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Pioneer Evangelism 
 
 or 
 
 Experiences and Observations 
 at Home and Abroad 
 
 By 
 
 H. M. RIGGLE 
 
 Author of Man, His Present and Future; Christian Bap- 
 tism; The Sabbath and the Lord's Day; The Christian 
 Church, Its Rise and Progress; etc. 
 
 Gospel Trumpet Co., 
 
 Anderson, Ind. 
 
Copyright 1924 
 
 by 
 
 Gospel Trumpet Company 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 The antecedent step in accomplishing anything 
 worth while is, first, to make a forcible impres- 
 sion upon the mind and, second, to persuade the 
 conscience that the thing is right. The mind and 
 conscience of man are like water, which sparkles 
 when it runs, but stagnates in still pools. The 
 following pages, carefully i^ead, will arouse your 
 mind and conscience and cause you to think sober- 
 ly; for they teach that happiness which is sub- 
 stantial and lasting is not the product of riches 
 or indulgence, but of correct living before Grod 
 and humanity. 
 
 History is replete with instances where a slave 
 has been happier than his master, because license 
 or indulgence does not yield the pleasant fruitage 
 as does hon,est toil. This book is a lesson of in- 
 telligent activity. Its author (whose preaching 
 marked a new mile-stone in my life), being a 
 man of unquestionable Christian character, gives 
 immediatiC weight to either his spoken or his writ- 
 ten words; and his long years of constant labor as 
 a teacher of moral ethics in America, Europe, 
 Egypt, Palestine, and Syria, as well as an author 
 of many standard books on Bible fundamentals, 
 will, in my opinion, make this work, not only a 
 valuable addition to religious literature, but a set- 
 ter in motion of influences and ideas the moral up- 
 
 3 
 
4 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 lift of which will be felt long after the author lies 
 in his bed of dust. 
 
 The accounts of Brother Biggie's extensive trav- 
 els through the land of sacred story, his care- 
 ful observations, and the new, up-to-date facts and 
 figures he gives, are a most valuable part of this 
 book. There is a freshness in the descriptions 
 given. Really, this book is different from others, 
 and from the first page to the last an intense in- 
 terest grasps the reader. Among the brokien 
 arches, crumbled pillars, and desecrated altars, 
 the author has discovered that hope still exists 
 in the human heart, and that true religion is not 
 dependent upon sacred rites, forms, and cere- 
 monies, but upon the reception of the living Christ 
 into the soul of man. 
 
 The author by a pure life and hard work has 
 earned for himself a place in the church, a place 
 in the affections of the people ; and I am confident 
 that all who read these pages will become better 
 men and women, better home-builders, and better 
 citizens of the kingdom of God. 
 
 J. Grant Anderson. 
 
 Franklin, Pa. 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 
 
 Introduction l 3 
 
 EARLY LIFE 
 
 Early Kecollections 11 
 
 Influences of a Christian Mother 15 
 
 An Unsatisfactory Eeligion 19 
 
 Meeting the Present Truth 23 
 
 Example of Others 26 
 
 The Meeting that Won My Heart 28 
 
 REMINISCENCES COVERING TWENTY-SEVEN YEARS 
 
 My Conversion 33 
 
 Feeling the Need of a ''Second Grace" 36 
 
 Seeking Entire Sanctification 40 
 
 Baptized with the Holy Ghost 45 
 
 Called to Gospel Work 47 
 
 How I Preached My First Sermon 49 
 
 Given the Gift of Prophecy 53 
 
 My First Camp-Meeting 58 
 
 Opening, New Fields of Work 60 
 
 Experiences in Pioneer Work 67 
 
 Hardships Along the Way 71 
 
 Bitter Persecutions 75 
 
 My Ordination 78 
 
 Methods of Work in Pioneer Days 78 
 
 Early Preaching 81 
 
 Some of My Mistakes 85 
 
 On the Floating Bethel 89 
 
 Amusing Incidents Along the Way 91 
 
 Experiences with Accusations 94 
 
 Door of Entrance for Accusations 96 
 
 Victory Over Accusations 98 
 
 The Blessing of a Good Wife 99 
 
 Afflicted for Seven years 100 
 
 Lessons Learned in Affliction 101 
 
 Miraculously Healed 103 
 
 Healings and Miracles 105 
 
 Taking the Humble Side 108 
 
 General Evangelistic Work 109 
 
 A Busy Life 110 
 
 Ten Years' Pastoral Work 112 
 
 My Public Discussions 115 
 
 Feeling Utter Dependence upon God 119 
 
 Definite Answers to Prayer 120 
 
 5 
 
6 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 EASTWARD BOUND; NINETEEN WEEKS ON LAND 
 
 AND SEA 
 
 Called to Foreign Fields 129 
 
 A Definite Call to Syria and the Holy Land 130 
 
 The Farewell Service 131 
 
 On the Broad Atlantic 135 
 
 Laughable Experiences in England 136 
 
 Evangelistic Meetings in the British Isles 141 
 
 Places of Interest 144 
 
 Travels in France 146 
 
 A Warm Welcome in Germany 150 
 
 Eevivals in Switzerland 153 
 
 Climbing the Alps 155 
 
 In the Land of the Caesars 156 
 
 On the Blue Mediterranean 168 
 
 Landing in Egypt 169 
 
 In the Land of the Pharaohs 169 
 
 A Nine Days' Tour of Palestine 172 
 
 ON THE MISSION FIELD IN SYRIA AND THE 
 HOLY LAND 
 
 Our Arrival at Beirut 197 
 
 Our New Field of Labor 198 
 
 The Commendable Work We Found 204 
 
 Getting Adjusted to New Conditions 206 
 
 Enlargement of the Work 208 
 
 Opening New Fields 213 
 
 Unpleasant Experiences in Pioneer Work 222 
 
 Accommodating Ourselves to Conditions as We Found Them 226 
 
 Facing Bitter Opposition from Every Quarter 227 
 
 Eising Above the Difficulties 230 
 
 The Ministry of Healing in Syria 231 
 
 Carrying the Work into Palestine 233 
 
 Historic Sights in Syria 235 
 
 Some of Our Observations 283 
 
 Present Eeturn of the Jews to the Holy Land 287 
 
 False Theories Eefuted 299 
 
 Future Outlook for the Work in the Near East 321 
 
 A Brief Outline of the Field and Its Workers 326 
 
 The Armenian Work 328 
 
 A Summary of Our Activities 330 
 
 Our Eeturn to the Homeland 331 
 
 An Appreciation from Syria 334 
 
 On Board SS. Madona 340 
 
 The Great Eesponsibility and Work of the Church 345 
 
ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 FBOITTISFIECE 
 
 H. M. Rig&le. 
 
 REMmiSCENCES COVERXNG TWENTY-SEVEN YEARS 
 
 First Evangrelistic Company. 
 H. M. Rig-g-le while afflicted. 
 
 EASTWARD BOUND; NINETEEN WEEKS ON I^AND AND SEA 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Rigrgrle and son George. 
 William Hopwood and family. 
 Adam Allan and family. 
 Otto Doebert and H. M. Riggrle. 
 Ministers at Essen, Germany. 
 
 G. K. Ou'Zounian and family. 
 Panoramic view of the "new" Jerusalem. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Rig-grle and son Georgre near summit of the Alps. 
 
 H. M. Rigg-le at grave of William Ebel. 
 Pool where Philip baptized the eunuch. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Riggle and George at Leaning Tower of Pisa. 
 
 ON THE MISSION FIEI^D IN SYRIA AND THE HOI.Y I^AND 
 
 Beautiful scene near Emmaus. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Riggle and George on Mount Calvary. 
 Wild Moslems in parade. 
 Nazareth today. 
 
 Eating lunch near Jacob'^ Well. 
 
 H. M. Riggle baptizing George in the Jordan. 
 
 Smyrna — in ruins. 
 
 Armenian refugee camp, Beirut. 
 
 Along the Dardanelles. 
 
 Part of church at Constantinople. 
 
 Athens from the Acropolis. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Riggle and son George in Mohammedan, Syrian, and 
 
 shepherd dress. 
 Church of God, Beirut, 1923. 
 Tripoli Mission. 
 Zahia Aswad and her mother. 
 Mrs. Areka Salibian and child. 
 Asma Jureldini. 
 Arexie Salibian. 
 Najeeb Berberi. 
 Antonius Boody. 
 Haleel Zaude. 
 Ibrihim S. Maloof. 
 Yoseph Abdo. 
 Nellie S. Laughlin. 
 Adele Jureldini. 
 John D. Crose and family. 
 Bmil Hollander. 
 
 7 
 
EARLY LIFE 
 
EARLY LIFE 
 
 EARLY RECOLLECTIONS 
 
 In a log house nestled among the hills of western 
 Pennsylvania, U. S. A., on Feb. 18, 1872, I was 
 bom. I was the only child of Gjeorge W. and 
 Mary Riggle. Until the age of seventeen my life 
 was spent on the farm. I often heard my father 
 relate that at the time he and Mother were mar- 
 ried, he was fifty dollars in debt. Soon after their 
 marriage they purchased our farm home, 108 
 acres, for which they went in debt about three 
 thousand dollars. 
 
 When I grew to boyhood, it fell to my lot to 
 help, by hard work, to pay off the debt on the 
 home. At the age of twelve I was cradling wheat 
 on the hillsides and mowing grass with the old- 
 fashioned scythe. While other boys in the neigh- 
 borhood had driving-horses and buggies, I nevjer 
 enjoyed these privileges. About all I knew was 
 constant toil, and was sometimes in the fields by 
 moonlight as well as by sunlight. But I thank 
 God today that such wias my portion in life. It 
 ground into m^e the principle of climbing to use- 
 fulness over the rough road of difficulty and labor, 
 and also taught me the value of things. I learned 
 by experience how to economize and make a little 
 go a long way. Usually what people get without 
 
 11 
 
12 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 corresponding toil and sacrifice is very little ap- 
 preciated. In after life, when I had a family of 
 my own, I continued constantly in the ministry, 
 and by careful management we were able to ac- 
 cumulate a little along the way. 
 
 My father was very strict in discipline and 
 severe in punishment. I was naturally full of 
 mischief, and many were the switchings I re- 
 ceived. Sometimes when I was inclined to be 
 naughty, one stern look from my father was suf- 
 ficient. To this day I look back to him and respect 
 him for his severity. My moth<er was very tender 
 and sympathetic. These two characteristics in my 
 parents, properly blended together, made an ideal 
 home government. 
 
 I believe I can remember the first real volitional 
 sin that I committed. My father used tobacco. 
 He kept it in a stand drawer. More than once 
 when he was going to the field to work he said 
 to me: ^' Don't you dare touch my tobacco." But 
 my nature was wild, and, after he was gone, I 
 would slip in to the drawer and take some. Once 
 1 became sick from chewing the filthy weed. 
 Father said, Herbert, were you at my tobacco 
 today? " I put on an innocent look and replied, 
 ^'No, sir." But he was not so easily put off. He 
 looked me straight in the eyes and kept plying the 
 question. Finally my countenance betrayed me, 
 and I confessed. A whipping followed; but that 
 did not end the matter. My heart condemned me. 
 
EARLY LIFE 
 
 13 
 
 I felt a sense of guilt upon my soul. I had dis- 
 obeyed, and had then denied it. My conscience 
 reproved me, and for the first time in my life I 
 felt I had sinned against God. This was, I think, 
 at the age of ten. Oh, I have often since that 
 time wished I had yielded to the voice of con- 
 science, and surrendered my heart and life to God. 
 What troubles and sorrows of after life I should 
 have avoided! I here wish to say to every boy 
 and girl, if I had my life to live over I would 
 give it to Christ in my young days, while my 
 heart was tender. But, alas! like many others I 
 stifled the voice of conscience and plunged deeper 
 into sin. 
 
 It may sound strange to some, but I had a 
 natural longing to be a minister of the gospel. 
 When but a child I began ''playing preacher." 
 Often my parents went visiting and left me at home 
 alone. I would then take my mother's family 
 Bible, lay it upon the table, and preach to an 
 imaginary congregation. I did this scores of times. 
 In the same way I would play in the woods, 
 and in the fields. This natural longing followed 
 me all the years of my sinful career. When a 
 grown young man and deep in sin, I would quote 
 texts of Scripture and exhort others to do right. 
 Somehow I always felt that some day I would 
 preach the gospel. 
 
 I started to school when five years of age. Un- 
 til I was twelve, I learned very rapidly. Then a 
 
14 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 careless streak crossed my life, and for three years 
 I cared little for study. I used to write on my 
 boot-legs the answers in my geography and his- 
 tory lessons, and then read them to the teacher. 
 1 would advise young folk not to do similarly; for 
 it is valuable time wasted. At sixteen I began to 
 realize what I had lost by such actions, and began 
 to study with all my might. At sevent,een I had 
 passed ail the branches of common-school and one 
 branch of high-school study. How often I have 
 regretted the fact that I spent three years care- 
 lessly ! 
 
 Youth is the most important period of life. The 
 foundation of future years is here laid. Influences 
 are in youth set in motion that will follow us all 
 through our earthly pilgrimage. Hiabits are form- 
 ed which in after years are not easily shaken off. 
 The seed we here sow will produce a bountiful 
 harvest in later years. It is certain we shall reap 
 what we sow. The greatest regret I have is that 
 T did not begin to serve Grod earlier in life. Had 
 I the chance to turn back the wheels of time to 
 childhood's happy days, I would never spend one 
 day in sin. Had I ten thousand lives to live, I 
 would give them all to Christ. To this hour I am 
 fighting battles and struggling with difficulties I 
 should never have known had I begun the true 
 Christian life in childhood. Boys and girls, re- 
 member now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, 
 while the evil days come not, nor the years draw 
 
EARLY LIFE 
 
 15 
 
 nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in 
 them.'' ''Seek yes first the kingdom of God, and 
 his righteousness; and all these things shall be 
 added unto you.'' During my ministry, a man 
 who had always lived in sin was converted at 
 the age of seventy-eight. In his case a soul was 
 saved. At another time a boy of mght years 
 publicly consecrated his life to the Lord. In this 
 latter case, a life as well as a soul was saved. 
 How much better! 
 
 INFLUENCES OF A CHRISTIAN MOTHER 
 
 Our mothers fill one of the most responsible 
 places in the world. They stand higher than the 
 presidents of republics, than the kings of na- 
 tions. Many of the world's greatest men have 
 declared that they owed their success in life to 
 the influence of their mothers. A true mother's 
 love is stronger than death. I quote the follow- 
 ing touching tribute to MOTHER from the pen 
 of J. Grant Anderson: 
 
 "A mother's love surpasses every other earthly 
 element. It was she who felt the first quickening 
 pulse of the new life that was to be. It was she 
 to whom our infant eyes were first uplifted, and 
 the name * Mamma' was th^e first word that fell 
 from our lips. It was she wiho waited at mid- 
 night when the candle of life flickered, and when 
 the issue like a pendulum swung between life and 
 death. Her love is the connecting link which binds 
 
16 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 humanity together. Humanity never comes so 
 near the Divine as when maternity is wrapped in 
 holy human love. The sister turns away the way- 
 ward brother; the father's pity has its limitations 
 and soon he says, 'Go, you are a disgrace to my 
 name and to my family'; but, 'My mother's prayers 
 have followed m^e the whole world through.' 
 
 ''The wicked world turns from the haggard, dis- 
 graced man. He is put in prison, and despised 
 by society and former companions. But Mother 
 visits him still. She kneels outside wh,en the gal- 
 lows' trap drops that day, and prays as only a 
 mother can pray that God, some way, somehowi, 
 will forgive her wayward boy. She combs his 
 bair, places a rose upon his breast, kisses his 
 darkened brow, and then at last puts a wreath 
 upon his grave. Verily she is the first to greet 
 him in this life, and the last one to leave him in 
 death." 
 
 The following beautiful poem by T. H. Nelson 
 expresses a mother's love to her wayward daugh- 
 ter: 
 
 * ' Once she was pure as the sunbeam, 
 My noble affectionate child; 
 The idol of all who beheld her, 
 
 Though prone to be thoughtless and wild. 
 
 "My cares were made light by her prattle, 
 Her presence turned winter to June; 
 But alas, for my fond expectation, 
 My visions are vanished too soon. 
 
 *'0h, who could have thought that my darling 
 Could have fallen so soon and so low 
 From the heights of her lofty ambition 
 
 To the depths of dishonor and woe! ^ ; 
 
EARLY LIFE 
 
 17 
 
 "0 God, if there is power in thy mercy, 
 Restore my lost child to my arms. 
 Though her sins be as crimson or scarlet, 
 She still to her mother has charms. 
 
 "Though far o'er the mountains of folly 
 
 Thou hast roamed with companions so wild, 
 I love thee as dearly as ever, 
 My own precious prodigal child. 
 
 "My home and my heart's true affection 
 Are waiting to welcome thee still. 
 Come back to thy Savior and Mother, 
 And peace will thy troubled heart fill. 
 
 "I can not but love thee, my darling, 
 Though sinful and fallen thou art. 
 The memory of days now departed 
 Is breaking thy poor mother's heart. 
 
 "Thy Savior still waits to be gracious; 
 Thy mother still waits to forgive. 
 Come back from thy wanderings my daughter, 
 And a life of full usefulness live. 
 
 "Oh, turn from thy wanderings my darling, 
 No more in sin's wilderness roam; 
 Come back to thy Savior and Mother, 
 And the joys that await thee at home." 
 
 I was blessed with a true C[liristian mother. 
 AAHien but a child I sat at her knee while she read 
 to me stories from her large Bible. She read 
 about the creation, about the flood, about how the 
 children of Israel passed through the sea dry-shod, 
 the story of Daniel in the lions' den, and of Jonah. 
 She knew nothing about the evolution theory, nor 
 the higher critic's objections. She believed her Bi- 
 ble, the virgin birth and all. Oh, the simple, pure 
 faith of Mother in her Bible! She instilled that 
 faith into my young mind and heart. Thank God 
 it is there today. The Bible has been the book of 
 
18 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 my most careful and diligent study for more than 
 thirty years. The more I read it and compare its 
 teachings with the new modem theories, the more 
 I am confirmed in the faith that Mother taught 
 me. On her dying bed she said, ^^GTive my boy 
 my old family Bible as a last token of my love.'' 
 Among the hundreds of valuable books that com- 
 pose my library, there is one that I prize above 
 all the rest, it is my mother's dying gift— her 
 Bible. 
 
 My mother taught me the little prayer 
 
 ^'Now I lay me down to sleep, 
 I pray thee Lord my soul to keep. 
 If I should die before I wake, 
 I i)ray thee Lord my soul to take. 
 This I ask for Jesus' sake. Amen." 
 
 Today I am past fifty-one years of age, and 
 eviery night when I retire I repeat this simple 
 prayer. Mother prayed it over a thousand times, 
 and I have repeated it probably more than seven- 
 teen thousand times. If I live to be an old man, 
 with tottering step, leaning on my staff as I come 
 bending to the tomb, I will still be uttering this 
 little prayer that mother gave me when I was but a 
 child. 
 
 Once when a young man, steeped in sin, I was 
 brought low under the heavy hand of affliction. 
 I was near death. I shall never forget how mother 
 knelt by my couch and, with her eyes filled with 
 tears, said, Herbert, you may have to die. Oh, 
 Jiow is it with your soul! You can't die like this. 
 
EARLY LIFE 
 
 19 
 
 Give Clirist your* heart and be saved. ' ' I melted. 
 My heart began to break. I then and there prom- 
 ised God that if he would spare my life, I would 
 some day serve him. 
 
 Mother was a praying woman. Many times 
 while going about her daily toils, she would be 
 either singing a hymn or uttering a prayer. These 
 influences I never shook off. They followed me 
 all through my sinful career, and today they exert 
 a directing power in my life. As I pen these 
 lines, memory goes back over the lapse of thirty 
 years to the death-bed of my sainted mother. 
 Just before she expired she looked up and said, 
 ^^I see heaven opened and the glory of God 
 descending.'' She testified sh^e was * Agoing to 
 dwell with Christ." Among her last words she 
 said, **Tell my boy [I was then in the far West] 
 to be true to God at the point of the bayonet." 
 This charge I expect, by God's grace, to keep. 
 
 AN UNSATISFACTORY RELIGION 
 
 From infancy I was brought up in religion. 
 We were members of the Evangelical Lutheran 
 Church. All my people on my father's side of 
 the house were of this persuasion. My mother 
 had been converted in a Wesleyan meeting, and 
 was a Lutheran only by marriage, a Lutheran in 
 form but not at heart. When but three months 
 old I was carried to the altar, where Reverend 
 Sarver sprinkled me for baptism, and I was 
 
20 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 christened Herbert McClellan Eiggle. I had no 
 choice of my own in the matter. In later years 
 my father explained to me that I had been bap- 
 tized when a baby. This was all I ever knew 
 about it. 
 
 I never was satisfied with this rite that had 
 been imposed upon me, in which I had no will 
 or choice of my own. As I grew? to years I be- 
 came settled in the conviction that in the impor- 
 tant matters which pertain to our eternal salva- 
 tion, our parents can not act for us. When Moses 
 came to years, be chose" for himself. 
 
 That doctrine which teaches that in the sacra- 
 ment of baptism the parents give their child to 
 God, at which time it is bom again, its name 
 written in heaven, and it then made a member 
 of the church, and needs no change of heart when 
 arriving at the years of the knowledge of good 
 and evil, is contrary to every principle laid down 
 in the gospel of Christ. But I was catechized in 
 this very faith. At somewhere near the age of 
 twelve I was sent to our minist,er, and given a 
 regular course of catechetical lectures. Then I 
 was confirmed, and ever after considered a church- 
 member in good standing. After confirmation, I 
 was supposed to receive the sacrament of the 
 Lord's Supper. This I refused to do. I attended 
 * ^ preparatory services," at which time we were 
 taught that we received absolution or forgive- 
 ness through the pastor as of God himself, in 
 
EARLY LIFE 
 
 21 
 
 no wise doubting that our sins were thus for- 
 given before God in heaven.^' But I knew in my 
 heart that I was not right with God, and during 
 the twenty years I was a member of the Lutheran 
 Society I never went to the communion table once. 
 
 In the community where I lived there was a 
 congregation of Wesleyan Methodists and Mjen- 
 nonite Brethren in Christ. Both these bodies wor- 
 shiped together in the same church-house. They 
 taught real experimental religion, and had power- 
 ful revival-meetings. Some of these people lived 
 what they professed, and this convinced me that 
 my religion was only a form. I longed to be con- 
 verted; but our pastor informed me that my con- 
 version took place at my baptism when three 
 months old. Our church motto read: ''A well- 
 organized church needs no revival.'' Bring 
 up the child in the way he should go." Once I 
 ventured to go forward to the ^'mourners' bench" 
 in a Wesl,eyan revival. I sought the Lord earnest- 
 ly; but no one could tell me how to accept par- 
 don by faith. Some seekers went to the ^' bench" 
 as many as forty nights, and then all did not ob- 
 tain the blessing. I did not have th^ courage to 
 go so long and so often; so gave up in despair. 
 
 From infancy I was a diligent church-goer. And 
 our people were taught to reverence th^ place of 
 worship. Outside the church-building the members 
 would joke, jest, and frequently use profane lan- 
 guage; but the moment we stepped over the thresh- 
 
22 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 old of the church door, a sacred awe came over us, 
 and scarcely a move or whisper could be observed. 
 I still like this reverential feeling for th^e place of 
 worship, and really wish there were more of it. 
 It is a good thing. But our trouble was, we had 
 merely the form, and were without the life and 
 power of real, vital salvation. After we stepped 
 outside of the church, all the sacredness was gone, 
 and it was no uncommon thing for members to in- 
 dulge in profanity and other bad language on the 
 way home from church. Some of the members of 
 our congregation, even some of the officers, were 
 among the most profane and wicked m,en of the 
 whole community. Out of an assembly of about 
 three hundred, there were only four who prayed in 
 public; and when none of these four nor the pas- 
 tor was present, we both opened and closed ser- 
 vices without prayer. Our pastor was a tobacco- 
 user, and we always looked forward to the Fourth 
 of July Sunday-school celebration as a time to hear 
 him tell some good funny stories and crack some 
 big jokes.'' 
 
 Ours was a ^'sin you must'' religion. When holi- 
 ness was first taught in the neighborhood, our 
 minister felt it was his duty to defend "the faith 
 of our fathers" against the new heresy, and he 
 preached a strong sermon in favor of sin, selecting 
 for the text 1 John 1:8. Among other things, he 
 said, ' ' None of us can ever expect to be better than 
 the sinner David. ' ' I shall never forget his prayer. 
 
•EARLY LIFE 
 
 23 
 
 It ran something like this : ' ' 0 God, we have griev- 
 ously sinned against thee. We have left undone 
 those things which we should have done. We have 
 done what thou hast forbidden. We have made 
 many crooked paths. Enter thou not into judg- 
 ment with us because of our manifold transgres- 
 sions. If thou shouldst remember our many sins, 
 who could stand in thy sight?" Of course we were 
 sinners, and the preacher's sermon did not help us 
 out, but virtually justified us in continuing in such a 
 life. Oh, the blindness of such teaching! Though 
 wicked and ungodly myself, I always admired the 
 lives of others who triumphed over sin. In my 
 heart I longed for a more satisfactory religion. 
 MEETING THE "PRESENT TRUTH" 
 In the winter of 1888-89, Bro. Geo. T. Clayton 
 and Charles Koonce cam^e into our community, 
 near Cochran's Mills, Armstrong Co., Pa., preach- 
 ing what was generally termed ^^a new doctrine," 
 that was * burning the world upside down." Re- 
 ports flew thick and fast about thes,e holiness 
 folks" that were coming. Some said, ^'They claim 
 to be better than Christ," and Wings are grow- 
 ing on their shoulders, so that ere long they will 
 fly away." 
 
 I was a boy sixteen years old, and the first 
 night of the service walked four miles to the 
 meeting. I went mostly out of curiosity. Brother 
 Clayton preached. I think he read about fifty 
 texts of Scripture. The reference method of preach- 
 
24 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 ing wias generally used among the brethren thjen. 
 He presented a point, then proved it by a text 
 out of the Bible; and it s,eemed that each text 
 explained the previous one. I never before heard 
 such preaching. That first sermon made a dieep 
 impression on my mind. I said to the boys on 
 the way home from the meeting, ^^That man 
 preaches the Bible. He proves everything by the 
 Word of God/' 
 
 I went the second night. Brother Koonce 
 j)reached on the subject of the church. My wife 
 (or the girl who later became my wife, then a 
 girl of fourteen) and her father rod^ horseback 
 several miles to this meeting. They were holi- 
 ness people who belonged to the Mennonite 
 Brethren in Christ. At the close of the sermon 
 an invitation was given, and my wife's father 
 went forward to the altar. I watched and listened. 
 Brother Clayton asked him, *^Have you come to 
 be saved?" ^*No," he replied, am saved." 
 ^*Do you desire to consecrate for entire sancti- 
 fication?" **No, I am sanctified." *^Then what 
 are you here for?" I shall never forget the reply: 
 ^'I am here to consecrate out of sect-Biabylon. " 
 That night settled it with him. My father-in-law 
 was the first one in the neighborhood to take a 
 firm stand outside of human organizations, and 
 soon his entire family and many others followed. 
 During that meeting a considerable congregation 
 was raised up for the present truth. 
 
EARLY LIFE 25 
 
 A few weeks later Bro. D. S. Warner and com- 
 pany came. They arrived in spring-wagons from 
 Blanco, Pa., a distance of about thirty miles. I 
 was working with my father in the field when 
 they passed down the road singing "The River 
 of Peace'' and shouting "halleluiah." We never 
 before witnessed such a scene. I attended all the 
 services. The spiritual singing from "Songs of 
 Victory" and "Anthems from the Throne" simply 
 captured us. We had never heard such beautiful 
 singing. Brother Warner's preaching was all 
 doctrinal. In the midst of his sermons sometimes 
 nearly all those who believed as he did were on 
 their feet with uplifted hands and shining faces 
 shouting and praising God. It was not unusual 
 for Brother Warner to leap and shout in the pul- 
 pit. All this was new and strange to us; but I 
 was never able to shake off the convictions which 
 fastened on my h^eart that these people had a 
 genuine heart-felt religion, and preached the clean, 
 Bible truth. In my heart I said, "I w^ant their 
 kind of religion." 
 
 Later, oth^er companies of evangelists came, 
 among them A. J. Kilpatrick, S. L. Speck, J. A. 
 Dillon, and Wm. G. Schell. I attended all their 
 meetings, and became more and more convinced 
 of the truth they preached. But all this time I 
 was a Lutheran in form. To keep in with the 
 popular crowd, I even made light of these new 
 preachers and people, and professed to be against 
 
26 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 them, while deep in my heart I admired them and 
 their teachings, and longed to cast my lot with 
 the true church of God. I am qertain there are 
 thousands just like I was. In their hearts they 
 are convinced of the teaching, but are ashamed 
 and afraid to acknowledge it publicly. 
 
 EXAMPLE OF OTHERS 
 
 The great apostle Paul said, ''Those things, 
 which ye have both learned, and received, and 
 heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace 
 shall be with you.'' Again, he sp^eaks thus, **Ye 
 have us for an example." Jesus laid down this 
 principle and set forth the responsibility of the 
 church, ''Let your light so shine before men, that 
 they may see your good works, and glorify your 
 father which is in heaven.'' 
 
 It was not the preaching alone that convinced 
 me of the true Bible way. A number of people 
 accepted the truth, and a good-sized congregation 
 was established in our neighborhood. All eyes 
 were turned upon them; for much more was ex- 
 pected of those who made such a high profession 
 than of the other people. Thus these were a 
 "gazing-stock" for the public. How carefully we 
 observed their every word and act! 
 
 This shows the responsibility and relation of the 
 church as a whole. The assembly is judged by 
 the individual life of each member. If the life 
 
EARLY LIFE 
 
 27 
 
 is abov,e reproach, clean and pure, then the local 
 work as a whole commands confidence and respect. 
 But if the deportment of the one with whom the 
 observer comes in contact is not commendable, 
 then he is inclined to lose confidence in the assem- 
 bly with whom that one worships. This is always 
 the result. And the same is true of the congre- 
 gation as a whole. The general or universal church 
 is judged by the local assembly. If the assembly 
 is made up of all saved, spiritual members, in 
 love and unity with each other, then the observers 
 of that community will judge the whole cause 
 by the spiritual state of the local part. You see, 
 each member, and each assembly, is a part of the 
 whole. So the whole is judged by that part which 
 falls under the people's observation. 
 
 Now this was the exact truth in my case. I 
 looked carefully into the lives of those with whom 
 I came in contact, and I reckoned that they were 
 a sample of all the rest. We stand on the bank 
 of a river and judge the entire stream by what 
 flows before us. A preacher from western Texas 
 was holding meetings on the eastern coast of 
 Florida. How he enjoyed the Atlantic Ocean! He 
 thought, ^'If Wife and the children could only 
 see this!" Then an idea came into his mind. He 
 saw the neck of a bottle sticking out of the sand. 
 He pulled the bottle out, carefully washed it clean, 
 filled it from the briny deep, placed it in his 
 satchel, and carried it home. With delight he 
 
28 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 said to his family, ''This is a part of th^e Atlantic 
 Ocean and the rest is just like this/' 
 
 The brethren who embraced the whole truth in 
 the community where I lived carried out every 
 principle in their lives. They lived before my 
 eyes the very things that th,ey publicly professed. 
 I liked to mingle with them. I saw the beauties 
 and glories of a true Christian religion. It Was 
 demonstrated in a practical way. Many times I 
 said, ^'This is the religion that appeals to me.'* 
 
 In our neighborhood lived a man who bitterly 
 opposed the brethren. He especially persecuted 
 my father-in-law. F'rom the man's actions you 
 would conclude that he had no confidence in my 
 father-in-law. But after a time he became very 
 sick and was expected to die. The first one he sent 
 for was my father-in-law. When the latter en- 
 tered his room, the dying man said, Jacob, I 
 have sent for you to help me and to pray for 
 me. I have always believed that if there is a 
 genuine Christian in this country, you ar.e that 
 man." It pays to live right under every cir- 
 cumstance. 
 
 THE MEETING THAT WON MY HEART 
 
 Solomon said, * ' Cast thy bread upon the waters : 
 for thou shalt find it after many days." I have 
 learned through tliirty years of active ministerial 
 labor that very often when we think we have 
 accomplished the least is the very time when we 
 
EARLY LIFE 
 
 29 
 
 have perforiAed exploits for God. Those times 
 when I considered I had made my greatest fail- 
 ures in the pulpit, is when people came to me 
 and expressed how wonderfully they were bene- 
 fited by the sermon. Many times I have gone 
 home from meeting and said, ^'0 Wife, I made a 
 terrible failure out of it today! My God, why 
 is this!'' And to my surprize sh^e would reply, 
 **Tha,t was the best sermon you have preached 
 in a long time.'' 
 
 I think this was true of the meeting that won 
 more hearts to the truth than any other ever 
 held in our home neighborhood. For two years 
 the work had been established, and many com- 
 panies of evangelists had h^eld meetings there. 
 But still the minds of the rest of the people were 
 not settled as to which was really the right way. 
 During thes,e two years two young ministers of 
 the Pentecost Band movement came from Illinois 
 and held a big meeting. They bitterly denounced 
 the brethren and the Gospel Trumpet, and de- 
 clared that it was * * comeoutism, " * * no-sectism, " 
 * ^ stand-aloneism, " a '^serpent-deceiving, soul-de- 
 stroying, hell-gla2ied doctrine." Their seeming 
 power and bold public denunciations unsettled a 
 number of our minds for the time being. One 
 of these preachers afterwards was delivered from 
 evil spirits in one of our meetings at Grand Junc- 
 tion, Mich. He later confessed to me that the 
 timie he became possessed was in this very meet- 
 
30 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 ing where lie so radically opposed the brethren 
 and the Gospel Trumpet. 
 
 A few months later Brothers Sehell and Dillon 
 held a five-weeks' grove-meeting on my father-in- 
 law's farm, which was attended by multitudes 
 from far and near. Theiie were no apparent re- 
 sults, and, so far as I know, there was not a 
 single public profession made during the entire 
 meeting. I am of the opinion that the ministers 
 went away feeling that they had made almost a 
 complete failure. But, instead, it was one of the 
 most successful meetings ever held there. A great 
 number were fully convinced that this was the 
 true Bible way, and the gospel seed was sown in 
 many hearts. Among those convinced were my 
 father, mother, and I. From this meeting our 
 family ceased to worship with the Lutheran sect. 
 While we did not publicly take our stand with the 
 church of God, we had no doubt from this time 
 on but what the movement was of God, and that 
 these people represented the true church of the 
 Bible, 
 
REMINISCENCES 
 COVERING TWENTY-SEVEN 
 YEARS 
 
First Evangelistic Company 
 Standing, from reader's left, Ora Howard, Belle Sheldon 
 Sitting, H. M. Riggle and wife. 
 
H. M. Riggle while afflicted (see p. 100) 
 
REMINISCENCES COVERING TWENTY-SEVEN 
 
 YEARS 
 
 MY CONVERSION 
 
 In the fall of 1891 we moved from Pennsylvania 
 to Washington State. In the following July my 
 father met with an accid<ent and was instantly 
 killed. This greatly impressed me with the thought 
 of being ready to meet God. It had much to do 
 with bringing me to myself, and awakening me 
 to a realization of my lost condition. We re- 
 turned East the same year, and I was married. 
 In January, 1892, during a revival held by 
 Brothers Clayton and Jacobson, I went forward 
 to the public altar and yielded myself to Christ. 
 More than thirty others were converted in the 
 same meeting. 
 
 I was steeped in sin, my heart was like adamant, 
 and at first I could not pray. One thing I settled 
 that night upon my knees before God— to give 
 up sin forever. I made a decision that has stood 
 by me to this hour. I attribute at least one half 
 of the success of my Christian life to the decision 
 made in that service. A fixed decision, coupled 
 with the grace of God, will take us through. 
 
 But I did not obtain entire satisfaction tO' my 
 soul. The workers did not know how wicked was 
 my life and how seared was my conscience. They 
 
 33 
 
34 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 encouraged me to believe the work was done, and, 
 after some effort, I helped to sing, can, I will, 
 I do believe that Jesus saves me now/' I felt 
 better, and arose and testified to my determination 
 to serve God. But my heart was not fully broken. 
 
 broken and contrite spirit'' is necessary to a 
 thorough repentance. It is a sad mistake to hurry 
 souls through at the altar. I hav,e always since 
 been an advocate of thorough altar-work. The 
 mistake of that night cost me years of intense 
 suffering. However, I made a public start, and 
 this coupled with my determination, helped me to 
 keep striving ^'to enter in at the strait gate," and 
 keep seeking the Lord until "he rained righteous- 
 ness'' upon me. 
 
 A few weeks after this meeting my wife and 
 I moved to Bellingham, Wash. I kept on search- 
 ing and feeling after God "if haply I might find 
 him." The climax came on^e dark night in a log- 
 ging-camp at Goshen, Wash. I was in the midst 
 of as wicked a crowd of men as I had ever met. 
 On this particular night they were seated around 
 card-tables gambling and cursing each other. All 
 of a sudden, without any apparent provocation, 
 the head man of the camp arose from his seat 
 and began pacing back and forth uttering the 
 most horrid oaths I ever heard fall from the lips 
 of man. He cursed God, and called him all kinds 
 of bad names, and then, looking up, dared the 
 Almighty to touch him. I became affrighted, and 
 
REMINISCENCES 
 
 35 
 
 expected tliat the Lord wiould instantly destroy 
 the place as he did Sodom, and we should all 
 perish together. Just at this moment a circum- 
 stance happened that struck the arrows of con- 
 viction deep into my soul. I hastily withdrew 
 from the crowd and went behind a curtain. Fall- 
 ing upon my knees by my bedside, I began call- 
 ing mightily upon the Lord for miercy. I there 
 promised God that if he would save me, my en- 
 tire life should be his forevermore. My heart 
 began to break, and the tears flowed freely. What 
 a load of guilt pressed down upon me! It seemed 
 all the sins of my past life came before me like a 
 panorama. 
 
 In that dark hour I cried: Where shall I go? 
 What shall I doT^ It seemed as though my life 
 was suspended by a brittle thread, and I was swing- 
 ing over the vortex of hell. I trembled like a leaf 
 in the wind. I could see the sword of justice hang- 
 ing over me. There seemed to be no way of es- 
 cape. But above the elements, that would seal my 
 doom in certain perdition, I saw a faint ray of 
 light, and a tender voice said, **Gome unto ME, 
 I will give you rest.'' Oh, thank God for that 
 invitation! I am glad I ever heard it. But again 
 I cried, *^I am lost. I am lost." The same gentle 
 voice once more rang out, **I came to seek and 
 to save that which was lost.'' At that instant 
 hope sprang up in my bosom, and I began to see 
 the goodness of God to me, I saw! how he had 
 
36 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 prolonged my days, extended to me his mercy, 
 and now so lovingly offered to save me. Oih, 
 how sorry I felt that I had ever sinned against 
 such a loving Christ. I wept like a child. Then 
 and there I bade farewell to sin forever. I died 
 out to the world and the opinions of men. I 
 promised Grod to follow and obey him at all times 
 and under every circumstance. It was only a few 
 moments till faith sprang up in my heart and I 
 said, Jesus saves me. I am his, and he is mine.'' 
 Oh, the joy that filled my soul! The burden of 
 my heart rolled away. It seemed all heaven was 
 near. I knew my sins were gone, and I was 
 God's child. Happy day, when Jesus washed 
 my sins away!" 
 
 FEELING THE NEED OF A ''SECOND GRACE" 
 
 Paul says in Eom. 5:1-5, Therefore being 
 justified by faith, we have peace with God through 
 our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have 
 access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, 
 and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 
 . . . Because the love of God is shed abroad 
 in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given 
 unto us." Notice the language of this text: 
 Justified by faith . . . through our Lord Jesus 
 Christ"; ^'Also we have access hy faith into this 
 grace wherein we stand." Here are two graces: 
 first, justified"; second, ^Hhis grace wherein we 
 
REMINISCENCES 
 
 37 
 
 stand/' in which ''the love of God is shed abroad 
 in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given 
 unto us/' The reception of the Holy Spirit, the 
 standing grace, is a second experience. It is sub- 
 sequent to ''being justified/' Both graces are 
 entered ' ' by faith, ' ' and both are ' ' through Christ. ' ' 
 There is a twofold entrance, just as the Jewish 
 tabernacle had its first and second veil. The holy 
 place represented justification. The holy of holies, 
 entire sanctification, or the state of being baptized 
 by the Holy Ghost. 
 
 Holiness is a golden thread that runs through 
 the whole fabric of gospel truth. It is the climax 
 of full salvation from sin, and is attainable in 
 this life. By departing from this truth the early 
 church opened the doors to every conceivable error 
 that swept to and fro in the first centuries of her 
 history, and the way was paved for the great 
 apostasy that has cursed Christianity for more 
 than fifteen hundred years. True holiness is des- 
 tined to restore to the church her pristine glory. 
 It is on the "highway of holiness" that the ran- 
 somed of the Lord are now returning from the 
 low plains of a sin-you-must religion and false 
 Christianity to the heights of Zion, to the beau- 
 tiful church of God, gathered back into primitive 
 unity, power, and victory. 
 
 This was the grand theme of all the early 
 X-)reachers in the present reformation movement. 
 They made holiness the great center of the work, 
 
38 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 and urged the experience upon all. I was imbued 
 with this idea. Even before I heard the clear teach- 
 ing of the church of God movement, the Wesleyans 
 and Mennonite Brethren in Christ in our com- 
 munity had taught sanctification as a second work 
 of grace. A number of people sought and obtained 
 the experience, and demonstrated the deeper life 
 before my eyes. 
 
 The teaching of the Bible on this subject and 
 my comprehension of it convicted me for the ex- 
 perience. After I entered the holy place of re- 
 generation I saw no chair, couch, or stool to sit 
 on. There was here no place to linger. The only 
 furniture was a lamp to light my way, a table of 
 shew-bread— the bread of life to nourish my soul— 
 and before me the golden altar, Christ, where I 
 was instructed to present my body a living sacri- 
 fice so that I might "enter into the holiest [per- 
 fected holiness] by the blood of Jesus.*' A voice 
 said: *Go on unto perfection,' this is not your 
 abiding place." 
 
 There was something else besides the Bible 
 teaching that prompted me to seek a deeper ex- 
 perience of grace. It was a foe within. I knew 
 that my sins were all forgiven. I was happy in 
 the joy of pardon, deliverance, and adoption. A 
 new life had come into my soul. But very soon 
 after my conversion the old nature began to assert 
 itself. It was manifest in various ways, but es- 
 pecially in carnal anger. Before I was saved I 
 
REMINISCENCES 
 
 39 
 
 had a terrible, almost uncontrollable temper. This 
 was my weakest point. There were times, under 
 strong provocation, when this carnal propensity 
 almost overcame me. It was only by calling might- 
 ily upon the Lord that I kept control of myself. 
 I really feared at times that I would lose my 
 experience because of the warfare within. 
 
 I well remember how I longed for deliverance. 
 My soul hungered and thirsted for more grace, for 
 the mighty infilling of God's perfect righteous- 
 ness. I wanted to move out of this ''wilderness'' 
 experience into the "Canaan rest." My soul 
 yearned for the pentecostal baptism. I felt the 
 need of an enduement of divine power. 
 
 The experience of a pioneer settler on the 
 Western plains of Nebraska illustrates my exper- 
 ience very well. He built a sod house with a small 
 loft in which was a single window. In those days 
 great hordes of wolves swept across the prairies. 
 He captured one and kept it in his house as a pet. 
 One dark night a cohort of wolves attacked his 
 home. He fired his gun; but they only scampered 
 away to return again. The thing that emboldened 
 them was the wolf within. When the wild wolves 
 howled without, the pet wolf responded from with- 
 in. It soon became apparent to the man that to 
 save his life he must get rid of the wolf on the 
 inside. He climbed into the loft, opened the small 
 window, and threw the animal out. Then when the 
 howling began there was no response from within. 
 
40 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 Tlie next time he fired his gun, the whole pack 
 ran away and returned no more that night. 
 
 SEEKING ENTIRE SANCTIFICATION 
 
 Jesus instructed the disciples to tarry ... in 
 the city of Jerusalem, until they were endued 
 with power from on high.'' They returned to 
 Jerusalem with great joy: and were continually 
 in the temple, praising and blessing God'' (Luke 
 24:49, 52, 53). These all continued with one ac- 
 cord in prayer and supplication" (Acts 1:14). 
 
 Scarcely two persons can be found who relate 
 exactly the same detailed experience in their com- 
 ing to a knowledge of the indwelling Comforter. 
 Two things are necessary on the part of every be- 
 liever to enter this state of Christian perfection, 
 namely, consecration and faith. When the Holy 
 Spirit comes in, he witnesses to the work done. 
 ^'He hath perfected forever them that are sancti- 
 fied. Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness 
 to us" (Heb. 10:14, 15). But in reaching a per- 
 fect consecration and a definite faith that appro- 
 priates the blessing to our hearts, we may not all 
 come just the same way. No one dare say, ^^This 
 is the way I reached the place. It is the only 
 route, and unless you have come this way you 
 have not obtained the experience." Such teach- 
 ing has wrought great confusion, and thrown good, 
 conscientious people under awful accusation. 
 
REMINISCENCES 
 
 41 
 
 I am convinced that the teacliing has much to do 
 with the manner of seeking. For example, Fletcher, 
 in his writings, specialized along the line of "dy- 
 ing out to sin,'' '^crucifying the old man," and 
 seeking a clean heart." Hence the various 
 branches of Methodist holiness people have em- 
 phasized this particular phase. The result is, their 
 seekers follow this route. A notable case in point 
 is that of the Free Methodist Church. That many 
 of them have attained a real experience of holiness 
 no one can question. On the other hand, there 
 are many movements along the line of holiness 
 which in their preaching enlarge on the baptism 
 of power," the ''mighty infilling," and the "over- 
 whelming blessing." In their meetings the seek- 
 ers think little of dying out to carnality, but 
 simply plead for the "second blessing/^ Then 
 there are others who make consecration the prom- 
 inent thing. The seekers "lay all on the altar," 
 and "the altar sanctifies the gift." 
 
 Oh, the importance of well-balanced teaching! 
 The negative and positive sides of the doctrine 
 should be set forth in all clearness. The ten days 
 of waiting on the part of the first disciples was 
 spent in "prayer and supplication," and in "prais- 
 ing and blessing God." They - obtained the gen- 
 uine experience. In their case we read of no 
 groanings, no weird or wild actions, simply praying 
 and praising God. Take the case of Cornelius in 
 Acts 10: "While Peter yet spake these words, the 
 
42 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the 
 word.'' That Paul taught a death to sin, a cruci- 
 fixion of our old nature, is very clear. He also 
 taught the need of a deep and thorough consecra- 
 tion. But to say that a person must go through 
 a certain process covering days and weeks in order 
 to reach the condition in which the Holy Spirit 
 is given, is not warranted in the Scriptures. 
 
 Soon after my conversion I began to pray for 
 entire sanctification. I determined never to stop 
 short of a satisfactory experience. The consecra- 
 tion I made was something like this: Q-od, 
 I here and now dedicate my all to thee forever- 
 more— my body to be thy holy temple, and every 
 member to be used to thy glory: my hands to 
 labor for thee, my feet to walk in thy footsteps, 
 my ears to hear thy voice, my mind to think and 
 meditate upon thy goodness, and my mouth to 
 speak thy everlasting praise. Come into this 
 temple and decorate it to suit thyself. My soul I 
 dedicate to be a receptacle of all thy rich graces; 
 my heart to be thy throne. I sign a quitclaim to 
 myself. I am, without reserve, thine for time and 
 eternity.'^ Along with myself, I fully gave 
 wife, children, and possessions into the Lord's 
 hands. At this point a real circumcision of the 
 heart took place. I shall never forget the pangs 
 of death through which I passed. It was as real 
 to me as though I saw each member of my f-amily 
 lowered into the grave. Whether others exper- 
 
REMINISCENCES 
 
 43 
 
 ience what I did is immateiiai to me. This is 
 the route along wiiich the Spirit led me. 1 am 
 glad i took this "death route." 
 
 When in later years I was called to spend about 
 ten months of the year away from home in the 
 evangelistic field, and after but a few days with 
 my family at home had to rush away to the Lord^s 
 harvest-field again, and my weeping wife and 
 children clung to me and said, "0 Papa, stay with 
 us a few days longer," but duty compelled me to 
 grasp my satchel and wave them good-by, I was 
 comforted because I had already consecrated to 
 this very thing. When the white casket contain- 
 ing my fourteen-year-old daughter, who was burned 
 to death, was lowered into the grave, I stood silent, 
 and with a sweet, calm resignation could say, "The 
 Lord giveth, the Lord hath taken away. Blessed 
 be the name of the Lord." My consecration made 
 years before covered this. I passed through the 
 heart-rending pangs back there. Oh, halleluiah! 
 How sweet to be entirely consecrated on every 
 line! When the Lord made clear to me to go to 
 Syria, and when on Dec. 7, 1920, the train pulled 
 out of Rochester, Indiana, U. S. A., and my chil- 
 dren with tears streaming down their faces stood 
 on the platform Waving farewells, my consecra- 
 tion came before me. I calmly said, "The will 
 of the Lord be done." When in hours of deep 
 discouragement and dark trial the enemy has whis- 
 pered, "Throw up everything and quit for good," 
 
44 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 my consecration has upheld me like a rock. I thank 
 God that I took time to count the cost, and then 
 paid the price. 
 
 I died to sin. It seemed that all the elements 
 of my fallen nature were dissected and laid bare 
 by the sword of the Spirit— selfishness, pride, 
 anger, stubbornness, and all the rest. Like Agag, 
 each began to plead for life and say, Surely the 
 bitterness of death is past.^' Like the C'anaanites 
 of old who were bom and bred in the land, these 
 principles were a part of me, I inherited them. 
 But as certain as the Canaanites had to be utterly 
 destroyed in order for Israel to possess the land 
 and have rest, so the **body of sin,'' my ^^old 
 man,'' with all his members, must be brought to 
 the cross and made to pass through the pangs of 
 death. This was real to me. It was not an empty 
 theory. I shall never forget the inward suffer- 
 ings. All these experiences have been worth a 
 world to me. They forever anchored me in the 
 experience and doctrine of true holiness. During 
 my ministry many new and false theories have 
 been introduced. And at first they looked plaus- 
 ible; but when I looked back to the way the Holy 
 Spirit taught and led me, I felt like a rock in the 
 billows. 
 
 John's mother was an oldTfashioned holiness 
 woman. She taught her principles to her boy. 
 When he grew to manhood, she sent him to the 
 theological school to be trained for the ministry. 
 
EEMINISCENCES 
 
 45 
 
 After he finished his course and returned home 
 with his diploma, he began to argue with his 
 mother against sanctification as a second work. 
 He had learned differently during his absence. 
 Being a fluent speaker, he was able to get the best 
 of the argument. Finally his mother said: **John, 
 yo^ can speak better dan yose mudder. Yose got 
 yer relijun in yer head; but yose mudder has de 
 experence m her heart, and yo' can not take it 
 from her.'^ That is the point. I am inclined to 
 believe that the majority who are led off into 
 new theories have never reached the depths of a 
 living experience. 
 
 BAPTIZED WITH THE HOLY GHOST 
 
 **He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and 
 with fire'' (Matt. 3:11). *'For the promise is 
 unto you, and to your children, and to all that 
 are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God 
 shall calP' (Acts 2:39). *^The Holy Ghost, whom 
 God hath given to them that obey him'' (Acts 
 5:32). 
 
 Perfect holiness comprehends not only a puri- 
 fying of our nature from the effects of the fall, 
 but also the infilling of the blessed Comforter. 
 We get rid of something and, thank God, we re- 
 ceive something. Our hearts are cleansed from 
 sin, and the Holy Spirit takes possession of the 
 temple. Thus we are the habitation of God 
 through the Spirit." 
 
46 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 When I was a boy on the farm my father 
 assigned me a certain job about every spring. 
 Usually there was left over considerable musty 
 straw and hay in the bam, and it was my work 
 to clear this out. But after all this was pitched 
 out of the mows into the barnyard there was 
 nothing left except an empty bam. Nothing at- 
 tractive about that. It was when the bam was 
 filled with new wheat and hay that it was an at- 
 tractive place. 
 
 So with salvation. The Prodigal got rid of his 
 rags and filth; but he also received the ^^best 
 robe'' and shoes for his feet." He exchanged 
 the gmnts of the swine for music and dancing," 
 and his hunger for a feast on the fatted calf." 
 In the experience of entire sanctification we re- 
 joice in a clean heart, in a thorough purging from 
 sin; but along with this we thank God for the in- 
 filling power of the Holy Ghost, the abiding Com- 
 forter. 
 
 I did not seek for manifestations, for certain ex- 
 periences, or fmits of the Spirit, but I sought for 
 the Spirit himself. I received him. He cleansed 
 my heart, filled me with power, and all my 
 being with the glory of God. I was sensitively 
 conscious of his sw'eet indwelling presence. Then 
 I could sing: 
 
 "Yes, 'tis love, 'tis burning love divine. 
 Filling all my soul's desire; 
 Oh. how sweet its glories ever shine! 
 Now I feel the glowino- fire." 
 
REMINISCENCES 
 
 47 
 
 CALLED TO GOSPEL WORK 
 
 *^Paul, . . . called to be an apostle, separated 
 unto the gospel of God" (Rom. 1:1). 
 
 ''The Holy Ghost hath made you overseers" 
 (Acts 20:28). 
 
 "Woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel." 
 -Paul. 
 
 Every true minister is divinely called. Jesus 
 said, "I have chosen you." Not every member 
 of the church is called to the special work of the 
 ministry, but "he gave some, apostles; . . . and 
 some evangelists," etc., "for the work of the min- 
 istry, for the edifying of the body of Christ"— 
 the church. Thus this sacred office is not entered 
 as a matter of our own selection as we would 
 choose any other vocation in life. It is the result 
 of a heavenly calling, where the divine will enters. 
 The Lord said of Paul, "He is a chosen vessel 
 unto me." This is true of every God-ordained 
 preacher of the gospel. 
 
 Since the call and qualification comes from God, 
 our authority does not rest upon diplomas, the 
 ^'otes of synods and conferences, nor the endorse- 
 ments of bishops, but we are "ambassadors for 
 Christ/^ sent forth under a divine commission and 
 clothed with all the authority and power of the 
 kingdom of heaven. Such charismatic government 
 characterized the primitive ministry and church, 
 and the same again adorns her in her restored con- 
 dition, resplendent in this evening time with the 
 
48 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 glory of pristine Christianity. The church and 
 world need a ministry of power, men anointed and 
 inspired, who have a living message for a dying 
 people. 
 
 I am not a preacher by personal choice. Miy 
 father once talked of sending me to Theil College 
 to study for the Lutheran ministry; but at that 
 time I was not even converted. It was only a 
 very short time after I was saved that a great 
 burden came upon my heart for this lost world, 
 and I felt I must go everywhere and tell others 
 how Jesus saved a poor sinner like me. I began 
 to lose interest in temporal pursuits and found 
 myself longing to enter active service in the Mas- 
 ter's vineyard. While I was musing the fire 
 burned. As Jeremiah expressed it, ^^His Word 
 was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in 
 my bones'' and **I could not stay." 
 
 After I received the baptism of the Holy Spirit 
 this inward conviction and feeling was intensified. 
 The Lord made clear to me that I must forsake all 
 my plans and purposes of life, and devote the 
 rest of my days to him. He separated me unto 
 the gospel,'' and I must make it my life's work. 
 Every energy of my being, every faculty of my 
 soul must be laid upon the altar of sacrifice and 
 service to him. I believe my call was as definite 
 as my conversion. Before this I had consecrated 
 to the whole will of God, and now, since he made 
 his will in this particular clearly known, it was a 
 
REMINISCENCES 
 
 49 
 
 pleasure to say, '^Tlie will of the Lord be done." 
 Oh, that more hearts and lives were dedicated 
 without reserve to God! He would then choose 
 more vessels of mercy" to bear the living waters 
 of salvation to the thirsty souls of men. 
 
