Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-05-18

may not be seen. No refinement. No lib
erty. No hope for this life. No hope for
the life to come. Hinged nose. Cramped
foot. Disfgured face. Embruted soul.
Now, compare those two conditions. How
far toward this latter condition that I
speak of would woman go if Christian in
fluences were withdrawn and Christianity
were destroyed 1t is only question OF
dynamics. II an object be lifted to GER
tain point and not fastened there and tho
lifting power be withdrawn, how long be-
fore that object will fall down to the point
from which II started? 1t will fall down,
and it will 90 still farther than the point
from which it started Christianity has
lifted woman up from the very depths Of
degradation almost to the skies. II that
lifting power be withdrawn, she falls clear
back to the depth from which she was res.
surrccted not going any lower, because
there is no lower depth. And yet, not
withstanding the fact that the only saliva
ton of woman from degradation and woe
is the Christian reliRion-and the only in
fluenco that has ever lifted nor IN The social
scales is Christianity--l nEyS, :oad that
there are women who reject Christianity.
] make no remark in regard to those per
sons In the silence of your own soul
make your observations.
sOcicty DcmoraIizcd.
If in6delity triumph and Christianity
be overthrown il means the dcmoraliza-
ton of society The one idea in the Bible
that atheists and infdcls most hate is the
idea Of retribution Take away the idea
Of rctribution and punishment from so
ciety and it will begin very soon to dis
integrate, and take away from the minds
Of men the fear of hell, and there are u
great many Of them who would very soon
turn this world into hell The majority
Of those who are indignant against the
Bible because of the idea OF punishment
are men whose lives arc bad or whose
hearts are impure and who hate the Biblo
because Of the idea of future punishment
for the Same reason that criminals hate
the penitentiary. Oh, have heard this
brave talk about people fearing nothing
of the consequences Of sin in the next
world, and have made up my mind it is
merely coward $ whistlpg to keep his
courage up. | have seen men flaunt their
immoralitios in the face of the conmuni-
ty, and have heard them defy the judR-
ment day and scott at the idea of any flu
turc consequence 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 the ncighbors got up
to put the windows down because they
could not endure tho horror.
l would not want to see n rail train
with 500 Christian people on board 90
down through drawbridgc into watcry
grave; l would not want to see 500 Chris
tiun people 90 into such disaster, but tell
you plainly that could more easily see
\ 4 g.
stand and soc an infdel die, though his
pillow were of elder down and under a
canopy of vermilion. | have never been
able to brace up my nerves for such a
spectacle. There is something at such a
time so indescribable in the countenance.
just looked in upon it for minute or
two, but the clutch Of his fist was SO dia-
bolic and the strength of his voice was SO
unnatural l could not endure it, There
is no hell, there is no hell, there is no
hell" the man had said for 60 years but
that night when | looked in the dying
room of my infidel neiRhbor there was
something on his countenance which SEEM
ed to say, "rhero is, there is, there is,
there is" The mightiest restraints today
against theft, against immortality, against
libertinism, against crime of all sorts--thc
mightiest restraints are the retributions
of eternity. Men know that they can es
cape tho law, but down in the offenders
soul there is the realization of the fact
that they cannot escape God. He stands
at the end of the road of profligacy, and
he will not clear the guilty. Take all idea
of rctribution and punishment out OF the
hearts and minds of men, and 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.
II Atheism Triumphed.
Suppose now these generals Of atheism
and intldclity got the victory and suppose
they marshalcd great army made up Of
the majority of the world They are il
companies, in regiments, in brigades-tht
whole army Forward, march, we hosts
IF infdels and atheists, banners flying be
fore, banners flying behind, banners in
scribed with the words "No God NJ
Christ No Punishment No Restraints
Down With the Bible Do as You Pleasen
The sun turned into darknessl
Forward march, We great army of in
fidels and atheists! And first of all yor
will attack the churches, Away Will
those houses of worship They have beer
standing there so long deluding the people
with consolation in their bereavement
and SORROWS. All those churches ought Il
be extirpated they have done so much t.
relieve the lost and bring home the wan
dering and they have so long held up TIN
idea of eternal rest after the paroxysm o
this life is over Turn the st. Peters an,
St. Pauls and the temples and taber
nacles into clubhouses. Away with thos
churchesl
Forward, march, ye great army of in
fldels md atheists and next of all the