The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1904-02-19

BleS.eu ana teu0ef were luoNe hours
Of sweet communion with our mothers
who have now gone beyond. After the
rest Of the family We're all I'm bed we
used to sit up toward midnight. telling
her what we wanted to do and asking
her If she thought it was best for us
to do it. SO God, the Heavenly Father,
wants us at times to come TO him
when we are alone. lie wants us TO
tell him all our plans.
Christian convert, never feel that the
hours are wasted which you spend on
your knees talking with Christ IN se-
cret prayer. You cannot find one man
on earth who has ever attained 90 "a
life of eminent Christian usefulness
unless he climbed there by grasping
firmly and gladly, rung 10y rung, the
golden ladder Of secret prayer.
Prayer I'm public necessary for spir-
itual development? Oh, yes, Prayer
behind the locked door, prayer in se-
cret prayer where only Gods ear can
hear and Gods eye can see just as inn
pOrtant for the spiritual life and hope
During the Revolutionary war high
land soldier was caught creeping into
camp during the darkness Of the night.
He was charged with being spy and
taken before the commanding general
Being asked why he had left the camp.
the soldier replied. Il merely left IN
order to 90 out into the darkness of the
woods and be alone with God and have
secret prayer" "Then down on your
knees thundered the officer. within
twenty hours you shall be shot as
spy. You never needed TO pray as
much as you need TO pray now" The
soldier dropped on his knees and offer
ed such "a simple, earnest prayer of
faith and love that the tears sprang
from the commanders eyes. lie turn
cd TO the guard and said: Let that sol
dier 20. lie is telling the truth. lie must
have often been on his knees i'm prayer
drill or else he could not have prayed
so well in public review" The great
Heavenly Commander judges the sim
cerity Of our public professions by the
earnestness and conservation Of our
private devotions.
Our public Christian usefulness 10 a
great extent is dependent upon the in
tensity Of our prayers uttered in see
cret. Christian brother, never allow
your prayer closet to become dust COW
cred and musty. Never LET a time come
when you will break the telegraphic
communication with the heavenly head
quarters for prayer In Gods great
whispering gallery 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
fame burning within the Christians
heart They can become the barred
and bolted doors Of superstition, barred
and bolted by gross ignorance, endun-
geonlng the most monstrOus Of here
sizes i'm the darkest Of cells. They may
become redhot irons putting ont 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 Chris
tian can reach that stage Of enlightcn-
ment fitting him to occupy one Of Gods
spiritual thrones without earnest and
prayerful study of the Bible. "Tolle,
lege! Tolle. legew C'Take and read!
Take and readrJ was the divine COM
mand given in vision to young Angus
tine in reference to the Holy Scriptures.
"Iake and readl Take and read" is
the divine command given TO the young
Christian Of the present day.
Supposing that your mother died Of
consumption when you were child Of
four years. Supposing that when the
hectic roses Of that fatal disease were
blooming in the garden Of her pale,
sunkcn cheek she one day had YOU, her
sleeping baby, placed by her side.
Then while you slept she wrote you
long letter In this letter she gave her
maternal advice and parting benedic-
ton. Then she folded that letter and
gave # to your father, saying. "Hus-
band. give this to my baby boy on the
day he graduates from the public
school. Before he decides upon life's
work / want to give him my advice
and tell him what / want him TO do"
Supposing twelve years had now pass
ed and You, at sixteen. were now given
that letter. What would you do? First
You would kiss it. You would say:
Mother wrote il with her dying hand.
Mother wrote it with lovew Then you
would reyerently open the yellow
leaves and carefully read that letter
line by line. If you were a true son, If
possible you would follow out the de-
slres Of that maternal letter word 10y
word. New convert in the gospel life
and Christian Of older standing, the
Holy Scriptures are Gods letter to us.
If we are the Heavenly Fathers true
children we will take the letter and
study II. We will translate the de
sires Of that letter into our own lives.
We will make Gods thoughts our
thoughts and his ways our ways.
But" some new convert says, ~
the knowledge Of the Holy Scriptures Is
essential to a truly developed spiritual
character then I am not true Chris
tlan. / practically know nothing about
the word Of God except that God so
loved the world that he gave his only
begotten Son that whosoever believeth
on him should not perish, but have
everlasting life.' That is all l know.
Cannot l now accept Christ as my
SaviourT" Oh, yes, my brother, You
can. You are now a Christian. If You
want to be. If you accept and truly be-
lieve that one verse just quoted, you
are as much a Christian as little
nedgeling just hatched out Of an egg is
a bird. II you accept truly with your
whole heart that profound truth and
should die tonight, he who promised
salvation to every soul who believes
and trusts him would take your soul