The Penn's Grove record., 1899-12-22

curves II into q cloud, or ROUNDS II into
a dome, or points IT IN = splre, or
ioists 1t In a pillar. Watch 1t winding
up from the country farmhouse III the
early morning, showing that the pas
toral industries have begun, or see 1t
ascending from the ~chimneys OF the
city, telling OF the homes fed, the fac
tories turning out valuable fabrics, the
newspaper and ali the 10000 wheels
OF work In motion. On a clear day this
vapor spoken OF mounts with such buoy
ancy, and spreads such 0 delicate veil
across the sky. and traces such graceful
lines OF circle and semlcifcle, and waves
and losses and sinks and scars and s~catters
with such afiuence OF shape and color and
suggestiveness that, II you have never mo-
ticed 1t, you are like a man who has all his
lie lived in Paris and yet never seen the
Luxembourg, or all his life In Rome and
never seen the Vatican, or all his life at
Lockport and never seen Niagara. Forty
and 1t Is about time that somebody
preached a sermon recognizing this
strange, weird, beautiful, elastic, charm
ing, terrific and fascinating vapor. Across
the Bible sky floats the smoke Of Sinai, the
smoke OF Sodom, the smoke OF Al, the
smoke OF the pit, the smoke OF the volcanic
hills when God touches them, and Ia my
Val IN k4tA III VI w
out OF the wilderness like pillars Of smoke
In the first place. these pillars Of smoke
in thy text Indicate the suffering the
/ church OF God has endured What do
mean by the church, / mean not a bullZ-
ing, not a sect, but those who In all ages
and all lands and Of all beliefs love God
and are trying to do right. For many cen-
turtles the heavens have been black with
the smoke OF martyrdom. II set sid by
side, you could gtrdle the earth with the
fires OF Observation-Disclosures Taylor
burned at Hadieigh, Latimer burned at
Oxford, John Rogers burned at Smithfeld,
John Hooper burned at Gloucester, John
Huss burned at Constance, Lawrence
Saunders burned at Coventry, Joan Of Arc
turned at Rouen.
Professionals have represented Catholics
as having d monopoly OF prosecutors, but
both Protestant and Catholic have prac-
ticed infamous crueities. The Catholics
during the reign OF Iunneric were ~ Pro,
t~estants put to the worst tortures, stripped
OF their clothing. hoisted IN the air by
pulleys with weights suspended from their
feet, then let down, and ears and eyes,
nose and Tongue were anputated. and red
hot plates OF iron were put against the ten
derest part OF their bodies.
Georges Bancroft, the historian, says OF
the State OF Maryland: "In the land which
Catholics had opened to Professionals mass
might not be said publicly. NO Catholic
priest or bishop might utter his faith In a
voice OF persuasion, no Catholic might
teach the young II a way ward child OF
q paplst woull become an apostate. the
law wrested for him from his parents a
share OF their property. Such were the
methods adopted to prevent the growth OF
popery."
has had its martyrs. 1t does seem as II
when any one sect got compIetedominancy
in any land the devil OF persecution and
cruelty took possession Of that sect. Then
see the Catholics after the Huguenots. See
the gentiles after the Jews ia T~ournine,
where a great pit was dug ind fire lighted
Mt the bottom III the pit, aud 100 jewish VIC
Tins were consumed. Seethe Presbyterian
parliament Of England, more tyrannical
In their treatment OF opponents than had
besn tho criminal courts. Persecution
against the Bapttsts by Ptedo-Baptists, per-
secAtion OF the Established Church against
the Methodist Church, persecution against
the Quakers, persecution against the Pres
hyterlans. Under Emperor Dioclntian
IA 600 Christians were massacred, and
700, 900 more OF them died from Punishment
and exposure.
witness the sufferings Of the Waldenses.
ofthe Albigensss, OF the Nestorians. Wiz
ness st. Bartholomew massacre. Witness
the Duke OF Alva driving out OF life 10, 900
Christians. Witness Herod and Nero and
Decius and Hildebrnnd and Torquemada
and Earl OF Montfort and Lord Claver-
house. who, when told that he must give
account for his cruelties, said, II have no
need TO account to man. and as for God I
will take Him In mi own hands," red
line runs through the church history Of
1900 yenrs, q line OF blood. Not by the
hundreds Of thousands. but by the Millions
must we count those slain for Christi sake.
No wonder John Milton put the groans Of
the martyrs to an immortal tune. writing;
Averge, o Lord, Thy slaughtered saints
whose bones
Lie scattered IN the Alpine mountains
cold.
The smoke OF martyrs homes and
would lave eclIpsed the MONDAY sun md
turnedthe brightest day tho world ever SAW
into a midnight. who Is this that
cometh up out Of the wilderness like pill
lars OF smoker"
Has persecution ceassd2 Ask that young
man who Is trying to be-a Chrlstlan IN a
store or factory, where from morning to
ticisms OF unbelieying employees. Ask that
wife whose husband makes her fendness
for the house OF God and even he kne6l-
ing prayer by the bedside a derlsion and
Is no more ut for her holy compunionship
than q filthy CROW would be 1T companion
for a robin or a golden oriole. Compro-
mise With the world and surrender to Its
conventionalitles and 1t may let you alone,
but all who will live godly In Christ Jesus
must suffer persecution. Ben theatre going,
card playing, wine drinking, round dancing
Christian ind you may escape criticism
and soeial pressure. But be an up and
down, out and out follower Of Christ. and
speaks your name, and you Will b. put In
many a doggerel and snubbed by those