51 - Set to Gleaning

“WE CAN BE SURE in these great, neglected fields of His, He will set you some way to gleaning for Him, if it’s only to witness of Him, just wherever you are placed, loins girded—lights burning—each moment.” Dedham, Massachusetts, an old and aristocratic suburb of Boston, was the “neglected” field to which Mrs. R. re­ferred in this letter written December 12, 1925. Mrs. R. H. Gardiner, one of the ministers of the Faith Homes, had re­cently gone there in order to care for her aged mother. In this town there were a number of beautiful churches, “rich and increased with goods,” but Christ was outside their doors. Only after some searching did Mrs. Gardiner find a very plain Baptist Church in a poor section on the farthest outskirts of the town where the gospel of Christ was pro­claimed. In what was otherwise a spiritual desert, this little oasis, even if it was not Pentecostal, was welcome. Commenting on this Mrs. R. wrote, “I am glad there is some corner of worship where you may fellowship.” Not long after Mrs. Gardiner became settled in her Ded­ham home, she visited Goodspeed’s Book Shop then located on Park Street, right in the heart of historic Boston. Its large, old-fashioned fireplace and hearth with the occasional chair for browsers, together with the absolute order of the store and the courtesy which characterized its clerks, fur­nished an ideal setting in which book lovers could seek for hid treasures. Here it was that Mrs. Gardiner found an unusual selection of second-hand religious books by eminent spiritual authors at very nominal prices. The religious book department of Goodspeed’s was in the charge of a wise, witty, and gracious Christian gentleman, Wallace Fay Tenney, whom the poet Edwin Markham called “that friendly bookman.” Coming of an old New England family which esteemed and studied the devotional writings of both Puritan divines and such Catholic mystics as Thomas a Kempis and Madame Guyon and having had a personal acquaintance with some of the most deeply spiritual authors of his own generation, such as A. B. Simpson and Charles Blanchard, Mr. Tenney had a knowledge of religious books and their authors, old and new, rarely found. Quick to notice the type of book his customer appreciated, Mr. Tenney became exceedingly helpful to Mrs. Gardiner, often calling her attention to choice items in stock or saving some for her consideration. Thus it was that this man be­came a source of great blessing to Mrs. Gardiner and the many friends with whom she shared her books. Among those who thus profited was Mrs. Robinson. To her friend Mrs. Gardiner wrote about having found Goodspeed’s, and of its unusually fine care and appointments, and offered to share with Mrs. Robinson some of her finds, an offer which she readily accepted. “I have heard of that bookstore... I am very glad to hear. . . about the gentleman of the bookstore and also anyone else like that. I am in­terested in them, and also you have an interesting way of telling things. (I enjoyed the care of the bookstore.) “Wonder if there are any books of Jonathan Edwards? The books written long ago are often more spiritual. If you happen in to that store, would you look around and see what they have of his? Also, any others of this kind.” Mrs. Gardiner made it her business to “happen in to that store as soon as possible in an effort to satisfy the desires of her friend. There she found and immediately dispatched a four-volume set of The Works of President Edwards. Her copious markings, especially of the “Memoirs” of Jonathan Edwards in the first volume, are silent but powerful evidence of Mrs. R.’s high regard of that Puritan divine’s life and spiritual experienceⁿ. Note: It was one of these markings which furnished the clue for tracing the ancestry of Mrs. R. on her mother’s side, the Tuttles. The Edwards books were followed shortly by two more shipments of “others of this kind.” These included a volume by another Puritan divine, John Owen, The Grace and Duty of being Spiritually Minded; Life of Madame Catherine Adorna by Thomas C. Upham, well-known spiritual author and biographer of Madame Guyon; and the Spiritual Letters by Mrs. P. L. Upham, wife of T. C. Upham. All of these Mrs. Robinson marked and in addition wrote some correc­tions or comments according to her discernment. “At last! —“ wrote Mrs. R. her benefactor, February 11, 1927. “I have been trying ever since your first budget of books came to write of my appreciation, but my correspond­ence seems always pushed aside, and I must beg your for­bearance till I am given a chance. But I did appreciate your kindness—the Edwards books—and the other two installments later…. “I thank you very much for all these kindnesses. I would like to say more than I have time for about the books. I’d enjoy talking them over, but for fear this will be further delayed I will just have to let this go.