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

J >> John Kline >> Life and Labors of Elder John Kline, the Martyr Missionary

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TUESDAY, 22. Take another course of medicines, and am much relieved.

WEDNESDAY, 23. Brother Benjamin Wampler takes me in the carriage to
Brother Buck's, two miles off, and back home.

THURSDAY, 24. Much rain to-day. Cannot ride out.

FRIDAY, 25. Brother Benjamin takes me to Brother Samuel Myers's
to-day, and back home. Rain in the afternoon.

SATURDAY, 26. Paint the top of carriage, and do some other work to it.

SUNDAY, 27. Visit Brother Reuben Pinkerton and return home. How very
kind all of these dear people have been to me! They will accept
nothing in return for all their kindness to me, but my gratitude and
love, and, heaven knows, my heart is full of that.

TUESDAY, 29. Go to Brother Jonathan Gaines's for dinner; then to
Wooster, and stay all night with Dr. Overholtz.

WEDNESDAY, 30. Go to the bank in Wooster and attend to some other
business. Dine with Dr. Overholtz, and in evening get back home to
Brother Jacob Kurtz's.

THURSDAY, October 1. Fix to start towards home.

FRIDAY, October 2. Take leave of my very dear Brother Jacob Kurtz and
family, who have nursed and cared for me through all of my sickness.
Such kindness as he and his family have shown me relieves affliction
of half its distress. It is almost a luxury to be sick where so much
love is shown. I can never forget Brother Benjamin Wampler. He is so
calm and gentle in the sick room that his very presence is a comfort
to the sick.

The Diary does not contain anything of special interest on their way
home. Brother Kline noted the distance traveled over each day, from
the time they left Brother Jacob Kurtz's till he arrived at his own
home. According to his report the whole distance was 264 miles. This
they made in eleven days. Their average daily rate of travel was just
twenty-four miles. They arrived at his house on the evening of the
twelfth, having left Brother Kurtz's the morning of the second day of
October. Brother Kline often notes some reference to the satisfaction
of getting back home after a long absence; and it is painful to find a
record the exact reverse in this instance. But no murmur at the Divine
Will, or word of impatience or complaint against any one is to be
found on the page of the Diary.

From this time to the close of the year Brother Kline never went far
from home. A few marriages solemnized, funerals preached, neighborhood
medical visits, and near-by meetings attended make the sum of his work
from home. His afflicted wife required his daily attentions.

THURSDAY, January 21. Perform the marriage ceremony of Josiah Wampler
and Mary Kline.

TUESDAY, February 23. Go to Michael Wine's and perform the marriage
ceremony of Isaac Harpine and Barbara Wine.

THURSDAY, March 4. Perform the marriage ceremony of William Andes and
Catharine Miller, at the widow Miller's in the Forest.

WEDNESDAY, March 31. Dr. Newham is at my house to-day. We start my new
electro-magnetic machine, and give Anna an electric shock, in the hope
of its vitalizing her enfeebled nerves. Dr. Newham regards her case as
not being out of the reach of relief by a course of protracted and
judiciously applied medical treatment.

THURSDAY, April 1. Council meeting at the Brush meetinghouse. Perform
the marriage ceremony of Seth Alger and Rosina Fifer.

SATURDAY, April 3. Abraham Knopp and I go to Page County. Call to see
old Sister Gibbons who has reached a very high age. We read and prayed
with her, and her heart seemed to overflow with joy. She said: "I love
all the friends of Jesus. Brethren, I will soon be gone; but I hope
the Lord may leave you here many years yet to do his blessed will, by
calling many sinners from darkness to light, and by comforting his
saints as you have comforted me this day." When we took leave of her
she said: "Farewell: and may the God of love and peace be with you."
Sister Gibbons is the mother of Samuel Gibbons, and is now living with
him on the Hawksbill Creek, not far from the town of Luray, in Page
County, Virginia.

SUNDAY, April 4. The brethren and sisters meet us very early this
morning for prayer and exhortation on the visit; after which the
regular public meeting opens. John 5 is read. Dine at Isaac Spitler's,
and stay all night at Henry Gander's.

FRIDAY, April 16. Abraham Knopp and I go to Lost River. Attend the
burial of Celestine Whitmore's child. Age, seven years, four months,
and one day. In afternoon Jacob Pope and I go on to the visit. Stay
all night at Henry Moyers's.

SATURDAY, April 17. After getting through with the visit we have
council meeting. The reports brought in by the visiting brethren are
mostly encouraging, and show a good spirit existing in the
Brotherhood.

