Semi-weekly independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1895-1897, 1896-02-22

the race. and the old artist said. This
picture is Il failure" and he dashed out
the picture of the ups and said: Il shall
have nothing 10 detract from the face of
the Lord. Christ is the all of this pie
turc.'
Another powerful sickle for the reaping
of this harvest is Christian song. ! know
in many churches the whole work is
delegated 10 q few people standing III the
organ loft. But. my friends. as others
canno repent for us and others cannot
die for us we cannot delegate To others the
work of singing for us. While Il few
drilled artists shall take the chants and
execute the more skillful music, when the
hymn is given out let there be hundreds
and thousands OF voices uniting in the
reclamation. On the way 10 grandeurs
that never cease and glOries that never
die let us sing. At the battle of LutZen
Il general came to the king and said:
Those soldiers are singing rs they are
goin. into battle. Shall | stop them
No. said the king. Men that can sing
Ike that can fight" Oh. the power of
Christian song. When | argue here. You
may argue back. The argument You make
against religion may be more shillful than
the argument | make in behalf of religion.
But who can stand before the pathos of
some upliftcd song like that which we
sometimes sing:
Show ply. Lord: q Lord. forgive.
Let a repenting rebel live.
Are not thy morcicS large and free?
May not a sinner trust in thee:
An Effective Sickle.
Another mighty sickle for the reaping
of the gospel harvest Is prayer. What
does God Ito with our prayers: Does he
go on the bat,lemcnts Of heaven and throw
them off: No. What do You do with
gifts given you by those who love YOU
very much: You keep them with great
sacrcdness. And do You suppose Gcd
will take our prayers. offered in the sin
ccrity and love of our hearts. and scatter
them To the winds? Oh. no. lie will
answer them all in some way. oh. what
a mighty thing prayer is. 1T is not Il long
ricInaroie of ''ohs" and 'als' and "for
ever and ever. amens." 1t is Il breathing
of the heart into the heart of God. Oh.
what a mighty thing prayer is. Slijah
with it reached up To the clouds and shook
down the showers. With it John Knox
shook scotland. With it Martin Luther
shook the earth. And when Philip Mel
anchthon lay sick unto death. rs many
supposed. Martin Luther came in and
said. "philipp, we ant spare you.
oh said he, Martin. you must let me
90, l am tired of persecution and tired
of life. | want to go to be with my God.
No. said Martin Luther. you shall not
30. You must take this food. end then
| will pray for you" NO. Martin" said
M~elanchthon. you must let me GO Mar
tin Luther said. You take this food. or |
will. excommunicatc YOU" lie took the
food. and Martin Luther knclt down and
prayed rs only he could pray. ana con-
valcsccncc came. and Martin Luther went
back and said 10 his friends. God has
saved the life of Philip MelanchtGon in
direct answer to my prayer oh. the
power of prayer! Have you tested it:
Dr. Prime. of New York. in his bcauti-
ful book entitled. "Around the World
described Il man,olcum in India which il
took 10000 men twenty-five years to build
that and tl., buildings surrounding
and he says. "S:ardins in that matso-
leum and u~ttering a word, it is echoed
back from . height of 100 fcct-not an or
binary ccl.-. but 4 prolonged music. as
though there were angels lowering in the
air. And every word of earnest prayer
we utter has an echo moi from the marble
cupola of an earthly mausolcum. but from
the heart of God and from the wings of
angels rs they hover, crying. "Bchold. he
p~rays." oh. test il. Mighty sickle for
rcaping this gospel harvest, the sickle of
prayer!
Forms OF Little Consequence.
II does not make so much difference
about the posture you take. whether you
sit. stand or knccl or lie ON your face or
il your physical agonics lie on your back.
Ii does not make any difference about the
physical posture. rs was shown in n hos
pital, when the chaplain said rs he look
cd over the beds of the suffering: LET
All those wounde men here who would
like to be- prayed for lift the hand" Some
lifted two hands; others lifted one hand
some with hands amputated could only
lift the stump of the arm. One man, both
his arms amputatcd, could give no sigma
except to say: Me! Me!' Oh, it does
not make any difference about the rhetori,
of your prayers. 1t does not make any
difference about the posture. 1t does not
make any difference whether you can lifl
a hand or have no hand to lift. God is
ready to hear you. Prayer is answered
God is waiting 10 respond.
Lift up your eyes upon the fields. fol
they are white already to harvest" How
many have you reaped for God? Do yo,
ask me how many | have rcaped for God.
cannot say. Now, can you say how
many you have reaped! l hope there are
some who have been brought into thu
kingdom of God through your instru
mentality. Have there not been? MOI
one? You, a man 30, 40, 80 years of age
and not One? | see souls coming up Il
glory. Here is n Sunday school teacher
bringing ten or fifteen souls. Here is {
tract distributor bringing in forty or fifty
souls. Here is n man you never heard oil
who has been very useful in bringing souls
to God. He comes with 80 souls. They
are the sheaves of his harvest. How
many nave you brought? Not one-can i
be? What will God say? What will the
angels say? Better crouch down in some
corner of heaven and never show yourself
Oh. that harvest is to be rcaped now! Ant
that is this instant. Why not be reapet
for God this hour?
"Oh.' says some man, 81 have been go