Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-03-28

II am sometimes shocked at myself
coming into the presence OF God without
the proper spirit OF love and reverence. II
e. only when we see God in a spirit OF
love and reverence that we realize the
extent Of Ills holiness. II Is good thing
for us 10 see God occasionally and rca-
lie that He is great and holy. and that
we are sinful and vile
Confession OF sin ~ the second element
OF prayer. Believers have their gins MS
well as pnbclievers. venture 10 say
that ] am speaking the experience OF
every member OF this congregation now.
Haven't YOU often said: My prayers are
not answered. Theytdo not seem to pene-
traie beyond this room. They have no
junction? II h. mere form. 4 IN ere In
service Haven't you every one thought
that at times? or course you have. When
We get into that state there Is always
reason. There IS sin In the soul. snd Il
IS not healthy Let bullet penetrate n
mans body. and just so long as that
bullet remains therein, he Is unhealthy
So IL Is with sin. Just 80 long as sin re-
mains In the soul. just 50 long viii your
prayers be unanswered. We must cast
out all foreign clements TO be healthy,
and IN order 10 be saved we must cast
ont al sin. If have sin can't eAIect
God to answer my prayers. Nothing VIII
lie withhold from those who walk up
rightly ! can't expect the Lord 70 hear.
lie declares He will not If there Is any
sin in my heart
ALL SHOULD BE DEVOUT.
Il believe that we would have the old
PcntaCostal fire right here I'm Rich nond
within twcnty-four hours " we could al
get with God and pray "a we should ]
believe that any religion without love IS
q fraud against God and man. Take a
person who has no patience, who is al
ways snappish and out Of patience. Can
he pray? That Is the question-cdn he
pray? | don't believe It. We must first
cast out all of our sin. II you owe a man
% sum Of money and are continually
promising him that you viii pay lin end
never do. can you pray? Pshaw. IL is
a mere abomination.
we want q good revival ] tell you /
am not 50 anxious for numbers as j am
for quality. l want some thorough con-
versions.
u remember once | was visited ~
lady. who said to me: Mr.. Moody. you
made me wrctched to-day when
YOU showed me that | had not done my
duty. l have never led any one 10 Chris
uanity. My husband is further tn reirom
to-day than he was when ! married hun,
thing as going 10 church | thought |
saw the key u her trouble, and asked:
Don't you sometimes blow your husband
up for some little indiscretiOn on his
part. and when you feel that you want To
ask his forgiveness sometimes don't you
choke back the words" YOU have read
me exactly she replied. Don't yoI Low
mp your servants. ami when you cccl that
you ought II say kind words 20 them
don't YOU fail 10 do 500
Well ] asked. instead Of praying
for your husband, had 1 not better pay
for YOu|
LIVE LIKE YOU PRAY.
There is such a thing as praying Ike
a saint and living Ike "a devil. l once
heard an expression which. although not
very refined. / think IS applicable to many
of u.s. An uncouth man in referring to
one Of his people said OF him that he
talked cream and lived SKINNED milk.
How many of us do that? yes. how many.
THAT woman was going out TO pay
some calls. She had no idea that / was
going 20 talk to her like that and instead
of going visiting she went directly home
ana locked herself mp and called on God.
Don't You know that il is a good thing to
call on God some times. You call on your
neighbors, ana indulge in Il good deal Of
gossip and backbiting. but you don't
seem 10 think IL necessary to call on God
except on set occasions But ! tell You,
it is "a good thing TO call on God.
This woman spent the day with God
and her conscience dashed her. and She
called on God for mercy When her hus-
band returned home that night she met
him I'm the han. and, throwing her arms
around his neck. asked his forgiveness
Forgiveness for what What have You
been doingg / have been a Christian. but
have not lived a Christian life. and 1 have
just realized the aWfulncss of the lie |
have been leading with you. | have not
done my duty in trying to bring you TO
Christ
WON THE HUSBAND TO CHRIST.
"The husband at this broke down. and
then and there accepted God. The ser
wants were then called together. and Il
confession WAS made 10 them. / met this
lady afterwards, and she told me that
she had done more good IN ten days than
in the whole Of her life prior thereto. I
tell YOU that We want 10 accep, Chris
uan!ty and live up TO it. The iron plow Of
christianity must 90 through the families
Of our lands. and we must live up to
a higher type Of Christianity.
My dear friend If there Is anything in
your iiie that is wrong. make up your
NINA That YOU are not going 10 let the
sun go down before You confess il. Let
me read you few verses from the g9I
Psalm: Blessed is he whose transgres-
son Is fOrgiVen-' 'Thcr. + no con-
fess.on up to this time He didn't prosper
because ne would not confess" G'irst to
the 9TH verse; But now notice. 4 ac-
knowledge my sin unto thee. and my
iuiquity have ] not hid ] said. | will
confess my transgrcssions unto the Lord a.
and Thou forgavest the .iniquity Of my
sin See! just the moment he confessed.
the Lord forgave and then it was that
hc had power with God in prayer.
MUST 30 FOR OURSELVES.
"Now the next true element to prayer
is restitution. IT is folly for as to ask
God to do something for Us that We can
DO for ourselves II you have started a
report or done another harm you ought
10 make restitution. don't believe that
there is Il man in this country who has
gone into politics that some false rumor
detrimental 10 his character has not been
started 10y some evil-dispOsed person. If
you have helped 10 retail any scandal
YOU are guilty. Make restitution. | don [
believe that we preach restitution enough
II / have five dollars in my pocket that
cheat him out of it, can l pray? You
will nnd men who are cheating their
ncghbOrs, and they cannot pray. it won't
work at all. What We want to-day is a
revival Of righteousness. a revival Of up
rlghtncss. / sometimes hear a man say,
'Halleuiah.' and ii Is Ike a'hle right
across my nerves ! look into his face
and know that it is not real. Now,
Halleluiah' comes in all right If II pro-
cceds from the heart. / don't object To
a thing Of that kind once in while, just
a little Of it: but TO have man That Is
not living right to have him come ana
make a great noise about rellgiOn-it Is
an abomlnation to God and man. Up in
the North of England a lady came into
ona of the after-meetings. She was
greatly troubled. and 1 talked with her
n number of days and found out what
her trouble was. | cannot pray. l get
down onto my knees 10 pray. but hVe
bottles OF wine come up before me, ana
I cannot see the face Of the Lord
HAD STOLEN THE WINE.
She told that when she WAS house
koeper for wealthy gentleman in
his sickness she stole five bottles
OF wine. and every time since then when
she cot down on her knees to pray. up
volld come the FIVE bottles OF wine.
"Did Won ever make restitution NO. "
wen, y.r must confess and make resti-
tuition To nat man before you VIII be able
.s1,a said ''haVp I got