The Titanic's Last Hero

by Adams, Moody

  It was my good fortune to know John’s parents, and who can overestimate the benign influence of a home where Christ is Lord and Master, upon the young life growing up in the midst? His father was a most unassuming man, yet withal a man who made himself felt, for the love of God that filled his heart made him think, speak, and act in such a manner as to declare with no uncertain voice that he was a “servant of Jesus Christ” as the following incident will show.

  One day in a farmyard, the workers were putting up hay in stacks. The farmer started to taunt George and sneer at his religion as he passed by. The workers laughed. George Harper said nothing for a time, but afterwards turning on the farmer, he repeated Revelation 21:8, “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death,” and some other texts of a kindred nature.

  The laughter ceased, the old farmer stood trembling, and then turning on his heel, he fled into the house. From that day on, no one on that farm ever attempted to make light of George Harper or his religion. A man of true piety, mighty in the Scripture and powerful in prayer. Many a day at the meal hour, I have sat with my Bible in hand and listened with great profit to this “Master in Israel” opening up the Scripture. No one could listen to him as he prayed and not be moved by the melting earnestness and intensity of the man. One could never doubt but that he knew the straight road to the throne of grace.

  I had left that district and gone home to reside at Largs. John Harper had gone to work in the carpet work at Elderslie, later on in the paper mill at Kilbarchan. The call came to preach the gospel, and he obeyed. All around that district, Johnstone, Kilbarchan, Linwood, Elderslie, and Bridge of Weir, he went preaching with power. First the school house and then a hall was taken for meetings in Bridge of Weir. I was asked several times to spend a weekend there.

  THERE ARE FIVE HERE WHO HAVE NOT YET DECIDED FOR CHRIST

  One meeting lives in my memory. The Sabbath day was wet and stormy. At the hour of meeting that night, the weather had not improved. We were looking for a small gathering as the way leading to the hall was down a long, dark, somewhat circuitous lane lined with trees. When on the platform, after he had given out the hymn, I asked him if he thought there were any unsaved present. He knew the workers well, and after a minute he whispered to me, “There are five here who have not yet decided for Christ.” I asked him to pray for the conversion of those five, and I would preach for their conversion. “Agreed,” he said with a smile. When the first meeting was over, no one made to go away. No pressure was brought to bear upon any, nor stratagems used to trap them. All voluntarily sat still, and on the five being asked if they desired to trust Christ, they said they did, and all five made a profession of faith in Jesus before leaving the hall. He used to speak of this meeting when we met in after days.

  AT TWENTY YEARS OF AGE, HE WAS THE LEADING SPIRIT

  Another gathering he organized was an open-air conference for Christian workers on the Brae of Ranfurly, Bridge of Weir, on a Saturday afternoon in the summertime. I took part in giving an address at that conference and can remember still the large gathering and the healthy spiritual life displayed by all present.

  When one calls to mind that at this time he was not quite twenty years of age, and yet the leading spirit in all this work, it shows us that, coupled with those succeeding years of arduous toil and unfading zeal for the winning of the lost for Christ, he was not laboring in energy of the flesh, but in the “power of the spirit,” having received ordered from “the Leader and Commander” to go forth.

  Of him it can be said now that his day’s work is over, having put “his hand to the plow,” he never looked back. About the time when he was carrying on work in full swing in the above-mentioned district, he wrote to me saying he saw and was convinced from the Word of God that he should be baptized by immersion, also requesting me to perform the rite.

  I was not a pastor, nor at that time had even the title of evangelist, but as he was insistent that I should baptize him, one Sabbath morning we went together to the Noddle Burn on the north side of Largs, and there, in the pool under the bridge on the Wemyss Bay Road, John Harper, in obedience to his Lord, was baptized in New Testament form.

