Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1901-01-07
A M0Ti0 TEXT
The Subject OF sn Interesting Ser
mon Yesterday BY the Rev.
ID. A. Cunningham.
OUTLOOK FOR NEW CENTURY
Discussed and u short Review of the
Fast Century Madc-Church Ma
chinery Dfscussed-The Sermon.

cunningham ueAlNSIcu oil lnlCICotiA5
sermon in the First Presbyterian
Church On the subject, "A Motto Text
for the Week of Prayer and the Tween
tieth Century" He took as his text:
Psalm 65:2, 20 Thou that nearest
prayer unto Thee shall all flesh come
What a delightful title for the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Every right and sincere prayer, is as
surely heard as it is offered. Here the
psalmist brings in the personal pro-
noun thou and we ought to notice
how often thou" thee" and thy
occur in this psalm. David evidently
believed in a personal God, and did
not adore a mere idea or abstraction.
Unto Thee shall all flesh come" He
is rich unto all that call upon Him"
(Rom. 10:12.) Thou art plenteous in
mercy to all that call upon Thee"
psalm $3.50 "A rewarded of them
that diligently seek Him." (Heh
11:6.) This must be believed as GER
tainly as we believe tina. God is. At
the close of the Eighteenth century a
concert of Prayer was observed by
may Christians of both the old world
and the new, and the united inter-
cession was followed by unusual spir-
iUual blessing. And SO, down through
the Nineteenth century, blessed put
pourlngs of the Holy Spirit have come,
In answer to fervent be..eving prayer.
And now what of the opening Twen-
tieth century? Surely there are times
80 10th AnofnlnnC ond 0rQof H an v
iety. On the one hand, there are tok-
ems of the coming of Gods kingdom.
Light is everywhere breaking forth.
In spite of adverse .orces, God is mag
nifying the witness for Himself in
every land. On the other hand, there
is a perilous unrest. There is a dis
position to count this present world
of controlling moment. h sense OF
the worlds inspired supremacy, OF
sins fatal demerit, Of Gods infinite
grace in Christ, of loves atoning sac
ritice, of eternity's decisive awards, is
far too weak. The veritable kingship
of our Lord, the reai sovereignty OF
LIS teaching and commands, His divine
pre-eminence as the way, the TRUTH and
the llfe. are far too highly held.
Meanwhile, the world-movements sweep.
on. Nations are in commotion. Civ
illzations are in conflict. This new
century will be in many ways a de-
cisive century. I. What then so urgent
as true intercession with Him, who,
holding supreme control, has prom
ised to hear and answer united pray
er? The prayers of holy men have
been the agencies, under the providence
of God, whereby the world has been
kept from falling into helpless ruin.
Let true prayer cease to ascend at the
present time, let the voice of supplica-
ton be silent in the Christian closet,
at the family altar, in the churches
and within all hearts, and this world
of ours would relapse into spiritual
barbarism. The kingdom OF God, OF
which prayer is the vital breath. would
perish. Under Gods moral government
OF the worm, prayer mas been ordained
as the means by which, a channel,
through which, His saving life is to be
impaired unto men, and with the de-
struction of this means and the clos
ing up of this channel His divine life
cannot move upon and renew u
hearts. God will be inquired Of He
says ito do this thing for them and
without the earnest inquiry, the sim
cere. faithful and godly prayer of His
people, He will not do this thing for
them. Hear the word of Samuel: God
forbid that | should sin against the
Lord in ceasing to pray for you; but |
will teach you the good and the right
way" Il Sam 12:23.) Samuel COM
pretended the divine plan; men are
to be saved and blessed 10y the use OF
PRAYER and by the use of truth. The
prophet was to intercede for Israel and
to teach them the good and right way;
and so now and always. The gospel is
to be preached, and a noble eXaltatlon
Is given to the proclamation OF truth.
1t is by truth as a means, that men are
both converted and sanctiied. Truth
alone is insufficient; while it is the
agency to move men, prayer is the
agency to move God. Congregations
have the truth proclaimed year after
year and many are not saved by 1t,
but when Gods people have been NOV
ed to pray in the spirit. fulfilling the
conditions of true prayer, then
the truth becomes the power and
wisdom of God unto salvation. The
preaching of truth is continuous. 1t
goes on from January to January, but
still in many churches, in many COM
munities. it does not seem fruitful.
But let the spirit of prayer continue
level with the preaching of the word,
and that word will be continuously eff
fective. A we'll known preacher at
the Worlds Missionary Congress in
New York last April, spoke a few
words on the power of prayer in the
history Of missions. He said that to
him the most impressive place in
Europe was that room in Lincoln Col
lege, Oxford, where in the second and
third decades of the eighteenth CEN
fury John Wesley and the Holy Club
as they were called, met for prayer"
1t was the beginning of a revival which
purified the English churches, gave
Methodism to the world. led to polit-
ical reform in England, and gave birth
to most of the missionary societies
of the nineteenth century. Contem-
poraneous with this movement of the
WesleyS was a similar movement in
America, dating from the prayers and
preaching of Jonathan Edwards, in
Northampton, Mass, resulting in THE
Great Awakening" in our century,
out of which ultimately came the
Home and Foreign visionary Socie-
ties, the revival movement, and the
building of Christian colleges. As one