The evening Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1902-1902, 1902-07-25
A sermon preached by the Rev.
TnI,, C,,n,,o J,,1,- 1nth 1000

1t would not be difficult to de ter
the FOOLS CHARACTER by the con-
sideration of three things about him
This is certain of the fool that trust
eth in his own heart, nam,ly, he
has forgotten to pray. have found
for myself a new definition of pray
Ell. We are won't to think that pray
er consists in making request OF God
for needed blessings, or the wailing
out before him the deplorable con-
dition of the church or the world,
or the whacking of another brother
for his sins over the Lords shoulder
or the crying of hungry hearts for
life's bread, or tho secret commun-
ion of a silent soul with the All
Speaking Father,
1.-THE burden of sigh,
The falling of u tear,
The upward CHANGING of an eye
When none but God is near.
Prayeris the simplest form ofspeech
That infant lips can try
Prayer the sublimest strains
That reach the Maj asty on high"
But verify believe that l have
found a more suggestive definition
1t is this Prayer is voiced self dis
trust The moment man prays
he has confessed human frailty. He
haa admitted that there is some
thing that God has that he has not,
but which he may have by an ac-
knowledged dependence, and hum
bic request Prayer is the admis-
sion of heart distrust, the confession
of Divine Omnipotepce.
Now the self trusting fool does not
need to pray. He is already strong
Gn his own strength) lie does not
need anything-his heart supplies it
all. Satan trembles when he sees
the weakest sinner ON his knees, but
his Satanic majesty trembles no, for
tie self trusting fool. The man who
doesn't pray is fool, for whether he
learns it sooner or later, he will come
to know that "Morc things arc
wrought by prayer than this world
dreams Off, and if the world is ever,
to be bound with golden chains about
The feet of God" the self distressing
saint and not the self trusting fool is
to have large share is that blessed
accomplishment. When you have
lost the>art Of prayer and the taste
for the Prayer meeting, stop look,
listen-and mend your ways, lest you
be justly charged with being hthis
seventh fool in the Biblical tata-
logue. a..
Moreover this self trusting fool has
no use for the Bible. ~IIe does not
read book that so Condems him. He
is like the heather in a certain land
who would. not believe that the miss
iOnary was reading from the Bible
when he read tie first chapter OF
Romans, but thought lie was reading
into the sacred narrative what he had
noticed in the natives, and at which
they were easily answered,
The man who reads the Word of
God admits. with joyful admission,
his need OF something outside OF
himself The picture Of a child of
God bending over the word of God Is
at once the picture Of a hungry man
needing mama; a thirsty man need
in" the water Of life: a filthy man
needing cleansing; a blind man need
ing sight; Il sick man needing health;
troubled man needing comfort;
! Il sinner needing pardon; self.trust-
iCg fool needing wisdom. And into
this picture the wise man places him
sells In glad recognition of the place
and peace and power Of the precious
word OF God. But the sclftrusting
fool doesn't read the Bible; instead
he reads the morning papers that
praise his sell.righteous benevolencc
The sclf-trusting fool rejects the
testimony OF accumulated christi IN
experience. He forgets that that
Which has been tru, in all places,
under all conditions, In all cases, and
Is now true to many many people,
must forever be true while The world
stands. There is u New Testament
Illustration OF the self trusting fool
given in Luke Is; 10 IA. Two men
went up into the temple to pray, one
a Pharisec, the other a Publican.
One of them prayed withunctious
satisfaction at his own life and own
benevolent attainments. The other
without lifting eyes, acknowledged
his sinfulness, and prayed for mercy.
The Publican is type of the self
distrusting Christians; the Pharisee
Of the self trusting fool. Happy
the man who can learn from other
men. Blessed he God for the val
liable and powerful lives that are
daily lived before the eyes of the
opened visioned man. Thank God
for the testimony of Christian ex-
pelience. That was a very sug-
ge>,ive epitaph which my friend Dir.
A. &. Lawson, in his speech at the
Providence conventin, intimated he
would like carved on his tombstone.
Here lies sinner saved by
grace. How much more in keeping
with the spirit of Christ and with
the spirit of the new testament is IT.,
than this would be Lord | thank
thee that ! am not Us 9th er men,
III .E