In my view, there is no passage in the Bible which requires a stronger
faith to believe it fully than the one just quoted. No passage that I
know of sets forth in such lofty terms of description the exaltation
and glory of the redeemed. Often have I heard persons express their
wonder that Jesus did not tell us more about heaven and the future
state. This text itself tells us infinitely more about this than we
are capable of comprehending. Let us think a little.
I. It tells us that we are _now_ the SONS OF GOD. To be the son of a
_rich man_ is esteemed a great boon; to be the son of a king is an
honor and fortune enjoyed by few. But what are favors like these
compared with being a son of God! No wonder John says in another
place: "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us,
that we should be called the sons of God!" Take the words of my text
all to yourself, my brother, my sister: believe it; love it; and ever
rejoice in the light of it. You desire to know how you attained to
this high distinction. I will tell you. Jesus came to you in his
blessed Word with the assurance that "as many as receive him, to them
gives he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on
his name; which are born, not of blood; nor of the will of the flesh;
nor of the will of man; but of God."
"This promise ever shall endure,
Till suns shall rise and set no more."
You received the Lord by believing on his name. This is faith. You
believed with your heart; that is, your faith was full of love, and
your love was attended and followed by obedience, and this made your
faith complete. It is yours now to rejoice in hope of the glory of
God.
II. But you can hardly believe that you are to be just like Christ. On
the mount you saw him glorified. "His face did shine as the sun, and
his outward form was white as the light." Now Paul says: "He shall
change our vile bodies that they may be fashioned like unto the body
of his glory." "Then shall the righteous shine as the sun in the
kingdom of their Father."
O brethren, let us look at the _bright_ side of the Christian's life,
for it has a bright side, and that is the side next to heaven, on
which the light of heaven forever falls. I am not unmindful of the
fact that, figuratively speaking, one side is turned to earth, and the
earth in many respects is a very dark place. On the earth-side "clouds
and darkness are the habitation of his throne;" but on the heaven-side
"the city hath no need of the sun to shine in it, for the Lord God and
the Lamb are the light thereof; and there shall be no night there."
"We are fellow-citizens with the saints [in glory], and of the
household of God." Oh, brethren, let us walk worthy of our high
calling. "Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give
thanks: for this is the will of God concerning you."
FRIDAY, September 25. Brother Kline passed through Jerome, Petersburg
and Mansfield and got to Brother John Hoover's.
MONDAY, September 28. "This evening," says he, "I am at Judge Watts's.
Having been unavoidably delayed by having to get my horse shod,
darkness overtook me five miles away from here, and nothing but a
continuation of thick woods appeared in every direction. More than
this, the wolves set up a howling in a very threatening manner. Had I
been compelled to pass the night in the woods, I would have been in
danger of being devoured by them. Whilst alone in the darkness I
thought, How quickly would these ravenous creatures fall upon and
devour an unprotected sheep! And how surely would the wolves from
Satan's den fall upon us and make a prey of our souls if Jesus, the
Good Shepherd, did not guard and protect us through the spiritual
darkness of this world! Several verses of one of Watts' old 'cradle
hymns' came to my mind whilst thinking over these things. They run
thus:
"'Once, as oppressed with sleep I lay,
With pining hunger bold,
A prowling enemy came by,
And robbed my little fold.
But Thou, Great Shepherd, dost not sleep
Nor slumber oft like me;
So that no foe can steal a sheep
Eternally from Thee.'"
TUESDAY, September 29. "This evening I am at Brother Abraham Miller's
in Allen County, Ohio. From Judge Watts's to this place is only five
miles. But how different my feelings this evening from what they were
last evening! Then I was alone in the woods, in hearing of wolves in
several directions, with darkness on every side; now I am here with my
beloved brother and his pleasant family. Oh, what will it be, what the
ineffable joy to find ourselves, some day, in heaven, eternally safe
from all danger and harm!"
Brother Kline spent the time between this and the next Sunday in
traveling and visiting.
SUNDAY, October 4, he attended a love feast at which he made some very
beautiful and appropriate remarks on Luke 4. "There is," said he,
"much of human nature set forth in this chapter. So long as Jesus
spoke of the things that pleased the assembled Jews they 'all wondered
at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth.' They applied
these gracious words to themselves, and flattered themselves into the
belief that they were 'God's favorites' on account of their inherent
virtues. But when the Lord indirectly spoke of them as starving widows
in God's sight, and filthy lepers, 'all in the synagogue were filled
with wrath.' When flowers are thrown upon the surface of a calm
lake--so the poets say--the lake is made to smile with dimples of
delight; but when heavy storms of truth are thrown in, the mud at the
bottom is stirred up, and the lake boils with filth. Brethren, let us
try to 'cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit,
perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord;' and then we will not get
angry when the truth is presented."