 HOW I PREACHED MY FIRST SERMON 
 
 It was in May, 1893, just three months after I 
 was saved. We were living in New Whatcom 
 (now Bellingham), Washington. One Sunday 
 morning I suggested to my wife that we attend 
 Free Methodist services, as they were the only 
 holiness people we knew of in the place. After 
 the sermon, an opportunity was given for testi- 
 monies, or, in Methodist terms, a class-meeting" 
 was held. This was open to all and we availed 
 ourselves of the opportunity to tell wihat God had 
 done for us. Both of us testified to the saving, 
 sanctifying, and healing power of God. 
 
 But we did not stop at this. Being exceed- 
 ingly zealous" for what we believed to be the 
 truth, we felt that we must tell all we knew. So 
 we told them that through spiritual birth we were 
 members of the one and only Bible church— the 
 church of God. That religious sects and divisions 
 are wrong and sinful, and that the time has come 
 when the Lord is gathering his people out of all 
 these places where they have been scattered in 
 the cloudy and dark day." I confess that we had 
 
50 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 more zeal than wisdom. But Grod overruled it to 
 his glory. 
 
 What we said aroused a great interest. As soon 
 as the meeting was dismissed, the members crowd- 
 ed around us and asked me to preach for them 
 in the evening. The pastor said, Please preach 
 us a sermon on the church; I vTlant to hear more 
 along this line.'^ I told them that I had never 
 preached a sermon. Wife was scared for fear I 
 should consent, and earnestly protested, saying, 
 ^^No, no, he is no preacher. Please don't ask him to 
 preach.'' But they were not easily put off. We 
 had created an interest, and they insisted that I 
 preach to them something about this one true 
 church of God. Finally I consented. 
 
 My wife turned pale, and I felt as though my 
 heart was in my throat. We had about one mile 
 to walk home, and I question whether a dozen 
 words passed between us all the way. We were 
 both thinking deeply. I shall never forget that 
 afternoon. It was a time of anxiety, fear, and 
 trembling. I spent it in earnest prayer, pleading 
 with the Lord to help me. I am certain that my 
 wife called mightily upon the Lord; for she was 
 afraid I should make a complete failure. 
 
 The sermon outline I prepared follows: 
 THE CHURCH 
 
 Text- Matt. 16:13-18. 
 
 Text analyzed. 
 
 1. The church is divine. Christ built it. 
 WILL BUTLD." 
 
REMINISCENCES 
 
 51 
 
 2. It is his church. ''MY church." 
 
 3. There is but one true church. *'MY 
 CHURCH." 
 
 4. It will stand forever, hence there is no need of 
 any other. ''The gates of hell shall not pre- 
 vail against it." 
 
 I. It is the body of Christ. Eph. 1:22, 23; Col. 
 1:18, 24. 
 
 n. Christ has but one body— church. Eiph. 4:4-6; 
 Rom. 12:4, 5. 
 
 III. Sects or divisions in this body are wrong. 
 
 1 Cor. 12:24, 25 ; 1 Cor. 1:10. 
 
 IV. Salvation makes us members. John 10:7, 9; 
 
 Acts 2:47; 1 Cor. 12:13, 18. 
 
 V. Its name is the church of God. Acts 20:28; 
 
 1 Cor. 1:1, 2. 
 
 VI. The class-book is the book of life. Phil. 4: 
 
 3; Luke 10:20. 
 
 VII. The discipline is the New Testament. 2 
 Tim. 3:16, 17. 
 
 VIII. Its bond of union is the love of God. 
 Col. 2:2. 
 
 IX. We need nothing else. Col. 2:10. 
 
 That evening we walked silently together to the 
 church. I was trembling from head to feet. "When 
 we reached the place, to our surprize the house 
 was crowded to its capacity. The minister had 
 spread the announcement that a new preacher 
 
52 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 from Pennsylvania would address them, and this 
 resulted in a record attendance. When I saw the 
 large congregation, my courage almost failed me. 
 My wife will not be whiter when she lays in her 
 casket than she was at that moment. 
 
 After song and prayer, with lips quivering and 
 my whole frame shaking I managed to walk to 
 the stand in front of the pulpit. I did not feel 
 worthy to enter the pulpit. I opened my Bible, 
 and with stammering tongue read the text. That 
 instant it seemed the windows of heaven were 
 opened, and the Holy Spirit fell upon me. My 
 mouth was opened, my tongue unloosed, and I 
 was changed into another man. For more than 
 one hour the truth went forth like thunder-peals. 
 Soon Wife was on her feet shouting, the Free 
 Methodists were shouting, and gravitation could 
 not keep me down either. I was leaping for joy 
 and gladness. My wife afterwards told me that 
 the language used was most eloquent. It was the 
 Holy Grhost using the vocal organs to please him- 
 self. Praise God for the experience of that hour. 
 I never after doubted my caU to the ministry. 
 
 The result of that service will be fully known 
 only in eternity. One family took a bold stand 
 with us, and this laid the foundation for future 
 work in that city. A few years later a good- 
 sized congregation was established, and an annual 
 camp-meeting was held in Bellingham. 
 
REMINISCENCES 
 
 53 
 
 GIVEN THE GIFT OF PROPHECY 
 
 *'For to one is given by the Spirit the word 
 of wisdom ; ... to another prophecy (1 Cor. 
 12:8-11). 
 
 In July, 1893, we returned from Puget Sound, 
 Wash., to my boyhood home in Pennsylvania. I 
 soon publicly announced my call, and also my in- 
 tention to enter the ministry. Here all my rela- 
 tives and former associates lived, and my announce- 
 ment at once became the topic of the whole com- 
 munity. I then gave out a preaching-service to 
 be held on a Sunday evening in the Shelhamer 
 Church. Some of my near kin said, ^^What a 
 pity! Had he remained with the Lutherans, he 
 might have amounted to something.'' 
 
 Sunday arrived, and I was aware that a multi- 
 tude of people were coming, the majority no doubt 
 through curiosity. I spent the day wrestling with 
 God. That whole afternoon I was upon my knees 
 under a large chestnut- tree on the hillside, weep- 
 ing and humbling my heart before the Lord. I 
 shall never forget the struggles my soul passed 
 through. I shall always remember how utterly 
 dependent upon the Holy Spirit I felt. I entered 
 into a number of covenants with the Lord and 
 made solemn promises of what I would do if he 
 would stand by me and give me success. This 
 kind of preparation some brethren have termed [ 
 "knee-olog}\" Call it what you may, those early ' 
 struggles were worth a World to me in after years. 
 
56 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 We cut our own grooves, and then say that the 
 
 Holy Spirit must work inside these; all else is 
 false manifestation. When will we break through 
 and let God have his way? How long, 0 Lord? 
 I have been greatly burdened over this very thing. 
 We are too fearful of the ''diversities of gifts," 
 the ''differences of administrations,'' and of the 
 "diversities of operations'' (1 Cor. 12:4-6). It 
 is the same Spirit, the same Lord, and the same 
 God "which worketh all in all." A very careful 
 reading of the Scriptures reveals the fact tha,t 
 the Holy Ghost has worked in some very strange 
 and mysterious ways at different times. At least 
 in ways that seem strange to us. Oh, that we as 
 a church would without reserve abandon ourselves 
 into his hands, and let him work as he pleases! 
 As long as we dictate and legislate for the Holy 
 Spirit, we limit the field of his operation. 
 
 I will here relate an experience that fell under 
 my observation. About twenty years ago, Bro. 
 I. S. McCoy and my wife and I were conducting a 
 revival-meeting at Olive Bethel, Ind. The Hunter 
 family lived there at the time. Father Hunter 
 was a very timid man. It was all he could ever 
 do to summon courage to give in a very short 
 testimony. On this particular morning, Brother 
 McCoy preached a powerful sermon under the 
 anointing of the Spirit. The whole place seemed 
 charged with heaven's electricity, and the congre- 
 gation were on the direct line with the power- 
 
REMINISCENCES 
 
 57 
 
 house on high. All of a sudden Father Hunter 
 arose, his face shining like an angePs, and he be- 
 gan to exhort and testify to the surprize of every- 
 body. He shouted and praised God aloud, and 
 then went from seat to seat and shook hands with 
 the entire congregation. 
 
 Wife and I went home with the Hunters for 
 dinner that day. At the table Sigel and Clarence 
 said to their father, ^'We never saw you act like 
 that before." He seemed surprized at their re- 
 mark, and then inquired what they meant. When 
 the boys related what had occurred, it was all news 
 to him. He said that the last he remembered he 
 had stood up to testify, and when he came to him- 
 self he Was sitting on his seat. He knew nothing 
 of what had taken place. Here the Holy Spirit 
 had Ids way. I do not say that the Spirit can not 
 have his way unless there is a similar manifes- 
 tation. That is not the point. The Holy Ghost is 
 unlimited in resources and will operate in a "di- 
 versity'' of ways, if we will give him the chance. 
 
 I could relate many similar experiences. It 
 goes to show that the Spirit of God will accom- 
 plish his pleasure if we will let him. Brethren, I 
 believe God is nursing a storm in the heavens, 
 and I pray God it may soon break upon us. Oh, 
 that heaven's lightning would strike the church and 
 burn up the dry sticks! Let it come. Lord. I can 
 hear the distant thunder-roll. 
 
60 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 1 never before heard such a sermon. For three 
 and one half hours the message came forth like 
 mighty thunder-peals. People sat spell-bound dur- 
 ing all that time. I trembled under the mighty 
 power of God. Under such preaching, it was noc 
 difficult to find the highway that leads to Zion. 
 And the ransomed of the Lord came home with 
 everlasting jay. 
 
 The altars were well filled with seekers for 
 salvation and entire sanctification. There were 
 many sound conversions, and the babes in Christ 
 were not bom dead. They came through making 
 "a joyful noise unto the Lord." The whole camp 
 seemed aflame with glory. Every saint of God 
 was inspired with the great message of the refor- 
 mation, and all had confidence in the work. There 
 was a sweet spirit of love and unity. It was 
 truly wonderful. It seemed to be the gate of 
 heaven to me. My soul had a continual feast of 
 tabernacles.'' This meeting was a great inspi- 
 ration to me to go forth with zeal and earnestness 
 and herald far and wide the '^present truth." 
 
 OPENING NEW FIELDS OF WORK 
 
 In the latter part of October, 1893, Wife and I 
 launched out into the active work of the ministry, 
 and from then until the present we have given our 
 full time to the gospel work. A friend told us 
 of a United Brethren church at North Point, Pa., 
 in which we could hold meetings. He offered to 
 
REMINISCENCES 
 
 61 
 
 take us in his buckboard buggy, the distance being 
 thirty-eight miles. We packed our satchel and 
 started over the hills on our first evangelistic 
 tour. Our company consisted of Wife, our baby, 
 and me. The people with whom we lodged made 
 no profession of religion. 
 
 We continued this meeting for seventeen nights. 
 The country was stirred for miles, and the atten- 
 dance was very large. I had no older minister on 
 whom to depend, therefore had to dig out my ser- 
 mons upon my knees. I spent most of the time 
 between meetings in prayer and the study of the 
 Word. I have always thanked God for these ex- 
 periences. Had I started out with older brethren, 
 I would have depended much upon them to do the 
 preaching and to bear the responsibility. As it 
 was, we were thrown upon our own resources, and 
 had to lean heavily upon God for wisdom and 
 guidance. 
 
 A congregation of about thirty believers took 
 their stand for the truth we preached. At one 
 time seventeen members of the United Brethren 
 denomination handed in their names to be taken 
 from their church's class-book. Among these were 
 three persons who afterwards became active min- 
 isters—Ann F. Eakman, Annie Cheatham, and 
 Ora Howard (Mrs. T), O. Teasley). A goodly 
 number of sinners were saved, and some believers 
 sanctified. There was marked opposition from the 
 sectarian element. They threatened to close the 
 
62 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 ohurcli-liouse against us; but only two of the 
 trustees favored this, while three stood in our 
 favor. At the close of the meeting the new con- 
 gregation withdrew to a hall offered freely by a 
 merchant who was a non-professor of religion. 
 This hall became the permanent place of worship 
 for the brethren, until in later years a new church- 
 building was erected. 
 
 This was my first revival-meeting. But all was 
 not sunshine. We had some unpleasant exper- 
 iences, and these helped to ripen us for future 
 usefulness. After the first week of the meeting 
 our baby contracted pneumonia. The people with 
 whom we lodged refused us a light at night, and 
 we were placed in the coldest room in the house. 
 As Wife and I had most of the singing for the 
 meeting to do, we were compelled to leave the 
 child with the folk during services. We were 
 fully trusting the Lord for healing, and told the 
 people so. But, despite our protests, while we 
 were absent to meeting they poulticed the child. 
 We set a day of fasting and prayer; but they in- 
 formed us that we must eat while under their roof. 
 Wife then took the baby home to her people, and 
 came back to assist in the meetings. After three 
 months we returned home, but our child did not 
 recognize us, and would not own us. Wife cried 
 all night over this. It takes all kinds of weather 
 to ripen fruit to perfection, and these checkered 
 experiences simply developed quality for service. 
 
REMINISCENCES 
 
 63 
 
 From North Point we drove across the country 
 a distance of six miles to Georgeville, Pa. Many 
 of the readers of this book have seen the cartoons 
 
 Bringing Up Father," by George McMannus. 
 It was the father of George McMannus who offer- 
 ed us a small hall to hold meetings in. With 
 some assistance we scrubbed out the place, seated 
 it, and announced meeting. The first night the 
 place was crowded to its capacity, and many were 
 on the outside. After two nights the Baptists 
 opened their church, and we continued the meet- 
 ings there for four weeks. 
 
 It was during this meeting that our first evan- 
 gelistic company was formed. Singing was a 
 prominent part in all our services, and we arranged 
 it so that we had all parts of music. Wife sang 
 soprano, Belle Sheldon (of Blanco, Pa.) sang alto, 
 Ora Howard (of North Point, Pa.) sang the tenor 
 part, while I sang bass. From this time Ora 
 Howard traveled with us for more than seven 
 years. 
 
 A church of about eighty members was establish- 
 ed as a result of this meeting. During the first 
 two weeks there were no conversions. The preach- 
 ing was all new to the people, and they were weigh- 
 ing matters and counting the cost. The final real 
 break took place on a Sunday night, when six 
 young ladies came to the altar and were gloriously 
 saved. Each of these began to work among her 
 relatives and friends, and led a number of them 
 
64 
 
 PIONEEE EVANGELISM 
 
 to Christ. During the last two weeks of the meet- 
 ing more than sixty bowed at the altar for sal- 
 vation. People sometimes fell upon their knees 
 at their seats during the sermon and begaa to 
 call upon the Lord for mercy. Usually seekers 
 came forward weeping and trembling, and some- 
 times we could scarcely find room for them. The 
 Lord wrought gloriously in our midst. To his 
 name be all praise forever. Sectarians opposed, 
 while the brethren shouted aloud for the joy and 
 gladness which filled their hearts. 
 
 Many false reports were circulated, but they 
 only increased the attendance. The following is 
 a sample. It was reported that several persons 
 had gone insane, and that we had a number of 
 our converts chained near the church. At the 
 time of the meeting the snow was very deep, and 
 it was claimed that we baptized our converts in the 
 snow. A young school-teacher, A. T. Rowe, heard 
 these reports and through curiosity came to the 
 meeting. He was afterwards saved, and today is 
 a well-known minister. 
 
 Fl-om here we went to Richmond, Pa., a dis- 
 tance of about ten miles. The citizens had seated 
 a large skating-rink with capacity for about one 
 thousand people. When we arrived in the town 
 in a spring-wagon, the people gathered on the 
 streets as though Bamum's circus had come. The 
 reports from the last meeting had created a great 
 curiosity. Folk were eager to see what sort of 
 
REMINISCENCES 
 
 65 
 
 people we were. The yard and street in front of 
 the hotel where we stopped soon filled with the 
 curious. I thought of Paul's saying that we are 
 a * ^ gazing-stock, " '^a spectacle unto men.'' It 
 is needless to say that the place of meeting was 
 crowded. 
 
 All the ministers turned out to hear the *^new 
 and strange doctrine," as they termed it. The 
 first sermon was the Biblical Trace of the Church, 
 and second the Scattering and Gathering of the 
 People of God. These subjects were followed by 
 False Prophets, The Holy Remnant, The Evening 
 light, Gog and Magog, and The Signs of the 
 Times, and Mndred themes. Reports flewi thick 
 and fast, and calls came from every direction. 
 
 Our next meeting was at Hortons, Pa. Here 
 the Disciples opened their church, and we held 
 forth two weeks. At the close I baptized nine 
 converts, among whom was Mahalo Uber (later 
 Mrs. W. W. Titley). She preached the gospel a 
 number of years. A strong congregation was 
 planted here, and the following summer we held 
 a camp-meeting in a grove near by. At the close 
 of this meeting we returned home for a rest. We 
 had been absent three months, during which time 
 more than one hundred were saved, and three good- 
 sized churches raised up. 
 
 The report of these meetings had reached Pitts- 
 burg, Pa., where Brother Warner and company 
 were holding meetings. Brother Warner dispatch- 
 
66 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 ed Bm George T. Clayton to investigate our work. 
 He came to our home, and together we returned 
 to the new field of labor. We spent several weeks 
 with the new churches, during which time almost 
 all the converts were baptized, and received the 
 Holy Ghost. 
 
 The weather was extremely cold, and as the 
 baptizing was done m streams, we often cut the 
 ice in order to administer the rite. At one time I 
 baptized a large number of people in an ice- 
 covered stream. I became so cold I was unable to 
 administer the rite to all the candidates, and 
 Brother Clayton walked into the water and bap- 
 tized the remaining ones. Among themi was a 
 woman very weak from consumption of the lungs. 
 The people told her she would die as a result. As 
 she was gently buried in the icy waters, thei Spirit 
 of God fell upon her, and she was instantly healed, 
 to the great amazement of the enemies of the gos- 
 pel and to the comfort of the saints and the friends 
 of the truth. She became a strong woman and 
 lived more than twenty-five years after this. It 
 was Mrs. George W. Hazlett. Many came out of 
 the water shouting the high praises of God. 
 
 The first ten years of my ministry were spent 
 in doing pioneer work, laboring in new fields. I 
 traveled extensively through Pennsylvania, Ohio, 
 and Indiana. Bros. G. T. Clayton and A. J. Kil- 
 patrick were my main companions in labor. Both 
 of these men were very devout and God-fearing, 
 
REMINISCENCES 
 
 67 
 
 and their holy lives were an inspiration to me. 
 Brother Clayton was the most patient man in the 
 furnace of persecution, trial, and discouragement 
 that I ever associated with. Brother Kilpatrick 
 was a giant in the pulpit in defense of the doc- 
 trine of sanctification as a second work of grace. 
 There were times when he preached on no other 
 subject during a whole series of meetings. Hundreds 
 today can date their experience of holiness from 
 the time they attended his meetings. 
 
 EXPERIENCES IN PIONEER WORK 
 
 By pioneer work we mean the opening of fields 
 where the truths of the present reformation had 
 never penetrated, and thus blazing the way for 
 other laborers. In the early years of the reformation 
 about all the preachers were pioneer men. The dan- 
 gers faced, the persecutions suffered, the hardships 
 endured, and the sacrifices made by these early sol- 
 diers of the cross should be an everlasting inspi- 
 ration to the newer and younger men and women 
 who are called to perpetuate the great work so 
 well begun. Those precious brethren who were 
 called from the common walks of life to con- 
 secrate themselves to the task of establishing a 
 movement in the earth that is destined in the 
 providence of God to girdle the globe with sal- 
 vation and holiness unto the Lord, will soon all 
 have passed to their eternal reward. Their places 
 
68 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 will be filled by younger, more talented, better 
 qualified, and better educated men and women. 
 It is the earnest wish and prayer of these pioneer 
 worthies that the host of new workers going forth 
 will accomplish a thousand times more than they 
 themselves ever could. I trust the time will never 
 come when the younger generation will forget and 
 fail to appreciate the brethren who by their hard 
 toil and sacrifices brought this movement into 
 existence. 
 
 It was my happy privilege to come into this 
 r ovement during its pioneer days. I was well 
 acquainted and intimately associated with a major- 
 ity of the early ministers. In those days I was 
 known as the "boy preacher" of the reformation. 
 While I was about the same age as many of the 
 brethren, I had a young face, and people generally 
 took me to be much younger than I really was. 
 This often became a great trial to me. People 
 would read our reports and articles in the Tinim- 
 pet, then send for us to hold meetings in their 
 communities. They usually expected to see a man 
 about fifty years of age, six feet tall, and with a 
 heavy beard. Many times when we arrived by train 
 or wagon, the people had gathered to greet us, and 
 lo, when they saw a sprightly, young, smooth- 
 faced boy alight, their intense disappointment was 
 clearly manifest. I frequently received such greet- 
 ings as the following, "Is this Brother Eiggle? 
 Well, we thought we were sending for a MAN, 
 
KEMINISCENCES 
 
 69 
 
 a preacher." Of course this was anything but 
 pleasant for nie, and it drove me to my knees 
 in tears alone with God to seek power and wisdom 
 to meet the people's requirements. Praise God, he 
 never disappointed me, and tlie people usually 
 changed their minds after the first service. 
 
 At the first general camp-meeting we attended, 
 at Grand Junction, Mich., the Lord gave me a 
 message to deliver. When I looked at the older 
 brethren, my courage failed and I shrank from 
 duty. The result was a three-months^ chastening 
 from the Lord. I suffered under the rod until 
 1 learned my lesson. I decided it should never 
 be repeated. At the next annual meeting the 
 Lord put me to the test. It was on Sunday morn- 
 ing, when thousands of people from far and near 
 had gathered. I was aware of the great disap- 
 pointment that would sweep over the assembly the 
 moment I should take the pulpit. I hesitated and 
 tried to excuse myself, but the Spirit reminded 
 me of my experience the previous year. I shall 
 never forget how I climbed that old pulpit and 
 stood trembling and embarrassed. It was plainly 
 visible that the congregation was disappointed. 
 Just then Brother Warner shouted, ^^God bless 
 Brother Eiggle." That one sentence lifted my 
 soul above the dark clouds, and as I read my text— 
 ''The night is far spent, the day is at hand"— the 
 windows of heaven opened, and suddenly the whole 
 camp was a blaze of glory, and the brethren were 
 
70 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 shouting. All disappointment on the part of the 
 people disappeared. They learned that it is 'not 
 by might and power, but by the Spirit of the Lord. ' 
 
 Something occurred at this service worthy of 
 note. I had accompanied another minister and 
 his family by carriage from Pennsylvania to this 
 meeting. We had held meetings at a number of 
 places along the way. At all these places this 
 preacher had represented himself to be the lead- 
 ing minister in our company, and left the im- 
 pression that I was merely along as a young 
 helper. He did practically all the preaching, and 
 what money was given he received. This was 
 somewhat of a trial to me; but I humbled my 
 heart before the Lord and submitted it all to him. 
 At the close of this Sunday-morning service I 
 was surprized to see this very preacher come for- 
 ward weeping to the altar, and that in the pres- 
 ence of the assembled thousands. I was reminded 
 of the words of Jesus, ''He that exalteth himself 
 shall be abased," and, "He that humbleth himself 
 shall be exalted." My experience has taught me 
 that it always pays to take the humble side and 
 be submitted under all circumstances. 
 
 In those days there were few well-established 
 churches to support the work, and no system of 
 support for the ministers. There was no Truth 
 Extension Board nor funds available. We had 
 to depend entirely upon the Lord for our support, 
 and preached wherever an opportunity presented 
 
I 
 
 REMINISCENCES 
 
 71 
 
 itself— sometimes in church-houses, and again in 
 school-buildings, in the open air, and in groves. 
 We usually had a strong force of good singers, 
 and would sing along the country roads and as we 
 passed through towns and villages. This attracted 
 large crowds wherever we went. There was an 
 enthusiasm that seemed to carry everything before 
 it. Speaking for myself, I had implicit confidence 
 in our message and the reformation movement as 
 a whole. I never entertained a doubt but what 
 our work was of God. This gave boldness and 
 authority. With this confidence we threw all our 
 strength into the work, and with heart and soul 
 faced the combined powers of opposition. No 
 sacrifice was too great or task too hard. 0*ur 
 lives were consecrated to carry the saving truth to 
 the people. 
 
 HARDSHIPS ALONG THE WAY 
 
 Paul said, Endure hardness, as a good soldier 
 of Jesus Chrisf The history of God's saints 
 in all ages is one of suffering and endurance. In 
 the language of Isaac Watts, we may all say, 
 
 ''Must I be carried to the skies 
 On flowery beds of ease, 
 While others fought to win the prize, 
 And sailed through bloody seas? 
 
 "No, I must fight if I would reign; 
 Increase my courage, Lord. 
 I'll bear the cross, endure the pain, 
 Supported by thy word.*' 
 
72 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 It is the lot of ail to taste a little of ^'that which 
 remains of the sufferings of Christ." Our Master 
 said, "I have a cup to drink." This was the cup 
 of suffering. But before this cup was entirely 
 exhausted the Father was pleased to remove it 
 from Christ's lips, and the few drops that remain 
 are distributed among his followers. In this way 
 we ''partake of the sufferings of Christ," share 
 in them; and if we can comprehend the true mean- 
 ing of this, it will be a pleasure to "glory in tribu- 
 lation," like Paul, and "rejoice in that day, and 
 be exceeding glad." 
 
 Some of my brethren suffered far more than 
 we did. Notable among these were Brothers 
 Warner and Clayton. While in bed, wounded from 
 mob violence, Brother Warner asked for pencil 
 and paper, and wrote the following beautiful 
 words : 
 
 "Who will suffer with the Savior, 
 Take the little that remains 
 Of the cup of tribulation 
 Jesus drank in dying pains? 
 
 ''Oh, for consecrated service 
 Mid the din of Babel strife! 
 Who will dare the truth to herald 
 At the peril of his life? 
 
 ' ' Lord, we fellowship Thy passion, 
 Gladly suffer shame and loss. 
 With thy blessing pain is pleasure; 
 We will glory in thy cross. ' ' 
 
 V" 
 
 During the early years of our ministry we re- 
 ceived but a very meager support financially. The 
 total received the first year would not, I am sure, 
 
REMINISCENCES 
 
 73 
 
 exceed fifty dollars. With a wife and child to 
 support, and most of this amount needed for trav- 
 el, it meant self-denial along many lines. For 
 many years I wore only second-hand clothing. The 
 same was true of Brother Clayton, with whom I 
 traveled. We usually purchased our suits from 
 pawn-shops along Penn Avenue, Pittsburg, Pa. 
 In large cities like Chicago, because of no money 
 with which to pay transfer, I have carried our 
 heavy baggage from one depot to the other, some- 
 times as far as ten or fifteen city blocks. In 
 this manner I have moved as many as four large 
 suitcases. I would carry two a short distance, set 
 tliem down, and go back and bring the rest. Some- 
 times when clearly exhausted, I would sit down 
 on the pile to rest. As I wore a clerical vest and 
 minister's long coat, of course everybody knew I 
 was a preacher. 
 
 As a family we knew how to abound with plenty, 
 and again how to be in want. Our older children 
 can well remember when they used to pray for 
 their food and clothing. They also remember how 
 God often definitely answered our prayers. Oh, 
 praise his dear name forever! Those early exper- 
 iences are worth a world to me today. At Hooks- 
 town, Pa. (a new field), Harry Rogers, Ora 
 Howard, my wife, our baby, and I lived one week 
 on eighty-two cents. 
 
 We were holding meeting in a large Methodist 
 church, and as no one invited us home, we were 
 
74 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 obliged to sleep on the church seats. The weather 
 was cool, and to keep warm some of us walked 
 the floor about all the night. But I declare that 
 some of the richest things I ever received from 
 heaven came in this way. A whole night spent in 
 prayer enriches the soul. Jesus, our Master, had 
 ''no place to lay his head." 
 
 At the close of this meeting we had no money 
 to pay our way out. Every cent was gone. We 
 had met with persecution and indiiference on the 
 part of the people. It was about twelve miles to 
 Brother Rogers' home, on the Ohio River. We 
 started on foot. My wife carried the baby, while 
 the rest of us carried the baggage. As we started 
 down the dusty road, many of the townspeople 
 gathered and jeered at us and made insulting re- 
 marks. Suddenly the words of Jesus came ring- 
 ing in my soul— ''And whosoever shall not receive 
 you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out 
 of that house or city, shake off the dust of your 
 feet. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more 
 tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in 
 the day of judgment, than for that city." I also 
 remembered that Paul and Barnabas carried out 
 literally these very words of Christ (Acts 13:51). 
 So at my suggestion our whole company turned 
 toward the jeering crowd and the town, and, 
 raising our hands to heaven as a witness 
 against them, shook the dust from our feet. That 
 was nearly thirty years ago, and as far as I 
 
KEMlNiSCENOEIS 
 
 75 
 
 know no on© has since been led to go there with 
 liie true message. 
 
 BiiTER PEKSEtUXiONS 
 
 The apostle says ''all that will live godly in 
 Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." Jesus said, 
 "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me 
 before it hated you.'' This opposition has usually 
 come from the leaders of religion. It was the 
 rulers and elders who condemned Christ to death. 
 The same was true in the case of Stephen, the 
 first ChristiaQ martyr; blind and zealous religion- 
 ists stoned him to death. Paul was once a bitter 
 opposer of the church of God, all because he was 
 'exceedingly zealous for the traditions of his fath- 
 ers.' 
 
 More than fifty millions of saints have been 
 slaughtered in the name of religion. It is a fact all 
 through the history of Christianity that when any 
 one received additional light from God, and then 
 had the courage to break away fromi some old, 
 dead religious body and boldly declare his con- 
 victions, severe persecution followed. The lives 
 of such men as Huss, Luther, Zwingli, Wesley, 
 Alexander Campbell, and D. S. Warner attest this 
 fact. 
 
 In the early years of the reformation movement 
 in which we are engaged, there was intense oppo^ 
 sition from every quarter. The definite message 
 of true holiness, the one divine church distinct 
 
76 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 from sectarian institutions, and that all sectarian 
 religious bodies are unscriptural and are a part 
 of Babylon out of which God is now calling his 
 people back to Zion, stirred the ecclesiastical world 
 in bitter hostility. In those days it was very com- 
 mon for mobs, headed by sectarian preachers, to 
 attack our meetings. 
 
 At one place, during a camp-meeting, a great 
 rabble gathered and gave the brethren just five 
 minutes to leave the grounds. Most of them did 
 not have time to gather up their belongings. A 
 few minutes after their departure the tents and 
 tabernacle were blown to pieces with dynamite. 
 One minister, to escape, walked a considerable 
 distance through a stream of water. 
 
 While one of our brethren was conducting a 
 meeting at Dawson, Pa., a crowd of the ^' baser 
 sort" assembled with intent to kill the preacher. 
 The building in which the services were being con- 
 ducted was enclosed with half -inch siding. The 
 pulpit was near one end of the building, and the 
 preacher was standing near the wall while deliver- 
 ing the message. The mob secured a long, heavy 
 pole. This they planned to thrust through the 
 building at the brother. Providentially, no doubt, 
 the preacher's pencil fell on the floor. The in- 
 stant he stooped down to pick up his pencil, the 
 pole, with terrific force, crashed through the wall 
 and passed just over his head. Had he remained 
 standing straight he probably would have been 
 
REMINISCENCES 
 
 77 
 
 killed; at least lie would have been severely in- 
 jured. 
 
 It was no uncommon thing to be egged, stoned, 
 and whipped. On one occasion while Brother 
 Clayton was returning home from meeting, carry- 
 ing a child in one arm and his book-case in the 
 other hand, a crowd of ruffians, urged on by pro- 
 fessors of religion, attacked him with buggy whips 
 and whipped him for some distance along the road. 
 Under such ordeals the brethren usually praised 
 God. In Illinois a wicked man kicked a brother 
 who was praying in a corn-patch, and compelled 
 him to leave the field. A short time after this man 
 was killed by a lightning-bolt on the same spot. 
 In Pennsylvania a man struck one of the brethren 
 a terrible blow in the face with his fist. The 
 brother praised Grod and, turning the other side of 
 his face, said, ^^You may strike that too, if you 
 wish.'' Instantly the offender fell down at the 
 brother's feet, and said, '^0 God, I have struck a 
 holy man! Please forgive me, and pray God to 
 forgive me." 
 
 Personally we have had a taste of these things. I 
 have been in mobs, have been struck over the head 
 with canes and umbrellas, and have been cursed in 
 the most abusive language. In every instance it has 
 been by professed Christians. But when we read 
 of the sufi^erings of Paul and others, we must con- 
 clude that the things we have been called to pass 
 t1] rough are but light afflictions," The suffer- 
 
78 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 ings of the present time do not compare with the 
 glory that shall follow. 
 
 MY ORDINATION 
 
 It is God who calls and qualifies for the work 
 of the ministry. Ordination by the laying on of 
 the hands of the presbytery is but a public recogni- 
 tion of this divine call, and a dedication thereto. 
 In the Acts it is recorded that after fasting and 
 prayer they laid their hands upon certain brethren 
 and commended them to the grace of God. 
 
 At the General Assembly of ministers held at 
 ,Grand Junction, Mich., in June 1894, Bro. D. S. 
 Warner recommended me for ordination. As the 
 consecrated hands of my older and superior breth- 
 ren were laid upon me, I felt a new inspiration 
 and authority given from the Lord, and rededicated 
 myself to make the work of the ministry my life 's 
 work. I have never been ambitious to reach a 
 place of prominence and note, but it has been my 
 constant desire to be ^^a good minister of Jesus 
 
 Christ." • 
 
 METHODS OF WORK IN PIONEER DAYS 
 
 When this reformation-work was in its infancy, 
 we were constantly pushing out into new fields. 
 All the ministers were inspired with the convic- 
 tion that we are now engaged in the last great 
 reformation that shall sweep over the earth before 
 Christ's appearing. This work is the great 
 preparation'' day, the bride being made ready 
 
REMINISCENCES 
 
 79 
 
 for the coming of the Bridegroom. As we believe 
 that this reformation restores to the church the 
 whole gospel in all its purity, then the responsibil- 
 ity to carry the saving message of truth to all 
 nations becomes the greater. Imbued with this 
 thought, the first preachers were a ''flying min- 
 istry,'^ disseminating the truth in every direction. 
 Little attention was paid to the pastoral care of 
 churches. Local elders and deacons were ordained 
 in different congregations; but these were general- 
 ly called and selected from each assembly, and 
 were self-supporting. 
 
 There was no system for pastoral support. We 
 felt that our message was urgent, and that it was 
 not wise to tarry too long in one place. Had 
 the preachers classified as evangelists and pastors^ 
 I am sure nine tenths would have registered evan- 
 gelists. Sometimes I wish that the present minis- 
 try had more of this spirit of evangelism. Since 
 the work has enlarged to its present proportions, 
 and congregations have been planted all over the 
 land, the pastoral phase has received more atten- 
 tion than has the evangelistic. Of course this 
 follows in the natural evolution of things. But I 
 am certain that the church today needs more of 
 that spirit to evangelize, which was so character- 
 istic of the early preachers of the reform. Every 
 congregation should labor to carry the light of 
 saving truth to its entire surrounding community. 
 Every member of each assembly should be a soul- 
 
80 
 
 PIONEEE EVANGELISM 
 
 winner far Christ. This is the true spirit of prim- 
 itive Christianity. Of the church at Thessalonica 
 it was said, ^^From you sounded out the word of 
 the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but 
 also in every place your faith to God-ward is 
 spread abroad." 
 
 The early preaching of some of the first minis- 
 ters was in some respects idealistic and theoretical 
 to the exclusion of the practical. This is an honest 
 confession of facts. It was easy to point out the 
 sins and short-comings of the professed Christian 
 world, and condemn these by the Word of God. 
 It was not difficult for those who clearly discerned 
 the body of Christ to hold before the people the 
 ideal church of the New Testament from a purely 
 doctrinal standpoint. They could boldly say, '^TMs 
 is the church.'^ But this preaching called out a 
 visible body of believers numbering tens of thou- 
 sands the world over. Now, it is quite another 
 thing to demonstrate in a practical way the ideal 
 presented. We have found it many times more 
 difficult. It is for this visible body of believers 
 to present to the world a '^glorious church, not 
 having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but 
 that it should be holy and without blemish.'' This 
 is the point. This is what the people expect of 
 us. They have a right to. In this very thing lies 
 the success of our work. The world expects to see 
 in us the very standard and ideal we have 
 preached, We must meet its expectation. 
 
REMINISCENCES 
 
 81 
 
 A careful reading of the Epistles will show 
 that the apostles not only cried out against the 
 sins of the outside World, but were busy correct- 
 ing the evils that were creeping into the visible 
 assemblies among whom they labored and who 
 were actually planted by them. I am thoroughly 
 convinced that if the apostles themselves had these 
 difficulties to contend with in their congregations, 
 we may also expect like troubles and like prob- 
 lems within the church. The Newt Testament 
 is full of instructions on how to proceed in 
 all these things. When we cry out against 
 the worldliness manifest among the millions of 
 professed Christians around us, we need to be 
 sure that we as a visible body of people are 
 clear from this thing. When we boldly condemn 
 sectarian divisions, let us be certain that we ex- 
 hibit a visible church in Bible unity. **And 
 thinkest thou this, Oi man, that judgest them 
 which do such things, and doest the same, that 
 thou shalt escape the judgment of GodT' 
 
 EARLY PREACHING 
 
 As to the method of our early preaching, the 
 reference system was generally followed. It was 
 * precept upon precept; line upon line; here a little, 
 and there a little.^ The sermons were mostly 
 doctrinal, and this style wias certainly effectual. 
 Everything was proved by the Bible. This appeal- 
 ed to the people, and the remark was often heardj 
 
82 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 These folks prove every, point of their doctrine 
 from the Scriptures. They preach the Word.'' 
 I here insert a sermon outline I then used, and it 
 is a fair sample of all the rest. 
 
 SANCTIFICATION 
 Text, 1 Thess. 4:3. 
 
 I. It Is a Bible Doctrine. 
 
 1. Jesus prayed for the sanctification of be- 
 lievers (John 17:9, 17, 20). 
 
 2. It is our present inheritance (Acts 20:32; 
 26:18). 
 
 3. It is willed to us under the new covenant 
 -(Heb. 10:9, 10). 
 
 II. It Is Attainable in This Life. 
 
 1. There were sanctified brethren at Corinth 
 (1 Cor. 1:1, 2). 
 
 2. Jude addressed those who' were sanctified 
 (Jude 1). 
 
 III. The Provisions for It Are Complete. 
 
 1. God sanctifies (1 Thess. 5:23; Jude 1). 
 
 2. The means he uses: 
 
 a) The Word (John 17:17). 
 
 b) The Holy Ghost (Rom. 15:16). 
 
 3. The cleansing element— blood of Christ 
 (Heb. 13:12). 
 
 4. The condition. 
 
 a) Full consecration (Rom. 12:1, 2). 
 
 b) Faith (Acts 26:18). 
 
 IV. It Is Received Subsequent to Regeneration. 
 1. Direct proof (Eph. 5:25-27). 
 
REMINISCENCES 
 
 83 
 
 2. Examples: 
 
 a) The first disciples. 
 
 b) Tlie Samaritans (Acts 8:5-17). 
 
 c) The Thessalonians. 
 
 (1) Were children of God (1 Thess. 
 1:1-9 ; 3:1-7). 
 
 (2) Were not sanctified wholly (1 
 Thess. 5:23; 4:3). 
 
 V. mat It Does for Us. 
 
 1. Purifies the heart (Acts 15:8, 9). 
 
 2. Perfects in unity (John 17:17, 20-23; Heb. 
 2:10). 
 
 VI. Necessity of This Grace. 
 
 1. Fits for service here (2 Tim. 2:21). 
 
 2. Fits for heaven hereafter (Heb. 12:14; 
 Matt. 5:8). 
 
 In large camp-meetings it was customary to 
 give out texts for others to read. This proved 
 convenient, as the minister did not need to leaf 
 through his Bible to find his Scripture proof- 
 text; when he desired it, he simply called out the 
 chapter and verse and some one stood up and 
 read it. The sermons were usually long, some- 
 times lasting two hours. It was remarkable, how- 
 ever, to see the people sit for hours apparently 
 spellbound by their intense interest in the ex- 
 pounding of the Word of God. 
 
 There was much preaching from the prophecies 
 and Revelation. It was largely from these por- 
 tions of Holy Writ that this great evening- 
 
84 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 light reformation ' ' was clearly pointed out. 
 Prophecy will always hold a prominent place in 
 our preaching. Charts and blackboard illustrations 
 were used by most of the ministers. This proved 
 to be a very effectual method of presenting truth. 
 It made their message appeal through the eye as 
 well as the ear. The prophet said, Write it 
 before them.'' 
 
 The preaching was definite and radical. All 
 manner of sin, false religion, and worldliness was 
 exposed in the strongest terms. It was, ^^Walk in 
 the light, or go into darkness.'' This definite 
 preaching separated the wheat from the chaff, 
 and brought out a plain, spiritual people. Very 
 often the minister, while presenting the strongest 
 truth against apostate religions, would weep in 
 the pulpit. This anointing of the Spirit, this 
 melting power, this sowing in tears is what took 
 hold of hearts with a mighty grip. 
 
 The majority of the first preachers were very 
 demonstrative in the pulpit. Sometimes in the 
 midst of a sermon the minister (and most of the 
 congregation) leaped and shouted for joy. The 
 daily sacrifice" of praise and thanksgiving which 
 was taken away" during the apostasy, has been 
 restored to the church in the evening of time. It 
 is common for people to become enthusiastic and 
 demonstrational at political gatherings, and over 
 their business; why should they not so become 
 in religious affairs also, since salvation is the 
 
REMINISCENCES 
 
 85 
 
 greatest and most valuable thing in all the world? 
 
 At Wilmot, Ind., is a very spiritual congrega- 
 tion of believers. Many years ago a dry preacher 
 went there to conduct a meeting. Just as he arose 
 to read his text the windows of heaven were 
 opened and the saints began to shout under the 
 divine blessing. Soon the whole place was a blaze 
 of glory, and even sinners were weeping. The 
 poor preacher was not in this element, and felt 
 greatly embarrassed. Finally he sat down, while 
 the congregation continued praising God. He was 
 soon under conviction for a living experience of 
 salvation, and went to the public altar and re- 
 quested the happy saints to pray for him that he 
 might also be a partaker of this good thing. In 
 this case a live congregation burned a dead preach- 
 er out of the pulpit, and brought him to his 
 knees for salvation. I wish there were more such 
 congregations. 
 
 SOME OF MY MISTAKES 
 
 Mistakes— we all make them. But instead of ^ 
 our letting them be a hindrance to our spiritual 
 progress, we can profit by them, improve the fu- 
 ture, and turn each one into a blessing. It is not 
 very pleasant to dwell upon our past blunders. 
 I have often thought that possibly had Peter been 
 r)resent when brethren recorded his greatest mis- 
 takes in life he might have pleaded with them and 
 said, Please, brethren, omit those parts. I am 
 
86 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 glad they are on record, and that Paul wrote 
 down one of Peter's blunders (see Gal.- 2:11-16) 
 and then at the same time called him a "pillar.'' 
 It shows that, after all, these men were but human 
 and subject to making mistakes. At heart they 
 were loyal to God and his cause. 
 
 One of the greatest mistakes of my early min- 
 istry was to open up new fields of work and then 
 rush off and leave them. For example, in Indiana 
 County, Pa., in the winter of 1893-94, we raised 
 up several strong churches. They were our chil- 
 dren in the Lord. The whole community was 
 stirred for miles, and calls for meetings came in 
 from every direction. Had I remained there for 
 a few years and taken care of the .tender flocks 
 until capable pastors were raised up, and at the 
 same time evangelized the surrounding commun- 
 ities, there would today be a mighty work to show 
 the fruits of our labors. Instead of doing this, being 
 one of the "flying ministry," I felt it my duty 
 to hurry off to other new fields. 
 
 Oh, how^ those dear saints pleaded for us to stay 
 with them, feed them, and protect them! Our 
 answer was, "The Lord will take care of you." 
 But, alas! after our departure ^grievous wolves 
 entered in, not sparing the flock'; and today some 
 empty church-houses mark the place of a once 
 flourishing work. Oh, how sad I have felt over 
 this more than a thousand times since! In the 
 early years of my ministry I made this same mis- 
 
REMINISCENCEIS 
 
 87 
 
 take in a number of places. I am sure that if we 
 had properly cared for the work, as Paul did at 
 Corinth, the present reformation movement would 
 today embrace several times the number of people 
 that it does. 
 
 Another blunder was my method of instruction, 
 or lack of it. Jesus labored more than three years 
 with his disciples teaching them in the things con- 
 cerning the kingdom of God, and yet they did not 
 fully understand what he would have them know. 
 He said to them, "I have yet many things to say 
 unto you, but ye can not bear them now." Even 
 after Pentecost it was a long time before some of 
 the apostles got rid of their Jewish ideas. Paul 
 was at Corinth a year and six months, and then 
 afterwards addressed these brethren as follows, ^^I 
 have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for 
 liitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet 
 now are ye able." You see, Christ and the 
 apostles revealed the truth gradually to the people, 
 just as they could comprehend it. In the first 
 years of my ministry I failed to observe this prin- 
 ciple. In a short meeting of a few weeks we en- 
 deavored to present all lines of truth. In the first 
 meeting in a new field we fed milk and strong 
 meat, with the latter far the larger portion. If 
 the people could not at once grasp it all and accept 
 it, they were considered blind, and in many cases 
 deceived. Oh, what a serious mistake! It makes 
 me think of a schoolmaster calling up a class of 
 
88 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 six-year-old boys and girls and giving them a 
 long lesson in geometry. They would be able to 
 see the characters on the blackboard, but not one 
 would comprehend them. 
 
 I have gone into new communities and, the first 
 week of the meeting, preached on such themes as 
 the "church," the ''scattering and gathering of 
 God^s people," the ''Biblical trace of the church," 
 and "false teachers." Working on the principle 
 that "His sheep hear His voice, and follow Him," 
 we considered all who did not at once accept the 
 teaching as outside the fold. This was a great 
 mistake. What the people needed was "repent- 
 ance," "conversion," regeneration," and "full 
 salvation from sin. ' ^ They should have been led 
 gradually into the deeper and stronger truths. 
 Here is seen one great need of ministerial train- 
 ing-schools to teach young ministers right methods 
 of work. How much more successful should we 
 have been had we had such training! 
 
 Some people comprehend truth sooner than 
 others. I have known some to sit under straight 
 preaching for years and yet not see every point 
 clear enough to take a definite stand. A few 
 years ago, while I was attending camp-meeting in 
 Michigan, Bro. A. B. Palmer and F. G. Smith 
 pointed out to me a Mennonite minister who was 
 tenting on the grounds. They said, "Treat this 
 brother with all Christian courtesy. He has been 
 attending our meetings occasionally for years, and 
 
REMINISCENCES 
 
 89 
 
 even attended the International Meeting, at Ander- 
 son, Indiana. He is a good man and God is using 
 him, but he does not see the church question 
 clearly/' I made it a point to become acquainted 
 with this brother. I found him to be a very de- 
 voted Christian. One night during the meeting 
 the Spirit impressed me to preach on the church 
 question, and at the same time I clearly felt that 
 the message was for this minister. At the close 
 of the sermon he asked permission to speak, and 
 then took the pulpit. Among other things he 
 said, Brethren, have I not always told you that 
 if I ever saw this point clearly I would accept it? 
 I have heard it preached time and again, but to- 
 night the Lord opened my mind and heart to see 
 it clearly for the first time. Praise God, I see the 
 truth. I discern the body of Christ. I am with 
 the church of God from this time on." It pays 
 to take time and be patient with all men. 
 
 ON THE FLOATING BETHEL 
 
 The prophet Zechariah predicted that the domain 
 of Christ would extend ^^from the river even to 
 the ends of the earth.'' Bro. George T. Clayton 
 conceived the idea that a gospel boat fitted with 
 living-rooms and a chapel would be a splendid 
 means of evangelizing the country. His plan was 
 to have the boat float down the rivers from Pitts- 
 burg, Pa., to the Gulf of Mexico and to hold 
 meetings in all towns and cities along the way. 
 
90 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 Accordingly he made sucli an outfit of a flatboat 
 about 30 by 150 feet, and named it the "Floating 
 Bethel." Being very zealous for the cause, my 
 wife and I furnished considerable means towards 
 its completion. 
 
 When finished, it was anchored near Sixth Street 
 bridge, Pittsburg. The chapel was spacious, seat- 
 ing a few hundred people. The roof was flat, and 
 before services a company of singers would gather 
 there and sing a number of attractive hymns. Im- 
 mense crowds of people lined the bridge to listen, 
 and then some one with a loud voice announced 
 the meeting. Usually the chapel was well filled. 
 Brother Warner and his company spent several 
 months on this boat, and a church was established 
 in this city as a result. 
 
 Early in the spring of 1894 the cables were 
 untied and the boat started floating down the river. 
 My wife and I joined the company just before 
 they started, and accompanied them on the first 
 trip. None of us had any experience in navigation 
 on the Ohio River, and I am sure that had not 
 the Lord specially protected us, we should all 
 have been drowned. The only means of guiding the 
 boat were two very large oars on each end. It 
 often required all on board— men and women— 
 to work hard with these oars. By this means 
 we passed from one side of the stream to the 
 other. During floods we were out all hours of 
 the night tying and untying cables. And as the 
 
.REMINISCENCES 
 
 91 
 
 Hood receded we had to keep pushing the boat out, 
 or in tlie morning we might find ourselves on dry 
 land. Once it lodged on a large rock in the center 
 of the stream and swung round and round. Had 
 the bottom crashed in, nothing would have saved 
 us. At another time we discovered a falls ahead 
 of us, and to go over it meant certain death. We 
 plied the oars faithfully and at the same time 
 called mightily upon God for deliverance. We 
 reached the lock and passed safely through. 
 
 We stopped at about all towns and cities on 
 both sides of the Ohio. As soon as we safely 
 anchored, we would gather on the roof of the 
 boat and sing. Through curiosity, great crowds 
 assembled. This gave us a fine opportunity to 
 announce our meetings and reach a host of people. 
 Many congregations were thus raised up in these 
 river towns. In this way the work was started 
 at Moundsville, W. Va., and, afterwards, through 
 Brother Clayton's efforts, the Gospel Trumpet 
 Company moved there from Grand Junction, Mich. 
 
 AMUSING INCIDENTS ALONG THE WAY 
 
 There is a jovial side to every well-balanced 
 life. The ''merry heart hath a continual feast." 
 The wise man said there is a time to laugh.'.' 
 Ministers, as well as other professional men, have 
 their embarrassments and amusing experiences. 
 In the lives of Peter Cartwright and Lorenzo Dow, 
 embarrassments and amusing experiences were 
 
PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 very prominent. Many were the laughable occur- 
 rences that took place throughout their ministry. 
 
 Two Free Methodist preachers with whom I am 
 well acquainted were holding meetings in Greens- 
 burg, Pa. In a special sei^ice a man was seeking 
 holiness. Their method emphasizes dying-out to 
 sin. The seeker at the altar became desperate and 
 cried at the top of his voice, "Let me die; let me 
 die." The preachers kept saying, "Kill him, kill 
 him, Lord." A man on the street heard this and 
 supposed that a murder was being committed. He 
 ran and rang the police alarm, and soon the place 
 of meeting was full of officers in blue coats ready 
 to arrest the murderers, who proved to be harm- 
 less holiness preachers. 
 
 A brother was conducting a revival in a home 
 in Michigan. The place was crowded with people. 
 In the midst of his sermon he became very happy 
 and took a high jump. Allien he came down the 
 floor broke through, and he landed in the cellar 
 below. The congregation was left without a 
 preacher until he climbed out of the basement and 
 resumed his sermon. 
 
 Two ministers, one an Irishman, were holding 
 meetings in a theater in a large city. They used 
 the stage for the pulpit. The first night of the 
 meeting the Irishman preached. The other brother 
 was sitting near the edge of the stage; all of a 
 sudden he lost his balance and landed on his back 
 about seven feet below. The man in the pulpit 
 
KKMINISCENCES 
 
 stopped preaching for a moment, and without even 
 smiling looked down at his fellow minister and 
 said, *^Well.'^ The news of what had happened 
 spread rapidly over the city, and during the rest 
 of the meeting the place was crowded to its capacity 
 every night. 
 
 While I was preaching in a large grove in the 
 Soldiers^ National Home at Dayton, Ohio, to an 
 immense crowd of people, my false teeth flew out 
 of my mouth. I was standing on a large platform, 
 and they lit on the ground below. This was a 
 very embarrassing situation indeed. But a preach- 
 er must be ready for any emergency. A friend 
 from the congregation came forward and handed 
 me my teeth. I turned my back to the crowd and 
 with my handkerchief cleaned the dirt off my 
 teeth, then replaced them in my mouth, and with a 
 smile turned to the congregation and remarked, 
 ^'Well, such things will sometimes happen; but all 
 things work for our good," and continued my 
 sermon. 
 
 The most embarrassing circumstance that I 
 ever faced occurred in an ordinance service at Vin- 
 tondale, Pa. Bro. I. S. McCoy was with me. Just 
 before administering the communion Supper, I 
 took the small loaf from the plate and began to 
 explain its meaning. When I reached the point 
 that in this sacred ordinance we show the Lord^s 
 death till he comes again, and that the broken 
 loaf represents his body broken for us, I attempt- 
 
94 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 ed to break the loaf, and to my surprize could not 
 do it. The loaf seemed as hard as rock; I could 
 not break it. Imagine my perplexity— a congre- 
 gation of people looking on, and in the most 
 solemn part of the observance! What to do I 
 did not know. Brother McCoy took in the situa- 
 tion at a glance, and, stepping up to the pulpit, 
 said, ''Give me that bread, I will go outside and 
 break it, while you sing 'His yoke is easy, his bur- 
 den is light.' I sang the hymn until he returned 
 with the broken loaf, and then we proceeded with 
 the service. It takes all kind of experiences to 
 make up life. 
 
 EXPERIENCES WITH ACCUSATIONS 
 
 Satan, whether working through ecclesiastical 
 world powers like pagan Rome, or directly and 
 individually, is the "accuser of the brethren," 
 and it is said he accuses them "day and night." 
 Paul informs us that it is possible for the arch- 
 fiend to transform himself "into an angel of light." 
 This is what makes it difficult at times clearly to 
 discern between the voice of God and the whisper- 
 ings of Satan. 
 
 Being of a very sensitive nature, and desiring 
 to be right on every line in experience and life, 
 I was picked on by the enemy as a good target 
 at which to shoot his arrows of accusations. The 
 first three years of my ministry were checkered 
 by seasons of awful mental suffering and torment. 
 
REMINISCENCES 
 
 95 
 
 Some of the most powerful and fruitful meetings 
 1 ever held were held during this time. But, strange 
 to say, after laboring with souls at the altar, and 
 witnessing many bright conversions, I would re- 
 tire to my room and there be beset by clouds 
 of darkness and discouragement. Really, I was 
 in a hell of mental suifering, which often continued 
 until the service the following night. Often as I 
 stepped into the pulpit the clouds lifted, and the 
 power and glory of God would rest upon me 
 throughout the service; but after the close, the 
 same tormenting experience would be repeated. 
 
 The devil usually whispered: ^^You are deceiv- 
 ed"; ^^The Lord is doing all he can for you in your 
 condition"; After preaching to others, you will 
 be a castaway"; am sure of you. I will drag 
 you to hell"; **Your experience is a sham; you 
 are not really saved at all." The moment I would 
 listen to this, then the enemy would suggest, **You 
 are possessed of evil spirits, there is no hope." 
 Really, at such times I felt as though I was aban- 
 doned by God and man. A person really possessed 
 by the devil could not suffer greater torment than 
 I passed through. Many times I would go to the 
 brethren and have them lay hands on me; but 
 this gave me only temporary relief. 
 
 During these three years I lived a prayerful, 
 pure life before God. Even though I spent much 
 time in doubts and fears, it was a mental state, 
 and did not affect my soul. As I now look back at 
 
96 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 that time, I am conscious that God was with me 
 throughout it all. But, as with Job, he permitted 
 me to be placed into Satan's hands for a season, 
 to fit me for service, that I might be able in later 
 years to help others in like state. I have had 
 plenty of opportunity to assist others under the 
 accusing power, and to comfort them ^with the 
 comfort wherewith I was comforted.' 
 
