Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-07-25

cry would not 20 fasfhss up thAs -
shout of ploaghboy 10 biz oxen Prep
or mast De believing, earnest, lovsne.
You are Ia your house some summer
d1y, ard = shower eoaa~s ". and bird
affrizhted darts into the window, and
wheels around the room. You ssize u.
Yea smooth its raftied plusnage. You
feel il aaft~rins heart. You say.
s-fcor thing. poor thinsf Now q pray
or goes cut Of the storm Of this world
into the window Of Gods mercy. and he
catches IL and he feels its finttering
pulse. and be puts IL IN his own bosom
Of affection and safety.
Prayer Is a warrn. ardent. p1lsating
exercise. IL is the electric battery which,
touched thrills 70 Eba throne of God IL
Is the diving bell ia which We 20 down
into the dspthsof Gods mercy and bring
up pearls II great price, There - an
instance where prayer made the waves
of Gennesarer solid as granite pavement.
On, how many wonderful things prayer
has Accomplished Have you ever tried
it. Ia the days when the Scotch Cove
nanters were prosecuted and the 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 cloak over these poor things" And
instantly a Scotch mist enveloped and
hid the prosecuted from their persecu-
tors the promise literally fulfilled.
while they are yet speaking ] VIII
hear"
Oh. impenitcnt soul. have you eveR
tried the power Of prayera 6od says.
HE Is loving and faithful and patient.
Do you believe that? You are told that
Christ came 70 save sinners. Do you
believe that? You are told that all you
have to DO to get the pardon Of the Cos
pei is 10 ask for il. Do you believe that!
Then come TO him and say: 20 Lord.
l know thou canst not lie. Thou hast
told mo 10 come for pardon. and could
get it. come, Lord. Keep thy prom
ise and Hibernate my captive soul"
THE PLACE FoR PRAYER
Oh, that you might have an altar In
the parlor, in the kitchen, in the store,
In the barni for Christ will be willing to
come again to the Manager to hear prayer.
He viii come in your place Of business
90 he confronted Matthew, the tax com
missioner. II Q measure should come
before congress that you thought would
ruin the nation, how you would send in
petitions and Inconsistencies. And yet
there has been enough sin In your heart
to ruin it forever. and you have never
demonstrated or petitioned against it.
II your physical health failed, and you
had the means. you would 60 and spend
the summer in Germany and the WHITES
in Italy, and you would think 1t . very
cheap outlay II 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 health? No. you
have not taken one step.
Oh. that you might now begin to seel
after God with earnest prayerl Some
Of you have been working for years and
years for the support Of your families
Have you given one half day to the work
ing out Of your salvation with fear and
trembling? You came here this morn
ing with an earnest purpose, l take it, a
! have come hither with an earnest pur
pose, and We meet face to face, and
tell you, first Of all, if you want to find
the Lord you must pray and pray and
pray.
I remark again, you must seek thu
Lord through Bible study. The Bible Il
the newest book in the world. "Oh,
you say, lit was made hundreds Of year,
ago, and the learned men Of King Jane.
translated it hundreds Of years ago."
confute that idea by telling you it is mo-
five minutes old, when God, by hi
blessed spirit, retrsnslates it into tn,
heart. II you will. in the seeking Of TIT
way of life through Scripture study, i'm
plore Gods light to fall upon the page
you will find that these promises are
not one second old and that they drol
straight from the throne Of God int
your heart.
There are many people to whom TIT
Bible does not amount to much. II the,
merely look at the outside beauty, VIII,
Washington's farewell address or tn,
Koran Of Mshomet or the Shaster Of tn
Hindoos. It is the inward light OF God
Word you must get or die. l went al
to the church of the Madeleine in Pari
and looked at the doors, which were tn,
most wonderfully constructed / eve
saw, and l could have staid there 70
. whole week: but / had only littl
time. so, having glanced at the wonder
full carving ON the doors, passed in ans
looked at the radiant affairs and Tia,
sculptured dome. Alas. that 80 man,
stop at the outside door of Gods hol,
Word, looking at the rhetorical beau
ties. instead of going IN and looking .
the affairs Of sacrifice and tho dome o
Gods mercy and salvation that hover
over every penitent and believing soul!
SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES.
Oh, my friends, IL you merely want I.
study the laws Of language. do not go I.
the Bible. IL was not made for that
Take "Howe's Elements of Criticism.
u would be better than the Bible TO
that. II Won want % stndy metaphysics
better than the Bible will be the writ
ings Of William Hamilton. But if yo,
want to know how TO have sin pardoned
and at last to gain the blessedness O
heaven search the Scriptures, for II
them ye have eternal life"
When people are anxious about thei
sonis--and there are some here today