The Middleburgh post. (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, July 19, 1894, Image 7

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    A SERMON ON THE SCOFFER.'
DR- TALMAGE TALKS ON THE
Xodarn Tendency to Deride Relbjton
A Warning to the Irreverent
Tif i "Then win our month flllM with
lsnghter." rsslm cuvl.. "He Hint alt
tth In the heavens shall laugh." Psalm
U.. 4.
Thirty-eight times does the Bihto make
reference to this ootid juration of the fea
tures end quick expulsion of brenth whloh
we cell laughter. Hometlmee ft Is born of
the sunshine and sometimes the midnight,
flometlmcs It (lire the sympathy of enrU
end sometimes the enohlnnatlon of devils.
All healthy people Uugb. Whether It
pleases the Lord or displease Rim, thnt de
pends upon when we langh end at whet we
Isugh. My theme to-day U the laughter of
the Bible namely. Rarah's laugh, or thnt of
skepticism i David laugh, or thnt of spirit
ual exultation i the fool's laugh, or that of
sinful merriment i Ood's laugh, or that of
Infinite condmnMlon i heaven's laugh, or
tbnt of et)rnnl triumph.
Heene. an oriental tent. The occupants,
eld Abraham and Sarah, perhaps wrinkled
and decrepit. Thilr three guests are three
angels, the Lord Almighty one of them. In
return for the hospitality shown bjr the old
people flod promises Sarah that she shall
become the ancestress of the Lord Jesus
Christ, flarah laughs In the faoe of Ood.
8he does not believe It. She Is affrighted at
what she has done. Rhe denies It. 8he
eay, "I did not laugh." Then Ood retorted
with nn emphasis thnt silenced all disputa
tion. "But thou rtldet laugh." Mr friends,
the laugh of skepticism la all ages Is only
the eoho of Sarah's Innghter. Ood snys Ho
will accomplish a thing, and men say It can
not be done. A great multitude laugh at the
miracles. They ssy they are contrary to the
laws of nature. What Is a law of nature?
It Is Oo I s way of doing thing. You or
dinarily cross a river at one ferry. To-morrow
you change for one day. and you go
across another ferry. You made the rule.
Have you not the right to change It? You
ordinarily come In at that door of the church.
Huppose that next Sabbath you come In at
the other door. It Is a habit you have. Have
you not a right to ohango your habit? A
law of nature is Ood's bat.lt His way of
doing things. If He make the law. has n
not a right to change It at any time lie wants
to change It?
Alas I for the folly of those who langh at
ood when He says. "I will do a thing."
they responding. "You can't do It." Ood
says that the Bible is true-It Is all true.
Bishop Colenso Inughs. Herbert Hpenoer
laughs. Htunrt Mill laughs, grent German
universities lough, Harvard laughs softly.
A grent many ol the learned Institutions,
with long rows of professors mated on the
fence between Christianity and Inlldellty,
laugh softly. They say, "We didn't laugh."
That was Surah's trick, ood thunders from
the heavens. "But thou didst laugh !" The
garden of Eden was only a fable. There
never was any nrlc built, or If it was built it
was too small to hare two of every kind.
The pillar of fire by night was onlv the
northern lights, the ten plagues of Egypt
only a brilliant specimen of Jugglery. The
eea ported becnus j tbe wind blew violently a
great while from one direction. The sua
and moon did not put themselves out of the
way for Joshua. Jacob's ladder was only
horizontal and ploturesque clouds. The de
stroying angel smiling tho firstborn in
Egypt was only cholera infuntum become
epidemic. The gullet of the whale, by
positive measurement, too smalt to swallow
a prophet. The story of the Immaculnto
conception n shook to all decency. The
lame, the dumb, the bllnj, the halt, cured
, by mere human surgery. The resurrection
of Christ's friend only a beautiful tableau,
Christ and Lazarus and Mary aud Martha
otlng their parts wsll. My friends, there
lsn: i doctrine or statement of Ood's holy
wot1 that has not boen derided by the
step ism of the day.
It! e up this book of King James's trans
latloi, I consldor It a perfect Bible, but
here are skeptics who want It torn to pieces.
And now, with this Blblo in my hand, let
me tear out all those portions whloh tbe
skepticism of this dav demands shnll he tm
out. What shnll im tlrst V " iv,,! ',. ..,,.,
one In the audience, "take out all that about
the creation and about the first settlement
of the world." Away goes Gdnesls. "Now,"
says some one, "take out all that about the
miraculous guldanoo of the children of lino I
In the wilderness." Away goes Exodus.
"Now," savs some one else in the au lieuoe,
"there are things In Djuterouomy ani
Kings that are not fit to be read." Away go
Deuteronomy and tho Kin. "Vnir" .,-.
some one. "the boo It of Joh fa n f,.i.'i .,,..
'ui 10 L-oimi out. a way goes the book of
".n. .-iijw, m-iym eurue one, (noso pass-
-1 - " w ."..ici.mwui tun:., iiumy me
-.. nj w w. n i.i. win. Fit uuifu, ,vj itijiuh our.
TT.'IV lff thu F tfiinimllala llV...... II .
r- ........ ..wit, nnj
''ma uui . inn uuuh in iihtiiihi inn n r
nuuHinru ii i IK rHnr wnnii mnn wi.it . t
tun lin.lne lita f ...i. nnl ......... . .
