The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-03-01

tent man in the community edminis-
tered to them in my presence, q terrible
rebuke. He depressed juot what deeply
felt He rose, and with the utrnos st SOL
emnity and tearfulness, said: "Chrissisn
people, what cSn you mean? You con-
tinue to pray in :hese meetings for re-
vtVal OF religion. You often eXhort
each other here to wake up and use
means to promote q revival. You assure
each other, and assure US who arc Inn
penitens, thstwe are on tho way to hell;
ana believe 1t. You alao insist that II
you should wake up, and uso the appro.
pirate meana, thore would be revival,
and we should be converted. You tell
US OF our great danger, and that our
Souls are worth more than all worlds;
ana yet you keep about your compara-
lively trifling employments and use no
such means. We have no revival and
our souls are not saved"
Here he broke down and fell, sobbing.
BACK into his seat. This rebuke fell
heavily upon that prayer meeting, as
shall ever remember. 1t did them good;
Tor 1t was not long before the members
OF that prayer. meeting broke down, and
we had revival. 1 was present in the
hrss meeting in which the revival spirit
WAS manifest. Oh! how changed was
the tone OF their prayers. confessions,
ana applications. l remarked, in re-
turning home with q friend: what o
ohange has come over these Christians.
This must be the beginning Of a revival"
Yes; Q wonderful change comes over all
the meetings whenever the Christian
people are revived. Then their confess
sions mean something. They mean re-
formation and restitution. They mean
work. They mean the use OF means.
IN hn -
their hearts and hands, and the deyo,
tion OF all sheif powers to the promotion
of the work.
70 Prevailing prayer Is specific. It
Is offered for definite object. We can
NOT prevail for everything at once In
all the cases recorded in the Bible in
which prayer WAS answered. 1t Ia note
worthy that the petitioner prayed for o
definite object.
(t,) Another condition of prevailing
prayer Is that we mean what we say in
prayer; that we make no false pretences;
In short, that we are entirely childlike
and sincere, speaking out of the heart
nothing more or less than we mean, feel,
al believe.
(u.) Another condition Ia "watching
unto prayer" as we'll as "praying inthe
Holy Ghost" BY this mean guarding
against everything that can quench or
Rrteve the Spirit of God in our hearts.
Also watching for the answer, in q state
o. mind that will diligently use all
necessary means, at any expense, and
add entreasy to entreaty.
When the fallow ground is thoroughly
broken up in the hearts of Christians,
when they have confessed and made
restitution-if the work be thorough
and honest-gaey will naturally and In
eVitably fulfill the conditions, and will
prevail In prayer. But it cannot be too
distinctly understood that none others
will What we commonly hear in prayer
and conference meetings is not prevail
Ing prayer. 1t 10 often aatoniahin ing and
lamentable to witness the delusions that
| prevail upon the subjsos. Who that has
witnessed real revivsls of religion has
not been struck with the change that
| comes over the whole spirit and manner
| OF the prayers OF really revived Chris
tiansP do not think ever could have
been converted II I had not disco ered
the solution of the question: why ia 1t
that 90 much that Is called prayer Is not
anBwered?"
Next Sundays Morning TINES the
ssh INST, will have answers to the
prayers of one man, and he is still liv-
ing. Over 10000 either In the same
hour or the same day that the requests
were made. Often before leaving his
room in the morning he has had answers
to prayer, and during the day from five
to six answers, 80 that more than 80, 900
answers to prayer in the selfssme hour
and the self snme day that they we're
offered, during o period of ffty-four
years and nine months.
II you want to know lore on this sub
ject, attend, regularly, she Business
Men's Noon day Prayer Meeting. Y. M.
G. A.. at IL o'clock sharp every day ex-
cept Sunday.