The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1883-08-09

- "a
PREACHING AND PRAYING MEN.
a Few t'nssags'- from thr Holy Scriptures
fot Your Desomt and rrnyctful Consider
alton.
From the Chicago scntincll
Last Sunday, you, Reverend Sir,
froh yonf place IN the pulpit, opened n
big Book, detbutly fcad pate i'r 40 Of
It's contents to yonr attcntiyt flock, and
then proceeded to cxponnd passage
Of it according 10 youf btst understands
ing.
ion nre preacher Of the Gospel
You are IN ordained minister, POSSESS
ing various rights, honors, duties and
privileges
And then there Is y3iir hc,gh'nr, n
prominent member Of your church.
Every week he attends prayer meetings.
and humbly bows before his God and
your God, and asks forgiveness Of sins.
Immunity from tenn tation md for the
blessings OF heaven for all mankind.
You are praying man. He il pray
ing man. Not u week passes from one
years end 10 another but what both OF
you de,ently rend TINT Book, and but
what you silently bow down n prayer
and seek communion with the Great
Giver of NIL good gifts.
| Now then, in the name of that God
whom yon worship. sacredly, solemnly
and sincerely do we ask you to give us
yonr attention for just one brief hour.
Will Won do il?
Before You read another word, then,
be kind enough to do precisely what
we ask You to do.
Take from your table that Book, the
Holy Bible, seat yourself and listen.
Before us there is opened the same
Holy Bible. LII II il recorded the name
OF the dead mother-who years and
years ago taught us to read it. So Tint
these pages before MS are doubly
sacred. Before it's pages we cannot
find it possible to say trifling, insin-
cere or untruthful word.
Open the Book and turn to Leviticus,
chapter xxv-35, 81.
What 10 You tind?
Does il not read:
And II thy brother be wnxen poor, and
| fallen In decay with thee become a sort OF
a.
though he be stranger or Il sojourner, that
he ma live with thee
Take thou no usury of him or increase;
but fear. thy God, that thy brother may live
with thee.
Thou shalt not give him the money upon
nsnry, nor lend him III. victuals for in
crease.
Who was it that said this?
The first verse q the chapter SAYS
that it was the Lord who said it, and
that He said it to Moses, on Mount
Sinai.
Turn the leaves of the book again.
Read verse xii. Of Ezekiel xii:
In thee have they taken gifts to she'd
blood; thou hath taken usury and increase,
and Il on hast ereedlly gained OF thy neigh.
bois by extortion aad hast forgotten me-
said the Lord
This is one of the things that are
enumerated in the catalogue of Jcrnsa-
lens sins.
Turn again the pages Of the book.
Turn back this time to chapter xiii Of
Deuteronomy and read verse xix:
Thou shat not lend upon usury to thy
brother. usury of money, usury of victuals,
usury OF anything that is lent upon usury.
Turn again and read from chapter V,
of Nehemiah, that man of God who
built the walls OF Jerusalem with one
hand while he fought his enemies with
the other, these verses:
l. And there was a great cry of the people,
and of their wives against their brethren,
the Jews
3 Some also there were that said: We
have moItgaged our lands, vineyards and
houses, that we might buy corn because OF
the dearth
borrowed money for the Kings tribute
taxes, and that upon our lands and vine-
yards
!. Yet now our flesh il as the flesh OF our
brethren, cur children rs their children; and
10. we ir.ng into bondage our sols aud our
daughters to be servants, and some OF our
daughters are brought into bondage al
ready; neither is II In our power To redeem
them, for other men have our lands and
vineyards
1, And | was very angry when heard
the ir cry and these words
!. Then co suited with myself, and re-
buked the mobiles and the rulers, aud said
unto them. We exact usury every one OF his
brother, and set a great assembly against
them
!. u ,s,v, o., this nsnrv, ! pray you let
II. ke,tore, pray YOU, TO them. even this
day, their lands, the n VINEYARDS their
olive yards and their houses, also the hun
dreth art of the money. and of the corn,
the wine and the oil that We exact fiom
them.
And then read chapter xviii. of Eze-
kiel, where, saith the Lord God, that
he who taketh no nsarv shall live, and
he who taketh usurv shall die.
And finally turn to the New Tesla
ment and from Matthew. chapter xxi
and verses Xii. and xiii. read:
And Jesus went into the Temple of God
and east out all them that sold and bought
Ia the temple, aud overthrow the tables OF
the money changers and the seats Of them
that sold doves, and said unto them: Ii is
written-My house shall BE- called the house
OF prayer, but We have made it den of
thieves
Do YOU believe these things?
Is this the same God that you believe
in to-day?
Is He the same God that you bow
down before in your prayers?
Is this the same Jesus that yon preach
to-day.
If to-day the same God stood face to
face with Moses ON Mount Sinai, would
he utter the same words.
If day He should speak to the
world through another Ezekiel or an
other Nehemiah, think you that he
would say the same thing.
Has He changed?
Have the fundamental principles by
whith mans acts toward his fellow men
are governed been changed2
Were not the truths then uttered
eternal and divine truthss
DO you not teach them and preach
Il