Arnold Bennett - "The Old Wives' Tale"

Thomas H. Huxley - "Coral and Coral Reefs"

Rafael Sabatini - "The Trampling of the Lilies"

Dante Alighieri - "Divina Commedia di Dante"

Trials and Triumphs of Faith

M >> Mary Cole >> Trials and Triumphs of Faith




On the night of which we have been speaking, I had promised to go back and
stay all night at the home of the son. During the night the Lord woke me up
and brought to mind very forcibly that the powers of hell were there, and
that I was in the presence of a murderous spirit. The Lord impressed me
that I should lie awake and pray. Early in the morning my host began to
call to me at the top of his voice: "Leave, old Satan! leave, old Satan!"
My first thought was, "This is his home, and I shall be compelled to
leave." Snow lay about a foot deep on the ground, and the air was cold and
sharp. It was a mile to the nearest house. My next thought was, "Why, my
name is not old Satan, and I will not answer to Satan's name; but if he
calls me Mary Cole, and tells me to leave, I will go as soon as I can,
because it is his place, and not mine."

He left the house and went to the barn to feed his stock. I got up and
dressed and was impressed to remain until he came back, and then to ask him
the privilege of having prayer with him. It seemed that he could not refuse
my request. So I read and prayed. Up to this time, I had been bothered very
much by my feelings; but now I just leaned on God alone, trusted in his
word, claimed the promises, and prayed that he would bring me off more than
conqueror. The Lord made me understand that he gave me power over all the
powers of the enemy.

After prayer the man called me in to breakfast.

God had already shown me that he did not want me to eat breakfast; so I
told the man I did not care for any. He insisted that I come, and began to
cry; but I did not go. The door being open between the room where I was and
the room in which they were eating, I heard him say, "Wife, I believe we
are mistaken; I believe those are the people of God." The next morning
being Sunday, he went with me to the meeting, but that was the last one he
attended.

This was but a short time after I had the typhoid fever. The fight with the
enemy in which I had been engaged, strengthened my faith greatly. I was now
more ready to cope with devils than I had ever been before. I had been very
weak on that point. Before the experience which I have just related, if I
felt all right, I thought everything was all right; but if my feelings were
not good, I began to doubt God's promises. God had just brought me off more
than conqueror in a severe conflict, and I was now ready to take him at his
word, no matter how the enemy raged, and no matter how bad I felt. My faith
was now grounded in knowledge.

During the meeting we were then holding, we had to endure some
persecutions. One cold night some one put red pepper on the stove. The
stove was in the center of the room, and the fumes from the pepper almost
stifled the people. They had to run out to keep from choking. Brother Bolds
quickly raised the window opposite the door, and the draft between the
window and the door soon drove the stifling fumes from the house. Although
the people were so affected by the fumes of the pepper, yet we ministers
did not suffer a bit. Twice during this meeting we were egged--once with
frozen eggs. None of the eggs, however, hit any of us. Two persons who were
not fully decided to stand for the truth, got some benefit of the eggs. On
the road to meeting one night, some of the opposers of the truth were egged
by their comrades, who mistook them for members of our company.

Several times after getting light on the church I had the privilege of
helping in meetings in my own home. These were attended with good results:
a few got deliverance and were established in the whole truth. Some are
true to God yet. One time while at my home, Sister Lodema Kaser and I went
to a little town named Greenridge, about ten miles away; and, being
solicited by some good honest souls to hold a meeting, we began services at
that place. A good interest soon began to be manifested: conviction settled
on the people, and hands began to go up for prayer. The meetings had
continued nearly a week, when we received a pressing call from Kansas to
come at once to hold services in a certain town. As God was working in a
marvelous way where we were, I did not feel clear to go. Even after prayer
I still felt that we should continue the meeting where we were.

The second letter had come, I think, insisting that we should come. Then I
began to infer that if I did not heed this call, they would think that I
was refusing because I was so near home. So I submitted and went. To the
surprise of the brother who had asked us to come, the Spirit of the Lord
did not work in the meeting. The brother soon saw his mistake and asked my
pardon. He said, "Sister Cole, I will never do such a thing again."

