influence over matter, but, after saying that, it is not necessary to
go to the absurd extent as to deny that there is matter."
"I see it now," said Kate, "there is a subtle connection between mind
and our bodies, but I see that if, because of that, I should deny
facts, my state would be no better and probably worse. I give up the
whole system as being contrary to reason, sense, and the Scriptures."
A few days after this Robert was called to Kansas City on business,
where he remained a week. Now, it so happened that while he was away
from home on this business trip, a colporteur of the Seventh-Day
Adventists denomination came through the country and sold Mary Davis
the book entitled Daniel and the Revelation, also several tracts, one
of which was entitled "Who Changed the Sabbath?" Mary Davis had
never before heard of anything on the Sabbath question, and when
the colporteur told her about how the Sabbath had been changed from
Saturday to Sunday (according to Adventist theories), and how
they, the Adventists, were in a great reformation to restore the
Sabbath-day, she was considerably interested. Open-hearted for
truth, she was peculiarly susceptible at that time to the claims of
Adventism.
Mary spent the next few days in reading her newly bought literature.
It seemed plausible to her that if God gave the Ten Commandments as a
perpetual covenant, the seventh day should still be kept. The more she
read the more she was convinced. By the time Robert returned she
had begun to count herself a seventh-day keeper. Robert Davis was
surprised beyond measure when he returned and found his house full of
Advent literature.
"Well, Mary dear, what does all this mean?" asked Robert kindly.
"Why, Robert," she said, "while you were gone a colporteur came here
with these books. He seemed so earnest and he talked for hours about
a reformation and how the Catholics had changed the Sabbath and about
how God had set himself to restore the day to Christendom. I have been
reading the books and they make it very plain that we ought to keep
Saturday."
"Now, come here, dear," said Robert, "let me point out to you the
false and unscriptural position which these zealots hold."
Mary felt a little indignant at this, but she complied, willing to
know the truth. However, she was secretly determined to keep the
Sabbath-day unless very good reasons were shown why she should not.
"First, Mary, let me ask a few questions," said Robert. "Did the
colporteur say anything about living holy or nearer to God?"
"No," said Mary, "he talked almost exclusively about the Sabbath-day."
"Very well," said Robert. "Did he say the Ten Commandments were still
in full force?"
"Yes, he did, Robert, and he made it very plain that God's law could
not change," said Mary.
"Did he say the Catholics changed the Sabbath-day from Saturday to
Sunday?" asked Robert.
"Yes, he did," replied Mary.
"Now, Mary, get your Bible, please," said Robert. "Turn to 2 Cor. 3,
and begin reading with verse 7."
"'But if the ministration of death, written and engraven with stones,
was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly
behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory
was to be done away:'" read Mary.
"You need not read the rest of the chapter now," said Robert, "but
this verse and the verses following show beyond all question or
argument that the Ten Commandments were a 'ministration of death' and
were abolished in Christ. That law was glorious, but that glory was
eclipsed by the greater glory of the New Testament law. Now turn to
Gal. 4:21-31. Read verse 24 first."
"'Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the
one from mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar,'"
read Mary.
"This passage proves," said Robert, "that Paul was showing by
Abraham's two sons, Isaac and Ishmael, Isaac by Sarah, and Ishmael by
Hagar, that the covenant at Sinai was to be cast out, just as Hagar
and Ishmael were cast out of Abraham's home. The verse you read
declares that the Ten Commandments, covenant, law, and all from Sinai
correspond with Hagar. What happened to her? She was cast out. So the
old Ten-Commandment law is cast out in favor of a better one. Now turn
to Hebrews 8 and read the last verse."
"'In that he saith, a new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now
that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.'"
"Plain enough, isn't it, Mary?" asked Robert. "God found fault with
the old covenant (see verse 7) and so he took it away."
"But, Robert," said Mary, "does this mean that it is right to lie, or
steal, or kill? If the Ten Commandments are done away with, how will
these sins be condemned?" And Mary was really puzzled about it.
"Why, Mary," said Robert, "the Ten Commandments did not make it wrong
to lie and steal. It was always wrong to lie and steal even before
there were any Ten Commandments. Wrong is wrong. Now in Christ's law
every possible wrong is condemned. Do you see the point? Now, the
Sabbath-day law is the Fourth Commandment of the Ten. But that Sabbath
law was given to the Jews only. They could keep it where they lived,
but everybody can't keep it now at the same time even if they should
want to."
