Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1901-07-26
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course DIR. Talmage shows that there
is tendency to excuse brilliant faults.
because they are brilliant. when the
same law OF right and wrong ought to
be applied TO high places and low; text.
Daniel ". 90. THE same hour was the
thing fulfilled upon Ncbuchadnezzar,
and he WAS driven from men and did
eat grass rs oxen"
Here is the mighticst of the Baby
loniSh kings. Look at him. He did
more for the grandeur of the capital
than did AL his predecessors or sue
cessors. Hanging gardens. reservoirs,
aqueducts. palaces. all of his own plan
ming. The bricks that are brought up
today from the ruins of Babylon have
his name on them. "Nebuchadnezzar,
son OF Nabopolassor. king OF Babylon"
He was q great conqueror. He stretch
cd forth his spear toward a nation. and
1t surrendered. But he plundered the
temple OF the true God. He lifted an
idol. Bel Mcrodach. and compelled the
people TO bow down before it. and if
they refused they must go through the
redhot furnace or be crunched by lion
or lioness. SO God pulled him down.
He was srl:tien with what physicians
call lycanthropy and fancied that he
was wild beast. and he went out and
pastured amid the cattle. God did not
excuse him because he had committed
the sin in high places or because the
transgression IVES wide resounding. He
measured Observation-Disclosures in high place
just as he would measure the humblest
captive.
But IN orr time. You know rs well as
j. that there is n disposition TO put n
halo around sniquity if it is committed
in conspicuous places and If it is wide
resoundinS and Of lar-e proportions.
Ever and. anon there has been an epi-
demic OF crime IN high places. aud
there is rot state or city and hardly
a village which has not been called TO
look upon astounding forgery. or an
abscond'ng bauk cashier or president.
or the wasting of trust fund or SWIM
ding mortgages. l propose. in carry
ing out the suggestion of my text. as
far as can, TO scatter the destinations
around iniquity and show you that sin
is sin and wrong is wrong, whether I'm
high place or low place, and that it
viii be dealt with ny that God who
dealt with impalaced Nebuchadnezzar
Morality of the Gospel.
All who preach feel that two kinds
OF sermons are necessary-the one on
the faith OF the gospel the other on the
morality OF the gospel-and the one is
Just as Important as the other, for YOU
know that in this land today there are
hundreds OF men hiding behind the
communion tables and in churches OF
Jesus Christ who have no business TO
be there ms professors OF religion. They
expect To be all right with God. al
though they are all wrong with man.
And. while want you TO understand
that by the deeds of the law no flesh
living can I've justified and n mere hon.
est life cannot enter us into heaven.
want you as plainly TO understand that
unless the life is right the heart is not
riSht-grace In the heart and grace In
The HE. SO we must preach sometimes
the faith OF the gospel and sometimes
the morality OF the gospel.
IL seems TO me there has not been n
time in the last 30 years when this lat
ter truth needed more thoroughly TO
be presented In the American church
cs- IL needs TO be presented today.
y missionary in the islands OF the
Pacific preached one Sabbath on hon
esty and dishonesty. and on Monday he
round his yard full OF all styles of
goods which the natives had brought.
He could not understand IL until a na-
tive told him, Our gods permit us TO
purloin goods. but the God you told us
about yesterday. the God OF heaven and
earth. it seems, is against these prac-
tices. and so we brought all the goods
that do lot belong 10 u.s. and they are
IN the yard. and we want you 10 help
US 10 distribute them among their right
1ul owners" And II IA all the pulpits
or the United States today rousing SER
mems could be preached on honesty aud
the evils OF dishonesty. and the SER
mons were blessed OF God. and ar
rnngement should be made by which
all the goods which have been improp-
erly taken from one man and appro-
priated By another man should be put
In the city halls OF the country, there
Is not q city hat In the United States
that would not be crowded from cellar
10 cppola. FaIth or the gospel-that
ave must preach and we do preach.
Morality or the gospel we must Just as
certain,y proclaim.
Now. look abroad cad see the fascl-
nations thar are thrown around diff
ferent styles OF crime The questions
that every man and woman has asked
have been: S5oald crime be excused be-
cause ii is on large scale? Is iniquity
guilty and 20 be pursued OF the law in
proportion IS it is on q small scale?
Shall we have the ,penitentiary for the
Gan who steals an oyercoat from O
l2'-ccz I'D ST Canada for a man TO
range in = be has robbed the public CT
miil.olsT
Fs-espafIon OF Fraud.
lea * al the destinations thrown
arou::a ac4 IA this country. You know
Tor yI...' C.ea have been made heroes
CT /, =, ..T;o-.aii2ed and IL various
ways > rSV,',e1 - the public. as though
coa'';."'s ;-.Sy were worthy OF admi-
fS,:S2 ;-,y have scattered the funds !
or caa-s u swallowed great estates
thai &C rot belong 10 them. Our
3oang men have been dazed with this |
ihlcR accumulation. They have said: |
hats The way TO do it. What's the !
use or our Flooding on with small |
wages or Insignificant salary when we
may so into business life ana with
some stratagem achieve such fortune
as that man has achieved?" A differ
ent measure has been applied TO the
crime OF Wall street from that which
has been applied to the spoils which
the man carries up Rat alley.
SO a peddler came down from Nav
England many years ago, took hold or
the money market OF New York. fiaunt-
ed MS denominations in the sight of all
the people and defied public morals
every day OF his life. Young men look
ed up and said: He was peddler in