The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1889-02-02

the prayer circle. Doing this you will
greatly bless your own life, encourage
your pastor and brethren, and insure
great prosperity to your church. For
when the church is waiting before God
with all her members bowed before Him,
the windows of Heavcn are always opened
and showers of converting and sanctify-
ing grace fall upon her.
4. The class meeting, as an auxiliary
of the church, is of the greatest import
ance. The most devoted men and wo.
men among US are those who have the
class-meetings and are regularly enjoying
its benefits, and the history of the church
has shown that those Who are faithful in
their attendance here are growing up
strong and useful members and workers
in the church. What have you been do
ing in this important matter? II you
have been faithful here l congratulate
you-and am sure that you have Feaped
abundant spiritual blessings thereby. II
you have been negligent here, will you
not take this matter to the Lord also, and
seek His help Divine, and start anew in
the performance OF this great duty?
long to see our class meetings attended
regularly by every member OF the church
who is not prevented by.uDavoldable diff
ffculty, when that time comes-and my
prayer is, that it may come qnickly-the
church will be aglow with life. and will
find sinners always seeking at her affairs
the salvation of God.
5. Family prayer is duty that we
must not neglect, for if we do, we put in
peril the lives of all of the members of
our families. Is 1t not fearful fact that
many of the Sons and daughters of Chris
tan parents are lost to God and the
church by their negligence in the per-
Torrance of this great duty? | trust you
see your duty here, and morning and
evening with your loved ones around you,
kneel i'll lowly supplication before the
mercy seat, and commend yourself, with
them all, to God. The Lord give you
very clear convictions upon this subject.
and bring all your family with you into the
church-converted and saved-and at
last with you in the joyous fellowship OF
Heaven.
Z. Be faithful in obeying the command
to search the Scriptures, remem boring
that the word of "God is the man of your
COUNSEL" and that by the knowledge OF
the word, and by that only-no matter
what else we may know-do we become
wise unto salvation. Nothing but the
truth of God-the revealed moral and
spiritual facts and doctrines of the Bible
will make sinners holy and fit them for
heaven. ALI the philosophers and teach
ers of men cannot do it. This is broad
and practical truth, and of the utmost
consequence. We cannot as preachers,
as lay workers, for Christ, as Christians,
be too deeply i'm pressed with it. Our
| only hope i'll trying to save men is to get
Gods truth lodged in their hearts. That
and that only SIS the wisdom OF God and
| the power of God" This is
| true of our children. This is true also OF
| the nations of the earth.
7. Secret prayer is not the least among
| the duties OF the Christian life. Jesus
said to his disciples aud through them to
| you and me: But thou, when thou
| prayest, enter into thy closet, and when
thou hast shut thy door, play to tn.
| Father which is in secret, and thy Father,
| which seeth in secret shall reward the
| openly" 1t is probable that there is NJ
| privilege OF the Christian more precious
| than this-alone with Jesuit is tn,
mountain OF TRANSPORTATION to the waiting
! worshiper; let us often hide in this secrei
place of the Lord, and here receiving the
| Divine amounting go forth and by our
ilNco duu dCCldlo
| God makes upon US three reservations:
One seventh of our time, at least one
tenth of our money, and daily communion
in the closet. To keep this last is the
surest way Of keeping the other two
sacred unto the Lord. This is beautifully
| illustrated by the holy place which con-
tanned the golden candlestick with its
| seven branches, symbol OF cousecrated
time; the table of shew bread, symbol of
| consecrated substances land the altar of
incense, symbol of unceasing prayer.
Moreover, all have to be sprinked with
blood from the altar of sacrifice before
they are accepted of God.
s. The Benevolences. 'It is very
evident fact that at this day little can be
done in helping the weak, raising the
fallen, bealing the sick, instructing the
ignorar t, or ia any other benevolent work,
without money" When you were re
ceived into the Church you promised to
contribute of your earthly substance,
according to your ability, to the support
of the Gospel and the various benevolent
enterprises of the Church." Do this
fairly and promptly and We ask nothing
more Nathaniel Cobb, more than half
century ago, sat down in his counting
| house in Boston and wrote the following
| solemn covenant: by the grace OF God,
| | will never be worth more than fifty
thousand dollars. By the grace Of God,
| | will give one fourth of the net profits
of my business to charitable and religious
uses If am ever worth twenty thou
| sand dollars, will give one half of my
| net profits; If | am ever worth thirty
| thousand dollars will give three fourths,
| and the whole alter fifty thousand. 50
! help nae God, or give to more faithful
steward and set me aside This covenant
he subscribed and adhered to with a
conscientious fidelity as long as he lived.
| On his deathbed he said to friend, by
| the grace of God, nothing else, l have
been enabled, under the influence of
these resolutions, to give away more
than forty thousand dollars. How good
the Lord has been to me-
There are seven ways of giving-Q).
| The careless way: to give something TO
every cause that is presented, without
inquiring into it's merits. (2). The
| impulsive way: to give from impulse, as
much and as often as love and pity and
sensibility prompt. This is uncertain
and irregular. (3). The lazy way: to
make special effort to earn money for
benevolent objects by fairs, fes ivals, etc.
az. The self denying way: to save the
cost of Injuries aud apply them to pur-
poses OF religion and charity. This may
lead to asceticism and self complacence.
60 The systematic way: to lay aside,
as an offering to God, definite portion
of our gains-ore tenth, one-tifth, one
third. or one half. This is adapted to
all, whether rich or poor, and gifts
would be largely increased if it were
generally practiced. (6). The equal
way: to give to God and the needy just
as much as we spend on ourselves, bal
ancing our personal expenditures by our
gifts. 90. The heroic way: to limit
our own expenditures to a certain sum,
and give away all the res: of our income.
Tnis was john Wesley's way.
Now the God of peace that brought
again from the dead our Lord Jesus
Christ, that Great Shepherd of the sheep
through the blood of the everlasting
Covenant, make yon perfect in every
good work to do His will, working in you
that which is we'll pleasing in His sight
through Jesus Christ to whom be glory
forever and ever, Amen
Your Pastor,
T. A. Fl. O'BRIEN.
NJ. E. Parsonage, Cherry Hill, July II,
1855