The Washington weekly post., 1900-11-13

are free 10 do what YOU are asked 10 %,
Is not God just as free. or are you might
Ter than your Maker?
1T is too late In the history OF the
church and the world to deny the power
OF prayer. In any audience IL whien
there are one hundred Christians seventy
FIVE or them az least could give yoi IN
stances In their own life where prayer
was answered. IT. Buckingham. England.
a man after a long illness died An evil
ieighbor then presented the widow
large bin for work done for her hns-
band. bin far beyond her capacity to
pa. AMI she knew that II had been paid
during her husbands lifetime, but she
rad no receipt In her trials she went
upstairs 20 pray While she was praying
a butterfly few into the window down
stairs. and her child chased II until u
fell behind a chest of tools. The child
asked the mother 10 have the chest re-
moved. and while II was being removed
o piece Of paper vas discovered, ana IL
turned out TO be a receipt showing that
the bill had been paid. In reply 10 pray
er Cod sent the butterfly, as in EliJdh
time he seat a raven.
What a scene II WIS when that whal-
ing shio. after cruise OF three years.
approached a New England harbor. From
the shore the mother knew that II was
the ship in which her son was sailing.
But a hurricane struck the ship and de-
stroyed 1t on the rocks. and the wreck
age was strewn on the beach. But the
mother continued all night in prayer for
her sons safety, and in the morning a
. knock was heard at her door and the
door orened and in came her long absent
boy. exclaiming: Mother. / knew you
would pray me home But you need not
81 I hax in my
own life had answers to prayer so point
ed. 30 direct, 50 startling. that | dare not
recite them lest i be misunderstood. 1
could pick many startling instances right
out of this audience Ycu dare not doubt
the integrity OF those who present sucn
evidence You would believe them as
witnesses in any court of law standing
before judge and jury and certainly you
ought TO believe them when they give
solemn testimony as to what they have
seen and felt in answer TO prayer. Silent
prayer: audible prayer; ejsculatory pray
er; microscopy prayer; extemporaneous
prayer; liturgical prayer. Prayer in the
morning 10 start the day right; prayer
in the evening TO correct the mistakes of
the day; PRAYER at the beginning of the
year as we launch out upon its uncertain
ties, and prayer at the close Of the year
reviewing the viscissituGes of the twelve
months. Prayer for ourselves: prayer fer
others; not formal srd heartless prayer,
which is OF no more use than the prayer
of the heather of Timbuctoo, who writes
his petition on board and then washes
it off and catches the water in a cup,
giving il tC the sick TO drink for his re-
cOvery: or the prayer of the people or
Tibet, who put their petition in cylin-
der and turn the crank. and as many
times as the cvlinder turns is the pray
er offered: or the prayer in India. which
is made in behalf of the wealthy by the
people hired to read the Koran day and
NIGHT FOR the benefit of the employer.
"Many Of the prayers offered in Chris
tian lands are as senseless as these arti-
fetal prayers Of the pagans. What is
needed is not only heartfelt prayers. but
direct prayers. such as David mentions,
drawing his figure from archery. with It's
bow and arrows AS the notch Of the ar
row is put against the string Of the bow.
and then the archer takes aim and in a
flash the arrow strikes the mark, so,
David resolves that his prayers shall not
ne aimless He aims his prayer at the
heavens: 'To thee will | direct my pray
err Have you said your prayersT is a
misleading question. You may say your
a
ing The Bible speaks OF Elias. who
prayed in his prayer implying that one
can seem to pray when no prayer is offer
ed Prayer is the soul on the wing. 1t IS
/ the private door into the Kings palace. II
is the barometer showing what the spirit
uaI weather will be. 1t is stepping into
the Holy of Holes. II is telegraphy with
! the heavens. II Is the winding up of the
/ clock of the immortal soul. 1t is inter
communication between the finite and the
/ infinite Prayer suggested by circun1-
/ stances, as when the child went outdoors
/ in the snow to play. and said afterward 10
/ her mother: Mother, / could not help
making the snow prayer and when her
mother asked her what the snow prayer
was. she replied Wash Ne and / Shall
/ be Whittier than Snow
| prayer is what some one has called
| the slender nerve that moveth the mus
/ cles of Omnipotence.' Prayer is the
| healthful respiration of the soul. 1t is the
whisper of helplessness into the car OF
/ help. 1t is laying hold of almightiness,
/ omniscienee, and omnipresence at one
and the same time. Prayer enlists all
divine and angelic reinforcement Pray
er is laying hold of a pulley fastened to
| the heavenly throne. Prayer is the first
breath of a newborn soul, and it is heard
( in the last gasp of earthly Christian expe-
/ riences. Prayer! In an instant 1t mounts
/ the highest heavens. Neither seraph nor
archangel ever flew swifter or higher than
/ the infants petition at her mothers knee
| What an opportunity is prayer Why not
4 Oftener use ii praying for ourselves and
! like job praying for others? What better
work would we do what better lives
| would we live, what better hopes would
we entertain, if we multiplied and intensi-
| fed our pFayersi
"Some one asked a soldier of Stonewal
Jackson the secret of the great generals
! influence over his men. Does your gen
eral abuse you, swear AT you, to make
| ycdamarch? 'Swearr replied the soldier.
| No! Ewell does the swearing: Stonewall
| does the praying. When Stonewall wants
us 10 march he looks at US soberly, Just
as IL he were sorry for us. and says:
Men. We have got 10 make a long
march," We always know when there is
going 10 be a long march and right smart
| fighting, for StoneWall is powerful on
| prayer just before a big fight When
/ Stonewall Jackson was asked the mean
| ing of the passage, instant in prayer he
| said: If you will not mistake and think 1
| am setting myself up as an example,
which l am not ! VIII give an Illustration
| from my own habit. / have so fixed the
| habit Of prayer in my mind that never
raise a glass Of water 10 my lips without
| a moments asking of Gods blessing. /
never seal a letter without putting a
word of prayer under the seal. l never
| take a letter from the post without a brief
sending of my thoughts heayenWard. |
| never change nay classes in the section
/ room without a minutes petition for the
cadets who go out and those who come
| in Don't you sometimes f0rget?' said a
| friend. He replied; I think / can say that
! / scarcely do. The habit has become al
most as fixed as breathing But says
some one from a different section of the
| country from that in which Gen. Jack son
i lived, were 1is prayers answered? Yes.
as earnest prayers are always answered.
in Gods way. which is often quite differ
ent from mans way, and Gods way is
always the best way, while our way may
! be the wrong way.
IN all, the tossing of this life lay hold
4 Of IL