The Burke County news. [volume] (Morganton, N.C.) 1899-1901, 1899-08-04
Or. IMMAG['S SERMON.
,prekRED ESPECIALLY FOR YOUNG
AND OLD.
Subject: An Ancient EpiSra'H-Ar OK
Saving Used 10 illustrate theJ xJtcsr...
Behavior OF Those Who NJ ~.;x Small
Sine and Ignore Crca. ~
Lonis

A this DISCOURSE,
founded on an , Acicn, epigram repeatei
by Christ. Or. 1al..nye illustrates the folly
bel'h particular aboutinsignifcant
things, " .fle .e1lectful OF vast concerns. |
!oe te-t b Matthew xiii. "a: "Ye blind
RI1uA, which strain at a gnat AMI swallow
q .camel.'
proyerb is m pact wisdom, knowledge
In chunks, a library in a sentence. the elec-
t1icity Of many clouds discharged In one
bolt, a river put through Il mill race. When
Christ quotes the proverb OF tho text, He
means TO set forth tho ludicrous behavior
OF those who make Il great buster about
small sins and have no appreciation OF
great ones. In my text "A small insect AMI
n large quadrupel are brought into com
par,son-a gnat aud a camel. You have in
museum or on the desert seen the latter, Il
great awkward, spraw!irS creature, with
back two stories hiyh and stomach having
a collection o. reservoirs for desert travel.
IN animal forbidden to tho Jews "a food
and in many literat"res entitled "the ship
of the desert The Rnat spoken OF in tho
text IS il the grub form 1t IL born ia pool
or pond, after a few weeks becomes n
chrysaiis and then after n few days be-
comes the gnat rs ne recognize it. Bat
the insect spoken of in the text is in its
very smallest shape, and it yot inhabits the
water. for my text Is a mi-print and ought
to read strain out n Snat.a
Ny text shows You the prince Of incoE-
sistencie-. A man after long observation
has formed the suspicion that in u cup OF
water he is about to drink there i. n grub
or the grandparent of 8 Snat. lie goes
and gets a sieve OF It trainer. He takes the
water and pours it through the sieve in the
troad light. He says. II wovli rather 10
anything almo st than drink this water un-
I'll til lerva he extfrpated.' THIS water
is brought under inqcisition- The expert
ment is successful. The water PUSHES
through the sieve and leaves against the
Gi}tS af the Si4ye tho rruh or unnt Thpn
the MAJ carefully removes the insect and
drinks the water in placidity. But going
out one day and hungry, he devours Il
ship OF the desert" the camel, which the
Jews were FORBIDDEN to eat. The gastron-
Omer has no computations OF conscience.
he suffers from no indigestion. He puts
the lower jaw under the eamel'a ~foreioot
and his upper jaw over the hump OF thu,
camel's back and gives one swallow, and
dromeiary disappear, forever He strained
out q gnat: he swallowed Il camel.
While Christ's audience was yet smiling
mt 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 /.
you" Punctilious about small things:
reckless about affairs OF great maSnituhe.
No subject ever WINGED under a surgeons
knife more bitterly than did the Pharisees
under Chrlsts scaIpei OF truth. As an an
atomis Will take n human BODY to pieces
and put the pieces under n microscope for
examination, 50 Christ finds His way to
the heart OF the dead pharisee and cuts it
out and puts It under the glass OF inspec-
tion for oil generations to examine. Those
Pharisces thought that Christ would fiatter
them and compliment them. and how they
must have writhed under the redhot words
as He said. fools. We whtted sepulchers.
ye blind guides, which strain out a gnat
and swallow u camel"
There are In our day 4 great many cnats
strained out and a great many cnmels swal-
lowed. and it Is the object Of this sermon
to sketch IA few persons who are extensive
ly engaged In that business.
First, | remark. that all those ministers
OF the gospel who are very scrupulDu,
about the conventionalities OF religion, but
put no particular stress upon matters 0,
vast Importance, are photographed in the
text. Church services ought to be grave
and solemn. There is no room for frivolity
In religious con tocation. But there are H.
lustratious. and there are hyperboles like
that OF Christ In the text. that will irraui-
ute 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 corner-
OF the mouth down and denounce all
those things which have q to- dencv to
draw the corners OF the mouth up, and
these men Will go to Installations and to
Irestyteries and 10 conferences and Ia
49, foNASlS i"h " ttAe
sieves TO s.ra.n out the gDats, wEilc in
their own churches ut home every Sundat
there ale tlitv people sound asleep. They
make their churches a great dormi;orv,
and their somniferous sermons are n cradle
md the drawied out hymns 4 lullaby.
while some waketul soul In a pew with her
far keeps the flies OF unconscious persons
approximate. Now. l say 1t is worse 20
sleep in church than 70 smile in church,
for the latter i'm plies n; least attention.
while the former implies tho Indifference
OK the hearers and the stupidity Of ~
speaker.
In old age or from physical infrrity q
from long watching with the sick drow>..