 DOOR OF ENTRANCE FOR ACCUSATIONS 
 
 I am sure that the primary door through which 
 Satan entered to attack me was my failure to ob- 
 tain a satisfactory experience in my soul in the 
 meeting where I first accepted the full gospel. This, 
 like a wedge, opened a place for Satan to accuse 
 me. If I failed there, possibly my later exper- 
 ience was not genuine! On this very point the 
 wily accuser first attacked me. He reasoned, and 
 I listened. The moment I allowed a single doubt 
 to enter my mind, it seemed my shield was gone, 
 and dart after dart pierced me until my power to 
 resist almost left me. 
 
 This has been an everlasting lesson to me. Oh, 
 the danger of shallow altar-work! Many times my 
 soul has been grieved to see people rushed through 
 into a profession, and thus caused to leave the altar 
 with no joy and peace, no satisfaction, no victory, 
 no shout of praise. Some workers have talked, 
 talked, talked into their ears, and told them to be- 
 lieve, and the work is done." This is exactly 
 
REMINISCENCES 
 
 97 
 
 what I was instructed to do, and it cost me years 
 of torment and suffering. I have always stood 
 for thorough w^rk at the altar. People should 
 seek God until every craving of their heart is 
 fully satisfied. 
 
 Another cause was my sensitive nature and 
 overconscientiousness. Little things that did not 
 disturb others' peace, bothered me. If anything 
 was manifest in my life and experience that was 
 not up to the highest standard of ideals, I was 
 ready to accept it as a lack in me. Really I accused 
 myself. This, however, was partly due to a 
 standard of preaching that was too high to be 
 practical. A clear distinction was not made be- 
 tween the sinful, fallen nature in man, and our 
 own human weaknesses, dispositions, and temper- 
 aments. True holiness does not destroy our human- 
 ity. We retain all our natural temperaments, our 
 likes and dislikes, and these differ widely in peo- 
 ple. Some are slow, calm, and easy-going, while 
 others are nervous and impulsive. This idealistic 
 standard of teaching that no one lived and no one 
 could attain to, caused me much trouble and con- 
 fusion. 
 
 And lastly, I am confident that the Lord per- 
 mitted some of these things to come upon me to 
 teach me lessons that have been most profitable 
 in my ministry in after years. I have been able 
 to help many others who were passing through 
 similar experiences. I have more sympathy and 
 
98 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 patience in dealing with souls. I can take time 
 to ^ ^ strengthen the weak, and comfort the feeble- 
 minded. ' ' 
 
 VICTORY OVER ACCUSATIONS 
 
 Paul said, ''The God of peace shall bruise Satan 
 under your feet shortly (Kom. 16:20). The be- 
 loved John has told us, ^'This is the victory that 
 overcometh the world, even our faith' ^ (John 5:4). 
 But such faith must have a solid foundation, and 
 that foundation is the Word of God. These things 
 "are written, that ye might believe . . . ; and that 
 believing ye might have life through his name." 
 
 I decided to settle everything by the Bible, to 
 stake my eternal salvation upon the written Word, 
 ^Hhe Word only.'' I carefully studied every con- 
 dition for salvation, and found that I had com- 
 plied with each one of them. Then the ''exceeding 
 great and precious promises" were all mine, yes 
 mine. Upon these promises I planted my feet. 
 I made a covenant with the Lord something like 
 this. "If I never receive a blessing, a good feel- 
 ing, a sensation of joy until my dying day, I 
 will never doubt thy Word. I will go to the judg- 
 ment resting my souPs salvation upon the Scrip- 
 tures. Here once for all I cast my helpless self 
 upon thy promises, and I rest secure in knowing 
 that they can not fail. God can not deny his 
 Word, it was confirmed with the oath of the Al- 
 mighty, and sealed and ratified by the blood of 
 Jesus Christ." 
 
REMINISCENCES 
 
 99 
 
 That ended my troubles, and an everlasting 
 victory was mine. For twenty-seven years I have 
 never suffered an hour under accusations of the 
 devil. Oh, halleluiah! Satan often comes like a 
 flood; but 'the Spirit of the Lord lifts up a stand- 
 ard against him.' Faith wards off every dart. 
 From that time until now I have not lacked the 
 rich blessing of the Lord upon my soul. Amidst 
 the hardest trials, the greatest temptations, the 
 most complex problems and diffilcult obstacles of 
 life— and they are plentiful— faith reposes calmly 
 upon the rock of eternal truth, unshaken, un- 
 moved. To the triune God all praise and glory 
 shall be given forever. 
 
 THE BLESSING OF A GOOD WIFE 
 
 Solomon said, Whoso findeth a wife findeth a 
 good thing, and obtaineth favor of the Lord.'' 
 This has been true in my case. In all the dis- 
 couraging times through which I have passed, she 
 has stood by me like a supporting wall. During 
 the years of suffering and, later, of affliction that 
 I was called to endure, she never failed to com- 
 fort, encourage, and earnestly pray for me. When 
 under dark storm-clouds, when it seemed my bark 
 of life would be engulfed by the turbulent waters, 
 when I was tempted to give up in despair, she 
 stood at my side like a rock in the billows, and 
 helped anchor my soul. 
 
 I am speaking conservatively when I say that 
 
100 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 the success of my ministry thus far has depended 
 much upon my wife. Being of an impulsive dis- 
 position, I should have made many sad blunders 
 had she not balanced me by her wise counsel and 
 faithful warnings. More than once I made mis- 
 takes because I failed to heed her advice. In the 
 early years of my ministry, while I was away 
 from home about ten months of the year, the re- 
 sponsibility and burden of rearing and training 
 the children was hers. Her pure, devoted life 
 has been a constant inspiration to me. Our little 
 bark has passed through some rough places, but 
 by the grace of God we shall gain the eternal 
 haven of rest. 
 
 AFFLICTED FOR SEVEN YEARS 
 
 About the year 1900 I became afflicted with 
 catarrh of the stomach. This continued for seven 
 long years, until it develox)ed into tuberculosis of 
 the bowels. The suffering of those years I can 
 not describe. I could eat scarcely anything with- 
 out severe pain. Sleep seemed to be a stranger; 
 and night after night I have walked through the 
 fields and along the public roads, being so ner- 
 vous I could not rest. I grew thin and pale, and 
 so weak that many times while preaching I would 
 grasp the pulpit to balance myself. 
 
 During these years I prayed constantly for heal- 
 ing. At camp-meetings and other general services 
 the whole multitude of brethren importuned the 
 
REMINISCENCES 
 
 101 
 
 Lord in my behalf. I was anointed and had hands 
 laid upon me for my recovery more than a score 
 of times. I would receive temporary relief, but 
 not permanent healing. While L had received in- 
 stantaneous healing before this, and so also had 
 my family, it seemed that the Lord was pleased to 
 withhold this blessing at this time. However, I 
 continued in the ministry, and preached healing; 
 and many wonderful healings and some miracles 
 were granted in answer to my prayers. 
 
 Job was terribly afflicted by Grod's permission. 
 Paul left 'Trophimus at Miletum sick^ (2 Tim. 
 4:20). Timothy had "often infirmities'' (1 Tim. 
 5:23). Paul himself preached the gospel "through 
 infirmity of the flesh" (Gal. 4:13-15). These ex- 
 amples encouraged me to know that it is no evi- 
 dence of a lack of love and devotion to God on the 
 part of his people when they are called to pass 
 through severe afflictions. "Many are the afflic- 
 tions of the righteous," and these sometimes in- 
 clude physical ailments. 
 
 LESSONS LEARNED IN AFFLICTION 
 
 Some of the richest and most valuable things of 
 life come to us in the hours of deepest suffering. 
 David wrote some of his sweetest psalms when he 
 was passing through rough places. The great 
 apostle Paul was met in every place with "bonds 
 and afflictions." But his strength "was made 
 perfect in weakness." The three Hebrews en- 
 
102 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 joyed a special visit from the Son of God while 
 walking in the fiery furnace. Daniel spent a prof- 
 itable night with the angel of God in the den of 
 lions. The immortal Pilgrim's Progress was in- 
 spired in a prison dungeon. This is the history 
 of the ages. It is God's way. 
 
 It may be a question in some minds why I was 
 not healed, why I suffered so long. It was also 
 a great problem with me until it was all over, 
 then I clearly understood. I learned four things: 
 
 First, I learned the lesson of sympathy and com- 
 passion for others. I reached the place where I 
 craved sympathy from everybody. A kind look 
 was soothing, a kind word highly appreciated. 
 Since then I can enter into the sick-room with 
 feeling and compassion, and pray more fervently 
 for those needing help. 
 
 Second, I learned that what we desire from the 
 Lord must be for his glory rather than for our 
 personal comfort. I looked upon others who en- 
 joyed health and wished and longed to be like 
 them. I saw them eat all kinds of good food, and 
 wished to enjoy the same food. I observed how 
 they slept and were refreshed during the night, 
 while I walked through the fields; I desired this 
 rest also. As long as I prayed with these desires 
 predominant in my mind, I received nothing from 
 the Lord, Finally I reached the place where I 
 said, *'Lord, if it will please thee for me to 
 suffer like this all my days, I am submissive to 
 
REMINISCENCES 
 
 103 
 
 thy will. I give up every selfish personal desire, 
 and seek only thy glory.'' 
 
 Third, 1 learned appreciation and thankfulness. 
 We usually appreciate what costs us much hard 
 labor. What conies to us without corresponding 
 toil we soon forget and fail to value. I have re- 
 ceived hundreds of definite answers to prayer, but 
 the majority have passed from memory. This one 
 remains. I will never forget it. The Lord has 
 received more real, heartfelt thanksgiving and 
 praise from this one healing than all the rest to- 
 gether. 
 
 Fourth, I learned the lesson of importunity. The 
 Bible is full of examples where people prayed un- 
 ceasingly and for a long time before receiving an 
 answer. Think how long Abraham waited before 
 the Lord fulfilled his promise and gave him a son. 
 Daniel prayed for weeks and months for his peo- 
 ple. Afterwards he was told that at the beginning 
 his supplications were heard. But for some rea- 
 son the answer was withheld. I am confident that 
 very often people faint and give up just before 
 the victory comes. I have learned from this ex- 
 perience never to cease calling upon the Lord until 
 the answer is received. 
 
 MIRACULOUSLY HEALED 
 
 In the summer of 1907 Bro. J. Grant Anderson 
 and I were conducting a tent-meeting at Frank- 
 lin, Pa. One evening, as we started down the 
 
104 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 street to meeting, I became so tired from bodily 
 weakness that I was compelled to sit down upon 
 a porch along the way to rest. While sitting there 
 I opened a letter just received from I. S. McCoy. 
 This letter said, ^'Brother Riggle, be encouraged, 
 you are going to be healed. Every day since the 
 Moundsville (W. Va.) camp-meeting I have named 
 you out to the Lord for recovery. I am sure he 
 will answer." As I read this, instantly the power 
 of God filled my whole being. As with an electric 
 current my body was charged with healing vir- 
 tue. I leaped to my feet, and said to Brother 
 Anderson, ''My boy, I am healed!" He shouted, 
 "Glory to God, I believe you are." A new 
 strength came into my body. I preached that night 
 mth my old-time energy, went home and slept all 
 night like a child, arose the next day and ate three 
 large meals with a relish, and never had a pain. 
 1 gained twelve pounds in flesh the first two weeks. 
 1 have been a well man ever since. That was 
 sixteen years ago. I am wiriting this while our 
 boat is passing through the Dardanelles from Con- 
 stantinople to Smyrna, and I wish to testify that 
 I enjoy perfect health. I weigh 190 pounds. I 
 was examined by a good physician, and he pro- 
 nounced me, at the age of fifty-one, as normal in 
 health and blood-pressure as a young man of 
 twenty-two. To God be praise and glory forever! 
 Yes, my whole spirit says glory to God in the 
 highest. How good God is! Oh, I love him with 
 
REMINISCENCES 
 
 105 
 
 all my heart! And I expect some day to cast my 
 crown at his blessed feet. 
 
 HEALINGS AND MIRACLES 
 
 For thirty years I have preached and practised 
 divine healing. The Lord has been our family 
 physician during all this time. Many have been 
 the answers to prayer in our home in time of sick- 
 ness. Two of our children were miraculously 
 healed when lying at the point of death with 
 pneumonia. Another was raised up from cholera 
 infantum when so low that her eyes were set and 
 she was growing cold. My wife was cured of 
 bleeding or hemorrhage of the lungs. These are but 
 a few instances of many I could mention. How 
 gracious the Lord has been to us ! Praise his dear 
 name forever! 
 
 I have witnessed hundreds of healings and mir- 
 acles wrought by the power of God. These in- 
 clude about all kinds of diseases common to man- 
 kind—fevers, cancers and other tumors, consump- 
 tion, etc. I have witnessed the blind made to see. 
 In Oakland, CaL, at the home of Bro. J. W. Byers, 
 I sat at the table and ate with a sister who was 
 bom blind and who never saw the light of day 
 until past thirty years old, and then received her 
 sight in answer to prayer. I have seen the deaf 
 have their ears unstopped and the lame made to 
 walk. Jesus heals just the same today as he did 
 when here in person. 
 
106 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 In 1895, while I was holding meetings in East 
 Liverpool, Ohio, a brother and I went out calling 
 from house to house one evening, inviting people 
 to meeting. We entered a home where an old lady 
 was terribly afQicted with sciatic rheumatism. She 
 was all drawn together and did not have the use 
 of her limbs, and was suffering the most excruciat- 
 ing pains. My compassion went out to her, and 
 I remembered what Jesus said to the seventy: 
 "Into whatsoever city ye enter, . . . heal the sick 
 that are therein." I told her that Jesus was able 
 to heal her, and without further questioning we 
 anointed her with oil and laid hands upon her, 
 offering the simple prayer of faith. Suddenly 
 she leaped to her feet and began to show us that 
 she had the use of her limbs. She first walked, 
 then ran back and forth in the room praising God 
 for perfect healing. When we left her house she 
 v/as still shouting and praising the Lord. This 
 was the last time I ever saw her, but I believe I 
 will meet that old Presbyterian lady in the para- 
 dise of God. 
 
 In 1913, while Bro. E. E. Byrum and I were 
 taking a twelve-thousand-mile evangelistic tour, 
 covering seventeen States and thirty-seven cities, 
 we held meetings in Kansas City, Mo. During a 
 divine-healing service a woman whose lower limbs 
 were encased with steel braces, because of infantile 
 paralysis was brought forward for prayer. When 
 questioned, she remarked, Thank God, I have 
 
REMINISCENCES 
 
 107 
 
 i'aitii to be healed." When prayer was offered, 
 she arose and requested the braces to be removed, 
 and then ran through the church giving God the 
 glory. The whole congregation of saints joined 
 in the holy demonstrations. Those braces can be 
 seen in Brother Byrum's relic-room in Anderson, 
 Ind. I have met this sister within the last few 
 years and she is still healed, and walks to church 
 without assistance. 
 
 A few weeks later we were holding meetings in 
 Oklahoma City. The last night of the meeting a 
 man came to us with a very pitiful story. Be 
 said that his wife was a raving maniac at the 
 asylum, and he was left with a large family of 
 children. He urgently requested us to pray for 
 her recovery. We took a handkerchief and poured 
 oil upon it, then laid our hands upon it, and 
 offered prayer that the power of the Holy Spirit 
 would accompany it. We instructed the man to go 
 to the asylum and lay the handkerchief upon his 
 wife in the name of the Lord. We left the next 
 day for California and did not learn the result. 
 
 About two months later, on our return eastward, 
 we were holding a revival in Denver, Colo. This 
 man came to us and, with his face beaming with 
 smiles, introduced to us his wife and children. He 
 said he and his family were on their way from Okla- 
 homa to Idaho, to make their home there. Then 
 he related to us that he went to the asylum and 
 applied the handkerchief as instructed, and his 
 wife's mind was fully restored immediately. 
 
108 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 TAKING THE HUMBLE SIDE 
 
 When Jesus stood before Pilate, the Jews ac- 
 cused Jesus of many things. Pilate remarked, 
 ''Hearest thou not how many things they witness 
 against thee!" Jesus could have defended himself, 
 but ^^he answered him to never a word." What 
 an example for us! It is easier to resent it and 
 retaliate when you are misjudged and severely 
 criticized and a wrong sentiment has been created 
 against you, than it is to manifest that charity 
 which ^^sutfereth long, and is kind," which **bear- 
 eth all things" and ^^endureth all things." 
 
 It has been my lot at times to pass through 
 places where a wrong sentiment has been created 
 against me, when I was judged and severely cen- 
 sured, and at the same time was innocent before 
 God. This is natural from the fact that people 
 are too prone to judge after the sight of the eyes 
 and the hearing of the ears. Paul had much of 
 this to endure. One time he tells us, *'No man 
 stood with me, but all men forsook me" (2 Tim. 
 4:16). But his consolation was expressed as fol- 
 lows, Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, 
 and strengthened me." 
 
 I have made it a rule of life always to take the 
 humble side and submit, even though the reproofs 
 and sharp rebukes are misdirected. I have fallen 
 upon my face at my brethren's feet and pleaded 
 for mercy, when it seemed judgment was dealt out 
 without mercy. I will not allow division to come 
 
REMINISCENCES 
 
 109 
 
 between me and my dear brethren; for we are 
 fellow laborers in one cause. If some one asks 
 me, Where did you receive those stripes!" my 
 reply will be, '^In the house of my friends,' ' 
 
 I have never lost anything by taking the humble 
 side of things. In the end I gained immensely. 
 Sometimes at the moment it would appear as 
 though I was the loser; but in every case I finally 
 profited greatly. If we remain true to God, mani- 
 fest a good spirit, God, who knoweth the hearts, 
 will lift us up. On this very point Paul says, 
 ^'But with me it is a very small thing that I 
 should be judged of you, or of man's judgment. 
 . . . He that judgeth me is the Lord'* (1 Cor. 
 4:3, 4). 
 
 GENERAL EVANGELISTIC WORK 
 
 Our gifts differ '^according to the grace that is 
 given to us.'' For the perfecting of the saints, 
 and for the work of the ministry, the Lord, through 
 the Spirit, sets in the church apostles, prophets, 
 evangelists, pastors and teachers (Rom. 12:6; 
 Eph. 4:8-13). To be successful, we must find our 
 calling, and then function in the vocation God has 
 assigned to us. Paul knew his place in the church, 
 and time and again acknowledged that he was ^^an 
 apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God.*' 
 It was not his own selection of office; he tells us, 
 **By the grace of God I am what I am." 
 
 My special gift is that of an evangelist. It is 
 
110 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 in the field of evangelistic endeavor that I have 
 had greatest success. It is here that I am in con- 
 stant demand. More urgent calls are continually 
 pouring in to me from the general field, both home 
 and foreign, than five evangelists could fill. I hope 
 to devote the remainder of my life to this line of 
 work. 
 
 During the thirty years of my ministry, most 
 of it has been spent in general field-work. I have 
 held evangelistic meetings in about all the States, 
 and in a number of Canadian cities. The Lord 
 has blessed me with a clear, loud voice, and the 
 Spirit has used it in preaching to thousands dur- 
 ing the summer camp-meeting season. Evangelistic 
 work is very strenuous; but God has given me a 
 strong physical body to endure hard service. My 
 energy and strength shall be devoted wholly to 
 soul-saving work. What a sweet, satisfying life 
 it is, when we are all on the altar of sacrifice and 
 service to God! 
 
 A BUSY LIFE 
 
 Early in my ministry I began writing for the 
 Gospel Trumpet. During the last thirty years I 
 have contributed to this paper about seven hundred 
 articles covering a wide field of Biblical themes. 
 The constantly increasing demand for pure gospel 
 literature, and the great opportunity to preach to 
 tens of thousands all around the world, was to 
 Trie an incentive to write as well as proclaim the 
 
REMINISCENCES 
 
 111 
 
 gospel from the pulpit. Thank God for the print- 
 ing-press and other modern facilities with which 
 to girdle the earth with burning lines of gospel 
 fire. While the world is being flooded with trashy 
 matter, it seems to me we should bend every effort 
 to convert all the means that have been provided 
 to the rapid spreading of the saving truth to all 
 nations. The dissemination of light to darkened 
 hearts, the salvation of the teeming millions around 
 us and the edification of the church has been my 
 only motive in using the pen to proclaim what I 
 sincerely believe is the truth. 
 
 During the first ten years of my activities in 
 gospel work I wrote the following books: Two 
 Works of Grace; The Kingdom of God and the 
 One Thousand Years Reign; Bible Readings for 
 Bible Students and for the Home and Fireside; 
 The Cleansing of the Sanctuary. This latter work 
 was begun by D. S. Warner before his death. He 
 had written about two hundred pages. I com- 
 pleted it, adding about three hundred pages. All 
 these books are now out of print. 
 
 Later I wrote the following Works, which can 
 be obtained from the publishers of this book: The 
 Sabbath and the Lord's Day; Man— His Present 
 and Ftiture; The Christian Church— Its Rise and 
 Progress ; Christian Baptism; Christ's Kingdom 
 and Reign; Christ's Second Coming and What 
 Will Follow; Roman Catholicism in the Light 
 of Their Own Scriptures and Authorities," 
 
112 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 Most of these books were written on the field, 
 while engaged in active evangelistic work. I have 
 preached once and twice a day in revival-meetings 
 and also spent from four to six hours writing. 
 According to my diary I have preached over nine 
 thousand sermons. I mention these things only 
 to show that I have spent a busy life. I realize 
 that life is very short, that every moment is laden 
 with eternal responsibilities, and that all our op- 
 portunities to work will soon be ended. It is my 
 greatest desire to give my best to Christ. I want 
 all my strength to be spent for his glory. When 
 T take a brief retrospect of my life, it seems I 
 have accomplished little. I feel certain that much 
 more can be done with less human effort if we 
 will partake more of the divine. Lord, help me! 
 ^Vhen my last hour comes I hope to be able to 
 say with the Master, ^^I have finished the work 
 which thou gavest me to do." 
 
 TEN YEARS OF PASTORAL WORK 
 
 In 1908 we moved from Cambridge Springs to 
 Oakland, Pa. Here was a small assembly of about 
 twenty-five saints, with a good-sized house of wor- 
 ship. They were considerably in debt on their 
 church-building. By adopting a system of raising 
 money, we paid off all church indebtedness inside 
 of a year. At the same time these few liberal 
 brethren supported their pastor. In the first win- 
 ter's revival about forty members were added to 
 
REMINISCENCES 
 
 113 
 
 the assembly, and the number increased later to 
 about one hundred. We organized a Sunday-school 
 with one hundred and thirty-seven enrolled. 
 
 Dfuring our pastorate there we held a revival 
 at Middle Run, nine miles distant, at the close of 
 which I baptized fifty-five converts. Here we 
 erected a church-building, and a good, strong 
 assembly was established. The Sunday-school 
 numbered about seventy-five. We also opened a 
 branch work at New Bethlehem, where there was 
 also a prosperous Sunday-school. We remained 
 on this field six years. I also did some evangelistic 
 work. 
 
 Ofur experience caring for these assemblies was 
 a good schooling for future usefulness. I learned 
 in a practical way the relation that the evangelist 
 should hold towards local pastors. After the en- 
 thusiasm and excitement of a big meeting is 
 over, and the visiting minister has gone, then the 
 responsibility and hard labor of holding in line 
 and adjusting the new converts to the old congre- 
 gation begins. It is no child's play properly to 
 feed and care for a large flock of sheep and a 
 host of tender, new-bom lambs. I am sure I am 
 a better evangelist as a result of my experience 
 doing pastoral work. 
 
 To be successful, a pastor must live on a social 
 plane with his congregation. He must mingle much 
 with the brethren and sisters. Often, if they failed 
 to invite me, I invited myself to their homes for 
 
114 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 a visit or a meal. There were times when all the 
 congregation came to our house bringing baskets 
 of good things, and after a ^4ove feast" together, 
 we would sing and pray, and when they departed 
 they usually left enough food to last us for days. 
 These occasions unite the pastor and his flock to- 
 gether in close bonds of friendship and love. 
 
 There are many ways in which a pastor can 
 win his community to Christ. In one of our re- 
 vivals a near neighbor was converted. His wife 
 became enraged and very bitter towards us as a re- 
 sult. She said that we had spoiled all her plea- 
 sure. Her husband would not take her to the 
 show, theater, or other places of worldly entertain- 
 ment. Instead, he took great interest in church 
 work. When we would pass in front of her house, 
 she would refuse to speak, but would look daggers 
 at us. I said to my wife, **We must win that 
 woman to Christ." We made up a large bouquet 
 of beautiful flowers and sent them to her with 
 one of our girls, who was instructed to tell her, 
 '^Here is a little token of love from Papa and 
 Mama to you." The next time w(e passed her 
 house she came out and greeted us with a smile, 
 and was very friendly ever after. In the very 
 next meeting she came out and was converted. 
 
 In the same town lived a wicked man who 
 hated and cursed the brethren. He refused to 
 speak to me when I met him on the street. We 
 decided to win him also. We began by sending 
 
REMINISCENCES 
 
 115 
 
 gifts through our children. Finally he became 
 friendly. Before we left the place he died; but 
 before he passed away he sent for my wife and me 
 to pray for him that he might be saved. It pays 
 to *^live peaceably with all men." 
 
 In 1914 we moved to Akron, Ind. This is the 
 community where the present-reformation work 
 started. About five miles north of Akron the 
 church-house stands where Bro. D. S. Warner de- 
 clared his freedom from all sectarian institutions. 
 One brother— David lininger— who at that time 
 stepped out with Brother Warner still lives. There 
 were old congregations with church-houses at Olive 
 Bethel and Lake Bethel, and also a monthly meet- 
 ing held at Beaver Dam, where the brethren own- 
 ed a brick church-building. During our stay at 
 Akron a large, new church-building was erected in 
 the town and another at Athens, and the founda- 
 tions were laid for a church at Rochester, which 
 has since been completed. I did pastoral work 
 here about four years altogether, the rest of my 
 time being spent in the general field. In all these 
 places good-sized congregations were established. 
 
 MY PUBLIC DISCUSSIONS 
 
 Jesus Christ held a number of discussions with 
 the Jewish leaders, and more than once silenced 
 his opposers. One of these is recorded in detail 
 in the Gospel by John (8:12-59). Paul also held 
 disputes with different leaders of religious thought, 
 
116 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 both among the Jews and Pagans (see Acts 17 : 
 16-18; 19:8-10). Many lengthy discussions took 
 place between the primitive leaders of Christianity 
 and their opposers. Among these is a very in- 
 teresting one between Justin Martyr and Trypho, 
 a Jew. However, it is certain that in ancient times 
 the method of dispute was very different from 
 modern public debate. 
 
 Personally, I question the wisdom of Christian 
 ministers making it a business publicly to discuss 
 points of theological difference. In the past, when 
 certain religious cults emphasized their distinctive 
 doctrines, public debates were common. A Dis- 
 ciple minister once told me that as soon as his 
 converts were immersed they came out of the 
 water ready for dispute.'' But this spirit of 
 controversy is rapidly disappearing, and God- 
 fearing men everywhere are rising above their 
 petty differences and seeking a common ground 
 where all can work together in evangelizing the 
 world. This is the better spirit. 
 
 My first discussion was held at Hawthorn, Pa. 
 We had pitched our tents and tabernacles for a 
 camp-meeting. The day before the meeting open- 
 ed, hundreds of large circulars were broadcasted 
 advertising '^A Lecture on Saintism,'' by Rev. 
 Hershberger, to be given that night in the Evan- 
 gelical church. A number of us went and listened 
 to a jumble of misrepresentations of our work. 
 Our teachings were also attacked. And then the 
 
REMINISCENCES 
 
 117 
 
 minister publicly challenged any of us to dare to 
 defend our position. In this case I felt clear to 
 stand up and vindicate our cause, which I did, 
 and our opponent was confounded before all the 
 people. 
 
 At Rootville, Pa., the Second Adventists were 
 holding a conference. I lived at that time but a 
 short distance from their church, and we had a 
 strong congregation in the community. During 
 the conference, Eld. G. W. Stephens, of New 
 York, came to my home and arranged for a dis- 
 cussion which lasted thirteen nights, covering such 
 subjects as ^^The Kingdom of G^od and the 
 Millennium," ^^Immortality,'' and Eternal Pun- 
 ishment. ' ' This was attended by hundreds of people, 
 and the result was good for the cause that we 
 represent. 
 
 Next I met Rev. J. E. Ebeling, of the Reorgan- 
 ized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 
 in a public controversy lasting eleven days and 
 nights, at Blystone, Pa. This was published in 
 book form. 
 
 Ii:^ 1907 Rev. Mahoney, of the Roman Catholic 
 Church, challenged me to discuss the church ques- 
 tion, and affirmed the following proposition for 
 two nights at Pardo, Pa. ^'The Roman Catholic 
 Church is the only true church of Christ upon 
 earth.'' This drew a very large attendance, 
 and the majority were Catholics. The effect was 
 wonderful. Even the priest grasped my hand at 
 
118 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 the close and said, '^Mr. Riggle, what can I do? 
 If your church is the right one and mine the 
 apostate church, tell me what to do. I received 
 my teaching from my mother, and always sup- 
 posed it was right." 
 
 In the same year I held a very notable contro- 
 versy with Elder J. W. Watt, of the Seventh-day 
 Adventist faith, at Oakland, Pa. This continued 
 fourteen days and nights, and was attended by 
 many ministers of both sides. The following year 
 I moved to Oakland and took charge of the work 
 of the church of God. In a short time the Advent- 
 ist church was sold and used for a restaurant, 
 while there is today a flourishing congregation 
 there representing the church of God. 
 
 In the fall of 1914, while holding a revival at 
 North Webster, Ind., I was approached by the 
 pastor of the Church of the Brethren (Dunfeards) 
 at that place, asking for a friendly discussion in 
 a Christian spirit covering the points of difference 
 between the two bodies. The Church of the Breth- 
 ren were to secure a representative minister to 
 set forth their doctrines. Accordingly they select- 
 ed Eld. B. E. Kjesler, of Puxico, Mo. The prop- 
 ositions were as follows: (1) Resolved, That the 
 Church of God, of which I, H. M. Eiggle, am a 
 member, is identical with the New Testament 
 church in origin, name, doctrine, and practise." 
 (2) ''Resolved, That the Church of the Brethren, 
 of which I, B. E. Kesler, am a member, is iden- 
 
REMINISCENCES 
 
 119 
 
 tical with the New Testament church in origin, 
 name, doctrine, and practise/' This debate con- 
 tinued for twelve nights, and the average atten- 
 dance was about twelve hundred at each service. 
 This discussion was published, and three thousand 
 copies were sold in one year. 
 
 While I believe that, in the main, good was 
 accomplished in these various public discussions, 
 I have fully decided that the better way is not 
 to engage in public discussion at all, but to set 
 forth the truth clearly from the pulpit. It will 
 stand for itself. There is but one side to truth, 
 and it never contradicts itself. 
 
 FEELING UTTER DEPENDENCE UPON GOD 
 
 We never get so old and so ripe in experience 
 but what we need constantly to watch and pray. 
 We can not depend upon past manifestations of 
 God's power, for they will not answer today's 
 need. I am sure that one reason for Paul's great 
 success in the ministry lay in his feeling his utter 
 helplessness of himself and entire dependence upon 
 God. Hear him: ^'I was with you in weakness, 
 and in fear, and in much trembling. And my 
 speech and my preaching was not with enticing 
 words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of 
 the Spirit and of power" (1 Cor. 2:3, 4). This 
 must be the inward feeling of every true man 
 of God if he expects to succeed. Nothing is more 
 dangerous than ^'leaning upon our own under- 
 
120 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 standing," and becoming self -centered and self- 
 dependent. 
 
 I have never reached the place where I do not 
 have to lean heavily upon the Lord. Being very 
 limited in natural talents, I have been always con- 
 scious that my ''sufficiency is of God." To this 
 day it is a task for me to preach before my 
 brethren in the larger assembly-meetings. Some- 
 times I wrestle with God all night before I attempt 
 to fill the pulpit, and also have my wife get under 
 the burden of prayer for me. It is very conmion 
 for me to take the pulpit trembling. My exper- 
 ience has been that the more I feel this way the 
 greater power accompanies the message. 
 
 A young minister entered the pulpit in the pres- 
 ence of his bishop, expecting to make a grand im- 
 pression. He had made great preparations for 
 the occasion, and was confident of success. But 
 he failed. He finally became embarrassed and 
 forgot much that he intended to say. He came down 
 from the pulpit abashed. The bishop then address- 
 ed him thus, "Had you entered the pulpit in the 
 spirit in which you left it, you would have succeed- 
 ed better." 
 
 DEFINITE ANSWERS TO PRAYER 
 
 God answers prayer today the same as in olden 
 times. His attitude towards his children has 
 never changed. Multitudes say prayer and make 
 prayers, and never expect them answered. These 
 
REMINISCENCES 
 
 121 
 
 people are like a certain preacher at Martinsburg, 
 Pa., who went to a home to raise a dead woman to 
 life. He laid his hands upon the corpse, and as 
 he prayed he imagined the woman began to breathe. 
 He became alfrighted and he ran away, crying, 
 ^^My Lord, what if this woman should come to 
 life!'' This is a true occurrence related to me 
 by a reliable woman who was present. 
 
 With the exception of about three years spent 
 in missionary work on foreign fields, I have never 
 received any stated amount for my labors either 
 as pastor or evangelist. I am not suggesting what 
 others shall do, nor criticizing their methods. It 
 is simply a statement of a rule of life I have 
 chosen for myself. Time and again certain 
 churches have written me offering a large stated 
 amount if I would hold them a meeting, and in 
 every case I have declined, and accepted calls 
 where no definite promise was made. Personally, 
 I prefer to trust God the remainder of my life; 
 for he has never failed us in the past. Nor am 
 I reflecting upon those who accept stated amounts 
 as not trusting the Lord also. It is only our 
 liberty to choose our own course in life. 
 
 From the beginning, as a family, we have asked 
 the Lord for the things we eat and wear. Oh, 
 how graciously he has supplied all our needs I 
 What gratefulness it creates in our hearts when 
 God sends us a definite answer to our earnest 
 petitions! It increases our love and devotion to 
 
122 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 him. "Bless the Lord, 0 my soul, and forget not 
 al] his benefits,'' 
 
 Once we needed ten dollars to supply a certain 
 want. My wife and I humbly knelt around our 
 family altar in fervent prayer and asked God to 
 supply the need. In a few days we received a 
 letter from a man at Kansas, Ohio. When we 
 opened it we read, "Brother Riggle, the Lord 
 woke me up at three o'clock this morning and im- 
 pressed me to send you ten dollars. You will 
 find this amount enclosed/' At another time we 
 asked for fifteen dollars to furnish a certain need. 
 Three members of one family each sent us five 
 dollars through the mail, and later, upon inquiry, 
 we learned that none of them knew what the others 
 had done. 
 
 A number of years ago as I was preparing to 
 go to the Anderson (Ind.) Camp-meeting an obli- 
 gation came from an unexpected source amounting 
 to ninety-one dollars and eight cents. I also was 
 in need of a new suit of clothes. Naturally, min- 
 isters do not expect financial aid at that meeting, 
 for most of them bear their owto expenses. But 
 the obligation was to be met soon, and I had no 
 means to meet it. I began to pray very earnestly. 
 One day as I was walking towards the pavilion 
 for meeting three persons handed me fifteen dol- 
 lars. I thanked them and the Lord and put this 
 aside towards a new suit. This encouraged me to 
 trust the Lord for the remainder. 
 
REMINISCENCES 
 
 123 
 
 One night after preaching in the large pavilion, 
 1 stepped outside to cool off, as it was very sul- 
 try in the building. A well-dressed lady stepped 
 up to me and introduced herself as a lawyer's wife, 
 from Texas. She had come to this meeting to in- 
 vestigate our preaching. After a few moments' 
 conversation, she said, ^'I feel strangely impress- 
 ed to give you something," and she handed me 
 a handkerchief. I thanked her kindly, and thought 
 no more of the matter until I retired to my room. 
 Four of us ministers were rooming together. I 
 said, ^'Brethren, I received a gift tonight," and 
 then drew the handkerchief from my pocket. But 
 I soon discovered something inside of it. When 
 1 unwrapped it, there was a lady's brooch and a 
 pair of bracelets. The brethren had a good laugh 
 and twitted me considerably over the strange gift 
 to a preacher. 
 
 I asked Bro. Frank Shaw, who was one of the 
 four, whether he supposed I could dispose of 
 this jewelry. I had no idea of its value. He 
 volunteered to sell it to some jewelrj^-man. The 
 meeting closed, and I went to Chicago to hold a 
 revival. The Lord provided me my railroad fare, 
 sufficient means for a suit of clothes, and enough 
 to leave exactly $1.08 in my pocket when I re- 
 ceived a letter from Brother Shaw stating he had 
 sold the jewelry for ninety dollars. This with 
 what I had in my pocket was the precise amount 
 T owed, even to the penny. When I read that letter 
 
124 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 the hot tears flowed down my face. I wept for 
 joy. Oh, how my heart melted in thankfulness to 
 God for his goodness to me! 
 
 In one of our evangelistic^tours we were booked 
 to hold a meeting about ten miles from Punxsu- 
 tawney, Pa. I was coming from the north, by 
 way of Oil City, while my wife and the other 
 workers were coming from the south. We had 
 made arrangements all to arrive in Punxsutawney 
 on a certain day, where the folk were to meet us, 
 and convey us to the place of meeting. I left 
 Oil City on the Pennsylvania Railroad and expect- 
 ed to make connection at Mosgrove for Punxsu- 
 tawney via the Pittsburgh, Rochester, and Buffalo 
 Railroad. Our train, however, was late, and when 
 I arrived at Mosgrove the train on the other road 
 was gone. This was a great disappointment, and 
 would spoil all our arrangements to reach the place 
 of meeting. I inquired at the station and was in- 
 formed that a fast-line train of pullman-cars pass- 
 ed through at 11 A. M., but did not stop at Mos- 
 grove. 
 
 I meditated a few minutes, then decided on a 
 plan to stop the train. I carried my suitcases 
 over the railroad-bridge that spans the Allegheny 
 River. Here on the opposite side of the bridge 
 from the station was a large open space and an 
 ideal place to pray. I set my baggage down and 
 began to walk back and forth along the railroad- 
 track calling earnestly upon the Lord. I humbled 
 
REMINISCENCES 
 
 125 
 
 my heart before him, and solemnly promised many 
 things if he would be kind enough to stop that 
 train and let me on board. About half past ten 
 I prayed through and gained the victory by faith. 
 I wept and praised God aloud because I felt as- 
 sured that the Lord would grant my request. About 
 eleven o'clock I could hear the rumbling of the 
 fast-approaching train. Then for a few seconds a 
 battle raged. Satan appeared on the scene and 
 whispered, ' ' What a fool you are ! That train 
 never stops at Mosgrove, and if it did it would 
 stop at the station on the other side of the river, 
 not out here in this field. It will pass you like 
 a whirlwind. For a moment it seemed all hope 
 was gone. Had I admitted a doubt, all would have 
 been lost. In the name of Christ I rebuked the 
 devil, and laid faith in the immutable promises 
 of God square across that railroad-track. A thrill 
 of victory swept through my soul. The train stop- 
 joed with the rear car not more than thirty feet from 
 where I stood. I grasped my baggage and ran 
 alongside the cars waving my hand. A man at 
 one of the windows saw me and called the brake- 
 man's attention. Be came and opened the vesti- 
 bule door saying, **What do you want?" I an- 
 swered, want on this train.'' ^^Get on," he 
 said, and I did. As soon as I stepped on board, 
 the train began to move. I sat down by a win- 
 dow and wept like a child. Hjow precious the 
 Lord was to me! How good to stop that train! 
 
126 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 Allien I reached Punxsutawney, my wife aad the 
 other workers were there Waiting, and we reached 
 our destination for meeting that night. These are 
 but a few instances along the way, and hardly 
 compare with the experience of many of my 
 brethren, but they are worth much to me. 
 
EASTWARD BOUND 
 NINETEEN WEEKS ON 
 LAND AND SEA 
 
Mr. and Mrs. Riggle and son George 
 
William Hopwood and family (see p. 136) 
 
f 
 
Left: Upper— H. M. Riggle at 
 grave of Wiiliam Ebel 
 (see p. 150) 
 
 Lower — Where Philip baptized 
 the eunuch (see p. 190) 
 
 Top: Mr and Mrs. Riggle and son 
 George near summit of the Alps 
 (see p. 155) 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Riggle and George 
 at Leaning Tower of Pisa 
 (see p. 159) 
 
EASTWARD BOUND; NINETEEN WEEKS ON 
 LAND AND SEA 
 
 CALLED TO FOREIGN FIELDS 
 
 Jesus said, '^The field is the world,'' Not a part 
 of it; the Great Commission says, ^'Go ye into all 
 the world." The gospel message is not merely 
 to one nation; but teach all nations" is the great 
 command. The kingdom of Christ must be es- 
 tablished ^' under the whole heaven," and Chris- 
 tianity is destined to ^^fiU the whole earth." So 
 any place on earth is included in the scope of our 
 field of activities. 
 
 More than twenty years ago I felt impressed by 
 the Spirit that some day the Lord wbuld send us 
 abroad. I often expressed this feeling to Bro. 
 J. Grant Anderson, who traveled with me for a 
 number of years. We would sit for hours and con- 
 verse along this line. I will not here attempt to 
 tell the many ways in which the Lord made known 
 his will in this matter. 
 
 I once had a vision, or a dream, of the very field 
 to which I was called, and saw the various places 
 over Which I since have traveled ajid in which I 
 have labored. Strange as it may appear, I saw 
 these places in my vision exactly as I saw them 
 later with my actual eyes. I consecrated in the 
 beginning to go anywhere the Lord directed, and 
 when the test came, I was perfectly willing to obey. 
 
 129 
 
130 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 A DEFINITE CALL TO SYRIA AND THE HOLY LAND 
 
 In the early part of June, 1920, while attend- 
 ing the Annual Meeting of the Missionary Board, 
 at Anderson, Ind., I was suddenly called home to 
 Akron to preach the funeral sermon of one of 
 our congregation— Frank Bradway. I took the 
 latest issue of the Trumpet with me, and while 
 on the train I read an article from Bros. F. G. 
 Smith and E. A. Reardon, who had just returned 
 from a world tour in behalf of missions. In this 
 article they set forth the urgent need of some one 
 going to Syria at once. 
 
 While I was reading this article, the Spirit of 
 the Lord came upon me, and I began to tremble 
 and weep. As I was on a crowded train, the 
 people no doubt looked on ^ith wonderment. I 
 at once knew that the Lord had cliosen me to go. 
 The Spirit whispered just as distinctly as if I 
 heard his audible voice, ^'I called you years ago 
 to this land, now I send you.^' I at once decided 
 to obey, and a sweet consciousness of God^s ap- 
 proval came into my soul. 
 
 When I arrived in Akron, I said to my wife, 
 ^'We are going to Syria and Palestine.^' I told 
 her my experience along the way, and she con- 
 sented to accompany me on my leadings. She 
 never felt a definite call, but simply acted in the 
 matter because I clearly felt the summons from 
 the Lord. Bro. Pearl Turner, of Logansport, as- 
 sisted in the funeral service, and I opened my 
 
EASTWARD BOUND 
 
 heart to him. He said he believed it was of the 
 liOrd. 
 
 As soon as I returned to Anderson, I communi- 
 cated my conviction to the Mission Board, and they 
 unanimously approved of our going. In order that 
 the Board remain full during my absence, I handed 
 in my resignation, and began preparation for our 
 long journey to the Near East. 
 
 It was a blow to the home congregation around 
 Akron; and the problem of securing some cap- 
 able man to take the general superintendency of 
 the work in that field was no small one. But 
 after a few months the Lord made selection of 
 Bro. A. T. Kowe, who was fully qualified to take 
 over the work, and successfully continue and en- 
 large it. 
 
 I spent the summer in the general camp-meet- 
 ing wiork. My son George and I attended the 
 following meetings: Kansas City, Mo.; Oklahoma; 
 Wichita and Almena, Kans. My wife remained 
 at home preparing for our journey. We found it 
 a big problem to transfer our work, and to get 
 everything in proper order; but the Lord helped, 
 and by December 1 all was in readiness for the 
 departure. 
 
 THE FAREWELL SERVICE 
 
 On December 4 my wife and I went to Anderson 
 and met Bro. F. G. Smith, E. A. Eeardon, and 
 J, W. Phelps in final conference regarding the 
 
132 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 details of our trip. Brother Phelps, Secretary of 
 the Missionary Board, delivered to us our tickets 
 for Southampton, England, from New York. We 
 held a number of farewell-meetings in the homes 
 of different brethren and sisters, and left the same 
 night for our home at Akron, Ind. The details 
 that followed are best expressed in our Farewell 
 Message published in the Gospel Trumpet. 
 
 Our Farewell Message 
 
 2132 Grand Ave., New York, December 14. 
 At last, after our months of anxiety and ex- 
 tensive preparations, the day of our sailing for 
 Syria has arrived. Our boat, the SS. Aquitania, 
 will leave dock at high noon. A sense of sadness 
 comes over us as the hour of our departure from 
 the shores of our beloved America draws nigh. 
 But we are very conscious of God's sweet ap- 
 proval and the clear direction of his Spirit, and 
 this makes the sacrifice easier. 
 
 AAHiile in Pennsylvania in November we visited 
 our old homes, the scenes of our childhood and 
 early life, where we used to roam over the hills 
 and vales. As memoiy went back over the lapse 
 of many years oh, how I remembered Mother's 
 prayers and her dying charge, ''Tell my boy to 
 be true to God at the point of the bayonet.''! As 
 I walked over the fields where I had plowed the 
 soil and hai-^^ested the grain when but a boy, I 
 renewed my covenant with God to be a better man. 
 
EASTWARD BOUND 
 
 133 
 
 more prayerful, more humble, more spiritual, and 
 more devoted. 
 
 On Sunday, December 5, in the morning service, 
 my wife preached her farewell sermon at Akron, 
 Ind. I preached in the evening service. God gave 
 us a very precious time, and all hearts were melted. 
 We have labored there for the past six and one 
 half years. On Monday night, December 6, the 
 congregations around Akron, together with our 
 friends and neighbors, gave us a farewell service. 
 The prepared program was the finest and most 
 touching of any to which we ever listened. God 
 bless the dear saints at Akron, Ind. We have 
 them in our hearts. God bless their overseers. 
 Brother and Sister Rowe, with all the local min- 
 isters. . . !.,;.-•!. J #t 
 
 At the close of this service we repaired to my 
 son Arlo^s home, and here the members of our 
 family spent three hours together in communion 
 and prayer. We then went to Rochester, Ind., 
 where we took the train for New York. The 
 hardest ordeal we have ever been called to pass 
 through was at 3 A. M., Tuesday morning, De- 
 cember 7, when our train pulled out of the depot 
 and our own dear family on the platform waved 
 us their last farewell with tears streaming down 
 all faces. We are happy to say, all our children 
 are saved, and we ask you please to pray for 
 them. 
 
 On Sunday, December 12, v^e held three precious 
 
134 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 services, one at the Home at 11 A. M., and one 
 at 14th St. at 3 P. M. and one in Jersey City at 
 night. Sister Alice Sprague is holding a revival 
 in Jersey City. Bro. John Turner and his wife 
 are here, and also Brother Blaney came up from 
 Philadelphia to wave us a last farewell. Brother 
 and Sister Blewitt have shown us every courtesy 
 and kindness. God bless them. 
 
 During the last few days a host of farewell- 
 messages have come through the mail. As we 
 can not answer all of them personally, we here 
 take the opportunity to thank you all for your 
 kind words of encouragement and the promise of 
 your prayers. 
 
 After almost thirty years of ministerial activity 
 in America we sail for our foreign field. We will 
 not promise any great things. Our motto will be, 
 *'A clean work rather than a big one.*' We ex- 
 pect to do thorough, straight work for God. We 
 hope to reach Syria from between the middle to 
 the last of April. We shall keep the church in- 
 formed as to our work, and hope to contribute 
 regularly to the columns of the Trumpet. 
 
 Please write us, and, above all, remember us 
 earnestly at the throne of grace. And now, to all 
 the dear saints in America, we say farewell. God 
 bless you. Yours for souls in every land, 
 
 H. M., Minnie M., and George Riggle. 
 
EASTWARD BOUND 
 
 135 
 
 ON THE BROAD ATLANTIC 
 
 On December 14, at 10 A. M., we boarded the SS. 
 Aquitania, at Pier 54, New York. J. C. Blewitt, 
 J. O. Blaney, John C. Turner and his wife, Alice 
 Sprague, and Mother Stephens accompanied us on 
 board, where we held a farewell service of songs 
 and prayer. Sister Josephine McCrie on her way 
 to India, accompanied us. 
 
 As the great steamer left the docks, the brethren 
 and the sisters waved handkerchiefs until we were 
 out of sight. At 2 P. M. we passed the Statue of 
 Liberty and at three o^clock our beloved America 
 was fading from view in the distance. What feel- 
 ings crept over us at this moment! 
 
 The Aquitania— length 901 feet; width 97 feet; 
 eight passenger decks; 47,000 tons; crew 1,000; 
 capacity 3,250 passengers— is one of the fastest 
 boats crossing the Atlantic. It is an English boat 
 belonging to the Cunard Line. The service is 
 very good, and we enjoyed the trip immensely. 
 
 For the first two days the sea was rough, but 
 there was sunshine all the time. The great, roll- 
 ing waves and silvery spray dancing in the clear 
 sunshine presented indescribable beauty and gran- 
 deur. For the remainder of the trip the sea was 
 calm. None of us lost a single meal from sea- 
 sickness. George and I had a touch of it for about 
 an hour the first night out, but this was all. How- 
 ever, the majority of passengers did not fare so 
 
136 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 well. Many of them never appeared in the dining- 
 room until the day before landing. 
 
 In exactly six days after leaving New York we 
 were drawing near to the shores of France. How 
 good the green hills looked to us! Everybody 
 crowded on deck to see the land. Our ship was 
 soon anchored in the harbor of Cherbourg. Three 
 boats came out and several hundred passengers 
 for France and the East by the way of Marseilles 
 were taken ashore, with their baggage. Also nine 
 hundred sacks of mail were unloaded. 
 
 We left the same evening and crossed the Eng- 
 lish Channel for Southampton, where we arrived 
 during the night. The next morning, December 
 21, we looked out upon English scenes. Many 
 things were strange, as two-story street-cars 
 (^ram-cars), peculiar heavy two-wheeled delivery- 
 wagons, small boys wearing stiff hats with low 
 crowns and wide brims, and almost all young men 
 and ladies using walking canes. We left the ship 
 at 10:30 A. M., and were delighted to meet Bro. 
 Wm. Hopwood, from Birkenhead. Olir baggage 
 passed the customs officer without a single piece 
 being opened. We shipped our trunks by freight 
 to Syria, and then prepared to accompany Brother 
 Hopwood to his home at Birkenhead. 
 
 LAUGHABLE EXPERIENCES IN ENGLAND 
 
 During our trip across the ocean I obtained some 
 English money, and by the time we landed I 
 
EASTWARD BOUND 
 
 137 
 
 imagined that I could make change as well as any 
 one. I knew well enough what five pence, three 
 pence, and two pence and a half-penny were, as 
 well as all the rest of English money. But as 
 soon as I began to ask the price of things, as 
 stamps for example, I was greeted with ^'fifpence,'' 
 " threppence, ' ^ ^ ' tuppence-hapenny, ' ' etc., and these 
 short-cut words were said so rapidly that I did 
 not understand at all what they meaut. I would 
 ask several times, and the same * ^ threppence^' ' 
 * ^ tuppence-hapenny, ' ' etc., would be repeated again 
 and again. I handed out a large piece of money 
 each time, and soon I had a pocketful of small 
 change. Brother Hopwood drilled us along this 
 line so that in a few days we well understood that 
 ^ ^ threppence ' ' meant three pence, and ^Huppence- 
 hapenny'' meant two pence and a half -penny. 
 
 When we left New York, we carried with us 
 barely enough money to get to Southampton safe- 
 ly. Both Sister McCrie and I took checks and 
 bank-drafts on the National Uaiion Bank of Lon- 
 don Limited, which institution has a branch at 
 Southampton. We expected, upon arrival, to get 
 these cashed at once. We were keenly disappoint- 
 ed, when we went to the branch bank at Southamp- 
 ton, to be informed that our papers would be 
 honored only at the main bank in London. We ex- 
 pected to go directly north to Liverpool and Birken- 
 head, and to go around by London was far out of 
 the way and much more expensive. 
 
138 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 We quickly transferred to the London and Great 
 AVestern Railway-station, and on inquiring found 
 that I did not have enough cash to purchase our 
 tickets to London. As the train was about due 
 to leave, we had an exciting time getting enough 
 money together to obtain our tickets. By each 
 one of the party, including Brother Hopwood, 
 emptying his pockets, we were able to reach Lon- 
 don. We arrived at 3 P. M. Leaving Brother 
 Hopwood, my wife, and George at the station with 
 our luggage. Sister McCrie and I secured a taxi 
 after some difficulty, and started on a fast drive 
 for the bank. It was a long distance, and we never 
 reached the place till two minutes past four o^clock, 
 and found the building closed. 
 
 After some effort, we were admitted through a 
 side door. This was one of the largest and most 
 elaborate banking-houses I have ever entered. We 
 stepped up to one of the windows and presented 
 our papers. The cashier looked at us in sur- 
 prize, and said, Don't you know that this in- 
 stitution closes each day at 3 P. M.T' We told 
 him our story, that we had just arrived from 
 New York and the branch house at Southampton 
 instructed us to come direct to here. We told 
 him our circumstances, that we were without 
 njoney to pay our fare to Liverpool, and had none 
 to pay a hotel bill in London. He expressed him- 
 self as sorry for us, but said, can do nothing 
 for you until 9 A. M. tomorrow.'* 
 
EASTWAED BOUND 
 
 189 
 
 1 whispered to Sister McCrie to pray earnestly 
 while I importuned. I said to the banker, ^*You 
 see we are in a strait. We have the drafts on your 
 bank. We miist have the money. You know there 
 are exceptions to all rules, and so we beg you to 
 make an exception in our case please. He re- 
 plied, **We don't do business in that way. Our 
 rules are fixed. Come in tomorrow." Just then 
 1 remembered hearing Bro. E. E. By rum tell how 
 he and his son went through the National Capitol 
 at Washington after closing-hours, simply by per- 
 sistent importunity. I also remembered the 
 Canaanite woman's importunity, and decided to 
 hold right on. 
 
 I continued, Please bear with us. We are in 
 London without money. We must reach Liver- 
 pool tonight. Here are our checks on your bank. 
 You are the ones to help us out, and the only ones 
 to help us out, and the only ones who can." 
 Finally the banker opened a large book. He said, 
 **Why, the instructions have not arrived from 
 New York. You beat them here. According to 
 our rules we can not pay you until they arrive. 
 Besides, our money is now locked in the vaults." 
 This seemed like the final word. I looked at Sister 
 McGrie and her lips were moving in silent prayer. 
 That gave me new courage. 
 
 I began a last appeal. **Here are the drafts. 
 They call for the money from your institution. 
 Tt is the money we must have. We mfust have it 
 
140 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 today. Please sir favor us just this time, and we 
 shall most highly appreciate your kindness. ' ' This 
 touched him. He said, ^^I will have to pay you 
 in one-pound notes, as the big money is all in the 
 vaults." My soul said, ^'Praise the Lord." We 
 told him we should be thankful to receive it in 
 any currency. He cashed both Sister McCrie's 
 and my checks in full, and we walked out of the 
 bank at about half past four with all our money. 
 
 Olir time to catch a train for Liverpool was 
 very limited. We hurried our taxi-driver back to 
 the station, loaded on the suitcases and folk, and 
 rushed to another depot. When we arrived there 
 was just about five minutes until the departure of 
 the train. Brother Hopwood hurried to one de- 
 partment to send a telegram home, while I ran to 
 the ticket-window to get our tickets. In my excite- 
 ment I left my satchel at this window. When I 
 arrived at the train, my wife and the others had 
 the baggage on a truck ready to put on the train. 
 But there is no checking-system in England, and 
 everybody must see that his baggage is put on and 
 claim it when put off. Just then I missed my 
 satchel, and it was full of valuables. I ran to 
 the ticket-window ; but the satchel was gone. By 
 the time I reached the folk, the whistle blew and 
 the train began slowly to move. We ordered a 
 porter to throw the suitcases into the baggage- 
 car, while we stepped on the slowly moving train. 
 The cars in England are entered along the side 
 
EASTWARD BOUND 
 
 141 
 
 instead of at the end as in the States. Just as 
 we were climbing on my wife saw a man with the 
 satchel, and called my attention to it. I jmnped 
 off, ran over to where he was, and, without saying 
 a word, grasped hold of it and snatched it from 
 his hand. In a moment I was back on the train, 
 headed for Liverpool. 
 
