The Secret Place of Edward Payson

Edward Payson was born on July 25, 1783, in Rindge, New Hampshire, into a home already seasoned with the gospel. His father, Seth Payson, was a pastor, and his uncle Phillips Payson was also a minister, so from childhood he breathed the atmosphere of Scripture and prayer. He studied at Harvard College, where his brilliant mind set him apart, yet his heart was restless until the Spirit conquered him in his early twenties. After a deep personal struggle with conviction of sin, he experienced a profound conversion. From that point forward, prayer and holiness became the twin themes of his life.

In 1807 he was ordained pastor of the Second Congregational Church in Portland, Maine, a position he held for twenty years until his death. His preaching was described as fiery yet tender, searching yet full of Christ. People called him "Praying Payson of Portland," for behind every sermon was a life hidden in the closet of prayer. His congregation often felt that his words carried eternal weight because they had been bathed in intercession.

Payson's life was marked by physical weakness and seasons of deep suffering. Yet these very infirmities seemed to draw him nearer to God. In his final years he endured excruciating illness, often confined to his bed. But his room became a sanctuary where he continued to minister through prayer, letters, and conversations. Visitors testified that his sickbed radiated the presence of Christ. He said near the end of his life, "The celestial city is full in view. Its glories beam upon me, its breezes fan me, its odours are wafted to me, its sounds strike upon my ear, and its spirit is breathed into my heart. Nothing separates me from it but the river of death, which now appears but an insignificant rill, that may be crossed at a single step."

He died on October 22, 1827, at only forty-four years of age. His story endures because it testifies to the power of a hidden life of prayer more than outward strength.