Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1899-05-20

Jecl ne lifted 10 Il certain pCint ana not
fastened there and the lifting power be
withdrawn, how long before that object
will fall down to the point from which
it stnrtcd? 1t will full down, and it
will 10 still farther than the point from
which it started. Christianity has lifted
woman mp from the very depths Of
degradation almost to the skies If that
lifting power he withdrawn. she falls
clear back TO the depth from which she
was rcsnrrccted not going any lower,
because there is 10 lower depth, and
yet Notwithstanding the fact that the
only salvation of woman from degrade
tion and woe is the Christian religion
and the only influence that has ever
lifted her in the social scales is Chris
tianity i have read that there are
women who reject Christianity. l make
no remark in regard TO those persons.
In the silence of your own soul make
your observations
Decentralization of Society.
If inlidelity triumph and Christiani
ty he ovcrtIrown. it means the demon
alization of society. The one idea in
the Bible that atheists and iulidels
most late is the idea of retribution.
Take away the idea of retribution and
punishment from society, and it will
begin very soon To disintegrate. and
take away from the minds of men the
fear Of hell and there are a grent many
of them who would very soon turn this
world into :; hell. The MINORITY 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 nf future pun
ishment, for the same reason that GRIM
mails hate the penitentiary. Oh, have
heard this brave talk about people fear
ing nothing of the consequences of Gin
in the next world. and have made up
my mind it is merely IL coward y whis-
Ting to keep his courage mp. l have
seen men haunt their ilnmoralities in
the face cf the community. and | 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 shrickcd until you
could hear them for nearly two blocks,
and in The summer night the neighbors
got up to put the windows down. be-
cause they could not endure the horror.
would not want to see rail train
with 500 Christian people on board
go down through a drawbridge into a
watery grave would not want to see
500 Christian people go into such disas-
ter, but | tell you plainly that | could
more easily see that than could for any
protracted time stand and see an infidel
die. though his pillow were of elder
down and under Il canopy of yerlnilion.
| have never been able to brace up my
nerves for such spectacle. There IS
something at such Il time so indescriba-
bic in the countenance. just looked in
1pon it for minute or two, but the
clutch Of his fist was 50 diaholic and
the strength of his voice was so unnat-
ural could not endure it, There is
no hell. there is no hell. there is no
HE'LL" the man had said for go years,
but that night when looked in the
dying room of my intidel neighbor
there was something on his countenance
which seemed to say. There is, there
is, there is, there is
The mightiest restraints today against
theft, against immortality, against lib
ertinism. against crime of all orts-the
mightiest restraints are the retributicns
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
ligacy, and he will not clear the guilty.
Take all idea of retribution and punish
ment ont 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.
Suppose now these generals of atheism
and infidelity got the victory and sup
pose they marshaled great army
made up of the majority of the world.
They are in companies, in regiments,
in brigades- the whole army. Forward,
march ye hosts of infdels and atheists,
banners flying before, banners flying
behind, banners inscribed with the
words "No God No Christi No Pun
ishmcnt No Restraints Down With
the Bible Do as You Pleased" The
sun turned into darkness
Would Abolish Churches.
Forward, march ye great army Of
infdels and atheists. And first of all
you will attack the churches. Away
with those houses of worshipl They
have been standing there so long delud-
ing the people with consolation in their
I bereavcncn;s and sorrows All those
churches ought to be extirpated; they
have done so much to relieve the lost
and bring home the wandering, and
they have so long held up the idea Of
eternal rest after the paroxysm of this
life is over. Turn the st. Peters and
St. Pauls and the temples and taber-
nacles into clubhouses Away with
those churches
Forward, march ye great army of
in6dels and atheists. and next of all
they scatter the Sabbath schools 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 tie
commons. Away with them Forward,
march, We great army of inhdels and
atheists, and next of all they will attack
Christian asylums-the institutions OF
mercy supported by Christian philan-
thropies. Never mind the blind eyes,
and the deaf ears and the crippled
limbs, and the darkened intellects. Let
paralyzed old age pick up its own food,
and orphans fight their own way ano
the half reformed go back to their EVIL
habits. Forward, march ye great army
of infidels and atheists, and with your
battleaxes hew down the cross anc
split up the manager of Bethlehem.
~ - ,.,o,t .ru,v of infidelS anC