LEWIS B. BATES
(Methodist)

 

LEWIS B. BATES
(Methodist)

When seven years of age, in a prayer-meeting led by my brother, Rev. George W. Bates,

who gave the invitation for any who desired to seek the Lord to manifest it by rising, I remember
standing up beside my mother, then kneeling with her hand upon my head. She said, “Lewis, do you
want to be saved?” “Yes, mother,” was the reply. Then said Mother, “Believe on the Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” I did believe and was saved, and gave testimony at
the close of the meeting that Christ had received me as His disciple. In school the next day, at
recess, I told the children what God had done for me, and then had the clear conviction that God
called me to be a preacher of His Gospel. For one year all went well with me. But fifty years ago
very little was thought of a child’s religion, and I was left mostly to myself, not invited even to
unite with the Church, but my mother always believed in my piety.

At thirteen years of age I left home to work for my education, and continued in much the

same religious condition until I was seventeen years of age, when, on the 27th of February, 1847,
after careful self-examination, I brought all to God’s altar and made an entire consecration to Him
of all I had or hoped to be, and by faith received the entire cleansing of my heart by the blood of
Jesus Christ, “which cleanseth from all unrighteousness.” My reputation, talents, time, heart, will,
choice, kindred, and all, was accepted of Him in the everlasting covenant; and from that hour to
this I have not willfully disobeyed Him. Many mistakes, many errors of judgment, but the offering
has never been taken back. God did accept all, and has been living in this heart of mine Sovereign
and King.

God has gloriously revealed Himself to me as a complete Savior.

During thirty-eight years of my ministry I have always enjoyed and preached a full, free

and perfect salvation, urging the people to present deliverance from all sin and entire
sanctification to God and His service, and perfect conformity to the will and image of Christ,
preaching to all that the witness of sanctification is as clear and distinct as our acceptance with
God can be. I have found in these thirty-seven years of experience peace, rest, joy and consolation

 

perfect in Christ, without any failures on His part. I find the Holy Spirit an abiding Guest, ever
witnessing with the blood and Word, declaring that “he that is born of God sinneth not.” Of this
victory secured by the blood of cleansing I could write volumes. It is new every morning, every
evening, every midnight; yes, new every moment. O boundless ocean of perfect love in Jesus
Christ my Lord!

All glory be to God for the great things He has done for me personally in my family:

brought them all to know Him whom to know is life eternal. Now there burns on the altar of my
heart the holy fire of love supreme to God, and love pure and consecrated to all men. “Great peace
have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.” “If ye abide in me, and my words
abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.”

LEWIS B. BATES, EAST BOSTON. MASS., March 12, 1888.

Source: “Forty Witnesses” by S. Olin Garrison

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THE END

 

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HOW THEY ENTERED CANAAN
(A Collection of Holiness Experience Accounts)
Compiled by Duane V. Maxey

Vol. I — Named Accounts