Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1900-02-22

found for me and landed in a police sta
tion two days afterward bat | never
forgot you or your prayer | don t
know what good it's done me. but |
never forgot it. and | won't do any
harm to you nor let any one else So
you re free to go That's why
The bishop did not stir Somewhere
church clock struck The man had
put on his hat and gone back to his seat
on the stone The bishop was thinking
hard
How long is it since you had work.
he asked and the man standing up
answered for the other
"More'n six months since either of
rs did anything to tell of, unless you
count holding up work | call il pretty
wearing kind of job myself especially
when we put in a night like this one
and don't make nothing
Suppose | found good jobs for both
of you Would you quit this and begin
all over?
Whats the use? The man on the
stone spoke sullenly I've reformed a
hundred times Every time go down
deeper The devils begun to forcelose
on me already It's too late
MOI said the bishop. and never be
fore the most entranced audience had
he felt the desire for souls burn up in
him so strongly All the time he sat
there during the remarkable scene he
prayed 30 Lord Jesus. give me the
souls of these two for thee | am hun
CRY for them Give them to mel
"Nol the bishop repeated What
does God want of you two menr II
doesn't so much matter what | want
but he wants just what do in this
case You two men are of infinite value
to him And then the bishops Won
derful memory came to his aid in an
appeal such Us no one else on earth
among men could make under such cir
cumstances He had remembered the
man name in spite of the wonderfully
busy years that lay between his coming
to the house and the present moment
Burns he said and he yearned
over the men with an unspeakable long
ing for them both. "if you and your
friend here will go home with me to
night ! will find you both places of
honorable employment will believe
in you and trust you You are both
comparatively young men Why should
God lose your 1t is a great thing to
win the love of the great Father 1t is
a small thing that | should love you
but if you need to feel again that there
is love in the world you will believe
me when say, my brothers. that | love
you. and in the name Of him who was
crucified for our sins cannot bear to
see you miss the glory of the human
life Comel Be mem Make another try
for it. God helping you No one but
God and you and myself need ever
know anything of this tonight He has
forgiven it The minute you ask him to
you will find that true Come Wen
fight it out together. You two and l.
IT. worth fighting for Everlasting life
is 1t was the sinner that Christ came
to help I'll do what l can for you o
God. give me the souls of these two
meni
The bishop broke into a prayer to
God that was continuation of his ap
peal to the men His pent up feeling
had no other outlet Before he had
prayed many moments Burns was sit
ting with his face buried in his hands.
sobbing Where were his mothers
prayers now2 They were adding to the
power of the bishops. And the other
man. harder. less moved, without
previous knowledge of the bishop, leaned
back against the fence, stolid at first,
but as the prayer went on he was moved
by it What force of the Holy Spirit
swept over his dulled. brutal, coarsened
life nothing but the eternal records Of
the recording angel can ever disclose,
but that same supernatural presence that
smote Paul on the road to Damascus
and poured through Henry Maxwell's
church the morning he asked disciples
to follow in Jesus steps and had again
broken irresistibly over the Nazareth
Avenue congregation now manifested
himself in this foul corner of the mighty
city and over the natures of these two
sinful. sun6en men, apparently lost to
all the pleadings of conscience and
memory of God The bishops prayer
seemed to break open the crust that had
for years surrounded these two men and
shut them off from divine communica-
tion. and they themselves were thor
oughly startled by the event
The bishop ceased, and at first he
himself did not realize what had hap
pened Neither did the two men. Burns
still sat with his head bowed between
his hands The man leaning against the
fence looked at the bishop with face
in which new emotions of awe, repent
ance, astonishment and broken CLEAN
of joy struggled for expression
The bishop rose.
Come my brothersl God is good
You shall stay at the settlement tonight
and | will make good my promise rs to
the work
The two men followed the bishop in
silence When they reached the settle
ment it was after o'clock The bishop
let them in and led them to room. At
the door he paused moment His tall
commanding figure stood in the door
way. and his pale face, worn with his
recent experiences. was illuminated
with the divine glory
God bless you. my brothersf he
said, and leaving them his benediction
he went away
In the morning he almost dreaded 10
face the men, but the impression Of the
night had not worn away True 10 his
promise, the bishop secured work for
them The janitor at the settlement
needed an assistant. owing TO the growth
Of the work there. 50 Burns was given
the place The bishop succeeded in get
ting his companion u position as driver
for a firm of warehouse dray manufac-
turcTs not far from the settlement
And the Holy Spirit, struggling in
these two darkcned, sinful men, began
his marvellous work of regeneration.
1t was the afternoon following that
morning when Burns was installed I'm
his new position "a assistant janitor |
that he was cleaning off tho front steps |
of the settlement when he paused a
moment and stood mp 90 look about him |
The first thing nc noticed was n beer |
sign just across the alley. He could al
most touch it with his broom from !
where he stood over the street immo- |
lately opposite werctwo large saloons |
and little farther down were three
more
Suddenly the door Of tho nearest sa-
loon opened. and man came ont At |
the same timo two moro went in. A
strong odor Of beer fuated up 10 Burns
rs he stood on the steps of the settle /
ment He clutchcd his broom handle