The Nicodemus cyclone. [volume] (Nicodemus, Graham County, Kan.) 1887-1888, 1888-04-13

halted. Do you not suppose that
, God is aggravated! Do you not suppose that
a cave in which his culprits were incarcera-
ted, and he listened at the top of that cave,
{ and he could hear every grOan. he could hear
every sigh, and he could hear every whisper
of those who were imprisoned. He was a
tyrant God is not tyrant: but he bends
over this world and He hears everything
every voice of praise-everY voice of impreca-
ton. He hears it all. The oaths seem to die
on the air, but they have eternal echo. They
come back from the ages to come.
Listenl Listenl "All blaSphemers shall
have their place in the lake which burneth
with fire and birthstone, which is the second
DEATH" And if, according to the theory of
some, man commits in the next world the
sins which he committed in this wOrld-if
unpardOned, unregenerated-think of a mans
going on curSing in the name of God to all
eternityi
The habit grows. You start with . small
oath, you will come to the large oath. saw
man die with an oath between his teeth.
Voitaire only gradually came to his tremen-
dous imprecation; but the habit grew on him
until in the last moment, supposing Christ
stood at the bed, he exclaimed "Crush that
wretch Crush that wretch!" Oh, my broth
er, you begin to swear and there is nothing
| impossible for Won in the wrong direction.
Who is this God whose name you are using
in swearinga Who is He! Is He tvrante
Has He pursued YOU all your life longs Has
He starved you, frozen you, tyrannized over
you? No. He has loved YOU, He has shell
tered you, He watched you last night. He
will watch you tonight. He wants to love
to save you, wants to comfort YOU .
He was your fathers God and
| your mothers God. He has housed them
| from the blast, and He wants to shelter YOU
| VIII you spit in his face by imprecation!
| Win you ever trhust Him back by an oath.
Who is this Jesus whose name l heard in
the imprecationl Has He pursued you all your
lie long! What vile thing has he done to you
that you should so dishonOr His name! Why,
He. was the Lamb whose blood simmered in
the fires of sacrifice for you. He is the BROTH
er that took off His crown that you might put
1t on. He has pursued you all your life long
with mercy. He wants you to love Him, wants
you to serve Him. He comes with streaming
eyes and broken heart and blstered feet to
save you. On the craft of our doomed human
1ty He pushed out into the sea to take YOU OF
the wreck.
Where is the hand that will ever be lifted
In 1mprecation againi 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 Christ.
Not one. Oh, am glad to know that all
these voices of the community, and these
crimes of our city will be gone. Society is
going to be bettered. The world by the pow
er OF Christ's Gospel is going to be saved, and
this crime, this iniquity, and all the other In
lquities will vanish before the rising of the
Sun OF Righteousness upon the nation.
There was one day in New England memoir
able for storm and darkness. hardly ever saw
such an evening. The clouds which had been
gathering all day unlimbered their batteries.
The Housatonic which flows quietly, save as
the paddles OF pie asure parties rattle the oar
locks, was lashed into foam, and the waves
hardly knew where to lay themselves
Oh what time it was! The hills Jared
under the rumbling of Gods chariots. Blind
ing sheets of rain drove the cattle to the bars.
or beat against the window pane as though to
dash it in. The grain fields threw their
crowns OF gold at the feet of the storm king.
when night came in it was double night
Its mantle was torn with the lightuings, and
into its locks were twisted the leaves of up-
rooted oaks and shreds of canvas torn from
the masts of the beached shipping. IL was
such night as makes you thank God for
shelter, and open the door to let In the spanieT
bowling outside with terror.
We went to sleep under the full blast of
heavens great orchestra, the forests with up-
lifted voices. in chorus that filed the noun
tains, praising the Lord. We woke not until i
the fingers of the sunny morn touched our |
eyelids. We looked out the window and the |
Housatonic slept as quiet as an infants |
dream. Pillars of clouds set against the sky
looked like the castles of the blest built for
hierarchs on the beach of the azure
sea. All the trees sparkled as though there
had been some great grief in heaven, and
each leaf had been God-appointed to catch an
angels tear. 1t seemed as if our father had
looked upon the earth, His hayward child,
and stopped to her tear-wet cheek and kissed
1t so will the darkness Of sin and crime
leave our world before the dawn of the morn
ing. The light shall gild the city spre and
strike the forests of Maine and the masts Of
Mobile, and all between. And one end rest
ing on the Atlantic coast and the other on the
Pacific beach. God will spring a great rainbow
arch token n
1ant that the world shall never more see
1eluge of crime.
But" says some one, preaching against
The evils of society will accomplish nothing.
Do you not see that the evils go right on?" I
answer, we are not at all discouraged.
1t seemed Insignificant for Moses to stretch
ais hand over the Red Sea- What power
,ould that have over the waters. But the
East wind blew all night; the waters gather
I'd into two glittering palisades on either
side The pillows reared as Gods hand pulled
back upon their crystal bits. Wheel into line,
Israel! March, March! Pearls crash I'M !
Ter the feet. The shout of hosts mounting
he beach answers the shout of hosts mid-sea;
Until, as the last line of the Isrelites have
tained the beach, the shields clang, and the
,ymbals clap; and as the waters whelm the
pursuing foe, the swft-fngered winds on the
white keys of the foam play the grand march
# Israel delivered, and the awful dirge OF
egyptian overthrow. So we 20 forth: and
tretch out the hand of prayer and Christian
fort over these dark, boiling waters of crime
nd sin. AHA! Aha!" say the deriding
world. But wait The winds of divine help
will begin to blow; the way will clear for the
reat army of Christian philanthropists; the
differing treasures of the worlds benefcence
7ill line the path of our feet; and to the other
hore we will be greeted with the clash of all
eavens cvmbals; while those who resist and
eride and pursue us will fall under the sea,
nd there will be nothing left of them but
lere and there, cast high and dry upon the
peach, the splntered wheel of the chariot {
nd thrust out from the surf, the breathless
ostTil of a riderless charger. /
Commodore Vanderbilt's Cook.
One of the Nanderhilts 10 gold "a