Second Sunday in the month came rolling around. Pastoral day. Covenant meeting. Communion service. But before all this must come Conference meeting on the Sat.u.r.day night before, and John knew and everybody knew what the important business of the meeting would be. Zion Hope, after seventeen years, was going to vote on a pastor. Was John Pearson to be given a vote of confidence? Not if Hattie's faction prevailed. Would Felton Cozy receive the call? Not if Hambo and the John Pearson faction was still alive.

Everybody was there. John opened the meeting as usual, then stepped down and turned the chair over to Deacon Hoffman. "I know we all come here tuhnight tuh discuss some things. Ah'd ruther not tuh preside. Deacon Hoffman."

Hoffman took the chair. "Y'all know whut we come here for. Less get thru wid de most urgent business and den we kin take up new business."

He fumbled with the pile of hymnals on the table and waited. There was an uneasy shuffling of feet all over the room, but n.o.body arose to put a motion. Finally Hattie got up about the middle of the center aisle.

"Brother Cherman."

"Sister Pearson."

"Ah wants tuh lay charges 'ginst mah husband."

Hambo was on his feet.

"Brother Cherman! Brother Cherman!"

"Sister Pearson got de flo', Brer Hambo."

"She ain't got no business wid it. She's entirely out uh order."

"She ain't. She says she got charges tuh make uhginst her husband. Dat's whut uh Conference meetin' is for in uh Baptis' Church-tuh hear charges and tuh rectify, ain't it?"

"Yeah," Hambo answered, "but dis woman ain't got no husband in dis church, Brother Cherman. We ain't got no right listenin' tuh nothin' she got tuh say. G'wan back where you come from, Hattie, and try to improve up from uh turpentine still."

"Dat's right, too," shouted Sister Watson, "been divorced two weeks tuh mah knowin'."

"Better set down, Sister Pearson, 'til we kin git dis straight," Hoffman said, reluctantly.

"Iss straight already," Andrew Berry shouted, "when uh woman done gone tuh de cotehouse and divorcted uh man she done got her satisfaction. She ain't got no mo' tuh say. Let de mess drop. Ah ain't goin' tuh hear it."

"And another thing," Hambo put in. "Elder Pearson, you oughta git up and tell whut you found in yo' bed. Course he beat uh, and 'tain't uh man under de sound uh mah voice but whut wouldn't uh done de same. G'wan tell it, Rev'und."

"Naw, no use tuh sturry up de stink. Let it rest. Y'all g'wan do whut yuh want tuh."

There was a long, uncomfortable silence.

"G'wan talk, Harris, you and de rest dat's so anxious tuh ground-mole de pastor, but be sho and tell where you wuz yo'self when you seen him do all of dis y'all talkin' 'bout. Be sho and tell dat too. Humph! Youse jes' ez deep in de mud ez he is in de mire."

Another long silence. Finally Hoffman said, "De hour is growin' late. Less table dis discussion and open up de house fuh new business."

Soon the meeting was over. John, Hambo and Berry walked home together.

"If Harris and dem had uh called dat meetin' de nex' day after cote, it would a been uh s.m.u.ttie rub, nelly eve'ybody would have been uhginst yuh, but two weeks is too long fuh colored tuh hold onto dey feeling. Most of 'em don't keer one way uh 'nother by now."

"Still plenty of 'em is 'ginst me," John spoke at last. "It made mah flesh crawl-Ah felt it so when Ah wuz in dere."

"But dey ain't got no guts. Dey wants tuh do dey work under cover. Dey got tuh fight war if dey wants tuh win dis battle, and dey needs cannon-guns. You can't fight war wid uh brick."

