The Russellville Democrat. [volume] (Russellville, Ark.) 1875-1898, 1888-12-06
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
Unclean Things that Pollute the
Body and Dwarf the Soul
The Influence of Diet on temperament,
and the Influence of Good and Evil
Thoughts on Our spirit
nal Natures.
Rev. I. Dewitt Talmage. in q recent
ermoil al the BROOKLYN Tabernacle on


Yulture and the bat These also shall be I'M
clean to yon among the creeping things shat
creep upon the earth: The chameleon and the
Z snail -Levitlcus xxi. $3.50.
The Bible offers every possible variety
OF theme, of argument and OF illustration.
We care not much in what kind Of a
pitcher the waterof life Is brought, II it
Is only the clear pure water. God gave
the aacients a list of the animals that
they might eat and list Of animals that
they might not eat These people lived
in a hot climate, aud certain forms OF
animal food corrupted their blood and
disposed them to scrofulous disorders,
deprayed their appetites and bemeaned
their souls. A mans food, when he
has the means aud opportunity OF
selecting it suggests his moral
nature. The reason the wild In
dian is as cruel as the lion is because he
has food that gives him the blood Of the
lion. missionary among the Indians
SAYS that By changing his style OF food to
correspond with theirs his temperament
was entirely changed. There are certain
forms OF food that have tendency to at
feet the moral nature Many a Christian
is trying to do BY prayer that which can
not be done except through corrected
diet For instance, he who uses swine's
flesh for constant diet viii be diseased in
body and polluted OF soul--all his liturgies
and catechisms notwithstanding The
GadareRe swine were possessed o. the
devil, and ran down o deep place into the
sea, and all the swine ever since seem to
have been similarly possessed. In Lee
viticus, God struck this meat off the table
of His people, and placed before them a
bill Of fare at once hsalth:ul, nutricious
and generous.
But, higher than this physical reason,
there was a spiritual reason why God
chose certain forms of food for the an
clients. God gave a peculiar diet TO His
people, not only because He wanted them
to be distinguished from the surrounding
nations, but because certain birds and
animals, by reason Of their habits, have
always been suggestive OF moral quail
ties. BY the list OF things from which
they were to abstain, God wished to
prejudice their minds against certain
evils: and in the list Of lawful things
given, He wished TO suggest certain forms
of good. When God solemnly forbade
His people to eat the owl the vulture, the
bat, the chameleon and the snail, He
mesnt TO drive out OF His people all the
/ sins that were thus emblemized.
! take the suggestion OF the text and
/ cay that one Of the first unclean things
/ the Christian needs to drive out OF his
I soul is the owl. The owl is the melan-
+ choly bird OF night It matches out whole
I broods of superstitions. 1t is doleful and
hideous. When it sings, it sings through
+ its nose. 1t loves the gloom OF night bet-
f ter than the brightness Of day. Who has
/ not slept in the cabin near the woods, and
+ been awakened in the night by the dis
nal "too-hoo" of the owl? Melancholy is
the owl that is perched in many a Chris
tan soul tits an unclean bird, and nee ds
/ to be driven away. A man whose sins are
pardoned, and who is en- the road 10
{ Heaven, mas no right to be gloomy. He
says: ~ have so many doubts."h That is
I because ''you are lazy" GO actively ia
/ work in Christs cause, and your doubts
will vanish. "You say: II have lost my
property" but l reply: ''You have in
/ finite treasures laid up in Heaven" You
+ say: II am weak and sickly, and going
/ to die.n Then be Congratulated that you
/ are so near eternal health and perpetual
/ gladness. Catch a few morning larks for
| your soul, and stone this owl off your
| premises.
! As a little girl was eating, the sun
/ dashed upon her spoon, and she cried:
80, mamma, have swallowed a spoon
| full Of sunshiaep Would God that we
| might all indulge in the same beverage.
| Cheerfulness, il makes the homeliest
! face handsome; it makes the hardest
mattress soft; it runs the loom that
weaves buttercups and rainbows and au
roras. God made the grass blackY No,
that would be too somber. God made
the grass red? No, that would be too
gaudy. God made the grass green, that
by this parable all the world might be
led to a subdued cheerfuluess. Read
your Bible in the sunshine. Remember
that your physical health is closely allied
to your spiritual The heart and the
liver are only few inches apart, and
what affects one affects the other. A
historian records that by the sound Of
great laughter in Rome Hannibaps as
saulting army was frightened away in
retreat. And there IS in the great out
bursting Joy OF Christian soul that
which can drive back any Internal be-
siegement Rats love dark closets, and
Satan loves to burrow in q gloomy soul
'Rejoice in the Lord, 0 ye righteous
and again say, rejoice !"
Hoist the window OF your soul in this,
the twelve O'Clock Of your spiritual night
Put the gun to your shoulder and aim at
the black Jungle from which the hooting
comes, pull the trig ger, and drop that
croaking, loathsome, hIdeous owl OF re-
lgious melancholy into the bushes.
Again, taking the suggestion OF the
text, drive out the vuiturs from your
soul. God would not allow the Jews to
eat it. It lives on oarcasses; it fattens
among the dead; with leadea wing it cir
Giles about battle-fslds. Wilson. the
American ornithologist counted two
hundred and thirty-seven vultures
around one carcass. II crossing the
desert when there is no sign Of
wing in the air, a camel perish out OF the
caravan, immediately the air begins to
darken with vultnres. There are many
professed Christians who have vulture
in their souls. They prey upon the char
acter and feelings OF others. A doubtful
repui alton is banquet for them. Some
rival in trade or profession falls, and the
vulture puts ont its head. These people
rsvel in the details OF q mans ruin. They
say: al told you So" They rush into
some store aud say: Have you heard
the newsf Just as I expected Our neigh
Dor ha- gone all to plecesl Good for
bimp
That professedly Christian woman. hav-
ing heard OF the wrong doing OF some
sister in the church, instead OF hiding the
sin with a mantle OF charity, peddles IL
all along tue streets. She takes tue after
noon to make her long eglected calls.
She tells the story ten times before sun
down, and every time tells II larger. She
rushes INTO the parlors to tell II, and into
the nursery to tell 1t, aud into the kitchen
to tell it,: She says: "W -pld you have
thought ii? Well / always said there
was something wrong about her. Why,
should not speak to her IL saw her in the
street. Is il not horrible? But better not
say any thing about II. because there may
be soma mistake, | do not want my name
involved in tie matter. / guess l will
Just 90 over aud ask them at No. 963
whether they have heard IT, Guess 1t
must be so, for Mary Ann says that her
husband saw man who heard from his
kasiness partner thet his blind old grand.
neither had seeu something that looked
very suspicious"