Prayer

Ye soldiers of the cross, members of the Church militant on earth , kneel dailt before you gird your weapons on ; so shall you be much more than conquerors !You who  are faithful to your native land and to the Church, pray , even as Moses , the more earnestly the more you see decline around ; were but the spirit of true prayer more asked for and more bestowed , then there would be less reason , and less inclination also to complain . You whom the world misunderstands and wrongs , learn ,like the prayerful Moses ,- nay , like Jesus in His sufferings , to bless them that curse you , and to pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you ..You fellow travellers to the same celestial Canaan ! the path is steep , the time remaining may be short , your best strength may be spent ; then let us promise to each other , and the Lord, that we shall pray more earnestly for each other , and that we shall thus complete what is , alas , still wanting in our mutual love . You children of the dust , a few more moments , and our footmarks here on earth will dissappear , even as Israel's in the wilderness. But yet , what matters that , if so be that the story of our inner life , like tht of Moses on the earth , can be comprised in words like these , recorded in Heavens chronicle ,; "He was a man of prayer and faith "? As Moses ascended to meet with God , so let us also quickly shake earth's dust from off our wings , and through eternity enjoy the blessedness  of which he had refreshing  foretaste in the forty days on the Mount . To none of His own chosen ones  shall God say on that holy mount , "Go , get thee down "