Part 4

At the time of his first effort in the ministry, which occurred more than two years after his conversion, Brother Warner had not as yet given his name to any religious society. To join a sectarian denomination is never by divine prompting, but is urged from human source. A young convert possessing the spirit of Christ is naturally at home in the Lord and with Christians anywhere. It is foreign to that spirit for one to limit oneself by subscribing to any particular creed of men. Accordingly, our young brother was only "acting natural" when he manifested no particular anxiety to "join the church." Representatives of the denominations in his neighborhood proposed to him and presented their articles of faith. The fact that he referred the great question to the Scriptures and could see no authority for joining anything not recognized in the Scriptures shows that he was already poor material for sectarian construction, at least so far as the common arguments for sects go.

There was one society, however, by which he was persuaded. The followers of John Winebrenner called themselves the Church of God. As they professed to hold to no creed but the Bible, repudiated sectarianism, baptized by immersion, and observed as an ordinance the washing of feet in conjunction with the Lord's Supper, all of which seemed good to him, and especially as they had the exact New Testament name for the true church, he was constrained to unite with that body. The mark of fellowship which differentiated them from other Christians and constituted them a sect, was not apparent to him, and so, even during the many years of his earlier ministerial career, he identified this body with the true church. He said in later years that he had more liberty as a minister before he took that step than he had during the years he belonged to the denomination, which after all was but a sect.

The Church of God, spelled with a capital C, and more fully denominated General Eldership of the Churches of God in North America, was founded by John Winebrenner, in 1830. Winebrenner had been baptized and confirmed in the German Reformed Church (now the Reformed Church in the United States), and was given the pastorate at Harrisburg. He was a good man and the work of the ministry became the uppermost desire of his heart. He sought to raise the standard of true piety. His earnest preaching resulted in a revival in which he opposed theaters, dancing, gambling, lotteries, and racing. Revivals of religion were new experiences in the churches of that region, so that his ministry awakened strong opposition, which resulted in official charges against him. He severed his relations with the Reformed Church but continued his ministry, extensive revivals following.

Dr. C. H. Forney, in his History of the Churches of God, says,

Winebrenner did not entertain the purpose of founding a new denomination. These bodies he stigmatized as sects. Professor Nevin called the United Brethren and like bodies "rolling balls," and accused Winebrenner with "putting in motion a similar ball, which continues rolling to this hour (1842), not without abundance of noise." Winebrenner denounced this as gross misrepresentation. "But, sir, I did not retire for the ignoble purpose, as you have intimated, of putting another sectarian ball in motion. No, not at all. I had seen, through mercy, the great evil of these rolling balls, put in motion and kept in motion by the cunning craftiness of men and devils, and how by their repeated and unhappy collusions they hindered and marred the work of God in the earth; and, therefore, I resolved to fall back upon original grounds--to stand aloof from all these sectarian balls, and to do the work of an evangelist and minister of Christ by building up the church of God (the only true church) according to the plan and pattern as shown us in the New Testament. This is the high and firm ground we take. Our ball, therefore, is not like your ball, nor similar to other human balls. Ours is the Lord's ball. It was not cut out of the Romish Church by the hands of Calvin and others as was yours. But it was 'cut out of the mountain without hands.' The ball commenced rolling upwards of eighteen hundred years ago, and it continues rolling to this hour; yea, and it will never cease rolling till every other man-made ball shall be either crushed or rolled up by it, and until the sound of it shall be 'like the sound of many waters, and as the voice of great thunder.'"

On the subject of organization the same writer continues,

Winebrenner was indisposed to begin the organization of churches. The uniform testimony of his contemporaries is that he "had not at the beginning the remotest idea of organizing a distinct or separate body of people." But driven out of the pulpit by the Reformed Church, ostracised and persecuted, he was led to a closer personal investigation of church polity. He went to the highest source for light. He applied himself with singleness of purpose to the study of the Word of God. The result was a material modification of his former views on ecclesiology. As he himself testified later: "As the writer's views had by this time materially changed as to the true nature of a Scriptural organization of churches, he adopted the apostolic plan, as taught in the New Testament, and established spiritual, free, and independent churches, consisting of believers or Christians only, without any human name or creed or ordinances or laws." The local church was the unit. It possessed perfect autonomy. It was wholly independent of every other unit. Each such unit "possesses in its organized state," as Winebrenner expressed it in 1829, "sufficient power to perform all acts of religious worship and everything relating to ecclesiastic government and discipline. Every individual church is strictly independent of all others as it respects religious worship and the general government of its own affairs." Fellowship between these "free and independent" units there would be, but no higher organization was then recognized by Winebrenner which could limit the powers of the local church. Each of these local organizations would accept no human name, creed, nor ordinances; but would adopt the divine name and creed and ordinances. In his broad platform he saw a basis of the union of all Christians and churches. And so the imperative duty of cultivating union between all believers was strongly urged. These views prepared the way for Winebrenner to fall in with the growing demand for local church organization. For the multitudes of converts had "conceived the idea of, and began to talk about, organizing themselves into churches founded on Bible doctrines and principles even before Winebrenner had determined in his own mind to do so."

