon ,god's hand was on
 him for spiritual work1 and later he   
became a minister4 ,this was ,bro4      
,addison ,kriebel4  ,this incident shows
 that while education is all right and a
 good thing to have1 yet it is no help  
in seeking the ,lord4 ,the scripture    
says1 that the wisdom of this world is  
foolishness with ,god4 ,nor will        
education bring soul-rest2 it can not be
 substituted for spirituality4          
,education1 however1 need not be a      
hindrance to spirituality if            
spirituality be made the master and     
education the servant4 ,if this         
relationship be maintained1 the child of
 ,god is safe in the possession of      
education4  ,at one time my brother     
,jeremiah was talking to a professor of 
a college about his soul1 and trying to 
get him to seek the ,lord4 ,the         

professor seemed to be full of learning1
 and his affections were so set on the  
things of this world1 that ,jeremiah    
could scarcely make any impression on   
him4 ,while they were talking1 the      
professor's little two-year-old child1  
who was playing near by1 came up and    
said1 ,papa1 ,papa1 put your affections 
on things above1 and returned again to  
her play4 ,there1 said my brother1 can  
you take that8 ,can you accept the      
lesson the ,lord wants to give you8     
,wise as the professor was1 he was      
confounded1 knowing that ,god must have 
put this speech into the heart of his   
little child to reprove him4 ,out of the
 mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou 
ordained strength1 because of thine     
enemies1 that thou mightest still the   
enemy and the avenger 7,psalm #h3b74    
,at one time when ,sister ,kaser had    
been called home1 ,i went home on a     
visit4 ,while there1 ,i got a call to   
,meridian1 ,kansas1 to hold a meeting4  
,i arrived at the town on an early      

morning train1 remained in the depot    
until daylight1 and then hired a boy to 
carry my valise to the home of the      
minister1 ,mr4 ,j4 ,w4 ,wyrick1 who was 
pastor at that place4 ,the door was     
opened in response to my knock2 and1 as 
,i stepped in1 ,i received a very       
strange impression4  ,the disordered    
house struck me peculiarly2 but my mind 
was relieved when the man said that his 
child was lying very sick and that they 
had been taking turns sitting up with   
it4 ,in an inner room1 ,i found his     
wife1 a pitiful1 sad-looking person1    
with a face that bespoke trouble4 ,i    
kept my feelings and thoughts to myself1
 knowing that the ,lord was able to     
guide me aright and to use me to his    
glory4 ,i felt wonderfully impressed1   
however1 with the presence of evil      
spirits4 ,not being able to locate them1
 or to reach any definite conclusion1 ,i
 waited for further developments4  ,the 
meeting began4 ,there were at least     
three factions in the congregation1 and 

,i could see but very little good in any
 of them4 ,the man at whose house ,i was
 staying1 claimed to represent the      
church of ,god4 ,meeting had continued  
but a little while before his conduct   
showed me his spiritual condition1 and  
,god wonderfully burdened me for his    
soul4 ,while he was in prayer1 ,god     
showed me that his case was serious1 and
 that he was badly under the power of   
the enemy4 ,it happened at the meeting4 
,the young folks were misbehaving during
 prayer-time1 and ,mr4 ,wyrick prayed   
against them so vindictively that it was
 not hard to tell of what spirit he was4
  ,i soon felt led to renounce the wrong
 spirit that ,mr4 ,wyrick had already   
exhibited in prayer4 ,this stirred him  
up4 ,he knew that he had not been acting
 right1 and he insisted that ,i should  
come to his home for a talk4 ,i did not 
feel led to go to his house2 but he     
insisted from time to time4 ,finally his
 wife came to me and said1 ,i wish you  
would come to the house1 as it might    

make my husband treat me better4 ,for   
her sake ,i went2 but oh1 the awful     
spirit ,i met6  ,if there had been any  
want of evidence as to the man's        
condition1 that want was now supplied4  
,he began a tirade--said that ,eve was  
the downfall of the world1 and number of
 other things derogatory to woman's     
character4 ,he told me that he had had a
 dream in which a forked-tongued snake  
had been trying to kill him4 ,you1 said 
he1 are that forked-tongued snake4 ,i   
told him that ,i could bear his abuse   
for ,christ's sake4 ,but it is not for  
,christ's sake2 it is your own devilish 
work4 ,i could not reason with him at   
all1 and so ,i said1 ,let us pray4      
,first ,i prayed1 and then he prayed--an
 abusive prayer against me4 ,he kept    
pouring out his abusive talk1 until ,i  
closed the door--slammed it1 he said1   
which was false4 ,god kept me clear     
through it all2 but he made me to know  
that he did not want me to meet such    
cases alone any more1 that others should

 be present to be agreed with me1 and to
 stand against the powers of hell4  ,for
 several years my youngest brother1     
,george1 had been impressed that ,god   
wanted him to go into gospel work4 ,he  
came to where we were then holding      
meeting4 ,he seemed to think that ,god  
had sent him to us for the especial     
purpose of making me more useful and    
effectual in gospel work1 which no doubt
 was the case4 ,nevertheless1 ,god had a
 deeper design in his coming4  ,we were 
soon to go ,east to a camp-meeting4     
,although1 when ,george left home he had
 only means enough to take him to the   
camp-meeting1 yet ,god had shown him    
that he should come farther west before 
he went to the meeting4 ,before the time
 came for us to start1 the railroad had 
cut rates so that we could travel for   
about one-third fare4 ,god had worked it
 out so that we all could attend the    
meeting4  ,at a meeting ,brother ,george
 and ,i were holding in ,illinois1 there
 was a brother who wanted to walk by    

faith4 ,he thought that in order to make
 a success of such an experience he     
would have to ask the ,lord to take away
 all feeling4 ,i suppose he must have   
prayed until he got his prayer through1 
for ,god certainly did withdraw all good
 feelings from him4 ,he took a severe   
affliction which caused his face and    
parts of his body to swell badly1 and   
which brought on intense suffering4 ,god
 seemed to be present when we prayed for
 him1 but the brother was not healed1   
and his suffering became so severe that 
we were greatly burdened for him1 and   
went to ,god in very earnest prayer to  
know wherein the difficulty lay4 ,god   
showed us how the brother had prayed1   
and when we told him what the ,lord had 
revealed to us1 he saw his mistake and  
made matters right with the ,lord1 then 
he was soon gloriously healed4 ,i have  
no idea that he ever asked the ,lord    
again to take away all good feelings so 
as to enjoy walking by faith4  ,some few
 years later1 while ,sister ,kaser1 my  

brother and ,i were in ,robinson1       
,kansas1 at a camp-meeting word came    
that my father was very sick and wished 
my brother and me to come at once4      
,brother ,warner and his company were in
 this meeting4 ,god was gloriously      
working1 and souls were being saved4    
,when the letter came1 therefore1 we    
felt very reluctant to leave1 and after 
going to ,god in earnest prayer1 we     
could not feel that he wanted us to     
start that day4 ,besides1 ,i felt       
impressed that if we should start that  
day we should not get through to see him
 alive anyway1 so we delayed our trip   
until the day following4  ,for about two
 weeks ,god had been impressing me that 
,i was going to have a severe trial1 at 
the same time bringing to me these      
comforting words3 ,i will go with you   
through it4 ,this promise had been on my
 mind many times4 ,the next morning we  
got a telegram that father was dead1 and
 the enemy tried to crush me with the   
accusation that ,i did not love my      

father or ,i would have started to him  
the day before4 ,upon receipt of this   
telegram ,george and ,i started at once4
 ,we had not proceeded far on our       
journey until we learned that the train 
we should have taken had we gone the day
 before1 was wrecked4 ,some of the cars 
went into the river4 ,the ,lord's       
warning had possibly saved us from      
death2 but if not1 from unnecessary     
delay1 because had we taken that train1 
we should not have reached our          
destination any sooner than we did4  ,as
 ,i stood and gazed upon the still form 
of my father and remembered that a great
 deal of his ,christian life had not    
been satisfactory1 ,i wished ,i could   
have talked with him before he was      
taken4  ,the night after the funeral1   
when ,i had retired to rest1 ,god began 
to talk to me4 ,did ,i not tell you that
 you were going to pass through deep    
waters8 ,yes4 ,did ,i not tell you that 
,i would go through with you8 ,yes4     
,have ,i not done as ,i promised8 ,yes4 

,certainly he was a present help--all   
and more than ,i could have wished--yes1
 and more than ,i comprehended at that  
time4 ,i was so sustained that ,i did   
not at all realize the weight of the    
burden1 because ,jesus bore it for me4  
,a little later ,god seemed to withdraw 
some of his sustaining power and let me 
feel to some degree how heavy the burden
 really was4 ,it seemed that the life   
would be crushed out of me4 ,i asked the
 ,lord the reason1 and he plainly showed
 me that if he had not withdrawn his    
sustaining power ,i should never have   
known what a burden he had been bearing 
for me4 ,i thought1 too1 that another   
object1 no doubt1 was to develop in me  
greater sympathy for others carrying a  
similar load4  ,as ,i still felt        
burdened for the salvation of souls at  
,robinson1 ,kansas1 ,i returned to that 
place1 and my brother remained to look  
after father's business4 ,god gave me   
stirring messages4 ,a number of souls   
that had been convicted got down to     

business and were saved4 ,god's design  
was accomplished1 and my soul was       
relieved4  ,our next place of meeting   
was ,wichita1 ,kans4 ,our company was to
 join ,brother ,warner's company in a   
camp-meeting at that place4 ,he had     
received the money to defray the        
traveling-expenses of both companies4   
,our company was to meet them at the    
,robinson depot on a certain morning1   
and all were to travel together4 ,there 
had been some misunderstanding1 so      
,sister ,kaser and ,i were not present4 
,brother ,warner1 therefore1 left word  
that we should borrow the money and that
 he would make it right with us when we 
reached our destination4  ,sister ,kaser
 and ,i did not start until the         
following morning4 ,we told the saints  
about the misunderstanding and explained
 that we did not have the money to pay  
our way4 ,they did not make us a loan1  
but gave us the money4 ,not knowing how 
much the fare was1 we asked for too     
small a sum1 not wishing to ask for any 

more than we absolutely needed4  ,we    
could buy a ticket only to ,st4 ,joseph1
 ,missouri1 our first stopping-place1   
and therefore we did not know how much  
money we lacked1 until we reached that  
place and asked for tickets to ,wichita4
 ,to our surprise1 we found that we had 
just enough to pay our way to ,newton1  
,kansas1 twenty miles east of ,wichita4 
,at first we felt somewhat dismayed to  
think of going without money to a       
strange town4 ,we told the station agent
 of our predicament and also of our     
having friends at both ends of the road1
 and asked him what we had better do4   
,he advised us to send a telegram to    
both places4 ,in the meanwhile we sent a
 telegram up to the ,lord1 and he showed
 us that we should buy our tickets to   
,newton and trust him to bring matters  
out all right4 ,we were shouting1 happy4
 ,i remarked to ,sister ,kaser1 ,if some
 of these people on the train knew our  
circumstances and knew how happy we are1
 they would think we were ready for the 

insane asylum4  ,in the meantime1 my    
brother ,george was planning to attend  
the same camp-meeting4 ,he did not know 
what day we were going1 nor did we know 
the day he was going4 ,after he got     
started1 he found that he was on a road 
that made very poor connections1 and    
said to himself1 ,if ,i did not know    
that ,god was leading me to go this way1
 ,i should surely think ,i was out of   
order4 ,just before we got to ,newton1  
where we thought we should have to stop 
because we had no money to go further1  
,george got on the train1 rode with us  
to ,newton1 got off at the station1 and 
bought our tickets on to ,wichita1 and  
we did not have to leave our seats4     
,when we got to the meeting1 ,brother   
,warner helped us to take a good shout1 
and refunded the money that had been    
given him to pay our fares4 ,we had a   
glorious camp-meeting and numbers were  
saved4 ,hypocrites made some            
disturbance1 but ,god overruled4  ,while
 here we met a man by the name of       

,joseph ,prouse1 who invited us to come 
to his place to hold a meeting4 ,we     
went4 ,the meeting had been in progress 
three days1 when1 as we were in a       
private conversation1 talking about the 
nationality of those present1 we found  
out that ,brother ,prouse was related to
 my family4 ,his mother and my mother   
were half-sisters1 both being children  
of the same father4 ,brother ,prouse was
 the first relative of ours that we had 
ever met or heard of that had accepted  
the whole truth4 ,not only ,brother     
,prouse was saved1 but also his wife and
 some of his children4 ,truly we had a  
time of great rejoicing4 ,it seemed so  
good to find some of our relatives that 
knew ,god and were living ,christian    
lives4 ,the event was so unexpected and 
such a glad surprise that we praised the
 ,lord together4  ,shortly before going 
to ,galesburg1 ,kansas1 to hold a       
meeting1 ,i received a few lines from   
,brother ,warner telling me that two    
gospel workers1 a man and a woman1 would

 join me at that place4 ,in his letter  
he gave me to understand their spiritual
 condition so that we should know how to
 proceed for their good and our own     
protection4 ,the brother at the place   
where we were holding the meeting had   
been saved but a very short time1 and   
was not therefore able to discern false 
spirits4 ,when he saw that there was no 
fellowship between these two people and 
our company1 he was tempted to think    
that it was because we did not have     
compassion for them4 ,god soon showed   
him1 however1 that they were in a bad   
spiritual condition and that our company
 was all right4 ,from that time we had  
his help and encouragement4  ,after a   
day of prayer and fasting for the couple
 that needed help1 they both humbled    
themselves4 ,the man fell to the floor  
stiff under the power of the enemy1 but 
the woman desired deliverance4 ,so far  
as we could understand1 ,god delivered  
both of them1 but as they did not take a
 stand against the evil spirits that had

 been troubling them1 they got into the 
same condition again4 ,under the        
influence of a spirit of accusation1    
they wrote a letter to ,brother ,warner 
finding fault with our company of       
workers4  ,bro4 ,charlie ,williams1 who 
was at that time a member of our        
company1 was corresponding with ,brother
 ,warner4 ,in his letters ,brother      
,warner would say1 ,god bless you1      
,brother ,charlie6 but he would never   
say1 ,god bless you4 ,sister ,kaser and 
,sister ,cole6 ,at that time the enemy  
was coming against our souls with       
terrible accusing power1 and we felt    
that we needed a blessing very much4    
,the accusations of the enemy continued 
for about two weeks1 during which time  
it seemed that our lives would be       
crushed out of us4 ,waking up early one 
morning1 ,i said1 ,o ,lord6 why is it ,i
 can't get consolation from a certain   
source1 meaning ,why can't ,i get an    
encouraging letter from ,brother        
,warner6 ,the ,lord answered1 ,i will   

give you consolation first-handed if you
 will accept it4 ,my heart opened up to 
,god as a little flower opens to the    
morning dew1 and oh1 how ,i drank in the
 good things of the kingdom6  ,then as  
,i found myself1 as it were1 in a large 
room with the ,lord1 feasting on his    
beauties1 his grandeur and glory1 the   
scripture came so forcibly to me3 ,a day
 in thy courts is better than a         
thousand4 ,i would rather be a          
doorkeeper in the house of my ,god1 than
 to dwell in the tents of wickedness    
7,psalm #hd3aj74 ,in my thought ,i could
 compare my experience to that of a     
little child accustomed to but few      
pretty things and poor surroundings who 
was put into a beautiful parlor         
containing all sorts of beautiful things
 for its pleasure4 ,being told to help  
itself1 it would walk up and down the   
room with delight1 hardly knowing what  
to take hold of or to enjoy first4 ,in  
this experience through which ,i had    
just passed1 ,i learned the precious    

lesson that trial is to ,god's true     
children like a wine-press to the grape4
 ,as the wine-press brings out the pure 
juice of the grape1 so the trials of a  
child of ,god bring out and puts on     
exhibition a pure ,christian character4 
,on going ,east soon after these events1
 we met ,brother ,warner and told him of
 our experience and of ,satan's tempting
 us to think that he would renounce us4 
,he answered3 ,no1 ,sister ,cole1 we we 
wouldn't have renounced you1 but had we 
been near enough and had known what you 
were passing through1 we would1 had it  
been in our power1 have gone to you and 
done all we could to help you4  ,during 
the first summer that my youngest       
brother was with us in the work1 he did 
not take a very active part4 ,there were
 several reasons for this4 ,before      
leaving home he was nearly broken down  
through overwork4 ,besides1 like almost 
all young workers1 he was timid and     
backward1 and needed encouragement and  
support4 ,when the battle was strong1 he

 would not be able to bear much         
responsibility4 ,i would doubtless have 
been tempted in regard to my brother's  
condition had not ,god made me to know  
that ,i must be patient and give his    
body time to recuperate and give him a  
chance to develop as a worker4  ,late in
 the fall we began a series of meetings 
in company with another gospel worker   
who had been in the work for sometime4  
,this worker suggested to me in the     
early part of the meeting1 ,you and ,i  
will do the preaching1 and toward the   
end your brother can have an opportunity
 to exercise himself4 ,he spoke as      
though1 should my brother try to take   
part1 the meeting would be spoiled4 ,i  
said but little in reply1 feeling sure  
that ,god was able to manage things4 ,as
 a result of this brother's attitude1   
however1 the accuser also turned on my  
brother's soul1 and as a result1        
discouragements set in on him thick and 
fast4 ,i felt that something was going  
wrong and spoke about it to the older   

brother1 telling him that ,george needed
 encouragement and not holding back1 as 
he was timid4 ,the brother assured me   
that he was giving ,george all the      
encouragement he could4  ,not long after
 the events of which ,i have been       
speaking1 ,i had a dream in which ,i    
thought my brother told me that this    
minister was holding him back and at the
 same time whipping him and finding     
fault with him for not moving out4 ,when
 ,i awoke1 ,i told the dream to a sister
 with the remark1 ,well1 this is nothing
 but a dream1 and ,i don't believe there
 is anything in it4 ,nevertheless1 it   
troubled my mind until ,i asked my      
brother about the matter1 concluding    
with the remark1 ,i guess there isn't   
anything in it4 ,he answered1 ,yes1     
,mary1 ,i guess there is something in   
it1 and began to cry4 ,god stirred up my
 soul1 and at the first opportunity ,i  
talked to the older brother and told him
 what ,god had shown me in a dream4 ,he 
said1 ,oh1 your brother has been talking

 to you about it4 ,i said4  ,no1 ,god   
showed me first1 and then ,i asked my   
brother about it4 ,the brother promised 
that he would never do so again4        
,george and ,i visited a brother        
7,harvey ,w47 of ours that we had not   
seen for nineteen years1 not since ,i   
was a little girl and sorely afflicted4 
,he looked at me with big tears running 
down his cheeks and said1 ,mary1 ,i can 
see that ,god has done more for you than
 you can understand1 as ,i have not seen
 you for so long4 ,a few months later1  
upon his invitation we came and held a  
series of meetings in his neighborhood4 
,he had once been a ,protestant         
,methodist preacher1 and had enjoyed an 
experience of salvation1 but had been   
quite doctrinized in the one-work       
theory4 ,when we came to hold a meeting1
 he began to defend his pet theory4 ,i  
soon saw there was no use to explain the
 ,scriptures to him1 as he was unsaved1 
so ,i said to him3 ,now1 ,harvey1 you   
know you haven't got the first work1 so 

we will not argue about the second4     
,come to the ,lord4 ,let him forgive you
 and save you from your sins1 and if you
 find that you get sanctified at the    
same time1 we will gladly accept your   
doctrine1 but if not1 you will know it4 
,before the meeting closed1 he came to  
the altar1 called on ,god for mercy1 and
 obtained forgiveness4 ,as he arose from
 the altar1 ,i came to him1 praised die 
,lord with him and said1 ,now1 brother1 
do you know that you have received both 
justification and sanctification8 ,no1  
,mary1 he said1 ,i think ,i did well to 
get my sins forgiven4  ,we were once    
holding a camp-meeting in ,nebraska at a
 new place4 ,the ,spirit of the ,lord   
was working mightily4 ,souls were being 
saved and sanctified1 and bodies were   
being healed4 ,much was to be done1 and 
especially toward the close of the      
meeting our time was fully occupied4    
,while we were the busiest1 a brother   
brought an insane woman to the          
camp-meeting for healing4 ,her husband  

accompanied her4 ,as we were so rushed  
with the general duties of the meeting1 
we had no time to give attention to so  
important a case until the meeting was  
over4 ,we told the brother that if the  
man and his wife would remain until     
after the meeting was over1 we would    
then do all we could for her            
deliverance4  ,the meeting closed on    
,sunday evening1 and on ,monday         
afternoon after we had packed our things
 ready for the next meeting1 we took the
 case under consideration and sought the
 ,lord for wisdom as to what should be  
done1 and one of the company 7,george7  
obtained this promise3 ,god does not    
give us the spirit of fear1 but of love1
 of power1 and of a sound mind4 ,while  
we were at prayer1 the insane woman was 
down-stairs with a little girl1 to whom 
she remarked1 ,my prayers are up-stairs4
 ,she seemed in some way to be conscious
 that something was being done for her  
benefit4  ,the woman for whom we had    
been praying had before her marriage    

been a bright1 intelligent teacher4     
,before she became afflicted1 she       
weighed #aij pounds1 but at the time of 
which we are speaking1 she weighed only 
#aaj pounds4 ,i can not say positively  
what was the cause of her insanity2 but 
as near as ,i remember1 she wished to   
become a ,christian1 and as some of her 
relatives opposed1 her mind gradually   
became unbalanced4 ,at the time she came
 to us for prayer1 they said she did not
 sleep for a whole hour during any      
night1 but was walking1 talking1 or     
moving about in some way4  ,as we waited
 on the ,lord in her behalf1 our souls  
were encouraged4 ,we came down-stairs1  
anointed the woman1 prayed for her1 and 
claimed the promises2 but when we arose 
from our knees1 she was1 so far as we   
could see1 ten times worse than before4 
,we did not look at outward appearances1
 however1 but praised ,god and rested on
 his promises and counted him faithful  
in fulfilling them4  ,that evening we   
went our different ways1 but before we  

separated1 we could see a marked change 
in her for the better4 ,my brother asked
 them to keep us posted as to how she   
got along1 and about a week later we    
received word that she was much better  
and was improving rapidly4 ,about six   
weeks afterward1 ,i think it was1 they  
said there was scarcely any signs of her
 insanity4 ,she had resumed her duties  
as mother and housewife1 and was gaining
 flesh4 ,just a short time before this  
latter report1 it was said that upon the
 appearance of some little symptom of   
her former malady1 one of her relatives 
tried to make her take medicine4 ,the   
brother who related the story1 said in  
his peculiar ,german way1 that she      
spitted it out and wouldn't take it4 ,so
 far as we have ever learned1 the sister
 was fully restored to health4  ,when we
 are earnestly looking to ,god in behalf
 of some one who needs help1 and he     
gives us a precious promise1 it is      
undoubtedly our privilege and duty to   
claim the promise and to be strengthened

 and encouraged thereby4 ,if ,god does  
not want to work in the case1 doubtless 
he will not impress us with a promise in
 this way4 ,at such times we should not 
feel timid4 ,god is leading1 and if we  
will move forward in faith as rapidly as
 he leads us1 he is sure to bring us off
 more than conqueror4  ,while working in
 ,oklahoma1 we became acquainted with   
the members of a new sect known as ,the 
,followers4 ,some articles of their     
faith were similar to those of the      
,christian1 or ,cambellite1             
denomination4 ,besides these1 they      
believed in the reception of the ,holy  
,ghost by the laying on of hands2 they  
professed to speak in tongues and to    
interpret1 a demonstration which ,god   
made us to know was a deception of the  
devil4 ,but the most peculiar tenet of  
their faith was that their members were 
not counted perfect until they could    
pick up a snake without injury4 ,this   
belief was1 we suppose1 based on the    
scripture found in ,mark #af3ah3 ,they  

