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DA Y OF FASTING AND PR A TER
Stirring Testimony Given at the Revival Meetings.—How Dr. Torrey Regained Power in Prayer.
Notable Conversions at the Revival Rooms.
NE of the most memorable days of the
revival in Philadelphia was Good Fri
day, which was observed as a day of
fasting and prayer. In announcing
such a day, Dr. Torrey declared that al
though great things had been witnessed
in Philadelphia, yet far greater could be
seen before the campaign closed if the
Christians would pray much more
O
earnestly and agonizingly than they had been do
ing. He said:
“Such meetings have been held in almost every
city we have visited so far, and the greatest spirit
ual good has always resulted from them. I have
every reason to believe that the same results will
follow our meeting to-morrow, and I ask for prayer
from all, Prayer is what counts with God, and it
is prayer we want. Pray! Pray! Pray!”
From beginning to end the day was one of glo
rious victory. Meetings were held almost contin
uously from six o’clock morning prayer until the
uast persons left the building at 11 p. m. It is
estimated that 11,500 people attended the various
meetings which were held throughout the day, as
follows:
6 a. m 600 persons.
10 a. m. and n00n2,500 persons.
3 p. m 3,000 persons.
8 p. m 5,500 persons.
Total 11,500 persons.
One of the most striking features of each ser
vice were the glowing testimonies which were given
by the converts and by the revived Christians.
Home Prayer Meetings.
At the 10:30 a. m. service many arose, and with
radiant faces told of how God’s Spirit had been
present at the cottage prayer meetings held in their
homes at the suggestion of Dr. Torrey. One lady
stood up and said: “We had a meeting at our home,
and invited our neighbors across the street to join
us. One of the neighbors came in. She was not
converted, but before she left the meeting she was
converted. ”
Another said that she and her husband had a
prayer meeting at their home, and then went to the
home of a colored washerwoman, read the 19th
chapter of St. John to her, and had prayer. Before
they left her home two were converted.
Throughout the day scores of stirring testimo
nies were given and many touching letters were
read by the evangelists, some full of praise, others
asking prayer for unsaved friends. One letter read
by Dr. Torrey, told how a revival fire had started in
one church, which resulted in 50 conversions in
two weeks. The writer said:
“My dear Brother: I have attended your meetings
very often. It seems the past few days you are
distressed because Christians are not doing their
duty. I must say if you could see our church you
would have much cause for rejoicing. We were
dead spiritually, but we who had attended your
meetings were revived and began praying and doing
personal work in our church. Praise the Lord, near
ly fifty have been saved during the pa«t two weeks.
It seems Hymn No. 11 was the starting of it. I
made them sing it over and over again until the
fire began burning.”
The hymn referred to is “The Old Time Fire,”
the chorus of which is as follows:
“Send the old-time fire upon us, Lord!
Send the old-time fire upon us, Lord!
Send the old-time fire upon us, Lord!
And burn up all the dross.”
The Traveling Power of Prayer.
At the evening service Dr. Torrey read a letter
from a Hollander showing how the revival fire is
The Golden Age for April 26, 1906.
By GEORGE T. B. DAVIS
making itself felt even across the sea in Holland.
The letter was as follows:
“Dear Dr. Torrey: Being a convert of your mis
sion, I want to inform you of a pleasing incident
which shows the power of prayer. Since I became
a Christian I have been endeavoring to have my
parents and brothers and sisters and their families
take Christ. They had not been to church for years.
They were not wicked, and did not lead an evil
life, but they had not taken Christ as their Savior.
About two weeks ago I sent a letter home speak
ing about my conversion, and last Monday receiv
ed a letter from my eldest sister saying that she
and her husband had been converted, and the pe
culiar part of it is that the letter my people sent
to me must have been sent at the same time I sent
mine to them. I am going to do as I said before—
go to Holland and preach the Gospel to my coun
trymen.’ ’
On the afternoon of the day of fasting and pray
er, the audience was deeply moved by Dr. Torrey’s
sermon on “Hindrances to Prayer.” He told how
a sin which he was holding on to had once kept
him from having power in prayer. He said:
“It was at a time when I was running a mission
entirely on money gained through prayer, and one
day it looked as if we would have to close the doors
if some cash did not come in. I and my associates
had prayed and prayed, and as everybody knew the
mission was supported solely through prayer, I was
fearful lest men and women might scoff at the
power of prayer in case we had to close.