ⁿ Note: One little volume which Mrs. Gardiner sent had an interesting story behind it. One evening, as she was in prayer, the thought suddenly came to her that Mrs. R. might like to have Molinos the Quietist, and immediately went to her bookcase and sent it to her. Mrs. Gardiner was to learn later that her act was a definite answer to prayer which Mrs. R. had offered at that very time, that the Lord would send her the life of Molinos, the Spanish mystic, author of The Spiritual Guide. Her careful markings of this book are illuminating and indicative both of her appreciation of the gift and of the teachings of this man who guided souls on the inward walk with God. “Now I must stop ... I do not like, however, to close without a word about the way the Lord uses you….." Throughout the more than four years Mrs. Gardiner lived in Dedham the Lord did use her to bring the light of the full gospel to a number of very hungry souls. From the beginning of her stay there, Mrs. R. had shown a great interest in her witnessing. “God bless you and make you still a greater blessing to those in need,” Mrs. R. prayed. Soon after this the Lord opened a door for Mrs. Gardiner to have a mid-week Bible class and prayer meeting which was signally owned of God. A number of miracles of healing took place in this little hand, and several became hungry for the baptism of the Holy Spirit and were subsequently filled. Mrs. Gardiner’s efforts were greatly strengthened and furthered by the help of various ministers who came from Zion and by the faith of Mrs. R. in her behalf. Shortly before Mrs. R’s birthday in 1929, her mother, then eighty-three, fell practically the full length of the steep stair­case going from the second to the first floor of the Home, breaking her collarbone. A few days prior to that, Mrs. Gardiner’s eighty-two-year-old mother also fell, as the result of a stroke, breaking her hip. It is concerning these events of common interest and mutual concern that Mrs. R. is writing in her letter to Mrs. Gardiner of November 19, 1929: “I was glad to learn from your second letter that your Mother is improving. . . . I am glad she does not suffer much. This, of course, will add much more work for you, but I am sure His grace is sufficient for all times. Please give her my love. She does not know me, but tell her I am one of those that love you. “My Mother is improving daily. Each day she is able to wait more on herself. She gets up every day awhile but rests on the bed quite a bit yet. She, too, had a serious fall but was healed. She broke her collarbone. Jesus undertook in a wonderful way for her, praise Him. “I must tell you before I close about my birthday. The dear ones got up a meeting at 2820 [the Meeting House] Thursday afternoon and invited me to attend. This was a very lovely treat for me. The friends came from Oshkosh, Milwaukee, Racine, Kenosha, Waukegan, several people from different missions in Chicago, Brooklyn, Cincinnati, Sterling, [Ill.], etc. It was a full house. We had sort of a meeting together, and we were blessed in fellowship with Him. I enjoyed seeing the old faces again. Some who were there live quite a distance from here and do not come this way very often.” Ten days after Mrs. R. wrote this letter, Mrs. Gardiner’s mother went to be with the Lord. On December 4, Mrs. R. wrote the following letter of sympathy: “As soon as word came about the departure of your dear Mother I aimed to write you at once, and my heart has been deeply with you, though I am again late. “It is still strange to me, as I have told you, that I did not grasp nor did God tell me your dear Mother was hurt so badly. Perhaps God, knowing my inability to be of any use to you, did not have me know. Also, now I was quite unprepared for the word that she was taken, for we had gathered from your letter that she was recovering. Not having heard any particulars, we do not know whether it was the fall that really caused her death or whether it was some other trouble that set in after she had the accident. I feel as if I would be so glad if I could have been of some service some way to you, but instead I almost seem not to have had sympathy or interest. “I cannot help but think of your kindness in writing about my mother in the midst of your trial. I have indeed raised my heart to God for you, and also since she has gone, asked our dear Father to keep you close to Himself and meet every need. “Now that she has passed on, how blessed that you have the consolation He knew best, and she is so much better off with Him. No one can take the place of a mother, of course, but I am sure Jesus has been your source in this loss. I can only see you depending on Him for grace for this separation and believe you know just how to let Him be your burden bearer. I am sure He proved His faithfulness to you while passing through the deep waters as He always does when we look to Him in time of need. “I hardly know how to write you, dear, but Jesus, who knows all about your need, will undertake for you and help you, I am sure. May He give the needed strength, also make Himself so real that your Mother’s place may be filled by His presence. Two months later Mrs. Gardiner was back in Zion, taking her place in the ministry of the Faith Homes.