Christian herald., August 11, 1882, Page 2, Image 2

CHHTSTIAX
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HFHAT.F».
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“ with lip .service only, when his “ prayers;’’ Hut 1 am speaking of
0 rig ina! Contributions.
heart is far from him ?” It Was hot the philosophy of real, actual
Is Prayer Natural ?
until thv_ Israelites " cried Unto
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TCTxi y reason of their Imndiige ” remains t« ■ i la* considered.
j
NVMHElt II.
S. C. A PA MS.
in Egypt, that “ God heard their .
Saleui, Or., July 22, 1882.
Christ tried to teach Nicodemus i groaning, and had respect unto
that if he would study God’s ways their cry.” God also said to them
Sleep.
in natural things, more’ he would afterward, that “ if thou alllict the
T est —*“ Awake Urtili tliat «loopout and arino
understand God’s ways in spiritual widow or fatherless child, ill any tioni
tlje dertd and Chrlnt siigli gire tlic llght,"
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out of the snare of the devil,
j This awakening consisted of freeing
«
1...JI
— frrr.7;; t i nT .T:H7ï r.:^
JevTT^TrlieyTCT'nieanfi^IoTree™
themselves from the poWCi* of Salafi
or else God would not command
them to do so. Not only are they
ordered to recover themselves from .
the devil, hut they arc commanded
to “study” nature and revelation surely hear their cry." Job says
Most certainly these persons ad- Alin yourselves with the mind of
- Hothi-very faithfully, and honestly, that God “ wrll hear the cry of the dressed, whatever,.,their condition' Christ. 1 Pet. 4:
1 he only
if we would become “ workmen, ap­ afflicted,” and David says that “he was,.are commanded to awake from arms necessary to successful lx de-
ialaji is the mind of .Jesus,
proved unto God," unto science and forgets not the cry of the humble, their sleep and -** AH ISE from
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ilnto connnfih sbnsC
......... W his’i‘Ji'1 s afc’Tipen to their cry," dead.” Then they were asleep and 1 <’ ulkrtlu>se wlm awake: amBarnw 7—
( hrist
In my former article I showed I and •“ ie ears of the Lord are open among the*dead. We lind a pas- tliere is a promise given.
that prayer was a /«tiitpaZ /bree, to tki- cry cf the righteous.” Christ sage in Paul’s writing to Timothy shall give you light.” They needed
assured us that “ God will which sheds upon this'theme a light lor they were in darkness and
among the higher animals, and that h
God answers their prayers through avenge his own elect, which cry flood of light: “That they may no wonder they were sleepy. The
Blit. awake themselves out of the snare light they needed comes from
other natural forces and agencies • lay and night uiito him.
Jiunes
says
to
some,
that
“
ye
ask, of the de\ il wlio are taken captive Christ, What is the light, then
through which he always operates
Prayer that cannot lie answered and receive not because yeJ ask by him at his wjll. ’ 2 Tim. 2: 26.
¿6. that Christ gives, lor his is the
Timiss.
’
1
-
John
explains
more
fully
According to' this text //pi/ sleep ‘ »Sou of Righteousness.
fn him *
through these agencies or means,
cannot l»e v‘according* to his will,’ the natural philosophy of prayer, consisted ill living Tii captix ity to "as life and the tile was the light
ami are, therefore, vain. But we when "T h * says* “ If we ask any thing tin* devil Mm MX! ill capi.ivit.y4o ■if .men,... ^ngJ-. - J be lif; -*/!-
lie heareth the devil when they are_doing his was the light given to men He
said that God in nature, will help accorai ng to his
us;
aniT
iLJie
hear
us,
«we know will and wickedness of whatever showed tln in the beauty of holi­
us to understand God in revelation.
Now we know that in the case of that we havrthv petitions that we kind or caste is his* -will ; hence ness ill a perfect life. But the
—, men are his captives or prisoners, light of that perfect life and exam­
animals, there must be a relation of desired of him.’
Nature then, as well Us the Bible, (for they are in his snare or trap) ple collies to us through the writt<*n
sympathy between the -one that
cries or prays, and the one that teaches ux very .plainly that our' whenever they engage in any kind life of Jesiis <>r the ( ìospel. There-
answers. There must be a tie of cry to God should Ini genuine, of wickedness. The word captive fore Paul calls it “ The light of the
prompted by
real is in the Greek “ taken alive.”
glorious Gospel of Christ,” ami .says „
sympathy, of affection or of inter­ ami one
est (or of all these; between them. actual want,, and neither vain, - This sleep then is not the -sleep it “ shinrs-mtathimi.” 2 Cor. 4:4.
