The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1899-07-26
DR.. TaInage breaches on Human
Inconsistency.
MAKES USE OF AN ANCIENT
Epigram to illustrate the Folly OF
Mankind. Prone 10 Mag
nifty Small Things
Needless Of the

LII ILLS N1SGOC1SS. 4OALNSN W 49, 49,
cient epigram repeated by Christ, DR..
Talmage illustrates the folly Of being
very particular about Insignificant
things while neglecttul of vast concerns
The text is Matthew xiii, "A, "Ae
blind guides, which strain at gnat
and swallow camel.
4 proverb is compact wisdom, koowI-
edge in chunks, library in sentence,
the electricity of many clouds oiS-
charged in one bolt, river put through
mill race. When Christ quotes the
proverb of the text, he means TO set
forth the lu6icrous behavior OF those
who make great bluster about small
sins and have no appreciation OF great
ones. In my text small insect and
large quadruped are brought into com
parison-a gnat and a camel. You
have in museum or on the desert seen
the latter, great awkward, sprawilng
creature, with back two stones hlgh
and stomach having 4 collection OF res
ervoirs for desert travel, an animal for
bldden to the Jews as food and IN many
literatures entitled the ship OF the
desert. The gnat spoken OF IN the
text is in the grub form 1t IS born IN
pool or pond, after few weeks be-
comes chrysalis and then after a te"
days becomes the gnat as we recognize
it. But the insect spoken OF IN the
text is in its very smallest shape, and
it yet inhabits the water, for my texts
a misprint and ought to read strain
out a gnat.
Ny text shows you the prince OF IN
consistencies. A man after long OBJ
servation has formed the suspicion that
in cup Of water he is about to drink,
there is grub or the grandparent OF a
enat. He goes and gets sieve or
strainer. He takes the water and pours
it through the sieve II the broad light.
He says, II would rather do anything
almost than drink this water until this
(arva be extirpated." This water is
brought under inouisition. The ex-
pertinent 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 pla-
cidity. But going out one day, and
hungry, he devours a ship OF the des-
ert, the camel, which the Jews were
forbidden to eat. The gastronomer has
no compunctions Of conscience. he sui
fers from no indigestion. He puts the
lower Jaw under the camePs 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 gnat, he swallowed a
camel.
While Christ's audience was yet
smiling at the appositeness and wit OF
his illustration-for smile they did, un-
less they were too stupid to understand
the hyperbole-Christ practically said
to them, "That is you" Punctilious
about small things; reckless about at
fairs Of great magnitude. No subject
ever WINGED under surgeons knife
more bitterly than did the Pharisees
under Christ's scalpel Of truth. As an
aratomist will take a human body to
pieces and put the pieces under MI
croscope for the examination, so Christ
finds his way to the heart Of the dead
Pharisee and cuts 1t out and puts 1t
under the glass of inspection for all
generations to examine. Those Pharl-
sees thought that Christ would fatter
them and compliment them, and how
they must have writhed under the red
hot words as he said, ''Ye fools, ye
Ehited sepulchers, ye blind guides,
which strain out gnat and swallow a
camel"
There are in our day great many
gnats strained out and great many
camels swallowed, and it is the object
cfthis sermon to sketch few persons
who are extensively engaged in that
business.
First, remark that all those minis
ters of the gospel wao are very scruHu-
lous about the conventionalitles Of :e-
ligion, but put no particular st'css
upon matters Of vast Importance, are
photographed in the text Church SER
vices ought to be grave and solemn.
There is no room for frivolity inrellg-
ious convocation, but there are illustra-
tions, and there are hyperboles like
that of Christ in the text that will ir-
radiate with smiles any Intelligent au-
dience. There are men like those
blind guides Of the text who advocate
only those things in religious service
which draw the corners Of the mouth
down and denounce all those things
which have tendency to draw the cor
ners Of the mouth up, and these men
will 60 to installations, and to presby
teries, and to conferences, and to as
sociations, their pockets full Of fine
sie7es to strain out the gnats, while IN
their own churches at home every Sun
day there are so people sound asleep.
They make their churches great dor
mitory, and their somniferous sermons
are cradle and the drawled out hymns
lullaby, while some wakeful soul in a
pew, with her fan, keeps the flies OFF
unconscious persons approximate.
Now, I say it is worse to sleep in church
than to smile il church, for the latter
implies at least attention, while the
former implies the indifference of the
hearers and the stupidity Of the speak
er.
In old age, or from physical infrmi-
ty, or from long watching with the
sick, drowsiness will sometimes over
power one, but when minister of the
gospel looks off upon an audience and
finds healthy and intelligent people
struggling with drowsiness it is time
for him to give out the doxology or pro
nounce the benediction. The great
fault Of church services today IS not
too much vivacity, but too much SOM
nolence. The one is an irritating gnat