- .. . v.' hi. . n n 1 1 1. 1 ii ir.i in
nana. awiiv roe inn hnok .if
i. . M it ii.iru n ru b 1 1 1 1. n 1 .11. ..b ....... a
11 wo do with tnom? "Oh," says sme
V in the audience. "I don't believe
rd In the Bible from one end totheoth
Woll, It Is all gone. Now you have
out tho lust light for tbe untlons. Now
i the pitch dnrknuss of otornal midnight,
w do you like It?
lut I think, my friends, we hnu bettor
p the Bible a little longer intact. It h is
i pretty well for a good many joars.
a there are old onople who find it a coin
to have It on tholr laps, and children
t the stories In It. Let us keep It for a
loslty anyhow. If tho Bible Is to be
fwn out of tbe school and out of the
rtroom, so that men no more swear by It,
; It Is to be put in a dark corridor of the
library, the Koran on one side and the
ttlngs of Confucius on the other, tbon lot
Vaon one keep a copy for hlmsjir, lot we
iht have trouble, and we would want to
iinder the delusions of its consolations,
I we might die, and we would want the
Vslon o( tbe exalted residence of Ood's
jit nana, wnioa it mentions, oh, what au
Mul thing It Is to laugh in OoJ's fune.n.l
krl Ills Bevelatton back at Him! After
k bile the day will come when they will say
ydid not laugh. Then nil the h vner-
htlolsms. all tbe carluaturea and all the
I.rned sneers In the quarterly rovlews will
brought to Judgment, uud amid the roek.
1 of everything beneath and nmll the
miug of everyiUIng above God will thun.
r, "But thou didst laugh!" I think tbe
'si rasainating laughter at Cbristlanltr I
r remember was a man In New Enulnnd.
I made tbe word of Ood seem ridiculous,
d he laughed on at our holy re'lurlon until
came to die, and then he stld i "My life
In been a failure a failure domestically,
uave no ohlldren. A failure socially, for I
u treated la tbe streets like a pirate. A
lure professionally because I know but one
Ulster that has adopted my sentiments."
)r a quarter of a oeutury be lauuhed at
I ir.Milaulty. and ever since Cbristianltv has
fa laughing at him. Now, It is a mean
bid j to go luto a man s bouse and steal his
fois, tut I toll you the most glguntlo bur-
try ever luveutea is tbe proposition to
I "l these trencurers of our holy religion.
' . . 1 1 u i 1. 1 u. v iu uiiuivu LM UB
fuh of tbe skeptic.
me next laughter mentioned In tbe Bible
tbavld's laughter, or the expression of
I Irliual exultation. "Then was our mouth
M with laughter." He got very muob
"Wn sometimes, but there are other ohnn.
"ts where for four or five times henalln
ti people to praise aud exult. It was not a
ite twitch of . the lips it was a demoustru-
''a inn t toon nvia ol liu whole physioal na
"e. "Then was our mouth tilled with
Hughter." My friends, this world will never
" converted to Ood uutll Christians cry less
ond luugb and sing more. The horrors are
poor bait. If people are to bn persuaded
'o adopt ourloly religion, It will be because
they Lavs made up their minds It Is a happy
tUfcion, They don't like a morbid Cum-
tianlty. f know thre are morbid r.npla w'.rt
njor a fonerat. They cone enr'r tn sethe
friends take leave of the corpse, and they stent
a ride to the cemetery, but all healthy fveonM
enjoy a weddlnghetterthsn they do ahnrlnl.
Now. you make the religion of Christ
S'pulchral and hanrsellkn, and yon
make It repulsive. I ssy plant the rose of
Hharon along the church walks and
eolnmhlne to clamber over tho church wall,
and hare a smile on the Hp. and have the
month flllel with holy laughter. There Is
no man In the world, except the Christian,
that has a right to feel an untrammeled glee.
He Is promised everything is to bo for the
be.t here, ami he Is on the way to a delight
wbioh will take all the processions wl!h palm
branches and all the orehnstraa harped and
cymbaled and trumpeted to express. Oh."
you say. "I have so much trouble." Have
you more trouble than Paul had? What does
he say? "Horrowful, yet alwavs rejoicing,
roor, vet making many rich. Having noth
ing, yet possessing all things." The merriest
laugh I think I have ever heard has been In
the sickroom of God's dear children. When
Theodoslus was put upon the rack, bo suf
fered very great torture at the first.
Homebody asked him how he endured H
that pnlo on tbe rack. He replied i "When
I was first put on the rack. I suffered a great
deal, but very soon a young man In white
stood by my side, and with a soft and com
fortable handkerchief he wiped the sweat
from my brow, and my pains were relieved.
It was a punishment for mo to get from the
rack, because when the pain was all gone
the angel was gone." Oh. rejoice evermore !
You know how It Is In the army an armv In
encampment. If to-day news comes that
our slile has had a defeat, and to-morrow
another portion of the tidings comes, sav
ing we have had another defeat. It demoral
ises all the host. But If the news comes of
vletory to-day an t victory to-morrow the
whole army is Impvsloned for the contest.
Now, In the kingdom of onr Lord Jesus
Christ report fewer defeats tells us the vie
tories vletory over sin and death and hell.
Rejoice evermore, and again I say rejoice. I
believe there is more religion in a laugh
than In a groan. Anybody can groan, but
to laugh In the midst of banishment and
persscutlonand Indescribable trial, that re
quired a Davrd, a Daniel, a Taut, a modern
heroine.
The next laughter mentioned In the Bible
that I shall speak of Is the fool's laughter, or
the expression of sinful merriment. Solomon
wes very quick at simile. When he makes a
comparison, we all catch It. Whnt Is the
laughter of a fool like? He s.iys. "It Is the
crackling of thorns under a pot." The ket
tle Is swung, a buneb of brambles Is put un
der It, and the toreh Is applied to It, and
there Is a groat noise, and a big blase, and a
sputter and a quick extinguishment. Then
It Is darker than It was before. Fool's laugh
ter. The most miserable thing on earth Is a
bad man's fun. There they are ten men In
a barroom. They have at home wives,
mothers, daughters. The Impure Jest starts
at one corner of the barroom, and crackle,
craokle, crackle It goes all around. In 500
such guffaws thorn Is not one Item of happi
ness. They all fcnl bumeanod If they have
nny conscience loft. Have nothing to do
with men or women who tell Immoral stories.
