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Sunday School Lesson for March 15.
—Teachings About Prayer.
Luke 11:1-18.
BY. S. G. HILLYER.
To develop fully all that is
taught in the present lesson
would require a long treatise. I
propose to emphasize as many of
the topics suggested as I can in
the compass of this paper.
Notice first: Jesus is again
presented to us as a praying
man. It is very comforting to
know this. If ever there was a
man on this earth that might
have claimed exemption from all
need of prayer, it was Jesus.
But he did not claim it. He put
himself in this matter upon a
level with the weakest of human
beings. Thousands of earth’s
most conspicuous men have felt
themselves able to live without
prayer. Such has been the influ
ence of their example, that the
average worldling is actually
ashamed to pray. Many of them
are not ashamed to utter words
of blasphemy in all the publicity
of social life, while they would
shrink at the thought of being
caught by some acquaintance
upon their knees in some seclud
ed spot.
Nor is this all. This shrinking
from prayer is often the obstacle
that hinders even the awakened
sinner from asking the prayers
of the church in his behalf dur
ing a time of revival. He dreads
the criticism of witless comrades
who might charge him with be
ing led by a superstitious fear.
But Jesus, whose word could
cast out devils, give sight to
the blind, hearing to the deaf,
health to the sick, and life to the
dead, was not ashamed to pray.
Often, alone upon the mountain
side, or in the wilderness, he
held communion with God. And
frequently he prayed with his
disciples. This example lifts
prayer from the depths of super
stition tj which the wise of this
world would assign it, up to the
very threshold of Heaven itself.
The nearest place to Heaven on
this earth is “the mercy seat,”
where every troubled soul may
freely come that he may obtain
mercy and find grace to help him
in time of need. Therefore, let
no man be ashamed to pray.
Nay, let us rather rejoice that it
is our privilege thus to take hold
of the strength of the Almighty.
It was at the close of one of
his social prayers with his disci
ples that one of them said to
Jesus : 1 ‘Lord, teach us to pray
as John also taught his disci
ples.” We are not told which
one of them made this request;
he, no doubt, expressed what all
desired, for they all needed in
struction on this point. What
mortal man could know, without
being told, how, or in what terms
he should venture to approach,
in words of prayer, the living
God?
The Saviour indicated his sat
isfaction with their request, and
his approval of it, by promptly
giving them a beautiful model to
serve as a pattern, according to
which every human prayer
should be constructed. It is very
short, but it is also very compre
hensive. This will appear as we
proceed to analyze it.
Notice first the address, “Our
Father who art in Heaven.” If
Kant, or Hegel, or Sir William
Hamilton, or any other distin
guished metaphysician, or scien
tist, had undertaken, without the
Saviour's model, to formulate a
prayer for all mankind, he would
hardly have been content with
the simple words, “Our Father.”
From such writers we would look
for such an address as, “O, thou
absolute One,” or “O, thou ex
alted deity,” or “O, thou who art
from everlasting to everlasting
unchangeably the same,” etc.
Without the addition of some
such phrase, these writers would
THE CHRISTIAN INDEX.
have thought the simple phrase,
“Our Father,” too little to de
note “The Unconditioned,” as
Hamilton calls him.
But Jesus judged differently.
He knew that no human vocabu
lary could furnish any single
term that could adequately ex
press the whole character of the
Supreme Being. He therefore
wisely selected a title already
familiar to his disciples. They
knew, from sweet experience,
what the word father means.
Hence he taught them to say,
“Our Father which art in Heav
en,” a phrase denoting a most
tender and intimate relation im
plying on the one part, love, pro
vision protection, supervision
and guidance ; and on the other
part a feeling of dependence, of
trust, of gratitude, and of sub
mission.
Notice next the doxology: “Hal
lowed be thy name.” In these
few w-ords (if sincerely uttered)
we find the very essence of wor
ship; for they express the deep
reverence, adoration and love of
the humble suppliant for the
name and character of his father
in Heaven. Could any doxology
be more appropriate? “Hal
lowed” means set apart from
common uses, something sacred
and holy; and such is the name
of God, and thus it should be re
garded by every human heart.
Notice in the third place
THE FIRST PETITION :
“Thy kingdom come, thy will be
done on earth as in Heaven.”