shall take up serpents4 ,a number of    
them were able to do this without any   
bad result1 but a few were bitten so    
badly that they came near dying4 ,the   
,lord made us to understand so clearly  
the spiritual condition of these people 
that we felt clear in pointing out their
 delusion4  ,in a dream that ,i had at  
this time1 ,i saw a ferocious wild      
animal coming to take my life4 ,it      
seemed that if ,i could get hold of its 
horns ,god would protect me and help me 
to overcome it4 ,during the meeting of  
which ,i have been speaking1 we went    
home with one of the families of ,the   
,followers4 ,as we were returning to the
 meeting in the evening1 one of their   
number who professed to talk with       
tongues and to have great authority1    
began talking his jargon as though he   
were pronouncing vengeance on us4 ,god  
gave me to understand that this was the 
wild animal of my dream and that ,i     
should trust ,god and rebuke the devil1 
which ,i did4 ,god put his rebuke on the

 spirit1 and that night1 through us1    
exposed the false doctrine4 ,one of the 
leaders came out1 got a good experience 
of salvation1 and became a minister of  
the present truth4 ,a number of others  
also got established in the church of   
,god4  ,shortly after the events related
 above1 we went to ,nishnabotna1 where  
we met a spirit similar to the one we   
had encountered at ,st4 ,james1 ,mo4    
,the demonstrations1 however1 were not  
quite so vile1 but the spirit was making
 progress in the community and had a    
number under its influence4 ,in their   
meetings they would jump and dance and  
talk about the great power they had4    
,they declared it was ,god's power and  
that if any one went against it1        
something dreadful would happen to him4 
,they even went so far as to say that if
 any one spoke against the demonstration
 they made or the power1 as they called 
it1 ,god would strike him dead4  ,that  
same evening one of their number invited
 us to go home with him4 ,our conveyance

 was an old-fashioned farm-wagon4 ,for  
some reason ,i did not feel clear in    
going alone1 as the powers of the enemy 
were so plainly manifested4 ,i therefore
 asked a certain sister to go with me4  
,we had not gone far until the enemy    
came at me with great force4 ,now you   
know what was said tonight-that those   
who opposed the power would be struck   
dead1 and ,i am going to kill you4 ,i   
said1 ,no1 you are not4 ,yes1 ,i will4  
,no1 you are not4 ,i immediately leaned 
on ,god and trusted him for protection4 
,within a few minutes the enemy tried to
 carry his threat into effect4 ,the     
wagon was on the side of a ridge about  
half way between the summit and the base
 of a high hill4 ,on our left hand below
 us a number of feet lay a stream1 on   
our right was a high cliff1 and ahead of
 us was a team which began to balk and  
push back toward our wagon4 ,for a few  
minutes it seemed that we must be either
 crushed by the big team in front or    
thrown into the stream1 ,god came to our

 rescue1 and the other team was brought 
under control before ours became very   
much excited4 ,while the danger         
threatened us1 however1 we got out of   
the wagon1 and the sister who was with  
me sprained her ankle badly4 ,none of   
the rest of us were hurt4 ,again the    
,lord's promises were proved true and   
the devil a liar4  ,a number of people  
who had been under the false spirit1    
when they heard the truth and learned   
the difference between the workings of  
the ,spirit of the ,lord and the        
demonstrations of false1 deceptive      
spirits1 proved themselves honest at    
heart1 took a stand against the enemy1  
and got deliverance4 ,a number of them  
are still walking in the light of divine
 truth4  ,at the ,beaver ,dam1 ,indiana1
 camp-meeting ,i had rather an amusing  
experience4 ,there was a woman on the   
grounds who had been delivered of evil  
spirits2 but as she had not taken the   
proper stand against the enemy1 she had 
again become possessed4 ,i met her soon 

after my arrival1 and she began almost  
immediately to try to teach me in regard
 to dress4 ,as ,i understood her        
condition1 ,i said to her plainly1 ,i   
know that you are devil-possessed4 ,wait
 until you get deliverance again1 and   
then if ,god gives you a message ,i will
 receive it4 ,i will not receive a      
message from the devil4 ,she smiled and 
walked away4  ,a number of the sisters  
slept in an attic4 ,as we were about to 
retire one night1 the devil-possessed   
woman was acting like an insane person1 
throwing the bed-clothes down-stairs and
 acting in a way that showed that the   
devil had full control of her4 ,some of 
the sisters1 becoming frightened1       
huddled in the corner of the room for   
fear she would hurt them4 ,in the       
confusion1 ,i forgot for the moment to  
trust in ,god4 ,instead of thinking of  
,god and his protecting power1 ,i       
thought that the enemy might touch the  
woman's brain1 make her insane1 and     
cause her to do almost any desperate    

deed4 ,i thought it would be well to    
protect myself and acted accordingly4   
,just then ,mother ,smith1 who had been 
informed of what was going on in the    
attic1 came on the scene1 and found the 
woman raging in the middle of the room  
and the rest of us huddled in the       
corners4  ,mother ,smith took in the    
situation at a glance1 and1 pointing a  
finger at me said3 ,shame on you1       
,sister ,mary6 afraid of the devil6     
,this is nothing but the work of the    
devil1 and here you are hiding from the 
devil4 ,shame on you1 ,sister ,mary6 ,it
 would be impossible to tell you how ,i 
felt1 and so ,i shall not try1 neither  
shall ,i make excuses nor plead my case4
 ,i came out of my corner and ,mother   
,smith began at once to tell us what    
must be done4 ,she said that the        
devil-possessed woman must sleep between
 her and me that night4 ,she had her    
way4 ,it was not a pleasant night1 and  
,i got but little rest4 ,every little   
while the woman would take a spell of   

choking and then laugh in a silly way4  
,at such times ,mother ,smith and ,i    
would lay on our hands and rebuke the   
devil4 ,we did this1 not once1 but many 
times4 ,by morning ,i had learned my    
lesson and never from that day to this  
have ,i run from the devil4  ,when a    
soul wants to get deliverance1 it is the
 duty and privilege of the minister to  
exercise heavenly authority4 ,god has   
delegated to his ,new ,testament        
ministry all the power that they need   
for every emergency4 ,i heard of a      
minister1 a sister1 who1 when evil      
spirits were to be cast out1 became so  
frightened that she ran and climbed up  
on the woodpile4 ,the brethren that were
 present1 were greatly amused and asked 
her if the enemy had her treed4 ,we need
 never fear the enemy nor give way to   
him in the least4 ,if we keep our faith 
in the ,master's promise1 behold1 ,i    
give unto you4444 power over all the    
power of the enemy3 and nothing shall by
 any means hurt you4 ,greater is he that

 is in you than he that is in the world4
 ,let us remember always that in our own
 strength we can not expel evil spirits1
 but that all our power and authority in
 such cases come from ,god4 ,if we keep 
our faith steadfast1 the enemy can no   
more overcome us than he can overcome   
,god himself4     ,chapter ,,xv         
,various ,experiences--,continued       
,sometime after ,i got light on the one 
body1 ,i was helping ,brothers          
,kilpatrick and ,speck in a camp-meeting
 near ,essex1 ,ill4 ,for three days ,i  
was under a severe trial or burden1     
which became heavier and heavier until  
it was unbearable4 ,the worst of my     
difficulty was that ,i did not know what
 was the matter4  ,finally ,i went to my
 room1 locked the door1 threw myself on 
the bed and cried1 ,lord1 you must show 
me what is the matter2 ,i can't stand   
this any longer4 ,then the ,lord began  
to talk to me in a loving1 fatherly1    
encouraging way3 ,this is a battle      
between ,god and the devil4 ,are you    

willing to fight in it8 ,yes1 ,lord1 ,i 
said1 with all my heart2 and almost     
before ,i could think1 the cloud was all
 gone1 the burden had disappeared1 and  
,i was as happy and triumphant as ,i had
 ever been4 ,i don't think ,i had       
another test during that meeting4       
,through this peculiar experience ,i    
learned the difference between          
soul-burden and condemnation and between
 accusation and conviction1 as ,i had   
never been able to comprehend it before1
 although ,i thought ,i had understood  
this difference measurably well4 ,many  
dear souls have been troubled on these  
subjects1 mistaking soul-burden for     
condemnation and accusation for         
conviction4 ,a clear understanding of   
the difference between these soul       
experiences will save us from many      
unnecessary trials4 ,i have been        
thankful ever since for ,god's teaching4
  ,while in evangelistic work ,i had the
 privilege of attending meetings of     
various kinds in many different ,states4

 ,shortly before the ,gospel ,trumpet   
office was moved to ,moundsville1 our   
company attended a camp-meeting at that 
place4 ,brother ,clayton's earnest      
labors were beginning to show some      
results1 but the work was still quite   
new4 ,we arrived there the afternoon    
before the general meeting began4 ,but  
little preparation had been made to     
accommodate the workers who would be    
present4 ,my brother ,george had found a
 place to stay1 but nothing had been    
said to me about lodging4 ,just before  
the beginning of the services1 a woman  
came to me and asked if ,i would go home
 with her4 ,i did not feel favorably    
impressed1 and thought ,i would wait and
 see if ,i should get another           
invitation4 ,the night services closed1 
and no one had yet offered me lodging1  
so ,i accepted the woman's invitation4  
,i had been kept awake two nights on my 
trip to the meeting1 and now ,i had to  
walk a mile before retiring4 ,as we drew
 near the house1 ,i felt the awful      

powers of the enemy coming against my   
soul4 ,i wondered what kind of place ,i 
was going to1 but it was too late to    
turn back4 ,although it was ten o'clock 
at night1 we met the woman's little     
grandchild out playing1 and the child   
was by no means in an inviting          
condition4  ,when we reached the house  
,i understood at once why ,i had not    
felt impressed to accept the woman's    
invitation4 ,everything was in disorder1
 and the house was almost as filthy as a
 swine-pen4 ,the floor was covered with 
sand on which tobacco-juice was freely  
sprinkled1 and over this filth the beds 
had been laid down4 ,the woman had      
already told me that she had a nice     
clean bed for me in an upstairs room1   
and in this ,i hoped to find the rest ,i
 so much needed4 ,after eating1 with    
considerable difficulty1 a little lunch 
set before me1 ,i was shown to my room1 
which had a more cleanly appearance than
 the room down-stairs4 ,i wanted very   
much to lock my door2 but as ,i could   

not1 committed myself to ,god's care1   
and went to bed4  ,vermin of different  
kinds prevented sleep2 and not long     
after going to bed ,i heard a noise     
downstairs that indicated the arrival of
 company of no desirable sort4 ,my heart
 began to sink within me4 ,o ,lord6 said
 ,i1 why have you let me come to a place
 like this8 and the tears began to      
course down my cheeks4 ,the answer came1
 ,that you may have an opportunity to be
 partaker of my suffering4 ,i thought to
 myself1 ,i am a poor specimen to fulfil
 that scripture tonight4 ,i do not      
believe ,i slept ten minutes the whole  
night through4 ,i heard the town-clock  
every time it struck2 but during that   
night of anxiety and prayer ,i learned  
the lesson that ,i must be ready at all 
times and under all circumstance1 to    
partake of ,christ's suffering1 and that
 in order to partake of his sufferings1 
,i must be very little and very humble4 
,next morning1 with veiled face1 ,i made
 my way to the camp-ground in as        

round-a-bout way as ,i could1 so that no
 one would know where ,i lodged the     
night before1 and thus reproach be      
brought upon the cause of ,christ4  ,our
 next camp-meeting was at ,mole ,hill1  
,w4 ,virginia4 ,this was a new place1   
and not many attended the services2 but 
the ,lord blessed in the presentation of
 the ,word1 and we had a good meeting4  
,it closed on ,sunday4 ,just before the 
services on ,saturday night1 an armed   
mob came into the camp4 ,never in all my
 life had ,i heard so many awful oaths  
in so short a time4 ,a number of unsaved
 young men who lived in that            
neighborhood and who were favorable to  
the truth1 undertook to defend us and to
 keep the meeting from being broken up4 
,the mob said that they had come on     
purpose to tear the tent down1 but those
 who were defending us said that they   
should not1 and that if they undertook  
to carry out their threat they would be 
laid low1 meaning that they would kill  
them4 ,a number of shots were exchanged 

between the two parties1 some of which  
came very close to me4 ,you may think it
 very foolish1 but ,i found myself      
dodging behind the canvas for           
protection4 ,afterwards ,i was amused at
 myself1 but at such a time the weakness
 of humanity is on exhibition4  ,after  
the two parties had continued for nearly
 an hour1 ,i think1 ,i felt strongly    
impressed that a number of us should    
kneel down and call earnestly on ,god   
for protection4 ,while we were on our   
knees1 ,god made me to know that none of
 us should be hurt and that the         
tabernacle should not suffer damage4 ,i 
arose from my knees with victory4 ,not  
long afterward the young men who were   
protecting us1 got our assailants on the
 run4 ,they left in such a hurry that   
one of their number left his hat behind4
 ,he made several attempts to come back 
after it1 but our boys always headed him
 off4 ,the strife lasted all night1 and 
no one in the camp got any rest4 ,at    
midnight a sister who for a long time   

had been seeking sanctification1 but had
 not been able to get the experience1   
came to the ,lord1 made the             
consecration1 was made happy1 and began 
singing3    ,hallelujah for the         
cleansing6   ,it has reached my inmost  
soul1   ,for the glory now is streaming2
   ,praise the ,lord1 ,he makes me      
whole6  ,the next day was a very busy   
day4 ,god worked mightily4 ,souls were  
saved and sanctified1 and bodies were   
healed4 ,it was a day of victory from   
beginning to end4 ,i had asked the ,lord
 not to let a dog move his tongue       
against the tent4 ,nothing about the    
camp was disturbed4  ,several times     
during my ministry the ,lord has laid   
upon my heart a message to deliver1 and 
has not made my burden known to the     
other ministers present4 ,as such times1
 if one is not very true and faithful to
 ,god1 he is likely to be accused of the
 enemy and so prevented from doing his  
duty4 ,the first experience of this kind
 that ,i remember1 occurred at a        

camp-meeting in the ,state of ,indiana4 
,one ,sunday when a very large crowd was
 in attendance1 a sectarian minister who
 seemed to be getting out of ,babylon   
was expected to preach4 ,the brethren   
thought it would encourage him and edify
 the congregation4 ,in the afternoon ,i 
overheard some of the ministers         
encouraging him to deliver a message4   
,god made me to understand that this man
 was not making the progress that he    
should and that he was not in a         
condition to deliver a message1         
especially at such a time4 ,i was       
looking very earnestly to the ,lord when
 he made me to know that he wanted me to
 deliver the message1 but ,i knew from  
what ,i had heard that he had not made  
it known to the other ministers4  ,this 
state of affairs put me in a very trying
 place2 for if ,i should take the       
pulpit1 it would look as if ,i wanted to
 be too forward1 thus hindering one who 
might have the message4 ,the conviction 
on my heart was so great1 however1 and  

,god's hand so heavy upon me for this   
duty1 that ,i got up2 but as ,i was     
stepping into the pulpit1 ,i saw the    
sectarian minister with his ,bible in   
his hand just ready to rise to his feet4
 ,oh1 pardon me1 said ,i4 ,no1 you      
pardon me2 go ahead1 he replied4 ,no1   
you go ahead4 ,oh1 my message won't     
spoil4 ,mine won't either1 ,i replied4  
,then he again insisted upon my going   
ahead2 and as ,i knew ,god was ordering 
it1 ,i delivered the message and ,god   
wonderfully blessed my soul4  ,not until
 the evening service did the other      
ministers realize that ,god was putting 
me forward to deliver the message4 ,that
 night when there were not more than    
one-third as many present as there were 
in the afternoon1 the minister of whom  
,i have been speaking1 rose to preach4  
,his sermon was nothing but a message   
from the devil4 ,god's ministers were   
disgusted4 ,mother ,sarah ,smith1 who   
sat right in front of the pulpit and who
 always encouraged the ministers and    

held up their hands with her ,amen6     
,praise the ,lord6 began in her usual   
way4 ,i said to myself1 ,if ,i have not 
misunderstood the voice of ,god1 her    
amens will stop and her head will go    
down before this message is ended4 ,it  
was not long until her amens ceased4    
,before the sermon was ended1 some of   
the ministers were pacing the grounds in
 agony because the enemy was filling the
 pulpit1 and some of the sinners felt   
like taking the ministers out and giving
 them a threshing because they had      
permitted such a thing4  ,it was over at
 last4 ,brother ,warner came to me and  
said3 ,sister ,cole1 ,i can see now why 
,god had you take the pulpit in the     
afternoon when the largest crowd was    
present4 ,there would have been much    
more harm done1 had he preached then    
instead of tonight4 ,this experience    
emphasized to me the fact that it pays  
to obey ,god4 ,first1 be sure that ,god 
is ordering your steps1 and then be true
 to ,god4 ,he will stand by you though  

you have to go through fire to do his   
bidding4  ,at a camp-meeting in         
,michigan ,god made it clear to my soul 
that at the evening service he wanted me
 to deliver a message especially for the
 benefit of backsliders4 ,the burden    
upon me was so great that ,i could      
hardly sit still until time for         
preaching4 ,in the prayer just before   
the sermon1 the brother who led made it 
very clear that he was sure ,god was    
going to have him deliver the message   
that night4 ,i sympathized with him1 of 
course1 and did not want him to have any
 unnecessary trial2 neither did ,i want 
to disobey ,god4  ,i submitted the      
matter to the ,lord1 telling him that if
 he still wanted me to deliver the      
message1 to hold the brother back until 
it would not appear that ,i was trying  
to get ahead of him4 ,god wonderfully   
owned and blessed his ,word1 and a      
number of backsliders were reclaimed4   
,after the service1 the brother who had 
thought he had the message came to me   

and said1 ,sister ,cole1 ,i did think ,i
 had the message1 but the ,lord blessed 
you4 ,yes1 ,i said1 the ,lord blessed me
 in obeying2 but it took more grace than
 usual4  ,at a ,kansas camp-meeting     
there was a man present who had not been
 living a consistent ,christian life4   
,he had done things that disqualified   
him for preaching4 ,i told the ,lord    
that ,i would do anything he showed me  
in order to keep the pulpit clean4  ,as 
is usual at such gatherings1 the largest
 crowd was present on ,sunday afternoon4
 ,i saw the minister of whom ,i had just
 spoken1 getting ready to take the      
pulpit4 ,it came to my mind that if ,i  
wanted to obey the ,lord and to keep my 
promise ,i must act quickly4 ,i asked   
the ,lord to exercise his control and to
 give me the needed opportunity to obey4
 ,he did1 and ,i preached the sermon    
that day4 ,very soon afterward an       
accident occurred in which this         
minister's false teeth were broken1 so  
that he could not preach during the     

remainder of the meeting4 ,thus ,god's  
cause was protected4  ,to obey the ,lord
 under the circumstances of which ,i    
have just been speaking1 takes much     
grace1 especially on the part of the    
minister who knows the proper attitude  
toward his fellow ministers and desires 
to show them courtesy4 ,at different    
times when ,i have felt led to move out 
and deliver a message1 others have got  
ahead of me so that ,i did not have an  
opportunity at that time4 ,frequently   
under such circumstances ,god has opened
 the way for me to deliver the message  
later and has made it more effectual    
than it would have been had ,i delivered
 it when ,i first desired to do so4     
,now1 ,i would not advise workers or    
ministers to make unusual efforts to get
 into the pulpit1 unless they knew      
beyond a doubt that ,god is ordering4   
,but if you are certain of the leadings 
of the ,lord1 even if ,god does not make
 it plain to others1 you may do as ,god 
bids you with certainty of success4  ,in

 a certain meeting ,i had the message1  
but another minister took the pulpit so 
quickly that ,i had no chance to deliver
 it4 ,at the close of the service1 a    
number of persons came to me saying1    
,sister ,cole1 you had the message4     
,yes1 ,i answered1 ,i felt sure ,i did1 
but ,i had no chance to deliver it4     
,well1 maybe ,god will give you a chance
 to deliver it yet4 ,i think he will if 
he wants it delivered1 ,i replied1 and  
perhaps when ,i do have an opportunity1 
the message will be stronger--boiled    
down1 as it were4 ,the opportunity came 
the following day4 ,at that time there  
were present in the meeting a minister  
and some of his congregation who had    
gotten out of the way4 ,god so blessed  
the delivery of the ,word that not only 
the minister but also a number from his 
congregation got delivered4  ,isaiah's  
prophecy that the blind eyes should be  
opened1 was fulfilled during the time of
 ,jesus' earthly ministry1 and it is    
being fulfilled today4 ,i have been a   

witness to a number of such healings1 of
 which ,i will relate three4  ,while my 
brother ,george and ,i were holding a   
meeting in ,nebraska1 a lady1           
accompanied by her husband1 came a      
number of miles to be healed of         
blindness4 ,she was not a saint1 nor do 
,i think that she had even been         
professing4 ,be that as it may1 she had 
heard that the ,lord was healing people4
 ,she was so nearly blind that she could
 not see to sew or read1 and could      
scarcely do her housework at all4 ,at   
first we talked to her about her soul1  
and she expressed a desire to get right 
with ,god4 ,when asked whether she would
 rather have salvation or healing1 she  
chose salvation first4 ,we all bowed    
before the ,lord1 and asked him to save 
her soul4 ,she got the witness that she 
was saved4 ,although we did not make her
 healing a special subject of prayer1   
yet we asked ,god to do for her eyes all
 that he saw fit4  ,the following day   
she went home1 and not long afterward we

 heard that she was much better4 ,after 
another brief interval of time we heard 
that her eyes were well and that she    
could read and sew just as she did      
before they became afflicted4 ,her      
friends who brought her to the meeting  
for healing were very much tried when we
 instructed her to seek salvation before
 healing4 ,they thought that she would  
be discouraged because we did not make a
 specialty of her healing4 ,after all1  
it turned out all right1 thus showing   
that ,god's way is best4  ,a brother1 an
 old man1 came to an ,oklahoma          
camp-meeting for prayer4 ,he had been a 
sinner from childhood1 and at the time  
of which ,i write1 had been saved but   
little more than a year4 ,a number of us
 anointed him and asked ,god to heal him
 of rheumatism and of everything else   
that he saw fit4 ,one of the brother's  
eyes was in such bad condition that with
 it he could not distinguish a person   
from other objects4 ,soon after prayer  
was offered1 he said the diseased eye   

had been fully restored4  ,one of the   
workers in the ,chicago ,home began to  
go blind in one of her eyes4 ,the sight 
kept failing until it was entirely lost4
 ,we had prayer1 claimed the healing on 
the authority of ,god's ,word1 and did  
not doubt1 although the sight was not   
restored immediately4 ,for two months   
she could tell but very little          
difference in the condition of her eye2 
but during this time1 she held steadily 
on to ,god's promise and did not doubt  
him4 ,at last ,god saw fit to give her  
the desire of her heart4 ,her faith was 
realized and her sight was restored4    
,chapter ,,xvi  ,god's ,care ,over ,me  
,a number of times during my life ,i    
have been exposed to danger1 but have   
always realized ,god's protecting hand4 
,the incidents which ,i shall now       
relate1 show ,god's goodness and tender 
care for me4 ,truly he is a present help
 in every time of need1 and powerful to 
deliver under all circumstances4  ,one  
time while ,i was still in the old home 

at ,windsor1 ,missouri1 ,i was alone in 
the house4 ,my parents had gone on a    
visit about twenty miles away1 and two  
of my younger brothers were somewhere   
about the farm4 ,i was in the room      
before the old-fashioned fireplace4     
,some embers had dropped out on the     
hearth1 and ashes had settled over them1
 entirely hiding them from view4        
,presently ,i knelt on the hearth before
 the fire and began earnestly calling on
 ,god1 my calico dress resting on the   
covered embers on the hearth4 ,being    
entirely absorbed in my devotion1 ,i did
 not know that there was any danger     
until the flames were going up my back4 
,i rushed to the door1 calling loudly   
for help1 in the hope that some one     
would hear me and come to my assistance4
 ,my next thought was to run to the     
kitchen1 get some water1 and throw it on
 the fire2 but the thought flashed      
through my mind that if ,i should run   
through the hall1 the fire would get    
such a headway that it would burn me to 

