Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1881-11-09
How God Answers Prayer.

was riding, few years since, about one
of the rural cities of the state of New York
with one of the most distinguished preachers
at the metropolis. We were speaking of the
curious falacies involved in Tyndall's fa-
nous prayer-gauge conundrum. just then
we drove up to the city water-works. l told
him that If he would go in with me
thought we could find a good illustration of
the manner in which God may answer prayer
without interfering with any of the laws of
nature. The point, let US remember, is that
the power of an intelligent will can be so in
troduced among the forces of matter as to
have perfect uniformity in the working of
those forces, while diversity appears in their
results. The building we entered was furn-
ished with Holley engine. As we stood
by the steam gauge we observed constant
and considerable changes in the amount of
steam produced. As there was no cause ap-
parent in or about the engine itself, we
asked for an explanation. That" said
the engineer, sis done by the people in the
city. As they open their faucets to draw
the water the draft upon our fires is in
creased. As they close them, it is dimin
ished. The smallest child can change the
movements of our engine according to his
will 1t was the design of the maker to ad-
JuSJ his tuRlut SO tudb III SHOulu TtSpOuu
perfectly to the needs of the people, be they
great or small" Just then the bell rung,
the furnace-drafts flew open, and steam rose
rapidly in the gauge, the engineer flew to
his post, the ponderous machinery accel.
Grated its movement. We heard general
alarm of fire. "How is that ?" we asked.
That" he said, "was the opening of some
great fre-plug." "And how about the bell
What did that ring for ?" That" he said,
was to put us on the alert. You saw that
the firemen began to throw on coal at once.
A thousand things have to be looked after
when there is great fire. 1t won't do to
leave the engine to itself at such times" In
a moment there came lull. The great
pumps moved more deliberately. In another
minute roar of steam told us the safety
valve had opened, and soon the great engine
had returned to its ordinary, sleepy motion.
Wonderful" said my friend "the whole
thing seems alive. / almost thought it
would start and run to the fire itself" al
think this one of the grandest triumphs of
SCIENCE" said the engineer, as he bade me
goodbye. The illustration is good one,
but others Of the same sort are at our hand
on every side. The uniformity of nature is
in fact one of its lesser attributes. Its great
glory is in its wonderful adaptablity. Its
greatest glory is its unlimited capacity to re-
ceive mind-forces, and to mingle them with
its matter-forces in perfect harmony, and in
infinite variety of combination. If human
science has been able to do so much to over
come the eventless uniformity of nature in
its wildness and crudeness, shall we deny
to the divine omniscience the power to ef-
feet the slightest notifications necessary in
answering the prayers of his children ?
Nay, shall we deny to him the power SO to
adjust the original mechanism of the uni
verse that prayer with its appropriate ac-
tion may directly modify that mechanism,
as the child's thirst and his little hand
can open faucet and change the action Of
the great water-works miles away. Or, is it
at all unscientifc to believe that other in
telligent agents may, in answer to prayer,
be caused to fly swiftly" as the little bell
aroused the engineer. Or can science offer
any valid objection if we say that God him
self holds the forces of nature in his own
hand, waiting, for high moral reasons, I" to
be inquired of by the house of Israel to do
these things for them?"