Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1890-05-26


fore, proud Hannah attempted TO compel
an homage which was not felt, he only did
what the world ever since has tried to do,
when it would force our holy religion in
any way to yield to its dictates Daniel, If
he had been man of religious comprom-
ises, would never have been thrown into
the den of lions. He might have made
some arrangement with King Darius
whereby he could have retained part OF his
form Of religion without making himself
so completely obnoxious to the idolaters
Paul might have retained the favor of his
rulers and escaped martyrdom if he had
only been willing to mix up his Christian
faith with a few errors. His unbending
Christian character was taken as an insult
Fagot and rack and halter, in all ages
have been only the different ways in which
the world has demanded obeisance. 1t was
once, awas up ON the top of the temple,
that Satan commanded the Holy One of
Nazareth to kneel before him But it is
not now so much on the top of churches as
down in the aisle and the pew and the pull
pit that Satan tempts the espousers of the
Christian faith to kneel before him. Why
was it that the Platonic philosophers OF
early times, as well as Toland, Spinoza and
opposed to Christianity Certainlynot be-
cause it favored immoralities, 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 van ties.
Blount and Boyle and the host of nfldels
Matched out by the vile reign of Charles II,
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 us Matthew
and Mark, and Luke, and John, who would
not bend an inch in respect to their philoso-
phics.
sATAN's wILEs
Satan told our first parents that they
would become as gods if they would only
reach up and take a taste of the fruit
They tried it and failed, but their descend
ants are not yet satisfied with the expert
ment. We have now many desiring to be
MS gods reaching up after yet another
apple. Human reason, scornful of Gods
word, may foam and strut with the proud
wrath of a Hannah, and attempt to compel
the homage of the good, but in the presence
of men and angels it shall be confounded
God shall smite thee, thou whited wall"
When science began to make its brilliant
discoveries there were great facts brought
TO light that seemed to overthrow the truth
Of the Bible The archBologist with his
crowbar, and the geologist with his ham
mer, 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 heav-
emily bodies seemed to marshal themselves
against the Bible as the stars in their
courses fought against Sisera. Observa-
tories and universities rejoiced at what
they considered the extinction of Christi
anity. They gathered new courage Mt what
they considered past victory, and pressed
on their conquest into the kingdom of ma
ture, until, alas for theml they discovered
too much Gods word had only been lying
in ambush that, in some unguarded mo-
ment, with sudden bound, it might tear
infidelity to pieces
1t was when Joshua attacked the city of
All. He selected thirty thousand men, and
concealed most of them; then with u 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 flight, and
with his spear pointing toward the city,
thirty thousand men bounded from the
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 flame Thus it was that the dis
4
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 sig
nal to his church, and, turning, they drove
back their foes in shame. There was found
to be no antagonism between nature and
revelation, 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
PRIDE GOES BEFORE A FALL.
Again; Learn the lesson that pride goes
before fall. Was any man ever so far up
rs Hannah, who tumbled so far down?
Yes, on smaller scale every day the world
sees the same thing Against their very
advantages men trip into destruction.
When God humbles proud men, it is llsu-
ally at the moment of their greatest AFRO
gancy. If there be man in your com
munity greatly pulled up with worldly
success, you have but to stand u little
while and you will see him come down.
You say, wonder that God allows that
man TO go on riding over others heads
and making great assumptions of power,
There is no wonder about it. Hannah has
not yet got to IT, top. p'ide is II com
mander, well pinned and c r4risoned, but
It leads forth Il dark and FTowning host.
We have the best Of authority for saying
that pride goeth before destruction, and
a naughty spirit before u fall" The
arrows from the Almighty's CULVER are apt
to strike man when on the wing Goliath
shakes his great spear in defiance, but the
small stones from the brook Elah make
him stagger and fall like an OK Gnder the
butchers budgeon. He who is down can
not fall. Vessels scuddiug under bare
poles do not feel the force of the storm, but
those with all sails set capsize at the sudden
descent OF the tempest.
OUR SINS ~ OUR HEADS.
, Again: This oriental tale reminds us of
The fact that wrongs we prepare for Others
return upon ourselves. The gallows that
Hannah built for Mordecai became the
prime minister $ strangulation. Robes
pierre, who sent SO many to the guillotine,
had his own head chopped off by that hor-
rid instrument. The evil you practice on
others win recoil upon your own pate.
ISLANDERS come home, Oppres$ons come
home. Cruelties come home, You will
yet be lackey walking beside the very
charger on which you expected to ride 9TH
ere down When Charles l, who bad de-
stroyed STAFFORD, was about to be behead-
ed. he snid. ~ hasnlY rntllled an unjust sen.