Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1893-11-04
THE TEST OF FITNESS.
AN ANTE-ELEcTIoN SERMON FROM
THE BROOKLYN PASTOR.

AN ANIE-ELECTiONz SERMON FROM
THE BROOKLYN PASTOR.
Rev. DR.. Taimago Discusses Personal Char
aoter as Applied to politics-Good Adj
Woo For All Parties-A Timely Topic
Treated.
BROOKLYN, Oct. 2O.-Discussing the
approaching election, and using the text,
Exodus Xxx, IS, "And all the people saw
the thunderings, and the lightnings, and
the noise of the trumpet, and the noun
tain smoking" Rev. DR.. Talmage says:
On the eve Of elections in the 60 coun-
ties of this state and in all the counties
Of most of the United States, while there
ore many hundreds Of nominees to Office,
it is appropriate and important that I
preach this before election sermon.
My text informs you that the light
nings and earthquakes united their forces
to wreck mountain of Arabia Petr@a
In olden time, and travellers today find
heaps Of porphyry and greensboro rocks,
bowlder against bowlder-the remains
Of the first law library, written not on
parchment or papyrus, but on shattered
slabs Of granite. The cornerstones of
all morality, of all wise law, of all right
eous jurisprudence, of al good govern
ment are the two tablets Of stone on
which were written the Ten Command
ments.
All Roman law, oil French law, all
English law, all American law that is
worth anything, all common law, civil
law, criminal law, martial law, law of
nations were rocked in the cradle of the
twentieth chapter of Exodus. And it
would be we'll in these times of great
political agitation if the newspapers
would print the Decalogue some day in
place of the able editorial. The fact is
that some people suppose that the law
has passed out of existence, and some
aro not aware Of some of the passages of
that law, and others say this or that is
of the moro Importance, when no one
has any right to make such an assertion.
These laws are the pillars Of society, and
If you remove ono pillar you damage
the whole structure.
Ihave noticed that men are particu-
larly vehement against sins to which
they are not particularly tempted and
find no especial wrath against sins in
which they themselves indulge. They
take out ono gun from this battery of 10
guns, and load that, and unlimber that,
and fire that. They say, "This Is an
Armstrong gun, and this is q Krupp
gun, and this is q Nordenfeldt FIVE bar
relied gun, and this is Calling 10 bar
relied gun, and this is Martini 81
barrelod gun" But have to tell them
that they are all Of the same caliber and
that they shoot from eternityto eternity.
Many questions are before the people
in the coming elections all over this
land, but shall try to show you that
the most important thing to be settled
about all these candidates is their per-
sonal, moral character. The Decalogue
forbids idolatry, image making, profan-
ity, maltreatment of parents, Sabbath
decoration, murd 5theft, ontinence,
lyi,I s ard cove tousness That isthe-D &
aIogue by which you and I will have to
be tried, and by the same Decalogue you
and must try candidates for Office.
OF course we shall not find anything
like perfection. IF we do not vote until
we find an immaculate nominee, we will
never vote at all. We have SO many
faults Of our own we ought not to be
censorious or maledictory or hypercritic-
al in regard to the faults of others. The
Christly rule is as appropriate for No
vember as any other month in the year,
"Judge not that ye be not Judged, for
with what measure ye mete it shall be
measured to you again"
AN UNPARTISAN VIEW.
Most certainly are we not to, take the
statement of redhot craftsmanship as the
real character of any man. From nearly
all the great cities of this land l receive
daily or weekly newspapers, sent to me
regularly and in compliment, SO / see both
sides-I see oil sides-and it Is most en-
pertaining and my regular amusement
to read the opposite statements. The
one statement says the man is an angel,
and the other says he is devil, and l
split the difference, and / find him half
way between.
There never has been an honest or re-
spectacle man running for the United
States presidency, or for q judgeship, or
for the mayoralty, or for the shrievalty
since the foundation Of the American
government, if we may believe the old
files of newspapers in the museums.
What mercy it is that they were not
all hung before they were inauguratedl
If man believe one-half of what hesees
In the newspapers in these times, his ca
reer will be very short outside of Bloom
ingdale insane asylum.
was absent two or three years ago
during one week of political canvass,
and was dependent entirely upon what
I read in regard to what had occurred
in these cities, and / read there was
procession in New York of 5000 patriots,
and a minute after I read in another
sheet that there were 1900, and then
read in regard to another procession that
there were 10, 900, and then read in an
other paper that there were 60, 900.
A campaign orator in the Rink OF the
Academy of Music received a very cold
reception very chilling reception
said one statement The other statement
said the audience rose at him; so great
was the enthusiasm that for long while
the orator could not be heard, and it was
only after lifting his hand that the vo-
ciferation began to subsidel One state
ment will twist an interview one way,
and another statement will twist an in
terYiew another way. You must admit
1t is very difficult thing in times like
these to get very accurate estimate OF
q mans character, and charge you, as
your religious teacher charge you to
caution and to mercifulness and to