Brown and Jones nodded a candid assent to what was being said.  Gramps continued, “For many years our church has been the strongest church in this county and everybody has counted it an honor to belong to this church, but you know, brethering, ever since our pastor died last spring, and we have been without a pastor we have been gettin’ weaker and weaker.  And since old Jake Benton has gone crazy over this new religion of hisen he is trien to get everybody else to go crazy.  You brethering knows how I sent him down in the hills this summer to mind cattle.  Well he seemed to kinder git overbalanced in his mind down there and he’s found a new religion.  You know how he testified in meetin’ tother night.  He said he was saved from sin and he said he was sanctified, and whole lot of other stuff like that.  And I believe he said, didn’t he, that he was just as good as Jesus Christ and gettin’ better ever’ day, or something like that.”

“Yes, something like that,” added Brown.

“Yes,” said Jones, “I was there myself and heard him.  I have always thought Jake Benton was a pretty good man; but when a feller gets so good as all that, then he’s too good for this world.  You know the Bible says there’s nobody good but God.”

“Yes, I’ve heard the best preachers that was ever pastor of Mount Olivet Church and they all say we sin a thousand times every day,” remarked Gramps.

Jones spoke next:  “I knew a bunch of them holiness people back in South Caroliner where I come from.  They was the most outrageous bunch of people I ever saw.  Why, they claimed that they couldn’t sin, and that they was just as good as Jesus Christ and that nobody would get to heaven but them.  I’ll tell you brethering we must not let them get the start here.  If they do, Mount Olivet Church is ruined.  They tear down churches just as fast as they come to ’em.  Old Jake Benton ought to be run out of the country or else sent to the asylum.  He ain’t fit to run at large.  Why, he told Aunt Sally Perkins that he was wholly sanctified and that his heart was just as pure as that of his little baby that died years ago when Jake lived over on Persimmon Ridge.  He talks a whole lot now about goin’ to meet his baby and his mother and he seems to get so happy every time he talks about it.”  Jones’s voice trembled slightly as he went on to say, “But brethering, it makes me feel most wonderfully queer when I hear Jake talk about meetin’ his little girl.  He seems to have no doubt at all about meetin’ her, and say, you remember my little boy died the same fall as Jake’s little girl, and to tell the truth I’m just a little fearful at times about bein’ ready to meet little George.”

Deacon Gramps listened to all of this from Jones rather restlessly.  He spoke next with great gravity.  “Brethering, since I am president of this Board of Deacons I feel it my duty to take steps to see that this new religion is stopped and that Mount Olivet Church is not torn to pieces.  As I said, I have been deacon here for many years and I have never seen the church so in danger.  Something must be done.  I’ll tell you what we need, we need a preacher—­one of our very best ones to come here and fight this devilish holiness stuff.”