Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1894-07-27

best here and he is on the way to a delight
which will take all the professions will pllm
branches and all the orchestras harpe1 and
cymbaled md trunpetei to express. ''Oh,
you say. Il have 50 much trouble. Have
you more trouble than Paul had? What does
he say? ''SOrrOwiul, yet always rejoicing.
Poor, vet making many rich. Having meth
Ing. yet possessing all things" The merriest
laugh think have ever heard has been IN
the sickroom Of G DDS dear children. When
IheoiosiuS was pat upon the rack, he sus-
fGre very great torture at the first.
Somebody asked him how he endured all
that pain on the rack. He replied: "When
I was fest put on the rack suffered great
deal but very soon yOuuy man in white
stood 10y my side, AMI with soft AMI COM
Portable handkerchief he wipei the sweat
from my brow. and my pains were relieved.
1t was punishment for me to get from the
rack, because when the pain was all gone
the angel was gone" Oh. rejoice evermore !!
You know how 1t is in the arny-an army in
encampment. II to-day news comes that
our side has had defeat. and tomorrow
another portion o. the tidings comes, say
ing we have had another defeat, it demoral-
ICES all the host. But If the news comes of
victory to-day AMI victory tomorrow the
whole army is impassione 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 an1 hell.
Rejoice evermOre, and again say re- iOice.
believe there Is more religion in Il laugh
than in a grOan. Anybody can gro1n, but
to laugh in the midst of haniShment and
persecution and indescribable trial, that re-
quired David, Daniel. Paul, a molern
heroine.
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
-, r,,oI - t. i, = &ha
cracking Of thorns under pot" The ket-
tie is swung, bunch of brambles is put uu-
der it. and the torch is applied to ii, and
there is a great noise, and a big blaze, AMI a
sputter AMI Il quick eXtlnguishmeHt. Then
it is darker than it was before. FOOLS lau gh-
ter The most miserable thing on earth is a
bad mans fun. There they are-tPn men in
q harroOm. They have at homo wives,
mothers daughters. The impure Jest starts
at one corner of the barroom, and crac&le.
crackie. crackle it goes all around. In 500
such outlaws there is not one item of happ-
ness. They all feel bemaane1 if they have
any conscience left. Have nothing to do
with men or women who tell immoral stories.
have no confidence either in their Chris-
tian character or their morality.
SO all merriment that sprin ,S out o. tho
defects Of fothers-caricaturo of q la No foot,
or a curved spine, or blind eye, or q deaf
ear-will be met with the judgment Of Col,
either upon you or upon your children.
Twenty years ago l knew IL man who was
particularly skillfui in initiating the lame
ness Of Il neighbor. Not long ago a son of
the skillful mimic had his leg amputated for
the very defect which his father hal
mimicked years before. I do not say it W IS
Judgment of God. I leave you to make
your own inference. Sc all merriment born
of dissipation, that winch starts at the
counter Of the drinking restaurant or the
win9glass in the home circle, the mau Hin
5mpar. the meaningless joke. the Siturnaian
gibberi5h, the parOXy5m OF mirta 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 | was a lad, a book
camo out entitled, ''D0w Juniors Patent
Sermons" 1t made great stir, a very wide
laugh, all over tho country, that book did.
1t was cartcature OF the Christian ministry,
and OF the WOrI Of GOD, AMI OF the day OF
| iu lgment GA, we ha l Il great laugh. Tl3
| commentary on the whole thing is that the
| author of that book died in poverty, shame,
| deD III cherry. kicke1 out Of socic y and cursed
OF Almighty God. The lau yhter OF such
N n is the echo of their own damnation.
Tile next laughter that | shall mention as
being i'll the Bible is the laugh Of Go Is con
| demnation, ''He that sitteth in the heavens
! shall laugh" Again. "The Lori will lau IN
| at him." Again, 81 will laugh ut his Gala
| ity." With such demonstration will GJ
| greet every kin Of great sin and wicked
ness. But men build up villainies higher
| AMI higher. Goo men almost pity God be-
cause He is so Schemel against by men.
| Su ideny pin drops out Of tho machinery
| OF wic6e lneeS or Il secret is reveaie |, AMI
| the foundation begins to rock. Finally the
| whole thing is demolished. Wnat iS the
| matter? | will tell you what the matter is.
That crash of ruin is only tla reverbcration
! OF Gods laughter. In the money market
| there are a great many goo1 men and Il
| great many fraudulent men. A fraudulent
| man there says, II mean to have my mil
| Ion" He goes to work reckless of hon
estv. and hs gets his first 800, 900. H.
| he gets his $500. 900. Now" he says, u
! have only one more move to make, AMI
shall have my million" He gathers up al
! his resources. He makes that one las
granI NOV, he fails and loses all. ani ht
| has not enough money of his own left to pay
| the cost Of the ear to mis- homo. People can
not understand this spasmO1ic revu!siOn
| Some said it WAS a sudden turn In Erie Rail
way stock, or in Western Union, or in HI
nois Central some said one thing and some
another. They all guessed wrong. L viii
tell YOU what it was. ''He that sitteth in the
heavens laughed" man in New York said
be would be the richest man in the city. H
left his honest work as a mechanic an gO
into the city councils some way AM in ten
years stole $15, ,O0) 900 from the city govern
ment Fifteen million dollars He held tn,
| LEGISLATURE OF the State of New York in the
grip of his right hand. Suspicious wer>
aroused. The granl jury presented indct
ments The whole lanl sto0 agdast. tn,
man who expected to put half the city in his
vest pocket goes to Blac&well'S island, goe
to Lu How street Jail, breaks prison AMI goes
across the sea, is relrrestet IN l brOugh
back and again renandel TO Jail. Why
'Hr that sitteth in the heavens laughed"
WA ~ 4
and Virgil among her poets she had Angus
tuS AMI Constantine among her emp3rorS
But what mean the defaced Pantheon, an
the Forum turned into a cattle market, an
the broken walled Coliseum, AMI th9 arch'
tecturll skeleton OF her great aque III its
What was that thunler? ''Oh." you say
THAT was the roar Of the battering ram
| against her walls." No. What was tbs
culver? "Oh,' you say, that was the tram
Of hostile ie&iOns. No. The quiver an
the roar were the outburst OF Omnipoter
laughter from the defied and insulte heaN
ans. Rome defied God. and He laughed he
down. Thebes Gafie1 Go |. and He laughe
her down Nineveh de1ed Cos, and H
laughed her down. Babylon detied Go
and Helaughed her down. There Is gree
difference between GoIs laugh and HI
smile. His smile is eternal beatitu1e. IL
smiled when David sang. and Miriam clappe
tine cymbalS, and Hannah made garment
fsr her son, and Paul preached, AMI Joh
kIndled with apo"4lyptic vision. anu wAe
any man has anything to do an does
we'll. His smile! Why, it is the 10Th of NJ ~
the apple orchards in full bloc it is morn
ing breaking On ripping sea- it is heave
at high noon, ali the bells beating tho ma
riage peal. But His laughter-nay it nere
fall on us 1t is a condemnation for on
sin it is Il wasting away.
We may let the satirist laugh at US, an
all our companions may lau ;h at US, AMI W
may be made the target for the merrim 9L
Of earth and hell, but God forbid that W
should ever come to the fulfllment OF tn
prophecy against the reiectors of the truth
II will laugh at your calamity" But, m
fri, q s, all OF US who reject Christ and tn
pardon of the gospel must come under tha
tremendous bombardment. God wants U
to repent. He counsels, He coaxes. ID
| importunes. and He dies for US. He come