The Penn's Grove record., 1889-01-12

John Paul, Peter, and King Hezekiah'
Tell me. We ancient battle-helds, ye
Oriental threshlng- floors, ye Judear
corn.felds. We Galilean fishing-smacks,
is God deaf and dumb and blind before
all human petitionp That God answers
prayer, | bring the
TEN MILLION FACTS OF cHRIsTENDoM
to proye. There has never paper en-
onph come out of the paper-mills to
write the story. Has not many a moth
er prayed back her bad boy from the
ends Of the earth-from Canton, from
Madras. from Constantinople- until
he knelt beside her in the old home.
steadp Have there not been despera-
does and renegades who have looked
into the door Of a prayer-meeting to
laugh and scott at it, who have been
drawn by the power OF prayer, until
tbev ran to the altar crying out for
mercyP Did not the blacksmith In
Lyons, n. Y, pray to God until there
came a great awakening that shook the
community.
INMY PARISH
in Philadelphia one night, at o meeting,
1 asked a young man 10 60 into a room
at the side of the church, and talk
mon the theme of religion. He grew
violently angry, and shook his flsts at
me. We resolved to pray for that
Young man, and we prayed that he
might yield his soul to 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. l lad a classmate in college,
whose uncle, DR.. John Scudder, OF
India, wrote to him, saying: 81 will
pray for you every day until such q
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,
nv classmate surrendered his soul to
Jesus. This is no secondhand story.
| saw the letter, and l knew the young
man.
But why should l go go farp I have
had in my own experience, and 1 have
had in the history of my own family
the evidence that God answers prayer.
My mother, with three Christian
women. assembled week after week,
and prayed for their children; they
kept up that prayer-meetlng OF four
persons year after year. The world
knew nothing of it. God answered all
those prayers. All the group came in;
the eleven sons and daughters OF my
mother, myself the last.
SICKNESS CAME TO MY HOUSEHOLD
Hopeless sickness, as it seemed to
many, AT 8 o'clock on Saturday after
noon the invalid was carried to the
steamer for Savannah. At II O'Clock
the next day, being Sunday. standing
in this very place, a nan of God prayed
for the recovery Of the sick one. at
that time, II o'clock, she who had
been Frustrated three weeks, with some
help, walked up on deck. The occur
renee was as near to being miraculous
as l can imagine. That she was hope
lessly sick, people who sat up with her
night after night, and are here. car
testify. That the prayer for her re-
covery was offered in this pulpit, thou
sands of people could testify. That at
IL O'Clock ON that Sunday morning she
walked up on deck, as by a miraculous
recovery, l call the passengers on the
San Jaciato, commanded by Captain
Atkins, December I6, to testify. This
IS no secondhand story.
Prayer impotentl If l 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 nc
power, compared with it.
PRAYING HEROES.
Will you let the distractions and the
vagaries of a few sceptics, or a good
many sceptics, stand beside the expert
ence Of General Havelock, who came
| out in front of the English army. lifted
his hat, and called upon the Lord Al
mighty? or of George Washington,
who at Valley Forge was found upon
his knees in prayerp or of William VIII
berforc, who went from the British
Parliament to the closet of devotion?
or of Latimer, who stood with his hands
on fire, in martyrdom, praying for his
prosecutors? Was Washington weak?
Was Havelock weak? Was Wilber-
force weakY Was Latimer weak?
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 Investments you ever
made were your prayers, and though
you may have broken promises you
made to God, God never broke His
promises to you. Let God be true,
though every man be found a liar.
And now, in conclusion, ! have to
present you some cheques,
BLANK CHEQUES ON THE BANK
Of heaven, written in blood, and signed
BY the hand wounded on the cross. 1t
is not safe for you to give a blank
cheque with your name to it. You do
not know what might be written above.
But here is a blank cheque which God
says | can give you; it is signed BY the
handwriting of the Lord Jesus Christ,
and you can I'LL it up with anything
you want to. TASK and it shall be
given to you. l do not say that your
prayer will be answered in just the
way you expect, but I do say it Will be
answered in the best way. Oh! will you
test Him? This is the outcome Of all
this subject.
If ! 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, He answered you.
| commend you to that God to whom
your parents dedicated you in infancy.
They believed 50 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 the dew OF death
from your brow, and the whole group
Of loved ones have kissed you goodbye.
you have only strength enough left to
pray. Lord Jesus receive my spiritl''