Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1884-02-18
geligipas Department.
PRAYER AND BREAKFAST

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PRAYER AND BREAKFAST.
Some years ago, when the country
around Cincinnati was newer than
it is now, a pious farmer was busy
clearing his land. He had number
of hands employed, and was anxious
to accomplish large amount of work,
while the weather was favorable. He
called them early, and went out with
them before breakfast was ready. A
horn was blown, and they came in
and ate and returned again to their
work. The farmer had been accus-
toned to have prayers every morn
ing in his family. But to keep SO
many men from chopping and log
rolling while he read and prayed was
more than he could afford SC Satan
suggested and the good man yielded.
His pious wife saw with grief that the
family altar was neglected that her
husband, ia haste to get rich, was de-
parting from God. She talked with
him; she pleaded with him, but in
vain. At last she determined to try
another experiment. The next morn
ing the farmer and his men went out,
as usual, to their work. The sun be-
gan to climb up tie sky, but no
breakfast horn was heard. They grew
hungry, and looked anxiously towards
the house; they listened, but still the
expected summons did not come.
After waiting an hour or two beyond
the usual time, they went into the
house. No table was set, no coffee
was boiling on the fire, no cook over
OF before it. The good wife was
knitting quietly. with the bible on
her lap. "What does this mean 2"
cried the husband; ''why isn't our
breakfast ready?' 81 thought you
were in such a hurry about your work
that you hadn't any time to eat it,
s'Have time to eat it Do you think
we can live without eating? 2" "You
can live without eating as well as
without praying. The spirit needs
the bread of heaven as much as the
body needs the bread of earth
"WeH, well,' said the farmer,
"get US some breakfast, and we will
have prayers again every morning,
no matter how busy we are, or how
many workmen have" She got the
breakfast and he kept his word. The
lesson was a good one and never
forgotten.
We know of Week of PRAYER in
which on the last night but one a lit
tie boy rose all alone in the congre-
cation and said that night he had
given his heart to Christ. The meet
| ING closed. No one thanked God for
that boys conversion. No one saw
in that "a cloud no bigger than Il
mans hand' of a coming rain. No
one said: ssThere? Praise the Lord.
the rain cometh. No one said :
"Let us take courage; for where one
nugget of gold is found there will
surely be more hard by" A mother
asked prayers for her son, for whom
she had been for weeks in distress.
But it was only one request, and that
from a woman little known in the
congregation. But the church does
not wake up to the fact that these
were signs of harvest. And so we
fear it will come to pass that the
church will rub her sleepy eyes and
say: '.There is no harvest this year, y
and Ego to Sleep again for another
twelve months. Who knows what
the silent and invisible Spirit is doing
among us? Who knows how many
souls, like standing grain, are ripen-
ing, and also, it may be, rotting OIL
the field for lack of believing mel
and women to go forth and reap
Who knows how many hearts are be
ing burdened in secret for Zion, Will,
the reapers are saying: "There ar'
yet four months and then cometh th'
harvest" Oh for faith to take ou
Master at his word and 60 forth an(
reap.