In Membership with the Church.
As soon as Abe Lockwood found the Lord, he felt it was his duty and
privilege to unite himself with the people of God, and he therefore
lost no time in seeking membership.
THE METHODIST NEW CONNEXION at that time had no chapel in Berry Brow,
but conducted prayer-meetings, and held a weekly class in a cottage
somewhere in the village. Abe knew these humble, earnest people, and
felt drawn towards them by strong sympathy; he was sure he could feel
at home among them, and they would be of very great assistance to him
in building up his Christian character. What made him all the more
willing to throw in his lot among them, was the fact that some of them
had frequently shown an interest in his spiritual welfare before he
became converted, and had endeavoured to induce him to attend their
meetings; and now when they all knew the change that had taken place in
him, they were the first to go after him and offer him the right hand
of fellowship,--so he at once united himself heart and hand to their
little band.
It would be well if that zeal and watching for souls, which
characterized the early Methodists, were more frequently displayed
among their successors; how many who are now merely hovering outside
the Christian Church, afraid to run after the pleasures of sin, ashamed
to avow themselves in quest of salvation, would be brought to decision,
and enabled to lead a happy and useful life.
There are many thus hanging on the skirts of almost every Church,
waiting to be gathered up, and shame on the members who quietly and
indifferently permit this! It must not be; men's souls are too
precious to be trifled with; they have _cost too much_ for us to allow
them to starve and die on our doorstep; open the door, put forth your
hand, draw them kindly, but firmly, into the family of the Lord; few of
them will have heart to resist such efforts to save them; but if they
do, then go out to them, stay with them, persuade and entreat them,
pray for them, pray on and on, and in the end you will prevail. We
want more of this watching and waiting for souls in Churches; may God
lay these souls on our hearts!
Abe became a member of the Methodist New Connexion in Berry Brow when
it could scarcely be considered a Church, inasmuch as neither Christian
sacrament nor preaching services were established there: it was merely
a class belonging to the society in Huddersfield. That class, however,
was the living germ out of which was in due time developed a strong and
flourishing Church, having now a commodious chapel, and also an
excellent Sunday School, in which are growing up hundreds of
interesting children, who will some day be a blessing to the
neighbourhood, and an honour to the Church of Christ.
To this little band of disciples our friend Abe was a most valuable
addition; not that either then or afterwards he brought them wealth,
for he was always poor, but because he contributed a zealous, praying
spirit, and encouraged the little flock to fresh exertions.
He was no sooner admitted among them, than he began to exercise his
talents in prayer-meetings, and although he sometimes got confused in
his utterances, he didn't care much, for he used to say, "Th' Lord
knows what I mean, and He can soort th' words, and put 'em in their
roight places; bless Him, He can read upsoide daan, or insoide aat."
But time and constant exercise made a wonderful improvement in this
respect, and as Abe felt less difficulty in uttering what he meant, he
also experienced less restraint of spirits, and began to show himself
in his own peculiar style.
He had a way of responding to almost everything that was prayed for,
and interlacing remarks, and sometimes explanations, when he thought
them necessary. Possibly these comments were more to himself than for
any one else, and were often made quite unconsciously--a kind of
thinking aloud. A rather amusing instance is given where Abe's notes
of explanation were called forth. It appears that one night the weekly
prayer-meeting was conducted as usual in the cottage of one of the
members. Abe was there among a number of others, and they were having
a very lively time together. As one after another engaged in earnest
intercession at the throne of grace, the feelings of all present became
very elevated, and they shouted for joy. At length, while one brother
was praying, another got so happy that he could remain on his knees no
longer. Springing to his feet, therefore, he began to jump, and in one
of his upward movements he brought his head into sudden and violent
contact with a basket of apples, which hung by a nail to the ceiling;
the basket oscillated a time or two, then slipped over the head of the
nail, and spilt its contents on the head of the man that was praying.
This singular event was deemed by him a sufficient reason for
suspending his exercises, and opening his eyes to ascertain the cause.
As soon as Abe observed the suspension of prayer, he exclaimed, "Pray
on, lad! it's nobbut th' owd woman's apple-cart upset," on receiving
which timely exposition of the state of things, the good man resumed
his intercessions, and the meeting returned to its former happy flow of
feeling. The time came when Abe was looked upon as the life and soul
of these little meetings: his quaint sayings, his earnest prayers, his
happy experience, always animated and strengthened those who were
present, and made the meetings real means of grace. Then Abe was
always there; he could be relied upon whoever might fail, so that they
all began to depend upon him, look to him, and follow him, till, almost
without knowing it, he had become greatly responsible for the spiritual
life of the little flock in Berry Brow, and mainly instrumental in
laying the foundations of the cause there, which has now grown to very
interesting and influential proportions.