The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-12-11
TEE TIMEs-RICnMOND VA TUESDAY DECEMBER u 1891

say In the oryse, that did not raise TINS
subject tn onnose the philosophers.
preached from this text because one OF
my members asked me. and the faltn OF
God was the point / tried 20 ee' out Oh
II. II | ever thought once OF eHe pnlioso-
piers. / can't recall II. never thoushl
OF Mr.. Wells. the pastor OF Ebenezer
church, who. when | had preached the
sermon, went out and puoilsned that
had preached base fabricauon'
CALLED IN JUDGES
I had no intention Of preaching any
thing except Gods word, ana got my
authority for 1t out Of this DOCK. when
Mr.. Wells said / preached oase faori-
cation. called together competent
judges and invited them 10 near me- ana
il | did not show by the unauthorized
word Of God that the sun moves, then |
would preach no more and Ia don't
prove to you by this book that the sun
moves / will never open II again Inc
philosophers may claim that such ana
| such things may be- but they can make
Won believe it, I go by Gods word, and
there amt any men who Will say mat
amt true.
/ am an old fogy. not a Latin scholar
! or Greek scholar. but am minister
Of the Lord Jesus, called to preach his
word.
A little disturbance in the congregation
at this point caused the old man to re-
mind them that good manners required
that they should respect the mouse OF
God.
Continuing. he said: II say this about
Mr.. Wells and | would rather say II
| wild my foot on his foot ana my race IN
his face dan TO say IL behind his back;
dat If he amt a false teacher, fnen i
never walked. repeat 1t again. ana
will tell him why: Because "heh man
becomes better than his maker ana hoids
| his word up to ridicule' theh ne Is
| false teacher"
The famous coIored divine then referred
to his early life. and spoke Of himself
| as the Moses Of his people.
Said he: Il never reSorted 10 schooi
| for any one TO say as much as A Is I,
| but when | was slave. young man,
| also Il slave, gave me seven months les
sons In a New-York Speller. | was con-
verted, and God moved powerfully on me
| TO preach his Gospel, and / prayed Tor an
understanding. lie heard, ana J. now un-
derstand a good many things. If not all
| ought to know. | haven't preached
manuscript sermon in all 10y iifty-iive
years Of preaching. ] can write one, but
! can't preach It,
Then. again repeating his text, he took up
| his theme. and went into the history or
| the Jews to show that God Is man OF
war" His description OF the fiigh; OF the
Jews. their pursuit by Pharaoh. the pas
sage Of the Red Sea, the battle with the
Amorites and the fall OF Jericho. were
graphic In character and made douby
interesting by his peculiar illusions TO the
subject. II was when he got 70 the bat
tie Of Gideon and Joshua commanded Inc
sun 20 stand still. that he raised the
question which bias made him so IA
nous. and that part OF his sermon, which
was Incidental only in the original DIS
course, has long since become the main
issue.
HOW 1T GOT THERT.
Then said he: THE sun came over
Glbeon. | don't know how II got there.
The philosophers say II don't move. Dey
SAYS de world moves on an axle. ana is
'volving around Ge sun. If that Is so,
why did Joshua tell the sun to stand
still? II the earth runs around de sun
on axles. den de f. de centre of de uni
verse. and why did not Joshua tell the
earth to stand still? Joshua asked God
to stop the sun; he didn't ask him to
stop the earth God told him to speak
to the sun, and he commanded the sun
- stand still. How could the sun stop
if II did not move? How could the sun
20 down after 1t had stopped, II ii did
not move?'
After arguing this point fully. the
preacher said he would leave IL to any
intelligent mind If his position wasn't
correct. and that the sun moves. Yes,
Lord; Amen" came in response from sew
eral points in the congregation, from MS
enthusiastic followers.
Said he: The sun rose. he left his
place. and gone back TO whar he rose,
and he Circled the earth. If so. didn't
he move? Look at Ecclesiastes. chapter
|. verse ;, and If you don't find that
so. hold me responsible. God says the
sun rises and the sun sets, and who Is
dey dat is gWine to say dat God lies
ITO those school teachers who teach
that four corners means round, | say
they had better throw books away. PM
losophers say that the earth Is round
Revelations. Eth chapter and lst verse. say
We are living on q fOur-cornered earth.
But the philosophers not only say 1t is
round, but they profess TO find aNles Tor
IL to turn on. and they profess to find a
foundation for It,. l refer them 10 Jere-
miah, XXXi., 81.
CLINCHED his POINTS.
Rev. John Jasper elaborated these
points and clinched each one IN charac-
teristic way with verses Of Scripture.
He then turned his attention to the
ridicule OF scientific theorists, and while
it created great merrment, II was right
there that the strength Of very re-
markabie sermon was broken. and the
otherwise diguiied discourse robbed OF
its effectiveness His closing words We're
quite eloquent. and as the old preacher
stood with excited eye and earnest face
giving them all the force of his weakened
voice. and gesticulating with his long
arms and hands, he made remarkable
picturc. and one that viii hardly be seen
again In this generation.
Said he: You teach all your children
that the word of God Is truth, and that
there are no errors In 1t. l have shown
Won that the sun moves, and that Gods
word saws Il moves. | want TO know
what YOU are going TO do with Gods
words. Nobody is going to say that
they are untrue Take these synopsis
and II YOU find them right, consider over
them. and n have said anything wrong
put them under your feet.
The synopsis referred 10 were the quo
tations from Scripture upon which ne
bases his claim that the sun moves and
which were sold in the congregation Tor
five cents Il copy. Ihey are as iol-
lows:
MS 'sYPoPsfs."
Coo also Jeremiah, capter XXI, verse
q. ,rbus smith the Lord, If heaven above
%, he measured. and the foundations OF
- -,h searched out beneath, | will
''.e Let on al the seed Of Israel for all
r., NOV have done, saith the Lord.
peaIm cxiit.. verse 3: From the rising
80 enn INTO the going down Of the
oa 90 me Lords name Is 10 be praised.