Pentecostal Possibilities or "The Story of My Life"
by Milton Lorenzo (M. L.) Haney
CHAPTER 60
More Campaigning
In the eleventh evangelistic year the record claims I was in six hundred and forty-three services. These were in Kansas, Illinois and Iowa, and involved twenty-three distinct meetings, including thirteen camp meetings.
The Lord gave us prosperity at Griggsville, Illinois, in a service of nearly four weeks. Have not held many services where more was accomplished. Among other interesting cases was a man of eighty-two years. He had given his whole life to making money, and the case was difficult. He was for days and nights at the altar of prayer, pleading for his life. One afternoon when the church was largely present and all had been praying for him, we asked him to speak, which he did at some length referring to so long a life given to sin, and his heart was well broken. I arrested him with the statement: "And you do herewith and now forsake it all" To this, after a pause, he said, "I do." Then drawing his attention to Christ, I asked these questions, he standing where all God's people could see him: "Do you believe Jesus Christ is able to save you?" He answered: "I do." "Do you believe He is Willing to save you?" He again hesitated, but said he did. I then asked. "Do you trust Him to save you now" There was delay, and a fearful interest pervading the house concerning him, but his whole soul came out in the answer, "I do!" His whole frame quivered as he said it, but the light of God so came into his heart and flashed out through his face so beautifully, that seeing it, I think every soul in the house shed tears of joy! O, Jesus does save the chief of sinners, when they really meet His conditions. Old as he was, I saw him at times for years afterwards, and he was true to his vows. The presumption is that he is now in the presence of the Lamb. Brother B. H. Kennedy led in song in this meeting, and God made him a gracious power in that community.
Years before, I was at Hulls, Ills., where his people lived and found them a desirable family. Nearly all of them were sanctified and they spoke to me about Ben who was a County Clerk in Colorado. I had expressed a desire for a singer, and they thought he would suit me exactly. I supposed him to be fully sanctified, as the rest of the family were, and did not think to ask. So I wrote him and he agreed to meet me in Missouri. The time came and on reaching the little camp among the brush Ben was on hand and sang like a lark. I had some very searching Bible readings which choked my song bird, and he flew into the brush; but when he reappeared God had wholly sanctified his soul! Then he sang as never before and was a gracious power in my meetings, and now at Griggsville, where he lived. Some earnest souls came up from Troy, seven miles away, a little place in the woods. They begged of me to give them a few days which I did. Ben had taught them music previously, and I wanted him to go with me, but they said they were finely equipped with singers and needed no help. Reaching the withered little place I found my singers on hand and how they did sing! Having so short a time with them I opened abruptly with an awakening sermon on holiness, and their hymn to follow the sermon was open before them. The chorister had issued his orders to his band and was in tremor for the time to come. When preaching was through, I said while we sing those who want pardon, or purity, can come to the altar of prayer. The organist struck the key and they started, but broke down before they were through with the first verse. The organist, a beautiful girl, dropped her head on the organ weeping, the chorister nearly ran round the organ to the front of the altar and cried for mercy, and others of the choir followed him. The Lord saw to it that they did not get through in a hurry, and I had to lead the singing, I think, for two days! But they came out beautifully, and how they did sing till the meetings closed! Praise the Lord! He knows how to bring down high looks and to exalt the lowly.
It was in this year I held my first meeting with B. S. Taylor, that eccentric man, who is like no other. He was stationed at Storm Lake, Iowa, and had a great work in his church, and now had a little camp on the lake shore which laid the foundation for the wonderful camp meetings which have followed through all these years. I had him in my charge when I was a pastor, and he was a boy. His father was a strong minister, and President of the College at Lewistown, when I was stationed there. He has his weak points, but is an able minister, and I predict that he will wear a crown of many stars in the eternal kingdom. We had a gracious meeting at Brimfield, where I was previously pastor for two years, and the body of my boy rests in their cemetery. There are saints in that little old town who will be heard from when the world is burning. The camp at Murdock, Ills., was a service of power, but not equal to the first camp at Camargo near by. It was held under the auspices of the Illinois State Association, and those brethren never had a barren meeting. We were helped mightily there, as well as elsewhere, by beautiful saints who came over from Indianapolis. Among them was a blessed old minister who was anxious to give the testimony of his life, and latest breath, to holiness. He was old and weary, but he has gone out into eternity's morning washed in the blood of the Lamb. I was a few days at the Clear Lake National, in this second camp, but was compelled to leave before its closing.
Having moved into Western Kansas, the duty to leave by first train was imperative. I had determined to build a sod church in that new country, and mentioned it the morning I left. They rushed to me from every quarter so I had to have two or three secretaries to keep account of the monies they brought, but in ten minutes I think, I had all that was needed and surprised my neighbors by telling them I had the money. So we built a neat sod church which gave us a place for worship and in this we had a sweet little revival, and it became a preaching place for years.
We had also five camps in Southern Kansas, each one of which was the birthplace of souls. This system of camps, from year to year, went far toward laying the foundation for the wide holiness work which has gone through the years in the territory of the Southwest Kansas Conference, and its true record will come out in that day.
The notes we had kept on the twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth year of this evangelistic life, seem utterly missing and are probably lost. If my life could be repeated I would aim at a wider and more thorough attention given to the recording of events as they are passing, for much that would be personally valuable, and of possible value to others, would be thus made available in after years. The whole record will doubtless come out in the judgment day, but that will be too late to affect life changes in the pathway of time. These three years were in manhood's fullest strength, wherein the faculties were ripe and unimpaired, and more should have been accomplished in them, than in years preceding or later on. Had they been a failure I could not have thrown off their memories, hence I conclude they were at least equal to those preceding. The loss of time has been a very serious thing to me ever since Jesus took me into full fellowship with Himself, and started me on a run to help save the world. Now, as the sun looks toward its setting, I hasten to finish what He has given me to do. If each day of any lengthened human life could be used to His glory, what a sum of good would be accomplished, what blessedness in time, what riches in eternity!