THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX REV. FELIX POWELL THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX BY REV. FELIX POWELL PORTLAND, MAINE 1915 COPYRIGHT BY FELIX POWELL I 9 I 5 DEDICATION " I "0 my wife and children ; to the mem- bers and worshippers of the Peoples' Methodist Episcopal Church in South Portland; to the preachers of the Maine Conference, and to all my friends who constantly prayed and helped me in my life struggle, making it possible for me to reach my present standing in the work of Jesus Christ, is this little book lov- ingly dedicated. C ONTENTS DEDICATION ^ PREFACE 9 INTRODUCTION 11 CHAPTER I FELIX AND HIS PARENTS 17 CHAPTER H FELIX AND THE LOSS OF HIS FATHER . . 29 CHAPTER HI FELIX SOLD AS A SLAVE 39 CHAPTER IV FELIX'S RETURN HOME .... 51 CHAPTER V FELIX AND HIS VISION 61 CHAPTER VI FELIX IGNORING HIS MAKER .... 75 CHAPTER VII FELIX FINDING HIS LOST CHRIST ... 85 CHAPTER VIII FELIX AND THE EXPANSION OF A SOUL . . 99 CHAPTER IX FELIX'S CALL TO THE MINISTRY . . . .111 CHAPTER X FELIX TACKLING HIS JOB 123 CHAPTER XI FELIX AND HIS HELPERS 135 CHAPTER XII FELIX AND THE FULFILMENT OF THE PROMISE 145 THE PREFACE 'T^HIS little book purports to give a rev- ^ elation of the Author's inner life. The method is rather singular and unique. The object for so doing is to appeal to the reader from another angle than most bio- graphies do, thus making it doubly inter- esting. The reason for closing each chapter with an application is that all these ad- dresses were delivered during a series of revival meetings held at the Peoples' Methodist Episcopal Church, South Portland, Maine, in the year 1914. There is no attempt at literary style or form of expression, but there is much of heart-throbbing experience and a kaleido- scopic presentation of life to compensate for it. It is with heart-felt thanks that the Author acknowledges the wise counsels 9 THE PREFACE and timely suggestions received from Rev- erends Raymond H. Huse, James M, Pot- ter and last but not least, Gay Charles White, A.M., S.T.B. As a scholar, inde- fatigable toiler and Christian gentleman, Mr. White has very few equals. Many of his invaluable hours were spent in helping the Author in putting these pages into readable shape. REV. FELIX POWELL South Portland, Maine October 6, 1915 10 INTRODUCTION \ 1 /iTHOUT Europe, what were America? ^^ We who were born here, if we have only provincial minds and notions, clannish tastes and associations, may speak slightingly of our neighbors of foreign birth, but in so doing we only betray how ignorantly and selfishly we would bring the brink of the waters near to our own doors. Little folk try to build big protections about themselves. This country was discovered not for itself but for the world — not the New World, not the Old World, but both worlds. If rational therefore, the nation will make "itself lord and master of everything contingent" and constituent. Without Greece what were Rome? If no one had ever come here of those who had been born elsewhere, every babe would yet be a papoose, and the men would paint and wear feathers yet, instead of the women. We are what we are because we are, Egyptian and Assyrian, Grecian and 11 INTRODUCTION Roman, German and Russian, French and English. "We all came over." But we are only a microcosm of the colossal world we should be. Just as when the silver is dissolved in nitric acid, the solu- tion becomes one of silver-nitrate, so when the rest of the world is dissolved in this Continent the solution becomes World-American — after that there is no room here for either the silver or the acid; it is the nitrate we are after. Now, this chemical solution is the Christian solution; the only solidarity of countries and races is in the Christian Church, it is not I say, merely a mechani- cal solution but a chemical one. The mere physical mixture is not enough, it must be a spiritual one. If races only mingle, caste is the product; if they mix, the product is the family, father, mother, brother, sister. To this end the nations must be regenerated. When the Italian or the Frenchman sets about making Americans by making them Christians, he is contributing to the normal world- 12 INTRODUCTION process of making us all one, even as the Father and the Son are one. Felix Powell, a product of the process, is giving us in his book an example and trying to induce his clansmen and kins- men out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation to follow his example. His experience will interest every reader whose longings are respected and whose motives are sincere. He has moved multi- tudes profoundly with the story of his life, and he has simply substituted for his voice, the printed page. His labora- tory is a good one, if in the use of a foreign language, he may occasionally misplace a vessel or two. Let me introduce him please, to the American who welcomes into his fellow- ship his brothers gathered out of the lands from the East, and from the West and from the North and from the South. BISHOP JOHN W. HAMILTON October 6, 1915 13 FELIX AND HIS PARENTS THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX CHAPTER I FELIX AND HIS PARENTS HENRY WARD Beecher once said, "I am thankful for a hundred things but above all else for two things, first, for parents that gave me a sound constitution and a noble example. I never can repay what I got from them. If I were to raise a monument of gold as high as the heavens it would be no expression of the debt of gratitude which I owe to them for that which they unceasingly gave me by heritage of body and by heritage of soul. Secondly, I am thankful that I was brought up in cir- cumstances where I never became acquainted with wickedness." As I read this beautiful tribute which long since fell from the lips of America's peerless preacher, I thought how clearly it expressed the experience of Felix's life which we are to relate in this address to-night. Two souls, diametrically opposite in general characteristics, met one day. The man was short, chubby, well framed, strong physically, never had a sickness, ache or personal infirmity, had no vocation in life other than that of being a 17 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX common laborer. Because school privileges had been denied him, he could neither read nor write. However, he was as clean a man morally as any in the community. The young lady was slender, of normal height, not very beautiful, but gracious and amiable. She was as sweet as a rose, as fragrant as a lily, fresh as the morning dew, gentle as a dove and pure as an angel. These two coming together in a pasture, where sheep fed by the side of still water, fell in love with each other at first sight. Having gone through the form of proposal, according to custom, and having passed three years of an ideal courtship, they were united in holy matrimony by the law of the land and the law of God. Happy they were. Home they had none. The young husband being a member of a large family, found no room for them in his father's house. The bride coming from a home where ten others were numbered among her brothers and sisters thought it impossible to seek for shelter in their midst. A farmer, who needed help, asked Felix's parents if they would not be willing to make their home with him. The proposal was accepted, and without any contract or under- standing for wages or the length of time they were to stay, they began their married life here. Both of them were sent into the field 18 FELIX AND HIS PARENTS to till the soil from early dawn to the dusk of the evening. To this young couple, in course of time, is given the privilege of becoming parents. I say privilege, for such it is. For who is more highly honored than that young couple receiving their first and best gift, the care and nursing of a Heaven-sent child? Little children are God's greatest gift to men because it is through them that we get the first conception of what Heaven really is. The Christ did say, "Of such is the kingdom of Heaven." Greatest gift I say, because they are most potent in accomplishing what priest, preacher, governor, president, or king fails to do. No power in this world can keep an alienated couple together until a child is born to them, and behold what a transformation in a few weeks' or months' time. A man may defy the power demanding his service in time of war and succeed in staying away, but you touch the man's child and he will fight to the death. To this young couple, then, God gives the trust of children. There is joy in the home so that all the friends and relatives are invited and a feast is celebrated. My friends, listen to me when I say that if a little bit of this spirit could be introduced into some of our American families to-day, it would do us all good and our on-coming generation would be different in 19 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX raising larger families. What a great oppor- tunity this country has in giving to the world the noblest and highest race that Heaven has ever canopied! Felix says that he had the best bringing up that any boy could wish, even if it was mingled with a few drops of superstition. On the day of his arrival the mother sends for the priest, and the time for his baptism is appointed. On that day the parents with the child, accompanied by two others known as sponsors, enter the church. A sponsor, in the Roman Catholic Church, is a person who at the baptism of the infant, professes the Christian faith in its name and guarantees its religious education. In the tongue of Felix's country they are known as comparo and commare, which translated into the English, means, godfather and god- mother. From the hour of its baptism, the child is under the watchful care of its parents and these sponsors and the priest of the parish. How different this seems to be in the Protestant Church! We seem to embue our children with a spirit of independence and freedom from matter of choice and we had better let them grow up: when they come to the age of under- standing let them cast their own lot with the church of their preference. When we take into consideration that in other matters we do not allow them to act according to their lean- 20 FELIX AND HIS PARENTS ing, the inconsistency of this attitude is evident to any unprejudiced mind. I do not say that the placing of children within the church's care will make them Christians, but I do say that we have a greater chance in leading them toward becoming such. A most excellent book, called "The Soul of a Child" written by Rev. Raymond H. Huse, may be obtained from the Methodist Book Concern, and a close perusal of this volume will be of inestimable worth to Christian workers and parents. Listen to Felix's story and learn. He said that as soon as he was old enough to under- stand anything he found himself in the hands of the priest, learning what was essential for him to know at that time. There was no excuse for being absent. If this happened, something else would happen also. That is, Felix says, that at one time he failed to put in an appear- ance at the hour appointed and failing to furnish a good excuse he was commanded to kneel, not on a velvet floor, nor a bare one, but on a handful of walnut shells, and at the end of ten minutes was told to rise only to see blood oozing from his bare little knees. You cry out, "That is cruel; that is inhuman." Perhaps so, but Felix has this to say about it, he learned a lesson then which he has never been able to forget, namely, that the Roman Catholic 21 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX Church speaks with authority, which element is greatly lacking among us, much to our loss. This priest made doubly sure that before Felix was left alone he knew the principal teaching of his church. Another part is done by the mother. Felix says that as soon as he got home from the church his mother would question him upon what he had there learned, and more than once was made to repeat the same until he was perfectly sure of his knowledge. How refreshing it is to read such a passage as the following from Ruskin's tribute to his mother, "Though I have picked up elements of little further knowledge in mathematics, in meteorology and Latin, and owe not a little to the teaching of others, this maternal instil- lation of Scripture into my mind I count very confidently the most essential of all my educa- tion." The great Webster said in substance: If I have been of any use to the world and met with any degree of success it is due to the Scrip- ture which I learned at my mother's knee. Felix says that he shall never forget as the evening hour approached how his mother would take him to his httle bed of straw, and kneeling beside him would commend him to the Father of us all, and to this day he can see that tear- stained countenance looking God-ward invoking His Heavenly protection. 22 FELIX AND HIS PARENTS I think it is Lamartine who tells that at one time he saw a branch torn from the trunk of a willow tree, floating down on the surges of the mighty river Saona. On it a female night- ingale covered her nest as it drifted down the flowing stream and the male on the wing fol- lowed the wreck, which was carrying the object of his love. Ha! friends, though Felix is many thousand miles away from his mother, yet her love follows him on to the end of time. My people, especially you precious mothers, have you done, and are you doing, your uttermost for your jewels? A mother was sweeping one day, using her little Bessie's broom. The child seeing it became very indignant and demanded the surrendering of her property. The mother said, "Bessie, go out into the yard for a little while and play like a good little girl!" But the child insisted on having her broom before she went out, for she claimed that her prop- erty was being worn. By this time her mother became irritated, and ordered the child out or she would punish her. The child refusing to go out unless her broom was first given lo her, was taken by the mother upstairs and after having given her a good whipping she left her alone. Dinner time came, the father returned and asked for Bessie. The mother in the 23 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX midst of her toil had forgotten about her child. Together they went to her room only to find the child tossing on her little bed and mutter- ing certain peculiar sounds mingled with a few words which her mother recognized to be "Please, mamma, please don't use my broom." Then she would pause a minute and again murmur, "It's mine, mother; it's mine, don't you use it, please." The best medical skill was sought, money was not spared to obtain the best, but it was of no use. The child was going fast. Just before she passed away she stretched forth her tiny hands and said "Mam- ma, good-bye, you may take the little broom now, you may keep it forever, and please, mamma, forgive Bessie for being a naughty girl." And away she passed into the hands of her Saviour who said, "Suffer little children to come unto Me and forbid them not, for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven." Listen, that mother was never herself after that. But if you will pardon me for coming home to ourselves I will say that there are scores and scores of mothers in my presence to-night who are just as cruel as this lady, be- cause you are denying your children what really belongs to them. Your prayers, your reading to them from God's Book, your reading from good wholesome hterature, your leading them to the church on Sunday, your remaining with 24 FELIX AND HIS PARENTS them in the Sunday School, your setting a fine Christian example before them in uniting with the church of Jesus Christ, your teaching them day after day that it is right, just and their everlasting duty to place themselves within the bounds and influence of the mightiest force for righteousness in the world to-day, namely, the Church of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. These and all these you are denying your children and some day, if you do not rise to-night and resolve to live for God, you will reap what you are sowing with large interest. 25 FELIX AND THE LOSS OF HIS FATHER CHAPTER II FELIX AND THE LOSS OF HIS FATHER A GENTLEMAN entered a railway carriage in Liverpool to go far north in Scotland, and there sat beside him a pale, weak and worn young mother and she had upon the bend of her arm a strong but restless baby. Surely, he thought, "This mother is not able to carry this child all these hundreds of miles." After a little he put the question to her, "Are you going far?" "Yes, I am." "Are you going to carry that child all the way?" "Yes, I am." "Will you not get tired? You look tired now." "I am not well, and I am tired, and I do feel that it is a long way to go;" and the tears stole down her cheek, "I do not mind; for my father will meet me there." Felix, whose story is told in these pages, has many loads to carry, many sins to weep over, many long weary days of struggle in the battles of hfe; has met, and perhaps will continue to meet, many disappointments and perhaps with but little strength to bear them; however, he is cheered with the thought that soon the fight will be over, and he will meet both his Heavenly and his earthly father. Pathetic indeed is the story which he, in his 29 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX rather broken English, tells. His father had now a large family to support. There were ten in the home who looked to him for a living. His daily wages on the farm averaged eighteen cents per day. Therefore, he must seek for other kinds of work which would bring larger remuneration. In the northern part of Felix's country a railroad was being built and it was there that the father went in search for work. For three months or more he made thirty-five cents per day, and after having subtracted his daily existence from it the remainder was sent to his wife. One day the boy Felix gathered his sheep from the pasture (for he was now a shepherd) and returned home. Entering his one-roomed house he was confronted with sad faces, evidently experiencing profound grief. To him this was all mystery. Nor did anyone tell him what it all meant. All he can remember now is that there came a neighbor lady, placing her motherly hands upon his shoulders and asked him if he would not go with her and spend the night with her children. Without asking any questions Felix acquiesced. After the supper was served, a few games were played and bedtime called him to rest. But Felix could not go to sleep very well; those sad faces and tearful eyes, the deep groanings and loud crying, kept coming up before him and his eyelids refused to fold together. 