We did not remain long at this place. The only fruit of our labors, so far
as we know, was one dear sister who got under conviction, but who did not
get a chance to become acquainted with the whole truth until fifteen years
afterward, but the light that she got at that time and the conviction that
came upon her, followed her until she was gloriously saved. This was Sister
Matilda Magley. The last news I had from her, she was a precious saint of
God. Another result of this meeting was, that we learned a good lesson. In
the future, we were more careful how we let others persuade us out of God's
order.

I hold that God's true ministers who live close to him are able to get
their own leadings from the Lord, especially where souls are at stake. God
wants us to have our own individuality. True, the Word says, "Be subject to
one another," but we are to be subject always in conformity with his will
and his Word. I know that I have had to trust my individual lead ing; I
have had to depend upon them to keep me from being led off by wrong
influences and spirits. When I saw my privilege to individually learn God's
will, I took advantage of it, and I have had reason to thank God for the
protection of his Spirit.

God's children should be very careful not to urge his servants away from a
place before God says go, nor should they urge them to come to a place
until God is through with them where they are laboring. By so doing, souls
may be lost that otherwise would be saved. At one time I had four pressing
calls to hold meetings in different places, and every one of them contained
the promise, "We will pay your fare both ways if you will come." God showed
me that I should not accept any of them; but should go in another
direction, taking my own money to pay my fare. I went, happy in knowing
that I was in God's order. Dear ones, let us depend upon the leadings of
God's Spirit, and not allow our financial interests to bias our decisions.

While traveling in the West, Brother Warner and his company had held a
meeting at Galesburg, Kansas, in which a certain woman was saved. Previous
to this time she had been a member of a sect and was unsaved. Her husband,
who was a doctor and had once had an experience of salvation, was greatly
delighted to think that his wife had an experimental knowledge of Christ.
It seemed that he could scarcely have been happier had he been saved
himself. After his wife was saved, he sent for Sister Kaser and me to come
and hold a meeting. We came; but when he met us at the train, we were not
the capable-looking people that he expected to see, and he was quite taken
aback. Nevertheless, he invited us to his house and was very hospitable. We
found his wife to be a precious saint.

The meetings began; conviction came upon the people; and God began to save
souls. Our burden was mostly for the soul of the doctor. At first he seemed
quite unconcerned about himself, but much concerned for others. But God was
working, and conviction soon fastened upon him. At last I ventured to ask
him to raise his hand for prayer, which he did. Next day I asked him to
take further steps toward his salvation; but he said, "Sister Cole, I did
as you asked me to last night, and I don't feel any better--I feel worse."
I did what I could to encourage him, and the Spirit of the Lord continued
to work with him. After meeting one night, his load had become so heavy he
could not carry it any longer, and he then and there requested earnest
prayer. It was near midnight before God spoke peace to his soul, but a
happier person you could hardly find. He soon saw that the old sin
principle was still in his heart and the enemy suggested, "Do not get
sanctified; you will have to give up certain things that you won't care to
give up yet. Just live a good justified life." In some way God gave him a
warning that he must seek sanctification. He heeded God's voice, came to
the altar, and was fully sanctified. God soon had his hand on him for the
work. This was Bro. S. G. Bryant.

A man at Essex, Illinois, became interested in the meetings we were holding
there. He was educated in four different languages, made a profession of
religion, and belonged, I think, to some denomination, but had no
experience of salvation. He soon saw that he needed help from God and came
to the altar. He had a desperate struggle. He said his education did not
help him to get saved, but was only a hindrance, and got between him and
God. He wept and plead with God just like any other poor sinner, and
finally broke loose from the things that seemed to hinder him and was made
to rejoice in the Savior's love. Later he came to the altar and was
sanctified. Soon God's hand was on him for spiritual work, and later he
became a minister. This was Bro. Addison Kriebel.

This incident shows that while education is all right and a good thing to
have, yet it is no help in seeking the Lord. The scripture says, that the
wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. Nor will education bring
soul-rest; it can not be substituted for spirituality. Education, however,
need not be a hindrance to spirituality if spirituality be made the master
and education the servant. If this relationship be maintained, the child of
God is safe in the possession of education.

