The Angel Adjutant of "Twice Born Men"Carpenter, Minnie Lindsay Rowell
Religion
The Angel Adjutant of "Twice Born Men"
Carpenter, Minnie Lindsay Rowell
Lee, Kate; Salvation Army
In order to promote a spirit of prayer in a corps, the Adjutant's plan
was to form a prayer league. She chose the most spiritual amongst her
soldiers and adherents, and pledged them to spend a portion of each day
in prayer for an outpouring of the Spirit of God upon the corps and town.
These comrades became a great strength in the battles for souls which
developed. At some of her corps a few of these comrades remained in a
room praying during the whole of the service on Sunday night; and when
the prayer meeting began, they quietly made their way to either side of
the penitent-form; their earnest pleading for the unsaved having much to
do with the victories gained. Others were formed into a "Fishing
Brigade." [Footnote: Salvationists selected to speak personally with
those likely to be brought to decision for Christ.] These were posted
about the hall, and, at a given signal in the prayer meeting, moved
amongst the unsaved and urged them to decision.
Soldier-making was Adjutant Lee's object. A full penitent-form meant
little to her unless the kneeling penitents became fighters for God. To
this end she visited, and 'nursed' and trained and commanded--and with
good results. But while she had a keen eye for the new recruit, she
mourned and battled for the deserters. She had taken to her heart the Old
General's counsel on this score, part of which reads:--
The Field Officer must watch against heart backsliding. When soldiers
drop off from knee-drill; when they are not found in the ranks in bad
weather; when they no longer remain to the prayer meetings; when they
come only now and then to the week-night services; and when they
cease to testify as frequently, heartily, and definitely as in former
days, the F.O. should conclude there is something wrong; decay has
commenced. He should deal with such at once, and give them no rest.
No officer should refuse to seek the restoration of a backslider
because of the disgrace he has brought upon the corps by his falling
into old ways; old habits of drunkenness or uncleanness, fighting or
thieving, or any other vulgar form of sin. The F.O. should consider
the shame of the man himself, if he is permanently left to rot in
the ditch of corruption, and the sorrows that burden the heart of
His Master, for one for whom He has given His precious Blood.
Heart backsliders or open backsliders were all the same to her--deserters
to be followed down and brought back to loyal service. One tells that he
had been away from the fight for six years. She heard of him by a casual
remark one comrade made to another, got his address and surprised his
home by a visit.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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