Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-05-29

once. away up on the top Of the temple that
Satan commanded the Holy One Of Naz-
areth to kneel before him. But It IL not
now 50 much on the top Of churches as
down In the aisle and the pew and the pulpit
that Satan tempfs the espousers OF the
Christian faith 70 kneel before him. Why
was il that the Platonic philosophers Of
early times. rs well as Toland. Spinoza and
Bolingbroke Of latter days. were so madly
opposed to Christianity Certainly not be-
cause II favored immortalities. or arrested
civilization. or dwarfed the intellect. The
genuine reason. whether admitted or not.
was because the religion OF Christ paid no
respect to their intellectual vanities. Blount
and Boyle. and the host OF infldels Matched
out by the vile reign Of Charles the Second,
as reptiles crawl out OF a marsh OF slime,
could not keep their patience because. as
they passed along. there were sitting in the
gate OF the church such men as Matthew.
and Mark. and Luke. and John, who would
not bend an inch in respect to their philoso-
phies.
Satan told our first parents that they
would become as gods If they would only
reach up and take taste Of the fruit. They
tried it and failed, but their descendants are
not yet satisfied with the experiment. We
have now many desiring TO be as gods,
reaching up after yet another apple. HUI
man reason. scornful Of Gods word. may
foam and strut with the proud wrath OF a
l
Of the good. but in the presence Of men and
angels it shall be eonfounded. God shall
smite thee, thou whited WALL When science
began TO make its brilliant discoveries there
were great facts broughtto lightthat seemed
to overthrow the truth Of the Bible. The
orch@ologist with his crowbar, and the
geologist with his hammer. and the chemist
with his batteries charged upon the Bible.
Moses account of the creation seemed
denied by the very structure Of the earth.
The astronomer wheeled round his telescope
until the heavenly bodies seemed to marshal
themselves against the Bible. as the stars
in their courses fought against Sisera. OBJ
servatories and universities reioiced at
what they considered the extinction OF
Christianity. They gathered new courage
at what they considered past victory, and
pressed on their conquest into the kingdom
Of nature until, alas for theml they dis
covered too much. Gods word had only
been lying in ambush that. in some un-
guarded moment, with o sudden bound. ii
might tear inhdelity to pieces.
1t was as when Joshua attacked the city
OF All. He selected thirty thousand men and
concealed most of them. Then with few
men he assailed the city. which poured out
its numbers and strength upon Joshua s
little band. According to previous plan,
they fell back in seeming defeat; but after
all the proud inhabitants Of the city had
been brought out of their homes, and had
Joined in the pursuit Of Joshua, suddenly
that brave man halted in his fight. and.
with his spear pointing toward the city,
thirty thousand men bounded from their
thickets as panthers spring to their prey,
and the pursuers were dashed to pieces,
while the hosts of Joshua pressed up to the
city, and. with their lighted torches, tossed
it into fame.
! Thus it was that the discoveries oi
science seemed to give temporary victory
against God and the Bible. and for while
the church acted as If she were on a retreat;
but, when all the opposers of God and truth
had joined in the pursuit and were sure OF
the field, Christ gave the signal to His
church, and, turning, they drove back
their foes in shame. There was found to
be no antagonism between nature and rev.
elation. The universe and the Bible were
found to be the work Of the same hand, two
strokes OF the same pen, their authorship
the same God.
Again: learn the lesson that pride goes
before fall Was any man ever so far up
as Haman, who tumbled so far DOWN. Yes
on smaller scale every day the, world sees
the same thing. Against their very advan-
tages men trip into destruction. When God
humbles proud men. it is usually at the
moment of their greatest arrogancy. u
there be man in your community greatly
puffed up with worldly success, you have
but to stand a little while and you will see
him come down. You say, I wonder thai
God allows that man to go on riding over
others heads and making great aSsump-
tions of power. There is no wonder about
; 1t. Haman has not yet got to the top
Pride is acommander. well plumed and ca
parisoned. but it leads forth d dark ano
frowning host.
4 We have the best of authority for saying
that Pride goeth before destruction. and q
naughty spirit before a fall" The arrows
from the Almighty's quiver are apt to strike
a man when on the wing. Goliath shakes
his great spear in defiance. but the small
stones from the brook Elah made him
stagger and fall like an OK under the
butchers bludgeon. He who is down can
not fall. Vessels scuddlng under bare poles
do feel the force of the storm, but those
with all sails set eapsize at the sudden de-
scent of the tempest.
Again: This oriental tale reminds US oi
the fact that wrongs we prepare for others
return upon ourselves. The gallows that
Haman built for Mordecai became the
Prime Minister'S strangulation. Robes
pierre, who sent so many to the guilIotine,
had his own head chopped off by that horrid
instrument. The evil you practice on others
will recoil upon your own pate. Slanders
come home. Expressions come home
Cruelties come home. You will yet be q
lackey walking beside the very charger on
which you expected to ride others down
/
Strafford, was about to be beheaded, he
said, Il basely ratified an unjust sentence
and the similar injustice am now tc
undergo is sensible retribution for the
punishment inflicted on an innocent man.
Lord Jeffries, after incareerating many
innocent and good people in London Tower
was himself imprisoned in the same place,
where the shades of those whom he had
maltreated seemed to haunt him so that he
kept crying to his attendants: Keep them
!; of, gentlemenl for Gods sake, keep them
OFF, The chickens had come home to
roost. The body Of Bradshaw. the English
judge who had been ruthless and cruel in
his decisions, was taken from his splendid
tomb In Westminster Abbey and at Tyburn
hung on a gallows from morning until night
in the presence of jeering multitudes.
Haman's gallows came a little late. but they
came. Opportunities fly in straight line
and Just touch us as they pass from eternity
to eternity; but the wrongs we do others fly
in circle, and however the circle may
/, widen out they are sure to come back TO the
point from which they started. There are
guns that kickl
n Furthermore, let the story Of Hamar
teach us how quickly turns the wheel of for
tune. One day, excepting the King, Haman
i was the mightiest man in Persia; but the
next day lackey. So we 60 up, and so we
come down. You seldom find any mar
4 twenty years in the same circumstances
OF those who, in political life twenty years
ago, were the most prominent, how few re-
main In conspicuity. Political parties make
E.certain men do their hard work. and then,
/ after using them as hacks, turn them out on
i the common to die. Every four years there
II is complete revolution, and about five
thousand men who ought certainly to be the