Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1870-03-22
A Wonderful Prayer Meeting
WAS 1T A DREAM?

hush and quiet stole over me, as, following
the sound of church bell, went with the
numbers that l saw entering a church, in
town where, stranger, was detained
for night upon my journey. I took my
seat in the pleasant, cheerful room, and as
one after another came in, until the room
was nearly filled, thought-"Surcly this
is not prayer meeting, merely There
must be a sermon tonight Soon the pas
tor, an unassuming man, but with face
glowing with peculiar tenderness, came in,
and directly opened the meeting by giving
out the first line ola familiar hymn. There
was worship o. heart in that song of praise,
After prayer and few earnest words from
the pastor, the meeting was thrown open
to all.
Waiting but a moment, rose, and said,
AS a stranger | wish to ask aloud, a ques-
ton which ! have asked again and again
in my heart, since entered this room. |
wish to ask ifthis is the average attendance
Of your stated weekly prayer meetings.
and if so, 10 find out if l can, the secret Of
your numbers
Every eye was turned toward me; upon
one or two faces / thought | detected Il
smile, perhaps tears started to other eyes,
"Never mind thought I, lit was worth
something to get at this truth" After
little the pastor said, Il can answer the
strange question with regard to attend
ance, that we have no more with Us than
usual as to the secret of the number, |
must leave il to my people to say what
brings them 50 punc,ualy together week
after week, Il, this hour Of prayer. The
theme may be as good an one as we can
have tonight Will any brother
present tell us why he regularly attends
the stated weekly prayer meeting" The
words seemed TO fall like an electric shock
upon many present. One after another
spoke with such freedom, pathos and earn
estness, that, had | not known | was in a
good orthodox Congregational house, |
might have thought ] was intruding upon
Glove feast" scene, in a revival season.
The first speaker said, This voice tremb-
ling with emotion "For one came to this
meeting from the constraining power OF
what seemed 10 me special conversion to
prayer meetings. | was not a regular attend
ant for years after ! was church member
(And l am glad now as l wish to speak
freely that it was before the present pas
tor came that l had this prayer meeting
conversion" OF course there was closer
listening after this remark. 81 had thought
it sufficient excuse, If the meetings were a.
all dull, TO stay away, if few did all the
praying, and failed 10 measure the length o.
their prayers by the worn nerves of weary
hearers, if the pastor ever gave common
place exhortation, or failed to bring on
truth in sparkling light, with rich settings
Going once with laggard step to an eve
ming meeting, | heard bit of conversation
from two men in front Of me, lone a stran
GER going to the same place The word
of course referred to the pastor-"Is he
mau that draws?' And thereby, Il shout,
hardly say he was, and yet he Is earnest
and man Of excellent spirit; come an
see."
Passing words uttered one moment an
perhaps forgotten by the speaker the mex
they found strange Judgement in my ca
"A man that draws | took my seat thu
night as usual, but heard few of tie r,
marks, could not tell who prayed or whit
petitions were oGered-failed even to spe,
ulate how the stranger would regard Il
minister. 1 was listening to a voice abo'
all these, is he a man that draws" 1t col
vic.ed me Of SIN, it held me fast; ms
that draws All, | thought, how many
Us are men drawn to the prayer meeting
The minister must draw Us. The humbl
timid, sincere speaker must draw us el
we will not go. Never asking, can | dra
any one by my influence as a constant 2
err? Neyerdrawn myself by the best motiN
Then the prayer came TO me the on
prayer | remember offering that night, {
to be drawn of God to the prayer meetn
To be constrained to 90 because God
there. II is His house; His meeting; I
presence that sanctIies the place; a
shall we lay all the burden of drawing u
on poor mortals like ourselves? Our p;
tors heart may be glowing with love, a
his lips burning with eloquencc, and
not perceive it if our hearts are cold a
dead, because we would not allow ourselN
to be drawn there by love to jesus A
his heart may be weary and half-discours
ed, and shall we stay away to add to t
burden? Henceforth let me be God -dra
to the prayer meeting, or let me stay away
Another followed to say he had for ye
been wont 10 consider it a matter of ind
ference, whether he attended the pra,
meeting or not. Perhaps he would
present a dozen or twenty evenings out
the fifty opportunities offered by the ye
IL was at length seized with severe Hines
he said. Life hung in the balance. {
night while thinking very earnestly of
preparation to appear before God, tn
words seemed to haunt me, Thou hast b,
faithful over few things; | will m!
thee ruler over many things Faithi
A few things All how few did they see
As | strove to recall wherein | had b
faithful, somehow the weekly prayer m,
ing seemed to step out in the front ranl
condemn me. Have you been faitt
there {? No, Lord, have only gone W
it best suited me. Little things have OF
kept me away, because the heart was
alive with love to the Master. A Ii
rain, little snow, a friends call, disinc
alton Not faithful, was the verdict.
spared me. The vine dresser saw my {
dition as a door Of hope, and said, Let
alone this year, Also Can l ever TO
the first prayer meeting attended a
that? My friends, was not man-draw
that meeting And there is no swe
place to me since, than this spot whe
was so long unlaithful."
"My friends" said |, rising at the C
Of this wonderful prayer meeting, a
others had given similar experience.
thank you for your replies to my ques
tonight. | no longer wonder at your
house When God gets hold of IN
heart, whether He feels for its pulses v
the body seems failing and the soul
ready to launch into His immediate
ence, or through the casual word dro
from passing stranger-when God
hold of the heart there is power W
will draw. From this | take encoul
ment to offer earnest prayer that he
arise in behalf Of His own blessed pr
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