The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-09-18
REV. ROBERT KING.
A sketch OF his Life and Labors
Baptist Courier.

Il SketCh OF DIS Like ana LRDOrSs
Baptist Courier.
The subject of this sketch, the Rev.
Robert King, was born of humble parent
age in Anderson County, then Pendleton
District, about two miles southeast OF
Bolton, on January 1st, 1871.
The society in which he was reared was
unfavorable to the development of the
mental and moral powers of his youthful
mind. he enjoyed no advantages, either
educational or religious. In the year 1909,
being disheartened by the dissipation of
his father, and having heard many favor
able reports, through travellers, of the
productiveness of the lands of Tennessee,
he determined, without the counsel or
permission of his parents, to seek his for
tune among strangers in strange land /;
thitherward he wended his way, much of
the distance being an uninhabited forest.
He arrived in Dickson County in the
spring of 1909. BE served that year as q
hireling, and sometime during the year,
or the following. year, while attending the
preaching of the Gospel, administered by
the Rev. Daniel White, was deeply and
sensibly impressed with his hopeless con-
dition as lost sinner. After much men,
tai agony and heartfelt sorrow for sin, at
late hour of the night, while all nature
was slumbering in darkness, this prodigal
youth, agonizing with sn offended God
for forgiveness, had distinct view Of the
plan Of salvation through the atonement
of Christ. From that time until the day
of his death he was impressed with the
/. thought that 1t was an unusual manifest
alton. His soul was thrilled with the
music of Heaven. He dates his call to
the Gospel ministry simultaneously with
his conversion. he was baptized, at the
first opportunity, by the Rev. Daniel
White, and received into the fellowship
of the Turn Bull Baptist Church, located
in Dickson County. In the latter part OF
the year 1910, he, in company with his
father in the Gospel, returned to the land
of his nativity. Previous to his leaving
Tennessee he obtained, by the advice of
his pastor, q letter of dismission from his
church, which Immediately after his re-
turn he deposited in the Meals Creek
Church, Anderson County, s.. @. In nMarch
of the succeeding year, he found COM
paniou for life in the person of Miss Fran
ces Holland, daughter of the Rev. Moses
Holland, at that time pastor of the Meals
Greek Church. Like many other Chris
tians he became cold and careless, neglect
ed the house of God, which is sure in
,dication of backsliding condition, and
thus he continued, step by step, to decline
until May, 1914, when his religious de-
clension was so great that he was, after
much admonition from the church, ex-
cluded, in which state he continued till
July, 1920. When, in his 18th year, he
was asked by an eminent divine if he did
not think he might have been deceived
as to his conversion in Tennessee, he re-
piled: :" I do not think I could have been
deceived from the fact: If the prodigal
son, had never been at his fathers house
he would not have known the way back.
I knew / found peace with God through
repentance and faith in my blessed Jesus
when / was in Tennessee, and, as back
slider, knew the way to seek and to find
Him." The minister replied: "This is
the best comment ever heard on the
parable of the prodigal SON"
Soon after his restoration to the church,
his purity, humility and Christian deport-
ment began to attract the attention and
admiration of all rho knew him. Such
confidence was inspired by his piety that
he was frequently called upon to lead wor-
shipping assemblies in prayer. A heaven
born zeal for the salvation of man now
warmed up his soul, and he began to lift
up his voice, portraying the wondrous
love of Jesus. Uncultured as he was, his
appeals were touching, powerful, and, in
many instances, irresistible. Impressed
with the love of Jesus and the value of
souls, he now determined to consecrate
himself wholly to the work of the Gospel
ministry. a great obstacle presented it
self; he knew not a letter of the alphabet.
So strong was his desire to preach that he
resolved to overcome this barrier. His
wife taught him his letters, to spell and
to read. The Bible at once became the
book for his life-study, and he was emphat-
ically Bible preacher, drawing from it
his faith, doctrines and practices.
So deeply and favorably were his breth-
rem at Meals Creek Church impressed
with his power in prayer end exhortation
that on the 9th of March, 1924, they Ii
censed him to preach. In the latter part
of the year 1927 he received call to the
pastorate of the Washinton Church, in
Greenville District, s. c., and on the Oath
of May, 1928, was ordained by the impo-
sition of hands by Presbytery, composed
of Elders Moses Holland, Sanford Vandi-
yer, james Burroughs and Arthur Will
liams. This call removed heavy burden
from his mind, for during the interval be-
tween his license to preach and ordination
he was much perplexed upon the subject
of being called to preach with no field of
labor presented. While Satan was thus
tempting him, God was preparing him
for q great work. This call gave new
impetus to his zeal and humility. He
entered upon this, his first pastorate, with
only one male member, (Amos Eskew,
who is still living), which pastorate con-
tinued eight years. Many of the first
families of the community were converted
through his instrumentality, among whom
was the late lamented Rev. A. Acker.
In September, 1929, he and Elder Will
liam McGee were called jointly to the
care of Meals Creek Church, and during
the next year they baptized 160 converts,
among whom were two Indians, Hosea
and Francis Morgan. In 1881, by Pc
tition, he moved his membership to the
Big Creek Church, Anderson District, s..
c., in view of becoming its Pastor. Here
he continued nearly seven years, during
the first three or four of which his minis
terial labors were most signally blessed,
the membership of the church having
been increased from fifty-six to one hun
dred and sixty-three. Under the ordi-
nary ministrations of his labors, numbers
of applications for membership were re-
ceived at almost every church meeting,
and the church, practically missionary,
was planting and building up churches
in destitute neighborhoods near it.
During his ministry at this church his