They Knew Their God Volume 3: She Chose the Good Part

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They Knew Their God Volume Three by Edwin and Lillian Harvey, like the other five books in the They Knew Their God series, contains sketches of men and women who served God in their day and generation and whose goal was to know Him intimately. Mary Mozely is one such servant of the Lord. The authors have opened her sketch with the following paragraph:
“Mary Mozley stood on board the Llandovery Castle, waving good bye to friends and relatives. She was about to begin that long voyage which would take her to her chosen mission field. The future was mercifully veiled from the young voyager as she watched the receding shores of her native land.

Little did she realize that she would be given only nine brief years to serve her Savior among the natives of the Congo before being called Home, for she was still in her twenties and life seemed to stretch out ahead. But brief though her life was to be, it would be one filled to the full with learning those lessons which would fit her for her everlasting reign with Christ. When the final call was to come, Mary Mozely would be ready!”
Then that final call came on the 4th of December, early in the morning, Mary, at the early age of thirty 36, was called into the Presence of the One she had served and loved so faithfully. The closing paragraph of the sketch puts it like this:
“She would not be greeting a stranger for she had often met Him and thus come to know Him through the medium of His Word and prayer. He whose spirit beats a path of prayer daily to the Throne of Grace is not in danger of losing his way in the emergencies of life. The sustaining grace of her Lord Jesus Christ had nurtured Mary through varied circumstances, and now was at her side when she passed beyond the vale of time into the presence of the King.”
The entire six-volume series of They Knew Their God is published by Harvey Christian Publishers and is available on their Online Christian Bookstore.

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Amanda Smith, An Autobiography: The story of the Lord’s dealings with Amanda Smith.

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“Three months of schooling was all I ever had,” writes Amanda Smith. That was at a school for whites, though a few colored children were permitted to attend. To this school my brother and I walked five and a half miles each day, in going and returning, and the attention we received while there was only such as the teacher could give after the requirements of the more favored pupils had been met. In view of the deficiency in my early education, and other disadvantages in this respect, under which I have labored, I crave the indulgence of all who may read this simple and unvarnished story of my life.”

The above paragraph can be found in the introduction to the book Amanda Smith, an autobiography. The subtitle is “The story of the Lord’s dealings with Amanda Smith.” Harvey Christian Publishers reprinted an abridged version of this book some years ago but are now presenting the book in its entirety.

This autobiography is remarkable for its simplicity, truthfulness, and detailed description of life as it was then. “Unvarnished,” the author called it and so it is. Beginning with her birth into slavery, Amanda chronicles in detail her life—freedom from slavery, conversion, call to minister at home and abroad and, most of all, her inner struggles as a black lady evangelist in the latter half of nineteenth century America. Her story is moving and inspiring and also a revelation of the prejudice existing even in religious circles.

Although our struggles to fulfill God’s call in our individual lives may greatly differ in detail from Amanda Smith’s, in essence they are very little different. We, too, fight against bitterness, unforgiveness, prejudice, and doubt. Amanda’s victories through simple trust in her Heavenly Father, inspire us to have faith that we can fulfill God’s call for our lives in a way which honors and glorifies Him.

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Father Calling: Called to save the children.

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Can God call children or rather does God call children? What he can do is infinite; what he does do brings the question down to practicalities. The book Father Calling presents stories of children who received intimations of God’s plan for their lives at a young age. Take Charles Spurgeon for example, or Lord Shaftsbury, or Hudson Taylor, to mention a few. Sometimes the call was direct but more often it came as a result of life experience as in the case of William Quarrier who founded the Quarrier Homes in Scotland. Growing up in the slums of Glasgow, William knew what it was to feel hungry and sometimes homeless. And so he determined to give his life to help other children like himself find a place of comfort and safety from the cruelty of a fallen world.


