Milford chronicle., 1902-10-17

But though Kazlitt Arvine gives in
cident after incident where the con-
1emning wrath of God has instantly
slain the blasphemer, none of them
ever made such an impression upon
my mind as that which happened some
years ago practically under my own
eyes. We were then stopping in Eliza
BEETHOVEN, among the Adirondack
One afternoon fearful
came up. Before the
tempest broke it was almost black as
night. The air became so still that
even the leaves ceased to rustic. Ma
ture was silent. save here and there
when we heard a frightened bird twit-
ter as she flew away to her nest and
young. Then the winds began to blow,
and those great trees began to groan
and bend like monstrous human Lao
cOOns with their children in the fatal
grip of a destroying serpent dragging
them down. Then the heavens became
at times like great rivers of fire. The
lightning struck the earth again ana
again. The golden grain, like a wound
ed and dying deer, bent the knee and
pillowed the head in the mud. Every
where were the awful, terrific exhibit
tons of a supernatural power. Amid
this battle scene of the elements a
party of men were gathered in a barn
but a short distance from the hotel
piazza. In that company was an IN
fidel a disappearing seOffer. When the
conversation turned upon the power OF
God, he arose and said, even in this
storm l am not afraid to defy God"
He stepped to the open barn door and
raised his arms as he cried: Curse
God! Strike if you dare! Immediately
there was a fash, and the blasphemer
fell dead. The God who had uttered the
words of my text had heard. God in
one stroke Of the unsheathed sword Of
fire made thar blasphemer answer for
his crime. Oh my prOfane brother and
sister, as the doom of the blasphemer
sooner or later is bound to come, dare
you today curse God? Dare you Ion
ger defy his will?
To Save the BIasphemeF.
! have written this sermon upon the
blasphemer's condemnation for two
purposes. The first is. | want to make
the blasphemer realize his awful dan
ger and, by the grace Of God, to rescue
him If possible from the awful de
struction toward which he is heading.
l want to rescue him, by the grace of
God, because, my brother, you will
never be emancipated from this sinful
habit Of profanity unless you seek di-
vine help. After you have been pro
| fame man for many years your pro
family becomes part Of yourself.
/ You are bound to this evil habit by
/ links stronger than steel. Elon Foster
tells us that there was once a gOdly
, man who for thirty years had lived q
consistent Christian life who was
! taken seriously i'll. During his deliri
| GUS sickness he swOre all the time. He
swore because the evil habit which he
| practiced in his youthful days was
/ still lying dormant in his subcOnsciouS
memory So, my profane brother, il
you wish to be emancipated from this
sin of profanity you must pray to Coo
] for help. You must plead and pray
for divine help to resist this evil habit
to the day of your death. You mus
pray not only for the forgiveness Of
your past profanities, but you mus
also pray that God will keep your lip
pure from ever uttering another bias
phemous word.
The second reason why | preach thi'
sermon is to rally all Christian people
to the support of a new interdenomina
tional society. which has just beer
formed to war against the sin Of pro
family. | believe this society has al
great a mission as the Christian En-
deavOr society, the Brotherhood of An
drew and Philip or any Of the other in
terdenominatiOnal societies which ar
binding together the Christian peopl
of the land This society is called tn
Antiprofanity league. Rev. John L
Withrow, d. D., an eX-mOderator o
the general assembly of the Presbyte
rian church and. the present pastor o
the famous Park Street church. BOs
ton, has thrown the weight of his in
huence into it and accepted the pres
dency. The object of this society is t
rally all Christian people together t
oppose this universal evil. That soc
ETY. will furnish you tracts; it wi
teach you what to do and what to sa
in the unrelenting war which hereafte
we must all pledge ourselves to wag,
,, That society called the Antiprofanit
league will arouse your holy enthus
asm if you will only let it. Oh. m
brother, will you ask God for help an
consecrate your life to overcome til
worldwide sin of blasphemy as well a
all the other kind of sins which al
striving to destroy the throne of RICH
eOusness and are defying your MastC
and King? Lord God of the past. hel