The Lehi banner. [volume] (Lehi, Utah) 1891-1917, 1914-10-10
Of Peace

T.. Smith ana {. W IcnfOse were
notable, and the sermon by Rev r.
/. Goshen was one Of the most strik.
ing in the thoughts advanced Ex-
tracts follow:
Rev. Coshen's Sermon
This whole movement proceeds on
the theory that God has to be- begged
to do what lie ought to be willing
to do without begging, provided that
! lie ought to do anything II assumes
that the prayers viii induce Him to
do what He would not do were the
payers not offered If this is true
then there Is no use in making the
prayers For unless these prayers in
flucuce God 10 do what lie otherwise
would not do. then the prayers are
useless
Il would not make light of this sub
jcct, nor would soon at anyone who
are rcvcrent in their attitude, mis-.
guided as | may think them TO be
iiut thinking In practical manner !
cannot refrain from wondering why
this day of prayer for peace was put
off so long II the prayers of the
churches are going to be etIicacious,
then why were they not made weeks
ago, so that the terrible suffering
might have been spared?
"Thc fact is that If these terrible
things of war and famine and pesti-
lencc were to be- solved by prayer
then they would never exist. For
prayers for their removal have always
been made. II men were half as
Vy Ia, IL
councils as they are to pray for re-
lief after they have ruined all by their
half-sighted policies. then the worst
horrors of life would never exist
The time TO pray is before we have
ruined all by our prayerless attitude.
The time to pray Is when we are max
Ing plans and determining councils.
Prayer for guidance is great; prayer
for relief from consequences is cheap.
ihc murderer has no business to pray
for liberty after he has murdered a
fellow creature. He ought to have
prayed for light and guidance long
before. II will not do partial of
good TO pray for sound arm after |
have foollshly burned my arm by put
ting it in the fire. The drunkard ought
to pray for strength to resist drunk
enness. but II he Is any sort of a man
he will not pray to escape the effects
of drunkenness already incurred.
at is pitiful to see man praying
for the first time I'm years when the
Titanic is going down. That Is the pitt
ful weakness of humanity And we all
share something In 1t, But the time
10 pray is when the skies are blue and
when the evil days come not nor the
years draw nigh when shall say
there Is no pleasure In them.
This prayer for the removal of
evils assumes, II one thinks logically,
that God Is the one who is sending
the ills that Cypress humanity. That
Is the old idea. the false idea. the
terrible idea. And this idea has driv-
on thousands OF good men to abandon
prayer altogether. They cannot pray
TO God who is responsible for the
woes and the sorrows OF the world.
"lf I had to think that God sends
the crushing sorrows, the bulnlng
fevers, the deyastations that sweep
The earth; If had TO think that He
was back of the wars and famines
and pestilenccs, then for one right
eous moment | would stand In my
wv ~ llNNEl Ivy NWlEf Afnu anu ute Dul
TO think anything like that is tray.
esty upon all that we know of the
GOODNESS and the love OF God. God
is a father and not q tyrant; God is
o lover and not hater; God is the
giVer of life and not the sender OF
death.
And II will not do at all to say
hat God knows best and that He will
10 what is best That He will answer
he prayer that makes for right and
that He will refuse the prayer that
would make for wrong. II that Is
true, then why pray at all either way
" God Is going 10 answer the prayer
his is for the cause of righteousness
| then he will do the thing that makes
FOR righteousness whether there Ii
any prayer or not Inst il pitifu'
that in this age of the world we have
not advanced further than to think
| NJ God as one who can be weedled
out OF his purpose? Isn't is pitiful
hat we have not any higher concep.
ton than the primitive people who
| oracle TO give success to their arms
'sn't IL sad commentary upon our
| thinking that we look upon prayer
as means of getting what otherwis,
! We would not get? Dosont II de-
grade the whole thought of prayer
| when we make II TO be the means OF
getting something? True prayer does
noe seek to get anything. True prayer
is communion with the Spirit of m,
Universe, It is the lifting of the spirit
Of a man TO the realms of truth. il
is the way man seeks and finds God
Men have always prayed and mer
Will always pray Sometimes their
prayers have been selfish and very liz.
norant, Sometimes they have berr
very simple and very great And when
men have prayed I'm the spirit Of de-
.otIon and Fellowship, then they hay,
found their hearts renewed, their af-
ioclions purified, their mills strength,
ened SO let ms pray Not for thinks
Not for release from what we ought
to bear. Not TO have God do what
we ought TO do ourselves. Let ms
lii our spirits up TO Him who is all
iSsll Let us be comrads with God
Prayer by President Smith
LET thy spirit o Father, come nm
o us and dwell with MS I'm our hearts
I'm Uur homes iu mr. bugipaey IA, go,