The New York herald., 1877-10-22
BROOKLYN TABERNACLE.

THE GOLDEN CALF-sERMoN BY Rev. T. DE
WITT TALMAoE.
Mr. Talmage preached 10 tho Tabernacle, taxing
his text from Exodus, XXI, 20-"And he took tho
cali which they had mado and burnt In the re, and
ground II 10 powder, and strewcd It upon tho water
and mado tho children OF Israel drink Of It." My
theme said Mr. Talmsge Is the worship OF the golden
CALI People will have an idol, will have god Of somo
kind and they prefer one Of their own making. Tho
golden calf OF lsraelitsh worship has become the
golden cali Of European and American worship.
Pull aside this curtain and you will tho golden
calf OF modern idolatry. IL is not like other idols.
made out Of stocks stonc but s ear s 80 sensitive
that can hear tho whispers on Wall street, Third
and State stroet and the footballs In tho Bank
Of England and the 1utters Of Frenchmans heart
on Tho Boursc. 1t has eye kecn that 1t
can see the rust on tho farm of Michigan whoat
and tho insect In the Maryland peach orchard aud
tho trampcd ground under tho hoof OF the Russian
war charger. II Is so mighty that It swings any way
It wl tue worlds shipping. u started ths American
civil war ana under God, stopped IL, and II will decide
the Tnrko Russian contest It's temple vaster than
ST. Paus Of tho English, or ST. Petors OF tho Italians
the Alhambra OF tho Spaniards the Parthenon OF
tho Greeks or the Taj-Manal Of the Hndoos, and all
the other catbedras put together. It's pillars arc
grooved and nuted with gold, and It's rnpt arches
arc hovering gold. and It's chandeliers are
descending gol and Its floors are tosseated gold, and
It's vaults crowded heaps OF god and spires and
domes soaring gold, and It's organ pipes re-
sounding GOLD, and lis pedals are tramping gold, and
It's stops pulled out are flashing gold whilo standing
the hoois ana tho shoulders and tho eyes aud
the AMI nostrls Of the calf OF gold. It's
atars made Of stones other altars, but
out Of the counting-room desks and hreproof sales,
aud II Is very long, high altar Tho victims flung
II are tho sardous, and tho Ketchums, and tho FsKs
aud the Tweeds, anu tho Mortons, anu ten thousand
other people who arc slain before this golden calf.
Their nerves are gone tneir digestion is gone. their
brain Is gone, they die. The trouble Is that when a
sncrihces himself this altar no also sacrifices
his family. The tenpc Of which speak stands open
day and night and there is the gttering god with his
four feet broken hearts, and thorc Is the smoking
hltar OF sacrifice, new victims ever on II.
WHAT THE PAST SIX MONTHS HAVE TAUGHT.
But my suggests that Lhis worship has got TO be
broken up. You may depend upon /. that God
Will grind to pieces the golden cali OF mod
.s ern idoia'ry: Ii not before. It will WIN bc so an IN
will begin but It WIN be very hot blast.
Tho earth will wrap. itself round aud round
in a shroud of hamo aud lie down 70 perish. What
then will become OF your golden cafY Under the
upper aud the nethor milestone OF falling mountains.
ground to powder, Dagan down, Mooch down, jugger-
naut down, golden cali down. But, my friends. every
day Is day Of judgment and God IS all tho time
grinding to pieces the golden cali. Though should
be u minority OF ono ! venture the opinion that
these the best times We have had in fifteen years.
Tor the reason that God has Taught this nation as
thing that will stand. In mo past six months wo
have learned that iorgeries will not pay; that water
Ing Of stock or appropriation Of trust funds 10 our
own private speculation Will not pay. We had
great national tumor In the shape Of fictitious
prosperity, and God 10 cutting Il out Tho ma
ton will get well and will 60 back 70
tho principles OF our fathers and grandiathers
when twice three six instead OF sixty, when tho
man VINO wore a Gve-dollar coat that PAID
more hon0red than tho man who wore nlty-dollar
paid for Tho golden calf Of day. ike tho
In tho text, Is moro apt to be made out OF bor
rowed gold There Is many u man IN this day who
rides a carriage who owes the blacksmith for the
ure and wheel ght lor tho wheel and The trimmer
curtain tho fur dealer for The robe. tell
you sirs that in this country will never get things
rgnt TIL wo stop borrowing and pay as we 10. IL is
this temptation TO borrow aud borrow aud borrow that
keeps tho pcopo cvcrlastnay praying 10 tho golden
calf tor help. l say let tho work 60 on until every
shall learn to speak the truth OF his ncighbor,
aud those who make engagements shall ieeI them.