These two clauses mutually in
clude each other, and may there
fore be considered as one peti
tion expressed in two forms for
the sake of emphasis. Together
they mean the full accomplish
ment of God's grand purpose of
grace and mercy towards
all mankind. The consum
mation of that great purpose
is yet future. The Almighty
has been gradually working to
wards it ever since the fall of
Adam. And now in this latest
dispensation Jesus has set forth
before his people as the first ob
ject of all their supplications its
speedy accomplishment. The
obligation to pray for it carries
with it the obligation to work for
it. If so, its relation to our mis
sionary enterprises becomes at
once impressive and intensely
solemn. To say with our lips,
“Thy kingdom come—thy will be
done on earth as in Heaven,” and
then do nothing to promote the
grand achievement when we are
able to do it, is idle mockery.
THE NEXT PETITION,
“Give us this day our daily
bread.”
The word “bread” is here used
by a well-known figure to denote
whatever is needful for our sub
sistence and comfort in this pres
ent life. It isour Father's will
that we may freely ask him to
supply our temporal wants.
Knowing our dependence and
helplessness, how precious is
this privileg !
THE LAST PETITION
Includes several particulars. (1)
“Forgive our sins; for we also
forgive those who are indebted
to us, (2) lead us not into tempta
tion but (3)deliver us from evil.”
Here we are authorized to pray
for spiritual mercies; they
include all that is needful to up
hold, to strengthen and to com
fort us in our religious lives.
For these mercies we are wholly
dependent upon God’s free grace.
Notice the first clause is based
upon a condition. When we ask
forgiveness we must be willing to
forgive. The condition must not
be forgotten.
The rest of the lesson is de
signed to strengthen our faith in
the efficacy of prayer. Jesus
first shows by a simply parable
the need of earnestness and im
portunity in prayer. He then
closes with encouraging words :
“Ask and ye shall receive, seek
and ye shall find, knock and it
shall be opened unto you. * *
* * For the Father is
more willing to give the Holy
Spirit to them that ask him, than
earthly parents are to give good
gifts to their children.”
273 Washington St., Atlanta.
Fjr the Index.
The Farmers and Mercer.
OLD FOGY.
Can the Baptist farmers of
Georgia pay fifty thousand of the
one hundred thousand endow
ment for Mercer?
There are at least 20,000 Bap
tists farmingin Georgia; 5,000 of
them are either large planters
or engaged in business that en
ables them to pay liberally if
they would. Let us see what the
one horse farmers can do. I
submit a plan for them and my
self, whereby we can make Mer
cer ours. I know a few brethren
who have astonished themselves
and their churches by it. Here
it is: Let every small farmer'
(one or two horse) plant the
V/.I SUBSCRIPTION, P»R Y«*»,....52.00. I
TO MINISTERS, 1.00.1
Lord’s cotton patch of one-half
acre—average land —in cotton for
Mercer. Cultivate as the crop
is cultivated, deduct the cost of
picking, so as to pay out no
money on it—any ginnery will
prepare it for market for the
seed. Os course, four or five
must combine to make bales of
the small lots of seed cotton. I
mean for every farmer to plant
one-half acre to the plow. Deliver
cotton to nearest shipping sta
tion, select a Baptist factor who
will charge only freight and
drayage, and ship to him—the
proceeds to go to Treasurer of
Mercer.
Now let us see what our little
fellows can do.
Fifteen thousand plows means
ten thousand acres, but say 7,500.
These acres will make at a bale,
to three acres, 2,500. These
bales could not biing less than
165,000, and the large planters
and merchants, lawyers and pro
fessors, etc., will make the en
dowment without any trouble.
By this plan no one will feel the
loss or lack of one dollar. I
know two brethren who went up
from ten to over thirty dollars
on their pastor’s salary by it.
Os course I know human nature
well enough to know that objec
tions will be raised. lam too
small to give the plan popularity
by my name, but 1 ask the poor
Baptists, who like myself have
no money and yet who love Mer
cer for our principle, to consider
prayerfully this plan. We may
never be able to send a son to
Mercer, but a son of Mercer is
always the best man to preach
to and teach our children.
I hope Brethren Gambrell and
Edens will see as I do and try
the farmers.
The Relation of the Association to
the Churches.
J. B. COOPER.
Dear Index: —The recent dis
cussion of Dr. Dobbs and Prof.
Rutherford on a particular case
under the above subject seems
to be of sufficient importance to
admit of a fuller explanation.
For this purpose, with your
permission, I submit the follow
ing general principles and re
marks:
1. The association has no juris
diction over the churches, but
has the right to determine the
character of its own member
ship.