 We reached Liverpool at 9:50 P. M. Here we 
 were met by Bro. Adam Allan and a young Brother 
 Goodwin. From here we went by subway to Birken- 
 head, and arrived at the home of Brother Hopwood 
 and family at eleven o'clock. What a comfort to 
 sit down in a quiet home after the exciting exper- 
 iences of the day, our first day in a foreign land! 
 
 EVANGELISTIC MEETINGS IN THE BRITISH ISLES 
 
 After a few days' rest, we began a revival in 
 Birkenhead, which continued over two Sundays, 
 December 25— January 2. The meetings were held 
 in St. Andrews Mission Church. Brethren attended 
 from different cities in England. The attendance 
 was good. There were forty-one consecrations for 
 pardon and entire sanctification. Bro. Adam Allan, 
 of Belfast, Ireland, was with us, and rendered most 
 valuable service in advertising the meetings by 
 house-to-house canvassing. Bro. Wm. Hopwood 
 has the general oversight of the work in this city. 
 
 Our next meeting was held at Aberdeen, Scot- 
 land, January 4-9. Here we found a very com- 
 mendable work under the care of a young brother, 
 
142 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 David Goodwin. The congregation was in a good 
 spiritual condition, and many were the seasons 
 of spiritual refreshing from the presence of the 
 Lord we had. I preached mostly along doctrinal 
 lines. We were hospitably cared for in the home 
 of Brother and Sister Johanessen. Mrs. Johanes- 
 sen is much used of the Lord in street-meetings, 
 where her clear voice reaches multitudes of peo- 
 ple. We certainly felt at home in the midst of' 
 this assembly, and were loath to say farewell. 
 
 From Aberdeen we went to Carlisle, England, 
 where we held some precious services during 
 January 10-14. We held two meetings each day. 
 This was the ripest field we found in the British 
 Isles. A considerable number of ministers— Prim- 
 itive Methodist, Pentecostal, Holiness, and Inde- 
 pendant— attended these services. Brother and 
 Sister Hopwood came up from Birkenhead and 
 remained during the meeting. Sister Clarice 
 Baines lives here, and extensively advertised the 
 meeting. 
 
 We left Carlisle early in the morning of January 
 15 and crossed the Channel to Lame, Ireland. 
 l^Vom here we took train for Belfast, where we 
 were received and hospitably cared for by Bro. 
 Adam Allan and family. 
 
 We held meetings in Belfast during January 
 16-25. Brother Allan spared neither means nor 
 time to advertise this meeting, and every day of 
 jta continuance he and his daughter Naomi, can- 
 
EASTWARD BOUND 
 
 143 
 
 vassed the city from house to house inviting the 
 people. These personal calls had good results in 
 bringing to the services many well-thinking people 
 seeking light. This was the most fruitful meeting 
 of all. The preaching was mostly doctrinal. On 
 the morning of the last Sunday I was invited to 
 preach in the Holiness Mission, and after the 
 pastor in charge heard a sermon on the New 
 Testament church, he declared himself in favor of 
 the truth. In the same evening I preached in the 
 Ulster Minor Hall on the millennium. 
 
 A considerable number were saved, sanctified, 
 and healed in this meeting. Birother Kennedy was 
 pastor of the work. He cooperated with us grand- 
 ly. God bless him. We left Belfast the night of 
 the twenty-fifth by boat across the Irish Sea to 
 Liverpool. It was hard to separate from the dear 
 saints in Ireland, and especially from Brother 
 Allan's family. They are among the very best 
 people we have ever met. 
 
 On January 28-31 we held meetings in London. 
 Here we found a little band of saints, the fruits of 
 Bro. G. R. Achor's and Bro. J. H. Rupert's preach- 
 ing of about twenty-seven years ago. Our coming to 
 them proved a great inspiration and blessing. We 
 held services each night and twice on Sunday at 
 25 Dulwich Road, E. Dulwich, London. One old 
 lady— an invalid— was converted and healed. 
 
 We spent exactly six weeks in the British Isles. 
 The Lord crowned our labors with success in every 
 
144 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 place. Bro. Wm. Hopwood has general superin- 
 tendency of the work as a whole. He is now pub- 
 lishing a British Gospel Trumpet that is an honor 
 to the cause. We found him to be a man of good 
 executive ability and well-balanced judgment. He 
 showed us every courtesy, and helped us much in 
 getting adjusted to new conditions. 
 
 PLACES OF INTEREST 
 
 We not only held meetings during our stay in 
 the United Kingdom, but were privileged to visit 
 many places of note. While in Birkenhead we 
 visited Briston Hill. Here we saw the quaint old 
 English thatched-roof houses, and the Dutch wind- 
 mills. From the summit of the hill we had a 
 splendid view of the city, and in the distance 
 could see the hills of Wales. 
 
 On December 30 we visited Chester. It is a 
 walled city, originally built by Romans. We walked 
 around the entire old wall, a distance of two miles. 
 We were in the tower where King Charles viewed 
 the defeat of his armies on Sept. 24, 1645. While 
 here we went through Chester Cathedral, a very 
 ancient and magnificent structure. The country 
 between Birkenhead and Chester is very beautiful. 
 
 We also visited about all that was to us worth see- 
 ing in the great city of Liverpool. Our trip from 
 Birkenhead to Aberdeen, Scotland, was full of in- 
 terest. The distance covers about four hundred 
 miles and we traveled all day. Our route took 
 
EASTWARD BOUND 
 
 145 
 
 us through some of the highlands of Scotland, and 
 these were very picturesque. The hills were cov- 
 ered with flocks of peculiar-looking sheep, their 
 wool hanging to the ground, so that you could not 
 see their legs. On the train everybody was very 
 friendly, sharing their candies and fruits with us. 
 
 Aberdeen is a granite city. All houses are built 
 of granite, and the streets are paved with the 
 same material. This is the city of great fisheries. 
 A visit to the fish-market in the early morning, 
 when the boats arrived, was intensely interesting. 
 There were acres and acres covered with a great 
 variety of fish spread out before us. We also 
 took a long stroll down the rocky coast of the 
 North Sea. This was majestic in beauty. 
 
 Carlisle is an interesting place. Here is an 
 ancient castle, the largest we saw anywhere in our 
 travels. Carlisle was the scene of many battles be- 
 tween the English and Scotch in the days of their 
 conflicts. This was the home city of ex-President 
 Wilson's parents. We visited the old church where 
 the President's father worshiped, and where Presi- 
 dent Wilson visited during his last trip to Eng- 
 land. 
 
 In crossing the Irish Sea, from Belfast to Liver- 
 pool, we passed the large ship-building plants 
 where the Titanic and Olympic were built. As 
 we passed out of the channel, we saw many large 
 vessels, among them the Baltic. 
 
 During the five days we remained in London 
 
146 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 we visited Madam Tussaud's place, House of Par- 
 liament, Tate's Art Gallery, Westminster Abbey, 
 St. James' Park, Buckingham Palace, National Art 
 Gallery, The Mall, Trafalgar Square, St. Martin's 
 English Church, Tower of London, St. Paul's 
 Cathedral, and the British Museum. The most 
 interesting to us was Westminster Abbey, a part 
 of which has stood since the tenth century. This 
 building is the crowning glory and magnificence 
 of England, the majestic tomb of many of its 
 greatest and noblest kings, queens, and statesmen. 
 We visited these tombs. Also we were shown the 
 chair and room where all the kings for five hun- 
 dred years have been crowned, to include King 
 George. 
 
 In the Tower of London the ^' Crown Jewel" 
 room was intensely interesting. King Henry VI 
 was murdered here. We stood on the spot where 
 King Henry VIII had his wife Anne Boleyn ex- 
 ecuted. Here we saw the crowns of gold worn by 
 the different kings and queens at their coronation. 
 One contains 2,818 diamonds, 297 pearls, 2 sap- 
 phires, and 52 rose diamonds. Another crown was 
 filled with emeralds, sapphires, and 6,170 dia- 
 monds. 
 
 In the British Museum we were admitted and 
 saw one of the oldest manuscripts of the Bible in 
 the world, the Alexandrian, also copies of the 
 oldest one, the Sinaitic. Among the thousands of 
 valuable things we saw in this museum were seven 
 
EASTWARD BOUND 
 
 147 
 
 of the original large pillars from the temple of 
 "Diana of the Ephesians," mentioned in the book 
 of Acts, chap. 19:23-41, and dating from B. C. 560. 
 
 TRAVELS IN FRANCE 
 
 We left London at 8:20 A. M., February 1, on 
 a through train to Dover. Here we crossed the 
 English Channel to Calais, France, from which 
 place we took train for Paris, arriving 5:20 P. M. 
 of the same day. Thus we came the entire way 
 in daylight, and saw much of France. Some of 
 the country is very beautiful, and a part of it 
 sand-dunes. The houses and methods of farming 
 are very old-fashioned compared with American. 
 We passed through a considerable section of the 
 battle-fields of the World War; it was in the vicin- 
 ity of Amiens, a place of historical record during 
 the great German drive on the w^estem front. We 
 saw where the soldiers fell and were buried. 
 Simple crosses marked the graves. Much of the 
 country devastated during the war has been re- 
 stored almost to normal conditions, and farmers 
 were plowing the battle-fields. 
 
 At Paris, Thomas Cook and Company assisted 
 us in obtaining reasonable rates at an English- 
 speaking hotel, the Prince Albert. We visited the 
 "Palace of Concord,^' one of the finest places in 
 Paris. At the tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte we 
 were reminded of the vanity and end of human 
 greatness. We saw the "Pantheon of the War," a 
 
148 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 panorama containing 6,000 pictures and paintings 
 of all the battle-fields of France. We went up 
 Eiffel Tower (975 feet liigh), which gave us a 
 splendid view over the city. We visited the 
 Louvre, the French national museum. This is the 
 largest building in France, and one of the largest 
 in the world. Other sights we saw were the La- 
 fayette Monument, erected by the school-children 
 of America ; the statue, home, and tomb of Voltaire ; 
 Saint Chapelle, a yery old church with the finest 
 stained windows in the world (in this church, they 
 told us, is preserved the crown of thorns Jesus 
 wore on Calvary; of course this talk is Catholic 
 nonsense) ; Church of St. Genevive, where Napo- 
 leon Bonaparte was crowned (Voltaire once used 
 it for a museum) ; the place where radium was 
 discovered; Notre Dame, a great Catholic church 
 (it contains 365 pillars and 1500 statues, and dates 
 from 1163 A. D. Its organ contains 500 pipes, 
 125 stops, and 5 key-boards.) ; the Hall of Justice 
 and the Law Courts; the Jewel chapel of Paris; 
 Victor Hugo's house, the oldest in Paris; the 
 Bastile, the prison where otfenders were guillo- 
 tined. Besides these things, we also saw the 
 church ruins, caused by a shell from the big Ger- 
 man gun eighty miles away, when eighty-eight 
 people were killed. Altogether our stay in Paris 
 was most interesting. 
 
 From Paris we went direct to Basel, Switzer- 
 land, a distance of 325 miles. We also took this 
 
EASTWARD BOUND 
 
 149 
 
 trip in daytime. It gave us a good view of cen- 
 tral and eastern France. For about one hundiea 
 miles east of Paris the country is level like North 
 Dakota, and the farmers live far apart. Usually 
 eight oxen were hitched to one plow, and some- 
 times all were white. No one held the plow, but 
 the plowman walked beside the oxen. The plow 
 looked somewhat like our American sulky plows. 
 About all the wagons had only two large, heavy 
 wheels, in the center, and the horses were hitched 
 in a line, never double. It was a common sight 
 to see the women haul the manure, while the men 
 scattered it in the fields. 
 
 In eastern France the house and barn is all 
 under one roof, smoke coming out of the chim- 
 neys on one end of the buildings and barnyards 
 and cattle found at the other end. The roofs are 
 all of red tile, and come within six feet of the 
 ground along the sides. The doors and windows 
 are very low. 
 
 We saw some funeral processions along the way. 
 The hearse went ahead, and about six mourners 
 walked after. That made up the whole procession. 
 At nearly every crossroads is a large crucifix. In 
 all small towns there is but one church edifice, 
 and of course that is Roman Catholic. 
 
 As we neared Switzerland the country became 
 mountainous and picturesque. We passed through 
 the battle-fields of Alsace-Lorain south of Nancy 
 and Michael. Here we saw many dug-outs, case- 
 
150 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 ments, and shell-holes, as well as cemeteries where 
 the soldiers were interred. Oh, the cruelties oi 
 war! 
 
 We reached Basel, Switzerland, at 7 P. M., 
 February 3. A number of brethren and sisters 
 met us, and we were warmly received into the home 
 of Bro. Joseph Krebs, who is pastor of the work 
 there. There were only two brethren who could 
 understand English, and their knowledge of it 
 w'as very limited. Yet the church gathered in and 
 sang for us, and we had prayer together, and the 
 Lord refreshed our spirits through this associa- 
 tion. These dear people showed us every kind- 
 ness. 
 
 We spent one day in Basel getting our pass- 
 ports properly stamped, and making necessary 
 preparations to enter Germany. We visited the 
 grave of Bro. William Ebel, with whom we had 
 been associated so long in the ministry. 
 
 Everything in Switzerland looked strange to us. 
 Boys like George wore aprons on the streets, and 
 schoolgirls all wore them to school. We saw a 
 chimney-sweeper with a silk hat on. 
 
 A WARM WELCOME IN GERMANY 
 
 On February 5 we boarded a train for Essen, 
 Germany, a distance of about two hundred miles. 
 Our route took us along the shores of the scenic 
 River Ehine, and we shall never forget the pic- 
 turesqueness of our route on this journey. The 
 
EASTWARD BOUND 
 
 151 
 
 iiiils on both sides of the stream are terraced from 
 bottom to top, and are covered with vineyards. 
 On almost every rocky ledge was a large castle. 
 The river was full of long, narrow boats carrying 
 freight. 
 
 At Duesburg, Bro. Otto Doebert met us, and 
 here we changed trains for Essen, where we ar- 
 rived the same evening. How delighted Brother 
 and Sister Doebert were to see some one from 
 America ! When we arrived at the home we found a 
 beautiful evergreen-wreath over our room door with 
 the word "WELCOME." The brethren gave us 
 a reception service of song and recitation that was 
 very touching. We shall always hold sacred in 
 our memories the warm welcome and hospitality 
 accorded us by the church in Germany. It sur- 
 passed anything we have ever witnessed. These 
 tender-hearted people showed us much kindness. 
 
 We held meetings over two Sundays, February 
 5-13, three services each day; ministers' meetings 
 9:30 A. M., and general services at 3 and 7 P. M. 
 This was our first experience in preaching through 
 interpreters. Brother Doebert interpreted for me, 
 Sister Doebert for my wife. After a few services 
 we got along very well. 
 
 A number of ministers were present from dif- 
 ferent parts of Germany and German Poland. 
 These ministers reported that everywhere there 
 are grand openings for the gospel, and that peo- 
 ple are crying for the very truth we have to 
 
152 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 give. The people generally are so tired of the 
 state church that they come to our meetings by 
 the hundreds to find something better. During 
 our stay in Essen, the places of meeting were 
 crowded to their capacity, and often many were 
 turned away; and all this without any advertising. 
 
 TTe also went to Bochum and held one service 
 for the Polish people. Brother Maslowaki was 
 their pastor. Here a full house of hungry souls 
 greeted us. In these meetings more than fifty 
 people bowed at the altar for salvation. They 
 usually came weeping, and cried unto the Lord 
 for help in the old-fashioned way. The converts 
 generally came through the ''strait gate" shouting 
 for joy. 
 
 Without doubt Germany presents a great harvest- 
 field that is fully ripe for the pure gospel. Our 
 meetings are held within one block of the great 
 Krupp AVorks, so famous during the World War. 
 At the time we were there sixty thousand people 
 were employed in this plant, making various kinds 
 of machinery from typewriters to railroad loco- 
 motives. In Germany men go to work dressed in 
 good suits, with collars and ties. At the factory 
 or mine they change and put on their working- 
 clothes. When their day's work is ended, they 
 repair to the dressing-rooms, wash, and put on 
 their good suits, and return home well dressed. 
 This is in sharp contrast with the American 
 method. 
 
EASTWARD BOUND 
 
 153 
 
 REVIVALS IN SWITZERLAND 
 
 On February 14, in company with Brother and 
 Sister Doebert, we left by train early in the morn- 
 ing for Switzerland, arriving at Basel at 7:20 
 P. M. We had a splendid view of the country all 
 the way. Germany is a beautiful country, and its 
 people are industrious and progressive, and the 
 most like America in method, machinery, and in- 
 dustry of any country we have visited since cross- 
 ing the Atlantic. 
 
 We held meetings at Basel during February 
 15-18. There is a good spiritual congregation at 
 this place, and they are doing their best to up- 
 hold the precious truth that has saved them. We 
 visited many places of interest in and around 
 the city. 
 
 From here we went to Zurich, a city of over 
 two hundred thousand people. In the sixteenth 
 century this place was the center of the preach- 
 ing of the great reformer Ulrich Zwingli. We 
 visited his monument, and also saw the armor 
 that he wore at the time he was killed (in the 
 battle of Kappel), which is kept here in the 
 National Museum. 
 
 In this same city, a little later than Zwingli, a 
 Protestant council condemned a young man named 
 Felix Mantz to be drowned because he rejected 
 infant sprinkling and taught that people ought to 
 be immersed. He met death by drowning. 
 
 Zurich is a beautiful city, situated in a fertile 
 
154 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 valley surrounded by mountains. The Alps are 
 plainly visible, and the cool breezes from their 
 snow-covered peaks sweep over the place. 
 
 We held meetings in this city February 20-27. 
 God gave us a very precious time. The people 
 are not so demonstrative as in Germany, being of 
 a quiet, reserved disposition; but the Swiss peo- 
 ple are deep, and think twice before they act. In 
 all, about forty people bowed at the altar for 
 pardon and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. 
 
 At the close of this meeting Brother Doebert and 
 I went by train to Winterthur, where we held a 
 service with good attendance and interest. On 
 March 1 we went through the country to Holtz- 
 hausen for a meeting. On the way we visited an 
 old pilgrim who had read my articles in the Ger- 
 man Posaune. He did not know that I had come 
 to Europe. When Brother Doebert told him who 
 I was, he wept like a child and shouted for joy. 
 He called me Brother ^'Riglee." 
 
 Like eastern France, Switzerland has its houses 
 and barns both under one roof. We held the 
 night service in one of these buildings, and this 
 gave me an opportunity to examine it. There is 
 a heavy partition between the two parts, with a 
 single door of entrance. The family lives in one 
 end, and all the stock in the other. They are 
 ready to argue that this is by far the most con- 
 venient and better method, as they do not need 
 to go outside to feed their cattle and horses. But 
 
EASTWARD BOUND 
 
 155 
 
 it does not appeal very strongly to an American, 
 and I failed to agree with them. 
 
 CLIMBING THE ALPS 
 
 We left Zurich early on the morning of March 
 via the Gothard Railroad, for Goschenen, a 
 town near the summit of the scenic Alps Mountains 
 and at the entrance of the great St. Gothard tun- 
 nel. The day was ideal, and we had a fine view of 
 the mountains all the way. We reached our des- 
 tination at 9:15 A. M., checked our suitcases at 
 the station, and secured rooms at the White Horse 
 Hotel, where we left our small satchels, and then 
 started on a sight-seeing tour. 
 
 The mountains all around us were covered with 
 snow and ice glistening in the clear sunshine. 
 
 We first walked to Wasson, a distance of four 
 miles. The scenery was very beautiful. At noon 
 we took train back to Goschenen and ate our din- 
 ner. After lunch we began to climb along a 
 trail to the highest summit of the Alpine chain 
 of mountains. The distance was several miles, 
 and required great effort and considerable en- 
 durance. Near the top is the main pass between 
 Switzerland and Italy and a military station named 
 Andermatt. 
 
 The sights were wonderful. It is claimed that 
 here is the most beautiful scenery on the Alpine 
 Mountains. There were deep gorges and canons, 
 
156 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 awful precipices, dashing streams of water, piles 
 of snow and ice, and many things of interest on 
 every side. However, my personal opinion is that 
 the Rocky and Cascade Mountains on the Canadian 
 Pacific Railroad eclipse anything to be seen in 
 the Alps. I saw nothing in Switzerland that 
 equals the scenery at Glacier, on the Canadian 
 I^acific Railroad. I say this without prejudice. 
 Americans need not go to Europe in order to 
 see nature's beauty. We have a great variety of 
 it at home, and it is not exceeded anywhere. 
 
 IN THE LAND OF THE CAESARS 
 
 Early on March 4 we passed through the St. 
 Gothard tunnel, and began a winding descent of 
 the Alps on the south side. We all agreed that 
 the scenery on this side of the Alpine Range was 
 the better. As we rapidly descended below the 
 snow line, the mountains were covered with 
 orchards and vineyards. Here we saw great flocks 
 of goats. The houses are built of stone, and even 
 the roofs are made of flat stones. The doors are 
 very small and low, and the windows narrow. 
 We passed through the beautiful summer-resort 
 city of Lugano, located on a large mountain lake. 
 The scenery at this place was superb. By 2 P. M. 
 we were on the plains of Italy, and the warm, 
 balmy breezes of the Mediterranean and Adriatic 
 greeted us. At 11:30 P. M. we had reached the 
 city of 
 
EASTWARD BOUND 
 
 157 
 
 Venice 
 
 Venice is a city built on the waters of the 
 Adriatic Sea. Its history dates from about the 
 third century A. D. We saw no horses, wagons, 
 or carriages in the entire city. All trafficking is 
 done by boats called gondolas, for the streets are 
 waterways. We enjoyed this mode of travel very 
 much. We spent March 5 in this city, and visited 
 every place generally worth seeing, including St. 
 Thomas' Church, St. Stephen's Church, and St. 
 Mark's Church. The Catholic service held in 
 each of these places was all new and intensely 
 interesting to us. The large glass-works where 
 the finest mosaics are done was also interesting. 
 We also visited the Clock Tower, the great open 
 square, and the seashore plaza. We took an hour's 
 ride on a gondola-boat through some of the 
 streets and out into the Adriatic Sea. In the 
 harbor we passed two American gunboats, Gilmer 
 No. 233 and James 245. George saluted them with 
 a small American flag, and the boys waved to us. 
 Venice is a pretty place of palm-trees and warm 
 sunshine. W^e enjoyed this very much, as it was 
 in sharp contrast with the cold, snowy Alps, from 
 which we had just come. We took train the same 
 night for 
 
 Milan 
 
 We spent Sunday, March 6, in Milan. From 
 10:30 A. M. till noon we attended services in the 
 great cathedral of Milan. This edifice has a 
 
158 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 capacity of forty thousand people, and is exceeded 
 only by St. Peter's Chnrcli at Eome. The elab- 
 orate services in this church surpassed anything 
 we had ever witnessed for form and ceremony. 
 After the meeting we went through the Cathedral, 
 climbed about four hundred steps to the roof, and 
 then went to the tower above all the spires, where 
 we had a splendid view of the city. 
 
 At 2:30 P. M. we attended an interesting ser- 
 vice in St. Ambrose Church. This ancient place 
 and its historical association made it a great privi- 
 lege for us to attend a religious meeting there. 
 From here we went to St. Grezle (Grace) Church. 
 Here we witnessed pagan idolatry under a Chris- 
 tian garb. We closed the day at a meeting in 
 St. Mark's Greek Catholic Church. We felt much 
 as Paul did while he tarried in Athens and saw 
 the whole city given over to idolatiy and super- 
 stition. My inmost soul was mightily stirred, and 
 we were made more than ever to appreciate the 
 light of evangelical Christianity. Our visit to 
 Milan was full of interest. 
 
 Florence 
 
 We left Milan at 6:15 A. M., March 7, for 
 Florence, were we arrived at 1:20 P. M. of the 
 same day. The scenery between Milan and Flor- 
 ence was simply grand. The first half of the jour- 
 ney took us through a level country, while the re- 
 mainder was through a veiy mountainous dis- 
 trict. The whole country was covered with orch- 
 
EASTWARD BOUND 
 
 159 
 
 ards, vineyards, and olive-groves. Italy is cer- 
 tainly a great fruit-country, and from the appear- 
 ance we gathered that they specialize along this 
 line. 
 
 Florence is the great art-city of Italy. Here we 
 visited GaUeria Degli Ufflja, the world's greatest 
 art-gallery; and crossed the river and went through 
 the Plazzo De Pitt Gallery. In these we saw some 
 of the world's finest paintings. We saw original 
 paintings of such men as Eaphael and Michael- 
 angelo. 
 
 We visited St. Grose Church, and also the tombs 
 of Dante, Michaelangelo, and G^alileo the great 
 astronomer. We visited the great Cathedral of 
 Florence, an immense structure of marble. In 
 the St. Marie Catholic Church the people pros- 
 trated themselves before many different images 
 and kissed them. We saw women press their lips 
 into the hole in the side of a wax figure that was 
 lying on the floor representing Christ, with the 
 appearance of blood oozing from the place where 
 the spear entered. Here you see Rome as she 
 really is— a system of image-worship and rank 
 idolatry. We also took an interurban-car and 
 made a tour of many miles around the city. 
 
 Pisa 
 
 We left Florence at 9:20 A.' M., March 9, for 
 Pisa, where we spent the remainder of the day. 
 The country bet\\^een Florence and Pisa is very 
 
160 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 beautiful. We saw many strange sights along the 
 way. The fanners do practically all their work 
 with oxen, and most of the oxen are white. The 
 plum- and peach-trees were all in bloom. Here 
 hundreds of women work in the fields with the 
 men. The wheat is planted in rows and the 
 women hoe it just as we do com in America. 
 
 At Pisa we visited another great cathedral, also 
 the Baptistry, where they told us all the children 
 of Pisa have the Catholic rite administered. We 
 also visited the Leaning Tower, from the top of 
 which we got our first view of the Mediterranean 
 Sea. 
 
 Rome 
 
 We went to Rome on March 10, and spent four 
 days visiting places of interest in this great city. 
 This was once the 'imperial city," the capital of 
 the then-known world, the proud home of the Caesars. 
 Here Paul lived in his own hired house for two 
 years, and under Nero was martyred. In those 
 days magnificence and power were expressed in 
 the name *^Rome." Yes, this was the home of 
 Cicero and Seneca. Modern Eome, while a beauti- 
 ful city, does not compare with the ancient city 
 on the Tiber. This was the seat of pagan govern- 
 ment under the proud Caesars, and later became ^ 
 the seat of the papacy, which it remains today. 
 
 Among the many places of interest we visited 
 are the following: The Tower where Nero sat and 
 
EASTWARD BOUND 
 
 161 
 
 fiddled while Eome w^s burning; ruins of the 
 original Trajan Square and Court of Justice; the 
 world's largest monument of marble, erected be- 
 fore the war to Victor Immanuel; Capitoline Hill, 
 one of the original seven hills on which Rome was 
 built. This was once called ''Sacred Hill," where 
 pagan gods were worshiped. (The present king of 
 Italy has his residence here.) Next we went to the 
 Forum; here are acres of ruins of ancient Rome. 
 This originally was the center of Rome. A few 
 of the interesting things here are the ruins of 
 the palace and residence of Caesars, the place 
 where Julius Caesar is buried, tomb of the first 
 Roman emperor, Arch of Titus, Temple of Vesta, 
 and the place where Paul was brought tc Caesar. 
 No doubt the old street over which we passed was 
 the one the great apostle trod. We spent several 
 hours in this interesting place. Next we went to 
 the Colosseum. Here we saw the cells, or cages, 
 where the lions were kept that devoured the Chris- 
 tians. A sacred feeling crept over us as we stood 
 on the very spot where thousands of Christians 
 gave their lives for Christ. We climbed to the 
 top of this great amphitheater, where we had a 
 splendid view of the entire structure. The Vatican 
 was next visited. Our guide, though not a Catholic, 
 was a special friend of the Pope from boyhood. 
 Thus by special permission we saw the private 
 residence of the Pope. We saw the miter he 
 wears on his head, and his armor worn on special 
 
162 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 occasions. We had permission to see the Pope 
 himself, but the conditions we refused to submit 
 to, namely, to put on a black robe, make the sign 
 of the cross, take the wafer from his hand, and 
 receive his blessing. This w^ould have cost us 
 twenty-five lire, or something over one dollar each, 
 for the use of the black robes. But to go through 
 this ceremony of Catholic worship we would not, 
 even at the expense of not seeing the great 
 head of Rome. The special privilege of seeing 
 the Pope is granted near the Easter season. We 
 went through the Vatican museum. On Sunday 
 we attended services in St. Peter's, the largest 
 church in the world. Here several popes are in- 
 terred. It is said that Peter was martyred on 
 the site of this church and buried here. In fact, 
 they opened his supposed tomb and permitted us 
 to look on the very depository of his remains. In 
 this church we saw them bow before the image of 
 St. Peter and kiss his toe. We saw some men 
 put the toe in their mouths and lick it. The whole 
 place was full of image-worship and idolatry. 
 
 We passed the theater built by Julius Caesar 
 B. C. 46, and also visited Palatine Hill, the great 
 palace of Caesar, and the ruins of the public baths, 
 where twenty-six thousand people could bathe at 
 one time. We went through Sebastian Gate, in 
 the old Roman wall, and went out on the Appian 
 Way, over wthich Paul entered the city, and visited 
 the Catacombs. The Pantheon was an interesting 
 
EASTWARD BOUND 
 
 163 
 
 place. It was erected B. 0. 27, and was a place of 
 pagan worship. Afterward it was converted into 
 a Christian temple. We visited St. Marie Majora 
 Church, built in the thirteenth century. The pul- 
 pit was erected by Pope Benedict XIV. The col- 
 umns of this great pulpit were taken out of the 
 Forum, and originally belonged to Constantine's 
 palace. We here saw the tomb of Pope Pius V, 
 and the robe he wore at the time of his death. St. 
 John's Lateran Church was very interesting. It 
 was built by Constantine in the fourth century 
 A. D. This was the residence of the popes before 
 the Vatican was built. The ceiling of this old 
 church is the most artistic of any in Rome. Here 
 we witnessed an interesting service, the ordination 
 of ten priests by the High Cardinal and Tetrarch 
 of Rome. Probably two hundred high dignitaries 
 and priests took part in the ceremony. 
 
 We next went to the ^*Holy Stairs" in the Scala 
 Sancta, They claim these are the ones that led 
 up to Pilate's balcony in Jerusalem, and were 
 brought to Rome by the Empress St. Helena. 
 Here Christ was supposed to have ascended when 
 brought before Pilate. Nine years' indulgence 
 applicable to their souls in purgatory is granted, 
 according to the decision of Pope Pius VII on 
 Oct. 24, 1819, to all who ascend these steps on 
 their knees. Here we beheld a score or more well- 
 dressed and poorly clad dupes creep up step by 
 
164 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 step on their knees, kissing the steps and bowing 
 again and again. 
 
 We went to the font where Constantine was bap- 
 tized when converted to Christianity. Here we 
 saw a priest christen a baby. Before pouring the 
 water on its head, he put butter and honey into 
 its mouth. The ruins on the Aventine Hill next 
 claimed our attention. This is one of the seven 
 hills of ancient Kome. From here we went to the 
 ancient cemetery of Rome, thence through San 
 Palo Gate in the old walls to St. PauPs Church, 
 where the great apostle is said to be buried. We 
 visited his supposed tomb. Three miles beyond 
 this is the place of three fountains, where, it is 
 claimed, Paul was beheaded. This, like many 
 other things, must be accepted with some doubt. 
 It appealed to us as being too many miles from 
 the walls of the city to lead a man to execution, 
 i'rom: here wte returned to the city and visited 
 an underground pagan prison dating from B. C. 
 600. Here we entered what is claimed to be the 
 cell where Paul was kept under Nero until his 
 execution. The place where Caesar was assassinated 
 by Brutus was pointed out to us. 
 
 Altogether, our visit to Rome was intensely inter- 
 esting. The more we see of this pagan worship un- 
 der a Christian garb, the more we feel inspired with 
 boldness to go forth with the message of saving 
 truth. A visit here to the seat of the Papacy con- 
 firms in us more than ever the truth that this 
 
EASTWARD BOUND 
 
 165 
 
 false system of worship is the great Babylon of 
 Kevelation, an '^abomination of desolation/^ 
 
 Naples 
 
 We left Rome at 9:15 A. M., March 14, and 
 arrived in Naples at 2:30 P. M. of the same day. 
 On leaving Rome we passed the large viaducts 
 where water was conveyed from the mountains to 
 supply ancient Rome. As in northern Italy, the 
 entire country is covered with vineyards and orch- 
 ards, except that as we neared Naples the variety 
 of fruit changed to orange- and lemon-groves, laden 
 with ripe fruit. Along the way we saw oxen and 
 horses hitched together to wagons and plows. 
 Along the streams the women were washing by 
 pounding their clothes on the stone and rocks. 
 Most of the hogs in this section were blue in 
 color. There were no fences, and boys and girls 
 herded all the stock. 
 
 On the streets of Naples we saw many things 
 new and strange to us. All traffic begins at 5 
 A. M., and such a bedlam we never before heard. 
 Delivery wagons are heavy, two-wheeled, peculiar- 
 looking vehicles, and the wheels are immense in 
 size. Often in the center is hitched a large white 
 ox with a small pony on each side. We spent 
 three days in this city and its environs. 
 
 We visited Pompeii. This city was destroyed 
 in A. D. 79, by the eruption from Vesuvius. At 
 the time of its destruction it numbered forty-five 
 
166 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 thousand people. It lies six miles from the vol- 
 cano. We secured a guide and went through the 
 ruins of the entire place that has been excavated. 
 We had not gone far until we were convinced 
 why this place was destroyed. There is every evi- 
 dence that the inhabitants were given over to 
 licentiousness of the lowest kind. Evidently this 
 awful destruction came as a judgment from Al- 
 mighty God. 
 
 We next visited the volcano. We took Cook's 
 route to the top, 3,680 feet. There before us was 
 the awful crater 2,500 feet wide and several hun- 
 dred feet deep. We stood on the brink with the 
 hot sulfur fumes ascending near our feet. But 
 fortunately the day we were there the wind was 
 blowing toward the opposite direction from where 
 we stood. This enabled us to look clear down into 
 the crater. In the center is a large hole probably 
 fifty feet in diameter, and out of this shot im- 
 mense flames of fire and sulfurous smoke. About 
 every two minutes while we were there it sounded 
 as though it thundered in the caverns below, and 
 then would come forth a great volume of flame 
 and yellow smoke. This place reminded us of the 
 Bible description of hell. I thought, O my God, 
 I never want to land in perdition! In 1906 there 
 was a great eruption, and the mountain-side is 
 covered with lava from that. 
 
 We also visited the large museum, where we 
 saw a great collection of things taken from the 
 
EASTWARD BOUND 
 
 167 
 
 ruins of Pompeii. We went to an old fort located 
 high above the city, and from here we had a splen- 
 did view of the city and bay of Naples. 
 
 Brindisi 
 
 Brindisi is located on the Adriatic Sea, about 
 two hundred miles east of Naples. From here 
 we were booked to sail to Alexandria. We were 
 two days waiting for our boat. Flowers bloom 
 outdoors all winter. We passed through the resi- 
 dence section, and of all the filthy houses, streets, 
 and people we ever saw, this eclipsed them all. 
 The market was an interesting place. The food- 
 stuff was anything but clean, and the people who 
 sold it no better. W^hat a bedlam here, with scores 
 of men and women crying at the top of their 
 voices trying to sell their produce! We visited 
 two Catholic churches, and saw poor, ragged crea- 
 tures paying money into the hands of ignorant- 
 looking fellows who were repeating prayers that 
 the sins of those paying might be forgiven. 
 
 During the fifteen days we remained in Italy 
 we were treated well at every place. We found 
 the people of northern Italy a high-class and re- 
 fined people. They endeavor to show every 
 courtesy to strangers. Southern Italy is very 
 different in that its people are not so advanced 
 and enlightened. Of course, as in all countries, 
 there is the better class and the lower class every- 
 where. 
 
168 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 ON THE BLUE MEDITERRANEAN 
 
 We left Brindisi at 7 P. M., March 18, on board 
 the SS. Vienna, a large Austrian vessel taken 
 over by Italy as a result of the late war. We 
 were three nights and two days reaching Alex- 
 andria, and had a very pleasant voyage down the 
 Adriatic and across the Mediterranean. As on the 
 Atlantic, none of us missed a meal from seasick- 
 ness. Our route followed close along the west 
 coast of Grreece, and on March 19 we were in 
 sight of Greece all the forenoon. 
 
 About 4:30 of the same evening we were skirt- 
 ing close along- the southern coast of a large island. 
 The ship's officers informed us that this was 
 Crete. There were two harbors, and I took a 
 photograph of one. What feelings filled our 
 hearts as we remembered that twenty centuries 
 ago Paul and his company sailed along this same 
 shore, and was shipw^recked farther west! He 
 was going to Rome as a prisoner, and was on a 
 boat from Alexandria. We were going in the oppo- 
 site direction, on a modern steamer, to Alexandria. 
 It was on this very island that the Apostle left 
 Titus to '^set in order the things that are want- 
 ing, and ordain elders in every city" (Titus 1:5). 
 
 Oh, the beautiful blue Miediterranean ! Its sil- 
 very spray in the moonlight presented a scene of 
 grandeur. This was the ^' Great Sea" of Bible 
 times, the largest body of water known to the 
 then civilized world. Along and near its shores 
 
EASTWARD BOUx\D 
 
 169 
 
 were clustered the great churches in the days of 
 primitive Christianity. 
 
 LANDING IN EGYPT 
 
 Early on the morning of March 21 we were 
 approaching the coast of Egypt, the land of the 
 Pharaohs. Large groves of palm- and date-trees 
 were in evidence everywhere. About six o'clock 
 the city of Alexandria loomed in sight, and in 
 another hour we were at the docks. Soon after 
 our boat arrived, a native came through the ship 
 calling ''Riggle," and when I answered, he handed 
 me a card bearing the words, "G. K. Olizounian, 
 church of God." When we reached the deck. 
 Brother Ouzounian and a number of the church 
 greeted us with waving handkerchiefs. 
 
 I could not restrain the hot tears that streamed 
 down my cheeks. Oh, how good their faces looked 
 to us in this strange land! After the necessary 
 stamping of passports, we secured a porter to 
 carry our baggage to the custom-house, and were 
 soon in the embrace of our brethren. God's saints 
 are the same everywhere. At the docks our per- 
 sons were thoroughly searched by officers, and, 
 after some difficulty, we passed on into the city, 
 and were soon safe in the house of Sister Tabakian. 
 
 IN THE LAND OF THE PHARAOHS 
 Alexandria 
 
 We held a five days' meeting in Alexandria. The 
 
170 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 attendance was good and increased to the end. 
 Seven persons claimed conversion and one entire 
 sanctification. Here I spoke through two inter- 
 preters. Bro. Abdul Talut Mikhail stood on my 
 right side and interpreted into Arabic, while Bro. 
 Khatcher Sarian stood on my left and translated 
 into Turkish. I had to wait between sentences 
 until both had translated what I said. It seemed 
 rather slow to me at first; but the Lord wonder- 
 fully helped, and I learned to say more in a few 
 words. 
 
 Alexandria is a city of 600,000 population. 
 There are many places worth seeing in and around 
 the city, which we visited. Some authorities claim 
 that St. Mark was dragged to death through the 
 streets of ancient Alexandria. Probably the most 
 interesting places of all are the ruins of the hea- 
 then temples of Pompey. 
 
 Cairo 
 
 We left Alexandria on March 26 and arrived 
 at Cairo the same day. There were many new 
 and strange things to be seen all along the way. 
 We held meetings in Cairo from March 26 to April 
 1. The place of meeting was crowded each night. 
 A number were converted, and more than twenty 
 presented themselves for entire sanctification. 
 During our stay in Cairo we were hospitably 
 cared for by Brother and Sister Ouzounian and 
 family. 
 
EASTWARD BOUND 
 
 171 
 
 While in Cairo we visited the Pyramids. We 
 climbed to the top of the highest, 451 feet. Here 
 we had a fine view over Cairo and far into the 
 desert. We also went through them. From the 
 Pyramids we rode camels to the Sphinx. We 
 visited the Zoological Gardens, which contain much 
 of interest. We also visited the Cairo Museum 
 of Antiquities. Among the thousands of interest- 
 ing things here was the mummy of Rameses II, 
 the Pharaoh of the Israelite oppression, and the 
 mummy of his son, the traditional Pharaoh of the 
 exodus. Also we were shown some of the parch- 
 ments of what they claimed to be the original 
 manuscripts of the Second Epistle of Peter, writ- 
 ten with his own hand. 
 
 Fayoum 
 
 On April 1, Brother Ouzounian and I went to 
 Fayoum, a city of twenty thousand people, one 
 hundred miles south of Cairo, in Upper Egypt. 
 This is one of the oldest cities in all Eigypt, dat- 
 ing from before Christ. Our route took us along 
 the Nile River. There is a small congregation at 
 Fayoum, of which Tewfik Mikhail is pastor. We 
 held four services in the Presbyterian American 
 Mission; the average attendance was about three 
 hundred people. When I preached on "Regenera- 
 tion,'^ probably one hundred hands went up for 
 prayer. The pastor, who was interpreter for me, 
 whispered, ^'They all need it/' 
 
172 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 Minieh 
 
 Our next meeting was in Minieh, a eity of thirty 
 thousand people. There is a good work estab- 
 lished here, of which Hanna Arsanious has been 
 acting as pastor. The first service was held in 
 the church of God chapel, but it did not contain 
 the people; so the pastor of the Second Presby- 
 terian Church invited us to hold the next service 
 in their church, which invitation we accepted, and 
 preached to a large congregation of people. The 
 third night we held a men's meeting in the First 
 Presbyterian Church, which was crowded to its 
 capacity. I spoke on ''The True Measure of a 
 Man.'' Bro. Mosad Armanious, of Assiout, inter- 
 preted. Hands went up for prayer all over the 
 building, and the Lord wonderfully blessed, and 
 poured out his Spirit. 
 
 A NINE DAYS' TOUR OF PALESTINE 
 
 On April 7, at 6:30 P. M., we left Cairo for 
 Jerusalem. Our route took us through the ancient 
 land of Goshen, where the Israelites sojourned 
 and were finally oppressed in Egypt. I reminded 
 our folk that now was fulfilled the little song I 
 used to sing to George when he was a baby boy: 
 
 Georgie, Georgie, I have a notion 
 You and I will cross the ocean; 
 We will go by locomotion, 
 Till we reach the la.nd of Goshen. 
 
 We crossed the Suez Canal at Kantara. From 
 here we passed through the desert along much the 
 
EASTWARD BOUND 
 
 173 
 
 same route Jacob followed when he went into 
 Egypt, and which Joseph and Mary, with the in- 
 fant Jesus, traversed when they fled from Herod. 
 
 — ^ ^Land of the Philistines 
 
 When we emerged from the desert, we entered 
 the ancient land of the Philistines. We traveled 
 through the entire length of this section which 
 was once the home of a powerful nation, one of 
 Israel's greatest enemies. We were impressed 
 with the richness of its soil and the vast wheat- 
 fields stretching out before us in every direction. 
 I thought of Samson tying the tails of three hun- 
 dred foxes together, and with fire-brands burning 
 the wheat-crops of the ancient Philistines. 
 
 Under British mandate, this section is rapidly 
 being converted into a very prosperous farming 
 and fruit-growing district. Olive- and orange- 
 groves are numerous. Our train stopped at Gaza. 
 Here Samson carried away the gates of the city 
 by night (Judg. 16:3). It was on the road from 
 Jerusalem to this city that Philip met the eunuch 
 and baptized him (Acts 8:26-39). Near the sta- 
 tion are many beautiful groves. The present city 
 numbers about forty thousand. During the World 
 War a battle was fought here. 
 
 Next we reached Askelon, about twelve miles 
 north of Gaza. This was once a royal city of the 
 Philistines. The orchards and gardens here are 
 of great repute. Our train also stopped at Ash 
 
174 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 dod, about midway between Gaza and Joppa. 
 This was one of the great confederate cities of 
 the Philistines. It is the same place as that called 
 Azotus in Acts 8:40, where Philip was found after 
 the Spirit of the Lord caught him away. In the 
 Arabic Testament, Acts 8:40 reads, "And Philip 
 was found at Ashdod.'' Today it is an insigni- 
 ficant village, inhabited mostly by Arabs, who 
 show little improvement or progress. It was a 
 common sight near Ashdod to see natives plowing 
 with a crooked stick drawn by a camel and ox 
 hitched together, or maybe a donkey and an ox 
 unequally yoked together. 
 
 Lydda 
 
 "Lydda was nigh to Joppa" (Acts 9:38). Peter 
 '^came down also to the saints which dwelt at 
 Lydda" (Acts 9:32). It was here that Aeneas 
 was healed of palsy after being afflicted eight 
 years (Acts 9:33, 34). "And all that dwelt at 
 Lydda and Sharon saw him, and turned to the 
 Ijord" (Acts 9:35). When Dorcas died at Joppa, 
 the disciples sent to Lydda two men, who brought 
 Peter with them to Joppa, and Dorcas was raised 
 to life (Acts 9:36-43). 
 
 The name of the modem town is Ludd. Its 
 present population is about seven thousand. It is 
 a junction-point, as the road from Jaffa to Jeru- 
 salem, and the road from Kantara to Haifa, both 
 run through Ludd, and make connections here. 
 It is beautifully situated in the plain of Sharon, 
 
EASTWARD BOUND 
 
 175 
 
 and is surrounded by vast orange- and lemon- 
 groves. It is said that oranges among the largest 
 in the world grow between here and Jaffa. I am 
 sure they are the largest we ever saw. We made 
 connections here at 9:15 A. M., April 8, for Jeru- 
 salem. On April 13, on our way to H^ifa, we 
 again stopped a short time. But we never really 
 visited the town until April 4, 1923, when we made 
 a tour of all the interesting places to be seen. 
 Plain af Sharon 
 The plain of Sharon is a vast district lying 
 between the mountains of the central part of the 
 Holy Land on the east and the Mediterranean Sea 
 on the west. It extends from a point south of 
 liudd and Jaffa northward almost to Haifa, a dis- 
 tance of sixty miles. It averages about ten miles 
 wide. Originally it was one of the most fertile 
 districts in Palestine, and today it remains the 
 most productive we have seen. It was once so 
 beautiful and fruitful that it called out from the 
 evangelistic prophet Isaiah the expression, ^'The 
 excellency of Carmel and Sharon" (Isa. 35:2). 
 Again in Solomon's Song 2:1, we read, '^I am the 
 rose of Sharon.'* This is almost universally 
 applied to Christ. Many beautiful and soul-in- 
 spiring hymns have been written about Sharon. 
 Many excellent expressions have been coined from 
 this word. 
 
 On April 8, as we left Ludd, we crossed a 
 section of this plain of Sharon, and on April 13 
 
176 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 we traversed its entire length from Ludd to Haifa. 
 Again on April 4, 1923, we traveled through much 
 of it by automobile. Great improvements are in 
 progress. The finest crushed-limestone automobile- 
 roads are being completed in every direction, and 
 extensive farming with modem methods is carried 
 on. Great fields of wheat and barley stretch east- 
 ward to the mountains and westward to the sea. 
 There are hundreds of acres of orange- and olive- 
 groves dotting the landscape. The most beautiful 
 flowers grow here in abundance. 
 
 Fram Ludd ta Jerusalem 
 
 To Bible-students, the journey from Ludd to 
 Jerusalem is an interesting trip. It takes us 
 through a country the hills, valleys, and sites of 
 cities of which we have read about in the Bible 
 from childhood. All along the way were myriads 
 of wild flowers. The first place of interest was 
 Akir, the site of the ancient city of Ekron. Baalze- 
 bub was the god of Ekron (2 K]ings 1:3). When 
 the Philistines captured the ark of God, they took 
 it from Ebenezer to Ashdod and placed it in the 
 temple of Dagon. After this they sent it to Gath, 
 and from thence to Ekron. As a result there was 
 great destruction of life in the city, and **the hand 
 of God was very heavy there" (1 Samuel 5). From 
 Ekron the ark was sent in a cart, drawn by two 
 milch kine, to Bethshemesh (1 Samuel 6). 
 
 About four miles beyond Eikron we came to the 
 hilltop village of El-Mughar, which was Hakkedah, 
 
EASTWARD BOUND 
 
 177 
 
 where five Amorite kings hid in a cave after the 
 battle of Ajalon. It was near here that Joshua 
 commanded the sun to stand still while he defeated 
 these five kings (Josh. 10:8-14). He found them 
 and hanged them on trees, captured the city, and 
 destroyed its king and people (Josh 10:20-28). 
 It was here that General Allenby encountered his 
 most determined resistance from the Turks in his 
 advancement to capture Jerusalem. 
 
 Just beyond this we came to a solitary hill on 
 the top of which once stood the important Canaan- 
 itish city of Gezer. Horam, its king, and all his 
 people were slain by Joshua (Josh 10:33). This 
 place occurs several times in the record of wars 
 between David and the Philistines. In the World 
 War, the Turks had a stronghold here; but General 
 Allenby 's troops charged up the hill from the 
 south and captured it. 
 
 Our next stop was at Junction Station. From 
 here we went eastward parallel with the ancient 
 highway from Ekron along which the kine took 
 the ark to Bethshemesh. Now we were in the 
 famous valley of Sorek, and many of the scenes 
 in the lives of Samson and Delilah took place in 
 the immediate neighborhood. Zorah comes next, 
 the birthplace of Samson. It is located on the 
 summit of a lofty hill. Here at this very place 
 an angel of God appeared twice to Manoah and 
 his wife. At the last appearing, Manoah offered 
 a meat-offering by fire on a rock, **and the angel 
 
178 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 did wondrously^' and '^ascended [to heaven] in 
 the flame of the altar" (Judg. 13:2-21). ^^And 
 the woman bare a son, and called his name Sam- 
 son: and the child grew, and the Lord blessed 
 him. And the Spirit of the Lord began to move 
 him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah 
 and Eshtaol" (vs. 24, 25). 
 
 On another hilltop, exactly opposite Zorah, is 
 the village of Aines-shems. This is the site of 
 ancient Bethshemesh. Here is where the kine 
 brought the ark of God (1 Sam. 6:9-16). Because 
 the men of Bethshemesh looked into the ark, the 
 Lord slew of their number 50,070 (1 Sam. 6: 
 19, 20). 
 
 The next stop was Dier Aban, the site of Eben- 
 ezer. Here is where the Philistines defeated Israel 
 and captured the ark in the days of Eli (1 Sam. 
 4:9-18; 5:1). Later, when the Israelites defeated 
 the Philistines, Samuel set up the stone of help," 
 which ^ ^ Ebenezer ' ' means ( 1 Sam. 7 :3-13 ) . Beyond 
 Ebenezer we entered a rock gorge which forms 
 the pass to the highlands near Jerusalem. Almost 
 as soon as we entered this wild ravine there came 
 into view a large cave in the side of a precipice 
 overhanging the valley and several hundred feet 
 above. This is the rock of Etam, in which Sam- 
 son sought refuge from the Philistines (Judg. 
 15:8). It was near here he slew a thousand men 
 with the jaw-bone of an ass (Judg. 15:8-16). 
 
 From here we entered the valley of Bitter, 
 
EASTWARD BOUND 
 
 179 
 
 Emerging from this we came into the valley of 
 Kephaim, where David twice defeated the Philis- 
 tines. As we neared Jerusalem, we met a wall 
 of mountains several miles thick, and we ascended 
 all the time higher and higher. Two scriptures 
 came forcibly to my mind as we traveled along 
 this route. One was, ^^Let us go up to Jeru- 
 salem." As you approach the city from almost 
 any direction you are going up. The other text 
 is found in Psa. 125:2. ^*As the mountains are 
 round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round 
 about his people from henceforth even forever. 
 
 Th€ Venerable City 
 
 There is one city almost as old as Thebes, and 
 which was ^ Venerable before the foundations of 
 imperial Rome were laid; with but little beauty 
 or wealth or commerce, high and lonely, a city 
 that has again and again been captured and de- 
 stroyed, its site plowed and sown with salt and 
 yet which has again and again risen from its 
 ashes." For nearly four thousand years it has 
 stood on the gray rocks, a strategic position, once 
 the capital of a great nation, and today the city 
 of reverence for all the disciples of Christ. That 
 city is Jerusalem. 
 
 Its name is a household word around the world. 
 The prophets discoursed upon this name, and the 
 Hebrew hymn-book, the Psalms, is sprinkled full 
 of sparkling phrases relative to its glory. The 
 
180 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 seers of old predicted the glories of the Christian 
 church and dispensation under the title and meta- 
 phor of Jerusalem and Zion ; and even the golden 
 city to come, heaven, is denominated the **New 
 Jerusalem.'^ Jerusalem has been the theme of 
 more songs and stories and sermons than has any 
 other city in all the world. No other city has 
 such a history as has Jerusalem. 
 
 It was captured by David in B. C. 1049 (2 Sam. 
 5:6-9), and from this time on the kings of Judah 
 made it their capital city. David extended its 
 wall, fortified it more strongly, and built himself 
 a palace on Mount Zion; and thereafter it was 
 called the ^^city of David'' (2 Sam. 5:7-10). As 
 the psalmist beheld the city in its glory, he was 
 made to exclaim, Beautiful for situation, the 
 joy of the whole earth, is Mount Zion, on the 
 sides of the north, the city of the great King'' 
 (Psa. 48:2). 
 
 Under King Solomon, Jerusalem reached its 
 greatest glory and magnificence, and was filled with 
 wealth, which gave it renown throughout the then- 
 known world. The temple was built, and Jeru- 
 salem was the *'holy city" because God placed 
 his name there. 
 
 When Christ, whom the Hebrew prophets had 
 foretold and whose glory they extolled, entered 
 Jerusalem, its inhabitants, largely, rejected him 
 and his teaching. The Jewish leaders, out of 
 envy, delivered him to the Romans for crudfixion; 
 
EASTWARD BOUND 
 
 181 
 
 and outside of Jerusalem's walls he suffered death 
 at their hands. Thus the greatest event that ever 
 took place upon earth occurred at Jenisalem. The 
 city of the King of Glory, the place of his sanc- 
 tuary and name, became the spot of the meanest 
 tragedy ever enacted. The sun hid his face in 
 shame, the heavens draped themselves in mourn- 
 ing, the rocks rent themselves, and calvary quaked, 
 at the terrible scene. Yes, Jesus died at Jeru- 
 salem. 
 
 At noon on the eighth of December, 1917, Gen- 
 eral Allenby, commander-in-chief of the British 
 armies operating in Palestine, received the sur- 
 render of the city, and on December 10 made his 
 official entry through Jaffa Gate. This chapter 
 in history ended the Turkish rule over the Holy 
 City. It, with all Palestine, is now under the man- 
 date of Great Britain. According to the very 
 latest statistics, the inhabitants of Jerusalem num- 
 ber about one hundred thousand, of whom nearly 
 sixty thousand are Jews. 
 
 Since childhood it had been one of the ambitions 
 of my life to visit Jerusalem. On April 8, at 
 10 :40 P. M., our eyes caught the first glimpse of its 
 towers. The sacred feelings that crept over us as 
 we neared the city I can not describe in words. 
 The railroad station is in the new city, and after 
 leaving it we approached the old city along the 
 Bethlehem road. This gave us a commanding 
 view of the hill of Zion. We spent April 8-13 
 
182 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 visiting places of interest in and around tlie city 
 Those were the greatest days of my life up to this 
 time. There were times when we were so over- 
 come by our feelings that it was impossible to 
 express ourselves in words. 
 
