The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-07-18


sion 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. II was not mere
twltch Of the lips 1t was a demonstra-
ton that took hold Of his 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 a poor bait. If
people are to be persuaded To adopt our
holy religion. it will be because they
have made up their minds it is happy
religion. They don't like a morbid Chris
tianity.
| know there are morbid people who
enjoy a funeral. They come early To
see the friends take leave OF the corpse,
and they steal a ride 10 the cemetery,
but all healthy people enjoy a wedding
better than they do burial Now. you
make the religion Of Christ epulchral
and hearselike. and YOU make ii repul-
sive. l say plant the rose of Sharon
along the church walks and columbine
20 Chamber over the church wall and
have a smile on the lip and have the
mouth filled with holy laughter There
is no man in the world except the Chris
tan, that has a right to feel an I'M
trammeled glee. He is promised every
thing is to be for the best here, and he
is on the way 10 a delight which Will
take all the professions with palm
branches, and all the orchestras harped
and cymballed and trumpeted To eX-
press. oh" YOU say, Il have so much
trouble" Have you more trouble than
Paul had? What does he say "Sor-
rowful. yet always rejoicing. Poor. yet
possessing all things. The merriest
laugh ] think I ever heard has been in
nfaf
When Theodosius was put upon the
rack he suffered very great torture
the first. Some one asked him how he
endured all that pain on the rack He
replied: When 1 was first put on the
rack | suffered a great deal but very
soon young man in white stood by my
side. and with soft and comfortable
handkerchief he wiped the sweat from
my brow, and my pains were relieved.
II was a punishment for me TO get from
the rack, because when the pain was all
gene the angel was gone. oh, rejoice
evermOre. You know how Ii is in the
army-an army in encampment. If to-
day news comes that our side has had de-
defeat. and tomorrow another portion
Of the tidings comes. saying we have
had another defeat it demoralizes all
the host But if the news comes Of vic
tory today and victory tomorrow the
whole army is imprisoned for the con-
Jesus Christ report fewer defeats. Tell
us the victOrieS-VictOry over sin and
death and hell. Rejoice evermore. and
again / say rejoice. l believe there is
more religion in a laugh than in a grOan.
Anybody can grOan, but To laugh in the
midst of Punishment and persecution
and indescribable trial. that required
David. a Daniel. a Paul, modern he
rOine.
4 Mean Laugh.
The next laughter mentioned in the
Bible that l shall speak of is the FOOLS
laughter, or the expression Of sinful
merriment. Solomon was very quick at
simile. When he makes a comparison.
we all catch it. What is the laughter of
a fool like? He says, cit is the crack
ling of thorns under pot" The kettle
is swung, a bunch % brambles is put
under it. and the torch is applied TO il,
and there is a great noise, and a big
blaze. and a sputter. and "A quick eXtin-
guishment. Then 1t is darker than il was
before. Fools laughter
The most miserable thing on earth is a
bad mans fun There they are-ten men
in barTOOm: they have at home wives,
mothers. daughters. The impure jest
starts at one corner of the bar-rOom. and
crackle, craclxle, crackle, it goes all
around. In 500 such outlaws there is not
one item of happiness. 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 Christian
character of their morality. So all meTri-
ment that springs out of the defects Of
Others-caricature of a lame foot. or a
curved spine, or blind eye, or a deaf
ear-will be met with the judgments of
God either upon you. or upon your chill
dren.
Twenty years ago 1 knew a man who
was particularly skillful in imita ing the
lameness of a neighbor. Not Ions ago a
son of the skillful mimic had his leg am
putated for the very defect which his
father had mimicked years before. / do
not say it was a judgment of God. 1
leave you to make your own inference.
So all merriment born of dissipation,
that which starts at the counter of the
drinking restaurant or from the wine
glass in the home circle, the maudlin sim
per. the meaningless joke, the saturnalian
gibberish. the paroxysm of mirth about
nothing which you sometimes see in the
fashionable club-rOom or the exquisite
parlor at II o'clock at night, are the
cracking of thorns under pot. Such
laughter and such sin end in death
When ] was a lad, book came out
entitled Dow Juniors Patent Sermons"
Ii made a great stir-a very wide laugh
all over the country. that book did. 1t
was a Caricature of the Christian minis
try, and Of the word of God, and of the
day of judgment Oh, we had a great
laugh. The commentary on the whole
thing is that the author of that book
died in poverty. shame, debauchery,
kicked out of society and cursed of AL
mighty God. The laughter of such men
is the echo of their own damnation.
4 MomentuOus Laugh.
The next laughter that 1 shall mention
as being in the bible is the laugh of Gods
condemnation. He that stitch in the
condemnation. He that stitch in the
will laugh at hm." Again, Il will laugh
at his calamity" With such demonstra-
ton will God greet every kind of sin
and wickedness. But men build up vii
lainies higher and higher. Good men al
most pity God. because He is so schemed
against by men. Suddenly a pin drops
out Of the machinery of wickedness. or a
secret is revealed. and the foundation be-
gins 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 market there are a great
many good men and great many fraud
ulent men. a fraudulent man there says
Il mean to have my million" He goes
to work reckless of honesty, and he gets
his first 100000. He gets. after awhile
his $500, 900. After awhile he gets his
100000. Now" he says, Il have only
one more move to make. and | shall have
my Million" He gathers up all his re-
sources, he makes that one last grand