St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1897-05-15

COVINGTON
PRAYER FOR OUR RULERS
Rev. Dr. Talmage Preaches on the
Duty Of Constant Prayer.
Gods Help should b Invoked foe the
Guidance Of Those In Authority
Come Of the Reasons There
for Ally PFeseatsA.
Tho following discourse by Rev T..
Dewitt Talmage was delivered before
his Washington congregation, being
based on the text:
! exhort, therefore, that first Of al. suppli-
cations, prayers. intcrcessions. and giving OF
thanks. be made for al men; for kings. and for
Ill that are in authority.-Timothy IL, l.
That which London is to Engla nd
Paris to France, Berlin to Germany,
Rome to Italy, Vienna to Austria, St
Petersburg to Russia, Washington is to
the United States republic. The peo-
pie who live here see more of the chief
men of the nation than any who live
anywhere else between the Atlantic
and Pacific oceans. If senator, or
member Of the house Of representa-
tives, or supreme court justice, or sec
retary Of the cabinet, or represents
tive of foreign nation enters . public
assembly in any other city, his coming
and going are remarked upon and un-
usual Difference is paid to him. In this
capital there arc 20 many political
chieftains in our churches, our streets,
our halls, that their coming and going
make noexcitement The Swiss seldom
look up to the Matterhorn, or jung
frau, of Mont Blanc, because those peo-
pie are used to the Alps. So we 1T this
capital are 70 accustomed to walk
among mountains of official and po-
itical eminence that they are
not to us . great novelty. Morning,
noon and night we meet the giants
But there is no place on earth where
the importance of the Pauline injunc-
tion to prayer for those in eminent
place ought to be better appreciated.
At this time, when our public men
have before them the rescue of our na-
tional treasury from appalling deficits,
and the Cuban question, and the arbi-
tration question, and in many depart
mcnts men are taking important posi-
tions which are to them new and un-
tried, I would like to quote my text
with = whole tonnage of emphasis
words written by the SCARED mission
ary to the young theologian Timothy:
II exhort, therefore, that first Of Ill,
applications. prayers, intercessions.
and giving of thanks be made for all
men; for kings. and for all that are in
authority"
II have the time, and do not forget
some of them. before get through l
will give you four or five reasons why
the people Of the United States ought
to make earnest and continuous prayer
for those in eminent place.
First, because that will put ~ In
proper attitude toward the successful
men Of the nation. After you have
prayed for = man you will do him JUS
lice. There is . bad streak in human
nature that demands us to assail those
that are more successful than our
selves. It shows itself in boyhood
when the lads, all running to get their
ride on the back of carriage, and one
gets on, those failing to get on shout
TO the driver: Cut behind" Unsuc-
>essful men seldom like those who in
any department are successful. The
cry is, He is = political accident" or
He bought his way up" or 1T just
happened 80" and there is m impa-
tient waiting for him to come down
more rapidly than he went up. The
best cure for such cynicism is prayer.
After we have risen from our
knees we will be wishing the
official good instead Of evil. We
will be hoping for him benediction
rather than malediction. II he makes
. mistake we will call it . mistake in
stead of malfeasance in Office. And,
oh! how much happier we will be; for
wishing one evil is diabolic, but wish
ing one good il sanity, is angelic, is
Eod-like. When the Lord drops . man
into depths beyond which there is NO
lower depths, He allows him to be put
On an investigation committee with the
one hope Of finding something wrong.
In general assemblies of the Presbyte-
eian church, in conference of the Meth
odist church, in conventions of the
Episcopal church, in house Of repre-
sentatives, in senate Of the United
States there are men always glad to be
appointed on the committee of malo-
1ors, while there are those who are
glad to be put ON the committee
81 eulogiums. After you have prayed,
in the words of my text. for all
that are in authority, you will
say: Brethren, Gentlemen. Mr.. Chair
man, excuse me from serving on the
committee Of malodors, for last night
lust before prayed for those in emf
oent position, 1 read that chapter in
Corinthians about charity which
.hopeth all things and 'thinketh no
evil The committee Of malodors is an
important committee, but here now
declare that those are incompetent for
It's work who have, not in spirit Of
.onventionality, but in spirit of earnest
importantly, prayed for those in high
position. I can not help it but do
like . st. Bernard better than . blood
hound, and I would rather be . hum
ming bird among honey -suclkles than .
:row swooping upon field carcasses"
Another reason why we should pray
for those in eminent place is because
they have such multiplied perplexitics.
This city at this time holds hundreds Of
men who are expectant Of preferment,
md United States mail bags, - never
before, are full Of applications Let
me say have no sympathy.with either
the uttered or printed sneer 1t what
sre called s'oA3ce seekers." II 1 had
not already received appointment -
minister plenipotentiary from the high
SQUIRT Of Heavens every minister of
the Gospel has-and had 1t my back
family for whom wished to achieve
. livelihood, there Is no employer
whose service would sooner seek than
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