The American Missionary — Volume 41, No. 5, May, 1887Various
Religion
The American Missionary — Volume 41, No. 5, May, 1887
Various
Congregational churches -- Missions -- Periodicals; Home missions -- Periodicals
The year, unlike some that have preceded it, has been free from
serious and protracted interruptions. Neither Expositions nor
epidemics have made great breaches in the classes or diverted
attention from matters of first importance. Though our classes
have been unusually crowded, the amount of faithful scholarly work
accomplished has been greatly above that of ordinary years. There
has been a quiet, intense determination on the part of pupils to
master the subjects in hand, that has greatly encouraged their
teachers. Many pupils have expressed a praiseworthy dissatisfaction
with their work and a longing to do it better, and have seemed glad
to devote recreation and holiday hours to gain a better mastery of
difficult subjects.
Accompanying this zeal for the acquisition of knowledge there has
been, from the week of prayer, a deep and growing tenderness on the
subject of religion.
While there have been no special revival services, the regular
weekly religious meetings of the University, both voluntary and
those in the regular order, have been attended and sustained with
the most earnest enthusiasm and by about the same numbers.
Some four weeks ago a request was made after the Sunday evening
preaching service, that those who had lately become Christians
would remain. Several who had given good evidence of a change of
heart were absent from the service, but fourteen remained and bore
glad witness to personal experience of the Lord’s saving power.
Since then the work has gone on steadily, and about _one soul a
day_ has come into the light. The Spirit is revealing His presence
in all grades of the University, and boarders and day pupils are
witnessing to His saving power. The work is very quiet, deep and
wonderful. There are over forty-five who give evidence of having
been “born from above.”
The following incident illustrates the peculiar graciousness of the
work as it was modestly related by one of the teachers last evening
in Faculty meeting: “Yesterday noon, as my scholars were passing
out of the room, a boy stepped out of the line and stood waiting to
speak with me. When all had left the room, I said: ‘Well, B., what
can I do for you?’ With a voice broken with emotion, he exclaimed:
‘Oh, Miss P., I want to be a Christian; I have wanted to be one
for a good while, and I want you to pray for me.’ I was surprised,
as he had given me considerable trouble for weeks, and I had not
thought him seriously inclined till that morning.
“‘I certainly will pray for you,’ I replied; ‘would you like to
have me do so _now_?’
“‘Yes, ma’am,’ was his earnest response.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
The American Missionary — Volume 41, No. 5, May, 1887 — John Shaqi
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