The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1899-07-22
STRAINING AT CHATS.
Dr.. Tslnage breaches on Human
Inconsistency.
makes Use Of an Ancient EBtEram to
illustrate the Folly Of NsRkind-
Prone TO Magnify Small ThingH4
Needless of the Great
Copyright Loui. Kops-t us)

wssh!-Eo- JAY Il
In this discourse, founded OF an an
Gent epigram repeated By Christ DIT.
Tslmsge illustrates the folly Of being
very particular sbou; i-E guihcant
things while neglected. q rsst con-
Germs The text in MATHEW zs;24, Eye
blind guides, which strain at g gnAt
and swallow q camel"
A prUverb Is compact wisdom, knowl-
edge In chunks, 3 library In q sentence,
the electricity Of many clouds dis
charged In one bolt q river put through
a mill race. When Christ quotes the
proverb Of the text he 70 set
forth the ludierous behavior Of those
who make q great bluster about small
sins and have no sppreSau0n o. great
ones. In my text . small insect and .
large q~usdruPed are brought into eom-
parsoB-a gnai and 4 camel You
have 10 museum or on the desert seen
the latter, . great awkWGrd, sprawl
ing creature, with back two stories
high and stomach having E collection
Of reservoirs for desert travel. an ami
nal forbidden 20 the Jews a. food. and
In many Hterstures entitled the ship
Of the desert" The gubt spoken Of In
the teri is in the grub form 1t is born
IN pool Of pond. after q few weeks be
comes . ehryEaHA aud then after a few
days becomes the gust as ~s recognize
IT, Bot the insect spoken Of IN the text
IL In its very smallest shape. and u yet
iahsbits the water, for my text is a mis-
print and ought TO read strain out q
gnat"
Ny text shows you the prince Of In
consstsncies A man, after long OBJ
servation, who has formed the Euspi-
eiOn that in a eupfl Of water he y
about 70 drink, there is a grub or the
grsndpareut Of a gnst. He goes and
gets a sieve or q strainer. He takes the
water and pours It through the hsVe ia
the broad light He says: Il would
rather DO anything almost than drink
this wstsr until this lsrvA be extir
psted." This water is brought undel
inguiSition. The experiment Is sue
cessful. The water rusbes through tbs
sieve and leaves against the side Of tn
sieye the grub or gnat. Then the MAJ
carefully move the insect and drink
the water in plscidity. But going on.
On. day. and hungry, he devours
ship Of the desert" the camel, whicl
the Jews were forbidden 70 eat. Tn
| g-sstronomer has no computations o
conscience. He suffers from no ind
4 gestion. He puts the lower Jaw unde
the csmel'E forefoot, and his upper Jaw
over the hump Of the cAmeI's back, an
gives one swallow and the dromedsr
disappears forever. He strained ont
gnst, be swallowed a camel.
While Christ's audience was ye
smiling at the sppositeness and wit O
his illustrstion-for smile they did, vi
less they were too stupid to understan
the hyperbole-Chrst practically sal
TO them: That Is you" Punctiiou
about small things; reckless about a
fairs Of great magnitude. No subjeC
ever WINGED under o surgeons knit
more bitterly than did the Pbarisee
under CLrist's scalpel Of truth. As q
anstomist win take q human body
pieces and put the pieces under q m
croscOpe for examination, 30 ChrI
finds His way 10 the heart Of the dea
Pharisee and cuts II out and puts
under the glass Of inspection for Q
generations 10 examine. Those Phar
seeS thought that Christ would fatt'
them and compliment them. and no
they must have writhed under the re-
hot words as He said: "Ye fools,
whited sepulcherE, ye blind guide
which strain out a gnst and swallow
camel"
There are in our day a great mar
gnsts strained out and a great msr
camels swallowed. aud It Is the obje
Of this sermon 20 sketch a few persOi
who are extensively engaged IN tn
business.
First, ! remark that all those mini
ters Of the Gospel who are very scrup
lous about the conyentionalities Of 7
Hgion, but put no particular stress u
on matters Of vast Importance, a
photographed in the text. Church ser
ices ought TO be grave and solem
There Is no % for f1yolity in 7
ligious convocstion, but there are
Illustrations, and there are hyperbol
Ike that Of Christ IN the text that Vi
irradiate with smiles any intellige'
audience. There are men Ike tho
blind guides of the text who advoea
only those things in religious serN
which draw the corners Of the mou'
down and denounce all those THU
which have a tendency 10 draw the CO
ners Of the mouth up, and these M
will 20 10 Installations, and 10 pre-
byteries, and 10 conferences, and 10 g
Boclationa, their pockets full Of fl
sleeves TO strain out the gnats. while
their own churches al home every 5u
day there are 90 people sound aslee
They make their churches a gre
dormitory, and their somniferous 81
mons are a cradle and the drawled 0
hymns a lullaby, while some wakef
soul In a pew, with her fan, keeps I
flies OF unconscious persons approi
mate. Now, ] say II is worse TO sleep
church than 10 smile IN church, for I
latter implies at least attention, VIII
the former implies the indifference
the hearers and the stupidity Of {
speaker.
In old age, or from physical mfr