The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-08-10

"AASCA AAo0 uAuCA OSay uQICCSOluS 1
verses as to the tongue. He here shows
to use 1t discreetly and safely. He
begin: But above all things, my
brethren, yea not" Examine this. |
But above ali things" How great the
sin must be to be rebuked and forbid |
den with a sweeping declaration. It :
must be a most wanton, wicked, awful /,
sin to be thus rebuked. Above all /
things" Nothing a. be worse or more |
offensive, or more Of the devil. Do not
swear, do not curse, do not transgress |
Gods law and offend thus the Divine |
Majesty. Do not swear by any oath
Of any kind, neither by Heaven, neith- |
er by the earth. neither by any other |
OATH" Avoid lei profanity, such vain |
babblings, such litter practice as
swearing. Do not thus offend, for it
is a plain, sure, unmistakable device |
Of the great enemy Of souls. The au-
thor says-"But let your yea be yea;
and your nay, nay; lest We fall into |
condemnation" Take heed to these
words. Let your tongue be we'll con-
trolled, your words be words of discre- |
ton and truth. lest you offend the God
of Heaven and be exposed to that pun
ishment that follows transgression.
This is the very best of advice. But
while it is wrong and sinful and per-
ilous to provoke Heaven by a p~rofane
and foolish use of the tongue, there is
a wise, a blessed way in which it may
be employed with great advantage and
assured b~lessing-in holy exercises Of
~religion-in the worship of Jehovah, in
offering the incense of prayer n sup
plication as we'll as in praise. In the
18th verse ST. James tells us to pray
when there is affection and to sing
psalms when the hear is merry. Do
not swear, 10 not take Gods holy name
in vain, when Affections nd SORROWS
and suffering come. Do not do that
heineous, offensive thing, but pray to
God and when you have joy and glad
ness in the soul make melody, sing
psalms to Gods glory. He gives direc-
tons as to praying for the sick, but we
do not dwell here. We come to an
SAASA NAS VI Jul
sins one to another. He says we must
confess our faults one to another, and
pray one for another" This is good and
wholesome. We need each others
help, we need the prayers of good men
and m How the great Paul solic-
tied the prayers Of his brethren. Let us
pray one for another believing in
Gods power and willingness to bless,
believing in the efficacy of sincere
prayer offered for one another in the
name Of the Lord. Let us pray in the
full assurance Of prayer-in it's power
to bring down Heavens benedictions,
in securing that help we need so much
in every time of need. st. James wrote
more than eighteen hundred years ago
that "the effectual, fervent prayer of
a righteous man availeth much" Mark
the words, the condition of availabili-
ty-effectual, fervent, righteous. 1t was
true when he penned it; it is just as
true now in this end of the nineteenth
century. God hears and answers pray
er today as willingly, as gladly, as
surely as he did in the first century af-
ter Christ. The declaration, the promise
given should be wings to prayer, ex-
citing holy ardors and earnest petition
and a lively faith. 1t ought to give
speed to the Christians thought and
energy to the earnest petition for help
and blessing. 1t ought to give free
dom in s~upplication and make the ap-
peal to Heaven freighted with a glori-
GUS hope and expectancy. This promise
given Of gertrude, of efficiency, should
impel us to confidence when we pray
for one another, in confessing our own
faults to each other. Let us not hope
to justify ourselves or one another. Let
us not conceal our faults from the
brethren or cloak them or dissemble
before Almighty God. How vain, how
futile this course. We ought to be
earnestly DESTROYS to be prayed for by
our brethren in the Lord, Gods faith
full ones. We ought in turn to pray
most sincerely, most ardently, most
heartily for them. pray one for an
other."St. James shows how Elijah
succeeded in the matter Of rain by his
earnest I'VE From this he draws
a lesson for our encouragement and
joy. We are taught first how much
good and power come from true, earn
est, effectual prayer. God answered
Elijah. He prayed for a drought for
six months, and it was answered. He
prayed again for rain and it came,
land the earth brought forth her
fruit" We may hope to do good by
praying if we pray in faith, nothing
doubling" We may be very useful in
helping others On to salvation and by
u prayers. Says the divine writer
Let him know, that he which vonvert-
eth a sinner from the error of his way
shall save a SOU from death" What a
promise! In that precious promise is
wrapt I'D the salvation of many an