The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1917-01-25

an am not one OF them as be-
lieve that edication is necessary
fer a gospel minister. for | be-
lieve the Lord edicates his
preachers jest as he wants 'em
to be edicated; an although Isay
it that oughn'nt to say it, yet in
the state of Indianny. whar
live, thar's no man as gets big
ger congregations nor what !
gifts.
Thar may be some here today,
my bretheling, as don't know
what persuasion am NV. Well, ]
must say to you, my brethering,
that I'm a Hard Shell Baptist.
Thar's some folks as don't like
the Hard Shell Baptist, but I'd
rather have a hard shell as nc
shell at all. You see me here to-
day, my brethering, dressed up
in fine clothes; you must think |
am proud, but | am not proud,
my brethering, and although I've
been preacher of the gospel for
TIVE ty years, an although I'm
capting of the flatboat that lies
at your landing, Pm not proud
my brethering.
Il am not gwine to tell you
exactly whar my text may be
found; suffice it to say, it's in
the lids of the bible and you'll
find it somewhat between the
first chapter of the book of Cen
erations and the last chapter of
the book of Revolutions. and eff
you'll go and search the Scrip
lures, you'll not only find my
tex thar, but a great many other
texes as will do you good to read,
and my tex, when you shall find
it to read thus:
And he played on a harp of a
thousand strings -sperits Nv
jest men made perfect. !"
my tex, my brethering, leads
me to speak of sperits. Now,
thar's a great many kinds of
sperits in the world-in the fuss
place, thar's sperits as some
folks call ghosts, and thars the
sperits NV turpentine, and thar
the sperits as some folks call
liquor, an I've got as good arti-
KEEL of them kind of sperits on my
flatboat as ever was fotch down
the Mississippi river; but thar's
a great many other kinds of
sperits, tor the tex says, He
played on harp OF a thousand
strings, sperits Nv jest men
made perfeck.
but I'll tell you the kind NV
sperits as is meant in the tex, is
FIRE. That's the kind wv sperits
as is mean in the tex brethering.
Now thar's a great many kinds
of fire in the world. In the fuss
place there's the common sort Of
fire you light your cigar or pipe
with, and then thar's foxfire and
campfire, fire before you're rea-
dy, and fire and fall back, and
many other kinds NV fire, for the
tex says, He played on a harp
NV a thousand strings, sperits OF
jest men made perfeck.
''But I'll tell you the kind OF
fire as is meant in the tex my
brethering-it's HE'LL FIRE!
and that's the kind of fire as a
great many Nv you'll come to, eff
you don't do better nor what you
have been dom for He played
on a harp of a thousand strings,
sperits of jest men made per-
feck."
Nov the different sorts of
fire in the world may be likened
unto the different persuasions
of Christians in the world. In the
first place we have the Piscapal-
ions, and they are a high sailin.
and high-falutin' set, and they
may be likened unto a turkey
buzzard, that flies up into the
air, and he goes up, and up, and
up, till he looks no bigger than
your finger nail, and the fust
thing you know he Gums down,
and down, and down, and is a
film hisself on the carkiss of a
dead boss by the side of the
road, and "He played on a harp
Nv a thousand strings, sperits OF
Jest men made perfeck."
"And then thar's the Metho-
dis, and they may be likened un-
to the squirrel up into the tree,
for the Methods behaves in
gwine on from enc degree of
grace to another, and finally on
to perfection, and the squirrel
goes up. and up, and up, and he
Jumps from limb to limb, and
branch to branch, and, the fust
thing you know he falls, and
down he Gums kerfumix and
that's like the Methods, for
they is alters falling from grace,
ah! and HE played on a harp
4Lo,,oonJ c+,;,,orC cnoritc nv