SUNDAY, April 18. Meeting at the meetinghouse. Luke 12 is read. After
meeting perform the marriage ceremony of Washington Cook and Anna Jane
Parker at Brother Whitmore's; then come to William Fitzwar's and
perform the marriage ceremony of Frederick Nasselrodt and Catherine
Weatherholtz. Get home at nine o'clock in the night.

THURSDAY, April 29. Perform the marriage ceremony of William Halterman
and Elizabeth May, at Samuel May's, in the Gap.

SUNDAY, May 2. Meeting at Nasselrodt's in the Gap. I baptized Lotty
Koon.

TUESDAY, May 18. On this day Brother Kline starts to the Annual
Meeting. He takes Anna and Sister Betty Knopp with him. They get to
the widow Nipe's in the evening of the nineteenth. He left Anna and
Sister Betty at this place, whilst he went on to the Annual Meeting at
Brother Jacob Deardorff's, which opened Friday, May 21. The business
features of the meeting closed on Saturday, May 22; and on Sunday, May
23, he started back after the eleven o'clock service. He found Anna
somewhat more cheerful than usual. She stood the trip remarkably well.
From some cause, I know not what, he gives not a word of comment on
the state of feeling, matters considered, or anything else pertaining
to it.

FRIDAY, May 28. We have a love feast at our meetinghouse. _Union in
the evening._ A fine day and good behavior. Some of the older Brethren
will no doubt know what Brother Kline means by the word _union_, here
and elsewhere used in the Diary in a specific sense.

TUESDAY, June 8. To-day I attended two buryings in one graveyard.
Christian Eversole, age, sixty-nine years; and Samuel Bowers, age,
twenty years; both buried at the Brush meetinghouse.

SATURDAY, July 3. Cross the Blue Ridge mountain to-day, and get to
Henry Coverston's late this evening.

SUNDAY, July 4. Meeting in the Methodist meetinghouse. John 4 is read.
I spoke as best I could on the Water of Life and kindred topics, but
in this country we feel sadly the want of encouragement and sympathy
which we are used to in our own houses and congregations. Our
doctrinal views and practices as a denomination are not well
understood in Albemarle County, Virginia. The prevailing denominations
here are Baptists and Methodists. We have one consolation, however,
even here. We can preach the Gospel to the poor, and they are ready to
hear it. But there is one barrier between us and the wealthy classes
which will continue, God only knows how long; and that barrier is
African slavery. Many, seemingly good and reasonable people, in this
country justify themselves in their own eyes, even on scripture
grounds, for taking part in and encouraging the holding of slaves. I
fear, however, that the god of this world has blinded their eyes, so
that seeing they see not, and hearing they understand not.

A gentleman whom I met here and who said that he had traveled a great
deal in the slave-holding States, told me that he witnessed the sale
of some slaves in a town in North Carolina. A mother and her three
children, two boys and a girl, were put up for sale separately. It
happened that the mother was bought by one man, the two boys by
another, and the daughter by a third. The daughter was twelve years
old; and the boys respectively eight and ten. They were now to be
parted, never to see each other more. There was no hope left them of
ever hearing from each other again. The gentleman said the little boys
did not seem to mind it so very much; but, said he, the agony of the
mother, and the distress of the daughter were past description. It
is to be hoped that such heart-rending scenes are not often to be
witnessed; and I do believe that the time is not far distant when
the sun will rise and set upon our land cleansed of this foul stain,
though it may be cleansed with blood. I would rejoice to think that my
eyes might see that bright morning; but I can have no hope of that.

TUESDAY, July 6. On this day Brother Kline made arrangements to move
to Orkney Springs with Anna. Some account of this place is given
elsewhere in this work, and need not be repeated here. He and Anna
staid here about five weeks, and he reports her general health as
being much improved by the use of the different waters, as well as by
the cheerful society she enjoyed. Whilst staying at this place Brother
Kline reports some interesting acquaintances made with several noted
persons whom he had only casually seen before. Among these was the
Rev. Henry Brown, a Presbyterian minister of Harrisonburg.

