Connecticut western news., 1899-05-18

tion ana woe IS the Christian religion
 and the only influence that has ever
 lifted her in the social scales is Chris
 tianity Il have read that there are
 women who reject Christianity. I make
 no remark in regard 10 those persons.
 In the silence of your own soul make
 your observations.
 Decentralization of Society.
 If infidelity triumph and Christiani
 ty be overthrown, it means the demor-
 llization 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 it will
 begin very soon to disintegrate, and
 take away from the minds of men the fear of hell, and there are 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 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 crim- inals hate the penitentiary. Oh, have heard this brave talk about people fear ing nothing of the consequences of sin in the next world, and have made up my mind it is merelyia a coward s whis- ting to keep his courage up. l have seen men faunt their immoralities in the face Of the community, and have heard them defy the judgment day and scoff at the idea of any further conse- quence of their siE but when they came to die they shrieked 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.
 I would not want to see a rail train with 800 Christian people on board go down through a dra awbridge into a watery grave; I would not want to see 800 Christian people go into such disas- ter, but I tell you plainly that could more easily see that than could for any rrotracted time stand and see an infidel die. though his pillow were of cider down and under canopy of vermilion. have never been able to brace up my nerves for such spectacle. There is something at such time so indescriba ble in the countenance. I just looked in upon it for a minute or two, but the clutch of his fist was so diabolic 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 helll" the man had said for 80 years, but that night when I looked in the dying room of my infidel neighbor there was something on his countenance which seemed to say. "There is, there is, there is, there isi''
 The mightiest restraints today against theft, against immortality, against lib ertinism, against crime of all sorts-the restraints are the retributicns of eternity Men know that they eau 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 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.
 Suppose now these generals of atheism and infidelity got the victory and sup pose 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 ye hosts of infidels and atheists, banners flying before, banners flying behind. banners inscribed with the words: "No Godl No Christ No Pun ishmentl No Restraintsl Down With the Biblel Do as You Pleasel' The gun turned into darknessl
 Would Abolish Churches.
 Forward, march ye great army of infidels and atheists. And first of all you will attack the churches. Away with those houses of worshipi They have been standing there so long delud ing the people with consolation in their 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 infdels 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 the commons. Away with them Forward, ye great army of infdels and and next of all they will attack Christian asylums-the institutions of mercy supported by Christian philan- 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. and 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 and split up the manager of Bethlehem.
 On, ye great army of infidels and and now they come to the and the cemeteries of the earth. Pull down the sculpture above gate, for it means the res Tear away at the entrance of Laurel Hill the figure of Old Mortal ity and the chisel. On, ye great army of