Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-12-05
A D,yISk's cAsulsraY.
How pr. TalmsRe touh ,ides Asalns, The
Deity.

!
rrof David swing.
! That a man WHO was wholly dlscon.
neotod from any pile OF isgots or kero.
sene or other oombnstiblo should, lndl.
roctly aud alone, while etand,ne and
talking, become the victim oi spontaneous
combustion, aud thus ho consumed from
lhu face OF the earth, liz proposition
found IN ono I The recent sermons Of The
/ popular DR. Inlmage The sermon pfo.
catdS with mach dlrtotuuss and simplci.
/ ", aud thns relates the history " this
cUnfagmtiogi
| ffoiEnlly Is worse than theft, or arson,
or MURDER Tor these crimes are atintks
ON humanity. That IL an attack on q I'd,
/ Ihis country Is pre- eminent for bias.
phemy The crime Is multiplying la Ia.
tenalty. upd very often shows Whist Ilo
thinks OF IT, but for tho most mart nm
fatality Is huahrd up. ! give you a fact
that ie proved ~ scores ~ Witnesses
This last August OF $50 man cot
provoked at tho continue drought and
the ruin ot his crops, aud In the presene.
oi hl- nelghbDfs cursrd God, aaylua tnat
ne would cut His heart uut il llr would
come, calling Him a liar and cnward, aud
ilarhlng knife. Aud " lie he was abeak-
Ing his lower jaw dronDcd, smoke issued
from his M u'h and uustrils, aud tho heat
Of HIS body WAS so Intense IL drove back
those who would como uOnr. Scores Of
people visited the scene aud saw the
OlHsphemer Ia the awful process Of ex.
piring.
While u W true that no nOwspapor has
ever been guilty OF doubtlbg the truth a
any Incident related by clergyman, VT
the Now York sun was naturally ANXIOUS
70 near All II could regarding this unnat.
ural nrc, even 30 the amount OF 1rn in
sufauco there may possibly have bean no.
on me tenement aud IN what companies,
ana Tor securing this information IL sent
member Of It's rtportoral Et,ff o. oh.
lal1 from the slnguishod Clergyman
additional iaots That this visit was not
successful VIII be known by any Que who
WI tcad tle following paragraph from
siii sun of New York. Said tho Brook.
Ign preachers
appreciate tie desire for further dc.
tails IN ihls matter, but purpnsplv
avoided locating The event, aud tho ita
sons that actnatcd tue then lnpel me nov
TO keep tho hniir from the public. such
an event lsa terrible thi0g Tor the family
aud friends of tbs mau who was nunigh.
ed, aud II was out Of consideration for
them that ] omitted tu state whore tho
scene was laid, That Il il strictly time,
however, have conclusive evidence
| forget Just how II was brought tn my
attention. heard II reported by some.
body or got my first information from
private letter, ! cannot say which, but
am Inclined u think N was the latter
lint no matter. | asked trusted
friend OF niue 20 Invest gate for me, an
ho ala So Some correspondence onaurd,
which he turned over 10 ma, and from II
! nm assured that tno nffair DID &C.
tnally and exactly take place as dc.
sGrlbcd II. | have tho correspondence
atill, but ! think / had better keep ID TO
myself.
Now, Ia this vow OF silenoc, Dr. Tai.
mage did not act wisely, / seems not II
liltlc Inappropriate that n minister Of tho
gospel should have takOn sides with tho
family and agalnst tho Deity. Tie pub.
he burning up ~ "A biAsphrmer wuntd
seem 20 Indicate that tho LORD deslred To
oXprrrH his dlnsppr0vul II the growing
profanity, hut, II Mr.. Talmago may thus
conceal from the anxious pubhn tho
definite facts m this caAn tins aim of
providence would seem wholly frustrated
by the tclturnity Of Mr.. Talmage, ana
there viii develop upon this Providence
the necessity OF settling nre to som,
other man, aud 90 some man a. far away
~ possible from tbo eUneuAling power of
the BfOOklyn orator.
The mazes ~ .casuBtry are long and
dark, bat u seems clear that IN conconl-
Ing the name aud place VI this incident
Dr. Talmagu becomes IN some manner on
accessory after tho fact, or guilty of sup
pressls vert, guilty Of what might be
called sympathetic profanity.
Nor IL THIS the whole measure OF the
Doctors culpablliiy, he has Tins cast
slur upon the Bible, upon will hls
closed hard falls eu often with the two
fold power OF energy aud admiration. Ia
that case OF lying recorded In tho Acts
the names Of tie offenders arc given,
aud nendaclous per-ous 10 all times are
alntmed upon the mere mention ~ Anhn.
las aud Sapphira. So tho false missionary
was alluded 70 by name, and VIZ all know
IL was Jonah. In the Bible there IL no
saying, az was n terrible thing for man
70 be cnlombed for three days ia the nb. |
d6men oi n whale, and would rather not !
pain his friends by giving names H.
was reserved Tor the nineteenth century, |
and Brooklyn, nnd our own beloved Tat |
mage, " accuse the Bible Of needless per |
Aunalliy and "A desire 70 wound tho fepi- |
ings Of relatives.
Should Brother Tnlmage eec these |
comments he must mol assume that any |
person IN the whole West DOUBTS the ~.
sential parts Of the story about the man,
and tho IRE, and tho oath. We have all |
heard OF "hot oaths," Ehd "oIplosiye
oaths," and 0alhs like "Dlue streak" |
ana are willing TO believe that whore |
there has long been NO much smoke thcre |
might at least come some lire, but there /
IA "A longing Tor particulars II time, and /
place and pcrHou. Some diyines 0tcrlbc
the event 10 the carly part Oi our cen
tnry, some locate tho scene Ia Indiana
In 1887, n The wot season IN March, and /
nay that the profanity came from TOO |
much rain, ana not from TOO llttie. Be-
Wildtrsd by these variations many thou
ssnds Of thoughtful people 10 tho valley 4
Of The Mississippi persons Who w0uld !
love % relate this awful tails 10 pfoians /
citlzcns MS opportunity might offer hope I
that Bother Talmage will NOT remain a /
partisao tof tho relaHycs, bat null come 4
our on the Lords side and give big snp (
port 70 what seems thus for thwafted /
plan OF Providence.
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Hyeu Anffu