2. The churches named in its
roll are entitled to representa
tion until they forfeit their right
by errors in faith or disorders
in practice. In either case they
should be formally excluded.
3. In Baptist churches all mat
ters are decided by the votes of
the majority of members, except
the admission of members and
the adoption and amendments of
theii' constitutions.
4. In case of division, the party
consisting of the majority of
members and holding the church
property continues to be the
church, and is still entitled to
representation in the association,
unless proved to be in disorder.
5. The majority is either ex
pelled or withdraws regularly
with letters of dismission, or ir
regularly without letters In
each case they cease to be the (that)
church. If they were expelled
or withdrawn irregularly, in
which case they must be declared
expelled, the remedy is restora
tion. If they withdraw regular
ly with letters; they should or
ganize a new church, under a new
name, and apply for membership
in the association.
6. The presentation of two let*
ters and two sets of messengers
from the same church to the as
sociation is plain evidence of
disorder. In this case, the com
mittee appointed to read the let
ters, or the tellers, as now em
ployed in some associations,
should state the fact to the as
sociation, and, by motion and
vote, these two letters should be
laid on the table unread, and
taken up immediately after the
organization and referred to a
judicious committee. The com
mittee after a full investigation
from the two sets of messengers,
should report the messengers
representing the majority party,
and should state whether there
is sufficient evidence to show
that their church has departed
from the faith or has been guilty
of serious disorder in practice.
If so, the messengers should not
be admitted and the fellowship
of the association should be with
draw’n from the church. Other
wise, the messengers should be
admitted by the declared unfor
feited right of the membership
of their church.
“There is something of hero
worship in every man who is
worth his salt,” says Mrs. Came
ron. But there are so many he
roes who were not worth their
salt, and a man loses somewhat
of his own savor when he wor
ships these.
ATLANTA, GA., THURSDAY. MARCH 12, 1896.
For the Index.
Preachers Institute.
BY J. B. RICHARDS.
I often wonder if the Baptists
of Georgia realize the importance
of the work of the Preachers’ln
stitute, that has been carried on
in different parts of the State so
successfully. The country
churches are the strongholds and
no greater blessing can come to
them than that of helps in Bible
study.
Baptists are so cautious and
so slow to take hold of new plans
of work that it has taken years
to bring them into lull sympathy
and co operation. The unedu
cated Baptist preacher, the one
who needs it most is the one that
is afraid to venture into it. He
is afraid of new ideas. He is
afraid that it is some new theol
ogy. It is only when «you put
the Bible into his hand, and as
sure him that it is a Bible study,
nothing more or less, that he is
approachable. On! the attrac
tion there is about the Bible for
every true child of God.
It is a Preacher’s School, the
attendance ranging from three
to fifteen and twenty. It sup
plements Mercer. It does not
detract and draw away from Mer
cer, it draws interest to Mercer
upon the principle, the more we
know the more wq want to know.
The saying, “Where ignorance
is bliss, ’tis folly to be wise,”
does not apply to Christians,
much less to preachers It is
the duty and privilege and joy to
know more and more of God’s
word, God’s will.
All preachers can’t attend a
theological school Their cir
cumstances and surroundings are
such that they cannot leave home.
If the preacher cannot go to the
school, the school must go to the
preacher. All honor to those
noble men of God, who go and
teach. They are obeying the last
injunction of the risen Christ,
and have the blessed assurance,
“Lo, lan with you alway.” To
go to these country churches
often necessitates many hard
ships and sacrifices from sum
mer’s heat and winter’s cold, over
mountains and through valleys,
like the hardy pioneers of our
forefathers who blazed the way
and made it easier "or those who
came after. .
It is a work of grand possibili
ties. It is reaching many
through one, teaching teachers,
getting in touch with the con
gregation through the pastor.
As a whole it results in unity of
sentiment, among the neighbor
ing churches, “a unity of the
spirit in the bonds of peace.”
It brings the country churches
in touch with each other, and in
sympathy with the city churches
and their work.