I have no confidence either In tholr Chris
tian character or their morality.
Ho all merriment that springs out of the
defects of others oarlont u re of a lame foot,
or a eurvwl spine, or a blind eye, or a dent
ear will bs met with the Ju Igment of O I,
elthor upon you or upon your children.
Twenty years ago I knew a man who was
particularly skillful in Imitating the lame
ness of a neighbor. Not long ago a son of
ths skillful mimic had his log amputated lor
the vory defect whloh his fathor had
mimicked years boforc. I do not say It was
n Judgment of Ood. I leave you to make
your own inference. Bo nil merriment born
of dissipation, that winch starts at the
oonnter of tbe drinking restaurant or the
wlnxglass In the home circle, tbe maudlin
simp jr, tbe meaningless Joke, tbe saturnalian
gibberish, the paroxysm ot mirth about noth
ing whloh yon sometimes see In the fashion
nhla olabroom or the exquisite parlor t
twelvs o'elook at night, ars tbe crackling of
thorns under a pot. Such laughter and such
sin end in death. When I was a lad, a book
came out entitled, "Dow Junior's I'atent
Mormons." It made a grent stir, a very wide
.nugb, all over tbe country, that boo' did.
It was a oarlcatureolthe Christina ministry,
and of the wird of God, and of tbe day of
Judgment. Ob, we had a great laugh ! The
commentary on the whole thing Is that the
author of that book dred in poverty, shame,
debau ihery, klcke 1 out of society and cursed
ot Almighty God. The luuihter of such
men is the eoho of their own dainnatiou.
Tbe next laughter that I shall mention as
being In the Bible Is the Inug i of G o l's con
demnation, "II j that slttctb in the heavens
shall ..nub." Agalu. " Ihe Lord will Inuga
at him." Again, "I will laugh at his calam
ity." With suoi demonstration will G1
greet every kind of great sin aud wicked
ness. But men build up villainies higher
nn l higher. Goo 1 mm almoit pity God be
cause Ho is so soheme 1 against by men.
Suddenly n pin drops out of the mnohlnry
of wickedness or a sn.ir.it Is ruveuio , Hnd
tho foundation begin to rock. Finally the
wuolo tblng is axmolishel. Waat Is thu
matter? I will tell you wa it the nutter is.
That crash of ruin Is only tlis revcrbaratlou
of God's laughter. In the money murlcet
there are a great many gaol men and a
great many frau lulont men. A fraudulent
innn there says, "I mean to have my mil
lion." He gous to work reckless of hon
esty, and he gilts his first HW.00O. Hs
gets after awhile his J0.K)J. After awhile
ho gets his 4500,000. "Now." he says, "I
have only one more move to make, and I
shall hav.i my million." He gathers up all
his rosources. He makes that one lust
grand move, he falls and loses all. and he
has not enough money of bis o n left to pay
the ooit of the ear to his tiouie. People can
not understand this spasmodlo revulsion.
Home said It was a su Men turn In Erie K ill
way stook. or In Western Union, or In Illi
nois Central i some suld one thing and some
nuother. They all guesiel wrong. I will
tell ycu what It w is. "lie that slttetb in the
heavens laughed." A mnn In New York sal t
be would be tbe richest man lu tbe city. He
loft his honest work ns a mechanic an 1 got
Into tbe city councils some wty and In ten
years stole 1 13,0 J J, 000 from thi city govern
ment. Flfteeu million dollurs ! Hi held the
Legislature of the State ot Nuw York la tbe
grip of bis right hand. Suspicions wom
aroused. The grand Jury presented Indict
ments. Tbe whole land stool aghast. Tbe
man who expected to put halt the city In his
vest pooket goes to Blackwell's Island, goes
to Ludlow street Jail, breaks prison and goes
ncross the see, is rearrested and brought
back nnl again reiuandel to Jail. Why?
"He that slttetb In tbe heavens laughed."
Rome wasa great empire. She had Horace
and Virgil among bur poets ; she had Augus
tus and Constantino among her empsror.
But what mean the defaced Pantheon, an I
the Forum turned Into a oattle m irket, ami
the broken walled Coliseum, and the archi
tectural skeleton of her great aquelurts?
What was that thunder? "Oh." you say.
"thnt was the roir of tbe battering rams
against her walls." No. What was that
quiver? "Oh," you say, "thst was the tramp
of hostile legions. ' No. Tbe quiver and
the roar were tbe outburst of otinlpotent
laughter from the defied and lusulted heav
ens. Ito.ne ilefledGol. aud He Mughal her
down.. Tnebes defied Oo I. and H laughed
her down. Nineveh defied God, and He
laughed her down. Babylon defied QoJ,
and He laughed her down. Tnere is a great
difference between God's Inuva and His
smile. His smile Is eternal beatitude. H-i
smiled when Dvld sang, aud Miriam clapped
the cymbal, and Hnuuan made garments
for her son, and Paul preached, and John
kindled witu apocalyptic vlsiou, and whim
any man has anything to do an I does It
well. His smile ! Wbv, it Is the I5tn of May,
tbe apple orchards In full bloo-n i It Is morn
ing breaking on a rippling sea t It Is heaven
at high noon, all the bells besting tbe mar
riage peal. But His laughter :nay it never
tall on us I It Is a condemnation for our
in i It ts a wasting away.
We may let the satirist laug at us, and
all our companions may Isugb 'at us, and we
may be made tbe target (or the merrimsut
of enr'' end hell, but Of) ' forMd that we
should "r come to the fulfillment of the
prophe'. ni-nlnst the reloetors of the tratb,
"I will laugh at your ealnmltr " But. my
friends, ail of ns who reject Christ and the
par 'on of the gopl mut come nnder that
tremendous bombardment. Ood wants ns
allto repent. II counsels. He coaxes. He
Importune, and He dies for us. He comes
down out of heaven. Ho puts nil the world's
In on one shoulder. He puts all the world's
sorrow on the other shoulder, and then with
that Alp on one side and thst Illmalava on
the other He starts tin the hill baek of Jeru
salem to achieve our salvation. He puts the
pnim At his rtgnt root on one torv spike,
and He puts the palm of His tntt
foot on another long spike, and then,
with His hands spotted with His own Moo I.
