Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1895-01-09
REV. DIR. TALMAGE
THE BROOKLYN DIvINE's SUN
DAY SERMON.
Subject 1.-The Fire Worshipers. "

4
|so-caled fire worshipers. ard I fouut their
descendants in India last October. Their
heathenlsm is more to'erable than any oFthe
other salsr RELIGIONS aud has moro allevia-
tions, and while in this round the world
series have already shown YOU the worst
'orms of heaiheaism to-day I show you the
least offensive.
The prophet Of the Parseps was Zo-oester,
of Persia. He was poet an1 philosopher and
reformer as we'll "a religonist. His disciples
thrived at first IN Persia. but under Moham-
medan persecution they retrnated to India.
where I met them. ami in addition TO what I
saw of them Mt their heliqu lrters in Bonn
bay, India. had two weeks OF association
with one OF the most learned and genial OF
their people on shipboard from Bombay TO
Brindisi.
The Bible OF the Parsscs. or Ara Worship.
crs, rs they arc inac,urately called. is tho
Zend-Avesta. n collection OF the strauSest
books that ever came into my hands. There
were originally twenty-ons volumes, but
Alexander the Great, in n drunken fl, sat
fire TO a palace which contained sons OF
them. and they went into ashes AMI forget
fulness. But there ara more OF their sacr.1
volumes left than most people would have
patience to read. There ara many thin, in
the religion OF the Parses that suggest
Christianity, and some OF its doctrines ara
are in record with our own roh-'1a. 70
rooster. who lived about lI0O years
before Christ. was 80 man. SUFFERED
atei white worshipinc ut an altar. He an
nounced the theory. "Ie ts best who is pure
OF heart" and that there are two great
spirits in the world. Ormuz !. the good spirit,
and Ahriman, the bal spirit. and that all
who DO right are nier the influence of
Ormuzi. and all who do wrong are I'M
der Ahriman: that the Parsee must be
born on the ground floor of the house
and must be buried from the ground
floor; that the dying man must havs
II. s..f.y~
given him n drink; that the gooi at their
deceass go into eternal light and the bad
into eternal darkness: that. having passed
out OF this life, tho scul fingers near the
corpse three days in paradisaic state,
enjoying more than all the nations of
earth put together could enjoy or in q
paudemonilc state. suffering moro than all
the nations put together could possibly
suffer. but ~ the eni otthrce days departing
for its final destiny, an that there will he a
resurrection o. the holy. Tnny are mora
careful than any other paople about their,
ablutiors. AMI they wash Hnd wash and
wash. They pay great attention to physical
health, and It Is a rare thing 10 see sick
Parse. They do not smoke tobacco. for
they consider that misuse Of fir.
At the close OF mortal life the SOU appears
at the bridge Chinvat, where an an eel pre-
sides and questions the soul about the
thoughts an words AMI dee Is OF its earthly
state. Nothin-. however, is more intense in
the Parsee faith than the theory that tho
deadv DO ~ is impure A devil is supposed
to take possession OF the dead boiy. All
who touch It are uncleln, AMI hencs the
strangs style OF oDsequcs. Bat here l must
give three or four questions AMI answers
from one OF the Parsee cltechisms:
Question-Who is the most fortunate man
in the world?
Answer-He who is the most innocent.
Q.-Who is the most innocent man in tho
world?
Ale who walks in the path OF GoI anil
shuns that OF the devil.
Q.-Which is the path OF Col AMI which
that of the devil?
A-yirue is the path OF God and vice that
OF the devil.
Q-What constitutes virtue AMI what
vice2
A.-Gool thou yhts goo words ami good
deeds constitute virtue. AM evil thoughts,
evil wor Is AMI evil deeds constitute vice.
Q-What constitute good thoughts, good
words and good deeds AMI evil thoughts,
evil words and evil deeds?
A.-Honesty. charity and truthfulness
constitute the former, an dishonesty, want
o. charity and fsiseho oi constituted the latter.
