Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1893-10-05

Alpine mountain or sacred DOCKS. anu
put my finger on the last page OF Gene
sis. and let me know it. and | can tell
YOU what is on the next page, namely.
the first chapter of Exodus. or,
while thus blindfolded, put my
finger on the last chapter of Matthew,
and let me know it, and | will tell
you what is on the next page, namely,
the first chapter of Mark In the pile
of five hundred million Bibles there
viii be no exception. In other words,
the Book gives me confidence by its
supernatural adhesion of writing to
writing. Even the stoutest ship some
times shifts its cargo, and that is what
made our peril the greater in the ship
Greece. of the National line, when the
cyclone struck us OFF the coast of New
foundland, and the cargo of iron had
| shifted as the ship swung from lar
board TO starboard and from starboard
to larboard. But. thanks be TO God.
this old Bible ship, though it has been
/ in thousands of years of tempest. has
kept its cargo of gold and precious
stones compact and sure, and in all the
centuries nothing about it has shifted.
| There they stand, shoulder to shoulder.
/ David and Solomon, and Isaiah and
jeremiah, and Ezekiel and Daniel.
and Hosea and Joel. and Amos
and Obadiah. and Jonah and Mi
cab, and Nahum and Habbakuk,
and Zephaniah and Iaggai. and Zach
ariah and Malachi, and Matthew and
Mark. and Luke and John, and Paul
and Peter. all there. and with q
certainty of being there until the
heavens and the earth. the creation of
which is described in the first book of
the Bible, shall have collapsed, and the
white horse of the Conqueror described
in the last book of the Bible shall paw
the dust in universal demolition. BY
that tremendous fact my faith is rein
forced. The discussion is abroad as to
who wrote those books of the Bible
called the Pentateuch, whether Moses
Or Hilkiah or Ezra, or Samuel. or .Iere-
miah or another group of ancients
None of them wrote it. God wrote the
Pentateuch and in this day of stem
ography and typewriting that ought
not to be a difficult thing to under
stand.
The great merchants and lawyers
and editors and business men of our
towns and cities dictate nearly all
their letters: they only sign them after
they are dictated. The prophet and
evangelist and apostle were Jehovahs
photographers or typewriters. They
put down only what God dictated: he
signed il afterward. He has been writ
ing his name upon it all through the
vicissitudes of eeturies.
But come TO the height Of my suit
ject when say the way 70 reinforce
our faith is To pray for il. So the dis
ciples in my text got their Astounding
faith: Lord. increase our faith. "
Someone suggests: do you really
think that prayer amounts to any
thing | might as well ask you is
there line of telegraphic poles from
New York To Washington, is there a
line of telegraphic wires from Man
chester to London. from Cologne To
Berlin. All the people who have sent
aud received messages on those lines
know OF their existence. So there are
Millions of souls who have been ia con-
slant communication with the capital
Of the universe. with the throne of the
Almighty, with the great God himself.
for years and wears and years. There
has not been day when supplications
lid not fash up and blessings did not
fash down. VIII some ignoramus, who
has never received a telegram or sent
one. come and tell Us that there is no
such thing as Geographic communion
ton? VIII some one who has never Of
fered prayer that was heard and
answered. come and tell us that there
Is nothing in prayer? II may not come I
is we expect it, but as sure as an hon (
est prayer goes up. a merciful answer
will come down. During the blizzard 4
IF four or five years ago. you know that
many of the telegraph wires were pros
trated, and / telegraphed to Chicago By .
the way of Liverpool. England. and 4
the answer, after awhile, came round I
by another wide circuit 50 the PRAYER 4
we offer may come back in a way we I
never imagined. and If we ask to have /
our faith increased although il may t,
some by a widely different process
IMAM AtiaA NAtAtAA We - AfN&~RAf NAA NOA7
fdence will surely be augmented. o.
put it in every prayer YOU ever make
between your next breath and your last
gasp: Lord. increase our faith" Faith
in Christ as our personal ransom from
present guilt and eternal castas-
trophe: Faith in the omnipotent
Holy Ghost: Faith in the Bible. the
truest volume ever dictated or writ
ten or printed or read; Faith in
adverse providence. harmonized for
our best welfare: Faith in a Judgment
day that will set all things right which
have for ages been wrong. Increase
our faith. not by a fragile addition.
but by an infinitude Of recuperation
Let us do as we saw i done in the
country while we were yet in our teens.
at the old farmhouse. aftcr lonr
drought. and the we'll hal been dr.ed.
and the cattle moaned with thirst al