The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-03-05
A Man of Faith.

tanned, week or two ago, from various
ecclesiastical meetings in which he had
been appointed to perform important
duties, by the illness and death of Stephen
Nj. Edgill, an honored member Of his
church. Who was this man for whose
sake Congregational councils were dissap-
pointed ? A writer in the Advance dis
closes the secret of his life in the follow
ing touching and instructive recital: Ten
years ago | met this man in st. Louis. He
was layman in Pilgrim church, which
had then a great building, but only little
more than one hundred members. Earlier,
when the church was in its infancy, he
used, himself, to carry bundles of kin
dlings and baskets of coal to the chapel,
and fill the lamps, to save the feeble
flock the cost of sexton. | had not been
long out of the seminary, and with others
can never forget his helpful way with
young ministers who sometimes stood in
Pilgrim pulpit. ! had heard of his be-
nevolence sometimes amounting to tens of
thousands in single year, of his modest,
unobtrusive way of helping the poor and
needy, of his pure life unspotted by the
world, of his business integrity, the motto
of the commercial centre where he had
lived for almost half a century. But one
incident in his life is more to me than all
else that may be said of him, now that he
is gone. His pastor, DR.. Goodell, was in
Europe, his family away, and his asso-
ciates in business occupied. At such a
time received a pressing invitation to
come and see him alone in his room.
When we were seated, the doors being
closed and the curtains drawn, he said :
"You know the troubles in the business
world ?" eyes" "Did it ever occur to
you that while so many others are going
down, might fail ?" "No." "Please
look over these papers," We spent over
an hour on this. At its close he said /:
"Now you see how it is. l have been
helping these men in other cities, carrying
them to save their credit, as | hoped.
They have failed, or at least suspended
payment. They have my money. Stocks
have gone down to almost nothing. | can
not see beyond the next five days. 1t may
not be utter ruin, but it looks like it now"
Though usually man of few words, he
talked for a long time about these fearful
possibilities-of that dreadful, ill.matched
pair, old age and want. At last he said /:
"You know that | have each year set
dSlQc Ouc-lcubu VI lHCOulC buC
Lord, and given it freely. You know that
l have often gone beyond that thought
l was sincere in it, but God may have
seen pride and selfshness, where sus-
pected it not" There l interrupted him.
could not bear to hear that. knew it
was not so, for purer, humber man l
had not known. But he went on: "When
l was converted, said, Now cannot
speak in meeting as others can. cannot
pray as others do; have no such talent,
but will make money for the Lord and
pray in secret. will stand in my place
and do what can But, see how it has
come out-and-" All this time he had
restrained his feeling and held back the
tears, but when he only half mentioned
the name of the loved one, the light of his
home, he broke down and wept aloud.
But what is to be done, what can do?'
"Pray." And there, with the stocks and
notes and accounts before us, we kne)t
down, and as did Hezekiah of old, this
man spread it all out before heaven and
talked to God about it as a child talks to
its mother. | never heard such prayer
before, and perhaps shall never again
Then we were silent for a long time
When he arose his face was as the face OF
an angel. Jacob had met his Lord at the
Jabbok and prevailed. God had sent hi:
angel of peace. His tears were falling
like rain, but they were tears of joy now
81 do not know just how, but it Is surely
coming out all right" he said. 1t was
my turn then, and proposed praise
meeting. He read psalm from the
Bible, which he kept always in his desk
Now, one may have what theories hi
chooses about special answer to prayer
We shall not quarrel about that. W.
know that prayer is often answered ou
of the line of the request answered in {
wiser and better way than the petitioner
knew how to ask. In three days tn,
whole situation of this mans business
affairs had changed. Those he had trustee
did not fail. Stocks went up instead o
down, and within a year everything with
my friend was as prosperous as ever
Would you like to know the passage tina
he read that day? 1t was the forty-sixtl
Psalm: "God is our refuge and strength
very present help in trouble. Therefor
will not we fear, though the earth be re
moved, and though the mountains be car
ried into the midst of the sea Though
the waters thereof roar and be troubled
though the mountains shake with tn
swelling thereof. There is river tn
streams whereof make glad the city O
God, the holy place of the tabernacles o
the Most High"