Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1877-04-19

CONDUCTED By
REV. ROBERT LATHAM.
[Original.l
PRAYER.

' :. y :
profit, will, for one moment, deny that it is
the duty of all to pray. We are commanded
to pray, and we are encouraged to pray, by
being told that God is prayer.hearing and
prayer-answering God. The God that is
revealed to us in the Scriptures, differs from
the gods which blinded nations worship, in
that while He can hear and see, they are deaf
and blind. He can grant the petitions OF
those who worship him, whilst the gods Of the
heather are powerless to bless their worship.
pers. Admitting, as all sober persons will,
the duty to pray. our prayers may be very
inconsistent. In language and in sentiment,
they may, and often are, wanting in proprie-
ty, One noticeable feature III the prayers Of
some ministers of the gospel, is their didactic
character. Instead of pleading with God for
blessings, these ministers undertake to instruct
God in theology. They begin at the begin:
ming and close at the end of their system.
The origin.l purity of man, when first placed
upon this earth, is stated then follows the
fall of man and all its consequences. Strict
lY orthodox, according to their creed, the
whole plan Of redemption is explained, in Or
der, to it's author.
p Not unfreauently, all this is done in, strict
ly technical language-language which q
large number of the worshipping congregation
do not understand. There must be an impro-
priety in these didactic prayers. If the peo-
pie are to be instructed, let them be taught in
the sermon. God understands, perfectly, all
about the creation and fall of man and the
plan by which the sinner is to be saved. But,
unfortunately, some persons make their pray
ers most glaringly improper by explaining
the various systems of human government to
God They seem to be impressed with the
notion that it is their duty to give God some
information respecting the political condition
of their country. Nothing can be more ip-
congruous. Our prayers may be inappro-
pirate on account of the peculiar language in
which our petitions are expressed. What the
unlearned call "big words" high sounding
phrases, poetic sentences, quotations from un-
known languages, are absolutely disgusting
when used in prayer. These modes of ex.
pressing ourselves seems to be an effort to dis
play our learning What does God care for
our learning? In his sight we are all fools.
All pomp and display are improper when
we attempt to approach into the presence Of
God as worsbippers. Truly pious men, no
matter how learned they may be, become very
plain men when they pray. The language
in which their petitions are expressed may be
strictly correct, but it is very simple. 1t re-
quires very little human learning to enable
any one to pray. All that is required is a
correct scriptural knowledge of God and our.
selves. =.
In the prayers of all praying people, there
is too much formality. God is asked to be-
stow blessings which the asker really does not
desire. Nothing would surprise the church
more, than would an answer to the prayers
which are offered up by its many members.
Multitudes pray-that is they 60 throug b q
certain form-utter certain amount of words,
ask for blessings which they do not desire and
would not receive if offered to them. All this
the world calls prayer; but it is not. This is
not all. Men pray for blessings that they
may use them not for the glory of God and
the good of their fellow-men, but that they
may consume them upon their lusts. "Ye
ask and receive not because ye ask amiss, that
ye may consume it (the blessing asked for)
upon your lusts." james, 4:3. ....