SATURDAY, July 17, he says: Take a walk over some of the surrounding
eminences with preacher Henry Brown of Harrisonburg, Virginia. Mr.
Brown is a very sociable and pleasant man to be with. Whilst we differ
on a good many points of Christian doctrine, we can still walk and
talk together sociably; and I enjoy his company very much. It would be
pleasant to believe, did the Scriptures warrant the conclusion, that
all the differences which mark the divisions of Christians here will
melt away in love and be forgotten there. Of one thing I am sure: No
one will ever have a just right to boast of his own goodness, or lay
claim to preferment on the score of his own obedience. "When ye," says
our Savior, "have done all these things that were commanded you, say,
We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which it was our duty
to do." Whilst it is true that the Presbyterians are zealous advocates
of education and moral improvement, and as a people exhibit in their
daily lives many Christian virtues and graces, still I fear they are
occupying dangerous ground by rejecting some of the plain commands of
our Lord Jesus. "If the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the
disobedient appear?" I know of no righteousness but that of obedient
faith, or, as Paul puts it, the righteousness of faith that works or
obeys from love, and in this way purifies the heart. A hungering and
thirsting after this righteousness

"Gives exercise to faith and love;
Brings every blessing from above."

If this dear Christian friend is in darkness as to the nature of
obedience and its blessed fruits, himself misled and misleading
others, I pray that the scales may drop from his eyes, that he may see
clearly the whole truth which God has placed in the line of our duty
to do and teach.

SUNDAY, July 18. Friend Henry Brown preached to-day. He is a very
clear and pleasant talker. In his discourse, however, he made me think
of some beautiful birds that hop over what they do not wish to touch,
and take hold gracefully of what they are pleased to alight upon.

THURSDAY, August 12. This day Brother Kline moved back home. He says:
Anna much improved in health. The season at the Springs has been quite
pleasant, with the exception of atmospheric dampness from the
abundance of rain we had while there.

MONDAY, August 23. This day Brother Kline started on another journey
to Pennsylvania. It may be irksome to the general reader to follow his
daily steps from this date to the thirteenth of September, the day on
which he returned home, so I will only name the families he visited or
stayed with all night, in the order given in the Diary. His habit on
this was the same as on other journeys of like motive; he preached as
he went, and never failed holding family worship where he stayed all
night, when well enough to do so. Few of those that were fathers and
mothers then are living now; but their children and grandchildren may
be living, to whom these reminiscences will, doubtless, be pleasant.
Reflections like these instinctively impress us with a consciousness
of time's rapid flight; and make us, who were young then, realize,
with more or less acuteness of perception, the impressive truth that
we, too, are growing old. To such of my readers as find no pleasure or
profit in things of this kind I gently say: Pass over it as you would
an advertisement in which you feel no interest, in a newspaper you may
be perusing: Daniel Fahrney's; John Shank's, near Greencastle; William
Etter's; Allen Mohler's; John Sollenberger's; George Copp's; Dr.
Fahnestock's, in Middletown, Pennsylvania; Abraham Gipe's, near
Lebanon; Jacob Gipe's; Abraham Balsbaugh's; Peter Miller's, this side
Harrisburg; George Deardorf's; Daniel Longenacre's; Widow Bowman's,
near Middletown, Maryland; John Garber's, Jr.; John Garber's, Sr.;
Jacob Rupp's; Nathaniel Bondsack's; Jacob Saylor's; William Deahl's;
David Reinhardt's; Sherk's, near Sharpsburg; Fahnestock's, near
Winchester, Virginia; George Shaver's, in Shenandoah County, Virginia.

Some may say: This reads like a bill of goods with the prices omitted.
But think a little, my friend. Let us suppose that business would
compel you to mount the back of a horse away off in Rockingham County,
Virginia, and travel day after day, until you had completed the round
of visiting every family above named; and in addition to this attend a
meeting of some kind every day or two, and yet be compelled to do all
this in the short space of twenty-one days; would you not think it a
task worthy of mention? Now Brother Kline did all this, but not on the
score of any business interest whatever. Instead of seeking any
worldly gain by it, the direct opposite was the truth, for he came
home with less money in his pocket than he started with. It was just
what he expected and felt assured would be the case. But he went. And
what induced him to go? The love of Christ constrained him. The love
of doing good to others by pointing out the way of salvation to them.
Have I, have you, such love?

Between the last date given and the twenty-first of October Brother
Kline attended a love feast at Beaver Creek, Virginia; one on Lost
River; and one at Flat Rock. Besides these, he attended the regular
Sunday meetings, council meetings, and visited, medically, a
considerable number of patients. He reports much rain in October, and
several times his life was endangered crossing high waters.

