Milford chronicle., 1888-12-28

scof at it, who have been drawn by the
power Of prayer, until they ran to the altar
crying out for mercyi Did not the black
smith in Lyons, n. Y, pray to God until
there came great awakening that shook the
communityl
A STORY OF how PRAYERS WERE ANSWERED
In my parish in Philadelphia one night at
a meeting asked a young man to 20 into
room at the side Of the church and talk upon
the theme Of religion. He grew violently
angry, and shook his fists at me. We re
solved to pray for that young man, and we
prayed that he might yield his soul 70 God,
And when, next night at the meeting. the
side door was flung open, he was the first to
step in. Prayer had captured him. had a
classmate In college, whose uncle, DR.. John
Scudder, Of India, wrote to him, saving, 81
will pray for you every day until such day.
and then will give my attention to some
other subject The last day Of these prayers,
when they had all gathered up before the
throne Of God, my classmate surrendered his
soul to Jesus. This is no second hand story.
saw the letter, and knew the young man.
But why should / go 50 fart have had
in my own experience, and have had in
the history Of my own family, the evidence
that God answers prayer. Ny mother, with
week and prayed for their children; they
kept up that prayer meeting Of four persons
year after year. The world knew nothing OF
1t. God answered all those prayers. All the
group came in; the eleven sons and daughters
Of my mother came in, myself the last.
Sickness came to my household-hopeless
sickness, as it seemed to many. At o'clock
on Saturday afternoon the invalid was car.
ried TO the steamer for Savannah. At II
O'Clock the next day, being Sunday, standing
in this very place, a man Of God prayed for
the recovery Of the sick one. At that time,
II o'clock, she who had been prostrated three
weeks, with some help walked up on deck
The occurrence was as near to being miracu-
lous as | can imagine. That she was hope
lessly sick, people who sat up with her night
after night, and are here, can testify. That
the prayer for her recovery was offered In
this pulpit, thousands Of people could testify
That at II o'clock on that Sunday morning
she walked up on deck, as by miraculous
recovery, call the passengers on the San
Jacinto, commanded by Capt Atkins, Dec
IS, to testify. This Is no second hand story,
Prayer impotentl II dared to think there
was no force in prayer, methinks God, after
all he has done for me and mine would strike
me dead. Prayer impotentl Why it Is the
mightiest force IN the universe. Lightning
has no speed, the Alpine avalanche has no
power compared with it.
Win you let the distractions and the vaga-
ries of few skeptics or a good many skep-
tics, stand beside the experience Of Gen
Havelock, who came out in front Of the Eng
lish army, lifted his hat, and called upon the
Lord Almighty or Of George Washington,
who at Valley Forge was found upon his
knees in prayerl or Of William WiIber-
force, who went from the British parliament
to the closet Of devotionl or of Latimer, who
stood with his hands ON fire, In martyrdom,
praying for bis persecutorsl Was
Washington weaki Was Havelock weak
Was Wilberforce weaki Was Latimer
weaki Bring all the affairs Of your store, OF
your soul, of your body, Of your friends, OF
your church, before him, and the great day
Of eternity will show you that the best in
vestments you ever made were your prayers
and though you may have broken promises
you made to God, God never broke his prom
ises to you. Let God be true, though every
man be found q liar.
PRAYERS ARE ALMOST INVARIABLY An
swERED
And now, in conclusion, have to present
you some checks, blank checks on the bank
of heaven, written in blood, and signed by
the hand wounded on the cross It is not
safe for you to give blank check with your
name to it. You do not know what might
be written above. But here is a blank check
which God says can give you; it is signed
by the handwriting Of the Lord Jesus Christ,
and you can fill it up with anything you
want to- ask, and it shall be given to you;
seek, and ye shall fnd.n / do not say that
your prayer will be answered in just the way
you expect, but do say it will be answered
in the best way. Obi will you trust himl
This is the outcome Of all this subject
II l should ask the men and women in this
audience who have found God a prayer
answering God to rise up, you would nearly
all rise up. In time Of darkness and trouble,
as in time of light and prosperity, be an
swered you. I commend you to that God to
whom your parents dedicated you in in
fancy. They believed so much in prayer
that their last word was a supplication
for you. Having heard you in days
Of prosperity, he will not reject your last
petition when in the darkened room, after
they have wiped tho dew Of death from your
brow, and the whole group Of loved ones
have kissed you good-by, you have only
strength enough left to pray; Lord Jesus,
receive my spiritl"