30 FELIX AND THE LOSS OF HIS FATHER When morning arrived, breakfast eaten, Felix had to start for his home again in order to gather his sheep from the neighbor's sheep- fold and lead them out by the mountain side for the day. For he was even at this tender age getting four cents a day, and thus helping his parents to support the large family. When he reached home he found his eldest brother crying bitterly and to him Felix appealed for an explanation as to what all this meant. At first he was refused, but within a few moments Felix was taken by the hand and led to the corner of the single-roomed house and there was shown the cold form of him whom he loved more than anyone else on earth, excepting his precious mother. For a moment he seemed to have lost his senses and could hardly breathe, but being taken away from his dead father's side he began to weep, and to this day he cannot think about the tragedy without shedding hot tears. And why? Because when Felix lost his father, he lost something from his life that nothing in this world has ever been found to take its place. Further, Felix says that all the members of the family grew up, and each able to earn a fair wage, they were enabled to provide a piece of land with a pretty little home for their dear mother, and almost every com- fort for her, and the rest of the family was well looked after and yet the sense of an absent 31 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX father, who was never to return, took away all the joy that should abide in an ideal home. When Felix told me this, I said to myself, here is a fine chance for me to preach a sermon on "The Lost Father." Nothing could take the place of the father in Felix's life. Games of all sorts were given to him, a little money placed in his hand, amusements were provided; and since he has grown up, his career has changed, education has been his aim, to serve Jesus Christ has been his supreme passion, a beau- tiful family has been entrusted to his care, a degree of success has rewarded his feeble efforts, many kind words have been spoken in com- mendation upon his earnest toil, and yet there is a vacant place in Felix's life. Father was taken away from him when he was but a child. This poor dying world is much in need of a Father, not so much of an earthly, but the Heavenly Father. Man is never and can never really be satisfied until that Father has come to make His abode in the heart. The highest good in one's life is the supremacy of Jesus Christ in the soul. For this is the world cry- ing. God help me to bring to them the Bread of Life! In the days of Nero there was a great short- age of food in Rome, although there was a great abundance in Alexandria. A certain man, 32 FELIX AND THE LOSS OF HIS FATHER who owned a vessel, went down to the sea- coast, and there he noticed many hungry people, watching for the vessels that were to come from Egypt. When these vessels came to the shore there was nothing but sand in them which Nero had compelled them to bring for use in the arena. The merchant said to the shipmaster, "Take thou heed that thou bring nothing with thee from Alexandria but wheat and corn, for these people are dying, and now we must keep our vessel for this one business of bringing food for them." "Alas, alas" said Spurgeon, who related the above, "I have seen many mighty galleys of late loaded with the sand of human philosophy and speculation and have said: nay, I will bear nothing in my ship but revealed truth of God and the mere Bread of Life which people need so much." My people, what each is crying for to-night is the real Bread of Life. We will never be fully satisfied until that Bread is partaken of. A saint who had learned of this once cried out, "I have no good beside Thee." St. Augustine exclaims, "Lord, give me Thyself." "He has all who has Him that has all," murmurs another dying hero. Break Thou the Bread of Life, Dear Lord, to me, As Thou didst break the loaves Beside the sea: 33 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX Beyond the sacred page I seek Thee, Lord: My spirit pants for Thee, living Word. Bless Thou the truth, dear Lord, To me, to me. As Thou didst bless the bread By Galilee; Then shall all bondage cease, All fetters fall; And I shall find my peace. My all-in-all. A legend tells this of Empress Helena. At one time she sought for the true cross of Jesus Christ. In search her men found three crosses of Calvary buried in the soil. Which one of the three was the veritable cross of Christ they could not tell except by certain tests, A dead man was sought for and placed on the first cross. But there was no life or motion in him. Then he was placed on the second and there was no stir in the dead man. Then they placed him on the third cross and life was imparted to his dead form. This, of course, was the cross of Christ. But they wanted to make doubly sure of it, and so they brought a man who was rich in things of this world but poor in the possession of the things belonging to the spiritual world. He was hungry for the real Bread of Life and was 34 FELIX AND THE LOSS OF HIS FATHER told to pray to the first cross for pardon and peace, but no answer came. Then he was told to pray to the second and there was no pardon found. Finally he prayed to the third, and lo and behold, the burden of sin rolled away and he went home rejoicing. This experience will be yours and mine if we will but come just as we are, for God is no respecter of persons. 35 FELIX SOLD AS A SLAVE CHAPTER III FELIX SOLD AS A SLAVE A SLAVE, on hearing that an Englishman had purchased him, gnashed his teeth, knit his brows, and declared, with true pathos and heartfelt indignation, that he would never obey so unworthy a representative of the land of boasted freedom. On learning afterward, how- ever, that his new master bid for and bought him in order to bestow upon him his freedom, the poor negro was so overcome with joy and gratitude, that he fell down at the feet of the man he had just vowed never to serve, and exclaimed, "I am your slave forever." The story which is told in this chapter con- cerning Felix who was sold as a slave, found a different kind of a master than the one who bestowed freedom upon the negro. Three or four years after Felix's father had passed away, his mother called him to her side one day and with tearful eyes asked him if he would not be willing to help her to support her large family. She told him of the two little sisters who had not much to eat for three days and hardly any- thing to wear. Looking into her sweet face Felix said: "Mother, I will do anything for you. I am your son and you can use me in any 39 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX way you deem best." Then she proceeded to tell him that there was a man in town who was buying boys from the age of seven to fourteen. He would pay the parents eight dollars in cash, allowing him to use the boys nine months, namely, from the first of September to the mid- dle or the last of June. To Felix, the mother told how amiable and lovable this man seemed to be and surely her little son would like him. Then she asked him what he thought about being sold to that man. "Mother," said Felix, "I am at your disposal and anything that you may be led to do will meet with full approval by me." So saying, they fell into each other's arms, and in the midst of sobs the mother said to him, "God bless you my sweetheart." The next thing which Felix remembers is this, that a few days after he had that con- versation with his mother, there came to his home a tall, gaunt, dark-complexioned, middle- aged man, seeking an interview with his mother. Having conversed with her for a little while they called Felix into their presence and after the man had looked the boy over, they dis- missed the little fellow. After an hour or so the man left the house, and Felix was called in by his mother who proceeded to tell him that he had been sold to that man for nine months for the mere sum of eight dollars. This 40 FELIX SOLD AS A SLAVE took place about the middle of August and immediately his mother began to make for him a few clothes, and such apparel as he was to use while away from home. Of course Felix never dreamed what a dread- ful experience there was awaiting him. He went about among his playmates and neighbors, and with a gleeful heart, told them that soon he would go away from home to have a good time, as any and every boy would naturally imagine. On the seventh day of September, 1879, Felix's master came back to gather his slaves. There were about seventy or eighty of them that had been sold from the same town. But not all of these were purchased by a single slave holder. Perhaps it is safe to say that no master had more than fifteen of them. On the eighth day Felix said good-bye to his little friends and then embracing his angelic mother and amid a profusion of tears and crying, he departed. All the food on which he was to to thrive, during his long journey of 125 miles, all his clothing, all the necessary articles made for his use while away from home, were placed in a large bag, and this bag placed upon his little shoulders and the journey was on. These boys were grouped together and were made to march like a company of soldiers. The slave masters formed themselves into two groups, one group leading these young fellows 41 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX and the other guarding them loehind. No one can imagine the suffering which accompanied such a long tramp. FeUx says that after they had travelled one or more days, his legs would get so sore that he could hardly move them. When night came the boys would be made to lie down along the side of the road, using their bags for pillows and the bare ground for their bedding. Early in the morning they were awakened and the journey resumed. About nine o'clock breakfast, consisting of corn bread and water, was indulged in and often there was not enough of it. Frequently the boys would become so wearied as to lag behind, often fall- ing in a faint, only to be raised up with heavy blows from their master, using an ox goad for a weapon. Oh! the suffering, the weeping, the. heart-rending cry, the longing to be home with mother again. The dread that followed the contemplation of nine months of the worst kind of slavery of which one can dream, the hard work to be performed, the many stripes to be received, the curses and profanity to be heard, these and all these made Felix become faint. Five days passed, at the end of which the destination was reached. Having rested a few hours, the slave master commanded that Felix go into the nearby forest and gather materials with which to build the filthy shanty which 42 FELIX SOLD AS A SLAVE was to serve as their home. This shelter con- sisted of erecting a few sticks and fastening few others crosswise, then covering them with long grass which was gathered from the meadows. If the winter should happen to be colder than normal then a layer of sods would be laid over the grass making a very comfortable dwelling place. This task finished, the work for the year began. The next thing which Felix was told to do was to clean the ground of thorns, briers and all the rubbish that might hinder the yielding of a fine crop of wheat. Then the soil was plowed and wheat sown. To Felix was given an implement resembling somewhat a hoe, and with it he was to cover the seed. Three months or more were spent in this kind of toil, by which time the first sown wheat would be ready for cultivation. When spring approached he was told to go into a large pasture and rid it of thistles, creeping briers and any other unwholesome herb, that might check the growth of the grass or prevent the cattle from grazing it. By the first of June the wheat fields were ready for their harvest. Hun- dreds of men were hired to harvest the wheat, cutting it down with sickles while hundreds of little fellows would bind the sheaves into large bundles and placing them on large carts driven by oxen, taking these bundles to thresh- 43 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX ing floors. This would last about three weeks, thus bringing Felix to the end of his slavery period. We must look from another angle upon Felix's life in order to understand the pain and sacrifice which accompanied his experience as a slave. He said that about three o'clock in the morn- ing a man went around these huts and blew a large horn to awaken the boys from their slumbers. Then he would shout boisterously saying, "Up and get ready, for in ten minutes' time you must start." Felix said that it did not take him long to dress for he never undressed. It was customary for him to go to bed with his harness on. Nor did it take him long to eat his breakfast, for there was none to eat. There- fore, many a time he would venture to take another nap after the first call, thinking that he would wake up at the time when the second call was given, which was true, but the method used to awaken him the second time was not much welcomed by him. It would consist of some large man taking him by his little legs and throwing him flat on the floor. This was no unusual sight to be seen almost every morning. The next call was made by a man riding on horseback and consisted of a strong rapping at the door with a heavy rod followed by a harsh voice saying, "Out and start for such a place. 44 FELIX SOLD AS A SLAVE The boy who gets there last will be beaten with many stripes, made to work twice as hard, and deprived of his food." "Do you wonder" said Fehx to me, "that I was most always at our destination before any one else?" The distance which he was commanded to go varied from three to ten miles. It is now dark. The road is rough. The wind blows cold. The rain, mingled with some sleet and snow, may be falling. The path is stony and strewn with cutting rocks. Shoes are Unknown articles, for his mother could not afford to have a pair made for him. Felix had been robbed both of the amount of sleep necessary and the amount and quality of food which he ought to have had. He is now bound to begin another day's work, while he is not strong enough to carry even himself, for more than once does he fall by the side of the road, half asleep and wearied, only to be aroused by the heavy blows coming from one of those brutal men. Many a time, said Felix, the little fellows would thus fall and failing to get on their feet again, they were left there alone and some would pass away into the arms of Him who once said, "Of such is the Kingdom of Heaven." Having reached the place where they were to toil for the day, they were told to remove their thin outer garments and commence work. Felix said that sometimes it would be two 45 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX hours before the first sign of the coming day would be seen. At nine o'clock a half hour for breakfast would be given. The break- fast consisted of corn bread and water. An- other half hour was given them at 2:30 p.m. after which work was resumed until the hour when eyes refused to see. Being dismissed they were commanded by their slave master to go into the forest and gather dry wood and carry it home to be used to cook their supper with. The supper consisted of boiled corn- meal, and green herbs which they had gathered from the fields during their half hour's rest. As Felix went on telling me the awful experi- ence which he had as a slave, my mind began to work in another direction, and I thought how many there are in the world who suffer much more than he ever dreamed of suffering because they have sold themselves to Satan as slaves of sin. When I heard the story the words of King James the Second, came to mind: "My son, always remember this, that there is no slavery like sin, and there is no liberty like God's service." My people, was not the dying king telling out our experiences? Was he not telling the world the two greatest secrets, either for a life of misery or a life of profound joy ? Slavery of sin is the worst kind of slavery imaginable. You do not believe, I see. Well, then try to break yourself away from that habit 46 FELIX SOLD AS A SLAVE of yours. I do not know what habit has got hold of you, but I say you just try to get your- self away and lo! what a struggle you will have. Some of us tried that very thing in the years gone by and what a failure we made until we came to Him who is able to break every un- breakable fetter. In our own city I fmd men, slaves to the drinking habit, and how many times some of them have said to me, "This is my last drink; I will never do it again," and to-day where are they? God, for Jesus' sake, pity and save them! Only last week a sister belonging to this church, but who, on account of ill health, is not able to be with us in these services, said to me, "I have spent every cent I could on my son, have resorted to every conceivable scheme to save him, but it's no use, it's no use." And then weeping her heart out in deep groans, she said, "I sup- pose I must go to the grave leaving my son behind un-reformed." Yes, she will, unless our great Christ, who saved Jerry McAuley, S. H. Hadley and John B. Gough, is given a chance into his life. God save him! Paul had it right when he, out of the depths of his great heart sang out, "There is there- fore now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit, for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from 47 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin condemned sin in the flesh: that the righteousness of the law might be fulfdled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit." This Christ who lib- erated the mightiest hero of the New Testa- ment, will set each of us free and we shall go home rejoicing. For to preach deliverance to those