Connecticut western news., 1897-04-15

turning barbarism into civilization and tyrannies into republics-I say, if the old Bible be true, God answers prayer You may get letter and through for getfulness or lack of time not answer it, but God never gets genuine letter that he does not make reply. Every genuine prayer is child's letter to his Heaven ly Father, and he will answer it, and though you may get many letters from your child before you respond some day you say: ''Therel I have received ten letters from my daughter, and I will answer them all now and at once, and though not in just the way that she hopes for I will do it in the best way, and though she asked me for sheet of music l will not give it to her, for do not like the music spoken of, but will send her deed to house and lot, to be hers forever" So God does not in all cases answer in the way those who sent the prayer hoped for, but he in all cases gives what is asked for or some- thing better. So prayers went up from the north and the south at the time of our civil war, and they were all an- swered at Gettysburg You cannot make me believe tbat God answered on- ly the northern prayers, for there were just as devout prayers answered south of Mason and Dixon's line as north of it, and God gave what was asked for, or something as much more valuable, as house and lot are worth more than sheet of music. There is not a good and intelligent man between the gulf of Mexico and the St. Lawrence river who does not believe that God did the best thing possible when he stood this nation down in 1865 a glorious unity, never to be rent until the waters of the Ohio and the Savannah, the Hudson and the Alabama, are licked up by the long, red tongues of a world on fire. Yea, God sometimes answers prayers on large scale.
 The Opened Sea.
 In worse predicament nation never was than the Israelitish nation on the banks of the Red sea, the rattling shields and the clattering hoofs of an overwhelming host close after them. An army could just as easily wade through the Atlantic ocean from New York to Liverpool as the Israelites could have waded through the Red sea. You need to sail on its waters to real ize how big it is. How was the crossing effected? By prayer. Exodus xiv, 15: And the Lord said unto Moses: Where fore criest thou unto me? Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go for ward"-that is, "Stop praying and take the answer. ' And then the waters began to be agitated and swung this way and that way, and the ripple be- came a pillow, and the pillow climbed other pillows, and now they rise into walls of sapphire, and invisible trowels mason them into firmness, and the walls become like mountains, topped and turreted and domed with crags of crystal, and God throws an invisible chain around the feet of those moun- tains, so that they are obliged to stand still, and there, right before the Israel itish army, is turnpike road, with all the emerald gates swung wide open. The passing host did not even get their feet wet. They passed dry shod, the bot tom of the sea as hard as the pavement of Pennsylvania avenue or New York's Broadway or London's Strand. Oh, what God they had Or think will change that and say, "What God we naver' ..
 What power put its hands upon as- tronomy in Joshua's time and made the sun and moon stand still? Joshua x, 12, "Then spoke Joshua unto the Lord. 1" Prayerl As giant will take two or fous great globes and in astounding way swing them this way or that or hold two of them at arms length, go the Omnipotent does as he will with the great orbs of worlds, with wheeling cancellations and circliug galaxies, swinging easily star around star, star tossed after star or sun and moon held out at arms length and perfectly still, as in answer to Joshua's prayer. To God the largest world is pebble.
 A Righteous selfshness.
 Another reason why we should obey the Pauline injunction of the text and pray for all that are. in authority is that so very much of our own prosperity and happiness are involved in their do- ings. A selfish reason, you say. Yes, but righteous selfshness, like that which leads you to take care of your own health and preserve your own life. Prosperous government means a pros- porous people. Damaged government means damaged people. We all go up together, or we all go down together. When we pray for our rulers, we pray for ourselves, for our homes, for the easier gaining of livelihood, for bet e, ,ks l,n hurling of these hard times so far down the embankment they can never climb up again. Do not look at anything that pertains to public interest as having no relation to yourself. We are touched by all the events in our national histo- ry, by the signing of the compact in the cabin of the Mayfower, by the small ship, the Half Moon, sailing up the Hudson, by the treaty of William Penn, by the hand that made the "Liberty bell" sound its first stroke, by Old Iron sides blowing the high seas, and, if touched by all the events of past Amer ica, certainly by all the events of the present day. Every prayer you make for our rulers, if the prayer be of the right stamp and worth anything, has re- bound of benediction for your own body, mind and soul.
 Another reason for obedience to my text is that the prosperity of this coun- try is coming, and we want hand in helping on its coming. At any rate I do. It is matter of honest satisfaction to soldier, after some great battle has been fought and some great victory won, to be able to say: "Yes, was there. I was in the brigade that stormed those heights. was in that bayonet charge that put the enemy to flight. We'll, the day will come when all the finan- cial, political and moral foes of this re- public will be driven back and driven down by the prosperities that are now