I would like very much to give the name of every family with which
Brother Kline passed a night throughout this entire journey, and also
the name of every brother and sister and family called on, but want of
space absolutely forbids.
October 5 and 6 were spent at a council meeting near Brother
Butterbaugh's. He does not say, but I guess this was in Montgomery
County, Ohio. The names--Samuel Fouse, David Miller, Abraham Erbaugh,
Samuel Kline, John Brower, Abraham Flory--all occur in close
connection as having been visited by him.
SUNDAY, October 11. Brother Kline attended a meeting at which he
reports Jacob Rife, John Garber, James Smith and George Miller, all
from Virginia, as being present with their families. They have come to
find homes in Ohio. They had arrived there on Friday before, which was
October 9. It may be very gratifying to the children and grandchildren
of these parents to find out the exact day on which their fathers and
mothers arrived in the county and State where they settled.
MONDAY, October 12. Meeting at Brother Hoffert's. Brother Kline spoke
to-day on Matthew 25. I can give only a slight touch of his discourse:
"This chapter," said he, "is full of wonders. The parable of the
talents; the parable of the ten virgins; and a description of the
general judgment. Both parables are intimately connected with the
judgment, and indicate the broad basis on which it will be conducted.
I believe that the virgins in the parable represent professors of
Christianity. They all had lamps. They all slumbered and slept. In
these two respects they were all alike.
"But the great difference between them at once appears, when the
announcement is suddenly made, 'Behold, the bridegroom cometh! go ye
out to meet him.' Then the folly of the foolish, and the wisdom of the
wise is first disclosed. The foolish had provided no oil for the
replenishing of their lamps. I fear they were like too many now, who,
in the heat of excitement, under the influence of misguided
instructors, blindly fall into the ranks of those who take the name of
Christ in one hand and the fashions and pleasures of the world in the
other, and thus move on through life. Alas! such have lamps that may
answer for this life, and oil enough and of a kind to keep their lamps
aglow while living in this world; but when the day of trial shall come
their lamps will prove useless for want of the right kind of oil. The
only oil that will burn in the presence of Jesus, and whose light he
will own, is the oil of heavenly love proved by a life of self-denial
and obedience to his Word. Lord, help us, that we all may love thee
more, and through obedient faith in thee find the door of heaven open
to our ransomed spirits."
WEDNESDAY, October 14. Our beloved brother now takes leave of the
brethren and sisters in Ohio and starts on his way to Tennessee. On
the fifteenth he is ferried across the river from Cincinnati to
Covington in a flatboat, and from this point he pushes on to
Lexington, Ky., which he reaches on the seventeenth, having traveled
from home to that point, 788 miles. Think of it! The toil of this
journey, on horseback; over rough or bad roads; through thinly settled
sections of country, and dark forests; in sight of Indians, and in
hearing of wolves; more than sixty years ago; and all for Christ and
a burning love for his people. Well could he say what he publicly
expressed at a love feast at the Linville's Creek meetinghouse some
years after this: "I have a house that will accommodate fifty: and a
heart to accommodate a hundred if they could find room in my house."
He pushed on, scaled the Cumberland mountains; got across the
Cumberland and Clinch rivers as best he could, as both were high from
the recent rains, and arrived
FRIDAY, October 23, at Christian Shank's, in East Tennessee. On the
day before he stood by the tree that marks the spot where the States
of Virginia and Kentucky corner on the line of Tennessee. He says: "I
could not help thinking while there, What a glorious country we have
in prospect, and what a goodly land it may come to be, if the people
can be induced to turn to the Lord and become faithful followers of
the meek and lowly Jesus. What a work we have to do! How much
wickedness have I witnessed on my way since I left home! In our way of
looking at it, enough to sink a world. By turning once around I can
look over a part of three States; but how few of the followers of the
Lord are found in each, compared with the number who know him not, and
who ask not for him."