who are captive in spirit did He come. 48 FELIX'S RETURN HOME CHAPTER IV FELIX'S RETURN HOME IT is said of Anaxagoras, the pliilosopher, that at one time when in the act of studying the stars, his countrymen came to confer upon him an inheritance, in token of their apprecia- tion for his genius. His reply was, "I wish it not — these heavens are my country." What "these heavens" were to the philosopher, mother and home were to Felix. After the harvest was over the slave master called Felix to him and placing his hands upon his shoulders said, "My boy, you have been a faithful little fellow during these nine months and as a reward for your loyalty I am going to give you twenty cents, which is ten cents more than I am giving to the others. You are now at liberty to go home to your mother." Think for Felix to be set free and much more, to have in his possession twenty cents! Such a sum he had never seen before nor did he ever dream that some day he would be its proud possessor. The words had hardly fallen from the lips of his master, when he, with a most joyful heart, began to run toward his shanty where he found the other fellows packing what few rags they had left and in a few hours their 51 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX journey homeward was started. Words are small things to describe the joy that was welling up in Felix's soul. One hundred and twenty-five miles of journey did not stagger him. He had, by this time, become used to long trips and with the thought of going home to inspire him such a journey was made doubly easy. After four days of travel, Felix was brought within a few miles of home. The custom is for those at home, who have loved ones away, upon their return to go out to meet them. Therefore with the rest of them, he began to look for some one from his family but while others came to meet their boys none came to meet him. However, he kept up his courage, for there must have been a reason for it. Such a reason was afterward justified by the facts, for all the members of his home were working. As he came near home he saw his mother in the field or in the garden, tilling the soil and watching over her two little girls who were playing around with other children. Felix, not being able to hold his feelings any longer, shouted at the top of his voice, "Hello, mother." She stood up erect, looked around and failing to see him resumed her work. While she knew that he was soon to return home, she knew not the day nor the hour. Therefore, thinking it to be her imagination, she continued her work only to hear another shout from him. At this time 52 FELIX'S RETURN HOME she ran towards the direction where the sound came from and seeing her little fellow she ran as he had been doing; and meeting, there was a falling into each other's bosom and for a few moments there was silence, then sobs and tears of joy. Shortly after she took him into her home and there in the midst of much rejoicing, she brought out to him, the fmest of sweets, the most wholesome food and the newest of wine. After the feast was over she gave him a fine bath, which was equivalent to martyrdom to Felix, because he had never had a bath in his life, except perhaps, the bath which nature gave him from time to time as the rain came down from the clouds. This ordeal over, she brought out to him the finest new suit of clothes which a mother's hands can produce and hand- ing it to him said, "My darling boy, from the time you left home I have spent every spare moment in making this suit for you. It is all your own, you must wear it so that you vv^ill look well among the neighbors' children." Felix said that his mother used to tell him about Heaven somewhere up in the sky but he said that if the experience in Heaven is to be anything like that which he was then enjoying, of course he wanted to go there. Let us leave Felix for a few moments and see what we can learn from what has already been said. In the first place, Felix said that the 53 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX thrill which went through his heart and soul when he met his mother was of such a nature that it could not be described by human tongue. And I thought how true this is with every one who has been sold as a slave to Satan and has been in his grip for years, but is after- wards, through the power of Jesus Christ, set free, and is once more face to face with his Heavenly Father. Felix was never really happy so long as he was away from his mother and that which was true in his case was likewise true with her. Every father and mother knows what I am saying here. Here it is, every soul away from God is not enjoying life, meanwhile God's heart bleeds in having that soul away from home. When the Bible speaks of God causing His only Son to be slain from the foundation of the world that is the equivalent of saying that He experi- enced agony of soul. But Oh! the joy of that soul that comes in contact with the soul of God again. Only last night in this very room, a young lady gave her heart to God and she being present to-night I am going to ask her whether these last twenty-four hours have not been the happiest in her life. "Yes" she says and every one of us who has been home for sometime knows that she is telling God's eternal truth. Every man and woman who has returned home to our Heavenly Father's house knows something of the joy of the Lord which is our strength. 54 FELIX'S RETURN HOME Mozart, who gave himself to God when but a mere boy, said, "Whatever is according to His will is according to mine; therefore I cannot fail to be happy and content and sing the praises of God." When the poet Carpani enquired of his friend Haydn,, how it happened that his church music was always cheerful, the great composer made a most beautiful answer saying, "I can- not make it otherwise; I write according to the thoughts I feel: when I think upon God, my heart is so full of joy that the notes dance and leap, as it were, from my pen: and since He has given me a cheerful heart, it will be par- doned me that I serve Him with cheerful spirit." Mr. G. Gogerly, in his book "The Pioneer" tells a very interesting experience which he once had as a worker among the Indians. While in Bengal, his converted Hindoos would sing as to almost rend the vaulted sky. One day he told the leader that they might sing more softly. The answer which that leader gave him he never forgot. "Sing more softly, you say? Did you ever hear us sing the praises of our Hindoo gods? How we throw our heads back and with all our might shouted out the praises of those who are no gods. No, sir, we cannot— we must express in louder tones our gratitude to Him who loved us and died for 55 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX us." Fine answer this, for we Americans have no fault to find with those patriots who sing our national songs with the true spirit of patri- otism. But why should we fmd fault with any one who may be making his boast unto the Lord? Again you will remember what Felix said about his mother having prepared a fine new suit and giving it to him said, "This is yours to wear so that you may look decent among the children in the neighborhood." Yes, and that is what God will do with every one who returns to Him. He will clothe us with the right mind and put on us a robe of righteousness. That's what the young prodigal's father did when that wa^^vard boy returned home, new shoes, fine ring and best robe put on him and there was rejoicing in the house. This mother had been preparing the suit for a long time, and all this unbeknown to Felix. God made provision for our redemption even from the foundation of the world and all this unbeknown to us. To-night He asks of us to forsake our sins, ask for His pardon, through Jesus Christ, submit ourselves to Him forever and He will see to it that all our needs will be supplied according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. When I was pastor in the city of Berlin, N. H., there came to our house one evening a 56 FELIX'S RETURN HOME young man who had been traveUng from Montreal. After having told his story of hard- ship, misfortune, etc., he asked for some under- clothing as he was suffering from cold. Looking into my wife's face I said, "I guess I had better give him the underclothes that I am now wear- ing." And why? because they were the very best I had. So retiring into my study I dis- robed myself and calling the young man in told him to put them on. While removing his shoes he looked up to me and said, "Sir, you know that I cannot pay for these good clothes and therefore if you care to help me at this hour of need you had better give me a pair of your old ones." I said to him, "Sir, you. came for help and I am only too glad to help you; put them on, go on your way and the blessing of God rest upon you." Then tears flowed down that young fellow's face and he said brokenly, "I shall never forget you for this." My friends away from Jesus Christ, let me say to you that God through Jesus Christ by the Holy Ghost, will do that and a thousand times more for you as soon as you are bitterly sorry over the way you have treated Him, and then ask Him to do for you what He would for any child of His and you will find Him ready to do for you far more than you are able to ask, or think, according to His power which worketh in you. 57 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX Lastly, Felix says that his mother had pre- pared for him the very best of sweets and said, "Eat all you want. I have made them for you." Is there not a soul here to-night who is hungry and thirsty after righteousness? Blessed are you then, for you shall be filled. In my Father's house there is plenty and to spare. And if He feed you with the Bread of Life you will never hunger again. "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; Come ye, buy and eat; Yea, come buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do you spend money for that which is not bread and your labor for that which satisfieth not? Harken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good and let your soul delight itself in fatness." 58 FELIX AND HIS VISION CHAPTER V FELIX AND HIS VISION A SAINT once cried, "O blessed vision! to which all others are penal and despicable! Let me go into the mint house and see heaps of gold, and I am never the richer; let me go to the pictures and see goodly faces, I am never the fairer; let me go to the court, where I see state and magnificence, and I am never the greater; but ho. Saviour! I cannot see Thee and not be blessed. Ho, let me be unquiet till I shall see Thee as I am seen." In the last address we saw Felix brought home to his mother and to enjoy all that mother had for him. He was then about ten years of age and from that time until the hour when he had the vision, which he relates in this address, he busied himself in doing all kinds of manual labor. For two or three years he was a shepherd. After that he went to work for a telegraph and telephone company, not that he was a telegraph operator, but that he dug holes in the ground into which poles were put. At the age of eighteen he went to work for another company that was boring a tunnel through a mountain and for his wage he received the daily sum of forty-seven cents, 61 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX which was the greatest pay he had ever re- ceived in the old country. At the age of twenty he was drafted by the government to serve his country as a soldier for the period of three years. There were two things which kept him from going. First, his father being dead, the oldest son in the family, according to the law of the country at that time, had become the head of the family and for this reason he was not reckoned as one of the sons. Second, this being the case, the second son became evidently the first and thus bring- ing Felix to be counted as the second son and as the law is, that the government can only take every other son in the family, it therefore took the first son, leaving him free. This meant that he could go into any other country with- out being hindered by the law of the land, which thing is not true with the young men who have served as soldiers. They are not at liberty until the age of thirty-nine is reached. Felix says that an uncle of his, who had been in North America for a period of thirteen years, now returned home to take his wife with him. During his stay in the home town this uncle used to stand on the street corners and be everlastingly telling of the glory of the New World. He spoke of its beautiful scenery, of its wonderful forests, of its glorious natural resources and the opulence of its vast wealth. 62 FELIX AND HIS VISION He would tell the young men, who congregated around him, that the people were beautiful to look upon, that they were kind-hearted and full of generosity, that the ladies were like angels and the children Uke cherubs, that the poorest home was as well furnished as the wealthiest in the home town, and that in America, the common laborer dressed as well as the doctor or a lawyer. Further, he would relate how easy it would be for a young man to get rich, for the demand for labor was con- stant and its remuneration beyond one's expectation, and that if one were very careful, he would, in a short time, save thousands of dollars and therefore become rich. All this, of course, set Felix's young mind to work. Had he no love for beauty and grandeur? Was not he an aspirant to see the New World? Why not come in contact with such a fine people? And did he not have a sweetheart for whom he was seeking the best there was in ever^^ sense of the term? And why not go to such a country and accumulate so much money and return and purchase a fine strip of land and build upon it a beautiful mansion, and live happily with his expected wife? All this he saw one night as he tried to sleep. How real it all was and how easy to obtain it all, he only could understand. Like a dutiful boy he communicated all this 63 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX to his mother only to be met with the coldest reception thinkable. To her he was dear. He had been her stay and staff and source of inspiration. But the idea of going to another country! Preposterous! However, Felix kept pleading with her until finally she gave her consent. The next question to be solved was that of finance. Twenty-five dollars were needed in order to purchase his ticket. As such a sum of money there is equivalent to two hundred and fifty dollars here, the finding of the same was almost beyond possibiUty. One day Felix's mother went to see her land- lord and asked him if he could loan her that sum, which thing he did with the understanding that within six months she was to return fifty dollars or lose a portion of her property which the children had accumulated for her. While his mother was seeking the money, Felix went telling his dream to his little girl friend and saying that if she would be patient and wait for him eighteen or twenty months, at most, he would come back with so much money and their united life would be a journey of bliss. Felix said he shall never forget the manner in which she looked him over, a long pause, and forming a queer expression on her coun- tenance, said in a rather sarcastic way, "What a poor fool you are." He thinks that she was just about right. 64 FELIX AND HIS VISION The money being obtained, the ticket pur- chased, the twenty-fifth day of January, 1891, arrived and the voyage for the far-off land of his vision was to be undertaken. Farewells were exchanged, good-byes said, and tears were in evidence on every face. Hard it was to leave all his friends and playmates behind him, but the parting from his mother and that young woman, who was slowly stealing her way into his heart, that was about as much as a young stripling of twenty-one could stand. However, he succeeded in separating from them and Naples was reached on the twenty-seventh. On the twenty-ninth he boarded the steamer, and just about sunset the voyags began. It was one of those beautiful winter evenings so often witnessed in Italy. The setting of the sun was grandeur itself, the lights illuminating that horseshoe shaped port of Naples had just been turned on. Mt. Vesuvius was puffing vast clouds of smoke toward God's blue sky, the stars M'ere just beginning to make their eve- ning appearance, the band was playing on the shore, the people were waving their banners and flags; and amid sobs, tears and shouts, the Mediterranean water was plowed by the giant ship. From Naples to Gibraltar the voyage was simply grand. The water was smooth, the air was clear and balmy, the wind was still and what glimpse of land could be seen was most 65 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX interesting. Having reached Gibraltar and tarried there two days, the captain gave com- mand to start for New York. After he had been on the North Atlantic water for a half day or so, the scene began to change. The sky began to darken, the wind began to blow heavily, the waves began to rise and the sea roar, the steamer began to rock, and the people were making their way to their berths. Felix held in all he could, and as long as he could, but even- tually his internal region began to get dis- turbed and his head became dizzy, he was compelled to seek for his berth also, and said he, "For seven or eight days I was really seasick. So much so that I could not retain any kind of food and my everlasting cry was, T want to go back and die on my mother's bosom.'" When the interpreter learned what he was saying in his anguish he shouted out, "That young fellow must be a little fool. We can't go back for him." After twenty-nine days of rough sailing he found himself in New York harbor. About midnight he heard a cry among his countrymen saying, "We are in New York! We are in New York!" Felix arose and went on the deck only to be disappointed, for he could not see anything on account of a thick fog jesting on the water. After a few hours more of sleep he was awakened and told that 66 FELIX AND HIS VISION the new world could be clearly seen. He ran upstairs, lo and behold! there was the most interesting city in the world. Within a few hours' time