Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1892-06-10

her family worldly. She had at her house
the finest germans that were ever danced
and the costliest favors that were ever given,
and though she attended church she never
liked - hear any story of pathos, and as TO
religious emotion OF any kind, she thought
it positively vulgar. Wines, cards, theaters
rounds of costly gayety were TO her the
highest satisfaction.
One day a neighbor sent in visiting card,
and this lady came down the stairs in tears
and told the whole story of how she had not
slept for several nights, and she feared she
was going to lose her sou, and she wondered
il some one would not come around and pray
with her. From that time her entire de-
meanor was changed, and though she was
not called upon to sacrifice any OF her amenl'
ties of life, she consecrated her beauty, her
social position, her family, her ali to God ant
the church ard usefulness. Everybody sait
in regard to her: "Have you noticed thu
change and what in the world caused it?'
and no one could make satisfactory explaua,
ton.
In the course of two years, though there
was no general awakening in that church
many such isolated cases Of such unexpected
and unaccountable conversions took place.
The very people whom no one thought
would be affected by such considerations
were converted. The pastor and the officers
OF the church were on the lookout for the
solution of this religious phenomenon.
''Where is it, they said, land who is it and
what is itw At last the discovery was made
and all was explained. A poor old Christian
woman standing in the vestibule Of the
church one Sunday morning, trying to get
her breath again before she went I'D stairs
20 she gallery, heard the inquiry and told
the secret.
For years she had been in the habit of
concentrating all her prayers for particular
persons In that church. She would see some
ma 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. ALI her prayers were
Tor that one person-just that one. she
waited and waited for communion days to
see when the candidates for membership
stood up whether her prayers had been effect
ual. 1t turned 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 was the
secret place OF the thunder. There is some
hidden. unknown, mysterious source of
almost all the moral and religious power
demonstrated. Not one out of q MILTON
not one out Of ten million-prayers ever
strikes human ear. On public occasions
minister OF religion voices the supplicatons
OF an assemblage, but the prayers of all the
congregation are in silence. There is not
second in century when prayers are not
ascending, but myriads Of them are not even
as loud as a whisper, for God hears thought
as plainly as vocalization. That silence OF
Observation-Disclosures and 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 was oppressed beyond
measure by the fact that conversions were
not more numerous One Tuesday in vited
co 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 invited them. [ took them to the TOP
room OF my house. l said to them: 81 have
called you here for special prayer. am in
an agony for great turning to God of the
people. We have vast multitudes i'll atten-
dance end they are attentive and respectful.
but L 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 be secret"
and they said it would be. That Tuesday
night special service ended
On the following Friday night occurred
the usual prayer meeting No one knew of
what had occurred on Tuesday night but
the meeting was unusually thronged. Men
accustomed to pray in public in great COM
posture 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, ''What
does all this mean? And when the follow.
ing Sabbath came. although we were in
secular place. over four hundred arose for
prayers, and religious awakening took
place that made that winter memorable for
time and for eternity. 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 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 five
thousand miles away. We brag about our
telephones, but here is something that beats
the telephone in utterance and reply, for
God says, before they call, will hear"
We brag about the phonograph, in which a
man can speak, and his words and the tones
of his voice can be kept for ages and by the
turning of a crank the words may come
forth upon the ears Of another century, but
prayer allows us to speak words into the 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
nerves, and wasting your lungs wishing for
this good and that good for the church and
the world, why do you not 90 into the secret
place of thunder.
But" says some one, shat is a beautiful
theory, yet it does not work in my case, for
I am in a cloud of trouble, or cloud of
sickness, or cloud of persecution, or a
cloud of poverty, cloud Of bereavement.
or cloud Of perplexity." How glad I am
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