Year: 1874

1874.





made solemn vow that he would
| not shrink from death itself!


'eDo you think I am fit to preach? p


he asked cvasively.


| "None Of u arc fit; but here viii


be two or three hundred people hun.
CRY for the bread of life. The Mas


ter has fed you; he offers you the


bread to distribute among your
friends and neighbors: Now, win
you let the fear Of man make you
deny the blessed Lord who has taken
you out Of horrible pit and set your
feet upon the rock of ages?"
| Kike trembled a moment and then
said: Il will do whatever you say,
if you will pray for me.'


"1ll do that, my brother. And
now take your Bible and 60 into the
woods and pray. The Lord win
show you the way if you put your
whole trust in him."


The preachers allus;on to the
bread Of life gave Kike his subject,
and he soon gathered few thoughts
which he wrote down on fly leaf Of
the Bible, in the shape Of skele on.
But it occurred to him that he had
not one word to say on the subject
Of the bread Of life beyond the SEN
tences Of his skeleton. The more
this became evident to him, the
greater was his agony Of fear. He
knelt on the brown leaves by pros
trate log, he made "new consecra-
ton" of himself, he tried to feel will
ing to fail, SO far as his own feelings
were involved, he reminded the Lord
Of his promises to be with them he
had sent, and then there came into
his memory text of Scripture: "For
it shall be given you in that same
hour what We shall speak" Taking
it after the manner of the early
Methodist mysticism that the text
had been supernaturally suggested"
to him, he became calm, and, finding
from the height Of the sun that it
was about the hour for meeting, he
returned to the house Of Colonel
Wheeler and was appalled, at the
sight that met his eyes. All the set
tlement and many from other settle
ments had come. The house, the
yard, the fences, were full Of people.
like was seized with tremor. He
did not feel able to run the gauntlet
of such throng. He made de-
tour and crcpt in at the back door
like criminal. For s.age-fright-
this fear OF human presence-is not
thing to be overcome by the will.
Susceptible natures are always liable
to it, and neither moral nor physical
courage can avert it.


A chair had been placed in the
front door Of the log house, for Kike,
that he might preach to the congre-
CATION indoors, and the much larger
one outdoors. Mr.. Magruder, much
battered up, sat on wooden bench
Just outside. kike crept into the
empty chair in the doorway with the
feeling of one who intrudes where he
does not belong. The brethren
were singing as congregational vol
untary, 10 the solemn tune of Ken
tucky, the HYMN which begins:
"a charge to keep have.


A God to giorify,


never dying soul TO save


And Ill II for the sky"


Msgluder saw k'ke's fright and
lean'ng over to him said: IF you
z. Q infused tell your own expert
ence." Tie carly preachers univer-
sal refuge was his own experience.
1t was sure key to the sympathies
of The audience.


kikc got through the, opening ex-
ercises verv well. He could prav,
for in praying he shut his eyes and
uttered the cry of his trembling soul
for help. He had been beating about
between two or three texts, either Of
which would do for head-piece to
the remarks he intended to make,
but now one fixed itself in his mind,
as he stood appalled, by his situation
in the presence Of such throng. He
rose and read with tremulous voice:


"Therc is a lad here, which hath
five barley loaves and two small
fishes, but what are they among SO
many?'


The text arrested the attention Of
all. Magruder, though unable to
speak without pain, could not refrain
from saving aloud, after the free old
Methodist fashion: 1.-THE Lord null
tiply the loaves! Bless and break to
the multitude!" "Amen!" respond
ell an old brother from another set
tlement, "and the Lord help the lad!"
But like felt that the advantage
which the text had given him would
be Of shor: duration. The novelty of
his position bewildered him. His
face flushed, his thoughts became
confused. he tarnel his back on the
audience out Of doors and talked
rapidly to the few friends in the
house, the old brethren leaned their
heads upon their hands and began to
pray. Whatever spiritual help their
prayers may have brought him, their
lugubrious groaning and their doleful
audible prayers Of "Lord, help de-
pressed like immeasurably, and
kept the precipice on which he stood
constantly present to him. He tried
in succession each division that he
had sketched on the hy-leaf Of the
Bible, and found little to say on any
OF them. AT last he could not see
the audience distinctly for confusion
there was dim vision of heads
swimming before him. He stopped
still, and Magruder, expecting him to
sit down, resolved to "exhortn if the
pain should kill hfn. The Philistines
meanwhile were laughing at Kike's
evident discontinue.


But like had no notion Of sitting
| down. The laughter awakened his