He gesticulates, saving : "Look, look and
live. With the crimson yell of My saerlflc
I wilt cover np all your sins i with My dylns.
roan I will swallow up all your gronns.
Look! Live!" But a thousand of ron turn
your back on that, ani then this Voice of
Invitation turns to a tone divinely ominous,
that sobs like a simoom through the first
chapter of Troverbs. "Because I have
called and ye refused. I have stretched out
My right han l, and no man regnrlnd, but
yehaveset at nntifht all My counsel and
would none of Mv reproof, I. also, will
laugh st your calamity." Oh. what a Inn gh
that Is a deep langh. a long, reverberating
laugh, an overwhelming laugh. Ool grnnt
we may never bear it. But In this day of
merciful visitation yield your heart to Christ,
that you may spend all your life on earth
nnrter His smile and esenpe forever the thun
der of the laugh of Ood's Indignation.
The other laughter mentioned In the
Bible, the only one I shall apeak of, is
heaven's laughter, or the expression )f
eternal triumph. Christ said to His dls
clplee. "Blessed are ve that weep now. for
ye shall laugh." That makes me know
positively thnt we are not to spend our dsys
In hravnn singing long meter psalms. The
formallstlc and stiff notions of heaven thnt
some people have would make me mis arable.
I am glad to know thnt the heaven of the
Bible Is not only a plnee of holy worship,
but of mngnlficent sociality. "VVhnf." say
you. "will the ringing Inugh go around the
circles of the saved?" I say yes pure
laughter, cheering laughter, holy laughter.
It will be a laugh of congratulation. When
we meet a friend who has suddenly
corns to a fortune, or who bos got ovei
some dire slokness, do wo not shake
hands, do we not laugh with him? And
when we get to heaven nnd sen our friends
there, some ot them having come up out ot
grent tribulation, whv. we will my to one of
them, "The lost time I saw you vou had hen
suffering for six weeks tin ler a low intermit
tent fever," or to another we will snv . "You
for ten years were limping with the rheu
matism, nnd you were full of complaint
when we saw you last. I congratulate you
on this eternal recovery." We shall laugh.
Yes, we shall congrstulate all those who have
come out of great financial embarrassments
In this world because they have hecomenilll
lonalres In h'nven. Ye shnll Inugh. II
shall be a Inugh of reasso -htion. It is just
ns natural for us to laugli when w.i me.'t a
frieud we have not seen for ten years as any
thing Is possible to be natural.
When we meet our friends from whom we
have been parted ten or twenty or thirty
yenrs, will It not be with Infinite eongrntula
tlon? Our perception qulckenel, our
knowledge Improved, we will know each
other at a flash. We will hav i to talk over
nil that has happene 1 uliin m have been
separate I, the one that has been ten yean In
heaven lulling us nil that has happ mc 1 In
the ten year of bis heiv.mly residence, and
we telling him In return nil that has hap
pened during the ten years of hlsalm"ii 'n
from earth. Ye shall lutrrh. IthlnkGorge
Whltellnld nil 1 John Wesley will have a
laugh of cont mpt for their earthly colli
sions, and Topi i ly an 1 Charles Wesley will
have a laugh of contempt for their earthly
misuuderstaudlugs, and the twj farmers
who were In a lawsuits all their days will
have a laugh of contempt over their earthly
disturbance about a line faa jct ipttoa
from all annoyance. Immersion In a'l glad
ness. Ye shnll laugh. Christ savs so. Ye
shall laugh. Yes, It will be a laugli of tri
umph. Oh. what a pleasant thliw it will ho
to stand on the wall of heiv.n nil I lon!t
down at satan and hurl at him defiance nnd
see him oaged an 1 ohaiue I unl wi for u-T
fr o from his clutches ! Aha! ie, it will
be a luugb of royal greeting.
You know how the Frenchmen chenre 1
w'.ien Napoleon came back fro n Kl'ia ; vou
know how the English ehei-re 1 w.i m Wel
lington came back from Waterloo : you know
how Americans cheered when Kossuth ar
rived fro-n Hungary s you remeuiher bow
Rome cheure I when Pompey came bw't vie.
toriou over 000 cities. Every cheer was a
laugh. Bjt. oh, the mlgiitler gritinr. tlu
gladder grieting, when the snow white cav
il I ry troop of heaven shall go through the
streets, mid. accor Hug to the Book of 1. ge
lation, Christ lu the r'l coat, the crimson
co it, on a white hors au I all the ar.nles ot
heaven following mm oti white hors s ! ():,
when we see and hear that cavalcade w
shall cheer, wn shall laug'i ! I) s not y oar
heart beat quickly lit the thuug it of tin
great jubilee upou w,iicli wt are s i in to en
ter? I pray (!) I that when w get throug i
with this world nnl are going oit of It w
may have hoiivi such vision ns the
dving Chrlktlau had when hu saw
written all over the clouds in tho skytne
letter "V." an 1 they nske 1 him. standing by
his side, what be thought that letter "W"
meaut. "Oh," bo said. "Hint stands for wel
come." And so may it ho w.ieu we quit this
world. "IV" on tbe gate, VV" on tue door
of the mansion, "W" on tho throne. Wel
come! Welcome! Welcome! I hnv.1
preached this sermon with II" prayerful
wishes that you might see . at a nitau
thluglsthe laugh of s'eptiitin, what a
bright this is the laugh of . spiritual exulta
tion, wnat a hollow thiug is the laugh, of sin
tul merriment, what nn awful thlug is tin
laugh c f eon 1 initiation, what a r i llant, rubi
cuud thing is the laugh of etern il triumph.
