The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-05-22
MASONIC TEMPLE.
PROFESSOR CHADWICK ON THE FUNCTIONS Of


PRAYER.
Yesterday morning Professor Chadwick preached to
Or. Frothingham's regular hearers on prayer Its
Functions and Efficacy" Prayer, no said. Is some
thing OF which people form very erroneous ideas.
To some it means simply the act Of pctitioning the
Deity Tor good, and such people always test its
efficacy by tho heed that seems to be given their re-
quests God, they think viii stoop to readjust the
order OF things and at their solicitation will evils
likely impcnd from tho rrevocablc laws the uni
verse This idea OF the Dctys interference in mortal
affairs has been preached and written about for ages
and it seems TO have become necessity with most
theoIogizns 10 bring to the fore particular in
stance Of PRAYER being answered to support very gen.
eral deductions OF thor own. Some scientists have
lately thought at to publicly dccry the power
OF prayer and to conrovcrt their statements great
number OF examples Of It's efficacy have been pointed
ont Some stories OF maadies cured by the nvoca-
tion OF Heavens aid others the sudden termination
or plaques pestcnce and But Is II not jnst as
likely that these evils would have 10 end OF
themselves had not the Deity been called upon 10 make
them ceases In TACT, tho mental association OF the
which il was asked is likely 10 bring into action the
Imagination and bcgck conviction of supernat ural
agency effects which are quite in tho ordinary
OF events
THE Evrgcr or IMAGINATION
ScrofuIa or kings evil was said 10 find a remedy In
Vulnerable wero believed 10 have been cured by the
presence Of sanity relics and doubt many wonder
full things effected apparently by both. The
virtual OF these cures. however, lay in the
imagination. Nowadays tho Imagination Is not
responsible for many results formerly. There Is
place in Germany where prayer Is constantly SAID for
the restoration to health Of the nvads living there
and many remarkable cures are reported But az tho
singuarly fresh and wholesome in that quarter
and rs tho patients given FREQ IL and
medicines used, u is likely that another than
prayer might DO found Tor the frequent recovery OF
strength. Prayer h sometimes cnicacous because
ovcrhcar IL ns readily ms God hears ~ In Boston
there IL a hospital for consumptivcs supported by
prayer, and yet the contribution boxes seen around Il
very suggestive OF moro material means OF
When city pcrishes IN flames, when a
people distressed with famine, there
arc, no doubt, earnest prayers uttered tor
sisancc and II frequently gwen, but generally
when the telegraph conveys the OF the disaster
tho great brotherhood Of men. II Is then tho God
within hears and gives tho supplicants answer.
This matter OF cverhcaring must not bc overlooked
when God is spoken III interfering In mortal AFFAIRS
and perhaps IL may explain apparently very
dcrul occurrences There have been volumes and
volumes written upon this subject ard thousands Of
instances have been furnished OF prayers being
swcrcd. But how many books could be published,
how many occasions mentioned when prayers
NOT answered. There 81 a ready way OF meeting this
by saving they not sincere; but, depend
is men bowed down with misfortune are not a. all
hypocrtical when asking n favor and II sincerity
would Insure tho granting OF prayers there never would
bo q shipwrcck. The fact - that
uoD DOES INTERVENE
in our affairs There IL not space for an interfering God
In Ill the universe which 70 occupied By the fixed habits