Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1902-10-13

wrath of God can and does strike the
blasphemer down; how it can strike
the profane lips in the twinkling of an
eye. The scene took place in a noted
infidel club in Scotland. That night it
| was decided by the club members that
| the man who could make the most aw-
| full oath in defiance of God should be
elected president of the club. In this
| competition of oaths one man uttered
! so vile an oath that his comrades were
| dumfounded. But no sooner was it
unanimously decided that this bias
| phemer should take the presidents
chair than his tongue began to swell.
| 1t kept on swelling until it protruded
from the mouth. The blasphemer's
tongue kept on swelling until the bias
/ phemer died He died quickly, be-
cause God had once said, in the words
of my text, "Thou shalt not take
the name Of the Lord thy God in
vain, for the Lord will not hold him
guiltless that taketh his name in
vain."
But though Kazlitt Arvine gives in
cident after incident where the con-
demning wrath Of God has instantly
slain the blasphemer, none of them
ever made such an impression upoE
my mind as that which happened some
years ago practically under my own
eyes. We were then stopping in Eliza
BEETHOVEN, among the Adirondack
mountains. One afternoon a fearful
thunderstorm 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 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 destroying serpent dragging
them down. Then the heavens became
at times like great rivers of fire. The
lightning struck the earth again and
again. The golden grain, like 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
|
party of men were gathered in a barr
but a short distance from the hotel
piazza. In that company was an in
fidel disappearing scoffer. When the
conversation turned upon the power Of
God, he arose and said, Even in this
storm l am not afraid to defy Cod"
He stepped to the open barn door and
raised his arms as he cried: Course
God! Strike if you dare?' Immediately
there was a flash, 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 that 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 BIasphemer.
I have written this sermon upon the
blasphemer's condemnation for two
J 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.
, 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 a pro.
fame man for many years your pro.
! family becomes a part of yourself
You are bound to this evil habit by
links stronger than steel. Elon Foster
tells us that there was once godly
: man who for thirty years had lived a
] consistent Christian life who was
r taken seriously i'll. During his deliri
r GUS sickness he swore all the time. He
/; swore because the evil habit which he
7 practiced in his youthful days was
j still lying dormant in his subconscious
t memory. So. my profane brother, II
t you wish to be emancipated from this
!; sin of profanity you must pray to Coo
D for help. You must plead and pray
: for divine help to resist this evil habit
t to the day of your death. You must
r pray not only for the forgiveness OF
g your past profanities, but you mus
S also pray that God will keep your lips
pure from ever uttering another bias
phemOuS word.
e The second reason why preach this
! sermon is to rally all Christian people
s to the support of a new interdenomina
/ tional society. which has just beer
n formed to war against the sin of pro
b family. l believe this society has as
Il great a mission as the Christian En-
S deavor society, the Brotherhood of An
e drew and Philip or any of the other in
t terdenominational societies which are
e binding together the Christian people
|. of the land. This society is called the
0 Antiprofanity league. Rev. John L
Withrow, d. D., an ex-mOderator OF
s the general assembly of the Presbyte
q rian church and the present pastor OF
s the famous Park Street church, Bos
a ton, has thrown the weight Of his in
CT H,,opoo into If and aconntad fha prQSi