St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1875-10-22
Prayer, a Preparation.

We should pray before going Ohl ~
the work of the day. Not only are the
fresh morning hours best for this rNcr
else. hut they. in Il scn-c. govern the
day. Every one knows what il l. Ia
have days III which all things 90 wrong.
Every one knows how in them things
seem half POSSESSED with the spirit Of
mlsrule how nothing goes as it should,
or i where it ought to he; how the
things about lis seem out of joint. and
crowdiug in upon us on thos, ''nnlucky
days" If We stop and think, it will hc
found that our nerves have been i;ISpcd
OF our feelings disturbed 10y something
at the outset. Its hours Were WRONGLY
begun. We let something veX OF ilri-
F" ate us in the morning, and the whole
day went wrong. Aud there are other
days when we are conquerol>. when
nothing can bring Us down: when some
JOYOUS fact in the opening hours has
prepared u> I" live III the sunshine and
avoid the cloud. 1t is the testimony ot
drvuut men that the morning prayer IN
the closet has prepared them Ion the
DAYS toll. In the commercial disasters
OF Ir:{7. Il merchant, doing Il vast bust
ness in New York. said. Il never dared
on any one of those terrible days To 9"
down town until | had got >tcadird and
strengthened. and. III Il measure. pre-
of private prayer. Every day brought
disasters. \ohodN dared trust even his
friend. hardly himself. | knew that
some were tempted to save themselves
and their families 10y putting aside and
out of sight THEN property. When the
pinch should come Ia me. ! W:i> afraid
might hc LETT to do what Wa> not hon
est and straightforward. II WAS Il com
fort and Il preparation to put the whole
matter in Gods hands. aud feel that
striving To do just right he would not
leave me. If compelled to fail, it WAS
Il comforting thought that had in God
and his love that which the world did
not give and could not take. | could
not have lived through those fiighttul
weeks if | had NOT chung tony morning.
PRAYER. And the farmer WIS not 50
far from right who, terribly pr"ianc hc
fore his conversion. never dared cntrI
the ncighboIing city without his morn
ing PRAYER for preservation from what
had been his brS,tting sin. He had
feared and t had hccom" To him Il
sort of nervous dread that he might
at some unguard,d moment. let slip
some word of profanity. Then neither
himself mon his fellow men could any
longer believe him to 'c IL Christian.
Ii Was II test thing even bctor, tod. to
him. Starting at an earlier h"uI than
usual one morning, he omitted his Gus
tomarN petition. He remembered the
What should he do ? Pray. in thought .
right there But would he not he
likely then to forget again. and 81 lose
the habit, and 50 forfeit the protection
of his God Back he turned. and tiav-
cr>rd the weary miles t" his paH ing
place and offered his prayer tor prc>cr-
Walton from " hat had been his hr>,tting
inilmitN. Who that knows What it Is
t" he tempted strongly toward any one
sin. will venture to blame him II the
Master needed t" pray for Peter that
his faith fail not" shall one who i
assaulted 10y any temptation fail to make
much of the prayer he daily lifts T."
heaven for daily strength u. w..
FdUHcc.