My Conversion from Romanism.
By Stephen Dekins
To the Signs of the Times: It is now four years since I renounced Romanism in Clarendon Hall, New York, and accepted the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ; before a vast congregation composed of Protestants and Catholics. What a change I then experienced when I contrasted the errors, darkness, and superstitions of the past. It was then I felt free indeed. Upon my conversion from Romanism I became convinced that there was no nobler or grander work than laboring in the vineyard of the Master, and doing what I could, through the assistance of the Lord Jesus Christ, towards the emancipation of those who are, as I formerly had been, fettered in a far worse slavery than that of the Israelites in the land of Egypt. I therefore entered the Reformed Catholic Church, and was called upon to labor in the beautiful city of Newark, N. J., with its 160,000 inhabitants, sitting like a queen above the blue waters of Newark Bay. Commencing with about forty persons, who listened to me preaching a pure gospel, presenting salvation by faith alone in Jesus Christ, without any of the mummeries of the Roman Church, attention was enlisted. Hopefully converted congregations increased, till Union Hall, on Market street, was overflowing, and multitudes were turned away for want of room. Then Library Hall was secured, one of the finest structures of the kind in the city, and here I am still, encouraged by evident tokens of divine favor to go forward in my endeavor to bring the benighted votaries of Rome, now under the incubus of blind superstitions, into the light and liberty of gospel truth. I am under grateful obligations to the Newark Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church for their hearty indorsement of my work. But I am oppressed by financial embarrassments, after all the kindness shown me by individuals of all denominations. As a large number of those who attend our services are Roman Catholics, it is not expected that they will contribute towards the support of a church which is an avowed enemy of the erroneous doctrines of their own; therefore, the collections are small. The work is prosperous, and God is blessing us. The greatest difficulty we have to contend with is the want of finances. However, we leave that to God, who will not allow us to succumb for want of money. Christian readers, we ask your prayers in behalf of this work, that God may bless it in the future as he has in the past; that he may bless and make the pastor instrumental in bringing many more from darkness and slavery into the light and glorious liberty of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The people are coming; may their numbers increase. To-day, dear Times, I am your brother, and I thank God for your sentiments, and beg your many readers to regard me as their brother in the Lord Jesus Christ. Stephen Dekins, Pastor of St. Paul's Reformed Catholic Church, Newark, N. J.