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
"Nothing, either great or small;
Nothing have I now to do:
Jesus died and paid it all,
Long time ago."
This would surely be getting salvation at a cheap rate. There is in
this no "trial of faith, more precious than gold," no "cleansing of
the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord."
This means receiving the crown without bearing the cross. But the
early Christians were never soothed with such sedatives. On the
contrary, they were admonished to count the cost. Some of the items in
this cost were "_self-denial, no certain dwelling place_," _the loss
of all things, persecutions, fiery trials, bonds, imprisonments,
death_. They were not taught to regard the church as a cradle in which
their spiritual infancy was to be rocked, but as being a camp for
soldiers, with stout hearts and strong sinews, ready to do battle for
the Lord. They were therefore exhorted to put on the whole armor of
God: and their baptismal vow was the act of putting this armor on
publicly, and their enrollment in the Lord's host, prepared for the
great conflict. They were expected from that hour forth to "fight the
good fight of faith," and the battle hymn that flowed out of the heart
of every baptized believer of that day was, in spirit if not in form,
the same that some of us are still ready to sing:
"Sure I must fight, if I would reign;
Increase my courage, Lord:
I'll bear the cross, endure the pain,
Supported by thy Word."
I would rejoice if I could here, this night, be the means of melting
the ice that binds the hearts of some halfway believers, and if the
angel would trouble the sluggish pool in others. May God help you,
friends, to feel a sense of your duty, and, like these honest
Samaritans named in the text, "believe the things spoken concerning
the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, and be baptized, both
men and women."
Brother Kline was actively engaged in preaching and visiting the sick
professionally as a physician to the close of the year. He traveled in
the year 1853, 4,411 miles.
I find it impossible to trace all the visits to distant churches and
families made by Brother Kline, and keep this book within the limits
of a suitable size. I therefore omit much which might be of interest.
FRIDAY, March 3. Council at the old meetinghouse above Harrisonburg.
SATURDAY, March 4. Council closes. Night meeting in Dayton, Virginia.
I speak from Psalm 144:11, 12: "Rid me, and deliver me from the hand
of strange children, whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand
is a right hand of falsehood: that our sons may be as plants grown up
in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished
after the similitude of a palace."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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