Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1900-08-11
BY THE PLUMB LINE.
THE KIND OF RELIGION THAT THE
WORLD NEEDS.


WORLD NEEDS.
DIR. .TnImnge Says Only Thnt "h'ch
Games Straight Down From Heaven
Can he of Benefit TO Humanify-Mnh
Made Religions Are Useless.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 5.-From Trondn'
lem. Norway, where DR.. Talnfage -
now staying, he sends the following
discourse, I'm which he shows that the
world can never be benefited by re-
ligion OF human manufacture, which
easIly Yields to ones surroundings. but
must have q religion let down from
heaven: text, Amos vii, 8: "And the
Lord said unto me, Amos, what seest
thou? And said, A plumb line."
The solid masonry Of the world mas
for me 4 fascination. Walk about
some of the triumphal arches ana the
cathedrals. 400 or 600 years old, ana
see them stand as erect as when they
were builded, walls OF great height
for centuries not bending quarter OF
an inch this way or that. SO greatly
honored were the masOns who Duiided
these walls that they were free from
taxation and called "free" masons.
The trowel gets most Of the credit Tor
these buildings, and Its clear ringing
on stone and brick has sounded across
the ages. But there Is another impie'
ment of lust as much importance as
the trowel. and my text recognizes H.
Rriclslavcrs and stonemasons and car
penters I'm the building OF walls use
nm instrument made Of a cord, at the
end OF which lump of lead Is fasten-
ed They drop 1t over the side or the
wall. and. as the plummet naturally
seeks the center Of gravity In the
earth, the workman discovers wherp
the wall reccdcs and where 1t bulges
ont md lust what Is the perpendicular.
Our text represents God as standing
on the wall Of character, which the
Israelites had built. and In that way
testing II. And the Lord said unto
me. Amos. what seest thouf Ana
said, A plumb line"
What the world wants Is straight
m and down religion. Much of the so
called plety of the duy bends this way
and that to suit the times. Ii Is
oblIoue. with low state OF sentiment
md morals. We have all been building
n wall of character, and 1t Is glaringly
imperfect and needs reconstruction
How shall II be brought Into perpen'
dicular? Only by the divine measure
ment. And the Lord said unto me-
Amos. what seest thouf And said'
A plumb line" ........,
The whole tendency of the times Is
TO make us act by the standard OF
what Others do. We throw over the
wall of our character the tangled
plumb line of other lives and reject
the infaIlble test which Amos saw
The question for me should not be
what YOU think is right but what God
thinks Is right. This perpetual refer
ence to the behavior OF others. as
though 1t decided anything but human
falllbIHty. Is a mistake ms wide as the
world. There are 10000 plumb lines
I'm use. but only one Is true and exact
and that Is the line Of Gods eterna
right. There Is mighty attempt De
ing made to reconstruct and fix up th'
Ten Commandments. To many they
seem too rigid. The tower OF Pis;
leans over about Is feet from the per
pendicular, and people go thousandi
of miles to see Its graceful INCLINATION
and to learn how. by extra braces an'
various architectural contrivances, !
Is kept leaning from century to cen
fury. Why not have the ten granite
blocks OF Sinai set little aslant! Wh.
not have the pillar Of truth leaninI
tower? why is not an ellipse as goo'
as square? Why Is not an obllqu
as good az straight up and down! NJ,
friends, we must have standard
Shall it be Gods or man'sf
The Divine Plumb Line.
r The divine plumb line needs to D
thrown over all merchandise. Thou
sands of years ago Solomon discovere
the tendency of buyers to depreeiat
goods. He saw man beating DOW
3 an article lower and lower and sayln
IL was not worth tile price asked an
when he had purchased at the loves
point he told everybody what shar
bargain he had struck and how h
E had outwitted the merchant, II
naught. saith the buyer, but when q
is gone his way, then he boasteth
proverbs Xxx. IA. Society 4s so ute
ly askew in this matter that you sc
dom find n seller asking the price tht
he expects to get He puts on highe
value than he expects to receive. know
ing that he will have to, drop. An
when he wants 80 he says 10, and
he wants 1000 he asks $500. 1T
naught," saith the buyer. THE RAJ
ric is defective, the style OF goods
moor. can get elsewhere better a
ticle at smaller price. II Is out
fashion, It Is damaged. II Will fade,
will not wear WE'LL" After awhile II
merchant. from overpersuasiop or fro
desire to dispose of that particui'
stock Of goods, says, We'll, take II
your own price," and the purchas
-, goes home with light step and cal
into his private Office his conidentl
friends and chuckles while he tel
how for half price he got the good
In other words, he lied and was prot
OF It. m as.
Nothing would make times no go'
and the earning of livelihood 80 ea
... as sbe universal adoption Of the law
right. Suspicion strikes through
bargain making Men who sell kno
not whether they will ever get-t
mo ,ey. Purchasers know not %heth
the goods shipped will be aecordil
to the sample. And what. with Z
lante number of clerks who are MAXI
" falre entries, and then absconding a.
<hc oxplooinn. of firms that fall I