The Globe-republican., 1894-07-27

people who find it q comfort to have it
on their laps and children like the
stories in it. Let US keep it for a Curl
osity, anyhow. If the Bible is to be
thrown out of the school and out of
the court room, so that men no more
swear by it. and it is to be put in a
dark corridor of the city library, the
Koran on one side and the writings of
Confucius on the other, then let
us each one keep a copy for HIM
self, for we might have trouble, and
we would want to be under the
delusions of its consultations; and
we might die, and we would
want the delusion of the exalted resi-
dence of Gods right hand which it
mentions. o! what an awful thing it
is to laugh in Gods face, and hurl his
revelations back at him. After awhile
the day will come when they will say
they did not laugh. Then all 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 fam
ing of everything above, God will
thunder: But thou didst laugh!''
The next laughter mentioned in the
Bible is Davids laughter, or the ex-
preston of spiritual exultation. Then
was our mouth filled with laughter"
He got very much down sometimes;
but there are other chapters where for
four or five times he calls upon the
people to praise and exult. 1t was not
a mere twitch of the lips; it was a dem
onstration that took hold of the whole
physical nature. Then was our mouth
filled 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 be-
cause they have made up their minds it
is happy religion. They don't like
morbid Christianity. know there are
morbid people who enjoy funeral.
They come early to see the friends take
leave of the corpse; and they steal
ride to the cemetery; but all healthy
people enjoy wedding better than
they do 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 filled with
holy laughter. There is no man in
the world, except the Christian, that
has the right to feel an untrammeled
glee. He is promised everything is
to be for the best here, and he is on
the way to delight which will take
all the professions with palm branches,
and all the orchestras harped, and
symbaled, and trumpeted to express.
90" you say, Il have SO much
trouble" Have you any more trouble
than Paul had? What does he say?
..Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.
Poor, yet making many rich. Having
nothing, yet possessing all things"
The merriest laugh l think l ever
heard has been in the sick room OF
Gods dear children.
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 simile; when he makes comparison
we all catch it. What is the laughter
of a fool like? He says: ct is the
cracking of thorns under pot" The
kettle is swung, a bunch of brambles
is put under it, and the torch is applied
to it, and there is great noise, and
big blaze. and a sputter and quick
extinguishment. Then it is darker
than it was before. FOOLS laughter.
The most miserable thing on earth
is a bad mans fun. There they are
ten men in Il bar room; they have
at home wives, mothers, daughters.
The impure jest starts at one corner of
the bar room and crackle, crackle,
crackle. it goes all around. In five
hundred such outlaws there is not one
item of happiness. They all feel be-
meaned. if they have any conscience
left. Have nothing to do with men
or women who tell immoral stories. /
have no confidence either in their
Christian character or their morality.
So, all merriment that springs out OF
the defects of others caricature of a
lame foot, or a curved spine, or blind
eve. or a deaf ear-will be met with
the Judgment of God, either upon you,
or upon your children.
The next laughter that shall men
ton as being in the Bible, is the laugh
of. Gods condemnation: HE that
stitch in the heavens shall laugh. :"
Again: 'The Lord will laugh at him. y
Again: 81 will laugh at his calamity"
With such demonstration will God
meet every kind of great sin and wick
edness. But men build up villianies
higher and higher. Good men almost
pity God, because he is SO schemed
against by men. Suddenly pin drops
out of the machinery of wickedness, or
secret is revealed, and the founda-
ton begins to rock; finally the whole
thing is demolished. What is the mat
ter? 1 will tell you what the matter is:
That crash of ruin is only the reverber'
alton of Gods laughter.
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