Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1899-08-03
DIR. TALMAGES SERMON.
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED
DIVINE.
Subject: An Ancient Epigram-An Old
Saying Used to illustrate the Ludlcrous
Behavior of Those Who Magnify Small
Sins and Ignore Great Ones.
Copyright, Louis Klopsch. 1892 ]

Sins and Ignore Great Ones.
Copyright. Louis Klopsch. 1891
WASHINGTON, u. Gin this discourse,
founded on an ancient epigram repeated
by Christ, DIR. Talmage illustrates the folly
OF being very particular about Insignificant
things, while neglectful OF vast concerns;
The text Is Matthew kill, "a: "Ye blind
guides, which strain at gnat and swallow
a camel"
A proverb is compact wisdom, knowledge
In chunks, a library In q sentence, the cleo
tricity Of muny clouds discharged In one
bolt, river put through mill race. When
Christ quotes the proverb OF the text, He
means to set forth the ludicrous behavior
OF those who make great bluster about
small sips and have no appreciation OF
great ones. In my text small insect and
large quadruped are brought into COM
parison-a gnat and camel. You have in
museum or on the desert seen the latter, a
great awkward, sprawllng creature, With
back two stories high and stomach having
a collection OF reservoirs for desert travel,
an animal forbidden to the Jews rs 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 becomes
chrysalis and then after few days be-
comes the gnat rs we recognize 1t. But
the insect spoken of In the text is in its
very smallest shape, and 1t yet inhabits the
water, for my text is misprint and ought
to read "strain out gnat."
My text shows you the prince Of incon-
sistencies. man after long observation
has formed the suspicion that In cup Of
water he is about to drink there is grub
or the grandparent OF gnat. He goes
and gets sieve or strainer. He takes the
water and pours 1t through the sieve in the
broad light. He says. II would rather do
anything almost than drink this water un-
I'll thi. luryu ha ayffrnntad ~ This al
is brought under inquisition. The expert
ment 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, he devours Il
"ship of the desert the camel, which the
Jews were forbidden to eat. The gastron-
omer has no compunctions OF conscience.
He suffers from no indigestion. He puts
the lower jaw under tho camels 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 swallowed Il camel.
While Christ's audience was yet smiling
at the oppositeness and wit OF His illustra-
tion-for smile they did, unless they were
too stupid to understand the hyperbole-
Christ practicall 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 an
atonist will take u human BODY to pieces
and put the pieces under q 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 inspec-
tion for all generations to examine. Those
Pharisees thought that Christ would 1atter
them and compliment them, and how they
must have writhed under the redhot words
as He said. ''Ye fools, ye whited sepulchers,
ye blind guides. which strain out gnat
and swallow n camel"
There are In our day Sr eat many gnats
strained out and great many camels swal
lowed, and 1t Is the object of this sermon
to sketch few persons who are extensive
ly engaged In that business.
First, remark, that all those ministers
of the gospel who are very scrupulous
about the conventionalties 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 conyoca.ion. But there are H.
lustrations, and there arc hyperboles like
that of Christ in the text, that will irradi-
ate with smiles any intelligent audience.
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 q tendency to
draw the 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
sieves to strain out tie gnats, while in
their own churches ut homo every Sunday
there are nifty people sound asleep. They
make their churches q great dormitory,
and their somniferous sermons are n cradle
md fha dvov ovrlnA 1nll In NV
while some wakeful soul In n pew with her
fan keeps the flies off unconscious persons
approximate. Now, I 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 the hearers and the stupidity Of the
speaker.
In old age or from physical inarmity or
from long watching with .he sick drowsi-
ness will sometimes overpower one, but
when a minister Of the gospel looks off
upon an audience and finds healthy and
intelligent people struggling with drowsi-
ness it is time for him to give out the
doxology or pronounce tho benediction.
The great fault of church services to-day
is not too much vivacity, but too much
somnolence. The one Is an irritating
gnat that may be easily strained out; the
other ia a great, sprawling and sleepy
eyed camel of the dry desert.
phies Of ministers and writer's OF the past
ages, inspired and uninspired, who have
done the most to bring souls to Jesus
Christ, and find that without single ex-
ception they consecrated their wit and
their humor to Christ. Elijah used 1t when
he advised the Baalites, as they could not
make their god respond, to cali 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
1t in the text, but when He ironically COM
pllmented the corrupt Pharisees, saying,
"The whole need not physician" and
when by one word He described the cum
ming Of Herod, saying, go ye and tell that
fox" Matthew Henry's commentaries from
the first page to the last corruscated with
humor, as summer clouds with heat light
ming.
Again, my subject photographs all those
who are abhorrent of small sins, while they
are reckless inregard to magnificent thefts.
You will find many merchant who, while
he is so careful that he would not take
yard OF cloth or spool OF cotton from the
counter without paying for 1t, and who, II
bank cashier should make mistake and
send in a roll Of bills $5 too much, would
dispatch messenger In hot haste to re-