TOUCHING INCIDENTS
AND
REMARKABLE
ANSWERS TO PRAYER,
AS RELATED BY
John B. Gough
D. L. Moody,
Bishop Bowman, LL.D
A. B. Earle, D.D.
Mrs. Mary Grant Cramer
Charles G. Finney,
James H. Potts, D.D.
S. A. Keene, D.D.
Mathew Hale Smith
S. I. Prime, D.D.
John Wesley,
C. H. Spurgeon, D.D.
T. De Witt Talmage, D.D.
Mrs. Maggie Van Cott,
George Muller,
B. Fay Mills,
Bishop Simpson, D.D.
Edward Payson, D.D.
William Carvosso
George Fox
John Knox
Mark Guy Pearce
Martin Luther
H. L. Hastings
And Many Others.
By S. B. SHAW.
Grand Rapids, Mich.:
S.B. SHAW, PUBLISHER,1188 S. Division St.
COPYRIGHTED
BY THE AUTHOR
1893
PREFATORY NOTE.
It is needless to say much by way of preface to this book. It will speak for itself. From the writer's stand-point, none but those "given over to hardness of heart" can read these " Touching Incidents" without having their souls wondrously stirred within them; and none but the willfully unbelieving can say, in view of the " Remarkable Answers to Prayer " herein recorded, that God does not hear and regard the cries of his faithful children.
But let it be remembered, that "prayer rises far above a mere form of good words. These, of themselves, are nothing, and may be much worse than nothing. The soul of the reader or utterer must be in them to give them life and power. God hears not my words, He hears me. I rise to Him upon the wings of prayer. I might recite good words forever, but unless my spirit is in them, they are nothing." Yea, nothing but idle words, and mockery before God. The prayer of faith is always prompted by the Holy Spirit, and always receives an answer from the living Father whose Spirit moved its utterance in harmony with His own blessed will.
In these pages no place is given to anything that did not appear to be reliable, as well as calculated to do good. Some of the accounts narrated have come within our personal knowledge. Others have been written or furnished expressly for this work. Still others have been selected from the works of well-known authors, or gleaned from the large number of periodicals which came regularly to our office in connection with the periodical that was under our control. Nor has the supply of material by any means been exhausted. We have felt, rather, as did Paul, when, after referring to many of the mighty works wrought through faith in olden times, he said: "And what shall I say more? for the time would fail to tell me of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets; who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions," etc.
We pray that through the perusal of these pages, precious souls may be led to the cross and the Savior, and God's children encouraged to trust Him in every hour of need.
Your brother, true to God and man,
S. B. SHAW.
INTRODUCTION.
True prayer is the language of an earnest soul breathing after God, and a knowledge of his will. The praying spirit is a search for the presence of God, and a continued craving for a conscious blessing from Him. " Give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not thyself from my supplication." "O Lord God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee let my prayer come before thee; incline thine ear unto my cry; for my soul is full of troubles." "Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness; thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer." These are the cries of a dependent, trusting, and enriched heart. They show the natural disposition of troubled man to fly to God for succor and relief.
Man has always prayed. He cannot help it. He is made so. His prayers may not always be prompted by the right motive, nor couched in acceptable phraseology, nor offered in the proper spirit. "Ye ask and receive not because ye ask amiss." But man will pray. He must pray. The very nature of his earthly life demands prayer. He may rebel against his environments, scoff at the necessity for supplication, for years neglect his duty, yet sooner or later, secretly or openly, he will call upon a higher power for that aid which earthly help can not render.
There is no substitute for prayer. Praise is excellent, and good works are noble, but prayer is indispensable. "Ask and ye shall receive," has its counterpart in, Ask not and ye shall receive not. The prayerless life is a barren life. Jesus said: "Men ought always to pray." He set a glorious example " Sit ye here while I go and pray yonder." His human life was the grandest life ever lived, yet It was a life of conscious dependence upon God, and constant supplication for His aid and blessing.
