Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1886-12-02
A BLASPHEMER'S DOOM.
An Awful Incident Related by DIR. Tai
mage in One of His Sermons Said to BE
Sustained by Many Witnesses.

An Awful Incident Related by DIR. Tai
mage in One of His Sermons Said to he
Sustained by Many Witnesses.
In recent sermon Rev. DIR. Tai
mage discussed blasphemy and its con-
sequences. He drew from ancient and
modern history for instances of the
sudden and awful punishment inflicted
by Divine power upon blasphemers
and warned his hearers to avoid the
sin rs one that brings them into spe-
cial danger from an offended Provi-
dence. His most striking illustration
was an incident that he declared hap
pened only last August. He gives to a
reporter the following corrected YER
sion of his narrative:
% So common has blasphemy become that
the public mind and the public ear have got
used TO il, and a blasphemer goes up and
down this country in his lectures defying the
plain law against blasphemy. and there is not
u mayor in America that has backbone
enough TO interfere with him save one, and
that the mayor Of Toronto. Profanity is
worse than theft. or arson, or murder, for
these crimes are attacks on humanity. That
eminent for blasphemy. The crime is multi
plying in intensity. God very often shows
what He thinks of it, but for the most part
TACT that is proved by scores of witnesses.
This last August of 1856 man got pro-
vOked at the continued drought and the ruin
OF his crops and IN the presence of his neigh
bOrs cursed God. saying that he would cut
His heart out if He would come calling Him
liar and coward, and flashing knife. And
while he was speaking his lower jaw dropped,
smoke issued from mouth and nostrls.
and the heat OF his body was SO intense it
drove back those who would come near.
Scores of people visited the scene and saw
the blasphemer in the awful process of eXpir-
ing. Do not think that God has been silent of
your case, o profane swearer! that He is
dead Is there nothing now in the peculiar
feeling of your tongue or nothing in the
Eumbness of your brain that indicates that
God may come to avenge your blasphem es
or is already avenging them? There are hum
dreds of such cases. Families keep them still
to AVOID the terrible cOnspicuity. Physicians
suppress them through professional conf
dence."
Mr.. Talmage was asked for cir
cumstantial account of the blasphemer
who was miraculously burned to death.
His response was as follows: 81 appre-
ciate the desire for further details in
this matter, but l purposely avoided
locating the event, and the reasons
that actuated me then impel me now
TO keep the affair from the public.
Such an event is terrible thing for
the family and friends of the man who
was punished, and it was out of con-
sideration for them omitted to state
where the scene was laid. That it is
strictly true, however. l have conclu-
sive evidence. forget just how it was
brought to my attention. l heard it
reported by somebody or got my first
information from private letter, l
can not say which, but 1 am inclined
to think it was the latter. But no mat
ter. asked trusted friend of mine
to investigate for me. and he did so.
Some correspondence ensued, which
he turned over to me, and from it
am assured that the affair did actually
and exactly take place as describe it.
l have the correspondence still, but l
think l had better keep it to myself. -
n. y. San.