Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1894-08-04
REV. DIR TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S SUN
DAY SERMON.

akHtVI ~ SAftH CXXFL l. no S0AI 6Ns
se'h in the heavens shall laugh."-Psalm
IL, 4.
Thirty-eight times does the Eiblc mako
reference to- this conhgurasIon Of The iea-
lures AMI quick expulsion OF breath which
We coll laughter. Sometimes II Is born OF
the sunshine and sometimes the midnight.
Sometimes II stirs the sympathy Of angels
and sometimes the c~achinnasion OF devils.
All healthy people laugh. Whether II
pleas"s tn" Lord or displsases Him, that de-
ponds upon when we laugh and 1t what we
laush. Ny theme to-day IL the laughter OF
the B~tble-namely. Saran's laugh, or that OF
tkep'ictstn Dav!ds laugh, or that OF spirit
nat e1nlta;ion the fools laugh, or that OF
sinful m~efiment; Coils laugh. or that OF
INFINITE conformation heavens laugh, or
TINT o! eternal triumph.
Scene. an oriental tent. The occupants
Old Abraham and Sarah. perhaps wrinkled
and d"crepit. 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 ances,ress OF the Lrl Jesus
Christ. Sarah laughs In the face OF God.
IN" does not believe II. She is ~afrrighted at
what she has done. She denies II. She
says, II did n%otIangh." Then God re,orted
vita an emphasis that silencei all disputa-
ION. But thou ditst laugh" My friends.
re 'sn2h o'ssep.icism In all ages is only
- tHhAutFI. NOI SAYS ne
VIII ac"omplI sh a thing, and men say it can
not D." done. A great multitude laugh, at the
miracles. They say they are contrary to tho
Jaws o. nature. What Is n law Of nature?
ItN'io! way OF doing n thing. You or.
d'h1r7iF cross a river at one ferry. To-mor-
row you change for ono day. and you 20
across another ferry. You made the rule.
Have you not the right to change II? You
ordinarily ZONE in at that door Of ne church.
Supfos" that next Sabbath you come II, nj
IN" other door. II is a habit you have. H,vs
you not q right 10 change your habit? A
'h~ 81 hatnr, il Gods ha'it-His way Of
dong things. II He makes the law. has Hst
not u right TO change 1t at any tim He wants
to chang IT?
Ala-! Tor the folly o. those who laugh ut
Col when II" siv.. II will do n thing
tH"y responding. YOU cant do it," Col
Ways tha' IN" Biblr is true-it IL alt true.
Bis'op Co!rnso laughs, Herbert Spencer
laughs, Stuart Mill laughs, great German
hfiVrrst - laugh, Harvard laughs-sofly
q great many OF tn. Learned institutions.
"fi Ion; rows Of professors saatai on the
renee between Christianity and inf lelity,
iau1n softly. They say, 1--WE didn't laugh"
That was Sarah's trick. God thunders from
the heavens. But thou diist laugh ~ The
garden OF Ei"n Was only n fable. There
h''fr was any ark tnilr. or II It was built It
was too small 10 have two OF every kind.
Ih- pillar o. fire by night was only the
northern lights. tho ten plaques OF Egypt
"hiy = brilliant specimen of juyglsry. The
Sea parted because the wind blew violently n
great whiie from ono direction. The sun
AMI moon did not put themselves out OF the
WHY Tor Joshua. Jacobs ladder WAS only
horizontal AMI picturesque clouds. The de-
s%troyinc angel shifting the flrstborn In
Egypt Wis Only cholera infantun become
'i'i'l mic. The outlet OF tho whale. by
positive Measurement, too small TO swallow
n VFpJInt Tua story Of Tho m o,,,I,.,
conception u shock to all decency. Tho
hme, the dunno. the blind. the halt. cured
ny mere human surgery. Tho resurrection
OF chri~t's friend only a beautiful tableau,
Christ AMI Lazarus and Mary md Martha
acting their parts well. My friends, there
is not u doctrine or statement otGod's holy
word that has not been derided by the
sIerticism OF the day.
take up this BOOK OF King James.s trans
Iatfon. consider It u perfect Bible. but
here are skepttcs who want II torn to pieces.
Aud now, with this Bible In my hand. LET
me tear out all those portions which the
skepiirism OF this day demands shall be torn
out. What shall go first? "Well." says some
one In the audience, take out all that about
the creation ana about 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, saws some one else in the au Hence.
There nre things in Deuteronomy AMI
Kings that are not lit TO be read" Away go
Deuteronomy end the Kings. Now" says
some one, "tte-book OF Job Is q fable that
ought to coma out Away goes the book OF
JOB. Now" says some one, "those pass
ages in the New Testament which imply the
divinity OF Jesus Christ ought to come out. "
Away go the Evangslists. Now" saws
some one. 1.-The took OF Revelntlon-hov
preposteroas! 1t represents q nan with the
moon under his feet and u sharp sword In
his hand Away goes the book Of Revela.
ton. Now there are q few pieces left. VIVA,
shall We do with them? 'Oh," says some
man IN the audience II don't believe I
word In the Bible from one end TO the 9th
or. We'll, It Is all gone. Now you hav,
put out thu last light Tor the nations. Nov
II Is the pitch darkness OF eternal midnight
How do you Ike it?
But think. my friends. we had bette,
keep the Bible u little Ion ger intact. II ha.
done pretty well for u good many years
Then there are old people who find 1t a com
Tort to have It on their laps. and childre,
like the stories In Il. Let US keep it for
curiosity anyhow. II the Bible is to b,
thrown on, OF the school and on, OF tn,
courtroom. so that men no more swear by IL
ana u Is TO be pu, in u dark corridor OF tn.
city library, the Koran on one side and IN,
writings OF Confucius on the other. then le
MS each one keep u copy for him SELF. for "
might have trouble. and We would want I.
be under the delusions OF Its consultations
and we might die. and We would want III
dciusion OF the exalted residence OF Goa
right hand. which II mentions. oh. what Al
awful thing II Is TO laugh In Coils face an
hurl His Revelation back at Him, Ate
awhile the day will come when tley will 50
they did not laugh. Then all the hype,
criticisms. ali the caricatures and all III
learned sneers In the quarterly reviews wi
be brough, 10 Judgment. and amid the rocl
Ing OF everything beneath anil anil tt
flaming OF everything above God will thur
der, But thou diist laugh" think Ii
most fascinating laughter at Christianity
ever remember was "a man in N"w Englan
He made the word o. Goi seem ridiculou
and he laughed on M our holy ~rs.ision I'm;
he came 10 die. and then he sail "My ii
has been "A faiiure-a :ailur. donesticssi
have no chitireu. A failure socially. Tor
am trea'e | In the STREETS ike a pirate.
failure professionally because know bur oil
minister tina, has adopted MY sentiments
For a quarter Of n century he laughed
Christianity. AMI ever s.nre Christianity h
been lsuyhlny AT bin. NV. ~ IS \ ne
thing 10 go into a man loU>t and steal !
goods. ut tell you the most gigantic IL
4larv esrf luV"aicJ = IL" n post toa
H.aAA - 80