Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1867-09-27
PRAYER and Labor Combined.


human salvation there is an intimate, nay, an
inseparable connection between prayer and
labor.
If labor without prayer is presumption.
prayer without labor is as certainly madness
In all our efforts to convert men from the err
ror of their way, prayer and labor must ever
be harmoniously blended.
The good Bishop Hall thus quantity ex
presses himself; = Then only can we pray
with hope, when we have done our best
And though means cannot effect that which
desire, yet God will have the like
liest means our part to effect it, When
it comes Immediately from the charge of God
any means are etfectual. One stick of wo d
shall fetch water out of the rock another
shall fetch the bitterness out OF the water.
But in those projects we make for our own
purposes, must choose those helps which
promise the most efficacy. In vain shall
Moses be upon the hill. if Joshua be not in
the valley. Prayer without means is mock
cry of God
:. What would you think inquiries Mrs
II. B. Stowe, - if mans house were on
fire, and he should sit praying the Lord that
in his mysterious providence he would put it
out?' Why, We should simply 't think him
a mGdman.'
We have all read that most instructive of
-EsOp's fables which tells us of the unfDrtu-
nate wagner whose wheel had become deep
ly imbedded in the rut, When the silly fel-
low prayed TO Jove to get the wheel out OF
the rut, the response was - Put thy shoul-
der to the wheel, then call upon Jove to help
thee. JOve was wise God
Cromwell gave utterance To sound doctrine
when he thundered forth to his soldie.s
:. Trust in God. and keep your powder dry. :
- Trust in God, and rely upon your spikes. y
Frederick the Great AYERS that . Providence
favors the strongest battalions."
Our immortal Washington was evidently
of the same creed of Cromwell and Frederick
Grant Thorburn. few years ago, contrib
uted the following for the New Haven, CT.
Express:
- After sixty wears residence in New York
it was my custom, when the birthday of
Washington came round, to get the following
anecdote inserted in one or two of the daily
papers. \ good story is not the worse for
beng twice told. nor a good sermon the worse
for being twice read. In 1896 | heard the
farmer referred to, relate the following incl
dent. Said he - W hen the British army
had possession of New York, and Washing
ton with the American army lay near West
Point, one morning | went out at sunrise 10
bring home the cows. In passing clump OF
brushwood, | heard a moaning sound like
person in distress. On nearing the spot
{
tened behind tree. The man came forth
it was George W ashington, the captain Of
the Lord : hosts in North America
This farmer was a member of the Society of
Friends, who being opposed TO war. under
! any preteXt, was lukewarm. and in some
cases opposed TO the cause of the country.
This farmer was a tory. However. having
seen the General enter the mp.he went t /,
his own house, and said to his wife, Mar
This morning heard the man. George " ash
ington, send up prayer to Heaven for his
country. and | know IL Will be answered.
This Friend dwelt between the lines of the
two armies, and subsequently gave Washing
ton many items concerning the movements oi
the enemy. which rendered good service to
the American cause.
From the above incident may infer tha'
Washington rose with the sun to pray for
his country, fought for her at meridian. and
watched for her at midnight
During the awful moments which preceded
the battle of Camperdown, Admiral Duncan
called his officers upon deck, and in their
presence Frustrated himself in PRAYER before
the God of Hosts, committing himself and
them, with the cause they maintained. to his
sovereign protection, his family to his care,
hls soul and body TO the disposal Of his prov
idence Rising from his knees, he gave COM
mand to make the attack, and achieved one
OF the proudest victories in the annals of
England
| During the late Southern rebellion pro
| fessor of Dartmouth College, in a letter from
St. Louis. SAYS of 1ag-otIcer Foote - He
prays as though God did everything, and
| fights if man did everything; =;
John B. Cough, in his inimitable manner
tells the following story a missionary
party were passing across the prairie to go to
their destination. when they halted for a
while. and some cried, Look, look yonder :,
see, what is that? A trapper, shading
his eyes with his hands, said. The prairie is
on fire, we are all lost The fire travels
twenty miles an hour. and nothing will re-
main of us but our blackened corpses Hist,
hist, said he, we must fight fire with fire.
Every man, woman, and child of you, work
work for your lives Pull up the grass in
circle Lay 1t by the standing grass. feel
the flush of the heat upon my brow, like the
hot breath of the simeon. Work, work for
your lives, within half an hour the fire will be
upon us Bring the fire apparatus. The APP
paratus was brought. There were but two
matches. One of these was hastily struck
it failed. They had but one left This is
their last earthly hope. The fire is raging
within twenty miles of them Hush Press
ing his hand upon his brow, the missionary
said, God help us, in this our extremity
help US, if it be thy will This is our last
hope, our last hope. but in thee, our last
human agency Reverently bowling and
praying, they struck the match-it caught
fire, the grass was ignited, and the flames
went away from them in every direction, and
when the waves of fire met the food of flame,
they mingled together, and leaped up, as if
| in JOY, to heaven, that the noble band had
escaped. Brethren, our instrumentalities,
in themselves, are feeble as that match
Ere we put forth, let US say, God help
us, for his great names sake help us, if it
be thy will, and we shall yet stand in a cir
| ele, while the flames rage harmlessly around
US, and those saved by our agency
Where's Alick?f' asked the minister
one day of baker he entered his store.
Allck is below, sir, in the bakehouse,"
replied the man of bread.
May Ispeak with him /? - asked the min
| ister -
Certainly, certainly, sir,'' said the ba-
| ker, g walk down below, SIR
| AS the minister went down the stairs lead
ing to the bakehouse, he heard a voice say
ing, g Lord help me to serve thee Lord
keep me faithful, Lord make me good
preacher ....-fl..a .s4 = \.
The voice was Alexis and when the min
| lister reached the bakehouse, he found the
lad. with his shirt-sleeves rolled up to his
shoulders, kneeding dough with ali his might.
and praying as earnestly as he was working.
No doubt he was pleased to find the YOUTH
full preacher SO well employed. No doubt
that be felt that the appointment which he
wanted Alick to fill would be well supplied.
The Lord soon called Alick from the bake
house to the pulpit from which he fed thou