Lord Shaftsbury also gave his life to better the lot of children. Unlike William Quarrier, however, his childhood was not similar to the children he came to serve. Brought up in a beautiful mansion, he never knew what it was to be hungry or homeless. He did not have to rise early and go to the mills where heard-hearted masters made sure he earned the little he received as a result of long hard hours of work. But he came to love his Father in Heaven and listen to His voice and that led him to fight long and hard to make sure that the boys and girls of England and Scotland were no longer exploited by money-grabbing factory owners.
Both William Quarrier and Lord Shaftsbury, however, heard the same Voice, followed the same Master, and as a result, thousands of children lived to bless both their names.
Father Calling is written by Lillian Harvey and her daughter Trudy Harvey Tait and is published by Harvey Christian Publishers. It is available in their Online Christian Bookstore.

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How They Prayed, Vol. Two: “Oh, for five hundred Elijahs!”

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“Oh, for five hundred Elijahs,” exclaimed Charles Spurgeon, “each one upon his Carmel, crying unto God, and we should soon have the clouds bursting into showers! Oh, for more prayer, more constant, incessant prayer! Then the blessing would rain upon us.”
These words of Spurgeon’s are quoted on page sixty-one of the book, How They Prayed Vol. Two, written and compiled by Edwin and Lillian Harvey.

This volume, the second in the How They Prayed series, focuses on the prayers of preachers and ministers of the Gospel and shows how prayer was vital to the ministry of many of God’s servants. The following quotation from the same book tells of an incident in the life of Rev. Griffith of Caernarvon, Wales, who was asked to preach one night in a farmhouse:
“Some hours before the service was to begin, he asked for a retired spot in which to prepare for the evening service. The congregation had already assembled, but there was no sign of the minister. A servant in the family was sent to his room to request him to come as the people had been waiting for some time.
“On approaching the door of his room, she heard what she supposed to be a dialogue carried on in a subdued tone of voice. Listening before knocking, she heard one say to the other, ‘I will not go unless Thou come with me.’
The girl returned to the master of the house and told him that Rev. Griffiths had someone in the room with him, and that he would not come unless the other accompany him. ‘I did not hear the other reply, so I conclude he will not come from there tonight.’
“‘Yes, I am sure he will come,’ replied the master of the house, ‘and the Other will come with him. We shall begin the service by singing and reading till the two come.’
“At last the minister made his appearance, and it was evident that Someone else came with him for it was no ordinary service they had that night. It was but the beginning of a powerful revival in the neighborhood where many were born of God.” p. 65
How They Prayed Volume 2 is available on Harvey Christian Publishers’ Online Christian Bookstore.

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Uplifting autobiography of Amanda Smith

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Amanda Smith’s autobiography is an inspiring story of a former slave who experienced a “double redemption,”—first from slavery and secondly from the bondage of sin. Although a humble washerwoman, God remarkably used her as His instrument to tell the story of the sanctified life to high and low around the world. Constantly struggling against prejudice and injustice even within the Church, her spirit of forgiveness and courage both challenges and convicts the reader, while her simple faith, absolute honesty, and remarkable answers to prayer, make her autobiography both gripping and challenging.
—Trudy Harvey Tait

The pressure and stress of our age

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If you find this busy age crowding out time for prayer you are not alone. The saintliest believers today are having a struggle. It seems the enemy is doing his utmost to distract God’s children from what is their greatest weapon against him. Battles are won or lost before the fight begins. There are so many factors that make for victory. David had the victory well before he ever heard of Goliath. We do well to associate with victors if we are to gain the victory ourselves. Try reading “How They Prayed” or “They Knew Their God” for encouragement.

They Knew Their God Book Four, Edwin and Lillian Harvey

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As in the other volumes in the They Knew Their God Series written by Edwin and Lillian Harvey, the men and women in this book are from a variety of eras, cultures, and denominational backgrounds. The first sketch presents us with the commentators Philip and Matthew Henry whose lives spanned the years 1631-1714. Philip began his ministry as an Anglican priest but refused to sign the Act of Uniformity and so became a non-conformist. The second and third sketches cover the lives of American Methodists Freeborn and Catherine Garretson, both born in the mid eighteenth century. Next comes John Gossner, a Roman Catholic priest from Bavaria who eventually and rather reluctantly became Protestant in order to have more freedom to preach the Word.

