Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1906-05-26

fra1ior from Oregon. aud he was the
i:an WHO lett the United States sena-
t0rial halls clad IN Il soldiers uniform
10 lay down his life at Balls Blur,
with these words upon his lips "a
senator of the United States should
never retreat" But with all his intel
icctuality and mental ability do you
not consider that IL was prcsumptuous
for the boy. Edward Dickinson Baker,
10 feel that he would yet have ability
enough to he elected president OF the
United States: II Is possible for any
hoy to be- elected chief executive of
this nation. hut Is II probable that your
son or mine should ever grace the
White House? We believe In the the
DRY. but TO very few Is II an actual
possibility II Is so with the concep.
ton of this divine power with which
Christ Is ready TO endue us We know
h. can give II. and we know there are
some to whom he does give Il, but we
t'i'nk II Is not for us. These disciples
i'rni"cost first believed that Christ
= live this supernatural power TO
Disciples II he would. because he
III, Inc: second. that he would give
t Ia them as individuals II they would
riily obey Gods commands and larry
In Jerusalem until they were endued
with power from on high. Are we
ready 10 believe that Christ will give
us this higher power II we obey his
cOmmandst
Crucial Test.
oh that Is a crucial test Of faith! II
Is not difficult for me TO understand
how Cod could give the higher power
10 Moody or n Fihney or Wesley or
Il Peter or II James ar n John or a
Mary on the day of Pentecost. but that
lie viii give 30 me this higher power II
obey his will ah. me- that is hard TO
believe And vet is not God keeping
his promises with those who are men
tally and physically no stronger or
better than you or /? Some time ago
was riding ont 10 the grave OF "A
southern lady who had been Il member
OF my church. Among the pallbearers
was gentleman who. with all his
family. had been rescued from the
Galveston flood of n few years ago.
said. Tell me about IT," Then he told
me how the waters rose higher and
higher First they came To the top OF
the gates. Then they rose to the first
floors They grew higher and higher
when the winds In an angry hurricane
blew them In Then the people were
Drowned. not by the hundreds. but by
the thousands The walls tottered
The houses were battered TO pieces.
FLYING through the air went great
beams II was death overhead. IT
was death all around. II was death
everywhere The dead were so many
hat after the water had subsidized they
were piled into boats and taken out
md dumped into the gulf stream. They
were too many even to be buried.
How did you feel during that awful
tragedy" | asked AS calm as ! do
now" he replied knew that Ia the
face of this storm ana food no human
arm could save me. Human help was
beyond the question. II could do no
good II IL came | could not swim.
Besides that. | had In my house a wife
and two little children and five or six
old people who had come there for
shelter So when the storm was raging
its herccst gathered them all togeth-
or in an upper room. Then said:
Friends. the Bible tells us that II We
come To God In believing prayer and
ask of him anything we will he Will
\ If.sNrt
God will save us II we ask him. DO
you believe as believer Yes they
said Then we all knelt and we all
prayed. When arose, | felt that God
would save us. | never had tremOr
about the result He did save us. Aft
or awhile II roof came floating past.
My aged negro servant caught II. He
held IL for Il little while by the side of
the house | placed the whole family
upon the roof Then | climbed there
myself II was IN awful night. No
horror could be greater than those
hours we passed through. Yet all
through the night kept saying: i be-
ievc. | believe. believe lie will
save us believe And save us he
did" Could you in time Of trouble
make Il believing prayer like thatf
Could you appropriate 10 yourself the
promise as he did DO you believe
God will bless you MS an individual II
you obey his commandments the same
ms he blessed his people in the Gal
weston Hood and blessed the disciples
of old who tarried still In Jerusalem
until they were endued with power
from on high
why the Power Came.
But these disciples Of old did more
than TO simply believe that Christ
would give 10 them the higher power n
they would obey his commands Dur
ing the days preceding Pcntecost, by
prayer. by supplication and by conse-
Grafton of their fun lives 10 God. they
put themselves into II proper condition
10 receive this power of the Holy Spirit.
They not only threw themselves upon
the divine love, but they prayed and
kept VI praying something like this:
80 God. cleanse me from SIN. o God. |
make me a clean vessel for the spirit
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