I

AN ANS\\II]RED PITAYER 65 realized, the most stupendous and momentous happening of his life. None of the young ladies rvho, as he l<neu', regardedhim u,itl.rfriendit, eyes, and rvhom he regarded in like friendll. fashion, seemed to be for him. One after another he brought before the Lord in prayer, but there rvas no ansu'eringvoice bidding him go forward. 'Lord, choosefor me,' he cried; ,l leave the matter r,vithThee.' And the L-ordansrvered prayer. One day a his churn of his rushcd into his rooll, declaring he had found just the girl for him ! He had been to a Holiness X,Ieeting a church, led by a lady in Salvationist, N,{iss a Srvift. Brengle must go anll hear her. The young errangelist promiJed he rvould, not because the girl, but because n,as of he 'r'err'mllch interestedin The Salvation Army. He hail already read most of the books r.,.rittenbt, "lhe General and l,Irs. Booth, rvhich hacl been introducedinto America by one of his theological teachers, Dr. Daniel Steele. .\lready he was lool<ed upon by his friends as half a Salvationist in mernner, ancls,holly one in spirit, He u,entthat night to the l{eeting. 'l'wentv-nine vearslater he u'rote:-stoocl that night before thit critical- and only half sympathctic . audience-a slender, delicate, cultured l.,otrlL11-.pd preached the truth as I had seldom. if ever., heard it preached, in language simple, 1.et delicatel_vrcfirred, and searclrirrg :rs i tirc to thb consciences
( ) I m el l .

CHA P TE R X
AN ANSWERED PRAYDR

' W h a t i s a n u n d e r sta n d in g h e a r t- th a t th in g r vhi ch a mortal m a y o b t a i n f r o m Go d , a n d wh ich th e wise st o f hi s ti me chose before long life, power, or riches ? I cannot find that it is anything more or anything less than what David called a clean h e a r t . ' - E . S . B.

f UST about this time a certain young man in Boston town $'aspraying for a life. FIe had J led a somewhathomeless, lonely sort of life from the day of his mother's death in his early boyhood. His father, whom he could not remember, an oflicerin Grant's army, ntadethe soldier's supremesacrificeat the siege of Vicksburg during the Civil War, and closedhis eyes for ever, when his tiny son was but a baby. Up through school, college, and theologicalseminary, Sam Brengle had bravely rvorkedhis u'ay. Ambition had urged him towardslaw at first,'butlater the Spirit of God led him into the ministrl-. The blessing of a clean heart made him turn aside from what rvould undoubtedly have been a position very near the top of his chosenprofession in favour of the strenuouslife of an evangelist, His had been to a large extent a life of faith ; he had accustomedhimself to ask the Lord about everything, and this question of a wife \\'as, hg

I can.seeher still, through blinding Lears, shr ;rs

\{r' chrrm was right (he goes on). I fell in love rvith
F

6( t

I I LI ZA BE T I{

SW IF " l '

BR EN GLIi

AN

ANS\\/ER}JD

PRAYER

6i

her at first sight, and lost my heart, but not my head' In matters of-love involving marriage, I am petsuaded ihat head and heart should keep pa-e rvith each other' There should be not only love, rvhich is a passion of the heart, but also profound respect antl intellectual of sympathy: rvhich are-largelv rr.ratters the head' \Ir' treari trai'the first inningl,'end I proposcd to give ntl' l-reada t:hance so the next tnorninq I rvrote her a ; ended uthich letter and began a correspotrdence -nerter fittle hand laid clon'nthe pen for ever' till her tired She lihed him, too, especiaily as ver\: eallv irr their acquaintance he pointed out to her a certairt lac li in her s p i ri tu a l l i fe . H e d e s c ri b es i t thus :-' She '*.orked tc the limit, and she prayed {erventl)', but she seemedto me to lack appropriating faith-the faith that takes, receives.and is glad ; the faith n'hich rests as it rvorils : the faith that drives the lvrinkles from the brou'. the burden off the heart' leaving thr: facc sunny and the heart free ; the faith that mal<es every pr"1'et errdin a burst of thanksgiving, and u'hich lingeri with the Lord for srveet fellorvship and cotnmunion rvhen prayer is done' Thev' had some further conversation and corr es ponden c e u p o n th i s s trb j e c t; b u t the l i ght di cl l.rot come to T-ily for some rveeks, uthen she rvas obliged t o g o to a s a n a to ri u m, to avoi d a complete breakdou'n. C) ne dav s h e rv a s s i tti n g i d l y o n th e l arvn l ooki ng r r p int o a g l o ri o u s c h e s tn u t tre e i n ful l bl ossonr' r v hen it rv a s b o rn e i n u p o n h e r th at there u' as s om et hing mo re s h e o u g h t to h a v e ' ' Lor d, ' s h e p ra y e d , ' th e re ' s s o m e t hi ng I haven' t got . S ho rv i t to m e .' Imme d i a te lv the i tns\r,er c am e- *- ' m o re a h u n d a n tl rt.'

