The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1901-07-12


arousoB tho nations wrath. 1t is tho
interest of evory good man and good
woman who reads Of tho orimo to have
it exposed and punished. Let it 60 IN.
acathod, and you put a premium Of
fraud, you dopress public morals, you
Induce those who arc on tho fonco be-.
tween right and wrong 10 got down on
tho wrong Bido, and you put tho bust.
ness Of tho world on down grado. Tho
oonstabulary aud penitontiary must do
thoir work. But whilo tho moroiless
and tho godloss CRY: Good for him
am glad he is within tho prison
doorsl' bo it your work to find out if that
man is worth saving and what wore tho
oausos Of his moral overthrow. Per.
haps ho started in business lifo undor q
tricky finn, who gevo him wrong notions
OF business integrity; porhap, thoro vas
o combination Of circumstances almost
unparallod for tomptatiop; perhaps
there woro alloviations; perhaps no was
born wrong and novor got ovor it; per-
haps he did not roalizo what ho was do
ing, and If you arc meroiful man you
| will think Of other perhaps which,
though thoy may not excuse, will ex
tonuato. Perhaps ho has already ro.
pcnt and is washed in the blood of tho
Lamb and is as sure of hoayon as you
arc. What an opportunity you havo now
tor oboying my text. You woro angry
at tho misdomoaor, but you arc hopeful
ior tho recovery OF tho reoalcitrant.
Blessed oil prison rofofIners Blessed
arc thoso governors aud presidents who
arc glad whom they havo ohanoo to
pardon! Blessod tho forgiving father
wi o Welcomes homo tho prodigall
Blessed tho dying thief whom tho Lord
took with him to glory; saying This
day shalt thou bo with mo in paridisol
There 10 another evil that We ought
to abhor, whiio wo try to holp tho vic
tim, and that is infidolity. 1t snatohos
tho lifo prosorvcr from tho man anoat
and affords not 50 much as spar or q
plank as substitute. 1t would cxtin-
guish the only light that has over boon
kindled for tho troubled and the lost.
Lot tho spirit Of infdolity tako hold of
a neighborhood, and in that town tho
marriage rotation is a FARGO, and good
morals give place to all atylss Of
Numerals. Let it take possession Of
this earth, and thoro would be no vir-
tuo loft in all tho worl 3 circumference.
All tho sins rcbukod in tho Ten Com
mandmonts would bo dominant. Tho
torch that shall kindle tho confagration
Of tho earth in it's last catastrophe will
not do as much damage as would inf
dolity and agnostioism if they got the
chance. DO angry with suoh thoorios
Of unbeliet aud hatred Of God. Noyor
laugh at tho wittioisms Of those who
would bolittlo the Bible with their joou
larity. Quote to thom tho four lines Of
Whittier; 90
And weary seekers Of the best
| We como back laden with our quost Ps
TO iind that all tho sages said
| ls in the book our mothors road, {.
Have lightning in you eyo and a
Hush IN your oheek and frown on your
brow for dastardy that would blot out
tho sun and moon and stars Of Chris
tianity and leavo all things ia an arctic
night, the oold equal to the darkness.
You do well to bo angry, but how about
thoso who have boon flung Of scoptio
ism, and that is moro millions than you
will ovor know of until tho judgment
day reveals everything. All, hero oom os
your opportunity for gontloness kind
moss and sympathy. The probability
is that if you had been pliod with tho
samo Influences as this unbelioyor thoro
would not bc Bible in all your house
from COLLAR to attic. Perhaps he was in
some important transaction swindlod BY
q mombor Of the church whose taking
OF the sacrament was a saorilogo. Pcr-
haps no road agnostio books and beard
agnostio lcoturos and mingled in sgnos.
tic circos until ho has been befogged
| and needs your Christian holp moro
than any ono that you know Of. Do
not got into any labored aygumont
about the truth Of Christianity. Ho
may beat you at that. He has whole
artillery Of Weapons rcady to open fro.
Ncmembcr that no ono was over ro-
formed for this lifo or saved for tho life
to como by an argument, but in hum.
blost and gcntlest way, your voioo
subdued, ask him fow questions. Ask
him II he had Christian parontago,
and il ho says yos ask him whethor tho
old folks died happy. Ask him if ho
has over heard of any ono going out Of
this lifo in raptures Of inGdolity and
sgnostioism. Ask him if it is not a
somewhat romarka able fact that tho
Biblo, after SO many years, sticks to.
gother and that there arc moro copies
OF it in cxistonoo than evor before. Ask
him if no knows Of any bottor oiviliza.
tion than Christian civilization and
whothor ho thinks tho teachings of
Confuoius Of Christ aro preferable. Ask
him if ho thinks it would be fair thing
in tho Creator Of all things to put in
this world the human raoo and give
them no direct communication for their
guidance and, if thoy did wrong, toll
thom of no way Of re oovery. / think if
famous infidel Of our timo, instead Of
boing takon away ins.antanoously, had
died in his bed after wooks and monthe
Of illnoas ho would hayo revoked his
teachings and left for his beloved family
consoiauons which they GOULD not find
in obsoquics at which not ono word Of
Holy Scripture was read, or at Frcsh
Pond oromatory, whore no Christian
boncdiotion VAS pronounced. do not
positively asy that in prolonged ILL
moss there would havo bocn q rotrac-
tion, but [ think there would
Tho renowned infdol, MIR, Bakor, af-
tor spnnding his long lifo in leoturing
against Christianity ir all our cities aud
in publishing largo and elaborate books
in depreciation of tho Scriptures, in tho
closing years Of his lifo wrote 10 mo that
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