Conversation 3
Mrs. Wiseman (a week later)—Well, James, those “saint preachers” have come. There are two of them. The meeting begins tonight. Won’t you go out to hear them?
Mr. Wiseman—No, indeed; I will not. If they preach there every night for a year, I’ll be one that won’t hear them. They’re too good for me; when people get so good they can’t sin, they’d better not come around here. And say, Sarah, you’re not going, either.
Mrs. W.—They don’t say, dear, that they can’t sin, but do say that Jesus can save and keep them from sin. But why may I not go?
Mr. W.—Simply because you can not. I’m not going to have my wife led astray by any such false teachers. I say for you to stay at home. You believe so much in doing what the Bible says—now stay at home; for the Bible says for wives to obey their husbands and to be in subjection.
Mrs. W.—Yes, my dear, the Bible says those things, and I’m sure I want to obey those words in all they mean, but possibly they don’t mean a wife should obey her husband when he attempts to bind her conscience and take away her Christian liberty. The Bible also says that we are to obey God rather than man. I’m to obey you as long as your commands don’t conflict with the commands of God. When they do, I’m to obey God, and that, dear, is what I’m going to do.
Mr. W.—By that you mean you’re going to that Mormon meeting tonight, I suppose.
Mrs. W.—I’ll be a good wife to you and care for the home in every needed way. I’ll obey you in all that’s right, but it’s not right for you to require me to stay away from hearing the gospel. I expect to go tonight. But why do you call them Mormons?
Mr. W.—Our pastor told me yesterday that they were Mormon preachers going through the country tearing down churches and separating husbands and wives.
Mrs. W.—You can hear a great many things. I’m sure they’re not separating husbands and wives. I have a little tract published by them on “Marriage and Divorce,” and it teaches against divorce; also, if a man has put away his wife and been granted a divorce, it teaches that neither the man nor the woman should marry again while the other is living.
Mr. W.—Yes, they say things in their literature just to deceive, but privately they teach to the contrary.
Mrs. W.—How do you know they do? Now let us beware. You claim to be a Christian; and if these people are ever so bad, that doesn’t justify you in saying things you know nothing about. Cousin Jane wrote me that those same preachers who are here now were at her place, and that a man who was divorced from his wife wanted one of them to officiate at his new wedding, and offered him twenty-five dollars to do so, but that he positively refused. She said the preacher took his Bible and read to the man where God forbids one to remarry as long as one’s companion is living. The man told the preacher that he could get either of the other preacher who lives there to marry him to this woman, and asked, “If the Bible forbids such things, why are these preachers willing to perform the ceremony?” The preacher told him that the doing of such things by certain preachers did not make the thing right.
Mr. W.—Well, I don’t know whether to believe such a story or not. I’ve never yet seen the preacher that wouldn’t marry anyone for twenty-five dollars.
Mrs. W.—Go to the meeting with me tonight and you’ll see one, for this is the same man. But I didn’t tell all the story. This preacher began to talk to the man about his soul and how wrong it would be to remarry and disobey God. “Go back,” he said, “to your divorced wife and live with her. Both of you get saved, and you can live happily together.” The man said he wanted to do what was right. The preacher asked him to come out to the meeting and hear the Word of God. The man did go to the meeting, got saved, and then he and the preacher went to see his divorced wife and talked with her. She, too, got saved and they married again and have been living happily together ever since. That doesn’t look like separating husband and wife!
Mr. W.—I believe what our preacher told me yesterday. I’m sure he knows what he’s talking about. He said he knew some of these saints out in western Pennsylvania. and attended their camp meeting. He told me something he saw there which you could hardly endorse, and that thing he knows for himself.
Mrs. W.—I’m sure, Husband, I’ll believe all they teach that is Bible. But what was so dreadful that our pastor saw?
Mr. W.—To be plain, he saw them kissing each other. I don’t think you would care to belong to a people among whom men and women kiss each other, even if they do say they are saints. A saint wouldn’t do such a thing.
Mrs. W.—I have always liked our preacher very much. but I’m afraid he went there to find fault. I know very well they don’t practice promiscuous kissing. The brethren kiss each other and the sisters kiss each other, but brethren and sisters do not kiss each other. Just wait a moment and I’ll get one of their books and read you just what they say about this. Listen now. while I read:
True love manifests itself in many ways. We embrace with the arms and greet with a kiss the object of our love. We speak of these love tokens ofttimes in a spiritual way—“Folded in the arms of Jesus,” “Leaning on His breast,” “Sheltered beneath His wings.” The Psalmist says, “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry.” (Psalm 2:12) These were literally practiced by the Savior and His beloved followers while he was here. After Jesus arose and went to the Father, the apostles practiced the holy kiss. “And they all wept sore, and fell on Paul’s neck, and kissed him.” (Acts 20:37) We behold the love they bore for him. It was not a cold kiss of formality, but of love. In the first verse we see the love Paul had for the disciples. “Paul called unto him the disciples, and embraced them.” (Acts 20:1) In his apostolic epistles of the New Testament the holy kiss is five times mentioned: “Salute one another with an holy kiss.” (Romans 16:16) “Greet one another with an holy kiss.” (1 Corinthians 16:20) “Greet one another with an holy kiss.” (2 Corinthians 13:12) “Greet all the brethren with an holy kiss.” (1 Thessalonians 5:26) “Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity.” (1 Peter 5:14)
Satan, ever ready to corrupt the pure precepts and practices of the sacred Word, has led people into the disgraceful fanaticism of promiscuous kissing. Such is not a kiss of love, but a kiss of lust. Everything done in the order of the kingdom of heaven is done in the perfection of decency and respectability.
Now, dear, we see here they don’t teach nor practice promiscuous kissing. Jane’s husband, you know, is a Methodist, and he himself says these people are all right. They have had camp meetings there for years. At first he opposed her going to their meetings, but soon saw his mistake. He says they’re good, respectable citizens, and kind, obliging neighbors. They live good, quiet, orderly lives, attend to their own business, and let other people do the same. They pay their debts, keep their promises, and can be depended upon. All these stories were told about them, she said, when they first came there. She thinks her husband is going to get saved soon.
Mr. W.—I may have been mistaken in what our preacher meant by “saints kissing each other.” But what do you mean about Cousin Jane’s husband? Why, woman, he has belonged to church as long as I have! He and I joined at the same time. And now his wife talks about him getting saved. That’s the way they are; they think nobody is saved but them. I expect you’ll soon get to thinking I’m not saved.
Mrs. W.—Well, I’ve belonged to church, too, nearly as long as you have, and I know I’m not saved; but I hope to be, and if those people can help me, they’re the people I want to find. My soul is crying within me for the peace and love of God. To possess what these people are telling about is the very longing of my heart. Oh, husband, let’s get right with God and cease this miserable way we’ve been living! You know we don’t live right; you know you do many things that are not proper for a Christian to do.
But I must get ready for meeting.
Mr. W.—You are not going, I tell you!
Mrs. W.—Yes, Husband, I am going.
Mr. W.—There’ll be trouble around here if you do!
Mrs. W.—You’ll have it to yourself then. I’m ready now and am going. Have a good fire when I come home.
Good night, dear.
Mr. W. (speaking to himself)—She is already getting like her cousin Jane and all those saints. You can’t do a thing with them when they think they’re right. But I’m afraid I’ve made a fool of myself. I’ll not knuckle down, though: that’s one thing I won’t do. I’ll fight it out. My pastor will help me; he said he would. I’ll get him over to talk with my wife.
God bless her! She’s a good woman.