Avoid the ill ; ohoose the right. Be uo.n
forted, "Blessed are ye that weep now ye
suall laugli i y shall lauh."
Effect ot Dehorning on Milk,
Dr. E. M. Gatohcl, of Wont Chester.
Peun., has wituin a week examiuol
about 700 cows for tuhorouloais. Only
a few cdHos wero found. Ho thinks
that it will uot be long before all tho
herbs have passed inspection atnl milk
from the county may uuuo more be
shipped to Philadelphia. In apoukiug
of his examination, Dr. Outolial ma le
this startling observation :
"There is one other evil I wish, to
call your attention to. That is iu rj
gurd to using the milk of a herd of
cattle on the days imtueJiately follow
ing the operation of dehorning;. I
have examiued quite a number of oat
tle after they wera dehorned and found
that the r temperature rose to 10 1,
100, aud, iu some oases, as high as 10S.
A period of eight or uiue days elapsed
before their temperature went dowu
to nearly the normal. Darin; that
period the owners continued shipping
the milk to I'uiludelphia. Wheu a
cow' temperature runs up to 104 or
upward her milk is positively untit for
uoe, and. 1 durj euy, may be deadly to
infants. "
The custom of dehorning cattle it
practised by a majority of the Chester
farmers, Thisstatemeut will protnMy
load to a halt iu this dehorn ing busi
ness or to the etoppiug of the xhip
meut of tho diseased milk. Philadel
phia Record.
By the last census there were 2303
Japanese iu this country.
&YKUATH SCHOOL
I.NTEItNATIOXAfj I.KSSON
JULY 22.
run
Lesson Txtt Flight Into FBypt,"
Blath. II., l.t-2.t-Joldca
Teat t Ts. rxal., 8
Commentary.
11. "And when they were departed, be.
kold. the angel of the Lord appnareth to
Joseph In a dream, saying. Arise and take
Che young child nnd Mis mother nnd flee into
Egypt, and tie thou there until I bring thee
word, lor Herod will sok the young child to
destroy Him." The four dreams of this chap
ter (yersne 12, in, l!, jj) mnk, U8 think ol
the many times mentioned In Hcripture
when (lo.l revenled His will to men in
dreams, both to Jews and Oentlles. As to Its
hlng ofttlmee His way, see Num. ail., Bi
lob mill., 14. IS. He still cares lor His
people and will sorely guide them by His
word and Ills spirit, by His providence, and,
Ifnee-ssnry. by a dr mm or even nn angel.
The Lord sees all the plottlngs of the evil
5ne and will not suffer him to hurt Hts ehll
iren (Zech. II., 5 i l's. cl., 9, 10.) Note how
tho expenses of this Journey were met be
forehand by the gold of the wise men. Thus
Ood alwavs foresees and anticipates the
need of those who rely upon Him (II Chron.
tvl., 91.
14. "When he arose he took tho young
thlld and His mother tiv night and departed
into F.gypt." Hlnea the days of Cain, the
levll's tlrst Instrument to accomplish mur
ler, he has worked hard at It and
sften been permitted to have bis way, but
sever unless for the glory of Ood and tho
food of His people. An Instrument whom He
wisbee still to use here satan cannot lay a
anger upon. Consider Joseph and Moses
ind Joash.
.15. "And was there until the death of
flerod. that It might be fulllllnd which was
poken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
Out of F.gypt have I ' called My Hon." (lb
erve the fulfilling of prophecy In vrses 17
ind 2 and chapter I.. 22. "The Lord ot
Hosts has sworn, ssylng, Huroly as I have
thought, so shall It come to pass, and ns I
have purposed so shall It stand" (Ins, xlv.,
14). F.very purpose of the Lord shnll he
performed (Jer. II., 2'J). nn I ns He will do
nothing without revealing It to the prophets
Amos ill.. 7) we hnve only to study proph
ecy In order to know what lo 1 will yet do.
16. "Then Herod, when lie saw that he
was mocked of the wise men, was exceed
ingly wroth aud sent forth and slew nil the
fhtldrcn thnt wore In llthlehem," etc.
Herod did not know Hltn who iloefh accord
ing to His will both In heaven and on enrtli,
who bringeth the counsel of the nations to
naught and mnketh the devices of the peo
ple of none effect (l)nn. Iv., .15 ; l's. xxulil.,
I0 These children thus sncrltlcod to 11. .r
ill's rnge limy be said to hnve died for
lesus'ssake,
17. "Then was fulfilled thnt which wns
poken by Jeremv, the prophet, saying."
That which has te-on fullllled and the man
ner of fulllllineut Is tbe key to that which Is
vet linlultllle I. He (leu. xv., I I, 11. with
Ex. III., 3il, 40. nnd I Kings xill.. J, with II
Kings mill., 1.V17, nlso l's. xxii., 1(1, la.
with John xix, 24 ; xx., 2.". ns eainples ol
lullllled prophecy and simply nnd heartily
believe Ood concerning things to come.
15. "In Kama was there a voice heard,
lamentation nod weeping nnd great mourn
ing Rachel weeping for hur children mid
would not bo comforted because they nre
not." This Is quoted from Jer. xxxi.. 15.
and the next verse gives the comfort of re
ward nn I restorntlon. The captive Jews
returned from Knhytoii, the land of the ene
my. A greater return Is drawing near from
lluKsin nnd nil binds of the Jews' enemies,
but the promise will not hnve complete ful
fillment till the return from the land of the
enemy dmah. Then will even tbese babes
be given ajptlo to their mothers.