  THE LAST WORDS OF JOHN AND HIS FATHER TO ME

  The last time I saw his godly father in life, we had a talk together of the “things concerning the King.” And though at that time he was going about following his daily occupation, most calmly and with emphasis he assured me that he knew he was near the end of his sojourn here. In health, he was his usual, but he told me the prayers of many years had been answered, and the home call would come soon. True it was, for ere two weeks had passed, I was in Houston at his funeral.

  Toward the end of last March, I shook hands with John. He was going off shortly afterward to Chicago. He said, “I may see you out there yet.” “Yes, keep believing” was my rejoinder. No. Not Chicago, but “the City which hath foundation” where no gospel campaigns are carried on, no sin, no partings, no heart-rending catastrophes, no blinding griefs. With Christ, with Him forever, we shall meet, bless God.

  Photo of W.D. Dunn, Evangelist

  CHAPTER 8

  A BRAVE SOLDIER ON FIRE FOR GOD

  Tribute by Mr. W.D. Dunn, Evangelist

  And now the brave soldier’s

  precious form

  lies beneath the ocean waves,

  and his blood-washed spirit

  is present with the Lord

  in yon land of light and glory

  the homeland of all who love and

  serve the Christ of God.

  Farewell, beloved soldier,

  we shall meet you in the morning

  without a cloud.

  I GLADLY CONTRIBUTE MY AFFECTIONATE testimony to the fidelity and sterling worth of the late pastor John Harper. I knew him for over twenty years, and during all that period we were in the closest fellowship with each other, in seeking the sanctification of the saints of God and the salvation of perishing souls. During my long experience in Christian work, I have been in touch with the cream of the Lord’s dear workmen, and without reserve, I can say that no pastor, nor teacher, nor evangelist ever moved my inner being more than the pleading and preaching of Pastor John Harper did, as he was always on fire for God and souls.

  GIVE ME SOULS, OR I DIE

  John Welch, in the corner of the glebe (meadow), at the midnight hour, said, “Oh God, give me Scotland, or I die,” and how often I have heard Pastor Harper say, when lying on his face before God, covered with perspiration, “Oh God, give me souls, or I die.” Then he would sob and weep as if his heart would break. Can we wonder that God gave him souls for Christ in hundreds?

  Our beloved brother was a deep student of the precious Word of God—he believed it was God-breathed from Genesis to Revelation, and he preached it with a clear vision. I have often seen his after-meetings in Paisley Road Baptist Church, more like a battlefield than anything else; saints sobbing on account of their unlikeness to Christ, and poor lost sinners crying out for salvation.

  HARPER “LIVED NEXT DOOR TO HEAVEN”

  What glorious triumphs of grace were won through his Holy Ghost ministry in that part of the city! Wherever he went, whether in public or in private, he carried with him the holy fragrance of his Lord. I often felt, after being with him in the gospel or at our Royal Lord’s Court, that he was fast ripening for high service. He lived next door to heaven; hence, his soul was constantly inhaling heaven’s atmosphere.

  The blessing of soul our brother enjoyed saved him from every vestige of sectarianism, so that he preached in perfect harmony with all the other sections of the Christian church. He had learned through grace that the church and the work of the church are one, and he was ready to lend a helping hand to any brother minister who desired his services.

  HE LIVED UNDER STRESS ENOUGH TO

  “KIL
L THE STRONGEST OF MEN”

  Many of us wondered how he lived under the tremendous strain, occasioned by the amount of preaching he went through, and the nights he spent in prayer, which seemed enough to kill the strongest of men, but on he went like an express train, determined to reach its destination without hindrance; his eyes steadily fixed upon his crucified, buried, risen, ascended, pleading, and coming Lord. All the powers of hell could not move him from his soul’s center.

  Now the brave soldier’s precious form lies beneath the ocean waves, and his blood-washed spirit is present with the Lord in yon land of light and glory, the homeland of all who love and serve the Christ of God.

  Farewell, beloved soldier. We shall meet you in the morning without a cloud.

