Life and Labors of Elder John Kline, the Martyr Missionary: Collated from his Diary by Benjamin FunkKline, John
Religion
Life and Labors of Elder John Kline, the Martyr Missionary: Collated from his Diary by Benjamin Funk
Kline, John
Kline, John, 1797-1864
"But, Brethren beloved, let us inquire a little as to whether the
church, our own church I mean, needs to be made over anew, or as we
may say, needs to be renovated. Can any brother or sister in this
house say: 'I am just as pure in heart as I desire to be. My faith
never grows weak; my love never grows cold. I am as innocent and pure
in all my affections and thoughts as a little child. I have no
jealousy or envy in my soul. I never get angry, or think of wishing
evil to any one. I have the spirit of Christ in me in all perfection,
and have purified myself even as he is pure'? I repeat the question
with emphasis, Is there a soul in this house who can truthfully say
all this? I can answer boldly that there is not, for it is not given
to man away down in his imperfect state here to have such sinless
perfection. The most heavenly-minded amongst us have often to mourn
over our shortcomings; and the holiest man or woman, looking into his
or her own heart with an eye filled with the light of gospel truth,
can but at the best say, with the poor publican: 'God be merciful to
me a sinner.'
"But there is a day coming when all things shall be made new, and we
shall be made new with the rest. I do not want to be understood here,
however, as believing that God will in any sense force his renewing
power upon any one; or that this renewing power will be enjoyed in the
world to come by any but such as earnestly desired it here. I believe
that when we get into the other life our eyes will open to such clear
visions of the beauty of holiness and the excellencies of heavenly
love, all thoughts of evil will be rejected with a repugnance
something like what we would feel here by having the most offensive or
poisonous substance thrust into our mouth. It is declared concerning
the New Jerusalem that nothing shall enter therein that defileth, or
worketh abomination, or maketh a lie. Nothing shall enter therein that
defileth. Our Lord has graciously told us the things that defile a
man. He says: 'Evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
thefts, covetousness, wickedness, lasciviousness, an evil eye,
blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these evil things come from within,
and defile the man.' Now, these are the Lord's own words; and they
enable us to understand just what is meant by the words, 'nothing
shall enter therein that defileth.'
"Now, Brethren, when the angels that meet us at the gate of the Golden
City shall take of the blood of the Lamb, and, with gentle hands, wash
away every stain of defilement from the sins here enumerated, and we,
thus cleansed, find ourselves safe, forever safe, within its blessed
walls, will we not shout and say: 'Behold! all things have become
new'?"
Stay nineteenth night with Brother Eli Dickey. We are now in Ashland
County, Ohio. Heavy rains to-day, and waters very high.
MONDAY, May 22. Pass through Richland County, and stay twentieth night
with Brother Samuel Shaffner, four miles from Bucyrus in Crawford
County.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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