19. "But when Herod was dead, behold,
an angel of the Lord apneareth In a dream
to Joseph In Egvpt." We think of another
Herod, who would not give glory to Go I,
and the angel of the Lord smote him (Act
til., 23). Homctlinns the enemies of the
Lord are suddenly cut off, while nt othet
limns He bears longer with them. The ser
vants of the Lord can well afford to leave
all things with Oo 1 nnd quietly wait His
time, like Iiavld, who would not smite Haul,
but said, "The Lord ahull smite him, or bis
day shnll com., to die, or bn shall descend
Into battle and perish" ( I Sam. xxvl., 10).
Let us ever give place unto the wrath ol
Uod (Horn. xlli. 19, It. V., margin).
20. "Saying, Arise and take the young
child nnd His mother and go into tho laud ol
Israel, for they are dead which sought th
young child's life." Thus was iullllle l the
prophecy of Hos. xl.. 1, quoted In verso 15,
but thnt prophe iv refers to Israel called out ol
F.gypt through Moses. See, then, the double
Ignillcauce of many prophecies llrst refer
ring to n person or u.it Ion, but further on Id
the course of events to Christ and His king
dom, for nil the promises of Ood nre yea un l
amen In lira (II Cor. I., '.til. The Lord had
told the 'ii to alilde till He brought them wor I
(verso 13), so they waited patiently, wltn no
plaus for the morrow, but lookiug tor or bin
only from Him.
21. "Aud he arose, nn l took the young
child nnd His mother, nnd enme Into tit
laud of Israel." The very same Lord who
In the pillar of cloud and of tire le I Israel
out of Kgypt 1400 yinrt before is now a
helpless halie In Mary's arms, being carrie I
up out of tli nt ssme F.gypt. Orent Is the
mystery of Oo llluegs, Ood manifest In th
flesh, lie humble 1 Himself to bo born ol
Mary, cradled In a manger, carried to Kgypl
and bask, live and grow up In tbe humlils
home nt Nuzaruth, remain there unknown
for thirty years, then go forth on His public
work to be despise I, rejected and erudite I,
nil lor mo. The Son of Ood loved me and
gave Himsult for me.
2'i. "Hut when bo heard that Arihnluus
did reign in Judint in the room of his fathei
Herod bo was afraid to go thither. Notwith
standing, belug warned of Oo 1 iu a dream,
be turned aside Into the purls of Galilee.'
The moment we turn our eyes from Ho!
alone to look nt people or elrcutnstmioei
tears are sure to come ; winds and waves wil
cause us to sink, but w.th eyes HxeJ on Jhui
wm can walk on the sea. Instead of Lieiliu
what people say, let us hear what Oo l th
Lord will speak, for He will speak peace tc
His people (Ps. Ixxxv., a). A mind staid os
Him will have perfect peace (Is, xxvl.. 3).
23. "And He came and dwelt lu a citj
culled Nazareth, that It might bo fulllllel
which was spoken by the propeets, Hi snail
be called a Nazarene." There sminis to U
no single direct prophecy to this effect, but
the toetlmooy of all tbe prophets was thai
He would be despised nnd held In contempt
even as they were. Nazareth must havebnui
a town ot poor reputation, Judging from
Nut banners question in Jobn v., 4ti. Tin
Hebrew tor "oranoh" inlsa. xl. 1, Is "net
ser" and may have some bearing upon tin
name Nanareue. It we are truly His, wi
must be willing to be despised for it is sake. -
Lessou Helper.
A TUt'TH WELL I'UT.
The Chrlstliiu Witness well suyst "It will
be found in the end, thnt neither "Chrlstlun
Kndei'vor boeletles," "Epworth Leagues."
"Vouiig Men's Christian Associations," not
liny other organization, will do the needed
work. Holiness iu the pulpit, holiness iu the
pew, lioliuess lu the class meeting, holiness
in thu love feust, holiness in the editorial
rhuir, uu I holiness lu the theological schools,
Is theouly thing which can ever preserve the
church from apostacy, or biiug tier buck
from lier wainli.riujs. There is a sad lack
of holiness iu all tho places iiitinod, hence
the drifting from piety uud soul saving iu tbe
uhuruh. Let us begin at the foundation."
GxxKB4t. Coxir cost the Government of
the t'ultedStutes about 160, (MO. This repre
sents tbe foes and expsnses ot special United
Htates deputy marshals and the eost ot ar
resting tbe men who paraded under his name
lu different pirts of the country.
TEMPERANCE.
kaith's mrtTAog.
We know thnt Ood made naught In tntn
The waving fields ot golden grain.
The frutt that hatgs from bending trees.
The plants thnt bow before the hreex.
The purple gems that deck the vlue
All these, for us. did Ood deelgn.
Hot frnlts and grains were never made
To cauna4he bloom of health to fade,
To quench tho ardent lire of youth.
To blast the springing blades ot truth,
To bleer the eye and senr the heart.
While hope and faith and love depart I
Oh, no. the Lord did not Intend
The fruitage ot the earth should letil
The aid that sinful men desire,
The fuel for that raging lire.
The means to stnrt thnt stmam of ills
That all the world with saduess tills.
Then why do men Ood's blessings take
From which the poisonous drlnksto make?
From drinks like theaemueh sorrow flowsj
From drinks like these n.ueh evil grows I
From out tho drunkard's cursed bowl
The burning wavos ot anguish roll I
Pear boys and girls, avoid this stare.
To let successful, now prepare
Tospenk thnt little word eall.nl "no
To let your wonts and actions show
To those who offer liquor strong
That you consider drinking wrong!
Uufus C. Landon, in Teinperaii.ru D inner
Morn amp t.Anoa.
