How I love her memory! My Bible was her parting gift to me, and in
it she marked the text: 'In all thy way acknowledge Him, and He
shall direct thy paths.' She passed on to me the method that
governed her own life.
In nothing did Kate Lee show her likeness to her Lord more than in her
practical unselfishness. He wanted nothing from the world. He came to
give Himself to save it. It was so with her. A woman so popular could
have drawn to herself the homage and service of the crowd; but here she
stood aloof. She welcomed, indeed she sought, gifts and service for the
work of The Army and the poor, but she wanted nothing for herself. When
she and her lieutenant were so pressed with work that they scarcely had
time to eat their food, her eye would rove over the corps, and she would
select a girl whom she felt had a true appreciation of the Kingdom of
God, and ask her if she would like to come to the quarters to help with
the house-work, so that the officers might be freer for soul-saving. Many
a girl counts it the honour of her life to have shared that saintly
woman's home, sat at her table, joined in the prayers, and done the work
of the house. The Adjutant and lieutenant paid her out of their small
allowance.
To her soldiers, Kate Lee delighted to preach the doctrine of Full
Salvation from sin, and greatly she rejoiced over those who entered into
this glorious experience of freedom and power.
One comrade, who had been a Salvationist for twenty-seven years, a
white-haired, sweet-spirited man, enjoyed his religion in the corps, but
was little more than a cypher as a soldier. In a holiness meeting, while
the Adjutant spoke from the text, 'Not by might, nor by power, but by My
Spirit, saith the Lord,' the old soldier saw in a moment of revelation,
that if he were thoroughly yielded to God and obedient to the heavenly
vision, the Holy Spirit would cleanse him from sin, and, despite his lack
of personality, and very ordinary qualities, would empower him for
service. He went forward to the holiness table, seeking this experience.
Attached to the corps was a young men's Bible class languishing for want
of a leader. A few evenings after his consecration, the Adjutant told
this comrade that she wished him to take over the class. The habit of
years strong upon him, he began to plead his unfitness; but inwardly
reminded of his covenant with God, went away to pray and returned to say
he was ready for service.
He laid hold upon those lads. Many young men, as officers, soldiers, and
bandsmen, bless the day that Brother Fenwick claimed them for God. They
are the fruit of his service.
The Adjutant was as watchful to help souls convicted of the need of a
clean heart as to capture the unsaved. A sister writes:--
I am indebted to Kate Lee for leading me into the blessing of entire
sanctification. Attending a tent campaign she had inaugurated, after
her address setting forth the experience of holiness, she asked
those in the congregation who were living up to that standard to
rise. Condemnation filled my soul. I arose, but only to slip out of
the tent by a far door. The Adjutant noticed the move, and met me as
I was making my escape. Then she laboured until I knelt in full
surrender, yielding my all to God. One of my chief difficulties was
to wear Army uniform, but that was included in my consecration, and
from the putting on of my first Army bonnet, nearly twenty years
ago, I have been proud to witness for Christ in this way.
As a spiritual surgeon with skill in diagnosis, Kate Lee excelled. A
sergeant-major of great devotion and good cheer fell into deep spiritual
depression. No amount of pulling himself together or shaking free of the
dumps, availed anything. He became as miserable as when first convicted
of sin. 'But why?' he asked himself the question over and over. 'I love
God with all my heart; I am fully consecrated to His service; then what
is amiss?' No reply. To a Watch-Night service this man came, under a vow
not to leave his knees until he discovered the reason of this cloud and
obtained deliverance.
During the meeting, he, the chief local officer of the corps, made
confession before his comrades and knelt at the holiness table. The
Adjutant sought to discover his difficulty. 'Sergeant-Major, have you a
grudge against any person? Now, think carefully.' The man was silent,
searching his heart. Presently he replied, 'You have found the spot.'
Years before, a man had deceived him in a matter of business, thereby
bringing much trial into his home. By dogged, hard work, the material
loss had been overtaken, and the affair forgotten. But there it lay in
his heart. The remembrance of the man's name brought with it feelings of
resentment and contempt. 'Lord, forgive me for my hardness of heart
toward that man as I now forgive him,' he cried. 'Cleanse my soul from
every stain of sin and fill me with perfect love.' In an instant the
cloud lifted from his soul, and his heart was filled with singing. That
was a remarkable Watch-Night service. Other battles were fought and won,
and not until two o'clock on New Year's morning did the meeting close,
with a final burst of praise, and with renewed consecration to fight for
souls during the coming year.
