Pentecostal Possibilities or "The Story of My Life"
by Milton Lorenzo (M. L.) Haney
CHAPTER 64
From Colorado Eastward
From Delta, Colorado, we went up the valley of the Little Gunnison River. Parts of this valley furnish probably the best fruits in the United States, if not in the world. A wind comes down from the snow-covered mountains each evening of the summer and returns in the morning. Its action on the down trip prevents injury to the fruit by insects, and hence there is a perfection, especially of apples, I have seen in no other country. The flavor of the same species of apples is so superior there to other localities, that one finds it difficult to believe it to be the same fruit. Nearly all the varieties of fruit growing in California are said to grow there and are superior in quality. The river, I think, is the most rapid stream I ever saw. The people say that no wild beast attempts to cross it when the snow melts in the spring. The mountains abound with game, though but few of the more savage animals are left.
A huge wild cat--as large as any two of that species I had ever--seen came down from the mountains on the west of Paonia to procure a turkey for a Christmas dinner, while I was there, and a big sinner slaughtered the beautiful creature. Two men were carrying it by and wished to show it to the preacher from the East. I expressed a strong admiration for its beauty, and the sinner prepared the hide and sent it to my wife. This act of his in some way interested him in me, and he came to hear me preach and was converted. Two cowboys in that country were said to have found a cinnamon bear, and actually lassoed him and drove him into town. There is a heartiness about those Western people which is delightful. The town of Paonia was marked for the skeptical tendencies of its citizens, but there were a few Christians attempting to hold the fort. There was no church building, but the Methodists had a small society. Rev J. W. Martin, of Nebraska and Iowa, had broken down in health and gone there to recruit. Having accepted the pastorate of a circuit amid those grand old mountains, he called us to help him and we were there from December 25th to January 14th, the latter part of the twentieth and the beginning of the twenty-first evangelist year.
Taking everything into account, I esteem this among the best meetings of my entire ministry. The services were held in a school house, but the community largely gave us a hearing. Some who had wandered from God in heart or life, in the church, were restored, and others began immediately to seek and obtain perfect love. This as it always does, opened the way for the salvation of those from without, and hardened men melted like wax in the furnace of God. The ground had been graciously prepared by the efficient ministries of Brother Martin and his godly wife, and now while it was in progress, they were praying day and night as people rarely pray. When there was school our afternoon meetings were held in their home, and God used our Bible readings to open many blind, eyes. At the close of this service this statement was recorded concerning it: "A meeting of blessed results and gracious power. Scores were saved, leaving twenty-five at the altar. Glory be to God, the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen!" On New Year's eve, while this battle was going forward, I wrote with a glad heart the following: "This night closes the twentieth year of evangelistic services, in which I have seen the great goodness of the Lord. In this time I have been identified with more than twelve thousand services and have seen the salvation of a multitude of souls. This night also closes the record of the fifty-fifth year of my Christian life, and truly this has been to me the best of all these years. On this night in the first hour of 1841, Christ opened His arms and took me in. Would that these years had been more thoroughly devoted to His will, and wholly unmarked by sin, but endless thanksgivings and praise to my loving Lord for His dealings with my soul in these wonderful years! O that in the remnant that is left I may never grieve Him, and yet lead a multitude to His salvation. Perhaps the most marked characteristic of these years has been a passion for soul saving. This was imparted when God spoke my sins forgiven, and, despite all my unfaithfulness, it has never been taken from me! O Lamb of God, Thy love to me has been wonderful!''
In this year I was in twenty-four distinct meetings, involving about 600 services. This included ten camp meetings and services held in Colorado, Kansas, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana and Ohio. Of a meeting in Wathenee Kan., January 19 to February 9, I wrote at the time as follows: "A meeting opening with gracious victories which were retarded near the end of the first week by many in the church refusing to obey the call to holiness and wickedly talking against it. People were saved nearly every day to the end, but in large numbers at the beginning. God has been with us in this meeting and many will rejoice in heaven as the result. Glory to the Lamb." In ten thousand cases sinners have perished who might have been saved if God's professed people had not joined them in rebelling against the Holy Ghost. Reader, if holiness is right and sin is wrong, why reject the one and cling to the other?
