St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1897-08-14
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
Biblical Demonstration of the Ger
tain Exposure Of Fraud.
Evil Influence Of the Hypoerite Upon the
Church Of Christ-Attempts 70
Evade Responsibility for
SIN are Futile.

Evil Influence Of the Hypoerite Upon the
Church Of Christ-Attempts 70
Evade Responsibility for
SIN are Futile.
Rev. I. Dewitt Talmage, in the fol-
lowing sermon, demonstrates that
fraud is bound to be followed by ex-
posture. 1t is based on the text:
And Samuel said: What meane:h then this
bleating OF the sheep in mine ears, and lowing
OF the oxen which hear.-I Sam uel, xv.. II
The Amalekites thought they had
conquered God, and that He would not
carry into execution His threats
against them. They had murdered
the Israeli,cs in battle and out of bat
tie, and left no outrage untried. For
400 years this had been going on. and
they say: 'God either dare not pun
ish us. or lie has forgotten to do so. I"
Let us see. Samuel, Gods prophet,
tells Saul to go down and slay all the
Amaiekites, not leaving one of them
alive; also to destroy all the beasts in
their possession-ox, sheep. camel and
| ass lark! hear the tread of 10000
| men, with monstrous Saul at their
head, ablaze with armor, his shield
dangling at his side, holding in his
hand spear, at the waving Of which
/, the great host marched or halted.
see smoke curling against the sky.
Now there is thick cloud of it, and
now see the whole city rising in a
chariot of smoke behind steeds Of fire.
1t is Saul that set the city ablaze. The
Amalekites and Israelites meet; the
trumpets of battle blow peal on peal,
| and there Is death-hush. Then there
is a signal waved; swords cut and hack;
| javclins ring on shields; arms fall from
trunks, and heads roll into the dust.
Cash after cash, the frenzied yell, the
gurglin,, o. throttled threats, the cry
| of pain, the laugh ofrevenge, the curse
Missed between clinched teeth AN
| army's death-groan. Stacks of dead
on all sides, with eyes upshot and
mouth yet grinning vengeance. Huzza
for the Israelites! Two hundred and
ten thousand men wave their plumes
and cap their shields. for the Lord God
hath given them the victory.
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 Amaelkitish
king, and five drove of sheep and .
herd of oxen that he can not bear to
kill. Saul drives the sheep and oxen
lown toward home. He has no idea
that Samuel, the prophet, will find out
| that he has saved these sheep and
oxen for himself. Samuel comes and
| asks Saul the news from the battle.
5au: puts on a solemn face. for there is
| no enc who can look more solemn than
your genuine hypocrite, and he says:
| Il have fulfilled the command OF the
Lord" Samuel listens, and he hears
the drove of sheep q little way of.
Saul had no 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 Amale-
kites and all the beasts in their posses
sion, what meaneth the bleatlng of the
sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of
the oxen that hear?" All, one would
ta1Are thought that bushes would have
consumed the cheek of Saul. No. no!
lie says the army-not himself, Of
course, but the army-had saved the
sheep and oxen for the sacrifice; and
then they thought it would be too
bad anyhow. to kill Agag. the Amale-
kitish king. Samuel takes the sword
and slashes Agag to pieces; and then
he takes the skirt Of his coat, in true
oriental style. and renda It in twain.
as much as to say: You, Saul. just
like that, shall be torn away from your
empire, and torn away from your
throne" In other words. 4et the ma
tions of the earth hear the sstOry that
Saul, by disobeyiny God. won . h0ck
Of sheep. but lost q kingdom.
1 learn from this subject that God
will expose hypocrisy. deere Saul pre-
tends he has fulfilled the Divine com
mission by slayinE al the beasts be-
longing to the Amalekites, and yet ut
the very moment he is telling the story
und practicing the delusion the secret
zones out, and the sheep bleat and the
oxen below.
A hypocrite is one who pretends to
be what he is not. or to do what he
does not. Saul was only type OF .
class. The modern hypocrite looks
awfuily solemn, whines when he prays,
and during his public devotion shows
. great deal of the whites of his eyes.
lie never laughs, or, il he does laugh,
he seems sorry for it afterward, as
though he had committed some great
ind:scretion. The first time he gets .
chance, he prays 20 minutes in public,
and when he exhorts he seems to inn
ply that all the race are sinners, with
one exception, his modesty forbidding
the stating who thatone is. There are
q great many churches that have two
or three ecclesiastical Uriah Keeps.
When the fox begins to pray look ont
for your chickens. The more genuine
religion = man has the more comfort
able he will be; but you may know =
religious imposter by the fact that he
prides himself on being uncomfortable.
A man of that kind is of immense dam
age TO the church of Christ A ship
may outride hundred storms, and
vet a handful Of worms in the plank
may sink it to the bottom. The church
of God is not SO much in danger of the
cyclones of trouble and persecution
that come upon it Is Of the vermin OF
hypocrisy that irfest it Wolves
are of no danger to the folds OF
God unless they look Ike sheep.
Arnold was of more damage
to the army than CORVALLIS and
his hosts Oh. we can not deceive God
with a church certlf3cate! He sees be-
hind the curtain IS we'll rs before the
cnrtasn. He sees exerrfhin1 inside ont.