Northwestern Bible School - Scroll Yearbook (Minneapolis, MN)

Page 13 text:

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. »