"You see we live on a round earth," continued Robert, "and the sun
shines somewhere all the time. Now Israel could keep the seventh day
all right in Palestine, but suppose that they had been scattered over
all the earth? Then a Jew in Australia would be keeping his Sabbath
about eighteen hours before his brother in California. The day begins
out in the Pacific Ocean, not because it really begins there, but
because for the sake of convenience it was fixed to begin there. The
whole arrangement is artificial. Now, would God put so much emphasis
on keeping a certain day under such circumstances? Adventists think
it is very wrong to work on the Sabbath-day, yet some of them work
as much as twelve hours while their brethren on the other side of the
earth are keeping their Sabbath. It is impossible for all the earth to
keep the Sabbath at the same time."
"Well, I never thought of that before," said Mary, as her Adventism
began to leave her about as quickly as it came.
"Now the fact is, too, Mary," said Robert, "that the Catholics did
not change the Sabbath-day. They may claim to have done so and the
Adventists accept the claim, it appears, but the early Christians
kept the first day of the week Sunday, long before there was any Roman
Catholic Church or any pope at Rome. Adventists twist history here
just like they twist the Scriptures."
"Listen here, dear," continued Robert. "'I was in the Spirit on the
Lord's Day' (Rev. 1:10). What day was the Lord's Day? It was not
Saturday, the Sabbath. Pentecost, that grand birthday of the church,
was on Sunday (Acts 2:1-4). The disciples met to break bread on the
first day of the week--Sunday (Acts 20:6, 7). The laying-by of
the collection for the saints was made on the first day of the
week--Sunday (1 Cor. 16:1, 2). On the Sabbath-day Jesus lay cold in
death in the borrowed tomb while the sad and disconsolate disciples
mourned the death of the Prince of Israel, their Savior. But on
Sunday morning Christ arose triumphant (John 20:1) and in memory of it
Christians began early to observe Sunday as a day of worship."
"Mary, you were just about to be entangled with a yoke of bondage,
a yoke of man's making," said Robert. "This Sabbath doctrine of the
Adventists is utterly man-made. In their writings the apostles did
not teach the keeping of it; so why go away back to bleak and smoking
Sinai for a law to keep when Jesus offers us a new covenant? Why those
Adventists are trying to prop up a law that was old, and decayed, and
ready to vanish away in Paul's time."
"Did Constantine make a Sunday law, Robert?" asked Mary.
"Yes, he did. In A.D. 321, Constantine legalized the day of worship
that the Christians already were using," said Robert. "The Adventists
claim that Constantine changed the day, but he did not. There is no
history at all to support their theory. He was the first Christian
emperor of Rome and simply gave legal sanction to a day already set
apart for worship, which was Sunday. This was long before there was
any pope."
"Well, I am very glad you came home when you did," said Mary. "It was
a providence. I see the snare set for me, and I shall fly out from it,
by God's grace."
CHAPTER ELEVEN
OUT OF THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW
Two months after Robert Davis arrived home, Mary took violently ill.
First there was a high fever, then convulsions, then paralysis.
Dr. Horton came at once to see what he could do. After a careful
examination he said she had typhoid fever and progressive paralysis
and that she was in grave danger. After a day or two she rallied,
regained consciousness, and was able to converse with the family.
Little Janet was just one month old the day Mary took sick, and Mrs.
Jake Newby, now a very dear friend, took the child and nursed it.
Mary knew, as well as anyone, that she was very ill. She talked it
over with Robert. Together they most earnestly prayed that God would
spare her life, for Robert's sake, and especially for little Janet's
sake. But though her mind remained remarkably clear, her body sank
deeper down into the jaws of death. Mary was led to consecrate all to
God; so in a very simple and humble way she resigned her all to Him.
