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produce that woman who met Jesus at the well;
her character crimson; her life a stench. After
she met Jesus and He imparted to her His salva
tion, she went back to her home city a changed
woman with another heart and another life, with
another testimony in her mouth, and the result
was a great revival in Cychar which swept over
the surrounding country.
We could show it by reference to many of the
conversions that, took place in the time of our
Lord rand the apostles; we could show it by that
marvelous change that took place in the great
apostle himself. But, my beloved friends, we want
no better proof than that which our eyes have seen.
Take, for instance, the life of that marvelous
miracle of grace, Jerry McAuley that miserable,
hated and hounded thief that lay around the river
wharves in New York and robbed steamboats and
passengers; a curse to the city, and yet, in 'Sing
Sing prison, he met the Lord and obtained his
salvation, and on the spot was given a new heart
and a new life which was afterward expressed in
an entirely nerw life.
Go there today to New York, and you will see
a shaft erected in the middle of one of its most
crowded thoroughfares; and around it gathers,
perhaps, more men and women, especially men and
women whose hearts are sore, than gather around
any shaft almost in this country. That shaft is
erected to the memory of a redeemed thief that
gave himself, in the name of Christ, to the work
of rescuing his fallen felow men.
But we are not shut in to these men, prominent
in the work of the church, we have them right in
our midst. I could call the names of prominent
official members of this church who, before they
met the Lord, were drunkards and gamblers,
wrecking their lives with sin, and crushing the
lives of their loved ones; but, one day, they met
Christ, and, meeting him, got His salvation on
the spot, and have never touched a drop of drink,
and never handled a card, and never had a piece
of dishonest money pass through their hands, and
never wanted to do it. And yet men ask us: “Is
the religion of Jesus Christ real?” Does it pro
duce a change of character and disposition in the
hearts and lives of men?
THE REALITY OF PRAYER.
They ask us, what of the reality of prayer?
They bear what we say about prayer; they read
what Jesus taught about prayer, and they ask us,
“Does prayer really prevail?” And that is a per
fectly legitimate question, and one that -we have
got to face. I can unhesitatingly affirm that pray
er does prevail. Prayer does get from God. I
could take you back again into the Scriptures for
proof; I should love to point out to you the
prayers of the great men cf God in all ages of
the Scriptures; I should like to call your atten
tion to the prayers of Abraham, Moses, Jacob, Eli
jah, David and the prophets. And then, I should
like to point out to you the prayers of Christ, and
especially that in the seventh chapter of John.
I should like to point you to the prayers of the
disciples, but we have not time.
I come down to more modern times.
Take the prayers of William Carey for India.
Go to India today to see their answer. Take the
prayers of John Knox for 'Scotland. His agony
was so great that he prayed: “God, give me
Scotland, or I die,” and I should love to show
you today in Scotland the answer to his prayers.
There are the prayers of Spurgeon for the launch
ing of that great and marvelous work of which he
was the head; the prayers of Chas. G. Finney for
a revival; the prayers of Evan Roberts for Wales;
the prayers of the women in India; the prayers
of the missionaries in Korea for the awakening
of Korea.
Suffer me in closing to relate just a fragment
from my own personal prayer life, which many of
you have never before heard. Before we had
that part of this church which is now known as
the 'Sunday school room, two of us got together
one day and prayed for God to open the way by
which we could purchase that lot on which the
Sunday school room now stands. We covenanted
together that we would not teli of it to any living
soul, and we did not.
After awhile we got a letter, unsolicited, from
The Golden Age for March 21, 1907.
X4KE OLD STARKVILLE.
When I was a boy at old Crew Street School,
Atlanta, one of my brightest fellow-students, Gus
Greene, used to “speak a speech’s entitled “Scot
land.” And “we boys and girls” were always ex
pectant when our young orator schoolmate walked
out and said in measured, magnetic tones:
“Scotland! There’s magic in the sound!”
And when I picked up my indelible pencil to
tell the readers of The Golden Age a word about
Starkville, Mississippi, and the nineteen wonderful
days I recently spent in that fine old town, the
memory of that stirring opening sentence in Gus
Greene’s school boy speech came to me and I felt
like saying: “Starkville —there’s magic in the
sound! ’ ’
I had never dreamed of being there in a meeting.
But when I closed my ten days with the Y. M. C.
A. at the great Agricultural Mechanical College
with her more than nine hundred boys, I was eager
to hasten to other schools for lecture dates, but my
royal, loyal friend, M. K. Thornton, pastor of the
Baptist Church at Starkville, came to me urging
that I stay with him and his people for a meeting
in the town. “But I can’t,” I answered, “ray
lecture dates and the field work of my paper will
not allow.”
But my talking did no good—and his talking was
so desperate it made me feel that I would do wrong
not to stay for a week at least. I stayed. But
when the week had ended the meeting was just tak
ing hold of the town in power.
The Sunday afternoon service for parents was
a wonderful manifestation of the presence and pow
er of God. It was a scene never to be forgotten
when nearly a hundred heads of families came
amid tears and rejoicing promising to build an al
tar unto God.
