The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1899-05-19

heather lands breaches generally q
two groups-a group of men who do a.
they please and sit where they please
the other group, women hidden ant
carefully secluded in side apartment
where they may hear the voice of tho
preacher, but may not be seen. No re
fnemeut. No liberty. No hope for this
life. No hope for the life to come
hinged nose. Cramped foot. Dishgnred
face. Embruted soul. Now, compare
those two conditions. How far toward
this latter condition that / speak OF
would woman 60 IL Christian iniiu'
ences were Withdrawn and Christianity
were destroyed? Ii is only question
of dynamics. If an object be lifted to
n certain point and not fastened there
and the lifting power be withdrawn,
how long before that object will fall
down TO the point from which IL start
ed? II will fall down. and il will 90
still farther than the point from which
IL started Christianity has lifted wom-
an up from the very depths of dcgrada-
| ton almost TO the skies. IL that lifting
| power he withdrawn she falls clear
back to the depth from which she was
resurrected, not going any lower, be-
cause there is no lower depth. And yet,
Notwithstanding the fact that the only
salvation of woman from degradation
and woe is the Christian rcligion-0nd
tho only influence that mas ever lifted
her in the social scale is Christianity
| have head that there are women who
eject Christianity. | make no remark
i'm regard 70 those persons. In the ST
lence of your own soul make your OBJ
servations.
If infGclity triumph and Christianity
he over thrown, 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 retributiou and pun
ishmcnt from society, and il viii begin
very soon to diSintegrate, and take
away from the minds of men the fear
of hell, and there are a great many OF
them who would very soon turn this
world into a hell The ma jority 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
IF 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
of sin in the next world,
md / have made up my mind il is mere
y a towards whistling to keep his cour-
ige up. have seen men Haunt their inn |
noralities in the face of the commune !
", aud have heard them defy the judy !
nent day and scott at the idea of any |
future consequence of their sin, but |
when they came to die they shrickcd |
until you could hear them for nearly |
wo blocks. and in the summer night |
he neighbors got up x put the win
lows down because they could not en- !
lure the horror.
| would not want TO see n rail train
with 500 Christian people on board go
down through drawbridge into
yatery grave; 1 would not want TO see
800 Christian people 60 into such dis
istcr, but | tell you plainly that could
more easily see that than / could for
my protracted time stand and see an
nfidel die, though his pillow were of
.ider down and under a canopy of YER
million. | have never been able TO
,race up my nerves for such spec
acle. There is something ut such a
rance. | just looked in upon il n min
tie or two. but the clutch of his fist was !
% diabolic and the strength of his voice |
vas SO unnatural ] could not endure il. |
There rs no hell, there is no hell, there |
$ no hell!" the man had said for 60 |
ears, but that night when | looked |
II the dying room of my infidel neigh |
,or there was something on his counte- |
lance which seemed to say: There Is, |
here is, there is, there isl" The |
nightiest restraints to-day against |
heft, against immortality, against lib
rtinism, against crime of all sorts
he mightiest restraints are the retri-
buttons of eternity. Men know that
hey can escape the law, but down ia
he Offenders soul there is the realiza-
ion of the fact that they cannot escape
iod. lie stands at the end of the road |
4 proiigacy, and He will not clear the
utility. Take all idea of retribution and
out of the hearts and
minds of men, and it would not be long
efore our cities would become Sodoms.
he only restraints against the evil pas
ions of the world to-day are Bible re-
traints.
Suppose now these generals of athe-
sm and infdelity got the victory, and
oppose they marshaled a great army
made up of the majority of the world.
hey are in companies, in regiments,
u brigades-the whole army. For
yard, march, We hosts of infdels and
theists, banners flying before, banners
wing behind. banners inscribed with
he words: NO God! No Christ! No
No Restraints! Down
With the Bible! Do as You Pleased"
he sun turned into darkness
Forward. march, We great army of
nfidels and atheists! And first of all
on will attack the churches. Away
nth those houses of worship. They
ave been standing there so long de-
iding the people with consolation IN
heir bercayements and sorrows. All
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