Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-03-28
WORD OF THE LORD
TaImage Scores Hypocrites
and Dishonest Traders
IN HIS TABERNACLE SERMON
Christ Used Keen Wit Against the Phsr-
sses-And No Doubt People Snas in
chuTch Then as Now.

cation from the pnlpit ef the Broskiyrl
Tss<rnacls this mornins. Or. Talmaga
made vigorous Onslaught upon il, bazing
his remarks % the text, Matthew XIII. "a,
rYs blind guides. who strain At = gaAs
md swallow . camel"
A prcvsrb Is compact wisdom. kpowl-
Odxc 10 chunks. . library in q sentence, the
s,ecsricity cf many clouds discharged ia
bra bolt, a river put through millraee-
When Christ quotes the proysrb Of the
exs he means 70 set forth the ladicrous
Behavior Of these who make q great elus-
aer about small sins and have no sppseeiar
Don Of great ones.
fn mr. text small insect and Q large
eaAAruped are brought into comparisoa-
3 gnas and camel You have IN museum
Or On the desert seen the latter. q great
awkward, sprawling creature, with back
two stories high ard stomach having
collection Of reservoirs for desert travel.
IN animal forbidden TO the Jews as food
and in many hterzturss entitled 'ths ship
u the desert" The gnat spoken OF in the
text IL in tina grub lorna IL n born In
pocl or pond after a few weeks becomes a
shryxalis and then after few days be-
ZONES the gnst as We recognize IL. But
he insect spoken Of in the text il in its
rery smallest shape and II yet inhabits the
water-for Ray text Is misprint and ought
- read strain cut 4 gnat."
srEAfsISG OUT TIE eSAr.
Ny text shows yen the prince OF inccn-
Gsteneiez- A man after long observation
has formed the suspicion that In cup OF
water he Ia about TO drink there Is grub
or the rSnaparcns Of . gnat. lie goes
and gets sieve or a strainer. He takes
the water and pours 4: through the sieve
In the broad light. lie says, II would
rather do anything almost than drink this
water until this larva be extirpated."
This water Is brought under inquisitiou-
The experiment Ia successful. The water
PUSHES through the sieve and leaves against
he side Of the sieve the grub or gnat.
Then the MAJ carefully removes the IN
net and drinks the water In plaeidity. But
going out one day and hungry. he devours
ship Of the desert" the camel. which
She jews were forbidden to eat. The gas
ronomer has no computations af con-
ciencs. He suffers from no indigestion.
He puts the lower jaw under the canels
brefooe and his upper jaw over the hump
4 the camels back, and gives one swallow
Md the dronedary disappears forever. He
krained out . gnat, he swallowed a camel
While Christ's audience were yet snnil-
eg AZ the appositeness AMI wit of his illus
kation-for smile they did in church.
lnless they were too stupid to understand
he hyperbole-Chr:st practically said to
hem, THAT n you" Punctilious about
hall things; reckless about affai1 OF
Yreat magnitude. No subject ever with
rcd under surgeons knife more bitterly
han did the Pharisses under Christ's
eAlpel Of truth.
As an anasomixt win take human body
y pieces and put them under q microscope
br examination, 80 Christ nnds his way to
be heart Of the dead Pharisee and cuts it
~ and puts IL under the glass Of inspee-
pon for ali generations 70 examine. Those
bhAhsses thought that Christ would fat
er them and compliment them, and how
hey must have writhed under the red hot
Sords - he said. "Ye fools, ye whited
epulchers, ye blind guides which, strain
int q gnat and swallow Q camel"
There are In our day = great many gnats
Drained oct and . great many camels
DwAlIowsd, and 1t is the object Of this scr
hon to sketch few persons who are ex-
knsively engaged In that busiaess.
ExTRxzfELY FORMAL PRIACaERs.
First. remark. that all those ministers
y the Gospel are photographed in the text
Who are very sc-upuious about the couven-
honalties Of religion. but put no particular
Eress upon matters of vast Importance.
Church services ought to be grave and
nlemn. There il no room for frivolity in
eligious convocction- But there are Illus
Sstions, and there are hyperboles like that
y Christ in the text that will irradiatA
sith smiles any intelligent auditory. There
bre man like those bland guides Of the text
rho advocate only those things in religious
frvice which draw the corners of the
houth down, and denounce all those things
shich have . tendency to draw the
prners OF the mouth mp, and thess men
yill 90 TO Installations and to presbyteries
nd 70 conferences and - associations,
heir psrkees full Of fine sleeves to strain
us the gnsts, Wills Ia their own churches
= hoae everJ Sunday there are fifty peo-
le soand asleep. They make their
Aurches . great dormitcry, and their
mnifcroas ssrmos are . cradle. and the
sswisa cut hymns . lullaby. while some
lAkeful soul in pew with her fan keeps
" dies OK uAconscious persons apprsxt
lase Now, say is Is worse to sleep 10
surch than to sraile In church. for the
utter implies ss least attention, while the
>rmr implies the indsferesce Of the hear
= aud the ssupsiity Of the speaker.
In old age. or from physical inflrmity. or
epn long watching with the sick. drowsi-
rs will sometimes sverpower one. but
hen a uisiss~ Of the Gospel locks of
eyn an audience and finfs healthy and In
liirsst people Struggling with drowsi-
ees is is time FOR him 10 give cut shs dox-
logy or vrououncs the benedicsieu. The
Seat fault Of church services today b not
20 much vivacity. but too much SOM
elence. The sne Is an irritating enss that
bay be eseily strained ont; the ether Is
rat. syrswiing and sleepy eyed camel Of
be dry desert Ia al cur Sabbath schools.
al sur Bible glasses, In all our pulpiss
\. aeed 60 brighten up On. religions mes
sxe with such Christiike vivacfty ~ We
nd in the terri
SxAafy ALL GREAT yzxAcHrEvrTy.
take down frcm MY library the biog-
hphfrs Of ministers ard writer's % the past
gse. inspired And usia-pised. Who have
kre the mont 10 bring soals 20 Jesus
briss. ard fnsi tkss without single sx.
ppsion they srn>scrSxeS their vii and
h-sr hrwsv sc Chr;st RisahsNsed fs when
b ADVISED she Bssi5sss. - Tier eessld not
rake thear god rsspcod. telling thsm 20
III kpsSu~ - their god might be sssnd
sls~p w zone . hus.ing. Jeb used q when
y SD 70 his srif converted couferteys.
wsutom will die With yea y CHRIST
- sriy vsvs 10 In she sess. bus when he
f-uicafiy csrryEsnessed the putr-A~d
Bsrf~scs. SAYING. TIE vkese se>d MOI .
AyIr4sr." ana when ~ 80 v-rd ne de-
xfbeS the cusnsng Il usrcs;. snysne. 60
~ su1 tai shss scx
Natshsw Hswy's cow9~uearfes frsr