John Kline - Life and Labors of Elder John Kline, the Martyr Missionary

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[Illustration: RESIDENCE OF ELDER JOHN KLINE.]

LIFE AND LABORS OF ELDER JOHN KLINE

THE MARTYR MISSIONARY

COLLATED FROM HIS DIARY

By

BENJAMIN FUNK

ELGIN, ILL.:
BRETHREN PUBLISHING HOUSE,
1900.

INTRODUCTION.

In the burying ground of the Linville's Creek German Baptist church in
Rockingham County, Virginia, there is to be seen a marble slab engraved
with the name JOHN KLINE.

In walking through a cemetery and pensively viewing the memorials of
the departed, one question of deep interest often presses upon the
mind and heart: Are these, whose names are here recorded on slab and
obelisk, still alive and in the possession of conscious being, or are
they dead--

"All to mouldering darkness gone;
All of conscious life bereft?"

We turn to earth, and from her lips the ear of reason catches
deep-toned words of assurance that death is not the end of life. The
hue of the butterfly's wing, "the flower of the grass," the beauty of
the vernal year, these all, all teach the sublime truth that "all
great endings are but great beginnings." The voice of God from the
unrolled page of plainer if not diviner truth, says: "These are not
dead, but sleeping--they shall wake again."

Satisfied on this point, the next question turns to the lives and
characters, works and words of those who lie buried here. Were they
good or bad? Are their spirits now in heaven, or somewhere else? There
are two classes, however, concerning whom no such questions arise. The
first class is made up of those who have died in their infancy; and
ever and anon while looking at the "little lamb," or "rose bud," or
"young dove" not yet fledged, the words flow into the mind as from the
lips of Jesus: "Of such is the kingdom of heaven." The other class is
composed of such as have given clear evidence, by profession and life,
that they are the children of God. The words for them come as did the
others, from the page of Heavenly Truth, "Therefore are they
continually before the throne, and praise him day and night in his
temple."

The epitaph of John Kline is read without a doubt ever springing up in
the mind of any one who knew him. We saw him, not as Elisha saw Elijah
in sight, ascend to heaven; but with the eye of faith we saw him
clothed in a celestial body; and with the ear of faith we heard the
welcome: "Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."

THE ANNUAL MEETING OF 1878.

In the year 1878 the Brethren's Annual Meeting was held with the
Linville's Creek church. Brethren and sisters from many sections of
our Union were present. Many graves in the cemetery by the
meetinghouse were to be seen. Epitaphs were read by the throngs of
people who walked around to view them. Few of these bore anything
beyond the simple inscription of the name and the two facts that fall
to the lot of all: The time of birth and the time of death.

But there was one grave from whose humble mound each visitor seemed
eager to pluck a flower, a leaf, or any other little thing that might
be carried back home and enshrined in a casket for a memento of one
never to be forgotten. That grave was the grave of John Kline.

One sister, with tears in her eyes, said: "He preached my mother's
funeral." Another said: "He used to visit us in Ohio; and we always
loved so much to see him come." A brother said: "I traveled with him
over two thousand miles, and he was always one thing." Others said:
"The meeting is lonesome without him." "He was at our love feast in
Pennsylvania the year he was killed," said another. It would be vain
to attempt to follow up all the affectionate memories that were
expressed by the loving throngs of sanctified hearts that surrounded
his tomb.

In this book ELDER JOHN KLINE is set forth not as dead, but as alive;
as living and moving amongst us again. His life work stands recorded
on earth as well as in heaven. With untiring perseverance Brother
Kline kept a record of his work every day for a period of TWENTY-NINE
YEARS. These records contain two great facts common to the life of
every man, woman and child.

FIRST FACT.--Where he spent the day and night.

SECOND FACT.--How he spent the day and night.

A truthful record of these for many, made public, would blast their
reputation abroad and blight their peace at home. But not so with our
beloved brother. Whilst it is true that he had no expectation of his
Diary ever being published, it is equally true that it does not
contain a single entry of which he has cause to be ashamed before man
or God. That the entries are faithful and true needs no proof other
than the testimony that thousands still living are ready to bear to
his untarnished name as a man honest and honorable in all things.

