The eastern clarion. [volume] (Paulding, Miss.) 1837-1863, 1859-04-20
The Harp Sermon.

: dispute appears to have arisen a. TO the
authorship Of this inimitable piece of
drollerv. The Memphis Ic4i7acbc asserts
that the poet artist Branuan Is the author
of it. The Brandon Republicans. on the
contrary. says that it was first published
in that paper and that Mr.. Morris, of
Port Gibson, in this State, is the real auth
or. We have no doubt the RepubLc15, is
right; but while they are di,puting about
ii, our readers viii be Interested, as we
have been, in seeing it reproduced:
The scene i laid in the town OF Water
proof, La.
! may say TO YOU. my brethring. that
| am not an educated man, am am not
one OF them ~ believes that education Is
necessary for gospel minister for | be
iIeve the Lord educatcs his preachers Just
as he wants EN- TO be educated: an al
though | say it that oughnt to say it. vet.
in the State of Indianny, whar | live.
thar's no man as gifts bigger congrega-
ton nor what | gifts.
Thar may be some here to-day. nv
hrethring. a. don't know what persuation
| am NV. Well. | must say to YOU. my
brethring. that | am Hard Shell Bap-
list. Thar's some folks rs don't like the
Hard Shell Baptists, but I'd rather have a
hard she'll as no shell at all. You see me
here to-day, my brcrhring, dressed up in
fine clothes; Won mout think | was proud.
but am not proud. my brethring and al
though I've been a preacher of the Cos
pei for twenty years, an although I'm
clpting Of the fatboat that lies at your
landing, I'm not proud. my brethring.
ann not gwine to tell edzactly whar
my text may be found suffice to say. it :
in the led, Of the Bible. and you'll find it
somewhor between the first chapter Of
the book ofGoneration-. and the last chap
terof the book Of Revolutions and eff You'll
30 and sarch the Scriptures. You'll not
only find my tex thar. but great many
other teX,-S Is will do YOU good to read.
and my tex. when you shall find it you
shall find it to read thus:
And hc played on a harp of A thous-
and strings irits of jest men made per-
feck'
Ny text. NY brethring. leads me 10
peak of Sperits. Now thar'S great
many kind, Of sperits in the world. In
the fuss place. thar's the speYiJs a.
some folks call ghosts, and thar's the
>p-Tits uv turpentine. and thar's the sper-
I it, rs some folks call liquor. an I've got
( - good an article of them kind Of
spCrit- on nv tlatboat as ever was totch
/ down the Mississippi river but thar's a
[ great many other kinds of sperits for
[ the text SAYS. He played on a harp of a
Z t-h-o-u---and strings, sperits Of est men
/ made perieCk."
/ But III tell YOU the kind uv ,perits a,
I is ment in the tex. Is tra. That's the
1 kind NV sperits a. l. meant in the tex. my
brethring Now thar's great many kinds
! Of fire IN the world. In the fuss place
I thar'> the common sort Of fire YOU light
4 ycIr cigar or pipe with. and then thar's
I ioX-tire and campfire, fire before YOU re
ready, and fire and fall back. and many
/ other kinds ny fire. for the tex says, lie
| played on a harp Of a thousand strings.
sperits Nv Jest men made perfeck."
But I'll tell YOU the kind of fire as i
I meant in the tex my hrethring-it's he'll
I frci an that's the kind NV fire as a great
many NV YOU II come to. efvou don do bet
| ter nor what YOU have been doin'-for
He played on a harp nv a thousand
strings, speritS Of Jest men made perfeck "
Now. the different sorts Of fire i'm this
world may he likned unto the different
I persuations Of Christians in the world.
III the Ul~i llldtf' We nave TIE IlSc;illd-
lions an they are a high sailin' and a
high-ialutin' set and they may be likned
unto a turkey buzzard, that flies up into
the air. and lac goes up, and up, till he
looks no bigger than your finger and the
fust thing YOU know, he Gums down. and
down, and down, and is film himself
on the carki,s Of dead hos 10y the side
Of the road and 'Hc played on a harp OF
a thousand strings, sperits of jest men
made perfeck."
And then thar's the methods, and
they NAV DE likened unto the squirrel
runnin' up into tree. for the method,
believes in gwinc on from one degree OF
grace to another, and finally on to per
fiction, and the squirrel goes up, and up
and up, and he jumps from limb to limb
and branch TO branch. and the fust thing
YOU know he falls and down he come.
kerfumix, and that's like the methods
for they Is alers fallen from grace, all
and He played ON harp NV Thousand
strings. sperits NV jest men made perfeck.'
And then, my brethring, thar's the Bap
fist, all and they are like unto a poison
on simmon tree and thunders may rol
and the earth may quake, but that poison
clings and clngs flrever, for He played
on harp NV a thousand strings, sperits
NV jest men made perfeck."