death4 ,so ,i called on ,god earnestly3 
,o ,lord1 why is it that ,i am left here
 to burn to death alone8 ,with all my   
soul1 ,i threw myself on his mercy4     
,like a good1 loving1 heavenly ,father1 
he brought it to my mind to go to the   
closed door and press my back tightly   
against it until the flames were        
smothered4 ,although my clothes were    
nearly burned from my back1 yet ,i      
escaped without the slightest injury4   
,truly ,god proved himself to be my     
wisdom and my deliverer4  ,while we were
 attending a meeting at ,sturgeon1      
,missouri1 ,i was a guest at a          
farm-house two or three miles from the  
town4 ,i had no way of returning to town
 the next day1 except to ride in on     
horseback4 ,because of my illness in    
early life1 ,i had never learned to ride
 on horseback4 ,my parents would never  
let me try1 for fear that ,i should have
 a fit1 fall from the horse1 and be     
killed4 ,at the place where ,i was      
staying1 only two horses could be spared

 from the work on the farm--one gentle  
animal1 too old to work on the farm1 the
 other a fractious colt not sufficiently
 broken to be safe for a woman to ride4 
,in fact1 the young horse had thrown the
 young woman of the household a number  
of times4  ,there were three of us to go
 to town on these two horses--two other 
young women and ,i4 ,the old lady had   
asked me if ,i was used to riding1 and  
upon hearing that ,i was not1 she said  
,i should ride the old horse4 ,after    
waiting on the ,lord earnestly1 however1
 ,i felt strongly impressed to ride the 
young1 unbroken animal1 trusting myself 
in ,god's hands4  ,the ,lord had assured
 me that he would take care of me4 ,the 
old lady did not want me to ride the    
colt and seemed to think that ,i was    
somewhat obstinate in my decision4      
,finally1 however1 she consented4  ,the 
girls who went with me were young and   
mischievous1 and when they saw that ,i  
did not know how to ride and was very   
awkward1 they began to enjoy my         

predicament and whipped up their horse  
just to have fun at my expense4 ,i felt 
very awkward and scarcely knew how to   
keep my seat in the saddle4 ,on the way 
to town the girls asked me if ,i        
expected to return to the farm that     
evening4 ,i said that ,i did not1 to    
which they replied that they were glad  
because they wanted a horse apiece      
coming back1 so that they could have a  
race4 ,there had been a heavy rainfall1 
and in front of the blacksmith shop at  
the edge of town was a large mud-puddle 
in which a hog was wallowing as we came 
up4 ,disturbed at our approach1 the big 
animal arose from the puddle1 splashing 
mud and water1 and making considerable  
noise4 ,the gentle horse on which the   
girls were riding became frightened1    
jumped to one side1 and both girls fell 
off into the mud4 ,the horse on which ,i
 was riding was scarcely frightened at  
all4 ,he just made a slight movement    
that loosened my foot from the stirrup4 
,some one came to my assistance until ,i

 could get down4 ,i realized that ,god  
had protected me4  ,one time not long   
after this a brother was taking me      
somewhere on a mule4 ,it suddenly came  
to my mind that ,i had not trusted ,god 
for protection and that ,i must do so at
 once as danger was near at hand4 ,in   
less than five minutes1 as we were going
 through a bit of timber1 the mule got  
scared and began to rear up4 ,then he   
tried his best to run with me through   
the timber4 ,if he had succeeded1 no    
doubt my brains would have been knocked 
out against a tree4 ,again an unseen    
hand seemed to help me1 and although the
 mule kept rearing up and trying to get 
away1 ,i was uninjured4  ,at a few other
 times in my life ,god has marvelously  
protected me under similar              
circumstances4 ,once the mule on which  
,i was riding became frightened and     
threw me off4 ,for some time ,i lay     
senseless on the ground1 but the mule   
stood still1 not moving out of its      
tracks until ,i recovered consciousness 

and crawled away4 ,god answered my      
prayer1 and ,i was soon all right again4
 ,at another time ,i fell off a horse   
backwards on my head4 ,a brother and    
sister who were with me thought that    
they heard my neck break1 but the ,lord 
marvelously protected me1 and ,i was    
almost as well as usual by evening4 ,at 
still another time my horse slipped1 and
 ,i fell off1 got caught in the saddle1 
and was dragged some little distance4   
,at first ,i called for help1 but the   
sister with me was so frightened that   
she could not come to my rescue1 so ,i  
called on ,god very earnestly1 and he   
helped me out of the dangerous position 
without any hurt4  ,before my brother   
and ,i began our work in ,chicago1 while
 passing through that city with ,brother
 ,kilpatrick and his company1 we stopped
 over to visit ,lincoln ,park4 ,when the
 street-car was near the edge of the    
park1 one of the company jumped off1    
saying1 ,this is ,lincoln ,park4 ,i had 
ridden so little on the street-cars that

 ,i did not know the danger of getting  
on or off while the cars were moving1 so
 ,i jumped too1 thinking that if ,i did 
not ,i should not get to see the park4  
,as ,i jumped1 ,i kept hold of the car  
and in consequence was dragged about one
 hundred yards4 ,when the conductor got 
his car stopped1 he gave me a cursing   
for being so foolish1 but he little     
realized how ignorant ,i was4 ,some of  
our company were almost sick with       
fright1 thinking that ,i was killed1 but
 ,god in his mercy protected me and did 
not allow me to suffer serious injury4  
,after we had begun work in the city of 
,chicago1 we went one day out to a      
little town called ,naperville to visit 
some saints and to hold a meeting4 ,when
 we came to the depot to start back1 my 
brother found that he had left his      
,testament at the house where we had    
been staying1 and he went back after it4
 ,there was a little suburban station   
just a short distance from the depot1   
and the train ran between the two4 ,our 

baggage was at the suburban station4 ,i 
saw the train coming and1 supposing of  
course that it would stop1 ,i went      
across to the little station to protect 
our things4 ,the train was a lightning  
express which did not stop at that      
station1 and the man in charge of the   
crossing1 seeing my danger1 began to    
yell at me to come back4 ,i was too far 
across to return1 and his yelling came  
near confusing me1 so ,i merely made my 
escape4 ,the express was not more than a
 foot away as ,i stepped off the track4 
,at different times ,god has protected  
me from contageous diseases4 ,while my  
oldest brother and ,i were out together 
in the work1 he took the measles4 ,i    
nursed him during his illness1 and      
others were sure ,i was taking them4    
,they thought they saw them coming out  
under my skin1 but ,i was trusting ,god 
the best ,i knew how4 ,some of the      
incidents that occurred about this time 
were rather amusing4 ,about the time ,i 
should have been coming down with the   

measles1 ,mother ,bolds and ,i attended 
a meeting in ,carthage1 ,mo4 ,it was a  
dark night1 and we had to cross a little
 ravine4 ,we lost our way1 got into the 
water1 and got drenched4 ,but no bad    
results came of our wetting1 as ,i was  
not taking the measles at all4 ,god had 
protected me4  ,i had my next experience
 of this kind at ,cornell1 ,nebraska1   
when ,i took care of my brother ,george 
during his sickness with the measles4   
,george was very sick4 ,often after     
giving him food or water ,i would find  
myself tasting of what was left4 ,then  
,i would think1 ,i do not want to tempt 
,god2 what shall ,i do8 ,it certainly   
seems ,i must have the affliction after 
being so thoughtless4 ,but ,i thought of
 this scripture3 ,if they drink any     
deadly thing1 it shall not hurt them4 ,i
 asked the ,lord to verify that promise 
to me4  ,on two different nights1       
however1 for about two hours each time1 
the devil seemed to come and try to     
impose the disease on me4 ,it seemed    

that ,i could hear him say1 ,i will give
 you the measles2 ,i will give you the  
measles4 ,no1 you will not1 ,i would say
 in reply4 ,i will not have them unless 
,god wants me to have them4 ,you are not
 going to give them to me4 ,i knew it   
was ,satan that was trying to push the  
disease on me4 ,the second night it     
seemed as though ,i could resist the    
devil no longer1 and ,i said1 ,if ,i do 
not get help1 ,i can not stand any more4
 ,then the ,lord appeared and let me    
know that ,i should not be tried any    
more1 and this scripture was fulfilled3 
,god is faithful1 who will not suffer   
you to be tempted above that ye are     
able2 but will with the temptation also 
make a way to escape4 ,the enemy        
disappeared and ,i did not take the     
measles4  ,while in ,san ,diego1        
,california1 a brother took ,george and 
me over the bay to ,cornado ,island4    
,before we started1 ,god impressed me   
that there was danger ahead and that ,i 
should pray earnestly for protection4   

,thinking that ,i should not have time  
before starting1 ,i prayed as ,i went4  
,upon reaching the island the brother   
went to moor the boat1 and ,george      
called to him1 ,are you not afraid to   
fasten your boat so near to the waves   
from the main ocean8 ,he answered that  
he thought there was no danger4  ,we    
spent a very pleasant day on the island 
and enjoyed the ocean air4 ,when it came
 time for us to go home1 ,i found that  
in walking around ,i had lost my scarf4 
,the brother who was with us said he    
thought he knew where it was4 ,he told  
my brother to hold the oars while he    
went to get the missing article4 ,on his
 return ,george went to pass him the    
oars1 but in some way one of them fell  
into the water4 ,just then the large    
waves began to roll in from the open sea
 and to fill our little boat4 ,it looked
 as though death was staring us in the  
face4 ,my brother saw that he could     
escape2 but as he thought that probably 
the boatman and ,i would both be        

drowned1 he stayed with us and did all  
he could to help get the oar4 ,the boat 
was full of water4 ,we were all drenched
 and sat there in the water until we got
 back to the mainland about four miles  
away4  ,although ,i did not drown1 yet  
probably the wetting would have caused  
my death had ,god not answered prayer4  
,how good the ,lord was and what a      
lesson ,i got6 ,when ,god impresses us  
with danger1 it is time to lay it to    
heart and to pray until we know that    
,god has given us the protection we     
need4  ,another incident of this kind   
occurred in ,california while we were   
visiting a place known as the ,inner    
,cave4 ,when the tide was out1 people   
could walk round in this cave and enjoy 
the scenery2 but when the tide was in1  
the cave was filled with water4 ,we     
supposed that we knew the time when the 
tide came into the cave1 but we had been
 misinformed4 ,when we got out into the 
open air again1 it was within five      
minutes of the time for the return of   

the tide4 ,had we remained much longer1 
we should all have been drowned4  ,god  
has certainly been very merciful to me4 
,many times has he warned me before     
meeting with some threatened danger1 and
 always he has protected me from serious
 harm4     ,chapter ,,xvii  ,my         
,california ,trip  ,for some time a     
brother in ,california had been         
insisting very strongly on our coming to
 that ,state to hold meetings4 ,his     
letters were full of glowing accounts of
 the beautiful climate and the fine     
fruit1 he thinking that would be an     
attraction to us4 ,these attractions had
 no influence upon us4 ,my brother      
,george1 ,lodema ,kaser1 and ,i1 who    
were then together holding a meeting1   
felt so strongly impressed of the ,lord 
to accept the brother's invitation that 
we all thought we should go in a week or
 two4 ,while in earnest prayer1 however1
 ,god made it clear to me that my mother
 would need me at home in the near      
future and that we were not to go to    

,california until a year from the       
following fall4  ,during the winter of  
the year in which we first felt         
impressed to go to ,california1 mother  
got erysipelas in the face4 ,at that    
time my brother and ,i were out in the  
work1 and my unsaved brother put her in 
the hands of physicians4 ,while we were 
holding meetings in ,oklahoma1 we       
received a telegram that she was very   
low1 and started for home4 ,at ,wichita1
 ,kansas1 we telegraphed asking if she  
was still alive4 ,we got the answer1    
,yes1 but the doctors say she can't live
 twelve hours4 ,up to this time ,i had  
the assurance that ,god would heal her1 
but when ,i got the doctor's word1 ,i1  
like ,peter1 began looking at the waves 
and concluded that ,mother would die4   
,when ,i got home1 however1 and had to  
trust ,god1 ,i felt ashamed of myself   
and decided that ,i would never again   
put a doctor's word ahead of ,god's     
promises4 ,god spared her life1 but the 
medicine had so reduced her strength    

that ,george and ,i had to stay at home 
and nurse her for two months4  ,about   
two weeks before we were ready to start 
for ,california1 ,i saw in a dream a    
brother coming to give me twenty dollars
 to help pay my way to ,california4 ,he 
said that he had wanted to use the money
 in some other way1 but that ,god had   
shown him to use it for pushing his work
 in southern ,california4 ,the dream    
came true in all its details4  ,finally 
our preparations were completed and in  
,november1 more than a year after we    
first felt impressed to go to           
,california1 we took train at ,newton1  
,kans4 ,there were seven in our company1
 ,brother and ,sister ,dansberger1      
,brother and ,sister ,gates1 ,sister    
,lodema ,kaser1 and my brother ,george  
and ,i4 ,as we had been brought up in a 
comparatively level country and had     
never seen any mountains1 the trip was  
to me a source of wonder and delight4   
,after three days' travel1 we reached   
,san ,diego and stepped off our train   

into a land of flowers4 ,roses were in  
bloom1 geraniums formed a fence around  
some of the buildings1 all nature was in
 the height of its beauty4 ,we arrived  
on ,november #ae1 just fifteen years to 
a day from the time ,i was healed1 and  
exactly five years from the time ,j4 ,w4
 ,byers reached the ,pacific ,coast4    
,the contrast between ,california and   
the place from which we had come was    
very marked at this time of the year4   
,a house in ,san ,diego was given us    
free of rent and an abundant supply of  
provisions was brought in by the        
brethren4 ,figs were very plentiful in  
that part of ,california1 and our       
company enjoyed them very much4 ,if ,i  
remember correctly1 they bore three     
crops a year4 ,i learned quite a lesson 
from the nature of this fruit4          
,fig-trees do not bloom like most other 
fruit-trees1 but the fig itself pushes  
out at the end of the twig1 just as the 
leaves begin on a hickory-tree4 ,the    
tree has no flowers1 or bloom4 ,i was   

told that as the fig grew and ripened it
 had all the appearance of a bloom4 ,a  
careful examination proved this         
statement to be true4 ,the inside of the
 fig looks like the petals of a         
beautiful flower4 ,to my mind1 this     
beautifully illustrates the ,christian  
who wears all the blossoms on the       
inside1 and it is not only blossom1 but 
genuine fruit1 after all4  ,i learned   
another lesson by the ocean-tide4       
,certainly ,god's handiwork is displayed
 in large bodies of water4 ,i could sit 
and behold his beauty and grandeur hour 
after hour and never grow tired4 ,in    
fact1 it seemed that ,i could see the   
hand of ,god1 traces of his wonderful   
works and creation1 until ,i was awed   
into silence and felt like saying as    
,job did of old1 ,when the ,almighty    
speaks1 ,i will put my hand on my mouth4
 ,the lesson ,i learned was this3  ,when
 the tide is out1 the rocks along the   
shore1 covered with seaweed and moss1   
present an unsightly appearance2 but    

when the tide comes in1 these unsightly 
things are all covered with water1 which
 present the appearance of a sea of     
glass4 ,when the grace of ,god is low in
 our soul1 the unseemly parts of human  
nature are on exhibition2 but when the  
grace of ,god floods the soul1 then     
,christ is on exhibition and the        
unseemly parts are hidden away4         
,another lesson that might be drawn is  
this3 ,the coming in of the tide might  
be compared to the trials and the tests 
that flood our souls1 and the going out 
of the tide to the subsiding of the     
trials1 which1 like the going out of the
 tide1 leaves behind pearls and shells  
and other beautiful things4 ,the        
beauties of the ,christian life are     
brought to view by the waves of trial   
that sweep over the souls4  ,we went out
 into the country1 visited the saints1  
and enjoyed the orange-groves for about 
two weeks4 ,in the ocean we saw ,god's  
hand exhibited in might and power4 ,here
 we saw ,god's hand none the less1      

although exhibited in gentleness and    
beneficence4 ,the orange-trees were a   
beautiful sight4 ,they were loaded with 
fruit in various stages of development4 
,on the very same tree there would be   
blossoms and oranges ranging in size    
from the small green ones to the large  
ripe ones4  ,once while we were near the
 ocean1 we thought it a good opportunity
 to visit the man-of-war that was       
stationed about half a mile out from the
 shore4  ,we went out to it in a little 
sail-boat4 ,as we were passing under a  
pier1 the oarsman dropped one of his    
oars in the water and regained          
possession of it only with a great deal 
of difficulty4 ,one of our party1 a     
sister1 becoming greatly frightened     
because of our danger1 took hold of one 
of the pier-posts and held to it with   
all her might4 ,in the meantime the     
brother had gotten hold of his oar and  
was trying to make the boat move4 ,he   
soon saw that there was some hindrance1 
and1 looking around1 found the sister   

holding to the pier-post4 ,when asked   
why she was doing that1 she answered1 ,i
 am afraid we shall drown4 ,woman1 he   
said1 if you will not let go of that    
post1 you will drown every one of us4 ,i
 have often thought how much like this  
sister some ,christians act4 ,they are  
afraid they will be overwhelmed1 but    
they hold to something on the shore1 to 
the pier-post of the world or of their  
own ideas1 which makes it impossible for
 them to get out where it is smooth     
sailing4 ,some of these1 however1 are   
sincere and honest in heart1 finally    
wake up to what they are doing1 say that
 they have ,christ as their pilot1 take 
their hands off1 and get out on the open
 sea of life where the waters are calmed
 by the ,spirit of the ,lord4  ,while we
 were in ,san ,diego there came to us a 
woman in destitute circumstances4 ,she  
and her husband had recently come from  
another part of the country and had not 
yet succeeded in finding work4 ,they    
were almost at the point of starvation1 

and so she came to us to borrow some    
money4 ,the woman herself professed     
salvation1 but ,i think knew but little 
of the truth4 ,her husband was a sinner4
 ,she told us that her husband was out  
of work and that although he was unsaved
 he would not eat anything for breakfast
 that morning for fear there would not  
be enough left to keep his children from
 starving until he could get work4 ,we  
were much moved by the compassion he had
 shown for his little ones1 and thought 
how much more compassion our ,heavenly  
,father has for his children4 ,the ,word
 says1 ,like as a father pitieth his    
children1 so the ,lord pitieth them that
 fear him4 ,we felt led to divide the   
flour1 meat1 fruit1 and butter we had on
 hands4 ,before the day was over1 there 
was brought to us from the country ten  
miles away more provisions than we had  
given away4 ,the destitute family had   
enough to live on until the husband got 
work1 which was only a few days later4  
,give1 and it shall be given unto you2  

good measure pressed down1 and shaken   
together1 and running over4  ,it has    
been said that every false doctrine that
 starts from the eastern part of the    
,united ,states has a through ticket to 
the ,pacific ,coast4 ,we could readily  
believe this statement4 ,california     
seemed to be a hot-bed of false         
doctrine4 ,it was difficult to get any  
truth to the people or to get them free 
from the false doctrines of which they  
had partaken4  ,from ,san ,diego we went
 to ,los ,angeles1 where we lived in a  
tent and held meetings in a large       
tabernacle1 with fairly good crowds4    
,the gospel message was not without     
effect1 but we found the people so      
filled with false doctrine that it was  
almost impossible to get the truth to   
them4 ,even the brother who was so      
anxious for us to come to ,california   
was scattering false doctrine wherever  
he went4 ,among other things1 he opposed
 women's preaching4 ,god put us on his  
trail and kept us after him until the   

enemy was thoroughly rebuked1 and he    
humbled himself and asked forgiveness4  
,while in this place1 most of our little
 company was under arrest for about     
three hours for preaching on the street4
 ,some one had reported us to the police
 and had misrepresented what we were    
doing4 ,some of our company enjoyed     
being under arrest very much1 feeling   
that they had a foretaste of a martyr's 
experience4 ,when they were released1   
they came back to the tent rejoicing and
 praising ,god that they were counted   
worthy to suffer for ,jesus' sake4 ,this
 did not end our street-meetings2 many  
more were held during our stay in       
,california4  ,during our stay at ,los  
,angeles1 a blacksmith1 a brother in the
 church1 while shoeing a horse1 got a   
severe kick in the head4 ,his condition 
seemed very serious4 ,he came to the    
tent before meeting began and requested 
prayer1 saying that after prayer he     
would return to his tent1 as he was     
feeling pretty bad4 ,god wonderfully    

answered prayer and healed him so that  
he was able to sit up during the        
meeting4 ,about three days later one of 
our company was in his shop and asked   
him how he was getting along4 ,the reply
 was that his head was all right1 but   
that a little wound on his hand         
unnoticed before was giving him some    
trouble4 ,but1 he added1 ,i thank the   
,lord that it is no worse4 ,the brother 
replied1 ,can't you thank the ,lord that
 it is as it is8 ,the blacksmith stood  
thoughtful for a moment and then said1  
,yes2 why shouldn't ,i thank the ,lord  
that it is just as it is8 ,the words had
 scarcely left his mouth before the     
healing power of ,god came and made his 
hand perfectly well4  ,many other       
incidents occurred while we were there  
that space will not permit me to mention
 here4 ,we remained a little over three 
months1 doing some work in the country1 
although we were out of town only a few 
days4 ,at the close of the meeting we   
moved to ,alameda1 one of the suburbs of

 ,san ,francisco4 ,the town at that time
 covered considerable ground1 but had   
very few large buildings in it4 ,at this
 place also we lived in a tent as before
 and held meetings in a large           
tabernacle4 ,services were held almost  
every night1 and much precious seed was 
sown4  ,one day a sister called on us3  
,she said3 ,your brother said in his    
sermon a few nights since that we should
 bear one another's burdens4 ,how can we
 do this if we do not open our hearts to
 others and tell what our burdens are8  
,do you think it would be all right for 
me to open my heart to you and tell you 
my burden8 ,certainly1 ,i answered1 if  
your soul is burdened4 ,i have1 said    
she1 a heavy burden to carry4 ,now1 my  
husband no longer loves me1 but he has  
given all his affections to my sister4  
,they are likely to elope at any time1  
and my heart is broken4 ,in fact1 the   
grief and trouble ,i have endured have  
brought on heart-trouble4 ,as she       
finished her story1 we asked1 ,is there 

anything we can do8 ,we should be glad  
to do anything to help you bear your    
burden4 ,do you think it would be a good
 idea to have a day of fasting and      
prayer8 ,yes1 said she1 ,i think it     
would do good4 ,we told her to set the  
day1 and she chose the next ,friday4 ,on
 that day we all fasted and prayed1     
especially for this man4 ,it was not    
over two weeks before ,god got hold of  
his heart and gloriously saved him4 ,a  
happier person than this sister ,i do   
not think you could have found4 ,it     
seemed that she could not cease praising
 ,god and thanking us4  ,in order to    
defray the expenses at home1 she raised 
poultry for the market4 ,to show her    
gratitude to us1 she brought chickens1  
eggs1 and other things for our use until
 we were afraid she was really robbing  
herself4 ,she fairly loaded us with good
 things1 and when we called her         
attention to how generously she was     
supplying our needs and told her we were
 afraid she was doing too much1 she     

would say1 ,oh1 no2 ,i never can repay  
you for what you have done for my       
family4 ,we would say1 ,do not try too  
hard to repay us1 as it was ,god who did
 the work for you4 ,i heard of the man  
not many years ago1 and was still       
sweetly saved4  ,in our company were    
,brother and ,sister ,gates and their   
three children1 who had come with us    
from ,kansas4 ,not only had ,brother and
 ,sister ,gates helped us financially1  
but they had been as a father and mother
 to us all4 ,they were now about to     
leave us1 and they seemed somewhat      
burdened lest we should suffer need1 as 
the people had not yet been supplying   
our needs very much4 ,of course1 the    
reason why ,god had not been supplying  
us otherwise up to this time was not    
hard to find4 ,the ,lord knew that they 
were supplying our need and that we     
required no additional help from others4
  ,before leaving us1 the sister said1  
,what are you going to do after we are  
gone8 ,i answered3 ,the ,lord has always

 been a present help in time of need4   
,you and ,brother ,gates have been very 
helpful to us1 for which we are         
thankful2 but1 sister1 you must remember
 that is was ,god working through you4  
,if ,god had not been blessing your     
souls1 doubtless we should not have     
received special help from you4 ,so1    
after all1 the help you gave us came    
from ,god4 ,i am sure when you are gone 
the ,lord will not forsake us4  ,it     
seemed1 however1 that the ,lord wanted  
to encourage them before their departure
 by beginning to manifest his care for  
us4 ,a baker1 a stranger to us1 came one
 morning before we were up and left half
 a dozen loaves of nice bread on the    
table in one of our tents that we used  
as a kitchen4 ,the next day ,sister     
,gates said1 ,well1 you have some nice  
bread4 ,the following day the same      
number of loaves were left and the      
sister remarked1 ,i think ,i shall      
accept some of that bread to take on our
 journey1 and ,i won't have to bake as  

