The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-07-18

mage, VINO Is now IN RuSlFdAd vi 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. ,, Then was
our mouth filled with laughter" and
Psalm ii. 4. He that stitch in the heav-
ems shall laugh"
Thirty-eight times does the bible make
reference to this confguration Of the
features and quick expulsion Of breath
which we call laughing. Sometimes it is
born of the sunshine and sometimes the
midnight. Sometimes il stirs the sympa-
fhies of angels. and sometimes the cachin-
nation of devils All healthy people
laugh. Whether it pleases the Lord or
displeases Him. that depends upon when
we laugh and al what laugh My
theme today Is the laughter Of the bible
namely. Sarah's laugh. or that of sSepti-
cism; David's laugh, or that of spiritual
exultation; 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 guest are
them. In return for the hospitality
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 amrighted at what she
has done. She denies it. She says, IT
didn't laugh" Then God retorted. with
an emphasis that silenced all disputation,
But thou didst laughr' My friends the
laugh Of skeptiCism. in all ages is only
the echo Of Sarah's laughter God says
he will accomplish a thing. and men say
IL cannot be done. \ 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
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 al that door of the
church. Suppose the next Sabbath you
should come in at the other door? 1t is
10 change your habit? A law of nature
Is Gods habit-Eis way Of doing things
II He makes the law has He not the 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 will
do a thing" they responding, You can't
do it, God says that the bible is true
II is all true. Bishop Colenso laughs:
Herbert Spencer laughs; Stuart Mills
laughs: great German universities laugh:
Harvard laughs-sOftly, great many
or the learned institutions. with long rows
of professors seated on the fence between
Christianity and infidelity, laugh softly.
They say, We didn't laugh"
Laughing Mt Bible Truths.
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 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 tire Northern lights. the
ten plaques of Egypt only brilliant
specimen of jugglery. The sea parted
because il 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-
zontal and picturesque clouds The de-
sroying angel shifting the firstborn in
Egypt was only cholera infantum become
epidemic. The gullet of the whale. by
positive measurement. was too small to
swallow prophet, the story of the i'm
conception a shock to all de-
cency. The lame. the dumb. the blind.
the halt, cured by mere human surgery.
The resurrection of Christ's friend only
a beautiful tableau. Christ and Lazarus
well.
My friends, there is not doctrine or
statement of Gods holy word that has
not been derided by the skepticism OF
the day. take up this book of King
James translation. l consider it a per-
feet 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
or this day demands shall be torn out
What shall go first? Well" saws some
one in the audience. take out all that
about the creation and about the first
settlement of the world D." Away goes
Gensis. Now" SAYS some one take
out all that about the miraculous guild
ance Of the children Of Israel in the Wild
erness. Away goes Exodus. Now"
says some one else i'm the audience
there are things in Deuteronomy and
Kings that are not fit to be read" Away
20 Deuteronomy and the Kings Now"
says some one the book OF Job is a
fable that ought TO come out" Away
goes the book of JOB. Now saws some
one. those passages in the New Tesla
ment which imply the divinity Of Jesus
Christ ought TO come OUT Away go
the evangelists. NOW" says some one.
the book of Revelation-how preposter-
oust 1t represents man with the moon
under his feet and a sharp sword in his
hand" Away goes the book of Revela-
ton Now there are "A few pieces left
What shall we do with them? oh
says some man In the audience. 81 don't
believe a word in the Bible from one end
10 the other" Well. it is all gone Now
you have put out the last light for the
nations. Now 1t Is pitch darkness of
eternal midnight. How do you like it?
The Merriest Laugh of All.
But I think. my friends, we had better
keep the bible little longer intact 1t
has done pretty well for a good many
years. Then. there are old people who find
II a comfort TO have IT on their laps. and
children like the stories in it. Let us keep
it for curiosity. If the bible is TO be
thrown out Of the school and out of the
court room, so that men no more swear
by 1t. and II IS 10 be put in a dark CORR
dor Of the city library. the koran on one
side and the writings Of COnfucius on the
other then let us each keep a COPY for
himself, for we might have trouble and
We would want to be under the delusions
or its consultations. and we night die. and
we would want the delusion Of the exalted
residence of Gods right hand. which II
mentions. Oh, what an awful thing il is to
laugh in Gods face and hurl His revela-
ton back at Him. After awhile the day
will come, when they will say they did not
laugh. Then all the hypercritcisms, all
the caricatures and all the learned
sneers in the quarterly reviews will be
brought to judgment, and amid the rock
ing of everything beneath. and amid the
flaming or everything above, God will
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