The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-04-22
cart HQUAkES ARE SENT
!: BY GOD TO PUNISH SIN
THUS SAID JOHN WESLEY IN A
SERMON PUBLISHED IN 1850.
He Believed Both Scripture and Reason
Fully Demonstrated Such Conclu-
sion-True Repentance Is the Only
Means Of Salvation for Shining Man
kind.
God is the direct cause Of earth

:
! SO wrote the great reformer, John .
Wesley, in Il sermon first published IN
1850, and following slight shocks winch |
were then felt in England. In this SER
mon he expressed himself as firmly. con
WINGED that earthquakes are the vista,
tion of the Judgment OF God, ana That
scripture SO teaches.
In view of the terrible disaster in
= San Francisco, the words of Wesley are
now of particular interest. The sermon
was from the text, ''Oh come hither,
and behold the works of the Lord;
what destruction he hath brought upon
the earth.'' Psalms Xvii. s.
Wesley wrote in part as follows:
'Of all the judgments which the
righteous God inficts upon sinners
here, the most dreadful and destructive
is an earthquake This he has lately
brought upon our part of the earth, and
thereby alarmed our fears and bid US
prepare to meet our God
"That [ may fall in with the design
of providence at this awful crisis, ]
shall take occasion from the words OF
my text,
-"First-To show that earthquakes
IRE the works of the Lord, and he only
bringeth this destruction upon the
earth.
second-Call you to behold the
works of the Lord in two or three ter
rible instances; and,
"Third-Give you some directions
suitable to the occasion.
'Fourth-That God himself Is the
author, and sin the moral cause OF
80 earthqu akes: (whatever the natural
cause may beg, cannot be denied by
any who believe the scriptures; for
these are they which testify Of him,
that it is God (which removeth the
mountains, and overturneth them in his
anger; which shaketh the earth out of
her place, and the pillars thereof trem-
ble,'' Job tx. 5, 6. He looketh on the
earth and it trembleth; he toucheth the
= hills and they smoke ~, Psa. civ. 81:
the presence of the, Lord of the
"The mountains quake at him and the
hills melt. Who can stand before his
indignation9 And who can abide at
the ferceness of his indignation? And
who can abide in the ferceness Of his
anger? His fury is poured out, like fire
, and the rocks are thrown down by
him. Nah. l., 5, 6.
Earthquakes are set forth by, the in.
spired writer's as Gods proper judicial
act for the punishment Of sin; sin is the
cause, earthquakes the effect of his
anger So the Psalmist: THE earth
tions also of the hills shook. and We're
removed, because he was wroth, Psa:
- xvii, 7. So the prophet Isaiah, L will
punish the world for their evil, and
will lay low the haughtiness Of the ter
rible Therefore | will shake the
heavens, and the earth shall remove
out of her place, in the wrath of the
Lord of Hosts, and in the. day of his
fierce anger lisa. xiii, lib. And
again, Behold the Lord maketh the
earth empty; and maketh it waste, and
- turneth it upside down Gin the original
pervert the face thereby, and scatter
eth abroad the inhabitants thereof
For the windows from on high are open
and the foundations Of the. earth dc
shake The earth is utterly broker
down, the earth is clean dissolved, the
earth is moved exceedingly. The eartf
shall reel to and fro like drunkard
and shall be moved like cottage; anc
'7~ The transgression thereof shall be heavy
upon it; and it shall fall and not rise
thou earth, at the presence of the Lord
at the presence Of the God of Jacob,
Psa, cxiv, T. Thou shalt be visited by
The Lord of Hosts with thunder ant
with earthquake, and great noise, lisa
xxx, 6.
49, "Nothing can be more express thai
these scripture testimonials which de
termine both the cause and author o
this terrible calamity. But reason a
well as faith doth sufficiently assure u
It must be the punishment of sin, an
The effect Of that curse which wa
brought upon earth by the origina
transgression. Steadfastness must b
no longer looked for in the world, sine
-- Innocence is banished thence; but W
? cannot conceive that the universe woul
have been disturbed by these furiou
: accidents during the state OF orlglna
righteousness Wherefore should God
anger have armed the elements agains
his faithful subjects7 Wherefor
should he have overthrown all n;
works to destroy innocent menY {
whv overwhelmed the inhabitants {
-z the earth with the ruins thereof, if the
had not been sinful? Why buried thos
in the bowels of the earth who were NJ
to die? Let us then conclude, bot
from scripture and reason, that cart
quakes are Gods strange works {
iHdgme4nt,e the proper effect and pu
Wesley then went on in detail to d
scribe some of the terrible cart
r. quakes which had visited the world,
Sicily in 1892. and in Peru in l746. t
then concluded: !
q This is the third advice I gil
you, Repent, and believe the gospt
Believe on the Lord Jesus, and .ye shs
/ you nothing; neither do we repent u
less We confess with broken hearts Il
/ most damnable of all your sins, 20
r unbelief; your having rejected or n
i accepted, Jesus Christ as your on
Il Savior. Neither can we repent unle
i he himself give you the power; u
less his spirit convince you of sin b
/ cause We believe not in him. .-
Il g But shall We escape for your vic
i edness. suppose the earthquake shou
1 not return? God will never want wa
Il and means to punish impenitent slime
+ He hath thousand other judgmer
81 in reserve; ard if the earth shall n
FL open it's mouth, yet We shall surely
Ia last be swallowed up in the bottomle
pit of hell. 49, s'~.
81 Call upon him now, oh sinner. A
continue instant in prayer, till
/ answer thee in peace and power. Wr
tie for the blessing. Thy life, thy 81
is at stake; cry nightly unto him
r Jesus, thou Son of David, have mer
on me- God be merciful unto me
hi sinner Washsme thoroly in the fou
i'll ain of thy blood; guide me by t
III spirit; sanctify me thruout and
| ceiye me into glory.