Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1896-01-24
God as our Father BY him. -

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aske the prayers Of God people. feel
now .. rfectly satisfied. The burden is
rolled off and all gone, and feel that I
could run or fly into the arms Of Jesus
Christ.
What a record for all time and oter-
nifty was made by Gellacius, the play
actor, in the theater at Heliopolis. A
burlesque Of Christianity was put upon
the stage. In derision Of the ordinance
Of baptism bathtub filed with water
was put upon the stage, aud another ac-
tor, in awful blasphemy, dipped Celia
cius, pronouncing over him the words, Il
baptize thee in the name Of the Father,
Of the Son and Of the Holy Ghost" But
coming forth from the burlesque bap-
tism he looked changed and was
changed, and he cried out to the audi
ence: Il am a Christian. will die as
a Christian. " Though he was dragged
out and stoned to death, they could not
drown the testimony made under such
awful circumstances: Il am a Chris
tian. 1 will die as a Christian. Let
the redeemed Of the Lord say so. "
What a confirmation would come if
all who had answers to prayers would
speak out; if all merchants i'll tight
places because Of hard times would tell
how in response to supplication they got
the money to pay the note; if all farmers
in time of drought would tell how in an
swer to prayer the rain came just in
time to save the crop; if all parents who
prayed for a wandering son to come
home would tell how not long after
they heard the boys hand on the latch
Of the font door
Samuel Hick, an English Methodist
preacher, solicited aid for West India
missions from a rich miser and failed.
Then the minister dropped on his knees,
and the miser said, Il will give thee
guinea if thou wilt give over. " But the
minister continued to pray, until the
miser saids will give thee 2 guineas
If thou wilt give over" " Then the mon
ey was taken to the missionary meeting.
Oh, the power Of prayer! Melanchthon,
utterly discouraged, was passing along
a place where children were heard pray
ing, and he came back, saying, "Breth-
ren, take courage; the children are pray
ing for us Nothing can stand before
prayer. An infdel came into Bible
class to ask puzzling questions. Many Of
the neighbors came in to hear the dis
cussion. The infdel arose and said to
the leader Of the Bible class, 81 hear
you allow questions asked. " "Oh, yes, "
said the leader, "but at the start let us
kneel down and ask God to guide US. "
ooh, no." said the inidel. Il did not
come to pray; 1 came to discuss.
But" said the leader, "you will, Of
course, submit to our rule, and that is
always to begin with prayer. " The lead
er knelt in prayer. and then arose and
said to the infdel, Now you pray.
The infdel replied, Il cannot pray. l
have no God to pray to. Let me gol Let
me go" The spectators, who expected
fun, found nothing but oyerpowering
solemnity, and a revival started, and
among the first who were brought in
was the infidel. That prayer did it, In
all our lives there have been times when
we felt that prayer was answered. Then
let US say so.
Outspohenness.
There fingers on this side of the river
that divides earth and heaven, ready at
any time to cross over, the apostle OF
prayer for this century, jeremiah Calvin
Lanphier. the founder Of the Fulton
street PRAYER meeting, and if he should
put on his spectacles and read this l
salute him as more qualified than any
man since Bible times in demonstrating
what prayer can do. Dear Brother Lam
phier! The high heavens are full Of his
fame. Having announced a meeting for
10 O'Clock, Sept. %, 1857, he sat in the
upper room on Fulton street, New York,
waiting for people to come. He waited
for a half hour, and then a football was
heard on tho steps, and after awhile IN
all six persons arrived, but the next day
20. and the next day 40 and from that
time to this, for over 9S years, every
day, Sabbath excepted, that Fulton
street prayer meeting has been place
where people have asked prayer and an
swers to prayer have been announced
and the throb Of that great heart Of sup
plication has thrilled not only into the
heavens. but clear around the world,
more than any spot on earth. That has
been the place where the redeemed OF
the Lord said sol
Let the same outspokenness be EN-
ployed toward those by whom we have
been personally advantaged. We wait
until they are dead before we say so.
Your parents have planned for your best
interests all these years. They may
sometimes, their nervous system used
ND by the cares, the losses, the disap-
pointments, the worriments Of life, be
more irritable than they ought to be,
and they probably have faults which
have become oppressive as the years go
by. But those eyes, long before they
took on spectacles, were watching for
your welfare, and their hands, not as
smooth and much more deeply lined
than once, have done for you many a
good days work. Life has been to them
more Of struggle than you will ever
know about, and much Of the struggle
has been for you, and how much they
are wrapped up in your welfare you VIII
never appreciate.
Have you by word or gift or behavior
expressed your thanks? Or if You cannot
quite get up to say il face to face have
YOU written it in some holiday saluta-
ton? The time will soon pass, and they
will be gone ont Of your sight, and their
sars will not hear, and their eyes Will
aot see If you owe them any Kindness
Of deed or any words Of appreciation,
why do you not say soi How much we
might all of us save ourselves in the
matter Of regrets if we did not delay IN
iii too late an expression Of obligation
that would have made the last years ol
earthly life more attractive. The grave
is deaf, and epitaphs ON cold marble
cannot make reparation.
In conjugal life the honeymoon i
soon past, and the twain take 1t 10
granted that each is thoroughly under