Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1899-07-22


consecratcd their wit and their humOr
to Christ. Elijah used it when lie adj
visrd the Baalitcs. rs they could not
make their god respond. TO call louder.
as their god might he sound asleep or
gone N-hunting. Job used 1t when he
said to his self concelcd comforters,
"Wisdom will die with you" Christ
not only used ii in the text but when
he Ironically complimented the cor
rupt PhariSccS, saying. The whole
need not n physician" and when by
one word he described the cunning OF
Herod, saying, go We and tell that
fox" Matthew Hcnry's commentaries
from the first page TO the last cor
ruscated with humGr. as summer
clouds with heat lightning.
John Bunyans writings arc rs full
of humor as they are of saving truth.
and there is not an aged man here who
has ever read "pilgrim's Progress"
who does not remember that while
reading it he smiled as often rs he
wept. ChrysoStom. George Herbert,
Robert South. George Whitcfcld. Jerc-
my Taylor. Rowland Hill. Ashael Net
Teton, Charles &. 'inncy and all the
men of the past who greatly advanced
the kingdom of God conSecratcd their
wit and their humor to the cause OF
Christ. So It has been in all the ages,
and say to all our young theological
students. sharpen your wits until they
are rs keen as ScimiterS and then take
them into this holy war. 1t is n very
short bridge between smile and Il
tear. n suspension bridge from eye 10
lip. and il is soon crossed over. and Il
smile is sometimes just rs sacred as
tear. There Is as much religion, and
think n little more. in spring morn
Ing than in n stnrlcss midnight Re-
ligiouS work without any humor or wit
in it is banquet with side OF beef
and that raw and no condiments and
no dessert succeeding. People will not
sit down to such banquet. BY all
means remove all frivolity and all
bathos and all lightness and vulgarity:
strain them out through the sieve of
holy discrimination: but. on the other
hand, beware of that monster which
overshadows the Christian church TO-
day, convcnrionality. coming up from
the Great Sahara desert OF ccclesi-
asticlsm, having on It's back hump
of sanctimonlous gloom. and vehement
ly refuse to swallow that camel.
Particular About Small Things.
Oh. how particular great many peo-
pie are about the iniinitesimals, while
they are quite reckless about the mag
nitudes What did Christ say? Did
he not cxcoriate the people in his time
who were SO careful to wash their
hands before meal, but did not wash
their hearts? 1t is Il bad thing to have
unclcan hands; it Is n worse thing to
have an unclean heart. How many
people there are in our time who are
very anxious that after their death
they shall be buried with their face
toward the east and not ut all uuAiouo
that during their whole life they
should come up in the resurrection or
the just whichever way they are
buried. How many there are chiefly
anxious that minister of the gospel
shall come in the line Of apostolic sue
cesslon, not caring SO much whether
he comes from Apostle Paul or Apos-
tie Judas. They have way Of meas
uring a gnat until it is larger than
camel.
Again, my subject photographs all
those who are abhorrent Of small sins,
while they are reckless in regard to
magnificent thefts. You will find many
n merchant who, while he is so careful
that he would not take Il yard of cloth
or spool of cotton from the counter
without paying for it, and who, If
bank cashier should make Il mistake
and send in roll of bills 50 too much,
would dispatch messenger in hot
haste to return the surplus, yet who
will 20 into Il stock company, in which
after awhile lie gets control or the
stock and then waters the stock anu
makes 100000 appear like 100000.
He only stole 100000 by the opera
ton. Many of the men of fortune made
their wealth in that way.
One of those men engaged in such
unrightcous acts that evening. the
evening of the very day when he Wa
tered the stock, will find wharf rat
stealing a daily paper from the base
ment doorway and will go out and
catch the urchin by the collar ana
twist the collar so tightly the poor fell
low has no power to say that 1t was
thirst for knowledge that led him to
the dishonest act. but grip the collar
tighter and tighter, saying: Il have
been looking for you long willie.
You stole my paper four or five times,
haven't you. you miserable wretch"
And then the old stock gambler. with
a voice they can hear three blocks,
will cry out, Police, police" That
same man the evening of the day in
which he watcred the stock will kneel
with his family in prayers and thank
God for the prosperity of the day, then
kiss his children good night with an
air which seems to say. 81 hope you
all will grow up to be rs good as your
father" Prisons for sins insectile In
size, but palaces for crimes drome-
darian. No mercy for sins animalcule
in proportion, but great lenlency for
mastodon inlquity y poor boy slyly
takes from the basket of n market wo-
man a choke pear, saving some one
else from the cholera. and you smoth-
err him in the horrible atmosphere OF
Raymond street Jail or New York
Tombs. while his cousin. who has been
sklllful enough to steal $4,000 from
the city, you make q candidate for the
state legislature.
Omnipotent Indignation.
There is q good deal Of uneasiness
and nervousness now among some peo-
pie in our time who have got un-
righteous fortunes, great deal of un-
easiness about dynamite. | tell them
that God will put under their un-
righteous fortunes something more eX-
plosive than dynamite, the earthquake
of his omnlpotent indignation. 1t is
time that we learn in Amerca that sin
Is not eXcusable in proportion as 1t de-