The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1876-05-24
RYW.A. LEE AND HUGH WILSON.

God to help him." l said: "That g
me; that message is for me and down
the long aisle, pushing my way through
the crowd standing there, almost ran
to the foot of the platform and seated
myself. When the invitation rang forth
again I tried to rise, but the people
near me, seeing my condition. took me
by the arms and held me down, whis-
pering: "Sit still; sit still, you're
drunk" Drunk Yes, ] knew it, but
I had heard the voice of God, and when
the invitation came again I couldn't sit
still, and I broke away from those who
held me, and rose. Ah, what an hour
followedl What prayers and tears and
struggles And at its close, some one
asked me if I would pray an hour after
my return home, for, If I would do 80, I
might know that at the same hour many
hearts were praying in their own homes
for me. As We we're about to separate,
one good Christian said: "Why go
home to pray for this soulp Let US
pray now and here" And we stayed,
and they prayedfor me and I prayed for
myself, and I was able to come to
Christ, and Just as I was-yes, drunk as
I was, he took me. And from that glad
hour when I went home to my wife with
the good news of my sins forgiven, He
has kept me; He has shown in me His
power to save "to the uttermost.
When he had closed, young man
arose and said: was drunkard from
my boyhood-a wreck before reached
the age of twenty-one. My mother
never ceased to pray for me, and to urge
me to reform. When I was under the
influence of drink, would get as far
away from home as possible, and stay
away until my money was all gone, and
sick, broken and helpless, I would seek
my fathers house. During these ab-
sences, my mothers letters would follow
me, whenever she knew where I was;
and when I returned she always well
coined me and nursed me back to health.
Here is one of her letters, said he (and
he drew from his pocket and read to the
audience tender letter from his mother
to her dear boy, begging him to come
home, telling him how she loved him
and waited for him, and wanted to see
him begin again). In answer to some
such appeal, he did seek his home one
night, after having been on debauch
of weeks, in which he had fallen as low
as intemperance could bring him. He
came at night; he watched the windows
till the lights were out; he approached
and rang and waited, and soon a step on
the stair and the door was opened, and
his mother held him in her arms
"close to her heart, as if I had never
gone astray."
That night, he continued, with avoice
husky and broken, she nursed me as she
had nursed me many times before; but
on the morrow she was not at my bed
side. When I asked for her, they said
that she was i'll; and when crept from
my chamber and confronted the physi-
clans, and begged them to tell me that
I had not murdered her, they replied ::
"There is not shadow of hope" Then
my heart broke, and I pleaded with
God, with many tears, to spare her only
until her boy could repent. And God
was merciful to me. He did spare her,
and He did teach me repentance. 1
knew the way. I had been we'll taught.
I knew that help was in Christ and
Christ alone. And I sought and found
that help, and have lived to see my
mothers heart made glad by the answer
to her prayers.
He called upon the mothers whose
fearful eyes were lifted to his face to
work on and pray on and love on, until
their wandering boys should come
hack.