,i expected4 ,again1 the third morning  
the usual number of loaves were left in 
our tent1 and ,sister ,gates remarked3  
,i wish we knew who that man is1 so that
 we could tell him to stop bringing     
bread4 ,you will soon have more bread on
 hands than you will know what to do    
with4 ,i answered1 ,god wants to show   
you how he will take care of us after   
you are gone4 ,when we found out who the
 baker was1 we asked him to leave a     
smaller amount of bread for us1 as our  
company was not so large as it had been4
 ,he continued1 however1 to bring us    
bread1 also buns1 cookies1 and cake1 all
 of which were very much appreciated4   
,his donations continued during most of 
the time we were at this place4  ,one of
 our company dropped a tract at a house 
near the outskirts of the city4 ,this   
tract was the means of the salvation of 
the woman who found it4 ,her husband1   
who was a dairyman and sold milk in a   
certain part of the city1 told my       
brother if he would come to a certain   

place which he passed daily1 he could   
have three pints of milk every day4 ,two
 or three days before ,brother and      
,sister ,gates left us1 provisions of   
all kinds--fruit1 meat1 and even baked  
goods--came pouring in4 ,we had already 
decided that1 as ,brother and ,sister   
,gates were soon going to leave us1 our 
company would all take their dinner     
together on ,sunday4 ,our table was     
loaded down4 ,the meal looked more like 
a wedding-dinner than the meal of a few 
humble traveling preachers4 ,when       
,brother and ,sister ,gates saw how     
bountifully ,god had provided for us1   
they were delighted and satisfied4  ,a  
sister who had come to us shortly after 
our arrival at ,alameda told us that we 
had to be very careful and economical   
with the provisions1 because we should  
not be so bountifully supplied here as  
we had been at ,san ,diego and ,los     
,angeles1 because at those other places 
the church had been taught to give4     
,there are but few saints here1 she     

said1 and they do not know their duty1  
so we need not expect large             
contributions4 ,we replied1 ,even if    
they do not know their duty1 ,god is    
just the same1 and they that trust him  
shall not be confounded4 ,i do not know 
that we were better supplied at any     
other place in the ,state4  ,during our 
stay at ,alameda1 we went over to ,san  
,francisco and sat on the porch of the  
,cliff ,house overlooking the sea and   
watched the herds of seals that were    
playing on a little island out in the   
ocean about a quarter of a mile4 ,they  
acted like a party of mischievous       
children4 ,one of the animals would     
throw another into the ocean1 and the   
one in the water would come up dripping4
 ,as we watched them1 we could imagine  
that they entered into the fun of the   
sport and really felt mischievous4  ,at 
,fresno1 the next place in our          
itinerary1 a widow provided us with a   
furnished house1 rent free1 with fruit  
in the cellar and everything needed to  

make us comfortable4 ,we remembered at  
this time that ,elijah was provided for 
by a widow4  ,in one part of the house  
was a woman tenant who soon proved to be
 our enemy and tried to persecute us4   
,while we were having worship1 she would
 make fun of us and disturb us in every 
way she could4 ,we made up our minds we 
would obey the ,lord in putting coals of
 fire on her head4 ,we sought every     
opportunity to show little kindnesses4  
,at first our efforts were all in vain2 
she spurned every advance we made4      
,finally1 she took sick1 and we went in 
and asked the privilege of helping her4 
,at first she rejected1 but finally     
consented1 and we went to work to       
prepare her food and to do whatever else
 was necessary to make her comfortable4 
,our kindness reached her heart4 ,after 
she recovered1 she showed some signs of 
gratitude1 and we improved every        
opportunity to accomplish our design of 
overcoming evil with good4 ,at last she 
was won to the truth1 sought the ,lord1 

found him precious to her soul1 and was 
ever after our firm friend4 ,it was only
 about three years ago1 ,i think1 that  
she sent me one dollar in a letter4     
,the people in ,fresno had heard but    
little of the present truth4 ,there was 
one brother living in the town1 however1
 who had done a little house-to-house   
work1 lending books1 visiting the sick1 
etc4 ,among others1 he had made the     
acquaintance of two aged sisters1 one of
 whom was a habitual user of morphine4  
,she was a doctor's widow and had       
acquired the habit by taking morphine as
 a remedy shortly after their marriage4 
,as these old ladies talked with the    
brother 7,martin7 and as they learned of
 what the ,lord had done for the souls  
and bodies of different people1 there   
was awakened in their hearts a desire to
 trust the ,lord for deliverance4  ,one 
day a sister of our company and ,i had  
planned to do some calling4 ,at this    
time we were in need of such provisions 
as butter1 milk1 eggs1 etc4 ,the sister 

thought1 therefore1 that we had better  
go to a sister who we felt sure would   
help us in our time of need4 ,i felt    
more inclined to go and see the woman   
who was addicted to the morphine-habit1 
and accordingly we turned our steps in  
that direction4 ,the two old ladies were
 much pleased to have us come1 and the  
one who was bound by the morphine-habit 
desired very much to be delivered4      
,before we left1 they wanted to know if 
we had a cow4 ,we told them no1 and     
without our asking they supplied us with
 all the milk1 butter1 eggs1 and        
buttermilk we needed4  ,as we left1 they
 requested that we should come back and 
pray for the sister's deliverance4      
,their brother also came after me the   
following ,monday morning to go and have
 prayer for her4 ,for nearly forty years
 she had been addicted to the morphine  
habit and had been given up by the      
doctors who had treated her4 ,four or   
five years before this1 spots such as   
usually come on the skin of those who   

have long been users of morphine1       
appeared on her skin1 showing that she  
was beyond the reach of medical skill4  
,i went there1 prayed for her1 but felt 
that her case was so serious that there 
would be a prolonged fight1 so ,i       
returned and sent ,sister ,kaser4 ,she  
remained at the house for twelve days4  
,for three or four days it was a life   
and death fight4 ,then the old lady     
began to come out from under the        
influence of the drug1 to throw off the 
effects1 and in twelve days she was like
 another person4 ,things that she ate   
began to taste natural1 and her health  
improved4 ,god had wrought a perfect    
deliverance4  ,it was during our stay at
 this place that we had the privilege of
 visiting the park in which are the     
giant redwoods of ,california4 ,for     
thirty miles on the trip we went in a   
carriage1 and then we took a large      
mountain-wagon drawn by two pair of     
horses4 ,as we ascended the mountain to 
the park1 we passed through vegetation  

in various conditions4 ,at ,fresno1     
where we began our journey1 no rain     
falls and vegetation grows only by means
 of irrigation4 ,as we ascended1 we came
 first to where there was a small amount
 of moisture1 and the grass was just    
beginning to make its appearance4 ,as we
 got further up the mountain1 the       
vegetation was more abundant and flowers
 were growing here and there4 ,the      
further we went the greener was the     
foliage1 the stronger the growth1 and   
when we reached the height we were in a 
grove of giant trees4  ,just before     
reaching the park we were threatened    
with a danger that we least expected4   
,during the summer1 government troops   
camped in the park1 and as we came up   
the narrow road1 we met the army-wagons 
coming toward us4 ,the road was so      
narrow1 with the sheer side of the      
mountain rising on one side and a       
precipice on the other1 that to pass    
these wagons was impossible4 ,we had to 
wait until the government-wagons passed 

before resuming our trip4  ,when we     
approached the grove of redwoods1 the   
stumps looked so large that ,i supposed 
the trees would be larger than they     
really were and hence ,i was quite      
disappointed in their size4 ,my         
disappointment1 of course1 was due to   
the effect on my senses1 for the trees  
were really immense4 ,i walked through a
 hollow log through which a lady had    
ridden on horseback some time before4   
,later1 ,i stood on top of this log and 
it seemed as if ,i were standing on top 
of a house4 ,the largest tree we        
measured was #ajc feet in circumference 
at its base4 ,the name of this monster  
was ,general ,washington4 ,people had   
climbed far up its sides and carved     
their names4 ,in order to get a good    
idea of the height of these great trees1
 one has to lie on the ground near the  
base and look up4 ,through the roots of 
one tree that was visited1 a beautiful  
spring of ice-cold water bubbled up4    
,the spring came up through a decayed   

opening in the root of the tree4        
,california is much different from the  
,eastern ,states4 ,in the low lands of  
,california there is no lightning nor   
thunder4 ,the rain comes so gently that 
sometimes one has to look out-of-doors  
to see whether or not it is raining4    
,but in the mountains the thunder and   
lightning are very sharp4 ,then1 too1   
the difference in temperature between   
the lowlands and the highlands seems    
remarkable4 ,at ,fresno the thermometer 
registered #aji after sundown1 while on 
the mountain the temperature was only   
#fj4 ,in ,california the vegetable      
growth differs greatly from that in the 
,east4 ,in the ,east our common elders  
die every other year2 in ,california    
they grow to be as large around as a    
man's body4 ,in the ,east the           
castor-bean is an annual2 in ,california
 it is a tree1 many of them larger than 
a man's body4 ,we had tomatoes in       
mid-winter from vines that had been     
bearing for many months1 and we saw     

beets that had grown year after year    
until they were of great size1 in       
comparison with those of eastern        
section4  ,while at ,fresno we took a   
trip in carriages across the country to 
,farmersville1 a small town in the      
interior1 about forty miles away4 ,we   
also attended a camp-meeting at ,tulare1
 where we met ,brother and ,sister      
,brundage and other saints4  ,in the    
month of ,march1 after being in         
,california a year and four months1 we  
took the southern route and returned    
,east by way of ,arizona4 ,we stopped at
 ,phoenix and held a two weeks' meeting 
with good success4 ,one evening ,i      
visited a sick sister1 who seemed to be 
suffering considerably4 ,she did not ask
 for prayer1 and ,i did not volunteer to
 pray for her4 ,as ,i left1 her little  
three-year-old child heard her say that 
she wished ,sister ,cole had prayed for 
her while there1 as she wanted to be    
healed and go to meeting that night4    
,mama1 said the little one1 ,i will pray

 for you1 and she stepped up and put her
 little hands on her mama's head4 ,after
 prayer she said1 ,mama1 are you better 
now8 ,no4 ,all right1 ,i will pray for  
you again4 ,again she asked the ,lord to
 make her mama well4 ,mama1 aren't you  
better now8 ,no1 ,i feel as bad as ever4
 ,well1 ,i will pray for you again4 ,by 
this time the mother saw that the child 
had more faith than she4 ,she decided to
 exercise every bit of faith she had4   
,after the little girl had prayed the   
third time1 she said1 ,mama1 aren't you 
better now8 ,the mother answered1 ,yes1 
,i believe the ,lord heals me4 ,she got 
up and dressed herself1 and sure enough 
she was well4  ,at the street-meetings  
we held in ,phoenix1 there were present 
,indians and a number of foreigners of  
different nationalities4 ,while in this 
town we had the privilege of visiting   
our old friends1 ,brother and ,sister   
,pine1 who were then living a few miles 
out of the city4 ,both we and they were 
much delighted to meet again4 ,a day or 

two more of traveling on the railway1   
and we were again among familiar scenes1
 which seemed very dear to us after so  
long an absence4     ,chapter ,,xviii   
,visiting ,relatives in the ,east       
,after our return from ,california ,i   
found that my body was much worn by our 
labors in that ,state4 ,i therefore     
rested for a few weeks2 then in company 
with my brother ,george1 ,i attended a  
number of camp-meetings that summer4 ,a 
little later in the year we went to     
visit relatives in ,ohio and ,indiana1  
stopping on the way to hold a few       
meetings in the city of ,chicago4 ,on   
this trip we visited also my mother's   
old home in ,carroll ,county1 ,ohio1 and
 while there saw many things1 which1    
although new to us1 seemed familiar     
because of her oft-repeated stories in  
regard to them4 ,although we had a      
pleasant time1 because of the           
sociability and kindness of the people  
we visited1 yet our hearts were saddened
 that we found none of our relatives    

enjoying a clear experience of          
salvation4  ,george returned to the     
,west and ,i remained for sometime      
longer with an uncle1 ,mother's brother4
 ,i did what ,i could while ,i was there
 to lead these dear ones to see the full
 light of ,christianity1 but ,i do not  
know whether or not ,i accomplished     
anything4 ,the time was now drawing near
 for me to return to the ,west1 and ,i  
did not have money enough to pay my way4
 ,i felt ashamed to let my relatives    
know anything about it1 as ,i had been  
telling them of ,god's goodness in      
providing for me and trying to teach    
them to trust ,god for all things4 ,i   
had hoped that ,george1 who knew        
something of my financial straits1 would
 send me some money4 ,i was expecting to
 hear from him1 but when he did write1  
he sent only a postal card4 ,my uncle's 
folks had spoken in a way that showed   
doubt as to whether ,i had money enough 
to pay my car-fare1 but ,i had told them
 that ,i was trusting the ,lord and that

 he would provide4  ,i prayed very      
earnestly and the ,lord seemed to bring 
to my mind an incident connected with   
the crossing of the ,jordan by the      
children of ,israel4 ,they had to prove 
,god by stepping into the edge of the   
water before he saw fit to make the     
waters roll back1 thus opening a path   
for them through the river4 ,i was      
impressed that ,god wanted to test me   
and that ,i should have to be willing to
 go to the  depot without the money4    
,uncle did not take me to the depot1 but
 found a chance for me to ride with a   
neighbor4 ,at the depot ,i met a man who
 professed to be a saint1 and ,i        
wondered if he would not help me pay my 
way4 ,he had intimated that he might    
help me4 ,but he did not ask me whether 
,i needed any money1 nor did he offer to
 give me any4 ,i was asking ,god        
earnestly what to do1 and ,i had just   
about decided to buy a ticket to a point
 as far as my money would pay and then  
to trust ,god for the rest of my fare1  

when1 looking up1 ,i saw in the distance
 some one coming through the heat1 and  
as he drew nearer1 ,i recognized him as 
,uncle4  ,he had not come to the depot  
with me1 as he was afraid it would be   
too hard for him to walk back1 but now  
he was coming4 ,i wondered why1 and when
 he got near me ,i said1 ,o ,uncle6 why 
did you come through this heat8 ,the    
tears began to roll down his face1 and  
he said1 ,mary1 ,i was afraid you didn't
 have enough money4 ,uncle1 ,i said1 ,i 
guess ,god showed you1 for ,i didn't    
have enough4 ,i lack about fifty cents4 
,he said1 ,when ,i was at your home1    
your brothers were so good to help me   
that ,i felt it was my duty to see that 
you had enough money to pay your way4   
,uncle1 ,i said1 ,i won't need more than
 fifty cents4 ,here is a dollar2 take   
it4 ,no1 you give me just fifty cents4  
,he did so1 and ,i had just a few cents 
more than enough to pay my fare4  ,i can
 almost see the dear old soul yet coming
 through the heat almost exhausted--and 

then to think how good the ,lord was to 
help me in this time of need6 ,the      
thought of the ,lord's kindness melted  
me to tears1 and ,i thanked him over and
 over4 ,this incident shows1 too1 that  
many times a kind deed long forgotten is
 rewarded at a later time when help is  
much needed4 ,let us not forget to      
scatter deeds of kindness for our       
reaping by and by4  ,a short time after 
this we went on a visit to the old home 
at ,windsor1 ,mo4 ,the night after we   
came an electric storm passed over the  
little town1 accompanied with a high    
wind and torrents of rain4  ,while the  
storm was at its height1 lightning      
struck the belfry of the ,baptist       
chapel1 two doors from our house4 ,the  
meeting-house was soon in flames1 and   
the high wind hurled great pieces of    
burning timbers over our house1 and for 
a while there seemed great danger of its
 taking fire too4 ,mother was quite     
uneasy1 but ,god made us to know that he
 would protect us4  ,while on this      

visit1 ,george and ,i went about twenty 
miles distance in a buggy to visit a    
brother and a sister and their families4
 ,while on our return trip we stopped at
 the little town of ,lincoln to water   
our horses1 and ,george took the bits   
out of the horse's mouth to let him     
drink4 ,the animal became frightened at 
the sound of the wind-mill where we were
 watering1 and began to run1 and as     
there were no bits in his mouth1 the    
lines in my hands were useless4 ,my     
brother undertook to hold the horse1 but
 under the circumstances he could not do
 so4 ,he saw that my life was in danger1
 and in trying to rescue me he got wound
 up in the lines and was hurt quite a   
little4 ,i was thrown out of the buggy  
and dragged about a hundred yards and   
badly injured internally4 ,when ,george 
got to me1 ,i was unconscious1 but ,i   
soon came to myself4 ,then we both      
called earnestly on ,god1 who answered  
prayer4 ,we were both sufficiently      
relieved so that when the horse got over

 its fright and the buggy was repaired1 
we started on our journey of seventeen  
miles home4 ,we thanked ,god that the   
sky was clouded over2 thus ,god held his
 big umbrella over us and gave us       
protection from the heat1 as we were    
both very sick and in danger of         
fainting4  ,i found later that the      
injury ,i had received in the runaway   
was more serious than we had at first   
thought4 ,i trusted ,god as best ,i     
could for my healing1 and we soon       
started on our way to ,neosho ,falls1   
,kansas1 to attend a camp-meeting4      
,within seven days after ,i was hurt1 ,i
 was scarcely able to be up at all4 ,my 
nerves were in such a condition that ,i 
could scarcely bear any noise at all1   
not even the sound of a person's voice4 
,because of the weakness and the pain ,i
 suffered1 ,i missed most of the meeting
 and lay in bed for about three weeks   
after the meeting closed4 ,the injury   
had so affected my brain that ,i was not
 capable of grasping ,god's promises for

 my healing4 ,about this time ,i had a  
dream4 ,i was in a large ship that was  
in a sinking condition4 ,i was not in   
the water1 but was clinging desperately 
to the side of the vessel4 ,we called   
for help1 and a tug-boat came to our    
rescue4 ,fearing ,i could not hold on   
much longer1 ,i called to them to hurry4
 ,they replied that they must rescue    
,sister ,martin first4 ,i awoke1 and the
 ,lord made me to know that1 owing to   
the condition of my brain1 ,i could not 
myself obtain healing1 and that ,i      
should ask the church to help bear the  
burden4 ,so ,i got the church at ,neosho
 ,falls to fast and pray1 and we also   
had the saints in ,moundsville to agree 
with us in prayer4 ,god heard prayer1   
healed my body1 and my brother and ,i   
soon started on our journey east again4 
,on our way we stopped at home and      
stayed over one night4 ,one of the      
sisters in that neighborhood begged me  
to remain and rest a whole year1 saying 
if ,i did not ,i would soon be in my    

grave4 ,my reply was3 ,i need more than 
a rest4 ,god wants me to go4 ,he can    
help me where ,i am going as well as at 
home4 ,pray for me1 sister1 that ,god   
will grant me all the healing ,i yet    
need4 ,she promised me she would4 ,from 
this time on ,i gained rapidly1 but it  
was a month or more before ,i was as    
strong as usual4  ,on our way east we   
went through ,kentucky and held some    
meetings with ,brother ,kilpatrick4     
,george took the eczema1 and after these
 meetings his condition became serious4 
,for about two months he suffered       
greatly4 ,during this time he could not 
sit down1 but had to either stand or    
lie4 ,before he recovered1 we got a call
 to come to ,chicago4 ,we started1 but  
,george was so feeble that ,i did not   
know whether or not he would live until 
we got to our destination4 ,the brother 
with whom we had been staying insisted  
that we stay longer1 but we felt ,god   
urging us on1 so we went4     ,chapter  
,,xix  ,mission ,work in ,chicago  ,on  

arriving in ,chicago1 we found ,brother 
,t----1 who had charge of the work in   
the city1 at #afab ,prairie ,ave4 ,for  
nearly a year my brother and ,i assisted
 him in the work1 and then1 as he       
insisted that we become responsible for 
the work in a general way1 we took      
charge4  ,when we first went to         
,chicago1 we were not just sure what    
,god wanted us to do4 ,the first winter 
,i helped hold meetings for homeless men
 in the slum district4 ,as a class1     
these people were so deep in sin that it
 was hard to reach them4 ,a few1        
however1 did get a real experience of   
salvation2 but it was difficult for them
 to keep saved1 and when they would give
 up1 they would not stop until they had 
gone into the grossest kind of sin4     
,some of them would get converted again 
and again1 only to be overcome by the   
tempter4 ,their characters had been so  
weakened by indulging in sin and giving 
way to their appetites that it seemed   
hard for them to become established4 ,it

 took a great deal of patience and labor
 to get any of them established4 ,the   
religious career of many of them was    
very brief1 but others struggled on for 
a long time4 ,no doubt some became      
thoroughly established and remained true
 to the ,lord4  ,this work was not very 
satisfactory to us4 ,true1 the souls of 
these people are as precious in the     
sight of ,god as the souls of any other 
people1 but we soon saw that the energy 
expended upon these people of the slums 
would1 if directed toward people in the 
great middle walks of life1 accomplish  
far more in the salvation of souls4     
,gospel workers1 if the ,lord leads you 
to take up slum-work1 be sure to obey   
the ,lord1 but be equally sure that you 
don't attempt slum-work unless ,god is  
leading you4  ,as the work was not      
satisfactory to us1 my brother rented a 
house for five years as a missionary    
home4 ,the monthly rent was #be1 and it 
was wonderful how ,god answered prayer  
and brought the means to pay the rent4  

,many times our support would come from 
a distance4 ,for two or three years     
before we came to the city1 ,brother    
,t--- had held meetings every ,sunday   
afternoon in the ,masonic ,temple4 ,the 
rent for the room in which we held      
services in the temple for two and      
one-half hours each week1 was for a time
 #ae a month1 and later #af4 ,besides   
the meeting in the ,temple1 we had      
cottage-meetings in different parts of  
the city4  ,besides renting the home in 
which most of the workers lived1 my     
brother rented for a year a house to    
serve as a home for workers in the slum 
district1 paying a monthly rental of    
#fj4 ,as my brother was ignorant of what
 he was getting into1 the ,lord seemed  
to humor him for two or three months by 
providing the money for the rent of this
 building4 ,then my brother got into    
trouble4 ,he prayed earnestly for money 
to pay the rent on this building1 but   
his prayers would not go through4       
,heaven seemed closed against him4      

