The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1893-11-02
R TALMAGE ON RLECTI 0NS
A TRUE MEASURE.
nen should Use the Ten Com n d dments
Asa Guide in Voting.

tus xx.. is.
Nv text informs you that tho lightninps
and earthquakes united their forces 20 wreck
mountain OF Arabia Petrp1 In olden time.
and travellers today finds heaps Of porphyry
and greensboro rocks bowlder against bowl
dsr the remains OF the first law library.
written. not on parchment or papyrus, but
en shattered slabs Of granite. Tbe corner
| sonss OF all morality. Of oil wiss Law. OF all
| righteous Jurisprudence. OF all good Govern
/ nent are the two tablets OF ston. on which
| we're written the len Commandments.
All Roman law. all French law, all English
law. all American law that is worth any, hing.
al common law. civil law, criminsi law.
martial law, law of Nations were rocked in
the cradle OF the twentieth chapter OF Exodus.
tnd II would be we'll in these times OF great
political agitation N the newspapers would
print the Decalogus some day In place of the
able editorial. Tue fact IL that some people
suppose that the law has passed out OF eS ist-
pa'c and some are not aware OF some OF the
passages OF that law. and others say this or
that is OF the more importance, when no one
has any right 20 make such an assertion.
These laws are the pillars OF society, and N
you remove one pillar You damage the whole
str'cture.
have noticed that men sre particularly
vehement against sins 10 which they ar, not
particularly tempted aud find ho especial
wrath against sins in which they them.
selves indulge. They take nut one gun from
this battery OF ten guns, and load that,
ant unlimDer that. and Hre that. They
ay. This IL an Armstrong gun, aud THIS
ha krupp gun. aad this Is a Nordenfeldt
fve-barreied gun, and this Is u CAT ling ten
barreled gun. aud this is "a Martini thirty
ssyen-barreled gun" But I havs TO tell
them that they are all Of the same caiber
and that they shoot from eternity to eternity.
Many questions ara before the people ia
,he elections all over this land. but I shall
try to show you that the most important
thing to be settled about all thcse candidates
j. heir personal. moral character. The Dec
sl3eue forbds idolatry. image making. pro-
ianuv. maitreatmen, OF parents. sabbath
dcsecration murder. theft. incontinence,
lying and covetousness. That is the Deca-
bgus BY which you aud will have 10 be-
tried, aud by the same Decalogua YOU and
must Try candidates for once.
or course we shall not lind ANYTHING like
perfection. II We do not vote until We lind
an immaculate nominee. we will never vote
At all. We have so many faults OF our own
We ought not 10 De censorious or maladir-
tory or hypercritirnl IN regard to tho faults
oiothers The Christiy rule is rs appropriate
for November IA any other month In the
year. Judge not that we he not Judged.
FOR with what measure ye mets it shall be
measured 20 YOU again.
Most certainly are we not 20 take the state
ment OF redhot partisan ship ~ the real char
scter OF any man. From nearly all the great
cities OF this land receive daily or weekly
newspapers sent TO me regularly and In com
pliment. so I see both sides--i see all sides
and IL Is most entertaining and most regular
amusement TO read the opposite statements.
The one statement says the man is AN angel
aud the other says he l. ~ devil. aud split
the difference and and him half way be-
tween.
L.. -.
table man running Tor the United States
presidency, or Tor judgeship. or for the
Xlfyoralty. or for the shrievaIty since the
m, ldation Of the American Goyerumsnt, II
v pay believe the old files OF the newspa-
y Yrs In the museums. What n mercy II IL
lsAt they wers not all hung before they we're
U * ,gursted IL q man believe one-hslf Of
what he sees IN the newspapers in these
times, his career viii be very short outside OF
Bloomingdsle insane asylum.
| was absent two or three years ago dur
ing one week OF political canvass. and |
was dependent entirely upon what | read in
regard 10 what had occurred in these cities
and read there was procession in New
York OF 5000 patriots and minute after
read in another sheet that there wers II 900.
and then read In regard to another process
sion that there were 10. 900. aud then | read
Ia another paper that there were 60, 900.
campaign orator in the Rink or the
Academy OF Music received a very cold re-
coption-a very chilling reception-said one
statement. The other statement said the
audience rose Mt hun. SO great was the en- |
thrsiasm that for long while the orator
could not be heard. and il was only after lift- |
Ing his hand that the Vociferation began TO /
subside One statement will twist an inter |
view one way, and another statement will |
Twist an interview another way. You must
admit II is u very difficult thing In times like |
n raj rat. .,,,.f of
mans character. aud charge you, as your
religious teacher, | charge YOU 10 caution /
and to mercitunsss and TO prayer
| warn YOU also against the mistake which |
many are making aud always do make OF ap- |
plying different standard Of character for |
those in prominent position from the stand |
ard they apply for ordinary persons. However |
much man may have or however high the /
position he gets. ha has no especial liberty |
gwen him 10 the Interpretation Of the Ten |
Commandments. A great sinner is no more |
TO bc excused than small sinner. DO not |
charge illuarous detection TO eccsntriclty |
or chop OF the Ten Commandments 10 ,uit |
especial cases The right is eyerastingly |
right, and the wrong is everlnstingly wrong. |
II any man nominated for any office in this |
city or State differs from the Decalogue. do I,
not fx up the Decslogue, but fix him up.
The law must stand. whatever else must fail.
call your attention also TO the fact that
you are all aware Of-tndt tue breaking OIL
one commandment makes IL the more essyto
break all OF them and the philosophy Is
plain. Any kind Of sin weakens the con-
science. and IL the conscience Is weakened
that opens the door for all kinds Of trans,
gresslon. II. for instance, man so into this
political campaign welding scurrility as his
chief weapon. and he believes everything bad
about a man and believes nothing good, how
long before that man himself will get over
tho moral depression. Neither in time aor
II utter u faisehood in regard 10 a man. l
may damage him. but | get for myself ten
fold more damage. Thar Is u gun that kicks.
II. for instance. a man be profane, under pro-
vocation he will commit any crime. | say
under proyocation. For, IL n man will NAL
treat the Lord Almighty, would he not unai-
treat his fellow man. II man be guilty. OF
nalieasance In office, he will under proyo,a-
ton commit any sin. He who will steal will
lie, and he who will lie will steal.
II, for instance. man be- impure, II opens
the door for all other iniquity, for in that
one iniqulty he commits theft OF thu worst
kind, and coyetousDess OF the worst kind.
and faisehood-pretendiDg 10 be- decent
when ne M not-and maltreats his parents by