The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-01-24
THE FAILURE OF INFIDELITY.
Rev. Fairs Sermons at the Indepen-
dent Church.

Rev. DR.. James Y. Fair preached yes
terday morning TO large congregation at
the Independent Presbyterian Church. His
subject was 1.-THE imperishable nature of
prayer" His text was from Rev. So:
- golden walls full of odors. which are
the prayers of saints"
He said that the Christians prayers
may seem to the world to be ephemeral.
like empty breath, but they shall survive
the shock of universal dissolution and
abide forever when Kingdoms and thrones
shall have passed away. Our prayers may
be wrung from us by pain and disappoint-
ment and bitter agony; they may be
breathed from thin and weary lips of SUI
fering, so feeble that human ears cannot
catch their meaning, but the divine ear
bending low catches the faintest sigh.
The prayer borne on the gasp of death
scars above all worlds and is treasured
in Gods golden vial.
At the evening service DR.. Fairs subject
was THE Failure of Sceptsm" He
argued that Notwithstanding all Of its ar
rogant pretensicns, scepticism has failed to
fulfill its promises. 1T magnifes the diff
ferences of opinion existing in the church
and invites us to give up Christ because
his followers do not agree among them
selves said DIR. Fair But do we find
any greater concord amongst infidels. In
stances were quoted to show the endless
and irreconcilable differences which exist
among the leaders of sceptical thought,
"Infidelity as school of thought is more
divided than the church, the only bond of
union that links its disciples together
being hatred to Christ
Again, infidelity says the supernatural
element in the Bible, exhausts credulity
and reduces the implicit believer to q state
of idiotcy. But what substitute does in
fidelity offer? 1t would require us to be-
lieve that this world is either eternal or
self-created; that man originated from
proloplasinic germ; that the splendid con-
stellations in yonder heavens, now follow
ing their stately march, happened to ar
range themselves in this order just by ac-
cident! Does not this stupendous theory
make as great demands upon credulity
as any statement in the Bible? But the
most lamentab.e failure of infidelty is
found in its Interpretation of the mystery
of death. 1t teaches that the dead have
persisted like a brute or an old, decayed
stump. And when we ask, is this the
end of mans splendid powers of his hero
fidelity answers Yes, they have gone into
the gases of the air, and to fertlize the
ground" And when We tearfully protest
against such an ignominious end infdelity
sneeringly asks, us not that good enough?
What more do you want?" Well hasn't
lit been said " Infidelity has given no song
to cheer the heart in its sorrows; it has
built no hospital; it has smoothed no dy-
ing pillow 1t is destructive, not con-
structive; it merely seeks to pull down
what others laboriously strive to build up;
it sneers and taunts and puts obstacles in
the way of those who are toiling to make
this world brighter and better. Beware of
it, for it is like the INDUSTRIOUS serpent
which devours it's own offspring and stings
them to DEATH
1t was announced at the morning ser
vice that the collection for foreign mis-
sions the Sunday before had been STA He
said the session had decided, with the con-
currence of the Ladies Foreign Mission
airy Society, to forward this amount as a
donation to the executive committee of the
Southern Presbyterian church, to relieve
it in its present financial embarrassment.
He also stated that the Young Peoples
Society of the church, at it's meeting last
Wednesday evening, had contributed S136,
which would be donated to the same
cause. DR.. Fair warmly thanked his peo-
pie in the name of the presbytery and
general assembly. He appreciated this
liberal action all the more since the indie
pendent Church supports its own foreign
missionary work, and is already pressed
by other burdens resting upon it,