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| James A. Garfield |
INTERNET SOURCE: http://churchofchrist-cg-az.com/files/article-famous-Garfield.htm
PRESIDENT
JAMES A. GARFIELD
James A. Garfield, twentieth
President of the United States, resigned as an elder of the church of Christ in
1881 to take office. It is reported on
that occasion he said, “I resign the highest office in the land to become
President of the United States.”
Thirty years earlier at age 19, he
was planning to take a riverboat trip with friends. He recalled, “But two days before we
intended to leave, I injured my foot while chopping wood. It was only a small cut, but the blue dye in
the homemade socks I wore poisoned the wound, and I was compelled to stay at
home. While my friends were on their
journey, a powerful preacher came to our town to hold revival meetings. I was invited, and since I didn’t have
anything else to do, I decided to attend.
The message touched me deeply, and as a result, I surrendered my heart
to the Lord and was baptized into his kingdom.”
Eight
years later in 1853, he began preaching.
He ended his first sermon saying, “Jesus will come again, not as the
babe in helplessness …but as King of kings and Lord of lords.” It was reported that attention to his sermons
was intense and the stillness most profound.
He baptized people into Christ, married people, spoke at funerals. He preached ~ primarily well-received
revivals ~ until he entered Congress in 1863.
The first week after his inauguration as President
of the United States, a member of his cabinet insisted on an urgent meeting at
10:00 Sunday morning to handle a threatened national crisis. Garfield refused to attend because he had a
more important appointment. The cabinet
member demanded to know what it was. The
president replied, “I will be as frank as you
are. My engagement is with the Lord to
meet Him in His house at His table at 10:00 tomorrow, and I shall be there.”
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