thing more than a servant. I had never looked any higher ; but I rose higher at the Sanatoriurn and it ; u'as through you I did so, by keeping rny promise to vou of praying more in the rva_v communion and of u'aiting on God. I feel His lor':eabout me like sunshine all the while. A few u'eeks later she referred again to this cxperi ence:._Ilver since He e'aveme life more abunclantlyI have lorgotten more and more my servantship-though that vuas su:eet and dear 1qy116,-nnd have come into the hi gher l i fc of a fri crrd. I am so slolv to take in spiritual ideas, so long in climbing spiritual heights, thtt it took me all the uihilc frorn your first su{gestion (ti.,"omonths ago) till norv to seethat God had somethi ngbet t er f or m e t han I had yet taken, The idea that He could lor,e me so. that care for my fellou'shipand communiou, thet !Ie_u'o_uld I should share this rvith Him, was so tremendous! It is still, and fills me rvith rl-onder,love, and praise. The desire and effort to serve, ' to spend ancl tcr be spent' for others \\-as n ot lost , hor vever , but rather enri ched and enl arge d, b. l' t his exper ience.

She ran into the house,and got her Bible and Concordance.Yes, thereit u,as: ' I am comethat they might have life, and that thev might have it more abundantly.' This text brought u'ith it a new revelationof a closer and sr",eeter and dearer union between the soul and its God. It was a revelationthat influencedthe whole of her after life. She wrote about it to l'rernervfriend thus:*." You have helpedme. You helpedme in Boston rvhenyou showed that Jesusu'antedme for someme

(r8

ELIZ;\BETH

SWIFT

BRENGLE

AN

ANS\\/I]RED

I)I{,\\'EIT

69

The latter part of 1886 and the beginning of r887 were spent in England collectingmaterialfor and s'riting ' The Armt' Drttm,' and ' \Vhat Ilinders You ? ' Immediatelybefore her departurefor England' trIr. Brengle,after much prayer for guidance'conthe sidered time ripe for his proposal. He rvasmet by not only a prompt' but a decidedrefusal-a refusal quite enough to daunt any man. But it in did not destroyhis hopeand confidence the least' questionupon the 'No,' he said, in ansu'erto a subject. ' I q'as sorr)', to be sure; but I felt it n'ouldbe all right in the end. God lrad chosenher for me, and tve rvereboth anxiotts to do His rvill only, so it was bound to comeout all right.' astonished To say that the lady in question rr,'as his proposal,lvas to statethe casemildly. After at the first shock she rvas heartbroken. W'as this to ? be the end of their helpful friendship Verl' she prayed that God rvould show him his earnestly mistake. Her health u'as delicate, and she u'as older than he, though she looked much younger' and for theseand other reasonsrthich she franklv stated, t1'tsferltit cotrld not bc God's u'av for her' She rvrote:-! You are surelyunder a spell,an illusion All-my