John said nothing. His words had been very few since his divorce. He was going about learning old truths for himself as all men must, and the knowledge he got burnt his insides like acid. All his years as pastor at Zion Hope he had felt borne up on a silken coverlet of friendship, but the trial had shown him that he reclined upon a board, thinly disguised. Hambo had tried vainly to bring him around. A few others had done their share. A few he recognized among the congregation as foes, avowedly; a few friends in the same degree. The rest he saw would fall in line and toady if he triumphed, and execrate him if he failed. He felt inside as if he had been taking calomel. The world had suddenly turned cold. It was not new and shiny and full of laughter. Mouldy, maggoty, full of suck-holes-one had to watch out for one's feet. Lucy must have had good eyes. She had seen so much and told him so much it had wearied him, but she hadn't seen all this. Maybe she had, and spared him. She would. Always spreading carpets for his feet and breaking off the points of thorns. But and oh, her likes were no more on this earth! People whom he had never injured s.n.a.t.c.hed at his shoddy bits of carpet and sharpened the thorns for his flesh.

n.o.body pushed him uphill, but everybody was willing to lend a hand to the downward shove. Oh for the wings, for the wings of a dove! That he might see no more what men's faces held!

Sunday afternoon, the sunlight filtered thru the colored gla.s.s on the packed and hushed church. Women all in white. Three huge bouquets of red hibiscus below him and behind the covered Communion table. As he stood looking down into the open Bible and upon the snow-white table, his feelings ran riot over his body. "He that soppeth in the dish with me." He knew he could not preach that Last Supper. Not today. Not for many days to come. He turned the pages while he swallowed the lump in his throat and raised: Beloved, Beloved, now are we the sons of G.o.d And it doth not yet appear what we shall be But we know, but we know When He shall appear, when He shall appear We shall be like Him We shall see Him as He is.

The audience sang with him. They always sang with him well because group singers follow the leader.

Then he began in a clear, calm voice.

"Brothers and Sisters: De song we jus' sung, and seein' so many uh y'all out here tuh day, it reaches me in uh most particular manner. It wakes up uh whole family uh thoughts, and Ahm gointer speak tuh yuh outa de fullness uh mah heart. Ah want yuh tuh pray wid me whilst Ah break de bread uh life fuh de nourishment uh yo' souls.

"Our theme this morning is the wounds of Jesus. When the father shall ast, 'What are these wounds in thine hand?' He shall answer, 'Those are they with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.' Zach. 13:6.

"We read in the 53rd Chapter of Isaiah where He was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities, and the apostle Peter affirms that His blood was spilt from before the foundation of the world.

"I have seen gamblers wounded. I have seen desperadoes wounded; thieves and robbers and every other kind of characters, law-breakers and each one had a reason for his wounds. Some of them was unthoughtful, and some for being overbearing, and some by the doctor's knife, but all wounds disfigure a person.

"Jesus was not unthoughtful. He was not overbearing. He was never a bully. He was never sick. He was never a criminal before the law and yet He was wounded. Now, a man usually gets wounded in the midst of his enemies, but this man was wounded, says the text, in the house of His friends. It is not your enemies that harm you all the time. Watch that close friend. Every believer in Christ is considered His friend, and every sin we commit is a wound to Jesus. The blues we play in our homes is a club to beat up Jesus, and these social card parties.

Jesus have always loved us from the foundation of the world When G.o.d Stood out on the apex of His power Before the hammers of creation Fell upon the anvils of Time and hammered out the ribs of the earth Before He made any ropes By the breath of fire And set the boundaries of the ocean by the gravity of His

power

When G.o.d said, ha!

Let us make man And the elders upon the altar cried, ha!

If you make man, ha!

He will sin G.o.d my master, ha!

Father!! Ha-aa!

I am the teeth of time That comprehended de dust of de earth And weighed de hills in scales That painted de rainbow dat marks de end of de parting storm Measured de seas in de holler of my hand That held de elements in a unbroken chain of controllment.

Make man, ha!

If he sin I will redeem him I'll break de chasm of h.e.l.l Where de fire's never quenched I'll go into de grave Where de worm never dies, Ah!

So G.o.d A 'mighty, Ha!

Got His stuff together He dipped some water out of de mighty deep He got Him a handful of dirt From de foundation sills of de earth He seized a thimble full of breath From de drums of de wind, ha!

