Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1892-07-25


we go to the fountain of living water"
and dip up refreshment for our thirsty
soul. Grace does not come to the heart as
we set cask of water to catch the rain in
the shower. 1t is a pulley fastened to the
throne of God which we pull, bringing the
blessing.
PRAYER rs THE SOULS SINCERE CRY.
do not care SO much what posture you
take in prayer, nor how large an amount
Of voice you use. You might get down on
right inwardly, and there would be no re-
Spouse. You might cry at the top of your
voice, and unless you had believing spirit
within, your cry would not go farther up
than the shout of a plowboy to his oxen.
Prayer must be believing, earnest, loving.
You are in your house some summer day,
and shower comes up, and q bird alright
ed darts into the window and wheels around
the room You seize it. You smooth its
ruffied plumage. You feel it's huttering
heart. You say, Poor thing, poor thingl"
Now prayer goes out of the storm of this
world into the window of Gods mercy,
and he catches it, and he feels its fluttering
pulse, and he puts it in his own bosom Of
affection and safety.
else. It Is the electric battery which
touched thrills to the throne of Godl 1t is
| the diving bell in which we go down into
the douths of Gods mercy and bring up
pearls of great price" There is an in
| stance where prayer made the waves OF
| Gennesaret solid as granite pavement. Oh,
| how many wonderful things prayer has ac-
complished Have you ever tried itP In
| the days when the Scotch Covenanters
| were prosecuted and the enemies were af-
ter them one of the head men among the
| Covenanters prayed: 20 Lord, we be as
dead men unless thou shalt help US 0
| Lord, throw the lap of thy cloak over
| these poor things" And instantly a
| Scotch mist enveloped and hid the Derse-
| cuted from their persecutors-the promise
| literally fulfilled, "While they are yet
| speaking will hear"
| o impenitent soul, have you ever tried
the power of prayer? God says, "He is
loving and faithful and patient" Do you
believe thatP 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 Gospel is to ask for it.
! Do you believe that? Then come to him
/ and say: 80 Lord, know thou canst not
| lie. Thou hast told me to come for par
| don and l could get it, / come, Lord.
Keep thy promise and liberate my captive
soul"
AN EVER PRESENT SAVIOUR.
Oh, that you might have an altar in the
! parlor, in the kitchen, in the store, in the
| barnl for Christ will be willing to come
| again to the manger to hear prayer. lie
| would come in your place of business as
he confronted Matthew, the tax commits
| sioner If n measure should come before
congress that you thought would ruin the
the nation, how you would send in petit
| lions and remonstrances. And yet there
has been enough sin in your heart to ruin
! it forever, and you have never remon-
strated or petitioned against it. If your
| physical health failed, and you had the
means, you would go and spend the sum
mer in Germany and the winter in Italy,
and you would think it very cheap out
| lay 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 immortal and spiritual
healthP No, you have not taken one step.
Oh, that you might now begin to seek
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 working out OF
your salvation with fear and trembling
You came here this morning with an ear
nest purpose, take it, as | have come
hither with an earnest purpose, and we
meet face to face, and tell you, first of all,
IL 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. "Oh," you say,
sit was made hundreds of years ago, and
the learned men of King James translated
it hundreds of years ago" confute that
idea by telling you it is not five minutes
old when God by his blessed spirit re-
translates it into the heart. II you will,
in the seeking of the way of life through
Scripture study, implore Gods light to fall
upon the page you will find that these
promises are not one second old, and that
] they drop straight from the throne Of God
| into your heart.
There are many people to whom the
| Bible does not amount to much. II they
merely look at the outside beauty, why, it
will no more lead them to Christ than
Washington's farewell address or the
Koran of Mahomet or the Shaster Of the
| Hindoos 1t is The inward light of God S
word you must get or die / went up to
| the church Of the Madeieics e Paris and
! looked at the doors. which were the most
| wonderfully constructed l ever saw, and
could have stayed there whole week; but
l had only little time. so, having glanced
| at the wonderful carving on the doors, j
passed. in and looked at the radiant affairs
and sculptured dome. Alasi that so many
stop at the outside door of Gods holy
word, looking at the rhetorical beauties.
instead of going in and looking at the
affairs of sacrifice and the dome Of Gods
mercy and salvation that hovers over
every penitent and believing soul
Oh, my friends, If you merely want to
study the laws Of language, do not go to
the Bible. 1t was not made for that Take
"Howe's Elements of Criticism" 1t
would be better than the Bible for that.
II you want to study metaphysics, better
than the Bible will be the writings of Will
liam Hamilton. But IL you want to know
| how to have sin pardoned, and at last to