The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1892-06-15
to the gallery, heard the inquiry and told

copCeu1rosuB au uer prayers COr particular
persons in that church. She would see some
man or some woman present. and, though
she might not know the PERSONS name, she
would pray for that person until he or she
was converted to God. All her prayers were
for that one person-iust that ona She
waited and waited for communion days to
see when the candidates for membership
stood up whether her prayers had been effect
ual. 1t turnei out that these marvellous in
stances Of conversion were the result Of that
old woman's prayers as she sat in the gallery
Sabbath by Sabbath, bent and wizened and
poor and unnoticed.
A little cloud OF consecrated humanity
lowering in the galleries. That tina
secret place Of the thunder. There Is some
hidden. unknown, mysterious source OF
almost all the moral aud religious power
demonstrated. Not one out Of million
not one out Of ten million-prayers ever
strikes human ear. On public occasions
minister Of religion voices the supplications
of an assemblage, but the prayers OF all the
congregation ara in silence. There is not q
second in a century when prayers are not
ascending, but myriads Of them ara not even
as loud as a whisper, for God hears thought
as plainly as a vocalization. That silence Of
supplication-h aud perpetual
is the secret place Of thunder.
In the winter Of 1875 we were worshiping
in the Brooklin Academy Of Music in the in:
terregnum Of churches. We had the usual
great audiences, but I was oppressed beyond
measure by the fact that conversions were
not more numerous. One Tuesday in vited
TO my house five old, consecrated Christian
men-all Of them gone now, except Father
Pearson. and he, IN blindness and old age,
waiting for the Masters call to come up
higher.
These old men came, not knowing why
had invite1 them. took them to the top
room Of my house. said to them: II have
called you here for special prayer. l am in
an agony for a great turning to God OF the
people. We have vast multitudes in atten-
dance end they are attentive and respectful
but cannot see that they are saved. Let
'us kneel down and each one pray and not
leave this room until we are all assured
that the blessing will come and has come"
1t was most intense crying unto God. |
said, Brethren, let this meeting bea secret"
and they said it would be. That Tuesday
night special service ended.
On the following Friday night occurred
the usual prayer meeting. No ons knew OF
what had occurred ON Tuesday, night hnt
the meeting was unusually tbronged. Men
accustomed to pray in public in great COM
posure broke down under emotion. The
people were in tears. There were sobs
and silences and solemnities of such unusual
power that the worshipers looked into each
others faces as much as to say, wv hat
does all this mean% And when the follow.
ing Sabbath came. although we were in
secular place, over rour hundred arose for
prayers, and religious awakening took
place that made that winter memorable for
time and for eterlity. There may be in
this building many who were brought to
God during that great ingathering but few
Of them know that the upper room In my
house on Quincy street, where those five old
Christian men poured out their souls before
God, was the secret place of thunder.
The day will come-God hasten it-when
people will find out the velocity, the ma
jesty, the multipotence OF prayer. Webrag
about our limited express trains which put
us down thousand miles away in twenty
four hours but here is something by which
in moment we may confront people i've
thousand miles away. We brag about our
telephones, but here is something that beats
the telephone in utterauce and reply, for
We brag about the phonograph, in which q
man can speak, and his words and the tones
of his voice can be kept for ages, and by the
turning of crank the words may come
forth upon the ears OF another century, but
prayer allows us to speak words into tts ears
Of everlasting remembrance. and On the
other side Of all eternities they will be heard.
Oh, ye who are wasting your breath, and
wasting your brains and wasting your
nsrves, and wasting your lungs wishing for
this good and that COOL for the church and
the world why do you not go into the secret
place OF thunder.
"But" says some one, that is beautiful
theory, yet it does not work in my case, for
am in cloud Of trouble or cloud OF
Sickness or a clond of persecution, or
cloud Of poverty, or q cloud Of bereavement,
or cloud Of perplexity." How glad am
that you told me that. That Is exactly the
place to which my text refers. It was from
a cloud that God answered Israsl-the cloud
the cloud that was light to the Israslites and
darkness to the Egyptians. It was from
cloud, tremendous cloud, that God made
reply. It was a cloud that was the secret
place OF thunder. So you cannot get away
from the consolation Of my text by talking
that way. Let all the people under cloud
hear it. 81 answered thee in the secret place
Of thunder"
This subject helps me to explain some
things you have not understood about men
and women, and there are mulhtudes Of
them, and the multitude Is multiplying by
the minute. Many Of them have not
superabuudancs OF education. II you had
their brain in q post-mortem examination,
and you could weigh it, it would not weigh
any heavier than the average. They have
NOT anything especially impressive IN per-
sonal appearance They are not very fluent
of tongue. They pretend to nothing unusual
in mental faculty or social influence, but
you feel their power; you are elevated IN
their presence; you are better man or q
better woman, having confronted them.
You know that in intellectual endowment
you are their superior, while in the matter
Of moral and religious influence thew are
vastly your superior. Why Is thiss
To find the revelation OF this secret you
must 60 back thirty or forty or perhaps sixty
years to the homestead where this man was
brought up. It is winter morning, and tbs
tailow candle is Lighted, and the fres ara
Hndled, sometimes the shavings hardly
enough to start the wood. The mother is
preparing the breakfast, the blue edged
dishes are on the table, and the lid Of the
kettle on the hearth begins to rattle with the
steam, and the shadow OF the industrious
woman by the Pickering fame on the hearth
is moved up and down tbs wall. The father
thrown into the horses bin and the cattle
craunching the corn. The children, earlier
than they would like and after being called
twice, are gathered at the table.
The blessing of God is asked on the food,
and, the meal over, the family Bible is put
upon the white tablecloth and chapter is
read and prayer made. which includes au
the interests for this world and the next.
The children pay not much attention to the
prayer, for it g about the same thing day
after day, but it puts upon them an impress
sion that ten thousand years will only make
more vivid and tremendous. As long as the
old folks live their prayer is for their chill
dren and their children's children. Day in
and day out month in and month out, year