Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1871-07-06

A SOCDoLOGRR.-In one of the inte-
rior counties of Missouri lived, some eight
years ago, a man who followed preaching
for living. He was called Elder B,
and was called to preach to the Campbell
ltes. His peculiarities soon made him
quite noted, and large audiences assem-
bled to hear him. OF late he has sban-
doned the pulpit, and is now justice-of-
the-peace lawyer On one occasion when
at the zenith of his fame, he preached a
discourse on the deliverance of the chill
dren of Israel, in which he said
"Bretherep, there are many difficult
passages in the Bible, and you are likely
to be led into error unless you understand
them. Now, you all have read this chap
ter wherein Moses stretched out his hand
over the Red Sea, and the waters became
a wall, and the children of Isreal went
over on dry ground safely, and how the
pursuing Egyptians, chariots and all the
hosts of Pharaoh were drowned. Now,
my brethren, as this reads, it is hard to
believe and difficult to explain but I
will explain it. 1t don't mean what it
says, for I tell you have read it in the
original Greek, and it ia there all ex
planned and made perfectly plain; and in
the next translation of the Bible, which
our church ia getting out, it will all be
ex planned. Now this passage of Scripture
when properly explained, means simply
this: When Moses and the children of Is
rael arrived at the Red Sea they osmped
all night, and it turned cold, and the
sstrnrg east wind oaused ii to frooso ove.,
and the truth of the whole matter is plain,
as you can see, that the children of Israel
10
were no such things as great walls. The
original Greek will not permit any such
unjust and difficult translations. And
again, when the Egyptians, with their inn
mense armies, heavy chariots and great
weights pursued the children on the ice,
they broke it through. and were all in
quilted, drowned and lost. This, my breth-
rem and sisters, is the true and fair ex-
PLANTATION of this circumstance, and the
original Greek in the next translation
will explain it to to you all, and make it
plain"
At this point brother sitting back in
the congregation arose and said, brother
B, 1 would like to ask question, if
you have no objections"
The elder, looking triumphantly to-
ward the brother, answered, GAN right,
Sir; ask just as many questions as you
want to-"
well" continued the brother, my
knowledge of geography and the location
of the Red Sea shows that it is located
nearly under the equator, and is therefore
in very warm country, and never known
to be frozen. Will the gentleman please
tell the audience where the ice came
from of which he spoke? ?"
The elder became excited, and an
swered, with lofty disdain, "If the brother
who has asked me this question knew
half as much about the Scripture and the
geography of the country as he pretends
to he would know that this circumstance
which have explained happened thous-
ands and thousands of years ago; yes.
Sir, thousands of years before the age of
Biographies, and before there gaS any
equator! I think, brethren and sisters, 1
have answered the gentleman complete
ly l"-EDToR's DRAWER, in Harper's
Magazine for July.