The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1897-12-10

samson and the 1oxes, or upon some
genealogical table, important in its
place, but stirring no more religious
emotion than the announcement that
somebody begat somebody else, and be
begat somebody else, instead of open
ing the book and saying, "Now l must
read for my immortal life; my eternity
is involved in this book.
Common Sense In Prayer.
How little we use common sense in
prayer We say, 80 Lord, give me
this, 4" and 80 Lord, give me that, " and
80 Lord. give me something else, " and
we do not expect to get it, or, getting
it, we do not know we have it. We
have no anxiety about it. We do not
watch and wait for it's coming. AS a
merchant you telegraph or you write to
some other city for bill of goods. You
say, "Send me by such express or by
such steamer or by such rail train. +"
The day arrives You send your wagon
to the depot or to the wharf. The goods
do not come. You Immediately tele-
graph: "What is the matter with those
goods? We haven received them. send
them right away. We want them now.
or we don't want them at all. :" And
you keep writing, and you keep tCle-
graphing and keep sending your wagon
to the depot or to the express Office or
to the wharf until you get the goods. In
matters of religion we are not SO wise
as that. We ask certain things to be
sent from heaven. We do not know
whether they come or not We have not
any special anxiety as to whether they
come or not. We may get them and may
not get them. Instead of at o'clock in
the morning saying, "Have got that
blessing?" at IL o'clock MONDAY asking,
Have got that blessing?" at clock
in the evening saying, "Have received
that blessing?" and not getting it, plead
ing, pleading, begging, begging, asking,
asking until you get it, Now, my breth-
rem, is not that common sense? If we
ask thing from God, who has sworn
by his eternal throne that he will dc
thst which we ask, is it not common
sense that we should watch and wait
until we get it?
But | remark, again, we want more
common sense in doing good. Oh, how
many people there are who want to do
good, and they are dead failures Why
is it? They do not exercise the same
TACT the same ingenuity, the same STRAIT
agem, the same common sense in tho
work of Christ that they do in worldly
things; otherwise they would succeed
in this direction as well as they succeed
in the other. There are many men who
have an arrogant way with them,
though they may not feel arrogant IN
their soul, or they have a patronizing
way. They talk to man of the word
in manner which seems to say Don't
you wish you were as good as l am?
Why, have to look clear down before
can see you, you are so far beneath me. "
That manner always disgusts, always
drives men way from the kingdom Of
Jesus Christ lstead of bringing them in.
Working Naturally For the Gospel.
When was lad, | was one day in
a village store, and there was large
group of young men there full of rollick-
ing and fun, and Christian man came
in, a very good Christian man, and
any introduction of the subject |
and while they were in great hilarity |
said to one of them, George, what is |
the first step OF wisdom?" George look
ed up and said, every man to mind
his own business. Well, it was a very
rough answer, but it was provoked. T. =
ligion had been hurled in there as
though it were bombshell. We must
be natural in the presentation of religion
to the world. Do you suppose that
Mary in her conversations with Christ
ost her simplicity or that Paul, thun-
lering from Mars hill, took the pulpit
zone? Why is it people cannot talk )
in prayer meetings and on re,
igious subjects as they do in worldly
circles? For no one ever succeeds in any
lind of Christian work unless he works
We want to initiate the Lord
Jesus Christ, who plucked poem from
he grass of the field. We all want tc
initiate him who talked with farmers
bout the man who went forth to SOW
md talked with the fishermen about
he drawn net that brought in fish of
ii sorts, and talked with the vine
resser about the idler in the vine
ard, and talked with those newly aft
need about the marriage supper, and
alked with the man cramped in money
matters about the two debtors, and talk
d with the woman about the yeast that
eavened the whole lump, and talked
With the shepherd about the lost sheep.
Oh, we might gather even the stars
the sky and twist them like forget d,
lenots in the garland of Jesusl We .
lust bring everything to him-the
'ealth of language, the tenderness of .
ointment, the delicacy of morning dew, ,.
ne saffron of floating cloud, the tangled
lrf of the tossing sea, the bursting
lunder guns of the storms lombard
lent. Yes, every star must point down
} him, every heliotrope must breathe :
is praise, every drop in the summer :
lower must flash his glory. all the tree !;
ranches of the forest must thrum theil !.
lusic in the grand march which shall '
slebrate world redeemed.
Now, all this being so, what is the !.
sense thing for you and for ne :