He reports delightful weather. After spending some days among the
Bowmans, Zimmermans, Crouses, Garbers, Basehores, and others,
attending love feasts, councils and appointments for preaching, he
reports a night meeting at Hase's schoolhouse. This was on the night
of
THURSDAY, October 29. The people were somewhat Calvinistic in their
views, and his discourse was so pointed in that direction that I will
give a few thoughts presented in it.
_Sermon by Elder John Kline._
_Preached at Hase's Schoolhouse, Tennessee._
TEXT.--Enter ye in at the strait gate.--Matt. 7:13.
I tried to impress upon all present the danger of continuing in the
broad road of sin. This includes every lust of the flesh, everything
the heart desires through the eyes, and all the pride and vanity
of life. I said to this audience: I learn that there is quite a
Calvinistic or predestinarian sentiment in this community; and from
the expression of the countenances of some of you I fancy I hear some
of you saying to yourselves: "How can a dead man hear, except the Lord
first give him life; or a blind man see, except the Lord first open
his eyes?" I will answer your questions in order.
Lazarus had been dead four days. Jesus called to him with a loud voice
to "_come forth_." How could Jesus expect the dead Lazarus to hear?
Why did he call? Why did he not first make him alive; and then after
he found out that he _was alive_, and stirring round in the grave,
call to him and tell him to come out of that dark place? This is
precisely the way a Calvinist would think he ought to have done. But
Calvinism was not known in the Lord's day, and so he took a very
different way. He threw his voice into that cave, and it went right
into the ear of the dead Lazarus, because his power went with the
words, and the very instant they struck the ear of Lazarus the life
was in his body and he heard. Thunder and lightning always go
together; but Calvinists think the lightning must always be first.
The resurrection of Lazarus is a clear exemplification of our Lord's
meaning where he says: "My words are SPIRIT, and they are LIFE." No
sooner did the Lord call to Lazarus than his heart began to beat and
his lungs began to breathe. The Lord's words to him were _life_ and
_breath_. _Spirit_ [in one sense] means breath; and _life_ means a
beating of the heart; for as long as man's heart beats there is life
in him. Is any one here to-night willing to charge our Lord with the
folly, the _madness_ of commanding one of his creatures to do what he
knows he cannot do?
Sinner, if the popular view of election be correct, I have a word of
comfort for you right here. In Jer. 13:21 we read this question: "What
wilt thou say when he shall punish thee?" I will tell you what to say.
When you stand before his judgment seat and hear from his lips,
"Depart, thou cursed into everlasting fire," just say to him: "Why do
you condemn _me_? You told me to enter in at the straight gate, it is
true; but you did not give me the power to move in that direction. I
was blind, too, and you did not open my eyes. I was all leprous with
sin; I knew that all the time; but you did not cleanse me, although
you cleansed others. I am told that you say in your Word that you are
no respecter of persons; how then can you make such a difference in
your treatment of men, when you have 'included all under sin?'"
Now I say to you, poor sinner, the Lord never will and he never can
send you to hell with such questions in your mouth and in your heart.
There is no need of one sinner under the sound of my voice going to
hell, because Jesus is the STRAIT GATE and he is the NARROW WAY OF
LIFE; and wherever his Gospel is preached his power goes with it, just
as it went with his voice into the grave of Lazarus, or fell upon the
bier of the widow's son. The blind man did not see until he went to
the pool of Siloam and washed; but did not the power of Christ go with
him?
Say not then, O sinner, "I have not the power to believe, repent and
obey the Gospel." You have the power. God is giving you now, this very
moment, all the power you need to reach hither your hand and take the
gift of his grace. He has already opened your eyes to see the light of
his truth; and were I to say to you this night that you are too dead
to feel your duty; too blind to see the path; and too grossly ignorant
to know your right hand from your left hand in spiritual things, you
would feel yourself grossly insulted by me. But I do not say so; I do
not believe so; and in this connection--and I beg you to think
seriously upon it, to read the Bible and pray over it--I must repeat
the language of Jeremiah: "What wilt thou SAY, when he shall punish
thee?"
SUNDAY, November 1. Meeting and love feast at Bowman's meetinghouse.
This was Brother Kline's last meeting with the Tennessee Brethren on
this visit among them. I must extend the outlines of his discourse as
it was his last among them for some years.
_A Short Discourse by Elder John Kline._
TEXT.--He died for all, that they which live should no longer live
unto themselves, but unto him, who, for their sakes, died and rose
again.