Then the revival really began. The pastors of*
all the other denominations attended faithfully
and helped by prayer, instruction and sympathy,
to reach the hearts of the unreached. The after
meetings were wonderful. Sometimes they lasted
until eleven o’clock, and many who came to church
without God and without hope, went home sing
ing near midnight, «■
“0 happy day that fixed my choice!’’
A beautiful thing it was to witness the conver
sion of nearly fifty bright boys and girls in the
Public School, and after their conversion, day aft
er day and night after night as these young people
happily yielded their hearts to Christ it was un
speakably sweet and beautiful to see these boys
and girls rejoicing in newness of life, going out
after their unsaved school-mates and bringing them
to the altar where so many found peace and salva
tion. Teachers wept on the shoulders of their
pupils and mothers and fathers over their chil
dren. Many strong men in the town were saved
and young ladies who had neglected the church of
God for the card table and the ball room were
taught by God’s Spirit and the glad testimony of
others to quit feeding on acorns on the ground
and turn their souls to the pabulum of the skies.
The Oktibbeha Club.
This social club, with its charming apartments
“open for business every day and Sunday too,” is
composed of the flower of the young men of Stark
ville and Oktibbeha county.
the man who owned the property, saying that he
would like to sell the piece of land, and that he
would give us an option on it until the following
"Monday at twelve o’clock. We got together and
prayed that, if it were His will, inasmuch as we
were already heavily involved in debt, for us to
have that property, He would give us the SSOO nec
essary to make the first payment.
We began that prayer the first of the week, and
prayed together every day. Friday afternoon I
had to leave the city, and just before I left my
room, a lady came to me whom I did not know
personally, and she said: “I have just had given
to me a bit of money, and I have been honestly
praying that God would help me to know where
to spend it in the best possible way, and I believe
that He has led me to give it to you to use in any
way ypu see fit.”
This club was organized by good Dr. Robert for
the intellectual, social and moral uplift of the
young men. But since this widely-beloved man had
moved away these fine young fellows had fallen
into ways which, as the New Englander says, “they
hadn’t oughter.” I remembered the Apostolic in
junction: “Reprove, rebuke, admonish.” I did
it —tenderly, but faithfully—wrapping every word
in love. Imagine my surprise and delight when,
on the last Sunday of the meeting, Mr. Simon
Fried, a noble Hebrew citizen, with whom I dined
that day, came to my cot where I was resting and
said: “The Oktibbeha Club has sent one of their
members inviting you to come to their rooms and
speak to them.” My heart leaped for joy. I knew
God’s Spirit was working. I went —and found Dr.
Robert, who had come in from southern Missis
sippi to attend the meeting, sitting there with a
splendid company of young men around him. On
the table at his side lay a new Bible he had just
presented to the club. There was nothing to do
but be faithful again. “I am a club man over in
Georgia,” I said. “I have organized many clubs
for the betterment of the young. I feel fellowship
for you. Eliminate the things that hurt. Do on
ly those things during the week and on Sunday that
will build up yourselves and the fair daughters of
rhe praying mothers of the community, and then
the best people of the town will put their arms
around the club and make it their pet and pride—
while it will be their inspiration and yours—-stand
ing like an intellectual, social and spiritual light
house, calling the young people of all this section
to higher thinking and nobler living.”
And when I had spoken thus, almost before I
knew it, I had said, “Let us pray.” And right
there within a step of the waxed floor of their
ball room —right there beside the pool table where
some of them had been playing on Sunday—we
bowed our heads and talked to God. After the
prayer we all shook hands and I said: “Now,
young men, turn about is fair play. I’ve come Io
see you. Now, you come, to see me. Reserved
seats at the front, without extra charge.”
And smiling and manly they walked down to
the church, crowded with men and boys, and took
their seats in the choir corner. When I had spoken
on “What Shall a Young Man do with His Life?”
some of the club members came forward saying
they wanted to live the beautiful Christian life.
And that night at the Methodist church, where we
went to try to seat the crowd, Mr. Philip Cramer,
the very member who had brought me the invita
tion, a nephew of my honored Hebrew friend, Si
mon Fried, startled and rejoiced the great audience
by rising bravely in their midst and acknowledg
ing Christ as the Messiah and his own personal
Savior. The meeting would not stop. Pastor
Thornton and other consecrated men had almost
prayed their hearts out, asking God for the men
of 'Starkville. At last they were coming. And
they continued to come until Wednesday night.
About seventy-five conversions in all, dividing
themselves among the different churches.
Dear old Starkville —you live and grow in my
grateful heart and if you ever think you need me
again, just call and I will answer: “Here am I.”
William D. Upshaw.”
f opened the note after she had gone, and found
that it was a New York draft for $250. We con
tinued to pray Saturday and Sunday, and on Mon
day morning I got a note from a friend asking
me to come to a certain hotel in this city. When
1 got there I was handed another envelope with
a check in it, and was told to take the cheek and
use it in any way that I saw fit. When I opened
the envelope, it contained a draft for $250. I
immediately went to the telegraph office and tele
graphed that we would take the property.
Does God answer prayer? I affirm to you that
f do not believe anything any more strongly than
I do that God hears and answers prayer. Oh! in
view of these things, the reality of our religion,
the reality of the Bible, the reality of Jesus Christ,
the reality of His salvation, the reality of pravcr,
f feel to thank God that I am a Christian!
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