It is not saying too much to
assert that it is one of the grand
est moves that has ever been
made in the history of Georgia
Baptists. God’s blessing and
his presence accompanies the
devout study of His Word, and
the results are beyond human
conception. Eager, anxious souls
“studying to show themselves
approved of God,” “searching
the Scripture” to know the way
of God more perfectly, is as sure
to result in good as the promises
of God are trne. It is a great,
grand and glorious move in the
right direction. To the praise
of State Board be it said, every
encouragement has been given
to this branch of work commen
surate with their means. In no
other State has the State Board
undertaken such a work. In
fact, Georgia is the only State in
which the Institute work is car
ried on. There is, in other
States, something similar but
still it is not the same, neither
in plan or results. The present
plan and system of work origi
nated in the fertile brain of that
indefatigable worker and broth
er-beloved, Rev. F. C. McCon
nell. He saw the need of such a
work, and when tested it proved
practicable and the demand in
creased and the work has grown
to surprising proportions in a
few years. It only needs to be
known and understood to be ap
preciated. Like all other work,
“the laborer is worthy of his
hire,” and it is said to be very
hard work too; and makes in
creased demands upon the treas
ury of the State Board. Let
those who contribute to State
Missions remember this fact and
this work in their prayers and
contributions. No work of great
er importance can come before
the people. It is the ground
work, the solid, firm foundation
of the home work.
Canton, Ga.
God counts no one present in
His house or at the throne of
grace if the heart is absent, and
no one absent there if the heart
is present in love and longing.
With Him, presence and absence
are simply questions of the heart.
tortile Index.
Jordan Baptisms.
BY P. S. WHITMAN.
We call ourselves Baptists, but
on the very subject of baptism
we develop about as much folly
as any other sect in Christen
dom. A few years since a Meth
odist forbore to use for his bap
tism one of the pure flowing
streams in the neighborhood
where he lived, but crossing the
seas and making-an excursion in
another hemisphere he came to
sacred Jordan and there pre
sumed to put on Christ in bap
tism. Now to be baptized in
Jordan when otherwise one could
not be baptized at all, is no obe
dience to Christ. So far from
this it is an abuse of the ordi
nance for which the administra
tor if being a Baptist is more re
sponsible than the candidate.
We think it rather an assump
tion of consequence to submit to
baptism, provided only it cm be
done in the same river in which
Christ was baptized. It has too
much the nature of censorious
ness to be acceptable obedience.
The action does not bear to be
closely scanned in point of intel
ligence. Our Lord commanded
baptism. Water is the requisite
and that in sufficient quantity.
The rain that falls from our clouds
and forms our rivers here in
America, is just as much the wa
ter that Jesus was baptized in as
that now flowing in Ihe bed of
Jordan The eunuch wishing
to obey his new discovered
Savior said, “ See, here is wa
ter,” and he was not kept out of
it He had the right understand
ing of its religious use. He could
use it in such a w T ay as thereby
to declare his Lord's death and
resurrection. The very desert
rejoiced as he went on his way,
unconsciously p»erhaps, but no
doubt as matter of fact a
church nucleus for all Ethiopia.
He, changing his course, in a
day or two could have reached
Jordan, but in this way he would
have evinced a defective faith
and would have been unblessed.
Alas, for the American convert
who sees no fitness in God’s
rivers flowing near his home to
be used for his baptism, but
must cross the seas and in an
other hemisphere among stran
gers presume to honor Christ in
a way‘ he refuses to do atnon£
his kindred and friends in his
native land.
A recent event shows that
even women are not exempt from
this folly. A sister has joined a
company of religious tourists to
the East purposely to be bap
tized in Jordan. She is a Meth
odist but no matter —she is wil
ling to be baptized—even anxious
for it, if only it can be done in
sacred Jordan. She was im
mersed. We are glad to know
it was not in order to be attached
to any Baptist church. The
worst of it is, that she should
find among her fellow tourists a
Baptist to officiate.
For the Index.
Charity.
BY MISS ALLIE LAWHON.
■ In 2 Corinthians, twelth chap
ter, Paul explains to his follow
ers the gifts of the Spirit, urges
them to covet the best gifts, and
closes the chapter by saying:
“Yet show I unto you a more
excellent way.” That more ex
cellent theme w T as charity. In the
New Version it is translated love,
for the love of Christ in the
heart makes one charitable in
all things. But this grace can
be nourished or neglected. With
out diligence it becomes as un
wrought gold imbedded in the
depths of the earth. When the
divine spark is implanted in the
soul, then implicit obedience to
the Lord’s commands is alike es
sential to progress and to the joys
of salvation. Weakness and ig
norance are not charity. “Woe
to them that call evil good and
good evil.” The love of lhe
world may be blind, but there is
nothing so clear sighted or pen
etrating as the love of Christ.
