Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1894-08-01
RII. DR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINES SUN
DAY SERMON.
Subject: 'fLau.htern


laughter. Psalm cxxvi., .. "He that sit.
teth in the heavens shall laugh. Psalm
H., 4.
Thirty-eight times does the Bible make
reference to this conGguration OF the fea-
lures and quick expulsion OF breath which
we call laughter. Sometimes II ia born OF
the sunshine and sometimes the midnight.
Sometimes II stirs the sympathy OF angels
and sometimes the cachinnGtion Of devils.
All healthy people laugh. Whether it
pleases the Lord or displsases Hin, that de-
pends upon when we laugh and at what we
laugh. Ny theme to-day Is the laughter 0
the Bible-namely. Sarah's laugh, or that OF
skepticisn David Is laugh. or that OF spirit
ual exutation the fools laugh, or that OF
sinful merriment Gods laugh, or that OF
infinite condemnation; heavens laugh, or
that Of eternal triumph.
Scene, an oriental tent. The occupants
old Abraham and Sarah, perhaps wrinked
and decrepit. Their three guests are three
angels, the Lord Almic lty one OF them. In
return for the hospits lily shown by the old
people Cod promises Sarah that she shall
become fhe ancestress OF tte Lord Jesus
Christ. Sarah lau"'1s i'll tbs facs OF God.
She does not beiio! il. She is afIrighted at
what she has done. She denies il. She
says, 81 aid not laugh" Then God retorted
with an emphasis that siencei all dsputaI
ton, But thou didst laugh" My friends,
the laugh of skeptieism in al ages is only
the echo Of Sarar's laughter God says Hd
will accomplish thing, and men say It cam
moi be done. great multitude laugh at tho
miracles. fhey say hey are contrary to th1
laws Of nature. What IS q law of nature5
It is Goi's way of doing "a thing You orr
dinarlly cross river Mt one ferry. To-mor1
row y,ou change for one day. and you "a
across another ferry. You made the rule
Have you not the right to change 1t? Yo1
Ordinarily come In Mt that door ofthe church,
Suppose that next Sabbath you come in at
the other door Il is a habit you have. Have
you not right to change your habit? 4
law Of nHture ~ Gods ha6it-His way OF
doing things. If He makes tho law. has He,
not right to change it at any time He wants
to change It?
Alas! for t. folly Of those who laugh at
sber Ged rasn as saE III c,l w, do do
says that the Bible is true-it is nil true.
Bishop Colenso laughs, HerJcrc Spencer
laughs, Stuart Mill laughs, great GerIntn
universities laugh, Harvard iTu.;hs-so'tiy.
great many OF the learnsi institutions,
with long rows OF professors stated on the
fence between Christianity AMI !niie!ity,
laugh softly. They say, ''We didn't laugh"
That was Sarah's trick. Col thun lers from
the heavens. "But thOl ditst laugh! y Tna
garden of Eden was only a fable. Ther3
never was any ark built. or II it was tuilt it
was too stDnll to have two Of every kin J.
The pillar OF fire by night was only the
northern lights. the ten plaques OF Egypt
only brilliant specimen of iugglery. Inc
great while from one direction. The sun
and moon did not put themselves out o, the
way tor Joshua. Jacobs ladder was only
horizontal and picturesque clouds. The de-
Etroyins angel shifting the firstborn in
Egypt was only cholera infsntun become
epidemic. The gulct OF the whale, by
positive measurement, too small TO swallow
O prophet. The story OF the immaculnte
conception a shock to all decercr. The
lame. the dumb. the blind. the halt. cured
f1t--t hun
of Christ's friend only beautiful tableau,
Christ and Lazarus AMI Mary and Martha
acting their parts well. Ny friends. there
Is not doctrine or statement OF Gods holy
word that has not been dsEiiel by the
skepticiSm OF the day.
Itake up this book OF King Jan-ss trans
lation. [ consider # n perfect Bible, but
here are skeptlcs who want II torn to pieces.