,after making several efforts in this   
way1 for a while without avail1 my      
brother said that if he could not get   
his prayers through for money to pay the
 rent1 he would pray that ,god would    
make the landlord willing to give up the
 lease4 ,his prayers were heard1 the    
landlord surrendered the lease1 and     
,george got out of his difficulty4      
,subsequent events showed that the ,lord
 was willing to provide money for us in 
abundance as long as we acted in        
accordance with his divine plan for us4 
,in consideration of the facts that we  
paid our #dj a month for rent on our    
home and meeting-place1 and that we     
enjoyed but limited privileges in       
holding meetings1 my brother felt       
impressed before the five years were out
 that the ,lord wanted us to build a    
home which should be permanent and which
 should be the property of the church4  
,the work was begun in ,march1 #aijc1   
and by the blessing of ,god and the     
cooperation of the church in general1   

the home and chapel were both finished  
by ,christmas4 ,the greater part of the 
work was donated1 one experienced       
carpenter giving over #fjj worth of     
labor4  ,our work in the city was a     
school of trust4 ,we trusted the ,lord  
for food1 for raiment1 for rent1 and for
 everything else that we needed4        
,sometimes when ,i would have a little  
money laid by1 an opportunity would come
 to use it1 and ,i would think1  ,i     
don't want to give this up1 for ,i may  
need it later4 ,then the voice of the   
,spirit would say to me1 ,if you don't  
keep your purse open and use the means  
you have1 ,god will not supply you4 ,i  
obeyed ,god1 and he never allowed me to 
be confounded4 ,many times when we did  
not have sufficient food for the whole  
day1 we would get down and ask ,god to  
send either money or food4 ,it was      
marvelous how our prayers were answered1
 and that from sources from which we    
should have least expected help4 ,the   
,lord wonderfully encouraged our hearts 

in this way4  ,when we were building the
 home and chapel1 a number of the       
workers felt led to purpose a certain   
sum to be paid in a year's time4 ,the   
first year my purpose was #ajj1 to be   
paid before ,december #ca4 ,i got just  
enough to finish paying it ,december    
#cj4 ,the workers were all encouraged in
 like manner4 ,the next year some of    
them suggested that1 as ,god had helped 
them through so marvelously the first   
year1 we should purpose twice as much4  
,i received sufficient money to pay the 
#bjj by ,thanksgiving1 a month sooner   
than ,i had paid the #ajj the year      
before4  ,we often had to trust the     
,lord for car-fare1 and many times it   
came to us in remarkable ways4 ,one day 
one of the sisters started out to make a
 call in the city with only enough money
 to pay her fare one way4 ,while she was
 sitting in the car1 she looked down    
into her lap and there lay a quarter4   
,how it got there was a mystery4        
,sometimes even strangers passing us on 

the street would feel impressed to hand 
us enough money to pay our fares4       
,again1 some of the workers while       
trusting the ,lord would find just the  
amount needed4  ,the ,lord showed us    
here in the city as he did while we were
 in ,california1 that he wanted us not  
only to appreciate and enjoy the        
blessings sent us1 but also to pass some
 of our blessings to those who were     
needy1 and that in so doing we should be
 blessed as well as those who gave to   
us4 ,brethren1 ,god's plan is an        
unselfish one4 ,if we expect to grow in 
grace and to develop in trust and in    
other of his precious graces1 we must   
unselfishly impart what ,god gives to   
us4 ,freely ye have received1 freely    
give4 ,he that watereth shall be watered
 again4 ,the willing and the obedient   
shall eat the good of the land4 ,if we  
withhold blessings from others1 whether 
it be means or any other help that we   
can afford them1 we ourselves shall be  
losers1 and they will be deprived of    

their rights4  ,some little time after  
we located in the city we had our mother
 come to live with us4 ,she had been a  
widow for some years4 ,i counted it a   
happy privilege that ,i should be       
allowed to care for her in her old days4
 ,i had long desired to care for her and
 took advantage of the first opportunity
 of having her come to us4 ,i had also  
desired that in her old days she should 
not lose her mind as some old people do1
 and that she should enjoy a good long  
,illustration3 ,,mary ,,cole ,five years
 after her healing  ,illustration3      
,,mother ,,rebecca ,,cole ,in her #ib;d 
year4 ,from a photograph taken fourteen 
months before her death life4 ,my       
prayers have been answered and my hopes 
realized4,footnote3 ,nearly a year after
 the above account was written1 on      
,october #bb1 #aiad1 ,mother died at the
 age of ninety-two years4 ,she had the  
right use of her mind until the last4   
,after she had lost the power to see and
 hear distinctly1 she would recognize me

 by a sign to which we had agreed and   
would call my name1 and even after      
speech had failed1 she still attempted  
to say1 ,mary4  ,we had been in ,chicago
 only about a year when news came from  
,hammond1 ,louisiana1 that my oldest    
brother1 ,jeremiah1 had died at that    
place1 ,october #ac1 #ahii4 ,while we   
were in ,california1 ,jeremiah came to  
that ,state and held meetings1 although 
he was with us only a short time4 ,for  
some years before his death his health  
had not been very good1 and in the fall 
of #ahii he went to the ,south for the  
third time to winter4 ,while he was     
holding meetings nor far from ,hammond1 
,louisiana1 ,october #a1 he became      
suddenly sick while preaching and had to
 leave the pulpit in the middle of his  
discourse4  ,bro4 ,f4 ,m4 ,williamson1  
at whose home he was staying1 begged to 
be allowed to write or telegraph to his 
folks1 but ,jeremiah said1 ,no1 my      
illness will last but a few days1 and it
 is no use to worry my folks4 ,he       

lingered until ,october #ac1 when he    
died4 ,brother ,williamson1 who was with
 him until the end1 said that my brother
 had the confidence of everybody in that
 part of the country and that he died a 
triumphant death4 ,shortly before my    
brother's death a letter was sent us    
saying that he was very sick1 but it did
 not reach us until several days after  
his burial4  ,before going to ,chicago1 
we had worked almost altogether in small
 towns and in the country4 ,of course1  
the work in such a large city as        
,chicago was quite different4           
,nevertheless1 we were glad for the     
experience we had had and of the chance 
we now had for putting it in practise   
and of making improvement4 ,we learned1 
however1 that the souls of men are much 
the same1 whether they live in a city or
 in the country1 and that ,god gives his
 ministers authority over evil spirits  
wherever they may be found4  ,when we   
took the ,chicago work in charge1 there 
was in the congregation a certain man   

who had gotten under a wrong spirit and 
had led others away with him1 thus      
causing trouble and dissension4 ,the    
false spirit seemed to be strongly      
entrenched and very hard to get rid of4 
,this man of whom we have spoken1 and   
whom1 for want of a better name1 we     
shall designate as ,brother ,b--1 sent  
word to quite a large number of the     
saints in the city to be present at the 
meeting-place on a certain ,sunday      
evening1 as he would occupy the pulpit  
from five until six after the regular   
meeting closed4 ,some of our company    
were out of the city during that week1  
and on ,saturday night a fearful        
snow-storm came1 continuing on into     
,sunday4  ,i wished very much that those
 workers who were out of the city should
 return for the ,sunday evening service1
 as ,i saw that we were going to have to
 meet the enemy in a very bold way4     
,when ,i awoke ,sunday morning1 however1
 the ,lord made me know that ,i must be 
willing to face the enemy with him      

alone1 and this song rang in my heart3  
,i'll go where ,you want me to go1 dear 
,lord2   ,i'll say what ,you want me to 
say4  ,god was my perfect sufficiency4  
,some of the members of the congregation
 who might be included under the        
,scriptural term lambs stood by me like 
warriors4 ,two of them sat in the pulpit
 with me1 one on each side to hold my   
hands1 as it were4 ,god had warned me in
 a dream of the enemy's attack and had  
shown me some things that were very     
helpful in that very hour4 ,in my dream 
,i had seen the enemy in the form of a  
ferocious animal approaching to destroy 
,god's children4 ,we were in a large    
pavilion which was entered by a large   
open door4 ,in my dream ,i thought that 
,god told me to go and shut that door4  
,i started to obey1 and when ,i got near
 it1 the animal was about to enter1 but 
,god made me to know that he would help 
me through and enable me to get the door
 shut4 ,as ,i shut the large door1 the  
,lord showed me another little door1    

saying1 ,go and shut that too4  ,on the 
,sunday of which ,i am speaking1 when ,i
 really had to face the enemy1 ,god gave
 me as a subject for my sermon various  
instances in the history of the church  
where the enemy had attacked ,god's     
children and work and where ,god himself
 had defended them and defeated the     
enemy4 ,i spoke of how ,joseph's        
brethren plotted to take his life and   
finally sold him into ,egypt as a slave2
 of how ,god made him a prince and a    
ruler over his brethren and finally     
their savior and benefactor4 ,i spoke of
 ,jesus--how the ,jews killed him1 put  
his body into a sepulcher1 closed it    
with a great stone1 sealed it with the  
king's seal2 how the ,lord defeated     
their purpose1 arose from the dead1 and 
ascended to the right hand of ,god4     
,right in the middle of the sermon ,god 
showed me what he meant by shutting the 
big door and made me to know that ,i    
must expose and renounce the one under  
the spirit of the devil who was trying  

to undermine the work4 ,he showed me1   
furthermore1 that another man who was   
helping him was the little door and that
 he wanted me to denounce him also4  ,as
 ,i began denouncing the spirit of error
 that had crept into the congregation1  
the poor deluded ones clamored for a    
chance to defend themselves1 but ,god   
showed me that ,i should give no place  
to the devil4 ,i advised all the true   
children of the ,lord to leave the      
meeting-place at the proper time1 and   
not to listen to the enemy's pouring out
 against ,god's work and cause4 ,most of
 the people took my advice and left at  
the proper time4 ,just a few backsliders
 and chronic grumblers remained to hear 
,brother ,b--'s message4 ,i can not tell
 you how ,god used this victory to      
encourage and strengthen my soul4 ,he   
seemed to humor and pet me all the next 
day and to bring it to me again and     
again that he was pleased with me4 ,i   
seemed to hear him say again and again1 
,i am well pleased with you4  ,one of   

the company who had been with us for    
some time1 did not seem to be making the
 development as a worker that we had    
expected him to make4 ,he came so far   
short of our anticipation that we were  
tempted at times to conclude that we    
were mistaken in encouraging him to     
remain in the work with us4 ,the enemy1 
of course1 worked hard to discourage him
 and we were beginning to think that    
perhaps it would be well to discourage  
his remaining longer with us4 ,when ,i  
prayed earnestly over the matter1       
however1 the ,lord made me understand   
that this was a worthy child of his and 
that in his soul there was a trueness   
and faithfulness not to be found in     
every worker4 ,the ,lord showed me that 
if we would exercise patience with him1 
development would come in good time4    
,the outcome has been all that could be 
desired4 ,for a number of years this    
brother's name has been familiar        
throughout the church1 and he is still  
holding some of the most responsible    

places4  ,at another time this same     
brother was going through a fiery trial4
 ,god no doubt was permitting the trial 
to broaden him and to develop him for   
future usefulness4 ,what he was         
enduring1 however1 became a severe trial
 to me4 ,finally it seemed as though ,i 
had endured about all that ,i could1 so 
,i said to him one day1 ,either you or  
,i will have to leave4 ,i can't stand   
this any more4 ,he did not answer me1   
but went away by himself and asked ,god 
to give me more compassion4  ,dear      
brothers and sisters in the ministry1   
right here ,i would sound a note of     
warning4 ,let us be careful when a young
 worker comes among us4 ,even if he does
 not seem promising at first1 let us    
have patience with him and give him a   
chance2 let him prove himself4 ,let us  
give him all the encouragement we can   
and do what we can to help develop him4 
,perhaps you can help such a one by     
telling him some of ,god's dealings with
 you and how he helped you out of       

difficulty1 how he tided you over and   
lifted you above discouragements1 how he
 brushed away the dark clouds4 ,do not  
be too quick to conclude1 ,well1 ,i     
don't believe ,god had his hand upon    
that person1 after all1 for we might    
find ourselves working against ,god     
instead of being coworkers with him4    
,we had not been in the city a great    
while until we had more calls than we   
could fill4 ,people wrote asking us to  
call on their friends to see if we could
 not get the truth to them4 ,we were    
called to visit places that were by no  
means inviting4 ,we also had calls from 
suburban towns and other near-by places1
 and at times we were led to hold       
meetings for a week or two in places    
outside the city4 ,surely we fulfilled  
the scripture1 ,sow beside all waters4  
,we soon learned from experience that   
not all who came to the home telling    
pitiful stories of need were deserving  
of help4 ,sometimes after giving        
provisions and even money1 we learned   

that our charity had been misapplied4   
,we soon learned that it was wise to    
find out whether we were helping the    
worthy poor or impostors4  ,after the   
chapel was built1 opportunities for     
reaching souls greatly increased4 ,we   
now had meetings whenever we chose1     
especially on ,sunday evenings1         
,thursday afternoon and evening1 with   
good attendance of saints and           
truth-seekers4 ,our expenses1 too1 were 
greatly lessened in this way1 especially
 at the time of the yearly assemblies4  
,one year the rental of the building in 
which the assembly was held1 was1 ,i    
think1 #cjj for ten days4 ,before a     
certain assembly the saints had         
contributed freely to provide money for 
the coming assembly4 ,shortly before the
 meeting began the treasury was robbed  
of over #bjj4  ,during the ten years ,i 
spent in the ,chicago work1 ,i witnessed
 many wonderful deliverances from sin1  
from disease1 and from evil spirits4    
,the account of these experiences would 

of itself make a large volume2 ,i can   
mention only a few here4 ,sister ,pearl 
,horman1 who came to the home1 was taken
 very sick with fever4 ,her case was    
very serious1 the fever being very high4
 ,the ,lord rebuked the fever and in a  
short time she was well4 ,sister ,myra  
,barrett came to a meeting we were      
having in the chapel one night1 and     
remained all night in the home4 ,before 
morning she had an attack of erysipelas 
in the face1 accompanied by a high      
fever4 ,the ,lord put his rebuke on the 
disease and not many days later she was 
able to resume her duties in an office  
in the city4  ,in answer to a call from 
,joliet1 ,illinois1 we went to that     
place and anointed a brother who was    
very sick with the quinsy4 ,in answer to
 the prayer of faith1 ,god wonderfully  
healed him4 ,one winter night a call    
came from the suburbs of the city for   
some one to come and anoint a child     
suffering from a violent attack of      
pneumonia4 ,the snow lay deep on the    

ground and the weather was very cold4   
,my brother and ,i answered the call4   
,as the night was far spent1 the        
street-cars were no longer running in   
the direction we had to go1 and so we   
had to walk over a mile facing the      
wintry storm4 ,god answered prayer in   
behalf of the child4 ,it was better     
before we left next morning and was soon
 entirely well4  ,at another time we    
were called upon to pray for a boy who  
had appendicitis4 ,the doctors who      
examined him said that without an       
operation he could not possibly live1   
but his father1 being a saint1 desired  
prayer4 ,brother ,reardon and ,i        
anointed the boy1 prayed the prayer of  
faith1 and the boy was healed4 ,god got 
the glory that time instead of the      
doctor1 not to speak of the saving of a 
great deal of suffering and a heavy     
doctor-bill4  ,my mother was in the home
 at the time ,sister ,barrett was healed
 of erysipelas4 ,about ten years before 
this time ,mother had the same          

affliction1 and it came near taking her 
life4 ,as a result1 she had an especial 
dread of this disease4 ,before coming to
 the home1 ,mother had not been able to 
wholly trust the ,lord for healing1 but 
when she came to live with us1 she      
decided to trust the ,lord4 ,but when   
she saw ,sister ,barrett having such a  
severe attack of erysipelas1 she became 
a little alarmed and used something as a
 preventive1 not realizing that it would
 hinder her faith4 ,in nine days she had
 a severe attack of erysipelas4 ,for a  
number of days she had quite a fight of 
faith1 and we sent telegrams to ,the    
,trumpet ,office twice4 ,god in his     
mercy rebuked the disease1 and she      
recovered rapidly for one of her age4   
,although she was past eighty-one1 her  
recovery was much more rapid than it had
 been ten years before1 when she had    
trusted the doctor4  ,sometime after    
mother was entirely well1 we found the  
little preventive she had in her pocket 
and asked her about it4 ,she confessed  

with tears that she had been using the  
preventive4 ,we encouraged her to trust 
,god fully for protection as well as for
 everything else4 ,from that time       
forward she has been able to put her    
trust wholly in ,god4 ,some say that    
people get too old to trust the ,lord1  
but in her case the older she gets1 the 
more childlike becomes her trust in     
,god4  ,a brother ,jones1 now of ,west  
,virginia1 came to the home from a place
 where there was an epidemic of         
smallpox4 ,he was just beginning to take
 the disease2 in fact1 a pimple or two  
had already appeared4 ,he would take    
spells of being deathly sick1 a common  
occurrence before breaking out with     
smallpox4 ,the brother was innocent in  
coming to the home in that condition1   
thinking that he had been exposed to the
 chicken-pox and that he was just coming
 down with a bad case of that disease4  
,he trusted the ,lord wholly for        
healing1 and we all united our faith    
with his against the disease4  ,the     

,monday following his arrival he1 in    
company with my brother and others of   
the saints1 went to the camp-meeting at 
,moundsville1 ,w4 ,va4 ,that same       
evening ,god made us who were left at   
the home to understand very definitely  
that the brother had the smallpox and   
that we should pray very earnestly that 
,god would keep him from breaking out   
until the nature of the disease could be
 discovered and the brother be put under
 quarantine to protect the camp-meeting4
 ,our greatest fears were that the whole
 camp would be quarantined4 ,the ,lord  
encouraged our hearts to continue in    
prayer that he would overrule the whole 
matter4 ,in a few days they found out   
that ,brother ,jones was taking the     
smallpox1 and they put him under        
quarantine4 ,very soon afterward he     
broke out4 ,god had answered our prayers
 to keep him from breaking out1 and he  
also protected us at the home and those 
at the camp-meeting4 ,our ,god is able  
to protect in every time of need4  ,two 

or three days later a boy came from the 
same smallpox-infected district4 ,by    
this time physicians in ,michigan ,city 
had found out that the disease they had 
there was smallpox1 and were going to   
put the house where he had been staying 
under quarantine4 ,the brother who had  
just come thought he had sufficient     
faith to protect himself and others from
 the disease2 but we who were older in  
the work and understood the ways of the 
,lord better1 advised him to return1    
lest if he should have the smallpox in  
the city1 they would put him in the     
pest-house1 where he would not have the 
same chance to trust the ,lord that he  
would if at home4 ,so he returned to his
 home and had the disease there4 ,again 
,god marvelously protected us4  ,a young
 sister came to the home for help in    
both soul and body4 ,after earnest      
prayer in her behalf1 we found that she 
was in no condition to get help to her  
soul until her body became stronger4    
,she had greatly overworked and her mind

 was about to give way4 ,it was a month 
before we were able to talk to her at   
all about her soul4 ,her nerves were in 
such a condition that when she heard a  
prayer1 a song1 or a scripture1 she     
could scarcely keep from screaming4 ,as 
soon as she was able1 we did all the    
,lord showed us to do for her soul4 ,we 
found that all that ,god had laid to her
 charge was overworking and neglecting  
her spiritual life4 ,soon everything was
 made right with her soul1 but it took  
months for her nerves and brain to get  
back to their normal condition4  ,we    
learned a good lesson from this         
incident4 ,if we neglect our spiritual  
lives1 we shall be losers every time4   
,the ,lord is a jealous ,god1 and if he 
can't be first1 he won't be second4 ,if 
we want him to work in and through us1  
we must give him a chance to keep our   
souls replenished and ready for work4   
,at different times while in city-work  
,i have myself allowed temporal things  
to get too much on my mind1 thus causing

 me to neglect my devotions4 ,my        
spirituality would begin to weaken1 and 
,i would become less capable of being a 
blessing to souls4 ,had ,i been more    
diligent at certain times in secret     
prayer and searching the ,scriptures1 ,i
 should have been spared some sad       
experiences and heartaches4  ,one day   
the sister who was doing the cooking1   
made up a large batch of light bread1   
containing1 ,i think1 fifteen or twenty 
pounds of flour4 ,the sister waited the 
proper length of time for the bread to  
rise1 but it showed no signs at all of  
rising4 ,some of us talked the matter   
over and concluded that we could not    
afford to throw the flour away and that 
we had better ask ,god to make the bread
 rise4 ,we did so1 but the bread        
remained as lifeless as before4 ,finally
 a number of us gathered in the kitchen1
 knelt down on the floor1 and asked ,god
 to make the bread rise4 ,it was not    
long until our prayers were answered4   
,that batch of dough made as good bread 

as ,i have ever eaten4 ,god wonderfully 
stirred up the thanksgiving in our souls
 for this answer to prayer4  ,one of the
 company in the home had been exposed to
 the measles1 and they were beginning to
 break out on his body4 ,the ,lord      
brought to his mind that he did not need
 to have the measles and that if he     
would put up a fight of faith against   
them1 the ,lord would heal him4 ,he was 
anointed and prayed for1 and ,god did   
put his rebuke on the affliction4 ,the  
following day he exercised himself too  
much and had to have prayer again4 ,that
 was on ,saturday evening4 ,monday      
morning he was sufficiently well to     
start on a trip to ,ohio to see his     
people4 ,the possibilities of faith can 
not be comprehended by the finite mind  
of man4 ,well did the apostle say1      
,faith is the substance of things hoped 
for1 the evidence of things not seen4   
,among many precious ones associated    
with us in the work in ,chicago was     
,sister ,clara ,tuttle1 now gone to her 

reward4 ,she was a great help to my     
brother and me1 and a blessing to the   
work in general4 ,shortly after she     
became acquainted with the truth1 she   
asked the ,lord what was her place in   
the body1 and he told her it was to be a
 good mother4 ,she filled her place     
well4 ,this dear sister was not only a  
good mother to her own children1 but to 
others1 especially to the young workers 
who had no mother or whose mothers were 
unsaved4 ,she not only gave good counsel
 to the young workers1 but prayed with  
them in times of perplexity4 ,would to  
,god there were more mothers in ,israel 
like her6 ,her children will rise up and
 call her blessed4 ,i still remember the
 counsel she gave a brother who1 was    
coming to the ,missionary ,home to stay 
for a time4 ,now1 brother1 you have been
 acquainted with ,brother ,cole and his 
sister as gospel workers and have loved 
them dearly2 but you have seen1 them    
only in the pulpit and public meeting1  
where you have had but little           

opportunity to come in contact with     
their human weaknesses4 ,when you go    
into the home to live with them1 you    
will find that they are but human and   
make some mistakes4 ,be careful now that
 you do not judge them4 ,be careful that
 you don't allow these human weaknesses 
to hide the fact that they are ministers
 anointed by ,god to carry the gospel   
message to a lost world4 ,remember that 
,god does not judge them from a human   
standpoint4 ,if he judged any of us in  
that way1 we should all be found        
wanting4  ,,birthday ,,lines  ,in       
,memory of ,february #e1 #ahbb  ,time   
moves on1 and on1 and onward1 ,piling up
 its teeming years2 ,each unfolds its   
store of blessings1 ,each one brings its
 joys and tears4 ,ninety years have thus
 been numbered ,since one cold and      
wintry morn1 ,on the fifth of ,february1
 ,when our ,mother ,cole was born4      
,while her little life was tender1 ,only
 in its babyhood1 ,god removed her      
loving mother ,to a world more pure and 

good4 ,left now the little helpless baby
 ,without mother's love or care1 ,many  
shadows o'er it hovered1 ,many sorrows  
it must share4  ,but her father kind and
 faithful ,bro't much sunshine in her   
life2 ,tenderly he loved and blest her  
,until she became a wife4 ,as a mother  
she was noble1 ,bore her lot with       
fortitude1 ,worried not o'er sad        
tomorrows1 ,but looked forward to the   
good4  ,when ,life's cares and trials   
oppressed her1 ,she had ,one in whom to 
trust2 ,lovingly ,he bore her sorrows1  
,and in ,him her soul was blest4  ,she  
had always words of kindness   ,for the 
sad and those alone2 ,and she often bore
 their sorrows   ,as if they had been   
her own4  ,old age does not foil the    
beauty   ,of her sweet unselfish ways2  
,she still clings to ,christ her        
,savior1   ,on her lips are words of    
praise4 ,tho' upon her bed she lingers1 
,there's no sorrow in her room1 ,for her
 cheery words of comfort   ,dispel      
darkness and the gloom4  ,like a sunbeam

 softly falling   ,as if on an errand of
 love1 ,cheering up some lonely hour1   
,pointing to a world above2 ,or1 the    
lily rich with fragrance1   ,shedding   
forth its sweet perfume1 ,so the life of
 our dear mother   ,cheers and brightens
 up her room4  ,when her pilgrimage is  
ended1   ,and her days are numbered     
here1 ,she will only bloom the sweeter  
,in that paradise o'er there4 ,soon the 
angels will be coming1   ,bear her to   
that land of rest1 ,where she'll ever be
 with ,jesus1   ,to rejoice among the   
blest4  ,illustration3 ,,faith          
,,misionary ,,home #cjj ,w4 #gdth ,st41 
,chicago1 ,illinois  ,illustration3     
,,anderson ,,old ,,people',s ,,home     
,anderson ,indiana     ,chapter ,,xx  ,a
 ,battle with ,smallpox  ,soon after we 
began work in the city1 my brother      
,george went out to assist in a meeting 
at ,edgewood1 ,iowa4 ,a mother desired  
prayer for her little girl1 so my       
brother and another minister laid hands 
on her and prayed for her healing4 ,the 

