The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1899-09-08

a. m, l p. m. and 7 p. m. From any
view I have of prayer could not think
of waiting till set time appointed by
you, even if you are one of the most
pious and distinguished ministers in
Marion. 1t was o'clock p. m. when l
got your note; why should l wait till I?
I think God would be as pleased to hear
me at any hour, even before that.
Your reque sounds as if you would
put great stress on forms and times and
places. would not.
You say that though you do not
belong to my church, but know me to
be a righteous man, and have heard
that God has honored my faithful
prayers.
My dear friend, am glad you have
such confidence in me, but / have no
more confidence that 1 deserve to be
regarded especially righteous above my
fellows. 1 hope and believe there are
other ministers as righteous and faith
full and pious as 1 in Marion; yea, If
you would believe it, 1 believe there are
many lay members, men, women and
children, in the city who are just as
precious in the Lords sight as l am,
and whose prayers would avail as much.
New your words would imply that l
might have some mystical, rare and ex-
clnsive power with the Lord; while L
claim nothing that is not common to
all Gods true children.
|. You say God has honored my prayers
Il am not sure that 1 know to what
you allude, but I have prayed some
very earnest prayers in my life and
many of them have been answered, or
rather I should say the desire has been
granted, but I never attributed the an
swers to my own holiness or righteous
ness, or to any peculiar power with
Him. I have been more inclined to
feel that God answers more prayers, or
grants more desires for us all, than we
stop to note and give thanks for, and
to the fact that early tried hard to
pray for things according to His will
and not simply for things prompted by
fleshy desires. and also to the addition
al fact that was early and all the time
impressed with the idea that whatever
l prayed for prayed as if 1 expected
God to do it all, but Immediately set
about working and using means as if l
expected to answer my own prayers
largely by the proper use of means. If
I prayed for the sick always insisted
on having good physician, good drugs
aI.l good nursing.
A notable case was that OF our own
daughter, who seemed to lie at deaths
door for weeks at Harrison three years
ago. We had an expert physician, ex-
pert nursers and we all prayed fervent-
ly for her recovery, leaving nothing
undone to accomplish it. We are hap
by in the thought that she was spared
to us, too happy to indulge in any vain
speculations whether the efficient cause
was in the nursing, in the physicians
skill or in the bare power of God. We
are thankful for such God, who could
give us such skillful physician, and
such efficient medicine and such faith
full nurse. and we care little for the
philosophy of it-whether He did it
through means or as a direct answer to
prayer. We are sure that God is always
pleased to have us use our best intel
| igence and skill and means-for He is
the author of them all.
You may have reference to our sister,
Mrs. BOor, few miles southeast OF
here, to whom we went on the Lords
day, about dozen of us, a few weeks
ago, and prayed and sang with her and
for her, and partook of the holy COM
munion with her-the Lords supper
when it was generally believed by ply
sicians and friends that her life was
within few days, at most, of its end.
But they never stopped the use of
means, and one physician, though a
young man, presume, would feel like
disputing our claim if we were to in
sist that it was case of divine healing
without means. He handled her case
skillfully and has right to feel just
pride in his work, for this sister has
since visited Marion several times, rid
ing in carriage to see her friends.
| We all feel it is a wonderful cure,
but we do not attribute it to any un-
usual holiness of power upon our part.
We did our duty-at least in part; we
might have done better; her life is pro-
longed and she is given to her friends
and brethren in Christ for time, but
we herald it not as a miracle; we simply
are thankful for all that was done and
give God the glory whether the healing
was through means or direct from God.
Our brother Fife of East Center street
is another case at hand; and sister
Bricker, now at the sanitarium, is an
other. Both were badly stricken with
paralysis; both seem on the way to re-
covery, and you may be sure we have
pray ed for them, and praise Him that
they have been even partially restored.
l could mention many more such cases
in fact, it is proverbial that since have
been in Marion, five years, we have had
to follow so few people to their last rest
ing place, but we have had to follow a
few, and some of them among the
choicest spirits we had, notwithstand
our prayers, and we see no reason why
a few denomination should start up with
&l~
or healing, for assure all good friend: