The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1882-04-20
A Simple but Sustained Effor
BY MRS. ANNIE A. PRESTON.

Phelps, as they met III the dusty country
road after the preparatory lecture and
walked along together as far as the cross
roads where their paths diverged, one go
ing to her farm house in the valley, and
the other to her dairy on the hillside.
IL know it, replied Mrs. Phelps, with
Il sigh, land what is to be done? Here
we are at the beginning Of a new church
year, and | have been thinking more
than common about it for month past.
| We sustain regular worship on Sunday,
we keep up our prayer meetings, our
pastor seems to be in earnest in the work
OF saving souls as we'll as of building up,
but still no souls are given us. There
has not been an addition to the church
during all the last year. We had great
hopes of Jane Baker, but she took a milf,
said about humility, and went off and
joined the Episcopalans at W."
IL know it," said Mrs. Judd, land |
have been thinking of something heard
at a fellowship meeting last winter: If
your church is not in such a flourishng
condition as you could wish, go to work
in some new way for its advancement
| Now, Mrs Phelps, what can we do ? You
and | and Mrs. Miller, Mary Dean and
Susan Fisher among us sisters are the
only ones, perhaps, we can count upon
with any certainty"
The two good women were at the cor
her by this time, and now they tarried
under the shade of a wide spreading,
gnarled old oak, for the September sun
was hot, although there was a Fremont
ton Of chilliness in the air, and the purp-
ling leaves Of tn e oak tree seemed to rus
tie: "No use no use,'
1--WE might take up a course of Bible
readng." said Mrs. Judd.
II have thought Of that myself. But
if we begin anything we must sustain it
and we all live so far apart it will be
hard for us to get together"
"Well, we will think about it, and pray
over it. and We will confer together again
next sunday"
1t was decided after service that Sun
day. as the five faithful, earnest women
stood in a little group on the south side
of the pretty white church, that they
would organize a meeting for Bible study
to be held twice a month at the house of
Susan Fisher, who was a maiden lady
and lived alone. Then her residence
was nearer common center than that of
any ot the other four devoted women
would he. They were to take up the sub
ject Of Faith at first, and SO 90 on to 9th
eT topics The pastor was asked to give
notice Of the meeting, the topic and the
object. which was: ''Biblc study and
prayer for the purpose of bringing new
| life and increased zeal into the church."
/ All were cordially invited
Week after week the notice was read,
and on two afternoons in each month
Mrs Judd came from the hill, Mrs Phelps
/ from The valley, Mary Dean left her
dressmaking, Mrs. Miller walked three
miles, often in a storm and through the
snow over a bleak country road, and Su-
san Fisher made her little parlor bright
and pleasant for them. The meetings
4 were helpful and interesting. There was
more upon faith in the Scriptures than
\ they ever dreamed of; the fruitful, com
T tnrting, Strengthening subject widened
/ and deepened their hearts were expand
/ ed by it, and it illumined their lives and
4 the lives Of all with whom they came in
\ contact But the church as body re
NAMED cold and there were no CONVEX
sions in the community; they saw no re
suits
\ Were these devoted women discour-
\ aged Not at all. Through spring mud
I and summer heat they faithfully kept on
/ one day at the close of their meeting
\ Miss Fisher said, Il have in my Bible a
/ list of the names of the members of our
4 church and congregation and others out
! side for whom am praying. Every time
~ hot,, I
my private devotions, | spread these
names out before me and pray for each
one. The writing down the names may
seem useless or affected, but, sisters it is
doing something. 1t seems to make the
work more definite, it brings these dear
people nearer my heart, and | pray for
them more specifically and earnestly, |
think. If any one of them has special
need or hindcring fault. in my judgment,
which, trust, is discriminating and kind,
make a note of that beneath the name
and make special petition OF that.
pray that all may be renewed in grace,
may be led to the prayer yermeeting, to the
house of God on the Sabbath, and that
there may be precious revival of Gods
work in this tOWn"
The four ether women were touched
| by the recital of this beautiful yet simple
| plan and each in her turn made out such
a list to be prayed for day by day. AS
the notices Of the semi monthly meetings
were now given out in church, this plan
Of special prayer for individu Is was
largely commented upon, some, a good
many it was hoped, who had not as yet
made the effort to attend, both men and
women, kept a prayer list in their Bibles
and every day spread these names Of the
unconverted and back sliding Christians
before the Lord.
This went on for three years from the
time these two sOul-loying, earnest sis
ters planned that meeting for Bible study
and special prayer with no tangible re
/ suit, no conversions, and then there was
! a great and genuine revival of religion in
| that town. There was no strikingly APP
/ parent cause for it, only those individuals
who had been prayed for so long and
earnestly felt the spirit moving in their
1 hearts, and were naturally led to church
and to the pray er meeting for confession,
repentance and salvation.
Mary Dean was i'll from an old and
chronic distemper that winter Mrs. Judd
WAS kept at home by illness in her family
and so that meeting would have been
given up bad it not been for the new life
that had come in The fresh interest in
the Scriptures brought forward SO many
new attendants that Susan Fishers little
rooms could not contain them, and they
were obliged to resort to the church yes
try.
"When we 90 down, God lifts the work
up, wrote Mrs. Judd to Mary Dean, and
the five faithful women thanked God that
He had helped them to make a special
effort for His blessed cause, and to sus-
tdiR it.
Are there not some who will take en-
couragement from this simple yet literal
ly true experience which was recently
brought to me from one of our Western
Statese The Congregationalist,
We are told "the evening wore on" but
we are never told what the evening wore
on that occasion. Was it the close of a
Iar