West Chowan
BAPTIST MESSENGER
Volume 1.
Winton, N. C., August 1, 1906.
Number 4.
" Pentecost in PadncaK --
OVER ft THOUSAND ADDITIONS
Rev. W. W. Hamilton. Th. D.
One of the remarkable meeting's
•which historj’ chronicles is just
coming to a close. It began Nov
ember 19,1905, and closed March 19,
1906, a period of four months, or
120 days. Bro. Gordon W. Hill
preached the first ten days and then
iremained to t)i§-y}d assisting Bro.
■Geo. C. Catf- together with
the pastor, d/ . John S. Cheek,
liave been leachng the meeting.
There have been about a thousand
additions to the First Baptist
church, 775 for baptism and possi
bly 500 to other churches in P^idu-
cah, besides manj’ who have uniteo
with churches in other places in
i'veiituck3' and in other states.
There have been conversions and
additions every da5’ except one since
Bro. Cates began the work, about
500 having been already baptized.
For three month everyone who
came to the Sunday School has been
saved. There were 102 additions
Christmas week, 105 New Year's
week, 110 the fourteenth week and
35 one daj’. On one Fridaj’, when
the leaders were in doubt about con
tinuing, Bro. Cates was led to ask
God to show if he wanted the work
to go on b}’ doubling and then re
doubling the results. There had
been five additions Frida3’, on Sat-
urdaj' there were ten and on Sun-
■da}' twenty.
THINGS M.\I)E PROMINENT
Many things have been prominent
in this great work of grace, but the
following impressed me;
1. The Re-iteration of Bible
Truths.—“Have faitli in God” has
been the theme each morning, and
“Without shedding of blood there
is no remission" has been the theme
each night, no matter what other
text might be used in connection
with these. “There is a fountain
filled with blood” has been sung
over and over da3’ after day. A few
passages of scripture teaching, the
main truths applicable to the sin
ner, have been kept before the peo
ple until they are known by young
and old. Some of these are Luke
13:3; Ps. 9:7; Mark 9:44, 46, 48; Jno.
3:16. Maii3' times in every service
leader and congregation repeat to
gether “Bless the Lord, O my soul.
and all that is within me bless his
hol3' name.” Ever3’one who has
been in these meetings for onl3' a
few times can never forget the oft-
repeated truths, and the workers are
urged not to argue with the lost, but
to give them “The naked Word of
God."
2. ThePra3-er of Faith-—There
is not ver3* much singing, not so
much teaching, but oft and contin
ued praying. One-fourth o f the
twent3’-four hours is spent in the
church and much of that time is
eiven to pra3’er, sometimes one and
a. leading, while groups will
be praying aloud foj^some lost soul
and others in to God.
Occasionally whole nights are spent
in prayer, and the midnight hour
often finds a hundred or more still
wrestling for souls. A father is
sent home in answer to prayer,
comes to church, but will not yield
and goes awa3'. The people pra3’,
for he has not come to church the
next night, and while the after-meet
ing progresses he comes in, pushes
his wa3'down to the front, and cries
aloud to God for mercy, the workers
remaining with him until midnight.
The surrender is made, he pra3's
for others, shouts and praises God,
goes home with the rejoicing daugh
ter clothed and in 1 is right mind. A
gambler leaves angry, a grouppra3’
for his return, on the street he meets
someone who speaks of the meeting,
he turns, calls upon God, is saved.
A party of 3’oung people, gathered
for mirth, are awed b3’ the convic
tion which has seized some of their
number. The house of revelr3’ 'oe-
comes a room of prayer and seven
are saved.
3 Personal work. Work for lost
souls is urged as a cure for coldness
and backsliding. From house to
house, two b3* two or alone, the
workers g o, buggies, carriages,
mails, telephones being used to do
service for the Lord. “If you do not
desire to sa3’e others 3’ou are not
saved 3-ourself.’’ After the sermon
workers will go to the lost, praying,
speaking God's Word, pleading,
warning men, women, and chil
dren earnestly, faithfully do this
work. Bro. Cates’ own child, bap
tized at the first of the service, goes,
out to work, finally comes to a man,
whom others could not move, and
is soon leading him to the front seat
to confess his sins and his Lord. A
young woman whose family are
worldl3'and well-to-do is so blessed
in her sacrifice and her service that
she will give her life to soul-winning,
and another of culture and refine
ment finds it blessed to give God the
use of her heart and tongue and
talents in saving the lost. Such a
crowd of men and women and girls
and boys with such earnest faces
and praying hearts must impress
if the3' do not svin.
4. Intense zeal. For four months
to some people every other inter
est has been secondary, and one-
fourth of the time has been spent
at the church, while another fourth
REV. ft. T. HOWELL
Pastor of the Mt, Tabor church where
the Suiidav’ School convention met
Jul3'2T30 Also pastor at Murfrees
boro and a leading spirit in ever3'thing
that pertains to the development of
our Association.
or more has been given to the Lord
in the homes and places of busi
ness. One business man had given
less than four hours a da3' to his
own work, another tells of the hap
piest trip of his life as he goes
from house to house. Household
ers partake of frugal meals and
friends give little attention to the
customs of the season that more
time may be given to God. Re
fusal, repeated refusal to come,
does not satisf3', but another and
another engagement is made until
the lost friend is brought to God’s
house and to decision.
5. Authoritative conviction.
Many of the scenes and incidents
and some of the plans of the
workers would seem out of place
and unwise to those hearing them
at second-hand or seeing them in
cold type, but they are the ex
pression of people who know that
their fellows are lost and going to
hell and that there is but one way
to save them. They speak in no
DOUBTPUE TONE AND ACT AS THEY
BELIEVE. Hell and sin and the
DEVIL AND HEAVEN AND CALVARY
AND Christ are very real. The
workers are sure that people are
being led captive and to aestruc-
tion, and they are just as s— • that
the blood of the atoneme- ^hd
will save all who repent c svkrd
God and believe in Jesus. These
stated with such conviction and au-
thorit3' send man3' away mad, only
to come again to repent and be
saved. One..,iiian who had cursed
the D'^.jer in agony of soul asks
i' vjrdu would forgive such, confes
ses, is saved, and goes back to the
shops to tell others of Christ until •
the men see his good works and
glorif3' God. V libertine comes to
the church to threaten the minister
who rescued the young girl from a
life of shame, bringing the mother
after her child4 The w-oman is
told plainly on the man’s sin, and
mother and libertine are brought
to repentance and to Christ.
6. Tearful compassion. In the’
pulpit, in the pew, in the waters of
baptism, by men and women and
children compassion for the lost is
felt and shown. The lost are warn
ed not to delay, and are told that
this is the devil's trap. One of the
many who went out thus delaying
and w'ho never came back was a'
steamboat captain. He promised
to come the next night, but sent a
telegram next da3’ from Cairo, 111.,
saying he had promised to be there,
asking pra3-er and expressing no
hope for himself. One cultured wo
man saw in a dream an unhappy
throng near a pool. She found it
filled with blood, and urged the
people to plunge beneath that flood,
finally taking some in her hands
and throwing it upon them, the
soiled garments becoming white
wherever it touched. One was in
duced to enter, came out white and
rejoicing, then anoHier and another,
until the throng stood washed in
the blood of the Lamb and praising
God for the fountain of cleansing
and peace and joy.
7. Carping criticism and sinful
indifference. There were critics
and wine theorists at Pentecost,