The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1894-07-27
LAUGHTER. !"
Re- d. Talmage Chooses a Vary
ing Subject.
The Various Kinds OF Laughter Referred
60 In the BibIe-The Most Glorious
or All VIII be Heavens Final
laugh of Triumph.


by Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage for publ
cation this week, during his sojourn in
the antipodes. The subject Is Laugh
ter being based on the text:
Then was our mouth filed with laughter
Psalm cxxVi.. 2
Thirty-eight times does the Bible
make reference to this configuration Of
the features and quick expulsion of
breath which we call laughter. Some
times It is born Of the sunshine, and
sometimes the midnight. 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. Ny theme to-day
Is the laughter of the Bible, namely:
Sarah's laugh, or that of slzepticism;
David's laugh, or that of spiritual ex-
ultation; 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 occu-
pants, old Abraham and Sarah, per-
haps wrinkled and decrepit. Their
three guests are three angels-the
Lord Almighty one of them. In re-
turn for the hospitality shown by the
old people, God promises Sarah that
she shall become the ancestress of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Sarah laughs in
the face of God; she does not believe
it. She is affrighted at what she has
done. She denies it. She says: 81 didn't
emphasis that silenced all disputation:
'But thou didst laugh" My friends,
the laugh of slzepticism in all ages is
only the echo of Sarah's laughter.
God says He will accomplish thing,
and men say it can not be done. A
great multitude laugh at the miracles.
They say they are contrary to the laws
of nature. What is law of nature?
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 an
other 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?
y
right to change your habit? A law
of nature is Gods habit-His way of do
ing 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: Il VIII do a thing" they re-
spending: you can't do it." God says
that the Bible is true-it is all true.
Bishop ColensO laughs; Herbert Spen-
Ger laughs; Stuart Mill laughs; great
German universities laugh; Harvard
laugks-softlyl A great many of the
learned institutions, with long rows of
professors seated on the fe zee be-
tween Christianity and infideIity, laugh
softly. They say: 1--WE didn't laugh. -
That was Sarah's trick. God thunders
from the heavens: But thou didst
laugh" The Garden of Eden was only
a fable. There never was an ark built;
or, if it was built, it was too small to
have two of every kind. The pillar of
fire was only the northern light; the
ten plaques of Egypt only brilliant
specimen of jugglery. The sea parted
because the wind 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 horizontal and pictur-
esque clouds. The destroying angel
shifting the first born in Egypt
was only cholera infatum become
epidemic. The gullet of the whale,
| by positive measurement, toe
small to swallow a prophet. The
story of the immaculate con
ception a shock of all decency. The
lame, the dumb, the blind, the halt,
cured by mere human surgery. The
resurrection of Christ's friend only a
beautiful tableaux, Christ and Lazarus
parts we'll My friends, there is not a
doctrine or statement of Gods holy
word that has not been derided by the
skepticism of the day. / take up the
| book of King James translation.
consider it a perfect Bible; but here
are sSeptics who want it tore to pieces.
And now, with this Bible in my hand.
let me tear out all those portions which
the skepticism of the day demands
shall be torn out. What shall GO
first? 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
Genesis. Now" says someone, "take
out all that about the miraculous
guidance of the children of Israel in
in the wilderness" Away goes Exc
dus. ''Now," says someone else in
the audience, there are things in
Deuteronomy and Kings that are not
fit to be read" Away go Deuteronomy
and the Kings. ''Now," says someone,
''the Book of Job is fable that ought
to come out" Away goes the Book of
job. ''Now," says someone, "those
passages in the New Testament which
imply the divinity of Jesus Christ
ought to come out" Away go the
Evangelists. Now" says some one,
''the Book of Revelation-how prepos-
terousl 1t represents man with the
moon under his feet and sharp sword
in his hand" Away goes the Book OF
Revelation. Now there are a few
pieces left. What shall we do with
them2 ''Oh," says some man in the
audience, Il don't believe a word in
the Bible, from one end to the other. y
Well, it is all gone. Now you have put
out the last light for the nations. Now
It is the pitch darkness of eternal mid
night How do you like it?
But think, my friends, we had bet
ter keep the Bible little longer in
tact 1t has done pretty well for a
many. Then there are old people who
/ find II a comfort to have it on their