The evening Republican., 1902-08-01
The WISE FOOL.
A Sermon Preached BY
Rev. John Sn ape,
July 9th 1902.

eth to be wise IN this world, let him
become fool, that he may be wise"
Cor. 3, IS.
Paul was dialectician and phi
losopher. He knew how to preach
to interest men and reach them. In
writing to Rome, a city of worldly
power, he says ''The gospel Is the
Power of God unto salvation to
every one that believes" In writ
ing to Corirth, city of worldly
wisdom, he says "Christ is the Wis
dom Of God" That is to say, he
dared to say to the people of his day
that he had something better than
anything they had to offer. He
meets them on their own ground
and presents the gospel to them in
terms of their constant using.
Paul had had a good deal of trou-
BILE with that church at Corinth. 1t
had bothered him more than all the
other churches OF his founding.
There had come to be contentious
among them, and party spirit, and
jealousies and schisms, In fact his
own reputation as an orator and an
apostle is endangered by an eloquent
convert from Ephesus. Apollos by
name. People have begun to say
Il am OF Apollos," and others Il
am Of Paul" and he needs must
write in burning language and ear
nest eloquence who is Paul''
"Who is Apollos' is Christ divi-
dedY"
In the text before us he is reb,lk
ing the vanity and self-conceit of
their worldly wisdom, telling them
that is foolishness with God. and
urging the man who seemeth to be
wise to become q fool that he may
be wise. And so with this basis Vf
introduction We come tonight to
consider the eighth and the last
Fool" in the sesies of Eight Fools
Of the Bible"
There are two pictures in the
text of the evening, and they af-
ford us the ground work of the two
divisions of the evenings sermon.
The pictures are those of the same
man taken in two different atti-
tudes. Did your wife ever get
Kodak? Then you appreciate the
figure just used as you remember
how she used to place you in 80
many positions--"ju for practise.
Paul has taken a snap shot of a
Corinthian, but it looks SO much
like a good many people we have
seen that not one of you needs to
go to the trouble Of sitting over for
his picture.
First, let us speak of the FOOLISH
WISE MAN. He is the man who eX-
ats reason above revelation and
never believes without some visible
and physical evidence. Say, Bob
was great said a young man on
river boat as he drew near to the
Pilot House where d Christian riv-
erman stood at the wheel.
Whom do you mean by "Bob?'
queried the old man. "Why Bob
lngersoll' Of course, said the young
fellow. "Listen 10 this (and he
read from a paper which he held in
his HANDY This is what Bob says
"lf had deem consulted about the
arrangement Of this universe l
would have had things different.
Iwould have MADE HEALTH CATCH
ING INSTEAD OF DISEASE. Ism I
that great"said the young man,
and I've laug he'd heartily aud up
roarously. The old pilot did not
laugh. He quietly said THAT does
rot strike me SO hard. | read 4 book
Of Ingersoll 'S'once which passenger
left near the pilot house, and had not
read far before came to the conclu-
sion that "Bob" was sailing his craft
on a stream OF lies, and the spray
from his bows was on every page.
That last utterance about 'hea!th
catching instead or disease sounds
like II toot from the same old whistle
"Where is the lie in lt?'' demand
ed the young man.
"The lie was in inslnuatlng that
health is not catching. Health Is
catching. 1t Is caught from the air
aud sunshine from play and work;
from sleep and diversion; from food
and water Why we drink in health
into the very pores ,of our skin.
"Oh, said the young man, "Bob
didn't mean that. lie meant health
catching instead of disease from
other people"
# was just coming to that said
the Old Pilot. ave do catch health
from other people. 1t is we'll known
fact that the strong people around
brace up the weak. Every doctor
knows the value of cheerful COM
pany. And it is known that if a weak
person and u strong one sleep togeth-
er, the weak one will draw vitality
from the strong. All diseases are
not catching, nor most Of them, and
when they are 1t is usually the result
Of filth or lust.
"There is another lie," said the
Old Pilot In that catchy utterance Of
Bob's, aud that Is the mean inSinua-
ton that the Almighty made disease
to begin with. 1t Isn't so. God
never made disease. He made man
with pure and perfect body. Man
took to sinful ways, and invited dis
ease to himself. And disease accept
ed the invitation. So that 1t may be
said with all truth that man himself
and not God made disease, which
Bob says is catching instead of dis
ease. !"
The young man had no more to
say but folded up his paper, as Arabs
fold their tents, and quietly stole
away. He had no further dcfen ce to
make of foolish wise man who In
his life time blasphemed God, ridicul.