The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1899-07-07

seal and unrolled the scroll, and there
was a picture Of white horse, and
that means prosperity and triumph for
the Roman empire. and so 1t really
came to pass that for ninety years vir-
tuous emperors succeeded each other
Nerva, Trajan and Antoninus. Christ
in the vision broke the second seal AMI
unrolled again, and there was a picture
of a red horse, and that meant blood
shed, and so it really came to pass, and
the next ninety years were red with
assassinations and wars. Then Christ
broke the third seal and unrolled 1t,
and there was picture of black
horse, which in all literature means
famine, oppression and taxation; and
so 1t really came to pass. Christ went
on until he broke all the seven seals
and opened all the scroll. Well, the
future Of all of us is sealed scroll,
ard | am glad that no one but Christ
can open it. Do not let us join that
class of Christians in our day, who are
trying to break the seven seals OF the
future. They are trying to peep into
things they have no business with.
There is another mighty seven Of the
Bible, viz, the seven thunders. What
these thunders meant we are not told,
and there has been much guessing
about them; but they are to come, we
are told, before the end of all things,
and the world cannot get along with
out them. Thunder Is the speech of
lightning. There are evils in our
world which must be Numbered down,
and which will require at least seven
volleys to PROSTATE them. We are all
doing nice, delicate, soft-handed work,
in churches and reformatory institu-
tions, against the evils of the world,
and much of it amounts to teaspoon
dipping out the Atlantic ocean, or
clam shell digging away at a noun
tain, or tack hammer shifting the
Gibraltar. What is needed is thun-
derbolts, and at least seven OF them.
There is the long line of fraudulent
commercial establishments every stone
in the foundation, and every brick in
the wall, and every nail in the rafter
made out of dishonesty; skeletons OF
poorly paid sewing girls arms in every
beam of that establishment; human
nerves worked into every figure OF that
embroidery; blood in the deep dye OF
that refulgent upholstery; billions OF
dollars of accumulated fraud entrench-
ed in massive storehouses, and stock
companies manipulated by unscrupu-
lous men, until the monopoly is de-
fiant of all earth and heaven. How
shall the evil be overcome? BY trea-
tises on the maxim: Honesty is the
best policy? Or the soft repetition of
the golden rule that we must do to
others as we would have them do to
u.s." No, it will not be done that
way. What is needed and will come is
the seven thunders.
There Is drunkenness backed up by q
capital mightier than in any other
business. Intoxicating liquors enough
in this country to float navy. Good
grain to the amount of 67,950,000 BUSH
els annually destroyed to make the
deadly liquid. Breweries, distilleries,
gin shops, rum palaces, liquor associ-
ations, our nation spending annually
seven hundred and forty millions of
dollars for rum, resulting in bank
ruptcy disease, pauperism, filth, as
sassination, death, illtmitable woe.
What will stop them? High license?
No. Prohibition laws? No. Churches?
No. Moral suasioS? No. Thunder
bolts will do it; nothing else will.
Seven thunders!
Yonder are intrenched Infidelity and
Atheism with their magazines of liter
allure soothing at our Christianity; their
Hoe printing presses busy day and
night. There are their disappearing
apostles, their drunken Tom Paines
and libertine Voltaires of the present
as we'll as the past, reinforced by all
the powers of darkness from highest
demon to lowest imp. What will ex-
IlTpdIe luOSe uOAoLClo VI iuhoClIly anu
atheism? John Browns shorter cate
chism about "Who made your" or
Westminster catechism about What is
the chief end of MANI" No. Thun-
derbolts! The seven thunders! For
the impurities of the world empalaced
as we'll as cellared, epauletted as well
as ragged, enthroned as well as ditch
ed; for corrupt legislation which at
times makes our state and national
capitals a hemisphere stencil; for SUI
perstitions that keep whole nations in
saualor century after century, their
Juggernauts crushing, their knives la
cerating, their waters drowning, their
funeral pyres burning, the seven thun-
ders!
Oh, men and women, disheartened at
the bad way things often go, hear you
not rumbling down the sky of heavy
artillery, coming in on our side. the
seven thunders of the Almighty? Do
not let us try to WELD them ourselves;
they are too heavy and too fiery for us
to. handle; but God can and God will;
and when all mercy has failed and all
milder means are exhausted, then judg-
ment will begin Thunderbolts! De-
pend upon it, that what is not done