Devoted to the Propagation and Defense of New Testament Christianity
VOLUME 3
December 6, 1951
NUMBER 31, PAGE 13

The Overflow

F.Y.T.

"Specious And Fantastic"

In the famous Lincoln-Douglas debates on the slavery issue, Lincoln charged that Douglas' arguments were as "thin as soup made by boiling the shadow of a pigeon that had starved to death." He declared Douglas was using "specious and fantastic arrangements of words, by which a man can prove a horse-chestnut to be a chestnut horse." It looks to us like some of the brethren have been taking lessons from Stephen A. Douglas. For example: A Christian is a member of the church, therefore what a Christian does the church is doing.

—O—

The gun backfired Commenting on brother Cecil N. Wright's "Music Hall Meeting" argument, one of our readers says, "he didn't know the gun was loaded—and would backfire right in his face." And another, commenting on the bewilderment which must have overtaken brother Wright when he awoke to find how far astray he had gone in his defense of "sponsored cooperation," sent us this appropriate Edward jingle:

"There was an old man with a beard, Who said: 'It's just as I feared!

Two owls and a hen, Four larks and a wren Have all built their nests in my beard'."

—O—

Efficiency Some of the brethren have worked out their "routine" for the Lord's Supper with such split-second timing and military like precision, that it all gives the impression of a well rehearsed act—instead of the deeply moving experience of a congregation of earnest souls devoutly uniting in worship to God. C. E. McGaughey tells of a congregation that actually prided itself on having "reduced the time spent in serving the Lord's supper to eight minutes flat"!

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We know what she meant Then there was the sister at church who was overheard commenting to another, "Our preacher is a wonderful speaker—be speaks and all the congregation wonders what he is talking about."

—O—

Hazards of living Down in Atlanta, Georgia, a few weeks ago a local bootlegger mixed up a concoction of cheap liquor and wood alcohol, and peddled it to his customers. As a result something like forty people died after drinking the stuff. And now the Kentucky Court of Appeals hands down a decision that: "A wife may pour castor oil in her husband's whiskey because it is a wife's right to try to reform him." Brethren, beware! Caught between the bootlegger with his poison and your wife with her castor oil bottle, your prospects aren't pleasant. Better just stick to your soda pop and Hadicol.

—O—

"By chance"

The atheists argue that all things happened to come into existence "by chance." Atoms and molecules, chemicals, temperatures, etc., all just "chanced" to be in the right combination at the right moment to bring life into existence. Sir Arthur Eddington worked out a clever little verse in response to this blatant claim:

"There once was a brainy baboon Who always breathed down a bassoon, For he said, 'It appears That in a billion years, I shall certainly hit on a tune' "!

—O—

News or obituary columns We've just closed a meeting in Ponca City, Oklahoma, where we stayed in the home of a fine old gospel preacher, brother Geo. W. Hardin. Brother Hardin remarked one day, with a twinkle in his eye, "There are about five brethren who never fail to have a report each week in the news columns of the Gospel Advocate and the Firm Foundation. If I should chance to read the news reports in those papers one week, and should fail to find a notice from any one of these brethren, I'd turn at once to the obituary column to read about his death."

—O—

Baptismal robes Brother Hardin also told us of sat incident he witnessed in Oklahoma a few years ago—a scene which makes us appreciative of the "baptismal robes" many of the congregations are now using. But this was before the congregation in that little town had begun to use such garments; and an unusually corpulent lady (weighing perhaps 200 pounds) was to be baptized. She went down into the water about knee deep, chastely and soberly clad in a long heavy rain slicker. But pausing a moment she unfastened the slicker and tossed it back out of the water—and emerged resplendent and bulging in a three sizes too small bathing suit!

—O—

"Ready To Suffer"

The local preacher was making a rather fulsome and flowery introduction of the visiting evangelist, who was that day to begin the meeting. He described the visitor's ability, leaning, eloquence, etc., and urged the congregation to get themselves into a receptive frame of mind for the "wonderful sermon" which he was sure they were about to hear. The song leader, entering into the spirit of the occasion, announced the title of the next song: "Ready To Suffer."

—O—

"Regular" preacher Sometimes the brethren speak of the preacher who lives and works in their community as the "regular" preacher for the local church. Well, at Center, Texas, where this page is being written, Merle Bryant is the "regular" preacher—and in addition to preaching for the Center congregation, he has held no less than fifteen gospel meetings since May of this year. With two or three exceptions, all of these were mission meetings in rural school houses, small country churches, and community buildings within driving distance of Center. For one stretch this summer he preached 88 out of 90 consecutive nights. We call that "regular" preaching . . . and a mighty good example for some of the "two sermons a week" brethren.

—O—

Distasteful Then there was the Pentecostal Holiness preacher who was roundly condemning some of the ladies of his congregation for their use of rouge and lipstick. "The more experience I have of lipstick," he roared, "the more distasteful I find it"!