The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-11-22
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S SUN
DAY SERMON.
Subject: ssThe Gospel In Politics."

Subject: ssThe Gospel In Politics."
TEXT: "Some therefore cried one thing,
and some another, for the assembly OGs
confused, and the more part kne'o not 'ohere.
fore they aoere come together. And they dre't
Alexander out Of the multitude, me Je,os
putting hin, jtor,odrd. And Alexander beck.
oned ,oith the hand, and aoould hane made
his defense unto the people. But 'ohe" Hees
kne,o that he ,oas q Je,o, all aoth one uoace
about the space of t,ro hours cried out:
'Great is Diana Of the Ephesians'"-Acts
XIX, 80.
Ephesus was upside down. It was about
the silver question. A manufacturer Of silver
boxes for holding heathen images had called
his laborers together to discuss the behavior
of one Paul, who had been in public places
assaulting image worship, and consequently
very much damaging that particular busi-
ness. There was great excitement In the
city. People stood in knots along the
streets, violently gesticulating and calling
each other hard names. Some OF the people
favored the policy of the sllversmith. Other
people favored the policy Of Paul: There
were great moral questions involved, but
these did not bother them at all.
The only question about which they
seemed to be interested was concerning the
wages and thu salaried positions. The silver
smith and his compeers had put up factories
at great expense for the making OF these Sill
yer boxes. and now, II this new policy Is to
be inaugurated the business will go down,
the laborers will be thrown out OF employ
ment and the whole city will suffer. Well,
what is to be done? ''Call q convention" !"
SAYS some one, for in oil ages q convention
has been panacea for public evils. Inc
convention is called, and as they want the
largest room in the city they take the theatre.
Having there assembled, they all want to
get the floor, and they all want TO talk at
once. You know what excitement that al
ways makes in q convention, where great
many people want to talk at once. Some
cried one thing. some cried another. Some
wanted to denounce, some wanted to resolve.
After awhile a prominent man gets the floor,
and he begins to speak, but they very soon
hiss him down, and then che confusion rises
into worse uproar. and they begin to shout,
all of them together, and they keep ol until
they are red in the face and hoarse in tho
throat. for two long hours crying out "ireat
Is Diana OF the Ephesians. Great Is Diana
of the Ephesians !"
The whole scene reminds me OF the excite
ment we have almost every autumn at the
elections. While that goddess Diana has lost
her worshipers and her temples have gone
into the dust, our American people want to
set up god in place Of her, and they want
us ali to bow down before it, and that god is
political party. Considering our superior
civilization, have to declare to you that
Ephesian idolatry was less offensive In the
sight of God than is this oil absorbing Ameri-
can partisanship.
While there are honest men, true mel,
Christian men, who stand in both political
parties, and who come into the autumnal
II ol,y,v, 10
State or the Nation in the best possible way;
have noticed also that with many it is
mere contest between tho ins and the outs
those who are trying to stay in and keep the
outs out, and those who are trying to get In
and thrust the inS out. And one party cries,
"Great is Diana OF the Ephesians" !" and the
other party cries, ''Great is Diana of the
Ephesians p neither OF them honest enough
to say, "Great is my pocketbook"
Once or twice a year 1t Is my custom to
talk to the people about public affairs from
whs. call Christian standpoint, and
this morning have chosen for that duty. l
hope to say practical word. History tells
us OF sermon once preached amid the high
lands OF Scotland-a sermon two hours long
ON the sin OF luxury, where there were not
moro than three pairs OF shoes In the au-
dience. and during our last war good man
went into I hospital distributing tracts and
gave tract on The Sin OF Dancing" to
man both OF whose legs had been amputated
But hope this morning &c present an ap-
propriate and adapted word, as next Tues
day at the ballot box great affairs are to be
settled.
The Rev. DR.. Enmons, in the early his
tory of our country. in MASSACHUSETTS,,
preached about the election o: Tnonas Jet-
terson to the Presidency. The Rev. Dr.
Mayhew, OF Boston, in the early days Of our
republic. preached about the repeal Of the
stamp act. There are times when ministers
of Christ must look off upon public
affairs and discuss them. We need 60 back
to no example. Every man is. before God,
responsible for his own duty.
II the Norwegian boasts OF his home OF
rocks, and the Siberian is pleased with his
land Of perpetual snow: If the Roman
thought tnat the muddy Tiber was the
favored river in the sight OF heaven, and II
the Laplander shivers out his eulogy OF his
native cline, and il the Chinese have pity
for anybody. born outside Of the Flowary
Kingdom, shall not we, born under these
fair skies and standing day BY day amid
those glorious civil and raiigious liberties,
be public spirited? propose to tell the peo.
pie very plainly what consider to be their
Christian duty at the ballot box!
First, set yourself against all political false
hood. The most mons.rouS hes ever toio Ii
this country are during the elections. stop
st the door OF Democratic meeting and
listen and hear that the Republicans are liars.
T stop at the door Of Republican meeting
and listen and hear that the Democrats are
:scoundrels. Our public men nicroscopized,
and the truth distorted. Who believes a
tenth part of what he reads or hears in the
autumnal elections? Men who ut other sea-
sors of the year are very careful in their
speech become peddlers of scandal.
In the far east there Is place where once
o year they let the people do rs they please
and say what they please, ana the place is
full OF uproar, misrule and wickedness, and
they cali it the ':devil's day." The nearest
approximation to that in this country has
been the first Tuesday in November. The
community at such times seems to say, $50
to, now, let US have good time at lying. y
Prominent candidates for office ara de-
nouuced as Cnprinciplsd and renegade.
smart lie will start in the corner Of country
newspaper, and keep on running until it has
capturedthe printing presses OF the whole
continent. What garbling OF speeches What
rnisnterpretation Of motives! What mis-
representation of individual antecedents.
Tko trouble is that we have in this country
two great manufactories-manufac OF
hes-the Republican mandatory Of lies AID
the Democratic mandatory OF ltes-and
they are run day and night. and they turn
out half dozen day all equipped and
ready for full sailing. Large lies and small
lies. Lies private and lies public and lies
prurient. Lies cut bias and lies cut diagonal.
Long limbed lies and lies with double back
action. Lies complimentary and lies de-
tanatory. Lies that some psople believe,
and lies that all the people believe, and lies
that nobody believes. Lies with humps like
camels, and scales like crocodiles. and necks
as long as storkS, and feet as swift as an an
telopes, and stinSs like adders. Lies raw
and scalloped and panned and stewed.
Crawling lies and jumping lies and soaring
lies Lies with attachment screws and