And now, with this Bible in my hand, lie,
me tear out all those portions which thd
skspticism OF this day demands shall be torn
out. What shall so first? "Weli," says .ona
one IN the audience, ''take out nll that about
the creation and nbout the first settlement
OF the world" Away goes Genesis. Now
Gays some one, "taSe out all that about tha
miraculous cuiiauce Of the children OF Israel
In t!r wilderness" Away goes Exodus.
"Sow," SAYS some one else in the aulienoe,
"there are things in Deuteronomy AMI
Kings that are not fit to be road" Away go
Deuteronomy and the Kings. "Now," says
ought TO come out" Away goes the book OF
Job. "Now." says some one, "those pass
ages In the New Testament which imply tho
divinity OF Jesus Christ ought 10 come our."
Away 20 the Evangeists. "Now," says
some one. ''the book of Revelaton-how
preposterous! 1t represents man with the
moon under his feet AMI sharp sword in
his hand" Away GOES the book of Revela.
tlon. Now there are few pieces le!t. WHAT
shall we do with them? "Oh," says som,
word in the Bible from one end to the o.h-
er." Well, It Is all gone. Now you havd
put out tha last light for the nations. Now
It is the pitch darkness Of eternal midnight.
How do you like 1t?
But think, my friends. we had better
keep the Bible little longer intact. It has
done pretty well for good many years.
Then there are old people who find II corn4
fort to have it on Their laps. and children
like the stories in it. Let US keep It for n
thrown ont OF the school and our OF the
courtroom, SO that men no more swear by it,
and 1t is to be put in dark corridor OF ths
city library, the Koran on one side and tina
writings of Confucius on the other. thon let
US eacn one keep a copy fox himself, for we
might have trouble, and we would want to
be under the deiuson5 of its consultations,
and we might die and we would want ths
delusion of the exalted residence Of Goi's
right sand, which 1t mentions. On, what an
aT tnlDg II is ituGu III uOI lace ant
huri Ills Revelation back at Him! After
awhile the day will come when they will saw
they did not laugh. Then all tho hyper
criticisms, all the caricatures and all tho
learned sneers in the quarterly reviews will
be brought to judgment. AMI Rmid the rock.
ing of everything beneath and anil the
flaming OF everything above God will thUn-
der, But thou didst laugh" I think tho
most fascinating laughter Mt Christianity
ever remember was man in New England.
~ lrNs Col ~.
and he laughed on Mt our holy religion until
he came TO die, and then he said "Mv life
has been faiIure-l failure domestically.
have no children. failure socially. for
am treated IN the streets like pirate.
failure professionally because know but one
minister that has adopted my sentiments"
For quarter Of q century he laughed at
Christianity, and ever since Christianity has
been laughing at him. Now, IL is a mean
thing TO 60 into mans house and steal his
goods, but tell you the most gigantic bur-
Glary ever invented is the proposition to
s,eai these treasurers OF our holy religion.
The n.eanest laughter ever uttered is the
iaugh Of the skeptic.
The next laughter mentioned In the Bible
IA Deyid's laughter, or the expression OF
anirituaI exultation. "Then was our mouth
eIled with laughter" He got very much
down sometimes, but there are other CHAP
ters where for four or five times he calls upon
the people to praise and eIult. 1t was not
mere twitch OF the Iips-lt was demonsfra-
ttou that took hold OF his whole physical M
ture. Then was our mouth fIed with
laughter" My friends, this world will never
be converted 10 God until Christians cry lesf
and laugh and sing more. The horrors are
a poor bait. II people are TO bs persuaded
to adopt our holy religion, IT will bs beciuss
they have mado up their minds IL is a happy
religion, They don't Ike 4 morbid Chris
nanry. I know there ara morbid peepie whs
snioy funeral. They come earfy 70 seethi
friends take leave ofths corpse, anltEsy steal
ride to the cemetery, but all healthy psopla
sntoy q Wedding bester tins n they do a burial.
eSw. you make the rsssion OF Christ
,spulohral and kssrse'!ks, and you
make n repulsive. say plant the rose o.
Sharon along the slUsch walks and
eolumbfno to ciamher over the church wall,