Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1911-07-18

no self-cOnsciOuSnesS, because l was
sincere. I was little more than six.
teen years old at that time, ant
within the year l was invited tt
preach. | still pity those village
congregations! They were endowed
with much longsuffering, and were
characterized by great tender
mercy! But l felt that l could not
preach often without being assured
of the Divine "call." My religious
experience was simple and trustful
and my intellect did not ask many
Questions. But my heart ached for
the Divine commission; and so, like
Gideon of old, / put the Almighty to
the test, and asked from him sign.
1 even chose the sign! If God would
uphold me when I preached the fol-
lowing Sunday in the home church
where l was well-known; and If he
would give me "Souls for my hire
and seals for my ministry" then
would l know that God had indeed
called me. That night, with men,
bers of my own family present, l
preached with a simple consciousness
of Divine aid; and in the after meet
ing, when the congregation remain
ed for prayer, 1 saw my first convert.
God had given the sign, and I was
called to preach. A little later,
again in the home church, a big
strong fellow, highly respected in
the neighborhood but not protesting
Christian, took his stand for Christ,
and later became a lay-preacher
himself.
These experiences are sacred and
sweet to me as stand before you
today, though l fear that later dav
philosophy has somewhat dimmed
the bright colors with which they
appealed to my untutored mind in
those first days Of religious fervor.
Those days seem to be long way
off, and often do l long for re-
turn of those simple, trustful, relig
icus experiences.
After preaching in the villages
around my home for several months
| entered the Champness Training
School for instruction in English
and in theology, which I thought
would fit me for the work of an
evangelist. My course there COM
pleted, l was given charge of three
rural churches in sunny Devonshire,
near where Coleridge was boy.
Then l migrated north, and preach
ed in the famous English Lake Dis
trict, in the country of Wordsworth
and John Ruskin. MY next charge
was new church amid the hop
fields of Kent, under the shadow of
Canterbury Cathedral. Then l
preached to the iron ore miners of
Yorkshire. In every place l had the
satisfaction of seeing the fruit of
my labors, and often men were led
to Christ.
Five years ago friend drew my
attention to the need for men on the
pioneer fields of western Canada. l
offered for work there and was ac-
copied. and in Canada l entered the
ranks of the ministry in the regular
way. I preached on two western
fields, and found out that an Eng
lishman may be wondrously green!
But my experience proved that the
men of the west will lend help
ing hand to any man who tries to
give message. I cannot cease to
thank God for my western expert
ence. Long drives and small con-
gregations through the long cold
winters, continually face to face
with primeval nature on prairie and
in man-these were experiences cal
culated to test a mans knowledge
Of himself, of the wide world, and
of God
was now ready for Wesley Col
lege, and the opportunity came.
There / found confirmation of the
many phases of thought and life
through which I had been passing.
There l also found fuller and
deeper faith. Old things had passed
away, and behold. all things had be-
come new. | was taught to trust in
no authority except God in my own
consciousness, and, 10, and behold!
discovered that the best things of
life made their appeal to nothing
but that same inner consciousness.
was free! The light Of Gods
truth found utterance in the truths
God had planted in my own breast,
and I no longer needed either priest
or police to keep me on the beaten
track. The Lord had said Seek
yo my face" and my heart had said,
"Thy face, Lord, will seek" This
experience shortened my creed, and
vet my creed was big enough to en-