There must In* at) correspondence spurious or hypocritical. Imagine of death, for Paul affirms that they
Christ then shines through the
one
calf
laying
a
wager
with
between the heart ami language of
are “ taken alicef by him at his Gosja*!, and into men’s hearts.
!
another,
(a
la
Prof.
Tyndall)
that
it
the one who prays, and the heart,
will. We see then clearly that “ God who commamled the light to
could
so
dissemble
as
to
deceive
its
or feelings of the one prayed to
they are not literally dead nor shine out of darkness, hath shined
parent
dam,
and
obtain
an
answer
Ordinarily, the cry. or language of
in our hearts,” and what does God
among the literal dead.
one species of creatures, awakens to its cry ' A calf might be silly
Now from what we have already shine ill men’s hearts for ? “ To
no resjMinse or sympathy in another enough to make such a bantering seen we are prepared for the de­ give the light of the knowledge of
of a different- kind.—But the cry or proposition, but no vow of ordinary claration of the same writer as to tboghny of God in tire face of
prayer of any of the dependent and instinct, would he foolish enough their condition, “ you who were Jesus Christ.” He shines in men’s f
helpless creatures, must lie one of to pay the least attention to it' dead in trespasses abd in sins hath hearts to give light, the light of
real want -, and that want is in­ To her the.sham wouldLlie too ap­ he quickened.” These persons who knowledge, the knowledge of the
dicated by the very tone ami voice parent. And still, by their con­ were asleep were “ dead in trespass­ glory of« G<xl in the face of Jesus
of the cry. The calf, the lamb, duct it would seem that a great es and in sins,” and their awaken­ Christ. This light reaches the
and all other young animals may many must think that our Creator ing consisted in “ recovering theiux. heart./Ann/gA Lite mind. " For Um
“ bawl ” or “ bleat,” or cry for hours has less perception and wisdom selves out of the snare of the devil ” i God of this world hath blinded the~~
sometimes through mere habit, per than many of the animal mothers ' They were commanded to awake minds of them that lielievc not, lest
versify or fretfulness, ami the As the ant may teach the sluggard out of sleep and arise from the the light of the glorious Gospel of
parent mother will pay no atten­ wisdom, so many of the young dead to something. What, then, is Christ ' should shine into them.’’
tion to it; she knows that its cry animals might teach us much in the object to which they arc com­ He JJinded the minds of them that-
is a “hollow mockery,” ami a regird to the nature and philosophy manded to arise f “ Awake To believe not, because that is the only
spurious imitation of its real ami of real prayer.
righteousness and sin not.” I Cor. .possible door of entrance to their
The whple spirit and. genius of 15; 34. Prepositions govern the hearts, ami if he can get them to
true prayer, and that it has no real
want to be supplied. -She will pay Christianity (when we understand, objective case. Righteousness is in close their eyes and ears against
no attention to its prayer except it) is in direct opposition to every the oljective case in this declara­ i the Gospel, there, is ma danger of its
when the cry indicates .real n%ed. kind of formal -worship. If we tion, and hence is the object to light getting into their hearts
This is but a natural confirmation should only eat when the stomach which they are. commanded to ■ through their -minds. Sometimes,
of all the teachings of Scripture. craves food, is it not equally true awake.
I however, Satan succeeds in taking
that
we
should
’
only
pray,
when
the
“ When you pray a use not vain
It is very evident, indeed, that the word away from the heart,
repetitions, as the hy|>ocrites do.” heart really craves and" desires these parties were not literally even after it reaches it. In the
Bi* not deceived for God is not something. Indeed can we really asleep nor literally dead, for they parable of the sower the Savior
mocked.”
Christ “offered .. up pray unless-this is the case f
are commanded to “ awake them
-id; "The wayside hearer, or f
s prayers valid supplications, with
I am not now speaking of sclcetf' and commands are given those by the wayside are they that
strong crying ami tears, and was “thanksgiving”
and
“praise,” neither, to men asleep nor dead. hear, then coincth the devil and
heard.’ Why’should man be guilty . which very projierly constitute the They themselves were to do the taketh away the word out of their
of the empty form of prayer, nr larger jiortion of our so-called rising ami recovering tlwim-ehes hearts.” LukeK: 12. Why make
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