Middletown transcript., 1900-02-17

found for me and landed in police sta
tion two days afterward, but I 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 Sc
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 y
he asked. and the man standing up
answered for the other.
"More'n six months since either Of
MS did anything to tell of, unless you
count holding up work. call it pretty
wearing kind of job myself. especially
when we put in night like this one
and don't make nothing.
Suppose found good jobs for both
Of you. Would you quit this and begin
all oyer?"
"What's the user 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. 4
''Nol" said the bishop, and never be-
fore the most entranced audience had
he felt the desire for souls burn up in
him 80 strongly. All the time he sat
there during the remarkable scene he
prayed: 20 Lord Jesus, give me the
souls of these two for theeI am hun
CRY for themi Give them to me!'
''Nol" the bishop repeated. "What
does God want of you two men? 1t
doesn't SO much matter what / want.
but he wants just what I 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 as no one else on earth
among men could make under such cir
cumstances. He had remembered the
mans name in spite of the wonderfully
busy years that lay between his coming
to the house and the present moment.
'tBurns," 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 I 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
crucifed for our sins I cannot bear to
see you miss the glory of the human
life Come Be menl 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 Comel Well
fight it out together, you two and I.
It's worth fighting for. Everlasting life
is. It was the sinner that Christ came
to help. I'll do what I can for you. 0
God, give me the souls Of these two
menl"
The bishop broke into a prayer to
God that was a 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 nowf They were adding to the
power Of the bishops. And the other
man, harder, less moved, without a
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, sunken 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-
ton, 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
snce, astonishment and broken CLEAN
Of joy struggled for expression.
The bishop rose.
tCome, my brothersI God is good
You shall stay at the settlement tonight,
and ] will make good my promise as to
the work I"
The two men followed the bishop in
silence. When they reached the settle
ment, it was after 2o'clock. The bishop
let them in and led them to room. AT
the door he paused a 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 brothersP' he
said, and, leaving them his benediction,
he went away.
In the morning he almost dreaded to
face the men, but the impression Of the
night had not worn away. True to his
promise, the bishop secured work for
them. The janitor at the settlement
needed an assistant, owing to the growth
Of the work there. So Burns was given
the nlace. The bishop succeeded in get
ting his companion position as driver
for firm Of warehouse dray manufac-
turers not far from the settlement.
And the Holy Spirit, struggling in
these two darkened, sinful men, began
his marvellous work Of regeneration.
It was the afternoon following that
morning when Burns was installed in
his new position as assistant janitor
that he was cleaning of the front steps
of the settlement when he paused
moment an1 stood up to look about him.
The first thing he noticed was beer
sign just across the alley. He could al
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