mother said that some one thought her   
child was taking smallpox1 but that she 
was sure it was a mistake4 ,the         
ministers saw a few little pimples on   
the child's lip and asked her if the    
same breaking-out was on other parts of 
her body4 ,the mother's answer was1     
,none to speak of1 and they reached the 
conclusion that the pimples on her lip  
were fever-sores4 ,under the impression 
that the child had nothing seriously    
wrong with her1 my brother went to      
,roseville1 ,illinois1 to begin a series
 of meetings4 ,when the meeting had     
continued about a week1 my brother began
 to be sick4 ,still in ignorance as to  
the nature of his sickness1 he continued
 the meetings a few days longer4 ,his   
illness increased and the first fever   
came upon him4 ,the congregation was    
exposed before he knew what was the     
matter1 but ,god overruled1 answering   
the prayers of his children to protect  
all in attendance4 ,when the nature of  
my brother's disease came to be fully   

understood1 it seemed that all hopes of 
doing good at that place were blasted4  
,nevertheless1 some seed had fallen on  
good ground1 and these later brought    
forth precious fruit4  ,a sister who had
 been present at my brother's meetings1 
accepted the truth1 got a good          
experience1 and began living the life of
 a saint4 ,her nephew1 ,bro4 ,john      
,murphy1 now a minister of the church at
 ,farmersville1 ,california1 came to    
visit her1 bringing with him ,bro4 ,john
 ,hauck4 ,these two young men had been  
attending a ,baptist college at ,ottawa1
 ,kans4 ,a traveling minister who       
visited that place preached the doctrine
 of entire sanctification and these two 
young men sought and obtained the       
experience4 ,the next morning after     
receiving the baptism of the ,spirit1   
they started out like ,abraham of old1  
not knowing whither they went1 nor did  
they know where the ,lord was leading   
them until they reached the home of     
,brother ,murphy's aunt4 ,here they     

found a copy of ,the ,gospel ,trumpet4  
,as soon as they read ,the ,trumpet1    
they knew where the ,lord was leading   
them4 ,they made their way to ,the      
,gospel ,trumpet office1 where ,brother 
,murphy remained as a worker for two or 
three years and ,brother ,hauck for     
nearly ten years4 ,both are now         
ministers in this reformation4 ,at least
 four ministers and four other workers  
at ,the ,trumpet office1 besides a score
 of other souls1 have entered ,god's    
service through this sister's influence4
 ,so in spite of the fact that my       
brother thought that his labors at      
,roseville ended without results1 many  
souls have been brought into the        
kingdom4 ,cast thy bread upon the       
waters1 and thou shalt find it after    
many days4 ,drop a pebble in the water1 
just a splash and it is gone2 but there 
are half a hundred ripples circling on1 
and on4 ,he that goeth forth and        
weepeth1 bearing precious seed1 shall   
doubtless come again with rejoicing     

bringing his sheaves with him4  ,my     
brother wrote me a card that he was not 
feeling well4 ,on its receipt ,i was    
greatly burdened and felt led to go     
where he was1 though ,i knew nothing    
about his condition4 ,i waited until ,i 
received another message from him1 which
 said that he was worse4 ,i thought that
 ,god was leading me to go to him and   
felt a great burden as though ,i were   
going to meet something very serious1   
quite out of the ordinary4 ,a number of 
other workers and ,i met and prayed for 
an hour before ,i went4 ,i sent a       
telegram that ,i was coming4 ,some of   
the saints thought that ,i should wait  
until ,i got an answer to my telegram   
before starting2 but ,i said1 ,no1 ,god 
wanted me to telegraph that ,i was      
coming1 and then start as quickly as    
possible4 ,the ,lord gave me this       
scripture3 #a ,peter #d1 commencing at  
the twelfth verse4 ,the thirteenth verse
 was an especial comfort to me4 ,i      
understood that ,i was going to meet    

something unusual1 that ,i was going to 
have a severe battle in some way2 but   
with this knowledge ,i had the          
admonition1 ,but rejoice1 inasmuch as ye
 are partakers of ,christ's sufferings4 
,two weeks before this ,god gave me the 
same scripture1 with the impression that
 ,i should see its fulfilment in the    
near future4  ,i arrived at ,roseville  
about twelve days after my brother had  
prayed for the little girl and found him
 already beginning to break out4 ,we    
learned that the other minister who had 
been with him1 took the disease about   
the same time4 ,for a day or two after  
my arrival1 however1 we were not certain
 that my brother had the smallpox4 ,as  
soon as we were convinced of the nature 
of the disease1 we sent for a physician 
to come and quarantine us so that others
 would be protected1 and the battle     
began4  ,the doctor called every day1   
said he had to come to protect the home 
where we were staying4 ,he vaccinated   
quite a number1 including me and ,sister

 ,elizabeth ,hill1 who was helping me   
care for brother ,george4 ,sister ,hill 
trusted the ,lord that the vaccination  
would not take4 ,her faith proved       
effectual4 ,i thought ,i had to let the 
vaccination take1 did not resist1 and so
 had a severe time of it4 ,i was the    
sickest when my brother needed the      
greatest attention--just as the scales  
were falling off4  ,the doctor did his  
best to get a chance to treat my        
brother4 ,he worked by strategy and     
seemed to have some new scheme every    
day4 ,he shut me out of the room and    
tried to force my brother to take       
medicine when he was too weak to think4 
,he made my brother promise to use the  
medicine and then tried to make me      
promise that ,i would see that it was   
used4 ,i told him ,i would do as my     
brother said4 ,after the doctor's       
departure1 ,i had a little talk with    
,george1 and he decided to continue     
trusting the ,lord4  ,from the very     
beginning he had put his case in ,god's 

hands4 ,when the fever reached its      
height and the disease was at its       
climax1 ,god rebuked it1 and soon my    
brother was on the road to recovery4    
,inside of an hour the fever was going  
down and in twelve hours it was entirely
 gone4 ,the same evening the fever was  
rebuked1 the doctor came4 ,my brother   
said1 ,doctor1 ,i am better4 ,yes1 he   
answered1 ,but not permanently so4 ,yes1
 said my brother1 permanently1 and ,i   
know where the healing came from4 ,god  
sent it1 and ,i know ,i shall not get   
worse4 ,from that time forward his      
improvement was rapid4  ,soon after that
 the effects of the disease settled in  
his eyes1 and for a time it seemed that 
his sight would be destroyed1 but in    
answer to prayer his eyes began to      
recover and were soon all right again4  
,then the pox attacked his nose1 closing
 the nostrils so that it seemed almost  
to kill him to breathe4 ,it was during  
one of these times that the doctor was  
most determined to push his remedies on 

him1 and he succeeded1 too1 in a small  
measure4 ,the medicine was applied once 
or twice1 but ,god made it very clear to
 me that he had the case in his own     
hands1 and we applied ourselves to      
prayer4 ,in less than an hour the       
obstructions were removed from his nose1
 and he breathed like a little child1 so
 easily that we could scarcely hear his 
breath across the room4  ,then came the 
doctor's last attempt to push remedies  
on us4 ,he said we needed something to  
keep his face from pitting1 declaring   
that unless some remedies were used it  
would pit badly4 ,again we sought the   
,lord in prayer4 ,there was but one pit 
left on his face1 and that would not be 
noticed unless attention were called to 
it4 ,god proved the doctor wrong in     
every point by not leaving a trace of   
the disease on my brother's body4       
,after the fever went down1 it was with 
difficulty that my brother was kept     
warm4 ,it was late in the fall1 the     
weather was cold1 and my brother's blood

 was so thin it would have been very    
easy for him to take cold4 ,the doctor  
carried out smallpox laws to the        
extreme1 putting up a wet sheet in my   
brother's door as he was scaling off4 ,i
 felt rather bold3 as said of one of    
old1 ,i wasn't afraid of the king's     
command4 ,so at night ,i put the wet    
sheet back so that my brother could get 
the warmth of the fire4 ,in the morning 
,i put the sheet back across the door   
before the doctor came4  ,but we had not
 fought this battle through alone4 ,his 
church in general were praying earnestly
 for us4 ,it seemed when we plead the   
promises we touched an agreement1 and it
 was like a mighty cable4 ,we felt so   
secure and were so hedged in by prayer  
and faith that when ,i thought of the   
danger of taking the smallpox1 it seemed
 ,i could exercise faith so easily in   
agreement4 ,it was very easy for me to  
say1 ,by faith ,i know ,god will not let
 me take it4 ,after ,i was vaccinated1  
some one said to me1 ,now you feel more 

safe1 don't you8 ,my answer was ,no1 ,i 
have no confidence in that at all4 ,my  
confidence is in the ,lord4 ,it is he   
who has protected me4 ,he shall have all
 the glory4  ,what few letters we had a 
chance to write1 had to be dictated to  
some one standing about thirty yards    
away from us4 ,during this time ,i      
concluded that if ever there was a      
disease followed by the persecutions of 
the devil1 it was the smallpox4 ,before 
this ,i had sometimes thought that      
,job's affliction was the small pox1 but
 ,i now came to the conclusion that ,i  
was mistaken4 ,had his disease been     
smallpox1 his three comforters would not
 have hung around him as they did to    
torture him4  ,the enemy tried to       
inflict punishment upon us in every way 
he could4 ,a great many in the          
neighborhood felt hurt because ,george  
had unconsciously brought the disease to
 that part of the country4 ,then the    
doctor1 besides trying to push his      
remedies upon us and to make us as      

uncomfortable as possible in trusting   
the ,lord1 created all the sentiment he 
could against us in the neighborhood4   
,at the same time he was making all the 
money he could by vaccinating others4   
,one woman that was vaccinated at that  
time1 had varioloid1 so the doctor said4
 ,the county built a pest-house for her 
and her husband4 ,this1 together with   
his other charges1 cost the county eight
 hundred dollars4 ,this woman1 so ,i was
 informed1 thought she was immune from  
the disease and when smallpox broke out 
the next fall1 undertook to nurse those 
who were having it4 ,again the doctor's 
words were proved false4 ,she took the  
smallpox and died4 ,it will always do to
 trust ,god2 man is weak at best4  ,when
 ,george was about to recover1 the      
authorities wanted to raise the         
quarantine too soon1 thus exposing      
others to danger4 ,defeated in this     
attempt1 their next move was to hold us 
longer than necessary4 ,i had been      
praying that if the enemy tried to work 

in either way1 ,god would defeat their  
purpose4  ,i am sure it would have done 
your soul good to hear my brother when  
he had recovered sufficiently to get up 
and walk around4 ,he walked the floor   
singing this song3    ,how can you part 
with ,jesus1   ,so loving1 so kind and  
gracious6   ,his service to me is       
precious2   ,i am happy as ,i can be4   
,i love my ,lord2 ,he loveth me4   ,the 
life of a ,christian suits me2   ,i am  
happy as ,i can be4  ,he would sing the 
song over and over and then praise ,god4
 ,it was good of the ,lord to so        
wonderfully sustain and protect him and 
all of us through this affliction4  ,i  
do not know that any of us are able to  
appreciate as we should even the prayers
 of the saints during this trying time2 
not to speak of the generous offers of  
help made by some of the dear ones in   
the ,lord and the unsaved members of my 
own family4  ,one of my unsaved brothers
 and a sister minister1 both having     
families1 volunteered to come and help  

me care for ,george if ,i needed them4  
,but ,i felt that to accept their offer 
would endanger their families           
unnecessarily1 and told them that the   
,lord would help us and that we would   
get along4 ,it touched our hearts1      
however1 to think that they would risk  
their lives for our help and comfort4   
,we appreciated all this to the extent  
of our abilities1 and our hearts were   
melted in real thanksgiving because of  
such kindness4  ,every now and then     
during the quarantine ,i would get real 
hungry for encouragement and            
consolation4 ,at such times my prayer   
was1 ,o ,lord1 give me some scripture   
that will be a help to me4 ,the ,lord   
would invariably point me to #a ,peter  
#d3ab and #ac1 laying emphasis          
especially on the thirteenth verse4 ,the
 ,lord showed me that he wanted me to   
rejoice more4 ,i would reply3 ,lord1 ,i 
thought ,i got out of that scripture all
 there was in it4 ,i thought ,i had     
rejoiced all ,i could4 ,at such times   

his answer would be1 ,you can rejoice   
more2 there is more in it for you yet4  
,like a good teacher1 he held me to the 
lesson until ,i learned it well4  ,when 
we are in affliction1 remember there is 
some lesson in it for us which we must  
leam4 ,if we do not get it1 the ,lord   
will have to repeat the experience--give
 us the lesson over--because it was not 
learned the first time4 ,by learning the
 lesson thoroughly the first time1 we   
avoid its repetition4  ,i remember a    
prayer that was much on my lips during  
this trial of which ,i have been        
speaking3 ,lord1 help me to get out of  
the fire what you have in it for me1 and
 help me to leave in the fire what you  
want me to be rid of4 ,even with the    
preparation this trial gave me1 ,i was  
none too well prepared to encounter some
 things ,i had to meet soon afterward4  
,god knew his business4 ,he knew what   
was coming1 knew the lesson ,i needed   
and gave it to me at the proper time4   
,it pays to be submissive to ,god4 ,if  

we are fully submitted into his hands1  
he will prepare us by the proper        
schooling for every test of life and in 
every difficulty bring us off more than 
conquerors4  ,while my brother's illness
 was so severe1 we were so wonderfully  
held up by the prayers of ,god's        
children that we did not feel the weight
 of the affliction that we were passing 
through4 ,when my brother was           
sufficiently recovered1 however1 that   
the church got the news that he was     
getting better1 their prayers were not  
so constant4 ,by that time the sister at
 whose home ,i was staying and who had  
assisted me so faithfully in caring for 
my brother1 was almost overcome by the  
long strain she had undergone4 ,in fact1
 we were both almost ready to collapse4 
,in our weak condition we felt the need 
of the prayers of others1 but as the    
church had the impression that my       
brother was so far recovered that he no 
longer needed help1 we had to fight the 
battle alone4 ,i learned this1 that no  

matter how much others help us by their 
prayers in time of trial1 when we become
 able to take on responsibility         
ourselves1 ,god requires us to do all we
 can for our own help and protection4   
,it was at this time that ,i felt very  
keenly that ,i should have rejoiced more
 when the trial was on4     ,chapter    
,,xxi  ,camp-,meetings in ,various      
,states  ,while engaged in the work in  
,chicago ,i had the privilege of        
attending camp-meetings in a number of  
,states4 ,while at a camp-meeting at    
,grand ,forks1 ,n4 ,dakota1 ,i received 
an invitation to attend a meeting at    
,hammond1 ,louisiana1 about #a1ejj miles
 south4 ,for some time ,i had had a     
desire to go to that part of the country
 for different reasons1 and therefore   
gladly embraced this opportunity4 ,i    
went by way of ,chicago1 remaining at   
the home for about a week4  ,the        
kindness of my reception in the ,south  
gave me the impression that people in   
the ,south are very hospitable and      

large-hearted4 ,i think that in this    
respect they excel many of our ,northern
 and ,eastern people4 ,i found that in  
the ,south much is expected of ministers
 coming from the ,east or the ,north4   
,the responsibilities of the meeting1   
therefore1 were all that ,i could go    
through1 even with the help of the      
,lord4 ,it was ,july1 and the weather   
was so warm that we could not use the   
tabernacle during the heat of the day1  
but had to resort to a little grove near
 by4  ,during this meeting ,i went      
twelve miles and visited my brother's   
grave2 on this trip ,i also called on   
some saints who lived in that part of   
the country4 ,i had a pleasant drive and
 also got a chance to enjoy some of the 
,southern figs which grow in those      
parts4 ,notwithstanding ,i was much     
fatigued when ,i returned that evening  
and thought ,i would not go out to      
meeting at all4 ,then ,i thought ,i     
would go for the first of the service   
and return to my lodging before the     

meeting closed1 as ,i would be too tired
 to remain4 ,but ,god planned otherwise4
 ,he showed me that ,i must trust him   
for strength and be prepared to preach  
that evening4 ,god delivered the message
 through me and blessed it to the       
salvation of a number of souls4  ,soon  
after the camp-meeting ,i returned to   
,chicago4 ,as ,i started homeward1 ,i   
found that the oppressive heat had      
greatly reduced my strength4 ,because of
 the heat1 too1 ,i had been tempted to  
drink too much ice-water1 lemonade1 etc4
 ,when about sixty miles from home1 my  
heart began to fail1 and ,i saw that    
unless the ,lord helped me ,i was not   
going to be able to get through4 ,i can 
not express to you how earnestly ,i     
called upon ,god4 ,almost every moment  
of the time from there on ,i trusted the
 ,lord to hold me up1 for it seemed that
 in spite of myself my heart would fail4
 ,the ,lord came to my rescue4 ,i       
reached my destination all right1 and   
suffered no serious harm later4  ,one   

fall ,i went to the camp-meeting at     
,carthage1 ,mo4 ,at this meeting ,i met 
some of my old friends from ,maries     
,county1 ,missouri1 and other places1   
some of whom ,i had not met for more    
than twenty years4 ,one of them was a   
brother whom ,i first met near ,rolla1  
,mo4 ,seeing him reminded me of an      
incident that occurred in connection    
with his mother-in-law1 old ,sister     
,bell1 at the time ,i was holding       
meetings in that part of the country4   
,she was a large woman4 ,one winter she 
slipped on the ice and came near        
breaking her back4 ,the accident        
occurred in the middle of the week1 and 
until the following ,sunday morning she 
was paralyzed4  ,the meeting that       
,sunday was at the ,bell home4 ,we found
 her lying helpless4 ,as we talked to   
her about her healing1 she seemed       
anxious to be healed4 ,she was a good1  
pure saint1 and lived close to the      
,lord4 ,in the prayer before preaching  
we were especially burdened for her and 

prayed earnestly that ,god would heal   
her4 ,god encouraged our hearts4 ,after 
preaching we again talked to her a      
little while and quoted some of the     
promises4 ,i told her how ,god had heard
 and answered prayer for my healing2 ,i 
had had an attack of some disease a day 
or two before1 and ,god had wonderfully 
delivered me from it4 ,as we talked1 her
 faith seemed to grow by bounds and     
leaps4 ,we asked her if she was willing 
to die4 ,she said she was2 and again1 if
 she was willing to live if the ,lord   
wanted her to1 and again she answered   
yes4 ,then we asked her if she believed 
the ,lord would heal her4 ,she said she 
did4 ,her husband and oldest daughter   
were standing by1 expecting her to die  
any minute4 ,her mother1 who was a      
skeptic1 was also present4 ,she wanted  
me to persuade her daughter to take     
medicine4 ,i replied that ,i would talk 
to her daughter1 but did not tell her   
what ,i would say4  ,when ,i found out  
that the sister's faith was strong in   

,god1 ,i did what ,i could to encourage 
her to trust ,god for immediate healing4
 ,all at once1 while we were talking1   
she said1 ,the ,lord heals me4 ,her     
husband1 fearing that the death-struggle
 was coming on1 went to hold her in bed4
 ,i told him to let her go--that this   
was of ,god and that he would take care 
of her4 ,she bounded out of bed and went
 running through the house1 saying that 
,god had healed her and that a sluice of
 praise was going through her soul4 ,her
 son-in-law was not present1 so ,i      
hastened over to his house to tell him  
the good news4 ,do you know what came to
 me first8 said he4 ,no1 ,i answered4   
,well1 it came to me that she was lying 
in bed all this time to have a chance to
 show off on ,sunday1 but ,i know she   
isn't a hypocrite1 and therefore it     
isn't that way4 ,but ,i am glad ,i      
wasn't there1 for fear ,i should have   
had to believe4 ,when ,i met this       
brother at ,carthage1 ,missouri1 he was 
not1 ,i am sorry to say1 as strong in   

the faith as was his privilege4 ,he had 
made great improvement1 however4 ,how   
cruel is unbelief6 ,it makes ,god a liar
 and causes one to believe the devil4   
,from ,carthage ,i went to ,webb ,city1 
,missouri1 where ,i visited friends and 
saints whom ,i had known years before4  
,among the number was mother            
,sunderland4 ,footnote3 ,since the above
 statement was written1 ,mother         
,sunderland has gone to her reward4     
,from ,webb ,city ,i went to ,chanute1  
,kansas1 and visited two saints1 old    
friends of mine who needed              
encouragement4 ,while at ,chanute ,i ate
 something that did not agree with me4  
,i partly recovered1 and then went on to
 ,neosho ,falls1 ,kansas1 where ,i      
remained for two weeks and held a few   
services4 ,as ,i still had severe sick  
spells1 ,i sent for prayers to ,the     
,trumpet office and the saints in       
,kansas ,city and ,chicago4 ,the sister 
with whom ,i was staying held on to     
,god1 pleading the promises in my behalf

 like a hero1 and with such importuning 
faith that ,i was soon able to pursue my
 journey4  ,i made my next stop at      
,kansas ,city1 remaining there for      
nearly a month1 ,i think4 ,when ,i first
 arrived at that place1 ,i was quite    
weak4 ,i did not fully comprehend how   
sick ,i had been4 ,bro4 ,james          
,peterman1 who had charge of the home1  
was called away the first ,sunday after 
,i arrived1 and so ,i had charge of both
 services4 ,i walked three-quarters of a
 mile three times that day and preached 
twice4 ,the next day ,i walked a mile   
and a half1 most of the way up hill4 ,my
 exertions proved entirely too much for 
me1 and ,i endured some rather severe   
suffering4 ,my body was badly worn out1 
and as a result my mind got into a sad1 
discouraged mood4 ,my meditations were  
something like this3 ,i shall soon be   
getting old and helpless1 and not able  
to do much in the work4 ,if ,i live1 it 
will not be long until ,i shall be a    
burden upon some one else4  ,it was a   

late hour before my nerves got          
sufficiently quieted so that ,i could   
rest4 ,the next morning ,i had a dream4 
,i saw a little child about two years   
old playing on the floor4 ,some one came
 by and stepped on the little one's     
fingers1 and it began to cry with pain4 
,his father came along1 took him up in  
his arms and caressed him1 and very soon
 the pain was all gone1 and the little  
fellow was all right again4 ,it seemed  
that the father had such love and pity  
for the child that ,i felt the effects  
of it in my own soul4 ,when ,i awoke ,i 
said1 ,lord1 what is there in this dream
 for me8 ,i realized that no doubt ,god 
had permitted it for my good4           
,immediately this scripture came to me3 
,like as a father pitieth his children1 
so the ,lord pitieth them that fear him4
 ,the ,lord seemed to say to my soul1   
,now ,i want to pity you4 ,i accepted   
his kindness as best ,i knew how4  ,i   
thought ,i had gotten out of the dream  
all the benefit that the ,lord had in it

 for me2 but when ,i went to rise and   
dress myself1 ,god spoke again1 saying1 
,don't be in a hurry4 ,i want to have a 
chance to pity you4 ,then he kept       
bringing to my mind his goodness in a   
way that touched the right spot1 covered
 my need1 and at last ,i was permitted  
to arise and dress4 ,after ,i was       
dressed the following words came to me3 
,he knoweth our frame2 he remembereth   
that we are but dust4 ,the dream was    
still so visible before me4 ,i could    
still see the father pitying his child1 
and ,i felt the strength of that pity in
 my own soul4 ,it was so real that ,i   
comprehended as ,i never had before in  
my life1 something of the depths of     
,god's pity for his children4 ,had it   
been some person dealing with me1 he    
might have said1 ,oh1 you didn't need to
 let the cloud come over you4 ,you      
didn't need to have the blues in this   
way4 ,but instead of speaking to me in  
that manner1 ,god just poured out his   
pity until he chased all the dark clouds

