Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1899-08-03
Or. IALMAG['S SERMON.
eRElAlEh ESPECIALLY FOR YOUNG
AND OLD
Subject: An Ancient Ipic rar-an wa
Saving TIE to illustrate the Lnd'cr"">
Hei,avior OF Those Who ,Iagnify small
Sins and Ignore Great Ohcs.

rCopyrigh., Louis KioIsra. sat
V.sHr.gTox. H.. C.-In this DISCOURSE.
founded on an ancient epiGran repeat"
hy Christ DR.. Talmage illustrates tn" folly
II being very p1rtlcIlar aQout in-iSnllidht
things. while neglect.ul % vast concerns.
The text Ia Mathew kill. u: 'le bind
guides, which sttain ut a gna; AMI swallow
a camel"
proverh iscOapact wisdom. kn0T'e ice
In chunks. a library IN n s"utcn'o, the t,e:-
trlcity n manv clouds discharged in one
bolt. A r.vAr put through n mill race. "'rii
Christ quotes tho proverb OF the tex. liz
means to set forth the lnii"tons behavior
OF those who MIKE 4 great biaoter aD"lt
smnlt sins aud have no appreciation 81
grent ones. In mvtey. 4 small Insect ana
a large qut1rupel are brought into com
p%arison-a gnat Rn1 a camel. You have il
museum or on tho desert seen tn" latter. :.
great awkward, sprawling creature, with
back two stories high and stomach htvins
a collection 6i rrSeryOir+ for desert travel,
an animal forbidden to the Jawta1 foo
and In many literatnrc- entitled "tlle shin
OF tbs desert Tnn :nat spok-n oi in the
text is In the grub tor n. J. + born in pool
or pond, aft-r q few yr.ki bc:,me. r
ehrysali- and then nter y few days be-
comes the GpAt ~ "" re DS1izh II. En-
the insert spoken Q: N ~" tcx5 i In its
very smallest shnpe, and It vet iniahits he
WhtNE, 49, lfib ltAt - Il Hl'~l' u - - w IL
to read - rain out Il Cnat.'
My text shows you tho prince OF neon
eistencies. \ man after long observation
has formed the suspicion that in 4 cue OF
water he Is about to drink there Ia grub
or tho rrandparent Of 4 rnit. lie gOeS
and gets n sieve or straiu"r. II takes the
water aud pOurs 1t throuchth" sieve In the
broad light. he says, II would rather DO
anything almost than drink this water IN
til til larva be extirpated." This water
Is brought under inquisition. The expert
ment Is successful. The water PUSHES
through the glove and leaves against the
side Of tho siev" the grub or gnat. Then
the man carefully removes the insect and
drinks the water in placidity. But going
ont one day and hungry, he devonrs u
ship OF the desert" ne camel, which the
Jews we're for. idden to ert. Whe sastron
omer has no cOm FUNCTIONS OF conscience,
He suffers from no indigestion. He puts
the lower jaw under the camcl's fOrefoot
and hts upper jaw over the hump OF tho
cam-ls bHck and gives one swallow, and
dromednry disappears forever. lie strained
out n gnHt; he swallowed IL camel.
While Christ's audience was vet smilin"
at the oppositeness aud wit OF His illustra-
tion-fOr smile they lid, unle3, they were
too stupid to understand the hyperboie-
Christ practicrli said to them, That is
you" Punctilious about small Things;
NVtkIfFN uDout I'LL VI X I''tl uiLilI'.
No subject ever WINGED under Il surgeons
knife moro bitterly than did the Pharisens
under Christi scalpel Of truth. As an an
atomist will take "a human body to pieces
and put the pieces under II microscope for
examination, 80 Christ finds His way to
the heart of the dead pharisec and cutsi t
out and puts it under the glass OF inspe6-
ton for all generations to examine. Those
Pharjsecs thought that Christ would flatter
them md compliment them, and how they
must have writhed under the redhOt words
as He said. "YcfOois, We Whited scpulthers.
ye blind guides, which strain out a gnat
and swallow n camel"
There are In our day n great many gnatS
strained out and n great many canels swat
lowed. and it is the object Of this sermon
10 sketch a few persons who are extensive.
ly engaged In that business.
First, l remark. that all those ministers
OF the gospel who nre very ~scrupulou-
sbout tho nventionalities 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 frivoiitY
In religious VOCATION. But there are il
tustrations. and there are hyperhol-s 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 thOso things in
religious service which draw the corners
OF the mouth down and danouuco nIl
those things which have II tie dency to
draw the corners OF the Mouth up, nn,
these men will go to Installations and "a
presbyteries and to conferences and to
associations, their pockets full Of fine
sleeves to s.rn'n ont the Gnats. while IN
their own churches ut HON" every SUNDAY
there arc nifty people sound asleep. They
make their churches Il great dormitOrv
and their sOmniierous sermons are u cralie
and the drawled out hymns a lulltbv,
while some wakeful soul In a pew with he
fan keeps the flies off unconscious persons
approximate. Now, | say it Is WORSE. u
sleep in church than to smiie in church
for the Inter implies al least attnntion
while tho former implies the Indifference
OF the hearers and the stupidity OF tn
speaker.
In old ace or from physical inArmitv O
from long Watching with tho sick lrow>i
ness will sometimes o~verpowcr one, hu
when n minister OF the gospel looks 81
upon an audience and flnds healthy an
Intelligent people struggling with h-0wsi
ness II Is time for him to give out tn
doxoloHv or pronounce the henedictior
The great fault Of church services to-da
Is not too much vivacity. but too niue
somnolence. The one is m irritatin
gnat that may he easily strained out: tn
othtr IL q great. sprawlinE and sleepy
eyed camel OF the dry desert.
| take down from my library the hioCra
phies OF ministers and writer's OF the pas
ages, inspired and uninspired. who hay
done the most TO bring souls TO Jesu
Christ, and | find TINT without a single r1
ceptton they ConSecratol their wit an
their bumor to Christ. Elijah used IL w.ie
he advised the Baali;es, as they could No
make their god respond. TO call louder. 4
their god might be sound asleep or cor
~a-huntinG. Job used 1t when he said (
his seli-conceited comforters. .Wisdo,
will die With YOU" Christ not ONLY use
II In the text. but when He ironically con
plimented the corrupt rbarisees. sayin'
The whole need not a physician, AZ
when bv one word He described the en-,
ming otHerod. saying. G. We and tell tn
fox Matthew henry's commentaries fro
the first page TO the last corruscated VII
humor, as summer clouds with heat licb
ming.
Again, my subject photographs all tho.
VINO are abhorrent Of small sin. while Ii.
are reckless in regard to maguifcentth he
You Will find rlany a merchant who, Will
he Is so careful that be would not take
yard OF cloth or a spool Ct cotton from L
counter without paying for it. and who,
a bank cashier should make n mistake a.
send IN a roll OF bills SIS too much. won
dispatch a messenger in hot haste to :
tufn the surplus, Yet WHO will 80 into
stock company, In which after awhile
gets control OF the stock aud then waite