12. CHAPTER VII - WITHIN THE VEIL

CHAPTER VII

WITHIN THE VEIL

LET us look at Hyde in the Prayer Room, say in Sialkot Convention. The Prayer Room is in the Scotch church. Some of the seats have been moved aside and a carpet covers this open space. Sometimes there are hundreds of people there, at other times only two or three. Right on his face on the ground is Praying Hyde—this was his favourite atti­tude for prayer. Listen ! he is praying, he utters a petition, and then waits, in a little time, he repeats it, and then waits, and this many times until we all feel that that petition has penetrated into every fibre of our nature, and we feel assured that God has heard and without a doubt He will answer. How well I remember him praying that we might ’ open our mouth wide that He might fill it’ (Psalms lxxxi. 10). I think he repeated the word ’wide’ scores of times with long pauses between, ’ Wide, Lord,’ Wide," Open wide,’ Wide’. How effectual it was to hear him address God, Oh, Father ! Father ! ! " Even before he asked anything I always felt that the Father knew what he was going to ask for. When he finishes his prayer, perhaps half­a-dozen are sobbing, Hyde goes to one of them, and others who are present go to the others. Hyde’s arm is round the neck of the one that he is going to deal with ; he speaks but little but his well-worn Bible is used and before long he stands up with a smile and the man with him, and he begins to sing, ’’Tis done, the great transaction’s done,’ and he is so full of joy that his whole body begins to move, he claps his hands and then his feet begin to move, and look, he begins to dance for joy and others join him until the whole place rings with God’s praises.

Sometimes he wants to be alone and I heard of him climbing into the belfry ; there, in the dark, high above the others, he pours out his soul to God, men hear the echo of his voice and realize that he must not be disturbed for he is wrestling with God.

What about his meals ? and his bed ? The Convention lasted for ten days in those early days, and his boy,’ a lad about sixteen that he had taken to his home and his heart, had brought Hyde’s bedding and had carefully made his bed, but it was never used during the Convention. I saw him more than once, when the Prayer Room was full, going aside into one of the corners and throw himself on the floor to sleep, but if the Room began to get empty and prayer to flag, he somehow seemed to know it and was up immediately and took his place with the other intercessors. Did he go to his meals ? I think it was only once or twice that I saw him with us at table. Some­times his boy,’ or Gulla, the sweeper, or one of his friends would take a plate of curry and rice or something else to him to the Prayer Room and if convenient he would go to a corner and eat it. How his boy ’ used to cry because he would not eat properly and would not go to bed to sleep. Hyde was not the only one that did this, there were other missionaries who did the same and Indian workers also, but it was Hyde’s spirit and example that first of all led them into this Prayer Life.’

How often Hyde told me that he was afraid of following the example of men, and he dreaded lest any one should try to follow his example or McCheyne Paterson’s example, and so I wish to close this chapter of Reminiscences by begging of our members to follow Hyde in his Prayer-life and Prayer-spirit, but not necessarily in the form ’ that he manifested it. There are thousands of God’s children who cannot spend weeks in prayer and fasting as he did, they are physically unfit for it, but every one can have this Prayer-life making prayer their very breath. We need to be in the line of God’s will in this as in every other duty. Hyde realized that in his case God demanded it of him. We all feel our need of more prayer and to be more persistent in prayer and intercession, whether we spend a night or a month on our knees. Realizing my own need, may I ask my fellow•workers, Indians and Europeans, espe­cially at this time, shall we not give more of our time to prayer ? Can we not have an occasional day of prayer and fasting 1 Let us go to the Lord and settle it with him. Let us be willing to sacrifice our own comforts in order to have more time for prayer. And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled ogether ; and they were all filled with the Hoty Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.

Acts iv. 31. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.

—Acts vi. 4.

I am the door : by Me if any man enter in he shalt be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

—John a. 9. The secret life of prayer alone prepares ,and qualifies for the ministry. And each of these is equally necessary in order to accomplish the glory of God. For while work without prayer is sheer Presumption, prayer without work is mere fanaticism . . To understand rightly the necessity of this preparation Puts new emphasis on the giving of ourselves to prayer. For it is in prayer that motives are tested, ideals examined, plans adjudged, and relative worth revealed. Ministry, which is the ex­pression and outcome of life thus lived before God, may be of infinite variety, but is always a mediation of His Word to others. For this the world hungers, and without this it perishes.

—RE v. J. STUART HOLDEN, D.D.