The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1871-04-06

of the day? And every day you
gather your family about His
throne, that You may teach your
children to love and reverence the
Father you delight to worshipg'
There was a long pause. AIr.
Leacocock was evidently taken by
surprise. He made no answer; I
pressed my advantage.
'sHow is it, my friendS'' said /
''Wen, mo- said he, 81 can't
honestly say that I do"
''You believe in prayer, and yet
never pray; is that it?''
'sIt is SO much a matter of mere
habit, 'lsaid he, excusingly, "and I
never was trained to pray"
"All your life long," said I, tax
ingno heed of the excuse, tyou have
been receiving the goodness of God,
and you never have had the cour-
tesy to say so much as thank you
All your life long you have been
tresspassing against him, and never
have begged His pardon and asked
His forgiveness. Is il so?''
"Pm afraid it is" said he; but
he spoke rather to himself than me.
"You believe in prayer. You are
indignant that I suspect you Of dis
belief; yet you never pray. Are
you not living without God9 Is it
not true you that God is not in
all your thoughts'Y'
He was silent.
''WiIl you turn over new leaf in
your life-bookY' said I. "Winy you
commence this night a life of pray
erP'
He shook his head very slightly,
almost imperceptibly. "Iwill make
no promises" said he. But still he
spoke more to himself than to me.
"Mr. Leacock," said I, dis it not
evident that it is no use for you
and me to discuss theology; is it
not a difference Of doctrine that
separates us? Here is a fundamen-
tai duty; you acknowledge it, you
assert its Importance, but you have
never performed it; and now your
attention is called to it, you viii not
even promise to fulfil it in futurem
"Yes, I WILL" said he, suddenly
starting up, as one awaking from a
dream. "I have always meant to do
my duty. You are right; will
begin"
"There is no better time than
now," said 1. ''Let US pray" And
almost before we knew it we were
upon our knees and I, speaking for
us both, poured out my soul to the
Great Father to take this child to
His arms and lead him to the light.
Of the tears and anguish through
which the Infinite Love led him, of
the hour when I stood by the IA
TIERS side, bending over the corpse
of Willie, and heard the prayer
wrung from his compressed lips, Of
the new faith in immortality
which that death-hour brought, and
the new meaning of the word Jesus
which it gave, what need that 1
write? No one can read the interi-
or history of the heart, no one but
Him who writes all heart history in
the great book above. I hardly
needed to be told, as Mr.. Leacock
told me last Sunday, while, arm in
arm, we walked home after com
munion, that the turning point in
his.life was that evenings conver-
sation and that moment of brief
but solemn prayer.
"And your old doubts" said ]
chow do you solve themE
eSolve them?" said he. 81 don't;
they're gone, I know not how noI
where, any more than I know what
has become of the fog which over
hung the river this morning before
the sun was high enough to dis
perse it."
The way to meet skepticism is
not argument. In twenty years oi
legal disputation I never knew q
man to be convinced against his
will. Skepticism of the head is
harmless. 1t is the skepticism Of
the heart that hurts. Find out
what duty, plain, simple, evident
duty, is neglected Press thai
home upon the conscience. A Tighf
life is the best cure for skepticism
! Dutv Is the medicine for doubt.