A Vessel Saved.
A vessel was six months making the passage from Liverpool to Bermuda Island. Fogs enveloped it; winds sent it hither and thither; captain and mate lost their reckoning, lost their senses; and when, added to the rest, the vessel sprung a leak, gave up in despair. Crew and passengers were finally reduced to a few drops of water and one potato a day, and they merely waited death from starvation or drowning. All but one! One man; a minister, whose faith and belief in their final escape burned but brighter and brighter, as the others sank in the gloom of silent despair. A few days before they made the land, the leakage suddenly ceased; no one could account for it; but a week after their arrival, when the vessel had been condemned by the authorities as unsea-worthy, it was proposed to turn it bottom upward and see what stopped the leak. God seemed to have performed a miracle for them, when it was discovered that that end of the vessel was entirely covered with barnacles!
A Remarkable Prayer Concerning a Remarkable Text.
A clergyman, accustomed to preach regularly in his journey through Fleming Circuit, Kentucky, was preparing on one Saturday for the labors of the next day. He was then staying at the residence of a family named Bowers, from which he was to journey the next day five miles to preach at 11 A.M., at a church called Mt. Olivet. On this Saturday, as he relates the incident, as soon and as privately as practicable, I pored over the Bible in quest of a suitable subject for the next day at Mount Olivet, and strange to tell! not one passage in the whole Book, that afternoon and night, could I fix upon, as, in my estimation, suitable for the next day. There was one passage, (two or three clauses of which I had by some means got fixed in my memory), that early that afternoon appeared in my mind as though each word was written in CAPITAL LETTERS. I turned to the whole passage as soon as I could find it; Heb. 6: 4-6; and read, "For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened," etc., etc. I had previously studied that whole subject, as recorded in the original, and as disposed of by learned Commentators of different creeds. I had settled in my own mind the import of the passage. But it seemed unsuitable for me, not then three years old in the ministry, to attempt the settlement of a theological question, about which the best and most learned of modern days had differed. I therefore tried to dismiss it from my mind, and to find some passage more suitable for the coming morrow. But my constant effort proved unsuccessful; and the said passage in Hebrews often recurred to my mind. Thus passed my time till I had to go to bed, resolving to attempt an early settlement of the growing difficulty next morning. But the morning studies produced no change in the unsettled state of the question, what shall I preach from to-day? Thus matters remained until I reached Mount Olivet, and had to begin service without a text. But I concluded if a suitable text did not occur while singing, praying and reading some Scripture lesson, rather than have no text, I would take Heb. 6: 4-6. And, cornered in this dilemma, so I did, and used it as well as I could.
I then passed around the circuit as usual, and the fourth Saturday thereafter, I arrived again at Brother Bowers', preached, met the class, etc. Then, when all the class had left the room except their own family, Brother and Sister Bowers said to me, each manifesting intense feeling and interest, "Have you heard of the strange thing that happened when you were here four weeks ago?" Said I, "No! what was it?" They said, "Did you see a man sitting in the house while you was preaching to-day?" describing his dress, looks, etc. I answered, "Yes." Said they, "Did you see a woman sitting over there," describing her? I said, "Yea." Said they, "They are husband and wife--their name is--(I have long since forgotten the name)--they are good members of the Presbyterian church, their children are members of our class, as you have called their names every time you have examined us. The man and his wife were here and heard you four weeks ago--they know our rules, and when those not of our church were dismissed, they left their children with us, as usual, and their parents started home. And, as they themselves tell us and others, as they went along, said the woman to her husband, 'Does not Mr. Akers preach to-morrow at Mount Olivet?' And he answered, 'I believe he does.' Said she, 'Well, if I thought he would take a certain text I would like very much to go and hear him.' Said her husband, 'What text?' And she repeated the whole passage in Hebrews 6:4-6. Said her husband, 'Well, I reckon he will take some subject that will be interesting, and if you say so we will not go to our own church to-morrow, we will go to Mount Olivet.' She answered, 'Agreed, and I do pray the Lord that he may take that text.' And she says, she continued to pray all that evening and next morning, until sitting in the church at Mount Olivet, she heard you read out the said text, when she knew the Lord had answered her prayer, and she could scarcely help from loud crying of thanks to God."
I then told Brother and Sister Bowers my troubles about that text, as above stated. The Lord answers prayer.
How She Learned To Love The Bible.
The Rev. Frederick G. Clark thus writes of an answer to prayer, from one who wanted to love the Bible more:
"Twenty-seven years ago, in the congregation of my first charge, was a lady whose love for the Bible was something remarkable. In the confidence of a pastoral visit, she told me of her joy in the divine word, and also recited the incidents of her experience in this regard. She had formerly read her Bible as so many do--a chapter now, and a halfchapter then, without much interest or profit. She was, even then, most interested in religious things. But her chief sources of spiritual strength were in such writings as those of Baxter, Payson and Robert Phillips. It was her custom to read the Bible from duty, and then turn to these uninspired volumes for the kindling of a higher devotion. For a good while this satisfied her; but, at length, she came to feel grieved about it. She thought it a dishonor to God's word that any book should be as interesting to her as the Bible. She tried to change this, but, at first, with little success. The Bible was still duty--Baxter was pleasure and spiritual elevation.
"At length, she could bear it no longer; so she took the case to God, with strong crying. She told her Heavenly Father how grieved she was that any book should rival the Bible in her affections. She asked this one thing--and she renewed her prayer every day--that her first delight might be in reading the word of God. I think it was some time before she felt that her request was granted. But, at length, the answer to her prayer was complete and marvelous. A strange light came over the sacred page. A fascination held her to her Bible. She discovered a depth, a meaning, a curiosity, a charm, which were all new and most wonderful. Sometimes, when she had finished reading her Bible for the night, and had closed the book and had moved towards her bed, she would go back again and enjoy the luxury of a few more verses.