Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-10-08
THE INITIAL SERMON
OF REV. $. w. wEsTHAFER, FOURTH
STREETS NEW PASTOR, YES
TERDAY MORNING.
HIS TEXT FROM SECOND KINGS
And Was Handled I'm an Interesting
and Able Manner-A Big C~ongrega-
tf0n Hears the First Sermon-He
Has Made a Very Favorable Inn
preston on the P~eople-The Ser
mon.

g~regation assembled In the Fourth street
NJ. E. church, Rev. S. w. Westhafer, the
new pastor of the church. preached his
initial sermon. He chose his text from
III. Kings. 6: 17-"And Elisha prayed, and
said Lord, l pray Thee. open his eyes that
he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes
of the young man and he saw: and, be-
hold. the mountain was full of horses and
chariots of fire round about Elisha"
THE events leading up to the announce
ment Of this text published the fact of the
supernatural. You are all doubtless more
or less familiar with the story of Ben Ha-
dad, king of Assyria, who waged war
against the king of Israel. The Assyrian
army made preparations for a more Wig
orous military campaign. raised an i'm
mense army and equipped 1t. After maxi
ing plans and displaying them to his gem
erals, he proceeds to carry them into ex-
ecution against Israel. but for reasons
quite unknown to the king and his officers
their plans did not succeed. They camped
in many secret places, but their where
abouts were invariably disclosed to the
enemy. They set snare after snare in the
hope of entrapping Israel, but they discov-
cred the we'll laid schemes and escaped
every time.
The king was distressed at these fail
ures, and learned that information con-
corning the movements of his camp had
been secretly conveyed to the enemy. Sus-
pecting his own. he called his servants to-
gether and asked which one had turned
traitor. They all assured him of their
loyalty to the king and his cause. They
said, There is a man of God, in Israel,
endowed with superior knowledge. who
has told Israel every word the king has
spoken On receiving this intelligence. the
king inquired who this man was and
where he lived. On finding out, he fitted
out an immense expedition consisting of
men, horses and chariots, and sent them
in pursuit of Elisha, then dwelling at Do
than.
THE army arrived at night and encamp-
ed about the city. The next morning the
prophet and his servant arose early, and
looking about, discovered that they were
! completely surrounded by the host of the
kin gof Assyria. On beholding this vast
force the young man was seized with a
| paroxysm of fear, and turning to the
prophet, said: Alas. my master, how
shall we do?' Elisha replied, Fear not;
for they that be with us are more than
they that be with them And Elisha
prayed, and said. Lord, 1 pray Thee, open
his eyes, that he may see And the Lord
opened the eyes of the young man; and
he saw: and, behold, the mountain was
fun of horses and chariots of fire round
about Elisha
us not the young man a type of that
large number of people, who by reason of
their training and the spirit of the age
are blinded to the fact OF the invisible
God, and are more or less unconscious Of
the influence of the supernatural world on
the affairs Of life?
1T is only a fair statement of the truth
to say thai many of our church people
are becoming more or less Influenced by
the grossest of material philosophy. 1t
was not always so. There was a time
when the disproportion was the other way.
'Tn the older ages men believed it was
an impulse of the Divine will that caused
the grass to grow, the rain to fall from
heaven. the lightning to flash and the
thunder to roll. The impression quite
generally prevailed that the whole order
of nature was carried on by the direct i'm
pulse of the Divine will. Now we have
gone up, step by step, until We have
reached q point where we discovered that
the world is under the control OF natural
laws. Not that God does not rule by direct
impulse of His will, but that the world is
generally controlled by natural laws. We
are going to the other extreme"
He spoke of the tendency of our modern
science and philosophy, as well as much
of our literature of modern times. to rule
out God, and they leave a last impression
on the mind that physical force is the only
force in this world.
1.-The first point in the evidence is that
which rests upcn the harmony that exists
between what we call nature and the SUI
pernatural. 1t is not to be wondered at
that man should stop then, though in
natural or secondary causes. There are
| thinkers who believe that there is a fixed
order of nature which precludes a divine
interference with the affairs of this world.
They follow events along the line OF his
tory. at%tributing one thing to one cause
and others to another. They hold that
men are influenced by climatic force,
mountain and marine force. Character Is
developed by the influence of environ
ment and education. and there is not a
place for the supernatural. Had 1t not
been for Alexander, there would have been
no empire Of the east; had 1t not been for
Caesar. there would nave been not Roman
empire; for George Washington. no Amer
lean republic: but for Dewey. there would
have. been no greater United States. It is
granted that these men have wrought
wonders in their day. yet back Of them
there has been a power steadily at work
evolving the destiny Of nations
He said that man himself is a kind OF SUI
-pernatural being. He evolves upon and
modifes the forces Of nature. He illus
trated his point by showing how the diff
ferent materials were brought together
and formed into the immense engine near
the Niagara Falls with a capacity Of 100
horse power and capable Of throwing 15,-
10000 gallons per "a hours. Who can
watch this vast engine and not be con-
scious that man is not a supernatural be-
ing?
Another point in the evidence is the
person of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is
the divinest character. the most inluen-
tial personality. the most sublime person
of all history. He united in His character
such rare countenances of beauty that
heaven and earth nave been pleased to
smile upon Him. He was without sin,
without repentance. without contrition.
without a tear. He put himself in the way
Of spiritual forces. Divine power and Di-
vine nrerneatfyes It is sad that Jesus