  Photo of John Paton

  CHAPTER 9

  GOD TRUSTED HIM TO BE THE TITANIC’S FINAL WITNESS

  Tribute by Mr. John Paton

  of Carmyle, Glasgow, Scotland

  Some of us can well imagine him

  in these last awful minutes

  on board the doomed Titanic,

  standing amidst a group of stricken,

  repentant souls point them to the

  Savior he had loved and served so well,

  helping them to seize their

  eleventh-hour opportunity.

  I AM THANKFUL TO HAVE the opportunity of putting on record how much I owe in my Christian life to my friendship with dear John Harper. I have found the word of Proverbs 17:27, “A man of understanding is of an excellent spirit,” to be true indeed, and the two friends now with the Lord who had the most to do with the “sharpening” of my life were Matthew Colquhoun and John Harper.

  BURNING ZEAL

  Both were close friends, not only of my own, but of each other. Often, before the day Matthew fell asleep in the Lord’s embrace on May 6, 1909, did he serve the Lord at Paisley Road during John Harper’s pastorate. The one impressed me tremendously by the sweet and transparent holiness of his life, the other no less by his burning and devoted zeal, both qualities being manifestly born of their ardent love for the Savior. When one experiences how easy it is to allow the keen edge of spiritual life to dull, one prizes the privilege of such friendships as these, and how many of the rank and file of our Christian community, like myself, must have been blessed through contact with these two lives, eternity alone will reveal.

  TO SPEND AND BE SPENT

  To be in the company of John Harper was to have created anew in one’s heart the desire to “spend and be spent” in the Master’s service. Some of us can well imagine John in those last awful minutes on board the doomed Titanic, standing amidst a group of stricken, repentant souls and pointing them to the Savior he had loved and served so well, helping them to seize their eleventh-hour opportunity.

  God has not many servants whom He could trust with such a service, and that to me at least is the explanation of our brother being on board the Titanic instead of on the Lusitania as he had at one time planned.

  May we all follow John Harper insofar as he followed Jesus.

  Photo of Robert Logan, Evangelist

  CHAPTER 10

  AN OVERWHELMING VISION

  Tribute by Mr. Robert Logan, Evangelist

  But oh! how he burned

  prayed, labored, and wept

  for the conversion of sinners;

  and, blessed by God, great numbers

  were led to the Savior’s feet

  through his consecrated efforts.

  THE SUDDEN AND UNEXPECTED END of our beloved brother, Mr. Harper, came to those of us who knew him and loved him as a staggering blow, and even yet we feel it difficult to think of him as having departed from the scene of his zealous, self-sacrificing, and fruitful labors.

  THE STRENGTH OF HIS PERSONAL LIFE

  Mr. Harper was a strong man. He was strong in his love to the brethren. The grip of his kindly hand and his brotherly salutation were always cheering.

  He was strong in his love and reverence for the Bible. His progress in Bible study and Bible knowledge was very striking.

  He was strong in his love for prayer. He knew as few men seemed to know that true power with men must be preceded by communion with God. Hence with him it was not the ordinary ten or fifteen minutes of waiting upon God. He spent hours in persistent wrestling with God in prayer for the salvation of perishing souls. Oh for a mighty increase of such intercessors!

  THE STRENGTH OF HIS CONCERN FOR OTHERS

  He was strong in his love for the perishing. He had an intense love for souls. He was eager for the sanctification of saints. But oh! how he burned, prayed, labored, and wept for the conversion of sinners, and, blessed be God, great numbers were led to the Savior’s feet through his consecrated efforts.

  THE SOURCE OF HIS STRENGTH

  He was strong in his love for the Savior who died for him. He lived, walked, prayed, and preached under the sense of an overwhelming vision of Calvary. Hence Christ and Him crucified was ever John Harper’s theme. To him the name of Jesus was sweet, sacred, and precious. May his mantle fall upon not a few of us so that we may successfully run the race that is set before us until the day dawns when we shall meet to part no more.

