Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1889-05-09

I X
and the South and the East and the West
though the hoofs did not clatter, the cav
alry of God galloped by. 1 tell you Got
is the friend of this Nation. In the awful
excitement at the massacre of Lincoln
when there was a prospect that create
slaughter would open upon this Nation
/ God hushed the tempest. In the awfu
excitement at the time OF Garfield's as
sassination, God put His foot on the necl
of the cyclone.
To prove that God is on the side OF this
Nation, 1 argue from the last eight OF
nine great national harvests, and from the
national health of the last quarter OF g
century, epdemics very exceptional, and
from the great rivals of the Church OF GOD,
and from the Continent blossoming with
asylums and reformatory institutions, and
from an Edenization which promises that
this whole land is TO be paradise where
God shall walk in the cool of the day.
If in other sermons l showed you what
was the evil that threatened to upset and
demolish American institutions, / am en-
couraged more than can tell you as l see
the regiments wheeling down the sky, and
my ieremads 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 is to come among
other things through a scrutinized ballot
box. By the law of registration tits almost
impossible now to have illegal voting.
There was time-you and remem Der it
very well-when droves of vagabonds
a,,1 1Orx- ala do y
from poll to poll, and voted here and voted
there, and voted everywhere, and there
was no challenge; or, if there were, it
amounted to nothing, because nothing
could so suddenly be proved upon the
vagabonds.
Now in every well organized neighbor-
hood every voter is watched with severest
scrutiny. l must tell the registrar my
name, and how old l am, aud how long 1
have resided in the State, and how long l
have resided in the ward or the township.
and if l misrepresent fifty witnesses will
rise and shut me out from the ballot box.
Is not that great advance! And then
notice the law that prohibits man voting
if he has bet on the election. A stcp
further needs to be taken and that man
forbidden a vote who has offered or taken
a bride. whether it be in the shape of
free drink or cash paid down, the suspic-
ious cases obliged 10 put their hand on the
Bible and swear their vote in if they vote
at all. So through the sacred chest of our
Nations suffrage redemption will come.
God also will save this Nation through
an aroused moral sentiment. There never
has been so much discussion of morals
and immorals. Men, whether OF not they
what is right, have to think
what is right We have men who have
had their hands in the public treasury the
most of their lifetime, stealing all they
could get their hands on, discoursing
sloquently about dishonesty in public
servants, and men with two or three
antilles of their own preaching eloquently
about the beauties of the seventh COM
nandment The question of sobriety and
drunkenness is thrust in the face of this
Nation as never before, and is to take a
'art in our political contests. The question
# national sobriety is going 10 be respect
ully and deferentially heard at the bar
# every Legislature and every House of
and every United States
senate, and an omnipotent voice will ring
ack again, saying to these rising tides of
which threaten to whelm
lome and Church and Nation: Thus far
halt thou come but no further, and here
hall thy proud waves be stayed"
have not in my mind a shadow of dis |
eartenment as large as the shadow of
ousefy's wing. lily faith is in the upper |
orces, the upper armies OF the text. God |
5 not dead The chariots are not I'M |
Wheeled If you would only pray more |
nd wash your eyes in the cool, bright |
'ater, fresh from the well of Christian |
eform it would be said of you. as of this |
ne of the text: The Lord opened the |
yes of the young man; and he saw: and,
ehold, the mountain was full of horses |
nd chariots of fire round about Elisha" |
When the army of Antigonus went |
lto battle his soldiers were very much |
iscouraged, and they rushed up to the |
feneral and said to him: Don't you see |
re have a few forces and they have so |
Many more:" and the soldiers were af- |
righted at the smallness of their number |
nd the greatness of the enemy. Antig- |
nus, their commander, Strengthened him.
elf up and said, with indignation and |
ehemence: How many do you reckon
le to be-" And when we see
he vast armies arrayed against the cause
I sobriety 1t may sometimes be very dis
ouraging. but ask you in making up
our estimate of the forces of righteous
ess-I ask you how many do you reckon
ne Lord God Almighty to be? He is our
The Lord of Hosts Is His
anne. have the best authority for say
lg that the chariots of God are 10000,
nd the mountains are full of them.
You will take without my saying it that
~ only faith is in Christianity and in the
PIPER forces suggested in the text Pc.
tical parties come and go, and they may
right and they may be wrong; but God
yes and think He has ordained this
alton for career of prosperity that no
will be able to halt, l ex-
ect to live to see a political party which
Ill have platform of two planks-the
en- Commandments and the Sermon on
lie Mount. When that party is formed il
Ill sweep across this land like tornado.
was going to say, but when 1 think it is
OF to be devastation but resuscitation. I
mango the figure and say, such a party
that Will sweep across this land like
1ice gales from Heaven.
Have you any doubt about the need of
lie Christian religion to purify and make
ecent American politics? At every
early or quadrennial election we have in
lis country great manufactures of lies.
I'd they are run day and night and thew
Urn out half a dozen day all
Iuipped and ready for full sailing.
arge lies and small lies. Lies private
ID lies public and lies prurient. Lies cut ,
as and lies cut diagonal Long limbed ,
IS and lies with double back action. Lies ,
and lies defamatory. Lies ,
lat some people believe, and lies that
L the people believe, and lies that
'oody believes. Lies with humps like ,
mels and scales like crocodilas and