Thus there were independent local churches organized in and around Harrisburg, which Winebrenner denominated simply Churches of God. Each assumed the name of "Church of God at ----." The members of these churches had equal rights, and elected and licensed men to preach.

ORGANIZATION OF ELDERSHIPS

There was as yet no common bonds, no general organization or directing authority. In order to effect this and adopt a regular system of cooperation, a meeting was held at Harrisburg in October, 1830, attended by six of the licensed ministers. Of this meeting Winebrenner writes, "Thus originated the Church of God, properly so called, in the United States of America, and thus also originated the first Eldership." This organized body assumed no other name than Eldership, though later the term General Eldership was used to distinguish this body from the eldership of the local church. The term General Eldership was, however, applied at first only to the presbyteries or Elderships of sections or States, which held their sessions annually. In October, 1844, Winebrenner proposed a General Eldership for the transaction of all business of a general nature affecting the various annual Elderships. It was provided that this General Eldership should hold its meetings triennially for the first twenty years and after that every five years. Thus we see that by this time Winebrenner's views of church government were still further modified.

The work continued to grow and spread to adjoining counties and to Maryland, western Pennsylvania, and Ohio, where Elderships were organized.

Each local church elects its own elders and deacons, who with the pastor constitute the church council and are the governing power, having charge of the admission of members and the general care of the church work. The churches within a given district are associated together for cooperation in general work. The pastors and other ordained ministers within a district, together with an equal number of lay members, constitute the Annual Eldership, which appoints the ministers of the various charges. Each local church votes for a pastor, but the Annual Eldership makes the appointments within its own boundaries. These Annual Elderships elect an equal number of ministerial and lay delegates, who constitute the General Eldership.

The Churches of God, as already stated, have no written creed but assume to accept the Word of God as their only rule of faith and practise. They hold the doctrine of the Trinity, believe in human depravity, the atonement of Christ, justification by faith, the resurrection, future punishment, and are, in general, orthodox. Through these articles of their faith, and the fact that they took the Scriptural name, Church of God, the followers of Winebrenner made their appeal to D. S. Warner. But they were lacking in some very important particulars, without which they could not possibly be, as was claimed, identical with the New Testament church. Winebrenner started out well, but on the subject of Holy Spirit organization and government he was not sufficiently illumined to avoid more or less of the human ecclesiastical authority which crept into the body of his followers and constituted them a sect. When holiness came they repudiated it, thereby revealing their position as outside the Holy Spirit control of believers. However, their teaching on the church question was correct as far as it went, and it took years of actual practise of obeying the lead of the Spirit to discover to Brother Warner and others the clash between the Holy Spirit rule and the rule of human authority.

V

FIRST YEARS IN MINISTRY

Brother Warner had the right view of ministerial qualification. He realized that in order to succeed he must have the spiritual anointing, and that since it was God's work it was needful that he be in that divine relation by which it would be God in him accomplishing the result. He held education to be very useful and it was his endeavor throughout his life to add to his knowledge; but he regarded the spiritual qualification as paramount. He soon proved to be gifted as an evangelist and engaged much in evangelistic work.

Before proceeding far in active ministerial work he was married, on the 5th of September, 1867, to Tamzen Ann Kerr. It is probable that he became acquainted with this young woman while he was teaching school in the vicinity of her home, which was near West Unity, Williams County. She lived to enjoy his companionship and to share his labors only about four and one half years. Early in 1872 she gave birth to triplets, which lived only a few hours. Nor did the mother long survive the ordeal, as she died on May 26, after a succession of spasms. A family record in an old Bible shows also the birth of a son, on Dec. 29, 1868, but fails to record his death. Brother Warner refers to this son once in his diary.

