The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1863-03-19
SELECTIONS.
I Am Like That Leaf.

In the village Of H, a laborious pas
tor was standing in his place on a beautiful
Sabbath Of O3tober, aud with aching heart
was delivering his message to a people that
seemed Indifferent to all his ntterances. Be
hind tue pulpit there was a window, through
which could be'seen tree whose foliage
had been changed by autumnal frost. A
young man in remote pew, while gazing
liSflessly in the direction Of the pulpit, saw
q leaf, separate from twg of the tree, and
with sloH vibrations descend to the ground.
Instantly, he SAID, as il the leaf had q
tongue end spoke to him, the reflection
arose, AM LIKE THAT LEAF. My hold on
lite is just as slender may soon be de-
tached and fall like that sere. leaf. Then
where shall be2 One consideration start
ed another, aad thought piled on thought,
uatll his mind was stirred TO It's lowest
depths, snd he was.in an agony of solicitude
respecting ais prospects for eternitg. Gods
ssa. s-vo'ce,ln me lea spoke l0naos GO
I th6 thunder.
this case stood not alone in that Sab
bath assembly. Christ had his eye and his
heart upon another precious soul of that
company. to whom the anxious pastor
thought he was preaching with little ff.ct
There was another preacher and another
sermon there, in a form which the minister
knew not of. At the close Of the service,
while the choir were singing,
ALMIGHTY God, thy grace impart,
Fix deep cOnv ctiUu in On heart,
another young man, who was boxing Mp al
the singers observed that pous ladv. as
she sung those lines, unaf -ctedly raised her
eyes heavenward, as if uttering an earnest
prayer. Perhaps she is praying for me,
was instantly his reflection, and yet | have
never PRAYED for myself. Wretch that |
am TO live SO prayerless and mindless of
God and the future. What can | expect
from the hand of righteous God but ever
lasting destruction9
The train of thought thus started by
Gods sermon in the leaf was pursued IN
der the direction of Gods Spirit in the
heart, and he. too, that very morning be-
came intensely anxious TO know what he
should do to be saved.
In the evening, both of these young men
were found at the prayer-meetng, and there
they expressed desire to be prayed for,
and to he guided into the way of life. The
effect upon the meeting of snch develop
ment was electric, The pastor himself and
most of bis church were taken by surprise
TIE impenitent we're startled and awed.-
1t was time of confessions, tears and pre-
vailing prayers. revival of great power
ensued, and the fruits thereof were emf
nently gracious.
Though God thus manifested his own SOW
ereignty in these instances, by SO choosing
means as, 10 the words of Elihu to Job, to
hide pride from man, and that no flesh
should glory II his presence, he so exercised
that sovereignty as TO honor his own appoint
ment that he will be inquired of by the
house Of Israel to do those things for them.
1t subsequently became known that few
members Of the church had quietly met for
some time on Saturday evenings, in pri
vate house, to impCre the influence of the
reviving Spirit. The young men, too, were
in GOd's place for Improvement, the sane
tuary. God, we have seen, heard, and an
swered, but in his own way, and blessed
were the results.
How seldom, perhaps never, does revi
val occur, where earnest prayer in one por-
tion of tho church or another. in one fami-
ly or another, is not necessary antecedeDt.
And how seldom does revival commence
just in the line of human expectations
The sovereignty of God, while it is SOW
ereignty of grace, is always exerted in his
own divine order in answer to prayer. And
the practical lesson to be learned by Chris
tians is, to give ourselves more and more
unto prayer, and to be willing that God
should answer as he aces best. " Trust in
him at oil times, ye people; pour out your
heart before him. Lo, all these things
wOrketh God oftentimes with man, to bring
back bis soul from the pit" The fall of
leaf, the upward lifting of an earnest eye,
the twitter even of bird, may be used by
the Spirit of God to bring back soul to
himself, when prayer is made for that soul
with fervor and faith. Then the reflection,
AN LIKE THAT LEAF, may be the souls
FIRST step in It's return to God.
A SINNER hes bit cne vsut----a Savinur