Pentecostal Possibilities or "The Story of My Life"
by Milton Lorenzo (M. L.) Haney
CHAPTER 27
Farmington (Continued)
The second year on the Farmington Circuit was a year of much blessing, but not so wide as a year of ingathering as the one preceding. In the first there were four large and gracious revivals; the latter two were at Trivoli and Trivoli Centre. At each of these points we had a marked and blessed membership. Such churches as these two were, at that time, are the salt of the earth. Old Father Emery, at Trivoli, was for a great while a local elder in the church, and for many years a consistent professor of entire sanctification. The church building there was largely the result of his benevolence.
In years agone he had preached with my father at the camp, and quarterly, meetings of Methodism. Old Sister Emery was one of John's "elect ladies," and her presence a benediction. "Sam" Emery, their son, was a wild boy but became a widely known and useful Christian. At the homes of both father and son, God's ministers found a welcome never to be forgotten. "Sam" and his wife were in their prime, beautiful in song, both sanctified in our meeting, always ready to work for God and their home, to myself and wife, unspeakably desirable.
Sister Van Petten, Father Emery's daughter, was a power for God and always at her post. What an inheritance such people are to the ministers of God! These all died in the faith. Father Emery gave his spirit up and went joyfully home, while I was preaching a few rods away in the church he built with his own hands. Dear Sam and his beautiful wife have been in glory long, and I think not a child they had yet lives to read this recital but I would make their names immortal among men if I could. Dear Sister Van Petten came into this century, and was the last of all her father's house, but is gone!
At Trivoli Center we had a select society, and some of them among the best I have ever known. The Hitchcock brothers were American noblemen. Lorenzo Hitchcock was a prince in Zion. Jacob Bird, an uneducated farmer, was a treasure in the house of God. We widened out into neighborhoods, and had meetings of gracious power in some of the school houses. One "basket meeting" in the woods, just before leaving for Conference became immensely interesting. The design was to only hold day services, but the interest so deepened that we held night services as well. There was present real old time conviction.
On Sabbath afternoon, while calling seekers, I noticed a lady near where I stood, who was evidently much impressed. I said to her it was very important to act while the Holy Spirit is striving with us, and in the use of all the will power she had, she denied feeling the need of salvation. "You know that the Holy Spirit is striving with you," I continued, "and you feel that you will perish unless you repent." She was trembling visibly, but persisted in her stand. "Now you are looking God in the face and lying to the Holy Ghost. What will become of your soul?" I cried. And then, sinking to the ground, she cried for mercy and was gloriously saved.
This work was so gracious, and its demands so imperative, that I was compelled to continue it into the first days of the Conference. All who were seeking had professed to find light except one young lady, who was a niece of Father Orton, and she insisted on remaining at the altar. On dismissing the audience, I assured Father Orton that I would stay with him as long as necessary. The people gradually departed, until none were left with the seeker but Father Orton, his wife and myself.
The old gentleman was very anxious about the girl, because her immediate relatives were Universalists, and she was soon to return to her home. So we remained until nearly 2 o'clock in the morning. The ground had been lighted with tallow candles and our last candle was not four inches in length. I whispered to father Orton that we would be compelled to go soon, or be left in deep darkness, and he cried to God louder than ever! The Holy Spirit suggested to me that the child was hoping in some way that I would help save her!
I took the initiative and said to her our last candle was nearly out and I would be compelled to leave her. That if she did not let go of every sin, and everybody, and take Christ as her only possible Saviour, she must perish! And bade her good bye! I went off a few rods and sat down on a log. The last hope of the child was gone, and what would she do? This brought her to utter despair of help in any human arm, and it seems to me the sweetest shout I ever had heard came up in that woods! Father Orton shouted Mother Orton shouted, and I shouted, and four souls unspeakably happy forgot that we needed the light of a candle any more.
There were many good workers at Farmington, but there were three men of marked moral force. These were Father Orton, Bro. French, and Peter Conver. Father Orton was converted and sanctified, I think, under the ministry of Charles G. Finney, and had labored in Mr. Finney's meetings. He carried in all his Christian activities that stalwart Finney type of Christ's religion. Bro. French was a little Englishman, almost utterly ignorant of letters, but a man of wondrous power in prayer.
These two, in earlier times, were regular crusaders together. They went into school houses and needy places, and very many were thus reached and saved. The first time I met French was at a little camp. As soon as service ceased at the altar he would be missing, and ere long a big noise would be heard in the woods. Having to preach, I fled to the brush and had not long remained in prayer till French began a few rods away.
He had no thought that I heard him, but my praying was over for the time. He began by telling the Lord that he was tried with his own noise, but the Lord knew he could do nothing without it, as he was. If it was His will that he could be more quiet, he plead, "do make me so for Jesus' sake." Telling the Lord he was so ignorant that he could do nothing without help, and while praying for quiet he became more noisy than before. His talk to God was so childlike and beautiful, that my prejudices fled, and never returned. When he and Father Orton were together in secret prayer, the neighborhood usually found out something was going on.
Peter Conver was a jeweler, and sort of local preacher. He was also a thorough holiness man, and in every way a man of God. His power in prayer was his special gift. He possessed a very deep bass voice, which in some way gave a marked weight to his prayers. When Conver prayed both heaven and earth seemed to give audience. All these men are in glory now. What aids to a gospel minister! What a power in the midst of any church! Who can really compute their value to the cause of Christ?
O Lord, as these sons of thunder are gone, and so many are going, fill Thy church with men of like spirit and power, and suffer not Thine enemy to triumph! But few churches in my knowledge have had so large a proportion of mighty men and women of God as were found on the Farmington Circuit.