Barriers Removed

Joe and Alfred returned home, but not to sit idly down and keep to themselves those things which they had learned at the camp meeting. Each began to do what he could to get others to see the wonderful truths which had been revealed. Alfred began to work quickly. Preacher Jones was surprised to receive a letter from him stating that he could no longer depend upon him to care for his followers in that community, for he was doing all he could to bring the people together again, such as they had been before his meeting! And furthermore that he and his wife desired him to erase their names from the church ledger, for he had found that his name was recorded in the Lamb’s book of life, that he was a full member in the church of God, the one for which Jesus shed His blood, and the one in which every child of God holds membership by right of a spiritual birth. He further stated that he meant to do all he could to get others to see the error of division and get the barriers removed so that the prayer recorded in John 17:21 might be brought to pass in this world, “That they all may be one.”

Alfred had stood before the people of the Steele’s Crossing settlement many times and addressed them, but as they came to hear him now they would go away saying, “Did you ever hear the like in all your life? I wonder what has come over him. He is some preacher.” As those who worshiped in the schoolhouse were now without a leader they began drifting back to the community house where Alfred preached three Sundays in each month, the fourth Sunday being the regular appointment of Preacher Bronson. As Alfred’s messages were so full of the real fire of the Holy Spirit it did not take long for the residents of that district to see the difference between a God-sent message and a dry, stale one, and soon Preacher Bronson had few to preach to.

Alfred’s messages of Christian love, fellowship, and unity were accepted by not a few of the residents of the Steele’s Crossing community, for they had seen what division had caused among them. The followers of Preacher Brown could not leave the borders of “sin-you-must domain,” so therefore remained in the old saloon building where they held services weekly.

Alfred and Joe had been held by the majority of the residents of their district as model Christians, but when they began advocating the thought of coming together and worshiping together, some who were staunch supporters of their own pet creed objected, and soon bitter persecution was heaped upon them.

Weeks passed and autumn waned, giving place to chilly winds of winter. Soon heavy snows covered the ground everywhere and the only means of travel was by sled or horseback. It was a cold, hard winter, and there was much sickness among the people. As the snow had drifted in many places, making the rcad impassable, it was almost an impossibility to get a doctor to come to the Steele’s Crossing community. As Alfred had preached divine healing among the people, he was untiring in visiting and praying for the sick. Those for whom he prayed were soon well, but among some of his neighbors he was not permitted to offer prayer and the suffering ones died. Joe and Alfred both rendered what assistance they could to all their neighbors, and by so doing won some of their most bitter enemies.

As there was so much sickness among the people, no thought was given to church service or to Sunday School, but as spring advanced and the sickness among the people subsided, Alfred and Joe were again found at the community house, doing what they could to bring the people of that neighborhood together. Many of their former persecutors were present at the services also, for they had been convinced that these two men were real neighbors.

Summer advanced and with it came a letter from the evangelist stating that he would be free to hold a meeting for them the latter part of August, and as he would be passing through that community at that time, he would give them a three weeks’ meeting while there if they desired him to do so. A letter was forwarded to him immediately, telling him to come.

About two hundred yards from the Holmier home was a little grove next to the public highway, and as it was very warm weather Joe and Alfred decided to make a brush-arbor in this grove and have the meeting there, as it would accommodate so many more people than the little house at the Crossing. Accordingly, Alfred was sent to town for some lumber with which to seat the arbor and Joe went to the woods at the rear of the farm for poles with which to make it. Passersby would stop to inquire what the building of such an arbor meant. In this way the meeting was well advertised before the arrival of the evangelist. Mr. Sawyer was one of the inquirers. He was passing by one day while Alfred and Joe were at work on the arbor, and when informed that they were getting ready for a revival-meeting, and it was to be held in the arbor, he said, “And does this man teach holiness?” When Joe answered in the affirmative he then said, “Huh! There is no such a thing as a man living holy in this world. There never was but one man that did it and that was Jesus Christ, and I do not think that anyone can get quite so good as He. I know that I sin every day and I believe you do, too, and I believe that preacher does, too. In fact, when he says he doesn’t he tells a lie, for the Bible says, ‘He that saith he liveth and sinneth not is a liar and the truth is not in him.’ ”

Here Alfred spoke up and said, “I never read such a scripture as that in my Bible, but I have read, ‘He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.’* (1 John 2:4) I am sure if we keep His commandments we shall not come short of living holy lives.”

Here Joe addressed his neighbor. “Mr. Sawyer, do you believe that Jesus Christ lived holy every day that He was here on earth?”

“Surely I do,” replied Mr. Sawyer. “But He is the only one who ever did or ever will live holy, for we all sin more or less every day in word, deed, or thought.”

“Do you believe if Jesus Christ were here on earth today that He would live holy any place and under any conditions and at all times?” again inquired Joe.

“Yes, I do,” replied Mr. Sawyer, “but Jesus Christ is not here on earth now. If He were He could live holy, for the Bible says He was without sin.”

“Very well then,” said Joe with a smile, “if you believe that, just let Jesus Christ in your heart, and He will live holy there. You know Paul said in Galatians 2:20, ‘I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.’ If we just let Jesus into our heart and then let Him live there, He will live His own life through us and it will be an easy matter to live holy.”

Mr. Sawyer’s face reddened and, lifting the reins over his horses’ backs, he clucked to them, saying, “Well, I do not believe you live holy nor anybody else, for we are all sinners, every one of us,” and with this he started on down the road.

