The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1894-09-08

when they will say they did not laugh.
Then al the hypercriticisms, all the
caricatures, and all the learned sneers
in the Quarterly Reviews" will be
brought to Judgment; and amid the
rocking of everything beneath and
amid the flaming of everything above,
God will thunder: But thou didst
laughr' I think the most fascinating
laughter at Christianity ever remem-
Der was q man in New England. He
made the word of God seem ridiculous,
and he laughed on at our holy religion
until he came to die. and then he said:
dofnestically; for have no children: a
failure socially, for | ain treated in
the streets like a pirate; a failure pro-
fessionally, because ] know but one
minister that has adopted my senti-
ments." For quarter of a century he
laughed at Christianity: and ever since
Christianity has been laughing at him.
Now, it is near thing to go into a
mans house ana steal his goods: but l
tell you the most gigantic burglary ever
invented is the proposition to steal
these treasures of our holy religion
The tneaTest laugh ever uttered is the
laugh of the skptic.
The next laughter mentioned in the
Bible is David's laughter, or the express
sion of spiritual exultation. Then
was our mouth filed with laughter"
H. <rt ,-n,,rx ,.,,,ol, 1.,xx,, 1,,f
there are other chapters where for four
or five times he calls upon the people to
praise and exult. 1t was not mere
twitch of the lips; it was demonstra-
ton that took hold of the whole phys
ical nature. Then was our mouth filed
with laughter" My friends, this world
will never be converted to God until
Christians cry less, and laugh and sing
more. The horrors are poor bait. If
people are to be persuaded to adopt our
holy religion, it will be because they
have made up their mind it is a happy
religion. They don't like a morbid
Christianity. ] know there are moral
people who enjoy funeral They
come early to see the friends take
leave Of the corpse; and they steal a
ride to the cemetery: but all healthy
people enjoy wedding better
than they do a burial. Now. you
take the religion of Christ
sepulchral and hearselike, and you
make it repulsive. ] say, plant the
rose of Sharon along the church walks.
and columbine to Chamber over the
church wall: and have a smile on your
lip, and have the mouth filed with
holy laughter. There is no man in the
world, except the Christian, that has
the right to feel an untrammeled glee.
The next laughter mentioned in the
Bible that shall speak of is the FOOLS
laughter, or the expression of sinful
merriment. Solomon was very quick
at smile; when he makes comparison
we all catch it. What is laughter of a
fool like? He says: '.It is the crack
ling of thorns under pot The kct-
tie is swung. bunch of brambles is
put under it, and the torch is applied
to it, and there is great noise, and a
big blaze. and sputtcr and
quick extinguishment. Then it
is darker than it was be-
fore. Fools laughter. The most mis-
cradle thing on earth is bad mans
fun. There they are-ten men in a bar
room; they have at home wives, moth
ers, daughters. The impure jest starts
at one corner of the bar room, and
crackle, craclxle, crackle, it goes all
around. In five hundred such outlaws
there is not one item of happiness.
They all feel bemeaned, if they have
any conscience left. Have moth
ing to do with men or women who
tell immoral stories. I have no conf
dence either in their Christian char
acter or their morality. So. all merri-
ment that spring up out of the defects
of others-caricature of lame foot, or
a curved spine, or blind eye, or deaf
ear-will be met with the Judgment of
God. either upon you, or upon your
children. Twenty years ago knew a
man who was particularly skillful in
initiating the lameness of neighbor.
Not long ago, the son of the skillful
mimic had his leg amputated for the
very defect which his father had MIN
licked years before. / do not say it
was judgment of God: l leave
you to make your own inference.
The next laughter that / shall men,
ton as being in the Bible, is the laugh
of Gods condemnation: ''He that sit
teth in the Heavens shall laugh. y
Again: "The Lord will laugh at him. .
Again: II will laugh at his calamity. .
With such demonstration will God
meet every kind of great sin and wick
edness. But men build up villanies
higher and higher. Good men
almost pity God, because He is
so schemed against by men. Sud-
denly pin drops out of the
machinery of wiclSedness, or secret
is revealed, and the foundation begins
to rock; finally, the whole thing is
demolished. What is the matter? /
will tell you what the matter is: That
crash of ruin is only the reverberation
of Gods laughter. In the money mar
ket there are a great many good men.
and a great many fraudulent men. A
fraudulent man there says: II mean
to have my millions" He goes to work
reckless of honesty, and he gets his
first one hundred thousand dollars.
He gets after awhile his two hundred
thousand dollars. After awhile he
gets his five hundred thousand
doissrs Now" he says, II have
shall hav. my million" He gathers
up all his resources: he makes that one
last grand move, he falls and loses all.