Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1861-1862, 1862-02-07

tha. wisdom and benevoer control oil HIS purposes
and permissons. Hi, most favored people may often
b. humelsd, for time, aud their guilty enemies may
shout over their temporary successes while marching
proudly along broad road that leads to deserved and
dreadful doom Oh yes sad as II msy setm history
fu Of lustritions OF the Of the base and
the malignant and Of the depression Of the vruous and
the noble and the brave.
Every christian finds the counterpart to this In bis
own personal spiritual experience. He s often over.
taken by assailng fots ID often assaulted by internal
usts. They prevail sgainst him ard he falls. He
bis defeats bic broken resolutiors his fa
tering faith. He cries in his remorss and snguish-
AN unable to COL Qaer in these contests. shall he
overcome In this shall attain to purity,vic
tory and life" when l would do good, evil is pre-
sent With me-"
V. NcTIcE THE RkAsos GIVEN, BOTH FoR TIE TRIUMPH
OF lsRAIL, AND tbs TExroRAkY SUCCESSES OF laALiK.
"Whsn Noses held up his hand Irasi pnrai'sd, and
'hsn Noses let dosn h' hand Amiask prevailed" Look
aHay for moment from the battle field to that hilltop
where Noses and his clerical staff we're overlooking the
scene. he holds n his hand that miracle sorkng rod
that symbol Of Omuipotencs, which Jehovah had en-
trusted to hmths sign and warrant of his divine com.
DON; that rod which had been transformed into SER
pent bsfore bis eyes, 10 prove to him Gods presence
and power; that rod 90 often stretched over Egypt,
svokiDg drefu plaques from the earth the waters aud
the air. that rod which, stretched over the waves Of the
Red sea, had opened clear pssage, betseen walls Of
coDgealed waves, for the pursued and sffighted chill
dren OF Israel; that rod, whose touch upon the solid
rock had cleft outlet for the gushing streams
which followed all the ourneyings Of the trbes while
that rod stretched the Amaekes their difcon
dture was sure. II was at the pledge and symbol
of the presence and might OF Jehovah.
In addition to this synbol OF God's favor aud power
the upfted hand Of Moses suggests to the posture OF
prayer. Continual prayer for 10 doubtless the
great idea intended by this passage When David called
upon the people to pray, he said "it up your hand,
in the Sanctuary aud bless the Lord" st. Paul dss
oribss prayer as Lifting up holy hands"
Evidently then the truth, which it Is the purpose q
this inspired narrative TO impress that prayer nsres
victory and that ceasng to pray followed by rsver
ses. For what other possible reason could these Incl
dents be recorded for instruction under the teach
ings Of the Holy Ghost: While Noses prayed Israel
prevssd when Moses inter rnitted PRAYER Amslek pre-
vailed. Does not the thought force itself upon your
soul that the leaders of people, looking to God for
succor should be Of prayer s, far .s they repre-
sent the nation they should seek to concsts and
the favor and blessing oi the God Of nations Have 70
not reason 10 fear that II the nterposion Of the Lord
depsr dsd upon the isrvency and perseverance, OF the
applications of the leaders and egiors of this nation
We should often be depressed By hearing thai orr
enemies prevailed!
Ba. We may gratefully remember, that the whole
economy by which the prophets and priess were the
cole appointed intercessors OF the peop. a.. ta,scd
away. Under the Aoesic dispeusaton the priess ctsr
ed the prayers Of the people, For them the prie.s re-
ceived and presented the sAcrfcss For them the High
Priests entered the holy place TO impore pardon Ard
blessing But under the gospel dspeusatiop the whole
body OF believers are constituted "a holy priesthood
Now all men everywhere may pray aud find acce.s N
God. The intsrcessofs logger separate cl.ss
eon,ecrnted to special oHiIe, but now, s,ys St. Paul
"I will ths. men pray everywhere" The veil ths, barred
the holy place against unofficial approach ha. been rem,
in twain, aud now every believing heart can bring II,
burdens, aud pour ont It's own applications Al the
very Mercy Scat Indeed now, prayer by proxy Is no
longer sccep S5ls. Every may come, and, to gsip
Gods favor, mus come into direct and persotd ,om
nunon with the Father OF Spirits and the Saviour of
The obligation TO pray no longer upon rer.
resentaTes OF the people alone, but upon the people
t5enselVss The place filed by Moses the Prophet aud
Aaron and Hur the High Priests when the BATH. n Re-
phidim was fought, is to be flied by the body of
believer. composing the "holy" "the royal prest GOD"
Of the Lord
Here then We resoh the central thought, which dc.
sire to impress upon your -ouls. Az earnestly praying
people, struggling bslinst injustice aud msinta ning
righteous cusc may expect the Intervention and succor
Of the Lord. As Amaek prevailed only when Moses e,
down his hands will foes prevail only when the
Lords people cease to pray.
God will BE- recogriz d aud honored by u.s. We sll
profess 10 believe that he lie Sovereign over ali rs
ons that HIS favor iusures prosperity that His frovn
ia defeat He requires ha shall ch srsh and exercise
confidence and faith in Him. This we -, when stretch
on. hsnos to Him, thua acknowledging dspen.
deuce upon Him, and helpessness apart from him,
hui expressing our faith in His being aud supervision;
thus casting ourselves upon His o,nnp,t and good.
nes' thus hOnoring him and sbIs nS ourselves.
We cannot ,ucceed in thi, national war, any more
than we can in personal ,pritusl welfare, unless
God iaterposs His Guidance and Power Oh that
men would see and believe this, not as a Theoretical
dogma but practical truth. Prayer is more than
form-t is a means to al end-a mean, at Last a. Q
settled sntscedsnt, in the economy Of Heaven to re-
sults.
You may. in your metaphysical sker ticism, ask
thousand questions about the influence sld efficacy Of
prayer As, "Hou can the mnd Of the Eternal and
Selfsuirent God be moved by prayer of Hs weak and
ignorant creatures How can His prsdster limitations
be affected BY supplicaiiolsY H,T can prayer at .
distance influence atmies she battle fsldf" And
though to all such question. ! may answer, | do not
know-I care not to explain yet the ruth remains
clear in the Inspired Word and nads thousand exem
pacations n the history of the world that th sovsr.
eign Raer does hear and answer the cries Of His chill.
drsn-that prayer does and sscu;s blessing