“Come to the meeting,” called Joe after him. “It will begin next Wednesday evening.”

Alfred and Joe were indeed very busy. A number of the neighbors in passing by and finding what was taking place lent a helping hand, and in this way the arbor was soon completed and in readiness for the coming of the evangelist. The arbor was covered with heavy branches laid in such a manner as to afford a good shelter, and it was seated to accommodate about three hundred persons. A platform was built in the rear of the arbor and Joe arranged a goods box on the platform behind which the speaker could stand, and upon which he might lay his Bible or other books which he might need. Behind the platform he stretched a strip of canvas to form a background and make speaking easier for the evangelist. Everything was completed on Tuesday morning and in readiness for the evangelist to begin the meeting the following evening.

The meeting had been well advertised. As the evangelist walked into that brush-arbor the first evening of the meeting, he found every seat occupied and the people waiting in readiness to hear the message which he had to deliver to them. His subject was, “The Love of God,” and he held the audience spellbound as he addressed them for one hour on this timely subject. No man had ever come into the community with such a message. He spoke as one thoroughly acquainted with the God of whose love he was speaking to them that evening. His first message was a good advertisement for the meeting, and each evening found the arbor full of attentive listeners.

The meeting had been in progress a few nights, and Preacher Brown came to the Crossing to fill his regular appointment there, but found so few present he felt it almost an insult for them to think he should speak to so small a crowd. So on the suggestion of Mr. Sawyer they all decided to attend the meeting at the arbor.

The evangelist spoke on “The Purpose of the Atonement.” As he advanced in the message, Preacher Brown saw the props crumbling under his sin-you-must religion, for the evangelist presented his argument that the atonement put an end to sin in such logical order, backed by the Scripture, that none could gainsay it. Brown left the meeting at its close raving like a madman. He could well see what such preaching would mean for him and his followers in that community should it continue, so he was loud in his protestations against the preacher, warning all his followers not to attend, stating that such a man ought to be egged out of the country.

Old Aunt Sally Teeters lived near the Holmiers and attended the meetings. She was noted for her gossiping, trouble-making, and contention in the community, and while no one had confidence in her she was a great shouter. She tried to attend every meeting held within access of the Steele’s Crossing neighborhood and never failed to shout every opportunity she had. She was a follower of Preacher Brown and he spent the night at her home after his visit to the arbor. She too, had been greatly stirred by the evangelist’s message, for her life was far from the life which had been held up by the preaching. If the atonement meant what he had stated from the pulpit, it had failed to serve its purpose in her life. She was greatly stirred and Preacher Brown’s words did not miss their mark with her. So a plot was formed to be carried out the next evening.

The evangelist came to the meeting on Monday evening and sat in deep meditation while the crowd began gathering. There were old men, young men, old women, young women, boys, girls, and small children, each finding himself a place to his own satisfaction in the arbor. The older ones came near the front while the younger ones sat nearer to the rear and the sides of the arbor. The time approached for services to begin. Alfred opened the service by singing that old hymn, “Blessed Assurance.” At the close of the last stanza of the hymn, Aunt Sally Teeters was seen coming down the aisle looking for a seat. As every seat was already taken a man who was sitting near the front arose and, motioning to her, led her to his seat. This placed her near the pulpit and also near a post in the arbor. Preacher Brown was also there but standing at the edge of the crowd leaning against a post. These two seemed very restless and would start at the least sound, looking first one way and then another as if in state of expectancy.

The song service ended. Prayer was offered. The evangelist arose to deliver the message for the evening. He had been in the pulpit but a few moments when—whiz—something passed by his right shoulder, hitting the canvas back of him and falling to the ground. Again something passed to his left, and then something struck the box behind which he was standing, and the odor which spread over the arbor conveyed the knowledge of what the missiles were.

The evangelist sensed the situation and hid behind the box while another and another passed over his head and others were burst on the box before him. Two struck the pole where Aunt Sally Teeters was sitting and she left the meeting very much spattered and carrying with her the odor of overripe eggs. Before men could get to the front of the arbor the assailants of the evangelist had gone.

There was no meeting that night, but the crowd was asked to return the next night and the meeting would be resumed as usual. Not one egg had struck the evangelist, but all trace of the broken ones must be removed before the meeting could be continued. This was done the next day. Those who attended the following evening saw three men wearing a star on the lapel of their coat, who patrolled the grounds to keep order the remainder of the entire meeting and, needless to say, there was no more disturbance.

The meeting continued, but Aunt Sally Teeters was not in attendance any more. The last week of the meeting a young man came forward to the altar for prayer and there made a confession that he had been urged to join in with the number of other boys to egg the preacher out of the country. He furthermore stated that Preacher Brown had formed the band and Aunt Sally Teeters had furnished them the eggs. After this confession had been made God spoke peace to this young man’s soul, and he walked up and down the aisle of that old arbor shouting and praising God. When this news was spread over the community Preacher Brown took his departure and never returned.

The meeting closed, but the effect of the meeting is still felt in that local community, for barriers were broken down and God’s children came together as they had been before the coming of Preacher Jones. Differences of opinion, creeds, and pet ideas were never agitated, but all came together as one family and worshiped the Lord. So strong were the ties between them and so great the fellowship that strangers who came into their midst would say, “Here is a people who have love one to the other.” Thus they continued, and many souls were convinced that Christ had truly come and was reigning in the hearts of those humble people in the Steele’s Crossing community. By this sign of love they proved themselves real disciples of the Lord.