As a Christian, the beloved ministering brethren who spoke at his
funeral are to-day not ashamed to apply to him the same words they
applied to him then, and which were taken as the subject of discourse
on that occasion. In speaking of his appointment to the ministry they
took these words: "And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of
the Holy Ghost." Acts 6:5. They also added the other words spoken of
Stephen in the eighth verse of the same chapter, a man "full of grace
and power." Can anything loftier be said of a man's qualification for
the work of the ministry?

As Stephen was the first Christian martyr, and Brother Kline the last
then known, they closed their discourses in heartfelt realization of
these words: "_And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made
great lamentation over him._" We all took part in the lamentation--the
writer himself being present and speaking on the occasion--and felt
that the ruthless hand of violence had wickedly torn from our midst a
friend and counsellor whose place could not be filled by any other.

As a kind-hearted, loving mother puts her child's best new dress on it
before taking it to church or in public, so have I endeavored to
clothe the diary of Brother Kline in a suitable attire of Sunday
clothes. I sincerely believe that the work in this form will be highly
acceptable to the Brotherhood at large; and as Brother Daniel Hays
says in a letter to me, "productive of much good."

PART II OF INTRODUCTION.

This book, if carefully read, will instruct both young and old. In
this age of progress, when the forces of nature and art are being
applied to practical ends; when "men are running to and fro and
knowledge is wonderfully increased," it becomes us as intelligent
Christians to look around and see whether we are not living in
perilous times.

Far be it from me to discourage any one from seeking that knowledge
which is good, or from availing himself of the benefits to be derived
from the arts and sciences; but if this knowledge and these benefits
are sought and gained only for worldly ends, only to add to worldly
accomplishments or worldly treasure, they are dangerous for time and
ruinous for eternity. What support can the soul have in its deep
conflict with temptation, or in the dark hour of affliction or
bereavement, when stayed on this world only? In all the tenderness of
a father's heart I turn to the youth of our land and say to them in
the words of the best Friend that God himself could give: "Seek FIRST
the kingdom of God and his righteousness," and all earthly blessings
will be added unto you.

In the following pages you may see what one man may do by "patient
continuance in well doing." Brother Kline was a man "subject to like
passions as we are." He was once an infant just as you were, and lay
at his mother's breast. He very well remembered, when an old man, how
he felt when she made for him his first pair of "_pants_." When that
kind mother put them on him, pleased and smiling in the tenderness of
her nature, "the first use that I made of my hands," said he to me
shortly before his death, "was to feel for the pockets." "We incline,"
continued he, "to carry this feature of our boyhood into youth and
age. The pocket never ceases to be a very important appendage to our
dress, and the hand inclines to put into it every valuable thing it
can."

Brother Kline never went to school very much. He learned to read and
write both German and English; and he also studied arithmetic. Further
than this he never went in school. He did not have the advantages of
free schools as young people now have. But you may learn from this
that one may carry on his education after leaving school. In fact,
schools only _open the way_ for acquiring an education.

When a boy I was very fond of reading the lives of great men. I did
not then know very much about poetry, but I surely did feel something
of the fire that Longfellow has made to glow with so much heat and
light in his "Psalm of Life." I am glad to add, by means of this book,
one more name to the list of great men, so that in the lines which
follow he too may be included.

"Lives of GREAT MEN all remind us
We can make our lives sublime;
And departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of Time:
Footprints, that perhaps another
Sailing o'er life's troubled main--
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother--
Seeing, may take heart again."

Elder John Kline will be set forth in this work as one of the great
PIONEER PREACHERS of the Cross. A brief but clear outline of many of
his sermons, together with the time and place of preaching them, will
be given. Many of the love feasts which he attended, and the substance
of what he said at some of them will also be noted.

He has left a record of the name of every family he ever visited in
all the States, together with the day and year when such visits were
made. Those brethren and sisters of the Lord who still remember him,
will, while reading this work, live over again the years that have
passed away and been almost forgotten. You will again listen to the
voice of his holy, healing words at some love feast long ago gone by.
You will again sit with him by the "old home hearthstone" as it used
to be when father and mother were living, and all the brothers and
sisters together in the room, and hear him talk and sing, and read and
pray. And will not this exercise of the mind and heart be pleasant?
Will it not be profitable? Will it not serve to refresh your love to
Christ and the Brotherhood? May it not rekindle in your heart a flame
of that first and tender love which shone so brightly when first you
saw the Lord? You then could sweetly sing:

"Jesus, I my cross have taken,
All to leave and follow thee."

