The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-10-04
MANASSEH'S PRAYER.
(selected for The Intercollegiate

"And prayed unto him." II Chron. 33:1S.
Few individuals ever surpassed Names
sch in depravity and wickedness. Yet ne,
even he, obtained mercy. And we here
see the means employed for his CONVEX
sion. Divine Providence so ordered thinss'
that the enemy invaded judah and sue
oeeded: Wherefore the Lord Drought
upon them the captains of tho host OF 1ne
king Of Assyra, which took Manassen
among fine thorns, and bound him with
letters, and carried him to BABYLON.
There, thus despoiled. degraded, ana as
l. tressed-there the seeds OF truth early
sown In his mind began to rev1ve-there
the PRAYERS Of q pious father began to be
answered. "and he prayed unto HIM"
Af1iction alone never yet converted
one soul. We have known fools VINO 1liFe
been prayed In a mortar, yet has not t hei1
folly gone from them. leo may be oroheh
and not dissolved; rock may DO orohNeii'
and the fractions retain the same ha r'i-
ness as before. Yet there IL alutai
suitableness in afliction to produce inc
effect. It. shows what an evil ana DUCT
thing sin is asStho procuring cause OF all
orr sufferings. 1T cuts the man off from
nresent temptation, and affords him time
and leisure for: reflection; ana tne "aii'
of thought is the greatest oostaclc 20 70
reion: hence the Scripture says, con
slider your ways; and hence DaVlo &C
l,now1edges, IT thought on my ways, ana
turned my feet into thy. Testimonies. Is
shows the vanity Of the world, ana al
fords opportunity to introduce the pro-
nosal OF better portion and 70 urge
tho resolution, "Tasrefore will look
INTO the Lord; will walt for the Goa OF
nv salvation It befrtends confession
and prayer; therefore says Co.. ! VIII
go and return 10 my place I'LL they &C
trow1cdee their ofhense and sock my
face: in their aff1iction they Will seek
mo early" The bemoaning and repent
ing Ephraim had been chasttsed' Ihe
e. r,ina made the Prodigal think OF he;aV-
- and resolve to throw himself upon
his fathers mercy.
Here is. therefore, very Instructive
fact. II teaches us that prosperity As no
nroof of divine favor. and that ADVERSELY
t. ,,o+ incompatible with the love OF God'
INT NAV even flow from 1t. We consrat-
r,ote our friends on their successes ana
r;s,nes In the world, but frequently, II we
| oould sec ALL we should rather bewall
them, for we should see their tapie pe-
| coming a snare, and their prosperity oe-
s.roving them. On the other hand we go
and mourn with them over thelr losses
| and trials, when, If we could look ioi-
ward we should rather rejoice ana DC
+b,n,xful for we should see the Valley OF
Achor given them for a door of hope, the
n,ourh-share breaking up the faiiow
ground to prepare 1t for the seed OF liie
kingdom, the way hedged up with thorhs
N keen tho traveller from going astray.
How should we have pitied Manasseh'
had we seen him reduced from all ms
greatness and thus Indignantly and cru
| .,,y treated. But he soon acknowledged
,,,th his Nous ancestor: ut is good for
mo that havo been afflicted ana ne 10
now blessing God, not for his crown put
for his letters; not for his palace put TOT
his dungeon. This man was born there.
Let us always look hopefully towards
the afflicted While the physician yet al
ministers medicine we do not deem the
ca SO absolutely hopeless, While tho hus-
bandman prunes the tree and digs about
IT and manures 1t, we conclude ne mas
not yet said to the fellows "cut 1T do"n'
why cumbereth it the ground?'
Oh! what fools are we to look shy upon
our troubles and be afraid of our trials
irstead of viewing them as some OF the
means of grace which God has ordained
to bring us to Himself. Let us not THINK
OF the bitterness of the draught, but OF
the sweetness of the health which IT is
designed to produce. "We have had faith
ers of our flesh who corrected us, and we
gave them reverence; shall we not much
ra Their be in subsection unto the Father
of spirits and live? For they verify Tor
a few days chastened us after their own
pleasure, but EIe for our profit, that we
might be partakers of His holiness NOW
no Christening for the present seemeth
to be Joyous, but grievous; nevertheless
afterward 1t yeldeth tho peaceable frul'
of righteousness unto them which are
exercised thereby"
1t is expected that the New YORK CITY
Republican convention Will be recon
vened t. vacate the nominations on
Grout and Fornes. who have backslldec
, into Tammany end been nominated bS
thar astute organization The offices
, | thew seek ara COMPTROLLER and president