The age-herald., 1901-01-07

supreme glory and salvation of our God? Shall it be ours to sanctify the home, null tiply friendship. dignlfy citizenship, and ex- alt Christianity? It may be ours! Thank God 1t shall be ours to do all this, and more, if we will but this day begin to search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord If we will but lift up our hearts with our hands unto God in the heavens and continue so to do until God and conscious speak approval and commen- dation.
 q" Lift up our hearts with our hands unto God in the heavensr Ahl I wonder how many of us realize fully what to do this means. I wonder how many of us realize fully what to do this means I wonder now many of us who have this knowledge put that knowledge into practice when we pray. And yet unless God is honored according to this meaning we do but mock Him in our prayers. Lift up our hearts with our hands unto Ged in the heavenst Hold up my hand with my heart upon it. and offer that heart with all it's secrets and its sins unto God when I pray. This is the mean ing of these words of the text. How often do hold up my hand in prayer to God when my heart Is neither on that hand nor in that prayer? What an insult to Him; what an injury to self Wha. does it mean to hold up my hand? It means that assert my heart is lifted up with 1t, whether 1t be true not. enter ourt of law or equi- ty to testify according to my knowledge of the facts in cause therein pending be- fore the bei~L.. In the presence of the judge I raise my hand, and what does that mean? It means that l call upon God to be my witness before men tihat in the testimony I shall speak, shall lay bare my heart and tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth It means that l take an oath, the violation of which is such a hein- ous crime in the eye of the law that against indictment and conviction for that crime the statute of limitation runs almost to the extreme limit. For long erm of years &C., ton of prosecution is not barred.
 ''I enter into the court of God. I lift up my hand unto Him in the heavens, and what does 1t mean? It means that I call upon earth and men, upon angels and arch- angels to be my witness before God that the intent motive and desire of my heart is in full and honest accord with the action of my uplifted hand! It means that peti- tion the Lord, "As my heart is toward Thee, so may Thy favor rest upon me-" It means that I will discharge the obligation of His justice, if He will let fall upon me the dew of His mercy. And if it ever has other meaning than this, that other meaning is that in the court of Heaven and presence of angels we are perjure ers as in the former case would we similarly be in the courts of earth and presence of men. It Is solemn thing to make oath before men. No man of sanity and sense ever does it with out feeling of its deep responsibility. It is an awful thing to make covenant with God. No man of repentance and resolve ever does it without an overwhelming sense without, in intent, feigned or real, making of its stupendous awe. And yet man ever lifts up his hand to God in the heavens covenant with Him. No wonder the Saw for commanded, Use not vain repetitions when ye pray; but after this manner pray ye: Our Father which art in Heaven
 Our Father so that proper conviction and appreciation of the Fathers love and position might crush all tendency to pre- tense, prevarication and pre-occupation in the child's petition. e
 Brethren to us is the Divine command, Men ought always to pray, and not to faint Let us never cease to pray without feint. Let hands ever be raised to God in the heavens, but let our hearts always be lifted up with our hands. And then, no matter what our past, our present is safe, our future glorious For in the court of God the bar to prosecution for crime past may by us in this life be raised at will. We may plead the statute of limitation at any time. It is the statute of the gospel of Christ sealed in the blood of its author. For even hereunto are we called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that we should follow His steps. Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead unto sins, should live unto righteousness by Whose stripes we are healed For we are sheep going astray, but are now re- turned unto the shepherd and bishop of our souls
 .On the threshold of this new epoch of time, let it be so that we do now return Return again to the Lord, searching and trying our ways and lifting up our hearts with our hands unto God in the heavens Let us honestly commune with our Father in secret, so that hearing us in secret, He will reward us openly. Reward openly in granting us full recognition of our pres ent condition; in inspiring us to discharge our immediate obligation, and in assuring us of future successful accomplishment in the more perfect conservation of self, the purity and peace of home, thecharityand esteem of friend the honor and respect of fee, and the favor, love and rest of God!
 Father, l scarcely dare to pray,
 So clear l see, now it is done,
 That l have wasted half my day,
 And left my work but just begun.
 So clear I see that things I thought
 Were right or harmless, were a sin; So clear 1 see that l have sought,
 Unconscious, selfish aims to win.
 So clear I see that 1 have hurt
 I iuht hau tn axya. That l have slothful been, inert,
 Deaf to the calls Thy leaders gave.
 In outskirts of Thy kingdom vast, Father, the humblest spot give me; Set me the lowliest task Thou hast, Let me, repentant, work for Thee.' May this be the language and desire of every heart, and may God bless the preach ing of His word this hour Amen"