1892 J. H. ALLEN. Superb Cane of Founder of Church of God [Holiness] & British Israelite

A really charming, personalized cane reputedly gifted to influential Church of God [Holiness] pioneer and Anglo-Israelite, Rev. J. H. Allen.

John Harden Allen [1847-1930] was initially a minister in the Methodist Episcopal Church [Illinois and Missouri], then, on revivalist grounds, sided with the pro-revival Wesleyan Methodist Church and pioneered a work under their auspices in California.

By 1883, he was sensing declension among the Wesleyans as well and then helped found the Church of God [Holiness]. For the remainder of his life he served as a holiness evangelist in the California and the West. 

During the latter part of his ministry, he became known as a vocal proponent and an early advocate in America of British Israelism, editing the Stone Kingdom Herald and authoring his most influential work, Judah's Sceptre and Joseph's Birthright, which was described as An Analysis of the Prophecies of the Scriptures in regard to the Royal Family of Judah and the Many Nations of Israel, the Lost Ten Tribes.

When this book first appeared, Britannia still ruled the waves and the sun was shining on the British Empire, which is why many came to believe that the British were "God's People" and an introduction to the book claimed that:

A notable and immensely significant sign of the times is the revival of interest in Old Testament prophecy that is beginning to be strongly felt in Anglo-Saxon countries. This book presents facts and considerations which everyone must sometime take into account, for they are destined to become important factors in world affairs.

Contents Included:

Judah's Sceptre and Joseph's Birthright is divided into three parts:

Part one addresses the claim that God made a promise to Abraham that his descendants would become many nations. The chapters are: Judah's Sceptre and Joseph's Birthright; Race Versus Grace; The Sceptre and The Birthright; Jacob's Seed Divided Into Two Kingdoms; All Israelites Are Not Jews; The Broken Brotherhood; Ephraim-Samaria – Israel's Idolatry; Samaria-Israel Cast Out And Cast Off; The Jews Go To Babylon And Return; Joseph-Israel Lost.

In part two the topics discussed are the promise to David of a perpetuated throne and Kingdom. The chapters are: The Sceptre And The Davidic Covenant; Jeremiah's Call And Commission; The Tearing Down And Rooting Out; Vindication Of The Personal Promises Of Jeremiah; A Royal Remnant That Escapes; The Prince Of The Scarlet Thread; The "Prince Of The Scarlet Thread" And "The Royal Remnant" United.

Part three claims to uncover the Abrahamic Nations. The chapters covered are: Lost Israel And The First Overturn Located; Jacob's Pillow-Pillar Stone; The Other Overturns; Dan --The Serpent's Trail; Israel In The Isles; A Few More Identities; A Study In "Scarlet"; Egypt-Israelitish And Anglo-Saxon Emblems; The Two-Fold Aspect Of Prophetic Israel; The Coming Exodus.

The Church of God [Holiness] began on March 29, 1883, with the founding of a church in Centralia, Missouri with 44 members. Those involved in this effort were: J. F. Watkins, N. T. Sneed, H. A. Foster, G. R. Sneed, F. H. Sumter, J. B. Ceighton, J. H. Allen, D. C. Brenneman, G. W. Petty, Isaiah Reid, T. B. Bratton, A. L. Brewer, A. M. Kiergan, and W. T. Bean. The movement grew out of a group of former members of the Methodist Episcopal Church that had been participating in the Southwestern Holiness Association. The leading cause of their departure from the Methodist Church was their zealous propagation of a more revivalist view of the doctrine of entire sanctification.

One of the early leaders was John Petit Brooks [1826–1915], who was editor of The Church Witness, which subsequently merged with The Good Way, to become the Church Herald, which later merged with the Church Advocate and Holiness Banner to become The Church Herald and Holiness Banner. He left the Methodist Episcopal Church circa 1886.