Virginia gazette. [volume] (Williamsburg, Va.) 1893-192?, 1905-11-11

on the grass there. with the sunshine /
all over me and birds singing about i
me. with everything. apparently. 10 /
make me happy. in the depth Of my /
loneliness l felt like child who had |
lost It's mother. What more did l |
wants I will tell you what wanted |
what you want. what every man and |
woman hunGcrs FOR with a hunger
deeper than any physical longing. 1 |
wanted His Spirit 10 bear witness |
with my spirit that / was a child OF |
GO. Nothing else could satisfy: moth /
ing else ever can satisfy the deep hun- /
ger OF the human heart.
one might say that such n youth |
was abnormal. insane. II this were an |
extraordinary experience. hut Is an eX-
perlence common 90 Us all. Here IS
song composed by some unknown sing
or 4eoo years ago. a singer OF 4 differ
ent race. I'm far away land. under en-
tirelyN different circumstances from
those in which we live but this song
has been taken mp and repeated hy
millions 90 human beings because the
words express The ever rccurrent Scnti-
mcrt 90 The human soul in an ages and
all lands As the hart panteth for
the water brooks 81 panteth my soul
after Thee. - Cod" You shall dnd
,his sentiment expressed Ca ten thou
sand hymns. In a million churches on
this sunday morning DO is being sung
Tn million mosques 20 is being chant
cd. I'm million Buddhist temples 10
is being uttered. All around the earth
all classes and conditions OF men. rich
and poor. wise and foolish. good and
bad. high and low. are longing and
praying 90 have His Spirit bear wit
ness with their spirits that they are
children ~ God
And not only 10 the people who be-
leNe in God testify 90 this The most
remarkable aud pathetic testimony
comes from those who intellectually
deny that chere is sufficient reason Co
believe in the existence o. God. It
seems % me THAI almost the wrcaricst
words that ever fell from human iDs
were uttered hy Professor clifford
when Dee felt himself compelled intel
ler-ulIy 90 take the atheis-ic position.
i have seen the spring sun shine out
I nc rle empty heavens upon souliesS
earth. and have felt with ter l0ucii-
. ness that The great Companion was
dead And you win remember that
Professor komlues. though no tho last
I he saw q great li-ht and went 60 his
death fun ~ trust "ilke one who wraps
/ The drapery 81 Lis couch about him
and lies down 90 pleasant dreams" ar
/ one time wrote q book called "a Can
I dld Examination OF The.sm." and in
/ this examination found no rational
I ground for a bcllef in cod he closed
I h-~ hook with these words "1 ann not
+ ashamed Co confess that with this viz
/ rual denial 90 COD the universe has lost
i SIS soul and i1veiucss. ana when or
/ times I tllu6. as think ~ times
/ mus-. 90 the appalling contrast be-
/ tween the LalowCd glory 81 the creed
/ thar once was mine and the lonely
mystery 30 existence as now / ind 3D..
90 such times 10 VIII ever boz imp0s>I hle
[ 90 avoid Tie sha-p-sr rangs 81 which
/ ms nature is uscepubic." Take note
~ these words 90 au absolutely sincere
/ and fearless man. The slorpcSr Dan-s
90 which my nature Us susceptible"
Row why should one feel like that
/ suppose there ls no God. what OF g.
/ suppose 10 should De- proved thai th.s
! world has been produced by the opera.
tlor ~ physical forces working in ac-
co-iance with blind and heartless law
what 40 ltt Is uo- tie SKY tust as blue
tle grass as greene Are rot friend
as dears Why should we not GET along
/ without Gole Why should SIC care
whether God ls o- l~ rotf
s. friend told mr tlIs incident thr
lr- 90 Eli. a-el man ana woman q
number ot sons and daughters and q
.t-e -raru ~ -raulel-l-ra The aged
--.r.t. f.er WAS eu. Dying serene aul
happy o.t are loved ly ai and Oh.
home was nlc of peculiar brightness
Dre l.--r t-e AGED man. ais usual. tool
lls evening paper and sar -n BIS accus
toned place SOD rfld wiped DIS 81. s--S
made "a comment or two to tile whit.
haired wife knitting opposite and ar
fer little. as Ll> custom was zen .lr
ore ot those quiet -.uMtrrs u- ul.ar ..
Ola ar- Around lim rle other mem
3 ters ~ tle family talked ana laughc.
and ioEel t.l one said. Father seem
to Dr. sleeping very S1uIlly.' ana. piaD
f ir- Ll- baud uuun tlc old mans shout
q Deer. discovered thar DE WAS dead
& Sow. ask ue. VIII sou. what dlIerenc
& is mace: The home was left. tle lsm
- burned as brightly. Tie ncwspape
tled with interest was there. n0-L.r
| was apparently changed. Was not Oh
sky JUST as h.Os and the grass just "a
4 green and l.d I0r The stars shine O.
brightly: What difference did
Q maket why. 10 be was dead his spir
d could no longer bear witness 20 "a
e spirit ~ rLe aged wife that he love
8 ler. Ills spirit could no longer rcSpon
d % the Joy ~ his grandchildren. Their
p. is difference be-ween q dead bod
E and q living man that makes one stan
o in the presence OF his living frien
r with JOY and lu the presence OF IN
r. friends dead body with unutterab
e misery. There is a difference betwec
r dead universe and a living univers
-e That is the reason for these utteranc,
y OF black despair from those who q
10 not believe En- God.
,r MY soul -ongeth-yea. even faintc,
n for the courts OF the Lord"
= Now I want 20 call your attention
is the testimony o. this hunger after go
Do o. the existence OF God. Whence can