The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-07-17
STREAMING AT CHATS
On. TALMAoE breaches ON HUMAN
INCONSISTENCY.

de00leoe OF inc GFeots
Copyright, Louis Klopsch, 1891
WASHINGTON. July 16-In this dis
course, founded on an ancient epigram
repeated by Christ, DR.. Taimage illus
trates the folly Of being very particular
about insignificant things while neglectful
Of vast concerns. The text is Matthew
xiii, "a, rye blind guides, which strain
at a gnat and swallow a camel"
A proverb Ia compact wisdom, knowl-
edge in chunks, library In a sentence,
the electricity Of many clouds discharged
In one bolt, a river put through mill
race. When Christ quotes the proverb Of
the text, he, means to set forth the lu.
dicrous behavior Of those who make
great buster about small sins and have
no appreciation of great ones. In my
text small insect and large quadruped
are brought into comparison-a gnat and
a camel. You have in museum or on the
desert seen the latter, a great awkward,
spraying creature, with back two sto-
ries high and stomach having collec-
ton 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 IL in the grub form. 1t is
born in pool or pond, after few weeks
becomes a chrysalis and then after few
days becomes the gnat as we recognize
It, But the insect spoken of in the text
il In its very smallest shape, and it yet
inhabits the water, for my text is mis-
print and ought to read strain out
gnat."
Ny text shows you the prince Of incon-
sistencies. A man after long observa-
ton has formed the suspicion that in
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 It through the
sieve in the broad light. He says, Il
would rather do anything almost than
drink this water until this larva be extir-
pated." This water Is brought under in
quisition. The experiment is successful.
The water rushes through the sieve and
leaves against the side Of the sieve the
grub or gnat. Then the man carefully
removes the insect and drinks the water
In placidity. But going out one day, and
hungry, be devours "ship Of the des-
ert," the camel, which the Jews were
forbidden to cat. The astronomer has
no computations of conscience. He suf-
fers from no indigestion. He puts the
lower Jaw under the cancels forefoot,
and his upper jaw over the hump Of the
camel's back, and gives one swallow and
the dromedary disappears forever. He
strained out a gnat, he swallowed a
camel.
Christ Did Not Flatter.
While Christ's audience was yet smil-
ing at the apposteness and wit of his il
lustration-for smile they did, unless
they were too stupid to understand the
hyperbole-Christ practically said to
them, "That Is 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 anatomist will
take human body to pieces and put the
pieces under microscope for examina-
ton, so Christ finds his way to the heart
of the dead Pharisee and cuts it out and
puts It under the glass of inspection for
all generations to examine Those PhaN-
sees thought that Christ would flatter
them and compliment them, and how
they must have writhed under the red
hot words as he said, aye fools, We whited
sepulchers, We blind guides, which strain
out gnat and swallow a camel"
There are in our day a great many
gnats strained out and great many
camels swallowed, and 1t is the object of
this sermon to sketch a few persons who
are extensively engaged In that business.
First, I remark that all those ministers
Of the gospel who are very scrupulous
about the conventionalities Of religion,
but put no particular stress upon matters
of vast importance, are photographed in
the text. Church services ought to be
grave and solemn. There is no room for
frivolity in religious convocation, but
there are illustrations, and there are by
perboles like that Of Christ in the text
that will irradate with smiles any intel
lgent audience. There are men like
those blind guides of the text who advo-
cate only those things in religious service
which draw the corners of the mouth
down and denounce all those things
which have a tendency to draw the cor
ners Of the mouth up, and these men will
20 to installations, and to presbyteries,
and to conferences, and to associations,
their pockets full of fine Stoves to strain
out the gnats, while in their own churches
at home every Sunday there are 30 peo-
pie sound asleep. They make their
churches a great dormitory, and their
somniferous sermons are cradle and
the drawled out hymns a lullaby, while
some wakeful soul in pew, with her
fan, keeps the flies off unconscious per-
sons approximate. Now, l say 1t is
worse to sleep In church than to smile in
church, for the latter implies at least at
tention, while the former implies the in
difference Of the hearers and the stupid
ity of the speaker.
In old age, or from physical infrmity,
or from long watching with the sick,
drowsiness will sometimes overpower
one, but when a minister of the gospel
looks off upon an audience and finds
healthy and intelligent people struggling
with drowsiness 1t IS time for him to give
out the doxology or pronounce the bene-
diction. The great fault Of church serv-
ices today is not too much vivacity, but
too much somnolence. The one is an irri-
tating gnat that may be easily strained
out, the other Is a great, sprawling and
sleepy eyed camel Of the dry desert In
oil our Sabbath schools, in all our Bible
classes, in all our pulpits, we need to
brighten up our religious message with
such Christike vivacity as we find in the
text.
take down from my library the biog-
raphies of ministers and writers Of the
past ages, inspired and uninspired, who
have done the most to bring souls to Je-
GUS Christ, and find that, without sin
Gle exception, they consecrated their wit
and their humor to Christ. Elijah used
it 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 it when he
said to his self conceited comforters,
"Wisdom will die with YOU" Christ not
only used it in the text but when he iron
ically complimented the corrupt Pharisee,
saying, 1.-THE whole need not a physi-
cian," and when, by one word, he de-
scribed the cunning of Herod, saying,
"Go We, and tell that fox" Matthew Hen
RVS commentaries from the first page to
the last corruscated with humor as sum
mer clouds with heat lightning.
HumOr In Religion.
John Bunyan's writings are as full Of
humor us they are of saving truth, and
there is not an aged man here who has
ever read "Pilgrim's Progress who does