At one time my brother Jeremiah was talking to a professor of a college
about his soul, and trying to get him to seek the Lord. The professor
seemed to be full of learning, and his affections were so set on the things
of this world, that Jeremiah could scarcely make any impression on him.
While they were talking, the professor's little two-year-old child, who was
playing near by, came up and said, "Papa, Papa, put your affections on
things above," and returned again to her play. "There," said my brother,
"can you take that? Can you accept the lesson the Lord wants to give you?"
Wise as the professor was, he was confounded, knowing that God must have
put this speech into the heart of his little child to reprove him. "Out of
the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength, because of
thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger" (Psalm
8:2).

At one time when Sister Kaser had been called home, I went home on a visit.
While there, I got a call to Meridian, Kansas, to hold a meeting. I arrived
at the town on an early morning train, remained in the depot until
daylight, and then hired a boy to carry my valise to the home of the
minister, Mr. J. W. Wyrick, who was pastor at that place. The door was
opened in response to my knock; and, as I stepped in, I received a very
strange impression.

The disordered house struck me peculiarly; but my mind was relieved when
the man said that his child was lying very sick and that they had been
taking turns sitting up with it. In an inner room, I found his wife, a
pitiful, sad-looking person, with a face that bespoke trouble. I kept my
feelings and thoughts to myself, knowing that the Lord was able to guide me
aright and to use me to his glory. I felt wonderfully impressed, however,
with the presence of evil spirits. Not being able to locate them, or to
reach any definite conclusion, I waited for further developments.

The meeting began. There were at least three factions in the congregation,
and I could see but very little good in any of them. The man at whose house
I was staying, claimed to represent the church of God. Meeting had
continued but a little while before his conduct showed me his spiritual
condition, and God wonderfully burdened me for his soul. While he was in
prayer, God showed me that his case was serious, and that he was badly
under the power of the enemy. It happened at the meeting. The young folks
were misbehaving during prayer-time, and Mr. Wyrick prayed against them so
vindictively that it was not hard to tell of what spirit he was.

I soon felt led to renounce the wrong spirit that Mr. Wyrick had already
exhibited in prayer. This stirred him up. He knew that he had not been
acting right, and he insisted that I should come to his home for a talk. I
did not feel led to go to his house; but he insisted from time to time.
Finally his wife came to me and said, "I wish you would come to the house,
as it might make my husband treat me better." For her sake I went; but oh,
the awful spirit I met!

If there had been any want of evidence as to the man's condition, that want
was now supplied. He began a tirade--said that Eve was the downfall of the
world, and number of other things derogatory to woman's character. He told
me that he had had a dream in which a forked-tongued snake had been trying
to kill him. "You," said he, "are that forked-tongued snake." I told him
that I could bear his abuse for Christ's sake. "But it is not for Christ's
sake; it is your own devilish work." I could not reason with him at all,
and so I said, "Let us pray." First I prayed, and then he prayed--an
abusive prayer against me. He kept pouring out his abusive talk, until I
closed the door--"slammed it," he said, which was false. God kept me clear
through it all; but he made me to know that he did not want me to meet such
cases alone any more, that others should be present to be agreed with me,
and to stand against the powers of hell.

For several years my youngest brother, George, had been impressed that God
wanted him to go into gospel work. He came to where we were then holding
meeting. He seemed to think that God had sent him to us for the especial
purpose of making me more useful and effectual in gospel work, which no
doubt was the case. Nevertheless, God had a deeper design in his coming.

We were soon to go East to a camp-meeting. Although, when George left home
he had only means enough to take him to the camp-meeting, yet God had shown
him that he should come farther west before he went to the meeting. Before
the time came for us to start, the railroad had cut rates so that we could
travel for about one-third fare. God had worked it out so that we all could
attend the meeting.

