Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-12-11
FLOCK TO HEAR HIM.
John Jasper breaches His Famous Ser
mon 10 an Immense Crowd.
THE BIBLE HIS AUTHORITY.
lie Quotes from the Book Divine ." ffose
That DO Sun DO Move" and Thas
the Earth Ia Squar."

Rev. John Jasper. the renowned negro
divine whose sermon on 1.-THE sun DO
Move" replete with logic, and yet inept
in the extreme, has gained for him an
almost universal recognition, repea'eo
that famous discourse at his church,
the Sixth Mt. Zion, Sunday morning at
II O'Clock. Long before that hour ana
before the doors of the edlfice were
thrown open to the public. the street IN
its vicinity was crowded with people Oh
every denomination and color, all bent on
one misslon-that OF listening once more
TO the Word as expounded by this won
derful character, and extending every
nerve toward its accomplishment
When ,at 1920 o'clock the sexton threw
open the doors, there was rush Vi
many feet; people crowded one upon .he
other. and In almost an increu'Dis
| short time the sanctuary, main audience
room. and gallery was crowded TO its
utmost capacity. Still they came III
| droves. I'm fiocks, in quartettes, IN coupies'
| and crowded and squeezed "itnin '"I
| doors The aisles were soon pacAeu' anu
after these were filed beyond the posi-
| bility OF holding even one more the re-
served space on the rostrum IN rear anu
even In front Of the pulpit was en-
croacbed ON and everybody waited the
| advent of the man whom they hau S0'i'e
| q distance 10 hear.
BROTHER JASPER COMES IN.
Promptly at IL o'clock the reverend
| darby, wearing n cape o'ereoat anu
Gil
| the pulplt. He waved a salutation 10
| his audience with his hat, and was at
once surrounded by a crowd of brethren
who removed his coat for him ana TOOK
| charge OF his hat and cane.
/ An immense gilt-edge, handsomely
bound Bible was handed him, and, taxing
| this on his knee, he glanced over IT,
He then placed 1t on the reading desk
and resumed his seat. Shortly AFTER
| wards he started the service by request
| ing the choir TO sing 1.-The Heavens De-
| clare Thy Glory, God" His voice Is
| deep and powerful, and he seems to have
| lost none of his old-time vigor. VI
| commanding figure, almost herculean IN
| its proportions he stands over SIX rect
| in height, erect as young man. anu
breaches without the slightest embarrass-
| ment or hesitation. His audience was
4
| best people-people Of worth and intelli-
gence-and throughout the discourse.
| which extended over a period of an
| hour and a half, DR.. Jasper was listened
| TO with rapt attention. The preliminary
services were conducted by the Rev.
| Jasper. He read chapter from the
| Bible. and apologiZed beforehand Tor
| any mistakes he might make, saying
| that since he was not so young as
! he formerly was, his eyes were weak,
| and hence it became difficult for him to
| segregate one word from the other.
| TOUCHES UP PHILOSOPHERS.
| After the offertory. during which the
| choir sang, 81 will Meet You in the city oil
| the New jerusalem" Rev. Jasper entered
| the pulpit, and breathess silence per-
vaded the house.
| ~ want TO say" said he. Eat the outset
| that II was never my purpose to come IN
| conflict with the philosophers or this age
| was asked to preach sermon on the
| subject of the suns movements by a
| member OF my congregation 70 settle
| dispute between himself and another
brother. complied with this request
| from the purest motives in the world.
If n thought of giving offence TO any one
| ever crossed my mind | don't know II.
| l wanted particularly TO tell or Joshua $
| faith I'm God and / never once Thought
| OF philosophers or OF Mr.. Richard Wells,
| the preacher who published me as mar.
| / don't boast of being a Latin schoiar'
| a Greek nor a Hebrew scholar, but l do
| boast OF being a minister of Jesus Christ.
| Now. good people. all of you know that
| one man can't satisfy everybody. and
| when a minister breaches a discourse
| some people like some parts. and when
| the preacher gets to parts they don't IKE
| they leave. That amt no way to do. If
you don't like the old fool listen to nm
| any how. | now ask your attention Tor
| about an hour and half"
At this there was a general laugh, and
the preacher administered mild rebuke.
PROPOSED TO PROVE IT.
At have said before. and | say now
the preacher continued. that II l don't
| prove to you that the sun do move l VIII
never preach again. l amt got nothing
| to do with philosophers. They are free
men. Think what they choose and write
what they choose. but they can't make
| nobody believe what they think
After this Introductory talk, the preach
er started his sermon proper, and took
| his text from Exodus XIV. 3: The Lord
Is a man of war: the Lord is His name"
Jasper had hitherto spoken In fairly
! choice language. but as he progressed In
| his sermon and got warmed up in his
| subject he forgot all of the rules OF
| Lindley, Murray, and fairly murdered the
Kings English.
while l was a slave" said he, "a
| young man, a slave like myself, roomed
with me. / got him to give me lessons
| out of a New York spelling book, and
| after seven months i got converted ana
| God give me power. / asked him II he be
| nd a N O
| heart. and / think / understand some
things now. even IL l don't understand
all things. You may think ! am going to
| start off in the outset and show you
I where the sun moves. but l amt;
| am going to start off with the origin OF
the Jews. After the flood you remember,
| gentlemen and ladies. there was eight
| persons left in the ark to replenish the
| world. From them the earth multiplied.
Coming on down the line OF time, We
| come to where Abraham obeyed the In
| junction that God had injuncted upon
him. That was to his erecting OF an altar
on which to offer up his son Isaac as a
| sacrifice"
Here the preacher gave graphic de-
scription of the work OF building the altar
| and coming to the point where the father
| started to kill the son, he continued,
| after he drewed his knife back to STAY
the boy a voice from Heaven called out
Abraham, Stay not the lad To this
Abraham replied. We'll. eff l don't how
| gwine ter obey the Injunction what God
done injuncted on me-? God then sent
an angel to pint out to Abraham a ram
what was caught by his horns in the
bushes, and he told him fer 10 offer him
up instead OF Isaac.
| THE KING BECAME AFRAID.
kin you see dat pint? Ef yer doan II
wuck 1t over agin. l got 1t. After Abra
ham begat Isaac in course OF time Isaa'
begat Jacob, and Jacob he became tn
father OF twelve sons