Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1899-07-22
ChrInt,H ScnIpeI.

While Christ's audience was yet
smiling at the appositcness and VIII OF
his illustration-for smile they did, un-
less they were too stupid to under
stand the hyperbole-Chrst practical
" said to them, THAT Is you" Pune
tllious about small things; reckless
about affairs of great magnitude. NO
subject ever WINGED under surgeons
knife more bitterly than did the Phari-
sees under Christ's scalpel of truth.
AS an anatomist will take human
body to pieces and put the pieces I'M
der microscope for examination, so
Christ finds his way TO the heart OF
the dead Pharisee and cuts it out and
puts 1t under the glass Of inspection
for all generations TO examine. Those
Pharisees thought that Christ would
latter them and compliment them,
and how they must have writhed I'M
der the redhot words as he said "fe
fools, sc whited sepulchers. We blind
guides, which strain out gnat ana
swallow camel"
There are In our day great many
cnats strained out aud great many
camels swallowed, and it is the object
of this sermon to sketch q few per-
sous who are extensively engaged in
that business.
First, I remark. that all those minis
tiers of the gospel who are very scru'
Dulous about the cOnventionalitieso OF re-
ligion. but put no particular stress up
on matters Of vast Importance, are
photographed in the text Church serv.
Ices ought to be grave and solemn.
There is no room for frivolity in re-
licIous convocation Put there arc il
Illustrations. and there arc hyperbolcs
like that Of Christ in the text. that
will lrradiate with smiles any intclli.
gent audience. There arc men like
those blind guides of the text who adj
yocate only those things in religious
service which draw the corners of the
mouth down aud denounce all those
things which have a tendency to draw
the corners Of the mouth up, and these
men will go to installations and to
presbyteries and to conferences and to
associations, their pockets full Of fine
sleeves to strain out the gnats, while
In their own churches ut home every
Sunday there are so people sound
asleep They make their churches a
great dormitory, and their somniferous
sermons are a cradle and the drawled
out hymns lullaby, while some wake
full soul in a pew with her fan keeps
the flies off unconscious persons ap-
proyimate Now. | say it is worse to
sleep in church than 10 smile in church.
for the latter implies at least atten-
ton. while the former implies the in
] difference of the hearers and the stu.
pidity of the speaker.
In old age or from physical lnfirml-
ty or from long watching with the
sick drowsiness will sometimes over
power one. but when minister Of the
gospei 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 benediction. The great
:ault of church services today is not
too much .iyacity, but too much
somnolence The one Is an irritating
gnat that may be easily strained out;
the other is great. sprawling and
sleepy eyed camel of the dry desert.
In all our Sabbath schools, in all our
Bible classes, in all our pulpits we
need to brighten up our religious mes
sage with such Ohristlike vivacity as
we find in the text.
WIT and HumoH,
! I take down from my library the