Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1874-06-26

| JVu u"NS binueu tUO UuCu, OF else IL rs too
high, too hard, too complicated piece of
business, you have no right to take that be-.
fore God So suggests the foul 6end Of hell.
Therefore, there stands written as an every.
day precept suitable TO every case into
which Christian can be cast, "Cal unto
Me = call unto Me-" Art thou sick ?
Wouldst thou be healed3 Cry unto Me,
for | am Great Physician. Does provi-
dence trouble thee7 Art thou fearful that
thou shalt not provide things honest in the
sight Of man ? Call unto Me Do thy
children vex thee Dost thou feel that
which is sharper than an adder's tooth-a
thankless child Call unto Me- Are thy
grieis little yet painful, like small points
and pricks of thorns ? Call unto MeY Is
thy burden heavy as though IL would make
thy back break beneath its load Call unto
Me (! cast thy burden upon the Lord and
lie shall sustain thee lie shall never suf.
Ter the righteous to be moved" In the val.
ley-on the mountain--on the barren rock
in the briny sea, submerged, anon, be.
meath the pillows, and lifted up by.and.by
upon the crest Of the waves-in the furnace
when the Goals are glowing-in the gates of
death when the jaws of hell would shut
themselves upon thee-cease thou not, for
the commandment overmore addresses thee
with "Call unto Me-" Still prayer is
mighty and must prevail with God to bring
thee thy deliverance. These are some Of
the reasons why the privilege of supplica-
tion is also in Holy Scripture spoken of as
duty there are many more, but these
will suffice this morning.
We must not leave our first part till we
have made another remark. We ought to
be very glad that God hath given us this
Command in His scord that it may be sure
and abiding. You may turn to fifty pas
sages where the same precept is uttered. l
do not often read in scripture, "Thou shalt
not kill; :" Thou shalt not covet." Twice
the law is given, but l often read gospel
precepts, for if the law be given twice, the
gospel is given seventy times seven. For
every precept which cannot keep, by rea-
son of my being weak through the flesh, 1
hnd thousand preccpts, which it is sweet
and pleasant for me to keep, by reason of
the power Of the Holy Spirit which dwell
eth in the children of God and this COM
mand to pray is insisted again and again.
1t may be seasonaole exercise for some of
you to find out how often in scripture you
are told to pray. You will be surprised to
find how many times such words as these
are given "Call upon Me in the day of
trouble, and will deliver thec"-"Ye peo-
pie, pour out your heart before Him"
Seek ye the Lord while He may be found
call ye upon Him while He is near" "Ask
and it shall be given you seek, and ye shall
lind; knock and it shall be opened unto
you"-"Watch and pray, lest ye enter into
temptation without casing
"Come boldly unto the throne of grace"
DRAW nigh to God and He will draw nigh
to you" "Continue in prayer l need
not multiply where could not possibly ex-
haust. pick two or three out of this
great bag of pearls. Come, Christian, you
ought never to question whether you have
right to pray you should never ask, "May
l be permitted to come into His presence ?"
When you have 80 many commands land
Gods commands are all promises, and all
enaolings), you may come boldly unto the
throne OF heavenly grace, by the new and
living way through the rent veil.
But there are times when God not only
commands His people to pray in the Bible.
hut lie also commands them to pray direct
ly BY The MOTIONS Of His Holy Spirit. You
who know the inner life comprehend me at
once. You feel on a sudden, possibly in the
midst Of business, the pressing though that
you must retire to pray. 1t may be, you
do not at first take particular notice Of the
inclination, but it comes again, and again
"hetlre and pray ~ l find that in the
matter Of prayer, | am myself very much
like water-wheel which runs well when
there is plenty Of water, but which turns
with very little force when the brook is
growing shallow or, like the ship which
flies over the waves, putting out all her eau.
vass when the wind is favorable, but which
has to tack about most laboriously when
there is but little Of the favoring breezea.
Now, it strikes me that whenever our Lord
gives you the special inclination to pray,
that you should double your diligence.
You ought always to pray and not to faint
yet when He gives you the special longing
after prayer, and you feel peculiar aptness
and enjoyment in it, you have, over aud
above the command which is constantly
binding, another command which should
compel you to cheerful obedience.
III. Let us now take the second head
AN ANSWER PROMISED.
We ought not to tolerate for n minute the |
CHASTITY and grievOus thought that God will
not answer prayer. His nature, as mani.
Tested in Christ Jesus, demands il. He has
revealed Himself in the gospel as God of
love, full of grace and truth and how can
lie refuse to help those of His creatures
who humbly in His own appointed way seek
His face and favor2 When the Athenian |
senate, upon one occasion, found it most con.
venient to meet together in the open air, as
they were sitting in their deliberations,
sparrow, pursued by a hawk, few in tho
direction Of the senate. Being hard press.
ed by the bird of pray, it sought shelter in
the bosom Of one of the senators. He, be-
ing man Of rough and vulgar mould, took
the bird from his bosom, dashed it on the
ground and so killed it. Whercupon the
whole senate rose in uproar, and without
ono single dissenting voice, condemned him
to die, as being unworthy of seat in the
senate with them, or 10 be called an Atheni-
an, il he did not render succor to creature
that confidcd in him. Can We suppose that
the God OF heaven, whose nature is love,
could tear out Of His bosom the poor hut-
tering dove that flies from the eagle Of JUS
tice into the bosom of his mercy Will
lie give the invitation to us TO seek HIS
face, and when we, as lie knows, with so
much trepidation of fear, yet summon cour-
age enough to fly into His bosom, will lie
then be unjust and ungracious enough to for
get to hear our cry aud to answer us2 Let
us not think so hardly of the God of heav-
en-. Let us recollect next, HIS past charac-
ter as we'll as His nature. | mean the
character lie has won for Himself by His
past deeds Of grace Consider. my breth-
rem, that one stupendous display OF bounty
If were to mention thousand l could
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