Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1896-02-20

| the power OF Christian songi When /
argue here, you may argue baok The ar-
gument you make against religion may DO
more skillful than tho argument mako
In behalf of religion. But who con stand
before the pathos Of some uplifted song
like that which we sometimes sing:
Show pity, Lord; Lord. forgivei
Let repenting rebel livol
Are not thy mercios large and freef
May not q sinner trust in thce2
An Effective Sickle.
Another mighty sickle for the reaping
Of the gospel harvestds prayer What does
God do with our prayersp Does he go on
the battlements Of heaven and throw them
Off? No. What do you do with gifts given
you by those who love you very muchi
You Keep them with great sacredness.
And do you suppose God will take our
prayers, offered in the sincerity and love
OF our hearts, and scatter them to tho
winds? Oh, no! He will answer them
all In some way. Oh what a mighty thing
prayer is! It is not long rigmarolo OF
'ohs" and "ahs' and "for ever and over,
amens." 1t is breathing of tho heart
into tho heart of God. Oh, what mighty
thing prayer isl Elijah with it reached up
to the clouds and shook down the showers.
With 1t John Knox shook Scotland. With
1t Martin Luther shook the earth. And
when Philip Melanchthon lay sick unto
DEATH as many supposed, Martin Luther
came in and said, "Philipp, we can't spare
you" "Oh," said he, MARTIN, you must
let me go! an tired Of persecution and
tired of life. want to go to be with my
God" "No," said Martin Luther, "you
shall not go. You must take this food,
and then will pray for you" "No, Mar
tin, )" said Melanchthon, you must lot mo
CO." Martin Luther said "You take this
food, or will exoommunicate you" Ho
took the food, and Martin Luther knelt
down and prayed as only no could pray,
and oonvalescence came, and Martin
Luther went back and said to his friends,
"God has saved the life of Philip Melanch-
thon In direct answer to my prayer" Oh,
the power OF prayer! Have you tested It?
DR.. Prime of New York, in his beauti-
full book entitled around the World"
described mausoloum in India which 1T
took 20, 600 men 22 years to build-that
and the buildings acknowledgement ho
says, Standing in that mausoloum and
uttering q word, 1t Is echoed back from q
height Of $50 feet-not an ordinary echo,
but prolonged music as though there
were angels hovoring in the air." And
every word Of earnest prayer we utter has
an echo not from the marble cupola Of an
earthly mausoleum, but from the heart Of
God and from the wings Of angels rs they
hover, crying, Behold, he prays!' Oh,
test It'll Mighty sickle for reaping this
gospel harvest. the sickle of prayerl
Forms of Little Consequence.
1t does not make so much difference
about the posture you take, whether you
sit, stand or knoel or lie on your face or
In your physical agonios lie on your back.
1t does not make any difference about tho
physical posture, as was shown in a hos
pital, when the chaplain said ;>S,e looked
over the beds Of the suffering: Let all
those wounded men here who would like
to DO prayed for lift tho hand" Some lifted
two hands; others lifted one hand; some
with hands amputated could only lift tho
stump OF the arm. Ono man. both his
arms amputated, could give no signal OK
ccpt to say: mel Mel" Oh, 1t does not
make any difference about the rhetoric OF
your prayers. 1t docs not make any differ
enoe about tho posture. 1t does not mako
any difference whether you can lift q hand
or havo no hand to lift. God Is feady to
hear you. Prayer is answered. God Is
waiting to respond.
Lift up your eyes upon tho fields, for
they are white already to harvest" How
many have you reaped for God? Do you
ask me how many I have reaped for God!
l cannot say. Now, can you say how
many you have reapedS l hopo there arc
some who have been brought into tho
kingdom Of God through your instru-
mentality. Havo there not beenp Not
onef You, man 80, 40, 90 years of age
and not onep / SEQ souls coming up to
glory. Here is q Sunday school teacher
bringing 10 or 10 souls. Here is tract
distributor bringing in 40 or 80 souls.
Here is man you never heard OF who has
been very useful in bringing souls to God.
He comes with 100 souls. They ore the
sheaves OF his harvest. How many have
you broughtS Not one-oan 1t beS What
will God sayf What will the angles sayp
Better crouch down in some corner Of
heaven and never show yourself. Oh, that
harvest Is to be reaped now! And that is
this instant. Why not be reaped for God
this hour2
ooh, says some man, II have been 60
ing on the wrong road for 80. 40 or 80
years have gone through the whole cata-
loguo Of crime and must first get myself
fixed up" All, you will never get your
self fixed up until Christ takes you in
charge! You get worse and worse until
no comes to the rescue. mot the righteous
sinners Jesus came to CALL So, you see,
l take the very worst case there is. II
there is a man here who feels he Is all
right in heart and life, am not talking
to him, for no Is probably n hypocritc. l
will talk to him some other time But II
there Is man who feels himself all wrong,
to him address myself. Though you be
wounded In the hands, and wounded in
the feet, and wounded in the head and
wounded In the heart, and though tho
gangrene OF eternal death be upon you
one drop of the elixir Of divine life will
cure your soul. Though you DO soaked in
evil indulgences, though your feet have
gone in unclean places, though you have
companioncd with the abandoned and the
lost, one touch Of divine grace will save
-FOUR soul.
"Whosoever WILL"
/ do not say that you will not have
struggles after that. Oh no! But they
will be different kind OF struggle. You
go into that BATTLE and all hell is against
you, and you are alone, and you fight, and
| you fight, weaker and weaker and weaker
until at last you fall and the powers of
darkness tramplo on your soul. But in the
other case you 20 into the battle, and you
fight stronger and stronger and stronger
until the evil propensity COOS down, and
you get the victory through our Lord
Jesus Christ. Oh, come out OF your sins |!
Have you not been bruised with sin long
enougha Have you not carried that load
long enough2 Have you not fought that
battle long enoughY