A club is held in the village of Birdham, where this took place, and on the evening previous, being the Sabbath evening, the stall-keepers, swinging boat proprietors, &c., were drinking at the village inn, and one of the company, a young man of twenty, was swearing and flourishing his hands over his head, saying he did not care for any one. God might strike him blind if He liked.
The next day, about noon, a heavy thunderstorm burst over the village. This young man had gone into the field with the horse, a little boy being beside him, when a flash of lightning darted down, cut his hat to pieces, and left him a corpse. One ear was split, and one hand and the face were black.
Thus it was not long before God dealt with this young mocker in a manner more awful than he probably expected. This was so sad that it impressed many with solemn thoughts, and led to the following similar sad story being again related.
Some years since, in the next village, Earnley, a man being accused of taking some money, declared that, if he had it, he hoped his legs and arms might be burned off. A storm arose, the lightning darted athwart the heavens, fell on the barn wherein he was, burned the barn, and his body was afterwards found with legs and arms burned off.
This was related to me by a woman named Shepherd, now living within a short distance of where the barn stood, and who saw it on fire.
Still another sad tale. On Sunday last, four young men left Bognor for Selsey—a few miles' trip by boat on the sea. At Selsey they took too much drink, and, on their return, the boat capsized, and they were in the water for an hour crying for help; but although many heard them one and two miles away—it being a still night—no one seems to have known whence the sounds came. Thus all four Sabbath-breakers perished. One of the poor fellows wore the knees of his trousers quite away in his attempts to climb on the overturned boat.
A. E. P.
Sidlesham.
P.S.—Selsey also joins this village. I saw the boat rowing towards it about half-past four.
["The wages of sin is death." Reader, how are you living? How shall you die, and where shall you go? Remember that all who are out of Christ are exposed to the wrath of God, while all who, by faith, flee to Him for mercy, are saved from the wrath to come. Beware of mocking God, of despising His Word, and of desecrating His day. "The way of transgressors is hard," but "whoso confesseth and forsaketh his sin shall find mercy."—Ed.]