At a meeting Brother George and I were holding in Illinois, there was a
brother who wanted to walk by faith. He thought that in order to make a
success of such an experience he would have to ask the Lord to take away
all feeling. I suppose he must have prayed until he got his prayer through,
for God certainly did withdraw all good feelings from him. He took a severe
affliction which caused his face and parts of his body to swell badly, and
which brought on intense suffering. God seemed to be present when we prayed
for him, but the brother was not healed, and his suffering became so severe
that we were greatly burdened for him, and went to God in very earnest
prayer to know wherein the difficulty lay. God showed us how the brother
had prayed, and when we told him what the Lord had revealed to us, he saw
his mistake and made matters right with the Lord, then he was soon
gloriously healed. I have no idea that he ever asked the Lord again to take
away all good feelings so as to enjoy walking by faith.

Some few years later, while Sister Kaser, my brother and I were in
Robinson, Kansas, at a camp-meeting word came that my father was very sick
and wished my brother and me to come at once. Brother Warner and his
company were in this meeting. God was gloriously working, and souls were
being saved. When the letter came, therefore, we felt very reluctant to
leave, and after going to God in earnest prayer, we could not feel that he
wanted us to start that day. Besides, I felt impressed that if we should
start that day we should not get through to see him alive anyway, so we
delayed our trip until the day following.

For about two weeks God had been impressing me that I was going to have a
severe trial, at the same time bringing to me these comforting words: "I
will go with you through it." This promise had been on my mind many times.
The next morning we got a telegram that father was dead, and the enemy
tried to crush me with the accusation that I did not love my father or I
would have started to him the day before. Upon receipt of this telegram
George and I started at once. We had not proceeded far on our journey until
we learned that the train we should have taken had we gone the day before,
was wrecked. Some of the cars went into the river. The Lord's warning had
possibly saved us from death; but if not, from unnecessary delay, because
had we taken that train, we should not have reached our destination any
sooner than we did.

As I stood and gazed upon the still form of my father and remembered that a
great deal of his Christian life had not been satisfactory, I wished I
could have talked with him before he was taken.

The night after the funeral, when I had retired to rest, God began to talk
to me. "Did I not tell you that you were going to pass through deep
waters?" "Yes." "Did I not tell you that I would go through with you?"
"Yes." "Have I not done as I promised?" "Yes." Certainly he was a present
help--all and more than I could have wished--yes, and more than I
comprehended at that time. I was so sustained that I did not at all realize
the weight of the burden, because Jesus bore it for me.

A little later God seemed to withdraw some of his sustaining power and let
me feel to some degree how heavy the burden really was. It seemed that the
life would be crushed out of me. I asked the Lord the reason, and he
plainly showed me that if he had not withdrawn his sustaining power I
should never have known what a burden he had been bearing for me. I
thought, too, that another object, no doubt, was to develop in me greater
sympathy for others carrying a similar load.

As I still felt burdened for the salvation of souls at Robinson, Kansas, I
returned to that place, and my brother remained to look after father's
business. God gave me stirring messages. A number of souls that had been
convicted got down to business and were saved. God's design was
accomplished, and my soul was relieved.

Our next place of meeting was Wichita, Kans. Our company was to join
Brother Warner's company in a camp-meeting at that place. He had received
the money to defray the traveling-expenses of both companies. Our company
was to meet them at the Robinson depot on a certain morning, and all were
to travel together. There had been some misunderstanding, so Sister Kaser
and I were not present. Brother Warner, therefore, left word that we should
borrow the money and that he would make it right with us when we reached
our destination.

Sister Kaser and I did not start until the following morning. We told the
saints about the misunderstanding and explained that we did not have the
money to pay our way. They did not make us a loan, but gave us the money.
Not knowing how much the fare was, we asked for too small a sum, not
wishing to ask for any more than we absolutely needed.

We could buy a ticket only to St. Joseph, Missouri, our first
stopping-place, and therefore we did not know how much money we lacked,
until we reached that place and asked for tickets to Wichita. To our
surprise, we found that we had just enough to pay our way to Newton,
Kansas, twenty miles east of Wichita. At first we felt somewhat dismayed to
think of going without money to a strange town. We told the station agent
of our predicament and also of our having friends at both ends of the road,
and asked him what we had better do. He advised us to send a telegram to
both places. In the meanwhile we sent a telegram up to the Lord, and he
showed us that we should buy our tickets to Newton and trust him to bring
matters out all right. We were shouting, happy. I remarked to Sister Kaser,
"If some of these people on the train knew our circumstances and knew how
happy we are, they would think we were ready for the insane asylum."

