W. B. Godbey - Enter His Rest

used for four days with all my might. God wonderfully helping m The arrival of the presiding elder and his
presence in the meetings seemed to help the congregation, and seemed to augment the conviction which had
already settled upon the people like a nightmare. Still I made no altar calls, but conducted the meeting with
preaching, much prayer for conviction on the people, and free testimony for everybody who had grace enough
to give it.
At the expiration of four days, and eleven days from the beginning, God, in His mercy, descended, raining fire
from Heaven on the whole congregation till there was a general break-down; many people actually falling from
their seats. Then for the first time I opened the altar, and it took half of that large auditorium to accommodate the
seekers for pardon, reclamation and sanctification. Then I changed my tactics altogether; vacating Sinai I went
at once to Calvary. Hitherto I had said almost nothing about love and mercy, so utterly engrossed was I in –
preaching the terrors of violated law; holding all transgressors with a strong hand over the burning pit, and
warning the wicked to flee from the wrath to come. Now it seemed that the conviction had actually come and
taken possession of the whole congregation, till everybody was crying to God for mercy. Therefore it was an
auspicious time to preach the Calvary Gospel, the dying love of Jesus, pointing all the brokenhearted penitents
to the “Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world.” “I saw One hanging on the tree
In agonies and blood.
Who fixed His languid eyes on me,
As near the cross I stood.
Sure, never to my latest breath
Can I forget that look;
He seemed to charge me with His death,
Though not a word He spoke.
“My conscience felt and owned the guilt,
And plunged me in despair;
I saw my sins His blood had spilt,
And helped to nail Him there.
A second look He gave which said,
I freely all forgive,
My blood Is for thy ransom paid;
I died that you might live.”
I preached no more on Hell and damnation, as I felt so sorry for the people writhing under conviction, which
had settled down on them like a nightmare from the eternal world. -- They looked pale as corpses and in spirit
were as blue as indigo. Despair was hovering over them on raven pinions and claiming them for her victims.
Now my theme became the wonderful and glorious vicarious atonement wrought on Calvary by the dying
agonies of God's humiliated Son, who vacated the throne of His glory, and descended to this dark, lost world,
spontaneously to die for the Hell-deserving millions of this Satan-dominated earth; and all because He loved us
so.
“Oh, for this love let rocks and hills,
Their lasting silence break
And all harmonious human tongues
Their Savior's praises speak.
Angels, assist our mighty joys,
Strike all your harps of gold.
But when you reach your highest notes,
Him love can ne'er be told.”
The people could hardly believe that I was the same man who had so ferociously exposed all their sins, sparing
nobody and nothing, but so ferreting out their black iniquity, which they thought nobody knew, that many were
puzzled and bewildered to know who had told me all about their black and crooked lives. Soon their faith began
to apprehend and appropriate the omnipotent grace of redeeming mercy, and the light of the bright upper world
began to fall on them like the effulgent gleams of the rosy-fingered Aurora, the daughter of the dawn, peering