The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-11-12
Singular Actions of Virginia Minister
i'm His Pulpit.
Richmond (Va) Religious Herald.

" d. Herald.
The Midland .virginian publishes. in it's
issue of Sept. II. Il letter from a Buckine-
ham correspondent giving some account of
great religious excitement in large part
says that the Rev Leroy Lee Banks. the
Methodist minister in charge of the West
Buckingham circuit. has been preaching a
new doctrine of sanctifcation. He has main
tanned, says this correspondent. that all
Christians who have died without profess
Ing Specification are eternaly lost.
describe the scenes acted in dear old Bethel
CMethodisO Church. Mr.. Banks would read
the Bible and comment on it while. then,
when he found a passage that suited his
Now let all the sanctified stand up and cry
halleluJah three times After they had done
that he would tell them to shake hands
all around. Sometimes he would Jump up
until his feet would show above the Bible
stand and whistle like an engine letting off
steam. then wave his handkerchief above
his head ar" cry 'Hallelujah" several
times. and thu people would look at his face
with the most rapt expression and try to
knees in the pulpit and prayed mock pray
er. trying TO initiate some people he had
heard pray in tone and language. One of
his expressions in this mock prayer was:
% Lord. / have such hard time. l see so
much trouble; have lost a pet calf and a
pig Then he showed them how they ought
TO pray; then he jumped up and cracked his
heels together and cried Hallelujah,' three
times. Everything was wild for this
civilized age one could easily imagine the
next scene would be a bloody scalp and an
Indian dance. The sad sequel to thir-
teen days of such wild excitement is that
one of the best business men in this COM
munity and a steward in the Methodist
Episcopal Church at this place for years,
has been made insane, and is in Jail, a
raving maniac waiting to be sent to the
asylum. He lost a noble boy last winter
a good. pious young man, who died without
fear of the future. but Mr.. Banks made
him fear that his son was lost, because he
did not profess sanctiflcation. He became
wild with grief until his reason was de-
throned. The stricken family has the SYM
patty of the whole community. / fear that
this is only the beginning OF the trouble
We do not question the sincerity of the
advocates of this new delusion. In all our
references to il we have been careful not to
impugn the motives or TO injure the feel
ings of those who, IN our judgment, were
misled concerning the important Scripture
doctrine of sanctifcation. At the present
writing no Virginia Baptist preacher. so
far as we know, has taken up with these
new and disturbing doctrines. and very few
of our people have been affected by them.
We suppose the Rev. Leroy Lee Banks is
a regularly accredited minister of the Vir-
ginia Conference, and we can but wonder
if this body, representing so much intelli-
gence piety and conservatism, will lend
its sanction TO such teaching as this letter
describes We are reminded once more of
Sidney Smiths remark that the religious
sentiment is so strong. so buoyant, so in
submergible that it will not sink, though
laden with almost every absurdity.