The Red Cloud chief., 1888-02-17
sSEEiNG IS Believing"
Cnreasonablen~ss Of Skepticism In Regard
To Spiritual Things.

-
Unreasonablensss Of Skepticism In Regard
ID Spiritual Things.
l was travelling by rail. / met on
the cars a man whom l had known for
many years. He is 4 sensible and a
moral man, bu: he is not a Christian.
In trying TO tell me why he was not.
he said: Somehow or other l can not
exercise faith as YOU Christians seem
10. l am constituiionaIly skcptical. ]
never could believe in any thing that
Icould not see and understand"
THAT is very sad." / replied. ut
must embarrass you a great deal in
your business. your studies and your
socia! intercourse. b. the way, how
can You. with this constitutional
REGULARITY that you tell of, sit here so
quietly with the train rushing on at
the rate of forty miles All hour? Have
You been out on the cab 10 see If
there is an engineer there?
Have YOU examined him so rs to
be sure that he is competent and thor
oughiy rcliable? If there is not any
engineer and we are running BIZ
chance. there is TO telling what may
happen. If there is an engineer. and
he is ignorant. he may not he able 10
control his engine. If there is an
engineer. and he is v~ic:ous, hc may
want I o tumble us all Owe some em-
bankment. Perhaps h. is IN Anarch-
i>,, or is afflicted with the hom;cidal
mania. How dreadful that would be:
Ar. YOU SUE positively sure. that
there is an honest and skiliful man in
charge of the cngine9"
Nv skeptical friend had 10 admit
that his constitutional int:rm;ty had
not prevented him from trusting HIM
self on 4 train without seeing the en-
cineer. And he could not deny that
it was less unreasonable TO trust in IN
unseen Saviour than in an unseen en-
ginecr.
I'm the course Of our conversation
urged upon him the duty of prayer.
He said: Now there again l am
troubled. have tried 10 pray. and i;
Seems like talking t TIE wind. !
c.A.f?r realize that there is any body
WHO hears my prayer" In the midst
of our talk we reacl:td 4 way station.
and my friend said: Il must tele.
graph from here t. 4 man who is To
meet me in New York" He went
ont, and when he came back l said:
did you telegraph to that man t"
meet you??" Yes" he replied. did
YOU see him?' '-Os course no.."
..Well. tell me just what you did"
..You know already. wrote a dis
patch and han.led it 10 the telegraph
~operator?" Did you know the oper-
alor? DID YOU examine his instru-
ment? Did you trace the wire all the
way from that station To New York;
Now you are quizz;ng me again.
But YOU can't catch me this time.
That Was a telegraph station. There
was a si-n up. and the paper 1 wrote
OIL had the caption. Western Union
Telegraph Company"
SO you trusted TO what was printed
on a slip of paper. and sent your mes
SAGE to :, man whom You had never
seen, and who, if there is n such
man. is five hundred miles away.
And vet you won't believe in the
Bible when il SAYS: Il fore they call
/ will answer and while they are yet
speaking l will hear You may say
YOU know Of instances in which dis.
patches have been sent by the W. y.
Il. Co. and W received. Bat
Bible tells again and again Of answers
TO PRAYER. Abraham and Moses. Da-
vil and Solomon. Elijah and Daniel
PRAYED. and The res came
promptly from the unseen
heavens. Paul and the other apos-
Ties prayed. and God gave them the
very things that they asked for. Now
is no. The Bible. which has been
tested for SO many ages. As reliable
:.s this telegraph company. which has
been in existence less than thirty
wears? Iiell you it does not require
hall as much faith to pray to the in.
visible God OF the Bible. who has been
hearing and answering prayer for
nearly six thousand years. rs 10 send
q message from a railroad way sta
ton aad expect that it will reach its
destination"
Again we were interrupted by the
whistle announcing that we were en-
teriuS the town of w. This was Il
railroad center. and my friend had
some letters that he wanted to mail
there. We went out when the train
stopped. and seeing in the depot All
upon it. he pns his letters in lit and
We returned to the cars As soon IS
we were seated l said:
Il am nov astonished beyond
measure. You, unconstitutional skep,ic.
who can not trust in an invisible God.
frustin q In an irUr box because IL has