The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1897-04-16

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prayer hoped for, but He In all cases gives
what Is asked for or something better. 80
prayers went up from the North and the
south at the time OF our Civil War, and they
were all answered at Gettysburg. You oan-
only the Northern prayers, for there were
Just as devout prayers answered south of
Mason and Dixon's line as north OF II, and
tod gave what was asked for, or something
as much moro valuable as a house and LOT
are worth more than sheet Of music. There
is not good an intelligent man between the
Gulf OF Mexico and the st. Lawrence River
VINO does not believe that God did the best
thing possible when He s,ood this Nation
down In 1865 glorious unity, never to be
rent until the waters OF the Ohio aud the Sa-
vannah, the Hudson and the Alabama. are
Hcked up by the long, red tongues Of world
on nre. Yea, God sometimes answers pray
ers on large scale.
In worse predicament nation never was
tnan the Israelitish nation on the banks of
the Red Sea, the rafting shields ana the
ciaftertng hoofs OF an overwhelming host
CLOSE after them. An army could just rs
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 water to realize how big
rs. How was the crossing effected? By
said unto Moses: wherefore criest thou
unto Me2 Speak unto the children OF Israel,
that they go forward"-that is, "Stop pray
Ing and take the answer" And then the
water began to be agitated and swung this
way and that way, and the ripple became
pillow, a1d the billow climbed other pillows,
and now they rise into walls of sapphire, and
invisible trowels mason them into flrmness,
and the walls become like mountains, topped
ana turreted and domed with crags Of crys-
tai, and God throws IN invisible chain
around the feet Of those mountains, 80 that
they are obliged to stand still, and there.
right before the Isrnelitish army, is turn
pike road, with all the emerald gates swung
wide open. The passing host did not even
get their feet wet. They passed dry shoi !,
the bottom OF the sea rs hard as the pave
ment OF Pennsylvania avenue to New York's
broadway or London's Strand. Oh, what
God they had! Or think will change that
and say, "What God we have!"
What power puts 1t hands upon astron-
omy In Joshua's time and made the sun and
moon stand still2 Joshua K, IL, "Then spoke
Joshua unto the Lord" Prayer2 AS giant
founding way swing them this way or that,
or hold two OF them Mt arms length, so the
Omntpotent does as He will with the great
orbs OF worlds, with wheeling consultations
ana circltng galaxtes, swinging easily star
around star, star tossed after star, or sun
and moon held out ut arms length and per-
fectly still, as in answer to Joshua's prayer.
10 God the largest world is q pebble.
Another reason why we should obey the
Pauline injunction OF the text and pray for
much OF our own prosperity and happiness
are involved In their doings. A selfish rea-
son, you say. Yes, but a righteous selfish.
ness, like that which leads you to take care
own life. Prosperous government means
prosperous people. Damaged government
means damaged people. We all go up
together, or we all 90 down together.
when we pray for our rulers, we pray for
ourselves, for our homes. for the easier gain
Ing OF a livelihood, for better prospects for
our children, for the hurting Of these hard
times SO far down the embankment they can
never climb up again. Do not look mt any
thing that pertains to public interest as hav-
Ing no relation to yourself. We are touched
by all the events In our national history, by
the signing OF the compact In the cabin OF
the Mayhower, by the small ship, the Halt
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
ironsides plowing the high seas. end, II
touched ny ell the events Of past America, GER
tafnly by all the events Of the present day.
Every prayer you make for our rulers, IL the
prayer be Of the right stamp and worth any
thing. has rebound Of benediction for your
own body, mind and soul.
Another reason for obedience to my text
is that the prosperity OF this country is COM
Ing, and we want a hand in helping.on It's
comins At any rate do. It is matter of
honest satisfaction to n soldier, after some
great battle has been fought and some great
victory won, to be able to say: "Yes, was
there. was in the brigade that stormed
those heights. L was in that bavonet charge
that put the enemy to flight" Well the day
Will come when all the financial, political
and moral foes OF this republic will be driven
back and driven down by the prosperlties
that are now on their way, but which come
with SLOW tread and in "fatigue dress" when
we want them to take "the double quick"
by our prayers we may stand on the noun
tain top and beckon them on and show them
a shorter cut. Yea. In answer to our pray-
ers the LORD God of Hosts may from the high
heavens command them forward, swlfter
than mounted troops ever took the field Mt
Eyau or Austerlitz-
That was beautiful and appropriate at the
laying OF the cornerstone Of tho extension of
the Capitol fifty-eight years after the corner
stone OF the old Capitol had been laid. Yet
laid in 1776 aud at the re-establishment of
our National Government was laid again in
1860. But are we not ready for the laying
OF the cornerstone OF a broader and higher
National life2 We have rs Nation received
30 much from God. Do we not owe new
I; ;;,9 Are We not rea iy to become
we not ready for such cornefstb9QiHE' To, Ytr:
Why not now let 1t take place? With long
procession of prayers, moving from the north
and the south, the east and the west, lot tho
scene be made august beyond comparison:
The God Of nations, who hath dealt with
US rs WIFI no Otner people, VIII pEoSiuo a. tho
BY the square and the level
and the plumb CT the everlasting right let
the corner stone be adjusted. Let that cor.
nerstone be the masoning together OF the
two granite tables on which the law was
written when Sinai shook with tho earth
quake, and inside that cornerstone put the
sermon on the mount and scroll containing
the names OF all the men and women who
have fought and prayed and toiled for the
good of this nation, from the first martyr of
the American Revolution down to the last
woman who bound up a soldiers wounds In
the field hospital. And let some one worthy
to do 80 strike the stone three times with the
gospel hammer in the name OF God the
Father, God the Son and God the Holy
G. nost. Then let the building rise. one wall
layed by the Pacific ocean and the other
washed OF the Atlantic, until its capstone
shall be laid amid the shouting OF
all nations, by that time rs tree as our own
divinely founded, divineiy constructed, and