FRIDAY, October 22. On this day he started on a journey across the
mountains of western Virginia. He followed a line of love feasts and
other meetings through the counties of Hampshire, Virginia; Garret,
Maryland; Preston and Monongalia, Virginia, to Dunkard Creek in
Pennsylvania, not far this side of Wheeling. He returned over nearly
the same route by which he went, filling appointments he left on his
way out. He reports, on this journey, 371 miles traveled on horseback,
over some rugged mountains and bad roads much of the way. He arrived
home November 4, after an absence of two weeks.

TUESDAY, November 30. Attend the burial of old Mother Horn. Age,
ninety years, two months and two days.

SUNDAY, December 5. Attend the burial of old Mother Conrad. Age,
eighty-five years and nine months.

WEDNESDAY, December 15. Louis and Samuel Kline, of Pennsylvania, visit
us. I take them around to see their and my kindred.

TUESDAY, December 21. Perform the marriage ceremony of Samuel
Hinegartner and Catharine Ralls, at Christian Crider's.

FRIDAY, December 31. Meeting of general council in our meetinghouse.
In the year that is now about to close I have traveled 3,424 miles,
nearly all on horseback. The work of another year is done; and the
record has passed into eternity. As clay, once formed by the hand of
the potter and burnt in a kiln can never be reduced to clay again and
worked over into other forms, so our deeds in life, once done, are
done forever. A vase may be broken, it is true, but the fragments are
apt to reveal the form of the vessel from which they came. So the hand
of jealousy, of envy, of persecution even, may shatter the results of
our best efforts here; but God will gather up the pieces and be able
to tell by their appearance and quality that they belonged to a vessel
of honor in his sight. Seeds sometimes lie a long time in the ground
before they grow and make a blade; so it may be with much of the good
seed that I and others of our beloved Brotherhood have sown this year.
Backward springs and other unfavorable states of weather during the
early part of the growing season are sometimes followed by rich
harvests. We do not know what the future may bring forth, but we do
know that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, to-day, and forever. In
him I trust.

SUNDAY, January 1. Attend the burial of old Mother Baer, at Brother
George Kline's. Age, ninety-six years, four months and twenty days.

THURSDAY, February 3. Perform the marriage ceremony of Michael May and
Julian Custer at George Riddle's.

About this time Brother Kline became deeply interested in the
construction and erection of a bridge across a ford in the North Fork
of the Shenandoah river. His design in this, however, included more
than the avoidance of one dangerous ford; it took in two others. It
was equivalent to spanning three bad fords with one bridge. His plan,
which has since been exactly carried into effect, was to cut down the
end of the mountain in the Gap where it projects into the river, open
up a good highway through the cut, and thus shorten the distance very
materially and shun two dangerous and ever-shifting fords, one above
and the other below the cut. His patience and perseverance in this
great enterprise yielded to no discouragements, and he saw the bridge
built, and the projecting end of the mountain cut down. Like all other
men who have embarked in great enterprises above or beyond the grasp
of ordinary comprehension, he had to combat opposition from some who
should, on the score of direct personal interest in the improvement,
have been most willing to aid in the work. Brother Kline did not live
to see his design fully executed, but it has been carried into effect
within the last decade by the construction of a new bridge upon the
old abutments, and a new road on the very line he proposed. As the
improvement under consideration is a very great one, and originally
undertaken by individual contributions; and as future generations may
wish to know who the prime movers were, and when the first move was
made, the following entry in the Diary will be given here:

FRIDAY, February 25. Attend a meeting of some public-spirited men, at
Samuel Coots's store near the Gap, for the purpose of agreeing upon
the construction of a bridge across the river near the store; for
cutting down the face of the Gap Rock; for making a new road through
the Cut; and for raising funds to meet the same.

Samuel Coots, State Senator from Rockingham County, took an active
part. Abraham Funk, Benjamin Bowman, John J. Bowman, with many other
prominent citizens, nearly or quite all of whom have passed away,
deserve to have their names enrolled as patrons of the enterprise.

WEDNESDAY, March 8. Attend the burial of Brother David Hollar's wife
to-day. Age, forty-seven years and five months.

FRIDAY, March 10. Go to Michael Wine's and attend the burial of his
mother. Age, ninety-three years, three months and fourteen days.

WEDNESDAY, April 12. Attend the funeral of Mrs. Wells Hevner in the
Gap. Age, thirty-three years.

THURSDAY, April 13. Council meeting at our meetinghouse. Samuel
Wampler and myself are established in the ministry, and Joseph Miller
advanced.

FRIDAY, April 14. Council meeting at the Flat Rock. Jacob Wine is
advanced to the second grade in the ministry of the Word.

MONDAY, April 17. Council meeting in the Lost River meetinghouse.
Jacob Pope is chosen speaker.

