"The Prayer-Book by John N. Wilkinson

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · May 23, 1865

"The Prayer-Book.

By John N. Wilkinson

"I recollect reading an anecdote some years ago, which struck me at the time as having some force in it, and calculated to be useful. I do not now remember the particular words of it, but believe I can give you the substance. A minister in one of our northern towns became extremely dull and inanimate in his preaching. His congregation became dissatisfied with the cold manner in which he performed the duties of the sanctuary, and deputized two of their deacons to go and confer with their pastor upon the subject. They called upon him, and made known their business. He very candidly admitted the fact, and told them that ever since he had lost his Prayer-book, he had felt an unnatural languor in the discharge of his public duties. His deacons seemed surprised, and observed to him that they never knew that he made use of a Prayer-book. He told them he had one of a peculiar kind; that the use of it always had a powerful effect in animating and encouraging him in the discharge of his ministerial duties; but to his great sorrow and mortification, for some time past he had not been able to find it, and the loss had occasioned that apathy which they mutually had so much regretted. The deacons were very anxious to know what kind it was, and, if possible, they would procure him another. He told them that the one which he had lost was the only one of the kind, and that unless he could procure that, all others would do no good.

"After exciting their curiosity sufficiently, as he supposed, to have the hint take the desired effect, he told them that the Prayer-book which he had lost was the prayers of his people. The deacons were confounded, and honestly confessed that for some time they had too much neglected that important duty; and appearances justified the conclusion that it had been generally neglected; but they hoped that as they were then made sensible of their defection in duty, they should mutually profit by the discovery. When the result of the conference was made known to the congregation, each one seemed to feel the justness of the censure, and the importance of a reformation. Christians awoke out of their sleep; he became animated and zealous in the discharge of his duties, a revival broke out, and numbers were made the hopeful subjects of renewing and sanctifying grace."

The above I selected from a Baptist paper, published in Lowell, Mass., in 1832, and copy for the Review. John N. Wilkinson.