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Page 13 text:
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ing before daybreak he rode the country over, bought up the leavings of every plant bed in the vicinity, and with the aid of the farm contingent set it out again. This lime more than 20 acres of it Lived. How hard he worked! But God didn ' t fail him. He sold the crop for $1700,00, paid his lather what he had promised, and had a considerable sum left with which to start his education. He chose Hanover, a Presbyterian college. He had no high school preparation—only a few months in normal school, and the rest in an un¬ graded country school. Seeking the president he asked the privilege of attempting the college work. Eyeing the boy. President Fisher said, You can try, but promise me that if you can ' t make it, you will go back to the preparatory department graciously ' The agreement was made, but young Riley determined he would never go back. It was a terrific struggle to buckle down to rigor¬ ous academic life after the physical work on the farm—but he knew no retreat—he had made the decision and won! Decision leads to the tithe After college came seminary. While there, his sister ' s husband died, leaving her with no in¬ come and two little children. , . . No one to care for her. So with his usual generosity and accus¬ tomed unselfishness he made a home (or them. His educational fees, his clothes, food and rent for his family, and just $60.00 a month as income for preaching on Sundays! Then the next decision came, Can I spare the tithe? He weighed the matter a moment, then with the determination that characterised his whole life said, I give Thee but Thine own, Whate ' e r that gift may be. His decision was made; the tenth was the Lord ' s; he n ever again questioned God ' s share. In fact, he often said, ' If law demands the tithe, grace de mands much more, and GIVING was always his TOY. Decisions strengthen others He decided to invest in youth. Again and again as I have traveled about the country with him, he has left the Pullman for the day coach in the day¬ time. Often I have said, Dear, at your age you need the comforts now. Always the same an¬ swer, I ' d rather invest all I can in youth . . . and get my boys and girls preaching the Gospel around the world. The strictest economy for self, but generous toward God and man. Perhaps the decision that helped and blessed others more than anything else was his loyalty to God and to His Holy Word. Young preachers throughout the world have been influenced and blessed by lhat unflinching stand. His ordination sermon, which contrary to custom he preached himself, struck the keynote of his life, The Tri¬ umph of Orthodoxy. Throughout this and other lands has come the same testimony, He never lowered his flag; we had a safe leader; he gave us courage to remain true in spite of increasing apostacy, One day a prominent young preacher of the East came in to see Dr. Filey. Finding him out of the city, he visited me. Said he, I just thought you ' d like to know that thousands of young preachers of the nation, like myself, look up to your husband. At the national convections when important issues are at stake, we watch that gray head. If we don ' t understand the underlying po¬ litical issues, and a vote is taken, when he stands up, so do we; and when he sits down, so do we. He has never betrayed us . . . Whe ther the issue was Evolution, Communism, or Modernism, his decision v as to be loyal to God and to His Word. A decision brought peace For a fiery Irishman who had terrific convictions of his own, this last decision was the hardest—to come to the place where unde: all conditions and circumstances of life he could say from the heart, Not my will but Thine be done. He believed in the unerring guidance of the Holy Spirit, To him this Third Person of the Trinity was an infinite Person with Whom he believed communication to be possible and from Whom he took orders. From the day that he knelt on the Kentucky hillside and surrendered his will to the Divine will, he was keenly sensitive to the still small voice. In sev¬ eral crises in the last years I have heard him spend whole nights in prayer, seeking the mind of the Spirit. Once convinced as to God ' s will, nothing that any man could do or say could alter that decision. A knowledge of God ' s will brought PEACE. Conclusion In conclusion let me say that these decisions evidencing tremendous strength of character nev¬ er lessened the gentleness in his home life. He used to tell me, I hope I can grow old sweetly. Only those of us privileged to care for him during the last months knew the suffering and witnessed the sweet submission. His mind was marvelously keen until the very end when he opened his eyes for the last time on earth to say, Goodbye, dear, and was gone. God has taken one of earths choicest saints and the dearest of life companions to be with Himself. Sweeter than ever before are those words, Even sc, Come, Lord lesus, and come quickly. »
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Page 12 text:
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DR. RILEY MBS. W. B. RILEY A Challenge to Youth Introduction The Civil War was about to break—tension ran high in that border town. Branson Radish Riley had left the Kentucky side hoping for more lucra¬ tive farming for his little family in Indiana. There in 1361, in Greene County, William Bell Riley was born. But the Senior Riley—the forerunner of his son, didn ' t hesitate to voice his convictions on political issues. A Southern sympathizer, those Hoosiers one day drew axes on him, whereupon he felt it safer to pack his family in the covered wagon and go back to Ole Kentucky his birth¬ place, and to those who shared his opinions o? states ' rights,and the slavery issue. Decision alters life The country community in which young Wil¬ liam grew up was moral in character. Although the hounds and the dance appealed strongly to his effervescent spirit, the greatest decision and one that changed the course of,his whole life came early. At a meeting at the little Dallasburg church God spoke to him; and in his seventeenth year, alter an invitation was given, he walked the aisle alone, placing his hand in that of the coun¬ try pastor, and publicly acknowledged Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. This decision al¬ tered his whole life. Decision influences character Although he made a hand at nine years of age (which meant he followed the plow from early morning till late at night—ending with the evening chores), young Bill had definite ambitions. His natural aptitude for debate was evidenced in the country school, and as a result he and his teacher went about the county debating, with young Riley often the victor. It was natural, therefore, that almost as early as he could remember he determined to be a lawyer. The greatest event of his early life and one to which he looked with utmost enthusiasm twice a month was county court day, at v hich time young Will would listen to the famous Kentucky orators plead their cases. They thrilled the youth with their oratory. The days following, the young farm lad put into practice all he had heard, and as I have often heard him say, he pled his cases while ploughing « 3 the corn field. With corn shocks and stumps as his audience, he convicted many a man and par¬ doned others. It was wonderful mental exercise for his prospective career and he loved it. But God had other plans. The Divine voice said. Preach the Word ' This was just what young Will didn ' t want to do. He argued with God—he told Him his desire for law from early childhood; he reminded Him that the preachers of his day had to eke out a living by the sweat of their brow during weekdays to preach on Sun¬ days. He wanted to be a success in life; he want¬ ed to be another Evan Settle, the great Kentucky orator. For six months, night and day, the still small voice pled with him. He said later, No one else could hear, but it was like thunder in my soul. Sleep left me by night; the days only con¬ tinued my anguish as I argued with God ' . . . But one day, able to endure the conflict no more, he turned aside from the old-fashioned plow, knelt in the upturned sod on that Kentucky hillside and said, “Well, all right, Lord, I ll give up; I ' ll preach 1 Then he said, “All the storm ceased, and a peace that only Gad can give filled my soul ' Decision produces education To preach the Gospel he decided that he should prepare himself as well as if he were to practice law. He determined on an education—but how? They were poor in cash on the farm. Finally he mustered all his courage, went to his father and promised to pay all the expenses of the conduct of the farm and to give him $1000.00 when the crop was sold, if he, three of his brothers, and the hired man would work for him. It was an amount of net money that no year had ever yield¬ ed, but as he said, “I was desperate in my desire for an education and decided on that method of testing myself and the promises of God ' For a little his prospects seemed doomed. He had plowed. They had planted twenty-four acres —a crop unknown in size to that neighborhood. On the Sunday morning following, before the church hour, he walked to the fields only to find that fully one half of the plants lay dead from cut worms. Discouraged, the big eighteen-year-old boy lay down in the open field and cried. Dis¬ couraged, yes, but not defeated. Monday morn-
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