Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1899-07-26
SERMON
Rev. DR.. CaImaee
Subject: An Ancient EpIgram-An Old
Saying Used to illustrate tho Ludicrous
Behavior OF Those Who Magnify Small
Sins and Ignore Great Ones.

Subject: An Ancient Eplgram-An Old
Saying Used to illustrate tho Ludicrous
Behavior ot Those Who Magnify Small
Sins and Ignore Great Ones.
Copyright. Louis Klorsch. 1891
WASHINGTON, b. Gin this discourse
founded on an ancient eplgram repeated
by Christ, DR.. Talmage illustrates the folly
OF being very particular about Insignificant
things, while neglectful OF vast concerns.
The text IL Matthew xxiii., "a: ''Ye blind
guides. which strain at gnat and swallow
q camel"
proverb Is compact wisdom, knowledge
In chunks, a library In a sentence. the cleo.
tricity Of many clouds discharged In one
bolt, river put through mill race. When
Christ quotes the proverb OF the text, He
means to set forth the ludicrous behavior
OF those who make a great bluster about
small sins and have no appreciation OF
great ones In text h-em%ht emd ,n." al.
parison-a gnat and a camel. You have In
museum or on the desert seen the latter, a
great awkward. sprawitng creature, with
back two stories high Ind stomach having
Q collection OF reservoirs for desert travel,
an animal forbidden to the Jews as food
and In many literatures entitled "the ship
OF the desert" The gnat spoken OF in the
text Is In the grub form. 1t Is born in pool
or pond, after a few weeks becomes a
chrysalis and then after a few days be-
the insect spoken OF in the text Is In its
very smallest shape. and 1t yet inhabits lie
water. for my text is a misprint and ought
to read ''strain out gnat."
My text shows you the prince Of incon-
sisten cies. A man after long observation
has formed the suspicion that 10 cup OF
water he is about to drink there is a grub
or the grandparent OF gnat. He goes
and gets sieve or strainer. He takes the
water and pours 1t through the sieve in the
- asI L..
anything almost than drink this water nn-
til thi larva be extirpated." This water
In brought under inquisition. The expert
ment is successful. The water rushes
through the sieve and leaves against the
side Of tho sieve the grub or gnat. Then
the man carefully removes the insect nnd
drinks the water In placidity. But going
out one day and hungry, he devonrs
''ehip OF the desert, !" the camel, which the
Jews were forbidden to eat. The gastron.
omer has no compunctions OF conscience.
He suffers from no indigestion. He puts
the lower jaw under the camers forsfoot
and his upper jaw over the hump OF the
camel's back and gives one swallow, and
dromedary disappears forever. He strained
out gnat; he swallowed IL camel.
While Christ's audience was yet smiling
at the oppositeness and wit OF His illustra-
tion-for smile they did, unless they were
too stupid to understand the hyperbole-
Christ practiculi said to them, "That l.
you" Punctilious about small things
reckless about affairs of great magnitude.
No subject ever WINGED under surgeons
knife more bitterly than did the Pharisees
under Christ's scalpel OF truth. As an an
| atomist will take a human BODY to pieces
| and put the pieces under n microscope for
| examination. SO Christ finds His way tc
| the heart Of the dead Pharisee and cuts 1t
| out and puts It under the glass Of inspec-
| tion for all generations to examine. Those
| Pharisees thought that Christ would flattei
them and compliment them, and how they
must have writhed under the redhot words
| as He said, Eye fools, ye wh:ted sepulchers
| ye blind guides, which strain out a gnat
and swallow .-nel."
There Are IN our day se..",. amy Raats
l ntrnir (T4<t a,.s .-..e-1 put -trIa- els sWll-
I lowed. and if Il the obJect OF this sermon
| to sketch a few persons who are extensive.
| ly engaged In that business.
| First, remark, that all those ministers
/ OF the gospel who are very scrupulous
/ about the econventionalities OF religion. but
put no particular stress upon matters oil
| vast importance, are photographed in the
| text, Church services ought to be grave
| and solemn. There is no room for frivolity
| In religious conyocatiOn. But there are H.
| lustrations, and there are hyperboles like
| that Of Christ in the text, that will irradi.
| ate with smiles any intelligent audience.
| There are men like those blind guides OF
| the text who advocate only those things in
| religious service which draw the corners
| Of the mouth down and denOunce all
| those things which have a te dency to
draw the corners OF the mouth up, md
these men will go to installations and to
presbyteries and to conferences and to
| associations, their pockets full OF line
| sleeves to strain out tho gDats, while in
| their own churches at home every SUNDAY
| there are fifty people sound asleep. They
| make their churches great dOrmitOry.
| and their somniferous sermons are II cradle
/ .nI eh, lror lad han, In In -
| while some wakeful soul In pew with her
fan keeps the flies off unconscious persons
| approximate. Now, say 1t Is worse &c
| sleep in church than to smile In church.
| for the latter implies at least attention,
| while the former implies the Indifference
Of the hearers and the stupidity OF the
| speaker.
In old age or from physical infirmity OF
from long watching with the sick drowsi.
ness will sometimes overpower one, but
when a minister of the gospel looks of
upon an audience and finds healthy and
intelligent people struggling with drowsi-
ness 1t is time for him TO give out the
doxOlogy or pronounce the benediction.
The great fault Of church services to-day
is not too much vivacity, but too much
somnolence. The enc is an irritating
Rnat that may be easily strained out; the
other IL a great, sprawling and sleepy.
eyed camel Of the dry desert.
| I take down from my library the biogra.
phies OF ministers and writers OF the past
ages, inspired and uninspired, who have
Christ, and find that without a single ex
ception they consecrated their wit and
their humor to Christ. Elijah used 1t when
he advised the Baalites, as they could not
make their god respond, to call louder. as
their god might be sound asleep or gone
a-hunting. Job used 1t when he said tc
his self-conceited comforters, 'WisdoT
| will die wi. h YOU" Christ not only usel
It In the text, but when He ironically com
plimented the corrupt Pharisees. saying
1.-THE whole need not PHYSICIAN" ant
when by one word He described the cum
fox" Matthew enry's commentaries from
the first page to the last corruscated will
humor, as summer clouds with heat light
ming.
Again, my subject photographs all those
who are abhorrent OF small sin while the!
are reckless in regard to magnificent thefts
; You will find many merchant who, whii'
z he Is 80 careful that he would not take
I yard of cloth or spool Of cotton from thu
counter without paying for 1t. and who,
bank cashier should make a mistake AM
send In q roll Of bills e5 too much, woul'
dispatch a messenger In hot haste to re
turn the surplus, yet WHO will go into
stock company, In which after awhile h.
gets control OF the stock and then water
!. he stock and makes 800 900 appear lik
: operation. Many OF the men OF FORUM
; made their wealth in that way.
One OF these men engaged IN such un
| righteous cts that evening, the evening o
| :he very day when he watered the stock
will hnd wharf rat stealing daily pape
rom the basement doorway and will &
1 out and catch the urchin by the collar an
j., :wist the collar so tightly the poor fello,
1as no power to say that 1t was thirst 70
knowledge that led him to the dishones
act, but grip the collar tighter and tighter
saying: 81 have been looking for you
!ong while. You stole my paper fou
or FIVE times, haven't you, you mi:
efable wretch2' And then the oil
} stock gambler. with voice the
san hear three blocks, VIII CT
out, "Police. policel' Thnt san
, nan the evening OF the day
which he watered tho stock will kneel vii
., his family In prayers and thank God q