“One night while I was staying alone in my
house, I woke up about midnight with severe pains
in my body, and, getting up, I prayed God to relieve
me physically, and send me the money we needed
for the mission. But it was just like praying to
a sky of brass. There was no answer, and my pain
was getting worse and worse all the time. Then
the devil took advantage of the opportunity and
tried to make me believe that there was no God.
and that I was deserted. But I kept praying, and
after awhile I thought of a certain sin of mine,
which I knew was a sin, but which I had compro
mised on, and I told God that I would drop that sin
if He would tell me it was a sin. Still a sky of brass
and my pain getting worse every minute.
“Then I told God I would drop that sin which
I had known all along I should have dropped. In
a few minutes I was sound asleep, and the next
morning I was as well as I am now. And the
next morning brought the money needed, too.”
Results of the Revival Rooms.
The Revival Rooms recently opened in the Hale
Building, where a man may go and talk over spir
itual things, have proved to be most successful.
Men have gone in there burdened with sin, and have
come out with hearts full of joy and faces glow
ing with the light of Christ. During the first three
days after they were opend, four men were convert
ed outright, five backsliders were restored, and
twelve persons were given spiritual help.
Among the visitors to the rooms are all sorts of
people—business men, traveling men, drunkards
and criminals; some of them want to find Christ,
and ethers come after advice on spiritual things
which have perplexed them.
The man in charge of the rooms, Rev. W. S.
Jacoby, is an ideal man for the position, for he is
filled with the Spirit of God. and his past life as
a drunkard, policeman and sailor enable him to cope
with all kinds of men in all walks of life.
When I asked Mr. Jacoby to tell me about some
of the men who have come to him for help, he said:
“Grace Enough fcr Me.’’
“One of the cases dealt with in the Inquiry
Rooms, was a gentleman who came in and said that
there was something wrong with his Christian ex-
perience, and wanted to know what it was. He had
seen in others an experience which he did not
have, and said, ‘I want it.’ For example he told
me of a young man who worked under him who
was an habitual drunkard; the minute his wages
were put into his hands he would go off to the
rum shop, and in a little while he would be penni
less. He was fast becoming a hopeless case. One
day recently this gentleman was in the Academy
of Music, when he noticed in front of him the
young man who had been a drunkard, singing
‘Grace Enough for Me,’ with a look on his face
such as he had never seen there before. He met
him shortly afterward and asked what had caused
the change, and the former drunkard replied that
he had gone one day to the Academy of Music, with
his bottle in his pocket, and they had sung ‘Grace
Enough for Me.’ The power of God came down
upon him through tins? words, and he was con
verted, and has since become so active in his work
for Christ that his companions have dubbed him
‘Torrey the Second.’
“This gentleman said to me, ‘Now he’s got some
thing that I haven’t, and I want it.’ After a little
conversation the gentleman went away convinced
that his trouble had been unbelief, and that he had
not stepped out on the promises of God and press
ed forward in the work for the Master which will
surely bring victory and joy to any soul who is
dead in earnest.”
Mr. Jacoby also told me of an attorney who had
come into the rooms burdened with sin, but went
out radiantly happy. He said:
“One of the cases dealt with in the Inquiry Room
was an attorney who came from the West to Phil
adelphia to transact some business, but getting ac
quainted with a woman and becoming enamored he
was drawn away into sin, and for several years
had been away from home and wife and going deep
er and deeper into sin. He had almost come to the
conclusion that he had committed the unpardona
ble sin, for he had once known God and Jesus as
his Savior. In showing him the passages of Scrip
ture necessary for one in his condition, he finally,
through God’s Spirit, saw the truth that there was
forgiveness and mercy for him, accepted it, and in
leaving the room, said: ‘My heart has not been so
light since the day I was born.’ ”
B. Y. P. U. Convention.
The Fifteenth International Convention of the
Baptist Young Peoples’ Union of America, at Oma
ha, Neb., July 12-15, 1906, will be housed in one
of the finest convention halls in the United States.
It was built five years ago, and has a seating ca
pacity of seven thousand. Great preparations are
being made for the entertainment of this large con
vention, and the indications point to a great meet
ing. The local committees are already at work,
and the Omaha Convention already promises to be
unique in itself. Some important changes have been
made in the program, which will add strength to
the convention. There will be afternoon meetings
in the great hall aside from the usual rallies. Thus
the convention seems to be organized for stronger
business than ever.
The first Bible which ever reached Japan was
washed ashore at Nagasaki Bay about fifty years
ago. It was a Dutch Bible, which the finder could
not read. Some time alter he met a traveler who
told him the book was Dutch, and added he could
get the same book in Chinese. Being curious to
know the contents, the finder sent to China for a
Bible, and the result was he became a Christian
and an earnest worker for the salvation of his
friends.—Exchange.
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