Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1843-07-05

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But it is generally understood by Chris
tians that faith is necessary to the offerin!
of effecrual prayer. What this faith is
am unable 10 determine, for | never saw
any evidence Of its being possessed by an,
one. 1t cannot be firm belief that wha
they pray for they shall receive, for many
Fhave this belief and We: their prayers ar,
not answered. Paul or some other one il
writing 10 the Hebrews says Faith !.
the substance of things hoped for and The
evidence of things not SEEN" According
to this definition of faith, the one who has
it, has all he could ask for before asking,
and Why ask for what we already possess
If we already have the substance OF what
we desired i! would be senseless to pray
that it might be granted 10 US! AS in,
consistent and absurd as Pau's doctrine
of faith is, it is no more unreasonable than
multitude Of other things in The Book.
But do those who pray receive what they
ask for; are their prayers answered If
they had been this earth would have been
a paradise hundreds Of years ago. Who
has not heard them pray for the sanctifi-
cation of all christians present anG the i'm
mediate conviction and conversion Of all
impentent sinners! And who eyer knew
these results to folow2 No one They
say they believe GCd is faithful TO do as
the Bible says he will, and yet thousands
that call themselves Christians pray daily
for years for the same things which never
come 10 pass. l acknowledge that many
things happen as they pray that they may,
but they are always such things as would
come if there was no prayer offered, ex-
cept where persons are deluded AMI de-
ceived and overcome by the excitement
and sympathy that is often creared in
prayer meetings. La such cases they are
driven 5y the most groundless fears, en-
couraged by the most ideal and baseIess
hopes, and have their sympathes excited
by accounts of suffering aud agony that
were never endured, tiH they are made to
profess their belief 10 religion tor which
they can give no reason, and which They
confess is involved in The most impcnelra-
BILE mysteries!
Christians canno. reasonably complain
OF lnflels for not believing in their relg
ion, for if one prayer in million should
be answered, LnfIels could no longer dis
believe. 1t avaiIs them nothing TO say
that hey have received the blessings that
they asked to be conferred upon their own
minds, while unbeIeverS have experienced
none of the effects that they prayed might
be produced. Oae apostle says the reason
Why they do not receive is because they
ask amss bat is God indeed such being
that, if be is not asked in precisely such
manner he will let myriads ofsouIs whose
worth is incalcuIabe sink TO endless de-
spair and misery 20 who car endure
the enormities of such religion as is call.
ed Christianity ! ~..." 49, ~.
Christians in their prayers make God
10 be their temper 10 sin, and then repre-
sent him as Furnishing them for what he
induced them 10 do. They pray that God
would not lead them into temptation ard
sin, just as if he had disposition to do it,
aud was exer!ing himself to make Them
disobey tim. Do they really suppose
that God would lead them into TEN pta,ton2
If not, why insult him by praying that he
would not2 ..
They do not appear TO have any conf
dence 10 one another, for 10 the same as
sembIy, one and another and another will
pray for Gods spirit and presence and as
sistal &c, as if they did not las in reality
they do not,) believe the same petitions Of
ftred by other individuals awaited any
Thing. .."...."~" =... ..
By their prayers they ef1tctnally (as
far as language can do it.) destroy every
attribute and perfection of their G ID S ma
tnre, which at other times they maintain
he possesses. ......
Bat | have not time and space to 60 ir-
to detail of all the absurdilies and con-
tradictions made 10 prayers. l wish that
those who make these prayers, would
think of the contradictory and ftadish
and imbecile character that they give to