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
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.
BROTHER KLINE'S OPINIONS RELATIVE TO THE PRACTICE OF MEDICINE.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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