Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1858-04-16
Business Mems Prayer-Mcetings.


When few business men opened a
daily prayer meeting, we think they
struck the line Of another Of these great
unwrought veins of gold which spread
everywhere under our feet to reward tho
moral miner.
We have had Sabbaths-and they were
good but the religions 80 grown was
yot defective. 1t was apt to divide men
into portions-a Sunday and weekday
portion one of which comprehended
his religious, tho other his worldly ma
ture and IS Sunday was only one day
in seven, the religious portion seemed
all too small. II is true that there
were many who lived otherwise We
have all Of us heard tho petition which
has been so often repeated as to become
a sort of form with us-"May we carry
much Of the Sabbath into the week with
us :" and the church has never been
without goodly number who realized
the spirit of this petition. But even
tn, best have mourned over decaying
Of Christian vitality through the car es
of tho world, and seen cause to long for
q conservation to God that shall be
uncea.ing and petpctusl. We want
not SO much to 60 out Of tho world by
mona,ti; .sclusions, and by long periods
Of mcn.al absorption, as to learn to stay
in and use it without abusing it, lie
who has learned to consccra:c things
secular, to infusc into the trivitlitlcs,
tn. drudgeries, of ordinary life the
spirit of Christine is tho successful
.lchemist who has discovered the true
spiritual philosophers stone, and thence
forth all he touches turns under hi
hands to gold.
The prophet Z.chariah represents as
characteristic o. millennial times such
conservation of all tn. symb us AMI en-
blems ofcommonlife, that the most ordina-
~ officers should have sacredness equal
to that of the most solemn services of the
temple and altar.
"In tina, day shall there be upon The
bells Of the horses. H,iiness unto thr
lord and the pots in the Lords house
shall be like the bowls DC fore the alter.
Yea. every pot in jerusalem and in
Judah shall be holiness to the Lord Of
Hosts and all they that sacrifice shall
come and take of them and scethe there
in"
There will come a time, We trust, on
Garth, when the distinction between
sacrcl and secular shall be melted
away not by the secular becoming sccrAd.
There will cone time when counting
houses shall in all their departments be
AZ truly consecrstol to Jesus Christ as
churche,- whom secular paper, shall be
truly given to Christ as religious ones.
Not that acts OF d;roo. worship and ad-
grafton will cease. not that one day Of
the week will not 6e more particularly
and publicly devoted to such acts, and
tina, prayer, praise, and preaching will
not be peculiarly the employment of
church call this will still be but all
that portion OF MAS material life which
has hith .rto been discor!aut with de-
vo,ionll feeling will become harmonious
with it.
Whpcver s.f,Ii = the progress Of the
world at, OF tho worlds literature, ~
the worlds science. Of tho worlds politi-
cal movement. mus, bavc noticed
drifting force which constantly was urS-
ing it on 10 realize in its practical,
m lterial form tho principles Of CHRIST. -
The novels and stories of this day are
mostly the expression Of great social
wants AMI yearnings, the many handed
philanthropy Of the day is the same, the
very i.fideity Of the day is an uneasy
protest against the visible church for not
realizing to the hungry world the invisi-
BILE Christ
Inf lelity is not for the most part
unbelief in Christ, but unbeliet IN the
church. discomfort and impatlencc with
exi.tiny ordinances, as not Sivin & to the
world what was meant they should give
Some of it is honest-some Of it proud
aud pe,ulant, bu. all of it shows the
force Of the drift which something is Civ
in. TO the human mind. And what is
this something, What is thi. unseen
force which sweeps over q generation
like a mighty cloud. overshadowins
every institution. and giving tone and
color to all things. The spirit of the
age is the spirit of God-the oyershad-
owing Of the Almighty.
The voice of this revival comes to
every Christian as the midnight cry of
old. Behold the Bridegroom comcth.'
A new era is struggling for birth
Christ is moving TO reorganize the
world, and that he may do it. he mast
first "purify the sons Of Levi" The
first impulse of Christians is often. a'
such time like this, to begin to talk
with every one. right and left, on their
souls salvation but is this ais this
the first thing Should there not
first be deep heart-scr atiny, looking
through ones whole life to see how it
harmonizos with the spirit Of Jesus =
He who finds his heart cold. his views
low, his feelings earthly, must, not hope
10 talk himself out Of this state by
preaching to the impenltent, nor to pray
himself out in public meetings. No /;
deeper work than that must oe done.
Alone with his God and Savior he mus: