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devastated Minnesota and Dakota for several years, until it seemed as though famine threatened the people. A day of fasting and prayer was ap pointed in Minnesota and devoutly observed. The next spring the grass hoppers appeared, but immediately a parasite attached itself to them, which prevented their doing damage and laying eggs against another season. It made a prdfound impression on the people that from the time of that public humiliation the scourge disap peared. [N ote . —The details of this deliverance are far more remarkable than as told by Dr. Pierson. They are given in a tract by Rev. Dr. Breed, published by the American Tract Society.] Spurgeon designates as “modern workers of miracles,” Frankce J. Falk, Jung Stilling, J. , Gossner, George Muller, Theodor Fleidner, L. Harms, J. Wichern and others who by faith and praver have originated and developed Christian institutions of the, most remarkable character. For one, I am alarmed at the waning faith in the supernatural, found even within the nominal church of Christ. The drift is toward a blank, bleak naturalism. The inspiration of the Bible is resolved into the inspiration of genius; the incarnation of God in Christ into an impersonation of godly character; the Divine atonement by blood into a mere human martyrdom; the regeneration by the Holy Ghost into a human reformation, and so the supernatural power of prayer is refined away. A man pulls himself toward shore by a rope attached to a stake and persuades himself the shore moves toward him. Results proceed, “not from the influence of the sup pliant on God, but from the mystic working of one soul on another.” EVEN GREATER. As Christlieb says again, here is a greater miracle than that God should
Plassey in 1757 which determined that Protestantism and not papacy should rule in India; and later the Sepoy Rebellion, which swung the great English power in India over to the side df Christian Missions. These- are only the outlines of a grand march of. events, only just now in progress, all of which began under the bugle call of the angel of the Lord, in answer to prevailing prayer. A WORLD POWER. We have given this one instance in full outline only as an example, among numberless ones, how prayer does- sway the balance of national history and a world’s destiny. Even ungodly men can scarce watch human history without feeling the presence of a pre siding power. Franklin will not be accused of being a Christian believer. Yet in the national convention of 1787, at that momentous crisis when no prog ress seemed to be making toward a closer bond of union between the confederated States, he arose and ad dressed the President: “How has it happened, sir, that, while groping so long in the dark, divided in our opinions, and now ready to separate without accomplish ing the great objects of our meeting, we have not hitherto once thought of humbly applying to the great Father of Lights to illuminate our under standings? In the’ beginning of the contest with Great Britain, when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayers in this room fOr divine pro tection. Our prayers, sir, were heard and graciously answered.” And Franklin then moved that “hence forth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven and its blessings on our deliberations be held in this assembly every morning before we proceed to business.” ' A DELIVERANCE. A terrible plague of grasshoppers
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