The New York herald., 1876-10-23
TRUE CONCEPTION OF POWER
Mr. Beecher on the Nature and Operation
Of Forgiveness.
THE THREE TAVERNS.
Father Cotton on the Value
Of Prayer.
Or. Deems on the Inevitable and
Responsible.

CHURCH OF THE DISCIPLES.
Gow TO PREVAIL WITH ooD-sKRA0x By REV.
GEORGE H. HRPwoRrH.
Yesterday morning Mr. Hepwsrth preached to his
usual largo congregation from the text, Nehemiah,
!, 1l-..O Lord | besecch thee, let thins be
attentive to the prayer OF thy servant and 20
lhe prayers Of thy servants who desire 70 fear
Thy name" ~ have ofsen thought" he said, 'that
=. this chapter ! havo read for our nevnng lesson
q far or symbol OF condition Jeru.
salem is broken in iss walls and the gates thereof
have been destroyed by nre. There is no help TO b
had from the gods We have bean wont 10 worship
Only He from whom we havo strayed can BIO
Dfs service TO now" Whenever tho Israslises
had good fortune they forgot God Whenever
they were beset by adversely they turned 10 HIM
They knew we'll enough who strongest and 70
HIM they went for succor in time Of need Brethren
the Jerusalem OF our hope has been broken In; It's
walls and the gates through which the angels have
been wont enter have been turned with are; the
whole city Of spiritual habisaton has been over
come by the enemy and We have been swept beyond
lss sto and working under masters, In cap
,vity and chains, but looking forward 10 sime when
We shall be reemen again return to the city Of
inheritance
am more and more struck read the Old Testa-
ment by two three points, all OF which
are mentioned In tho wsrds OF my text
Let me call your attention to them one by
one; we may possibly get from them
: new impulse TO add 10 the energy In lives
You have road the Old Testament In vain unless you
have been Impressed by every chapter with the i'm
pcit confidence the people OF Israel had in present
Coda God nigh unto His people, not seated upon
throne infinitely distant from the world l think we
have forgotten largely this fact To most OF us GOD
great distance cannot feel the pulse Of our
lives. that Ho cannot hear the beating sf our hearts,
veal or woe. II you and would only feel that God
near we would not do wrong. II, instead OF having
HxRR THEOLOGICAL DOGMA,
90 which bow an Appropriato
Sion IL were y fundamental and operative fact In our
consciousness, wo should walk with eyes the
heavens more than We do and we should toll with .
lighter heart than carry TO- day. The mistake the
Christian world is making lies in this direction
OF God is no God NJ all. God nigh aL Land Is
Father who art in heavon and the earth slso and
It behooves us-nay than that perfectly ma.
tura or us-to take counsel with Heavenly Father
and having hoard HIS OF suggestion or command
ent to follow His advice in the daily drudgery OF
Lie.
brethren, not YET sufsciessy apprecasivs Of
the that God controls not only the world In which
We live oGs Tho people who L.s ini. ! know IL h
know that our Intelligence shrnks from the
problem, unable o. !ako in lis enormous
enough. We may stand The brink a rapidly How.
ing river, ihirsiing unto death. We may the
which IL pours itself We may comprehend nothing
about the river except the fact that feet aud
able 10 supply our present necessities. We will
wait to discover and terminus before We use
u, but with grateful hearts and bended knees will
OF Gods control over everything is presen,ed mot for
our comprehension, bus our acceptance. u II Of
gwen to Us When He says He Is in hearts and
.lves, as well as in the stars then am 70 take HIM At
His word and act upon IT,
And then you must admit that everything in the
world honors God, and snat shows that He present
fhere Is no event that happens in tao of ind
viduals. or IN the larger life OF nations but honors
God, and, curiousy enough, both the right and The
wrong are equal in this mattor. God is honored by
nnner bites the dsst 1t Is an enormous problem, and
pct from east to west the whole life of the world hon.
wrong though it might be covered with flowers
though might be supported by tho public opinion or
. nation, bu. after while, Gods power being
good or ev word or deed bu. has subtle something
sats 10 It's own centre The right in the end wins and
tho wrong in the end loscs and whys Because God Is
thing.
Bu. you ask, "How is IT that God changes his aws
my requests It must oe so II he answers prayer II
Iho doctrine OF Providence Is true then God viii
shangc his laws TO suit OCCASION I may be wrong
but ! think God has no law except HIS own VIII, that
Gods WIN u law and judge OF God by that
symbol Of the godhesd-the human family
isthsr pursuss given policy for awhile toward his
shildren, and then, to suit new exigcneiss he may
shange bis policy and the policy may seem con-
Irndct the other. Yet he is the same father l
DometiDes think we make great mistake In this
matter. The scientist almos, says that God must do
Today what He did yesterday and when he deduces
from the fact that God has acted In Q gwen waya
thousand times the conclusion that God will act In the
same way the next timo he - rgnt: but when he
asserts that God must do t he is wrong There IS no
law Ia ihc world, II understand the matter except
Gods will, and II you know Gods will then you know
Gods law, and God can change His will
God has promised that He will answer nv prayers
and He has promised that He viii DO
PRESENT PRovIpEscx LIFE.
fnrn In inn ua wv,ll
favors Although don't understand how He can do
VIII not refrain from believing His ability do II
cannot comprehend II, but Cod is not measured by
our Ignorance, and our want OF knowledge to how
and why docs not enter INTO the problem. If God
says 81 VIII, is not that enough And He has SAID
AGAIN and again. III ye will come ~ me TO confess
your sins will forgive them slough they be red as
crimson, they shall be- white WOOL" | don't know
how God can forgive, but am that He does
one other question she text Offers for considers
rewards and punlshmenta Perhaps that you rs
Ahttlc harsh. There Is kind of transcenLentalism
the world which argues that ought TO
10 that which 10 right because Is right and for no
Dsher reason. and refrain from doing wrong because Il
y wrong. and for no other reason, and that he who
ssases 70 do wrong because he Is afraid Of punishment
Hoes u from base impulse think he nd
Ihe whole subject when say ths There IA no DOUBT
hat God controls the world by an economy OF rewards
and punshmsnts You lind u everywhere in she Ola
Testament that one course leads happiness the
other leads TO misery. God must be Just SO many OF
forget that fact the prayer or the
shat prevails with God: not the prayer the wicked
set TO do that which Is right then you have right 20
lhs omnipotence of the everlasting Father. on my
brethren, remember that, and ono day shall hear
Bis voice say, swell DONE good and faithful sery
snter thou into thine inheritance"
The price Of Me HERALD to-day and AescejorA ,ciu
BE- three cesfs