The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-05-26


edgment of respect for his character and
nation Noriecai would, therefore, have
sinned AGAINST his religion had be made
any obeisance or dropped his chin
half an inch before Haman. When,
therefore. proud Haman attempted
to compel an homage which was not felt, ne
only did what the world ever since has tried
20 10 when it would force our holy religion
in any way to yield to its dictates. Daniel,
If he had been a man of religious compro-
Ynises would never have been thrown into
the den of lions. He might have made some
arrangement with King Darius whereby be
could have retained part OF his form OF re-
ligion without making himself so com
pIetely obnoxious to the idolaterS. Paul
might have retained the favor of his rulers
and escaped martyrdOm If be bad only been
willing to mix up his christian faith with a
few errors. His unbending christian char
acter was taken as an insult.
Faeot and rack and halter In all ages
have been only the different ways In which
the world has demanded obeisance. 1t was
once away up on the top OF the temple, that
Satan commanded the Holy One OF Naza-
reth to kneel before him. But it is not now
so much on top of churches as down in the
aisle and the pew and the pulpit 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 Bolingbroke
of later DAYS, were so madly OPP
posed to christianity! Certainly not be-
cause it favored immoralities. or arrested
civilization, or diva fed 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 infdels Matched
out by the vile reign of Charles the Second,
as reptiles crawl out of a marsh of slime,
haiT heOQuEG a
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
Hannah, and attempt to compel the homage
of the good but il the presence of men and
angels it shall be COMPOUNDED. "God shall
smite thee, thou whited wall" When
science began to make its brilliant discov-
cries there were great facts brought to
light that seemed to overthrow the truth
of the Bible. The arcb8ologist 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. Inc 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 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 discovered too much.
Gods word had only been lying in ami bush
that, in some unguarded moment, with a
sudden bound, it might tear infidelity to
pieces.
1t was as when Joshua attacked the city
of All. He selected thirty thousand men,
and concealed most of them; then with a.
few men he assailed the city, which poured
out its numbers and strength upon Joshua's
little band. According to previous plan
they feel 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 discoveries of science seemed to
give temporary victory against God and the
Bible, and for awhile the church acted as
If she were on 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 antag-
onism 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.
Again: learn the lesson that pride goes
before fall. Was any man ever so far up
as Hannah, who tumbled so far down? Yes,
on a smaller scale every day the world sees
the same thing. Against their very ad-
vantages men trip into destruction. When
God humbles proud men, it is usually at the
moment of their greatest arrogancy. If
there be man in your community greatly
pulled up with worldly success, you have
but to stand a little while and you will see
him come down. You say. wonder that
God allows that man to 60 on riding over
others heads and making great assumptions
of power There is no wonder about
1t. Haman has not yet got to the
and caparisoned, but it leads forth q
dark and frowning host. We have the best
of authority for saying that "Pride goeth
before destruction. and a naughty spirit be-
fore fall" The arrows from the al
mighty's culver are apt to strike man 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 cannot fall. Vessels scudding
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.
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's strangulation. Robespierre,
who sent SO many to the guillotine, had his
own head chopped of by that horrid instru-
ment. The evil you practice on others will
recoil upon your own pate. SANDERS come
home. Expressions come home Cruelties
come home. You will yet be a lackey
walking beside the very charger on which
you expected to ride others down. When
Charles the First, who had destroyed Straf-
ford. was about to be beheaded, he said, 81
basely ratified an unjust sentence, and
the similar injustice an now
to undergo is sensible retri-
button for the punishment l inflicted on an
innocent man." Lord Jeffries, after incar-