The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-04-13


ANA in the closet with artlfcia ilsms, ana tue way
to redeem them to LIE and interest Is TO get back
peoples petitions and present our own. You smile
often at the lawyer who keeps talking about
Never nina preoedeDts give IN me justice. II YOU
have not precedent make one for the case We
are amazed at the FOLLY OF the architect
nineteenth century, will insist on building
churches for in the beautiful. indeed, yet cold,
avail centuries. we say 20 him, "My lrenl, these
all very well lor the time In which they orr
ginated and Tor the purposes for which they were
Constructed. Give us something else Tor to-day"
Yet are not guilty oil the same aosurdity every
day In our prayers We try 70 oe sincere IN using
OF Paul, Of In employing tho conventional petit.
tons that have come down to US by some sort OF
ssrss is s ssss sE We n $ ss sS
only In that which to us is real and TO be real that
which we say. whe ther TO God or man, must be
laugh at us II we were TO write our letters to them
IN the style and mannerism that is TOO often APP
parent IN our PRAYERS both 10 public and in pri-
vate. Y, brethren let us reform tns altogether,
and go to our closets reverentially. indeed, yet
sincere and natural to tell the Lord IN simple
phrase and with earnest directness just what we
want that He should do unto us, and tnat will be
the business man does not conane his prayers
to business matters. Daniel was Jew as well
as o subject OF the Persian Empire; SO, while
l doubt not he sought Gods help In all ms
Official engagements, he prayed to Him also regard
Ing the welfare OF his kinsmen and their return to
Iaer @wn and o W aa num-
pressing matters OF personal and domestic inter-
est, ana we shall deprive ourselves OF much quiet
JOY we neglect to bring those things before Him
on the plea that they are too trivial Tor His atten-
tiOn. Whatever dis;resses our souls, whatever
opposes our progress. whatever presses down upon
our hearts, Is OF sufficIent Importance for us to
take TO Him. But while urge you to cast all such
cares upon Him would remind you also for your
advantage to take an ampier range. You are
Christians well as men, and In so far forth
as you are Christians you are interested
IN everything that Affects the welfare OF the
Church and the progress OF the Redeemer's cause.
Nay. you ale citizens as well as Christians and In
terest In the affairs OF the nallOn to which 1t is
your privilege to belong Daniel prayed Tor his
captive people and besought God for tine iulflment
OF His promise to give them liberty to return to
the land OF their fathers. And, my brethren, how
many captives are there now among US who need
appeal to us Tor our prayers There are the cap
tlves OF mammon, chained like galley slaves to the
oar OF business and living only for the acquirement
OF wealth. There are the captiveS oi intemper-
ance, held in the chains OF appetite IN the bondage
more bitter than Egyptian servltude. There are
Righteousness to an existence of degrade
ton that IS worse than death. There
who nave p never Known the e"0 sympathy 'e or
the salvation OF Jesus. Shall we not, then, my
brethren, Daniel like become interested in their
behalf wnen we are with God, and cry to HIM Tor
them Shall we not, as we read the precious
prophecy OIL the Savour's advent, plead Tor its iul
iment unto them, saying .'Come, 0 Thou an
ointed One and proclaim liberty to these captives,
opening the prison doors to those who are thus
held bound. Come and bestow upon them the most
glorious OF all emanclpatlOns The Church needs
Thy inspiring spirit; the nation needs my purifying
influence; the world needs my great salvation.
Come in the majesty OF Thy mercy and introduce
the jubilee OF the human race, the acceptable year
OF the Lord" All friends, II our hearts were thus
and the race we should hear less among men TO-
day OF the feebleness OF prayer, and we should
hear fewer complaints, too, among proiessed Chris
tians OF duness In their devOtons.
THE PRAYERFuL NAN AT BUSINESS.
But hasten,to look very briefly at tue prayeriul
there IS high toned moral excellence in the bnsi-
ness TRANSACTIONS OF such man. Daniels enc
mics could find nothing dishonest or disnonorablc
in his conduct; though they scrutinzed IL through
the keen microscope OF their malice, nothing,
nothing. He had been faithful to his trust in the
less to his conscientious and religious convictions.
He never hestated when duty and interest
he believed to be right. lie reverenced his con-
science as his king; he would die rather than
knowingly do wrong; and SO he stands out in this
book TO this day as one OF the nobiest examples Of
answering allegiance to principle. He was
the enemy OF all compromise where eyil
impervious to anything like corruption. Now
beyond all doubt, his prayers had great deal to
DO with the feature of mis- business hle His daily
devotions .mellowed and led the roots OF his CHAR
acter,r and nurtured 1T into sucn strength that it
was abe to withstand the rndest storms and
temptations. His lie was not divided. Ike many
mems into separate compartments, which, like the
watertignt Dukheads IN an iron steamship, are
which he kept his closet and in the other OF
which be Kept his business Ofiice. Nay, rather
his life was single; he was the same man when at
his desk that he was when on his knees and as in
his prayers he was able to lay hold OF Gods
strength as few men have been able to do, so in
business he was able to drive away all weakness and
dishonor from him. Happy the nation which has
such Daniel Tor It's statesmen happy the city
which has such incorruptible integrity as his as
the characteristics OF its business men. There Is
loud Outcry among us now against corruption IN
our public ofIlcers; and there was q few months
-
newspapers, periodicals and the li1e-about the
superstition OF prayer. 1t is, to say the least,
very marvellous coincidence, and suggests a some
what intimate relationship between the two.
May 1t not be that the contempt into which prayer
has fallen among us has had something to do with
the dishonesty over which we are all lamenting ?
Or probably this may be the fact-that the low
state Of regoas me IN me aad Is axe sne cause
out to US the only possible remedy You cannot
cure this by change Of party. All your
OF this disease. We need u religious revival among
us which shall give, the land over, new power to
prayer-a new significance to prayer. When the
tide rises it bears up with 1t everything that floats
upon It's bosom, and when, by some efrusion OF the
Holy Gnost upon us, there shall come great tidal
the character OF our merchants and OF our states
men and purify every department or our social
and political life. We cannot have Daniels in our
banks and counting houses and custom houses and
legislatures unless we have them also in the
closet. This is the only reform that will meet the
case. MY nearer, let it begin with thee, with
me, this morning. II every one Will sweep
before MS own door the WnOle street Will be clean
III every citizen who Is nearer OF the Gospel VIII
reform himself in this regard the work will be ac-
compshed give you this mOtto-Holiness unto
the Lord. May God enable you to stamp IT, not
in appearance only but in reality, on every thing
you do hencef0rtn.
PRAYER DOES NOT HINDER WORLDLY PROMOTION
But, finally, remark tnat the prayerful man may
reach the highest success in business. Let not
be misunderstood here. do not account pecuni-
AIRY success the worthiest result Of lie. think 1t
Is true that sometimes the men who have made
the greatest amount OF wealth have also. as
regards their lives, been the very greatest
failures the world has ever seen; while
those who lave been struggling to the very
close with difficulties have sometimes attained
to the highest success. For 1t Is what the man Is,
not what he mas what man has made or himself,
not what he has made Ior himself which marks
the true result OF lie. And he who has made Tor
himself character-mark did not say reputa-
ton; said Characteristic that OF the Lord Jesus
Christ has achieved success, even though at last
he should be nailed TO cross and Deholden to
charity Tor grave. But while this IL true, 1t Is
important TO observe that prayer does not hinder
worldly promotion. Daniel was man OF prayer,
and yet he rose to be the Prime Minister OF the