e Evangelist. Jim Peabody, the infidel, sat
arrogantly erect with an impish snarl on his lip. To him the whole
business of praying was a huge piece of foolishness--except, of course,
when under the wagon-box. Aunt Sally Perkins knelt beside the front
bench and clapped her hands hysterically during the prayer. And Deacon
Gramps had slipped under the outer edge of the arbor, where he sat on a
low bench with his elbows on his knees and chewed his tobacco most
vigorously.

Evangelist Blank, himself, led in prayer. His prayer, like himself, was
simple, but mighty. It ran something like this:

"O Lord of heaven and earth, we thank thee for this hour. We have come
here in thy name; we plead no worthiness and no efficiency of our own.
Thy blood and thy grace is all our plea. We would not thrust ourselves
into thy holy presence on any human merits. But in thy name and through
the blood of Christ our Saviour we come boldly before thee. We praise
thee, Lord, for thy great salvation, by which thou dost save us and
sanctify us. O Lord, make thyself mighty in the salvation of this people
among whom we have come to labor. Let thy matchless power be manifested
and thy righteous name be exalted. Be thou lifted up before the people.
Lord, we rededicate ourselves at this hour to be used of thee in the
salvation of men. Come into these temples of clay afresh at this hour, O
Lord, and let the fire of thy holy presence consume all the dross that
may be in us. Anoint our feeble lips to speak the unsearchable riches of
Christ ... Hear us, Lord, we ask in Jesus' name. Amen."

This prayer made a profound impression on the audience. When it was
finished, a few other songs were sung, and then Evangelist Blank arose
to address the audience. There was something about the preaching and
personality of this man that made him a unique figure in the field of
preacherdom. In the first place, he was masterful in his knowledge and
use of the Holy Scriptures. He knew God's Book. By patient study and
long practice he had brought himself to the place where he could readily
bring to his defence an impregnable line of Scriptural proof to sustain
the propositions that he held. He was not only proficient in the
Scriptures, but he had a thorough training covering the whole range of
ministerial and theological thought. He had the happy and unusual
combination of those qualities of mind that make for forceful oratory
and clearness in theological thought. And last,