The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-04-28
whc ooes not helieve that God did the best

on fire. Yea, God sometimes answers pray.
ers on large scale.
In worse predicament nation never was
than the Israelitish nation on the banks ot
the Red Sea, the rafting 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 Israeites
could have waded through the Red Sea. You
need to sail on its water to realize how big
il is. How was the crossing effected2 By
Irayer. Exodus xiv. Is: "And the Lord
said unto Moses: Wherefore criest thou
unto Me? Speak unto the children of Israel,
that they 60 forward is. ''Stop pray
ing and take the answer" And then the
water began TO be agitated and swung rnls
way and that way, and the ripple became
bilow and the billow climbed other pillows,
and now they rise into walls Of sapphire, and
invisible trowels mason them into 1rmness,
and the walls become like mountains, topped
and turreted and domed with crags Of crys-
tai. and God throws IN invisible chain
around the feet of those mountains, so that
they are obliged to stand still, and there,
right before the Israelitish army, Is turn
pike road, with all the emerald gates swung
wide open. The passing host did not even
get the feet wet. They passed dry sho1,
the bottom OF the sea as hard as the pave
ment of Pennsylvania avenue to New York's
| BrohnWay OF Lonuon otrauu. VI, "uat d
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, -, "Then spoke
Joshua unto the Lord" Prayer AS giant
will take two or four great globes, and In as
founding way swing them this way or that,
or hold two OF them at arms length, 80 the
Omnipotent does as He will with the great
orbs OF worlds, with wheeling consultations
and circling galaxies, swinging easily star
around star, star tossed after star, or sun
and moon held out at arms length and per-
fectly still, as in answer to Joshua's prayer.
To God the largest world is pebble.
Another reason why we should obey the
Pauline Injunction of the text and pray for
all that are in authority is that 30 very
much Of our own prosperity and happiness
are involved in their doings. A selfish rea-
SON, you say. Yes, but righteous selfish
ness, like that which leads you to take care
of your own health and preserve your
own life. Prosperous government means q
prosperous people. Damaged government
means damaged people. We all go up
together, or we all 20 down together.
When we pray for our rulers, We pray for
ourselves, for our homes, for the easier gain
ing of 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 at 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 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
Ironsides plowing the high seas, and. If
touched by all the events Of past America, GER
tainly by all the events Of the present day.
Every prayer you make for our rulers, II the
prayer be of the right stamp and worth any
thing. has rebound Of benedictton Tor 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 hand in helping on Its
honest satisfaction to a soldier, after some
great battle has been fought and some great
victory won, to be able to say: "Yes, was
there. Twas in the brigade that stormed
those heights. Twas in that bayonet 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 prosperities
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
shorter cut. Yea. In answer to our pray
ers the Lord God of Hosts may from the high
heavens command them forward, swiIter
than mounted troops ever took the field at
Eylau or Austerlitz-
| In 1872 Holland was assailed. Her people
prayed nightly. The ships OF her enemies
waited for the high tides on which to come
in. In answer to the prayers offered the
| fida hefora haf9fn61 fW6lv6
hours, and before that twelve hours had
passed a hurricane swooped upon the
enemies ships and destroyed them, and
Holland was saved. If God detained the
high tide in answer to prayer, will He not
hasten 1t III answer to prayer? Surely 1t
has been low tide long enough. May the
Lord hasten the high tide Of national well
fare American citizens, our best hold Is on
God. We have all seen families In prayer
and churches in prayer. What we want
yet to see is this whole Nation on its knees.
The most OF them are dead-those who in
| 1851 moved in that procession that marched
from the city hall OF Washington down
Louisiana avenue to Seventh street and then
through Pennsylvania avenue to the north
gate of yonder Capitol to lay the cornerstone
Of the extension OF that Capitol. The presi-
dent who that day presided and solemnly
struck that stone three times in dedication
|
| the great orator of that hour are dust, and
the grand master Of that occasion long ago
put down the square and the level and the
plumb with which for the last time he pro-
nounced cornerstone we'll laid. But what
most interests me now is that inside that
cornerstone, in glass jar, hermetically
sealed, is document of national import,
though in poor penmanship. 1t is the pen
ma nship OF Daniel Webster, which almost
ruined the penmanship OF this country for
mahy years. because many thought if they
had Daniel Webster's poor penmanship 1t
might indicate they had Websters genius.
The document reads as follows:
''If it shall hereafter be the will Of God
that this structure shall fall from its base,
that its foundation be upturned and this de-
post be brought to the eyes OF men, be 1t
then known that on this day the Nation OF
the United States of America stands firm;
that their constil ution still exists unim-
paired and with all its original usefulness
and glory. growing every day stronger and
stronger in the affection OF the great body OF
the American people and attracting more
and more the admiration Of the world, and
all here assembled, whether belonging to
public life or to private life, with hearts de-
voutly thankful to Almighty God for the
preservation of the liberty and the happi.
ness of the country, unite in sincere and
fervent prayers that this deposit and the
walls and arches, the domes and towers, the
columns and entablatures now to be erected
over it may endure forever. God save the
United States of America! Daniel Webster,
Secretary of State of the United States"
That was beautiful ana appropriate at the
laying of the cornerstone of the extension Of
the Capitol flfty-eight years after the corner.
stone of the old Capitol had been laid. Yet
the cornerstone of our Republic was first
laid in 1776 and at the re-estabishment OF
J our National Government was laid again in