The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1880-08-11
DIR. Punshon and work.

dresses. We quote from it as reported
in the Watchp'a'a;
He heard the other day of Scotch
man who went abroad he was very
onx;ous to take as much of Scotland
18th him as he could, so he gathered the
seed of the corn that had grown upon
the Highland hills, and plucked the
spriqs Of heather that had grown upon
the moor and carried them to his far
Australian home, and there planted
them. that he might have little Scot
land in the midst of the barrenness of
the land of his exile. The result was
that the heather died, because it was an
exotic and could not live in an ungenlal
soil; but the catholic corn, that God IN
tended to be for the food of all the peo-
ME of the world, lived and throve, and
was harvested wherever it was planted.
There were some systems that would
only flourish in their own soil; if trans
planted into an ungenial soil they would
sicken and wither and die There was
the Turk, for example, they might try
and make Chinaman of him, but they
could not do it neither could they make
a Turk Of the Chinaman; but they could
make the Turk Christian, and they
could make the Chinaman Christian !;
they could bow them both before the same
consecrated cross, and constrain their ac-
acknowledgement of its divinity and power.
He was sure he need not say to Print
tive Methodist audience: Doubt anything
but that the gospel can convert the
world; doubt that the spring will be
upon us soon, fower-crowned and beau
tiful; doubt that the blood is coursing
through your veins but doubt not for a
moment that He whom they served was
able to save unto the uttermost of human
guilt, to the uttermost of human life, to
the uttermost of human time. What
were they going to do that night, in
dividually and collectively? They had
been told to cry out and shout now he
would tell them to be still and give
When he was in the United States he
was told story of brother who got
into church who did not understand
him, but he would have been at home
among the Primitive Methodists or the
nominal Wesleyans; he knew how to cry
out and shout, but it was not always
seasonable so some of the officials held
consultation as to how they should
silence him and one of them said he
thought ne could manage it. At the
next prayer meeting the man began
shouting as usual, before any one else
had time to pray and the official quietly
rose from his knees, went stealthily up
to the brother shouting, and whispered
word in his ear The effect was magi-
cal; he never shouted again throughout
the whole of the meeting The pastor
came at the close of the meeting to thank
the official, and asked him what he said
to produce such marvellous effect.
"Oh,' he replied, al asked him for a
dollar for the missionary, cause" The
resolution he had moved was an intensely
practical one they were first to furnish
the funds, and then to pray the Lord to
thrust out laborers into His harvest
Labor without prayer was atheism;
prayer without labor, on the other hand
was authoritarian but labor and PRAYER
married, with a little giving, as the
bridal ring-and bridal rings were made
Of gold-these made up the complement
OF Christian duty and the sinews of
Christian strength. If they gave with
simplicity, heartiness, and hberality, the
good work to which they were pledged
and which they could not, therefore, see
languish or die, would grow more and
more, waxing stronger and stronger, IN
TIL they had belted the globe as with a
zone of hallowed labor, and as with
an atmosphere of fervent prayer. The
apostle said they were to take upon
themselves the whole armor of God !:
they would then be armed cap-a-pie,
from head to foot. They were to take
the helmet of salvation; that would
keep the head right amid the conceits
OF vain speculation and cultured in
fidelity they were to have the loins GRIT
about with the girdle of truth; the feet
were to be shod with the preparation of
the gospel Of peace then there was the
shield, not the fimsy shield of medieval
warfare, but the old crusaders shield
that covered the whole front of the
body then there was the breast-plate of
righteousness that covered the heart and
kept the vital parts right then there
was the sword Of the Spirit, the Word of
God. This was the panoply divine, and
clad In that they might go forth to
glorious war There was something very
striking abort that; there was not a
solitary piece of armor for the back.
And why2 Because British soldiers did
not generally show it, If they retreated