 Places of Interest Around Jerusalem 
 
 During our stay at Jerusalem we visited the 
 Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Jewish quar- 
 ters and bazaars, the Tower of David, David 
 Street, Jaffa Gate, the Jews' Wailing-place, the 
 Pool of Bethesda, the Miosque of Omar and Temple 
 Grounds, Solomon's Stables, Calvary (or Gol- 
 gotha) and the Garden Tomb, the Tombs of the 
 Kings, Mr. Samuels' government buildings, the 
 Mount of Olives, the Garden of Gethsemane, the 
 Valley of Kedron, the Valley of Jehoshaphat, the 
 Valley of Hinnom, Mount Zion, and the supposed 
 sepulcher of David. As we made a more exten- 
 sive visit to Jerusalem and its environs in the 
 Spring of 1923, I will describe some of these places 
 of interest further on. 
 
 Olivet 
 
 I shall never forget the day we stood on the 
 brow of Olivet and with one sweep of vision be- 
 held a scene that will linger in memory as long 
 as we live. Looking eastward, at our feet was 
 Bethany, the home of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus; 
 and the place where Jesus ascended to heaven 
 (Luke 24:51). Beyond this, on a hill in plain 
 
EASTWARD BOUND 
 
 183 
 
 view, was Bethpliage, from which Jesus sent two 
 of his disciples to find the colt upon which he 
 triumphantly entered the city (Matt. 21:1, 2; Luke 
 19:29, 30). 
 
 Next we viewed the mountains of Judea, and be- 
 yond these the ''wilderness of Judea"; and still 
 farther the Dead Sea and the plain of the Jordan, 
 20 miles away and 3,900 feet below us, were plain- 
 ly visible. Beyond the Jordan Valley we could 
 distinctly see the plains and mountains of Moab 
 and farther north the mountains of Gilead. Then, 
 as we turned north, our eyes fell on Mount Scopus, 
 where Titus and his Roman legions encamped dur- 
 ing the siege of Jerusalem. Turning south, we 
 saw, at the mountain's base, the Vlalley of Jehosh- 
 aphat. 
 
 But when we looked westward from this sum- 
 mit, the view eclipsed all the rest. At our feet 
 lay the Valley of Kidron, and beyond this JERU- 
 SALEM, at one time the "holy city," the ''city 
 of the great King." Directly before us was Mount 
 Moriah, the temple grounds, and the great Mosque 
 of Omar. Beyond this, transplendent in the glow- 
 ing sun was Mount Zion. Prom our point of view 
 we could see almost around the wall of the old 
 city. 
 
 To our right, extending from the old walls far 
 towards Bethlehem, is the new city, termed by 
 its inhabitants the "New Jerusalem." This is 
 probably three times as large as the old city. It 
 is modern in its buildings, streets, etc. 
 
184 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 Jerichoy the Dead Sea, and Jordan 
 
 We took this trip on April 9. There is a fine 
 automobile highway of crushed limestone the Whole 
 distance. The new road lies, for the most part, 
 along the same route the multitudes traveled to 
 John's baptism, and over which Jesus and his 
 disciples often walked. We were conscious that 
 these very hills were the same. The distance of 
 the round trip is fifty miles. As we left Jeru- 
 salem, we passed Damascus Gate on the right and 
 Jeremiah's Grrotto on the left, and crossed the 
 brook Kidron, in the Vialley of Jehoshaphat, and 
 passed the tomb of Mary, the tomb of Absalom, 
 and the Garden of Gethsemane. Our road lay 
 around the southern base of the Mount of Olives 
 to Bethany. From here there is a steep descent 
 to the Apostle's Spring. Ten miles farther we 
 stopped at the Good Samaritan's Inn. We remain- 
 ed here an hour or more, climbing the hills, pick- 
 ing flowers, and enjoying the scenery. 
 
 Prom this point we descended into the Wilder- 
 ness of Judea. Part of this section is very pic- 
 turesque, especially the deep gorge along which 
 runs the brook of Cherith, where Elijah hid from 
 Ahab and was fed by ravens. Just beyond this, 
 suddenly the great plain of the Jordan came into 
 full view, spread out like a garden at our feet. 
 Winding through its length is the dark green rib- 
 bon of the river jungle. To our right lay the 
 Dead Sea, and beyond it the plains and mountains 
 
EASTWARD BOUND 
 
 185 
 
 of Moab, the highest peaks being Nebo and Pisga, 
 from which Moses viewed the Promised Land. 
 Directly before us was Jericho. To our left was 
 the wilderness into which Christ was led to be 
 tempted after his baptism, and across the Jordan 
 were the beautiful mountains of Grilead. How 
 our eyes feasted upon these historical places! 
 
 We first visited the ancient ruins of Jericho 
 which have just recently been excavated. Here 
 we took many interesting photographs of the walls 
 and houses that fell in the days of eloshua. We 
 also visited Elisha's Fountain, where the waters 
 were healed by the prophet. Nothing remains 
 of the Jericho of Christ ^s time. The site is near 
 where the brook Cherith empties into the plain. 
 The present town is beautifully located, but the 
 town itself is not attractive. It lies about half 
 way between the city of Joshua's time and its site 
 of our Lord's time. A fine modern hotel, Bel- 
 view," has been erected, and this, with the Jor- 
 dan Hotel, makes the place very agreeable to 
 tourists. 
 
 After lunch we went direct to the Dead Sea. 
 This is said to be the lowest spot on the surface 
 of the earth, being 1,290 feet below the Mediter- 
 ranean. Our route took us over the supposed 
 site of Sodom and Gomorrah. What solemn, aw^ 
 ful thoughts flashed through our minds as we 
 stopped and walked around over the place where 
 God rained fire and brimstone from heaven! As 
 
186 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 we looked west, there was the mountain to which 
 i^ot and his daughters fled. Between where we 
 stood and this mountain, Lot's wife looked back 
 and became "a pillar of salt." Jesus said, ''Re- 
 member Lot's wife." 
 
 But we could not tarry here long. We were 
 soon at the shore of the Sea, where we remained 
 for more than an hour. We found a number of 
 the most beautiful shells on the shore. From here 
 we went north about six miles to the place of the 
 Jordan where the children of Israel are supposed 
 to have crossed into the Promised Land, and where 
 John baptized the Lord. From our childhood we 
 have heard about Jordan. Mother read me stories 
 concerning it, the Sunday-school teachers enlarged 
 upon it; also, the preachers made it the subject- 
 matter of many a sermon. I myself have preach- 
 ed about Jordan, and have sung many inspiring 
 hymns about it. Most of us have sung the old 
 hymn, ''On Jordan's stormy banks I stand." 
 About thirty years ago I crossed the antitypical 
 Jordan into the Canaan-land of perfect holiness. 
 How many times I have longed for the oppor- 
 tunity to stand on the banks of the real Jordan! 
 
 What a thrill of satisfaction and joy flowed 
 through our hearts when we at last stood at the 
 water's edge at this historical spot! We secured 
 a boat and took a ride for some distance up the 
 stream. Yes, this is the river where John baptized 
 the multitudes, and where Jesus our Master was 
 
EASTWARD BOUND 
 
 187 
 
 buried in the symbolic grave ! But, after all, there 
 is nothing attractive about the place were it not 
 for its historical associations. I would say with 
 Naaman, the Syrian leper, " 'Are not the waters 
 and rivers of Damascus/ better than this muddy 
 Jordan!" As we stood among the waving reeds 
 and rushes, I thought of the words of Jesus con- 
 cerning John, ''What went ye out ... to see? A 
 reed shaken with the wind?" On April 2, 1923, 
 we again visited all these places, and spent more 
 time investigating the surroundings. 
 
 Bethany 
 
 Bethany is a small village about two miles from 
 Jerusalem, on the east side of the Mount of Olives. 
 This was the home of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. 
 Jesus frequently stopped here. In this town Simon 
 the leper made a feast for Jesus, and a certain 
 woman anointed him with ointment, and Jesus 
 commended her by saying, "She hath done what 
 she could" (Mark 14:3-9). One of the most noted 
 miracles of Christ's ministry took place here — 
 the raising of Lazarus from the dead (John 11). 
 The ascension of Christ took place at Bethany 
 (Luke 24:50, 51). 
 
 On April 10 our company spent some time here. 
 Among the places of interest, we visited the tomb 
 of Lazarus, the remains of the house of Martha 
 and Mary, and the ruins of the home of Simon 
 the leper. On March 30, 1923, we again visited 
 Bethany. 
 
188 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 Bethlehem 
 
 Of all the places on earth that are held sacred 
 in the Christian's memory, I think Bethlehem 
 holds first rank. Here Eachel died and was buried. 
 At this place Euth gleaned in the harvest-field of 
 Boaz, and later married Boaz; and here David 
 was bom. This was David's home town, hence 
 is called the *^City of David." Joab, Asahel, and 
 Abishai lived here. But, above all, Bethlehem 
 was the birthplace of the Savior. Here the shep- 
 herds heard the announcement from the angel of 
 the Lord, Behold, I bring you good tidings of 
 great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto 
 you is bom this day in the city of David a Savior, 
 which is Christ the Lord." Here they heard the 
 heavenly hosts sing that blessed paBan, Glory to 
 God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will 
 toward men." 
 
 On April 11 we passed out of Jaffa Gate, on 
 the Bethlehem road, for the little city of sacred 
 story. The distance is about six miles, and the 
 country picturesque all the way. The hills are 
 mostly covered with olive-groves and fruit or- 
 chards. The farms are surrounded with well-built 
 stone fences. In about half an hour we came to a 
 place of eminence, and here a most splendid view 
 met our gaze. To our right lay the town of Betjata, 
 where Saul found his father's asses. Directly be- 
 fore us, about one mile distant, was Bethlehem, 
 with all the picturesque hills with which it is 
 
EASTWARD BOUND 
 
 189 
 
 surrounded. To our left in plain view was the 
 field of Boaz, and the orchard where the angel 
 announced to the Shepherd that a Savior was 
 born. Yes, these are the very hills where David 
 used to roam, and watch his father ^s sheep. Here 
 he played his harp and sang many of the psalms 
 that made up the Old Testament hymn-book. Yes, 
 this is Bethlehem! 
 
 We stopped on the way to RachePs tomb. 
 Bethlehem at present has about eight thousand 
 people. The town itself, with its narrow streets, 
 is not very attractive, but the surrounding coun- 
 try is very scenic. The leading place \\^hich at- 
 tracted our attention most was the Church of the 
 Nativity, which is erected over the traditional site 
 of the birthplace of Christ. In 327 A. D. the 
 Empress Helena erected the Church of the Nativ- 
 ity. It is a very plain structure. By descending 
 two flights of stairs we were admitted into the 
 Chapel of Nativity. Here were pointed out to 
 us the place of birth, and the manger in which 
 Christ is supposed to have lain. 
 
 In the same under-structure we were shown also 
 the tomb of Saint Jerome, the great Latin church 
 father, who died in Bethlehem 420 A. D. We also 
 saw the Chapel of Saint Jerome. Here he lived 
 and wrote his works. We also visited David's 
 Well, or the *^well of Bethlehem, mentioned in 
 the Bible (2 Sam. 23:13-17; 1 Chron. 11:15-19). 
 We were loath to leave this little city, so fraught 
 
190 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 with sacred memories. It was our happy privi- 
 lege, on April 3, 1923, to spend the entire day 
 visiting in Bethlehem and climbing the hills sur- 
 rounding the place. 
 
 Hebron 
 
 Hebron lies about fifteen English miles south of 
 Bethlehem. The country is very mountainous, rocky, 
 and picturesque. It seemed that every foot of 
 land between the rocks, that could be tilled, was 
 growing grain of some kind, or was planted in 
 vineyards. About two miles beyond Bethlehem 
 are the Pools of Solomon. These have been 
 cleaned out, and are now filled with pure water. 
 There is a large pump-station here pumping water 
 to supply Jerusalem. Below the pools are the 
 Gardens of Solomon. These we also visited. 
 
 Our next stop was Philip's Fountain, claimed to 
 be the place where Philip baptized the eunuch. 
 I took a photograph to convince modern folk that 
 there was water enough to immerse in. 
 
 Beyond this pool where Philip baptized the 
 eunuch we passed Betzala, where Saul and his 
 three sons are said to be interred. Next we 
 passed through the valley of Berachah (Bless- 
 ing). Here occurred the wonderful battle between 
 Jehoshaphat and the children of Ammon and Moab 
 (2 Chronicles 20). After this we reached the plain 
 of Mamre.'' Abraham removed his tent, and came 
 and dw^lt in the plain of Mamre, which is in 
 Hebron, and built there an altar unto the Lord 
 
EASTWARD BOUND 
 
 191 
 
 (Gen 13:18). From this plain our road led to 
 the top of a high hill, and there before us was 
 Hebron, which vies with Damascus as being the 
 oldest city in the world. 
 
 Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob spent much of their 
 lifetime here. When the Promised Land was 
 divided between the Israelites, Hebron was given 
 to Caleb. When David became king of Judah, he 
 established his capital in this city, and reigned 
 here for seven and a half years. The patriarchs 
 are buried here, in the cave of Machpelah. The 
 cave is still there, covered with a mosque, and 
 this forms the principal object of interest in the 
 city. Visitors are now admitted into the mosque, 
 and through an opening in the floor are permitted 
 to look down into the cave itself, but no one is 
 allowed to enter the cave. 
 
 A little distance from the city stands the largest 
 and oldest oak in Palestine. A visit to this tree 
 will convince any one that it is a very ancient 
 tree. It is claimed to be the identical one under 
 which Abraham pitched his tent, and where he 
 resided at the time the angels visited him and 
 apprized him of the destruction of Sodom. We 
 took several good photographs of the tree and 
 surroundings. 
 
 Nazareth 
 
 As we later visited and held meetings in both 
 Nazareth and Cana of Galilee, I will here make 
 but very brief mention of them. On April 13 we 
 
192 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 left Jerusalem by train for Haifa. We left our 
 baggage at Haifa, and went by automobile to 
 Nazareth. There is a fine automobile-road all the 
 way from Haifa to Tiberias. Our route took us 
 for eight miles along the base of Mount Carmel, 
 then we crossed the brook Kishon at the place 
 where it is claimed that the four hundred priests 
 of Baal were slain in the days of Elijah. We also 
 passed along the plains of Acre and Esdraelon, 
 famous in Israel's history for great battles fought. 
 We spent two nights and a day in the boyhood 
 home of Jesus. We visited about every place of 
 interest. And we climbed the high mountain on 
 which the city is built; from here we had a splen- 
 did view as far as eye could see in every direction. 
 
 Sea af Galilee 
 
 We left Nazareth early April 15 for Tiberias. 
 The first place we came to was Meshed, Grath- 
 Hepher, on the borders of Zebulun, where Jonah 
 the prophet was born. The tomb of Jonah is here 
 also. After this we came to Cana of Galilee. This 
 was the home of Nathanael (John 21:2) and the 
 place of Christ's first miracle, where he turned the 
 water into wine at a wedding-feast. Here later 
 he healed the nobleman's son. We stopped and 
 drank of the fountain from which the water that 
 was converted into wine was taken. We also 
 visited the site where the first miracle was per- 
 formed, and the house of Nathaniel. 
 
EASTWARD BOUND 
 
 193 
 
 Farther on we came to the Horns of Hattin, 
 or the Mount of Beatitudes, where Jesus delivered 
 the memorable Sermon on the Mount, recorded in 
 Matthew 5—7. After this we passed the place 
 where Christ miraculously fed the five thousand. 
 Then suddenly Galilee burst upon our vision, a 
 beautiful lake a thousand feet below us. We 
 rapidly descended and were soon at Tiberias. In 
 the afternoon we secured a motor-launch and went 
 across the lake to Capernaum. We remained here 
 for some time, and visited every place of interest. 
 Next we went to Bethsaida, and then to the plain 
 of Gennesaret. As we crossed the beautiful Genne- 
 saret Lake we sang the old hymn ^'Galilee." Our 
 next stop was at Magdala, where we spent an hour 
 picking up sea-shells, which lay on the shore in 
 great abundance. 
 
 At night we secured a boatman, and in the beau- 
 tiful moonlight spent more than an hour on this 
 still, calm lake. We sang many familiar hymns. 
 The memories of that night will never perish 
 from our minds. It has been our happy privilege to 
 visit the Sea of Galilee twice since. On April 16 we 
 left by a different route for Haifa. We followed 
 the Jordan Eiver south as far as Bethabara, and 
 then leaving the Jordan Yalley we came to Beth- 
 shan. Here we entered the plain of Jezreel and 
 followed it westward the entire length along the 
 base of Mount Gilboa to the city of Jezreel, where 
 we entered the great and fertile plain of Esdraelon, 
 
194 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 which stretches across central Palestine to Mount 
 Carmel and the Mediterranean. Onr route took 
 us through the whole length of this fertile valley, 
 the great battle-field of ages. 
 
 Haifa and Mount Carmel 
 
 We arrived at Haifa about noon. This is the 
 most important seaport town in Palestine. It is 
 growing very rapidly. Several new Jewish additions 
 are being built along the sides of CaiTQel, and 
 some important enterprises have lately been estab- 
 lished. Notable among these is the new flour-mill 
 costing $250,000 of which Baron Rothschild gave 
 $100,000. Without doubt Haifa is destined to be- 
 come a great market-center. 
 
 In the afternoon we went up on Mount Carmel. 
 Here Elijah prayed for rain, and here the fire 
 fell upon the altar of the Lord, and the priests of 
 Baal were confounded. Having a card of intro- 
 duction, we visited Abdul Bahai, the Persian 
 prophet, who is said to have twelve million follow- 
 ers the world over. Having heard so much of 
 this man in America, we were surprized to find 
 that but few in Haifa seemed to know him. We 
 inquired for some time before we found any one 
 who knew him, and could direct us to his resi- 
 dence. He received us kindly and gave us tea, 
 and some beautiful flowers from his gardens. At 
 6:30 P. M. we were on board the SS. Borulos en 
 route for Beirut. 
 
ON THE 
 MISSION FIELD IN SYRIA 
 AND THE HOLY LAND 
 
o 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD IN SYRIA AND 
 THE HOLY LAND 
 
 OUR ARRIVAL AT BEIRUT 
 
 At 5 :30 A. M., April 17, the snow-covered moun- 
 tains of Lebanon appeared. In another hour we 
 were in sight of Beirut. A thrill of joy filled our 
 hearts to know that we had reached our destination 
 in safety. After nineteen weeks of travel on land 
 and sea, what a satisfaction to sail into the har- 
 bor of the city which is to be our home and the 
 center of our activities! 
 
 As we were leaving the ship in a small boat 
 which was crowded in among a dozen or more of 
 others, suddenly and unexpectedly a boat with a 
 happy crew waving their hands and extending wel- 
 come-greetings came beside us. It was Sisters 
 Nellie Laughlin and Adele Jureidini, and a num- 
 ber of others of the church at that place. We 
 could not restrain our tears of joy. After passing 
 the customs officer, we were soon at home among 
 a joyous crowd of happy saints with as warm 
 hearts as we ever met. Seated in our rockers 
 shipped from Akron, Ind., and surrounded with 
 a number of our things from America, we felt 
 'perfectly at home. 
 
 As this was Sunday, there were two services. 
 Sister Laughlin preached at 10:30 A. M., and 
 
 197 
 
198 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 Adele Jureidini at 4 P. M. I gave a short out- 
 line of our trip, and recounted some of the bless- 
 ings of the Lord we received along the way. As 
 the church were all present, it was a time of get- 
 ting acquainted all around. The same night Beirut 
 experienced two slight earthquake-shocks. On 
 April 20, just three days after our arrival, about 
 5 P. M., as Sister Laughlin and I were sitting in 
 the library writing, there was an earthquake- shock 
 that rocked our house until the windows rattled 
 and the plaster began to fall off the walls. This 
 was a new experience to us. People throughout 
 the city fled out of their houses, and many slept 
 outside for a few nights. This, however, was the 
 extent of our experience with earthquake- shocks 
 during our stay in Syria. 
 
 OUR NEW FiELD OF LABOR 
 
 Syria originally was that stretch of country ly- 
 ing along the east end of the Mediterranean Sea, 
 bounded on the north by the Amanus and Taurus 
 Mountains, on the east by the Euphrates River 
 and the Arabian Desert, on the south by Palestine, 
 and on the west by the Mediterranean Sea. For 
 a time before the World War the whole of Pales- 
 tine was included in Syria. But since the War, 
 that part of the Holy Land lying south of Damas- 
 cus and Tyre, extending to the Sinai Peninsula, 
 has been placed under British mandate as a 
 separate state. The part north of this boundary. 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 199 
 
 including Tyre and Damascus, was placed under 
 French mandate. It has now practically its origin- 
 al boundaries. It is about 300 miles long from 
 north to south, and from 30 to 150 miles broad, 
 and contains an area of 30,000 square miles. 
 
 Lately the French have separated Syria into 
 two sections known as Syria and Greater Lebanon. 
 O'f the latter, Beirut is the capital. The principal 
 cities of Syria and their population are: Damascus, 
 300,000; Beirut, 210,000; Aleppo 200,000; Tripoli, 
 48,000; Antioch, 30,000; and Sidon 18,000. The 
 entire country is covered with hundreds of towns 
 and villages. 
 
 The religion of Syria is Mohammedan, Druse, 
 Greek or Orthodox Catholic, Roman Catholic, and 
 Maronite, the Mohammedans having far the greater 
 number of adherents. The Presbyterians and Con- 
 gi'egationalists are the only Protestant bodies of 
 note in Syria. Almost all the people are re- 
 ligious. It is hard to find any one without re- 
 ligion of some kind; and usually each is devoted 
 to his religion. They are trained into it from 
 childhood. About every day hundreds of boys 
 and young men marched up the street past our 
 house in the charge of black-robed Greek or Roman 
 priests. All schools are church schools, and all 
 students must perform the rites of the church 
 whose school they attend. The Mohammedans have 
 their mosques scattered everywhere, and at cer- 
 tain hours these places are crowded with devotees, 
 
200 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 who first remove their sandals and wash their 
 faces, hands, and feet, then fall on their faces in 
 prayer. I have visited several of these places, 
 and it is intensely interesting to see their religious 
 rites and ablutions. If members of the church of 
 God were half as diligent and devotional as these 
 people, they would be a great power on earth. 
 
 For long centuries the priests have held the 
 people fast with the idea that ^^this is the Bible 
 land where the Bible was written, and we were 
 here first, hence our religion is the true religion. 
 To break away from some of these old churches 
 is regarded by the people as a step toward infidel- 
 ity or paganism. It generally means much per- 
 secution from relatives, the community, and the 
 religious body left. 
 
 A great variety of manners, customs, garbs, and 
 dialects, are to be seen and heard in Beirut. A 
 trip down to the business section is interesting. 
 There are a few modern department stores, the 
 same as can be found in American cities. These 
 are in charge of English-speaking people, and have 
 a standard price for their goods. Then, hundreds 
 of native shops line the streets. These are gener- 
 ally small, and the entire front is open (doors to 
 cover the w^hole open front drop down at night 
 and are locked). The customers stand in the street 
 and the proprietor and clerks in the shop. If we 
 are at a market, we begin something like this, 
 "Ine-dek looby'' (^^Have you string-beans T'). If 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 201 
 
 they have, the proprietor answers, ^'Ine-de. Iddesh 
 betreed" have. How many will you haveT'). 
 We reply, ''Beddee et-nain nusrottle'' ("I want 
 a half rottle."). At this stage the real interest 
 begins. These natives ask at least a third naore 
 than they expect to get. About the time you ask 
 the price, they say, Trash erch'' (twelve piasters), 
 which equals twenty cents in American money. 
 We offer them five piasters. After about five 
 minutes parleying we get the beans for eight 
 piasters, or thirteen cents. We learned how to 
 buy as the natives do, but I confess I do not like 
 the method. Very few stores have standard prices. 
 
 Then, many of the streets are lined with shops, 
 where are made shoes, clothes, tinware, and many 
 of the goods that are sold in the general stores. 
 Mats are spread right on the ground, and on these 
 you will see people— men and women— sitting flat, 
 making bedquilts, doing fancy-work, etc. 
 
 As you walk along the streets you meet hun- 
 dreds of Mohammedan men with long flowing 
 robes, and women veiled in black, no part of the 
 face being visible. You also meet Druse men, 
 with their peculiar trousers hanging loose almost 
 to the ground. You see a good mixture of Arabs 
 in distinct garb; their women, with faces tattooed 
 in green and red, wear short dresses about to the 
 knees and long bloomers of many colors to the 
 ankles. You also see the native Syrian, dressed 
 much like an American, except that his hat is a 
 
202 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 red tarboosh. Scattered among this motley crowd 
 are seen a good representation of French sol- 
 diers, and English and Americans in our garb. 
 
 Many streets are crowded with donkeys, some 
 with a small haystack on their backs, others with 
 baskets, jugs, wood, etc. Then camels often march 
 up the sidewalk with an enormous load on their 
 backs. 
 
 Beirut is a very ancient city. Some authorities 
 indentify it with the Berothai of 2 Sam. 8:8, and 
 Berothah of Ezek. 47:16. Its classical name in 
 olden times was Beirytus. Philip Schaff places 
 it on his map of Syria in the days of David and 
 Solomon. It was the seat of a famous school of 
 jurisprudence from the third to the middle of 
 the sixth century A. D. The city having been de- 
 stroyed by an earthquake in 551 A. D., the school 
 was removed to Sidon. The city suffered severely 
 during the crusades, and, having been taken by the 
 Saracens, was wrested from them by Baldwin in 
 1110. The Saracens, however, regained possession 
 in 1187. Ibrahim Pasha seized it in 1832; and it 
 was bombarded by the combined fleets of England 
 and Turkey in 1840 and, being captured, was re- 
 stored to the Porte. Until the French took the 
 mandate after the World War, it was under Turk- 
 ish and Moslem rule. It has railroad connections 
 with Damascus, Homs, Aleppo, and the north. 
 There are good automobile highways to Damascus 
 and many other cities east, to Tripoli, Tartoose, 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 203 
 
 Ladochea, aiid many other coast cities north, and 
 to Jerusalem by way of Sidon, Tyre, Haifa, Naz- 
 areth, and Nahlus, south. On inquiry I find there 
 are over two thousand automobiles of almost every 
 make, English, French, German, and American, in 
 use in this city. There are also scores of large 
 autotrucks, mostly used by the French. Fine 
 automobile-roads are being completed in almost 
 every direction, even into the interior. Many vil- 
 lages that I visited by mule and donkey in the 
 spring of 1922, can now be reached by automobile. 
 Such are some of the changes now going on. 
 
 The streets of Beirut are being altered and im- 
 proved, and the water- and sewer-system made 
 strictly modem. Boats arrive and leave almost 
 daily for distant ports, some direct to New York, 
 others to European and South-American ports. 
 Beirut is well blessed with schools and universities. 
 About three minutes' walk from the house in 
 which we lived is the American university, the 
 largest in the Near East. About one thousand 
 boy students attend here each year. Ther^ is also a 
 very large American school for girls. There is 
 an American faculty-school, attended by American 
 children only, and having American teachers. There 
 is a good tram-car system in the city. 
 
 It is said that the imports into Beirut from the 
 United States exceed those from any other country. 
 This is accounted for by the fact that practically all 
 the sewing machines, the large bulk of automo- 
 
204 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 biles, and nearly all the petroleum, benzine, and 
 oils come from America. At the present time al- 
 most all kinds of goods are entering from the 
 United States. Thus American missionaries can 
 live there much as they do at home. 
 
 Beirut is the ideal city for the headquarters of 
 our work in the Near East, as it pertains to Syria 
 and Palestine. Our strongest church in this sec- 
 tion is located here, and its good connections by 
 rail and automobile to all parts of this field make 
 it the logical center for future operations. A fine, 
 new automobile highway is being completed from 
 Beirut, by way of Damascus, across the Syrian 
 Desert to Bagdad and the whole country of Meso- 
 potamia. 
 
 THE COMMENDABLE WORK WE FOUND 
 
 The success of any work depends upon the 
 foundation that has been laid. To begin with. 
 Brother and Sister F. G. Smith planted in this 
 country the work of the present reformation. They 
 remained here almost two years, with headquarters 
 in Schweifat. Brother Smith preached much along 
 doctrinal lines, and this established the truth in 
 a number of hearts. Those who believed were 
 reliable. Later Sisters Laughlin and Hittle con- 
 tinued the work. After Sister Hittle returned to 
 America, Sister Laughlin remained stedfast at her 
 post during the trying World War period. Too 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 205 
 
 much can not be said in favor of this noble woman, 
 and the sacrifices that she made in behalf of the 
 work in Syria. I am confident that if she had 
 not stood by the work during those critical years, 
 it \^ould have become scattered, and today there 
 would be little to show for all the past effort. She 
 was ably assisted by Adele Jureidini. 
 
 When we arrived, the work was established in 
 Beirut. Sister Laughlin exercised exceptionally 
 good judgment in making this city the headquar- 
 ters of the work, instead of some small mountain 
 village. The home where the missionaries lived 
 contained a large '^dar/[ which was used for the 
 chapel. It, with the parlor, could be made to seat 
 almost one hundred people. The church was 
 small, about twenty in number; but they were 
 among the best class of people in the city— mer- 
 chants, tailors, cabinet-makers, teachers, nurses, and 
 dressmakers. Most of them were educated and cap- 
 able of filling places of responsibility. 
 
 Last, but not least, the congregation was clean. 
 The church was not a mixture of saved and un- 
 saved; we found them all very devout Christians. 
 They were not so demonstrative as we are accus- 
 tomed to seeing people in Ajnerica; but a more 
 tender-hearted and warm-souled company we never 
 met. They gave us a mighty impetus to go to 
 work in earnest to help evangelize Syria. 
 
206 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 GETTING ADJUSTED TO NEW CONDITIONS 
 
 Adjusting himself to conditions is no small item 
 in the work of a missionary on a new field. When 
 we came to this andent land, almost everything 
 was new and strange to us— customs, manners, 
 foods, dress, and languages. I had read up very 
 thoroughly along these lines; but I found that it 
 takes actual contact and experience properly to 
 adapt ourselves to circumstances to which we have 
 not been accustomed. It was several months be- 
 fore I could take hold of matters and act perfectly 
 natural. 
 
 The first year our congregation was made up 
 of about an equal number of Syrians and Armen- 
 ians. This required double interpretation. In 
 each Sunday-morning service two interpreters 
 stood beside me, an Armenian on the right— Mrs. 
 (Dr.) Hadidian— and a Syrian on the left— Adele 
 Jureidini. For a person who thinks and speaks as 
 rapidly as I had been accustomed to doing, to 
 stand and wait between sentences on two inter- 
 preters giving the meaning in their native tongue 
 requires some adjustment to circumstances on his 
 part. But it w^as really wonderful how the Lord 
 helped me. After a few services, I was able to 
 preach with the same power and enthusiasm as 
 before. I could easily in an hour's time cover the 
 same sermon outline I had used in America. I 
 learned to say more in fewer words. 
 
 The manner of conducting meetings differed 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 207 
 
 from our Western methods. We were accustomed 
 to loud demonstrations in our services; but such a 
 thing is unknown in Syria. To display emotion 
 as we do in the United States, a person would be 
 considered a fool, and would have no influence 
 whatever with the people, especially with the 
 Armenians. They enter the place of worship with 
 sacred feelings, walk quietly to their seats, en- 
 gage in a season of silent prayer, then sit during 
 the sermon in silent devotion. There is not an 
 audible '^amen" to be heard during prayer or 
 preaching. After the benediction, the Armenians 
 sit down quietly and pray for a few moments, 
 then walk out. I tried to change them; but I gave 
 it up. These Easterners do not change their 
 methods and customs overnight. I found it best 
 to adjust ourselves to their customs. 
 
 The language was our greatest difficulty. As 
 soon as we arrived the financial management of 
 the home of the missionaries fell into my hands, 
 and along with it the purchasing of general 
 supplies. This necessitated my knowing the names 
 of things and their prices in Arabic. We took 
 daily lessons from Sister Ruda Jureidini until I 
 was able to say more than four hundred Arabic 
 words. I reached the place where I could name 
 almost everything; but ability to put the words 
 together into sentences and talk fluently I never 
 did acquire. 
 
 The native food was another problem. At first 
 
208 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 we did not like the preparations at all; but we ate 
 them anyway. Soon we all took sick, and the 
 physicians advised that we eat a part of our own 
 kinds of food until we got used to the change. 
 The Syrian dishes are very fine; but it takes time 
 to become accustomed to them. After six months 
 we had no difficulty eating from the Syrian table. 
 Now I am very fond of many of their preparations 
 of food. 
 
 ENLARGEMENT OF THE WORK 
 
 At the time of our arrival in Syria the work 
 was confined to a section of Beirut, Schweifat, and 
 Brummana, with Bro. Najebe Berberi doing local 
 work in some villages south of Tripoli. The work- 
 ers had been looking forward to our arrival, and 
 praying earnestly for a real extension of the gen- 
 eral field of activities. What the work needed was 
 a man of experience to take hold of things and by 
 a wise oversight spread the saving truth in every 
 direction. The field seemed ripe for real evange- 
 listic effort. The Protestant line of endeavor had 
 for years been more educational than soul-saving. 
 They have specialized along the line of establish- 
 ing schools in hundreds of villages, and their great 
 universities in Beirut have been a blessing to all 
 the Near East. This is a noble work, and there is 
 no question but what it is very valuable in prepar- 
 ing people for the gospel. 
 
Zahia Aswad and her mother 
 
 Asma Jureidini 
 
 Mrs. Areka SaUbian and child Arexle SaHbian 
 
Antonius Boody ' Yoseph Abdo 
 
Emil Hollander, Beirut, Syria 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 209 
 
 But we found the time opportune for carrying 
 to the hearts of the people a saving message. It 
 required a few months for us to get our bearings 
 and complete our plans for a general advance all 
 along the line. During this time the attendance 
 in our mission-meetings in East Beirut increased 
 greatly, and a considerable number were converted 
 and received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Two 
 Armenian sisters were baptized. There were a 
 number of substantial additions to the church. We 
 also reorganized our Sunday-school along progress- 
 ive lines, with an enrolment of sixty, which soon in- 
 creased to almost one hundred. 
 
 In July, just three months after our arrival, 
 we had all preparations made for action. The hot 
 season was upon us, and Sisters Laughlin and 
 Jureidini and my wife and George went to Brum- 
 mana for a needed rest. I crossed the Lebanon 
 Mountains to Zahleh and held meetings, then on 
 to Aleppo, which is about 240 miles northeast of 
 Beirut. It is but a short distance from the 
 Euphrates Eiyer and Mesopotamia. 
 
 I found everything here on the ancient order 
 more than in any place I had visited in the 
 East. Everything was done apparently just as it 
 was thousands of years ago. It seems there has 
 been but little change or progress since the days 
 when Abraham left Ur of the Chaldees and arrived 
 here on his way to Canaan. It was but a small 
 village then, and tradition says the patriarch sold 
 
210 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 the inhabitants milk, from which it derived its 
 name Alep— ^'milked ouf 
 
 I felt somewhat strange in this strange city, 
 among a people whose customs and manners seem- 
 ed very queer to me. I am sure my brethren 
 and sisters in America would laugh to see me 
 sit down on a low stool at a table about ten inches 
 high, and eat cooked victuals with the natives out 
 of one large bowl. There are no plates. 
 
 Then in some other homes we sat around a 
 crude-looking table and ate across corners, two 
 men dipping in the same dish (women never eat 
 with the men). Between the two men is placed 
 a dish of boiled rice and another dish of red- 
 colored, bitter soup. Each man is given a flat 
 loaf of bread resembling an American pancake. 
 There is no butter and not anything else to spread 
 on the bread. And there are no plates, knives, 
 or forks. Each is given a spoon, and both begin 
 to eat out of the same dish of rice, and to moisten 
 their bread by dipping it into the dish of soup 
 made of bitter herbs. This is the custom in 
 northern Syria, and it is a question of, ^*Eat this 
 way or do without." I got by actual practise the 
 idea of what Jesus meant when he said to John 
 at the table, ^'He that dippeth his hand with me 
 in the dish, the same shall betray me." Jesus 
 and Judas were eating out of the same dish. But 
 these natives are so hospitable that after all it is 
 a pleasure to dip with them in the same dish. 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 211 ^ 
 
 I held meetings here for three weeks in the 
 Congregational church. About twenty claimed 
 conversion, and a goodly number entire sanctifi- 
 cation. During the meeting I preached a bold 
 sermon on divine healing. At the close of the 
 service about thirty came forward for prayer. 
 The news spread, and soon my room was crowded 
 with sick people. I thought of Acts 5:12-16. It 
 put me to the test; but I remembered the words of 
 Christ, ^^In whatsoever city ye enter . . . heal the 
 sick that are therein." 
 
 One night at 11 P. M., one of the leading 
 physicians of the city sent for me to pray for his 
 dying child. He said, ^^I heard your sermon on 
 healing. My child is dying. Medical skill has 
 been exhausted. I can do no more. Please pray.'' 
 The house was full of friends, and the child was 
 lying on the floor with a crying mother beside it. 
 I anointed the child in the name of the Lord, 
 offered the simple prayer of faith, and the child 
 was healed. A few* days later the doctor came 
 to meeting and said, '^My child is well," and in 
 tears he added, ^^I will meet you in heaven." He 
 told every one that his child was cured by faith, 
 in answer to prayer. This meeting sowed the 
 seeds of truth in many hearts, and kindled a fire 
 that will never be extinguished. As many as seven 
 hundred people attended some services. The 
 church would not hold them, and most of the 
 
212 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 meetings were held in an open square adjoining 
 the church, which was seated for the purpose. 
 
 On October 27, in answer to an urgent call, I 
 began meetings in Tripoli. This is an important 
 seaport town seventy-one English miles north of 
 Beirut. After we visited the city a few times and 
 held some successful services there, it became clear 
 that this was the center of what would develop 
 to be one of the ripest and most fruitful districts 
 in all Syria. After consulting a number of busi- 
 ness men, on November 26 we rented a large hall, 
 on the ground floor, near the center of the city, 
 gave a contract for the making of church-seats 
 and other necessary equipment, and hung up our 
 large sign, which reads in both English and Arabic, 
 Church of God, Holiness Mission." 
 
 On Dec. 11, 1921, we formally dedicated the 
 place and held our first revival. This has become 
 a permanent mission, and services are held here 
 regularly. A number have been baptized, among 
 them a Mohammedan convert, Haleel Zaude. 
 
 In Beirut we soon outgrew our little Mission 
 Home in the east end of the city, and began to 
 look around for a more central place. For a long 
 time it seemed impossible to find a suitable build- 
 ing. The church then took the matter to the Lord 
 in earnest prayer, and on March 1, 1922, we rented 
 a large building right in the center of Beirut, with 
 good tramcar facilities from all parts of the city. 
 
 At a cost of about eight hundred dollars we 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 213 
 
 fully equipped and fitted up the place for a per- 
 manent central mission, and hung up our large 
 sign in English and Arabic, ''Gospel Tabernacle 
 and Holiness Mission.'' The place is attractive, 
 and seats several hundred people. Besides the 
 regular chapel, there is a good-sized Sunday-school 
 room. On April 16 we formally dedicated the 
 place, and began a revival. After that we held 
 several evangelistic meetings in this building. It 
 is the permanent central place of meeting. Since 
 opening this place, the church in Beirut has 
 doubled its membership. The attendance generally 
 is large, and people from all over the city are 
 interested in our message. 
 
 OPENING NEW FIELDS 
 
 As a result of opening a mission work in Tripoli, 
 Ibrihim Shehda Maloof , of that place, took a firm 
 stand for the present truth. He had been a 
 preacher and teacher in the schools, and speaks 
 five languages— English, Arabic, Turkish, German, 
 and Hindustani. I needed just such a man as he 
 was for a fellow laborer and interpreter to ac- 
 company me into new fields, as he could endure 
 the hardships and face the dangers in going into 
 places where evangelical Christianity had never 
 been introduced. He gave up his business, and 
 ever after was closely associated with me in the 
 work throughout this northern field. 
 
 On Nov. 26, 27, 1921, Brother Maloof and I 
 
214 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 visited two villages about twenty miles north of 
 Tripoli— Minyara and Hakoor. We reached them, 
 traveling part of the way by automobile and part 
 of the way on foot by donkey-trail. We arrived 
 at Minyara about 4 P. M., Saturday. The villagers, 
 curiously dressed, and somewhat peculiar in looks, 
 gathered about us in groups. We announced a 
 meeting for that same night in a crude-looking 
 yet spacious church. By 6:30, over two hundred 
 people had assembled. Never in my life was I 
 more inspired than when I broke the living bread 
 to these hungry souls, and looked into the faces 
 of these simple-hearted people. 
 
 On the following day, Sunday, we held three 
 services in the two villages. As many as three 
 hundred assembled at a service. I preached most- 
 ly from blackboard illustrations. When we left, 
 they begged us to return. So, on Feb. 6-8, 1922, 
 we again held meetings there, two services each 
 day. We went out calling among the people, and 
 entered a home where a woman was in bed suffer- 
 ing terribly with rheumatism. In an instant the 
 Holy Spirit w'hispered to me, Fulfil your com- 
 mission.^^ We walked over to the bed, laid our 
 hands upon her, and offered prayer. The woman 
 was wonderfully healed. She arose, and I took 
 her picture with her family that same day, and she 
 attended services at night. I visited Minyara 
 several times since and found her well each time. 
 She was in our home in Beirut eight days in May, 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 215 
 
 1923, and sailed to America June 1. Her home 
 is now in Jacksonville, Ma. 
 
 On March 2, 1922, I left Beirut on the auto- 
 mobile-line for Tripoli. I arrived at noon and 
 spent the afternoon visiting friends, the bazaars, 
 and market-places, inviting people to the meeting 
 to be held at night in our mission hall. We had 
 a good congregation of the very best people of 
 the city. The next morning at six o^clock, Bro. 
 Ibrihim S. Maloof and I left by train for Akary, 
 a distance of twenty-five miles, north. When we 
 arrived at the station, the wind was blowing a 
 terrific gale. Our baggage was placed in large 
 sacks, which were thrown across a pony and a 
 mule. These animals we then mounted and started 
 on a twenty-mile journey to Safita. There was 
 no road, just narrow paths something like sheep- 
 or cow-paths, and we had to find our way. The 
 wind blew so terribly that I was compelled to 
 hold my hat in my hand and go bareheaded most 
 of the way. The first ten miles of our journey 
 was across a plain. We had many streams, large 
 and small, to cross. My pony would leap across 
 the smaller streams, and as I had no saddle nor 
 bridle, but simply a halter and a rope, I had great 
 difficulty in keeping on his back. After we had 
 left the station about two miles behind, we were 
 joined by five other horsemen in Arab costume. 
 One man brandished a sword as he passed us; 
 but we had no fears. We passed many odd-look- 
 
216 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 ing villages, with strange-appearing and strangely 
 dressed people. In going the last ten miles of the 
 trip we had to climb limestone mountains. Our 
 muleteer guided us along the path to our destina- 
 tion. At last we reached Safita, at twelve o'clock, 
 having been just four hours on the way. The 
 town is very ancient, and contains ruins which, it 
 is claimed, date from the time of Christ. In the 
 center of the city is a very high tower or fort 
 which was built in the time of the crusaders. 
 
 We remained in this place from March 3 until 
 March 7, and held three meetings each day. A 
 large restaurant was rented and seated, and here 
 most of the services were held. The congrega- 
 tions averaged about three hundred, and the truth 
 was planted in many hearts. A goodly number 
 of sick people were prayed for and healed. This 
 is a town of more than three thousand inhabitants, 
 situated on one of the highest mountains in the 
 whole section. From here we could look in every 
 direction. We received many warm invitations to 
 return. 
 
 On March 7 we mounted a mule and a donkey 
 and started across the mountains for Kaffroon, a 
 village some fifteen miles farther north. Bro. 
 Antonius Boody has raised up a good work in 
 Kaifroon. He, with some brethren, had walked 
 to Safita to attend our meeting there. He then 
 accompanied Brother Shehda and me to his 
 village. This was a very interesting trip. There 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 217 
 
 was nothing but a narrow path all the way, and 
 the mountains are said to be limestone. Our path 
 led across some of the rockiest, most dangerous 
 places I have ever traveled. There were preci- 
 pices and deep ravines that made me shudder to 
 cross them. The road wound around rocky cliffs 
 that made traveling very hazardous. The entire 
 way was very scenic, and we saw many strange 
 sights. In fact, almost everything was new and 
 strange. 
 
 After about four hours we reached our destina- 
 tion. We remained in the home of Brother Boody 
 most of the time while at Kaffroon, March 7-10. 
 We held three services in a day and preached the 
 gospel in four different villages within a radius 
 of five miles. In this section we would go from 
 village to village on foot. Sometimes we held 
 meetings in schoolhouses, sometimes in private 
 homes, and the last night in the Greek Catholic 
 church. Nearly the whole village would turn out 
 to hear us. People all sit on the floor. It seemed 
 strange to me to see an entire congregation sitting 
 on the floor. They even requested me to sit on 
 the floor while preaching; but Brother Shehda, my 
 interpreter, and I preferred to stand. These 
 villagers of the interior are very odd-looking folk, 
 being curiously dressed, and strange in manner 
 and custom. 
 
 When the villagers learned that we prayed for 
 the sick, it seemed that all the afflicted in every 
 
218 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 town we visited requested us to pray for them. 
 The people are simple-hearted. Many of them 
 have had very little, if any, education and en- 
 lightenment. We had to preach the gospel in 
 simplicity. But, oh, the warm hearts and the 
 readiness on their part to accept the truth! They 
 have very simple, childlike faith. When we would 
 pray for the sick, they would get right out of bed, 
 healed by the power of God. 
 
 While their foods and customs are very strange 
 to an American, these people showed us no little 
 kindness. In fact, they gave us their very best. 
 I never labored among a more simple and warm- 
 hearted people. Brother Boody is doing a com- 
 mendable work among these folk. Our trip to this 
 section has resulted in his taking a firm stand 
 for the whole truth. We can count on him doing 
 a straight work for God. On March 10 we again 
 mounted a donkey and pony, and started across 
 the mountains for Akary, which required six 
 hours' journeying. From here we took train for 
 Tripoli, and from there I returned to Beirut, 
 March 11. 
 
 Since then, Zahia Aswad, Brother Maloof, my 
 wife and I together have held meetings in villages 
 throughout the Safita district, to include Kaffroon 
 and surrounding places. Brothers Maloof and 
 Boody are laboring all over this field, as well as 
 in the Hussen district, and have taken the present 
 truth to about thirty different towHs and villages. 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 219 
 
 most of which have never been penetrated with 
 evangelical preaching. At Kiurbeit, the citizens 
 are building a new church, and they desire, when 
 it is completed, that the church of God should 
 dedicate it and use it. 
 
 On March 22 I left Beirut for Tripoli. I held 
 a meeting the same night in our mission hall 
 there. Early the next morning, Bro. Ibrihim S. 
 Maloof and I left by train for Telkallah, a towtn 
 about thirty miles north of Tripoli. From here 
 we went by pony and donkey over the mountains 
 to Kurbeit, a village about twenty miles distant. 
 On the way we stopped to rest at a mountain 
 village called Hawash. While there the French 
 Governor and his staff arrived. We had the plea- 
 sure of eating our dinner with the Governor. A 
 large crowd of native villagers gathered, mostly 
 through curiosity, and we embraced the oppor- 
 tunity of preaching, the gospel to them. Both the 
 Governor and the natives listened with intense in- 
 terest to the sermon on ^'True Religion." 
 
 That night we held a meeting in a schoolhouse 
 at Kurbeit, and probably one hundred natives 
 assembled to hear the message on ^'Redemption." 
 At the close of the sermon, about half of the con- 
 gregation raised their hands for prayer, express- 
 ing a desire to be saved. 
 
 On the day following we crossed the mountains 
 on foot and preached to large congregations, at 
 Mzahlee and Bsolma. On March 25 we returned 
 
220 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 to Kurbeit. This village is the native home of 
 Brother Maloof. It happened that on this day 
 was a general gathering of the chief men from 
 all the villages of what is known as the Husson 
 district. We took advantage of the occasion and 
 announced a meeting under a large oak-tree. Here 
 hundreds of curious-looking natives gathered. 
 Brother Maloof first preached in Arabic, then I 
 followed while he interpreted. Thus we preached 
 two sermons to the same people. Next we visited 
 a home where the people had just received word 
 that their son in America had died. The house 
 was filled with neighbors who came in to weep with 
 those who weep. This is the custom of these 
 villages. When death enters a home, all the 
 neighbors gather in and sit on the floor and weep. 
 Believing it a good time to reach hearts, Brother 
 Maloof and I arose and preached a sermon on 
 ^' Death and the Judgment,'' and the need of be- 
 ing ready. In the evening of the same day we 
 held a meeting in the home of the chief man of 
 the village. 
 
 From here we crossed a mountain to Mashtaya. 
 Here there is a large Greek Catholic convent. Dr. 
 Elias Obeid, the leading physician in this district, 
 entertained us overnight. On Sunday morning 
 we attended church services in the convent. At 
 the close of the service, through Dr. Obeid we 
 asked the Bishop for the privilege of preaching 
 in the convent. At first he stoutly refused, as, 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 221 
 
 of course, it would be out of the ordinary to allow 
 any one outside their faith to preach in such an 
 important place as the convent. But after about 
 half an hour of earnest pleading, we prevailed, 
 and the privilege was reluctantly granted. We 
 addressed about two hundred people, among whom 
 were several priests, on the subject of the ''Power 
 of the Gospel. 
 
 At the close of the service we climbed a very 
 high mountain and crossed over to the village of 
 Amar. This is the native town of Bro. Abdallah 
 Kaad. Here we met Brother Raad, who had spent 
 three weeks in this district preaching the gospel. 
 While here he was stricken with sickness, 
 but the Lord healed him. Immediately upon our 
 arrival we announced a meeting, and practically 
 the whole village gathered on a large plot of 
 ground near the Greek Orthodox church. Prob- 
 ably six hundred sat on the grass before me. We 
 hung our chart on a tree and delivered God's 
 message to the multitude. In the evening the 
 large, crude-looking but spacious church-building 
 was crowded to standing, and probably as many 
 were outside to hear the word of truth. 
 
 Never in my life was I more inspired to preach 
 than in these villages. On this trip we preached 
 altogether in six towns, to about fourteen hundred 
 people. In all but one of these towns there has been 
 no evangelical church work. As we traveled on 
 foot from place to place I was made to realize 
 
222 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 how Jesus preached throughout the villages of 
 Syria two thousand years ago. It is wonderful 
 how open the hearts of these simple people are to 
 the saving message of truth. On our arrival at 
 a village, no matter what time in the day, all we 
 needed to do was to announce the meeting, and 
 almost the entire population would turn out to 
 hear the gospel. Whether in the open air or in 
 some building, generally the people all sit on the 
 ground. In one town several hundred raised their 
 hands as an expression that they were lost and 
 earnestly desired our prayers that they might be 
 saved. After meeting, they would crowd around 
 us and say, ^'Oh, come back again; come and help 
 to save us, for we are going to hell, and have no 
 one to teach us the w^ay out of sin!'' I really 
 had to weep. In all my ministry I have never 
 found such a ripe field as these inland villages 
 where they had never before heard the full gospel 
 of salvation. Brother Maloof is well fitted for 
 real pioneer work. He is a good preacher, and a 
 splendid interpreter. He is invaluable in opening 
 up work throughout the towns of Syria. 
 
 UNPLEASANT THINGS IN PIONEER WORK 
 
 In most of the towns where we opened new 
 work, it meant considerable endurance. Very few 
 people are enlightened or educated, and, mea- 
 sured by American standards, are living on a low 
 plane of civilization. This, however, does not 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 223 
 
 apply to the coast cities or the towns and villages 
 of Lebanon in the Beirut district. Here every- 
 thing is modern and up to date. But when you 
 penetrate beyond this, and go to the interior towns, 
 you meet ignorance, superstition, and darkness. 
 
 Just one example: We secured a girl for a ser- 
 vant from one of these towns where we had 
 labored. She was sixteen years of age. When 
 she reached our home in Beirut, her body was 
 covered with filth and vermin, and her clothes 
 would not pass in any place of enlightenment. We 
 first had her bathed, and then clothed her in re- 
 spectable attire. Then we had to teach her as 
 you would a child. She did not know there is a 
 Christ, a devil, a heaven, or a hell. She had no 
 conception of sin or salvation. She could not tell 
 the difference between a newspaper and the Bible. 
 Sister Zahia Aswad spent time telling her that 
 there is a God, a Christ who died, what sin is, 
 what it means to be saved, etc. After she was 
 with us about three months and received much 
 teaching, one night she asked for prayer and was 
 converted. Later I baptized her, and today she 
 is a fine young woman, a member of the church in 
 Beirut. 
 
 In these towns the houses are usually square, 
 about twenty feet each way, with flat roofs. They 
 are made of stone and mud. They have, generally, 
 just dirt floors; in some of the better ones there 
 is a sort of hard floor made of clay somewhat like 
 
224 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 cement. I entered some such houses where the 
 donkey, cow and calf, goats, chickens, cats, and 
 dogs all occupied quarters with the people. The 
 live stock and family all lived together in the 
 same room. Imagine, if you can, a braying don- 
 key, crowing roosters, and barking dogs in a 
 sleeping-room at -4 A. M. Most of these houses 
 have no chimney, and the smoke from the fire- 
 place is almost suffocating to one not accustomed 
 to such things. However, during the summer the 
 cooking is done outdoors. One place, I sat down 
 b}' the fire, and a goat was on my coat in a few 
 moments. 
 
 The people usually never undress at night, but 
 just lie on mats and mattresses spread on the 
 earth floor, with clothes on that they wear through 
 the day. Xone of the towns have toilets, and 
 one can imagine the filth that accumulates along 
 the narrow streets and surroundings. 
 
 On wash-day the women go to small streams 
 and remove all their clothing and wash for hours 
 in a nude state. Washing is done by pounding the 
 clothes over the rocks. When a man and woman 
 start to Tripoli or some other city to trade, the 
 man always rides the donkey, and the woman 
 walks behind. Often she carries a good-sized 
 bundle. The women always serve the men, and 
 the men never serve the women. While con- 
 ducting an open-air meeting at Kaffroon, Syria, 
 near a large fountain, I went to the spring for a 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 225 
 
 drink, and brought back a cupful of cold water 
 and handed it to my wife. This simple act of 
 mine broke up the meeting. One man of the village 
 began to curse and carry on like a wild man. He 
 said, ^^This American has come here to change 
 our customs. We will never stand for men serv- 
 ing women like that." 
 
 I found that in order to eat my food it was best 
 never to go to see it prepared or cooked. These 
 kind-hearted folk always want to serve you. They 
 will not allow you to wait on yourself if they can 
 help it, and often when serving you the women 
 have faces and hands black with a crust of dirt. 
 At dinner they bring the hard-boiled eggs with 
 their shells removed, and they are covered with 
 black finger-marks. When they roasted a young 
 kid, having no knives and forks they simply tore 
 the flesh to pieces with their unwashed fingers, 
 and handed to each of us his portion. 
 
 Fish are roasted over coals of fire without re- 
 moving the scales or taking the inwards out, and 
 are then eaten, intestines and all. The intestines 
 of sheep are cooked and considered a fine dish. 
 The first milk of the cow after the calf is born is 
 made into a pudding called " schmandoor/' and 
 eaten with a relish. 
 
 These are but a few items of many I could 
 mention. Many times I sat on the mat or stool 
 to eat the food placed before me, and had to call 
 silently upon the Lord to help me, and he did. I 
 
226 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 thought, These people live this way all the time, 
 and I can for a few days or weeks, in order to 
 save them from hell.'^ I confess it required con- 
 siderable effort sometimes. I did my very best 
 to show my appreciation for their sacrifice and 
 kindness; for they always gave us their very best. 
 
 ACCOMMODATING OURSELVES TO CONDITIONS AS WE 
 FOUND THEM 
 
 Before I left America I conceived the idea that 
 to win the people of Syria we must, like Paul, 
 become all things to all men.'' As far as pos- 
 sible I left my Americanism on the western side 
 of the Atlantic Ocean, and entered Syria and 
 Palestine to live on a plane with the natives, and 
 mingle freely with them. O'n my arrival, I dis- 
 covered that there was a great chasm separating 
 the American and European missionaries and the 
 native Syrian people. The former generally lived 
 on a much higher level and Would not mingle 
 freely with the latter. There was too much of 
 the better than thou'' spirit. 
 
