The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1892-06-17

Christian who is getting along very fas
in the holy life, and this, who is onl,
getting along tolerably, is that tn,
first prays more than the last. You car
graduate a mans progress in religion 10y
the amount Of prayer; not by the mum
Der of hours, perhaps, but by the earnest
suppllcatlou that he puts up to God
There is no exception to tho rule, Show
me Christian man who neglects thi,
kind of duty, and | will show yon on,
who is inconsistent. Show me mar
who prays, and his strength and hiI
power cannot be exaggerated Why
just give to man this power of prayer
and you give him almost omnipotence.
This afternoon you will see two Sab.
bath school teachers. That one does moi
gain the attention of her class. This one
does, What is the difference between
them, their inteliects being about equal,
The first thought only of her own ap.
parel, The other came from great pros.
tration before God in earnest supplica.
ton, asking that Gods mercy might
come upon the school and that In the
afternoon she might gain the attention
of those five or six immortals that would
be around her. The one teacher has no
control over her class. The other sits
as with the strength of the Lord God
Almighty.
A minister comes into the pulpit. He
has magnificent sermon, all the SEN
fences rounded according to the laws OF
rhetoric and fine sermonizing, and the
truth makes no impression on the hearts
of men. People go away and say; Every
beautiful, wasntit!" Aplain man comes
into the pulpit. He has been on his knees
before God asking for an especial mes
sage that day, and the hearts of men
open to the plain truth, the broken sem
fences strike into their consciences, and
though the people may dispense at the
close of the services seemingly without
having received any impression, that
night voices will be lifted in some house.
hold, Men and brethren, what shall we
do to be savedi' Oh, this power of
prayer! Pray Prayl
DRINK OF THE WATER OF KNOWLEDGE.
Another word of counsel have to give.
Be faithful in Bible research. A great
many good books are now coming out.
We cannot read half of them. AT every
revolution of the printing press they are
coming. They cover our parlor tables,
and are in our sitting rooms and libra
ries. Glorious books they are. We
thank God every day for the work of the
Christian printing press. But l have
thought that perhaps the followers of
Christ sometimes allow this religious lit
erature to take their attention from
Gods Word, and that there may not be
as much Bible reading as there ought
to be.
How is that with your own expert
ence? Just calculate in your minds how
much religious literature you have read
during the year and then how large a
portion of the Word of God you have
read, and then contrast the two and an
swer within your own soul whether you
are giving more attention to the books
that We're written by the hand of man or
that written by the hand of God Now,
you go to the drug store and you get the
mineral waters, but you have noticed
that the waters are not SO fresh or
sparkling or healthful as when you get
these very waters at Saratoga and
Sharon-getting them right where they
bubble from the rock.
And have noticed the same thing in
regard to the truth of the Gospel; while
there is a good deal Of refreshment and
health of the Gospel of God as it comes
through good books, find it is better
when | come to the eternal rock of Gods
Word and drink from that fountain that
bubbles up fresh and pure to the life
and the refteshment and the health of
he soul.
Read the Bible and it brings you into
he association Of the best people that
ver lived. You stand beside Moses and
earn his meekness, beside Job and learn
lis patience, beside Paul and catch some
hing of his enthusiasm, beside Christ
md you feel his love. And yet how
TRANCE it is that great many men have
,iven their whole lives to the assaulting
# that book. | cannot understand it.
Tom Paine worked against that book as
hough he received large wages and was
inspired by the very powers of darkness,
onfessing that all the time he was writ
ng he did not have the Bible anywhere
lear him. How many powerful intel
ects have endeavored to destroy it.
Hume, Bolingbroke, Voltaire have been
.fter it. Ten thousand men now are |
warning against the truth of Gods Word.
What do you think of them? l think it
s mean and will prove it. will prove
is the meanest thing that has ever been
lone in all the centuries.
There is ship at sea and in trouble.
The captain and the crew are at their
Wits end. You are on board. You are
n old seaman. You come up and give
ONE good counsel, which is kindly
aiken. That is all right. But suppose,
instead of doing that, i'll the midst of all
he trouble you pick up the only compass
hat is on board and pitch it over the
affraili Oh, you say, that is dastardly.
'uu 10 IL do IIltd1l DIS IHlS. I1eT6 Is the
essel of the world going ON with sixteen
hundred millions of passengers, tossed
nd driven in the tempest, and at the
ime we want help the infdel comes and
e takes hold of the only compass and
70 tries to pitch it overheard 1t is con
emptible beyond everything that is con
emptible. Have you any better light?
Bring it on if you have. Have you any
etter comfort to give us? Bring it on
you have. Have you any better hope?
Bring it on if you have, and then you
nay have this Bible and l shall never
Tant it again.
LEAN ON THE STAFF OF THE GOSPEL.
But can think of meaner thing than
hat, and that is an old man going along
n the mountains with staff in one hand
nd a lantern in the other. Darkness
as come on suddenly. He is very old,
ust able to pick his way out amid the
ocks and precipices, leaning on his staff
nth one hand and guiding himself with
he light in the other. You come up and
ny: Father, you seem to be lost. You
re long way from home" "Yes," he
ephes. And then you take him by the
and and lead him home. That is very
ind of you. But suppose instead of
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