Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1906-02-10

Oh you. IL lutTt uulll aFuDlH lot
You: II Paul. who once sat ut the feet
OF Gamulicl. had TO spend three years
IN the deserts sands TO study Gods
word. 20 find out who Christ was and
what he wanted him To do. surely your
time is not wasted when you are read
Ing the Psalms or sitting at Chrlst's
feet when he breaches TO you the SER
mon OH the mount as he uttered II to
the mutitudcs of old.
But mere knowledge of Gods word
WIS not Il sufficient equipment 10 have
made Paul the highest type of gospel
evangelist. \ man may know all
about the Bible and yet not have one
particle Of spiritual power In his heart.
lie may study his Bible in exactly the
same SENSE us | might study the my
thOlogy of the Greeks and the Romans
OF learn why Mecca and Medina and
Jerusalem aud Hebron are the four
sacred cities of the MOhammedan and
why silva and Nishnu appear with Bud
dha nj the shrines of India. Knowl-
edge may be one Of the great essentials
for spiritual power. but knowledge of
the word of God does not always prove
that the spirit of Christ has been trans.
lated into the desires Of our own hearts.
The History of the Dark Ages.
Take. for instance, the history Of the
dark ages. Did the knowledge which
the Roman Catholic hierarchy had of
the Bible make them true gospel evan
gclists: \ short time ago was read
Ing that most marvellous. fascinating
history ever written by mortal pen.
Motleys Rise of the Dutch Repub-
lie 'ln the eighteen years of Tor.
! quemada's administration" he wrote,
"lO.22O individuals were burned alive
and 97.:i2l punished with infamy. con
iiscation Of property or perpetual i'm
! priSoninent, so that the total number
OF families destroyed in this one perse.
cution amounted to lll.4Ol." Did the
knowledge Of the word of God make
TOrqucmada n true evangelist of Je-
suS Christ! Has the knowledge OF the
Bible made some of your friends Chris
tians and true disciples Of your Divine
Master? Why. some of the meanest
men you ever knew We're members of
/ the christian church. They We're not
only church members. but also teach
ers IN the Sunday school. yet when you
met them in business way you intui-
lively knew their hearts had never
been touched by the living Goals of
fire from OF the altar of the Holy Spir
II. You knew they were not converted
men They may have known the BIZ
bic from lid to lid Their creed or
their theology of the head was all
right, but the ChristolOgy of the heart
was all wrong. As they studied the
word of God they did not pray like
Paul: Lord. what wilt thou have me
to do: Lord. make me thy servant.
Lord. forgive my sins Lord. help me
to save my fellow men" All, 1t IL i'm
portnnt Ia study the word of God, but
It is just as important to pray that God
will send down his Spirit upon you and
make YOU like unto his dear Son. Have
YOU your sacred Arabian deserts or
your regular hours for pleading with
and talking to God as well MS your sa-
cred hours of having God talk to you:
Can you think Of Paul ont In that
| desert unless he Is praying! ! cannot
can no more think of n prayerless
Paul than can of prayerlcss Christ
While thinking Of this matter | had a
strange dream in my study | thought
Il was again the year IS a. ID. was
again vending my way toward that lit
tie but In the Arabian desert which |
have already described. | was again
sitting by the side of the dear Apostle
Paul. He was eXpounding the word of
God 10 me Then suddenly he stops
! and says II cannot 20 any further;
wait awhile: | must talk to my friend"
Talk To your friendf" say. What
do you mcanf do not see any one
around. Talk 10 what friendT why,
talk TO my friend Jesus Christ says
Paul Then. without any affectation.
Paul drops on his knees and begins TO
talk To Christ just as | would talk TO
my dear mother If she We're alive by
my side.
In my dream he did thus every little
while IA | studied with him that day.
/ Anu NO YOU hllbM III 81 bltth
that in my dream could feel that
Christ was just by our side and not
dead Christ. as some OF Us think. That
night | went to sleep quite early. for |
was much fatigued. But in the middle
OF the night | was awakened In that
humble hut | heard again the mighty
voice of Paul praying, praying, pray
ing. oh, he seemed 10 be praying most
of the time. Was IL dream? Was not
Paul Il praying Paul? AS In my dream.
have you n Pauline Arabian desert for
your sacred hour of prayer?
Paul Ia the Desert.
But believe there was still another
reason why Paul disappeared into the
Arabian desert and stayed there for
three long years, lie wanted TO study
the word of God. He wanted to get his
heart mellowed and spirituaized by
prayer. oh, yes. but. more than that.
he wanted 10 get the hearts of the peO-
pie into the condition where they would