He was granted a license by the West Ohio Eldership,[2] which met in its eleventh annual session at Findlay in October, 1867. His reference to this event in his diary is given in another part of this book. In this chapter as well as in some of the succeeding chapters, the copious extracts from Brother Warner's diary will give the reader a better understanding of his character, his temperament, his spirituality and devotion, and his work, than would description by another. Unfortunately these journal records for the first five years of his ministry (for it is assumed that he kept such records), which no doubt would be very interesting, are not available. All the information to be obtained covering this period is from those still living who had personal knowledge of the events, and from references to this period in his later records. In one of these he says he began traveling in 1868. In another he refers to having labored the first year in Hancock County, at Blanchard Bethel, in connection with Findlay.

During the first six years of his ministry his activities covered practically all of northwestern Ohio and a small portion of Indiana. Persons now living who were present in some of his revivals during this period state that they were remarkable for manifestations of God's power. Hard-hearted sinners, some of whom had not attended a meeting for years, would get under conviction and cry audibly for mercy. He ranked high as an evangelist--above the average of his day. In physical appearance he was slightly above average in height, rather slender and frail in build. His temperament was sanguine-nervous, eyes blue, hair brown--a fine sensitive organization. He wore a full beard, which in later years he kept shortly trimmed. He had the perfect bearing of a minister of the gospel, and his speech and conduct were fully consistent. His mentality was keen. His lungs were weak, but he wore well as a speaker. His voice was musical and possessed good carrying quality. One of his earliest revivals was held at New Washington, Crawford County, the home of his boyhood. He refers to it under date of Nov. 24, 1872, as follows:

This town had ever been abandoned to the mercies of Catholics, Old Lutherans, and saloons, all of which were equally destructive of all moral good. No protracted effort had ever been made in the place. No conversions had ever been heard of. In the fall of 1870 I was put upon the Seneca circuit, of which New Washington was nearly in the center, and knowing the debauchery and ignorance of the people in general, I determined to lift up the standard of King Immanuel in that place. Accordingly I settled in the place and rented a vacant building that used to contain a drug store and saloon. The owner had speculative motives, having asked quite a dear rent for the room. But during the winter I and companion made special prayer to God for his conversion.

The meeting was begun on the 17th of February, 1871. The night before the owner slept not for deep conviction. As soon as I arose in the morning he came to me in tears and confessed his sins and asked my prayers. I directed him to look to Christ for immediate pardon and deliverance. I gave him some of the great promises of Christ. And there, standing in his own stable, he looked to Christ and experienced a full pardon of all his sins. This settled the rent for the house. The third night six came to the altar. The meeting was attended with great power and produced a great stir among the people, many of whom had never seen the like. Fifty-six were converted, forty-six baptized, and forty-six fellowshiped into the organization.

Among these converts were a number of his school-mates, old acquaintances, and neighbors. George Pratt, of Nappanee, Ind., an old schoolmate and a former resident of New Washington, makes this statement concerning this meeting: "The meeting was held in my father's drug-store building. Brother Warner held the meeting unaided. He stood there alone and preached while others threatened. There were bad elements that rose in opposition, the Lutheran being the worst and the Catholic next. My father protected him. It was a wonderful meeting and many were saved."

The earliest of his diary records so far available begin in November, 1872, as follows, when he was on the Seneca circuit and had his home with a Brother Wright, in Crawford County, Ohio:

=8.= Brother P. Wright brought me to Bucyrus. Staid all night with Bro. J. G. Wirt. The Methodists had a festival. I and a few members of the same church (who repudiated these follies and inconsistencies) met for prayer and the Lord was with us. These brethren were much dissatisfied with their church relation.

=9.= Left Bucyrus at 7 A. M. Reached Lima at nine. Stopped at the Burnet House till 1:20 P. M. Wrote a letter to my brother and one to brother-in-law, L. W. Guiss.

=10.= Sabbath. A. M., prayer-meeting at Brother Dague's, P. M., heard a Lutheran minister in Milton. Evening, preached from Isa. 28:16,17. I occupied the Presbyterian house. I preached here some in the schoolhouse in 1868, the first year I traveled.

=11.= Took the train at 7:30 A. M. for Tontogany, with the design of finding where God wishes me to labor as a missionary. 0 Lord, guide thy servant to the place thou canst best use him! Walked from Tontogany to Brother Hardee's. Evening, went to Evangelical meeting. Brother W---- preached. Heard a great noise, but to the congregation it appeared as a tinkling cymbal and sounding brass, evidently having no effect. Nearly all blew loudly the horn of sanctification but manifested little of its fruits, such as travail of soul for the sinner and sympathy for the one soul at the altar, to whom none gave a word of encouragement, but each in turn arose and boasted of his holiness. Oh the delusions of Satan! How manifold they are!