 We began visiting very freely among the Syrian 
 community, and soon our house in Ras Beirut 
 was filled with these friendly folk. We lost 
 prestige with some of the missionaries, but we 
 gained immensely with the natives. It was the 
 same in the villages. I entered their houses, sat 
 on the earthen floor with them, ate their foods in 
 the same manner as they do, and as far as possible 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 227 
 
 in every other respect adjusted myself to their 
 ways. I speak conservatively, not boastingly, 
 when I say that this won for us in the affections 
 of this people a place that is wonderful. When we 
 approached a village, the news was circulated, and 
 people came out of their houses and shops in 
 great numbers to extend welcome. 
 
 I have entered Arab towns both in Syria and 
 Palestine where there w'as not a single Christian 
 inhabitant, all Moslem. I walked freely through 
 their streets, entered their shops, and sat down 
 on the ground and crossed my legs under me as 
 they do, and with smiles greeted them with, 
 ^^Nharcum sieed, keef-halcum^ keef-suchta, nesker- 
 Alia/' which means, ^ * Good-morning, how are you, 
 how is your health, praise God.'' At first they 
 would look strangely at me; but I would smile 
 and chatter what little Arabic I knew, and soon 
 they would become very friendly, make me Turk- 
 ish coffee, and extend to me every kindness. As 
 soon as I told them, ^'Americana bait b-Beiruf 
 am an American and my home is in Beirut/'), 
 they would show me every courtesy possible. I 
 used to be afraid of these Arabs, but I learned by 
 personal contact and experience that if you are 
 an American everything depends on how you deal 
 with them and treat them. 
 
 FACING BITTER OPPOSITION FROM EVERY QUARTER 
 
 As before stated, for a person to separate from 
 
228 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 one of the old established religions of the East is 
 as though he went into infidelity, from the popu- 
 lar viewpoint. And especially is this true when 
 the convert goes far enough in the new religion 
 to be baptized; the popular mind considers this 
 a sacrilegious act. The minister who has the 
 courage to preach such a doctrine and then prac- 
 tise it can expect a united opposition from the 
 religious leaders. The Protestants in Syria have 
 not gone so far. While they have drawn some- 
 what from the Orthodox church, they have recog- 
 nized their infant baptism as valid. We teach and 
 practise baptism for believers only. If we bap- 
 tize non-Christians— Mohammedans or heathen- 
 there is no objection. But when we baptize Chris- 
 tians-former Eoman Catholics, Maronites, Grreek 
 Orthodox, or Protestants, and ignore the tradi- 
 tional rite administered in infancy, we incur the 
 united censure and opposition of all the churches 
 of the Near East. 
 
 This has been our position exactly. As long as 
 the work was comparatively small, this hostility 
 was not very marked. At the time Brother Smith 
 baptized his first converts in Syria, there was 
 some opposition. And again when he and Brother 
 Peardon passed through Syria on their world tour, 
 they immersed a number, and for a short time 
 there was considerable stir; this, however, soon 
 died away. But when we began to enlarge our 
 field of activities, when we opened large central 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 229 
 
 missions in Beirut and Tripoli, when we carried 
 our message to the many villages round about, and 
 when people began to come to our meetings in 
 large numbers and a goodly number were saved, 
 and we publicly baptized the converts, then we 
 encountered a marked hostility, and this reached 
 an organized opposition from practically all the 
 religious leaders. The bishops and priests warned 
 their people not to come to our meetings, and for- 
 bade their children to attend our Sunday-school. In 
 the villages they threatened their people, and 
 forbade them to deal with or enter the homes of 
 those who took their stand with us. 
 
 This restricting means more in Syria than in 
 America; the religious leaders in the East have a 
 power and authority over their people that is not 
 known in the West. The opposition from the Pro- 
 testant heads was as marked as that from the oth- 
 ers. They gave us no recognition as workers with 
 them for the evangelization of Syria. We met 
 their leaders face to face and presented our right 
 to be on the field. They suggested that we turn 
 our work over to them, and go to new fields where 
 Christ had never been preached. They also in- 
 formed us that this was the only cooperation with 
 us they were interested in. An organized opposi- 
 tion was waged against our people. Any associat- 
 ed with the church of God were refused positions in 
 schools as teachers, and also other professional po- 
 sitions were denied for the same reason. When 
 
230 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 some of our capable young people inquired the 
 cause of this action, they were politely told that it 
 was because of their connection with the church 
 of God. Some of them were compelled to go else- 
 where for positions, even as far as Egypt. But, 
 thank God, they have all stood true. 
 
 False reports were circulated everywhere to 
 hurt our influence. Fior example, it was rumored 
 that the church of God and the other churches of 
 the Near East had entered into an agreement that 
 we were not to labor in this particular field, and 
 that contrary to this arrangement I had come over 
 the protest of even our owq Missionary Board, 
 and was nothing less than renegade, an outlaw 
 preacher. This was spread abroad everywhere, 
 and I had it to meet almost every place I went. 
 
 RISING ABOVE THE DIFFICULTIES 
 
 In all ages the truth has flourished in the face 
 of opposition. Right will triumph. The true 
 gospel is an anvil that has worn out many a ham- 
 mer. The heavy storms only cause the roots of 
 the sturdy oak to go deeper, and as a result the 
 branches spread wider. So it is with that work 
 which has God back of it. ^'No weapon that is 
 formed against thee shall prosper, the Lord said 
 through Isaiah. 
 
 It was impossible to surrender and abandon our 
 work, hence the only thing to do was go ahead 
 in the name of the Lord. As a church wfe all 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 231 
 
 humbled our hearts before God, sought more of 
 his power and the manifestation of his glory in 
 our midst, and earnestly prayed for a more rapid 
 spread of the truth of the gospel. The Lord 
 wonderfully answered prayer. 
 
 I decided on a policy of no retaliation, no 
 agitation from our side, and even no public de- 
 fense. I decided simply to preach the straight 
 truth uncompromisingly, and to go ahead with our 
 work minding our own business, treating our 
 opposers with all Christian love and courtesy. We 
 even doubled our diligence to carry our message 
 to more people than ever. It was wonderful how 
 God blessed us and gave us favor with the people. 
 
 Despite all opposition and misrepresentation, 
 our attendance increased, and people continued to 
 come to a knowledge of the truth, and were saved. 
 Calls for meetings came in from every direction, 
 ten times more than we were able to fill. The 
 fact is, the opposition advertised rather than hin- 
 dered our work. The secret of it all was our 
 humbly seeking the help of the Lord. It is ^^not 
 by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith 
 the Lord.'' 
 
 THE MINISTRY OF HEALING IN SYRIA ' 
 
 When we first Went to Syria, I felt deeply im- 
 pressed that nothing would so penetrate the dead 
 formalities of religion so prevalent in that land 
 as would a real demonstration of the gifts of the 
 
232 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 Spirit in the midst of the church. The religion 
 of the country, irrespective of creed, is much more 
 ceremonial, dead, and formal than that of our 
 Western countries. In the ministry of Christ and 
 the apostles, healing and miracles often prepared 
 the way for a more rapid spread of the gospel. 
 
 Wherever we went we preached healing by di- 
 vine power. In the villages particularly, many 
 people were cured of their ailments in answer to 
 prayer. Sometimes at the request of the people 
 we went from house to house and prayed for about 
 all the sick in a place. It was wonderful how 
 these folk believed in their simple way and were 
 healed. 
 
 At Safita an old man was raised up from what 
 seemed to be his death-bed. Mrs. Gabriel Bashour, 
 at whose house we stayed, was wonderfully healed 
 of rheumatism. On August 11, 1922, while we were 
 conducting a second series of meetings in the same 
 city, the pasha of the place sent for us to pray 
 for his child. It was given up to die by two doc- 
 tors, one of these being Dr. Bashour, of Tripoli. 
 Both of these physicians pronounced the child a 
 hopeless case from a medical standpoint. It was 
 Dr. Bashour who advised the pasha to send for 
 us to pray. Thank God, the child was instantly 
 cured, and rapidly grew strong and well. 
 
 On September 9-19, 1921, my wife, George, and 
 I took a short vacation at Zahleh, Mount Lebanon. 
 We stayed at the home of Sister Areka Salibian, 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 233 
 
 of Beirut, who was spending the summer there. 
 One morning this sister made a strange request 
 of us. She said, ''I am deprived of the privilege 
 and blessing of bringing forth children, and I 
 desire to have a baby very much." She had been 
 married many years, and said that the doctors 
 told her that such a thing was impossible in her 
 case, and she requested us to join with her in 
 prayer that the Lord might overrule and grant 
 her this desire. We had prayer, and ten months 
 from that time she delivered a baby girl. 
 
 Sister Salibian testified to what the Lord had 
 done before a large congregation in Beirut. Mrs. 
 Alexander Abdo, a Roman Catholic woman, was 
 present. She had been married many years and 
 was deprived of the blessing of children. When 
 she heard Sister Salibian 's testimony, she decided 
 to request prayer for the same thing. We had a 
 season of prayer to this end, and she also re- 
 ceived a baby, a boy, as a gift from the Lord. 
 The result was, her husband and his old father 
 both got saved in our meetings, and now they are 
 all standing for the truth, and came out of the 
 Church of Rome. Mrs. Bashour, wife of D^r. 
 Bashour, of Tripoli, also requested prayer that 
 she might have a child, and she also was rewarded. 
 
 CARRYING THE WORK INTO PALESTINE 
 
 Ever after we visited Nazareth on April 13 and 
 14, 1921, we felt a deep desire to return and preach 
 
234 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 the full gospel in the city where Jesus spent about 
 thirty years of his earthly life. In May, 1922, a 
 man from Nazareth attended some of the meetings 
 of our Beirut mission, and invited us to go to his 
 home city. He promised us a home while there 
 and a place to hold meetings. This opened the 
 way. 
 
 On August 31, Zahia Aswad (my interpreter), 
 my wife, George, and I left Beirut on the auto- 
 mobile-line and arrived at Nazareth the same day. 
 We remained here sixteen days, or until Septem- 
 ber 16. We held cottage-meetings in many dif- 
 ferent homes at 4 P. M., and in the Baptist mis- 
 sion-hall at night. The attendance was very good, 
 and we gained many friends to the truth, and the 
 gospel seed was sown in a goodly number of 
 hearts. We placed our literature— books and 
 Trumpets, both English and Arabic— in the public 
 reading-room. 
 
 Bro. Solomon J. Matter extended to us much 
 kindness and hospitality while there. Two young 
 ladies from Cana, the Misses Kareemy and 
 Moneera Saffaury, attended one of the services 
 at Nazareth and became deeply interested. They 
 invited us to hold meetings in their home, in Cana 
 of Galilee. On September 12 we went by carriage 
 to Cana, where we spent the day and held an 
 afternoon service in their house. About fifty 
 people gathered, and, oh! how eagerly they drank 
 in the truth. After the service the people grasped 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 235 
 
 our hands and expressed their deep appreciation. 
 I spoke on the "Value of Salvation." Since then 
 our literature has been going to Cana, and the 
 truth continues to speak in the little city where 
 Nathanael— the Israelite without guile— once lived, 
 and where Jesus turned the water into wine. 
 
 ' Our visit to Cana was full of interest and was 
 profitable. We returned to Nazareth in the even- 
 ing, and held a very precious cottage-meeting at 
 the home of Mrs. Marian Nacola Klawar. About 
 twenty-five were present, and listened with deep 
 interest to a sermon on holiness. We found both 
 Cana and Nazareth ripe for the gospel truth. The 
 people are tired of dead, formal religion, and 
 many are ready to break away from it. One 
 prominent man in Nazareth told me that no less 
 than one hundred people there would step out 
 into the clear light if we should decide to establish 
 a permanent work there. May God supply the 
 means for such a work! Altogether our trip to 
 Nazareth w<as very profitable to the cause, and it 
 opens a new field for the church of God in the 
 Near East. 
 
 HISTORIC SIGHTS IN SYRIA 
 
 Besides traveling very extensively over Syria 
 in general evangelistic work, it was our privilege 
 also to visit a great many places of historical in- 
 terest. I will mention a few of these. 
 
236 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 Baalbek 
 
 On September 17, 1921, we visited Baalbek, which 
 was once the center of idolatrous worship in Syria. 
 It was once a most glorious city, a place of great 
 palaces, monuments, and temples. Here the sun 
 was worshiped under the name of Baal, so 
 often mentioned in the Bible. In Egypt he was 
 called Osiris, in Scandinavia he was known as 
 Balder, and the Aztec Mexicans worshiped him as 
 Vizliputzli. So when King Ahab erected a temple 
 to Baal, he established in Israel the worship of 
 the same heathen deity that other nations knew, 
 and was therefore no better than they. 
 
 In the early part of the Christian era, when the 
 rising tide of Christianity was sweeping all over 
 the East, the Roman emperors determined tO' 
 counteract its influence by establishing paganism 
 on such a magnificent scale that it would carry 
 everything before it. So here at Baalbek were 
 erected the great temple of Jupiter and the temple 
 of Bacchus. These were among the greatest hea- 
 then temples ever erected in the history of the 
 world. Mercury and "Vlenus were also worshiped 
 here. 
 
 The ruins of these structures cover many acres 
 of ground. Nowhere else in all our travels have 
 we seen such vast ruins, not even in Rome. The 
 temple of Jupiter is much the largest. In the 
 midst of its ruins we stood in amazement and 
 viewed massive substructures made visible by 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 237 
 
 excavation, broad staircases, vaults, vestibules, 
 towers, columns, courts, and altars. How the 
 enormous blocks of stone were moved from the 
 quarries, a mile away, and placed in position, no 
 architect today can tell. The temple of Bacchus, 
 while smaller and of the same age as the other, 
 is still standing intact, and is said to be the most 
 beautiful ancient building in Syria. 
 
 As I stood there, these thoughts flew through 
 my mind: Here are the ruins of idolatrous wor- 
 ship. Millions of dollars were spent in the erection 
 of these temples. They were once the admiration 
 of the pagan world. Their crumbling walls and 
 fallen pillars simply tell us the history of the past. 
 Yet Christianity still lives and marches on trium- 
 phant. The kingdom of Jesus Christ survives all 
 the wrecks of empires. Without a palace or a 
 court, without a bayonet or a saber, without any 
 offer of rank or wealth or power to his subjects, 
 he has a kingdom that has advanced steadily, re- 
 sistlessly, increasing in strength every hour, crush- 
 ing all opposition, triumphing over all time's 
 changes; so that at the present moment the king- 
 dom of Jesus is a stronger kingdom, more potent 
 in all the elements of influence over the human 
 heart, than all the powers of earth. 
 
 Jebail 
 
 This is a seacoast town about thirty miles north 
 of Beirut. Its present population is about eight 
 thousand people. It was once one of the great 
 
238 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 commercial cities of Syria, and the port of Baal- 
 bek, which lies across tiie Lebanon Mountains from 
 Jebail. It was once a seat of idolatrous worship. 
 
 It was from the quarries of Jebail that much 
 of the finest stone for Solomon's temple at Jeru- 
 salem was taken. Also from here King Hiram 
 shipped the cedars for the temple, by way of 
 Joppa. Eecently the French have undertaken ex- 
 tensive excavation work here, and many valuable 
 treasures have been unearthed; also some noted 
 tombs dating from several centuries before the 
 Christian era have been discovered. 
 
 Although we passed through here many times on 
 our trips between Beirut and Tripoli, on Aug. 2, 
 1922, I visited all places of interest in and about the 
 city. It was indeed worth while to visit the under- 
 ground tombs. There is a large tower and fort 
 near the seashore that dates from the time of the 
 crusaders. There were over three thousand Armen- 
 ian orphans in Jebail, and a large hospital for 
 refugees. 
 
 Damascus 
 
 This is not only the most ancient city of Syria, 
 but is generally regarded as the oldest city in the 
 world. We are sure it was an important city in 
 the time of Abraham (Gen. 14:15), whose steward 
 was a native of the place (Gen. 15:2). In the 
 days of King David it was subdued and became 
 a part of the kingdom of Israel, at which time it 
 was garrisoned with Israelites (2 Sam. 8:3-6). It 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 230 
 
 was the capital of Syria, and during the history 
 of the kings of Judah and Israel the Syrian armies 
 marched from Damascus time and again and 
 fought against Israel. 
 
 Naaman, the Syrian leper, lived here, and from 
 Damascus journeyed to Samaria, where the proph- 
 et Ellisha resided (2 Kings 5:1-14). Very early 
 after Pentecost a large Christian church was 
 planted here. Its influence spread far and wide. 
 Hither Saul of Tarsus came to take away bound 
 to Jerusalem the disciples of the Lord. On the 
 outskirts of this city he was miraculously con- 
 verted, and in the very heart of the city received 
 the Holy Spirit baptism (Acts 9:1-22). He later 
 escaped from the murderous intent of the Jews 
 by being let down outside the wall of the city 
 in a basket at night (Acts 9:23-25; 2 Cor. 11:32, 
 33). 
 
 On April 11-14, 1922, my wife, George, and I 
 visited Damascus. We crossed the Lebanon Moun- 
 tains on the automobile-line which runs daily be- 
 tween the two cities. Before we entered the city 
 we descended along the picturesque Barada 
 (Abana) Hiver for a long distance. We traversed 
 the whole length of the street which is called 
 Straight'' (Acts 9:11). On this street is pointed 
 out the place where Paul received the Holy Ghost. 
 From here we went to the house of Ananias. Next 
 we visited the wall where Paul was let down in a 
 basket, we were shown the reputed window through 
 
240 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 which he escaped. We traveled through the en- 
 tire length of the city by tramcar, and by carriage 
 went several miles along the Jerusalem road where 
 Paul was struck down and converted. 
 
 By climbing a mountain back of the city we had 
 a splendid view of Damascus and its environment. 
 It is situated in a broad plain, and is watered by 
 numerous streams and surrounded by thousands 
 of acres of gardens and orchards filled with de- 
 licious fruits and flowers. The view we thus ob- 
 tained is most enchanting. The Mohammedans 
 regard Damascus as the earthly symbol of para- 
 dise. It is claimed that the vicinity of Damascus 
 is one of the most beautiful in the world. We 
 drank water from the River Pharpar, and stood 
 on the banks of Abana, mentioned in 2 Kings 
 5:12. We also visited the great Omaiyade Mosque. 
 It is a very costly shrine of immense size, and in 
 it they pointed out the tomb in which they claim 
 is deposited the head of John the Baptist. To 
 believe all these superstitious Mohammedans tell 
 you would require a great stretch of imagination. 
 We visited some of the most artistic Mohammedan 
 mansions that we have ever seen. 
 
 Cedars af Lebanon 
 
 About forty miles from Tripoli, up in the moun- 
 tains at an elevation of about nine thousand feet, 
 is a government reservation of about twenty-five 
 acres surrounded by a high stone wall. Inside 
 of this enclosure are four hundred cedars, some 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 241 
 
 of them of immense size and hoary. One mea- 
 sures 36V2 feet in circumference and has a limb 
 or branch 111 feet long. We were told that some 
 of these trees we were looking upon dated [from 
 before the time of K{mg Solomon. Cedars from 
 Lebanon were used in the palace of Solomon in 
 Jerusalem, and also in the construction of the 
 temple. 
 
 On August 17 and 18, 1922, we visited these 
 cedars, and again on June 20 and 21, 1923, in 
 company with Brother and Sister G. K. Ouzoun- 
 ian. The mountain scenery at Bsharry and in 
 the vicinity of the cedars is by far the most beauti- 
 ful that we saw in all Lebanon. On June 21, at 
 4 A. M., my wife and I left camp at the cedars 
 and climbed to the highest peak of the Lebanon 
 Eange— about eleven thousand feet above the 
 Mediterranean. From the top we had a wonder- 
 ful view both inland and towards the sea. 
 
 Sidon 
 
 Sidon is a seacoast city of 12,000 people thirty- 
 six miles south of Beirut. It is a very ancient 
 city, first mentioned in the Bible in Gen 10:19. 
 In the days of Solomon there were none among 
 the Israelites that had the skill to hew timber 
 like unto the Sidonians'' (1 Kings 5:6). Although 
 allotted to the tribe of Asher, Sidon was never 
 conquered by the Israelites. For wealth, com- 
 merce, luxury, vice, and power, it was unequaled 
 in the Levant, until Tyre outstripped it, and Shal- 
 
242 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 maneser conquered it about 725 B. C. From that 
 time on it passed successively under the rule of 
 the Persians, Macedonians, Egyptians, Romans, 
 Arabs, and crusaders. 
 
 Jesus came into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, 
 and here the Syrophenician woman importuned 
 for her daughter until Christ answered her 
 earnest prayer (Matt. 15:21-28; Mark 7:24-30). 
 When Jesus upbraided the cities of Chorazin and 
 Bethsaida, he said "If the mighty works, which 
 were done in you, had been done in Tyre and ^ 
 Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sack- 
 cloth and ashes. But I say unto you, It shall be 
 more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of 
 judgment, than for you" (Matt. 11:20-22). 
 
 The town has fine gardens and orchards, and is 
 noted for its delicious oranges. The Presbyterians 
 have a large orphanage and school here, and have 
 established a considerable work in the city and 
 surroundings. We \dsited Sidon more than once 
 during our stay in Syria. 
 
 Tyre 
 
 This city is located on a rocky peninsula about 
 twenty miles south of Sidon. The present popu- 
 lation is about six thousand. The streets are nar- 
 row, the bazaars Oriental, and the inhabitants 
 friendly to visitors. There are many ruins to be 
 seen. We enjoyed our stop here very much. 
 
 Tyre has a wonderful history, dating from about 
 2750 B, C, In the time of Joshua it was a ' ' strong 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 243 
 
 city" (Josh. 19:29). Hiram was its king in the 
 time of David, and a friendly alliance seems to 
 have existed between the two monarchs (2 Sam. 
 5:11), which continued during the reign of Solo- 
 mon. Just south of the present city we visited 
 the site of Solomon's gardens that were given 
 to him by King Hiram. The basis of the lesson 
 given in S. of Sol. 4: 12-16 is this garden. It is 
 to this day one of the most fertile spots in the 
 whole section. 
 
 Zarephath 
 
 After the brook Cherith dried up, the Lord 
 directed Elijah to go to Zarephath. It was here 
 the prophet was lodged by the widow and ^'the 
 barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse 
 of oil fail." Here also Elijah raised the widow's 
 son to life. The entire account of this will be 
 found in 1 Kings 17:8-24. Jesus referred to this 
 incident and called the city Sarepta (Luke 4:25, 
 26). 
 
 On June I67 1923, we went by automobile to 
 this city. Its present name is Surafend. It is 
 located about eight miles south of Sidon, about 
 one mile from the seashore on a picturesque hill- 
 side, and its inhabitants number nearly three thou- 
 sand. Although it is an Arab town, the people 
 treated us very kindly, and we bought some of 
 their wares for souvenirs. I took some interest- 
 ing photographs of the place and surroundings. 
 
244 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 Over tlie site of the widow's house is erected a 
 mosque which is twelve hundred years old. 
 
 Visiting Places of Bible History in the Holy Land 
 
 Altogether we have made three tours of the land 
 of sacred story, and have visited practically every 
 place of Biblical interest ''from Dan to Beer- 
 sheba." In all the places visited I made obser- 
 vations, and gathered all the data and information 
 possible. 
 
 While holding evangelistic meetings in Nazareth, 
 Aug 31— Sept. 16, 1922, we visited many places of 
 Biblical renown in northern Palestine. Nazareth 
 itself is an interesting city. Its present popula- 
 tion is about fifteen thousand. This is mostly of 
 the Syrian type, although within the last few years 
 a number of wealthy Jews have opened places of 
 business in the city, and these are strictly modem. 
 The people generally are very kind-hearted and 
 hospitable. 
 
 I considered that Nazareth is one of the most 
 beautiful places in all Palestine. There are fine 
 automobile highways to Haifa, Tiberius, Bethshan, 
 and Jerusalem, and many automobile loads of 
 tourists pass through here daily. The fact that 
 this was the home of Joseph and Mary, and that 
 Jesus spent the greater part of his life here, makes 
 it a place of first importance to a Christian. 
 
 The principal places of interest are the follow- 
 ing: The Church of the Annunciation, which marks 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 245 
 
 the site where Gabriel appeared to Mary; the 
 synagog, where Christ preached and was rejected; 
 Joseph's workshop; the Mount of Precipitation, 
 where they led Jesus to throw him down head- 
 long; and the Virgin 's Fountain (as there is but 
 one other small spring in the whole city, it is 
 evident that Mary carried the water from this 
 fountain for the family use; and she probably 
 carried it in an earthen jar upon her head just as 
 the women do today). 
 
 Stupendous View fram Top of Mount Tabor 
 In many respects Tabor is one of the most re- 
 markable mountains in Palestine. It is situated 
 on the northeastern edge of the great plain of 
 Esdraelon, and what was once the border between 
 Zebulun and Naphtali. It is about eight miles 
 southeast of Nazareth. Its summit is 1,843 feet 
 above the Mediterranean Sea. From the fact that 
 Tabor overlooked the great battle-plain of Pales- 
 tine, it naturally became a suitable place for the 
 northern tribes to assemble for battle. At the 
 command of Deborah the prophetess, Barak as- 
 sembled a small army of ten thousand men near 
 the summit of this mountain. On the plain, below, 
 by the brook Kishon, Jabin^s Gentile hosts were 
 gathered under the command of Sisera. This 
 army had nine hundred chariots of iron. One of 
 the most remarkable victories ever won by Israel 
 took place here. Barak and Deborah descended 
 into the plain and defeated the hosts of Sisera. 
 
246 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 The Gentile armies fell before the Lord's little 
 band until "there was not a man left." 
 
 In Psa. 89:12, Tabor is extolled with Hermon, 
 and is mentioned with Carmel in Jer. 46 :18. While 
 Tabor is not mentioned in the New Testament, 
 early Christian writers, such as Origen and Jerome, 
 identified it as the Mount of Transfiguration. The 
 summit is flat, nearly one half mile long and about 
 an eighth of a mile wide. There are also ruins 
 of towers, fortifications, vaults, cisterns, and other 
 structures of various periods, Jewish, Greek, Ro- 
 man, Christian, and Turkish, on it. 
 
 On September 5, at nine in the morning, we left 
 Nazareth by carriage for Mount Tabor. We 
 crossed the Kiishon twice, and traversed the battle- 
 field where the Lord wrought gloriously in behalf 
 of Deborah and Barak against Sisera's great 
 armies. It was eleven o'clock when we reached 
 the base of the mountain at the village of Deborah, 
 named after the ancient prophetess. Deborah con- 
 tains about 750 Arabs. Prom all appearances they 
 are but half civilized, a wild-looking set of people. 
 We first stopped under a large tree in the midst 
 of their threshing-floors. Here on a space covering 
 about two acres of ground many yoke of oxen 
 were "treading out the corn"— wheat. For a few 
 piasters we secured ponies and mules and began the 
 ascent. It took just one hour to reach the summit. 
 
 We first visited the Greek church, in which is 
 a beautiful painting of the transfiguration, which 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 247 
 
 they claim took place there. Near this is a well of 
 the coldest water we found in Palestine. Here we 
 ate our lunch. After dinner We visited the ex- 
 tensive ruins both above and under ground. This 
 was indeed interesting, for many of them date 
 from the days of the kings of Israel. 
 
 But the most interesting of all was the wonder- 
 ful view obtained from the summit of this moun- 
 tain. As we looked northeast, about twelve miles 
 distant and far below us in clear view was the 
 Sea of Galilee, and beyond it the mountains of 
 Bashan and Mount Hermon. Also the land of the 
 Gadarenes was plainly visible. On the plain be- 
 tween us and the Sea in clear view was the Mount 
 of Beatitudes, or Horns of Hattin. Then as we 
 looked eastward, the Jordan Valley for many miles 
 could be seen, and beyond it the entire range of 
 the mountains of Gilead. Turning southward, we 
 beheld Little Hermon, and on its northern slopes 
 the villages of Endor and Nain. Beyond it the 
 entire range of the Gilboa mountains, about ten 
 miles in length, could be seen. 
 
 Then as we looked westward the entire plain of 
 Esdraelon, extending to Mount Carmel, was be- 
 fore us. I shall never forget this stupendous sight. 
 And this is the very plain where the warriors of 
 nearly every nation under heaven have pitched 
 their tents and have beheld their banners wet with 
 the dews of Tabor and Hermon! Yes, this has 
 been the battle-field of nations from the days of 
 
248 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 Barak and Sisera to those of the late World War. 
 How wonderful to behold with one grand sweep of 
 vision the whole plain of Armageddon! And this 
 very plain stands as the great type of the final 
 conflict between true religion and all the false re- 
 ligions of earth, which conflict will usher in the 
 great day of God Almighty, or final judgment 
 (Rev. 16:12-16; 20:7-9). 
 
 Endor 
 
 On the morning of September 9, at half past six, 
 our company left Nazareth for Endor, a distance 
 of about ten miles. A British soldier accompanied 
 us, and bore his share of the expenses for the 
 pleasure of the trip. Endor is an Arab Moslem town 
 that lies on the northern slopes of Little Hermon. 
 Its present inhabitants number about eight hundred 
 of as filthy and wild-looking people as we have 
 seen in all our travels. It Was here the witch 
 lived to whom King Saul went and sought counsel 
 the night before his tragic death upon Mount Gril- 
 boa (1 Sam. 28:7-25). This Bible occurrence, 
 which we had so often read and studied, is what 
 attracted us to the place. 
 
 We reached the village about 9 A. M. On our 
 approach the natives gathered in groups, and from 
 their actions it was plain to be seen that we were 
 a curiosity to them. Not one tourist in a thou- 
 sand visits these towns. Zahia Aswad began talk- 
 ing to them in Arabic, and then they became friend- 
 ly. We first inquired for the witch's house. They 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 243 
 
 led us to an underground cave about the center of 
 the town. This they call the House of the old 
 woman. We crawled down into a large hole in 
 the earth, and from this through a narrow door 
 into a cave. Here we stood in a room about twelve 
 feet square hewn out of solid limestone rock. 
 There were three small rooms adjoining. 
 
 What feelings crept over us as we stood there 
 in that dismal place and thought that there was 
 probably the very spot where the demon-possessed 
 witch once lived, and where Saul, forsaken by 
 God, sought advice! Not only the cave, but the 
 whole town and its inhabitants impressed us as 
 God-forsaken. From here we meandered around 
 through the narrow, filthy streets entering into 
 and examining houses and everything to be seen. 
 The houses, built of stone, are of a peculiar shape, 
 and are plastered within and without with manure. 
 In the east end of the town we found a small store 
 and a few people who were more intelligent than 
 the others. From them we purchased a Bedouin 
 belt as a souvenir of the place. 
 
 Nain 
 
 From Endor we follow^ed the carriage-road along 
 the base of Little Hermon westward a distance of 
 three miles, to the village of Nain. It was here 
 that Jesus raised the widow's son to life (Luke 
 7:11-17). We arrived about 11 A. M. at the foun- 
 tain below the town. Here shepherds were water- 
 ing herds of goats and cattle. We entered a large 
 
250 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 fig- and pomegranate-orchard near the spring and 
 ate our lunch. The natives kindly gave us of their 
 fruits. After lunch we went all over the place. 
 On the west side of the village are many ancient 
 sepulchral caves, and, no doubt, these mark the 
 very cemetery to which the procession was going 
 when Jesus met it, and turned mourning into joy 
 by delivering the dead boy alive to his mother. 
 
 As we passed the threshing-floors, a crowd of 
 men assembled, and began to talk violently. Sister 
 Aswad informed me that they thought we were 
 Jews coming to take their homes. I at once walked 
 over to them and pointing to myself said, ''Amer- 
 icana bait h-Beirut/' This means, ''I am an 
 American, and I live in Beirut. ' ' They at once 
 became very friendly and began to chatter Arabic 
 that I did not understand. We entered a Latin 
 church in which is a beautiful painting of Jesus 
 raising the widow's son. 
 
 Shunem 
 
 At 1 P. M. we started for Shunem, now called 
 '^Sulem.'' Soon after we left Nain, we came, for 
 a short distance, onto the main caravan-road from 
 Damascus to Jerusalem. On this road was a 
 herd of about four hundred camels on their way 
 from Damascus to Egypt, to be sold there. The 
 entire herd stretched along the way for more than 
 a mile. After we left this highway our road led 
 around the western end of Little Hermon to the 
 southern side of the mountain. We passed two 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 251 
 
 large Jewish colonies on the way. Here we saw 
 everything modern and up to date. There were 
 fine large houses and barns, orchards, gasoline 
 engines pumping water for irrigation, modern 
 machinery as plows and hay-loaders, etc. We 
 here saw a threshing-machine for the first time 
 since coming to Syria. 
 
 About 2 P. M. we reached the place. It is 
 an Arab town of six or seven hundred people. It 
 is surrounded with gardens and orchards.' The 
 Philistines encamped here before the great battle 
 of Gilboa (1 Sam. 28:4). Here the Shunammite 
 woman entertained Elijah, and it was here her 
 son was raised to life (2 Kings 4:8-37). From 
 here we could look across the great plain westward 
 and distinctly see the sacred sites on Mount Carmel, 
 about twelve miles distant. This gave us a clear 
 idea of how far the Shunammite woman had to go 
 to reach the man of God on Carmel, and how far 
 the prophet and Gehazi traveled to reach her home. 
 
 Gath-hepher 
 
 The town of Gath-hepher lies about three miles 
 east of Nazareth. Its Arabic name is El-Meshed. 
 It is located on a rocky hill about half a mile from 
 the main highway. We climbed the hill to an old 
 tomb just north of the town. This is claimed to 
 be the tomb of Jonah the prophet, as this place 
 was his home (2 Kings 14:25). The tomb proper 
 is a sort of cave, and the grave itself is of the 
 
^52 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 same model exactly as that of the patriarchs in 
 the Cave of Machpelah, at Hebron. This would 
 indicate that it is a very ancient tomb. We re- 
 mained in the village about an hour and saw some 
 curious sights. 
 
 Mount of Beatitudes 
 
 On September 13 we visited the Mount of 
 Beatitudes. It is a curiously shaped hill, having on 
 its summit two peaks, or horns, from which it 
 derives its name the Horns of Hattin.'' This 
 is the traditional mount where Jesus preached th6 
 sermon recorded in Matthew 5, 6, and 7. It is 
 declared by Dean Stanley to meet all the require- 
 ments of the gospel narrative. The driver stopped 
 his car by the roadside, while we made the trip 
 to this historic mount. It seemed so near that I 
 at first imagined we could reach it in fifteen 
 minutes. It took us almost an hour to cross the 
 plain and ascend to the summit. We were con- 
 scious that every foot on which we were treading 
 was historic ground. On this very plain took place 
 the deciding battle between the crusaders and the 
 Moslems under Saladin, July 3, 1187, in which the 
 Christians Were miserably defeated. 
 
 Standing on the top of the mount we had a fine 
 view of the surrounding country. From here we 
 could look down on the blue waters of the Sea of 
 Galilee, almost 1,700 feet below us. How wonder- 
 ful ! Here we stood where Jesus sat and discoursed 
 with his disciples. Looking northward we saw. 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 253 
 
 near the summit of a high mountain in plain view, 
 Safed. Jesus no doubt pointed to this very place 
 when he said, '^A city that is set on a hill can 
 not be hid/' 
 
 Valley of Jezreel 
 
 Sometimes the whole plain of Esdraelon is re- 
 ferred to as the Valley of Jezreel. But, properly 
 speaking, the Valley of Jezreel is that branch or 
 valley which lies between Mount Gilboa on the south 
 and Little Hermon on the north, extending from 
 the ancient city of Jezreel on the west to Bethshan 
 on the east, a distance of about twelve English 
 miles. It is the richest and most celebrated part 
 of the great plain. On the morning of September 
 15, at half past six, our company left Nazareth in 
 a Ford. In one hour we were at Zerin. This 
 town occupies the site of the ancient city of 
 
 Jezreel 
 
 Jezreel is located on a spur at the west end of 
 the Gilboa Mountains. Its present population 
 numbers about one thousand, and its inhabitants 
 are filthy, half-civilized Arabs. We spent more 
 than an hour in the town and its surroundings. 
 It was once a boundary of Issachar (Josh. 19:18). 
 King Ahab chose it for his chief residence. Here 
 he had his palace (1 Kings 21:1). It is very like- 
 ly that his ivory house and bed were here. Most 
 of the history of Ahab and his wicked wife, Jeze- 
 bel, was made in and around this city. Jezebel 
 
254 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 lived by the city wall, and had a high window 
 facing eastward. There was a watch-tower on 
 which a sentinel stood, and it also faced eastward 
 (2 Kings 9:16, 17). Near the center of the pres- 
 ent towti is an ancient square tower, and they tell 
 us that this marks the site of Ahab's residence, 
 and the place where Jezebel was thrown out of 
 the window and eaten by dogs (see 2 Kings 9: 
 30-37). We climbed up into the tower, and from 
 the top we had a commanding view of the entire 
 town, its surroundings, and the great plain (around 
 this village are about three hundred subterranean 
 cisterns and granaries). From this tower, as we 
 looked eastw^ard down the valley, we could see the 
 very place where the watchman on the walls saw 
 Jehu coming up the valley in his chariot "driving 
 furiously'' (see 2 Kings 9:16-24). The old road- 
 bed over which Jehu drove up the mountain-side 
 to the city still remains. Just back of the town 
 is a fountain, and here Saul and Jonathan encamp- 
 ed and drank of its waters before entering the fatal 
 battle in which they lost their lives. How wonder- 
 ful to stand upon the very site of these scenes of 
 Bible history! The next place of interest was 
 the site of 
 
 Naboth's Vmeyard 
 
 Naboth's vineyard, we are told, was ''hard by'' 
 the palace of King Ahab (1 Kings 21:1). So it 
 was close to the city. The king was eager to 
 secure this particular place that he might use it 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 255 
 
 for a garden. Nabotli declined to sell it, to the 
 disappointment of the wicked monarch, who went 
 and lay upon his bed and pouted. And then his 
 wicked wife Jezebel devised a plan which resulted 
 in the foul murder of righteous Naboth. This 
 brought swift judgment upon the house of Aliab 
 and Jezebel, predicted by Elijah the prophet (see 
 1 Kings 21:1-24). On the slope of the hill, near 
 the base, and just north of the present town, is 
 a beautiful fountain, and about ten acres are 
 watered from this spring. Here are the most 
 luxuriant gardens. This was pointed out to us 
 as the site of Naboth 's vineyard. From Jezreel 
 we descended the mountains eastward and skirted 
 along the base of 
 
 Mount Gilboa 
 
 Mount Gilboa is about ten miles long, extending 
 eastward from the town of Jezreel. Its present 
 name is "Jebel Fukua." The northern slope is 
 very steep, while the southern slope is more grad- 
 ual and was once covered with forests. This 
 mount is famous because Kling Saul and his son 
 Jonathan were slain here (1 Sam. 28:4, 5; 31:1-6). 
 We climbed the slope of this mountain and stood 
 somewhere near where Saul and Jonathan died. 
 What feelings crept over us as we traversed the 
 ground where these great tragedies and events 
 came to pass ! All this came upon Saul because 
 he obeyed not the voice of the Lord. May the 
 Lord help us to be obedient children. 
 
256 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 Gideon's Fauntain 
 
 About three miles down the valley from Jezreel 
 we came to a large cave in the side of the moun- 
 tain. It is a limestone cave. In this cave is a very 
 strong fountain which flows out in several small 
 streams, and these unite in one large stream that 
 flows dowli the valley through Bethshan to the 
 Jordan. It was to this very fountain and stream 
 that Gideon brought ten thousand men to drink, 
 the manner of their drinking to determine who 
 should go against the hosts of Midian (Judg. 
 7:3-7). Nine thousand seven hundred bowed down 
 upon their knees to drink. The other three hun- 
 dred took up the water in their hands and drank 
 it. This was lapping. 
 
 These three hundred composed the army of 
 Gideon. *^And the Midianites and the Amalekites 
 and all the children of the east lay along in the 
 valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their 
 camels were without number, as the sand by the 
 seaside for multitude (Judg. 7:12). It was here 
 that the Lord gave Israel one of the most signal 
 victories ever won during their history. The full 
 account is given in Judges 7. These Arabs took 
 fright and ran down the valley to the fords of 
 Bethabara to escape over Jordan (Judg. 7:22-25). 
 But practically the entire host, with their leaders, 
 were slain. 
 
 We spent some time here. We drank from the 
 fountain. We traveled over the battle-field and 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 257 
 
 made observations. There are three large new 
 Jewish colonies between here and Bethshan— Ain 
 Harod, Tel Joseph, and Ffar Jecheskel— besides 
 twenty-two small settlements, the largest being 
 Beth Alfa. Most of the people of these colonies 
 have come from Europe. By using modern 
 methods, they are irrigating much of the valley, 
 and converting it into gardens and wheat-fields. 
 Modern pumps are sending water into large tanks 
 and reservoirs on the side of Gdlboa, and from 
 here by pipes all over the valley. We visited 
 some of the colonies, and it was interesting to see 
 the young men and their wives working in the 
 fields. 
 
 Bethshan 
 
 From Gideon's Fountain we proceeded down 
 the valley a distance of nine miles. The valley 
 averages about three miles wide. At the eastern 
 end we came to Beisan, a town of probably three 
 thousand inhabitants. This was ancient Bethshan. 
 It lies a few miles west of the Jordan Eiver near 
 Bethabara. This place has a history equaled by 
 few places in the world. The site is said to have 
 been occupied for a longer continuous period than 
 has any other place of human habitation. It is 
 claimed that before the death of Adam some people 
 migrated to here and started a city. This is 
 possible, since Adam lived almost one sixth of 
 the whole period of human history, according to 
 Usher's chronology. 
 
258 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 Thirteen large cities have been built here dur- 
 ing the past, one upon the ruins of the other. In 
 the days of Joshua, when the Canaanites were be- 
 ing subdued, the inhabitants of Bethshan were 
 not conquered. This city, with its tributaries, was 
 allotted to the tribe of Manasseh (Josh. 17:11). 
 
 Neither did Manasseh drive out the inhabitants 
 of Beth-shean and her towns" (Judg. 1:27). In 
 Josh. 17:12 we read that **they could not drive 
 out the inhabitants of those cities." Probably 
 one reason is found recorded in verse 16: ^^The 
 Canaanites that dwell in the land of the valley 
 have chariots of iron, . . . they who are of Beth- 
 shean and her towns." 
 
 After Saul and his sons were slain upon Mount 
 Gilboa (1 Sam. 31:1-6), the Philistines took their 
 bodies *and fastened them upon the wall of Beth- 
 shan (vs. 8-12). Then certain valiant men of 
 Jabesh-Gilead crossed the Jordan and by night 
 took down the bodies, and carried them safely to 
 their country and buried them under a tree at 
 Jabesh (vs. 11-13). After this they were removed 
 and finally interred between Bethlehem and 
 Hebron. In ancient times Bethshan was the most 
 fought-over spot on earth, since it served as a 
 gateway between Mesopotamia and Egypt, and 
 was necessary to the conquest of Canaan. 
 
 For some time extensive excavations have been 
 going on here under the supervision of the Univer- 
 sity of Pennsylvania, U. S. A., directed by Dr. 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 259 
 
 Clarence Stanley Fisher, of Philadelphia. At the 
 time we were there, levels of six cities had been 
 uncovered. At first they refused to allow us on 
 the excavation-grounds; but when I told them that 
 originally I was from Pennsylvania, they allowed 
 us considerable freedom, and we went all around 
 over the ruins, and took some valuable photo- 
 graphs. Since we were there, I am informed, the 
 level of the seventh city, Egyptian, has been un- 
 earthed, and additional valuable discoveries made. 
 When we visited the place they had found the 
 sarcophagus of Antiochus, first cousin of Herod 
 the Great, the very man charged by Herod to 
 slaughter the children of Bethlehem, in a vain 
 effort to kill the Christ-child. Our visit there was 
 full of interest and very enlightening. 
 
 Bethabara 
 
 From Bethshan we went by carriage to the 
 Jordan. Our road took us along the Jordan Valley 
 for several miles. On the east, along the stream, 
 were the plains of Gilead, and beyond this the 
 Gilead range of mountains. The entire country 
 is wild looking, full of Bedouin camps. The peo- 
 ple were as wild looking as the country; but since 
 we had mingled much among this class, we had 
 no reason for fears, for we understood how to 
 have their favor. 
 
 There are two main fords of the Jordan, the 
 lower one at Jericho, and the upper one in this 
 
260 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 section. It has been a question with scholars 
 which is Bethabara. The weight of evidence fa- 
 vors the upper ford. Conder says ''it was the 
 leading ford of Jordan on the road to Gilead/* 
 Of course, this was the upper one. When Gideon 
 defeated the Midianites on the plain of Jezreel, 
 they rushed down the valley to cross at Bethabara, 
 and were intercepted by the men of Ephraim 
 (Judg. 7:22-25). This clearly locates Bethabara 
 near the east end of the valley of Jezreel. Since 
 Bethshan was the principal gateway between Meso- 
 potamia and Eigypt, and this great route crossed 
 the Jordan at Bethabara, it certainly locates the 
 place near that city. 
 
 While John baptized principally at the ford 
 near Jericho, he also moved up the stream, and 
 baptized at Bethabara (John 1:28). By the ex- 
 pression "beyond Jordan'' is simply meant on the 
 east side of the River, the other side from the 
 Holy Land and Jerusalem. Thus he baptized 
 people from the land of Gilead as well as from 
 Palestine. The waters here are clear and beautiful, 
 and the scenery very picturesque. This is in 
 sharp contrast with the muddy waters farther 
 down the stream. We remained here about one 
 hour, during which time I baptized Sister Lydia 
 Nucho, of Na5:areth, Palestine, and my son George. 
 Armageddon 
 
 This term occurs in Rev. 16:16, and denotes the 
 great spiritual contest between true Christianity 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 261 
 
 and the combined powers of false religion that is 
 to take place just prior to the second advent of 
 Christ. The word doubtless was derived from 
 Megiddo, or the great plain of Esdraelon. Schaff 's 
 Bible Dictionary says, ''Armageddon— a name used 
 figuratively in Rev. 16:16, and suggested by the 
 great battle-field noted in the Old Testament and 
 now known as the plain of Esdraelon.'' Dr. Adam 
 Clark says, "Armageddon, Mount Megiddo, the 
 valley of which was remarkable for two great 
 slaughters; one of the Israelites (2 Kings 23: 29, 
 30), the other of the Canaanites (Judg. 4:16; 5: 
 19)." 
 
 It is termed by Josephus "the great plain." It 
 extends through central Palestine eastward and 
 westward from the Jordan to the Mediterranean, 
 a distance of about twenty-five English miles. 
 Along the northern border are the mountains of 
 Galilee, while on the south are the mountains of 
 Samaria. The width is from ten to fifteen miles. 
 This famous plain has been the battle-field of na- 
 tions from the ancient times to the recent, gieat 
 World War. One writer says, "Every nation un- 
 der heaven has pitched its tents on this plain, 
 and has beheld its banners wet with the dews of 
 Tabor and Hermon." It was here that Barak 
 and Deborah triumphed over the Gentile hosts 
 of Sisera, and the Hebrew prophetess sang her 
 notable war-song. Here Gideon defeated the Arab 
 legions of Midian. Saul and Jonathan fell near 
 
262 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 by, on Mount Gilboa, in a great battle with the 
 Philistines. Napoleon overcame the Turkish army 
 in this plain, and the English defeated them here 
 again near the close of the World War. 
 
 Next to Sharon, this is the most fertile district 
 in all Palestine. In former years it was greatly 
 neglected, and the Arab farmers allowed it to 
 grow up in weeds. At the present time there are 
 nine Jewish colonies and tw^enty-two settlements 
 scattered over the plain, and pump-stations are 
 pumping water from the Kishon, Gideon's Foun- 
 tain, and from great wells, for irrigation purposes, 
 and luxuriant gardens, wheat-fields, and new orch- 
 ards are to be seen everywhere. Also the finest 
 automobile highways are being completed in dif- 
 ferent directions. 
 
 It was our privilege to travel the entire length 
 of this plain from the Jordan westward, and then 
 traverse it in many directions by both carriage and 
 automobile. There are some millennial enthusiasts 
 who teach that some day all nations will marshal 
 their armies in this plain, and that a literal battle 
 will ensue here, the battle of Armageddon. To 
 begin with, there is not room enough in the entire 
 plain to hold but a small portion of the armies of 
 earth, and no such conflict is foretold. The last 
 great conflict is now on, and the hosts of the Lord 
 are being marshaled on the heights of Zion, while 
 the false religions of earth are gathering in con- 
 federation to oppose the truth. 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 263 
 
 Penin 
 
 This is the ancient En-gannim, and is mentioned 
 in Josh. 19:21; 21:29. In 2 Kings 9:27 it is called 
 the ' ^ garden-house. ^ ^ Its inhabitants now number 
 about four thousand. Near the town is a very 
 strong fountain, and from this considerable land 
 is irrigated, so that the place is surrounded with 
 beautiful gardens and orchards. In Hebrew days 
 it bore the name the ^'Fountain of Gardens." 
 
 We visited the place three times. Once while we 
 were there the Arabs were practising fast riding 
 in an open field by the roadside. They pride them- 
 selves in having some of the finest steeds in the 
 world. Also we met a Samaritan wedding-pro- 
 cession here that was very interesting. There were 
 probably thirty camels all in a line, and each had 
 a sort of platform strapped to its back; on each 
 camel sat six women dressed fantastically, and 
 all were singing Arabic songs. The men were 
 walking or riding donkeys. 
 
 Nablus 
 
 Nablus is the ancient Shechem, also called 
 Sichem and Sychar. It was our privilege to be 
 here a number of times, and we visited every 
 place worth seeing. The present population is 
 around twenty thousand. Some tourists claim its 
 site is unrivaled for beauty in Palestine. Dr. 
 Robinson calls it ^^a scene of luxuriant and almost 
 unparalleled verdure." Dean Stanley says it is 
 **the most beautiful spot in central Palestine." 
 
264 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 Two mountains parallel each other, Gerizim and 
 Ebal, about one hundred yards apart at their 
 bases, and a mile and a half at their summits. 
 The valley between is noted for its beauty, and at 
 the narrowest part, clinging to the slope of Geri- 
 zim, at an altitude of 1,950 feet, is Nablus. There 
 is an abundant supply of water, vegetation is quite 
 luxuriant, and olive-orchards, orange-groves, and 
 palm-trees are all around in abundance. But really 
 this city and its surroundings are beautiful only 
 when viewed at a distance; for a trip along the 
 narrow streets and through the bazaars reveals no 
 attractiveness. 
 
 Historically, this place is one of the most in- 
 teresting in all the Holy Land. It is mentioned 
 forty-eight times in the Bible. It dates back be- 
 fore Jerusalem, and its history extends through 
 the Scriptures from Abraham to Christ. When 
 the patriarch stopped here, ''the Lord appeared 
 unto Abram, and said. Unto thy seed will I give 
 this land: and there builded he an altar unto the 
 Lord, who appeared unto him" (Gen. 12:6, 7). 
 It was here he worshiped under an oak. Later 
 Jacob here erected an altar, and bought a parcel 
 of ground which he afterwards gave to his son 
 Joseph (Gen. 33:18-20; 48:22; Josh. 24:32; John 
 4:5). It was to Shechem and Dothan that Joseph, 
 when a boy, came from Hebron seeking his 
 brethren. Here he was sold and carried into 
 Egypt. He was buried here (Josh. 24:32). His 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 265 
 
 tomb remains to this day. It can be seen between 
 Nablus and Jacob's well. We visited the tomb, 
 and found it very interesting. It seems very clear 
 from Acts 7:15, 16 that the sons of Jacob were 
 all interred at this place. 
 
 From Shechem, Jacob moved to Bethel; but be- 
 fore doing so he buried all the strange gods in his 
 company under an oak-tree (Gen. 35:1-5). A solemn 
 dedicatory service of the whole nation of Israel 
 took place near here. At another time Joshua 
 built an altar on Mount Ebal, and wrote a copy 
 of the law of Moses, which he read to the children 
 of Israel (Josh. 8:30-35). The history of this 
 place is to the present day full of interest. Justin 
 Martyr was bom here. 
 
 To visit this city, with such a history, was in- 
 deed interesting to us. The staple trade of the 
 city is the manufacture of soap, and the bazaars 
 are well stocked with native goods. The in- 
 habitants are mostly Moslem, and are bitter against 
 the incoming Jews. The last time we were there 
 they took us to be Jews and began to cry, 
 ''Yehudy''; but we responded, ''Americana' bait h- 
 Beirut/^ that is, "We are Americans who live in 
 Beirut." We were then treated very kindly. The 
 most interesting place we visited was the Samari- 
 tan quarter in the southwest part of the city, and 
 their synagog. Here are two hundred Samaritans, 
 the direct descendants of the ancient people of this 
 name, with a history covering about 2,600 years, 
 
266 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 bound up in their own prejudices, and separate 
 from all other peoples of earth. They have their 
 own copies of the Pentateuch, and retain their 
 peculiar forms of sacrifice and worship. While 
 empires and dynasties have risen and passed away, 
 these people still hold their own, and retain all 
 the marked peculiarities of their race and religion. 
 
 The great curiosity of their synagog is the cele- 
 brated Samaritan codex of the Pentateuch, a docu- 
 ment which they claim is the oldest copy of the 
 Scriptures in the world, written by the grandson 
 of Aaron. Here they have preserved the original, 
 while a comparatively modern copy is shown to the 
 tourists. However, it was our privilege to see and 
 handle the original, for which we were thankful, 
 and paid a small sum of money gladly. 
 
 Mount Gerizim 
 
 Anciently, Gerizim was the mount of blessing as 
 Ebal was the mount of cursing (Deut. 11:29; 27: 
 11-13). Its summit is 2,850 feet above sea-level. 
 The mountain is composed chiefly of limestone 
 rock, and has a large plateau on the top covered 
 with immense ruins, among which are those of a 
 temple that was built as a rival of the one at 
 Jerusalem because Nehemiah refused to recognize 
 Sanballat as a true Israelite. This alienation of 
 spirit continued until it became a proverb that the 
 Jews had "no dealing with the Samaritans.^' To 
 this day the small sect of Samaritans in Nablus 
 sacrifice the Passover upon this mountain as pre- 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 267 
 
 scribed in the Book of Exodus. It is the only 
 spot on earth where the Jewish festival is per- 
 petuated in its primitive style. 
 
 We climbed to the summit, from which we could 
 look any direction as far as eye could see. Here 
 we stood upon the very spot to which the Samar- 
 itan woman pointed when she said to Jesus at 
 Jacob's Well, "Our fathers worshiped in this 
 mountain." Between Gerizim and Ebal is a great 
 natural amphitheater, or whispering-gallery. Farm- 
 ers hold conversations back and forth from the 
 opposite sides. When half way down the moun- 
 tain-side I whistled, and Zahia Aswad and George, 
 who were still at tlie summit, and my wife, who 
 was at the base, said it sounded as though I was 
 close beside them. It w^as in this very place that 
 Joshua read the law to several millions of 
 Israelites, and the Levites reechoed the sayings 
 from both sides, and the people responded, 
 "Amen." Joshua also held his farewell service 
 with the people at this place (Josh. 24:1-26). 
 
 Jacob's Well 
 
 From Nablus we went one mile and a half on 
 the main road southeast, and here at the eastern 
 base of Gerizim, at the edge of the plain of Moreh, 
 w^e stopped at Jacob's Well. This is one of the 
 few places in the Holy Land which can be identi- 
 fied with certainty. Christians, Jews, Samaritans, 
 and Mohammedans all agree with regard to the 
 
268 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 site of this well. An immense church now stands 
 upon the place, the entire enclosure covers two 
 acres of land. Upon this very well Jesus sat 
 and delivered the wonderful sermon recorded in 
 John. 4:5-42. 
 
 Recently the well has been cleared of all rub- 
 bish, and there is a plentiful supply of water at 
 all times. The priest in charge drew us a bucket 
 of water, and we drank freely. We ate our dinner 
 here, and kept drinking from the well from which 
 Jacob drank thereof himself, and his children, 
 and his cattle^' (John 4:12). We filled a bottle to 
 take back with us to America. By a windlass the 
 priest lowered a light to the bottom of the well. 
 Thus we viewed the well from top to bottom, and 
 concluded that Yakoob'^—JsiQoh — did a good job, 
 and we were ready to agree with the Samaritan 
 woman that ^'the well is deep.'' 
 
