The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-07-24

and another to come and kneel before The stand.
Mulhtudes rushed forward, groans and sobs
were heard, as the speaker continued, with re-
doubled vehemence.
~ don't care" said Mr.. John Gordon, "who
sees me; I'm going upl l am a poor old sin
ner, and l ought 10 be prayed for, if anybody"
Nina shrank back, and clung to CIayton's
arm. so vehement was the surging feeling OF
the throng around her, that she wept with a
wild, tremulous excitement.
| "Do take me Quits dreadful" she said.
Clayton passed his arm round her, and, open
ing way through the crowd, carried her out
beyond the limits, where they stood together
alone, under the tree.
81 know l am not good as 1 ought to be-
she said "but don't know how to be any bet
ter. Do you think it would do me any good to
go up there? Do you believe in these thingsl"
81 sympathze with every effort that man
makes to approach bis Maker" said Clayton !;
"these ways do not suit me, but dare not Judge
them. l cannot despise them. l must not
make myself a rule for others
"But, don't you think" said Nina, "that
these things do harm sometimes?"
"Alas, child, what form of religion does not
1t is our fatality that everything that does good
must do harm. It's the condition of our poor,
imperfect life here"
II do not like these terrible threats" said
Nina. "Can fear of fire make me love? Be-
sides, / have a kind of courage III me that
always rises up against threat. 1t isn't my
nature to fear"
"If we may Judge our Father by his voice in
nature" said Clayton, "he deems severity
necessary part of our training. How infexibly
and terribly regular are all his laws Fire and
hail, snow and vapor, stormy wind, fulfilling
his word-all these have crushing regularity
in their movements, which show that he is to
be feared as well as loved"
But l want to be religious" said Nina,
"entirely apart from such considerations. Not
driven by fear, but drawn by love. You can
guide me about these things, for you are re-
| iigious."
II fear should not be accepted as such in
any church" said Clayton. at is my m;sfor-
tune that | cannot receive any common form
of faith, though respect and sympathize with
all. Generally speaking, preaching only weak
ems my faith and | have to forget the sermon,
in order to recover my faith. do not beliece-
! k'low-that our moral nature needs thorough
regeneration and | believe this must come
| through Christ. This is all am certain Of"
II wish were like Milly," said Nina. "She
is a Christian, know; but she has come to it
by dreadful sorrows. Sometimes Pm afraid to
ask my heavenly Father to make me good, be-
cause think it will come by dreadful trials, if
he does"
"And T. said Clayton, speaking with great
earnestness, would be willing to suffer any
thing conceivable if could only overcome all
evil, and come up Ia my highest ideas of good
And, as he spoke, he turned his face up to the
moonlight with an earnest fervor of expression,
that struck Nina deeply.
Il almost shudder to hear you say so! You
don't know what it may bring on you'll
He looked at her with beautiful SMILE which
was peculiar expression of his face in mo-
ments of high excitement
I" say it again." he said. "Whatever it
involves, let it comet"
The exercises of the evening went on with a
succession of addresses, varied by singing of
hymns and prayers. In the latter part of the
time, many declared themselves converts, and
were shouting loudly. Father Bonnie came
forward.
. Brethren" he shouted, "we are seeing a
day from the Lord We've got a glorious
timel o, brethren, let US sing glory to the
Lord! The Lord is coming among us!
The excitement now became general There
was confused sound of exhortations, prayers,
and hymns, all mixed together, from different
parts of the ground. But, all of a sudden, every
one was startled by sound which seemed to
come pealing down directly from the thick |
canopy of pines over the heads of the minis. |
tiers.
"Woe unto you that desire the day of the
Lord! To what end shall it be for you' The
day of the Lord shall be darkness, and not light!
Blow ye the trumpet in Zionl Sound an alarm
in my holy mountain Let all the inhabitants
in the land tremblel for the day of the Lord
cometh !"
There was deep, sonorous power In the voice
that spoke, and the words fell pealing down
through the air like the vibrations ofsonc mighty
bell. Men looked confusedly on each other; but,
In the universal license of the hour the obscurity
OF the night, and the multitude of the speakers,
no one knew exactly whence it came. After
moments pause, the singers were recommenc-
ing, when again the same deep voice was
heard.
Take away from me the noise of thy songs
and the melody of thy viols; for / will not hear
them, saith the Lord. hate and despise your
feast-days will not smell in your solemn as
semblies; for your hands are de6led with blood,
and your fingers greedy for violence! Will
ye kill, and steal, and commit adultery, and
swear falsely, and come and stand before me,
saith the lord? 4e Cypress the poor and needy,
and hunt the stranger; also in thy skirts is found
the blood OF poor innocents and yet We cav, |
Because am clean, shall his anger pass from
me! Hear this, We that swallow up the needy, |
and make the poor of the land to fail, saying, |
When will the new moon be gone, that we may |
sell corn? that we may buy the poor for silver, |
and the needy for pair of shoes? The Lord |
hath sworn, saying, l will never forget their
works. will surely visit you'll"
The audience, thus taken, in the obscurity of |
the evening, by an unknown speaker, whose |
words seemed to fall apparently from the clouds,
In voice OF such strange and singular quality, |
began to feel creeping awe stealing over them |
The high state of electrical excitement under |
which they had been going on, predisposed them |
to a sort of revulsion of terror aud a vague, |
mysterious panic crept upon them, as the bo |
ding, mourntul voice continued to peal from the |
trees.
Hear, o ye rebellious people! The Lord |
is agsins. this nation The Lord shall stretch |
out upon it the line of confusion and the |
stones of emptiness For thou saidst will |
ascend into the stars will be as God But |
thou shalt be cast out as an abomnable branch, |
and the wild beasts shall tread thee down
Howl, fr-tree, for thou art spoiled Open thy |
doors, . Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy |
cedars for the Lord cometh out of his place |
to punish the inhabitants of the land The |
Lord shall utter his voice before his army, for |
his camp Is very great Mutitudes multi |
tudes III the valley of decision For the day |
OF the Lord is near in the valley of decision |
The sun and the moon shall be dark, and the |
stars withdraw their shining for the Lord shall
utter his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens |
aud earth shall shake! In that day will |
cause the sun to go down at noon, and darken |
the whole earth And | will turn your feasts
into mourning, and your songs into lamenta-
ton Woe to the bloody city! 1t is full of
lies and robbery The noise of a whip!-the
noise of the rafting of wheels of the pran-
i -