The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1896-01-23

% %"nt s"u W 'ne' reader OF the Bib'e
asked" 'oh, yes, said the 4'Is,, Leaders ITs
but at the start let us kncel down
ana ask God to- guide us" "Oh. no" said
= the inhdel. IL did not come TO pray; / came
I 90 discuss But said the leader, ''you
| wlll. OF course. submit to our rule aud that
Is always TO begin with prayer" The leader
knelt iu prayer. and then arose and said TO
the inhdel. Now You pray" The infldel re-.
plied, ~ cannot pray. / have no God to
pray to. Let me go! Let me go,'' The
| spectators, who expected fun, found moth.
Ing but overpowerlng solemnty, aud a re-
vival started. and among the first who were
brought In was the iniidel That PRAYER aid
II. In all our lives there have been times
when we felt that prayer was answered. Then
let us say so.
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.
aud " he should put on his spectacles and
read this salute him Us 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
lame. Having announced meeting for IL
o'clock, September %, 1857, he sat I'm the
upper room on Fulton street, New YORK.
waiting Tor people to come. He waited for
half hour, and then a football was heard
on the stops, and after awhile in all six per-
sons arrived, but the next day twtnt and
the next day forty aud from that time to :his.
Tor over thirty-eigbt years, every day, Sab
bath excepted, that Fulton street PRAYER
meeting has been place where people have
asked prayer and answers 10 prayer have
been announced, and the throb Of that great
heart OF supplication has thrilled not only
into the heavens. but clear around the world.
more than any spot on earth. That has been
the place whore the redeemed Of the Lord
said so!
Let the same outspokcn meas be employed
toward those 10y whom we haveb been person.
ally advantagcd. We wait until thew are
dead betore we say 50. Your parents have
planned for your best interests all these
years. They may sometimes. their nervous
system used up 10y the cares, the losses. ,hc
disappointments, the worrments of life hc
more irritable than they ought to be. and
they probably have faults which have be.
come oppressive rs the years 20 by. But
those eyes, long before they took on spec
tacles, were watching for your welfare, and
their hands, not as smooth and much more
deeply lined than once, have done for
You many good days work. Life has been
TO them more of a struggle than YOU will
ever know about, and much Of the struggle
has been for you, and how much they are
wrapped upin your welfare you will never
appreciate.
Have you by word or gift or behavior ex-
pressed your thanks? Or II you cannot quite
get up 10 say IL face to face have you written
II in some holiday salutation2 The time will
soon pass, nnl they will be- gone out OF your
sight, and their ears will not hear, aud their
eyes will not see. II YOU owe them any
'Sni'ness OF deed or any words OF apprecia-
tion, way do 'y1Jl rptS say so2 How much
wa might all OF us save dl-selyes in the
matter OF regrets u we did not delay'tnti
too late an expression Of obligation that
would have made tho last years OF earthly
= life more attractive The grave is deaf, ami
epitaphs on cold marble cannot make re-
paratiop.
In conjugal life the honeymoon Is soon
past, and the twain take II for granted that
each IL thoroughly understood. How depen-
dent on each other they become, and the
years 20 by, and perhaps nothing is said TO
make the other fully understand that sense
of dependence. Impatient words sometimes
come forth. and motives are misinterpreted
and II Is taken rs u matter OF course that tho
two will walk the path OF life side by side
until about the same time their journey shall
be ended. but some sudden and appalling i'll
ness unloosens the right hands that were
clasped years at before the altar OF orange
| blossoms, the parting takes place, and among
the worst of all the sorrows is that you did
not oftener, II you ever did at ALL tell her or
tell him how Indispensable She was or how
Indispensable he was to your happiness, and
I that in some plain, square talk long ago yOu
did not ask for forgiveness for innrmties
/ and neglects, and by some unlimited utter
/ ance make II understood that you fully Rp-
/ preciatcd the fidelity and re-enforcemont Of
many years. Alas now many such have 10
| lament the rest OF their lives, "Oh, II l had
I only said So
! My subject takes wider range Tho Lord
/ has hundreds Of thousands of people among
/ those VINO have never Joined His army be-
| cause OF some high ideal OF what Christian
/ should be or because OF IA fear that they may
/ not hold out or because OF "A spirit OF pro-
crastination. They have never publicly
/ professed Christ. They have rs much right
| TO the sacraments and rs much right to all
/ tho privileges OF the church ~ thousands
who have for years been enrolled in church
/ membership, ana yet they have made no
| positive utterance by which the world may
| know they love God and are on the road to
! heaven. They are redeemed Of the Lord and
| vet do not say so. Oh what an augmenta-
] ton IL would be IL by some divine impulse
all those outsiders should become insiders.
tell you what would bring them to their
. right places, and perhaps nothing else will
days of persecution. II they We're compelled
10 take sides "a betweenIChrist AMI His enc
I mics, they would take the side OF Christ and
the iagots and the instruments Of torture
| and tho Rnathemus OF all earth and hell
would not make them blanch. Martyrs are
made ont Of such stuff a. they are. But let
them not wait for such days rs | pray 10 God
may never come. Drawn by the sense Of
fairness and justice and obligation. let them
show their colors. Let the redeemed Of the
| Lord say so.
This chapter from which | take my text
mentions several classes Of persons who
ought to be outspoken, among them all those
| who go on "A journey. What an opportunity
you have, you who spend so much Of your
time on rail trains or on shipbonrd, whether
on lake or river or sea, Spread the glory Of
Gods goodness and your own redemption
wherever you go. You will have many "A
long ride beside some one whom you will
never see again. some one who Is waiting for
one word OF rescue or consolation. Make
every rail train'and steamer moving palace
OF saved souls Casual conversations have
harvested a great host for God
There are many Christian workers In pull
pits. In mission stations, sabbath schools. in
unheari OF places who are doing their best
for God and without any recognition. They
uV,I ono. ..N,.