St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1875-06-25
microscopy Prayer.



microscopy Prayer.
El 4. PHELPS. u. u.
Is it Il living power in Christian cN
prricncr1 The following fragment OF
religions history gives answer:
\ lady residing not Il Thousand miles
from Richmond. Va. has been for many
wears IN invalid. She j. Il woman of
rare character, poSs,S>in" more than
usual culture of educated minds. keen
IN her Judgment. Sclt-contlincd in her
impulses, and very tlr from being, ci
rhcI 10y nature or training. ii fanatic.
Being declared 10y the state of her
health from some of the common forms
of Christian service, she adopted the
habit of sIlrut intrrccS>iou as Il means
al usefulness. With Il woman faith in
GoI rs the hr.IIcr of prayer, she has
been wont to pray inr every body
who has come within her reach with
amy special claim To her interest.
Friends. acIIaiuIamccS, strangers, per
SONS whom she meets for an hour only,
and has no prospect of meeting again.
she quietly presents before t'nd IN
PRAYER for whatever they seem to her to
need most urgently. \ stranger with
whom she conlrIs,> for II half hour at
II social gathering, Il guest, whom she
entertain> for Il day, Il person whose
coumt"IIlucc impr,S>r> her III the street.
II traveller in the ears Whose. conNcr>ii-
tinn attracts her. in brief. any hodS
To whom, for any reason, her attention
is drawn with special regard she re-
members III special prayer.
Probably without having ever de
fined Il theory about il to her own mind
she has the theory that whatever inter
c~tS her ;iS Il child of t;ud interests Him
- her Father. Prayer becomes. then.
her natural m"thod "f expressing that
interest to God dali and hourly. Com
mIniou with God Expresses ii a> ant
lcSSlN rs conversation would ia an c:II IL
" friend. Her daily life, therefore. is Il
line of lcIc%raphic correspondence he
tween this world and heaven. through
her habit al drNout intcrcc~>inn. Such
j. the simplicity of her faith IN prayer
aS Il specific power for specific effects.
that she accepts il aS Il method. and
perhaps the chief method of her own
usefulness. She trusts 1t implicitly .
She usr- it cNpcctantlN. Does God
then di~appnint her i'll the result The
following Is believed to he one of many
incidents in her experience which an
sWers the question:
\ few Years az" two strangers enter
ed the ear in which she WAS Il traveller
and seated themselves 50 near her that
she could not avoid oVcIhearin" then
conversation. In the remarks of one Oi
them she soon became intensely inter
eStcd. She inferred from them that hc
was an impcuitent man. and for some
reason >hprcmcly unhappy. This WAS
sufficient to enlist her praycItul desires
in his behalf. lie became at once the
subject of her microscopy converse
with God. When she left the ears. that
face. 81 full of the suffering of Il tuIhI-
lent spirit. remained with her. Fol
weeks aitcrWard something moved hcl
to pIay for that stranger, that he might
find peace in Christ. As time pasSe,
ON. her special interest in him CAV,
place to more recent objects of suppl
cation. and she thought no more of him
She had dropped the tribute of her
PRAYERS into the troubled current %
his life and left both il and him Will
God.
Some Years nttrrward she visited
UlllitllttS bl Illll'> tI>lIul llbIll Ilblllt.
friend. who invited her to go and hral
Il celebrated preacher VIII" had been la
herring there with success. She went
When the preacher rose III the Pulp
she instantly recognized the face of tn,
stranger VIII" had years before 81 deep
" moved her SNmpaihicS in the ears {;
face now no longer rl"udrd 10y the dis
quiet of an impenil"nt spirit, but radi
AMI with the joy "t one who knew lh,
peace of Christ. and WAS striving to i'm
part il To other souls.
At the time of their iiISt meeting Ii,
Was indeed. of all men the most miSrr
able crushed 10y affection. but not sub
dmrd in heart puickcucd 10y the Spri
ot God. vet Ic>olutc IN sin with eye
opened Ia his lost state, but blind t,
the gift of Il Saviour: WhiIled in til,
great crisis of his moral destiny. whicl
comes hut once to ANY man. Vet withou
God and having no hope: both worlds
Shroudcd with the blackneSs of dark
ness. Few men have ever needed pray
cr more >nrelv than he did in that junc
tuIc. 1t was one of those cmcr"cncir.
of moral conflict in which il is Ike GO,
To iutcrpeSe with Il singular rescue. Tn,
appearance of the stranger NOW in
Christian pulpit tells the issue. Hi
conversion had followed within the YEA
III his proximity To his PRAYING fellow
traveller in the ears.
This narrative illustrates the WAY il
which God often intrItwines His Owl
sovereign providence with human sym
pathic>, and believing prayers IN tin
network of instrumcntaitic> for th
conversion of a soul The death of
friend breaks down the strong man II
his career of worldly success. Tn
inherited faith of his ynnth. represent
ing who can say how many on hoy
mighty prayers of godly ancestry. i
set on fire i'll his heart 10y the breath Il
God. Then follows months of impcni
tent Tcmor>c. and when the conflict
deepening int" despair there glide> i
among the spiritual forces Il gentl
stranger PRAYING III the morning aud Il
n"ouday and 1T eNcntidr. for she know
not whom.
We cannot say what precisely Wa
the office assigned to that strangers IN
trrce>Siou in the plan of God. W
cody pronounce the event Il come
denre Yes; but is that all In
written religious history is too full
such coincidenceS to allow lis to leave
there. Must we not believe that won
ans prayers To have been one link
the chain of spiritual causes VIII