"The will of God be done," she said, "whether I live or die, wake or
sleep, I am the Lord's, body, soul, mind, will, all. Have Thine own
dear way with me, Lord Jesus, work out Thy will in me. If I live I
shall be always all for Thee, if I die, I am Thine alone. Take from my
heart every selfish desire and reign, dear Jesus, on Thy royal throne
there. Purge me pure, O Christ, so pure that I can come into Thy
effulgent presence without one fear, without one sin, but instead
with great joy. I want to be able to greet Thee, blessed Christ, as
my dearest, sweetest friend without a doubt as to my entire acceptance
with Thee. Oh, come, Jesus, come in all Thy power to fully save me,
just for Thine own dear sake. Amen, amen."
Mary closed her eyes. She lay there, so quiet, as if the angel of
death had claimed her for His own. A sweet smile of satisfaction
spread over her face. It seemed some angel voice had whispered
something ineffably sweet to her. Robert hardly knew what to do or
to say. She lay there so motionless, so still, yet there was such a
sweet, holy awe, such a spiritual atmosphere, just as ii the room
were full of angels, that it seemed he could not cry. Kate Newby was
greatly affected. Her mind went back to that night in her home after
Robert Davis had made his confession.
Then there came stealing over Mary's wan face a smile that broke into
the sweetest laughter. "Praise the Lord," she said.
"Is everything well with you, Mary?" Robert asked.
"All is well," she said. "I am ready to go, if the Lord calls for me."
Mary continued very low for several days. She hung between life and
death and at times it seemed that the thread would snap and her soul
would be released. All hope of recovery had fled.
"Robert, Robert, come here," she said one day. "I feel so happy. I
wonder if I am going to die! Heaven must be a beautiful place, Robert.
I had the most wonderful dream or vision a while ago. I thought I was
in heaven and it was so rich and beautiful. I saw a little baby there;
its wings were tinted in all the colors of the rainbow and its robe
seemed to be of the finest, whitest silk. I just wanted to grasp the
dear thing, but it eluded me and flew up into one of the trees of
life.
"Robert," she continued in a low voice, "what will you and Janet do if
I die? Oh, I hate to leave you here alone. Poor little Janet, she will
never have mother's hand to smooth away the care from her brow or to
wipe the tears from her innocent eyes. I would so like to stay. Poor
little Janet! Bring her here, papa, and lay her down by my side so I
can see her, and I want to lay my hand on her sweet, velvet face."
They brought Janet and laid her down on the bed by Mary and then Mary
laid her hand over on the baby's face and caressing it softly said:
"Sweet little one, I love you. You are a part of me. Shall I leave
you in this cold world with no mama to see after you? Poor child, what
will you do? But Jesus will help you if He takes me away from you. O
Jesus, bless Janet, bless Papa, bless Kate, bless everybody."
Mary lay there so quiet again. Tears were flowing from the eyes of
everyone in the room. Robert could hardly restrain himself. He was
broken-hearted. Kate Newby burst out in a cry of sorrow and sympathy.
Then Mary, after a few moments, opened her eyes and said: "I have just
been hearing the most wonderful music. Did you hear it, Robert? It
must have been the angels, for they all had long white robes. Oh, it
was so pretty and lovely." Then she sank away again. Everyone thought
that she would soon be gone, but as night wore on she still breathed
and was no worse in the morning. The month before this sickness Robert
had hunted up one of the old religious papers which had then ceased
coming, and had sent in his subscription. Two or three copies had
already come. As Mary continued very low he had had time to read. One
day his eyes were attracted to the testimony of a woman who had been
healed. He also found a short article on healing in which it was
stated that any of the ministers of the church of God would be glad
to pray for any sick person. It was evident that Mary was beyond the
power of medicine to heal. Dr. Horton had given her up and no more
medicine was being given her.
"I wonder if any of the church of God ministers are near Bethany,"
said Robert to himself. His eyes began to run over the pages in
search of a minister close enough to send for. Then he saw a meeting
announced for Sayersville, October 1-10. Sayersville was only fifty
miles north of Bethany. The minister in charge was D.W. Monteith.
That same hour a telegram was sent as follows:
"D.W. Monteith,
Sayersville, Mo.
"Come at once Pray for my wife Very sick
"Robert Davis,
Bethany, Mo."
Robert was at the station at seven o'clock the next morning to meet
the minister. He wondered just what kind of a man a church of God
minister would be. When they met he found a plain, neat-looking man
with a kind, strong face, ready to go to the bedside of his wife.
