New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-10-29
SERMONS WORTH READING.
III
JESUS AS IA MAN OF PRAYER.
CONSIDERATION OF THE MASTERS SPIRIT
AND HABIT, BY THE REV. DR. JOHN
Pury THOMPSON.

CONSIDERATION OF THE MASTERS SPIRIT
AND HABIT, BY THE REV. DR. JOHN
riley THOMPSON.
Tho washington Square Methodist Episcopal Church,
In Fourth-st, near Sixth-ave, has the "eirearnce
reputation OF being most benevolent church. Last
rear the contributions to home and foreign missions
amounted 70 over IS. 800. which was more than that
rven nv any other church OF the denomination in the
United States It is one Of the few fourishing down
town churches which have held their own against
the tide Of population. Its PASTOR the Rev. Dr. Johh
Riley Thompson has been in the ministry seventeen
gcars When only seventeen years old he was censeo
to preach and years later was received as iegu
lar preacher Before he was twenty-five, no was
elected president of the West Virginia state University
over which no presided for four years with success His
text Yesterday morning was Matthew xiv, % "And
when He had sent the multltudes away, lie went UP
into a mountain apart to pray and when the even
ing was come lie was there aloncD He said In sub
stance
Earlier in this chapter Jesus is brought before us
AZ heard Of he cruel and Shameful death Of John the
Baptist He took ship and sailed across the sea OF
e ss sedR R0 sos nns sSe hea seeks to SS
uone with its sorrow and its Cod AS soon, now 9v,
as the people knew where Jesus ss WAS b aeey ION
pound about and when He the multitude OF men
md women streaming to Him rom a every and
ans It is said that He had compassion on them and
s rnsed ' wse and timely instruction with this
exercise Of His healing power In this grateful ana
blessed employ, rewarding but faguins, the whole OF
At It's close occurred that remarkable miracle Of
fedng tho 5000 beside women and children. And
lhen He sent the multitudes away. lie did not Wat
or them 10 Co. but He told them to go, using thai
nr of calm authority with which at times ne man.
VAS come as the last straggler OF the great crowd
disappeared in the distance lie went up into noun GUN
savss Of the the western Sky was al
NTH gold and slowly, day deepened mo meht
me after another the stars Of God came out and began
srayerf a holy hush Is on all the landscape. The
Lord is in His holy temple and all the EARN Is se
VI God are there, keeping solemn watch and ward
tbove the weary Son OF Man.
THE NEED OF PRIVATE PRAYER.
We study this morning the spirit and habit OF Jesus
IS a man of prayer. First OF all, the example Oh
Jesus herein emphasizes for the duty the beauty
and the value of solitary secret prayer He loved 10
pray not only, but he loved 10 pray alone There
Is no doubt that Jesus was fond of solitude that
crowds and cities with Him matters OF duty,
and that the great temple of Nature, quiet medtauon
the communion Of His soul with His Father were the
low the inspiration, and the strength of His life. lie
derived The love, the insight, the , comra
age, the patience the tenderness and the forutuue
with Which be en- All a NV friends have
We fully learned this lesson Have learned The
wisdom the power the beauty OF secret s Pra yrayer
20 an cunt Of prayer in the family, IN
the church at the pFaye we 5GeIadp he w eH
ample and command OF our LORD concerning se S
personal prayer This IS not siranSe dnos ch ID cS
wish TO be with us separately and alone. IL we are
wise and worthy parents We will encourage ana lvio
child has its own temperament, its own longlnss,
plans hopes, Its own life 70 hve ana lhe chllu may
father or mother And do we not often need to DC
alone with the great Father in heaven Sya5n children
after M' all, and the distance between our
s ssres with ana the distance US and Cod
cvca how much more We are children to Him than our
sGSe w %Is 20 pi Father be be reeshed
10 be strengthened by the freedom Of the Intercourse
afforded by solitude and privacy our no Mas'n in s
Experience, was equal to the temptations, the trial Al,
betngs that came to H% IT, ,1 Is lie 70 H rs
baptism before the trial GENES Does great grlei
ZONE ,hG into his life Ne @ 81 rss a
their thOsghtless cagernsss press about ets
heart wengh breang the a %nem IN ee
into the ship, and leave Him. 800.
Is He nearing the day of arrest trial death! Ihen
he spends the night in prayer lie prayed ana HIS lis
disciples slept In the trialho of The next day lie
iaed The difference between two Christian men
suddenly confronted with severe and unlooked-io r
ONefcOmcs
don was on his knees in his closet that morning and
The man who yields 10 1t has not been alone with Cod
Tor a week He who is alone with His Father III
secret shall openly rewarded in the hour of danger,
and he who negects BIS Father in secret will IN the
hour Of peril suddenly ind himself shorn OF confidence
and strength.
THE TRUE IDEA OF CHRISTIAN PRAYER.
There are sincere and honest people who reserve
prayer for the emergencies of life only. knew man,
good man. member of the church, pIayerful man,
people ordinarily prayerfu who passed through
1 and menacing business experience, and he
prayed more during month Of that period than be had
Tor ten twelve years prior 10 it, This was his own
testimony, and he seemed TO look upon It as emf
hentiy nieritorious. When in the end his affairs
turned out as he desired, be declared TO me that II
because he prayed so much and so earnestly he
believed that God had answered his prayers against
the other man-for IT was situation where II one went
pp, the other must go down. That is not the true
ston, 1t is magic II is anything but prayer, Jesus
Interprets the meaning, Of prayer for us;
rs regards another man, and the other must
fall he goes to work and prays with all his might;
the other is Methodist and finally by dint Of hard
praying for three or four weeks, the Methodist beats
something other and higher than the use of omnpo-
There those who reserve prayer for the emcr-
gency Of death. SO, also, there are those who re
Ny brethren, IL should not be so lives should be
penetrated and peryaded with the spirit Of prayer;
Ue fragrant OuOf OF prayer ShOulu DC on tue NnoIc
Of life, Its and Its joys its and
defeats, labors and recreations, on all that
think, love, do, say, are our whole lives
should be lived I'm the very atmosphere OF prayer
DO not need II?
Try earnestly TO live a real life, try for whole
day In every part Of your life TO fulfil single com
mand in the spirit as well as in the letter, Thou
shalt love thy ncghbor thyseli," bind yourself
10 keep that for twenty four hours, and, oh how
you win Learn the need OF prayer II lie needed TO
pray, how much more do We II He. in the antlci
patton Of temptation, needed to be forearmed by
prayer, may we hope 10 escape without aImor or
Weapons II would escape the corruption that |
las gotten into this world IL we hope to build our
elves up In all virtue and godliness, If would be
fruitful In the knowledge of Him. must drill our
elves into the habit of prayer, that prayer shall
In u.s. that may be Indeed vital breath"
hat II we should be asked when we pray, and how
,ften, and where, may be able to smile re- |
member that whole mind and heart all time, |
yea, that entire being has become thanksgiving
10 the Power that made
WHERE THE MASTER PRAYED.
The spirit and habit OF Jesus as a man OF prayer