The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1892-07-27

and bring up pearls of great price"
There Is an instance where prayer made
the waves Of Gennesaret solid as granite
pavement. o, how many wonderful
things prayer has accomplished Have
you ever tried it? In the days when
the Scotch Covenanters were prosecuted,
and their enemies were after them, one
of the head men among the Covenanters
prayed: 20 Lord, we be as dead men
unless Thou shalt help us. o, Lord,
throw the lap Of Thy coat over these poor
things" And instantly Scotch mist
enveloped and hid the prosecuted from |
their persecutors-the promise literally !
fulfilled: "While they are yet speaking,
will hear"
0 impenitent soul, have you ever tried
the power of prayer? God says: He
is loving and faithful and patient"
Do you believe that? You are told that
Christ came to save sinners. Do you
believe that? You are told that all you
have to do to get the pardon of the gos-
pei is to ask for it. Do you believe
that? Then come to Him and say; 70
Lord, know Thou canst not lie. Thou
hast told me to come for pardon and
could get it.
o that you might have an altar In the
parlor, in the kitchen, in the store, in
the barn, for Christ will be willing to
come again to the manger to hear
prayer. He would come in your place
| of business as he confronted Matthew,
the tax commissioner. II measure
should come before parliament that
you thought would ruin the nation, how
you would send in petitions and remon-
strances And yet there has been
enough sin in your heart to ruin it for
ever, and you have never demonstrated
or petitioned against it. If your phys
ical health failed, and you had the
means, you would go and spend the
summer in Germany, and the winter in
Italy, and you would think ita very
cheap outlay If you had to go all around
the earth to get back your physical
health. Have you made any effort, any
expenditure, any eXertion for your I'M
mortal and spiritual healths. No, you
have not taken one step.
o that you might now begin to seek
after God with earnest prayer. Some
of you have been working for years ami
years for the support of your families.
Have you given one-half day to the
working out of your salvation with fear
and trembling? You came here this
morning with an earnest purpose,
take it, as have come hither with an
earnest purpose, and we meet face tc
face, and tell you, first Of all, if you
want to find the Lord, you must pray
and pray and pray.
| remark, again, you must seek the
Lord through Bible study. The Bible
is the newest book in the world 20,
, YOU say, at was made hundreds o
years ago, and the learned men OF Kinf
7 James translated it hundreds Of year.
! ago" confute that idea by telling
, YOU it is not five minutes old, whei
1 God, by his blessed Spirit retranslate
I, it into the heart. If you will, in tn
: seeking of the way of life through Scrip
a ture study, implore Gods light to fal
upon the page, you will find that thes
/. promises are not one second old, an
|, that they drop straight from the thron
3 of God into your heart.
n There are many people TO whom tn
Bible does not amount to much.
/ they merely look at the outside beauty
4 why, II will no more lead them
|, Christ than Washington's farewell ac
r dress or the Koran OF Mahomet or tn
> Shaster of the Hindoos- 1t is the II
4 ward light Of Gods word you must &c
!, or die. l went up to the Church OF th
n Madeline in Paris and looked at th
:. doors, which were the most wonderful
4 ly constructed l ever saw, and coul
% have stayed there for whole weel
,e but had only little time, 30, havin
,r glanced at the wonderful carving Q
d the doors, passed in and looked at th
ID radiant affairs and the sculptured dom
I. Alas, that so many stop at the outsid
DO door of Gods Holy Word, looking
N the rhetorical beauties, instead OF g
Z, ing In and looking at the affairs OF sa
III rifce and the dome Of Gods mercy an
Is salvation that hovers over every pen
" tent and believing soul!
4. omy friends, II you merely want
be study the laws Of language, do not
10 to the Bible. II was not madefor tha
ar Take Howe's Elements Of Criticism.
Nd would be better than the Bible for tina
10 Ifyou want to study metaphysics, bett
NJ than the Bible will be the writings
d William Hamilton. But II you want
4, know how TO have sin pardoned, and
nv last 70 gain the blessedness Of Heave
= search the Scriptures, "for In them
to have eternal life"
,e- When people are anxious about the
At souls-and there are some such here
'is day-there are those who recommel
n good books. That is all right. But
of want to tell you that the Bible Is t
a best book under such circumstance
ne Baxter wrote "a Call to the Unco
10 verted." !" but the Bible is the best call
nm the unconverted Phillip Doddrid
Of wrote 1.-THE Rise and Progress Of i
MT lioion In the Soul" but the Bible Is t
of best rise and progress. John Ang
of James wrote "Advice to the Anxio
or Inquirer" but the Bible Ia the best
of vice TO the anxious inquirer.
ss- O, the Bible is the very book y
need, anxious and inquiring souli
re diving soldier said TO his mate; 'Co
'ge rade, give me a drop" The comra
,ht shook up the canteen and said: "rh'
nd isn't drop OF water In the canteel
ly, "o.n said the dying soldier, that's I