Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-04-03

out L can go for Christ. And for
Christ he did go.
Some Of the Remarks
Of r. " Webster, IN the Cong Ch
the n'orn'ng after the fire: March
%, 1873
(A.fier readi"y the 18th chap. Of
Job.)
Four times during the two years of
my ministry among you, a fire has been
he occasion Of sermon. Twice, the
fire affected US, as affecting the whole
nation. Twice, it has affected us more
closely. Nearly two years ago, the
lightning set fire to some property and
destroyed it. On that occasion / spoke
to you, as led by the prophet, who ask
ed, "Shall there be evil in the city and
the Lord hath not done it ?" [ tried
to show, what | believe the Bible clear
ly teaches, that evil (not s5u) is pro-
vided for, directed, controlled by God !;
that it does not happen without him !;
that the destruction Of that property
was not an accident ; that to rule God
out Of all connection with the affair,
save such as the mere nationalist would
allow him, was not scriptural, was I'M
piety, unbelief ] tried at the same
time to show that evil, in the sense of
pain, loss, disaster, was remedial, cura-
tive, meant, on God's part, for GOOD,
GOOD that could not otherwise be secur-
ed
At the time Of the Chicago fire,
when men talked wisely of wooden
houses, the strong wind, the long
drought, and were exhorting one an
other BY the bad luc', to build better,
anl were forgetting God, or else boldly
declaring that God had nothing what
ever to do with it, I said that if not a
sparrow falls without our Father, sure
~ his great company Of children IN
Chicago had NOT, without God, suffer
cI so dire al evil. | tried to show that
the wonderful words Of Jesus concern
ing the sparroWs, were not sensational
Of mere poetry or figure Of speech !;
that they stated a simple truth which
It is most rational to accept, viz. that
God providence extends to individuals
spacialtics as we'll as to worlds and
gcneralities that God cares for hi 8
birds, for each one of them [ refer
rcd to Christ S argument that God cares
for each spGrrow, hence how much
more for his intelligent children. 1t
wa3 shown that the words of Jesus
could not be explained by mere refer
ence to the original and general order
Of the Universal; that if Christ had
meant to say, your Father, myriads
Of ages ago, so arranged the laws of
matter that sparfoWs are, IN general,
provided for, both as to their produc-
ton and destruction" he could rot
have said to those unscientific and un-
philosophical friends of his, care not
five sparrows sold for two farthings =?
but not one of them falls to the grourfd
without your Father" | tried there
fore to show thas the doctrine Of jesus
involved the statement, that evils like
the great fire were wrought Of God, in
such sense, that He is responsible for
! them: which being true, warrants us
in a rcstful confidence that good is
meant even IN things evil. | then said
that even our short sight might discov-
or good in the great calamity, which
would infinitely outweigh all the
i'll.
Whan Boston vas called to suffer,
the cry went through the land, down
with wooden mansard roofs as though
God could not have burned Boston, if
men had not furnished the kindling.
hesitated at that time to speak, for
wise and venerable men all over the
country were talking about it, and Il
said, age should speak, the multitude
of years should teach wisdom. Too
much that was spoken, however, did
not please me, and though the speakers
were ''wise and prudent" and | was
not, | yet remembered that God had
hidden some things from such, and
revealed them unto babes. After a
time, therefore. called your attention