Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1900-11-16

fatal disease suddenly relaxes its grasp
| OF the patient. and he rccovers Not
one law of nature has been fractured.
Prayer may have given the sudden
turn TO that illness. A business man
may be in difficulty Observation-Disclosures
cages against him foreclosing. goods to
be sold for some reason become unsal-
able. new Invention i'm machinery max
ing the old machinery OF his factory
worthless, all kinds of commercial
troubles bouncing upon him at once.
Most business men have at least once
In their lives been put IN such agoniz-
Ing crisis, but the harried merchant or
manufacturer gets out of 1t. Creditors
become leniept. the wheels that were
made useless for making one kind of
fabric turn out to be good for making
another style of fabric, the stock of
| goods that could not be sold comes into
unexpected demand. and whereas al,
things were against him all things are
| now for him. No law OF nature Is,
broken and no law of trade Prayer
may have given that extrication. God.
by making law, does not tie his own
hands with 1t. If you are free 20 do
what you are asked to 10. is not God
jus; as free. or are you mighticr tnan
your Maker?
| Prayers Answered.
| What scene 1t was when that whal-
| ing ship. after a cruise OF three years.
| approached a New England harl,orl
| From the shore the mother knew that
1t was the ship In which her sou was
sailing. but hurricane struck the shin
and destroyed ii on the rocks. and the
wreckage was strcwn on the beach.
But the mother continued all night In
prayer for her sons safety. and in the
morning n knock was heard at her
door. and the door opened. and in came
her long absent boy exclaiming. "Moth-
er. knew you would pray me home"
But you need not go so far for inustra.
Gon- have In my own life had an.
| 5wers to prayer so pointed, so direct.
SO startling. that dare not recite them
lest | be misunderstood could pick
many startling instances right out OF
this audience. You dare not doubt the
| integrity OF those who present such
| evidence. You would believe them as
witnesses liz 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
nave seen and felt in answer to pray
er. Silent prayer, audible prayer, ejac-
uiatory prayer, microscopy prayer. ex-
temporancous prayer. liturgical pray
or, prayer In the morning to start the
day right, prayer in the evening to cor
rect the mistakes of the day. prayer at
the beginning of the year as we launch
out upon Its uncertainties. and prayer
at the close of the year reviewing the
vicissitudes of the u months, PRAYER
Tor ourselves, prayer for others, not
formal and heartless prayer. which Is
or no more use than the prayer OF the
teathen OF Timbuktu, who writes his
| petition on board and then WISHES II
OIL and catches the water In n Gun. Civ
ing 1t TO the sick to drink for recovery
Many Of the prayers offered In Chris
tan lands are as senseless as these
artificial prayers of the pagans. What
Is needed is not only heartfelt PRAYER.
but direct prayer, such as David mon
ions, drawing his figure from archery.
with Its bow and arrows. As the notch
or the arrow is put against the string
or the bow and then the archer takes
aim and In fash the arrow strikes
the mark. so David resolves that his
prayers shall not be aimless. He aims
his prayer at the heavens, "To thee
Will direct my prayer" "Havc Won
said your prayers?" Is a misleading
question. You may say your prayers n
thousand times without praying. The
Bible speaks OF Elias, "who prayed In
MS prayer" implying that one can
seem TO pray when no prayer is Of
fered. Prayer Is the soul on the wing.
IL Is the private door into the Kings
palace. IL Is the barometer showing
what the spiritual weather VIII be. 1t
Is stepping into the holy OF holies. II
Is biography with the heavens. II Is
the winding up OF the clock OF the i'm
mortal soul II is REORGANIZATION
between the finite and the Infinite
prayer suggested by circumstances.
breath of che souI
prayer is what some one has called
the slender nerve that moveth the
muscles or omnipotence." Prayer Ia
the heaithful respiration OF the soul. IL
Is the whisper OF helplessness Into the
ear OF help. II Is laying hold OF nj
mightiness. omniscience and omnipres-
ence at one aud the same time. Prayer
eniists all divine and angelic REINFORCE
ment. Prayer Is laying hold of n
pulley fastened to the heavenly throne
Prayer Is the first breath OF n now
born soul, and IL Is heard In the last
gasp OF earthly Christian experiences
prayer! In an instant II mounts the
highest heavens. Neither scraph nor
srchangel ever few swifter or higher
than the Infants petition at her
mothers knee. What an opportunity is
prayer! Why not oftener use IL pray
ing FOR ourselves and. like Job. prnying
Tor others? What better work would
we do, what better lives would we live
what better hopes would we entertain.
IL we multiplied and intensified our
prayers
Some one asked soldier of Stone
wall jackson the secret Of the great
generals influence over bic aicn. Does
your general abuse you, swear at YOU.
to make you march?' Swear, re-
piled the soldier. mol Ewell does the
swearing; Stonewall does the prayinc.
When Stonewail wants us TO march.
ne looks at us soberly, just as If he
were sorry for us, and says. Men, we
have got to make long march We
always know when there Is going to be
long march and right smart fighting,
Tor Stonewail is powerful on PRAYER
just before big fight" When Stone
wall Jackson was asked the meaning
or the passage instant In prayer" he
said: IF you will not mistake and
think am setting myself up as an
example, which am not. will give an
Illustration from my own habit. | have
SO fixed the habit Of prayer In my mind
that never raise glass OF water to
my lips without moments asking Of
Gods blessing; never seal q letter
without putting word OF prayer un.
der the seal: never take n letter from !
the post without brief sending of my |
thoughts heavenward; never change |