Felix's feet touched the soil of North America and he saw a little bit of it with his own eyes. His dream or vision of many years previous had now become fulfilled, was actually realized. My people, listen to this: as Felix told me this simple but amazingly interesting dream or vision of his I thought how truly this might be applied to us spiritually. First, God gives us a vision of the new land and new life which we might have. This vision is brought about in many ways. Perhaps we have lived with some sainted man or woman whose life was a constant benediction and we have been led to say something like this, "There is reality in the religion of Jesus Christ or this person could not be what he or she is. Some day I am going to choose his Christ for my personal Saviour;" or perhaps we have seen some loved one or a friend pass away into a better world and we have asked them, as I heard Dr. D. B. Holt, my District Superintendent only a few days ago say, that when his father was dying he was asked, "How is it with your soul?" he sweetly smiled and calmly answered, "It's all clear ahead." I say we have seen some one slip away like that 67 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX and we have said, "Yes, I have seen the Lord carrying him through the valley of the shadow and I am going to choose his Christ." Or perhaps you had been reading the wonder- ful book, your eyes were opened, you saw your- self as God saw you, you heard His voice saying, "Give me thine heart," and you said "Yes, there is a world other than this, and by the grace of God some day I am going to start for iL" Or perhaps Jesus Christ has directly spoken to you, as He spoke to the fishermen by the seaside of Galilee and you could not mistake His sweet calling, and you said, "Yes, my Lord, I am coming, I do not know when, but I am coming." Yes, my people, God is under obligation both to you and to Himself to give you a vision of the other world. If not, then His final judgment would not be justly pro- nounced. The second lesson I learned from Felix's story is this, that it was his mother who provided means for his journey to his new world. It was she who went as a surety and became responsible for his debt. Had he depended upon his own means he would never have reached that land. Is this not so with the plan of redemption? God, after He had almost exhausted Heaven by giving His prophets and patriarchs, laid hold on His own beloved Son 68 FELIX AND HIS VISION and Jesus Christ humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross in order that He might provide a free passage to our Heavenly Home. He became our eternal surety and we can purchase a through ticket without cost to us, for "the Lord hath laid upon Him the iniquity of us all." While leaving the loved and dear ones behind us, who care nothing about going with us, brings bitter pain and seems almost to break our hearts, and while on our own jour- ney we may encounter fierce storms of per- secution we are told not to forget that Jesus Christ prophesied all these things for His fol- lowers, for in the world, "ye shall have tribu- lation," but we are not to forget that that same infallible Pilot also said, "Be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world. For all things shall work together for good for all them who love the Lord." And that this "Light affliction which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory," for we are not journeying toward a land that is material, but spiritual and eternal. It has been said that great characters and great souls are like mountains — they always attract storms upon their heads and break the thunders, and around their bare crests flash the lightning and the seeming wrath of God. And yet they form the shelter 69 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX for the plains beneath them. That marvelous saying finds an illustration in the lowliest and saddest soul in the world — the Lord Jesus Christ. Higher than the tallest of men, around His head seems to beat the very storm of sin and yet beneath the sheltering of His great consoling spirit, is the world filled with its millions of pilgrims, who have found refuge, and when they meet with smaller storms of life they are to remember that the great Pilot has been there and knows how to steer them through, safely home. Lastly, Felix actually reached the land of his vision. He saw it with his eyes and touched it with his feet and if there should arise a million of men swearing to the contrary, say- ing that he had never seen and touched that land Felix would still know as an actual fact that he did see and touch that land. What a beautiful lesson there is for every saint here! If each of us has not been dis- obedient to our Heavenly vision but availed ourselves of the provision made; started out toward seeking a spiritual experience until we receive it; and now, the scoffer and the infidel and the skeptic and the liberal and what not stand up and try to refute that there is such an experience and we will shout right aloud, "I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which 70 FELIX AND HIS VISION I have committed unto Him against that day." We shall be able to say as the blind man in God's book, "This one thing I know, whereas once I was blind now I see." An infidel once said to a saintly old woman, "How do you know that the Bible is true? What proof have you of its truth?" "My experience — ^the experience of my heart, sir," was the reply. "Ho," said he contemptuously, "your experience is nothing to me." "That may be true, sir, that maybe true," was the reply, "but it is everything to me." From that time the scoffer had nothing to say. My people, why not to-night start to fulfil the longing and yearning of your heart? Why not to-night launch out into the deep and sail for Canaan's shore? If so, then you will go home saying, "I have heard of Thee by hearing of the ear, but now I see Thee with mine eyes." 71 FELIX IGNORING HIS MAKER CHAPTER VI FELIX IGNORING HIS MAKER EVERY sin we commit is like taking a step backward from God; and return is rendered impossible without Divine assistance," as Satan cuts the bridges behind man in his retreating downward path; and also as every false step necessitates another as the author of the Waverly novels has so well said: Ho, what a tangled web we weave,' When first we practice to deceive ! Or again as Schiller more philosophically put it: This is the very curse of an evil deed, That of a new evil it becomes the seed. In the last address we brought Felix to the United States of America. We will not tell you what he said concerning the hard experiences relative to his failure in seeking some one who might have been interested in him, to help him in this time of need, the lack of demand for labor, the disappointment of not finding money on the streets, as he had heard his uncle tell in the old country, and the seeming indifference of the American people toward the foreigners. 75 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX The absence of his mother's prayers and influence, the getting away from his home church, the removal of the seeming dread for doing wrong because away from the priest, who would have punished him for it, these and all these were stepping-stones leading him to take the course which I am now to relate. The first step which Felix took toward ignoring his Maker was when he learned how to use tobacco. This filthy habit he began to form when still in the old country. One day, while walking with some boys of about his own age, he was offered a sweet cigarette. Instantly he refused to take it and threatened to leave them if further imposition were made. The fellows began to laugh at him and said that he would never amount to a great deal and would always be shunned by other fellows if he neglected to learn how to smoke the weed. Therefore just to please them and without the least idea of ever taking it up for constant use he took the cigarette and after a few puffs from it, he remembers finding himself whirl- ing around and around, becoming extremely dizzy, and the next thing he knew he was lying by the roadside and feeling as though his last day was drawing nigh. But this did not last very long, and, like most young fellows, instead of taking this as a warning, he was naturally 76 FELIX INGNORING HIS MAKER informed that the next cigarette would not effect him as the first and shortly he would not feel it at all, but on the other hand, would have a love for it and thus be thought of as a full young man who knew a good .thing when he saw it. It was not very long before Felix found himself smoking from five to fifteen cigars a day and with this the waning of his general health. The first step toward forming a questionable habit led Felix into the second. From a child he always had an innate repulsion toward any kind of beverage, except, of course, water. When he reached the age of sixteen his own precious mother informed him that the drink- ing of a few glasses of wine a day would not do him any harm but on the contrary, it would increase his vitality and fit him for proper social life among the young people of his class who always indulged freely of such drink. At first he refused to take anything, but being approached by her, on a certain warm day, with a glass of wine mixed with water he yielded, with the result that within a few months he had formed the habit of drinking the strongest and the oldest of wine, until one day he was taken home, drunk. Coming to America and failing to find the pure wine at a reasonable price he learned to drink beer and from that to whiskey and other 77 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX kinds of intoxicants. Though, let it be said here lest we misunderstand him, Felix never became what one would call a heavy drinker. One day he met a man who had been in this country for about eighteen years and had served as middle man between contractors and the laboring class among the Italian people, but who failed to get men because he had dealt dis- honestly with them in the past. He asked Felix to get one hundred men for him and for pay- ment he would give him a job as boss at two dollars per day and so much per week for being storekeeper for these people. This proposition strongly appealed to Felix and therefore he became a storekeeper for these ItaUans which meant, of course, the dealing of strong drink also. Thus in eight years' time he had developed from being an innocent young fellow to that of being behind the bar. Have you under- stood him yet? The first step on his down- ward road was smoking, then drinking and thirdly, saloonkeeper, and you wonder that we hear him say that he found himself gambling with desperation. Saturday night came, he received his envel- ope, he had no board to pay and therefore, during the first six months after his arrival in America he saved one hundred dollars or more and the same was sent to his mother, fifty dollars of which she paid that vampire, who loaned 78 FELIX IGNORING HIS MAKER her twenty-five dollars to pay for her boy's ticket, and fifty dollars for herself. But after he had been in this country for nearly a year, his bad habits began to get a strong hold upon him and night after night, after the Saturday's pay, he spent in gambling, kept at it all day Sunday and Sunday night, and many Monday mornings he found himself without money and without strength to go to work. It seemed to him that he was in perfect agony of soul all the time. Why all this? Simply because he had by this time reached the climax in the catalogue of sin, namely, profanity. Among his people there was a man who knew how to write a little and was devil enough to write two or three verses of what he called poetry, every word of which was vile and then he made Felix commit it to memory and in the presence of other fellows he was made to sing them. "Oh," said Felix, as he related these things to the preacher, "how much would I give to-day, if the memory of those days could be blotted out of my mind! But thanks be unto God, He had blotted them out from the Book of Life to remember them against me no more." My dear people, you who are listening to me to-night, when I heard the reciting of the different steps which Felix took leading him to ignore his Maker and his Saviour Christ, 79 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX and become an alien to his Heavenly citizen- ship, I said to myself, "God helping me I will do all in my power to keep my young people, who are under my care as a pastor, from taking their first step. Further, I will do all in my power to reclaim as many as possible of those who may have taken such step already." How often do we hear.it said by parents and others that there is no harm in smoking a cigar and that if there is, our physicians would not use it. How frequently the appeal is made that moderate drinking will assist vitality and prolong general health and therefore some of these well meaning people will use the wine- glass in their family circle. Have we not heard mothers say that their children shall have all the card playing at home that they desire; if this is the case then they will not seek to use them in questionable places? My people, listen to me when I say that all these plausible reasons are used as false excuses and to my judgment are nothing but a refuge of lies. We know from actual facts that smoking is detrimental to general health; we know to-day, that liquor of any kind is poison; we have learned that card playing is one of the curses of the land and a stepping-stone to all other kinds of vice: therefore woe be to that individual who in any way, directly or indirectly, is the means of poisoning our youth. The majority 80 FELIX IGNORING HIS MAKER of those who have ignored God were led to do so through some small sin at first. There- fore resolve to-night not to take your first downward step. In closing, I would emphasize two things. First, as a father, I will never put any wrong before my children that shall in any way, lead them to have the least desire for them. The Bible, the best of literature, the most wholesome music, and the purest of paintings shall serve as ornaments in my home. Not only that, but I shall do all in my power to lead them to per- sonal acceptance of the Lord Christ as their Saviour at the earliest possible period in life. Here is where a goodly number of us fail. Felix, whose story is told on these pages, never had such an opportunity and therefore, in a sense, he is partially excusable, but where is your excuse with all the light which you have on this subject? Science and religion have removed every stumbling block. A minister's wife in the State of Ohio in speaking of her family, then grown to man- hood, exclaimed, in a sort of agony: "I would give anything if I had these last twenty years of my life to live over again." Why? Because she had in a measure, yes, in considerable measure, been negligent of her duty at home, and now she was spending days in trembling and in tears because two lives that were almost, 81 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX if not altogether, profligate. But, my people, it was too late, A wayward son and a wanton daughter cannot be turned to safe paths of life when the years of childhood have been used to bring about habits of prodigality. Secondly, the pastor joins with you to-night in trying to bring these who have been here night after night but have taken no step God- ward. We must awaken them from their seeming neutrality and indifference and lead them to decide at once. All that anyone has to do in order to be lost is to stand still and look on. May God help the Christians to go after the unconverted, and may God help the unsaved to come home to-night. 