The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-11-05

tory to their source and you discover
that tho power Of THE CROSS is THE
DRAINAGE OF THE HEART OF
GOD. 4.
Is This Power Available ?
Is this power available for man to-
day? Isreply YES" out OF my own
experience. have stood under the tree
of Agony; have walked through the
Via Dolorosa, the street through which
Christ carried the cross. i went there
with doubts. For ten years had
struggled In vain to settle certain diff
cult questions OF belief and experience.
l was hungry for something, knew
not what. Although two thousand
years have passed since Christ spent
that awful night In Gethsemane. and
the angry mob rushed like the mighty
gulf stream up the sacred way. carry
Ing the helpless Savior on Its bosom, I
was distinctly conscious that power
came down upon me which dissolved
my doubts and filled n. partially empty
heart with pure. divine love. That
power Is here this morning. 1t ia avail
able for you to-day, Modern science
has shown that there is n power In ma
ture which man can call to his aid. The
uioSoNcIy tHdt lluluie rs u iIhSu1lHe Ol
available forces has revolutlonized COM
merce, and has sped civilization on Its
way. Man has not gained much In
physical strength during the last five
hundred years. He is little stronger,
If any. to-day, than hetwas then. But
man has increased his strength thou
sand fold. and advanced the cause OF
civilization O thousand leagues. by ac-
quiring new skill In laying hold OF
natures forces. He has spanned the
oceans with steam He has beltcd the
world with electricity He has burrow-
cd through mountains. and made his
strength the strength OF ten.
The power Of Christianity Is not to be
measured SO much by the new terri
tory It has acquired. not SO much by
the number Of recruits 1t has added to
Its armies; not SO much by the
churches 1t has built, but the real
power OF Christianity is measured by
the growth Of that simple faith In God
whereby Christ becomes mans individ-
ual helper and personal friend. Wall
street Is Almighty power In the man.
aGement Of the financial affairs of this
country. Every business man feels Its
influence. Wall street controls the
wealth Of the United States. But there
Ia mlghtler power than Wall street
here. Christ Is beginning to apen mems
eyes to the fact that the very air We
breathe is charged with the power Of
the cross. God has filled the world
with spiritual helpfulnuses. Did ever
a being exhibit such lovef Did ever n
heing throw around men such beautiful
ministries? Did ever q man show such
love toward his enemies" Did ever n
being lift up into such sphere OF spir-
itual life? Did ever a being make such
promises of soul rest? Did ever man
make such overtures to mankind, as
did Jesus Christ?
the sculptor with the chisel has
wrought wonders In marble. The artist
with the brush has turned dead can
vas into life. Nature miraculously
turns the clod into a sheaf, the babe
into a sage, but more wonderful, more
miraculous. more powerful Is the love
OF God disclosed by the cross whereby
transforms the sinner into n saint. and
makes the unrighteous man Christian.
Immortality.
Then again, I remark that THE
POWER OF THE GOSPEL. LIES IN
THE IDEA OF IMMORTALITY. 1t Is
said that the idea OF Immortality orig
mated In dreams. Back In the early
ages of history men dreamed OF a fu-
ture life and then awokc and thought
their dreams were true. So the Idea Of
immortality was born. care not how
the Idea came. | am more concerned
about the fact than l am about the his
tory Of it. One thing know, at least
am so certain of II that will risk my
life. my hopes. my all upon 1.-THE idea
Of immortality Is here. 1t Is a part OF
the gospel teaching. 1t Is here to stay.
l believe 1t because 1t has been n guild
Ing star to the human family from the
remotest beginnings OF It's history All
races have had inkllngs of 1t. History
declares It, Literature witnesses
to 1t. The Bible confirms 1t. Christ
demonstrated 1t. Daniel Webster said:
What would be the condition OF any
Of us IL we had not the hope OF i'm
mortality" Can you think OF God
clothed in his attributes OF love, and
goodness, and holiness. and not believe
In the Immortality Of the soul? Can
you think OF the inventor Ferris. in
venting that great toy machine known
as the Ferris wheel. to fool people?
What II, after spending thousands Of
dollars on the enterprise. he should in
duce fifty people to test his machine,
and then taking them half way round,
should stop the wheel and leave them
to die suspended in the air? Do You
suppose God could save man In this life
at such Infinite cost TO himself and at
death leave him suspended between
earth and heaven. and remain God?
Do you suppose God Is going to stop
the career Of the soul before 1t has COM.
pletcd the cycle OF Its cxistence7 Is
the man who has been made lifelong
victim OF injustice here. never to know
what justice means? Are the young
men and young women who, after thor
oughly eQuipping themselves for LIES
work. are suddenly cut down on the
Threshold Of their career. never to use
their powers: Arc mothers who for
half century have been kept from re-
bellion against God by the hope OF
meeting their loved ones. TO come up 10
the point OF embracing them, and find
that they nrc not? Is the race doomed
to universal disappointment? Not at
all! Not at all!
The Future Life.
I do not base my belief in future
life on history. or philosophy. or the
constitution OF man exclusively, but
upon tho gospel of Christ. Never shall
forget the feelings with respect to the
future life, that came over me the day
we visited "Gordon's Tomb" 1t was
Sunday afternoon. We purposely &C.
lectcd that day. because the Rcsurrcc-
ton took place on the Sabbath In
our party there was an American gen.
tlcman. now living In Paris. who, In
convcrsauon with me on our way over
from the hotel, said he had heard n
very able lecture on the Holy Sepulchrc
In London the winter before, and he
was anxious to prove the truth or
falslty OF the lecture. He was not n re-
ligious man. but n very fine gentleman.