The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1888-04-20

/, in blacksm,th's shop during . violent
h. under storm. There came . crash Of
tbn,'der and some Of the men trembled.
Ono n an said: "Why. I don't see what you
are s5ra. d Of I am not afraid to 70 out in
front Of tn /, shop and defy the Almighty.
am not afr>iS Of lightning" And he laid
q wager on the subject, and he went out
and he shook his list at the heavens, cry
ing: Strike II you dare! I" an6 instantly he
fell under . bolt What destroyed hint
Any mystery shout it, O, no. He cursed
God and died.
O. my brother, God will not allow this
sin to 60 unpublished. There are styles Of
writing with manifold sheets so that .
man writing on one leaf writes clear
through ten, fifteen or twenty sheets, and
SO every profanity We utter goes right
down through the leaves of the book Of
Gods remembrance. 1t is not exceptional
sin. do you suppose you could count the
profanities Of last week-the prOfanities Of
ONCE. store, shop. factoryl They cursed
God. they cursed His word, they cursed
His only begOtten Son.
One morning, on Fulton street, as I was
passing along, heard q man swear by the
name Of Jesus. My HAIR lifted NV blood
ran cold. My breath caught My foot
halted. Do you not suppose that God IS
aggravateda Do you not suppose that God
knows all about itl Diopysius used to
have cave in which his culprits were in
generated, 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 impris-
oned. He was tyrant. God is not Q
tyrant; but He bends over this world and
He hears every thing-every voice Of
praise-every voice Of imprec .tion. 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 Listen! "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, a man commits in the next world the
SINS which he committed IN tbs world-if
uDpardOned, unregenerated-think OF .
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. I
saw a man die with an oath between his
teeth VOltaire only gradually came to
his tremendous imprecation; but the habit
posing Christ stood at the bed, ! be exclaimed:
o my brother, you begin to swear and
there is nothing impossible for you in the
wrong direction.
Who is the God whose name you arc
using IN swearingl Who is hel Is He
tyranti Has He pursued you all your life
lOngl Has He starved you. frozen you,
tyrannized over youl No. He has loved
you, He has sheltered you, He watched you
last night, He will watch you to night 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 God. He has housed them from
the blast. and he wants TO shelter you.
Will you spit in his face by an impreca-
tion3 Win you ever thrust Him back
by an oathi Who is this Jesus whose
name l heard in the lmprecatiOn1
Has He pursued yon all your life
long4 What vile thing has He done to you
that you should dishonor His namel Why,
He was The Lamb whose blood simmered
in the fires of sacrifices for you. He Is tho
one brother that took of His crown that
you might put it 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 blistered feet to save you. On
the craft OF our doomed humanity He
pushed out into the sea to take you on the
wreck.
Where is the hand that will ever be lifted
in imprecation againt Let that hand. now
blood tipped, be lifted that I may see il.
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. q, Am glad 10 know that oil these
vices OF the community, and these crimes
of our city will be gone. Society is going
to be bet cred. The world by the power OF
Christs gosl Ell Is going to be saved, and
this crime, this iniquity and all the other
n,quities will vanish before the rising OF
the Sun Of Righteousness upon the Nation.
There was one day in New England MEM
orable for storm and darkness. hardly
ever saw such an evening. The clouds which
had been gathering all day numbered
their batteries. The Housatonic, which
flows quietly, save as the paddles Of
pleasure parties rattle the oarlocks, was
lashed into foam and the waves hardly
knew where to lay themselves. o, what .
time it wasl The hills Jared under the
rumblin2 OF Gods chariots. Binding
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
lightnings, and into its locks were twisted
he leaves Of uprooted oaks and the shreds
Of canvas torn from the masts Of the
beached shipping 1t was such q night as
makes you thank God for shelter. and
open the door to let in the spaniel bowling
outside with terror. We went to sleep un-
der the full blast Of Heavens great orchee-
ira the forests with uplIfted voices, In
cho US that filed the mountains, praising
the Lord. We woke not until the fingers
Of the sunny morn touched our eyelldS.
We looked out the window and the Housa-
tonic slept as quiet Is an infants dream.
Pillars Of CLOUDS .at against the sky looked
like the castles of the blest built for heav-
enly hierarchs on the beach Of the azure
sea. All the trees sp,rkled IS though
there had been some great grief in Heaven.
and each leaf had been GOd-appOiuted to
catch an angels tear. 1t seemed rs il Our
Father had looked upon the earth, His
wayward child. and stopped TO her tear
wet cheek and kissed it.
So will the darkness Of sin and crime
leave our world before the dawn Of tho
morning. The light shall gid the city spire
and strike the forests Of Maine and tho
masts OF Mobile, and all between And
one end resting on the Atlantic coast and
the other resting on the Pacific beach, CID
will bring great rainbow arch Of peace in
loken of everlasting covenant that the
world shall never more zee . deluge Of
crime.
But" says some one, preaching against
the evils Of society will accomplish moth
ing. Do you not see tina. the evils 70 right
I hat mi ALL