The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1893-12-23
SERMON 10 VOTERS.
Rev. DR.. Talmage Talks to the Citi-
gen on Els Duties.
The Immoral TsanERce Of Bad Men In
0Hice Emphasizes the Necessity for
tho Good Citizen to be Faith
full to His Privileges.

AuA ~ AxIt GIivucBoBs
The following discourse by Rev. +
Dewitt Talinage was delivered in the
Brooklyn tabernacle from the text:
And all the people saw the tesrtlefings ant
the lightnings ard the noise Of the trumpet
and the mountain smoking. -Exodus Xxx, IS
On the eve of elections in the sixty
counties of this state, and In ali the
counties of soma If the other states,
while there are many hundreds of nom.
inees to Office, it is appropriate and it,s'
portant that preach this ..before-elec-
ton sermon,
My text informs you that the light
hings and earthquakes united their
forces to wreck mountain of Arabia
Petrea in olden time, and travellers to-
day find heaps Of porphyry and green.
stone rocks, bowlder against bowlder,
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 all righteous jurisPru.
dence. of all good government, are the
two tablets of stone on which were
written the Ten Commandments All
Roman law, all French law. all En-
glish 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
1t would be well in these times of
great political agitation if the news
papers 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 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 hny right
to make such an assertion. These laws
are the pillars of society, and If you
remove one pillar you damage the
structure. l have noticed that men
are particularly 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 ten guns, and load that,
ind unlimber that, and fire that. They
say: "This is an Armstrong gun, and
this is Krupp gun, and this Is Nor
denfeldt five-barre1ed gun, and this is
a Calling teh-barreled gun, and this
Is Martigny -barreled
gun" But l have to tell them that
they are all of the same caliber, and
that they shoot from eternity to eter-
nifty Many questions are before the
people in the coming 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
Decalogue forbids idolatry, image
profanity. maltreatment of
parents. Sabbath dissertation, murder,
theft, incontinence, lying and covet-
BUSINESS. That is the Decalogue 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 I'M
til 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 hy-
percritical in regard to the faults of
others. The Christly rule is as appro-
pirate for November as any other
month in the year: Judge not that
ye be not judged, for with what meas
ure We mete it shall be measured to
you again"
Most certainly are we not to take
The statement of red-hot partisanshipa 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 compli-
nent, SOL see both sides-I see all
sides-and it is most entertaining and
ny regular amusement to read the OPP
oosite statements. The one statement
'ays the man is an angel. and the other
'avs he is devil; and split the differ
,nce, and find him halfway between.
There never has been an honest or re-
'pectable man running for the United
States presidency, or for a judgeship,
,r for the mayoralty, or for the shriev-
llty, since the foundation of the
American government, if we may be-
ieve the old files of newspapers in the
museums. What mercy it is that
hey were not all hanged before they
we're inaugurated! If man believe
'ne-half of what he sees in the news
,apers in these times his career will be |
cry short outside of Bloomingdale in
ane asylum. l was absent two or
hree years ago during one week of a
'olitical canvass, and was dependent
lntirely upon what read in regard to |
What had occurred in these cities, and |
read there was procession in New
FORK of five thousand patriots, and a |
minute after l read in another sheet |
hat there were seventeen thousand;
nd then read in regard to an
Their procession, that there were
en- thousand, and then / read |
a another paper that there were
ixty thousand. A campaign orator in
he rink or at the academy or music |
eceived very cold reception very |
killing reception--said one statement. |
he other statement said that the au-
fence rose at him, SO great was the en-
husiasm that for long while the
rator could not be heard, and it was
nly after lifting his hand that the |