The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1908-11-28

Doctor Hopkins in his Law OF
Love has called prayer para.
Mount desire" And this. It seems
to me IS the very best possibI, de-.
hnation tor 1t. For instance a
man might come to God 10 hay,
his sins forgiven. and vh.I, rD.
moaning his lost condition and
praying tor delivcrance, would re-.
ceivc no ardon because there are
other desires in his heart OF equal
intensity. 1t Is only when his de-.
sire tor salvation becomes para
mount that is, rises above all
other desires: where hr counts all
else but pardon, dross: really tor.
gets everything else, and throws
himself entirely upon the mercies
ct God, IL IS only then, ! say, that
his prayer becomes a PRAYER at all
and TT tor the consideration OF
Deity. And | a that when man
is in extreme need and realizes his
extremity; when hc is lost and
realizes he is lost, and that too.
beyond his own rcm,dying. then,
and not unit then will OF can his
soul run out IN ,upplicatlon 10
God. And not withStanding the
protested beliefs OF men, sav.
with no tear OF successful contra.
dictlon, that when men ind them.
selves IN such cNtrrmiti.S 4hey. do
invariably pray, and submit
further, that no man will ever find
salvation without PRAYER.
\ proiesscd unhcli,t in God
might do to live by, but Il viii,
never do to die by. When men
draw nea to the gates OF death:
when the lamp OF lite begins to
hrcke: and burn low; when over
their glazing eyes the shadows
creep: how comforting to be- able
to say, 20 Lord receive my spirit, 20
and wrap the drapcry ct one $
couch about him and II, down TO
pleasant dreams. Yes when men
come to iaCc tho grim monster.
when affection hand doth touch
their bon and flesh; when mi,tor-
tuncs calamities follow each other
IN swift succession, until stripped
OF all their gaudy trapplngs men
stand and receive upon their I'M
protected heads winter sIcet and
pitlless storm, then 1t is that
stubborn knees will bow and hearts
with strings OF steel become As
soft as the slnueS Ot a new born
babe.
Iacy are therefore u%nthinking
and inconsistent men who make
mock OF prayer. They belle their
very natures. Their souls feel tho
dearth, and not withstanding the
attitude OF the body, are kncelinp
in PRAYER. For that being, never
saw the light whose soul, at least,
did not lit its voice in PRAYER.
Il would be- lnhuman not 70 pray.
not only i2human, but unnatural
The crIsped Leaf and the parchcd
earth send up their ardent prayers
tor rains and dews. Md shall we
say that II IS not natural for man
to lit up his heart, 1t not bis voice.
TO the God above us tor showers
OF divine mercy and the dew, OF
divine love: The stubborn knees
may refuse 10 bow: the heart NAV
retain its strings OF steel; the soul
may pant, emaciatc and die. And
that IS spiritual suicide.
And that is Just what some OF
YOU men are doing numbering
your own souls. You are shutting
God out OF the only temple he ever
created tor the indweiling OF his
spirit. You are throttling the
higher impulses OF your natures
and g%rovellng in the dust. You
think It something terrible tor a
man 20 steal; and YOU TAX. him up
and send him to prison 10 pay the
penalty OF his crime against his
tellowman. You think i, fright.
tul tor a man 20 commit murder:
and YOU take him up and send him
to the galIows 10 cxpiatc his crime.
And yet YOU steal from God his
temple and murder your souls.
You try 10 persuade yourselves
that there is no hell to punish
YOU for these crimes. tell YOU
there is a he'll an awful burning
hell-and you men are gravitating
thither as rapidly as the wheels OF
time can carry YOU on.
Prayer is necessary 10 an ac.
qualntance with God. Indeed
there is no other way 10 become
acquainted with him. We hear a
great deal said about looking up
through nature to natures God,
and all that kind OF stuff, but
nature never vet brought man 10
an acquaintance with God. IL.
takes the divine spirit TO bring
a mar to a knowledge OF the truth
as 1t is IN Christ Jesus. Then il
is that the book OF nature is open.
ed TO man. He sees beauty, order
and harmony everywhere; and like
Psyche tracing the footsteps OF
Cupid,
Mid the pine temples
on the moonlit mount,
AAhANa a.l...a. IL a. -.