Prayer is successful when offered in faith and with obedience. No man can expect God to bless him while conscious of willful and unrepented sin. "He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination." "If I regard (cherish) iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me." Man knows that his heart must be emptied of Satan, if it is to be filled with God. Just in proportion as his life is straight and pure, will his trust take hold upon the Infinite. "The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." Mark you, "a righteous man." An unrighteous man may pray much and avail little.
Whatever tends to encourage the praying habit, should be itself encouraged. That a carefully selected list of incidents and statements, showing the beauty, power and success of prayer, will in itself encourage further devotion, we most candidly believe. Such a list is to be found in the following pages. Every incident may not be in complete harmony with the exact facts. Scientific accuracy is impossible, in gleaning so large a fund of matter from so many and varied sources. Yet the collection as a whole is both creditable and credible. It shows diligence and painstaking care on the part of the author, and illustrates unmistakably the efficacy and utility of true prayer. Let the book be widely read, and let us hope that every reader may receive an abundant blessing while he peruses these attractive pages.
JAMES H. POTTS.
Editorial Rooms of the
"Michigan Christian Advocate," Detroit, Mich.
CONTENTS.
THE CHILD-HEROINE OF NEW BRUNSWICK.
THE INFLUENCE OF A MOTHER'S PRAYERS.
A MAN WHO LACKED MORAL COURAGE.
THE WIDOW'S WOOD AND FLOUR--THE UNBELIEVING ONES MADE SPEECHLESS.
"THEY WHO TRUST THE LORD SHALL NOT WANT."
ANNIE AND VANIE'S FIRST REAL PRAYER.
PREVAILING PRAYER FOR A REVIVAL,
"AND DYING IS BUT GOING HOME."
"I'LL NEVER STEAL AGAIN - IF FATHER KILLS ME FOR IT."
CHARLIE COULSON, THE CHRISTIAN DRUMMER BOY
GOD'S CARE FOR THE WIDOW AND ORPHANS.
A WOULD-BE MURDERER'S ARM PARALYZED.
"DOES THIS RAILROAD LEAD TO HEAVEN?"
EXPERIENCE OF A MINISTER'S WIFE ON THE FRONTIER.
SUPERHUMAN CONTROL OF THE LOCOMOTIVE IN ANSWER TO PRAYER.
A WIDOW'S WONDERFUL DELIVERANCE
THE CONVERSION OF HUDSON TAYLOR.
JOHN BYERS' PREVAILING PRAYER.
REMARKABLE HEALING OF MRS. SUSAN E. MILLER.
REVIVALS VS. FAIRS-WONDERS OF PRAYER.
AN ARMY MIRACULOUSLY DELIVERED.
THE QUAKER WHO REFUSED TO FIGHT.
A MOB QUIETED IN ANSWER TO PRAYER.
HOW THE PRAYER OF FAITH REACHED A FAMILY.
"THEY ARE NOT STRANGERS, MAMMA."
A CANCER HEALED, AND A WITHERED ARM RESTORED.
WAITING FOR THE ANGELIC CONVOY.
HOW A LITTLE GIRL UTILIZED THE TELEPHONE.
THE WONDERFUL CURE OF MRS. SHERMAN.
LITTLE JENNIE'S SICKNESS AND DEATH
A MOTHER'S FAITH - THE LIFE OF BEATE PAULUS.
DYING WORDS OF MISS MARY WILLARD.
A CYCLONE OF POWER AND GLORY IN ANSWER TO PRAYER.
A MANIFESTATION OF PARENTAL LOVE.
A GREAT REVIVAL IN ANSWER TO PREVAILING PRAYER.
A SHIP'S CREW SAVED IN ANSWER TO PRAYER.
REMARKABLE EXPERIENCE OF C. H. SPURGEON.
HE BLESSES GOD FOR THE FAITH OF HIS GIRL.
"THE GREATEST REVIVAL OF THE CHRISTIAN ERA."
"SAVED FROM THE FLAMES AND WAVES, AND SHALL BE FROM SINS."
HOW THREE SUNDAY-SCHOOL CHILDREN MET THEIR FATE.
THE DYING CHILD'S PRAYER FOR HER DRUNKEN FATHER.
A PREVAILING PRAYER OF MRS. VAN COTT
A GREAT REVIVAL IN A SINGLE NIGHT.