82 FELIX FINDING HIS LOST CHRIST CHAPTER VII FELIX FINDING HIS LOST CHRIST AT last one snowy day, I was obliged to stop on the road; I found rather an obscure street, and turned down a court, and there was a little chapel. It was the primitive Methodist chapel. I had heard of these people from many, and how they sang so loudly that it made the people's head ache; but that did not matter. I wanted to know how I might be saved, and if they made my head ache ever so much I did not care. So, sitting down, the service went on, but no minister came. At last a very thin looking man came into the pulpit, opened his Bible and read these words, "Look unto Me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth." Just setting his eyes on me, as if he knew all my heart, he said, "Young man, you are in trouble." Well, I was, sure enough. Said he, "You will never get out of it until you look to Christ." And then, Ufting up his hands he cried out, "Look! look! look! It is only a look," said he. I saw at once the way of salvation. I had been waiting to do fifty things, but when I heard this word, "look!" what a charm- ing word it seemed to me! Ho, I looked until 85 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX I had almost looked my eyes away; and in Heaven I will look on still in my joy unutter- able. With somewhat dissimilar means but with an almost identical experience to that which Spurgeon had, as seen in the quotation, is that story which Felix so charmingly related to me and which we shall briefly relate to you at this hour. Almost four years have slipped away since his feet first touched the American soil. In the Fall of 1894, he found himself, with a crew of his country-men, in Brunswick, Maine. When December came, the cold weather set in, the ground was frozen and the work was suspended for the winter. All of these men went to spend the cold season in larger cities, like Portland, Boston and New York. But Felix, guided by some power other than self, was constrained to remain behind. He, with the rest of them, had made their headquarters in a slaughterhouse. But now, being left alone, he sought for a board- ing place with some American family. For- tunately he found such a place in the home of Mrs. Rhoda Forsaith of that town. During the month of January, 1895, revival services were held in the Methodist Episcopal Church. Miss Annie Forsaith and her young lover, Ralph Barnes, though of another denomi- nation, attended some of these services. So 86 FELIX FINDING HIS LOST CHRIST far as Felix can now remember, from the very first night they asked him if he would not join them in going. Having explained to him the object of these meetings and where they were held, he refused to comply with their request. And why? Because in the first place, had he not always been a Christian from childhood? And second, as he had never been inside of a Protestant Church he was not going to commit this greatest of sin at this late period of his life. However, nothing would discourage the young couple from continually asking him to attend at least one service. Finally, just for the sake of pleasing them, he consented to go one night. The meetings were, at this time, held in the vestry of the church. Looking through the door, Felix saw two men on the platform and neither of them looked anything Hke the priest that he had been accustomed to see. While meditating within himself whether or not he had better go in, Annie, who had already entered and Ralph who was behind Felix on the outside, pulled and pushed and lo! before he knew it he found himself inside, sitting on the last seat back. The very thought of being in a Protestant Church frightened him, but as the service pro- ceeded he became somewhat interested, par- tially because of the novelty and partially 87 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX because of the fine spirit that seemed to permeate the very atmosphere of that room. The preacher of the evening was the Rev. Ithel T. Johnson of Vermont. His eccentricity, his earnestness, his fearlessness, and his passion for the soul of the people, captured Felix that very night. And this is made doubly inter- esting when we remember that Felix at this time, knew just about two dozen words in the English language. Immediately, at the close of the service, Felix ran out of that room en- raged and ready for a fight because he thought that these people, with whom he was boarding and with whom he went to church, had told the preacher previous to that service, all about his life, and further, that the preacher had the audacity of repeating the same in a public place in that very man's presence. But no one was guilty of such work except it was the Spirit of God. For six nights Felix kept him- self away from the church. But the arrow had struck and these six days and nights had been nothing but misery for him. Smoking, drinking, card playing and other amusements would bring no comfort to his poor sin-sick soul. More than once he had been tempted to lay vio- lent hands on someone, but God held him back. Finally, Felix resolved to go to church just once more to find out what more they had to say about him. This night he became profoundly 88 FELIX FINDING HIS LOST CHRIST interested and the next night he went again, and so again, and finally he took his seat nearer the front, and to make a long story short, on the night before the last service, he was put under such deep conviction for his sins that it really seemed to him that he must either be saved then or go to perdition eternally lost. When the invitation was given to all those who had heretofore been rebellant against God and His Son Jesus Christ, but who would now repent and seek forgiveness, to rise and come to the front, the call had hardly come to an end when Felix arose and asked that the people pray for him. Coming to the altar he was told to kneel and pray to his loving Father. Felix says that he shall never forget how some of the old saints in the church, Mr. Walker, Mr. Toothacher, Mothers Morse and Smith, and others gathered around him and placing their loving hands on his shoulders prayed to God for his redemption. Mean- while, said he, Satan seemed to have let loose all the imps from the bottomless pit and each whispering in his ears, saying that there was not enough power on earth or in Heaven that could set him free and that he might just as well give up crying to God for help, for there was no hope for his salvation. Just at this time Felix felt that the crisis of his life had come, he must be saved now or 89 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX never, and falling prostrate on his face he wept bitterly over his past life and pleaded, with all the power that a human being has at his com- mand, that God might forgive him and receive him as His child. Just then there loomed up before him a most beautiful being, bearing such a loving tender look upon His countenance that Felix recognized Him at once to be Jesus Chris. To Felix that Christ spoke these words, "Son, thy sins which were many, are forgiven thee, arise and go in peace." Quick as a flash the burden of sin rolled away, peace came into his soul and the very first thing which he now clearly remembers is that there streamed through his heart a wave of warm love which enabled him to love everybody around him, and even every one who had in any way become his enemy. My dear people, as I listened to the thrilhng experience of Felix I learned a few lessons which I wish to emphasize on your hearts to-night. The first lesson is this, that Felix would in all probability, have never become a Christian if some one or ones had failed to become interested in him. This young couple insisted that he should go with them to these services and they kept at it until their efforts were crowned with success. How BibUcal this method is. Andrew finds Jesus and then he goes back and brings Peter. Very little is 90 FELIX FINDING HIS LOST CHRIST heard of Andrew, no more than is heard of this couple, but a great deal is known about Peter as it is now known about Felix. Jesus finds Philip and the latter returns after Nathaniel. Personal work after all is what counts most in winning souls for Christ. Dr. Peck once said, that if God should inform him that the salvation of his soul depended upon the salvation of one thousand souls in ten years' time and that he might have the choice of using either the revival method or individual effort, he would choose the latter. Theodore Cuyler, of blessed memory, once said, "I can testify that most of the souls that came to Christ during my ministry were brought to Him through personal touch." Bishop Fowler relates the story of the British ofTicer who was in the battle of New Orleans, that as they neared the American breastworks they saw one man behind a bale of cotton fighting "on his own hook." There was a puff of smoke yonder, and by the side of the officer there was an empty saddle. Then the man reloaded his gun, scanned the line a momenta and another puff of smoke and another empty saddle. The British officer said, "That man commanded my attention more than the whole line of breastworks. It was a great relief when the artillery opened upon us and we were some- what covered by the smoke of the battle." 91 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX My people, if we should go out from this room to-night and resolve to go after one soul and not give it up until that soul is brought into contact with Jesus Christ, the greatest revival this old church has ever had would be experi- enced. The second lesson learned from Felix's experience was that the church of Jesus Christ became a means for his salvation. We are speaking these days about the power of steam, the power of electricity, the power of natural resources, like Niagara Falls, Victoria's Falls, but what are these when compared with the power stored up in a God-filled church. If the church is true to her God-given mission. Bishop Simpson's description of her will be fulfilled to the letter even in these days in which we are living. He said, "The church is groping her way into the alleys and courts of the city, and up the broken staircase, and into the bar-room, and beside the loathsome sufferer. She is going down into the pit with the miner; into the fore- castle with the sailor, into the tent with the soldier; into the shop with the mechanic; into the factory with the operative; into the fields with the farmers, into the counting house with the merchant. Like the air the church is pressing equally on all surfaces of society; like the sea flowing into every nook of the shore line of humanity; and like the sun, shining on things 92 FELIX FINDING HIS LOST CHRIST foul and low, as well as fair and high; for she was organized, commissioned and equipped for the moral renovation of the world." The third lesson is that the preaching of God's truth was used to lead Felix home. Shall Felix ever forget the preacher and his message? "The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." The emphasis was rightly placed on the word "lost." Felix saw himself as God saw him, a lost soul. If this world is ever to be redeemed the preaching of His word will have a large measure in the business. God's truth from the preacher's lips fell not like the mid-summer dews, but like the piercing hail, like the whirlwind, hke the cutting sword. Surely it will hurt. It is said of Massilon, the great French preacher, that at one time there came to him a person saying, "Whenever I hear preachers I am much pleased with myself and with them as well, but when- ever I hear you I am much displeased with myself." When one begins to get displeased with himself the real battle of life is on. Mr. Todd relates that at one time a man came to him and said, "Sir, you displeased my Lord with your sermons." "Well," said the preacher, "I should not have offended your Lord if he was not conscious first of having offended my Lord, and if your Lord will continue to offend my Lord, then let him continue to be offended." 93 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX And Jerome was right when he said, "It is not the clamor of praise but the groans and tears of the congregation that form the highest praises of the pulpit orator." The last point which was impressed on my mind as I listened to Felix's wonderful experi- ence was this, that while he was thus weeping before God asking for forgiveness of sin, there loomed up before him the Jesus of Nazareth, through whom and by whom his sins were for- given and adoption into God's family obtained. How truly the apostle hurled upon the people the tremendous meaning of the words: — "Through this Man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins," and like the wonderful William Dawson he must have dropped behind the pulpit and cried out, "Not the man in the pulpit, he is out of sight, but the man in the Book. The man described in the Book is the man through whom is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins." When Mrs, John Bennet was dying, she raised herself up and poured out her testimony in the following earnest language: "I here declare before you that I have looked on the right hand and on the left to see if there was any possible way of salvation but by the Son of God; and I am fully satisfied there is not. No, none on earth, nor all the angels in Heaven could have wrought out salvation for such a 94 FELIX FINDING HIS LOST CHRIST sinner. But Jesus Christ wrought out salvation for me, and I know that I shall enjoy it for- ever." Shall we not go forth to become personal workers by leading people into the House of God where His word is preached and where our Lord and Master Jesus Christ shall have a chance in their lives, and lead them back to God's house from which humanity has strayed? And if there is one here to-night who has not experienced religion in the soul, we beseech that one to be reconciled to God before it is too late. 95 FELIX AND THE EXPANSION OF A SOUL CHAPTER VIII FELIX AND THE EXPANSION OF A SOUL "As when men stand and look into the l\ Heavens with naked eye, they see some three thousand stars; as with a glass of certain power they may see some ten or twenty thou- sand, and as with a larger glass they may see still more, penetrating to the infinite depths of space, so the human mind at first could see a little of the nature of God, then a little more, then a little more, and so on, with a power of vision that has increased clear down to the present time." In our last address we brought Felix into the knowledge of a personal experimental sal- vation from all his past sins, and his adoption into God's family, through the Holy Spirit, that bore witness with his spirit that he was a child of God. This consciousness of his abiding in God and God in him, Felix has never lost for these twenty years, but in this address we shall endeavor to show you what a marvelous development from the standpoint of intellectual growth Felix made. Having returned to his boarding place, he told his hostess what he had done. Mrs. For- saith hearing the news said to him, "Now, 99 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX my boy, let us kneel down and thank God for what He has done for you," and suiting her action to her word she bowed low before God, and said in substance, "0 God, I thank Thee for what Thou hast done for this young man; now if Thou seest that there is anything in his life which Thou mayest use for Thy glory, bring it out and make him willing to spend and be spent for Thee." This prayer touched him, and on the next morning, after breakfast, he called Annie, the daughter, who was now Mrs. Ralph Barnes, and said to her, "You know that I cannot read or write one single word in any language. You know that I am now a Christian and being such, I cannot remain in ignorance. I must learn, at least, how to read the Bible, which you say is God's Book. Will you help me in this if you can?" Mrs. Barnes' face more than beamed, and she said in substance, "Felix, I shall be more than happy to do what little I can for you to-day." She sought for a grammar and an arithmetic and the work began. He was then past twenty-four years of age and never had been one day inside of any school either in America or in his own country. It is very interesting to notice that while he had no educa- tion and no knowledge of the English language, he understood enough to start a Christian life and was able to converse with the people with whom he was stopping; but he says that most 100 FELIX AND THE EXPANSION OF A SOUL of it was received through gestures and move- ment of the lips. But primarily the glory must be given to the Holy Spirit, the interpreter of all truths. This study continued for a few months. When May came, Felix was hired out to work with a Christian gentleman, Mr. G. M. Powers, now a Free Will Baptist clergy- man, residing in Topsham, Me. It was while working for this man that Felix learned the trade of paper hanging, painting, and white-washing* which trade helped him while attending school. The sweetness, the serenity, and consistency of Mr. Powers' life, were moulding factors in Felix's life. The Rev. W. B. Dukeshire, who up to April of the year when Felix's conversion took place, had been pastor of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Brunswick, was now stationed in Farmington, Me. Several times did he visit Brunswick during that summer, as Felix thought up to two years ago, to see him. But this was not the real case, for he came to that town to see his would-be wife. But, how- ever the case may be, meanwhile he took special pains to see Felix and would earnestly say to him, that he was going to take him to Kent's Hill Seminary when the school year would open that Fall. Felix could not under- stand what Mr. Dukeshire meant by seminary. To him the word seminary was synonymous 101 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX with the word cemetery. Being anxious to find out the distance of such school from Bruns- wick, and being also informed that the distance was about fifty-five miles, he pleadingly replied to Mr. Dukeshire saying, "Why will you take me to a seminary that's so far when there is a cemetery within a half mile from here?" On the twenty-fifth day of August, 1895, Mr. Dukeshire made another visit to Bruns- wick and just before he left for Farmington again he had another interview with Felix, and said to him, after Felix had told him that he would not go to school, "Felix, if you never go to school, then you will never amount to anything for yourself or for anyone else." Felix understood this sentence very clearly, though not able at this time to understand more than two dozen words in English. Dropping his brush, for he was nov/ painting on the house of Mrs. Clara E. Smith, he went into the house and said to her, "Me go seminary in two days." Mrs. Smith was the wife of a former preacher in the Maine Conference, who had of late passed away to his Heavenly Home. No one can imagine the light which beamed upon this elect lady's face. Smoothing her hands together and with streaming eyes she said, "God bless you, my boy, I am so glad that you are going. I shall ever pray for your success." True to his word, Mr. Dukeshire met Felix 102 At the a«c> of twenty-iiiiu*. graduatiiifi,- from Kent's Hill Seminary FELIX AND THE EXPANSION OF A SOUL on the Hill. After having looked around for a good boarding place for Felix, he placed him in the care and keeping of Rev. C. W. Black- man, a superannuated preacher, who was mak- ing his home there in order to educate his children. Mr. and Mrs. Blackman's influence over him during the moulding period of his Christian life and trying school days, cannot be over-estimated. A holier couple could not be found anywhere, and to this day, Mr. Blackman (for Mrs. Blackman passed to her Home beyond the sky some years ago) is Felix's pattern of a Christian saint. The first year of school life he did not take the course with the entering class. For how could he when he could hardly read or write even his own nam.e? For while Mrs. Barnes had started him a few months previous, he had almost forgotten the same during his busy summer's work. However, he was made to visit the different classes and private lessons were given him both by teachers and students who were becoming interested in him. Mean- while, Felix spent a great deal of his time in doing all kinds of labor in and around the school. One vital thing to be remembered here is that when Felix arrived at Kent's Hill, he had four dollars and eighteen cents in his posses- sion and that was all the financial resources he had at his command. For while he had 103 