Since that time many cares and toils and afflictions and bereavements,
perhaps, have caused you to sigh in mournful memory:

"What peaceful hours I then enjoyed!"

and the heart-sobs sadly echo:

"But they have left an aching void
The world can never fill."

In such seasons of sadness and despondency it is helpful to the heart
to hold communion with the great and the good through the medium of
their writings. Men who leave such comforting testimony behind them
are a blessing to all within the circle of their influence while
living, and when dead they continue to speak. Their words are felt and
blessed on both banks of the "River of Time" as it flows down through
the ages.

There were a few points in the life and character of Elder John Kline
which may very appropriately be referred to here. I sincerely hope
that all the youthful members of the Brotherhood, especially, may
become acquainted with these points.

THE FIRST POINT.--_He was truthful._ He never spoke positively about
anything without first examining the matter carefully; and even then
he said about it only what he knew to be true. How different this
habit from that of many who speak positively about things which they
do not well understand, or which they are for the most part ignorant
of!

THE SECOND POINT.--_He never spoke evil of any one._ It is not to be
understood from this that he spoke _good_ of every one. On the contrary,
he spoke freely of the sinner and to the sinner; warning him of his
danger and pointing him to his impenitent doom. But it is to be
understood that he never spoke evil to _injure_ any one. Whatever he
said in that way was to reform and to bless. His heart overflowed with
love to all.

THE THIRD POINT.--_He was temperate._ During a long personal acquaintance
with him, I never knew or heard of his taking a drink of ardent
spirits or intoxicating liquor of any kind. If he ever did use any at
all, it was only as a _medicine_. But as he was very temperate in his
eating, and judiciously careful of himself generally, he was rarely
ever sick.

THE FOURTH POINT.--_He was abstemious._ This, in connection with strict
temperance and pure morality, made him a clean man. His mouth was not
polluted with _chewing tobacco_. His nose was not defiled with _snuffing
tobacco_. His breath was not vitiated with _smoking tobacco_. He
consequently never used tobacco in anyway. My dear young reader, in
all the love of my heart, I urge you to "go and do likewise, that it
may be well with thee."

LIFE AND LABORS

OF THE

MARTYR MISSIONARY

ELDER JOHN KLINE.

We have no certain account of the time and place at which Brother Kline
was set forward to the ministry of the Word. On Sunday, Feb. 8, 1835,
he spoke for the first time after his appointment to the ministry of
the Word. This much, at least, is inferred from its being the first
entry made in his Diary.

He, and Elder Daniel Miller, from near the head of Linville's Creek, in
Rockingham County, Virginia, were together at John Goughnour's, west
of the town of Woodstock, in Shenandoah County, Virginia. The meeting
was at Goughnour's dwelling house. Brother Miller put John Kline
forward to take the lead in speaking. Brother Kline had previously
selected the subject, and thought upon it, to be ready, in the event
of his being required to take the lead in speaking. Matthew 11 was
read; and Brother Kline took his text. It was verses 4, 5 and 6 of the
chapter read. These are the words: "Go and show John again those
things which ye do hear and see: the blind receive their sight, and
the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead
are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And
blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me."

"It may be proper in the first place," said he, "for us to inquire why
John sent the message to Jesus which gave rise to the words of the
text. The message may appear strange to some, as John had, not long
before, pointed out Jesus as the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin
of the world. He had seen the 'Heavenly Dove' descend from the open
heavens and abide upon him as he came up from the baptismal wave, and
had heard the Father's voice from beneath the same uplifted veil:
'This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.' It is my belief
that John had become doubtful. The iron gates of Herod's castle had
shut out from him all bodily comfort, and with this his hope seemed to
vanish. This experience has had many a repetition in the realizations
of good men since John's day. He felt himself neglected. If Jesus is
the friend I took him to be, why does he not come to my rescue? I do
not understand him. How can he feel satisfied to know that I am lying
here in great bodily distress and perplexity of mind, and put forth no
effort to release me, and thus restore me to useful activity in his
service? Many, many, not in Herod's castle, but in other castles, such
as beds of affliction, castles of poverty, castles of persecution,
castles of bodily infirmity, castles of bereavement, castles of losses
and crosses in one way and another, have had the same experiences, the
same doubts and misgivings.

