Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-04-19
LAUGHTER OF THE BIBLE.
THE SUBJECT MENTIONED 3S
TIMES IN SCRIPTURE.

Skepticism's Laugh in All Ages but the
Echo of Sarah's Laugh when Told
That She Should Become the Ances-
tress of the Lord Jesus Christ-Heav-
ems Eternal Laughter - Laughs of
Ee-associatiOn- - Difference Bstween
Gods Laugh and His Smile.
BROOKLYN, n. Y, April $50 great
is the popularity of the preacher at the
Brooklyn Tabernacle, that it is under adj
visement to build for him a church twice
as large, and thereby to make something
like adequate accommodation for the Ieo-
pie who crowd to hear him. The Rev. DE
Witt Talmage's sermon this morning was
on the subject, daughter of the Bible"
The opening hymn was:
Come We that love the Lord
And let your joys be known;
JOIN in the song with sweet accord,
And thus surround the throne"
The texts were chosen by the preacher
Psalm cXxvi, ,: "Then was our mouth
filled with laughter''; and Psalm ii, A:
"He that sitteth in the heavens shall
laugh" DR.. TaImage said:
Thirty-eight times does the Bible make
reference to this condguration of the
features and quick expulsion OF breath
which we call laughter. Sometimes it is
born of the sunshine and sometimes of
the midnight. Sometimes il stirs the
sympathies of angels and sometimes the
cachinnatiOn of devils. All healthy people
laugh. Whether it pleases the Lord or dis
pleases Him that depends upon when we
laugh and at what we laugh. My theme
this morning is the laughter of the Bible,
namely-Sarah's laugh, or that Of skep-
ticism; David's laugh, or that of spiritual
eXultatiOn; the FOOLS laugh, or that of
sinful merriment; Gods laugh, or that
of infinite condemnation; Heavens
laugh, or that of eternal triumph.
Scene: An Oriental tent; the Occu-
pants, old Abraham and Sarah, perhaps
wrinkled and decrepit. Their three guests
are three angels-the Lord Almighty one
of them. In return for the hospitality
shown by the old people God promises
Sarah that she shall become the ancestTess
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Sarah laughs
Il in the face of God; she does not believe it.
She is affrighted at what she has done.
She denies it. She says: 81 didn't laugh"
Then God retOrted with an emphasis that
| sIlenced all disputatiOn: "But thou didst
laugh" My friends. the laugh OF skepti-
cism in all ages is only the echo OF oarah's
laughter. God says he Will accomplish
thing and men say 1t cannot be
tdOne. A great multitude laugh at the
the laws of nature. What is a law OF ma
ttureT 1t is Gods way of doing thing.
| You ordinarily cross the river by the
bridge. Tomorrow you change for one
day and you go across Wall street ferry.
You made the rule. Have you not the
right to change it? | ordinarily come in
at that door (ponting to a side entrance
of the church.) Suppose next Sabbath |
should come in at the other door? 1t is
habit have. Have nOta right TO change
my habit? A law OF nature is Gods
habit-His way of doing things. If He
makes the law, has he not "a right to
change il at any time he wants to change
it? Alas for the folly of those who laugh
at God when He says: Il will do a thing"
they responding, "YOu can't do it.''
God says that the Bible is true-it is all
true. Bishop COlenso laughs; Herbert
Spencer laughs; John Stuart Mill laughs; !;
great German universities laugh; Har-
ward laughs-sOftly! A great many Of
the learned institutions of this country,
with long rows of professors seated on
the fence between Christianity and inf
deity, laugh softly. They say: 1--WE
didn't laugh" That was Sarah's trick.
God thunders from the heavens: "But
thou didst laugh"
The garden of Eden was only fable.
There never was any ark built-it was too
small to have two of every kind. The pill
lar of fire by night was only the northern
lights. The ten plaques OF Egypt only a
brilliant specimen OF jugglery. The sea
parted because the wind blew violently a
great while from one direction. The sun
and moon did not put themselves out Of
the way for Joshua. Jacobs ladder was
only horizontal and picturesque clouds.
| The destroying angel shifting the first
born in Egypt was only cholera infantum
become epidemic. The gullet OF the whale
! by positive measurement too small to
swallow prophet. The lame, the dumb.
the blind, the halt, cured by mere human
surgery. The resurrection of Christs
friend only beautiful tableau: Christ.
and Lazarus, and Mary, and Martha act
ing their parts well. My friends, there is
not doctrine or statement IN Gods holy
Word that has not been derded by the
skepticism Of the day.
/ take up this book of King James,
translation. / cOnsderit perfect Bible,
but here are skeptics who want 1t torn 10
pieces. And now, with this Bible in INV
hand, let me tear out all those portions
which the skepticism Of the day demands
shall be torn out. What shall 90 firstl
SWELL, SAYS some in the audience, "take
out all tnat about the creation and the
first settlement o. the world" Away
goes Genesis. "Now," says some one,
take out all that about the miraculous
guidance OF the children of Israel in the
Wilderness" Away goes Exodus
Now" says some one else in the au-
dience, "there are things I'm Dsuteron-
omy and Kings that are not Fl G 70 be read. ="
Away goes Deuteronomy and the Kings.
Now" says some one. "the book Of job
is fable that ought to come out" Away
goes the book Of job. Now" says some
one. "Those passages ia the New
Testament which imply the divinity OF
Jesus Christ ought TO come out" Away
90 the Eyangelists. Now SAYS some
one, ''the Book OF ReYelation-preposte
Gus! IL represents a man with the moon
under his feet and a sharp sword in his
hand" Away goes the Book OF Revela-
ton. Now there are a few pieces left
WHAT shall we do with them? "Oh,O
saws some man in the audience, 81 don't
believe word in the Bible from one end
70 the other" Well, IL is all gone. Now
YOU have put out the last light for the
nations. Now IL is the pitch darkness Of
eternal midnight. How do you like it?
But l think, my friends, we had better
keep the Bible little longer ins
tact. 1t has done pretty well
for good many years. Then there
are old people who find IL a comfort 20
have II on their laps, and children like the
stories In 10. Let us keep IL for a curios-
ity anyhow. II the Bible is 10 be thrown
out Of the school, and out OF the court
| room, 80 that men no more swear By 10,
4 10 NaaH 4