The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1892-11-15
AT THE TABERNACLE.
Or. TAtMAGE THINKS THE GOLDEN
CALF is STILL WORSRIPED.


the Golden Calf in These Latter Days.
BROOKLYN, Nov. 13.-The subject of
discourse chosen by Rev. DR.. Talmage
for his first sermon after the national
election was one peculiarly appropriate
TO the money making spirit Of the times.
1t was The Golden Calf" the text Sc
lected being Exodus xxi. 20, And he
took the calf which they had made and
burned it in the fire. and ground it to
powder and strewed il upon the water
and made the children OF Israel drink
of it."
People will have god of some kind,
and they prefer one Of their own max
ing. Here come the Israeises, breaking
off their golden earrings, the men as
well is the women. for in those times
there were masculine as well Is feIni-
nine decorations. Where aid they get
these beautiful gold earrings, coming
up as they did from the desert: Oh. they
borrowed" them OF the Egyptians wien
they left Egypt. These earrings are
piled up into pyramid OF Cllttering
beauty. ANY more earrings to bring!
saws Aaron. None. Fire is kindled:
the earrings are melted and poured into
a mold. not OF an eagle OF q war charger.
but Of calf; the gold cooIs on: the
mold is taken away, ana The Idol is set
upon its four legs.
An altar is built in front Of the shining
calf. Then the people throw up their
arms and gyrate and shriei; and dance
NIGHTLY and worship. Moses has been
six weeks on Mount SINAI, and lie comes
back and hears the bowling and sees
the dancing of these golden calf fanat-
les, and he loses his patience, and he
takes the two plates Of stone on which
were written the Ten Commandments
and filings them so hard against rocE
that they spit all to pieces. When a
man gets mad he Is very apt to break all
the Ten Commandments!
Moses rushes, in ana he takes this calf
god and throws it into l. hot fire until Il
Is melted all out OF shape, and then pul-
verizes it-nOt by the modern appliance
of nitro-muriatic acid, but by the ancient
appliance of inter, or by the old fash
toned file. He makes for the people Il
most nauseating draft. He takes this
puIverized golden calf and throws it in
the only brook which Is accessible, and
the people are compelled 10 drink OF that
brook or not drink at all.
FLOWED AROUHD THE WORLD.
But they did no+ drink all the glitter
ing stuff thrown on the surface. Some
of it flows on down the surface of the
brook to the river, and then flows or
down to the river to the sea, and the SCI:
takes it up and bears 1t to the mouth Of
all the rivers, and when the tides set
back the remains of this golden calf are
carried up into the Hudson. and the
East river, and the Thiues, and the
Clyde, and the Tiber, ana men go out
and they skim the glittering surface, and
they bring it ashore, and they make an
other golden calf. and California and
Australia break OF tneir golden e&rrin IS
to augment the pile, and III the fires OF
financial excitement and struggle ali
these things are melted together, and
while we stand looking and wondering
what will come Of il. 10. We find that
the golden calf Of E--aeli.i.h worship
has become the golden CALI oc European
and American worship.
I shall describe to you the god spoken
of in the text, his temple. ..is altar ot
sacrifice. the music that : made IN his
temple, and then the tIu4! breaking "
of the whole congregation Ct idclaters.
Put aside this curtain, and yOa see the
golden calf Of modern iGolatry. Il i
not like other idols, made Ouy Of stocks
or stone, but it has an CIR 50 sensitive
that 1t can hear The whispers on Wall
street and Third street AID State street,
and the footballs in the Bank Of Eng
land. and the tlutter Of a Frenchm"n's
heart on The Bourse. I. has an eFe Sc
keen that it can see tGe rust on the farm
of Michigan wheat, and the insect in the
Maryland peach orchard, and the tram
pied grain under the hoof OF the Russian
war charger.
ITS GORGEOUS TEMPLE.
Its so mighty that it swings any way
it Will the worlds shipping. 1t has its
foot on all the merchantmen aud the
steamers. 1t started the American civil
war and under God stopped it, aad Ii
decided the Turllo- Russian contest. One
broker in September. 1869, ii New York
shouted, lone hundred and sixty for I
Million and the whole continent shlv
cred. This golden calf Of the text hii!
its right foot in New York, It's left from
foot in Chicago, its right back foot y
Charleston. its left back fooy in New
Orleans, and when it shake itself i
shakes the world. On, this Is 4 might!
god-the golden calf CT the world
worship!
But every god must have its temple
and this golden calf of the text Is NJ
exception. Its temple is vaster than st
Paul's of the English. and St. Peters o
the Italians, and the Alhambra OF tn
Spaniards, and the Parthenon of tin
Grees,s. and the Tai Mahal Of the Hin
docs. and all the other cathedrals pu
together Its pillars are grooyed an,
huted with gold, ana its ribbed archie
are lowering gold, and its chandelier
are descending gold, and its floors ar
tessellated gold, and its vaults ar
crowded heaps of gold, ana is spire
and dones are soaring gold. ami its OF
gan pipes are resoundins geld, and it
pedals are tramping gold. and its stop
pulled out are flashing gold, Will
II. 1. 4 : ~,