Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1878-08-19
8eligiults department.
WHAT 1T M Fans.

W nov NoSo PAoJAnS prayer AAOon ~
means, first, that you present it to God
with tervency. Pray as if you meant it;
throw your whole soul into the petition.
Entreat the Lord with tears and cries.
If you do not prevail at first, yet come
to him unfortunately again and again,
with the resolve that since he has writ
ten the prayer in your heart you will
take no denial. Heat your prayers red
hot. In naval warfare, in the old time,
our men-of-war fired red-hot shot; try
that system, for nothing is so powerful
in prayer as fervency and importuni-
ty.
Pray also spiritually, for the text
saith, 81 have found it in my heart to
pray this prayer unto thee 1t is of no
use to pray to yourself or to the four
walls of your room. Some persons even
pray to those who are around them, like
the preacher of whose prayer the remark
was made that sit was one of the. finest
prayers that ever was presented to
Boston audience" l am afraid many
prayers are presented to audiences rath-
er than to God. This should not be.
Moreover, when you find a prayer in
you heart do not talk it over nor say to
another, Il feel such and such desire"
but go and pour it out before God speak
it into the Divine ear, realize that God
is there as distinctly as if you could see
him, for that is the way to make prop
er use of the prayer which is in your
heart
| Pray with specially. The text indi-
Gates that 81 have found it in my heart
to pray this prayer" Know what you
pray. Prayer is not putting your hand
into a bag and pulling out what comes
first. Oh, no; there must be definite
desires and specific requests. Think
carefully about it, and ask for what you
want, for nothing else but what you need.
Pray this prayer. David had promise
about his house, that God would bless
and establish it. Much of what we
think to be prayer is really playing at
praying. The archers in the English
armies of old, with their arrows a cloth
yard long, when they met the foe took
/ steady aim, and sorely they CALLED the
foe. Give your little boy his bow and
, arrow and what does he Go? He shoots
at random and sends his arrows away,
for he plays at archery. A good deal Of
j praying is of that sort; there is no stead
7 lily taking aim at the white, and draw
; ing the bow with strength, and watch
| ing the arrow with anxiety. Lord,
f teach us to pray.
We ought to pray. too. dear friends,
when We find prayer in our hearts, with
: much boldness. He says, 81 found in
: my heart to pray" that is. he had the
: heart to pray, the courage to pray; the
/. promise influenced him to make bold
, with God. Some men fail in reverence
e for God, but far more fail in holy bold
q ness towards God. Men who are
r mighty for God are generally famous fol
: courage with him. Look at Luther
7 they say it was wonderful to hear him
Q preach, but hundred times more so tt
: hear him pray. There was an awful
: reverence about that heroic man, bu
there was also such childlike simpli
f city of daring that he seemed as though
he did really lay hold of God. That i.
: the way; try it in your chamber this
e afternoon. Be bold with God find i
: in your heart to pray this prayer unit
e him.
And do so promptly. Let prompt
tude mark your prayer as it did that o
David. He did not wait week or tw'
. after he had obtained the promise h
went straight away and sat down befor
: the Lord, began to plead the Divin
:. word, and said, "Do as thou hast said,
;, He found the petition in his heart, an,
. before it could lose its way again h
. brought it before God. He was study
u ing his soul, and as he observed it
70 movements he saw prayer lift up it
70 head. "Ah," said he, 81 will seiz
y it," and he held 1t fast and presented j
:. before God, and so obtained blessing
= -Spatrqe0n.