Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1893-11-03
REV. DR.. TALMAGE,
The Eminent Brooklyn Divine's Sun.
day Sermon.
subject: Elections"


a mountain Of Arabia PetrRa in olden time
and travellers to-day finds heaps of porphvrl
and greensboro rocks. bOwlder against bowl
der, the remains of the first law library
written. not on parchment or papyrus, but
on shattered slabs OF granite The corner
stones of all morality, OF all wise law. OF al
righteous Jurisprudence. of all good Govern
ment are the two tablets OF stone on which
were written the Ten Commandments.
All Roman law. all French law, all Englist
law. all American law that is worth anything
all common law. civil law, criminal law
martial law. law o. Nations were rocked in
the cradle ofthetwentieth chapter OF Exodus
Aud it would be we'll in these times of greli
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 OIt OF exist
ence 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 il
you remove one pillar you damage the whole
structure.
have noticed that men are particularly
vehement against sins to which they are not
particularly tempted and find lao especial
wrath against sins in which they them
selves indulge. They take out one gun from
this battery of ten guns. and load that,
and unlimber that. aud fire that. They
say. This is an Armstrong gun and this
is Krupp gun, AID this is a Nordenfeldt
fve-barreed gun. aud this is a Calling ten
barreled gun. and this is a Martini thirty
seven-barrelei gun" But l 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 elections all over this land, but l shall
try to show YOU that the most important
thing to be settled about all these candidates
is their personal. moral character The Dec
aloSue forbids idOlatry, image making, pro-
family, maltreatment Of parents, Sabbath
dissertation. murder. theft, incontinence,
living and covetousness. That is the Deca-
logue by which you and l 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. II 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 maledic-
tory or hypercritical in regard to the faults
ofOthers The Christly rule is as appropriate
for November as any other month in the
year. Judge not that ye be not judged
for with what measure ye mete 1t snail be
measured TO YOU again.
Most certainly are we not TO kethe state
ment of redhot partsanship as the real char
acter 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 [ see both sides i see all sides
and il is most entertaining and most regular
amusement to read the opposite statements.
The one statement saws the man is an angel.
and the other says he is a devil, and l spit
the difference and find him half way be-
tween.
There never has been an honest or respec-
table man running Tor the United States
presidency, or for judgeship. or for the
mavoralty or for the shrievaity since the
foundation Of the American Government. if
we nav believe the Old files of the newspa-
pers in the museums. What a mercy it IS
that they We're not all hung before they
inaugurated I a man believe One-half Of
what he sees in the newspapers in these
times. his career will be very short outside OF
BOomingdale insane asylum.
was absent two or three years ago dur
ing one week of q political canvass AMI |
was dependent entirely upon what ! read in
regard TO what had occurred in these cities.
md / read there was a procession in New
York of 5000 patriots and a minute after
read in another sheet that there were 1900
aul luEll I ENtl III LtEtin ~ dubLAFl IlN"---
sion that there were 10000, and then ! read
in another paper that there we're 60 geo.
4 campaign orator in the Rink or the
Academy Of Music received a very cold re-
ceptiOn-a very chilling reception said one
statement. The other statement said the
audience rose at him SO great was the en-
thusiasm that for long while the orator
could not be heard. and it was only after lift
inc his hand that the moderation began to
subside One statement will twist an inter
view one way. and another statement will
twist an interview another way You must
admit it is a very difficult thing in times ike
these 10 get very accurate estimate
mans character. and / charge you, as youl
religious teacher. | charge you to caution
and 10 merciiulness and 70 prayer.
warn YOU also against the mistake which
many are making an always do make OF APP
plying different standard OF character for
those in prominent position from the stand
ard they apply for ordinary persons. However
much a man may have or however high the
position he gets, ne has no especial liberty
given him in the Interpretation OF the Ten
Commandments. A great sinner is no more
70 be excused than a small sinner. Do not
charge ilustrious detection 10 eccentricity
or chop OF the Ten Commandments 10 suit
especial cases. The right is everlastingly
right and the wrong is everlestingly wrong.
II any man nominated for any Office in this
city or State differs from the Decalogue, do
not fix up the DecalOgue, but fix him up.
The law must stand. whatever else must fall.
] call your attention also to the fact that
YOU are all aware of-that the breaking Of
one commandment makes it the more easytO
break all Of them-and the philosophy is
plain. Any kind Of sin weakens the con-
science and if the conscience is weakened
that opens the door for all kinds of trans
erosion. If, for instance a man 90 into this
political campaign welding scurrility as his
chief weapon. and be believes everything bad
about a man and believes nothing good, how
long before that man himself will get over
the moral depression. Neither in time nor
eternity.
II ] utter falsehood in regard TO a man, ]
may damage him, but ! get for myself ten
fold more damage. That is a gun that kicks.
II. for instance. man be profane, under pro
vocation he will commit any crime. | say
under provOcation. For, il man will NAL
treat the Lord Almighty. would he not NAL
treat his fellow man? If a man be guilty Of
malieasance in office, he will rnder proyoca-
ton commit any sin. He who will steal will
lie and he who will lie will steal.
IT, for instance. a man be impure, il opens
the door for all other iniquity, for in that
one iniquity he commits theft OF the worst
kind, and cOyetousness OF the worst kind,
and falsehood- to be decent
when he is nOt-and matreats his parents by
disgracing their name, II they were good.
Be careful. therefore. how you charge that
sin against any man either in high place or
low place. either in Office or out OF office.
because when you make that charge against
a man YOU charge him with all yillainjes.
with all disgusting propensitics, with all
rOttenness.
A libertine is beast. lower than the YER
min that crawl over a summer carcass
lower than the swine. for the swine has no
intelligence to sin against. Be- careful, then,
how You charge that against any man.
You must be so certain that mathematical
demonstration is doubtful as compared with
it.
And then. when you investigate man on
such subjects. you must 90 to the whole
length Of investigation and find out whether
or not he has repented. He may have been
on his knees before God and implored the
divine forgiveness. and he may have i'm
plored the forgiveness Of society and the for
giveness OF the world. Although If q man
commit that sin az thirty or thiTty-6ve years
OF age. there is not one case out Of a thou
sand where ne ever repents. You must in
YOUR investigation see il II is possible that
the one case investigated may not have been
the exception. But DO not chop of the
seventh commandment to suit the case. Do
nOs change Fairbanks scale TO suit what
NJ 81