St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1900-12-15

asked the meaning Of the pessags. I'm
slant in prayer" be said: IF you vii
not mistake and think am setting my
self up as an example, which I am not
I will give an illustration from my owl
habit. I have 60 fixed the habit o,
prayer in my mind that never rais>
| q glass Of water to my lips without I
moments asking of Gods blessing.
never seal . letter without putting q
word Of prayer under the seal. I neve,
take letter from the post without Z
brief sending of my thoughts Heaven
ward. / never change my classes in
the section room without a minutes
petition for the cadets who go nut and
those who come in" Don't you some.
times forget?" said Q friend. He re.
piled: II think can say that ]
scarcely do. The habit has become al
most as fixed as breathing" But"
says some one from different section
of the country from that in which Gen.
Jackson lived, "were his prayers an.
swered?" Yes, as earnest prayers are
always answered, in Gods way, which
is often quite different 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
OF the rope Of prayer mentioned by
John Newton, who was converted on
shipboard from being . blasphen,ous
sailor to become a great preacher OF
Righteousness. and who said: when I
first amused myself with going to sea,
when the winds rose and the waves be-
came rough, tumbled and tossed
about like porpoise in the water. At
last caught hold of . rope that was
floating about, and then was enabled
to stand upright. So when in prayer
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 hearer, I will tell you the time
when you can afford to cease praying.
1t will be when you have no sins to be
pardoned, no sorrows to be comforted,
no more friends or foes who need your
intercessions. Queen Elizabeth said to
Walter Raleigh: Raleigh, when will
You stop begging?" Raleigh replied:
When your majesty leaves of giving"
And your time, my hearer, to stop
prayer will be when God has no more
pardon and mercy and strength to be-
stow and the resources Of the Infinite
are exhausted. Havelock knew the
value of prayer when he arose at four
O'Clock in the morning for his devo-
tons. The soldiers Of the Fourteenth
Massachusetts regiment showed that
they knew the joy of worship when
they took a delegate Of the Christian
to sse what they called
their praying place"
Now, il God has during these re.
shown us the uses, the inn
portance, the blessedness Of prayer,
suppose we try to do what Job did
when he prayed for his exasperators.
Many OF us at the beginning =. this |
subject felt that. while we could pray
Tor ourselves and pray for those who |
we're kind to us, we never could reach |
the high point of religious experience |
N which we could pray for those who |
annoy and make us feel worse instead |
If feeling better. That was a Natter
,orn. that was an Alp, to the top OF
which we feared we could never climb
out we thank God that by his omnipo
.ent grace we have reached that height
It last. Let us pray! O Christ, who
lidst pray for thine assassins. we now
,ray for those who despitefully use NJ
md say all manner of evil against Us
For their eternal sa.vation we suppl.
ate. When time is no more, may they
'eign on thrones and wear coronets
md sway scepters of Heavenly domin-
on. Meanwhile take the bitterness
rom their soul and make them soon
hink as well of us as now they think
vii. Spare their bodies from pain and
heir households from bereavement.
After all the misunderstanding and
Of this life are over, may
re keep with them eternal jubilee in
he mansions on the hill. And as Thou
idst turn the captivity Of Job when he
ad prayed for those who bldly used
i'm and health came to his body and
to his estate, now that we
ave by Thy grace been able to make
for our antagonists. cure
ur diseases il we are i'll, and restore
ur estate if it has scattered, and awak-
n gladness in our homesteads, II
hey have been bereft, and turn the
aptivity of our physical pain or finan-
ial misfortune or mental distress.
nd Thine shall be the Kingdom and
he power and the glory forever and
YER. Amen.