The next day the town marshall was called to the home of Mrs. Jane Smith.  She had embraced the new religion and was losing her mind.  The new teaching had so upset her that her weak mind could not stand the strain.  She was taken to the asylum, where she remains to this day.

When Kate Newby heard of this she became more convinced that there was something wrong with the theory and she thoroughly renounced it.

The “tongues” meeting left Bethany in the worst spiritual condition that town had ever been in.  Families were torn apart, many persons became skeptics, and there were debates, and arguments, and violent clashes almost daily.

It remained in this condition until the time when Evangelist Monteith began his second revival the next year.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

A MODEL CHURCH ESTABLISHED

Jesus Christ brought the grandest conception of human brotherhood that the world has ever heard.  He intended to create a perfect society, and to establish principles of social justice in the earth.  He planned that sin, with its accompanying maladjustments, should be destroyed and that man should live in harmony with man and with the infinite Creator.  Nothing less than the transformation of society was His goal.  His plan of rejuvenation was based on the truth that all men are of one blood, created by one God, whose children they all are by virtue of that creation.  All should have equal claims upon His mercy, goodness, and love, and upon the material blessings which the earth affords.  Divisions into rank, classes, and strata are not the will of God.  Jesus put all on one common level when He invited all to come unto Him and rest, when He said, “Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37).

This work of reforming society goes on like yeast working in dough, particle by particle, a little at a time, but at an accelerating rate.  At first there were the twelve apostles and a few others.  By and by there were more.  But always and ever Christ carries on His great work through His people.  First one man is enlightened and saved; he then becomes a missionary to enlighten others.  They in turn lead others to Jesus until there are enough to establish a congregation of the church of God at whatever point they live.  This local congregation becomes then, a model in miniature of what society would be if all were Christians.  Vast responsibilities rest upon a local congregation.  They represent God.  They show forth the power of God and exhibit to the world the blessed state of the saved.  They are responsible to make their society attractive, so that sinners may be convicted of their lack and be persuaded to become members of it.  The next several months of our narrative embraces the time when God raised up a church, a society of the saved, in Bethany.