The Anaconda standard., 1895-12-16
ON THE DESERT SAND
These Prayers for Ingersoll Are Of No
Avail Whatever.
REV. Mr.. PooLE'S SUBJECT
He Says the Renowned Agnostic Is
Funny God Has Established
Laws That He VIII Not vio-
Iate-About Conversion.


Iate-AboutC Conversion.
christian Endeavorers Praying for
Robert G.. Ingersoll," was the subject
of a clear, logical and forcible sermon
delivered at the Christian church last
evening by Rev. c. w. Poole. The
church was well filled, many members
of the Society of Christian Endeavor
from other churches being present. in
addition to the regular congregation.
Mr.. Poole spoke as follows: when
Frank Rand, the murderer behind the
bars in East st. Louis. was approached
by Christian people with a request for
converse respecting his approaching
death he said. L am a follower of Rob-
ert @. Ingersoll,' and no one has dis
puted him. don't say that the teach
ings of Ingersoll make men murderers.
But II is a fact that his teachings are
believed generally by the criminal
classes, although don't intend to say
that all his believers by any means are
criminals.
Some Christian Endeavor societies
have been praying for Ingersoli. Aside
from the value of Ingersolrs soul,
which / would like to have saved for
all eternity, and aside from the infiu-
ence he exerts, would not care to
have Ingersoll converted. He has fur
nished us many things to laugh about.
i enjoy reading his lectures. i enjoyed
reading his Mistakes of Moses But
/ am like Josh Billings, who paid 81 to
hear Ingersoll lecture on that subject
for an hour, and then said he would
give $40 to hear Moses for 10 minutes
on the Mistakes of Ingersoll.' To one
who is familiar with the writings of
Moses, the comments of Ingersoll are
ridiculous. Mr.. Ingersoll is funny. He
has entered the holy of holies and
played the buffoon before the world.
He has caused the world to laugh, II
his sarcasm and witticism were direct
ed to some other subjects than the
most sacred of all subjects he would be
the prince of good fellows. say again
that aside from the value of his soul,
the influence he exerts, l don't care
whether he is converted or not.
but believing his influence is vast ais
well as bad. an effort has been directed
for the conversion of the great agnos-
tic. Doubtless many of the prayers
that have been offered were offered in
the right spirit, that spirit which is the
spirit of Jesus Christ, who ended his
great prayer in the Garden of Geth-
semane with that sentence which
should conclude all prayers, 'Neverthe-
less not My will, but Thine be done
Many prayers have been offered for
him that can scarcely be called intelii-
gent prayers. Such are prayers that
God will act in a miraculous or super
natural way; that he will overreach
the barrier of the law to save Ingersoli
or any other man. If you think such
prayers availing, then yoiI have q
wrong idea of prayer and of the law
and nature of God. God has proclaimed
4 IT. L..
| individual is not Godlike. God is the
same yesterday. to-day, and forever.
| Ingersoll is subject to the same infiu-
| ences which operate in this world for
| the conversion of every one. He can
| enter the open door If he chooses. God
will not be swayed. manlike, by our
petitions. That is a very wrong idea.
| The spirit of all true prayer is, Not my
will, but Thine be done itt
| God has made certain conditions on
which man may be saved. All the
prayers of Christendom before the
| throne of God will not move the eternal
| one to violate the laws He has estab-
| lished. The whole Christian world
prayed for the recovery of Garfield.
| But he died, because a law had been
violated and He who made that law
did not dare violate His own law.
When God violates one law we don't
know but he will violate other laws
/ showing that He can be moved, and
| then II could no longer be said of Him.
| In whom is no variableness or shadow
| of turning Christians should pray
| that the heavenly influences which
| God placed in this world may so oper-
ate on Ingersoll that he may be con-
/ verted and brought into the Church oi
Christ. God will never violate His law
in answer to the prayers of any man
| Even for Miriam, stricken with lep-
| rosy, God could not violate His law
| "There is no other medium of saliva
| ton than the one revealed in the Book
conformity to the law of God. A
man cannot buy his way into heaven
| by endowing a theological seminary
| God is not a respector of persons
| Whether from Butte or New York
| high or low, rich or poor, there is the
| one law, proclaimed in the court of our
| understanding. Believe and obey
You could not worship a god intelli-
gently and willingly who would not
| vindicate his own law. Don't under
stand me to say that these prayers are
| wrong in the sense of being known te
| be wrong. Many of our prayers are
| wrong, but honest prayers, neverthe-
less. We must study God in order thai
we can speak to Him intelligently
There is an infinite capacity of the
mind to resist the introduction of lighi
and knowledge as IL comes from the
throne of God. God sent His Son Il
earth to teach us how TO live. He al.
lows every man to think of Christ JUS
as he chooses. God does not contro
any mans thoughts: He opens the dool
of opportunity. but obliges no man Il
enter therein. When praying for you
friends don't shift the responsibilit,
on God. and then think you have don'
your full share. BY praying yol
should become instruments in tn
hands of God, TO bring all the infiu
ences for good you can on your friends
Thus become colaborers with God.
Would that Christian people Nigh
have a full conception of the high po
sition they occupy. Think of God a.
one who loves all mankind, and woul,
have all men saved, who has institute,