The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1853-10-19
THE EVENING PRAYER.--sOUR
FATUER.0

was low, and tender, aud solemn.
Sour Father:" On two sweet voi.
ccs the words were borne upward. !,
was the innocence If rrvpremt child.
hood that gave Them utterance.
WHO art in the lrcavcns,' repeated
the children, ono with her eyes bent
meekIy down, and the other locking
upward,as if she would penetrate The
heuyensintu which her heart inspired.
'e5 .IIallowcd lie Thy name
Lower fell the voices OF the little
oness In gentle nurmur they said
.Hallowed be thy name"
'Ihy Kingdom come
And the burden Of the PRAYER was
taken up by the cliild'en-'Thy king
domScnmc.'
'Thywill bc done on earth rs il is
done in hehvcn.'
Like Il low sweet echo from the land
Of angels, Thy will be done ON earth
rs it is done in heaven filled the cham.
bcr.
And the mother continucd-"Give
us this day our daily bread
Our daily bread fingered moment
on the air, as the mothers voice was
hashed into silence.
And forgive us our debts, as VIC also
forgive our Debtors
The eyes Of the children had drop
ed for moment. But they were up
lifted again us they praycd-'And for.
give us our debts, as we also forgive
our Debtors
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. For thine is
the kingdom, and the power, and the
glory, ior ever. Amen"
Ne All thcce holy words were said pi-
ously and tervently, by the little ones,
as they knelt with claspcd hands be-
side their mother. Then us their
thoughts, uplitted on the wings of
prayer to their heavenly Father, came
back again and rested on their earthly
parents, a warmer love came gushing
from their hearts.
Purc rctkisses-tendcr cmbraces-the
fond "god night" What sweet agi-
ttation pcrvadcd all their feelings =
Then two dear heads were placed side
by side on the snowy pillow, the moth.
er's last kiss given, and the sladowy
curtains drawn.
What n pulscless stiffness rcigns
throughout the chamber! Inwardly
the parents listening cars are bent
They have given these innocent ones
into the keeping of Gods angels, and
they can almost hear the rustling of
tfeiT garments rs they gather around
t eir sleeping babes. A sigh deep and
tremulous, breaks on the air. Quickly
the mother turns to the father of her
children, with look of earnest inquiry
on her conntenancc. And he answers
TINS her silent question:
Far back, through many years. have
my thoughts been wandering. At my
mothers knee thus said nightly. in
childhood, my evening prayer. 1t was
the best and the holicst Of all prayers,
Our Father" that she taught me
Childhood and my mother passed
away. went forth rs man into the
world, strong, confident, and selfscck-
ing. Once ! came into great tempta-
ton. Had | fallen in that temptation.
! would have fallen, sadly fear, never
to risen again. The struggle in my
mind went on for hours. / was about
yielding. All the barriers could op.
pose to the in-rushing flood seemed
just ready to give way, when, rs sat
in my room one evening, there came
from an adjoining chamber. now first
occupied for many we' Ks, the murmnr
of a low voice. listened. At first
no articnlate sound was heard, and vet
something in the tones stirred my heart
with new and strange emotions. At
length there came to my ears, in the
earnest and loving voice Of woman,
the words, "Delivcr us from evil."-
For an instant it seemed to me as if
the voice were that Of my mother
Back, with sudden bound through all
the intervening years, went my tho'ts:
and, q child i'll heart again, was knccl-
ing at my mothers knee. Humbly
and rcverently ] said over the words
of the holy prayer she had taught me,
my heart and eyes uplificd to heaven.
The hour and the power of darkness
had passed. ] was no longer standing
in slippery places, with q flood of wa.
ters ready to sweep me to destruction;
but my feet were on n rock. My moth
er's pious care had saved her son. In
the holy words she taught me in child
hood, was a living power to resist evil
through all my after life. All! that
unknown mother, as she taught her
child to repeat his evening prayer, how
little dreamed she that the holy words
were toSreach strangers cars, and
save him, through memories OF his own
childhood, and his own mother! Ard