Dr. Garfield Carse, of Sunderland, became a soldier of the Sunderland
corps, and entered upon his medical career there, during the Adjutant's
term. He says:--
Adjutant Lee was a great advocate of holiness. She preached the
doctrine and lived the life. That was the key to her success. Her
theme expressed in many ways was, 'Put off the old man, and put
on Jesus Christ. Live so that your life reminds people of His
life.' She was a great spiritual help to me; understanding the
claims of a busy man, she would drop into my surgery and say, 'I
have come to visit you for five minutes.' She would read from
the Bible, a few choice verses that had refreshed her own soul
that day, and then would kneel and pray for me that I might
represent Christ in my particular sphere. She was a great woman!
An old local officer illustrates her meekness, when as a young officer
she was impulsive and arrived at quick conclusions on incomplete
evidence. 'She believed I had done a wrong, and wanted me to ask
forgiveness of people who were themselves in the wrong, but made a fair
showing. I said, 'No,' and kept to it. She did not turn bitter towards
me, nor 'turn me down,' but was kind and sorry. By and by she saw she had
been mistaken in her judgment, and said sweetly, 'Ah, yes, I see I was
wrong that time.'
Says another, 'What I thought she was when she came to us, I was sure
that she was when she went away.'
Kate Lee had a settled conviction that 'the servant of the Lord must not
strive.' A comrade says:--
If misunderstood, she would not justify herself, even in a way
that seemed wise to me. She would not attempt to hold her own.
She would stand up for others or for principle; but for herself,
she trusted the Lord to bring forth her righteousness as the
light, and her judgment as the noonday. She would say, 'It
doesn't pay to contend for self, dear. It ruffles one's spirit
and lessens one's influence. We must stoop to conquer.' I was
impetuous and hot before I knew her, but her life taught me the
meaning of the beatitude, 'Blessed are the meek, for they shall
inherit the earth.'
During the last year of her life, Satan gathered his forces for a last
onslaught upon Kate Lee's soul. She was stationed at the International
Training Garrison in London, and her health continuing to be frail, a
change was thought to be desirable for her. Therefore, she was appointed
to take charge of the Home of Rest for Officers at Ramsgate. Only once
before had she found it difficult to trust God concerning an appointment.
As to her health, she was quite prepared to die at her post, but to leave
the work of training those cadets for the field-work which she understood
so well and loved with such a passion--could it be the will of God?
For some weeks the clear shining of her faith and joy suffered an
eclipse. She maintained a calm exterior, but, in sore spiritual distress,
sent for an old, trusted comrade to come and see her. This officer tells
of a very sacred interview:--
When it was convenient for us to have a quiet time in her room,
she turned upon me a face marked with intense suffering. She
said, 'I cannot feel this is God's will, and so I cannot be
happy. I have never felt like this before in all my experience.'
'But, Katy, what have we always preached? Don't we still believe
that a soul, really committed to God, cannot be moved, cannot be
hurt, except by His permission? He knows you are here. If, to
give up the thing you love best in life, is His test for you,
can't you trust Him and not take it from man, but from Him, and
say, "Thy will be done"?'
Much searching communion passed between the sister-comrades, and at last
in answer to the question, 'Can you not just now take life from God, just
as you have done for thirty years?' Kate replied with decision, 'Why, of
course I can, and _I will_.' Then the comrades rejoiced together,
knelt in prayer, and when they rose, peace had returned to Kate's heart
and shone out of her eyes. 'She looked ten years younger,' says her
comrade. 'I had an appointment to keep and she some shopping to do. She
took a basket on her arm and tripped down the street with me as gaily as
the girl she was when I first knew her.'
Shortly orders came to proceed to Headquarters. She was needed for
training work in another part of the world.
Then, sudden, unexpected illness brought her face to face with eternity.
After the doctor who gave the verdict had departed, the little maid went
to Kate Lee's room to see if she needed anything and found her in tears.
'Leave me a little while,' she said.
Alone with her Lord, Kate Lee realized many things. There was no mistake.
Gently her Heavenly Father had been loosening her hold on the sword here,
in preparation for higher service. This last trial of faith had been
allowed that she might know at the end of her career, as at the
beginnings of her service, that she chose the will of God before her own
way. By-and-by the little maid, with leaden sorrow dragging at her heart,
crept back to the Staff-Captain's door. She started as she met Kate's
gaze. It was full of unutterable peace and joy. She smiled and stretched
out her hands. 'It is all well. God's will is peace,' she said. From that
time until the end, only a few days later, except for the heat of the
furnace of suffering, Satan's fiery darts missed the mark. Kate had faced
and overcome the last attack of the enemy. She won through to the end.