Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1836-01-14
N U NIB E R Is.

I
there were Christians within hearino on
purpose to hurt their feelings. He was
so bad, that one man said he believed he
should have to sell his place, or give it
away, and move out of town, for he could
not live near man that swore so. This
good man, that | was speaking of, was
passing through the town, and heard of
the case, and was very much grieved and
distressed for the individual. He took
him on his praying list The case weigh
ed on his mind, when he was asleep and
when he was awake. He kept thinking
about him, and praying for him for DAYS,
And the first we knew oft, this ungodly
man came into meeting, and got up and
confessed his sins, and poured out his soul
! His bar-room Immediately became the
4place where they held prayer meetings.
In this manner the Spirit of God leads in
dividual Christians to pray for things
which they would not pray for, unless they
were led by the Spirit. And thus they
pray for things according to the will of
! God.
By some, this may be said to be a reve-
lation from God. l do not doubt that
great evil has been done by saying that
this kind Of influence amounts to a new
revelation. And many PEOPLE will be
afraid of it if they hear it called a n ew
revelation, so that they will not stop TO
inquire what it means, or whether the
Scri ptures teach it or not They suppose
it to be a complete answer to the idea
But the plain truth of the matter is, that
the Spirit leads a man to pray. And if
God leads man to pray for an individu-
al, the inference from the Bible is, that
God designs to save that individual. If
we find by comparing our state of mind
with the Bible, that we are led bv the
Spirit to pray for an individual, we have
good evidence to believe that God is pre-
pared to bless him.
6. By giving to Christians a spiritual
discenmentrespe cting the movements and
Developments of Providence Devoted,
praying Christians often see these things
so cIearl V, and look so far ahead, as great
y to stumble others. They sometimes
almost seem to prophecy. No doubt per-
sons may be deluded and sometimes are
so, by leaning to their own understanding
when they think they are led BY the Spir-
1t. But there is no doubt that a Christien
) may be made to see and discern clearly
the signs of the times, so as to understand
by providence, what to expect, and thus to
pray for it in faith. Thus they are often
led to expect revival, and to pray for it
in faith, when nobody else can see the
least signs of it,
There was woman in New jersey, in
a place where there had been revival
She was very positive there was going to
be another. She insisted upon it that thev
had had the former rain, and were now
going to have the latter rain. She want
ed to have the conference meetings an
: pointed. But the ministers and elders
saw nothing to encourage it, and would
do nothing. She saw they were blind,
5 and so she went forward and got a car
! penter TO make seats for her, for she said
she would have meetings in her own
house. There was certainly going to be
: a revival. She had scarcely opened her
doors for meetings, before the Spirit of
! ! God came down in great power. All
these sleepy church members found them
selves surrounded all at once with con-
: victed sinners. And they could only say,
! we knew it not.' The reason why such
persons understand the indication of Gods
will is not because Of the superior wisdom
that is in them, but because the Spirit of
God leads them to see the signs Of the
times And this, not by revelation, but
they are led to see that by converging of
E provdences to single point, which pro-
S iluces in them a confident expectation of a
II certain result.
o V. In what degree are we to expect the
Spirit of God to affect the minds Of beliey-
o ers? The text says, " The Spirit MAX
! eth intercession with groanings that can
q not be uttered The meaning Of this
4 understand to be, that the Spirit excites de-
r sires too great to be uttered except by
- groans Something that language can
:, not matchmaking the soul to full to utter
y, its feelings by words, where the person
, can only groan them out to God, who un-
Is derstands the language of the heart.
= VI. How are we to know whether it
- is the Spirit of God that influences our
IS minds or not?
IS /. Not by feeling that some external
l. influence or agency is applied to us. We
d are not to expect to feel our minds in direct
d physical contact with God If such a
IS thing can be, we know ofno way in which
d it can be made sensible We know that
st we exercise our minds freely, and that our
l. thoughts are exercised on something that
@ excites our feelings. But we are not to
e expect miracle to be wrong ut, as if we
= were led by the hand, sensibly, or like
v something whispered in the ear, or any
r miraculous manifestation of the will of
q God. individuals often grieve the Spirit
,r away, because they do not harbor him and