The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1893-11-03
THE TEST OF FITNESS.
AN ANTE-elEcTloN SERMON FROM
THE BROOKLYN PASTOR.

Vice For All Parties-A Timely Topic
Treated.
BROOKLYN, Oct, Discussing the
approaching election, and using the text,
Exodus NIX, IS, "And all the people saw
the thunderings, and the lghtnings, and
the noise Of the trumpet, and the noun
tain smoking" Rev. DR.. Talmage says:
On the eve of elections in the 60 coun-
hes of this state and in all the counties
Of most of the United States, while there
are many hundreds of nominees to Office,
it is appropriate and important that
preach thi. before election sermon.
My text informs you that the light
nings and earthquakes united their forces
to wreck mountain of Arabia Petraa
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 c< papyrus, but on shattered
slabs of granite, The cornerstones of
all morality, of all wise law, of all right
eous jurisprudence, of all good govern
ilitht alC WIG WV tdbltto VI sloAtt vi
which We're written the Ten Command
ments.
All Roman law, all 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 hn wall IN, fhaca fip,ac af
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
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 to make such an assertion.
These laws are the pillars of society, and
if you remove one pillar you damage
the whole structure.
have 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 one 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 Krupp
gun, and this is Nordenfeldt five bar
relied gun, and this is Calling 10 bar
relied gun, and this is a Martini 81
barreled gun" But have to tell them
that they are all of the same caliber and
that they shoot from eternity to 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
Dissertation, murder, theft, incontinence,
lying and covetousness That is the Dec
alogue by which you and 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 We 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 partisanship as the
real character of any man. From nearly
all the great cities of this land receive
daily or weekly newspapers, sent to me
regularly and in compliment, SO Isee both
sides-BI see all 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 a devil, and |
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 a judgeship, OF
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 inaugurated
If man believe one-half of what he sees
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
| read in regard to what had occurred
in these cities, and | read there was a
procession in New York of 5000 patriots,
and minute after read in another
sheet that there were 1900, and then
read in regard to another procession that
there were 10000, and then read in an
other paper that there were 100000
A campaign orator in the Rink or the
Academy of Music received very cold
reception-a 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 subside! One state
ment will twist an interview one way,
and another statement will twist an in
terview another way. You must admit
it is a very difficult thing in times like
these to get very accurate estimate of
mans character, and l charge you, as
your religious teacher-I charge you to
caution and to mercifulness and to
prayer.
warn you also against the mistake
which many are making and always dc
make of applying a different standard
of character for those in prominent pc
sition from the standard they apply fol-
ordinary persons. However much a
man may have, or however high posi-
ton he gets, he has no especial liberty
given him in the Interpretation of thu
Ten Commandments. A great sinner il
no more to be excused than small sin
ner. Do not charge illustrious detection
to eccentricity or chop off the Ten Com
l. II