Democratic enquirer. [volume] (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1867-1873, 1872-06-12
A SOcdOlager.

ties OF Missouri lived, some
eight years ago, a man who
followed preaching for a living.
He was called Elder B,
and was engaged to preach to
to the Camphellites. His pc
culiarities soon made him quite
noted, and large audiences as
sembled to hear him.
Of.late he has abandoned
the pulpit, and is now a justice
ofthe-peace lawyer. On one
occasion, when at the zenith of
his fame, he preached dis
course on the deliverance of
the children of Israel, in which
in which he said: 'Brethren,
there are many difficult passa>
ages in the Bible, and you are
likely to be lead into error un-
less made to understand them.
Now, you all have read this
chapter wherein Moses stretch.
ed out his hand over the Red
Sea, and the waters became a
wall, and the children of Isra>
ell went over on the dry ground
safely, and how the pursuing
Egyptians, the chariots and
and horsemen, and all the
hosts of Pharaoh were drown
ed. 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 l
have read it in the original
Greek, and it is there all ex.
planned and made perfectly
plain; and in the next transla-
tion of the Bible, which our
church is getting out, it will
all be explained. Now this
passage of scripture, when
properly explained, means sim.
ply this: When Moses and
the children of Israel arrived
at the Red Sea, they camped
all night, and it turned cold,
and the Strong east wind
caused it to freeze over; and
the truth of the whole matter
is plain, as you can see, that the
children Of Israel passed over
'dry shod, on the ice. There
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 immense armies,
heavy chariots, and great
weights pursued the children
on the ice, they broke through |
it, and were all ingulfed, !
drowned, and lost. This, my
brethren and sisters, is the true
and fair explanation Of this
circumstance, and the original
Greek in the next translation
will explain it to you all, and
make it plain"
AT this point a brother sit
ting back in the congregation
arose and said, Brother B--,.|
| would like to ask a question,
if you have no objections.
Ihe Elder looking triumph.
antly toward the brother, an.
swered, All right, sir; ask just
as many questions as you want
to-
Well,' continued the broth
er, my knowledge of geogra.
ply and the location of the Red
Sea shows that it is located
nearly under the equator, and
is therefore in a very warm
country, and never known to
be frozen. Will the gentleman
please tell the audience where
the ice came from of which he
spokeY The Elder became
excited, and answered, with
lofty disdain, IF the brother
who has asked me this question
knew half as much about the
Scriptures and the geography
of the country as he pretends
to, he would know that this
circumstance which | have ex-
planned happened thousands
and thousands Of years ago; yes,
sir, thosands of years before
the age of biographies, and be.
fore there was any equator! |
think, brethren and sisters, |
have answered the gentleman
completely ly.-[Harper's Maga>
zine.