Milo

Redfield In A Hard Place

John W. Redfield was a remarkable revivalist among the Methodists and Free Methodists. He died not many years ago. From his memoir, prepared by J. G. Terrill, we take the following: “The Sunday came, and I went to church. A goodly number had come, probably from curiosity, to see the new preacher. I had resolved to deliver my own soul regardless of persons or conditions, by declaring the whole counsel of God. But I saw no favorable indications. After a few efforts during the week following to bring about a change, and finding it all in vain, I went to sinners and exhorted them to flee from the wrath to come. The response from them was: “‘Go, look after your ungodly members.” Sunday came again, and I delivered my message in view of the judgment; When I was leaving the church, I met the principal member of the official board, who accosted me thus: ‘We don’t like your preaching here at all, nor the chapters you lead from the pulpit. Hell is not very popular here.’ “I inquired: ‘Will you tell me, brother, what I have preached that is not Bible truth?” “Well,” said he, “I believe it is true.” “‘Do you want me to preach lies?” I asked. “I went home, weeping along the street. I now saw I was going to accomplish anything, I must do it with might. So, Monday morning, I went to the grove, and before, the Lord in prayer. It seemed as though the power I experienced of darkness were all about me. The sensations were as if by the hardest effort I was overcoming great obstacles and rising higher and higher, until my head struck against a rock, and I sank back overcome. I arose and sought another place to plead with God, and there experienced the same. Thus I continued day after day through the week. I would go to the house once in a while and get something to eat, and then return to the struggle. Sometimes my agony was such that it seemed to me I could rend the heavens with my cries for the salvation of sinners. It seemed to me that if I could hold on until the victory came, I should see them saved. When Saturday night came my very brain seemed sore, and the jar of my step gave me pain. I felt a kind of bewilderment coming on, but I had received no answer. I had resolved, in the name of God, to see a break and salvation come to the church, on the next Sunday, or an end put to its standing as a stench in the nostrils of the Almighty and the world. “Sunday morning came, and with eyes sore from weeping, and my brain tender from the continual struggle of the week, I walked softly and carefully to the church, and into the pulpit. In opening the service, I said to the membership. “This day ends my labors in this place. You do not want me here, and I do not want to stay, for I am heartily tired of pouring water on to rocks.

But if God will help me, I will either see a break today, or see this ungodly apology for Methodism annihilated. I have asked no man’s money; I go at my own expense; but I shall go straight for God.” Nothing seemed to move in the morning. In the evening I went into the pulpit again, and announced that I should redeem my pledge. Of course, this aroused their hate to a high pitch. As God helped, I pointed out the track of an acceptable disciple, and the only one that could possibly pass the gates of Paradise. At the close of the sermon, I asked those, and only those who meant it and would take this track and where needed go to their neighbors and confess to them, and pray with them, and who would seek for the blessing of holiness until they knew they had it, to rise. I didn’t believe I could get them to come forward. Two only arose, and they were of the most lowly. ‘Well,’ said I, ‘there seem to be but three of us, counting myself as one, and God besides; but I think we will try and have a prayer meeting.

Those two and myself were all that would kneel, I in the altar and they at their seats, about half-way down the church. I opened with a short prayer, and began to rise in spirit until I struck that rock again. I then asked some one else to pray, but no one responded; and I tried again with the same experience and result, and the third time, and the fourth, and fifth until the sixth time, in immediate succession. I now felt that this is the last time, and that if I did not get the victory, God would say to me: ‘Let them alone.’ The case was a desperate one, and I knew the world and the devil were against me, and the church members who would not kneel; but I said in my prayer: ‘O God, I’ll go as far as I can.” Again in spirit I began to rise, and soon I struck that rock again, and it seemed to shiver to atoms. Instantly the house was filled with the Divine glory. The two who were kneeling with me fell, and their shouts and screams were so loud that they alarmed the village. The people came running in to see what was the matter, and as they crowded up the aisles and saw the two prostrate under the power of God, tears each other down their faces; and the poor tempted members began one after another to confess their hostility and ask for pardon, and promised to take the track pointed out to them. I stayed one more week, and forty-five sinners were converted. The preacher, who had abandoned the work returned and revival went on in power for some time. — Ten or fifteen years afterward, I heard from that society, and it still was well.’

PROTECTED BY ANGELS

A good clergyman was once sent to a wild and dangerous part of Australia on an errand of duty and traveled up to the place, he was too poor to be in any great danger from bush-rangers or robbers, but as he came back he had to bring in his saddle-bags a large sum of money not belonging to him, but belonging to the dying man he had been sent for to comfort. He knew that a dangerous robber was aware of the fact that he was going to be riding along that lonely track of road through the bush alone, and when he got to one part of the road he felt so frightened that he thought he was not trusting God as a Christian should.

