The Prison Chaplaincy, And Its ExperiencesQuinby, Hosea
Religion
The Prison Chaplaincy, And Its Experiences
Quinby, Hosea
Prison chaplains; Prisoners -- Religious life; Prisons -- New Hampshire
Mrs. A., witnessing the subduing influences pervading our meetings, and
feeling a strong desire that her son might be benefited thereby,
determined to do what she could in that direction. This son was a youth
who might have stood high, had he followed the right, but he had gone
deeply into crime, causing his parents and friends untold sorrows.
Still, this mother clung to him as only a mother can, hoping and praying
for his rescue from his downward course.
The two families, here represented, had previously lived in near
proximity and in happy union, when B. was an innocent youth, just
emerging from childhood, a mother's pride and a father's hope.
Considering this circumstance, and knowing that Mrs. C. had a class in
the prison Sabbath school, and was an intelligent Christian worker, of
good standing in the community, Mrs. A. conceived the idea that she
perhaps might now essentially help her son, and solicited her to make
the attempt. She replied, "I have no objection to attempting what I can
to reclaim your son, with the warden's assent." This assent obtained,
the two met in his presence. For a time B. appeared averse to talking
directly of his convictions concerning the soul's interest. But she at
length secured his confidence, thus leading him to speak of his feelings
and desires to reform more freely, perhaps, than he had to the chaplain
or warden. She referred to the past, what he once was, what his parents
had done for him, what he might have been; to his fall, what he had
lost, his present condition, his mother's agonized feelings in his
behalf. The recital cut him keenly. Like Peter of old, he wept bitterly.
She then pointed him to the Saviour as the only means of hope and
relief. Thus she met him a few times and to good effect. He had been
really interested in his religious welfare for a long time previous. But
these efforts helped him greatly to decide fully to follow his
convictions of duty. He became more alive to his true condition,
perhaps, than ever before, would mourn over the heinousness of his sins,
and evidently appeared to be drinking the bitter cup of repentance. He
would be at times in real agony of mind at the view of himself.
While in this state, the warden invited those especially interested in
the subject of religion to meet in the chapel, from twelve to twenty in
number, for an inquiry meeting. We conversed with them severally and
then proposed a season of prayer in which each should engage, which they
did, B. among the rest, after which he appeared more calm, as if he had
obtained a measure of relief, though he did not feel satisfied that he
had really experienced a change of heart, but seemed decided about
pursuing the right.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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