Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-04-19
Not a Doctrine or Statement Of the
Bible that Has Not Been Derlded
by Skeptics.
The Time to Come when Even the
Learned Sneerer VIII be Brought
10 Judgment.
morbid Christianity Not True Religion
More Religion In a laugh Than
in Gronn.


ike AuGlWuIt Recommendations Aui NhH Ntg-
pie who crowd TO hear him The Rev.
DE witt Talmage's sermon this morning
was On the subject daughter OF the
Bible.v The opening hymn was:
"Cone, 70 that love the Lord,
And let your Joys be Known;
Join ia the song with eweet accord,
And thus surrOund the throne"
Two texts we're chosen by the preacher
Psalm cxxvi, 2. "Then was our mouth
filed with laughter" and Palm II, g.
Gle athat stitch in the heavens shall
laugh" DR.. Talmage said
Tn rty-eight times does the bible make
reference to this conlgurati0n Of the fsa.
lures aud quick expulsion OF brea h which
we call laughter. Sometimes It is born
OF the sunshine aud somstimes OF the
midnight. Sometimes il etirs the SYM
pathies OF the angels and sometimes the
examination OF devils. All healthy peo-
pie laugh Whether it plea~es the Lord
or displcases llim that depends upon
when We laugh md at what we laugh.
My theme thls morning is the laughter Of
the bible, namely Sarah's laugh, or that
OF skeptlci,m; Dayid's laugh, or that Of
sprtutl exultatioui tho FOOLS laugh, or
that OF sinful merrim-nti God'slaugh, or
that Of infinite condemnation; heavens
laugh, or that Of eternal triumph.
Scenes An oriental tent the occupants,
old Abraham aud Sarah, perhaps wrlnkled
and decrepit. Their three guests are
three angels--the Lord Almighty onc Of
them 10 return for the hospitality
shown by the old people, God promises
Sarah that she shan become the nnces-
tress OF the Lord Jesus Christ. Sarah
laughs in the face OF God she does not
believe IL. She is affrlghtcd 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 dlds't laugh.n My friends,
the laugh Of skepticsm In all agesls only
the echo Of Sarah's laughter God says
he win accomplish a thing and men say
il cannot be done, a great multitude
laugh az the mirualcs. They say they are
contrary to tho laws Of nature what Is
doing thing. You ordinarily
Tomorrow YOU change lJr one
dag and you 60 across Wall street ferry
You made the rule. Have you the right
70 change itt ordinarily come 10 az
thai door fpOintiug 20 side entrance OF
tho church, Suppose next Sabhuth
Should come in go the other door, II is
a habit / have Have 7 not right TO
change my na0hf law OF nature Is
God's hab.t-His way of doing things.
" li0 makes the lsW nus He not She right
20 change ID 30 any tima lie wants %
change if Alas, tor tho folly of those
VINO laugh az God when he says; "f will
do thug" they responding, "Yon can't
do tn
God SAYS that the bible is true is
all true Bishop Colonso laughs; Herbert
Spencer laughs; John Stuart Mil lHughs
great German universities laugh; Harvard
laughs--s0fty! A great many Of the
learned institutions OF this country, with
longs rows of professors seated or the
fence between Christianity and inndelty
laugh softly They say awe didn't
laugh" That was Sarah's trick God
thunders from the heavens "But thou
didst laughn
The garden OF Eden was only fable
There never was any ark built; it was TOO
small TO have two OF every kind. The
pillar OF fre by night was only the North
ern lights. The ten plaques OF Egypt
only brilliant specimen OF jugglery. The
sea parted because the wind blew Violent
ly great while from one direction, Tire
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
trst-born IN Egypt was only cholera in
faptum become epidemic. The gullet Of
the whale ny positive measurement is TOO
small TO swallow prophet. The lame,
the dumb, the blind, the halt, cured bv
mere human surgery. The resurrection
OF Chrls1s friend only beautiful tableau,
Christ and La2arus and Mary and Martha
acting their parts well. My friends, there
is not doctrine or statement OF Gods
Holy Word that has not been derided hv
the skeptcism OF the day.
| take up this book OF King James,
translation. | consider IL aperfect 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 skeptlclsm Of the day demands
shall bo torn out What shall 90 first?
"Woll,n says some one Ia the audience,
take out al that about the creation and
about the trst settlement OF the world.n /
Away goes Genesis "Now,n SAYS some
one, take out all that about the mlracu,
ious guidance OF the children OF Israel
In the Wilderness Away goes Exodus /
"Now," says some one else 10 the audi I.
once, "there are things in Deuteronomy 4
aud Kings that are not No 20 be read. - /,
Away goes Deuteronomy and the Kings /
Now" says some Que, 'the book OF job
Is fable thatouugt Go como out.n Away
goes the book OF Job. 'Now,'' saws
some one, chose passages in the new 4
testament waich imply the divinity of .
Jesus Christ ought 60 come out.n Away I
20 the ivaugelstS. "Now,n saws some F.
one "the book Of Revelation is preposter. 1
ousi IL represents man with the moon .
under his feet and sharp sword IN his .
hand. y Away goes the hook OF Reyola- I
tor Now there are few pieces left
what shall we do with them 1Oh,p I
says some man IN the audience, ~ don't .
believe a word IN the bible, from one end
TO the other.n Wen, 10 Is an gone Now
yon have put out the last light for the
nations. Now II is the pitch darkness OF
eternal midnight, How DO you like It,? 4
But think, my friend, we had better
keep the bible a little longer intact IL
has done pretty well for good many
years. Then there are old people who
lind II comfort to have II on their laps,
ana children like the stories To It. Let
as keep II Tor a curiosity anyhow II
the bible Is 10 be thrown out OF the
school and out OF the courtroom
so that men no more swear by 1t, and Il
Is TO be put IN dark corner Of the city