The Pascagoula democrat-star., 1900-09-07
FAMOUS old SERMON.
" He Played on the Harp Of Thou
sand Strings-Spirits Nv Just
Men Made Perfect
A RARE AND RICH OLD DOCUMENT.

Clarion Ledger.
For the benefit OF numerous readers
who have never seen it, and for Others
who desire copies for their scrap books,
the Clarion-Ledger has decided to re.
produce the famous hard-shell sermon,
supposed to have been preached at
Waterproof, La, back in the ffties,
by a strOlling preacher and fiatbOat'
man from the Wabash river, Indiana,
named Bro. Zeke.
Bro. Zeke is pictured as arriving at
Waterproof with a noatboat loaded
with produce for the Southern mar
kets. He tied up there over Sunday
and announced that at II o'clock he
would deliver a sermon on the river
bank. As a sermon had not beer
preached there for several years, the
pious portion of the population, as
we'll as IA good many idlers and curiosi
ty seekers, assembled at the designated
place at the time specified, bringing
with them chairs, stools, candle boxes,
ETC., for seats. After a short delay
Bro. Zeke is pictured us emerging from
his fatboat, in his Sunday best, and
announced himself ready for the task
He was dressed in Kentucky jeans
pants, several inches to short and tlt.
ting tight to the skin, a corduroy vest,
rcd necktie and long blue coat, the
style Of which reached back TO a by
gone period.
Before giving the sermon, 1t Is well
enough to say, that 1t is purely imagi.
nary, and has been attributed to many
persons, to the late Attorney General
Josh Morris, Mr.. Andrew Harper OF
Brandon, and a Methodist minister
named Henry T. Lewis. The Brandon
Republican, which first published it,
said in reproducing it afterwards, that
the sermon was written by Mr.. Lewis,
who was stationed at Brandon in 1854.
In this statement Andrew Harper
agreed, who was the editor OF the Re.
publican when the sermon first ap.
pcared. The sermon is printed in full
below:
"sPERITs wv JUST MEN MADE PER.
Feet"
l may say to you, my breethring,
that am not a edicated man, an am
not one Of them as believes that edi.
cation Is necessary fur Gospel min
lstcr, fur believe the Lord edicates
his preachers just as he wants 'em tC
be edicated, an although say 1t that
ought not tn say II, yet in the State OF
Indiana, whar ! live thars no man as
gifts bigger congregation nor what ]
gifts.
Thar may be some here to-day, my
breethring, as don't know what per
suasion l am Nv. Well, l may say un
to you, my brecthring, that I'm a Hare
Shell Baptist. Thar's some folks ~
don't like Hard Shell Baptists, but II
ruther have a hard shell an no shel
at all. You see me here to-day, my
breecthring, dressed up in these fn'
clothes; you mout thing l was proud
but l am not proud, my breethrine
and although I've been q preacher 0
the Gospel Tor twenty years, and nj
tho I'm captain OF the Aatboat tina
lies at your landing, am not proud
my breethring.
I'm not agwine to tell you adzackl
whar my text may be found; suffice
to say, It's 10 the lids Of the Bible an'
you'll find 1t sumwhar between til
flrst chapter Of the book OF Genera
tions and the last chapter OF the boo
Of Revolutions, and ef you'll 20 an
sarch the scriptures as have sarche'
the scriptures, you'll not only dnd M
text thar, but a great many otne
texes US will do you good TO read; an'
my text whcu you shall find H. you'l
0nd II 70 read thus:
"Andh played on u harp Nv . thou
sand strInvs-sperits Nv just me'
made perfeck."
NY text, brethren, leads me to spea
w apcrlts. Now thars great man
IkIads Nv spsrlts in the w0rld-in VI
ifost plsee char u The sporlts - com