Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1896-02-22


INTO salvation. But. alas, If 1t Is only
preached IN pnlpits and on Sabbath
days We must 60 forth into our stores.
our shops. our banking houses, our fac
tories and the streets, and everywhere
preach Christ. We stand in our pnlpits
for hours on the Sabbath and CON-
mend Christ to the people, but there
are 1913 hours in the week, and what are
the hours on the Sabbath against
the 1866? Oh, there comes down the or
dination Of God this day upon all tho
people. men who toll with head and
band and foot--the ordination comes
upon all merchants, upon oil mechanics,
upon all toilers, and God says to you as
he says to me go, teach all nations.
He that bclieveth and is baptized shall
be saved, and be that believeth not shall
be damned. !" Mighty gospel, let the
whole earth hear it'll The story Of Christ
is TO reganerate the nations, il is 10
eradicate oil wrong. 1t is to turn the
earth into a paradise. An old artist
painted tho Lords Supper y and he
wanted the chief attention directed to the
face OF Christ. When he invited his
friends IN to criticise the picture. they
admired the chalices more than they
did the face. and tho old artist said.
This picture il a failure, /" aud be
dashed ont the picture of the cups. aud
said; II shall have nothing to detract
from the face of the Lord. Christ is the
all Of this picture -
Power Of Christian Song.
Another powerful sickle for the reap
ing OF this harvest is Christian song. /
know in many churches the whole work
IS delegated to few people standing in
tho organ loft. But, my friends, as 9th
ers cannot repent for us and others can
Lot die for US. We cannot delegate 10
others the work Of singing for us. While
few drilled artists shall take the
chants and execute the more skiliful
music, when the hymn is given ont let
there be hundreds and thousands of
voices uniting in the acclamation. On
the way to grandeurs that never cease
and glories that never die let us sing.
At the battle Of Lutzen general came
to the king and said: "Those soldiers
are singing as they are going into bat.
tie. Shall stop them?'' NO. said
the king, linen that can sing like that
can fight. Oh, the power of Christian
song! When / argue here, you may ar
que back. The argument you make
against religion may be more skillful
than the argument / make in behalf of
religion. But who can stand before the
pathos Of some uplifted song like that
which we sometimes sing:
Show pity, Lord; o Lord, forgivei
Let repenting rebel.livc.
Are not thy mercies large and freef
May not q sinner trust in thees
Another mighty sickle for the reaping
Of the gospel harvest is prayer. What
does God do with onr prayers? Does he
60 on the battlelnents 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 sacredness. And do you suppose
God will take our prayers, offered i'll
the sincerity and love of our hearts, and
scatter them to the winds? Oh, mol He
will answer them all in some way. Oh,
what mighty thing prayer is! 1t is
not long rigmarole of "ohs" and
abs" and "for ever and ever, amens y
1t is breathing of the heart into the
heart Of God. Oh, what mighty thing
prayer is Elijah 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 Melanchthon lay sick
unto death, as many supposed. Martin
Luther came in and said, "Philipp, we
can { Spare you 70 "Oh, said he, Mar
tin, you must let me go. am tired of
persecution and tired of life. / want to
so to be with my God" "No," said
Martin Luther, "you shall not go; you
must take this food, and then I will pray
for you" "No. Martin, said Melanch-
thon, you must let me 60" Martin
Luther said, "You take this food or !
will excommunicate you" He took the
food, and Martin Luther knelt down and
prayed as only he could pray, and con-
valescence came, and Martin Luther went
back and said to his friends, God has
saved the life of Philip Melanchthon in
direct answer to my prayer. Oh the
power of prayeri Have you tested it?
Prayer Has Its Echo.
DR.. Prime of New York, ia his beau
tiful book entitled Around the World,
described q mausoleum in India which
it took 20, 0S0 men 30 years to build
that and the buildings acknowledgement
he says: Standing in that mausoleum
and uttering word, it is echoed back
from height Of 100 feet; not an ordi-
nary echo, but a prolonged music, as
though there we're angels towering in
the air" And every word Of earnest
prayer we utter has an echo, not from
the marble cupola Of an earthly mauso-
leum, but from the heart of God and
from the wings Of angels as they hover,
crying, Behold, he praysl" Oh, test
it? Mighty sickle for reaping this gospel
harvest, the sickle Of prayer
It does not make SO much difference
about the posture you take, whether
you sit, stand or kneel, or lie on your
face, or in your physical agonies lie on
your back. 1t does not make any differ
ence about the physical posture, as was
shown in q hospital, when the chaplain
said as he looked over the beds of the
suffering: LET all those wounded men
here who would like to be prayed for
lift the hand Some lifted two hands !;
others lifted one hand: some with hands
ampntated co1ld only lift the stump of
the arm. One man, both his arms am
putated, could give no signal except to
,ay, "Mel Mel'' Oh, it does not make
any difference about the rhetoric Of your
prayers; it does not make any difference
about the posture; it does not make any
difference whether you can lift hand
or have no hand to lift. God is ready to
hear you. Prayer is answered. God is
waiting TO respond.
Lift up your eyes upon the fields. for
they are white already to harvest"
How many have you reaped for Godi
Do You ask me how many have reaped
tor God? cannot say. Now can you