"f.lqnor keeps the people from the land tc
which they desire free access, ( .,.Ve r
the land for the people, and I .le
sire every workman to Iwnms a turn
owner himself. The farms In the 1'nitel
Btatee In 1W) were valued at l0.r.7,n'H',.7i,ii
The liquor money of the nation would 'but
them In less than twelve years' time. At tin
assessed vnluntlon. with every two hnon.n
of beer the drinker swallows 2:li) square few
of land. All the real estate of the nation is
1W0 wss assented nt Hi, Oil'.. "tiii, !;, Th
drink bill of the United States w.uil.l pur
chnse it In less than flfteeu years, nint tue
savings In tax.-, productive oipltnl nri.
labor, raw material utllizul, wealth crent"-;,
etc., would bank niorethnniin qtm amount'
Liquor opens hell-holes between the puopii
and tbe lands."-John Lloyd Thomas.
a visit to a i.oh! his rxi cr.
A mission visitor of one of the I.onio
churehes thus describee her visit to a gie
palace- "Without, in the narrow, ilrt
streets, misery nnd squalor on every !!
but within, all bright nnd gay A throng oi
men and women crowded the bars, ii.an' ol
them scarcely more than ehll.lr.-n in yc-iri
but old in sin : and on looking arn.ni I m
lower, even upon tbe floor, were to t.e
as many ns thirty or forty little children
ninny of them hahl". at tlrst thought the
wore asl.iip nnd pilled thetr nc.-lei i.nl cnil
lion i but this feeling was oiii.-kly changer
to horror hen I was nssiired that they wri
all drunk deni drunk, stupidly drunk - tin
that some of them had never been soin-r
hnvlng actually been born SHtu.it- 1 with tl.
accursed stuff and fed on It ever since, th.
result being visible III their old. pla-ti-l
fuei-s and miserable, balf-starved bo-ller
with nothing ot babyhood about thorn. '
Church-Helper.
Notc-Ai.mnoi.ic Tiir.nTMKxror pis.
Kir Ilonjamin Ward lll.-hnrlson was one of
Hie sneakers nt tho recent annual meeting of
the National Temperance League, London,
ind bin able ad. trees on tbe occasion he
ihnructoriznd ns his "latest message ns a
physical Inquirer Info theeffectsof alcohol."
Concerning the use ot alcohol In the treat
ment of disease, mid his experience ns senior
physician of the London Temperance H.ie
pltal, wCSjuote the following, to whloh we
nivnetue special attention or American phy
sicians i
"One word more and I hnve done. I wns
brought up professionally from n very early
age from my llrst age, I bad almost said
to look on things medical ns part of my dally
life, nnl I bad lesrnnl nothing more le.
rielvely than this That alcohol was nt least
a necessary Instrument of the physician, a
means of cure, n certain remedy in disease,
if it bad no other virtue. When the vital tire
wns high I was taught to use it. When the
tilul powers were perverted or irregular I
Was taught to use it. When th . vital fores
were low I was especially ta ight to use It.
It was adduced us n remedy that lesscnel
lever, steadied Irregularities, s.i-taiiie I and
maintained strength, an I q.ilckeue.l
circulation. Contradictory as these state
ments might s.vini to be, th-v wre Ilk'
tho laws of the Medes mid Persians to
the student nnl youn; practitioner '
medicine In mv llrst days, nil so strong!)
were they Imprinted on mv mini that i.o
I had overcome the phvslololcat .llftl -ul
ties I continued for some tlm i to apply what
I had originally h-urncd to Ci treatment o'
ilis-ase, usln ulcohol ns, .-t least, nn ex -.-p
tlonal remedy. On lu il.y it duwue I upot
me that the error here might bo lust ns irre i
ns the error relating to health nnl ulcohol.
I begun thereupon n new investigation. I
proceeded, step by step, lo lay asi In nlcolio
nsu remedy, uud when tho practice of tin
Loudon Temperan.-e Hospital w is opened tc
me I obtained a field sii -h as I bad li"v u
b 1 before for scientlil - observation wilt
the result that 7'MI ncute cases of .llseaso It v.-
there come under ley car-', diseases of th
most varied kinds and ncutost in character
nil of which hnve been treated systematical!.1
without nny recourse to nloohol or to any
thing thnt may be e illed n substitute for It
The experience has ex ree le every expect
tlon that would have occurred to me twenty
live years ago. It gives mo no more troubl
or anxiety now to treat the most serious .lis
eases without ulcohol than ev-r it did w.tl
it. Ueooverles iroru several iliwi iscs are it
good. If n -" better nn ler this mefho I tint
under t'ni; vl't one. and convalescence is uu
questional.? ndv.ineed. Tue t rut ii. in short
holds good all thrmwh, tlia'. that woi.-li Ii
best In health is best also in disease, un I if 1
were in the power of any one to s iyto me
"I remove from your rea"l. alcohol us a me t1
i-ine," I should answer, There is not ume.li
cine that you can reuiovo from me will
greater impunity."
TEMFRRANCK NF.WS AXl SOTM.
The Olnsgow (Scot Ian I) A'.stalner.' Uulot
recently oelebrated Its fortieth uniiiversary
A Sydney (Australia) publican was latolj
fined lor aduituratlug spirts with sulphuric
acid.
There are over forty lempersnce soeleti.
In Japan, with a membership ot upwards o
leut'iousaod men aud women.
Ol.eoftbe by-laws ot a newly organized
cburoh among thu Zulus is that "no mem
ber shall drink the white man's grog."
An English syndicate is reported to havj
agreed to pay fifty million lire aunuully tc
Italy lor the monopoly of itstrallln lo elcouo'.
There Is never the body of a nun, how
strong and stout soever, If it lie trouble I and
Inflamed, but will take more harm uud of
fence by wine belug poured luto it. Plu
tarch. Tne aggregate wealth of eight millionaire
brewers sol New Vork City is 52.50),00i.
The money spent by wociiug men to nelp
thestf eight meu to live In palace woul l
turuisu 82,503 oj tbelr families witu a ytMy
t bomsui-dollar oottage.
