The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1890-10-02

When commercial houses tail the suspension
IL advertised, but oi the tens OF thousands OF
men who are every day extricated no public.
monitor is made. Yesterday was Saturday
and warlent that at the windows OF banks,
and incounting rooms of stores md on
every street al every city, God appeared for
the deiverance Of good men, as certainly rs
when with His right foot He trod Lake Gnli-
lee into placdity and made Daniel az safe
among the lions as though they had been
house. dogs asleep on n rug before winters
fire. Through Yourself on the promise OF the
text. or hundred other texts meaning about
the same thing.
never yet asked God to do anything but
lie did 1t. II it We're best, and in all the cases
where my prayer has not been answered.
have found out afterward that it was hest
not to have been answered in my way. But
none OF us have tested the full power of
prayer 1t is a force very like some of the
forces of nature, that were in existnnce but
not employed. For ages electricity was
Thought good for nothing but tn burn barns,
and kill people with fell stroke Tie tighten
ing rod on the top OF houses was the spear
with which the world charged on the thun-
derstorm. as much as to say: IF you dare
to come this way will hurl you into the
ground But now electricity lightens
homes and churches and cities, and Chris
tendon, and moves railcars, and he is n rash
man who mentions anything as impossible
to this natural energy. So the power OF
prayer was to the world rather frightful
power, il it was any power at all But that
has been changed, and meE begin to use it
in some things, and the time will come when
it will be used in all things and there will be
q Bible in every counting room and supplica-
| tion will ascend from every commercial astab-
lshment, and when business firms are
formed the question will not only be asked
as TO how much this one and that one put in
otcapital, but the question will be asked.
no Won know how a nr0vr' MiUhtier
agent than any natura ] force yet developed
will be this gospel electricity, flashing heaven.
ward for help, flashing earthward with devine
response. God in business life. God in agri-
| cultural life. God in mechanical life. God
in artistic life. God in every kind of life
Your regiou,for the most part is hung up
so high you cannot reach it. 1t is hung up
on the cloudy rafters OF the sky where you
expect to snatch it up as you finally go
through for heavenly residence. Oh, have
your religion within easy reachnow! Religion
is not for heaven, but tor this world. Once
| in heaven we will need no prayer for we shall
have every thing we want. We will need no
repentance, for we shall have forever got rid
OF our sins. We shall haven need of comfort
Tor there will be no trouble. The Christian
religion is not for heaven where everything
is all right, but for this world where so many
things are all wrong.
washington Allston, whose name you rec
ognlZe as that OF o great American painter
was reduced to extreme poverty, and one
day got on his knees and asked God for a
loaf OF bread for himself and his starving
family While he was bowed in that PRAYER
there was knock at the door and q man
came in and said: How about your painting,
the Angel uriel, that took the prize at the
royal academy? Has it been sold?" no"
said hllston. Chow much do you want forit?"
Al]ston replied: Il am done fixing price
Tor cannot get it, 'Will $500 be
enough?" asked the stranger "Why, that's
more than asked" said Allston The a4OO
$4,000 were paid, and tho purchaser intro
duced himself as Marquis of Stafford, who
thereafter was one of the most liberal pat
rons of the rescued artist. 'Oh. that all
just happened so!' Did it? Tell that to
some ignorant man, some benighted woman.
who has never read the promise: "Callupon
me in the day of trouble, will deliver thee. y
or that other promise: The crooked shall be
made straight"
well. says one, "you don't apply this in
every direction" Yes, do, Take the most
uncertain thing on earth-the weather. The
Bible distinctly says that prayer controls the
weather. James 5th and 18th: s'Elijah was
man subject to like passions as we are and
ne prayed earnestly that it might not rain
and 1t rained not on earth for the space OF
three years and six months; and he bra cd
again and the heavens gave rain Do you
shy that was the weather of olden time?
There have been instances in modern times
just as marvellous There's not a Christian
ship captain but could give you instances of
divine interference with the weather in an.
swer to prayer. 1t has been nv good tor
tune. to know many ship captains. They
are IN our services. They leave their vessels
on Sunday mornings and Join us in Worship
warrant there are enough Of them present
this morning to take II whole fleet in safety
aacross the Atlantis Whenever heard
them testify it has nightly confirmed me ~
| Mfr fho+
prayers concerning the weather And there
nave been cyclones that started up from the
Caribbean sea. sweeping down every sail
and every snokestack and every mast in
their course which in answer to specific pc
tition have been diverted and made To cnrve
around some particular ship. leaving thatin
calm waters, and then resumng their orig
al path OF destruction. The weather proba
bliltles again ana again have announced a
tempest and we were ready for. it. but to the
surprise o! most people, the next day wo saw
me announcement that the atmospheric
Jury had changed its course. The probabili-
ty IS it struck prayer and glanced of. Ii
Eilluh's prayer affected the weather Of Pal
estlne Tor ~ months, l should think some
body now might have a prayer that would
affect 1T for couple Of days.
Joiln Easter was many years ago an evan
Sehst IN virginia. A large outdoor meeting
was being held in that state. Many thou
sands had assembled in the open air and
heavy storm clouds began to gi,ther. There
was no shelter to which the multitudes could
retreat. The rain had already reached the
adjoining fields when j ohm Easter cried ont
Brethren, be still while cal upon God to
stay the storm till the Gospe! is pren ched to
the multitudes." Then he knelt and PRAYED
that the audience might be spared from the
ram and that after they had gone to their
homes there might come refreshing showers.
Behold the clouds parted as they came near
and passed to either side of the crowd and
then closed again. leaving TIE place dry where
the audience had assembled and the next
day the postponed showers came upon the
ground thathad been theday before omitted.
DO you say it only happened SO? l cannot
see what you keep your Bibles for and the
God you worship is not my God. Your God
is an autocrat, and he is SO far off and SO far
up that the world cannot touch him, and his
throne is an eternal iceberg. My God is O
father, here and now. and iathsr will give
Ills child what he asks for, If it is best for him
to hayeit Pray about everything that con-
Germs you. sccularities as well as spiri tu
alities. Take to God all your annoy.
ancer and perplexties The crooked hall
De made straight. Some people talk as
though God controlled things in general but
notn particular; that He started everything
under certain laws and then let it take care
OF itself, as the engineer might start hi 4 10.