The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1888-04-18


ever cure a toothache? Did they ever
stop the twinge of rheumatism? Did
they ever help YOU forward one step in
the right direction? Come, now, tell me,
| We who have had the most cxperince in
this habit, how much have YOU made out
of il? Five thousand dollars in all your
life? No. One thousand? No. One
hundred? No. One dollar? No, One
cent? No. II the habit be so utterly
useless, away with it.
But you say: 81 have struggled to over
come the habit a long while, and have
not been successful" You struggle in
your own strength, my brother. Ii ever
man wants God, it is in such crisis OF
OF his history. God alone by His grace
can emancipate you from that trouble.
Callup Him day and night that you may
| bedelivered from this crime. Remember,
| also, in the cure OF this habit, that it
arouses Gods Indignation. The bible re-
iterates from chapter TO chapter, and verse
after verse, the fact that it is accursed for
| this life and that il makes man misera-
BILE for eternity. There is not sin in all
! the catalogue that is so often per-
emptorily and suddenly punished in this
world as the sin Of profanity. There is
not a city or a village but can give an
! illustration of a man struck down at the
| years ago, briefly referring 10 this in n
| sermon, | gave some instances in which
| God had struck swearers dead at the
moment OF their profanity. That sermon
brought 70 me from many parts OF this
| land and other lands statements OF similar
cases OF instantaneous visitation from God
upon blasphemers Ny opinion is that
such cases occur somewhere every day,
but for various reasons they are not re-
ported.
In Scotland n club assembled every
week for purposes OF wickedncss and
there was a competition as 10 which could
use the most horrid OATH and the man
who succeeded was 10 be president OF tho
club. The competition went on. A man
uttered an oath which confounded all his
comrades, and he was made president OF
the club. His tongue began 10 SWELL and
IL protruded from the mouth, and he could
not draw VI in, and he died, and the ply
sicians said. "rhis Ia the strangest thing
we ever saw we never saw any account
in the books like unto Il; We can't under.
stand it, | understand IT, lie cursed
God and died.
At Catskill, n. v, q group Of men
stood I'm blacksmith's shop during vio-
lent thunder storm. Thorc came a crash
OF thunder and some OF the men trcmblcd,
One man said: "Why. don't SEQ what
you are afraid Of. ] am not afraid 10 go
out in front of the shop and defy the
Almighty. | am not afraid OF lightning
And he laid wager on the subject and
lac went out, and he shook his fist NJ the
heavens, crying "Striko, II YOU dare"
and instantly he fell under a bolt. What
destroyed him? Any mystery about it2
| Oh. no. lie cursed God and died.
oh, my brother, God will not allow this
sin 20 go unpublished. There arc styles OF
writing with manifold sheets, 80 that Il
man writing ON ono sheet writes clear
through ten, fifteen or twenty sheets, and
No every profanity We utter goes right
down through the leaves OF Gods book
OF remembrance. 10 ~ no exceptional
sin. DO YOU think you could count the
proianties OF last week the proianites OF
office, store, shop, iactory2 They cursed
God, they cursed Ills word thoy cursed
Ills only begolten Son.
One morning on fulton-st., as was pass.
! ing along, / heard q man swear by tho
namo OF Jesus. My hair lifted. My blood
ran cold. My breath caught. My foot
halted. Do YOU not suppose that God Is
! aggravated? Do You not suppose that
God knows about it2 Dionysius used 30
have q cave in which his culprits were
incarccrated, and he listened at the top OF
! that cave, and he could hear every groan,
could hear every sigh, and he could hear
every whisper OF those who were impris
oncd. lie was q tyrant. God Is not a
tyrant; but hc bends over this world and
he hears everything every voice Of praise,
every voice oi imprecation. He hears 10
all. The oaths seem 10 die OH the air. but
they have eternal echo, They come back
from tho noes 10 come.
Listen Listenl "Al blasphcmcrs
shall have their place IN the lake which
| burneth with fire and birthstone, which
Is the second death" And il according
! 10 the theory of some, man commits In
the next world the sins which he commit.
ted i'm this world-if unpardoncd, unrcgen-
erated-think OF mans going on cursing
in the name Of God to oil eternity
The habit grows. You start with
small oath, You will come 10 the large
oath. | saw man die with an oath be-
tween his teeth. Noltairc only gradually
came 90 his tremendous imprecation but
the habit grew on him until in the last
moment, supposing Christ stood nj the
bed, ne exclaimed: Course that wretch
Curse that wrctchw Oh, my brother,
you begin 10 swear and there is nothing
impossible for you in the wrong direction.
Who IL this God whose name YOU are
using in swearing? Who Is lie? Is He
tyrant? Has lie pursued you all your life
long? Has He starved you, frozen you,
tyrannized over you? No. He has loved
you; He has sheltered you; lie watched
you last night; He will watch you to-
night. He wants TO love you, wants 10
help you, wants 10 save you, wants 10
comfort you. lie was your fathers God
and your mothers God. lie has housed
them from tho blast, and He wants 10
shelter you. VIII YOU spit in His face by
an imprecation? VIII you evor thrust
Him back by an oath?
Who is this Jesus, whose name ] heard
in the imprecation? Has He pursued you
all your fife long? What vile thing has
lie done 20 you that You should so dis
honor His name? Why, lie was the lamb
whose blood simmered in the fires OF sac
rihce for you. lie is the brother that took
of His crown that you might put il on.
He has pursued you all your life long
with mercy. He wants you 10 love Him
wants YOU 10 serve Him. lie comes
with streaming eyes and broken heart
and blistered feet 20 save you. On the
craft OF our doomed humanity lie pushed
out into the sea 10 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 l
may see IT, Not one. Where is the voice
that will ever be uttered in dishonoring
the name of that Christ? Let il speak