Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1885-07-23
POWER OF PRAIEg.

Possibly the opinion Of the Rev.
Henry Ward Beecher may not have
mnch veieht among Evangelical
churches, bot what be says is read by
ihe general r-ader With much interest.
He has recently announced total disbe-
lief in eternal punishment IS generally
taught By the churches and ve notice
that the new Bible says, nothing Of hell
as generally understood.
Mr.. Beeeher recently took occasion 70
give his opinion a. 70 the power Of
prayer. He says thar be believes God
hears prayer and that prayers are some
times answered that ctn be accounted
for under no natural Law, bat any at
tempt TO dogmatIZs either way is futile.
God 10 not going 10 put aside the law
of nature in answer to prayer, bat on
the other hand to consider that he does
not grant the prayers Of his children is
very unvise.
have never been able to believe.
however. that in one case cot of one
hundred there has been granted to man
sufficient potency of prayer TO change
the course of events. There are ten
things that my little grandchild cries
for to one that she gets In the prov
iuce of God things are not granted in a
miraculous way. They come in the or
der of certain great laws that may be
occult as vet.
~ don't believe that in ordinary
practice the power of prayer is some
thing to be depended upon by Chris
tians for a man to get what he could
not get without. | don't believe, for
instance, that any man at neon today
could have prayed the shsrmometer
down from 70 degrees 10 60 degree. ]
defy any nan to pray down my Their
m pmeter.n
A large number of Christians believe
it right and efficacious to pray for rain,
for she abatement of storms, earth
quakss, and so on. Very recently We
heard minister say that tornado was
t1r1 cd aside, making q half circle
around house standing in its course,
by the power of prayer. He did not
seem to realize that his hearers and the
mass of the people generally had out
grown such puerile reasoning. On this
point Mr.. Beecher says:
"Sappose your chimney were on Ere
and you couldn't get at it. Would il do
any good to pray that Ii would 90 out?
IL the shingles were on IRE would yeu
dspend upon prayer for rain STERN? I
have had ladies call on me and tell me
that they have seen surgical operations,
o. the equivalent of surgical operations
-suoh as the removal Of tumoIs and
the healing of diseases-performed by
prayer. listen to them. like to hear
them. like TO see persons who are IN
real. There is something exciting about
them. But they never mike me believe
that prayer will overtnrn natural laws.
In medical cases faith can often pro-
ducs natural revolutions-she evolution
of the great nervous emotions-and TO
this the miraculous cares may be at
tributed."
81 must not be understood 20 say"
Mr.. BeecheR concluded, "thst there ia
no use in praying. We leave the mea-
sure and the time Of the answer to God,
and be answers our prayers mediately-
not immediately. ALI this, what j call
not irreverently-the beggary of pray
or, do not believe in
II prayer had a power over natural
laws there would be no accidents. ship
wrecks, sickness, or other misfortunes.
Even death itself would be set aside.
Prayer cannot change God nor nature.
IL may and should change rs.