Page:God and His Book.djvu/153

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GOD AND HIS BOOK
143

appears to have had any notion of the existence of such a continent when they went up together into a high mountain to survey "all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time." When you "created" you seem to have "created" a good deal more than you had intended to "create." I too, O Lord, am somewhat like thee in this respect at least; I too have sometimes done more than I had intended. For instance, once, at Carlyle's Craigenputtock, I had intended to have merely leapt into the saddle; but, instead, I leapt clean over the horse's back and fell on the other side, and nearly broke my neck.

Well, in this America, which you will find in any good atlas, there lives a worm of the dust of the name of Henry Ward Beecher. He is now pretty old and tough, and it is a good while since you "created" him; so I take this opportunity of drawing your attention to him. He is the Rev. Henry Ward Beecher, and wears your livery. Well, he too has actually had the impudence to pronounce your Book not quite the sort of work to put into the hands of a young lady. Speaking of the Rev. Henry Ward Beecher, Mr. Parke Godwin says: "His rejection of the Bible as an authority in doctrine and morals is as complete as that of Herbert Spencer, or Frederic Harrison, or Tyndall, or Huxley, or Haeckel, or Monsigneur Capel." (These are all horrible persons, O Lord.) "Plymouth Pulpit is a Rationalist platform from which Mr. Moncure Conway" (another horrible person, O Lord) "might, with perfect propriety, be asked to speak." Find out America, and keep an eye on this Rev. Henry Ward Beecher.

I need not ask thee, O Lord, if thou hast heard of the Rev. Canon Richards, of Swansea. He is one of thine own servants, specially ordained by thee to help to cultivate the Welsh corner of thy vineyard. Well, thy servant, Canon Richards, recently exhorted the Swansea School Board thus: "Put only the New Testament in the hands of the children; do not give them the Old, if you have any regard for their morality." Great God, that is Canon Richard's opinion of your Book—what must be his opinion of you, the writer of it? You can settle that matter with him when you and he meet. You will make