After Gossner comes John Hunt, an English Methodist who became a missionary to Fiji. Elizabeth Prentiss, an American Presbyterian follows Gossner. She was the daughter of Dr. Edward Payson and author of Stepping Heavenward. The seventh sketch introduces us to the Englishman, Lord Radstock, who ministered to the aristocracy of Russia and through whose ministry, the subject of the next sketch, the German infidel Frederick Baedeker, was converted to Christianity and who also served God in Russia. Irish born Frank Crossley follows Baedeker. Businessman, philanthropist, and preacher, Crossley’s sacrificial life had such an effect on the city of Manchester, that when he died, the Manchester Guardian commented: “Had Mr. Crossley lived in ancient times he would have been a prophet; had he lived in the Middle Ages he would have been a saint somewhat after the style of Francis of Assisi; living in the end of the nineteenth century, he was and remains a witness to the reality of those things to which the prophet and saint bore witness.” P. 154) Two women follow Crossley: the first is his wife Emily and the second, Baroness Von Wrede from Finland who became known as “Angel of the Prisons.” The thirteenth and last sketch in this book is about Henrietta Soltau, an Englishwoman and adherent of the Christian Brethren.
German, American, English, Finnish, Anglican, Methodist, Brethren, Presbyterian—the thirteen sketches of They Knew Their God Volume Four covers all this and much more. This book is published by Harvey Christian Publishers and is available in their Online Christian Bookstore.
Trudy Harvey Tait

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They Knew Their God Book Five, Edwin and Lillian Harvey

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The first four volumes in They Knew Their God Series were written by Edwin and Lillian Harvey. Even although Edwin passed away in 1983, his wife continued to use much of the material they had prepared together before his death. The last two volumes, however, do not have Edwin’s name on them.


Volume Five has twelve sketches, and like its predecessors, these sketches span the centuries beginning with the life of English poet and Anglican Priest, George Herbert who was born in 1593. The second sketch presents Miguel Molinos to the readers. Molinos was a Spaniard whose writings were to influence many Christian leaders, John Wesley among them. Molinos is followed by Joseph Alleine, another Anglican minister who is best known as author of the book, “An Alarm to the Unconverted.” Next comes the saintly John Fletcher, Vicar of Madely and close associate of John Wesley, followed by his wife, Mary. In the sixth sketch, we read of Lutheran pastor, John Frederick Oberlin from Strasbourg, who labored for God in the French Alps. Samuel Pollard follows Oberlin. Pollard grew up in Cornwall and became a missionary to China. The Scottish Presbyterian minister and hymn-writer, George Matheson, comes next, followed by Canadian missionaries to China, Jonathan and Rosalind Goforth, also Presbyterian. For the last two sketches, we go to England and read of Salvationist Kate Lee, and William Scroggie, author and Keswick speaker.
Spanish, Canadian, English, Scotch, Anglican, Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Salvation Army—the twelve sketches of They Knew Their God Volume Five cover all this and much more. This book is published by Harvey Christian Publishers and is available in their Online Christian Bookstore.
Trudy Harvey Tait

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They Knew Their God Book Six, Lillian Harvey

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The last two volumes in the They Knew Their God Series are written by Lillian Harvey. The previous four, Lillian co-authored with her husband who passed away in 1983. Volume Six was the last book Lillian ever wrote although she left some material for the seventh and what she intended would be the final book in this series. I hope, one day, to complete this final volume.

