The Red Cloud chief., 1892-06-24

all day-you might a. we'll abstain
from food all week and expect TO be
strong physically as TO be strong with
out prayer. The only way TO get
strength into the soul Is by prayer, and
the only difference between that Chris
tian who is worth everything and that
one who is worth nothing Is the fact that
the last does not pray and the other
does. And the only difference between
this Christian who is getting along
very fast In the holy life, and this who
Is only getting along tolerably Is that
the first prays more than the last. You
can graduate a mans progress In reli-
gion by the mount Of prayer, not by
the number Of hours, perhaps, but by
the earnest duplication that he puts up
TO God. There Is nc exception To the
rule. Show us n Christian man who
neglccts this kind Of duty and I will
show you one who is inconsistent Show
me u man who prays and his strength
and his power cannot be exaggerated.
Why, tist give to a man this power of
prayer and you give him almost omni.
potence.
This afternoon you will sec two Sab
bath school teachers. That one does
not gain the attention of her class.
This n does. What Is the difference
between them, their intellects being
about equal? The first thought only
OF her own apparel. The other came
from great p~rostration before God in
earnest supplication, asking that Gods
mercy might come upon the school and
that In the afternoon she might gain
the attention Of those five or six immor-
tails that would be around her. The
one teacher has no control wei her
class. The other sits as with the
strength Of the Lord God Almighty.
Read the Bible and IL brings you into
the association of the best people that
ever lived. You stand beside Moses and
learn his meekness, beside Job and learp
his patience, beside Paul and catch
something of his enthusiasm, beside
Christ and you feel his love. And vet,
low strange II Is that q great many
men have given their whole lives TO the
assaulting Of that book. I cannot un.
derstand II. Tom Paine worked against
that book as though he received largo
wages and was inspired by the very
powers OF darkness, confessing all tho
time that he vas writing he did not
have the Bible anywhere near him.
How many powerful intellects have en-
desvored to destroy it. Ten thousand
men now are warning against the truth
OF Gods word. What do you think of
them? / think II Is mean and will prove
1t. will prove 1t is the meanest thing
that has ever been done In all the cen.
turtles.
There is n ship at sea and in trouble.
The captain and the crew are at their
wits end. You are on board. You are
nm old anna You come up and give
soine good counsel, which Is kindly
taken. That Is all right. But suppose,
instead of doing that, in the midst Of
the trouble you pick up the only COM
pass that Is on board and pitch II over
the taffrail? o, You say, that Is bastard.
ly. But Is 1t as mean as this? Here il
the vessel of the world going on with
1000, 900, 900 of passengers, tossed and
driven In the tempest, and at the time
we want help the infidel comes and he
takes hold Of the only compass and he
tries to pitch 1t overheard. 1t IL cor.
temptible beyond everything that il
contemplate. Have you any better
light? Bring II on II you have. Have
You any better comfort to give usP
Bring it on II you have. Have you any
better hope? Bring It on II you have,
and then you may have this Bible and I
shall never want 1t again.
But / can think Of a meaner thing
than that, and that Is an old man going
along on the mountains with n staff in
one hand and u lantern In the other.
Darkness has come on suddenly. He Is
very old, just able to pick his way out
amid the rocks and precipices, leaning
on his staff with one hand and guiding
himself with the light in the other. You
come up and say: "You seem to be lost.
You are a long wag from home" EYES,"
he replies. And then you take him by
the hand and lead him home. That Is
very kind Of You. But suppose instead
OF that You snatch the staff from his
hands and hurl 1t over the rocks, and
snatch the lantern and blow 1t out?
That would be dnstardly. contemplate
until there IL no depth Of confer pt be-
meath 1t. II you have q better STAFF
give it to him.
You see, my friends, I have not tried
to hide the fact that I have large ex-
pectation Of You who have entered the
Christian life. Do not be discouraged.
Press on toward the prize; God beside
you and Heaven before you. Keep
your courage up. Look in thirty years
from now upon this church. Another
man In the pulpit. Other faces in the
pews. Another man leading the song.
Others carrying around the aims boxes
of the church. All changed. Thirty
years have gone and / look into the
faces of the people, and l say:
"Why. it seems to me I have seen
these people somewhere, but I cannot
exactly say where. o, yes, now / begin
to think. These were the ~onverts in
1892 and 1890. Why, how you have
changed! 20, yes" they say, '''of
course we have changed. Thirty years
make a great change" l say: "How
many wrinkles there are In your faces!'
20, yes" they say, thirty years make