The following is an excerpt from the book, Sketches of Our Mountain Pioneers, edited by J. W. West, describing an event in the life of J. W. Masters (1854-1924).
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After Brother Masters had been away from home for a month, he returned and was informed that a “red hot” revival meeting was in progress, a union meeting conducted by a Baptist preacher from Kentucky and a Methodist preacher from Lee County, Virginia. The Baptist preacher at once sent Brother Masters word to attend and hear his sermon intended for him that night. When this man arose in the pulpit, he read his text from Acts 8:26. Then for more than an hour he “skinned and salted Campbellism.” Finally exhausted by his efforts, he asked the old Methodist brother to conclude, but the old brother replied, “Enough has been said, such as it is.”
The Baptist preacher then invited the people to return there at the regular hour the next day and adjourned the services. Then Brother Masters arose and asked for permission to speak, and the Baptist brother granted it. In a fine spirit he asked the Baptist preacher if he would give the same answer that the God sent preacher gave over eighteen hundred years ago. The Baptist preacher arose and said, “This is my congregation and I will adjourn it; stand up and be dismissed.”
Brother Masters said, “All who want to hear me sit down.”
The Baptist preacher shouted, “Let’s all go.”
An old Methodist man who knew Brother Masters cried out, “You have got to hear Masters; you thought you were doing something great heckling on what you call Campbellites, and you think that Masters has no friends here because he has no brethren here. I want you to know that he has as many friends here as you have, and I am one of them.” Then he added, “Now, I will tell you that I will tear every rag from your back before I will let you out.”
Then other brethren exclaimed, “Sit down,” and the preacher knew enough about mountain people in such a situation to sit down.
Then the man at the door who had threatened to tear the clothing off the Baptist preacher said, “Brother Masters, get in that pulpit, and if you can’t skin that preacher without skinning us Methodists, just skin us, for God knows that I am willing to be skinned just to see him skinned.”
Brother Masters talked for about half an hour and said to the preacher, “If you are not satisfied with this, I will meet you here tomorrow.”
The next day a crowd assembled, but the Baptist preacher did not return and thus ended the union meeting.