In the meantime, my brother George was planning to attend the same
camp-meeting. He did not know what day we were going, nor did we know the
day he was going. After he got started, he found that he was on a road that
made very poor connections, and said to himself, "If I did not know that
God was leading me to go this way, I should surely think I was out of
order." Just before we got to Newton, where we thought we should have to
stop because we had no money to go further, George got on the train, rode
with us to Newton, got off at the station, and bought our tickets on to
Wichita, and we did not have to leave our seats.

When we got to the meeting, Brother Warner helped us to take a good shout,
and refunded the money that had been given him to pay our fares. We had a
glorious camp-meeting and numbers were saved. Hypocrites made some
disturbance, but God overruled.

While here we met a man by the name of Joseph Prouse, who invited us to
come to his place to hold a meeting. We went. The meeting had been in
progress three days, when, as we were in a private conversation, talking
about the nationality of those present, we found out that Brother Prouse
was related to my family. His mother and my mother were half-sisters, both
being children of the same father. Brother Prouse was the first relative of
ours that we had ever met or heard of that had accepted the whole truth.
Not only Brother Prouse was saved, but also his wife and some of his
children. Truly we had a time of great rejoicing. It seemed so good to find
some of our relatives that knew God and were living Christian lives. The
event was so unexpected and such a glad surprise that we praised the Lord
together.

Shortly before going to Galesburg, Kansas, to hold a meeting, I received a
few lines from Brother Warner telling me that two gospel workers, a man and
a woman, would join me at that place. In his letter he gave me to
understand their spiritual condition so that we should know how to proceed
for their good and our own protection. The brother at the place where we
were holding the meeting had been saved but a very short time, and was not
therefore able to discern false spirits. When he saw that there was no
fellowship between these two people and our company, he was tempted to
think that it was because we did not have compassion for them. God soon
showed him, however, that they were in a bad spiritual condition and that
our company was all right. From that time we had his help and
encouragement.

After a day of prayer and fasting for the couple that needed help, they
both humbled themselves. The man fell to the floor stiff under the power of
the enemy, but the woman desired deliverance. So far as we could
understand, God delivered both of them, but as they did not take a stand
against the evil spirits that had been troubling them, they got into the
same condition again. Under the influence of a spirit of accusation, they
wrote a letter to Brother Warner finding fault with our company of workers.

Bro. Charlie Williams, who was at that time a member of our company, was
corresponding with Brother Warner. In his letters Brother Warner would say,
"God bless you, Brother Charlie!" but he would never say, "God bless you.
Sister Kaser and Sister Cole!" At that time the enemy was coming against
our souls with terrible accusing power, and we felt that we needed a
blessing very much. The accusations of the enemy continued for about two
weeks, during which time it seemed that our lives would be crushed out of
us. Waking up early one morning, I said, "O Lord! why is it I can't get
consolation from a certain source," meaning "Why can't I get an encouraging
letter from Brother Warner!" The Lord answered, "I will give you
consolation first-handed if you will accept it." My heart opened up to God
as a little flower opens to the morning dew, and oh, how I drank in the
good things of the kingdom!

Then as I found myself, as it were, in a large room with the Lord, feasting
on his beauties, his grandeur and glory, the scripture came so forcibly to
me: "A day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a
doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of
wickedness" (Psalm 84:10). In my thought I could compare my experience to
that of a little child accustomed to but few pretty things and poor
surroundings who was put into a beautiful parlor containing all sorts of
beautiful things for its pleasure. Being told to help itself, it would walk
up and down the room with delight, hardly knowing what to take hold of or
to enjoy first. In this experience through which I had just passed, I
learned the precious lesson that trial is to God's true children like a
wine-press to the grape. As the wine-press brings out the pure juice of the
grape, so the trials of a child of God bring out and puts on exhibition a
pure Christian character.

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