# My Life Is an Open Book (Hancock)/Chapter 5

We were now preaching in Carrolton once a month. A few disciples lived in that vicinity, but none lived in town. Capt. Tenison, a brother to preacher Tenison, of Missouri, lived in town, and kindly requested us to make his house our home. The Methodists had threatened to import a man that could show up our teaching. On lord's day we were waiting for time to go to church, being governed by Mr. Tenison's clock, as to time. It was, however, a little slow. An old brother came after us, and said, "The people are waiting for you at the church. There is a stranger there, a fine looking man in that appears anxious to have something to say, for he is sitting on his seat and talking to the people." I said to Mr. Tenison, "They have brought their man, I guess we'll have a lively time." When we entered the house our stranger was selecting a song, still talking as he did so, and had not noticed our presence. I took him for a preacher, but his hymn book gave him away, it was a Christian hymn book. I thought, "That won't do for a Methodist." Reaching his seat I halted, he arose, we shook hands, and he said, "You are the preacher, it is time you were at work. My name is Burns." I thought, "A. Burns, what are you doing here, I can't preach before you." I said "You are a preacher." He replied, "That doesn't matter, sir." I said, "You will do the preaching." He said, "No, I won't. I will introduce, but you will do the preaching." I thought, "Well, if you are as intelligent as I have understood you can bear with a boy, and if you have not principle enough to do so I don't care much for you." I entered the pulpit very much embarrassed. In compliance with a request previously handed in we discoursed from Rom. 6:1-6. After dismissal our stranger and I walked out together. I said, "I want to know who you are and where you are from, and I will quiz you till I find out." He said, "I would not think much of you if you did not." He then handed me a letter. I was with John Burns, of St. Louis. I said, "Well, I guess you don't often get to hear such sermons in St. Louis as you have heard today." He replied "No, but I say I do not. That clear, logical exposition of that subject is worth more, in my estimation, than all the learned exegesis and criticisms that I ever listened to."
​It was now evident that there would be no debating to do in those parts. The preachers were, as a rule, an ignorant class, and moral cowards. They could superintend a mourners' bench exercise, but were profoundly ignorant of God's plan of justification. We kept a challenge before them, proposing to meet any man that they would put forth, and, if nothing more, affirm the proposition, "The mourners' bench system is idolatrous." They pronounced such a proposition sacriligious, yet they could not find a man possessed of courage enough to negative that proposition.
There was no church house in Berryville. The public school had been given into the hands of Prof. Clark, principal of the academy, and the public school building appropriated to church purposes, to be free to all. One Lord's day was vacant when we commenced there and we had held that day. The conclusion was that they could take that day, and so deprive us of any place to preach in town. When we went to our appointment, which was always for Saturday night, Lord's day and night, we found an elderly man there with an appointment for each hour that we had been occupying. We succeeded in compromising with him in an agreement to divide the time. At our next appointment we found another man there with three appointments covering our time. He was more stubborn than the first, but we succeeded in compromising with him as with the first. That was a disappointment to those who had engineered the matter, and they concluded that they would, at our next appointment, have matters more to their notion.
At our next appointment it was between sunset and dark when we reached town. The men were watching to see what we would do. As we passed in to the stair I asked us what we would do, for, said they, "There are three Presbyterian preachers here in a protracted meeting, and have had meetings several nights." I replied, "I will preach here tonight and tomorrow." They said, "You cannot for they will not allow that." I said, "Go to meeting and I will manage the preaching part." When I got to the meeting house two elderly men were in the pulpit, and the audience was singing. I walked direct into the pulpit and sat down between the preachers. I had never seen either of the preachers, but, of course, they knew who I was, and their looks were as though they thought that Satan had again presented himself among the Sons of God.
When the song closed I told the preachers who I was, that I had been preaching there for some time, and that was my regular time; that I was glad to be with them, and I thought we could get along in a brotherly manner- that I had not come there to interfere with their meeting, but to meet my own appointment, and beyond that I would have no farther claims. I proposed to divide the time that night and next day at eleven and I would leave town. To my proposition they objected and made excuses, but I would not listen to excuses. I told them that I thought it would look fearful bad for us, as preachers, to show that we did not have the spirit of Christianity enough to preach together the two hours I proposed. One of them said, "You say you will quit and go home if we will divide the two hours with you?" "Yes," said I, "I promised that and will make my promise good." "With that understanding," said he, "we will divide the two appointments with you. I will preach tonight ​and you can follow me, and you can preach in the morning and we will follow you." He preached from John 7:17, but showed profound ignorance as to the subject matter contained in that language. I followed with a short discourse upon the leading thought in the fore part of that language. He then announced that I would preach next morning at 10 o'clock. The hour was set without consulting me, so I did not get there till half-past ten. The preachers were very impatient and told me that the time had passed. I called for a song, and when the introductory services were concluded it was 11 o'clock. The disciples felt good over our success in managing the arrangements.
Old Father Walker, one of the two disciples to whom we were referred at the time of our first visit to Berryville, was an Israelite in whom there was no guile. He was full when we entered into our discourse. He was eighty-four years old, and just waiting for his summons to go to the other shore. We had the two old preachers to sit in the pulpit. I took as a subject, "What must I do to be saved?" I preached one hour, and, I suppose, as earnestly as I ever did. I made my talk chiefly to those preachers, and showed the erroneousness of the anxious seat system. I concluded with an invitation and had four candidates for baptism, prominent citizens. When the success was seen, Father Walker could hold in no longer. He began shouting, two old sisters joined in with their hallelujahs. We sat down and let them shout as long as they wanted to, then took the confession of the candidates, and announced baptism at four o'clock. It was then too late for them to preach. There were some there that did not feel like shouting, but, evidently, would have gone home like if someone had carried out Dr. Ellis' purpose.
The oldest of the preachers announced that they would preach at two o'clock. He made a tremendous effort to get up an excitement, but they were, evidently, nearer a religious chill, all were cool. The song having closed, and nobody moved, he said he had another proposition to make, he wanted everybody in the house that wanted to go to heaven to give him their hand while another song was being sung. It was nearing the time for the baptizing. I walked out, and as I did so I passed two of the candidates, and said to them, "It is time we were going to the water." It was but a short distance to where my clothes were. I got them and started for the water, and by that time the people had all left the meeting house for the place of baptizing. The preachers left for other parts, without any arrangements for their appointment at night.