The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1891-08-12
CLOSE TO GOD.


A Lesson to He Learned from IN Old
Pioneers Letter. - I'll.
The western counties of Virginia and
Pennsylvania were settled by Scotch
Irish emigrants, sturdy, devout peo-
pie, many of whose descendants still
live on the land which their ancestors
rescued from the wilderness. In some
Of these families old journals and letters
have been preserved which give glimpses
of the early life on the plantations.
One letter, dated 1890, from an old
settler to his son, contains the follow.
ing story:
1.-THE first thing which the settlers in
this valley thought of was church.
The men worked evenings till they had
raised comfortable Lighthouse, with q
pulpit and seats. The other settlements
had to depend on itinerant preachers,
but we had one of our own. Father .
Holmes, godly old man, whose son
lived among us.
my father could neither read nor
write, but he was one Of the deacons
in the church.
zone Sunday morning, as he was get
ting the horses ready for us to go to
meeting, my mother ran out, white
with fear.
"'We can not go! she cried. Sam
Wright has come to tell us that the In
dams have been seen in the valley with
war paint on. There will be no con.
gregation, no singing or preaching to-
day
1.-The church will be there and Fa-
Their Holmes, said my father, doggedly.
SO shall L.
HE went, and was the only hearer
of the sermon which the old man
preached.
"The next Sunday Sam Wright came
up again, to tell us that Father Holmes
had died suddenly on Saturday, and
would not be there.
"'The church will be there said my
father He found some of the other
members present, and they prayed to-
gether.
But on the next Sunday, when they
came across the hills from their scat
tered cabins, they found the church a
heap of ashes. The Indians had burned
it. Some OF the women cried, and the
men began to mount their horses to 90
back home.
"'Stopv said my father. What do
we need OF a church? Here is the ground
to kneel on, and God is with u.s.
"Since l grew to be man have
listened to great preachers in fine
churches But never came so close to
God as did that day kneeliug on the
bare ground, and listening to my IA
theirs prayer"
The old pioneer had reached truth
which escapes many well-meaning,
highly-cultured people to-day. 1t is
that religion does not consist of the
church, or the sermon, or even the ira
ditious and forms of service or sectarian
dear to u.s.
These are often good ana helpful to
our souls life but we must not mistake
them for the life itself.
Hinton, a missionary in Africa, tried
in vain to induce his servant to give up
the worship of a wooden idol in his
hut until one day the missionary ex-
claimed: m
IF it is alive will worship it, too !"
He sawed it into four pieces. "See! |"
he said. Where is the red blood ?'
There is no red blo6d," the poor
heather said. sadly. From that day he
lost faith in his idol. ..s
Try the thing you venerate. If it
does not give to your soul more foods
spirit, more love for Christ and your
brother than you had before, it is not
Divine. 1t has no red blood. 1t is q
manufactured thing, good in its way,
perhaps; but perishable and OF the
earth, earthly. Youths Companion