Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1898-06-30

| Tul0xB 8NO escaped murtyIuOW ~ Ho ."N
only been willing to mix up his CHRISTIAN
| faith with few errors. His uubending
ChriLtian character was taken as an IN
suit.
Fagot 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 1t Is not
| now so much on the top OF ohurches as
dowE 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
Bolingbroke of later days, were SO madly
opposed to Christianity? Certainly not be,
civilization, or dwarfed the intellect. The
| genuine reason, whether admitted or not,
| was because the religion Of Christ paid no
respect to their intellectual vanittes.
Blount and Boyle, and the hosts OF tnfidels
hatched out by the vile reign OF Charles
the Second, as reptiles crawl out Of marsh
| OF slime, could not keep their patience, be-
| cause as they passed along, there were sit
| ting 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 PHILOSOPHERS.
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 1t and failed, but their descend
ants are not yet satisfied with the expert
as gods, reaching up after yet another
apple. Reason, scornful Of Gods Word,
may foam and strut with the proud wrath
| of Haman, and attempt to compel the
homage Of the good, but In the presence of
men and angels 1t 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 arch@ologist with
his crowbar, and the geoiogist with his
hammer, and the chemist with his bat
teries, charged upon the Bible. Moses's
account Of the creation seemed denied by
the very structure of the earth. The
astronomer wheeled around his telescope
until the heavenly bodies seemed to mar
shal themselves against the Bible as the
| stars in their courses fought against Sisera.
Observatories 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 them! they dis
covered too much. Gods Word had only
been lying in ambush that, In some un-
guarded moment, with a sudden bound, it
might tear infldelity to pieces.
1t was as when Joshua attacked the city
OF Al. He selected thirty thousand men,
few men he assailed the city, which poured
out its numbers and strength upon
Joshua's little band. According to previ-
Gus 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
torches tossed 1t into fame. Thus it was
that the discoveries of science seemed to
give temporary victory against God and
the Bible, and for while the church acted
as II 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 an
tagonism 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 goeth
before fall. Was any man ever SO far up
as Haman, who tumbled SO far down? Yes,
the same thing. Against their very ad-
yantages men trip into destruction. When
God humbles proud men,i is usually at the
moment Of their greatest arrogancy. II
there be man in your community greatly
puffed up with worldly success, YOU have
but to stand 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 assump-
tions of power. There is no wonder about
1t. Haman has not yet got to the top.
Pride is commander, we'll plumed and
| nn or{u nod hytf dc PAr 18th a 4
frowning host. We have the best OF author
ity for saying that "Pride goeth before de-
struction and a naughty spirit before q
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 made him stagger and fall
like an OK under the butchers bludgeon.
He who is down cannot fall. Vessels scud-
ding under bare poles do not feel the force
OF the storm, but those with all sails set
capsize at the sudden descent OF the temp
est.
Again: this Oriental tale reminds us of
the fact that wrongs we prepare for others
return upon ourselves. The gallows that
Haman built for Mordecai became the
Prime Minister'S strangulation. Robe
spierre, who sent 80 many to the guillo-
tine, had his own head chopped Off by the
horrid instrument. The evil you practice
on others will recoil upon your own pate
ISLANDERS come home. Expressions come
home. Cruelties come home.
You will yet be lackey walking beside
the very charger on which you expected to
ride others down. When Charles the First,
who had destroyed Strafford, was about to
be beheaded, he said, 81 basely ratified an
unjust sentence. and the similar injustice
l am now to undergo is a sensible retribu-
tion for the punishment inflicted on an
innocent man." Lord JeffHes, after in
generating many innocent and good peo-
pie in London Tower, was himself impris-
oned 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 off. gentlemen,
for God's sake, keep them Off" The chick
ems 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 West
minister Abbey, and at Tyburn hung on
gallows from morning until night in the
presence Of jeering multitudes. Haman's
gallows came little late, but it came
Opportunities fly In a straight line, and
II q n q afa