Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-03-06
THE DEACON'S WEEK.

The communion service OF January was
| Just over In the church at Sugar Hollow, and
people were waiting for Mr.. Parkes 10 give
out the hymn, but he did not give 1t out; he
laid his book down on tho table, aud looked
about on his church.
| lie was man Of simplicity and sincerity,
fully In earnest to do his Lords work, and do
it with all his might but he did sometimes
feel discouraged. His congregation was a
| mixture OF farmers and mechanics, for Sugar
Hollow was cut In two by Sugar brook, a
| brawliUg, noisy stream that turned the
| wheel of many mill aud mandatory, yet on
the hills around IL there was still scattered
| population eating their bread in the full per-
| cepiion Of the primevai cuise. SO he had to
| contend with the keen brain and skeptical
comment of the men who piqued themselves
| on power to hammer at theological problems
as well as hot iron, with the jealousy and re-
| pulsion and bitter feeling that has bred the
| communistic hordes abroad and at home (;
while perhaps he had still harder task to
awaken the sluggish souls of those who used
their days to struggle with barren hillside
and rocky pasture for mere food and cloth
lug, and their nights to sleep the dull sleep
Of physical fatigue and mental vacuty.
1t seemed sometimes to Mr.. Parkes that
nothing but the trump OF Gabriel could
arouse his people from their sins and make
them believe on the Lord and follow His
footsteps. To-day-no-a long time before
today he had mused and prayed till an idea
took shape in his thought, and now he was
to put 1t in practice yet he felt peculiarly
responsible and solemnized as he looked
about him and toreboded the success of his
experiment Then there flashed across hiln,
as words of Scripture will come back tn the
habitual Bible-reader, the noble utterance of
Gamaliel concerning Peter and his brethren
when they stood before the council I" II
this counsel or this work be of men, it will
come to naught but if ii be of God ye can
not overthrow it." SO with sense of
strength the minister spoke.
My dear friends" he said, "yJu all
know, though j did not give any notice to
that effect, that this week is the Week of
Prayer. have mind 10 ask you to make
II for this once a week OF practice instead. /
think we may discover some things, some of
the things OF God, in this manner, that a sue
cession OF prayer-meetings would not per-
haps so thoroughly reveal to u.s. Now%hen
l say this don't mean to have you go home
and vaguely endeavor to walk straight in the
old way want you to take topics as they
are called for the prayer-meetings. For in
stance, Monday is prayer for the temperance
work. Try all that day to be temperate in
speech, in act, in indulgence OF any kind
that Is hurtiul to you. The next day Is tor
Sunday schools go and visit your scholars,
such OF you as are teachers and try to feel
81
day is a day for fellowship meeting we are
cordially invited to attend a union meeting
of this sort at Bantam. Few of us can go
twenty-five miles to be with our brethren
there; let US spend that day in cultivating
our brethren here ; let us go and see those
who have been cold to us for some reason,
heal up our breaches of friendship, confess
our shortcomings one to another, and act as
il, in our Masters words all We are breth-
rem.
Thursday is the day to pray Tor the fam
lily relation let us each try to be to our fam
lilies on that day in our measure what the
LORD Is to His family, the church, remem-
bering the words, Fathers, provoke not
your children to anger (; Husbands, love
your wives and be not bitter against them
These are the texts rarely commented upon,
| have noticed, in our con ference meetings
we are more apt to speak of the obedience
due from children, and the submission and
meekness our wives owe us, forgetting that
duties are always reciprocal
" Friday the church is to be prayed for.
Let us then each tor himself try TO act that
day, just as we think Christ our great Ex-
emplar, would have acted in our places.
Let US try to prove TO ourselves aud the
world about us that we have not taken upon
US His name lightly or in vain. Saturday is
prayer-day for the heathen and foreign mis-
sions. Brethren, you know and / know
that there are heathen at our doors here let
every one of you who will, take that day to
preach the gospel TO some one who does not
hear 1t anywhere else. Perhaps you will
find work that ye know not OF lying In your
midst. And let us all on Saturday evening
meet here again and choose some one brother
10 relate his experience of the week. You
who are willing To try this method, please to
rise"
Everybody rose except old Amos Tucker,
who never stirred, though his wife pulled at
him and whispered TO him implorngly. He
only shook his grizzled head and sat immov-
able.
Let us sing the doXology," said Mr.
Parkes ; and it was sung with full teryOr
The new idea had reused the church fully
il was something fixed and positive to do
it was the ever-point Archimedes longed
for, and each felt ready and strong to move
a world.
Saturday night the church assembled again.
The cheerful eagerness was gone from their
faces ; they looked downcast, troubled
weary, az the pastor expected. When the
box tor ballots was passed about each one
tore a bit of paper from the sheet placed in
the hymu-books for that purpose and wrote
on it name. The pastor said, after he had
counted them
Deacon Emmons, the lot has fallen on
you"
I'm sorry for t." said the deacon, rising
up and taking of his overcoat. ~ han't
got the best of records, Mr.. Parkes now /
tell ye.".
That isn't what we want" said Mr..
Parkes ave want to know the whole ex-
you will not tell us either more or less than
what you did experience"
Deacon Emmons was a short, thick-set
man, with a shrewd, kindly face and gray
hair, who kept the village store, aud had a
well-earned reputation for honesty.
"Well, BRETHREN" said he /" dono whv
| shouldn't tell il. | am pretty well
ashamed of myself, no doubt, but ought to
be, and maybe | shall profit by what I've
found out these six days back. I'll tell you
just as it come. Monday | looked about me
10 begin with. | am amazing fond of coffee,
and 1t ant good for me, the doctor says it
ant but dear me, il does set a man up
good, cold mornings, to have q cup OF hot,
sweet, tasty drink, and | haven't had the
grit to refuse ! knew II made me what
folks call nervous, and / call cross before
night come and ! knew il fetched on spells
o! low spirits when our folks couldn't get
word out of me-not a good one, any way !;
so l thought I'd try on tina. TO begin with.
| tell you il come hard +! | hankered after
that drink of cOitee dreadful +! Seemed as
though couldn't eat my breakfast without it.
/ feel to pity man that loves liquor moren
ever did in my life before but ! feel sure
| they can stop if they try, for I've stopped,
| and I'm agOin' TO stay stopped.
Well, come to dinner, there was another
| tight ! do set by pie the most OF anything
| l was fetched up on pie, as you may say
| Our folks always had it three times Il day,
| and the doctor he's been talkin' and talkin'
| to me about eatn' pie. ! have the dyspepsy
| like everything, and 1t makes me useless by
| spells, and unreliable as a weather.cock. An
| Doctor Drake he says there won't nothing
| hplp me- but diet. | WAS rpa1in' the RiblB