FRIDAY, April 21. Council meeting in the Old Garber meetinghouse.
Solomon Garber is advanced to the second degree in the ministry of the
Word. Sarah Norman is reinstated to the fellowship of the church.

WEDNESDAY, April 26. Attend the funeral of the widow Sister
Cherryholms in the Gap. Age, fifty-nine years. Sister C. was a woman
of real force of character. Her house was a welcome shelter for the
Brethren and others who often visited her.

MONDAY, May 1. Attend the funeral of old Sister Evers, widow of John
Evers. She died at John Hawse's. Age, seventy-two years, three months
and three days.

WEDNESDAY, May 3. Brother Benjamin Bowman, with Sister Catharine his
wife, and Brother John Wine, with Anna and myself, start to Ohio. We
go in two carriages. To such as are not used to traveling in this way
a journey to Ohio and back in a two-horse carriage, over all kinds of
roads, through all the changes of weather likely to occur at this
season, and I may add, among all kinds of people, might look like an
undesirable undertaking. But for myself I can say I do not dread
making the start. I am best satisfied and most delighted when doing
something for God and humanity. But the company I have on this visit
makes the anticipation of it especially pleasant. Brother John Wine is
a live man; cheerful, but ever earnest and sincere; lively, but never
light or frivolous. His mind is always inquisitive, seeking for
knowledge in every line of truth. Hence he asks many questions. If
your answers involve any doubt as to their correctness, or fail of the
clearness he thinks should appear in the instructions of a teacher to
his pupil, he will dispute a whole day with you on a single question,
rather than appear to be satisfied with your answer when he is not.
With a mind hard and sharp as flint, he strikes fire out of everything
he hits. But he has sense enough, and goodness enough, never to strike
fire where he has reason to fear there may be danger of causing an
explosion. He is the son of Samuel, in the Brush, and brother of
Christian Wine. He married Elizabeth, daughter of John Zigler, in
Timberville, Rockingham County, Virginia. He now resides on his farm
about two miles away from where he was born and raised. He is an
eminently good and useful brother.

Benjamin Bowman is the son of Benjamin Bowman, who settled in
Rockingham County, Virginia, about or very soon after the breaking up
of the war of the Revolution. This elder Benjamin Bowman had three
sons,--Samuel, Benjamin and John,--all of whom married, raised highly
respectable families, lived and died in the same county in which they
were born. These all became members of our Brotherhood; and Benjamin
is at this time a very active and acceptable preacher of the Word, and
promises to be a very agreeable companion on the journey we have now
undertaken together. He is no great talker in the way of conversation,
but what he says is generally to the point. Very considerate in
forming an opinion, and exceedingly careful in reaching a conclusion,
he is not likely to be wrong in anything he asserts to be true. By
means of these habits assiduously cultivated, he has built up a
reputation for reliability which not only aids him in business, but
stamps the seal of truth on his discourses from the ministerial stand.
He will not readily debate a matter you may present to his mind, even
if his views do not coincide with yours at the time; but after due
consideration he will let you hear from him with arguments not to be
refuted.

We stay first night at Celestine Whitmore's on Lost River.

THURSDAY, May 4. After we were on the way this morning Anna changed
her mind and preferred going back to Brother Whitmore's. So we took
her back, and they will convey her home. Travel thirty-three miles,
and stay second night at Joseph Smith's.

FRIDAY, May 5. Go through Romney, Virginia, and at the end of
thirty-five miles stay third night at McNaer's.

SATURDAY, May 6. Go through Frostburg, and come to Jacob Lighty's. We
have night meeting. I speak on Acts 17:30. TEXT.--"The times of this
ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to
repent."

Athens, the capital of Greece, was a large city. It was noted as the
chief seat of Grecian learning, refinement of taste, cultivation of
genius, and skill in the production of almost everything belonging to
the fine arts. It had its philosophers, statesmen, orators, lawyers,
priests, poets and painters. It had its high and low orders in
society. But when Paul beheld the city his spirit was moved in him,
for he saw that it was wholly given to idolatry. Some of the Epicurean
and Stoic philosophers encountered him and said: "He seemeth to be a
setterforth of strange gods." They said this among themselves, because
he preached unto them Jesus and the resurrection. But they did not
seem inclined to do him injury as the Jews had done in some other
places, but gave him a chance to speak in the Areopagus, a large
building in the city called the Hill of Mars, or Mars' Hill. In this
building Paul preached a wonderful sermon, the whole of which you may
read in Acts seventeenth chapter.