The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1918-10-26
Pray And Pay
A SermOnette for Sunday
(By DR.. C. |. Stacy.)

If we need text for this message,
we may find 1t in the beautiful 18th
Psalm, and the 18th verse: 81 will Of
fer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiv-
ing. and will call upon the name Of
the Lord"
The two "keywords" are "offer"
and call" calling upon God, and Of
fering to God; literally, praying and
paying"
Another Sunday without services?
Oh, how we miss them" How much
longer must it continue?" "The Sun
days are so long with no church ser
vices" These and like EXPLANATIONS
we hear every day. But Sunday
without services need not be Sun
day without WORSHIP. Can we wor-
| ship without a church service" Oh,
yes; we may not meet together; we
may not sing, we may not hear SER
mon, but we can worship, just the
same. How? We can pray and we
can pay.
Lakeland people, ought to be the
most humble and the most grateful
people in all the land. While other
towns and cities are having funerals
by the dozen, the hundreds and the
| thousands, we have only had two
deaths in our city from the fearful
flu" Is not that enough to make Us
grateful?-and humble? And how bet
ter can we express our humility and
cur gratitude than by our prayers and
our gifts?
Speaking for all the pastors Of
Lakeland, I hereby call upon every
Christian in Lakeland and every one
who will join with us in this holy eX
ercise, to make tomorrow veritable
"day Of prayer" thanking God for his
marvellous goodness to us as people
in sparing us from the horrors that
have devastated other places, and be
seeching Him to be yet more mercifu!
to us, by causing this epidemic TO
cease; not only in our own wonderful
little city, but in our whole sorely
stricken land. Especially do | ash
and urge that the six o'clock silent
minute" may be extended to at leas'
five minutes, or more, of silent, indi
vidual prayer; prayer of gratitude fol-
His goodness, and of supplication fol
His mercy.
Then what about the "paying?'
Can we pay Him for His goodness
: Oh, no. But we can show our graft
ture by our gifts. If we will onl,
3 stop and THINK minute, we will re
: member that even though our church
I es are closed, our ministers and thei
] families must continue to live, II w
D are to be here to preach again whel
] the churches open. And we canno
live very long on hope and the ope,
5 air. Even our water costs money
9 And shall our benevolent offerings
for Home Missions. Foreign Missions
a etc.-be omitted, because our church
8 es are closed? Shall our missicnarie
at home and abroad be starved, be
Q cause the collection plate Is no
passed? Surely not. They are look
n ing to us, and trusting us, and W
y must not fail them. If the deacon
4 and the steward cannot come to u
q down the church aisle with the baske
y to put our envelopes in, can we no
9 go to them with our envelopes? Ou
/ church treasurers are busy men, S
! don't wait for them to come to yor
$ hut hunt them up yourselves. wit
3 your offerings up to date, in you
d proper envelopes. and so make thei
q work easier, and the missionaries
IS hearts lighter. And so shall we sho'
le our gratitude to God by our gifts.
e And so tomorrow, Sunday, let u
ID "call and Offer" let us PRAY an
PAY. c. |. STACY.