The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-08-20
SERVING THE LORD.
Man a Free Agent and Not Slave
to Natural Laws.
LAUGHTER OF RELIGION.
The Glass of People Who Cannot
Go To Heaven.
NEW CATHOLIC CHURCHES DEDICATED.
BROOKLYN TABERNACLE.

BROOKLYN TABERNACLE
rxr LAUGHTER OF THE BIBLE-sERMoN II
THE REV. I. DE WITT TALMAoE
M. Taimage preached yesterday morning on the
s.Lauehser OF tho Bible. HIS texts werc Psalms
exxv. 2-.sTben was our mouth filled with laughter;'
and Psalms IL, Ale that stitch in tho heavens
shall laush.n
Thirty.c,ght times said Mr.. Tamsse, does the Bible
make reference this connguration Of tho features
ana quick expulsion OF tho breath. which we call
laughter Sometimes 1t s born Of tho sunshine. and
sometimes OF the midnight Sometimes IL stirs tho
sympathies Of angels, and sometimes Il arouses the
cacchination OF devils All healthy people laugh.
Whether it pleases the Lord displeases Him that
depends upon whom We laugh and at what We laugh.
nv theme this morning Is tho laughter OF the Bible
namely, Saran's laugh or that OF sccptcism, Davids
laugh or Of spiritual exutation, tho FOOLS laugh
or that OF sinful morriment Gods laugh or that OF
Infinite condemnation heavens laugh that OF eternal
triumph God promised Sarah that she should become
NE ancesress tho Lord Jesus Christ. Sarah laughed
In tho face of God. did not beve Il. Ny friends,
lhs laugh OF sceptcsm in Oil the ages 10 only echo
Of Sarah's laughter. God says He will accomplish
thing. and men say can't DO dono God says that the
Bible IL tue IL all true. Bishop Colenso laughs and
Herbert Spencer laughs, Stuart Mill laughs. al the
German universities laugh Harvard laughs softly,
great many OF the learned OF this country,
with long rows OF professors sitting on the
fence between Christianity and nfdety, laugh softly
Now, with this perfect Bible in my hand, let me tear
OUT what modern scepticsm demands to be torn out
.'we" says man In tho audience stake out all that
about the creation OF the world" Away goes
Genesis Now take all that miraculous stun about
darin inf tha in he will savR
another. Away goes Exodus. deuteronomy and
Kings contain things not 1T TO be road" Away 60
Deuteronomy kngs. "The book OF Job Is fable, "
says Away goes tho book OF Job. "All that
which implies tho divinity OF Christ ought to 60 out
says another Away 60 tho Evangelists "rhe book
OF Revelations Is prepostcrous," says another Away
goes tho book of Revelations Now, there still
pieces lett Oh, says some man, ~ don't believe u
word OF the Bible" Away goes the whole Bible Now
you have put out the last light OF the nations now II
10 tho pitch darkness Of eternal midnight How do
vou Ike tY When the Bible comes to be preserved as
curiosity in our city libraries, the Koran on one side
and the writings OF Conucus on the other let US Keep
Afflicted Oh what awful thing 1t IS for a man TO
laugh in Gods iace and hur His revelation back Al
Ami
THE RELIGION or LAUGHTER.
Tho next laughter mentioned Tho Bible Is David's
laughter or tie expression ol spiritual exuitaon Ny
friends this world will be converted to God until
Christians cry less and laugh and sing more. The
horrors are . poor bait II people are persuaded 10
adopt our religion It will be because 1t happy
itgion You mako the religion Of Christ sepuchrai
and you make II repulsive There is no man IN the
world except Christian has the right to feel glad
Oh, rejoice more Don't groan in prayer meeting
believe there's moro rogion in laugh than In q
groan Anybody can groan, but TO laugh in tho midst
banishmsnI persecution and trial, that requires
. David, Daniel, a Paul, modern hero.
The next laughter mentioned IN the Bible is the
FOOLS laughter or the expression OF sinful merrment
The most miserable thing on earth Is the bad mans
fan There they are-tcn men In barro0m. They
havo 1T home wives, mothers and daughters The i'm
Jest starts 1t ono corner Of that barroOn, and
crackle. crscke, crackle, 1t goes all round. In i've
hundred such laughs there Is not one item oil hap
piness They all feel besmeared II they have any
science Loft Have no confidence 10 people that tell
smutty stories or those whose msriment consists In
carlcaturcs Of the detects Of others sucn
and such ends IN death The laughter Of such men
ID the echo OF their own damnation.
WHAT NAN OF NEW YORK DID.
Tho next laughter that shall mention as being In
the Bible Is tho laughter OF Gods condemnation Bad
almost pity the Lerd, He is SO schemed against Sud-
denly pin drops out OF the machinery OF wicKed-
ness; soou the whole thing is demolished What Is
Ihe matterf l will tell you what Is tho matter
That crash Of ruin is only the reverberaton OF Gods
laughter man in New York said he would be tho
richest man 10 the city. He lett his honest Work Of
eharmskng, got into the city council some way and
years stole So, 600 900 from the city govern
menL ho held the Legislature of the State OF Now
York in the grip oil his right hand. Suspicious werc
whole city stood aphAst. The VINO expected 10
put half the CITY In his pocket goes 10 Blacgwels
Island then Ludlow street jail He escapes
,he sea, rearrescd and brought back Skilled
have net successful Whyf He that sitteth N
che heavens laughed at them.
The other laughter mentioned in tho Bible 10
heavens laughter, or the expression Of eternal
triumph. Christ sad 70 His disciples, blessed ye
that weep, Tor ye shall laugh !" That makes know
positively that are TO spend days In heaven
singing long metre psalms. The formalisuc aud still
notions OF heaven that some people get would make
mo miserable. am glad " know that the heaven OF
the Bible not only place Of holy worship but Of
magnincent socially.
! preach this sermon this morning with five prin-
elpal wehes-thatyou might see what mean thing
10 the laugh OF scepticisn that you might what
bright thing Is the laugh Of Christian spiritual exul
tation; that you might sec what hollow thing 10 the
laugh OF sinful merriment; that you might what
an awful thing Is the laugh OF Gods condcm nation
and that you might see what radiant and rubicund
thing II the laugh Of eternal triumph. AVOID the Ill;
choose the right Be converted, DO converted.
Blessed ye that weep now, for 70 shall laugh; 70
shall laugh
CHURCH OF THE ATONEMENT.
CITIZENSHIP IN HEAvEN--sERMoN BY THE REV.
J. z. wILDMAN, OF wALLINGFoRD, CONN.
The congregations Of the churches Of tho Atoncment
and the Incarnation hold JOINT yesterday
Ing in the Church Of tho Atonement on Madison
nue church edfce OF sister congregation bong
closed during tho present month. Both churches
together did attendance OF one hundred