In January, 1902 or 1903, I was preaching for the Pearl and Bryan Streets Church
in Dallas. Brother McGarvey, an old man at the time, was invited to speak at the
Central Christian Church in Dallas. We had three men in the Pearl and Bryan
Streets church who had graduated from the College of the Bible in Lexington,
under Brother McGarvey, and they were great admirers of him. They suggested that
we invite Brother McGarvey to preach at Pearl and Bryan that night. We did
so.
I was just a boy 24 or 25 then. I was sitting by the side of
this great old man on the front seat, waiting for the service to begin. As we
sat there talking, Brother McGarvey said to me: “Brother Sewell, I want to say
something to you, if you’ll accept it in the spirit in which I mean it.” I told
him Id appreciate anything he had to say to me. He said about these words: “You
are on the right road, and whatever you do, don’t ever let anybody persuade you
that you can successfully combat error by fellowshipping it and going along with
it. I have tried. I believed at the start that was the only way to do it. I’ve
never held membership in a congregation that uses instrumental music. I have,
however, accepted invitations to preach without distinction between churches
that used it and churches that didn’t. I’ve gone along with their papers and
magazine and things of that sort. During all these years I have taught the truth
as the New Testament teaches it to every young preacher who has passed through
the College of the Bible. Yet, I do not know of more than six of those men who
are preaching the truth today.” He said, “It won’t work.”
Sow the Seed Faithfully,
Caleb
