Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1888-05-12
They cursed God. they cursed His word they

name OF Jesus nv ldiI iItc0- OtOc-
ran cold. Ny breath caught, Ny. foot
halted Do you not oppose hat GOD Is az,
gravated. Do YOU not suppose that God
knows aboutit, D.onysius used TO have a
cave in which his culprlts we're lncarcerate1;
and he listened at the top of that cave, and
! he could hear every groan h@ could hear
every sigh, and be could h ar every whisper
OF those who were imprisd ned He was a
tyrant. God is not a tyralnt, but he bends
over this world and he hears everything
every voice Of praise. every voice OF impre-
cation. He hears il all, The oaths seem to
die on the air. but they have eternal echo
They come back from the ages to come
Listen; histen, 10 al 1,la blS wbbisb bsr Saall
with fire and birthstone, which : the second
death. And if, according TO tbs theory Of
some, q man commits IN the nexsHHor.d the
sins which he committed III this world-lf
unpardoned, unregenerated-thNak OF a
mans going on curslng IN the name of Col
to all eternity,
The habit grows. You start with a small
oath, you VIII come to the large oath. saw
a man die with al oath between his teeth.
Noltaire only gradually came to his tremen-
1ous iInprecatlons; but the habit grew on him
until in the last moment, supposln9 Christ
stood at the bed, he exclaimed: crush that
wretch. Crush that wretch" Oh, my
brother. you begin to swear and there Is
nothing Impossible for you in the wrong d
rectlon.
Who is this God whose name you are
using in swearing. Who is he: Is he a
tyrant2 Has he starved you, frozen You,
tyrannized over YOU. No. He has loved
YOU, he has sheltered you, he watched you
last night, he will watch YOU tonight he
wants to love YOU, wants to help you. wants
to save YOU, wants to comfort you. He was
your fathers God and your mothers ''o1.
He has housed them from the blast, and he
wants to shelter you. Will You spit IN his
face by an lmprecatlon VIII YOU ever
thrust him back by an oath
Who is this Jesus whose name ! heard In
the imprecation Has he pursued you all
yourl If long What Vi e thing has he done
to YOU that you should SO dishonOr his name {
Why, he was the Lamb whose blood sim
mered in the fires of sacrifice for you. He Is
the brother that took off his crown that you
might put it on. He has pursued you all
yopr life long with mercy. He wants You
to Move him. wants you to serve him he
comes with streaming eye and broken heart
OF our doomed humanity he pushed out into
the sou to take YOU off the wreck.
Where is the hand that will ever be lifted
in imprecation again, Let that hand, now
blood tipped be lifted that | may see it. Not
one. where is the voice that will ever be
uttered in dishonoring the name of that
Christi Let it speak now. Not one. Not
one. Oh, ] am glad to know that all these
vices of the community. and these crimes of
our city will be gone. Society is going to be
bettered. The word by the power OF Christs
= gospel i, going to he saved, and this crime,
this iniquity. and all the other ini1uities will
vanish before the rising Of the sun of right
eOusnpss upon the nation.
There was one dav in New England memoir
able for storm and darkness. | hardly ever
-av*such an evening. The clouds which had
been gathering all day unlimbered their bat
teries. The Housatonic. which flows quietly
ave as the paddles of pleasure parties rattle
the oar locks, was dashed into foam, and
! L ,-~,-l~ oil. 49, 1-H@r~ < 1- AL~~.
selves.
| Oh, what a time it was, The hills iarred
under the rumbling Of Gods chariot. Blind
t ing sheets of rain drove the cattle to the
2 bars, or beat against the window pane as
} though to dash it III. The grain fields threw
. their crowns of gold at the feet of the storm
king. When night came in it was a double
night. Its mantle was torn with the light
: nings, and into its locks were twisted the
leaves of uproo,ed oaks and the shreds OF
+ canvass torn from the masts of the beaches
I shipping. 1t was such a night as makes yor
I thank God for shelter, and open the door to
: let inthe spaniel bowling outside with terror
? We went to sleep under the full blast o
g heavens great orchestra, the forests with up
lifted voices. in chorus that filed the noun
! tains, praising the Lord. We woke not unit
: the fingers of the sunny morn touched on
:, eyelids. We looked out the window and tn
! Housatonic slept as quiet as an infant
I dream. Pillars Of cloud set against the sky
ooES ilht't IL o'titS VI tIS ICs JUN L -
n heavenly hierarchs on the beach of the azur
e sea. All the trees spanked as though Their
q had been soma great grief in heaven, an
each leaf had been God appointed to catch al
angels tear. 1t seemed as if our Father ha'
} looked upon the earth, His Maynard child
. and stopped to her tear wet cheek and kissee
r it So will the darkness OF sin and Grim
leave our world before the dawn of the morn
ing. The light >hall gid the city sp:re an
strike the forests of Maine and the masts @
II NOhlIp and oil hpf WtCn And ono an6 ro
; ing on the Atlantic coast and the other resi-
a ing on the Pacifi beach. God will spring
great rainbow arch of peace. in token o
everlasting covenant that the world shall
:, never more see a deluge of crime.
But, says some one, -'preachine aeains
: the evils of society will accomplish nothing
: 10 you not see that the evils go right on"
10 answer, we are not at all discouraged.
- 1t seemed Insignificant for Moses to stretc
= his hand over the Rel sea. What powe
:, could that have over the waters. But til
!, east wind blew all night. the waters gail
: cred into two glittering palisades on elthe
side. The pillows reared as Gods han
pulled back upon their crystal bits. Whe
- into line. oh Israel Marcht March, Pear
- crash under their feet. TIE shout Of host
:, mounting the beach answers the shout (
!, hosts mid sea, until. as the last line of tn
~ 1sraelites have gained the beach. the shield
clang and the cymbals clap, and as the WI
is tiers whelm the pursuing foe the swift Fl,
- eered winds on the white keys Of the foal
~ play the grand march Of Israel delivere,
and the awful dirge Of Egyptian overthrow
or 50 we go forth. and stretch out tha hand {
a PRAYER and Christian effort over these dar
I'd boiling waters of crime and sin All
Of Aha saws the derlding world. But wal
&c The winds of divine help will begin to hloy
* the way will clear for the great army
A Christian Ihilanthroplsts: the g~litterlr
his treasures Of the worlds heneficence will lii
ch the path Of our feet and 10 the other sho
Mt We VIII be greeted with the clash of E
10 heavens cvmbals. while those who resi-
Ter ana lAride ana pursue Us VIII ian uhuer |
N. sea. and there viii te nothing eft of the
AZ but here and there. cast high and dry up
- the beach, the splintered wheel Of a ch7ric
ifs and thrust out from The surf, the breathe
oostrll of p riderless charger.
ek -