Excellent Women Part 10

"I have greatly enjoyed the regular praying of the Lord's Prayer, and take a pet.i.tion each morning in the week. Intercession for others I generally make at evening. I take the fruits of the Holy Spirit in the same way and find this helpful."

_GENERAL_.

MORNING.

For the Holy Spirit.

Perfect trust all day.

Watchfulness.

To be kept from sin.

That I may please Him.

Guidance, growth and grace.

That I may do His will.

That He may use my mind, lips, pen, _all_.

Blessing and guidance in each engagement and interview of the day.

EVENING.

For forgiveness and cleansing.

Mistakes overruled.

Blessing on all said, written and done.

For conformity to His will and Christ's likeness.

That His will may be done _in_ me.

For a _holy_ night.

Confession.

For every one for whom I have been specially asked to pray.

_SPECIAL SUBJECTS_.

SUNDAY.

That I may make the most of Sabbath hours and gain much from the Word.

Deliverance from wandering thoughts. _Pure_ praise. Blessing on services and choir.

_Hallowed be Thy name_.

Intercessions. (Initials of many clergymen, of her brother, her G.o.d-children, and "our servants.")

MONDAY--"For joy and peace."

That the life of Jesus may be manifest in me.

_Thy kingdom come_

Intercession for Church Missionary Society and Irish Society. (Initials of her eldest sister, _all_ her family, and "Oakhampton servants.")

TUESDAY--"For longsuffering"

That my unconscious influence may be all for Him.

_Thy will be done_.

Intercession for Mildmay (and initials of her brother Henry's children and many Leamington friends).

'WEDNESDAY--"Gentleness."

For spirit of prayer and shadowless communion.

_Give us this day our daily bread._

Intercession for the universities and public schools, for many friends, for M.V.G.H., and E.C.

THURSDAY--"Goodness."

For much fruit to His praise. Soul-winning. Spirit of praise.

_Forgive us our trespa.s.ses_.

Local work. Swansea and Mrs. Morgan. For my sister Ellen, all at Winterdyne, "and the servants."

FRIDAY--"Faith."

Wisdom to be shown more of His will and commands.

_Lead us not into temptation_.

For my brother and all at Upton Bishop.

SAt.u.r.dAY--"Meekness and Temperance."

That the Word of Christ may dwell in me richly, open treasure of Thy Word to me, fill my seed-basket.

_Deliver us from evil._.

For the Church of England and the Queen. (Initials of many friends.)

A plan of work for 1879--"If the Lord will"--was sketched out, but it was not the Lord's will that it should he accomplished, and many subjects were not even attempted.

On her return from London in the early part of the year, her friends noticed the peculiar gladness of her service. She said one morning to her sister, "Marie, it is really very remarkable how everything I do seems to prosper and nourish. There is my 'Bruey Branch' growing and increasing, and now the temperance work, and so many letters tell me that G.o.d is blessing my little books."

The "Bruey Branch" here mentioned was an effort to get children to interest themselves in the Irish Society, and met with signal success.

It had been started two years previously with eight collectors--now hundreds of collecting cards had gone out.

Of her temperance work she writes a little later: "May, 1879. I haven't taken up teetotal work, but teetotal work has taken up me! Morgan and Scott made me accept a big handsome pledge-book in February, and somehow the thing has fairly _caught fire_ here. One led to another, and yesterday boys were coming all day to sign. I had twenty-five recruits yesterday alone, and a whole squad more are coming this evening! and we are going in for getting EVERY boy in the whole village! and now 'Please, miss, mayn't girls sign?' So I've got to open a girls' branch as well! So work grows!" Again, "Really a wonderful little temperance work here; all the rising generation have joined the pledge except about twelve, and now the men want to speak to me and I am to meet them to-night at the corner of the village (open air, having no place else) with my pledge-book. I have got 118 pledged, and each with prayer over it and personal talk about better things." On May 21 she met these men, carrying with her her Bible and temperance book. While standing, heavy clouds came up, and she was obliged to return home, wet and chilly, though some men were still waiting to speak to her. The next day (Thursday) she managed to get to church and received the Lord's Supper.

She was very tired with the service, and rode home on a donkey. As she pa.s.sed through the village, quite a procession of her boys followed her.

She urged her donkey boy to "leave the devil's side and get on the safe side; that Jesus Christ was the winning side; that He loved him, and was calling him, and wouldn't he choose Him for his Captain?" Arrived at home, she ran in for her temperance book, and the boy signed it on the saddle. That evening she spoke to several persons with intense earnestness and pleading.