El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-09-12
Baptist Church.

Rev. W. G.. Millican, pastor of thu
First Baptist church. preached las
night from the text "For behold he
praye tn" Acts Oil. He said in part
Goblin his sovereign love calls all mel
to him. Many a poor soul feels, how
ever, that should he go to God hi,
sins would be so prominent that God
would look at him only to condemn
him. But here we have an instance
| that would lead US to believe that the
| contrary is true; that God rejoices tc
hear even the vilest sinner pray
Here is man who has been the chief
of sinners, boastful Pharisee and 6
prosecutor of the church. But so soon
as he cried out to God
in sincere prayer did God arrange to
send one of his servants to help him.
saying, &C.," help Saul, "for behold he
prayeth. Should child cry for help
tonight, or a house catch fire near this
church, half or all of the audience
would leave the room without cere-
mony. Our nature will not allow US TO
DO otherwise than respond to the call
for help in cases OF extreme physical
danger.
But Gods nature is such that he
must respond to the least cry from the
distressed souls of earth. Yonder in
the temple poor publican prsys,
80
declares that this poor sinner went
down from the temple justified. Along
the highway over there poor blind
beggar calls out, ''Hsve mercy on me. "
At another place along the road
troubled mother, gentle. prays in be-
half of her daughter. And the record
is that Jesus opened the beggar's eyes
and healed the mothers daughter.
And here we have the chief of sinners
. a nd holm nf Gn1
" no one need fear to go to God in
prayer. Him that cometh unto me-"
says Jesus,"I will in no wise cast out. "
The text suggests also, that real
prayer is an Indication of a changed
life. Saul was terror to the Chris
tians. Ananias had heard of the
bloody mission that had led him to
it would be naught but foolish indis-
erection to visit Saul under these cir
cumstances, and that it could but re-
suit in feeding the monster with one
more carcass and robbing Go1 of one
more servant. God knew that this
would be the feeling of Ananias,
and doubtless for this as
we'll as the other reason he
said to Ananias, ''Behold he pray
eth" We involuntarily have deeper
respect for the man who prays than for
the man who does not. 1 have in mind
man who was said to have slightly
shattered mind, but who took his Bible
daily and went daily to some seques-
trated place to read and pray. 1t is
true l could but pity the man because
of his mental condition, but wlthal, L
never passed that man without feeling
as if l ought to lift my hat. When l
was near him felt that L was close to
God. "For behold he prayeth."
he oraatPr nODfldRncR
man who prays than the man who does
not do not mean the man who prays
only in the Sunday school, the prayer
meeting or the regular church service.
| mean the man who goes sincerely
and daily and in the honesty of his
heart un burdens his soul, makes con-
| fession and pleads with God for for
giveness and strength to do right.
Such a man will inspire confidence in
the hearts of the most skeptical and
drive away fear from the most fearful.
Two men were overtaken by nightfall
| iu the Kentucky mountains and sought
| lod cling at q hut kept by an old man
and his wife. The hut was near the
moonshine district, and the peculiar
action of the old couple led the men to
believe that there might be foul-play
before daylight. So they determined
to spend the night awake and with
their hands on their fire arms. About
bed time, however, the old man chang
ed the conversation and said: 1T is
our custom before we sleep to read a
bit from the book and have prayer. Ii
you have no objections we should be
glad to have you take part with Us
to night. These men awere not Chris
tisns. But, said they, never were
men more delighted to take whatever
part they could in a prayer service
| than were we that night. For we knew
that no man who reads from that book
daily and prays as that man prayed
that night would be party to q grlev-
Gus wrong"
Say what you will OF skepticism and
infidelity ,when,oue goes aside and Close
his eyes and mind to carnal things
there is an affinity to the spiritual
world that is wonderful in reality.
And no man who is really bad man
can stand much of it. Let him try it
and he will feel as he never felt before
that there is God and that he is a
guilty sinner in Gods sight. The man
| who tries this long will either quit his
sins or quit shutting himself up thus
with God. An infidel in one OF our
Indiana congregations accepted a
challenge to try it for period OF three
months, and'at the end of ten days he
was converted. "Behold he pray
eth, :" Ananias, and so long as Saul OF
Tarsus prayeth there is no need to fear
him. And brethren. so long as we
pray we have little need to fear our