The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-10-17
PRAYER AND OBEDIENCE.
Sunday Service In the Associate Re.
formed PRESBYTERIAN Church.

1Orme0 PreSOyterlRn Cnurcu.
Rev. ]. ]. Grier of the Associate Reformed
churcn dlscoursed on the subject of "Prayer"
last Sunday morning. The sermon was sug-
gestive of ideas and thoughts which the
preacher himself did not bring out, and In
this respect especially it WAS profitable ser.
vice.
Like great many others who preach The
Word, from the pulpit, or speak from the hust.
ings, be did not begin at the beginning, and
teach MS what God Ia, and how we are to be
inspired with love for him.
we all know that God is spirit, infinite and
eternal. We all know that God Is love. We
all know that Goodness, Grace and Mercy are
attributes of God. We are all told that we
must love God-that 1t Is our duty 10 love
him and to serve him.
These are plain, simple statements OF facts,
but we are not often told how we are TO bring
our hearts and minds In love and union with
our Great Creator.
We are simply told that we must love him,
as If he were personality and not spirit.
In every heart there are two splrlts-one OF
good and one of evilIand they are ever no strlv,
TO evil, as the sparks to fly upward, ana IL u
evil does not predominate In our hearts. 1t Is
because we are taught to love the ATTRIBUTES Hte
but when we love him. 1t Is through our love
for his attributes. Men say they love COD,
conveying the idea that they would have US
v % Ieeys sns hat isat Is not ras TSe
not be borne out by the fact. except as a man
obeys the laws OF God, and loves the attri-
butes that 60 to make the true and living
God.
The preacher dwelt on the necessity OF fire.
ouent and earnest daily prayer. That our
prayers should be more often those OF thank
fulness than supplication. When our bless
ings exceeded our deprlyations they should
always be those OF thankfulness.
He pictured most forcibly the manner OF
those who delivered high-sounding prayers In
which everything was asked ior Wlthout once
special thing was prayed for. without say
Ing so, in words. he suggested the ridiculous
ness Of those prayers that enumerate every
temporal blessing that Gonld % tnGng6G % giaSi O,'
would ask the good Lord TO DO ior them ex,
ceeding all that we could think of or ask for"
The preacher thought too many were more
an xious about the form and manner OF their
words, than the real needs Of their souls.
He thought many Of the high.soundlng
words were never heard at the throne oI
grace; that such prayers were not acceptable
70 the Answerer OF prayer.
But he believed that many Of the most ef.
fectiye prayers were never uttered In speech +,
but in silence proceeded from the heart 10 tne
throne OF grace, even as the fragrance anu
sweetness of the flowers OF earth are silent l.
y sent abroad with the mornings light, or
oorne away upon the wings Of the evenings
shadows.
would answer prayer for those things which
1t were well for US TO have. That sometimes
we asked for those things which we ought not
10 have, and our heavenly Father, ike our
earthly father, would withhold improper
things from us.
may not be answered Immediately. He be.
lieved that prayers might not be answered
tor many years-not even In the life Time oi
the supplicant.
As q light could not be hid except 1t be
placed under bushel, the light Of true chris
tianity In the heart, would reflect itself IN
our every day conduct. That when our daily
walk and conversation did not correspond
with our prayers then we were not praying
in the true spirit and In real earnestness. The
world Is good judge of character; mere pro
fession OF religion and much loud praying
would deceive nobody; tree was always
known by It's fruit.
The real object and meaning II prayer does
not rest with the mere question as TO Whetn-
er or not our prayers are answered. Ihe an
swering of prayer Is foreign TO the prime Oh.
Ject, though an incident to prayer.
ed, IL an earnest wish to attract TO ones
own heart some OF the attributes Of God IL
Is an humbling OF our pride; IL Is an uck noWl-
edgment OF our finite natures; 1t Is the ex-
preston OF the heart great desire TO cruelty
the evil that is within us; 1t is the hope that
Of our Lore and Master; 1t is the earnest ei.:
fort TO become more profitable servants oil
our King. While IL is mete and proper TO ask
for good gifts and needed comforts, yet the ac-
Quisition of these coveted temporal things Is
not the chief object and aim OF prayer. Prac-
tically 1t matters little whether our prayers
for temporal gifts are answered or not. But
prayers never fail to bring the spiritua! ef-
fect, which sweetens our hearts and purifes
our lives. Prayer for the inculcation OF the
graces is always answered, but when We ask
for temporal gifts, that is quite another thing