The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1873-03-01

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dirt enough in his room to make him O
free holder. The court does not excuse
YOU"
FHE HARP OF A THOUSAND STRINGS.
'Ehis celebrated sermon is so often re-
feIred to, that many WHO have nOtreadit
have curiosity to do so, and many who
have read it will be glad to indulge an
other laugh at its whimsicality.
may say to you my brethring, that I
am not an educated man, an l am not
one of them as believes that education
! is necessary for gospel minister, for I
believe the Lord educates his preachers
just as he wants 'em to be educated, an
| although say it that Oughtn't to say it,
| yet, in the State OF Indianny, Whar /
I've, thars no man as gifts q bigger con-
gregatiOn n0C what gifts.
Thar may be some here to-day, nv
brethring, that don't know what persua-
| sion | am NV. Well, must say to YOU
my bFethring, that Tan a Hard Shell
Baptist. Thar > some folks as don't like
the hard shell baptists, but I'd rather
have hard shell as no shell atall. You
see me hePetO-day my bTethring, dressed
up in fine clothes you mOu't think Twas
proud, my brethring, and although I've
been a preacher of the gospel fOrtwenty
! years, an although Pm capting of the
| ffatbOat that lies at your landing, I'm
not proud, my .bFethring.
am not gWine to tell edzactly whar
my text may be found; suffice t0say, it's
in the leds Of the bible, ;" and you'll find
| it tsOmeWhar between the first chapter of
! the book Of Generations, and the last
chapter of the book of Revolutions, and
eff you'll go and search the Scriptures,
you'll not only find my text thar, but a
! great many other teXes as will do you
good to read, and my tex, when yOu
shall find it, you shall find it to read thus:
"Ard he played on harp of thOus-
and strings-spirits OF jest men made
perfeck." :.
Ny tex, my brethring, leads me to
speak Of spirits. Now, thar's Il great
many kinds of spirits in the world. In
the fuss place, thar's the spirits as some
folks call ghosts, and thar's the spirits
of turpentine, and thars the spirits as
some folks call liquor, an I,ye got as
good an artikl6 of them kind of spirits
on nay flatbOat as ever was fOtch down
the Mississippi river; but thar's great
many other kinds of spirits, for the tex
says, "He played on q aharpuvat-h-O-u-s-
and strings, spirits of jest men made
peFfeck.D
But I'll tell you the kind NV spirits as
is ment in the tex, is fire. That's the
kind nv spirits as is ment in the tex, my
brethring. Now thar's q great MANY
kinds Of fire in the world. In the fuss
place, thar's the common sort of fire YOU
fight your cigar or pipe with, and then
thar's fOXfrc and campfire, fire before
your ready, and fire and fall back, and
many other kinds NV fire, for the tex
says, He played OH harp nv thOus-
and, strings, spirits of jest men made
perfeck."
But I'll tell you the kind Nv fire as is
ment in the tex, my brethring-it's HE'LL.
FIRE an that's the kind Nv fire as q
great many Ity you'll come to eff you
don't do better nor what you have been
dOin'-for "He played on a harp NV %
Thousand strings, sperits NV jest men
made perfeck.n
Now, the different sorts Of fire in this
world may be likencd unto the different
persuasiOns of Christianity i'm the world.
In the fuss place, we have the Piscapa-
lians, an they are high saiin' and 10
lighfalutin' set, and they may be likened
unto a turkey blIzzard, that flies up into
the air, and he goes up, and mp, and up,
till he locks 40 bigger than yOur finger
nail, and the fuss thing you know he
Gums down, and down, and is film
himself ON the carkiss OF q dead hOss by
the side Of the road, and He played ON
a harp NV thousand strings, sperits Nv
jest men made perfeck."
And then thar's the Methods, and they
may be hkened unto the squirrel 1rnnin'
up into tree, for the Methods believes
in gwine ON from one degree of grace to
another, and finally on to perfection, and
the squirrel goes up, and up, and he
Jumps from limb to limb, and branch to
branch, and the fuss thing you know he,
falls, and down he comes kertiumix, and
that's like the Methods, fortheyis allars
fallin from grace, ah! and He played
on a llaIp NV thousand strings, sperits
Nv Jest men made perfeck."
Andthen my bTethring, thar'sthe. Bap-
tist, ah and they have been likened unto
a possum on a. a.'simmOn tree, and thun-
ders may roll and the earth may quake,
but hatpOssum clings thar still, all and
You may shake one foot loose and the
others thar, and he clings forever, for
He played on harp nv a, thousand
strings, sperits jestmenmadeperfeck"