Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1892-12-03
REV. DIR. TAiMAGE
lUE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S Sun
DAY SERMON

~, uater and made the children of Israel
dr.nk Of h."-Exodus xxi, 90.
People will have n God Of some kind, and
they prefer one OF their own making. Here
come the Israelites. breaking off their gold
en- earrings, the men as we'll as the women.
for III those times there were masculine az
well as feminine decorations. Where did
they get these beautiful gold earrings,
coming up as they did from the desert: On,
they BORROWED" them from the Egyptians
when they left Egypt. These earrings are
pied up into q pyramid of giitterings beauty.
''Any more earriny g to bring' says Aaron.
None. Fire is kindled, the earrings are
melted and poured into a mold, not o. an
eagle or a war charger, but OF a cali; the
gold cools off, the mol IS taken away, and
the idol is set upon its four legs.
An altar is built 10 front Of the shining
calf. Then the people throw up their arms
and gyrate and shrek and dance nightly
and worship. Moses has been six weeks on
Mount S.nai, and he CONES back AMI hears
the howiiny On / sees the dancing Of these
golden calf fanatics, ard he loses his pa
thence. and he taxes the two plates Of stone
on which were written the Ten Comm and
ments and filings them Sd hard, against a.
rock that they split all TO pieces. When a
man gets mad he is very apt to freak all the
Ten Commandments.
Moses PUSHES in. and he takes this calf
goi and throws it into a hot fire until 1t Is
melted all out Of shape, and then pulverlzes
it-not by the modern appliance OF nitro
mur.ntic acid, but by tbs ancient appliance
OF inter. or by the old fashioned file. He
makes for the people a most uauseating
draft. he takes this pu.verlzed golden cali
and throws it into the only brook which IS
accessible. and the people are compelled t.
drink OF that brooS or not drink at all. But
the did not drink ali the glittering stuff
thrown on the surface. Some OF it flows on
down the surface OF the brook to the
river, and then flows on down the river
to the sea, and the sea takes 1T
up and bears it to the mouth Of all the
rivers. and when the tides set back the re-
mains of this golden calf are carried up into
the Hudson and the East River. and the
Thames and the Clyde and the Tiber, and
men &c out and they skim the glittering sur
face. and they bring it ashore, and they
make another golden calf, and California
and Australia break off their golden ear
rings 10 augment the pile, and in the fires OF
financial excitement aud struggle all these
these things are melted together, and while
We stand looking and wondering what will
come OF 1t, 10, We find that the golden calf
OF Israelitisl worship has become the golden
calf OF European and American worship.
l shall describe to you the gO1 spoken Of
in the text, his temple, his altar Of sacrifice,
the music that is made in his temple, and
then the final breaking up OF the whole
congregation of idOlaters.
Put aside this curtain and you see the
golden calf OF modern idolarry. 1t is not
like other idols, made out Of stocks or
stones. but 1t hast an ear SO sensitive that it
can hear the whisoers on Wall street and
Third street and State street, and the foot
falls in tho Bank OF England, and the fut-
ter of FrenchIhan's heart on the Bourse.
1t has an eye SO keen that it can see the rust
on the farm Of Michigan wheat, and the in
sect in the Maryland peach orchard. and the
trampled grain under the hoof of the Rus.
sian war charger.
1t is SO mighty that it swings any way it
will the worlds shipping. 1t has its foot on
all the merchantmen and the came 1t
started the American civil war, and under
God stopped it, and it decided the Turko-
Russian contest. One broker in September,
1853. In New York, shouted, 'One hundred
and sixty for IA miilion'' and the whole con-
tinent shivered. Ills golden calf OF the text
Inns its right front foot in New York, its
loft front foot in Chicago, its right back foot
IN Charleston. its left back foot in New Or
leans. and when it shakes itself it shakes the
word. Oh, this is a mighty god-the golden
calf of the worlds worship
But every god must have its temple, and
this golden calf OF the text is no exception.
Its temple is vaster than St. Paurs OF the
English. and st. Peters Of the Italians, and
the lhambra of the Spaniards, and the
Parthenon OF the Greeks, and the Tai Mahal
Of the Hindoos, and all the other cathedrals
put together. Its pillars are grooved and
hdbSu ~ Rod, duu us DDc IlCAcS u
lowering gold, and its chandeliers are de.
scending gold, and its floors are tessellated
gold. and Its vaults are crowded heaps Of
gold, and its spires and domes are soaring
gold, and its organ pipes are resoundiDg gold
and Its pedals are tramping gold. and it
stops pulled out are flashing gold, Will
standing at the head OF the temple, as tn
presiding deity, are the hoofs and shoulder
and eyes and ears and nostrils OF the calf O
gold.
Further, every god must have not only it
temple, but ITS altar OF sacrifice, and thi
golden calf OF tho text is no exception. II
altar Is not made out o. stone, as other al
tars. but out OF counting roo.. desk, an.
freproof safes, and it is a broad, a long,
high altar. The victims sacrificed on t ar
innumerable. What does thls god care abou
the groans ana struggles OF the victims be
fore it! With cold, metallic eye it looas OF
aud yet lets them suffer. On, heaven an
Aartl wha, mn alt-rl What - cao.ifna Z
body. mind and soull The physical bealt
or n great multitude is flung on this sa.r
need altar. lhey cannot sleep, and they TAX
Choral and morphine and intoxicant-.
Some OF them strug -le in a nightmare q
stocks and at | O'Clock IN the mornin. sll
denly rise up shouting: "A thousan sl are
OF railroad stock-0na hun lreI AMI eign
aud a haif. take it" until n, w.o.e fam /,
Is arrightsd, and the spectators TALL hac
on their pillows ami steep uutil thev ar
awakened again by n 'rtrn.r' or a sud-,
rise IN sonethin else. Tleir nerves ran4
their digestion gonr, their train g1na-th4
uie. he clergyman comes IN ani r.. Is ~
funeral service: blessed ar, TIA dc, WI.
Gle IN the Lord" Mistake. TE4y Il, no
lie IN the l1ri'-the go,ien calf ii Ike
them
inc trouble Is "aeh men SaE~IIca tlea
selves on TINS altar su -Eestoi in Ia, tx
they not only sacrifice thetns Ives. b.t tn i
sacrifice their families. Ia man - an il
course Is determine / 10 20 I, ne-lIti,n
suppose You VIII hav Il le: am -. hus !:
puts his wife an1 chIl ircl ilar eGlG-
that is tue anaZsnent o. the ayann. -. An.
the driver lashe the horses into :So VAR
winds. and the spoi5S flash il TIM SUI a,
the golden heaigear OF thu harness g.a,Y
untii Black Calamity taxes thu bts OK I,
norses anu stops than, and saou.s II n
luxurious occupants of tla eoui4 "a -. g
OUT lhey get out. Taev get down. In,
husband AMI father .,un; MS FANNY !, var
toey never go. ~ a.an Ta1r, WI y
marx on them for lfe-t4c marx a.: asnl
moo the death Gealin, hoo. o. Ia -o,.e
cali.
Solomon Offered IN one sacrlfc,. on I'll
occasion, twenty.two thou<an !oxan an .,
Tundra md su =, -