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a prop as th a t? How can I be dis comfited w ith such a friend as He? “And He wondered th a t th e re was no intercessor.” I close w ith a sentence. I th ink Sam uel was th e g reatest of Isra el’s judges. And Samuel said a wonderful thing about intercession, for Samuel said, “ God forbid th a t I should sin against th e Lord, by ceasing to make in te r cession for you.” p o you ever look at your friend s th a t way? Do you ever look a t th e boy, a t th e girl, and say, “ God forbid th a t I should sin against th e Lord by ceasing to make interces sion for you” ? Is th a t th e way you look a t your Sunday School class? Is th a t the way you pray about your husband? Is th a t th e way you pray about your wife? Is th a t the way you pray about your bro th er? Is th a t th e way you pray about your friend? Is th a t th e way you pray about th is church? THE BOOK When sorrows come like shocks of doom, Or faith lone staggers in th e gloom,— When phantom s rise to stock the way And hopes are toned to somber gray, Give me one book,-—Love’s book,— The Bible. When faith is strong and skies are clear, When joy exults and laughs through tears,— When all th e world is redolent W ith choicest blessings heaven sent, Give me one book,— Joy’s book,—' , The Bible. When sunset glow has fringed life’s skies, And tim e and toil have dimmed these eyes, When for me comes the P ilo t’s call, E ’en then before th e curtains fall Give me one book,— God’s book,— j The Bible. Rev. R. H. Ayres, D.D., Pastor, M. E. Church, Sterling, Colo.
tercession did all this, and still does all this, it may well surprise th e all-seeing God th a t we are so little given to in te r cession. B u t X have not told you th e best th ing of all. In Romans 8 th e re are two verses th a t ought to be w ritten on every church wall. ■“He ever liveth to make intercession for us.” Who? Why, th e g reat Christ! Did I say He prayed for me two m illennium s ago down in Judea? He prays for me a t th is mo m ent up in Heaven. Oh, I am never weak and never straiten ed , because I have my g reat Moses up there, and He lifts H is hands in th e presence of God and prays, and Amalek will never prevail against me while for me my Advocate prays. Do you th ink much about this, my people? Lawyer, doctor, business man, student, school girl, teacher, do you th in k about it th a t up th e re in th e visible presence of God is th e man Christ Jesus; th e man ap proved of God, th e man who died for you, and whom God raised up in the heavens; and He intercedes for you, and He lives to intercede, as if it were th e prime purpose of His existence in glory. And then in th e same chapter is the o th er jewel I have alluded to. “The Spirit knows., our infirm ities, and makes intercession for us.” Now you ju st sit still a moment before I rep eat th e rest of th a t verse, because I th ink often th a t it is next to one text, th e most trag ic verse in th e Bible. This is th e most tragic of all, “My God, my God, why h ast Thou forsaken m e?” And th is is th e next to th e most tragic, “The Spirit Himself m aketh intercession for us w ith groanings which cannot be u tte red .” There is an intensity of fer vor, a passion of painful solicitude in th e intercession of th e Spirit for us, th a t can only be im parted to us in language th a t lacks definition— even in unu tterab le groanings. T h a t ought to h earten us. How can 1 sink w ith sucn
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