Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1895-03-13
THE SCH0OLFIELD MEETINGS.

meeting opened as usual with service
of song and prayer, after which the con
gregation united in singing the ole
hymn, "Come thou fount." Mr
Schoolfeld notified the members OF the
church that there was held a morning
service at II O'Clock each day, he think.
ing they had overlooked the fact. He
then announced the subject of his talk
for the evening, prayer and Comics
sion,n taking for his text the 18th
chapter of Isaiah, 1st to 4th verses
In the course of his remarks, which
lasted for about an hour, and thought
by many to be the best of the meetings,
he held the audience as if spellbound,
and said: "There is no more important
duty than PRAYER. 1t is more talked
about, less understood, and surely less
used in its true sense than any otner;
Show me praying church and l VIII
show you working church. Give me
ten praying Christians in this communl-
ty and we will overturn it for Christ;
YOU may think this strange saying
but nevertheless it is true. Mere say
ing prayers night and morning, and
some don't do that, is no more praying
than going to hotel and reading the
bill of fare is eating ones dinner. If
1 put my hand on the heart
of a man and feel no throb, 1
say he is dead. If 1 put my finger
tonight on the heart of the church, and
all is silent, there is no agonizing pray
or for the power of God on the COM
munity, what does it mean? 1t means
| that it is a dead church. Efectual
prayer is coupled with conditions and
no prayer is effectual until these con-
ditions are met. First, we must be in
earnest, so many lies are told in pray
er. I think that oftimes what we call
prayer is a downright insult to God.
Second, we must ask for something
defnite-for just what we want and
not get discouraged because our pray
er is not answered Immediately and
exactly as we think it should be. We
| formulate an address to the audience
and l believe oftener to the audience
than to God. You say your prayers
are not answered. What is the trou-
BILE? Suppose you have telegram to
| send to Richmond. You 60 to the Of
flee and they tell you they cannot get
the message through. They send out
to find the cause. The line is down in
the mire. Further on tree has fallen
across it and then rock is found On
the line. The line is put up, the tree
and rock removed and the message
goes through all right and the answer
is returned. That is the trouble with
us. The line is down between us and
God, covered up in the mire of sin and
| worldliness and these must be removed
before our prayers can be answered.
Pride will shut you of, and your pride
must be humbled before you Can gain
access to God. Many man has gotten
into church with some secret sin and
pride which prevents him from coming
out and confessing. Again a man goes
to the Lord and that (holding up
dollar to the audience) keeps him from
Cod the dollar, fear, comes between
many in this house to night and the
light. There are more people worship
ping the golden calf in the world to-
day, than there were in the wilderness.
Again some allow the drink to come
between them and God. Do you think
anyone could go to the bar, take
drink and then kneel down and pray?
No; that wire must be up" The speak
er also touched on the sin of dancing,
theatre going and visiting the race
track. He said eff you cannot gain
access to the mercy seat some sin is
standing between and your God. Some
have been neglecting their Christian
duties and the sin of omission will Car
ry them to perdition just as sure as Of
commission. Oh for baptism Of COM
mon sense and common honesty in re-
ligion. {Mr. Carson said amen to this
in his quiet way and Mr.. Schoolfivld
smilingly said, "Why don't you say it
out loud a'D II you are going to the
horse races, as church member you
have stolen the livery Of God to cover
your sins. Sd, Our motive must h-
right. 4th, Obedience. God will not
hear the prayer " " disobedient peo-
pie as loIg as they keep on in their dis
obedience. l thank God he came to
save sinners and not the good enough.
David was backslider, and only came
back after confessing. Sinner, if you
would have David's blessing tonight,
make his prayer (the 51st Psalml
yours. 1t is hard matter to get a
man to confess his sins and has been so
ever since Adam excused his sin by
blaming ii on the woman and then on
God. If you have not been living right
confess it tonight. know 1t requires
grace and grit to do it, but get right up
here and say so and you will receive
the blessing. IF your sin is only be-
tween you and your God, confessing to
him is sufficient. but if you have sinned
publicly and against some one else you
must come out boldly and confess
publicly, to that one so far as in your
power" The invitation was responded
to by few persons, one coming to the
altar and sneeling for prayers and the
congregation was dismissed, the quiet
manner in which they went out show
ing that they were surely under the
Spirit better than anything they might
have SAID
The services at eleven o'clock this
morning were well attended and much
enjoyed by the congregation. Mr..
Schoolfeld's address was on humility.
His text was taken from the Book of
Proverbs, 18th chapter and 18th verse
"Before honor is humility" He spoke
of the life of Paul and what it cost him
to be christian, and referred to the
fact that through much trib,llations we
| IL L. of