The Iron Pen #109

The great orator and statesman Daniel Webster (1782-1852) was invited to dinner at the Astor House in New York City, when he was Secretary of State under President Fillmore. By the time he got to the city, he was very tired and rather unsociable which was unusual for him. However, he livened up when a guest asked him, "Mr. Webster, will you tell me what was the most important thought that ever occupied your mind?" Webster hesitated a moment but then replied, "The most important thought that ever occupied my mind was that of my individual responsibility to God." After giving that answer he proceeded to speak upon that subject for the next twenty minutes to the surprise of everyone.

There is a popular fabrication making the rounds and many churches today are claiming that music is neutral. Nothing could be further from the truth. The great Scottish Patriot Andrew Fletcher said, "You write the laws, let me write the music, and I will rule your country." Dr. Max Schoen wrote, "Music is the most powerful stimulus known among the perceptive senses. The medical, psychiatric and other evidence for the non-neutrality of music is so overwhelming that it frankly amazes me that anyone should seriously say otherwise" (Dr. Max Schoen, The Psychology of Music, 1940).

If you ever get the opportunity to visit England there is a quaint little museum called the Cowper and Newton Museum in Olney. Nearly every Christian knows who John Newton was because he composed the beloved Christian song – Amazing Grace. William Cowper was a gifted poet. He and Newton would meet weekly in the little garden cottage to compose new Christian songs to be sung at the church Newton pastored across the way. Cowper gives this account of how he came to know Christ as his Savior – "I flung myself into a chair near the window, and, seeing a Bible there, ventured to apply to it for comfort and instruction. The first verse that I saw was Romans 3:25 - "Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;" I saw the sufficiency Christ had made for my pardon and justification. In a moment I believed and received the peace of the Gospel." (500 Wonderful Conversions; by Harold F. Sayles; The Evangelical Publishing Co. of Chicago; Copyright 1909)

Published in The Ram’s Horn January 24, 1903

[Editor’s Note: Far too many professing Christians do not honor the Lord’s Day. They work, shop, go to sporting events, etc. and think nothing about it. I came across this in my archives and found it interesting that a man who made no profession of being a Christian felt it was important that his son honor the Lord’s Day. Perhaps it will provoke some serious thought on the issue of honoring the Lord’s Day]

Until quite recently it was the practice of Mr. Edison, the world-famous electrician, to work in his laboratory on Sundays, owing to the fact that several of his inventions required immediate attention. But he has suspended that practice from a motive that would do credit to his father. An interesting episode occurred in his laboratory one Sunday morning. Mrs. Edison and their little son Theodore came down on their way to the Baptist Church at Llewellyn, N.J. Theodore went into the building with his father, and began his usual experiments.

"You mustn’t work on Sunday, Teddy," said Mr. Edison, addressing his son. "You work on Sunday," was the lad’s prompt response, as he poured a lot of green fluid out of a bottle in a tall jar. But he remembered his mother had disapproved of his father’s Sunday labors.

Mr. And Mrs. Edison looked at each other significantly. Edison immediately left off his Sunday work.