WILLIAM CLOWES, THE SPIRITUAL MOUNTAINEER.
HOW CARVOSSO PREVAILED WITH GOD FOR HIS CHILDREN
NEW ENGLAND SAVED IN ANSWER TO PRAYER.
THE SAILOR AND THE PICTURE OF CHRIST.
GEORGE MULLER, OF BRISTOL, ENGLAND.
JOHN WESLEY HEALED IN ANSWER TO PRAYER.
PRAYER ANSWERED FOR A DEBT OF NINETY DOLLARS.
CORN THE FROST COULD NOT KILL.
INSTANCES OF THE POWER OF PRAYER
EDWARDPAYSON, A MAN WHO PRAYED WITHOUT CEASING.
REVELATIONS FROM GOD IN DREAMS.
THE WONDERFUL RESULTS OF A LITTLE PRAYING BAND.
TRIUMPHANT DEATH OF THREE CHILDREN.
MISS CARRIE WEBB'S STORY OF HER RESTORATION TO HEALTH BY PRAYER.
REMARKABLE PRAYER OF MISSIONARY COX AND HIS BROTHER, FOR THEIR BROTHER.
PERSECUTORS PUT TO SILENCE, AND CONVERTED.
JOHN KNOX'S PREVAILING PRAYER FOR SCOTLAND.
THE SECRET OF JAMES CAUGHEY'S WONDERFUL SUCCESS.
"LET THEM ABIDE TILL THE MORROW."
"BEHOLD, I SEND YOU FORTH AS SHEEP AMONG WOLVES."
THE SECRET OF JOHN SMITH'S SUCCESS.
HOW WILLIAM TENNENT DEFEATED THE POWERS OF DARKNESS.
IN INDIA -- IN ANSWER TO PRAYER.
THE LORD'S WAY OF SENDING HELP
PRAYER ANSWERED FOR ONE HUNDRED MISSIONARIES AND MONEY TO SUPPORT THEM
"I DON'T LOVE YOU NOW, MOTHER."
A BLACKSMITH PREVAILED WITH GOD FOR A REVIVAL.
RESULT OF REV. JOHN S. INSKIP'S PRAYER.
THE WINDS CONTROLLED IN ANSWER TO JOHN WESLEY'S PRAYER.
THE CLOUDS STAYED IN ANSWER TO PRAYER.
RESULTS OF A LIFE OF PREVAILING PRAYER.
DR.CHAS.CULLIS – "THE MAN THAT BELIEVED GOD"
TOUCHING INCIDENTS
AND
REMARKABLE
ANSWERS TO PRAYER,
THE CHILD-HEROINE OF NEW BRUNSWICK.
We have read a touching incident about three little children, who, last autumn, late in the season, wandered alone in a dreary region of New Brunswick. The sun had already sunk in the west, and the gloom of evening was spreading itself over the surrounding country.
The night came on fast; and feeling sure that they could not get home before daybreak, the eldest (a girl of only six years) quietly placed the two little ones in a sheltered nook on the sea-beach; and fearing the cold, chilly night for the younger children, Mary stripped off most of her own clothes to keep them warm.
She then started off to gather dry sea-weed, and whatever else she could find, to cover them with. Having tenderly in this way wrought for some time to make them a nest, she at last fell down exhausted with the cold, and half bare to the cold inclement night.
That evening the loving father and tender mother sat up wondering at their children's long absence; the hours dragged slowly past with anxious watching, and silent listening for the well-known little pattering feet. In vain the fond parents' eyes pierced through the darkness. At length they roused the neighbors with their anxious inquiries after their lost ones. All that night was passed in searching and in tears, till early in the morning, lying fast asleep, and same- - -what numbed with cold, were found little Johnny and Lizzie. But, oh I a touching spectacle lay near them; their young savior was stiff, cold and dead on the sea-weed which the poor little child-heroine had not strength to drag into the nook, where those she so deeply loved, and died to save, were sleeping. Thus this little New Brunswick girl died in her successful and self-sacrificing endeavor to save her brother and sister.
