The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1900-08-11
THE TRUE RELIGION.
Dr.. Talmage Says 1t Must Be from
Heaven.
MskesAtfta OF nunaa MaAsfseturs
Are usslsss Whsn Measured ~
Gods PlunA Line-rhe
wall 81 charaeter.


copyright lsoo. BY Louis klopsch-l
Washington. August +,
From Trondhjem. Norway, where
pr. Talmage Is now staying, he sends
the following discourse. In which he
khows that the world can never be
benefited by q religion Of human man
uf~acture, which easily yields to ones
surroundings, but must have a reli-
sion let down from Heaven; text,
Amos as: And the Lord said unto
me. Amos. what seest thou? And /
saia, A plumb line"
The solid masonry Of the world has
for me . fascination. Walk about
some Of the triumphal arches and the
cathedrals 900 or coo years old. and
see them stand a. erect as when they
were built. walls Of great height, for
centuries not bending q quarter Of an
inch this way or that. So greatly
honored were the masOns who builded
thsae walls that they were free from
taxation and called "free" masons.
The trowsl gets moEt Of the credit
for these buildings, aud lite clear ring
ing on stone aud brick has sounded
across the sgsA But there is another
Of just a. much Importance
a. the trowel, and my text recognizes
IT, BrieklAyers and stonemasons and
carpenters. In the building Of walls.
use an Instrument made Of . cord,
a. the end Of which Q lump OF lead
Il fastened They drop it over the
aide Of the wall, ana, ~ the plummet
naturally sssks the center Of gravity
In the EARTH, the workman discovers
where the wall reosdes and where II
bulGss out and just what is the per
psndicuiar. Our text represents God
a. standing on the wall Of character
which the Iraehtes had built and in
that way testing IL. And the Lord
said unite me. Amos. what sssst thouP
AID I said. A plumb line"
What the world wants 10 straight up
ana down religion. Much of the 70
called pisty Of the day bends this way
ana that to suit the times. II Is
obnqus, with q low state OF sentiment
and morals. We have all been build
ing . wall Of character. and It IL glar-
lngIy Imperfect and needs rscopstruc-
ton How shah IL be brought into
perpendicular Only BY the Divine
nsssufsmsnt. "And the Lord said
uato me, Amos. what seest thoui
And ! said, A plumb line"
Tbs whole tendency Of the times Ia
70 make ~ act by the standard Of
What others do. We throw over the
WALL Of our charsctsr the tsngled
plumb line Of other, lives and reject the
lnfailihIe test which Amos saw. The
question fer me should not be what
you think IL right, but what God
thinks IL right, This perpetual refer
snce 70 the behavior Of others, as
though Il decided anything but hui
man faliibility. 10 . mistake wide as
the world. There are 10000 plumb
lines In use, but only one is true and
exact and that Is the line OF Gods
stsrnsl right. There IL . mighty at
tempt being made 10 reconstruct and
AZ up the Ton Commandments. To
many they seem too rigid. The tower
OF Pisa Leans over about ID feet from
the perpendicular, and people 20 thou
sands Of milsa to see its graceful In
elination and TO learn how, by extra
braces and various architectural con-
t~rivAnees. Il 10 kept leaning from cen
tury to century. Why not have the
ten granite blocks Of Sinai set 4 little
aslantF Why not have the pillar Of
truth = leaning JowerY Why Is not an
ellipse as good a. q square? Why Is
not an oblique a. good as straight up
and down? Ny friends, we must have
9 standard. Shall It bs Gods or
man's7
The Divine plumb line needs to be
thrown over all merchandise. Thou
sands Of Year, ago Solomon discovered
the tendency Of buyers to depreciats
goods He saw . man beating down
an srfiele lower and lower and saying
Il was not worth the price asked. and
when he had purchased at the lowest
point he told everybody what . sharp
bargain he had struck and how he
outwitted the merchant. at Is
naught. saith the buyer, out when he
70 gone his way, then he boaststh"
proverbs ao:i4). Society Is so utterly
asksw in this matter that you seldom
end . seller asking the price he ex-
poets 20 get; he puts on q higher value
than he expects to receive. knowing
that he will have % drop. And II he
wants $50, he asks SIS. And IL he
wants t2,0oo, he asks 1850. ut IL
nauGht." saith the buyer. THE fabric
u defective; the style Of goods IL
poor; ] esn get elsewhere . better ar
tiels ct q smaller price. II is out Of
fashion; Il 10 damaged: Il will fade;
u will NOT wear well" After awhile
the nsrohsnt. from oFsrpersuasion or
from desire 70 dispose Of that partic.
uiAs stock Of goods, says; swell, take
II At your own price," and the pur-
chaser goes home with light step and
calls Into his private ONCE his coma
dsntial frisnds and ohuekles while he
tslh how for half price he got the
soods. In other words. he lied and
was proud Of ii.
Nothing would mako tina, N rooa
ana the earning Of a livelihood 40 sasy
a. tbs universal adoption Of m. Iay,
Of right. Suspicion strikes tbrough
all bargain making. Men who sen
know NOT WHISTLER they will ever ret
the one Purchasers know mot
whsthsr the goods shipped will b. &C.
cordina to the sample. And what.
with the large number Of clerks who
are making false entries and then alb
seoudinf ana the explosion Of arms
that fail for millions of dollars, hon.
sa. men ere 1t their Wits end 70
mako = ltvfnr. 10 who stands up
hmia gu the pressure aud DOES right
10 accomplishing somsthinF toward
the sstsbnshnsnt Of . high CONNER
eisl prosperity, I hare deep sympa-
thy for the iabosing classes who toll