 Samaria 
 
 The present name of Samaria is Sebaste. Its 
 inhabitants probably number about three thousand. 
 Nothing remains of the former grandeur of the 
 once great capital of Israel but immense ruins, 
 among these a great colonnade, extending over 
 several miles. The prophets had said: ''Samaria 
 shall become desolate; for she hath rebelled 
 against her God'' (Hosea 13:16). ''Therefore I 
 will make Samaria as an heap of the field, and as 
 plantings of a vineyard: and I will pour down 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 269 
 
 stones thereof into the valley, and I will discover 
 the foundations thereof" (Micah 1:6). How won- 
 derfully all this has been fulfilled! 
 
 The city was built by Omri, king of Israel, and 
 became the capital of the ten tribes until the cap- 
 tivity. Here Ahab built the temple of Baal (1 
 Kings 16:32, 33), which was later destroyed by 
 Jehu. The city was besieged by the Syrians led 
 by Ben-hadad of Damascus, in the days of Elisha 
 (there is some interesting reading in 2 Kings 6, 
 7 in connection with the history of events which 
 took place in Samaria). It was to this city that 
 Philip came preaching Christ, and where later 
 Peter and John confirmed the disciples (see Acts 
 8:5-25). 
 
 Recently American archeologists have uncovered 
 many ancient sites, as the palace of King Ahab, 
 and the temple of Baal. On April 8, 1923, we 
 spent several hours visiting these ruins, and took 
 valuable photographs. Here also is the Church 
 of St. John the Baptist, in which is pointed out 
 the tombs of St. John and the prophet Obadiah. 
 The scenery around here is beautiful, and there 
 is no doubt that in the days of the kings of Israel 
 it was a place of great magnificence. 
 
 Mount Ephraim 
 
 As we proceeded southward from Nablus to 
 Jerusalem, the road skirted along the base of the 
 historical range of Mount Ephraim. On its slopes 
 
270 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 are two important places: Awertah, where are 
 shown the tombs of Eleazer and Phinehas, a site 
 greatly venerated by Moslems and Samaritans; 
 and Kefr Haris— ancient Timnath-heres, where 
 Joshua was buried (Judg. 2:9). 
 
 Shiloh 
 
 At Shiloh, Joshua divided the land among the 
 tribes, and here the tabernacle was reared (Josh. 
 18). Here the "daughters of Shiloh^' danced in 
 the yearly festival (Judg. 21:19-23). Here dwelt 
 Eli; and to this place Hannah came yearly to the 
 sacrifice, bringing with her the "little coat" for 
 the boy Samuel, who ministered before the Lord 
 (1 Sam. 2:18, 19). Here lived the wicked sons 
 of Eli, and here the old man fell back dead on 
 learning of the loss of the ark of God. With the 
 loss of the ark, Shiloh lost everything; the ark was 
 taken by the Philistines and was never brought 
 back to Shiloh, and from that time on the city is 
 seldom mentioned. 
 
 The location of Shiloh is made clear in Judg. 
 21:19. "Behold, there is a feast of the Lord in 
 Shiloh yearly in a place which is on the north 
 side of Bethel, on the east of the highway that 
 goeth up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the 
 south of Lebonah." The present name of Lebonah 
 is El-Lubban. It is^a small village on a hill-top 
 about half a mile from the main automobile high- 
 way to Jerusalem. Just south of it, on another 
 hill, are the ruins of ancient Shiloh. Nothing re- 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 271 
 
 mains but a large mound covered with masses of 
 debris, large foundation-stones, and pieces of 
 broken columns. Fragments denoting former 
 greatness are strewn about the place. To the 
 south is a beautiful plain which in the springtime 
 presents a green and well-cultivated appearance. 
 
 Beeroth 
 
 Beeroth was one of the four Hivite cities that 
 made a league with Joshua (Josh. 9:15-18). It 
 was allotted to Benjamin (Josh. 18:25), and is 
 mentioned as the birthplace of one of David's 
 mighty men (2 Sam. 23:37). Tradition claims 
 this as the place where Joseph and Mary dis- 
 covered that the boy Jesus was not with them and 
 turned back to Jerusalem, where they sought and 
 found him in the temple (Luke 2:41-51). 
 
 The present name of Beeroth is El-Bireh, a vil- 
 lage of eight hundred inhabitants. There is a 
 spring of excellent water here, and tourists usually 
 stop to refresh themselves. There are ruins of 
 reservoirs, an old khan, and the remains of a 
 church built in 1146 A. D. My wife and George 
 remained here several hours while I walked across 
 the hills about four miles to 
 
 Bethel 
 
 The Arabic name for Bethel is Beitin. On the 
 way I met a number of wild-looking Arabs, and 
 on reaching the place I found a village of about 
 five hundred Arab Moslems. I first went to a 
 
272 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 large fountain where the native women were fill- 
 ing their water-pots and carrying them to their 
 homes. I greeted them in Arabic, and then follow- 
 ed three of them into the streets, where I found 
 the sheik surrounded by a crowd of native villagers 
 sitting under an arbor in an open court. They 
 were a wild-looking set of people, and scanned me 
 from head to feet. I greeted them with smiles 
 and ^^Nharak-sieed, keef-halak, keef-sucMaj el- 
 hiimdalla/' then, pointing to myself, said '^Amer- 
 icana halt h-Beirut/' and sat down in the circle 
 with them. They at once became very friendly, 
 treated me with Turkish ucJiwa (coffee), then gave 
 me a guide, who took me all over the place, and 
 showed me the traditional place where Jacob slept 
 and had the vision of angels ascending and descend- 
 ing upon the ladder (Gen. 28:10-22). Oh, how 
 my eyes feasted upon this historical place and its 
 surroundings! The next place of interest was 
 
 Mizpeh 
 
 Mizpeh stands on a solitary mountain-peak four 
 hundred feet above the plain of Gibeon, and 2,935 
 feet above sea-level. It is one of the highest points 
 in all the Holy Land, and commands one of the 
 finest views. Thousands of pilgrims have gazed 
 upon Jerusalem for the first time from here. The 
 modem village, Neby Samwil, has nothing of in- 
 terest. The great national assemblies of Israel 
 were once held here at Mizpeh. ^'Then all the 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 273 
 
 children of Israel went out, and the congregation 
 was gathered together as one man, from Dan 
 even to Beersheba, with the land of Gilead, unto 
 the Lord in Mizpeh" (Judg. 20:1; see also 1 
 Sam. 7:5, 6). Saul was made king at this place 
 (1 Sam. 10:17-24). 
 
 Ramahy Gibeah, and Nob 
 
 Ramah of Benjamin, Gibeah of Saul, and Nob 
 are close together, along the main highway north- 
 east of Jerusalem. Both Ramah and Gibeah are 
 on top of hills from which one can obtain most 
 splendid views in any direction. Nob is identical 
 with the present village of Shafat. Here is a 
 ruined tower, and cisterns hewn in the limestone 
 rocks. Here in the time of Saul the tabernacle 
 was stationed to which David fled (1 Sam. 21:1). 
 
 Easter Festival at Jerusalem 
 
 During Mjar. 29— Apr. 9, 1923 we spent twelve 
 days touring southern Palestine by automobile. Dur- 
 ing this tour we witnessed the great Easter festival 
 in the Holy City. On Thursday night, March 29, 
 there was an elaborate service in the Garden of 
 Gethsemane to commemorate Christ's agony there 
 on the same night nineteen centuries ago. The 
 next day, Good Friday, we visited Calvary, **the 
 place of a skull.'' At 2 P. M. our party— Mr. 
 Therrin, of Beirut, my wife, George, and I— 
 climbed to the top of the rocky ledge, and on the 
 spot, as near as we could judge, where the cross 
 
274 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 stood we held a prayer-meeting until 3 P. M., the 
 hour that Jesus died. Oh, that sacred hour! 
 Never will it be erased from our minds. Here 
 on this same spot, on the same day and hour 
 nearly two thousand years ago, Christ gave his 
 life. What feelings filled our hearts! We knelt 
 there and wept, and reconsecrated our lives to 
 him who has washed us in the blood that was 
 shed on this hill. 
 
 In the morning of the same day we attended a 
 great service at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. 
 During this feast, thousands of pilgrims come from 
 far and near, and Jerusalem is crowded to its 
 capacity. The idolatry we witnessed here equaled 
 that we saw at Rome. Very few in the once holy 
 city have a true knowledge of God through Jesus 
 Christ. Their religion is all ceremonial. I be- 
 lieve I can safely say that there is as little of 
 true religion in Jerusalem today as in any city 
 I ever visited. All this talk of a great revival 
 in that country is absolutely without foundation. 
 
 On Saturday— the day Jesus lay in the tomb— 
 we attended a Greek service in Mary's Sepulcher, 
 which is in the Yalley of Kidron. The whole 
 worship was more pagan than Christian. From 
 here we walked through the entire length of the 
 Valleys of Jehoshaphat and Hinnom, and along 
 the way visited all the places of interest— the 
 tombs of Absalom, Zachariah, and St. James, the 
 Pool of Siloam, Job's Well, the Field of Blood, 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 275 
 
 etc. In the evening we visited the German colony. 
 
 Sunday, April 1, was Easter. The Protestants 
 went early to the Garden Tomb, while the Roman 
 Catholics and Gregorians all assembled in the 
 Church of the Holy Sepnlcher. This was the 
 greatest of all the days for the Christian popula- 
 tion and the host of pilgrims from a distance. At 
 10 A. M. we attended services in the Christian 
 Alliance church, and heard Reverend Thompson 
 preach a splendid sermon on **The Power of His 
 Resurrection.'' Here we found one assembly who 
 seemed to have real spiritual life. We enjoyed 
 the service very much. 
 
 On April 5 the Russian Greeks held an elaborate 
 feet-washing service in the Church of the Holy 
 Sepulcher. A platform was erected for the pur- 
 pose in the center of the large court. There was 
 an immense crowd to witness the ceremony. The 
 bishop and twenty-four priests ascended the plat- 
 form. They were all attired in the most costly and 
 flashy robes. The bishop had a crown of gold 
 upon his head, and his garments were trimmed 
 in gold. He looked like an ancient king. The en- 
 tire ceremony was too long and complicated to 
 try to describe, but finally the bishop formally 
 washed the feet of twelve priests. There was no 
 similarity between this showy performance and 
 the humble rite that Jesus instituted with his dis- 
 ciples in the upper room the night of his betrayal. 
 
 During this Easter festival, thousands of pil- 
 
276 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 grims go to the Jordan River and bathe in its 
 supposedly sacred waters. We had the privilege 
 of also going to the Jordan at this special time 
 and witnessing the ceremony. 
 
 Feast of Moses 
 
 At the same time the Christians were celebrating 
 Easter, the Moslems celebrated the Feast of Moses. 
 In numbers they probably exceeded the Christians 
 ten to one. The temple grounds and the entire 
 hill from St. Stephen ^s Gate to Kidron was a 
 solid mass of Moslems. While we were at Jeru- 
 salem, thousands of them marched on foot to their 
 traditional tomb of Moses and back again. Prob- 
 ably ten thousand of them returned to the city 
 in a solid body, playing bands, waving Moham- 
 medan flags, shouting, leaping, and making other 
 demonstrations, the like of which we never before 
 witnessed. They had come on pilgrimages from 
 a great distance, and the city simply swarmed 
 with them, dressed in fantastic costumes. For 
 several days they marched the streets of Jeru- 
 salem beating drums, singing, shouting at the top 
 of their voices the most weird noises, leaping into 
 the air like wild men, and singing peculiar-sound- 
 ing songs. We sat on the walls of the city and 
 took many photographs. 
 
 During this same season the Jews also had a 
 feast. So all Jerusalem was astir. During our 
 stay at this time we visited everything in and 
 around the city that is of interest. We noted 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 277 
 
 many changes and improvements since we were 
 here in 1921. 
 
 From Jerusalem to Jaffa 
 
 There is a beautiful automobile highway all the 
 way from Jerusalem to Jaffa. The distance by 
 road is about forty miles. On April 4, 1923, we 
 made the round trip, leaving Jerusalem on the 
 Jaffa Road, along which the new city is being 
 built for several miles out. We first passed the 
 "upper pool, which is the highway of the fuller's 
 field'' (2 Kings 18:17; Isa. 7:3). Then we began 
 to descend along a deep, picturesque valley, pass- 
 ing the town of Lifta, where is a beautiful foun- 
 tain. This is the site of ancient Nephtoah (Josh. 
 15:9). 
 
 About four and a half miles from Jerusalem 
 we came to Kolonieh, a very pretty place sur- 
 rounded with orchards, gardens, and groves. This 
 is the Emmaus where Christ w^alked with and 
 made himself known to two disciples the evening 
 of his resurrection (Luke 24:13-36). We stopped 
 a while and took photographs of the town and sur- 
 roundings. 
 
 The next place of interest was Ain Karim, a 
 town of eight hundred Christians, nestled among 
 the hills, and surrounded with the most beautiful 
 groves of olive-, fig-, and other fruit-trees. Tradi- 
 tion makes this the birthplace of John the Baptist. 
 To this place Mjary came from Nazareth to visit her 
 cousin Elizabeth three months; as the record says. 
 
278 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 she ''arose in those days, and went into the hill- 
 eountry with haste, into a city of Judah'^ (Luke 
 1:39-57). Just beyond we came to Abo-Ghosh, the 
 ancient Kiirjath-jearim, from where David brought 
 the ark of God to Jerusalem, and where Uzza was 
 slain in putting forth his hand to hold the ark 
 when the oxen stumbled (1 Chronicles 13). We 
 took much interest in Anathoth, where Jeremiah 
 was born (Jer. 1:1). This is a beautiful place. 
 The surrounding hills are covered with olive- 
 groves. 
 
 After passing a number of other villages and 
 some hills covered with wild flowers, we came to 
 the Valley of Ajalon. Here a wondrous scene 
 took place in the days of Israel's conquest of 
 Canaan, when Joshua obtained a great victory over 
 five Amorite kings: *'And he said in the sight of 
 Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and 
 thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. And the sun 
 stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people 
 had avenged themselves upon their enemies. . . . 
 So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and 
 hasted not to go down about a whole day. And 
 there was no day like that before it or after it, 
 that the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man: 
 for the Lord fought for Israel'' (Josh. 10:5-15). 
 We crossed this famous valley twice and photo- 
 graphed different parts of it. 
 
 Our next stop was at Eamleh, which medieval 
 tradition identifies with Arimathea, the home of 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 279 
 
 Nicodemus, and of Joseph in whose new tomb 
 Christ was laid (Matt. 27:57-60). The Latin Con- 
 vent stands on the site of the house of Nicodemus. 
 Arimathea was later a city of the crusaders, and 
 it suffered in the wars between the Franks and 
 Saladin. In the time of the French invasion, 
 Napoleon made this his headquarters. Round about 
 the town a person is impressed with the loveliness 
 and fragrance of the gardens and orchards. There 
 is near the place a great toWer, the top of which 
 is reached by 120 well-worn steps. The view from 
 the top is very fine. The plain of Sharon, from 
 the mountains of Judea and Samaria to the sea, 
 lies spread out before you like a map. On the 
 south is Etkron, and on the north is Lydda. 
 
 We spent about one hour in Ludd, ancient Lydda. 
 The present population is about seven thousand, 
 comprising about four thousand Moslems, and the 
 remainder Greek Orthodox with a very few Pro- 
 testants. We visited the Tomb of St. George, in 
 the crypt, and also went through all the bazaars. 
 Originally Lydda was built by Shamed, more than 
 1000 B. C. (1 Chron. 8:12; Ezra 2:33; NTeh. 7:37; 
 11:35). In the time of the apostles there was a 
 Christian church here (Acts 9:32), and while Peter 
 was sojourning with them Aeneas was healed of 
 the palsy (vs. 33, 34), and from there Peter went to 
 Dorcas at Joppa and raised her to life (vs. 36-43). 
 
 The plain of Sharon is still celebrated for its 
 fertility and rich pasture-land. Under British 
 
280 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 mandate it is placed under a high state of cultiva- 
 tion. Here are wheat- and barley-fields, beautiful 
 luxuriant gardens, great orange-, lemon-, and pome- 
 granate-orchards, groves of cypress- and sycamore- 
 trees. At present this is the most productive part 
 of the entire Holy Land. We visited one of the 
 Jewish agiicultural schools in this plain, and found 
 a large establishment of houses and bams, and 
 several hundred acres of land devoted to practical 
 demonstrational farming. 
 
 We next stopped at the House of Dorcas, which 
 they tell us marks the spot where Dorcas was raised 
 to life. We also visited her reputed tomb. A 
 few minutes more and we were in Jaffa, ancient 
 Joppa. The present population of Jaffa numbers 
 about fifty thousand. This city has a great history, 
 dating from more than fifteen hundred years B. C. 
 Before Israel's day, it was a Canaanite port. We 
 visited every place of interest, including the tradi- 
 tional house of Simon the tanner, where Peter had 
 the house-top vision (Acts 9:43; 10:9-16). 
 
 In the afternoon we went a short distance out 
 of the city, and under a large sycamore-tree ate our 
 lunch. We spent the afternoon in Tel Aviv. This 
 is the largest and most prosperous exclusively 
 Jewish city in Palestine. All houses and streets 
 are modern, and the entire place has much the 
 appearance of our California coast-towns. We re- 
 turned to Jerusalem the same night. 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 281 
 
 Beersheba 
 
 On April 7 we drove by automobile from Jeru- 
 salem to Beersheba, a distance of about sixty-five 
 miles. Our route took us through Bethlehem and 
 Hebron. Leaving Hebron, we passed through the 
 \ineyards of Eschol. Here the spies sent by 
 Moses cut down a cluster of grapes which two 
 of them carried on a pole back to the camp of 
 Israel (Nmn. 13:22-26). The entire valley and 
 surrounding hills are covered with vineyards. The 
 vines are not on trellises, but lay flat upon the 
 ground. It is still claimed that the largest clusters 
 of grapes in all Palestine grow here. 
 
 From here we emerged through the hills to Tel 
 Zif, the ancient Ziph (Josh. 15:55). From here 
 David fled from Saul to the wilderness of Maon 
 (j Sam. 23:10-25). Next we came to Yuttah, the 
 Juttah of Josh. 15:55. For miles here there is 
 nothing but bare hills. We next passed Dumah 
 (Josh. 15:52). About thirteen miles south of 
 Hebron we arrived at Dhaheriveh, ancient Debir. 
 Dhaheriveh is on a plateau 1,200 feet above Beer- 
 sheba, and 2,150 above the sea. It was the south 
 limit of Joshua's first campaign (Josh. 10:38). It 
 was included in the inheritance of Caleb, yet be- 
 longed to Judah (Josh. 15:13-19). Here were the 
 
 upper springs, and the nether springs.'' The 
 present town contains about two thousand wild, 
 uncivilized Arabs. We stopped and went through 
 the place and mingled with the natives. They 
 
282 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 certainly are a strange-looking people; many of 
 the men carried large swords, and were strangely 
 dressed. The women were very filthy, and the 
 houses anything but clean. 
 
 From here to Beersheba is a great, dry plain. 
 There is not enough moisture to raise much grain. 
 It is the "south land'^ of the Bible, where the 
 patriarchs, like modem Arabs, found pasture for 
 their flocks. As a whole, from Hebron to Beer- 
 sheba is a poor, desolate country. Since the World 
 War, Beersheba has grown rapidly, and today is 
 considerably a modern little city. A branch rail- 
 road runs in from Gaza. There are many large 
 modem buildings, including some government 
 houses. In the open square is a large statue of 
 General Allenby. 
 
 This city was once the southern border of 
 Canaan, and the expression "from Dan to Beer- 
 sheba'^ was common in Israel. Here Abraham 
 dug his wells, which the Philistines afterwards 
 filled with rubbish, and then Isaac cleaned out 
 (Gen. 26:15-33). In all, seven wfeUs have been 
 discovered. The "well of oath'' dug by Abraham 
 (Gen. 21:31-33), is at the southern end of the 
 present town. It is very large and deep, and a 
 camel is kept turning the machinery that pumps 
 the water. We drank from the well, and filled a 
 bottle of water as a souvenir of the place. While 
 here we also visited the large cemetery where 
 hundreds of British soldiers who fell in battle 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 283 
 
 near here are interred. Tlie places referred to 
 in this and previous chapters are the principal 
 ones we visited, but do not include all. There is 
 scarcely a place mentioned in the Old or New 
 Testament with reference to the Holy Land that 
 we have not visited. 
 
 SOME OF OUR OBSERVATIONS 
 
 PALESTINE 
 
 Probably no country on earth has excited so 
 keen an interest for so long a time in so many 
 nations as has the land of Palestine. And this 
 is natural. It will always hold a very sacred place 
 in the minds of Christian, Jew, and Mohammedan, 
 because of what has occurred there. Every year 
 thousands of people from all parts of the world 
 visit this land. It has been my privilege to traverse 
 almost every part of it ^^from Dan to Beersheba,^' 
 and I desire to present my observations with un- 
 prejudiced mind. 
 
 A SmaU Country 
 
 Really Palestine is a tiny country. Taking it 
 as a whole, from the Mediterranean on the west to 
 the Jordan and Dead Sea on the east, and from 
 the spurs of Lebanon and Hermon on the north 
 to the desert at Beersheba on the south, it is only 
 about 150 miles long and from 50 to 60 miles 
 broad. Thus it will be seen that the entire area 
 is only about that of the State of New Jersey, 
 
284 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 U. S. A., the area of which is 8,224 square miles. 
 But even this did not all belong to ancient Israel. 
 Their hold on the s6uthem and northern districts 
 was not permanent, while on the southwest the 
 rich plains of the Philistines were occupied by 
 the Israelites only during a part of the reign of 
 David and during the time of Solomon. This 
 ancient land of the Philistines was about forty 
 miles in length and from ten to twenty miles in 
 width. Think of it, King David, in the highest 
 days of his glory, looked down from the hill cities 
 of Benjamin just north of Jerusalem upon his 
 Philistine enemies toward the west who were only 
 twenty-five miles off; and then turning eastward 
 he looked across Jordan to his Moabite enemies 
 about the same distance away! 
 
 So, strictly speaking, nearly all the events in 
 the history of Israel that are recorded in the Old 
 Testament happened within a territory little larger 
 than the State of Connecticut, the area of which 
 is about 4,800 square miles. A person traveling 
 through Palestine is greatly impressed that it is 
 really a small country. Even Hermon is outside 
 the territory of Israel altogether, and stands in 
 the land of the Syrians. And Lebanon, so fre- 
 quently mentioned in the Psalms and Prophets, be- 
 longed to the ancient Phenicians, and today is a 
 part of Syria. When we consider the smallness 
 of this country, it seems stra.nge that men will 
 spend their time writing volumes of literature to 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 285 
 
 teach that this little spot of earth shall some day 
 comprehend Christ ^s supposed earthly kingdom. 
 Why, under the gospel, should this tiny land have 
 any more place in God's great plan of world-wide 
 evangelization than all other places of the globe! 
 
 A Poor Country 
 
 Palestine as a whole is very poor in natural re- 
 sources/ There are practically no minerals — no 
 coal, no iron, no copper, no silver, no gold. A 
 few oil-wells have been discovered in the Jordan 
 Valley, but there is no development of the in- 
 dustry. There are no large forests, and a com- 
 paratively small area is fit for tillage. The farm- 
 land is largely confined to four plains: Sharon, 
 about 30 miles in length and from 8 to 15 in width ; 
 Philistia, about 40 miles long and from 10 to 20 
 in width; Esdraelon, 20 miles long and about 12 
 wide; and the Jordan Valley, about 66 miles long 
 and from 1 to 12 miles wide. Since the World 
 War, millions have been spent to restore Pales- 
 tine, and millions more will be spent in the future. 
 But even then it will never compare with many 
 other countries, as the United States of America. 
 
 No Great Revival of Religion 
 
 It has been reported that Palestine is about to 
 become the center of great religious activity, that 
 a revival wave is about to sweep over the entire 
 land, and that the returning Jews are accepting 
 Messiah by the hundreds. We found nothing of 
 
286 PIONEER EVANGELISM ' 
 
 the kind. People are no nearer the kingdom of 
 heaven, enjoy no greater privileges, and receive 
 no greater blessings from God in Palestine than 
 in any other part of the earth. And why should 
 they? Jesus forever settled this point in his ser- 
 mon to the Samaritan woman at Jacob's Well. 
 
 Neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem 
 shall men worship God, but the *Hrue worshipers 
 shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth.*' 
 The * Afield" of operations under the gospel is not 
 merely Palestine, but 'Hhe worW^ (Matt. 13: 
 38). Not a special spot of earth, but '^all the 
 world'' (Mark 16:15); "all nations" (Matt. 28: 
 19, 20) ^^under the whole heaven'' (Dan. 7:27). 
 This is the spirit of Christianity, and it is destined 
 to fill the ''whole earth'' (Dan. 2:35). 
 
 We found people, generally, no more inclined 
 to accept real, vital salvation than are those in 
 other parts of the world. I can truthfully say that 
 religion generally is as dead and formal in Pales- 
 tine as in any country we have visited. The Chris- 
 tian Alliance church in Jerusalem is doing a good 
 work, and a few Jews are being converted. But 
 there is no general tidal wave of spirituality sweep- 
 ing the land, nor is there any sign of it to come 
 in the near future. 
 
 SYRIA 
 
 Syria is a much larger and richer country than 
 Palestine. It is about 300 miles long and from 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 287 
 
 30 to 150 miles in width, and contains an area of 
 about 30,000 square miles. The climate in both 
 countries is about the same, and the inhabitants 
 are about the same race of people. Syria has 
 larger cities, and more resources. While the coun- 
 try is richer than Palestine, it is not being im- 
 proved and developed so rapidly. Under British 
 mandate, Palestine is rapidly forging ahead. In the 
 interior, Syria remains much the same as anciently 
 and there is no outlook for any early change of 
 customs and manners, while Palestine is rapidly 
 becoming modern in all these things (the incoming 
 Jews are largely responsible for the change). In 
 Syria large caravans of camels carry the grain 
 and produce over the mountains from the interior 
 to the seaport cities, while in Palestine today the 
 autotruck has almost entirely supplanted this slow 
 method. Syria presents a riper field for gospel 
 work, and as a whole the people are more suscep- 
 tible to the truth. 
 
 PRESENT RETURN OF THE JEWS TO THE HOLY LAND 
 
 Dturing the twelve days spent in Jerusalem and 
 touring lower Palestine, March 29— April 9, 1923, 
 we gathered the very latest facts and figures ob- 
 tainable, and in this and the following chapter 
 will present them with unbiased mind. 
 
 The British Pledge 
 
 Balfour Declaration, Nov. 2, 1917: **His Ma- 
 jesty's Government view with favor the establish- 
 
288 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 nient in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish 
 people, and will use their best endeavors to facil- 
 itate the achievement of this object, it being clearly 
 understood that nothing shall be done which may 
 prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing 
 non-Jewish communities in Palestine or the rights 
 and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other 
 country. ' ' 
 
 The International Guarantee 
 
 Article 95 of the Treaty of Peace with Turkey: 
 "The High Contracting parties agree to entrust, 
 by application of the provisions of Article 22, the 
 administration of Palestine, within such boundaries 
 as may be determined by the Principal Allied 
 Powers, to a Mandatory to be selected by the said 
 Powers. The Mandatory will be responsible for 
 putting into effect the declaration originally made 
 on Nov. 2, 1917, by the British Grovernment, and 
 adopted by the other Allied Powers, in favor of 
 the establishment in Palestine of a national home 
 for the Jewish People.'' 
 
 Council of the League of Nations 
 
 In April, 1920, the Supreme Council of the 
 Allied Powers ratified the Balfour Declaration at 
 San Eemo: "Whereas, . . . the High Contracting 
 Parties . . . agree that the Mandatory should be 
 responsible for the putting into effect the declar- 
 ation originally made on Nov. 2, 1917, by the 
 Government of His Britannic Majesty, and adopted 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 289 
 
 by the other Allied Powers, in favor of the estab- 
 lislunent in Palestine of a national home for the 
 Jewish people. Wheeijas recognition has hereby 
 been given to the historical connection of the 
 Jewish people with Palestine and to the grounds 
 for reconstituting their national home in that coun- 
 try. 
 
 Congress of the United States of America 
 
 Resolved, by the Senate and House of Repre- 
 sentatives of the United States of America in 
 Congress assembled, that the United States of 
 America favor the establishment in Palestine of 
 a national home for the Jewish people.^' 
 
 President Harding's Approval 
 
 ^^The White House, 
 ' ^ Washington, 
 
 *^May 11, 1922. 
 
 ' ' Gentlemen : 
 
 ''I am very glad to express my approval and 
 hearty sympathy for the efforts of the Palestine 
 Foundation Fund, in behalf of the restoration of 
 Palestine as a homeland for the Jewish people. I 
 have always viewed with an interest, which I think 
 is quite as much practical as sentimental, the pro- 
 posal for the rehabilitation of Palestine and the 
 restoration of a real Jewish nationality, and I 
 hope the etforts now being carried on in this and 
 
290 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 other countries in this behalf may meet the fullest 
 measure of success/' 
 
 **Very sincerely, 
 
 Warren G. Harding." 
 
 The foregoing is the political foundation for the 
 present rebuilding and restoration of Palestine un- 
 der British mandate. Sir Herbert Samuel, a Jew, is 
 high commissioner, or governor, of the Holy Land. 
 In the spring of 1918, the Zionist Commission, 
 representing the Zionist World Organization, took 
 up its duties in Palestine. Early in the same year 
 the Restoration Fund, the financial instrument for 
 the work of colonization, was created, and in June, 
 1920, the Palestine Immigration Ftmd, Keren 
 Hayes od, was established by the Annual Zionist 
 Conference held in London. 
 
 Immigratioii 
 
 During the World War the Jewish population 
 in Palestine was depleted to around fifty-five thou- 
 sand. Since the signing of the mandate it has 
 been increased about thirty-five thousand, for the 
 very latest statistics give about ninety thousand 
 eJews in the Holy Land. From February, 1919, 
 to March, 1922, just tw^enty-four thousand immi- 
 grated into Palestine, twenty-one thousand of 
 whom entered under the supervision and with the 
 assistance of the Zionist Palestine Offices. In 
 1922, eight thousand entered as permanent resi- 
 dents. In January, 1923, 1,022 entered as home- 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 291 
 
 seekers. On Monday, February 12, five hundred 
 and twenty landed at the ports of Jaffa and Haifa. 
 During 1923 the average monthly arrival of Jewish 
 immigrants reached a little over eight hundred, 
 which means about ten thousand for the year. This 
 is about where the government has set the limit— 
 from ten thousand to twelve thousand a year. 
 
 These immigrants have been drawn mainly 
 from central and eastern Europe. There are very 
 few from America, and those who do go are usually 
 glad to return. At Tel-Aviv I spoke to an Amer- 
 ican Jew asking how he liked the ancient land 
 of his fathers, and he was not slow to tell me 
 that Palestine holds no attractions for Americans, 
 and that about all of them were returning. But 
 for the oppressed and persecuted Jews in Poland, 
 Russia, Austria, and other smaller European 
 states, Palestine is attractive. Also some thou- 
 sands are entering from Germany. In 1922 forty- 
 one per cent of Jewish immigration into Palestine 
 was from Poland, and only two per cent from 
 the United States of America. 
 
 From Oct. 1, 1921, until Sept. 30, 1922, the Keren 
 Hayesod alone spent two hundred and ninety thou- 
 sand dollars on Palestine emmigration. The ma- 
 jority of those entering are young people ranging 
 in age from eighteen to thirty. It is claimed that 
 about one half of these are of academic education. 
 Agricultural Developments 
 
 Since the signing of the mandate, the Zionist 
 
292 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 movement has spent several millions of dollars in 
 agricultural growth in Palestine. In 1923 there 
 were about eighty agricultural colonies established 
 in different parts of the Holy Land with a popu- 
 lation of more than fifteen thousand. There are 
 nine of these in the plains of Esdraelon and Jez- 
 reel, besides twenty-two small settlements. We 
 visited a number of these and found modem houses 
 and barns and up-to-date machinery in use, and 
 farming carried on much after the Western 
 methods. We found pumping-stations, gasoline- 
 engines at work, and the land irrigated, and being 
 placed under a high state of cultivation. These 
 colonies control and till more than 175,000 acres 
 of land. The Zionist organization owns 18,750 
 acres of the best land in Palestine. The Jewish 
 National Fund has recently purchased an extra 
 7,000 acres, while in addition to the foregoing 
 the Palestine Land Development Company owns 
 18,000 acres, valued at seventeen hundred and 
 fifty thousand dollars. There are 2,300 cooper- 
 ative farms, and 8,240 acres owned by private Jew- 
 ish farmers. There are thirty agricultural experi- 
 ment stations conducted on scientific lines for 
 the development of this industry. From Oct 1, 
 1921, to Sept. 1, 1922, three hundred thousand dol- 
 lars were spent by the Zion Foundation Fund in 
 agricultural colonization. Within the last three 
 years more than one million trees were planted 
 at a cost of two hundred thousand dollars. 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 293 
 
 New Cities 
 
 Many new cities are springing up in various 
 parts of this ancient land. Most of them are being 
 built in modern style. Tel-Aviv, near Jaffa, has 
 a population of twenty thousand. It is built very 
 much like the coast cities of California. We spent 
 some time here, and enjoyed the beautiful beach 
 and general appearance of the place. Balforia, 
 below Nazareth, is a growing new city, and not 
 far away are Ain Hasod, Givath Ezekiel, Gevah, 
 Tel-Joseph, East Nuris, Beth Alpha, and Nahaleel. 
 Near the old town of Tiberias there is building a 
 modern little city of four hundred houses, with 
 paved streets, named Kijath Samuel. From April 
 to December, 1922, more than seventy-five thou- 
 sand people took the mineral-bath cure at the Hot 
 Springs of Tiberias. Two new cities are going 
 up rapidly on the slopes of Carmel, one named 
 ''Carmel,'' near the Jewish Technical School. 
 General Development 
 
 Tremendous changes are taking place all over 
 this land. A network of fine automobile highways 
 is being completed in every direction. New rail- 
 roads are being extended. A new automobile-route 
 is being completed from Cairo (Egypt) to Bagdad 
 by way of Jaffa, Haifa, Beirut, Damascus, and 
 the Syrian Desert, and the entire trip will be 
 covered in sixty hours. This was planned to be 
 in operation by the fall of 1923. Automobiles of 
 every make— American, English, French, German, 
 
294 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 and Italian— can be seen traversing the highways 
 of Palestine. The donkey and camel are rapidly 
 being pushed to one side, and the autotruck is tak- 
 ing their place. In Syria the progress is not nearly 
 so rapid. 
 
 Among the many strong banking-institutions re- 
 cently established are the following: The Jewish 
 Colonial Trust Company— paid-up capital $1,900,- 
 000; deposits 1921, $4,350,000. The Anglo-Pales- 
 tine Company Limited— paid-up capital $1,500,000; 
 deposits 1921, $4,375,000. During 1920, 1921, and 
 1922, fifty cooperative societies and industrial con- 
 cerns were founded with a total working-capital of 
 $5,000,000. 
 
 In the years 1920, 1921, and 1922 the Zionist 
 Organization spent in Palestine for agricultural 
 colonization $1,100,000; for land purchase, $1,650,- 
 000; public works, $510,000; town colonization, 
 $395,000; education, $1,705,000; sanitation and gen- 
 eral improvement, $1,782,500; immigration, $740,- 
 000; national institutions, $370,000; administration 
 and government, $567,500; investment, $1,400,000; 
 restoration in general $10,000,000; investment in 
 other enterprises, $5,000,000; making a grand total 
 of over $25,000,000. Since the mandate was signed, 
 up to April, 1923, about $75,000,000 has been ex- 
 pended in restoring and rebuilding Palestine. 
 
 A few of the many new enterprises are the fol- 
 lowing: The Pinehus Rutenberg Concession, the 
 great power-house being erected near where the 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 295 
 
 Jordan flows out from the Sea of Galilee (Baron 
 Edmond Kothschild has already invested five mil- 
 lion dollars in this enterprise to electrify all Pales- 
 tine, and has pledged another five million dollars 
 to help complete the scheme). The one-million- 
 dollar six-story flour-mill at Haifa (Baron Roths- 
 child financed this also). The Textile Manufactur- 
 ing Plant in Jaffa, and the Silicate Factory in the 
 same city, where bricks and asbestos roof-tile are 
 manufactured. The Furniture and Cabinet Fac- 
 tory at Jerusalem. The new hotel at Jerusalem 
 containing five hundred rooms and two hundred 
 baths, and the Carlsbad and Mineral Bath-house 
 at Tiberias. The one-million-dollar Technical 
 College at Haifa, the Jerusalem Jewish Arts 
 School ^^Bezalel,'' and the great Hebrew Univer- 
 sity on Mount Scopus, Jerusalem, under Prof. 
 Einstine. 
 
 Within the last three years, 137 educational in- 
 stitutions have been established. There are five 
 hundred Jewish teachers and fourteen thousand 
 students. In 1921-22, $1,390,000 was spent on 
 education. In Jerusalem, Haifa, Jaffa, and 
 Tiberias in two years seventeen hospitals, dis- 
 pensaries, and laboratories have been erected. 
 The average yearly outlay in support of medical 
 work is about $400,000. In the first six months of 
 1922, $1,000,000 worth of goods were exported 
 from the port of Haifa, and $6,500,000 worth of 
 imports entered the same harbor. In the month 
 
296 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 of November, 1922, eighty thousand five hundred 
 cases of oranges were shipped out of Palestine. 
 Most of the soap imported into Egypt is from 
 Palestine. According to the Palestine Commer- 
 cial Bulletin, in the first six months of 1922, 
 1,673,237 kilos of household soap were exported to 
 other countries. 
 
 I have presented but a few items to show the 
 great changes and activities that are going on 
 in this ancient land of the Bible. Tourists will 
 never again see the Holy Land as it was anciently, 
 or as they were privileged to see it before the 
 A¥orld War. It is rapidly being converted into 
 a modern country. But, after all, the progress 
 being made is no greater than that in other coun- 
 tries. Take Manchuria for example; and reaUy 
 the advancement is greater there than in the Holy 
 Land. It is simply an awakening that is world 
 wide, a forward move among all nations of the 
 earth, and Palestine is marching with the progress 
 of our times. To claim that the present activities 
 in Palestine are a wonderful fulfilment of proph- 
 ecy, a sign of the setting-up of Messiah's kingdom 
 in that land, is to close our eyes to all that is 
 happening elsewhere, and to magnify the activities 
 in this tiny land clear out of proportion. After 
 billions have been spent in restoring and rebuild- 
 ing Palestine, it will never compare in resources 
 and wealth with America, and many other coun- 
 tries. 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 297 
 
 Interesting Facts and Figures 
 
 According to the very latest statistics, the total 
 population of Palestine is around 800,000. Of 
 this number, 600,000 are Arab Moslems, 90,000 
 Jew's, 84,500 Christians, and the remainder Druse, 
 Samaritans, etc. It will be seen that the Arab 
 population outnumbers the Jews more than six to 
 one. It is the plan of the British government to 
 have Arab and Jew live side by side in friendly 
 relations. The declaration and policy in favor of 
 ^^a Jewish national home" does not imply a 
 driving-out of the Christian and Moslem popula- 
 tion. On this point the Balfour Declaration ex- 
 pressly states: *^It being clearly understood that 
 nothing shall be done which may prejudice the 
 civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish 
 communities in Palestine.'' At the present rate 
 of Jewish immigration into Palestine— ten thou- 
 sand a year— it will require about sixty years be- 
 fore the Jewish population equals that of the 
 Arab Moslem. Having myself traveled over prac- 
 tically the entire Holy Land, I very much ques- 
 tion whether under the highest state of cultiva- 
 tion it can contain more than one or two million 
 people. 
 
 According to a summary of statistics prepared 
 by Dr. H. S. Linfield, of the Bureau of Jewish 
 Social Ee search, and published in the American 
 Jewish Year Book, the Jews throughout the world 
 number 15,400,000. They are distributed as fol- 
 
298 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 lows: Central and eastern Europe, 9,250,000; the 
 United States of America, 3,900,000; Africa, 380,- 
 000; Asia, 580,000; South America, 108,000; and 
 the remaining 1,000,000 are distributed in western 
 and southern Europe, Australia, Canada, and 
 Mexico. 
 
 The Jewish population of Palestine is about 
 only one sixth of the total population of Jews in 
 Asia. There are 18,000 more Jews in South 
 America than in the Holy Land. In Greater 
 New York there are about 1,500,000 Jews, and 
 in the entire State 1,750,000. This is about 
 twenty times more than in all Palestine. Think 
 of it! There are more Jews in New York City 
 than in Asia (including Palestine), Africa, South 
 America, and Australia combined. There are one 
 hundred and sixty other American cities having 
 a Jewish population of from 1,000 to 300,000. 
 There are more Jews in Chicago than in Palestine, 
 and the State of Elinois contains about three times 
 as many while Ohio has double the number of 
 Jews to be found in the Holy Land. Pennsyl- 
 vania has a Jewish population of 322,406, while 
 California and Missouri each have as many as 
 are to be found in the ancient land of their fathers. 
 
 At the present rate of immigration into the 
 Holy Land, and according to the limitations set 
 by the British government, it will require a hun- 
 dred years for one million Jews to return to that 
 country, and that would lack five hundred thou- 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 299 
 
 sand of being as many as are in New York City at 
 the present time, and would be less than one 
 fifteenth of the total population of the Jews in 
 all the world. In all candor and reason we ask, 
 How can the present small return of the oppressed 
 Jews from a few countries in central Europe be 
 a wonderful fulfilment of prophecy, and the liar- 
 binger of setting-up of Messiah ^s kingdom in Jeru- 
 salem! There is absolutely no ground for such 
 an opinion. The language of Christ is still ful- 
 filled in that this people are scattered among ''all 
 nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down 
 of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be 
 fulfilled** (Luke 21:24), which marks the close 
 of the Christian era, and the second advent of 
 Christ. 
 
 FALSE THEORIES REFUTED 
 
 Throughout the Christian world, at the present 
 time, there is probably more speculation over 
 Palestine than over any other spot on the globe. 
 It seems all eyes are turned on Palestine. There 
 are multitudes who expect the Lord to set up a 
 literal kingdom in Jerusalem, make the Jews the 
 earth *s rulers, subduing the Gentile nations under 
 their domain. According to these theorists, the 
 land of Palestine is shortly to be the center of 
 the Lord's activities in the earth, and this tiny 
 country will comprehend his kingdom reign. In 
 treating this subject briefly, I will present a 
 
300 - PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 number of propositions, and sustain them with 
 the Word of God. 
 
 1. The promise of a great nation as numerous 
 as the dust of the earth and the stars of heaven 
 in the family of Abraham (Gen. 13:14-17; 15:5, 6.) 
 reached its literal fulfilment under the Old Testur- 
 ment dispensation, 
 
 ^'The Lord your Grod hath multiplied you, and, 
 behold, ye are this day as the stars of heaven for 
 multitude'' (Deut. 1:10, 11). ''Thy fathers went 
 down into Egypt with three score and ten per- 
 sons; and now the Lord thy God hath nmde thee 
 as the stars of heaven for multitude'' (Deut. 10: 
 22). ^*But David took not the number of them 
 from twenty years old and under: because the 
 Lord had said he would increase Israel like to 
 the stars of the heavens" (1 Chron. 27:23). ''Their 
 children also multipliedst thou as the stars of 
 heaven" (Neh. 9:23). Hear King Solomon in the 
 height of his glory: **And thy servant is in the 
 midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a 
 great people, that ca/n not he numbered nor counted 
 for multitude" (1 Kiings 3:8). "Now, O Lord 
 God, let thy promise unto David my father be 
 established: for thou hast made me king over a 
 people like the dust of the earth in multitude'' (2 
 Chron. 1:8). Speaking of the whole Israelitish 
 nation from the birth of Isaac until the coming 
 of the Messiah, covering more than 1,500 years, 
 the writer of the Hebrew letter assures us, "There- 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 fore sprang there even of one, and him as good as 
 dead, as many as the stars of the sky in multi- 
 tude, and as the sand which is by the seashore 
 innumerable. These all died in faith" (Heb. 11: 
 12, 13). 
 
 In the face of these plain scriptures, why should 
 we look for any future literal fulfilment! It is 
 folly to do so. To teach that the fifteen million 
 Jews who are now scattered all over the world, 
 and are citizens of every nation under heaven, 
 must be gathered back to the bleak hills of Judea 
 in order to fulfil the promise made to Abraham, 
 is without reason, or any support whatever in 
 the Scriptures. In other words, to claim there 
 must yet be a literal fulfilment of that which the 
 Bible so plainly declares has already been ful- 
 filled, is to build a theory upon a pile of sand. 
 
 2. The possesion of the literal land of Canaan by 
 the Israelite nation in Old Testament times fid- 
 filled the covenant God made with Abraham rela- 
 tive to the inheritoAice of the Jews. 
 
 Moses said to Israel, ^'The Lord was angry 
 witb. me for your sakes, and sware that I should 
 not go over Jordan, and that I should not go 
 unto that good land. Which the Lord thy God 
 giveth thee for an inheritance" (Deut. 4:21). ^'Be- 
 hold, I have set the land before you: go in and 
 possess the land which the Lord sware unto your 
 fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto 
 them and to their seed after them" (chap. 1:7, 8). 
 
302 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 In Deut. 9:5 it is plainly said that Israel's posses- 
 sion of Canaan was the performance of the word 
 which Grod sware to their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, 
 and Jacob. ^^And it shall be, when the Lord thy 
 God shall have brought thee into the land which 
 he sware nnto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, 
 and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, 
 which thou buildedst not, and houses full of all 
 good things, which thou filledst not, and wells 
 digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and 
 olive-trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou 
 shalt have eaten and be full; then beware lest 
 thou forget the Lord" (Deut. 6:10-12). 
 
 "\\nien Moses went to Egypt to deliver Israel, God 
 told him the time had come to fulfil the covenant 
 with Abraham (Exod. 6:1-7). To the Israelites 
 the Lord then said, ^*I will bring you unto the 
 land, concerning the which I did sware to give 
 it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I 
 will give it you for an heritage" (Exod. 6:8). 
 Just before the children of Israel crossed over 
 Jordan into Canaan, the Lord said to Joshua, ''Now 
 therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all 
 this people, unto the land which I do give to them, 
 even to the children of Israel. Every place that the 
 sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I 
 given unto you. . . . From the wilderness and this 
 Lebanon even unto the great river, the river 
 Euphrates. . . . For unto this people shalt thou 
 divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 303 
 
 unto their fathers to give them'' (Josh. 1:1-6). 
 They went in and the land was divided to them 
 for an inheritance, and in Psalm 105 we read 
 that this fulfilled the promise to Abraham regard- 
 ing the inheritance of the literal seed. And we 
 ask, *'Why nof ? Here is the decisive answer: 
 ''Thou art the Lord the God, who didst chose 
 Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of 
 the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abra- 
 ham; . . . and madest a covenant with him to 
 give the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the 
 Amorites, the Perizzites, and the Jebusites, and 
 the Grirgashites, to give it, I say, to his seed, and 
 hast performed thy ivords^' (Neh. 9:7, 8). Here 
 is the proof: "Their children also multipliedst 
 thou as the stars of heaven, and broughtest them 
 into the land, concerning which thou hadst prom- 
 ised to their fathers, that they should go in and 
 possess it. So the children went in and possessed 
 the la/nd. . . . And they took strong cities, and a 
 fat land, and possessed houses full of all goods, 
 wells digged, vineyards, and olive-yards, and fruit- 
 trees in abundance: so they did eat, and were 
 filled, and became fat, and delighted themselves in 
 thy great goodness'' (vs. 23-25). '' Judah and Israel 
 were many, as the sand which is by the sea in 
 multitude, eating and drinking, and making merry. 
 And Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from the 
 river unto the land of the Philistines, and unto 
 the border of Egypt" (1 Kings 4:20, 21). ''He 
 
304 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 had peace on all sides round about him. And 
 Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under 
 his vine and under his fig-tree (vs. 24, 25). It 
 would seem that language could not be framed 
 more clearly and definitely to teach that the 
 promises of the literal seet^— Israel— as a nation 
 were all fulfilled in the Old Testament dispensa- 
 tion. Under the gospel, ^'lands'' and specially 
 favored nations'' are no longer recognized. The 
 blessings of this dispensation are ^^to all people^' 
 '4n all the world' ^ among ^^all nations/' -And 
 these blessings are not literal, as under the law, 
 but spiritual and eternal. 
 
 3. Israel and Canaan were hut types and shadows 
 of the Christian church a/nd its spiritual inheri- 
 tance. 
 
 The law dispensation was but a shadow of 
 good things to come.'' This includes Israel, its 
 land of inheritance, its tabernacle, sacrifices, and 
 services; and they all stand in a typical and 
 shadowy relation to the gospel. If this fact is 
 clearly understood, it will do away with all the 
 vain speculations of these last days in which the 
 Jew is set before us as a special, chosen, and 
 favored seed ' ' above other nations ; and that he 
 must travel clear back to the barren hills of 
 Judea in order to find Messiah. The more I study 
 the Bible as a whole, the more I am led to the 
 settled conclusion that under the gospel such a 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 305 
 
 thing as distinction of nations and places is not 
 recognized. The Jew is no more to God than is 
 one of any other people, and he stands npon the 
 same plane with the rest; and Palestine, which was 
 once his home, holds no more sacredness to the 
 Almighty than does America or any other spot of 
 the earth. The literal city of Jerusalem is, under 
 the gospel, no more to the Lord than are London 
 and New York. People there are no nearer heaven 
 than are those in any other part of the earth; for 
 the mere place gives them no special privileges 
 over others. Jesus forever settled this point at 
 Jacob's well, *'The hour cometh, when ye shall 
 neither in this mountain [Gerizim], nor yet at 
 Jerusalem, worship the Father," but in all the 
 world, as prophesied by Malachi, "in every place 
 incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure 
 offering'' (Mai. 1:11), when men worship the 
 Father '4n spirit and in truth" (John 4:21-24). 
 How contrary to the spirit of the gospel to teach 
 that the Jews must be gathered back to a certain 
 defined spot of earth in order to find Christ! 
 
 All through the prophecies the Christian church 
 was predicted under the titles of Israel," Jeru- 
 salem, **Zion," etc.; and the blessing of the gospel 
 under the metaphors of Canaan," our **own 
 land," etc. The reason for this is apparent. 
 Israel were a type of the church, and their in- 
 heritance a shadow of our spiritual blessings of 
 full salvation in Christ, In the present dispensa- 
 
306 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 tion we have '^come unto Mount Zion, and unto 
 the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusa- 
 lem" (Heb. 12:22), and this is not the literal city 
 in Palestine, but "the general assembly and church 
 of the firstborn, which are written in heaven'' 
 (v. 23). It is the universal church made up of 
 saved Jews and Gentiles in all the world. Most 
 of the prophecies which speak of the return of 
 God's people back to Zion and Jerusalem have a 
 spiritual fulfilment in the church, and do not re- 
 fer to a literal gathering of literal Jews to a literal 
 land. Those texts which do refer to a literal gather- 
 ing were fulfilled in the days of Ezra and Nehe- 
 miah. 
 
 As truly as literal Canaan was the inheritance 
 of the Jew under the law, entire sanctification, or 
 jjerfected holiness, is now the inheritance of the 
 *^ saints in light," who constitute the spiritual seed 
 under the gospel. This inheritance is not deferred 
 to a millennium age, but is now. "In whom [Christ] 
 also we have obtained an inheritance^' (Eph. 1:16) ; 
 "Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made 
 us meet to be purtakers of the inheritance of the 
 saints in light" (Col. 1:12). What is this inher- 
 itance? "Inheritance among all them which are 
 sanctified' ' (Acts 20:32). "Inheritance among 
 them which are sanctified by faith that is in me" 
 (Acts 26:18). God swore to Abraham that his 
 seed "should be saved from, and possess the gate 
 of their enemies" and receive Canaan for an 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 307 
 
 everlasting possession." Here is the complete 
 fulfilment. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; 
 for he hath visited and redeemed his people, and 
 hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the 
 house of his servant David; . , . we should be 
 saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all 
 them that hate us; to perform the mercy promised 
 to our fathers, and to remember his holy covena^it, 
 the oath which he sware to our father Abraham, 
 that he would grant UNTO US, that we being de- 
 livered out of the hand of our enemies might 
 serve him without fear, in HOLINESS and 
 RIGHTEOUSNESS before him, all the days of 
 our life'' (Luke 1:68-75). Holiness is our "ever- 
 lasting possession," the land promised in which 
 the seed were to "dwell forever." 
 
 **Far down o'er the ages a promise divine 
 Descended to us in the fulness of time: 
 A seed should appear as the stars of the heaven, 
 And they should inherit a land to be given. 
 
 **0h, we are the seed, so happy and blessed, 
 That dwell in the land of Canaan's holy rest: 
 Here streams of pure love are flowing along, 
 And anthems of glory are sounding in song. 
 
 "This land is salvation and holiness pure; 
 We find it in Jesus, our title is sure. 
 A sweet land of Beulah, thy glory divine 
 Forever and ever unclouded shall shine." 
 
 "And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's 
 seed, and heirs according to the promise'' (Gal. 
 3:29). "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse 
 of the law, being made a curse for us: . . . that 
 the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gen- 
 
308 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 tiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive 
 the promise of the Spirit through faith" (vs. 13, 
 14). Here Paul positively declares that "the 
 promise of the Spirit" is the ''blessing of Abra- 
 ham," and that it has "come on the Gentiles 
 through Jesus Christ." This he identifies with 
 the "inheritance" given to Abraham by promise 
 (vs. 14-18). There was no inheritance promised 
 in the covenant but "Canaan" and the "blessing" 
 which the apostle by the authority of heaven in- 
 terprets to be ^'the Spirit/' "Therefore it is of 
 faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the 
 promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that 
 only which is of the laiv, but to that also which 
 is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of 
 us all" (E/Om. 4:16). This shows conclusively 
 that the Canaan here promised has a spiritual 
 signification, and meets its complete fulfilment 
 under the gospel in the grace of Grod bestowed 
 upon us in Christ Jesus. We receive it "by 
 faith." 
 
 The writer of the letter to the Hebrews, in chap- 
 ters 3 and 4, draws an analogy between Israel in 
 the wilderness and children of God not yet wholly 
 sanctified; also between literal Canaan and the 
 glorious spiritual "rest" "we which have believed 
 do enter." God had promised the children of 
 Israel rest in the land of Canaan, 'from all their 
 enemies round about' (Deut. 25:19). "My pres- 
 ence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest" 
 
ON thp: mission field 
 
 309 
 
 (Exod. 33:14). This was fulfilled under Solo- 
 mon's reign (1 Kings 4:20-25). The first gener- 
 ation did not enter this land and rest, because 
 they believed not." Of them he swore, ^'They 
 shall not enter into my rest." ^'So we see that 
 they could not enter in because of unbelief" (Heb. 
 3:19). 
 
 By exterminating all the Canaanites who were 
 born and bred in that land, the children of Israel 
 were to possess the land and have rest. How 
 clear this foreshadows the complete redemption 
 we have in Christ Jesus! 
 
 The various bents of evil— pride, selfishness, 
 jealousy, covetousness, carnal anger, etc.— are 
 born in us. These are inward enemies. Christ 
 ^'condenms sin in the flesh," and ''destroys the 
 works of the devil" out of our hearts; that is, he 
 saves us from these ''inward foes," and we en- 
 joy a sweet, perpetual soul-rest— a rest that gives 
 "quietness and assurance forever." This is the 
 land of Beuiah. Here "peace is extended like a 
 river," and the soul is enabled to "rejoice ever- 
 more," and "in everything gives thanks." In 
 this spiritual Canaan of holiness we feast upon 
 "fat things" and are "satisfied." This so far 
 surpasses the experience of the majority of pro- 
 fessors, that they naturally suppose it can be ob- 
 tained only in a future millennium, or in heaven. 
 But, thank God, the redeemed have found it in 
 
310 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 this life. Believers now "do enter ^' by faith into 
 the Canaan rests/' 
 
 Oh, how dark and how far from the truth to 
 teach that all this is yet to be fulfilled within the 
 confines of a territory not larger than the State 
 of New Jersey— the land of Palestine! How fool- 
 ish to suppose that God will confine himself to 
 the bleak hills of Judea! The scope of the gospel 
 includes every nation under heaven. Jew and 
 Gentile alike may share in these blessings, which 
 are no longer literal, but spiritual. 
 
