I then passed around the circuit as usual, and the fourth Saturday thereafter, I arrived again at Brother Bowers’, preached, met the class, etc.  Then, when all the class had left the room except their own family, Brother and Sister Bowers said to me, each manifesting intense feeling and interest, “Have you heard of the strange thing that happened when you were here four weeks ago?” Said I, “No! what was it?” They said, “Did you see a man sitting in the house while you was preaching to-day?” describing his dress, looks, etc.  I answered, “Yes.”  Said they, “Did you see a woman sitting over there,” describing her?  I said, “Yea.”  Said they, “They are husband and wife—­their name is—­(I have long since forgotten the name)—­they are good members of the Presbyterian church, their children are members of our class, as you have called their names every time you have examined us.  The man and his wife were here and heard you four weeks ago—­they know our rules, and when those not of our church were dismissed, they left their children with us, as usual, and their parents started home.  And, as they themselves tell us and others, as they went along, said the woman to her husband, ’Does not Mr. Akers preach to-morrow at Mount Olivet?’ And he answered, ‘I believe he does.’  Said she, ’Well, if I thought he would take a certain text I would like very much to go and hear him.’ Said her husband, ‘What text?’ And she repeated the whole passage in Hebrews 6:4-6.  Said her husband, ’Well, I reckon he will take some subject that will be interesting, and if you say so we will not go to our own church to-morrow, we will go to Mount Olivet.’  She answered, ’Agreed, and I do pray the Lord that he may take that text.’  And she says, she continued to pray all that evening and next morning, until sitting in the church at Mount Olivet, she heard you read out the said text, when she knew the Lord had answered her prayer, and she could scarcely help from loud crying of thanks to God.”

I then told Brother and Sister Bowers my troubles about that text, as above stated.  The Lord answers prayer.

HOW SHE LEARNED TO LOVE THE BIBLE.

The Rev. Frederick G. Clark thus writes of an answer to prayer, from one who wanted to love the Bible more: 

“Twenty-seven years ago, in the congregation of my first charge, was a lady whose love for the Bible was something remarkable.  In the confidence of a pastoral visit, she told me of her joy in the divine word, and also recited the incidents of her experience in this regard.  She had formerly read her Bible as so many do—­a chapter now, and a halfchapter then, without much interest or profit.  She was, even then, most interested in religious things.  But her chief sources of spiritual strength were in such writings as those of Baxter, Payson and Robert Phillips.  It was her custom to read the Bible