William Haslam

BILLY BRAY

Cornish Miner, Dancing Preacher

Since writing the book on Billy Bray, I have come across an extremely interesting report by Rev William Haslam of Baldhu. When reading Haslam’s mention of Billy in From Death Into Life I thought that their relationship was relatively short-lived. But in Haslam’s later book, Leaves From My Note-book, we get a much fuller picture of their time together. I have reproduced the whole chapter here unedited.

Not only does Haslam call Billy “My old friend” in the account below, but there is a clear inference in several places that the conversations they had together took place over a considerable time. And the story of Billy’s sea voyage is completely new to me.

My book on William Haslam - Haslam’s Journey - can be found on www.williamhaslam.com.

COMING IS HE?

MY old friend Billy Bray, of Cornwall, was a right down happy soul. He was always singing and rejoicing, not only in voice but in every gesture of his body. He had a theory, that if he praised God with his mouth only, at the resurrection he would be like those things on the tombstones, all mouth and wings. If he clapped with his hands, he would rise with a pair of hands; but what a funny thing Billy Bray would be with mouth and hands! But if he danced on his feet, then he would rise complete, and men would see what the dear Lord could make of poor Billy Bray.

There was some inkling of truth in this quaint and facetious saying. The good fellow intended to give himself up entirely to the Lord for ever, and he had done it.

Miss Havergal expressed a like sentiment in more civilised language, in her hymn:

Take my life, and let it be

Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;

Take my moments and my days,

Let them flow in ceaseless praise.

Take my hands, and let them move

At the impulse of Thy love; Take my feet, and let them be

Swift and beautiful for Thee.

Take my voice, and let me sing

Always, only, for my King;

Take my lips, and let them be

Filled with messages from Thee.

These two children of God undoubtedly meant the same thing, but Billy’s theology was not so Scriptural, for it never rose higher than singing about going to heaven, or to Canaan, as he called it, when he died. His continual theme was—

“Canaan is a happy place, I’m bound for the land of Canaan.”

While singing these words, he used to clap his hands and dance with joy. I had again and again to show him, that Christian hope does not consist in going to heaven merely, any more than resting in the grave. It consists rather, in the coming of the Lord to change the body of humiliation, and to make it a glorious body like His own.

“Oh, that will be grand,” he exclaimed. “‘Our face, like His, shall shine. Oh what a glorious company, when saints and angels join.’ Oh, that will be joyful when we arrive at home.”

His thoughts more frequently flowed in the words of hymns, than in those of Scripture. I seldom tried to teach him anything, but what he immediately went off, expressing himself in the lines of some hymn or traditional chorus. Very often these favourite verses of his were sadly unscriptural, but Billy did not know this.

Upon one occasion, I asked him what is meant by all the fighting we read about in the land of Canaan. “What fighting do you mean?” he asked. “There’s no fighting in the sweet fields of Eden, on the other side of Jordan. No poverty there—the saints are all wealthy. No sickness there, no fighting, sure enough.”

Then the incorrigible man began to sing again:

“I’m bound for the land of Canaan;

Canaan is a happy place,

I’m bound for the land of Canaan.”

All my efforts to enlighten him upon this subject seemed hopeless. The glorious truth of the coming of the Lord to change us, is something which we can only fully apprehend under the quickening touch of the Spirit’s teaching. As faith, by which we receive forgiveness of sins, is the gift of God, and Divine love is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given, so in like manner we need the operation of the same Spirit, to teach us about the glory of the coming Christ, which is the object of our hope.

Billy Bray, however, was so content with salvation and the idea of going to heaven, that he did not give his attention to any other teaching. I often endeavoured to show him, that it was a very selfish thing to avail ourselves of the sufferings of Christ, and care nothing for His glory. No, he did not see it; he was looking at something else.

One day he listened to what I had to say so quietly, and with so much more patience than usual, that I really thought I was breaking ground with him, and he was taking in the idea of the Lord’s coming. I told him that it was by no means the same thing as our going to be with the Lord at death, for when we go to Him at death, it is only in spirit; we leave our bodies behind. But when He comes from the heavens for us, we shall depart with spirit, soul, and body too, and that in a glorified state. He seemed to be enjoying what I was saying, but it turned out that he was not following my words, but his own thoughts. Being pressed into a corner for an answer, lie looked at me and said, “What is that you say about the dear Lord? Coming, is He?”

“Yes,” I said. “The Lord is coming, and that I believe soon.”

“I shall be fine and glad to see Him!” said Billy, looking radiant with happiness; “fine and glad to see Him, for I do love the dear Lord!”

“He is coming,” I continued, “to ‘change our vile body, and fashion it after His own glorious body.’ This change is more certain than death itself.”

“How is that?” said Billy.

I replied, “We are told in Scripture, that we shall not all die or sleep, but we shall all be changed (see i Corinthians 15:51). Multitudes of believers will be alive upon the earth when the Lord comes to call his saints. The Apostle Paul says, that’ we which are alive and remain... shall not prevent (or go before) them which are asleep,’ but ‘the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord’ (see 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17). The Lord may come before you die.”

“Then,” said Billy, as if disappointed, “I shan’t go to heaven at all! That won’t do for the like of me.” And off he went, singing about Canaan.

Dear Billy kept his thoughts and views about heaven to an advanced old age; and though he may have assented to some of my teaching now and then, his heart was full of the thought of going to heaven when he died. A little time before his departure, he was ordered to take a short sea voyage. He went out upon the broad Atlantic with some fishermen friends. While they were out, a great squall arose, which threatened to be violent. On this account “Uncle Billy,” as he was called, was sent below into the cabin. The squall developed into a storm, and raged so furiously, that the fishermen came to see how he was. They found him as happy as usual, singing to himself.

“Uncle Billy,” said one of his friends, “I don’t think that we can weather this storm! “

“All right,” answered Billy cheerily, “I would as soon go to heaven from here, as elsewhere. If Father has any more work for me on the land, this storm can’t do nothing.”

It was so: the storm did nothing—it did not even frighten this trustful child of God.

Billy was safely landed again, and lived to see the conversion of many more precious souls, and upon his death-bed, that of his doctor. “You will meet me in heaven, doctor,” were among his last words. So he departed to be “with Christ.”

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