The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-08-20
DANGER TO FAITH
FROM MODERN ACE
The Rev. DR.. ]. A. Duncan
breaches on UnbeIief
TENDENCY TOWARD DOUBT
Says That the Man Himself is Re-
sponsibIe When He is Led As
tray-Triumph of
Faith.
TENDENCY TOWARD DOUBT


The Rev. DR.. ]. A. Duncan preached
yesterday morning at the First Methodist
church on "Unbelief." taking his text
from the nineteenth and twentieth verses
Of the seventeenth chapter of ST. Mat
thew: why could not we cast him out?
And Jesus said unto Them because of
your unbelief."
DR.. Duncan spoke in part as follows:
The incident Of which these words form
a part is a very interesting one. From
the beginning Of his ministry the Master
has been endeayoring to reveal Himself
to His followers, and to make them under
stand the meaning of Ills life and mis-
sion. He has just taken the three who
seem to have caught more of His meaning
than the others, Peter and James and
John, upon the mountain top, and is there
TRANSPORTED before them. They catch
glimpse of side of Him they had not
seen before, but even then do not fully
understand.
When they come down there is a father
whose child is devil-ridden. The crowd
is standing around watching the vain en-
beavers of the disciples of Jesus to cure
the child. The Master Himself is appealed
to, and the child is healed. Then comes
the question of the anxious disciples:
why could not we cast him out?' They
are conscious of no dlsloyalty, but they
are humiliated. I doubt If any set of
men were ever more surprised than when
the answer came Because OF your m
belief" The last place we look for The
reason of our failures is in ourselves.
Let us study this incident, and see #
we cannot get something out of II that
will be of genuine benefit to us.
Availability of God.
l think that it is helpful for us at times
to look at our resources as Christians. we
have a God whose power is as available
to us as 1t has ever been to others. We
are startled sometimes when we read the
Old Testament, stories of the all given
by God as Individual or to nation God
Is quite as ready to aid us today as be
was to aid Israel in other days. II we
believe In God at all we must believe IN
the availability of His power. If lie Is a
being ASSOCIATED from us that He can
not be of assistance to us, then so far
as we are concerned He is no better than
a block of wood. Why should L pray to
a God. or worship a God who is helpless
so far as my need is concerned God is.
and He is the rewarded of all those who
diligently seek Him. God is, and lie Is
ever ready to hear and to answer the
prayer of His people.
We also have a gospel that meets the
worlds deepest needs. There Is no nation
that cannot understand, appreciate and
profit by the great law of love to God
and love to man. The time viii never
come when the words, ~ am the resur-
rectlon and the life," will not comfort
those who stand about the open grave.
Danger of Losing Faith.
What we are in danger of is losing
our faith in these things, substituting
something else for them. Every age has
its forms OF scepticism. Our age, l fear.
takes the form of treating money as
though 1t could supply the place of God,
and yet we are daily having illustrations
of the fact that it cannot.
Take an example even in our own city.
Understand, please. that l do not stand
here as a judge to condemn. merely want
ia call your attention to the wrong and If
possible to help the doer of that wrong
Here is a young man who has a little
money He believes in the power of
riches. In a sense he is right Money is
power as it has never been before In the
history of the world. All the wealth of
Solomon could not have purchased an
electric battery that you can put in your
bak
instantaneous news from China. 1t could
not have carried him 800 miles in ten
hours. 1t could not have purchased him
in midsummer as much ice as VIC can
buy for nickel. This young man uses
what he has to speculate with. He wants
to get rich. He thinks that he can get
something for nothing, and it Is al his
point that he makes his fatal blunder. 1t
is at this point that his character begins
to go to pieces.
Local Illustration.
We have had very sad Illustration of
this in our own city within the past few
days. Now, there is a danger connected
with this. On every hand men arc BLAMING
the bucket shops and saying tha' they
have caused the trouble. Be it Ear from
me to hold them guiltless. From my point
of view the whole business of buying and
selling on margins is gambling, and
gambling of an exceedingly bad sort.
But when man goes wrong the man IS
to be held responsible for it, and he nover
grows to be a man until he is willing to
stand up and say, IT did the wrong thing
and / am responsible"
In this present case the only hope for
the future of this young man is the fuil
consciousness of his responsibility Ia the
matter.
Suppose he had been specializing with
his own money only. and had LOST mill
lion dollars. All that the public would
have said was that he was a fool and
no blame would have been attached TO
the agency through which that folly was
displayed. DO not think that l nave no
sympathy for this man in his trouble. |
have infinite sympathy for him. SO much
sympathy that so far as I am concerned
| do not wish him to take anotn r false
step Nor do wish any young man in
our city, and there are doubtless many
who are specializing in the same fashion
today, TO think that they have aoy light
to blame others for their actions. The
Master brought the trouble of the 6isci-
pies home to them when He seid this
thing has happened because OF your I'M