They Knew Their God Volume Six has fourteen sketches, and like its predecessors, these sketches span the centuries, and in fact, the opening sketch is the earliest of all the sketches in this series. It is about John Chrysostom, one of the early Church Fathers, who was born in 347 in Syria and was known as “The Golden Mouth” on account of his oratorical skills. From the fourth century, we jump to the eighteenth in the second sketch which tells the story of Scotsman John Brown, who began life as a cowherd but became known to posterity as one of the ablest of theologians and Bible commentators. John was a member of the Secession Branch of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland. From Brown we turn to Charles Simeon, Anglican minister in Cambridge, England, whose godly life and teaching influenced many students, one being Henry Martyn, who is the subject of the next sketch. Henry became Simeon’s curate for a while before setting sail as missionary to India and Persia. He died at age thirty-one. The next sketch takes us to the beginning of the twentieth century and tells the story of Helen Ewan, the young university student from Glasgow, Scotland, who died before graduating but whose brief life influenced many throughout Great Britain. From Helen we jump over two centuries and read of Edward Payson, Harvard graduate and minister in the Congregational Church of America. Then, following Payson, we have James Turner, Scottish fisherman and preacher. Next, we read of Englishman Thomas Waring, who became a missionary to Africa. The ninth sketch tells us of another missionary, Anthony Norris Groves, who became a member of the Plymouth Brethren and brother-in-law to George Muller. Groves’ wife Mary, is the subject of the next sketch. The eleventh chapter is centered around the life of William Wilberforce, well known English reformer and philanthropist. The next sketch tells the story of John Pierpont, tutor, attorney, merchant and finally, minister of a Congregational church which finally evicted him on account of his stand on temperance. His grandson was the well known businessman and philanthropist, John Pierpont-Morgan. In the thirteenth sketch we travel to Germany and read of Johann Christoph Blumhardt, “the pastor who confronted devils,” among other things and influenced whole communities through his prayerful living and dauntless courage. Finally, in the last sketch, we turn to American E. M. Bounds, well known author of many books on prayer and one time pastor of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

Syrian, German, American, English, Scotch, Anglican, Methodist-Episcopalian, Anglican, Presbyterian, Lutheran—the fourteen sketches of They Knew Their God Volume Six cover all this and much more. This book is published by Harvey Christian Publishers and is available in their Online Christian Bookstore.

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Trudy Harvey Tait

They Knew Their God Volume Three, Edwin and Lillian Harvey

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They Knew Their God Vol. 3 begins with the fascinating story of the Frenchman, Marquis DeRenty, who was born in the early seventeenth century. He is followed by another Frenchman, Stephen Grellet, who was forced to seek refuge in America during the French Revolution and became a Quaker and worldwide traveling preacher. The third sketch presents the life of the Englishman Samuel Pearce, sometimes known as “the Brainerd of the Baptists.” Pearce is followed by the Methodist preacher from Yorkshire, John Smith, known as “The man with calloused knees.” The fifth sketch is short but moving and introduces the reader to Ann Cutler, who was born in Preston, England in the mid eighteenth century.

Her life of prayer influenced more than one prominent Methodist preacher even though she died at the young age of thirty-five. In the sixth sketch, we read of Uncle John Vassar, otherwise known as “God’s sheep Dog. John was a colporteur for the American Tract Society. In the next sketch we are taken back to England and the Salvation Army as we read of the devout, albeit somewhat eccentric George Railton. Railton is followed by the Scotsman John G. Govan, founder of the Faith Mission in Edinburgh, Scotland. Next, comes Oswald Chambers, whose devotional books make him practically a household word in many Christian homes in both the UK and America. His books still challenge, bless and sometimes shock the reader into a closer walk with Christ. He is followed by his wife, Gertrude, who, after her husband’s death at age forty-three, made sure that the legacy Oswald left in unpublished manuscripts, was made available to the Christian world. In the last three sketches of the book, we read of Evan Hopkins, the Anglican clergyman who became a well known writer and speaker at the famous Keswick convention; Mary Mozely, missionary to Africa, and Francis Asbury, the English born American bishop who did so much to establish Methodism in the New World.
—Trudy Harvey Tait.
This book, like its predecessors, is written by Edwin and Lillian Harvey, and is published by Harvey Christian Publishers. It is available on the Online Christian Bookstore.

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