Does not this recall the love of the Lord Jesus Christ to you who read? Mary went to the full extent of human love in dying for her little brother and sister. "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." Yet the Lord Jesus laid down his life for his enemies; for "scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die; but God commendeth His love toward us," etc. He makes no mistakes. Yet how many listen to this story with more emotion and interest than they do to the story of the cross, where the love of Jesus, the Son of God, is told in letters of blood! - Dawn of the Morning.
THE INFLUENCE OF A MOTHER'S PRAYERS.
More than thirty years ago, one lovely Sabbath morning, about eight young men, students in a law school, were walking along the banks of a stream that flows into the Potomac river, not far from the city of Washington. They were going to a grove, in a retired place, to spend the hours of that holy day in playing cards. Each of them had a flask of wine in his pocket. They were the sons of praying mothers. As they were walking along amusing each other with idle jests, the bell of a church in a little village not two miles off began to ring. It sounded in the ears of those thoughtless young men as plainly as though it were only on the other side of the little stream along which they were walking.
Presently one of their number, whose name was George, stopped, and said to the friend nearest him that he would go no farther, but would return to the village and go to church His friend called out to their companions, who were a little ahead of them ' Boys! Boys! Come back here; George is getting religious; we must help him. Come on, and let us baptize him by immersion in the water." In a moment they formed a circle around him. They told him that the only way he could save himself from having a cold bath was by going with them. In a calm, quiet, but earnest way, he said:
"I know very well that you have power enough to put me in the water, and hold me there till I am drowned; and, if you choose, you can do so, and I will make no resistance; but listen to what I have to say, and then do as you think best.
"You all know that I am two hundred miles away from home; but you do not know that my mother is a helpless, bed-ridden invalid. I never remember seeing her out of bed. I am her youngest child. My father could not afford to pay for my schooling; but our teacher is a warm friend of my father, and offered to take me without any charge. He was very anxious for me to come; but mother would not consent. The struggle almost cost her what little life was left to her. At length, after many prayers on the subject, she yielded and said I might go. The preparations for my leaving home were soon made. My mother never said a word to me on the subject till the morning when I was about to leave. After I had eaten my breakfast she sent for me, and asked me if every-thing was ready. I told her all was ready, and I was only waiting for the stage. At her request I kneeled beside her bed. With her loving hand upon my head, she prayed for her youngest child. Many and many a night I have dreamed that whole scene over. It is the happiest recollection of my life. I believe, till the day of my death, I shall be able to repeat every word of that prayer. Then she spoke to me thus:
"My precious boy, you do not know, you never can know, the agony of a mother's heart, in parting, for the last time, from her youngest child. When you leave home, you will have looked, for the last time, this side of the grave, on the face of her who loves you as no other mortal does or can. Your father cannot afford the expense of your making us visits during the two years that your studies will occupy. I cannot possibly live as long as that. The sand in the hourglass of my life has nearly run out. In the far off strange place to which you are going, there will be no loving mother to give counsel in time of trouble. Seek counsel and help from God. Every Sabbath morning, from ten to eleven o'clock, I will spend the hour in prayer for you. Wherever you may be during this sacred hour, when you hear the church bells ringing, let your thoughts come back to this chamber, where your dying mother will be agonizing in prayer for you. But I heart he stage coming. Kiss me-farewell!"
Boys, I never expect to see my mother again on earth. But by God's help, I mean to meet her in heaven."
As George stopped speaking the tears were streaming down his cheeks. He looked at his companions. Their eyes were filled with tears.
In a moment the ring which they had formed about him was opened. He passed out and went to church. He had stood up for the right against great odds.
They admired him for doing what they had not the courage to do. They all followed him to church. On their way there, each of them quietly threw away his cards and his wine-flask Never again did these young men play cards on the Sabbath
From that day they all became changed men. Six of them died Christians, and are now in heaven. George is an able Christian lawyer in Iowa; and his friend, who wrote this account, has been for many years an earnest, active member of the church. Here were eight men converted by the prayers of that good Christian woman. And, if we only knew all the results of their examples and their labors, we should have a good illustration of a mother's prayers --