Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1899-08-17

heather lands breaches generally to
two groups-a group of men who do as
they please and sit where they please;
the other group, women hidden ana
carefully secluded in a side apartment,
where they may hear the voice Of the
preacher, bat may not be seen. No re
finemant. No liberty No hope for this
life. No hope for the life TO come.
Hinged nose. Cramped foot. Disfigured
face. Embruted soul. Now, compare
those two conditions. How far toward
this latter condition that ! speak OF
would woman go if Christian innu-
enees were withdrawn and Christianity
were destroyed? 1t is only question
of dynamics. If an object be lifted to
certain point and not fastened there
and the lifting power be withdrawn,
how long before that object will fan
down to the point from which ii start
ed? 1t will fall down, and il will go
still farther than the point from when
il started Christianity has lifted wom-
an up from the very depths of degrada-
tion almost to the skies. II that lifting
mower be withdrawn she falls clear
back TO the depth from which she was
resurrected, not going any lower De-
| cause there is no lower depth. And yet,
Notwithstanding the fact that The only
| salvation of woman from degradation
| and woe is the Christian religien-and
/ the only influence that has ever lifted
/ her in the social scale is Christianity
/ I have head that there are women who
reject Christianity. | make no remark
/ in regard to those persons. in the 81
lence Of your own soul make your OBJ
seryatons.
If infidelity triumph and Christianity
be overthrown, il means the demoraliza-
| ton 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 ond pun
ishment from society, and II viii 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 a hell. The majority of those
who are indignant 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 punishment for the same rea-
son that criminals hate the peniten'
tiary. 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 il is mere
ly towards whistling to keep his cour'
age up. have seen men Haunt their I'M
moralities in the face of the commune
ty. and have heard them defy the 1udg'
ment day and scott at the idea of any
future consequence of their sin, bu'
when they came 10 die they shrlekea
until you could hear them for nearly
, two blocks, and in the summer night
! the neighbors got up 10 put the win
dows down because they could not en-
dure the horror.
. / would not want. to see a rail trair
, with 500 Christian people on board 60
down through a drawbridge into 8
! watery grave; | would not want to SEE
500 Christian people go into such dis
: aster, but | tell you plainly that coult
I more easily see that than | could fol
! any protracted time stand and see al
e infidel die, though his pillow were o
! elder down and under canopy of YER
' million. | have never been able e
r brace up my nerves for such spec
e tacIe. There is something at such
e time so indescribable in the counte
2 nance. | Just looked in upon II min
4 ute or two. bur the clutch of his fist wa
1 "a diabolic and the strength OF his voic
! was so unnatural | could not endure II
q There is no hell, there is no hell, ther'
: i no helll" the man had said for q
q years but that night when ] looke'
e in the diving room of my intdel nelgh
a nor there was something on his eounte
c nance which seemed to say: There !
n there is. there is, there is! IN
e miohtiest restraints to-day agalns
IS theft, against immortality, against III
il ertinism. against crime of all sorts
e tho mightiest restraints are the retrl
o buttons OF eternity. Men know tina
n they can escape the law, but down J.
r the offenders soul there is the reallza
il ton Of the fact that they cannot escap
e Cod He stands at the end of the roa
IS Of profgacy. and He will not clear "a
i entity. Take all idea of retribution an
j. punishment out of the hearts an
Y minds of men, and it would not be lon
before our cities would become sodomi
l. The only restraints against the eYll pa'
u sions of the world to-day are Bible r
is straints.
n Suppose now these generals OF atm
d ism and infidelity got the victory an
le suppose they marshaled great arm
y made up of the majority of the worl'
O. They are in companies, in regiment
d in brigades-the whole army. 10
5, ward, march, We hosts of intidels an
a. atheists. banners flying before, banner
Fe living behind, banners inscribed WI
1f The words: "No Godl No Christi =
a. Punishment No Restraintsl DOW
re with the Bible. Do as You Please
es The sun turned into darkness!
% Forward, march, We great army
~ ;pfdels and atheists! And first OF a