The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1893-11-11

second Of time for any one of you. Al
you pass along just give one sentences
in regard to Christianity. Under Coz
1t has changed my entire nature" sa,-l
one. ut brought me from drunken
ness and poverty to sobriety and {
good home" says another. at sol
aced me when / lost my child, /" say.
another. st gave me hope of flu
ture treasures when my property wa.
swept of by the last panic" says
another. ut has given me a peace
and satisfaction more to me than al
the world beside" says another. "It
has been to me light, and music, and
fragrance, and radiant anticipation,
says another. All! stop the procession
of witnesses. Enough! Enough! All
those voices of the past and the present
have nightly increased our faith.
But come to the height of my sub
ject when say the way to reinforce
our faith is to pray for it. So the dis.
ciples In my text got their Astounding
faith: Lord increase our faith
Some one suggests: ''Do you really
think that prayer amounts to any.
thing?' / might as well ask you is
there line of telegraphic poles from
New York to Washington, is there
line of telegraphic wires from
Manchester to London, from Co
logne to Berlin. As those peo-
pie who have sent and received
messages on those lines know of their
existence, so there are millions of
souls who have been in constant COM
munications with the capital of the uni
verse, with the throne of the Almighty,
with the great God Himself, for years
and years and years. There has not
been day when applications did not
flash up and blessings did not flash
down. Will some ignoramous. who has
never received telegram or sent one,
come and tell us that there is no such
thing as Geographic communication?
Will someone who has never offered a
prayer that was heard and answered
come and tell us that that there is
nothing in prayer? 1t may not come as
we expect it, but as sure as an honest
prayer goes up merciful answer will
come down. During the blizzard Of
four or five years ago, you know that
many of the telegraph wires were pros
trated, and telegraphed to Chicago by
the way of Liverpool, England, and
the answer, after awhile, came round
by another wide circuit, and so the
prayer we offer may come back in a
way we never imagined, and if we ask
to have our faith increased, although
it may come by widely different proc
ess than that which we expected, our
confidence will surely be augmented.
Oh, put it in every prayer you ever
make between your next breath and
your last gasp: Lord, increase our
faith"-faith in Christ as our personal
ransom from present guilt and eter-
nal catastrophe. Faith in the ON
nipotent Holy Ghost. Faith in
the Bible, the truest volume Fever
dictated or written or printed or read.
What a frightful time we had few
days ago down on the coast of Long
Island, where / have been stopping.
That archangel of tempest, which.
with its awful wings, swept the At
lantic coast from Florida to Newfound-
land, did not spare our region. A few
miles away, at Southampton, saw the
bodies of four men, whom the storm
had slain and the sea had cast up. As
| stood there among the dead bodies,
said to myself. and i said aloud:
'"These men represent homes. What
will mother and father and wife and
children say when they know this?"
Some of the victims We're unknown,
only the first name of two of them was
found out-Charley and William.
wondered then and / wonder now il
they will remain unknown, and if
some kindred far away may be waiting
for their coming and never hear of the
rough way of their going. saw also
one of the three who had come in alive,
but more dead than alive. The ship
had become helpless six miles out,
and as one wave swept the deck
and went down on the furnaces till
they Kissed and went out, the cry was,
Oh, my God, We are lost!" Then the
crew put on life-preservers, one of the
sailors saying to the other: eve will
meet again on the other shore, and, If
not, well, we must all go sometime"
Of the twenty-thr rec men who put on
she life-presevers only three lived to
each the beach. But what scene
t was as the good and kind
,eople of Southampton, led on
~ DIR. Thomas, the great and
rood surgeon of New York, stood
the sailors struggling in the
breakers. Are you still alive?" shout
ID DIR. Thomas to one of them out in
he breakers, and he signaled yes, and
hen went into Inconsistencies. Who |
hould do the most for the poor fellows |
md how to resuscitate them were
he questions that ran up and down
he beach at Southampton. How the
mem and women on the shore stood |
vringing their hands impatiently wait |
ng for the sufferers to come within
each, and then they were lifted up and |
arried indoors and waited on with as |
much kindness and wrapped as warm
y as though they had been the princes
# the earth. ''Are they alive?"
Are they breathing?' do you think
hey will live?" "What can we do for
hemp were the rapid and intense
suestions asked, and so much money
vas sent for the clothing and equip
1ent of the unfortunates that DR..
'homas had to make a rrocla N, a f;nv