"Be of good cheer, Brother Davis," said the minister, "the Lord has
great power. He can raise up your wife. Up at Sayersville last week
a man was thrown from a train and seriously hurt, but the Lord healed
him. Have faith in God."
Robert Davis thought he had never heard words so encouraging as those,
nor had he seen a man who entered so heartily into his burdens.
Here was a man from whom he felt the warm, free flow of Christian
fellowship.
When they drove up to the house Mary was awake.
"Mary, dear," said Robert, "this is Brother Monteith, a minister of
the church of God. He has come to pray for you."
"I'm so glad you have come, Brother," said Mary. "We need your
prayers."
"Are you all the Lord's, sister?" inquired the minister.
"Oh, yes, all the Lord's," she replied. "All given up, to go or to
stay. But I wish so much to stay. See my little baby over here."
The minister breathed a short prayer for guidance. "Is it your will to
heal her, Lord?" he prayed. He felt an answer that God would raise her
up.
Then he took out a small vial of olive oil, anointed the brow of Mary
with it, and said:
"In the name of Jesus Christ, we anoint you with this oil in
fulfillment of James 5:14,15, 'Is any sick among you? let him call for
the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing with
oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith shall save the
sick, and the Lord shall raise him up.' Now, Lord, we claim this
promise in behalf of this woman. Inspire her faith. Send Thy healing
virtue. Destroy this disease and heal her for thy glory. Amen.
"Now, sister, arise in the name of Jesus," he said gently.
The mighty power of God fell upon Mary Davis in a moment of time.
She raised up in bed, lifted her hand toward heaven and said, "I am
healed."
The news spread over the community rapidly. Several of the neighbors
had been there when she was healed. They went home telling it to all
they met. Next day several people drove up to see what had happened.
Mary was sitting up in a chair as happy as she could be and ready
to tell all comers what great things the Lord had done for her. Kate
Newby said that she was very glad that she had dropped Christian
Science. "This is real divine healing," she said.
The healing of Mary Davis made a great stir in the neighborhood.
Several preachers felt it their duty to warn people against divine
healing. It is mostly excitement, they said, when one is healed, as
Mary Davis was. Others ridiculed it. Some said that she never had been
sick, but others knew that she had been sick, and a few gave God the
praise for the work done.
But this healing attracted attention to the doctrines of holiness and
the church of God that Robert Davis had been talking about. It became
a topic of earnest discussion as to which church was right. Many were
asking, "I wonder if Davis is not right, after all, in claiming that
there should be a better, purer, more powerful, more spiritual church
than what we have here."
As for Robert Davis, he determined to have a revival conducted by
Brother Monteith.
CHAPTER TWELVE
THE REVIVAL MEETING IN BETHANY
In three weeks the church of God revival was to begin in Bethany,
according to previous arrangements made between Robert Davis and
Evangelist Monteith. Meanwhile Robert Davis studied the church
question assiduously. His study of the Bible led him to accept the
Bible name--church of God--but he knew that the right name did not
necessarily make a church right that had adopted it. The church must
be in and of itself the real church and then the name would naturally
apply to it.
When the evangelist came, Robert asked him the very first day,
"Brother Monteith, tell me about the church of God. I see by the Bible
that in the apostles' time there was one church called the church
of God, but what became of it? Where is it now? All I can see is
a multitude of churches. Can you tell me what has happened to the
apostolic church? Tell me the full history, please."
"Very well, Brother Davis, I shall do the best that I can to give you
a brief account of the church," he said. "The church of God was built
by Jesus Christ, organized and filled with power by the Holy Ghost on
the day of Pentecost, and was then sent forth on her glorious mission
of working with Christ to save a lost world.
"The first step toward world evangelism followed the persecution of
the church in Jerusalem when 'they that were scattered abroad went
everywhere preaching the word.'
"The second step was taken when Paul and Barnabas, with Mark, set
forth from Antioch in Syria on the first missionary tour of the early
church. On this tour several local churches of the general church
of God were raised up through the salvation of Jews and Gentiles in
Antioch in Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra, and other places in the Roman
provinces of Asia Minor.
"The third great step was taken when Paul and his companions, on the
second tour, crossed the Aegean to Europe and thus began the conquest
of Europe for Jesus Christ. Local churches were planted in
Philippi, Thessalonica, and Corinth, to each of which Paul wrote
epistles--Philippians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, and 1 and 2 Corinthians.
