The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1871-10-14

date, but hopeful. Charged with the hol,
message of Gods love to guilty, rebelliou
sinners, his heart throbs with the awfu
responsibility of his high calling. He ha
fervently invoked divine power, conscious
of his own insufficiency for the mighty
achievement! Hard, stony hearts, encrust
ed with sin, and under the dominion q
darkness, are to be reached, and awakened
and enlightened, and broken! Backsliders
wanderers from the fold of God, are to be
called back, and reclaimed. Hopeless,
would be the task before him, but that he
hears the blessed Jesus say: "Lo, am
always with YOU" And while he wields
the sword of the Spirit, and unfolds the
great argument of salvation, and lays bare
the sinners blackened heart, and denoun.
ces the doom of damnation upon the finally
impenitent, and lovingly points the awak-
ened to the Lamb of God who taketh away
the sin Of the world, marvel not at his fer
vent zeal, and earnest pleading. Heaven
and hell tremble in the balance! Eternal
happiness, or eternal woe, are the questions
at issue, and wait decision! Rather won.
der that the fervency of his zeal should
ever abate! Rather wonder that he docs
not cry aloud with jeremiah: sob that my
head were waters, and mine eyes foun-
tain of tears, that might weep day and
night, for the stain of the daughters of my
peopler' Read the thirty third chapter OF
Ezekiel, and tell me, can the Waterman on
the wall of Zion be too vigilant to guard,
and too anxious to save from destruction,
the souls over whom the Great Shepherd
has appointed him in charge, and holds him
answerable for their loss, if they be not
faithfully warned! Jealous vigilant, active,
earncst!-all the powers of his mind, and
heart, and strength, constantly exerted,
with all the aid-he can obtain, to save men
and women from going down to the pit.
Nothing less than this will measure up to
his great Commission.
To the Sanctuary belong the Sacramento,
and the holy Ordinances. PROFESSIONALLY.
when circumstances will allow, it should be
the preferred place where those, already
united by the ties of a sincere affection,
should, in the fear of God, be conjoined in
holy bonds of matrimonial love. Marriage
is the great fact for time, as religion is the
great fact for eternity. He who "created
them male and female''-who said it is not
good for man to be alone, and caused his
servant to record it for the ages, that "a
virtuous wife is from the Lord has re-
spcct to a we'll assorted marriage-and
certainly none other should ever occur
and hence, it seems altogether proper, that
the solemn and responsible marriage vows
should be taken in the Divine presence, in
the place dedicated to His worship, that He
may there meet with and bless the pair,
and make their welded life blessing to
each other and to the world.
And when parents would dedicate their
offspring to the Lord in holy baptism, what
place so suitable for this solemn and hope
full ceremony, as the House of God! And
such an occasion may well awaken feelings
of iuexpressible gratitude and pious thought
The child given to God for life, or for death:
but hopefully, trustingly, for lits;; with a
felt obligation, and earnest supplication for
assistance, to train it up in the nurture and
admonition of the Lord! And here, too,
christians commemorate the dying love of
Jesus, in compliance with His sacred injunc-
ton: "Do this in remembrance of me-"
They thankfully, and with tenderly sub
dued hearts, partake of the symbols of His
broken body, and shed blood; deeply pom
dering the awfully solemn, and yet tran
scendently glorious truth, that 8" He bore
our sins, and carried our sorrows;' that
"He was wounded for our transgressions,
bruised for our inquities; and that with
His stripes we are healed" And their
hearts exclaim, though their tongues may
be dumb with silence, $50 Lamb of God,
was ever love like thine!' While stream
ing mercy overwhelms them with it's bless
edness and "there is glory all around"
Strengthened in faith, and hope, and love;
refrigerated by the influence of the Holy
Spirit; rebaptized from above; the humble
believer leaves his place at the sacred
bound, and goes forth, bent to do battle
vallantly for the Lord, till the Redeemer
shall call him from this field of trial and
conflict, to "mansion in the Skies"
The Sanctuary is the House of prayer.
This is emphatically, its ancient designa-
ton. Moses was directed by the most High
to say to Israel, when he should descend
from the Mount of God, where he had re-
ceived the Tables of the Law; " In all places
where I record my name, will come unto
thee, and will bless thee And the pre-
cepts touching prayer, and the promises
that they shall be answered, are so numer-
Gus, both under the old, and the new dis
pensations, that the bare recital of them
would exhaust the time of this discourse.
Take but few passages. Before they
call will answer; and while they are yet
speaking, I will hear.' "Call upon me in
the day of trouble: will deliver thee; and
thou shalt glorify me-" "He will regard
the prayer of the destitute; and will not
despise their prayer" "Ask, and We shall
receive" self two of you shall agree on
earth as touching any thing they shall ask,
it shall be done for them Of my Father
which is in Heaven elm every thing,
with prayer and thanksgiving, let your
request be made known unto God."-
Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name,
that will do.' Encouraged by such gra-
cious assurances, believers have ever put
them to the proof and have found to their
unspeakable joy and rejoicing, that
"Prayer ardent opens heaven, lets down
stream
OF glory on the consecrated hour
Of man, in audience with the Deity"
To some, even for secret prayer, when con-
venient, the house of God has been the cho-
sen place. This was the case with the |
great DR.. Payson, whose labors the Lord
so signally blessed. When DR.. Read of
visited his church years ago,
noticing discolored place on the wall, he
asked the sexton its meaning. "Ah" said
he, "that is the place where DR.. Payson
prayed" Then said DR.. Read, "now 1