 4. The only Jew recognized under the gospel is 
 the spiritual seed through Christ, There are no 
 promises to the literal Jews that do not include 
 the Gentiles, 
 
 Abraham was not only the father of the literal 
 " nation (Israel), but the promise said, "Thou 
 shalt be the father of mcmy nations.' ' This is 
 fulfilled in the Christian dispensation. "For the 
 promise, that he should be the heir of the world, 
 was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the 
 law, but through the righteousness of faith. Fbr 
 if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made 
 void, and the promise made of none effect: . . . . 
 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace ; 
 to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed ; 
 not to that only which is of the law, but to that 
 also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the 
 father of us all, (as it is written, I have made thee 
 a father of many nations ) " ( Rom, 4 :13-17 ) . 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD ail 
 
 Nothing is plainer than the fact so clearly stated 
 in this text, that the promise of God to make 
 Abraham a father of many nations has a spiritual 
 fulfilment in the New Testament dispensation. 
 God is making all nations children of Abraham, 
 by bringing them into the faith of the gospel. I 
 desire the reader to note that Paul shows clearly 
 that ^4f they which are of the law be heirs, faith 
 is made void, and the promise made of none 
 effect.^' This most decisively proves that since 
 the passing of the legal age, the Jew enjoys no 
 privilege above the Gentile. All this modern talk 
 about ^'the chosen seed,'' ^'Jehovah's covenant 
 people,'' *'his own elect," ^^Zion," '^Jerusalem," 
 etc., and the application of all this to the literal 
 nation of the Jews, is squarely against Paul's 
 teaching. These terms applied to Israel under 
 the law, but never under the gospel. In this dis- 
 pensation, '^he IS NOT a Jew, which is one out- 
 wardly' ' (Rom. 2:28). That is, the literal seed 
 counts for nothing. The only Jew now recognized 
 is he ''which is ON^ INWARDLY'' (v. 29). This 
 the apostle defines as 'HhoAt of the heart, in the 
 spirit, and not in the letter" (ibid.). A moral 
 change wrought in our hearts by the Spirit of God 
 makes Jews of us all, and all such constitute the 
 ''Israel of God" (Gal. 6:16). '^For they are not 
 all Israel, which are of Israel: neither, because 
 they are the seed of Abraham, are they all chil- 
 dren: but. In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That 
 
312 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 iSj They which are the children of the flesh, these 
 ARE NOT the children of God: but the children 
 of the promise are counted for the seed'^ (Rom. 
 9:6-8). Who are the children of the promise? 
 Here is Paul's answer, "Eiven US, whom he hath 
 called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gen- 
 tiles'' (v. 24). 
 
 Under the law, the Jews were the Lord's 
 peculiar, chosen people, his holy nation (Exod. 
 33:16; 34:12-14; Deut. 14:1, 2). Since the pass- 
 ing of that dispensation, no nation enjoys this 
 privilege except the ^'spiritual house" of God, 
 w^hich is the church, called out from among all 
 nations (1 Pet. 2:5); and of the Christian church 
 it is said, ^'Ye are a chosen generation, a royal 
 priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; . . . 
 which in time past were not a people, but are 
 now the people of God" (vs. 9, 10). 
 
 National distinctions ceased at the cross of 
 Christ. Then and there Israel ceased to be God's 
 nation. The seventy weeks determined upon the 
 Jews and the sacredness of their city, foretold in 
 Dan. 9:24, had been numbered, and since that time 
 "they which are of faith, the same are the chil- 
 dren of Abraham'' (Gal. 3:7). ^'For ye are all 
 the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus" (v. 
 26). ^'And if ye he Christ's, then are ye Abra- 
 ham's seed, and heirs according to the promise" 
 (v. 29). ^'Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are 
 the children of promise" (chap. 4:28). Every 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 313 
 
 convert of the cross, from the dawn of this dis- 
 pensation to its close, helps to constitute the great 
 spiritual family of Abraham. 
 
 The spiritual seed of Abraham under the gospel 
 greatly outnumber the literal seed under the 
 law (see Gal. 4:27). In other words, the new 
 covenant church composed of Jews and Gentiles 
 who are *^bom of the Spirit,'' are more numerous 
 than were the old covenant church ^'born after the 
 flesh.'' After this I beheld, and, lo, a great 
 multitude, which no man could number, of all na- 
 tions, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood 
 before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed 
 with white robes, and palms in their hands" (Rev. 
 7:9). 
 
 ^^Know ye therefore that they which are of 
 faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And 
 the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify 
 the heathen through faith, preached before the 
 gospel unto Abraham, saying. In thee shall all 
 nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith 
 are blessed with faithful Abraham" (Gal. 3:7-9). 
 ^^That the blessing of Abraham might come on the 
 Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might re- 
 ceive the promise of the Spirit through faith" 
 (v. 14). How can men mistake these plain state- 
 ments? Christ is the seed through whom the na- 
 tions of earth were to be blessed. All the children 
 of faith (both JeWs and Gentiles) are the seed 
 to whom the blessing was to come. The Christian 
 
314 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 dispensation is '^the times of the Gentiles/' The 
 preaching of the gospel to the heathen or Gentile 
 nations during the current age, the apostle clearly 
 declares to be the fulfilment of the promise ^*In 
 thee shall all nations be blessed/' The number- 
 less millions who have been saved through the 
 blood of Christ during this Holy Spirit dispensa- 
 tion—saved from heathen nations as well as from 
 Jews— are ''the children of faith," and ""are 
 blessed with faithful Abraham." 
 
 Full salvation is the blessing promised. ''Unto 
 you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, 
 sent him to bless you, in turning away every one 
 of you from his iniquities^ ^ (Acts 3:26). A turn- 
 ing away from iniquities signifies the obtaining of 
 grace to live a sinless life; hence, God's oath to 
 Abraham vouchsafes to us, through Christ, grace 
 to "serve him without fear, in holiness and right- 
 eousness before him, all the days of our life" 
 (Luke 1:74, 75). Paul says that the blessing of 
 Abraham that was to come on the nations through 
 Christ is "the promise of the Spirit through 
 faith." This has been fulfilled since Pentecost. 
 We are living under the superior blessings of the 
 Holy Spirit dispensation. 
 
 5. The conditions of salvation are the same to 
 Jew and Gentile. 
 
 "Repentance toward God, and faith in our Lord 
 Jesus Christ" is the one universal requirement 
 (Acts 5:31; 11:18; Hom. 3:30). Both Jew and 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 315 
 
 Gentile stand upon the same plane, for ^Hhere is 
 no difference'' (Rom. 3:22-30). Both must accept 
 and believe the gospel (Rom. 1:16); both must 
 enter the kingdom of heaven by the same door 
 (Matt. 18:13; John 3:5). ''God is no respector of 
 persons: but in EVERY NATION he that feareth 
 him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with 
 him'' (Acts 10:34, 35). In the beginning of the 
 Christian era, ''as mrniy as RECEIVED HIM'' 
 were born of God (John 1:12, 13). This was 
 said of "his own''— the Jews— and the conditions 
 remain the same. Unless this people accept and 
 believe on Christ, just like the Gentiles, they will 
 remain in blindness and darkness, and will never 
 be saved. 
 
 This modem idea that God providentially and 
 by a sovereign decree is going to gather all the 
 Jews to Palestine and there save them, has no 
 place in the New Testament teaching. Their past, 
 present, and future hope is all conditioned on an 
 ''IF." "For there is no difference between the 
 Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all 
 is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever 
 shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be 
 saved" (Rom. 10:12,13). You see, the responsi- 
 bility of their salvation rests upon their own 
 heads. Why were they blinded and broken off? 
 ''Because of UNBELIEF they were broken off" 
 (chap. 11:20). On what conditions will they be 
 grafted in again? "And they also, IF THEY 
 
316 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 ABIDE NOT STILL IN UNBELIEF, shall be 
 grafted in : for God is able to graft them in again ^ ' 
 (v. 23). God will not remove the veil from their 
 hearts that they may turn to the Lord, as millen- 
 nialists teach, but ''When IT [Israel] SHALL 
 TURN to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away^' (2 
 Cor. 3:16). This has been God's attitude towards 
 them all through the Christian era, and it will never 
 change. In this manner ^ ^ all Israel shall be saved ' ' 
 (Rom. 11:26), on the same conditions that ''all 
 the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to 
 the Lord" among the Gentile nations. After stat- 
 ing that all Israel shall be saved, Paul quotes Isa. 
 59:20, saying, ''There shall come out of Zion the 
 Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from 
 Jacob." Christ is referred to; and modern teach- 
 ers, without referring back to the prophecy, con- 
 clude that at some future time he will uncondi- 
 tionally "turn away ungodliness" from the whole 
 Jewish nation, but they must return to Palestine 
 to enjoy this privilege. Nothing could be farther 
 from the truth. Here is the text Paul quoted: 
 "And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto 
 them that TURN FROM TRANSGRESSION IN 
 JACOB/' The idea is, the Lord will come and 
 save them when they turn from their transgres- 
 sions, just as he does for the Gentiles. 
 
 That many Jews will yet be saved we have no 
 doubt. In fact, many leaders of this people in 
 different parts of the world are now accepting 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 317 
 
 Clirist as their Messiah. I am personally ac- 
 quainted with many of these. In America a num- 
 ber of leading Jews are Christians, as Maurice 
 Reuben and his wife, Pittsburg, Pa., and Rev. 
 Silvestine and his wife, Philadelphia, Pa. It is 
 an undeniable fact that there is a growing senti- 
 ment among a great many Jews in different parts 
 of the world towards Christianity, and I believe, 
 as a church, we should show a greater interest in / 
 them, ^^that through your mercy they also may 
 obtain mercy (Rom. 11:31). But to teach that 
 they must be gathered back to the little land of 
 Palestine, to the barren, bleak hills of Judea, in 
 order tO' find Christ, and to teach that provi- 
 dentially God will save them wholesale as a na- 
 tion different from the Grentiles, is rank heresy, 
 and the whole tenor of New Testament truth is 
 against it. Both ^Hhe fall and rising again of 
 many in Israel'^ (Luke 2:34) is all conditioned on 
 unbelief and faith. If any number of Jews accept 
 Christ, it will not follow his second advent, as 
 millennialists claim, but precede his appearing 
 (Luke 13:35). 
 
 6. The Bible nowhere teaches that Christ king- 
 dom^ reign, and salvation work^ will ever be con- 
 fined to the land of Palestime. 
 
 It was predicted that in the Christian dispensa- 
 tion the law should go forth from Zion, and the 
 word of the Lord from Jerusalem (Isa. 2:3). But 
 nowhere do we read that it is to return there. 
 
318 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 This prophecy is applied in Luke 24:47. ^'And 
 that repentance and remission of sins should be 
 preached in his name among all nations ^ BEGIN- 
 NING at Jerusalem." Mark well the fact that 
 Jerusalem was the place of ''beginning/' but not 
 the place of ending. ^Vhen "this gospel of the 
 kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a 
 witness unto all nations; then shaU the end come" 
 (Matt. 24:14). Not a hint that after it has reach- 
 ed all nations in all the world, then it will return 
 and be limited to the confines of a spot of earth 
 from 20 to 40 miles in width, and about 150 miles 
 in length. Just take a world map and note the 
 size of Palestine compared with all the earth. It 
 is hardly a dot in comparison. Then imagine the 
 great kingdom of Christ limited to that small 
 area, and confined to one nation— the Jews. No, 
 indeed; such a doctrine is refuted by the whole 
 spirit and message of the New Testament. Christ 
 said, ''Ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jeru- 
 salem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and wnto 
 the uttermost part of the eai-th'* (Acts 1:8). The 
 kingdom of grace began in Palestine as a small 
 stone "cut out without hands," but it is destined 
 to become 'a great mountain and fill the WHOLE 
 EARTH' (Dan. 2:34, 35). Where do we read 
 that after all this it wiU be reduced to a little 
 mole-hill covering the barren wastes of Palestine? 
 And why this tiny country anyway? It does not 
 compare in beauty and wealth with most other 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 319 
 
 countries. It became the land of promise to Israel 
 only in order to fill up the types of the Old Testa- 
 ment. It has served its purpose, and is no longer 
 sacred, no more than are the Jewish Sabbath and 
 offerings. Under the law we read of the holy 
 land, holy temple, holy altars, holy priests, holy 
 days, holy Sabbath, holy garments, and a hundred 
 other holy things. But with the passing of that 
 dispensation all these have lost their holiness. 
 Under the gospel, no one spot of earth is better 
 than another. The domain of Christ, instead of 
 being limited, and confined to one little country, is 
 destined to spread out ''under the WHOLE 
 HEAVEN'' (Dan. 7:27); and not the Jews only, 
 but ''ALL NATIONS shall flow unto it^^ (Isa. 
 2:2). 
 
 7. The "times of the Gentiles'' mid "fulness of 
 the Gentiles" does not imply a rejection of the 
 Jews now, nor an age of salvation for them future. 
 
 The judgments of the Almighty that came upon 
 the Jewish nation in the destruction of their city, 
 the desolation of their land, their scattering among 
 all nations, aud the blindness in parf that 
 happened to them, they brought upon themselves. 
 Jesus wept over Jerusalem and said, '^How often 
 would I have gathered'' you, but "ye would not" 
 (Luke 13:34). When they condemned him to death, 
 **then auswered all the people, and said. His blood 
 be on us, and on our children" (Matt. 27:25). 
 They were so enraged against the truth that when 
 
320 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 Paul preached to them ^'they cried out, and cast 
 off their clothes, and threw dust into the air'^ 
 (Acts 22:23). ^^Then Paul and Barnabas waxed 
 bold, and said. It was necessary that the word of 
 God should first have been spoken to you: but see- 
 ing ye put it from yon, and judge yourselves un- 
 ivorthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gen- 
 tiles" (Acts 13:46). ''The Jews; who both killed the 
 Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have 
 persecuted us; and they please not God, and are 
 contrary to all men; forbidding us to speak to the 
 Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their 
 sins alway: for the w^rath is come upon them to 
 the uttermost" (1 Thess. 2:14-16). As many as 
 accepted Christ were saved, and these constituted 
 the ''remnant" (Rom. 11:5), the "election" (v. 
 7), and "the rest were blinded," and "broken 
 off," "because of unbelief." The whole blame 
 lies at their own door. 
 
 It was in this way the kingdom was taken from 
 them and given to the Gentiles (Matt. 21:33-45); 
 not by a sovereign decree unconditionally, but 
 because they as a nation rendered themselves "un- 
 worthy of everlasting life." History proves that 
 God deals with nations as well as with individuals. 
 Now, since the Jews as a whole (with few ex- 
 ceptions) have continued in unbelief throughout 
 the Christian era, the great majority of those who 
 have accepted the gospel are from among the 
 Gentile nations. This, then, is why the gospel age 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 321 
 
 is termed "the times of the Gentiles/' The Jew 
 has an equal privilege with the Gentile, but be- 
 cause of his own stubborn unbelief the ''veil re- 
 mains on his heart," and "blindness in part" will 
 rest upon him until the end of this age, which 
 will mark "the fulness of the Gentiles/' or the 
 time when the great harvest of the Christian era 
 shall have been gathered (Rom. 11:25). 
 
 FUTURE OUTLOOK FOR THE WORK IN THE NEAR EAST 
 
 Syria presents a ripe field for the full gospel. 
 The Moslem is largely in the majority, probably 
 sixty-five per cent of the population being Mo- 
 hammedan. The remaining thirty-five per cent is 
 made of Christian and Jew. The Christian popu- 
 lation is divided in the order following: Roman 
 Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Maronite, Presbyterian, 
 Congregationalist, Greek Catholic, Friends, and 
 Church of God. The Druse are a branch of the 
 Moslem religion. 
 
 Outside of the Protestant work, the religion and 
 worship is all formal and ceremonial. These 
 Eastern established churches pride themselves in 
 being on the ground floor of Christianity, and 
 claim to represent true religion as Christ left it. 
 They regard a missionary from America as a 
 **new man with a new religion from a new coun- 
 try.^' They are not slow to tell you that they 
 were on the map before America was ever heard 
 of. But the facts are, their religion is an apostasy 
 
322 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 from primitive Christianity, an external religion, 
 without life in the soul. 
 
 In the country villages we found thousands of 
 hungry souls, including the chief men, Who are 
 sick and tired of this dead religion, and are long- 
 ing for an experimental knowledge of Christ in 
 the heart. I will relate one experience out of 
 many. On Aug. 14, 1922, in company with Bros. 
 I. S. Maloof and Antonius Boody, w^ left Kaffroon, 
 Syria, on foot, and held meetings at Kerrowney, 
 Ameshta, and Aune. We reached the last town 
 about dark in the evening. It was a new place, 
 where evangelical Christianity had never been 
 preached. We first went to the home of the pasha, 
 Antonius Kianjo, as he is the chief man of the 
 city. He kindly received us, and gave us our 
 supper and lodging for the night. He also sent 
 out his servants to announce a meeting for us, 
 and by eight o'clock several hundred had gathered 
 on the house-roofs surrounding the Pasha's home. 
 His house stood on the highest elevation, and from 
 the roof we addressed the people. After this 
 meeting, about fifty gathered in the house and re- 
 quested another sermon, which was delivered. Oh, 
 how eagerly these people drank in the truth! They 
 plied us with questions about salvation until a 
 late hour in the night. In the morning, before we 
 were out of bed the people began to gather, among 
 them two Greek Orthodox priests. When I in- 
 quired of the Pasha why the people were coming 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 323 
 
 so early, he said, ^'They have come to join the 
 Church of God, and I will be the first one to put 
 down my name. We are sick and tired of this 
 dead, formal religion, and we know you have the 
 true religion of the Bible; so we are all ready to 
 join the Church of God before you depart." Of 
 course, I had to take plenty of time to tell them 
 the nature of the church, and that salvation con- 
 stitutes us members. This is one of the places 
 where Brother Boody is now working. Our ex- 
 perience at Aune simply illustrates the condition 
 of thousands of towns and villages all over Syria. 
 The people are ready for the message we have 
 to give. There are hundreds of these towns, 
 ranging in size from six hundred to three thousand 
 people each, which have never heard the true gos- 
 pel of salvation. Thus Syria as a whole is ready 
 for the gospel in its fulness. 
 
 The Protestants' work has spread over a large 
 territory; but their work is more along educational 
 lines than evangelistic and soul-saving. They 
 erect schools and furnish teachers free to the vil- 
 lagers, which gives them great prestige with the 
 people, and proves a blessing to every community. 
 Not unfrequently the Presbyterian school-teachers, 
 paid by their board in America, are preachers, 
 and the schoolhouse is used also for church pur- 
 poses. This not only gives them access to the 
 children, but to the parents as well. 
 
 At Amfey, Syria, a large school-building was 
 
324 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 erected at a cost of about twenty-five thousand 
 dollars, and belonging to it are ten acres of land 
 including gardens and vineyards. It is beautifully 
 situated along the seashore. The man who financed 
 the enterprise was still in debt about two thousand 
 five hundred dollars. We could have had the en- 
 tire property, which is worth today not less than 
 thirty thousand dollars, by merely paying off this 
 small debt. It would make an ideal church 
 property, as well as school. But we could do 
 nothing for lack of means. At Beit Marie, Mount 
 Lebanon, not far from Beirut, the leading men 
 of the place invited me to a meeting, and oifered 
 to furnish the school-building and scholars if I 
 would furnish the teachers, and were willing for 
 us to take the whole enterprise under the auspices 
 of the church of God. We had the teachers (and 
 good ones) in Beirut, but for lack of money could 
 not accept the offer. WTiat an open door to reach 
 the people of an entire town with the gospel, but 
 no money to work with! I have mentioned these 
 two examples to show that our work and message 
 is in demand everywhere; but we lack the means 
 to push forward as we should. 
 
 We have a message for the Christian popula- 
 tion as well as for the non-Christian. We are the 
 only church in Syria preaching holiness and an 
 experimental religion, and this is exactly what 
 the masses are hungry for. For this reason the 
 influence of our work is destined to sweep all over 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 325 
 
 that ancient land. Our movement is the only one 
 that teaches and practises divine healing. The 
 people readily accept this doctrine, and especially 
 is this true when they see the healing power 
 demonstrated before their eyes. We have been 
 called to pray for all the sick in a village, and it 
 is remarkable what simple faith these natives have. 
 
 The work must progress in the face of bitter 
 opposition. This antagonism from the ecclesiasti- 
 cal world is largely due to two things: (1) Because 
 when people come to us and get saved, who were 
 formerly Romaa Catholic, Maronite, Greek Ortho- 
 dox, or sprinkled Protestant, we bury them in 
 Christian baptism; and to baptize former Chris- 
 tians^' is to these churches a sacrilegious act, and 
 incurs their most bitter and united opposition. (2) 
 Because of the comity agreement of the General 
 Conference of all the evangelical churches of the 
 Near East held in Jerusalem; in this ecclesiastical 
 arrangement, Syria was assigned to the Presby- 
 terians for the Syrians, and to the Congregational 
 Church for the Armenians, with a limited field for 
 the Friends' Church. The church of God was not 
 considered. We have had a representative work 
 in Syria for a number of years, and at the present 
 time it is well established, and our message is in 
 demand everywhere. Like Christ and the apostles, 
 we must face the opposition, and press forward 
 in the work of soul-saving till burning lines of 
 gospel fire will spread all over that ancient land. 
 
826 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 A BRIEF OUTLINE OF THE FIELD AND ITS WORKERS 
 
 Beirut is the headquarters for our work in the 
 Near East as it pertains to Syria, Palestine, and 
 Mesopotamia. Being the principal coast city, and 
 having good railroad facilities, and automobile-lines 
 running to all sections, it is an ideal center of 
 activity. There is now splendid automobile service 
 to IVtosul (ancient Nineveh), and to Bagdad, and 
 to farther south in Mesopotamia, direct from 
 Beirut. Our largest congregation of saints is in 
 this city. Despite the opposition, the attendance 
 in the large central mission is very good, and a 
 goodly number have been saved from the Roman 
 Catholic and Greek Orthodox faiths. Bro. John 
 D. Ctose and family are now located here, and he 
 will have the general superintendency of the work 
 in Syria. 
 
 There are a number of local native workers in 
 Beirut whom the Lord is using, among them Eli 
 Frenany and M^iss Ruda Jureidini. There is a 
 wide field for cottage-meetings in different parts 
 of the city, and these are generally well attended. 
 
 Zahia Aswad, of Brummana, is a very efficient 
 preacher and translator. She remained with us 
 in the work in Beirut for one year, and traveled 
 as interpreter in Both Syria and Palestine. She 
 is a humble. God-fearing young woman, and her 
 friendly manners and sociability have won a host 
 of friends to the truth. She is invaluable to the 
 work in Syria. 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 327 
 
 In Schweifat, eight miles south of Beirut, Asma 
 Jureidini is doing a good work. This is the place 
 where Brother and Sister F. G. Smith lived almost 
 two years, and Sister Bessie Byrum labored. It 
 is the city where our work was first established in 
 Syria. Asma is an ordained minister, and is 
 standing faithful in defense of the truths of this 
 reformation. 
 
 About forty miles north of Beirut along the 
 seashore are the towns of Jebail, Batroon, Ber- 
 barah, Grarzooze, and Munsiff. This is the field 
 that is being worked by Najeeb Berberi, who Mves 
 here. Brother Berberi is giving himself wholly 
 to the work of the Lord, and God is blessing his 
 labors in gathering out some honest people into 
 the light. 
 
 At Tripoli is a mission well equipped. A num- 
 ber have been baptized. Ibrihim Shehda Maloof 
 lives here. 
 
 Twenty miles north of Tripoli are the towns of 
 Minyara and Hakoor. Here Bro. Shehda Maloof 
 and I have held a number of meetings, and there 
 are several loyal friends to the truth. 
 
 The Safita district lies about 120 miles north 
 of Beirut. Bro. Antonius Boody, has charge of 
 the work in this district. 
 
 East of Safita is Hussen district. Here we 
 preached the truth throughout more than twenty 
 villages. 
 
 Bro. Alexander Abdo has moved from Beirut 
 
328 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 to Bagdad, Mesopotamia, and has opened business 
 in the city. His brother Yoseph has also gone 
 there to open the work of the Lord in that ancient 
 land. These brothers were both saved out of the 
 lioman Catholic Church, in Beirut, together with 
 their father, who is seventy years old. 
 
 Sisters Nellie Laughlin and Adele Jureidini and 
 Bro. Emil Hollander are located in Beirut, and 
 their future field of activity depends upon the fur- 
 ther development of the work. 
 
 THE ARMENIAN WORK 
 
 Syria seems to be a shelter for the tens of thou- 
 sands of Armenian refugees who have been driven 
 from their homes in Cilicia and the regions to the 
 north. The Near East Relief has established very 
 large orphanages, hospitals, and schools in various 
 parts of Syria, as Jebail and Abraham River. Not 
 far from one hundred thousand of these unfortun- 
 ates are thus cared for, educated, and taught trades. 
 These are boys and girls ranging in age from six 
 years to about seventeen and eighteen, whose par- 
 ents have been killed by the murderous Turks. 
 
 But aside from these, thousands upon thou- 
 sands of Armenian families have had to flee for 
 their lives, leaving all their property behind. The 
 harrowing tales these poor people tell are heart- 
 rending. In some cases the women have been 
 ravished, the young girls ruined, and even stripped 
 and robbed of all clothing. Some time before we 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 329 
 
 left Syria, several thousand were coming from the 
 north towards Aleppo, and were intercepted by 
 the Turks, robbed of all their goods, and stripped 
 of all clothing, and the entire company of men, 
 women, and children entered Aleppo naked. Syria 
 is swarming with these poor refugees. In Beirut 
 are two large camps. These camps present a ripe 
 field for real missionary endeavor. During the 
 last year of our stay in Syria we visited these 
 camps regularly and held religious services. These 
 meetings were usually held in the open air, and 
 hundreds attended each service. In a visit from 
 Brother and Sister G. K. Ouzounian, of Cairo, 
 Egypt, during the summer of 1923, much effective 
 work was accomplished among these people, and 
 a number were baptized. 
 
 But Syria has a goodly number of the well-to-do 
 class of Armenians. Many of the business houses 
 of Beirut are in their hands. Also a number of 
 the professional men of the dty, as physicians, 
 lawyers, etc., are of this nation. A nice little 
 body of Armenians of the better class help to make 
 up the church of God in Syria. They are much 
 interested in and adapted to doing Sunday-school 
 work. Vaughram and Arexie Salibian are among 
 the bright, gifted Armenian workers in Beirut. 
 Their father is a physician in the city. Soon after 
 our arrival in Syria they were both sanctified, and 
 felt a call to the work. They have done good 
 work in organizing Sunday-schools among their 
 
330 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 people, and are eager to laimcli out and give their 
 whole time to the Lord's work. 
 
 Experience teaches Armenians are better reached 
 by ministers of their own nation. We greatly 
 lack Armenian workers in Syria. In Beirut I 
 baptized seven, and Brother Ouzounian baptized 
 ten Armenian brethren and sisters. Reports from 
 the field since we left are very encouraging, and 
 the future outlook is good for a fruitful harvest 
 among these people. 
 
 A SUMMARY OF OUR ACTIVITIES 
 
 In the two years and three months we spent 
 in Syria, we opened two large central missions in 
 Beirut and Tripoli. Besides holding several revi- 
 vals in these missions, and taking care of the gen- 
 eral work, we held meetings in the following cities 
 and towns : Aleppo, Zachley, Brummana, Schweif at, 
 Berbarah, Garzooze, Munsiff, Minyara, Hakoor, 
 Safita, Kaffroon, Ameshta, Kerroney, Aune, Hi- 
 wash, Kurbeit, Bsolma, Mzablee, Meshtaya, Amar, 
 Cana of Galilee, and Nazareth. 
 
 We baptized in all 24 brethren and sisters, 
 preached 499 sermons, and wrote about 1,060 
 letters. We officiated in about 13 marriages, and 
 made over 500 visits. To God be all praise and 
 glory forever. After all, I am very conscious 
 that our personal efforts amount to little unless the 
 Holy Spirit assists us. To the Lord belongs all the 
 honor and glory for the measure of success we had. 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 331 
 
 RETURN TO THE HOMELAND 
 
 Personally, I greatly desired to make Syria and 
 Palestine my life's field of work. My heart is still 
 there. I long for the time when circumstances will 
 be such that we can return and do general evange- 
 listic-work in this field, and remain for a long 
 period of time. Two factors entered into our 
 home-coming: first, my boy's education, and, sec- 
 ond, my wife's general health. The announcement 
 of our return to America came as a great shock 
 to the church in Syria. However, the fact that 
 such effijcient workers as Brother and Sister Crose 
 and Bro. Emil Hollander were to take our place 
 brought much comfort to the brethren. 
 
 As our boat was scheduled to leave Beirut on 
 Sunday, July 1, 1923, my wife and I preached our 
 farewell sermons on Sunday, June 24. A large 
 crowd was present, as saints had come in from 
 various places. The entire congregation was 
 bathed in tears, and after the preaching Bro. G. K. 
 Ouzounian and Yoseph Abdo spoke very touching- 
 ly. After this, we held our last ordinance service 
 with the church. The partaking of the bread and 
 cup together was truly a sacred and precious 
 ^'communion" service, long to be remembered. 
 
 On Friday, June 29, the church in Beirut gave 
 us a farewell outing. Two truck-loads and an 
 automobile-load of saints went to Dog River along 
 the seashore, a distance of ten miles north of 
 Beirut. Here we spent the day in social visiting. 
 
332 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 sea-bathing, and singing and praying. At noon the 
 good sisters of the church spread before us an 
 old-fashioned Syrian dinner that would be hard 
 to excel. At 5:30 P. M. the following saints were 
 buried in Christian baptism: Yoseph Malek, Elias 
 Malek, Jemil Hallaby, Elias Kishkish, Bsharra 
 Schair, Havokim Ezeklian, Isabel Farrah, Marie 
 I'arrah, Alexandria Mizdelaney, and Fomea 
 Bashoon. This was a very solemn and melting ser- 
 vice. Tears flowed freely as these precious saints 
 were being baptized. This day shall never be for- 
 gotten. 
 
 As our boat was delayed one day in sailing, we 
 held another farewell service with the church on 
 Sunday, July 1. I spoke on '^A Prosperous Jour- 
 ney." Following this, Bro. Ibrihim Sheda Maloof 
 gave a very impressive talk, first to the church 
 and then to us. He was followed by Zahia Aswad, 
 Mansour Shady, Speredon Hasbaney, Mrs. Alex- 
 ander Abdo, and Yoseph Abdo. This was the most 
 touching meeting we were ever in. All there 
 wept like children. The entire afternoon and 
 evening and till a late hour at night was spent 
 entertaining a host of neighbors and friends who 
 gathered in our home to bid us farewell. 
 
 From my diary written the evening of our de- 
 parture, July 2, 1923, I quote: *^At last the day 
 has arrived, and we are about to start on our 
 long journey home. Two years and three months 
 have been spent in this land. How swiftly time 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 333 
 
 flies! These have been eventful years in my life; 
 I believe among the very best. We came as 
 strangers to a strange land; but we have endeared 
 ourselves to a host of people, and they to us, so 
 that we shall leave behind a great many as warm 
 friends as we ever found in the world. We have 
 worked hard and done our best. In the thirty 
 years of my ministry I have never labored more 
 diligently than I have to build up the work of God 
 in this country. The gospel seed has been sown in 
 more than twenty cities and towns. Warm friends 
 have been won to the truth in all these places. A 
 number of faithful ministers have been gathered 
 out, and these will continue to spread the truth in 
 every direction. May God Almighty bless and use 
 them to his glory. 
 
 ^^But what are we? Nothing. It is the Lord 
 who gives the increase. To him belongs all the 
 praise. Yes, today is our last in Syria. Were it 
 not for Wife and George I would remain here for 
 life, except to return home on furlough. We were 
 up early putting the finishing touches to our prep- 
 arations for the trip. In the morning we went 
 to the business section and purchased some neces- 
 sary supplies. After dinner we had family prayer 
 together for the last time. We all wept like chil- 
 dren. Two carriages then took us to the docks. 
 Here we found the church and many friends await- 
 ing us, to wave their last farewell. Oh, how sad 
 was the parting! My Father in heaven protect 
 
334 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 these dear saints till we meet again! Fifteen of 
 them accompanied ns to the ship. At 4 P. M. the 
 final parting took place. How they clung to us, 
 weeping! God bless them. How dear to our 
 hearts are these precious saints !'' 
 
 After our departure the following was sent from 
 the church in Syria and published in the Gospel 
 Trumpet, September 6. 
 
 AN APPRECIATION FROM SYRIA 
 
 Tripoli, July 5.— We as Syrians are very 
 thankful to God for sending Brother Higgle to 
 this country. It is true he stayed only two years, 
 a very short time, but we feel that it is our duty 
 to tell what Brother Riggle has done and endured 
 for the work in order that God^s name might be 
 praised; and at the same time we want to thank 
 our brethren in America for their self-denial mani- 
 fested in sending him here. The good results that 
 came during the ministry of our dear Brother and 
 Sister Riggle are due to their generosity and their 
 sacrifice for the work. I am sure that when the 
 brethren know about the good results obtained 
 here through the hard toil of Brother Riggle they 
 will feel justified in what they have done and feel 
 that their money was not spent uselessly. 
 
 **Twa years ago I read in the Arabic Gospel 
 Trumpet that a hero of the pulpit was coming to 
 Syria, passing through Europe and Africa. I be- 
 gan to wonder what kind of man he was, and 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 335 
 
 what he could accomplish in this lukewarm coun- 
 try. Reports began to arrive from Cairo that he 
 was holding meetings successfully in Egypt, where 
 hundreds were attending. I began to pity him 
 when he should arrive in our country, and I 
 thought that his zeal would die away when he 
 came here and got in contact with our dormant 
 people. But, thanks to the Lord, conditions in 
 our country affected Brother Biggie very much 
 and made him put forth much toil and effort. The 
 first week he arrived he held a revival for one 
 week. People came and went back interested, be- 
 cause they heard the truth explained clearly and in 
 an attractive manner. I myself attended the meet- 
 ings. He preached once about the four hearts. 
 One represented people who were born with germs 
 of sin hidden in their hearts, having a tendency to 
 do evil things. He then described the people who 
 were regenerated, and then the sanctified. All was 
 explained by means of a chart. That explanation 
 left an impression on my heart which never will 
 be erased. I went back to Tripoli and reported to 
 our brethren there what I had heard and seen. As 
 they longed to see him and hear his preaching, we 
 agreed one time to call him to come. He at once 
 complied with our request and came to Tripoli 
 and held cottage-meetings. Thanks to the Lord, 
 the truth was put before the people in a clear, 
 persuasive manner. All the leaders in spiritual 
 matters attended the meetings and went out glad 
 
336 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 for the new way the truth was presented to them. 
 
 *'The people began to understand real Christian- 
 ity and how to be genuine Christian men and dis- 
 ciples of Jesus Christ. This kind of preaching 
 appealed to every man. It showed them that to 
 be a true follower of Christ does not depend on 
 going through certain ceremonies and dry forms, 
 but on living a pure, holy life without blemish, 
 imitating our Lord Jesus Christ and following 
 his footsteps. 
 
 ^'Reports began to run far and wide in the 
 country that a new preacher was coming with new 
 doctrines. Being a country man born and reared 
 there, I was begged by the people to write Brother 
 Higgle asking him to go there and preach the gos- 
 pel. When I communicated their demand to 
 Brother Riggle, he at once made up his mind to 
 go there, notwithstanding the hardships that were 
 awaiting him. Since he is a middle-aged man I 
 felt uneasy about him, owing to the hardships and 
 difficulties before him. So I arranged to go with 
 him as an interpreter (thanks to the Lord for the 
 Ejnglish language that gave me this privilege of 
 accompanying the man of Grod all through our 
 trips in the country). When we arrived in the 
 country the people were amazed to see us coming 
 riding on mules and donkeys. They expected the 
 great missionary to be riding on a fine horse bring- 
 ing along his cook, as the other missionaries used 
 to do. They came to me whispering and asking, 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 337 
 
 *Wliat shall we feed him?' When I asked Brother 
 Kiggle, he said, ^They need not cook especially for 
 me. I eat from their food and anything they offer 
 me.' That appealed to them very much. He 
 would mix with them, sit on the mats with them, 
 eat their own food, and deal with them as if he 
 were not a stranger, but one of them. Whole 
 villages everywhere turned out to hear him. They 
 expected him to attack their doctrines as Protes- 
 tants and Greek Orthodox. But, behold, he preach- 
 ed the gospel powerfully as it was preached a 
 long time ago in the apostolic age. His preach- 
 ing was liked by all; and it soon gained access 
 to their hearts. 
 
 ^'K/cports went far and wide about him. There 
 rose a keen demand for him everywhere. Bishops, 
 priests, and other ecclesiastical persons who could 
 not attend, owing to their positions, asked me to 
 print his sermons and distribute them all over for 
 the benefit of those who could not hear him. The 
 people at once realized that Brother Riggle was 
 going to make a change in their creeds and doc- 
 trines. Of course, those who were after fame 
 and wealth did not like that change; but the real, 
 sincere Christians rejoiced on hearing the truth 
 and wished God to send more able men like him 
 to evangelize Syria. 
 
 *^In the meantime Brother Riggle started a mis- 
 sion in Tripoli in order to make it a center of his 
 activities in the surrounding territory. He used 
 
338 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 to go once every week and preach twice there and 
 return to Beirut for other meetings, and every 
 now and then return to the country to preach the 
 pure doctrines of the gospel to the dear country 
 men who always wanted him. 
 
 What Was Accomplished 
 
 ^^The light of the gospel penetrated into every 
 nook and corner. Through his efforts, many peo- 
 ple decided to follow the Lord all through their 
 lives. The seeds of truth were scattered every- 
 where. They need watering to grow in due time. 
 A body of real, pure Christian men was raised 
 up during these two years, and besides the major- 
 ity of people everywhere sympathized with us. 
 
 Everybody in the country and in Tripoli knows 
 Brother Eiggle and loves him. When anybody 
 from his acquaintances came to Beirut, Brother 
 Eiggle took him home, entertained him, and fed 
 him as long as he stayed. 
 
 ^'A sister from the country who Was healed 
 through the prayers of Brother Eiggle, when on 
 her way to America was invited by Brother Eiggle. 
 Her children were with her. She stayed ten days. 
 Before leaving she wrote to her people, saying, 
 * Brother Eiggle has been as a real brother to me 
 in every sense of the term. Through his hospital- 
 ity I was spared much trouble and expense.' She 
 insisted that they should pay him back. Every- 
 body who comes to his house feels at home and 
 never likes to leave that surrounding. 
 
ON THE MISSION FIP]LD 
 
 339 
 
 Sister Higgle helped very much in the work in 
 Beirut. She was his right hand. They adapted 
 themselves to every circumstance. 
 
 Through the efforts of Brother and Sister 
 Eiggle, with their devotion and zeal a blazing fire 
 was set burning in the hearts of the Syrians. It 
 will never be extinguished as long as we live. We 
 were spellbound to know about his going. That 
 news struck us as a thunderbolt. It is one of the 
 hardest things to part with them. It is a pity that 
 they should leave, one of the misfortunes to Syria. 
 
 **We are thankful to God for sending real, sin- 
 cere Christians like Brother and Sister Eiggle. 
 And you, our dear brethren across the sea in 
 America, we offer you our thanks from the bottom 
 of our hearts for sending us such a nice family. 
 Be sure that your money is not spent in vain. We 
 are indebted for your generosity. It is through 
 your self-denial that we found out the truth. Be- 
 fore God at the bar of judgment we shall reward 
 you by our love. At that time your talents will 
 show that they were not hidden in the ground, 
 but they were profitable and gained precious souls 
 for the Master. We beg you to keep thinking con- 
 tinually of poor Syria and to send another cap- 
 able man. May the Lord of the harvest send faith- 
 ful men to be active reapers in his field. On be- 
 half of the church in Syria, 
 
 ^'Ibrihim Shehda Maloof.'N 
 
PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 ON BOARD SS. MADONNA 
 
 At 6 P. M., July 2, 1923, our boat, the SS. 
 Madonna, sailed out of Beirut Harbor for New 
 York. We skirted southward along the coast, 
 and at 6 A* M. the next morning landed in the 
 harbor at Haifa, Palestine. Here a number of 
 passengers boarded the ship for America, among 
 them not a few American Jews. At 2 P. M. our 
 vessel started in a northwesterly direction across 
 the Mediterranean Sea. On July 4, from 5:30 
 P. M. till dark we sailed close along the coast of 
 lihodes. A large city was built on this island 500 
 B. C, and was a great center of commerce, liter- 
 ature, and art. The Colossus, one of the wonders 
 of the world, was erected at its harbor. The island 
 is eighteen miles broad and forty-six miles long. 
 Paul touched here on his return voyage to Syria 
 from his third missionary journey (Acts 21:1). 
 
 On July 5 we were sailing northward through 
 the Aegean Sea. We passed close to Patmos. It 
 is a rocky, barren island, twenty miles from the 
 mainland of Asia Minor, ten miles long and five 
 miles wide. The whole coast is deeply indented, 
 the lofty cliffs rise out of the sea, the valleys are 
 deep and solemn, and the mountains stand one 
 thousand feet above sea-level. Along the mountain- 
 sides and in the valleys are to be seen palm-trees, 
 olive-groves, fig-, mulberry-, cypress-, and oak- 
 trees. About five thousand Greek Christians now 
 inhabit this island. In A. D. 95 the apostle John 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 341 
 
 was banished here by the Emperor Domitian, and 
 received the Revelation (Rev. 1:9). How our 
 eyes feasted upon tiiis historical place! In an- 
 other hour we were passing close to Samos (Acts 
 20:15), and next Chios, where Paul anchored 
 (ibid.). About noon we passed Mitylene, where 
 Paul touched overnight (vs. 14, 15). At 3:30 P. M. 
 we entered the Dardanelles, and at 7 :30 had passed 
 through them into the Sea of Marmora. The shores 
 along the Dardanelles are very picturesque. In 
 the strait we saw many sunken British ships that 
 went down during the World War, also on the 
 Gallipoli Peninsula immense cemeteries of British 
 soldiers who fell in a vain attempt to capture 
 Constantinople. 
 
 On the morning of July 6 we were anchored in 
 the harbor of Constantinople. We remained here 
 until 4:10 P. M., when our boat sailed through the 
 Bosporus into the Black Sea. The scenery along 
 the Bosporus is simply grand. The green hills 
 were in sharp contrast with the bleak, barren hills 
 of Syria. We enjoyed the change immensely. At 
 6:30 A. M., July 7, we landed at Constanza, 
 Roumania. Here we remained three days. We 
 were permitted to go ashore, and enjoyed our visit 
 to the place very much. At 5 P. M. on July 9 
 we left for Constantinople, where we arrived the 
 following morning at ten o'clock. We remained 
 here two days, and were permitted to go ashore. 
 Wiile here we visited about every place of in- 
 
342 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 terest in the city, to include the Golden Horn, 
 City Park, St. Sophia Mosque (the largest in the 
 world, once a Christian church, built by Constan- 
 tine), the Sultans' Tombs, the Sultan's Palace, Im- 
 perial Museum, Tomb of Alexander the Great, and 
 the bazaars (the largest in the world, containing 
 ten thousand shops). We were hospitably enter- 
 tained in the home of Dr. G. Yeramian, a brother 
 in the Lord. This family showed us every kind- 
 ness. There is a fine Armenian church in this 
 great city, and we met miost of them, which was 
 a time of refreshing both to them and to us. Among 
 their number is David Granovsky, a converted Jew. 
 
 At 9:40 A. M., July 12, we left Constantinople. 
 Early the following morning we entered the Bay 
 of Smyrna. At 10:45 A. M. we landed at the city 
 docks. This was once the home of Polycarp, and 
 one of the seven churches of Asia was located here 
 (Rev. 2:8-11). What a sight here met our gaze! 
 The once beautiful city was a heap of charred 
 ruins. The whole Christian and business section 
 was burned out. This devastation was wrought 
 by the Turks when they captured the city from 
 the Greeks. We were told by reliable persons that 
 Turkish soMiers carried cans of petroleum and 
 gasoline through the streets and threw them into 
 the houses. W^e saw the large church where sev- 
 eral hundred Armenian refugees were burned alive. 
 The Moslem section of the city remains intact. 
 
 At noon, July 14, we left Smyrna. At 4 P. M. 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 343 
 
 we encountered a very rough sea. While my wife 
 and I were on the top deck a great wave struck 
 the boat and gave us a complete drenching. The 
 next morning, at 6:40, we entered and landed at 
 Piraeus, the port of Athens, toeece. Here we 
 took an automobile and at 8:40 A. M. were in 
 Athens. We visited a number of places of interest, 
 including the Olympian Zeus, or Temple of Jup- 
 iter; the Arch of Hadrian; the great Acropolis; 
 the Areopagus, or Mars Hill; and the Temple of 
 Theseus, erected B. 0. 469. The sight from M^-rs 
 Hill is wonderful, as the whole city and surround- 
 ing mountains are in plain view. What a privi- 
 lege to stand upon this spot where Paul delivered 
 the memorable sermon recorded in Acts 17:16-34! 
 After our visit to Athens we returned to the boat, 
 and at 2 P. M. sailed away towards Italy. The 
 scenery along the southern coast of Greece was 
 most beautiful and majestic. 
 
 At 11:20 A. M., July 17, we landed at Naples, 
 Italy. Here the ship took on coal, as this was the 
 last stop to New York. From Naples westward 
 we had three days smooth sailing through the 
 Mediterranean Sea. After We passed through the 
 Straits of Gibraltar into the Atlantic, we en- 
 countered some storms. On the night of July 29 
 there was a great storm on the Ocean, and for 
 more than two hours the sea roared like thunder, 
 while the great waves looked like small moun- 
 tains. The sight in the moonlight was grand. 0\n 
 
344 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 the entire trip none of us were sick a moment, 
 nor did we miss a single meal. We all enjoyed the 
 voyage immensely. In the evening of July 31 we 
 caught the first sight of America. Everybody was 
 excited. What a thrill of joy filled our hearts as 
 we approached the shores of our beloved homeland, 
 ' ' the land of the free, and the home of the brave ' ^ ! 
 We remained all night out in New York Harbor. 
 At 3 P. M., on August 1, we set foot on American 
 soil, having been exactly thirty days on the jour- 
 ney from Beirut to New York: 
 
 Brother Blewitt-met us at the docks; and after 
 passing our trunks and small baggage through the 
 customs offices we were soon enjoying the comforts 
 of the Missionary Home. There was a meeting 
 that night at which both my wife and I spoke on 
 Syria. The next day we left by train for Vander- 
 grift, Pa., where we remained and visited friends 
 for seven days. While at Vandergrift, Brother 
 Ast, the pastor, arranged two services for us, and 
 we spoke on Syria and our work there. On August 
 10 we arrived at Warsaw, Ind., where our children 
 met us, and conveyed us to their homes near Akron. 
 What a joyous reunion after an absence of two 
 years, eight months, and three days! On Sunday, 
 August 12, we held services at Akron and Athens, 
 Ind. The home churches gave us a great welcome. 
 We at once began to lay our plans to do both local 
 and general evangelistic work; for on our arrival 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 345 
 
 we found a host of calls for meetings from all 
 parts of the United States. 
 
 THE GREAT RESPONSIBILITY AND WORK OF THE CHURCH 
 
 God has made complete provision for the sal- 
 vation of ail mankind through Jesus Christ. The 
 (yhristian era is preeminently the dispensation of 
 the Holy Spirit, the most propitious age of the 
 grace of God to humanity the world has ever 
 seen ot ever will ' see. We are now living in the 
 "last days," the "time of the end," the ^'last 
 time," and upon us has fallen "the ends of the 
 world"— the "full end of the ages." With the clos- 
 ing of this dispensation, time will end, eternity with 
 its destinies will be meted out to all men, and 
 opportunity will be a thing of the past. 
 
 The burden of carrying the message of saving 
 truth to the dying millions of earth is the work of 
 the church. Jesus Christ clearly placed this re- 
 sponsibility upon our shoulders. We can not 
 evade it nor otfer a lawful excuse at the judgment 
 for the non-performance of this duty. "Go ye mio 
 all the world, and preach the gospel to every 
 creature/^ "Go . . . teach all nations,'^ This final 
 and solemn charge belongs to the church as a 
 whole. Every saint of God must feel the burden 
 of it. Every disciple of Christ must do his part 
 in the carrying out and performing of it. 
 
 This is a debt that we owe. The very life and 
 root of true religion is personal devotion to Christ. 
 
346 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 Then Christ's interests become ours, and the re- 
 sult is active service in his cause. We have re- 
 ceived mercy from him, and we owe it to men. 
 The world's apathy does not release our obliga- 
 tion. When God gave us salvation and the true 
 light of the gospel, it was not for us alone, but 
 for the family of mankind, of which we are mem- 
 bers. Every saved man is a trustee of the gospel 
 for the whole world, and is in honor bound to see 
 that the world gets it. It is not a debt because 
 of something received from them, but for them. 
 You see, the gospel is delivered to us to impart 
 to mankind, and thus we owe it to them. Some 
 one became interested in us, and if he had not 
 we should be lost today, and possibly be in hell. 
 We must show a deep interest in others. This is 
 the true spirit of vital religion; it is the life of 
 the church. When we as a church lack this in- 
 terest we are dying or are dead. The spirit of 
 true Christianity is unselfish; it is ready to share 
 with others. 
 
 It is high time we waked up to our responsibil- 
 ity, and settled down to our life's work as a 
 church— evangelize the world. Paul embarked all 
 in this one business, then pushed it to the utter- 
 most. Our liabilities are increasing every day, 
 and we must pay with all our might, or the judg- 
 ment will overtake us heavily in debt. Then it 
 will be too late to pay. Other nations are no 
 longer afar off. Modem science has brought them 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 347 
 
 to our door. This is the day of democracy. The 
 few have had their time, and now the right of 
 every person, class, and nation is coming to the 
 front. The plaintive cry is coming from every 
 direction, ''Come over and help us." Ministers 
 must feel it enough to consecrate to go anywhere, 
 everywhere, and to endure and suffer. They must 
 give their whole time to the work. The church as 
 a w'hole must feel it enough to consecrate their 
 all, their means, and by actual practise put it to 
 working for the spread of the gospel. 
 
 All nations are like a mountain range; the peaks 
 are parted from each other by certain bounds, 
 but at the base all rise from one formation. We 
 have one Father, we are of one blood, and are a 
 common brotherhood. Then, ''love thy neighbor 
 as thyself." In nature about us nothing lives to 
 itself. The sun emits the light, heat, and life of 
 the universe. The result is the birds sing, the corn 
 ripens, and the trees bear fruit. Fire gives out 
 heat, and the June rose sends forth a sweet aroma. 
 How then can we enjoy the rich blessings of 
 heaven and act selfishly about it? "There is that 
 scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that 
 which withholdeth more than is meet, but it 
 tendeth to poverty." The blessing of salvation 
 is lost in concealment; but its rich grace will in- 
 crease on our hands if we begin to sacrifice and 
 give out freely. 
 
 0 brethren, think of it: every two seconds, three 
 
348 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 people die! Taking it the world around, 90 per- 
 sons die every minute on the average of 5,400 
 each hour, 129,600 each day, 907,200 a week, 3,888,- 
 000 a month, and about 47,304,000 each year. 
 What a constant flow of human souls into eternity ! 
 Multitudes without hope! We shall meet this host 
 at the judgment. Shall we then feel clear that 
 we have done our whole duty, our very best to 
 save these lost millions I 
 
 God is calling out a clean people and church 
 from the world and apostate religions in these 
 last days. It is the restoration of primitive Chris- 
 tianity. It is a distinct movement in the earth, 
 God's work. The church of God in the evening- 
 light reformation represents to the world Chris- 
 tianity in its pristine unity, power, glory, and 
 clearness. Sectarian religions do not properly 
 represent the true religion of the Bible. They are 
 doing a noble work along educational lines; but 
 their people usually remain more or less in spir- 
 itual darkness. Eeal salvation work among them 
 is on a very low plane. How can it be otherwise! 
 Just one example of many I will here mention: 
 
 On our return home from Beirut, on the same 
 boat were a number of missionaries. Some of 
 them ate at our table. Both men and women 
 smoked cigarets and ordered their bottles of beer 
 regularly. One old, gray-haired missionary who 
 had labored twenty-seven years in Asia Minor, 
 and had a wife and daughter in America, was re- 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 349 
 
 turning home on furlough. I saw him dance on 
 the deck, play cards, and waltz two young girls, 
 and promenade the deck at night linked arms with 
 them. How can such missionaries save the world? 
 I have seen enough on the foreign fields to make 
 my heart sick. Of course, all missionaries are 
 not like that. 
 
 We can not depend upon sectarian religionists 
 to do this great work. They will never do it. I 
 am frank to say that the salvation and enlighten- 
 ment of the world in the clear truths of the gos- 
 pel, the bringing of them to an experimental, vital 
 religion, is the work of the church of God in this 
 blessed evening light. Ours is a tremendous task; 
 but God in his goodness has laid it upon us as a 
 people, and we are able, by the power of the 
 Spirit, to accomplish the work. Our field is 'Hhe 
 WORLD/' The harvest is great and ripe, and God 
 is calling the entire church into action. Will we 
 arise to the task before us! ^'A little one shall 
 become a thousand, and a small one a strong na- 
 tion." We can succeed if there is united action. 
 The entire church must cooperate, every member 
 must work. It is time now, today, for the whole 
 church whom the Lord has gathered into the trans- 
 plendent light of full salvation to leap into the 
 ranks and all move forward together ^ ' like an 
 army with banners.'' 
 
 What can we do! We can accomplish great things 
 if we will. Suppose there are fifty thousand saints 
 
350 
 
 PIONEER EVANGELISM 
 
 out in the clear light of the gospel, and each of 
 these would give regularly 2 cents a day for home 
 and foreign missions, we should have $365,000 for 
 general evangelizing each year. Think of it! Just 
 2 cents a day will do this. But we can just as 
 easily give double that amount on the average. 
 Only 28 cents a week on the average among fifty 
 thousand saints in one year amounts to $730,000. 
 Suppose there are one hundred thousand saints 
 out in the clear light. This, I should think, would 
 be a conservative estimate. Then the amount for 
 home and foreign missions would mount to $1,460,- 
 000. People spend more than this amount for ice- 
 cream, candy, and knickknacks. 
 
 I am informed that not more than one fourth of 
 our congregations in the United States gave regu- 
 larly to the foreign missionary work in the year 
 1922. I speak conservatively when I say that, 
 while we were in Syria, had we had the money 
 we really needed to devjelop the work, we could 
 have accomplished twice as much as we did. Our 
 greatest hindrance was lack of means. I grant 
 that our experience was no different from that of 
 other missionaries in other fields. A systematic 
 effort on the part of all the church can easily raise 
 sufficient means to carry the message of saving 
 truth to every part of the globe. As a church and 
 ministry, let us get a broader view of our work, 
 a greater vision of the field and our responsibility 
 to the rest of mankind, and then with enthusiasin 
 
ON THE MISSION FIELD 351 
 
 and determination rise to the task before us; and, 
 thank God, we can succeed. 
 
BY THE SAME AUTHOR 
 
 BOOKS 
 
 Man, His Present and Future $0.75 
 
 Christian Baptism _ 75 
 
 The Sabbath and the Lord's Day .75 
 
 The Christian Church, Its Rise and Progress 1.00 
 
 Roman Catholicism .75 
 
 Christ's Kingdom and Reign 1.00 
 
 Christ's Second Coming „ 1.00 
 
 BOOKLETS 
 
 Hell and Everlasting Punishment SO. 10 
 
 Christ's Triumphant Reign — 05 
 
 The Sabbath , - _ .05 
 
 Primitive Church Government „ _ — .10