Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1893-09-29

iAAo "Ach tho clcIOnb struck US on the coast
OF Newfoundland, and the cargo OF iron had
shifted ss the ship swung from larboard TO
star6oard, and from starboard TO larboard.
But, thanks be to God, this old Bible ship,
though II has been in thousands OF years OF
tempest, has kept Its cargo Of gold and pre-
cious stones compact and sure, and in ali the
centuries nothing about IL has shifted. There
they stand, shoulder to shoulder, David and
Solomon and Isaiah and Jeremiah and Eze-
KEEL and Daniel and Hosea and Joel and
Amos and Obadiah and Jonah and Micah and
Nahum and Habbakkuk and Zsphaniah and
Haggai and Zechariah and Malachi and Mat
thew and Mark and Luke and John and Paul
Hnd Peter. al there. and with 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 otthe Bible, shall paw the
dust in universal demolition. BY that ire
mendous fact my faith Is re-eniorced.
The discussion is abroad rs TO who wrote
those books of the Bible called the Penta-
touch, whether Moses or Hilkiah, or Ezra or
samuel. or Jeremiah, or another group OF
ancients. None Of them wrote it. God
wrote the Pentateuch, and in this day OF
stenography and typewriting TINT ought not
to De- u difficult thing to understand. The
great merchants and LAWYERS, and editors
dictate nearly all their letters they only
sign them after they arc dictated. The
prophet and evangelist and apostle were
Jehovah's stenographers or typewriters.
They put down only what God dictated he
signed 1t afterward. He has been writing his
name upon II all through the vicisstudes OF
centuries.
But | come TO the height OF my subject
when say the way to re-enforce our faith h
n "a Gn III. l..
got their abounding faith. "Lord, increase
oar faith" Some one suggests, "Do YOU
really think that prayer amounts to any,
thlngYs might as we'll nsk you, Is there a
line OF teleSraphis poles from New York TO
Washington, Is there line OF telegraphio
wires from Manchester to London. from
Cologne TO Berlin2 All the people who have
sent and received messages on those lines
know OF their existence. 30 there are mill
ions al souls who have been In constant COM
municatton with the capital OF the universe,
with the throne OF the Almighty, with tn
cr"nt God Himself, for years and years ant
years.
There has not been day when supplica
tons did not fash up and blessinc1
did not flash down. Will some igno.
ramus, who has never received telegram or
sent one. come and tell us that there il no
such thing as teegraphIc communication
W III H'Allt INV NhO HAS llHYtr PRAYER
that was heard and answered como and tell
us that therc is nothing in prayer2 II may
not como as we expect II, but as sure as an
honest prayer goes up merciful answer will
come down.
During the blizzard OF four or Ave years
nco, you know that many OF the telegraph
W res We're Frustrated, and I telegraphed 10
Chicago by way OF Liverpool and the answer
after awhile came round by another wide
circuit, and 50 the prayer We offer may como
back in n way We never imagined, and :.
ask to have our faith increased, although II
may come 10y a widely different process than
that which we expected, our confidence will
surely be augmented.
Oh, put 1t 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 catastrophe faith In the omnipo-
tent Holy Ghost faith in the Bible. the trucst
volume ever dictated or written or printed
or read faith in adverse providences, har-
monizrl for our best welfare faith in
Judgment dry that will set all things right
which have for ages been wrong.
Increase our faith, not by n fragile ad-
ditOn, hut 10y an inhnitude of recuperation.
Let Us do rs We saw II done in tho country
while W. We're yet in our teens, at the old
farmhouse after long drought, and tho
we'll hat been dried, and the cattle moancd
with thirst ut the bars, and the meadow
brook had crtSel to run. and tho grass
and the corn was shrivelei up,
ami on" day there was II growi OF thunder,
md then a congregation OF clouds on the
sky. and then "a startling fash. ana theAa
dr"nching rain, and father and mother put
barrels under every spout at tho corners OF
the house and set pals and bucket and
tubs and pans and pitchers TO catch rs
much as they could OF the shower. For in
many OF our souls there has been n long
drought Of confidence AMI in many no faith
at all. Let Us Set out all our affections, all
our hopes, all our contemplations, all our
pray 2rs, 10 catch n mighty shower. Lord,
increase our faith"
| like the way that tho minister's widow
did In Elisha's time, when, after the family
being very unfortunate, her two sons were
nbout to lee sold for debt, and she had moth
ing In the house hut pot OF oil, and ut
EIishas direction she borrowed from her
neiGhbors oil the vessels shc could borrow,
and then began to pour out the oil into those
vessels and kept Oh pouring until they wnrs
all full, and she became an oil merchant with
more assets than liabilities, and when she
cried, Bring me yet vessel" tho answer
came, There Is not vessel more" So let
ns take what oil of faith we have AMI use il
until tho supply shall be miracuously multi
piled. Bring on your empty vessels ami bv
he power OF the Lord God OF Elisha they
shall be- filled until they can hold no moro OF
uhilant, all inspiring an triumphant faith.
What frightful time we had few DAYS
igo down on the coast OF Long Island. where
have been stopping. That archangel OF
empest which, with its awful wings, swept
he Atlantic coast from Florida to Newfound- |
and did not spare our region. A few miles |
Iway, at southampton, saw the bodies OF |
our men whom the storm had slain and the /
ea had cast up, As l stood there among the |
lead bodies said to myself, and l said aloud
These men represent homes What will |
mother and father and wife and children say
ghen they know this?"
Some OF the victims were unknown Onl-
he first name OF two OF them WAS found OUT
Charley and William. Wondered then and
wonder now II they will remain unknown
nd IL come kindred far away may be waiting
or their coming and never hear OF the rough
vay OF their going. I saw also ono Of the
hree who had come In alive. but moro dead
han alive. The ship had become helpless
* miles out. and as one wave swept tho
eek and went down on the furnaces TIL
hey Missed and went out the cry was, ooh,
ny God, we are lost" Then the crew put
n life preservers, one OF the sailors saying
0 the other, ave will meet again on tho
hore. and, II not, well, We must ali go some
ime."
or the twenty-three men who put on tho
lie preservers, only three lived to reach the
each. But what scene 1t was as the good
nd kind people OF Southampton, led on by
or. Thomas, the great and good surgeon OF
lew York, stood watching the sailors strug-
ding In the breakers. Are you still alive?"
houted DR.. Thomas to one OF them out in
he breakers, and he signaled yes and then
rent into Inconsistencies. Who should do
ne most for the poor fellows and how to
them were the questions that ran
p and down the beach at Southampton.
How the men and women on the shoresto
ringing their hands, impatently waiting
)r the sufferers to come within reach, and
len they were lifted up and carried indoors
nd waited on with as much kindness and
raped rs warmly as though they had been
ie princes OF the earth. "Are they alive2"
Are they breathing2" 'Do you think they
i'll live2" "What can we do for them2"
ere the rapid and intense questions asked,