He coulcln't,and he told her so. This pained her inexpressibiy,sher \l'as so sule he l'as under some delusion-that Satan \vaspresel.lting hirnselfas an angel of iight. J\gain she rvrote:-I hat'e praved rnuclt and thought much to find out if God meant to give me to you, thinking ahvays in this order--first, of Gorl's u'ill and the good of His cause; next, of your u,elfare ; arld last, of the result olt mv orvn soul ; and I canltot believe that fle does mean if. I do not love )'ou except as I u'oulcl a brother, ar.rd rvhen I think of 1'our rvelfare m]' very afiecti<tn for you cries out, ' You shall not lvaste your iife so,' Not your love, but vour life. God r,r:ill return that love into 1.ss1-orvn heart, and some other n.oman rvill be blessed rvith it some day'. And rvhat about rny or,vn soul ? ' A married rvoman careth for the things of this n'orld, that she nray please her husband.' I am sure th:rt I should get rvorldly,, and a l w a y s t h i n k i n g h o r v to l o o k yo i n g a n d a i -I - b pretty as I nearly e could, just to pleasc you. should surely in that luav put vou before God, and I dare not risk that. You sav that 1'our li[e niust l-le orre o[ utter devotion to the_Nlan Christ Jesus? Horv that fills my soul rvith jof'. ! 1m so glad for 1'ou, I rejoice in 1,ou. I cannot ever risk hinclering that, I do tiust Him for you.

sanctified comnon sense sa]'s loudlt and clearly, ' \'ou must no l m ar r y him . ' Som e day y ou u'i l l b e g l a d t h a t I cou ldn 't t hir ik as y ou did, t hat I k ep t y o u f r e e . I sure that God means better things for vott. Plezrst: ^m Him, as I do, to set you free' asl<

But this her suitor steadfastlvdeclinedto clo.

'I'he question sanii into abeyancefor tire tinre being. He stayedat home,and practised virtue the of p:rtience; she .wentover the seas, retle\\'edolcl f riendships, and made nelv ones, travelled ancl intervierved, and rvrote her books, serenelybelieving that her lvay u,asthe right rvay. If she had entertained an1' fond belief that her friend had alteredhis point of viervor tirat she haci rnadehim relinquishhis purpose,she was speeclih,

7A

ELIZABETH

SWIFT

BRENGLE

A N T \ NS WE iED P R A Y E I T .

7I

undeceivedupon their first meeting' At last it u,as revealedto her that the blessing, the Divine gift, of a good man's iove, that she had so perJistently thrust flotn her and laid upon the altar, rvas for her. 'fhey were married one sweet NIay day in the library of the home that lvas so dear to her' Appie blossoms from the old orchard and lilies-of-thevalley f rorn the home garden scentedthe air; the lr,eddingguests rverefor the most part the poor of the toulnship, her Converts, and the attendersof the little viliage hall Meetings. It was a beautiful wedding; simple as a rvedding could be' Thei' *ere united according to The Arml' Nlarriage Service, for the Rer'. Samuel Brengle had, before this, decidedto throrl' in his lot rvith The Salvatiotr Army. The vows she prayed over so earnestly many times, before the day u'hen she reverently made them in public, rvere faithfuily kept as long as life lasteci. 'An ideal marriage ' I have often heardtheir union called,and one in a hundred,so perfectly mated did they seern. And what rvasthe ? secret For sccret there rvas! They were made of the ordinary material' life for thern held the same rvorries. and irets, and vexations that it does for all of us, and that war on the mind and soul more she even than bigger troubles. Years afterw-ards onlv true and the wrote, out of Gr own experience' reliablerule for marriedbliss :-Both must love God from beginrlingto end better
th l,r e ach other ; t hc ' r ' m us t hold eac h ot h e r l i k e G o d 's

