The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-05-26

POWIA 0E III q " AAA 4
clear back to the depth from which she
was re~surrected. not going n lower.
because there IS no lower depth, and
yet Notwithstanding the fact GnaI the
only salvation OF woman from degrada
ton and woe is b Christian reilgion
and the onIy influence that has ever
lifted her in the social scales Is Chris
tianity-I have read that there are
women who reject Christianity. / make
no remark in regard to those persons.
In the silence Of your own SOU make
your observation
DECENTRALIZATION OF SOCIETY.
II inidelity triumph and Christiani-
~ be overthrown, il means the demon
alization OF society. The one idea in
the Bible that atheists and infidels
most hate is the idea of retribution.
Take away the idea of retribution and
punishment from society, and 1t will
begin very soon to disintegrate, and
take away from the minds of men the
fear Of heI7, and there are a great many
of them who would very soon turn this
world into a hell. The majority of those
who are indignant against the Bible
because OF the idea of punishment are
men whose lives are bad or whose
hearts are impure and who hate the
Bible because of the idea of future pun
ishment, for the same reason that GRIM
inals hate the p~enitentiary. Oh, / have
heard this brave~talk about people fear
ing nothing of the consequences of sin
in the next world, and I have made up
my mind 1t is merely a towards whis-
Ting TO keep his courage UP. I have
seen men fiaunt their immoralities in
the face of the community, and I have
heard them defy the Judgment day and
scott at the idea of any further conSe-
quence Of their sin, but when they
came to die they shrieked until you
could hear them for nearly two blocks,
and in the summer NIGHT tho naiphhnTS
got up to put the down, be-
cause they could not endure the horror.
l would not want to see a rail train
with 500 Christian people on board
go down through a d~rawbridge into g
watery grave; / would not want to see
800 Christian people go into such disas-
ter, but l tell you plainly that l could
more easily see that thar l could for
any p~rotracted time stand and see an
infidel die, though his pillow were oe
elder down and under a canopy OF YER
million. 1 have never been able to brace
up my nerves for such a spectacle.
There is something at such a time so
Understandable in the countenance. I
just looked in upon it for a minute or
two, but the clutch Of his fist was so
dlabolic and the strength of his voice
was SO unnatural | could not endure
it. There is no hell, there is 10 he'll,
there is no hell" the man had said for
go years, but that night when l locke
in the dying room Of my infidel neigh
Dor there was something on his coun-
tenance which seemed to say, There
is, there is, there, there isl"
The mightiest restraints today against
theft, against immortality, against lib
ertiniSm, gainst crime of all sortS-the
! mightiest restraints are the retributions
of eternity. Men know that they can
escape the law but down in the Offend
erS' soul there is the realization of the
fact that they cannot escape God. He
stands AT the end of the road of prof
legacy, and he will not clear theguilty.
Take all idea of retrfbution and punish
ment out of the hearts and minds Of
men, n it would not be long before
= our cities would become Sodoms. The
only restraints against the evil passions
of the world today are Bible restraints.
uppOSe now these generals of atheism
and infidelity got the victory and sup
pos they marshaled a great army
made up of the majority of the world.
They are in companies, in regiments,
in brigades-the whole army. Forward,
march! We hosts of infidels and athe-
lists, banners flying before, banners fly
ing behind banners inscribed with the
words: mo God! No Christ! No Pun
ishment! No Restraints! Down With
the Bible! Do as You Pleased" The
sun turned into darkness!
WOULD ABOLISH CHURCHES.
Forward, march! We great army of
iufidels and atheists. And first of all
you viii attack the churches. Away
with those houses of worship! They
have been standing there SO long de-
luding the people with consolation in
their bereavements and sorrows. All
those churches ought to be eXtirpated;
they have done so much to relieve the
lost and bring home the wandering,
n they have so long held UP the idea
of eternal rest after the paroxysm OF
this life is over Turn the Sit. Peters
and st. Pauls and the temples and tab
rnacles into clubhouses. Away with
those churches!
Forward, march! we great army OF
infidels and atheists, and next of all
they scatter the Sabbath chools filled
with bright eyed, rosy checked little
ones who are singing songs on Sunday
afternoon and getting instruction when
they ought to be on the street corners
playing marbles or swearing on the
Away with them! Forward,
march! We great army of infidelS and
atheists, n next of all they will at
ack Christian asylums-the institu-
lions of mercy supported by Christian
philanthropies. Never mind the blind
eyes, and the deaf ears, n the Grip
pied limbs, and the darkened intellects
Let p~aralyzed dc age pick up it's OWL
food, and orphans fight their own way
and the a reformed go back to thei
Cf4l IOl Va "o4o, ALICIA y Leo
army of infidels and atheists, and with
your ~battleaxes hew down the cross
: and split up the manager of Bethlehem
!. On, We great army of infidels anG
! atheists, n now they come to the
{ graveyards and the cemeteries of the
} earth. Pull down the sculpture above
Greenwood's gate, for it means the res
: direction. Tear away at the entrance
? of Laurel Hill the figure OF Old Mortal.
, ity and the chisel. On, We great army o.
infidels and atheists, into the grave
:. yards and cemeteries, and where yo,
; see, ASLEEP In Jesus" cut it away
!, and where you find a marble story Of
{ heaven, blast it, and when you fin
I over a little child's grave Suffer littl'
r children to come unto me-" substitut,
l. the words 'delusion" and SHAM" ar
[ where you find an angel in marble
$ strike off the wing, and when you conn
5 to a family vault, chisel on h door
2 Dead once, dead forever"
But on, We great army Of infidels ant
I atheists, on! They win attempt to seal