Los Angeles herald., 1909-02-15
CLAIMS LINCOLN WAS
ORTHODOX BELIEVER
DR.. LOCKE REVIEWS FAITH OF
EMANCIPATOR
Recalls Martyred Presidents Temper
ance Prophecy, Sunday Rest Order
Issued to the Army and
Other Incidents

Last evening DR.. Charles Edward
Locke, pastor Of the First Methodist
Episcopal church, preached on "Un-
mistakable Evidence That Abraham
Lincoln Was Not an Unbeliever or an
Agnostic." The text was from L Samuel
1912. Arise; anoint him, for this is
he.D DR.. Locke said in part:
by your courtesy l wish to submit
| to you certain facts in the religious life
OF Abraham Lincoln which ought to be
sun1c1ent to answer forever the state
ment, which now and then recurs, that
<-braham Lincoln was an unbeliever or
an agnostic.
THE birthdays Of the great should
be .conlmemorated and monuments
should be unveiled to their memory in
order that a nations citizenship may
remember that a countrys real wealth
lies IN men and not in mines, in char
acter, not in commerce.
we celebrate the day Of a great
mans birth rather than the day of his
death, because the great never die.
Man is immortal until his work is
done The man who by valor and sac
rifice has made himself a factor in the
worlds progress lives with increasing
power as the years fly; hence it is the
anniversary OF his birth. that becomes
a milestone on the path of civilization.
Il hold up to you this evening the
character of Lincoln as an ideal which
not only deserves to be memoriaIized in
| granite shaft, but is worthy of the
study and imitation of the most ambi-
tious seeker after the -Jftiest levels of
human attainment. [ cannot present
to you more convincing argument, a
more enticing picture, than the glow
ing, trusting. sublime and almost divine
career of Abraham Lincoln. His life
and achievements and character are a
complete vindication of the teachings
and promises of Jesus Christ.
Abraham Lincoln was. a pioneer of
Faith-faith in this republic, faith in
his fellows, faith in himself and faith
in his God. AS was written of the first
Abraham, so it can be appropriately
said of him, He went out not know
ing whittier he went
Courage and Piety
T"None was more courageous than he.
In the first year Of the war he said. to
George William Curtis, then a young
but already brilliant man: We shall
beat them, my son; we shall beat them
Neither Daniel nor Joseph was braYer
than he, and his name is not dimmed
when placed beside the noblest heroes
of the ages.
''He was a man of piety. His Sunday
rest order, issued to the army, showed
his love for the holy Sabbath. His
fondness for the Bible appears in his
words to Joshua Speed: I am profita-
bly, engaged reading the Bible. Take
all of this book upon reason that you
can, and the balance on faith, and you
will live and die better man. On an
other occasion, when the colored men
of Baltimore presented him with a
Bible, he said: In regard to the great
book, I have only to say that it is the
best gift that God has given to men.
All the good from the Savior of the
world is communicated in this book
He was q believer in prayer, and again
and again proStrated himself before the
great God and prayed for strength. He
freely asserted that the victory at
Vicksburg and Gettysburg was as
| sured to him in prayer. To Bishop
Simpson he said: Bishop, 1 feel the
need of prayer as never before. Please
pray for me- And in that awful crisis
Of battles these two mighty men knelt
and prayed to God for help.
I'm this way did Lincoln throw him
self into the Almighty's great scheme
to ameliorate mankind. His greatness
| consisted in being pliable instrument
in Gods hands. The man who makes
himself available to God is the only
truly great man. In his all-night vigil
after the disastrous defeat of Chancel-
lorsville, Lincoln waited on God for
further directions. God gave him light
and courage and Gettysburg was the
victorious and providential sequel
when Nh. Lincoln's pastor desired
to call at the White House the presi-
dent said if he could come at O'Clock
in the morning they would be undis-
| turbed. When the clergyman arrived
he thought he heard talking in Mr..
Lincoln's office, but the attendant said.
There is no one there. Mr.. Lincoln
| always spends this hour reading the
Bible and in prayer"