The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1881-05-19


Lords host There come days of dark
ness and battle. Where are theyP We
call the roll of the host. They make no
answer, but after aW hile there comes
day of triumph in the church, and they
are all about, "Huzzal huzzal Didn't
we give it to themP"
have another word of counsel to give
those who have just entered Christian
life, and that is be faithful in prayer,
You might as well, business man, start
out in the morning without food, and
expect to be strong all that day, you
might as we'll abstain from food all the
week and expectto be strong physically,
as to be strong without prayer. The only
way to get any strength into the soul is
by prayer, and the only difference be-
tween that Christian that is worth ev.
erything and that who is worth nothing
is the fact that the last does not pray
and the other does. And the only diff
ference between this Christian who is
getting along very fast in the holy life
and this who is getting along tolerably
is that the first prays more than the last,
You can graduate mans progress in
religion by the amount of prayer, not
by the number of hours, perhaps, but by
the earnest suppliCation that he puts up
to God. There is no exception to the
rule. Show me a Christian man who
negleCts this kind of duty, and l will
show you one who is inconsistent.
Show ME a man who prays, and his
strength and his power can not be exag-
gerated, Why, just give to q man this
power of prayer and you give him al"
most omnipotence. This afternoon you
will see two Sabbath school teachers
That one does not gain the attention Of
her class. This one does. What is the
difference between them, their intelleCts
being about equal? The first thought
only of her own apparel. The other
came from great prostration before God
in earnest suppIication, asking that Gods
mercy might come upon the school, and
that in the afternoon she might gain the
attention Of those five or six immortala
that would be around her. The one
teacher has no control over her class
The other sits as with the strength Of
the Lord God Almighty. A minister
comes into the pulpit. He has a magnii.
cent sermon, all the sentences rounded
according to the laws of rhetoric and
fine sermonizing, and the truth makes
no impression on the hearts of men,
People 60 away saying, "VeIy beautiful
wasn't itT A plain man comes into
the pulpit. He has been on his knees be.
fore God, asking for an especial message
that day, and the hearts of men open to
the plain truth, the broken sentences
strike into their ConsCienCes, and, though
the people may disperse at the close of
the services seemingly without having.
received any impression, that nigh
voices will be lifted in some household
Men and brethren, what shall we DO to
be savedN Oh, this power of prayer |!
Pray Pray Another word of counsel
l have to give Be faithful in Bible re-
search, A great many good books are
now coming out. We can not read.half
of them. At every revolution of the
printing press they are coming. They
cover our parlor tables, and are in our
sitting rooms and libraries. Glorious
books they are. We thank God every
day for the work of the Christian print.
ing press. But have thought that per
haps the followers of Christ sometimes
allow this religious literature to take
their attention from Gods word, and
that there may not be as much Bible
reading as there ought to be, How is
that with your own experience? Just
calculate in your minds how much relig.
ious literature you have read during the
year, and then how large portion of the
Word of God you have read, and then
contrast the two and answer within your
own soul whether you are giving more
attention to the books that were written
by the hand of man or that written by
the hand of God. Now you 90 to the drug
store and you get the mineral waters; but
you have noticed the waters are not 80
fl esh or sparkling or healthful as when
you get these waters at Saratoga or
SbaroD-Qetting them right where they
bubble from the rock. And ] have no.
tiCed the same thing in regard to the
truth of the Gospel. While there is a
good deal Of refreshment and health in
the Gospel of God as it comes through
good books, find it is better when
come to the eternal rock of Gods Word
and drink from that fountain that bub.
bles up fresh and pure to the life and the
refreshment and the health of the soul.
Read the Bible and it brings you into
The association of the best people that
ever lived. You stand beside Moses and
earn his meekness, beside Job and
earn his patience, beside Paul and
catch something OF his enthusiasm, be-
side Christ and you feel his love. And
yet how strange it is that a great many
men have given their whole lives to the
lssaulting of that book l can not un.
lerstand it, Tou Payne worked against
hat book as though he received large
wages and was inspired by the very
powers of darkness, confessing that all
he time he was writing he did not have
he Bible anywhere near him. How
many powerful intelleCts have endeav.
,red to destroy it! Hume, Bolingbroke,
yoltaire, ,bave been afterit. Ten thousand
nen now are warning against the truth
If Gods word. What do you think of
hem ? | think it is mean, and will prove
t. will prove it the meanest thing
hat has ever been done in all the cen
uries There is ship at sea and in
rouble. The captain and the crew are
It their wits end. You are on board.
You are an old seaman. You come up
o give some good counsel, which is
indy taken. That is all right. But
uppose, instead of doing that, in the
midst of all the trouble YOU pick up the
'nly compass that is on board and pitch
over the taffrail Oh, you say, that is
enthusiastically. Is it as mean as thisP
1ere is the vessel of the world going on
With twelve hundred millions Of passen
ers, tossed and driven in the tempest,
nd at the time we want help the inRdel
ONES, and he takes hold Of the only
ompass, and he tries to pitch it over
,oard. 1t is contemplate beyond ev-
rything that is contemptible. Have
'ou any better light2 Bringit on if you
lave. Have you any better comfort to
i've usP Bring it on If you have. Have
'ou any better hope? Bring it on, II