The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1888-12-24


II is only Gods usual way OF doing things.
But He has said that il His children ask
Him TO do thing, and He can consistently
do II, He will do 1t. Go on with your pills,
and plasters, and nostrums, and elixirs,
and your cathollcon, but remember that
the mightiest agency in your recovery is
prayer Prayer 10 God brought the Kings
cure, the lump OF figs being the God-di-
reeted human instrumentality.
would have you also see-for it is an
other lesson OF the sub that cur prayer
must also be accompanied by means. IL
is m outrage TO ask God TO do thing
while we sit INDECENT. The prayer, 10 be ac-
ceptab!c, must come not only from the
heart, but from the hands. We must work
while we pray, devotion and work going
together Luther came to Melancthons
bedside and prayed for his recovery, and
insisted, at the same time, that lac should
take some warm soup, the soup being Just
as important as the prayer. In the time
OF tho great plague that came 10 York, OF
England, the priests prayed all night and
all day for the removal OF the plague but
did not think of clearing out the dead dogs
and cats that lay in the cutters. causing
the sickness. We must use means as well
MS supplication. II a man has evening
prayers" asking for health, and then sits
down to full supper Of indigestibles at II
o'clock at night, his prayer is "a mockery.
A farmer has no right TO pray for the
saietyo his family when he knows there is
no cover on the cistern. The Christian
man, reckless about his health, ought not
TO expect the same answer TO his prayer as
the Christian man expects who retires reg
ularly at 10 O'Clock at night, and takes
his morning bath with the appendix
OF Turkish towel. Paul said TO the pas
scngers Of the AleXandrian corn ship that
they should get sale ashore, but he told
them they mus; use means, and that was
stick TO the old ship" God is not weak,
needing our help, but God il strong, and
asks us TO cooperate with Him that we
may ba strong, too. Pray by all means,
but don't forget the iig.poulticc.
That God answers prayers offered in the
right spirit, seconded by our own effort, is
the first and last lesson OF this text, aud it
is lesson that this age needs 10 learn. II
all communication between heaven and
earth is cut Oft let US know il. II all the
Christian prayers that are going mp toward
God never reach Him, then, | say let
silence smito the lips OF the afflicted world,
and the nations smother their gruans and
die quietly. God does answer prayer.
The text shows it, You say: 81 don't bo-
liove the Bible; think that those things
were merely condolences, which are often
brought rs answers 10 prayer" Do you
say that2 WIS II mere happen-so that
Elijah prayed for rain Just as the rain was
going TO come anyhow Did Daniel pray
in the wild beasts den Just at the time
when all the lions happened to have lock-
jaw Did Jesus pray at the grave Of Laza-
rus Just at the time when Lazarus was
going 10 dress himself and come out any
howl Did Jesus lose His place in His SER
mon, and make mistake, when lie said:
ASK, and il shall be given you; seek, and
yo shall find; knock, and il shall be opened
unto your" And, lest some were sostupid
they could not understand il, He goes on:
"For everyone that askcth rcceiveth; and
he that seeketh tindeth; and 10 Him that
knocketh il shall be opened"
But some ono persists in saying al
don't believe anything Of the Bible"
Then | appeal TO your own instincts.
Prayer In certain circumstances is M natu-
raj TO man rs tho throbbing in the pulse,
rs the respiration Of the lungs. Put COM
pany Of mcn-l don't care how bad they
are-in some imminent peril, and they
will cry out, Good have mercy ON u.s."
challenge that these men who don't be.
licyo in prayer charter steamer, go out
In the "Narrows," swing out eight or nine
hundred miles 10 sea, and then heavo TO
and wait lot "A cyclone. And alter tho
cyclone comes aud tho vessel has gone
under ten times, when they did not expect
IL would rise again, and the bulwarks have
been Knocked in, and the masts are gone
ii they do not pray, will surrender my
theory. DO you tell INC that this instinct
which God has put In us lie put there just
to mock us for His own cruel amusement
II God implanted that instinct In the hui
man heart, Il was because In His own
heart there was something responsive.
To prove that God does hear prayer, |
put on the witness stand Abraham, Isaac,
Jacob, Ezekiel. jeremiah, Micah, John,
Paul, Peter, and King llczckiah. Tell me,
yo ancient battle fields, We Oriental thrcsh-
ING ilOor, yc Judcan corntclds, yc Cali
lean fishing smacks, Is God deaf, and
dumb, aud blind before oil human poti-
toni That God answers prayer bring
the ten million facts Of Christcndom 20
prove. There has never paper enough
come out Of the paper mills 20 write the
story. Has not many a mother PRAYED
back her bal boy from the ends OF the
earth from Canton, from Madras, from
Constantinoplc-un he knclt beside her
In the old homestead Have there not