Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1892-06-17

the rule. Show me a Christian man who
neglects this kinl of duty, and will show
you one who is inconsistent. Show me a
man who prays. and his strength ana DIS
power cannot be exaggerated. Why, just
give TO a man this power OF prayer and you
give him almost omnipotence.
This afternoon you will see two Saobath
school teachers. That one does not gain the
attention of her class. This one does. What
Is the difference between them, their intel
lects being about equal. The first thought
only of her own apparel. The other came
from great prostration before Tod In earnese
supplication. asking that Gods mercy might
coaIe upon the school and that in tho alter,
noon she might gain the attention OF thoss'
five or six immortlls 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.
Another word OF counsel | have to give
Be careful in Bible research. A great many
COOL tooSs are now coming out. We car
not read half OF them. At every revolution
of the printing press they are coming. They
cover our parlor tablSJ aud are in our sit
ting rooms AMI libraries. Glorious books
they are We thank God every day for the
work of the Christian printing press. But
have thou yht that perhaps the followers OF
Christ sometimes allow this religious litera.
ture 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 experience
Just calculate in your minds how much re-
ligious literature you have real during this
year and then how large portion OF the
Word of God you have rea !, and then con-
trast the two and answer within your own
soul whether you are giving more attention
10 the books that were written by the han
Of man or that written by the hand Of Col
Now, you 90 TO the drug store and you get
the mineral waters but you have notice
that the waters are not 50 fresh or spark
ling or healthful as when you get thess very
waters at Saratoga and Sharon. getting
them right where they bubble from the
rock.
And have noticed the slns thing in re-
gard TO the truth of the Gospel; while ther1
is a good deal of refreshment and health OF
the Gospel of God as it comes through cool
books. / find 1t is better when I cone to the
eternal rock Of Cots Word AMI drink forth
that fountain that bubbles up fresh AMI
pure to the life and the re.reshment and the
health of the soul
Read the Bible and it brings you into thu
association Of the best people that ever live :.
You stand beside Noses and learn mis- meek
ness beside JoL an learn his patienc', be-
iasm beside Christ and you fe9l His love.
AMI yet how stran ye it is that a great many
men have given their whole lives to the as
sauting of that book. | cannot understan
t. Tom Paine worked against that book a
though he received urge wages and was IL
spire1 by the very power of darkness, con-
Tossing that all the time he was writing he
did not have the Bible anywhere near him.
How many powerful intellects have en1eav
ore1 to destroy it. Hume, Bolingbroke
Voltalre have been after it. Ten thouslnl
men now are WIRING against tho truth OF
Gods Word. What do you think of them:
| think it is mean an1 will prove it. ! will
prove it is the meauest thing that has ever
been done in all the centuries.
There is ship at SEA an in trouble. Thu
captain and the crew are at their wits end.
You are on board. You are an old seaman.
You come up and give some good counsel,
which is kindly taken Tint Is all right.
But suppose instead Of doing that, in the
midst of all the trouble you plcS up the only
compass that IS on board and ptcn II over
the taffraiig On. you say, tina. Is dastardly.
But is it as mean as this2 Here Is the vessel
Of the world going on with sixteen hundred
millions Of passengers, tossed and driven in
the tempest. AMI at the time wa want help
the infdel comes and he takes hold Of th1
only compass an he trie, In pitch II over,
board. 1t is contemplate beyond everything
that is contemptble Have you any better
light? Bring it on il you have. Have You
any better comfort 10 give Us, Bring 1t on
if you have. Have you any better hope
Bring it on IL you have, and then you may
have this Bible and l 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 a staff in one hand AMI
lantern in the other Darkness has come
ON suddenly. He Is very old. Just able 10
nick his way out amid the rocSs ana prec!.
nices leaning on his staff with Ona hand an |
cuidino himself with tn II ,ht in tine other.
Von come up and say: Father. you seem u
be lost. You are a long way iron home
YES" he replies. And then you take MN
by the hand and lead him home. mat u
/ very kind OF YOU But suppose instead OF
that you should snatch the stan from ms
hands and hurl it over the rocks. and snatch
/ the lantern and blow il out' That wouid DO
/ destardlv. contemplate until there Is no
dsnth Of contempt beneath It. IL you have
a better staff. give it to hlm. II you nave
better light, give It TO him.
When God has put the staff Of the Gospel
| in our hands and the lamp OF Go1s ora 10
LIGHT our feet are you going 70 take from u
our only support and our only illumination;
] / love the sting of the wasp and the rattle
snake better than do the man who wants
! TO clutch the Word Of God from my grasp;
! CIinc To your Bible If this Bible should
ba destroved If all the Bibles that have ever
/ hcen printed should be destroyed, we could
make M Bible right out OF this audience
| From That Christian mans experience take
one cluster Of promises and from that olo
Christian mans experience another, pun
| them all together and / think l would nave
! Bible
You sre. my frienCc have rot tried (
/ hid the fact that have large expectation
| of you who have entered the Christian life.
Do not be discouraged Press on toward
the prizs: God beside you and heaven before
Won Keep your courage up. Look in thirty
! years from no upon this church. Another
man IN the pulpit Other faces in the pews-
Another man lealing the song. Others
carving around the aims boxes Of the
church. All changed Thirty years have
gone aud look into tho faces of the people.
AMI say; "Why, il seems 10 me l have
seen these people somewhere, but cannot
exactly say where. o. yes, now begin TO
think. Thess were the converts in lS9! and
1879. Why how you hav3 changei"
"Od, yes" they say. "ot course we have
changed. Thirty years makes great
change. | say How many wrinkles there
are in your faces" "Oh yes" they say.
'thirty years makea great MANY wrinkles.
Have you kept the faith' YES, we havc
kept the faith" Where ara thosa people
who used to sit in the pew with you| IAN
gonep "rhen say, We'll, feel lonely;
come. let us sing one OF tho Old hymns Wa
used to sing thirty years ago, in 1892, on
communion day. Auy Of you know the old
tuneg Some one hum It. Yes. that's 1t,
th1rsit Now. aItog ether let US sing, just
as we did in 1892;
There is a fountain filed with boot.
Drawn from INN nuePs veins.
And sinners p.unre beneath this, Hood
Lose all their guilty stains.
"The dyingt hisi rejoice to sec
Tina fo11tain I'm MS day
And there may !, though vie az he,
Wash All M suns away"