Year: 1873

Mrs. Wintringham, a respectable wild


owed gentlewoman of Sheffield, England,


while recently upon visit to some friends


near Durham, in a northern county, was


taken to hear the eloquent defamation of


noted dissecting eXhorter, who had be-


come particularly celebrated for his eXalta-


tion of the efficacy of prayer. This favOrite


topic of his was the one he had chosen on
the occasion in question; and his earnest
vivid manner OF explaining that, in addi-
ton to its supernatural value, devout lnvO-
cation was beneficent, magnetic energy,
capable of the most wonderful natural eff
fects, induced the Sheffield lady to seek an


introduction to him after the meeting"
for the especial purpose of relating strik-
ing illustration from her own experience


The preacher, a man of refined and intel
lectual appearance, and with curious IL
midity in his manner, heard the anecdOte
with an interest nervOusly dispropOrtlon-
ate to its apparent consequence, and then
after an awkward pause begged that its
narrator would not again narrate it in that
place until he should first have had an op-
portunity to use it in the pulpit. In some
surprise Mrs. Wintringham acceded to the


request, ultimately attributing it to the


good mans eccentricity, and the two did


not meet again until they were once more
speaker and hearer in the sanctuary.


Upon the latter occasion the subject Of eX-
h0rtation was again "the soul's sincere de-
sire, uttered or uneXpressed," and the prin-
cipal illustration was as follows: "FOur or
five years ago." said the preacher, with
marked intensity of manner, "a lady liv-
ing in an old-fashioned house i'll one of
our suburban counties, discovered, upon
retiring to her room at about midnight,
that there was man concealed under her
oil f,Nf hnl ond dffY1I TO
alone in that wing of it, the lady knew not
what to do. She feared to go to the door
and unlock it lest the burglar should sus-
pect that she was about to summon help,
and should intercept her. To gain time
she sat down and took her Bible from her
dressing-table. Opening the sacred book
at random, it SO happened that the chapter
lighted on was that containing the parable
of the prodigal son. Kneeling down when
the chapter was ended, she prayed aloud
prayed earnestly and fervently. She be-
sought safety for herself during the perils
of the night, and cast herself in supreme
confidence on the Divine protection. Then
prayed for others who might have been
tempted into Il-doing; that they might be
led from evil, and brought into the fold of
Christ; that to such might be vOuchsafed
the tender mercy and kindness promised
TO all who truly repent their sins. Lastly
she prayed that, if He wiued 1t, even to-
night some such sinner might be saved
from the wrath to come, might, like the
prodigal, be made to see that he had sinn-
ed and might be welcomed back with the
joy that awaits even one penitent. The
lady rose from her knees and went to bed.
The man got up as noiselessly as he could
and said: Il mean you 10 harm, ma'am
I am going to leave the house and thank
you for your prayers With difficulty he
opened the bedroom door, and presently
she heard him open window in another
part of the house and drop down into the
garden" Upon reaching the apparent
end of the narrative the speaker bowed his
head for moment, as if in silent supplica-
tion, and then added, in a broken voice:
1.-THE good woman of whom I have told
you is with us now, and the sinner to
shame, remorse, penitence and future of
expiation, is he who here con-
fesses himself to you and to his Maker"