He wanted a little quiet, so he got off his horse and stood by it, with his eyes shut, praying for faith courage not to be afraid of the bush-rangers or robbers, and to be guarded against them. He prayed till he felt calm enough ride on, and then he mounted his horse and reached the in safety with the money which he had in charge. Some time later he was once more called to visit a man a sick bed, and he recognized him as the robber of whom he had been so afraid of on the previous ride. This man told him that he felt he could not die without confessing that on that day he had followed him, intending to rob and murder him, but could get no opportunity. “Why did you not do it when I got off my horse?” asked the clergyman in surprise. “I could not then,” said the bush-ranger; “there were too many of you.””What do you mean?” asked the clergyman. “I was quite alone in the bush, standing with my head resting against my horse’s side for a long time. You could have killed me then.” “You were not alone,” said the bush-ranger; “I saw you standing as you describe, but there was a man on each side there had been no other men with the clergyman in that hour of terror when he cried to God, but it is just possible that God really opened the robbers eyes and showed him his angels guarding his servant as he went on his dangerous duty, as Elisha’s servant’s eyes were opened to see guardians around his muster.

Whatever may be the explanation God did send his angels to frighten away the robber, and by so doing he saved him from a great crime as well as the good clergyman from death. – The Mission Worker. “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to for them who who shall be heirs of salvation?”

 PREVAILING PRAYER OF A CHILD

At the close of a prayer-meeting, the pastor observed a little girl, about twelve years of age, remaining upon her knees, when most of the congregation had retired. Thinking the child had fallen asleep, he touched her, and told her it was time to return home. To his surprise, he found that she was engaged in prayer, and he said: “All things whatsoever ye ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” She looked at her pastor earnestly, and inquired: “Is it so? Does God say that?”

He took up a Bible, and read the passage aloud. She immediately commenced praying: “Lord, send my Father here; Lord, send my father to the church.” Thus she continued for about half an hour, attracting by her earnest cry the attention of persons who lingered about the door.

At last a man rushed into the church, ran up the aisle, and sank upon his knees by the side of his child, exclaiming: “What do you want of me?” She threw her arms about his neck, and began to pray: “O Lord, covert my father!” Soon the man’s heart was melted, and he began to pray for himself.

The child’s father was three miles from the church when she began praying for him. He was packing goods in a wagon, and felt impressed with an irresistible impulse to return to his house, he left the goods in the wagon, and hastened to the church, where he found his daughter crying mightily to God in his behalf; and he was there led to the Savior. – Foster’s Cyclopedia

PREVAILING PRAYER FOR A REVIVAL

We knew a preacher, still living, who was appointed to the charge of a church in Springfield, Ill. The church seemed very much depressed. It’s life was at a low ebb. It was in the midst of the harvest, in the hot weather, when things seemed most depressed. The pastor, a holy man of God, announced on Sunday evening to a small congregation of a score or two of persons, “There will be a prayer-meeting in this church to-morrow morning at sunrise for the revival of the work of God and for the conversion of sinners.”

The people wondered at the notice, and went home. The pastor went up into his study, which was in the parsonage by the side of the church, and gave that night to prayer. Just as the East began to lighten up a little with the coming day he had the assurance that his prayer was answered, and casts himself down on a sofa for a little rest. Presently he awoke suddenly to see the sun shining on the wall over his head. He sprang up and hooked out of the window to see how late it was, when he saw the sun just rising above the horizon. Looking down into the yard by the church, he was overjoyed to see the church crowded with people, and teams crowding into the street for a long distance. God had heard his prayer, and had sent out his Spirit into the community, and there had been no sleeping in Springfield that night.

People in the country who knew nothing of the appointment got up in the night, hitched up their teams, and drove into town and to the church to find out what the matter was. A good man had taken hold of God. The prayer meeting began, and was closed that night at eleven o’clock. Several souls were converted. A gracious work broke out, and the community was greatly blessed. The foregoing we certify to on the highest authority, having it from the lips of the man himself, whom every body knowing him. We greatly need earnest, persevering, believing prayer. One night of such prayer kept by all the Church would startle the nation. We sorely need a mighty baptism of power. We have all the other elements of success. We lack no machinery. We have truth, and the experience of its saving power and the appliances. What we now need is the outpouring of the Spirit upon us as a people.

We must rekindle our fires. We must make our churches centers of saving power. One hour a day spent by the church in earnest prayer for the revival of God’s work would make the coming year the most memorable in the history of the church. If you do not feel burdened, ask for the spirit of prayer, and that shall be given you. Forsake your sins and leave yourself with God, and give yourself to prayer, and all over the land God will hear and answer, and pour out his Spirit, and bestow his power, and make this year a revival year. C.H. Fowler

PRAYING FOR WOOD

E. B. Slade tells an interesting instance of answered prayer. One cold winter he was forty miles away from home, holding revival services, when, in the midst of a terrible snowstorm, during which travel was almost wholly impossible, his wife, at home, ran out of wood.

To save the little that remained, she put her children to bed, and wrapped them up in blankets, At last baking must be done, and, making a fire of her last wood, she began to pray that help might come, and persevered until her faith won the victory.

She then went about her work in perfect peace of mind, assured that relief would come. In the course of a few hours her nearest neighbor, a lady, waded through the snow, saying that she had been impressed that she must come over and see what was the matter. The facts were stated, and relief promised. Hardly had she gone when another lady came in with the same statement, and the same offer was made. A little while later a gentleman came in expressing a similar feeling; and when he learned the facts, he took them all to his home, and cared for them until Mr. Slade returned home.