Birth of a Reformation; Or, The Life and Labors of Daniel S. Warner

by A. L. Byers

I shall mention but three of these incidents. The first occurred in the autumn of 1890. An assembly was being held at Geneva Center, a short distance southwest of Lacota, Mich. One day while a special service for children was being held I sat upon the front seat, listening to the kind, persuasive words of instruction and admonition being given by Brother Warner. At the close of a short talk he asked, "How many of you children want to give your hearts to the Lord?" and then without waiting for a reply he turned to me, and with love and tenderness beaming from his kindly eyes, asked, "Do you not want to get saved now?" Instantly my heart was stirred. I knelt at the altar and Brother Warner came and prayed for me. Laying his hands upon my head, he said, "Lord, give this boy a new heart; take away from him the stony heart and give him a heart of flesh." I felt immediately the touch of God. I was born of the Spirit. My young heart was filled with holy joy. Can I ever forget that glad moment? Not so long as I have a being. When time, as we know it, has ended, when old earth itself has grown weary and ceased to go round, and when all the stars of the heavens have forgotten to shine, I shall still praise God for the revelation of divine life that thrilled my soul on that glorious morning. And when I wander over the green fields of the heavenly paradise, or sit down with my Lord in the city of God, I want to renew that association with Brother Warner and thank him for what he did for me.

Brother Warner's preaching always possessed for me an irresistible charm. His doctrinal sermons took hold upon me, especially those devoted to prophetic subjects. I remember distinctly one sermon on prophecy, delivered at the camp-ground, near Grand Junction, Mich. It created a lasting impression upon my mind. Although he preached for four hours and ten minutes, the time did not seem long. I have no doubt that my later interest in doctrinal themes is due, in a great measure at least, to those early impressions, when the Spirit of God stamped the truths of his Word upon my soul.

The third incident that I shall mention was a sermon preached by Brother Warner, just a short time before his death. It was delivered at the camp-ground. The subject was Heaven. So inspiring was this message that it created in me an intense longing to go to that place of light and life—a longing that abides with me still.

F. G. Smith,
Anderson, Ind.

I can not find words to express the help and comfort Brother Warner was to me. I well remember the bitter persecutions he and his company met while here in the South. His pure, holy life and the radical preaching are still living in the South. I remember hearing him preach one night, in a private house, on the oneness of God's people. He was so filled with the Holy Spirit he would leap and praise God. The ceiling overhead was very low. He said the leaps in his soul were higher than the ceiling of that house. I thought every time he left the floor he would hit the ceiling. He and his company were in our house at Spring Hill when the angry mob came after him; but the Lord took care of him.

Mrs. Demaris (Smith) Vance,
Meridian, Miss.

Brother Warner was the man under whose preaching I was convicted for salvation. I had gone fifteen miles to hear him, and when I arrived on the ground I was met by an old friend of mine who had been one of the worst men I have ever known. He said to me, "Praise God, I am glad you are here." This made me feel that after all there might be a chance for me to obtain freedom, from the sins that held me. When I went to meeting that night and Brother Warner was pointed out to me, I thought to myself, "I fear there is not much to him." But they sang and Brother Warner began preaching. I never had heard a man preach as he did. After the meeting, several were prayed for and healed. Something came over me as I stood and seemed to go off the ends of my fingers, and I said to myself that this was the first camp-meeting I ever attended that was not ruled by Satan, and that if I could get this religion I could keep out of hell.

One day some one arose and testified that he was still "chawing" tobacco and asked all to pray that he might hold out. Brother Warner remarked that all the saints were testifying for Jesus but this man got up and testified for his tobacco. This was a new kind of talk to many of us. Brother Warner was one of the greatest preachers I ever heard. God was with him in such power as no one else seemed to have in those days.

R. H. Owens,
Mt. Pleasant, La.

At a grove-meeting near Antwerp, Ohio, some roughs came to break up the meeting. They divided into two squads, one to pass to the one side of the congregation and the other to the other side. They were prepared to throw eggs, but the leaders of the two squads said, "Don't throw until something is said to justify." They marched to their places and waited. Brother Warner was preaching with wonderful anointing, and shouting. Finally the leader on one side said, "There shall be nothing thrown at that man by my consent. He is preaching the truth; he is a man of God." So they started back. Strange to say, those on the other side did the same, and the two parties met. One said, "Why didn't you throw?" The other said, "Why didn't you?" The leader repeated as before remarked. Finally one big fellow said, "Well, I am going to take one shot, anyway," and he threw an egg right into the congregation. There was a man sitting near the front who was a sectarian; the egg struck him directly in the face and broke over him. He made quite a splutter.