And now the better to show you these Par
sees tell you ot two things saw within a
short time in Bombay, India. 1t was an
afternoon of contrlst.
We started fer Malabar hill, on which the
Sealthy classes have their embowered homes
and the Parisees their strange to nple OF the
dead As we 70 le along the waters g ige
the sun was descending the sky, and a dis
ciple -of Zoroaster, Parsee, WIS in lowiy
nosture and with rsver1ntial glZs looking
into the sky. He would have been said to
have been worshipinc the sun, as all Par
sees are said to worship the fire. But the
intelligent Parsee does not worship the
fire. He looks upon the sun as the em-
bIem Of the warmth and light OF the
Creator. Looking mt a blaze o. light.
whether on hearth, on mountain height or
in the sky, he can more easily bring 10 mind
the glory OF God-at least so ths Parsees
tell me. Indeed they are the pieasantest
heather have met. They treat their wives
as equals. while the Hindoos and Buddhists
treat them rs cattle, although the cattle and
sheep and swine are bstter OF tnan most OF
the women otIniia.
This Parsee on the ro-isde on our wayt to
Malabar hill was the only one OF that rellS-
ion | had ever seen engaged in worsiip.
Who knows but that beyond the light OF the
sun on which ne gazes he may catch Il
glimpse of the God VINO is light and "in
whom there is no darkness ut aii!'
/ We passei on up through gates into the
! garden that surrounds the place waere the
1 Parsees dispose OF their dead. This garden
| was given Gy Jamshidji JijIbhai and is beau
l tiful with flowers OF all Aus AMI foliage or
| all styles of vein and notch and stature.
| There is on all sides great opuiencs OF fern
| and cypress. The garden is 100 feet above
| trance is a building where the mourners OF
I the funeral procession so in to pray. A
| light is here Kept burn n year in and year
4 out.
We ascend the garden by some eight stone
| steps. The body of n deceased aged woman
| was being carried in tow ri the chief "tower
| of siirpc".'' There are five of these towers.
| Several @. chem have not been used 1or
I long whi3e. -Four persons, whose business
it is to 90 this. carry the corpse. Tney ara
!, lFNt,s hnn
tower OF silence 10 which they come ccsi
$3.50, 900 an is Twenty-Five feet nigh and 2I6
| feet around and without a roo,
| The four carriers OF the dead and
the two bearded men come TO the
l door OF the tower, enter and leave the dead.
| There are three rows of places for the dead
| the outer row Tor the men, the mttdlo row
| for the women, the inside row for the chill
| dren. the lileiesSSoiies are left exposed
| as far down as the waist. As soon as the
| employees retire from the tower OF silence the
| yultures, now on, now two, now many,
| swoop upon the ii tless form. These vul.
tures FL the mir with their discoriani
| voices. We saw them in long rows or
the top OF tho whitpwashei wall OF the
tower of silence. In few minutes
| they have taken tho last particle Of fest
| from the bones. Thrra had evidently been
| iother opportunities for them that day. and
some flew away, as though surleted. They
Isometimps carry away with them parts OF
body. and it is no unusual thing orthe gen.
ttlamen in theircountry sants to have dropped
| into their dooryaris bone from the tower
lof silence.
In the centre of this tower is well, into
/ which the bones ara thrown after they ara
| lhleachel. The hot sun an! the rainy season
In 1d charcoal do their work OF disntegra-
| ltion and disin lection. aud then there are
lsluices that carry into the sea what remains
of tie deni The wealthy people OF Mala-
bar hill have made strenuous Efforts to havs
--s,l N v,r1fG
but they remain and will no doubt for ages
remain.
| talked with learned Parsee about these
mortusry customs. He said: 81 suppose
you consider them very peculiar. our tns
fcct ia We Persees reverence the elements OF
| nature anil c-rnot consent TO defe them.
We reverence the fire. ani therefore will not
ask it 20 turn our dead, We reverence the