selves bound keep them. But my iricnds have
made this worship our god, whom We come 10 die we
Will SEQ our ido demolished and ground 10 pieces by
our pillow, and will have to drink bitter regrets
Tor the wasted opportunities OF a lifetime. oh, this
Is neeting world; 1t is cheating world and IL ~
dying world. want you to change temples, to give
up the worship OF this unsuitable and cruel god Tor tho
service OF tho Lord Jesus. Hero IS gold that Will
here arc banks that will never break, here Is the
altar which there has been one sacriice that docs
Tor all; hero Is the God who Will comfort you when
you are IN trouble, soolhc you when you are SICK,
and save you when you die. QUIT worshippng tho
golden calf and bow this day before Him III whose
presence must al appear when the word is turned
ashes and the scorched parchment Of tho sky shall
bo rolled together hko historic SCROLL
SEVENTH ST. METHODIST CHURCH.
FORMER DAYS COMPARED WITH THE PRESENT
SERMON BY REV. j. s. WILLIS.
The Row. J. ). Willis discussed, a. the Seventh
Street Methodist Churcn, before a congregation
greatly tninned by The drizzling rain, the ques-
tion whether tho days OF yoro were really bottcr
than those OF tho present. IL tho manifest object
his discourse dispe this time-nonorcd Illusion
Tho main which he based his train OF argu-
that In tho and the Who'll 10
Of the history OF the solo rule Of progress
Was visible. Even the physical condition OF the earth
illustrated this law OF progress. Al one time the
earth cold and at another time 80 hot that It
was unfit for tho haoiiation Of man, but through q
slow evolution Of progress It's physical condi-
ton was adapted to the flora and fauna
and tho human Inhabitants for which the Divine Gre
ator had intended H. The reverend gentleman traced
the progress oi man through the various ages. he
maintained that Greece IN tho day of Pefcles and
Rome IN It's pum,cst time could not Tor moment ba
compared 70 modern France, Germany or England.
SO and corrupt nj heart were these ancient creeks
IN spite Ut their vuuned statesmen philosophers and
poets that mere gut OF iron from The King of Egypt
raised quarrel winch caused the banishment oil oUU0
OF thor IT, 900 patrcians from the famed city OF
Athens. How could the Roman Empire vi Nero aud
Cagula bc for u moment compared TO England with
miId Queen and her great Christian statcsmcnr
Gong even further back We saw how tue Alm,ghty
had 10 destroy entire cities and natons SO corrupt had
they become already IA tho earliest ages vi history
lew hundred years alter the creation OF man hs de-
scendants were already 50 wicked that God mad to
sweep them away by the Hood leaving only Noah nnd
his household TO psrpetuatc his race.
A POPULAR MISTAKE.
People had unfortunately acquired the habit OF hit
ing their eyes heaven and signing Tor the days Of
yore THIS was foolish anu unwarrantcd from overy
point OF view great deal, for Instance, was said
about the cxcesscs OF the Church of Rome, OF the
dogma OF inlaIbily put iortn Wy tne Pope. But how
could the assumption oi Pio Mono be compared TO tho
tyranny vi Gregory the Great or Alexander, tn.
Spanish PopcY Al that time nothing that WAS sacred
10 Tue human heart-the liberty OF conscience. the
liberty OF speech, the liberty of thougnt-was rc-
spect.d. Tho Catholic Church had been vastly I'M
Proved for IN the Iast centuries the great waves oi
progress had beaten against the mighty RAM
parts
We reau tho newspapers see tho records oi MUIR
ders suicides, aDductons, aivorces and We say -
Oh this WAS not III the days vi our ioreatbers :"
On the contrary, IL was lar worse. The newspapers
tell us everything now; they told Us nothing then.
Where wo nave vi the kind now thoy bad a
hundred then. Society IN tho older days rescmbcd
the condition OF place like Virginia Cty year or
two ago, wnere every carried bowie knife iu his
own belt and every mans will was mis- own law