Before Paul's death he had preached in Rome, the capital of the
Roman Empire, one of the greatest empires of all time. While Paul was
establishing congregations of the one church in the West, the other
apostles were raising up local congregations elsewhere.
"Everywhere this church was known as the 'church of God.' In the
century after the apostles the name 'catholic' which means universal,
was applied to it. There was one church. Congregations embraced
thousands in some of the larger cities. Antioch in Syria is said to
have had thousands of Christians within its borders.
"What a glorious church that early church was, Bro. Davis, you have
already seen in your Scripture investigation. With the breaking forth
of the glorious light of the gospel there arose the true church of
God, spotless in her purity, glorious in her power, and adorned with
the rich graces and gifts of the Spirit. And in three hundred years
this church broke down paganism and Constantine had made Christianity
the religion of the Roman Empire.
"But this glorious church was not to remain glorious. Sad but true,
there came an apostasy foretold by the apostles. Peter foretold it (2
Pet. 2:1, 2). Paul foretold it (2 Thess. 2:3, 4). And notice how far
short some of the seven churches of Asia were before John's death
(Rev. 2 and 3). Marsh's Church History says: 'Almost proportionate
with the extension of Christianity was the decrease in the church
of vital piety. A philosophizing spirit among the higher, and a wild
monkish superstition among the lower orders, fast took the place in
the third century of the faith and humility of the first Christians.
Many of the clergy became very corrupt, and excessively ambitious. In
consequence of this, there was an awful deflection of Christianity.'
Milner's Church History says: 'And if the faith of Christ was so much
declined (and its decayed state ought to be dated from about the year
270), we need not wonder that such scenes as Eusebius hints at without
any circumstantial details took place in the Christian world.'
"When Constantine made Christianity the religion of Rome the
apostatizing processes were greatly accelerated. The constitution of
the church was patterned after that of the civil government. The Holy
Spirit had to retire from the active government of the church because
forms and legality had taken place. The Word of God ceased to have
authority, its place being taken by the laws and decrees of the
councils. The clergy arose to great power and pomp and there was a
long line of graduations made in the ministry, some of these offices
given much more authority than others."
"Is that the way the papacy was formed?" asked Robert.
"Indeed it was," said the preacher. "The chief minister of large
cities obtained control of the ministry of that city and surrounding
towns. These chief ministers were called diocesans. Ministers in still
more prominent places came to have a still wider authority and
were called metropolitans, those over large districts were called
patriarchs, and so the grasping for supremacy went on. When
the Mohammedan conquest had reduced the importance of the other
patriarchates, the conflict for supremacy lay between the Patriarch
of Rome and the Patriarch of Constantinople. At last the Patriarch of
Rome gained the greater prestige and authority and was called pope,
and became supreme head of the Western or Roman Catholic Church.
"The great apostasy lasted twelve hundred and sixty years, or until
A.D. 1530. This time was foretold in Rev. 12:6; 14-17, where the
woman, under which figure the church is presented, fled into the
wilderness for 1260 days or 'a time, and times, and half a time,' and
in chapter 13:1-10, the beast, under which figure Roman Catholicism is
represented, had power to continue 'forty and two months,' (forty-two
months) or 1260 days, which, taking the usual Biblical method of
interpreting prophetical time (see Dan. 4:25; Num. 14:34; and Ezek.
4:6) means 1260 years.
"The Roman Catholic supremacy was broken by the sixteenth-century
Reformation. The Augsburg Confession of Faith, prepared by Melanchthon
and Luther, was formed in A.D. 1530. This was the first Protestant
creed.
"Then followed the great day of Protestantism when creeds and
denominations sprang up in every direction and upon many pretenses.
God's sheep were scattered and divided, as it was foretold in Ezek.
34:11-25. The true church of Jesus Christ was lost sight of. It was
spoken of as the invisible church, while the denominations were the
visible churches. Men joined churches because they thought that it was
the right thing to do.
"About the year 1880, or 350 years after the Augsburg Confession, A.D.
1530, a deep conviction seized a number of earnest, sanctified people
that the denominational system was wrong, utterly unscriptural. They
began to preach a pure Bible church of which salvation alone makes men
members."