In this pamphlet, Joseph Baysmore provides a brief autobiographical sketch, from his birth through 1883, when he left the Baptist church in Weldon, N.C. to work as a traveling evangelist in Halifax county, N.C and in parts of Virginia. Included in this pamphlet are four of Baysmore's sermons. The first sermon, "The Harmony of the Law and the Gospel," is based upon Genesis 12:2, in which God establishes his covenant with Abraham. Baysmore teaches that by following the law, Christians are fulfilling their duty to both God and fellow people. The second sermon, "Subject of the Pure in Heart," is based upon Matthew 5:8, Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. Baysmore enjoins the congregation to maintain a purity of heart and conscience, which will not allow for evil to enter. The third sermon, "How We are Made Sinners and How We Were Redeemed from Sin and Made Heirs of God by His Love," was preached to the convicts at the penitentiary in Raleigh, NC on September 26, 1886. Baysmore's fourth sermon, "The Confirmation of Christian Faith," is based upon John 17:17: "Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth." In this sermon, the congregation is called upon to be regenerated in conscience, deeds, and belief to be sanctified by Jesus Christ's truth.

Karen Ruffle