This was Christ. Our natural feelings and desires are selfish. Jesus
has given us the clearest example of unselfish love the universe has
ever witnessed. "For God commendeth his love to us"--that is, he shows
the exceeding greatness of it--"in that, when we were enemies, Christ
died for us." I do not believe that we ever, in this world, can fully
understand the merits of our Savior's life, death and resurrection.
Enough for us to know that he has opened a "new and living way" by
which we may come back to our heavenly Father and be his children
again.
Do you know that Adam was a son of God? Luke calls him so. But he,
like Esau after him, sold his birthright, lost the divine image in
which God had created him, and fell from his sonship. But now we read:
"He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how
shall he not, with him also, freely give us all things?" The phrase,
"all things," as here used, includes a restoration to our former
sonship with God. We, as the children of God, are exhorted to follow
in the steps of our blessed Lord. This not only means that we are to
shun evils and bear reproach, but it also means that we are not to
live unto ourselves and for ourselves alone, but unto him and his
people; for "He went about doing good."
John says: "We love him because he first loved us." We, who are here
assembled in his name, can truthfully repeat this language. But how do
we prove to ourselves and the world that we DO love him? It is by
letting our light shine. Men do not light a candle and put it under a
bushel. A city on a hill cannot be hid. Brethren, I hope we have all
made clean "the INSIDE of the cup and the platter;" for this is the
only way in which the outside can be kept clean. A pure life flows out
of a _clean_ heart, and it can come from no other source. We show our
love to the Lord by observing his ordinances: by baptism, by washing
one another's feet, by partaking with each other of the Lord's Supper,
by communing with him in his broken body and shed blood, symbolized by
the bread and wine: next, in "denying ourselves of all ungodliness and
worldly lusts, and living soberly, righteously, and godly in this
present world."
Think on this last text a little bit. "Soberly" means _calmly sincere_;
not moved by fits of excitement. "Righteously" means _doing right_;
right toward God by obedience, and right toward men in our dealings
with them and in our influence upon them. Many a brother has ruined
his power for good by not being _watchful_. He told "jokes." He
delighted in frivolous, trifling things. He put on a square face at
church, to be sure; but a little disappointment would lengthen it
fearfully, and a little fun or glee would broaden it out of all
Christian shape.
For the benefit of such and all, I will define the last but _not
least_ word in the apostle's category--"godly." Brethren, this means
LIKE God; and it includes all the rest, for "God is love." To abide in
God is to live in holy, heavenly love. "Abide in me, and I in you."
Wonderful, wonderful words! This is heaven on earth.
The apostle says: "We have been made to sit together in heavenly
places in Christ Jesus." A beautiful figure. We sit in the sun, or in
sunny places, when the light of the sun falls upon us in that
position. We sit in heaven, or in heavenly places, when the light of
heaven with its love falls full into our souls. I feel like giving
utterance to the emotion of my heart in that sweet old love-song of
ours:
"My willing soul would stay
In such a place as this;
And sit and sing herself away,
To everlasting bliss.
"Here the Redeemer's voice
Sheds heavenly peace around;
And life and everlasting joys
Attend the blissful sound."
And now I will close in the words of Paul's valedictory to the saints
at Corinth: "Finally, brethren, farewell: Be of good comfort; be of
one mind; live in peace. And the God of love and peace shall be with
you." Amen!
TUESDAY, November 3. Our beloved brother started on his homeward way
down the Valley of Virginia. He passed through Abingdon, Salem,
Lexington and Staunton, and on
TUESDAY, November 10, he reached home after an absence of two months
to the day. He says: "I have been absent from home just two months to
the day; and in this time I have traveled on horseback 1,317 miles.
With much thankfulness to our Father in heaven, do I recount my
protection and preservation through the dangers and toils of
traveling; the strength and support given me in preaching the Word;
and the great joy I have had in meeting so many dear brethren and
sisters in the Lord. Amen!"
Thus closes one of the most remarkable missionary tours on record. One
would feel sad to think that no memorial should be reared in
commemoration of it. But the heart finds relief in the thought that
this book will perpetuate the memory of it to future generations, as a
tale that will never grow old.
Brother Kline spent the remainder of the year about home; in visiting
the sick; in attending to his domestic interests; and in preaching at
the different appointments in the district. The Brethren at this time
had but few houses of worship. They consequently held meetings in the
dwelling houses of Brethren; some of which had been constructed with
an eye to that end.