The log cabin Democrat., 1912-03-15
OBITUARY.

James Noah Simpson was born in
Choctaw county, Mississippi, August
LIST, 1874. He was born into the heav-
emily kingdom and united with the
Southern Methodists in 1866. On
November the Goth, the following
year he was married to Mary Gather
/ inc Wilson. To this union fifteen
children were born, four of whom
/ died in infancy, and two others in
early manhood. Two years after
| this marriage he with his family
moved to Central Arkansas and lived
near Ell Paso for a short time and
then removed to Vilonia, Arkansas,
where he lived until just short time
before his death which occurred at
Cotulla, Texas, on March &c, 1910.
Brother Simpson, "Uncle Noah,' as
he was often called, was a good cit
lien, a true friend to the poor and
needy, loving husband and father,
constant and devout Christian, and
pre-eminently a man of prayer. In
1894 when the holiness movement
struck Central Arkansas, Rev. j. K.
Farr.s, Pastor of the Southern Meth
odist church at Vilonia, went to
Beebe Campmeeting and got sancti-
fed" When he returned to his
charge he held a series of meetings at
each of his four appointments to
teach his people this great but neg
lected doctrine of Methodism. About
the second day of the meeting at vi
lonia as the congregation was gather
Simpson came into the church with
lupGfted hands and shining face pro-
claiming with rapturous joy that the
Lord had met him out int he grove
and had given him the Baptism with
the Holy Ghost. After one of his
testimonials in the same series of
meetings the pastor remarked that
''the man nearest God" on his work,
as was always the case, was the first
to be sanctifed wholly, At that time
there may have been some present
who would have resented the pastors
claim that Brother Simpson was "the
man nearest God" on the Ell Paso cir
cult, but the time came before his
death that there was probably not
one person in the community who did
not heartily agree with the pastor S
assertion. We feel sure that only the
pioneers of the present holiness
movement know how to appreciate
this mans circumstances. Misunder-
stood, misrepresented and prosecuted
) in the church and out of it, through
all of this he stood true to God. Soon
after entering this experience he felt
led of the Lord to give up the sale of
tobacco and with him, to be convinced
was to act. He gave it up, though
the sale of it meant several hundred
dollars annually to him. After stand
ing alone for two years, God wonder
fully worked through this man and a
number were led into the experience
of perfect love and holiness was es-
tablished in the little village of vi
lonia and through his influence in
1899 a small holiness school was
planted at this place. For about six
years he, with board of consecrated
men, stood behind this institution
with their means and prayers, and
in 1905 God sent Prof. C. L. Hawkins
to their assistance and the Arkansas
Holiness College was founded. This
school from which we read such ia
vorable reports in the Advocate
stands monument to the memory of
this man of God.
One of his final messages to his
dear wife was, Don't grieve, but re-
jolce," Her heart is sad as she trav-
els life's journey without his com
partnership; the burdens of life are
) heavy without his arm to lean upon,
but thank God she has the constant
companionship of the Savior that he
trusted, to sweeten life's sorrows and
} the Everlasting Arms to support her
when its burdens would weigh her
down. May God grant to her with
her nine children and Is grand-chil
dren who are still on this side of the
River of Death, the safe landing or
the other side that was Brother Simp
sons portion when the summons
came. S. A. DARBY.