Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1879-03-05
The Law and the Gospel.
EXTRACT FROM A SERMON BY REV. w.
Z. MUNsEY, D. d.

Romaus i'll, 81
There is to be a period of General
Judgment. Suppose this the time OF its
announcement. 1t is Sabbath evening.
You are seated here quietly in the
church (some are standing near the
door.) Our little ones are at home.-
The gas IS burning brightly in our par
lors. and shortly the servants expect IN
obedience 10 the bell TO open the doors
and let US in. Our houses OF business
are closed, but few persons are on the
streets, and sosn the watchman expects
10 be on his nightly round. The front
doors and windows Of our liquor saloons
are closed-for it is .he Sabbath-but a
closer inspection will reveal the light
cleaning obliquely through the windo"
shutters, and angularly striking the
pavement-Why? The back doors are
open, or ajar, and now debauchers are
passing and repassing stealthily along
the alleys.
The sick man across the street is turn
Ing himself in the bed from uneasy
slumber; some citizens are at home
reading the news; some are in back
rooms poring over their ledgers some
are asleep; the mother IN Israel, una
BILE to be here tonight, has just drop
ted upon her knees by the bedside to
thank God for another Sabbath, and to
say prayer and drop a tear for her
wicked boy-while along the shadow OF
tbe walls libertines are creeping TO the
brothel. Our wharves are lonely to-
night, and the river breeze sighs gently
around the tapering masts OF the anchor
ed schooners, aud our boats cabled at
their landings rise and fall with the
wave which glitters IN the cold starlight
and murmurs around their hulls. The
tombstones of our neighboring cemete-
ries. the steeples and walls OF our
churches. the dome Of the distant capl-
tol. look cold and gray in the light OF
the November moon, and the old Po-
tomac paved with silvery sheen rolls on
grandly and proudly to the sea.
But, bark! what sound is that-so
unearthly, supernatural, and strange
so far away-yet so sonorous, clear, and
nicrciuc-whlch makes nature sick, and
makes the blood creep cold in our veins,
and sends a peculiar shiyer along our
nerves, and stops the breath for a mo-
ment? What makes the earth growl and
quake so-and why are the grave-yards
shaking, the mountains overturnlng,the
Graves rending-and why are the aged
nersons around us suddenly growing
Youthful? Trembling and horror-strick-
on LET us 90 to the door and see-But
ah! we are spared the trouble; the
ground heaylng has split the church from
foundation to roof, and falling apart
the naked sky is above us-Look up
See that angel coming-bright as star,
his plnions extended and shading the
armament. his beautiful form mirored
in the concave depths of the ethereal
blue, or rather pictured in high relief
upon a background Of deepest azure
before whose glory the blushing and
aflrighted moon is running from Its or
bit. and tumbling down the west to
some Hespcrian cave to hide Itself
coming and sounding the trump OIL
Judgment.
Hear YOU the supulchral, uproarious
and horrible howlings Of some hideous-
tbroated monster beneath your feet! 1t
is the CHASTITY King Of the dead, mans
DESTROYER, beirg throttled by the Angel
~ the resurrection in his last fortified
den, paved with human bones, japanned
with human gore, and fetid with human
corruption. Hear you that deep and
hollow crashing, which seems to shlver
through the globe? It's the noise OF
Deaths falling temples, and the down.
fall of his empire. But, 0, look around
you! every street, every hill, every val
lev. every mountain, every plain, Is
crswded-and still they come. The
very dust beneath US is stirring with
life. The very plants and trees are dis
solving and their particles are appro-
priated by human bodies which take
their places. The last rose OF summer
melts away in the lovers hand, and the
dissolved dust i. claimed by the rising
babe, or rising and juvenated age-aii
the dead are rising. Be still, mother
vour child is not left behind, Be stlll'
old man, your wife is coming. BE STILL
sorrow.stricken orphanage, your par
ents have broken their cerements and
are alive again.
But see, the vasl crowd is thrown in
70 mighty commohon. Suddenly, mil
lions are gazing upward, while millions
more are trying to Chamber back into
their graves, and pull the cold marble
over them again. But why such com
motion? Lock up! The sky is parted
like n sundered scroll, the edges OF both
ornamental hemispheres folding over
widening the rent, and an awful throne
rolling upon fiery wheels down pave
mcnt of sunbeams welded and hammer
ed rs solid as the streets OF heaven, Is
coming-coming quicker than an elec-
iric fash, ten thousand lightnings ca
reering and burning and playing before
il. and flanked by angels, whose extrem-
est wings fan two horizons, and follow
ed by train OF seraphims whose rear
leqious are still Iamping over the
threshold of heaven. Stars, terrIiled'