({ r> E A N I N (i S I N li K K C T i. T V K K 



AlGlST, lifjd 



When I sugj^ested tliat if Jie were up to 

 (late he would find that evolation is not 

 considered inconsistenl 'vtitli (Jeiiesis, he 

 demanded my proof. 



Well, one of my grandsons has just re- 

 turned from college in Oberlin, Ohio, and 

 he is pretty well in touch with -the Oberlin 

 professors, including President King; and 

 when I asked liim if Oberlin rejected evo- 

 lution as not in harmony with Bible teach- 

 ings, he answei'ed with a most emphatic 

 '^Xo." Well, my evolution friend finally 

 sent me a book to read. Now, it is vei-y sel- 

 dom that T read a book nowadays. I have 

 not time with all my reading that I feel I 

 must at least give some attention to. I com- 

 menced to run over the book hastily, and in 

 some way it reminded me of things I had 

 read long ago. I turned over to the preface 

 and found the date, 1882. Just think of 

 sending )ne a book to keep me posted up 

 to date that was printed 38 years ago ! 

 Well, so far as I can learn, and I think 

 I keep pretty well abreast of what is going 

 on in the world, especially the world oiP 

 science, such books as the one I have men- 

 tioned are out of date and gone by. The 

 wdiole world is recognizing just now, as it 

 never did before since creation, that all 

 great reforms, especially benevolent re- 

 forms, have their source in the teachings of 

 our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Be- 

 .sides the brother who took me to task be- 

 cause 1 was not up to date, there were two 

 others whom I have known for years who 

 kept writing me because of my foolish 

 faith in God's holy word. One of them 

 said to me a while ago, "Mr. Root, how 

 can you prove there is a Godf After 

 studying over it for some time — yes, and T 

 think praying over it — I gave him the fol- 

 lowing brief answer: 



"I know that my Redeemer liveth." 1 

 think the word know 1 put emphatic. Let 

 me now call attention to a fact that I have 

 sometimes thought rather queer. When 

 your faith in the Scriptures or in anything 

 else that is good is challenged, the very best 

 answer you can give is a quotation from 

 the Bible. The whole wide world, believers 

 and unbelievers, recognize the force and 

 ])Ow^er of Scripture texts or quotations. 



Some of you may be inclined to ask right 

 here, "Mr. Root, you say you know that 

 your Redeemer lives. Will you explain a 

 little more fully?'' Yes, gladly. Never 

 shall 1 forget the time when I was in the 

 miry clay of unbelief — when Satan's 

 clutches were so firmly fixed on my soul 

 iind body that 1 had almost given up in de- 

 spair. Tf anybody was ever in the "miry 

 clav."' / was that one. In fact, I some- 



limes ahnost felt tliat only dcatli could end 

 it all. You did not know nie then, oi' at 

 least only a few of you. In desperation 1 

 used something like my little prayer, "Lord, 

 help." Instead of saying, "Lord, help," 

 as in the years past, however, it was more 

 like tliis: "Oh, God, if there be a God, 

 have mercy on a ])oor miserable soul." 

 That prayer was answered — instantly an- 

 swered. A gleam of hope came into my 

 l)oor tortui-ed soul. In Pilgrim's Progress 

 Ave are told how the burden dropped all at 

 once from the shoulders of Christian. A 

 new life opened up; and the only thing in 

 the Avhole wide world that could give me 

 information and full particulai's in regard 

 to the new life was God's holy word. [ 

 turned over to the New Testament and be- 

 gan to read, and for the first tiuie in long 

 years I understood what I I'ead ; and, dear 

 friends, I have been rejoicing and thank- 

 ing God from that time to this for that 

 wonderful deliverance out of the "miry 

 clay," and for the still more wonderful 

 planting of my feet on the solid Rock. 

 Once during the delirium of a fever some 

 fiend suggested that T had been swearing. 

 I protested, and declared that not once 

 since my surrender in years gone by had I 

 taken God's holy name in vain. Other 

 voices joined with my accuser, or at least 

 in my delirium I imagined they did. and 

 backed him up by saying, "Yes, we all 

 heard you." Again I protested — yes, pro- 

 tested in agony — and finally, in spite of 

 the delirium, I thought of my "emergencv 

 prayer," "Lord, help;" and, as it almost al- 

 ways happens, the answer came quick, 

 something like this: "No, no. dear child; 

 never once, not for a single minute since 

 you shouldered your cross to follow me. 

 have you gone back by word or thougiit. 

 Lie still in peace. Go to sleep." At his 

 words the emissaries of Satan hastily re- 

 treated, and I slept and came back to life.* 

 By the way, these unbelievers who have 

 been following me and reading Gleanings 

 for years have given as a reason for doing 

 so that they were impressed by my sin- 

 cerity. Whether I was right or wrong they 

 gave me the credit of being honest. After 

 some long letters back and foi-fh between 

 one of these friends and me, 1 told him it 

 was useless for us to spend time in arguing. 

 "Now," said T, "instead of trying to an- 

 swer you myself I am going to pray that 

 God's Holy Spirit may answer you. I 

 wish, how'ever, first, that you would tell me 



'From tliiit tiiiin to this nearly fifty years apo, I 

 liavc never for odc iiiiinitr meditated Eoinj: hack to 

 that old life of unbelief. Do yon wonder that T 

 can honestlv sav, "T know that luv Redeemer liv- 

 eth?" 



