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
I see you are interested to know how all this turned out. I will tell
you very briefly. About two years after the above occurrence the
lady's father met with a very serious accident, in which his leg was
broken and his body otherwise injured. His recovery was slow. When he
could begin to sit up a little he thought what a comfort it would be
to have his daughter's company, if she still were as she once had
been.
Waiving all this, he resolved to ask her to come back home. She had
been with her uncle all this while. Having returned home in compliance
with her father's request, she showed him all the kindness and
attention in her power. One day, when the two were alone together in
the room, he asked her what had induced her to treat him as she had
done. Her tearful eyes and gentle words, as she told him of the love
of Christ which had constrained her to do as she had done, of the joy
and consolation she felt in his service, of her bright hope of bliss
with angels and glorified saints in heaven so impressed him that he
listened with rapt attention. He had never been so talked to before.
From this time on, up to his complete recovery, conversations on the
subject of religion were of daily occurrence; and I am happy to say
that they resulted in deep and godly repentance on his part, which
effected a reconciliation to his daughter and her minister forever.
My dear, unconverted friends, the enmity between you and your God,
like the enmity of this father towards his daughter, is all on one
side, and that is _your_ side. No steps are needed to reconcile God to
man. No such steps ever have been needed, because God holds no enmity
in his heart towards men. His words of invitation, "Come unto me, and
I will give you rest," mean love, love to the guilty. "If any man
thirst, let him come unto me and drink," means love. His bleeding
heart on the cross, and his bleeding hands, and his bleeding feet and
his side, all, all mean love. He ever loves you, and asks you to be
reconciled to him. He is not visibly here now, but he has committed to
his faithful ministers this word of reconciliation; and as a very
humble one of their number I take up the refrain, and in the words of
my text I say to you and to all: "Now then, I am an ambassador for
Christ, as though God did beseech you by me: I pray you in Christ's
stead, be ye reconciled to God."
ELDER JOHN KLINE AND ISAAC LONG VISIT PENNSYLVANIA.
THURSDAY, August 12, the two brethren started on their journey. They
attended council meeting at the Flat Rock. Here they took leave of the
Brethren, and started on a journey that was to occupy about five
weeks. Brother Kline, as was his custom when his spirit stirred him to
go on a journey of this kind, had sent many appointments ahead; and
many were eagerly expecting and hopefully awaiting his arrival.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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