W. B. Godbey - Enter His Rest

Wesleyan College, many years ago, not reserving enough to bury me, and paying the lawyer five dollars to make
a ear warranty-deed to the Board of Education, thus turning it over to them forever, to use in the interest of the
college.
While I own nothing in the world but books, those of my writing all belong to the publishers. My books are
made by four different publishing houses, the “Revivalist” Office in Cincinnati, the “Pentecostal Herald” in
Louisville, “The Living Waters” Office in Nashville, and the “Pickett Publishing House” in Louisville. Pursuant
to my own convenience, I purchase from the other three houses in large quantities and ship them to Cincinnati,
where I keep them in a depository, subject to my call in my peregrinations, as otherwise I would have to order
from four houses instead of one, which would be too much trouble. Consequently I constantly have several
thousand copies from those houses on deposit, waiting my calls. Of course I expect to move along preaching,
teaching the Bible and circulating the books of my own writing, till He takes me away. I do not feel that I am a
book-agent, as I only circulate the books of my own writing for the solitary motive of preaching the Gospel by
pen as well as speech. It has been many a day since I circulated any books except my own writing, from the
simple fact that I have so many that I really have no time to devote to any others.
Before I ever dreamed of writing a book, seeing how my converts backslid, or rather starved out for the want of
soul pabulum, I proceeded to circulate John Wesley's “Plain Account of Christian Perfection,” which I used to
purchase by the thousand and carry with me in all of my peregrinations, finding it so helpful to the people whom
the Lord had blessed in my meetings.
Dr. G. D. Watson wrote his “Holiness Manual” before I began to write books, or even thought of it. In my circuit
I happened to run on a copy, stopped on the spot till I read it through and seeing that its plain teaching was the
thing my people needed, I wrote him a postal card ordering a thousand copies. He answered me stating that he
supposed I had made a mistake and meant one hundred. I responded to him, “No, I want one thousand.” Then he
wrote me that he did not have a thousand, but would send me all that he had and the balance as soon as he could
have them made. I soon circulated the thousand copies and then ordered two thousand. Meanwhile the people to
whom I was preaching begged me hard to write something, as they said that they understood my teaching better
than any they had ever heard, and wanted it in print so that they could study it.
The first book I ever wrote was my “Baptism,” which I designed for a pump, as Kentucky had been under
swimming water a half century, (water salvation preached by the Campbellites,) so we just had to go to pumping
to get it dry enough to kindle a fire, as all true religion is the blessed Holy Ghost and His fire, which burns up all
sin, defeats Satan, bankrupts Hell and saves us forever. Oh, the blessedness of the “one baptism,” (Eph. 4:5)
which Jesus gives with the Holy Ghost and fire, (Matt. 3:4) by which He baptizes all of His true and faithful
people into one body and makes us to drink in one Spirit, (I Cor. 12:13). Then I wrote my “Sanctification,”
which really proved the pioneer in the dear old Sunny South and the great West. This was followed by “Holiness
or Hell,” which awfully stirred tan, and the Lord wonderfully used it, especially with the preachers. Soon I
wrote “Victory” over the world, the flesh and the devil, whose circulation was really paradoxical for the rapidity
and the extent.
As the Lord has led me hither and thither throughout this continent preaching the living Word, He has thus
permitted me to use the two-edged sword, dispensing His precious truth both by speech and pen. It seems to me
that I must be the happiest old man in the world, because He lets me preach so much. When I dictate a book I
am preaching to an audience of fifty to a hundred thousand people,
I. e., all who, in the providence of God, will ever read the book. Besides I teach the Bible every day and
preach every night, thus doing the double work of a teacher and a preacher viva voca. Preaching the Gospel is
the sweetest and richest blessing this side of Heaven. I would rather preach the Gospel to the poor in the slums
and sweep the streets for my living than to be a millionaire and not preach.
I have but one motive in writing and circulating books and that is to preach this glorious everlasting Gospel that
does not run a hoax on the people and deceive them, but saves them gloriously with an everlasting salvation.
The reason why I circulate my books is because they clearly expound and lucidly teach the plain way of
salvation and at the same time fortify the people against the multitudinous heresies which Satan, through his
emissaries, is propagating both boldly and clandestinely. Through his false prophets and counterfeit preachers,