The Penn's Grove record., 1889-03-02

he ha1 power WHO 0Ou, III piosaiioui
nd the people OF Gods choice aud cove
amt aud grace have ever since not only
borne his better than royal name, but
Inherited his more than princely power.
pfayer may be said to rule 10 the
Kingdom Of nature, the Kingdom oil
providence, and the Kingdom OF grace.
for 1t has influence with him who Is
King in all these Kingdoms. 1t touches
and sways the scepter Of the King OF
Kings, the Lord Of heaven and earth.
Why, It Is the mightiest force In the
universe; lightning has no speed, the
Alpine avalanche has no power, COM
pared to it. 1t is the power that moves
the arm that moves the universe.
II then 1t be a fact that prayer lie a
real power, as real a power as steam.
or powder, or lightning, or gravity; II
it be q fact that all real success in our
Christian life depends OF power from
on high and If power from on high
comes only In answer to prayer, and
prayer to he effectual must be offered
up in faith, then is 1t not a fact that 10
proportion as our faith in prayer is
%subyerted, in Just that proportion will
the power of prayer be paraly zsd, and
the aggressive energy Of On. l~stlanlty
be hopelessly destroyed And yet II
any reliance Is to be put upon the wo d
of God, it is not q vain thing 10
pray to him. Christ SO assures his
disciples when he says, "Where
two OF you shall agree as touching any
thing that We shall ask 1t shall be
done," and "All things whatsoever ye
shall ask In prayer believing, ye shall
receive" Relying u,on such promises
as these, the Apostles after Christ's AS
cension, continued in The upper room,
In prayer and duplication, as IL they
expected by their prayers to open
Heavens windows, and they dad. And
all along the track of the Church's
history, from the beginning until now.
are scattered memorials Of answers 70
prayers.
See, here Is a little company of
Christian people PROSTATE before the
Lord IN prayer. The burden of souls
is on their hearts, and they cast theft
burden on the Lord. They are full often.
der solicitude for their neighbors and
friends. They have exhausted all Other
resources and expedients, and now
they can only pray to Him. And 10,
even while they pray their neighbors
and friends come running together, as
did the people on the day of Pen.
tecost. ;mpelled, constrained, by the
mighty power Of God. that came upon
them In answer to prayer.
Let me give you a picture. Here is
a wilful, wild and Maynard boy, that
has strayed afar from his fathers
house, and almost broken his mothers
heart. She cannot put her arms about
him as she used to, and she cannot
reach her son by her prayers. She
does not cease to pray for HIM. "Oh,
that Ishmael might live before Thee,'
is the constant cutlery of her an
guished heart. And now while her cry
Is going up in PHILADELPHIA, God hears.
and in New York a boy is so troubled
that he cannot find comfort in his cups,
or Joy In his boon companlonshlps. He
wanders through the streets in a dazed,
bewildered SOFT Of a way. lie goes. the
knows not whittier, he wants, he knows
not what, he hears a sound that makei
him start, that makes him stop, though
his heart beats quicker than before II
is the sound of a sacred song. and the
song is one his mother had loved, and
he follows the sound. dra@n as by an
unseen but resistless magnet, until he
finds himself in t g house of God.
rivalled by the old gospel to which he
a small fraction only Of the many,
many instances on record, In which God
has heard HIS servants when they have
cried unto Him, and sent them every
blessing which they needed, and fol
which they prayed. There is no kind
or degree OF blessing, great or small
temporal or spiritual, winch has
not been borne on the wing.
Of prayer from heaven to earth.
There is no time or place, or form d
manner of prayer, public or private
by day or by night In the house of Goo
listened long ago. Now the tear will
come, and presently he is bowed IL
penltence, and then a little later risel
up with the joy of salvation sprlnginf
In his heart, and in the strength of
TRANSPORTED manhood. he enters upon {
new life of usefulness and happiness.
Now, I ask, what troubled him tina
nightp What drove him out a wanderel
on the streetsP What stoutly drew
him to the place of prayer, and to tn,
Savlour's feet? That mothers form
bowed yonder in her closet Is an only
and all sufficient answer. The secret
of the Lord is with them that feal
him. And this is not a strange ani
solitary instance. 1t is what is happen
ing every day.
It is said that in q certain town II
N. Y. there had been no revival fol
many years. The church had nearl.
run out, and desolation reigned un
broken. There lived In a certain
part of the town an aged black
smith. On one Friday he was at worl
In his shop alone. His mind be
came greatly exercised about the stat,
Of the church and the impenitent. Hi.
agony became so great that he wa!
compelled to lay aside his work, loci
up his shop and spend the afternoon in
prayer. He felt that he had prevailed
and on the Sabbath called upon hi
minister and asked him to appoint
meeting. After some hesitation, ht
consented. When evening eame more
assembled than could be accommodated
In the house where the meeting wa:
appointed. All was silent for a while
until one sinner broke out In tears ant
said il any one could pray he begged
him to pray for him. Another followed
and still another, until it was foun(
that persons from every part of thu
town were under deep conviction, ant
what was remarkable was that they
dated their conversion at the houl
when this man was praying in hi
shop.
The revival which began at Enfield
Mass, on the 9Th OF July. 1741. IN lei
a sermon preached by President Ell
wards, on the words: "Their feet shall
slide In due time" has long been con
sidered as one of the most powerful OF
record. The impression of Eterna
things was awful and overwhelming
Many knowing nothing of the his
tory of that work are surprised a
SO great effects from mi sermon Bu
the fact is that some Christians in tina
vicinity had become alarmed lest Go(
should in anger pass by that church