Steve P. Holcombe, the Converted Gambler: His Life and WorkAlexander, Gross
Religion
Steve P. Holcombe, the Converted Gambler: His Life and Work
Alexander, Gross
Holcombe, Steve P., 1835-; Methodists -- United States -- Biography
I have now charge of a chapel, and have preached two sermons up there
this week, one Sunday night and one Thursday night. I preached on the
Prodigal Son the other night. I have held seven or eight services up
there. I hold forth here at the Mission one night in the week--that is
Tuesday night. I never killed anybody; have never won a thousand dollars
at cards; and I never was in the gutter. I was a refined tippler. I was
a leader of society all these years, as everybody who knows me is aware.
I was prominent in social life and prominent in church life before I was
an infidel, previous to 1874, and a member of the vestry of Advent
church here. I kept up my acquaintances. All the drinking I did was
with the tony men, at the high-typed, tony saloons. I am now a
communicant of Calvary church. I am a lay reader, and, for the present,
have charge of Campbell-street chapel. I go up there two nights a week.
I was going up to Campbell street, the other evening, to hold service
and I met Bishop Dudley, who was going up to Trinity to confirm a class,
and he asked me where I was going. I told him I was going over to
Campbell street to hold service. He asked me who did my singing. I said
I did all the preaching and singing myself.
The sum of it is, I felt that mine was a bad case; I had been struggling
for two years and a half to rid myself of this appetite, by making to
myself all kinds of promises day after day, but was unable to do it; I
said to myself, "Mine is a bad case--an aggravated case--and it needs
heroic treatment. I can say I will quit drinking. I can go and kneel
down and feel very well about it; but the question is, whether I would
not go back to the same old way of living; and I reflected that I might
be renewed or regenerated--if the Lord created me, He could re-create
me--to the man He had made and created in His own image, if he believed,
He could give back his manhood; would re-create him and give him a new
birth." I felt that, and felt that I must make a public confession. Mine
was a bad case, and there was only one way to cure me--a public
confession before God and the world, and a prayer for strength to make
me live up to that profession--and when I made that profession, I felt
relieved.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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