The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1894-07-25
LESSONS OF A LAUGH,
Rev. DR.. Tslmsge's Discussss Another
Unique Subject.

BROOKLYN, July l5.-RsV. DR.. Ial-
mage, who is now in Australla on his
round the world journey, has selected as
the subject for his sermon through the
press today Laughter" the text being
taken from Psalm cxxVi, 2, Then was
our mouth filed with laughter" and
Psalm il, 4, she that 8itteth in the heaY-
ems shall laugh"
Thrty-eight times does the Bible make
reference to this conhguration OF the teat-
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 sympa-
thies of angels, and sometimes the each
innation OF devils. All healthy people
laugh. Whether 1t pleases the Lord or
displeases him, that depends upon when
We laugh and at what We laugh. My
theme today is the laughter OF the Bible
namely, Sarah's laugh, or that OF
skepticism; David's laugh, or that OF
spiritual eXHltatiOn; the FOOLS laugh, or
that Of sinful merrinent; 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 Wrink
led and decrpit. Their three guests
are three angels-the Lord Almighty
one of them. In return for the hopitall-
ty shown by the old 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. She is afirighted at what
she has done. She denies it. She says,
81 didn't laugh" Then God retorted,
with an emphasis that silenced all dis
putation, but thou didst laughn' My
friends, the laugh of skepticism; in all
ages, is only the echo Of Sa-
rah's laughter. God says he will &C.
complish a thing, and men say It can
not be done. A great multitude laugh
at the miracles. They say they are con-
trary to the laws of nature. What is a
law Of nature? It is Gods way OF doing
8 thing. You ordinarily cross river at
one ferry. Tomorrow you change for
one day, and youg 90 across aGother ferry.
You made the rule. Have you not the
right tochange il? You ordinarily come
in at that door Of the church, Suppose
that next Sabbath you should come in
st the other door? 1t is a habit you have!
Have you not a right to change your
habit? A law of nature is GODS habit
his way of dong things. Ifbe makes
the law, has he not right to change 1t
at any time heWants to change Ii? Alas.
for the folly of those who laugh at God
when he says. 81 will do thing" they
responding, "You can't do it." God
says that the Bible is true-it Is all true.
Bishop Colenso laughs; Herbert Spencer
laughs; Stuart Mill laughs; great Ger
man universities laugh; Harvard laughs
softly! A great many ofthe learned
Institutions. with long rows Of profes
sors seated on the fence between Chris
tianity and infdehty, laugh sofly. They
say, "We didn't laugh"
That was Sarah's trick. God thunders
from the heavens, but thou didstlaugh!
The garden of Eden was only fable.
There. never was any ark built, or if 1t
was built it was too small to baVe two
of every kind. The pillar Of fire by night
was only the nothern lights, the 10 p]a
cues 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 picturesque clouds. The
destroying angel shifting the the frstborn
in Egypt was only cholera infantume be-
come epidemic. The gullet of the
whale, by measurement, was too,
small to swallow aprophet the
story Of the immaculate concep-
ton shock to all decency. The
lame, the dumb, the blind, the halt cured
by mere human surgery. The resurrec
ton Of Christ's friend only beautiful
tableau. Christ and Lazarus and Mary
and Martha acting their parts well.
Ny friends, there is not a doctrine or
statement Of Gods holy word that has
not been derided by the skepticism Of
the day. I take up this book OF King
James translation. I consider it a
perfect Bible, but here are skeptics who
want it torn to pieces. And now, with
this Bible in my hand, let me tear out
all those portions which the skepticism
of this day demands shall be torn out.
What shall 60 first? "Well," ," says some
one in the audince, "take out al that
about creation and about the first settle
ment oFthe world" Away gees Genesis.
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 fit to be read" Away go
Deuteronomy and the Kings. Now, "
saws some one, 1.-THE book IF Job is a
fable that ought to came 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
90 the E7aDgelists. Now" says some
one, ssthe book Of Revelation-hOW pre-
posterous! It represents man with
the moon under his feet and a sharp
sword in bis hand" Away goes the
book of Revelation. Now there are a
few pieces left. What shall We do with
them? "Oh," says some man in the audi
ence, 81 don't believe 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 nation. Now it is
the pitch darkness OF eternal midnight.
How do you like il?
But 1 think, my friends, We had bet
Ter keep the Bible a little longer intac t..
1t has done pretty well for good many
wears. Then there are old people vino
find it comfort to have it on their laps,
and children Ike the stories in it. Let
US keep it for curiosity. II the Bible
is to be thrown out Of the school and
out of the court room, 80 that men no
more swear by 1t, 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
keep o copy for himself, for we might
have trouble, and we would want to be
under the delusions of it's consultations,
and We might die, and We would want
Al ox,clgoI raoiInnaa nG