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX earned some money during the summer, he also had some debts that he wished to square up before he left town. When the second year of his school life opened he took up the course with the entering class and in four years, after much struggUng, he graduated, carrying ofT one of the prizes for oratory. The fall of 1900, he entered Drew Theological Seminary where he remained for three years, fmishing in 1903, when he joined the Maine Conference under the Seminary Rule. Now as I listened to this simple but thrilling story concerning Felix trying to rise from the life of ignorance and darkness, to that of intel- ligence and light, I learned two or three lessons which must have been very discouraging to him, but of much inspiration and encourage- ment to us. The first of them is this, that Felix began his Christian life and educational career late in life. Think for a moment. At the time when our young men have finished their college courses, when some of them have even put the fmishing touch, by having returned from abroad, and others are practising in their chosen profession and becoming leaders in the realm of thought and experts in the line of work in which they are engaged, that Felix should then begin his upward climb! Discouraging enough this is even for an angel. And Felix was no angel. But he was bound to proceed 104 FELIX AND THE EXPANSION OF A SOUL and stick to it, let come what may. And what an encouraging lesson is here for each of us. My non-converted people, you who have been listening to me for the last eight nights, if you have been delaying this matter of salvation and are to-night finding yourselves in the middle of life without Jesus Christ in the soul, do not let Satan deceive you when he suggests that it is use- less for you to begin now, after having spent your best days in sin and away from God. It is very true that we ought to be ashamed of ourselves for not doing before this time what we always knew we ought to have done; but let that not keep you away from Him to-night. Too late? Yes, but better late than never. Never too late if you will only come. A^nother lesson is this: Felix had to begin at the bottom. We have read biographies of men and women who were awakened late in life and then through perseverance and sacrifice, which cost them blood and pain, have reached great heights; but we have yet to read one which speaks of both, beginning too late and beginning at the bottom. But here in Felix's life we have it. At the age of twenty-four, he had to begin with the kindergarten and the lesson which I learn from it is this: When we begin the Christian life we are to begin at the foot of the Gross. It makes no difference how wise one may be in worldly matters, when he 105 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX comes to join the new race, of which Jesus is the central figure, he must begin at the bottom. These things are spiritually discerned and in order for each of us to get the right vision of it we must be born again and become like Uttle children, willing to sit at His feet and learn of Him. And this very thought is standing between a great many well-meaning people and Jesus Christ. The^' like" to join God's people and be known as soldiers of Jesus Christ, but they are not willing to come by the way of the Cross. Again, we have this thought suggested to us by Felix's story: He had not only to begin late in life and that his was further cumbered with the thought of beginning at the bottom, but to begin with a language entirely foreign to him. To begin late and at the bottom is dis- couraging enough, but to master another tongue, that's enough to dishearten the might- iest hero on God's green earth. And what is there for us here? This much, to begin a Christian life is to learn the language of Canaan. The reason why they missed His meaning was due to the fact that they could not understand His language. The things which He spoke were to be spiritually dis- cerned. If the world does not understand some twentieth century God-sent preachers, who have a message for this dying world and are 106 FELIX AND THE EXPANSION OF A SOUL trying to deliver it according to the leading and guidance of the Holy Ghost, it is because the world is not familiar with the language of Heaven. But if you will come to-night and give yourself up for eternity, the Spirit of God will teach you more in one year concerning the Kingdom of God and His righteousness than all your earthly teachers can teach you in a life time. Lastly, you will remember that Felix said that when he entered school, all the fmancial resources he had were four dollars and eighteen cents. Too late, at the bottom, learning another language and without means. What else could one suggest to be added to these four things in order to discourage Felix? But he did not stay away because of it. He knew if he would only do his best, the lack of money would not stand in the way. Money has not edu- cated many mighty men, money has ruined many would-be mighty men. Here we pause for our closing remark. Money cannot purchase salvation, money is the means of keeping many from having salvation. All the wealth of the universe could not buy salvation for one single soul. Salvation was purchased on Calvary. The price paid was the life of the Son of God ! And now, "whosoever will, let him come and partake of the water of life freely." What you and I need first and last is a God-given desire 107 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX to forsake the past and a persuasion to conquer the future at all cost, and God will see to it that all things will be ours. Paul had it right when he cried out, "What things were dear to me those things I count but loss for Christ. Yea, doubtless, I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of many things and count them but dung that I may win Christ and be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness of God which is by faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering, being made conformable unto His death, if, by any means, I may attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Brethren, this one thing I do, forgetting the things which are be- hind and reaching forward unto the things which are before I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Jesus Christ." My people, those of you who have not yet taken Him as your personal Saviour, will you not take him now? I guarantee you that there is nothing to lose in taking this step but everything to gain, and the story of Felix which we have been telling you, will be repeated in your own life, for God is no respecter of persons. 108 FELIX'S CALL TO THE MINISTRY CHAPTER IX FELIX'S CALL TO THE MINISTRY WERT thou wiser than Solomon and Daniel yet until thou art called, flee the sacred ministry, as thou would'st hell and the devil; then wilt thou not spill the Word of God to no purpose. If God needs thee. He will know how to call thee." Continuing my conversation with Felix he said to me, "After my graduation from Kent's Hill I was not clear in my mind as to what my life work should be. From the day of my con- version I had a leaning toward the ministry. But there were many obstacles in the way. My age was against me, my education was limited and my usage of the English language very poor. With these discouraging features there came callings to follow up other lines of work. For instance, a friend of mine who was in the grocery business and making good, urged me to join him at once. What a temptation! A fine chance to make some money, the purchas- ing for myself a good home, the settling down with a beautiful little wife and soon being able perhaps, to make a visit to my mother; these 111 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX were dravcing cords, but before the matter was ultimately settled I took it to God in prayer. After two or three days of waiting upon the infallable Guide of us all, I was led to write the gentleman that I could not accept his proposal." Within a few days, after the refusal to enter business life, there reached Felix a letter from Washington, D. C. A former graduate of Kent's Hill was working in that city. Hav- ing heard of Felix's graduation and know- ing that he was looking for work, he asked him if he would not come there and take up the work as interpreter among his country-men. This calling offered Felix one hundred dollars a month to begin with and other smaller compen- sation besides. It was a very alluring call in- deed. But nothing was clear even here. Felix's heart was not fixed upon that kind of work. Again he resorted to Him, who can remove all mist away, and again God made it very clear to him that he should not accept that call. The evil spirit also came around and suggested to him that it was not God who did not want him to go to Washington but his misinterpre- tations of God's voice. This temptation drove him to his knees again only doubly to assure him that what God had told him previously was true. Then Satan fled, but only for a time. For within a fev/ days after he had informed the 112 FELIX'S CALL TO THE MINISTRY friend in Washington of his decision, he re- ceived a letter from him stating that he had made a great mistake and that in all prob- ability he would never have such a call again. Then Satan whispered again, "What a fool you have made of yourself." In one of the large cities in the State of Massachusetts there was a young lawyer who had many Italians coming to him for legal help. Nearly three thousand of these people lived in that city. This lawyer, not knowing how to speak their language, sought for some one who could. To Felix he wrote inquiring if he was contemplating the law career and if so, then there was a fine opening for him in that city, offering him a chance to practice with him. In this direction Felix had seemed to have no leaning therefore it was easily and quickly disposed of. Four of the five summers during Felix's school days at Kent's Hill, were spent in canvas- sing. This summer he went into the northern part of the State to work. In the month of August he found himself selling articles in a new town called Millinocket. Here he met Rev. Horace Haskell, a member of the East Maine Conference, supplying a Union Church. One day, Mr. Haskell asked Felix if he would not talk to his people on the prayer meeting night. He tried to make some excuses, saying among 113 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX other things, that he could not speak the Eng- lish language, that the people would make fun of him and perhaps might bring reproach upon the Gospel of Christ. But Mr. Haskell thought otherwise and would not take "No" for an answer. The evening came and Felix gave his address. At the close of the service a few of the saints came to him and spoke a word of appreci- ation. Next day, Mr. Haskell interviewed Felix and told him that it would be a good thing if he would write up a short Gospel talk and become so familiar with it that should he be called upon at any time to speak he would notbe embarrassed but be ready to answer the summons. This counsel Felix took to heart and shortly he had such a sermonette ready. Ever thereafter whenever he was called upon to speak he would acquiesce. More than once some good man or woman would approach him and suggest that he enter the ministry. Some brethren in the ministry gave him^ an encour- aging word also, though they were not so free about it as the laity; I presume the reason was, they knew the seriousness of the call and its work. The conviction to preach the Gospel grew apace on Felix's heart. It seemed to him that if he could only preach Jesus Christ to poor lost sinners and make them see how much He loved them and had done for them, he would 114 FELIX'S CALL TO THE MINISTRY be the happiest man in this world. About the last of August in the year 1900, he returned to Kent's Hill for a few days, and it was at this time that the decision was made. He saw that the final court of appeal, on this most important matter, must be God. To Him, Felix resorted again and again and yet again. One night after having read the ninth chapter of the first Cor- inthians and particularly the sixteenth verse, he knelt in prayer and was determined not to cease communication with Him until He had spoken the final word. At last God spoke and instantly Felix's heart was ablaze for a sinful world. The woe, which Paul spoke of in that chapter, became his woe. Finally he said, "Yes, Lord Jesus, I will go where Thou sendest me and whatever my lot may be I will say, 'Thy will and not mine be done.' " The next day he wrote to President Buttz of Drew Theological Seminary concerning the matter of furthering his schooling, only to receive a rather discouraging letter from him saying, in substance, that it would be much better for him to go to college first and then come to Drew. Fine advice this. However, Felix being well along in years, resolved to go to Drew, and on the fifteenth day of September, he found him- self walking on its beautiful campus. My people, is there anything from what has been said to-night concerning Felix's call to the 115 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX ministry, that may serve to teach us one or two profound lessons? I think so. First, when life's numerous calls are made upon us and we are puzzled as to whose voice to heed, we should take everything to God in prayer. And the prayer that I am speaking of at this time is that where the suppliant's will is entirely submitted to the will of the Father in Heaven. I have heard from some one the story of a primitive Methodist preacher who heard Wesley's ex- hortation on marriage telling him that such a subject should be taken to God in prayer. This young man took heed and bowing before the throne of grace he cried out thus, "Oh Lord, I wish my will to be sunk in Thine concerning this step that I am about to take, and I do pray for Thy guidance; Thy guidance alone, in the choosing of a wife; but, Lord, let it be Sarah." My people, you smile I see, but how many people there are whose prayers are flavoured with this same spirit. Nothing tunes the soul, nothing clears the fog, nothing takes away the burden, nothing will enable one to "mount on wings as eagles; to run, and not to be weary and to walk and faint not," but a real face to face talk with God. Prayer is the key that unlocks every blessing. The next lesson which I learn is this: no man ought to be in the ministry who has not really been called of God. Mr. Beecher once said, 116 FELIX'S CALL TO THE MINISTRY speaking of the subject of the ministry, "My father ordained me to preach. Ah, I was better ordained than that: my Father ordained me. He ordained me twice; first, when He put His hand on my head before I was born, and said, "Be a head;" and then after I had carried it around a few years, when He stretched out His hand and touched my heart rather than my head, and said, "Be ordained again." First, He makes the head-piece to think; and then He touches the heart and says, "Go preach My Gospel." When a man has had that done to him, he is ordained. A pope or a bishop or a whole presbytery could not make him any better. Do you wonder that he is known as the Prince of Preachers? Those, therefore, who enter the sacred ministry without being sol- emnly ordained and set apart by the Lord God Himself, can claim no blessing or success in the work. I ask for my own personal information. Is this not the reason why we have so few preachers in the pulpits to-day, who have a positive message for this heartbroken and heart-bleeding world? This world which is out of joint with God; this world which is ever- lastingly crying out for a Moses who can deliver it from the bondage of sin; from the bondage of human philosophy and seeming skepticism; a Moses who can bring the people out of the chaotic and the never solved social 117 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX questions of to-day; a Moses who can combine the thundering of Sinai and the pathos of Cal- vary and with his heart filled with all the tender- ness and love of Jesus Christ deliver the populace from the numerous un-Scriptural teachings of to-day; a Moses-like Savonarola, Knox, Francis of Assissi, John Penry, Luther and the Wesleys of the past and Finney, Moody, Gipsy Smith and Chapman of to-day, who with an illumined mind, a warm heart, fearless spirit, and undaunted courage, shall turn the world upper-side down and the down side up? God! give us more preachers who will dare to preach the Word, who are not afraid to reprove, and rebuke nor hesitate to exhort with all long suf- fering and doctrine; for there are people, who after their own pleasures, are heaping unto themselves teachers and preachers having itch- ing ears. God! for Jesus' sake, give us more preachers who will fight the good fight, who will "keep the faith," who "will endure hard- ship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ," and who, in the midst of it all, will count it all joy, because of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, the Lord. Thirdly and briefly, another lesson from Felix's wonderful story is this, that God calls every Christian to do something for Him. It may not be to preach the Gospel, or to become a Gospel singer, or to do deaconess work in 118 FELIX'S CALL TO THE MINISTRY the slums, or to become a missionary, but of this I am sure, that God has a place for each of us in His program and if we wait before Him in prayer and wilUngly submit to His leading, then we shall find our place, and hav- ing found it, success will crown our effort. What better hour for such a consecration than just at this moment. Come now, and kneel here with me. 119 FELIX TACKLING HIS JOB CHAPTER X FELIX TACKLING HIS JOB THREE years at Drew Theological Semi- nary! Yes, the finest spot on God's earth. The campus is ideal. The buildings are imposing and inspiring. The faculty can- not be bettered anywhere. The students, a noble band they are indeed. Three years of hard toil, for Felix did several things in order to help himself along financially. The bell was touched by him many times a day. A Union chapel demanded his care and prayer for eighteen months. Meanwhile 1903 loomed up and Felix began to look around for a con- ference which he might join. To him the Maine Conference put its strongest appeal, not the brethren, but the work of that con- ference. Having been local preacher for two years and being a regular graduate of a theological semi- nary he was entitled to enter such conference under the so-known Seminary Rule, providing that he passed satisfactory examination on the entrance and the first two years' studies in the Conference Course. 