The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-07-16
LAUGHTER IN The BIBLE.
Thirty eight References Made TO the
CONFORMATION.

Laugh of That Infinite Condemna-
tion-Heaven's Laugh of That Eter-
nal Triumph.
Brooklyn, July 15.-Rev. DR.. Talmage,
who is now in Australia on his round-the-
world Journey. has selected as the subject
for his sermon through the press to-day,
Laughter, g" the text being taken from
Psalm cxxvi, 2 Then was our mouth
filed with laughter" and Pslam ii, 4:
He that stitch in the heavens shall
laugh"
Thirty-eight times does the Bible make
reference to this confguration of the feat
ures and quick expulsion of breath which
we call laughter. Sometimes it is born
of the sunshine and sometimes the mid
night Sometimes it stirs the sympathies
of angels and sometimes the cachinnation
Of devils. All healthy people laugh.
Whether it pleases the Lord or displeases
him; that depends upon when we laugh
and at what we laugh. My theme to-day
is the laughter of the Bible, namely:
Sarah's laugh, or that of skepticism /;
David's laugh, or that of spiritual exulta-
ton; 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 wrin-
killed. and decrepit. Their three guests
are three angels-the Lord Almighty one
of them. In return for the hospitality
shown by the told people, God promises
Sarah that she shall become the ances-
tress of the Lord Jesus Christ. Sarah
laughs in the face of God; she does not
believe it. Sne is affrighted at what
she has done. She denies it. She
says; II didn't laugh" Then God re-
torted with an emphasis that silenced all
disputation; But thou didst laugh" My
friends, the laugh of skepticism, in all ages,
is only tho echo of Sarah's laughter. God
says he will accomplish a thing; and men
say il cannot be done. A great multitude
laugh at the miracles. They say they are
contrary to the laws of nature. What is
law of nature2 1t is Gods way of doing a
thing. You ordinarily cross a river at one
ferry. Tomorrow you change for one
day, and you go across another ferry.
You made the rule Have you not the
right to change IT. You ordinarily come
in at that door of the church. Suppose
that next Sabbath you should come in at
the other door, 1t is a habit you have.
Have you not the right to change your
habit2 A law of nature is Gods habit
his way of doing things. If he makes the
law, has he not a right to change it at any
time he wants to change it, Alas for the
folly of those who laugh at God when he
says: 81 will do a thing they respond
ing: "You can't do it, God says that
the Bible is true-it is all true. Bishop
Colenso laughs; Herbert Spencer laughs;
Stuart Mills laughs; great German uni
versities laugh; Harvard laughs-softly
A great many of the learned institu-
tons with long rows of pro-
fessors seated on the fence between
Christianity and infdelity, laugh softly.
They say: I'VE didn't laugh" That was
Sarah's trick. God thunders from the
heavens: But thou didst laugh" The
Garden of Eden was only fable. There
never was any ark built; or if it was
built. it was too small to have two of
every kind. The pillar of fire by night
was only the northern lights. The ten
plaques of Egypt only a brilliant speci-
men of jugglery. The sea parted, because
the wlnd blew violently a great while
from one direction. The sun and moon
did not put themselves out of the way for
Joshua. Jacobs ladder was only hori-
Eontal and picturesque clouds. The de-
stroying angel shifting the first-born in
Egypt was only cholera infantum become
epidemic. The gullet of the whale, by
positive measurement, too small to
swallow a prophet. The story of
the immaculate conception a
shock to all decency. The lame.
the dumb, the blind, the halt cured by
mere human surgery. The resurrection
Of Christ's friend, only a beautiful tab
leau; Christ and Lazarus, and Mary, and
Martha acting their parts well NV
friends, there IS not doctrine or state
ment of Gods Holy Word that has been
derided by the skepticism of the day. 1
take up this book of King James trans
lation. ] consider ii perfect Bible: but
here are skeptics who want it torn to
pieces. And now, with this Bible in nv
hand, let me tear out all those portions
which the skepticism of this day de-
mands shall be torn out What shall
go first2 Well" says some one in
the audience, take out all that about
the creation and about the first set
Element of the world" Away goes Gene
SIS. Now" says some one, take out
all that about the miraculous guidance of
the children of Israel in the wilderness. -
Away goes Exodus. Now" says some
one else in the audience, there are
things in Deuteronomy and Kings that
are not tit to be read" Always go Deu-
teronomy and Kings. ''Now," saws some
one, 1.-THE Book of Job is a fable that
oughI TO come out. Away goes the Book
Of Job. Now, - says some one, "those
passages in the New Testament which
imply the divinity of Jesus Christ ought
TO come OUT Away goes the Evange-
lists. Now says some one, 1.-The Book
of Revelation-how preposterous! it rep
resents a man with the moon under his
feet, and sharp sword in his hand -
Away goes the Book of Revelation. Now
there are few pieces left. What shall
we do with them Co." says some man
in the audience, II don't believe a word
in the Bible, from one end to the other -
Well, it is all gone. Now you have put
out the last light for the nations. Now
1t is the pitch darkness of eternal mid.
night How do you like itl
But think, my friends, we had better
keep the Bible little longer intact. Ii
has done pretty well for good many
years Then there are old people who
find 1t comfort to have it on their laps
and children like the stories in it. Let
us keep 1t for curiosity, anyhow If the
Bible is 10 be thrown out of the school
and out of the court room, so that men nc
more swear by it, and it is to be put in a
dark corridor of the city library, the
Koran on one side and the writings OF
Confucius on the other, then let us each
one keep a copy for himself. for we
might have trouble, and we would want
TO be under the decisions of its consola.
tons; and we might die, and we would
want the delusion of the exalted residence
of Gods right hand, which it mentions
o what an awful thing it is to laugh in
God S face and hurl his revelation hack