Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1889-08-10

criticism, and deprecate this, and dep
recate that. Oh. how much wiser we
would be IL by its holy light we found
our way to our everlasting home!
Then we do not read the Bible as we
read other books. We read it.perhaps
four or five minutes just before we re-
tire at night We are weary and
sleepy, so somnolent we hardly know
which end Of the book il up. We drop
our eye perhaps on the story Of Samson
and the foxes, or upon some genealo-
gical liable, important in its place, but
stirring no more religious emotion
than The announcement that somebody
begat somebody else and he bcgat
somebody else, instead of opening the
book and saying: Now ! must read
for my immortal life. My eternal
destiny is involved in this book"
WE SHOULD PRAY sENsIBLY.
How little We use common sense in
praycrl We say: "Oh, Lord, give me
this, and "Oh, Lord, give me that,
and "Oh, Lord. give me something
else" and we do not expect TO get IT,
or getting it, we do not know we have
il. We have no anxiety about il. We
do not watch and wait for its coming.
As "A merchant. you telegraph or
YOU write 10 some other city for bill
Of goods. You say: Send me by
such express, or by such steamer, or
by such a rail train" The day ar
rivcs. You send your wagon TO the
depot or 10 the wharf. The goods do
not come. You Immediately tele-
graph: What is the matter with
those goodsl We haven't received
them Send them right away. We
want them now, or we don't want
them ut all" And YOU keep writing
and you keep tclcgraphing, and you
keep sending your wagon 10 the de-
pot, ar To the express Office. or To the
wharf. until you get the goods.
In matters of religion we are not so
wise ,,s that. We ask certain things
Ia he sent from heaven. We do not
know whether they come or not We
have not any special anxiety as To
whether they come or not. We may
get them and may not get them. In
stead Of ut o'clock in the morning
saying: Have got that blcssingf
ut l2 o'clock MONDAY, asking: Have
got that blcssing!" at z O'clock in
the evening saying: Have received
that blcssing." and not getting it,
pleading, plcading-bcgging, begging
asking. asking until you get. Now,
my brethren, is hit that common
scnsci IL We ask a thing from God,
that he will do that which we ask. is
it not common sense that We should
watch and wait until we get in
COMMON SENSE IN DOING GOOD.
But remark again: We want more
common sense in doing good. How
many people there are who want 10 do
good and yet are dcaJL alurcs! Why
is il: They do not ,.ercise the same
tact, the same u senuity, the same
str,tagcm. the 81 4 common sense in
the work Of y yist that they do in
worldly thing otherwise they would
succeed in hi Erection as wclias they
succeed in the other. There are many
men who have an arrogant way with
them. although they may not feel ar.
rogant. Or they have a patronizing
way. They talk to man OF the world
IN a manner which seems To say:
Don't you wish you were as good as
ann Why, ! have TO look clear down
before can see you, you are SO far
beneath me" That manner always
d>gustS, always drives men away from
the kingdom of Jesus Christ instead Of
bringing them in. When ! was lad
was one day III village store, and
there was a large group Of young men
there full of rollicking and fun, and a
Christian man came in, and without
any introduction Of the subject, and
while they were in great hlarity, said
la one Of them: George. what is the
first step of wisdom" George looked
up and said: Every man 10 mind his
own business Well. il was very
rough answer, but it was provoked.
Religion had been hurled in there rs
though il were bombshell. We must
he Me presentation Of religion
~ lE NATURAL,
Do You suppose that Mary in her
conversation with Christ lost her sim
plicityi or that Paul, laundering
from Mars Hill. took the pulpit tonei
Why is it people cannot talk rs natur-
ally in prayer meeting and on relig
ious subjects rs they do in worldly
circlcSi For no one ever succeeds in
any kind OF Christian work unless he
works naturally. We want Ia initiate
the Lord Jesus Christ, who plucked a
poem from the grass Of the field We
all want TO initiate him who talked
with farmers about the man who went
forth Ia SOW, and talked with the fisher
men about the drawn net that brought
in fish of all sorts. and talked with
the vine dresser about the ithcr in the
vineyard, aud talked with those newly
ailianccd about the marriage supper,
and talked with the man crampcd in
money matters about the two debtors,
and talked with the woman about the
yeast that lcavencd H. whole lump,
and talked with the Shepherd about
the lost sheep. Oh, we might gather
even tile stars Of the sky and twist
them like forgct-me- nots in the garland
uf .lcslIs We must bring everything
Ia him--tlic wealth Of language. the
tenderness Of sentiment. the dclicacy
uf morning dew, the saffron of float.
ing cloud, the tangled surf of the
tossing sea. the bursting thunder guns
of the storms bombar,lmcnt. Yes, cv-
cry star must point down To him. every
hclIotrope must breathe his praise,
every drop in the summer shower
must flash his glory, all the tree
branches of the forest must thrum
their music in the grand march which
shall celebrate world redeemed.
Now. all this being SO, what is the
common sense thing for you and for
me To do! What we do ! think will
depend upon three great facts. The
first fact that sin has ruined us. II has
blasted body, mind and soul. We
want no Bible 10 prove that we are
sinners. Any man who is not willing
tai acknowledge himself an limperfec,
and sinful being is simply a fool and
not Ia bc argued with. We all feel
that sin has disorganized our entire
nature. That is one fact. Another
~ a IL.