Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1893-12-19
OUR SUNDAY TALK.
IHE LORD HELPS HIN WHO iiELrs
HIMSELF.

The greatest obstacle In the pathway
VI mans advancement to u higher plans
Of life, In all the past ages, has been hi'
dependence upon God, rather than upon
himself. lie has hoped and prayed aud
waited for some Omnlpotent, Unseen
and Unknown Power to do his work FOL
him-to pull him out OF the slough OF
Ignorance, superstition and natura
cussedness-until he becomes well nigh
fossilized. lie has watched the clashing
of moral forces, all along the line OF
history, aud has seen the world deluged
In blood and tears. lie has beheld ma
tons struggle into existence aud disap-
pear Ia carnage and woe. And all this
as though he were an Idle spectator ln
the universe. never dreaming that this
MAS his world, and that IL MAS his espe'
cial business to save Il from perdltiOn.
In depending upon God to do the
work Of humanity We demonstrate no,
only our own worthlessness, but how
little we understand the great and d.
vine plan Of creation. We are not the
blind, unreasonlng instruments, In the
hands Of Omnlpotence, that many, by
their works at least, would have US be-
lieve. We are here for grander pur-
pose than IL ever entered Into the brain
Of man to imagine. We are here to act
a. well as to be acted upOn-to work out
In and through ourselves that truer life,
that more perfect manhood, that has
been the dream of the prophet aud the
hope Of the sage, In all the unfolding
a1es Of the worlds history.
The IN IN Who prays TO be led mot Into
temptation" should, II not strongly
enough grounded In moral principle 10
resist temptation, keep out Of ternpta.
tons way. lie who prays for Ills twill
to be done on earth ss Il Is In Heaven
should endeavor to hnd out what that
will is; and, as he expects God to work.
through him, to begin aud DO u little oil
the work himself, aud thereby show his
willingness in the matter. lie should
stop crowding his neighbor, and should
cultivate and practice the noble virtues,
and set up the millennium In his own
life and character.
lie who prays God to give him this
day his daily bread, should understand
that after all his praying the bread must
come through his own efforts. II not 90
then there would never be such thing
AZ starvation or famine In the world.
What q mockery Of divine goodness II
Ia to hear rich man, as he gathers In
his purse strings, pray God 10 remember
the widow and fatherless In their affiic-
ton, to clothe the naked aud feed the
hungry. Why doesn't he 10 down Into
his pocket and do Il hlmselfs How Can
he expect God to help the poor withou,
the use Of hls money!
And 80 In all that relates to the wei.
fare Of the race-to all social, political
and moral reforms-to all mitigation
Of human ills-of pauperism, crime, In
sanity, and the disordered condition OF
society aud humanity Of every klnd-ws
must quit leaving this work for God to
do. IN We would have Il doue at all We
must take the matter Into our own
hands. For the only way God works In
the moral world ls through human
agency.
We unhesltatlngly assert that the
character and quality Of the human racs
are In the keeping Of the race, and may
be made good, bad or Indifferent, ~ We
will; that n We shouid give one-half ~
much time and thought 70 the uplifting
Of humanity a. We do TO money. getting,
it would not b any years hence before
we should have no use for prisons, OF
insane asylums; have no tramps NOT
unemployed laborers; no squalid power
~; 10 ovsrcrowded cities, with thslr
Wat multitudes Of wrstched and dis
eassd humanity: no use for armies OF
uavies, with all their costly and barbsric
appsodages.
How, do You ask, could all thls b &C
compllsheds simply by mankind taking
the matter into their own hands, and
pol waiting for Providence to do The
business; or rather by allowing Provt
dence to commence and carry out tn
work through them. There Ia no good
reasou why soclety-the better portion
thsreoe-should not grsppls with thu
giant evils that beset the race, and purge
The world thereof. r'his 10 By no means
a. dificuls task 20 10 might seem-uoth-
ine llks 90 difilcult % u 10 10 carry the
fearful burden We nov endure.
II. FRANK PRAr.
yrysbsrs Centre.