Birth of a Reformation; Or, The Life and Labors of Daniel S. WarnerByers, A. L. (Andrew L.)
Religion
Birth of a Reformation; Or, The Life and Labors of Daniel S. Warner
Byers, A. L. (Andrew L.)
Church of God (Anderson, Ind.) -- History; Warner, D. S. (Daniel Sidney), 1842-1895
Little did he realize, when giving this invitation and bold promise
of such benefit to all who should have any need of the divine favor,
that Satan would come also with various forms of deception and
attempt to divert the reformation movement into false channels and to
so confuse the truth with clouds of error and fanaticism that men may
not see it.
The meeting began on Friday evening at Conlay Bethel, some distance
in the country from Bucyrus. Saturday, the second day, was appointed
a fast day. The first conflict came with some elements of fanaticism
manifested by three men from Van Wert and Paulding Counties, who
believed it wrong to wear collars, collar buttons, lace, eye-glasses,
etc., and confessed that they came to the meeting purposely to make
Brother Warner and the other saints take off these things. They were
a great interruption of the meeting until Brother Warner finally
rebuked them. After this they feigned great humility. They prostrated
themselves on three sides of the table behind which Brother Warner
was preaching, and would moan and groan during his discourse.
On Saturday evening the meeting was moved to the hall at Annapolis.
Here another element was met. L. H. Johnson, who published in Toledo
a paper called the Stumbling Stone, had arrived and even before the
evening service began had mounted a wagon and begun to teach his
false doctrine. He rejected the New Testament ordinances and also
opposed sanctification as a second work of grace, though he was
also on the anti-sectarian line. He was very bold to break in on
the meeting with his harangue against the true way, which he did
particularly on Sunday. On Sunday evening the saints, wishing to
get away from the confusing and delusive elements, withdrew to a
private house where they felt they had escaped from the atmosphere
impregnated with devils, and where the meeting continued victoriously
all night--until 5 A.M. On the next day, Monday, at 1 P.M. the
meeting was held at another private house. This time the deceiving
elements appeared and undertook to get the upper hand. The saints,
being forbidden in the Scriptures to have any fellowship with devils,
withdrew to another room, where the meeting progressed peacefully.
One sister ventured to stay in the room occupied by the false
teachers. She was suddenly seized by the awful powers of darkness and
she felt she was lost. To a sister who came to her she said, "Oh,
I feel so bad; take me to the altar!" She was led to the saints'
apartment, where she bowed at the altar and soon began to manifest
a frightful appearance. She jerked and cried, "I have a devil;
stay away from me!" Her face blackened and twitched with frightful
contortions, her eyes glared, her tongue darted out like a serpent's,
and when any one approached her, she would spit and claw furiously.
Hands were laid on her and she was instantly delivered and clothed in
her right mind.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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