The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-12-16
BREACHES ON PRODIGAL SON.
Continued from Page ~

little that he might do. l have had expe-
rences with men of great liberality, like
the late John S. Huyler, while not mem
Der of my church, was nay dear friend, and
counted it such a delight to labor for
Christ by the side of his minister, that his +
memory today is specially blessed
| have also a recollection of an old /
farmer who agreed to help me, and drove /
four miles through binding snowstorm to.
speak to a Young man about Christ. The !
exposure TO the weather almost caused the !
death Of my friend, but it brought the
young man to Christ.
| And | have a picture ia my mind of one
twho was a former lieutenant governor In
1.-THE State where I labQred. He stood he
slde me in the room before ] entered the
!pulpit; sometimes put his arm around me
and prayed for me while | was waiting and
asked God to bless me while | preached.
and made my preaching constant delight.
I | have a recollection Of Mr. Walter NJ.
Smith, New York merchant who was
not one of my church officers, but was an
elder in the Presbyterian church in Siam
ford, Connecticut, whose love for Christ
was SO sincere, WHOSE loyalty to the church
was so unfaltering, and whose hberalty
was so boundless, that Whenever his pastor
saw him in the pew he was nerved to do
his best preaching, and whenever ! met
, him socially or In a business way, | went
away with the determination to be a better
: and truer man because of what he was.
! Il think my most striking, experience
WITH chuFcR otRcqTse was ia the Rethany
: church. Philadelphia, when the Honorable
, John Wanamaker returned from London
and told ME- thatshes Thought the secret OF
Sturgeon opow2 washt I've found in the
: fact that his people prayed for hTiii and
his church4 officers prayed with HinF. and
after that my elders began to pray Tor me
They sat by my side on the pulpit platform
and they lost no opportunity in the atmos-
I phere they created and the words of ap-
: proval they would speak, to make my
+ preaching easy for me- Mr. Wanamake1
: always sat on my right and not infrequent
: ly l would hear him say as | was preach
ing: That's tine,p and then | tried to do
even better, and sometime when l was near
enough to him he would reach out his hant
and touch me ON the arm, and sometimes
!, in an affectionate way would rub his hanC
up and down my arm and | would be fairly
4 set on fire with a desire to do better.
was telling that in Scotland one day wher
a Scotch minister came up to me and said
Il can quite understand how to have YOU
elder to rub you that way would help YOU
n but man" he said, what are you going K
do when your elders rub you the wronl
way | am pleased TO say that IN,
i church officers rarely, if ever, did this, ant
because they were so true in little thing
# as well as IN great, my ministry became
n one OF rich blessing to my own soul a
) least, and / hope to others. When | wen
from Philadelphia to New Y ork as a pas
tor, my elders there never allowed. me t
e go IN a morning service OF. an evening ser
e vice, and | think / rarely went into mid
e week service, without they met with m
for prayer They preceded me into tn
: church and sat in the spirit Of prayer Will
a. I preached, and helped me wonderfully.
= is because I have had such experiences a
these that | thank God for church officers
and wish that every minister might hav
lie men about him as true as those who SUI
n, rounded me-