Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1897-07-17
BEHIND THE CURTAIN
REV. DIR. TALMAeE ON THE DANGERS
OF HYPOCRISY.

iIe Shows Gow Saul Ven n Flock and
Lost Kingdom Impressive Lessons
Drawn From nn Old Bible Story-Futili-
ty of Fraud.
WASHINGTON, July l1.-This dis
course of Dr. Talmnge, founded on
arrange scene of oldcn time, shows that
fraud will come to exposure, if not i'll
this world then in the next. Text,
Samuel XIV, II, "And Samuel said, What
meaneth then this bleating of the sheep
in mine ears and the lowing of the oxen
which / hcar?"
The Alualel:itcs thought they had
conquered God and that he would not
carry into execution his threats against
them. They had murdered the 1sraelites
III battle and out of battle and left
no outrage untried. For 400 years
this had been going on, and they say,
| 'God either dare not punish us or
he has forgotten to do so. y Let us
see. Samuel, Gods prophet, tells
Saul TO 80 down and Stay all the Anal
ekites, not leaving one of them alive;
also to destroy all the beasts i'll their
possesson-ox, sheep, camel and ass.
Hank, | hear tho tread of 2l0, 600 men,
with monstrous Saul ut their head,
ablazc with armor his shield dangling
ut his side, holding III his hand spear,
at the waving of which the great host
marched or halted. sec smoke curling
against the sky. Now there is thick
cloud of it, and now | see the whole
city rising in IL chariot of smoke behind
steetls of fire. 1t is Saul that set the city
ablaze. The Amalckites and Israelitcs
meet; the trumpets of battle blow peal
on peal, and there is II death hush.
Then there is a signal waved, swords
cut and hack, jlvelins ring OH shields,
arms fall from trunks and heads roll
into the dust. Clash after cash, the
frenzied yell, the gurgling of throttled
throats, the cry of pain, the laugh OF
revenge, the curse Kissed between
clinched teeth-an army's death eroan.
Stacks of dead on all sides, with eyes
unshaJ and mouths yet grinning ven
geance. Huzxa for the lsraelites! Two
hundred and ten thousand men wave
their plumes and clap their shields, for
the Lord God hath given them the vic
tory.
Gains and Losses.
Yet that victorious army of. Israel is
conquered by sheep and oxen. God,
through the prophet Samuel, told Saul
to slay all the Amalekites and to Stay
all the beasts in their possession, but
Saul, thinking that he knows more than
God saves Agag, the Amalekitish king,
and five drove of sheep and IL herd OF
oxen that he cannot bear to kill. Saul
drives the sheep and oxen down toward
home. He has no idea that Samuel, the
prophet, will find out that he has saved
these sheep and oxen for himself Sam-
mel comes and asks Saul the news from
the battle Saul puts on solemn face
for there is 10 one who can look more
solemn than your genuine hypocrite,
and he SAYS, II have fulfilled the COM
mand of the Lord. " Samuel listens, and
he hears the drove of sheep Il little way
off. Saul had 10 idea that the prophets
ear would be so acute. Samuel says to
SAUL IF you have done as God told
you and slain all the Amalekites and all
the beasts i'll their possession, What
meaneth the blcating of the sheep Ill
mine ears and the lowing of the oxen
that hear?' Ali, one would have
thought that bushes would have coll
sumed the cheek Of Saul. No, no! He
saws the army-not himself, of course,
hut the army-had saved the sheep and
oxen for sacrifice, and then they thought
it would he too bad anyhow to kill
Agag. the Amalekitish king. Samuel
takes the sword, and he slashes Agag to
pieces, and then he takes the skirt of
his coat in true oriental style and rends
it in twain, as much lis to say, You,
Saul. lust like that, shall be torn away
from your empire and torn away from
your throne In other words, let all
the nations of the earth hear the story
that Saul, by disobeying God, won
flock of sheep, but lost II kingdom.
learn from this subject that God
will expose hypocrisy. Here Saul pre-
tends he has fulfilled the divine commits
sion By slaying all the beasts belonging
to the AmaleEites, and yet at the very
moment he is telling the story and prac-
ticing the delusion the secret comes out,
and the sheep bleat and the oxen below.
a hypocrite is one who nretends to be
what he is not or to do what he does
not Saul was only type Of class.
The modern hypocrite looks awfully
solemn, whines when he prays and dur
ing bis public devotion shows great
deal of the whites Of his eyes. He never
laughs, or, if he does laugh, he seems
sorry for it afterward, us though he had
committed some greet indiscretion.
The first time he gets Il chance he prays
20 minutes in public, and when he ex-
horts he seems to imply that all the
race are sinners, with one exception,
his modosty forLidding the stating who
that one is. There are great many
churches that have TWO OF Three eccIcsl-
astical Uriah Keeps.
The uypocrite.
When the fox begins to pray, look out
for your chickens. The more genuine
religion man has the more comfort
able he will be, but you may know a
religious :mpostor by the fact that ne
prides himself OIL being uncomfortable
A man OF that kind is of immense dam
age to the church Of Christ. a ship
may outridc hundred storms, and
vet a handful of worms in the planks
NAV sink it to the bottom. The church
of God is not so much i'll danger OF the
cyclones of trouble and persecution that
come upon it as of the vermin of hypoc-
risy that infest it. Wolves are OF no
danger to the fold of God unless they
look like sheep. Arnold was OF more
damage TO the army than Cornwailla
and his hosts. Oh, we cannot deceive
God with church certificate! He sees
behind the curtain as we'll as before
/, the curtain. He sees everything inside
out a man may through policy hide