The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1899-09-16
Or. TALMAGES SERMON.
1 BRIEF SYNOPSIS OF THe DivlNE's SUN
DAY DISCOURSE.

Subject: An Ancient Epigram-An Old
Saying Used to illustrate tho LudIcrous
| Behavior OF Those Who Magnify small
Sins and ignore lirea. Ones.
| Copyright. Louis Klopsch. 1891
WARRINGTON, j.. Gin this discourse,
founded on an ancient epigram repeated
by Christ, DR.. Taluage illustrates the folly
| of being very p .rticulsr about Insignificant
things, while neSlectful OF vast concerns.
The text is Matthew KILL, "a: "Yo blind
guides, which strain ut gnat and swallow
o camel"
A proverb Is compact wisdom, knowledge
In chunks, library In sentences, tho cleo
tricity of many clouds discharged In one
bolt, river put through mill rnce. Whom
Christ quotes the provsrb OF the text, Ho
means to get forth the ludicrous behavior
Of those who make great blustor about
small sins and have no appreciation OF
great ones. In my text q small insect AMI
large quadruped are brought Into com-
parfson-a gnat and a camel. You have In
museum or on the d.sert seen the latter, n
great awkward, sprawlinS creature, with
back two stories high and stomach having
a 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
teIf is in the grub form. 1t Is born in pool
or pond, after a few weeks becomes a
chrysaIis aud then a:ter a few days be-
comes the goat rs we recognize 1t. But
the Insect spoken OF In the text Is In its
very smallest shape, and It yet fnhabits he
water, for my text Is n misprint and ought
to read "strain out gnat."
My text shows you the prince Of incon-
sistencies. man ritter long observation
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 a sieve or strainor. He takes the
water and pours 1t through the sioye IN the
broad light. He says, II would rather do
anything almost tina. drink this water un-
til this Iarva be extirpatel." This water
Is brought under inquisitiol. Tho expert
ment is successful. The watcr rushes
through the sieve and leaves against tho
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, he devouis a
"ship of the desert" tho camel, which the
Jews were forbidden to cat. The gastron-
omer has no computations OF conscience.
He suffers from no Indigestion. He puts
the lower jaw undW the cancels forefoot
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 swallo 8 ed a camel.
While Christ's audience was yet smiling
at the oppositeness ard Wit of His illustra-
tion-for smile they did, unless they were
too stupid to understand the hyperbole-
Christ practicalI said to them, "That is
you." Punctilious about small things;
reckless about affairs Of great magnitude.
No subject ever WINGED under surgeons
knife moro bitterly thsn did the Pharlsees
under Christ's scalpel OF truth. As an an
utomist will take human body to pieces
and put the pieces under microscope for
examination, so Christ finds His way to
i tho heart of the dead Pharisee and cuts 1t
out and puts 1t under tho glass OF inspec-
tion for all generations to examine. Those
Pharisees thought that Christ would fatter
thcm and compIIn ent them, and how they
must have writhed under the redhot words
as He said, "Yc fools, ye whited sepulchers,
ye blind guides, which straiu out gnat
and swallow camel"
Thore nro In our day great many gnats
| strained out and great many cameis swa1-
lowed. and 1t Ia the object OF this sermon
to sketch a few pers ons who are extensive
~ engaged in that business.
First, remark, that oil those ministers
OF the gospel who ale very scrupulous
about the converttonalities 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 con vocation. But there are H.
lustrations. and there are hyperbolas like
that OF Christ in tire text, that will irradi-
ate with smiles any intelligent audience.
There arc men like those blind guides oil
the text who advocate only those things Ia
religious service which draw the corners
CT the mouth down and denounco all
those things which have tendency to
| draw tho corners OF the mouth up, and
these men will go to Installations and to
| presbyterics and to conferences and to
associations, their pockets full OF fine
Hkn xrxl<fI Ia IL,
their own churches at home every Sunday
} there are fifty people sound asleep. They
make their churches a great dormitory,
and their somnifcrous sermons are cradle
and the drawled out hymns lullaby,
while some wakeful SOM In pew with her
, fan keeps the flies of unconscious persons
, approximate. Now, say 1t is worse to
sleep In church than to smile In church
for the latter implies at least attention,
while the former implies the indifference
of tho hearers and the stupidity OF the
speaker.
In old age or from physical inlrmity OF
from long watching with the sick drowsi'
? when q minister of the gospel looks Of
,, upon an audience ard finds healthy and
intelligent people struggling with drowsi-
ness 1t is time for him to give ont the
doxology or pronounce the benediction
, The great fault of church services to-day
Is not too much vivacity, but too much
, somnolence. Tho one Is an irritating
gnat that may be easily strained out; the
, other IL great, sprawlins aai sleepy
eyed camel OF tho dry desert.
I take down from my library tho biogra
Z plies OF ministers and writer's Of the pas
y ages, inspired and uninspired, who hav,
done the most to bring souls to Jesu!
Christ, and find that without n single ex
} ception they consecrated their wit and
their humor to Christ. Elijah used Il wheI
he advised the Baalites, ms they could moi
make their god respond, to call louder, a
their god might be sound asleep or gon'
a-hunting. Job used 1t when he said t.
3 his self-conceited comfortors, "Wisdon
will die with YOU" Christ not only uset
1t in the text, but when He ironically com
: plimented the corrupt Pharisees, saying
Q "The whole need not a PHYSICIAN" ant
: when by one word He described the Gun
!, ming OF Herod, saying, go we and tell tina
fox" Matthew eDrys commentaries iron
; the first page to the last corruscated witt
2 humor, as summer clouds with heat light
D ming.
Again, my subject photographs all thos
who are abhorrent of small sim, while the
are reckless in'regard to magnificent thefts
1 You will find many merchant who, Will
; he is so careful that he would not take
. yard OF cloth or spool OF cotton from tb
. counter without paying for 1t, and who,
!, q bank cashier should make mistake an
: send In roll of bills IS too much, woul
a dispatch messenger In hot haste to re
turn the surplus, yet WHO will go into
0 stock company, ia which after awhile b