G.o.d, my master!

Now I'm ready to make man Aa-aah!

Who shall I make him after? Ha!

Worlds within worlds begin to wheel and roll De Sun, Ah!

Gethered up de fiery skirts of her garments And wheeled around de throne, Ah!

Saying, Ah, make man after me, ha!

G.o.d gazed upon the sun And sent her back to her blood-red socket And shook His head, ha!

De Moon, ha!

Grabbed up de reins of de tides.

And dragged a thousand seas behind her As she walked around de throne Ah-h, please make man after me But G.o.d said "NO!"

De stars bust out from their diamond sockets And circled de glitterin' throne cryin'

A-aah! Make man after me G.o.d said, "NO!"

I'll make man in my own image, ha!

I'll put him in de garden And Jesus said, ha!

And if he sin, I'll go his bond before yo' mighty throne Ah, He was yo' friend He made us all, ha!

Delegates to de judgment convention Ah!

Faith hasn't got no eyes, but she' long-legged But take de spy-gla.s.s of Faith And look into dat upper room When you are alone to yourself When yo' heart is burnt with fire, ha!

When de blood is lopin' thru yo' veins Like de iron monasters (monsters) on de rail Look into dat upper chamber, ha!

We notice at de supper table As He gazed upon His friends, ha!

His eyes flowin' wid tears, ha! He said "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful unto death, ha!

For this night, ha!

One of you shall betray me, ha!

It were not a Roman officer, ha!

It were not a centurion But one of you Who I have chosen my bosom friend That sops in the dish with me shall betray me."

I want to draw a parable.

I see Jesus Leaving heben with all of His grandeur Dis-robin' Hisself of His matchless honor Yielding up de scepter of revolvin' worlds Clothing Hisself in de garment of humanity Coming into de world to rescue His friends.

Two thousand years have went by on their rusty ankles But with the eye of faith, I can see Him Look down from His high towers of elevation I can hear Him when He walks about the golden streets I can hear 'em ring under His footsteps Sol me-e-e, Sol do Sol me-e-e, Sol do I can see Him step out upon the rim bones of nothing Crying I am de way De truth and de light Ah!

G.o.d A 'mighty!

I see Him grab de throttle Of de well ordered train of mercy I see kingdoms crush and crumble Whilst de archangels held de winds in de corner chambers I see Him arrive on dis earth And walk de streets thirty and three years Oh-h-hhh!

I see Him walking beside de sea of Galilee wid His disciples This declaration gendered on His lips "Let us go on to the other side"

G.o.d A'mighty!

Dey entered de boat Wid their oarus (oars) stuck in de back Sails unfurled to de evenin' breeze And de ship was now sailin'

As she reached de center of de lake Jesus was sleep on a pillow in de rear of de boat And de dynamic powers of nature became disturbed And de mad winds broke de heads of de Western drums And fell down on de lake of Galilee And buried themselves behind de gallopin' waves And de white-caps marbilized themselves like an army And walked out like soldiers goin' to battle And de zig-zag lightning Licked out her fiery tongue And de flying clouds Threw their wings in the channels of the deep And bedded de waters like a road-plow And faced de current of de chargin' billows And de terrific bolts of thunder-they bust in de clouds And de ship begin to reel and rock G.o.d A'mighty!

And one of de disciples called Jesus "Master!! Carest Thou not that we perish?"

And He arose And de storm was in its pitch And de lightnin' played on His raiments as He stood on the

prow of the boat

And placed His foot upon the neck of the storm And spoke to the howlin' winds And de sea fell at His feet like a marble floor And de thunders went back in their vault Then He set down on de rim of de ship And took de hooks of His power And lifted de billows in His lap And rocked de winds to sleep on His arm And said, "Peace, be still."

And de Bible says there was a calm.

I can see Him wid de eye of faith.

When He went from Pilate's house Wid the crown of seventy-two wounds upon His head I can see Him as He mounted Calvary and hung upon de cross

for our sins.