The eloquence of men or of
angels is no mark of eternal sal
vation if the love of God is not
in the heart. The gift of proph
ecy to unravel mysteries, to ac
quire all knowledge, faith that
will remove mountains, sacrifice
that will give all of one’s goods
to the poor or even to die for an
other, availeth nothing without
the love of God which is impart
ed in regeneration. Such acts
are often commendable but
achieve only temporal good.
Many a reckless man has sacri
ficed his life for a friend. Even
moral men have coolly done so
without profit to everlasting joys.
Man can discipline his acts but
not his heart. In his endeavors
to accomplish his own desires,
ambition has zealously urged
him to render sacrifices that have
been misconstrued for righteous
ness. But the discriminating
power of God detect s the error
and so may the man, by bring
ing the light of the Bible to shine
on his acts. Satan’s followers
are far more blinded as to whom
they serve and as to their work
than the obedient child of
Christ. The former delights to
keep his subjects entangled in
darkness, while Jesus command
ed his to walk in the light.
No sincere Christian can re
joice in iniquity, but rejoices in
the truth, be it ever so humiliat
ing to self. It takes wide awake,
active obedience unto the Lord
for even a Christian to suffer
long and yet be kind. Self must
be ignored. We must look con
stantly unto Jesus, with a de
termined will to do his commands.
Who but Moses and Paul could
have borne, believed, hoped, en
dured through all the vicissitudes
thatcheckered their lives? For
the saints of the Lord, faith and
hope change to sight and realiza
tion, but love is love still, and
will be through eternity. “Now
al i leth faith, hope, love, but
the greatest of these is love.”
“Yea I have loved thee with
an everlasting love, therefore
with loving kindness I have
drawn thee. ’
Not Slothful in Business.
[From “Time’sTreasure, "by Lord Kinloch.J
1 serve thee, Lord, by daily work, as much
As dally prayer, yet work to which the touch
Os prayer affords the cure for nature’s
pride.
And nature’s sloth; thy heaven hath o’er
the tide
Such Influence, as forbids it to subside.
1 strive the glow of upward alm to give
To common acts; so. unto God to live,
I n toll for man: whene’er are made agree
Heaven’s work and earth’s, not slothful
then to be
In business makesit service, Lord, to thee.
Agreement in Prayer.
We come now to a lesson on
Agreement in Prayer, the firstand
only one which appears to be di
reefed toward joint supplication.
It is perhaps not so much a new
lesson, as a new application of
principles already conveyed to
us in this teaching of the secrets
of prevailing supplication.
The key word of this lesson is
Agreement, but the original word
is a stronger one than can be rep
resented by the word “agree.”
It means to symphonize. The term
is itself a whole revelation. Sym
phony is a musical term, and re
fers not to an accidental or arbi
trary agreement of notes in the
musical scale, but to an eternal
and unchangeab'e law—the law
aftyccloTd Harn.vny is
mined by the interval between
notes. No symphony of sounds
is possible where notes are not
in accord with the instrument
generally, tuned up to the prop
er pitch, and where they are not
correspondent with each other in
the musical scale. A careless
touch upon an instrument often
evokes not harmony but the
worst of discord l It takes the
intelligent, discriminating touch
of the musician to evoke a sym
phony, for he instinctively
strikes keys which are accord
ant.
The symphony of prayer, in
which believing suppliants unite,
is not the result of any mere for
mal agreement or covenant with
each other, proper as this may
often be, as in the case of Daniel
and his companions. Such
agreement is only effective when
it is the result of the Holy Spir
it’s own working, he bringing
disciples into accord first with
himself and then with each oth
er, like a master musician who
first tunes all the keys according
to a concert pitch, and then
strikes such notes as are pre
pared to blend harmoniously in
one chord.
The word symphonize is a
trope —and suggests the entire
body of true suppliants as the
key board of avast musical in
strument, which is in tune with
the mind and purpose of God.
The Holy Spirit, the divine mu
sician, lays his hand, like a true
artist, on two or more keys,
which he has first brought into
harmonious relations with God’s
will and each other, and which
are thus prepared to sound in
the divine ear a perfect chord;
and so there come into the ear
of God both melody and har
mony—the melody of acceptable
individual prayer; the harmony
of acceptable joint supplication.
