Now, since he is ever present with you, sustaining a life which you acknowledge is not being spent in his service and to his glory, will he not much more give you at the same time power and love and faith to do his will?  O, try him.  Try my Lord in one sincere, humble, honest, fervent prayer.  Say, Lord, open my eyes.  Take away my heart of stone, and give me a heart of flesh.  “Create in me a clean heart; and renew a right spirit within me.”  My friend, the moment you sincerely wish to do his will by loving and obeying him he will enable you to do so, as surely as he now enables you to rise to your feet and walk home, or go wherever you will and do what you choose.

It is not a small thing the Lord means when he says:  “Consider the lilies of the field, ... they toil not, neither do they spin:  and yet I say unto you, That Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  If God so clothe the grass of the field, ... shall he not much more clothe you?”

My friend, let me here impress your mind with the sublime truth that it is quite as much in accordance with the Lord’s way, and quite as harmonious with his love, to clothe you with power to do his will as to clothe the grass of the field with beauty.  He gives life and beauty to every sparrow.  Are you not more in his eye than many sparrows?  Even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  O friend, think of it.  He even hears the young ravens when they cry.  And will he let your soul perish?  Will he suffer your naked soul to sink into hell when you cry to him for help?  Perish the thought!  For it “is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”; not to condemn them.

WHAT IS IT TO BE SAVED?  Let the Lord answer:  “He that heareth my word, and believeth him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed out of death unto life.”  This is salvation.

THE FOREST.

This is a section of country in the southwestern part of Shenandoah County, Virginia.  In early days it was very densely timbered, and its few scattered inhabitants were said to live in the forest or woods.  In this way they were locally distinguished from those living in the eastern part of the county, along the North Fork of the Shenandoah river.  At present it is one of the wealthiest and most highly cultivated sections of the county.  The population is largely composed of German Baptist Brethren.  Many of these are now distinguished for piety and usefulness.  In this number we find the names of Peter Myers, Benjamin Wine, Daniel Wine, Christian Haller, Samuel Garber, Martain Garber and others, with their descendants, many of whom are church members.  Brother Daniel Hays married in this section, and formerly resided there; but he now lives near Broadway, in Rockingham County, Virginia.