"John resolved to try to find out about all this if possible. So he
sent the messengers. Here note the love of Christ. He does not upbraid
John for this half reproachful message. He calmly returns to him in
the shape of an answer a series of the most wonderful truths the world
has ever heard; truths which, in their spiritual sense, comprehend the
work of salvation on the part of Jesus from the alpha to the omega.
'Go and show John again the things which ye do hear and see.' The use
of the word '_again_' implies that a similar answer had been returned
to John at least _once_ before. This testimony, with the love in which
it was sent, may have refreshed John's love for Jesus, and reassured
his faith. The last words of the returned message contain something
like a gentle reproof to John, '_And blessed is he that is not
offended in me_.'

"I think the Lord knew that John had been somewhat _offended in him_;
that he had doubted his love, or his wisdom, or his power, or all
these together; and that the Lord's apparent neglect of him was
traceable to a want of these perfections. Doubts of this kind, from
weakness of the flesh and spirit, have often been known to invade the
hearts of other good men, when the divine love has been partially
veiled from sight in seasons of great distress. Even our Lord himself
upon the cross cried out, 'My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?'
I cannot think that the divine love ever did forsake him for one
instant. It was so only in appearance to him.

"The things connected with the life-work of Jesus, which John's
messengers had just seen and heard, bore a much stronger testimony to
his divinity and Messiahship than any declaration he could have made
by mere affirmation. Here is verified the old proverb: 'Actions speak
louder than words.' All may see a valuable lesson here. We are
commanded to let our light shine. What an honor it would be to Christ
and the church, if every member of it would be able to point to his
good works as proofs of the sincerity and genuineness of his religious
profession!

"Notwithstanding John's doubts and impatience, the Lord still loved
him tenderly; and after the messengers had departed, he said to the
multitude: 'Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a
greater than John the Baptist.' Our way would have been to include
this encomium in the message, and let John hear it. In our way of
thinking this would have done him more good than the other. But as the
heaven is high above the earth, so high are the Lord's thoughts above
our thoughts, and his ways above our ways.

"Could our eyes catch a glimpse of the bliss that thrills John's heart
in heaven to-day, we would no longer wonder why the Lord left him lie
in Herod's castle."

_Sermon by Elder John Kline._

_Preached at Forrer's, in Page County, Virginia,
Sunday, February 15, 1835._

TEXT.--And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy
sandals: and so he did. And he saith unto him: Cast thy garment
about thee, and follow me.--Acts 12:8.

Peter's hands were chained, and he was lying in a cold and gloomy
prison in Jerusalem. Herod, who was at that time viceroy of Jerusalem
and Judea, had imprisoned Peter just to please the Jews. These were
the bitter enemies of Christ.

It looks to us as if it would hardly be worth while to pray for the
recovery of a sheep already dragged into a den of wolves, and lying
there only waiting to be devoured. But the saints at Jerusalem did
pray for Peter, and they had to pray secretly too. You may be sure
they did not pray to be heard of men. They were only afraid that men
might hear. But there was one that did hear. For "the angel of the
Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote
Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And
his chains fell off from his hands."

You know something about Peter's disposition. He often spoke without
thinking very well what it might be best to say; and sometimes he
acted without thinking what it might be best to do. On this occasion I
do believe that he would have followed the angel through the streets
of Jerusalem, bare-footed and in his night clothes, if he had not
kindly ordered him to gird himself and bind on his sandals and cast
his garment about him.

I, for one, do believe that all the miracles and providences wrought
by the Lord and recorded in his Word are for the instruction and
ultimate good of all who read or hear them.

THE LESSONS OF INSTRUCTION.

I. Sometimes men who have been subject to very bad habits are, by the
Gospel and the Holy Spirit, led to forsake them. They form new loves.
They find joy in a new life. Old things with them have passed away.
They come from the baptismal wave clad, as it were, in a new garment,
even the beautiful garment of salvation; and the new song in their
mouth is praise to our God. I can name some of this class in our
church who have run well; some who have fought the good fight of faith
with unflinching courage and resolution to victory complete. But
others have been made to weep and lament from the fearful truth that
this same beloved Brother Peter tells us, that "our adversary, the
devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour,"
for they have been devoured by him.