The implied inference is that
you and I cannot arbitrarily
“agree” as touching anything
that we shall ask, and then plead
this promise. Except so far as
we first agree with the Holy
Spirit, so that our prayer be
comes the expression of the di
vine will, there can be no such
agreement with- each other as
this promise implies In other
w’ords, sympathy with God must
be the basis of symphony among
disciples. When the Holy Spirit
is thus able to move upon hearts
of disciples, however far sepa
rated by distance but still united
by spiritual proximity and sym
pathy, he often touches suppli
ants who are strangers to each
other and brings them into un
conscious accord and concord in
prayer for the same objects.
VOL. 76-NO. 11
Thus, when the secre. thoughts
of many hearts are revealed, we
shall undoubtedly find that pray
ing disciples, far apart, in dis
tant lands, often unknown to
each other, have been led of the
Spirit into simultaneous and
sympathetic prayer for the same
blessings, praying at the same
time for the same things, with a
degree of holy accord, explain
able only by the fact that the
same divine Spirit has been mov
ing in their hearts and interced
ing in and through them.
What boundless paths and
fields of suggestion this lesson on
symphony in prayer opens up !
yes, and what possible pow’er,
too. What an illuminating light
is thrown on our Lord’s words
about joint prayer for the har
vest-field, and that divine thrust
ing forth of laborers into its
wide, vast vacancies, which is
the one sovereign remedy for
the world’s need, and the efficacy
of which is so illustrated in the
thrusting forth of Barnabas and
Saul from the praying assembly
at /. ntioch !
Abundant examples might be
supplied of the power of prayer
that is offered in accordance with
such teachings.
Early in the last century,
about 1729, a great movement
began at Oxford under the Wes
ley brothers, George Whitefield,
and that other little group of
four or five, who covenanted to
gether to join each other in the
pursuit of personal holiness, and
sought to learn the secrets of
spiritual power in the service.
It was not the first time God has
chosen a few to teach the many,
and in a brief period to leave on
record a lesson for all ages. At
the end of six years these ‘Meth
odists’ numbered but sixteen.
But on this little band came the
Spirit of God in such power that,
through their preaching, pray
ers, and testimony, the whole
church of Christ was lifted to a
higher level. It may be doubted
whether, since Christ ascended,
any equal number of believers
have in such away wrought
more powerfully upon the his
tory and destiny of men. The
condition of society, both within
and without the pale of the visi
ble church, was so deplorable
that evangelical faith had scarce
ly a name to live. Deism was
preached in Christian pulpits,
libertinism was practiced in
social life with unblushing au
dacity. Infidelity and irreligion
seemed to be sweeping before
them the last remnants of a pure
Christian doctrine and practice.
Missions had almost ceased to
be even the admitted duty of the
church, and formalism of the
most stereotyped and petrified
type seemed to be encasing the
church in its heartless shell of
rites and ceremonies.
The results of those little con
ferences and prayer-meetings,
held in Oxford, can never be
known until the books are open
ed. We trace them immediately
in the brilliant career of White
field, and a score of other evan
gelists, and in the open-air ser
vices, which, for vastness of con
gregations, magnitude of results,
ani permanent revolution of so
ciety, can be compared to noth
ing since apostolic days; in the
rapid creation of the most ag
gressive denomination of Chris
tians, now numbering millions;
and in the amazing multiplication
of praying circles in all parts of
the world, the revival of evan
gelical doctrine and piety, and
the birth of the new era of mis
sions. Ten years later, in 1739,
the first Methodist Society was
formed. Twenty years later,
1749, Jonathan Edwards was
stirring all New England by his
preaching, and sending forth his
trumpet -call to universal prayer
for the effusion of the Spirit.
Sixty years later, 1789, William
Carey was poring over the ques
tion of a world’s evangelization,
and organizing a world wide
campaign. It seems incredible,
but the present state of evangel
ical faith and evangelistic activ
ity may be traced directly back
to those meetings which began
in 1729, in the hearts of less than
a dozen men who yearned to
know God and serve him com
pletely, and were by the Spirit
brought so into accord with God
and each other that their prayers
symphonized.— Lessons in the
School of Prayer.—Pierson .
It is one of the secrets and
sources of great wickedness,
that, as Dr. Johnson expresses
it, “the chains of habit are sel
dom heavy enough to be felt
until they are too strong to be
broken.” These chains are
wreathed in flowers, and we do
not discern them until the
flowers wither and fall away, and
what looked like pleasure only
unmasks itself as the pollution
and pain and despotism of evil.
This world is our workshop. We
must be careful to leave the tools we
use in a proper condition for use by
those who come after us.;