“I cried to God, 'This poor man cried, and God heard him.' I rose to my
feet, sobered and in my right mind. I gave the bottle to Brother Bratz,
and when I got out on the street I threw away my cigarettes and tobacco,
and from that day to this I have not touched or tasted either liquor or
tobacco. The next morning my hand was as steady as it is this minute.
While I was wondering what to do, a rap came to the door. It was the
saloon man's messenger, telling me to come and finish my job. I was
weak, but I was praying. In the meantime Satan was giving me the battle
of my life. The devil is a hard loser. He said, 'Well, if God could keep
Daniel in the lions' den, and the Hebrews in the fiery furnace, He could
surely keep you in the saloon.'
“But God has done better than that for me. He has kept me out of the
saloon. In my distress of mind as to whether I should finish that job or
go for my tools, I picked up my wife's Bible and I opened at these
words, 'Fear not, for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy
name, thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters I will be with
thee, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee; when thou
walkest through the fire thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the
flame kindle upon thee.' It was a message straight from heaven to my
soul. I so accepted it.
“I never finished the job. I never went after my tools, and from that
day to this I have not entered a saloon. Satan has camped on my trail
many times. I have had trials and temptations, but God has delivered me
from the sins of the flesh, whisky, tobacco and their accompanying sins.
No man who has been a drunkard can ever again safely use tobacco. An
experience of ten years in mission work, where I have seen thousands of
souls born into the kingdom, convinces me that the convert who retains
tobacco will surely slip back. Christ's redeeming blood cleanses from
all sin.
“I was a good workman and I soon had permanent work. I never failed to
make the arrangement before I entered into a contract that I was not to
be expected to enter a saloon or any other disreputable place.”
That was Mr. Kline's testimony, and I would like to say for him that God
greatly uses him and his testimony to bring fallen men back to God. He
is an acceptable preacher of righteousness in almost any pulpit in this
city, and he has done acceptable evangelistic work in many large eastern
cities. His presence in the Gospel Mission, we believe, is helpful to
all the men who come under its roof. He is an honored member of the
Luther Memorial Church.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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