Wilmington daily commercial., 1874-12-07

ABSTRACT OF SERMON DELIVERED By. REV. THOe.
T. HICKS IN THE UNITARIAN CHURCH, YEsTER-
DAY.
Rev. Thcs. F. Hicks, NJ. D. preached yesterday
in the Unitarian Church, from Psalms, 50-15
The text, he said, implies the existence Of God
1t implies that God is person tnat he is all
seeing and all-knowing. This question has been
sharply argued, yet almost all men believe in
God From his Belfast address, Prof. Tyndall
was understood TO be an Atheist. He has since
said that when in the Spring he watches the
opening life in nature he asks himself the ques-
ton, eau it be that there is no being who knows
more about this than do 7 And he adds, ''the
man who puts that question to himself, If he be
not shallow man-if he be man capable OF
being penetrated by profound thought-will
never answer the question by protesting the
creed of Atheism which has been lightly attri-
| buted to me-
The speaker considered at some length the
| question of prayer and natural law. We note
| the points made on that subject AL nations,
| he said, pray. Every individual, in emergen-
/ ces, prays. When man comes 10 the point at
| which human help fails, he instncuyely ex-
claims, " God help me- know a rationslistc
| teacher who came near being shipwrecked on
the Atlantic. At one time he fully expected to
be lost. In describing the scene to a friend, af-
| ter his safe arrival home, he said i tell You
l never prayed In all my life as / did then"
That honest confession was an answer to all the
/ nb nhu ever against prayer.
| 1t showed that when danger came, when both
captain and crew were helpless, he felt that
| there was a God 70 whom he could call for help.
His soul believed in prayer.
Prayer then, IL not sentiment, an opinion.
| IL is an instinct OF human nature. God has put
prayer into the very constitution of man. 1t is
| a great natural fact. Does not this teach that
there must be some answer TO this natural in
stinctI Z 1t God has made man a PRAYING being
does not this intimate, AZ least, that He is him
| self prayer r-answering God
To pray il part Of mans nature. This we
| know and this, believe, teaches us that to all
| swer prayer is q part Of Gods nature. Nature
as | see 1t, does not contradict prayer Oh the
contrary, believe that prayer s part OF Gods
plan in the constitution OF man aud Of nature.
Az in the constitution Of man God has made
room for prayer, 80 believe. that in the con-
stitution Of the universe he has made room for
| the answer to prayer.
But ii is said 'there ia ln nature certain es-
tablshed order Of percedure; il PRAYER is answer
| ed this order must be reversed" l do not say
that this order is never reversed. believe that
| God has not flung out the universe 10 run with
ont his superinteudence Being the master OF
all forces in the universe, He can change the
| usual order il He secs best But prayer can be
answered; perhaps most prayers are answered
without changing the order Of nature. Let me
| mention one or two ways in which prayer can
| be answered in accordance with natural law
l. God can answer prayer by direct exercise OF
personal will. in this way earthly parents an
swer the requests OF their children. II God i.
! Father cannot He answer the requests of His
children in similar way and this without in'
terfering with any person or any law Why II
not direct gift from God as natural as a direc
gift from man? The whole question OF praye
turns upon the personality Of God. Acknowl
edge that God il a person and you carry thu
question OF prayer. If God is a person He cal
do what man can do and as much more ~ God i
greater than man. denial Of prayer, then i
Atheism.
2. God can answer prayer by using natura
law, or rather by using natural forces, by modi
tying them, by changing their direction. Ma
uses natural forces to accomplish his purposes
Man by draining swamps, cutting OF forests an
bui ding cities changes the climate Of a country
and so, in some measure, determine
the electrical condition of the al
mosphere, the temperature of III
. air, the direction Of the wind and the quantity 0
rainfall or snowfall. If man, in using and d
recting natural forces can produce such mar
vellous changes, what right have We to say tina
God cannot answer prayer without reversing NAT
ural law2 Cannot God use natural law 10 &C
complsh His will in special proyi1ence2
3. God can answer prayer by overcoming on
force By another, or IN other wOrdr by subjec
ing lower law to a higher. In holding up til
book overcome one force by another. / owe
come the law OF grayitaton by the higher law ,
vital force. In this do just what some me
say God cannot do. We are exercising this pow,
of overcoming one natural force by another
every movement We make. The air about us
force and we are continually displacing it az v
move against it. II man can overcome natur
forces God can. and so the natural objection
the answer Of prayer il removed.
4. God eau answer prayer by changing thi
minds and hearts of men lie often uses huma
instruments Man.often changes the mind al
conduct Of man by a thought or Telegram
* God understands mans thought afar on Il
has his finger upon the telegraphy OF the un
verse, He is the force above and behind all 9th,
forces, and He can make men His messengers
execute His will. Distance and space, tue ds
and the night, are alike to him. "With God
things are possible"