In the entry just quoted the reader will notice his prejudice, existing at that time, against the doctrine of holiness, or sanctification. How strange it seems to those who knew him afterward to be a whole-souled advocate of the doctrine of holiness, that he should thus speak! It was altogether a matter of light and understanding. His heart was consecrated and he certainly was not unacquainted with the Holy Spirit during his early ministry. But as a definite experience to be believed for and testified to, he knew nothing about sanctification as yet. Also, it is possible that in its advocates whom he had met thus far, the doctrine and experience had not been rightly represented.

It will be observed also from these quotations from his journal that he meant to stand, and believed he was standing, free from sectarianism. He had considerable light on the church question and spiritual Babylon.

The place referred to in the following entry was near Holland, Lucas County.

=13.= Visited Father and Brother John McNut and Brother Irvin. Eve, preached in the brick schoolhouse, on Jas. 1:27. Here the Church of God had long been slandered and persecuted, principally by the United Brethren Church. One of the epithets they had for years called us is, "Johnny Cake Church." Bro. Henry S. McNut lives here nearly alone. He and his wife and their ancestors for generations past belonged to the United Brethren, but in the fall of 1870, after a hard spell of sickness in which he feared that he should die and be lost for not obeying the truth, he came to the West Ohio Eldership and received a license and began to preach amidst a storm of persecution from the United Brethren Church. Even his own companion, though an amiable woman, had been so poisoned against the Church of God that she joined in to oppose him. But he was firm and now commands the position. Every foe had fled and all that truly fear God join in to encourage the truth. Some will doubtless soon cut loose from sectarian bondage. Those that were the bitterest enemies now confess that we are right and they are wrong.

The Church of God, as we have seen, repudiated sectarianism, and the assumption by that church that it was the Scriptural one was a strong underlying principle. In some respects it held the correct idea of the Scriptural church. To some extent, therefore, Brother Warner's membership in that denomination afforded him light that naturally led to the full Scriptural standard which he afterward taught. His affiliation with that denomination in the first place was, as we have seen, because of a disposition to be Scripturally right on this point.

=14.= Brother McNut and I went to Toledo to look for a place in which to open a mission in that city.

=15.= Walked nearly all day in search of a place to open a mission. No success. May God soon open the way for the establishment of his church in this place.

In his diary Brother Warner recorded something for each day. Every time he preached it was noted and numbered and the text was given. The Eldership required each minister to give a report of his work. It is not necessary to quote all the shorter entries and items from his diary, which are much the same and generally speak of his visiting some one, making some trip, reading, writing, preaching, praying, fasting, baptizing, etc. Only the more interesting items, or such as are the most representative, will be given.

=22.= Returned to Auburn. Meeting at Basswood still in progress. The young men who made a start the last night I was there have all found Jesus their Savior. Preached from Mal. 3:8. A deep seriousness pervaded the minds of all. The feeling of that night shall not soon be forgotten. It was as solemn as the grave. A sensation of dark and fearful forebodings of some approaching calamity ran through every mind. Bro. H. Caldwell arose and said he had a matter revealed to him that he felt impressed to relate, and that was that before tomorrow's sun should set some one in this community would suddenly be killed. At his request we arose and pledged ourselves to offer one more fervent prayer that night in behalf of poor sinners.

=23.= Spent the day at home in reading, meditation and prayer. Brother Jenner preached in the evening. I labored hard to bring penitents to the altar. Three came out, two of whom were old acquaintances of mine, for whom I had felt a deep interest. One found peace.

After meeting was dismissed we heard that Ezekiel R----, an old man eighty-two or eighty-three years of age, who lived one mile and a quarter east of the schoolhouse, had that day been killed by the cars in crossing the track at Shelby. I knew the man from my boyhood; he bought out my father in that country in 1853. He was very wealthy. God had blessed him with long life, prosperity, and good health. But he had no thanks to offer to his divine Benefactor, having set his whole heart upon the god of this world. There was no place for Christ in his heart. He leaned toward Universalism, because congenial to the carnal mind. He was filled with skepticism and was always in the habit of speaking lightly of preachers and professors of religion. I visited him twice during the meeting at Auburn last winter and conversed with him on the subject of religion. He acknowledged that there is one thing in the Bible that caused him to study a good deal, and that is the new birth, which he said, was perfectly dark to him. He told of having once gone to hear one of the greatest champions of Universalism preach on the subject. "But," said he, "I received no light whatever." His case was a clear fulfilment of 1 John 2:11, "Darkness hath blinded his eyes," and 2 Cor. 4:4, "The God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not." He had a very large development of brain, of which firmness was the largest developed organ. What a pity that the devil perverted these faculties!