r-,ther gifts, alrvaysat His ou'n disposal. 'fhis is the onc factor in married happiness. There is ncr indi.spensable true, lasting happinessin the union of auv tu'o humatt is lir-esrvhere-God not made and kept a royal first. And twenty-eight ]'ears after that lt-rvel1'trlay l uoon, her husband, l ook ing don- u on her dead face, corroborated everl' word she lracl u'ritten. IIe sai d :-A ferv da-r'sbclore Inl darling lvent l{orle her littlc hands began to sn,ell, and the nurse said her rveddingrvhen the ring rvould have to come off. I rvas_present jeu.:elter ofl the symbol of ottr tender love and union cut i'rom the irelpless hand. It seerned as though he s'ere cutting into my heart. But rvhen I took the little ring, ancl r6ad the inscription I had engraved rvithin it trvJnty-eight 1'earsbefore, my.heart rejoiced. It was ' Ilolinesi utt-Lo lhe Lord.' 'llhat u':rs her secret and mine, We set ourselvesto practise ' Flolinessunto the Lord' in all the common affairs and tender intimacies of our private life as r'.'ellas in our public ministry. We corlenantedto t"atch over each other jealously' cach helping the other to keep in the experienceof that motio.- \Ve testified, we preached, rve rvrote in season,out of season,that God might be glorified in the hearts and lives of His people. We prayed together and apart for this. N o u,onder i t rvas an idcal uuion ! And t heir secl et i s an open one; t heir exper ience is not uni que; furthermore, i t is r vhat G od int ends by O n t hese IIi s sacred ordi nance of m at r im ony. happv, earl1' days her husband loves to sweet' took back, and looking backrvard into the golden past he tells us a little of rvhat she was to him :-She taught me to see beautl' everyrvhere. I came thc lt;aOtc \\''est, .u'hersmv granclfatherhelped {r.rrrn

72

ELIZAB E TH S \\'III|

tsRE NG L E

A N A NS WE R E D P R A Y E I {

i3

to build a fort to protect the settlers from the Indians. These people were generally too busy u'restling rvith the great forests, and struggling to build up homes, and rear their large famiiies to see the n ondrous beautiesall about them, But she made me seearrd feel beauty in every fence corner, tangled thicket, fleecy cloud, and murmurins brook. Her delight over all these beauties \\ras infectious, ar.rdI caught some of her s oir it . I\'Iorethan an-yone else, she taught mc to see worth and vast possibilitiesin degraded and neglectedsouls. At the age of se\.entecn had gone to the Universit;', I and from thcn till I met her rnv associations had been rvith n,ell-to-doand cultured people; but she introduced me to the po'r'erty-stricken, the ignorant, the pagan in our midst, and made me see their spiritual value. She sarv to it that all the despisedand poor of the community rvere invited to our rvedding, and her father's house overflorvedthat day rvith all the tatterdernalionsof the country-side. She took me rvith her to extend a special invitation to old Granny 8., u'ho lived in a log hut away up the rrrountain-side, and who rvould in all probability have been burned as a rvitch had she livbd 3oo years earlier. She had a carriage sent to bring the poor old lvoman r".'hohad been saved in one of her l{eetings, and over r.vhose soul she had u'atched anrl rcjrtir:ecl like :r mother o1'er a nelv-born babe. When she r,ventu'ith me, as she sometinresdid, on one of my tours, she n'ould, during the Prayer N{eeting. get hold of the very worst old sinner in the Hail and labour t o br in g h i m to C h ri s t. If s h e d i dn' t get hi m l.he first night, she l,vouldtalk to me about him, pra1,. for him, and watch for his return next night thaf she rnight lav siege to his sorrl. She loved the souls of such people. When she has been talking to some utterly degraded old sinner I have often hiard in her voice the tender, yearning notes that used to tremble and thrill in her tones rlhen speaking to and making I ov e t o her ba b i e s .

i\nd again and again r,r'hen e't'erlbody had left the N,leeting but the janitor, I have had to pull her arva,'fronr sorne obstinate old rvreck u.ith rvhom she was pleading, and as $'e \i/ent she rvould Iinger and turn her tired, pale face and 1'earning eyes baclin'ard' and b e s e e c h h i m t o g i v e h i s h c ar t to Go d .

It was her first book, 'A (lradle o{ F)tnpire,' that gale her husband his final call into The .\rmy. He said :--This little book, I thinl<,finally tipped the scales
:ind dropped me into The Arm,v. I u'as a student in the I'heological School of Boston Universitv, and the apostolic simplicity and spirit and der-otion of The Army's school was so different from the scholastic spirit of the TheologicalSchool that it brol<em,v he:rrt, and, bursti ng i nto tears, I cr ied out , ' These ar e m - v peopl e.' Thei r i ndebtedness to each ot her was m ut ual, and as the vears w ent by t heir souls gr et v and t heir spi ri tual understandi ng ex panded as ihey cont inued to tal<esrveet counsel together.