The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-08-01
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
cHE BROOKLYN DIvINE'S SUM-
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "Laughter"


kushter. Psalm cx1vi.. 2. "He that sit.
Pth In the heavens shall laugh. Psalm
~
Thirty-eight times does the Bible make
eference to this conflguration OF the fea-
Elres and quick expulsion OF breath which
Re call laughter. Sometimes It is born OF
pc sunshine and sometimes the midnight.
|ometimes It stirs the sympathy OF angels
|nd sometimes the cachinnation OF devils.
(l healthy people laugh. Whether II
lends upon when we laugh and at what we
hugh. My theme to-day Is the laughter Of
he Btble-namely, Sarah 8 laugh, or that Of
kepticism David's laugh, or that Of spirit
{al exultation the FOOLS laugh, or that OF
nful merriment Gods laugh, or that Of
hhnite condemnation; heavens laugh, OF
bat Of eternal triumph.
Scene, an oriental tent. The occupants,
I'D Abraham and Sarah, perhaps wrinkled
md decrepit. Their three guests are three
'ngels, the Lord Almighty one Of them. In
|eturn for the hospitality shown by the old
'eople God promises Sarah that she shall
|ecome the ancestress of the Lord Jesus
hrfst. Sarah laughs In the face OF God.
'he does not believe it. She is affrighted at
fhat she has done. She denies 1t. She
Rys, ~ did notlaugh." Then God retorted
ftth an emphasis that silenced all disputa-
on, "But thou didst laugh" My friends,
be laugh Of skepticism In all ages Is only
he echo of Sarah's laughter. God says BE
31ll accomplish thing, and men say 1t can
3ot be done. A great multitude laugh at the
hiracles. They say they are contrary to the
hws Of nature. What Is law of nature2
Is Gods way Of doing a thing. You or.
anarily cross river at one ferry. To-mor-
|pw you change for one day, and you go
GROSS another ferry. You made the rule.
Lave you not the right to change it2 You
Primarily come In at that door of the church.
1uppose that next Sabbath you come In at
be other door. It Is habit you have. Hsve
|ou not right to change your habit? A
ew OF nature is Gods hebit-His way OF
3oing things. If He makes the law. has He
lot a right to change 1t at any time He wants
bchangei It?
Alas for the folly Of those who laugh at
od when He says. "I will do a thing"
hey responding. "You can't do IT," God
Rys that the Bible is true-it Is all true.
bishop Colenso laughs, Herbert Spencer
4ughs, Stuart Mill laughs, great German
Universities laugh, Harvard laughs-softly.
great many Of the learned institutions,
nth long rows Of professors seated on the
bnce between Christianity and inhdelity,
hugh softly. They say, "We didn't laugh"
hat was Sarah's trick. God thunders from
pc heavens. "But thou didst laugh" The
arden Of Eden was only fable. There
ever was any ark built, or II 1t was built It
as too small to have two Of every kind.
he pillar OF fire by night was only the
orthern lights, the ten plaques Of Egypt
hly brilliant specimen Of jugglery. The
pa parted because the wind blew violently q
Eeat while from one direction. The sun
hd moon did not put themselves out Of the
ay for Joshua. Jacobs ladder was only
orizontal and picturesque clouds. The de-
roytng angel shifting the firstborn in
Egypt was only cholera infantum bscome
pidemic. The gullet Of the whale, by
Psittye measurement, too small to swallow
prophet. The story Of the immaculate
bnceptlon shock to all decency. The
kme, the dumb, the blind, the halt, cured
mere human surgery. The resurrection
ohrist's friend only beautiful tableau,
hrist and Lazarus and Mary and Martha
cting their parts well. Ny friends, there
not a doctrine or statement of Gods holy
Ford that has not been dertded by the
kepticism OF the day.
] take up this book Of King James's trans
fan. consider II 8 perfect Bible, but
e-J are skeptics who want It torn to pieces.
md now, with this Bible In my hand, let
ke tear out all those portions which the
kepticism of this day demands shall be torn
at What shall 60 first? "Well." says some
he In the audience, ''take out all that about
be creation and about the first settlement
the world" Away goes Genesis. "Now,"
kys some one; T"take out all that about the
ktraculous guidance Of the children Of Israel
the wilderness. Away goes Exodus.
Now" saws some one else in the audience,
there are things In Deuteronomy and
Rings that are not f1t to be read" Away GO
deuteronomy and the Kings. 'Now," says
bme one, "the book Of Job is fable that
ught to come out" Away goes the book Of
pb. "Now," says some one, "those pass
ges IN the New Testament which imply the
way go the EvanGelists. "Now," says
bme one. "rhe book Of Revelation-how
keposterous It represents man with the
loon under his feet and sharp sword in
hand" Away goes the book OF Revela-
on. Now there are few pieces left. What
bail We do with them? ."Oh," says some
IAN in the audience, ~ don's believe a
lord in the Bible from one end to the 9TH
Well, It Is all gone. Now you have
l1t out the last light for the nations. Now
Is the pitch darkness Of eternal midnight.
Tow do you like 1t?
But think, my friends, we had better
pep the Bible little longer intact. It has
pne pretty we'll for good many years.
hen there are old people who find II COM
pit to have 1t on their laps. and children
ke the stories In it. Let US keep It for a
triosity anyhow. II the Bible Is to be
rown out OF the school and out of the
Purtroom, so that men no more swear by IT.,
hd It is to be put In dark corridor OF the
ty library, the Koran on one side and the
rttings Of Confucius on the other, then let
Zach one keep copy for himself, for we
light have trouble, and We would want to
under the dslusions OF its consultations,
hd we might die, and we would want the
illusion OF the exalted residence OF Gods
ght hand, which 1t mentions. Oh, what an
Bful thing 1t Is to laugh In Gods face and
1rl His Revelation back at Him After
while the day will come when they will say
key did not laugh. Then all the hyper
iticisms, all the caricatures and all the
armed sneers in the quarterly reviews will
brought to judgment, and amid the rock
g OF everything beneath and amid the
aiming Of everything above God will thun-
Pr, But thou didst iaughm I think the
ost fascinating laughter at Christianity !
er remember was man in New England.
9 made the word OF God seem ridiculous,
d he laughed on at our holy religion until
came to die, and then he said: "My life
hs been failures failure domestically.
have no children. A failure socially, for I
% treated in the streets like pirate. A
ilure professionally because know but one
mister that has adopted my sentiments. u
Or quarter of century he laughed at
hristianity, and ever since Christianity has
en laughing at him. Now, it is mean
ing to 20 into mans house and steal his
pods, but tell you the most gigantic bur.
ary ever invented is the proposition to
cal these treasurers of our holy religion.
be meanest laughter ever uttered is the
ugh ofthe skeptic.
The next laughter mentioned in the Bible
Davld's laughter, or the expression oi
fritual exultation.i ''Then was our mouth