Virginia gazette. [volume] (Williamsburg, Va.) 1893-192?, 1900-11-17

psfaforn- lou ought &c pity thsm. Tor
defamers and 6etractors and the en-
vious and Jealous are not happy. They |
hurt themselves more than they hurt |
you. Better be the pursued than the |
pursuer. Better be the infant Christ |
than Herod. the rcbbcr os the Beth |
iehem cradles. You want TO be bet |
ter man. You want 10 be n better |
woman. Then scale this height OF sri- |
umphant prayer. and YOU will be ten
times more of g Christian than you
ever have been. 1t will prolong your
life. as IL prolonged Jobs life. You
will ieel a glorious reaction that will
last through oil time and ali eternity.
II will steady your nerves. IL Will re-
ducs your spleen. II will regulate the
pulsation OF your heart
Prayer is what some one has called
"the slender nerve that moveth the
muscles OF omnipotence." Prayer is the
healthful respiration OF the soul. IL 10
the whisper of helplessness into the car
OF help. IL is laying hold OF almighti-
ness. omniscience and omnipresence at
one and the same time. Prayer enlists
all Divine and angelic reinforcement.
Prayer Is laying hold OF a pulley fas-
tened 20 the Heavenly throne. Prayer
/ u
| and IA is heard in the last gasp OF
earthly Christian experiences. Prayer,
| In an instant il mounts the highest
heavens. Neither seraph nor arch
| angel ever flew swifter or higher than
| the infants petition at her mothers
knee. What an opportunity is prayer,
| Why not oftener use IL praying for
ourselves? What better work would
i
live. what better hopes would we en-
terrain, IL we multiplied and intensi-
fed our prayers!
Some one asked a soldier OF stone
| wall jackson the secret OF the great
! generals influence over his men. "Does
your general abuse you. swear at you.
TO make you march2' Swear" re
piled the soldier. mol" Eweil does
the swearing. Stonewall does the
praying. When Stonewall wants Us
TO march. he looks at us soberly. jus;
IS II he were sorry for Us. and says:
Men. we have got 10 make long
march We always know when there
is going 20 be long march and right
smart fighting. for Stonewall is pow
erful on prayer just before a big
| fight"
In all the tossing OF this life lay hold
OF the rope Of prayer mentioned by
John Newton, who was converted on
shipboard from being a blasphemous
sailor 10 become a great preacher OF
righteousness, and who said; when
first amused myself with going TO sea.
when the winds rose and the waves be-
came rough. I tumbled and tossed
about like a porpoise in the water. At
last I eaught hold OF a rope that was
floating about. and then I was enabled
20 stand upright. SO when in prayer a
multitude Of troublous thoughts in
wade your peace, or when the winds and
waves OF temptation arise, look out
for the rope and stay yourselves on the
faithfulness Of God keeping His prom
ises"
Ny nearer. will tell you the time
when you csn afford 20 cease praying
10 viii be when you have no sins 20 bs
pardoned, no sorrows 20 be comforted
no more friends or foes who need YOU
I, intercessions. Queen Elizabeth said e
Walter Raleigh: Raleigh. when viii
you stop begging2" Raleigh replied
When your majesty leaves of giving.
And your time. my nearer, - stol
prayer will be when God has no mon,
pardon and mercy and strength 10 be
stow and the resources OF the Infinit.
are exhausted. Havslock knew tn
value OF prayer when he arose at fou
o'clock in the morning for his devo
| lions. The soldiers of the Fourteenth
Massachusetts regiment showed tina
they knew the JOY OF worship whei
they took a delegate OF the Christian
commission 20 see what they calle'
= their praying place"
Now, il God has during these re
marks shown US the uses. shs In
portanoe. the blesSedneSs OF prayer
= suppose we try TO do what Job al
when he prayed for his exasperatori
Many OF US az the beginning OF thi
subject felt that, while we could pra
for ourselves and pray for those VIII
were kind 10 Va, we never could reac
> the high point Of religious experienc
In which we could pray for those VIII
annoy and make US feel worse instea
= of feeling better. That was a Matte
horn. that was An Alp. 10 the top
. which we feared We could never elm
y but We thank God that by his omnip'
- tent grace We have reached that heigi
- at last. Let us pray! o Christ. WI
- didst pray for thine a<sAssins, Ne no
pray for those who dsspisefully use
= and say all manner of evil against u
= For their eternal salvation We suppl
!" cate. When time 10 no more, may the
{" reie1 on thrones and wear corone
.e and sway scepters OF Heavenly domi
." ion. Meanwhile take the bitterne
II kalw L.