The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-01-24
DIR. TALMAGE'S SERMON.
BY rAE REV. FRANK De WITT rALMAoe. D. D.


on alone to pray He wants us to be
alone with him In holy fellowship, as
some of us have often been alone with
our mothers. Blessed and tender were
those hours OF sweet communion with our
mothers, who have now gone beyond
After the rest of the family were all
In bed we used to sit up toward mid
night, telling her what we wanted to do
and asking her If she thought IL was
best for MS to do 1t. So God. the Heav-
emily Father, wants us at times to come to
him when we are alone. He wants US
to tell him our plans. George Whitfield
would never except any invitation to do
anything of any import unless he had
first talked 1t over with his best friend"
In the darkness of the bedroom and in
the solitary walks through the streets
and in the quiet of the office or in the
kitchen. God wants us to frankly and
freely and lovingly talk with him.
Benefits of Prayer.
Christian convert never feel that the
hours are wasted which you spend on
your knees talking with Christ In secret
prayer You canot findone man on earth
who has ever attained to a life of
eminent Christian usefulness unless he
climbed there by grasping firmly and
gladly, rung by rung. the golden ladder
of secret prayer. What said Charles II.
Spurgeon in reference to the power of
secret prayer? When some one asked
him the cause of his marvellous usefulness
for Christ, Spurgeon pointed to floor
Of his tabernacle, saying: In the room
beneath you will find 300 praying Chris
tians- Every time 1 preach here they
gather together and uphold my hand
! by continuous prayer and supplication.
There you win find the secret of all the
blessings-" As Charles H Surgeons
"Gideon's band by secret prayer swept
their pastor on to spiritual victories SO
by the power of secret prayer we can
lift ourselves up toward God and Chris
tian usefulness AS Philip Doddridge, of
blessed memory. once said. THE better
I pray the better I study I say, 1.-THE
better you pray the better you will work
The better you pray the better as
mother you can look after your children
The better you pray the better you will live
end the better you will preach and the
wider win be your influence for Christ
Prayer in public necessary for spirit
ua1 deyelDpement7 Oh. yesi Prayer be-
hind the locked door. prayer in secret
prayer where only Gods ear can hear
and Gods eye can see. just as important
for thespiritual life and hope. During
the Revolutionary war a highland SOL
ing the darkness of the night He was
charged with being a spy and taken be-
fore the commanding general Being asked
why he had left the camp, the soldier re-
piled, II merely left in order to go out
into the darkness CT the woods and be
alone with God and have secret prayer"
Then down on your kneesr' Numbered
the officer. within twenty hours you
shall be shot a spy. You never need
4 \ A il.
soldier dropped on his knees and offered
such simple. earnest prayer Of faith and
love that the tears sprang from the
COMMANDERS eyes. He turned to the
guard and said: Let that soldier go.
He is telling the truth. He must have
often been on his knees in prayer drill or
else he could not have prayed so well In
public review" The great Heavenly Com
mander judges the sincerity of our pub
lie professions by the earnestness and con-
SEGREGATION OF our private devotions-
Our public Christian usefulness to a
great extent is dependent upon the in
tensity of our prayers uttered in secret.
Christian brother never allow your pray
er closet to become dust covered and
musty. Never let a time come when you
will break the telegraphic communication
with the Heavenly headquarters for
prayer. In Gods great whispering gal
lery, may your lips learn to utter the
divine pleadings SO softly that they shall
sometimes only be heard by his ear and
answered directly only by his loving
voice.
The closed lids of Gods Bible are often
used to extinguish the divine flame burn
ing within the Christians heart. They
can become the barred and bolted doors
Of superstition, barred and bolted by
gross ignorance. undergoing the most
montsrous of heresies in the darkest of
sells. They may become redhot irons
putting out the calm, deep blue eyes of
faith and love. By an ancient eastern
law no blind prince is allowed to sit upon
the throne of Persia. BY a divine law
no Christian can reach that stage of
enlghtment fitting him to occupy one of
Gods spiritual thrones without earnest
and prayerful study of the Bible. "rolle.
iegei Tole lege. ("fake and read!
Take and readr) was the divine com
mand given in vision to young Augustine
in reference to the Holy Scriptures Take
and read Take and readv' is the divine
command given to the young Christian of
the present day.
My friends, how are you going to find
out what Is the law of God and the will
of God unless you read His holy word?
In Isaiah he distinctly says MY thoughts
ways my ways" Are you and l trying to
find out by studying the Scriptures what
are Gods thoughts and to harmonze
our lives with his life? Are we trying to
find out what Is deeper, richer meaning
of the Saviours name? Are we seeking to
understand what Is the mission of the
Holy Spirit and how God with the weak
things of this world Is going to confound
the mighty? Or are we going around day
after day singing senseless, silly, siren
song: Jesus will save Jesus will savei
Oh l am so happy Jesus will savei"
when some of us merely look upon the
name of Jesus as an amulet because we
do not know or care who Jesus Is or take
the trouble to read the words which he
has spoken to us? Are we going to look
upon the closed lids of the Bible In
superstitious way, as did the peasants Of
Europe during the dark ages as though
they were something they had no right TO
touch? Up to twenty years of age the
great Martin Luther was totally ignorant
of Gods word. Though studying to be a
priest he had never been allowed to
personally touch a Bible and was not
aware that the gospels and the epistles
comprised more than the few chapters
read by the priests in public worship.
Shall we contiue to be as ignorant of
Gods word as that? Or are you going to
look upon the Holy Scriptures as a d.
vine letter written by the Heavenly Fa-
Their to his children, which letter ought to
be carefully studied and its commands TO
be strictly followed out?