 away1 until his presence filled the    
vacancy1 until he satisfied every       
longing of my soul4  ,dear ones1 we have
 a merciful high priest1 who is touched 
with the feeling of our infirmities1 who
 was in all points tempted like as we   
are1 yet without sin4 ,therefore he is  
able to succor them that are tempted4   
,do you not think he will do to trust8  
,then1 let us trust him and not be      
afraid1 though the clouds seem dark and 
lowering4 ,god will do to trust in the  
storms and tempests of life the same as 
when it is calm--only during the storm  
he will have a better chance to reveal  
his mercy1 his goodness1 and his power4 
,after being with the dear ones in the  
,kansas ,city home for nearly a month1  
,i returned to ,chicago4 ,upon my       
arrival in the city ,i found that my    
body was quite run down4 ,yet ,god      
enabled me to do quite active service4  
,no doubt1 however1 ,i went at times    
when1 if ,i had consulted the ,lord more
 carefully1 he would have said rest4 ,i 

was not able to be nearly so active as  
,i had been in the past1 and ,god seemed
 directing me to take a change1 as      
city-work means constant activity4      
,about a year after my former visit1 ,i 
again went to ,kansas ,city to visit the
 work there for a season1 remaining     
there for about three months4 ,i enjoyed
 the work there very much1 although ,i  
could take on but little responsibility4
 ,god blessed my efforts4  ,in ,kansas  
,city ,i saw in operation the method of 
working through the circulating library 
and cottage-meetings4 ,they had quite a 
number of the different books printed at
 ,the ,trumpet office4 ,these are loaned
 in various parts of the city by the    
workers from the home1 who visit the    
homes1 talk with the readers1 take up   
the books that have already been read1  
and loan new ones4 ,the reading of the  
books often opens the way for           
cottage-meetings1 which are held by the 
workers and young ministers from the    
home4 ,the holding of these meetings    

serve two purposes2 namely1 getting the 
truth to the people and affording an    
opportunity to the young ministers and  
workers to get experience in gospel     
work4  ,after being in ,kansas ,city a  
time1 ,i went to see some old friends at
 ,kingston1 ,mo4 ,god led us to have two
 or three services a week for about two 
weeks4 ,after about two weeks two of the
 sisters from the missionary home in    
,kansas ,city were sent for1 and we had 
a two weeks' meeting4  ,while ,i was at 
,kingston1 ,god in different ways gave  
me much needed encouragement4 ,one day a
 sister was giving her adopted daughter 
some good advice on the subject of      
marriage4 ,among other things1 the      
sister told the girl that if she married
 in ,god's order she would have some one
 to love her and care for her in her old
 age4 ,the enemy took advantage of this 
to hurl a dart at me1 because ,i was    
growing old1 might soon become helpless1
 and had no one to sympathize with or   
care for me4 ,for a time everything     

seemed dark1 as though ,god had let me  
see certain things and had then veiled  
his face from me4 ,i wondered why this  
was4 ,i meditated3 ,well1 ,i have obeyed
 the ,lord1 have done what he wanted me 
to do4 ,he certainly will not forsake me
 now4 ,if ,i should live to be old and  
helpless1 he will not let any serious   
thing come on me1 because ,i have been  
obedient4  ,about this time ,god spoke  
to my soul1 calling my attention to the 
thirty-seventh ,psalm1 third and fourth 
verses3 ,trust in the ,lord1 and do     
good4 ,now1 this was my part4 ,this is  
what ,god required of me--to trust in   
him and do good4 ,then came his part3   
,so shall thou dwell in the land1 and   
verily thou shalt be fed4 ,his part was 
to see that ,i had a place to stay and  
sufficient food4 ,the scriptures that he
 brought to my mind at that time have   
not lost their sweetness and power even 
to this day4  ,i can not tell you how   
precious these special lessons of ,god  
have been to me2 how they have helped my

 feet to press the everlasting rock1 ,he
 is a covenant-keeping ,god1 and his    
,word is true and forever settled in    
heaven4 ,well might the ,psalmist say1  
,i have been young1 and now am old2 yet 
have ,i not seen the righteous forsaken1
 nor his seed begging bread4 ,he is ever
 merciful1 and lendeth2 and his seed is 
blessed4 ,never again has the enemy     
dared to tempt me in this way4  ,praise 
the ,lord6 ,truly he is all that we take
 him for by faith4 ,all things are      
yours4 ,ye are ,christ's1 and ,christ is
 ,god's4 ,will he not with him freely   
give you all things8 ,the ,father gave  
the ,son1 heaven's best gift1 and did he
 leave out the minor gifts8 ,nay1       
verily1 he will fulfil every promise to 
the letter if we meet the conditions4   
,it was ,joshua who said1 ,i think1 ,not
 one of these good promises has failed4 
,neither have any of them failed any of 
us who put our trust in ,him4 ,heaven   
and earth shall pass away1 but his word 
will stand secure4 ,forever1 ,o ,lord1  

thy word is settled in heaven4    ,even 
down to old age1 all my people shall    
prove1   ,my sovereign1 eternal1        
unchangeable love2   ,and when hoary    
hairs shall their temples adorn1        
,they'll still like lambs in my bosom be
 borne4  ,after being in ,kingston one  
month1 we came to ,kansas ,city1        
remained a short time1 made a call some 
distance out to pray for the sick1 and  
on my return to the city had urgent word
 to come to ,chicago1 as my mother was  
needing my attention4 ,after a short    
stay in ,chicago ,i went to the         
camp-meeting at ,anderson1 ,indiana1 and
 enjoyed the feast there4 ,then ,i went 
out in the country near ,summitville1   
,indiana1 for a little rest and         
recreation4 ,i was at ,summitville about
 five weeks and during that time        
assisted ,bro4 ,n4 ,s4 ,duncan in a     
series of meetings that ,god blessed and
 owned4  ,shortly after this ,i felt led
 to go to ,iowa a few weeks to be what  
help ,i could to a dear sister who was  

going through some deep trials4 ,her    
difficulty seemed to be mainly          
self-accusation4 ,in other words1 she   
had set her spiritual standard so high  
that she could not live up to her own   
ideal4 ,like nearly all people who      
undergo that difficulty1 she was good at
 heart1 but the struggle to get out of  
her difficulty was severe4 ,god came to 
her help1 gave her victory over her     
trials1 such as she had never been able 
to have before4 ,she has never been     
troubled again in the same manner1 and  
she is now firmly established in the way
 of the ,lord4  ,some of ,god's dear    
little ones who are very conscientious1 
sometimes look upon the ,lord as a      
severe father4 ,it seems to them that   
he1 like ,pharaoh1 wants them to make   
brick without straw1 to gather stubble4 
,with this idea of ,god in mind1 they   
have a hard time and fail to see him as 
a good1 kind1 loving heavenly ,father1  
one whose heart is overflowing with     
mercy and compassion for his dear tried 

children1 ready to make a way for their 
escape4 ,in fact1 if they could but see 
it1 he has already made a way of escape 
and wants to help them into it just as  
soon as they will let him4 ,his promises
 cover the need of every one4 ,if taken 
and belived1 one promise of itself is   
sufficient4 ,god is faithful1 who will  
not suffer you to be tempted above that 
ye are able to bear2 but will with the  
temptation also make a way to escape1   
that ye may be able to bear it4  ,while 
the fire is hottest1 let us stop and    
think that this kind ,father will not   
permit the flames to be any severer or  
the fire any hotter than is most for our
 good1 and that he has a bright design  
in all that he permits to come upon us4 
,he wants us to hold still1 so that he  
can bring out his design in us4 ,let us 
be careful that we do not foil his      
plans4 ,if we do not1 not only will he  
be pleased1 but we also shall be glad   
that we submitted to him4  ,i spent five
 weeks laboring with this sister4       

,perhaps some will think that a long    
time to spend on one soul1 and even     
think the time wasted1 but did you ever 
think how great is the value ,god places
 upon one soul8 ,for what shall it      
profit a man1 if he shall gain the whole
 world1 and lose his own soul8 ,or what 
shall a man give in exchange for his    
soul8 ,according to the ,lord's         
estimate1 one soul is worth more than   
the whole world4 ,nor do we know how    
many other souls that one will bring to 
the ,lord--like the one woman at the    
well to whom ,jesus delivered a message 
and who went and told many others4 ,let 
us be faithful1 therefore1 in helping   
souls1 whether it be one or many4       
,chapter ,,xxii  ,caring for my ,aged   
,mother  ,provision had now been made   
for the removal of my mother to the ,old
 ,people's ,home at ,anderson1 ,ind4 ,as
 there was not sufficient help at the   
home then to care for her1 ,i took that 
duty upon myself4 ,as soon as help      
should come1 ,i was to be free to go and

 be in meetings what little ,i was able1
 except when ,i needed to care for her1 
either when she was sick or when they   
were short of help4  ,in the days       
following my coming to ,anderson1 ,i    
went to ,sioux ,falls1 ,s4 ,dakota1 to  
visit a sister who was needing some     
special encouragement4 ,it was          
mid-winter4 ,some told me before ,i     
started that there was danger of my     
being snow-bound1 and advised me to take
 plenty of provisions with me2 but as ,i
 did not anticipate any such difficulty1
 ,i did not heed the warning4 ,we got   
along pretty well until about ten miles 
from ,sioux ,falls4 ,the recent heavy   
snows had so obstructed the way that the
 engine could not pull through4 ,it     
would run a little way into the drift1  
then back up1 and again push its way    
into the drift as far as possible4 ,it  
kept working its way forward in this    
manner from one o'clock in the afternoon
 until very nearly midnight1 when we    
arrived at ,sioux ,falls4  ,sure enough1

 my provisions did run out on the way2  
but with the generosity peculiar to most
 people under like circumstances1 the   
other passengers1 although strangers to 
me1 helped me out and supplied all the  
food needed4 ,doubtless many of these   
people knew nothing of real salvation1  
but their liberal-heartedness proved    
that sin had not effaced all of the     
marks of ,god's love from their hearts4 
,i remained six weeks at ,sioux ,falls1 
during which time ,i had but little     
chance to do missionary work other than 
to encourage the sister whom ,i went to 
visit4 ,however1 ,i did go out and put  
,trumpets in some of the yards and on   
the porches of neighboring houses4      
,possibly some of these papers may have 
proved silent messengers of salvation4  
,sometimes when the mercury was ten     
degrees below zero1 and the snow deep on
 the ground1 ,i would go out and walk   
and distribute ,trumpets or tracts4 ,in 
spite of the cold and snow1 ,i enjoyed  
my stay4 ,i did what ,god directed me to

 do1 and ,i trust that he has blessed my
 labors4 ,at any rate1 the sister whom  
,i went to visit has written me a number
 of times that she does not know what   
she would have done had not ,god sent me
 at that time to help her through the   
difficulties she was then encountering4 
,on my return trip ,i took a severe cold
 while traveling in a chilly car4 ,my   
train was late and did not make         
connections at ,chicago4 ,i telephoned  
out to the ,faith ,missionary ,home1 and
 they gave me an invitation to come and 
remain over night4 ,i accepted their    
kindness and was soon in the home where 
,i had spent so many years in the work  
of the ,lord4 ,that evening ,i made a   
call on a dear sister that ,i was       
anxious to meet1 and by the time ,i got 
back to the home again ,i was real sick4
 ,i had taken a severe attack of the    
grip and was suffering greatly4 ,most of
 the workers were gone to meetings in   
different parts of the city1 but a      
sister who had remained at home1 laid   

her hands on me and prayed the prayer of
 faith4 ,i was able next morning to     
resume my journey back to the ,old      
,people's ,home at ,anderson4  ,although
 my system had been greatly weakened and
 rendered more liable to taking cold    
than it had been before1 yet ,i was well
 enough so that ,i soon went about      
fifteen miles to the little town of     
,cammack and assisted ,sister ,maud     
,smith in a two weeks' meeting4 ,soon   
after my return ,i took a severe attack 
of pneumonia4 ,prayer was offered1 but  
the disease seemed to be stubborn4 ,i   
was anointed1 and prayer was again      
offered1 but the battle was still on4   
,so we called in some more of ,god's    
ministers and again had prayer4 ,this   
time ,god healed me1 and next day ,i was
 able to go down to dinner4             
,nevertheless1 ,i remained weak for some
 days1 but soon felt almost entirely    
restored to health4  ,in about two      
weeks1 however1 ,i took another attack  
of pneumonia1 one more severe than the  

first4 ,again we had a stubborn fight4  
,we prayed three times before any       
effects were visible4 ,pleurisy was     
setting in1 and ,i had begun to spit    
blood4 ,my temperature had reached      
#ajc-c_/d when ,god gave the witness    
from heaven that he healed me4 ,i did   
not get strength nearly so quickly as ,i
 did before1 and had to keep my bed most
 of the time for two days4              
,nevertheless1 ,i never doubted once my 
healing1 and indeed it had been         
accomplished4 ,i have never suffered    
from that affliction since4  ,this is   
only one of the many times that the     
,lord has come to my rescue and touched 
my body4 ,sometimes ,i have been healed 
instantly1 and at other times ,god has  
given me the witness that ,i was healed1
 but my strength returned gradually and 
it was several days before ,i could be  
about as usual4 ,however1 the healing   
came4 ,god was doing the work in his own
 way1 and he always has a purpose and   
reason for any method he may use4 ,let  

us not question the method he uses1 but 
trust him4  ,since coming to the ,old   
,people's ,home ,i have not been        
privileged to go out much to help in    
meetings4 ,this has been partly due to  
the fact that ,mother has needed much   
care and also to the fact that my       
strength has not been equal to the      
exertion4 ,but ,i have had the privilege
 of helping in other ways4 ,very often  
the old people in the home need prayer  
for their healing or help and           
encouragement in their souls4 ,besides1 
,i have had the privilege of giving help
 and encouragement to some of the       
workers in ,the ,trumpet office1 and    
also to others living nearby4 ,i am very
 thankful for these opportunities4  ,the
 ,lord has also been helping me to trust
 him for means to support his cause in  
the ,missionary field and other places4 
,although ,i can not give much1 yet ,i  
appreciate the privilege of giving the  
little4 ,at first ,i felt led to purpose
 forty cents a month4 ,the ,lord        

provided this sum every time4 ,for a    
year ,i kept up this purpose and never  
once had to borrow4 ,the ,lord also     
provided means for me to help his cause 
in other directions4 ,the next year ,i  
felt led to ask ,god to help me trust   
him for fifty cents a month for         
missionary work4 ,i never failed to have
 my money ready at the proper time4 ,the
 third year ,i felt like trusting the   
,lord for seventy-five cents a month1   
paying this amount in advance4 ,one     
consideration that made me reach the    
decision to pay in advance was that if  
,god should call me before the month was
 out ,i should not be in debt4 ,i have  
never been disappointed4 ,sometimes the 
,lord gives me happy surprises in this  
as well as in other things4 ,if we give 
,god a chance1 he will develop our faith
 to trust him for means as well as for  
other things1 if we are not able to work
 and earn the money1 and have a desire  
to help his cause4 ,during the present  
year in which ,i am writing1 ,i am      

trusting the ,lord for a dollar a month 
for foreign missionary work1 and early  
in the spring the ,lord gave me enough  
to pay my purpose for the whole year4   
,he made it clear to me that ,i should  
use the money for that purpose4  ,the   
,lord has helped me also to trust him   
for my clothing and other needs1 and for
 the needs of my mother4 ,he is such a  
present help4 ,a number of times ,i have
 asked him for money in the morning1 and
 before the sun went down ,i had all    
that ,i asked for4 ,according to your   
faith1 says the ,word1 so be it unto    
thee4 ,the desire of the righteous shall
 be granted4  ,some persons have thought
 that ,god did not answer prayer for the
 healing of old people1 since they would
 soon have to die anyway4 ,we know that 
,god will not make them young again1 as 
that is not his plan2 but since coming  
to the ,old ,people's ,home ,i have     
witnessed the healing of many aged      
people4 ,in fact1 my mother1 the oldest 
inmate of the home1 has trusted ,god for

 a number of years4 ,the older she gets1
 the stronger her faith seems to be4    
,every time these old people are        
afflicted1 the ,lord answers prayer4 ,in
 asking ,god for healing1 they seem     
childlike1 and simple1 fully expect ,god
 to heal them when they call upon him4  
,one of the inmates of the home1 an old 
lady in her eighty-seventh year was at  
the point of death4 ,from appearances   
one would have supposed that her end was
 near4 ,she had no hope of recovery4    
,her burial clothes were made ready4    
,she had been prayed for a number of    
times1 but was still suffering great    
agony4 ,she did not know what was       
causing the suffering1 but thought it   
might be appendicitis4 ,some of us1     
however1 could not be satisfied to let  
her die without making further effort   
for her healing1 so we sent for ,bro4   
,e4 ,e4 ,byrum4 ,she was again anointed 
and prayed for4 ,while we were on our   
knees1 ,god assured my heart that he    
would hear and answer prayer4 ,her      

suffering did not seem to decrease1     
however1 immediately1 and in less than  
an hour ,brother ,byrum was again       
called4 ,he came at once1 as he had     
remained in the house4 ,the second time 
he offered prayer that ,god would       
relieve her of her suffering4 ,although 
her condition still looked discouraging1
 yet ,god made us know that she was     
going to get well4 ,although she did not
 recover very rapidly1 yet for one of   
her age the change was marvelous1 and   
not long afterward she had her usual    
health4 ,a year or more afterwards she  
was able to return to ,pennsylvania to  
visit some of her folks4 ,she concluded 
to remain there and is still living in  
that ,state4  ,one of the aged brothers 
in the home was greatly afflicted4 ,his 
mind was giving way somewhat1 and he got
 into a very melancholy condition1      
thinking that he ought never to leave   
his room1 and especially that he should 
not be out-of-doors4 ,it could easily be
 seen that if he continued very long in 

this condition1 he would not only lose  
his mind but be bedfast and perhaps die4
 ,he desired very much to be sanctified 
and asked several of us to come to his  
room and pray for him4 ,we went to his  
room and talked to him on the subject of
 sanctification1 and while he was       
surrendering all to the ,lord1 we had   
him consecrate his will that he would be
 out-of-doors all that the ,lord wanted 
him to be4 ,he promised he would do so1 
and the ,lord sanctified him4 ,in the   
two years or more that have passed since
 then1 he has not broken his promise1   
but has remained in the house only when 
the weather prevented his being out4 ,as
 a result1 his mind is almost entirely  
restored1 his body is much stronger1 and
 he is not like the same person4  ,in   
the four years ,i have been in the ,old 
,people's ,home nursing my mother1 ,i   
have noticed that the older people get  
the less able they are to comprehend    
anything new4 ,for this reason it is    
hard for an old person to grasp the     

promises of ,god for salvation2 but if  
they have been saved in their younger   
years and have lived a consistent       
,christian before they come to such a   
great age1 they will every year grow    
more and more like ,jesus1 trusting him 
more fully1 and seem more humble and    
thankful as they draw nearer the grave4 
,i have been more strongly impressed    
than ever before that people should seek
 ,god while they are young before they  
become unable to grasp the promises4 ,i 
feel the more impressed to sound a      
warning because there are some in the   
home with whom we have labored again and
 again1 but who are so aged and infirm  
that seemingly they can not reach a     
decision to seek until they find4 ,their
 unsaved condition1 in view of their    
extreme age1 puts them in a very serious
 place4  ,the spiritual workers in ,the 
,trumpet ,family sometimes take me with 
them to visit those who need help in the
 city4 ,one day we went to see a man who
 was on his death-bed4 ,he had never    

known ,god4 ,when we first went into the
 room1 we did not know that he would be 
able to talk with us much1 but we prayed
 earnestly that ,god's ,spirit would    
work with him4 ,that was all we could do
 at that time4 ,later we went and had   
prayer with him again1 talking to him   
about his soul1 and prayed earnestly    
that ,god would spare his life until he 
could obtain salvation1 and that ,god   
would keep his mind clear so that he    
would be able to meet the conditions4   
,we went to see him the third time4 ,in 
the meantime other workers had been to  
see him1 and he was becoming concerned  
about his soul4 ,while one of the       
brethren was praying with him1 he       
grasped the promises that ,god would    
save him1 and was able to rejoice in the
 ,lord4 ,when ,i went to see him a      
little later1 he seemed to have complete
 victory and was very happy4  ,while    
thinking of this occurrence at a later  
time1 it seemed to me that ,i had done  
nothing toward the brother's salvation1 

since ,i was not present at the time he 
was saved4 ,but the ,lord began to talk 
to my soul3 ,paul may plant1 and        
,apollos may water1 but ,god gives the  
increase4 ,are you not willing to plant 
and let some one else water8 ,are you   
not willing to be coworkers with others 
for the ,lord8 ,i saw the point and     
answered1 ,amen1 ,lord1 ,i am willing2  
any way to get souls saved4  ,one day my
 mother was taken suddenly ill4 ,her    
affliction was overflowing of the gall4 
,it seemed that she would strangle to   
death4 ,she was anointed and prayer was 
offered2 then we sent for the elders and
 again had prayer1 but it seemed that   
she was dying4 ,a few hours later1      
thinking she was dying1 we sent for some
 of the elders and a number of us       
gathered about her bed4 ,the blood      
seemed to be settling under her skin as 
though she were mortifying before she   
died1 and the ,superintendent1 who was  
standing near the bed1 said he was sure 
he heard the death-rattle in her throat4

