Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1874-06-26
8elisiOrs department.
Conducted by REV. G. NJ. sourneArE.
THE GOLDEN KEY OF PRAYER.
sermon by G. II. spurgeon, at tho Me-
tropclitan Tabernacle London.

/
"Call unto Mo, and will answer thee, and shew
thee great and mighty things, which thou knoWosl
/ not. '-JEREhfAH xxXiii. 3.
Some Of the most learned works in the
world smell Of the midnight oil but the
most spiritual, and most comforting books
and sayings Of men usually have SAVIOUR
about them Of prison-damp. might quote
many instances John Bunyan's Plgrinl
may suffice instead of hundred others
and this good text of ours, all mouldy and
and chill with the prison in which Jeremiah
lay, hath nevertheless brightness and a
beauty about it, which il might mover have
had if it had not como as a cheering
word to the prisoner Of the Lord, shut
up IN the court Of prison-housc. Gods
people have always in their worst condition
found out the best Of their God. He is
good at all times but He seemeth TO be at
His best when they are at their worst.
"How could you bear your long imprison-
ment so well 7" said one to the Landgrave
OK Hesse, who had been shut up for his
attachment TO the principles OF reformation.
lie replied 1.-The divine consultations OF
martyrs were with me-" Doubtless there is
a consolation more deep. more strong than
any other, which God keeps for those who,
being His faithful witnesses, have to endure
exceeding great tribulation from the enmity
Of man. There is a glorious aurora for the
frigid zone; and stars glisten in northern
skies with unusal splendor. Rutherford
had quaint saying, that when he was cast
into the cellars Of aflliction he remembered
that the great King always kept his
wine there, and he began to seek at once
for the wiue-bottles, and to drink of the
"wiues on the lees we'll refined" They who
dive in the sea Of affection bring up raro
pearls. You know, my companions in afllic.
ton, that it is So You whose bones have
been ready to come through the skin through
long lying upon the weary couch you who
have seen your earthly goods carried away
from you, and have been reduced we'll nigh
to pennry you who have gone 10 the grave
yet seven times, till you have feared that
your last earthly friend would be borne
away by IMPLYING Death; you have proved
that He is faithful God, aud that as your
tribulations abound, so your consultations
also abound by Christ Jesus. My prayer
is, in taking this text this morning that
some other prisoners of the Lord may have
its joyous promise spoken home 70 them !;
that you who arc straitly shut up and can.
not couIe forth by reason of present heavi-
uess Of spirit, may hear Him say, a. With
soft whisper in your ears, and In your
hearts, "Call upon Me, and will answer
thee, and shew thee great and mighty things
which thou knowest not" t-rfr
The text naturally splits up into three
distinct particles of truth. Upon these let
us speak as we are enabled by God the
Holy Spirit. First, prayer commanded
Call unto me-" secondly, an answer promis.
ed-"And will answer thee;" fhirdlu,
faith neouraged-"And shew thee great
and mighty things which thou knowes. moi"
l. The first head is PRAYER COMMANDED.
We are not merely counselled aud rec.
commended to pray, but hidden to pray.
This is great condesceusion. An hospital is
built it is considered sufficient that free
admission shall be given to the sick when
they seek it but no order in council is made
that man must enter its gates. A soup
kitchen is well provided for in the depth of
winter. Notice is promulgated that those
who are poor may receive food on applica-
ton; but no one thinks Of passing an Act
OF Parliament, compelling the poor to come
and wait at the door to take the charity.
1t is thought to be enough to proffer it with
out Issuing any sort OF mandate that men
shall accept it. Yet so strange is the iatat-
nation Of man on the one hand, which
makes him need command to be merciful
to his own soul, and SO marvellous is the
condescension of our gracious God on the
other, that IIe issues q command Of love
without which not a man Of Adam born
would partake Of the gospel feast, but would
rather starve than come. In the matter Of
prayer it is even so. Gods own people
Iced, or else they would not receive it,
command to pray. How is this2 Because,
dear friends, We are very subject to fits of
'corldliaesS, If indeed that bo not our usual
state. We do not forget to take the shop
shutters down we do not forget TO be dill.
gent in business we do not forget to 20 to
our beds to rest but we often do forget to
wrestle with God in prayer, aud to spend
as we ought to spend, long periods in conse-
Grated fellowship with our Father aud our
God. With too many professors the ledger
is no bulky that you cannot move II, and the
Bible, representing their devotion, is so
small that you might almost put il in your
waisteoat pocket. Hours for the world
Moments for Christ The world has the
best, and our closet the parings of our time.
We give our strength and freshness to the
ways OF mammon, aud our fatigue aud lau-
guor to the ways of God. Hence il is that
we need to be commanded TO attend To that
very act which it ought TO be our greatest
happiness, as it is our highest privilege 10
perform, viz to meet with our God. SCall |
upon Me, saith lie, He knows that we are |
apt to forget TO call upon God. "What
meanest thou, oh, sleeper2 arise and call |
upon thy God" is an cxhortaton which is
needed by us as we'll as by Jonah in the
storm. ... ... -g NJ
lilo understands what heacy hearts we
have sometimes, when undor a sense of sin.
Satan says to us, "Why should you pray +?
How can you hope to prevail In vain, thou
Sayest, l will arise and 60 to my Father, for
thou art not worthy to be one Of His hired
servants. How eanst thou see the Kings
face after thou hast played the traitor
against liim2 How wilt thou dare to ap-
proach unto the altar when thou hast thy.
self detiled it, and when the sacrifice which
thou wouldst bring there is poor. polluted
one ?" q brethren, it is well for us that
We are commanded to pray, or else in times
Of heaviness we might give it up. If God
command me, unfit as l may be, will creep
to the iootstoo of grace aud since He saws,
"Pray without ceasing" though my words
fail me and my heart itself will wander, vet
| will stammer out the wishes of. my hunger.
ing soul and say, 30 God, at least teach me
to pray aud help me to prevail with Thee
Are We not commanded to pray also because
Of our frequent u1abelief? Unbelief whis-
pers, "What profit is there if thou shouldst
seek the Lord upon such-and-such a mat
ter I" This is case quite out of the list
Of those things wherein God hath interpOs-