The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-04-30
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
a opring.Tide Theme. - "The
LAUGHTER Of the Bible"
me Various Phases q CaehlanatoFy IN.
aulGenos. which are Pleading o. Dis.
pleasing 70 the Lord According -
the Spirit which Induces Il

Nmo VWt1Ouo 1nosO0 - CWcmAuUot0Hy 1ns
aslgenos. which are Pleading o. Dis.
pleasing 70 the Lord According - ,,
the Spirit which Induces Il
Rev. T. Dewitt falmage, IN . recent
Sunday morning sermon at the Brooklyn
Tabernacle, took for his subject 'The
"Laughter Of the Bible" taking for his
texts the following:
Then was our mouth filled with laughter.
.-Psalms, xxvi,2
He that sitssth IN the heavens shall laugh.
>Psalms. l. L
DR.. Talmsge said:
Thirty. eight times does the Bible make
reference to this conhguration Of the fea.
lures and quick expulsion of the breath
which We call laughter. Sometimes it Ii
born Of The sunshine and sometimes Of the
midnight. Sometimes II stirs the svmpa-
thies of angels and sometimes the cachin-
nation Of devils. All healthy people laugh.
Whether IL pleases the Lord or displeases
Him, that depends upon when we laugh
and at what We laugh. My theme this
morning 10 the laughter OF the Bible, name
ly-Sarah's laugh. or that of skepticism;
David's laugh, or that of spiritual exulta-
ton; the FOOLS laugh, or that Of sinful
merriment; Gods laugh, or that Of in.
finite condemnation; Heavens laugh, or
that Of eternal triumph.
Scene: An oriental tent; the occupants,
old Abraham and Sarah, perhaps wrinkled
and decrepit. Their three guests ere three
sngels-the Lord Almighty one Of them.
In return for the hospitality shown by the
old people God promises Sarah thct she
shall become the aucestress of the Lord
Jesus Christ. Serah laughs in the face of
God; che does not believe it. She is
affrighted at what she has done. She de-
mics 1t. She says: 81 didn't laugh.o
Then God retorted with an emphasis that
silenced all disputation: "Isut thou didst
laugh" My friends, the laugh Of skepti-
cism in oil ages is only the eche OF Sarah's
laughter. God says he will accomplish a
thing, and men say it can not he done. A
great multitude laugh at the miracles.
They say they are contrary to the laws of
nature. What is a law of nature? It is
Gods way Of doing thing. You ordi-
narily cross the river by the bridge.
Tomorrow you change for one day and
you 60 across Wall street ferry. You
made the rule. Have you not the right to
change il? 1 ordinarily como in at that
door (pointing to q side entrance of the
church). Suppose next Sabbath should
come in at the other door! Il is a habit
have. Have not a 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 q right to change it at any
time he wants to change il? Alas for the
folly of those who laugh at God when he
says: 81 will do a thing" they respond.
ing, "You can't do it,"
God says that the Bible is true-it is all
true. Bishop Colenso laughs, Herbert
great German universities laugh, Harvard
laugbs-softly; . great many of the
learned institutions Of this country, with
long rows of professors seated on the fence
between Christianity and infidelity, laugh
softly. They say: 1--WE didn't laugh"
That was Sarah's trick. God thunders
from the heavens: "But thou did st
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 vio-
lently 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 measures
ment is too small to swallow prophet. The
lame, the dumb, the blind. the halt, cured
by mere human surgery. The resurrection
Of Christ's friend only a beautiful tableau,
Christ and Lazarus and Mary and Martha
is not a doctrine or statement in Gods
Holy Word that has not been derided by
the skepticism of the day.
I take up this book Of King James,
translation. 1 consider it . perfect Bible,
but here are skeptics who want it torn to
pieces. And now, with this Bible in my
hand, let me tear out all those portions
which the skepticism of the day demands
shall be torn out. What shall go firsty
"Well," says some in the audience, take
out all that about the creation and about
the first settlement Of 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 Exo-
dus. SNOW" says some one else in
the audience, ''there are things In
Deuteronomy and Kings that are not
At to be read" Away goes Deuter.
onomy and the Kings. "Now," says some
one, ''the book of Job is q fable that
ought to come out" Away goes the
book of Job. "Now." says some one.
those passages in the New Testament
which imply the divinity Of Jesus Christ
out to come out" Away 60 the Evan
gelists. "Now," says some one, "ths
Book of Revelation-preposter it rep
resents . man with . moon under his
feet and q sharp sword in his hand"
Away goes the Book of Revelation. Now
there are a few places left. What shall
We do with themf "Oh," says some man
In the audience, ~ don't believe word
in the Bible from one end to the other"
Well, it is all gone. Now you have put
out the last light for the nations. Now
It is the pitch darkness Of eternal midnight.
How do you like it! But think, my
friends, we had better keep the Bible {
little longer intact. II has done pretty
well for a good many years. Then there
are old people who find it . comfort to
have It ON their laps, and children like
the stories in it. Let Us keep it for q euri-
osity anyhow. If the Bible is to be thrown
cut of the school aud out Of the court