The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1916-10-12

priests and Le-
vites conducted IL. The second was
simple and democratic In the sense
that all the people took part In H..
There was only one temple and that
was located in Jerusalem, but there
was a synagogue In every town where
as many as ten male Jews resided. Its
order OF service consisted merely In
the reading of a portion of the law and
the prophets. the chanting of a psalm
and an extempore prayer. Then the
meeting was thrown open. as we now
say. and the people (the men at least)
were at liberty to take part
The Christian church Is built, not
on the model of the temple but the
synagogue. as we see from Paul's first
Epistle To the Corinthians where. at
chapter IA. he is correcting certain
disorders that had crept into. the as
sembly because of the liberty thus
granted TO the people.
A Popular Gathering.
Our text applies to such a gathering
as this. That Is to say, the writer has
in mind not a formal service. such as
is represented at a Sabbath gathering
in one OF our present churches. but a
popular gathering of the people where
the meeting is thrown open for all to
exercise their spiritual gifts. II Is
just such a gathering as a prayer
meeting always ought to be.
~. He enjOins such an assem-
bling of ourselves together as a duty
10 be obeyed. We ought not to for
sake it,. just as In other places God
tells Us not to commit murder, not to
steal. not 10 be guilty Of adultery. not
to bear false witness. so here we are
not to forsake the assembling of our
n command that Christians cannot es-
cape.
GU. II Is privilege TO be enjoyed,
for the context tells US that thus by
prayer we have "boldness to enter into
the hottest by the blood OF Jesus" and
that we have ian High Priest over the
house of God" This being the case,
what blessings are we being denied II
we thus forsake the assembling Of our
selves together,
Some of these blessings are Of a
very practical everyday sort. The
Continent tells of business house In
Chicago which asked a country CORE
spondent to recommend a man for a
responsible position. The reply was.
"A young man passes my house every
Wednesday evening on his way to
prayer meeting at precisely a quarter
OF eight. i like the looks of that.
Shall l inquire further about himY"
The result was a position at a salary
larger than the young man ever
dreamed OF receiving. The editor add
ed what is entirely true. that the pray
or meeting habit is good asset. The
prayer meeting young man is likely 10
have the right basis of character.
There are hypocrites there. bu. that Is
an evidence of the genuine.
CD. IL represents a need 10 be sup-
piled. for the context SAYS. .Iet ms
hold fast the profession of our fairb
WITHOUT Wavering and let US consider
one another 10 provoke unto love and
20 good works" The relation of our
christian experience in the PRAYER
meeting and the exhortatiou ana an
peat that accompany IL. EXPRESS our
consideration for one another as broth |
ren IN Christ. and the result is stimu-
'ating unto love and to good works II,
= thus that We are able tc hold fast
,he profession of our faith.
There was a man. the father of n
FAMILY that attended my church at ona
tine. who resisted all my appeals 70
win him to the SAVIOR, and his wife
,oid me he had resisted similar appeals
from her former PASTORS. BY and nv
IN his death bed he accepted Christ
ana witnessed good confession no.
core his family and friends
One day | asked him what was Tho
cause OF his conversion, and found
that he attributed IL to no sermon no
had ever heard. but to the testimony
'f an elderly woman in a PRAYER meet.
ng In the country town where he lived
more than 40 years before.
lie resided with an aunt who cor,-
PEELED him to go because she wouIa L
lot leave him alone In the house dur
ng her absence. He hated to 20. but
&C had to go. and there he heard the |,
testimony of this woman from which |,
he had never been able to get sw,v
Vow that he was facing eternity ~
lad moved him to receive and confes. /
-hrist.
Let me urge you to stand BY your
'hurch prayer meeting. and to do your
part to make it az vital value. J.