National Republican., 1877-11-19
Unanswered Prayers.

We may not Joy nor greve by rule,
Nor syllogize prayer.
Unanswered Prayers
Victor Hugo says that there arc moments
In lifc when no matter what is tho attitude
Of the body, the soul is on its knees" Prayer
Is natural instinct Of the soul springing spon-
taue0usly in every human breast, whether
savage or civilized, that has been created since
this weary world began, and so it will be until
"Timc shall be no more" All races and con-
ditions of men alike have had, and must con-
tinuc to have, some deity TO pray to-from
followers of Bodhimanda Buddha in India,
long centuries before the Christian era, and
oriental worshipers # Vishua PROSTATE before
the cruel ear of Juggernaut, to savage children
Of the Great Spirit in Western wids; from
Islamism to Spiritualism from disciples Of the
meek and lowly NaZrrine TO Sitka tribes,
adoring the Sacred Bird; fro-wor-
ers; the Catholic who makes the
Blessed Virgin b is intercessor, and the Pro-
testant who add rcsscs the Most High directly
in the name of the son-all recognize tho
same need Of Divine protection and put mp their
puny cries accordingly. Even tho Man Of
Sorrows" prayed when upon earth, he who,
acquainted with grief" when wearing our
weak humanity, "was tempted in all points
like as we are" and departing, left formula
for our repeating through all the centuries 20
comprehensive that even the temporal needs
of daily bread" are included Yet even His
dispairing petition in Gcthscmane was denied
him, when in his hour Of supreme anguish,
weighed down by the sins Of world, He Gu
treated" Father,
IFIT ne POSSIBLE
let this cup pass from mel" Remembering tho
passage which has comforted so many failing
hearts, and filed with doubts and complain
| ings so many othes-"Whatsoever ye ask In
r,it half hot c1a all ,-a
times In our shortsi ghtedness we weary Heaven
with vain petitions for fanccd blessings, mur-
muring bitterly and distrustinR the goodness
and even the existence Of the Great Father
because they are withheld.
Did 1t ever occur to you, o ye of little
faith, that perhaps we have all more reason to
thank God for tho prayers he Is apparently
deaf to than for those he answcrS
Do we ken how our petitions
Sweep away the sweet conditions
| Aud the mercleS from our path7
| Leave us shorn Of all our prldc
| 'FcnccleSs, trnmDed, cast Rsidc2
Do we ken7 Oh, dear compassioni
| Gracious ruth that bids us wait
Though we mourn In thankless fashion
That the answers tarry late
| And overwhelmed by waves of care,
Have no patience in our prayer
Faith Is the grandcst and sweetest. as we'll
| as the most difficult achievement of tho
mind-tliat faith as of little child, who
graspS in the dark the fathers hand whom hc
cannot see, and walks onward in perfect cond-
dencc wherever it may lcad-through the
manifold mysteries of life in world Of
sorrows and sufferings and doubts and
graves. He who secs the end from the boz
| ginning and counts not lives by heet-
| ing seasons, Ms we do sometimes, bids
us wait through years for our hearts' scsireS
or in tcnd"rcst s,7ry utterly &c denies them,
enough nss5 peevlsh children, We impaticntly
/ besege Him with unavailing prayers. Some
time when all life's lessons have been learned,
and, freed from the blindness of mortality, wo
stand upon the other side of the gates of life,
we shall see how Gods plans, against which
we so grievously rebelled, were right, and
how what We called punishment was but
the careful leading of n loving hand in the
path that led to truest happiness. Then
We shall understand his workings moro
clcarly--why his wisdom disalowcd the sweets
of life we craved, were as prudent
parents deny too much of sweet 10 craving
children for their good; and why the wise
physician has portioned out the bitter tonic in
lifes wine for the souls health. You shall see,
too, o gricf-strcken mOurner, as you cannot
now with tear-dimmed eyes, that the husband,
or child, or friend of your love is not lost-only
| gonc-gOne for a moment from this room into
the next only little while before you, and
that length of days is not the greatest gift that
God can send but that some times the sable
plans TO us inscrutable-
! Like lilies pure and white unfold:
We must not tear the cOse-shut caves apart
Time will reveal their calyxes of gold.
Wake says: "Did we but perfectly know tho
state of our own condition and what was most
proper for u.s. we might have reason to con-
clude our prayers not heard, If not answered"
| OLD JEREMY TAYLOR
says: Prayer Is the peace of our spirit, tho
stiffness Of our thoughts, the eycnncss Of rccol-
lection, the seat of meditation, the rest of our
; cares and the calm of our tempest prayer is
the issue of quiet mind, of vntruubl.d
thoughts ID is the daughter of charity and
the sister of meekness and he that prays to
God with an angry-that is, with troubled and
!, discomposcd-spirit is like him that rctircs
into battle to mediate, and sets up his closet
in the Out-quarters of an ARMY, and chOotS Il
frontier garrison to be wise in. When
you lie down, close your eyes with a short
prayer, commit yourself into the hands OF your
faithful Creator, and, when yOu have done,
trust Him with yourself, as you must dowh.n
you are dying"
What more eau we do than strive ever TO
set our stumbling feet more surely in tho
, footsteps of that greater than John tho
Baptist" who, some eighteen hundred and
odd years since. healed The sick and raised
) the dead and taught his humble followers
besides Gennczarcth's still lake and Jorlans
river and in the corn-felds Of Galilcc If
I We give of our strength and our tenderness,
our talents and our support to the abatng 0f
the great ocean of human anguish all around,
to assisting some souls more weary and dis
3 couraged and doubling than ours, and thus
: struggling on together toward the distant fOun-
tain head of light-our days work ended,
whether good or ill-wc shall pass ito where,
beyond these voices, there is peace Ths
highest plaudt mortal lips can pay over the
coffin lid is, "Shc hath done what she could"
when the spirit which has left the sensclcss
clod has received the summons to come ny
higher
= In prayers for other, remember
He pTayeIh best who cavrs unguessed
The ystery of anOtherS breast
Why checks grow pale, Why eyes O'erhow,
Or heads are white, thou needst not know.
Enough To note by many sign,
That every heart hath needs ike thine
plras asant Reception Party