, 1874-05-25


eli seemed willing simply to DO terrified By tho
dark shadow Of Tho Almighty, now equally ali
love. The civilized world in al its length and
rond it In tue lottera which iuadois rrlto / aoa
IT. ,,-s oyM1rywhero: M Tho world moods Hoav-
only Father. Whethor tho tenderness Of lib.
cry, which !ovoa a1l alike, and which ha4
mIigated e. al human governmont has also mttI..
boldly Affirm. but certain 1t ia that tho same aga
that gives America only a President and En-.
Gn Gdna ',5n; only Eentlo loving Qncou, and Trauc<
IN = orator for ils chief giyns tho civilized world
dod Who has thrown aBtdo the character Of An
eno'ny to put on evermore, bclioYo, the habili.
montB Of Father and q snyior. 4 need, posi'
l. %Wtpl,-aoi,nod t tt'11; a9st universal has sprung
u IL is as vain to deny 1t as 1t would be Il
Iny that man has roanhed ncod OF frostiom In
ILL.,! t;!itlta, or need OF boohs in hiB mental lifo.
-is tleno by that groat want now visible
@aaer tho na1ne, for example, Of books, ,-of
.abltc press. 10 road has now become IN os-
Initial part Of ovory respectable human lifo.
zar, ia robbed Of much Of It's old glory by tho
@lomo ologuonco which tho art of printing bna
-;.arriod to evory houaolold. A new tasto, new
loalro, has boon kindod, and now tho humblcat
bis llumblo room. the source Of daily culture
aud happiness: Out of tho printing.proBs has
boon evolved this new appetite, this now spirit
'lal Longing Of which tho heart did not once 40
much aH even remotely dream, but which has
ciety.
Now, in view OF these unfolding wishes Of thu
human soul great i'll thoir power, and divine In
their quality, ,nay wo not repeat from them tho
,, Tortln Of I'll the text: Your Heavenly Father
knoWeth that 80 havo need OF oil these thinga
before 20 ask Him." aud it is we'll that thore Is
ono who thus reads hu1nan life in advance, for
there ia Renso in which NC poor mortals must
have roached and must have trlod bloaBing
for it,-or to seek its boatowal. If God
watod for his children fully to know their need
nnd rocave it, poor indeed would have been the
Ii( [to Of al His myriads on this footstool.
munifcence Of God are always combiued,
the munilconce Of God being always tho greatof
and tho leading qunutity. For example, while
man indeed sought liberty in the OUTSET, God
passed. in the prayers OF the first patriot. Ho
knew tho mead Of mankind far beyond the human
prayer, anu while man stood working over the
3lEat rude types and tho frHt rude printng tho
Of literature fur beyond tho printor's first dream.
Flo knew what the world had need Of in ad.
vance Of lis prayor,-that H. beyond his prayer.
Those thoughts may illustrate my moro regioua
new religious needs will spring up hero aud
thore, and NOW mud then, aud they will grow and
strengthen and become constant element over
afterward in tho worlds dniy thought and daily
action. No power nftorward eau eVor eliminate
them. They bocomo perpetual part Of theology,
and OF human life and Of human experience.
WHO can find al tic hidden gate'7ays by which
tho now human longing for God as n friend,
for o Savior as a friend, has in tho phst twonty-
tlvo yoars coming rlght out OF tho s!!adow-land,
invaded fully all human, hearts? Nlp can sea
como7
some ono Tiil inform you thqt % the t ago hastona
widens out tho intlnite love, because it desires
to eBcape the constant fear of Gods Justice
hut. unfortunately for this hypothesis, il is NOT
the inildel nor tho criminal muititudes only
which betray this swooter viow Of God, but it La
tllo entire Christian Church of every name !;
they certainly nro not desiring to din with i'm
punity. Tho most profoundly piouH souls, and
tic most deeply evangelical Churches join with
all tho scholars md with tho nkoptical world in
botrayipg this hungerIng Of tho .hoart after q
Qod and Savior TINT posBoss tho charm OF
an infinite Hympatly. But it is nothing else than
H. growing need Of society, and longing
evoked. Il only the openly sinful hun
gored for this benevolent God, ono might fool
thnt thoir lntoroHtH wore tho father of tho
thought. But this longing soen,s 10 universal
Of the new pages in the great religion Of Jesua
Christ, --notlling e]Ho than tho bursting OF d
soaled book, whose pages God hmsolf has
authorized the century to unsea1.
what things His children need orc they asked Him.
They knew not what to pray for, but God know
their want. belioyo also this, that in All era
when scienco was to advance 30 far III seeking
the origin Of life, that it would itself Btani
80, but invite ns to como there also and
stand, the Heavenly Father, reuliag this new,
danger, built tp suddenly such conception OF
himself as love, as friend, that human atIec-
ton for tho Creator might rise up and resiHt q
1nateriaism which tlse old terror or old su-
perstition could never hnyo aseaicd or do
foated It ii n singular providence thnt by just
AZ much as times try to take away God, just
80 much does Christianity mako God moro low
able, aud mako us loss willing to giyo him up.
Now, my friends, men will reject whnt they
drea.l but they will nevor reject what they 1ovo.
Il there is conception Of God and Of Jesus
Cllgist which will be able, through all tho nexG
atheism, rising nboye tic horizon 1t Ia tho con-
ception Of God rs Il Father, wise, loving, aud
loyable. This alone will provo equal to Tho
graye taslk Of meeting tho materialst and tho
atheist. God must not be III intellectual belief
only, much less a 1nero tyraut ruling oyor mon,
but He must he entlronel ip tho heart as tha
blessed source OF life aud tho foundation Of all
those grand hopes beyond. God aud heaven
must b0 made 10 l0yRbe TINT Hctenco cannot
pluck tlom frum tho heart.
Yesterday there caMe to mo words from three
human hearts, from different SOURCES III tho
laud. Two were letters from inndels. They
had always been such, netting al such all through
life, but now, i'll older years, colfoss that low
ing God ia building up in thoir hearts now
pioty, and. new longing for immortality will.
lint God.--perfoot outponrings OF trust in q
living God, Tho third Moesage VAS from
Christian mother, who wished me to bury hor
only ohiil, called from hor homo In tho sixth
year. She sail: II loak up to
my Heavenly Futhor, and find perfect
pcacu." This ls feature Of God anl of Christ
TINT will meet atheB1n all along tho human
pathway, aud will make the banncr Of our Lord
| wayo above human life long after the flag Of
ntheiBm has beon bleacod. and avon torn by
Btorlna from It's staff, uoro came thrco 1ncB-
a1id from inlldelB, anil ono from a Christian
mother hore al Of them looking up to this
Heavenly Father with loyo undroamed Of In