The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1896-02-26


song. l know in many churches the
whole work is delegated to few peo-
pie standing IN the organ loft But,
my friends, as others cannot die for US
we cannot delegate to others the work
of singing for US. While few drilled
artists shall take the chants and exc
cute the more skillful music, when
The hymn IS given cut let there be
hundreds aud 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 a general came to
the king and said: Those soldiers
are singing as they are going into Dat,
lie. Shall stop them No, said
The king. Men that eau sing like that
can fight" Oh, the power OF Chris
tian song. When argue here, you
may argue back. The argument you
make against religion may be more
skillful than the argument | make IN
behalf of religion. But who ocan stand
before the pathos of some uplifted song
like that which we sometimes sing:
Show pity, Lord; o Lord. forgive!
Let repeating rebel live!
Are not thy meIcieS large and free?
May not a sinner trust in thee?
Another mighty sickle for the reap
ing of the gospel harvest is prayer.
What does God 90 with our prayers
Does he 60 on the battelments g aeav-
en- and throw them Oft? 10. What DO
you do with gifts given you 5y those
who lc-o you very much? You keep
them with great sacredness. And DO
you suppose God will take our pray
ers, offered in the sincerity and love
CT our hearts, and scatter them to the
windS2 Oh, no, He Will answer
all in some way On, what a mighty
thing prayeris II is not a long rig
marole OF "ohs" and 'iahs' and for
ever and ever, amens." 1t is breath
ing 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't spare you" "Oh, -"
said he, Martin, you must let me go.
l am tired of persecution and tired OF
life. I wantt 10 go to De with my God. >
''No." said Martin Luther, YOU shall
nct 60. You must take this food, and
then 1 will pray for you ''No, Mar
tin," said Melanchthon, you must let
me 60" Martil 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 convalescence
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 prayer. Have you tested It.
DR.. Prime Of New York, in his beati-
full book entitled Around the World, :"
described mausoleum in India which
it took 81, COO men % years to build
that and the buildings surrounding
and he says, Standing in that mauso.
leum and uttering word, it is echoed
back from height of $50 feet-not an
ordinary echo, but prolonged music,
as though there were angels lowering
in the air." And every word Of earn
est prayer we utter has an echo not
from the marble cupola OF an earthly
mausoleum, but from the heart of
God and from the wings of angels as
they hover, crying, Behold, he
prays." 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 ]ie on your
face or in your physical agonies lie on
your back. It does not make any diff
ference about the physical posture, as
was shown shown in hospital, when
the chaplain said as he looked over the
beds of the of 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 amputated
could only lift the stump of the arm.
One man, both his arms amputated,
give no signal except to say: Me.
Me-" Oh, it does not make any diff
ference about the rhetoric of your pray
ers. It does not make any difference
about the posture. It does not make
any difference whether you can lift
a hand or have no hand to lift God
is ready to hear you. Prayer is an
swered. 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 God?
Do you ask me how many have re-
aped for God2 cannot say. Now,
can you say how many you have re-
apeda I hope there are some who
have been brought into the kingdom
Of God though your instrumentsl!ty.
Have there not been? Not one? You,
man So, 40, 50 years Of age and not
one9 see souls coming up to glory.
Here is Sunday school teacher bring
ing 10 or Is souls. Here IS tract dis
tributor bringing in 20 or so souls:
Here isa man you never heard OF
who has been very useful in bringing
souls to God. He comes with $50
souls. They are the sheaves of his
harvest. How many have you brought?
Not one-can it be- What will God
say What will the angles says Bet
ter crouch down in some corner OF
heaven and never show yourself. Oh,
that harvest is to be reaped now! Ana
that is this instant Why not be re-
aped for God this hour:
"Oh,n says some man, 7 have been
going on the wrong road for 50, 40 or
50 years. I have gone through the
catalogue of crime and must first get
myself fixed up" All, you will never
get yourself fixed up until Christ
takes you in charge. You get worse
and worse and worse until be comes
to the rescue. Not the righteous
70 20 II = so Won