Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1896-02-21

kle have a rosewood handle, and it be
adorned with precious stones, and yet it
cannot bring down the grain, it is not
much Of a sickle, aud preaching amounts
TO nothing unless it haryests souls for
God. Shall we preach philosophy! The
Ralph Waldo Emersons could beat us
at that. Shall we preach science! The
Agassizes could beat US at that The
minister Of Jesus Christ with weakest
arm going forth in earnest prayer, and
welding this sickle Of the gospel, shall
find the harvest all around him waiting
for the angel sheaf binders. Oh, this
harvest Of souls! notice in the fields
that the farmer did not stand upright
when he gathered the grain. l noticed
be had to stoop to his work, and no.
ticed in order to bind the sheaves the
better he had to put his knee upon them.
And as we 90 forth in this work for
God we cannot stand upright in our
rhetoric and our metaphysics and our
erudition. We have to stoop to our
work. Age, we have to put our knee to
it or We will never gather sheayes for
the Lords garner. Peter swung that
sickle on the day Of Pentecost, and 5000
sheaves came in. Richard Baxter swung
that sickle at Kidderminster, and Nc
Cheyne at Dundee, and vast multitudes
came into the kingdom Of our God
Teach All Natlons.
Oh, this is a mighty gospel 1t cap
tured not only John the lamb, but Paul
the lion. Men may gnash their teeth at
it. and clinch their fists, but it is the
power Of God and the wisdom Of God
unto salvation. But, alas, if it is only
preached in pulpits and on Sabbath
days We must 90 forth into our stores,
our shops, our banking houses, our fac
tories and the streets, and everywhere
preach Christ. We stand in our pulpits
for 2 hours on the Sabbath and COM
mend Christ to the people, but there
are 1853 hours in the week, and what are
the 2 hours on the Sabbath against
the 1866? Oh, there comes down the Or
dination Of God this day upon all the
people. men who toll with head and
hand and foot-the ordination comes
upon all merchants, upon all mechanics,
upon all toilers, and God says TO you as
he saws TO me: "GO, teach all nations.
He that belieyeth and is baptized shall
be saved. and he that belieyeth not shall
be damned. Mighty gospel, let tho
whole earth hear it! The story Of Christ
is TO regenerate the nations, 1t Is tC
eradicate all wrong, it is to turn the
| earth into paradise. An old artist
painted the Lords Supper" and h(
wanted the chief attention directed to the
face Of Christ. When he invited hi'
friends in to criticise the picture, they
admired the chalices more than they
did the face, and the old artist said
"This picture is a failure, " and h'
dashed out the picture Of the cups, anC
said: Il shall have nothing to detrac
from the face Of the Lord. Christ Is th'
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 worl
is delegated to a few people standing Il
the organ loft. But, my friends, as 9th
ers cannot repent for Us and others can
NOT die for us. we cannot delegate t.
others the work Of singing for Us. Will
few drilled artists shall take tn
chants and execute the more skilltu
music. when the hymn is given out le
there be hundreds and thousands O
voices uniting in the acclamation. u
the way TO grandeurs that never ceas
and glories that never die let us sing
At the battle of Lutzen a general cam
to the king and said: "Those soldier
are singing as they are going into bat
/, tie. Shall 1 stop themi" "No, - sal
the king, "men that can sing like tina
can fight. Oh, the power Of Christla
song When argue here, you may ar
que back. The argument you max
against religion may be more skilltu
than the argument l make in behalf q
religion. But who can stand before tn
pathos Of some uplifted song like tina
which we sometimes sing:
Show pity, Lord o Lord forgivei
Let rcpenting rebel live.
Q Are not thy mercies largo and froeg
NAV not q sinner trust in thcef
Another mighty sickle for the reapin
- of the gospel harvest is prayer. VIVA
T does God do with our prayers. Does h
90 ON the battlenents Of heaven an
r throw them off? No. What do you d
1 with gifts given you by those who loy
YOU very much? You keep them wit
great sacredness. And do you suppos
God will take our prayers, offered L
, the sincerity and love Of our hearts, an
} scatter them to the winds? Oh, mol ID
will answer them all in some way. VI
= what a mighty thing prayer Is IL
. not a long rigmarole Of "ohs an
q "abs" and "for ever and ever, amens.
h It is a breathing of the heart into u
, heart of God. Oh, what a mighty thln
= praver is! Elijah with it reached up
I | the CLOUDS anu sLooh hp'H N-'~
With il John Knox shook Scotland
T With it Martin Luther shook the earti
O And when Philip Melanchthon lay sic
i unto death, as many supposed. Marti
h Luther came in and said, Phillip, W
e can { spare you :" "Oh, " said he, Ma
n tin. you must let me 60 am tired
i persocution and tired Of life. l want
90 to be with my God. " "No," sal
i Martin Luther, "you shall not go; yc
4 must take this food, and then will pra
T for YOU" "No, Martin, said Melancl
+ thon. "you must let me 90. ." MART
q Lnther said, "You take this food or
g will excommunicate you. He took Il
n food, and Martin Luther knelt down an
Q prayed as only he could pray, aud col
n valescence came, and Martin Luther wei
d back aud said to rs friends, God h
/. saved the life of Philip Melanchthon
/ direct answer to my prayer. On u
d power of prayerl Have you tested III
IS Prayer Has Its Echo.
d DIR. Prime of New York, in his bea'
# tiful book entitled Around the World
10 described a mausoleum in India WINK
~ =. - On oOo mon 9g wears TO build