123 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX This meant extra work for him. For, while he had some credentials on some of the studies, the bulk of it was to be done between January and April. However, he resolved to try. He applied himself so arduously to it that at the end of March the entrance course and the first two years in the Conference Course of studies were completed. Rev. J. M. Potter and Felix had been corresponding with Rev. Ami S. Ladd, of blessed memory, concerning their intention. On the fifteenth day of April, Felix found him- self in Bridgton, Maine, where the conference met for its annual session. Here he passed two examinations before committees, having squared up another paper with the Rev. Chas. F. Parsons, a member of the Examining Board, who had previously received an examination sermon from him, but being so badly scribbled that the examiner was compelled to write to Felix these words, "My dear Mr. Powell, while I am accustomed to read almost any kind of writings, I must confess to you that I cannot read one half of what you have written on these pages." There was a reason. All the other papers had been typewritten. Felix's admission to the conference was rather interesting. Many objections were given why he should not be ordained deacon. His nationality, his lack of knowledge of the American people, his meager knowledge of the 124 FELIX TACKLING HIS JOB English language, these and other objections were brought forth why he should not be taken in under the Seminary Rule. Felix will never forget how, after a certain member of the con- ference made objection on the basis that he could not speak the English language, another brother arose and said to the Bishop and mem- bers of the conference, that he had known Felix for years and that to his knowledge, he could speak the English language much better than the gentleman who had just made ob- jection on that point. There was a little merriment in the house and after having suc- ceeded in getting the Bishop to call for Felix on the platform that they might at least, take a look at him, the Bishop arose and after smiling a little said, "Brethren, I don't see but that he looks all right." Felix was then voted upon to be taken into the conference. Thus far, so well. But the worst was yet to come. They said among them- selves, "Now we have taken him, where shall we send him, where can he do the least harm?" To their rescue came Dr. Ladd, who said, "I have a place for him where there is no danger of his doing more harm than has been done. For there is very httle to harm." Saturday after- noon, Felix, in company with Rev. James M. Potter, who also joined the Conference under the same Rule, went to see Dr. Ladd and asked 125 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX if they could know where he was going to send them. The doctor smiled very graciously and said to Mr. Potter, "I am going to send you to West Baldwin and Hiram, a charge paying around five hundred dollars salary." Then he said to Felix, "I am going to send you to Long Island, Portland." When Felix heard the word Portland, his heart leaped within him for joy, thinking he was to be sent to a city charge. Opening the minutes of the preceding year he began to look up what had been reported relating to the same. Here is what he found: Membership, nine, Sunday School, thirty-five; parsonage, none; benevolences, two dollars; salary, none. Felix's heart began to beat a little bit faster than normal and going to his lodging place he spent a night of agony. Surely, discouraged he was, as Mr. Potter can truth- fully witness to-day. However, after much praying, the Holy Spirit brought to his remem- brance the promise which he had made to God, when he was called to preach, that whatever lot his might be, he would say, "Thy will and not mine be done." Rising from his knees he said, "I will go, let come what may." Sunday, April 19, he was ordained deacon by that won- derful man, who is now in glory. Bishop An- drews. At four o'clock that very afternoon, the appointments were read and when Felix's was read off for Long Island, his predecessor, out of 126 ESTHER KLTII ALCER VIRCilXIA REV. FELIX POWELL At the ag-e of thirty-nine as Pastor in the City of Berlin, N. H. MRS. FELLX POWELL FELIX TACKLING HIS JOB a heart full of sympathy for him said right aloud, "Poor boy, he will be starved down there." Felix heard this and again tears came into his eyes. He went alone, but he was not to be alone many days longer. During his school days, at Drew, Felix met Miss Marion Card, of Parsippany, N. J. As this charge was supplied by a student from Drew, he asked Felix if he would not assist in some revival services. Felix gladly gave what help he could and it was at this time that he met Miss Card. Their slight acquaintance grew into genuine love and with- in a year's time they were united in marriage by the Rev. Chas. W. Blackman, of Peaks Island, Me. The ceremony took place in the half finished little parsonage on Long Island, Me., in the presence of many parishoners. To them four children have been given, Alger Felix, ten, Esther Alice, eight, Virginia Emma, six, and Ruth Madeline, four years of age. Sunday came. Preaching was at two-thirty, which had been preceded by the Sunday School hour. About fifteen people came to Sunday School, and twenty-three to preaching service. At the close of the sermon, Felix asked the only man present, as to where the people were. For an answer he got the following: "What do you call these? Are they not people?" And then said he with a peculiar emphasis, 127 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX "You stay here three weeks and instead of twenty-three, you won't have six." Not very encouraging this. However, FeUx had done his best that afternoon, and the few children who were present, went about spreading the news concerning the new preacher; and what they said, we will not mention here. "This know," said he, "in the evening there were one hundred and nine present." Seeing this, he changed his preaching service from two- thirty p.m. to seven-thirty and the seven-thirty service to ten forty-five. "The people began to come," said he, "and conversions were taking place in almost every service. The Sunday School grew larger every Sunday." At the close of the first year's work he went to the conference with a fine report and when he came up for continuation of his fourth year's study the Presiding Elder arose, so Felix's wife reported to him afterwards, and said, "All I have to say about him is this: I wish that it might rain for a week and rain nothing else but Felixes." Felix was returned to that charge for the fourth year. At the beginning of the third year he was compelled to enlarge the church, for the crowd grew so that it was impossible to accommodate them all in fairly decent condition. When he made his report at the close of the fourth year, it was something like the following: Membership, 128 FELIX TACKLING HIS JOB fifty-five; Sunday School, one hundred and eight; Benevolences, over one hundred dollars; and salary five hundred and fifty dollars cash. Somewhat different from what he had seen in the minutes of four years previous. To him there then came a call from the city of Berlin, N. H., to serve that charge. This city had a population of about fourteen thousand. The Methodist Episcopal Church had, at that time, sixty-eight members; Sunday School, one hundred and sixty-eight; cash salary, four hundred and thirty-two dollars, and a debt of four thousand dollars resting on the church and parsonage. During his ministry there, Felix and his church entertained the Maine Con- ference, and at the end of four years paid the total debt. At the end of the sixth year, he left the charge with one hundred and fifty-five mem- bers; three hundred and forty-five in the Sunday School, and a cash salary of one thousand dol- lars. During the fifth year of his ministry there, over one thousand dollars were spent to en- large the vestry, put in a new heating apparatus, and for general improvements in every line. Blessed indeed were the six years that Felix spent with this faithful people. The South Portland Peoples' Church, was his third pastorate, at which place he is now toiling. Most auspicious is his work here. A faithful official board, an efficient Sunday School super- 129 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX intendent, a loyal membership, and a large con- stituency enable him to be at his best both with God and men. The congregation has more than doubled, particularly that of Sunday eve- ning, when nearly three hundred assemble to worship God. Over one hundred and forty souls have already declared their allegiance to God and many of them have become efficient workers in the church of their choice. During the twelve years of Felix's ministry, he has helped scores of brethren all over New England, in revival work, has lectured more than two hundred times on various subjects, and is now daily refusing calls for this kind of work, on account of the large responsibility which his large pastorate brings upon him. Five hundred and fifteen conversions to Jesus Christ has crowned his ministry thus far. My people, I do not know whether by adding a word to what you have already heard to- night, concerning the almost phenomenal career of Felix, will spoil its message or emphasize its truth. But a word might not be amiss when I say that these foreigners, who are reaching our shores year in and year out, have the stuff of life in them. If we neglect our duty in looking after them, they will eventually un-Christianize America, but if we welcome them, take care of them, educate them, and give them one-half the chance they are entitled to, then not only 130 FELIX TACKLING HIS JOB will they become Christians themselves, but they will become some of the finest workers in the Protestant world. Some of the mightiest educators, some of the noblest social workers among the needy, some of the greatest religious leaders of to-day, are of foreign birth. It will not be many years hence when your own city will become largely populated with foreign ele- ments, and if we resolve to-night to go out from this church, and Jesus like, go among these people, treating them as brothers in Jesus Christ, asking them to forsake sin, and begin to live clean lives then this church will be in better condition to do work fifty years from now than it is at this time. These people, finding our Christ, with their new found experience, their naive characteristics, their profound enthusi- asm, their burning earnestness, their natural ability as speakers, their unquestioned sin- cerity, and matchless love for lost souls, will make mighty spiritual dynamos for the King- dom of our God and His Christ. Go forth and win them to-day. 131 FELIX AND HIS HELPERS A^ CHAPTER XI FELIX AND HIS HELPERS S the horse draws its load along the broken _ _. path the driver walks by its side. When there is an ugly rut in the path, he gently turns the horse aside from it. When a large stone has fallen on the road, he removes it out of the way of the wheels. When there is a stiff bit of ascent to meet, he pats the horse and puts it to its mettle, but when the way is level and clear, he leaves the horse pretty much to its own devices. All that is useful, all that is kind, all that is helpful; but please remember that it is the horse that must always draw the load."^ "Parents, friends, teachers, institutions," said Felix to me, as he continued his story, "greatly assisted me through the struggles of life, but I was never unmindful of the fact that much of the load was to be carried by my- self," said he, "from the time that I can remem- ber' anything about myself, I always had an ambition to succeed in whatsoever I undertook to do. As a common laborer, I was known as the hardest working man in the crew. Because of it, I was promoted from being a common laborer to that of superintendent." Here he related to me one or two things 135 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX which gave me the key of his inner make-up. After he arrived in New York from Italy, he was determined to get a loaf of bread at any cost. Marching up from the Battery on his way to Mulberry Street, he was in sight of a bakery shop. On the inside of the windows there were displayed various kinds of food stuff, such as cakes, pies, cookies, and bread. Felix's hunger was so intense that he could no longer refrain from going after a loaf of bread. Laying the bundle, which he was carrying on his shoulders* onto the sidewalk in front of the shop, he went in. There he found a most beautiful young lady, dressed in white and so immaculate that he thought her to be an angel. He bowed grace- fully, and then proceeded to ask for the bread, but to his amazement and surprise, she looked at him and smiling nodded her head. Felix could not understand why she would not wait upon him. Then it all came back to him what his relative, who had returned from America to his native town, had told him before he left for America, that the people in America spoke another language and did not understand the Italian. Felix remembering this, became some- what discouraged, but did not despair. He thought for a moment, and then looking where the bread was, he opened his good sized mouth, and with the aid of a gesture, he murmured something, which no mortal could tell and 136 FELIX AND HIS HELPERS immediately he got his loaf. But the end of the trouble had not yet been reached. He knew enough to give her ten cents for the price of the bread, but when she examined it and found that it was Italian money, more trouble followed. The young woman said something which was just as intelligible to him as what he had previously said, was to her. However, meanwhile Felix was making a pretty good head-way into his loaf. He had bitten into a half dozen places, and owing to the fact that he had not washed his face for sometime, where- ever his lips had touched the bread, it had left some black marks. Seeing that the young woman refused to take the money he pleadingly looked into her face, and said, "You can have the bread back if you want it." To this the girl nodded a strong "No." Thus Felix left the bakery shop thankfully devouring the bread and thinking within himself "surely it pays to stick." Here is another incident which can best illustrate something of Felix's grit, push and tact. In the year 1893, he, with a large number of his countrymen, was working in Whitehall, N. Y. About twenty men were lodging in a single room. The cooking, of course, was done in little shanties, built out of doors, for that purpose. The filth in that sleeping room grew apace and in order to get rid of some of it, a 137 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX broom was sought, — but who should go to the store to purchase it, that was another part of the story. Fehx, by this time, had learned a few words of the English language; at any rate, he thought so. The men delegated him for the task. Entering a large store he innocently began to enquire for the article. A good natured gentleman smiled upon the young fellow and after a while, seeing that he did not or could not understand, he asked Felix to follow him into the different parts of the store. To Felix were shown potatoes, eggs, bread, onions and many other articles, but he did not show him the broom. Finally, he gave up in despair, and said, "I cannot understand you." Then to make things worse, he was communicating his experience to other clerks in the store, and they, turning to Felix began to laugh. But Felix was not to be downed in this wise. He, walking slowly toward the counter where he saw some dust lying, and calling the clerk to him said, "Sir, me want dis." Meanwhile blowing the dust off the counter. The dust went into the clerk's eyes. Within a minute he got his broom. Of course this provoked a great laughter from all those present, but never mind that part of it; the point is, Felix was bound to get his broom, — and he got it. Just one more instance and then we will take up another phase of this subject. During 138 FELIX AND HIS HELPERS his second year at Kent's Hill Seminary, he undertook the study of Civil Government under the instruction of Miss Gertrude Stone, now a teacher at the State Normal School, at Gorham, Maine. In the course of a recitation the word "lever" came up for discussion, and the teacher asked different members of the class what was the meaning of it. No one seemed to be very anxious to give an answer. Seeing this, Felix felt somewhat embarrassed for the class, and lifted his hand, and the teacher asked, 'Sir, what is the meaning of 'lever'?" Felix shouted right aloud, at the same time placing his hand toward the region where the liver resides, and said, "We all have a liver." What took place in that class-room for the next few moments can only be imagined. In these incidents we are led into the inner make-up of Felix's life. But here we must not ignore the help that came to him from and through God's people. You will remember what he said concerning Mr. G. M. Powers of Topsham, Maine. That man said to him, after he left him for school, "Felix, the doors of my home are always open to you, and whatever there is in my power to help you at any time, just let me know, and all is at your disposal." You will also remember what he said about Mrs. Clara E. Smith of Brunswick, when he decided to enter Kent's Hill. That elect lady 139 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX took a pillow-case and going through the house, she filled it with almost every imaginable article which she knew he would need. At the school almost every student became interested in Felix, and helped him in every