  CHAPTER 11

  A MAN OF TENDER COUNSEL AND ENCOURAGEMENT

  Tribute by Mr. Alex Galbraith, Seamen’s Missionary

  Glasgow, Scotland

  The contents of his (Harper’s) letter

  were mainly along the lines of

  urging to incessant activity

  for the ingathering of the lost,

  and the up-building of the saints,

  and encouraging myself personally

  to go on in the work

  among the fallen and the outcast.

  MY ACQUAINTANCE AND FELLOWSHIP WITH dear Brother John Harper, whom I loved in the Lord, goes back for at least twelve or fourteen years. I saw the man develop and grow spiritually, in zeal for the souls of men, and in loyalty to Christ and His truth.

  My last communication from him was about a week before he appeared at the noon meeting in March for the last time. The contents of his letter were mainly along the lines of urging to incessant activity for the ingathering of the lost, and the up-building of the saints, and encouraging myself personally to go on in the work among the fallen and the outcast. The tenderness of his words of counsel and encouragement are with me still.

  Photo of Pastor Malcolm Ferguson

  CHAPTER 12

  WHEN HE SPOKE, SOULS CRIED OUT FOR MERCY

  Tribute by Pastor M. Ferguson,

  Armiesland

  After Mrs. Harper’s death

  he would often stay overnight in the

  church and pray for the occupants of

  every seat, and then on Sabbath

  he would look for and expect

  souls to be saved.

  He was a burning and a shining light.

  IT WAS MY PRIVILEGE AND joy to know the late Pastor John Harper for over twelve years. I first heard of him at New Cumnock, where he had been holding some meetings. The church formed there by Mr. James Adair was looking out for a pastor and were very keen to secure Mr. Harper. I saw the fruits of his mission and felt any church would be justified in securing such a man of God.

  I afterwards met him in the Gordon Halls, Paisley Road, and when I saw the spirit and enthusiasm of the meetings, I said to one of the workers, “You won’t keep Mr. Harper long here.”

  CONSTANT REVIVAL

  Well, he was not to be so easily lifted out of Paisley Road. He found his sphere there for many years, and hundreds will thank God through all eternity for his faithful ministry in that place. Others will tell the tale of the church, its enlargement, its constant revivals, the overflowing crowds, and the hundreds of souls saved and blessed.

  GREAT CROWDS AND GREAT CONVICTION

  I was often there during 1905, when the news of the Welsh Revival spread. I did not go to Wales but often saw scenes in Paisley Road Church similar to what we heard were going on
there. The crowds were so great it was difficult to get in, and after getting in, still more difficult to get near the platform. Then, before anyone could speak ten minutes, souls were crying out for mercy under the mighty power of God. It was not excitement. It was the Holy Spirit convicting of sin. One was forced to ask often, what is the secret of this perennial blessing in Paisley Road? But when in touch with the pastor in his vestry or in his home, the secret was soon found out.

  CLOSETED WITH GOD

  Nobody could be in Mr. Harper’s presence long till it was found what a mighty man of God he was, especially in prayer. He knew God. He knew his Bible, and he knew by heart-felt experience the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. He had a passionate love for Christ and souls. It often amazed me the amount of work Mr. Harper went through. When he studied, and how he prepared the marvelous addresses he gave, was a wonder to many. But when most of us were sleeping, he was in the secret place of the Most High, closeted with God and His Word all night in the little room off the vestry in Paisley Road Church.

  WHOLE NIGHTS OF PRAYER

  After Mrs. Harper’s death, he would often stay overnight in the church and pray for the occupants of every seat, and then on Sabbath he would look for and expect souls to be saved.

  He was a burning and a shining light. Some burn and don’t shine; others shine but don’t burn. When he spoke, it might be said of him what was said by the man who went to hear Rowland Hill, “The words come hissing hot from his heart.” He believed what he preached and preached what he believed. Christ and eternal things were all so real to him. He lived and preached “as if Christ died yesterday, rose today, and was coming tomorrow.”