ing the church, cast Peter into prison, a very special case of deep concern presented itself to the trembling disciples and Christians. They meet in their various and respective places of prayer-meeting-all for the concerted purpose of praying for Peter. "Peter, therefore, was kept in prison; but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him." "And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying." For they had all been praying for Peter, and their prayers were answered.

These historic references, with many others in the inspired word, give ample encouragement to concerted prayer as a special and very precious means of grace, and of securing promised blessings from God. That this is so little practised in the church now, must be owing to the fact that the state of religion is so lamentably low-Christians notice so few things of interest calling their attention and enlisting their prayers; concerted prayer seldom occurs to their minds; seldom any matter of prayer presses upon the heart, and, consequently, they are seldom shut up to earnest, agonizing, concerted prayer. Were the Spirit of God poured out upon us-would God give us a spirit of grace and supplication, how many objects of pressing interest would spring up in visible form around us, and bring live Christians together in Christian conference, out of which would grow argument for prayer for specific objects, drawing together in groups for concerted prayer! And how different then, would our prayers be! How unlike our cold and pointless prayers in our prayermeetings now! We too often come together without an object or an errand, and so coming together we pray without an object, and return without our errand.

Out of a hundred instances that might be selected, and

in addition to the examples already given in other connections, permit us to detain the patient reader with two or three striking instances of recent occurrence, illustrating the power of concerted prayer:

In one of the Noon-day Fulton Street Prayer-meetings, where concerted prayer was a matter of daily routine occurrence, a clergyman from the interior of the State of New York, related the following case of conversion, which was followed by a revival and the conversion of many others. He said:

"I have been, for thirty years, connected with the people of my charge. I have seen many deep and powerful revivals of religion. I have witnessed the triumphs of the grace of God in the conversion of a multitude of souls. But I think I saw, last Monday morning, the happiest man I ever saw in all my life. I think I never witnessed such a marked and wonderful triumph of grace. It was the conversion of a lawyer, a man of marked ability and high standing. It occurred in a parish where there was no minister and no stated means of grace. It was in this wise: Three pious ladies, acting on a hint thrown out in this meeting, of the importance of united prayer for some specific object, agreed to pray for the conversion of this lawyer. They entered into solemn covenant with each other to make his speedy conversion the subject of daily prayer, and many times a day; and beginning as they agreed, they soon became deeply burdened with anxious desire, so much so that they could not rest, and they could not be satisfied with simply praying. They went to the lawyer and told him what they were doing-that they were unitedly and daily praying for his conversion. They asked him if he would not pray for himself. He told them he would, without any distinct impression of the responsibility which he was taking upon himself. He was a man of strict probity

and honor. As night approached this lawyer began to meditate upon the promise he had made. He at first thought he would not keep his engagement; then again he said to himself, 'I am in the habit of keeping my promises. to my fellow-men, why shall I not keep it with these ladies? Why not? But I do not know how to make a prayer. I have not prayed, or tried to make a prayer, for years. I cannot pray. It is a mockery for me to attempt it. I ought not to have promised.' 'But you have promised, and you must keep your promise,' the voice within him seemed to say. You must pray.' He put it over to a later hour, postponing it as long as he could.

His mind Let me think

God and ask

It was

"At last a late hour of the night was come. was in a tumult. O, what shall I pray for? what most I need. I have got to look up to for something. What shall it be? Then he began to think of his posture for prayer. 'Am I to go down on my knees? I have not bent a knee for ever so long.' And when on his knees before God, he said, 'What shall I ask for? What shall I acknowledge?' It was a terrible conflict. Before this he had not the least idea what his promise involved. To pray was not a mere matter of form. something that must be honestly done. So he bethought himself, 'I can ask God to bow this stubborn heart; for he already began to feel how stubborn it was. I can ask God to show me how such a wretch as I can be forgiven; for already he began to feel that he was a wretch undone. He knelt down, and such an overwhelming sense of sin and shame came over him that he was filled with agony. What he had promised to do in a light and thoughtless frame of mind, he was now trying to do in great heaviness of heart. But he determined to be honest and earnest. Who shall describe what followed? passed in that solitary chamber?

Who shall say what Suffice it to say that

last Monday morning my eyes beheld the happiest man they ever have rested upon in all my religious observation and experience.

"As soon as I heard of these facts in my neighborhood, I left my own charge to visit throughout this rural country place, having no minister. I visited fifteen families in one day, and prayed in every house; and in every one of these fifteen families I found awakened persons. They had all heard of the conversion of the lawyer with much surprise. That lawyer had visited many of them, and I doubt not that now—yes, at this very moment, when I am speaking— you may see him, if you see so far, in that neighborhood, in Dutchess County, with a few tracts in his hand, going from house to house, persuading sinners to come to Christ, telling them what a dear Saviour he has found.”—Five Years of Prayer, pp. 51–54.

The author of "Work in the Wynds," after narrating numerous instances of the kind, gives the following:

"Not long after, a little note, in the same hand, was read in the meeting: Some time since I desired your prayers and the prayers of this meeting. I now desire to give thanks, having received the blessing then asked, and I will crave still more.' This asking of prayer became, almost from the first, a great feature in the meeting. We had gradually a large list of places, in every one of which some measure of awakening, I believe, was experienced. As in all such meetings, many requests came in for friends. One evening, a woman of a sad countenance came to me and said: You are often praying for friends. Would you ask for my husband? He was a good, kind husband, but one day, in drink, he listed, and is now in the East Indies. I have four children to provide for; but he's my great burden. O, ask his conversion! By the first mail she had a letter from him, written about the time we began to

The Lord has

pray, saying, O, Mary! I am a new man. been with me, and drawn me to Himself. O, that I was back to you! I would be a different husband and father. She brought me the letter to read. O, she said, her pale face growing paler, do you think we might ask another request? May we ask the Lord to send him home? That night, and for many nights, we asked.

After awhile another letter came. O, Mary, I am ordered home! I have been in the hospital, and my passage is taken by the first ship. And he came home, and has been for several years an active agent in our mission work.”—P. 285.