Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-05-22
MAKES STRONG DocTRlNAL
ARGUMENT FOR PRAYER
"The EffectuaI Fervent Prayer Of the
Righteous Man AvaiIeth Much" Was
His Text-TeIIs Why Some Prayers
Are Not Answered-commands the
Church to Get on Its Knees.

Sunday in his half-hour sermon on
prayer at the tabernacle Friday after
noon. The evangelist had an audience
of 600 people, who not only followed
him closely but frequently applauded
him.
During the course Of his sermon
Sunday took side steps from the path
of his sermon thought to land few
hot jabs and punches at the church
and it's members for their failure to
pray as they should. } From the bible
and profane history he cited some of
the notable instances of the answers to
prayer.
Prayer Is Powerful.
Rev. Mr.. Sundays text was "The
effectual fervent prayer of the right
eous man availeth much" The sermon
was in part as follows:
Mrs. Browning once asked Charles
Kingsley for the secet of his beautiful
life. He replied I have friend You
are to be pitied if you have no friends,
but you have wasted your life if you
can not look up into the skies and say.
i have a friend
There are two benefits in prayer.
There is the reflex blessing on the one
who prays. I am going to speak large
ly this afternoon on the personal in
fiuence of prayer. Prayer helps you to
realize the presence Of God, and it will
bring you close to him.
When Jesus PRAYED,
Prayer makes you powerful. Listen.
The next day after Jesus spent all
night in prayer he did three things. He
chose the twelve disciples who formed
the nucleus of the church today, the
virtue to heal the sick came into him
and was manifested and he taught the
which we know today as the sermon on
the mount. Let the church of Jesus
Christ realize its dependence upon God
and 1t will pray.
Prayer opens your soul and makes
it responsive to the influence of God.
When you neglect prayer your soul
loses its response for God.
Prayer Leads to Activity.
Prayer leads to activity No man or
woman can honestly pray, Thy king
dom come. thy will be DONE or they
would be out doing all they could for
the kingdom to come and that the will
of God might be done. With one-half
Of the church members that prayer is
a falsehood, fol-de-rol and an In
suit to God. You can not pray that,
you church member, and put your
name on whisky petition or sign a
property permit for a saloon within
fifty feet of you. That prayer means
nothing unless it Is backed up by your
life. You can not pray thy Kingdom
come and not be doing everything to
help his revival along.
Prayer Means Activity.
prayer means activity Your pray
ers mean no more in the sight Of God
than the effort you are willing to
make for your petition to be brought
about.
Prayers are costly. Pray honestly
and earnestly and your prayers will
send you out after the sinner You can
not truly pray without being willing
to pay as you pray. Prayer impresses
you with the character of God, and
makes you want to be like God. Is God
going to miss you at the prayer meet
ing or is that goddess gang going to
meet you at the card party or the beer
drink? Pray, for you have got to de-
eide tonight.
Will God Answer Prayers?
Prayer will bring a direct bless
ing. You ask, How do know God will
answer prayer? Here is the argument
of instinct, I know 1t is old, but 1t is
sound nevertheless. Who told the birds
that the snow had gone and sent them
back to the northland this spring ?
Who carpeted your lawn with green?
Who told the bee how to. go yonder
and come straight back? II God does
must my soul yearn and long for glory
and be disappointed? Never.
/ Tho Personal Side Of Prayer.
you ask, II God is great and good
why does he require us to ask?' Be-
cause 1t establishes the natural rela-
ton and asking is the natural relation
between the child and the father. In
one case 1t is an earthly relation, in
the other 1t is spiritual relation. Be-
cause 1t Is advantageous. We grow by
expression. That is true physically. in
tellectually and spiritually. The more
we give the more we get. The more /
give to God in service the more God
gives back to me. The more I give to
him in labor and service the more get
in strength. He tells US that If we ask,
believing that We will receive, we shall
get what we ask for.
Immediate and Deferred Answers.
"There are immediate as we'll as de-
ferred answers to prayer. You have
been praying, and If your life has been
right the prayer will be answered at
once. But all the time you have been
praying God has been trying to get
that answer to you. but the devil IL
keeping that answer away from you.
Some people do not get what they
pray for because their gaze Is DOWN
ward. Other people seem to be omni-
potent in prayer.
90 what paralysis the lack Of
prayer has brought to the church OF
God. II Peters church had been like
the churches Of today instead Of pray.
ling 1t would have appointed q commit
tee. The church OF the early day be-
lieved and 1t got on its knees ana God
knocked the gates from that old prison
galley west. It was the same God then
kas II IL now.
The effectuai fervent prayer Of the
righteous man ayaileth muck "a WI,