The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1855-09-06
A Curious Sermon

the following curious sermon, preached at
the town of Waterproofs, not far from
Brandon.
1 may say to you, my brecthring, that
| ain not edecated man, an | am not
one Of them as believes that edccation is
necessary for Gospel minister, fur l
.blceve the Lord cdecates bis preachers
just as he wants 'em to be edecated, an
although say it, that oughn't to say it,
yet in the State Of Indianny, whar I live,
there no man as gifts a bigger cOngrcga-
ton nor what l gifts,
Thar may be some here to-day, my
brcethring, as don't know what persua-
ton | am uv. Wen, may say to you,
my breethring, that I'm a Hard Shell
Baptist. Some folks don't like the Hard
Shell Baptists, but I'd ruther have hard
shell as 10 shell at all. You see me here
to-day, my breethring, and although I've
been a preacher Of the Gospel for twenty
years, an although I'm Capting of the
fiat boat that lies at your landing, | am
not proud, my breethring.
I'm not a gwinc to tell you aaracLly
whar my text may be found; suffice it to
say, it's in the leds of the Bible, and you'll
find it somewhar between the frs: chap
ter Of the book Of Generations, and the
last chapter Of the book of. Revolutions,
and eff you'll 60 and sarch the scriptures
as have sarched the scriptures, you'll
not only fUd my tex thar, but a. great
many other tcrcs as will do you good to
read and my tex when you shall find it,
to read thus:
And he played on the harp Of thou
sand string6-spcEits Of just men made
perfcck.'
Ny text, breethring, leads me to speak
Of sperits. Now thar's great many kind
Of sperit5 in the world-in the fust place
thar's the sperits as some folks call ghosts,
and then thar's the sPorits Nv turPen-tinle,
and thar's the sperits as some folks call
liquor, an I've got as good an artekeI Of
them kind w sperits on my hat-boat as
ever was fotch down the Mississippi river,
but thar's great many other kind -spo-
rits, for the tex says. lie played On a
harp Nv t-h-O-u-sand strings, spcrit5 u
jest men made pcrGcck'
But I'll tell youthe kind NV sperits is
meut in the tex; it's FIRE. That's the
kind Of sperits Is ment in the tex, my
broethring. Now thar's great many
kinds Of fire in the world. In the fust
place, thar'S the common sort, you light
segar or pipe with, and then thar's fox
fire and canl-frc, fire before your ready,
and fire and fall-back, and many other
kinds Of fire, for the tex says He played
on harp w thousand strings, sperits
Of jest men made perfcck.'
But III tell you the kind Of fire as is
meant in the tex, my breethring-it's
HE'LL FIRE an that's the kind Of fire as
4 great many Nv you'll come to, ef you
don't do better nor what you have been
doin'-for He played on harp Nv
thousand strings, speri:s Nv Of just men
made perfeck'
Now the different sorts Of fire in the
world may be likened unto the different
persuasions Of Christians in the world
Ia the first place we have the Piscapaiians,
an they are Il high sailin and nigh ia
lutin set, and they may be likcncd unto
the turkey -buzzard that flies up into the
air, and he goes up and up, and up and
up, till he looks no bigger nor your finger
nail, and the fust thing you know he Gums
down and down, and is film himself on
the carkiss of a dead hoss by the side Of
the road and 'he played on harp Nv
thousand string5--sperits Of jest men made
porfeck'
And then thar's tho Methods, and they
may be likeued unto the squirrel, runnin'
up into a tree, for the Methods beeves in
gwino from one degree of grace to anoth
er, and finally on to perfection, and the
squirrel goes up and up, and up, and he
jumps from limb tu limb, and branch tn
branch, and the fust thing you know he
falls, and down he comes you know ker
fumux, and that's like the Methods, for
they is alters fallen frace alb and he
played on harp Nv thousand strings,
sperits Nv jest men made perfeck.'
And then my breethriDg, thar's the
Baptist, ah ! and they have been likened
unto possum on a 'ofhmon tree, and the
thunders may roll and the earth may
quake, but that pqssum clings there still
all and you may shake one foot loose