Going to New Sharon, Iowa, for a short convention, the work opened and we were detained several days, when Hart and Magann were called to carry on the work. We then wrote: "Came here to lead a three days' convention. Found the Lord would not let me off, and He has brought this church and her pastor out of fearful tangles and opened a wide work." We understood many were saved under the preaching of Brother Hart after we left.
The camp at Des Moines this year was led by Dr. Carradine, Dr. Walker, Aura Smith, and the home workers, with the President, Isaiah Reid, as the overseer, the writer being in the battle from first to last. Drs. Carradine and Walker preached with wonderful strength. Aura Smith and others had great liberty.
Of this we wrote at the time: "Surely God has given us a wonderful meeting. Such preaching as I have rarely ever heard, and a throng of saved souls!"
The National at Silver Heights was led by Dr. Fowler, assisted by Brothers Pepper, Reid, Collins, McLaughlin, Wilson, McLean and Haney. The Harrises, as usual, were a gracious power in song, and both able helpers in exhortation and altar work. A heavy debt hung over the grounds, and both Sabbaths the meetings were badly injured with persistent efforts to raise money. In the heat of my outraged soul I preferred gate fees to these long Sunday pulls, but afterwards saw it not best to substitute one evil for another. This financial burden has since been lifted, and we trust this camp ground will be made the birthplace of uncounted thousands in the time to come.
The Storm Lake (Iowa) Camp has held on through the years and aims to be true to holiness. It is a pleasure to any man of God to be identified with its gracious work. It never fails to bear good fruit and in 1896 the Lord owned it as usual. It is a good thing to have a body of solid laymen back of a camp meeting, and often nice to have something or somebody to hold worldly preachers straight. The camp at Manilla, Iowa, has been a center, for years, of much devotion to God, but hindered badly by the rabid spirit of a few well-meaning men. The holiest man in the world will ruin his usefulness and injure the cause he intends to advocate by yielding to fanatical influences. Among the most painful things in the case of every real fanatic is, he can neither be taught by God, or man. Dr. Bunce was with me in this camp and labored as but few men labor. Much good was done, but twice as much would have been accomplished had it not been for the foolish sayings, and bitter spirit manifest, both in the city and camp, in previous years, by holiness professors. We rejoice that this is subsiding and a better spirit prevails.
In Brownell, and Ransom, Western Kansas, we had two precious camps where much was done to end the effects of fanatical leaders. Much greater good is often revealed in small camps than in the larger ones, in proportion to the outlay. These camps were places of special outpouring of the Holy Spirit. When the King comes He will find some white saints from those localities.
We had lengthened services also in Wilson, and Wakeney, in that part of the State. The former was protracted, with much labor and less results. At its close we wrote: "A meeting of marked revelations of God to a few people. Great resistance to truth--a town full of backsliders and encased in the iniquities of secretism. Much good done and souls saved." There was battle in Wakeney with less of victory because of old quarrels in the church.
The National Camp at Urbana, Ohio, was a gracious service, but not equal to the first in the days of Inskip. Brother Fowler had to leave after the first Sabbath. There were present as laborers Fowler, Pepper, Nusbaum, Scudday, Ross Taylor, Baker and Haney. Brother Baker is a very efficient leader in song. Brother Pepper is always a power for good, and his presence a benediction. Brother Scudday is a beautiful preacher and much was accomplished by his ministry. Brother Nusbaum as a practical man and able minister, is very valuable and it seemed to us he ought to be in the field as an evangelist. The loss of Brother Fowler as the leader was felt, but the Lord took us through and gave us victory.
In the opening of the next year we wrote: "I fully recognize '96 as the best of all these years, and trust its record will bless me in eternity. Now (Jan. 9, '97,) I leave home to open another year of evangelistic work. Wife very frail, and to leave her alone is my most painful cross." The patience of my faithful wife with her lonely condition has been a marvel, but her spirit has often been with me in battle almost as literally as though her body were present. Blessed is the minister who has such a wife.