way possible. The citizens of the place, both in Kent's Hill, Me., and Madison, N. J., finding out that he could do general house cleaning, gave him all the work he could manage. Dr. Chas. W. Gallagher, at that time president of the school at Kent's Hill, and his wife, were a source of constant inspiration to him. Professor Newton, now principal there, Professor Adel- bert Caldwell, now of De Paw University and Professor Henry Trefethen of Colby College, took a deep interest in Felix and their services were ever at his command. At Drew Theological Seminary, President Buttz became a real spiritual father to him, and with the continual sympathy and support of his wonderful body of teachers, such men as Drs. Upham, Curtis, Rogers, Sitterly, and Faulkner, Felix managed to move on to victory. The Board of Education of the Methodist Episcopal Church assisted him financially, loaning him four hundred and twenty dollars during his eight years of school life. To this Board, he is under great debt, for it came to his rescue at the nick of time. As we learned, from previous addresses, that 140 FELIX AND HIS WORKERS his charges being small and therefore his salary not very large and further, having a family of six to support, he could not see how he would ever be able to satisfy that Board. After some correspondence with the Secretary of the Board, Felix received a note from him bearing a mes- sage to this effect that the Board of Managers had met and after due consideration of his case, they instructed him to cancel that loan against Felix. No reader of this statement can possibly imagine the joy which thrilled Felix's soul. And now, my dear people, what has all this to do with us here to-night? Much every way. The old saying that God helps those who help themselves has some truth in it. Paul said that we are to work together with God. And that we are to work out our own salvation. The little girl had it right when she was asked, "Who made you?" Answered in her child-like sim- pUcity, "God made me that long, and I growed the rest myself." Some great scholar has said that man's life is made up of only three per cent of freedom and the remainder of mere necessity. God, through Jesus Christ has cancelled all sins against us. He has buried them under the depths of the sea. He has separated them as far from us as the east is from the west. He has blotted them out from the Book of Life to remember them against us no more, thank God. He has cleansed, washed, permeated and re- 141 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX deemed these souls at a great price. The great transaction was wrought on Calvary. We are conscious of our sonship because the Holy Spirit is given unto us to bear witness with our spirit that we are God's children. He has put our feet upon the rock to stay, and a song in our mouths to sing of His goodness and mercy. He has given us peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. All these things God has done for us and much more has He promised to do. But, my dear people, I plead with you, with all the power that a human being is capable of wielding, with all the passion and red-blood earnestness within a mortal soul, I plead with you to be always on your guard, to watch and pray, to attend all means of grace which this church offers you, to so work as though there is no God and then depend upon Him as though you had not worked at all, and with the poet continually sing: My soul be on thy guard; Ten thousand foes arise; The hosts of sin are pressing hard. To draw thee from the skies. 142 FELIX AND THE FULFILMENT OF THE PROMISE CHAPTER XII FELIX AND THE FULFILMENT OF THE PROMISE " \7et it is the truth that I am telling you, I it is to your advantage that I go away. For unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you * * * I have much more to say to you, but you are unable at present to bear the burden of it. But when He is come, the Spirit of Truth, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak as Himself origi- nating what He says, but all that He hears He will speak, and will make known the future to you." Jesus Christ. At length, on the day of the Harvest Festival, they had all met in one place; when suddenly there came from the sky a sound as of a strong rushing blast of wind. This filled the whole house where they were sitting; and they saw tongues of what looked like fire distributing themselves over the assembly, and on the head of each person, a tongue alighted. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in foreign languages according as the Spirit gave them words to utter * * * And Peter replied and said, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of 145 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX Jesus Christ with a view to the remission of your sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For to you belongs the promise and to your children and to all who are far off, who- ever the Lord our God may call.''' Acts II. In the course of my conversation with Felix he said, "I have an experience in my life which I prize above all other experiences, and which I consider to be the key to my small achieve- ments. When I was converted to Jesus Christ, in that little Methodist Church in Brunswick, Maine, I made up my mind that if God spared me to live any length of time I would try to go the whole length in the quest of the Christian life and obtain the highest New Testament standard of Christian experience. I was bound to have the whole or nothing. So far as I then knew I was walking in what light I had. I began to read the Bible daily and assimilate such truth as I could grasp. During my days at Kent's Hill I heard now and then, some young fellow speak of his personal Pentecost- My eyes began to open to the Biblical truth of it, but nothing was clear as yet. My brief association with Rev. G. M. Powers of Tops- ham, Me., brought me face to face with an experience which that man was enjoying and of which I was totally ignorant. Meanwhile I continued reading the Bible and trying to catch a gUmpse of what it taught. However, 146 FELIX AND THE FULFILMENT even then the Bible seemed to be a sealed book to me. I didn't reahze, of course, that without the personal presence of the Anointer in the heart that Book will not reveal its spiritual message. Upon my entering Drew Theological Semi- nary my hunger to be filled with all the fullness of God, intensified. Of course studying the Bible in its original language and the reading of theological books and the constant asso- ciation with the students and the professors increased my desire for a Pentecostal experience. Who could ever sit at the feet of that blessed man. President Henry A. Buttz, without being stimulated to know more of that man's God? "To my judgment," said Felix, "if there ever was a man who exemplified the life of Jesus of Nazareth, who ever was an embodiment of St. John the Beloved, President Buttz was the man. Or who could ever listen to that man, Olin A. Curtis, Professor of Systematic Theology, a twentieth century St. Paul, without being brought to a full realization that the Holy Spirit was in him? All the professors were men of God and I shall never cease to thank God for leading me to attend that school. But here," says Felix, "I want you to know that the man who did the most for me at this critical period was a fellow student. Rev. Raymond H. Huse who is now District Superintendent in New 147 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX Hampshire Conference. His young life was ideal. His religious experience was profound. His portraying of the experience was model. There was no boasting, no setting of one's self up as better than the brethren. No great adver- tising of what goods he had in possession ; but in perfect harmony with the teaching of Jesus, he made his life to shine before men, and I saw that light. In the course of our three years' association in school, I always objected to seek- ing for the Holy Spirit on the basis that it would cause division in the church where He was preached. But how patient that student was and said in substance, that when such an ex- perience was genuine and sanely presented to the people, such would not be the case." Felix said that at one time the Professor of Systematic Theology gave out several themes for the class to choose from and write an essay upon. Felix chose, "Purity of Heart." After two months of research he sat down and wrote his profound conviction namely, that purity of heart was the privilege of every child of God. Here Felix showed me the essay, as returned to him by the professor after examination, bear- ing the rank of 94. But in spite of all this he finished his work at Drew and entered his work in his first pastorate without this experience in his heart. He said in his inimitable way, "It was all in my head, and if any one should 148 FELIX AND THE FULFILMENT have taken my head off, my heart would have been left void." After he had been preaching for three months or more, there came to him, at the close of a morning service, a lady who wished to see him for a few moments. Drawing apart into one corner of the little white chapel, she burst into tears, and it was some time before she could collect herself so as to be able to make her wants known to him. Finally she said, "My dear pastor, some ten years ago, while attending a series of revival meetings in a certain city, I received the gift of the Holy Spirit, and for some years after that I enjoyed His abiding presence in my heart. But my father, being a a Seventh Day Adventist, began to persecute me and made it somewhat hard for me to live in peace at home, though I never rebelled or dis- obeyed or neglected the means of grace. Never- theless I lost Him. Now I am seeking for Him again, and will you not help me in this hour of spiritual need?" Felix was really cornered. He knew, from intellectual standpoint, what the good sister was talking about, but he was not in the place of helping her. With a few mumbling words he dismissed her, "But remember," said Felix, "that the arrow had struck. I was wounded. I went home pro- foundly disturbed in my heart." From that time on, he began to read largely 149 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX and profoundly on the subject of the Higher Life. He sent for the best literature and mingled with the best of teachers. Finally, after two months of such procedure, he was fully convinced that what Jesus had said to His dis- ciples, regarding the coming of the Holy Ghost upon them, after that He had gone back to His Father, was intended not only for them, but for everyone who yields without one iota of reser- vation. He learned that the disciples were the children of God or else their names would not be written in Heaven and that they must have been converted men or else Jesus Christ would not have sent them out to preach. He learned that these men, after having com- plied with Jesus' teaching, namely, to tarry at Jerusalem, were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and that Peter proves in his first sermon that this was not for them only, but for as many as the Lord God would call, and Felix felt that it was about time to have this experience fulfilled in his life. One Sabbath morning, after having read from the Bible together with his young wife, they knelt in prayer. For a while he struggled and like Jacob, wrestled with God and finally in the language of the poet, he cried out almost in despair: Come, Holy Spirit, come. With energy divine. And on this poor benighted soul With beams of mercy shine. 150 FELIX AND THE FULFILMENT 0, melt this frozen heart; This stubborn will subdue; Each evil passion overcome. And form me all anew. The profit will be mine, But Thine shall be the praise; And unto Thee will I devote The remnant of my days. When at the close of this prayer, Felix seemed to have heard a voice from Heaven saying, "Be still and know that I am God." For a few moments he waited silently before Him, when all at once there came a stream of warmest love flooding through his heart, and the witness given that He had come to abide. Rising from his knees, he rushed to the church where the people were now waiting, and without much preliminary, he told them what God had just done for him, and then calling for an altar ser- vice, he saw every soul present bow before God, a scene the hke of which he had never before witnessed. There was not a dry eye in the congregation, and blessed was his ministry among them there- after. Division! There have been none so far as Felix knows. On the other hand, his twelve years' ministry has taught him that the people, everywhere, are hungry for just such teaching and preaching. Do you wonder that I felt like shouting Halleluiah, as Felix finished his narration to me? 151 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX I was led to feel then, as I do to-day, that what the church of Christ needs more than anything else that I am cognizant of, is a baptism with the Holy Spirit and fire. The success of the fathers in the church of the living God must be attributed to this. The disciples were clothed with power. Tongues of fire were imparted to them and can be imparted to us if we, like them, are willing to separate ourselves from the world. When we as a people, receive this fire in our hearts, then several things will come to pass. The first is this, that our minds will be illumi- nated. All light comes from the sun, but remember that the sun is a ball of fire. Why most of us cannot see Him in all His beauty, grandeur and attractiveness is that our eyes have not as yet been anointed with the eye salve of the Holy Spirit. Dan Crawford's mission into Central Africa, to give the people a Bible and to teach them how to read that Bible, will be a complete failure unless the Holy Spirit shall teach them how to read it aright. When He abides in our souls we shall be led to know more in one month with Him than in three years in any secular school. He will take the deep things of God and reveal them to each of us. Again, when He comes to domicile with us, the spiritual temperature of the church will be raised. All heat comes from the sun, but 152 FELIX AND THE FULFILMENT remember that the sun is a ball of fire. When the fire from Heaven falls upon us, we shall no more be frozen together, but melted in tears and warm love for each other, and for the lost. I am amazed to find church members giving a cold, formal, icy reception to new comers while secular fraternities put some of us to scorn on this point. Shall the world continue to be wiser than the children of light? God forbid, but they will, unless we now claim the promise of the Father. And once more, when the fire of the Holy Spirit is set burning in our hearts, then shall we have the power both with God and with men. All the power there is in this world is from the sun; but remember that the sun is a ball of fire. All the church machineries are all right in their places, but how can they move efficiently without the presence of the great Monitor? How can they do sublime work with- out the Dynamo of Pentecost? No word have I against machinery in our great church, but one word I have on lack of power to set it going. If Methodism continues to be true to her historic teaching, she will eventually solve the problem of the universal salvation of the human race. I am glad that God led me into this great church. Faithful to her teaching I will be. And why not, say, fourthly, that if this fire 153 THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX should come it would melt even the stony hearts of infidels and scoffers? Apply your scissors, your axe, your hammer to that piece of steel, and failure will stare you in the face, but put it under that hot fire yonder, and how long before it is heated and pliable to be moulded? Apply your philosophy, your languages, your logic, your science to the task of winning a lost soul, and how long will it be before you win it? But bring that soul in touch with a heart that is in touch with the Cross, a heart that has known the abiding presence of the Third Person of the God-head, and lo you have won that soul. Fire melts, the Holy Fire also melts stony hearts and stubborn wills and leads them home to God. And lastly, fire spreads. The story of the Chicago fire is familiar to all. Most fires are started either by a match or a cigarette or a spark. Yes, every revival this old world has ever seen was started by some one who had the fire of God burning in his inner life. The history of every reformation proves my point. Methodism began when Wesley's heart was strangely warmed. Nothing can warm but fire. No man with a burning heart will keep still. Dr. Cortland Myers, of Boston, tells a very instructive and inspiring story concerning a cer- tain evangelist who, during a series of revival 154 FELIX AND THE FULFILMENT meetings, asked an elder of the church if he had ever been converted. Receiving an answer in the aflTirmative, the evangelist then turned upon him and said very earnestly, "Then sir, get busy." That elder did not seem to enjoy that sharp exhortation at first, but having prayed over it he came to the conclusion, after having heard from Heaven, that he had better get busy. Nine months after his commission from God, he came to his pastor with the report that staggered the latter. Two hundred and twenty- nine men had been brought to Jesus Christ. The elder said rejoicingly, "Sir, that's my greatest asset in life." My Christian people, this promise is for you and for me, and why not have all God has for us? My young converts, what you have thus far experienced is fine, and it will grow sweeter as you go on, and I pray you never be satisfied until you get the best. Leave the second best for others, but so far as you are concerned, resolve to get the best and then your life will be joyful, as well as fruitful. May you never lose sight of what God did for Felix, and never forget that God is no respecter of persons. HERE ENDS THE STORY OF THE TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX WRITTEN BY REV. FELIX POWELL AND PRINTED BY SMITH & SALE PORTLAND, ME., OCTOBER, 1915 UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY AA 000 834 422 8