Daily Republican., 1881-09-23
PRAYERS MOE ANSWERED.
A Synopsis OF Mr. Hsldeman's Ser
mon ON Wednesday EVENING.

On Wednesday evening, Rev. j. H.
Haldeman preached an interesting
sermon, in the lecture room of Della
ware Avenue Baptist Church, to a
large congregation, taking for his text.
"Why the prayers for the Life of Presi-
dent Garfield were not answered"
He first spoke of the loved life of the
President, that passed away at Elber-
on on Monday night last, while Chris
tian men and women all over the world
were wrestling with their God in pray
er, that the life of the stricken Presi-
dent might be spared, at least until his
Off cial mission had been completed !;
that the brave soldier, accomplished
scholar, immaculate statesman and
irreproachsble man might he restored
to his loved ones and to the nation. He
further spoke of the news Of his death
being waited from city to city and
town to town, at the hour of midnight,
when every thing had become hushed
and still, how suddenly the people
were astir, amid the tolling of bells,
sounding the death knell of hope; how
he had left Washington two weeks
previous, with strong hopes of his re-
covery, only to return in the same
train, draped in mourning, the loss
they had sustained uniting the whole
world as d brotherhood of mourn
ers.
Why did our God permit this man to
die? is the question that wells up from
the heart Of many a believer. The un-
believer asks; Where is yonr God that
he did not answer your prayers? View
el from every human standpoint there
never has been life more worthy of
being spared.
The above questions were what Mr..
Haldeman essayed to answer; as space
will not permit, the leading ideas of his
remarks can only be mentioned.
Firstly, that the American people, as
a nation, have lived 80 tar away from
God that they have forfeited all claim
upon Divine Lnterposition; secondly,
that the nation, as a nation, did not
pray and has nos prayed; thirdly, that
tine nation has not officially recongized
the necessity yofsupplicating of God through
the only avenue by which it could ap-
proach him, the Christian Church, With
out regard to doctrinal belief or atfiia-
tions, who believed in the Fatherhood
OF God, and the Sonship of Christ, who
are doers as well as believers, and
whose character is their creed, fourthly
that it was the will of God that this one
man should suffer as a scapegoat for the
sins of his people. These were the prin-
cipal points of the discourse. He then
spoke of the corruption that pervades
political circles and party machinery,
= -; ~, ff tIa Yn10s and from
petty' officials to members of Congress; of
the growing spirit of intidelity, that Ell
ther disavOwsa Supreme Being or subs
titutes an idealiaed God for the old-fash-
ioned God of cur fathers and of the BIZ
Bile, and that in this city drew crowd
ed house to listen to the blasphemous
sophistry of lngersoll, against whom
the speaker would invoke no legal en-
actment, but leave him perfectly un.
trammeled to speak when and where he
pleased, trusting in the strength Of
truth to vanuuish error when they meet
on equal ground Out OF a population
OF ~ 900, in this city, only few hun
drej assembled in the CHURCHES, on the
day set apart by the Governor, for pray
er for the recovery of the President, a
hone-proof Of his declaration that the
nation did rot pray for his life.
But, he further stated, If his death
shall dignity our politics and shall draw
men together in closer brotherhood,
and if his example shall teach us to live
nearer to God as individuals, thus MAX
ing us, as nation, wiser and better,
President garfield has not lived and
died in vain. He then closed, after
reading some extracts from letters and
speeches OF the dead President, with al
earnest prayer for his bereaved family
and aged mother, bringing tears to the
eyes of nearly all Present, in grief for
the departed and in sympathy for the
loved ones vino feel his loss the most
keenly.