In the garden of Eden the devil came to Eve in the form of a serpent.
I imagine this to be his most natural form. We sometimes see him
caricatured as a man with horns and cloven feet. This is a mistake.
A man in this form would make a frightful appearance. But the devil
never approaches any one in a way to frighten him. He is too cunning
for that. A fox takes care not to frighten away his prey. Even the
lion, when he is seeking his prey, never roars at that time, but
crouches and hides in the tall grass or thicket until his prey comes
near enough, and then he springs upon it with a single bound. The
reason why Peter calls him a _roaring_ lion is because he roars
furiously after his prey is in his power. His roaring then is but a
note of victory and defiance. The devil knew that he would not
frighten Eve by coming to her in the form he did, because she had
never then, as yet, known anything of evil. But when he comes to men
now in the serpent form, he comes as "_a snake in the grass_."

I sometimes think that age adds shrewdness to the devil's plans. He
comes to men in so many forms and ways, first to delude and then to
destroy, that they may be called _legion_. But, as Paul says, "We
are not ignorant of his devices, for Satan is transformed into an
angel of light."

He learns to know every brother's and sister's weak point. To the
brother who has been fond of ardent spirits he comes behind the
deceitful, covetous smile of the rumseller. In this instance the order
of the fable is reversed. There the ass put on the lion's skin; here
the lion puts on the skin of the ass. To the brother whose weakness is
adultery he comes in the form of a harlot, "jeweled and crowned." To
the brother whose special sin has been covetousness he comes as a
friend. He takes him by the hand, leads him to the top of some high
mountain, there shows him the kingdoms of the world and the glory of
them, and pledges to him the enjoyment of all this glory and power if
he will but fall down and worship him.

Now, Herod was a type of this devil, and the prison in which Peter was
chained is a type of the "horrible pit" into which many a good-meaning
Christian has been cast by him. But even for such there is quite as
much hope as there was for Peter. The Lord is ever nigh to redeem and
to save. But there must be a willing mind. If Peter had said in his
half-asleep state, "Just leave me alone--I'll come after awhile--I'm
too sleepy to go now"--what then? It would have been impossible for
the Lord to rescue him, if he had not been willing to be rescued by
the Lord.

Some, who have "been taken captive by the devil at his will," keep
awake in a certain sense. The pall of darkness and deep sleep has not
yet settled down upon them. They are conscious of their situation.
They know and feel that they are in the hands of the enemy, but how to
escape is the trouble with them. If such would only have the mind and
will to do as Christian and Hopeful did in "Doubting Castle," they
could readily find a key in their bosoms with which to unlock every
gate, and thus make their escape.

II. In this respect they differ from Peter, for "_he was sleeping
between two soldiers_." Besides this, there were men stationed at
the door to keep watch all night. But the Lord is prepared for every
emergency. What storm can sink a ship when Omnipotence is at the helm?
If you or I, brethren, were to see a brother confined and guarded as
Peter was, I greatly fear we would utterly despair of ever seeing him
rescued; especially so if public sentiment were rife with malice and
rage against him. I fear we would say, It is no use to _pray_ for
that man. Nothing short of a miracle can save that man; and miracles
are not wrought by prayer nowadays. But the loving hearts gathered
together in secret places in Jerusalem thought not so. They "made
unceasing prayer for him."

Now let us note the order in which the Lord proceeded to answer these
prayers. He came to Peter and smote him. Whether the stroke was light
or heavy is a thing of little consequence. It succeeded in awaking the
man. This was its object. I think the Lord gave Peter only a _slight_
tap on the side, because he was not hard to wake up that night. But
there are some, and I have known such, whom the Lord had to smite very
hard to stir them from their sleep. They open their eyes in amazement
and wonder why they have been so smitten. Unfortunately for some of
this class, they open their eyes, but they see not; they hear, but
they heed not. I think I have known a few such; and I fear the Lord
said of them what he said of Ephraim: "He is joined to his idols, let
him alone."