Eleven hundred persons in North Dakota
have pledged themselves to pay i each pur
annum, wnich insures a fund of V)J, to bd
expended In prosucutliig offenders of the
Prohibition law. A pur;uino;;t orgmbsatlou
Will be effected at once.
Tbe commander-in-chief ot the English
army has glveu orders throughout tbe army
that wherevsr practicable, a room in all bar
racks shall be placed at the disposal ot mili
tary chaplains for the purpose of holding
lempuranwe, social an 1 other Uke meeting
tor the tffvltjtfs) ol soldier.
WORDS OF WISDOM.
Mediocrity is unpardonable1.
Defeat is a tonic to a brave man.
Good biograLy should not bo all
praise.
Success is sometimes miHtakcn for
Tictory.
A young msu is a theory; and oil
man a fact.
Thoro aro nno thousand good talker
to otio Rood thinker.
An ungodly rogtio stauds no chanco
ngniust a godly one.
lb) ns little work ns yon can, but
in nkc that little count.
The timid nnd weak aro tho most
implacably revengeful.
No old cat but would liko to bring
Ler kitten up a rabbit.
A cause thnt eantint statu! defeat i.4
not worth lighting for.
There conies n tiino when plcasuro
lins no diamonds to paw n.
Let uo goo 1 pais waiting for t
morrow. Vou tuny not bo here.
You never neo it man around to koep
compliments out of u newspaper.
llend nood books, tmt trash, aud try
to rend n little nt them every day.
Tii-re is ho in tic It good prose thnt it
is not wise to waste time nn poetry.
It is necessary to meet good luck
half way, but bud luck will chneo you.
It is to be regretted that man is so
Constituted that hu cannot forget hie
foes.
It c.ititmt bo impressed too soon
upon a child that life is a serious busi
ness. Talk as though certain that what
you say will be accepted without argu
ment. Ambition a kind of egotism in
behind nil uehiuvoiiient aud all excel
lence. Some people would bo very nico if
thoy could get over one or two bad
habits.
Many men wreck both fortune aud
health trying to earn u dollar they do
not need.
Mothers nre tho only people in tho
world who never llud out that they
hnvo boen proud without cause.
Human nature n. ver changes. If n
man promises to do l tt.T than men
have ikdie iu tho paid, do not boluvu
him.
A Curious ( ullectioii ol ( lilua Hare.
Mrs. A. F. 11. Martin, wife of ex
Heiiutor Martin, of Newark, N. J., has
one of tho largest nn l most itiiiipio
collection of piteln.rs iu tho I'nit j.l
States.
Mrs. Martin begun collecting pitch
crs some eight years ago. hhe has
SUD now, mid in nil the great company
there nre but two duplicates.
Tho biggeet pitcher iu this thriviti ;
plant is olio presented to Senator Mar
tin by his colleagues in tho, New .!. i -vSj
iSvunie. Thin U)- DOtLi jf,-'U (ii'.i-
Inrly interesting about it. utleas it bo
He size. It bus the Senator's name
upon it in gilt letters, nnd could easily
contain half a hundred of its smaller
brethren. Some of tho tiniest iu this
pitcher family nre tho most valualilc.
Mrs. Martin has one scarcely an
inch tall, of gold, with six jewels net
in n circle on t lieotitM.le. The initial
letters of the tintucs of th'-se jewels
cpell tho word "llegurd." This is the
most valuable, ho far ns money is cot;
cirued, iu the collection, ulthotlgli
there is one made of worth of
bunk notes. One of the homelieet in
the lot came from O.-hkosh, Wis. It
lias a grotes.pio Miotit, uud this, with
its high coloring, gives it tho impres
sion of Home one in tho Hpasius of apo
plexy. Nearly every Stutd iu tho
I'nion is represented in this collec
tion, ii u 1 there are little colonies from
tiently every watering place. Thero
is one specimen from Mexico, which
is round like n pumpkin, aud Htoun
p;riiy in color. There is a perfectly
impossible face on it, with great,
bulitig i yes an I ii nulling mouth
which reminds one of Victor Hugo's
"Man Who li'iiigiis." It is uu Azteu
pitcher, or, at l. a.st, iiftcr thu Aztec
style of workmanship.
l'rolutly one of the most beautiful
is a pitcher from Switzerland ma le of
slag I'rotu tho mines. Tii" composi
tion, heuteil originally until it became
u molten muss, Holidilie 1 tin ally with
a wealth of iridescent coloring, vivid
crimsons, rich greens mi l sober grays.
There is 11 tiuy (iiMinili beer mug,
with tho natal top, un I even the usual
(Serman verse upon the front. Thero
nre a doen uud over tuut mo not half
mi inch high, and ouu mudeof a shell.
Then, ol course, there are many iu tho
forms of unimals, on., a lino represou
tutioti of a luig, iinollier of au owl,
uuolher of a rooster, uud ho ou. Now
York Press.
UtirliU Customs ot the .New Zealanders.
The New Zealuuders have a niugular
burial custom, au 1 one that is essen
tially the same as that of tho Parseei
of tho Orient. I'uliko tho latter, they
bury their dead iu tho earth, but
leave them thero only loug enough for
tho tlesh to decay. When nothing ie
left but the bones, these aro carefully
cleaned nnd laid uwaj iu uatursl caves
or nrtitlaul tombs. The crime of
grave robbing or of disturbing tho
bones of tho dea l after they have been
cleaned aud put away is always
punished by death in New Zealand
and throughout Polynesia. St. Louie
llepublio.
t;ct There, til.'
The term "Get there, Eli," Is said
to huve come about at a baseball matou
played iu central New York State.
The uaino of uini u the players hap
iienod to bo Ely, aud Chapman, tha
leader of tho "nine," was continually
urging him on, and inadvertently mis
Tirououuoing his name. The cry was.
"Oct there, Elil" and the expression
lias been taked up as an expressive bit
vt American nlftttg. UMtiwua.
J
a: