The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-01-25
PRAYER In BATTLE.
GEN. HOWARD CITES INSTANCES Of ITS EFFICACY.
WRITTEN roR THE SUNDAY INDEPENDENT.

would be sire 10 90 wrong" Here was d
eonstrNint and impulse beyond chose which
came from tho ordinary conscience.
They kept hin solid ut his post out Of
battle and In battle. They impaired che
same discipline 10 his men nj oil times and
made them partakcfs Of his i~mpcrturbnble
character, n~nconquernble In battle. These
exhibitions were even more marked In Gen.
Y. y. Grant. "H0 must not do that! II he
should he would DO flying in the face Of
providence He could not swear, the feel
ing Of Gods presence was 30 strong. II in
splred him with courage whom other hearts
failed. IL kept him on the offensive till the
sin Of slavery and rebellion had been SUBJ
dued. This as we have endeavored to OK
press y was his own view; that Is, the
lords hand is in this contest. When We
shall have suffered enough to bring US to
our proper senses then we shall have the
strong courage to meet the enemy aud pre-
vail.
Abraham Lincoln, the more he suffered
IN spirit. the more he pondered the prob
lens OF war. ; The more he prayed In secret,
50 much the more was he able to see the do
ings OF God and interpret them to his peo-
pie III those messages 80 beautiful in their
simplicity and 80 marvellous in their wis
dom. FY, t4Yfsa
These were a revelation to all from the
small to the great. To most minds tho
northern revulsion Of sentiment after the
oumptsr affair WAS a direct work Of provi-
dence. 1t was SO contagious. 30 simuitan-
eous, so universal. We cried out 1.-THE
union; it must be preserved" Men brought
nected with it instantly reversed the wheels
OF their whole being. bhckled on the armor
and went forth, without conjunction Of
conscience to fields Of strife. But one asks,
How about the other side? Where there
was an equal sincerity and a like unani-
nifty! The spirit was not the same. Yet in
neither the union nor the confederacy was
there positive clearness Of conscience. The
union clouds would not clear till our lead
er'S purpose was absolute and fixed that
bondage should be destroyed.
1t must always be remembered that the
Lords prophets on the subject Of slavery
prosecuted un%sparingly in the north.
drove them from her shores,
Illinois hanged them to the nearest
rec. The lord guided the terrible conflict
ill both north and south were brought to
repentance in the asheso of great losses and |
'uperabundant affection. Indeed, He
moves in a mysterious way his wonders to |
PERFORM
There is another illustration which the
writer has given before, but from its apt |
aess he will venture to repeat. It shows
nov the prayers Of two men who are lead
FRS on opposite sides may be directly an
without a violation of the idea of
providential care and supervision. There
we're " army corps opposed to each other
n the terrific conflict of Charlottesville.
The commanders of each were known to be
men of prayer. They both besouQht the
for success, always adding, mot nv
will but Thine be DONE" Doubtless both
equally sincere.
The union general suffered a dreadful de-
Eeat and was made to pass through the dark
valley of humiliation like the prophet of
wanted to die.
The confederate general had an abund-
ant success. He overwhelmed his enemy
numbers, when triumphant shouts
hlled the air, but in the dark wood that lay
the two armies, when he was re-
connoitering during the night, probably for
2 renewal Of the conflict at the dawn, he
fell mortaliy wounded. and was carried to
the rear soon to die. He had gained his
victory. his life had ended in the coveted
glory and his prayer was fully answered.
Blu the union officer feeling The Chas-
Handd did not give up the prayer.
From that time success set in upon him and
his cause, and he lived to zee the union re-
stored and the blot of Slavery wiped forever
from the land. So to the pleading soul it
Is often darkest just before the dawn.
In some similar way the Lord heareth
and answereth every servant under His
providential sky. O. O. HowARD.
DOWNRIGHT.