 ,even at that time we offered prayer   
the third time1 and all these more      
pronounced symptoms disappeared and she 
looked natural once more4 ,she remained 
quite sick1 however1 for several days4  
,god had made it clear to one of the    
brethren that we had offered the prayer 
of faith and that her life would be     
spared for a time4 ,she is still living 
at this time1 a marvel of ,god's divine 
power4     ,chapter ,,xxiii             
,exhortation to ,workers and ,ministers 
,in conclusion ,i feel that the ,lord   
would be pleased for me to say a few    
words for the encouragement of young    
ministers and workers4 ,in my work in   
the ministry ,i have come through many  
varied experiences that1 ,i trust1 will 
be helpful to you in the trials through 
which you will have to pass before you  
get settled in the ,lord's work4  ,the  
first difficulty met by most young      
ministers and workers is in regard to   
their call4 ,unless the call be clear   
and definite1 they are likely to be in  

some doubt as to whether or not they are
 called1 and thus be exposed to the     
temptations of the enemy that ,god has  
not called them at all4 ,sometimes ,god 
makes a call so clear that it is beyond 
question1 and the one called has no     
chance to doubt it for a moment4 ,this  
was my experience at first2 but when ,i 
got my mind filled with other plans1    
instead of keeping in view the past     
leadings of the ,lord1 sad to say1 ,i   
began to doubt my call4 ,but when ,i    
began again to seek ,god's will1        
everything cleared up1 and ,i felt      
certain of my call4  ,many others have  
difficulties right on this point4 ,they 
feel led to do something for the ,lord1 
and undertake to follow the leadings of 
his ,spirit1 but they do not feel the   
presence of ,god as they expected to    
feel it1 or do not have the liberty that
 they think they should have4 ,then     
comes the temptation1 ,has ,god called  
me1 or am ,i trying to push out without 
any calling8 ,if they are very          

conscientious1 it is easy for them to   
become confused when confronted with    
this temptation4 ,they will pray over it
 and trouble over it4 ,they are very    
timid and feel afraid to ask older      
workers lest what they have supposed to 
be a call is an imagination of their own
 and they will get a good sharp rebuke4 
,they will struggle along in this       
condition until it becomes unbearable2  
then perhaps they will open their hearts
 to some person in whom they have       
confidence4 ,if they get the proper     
instruction1 they can soon be lifted out
 of this dilemma2 but if not1 they may  
do as some have done before--get so     
confused that they will lose the grace  
of ,god out of their souls4  ,my advice 
would be3 ,if you have any idea that you
 are called1 go to exercising yourself  
as best you can1 whether it be in       
exhortation1 teaching1 or testimony1 or 
whatever ,god brings most clearly to    
your mind4 ,if you are not sure about   
your calling1 in the meantime be patient

 and wait on ,god4 ,be sure you cast    
your burden entirely on him and let him 
bear it for you4 ,if ,god's hand is on  
you for service1 you will sooner or     
later be perfectly satisfied as to what 
he wants you to do2 but if it should be 
otherwise1 and you are honest of heart1 
you will be only too glad to know that  
you are not called4 ,thus your mind will
 be relieved4  ,if you are exercising   
yourself in spiritual things and no one 
is getting any benefit1 you should take 
time to consider well whether ,god is   
calling you or not4 ,i verily believe   
that if ,god's hand is on any one for   
service1 whether he be a beginner or    
some one of experience1 some will get a 
blessing when he teaches1 exhorts1 or   
delivers a message1 because with his    
,word1 ,god gives the anointing of his  
,spirit4 ,but the manifestation of the  
,spirit is given to every man to profit 
withal 7#a ,corinthians #ab3g74         
,according to the ,word1 then1 we can   
safely say that if there is no profit to

 the hearers in what is being set forth1
 ,god's ,spirit is not inditing the     
message4  ,a young worker who was       
doubtful about his call1 once went to an
 older brother for advice4 ,this is what
 he received3 ,if you feel that ,god    
wants you to go out into evangelistic   
work1 go right along1 even if you are   
not sure that ,god is calling you4 ,go  
along1 and then if you have success1 you
 will know it is your own efforts and   
trust in ,god that has brought success1 
and not the efforts and faith of        
another4 ,by following this plan you can
 easily determine whether or not ,god's 
hand is on you for the work4  ,now1 the 
method the brother proposed might       
succeed in some cases all right1 but ,i 
hardly think it would do in all cases1  
as all are not led out alike4 ,one of my
 brothers1 when he was first called1    
felt led to be with me in the work1 that
 ,god might make me more useful by his  
presence4 ,he did not comprehend at all 
that ,god's hand was on him for service1

 but later ,god began to lead him out   
and to use and bless his efforts4 ,by   
and by ,god got him to the point where  
he could reveal to him his future work4 
,at first my brother hardly knew what to
 do4 ,he was at a place where he had to 
fulfil his calling or else grieve ,god4 
,he chose the former course1 and ,god   
made him a useful minister1 but his     
development was gradual4  ,if you begin 
exercising yourself in the ministry1 and
 ,god does not bless your efforts1 and  
,god's children do not realize that his 
,spirit is working through you1 you     
would do well to go slowly and to keep  
submitted to the brethren1 lest you     
should find yourself running ahead of   
the leadings of the ,spirit of the      
,lord4 ,if ,god is leading a young      
worker out for service1 he not only will
 make him feel sooner or later the      
weight of the call1 but will so impress 
the church that they will know that ,god
 is inditing his message4  ,when you    
once get it definitely settled that you 

are called to the ministry1 never allow 
the difficulties and trials of this life
 so to cloud your vision that you doubt 
your call4 ,it is one of the tricks of  
the enemy by trials and discouragement  
to make the ministers doubt their       
calling4 ,when your call is once        
settled1 do not go over it again and    
again to find out whether ,god is in    
earnest about it4 ,if you should        
backslide1 of course1 then you should   
wait until ,god makes clear his will to 
you again4 ,if a person is not stable in
 his experience1 even though he has had 
a call to service1 that call does not   
remain so clear and ,god does not always
 trust him at once after his recovery   
from his unsettled state4  ,some young  
workers who feel clear that ,god has    
called them to service1 try to measure  
their call by what others think of it4  
,such a course will bring on confusion4 
,it is all right to be submissive to the
 brethren1 but the ,lord wants each of  
us to get his own bearings4 ,pray       

through until you get the mind of ,god1 
and at the same time be subordinate to  
the brethren4 ,if they see it is not    
best for you to move out rapidly1 heed  
what they tell you4  ,be sure to keep   
your own individuality4 ,if you feel    
that ,god has shown you a duty1 do it in
 his fear1 in a humble1 submissive way4 
,god may be leading you1 and yet he may 
not be making his design very clear to  
others4 ,there may be many difficulties 
in your way1 such as bashfulness1 want  
of fluent speech1 awkwardness of manner1
 and ignorance4 ,if1 however1 ,god has  
called you1 and you keep submissive to  
him1 he will in his own way bring out   
his design in you4 ,whatever your hands 
find to do1 do it with your might4 ,one 
has said1 ,instant obedience is the     
secret of divine guidance4  ,some young 
workers become discouraged if they are  
not used extensively4 ,you need not     
conclude1 however1 that because the     
,lord does not give you a message often1
 he does not want to use you at all4    

,keep submitted and obey ,god4 ,if ,god 
is leading you into evangelistic work1  
move out4 ,if many souls are saved1 be  
thankful2 but if few are saved1 still be
 thankful4 ,obey ,god4 ,do all that he  
shows you to do1 and expect souls to be 
saved4 ,pray earnestly that ,god may    
convict souls4 ,pray through until you  
know that ,god is going to work with you
 for the salvation of mankind4 ,be so   
true1 so humble1 and so faithful1 and so
 fill your calling by the help of ,god1 
that you can say with ,paul1 ,i magnify 
mine office4  ,during my evangelistic   
labors ,i have come to places where from
 a natural standpoint the prospect was  
so discouraging and the religious       
confusion of the people so great that1  
if we could not have interceded with    
,god for help1 it would have been       
useless for us to remain4 ,when we went 
to ,god in earnest prayer1 however1 and 
plead with him for souls1 ,god never    
disappointed us4 ,many times we have had
 our greatest victories where the       

prospects seemed especially             
discouraging4  ,as we have already said1
 a definite call is the first essential 
for a gospel worker2 but even with such 
a call a minister will fail1 unless he  
goes forth filled with the ,spirit4 ,you
 may have a call1 you may really be sent
 by the ,lord2 but unless you keep      
filied with the ,spirit1 your labors    
will soon cease to bring results4 ,do   
not try to imitate the manner and       
methods of others1 but keep yourself so 
submitted to ,god and so pliable in his 
hands that he can have his way with you1
 even as the potter does with the clay4 
,let ,god mold and fashion you into a   
vessel after his own design4  ,again1 do
 not neglect to search the ,scriptures4 
,under the illumination of the ,holy    
,spirit1 the ,scriptures will prove a   
mine of wealth to you4 ,education is all
 right in its place2 but when you lean  
upon it as a means of understanding the 
,scriptures1 or when you depend upon it 
for unction and liberty and for ability 

to teach1 preach1 or exhort1 you will   
make a sad failure4 ,you will disappoint
 yourself1 the people1 and ,god4  ,do   
not question your calling because you   
have a poor education4 ,make good use of
 your present opportunities4 ,read good 
books4 ,get all the help and information
 you can in regard to soul-saving1 but  
be careful you do not lean on your      
education for soul-unction4 ,many a time
 the ,lord has called my attention to   
this thought before ,i rose to address  
an audience4 ,again and again he has    
reminded me to be sure not to depend    
upon myself1 but to lean always on him1 
to drink in of his ,spirit1 so that ,i  
might give out to others4 ,human speech 
fails me in trying to bring out the     
importance of this thought4 ,i trust    
that ,god will interpret my thought to  
your heart in a more forceful manner    
than words will allow4  ,thus far ,i    
have been speaking mainly to young      
workers in the early part of their      
ministry4 ,now ,i wish to say a few     

words that will be helpful to them as   
they grow older in the service4 ,if you 
are fully persuaded that ,god has chosen
 you as his mouthpiece to declare the   
everlasting gospel to eternity-bound    
souls1 you should feel the weight of    
your responsibility4 ,a very weighty    
responsibility rests upon him who stands
 between the living and the dead4 ,the  
attitude a minister holds1 both toward  
his call also toward the ,word of ,god1 
and also toward the people1 is of vital 
importance4 ,no better instruction to   
ministers has ever been given than that 
which ,paul gave to ,timothy3 ,i charge 
thee1 therefore1 before ,god1 and the   
,lord ,jesus ,christ1 who shall judge   
the quick and the dead at his appearing 
and his kingdom2 preach the word2 be    
instant in season1 out of season2       
reprove1 rebuke1 exhort with all        
long-suffering1 and doctrine4 ,for the  
time will come when they will not endure
 sound doctrine2 but after their own    
lusts shall they heap to themselves     

teachers1 having itching ears 7#b       
,timothy #d3a-c74  ,the admonition to   
preach the word implies that what goes  
forth from the pulpit should be in      
harmony with the ,scriptures1 backed up 
by the ,spirit of ,god4 ,do not give the
 people theories nor illustrate your    
speech by fabulous stories4 ,do not     
dwell too much with the surface problems
 of ,christianity1 but spend more time  
in leading the people to a deep         
heart-experience4 ,if they get the inner
 man right its beauty will shine out    
through their entire being4 ,in short1  
speak to the people the oracles of ,god1
 so that if they are at all susceptible 
to the truth1 your speech will appeal to
 them as the ,word of ,god spoken       
through your lips of clay4  ,in         
preaching1 guard against relating many  
touching incidents merely to work up the
 human sympathy4 ,we have to deal with  
the hearts of men as well as with their 
minds and judgments4 ,any one that has a
 love for ,god's pure word will find in 

it a force and power that will have a   
good effect when it is presented in     
simple and plain language under the     
anointing of the ,holy ,spirit4  ,in    
preaching on some subjects1 it is       
necessary to have a large number of     
texts1 but ministers make a mistake who 
think that they must make every sermon a
 ,bible-reading4 ,the use of too many   
scriptures confuses the listeners2 it is
 often better to concentrate the        
attention of the hearers on one text    
until its full meaning is mastered4 ,at 
the proper time ,bible-lessons are in   
order1 but the admonition1 ,preach the  
word1 does not mean that you are to read
 a large number of scriptures1 but      
merely that you should present the ,word
 of ,god as paramount to everything     
else4 ,the ministry of ,babylon have fed
 their people with much worldliness     
mixed together with a small portion of  
the ,word of ,god4 ,for this reason     
,god's people scattered in ,babylon have
 not fared well4 ,at meeting their      

intellects would be fed1 but their souls
 would be starved4  ,you can not1       
however1 feed others until your own soul
 is fed4 ,this is done by searching the 
,scriptures and by praying much4 ,if it 
is laid upon any one more than another  
to search the ,scriptures1 it is laid   
upon ,god's ministry1 whom he has set   
apart to teach his ,word and to feed his
 people4 ,it is good to read ,god's     
,word slowly and carefully1 to meditate 
upon it1 to read it in different ways1  
by course1 by subject4 ,after reading a 
small portion1 take time to dwell upon  
it1 to pray over it1 until it has become
 your own1 not only as a possession of  
your mind1 but also as a                
soul-experience4  ,if you depend thus   
upon the ,spirit of the ,lord1 he will  
give you new messages for the people4   
,god gives his ministers many things    
that are good to repeat again and again1
 especially to different audiences2 but 
a repetition of old thoughts many times 
in the same congregation is too much    

like serving warmed-over food4 ,it lacks
 appetizing qualities4 ,something fresh 
from the ,spirit of the ,lord will make 
the people hungry to hear more of the   
word1 and will make the word charming to
 their souls4 ,when the minister gets a 
message direct from the ,spirit1 then   
presents it under the anointing of the  
,spirit1 it will have beauty1 sweetness1
 and a freshness that no power of mere  
human words1 no trick of oratory1 nor   
beauty of illustration1 can give4 ,if   
you will bear this in mind and drink of 
the ,spirit before you come before your 
congregation1 give the ,lord a chance to
 use you as an avenue through which to  
speak1 you will be a success in your    
calling4  ,to be a ,new ,testament      
minister1 you must be able to exhibit at
 least some of the gifts of the ,spirit4
  ,these are yours by right of your     
calling4 ,paul says1 ,but rather that ye
 should prophesy4 ,without this special 
insight into the ,scriptures and power  
to present them to others1 you will not 

be able to fulfil your calling as a     
mouthpiece of the ,spirit4  ,before     
laying special stress on the gifts1     
however1 you would do well to see that  
you are filled with the ,spirit4        
,remember that the gifts are as the     
fruits and the ,spirit as the tree4 ,one
 who has not the ,spirit can not bear   
the fruit4 ,do not try to substitute the
 gifts of the ,spirit for spirituality4 
,covet earnestly the best gifts4        
,nevertheless1 you should be careful    
that you do not try by your own human   
efforts to obtain the gifts1 instead of 
earnestly seeking the ,lord for their   
bestowal4 ,by undue human efforts1 many 
have obtained the manifestation of a    
false spirit1 which they have placed on 
exhibition as the genuine4  ,paul said  
to ,timothy1 ,be instant in season4 ,to 
do this you must keep close in touch    
with the ,lord and let him be your      
wisdom1 yea1 your all4 ,paul said       
further1 ,be instant out of season4     
,this expression has been puzzling to   

many young ministers4 ,if you will watch
 to do good and to lift up ,christ at   
every possible opportunity1 your chance 
for doing good will increase4 ,sometimes
 there will seem to be no opportunity1  
no open door2 then you must open the    
door yourself4 ,go in and do what you   
can for souls4 ,sometimes what you do   
will seem altogether out of season4     
,later1 however1 you may see that ,god's
 blessing was upon your labors and that 
some soul has received a benefit4       
,reprove1 rebuke1 exhort with all       
long-suffering and doctrine4 ,in order  
to be able to do this according to the  
,word of ,god1 you will have to live a  
life above reproach1 or your rebukes and
 reproofs will come back upon your own  
head1 when rebuking and reproving1      
long-suffering is very needful4 ,as a   
rule1 people will not take the truth all
 at once4 ,paul said to ,timothy in     
another place1 ,consider what ,i say1   
and the ,lord give thee understanding in
 all things4 ,with what carefulness a   

minister must speak when he comes in    
contact with those who have not yet     
fallen in love with the truth4 ,one word
 spoken unwisely may forever shut the   
door of salvation for some              
eternity-bound soul4  ,the last word in 
this admonition should not be forgotten3
 with all long-suffering and doctrine4  
,doctrine has a very important place4   
,mistakes have been made in preaching   
the ,word4 ,sometimes it is all doctrine
 and no experience2 sometimes it is all 
experience and no doctrine4  ,paul said 
to ,titus1 ,but speak thou the things   
which become sound doctrine4 ,and to    
,timothy3 ,till ,i come1 give attendance
 to reading1 to exhortation1 to         
doctrine4444 ,take heed unto thyself1   
and unto the doctrine2 continue in them1
 for in doing this thou shalt both save 
thyself and them that hear thee4 ,paul's
 words seem to show that the doctrines  
of the ,new ,testament are of vital     
importance4 ,for example1 we should     
understand the doctrine of repentance   

and justification1 of sanctification1 of
 divine healing1 of the one body1 and of
 every other subject connected with our 
eternal interest4 ,if a minister keeps  
the church well grounded in the doctrine
 of the ,new ,testament1 he will in a   
large measure forestall the possibility 
of their being seduced by false spirits 
and of giving place to doctrines of     
devils4  ,but to know the doctrine means
 more than to gain a mental knowledge of
 it4 ,no minister is properly equipped  
to teach justification or sanctification
 until he has an actual                 
heart-experience4 ,as the minister      
presents the truth on these doctrines1  
the ,spirit of the ,lord should bear    
definite witness to his possession of   
these graces1 so that he can present the
 truth definitely from an experimental  
standpoint4 ,then he will not say1 ,i   
think it is so and so1 or ,i guess it is
 this way or that1 but he can speak with
 authority4  ,holding fast the faithful 
word as he hath been taught that he may 

be able by sound doctrine1 both to      
exhort and to convince the gainsayers   
7,titus #a3i74 ,god's ,word on any      
point1 illuminated by the ,spirit1      
brings out sound doctrine4 ,it is       
certain that we can not improve on the  
,word4 ,we may give illustrations which 
are good in their place1 but these can  
not improve on the ,word4 ,we may give  
illustrations which are good in their   
place1 but these words missing of ,god's
 ,spirit1 knowing that we have the      
experience in ourselves1 ,god can so    
impress our teachings upon our hearers  
that it will be difficult to ever get   
them mixed up in doctrine4  ,sound      
speech1 that can not be condemned2 that 
he that is of the contrary part may be  
ashamed1 having no evil thing to say of 
you 7,titus #b3h74 ,our speech in the   
pulpit should be of such a nature that  
it will appeal to the hearers4          
,foolishness1 lightness1 jesting1       
indulged in by the minister while       
preaching the everlasting gospel1 is    

entirely out of place4 ,nor does this   
admonition apply entirely to the pulpit1
 but at all times1 under all            
circumstances1 a minister should be an  
example to the flock4 ,only thus can we 
ministers expect to obey ,god and fulfil
 our calling and accomplish ,god's will 
in the salvation of the world4  ,those  
who are young in the ministry should not
 get discouraged because they have not  
fully comprehended and practised the    
different things herein set forth4 ,the 
older ministers should encourage the    
young to do all they know of ,god's will
 and to trust him to make his will      
plainer and clearer4 ,young minister1   
you should encourage yourself4 ,you     
should be patient under the molding and 
fashioning hand of ,god1 trusting him so
 to fasten these truths upon your heart 
and mind that it will be as natural to  
practise them as it is to breathe4 ,if  
we as ministers are humble enough1 ,god 
can get to the people through us what he
 wants the people to hear4 ,if we would 

but be patient under ,god's controlling 
power and let him work out in us his own
 good pleasure1 we should have less     
trouble and there would be fewer        
mistakes to be cleared up4 ,our lives   
should be living epistles1 known and    
read of all men1 so that when the world 
reads our lives1 they will read the     
,bible4  ,it is very essential to the   
welfare of the minister as well as to   
the welfare of the church that the      
ministers treat each other with special 
courtesy and consideration4 ,the mere   
act of a young minister in taking an    
easy seat and leaving some older brother
 or sister in the ministry to sit in an 
uncomfortable place1 and other similar  
acts of discourtesy1 will have a bad    
effect upon the congregation4 ,many     
times young ministers hold an irreverent
 attitude toward older ones4 ,they      
should consider them as their seniors   
and as fathers in the gospel4 ,older    
ministers1 too1 should act as fathers in
 the gospel and show all consideration  

and kindness when giving advice and     
admonition to the younger brethren4     
,before approaching a younger worker to 
admonish or instruct him1 you who are   
older in the gospel work1 should wait   
carefully before ,god in prayer for what
 to say4 ,you should call to mind the   
testings1 trials1 and experiences of    
your younger days in the ministry4 ,if  
you keep these fully in mind and speak  
to the young ministers as you would have
 wished some one to speak to you in your
 early days1 you can save your younger  
brethren in the ministry many heartaches
 and trials4 ,if approached in this way1
 they are much more likely to heed your 
warnings and your advice4  ,young people
 are apt to think that if a road appears
 fair before them it is safe to travel4 
,sometimes in the path that seems so    
open to you1 the older ones see pitfalls
 and dangers4 ,if you will but be       
cautioned by those who are more         
experienced1 you will be saved many     
trials and heartaches4 ,again1 young    

ministers are sometimes very timid and  
do not exercise themselves in spiritual 
things as they should1 especially in the
 presence of their elders4 ,when this   
occurs1 both the older and younger      
ministers should do all they can to     
remedy the trouble4 ,the older ministers
 should encourage the younger to do     
their duty1 and the younger should lean 
on ,god for the help they need1 and     
should move out1 even when they have to 
go with fear and trembling4  ,dear young
 fellow worker1 if you want to make a   
success of your calling1 keep close to  
the ,savior2 keep in touch with him at  
all times4 ,do not let your mind drift  
away on things that are not for your    
good4 ,let your meditation be such that 
your soul will be stored with truths    
that will be helpful to give out to     
others4  ,the subject of our thoughts   
has much to do with our speech and      
determines whether our words will be    
wholesome to present to the people4 ,the
 apostle gives very definite            

instructions on this point4 ,finally1   
brethren1 whatsoever things are true1   
whatsoever things are honest1 whatsoever
 things are just1 whatsoever things are 
pure1 whatsoever things are lovely1     
whatsoever things are of good report2 if
 there be any virtue1 and if there be   
any praise1 think on these things       
7,philemon #d3h74 ,let your mind dwell  
upon ,god1 upon his plan1 upon his      
goodness and his mercy1 then the ,lord  
will have a chance to impress these     
things upon your soul more clearly than 
they can be impressed in any other      
manner4  ,with your meditation1 combine 
secret prayer4 ,as you meditate1 talk   
with ,god and let ,god talk with you4   
,to have a good conversation with a     
friend1 you must not do all the talking1
 but must give your friend an           
opportunity to talk also4 ,likewise1    
when you are talking with ,god1 give him
 a chance to reveal precious thoughts to
 your soul4 ,give him a chance to fill  
your inner being with heaven's          

sweetness4 ,if ,god fills your heart    
with the riches of heaven1 then you can 
give out that richness and blessing to  
others2 then you can be the means of    
arousing in your hearers a hungering for
 the good things of ,god1 and they will 
come again to hear the ,word of the     
,lord4  ,now1 as ,i bring to a close    
this brief sketch of my life history1 ,i
 realize that1 like this story1 my      
active work in the ministry is near its 
close4 ,although my body is well spent  
and the weight of years is somewhat     
heavy upon me1 yet the divine fire still
 glows on the altar of my heart1 and my 
interest in gospel work is not          
diminished4 ,in the few years that may  
still remain to me of my earthly        
pilgrimage1 ,i shall take a lively      
interest in those young brothers and    
sisters whom ,god has called to take the
 places of us who are being compelled to
 retire from active service4  ,i shall  
watch with interest the work of the     
ministry1 not only as individuals but as

 a body4 ,i shall hope and pray that you
 who are now stepping into the ranks as 
workers for the ,lord will avoid many   
mistakes that we older ministers have   
made4 ,if this little volume points out 
any pitfalls that should be avoided or  
any pleasant paths that your feet may   
walk in with safety2 if it encourages   
you to trust the ,lord more fully for   
all things and inspire you to place     
yourself more fully in his hands for    
service1 it will have accomplished the  
purpose of the author4  ,our salvation  
was purchased by the suffering and death
 of ,christ4 ,the salvation of the world
 will be brought about only through our 
suffering and soul-travail4 ,they that  
sow in tears shall reap in joy4 ,as soon
 as ,zion travailed1 she brought forth  
her children4 ,he that goeth forth and  
weepeth1 bearing precious seed1 shall   
doubtless come again with rejoicing1    
bringing his sheaves with him4          
,remember that without trials you can   
not have triumphs4 ,paul says something 

about enduring hardness like good       
soldiers1 thus recognizing the fact that
 hardness is the portion of a good      
soldier4 ,if you are a worthy minister1 
you are sure to endure hardness1        
buffeting1 persecution1 and perils by   
false brethren2 but1 thank ,god1 through
 all these you can be more than         
conqueror1 and look forward to the final
 reward4 ,paul says1 ,i reckon that the 
sufferings of this present time are not 
worthy to be compared with the glory    
that shall be revealed in us4  ,,the    
,,refiner',s ,,fire    ,he sat by a fire
 of seven-fold heat1   ,as he watched by
 the precious ore1   ,and closer ,he    
bent with a searching gaze   ,as he     
heated it more and more4    ,he knew he 
had ore that could stand the test1      
,and he wanted the finest gold   ,to    
mold as a crown for the ,king to wear1  
,set with gems with a price untold4     
,so he laid our gold in the burning     
fire1   ,though we fain would have said 
him ,nay1   ,and he watched the dross   

that we had not seen1   ,and it melted  
and passed away4    ,and the gold grew  
brighter and yet more bright1   ,but our
 eyes were so dim with tears1   ,we saw 
but the fire1 not the ,master's hand1   
,and questioned with anxious fears4     
,yet our gold shone out with a richer   
glow1   ,as it mirrored a ,form above1  
,that bent o'er the fire1 though unseen 
by us1   ,with a look of ineffable love4
    ,can we think that it pleases ,his  
loving heart   ,to cause us a moment's  
pain8   ,ah1 no6 but ,he saw through the
 present cross   ,the bliss of eternal  
gain4    ,so ,he waited there with a    
watchful eye1   ,with a love that is    
strong and sure1   ,and ,his gold did   
not suffer a whit more heat