Democratic messenger., 1894-08-18

increase. W NAT l. the cause. cDjrSB
upon iLtd, iity and agnosticism this
whole thing If there be no hereafter
or if that hereafter be bliSsful without
reference to how we live and how we
die. why not move back the folding
doors between this world and the next:
And when our existence here becomes
troublesome why uot PASS right over
into Ely>iIm: Put this down among
Your most solemn reflections and con-
slider il after Won 20 10 Your homes
there has never been ease of suicide
where the operator was not either de-
mentcd. and therefore irresponsible, or
an infidel. challenge all the ages. and
] challenge the whole universe There
never has been a case of self destruction
while i'll full appreciation of his immor-
tality and of the fact that that immor-
tality would be glorious or wrctchcd ac-
cording as he accepted Jesus Christ or
rejected him.
Tom Paine'> Responsibility.
You say it is business trouble, or yon
say il is electrical currents. or it is this,
or il is that, or il is the other thing.
Why not go clear back. my friend, and
acknowledge that i'll every case il Is the
abdication Of reason or the teaching of
infidelity which practically says. III
you don't like this life. get ont Of it.
and You will land either III annihila
tion, where there are no notes to pay,
no prosecutions to suffer. no govt &c
torment, or you will land where there
will be everything glorious and nothing
to pay for it. lnfidclity always has been
apologize for self immolation. After
Tom Painc's Age of Reason was pub
lished and widely read there was a
marked increase of self slaughter.
Rousseau, Voltairc Gibbon. Mon
taignc under certain circumstances,
We're apologctic for self immolation.
Infidelity puts pno bar to peoples rush
ing out from this world into the next.
They teach us it does not make any
difference how you live here or go out
of this world. you will land either in an
oblivious nowhere or Il glorious some
where. And infidelity holds the upper
end of the rope for the suicide, and aims
the pistol with which n man blows his
brains ont, and mikes the strychnine for
the last swallow. If infidelity could
carry the day and persuade the major
ity of people that il does not make any
difference how you 90 ont of the world
you will land safely. the rivers would
be So full of corpscs the fcrryboats
would be impcdcd i'll their progress. and
al. n H.
no more alarming than the rumble of n
street car.
Christ Was Tempted.
All, iniidclity. stand up and take thy
sentence! In the presence of God and
angels and men, stand up, thou mon
ster. thy lip blasted with blasphemv,
thy check SCARED with lust. thy breath
foul with the corruption of the ages.
Stand up. satyr, filthy goat. buzzard of
the nations, lcpcr Of the centuries
Stand up. thou monster intidelity, part
man. part panther. part reptile, part
dragon. stand mp and take thy sentence
Thy hand is red with the blood III
which thou hast washed. thy feet Grim
son with the human gore through which
thou hast wadcd. Stand mp and take thy
sentence Down with thee 10 the pit and
sup on the sobs and groans Of families
thou hast blasted, and roll on the bed OF
knives which thou hast sharpcncd for
others. and let thy music be the cvcrlast-
ing miscrcrc of those whom thou hast
damned brand the forehead of intidel-
ity with all the crimes of self immola-
tion for the last century on the part OF
those who had their reason.
My friends. il ever your life through
its abrasions and its molestations should
seem 10 be unbearable. and you are
tempted to quit it by your own behest,
do not consider yourselves as worse than
others. Christ himself was tempted &c
cast himself from the roof of the TEN.
pie, but as he resisted so resist We.
Christ came to medicine all our wounds.
In your trouble l prescribe life instead
of death. People who have had il worse
than You will ever have il have gone
God keeps the chronology of your lif,
with as much precision rs he keeps the
chronology of nations.
A Christians Life and Death.
Why was it that at midnight. just al
midnight. the destroying angel struck
the blow that set the lsraelites free
from bondage: The i30 years We're III
at IL O'Clock that night. The 430 year.
were not up at IL. and o'clock woult
have been tardy and too late. The 43(
years We're up at II O'Clock. and the de
stroying angel struck the blow. anC
Israel was free. And God knows JUS
the hour when it is time to lead you NJ
from earthly bondage. BY his grac,
make not the worst of things, but til,
best of them. If you must take the pills
do not chew them. Iour everlasting re
wards will accord with your carthl,
perturbations, just as Caius gave {
Agrippa chain of gold as heavy "a
had been his chain of iron. For YOU
asking You may have the same grac,
that was given TO the Italian martyr
Algerius, who. down i'll the darkest o.
dungeons, dated his letter from 9TH,
delectable orchard of the LconiIc pris
on. F"
There is sorrowless world. and it j:
so radiant that the MONDAY sun is only
the lowest doorstep. and the aurora tha
lights up our northern heavens, con
founding astronomers as to what it car
be. is the waving Of the banners of tht
procession come To take the conqueror!
home from church militant To churcl
triumphant. and you and have 10, ,00t
reasons for wanting to go there bu
we will never get ther" ci!!.cr hy sci
immolation or impcnitency. All ON
sins slain by the Christ who came to dC
that thing. we want to 20 in 1T just th'
time divincly arranged and from /;
couch divinely spread, and then th'
clang of the scpulchral gates behind u'
will be overpowered by the clang of th'
opening of the solid pearl before US
q God. whatever others may choose
give me Christians life. Christian I
death. a Christians burial. Chris
tian's Immortality!