The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1889-05-15

dict The upper forces Of the text They
tell US there was battle fought above the
clouds on Lookout mountain; but there
was something higher than that
Again, the horses and chariots Of God
came to the rescue OF this nation In 1915
at the close of a Presidential election ia
nous for devilish ferocity A darker
cloud yet settled down upon this nation.
The result Of the election was in dispute
and revolution, not between two or three
sections but revolution in every town and
villags and city of the United s ates,
seemed imminent. The prospect was that
New York would throttle New York, and
New Orleans would grip New Orleans. and
Boston, Boston, and Savannah, Savannah,
and Washington, Washington. Some said
Mr.. Tilden was elected; others said Mr..
Hayes was elected; and how near we
came to universal massacre some OF US
guessed, but God only knew. l ascribe
our escape not to the honesty and right.
eousness of Infatuated politicians, but
ascribe it to the upper forces OF the text
Chariots OF mercy rolled in, and though
the wheels were not heard and the flash
was not seen, yet all through the noun
tains of the north and the south and the
east and the west though the hoofs did
not clatter, the cavalry Of God galloped
by. tell you God is the friend of this ma
ton. In the awful excitement at the mass
sacre of Lincoln, when there was pros
pect that greater slaughter would open
upon this nation, God hushed the tempest.
In the awful excitement at the time OF
Garfeld's assassination, God put his foot
on the neck of the cyclone.
To prove that God is on the side OF this
nation, argue from the last eight or nine
great national harvests, and from tho
national health Of the last quarter Of .
century, epidemics very exceptional, and
from the great revivals Of religion, and
from the spreading of the Church Of God,
and from the continent blossoming with
ssylums and reformatory institutions, and
from an Edenization which promises that
this whole land is to be q paradise where
God shall walk in the cool of the day.
II in other sermons showed you what
was the evil that threatened to upset and
demolish American institutions, I am en-.
couraged more than can tell you as sec
the regiments wheeling down the sky, and
my jeremiads turn into doxologies, and
that which was the Good Friday Of the ma
TONS crucifixion becomes the Easter morn
of its resurrection. OF course God works
through human instrumentalities, and
this national betterment il to come among
other things through q scrutinized ballot
box. By the law Of registration it is almost
impossible now TO have illegal voting.
There was time-you and rememb er 1t
well-when droves Of vagabonds wandered
up and down on election day and from
poll to poll, and voted here, and voted
there, and voted everywhere, and there
was no challenges; or, if there were. II
amounted to nothing, because nothing
could so suddenly be proved upon the vag-
abonda Now, in every we'll organized
neighborhood, every voter is watched with
severest scrutiny. mast tell the regis
trar my name, and how old am, aud how
long have resided in the State, and how
long I have resided in the ward, or the
township, and If misrepresent fifty wit.
nesses will rise and shut me out from tn
ballotbox. ID notthata great advaHcU. ARD
then notice the law that prohibits a man
voting il he has bet on the election. A steT
further needs to be TAKEN and that man
forbidden vote who has offered or taken 9
bride, whether it be in tho shape Of free
drink, or cash paid down, the su 'p cious
cases obliged to put their hand on the Bi.
bic and swear their vote in if they vote al
all. So through the sacred chest Of oul
nations suffrage, redemption will come.
God also will save this nation through
an aroused moral sentiment. There has
never been SO much discussion of moral.
and immorals. Men, whether or not they
acknowledge what is right have to thinl
what is right. We have men who have
had their hands in the public treasury the
the most of their lifet'm, stealing all they
could lay their hands on, discoursing
eloquently about dishonesty in publ,
servants, and men with two or three
families of their own, preaching clio
quently about the beauties of the seventh
commandment. The question of sobriety
and drunkenness is thrust in the face Of thi
nation as never before, and to take par
in our political contests. The question O
national sobriety is going to be respect
fully and deferentially heard at the bar o
every Legislature and every House Of Rep
resentatives and every United States Sen
ate, and an omnipoient voics will rim,
down the sky and across this land an,
back again, saying to these rising tides o
drunkenness which threaten to whelu
home and church and nation: THUS ia
shalt thou come, but no further, and her
shall thy proud waves be stayed"
Ihave not in my mind shadow of dis
heartenment as large as the shadow of
housefy's wing. My faith is in the uppe
forces, the upper armies Of the text Go
10 not dead. The chariots are not un
wheeled. If you would only pray NOR
and wash your eyes in the cool. brigh
water fresh from the we'll Of Christian re
form, it would be said Of you. as of thi
one Of the text: "The Lord opened tn
eyes OF the young man; and he saw: and
behold, the mountain was full OF horse
and chariots OF fire round about Elisha. I"
When the army Of Antigonus went int
battle his soldiers were very much dis
couraged and they rushed up to the gen
eral and said to him: Don't you see W
have few forces and they have so man
h,ore" and the soldiers were affrlghte
at the smallness Of their number and tn
greatness of the enemy. Ambiguous, thei
commander, slaughtered h mself up an
said, with indignation and vehemsnce
show many do you reckon me to be!
And when we see the vast armi Is arraye
against the cause Of sobriety it may SONS
time be very Encouraging, but ask yo