Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1884-07-27
YOUNG MATTHEW SIMPSON.
At an Indian Camp Meeting Sixty Years
A0O.

At an Indian Camp Meeting Sixty Years
Ago.
The Rev. Aaron Quincy in North
western Christian Advocate:
On Sunday morning the love feast
was melting time: ''the shout of
King was in the camp" and at its
close hundreds of shining Methodist
faces, whose ewes were dewy with
clears that had no bitterness" told
that God was in the midst of his peo-
pie. And now the great congregation
is gathering. :The rude Stat benches
are preemptcd at once by those who
are hungry to hear every word Of the
IL O'Clock sermon. The Rev. Richard
Hargrayc, then in his prime, and a
''prince Of God:" is known to have
reached the home of a brother in the
neighborhood the night before. lie is
expected on the ground every mo-
ment. The older brethren say he will
certainly preach. though no announce
ment has been made as to the Occu-
pant of the pulpit, and all eyes look
expectant as from the door in the rear
of the stand the presiding elder, the
Rev. VIM. ii. GOode, enters upon the
platform. He looks over the throng,
gives some directions about seating
the vast congregation, and asks the
brethren to sing. And such burst of
songs ,not artistic, bui grand with the
junction from on high"
As that songs rolls, an ocean Of mel
ody, out through the forest, through
that open door, enter upon the plat
form john l.. Smith, Samuel II. Bren-
ton, Aaron Wood, Richard Hargrave
and several other wcll-known circuit
preachers Along with them very
young looking man, smooth shaver,
ruddy face, low forehead, shock of
brown hair, almost red, growing very
near to his eyebrows,
DRESSED IN A SUIT OF BLUE JEANS,
such as farmers in that day made and
wore. lie does not look to be over
twenty-five, but is past thirty. This
plain Young man attracts no attention.
All eyes are fastened on the great
man so well known, so much loved,
who comes with him. They bow in
PRAYER, rise, take their seats, and the
presiding elder hands to his young
stranger the Bible and the hymn-boOk.
'Listen, little hum of whisper goes
like a ripple through the throng. Who
is he! Do you know him! We turn
to our friend, de,tlass-leader saving,
"Who is that 7" 81 don't know him.
He hain't a travelling preacher. ! know
all the preachers of the conference.
lie is local, | reckon"
"Will they put him up to preach!"
Certainly not; the elder has more
sense think Brother Hargrave will
preach. They are going to let this
local preacher open, the service,
think, to save Brother Hargrave's
strength for a grand effort
Now the stranger arises, reads the
hymn, and they sing again; then he
prays, and Brother J. l.. Smith reads
the scriptures; again they sing, and
now Che stranger, looking like a farm
err with his Sunday suit of jeans, rises,
and the hope that has been general
that Brother liargrave would preach
is dashed away as this
YOUNG LOOKING STRANGER
announces as his text, Hebrews xiii,
II, "Wherefore Jesus also, that he
might sanctify the people with his own
blood, suffered without the gate"
lie began with a simple, plain des-
cription of the Jewish sacrifice which,
at the very hour of the crufiXion, was
being offered in the temple. AS he
warmed up to his theme he seemed to
have mental vision of the whole
scene. In realistic terms he described
and pointed ont the gorgeous beauty
of the temple, the smoking and blood
stained altar. the slain lamb upon it,
the golden altar of incense, the sprink-
ling priest within the veil, the white
robed Levites informing the silver
psalms until the congregation seemed
to see the imposing rites of The Jewish
ritual atonelaent in action before their
ewes. Then he changed the scene, and
took them to Golgotha, without the
gate, and contrasted the Christian sac
ritice without the gate. the true "Iamb
of God" offered on Calvary's noun
tain altar, the Offering of that body
prepared by the divine Ia 9Th priest of
our confession. So real was his dis
cription that we seemed to be gathered
around the cross, to hear reviling Jews
and insulting MODS: we saw the gam
bling soldiers and parted raiment: then
THE AWFUL HORROR OF GREAT DARK
NESS:
the earthquakes heave The bursting
rocks; the convicted centurion's apt
confession. Then at the cry from the
sufferers pallid lips: 1t is finished"
he turned and pointing to the spot
where he had placed the TEN PIE he
said: "Sec. see! its vail is rent; its
holy of holes is uncovered. The jew
ish priests we need no more for our
great High Priest. the only Christian
priest has entered through death into
the seen holy, having obtained eternal
salvation for us
This is but dim outline of that
grand sermon, remembered from my
boyhood, Its effect on the audience |
can never forget. The surprise and
power of the contrast between what
they expected from that boyish stran-
ger and what they received from that
prince of preachers heightened its eff
feet. Again seem to see their eyes
kindle, their faces brighton, as the
eye of the preacher burns with light
from heaven and his glowing periods
roll like river of fire in an unbroken
tide of pathos and power on their
hearts. They swayed to and fro in
sympathy with his movements, they
rose and fell to the rythm of his ges.
lures, they sobed, they wept, they
shouted. as he unrolled before them
the agony OF the sacrifice and trans
formed that vision of the cross into
the vision Of the throne. Amid u cho-
rus of shouts a the thorn-crowned
monarch o. Calvary was depicted a
bringing many sons into glory" the
preacher sat down and the service
ended.
"Who is he! What preacher is
thai - flow from lin 10 lin as they