The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-08-01

ing, yet possessing all things" The merriest
laugh think have ever heard has been in
the slckroom of Gods dear children. When
Theodosius was put upon the rack, ne SUI
fered very great torture at the first.
Somebody asked him how he endured all
that pain on the rack. He replied "When
was first put on the rack, suffered a great
deal, but very soon young man in whito
stood by my side, and with soft and COM
Portable handkerchief he wiped the sweat
from my brow, and my pains were relieved.
It was punishment for nae to get from the
rack, because when the pain was all gone
the angel was gone" Oh. rejoice evernore!
You know how 1t Is In the army-an army In
enoampment. If to-day news comes that
our side has had defeat, and tomorrow
another portion OF the tidlngs comes, say
Ing We have had another defeat, 1t demoral-
Ices all the host. But If the news comes Of
victory to-day and victory Tomorrow the
whole army is impassioned for the contest.
Now, in the kingdom Of our Lord Jesus
Christ report fewer defeats tells US the vic
tories-victory over sin and death and hell.
Rejoice evermore, and again say rejoice.
believe there Is more religion in laugh
than In groan. Anybody can groan, but
to laugh in the midst OF banishment and
persecution and indescribable trial, that re-
quired David, Daniel, q Paul, a modern
heroine.
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 sirlile. When he makes
comparison, we all catch 1t. What Is the
laughter of fool like? He says. ut is the
cracking Of thorns under pot" The ket-
tie is swung, q bunch of brambles is put un-
der it, and the torch is applied to it, and
there is great noise, and big blaze, and
sputter and quick extinguishment. Then
It Is darker than it was before. FOOLS laugh
ter; The most miserable thing on earth IS
bad mans fun. There they are-ten men In
barroom. They have at home wives,
mothers, daughters. The impure jest starts
at one corner Of the barroom, and crackle,
crackIe, crackle 1t goes all around. In 500
such outlaws there Is not one item OF happi-
ness. They all feel bemeaned If they have
any conscience left. Have nothing to do
with men or women who tell immoral stories.
I have no confidence either In their Chris
tian character or their morality.
So all merriment that springs out OF the
defects of others-caricature of lame foot,
or 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 I knew O man who was
particularly skillful in initiating the lame
ness of neighbor. Not long ago son of
the skillful mimic had his leg amputated for
the very defect which his father had
mimtcked years before. I do not say 1t was
judgment OF God. I leave you to make
your own inference. So all merriment born
Of dissipation, that which starts at the
counter OF the drinking restaurant or the
wineglass In the home circle, the maudltn
simper, the meaningless joke, the saturnalian
gibberish, the paroxysm OF mirth about moth
ing which you sometimes see IN the fashion,
able clubroom or the exquisite parlor at
twelve o'clock at night, are the cracking OF
thorns under pot. Such laughter and such
sin end In death. When I was lad, a book
came out entitled, "Dow Juniors Patent
Sermons" It made great stir, a very wide
laugh, all over the country, that book did.
It was caricature ofthe Christian ministry,
and of the word Of God, and Of the day Of
judgment. On, we had great laugh! The
commentary on tho whole thing Is that the
author of that book died In poverty, shame,
debauchery, kicked out OF society and cursed
OF Almighty God. The laughter Of such
men Is the echo OF their own damnation. T.
The next laughter that shall mention as
being in the Bible is the laugh Of Gods con-
demnation, "He that sitteth In the heavens
shall laugh" Again. "The Lord will laugh
at him." Again, 81 will laugh at his calam-
ity." With such demonstration will God
greet every kind Of great sin and wicked
ness. But men build up villainies higher
and higher. Good men almost pity God be-
cause He is so schemed against By men.
Suddenly pin drops out OF the machinery
Of wickedness or q secret Is revealed. and
the foundation begins to rock. Finally the
whole thing is demolished. What is the
matter? I will tell you what the matter Is.
That crash of ruin Is only the reverberation
OF Gods laughter. In the money market
there are great many good men and
great many fraudulent men. A fraudulent
man there says, 'I mean to have my mil
lion." He goss to work reckless OF hon.
esty, ard he gets his first 100000. He
gets after awhile his S200.0OO. After awhile
he gets his $780, 'Now." he says, "T
have only one more move to make, and
shall have my million" He gathers up all
his resources. He makes that one last
grand move, he fails and loses all, and he
has not enough money Of his own left to pay
the cost OF the ear to his home. People can
not understand this spasmodic revulsion.
Some said it was sudden turn In Erie Rail-
way stock. or in Western Union, or in Illi-
nois Central some said one thing and some
another. They all guessed wrong. I will
| tell you what 1t was. she that sitteth in the
heavens laughed" A man in New York said
he would be the richest man In the city. He
| left his honest work Us mechanic and got
into the city councils some way and in ten
years stole $4,000, 900 from the city govern.
ment, Fifteen million dollars He held the
| Legislature OF the State Of New York in the
grip Of his right hand. Suspicious were
aroused. The grand jury presented indict-
ments. The whole land stood aghast. The
man who expected to put half the city In his
vest pocket goes to Blackwell's Island, goes
| to Ludlow street Jail, breaks prison and goes
| across the sea, Is rearrested and brought
back and again remanded to Jail. Whyf
"He that sitteth in the heavens laughed"
Rome wasa great empire. She had Horace
and Virgil among her poets she had Angus
tus and Constantine among her emperors:.
But what mean the defaced Pantheon, and
the Forum turned into cattle market, and
the broken walled Coliseum, and the archi.
teetural skeleton OF her great aqueiucts?
What was that thunder2 "Oh." you say,
that was the roar Of the battering rams
against her walls" No. What was that
culver? "Oh," you say, THAT was the tramp
Of hostile legions." No. The quiver and
the roar were the outburst of omnipotent
laughter from the defled and insulted heav-
ans. Rome def1ed God, and He laughed her
down. Thebes deied God, and He laughed
her down. Nineveh def1ed God, and He
laughed her down. Babylon dehed God,
and He laughed her down. There is great
smile. His smile is eternal beatitude. He
smiled when Davidsang, and Miriam clapped
the cymbals, and Hannah made garments
for her son, and Paul preached, and John
| kindled with apocalyptic vision, and when
any man has anything to do and does it
well. His smile Why, it Is the 18th Of May,
the apple orchards in full bloom it Is morn
ing breaking on ripping sea; it Is heaven
at high noon, all the bells beating the mar