The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-20


ing, and he came back, aging, Brethren
take courage. the children are praying
Tor u.s. Nothing can stand before pray
er; An lnhdel came into a Bible class 20
ask pulling questions. Many Of the
nelghhors came in 10 hear the discussion.
The inneel arose and said 10 the leader
OF the Bible class, 4 hear YOU allow
questions asked" "Oh yes" said the
leader. but at the start let us kneel down
and ask God 10 guide us" "Oh, no.
said the iundel. Il did not come 10 pray;
] came 10 discuss But" said the lead
er you Will Of course submit to our rule,
ana ilal IS always 20 begin with pray
err The leader kuelt in prayer. and then
arose and said TO the inndel, NOW you
pray The iuhdel replied. y cannot
pray; / have no God TO pray to. Let me
go- Let me gO!" The spectators who eX-
pected fun. found nothing but OverpOw-
erinB sOlemntty, and a revival started,
ana among the hrst who were brought ln
was the inhdel That prayer did IL. In
al our lives there have been times when
We ielt 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
Lanphicr, the founder of the Fulton
street Prayer Meeting, and If he should
put on his spectacles and read this,
salute him as more qualified than any
man since Bible times in demonstrating
what prayer can do. Dear Brother Ian
phier! The high heavens are fun of his
fame. Having announced a meeting for
y O'Clock, Sept p. 1851, he sat in the
upper room on 7 luton street, new 1Ofks
waiting Tor people 10 come He waited
for half hour and then a football was
heard on the steps. and after awhile in
all six persons arrived. but the next
day twenty, and the next day forty, and
from that time to this for over thirty
eight years, every day. Sabbath excepted,
that Fulton Street Prayer Meeting has
been place where people have asked
prayer ana answers to prayer have been
announced, and the thrOb Of that great
heart of supDlicatiOn has thrilled not
the world, more than any spot on earth.
That has been the place where the re-
deemed of the Lord said so!
Let the same outspokenness be employ
ed toward those by whom we have been
personally advantagcd. We wait until
they are dead before we say so. Your pa
rents have planned for your best interests
all these years. They may sometimes
their nervous system used up by the cares
the losses, the disappOintments, the worri-
ments 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
days work. Life has been to them more
sot q 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 will never appre-
ciate. Have you by word or gift or be-
haViOr expressed your thanks2 or If you
cannot quite get up to say it face to face.
have you written IL I'm some holiday salu-
tation? The time will soon pass and they
Will be gone out of your sight, and their
ears will not hear and their eyes will not
see. If you owe them any kindness Of
deed or any words of appreciation, why
do you not say so2 How much we might
all of us save ourselves in the matter of
regrets IF we did not delay until too late
an expression of obligation that would
have made the last years of earthly life
more attractive. The grave is deaf, and
n a IN fnaFn - 10
paration.
In conjugal life the honeymoon is soon
past, and the twain take it for granted
that each is thoroughly understood. How
dependent on each other they become. and
the years go 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 IL is taken as a matter
Of course that the 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 illness unloosens the
right hands that were clasped years be-
fore at the altar of orange blossoms, the
parting takes place, and among the worst
of all the sorrows is that you did not Of
tener, if you ever did at ALL tell her or tell
him how indispensable she was, or how
Indispensable he was to your happiness,
and that in some plain, square talk, long
ago, you did not ask for forgiveness for
infirmities and neglects, and by some I'M
limited utterance make it understood that
you fully appreciated the fidelity and rein
forcement of many years Alasi how many
such have to lament the rest of their lives,
ooh, If / had only said sou
My subject takes a wider range. The
Lord has hundreds of thousands of peo-
pie among those who have never Joined
his army because of some high ideal OF
what a Christian should be, or because
of a fear that they may not hold out,
or because of a spirit of procrastinatfon.
They have never publicly professed
Christ. They have as much right to the
sacraments and as much right to all the
sfxrI ~ hn oh a
who have for years been enrolled in
church membership, and 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 re-
deemed of the Lord, and yet do not say
so. Oh, what an augmentation II would
be if 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 If they were COM
PEELED to take sides as between Christ
and his enemies, they would take the
side of Christ, and the faggots and the
instruments of torture, and the anathe>
mas of all earth and hell would not make
them blanch. Martyrs are made out of
such stuff as they are But let them not
wait for such days as L pray TO Cod
may never come. Drawn by the sense
of fairness and justice and obligation. let
them show their colors; Let the redeem
ed of the Lord say so!
This chapter from which take my text
mentions several classes of persons who
ought TO De OulSpOhens among them al
those who go on a journey. What an OPP
portunity you have, you who spend so
much of your time on rail-trainS or on
shipboard, whether on lake or river or
sea! Spread the story of Gods goodness
and your own redemption wherever you
go. You viii have many a long ride beside
some one whom you viii 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
great host for God. There are many
Christian workers in pulpits, in mission
stations, in Sabbath schools in unheard-
of places who are doing their best for God,
and without any recognition. They go
and come, and no one cheers them. Per-
haps all the reward they get is harsh crit
icism, or repulse, or their own fatigue. If
you have ever heard of any good they have
done, let them know about it. If you find
some one benfitted by their aims or their
prayers, or their cheering word, go and tell
them. They may be almost ready to give
up their mission. They may be almost in
despair because of the seeming lack of re-
suits. One word from you may be an or
dination that will start them on the chief
I OrsIr of A