The San Antonio light. (San Antonio, Tex.) 1883-1886, 1885-11-23

springs rom the ground, eNch IRE that
burns upon our hearth-stOne must DO
their bidding. yea more that every hui
man thought vi every human yOlition
and every human action must be sub
jected to their control and government;
that nothing can change or affect these
laws; that they have gone on operating
In this inileXible manner. tho century
after century and age after age. over
millions upon millions OF years; that any
Interference with or lnterpOsition By n
higher power, II such exists. would only
throw the unwise into convulsions, and
destroy every living thing; that they
are claws that are deaf to prayer or EN-
treaty and know no such thing rs SYM
pathy orremOrsc;" that God himself can
not cheek or modify or change them in
the slightest degree, without uverturn-
ing himself, and all the great globes that
he has made and suspended In the
heavens These and variety OF other
things do they thrust In our faces, and
then turn about and ask us OF what use
your prsyersY What effect will all your
petitions have In a universe that is I'M
der such UOnir0Y
How can you expect God TO work
against himself, and do that which can
only result In confusive disaster and
woe; leave your petitions, unuttered,
submit to your fate and make the best Of
the world rs 1t Is.
such are some OF the opinions and ut
terances that are held by men who are
living with us upon the world to-day.
But Is not God higher than all his works?
Cannot lie who built the universe and
framed its laws handle. and II needs he
change those laws with the same ease
and safety that his creature uHn handles
and constantly changes the laws which
he frames for his safety and comfort?
Cannot our petitions have u place IN the
universe "a well rs the law OF grayita-
tion or cohesion? And cannot Cod who
cares for the smallest insect have so ar
ranged each event, so regulated each
law from the first rs to include within
them mans every petition and Gods
every answer TO those petitionsy Man
may say what lie pleases; talk ever 80
loudly about the infexible ANA I'M
deviating laws Of the natural world, but
does he not In his Intercourse with his
fellows act upon the principle, ask and
receive each day of his life? Does he
not himself infringe those laws by every
new Invention ana every new expert
mentY Every gun that il fired and
every steamer that blows Its whistle
disturbs aud displaces the air above us,
and II these, unproyided for in the laws
that control can do no harm to those
laws. If the shrek Of n steam whistle or
the explosion of dynamite In Hell Gate
can produce no disturbance, we need not
fear that our petitions to God Will dis
turb or destroy them. Ask and Sc shall
receive Is principle recognized in
every home and every heart, and it ex-
tends up to the throne and moves the
God who sits upon It; or he never would
have taught and commanded US to say,
ssF Laf hat slt.,u In,
Second-Again we are taught by this
parable, the duty OF importantly in
prayer.
1t is not enough to pray, but our pray
ers must be repeated earnest, pressing.
persistent offered with the dctermina-
| ton that they must and shall prevail.
| The man of the parable who applied to
| his friend was bluled oil a. we see by
an array of excuses which were truly
| formidable. The hour was midnight
| when sleep lies heavily upon the eyes,
and II is difficult to rise from II comfort
| able bed. The door was shut and barred
| and there was no light in the house.
| The children, were asleep, and every
| family man knows what comfor that
is, quiet for the night, and any move
ment on the part OF the father would
arouse them and set the whole house
mold in terment and noisy confusi on.
| These certainly were very serious hin
| ORANGES, and operated sorely against any
| farther application. To persist seemed
inhuman, but the case was urgent, there
was his hungry friend in hi, house, his du-
ties rs II host required that he should
| place food before him, his bread was gone
his larder was empty, his honor
was at stake; and So over
coming all scruples, he kept
on knocking, till the master of the
house surrounding all the dillioultle.
arose and gave him all that he wanted
Had he not persisted, he would nevel
have got the bread; he himself would
have been put to shame and his frienC
would have gone supperless to bed
The point to be observed here is the
mans importantly. There was mus
in his words that would take no refusal
He must and would have the bread; Ii,
would not take no for an answer, ant
the man of the house yielded, not be
cause the applicant was a friend, but he
cause Of the continued humping on the
door. lie could not sleep with that noisl
under him. The very object that hl
sought TO avoid, viZ the waking of ni
children, would soon be accomplished
and SO choosing the lesser Of the tw,
evils he rose reluctantly, perhaps un
graclOusly, yet he rose and supplied him
Nothing great is ever effected in thi
world without persistence, importantly
"Slick to it' until you accomplish il /
the motto of every growing and success
ful man. Even the child recognizes tn
force of the principle and acts upon II
Many OF US, doubtless, have Observes
how sometlmesa very small child effect
its ends with Its father or its mother b
simply persevering and following Il
that end unwayerngly 10 Il sucCessft
issue. First comes a quiet but prOpe
request which is perhaps, for some sligh
reason, refused or deferred. The chill
retires for the moment; but soon back
comes with an Ingenious reprOducho
+ of the same request in different SHAPE
still you refuse, and possibly little in
patiently, like the man in the parab
with go-away-dOn'I-trOub n
aItend-to-you-nOw at the end OF the r,
: fusal. A third attempt however,
soon mode; perhapa substitute is r.
sorted to this tine in the person Of
brother or sister. with still diilerel
version Of 1t, but the same original r.
3 quest, and you cannot but smile at ~
! admire the persistence and ingenuity
T the whole transaction; and while YOU {
: not like to yield or subject Yourself
I the charge Of vaccillatiOn and perhaI
, defeat any future attempt at disciplin
Z you compromise the matter. save yo
| dignity and grant the request in moe
= fled form. The child carries the da
D Such pluck and perseverance desery
i reward and you cannot refuse il. IL
: prophetic Of future success. That chi
/ will grow up with determination new
| IN MI aI ttrff Al