The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-01-22
DR.. TALMACE'S SERMON.
ny The nkv. FRANK De WITT rALMAoE. o g.

Los Angeles, Cal, January le'-ses
these times OF multiplied and conflicting
religious beliefs that vex and confuse the
earnest soul the preacher IN this sermon
supplies the only test whereby the truth
or falsehood of any religion II to DO us
covered. The text Is Matthew " IL "xe
are the light of the world"
At no time since the beginning OF the
world has been confronted with sucn
a multiplicity of diverse and even conflict-
Ing systems OF religious belief as now
Yet all these systems appeal with more or
less force for his acceptance and support
in the east Mohammedanism, Confucian-
ism, Buddhism and similar beliefs main
tain tho ancient vigor of their creed IN
the appeal to human credulity and sup
erstition Willis Europe and the western
world have their numerous systems OF
creeds and "cults," each presenting it's
claims for mans belief and allegiance
Thus the great problem presents ITSELF
Are these systems of religious belief and
worship really efficacious? Are their
dogmas, tene.s and creeds, their ways of
thinking, and living, their social frater-
nal or religious spirit as organizations
are these things what they ought to be
or what they claim to be? Are their
teachings true? And how may we dis
tinguish beyond all doubt the true from
the false?
An infallible test is supplied to us by
Christ himself by which we are enabled
to decide as to the real value of any re-
lisious system. lie tells us that we may
know whether it's claims ara valid by it's
effects on the lives of it's adherents.
Eye shall know them by their fruits. Do
men gather grapes of thorns or figs OF
thistles? Even so every good tree bring
eth forth good fruit, but corrupt tree
bringeth forth evil fruit"
An Illustration of this test Is furnished
by the fakirs of India. The principle of
self denial is commendable, and we adj
mire men who sacrifice their comfort
and devote themselves to service for the
world. But the principle cases to be adj
mirable when it produces voluntary
squalor and filth such as are exhibited
by the fakirs. 1t must be a corrupt tree
that produces specimens of humanity so
debased and disgusting as these men.
have seen faxirs. They did not seem
to me to be men or even wild beasts.
They were lower creation. They SEEM
ed to have crawled out of the darkest
caverns of an inferno. 1 have seen them
with their matted hair and filthy bodies,
l have seen them with u~o1t finger nails
six inches lonG and twisted about in all
shapes; l have seen them, as John L.
Stoddard descr hes them in one of his
lectures: "A combination % beggar fam
attic, impostor an spy. In disgusting
surroundings resembling a garbage heap
score of these men "ere seated entire
~ naked, upon mound of ashes, in
which they rolled repeatedly. They even
ribbed the dirt all over their bodies
which had been previously creased In
order to retain it. Their hair matted
with filth, reached nearly to their waists
ard was painted yellow, and on this they
threw occasional handfuls of dirt and
ashes. d siclSening feeling came over me
at the sight of this human degradation,
especially when I remembered that there
are in India more than a million Of these
half starved mendicants and frauds
who are revered and almost worshiped
b.. multituces of men and women, who
win actually stoop and kiss their feet"
Are these the fruits of India fakirism?"
} GU ask. rs that the result of the oath
of poverty under which some Hindoos
worship? Then 7ant none of it. Away
with it. It's fruits are worm eaten and
fi.thily diseased and bad" BY the fruits
found in the lives of the believers We
must judge the result of a creed or sys-
TEN of belief.
Not True Worship.
Why do you not worship God as do the
dancing derivishes of the east? Low
do they worship him?" you ask. Instead
of entering a little church, as you or l
kneel in prayer, they begin to move
around in a circle. They keep on circlng
around and around until your brain gets
dizzy with looking at them They dance
on and on, more and more furiously until
after while some work themselves into
the most violent forms of physical hys-
terra or in utter bodily exhaustion drop
In their tracks in a dead swoon "Oh,"
you say to me, that is no true worship
of God. The holy God does ut expect
any devotee to make an imbecile out of
himself. Away with the worship of the
dancing dervishes!'' BY the fruits of a
creed or cult, studied in the lives of the
men and women who believe in and prac-
tice it, you can judge Lac truth or the
falsity of the teachings.
By the same criterion according to
which we judge the failures of the false
religions the world Is to Judge the failure
or the efficacy of the gospel of Jesus
Christ. The Savior, in the words of my
text, Is practically saying: Men. wom-
en-. 1t is to you 1 look to exhibit the prin-
ciples of my religion to the world My
lie will be short my teaching will soon
be forgotten, unless you, my followers.
ei-.body 1t in your lives The only way in
which the world can know the grandeur
and purity of the truths 7 have taught
must be in the lives you lead. Ye are
the light of the world. Ye IRE my repre-
sentatives upon earth. Ye are the flaming
torches to guide sinners to the foot of
the cross. Hear me. meni Hear me
women Hear me children. who profess
to be my disciplesi Ye are the light of
the world. by which the world may Judge
whether or no my gospel is saving Cos
pei" Ye members of the Christian
churches Is 1t not an overwhelming fact
that 1t depends our lives what Is the
estimate the world will form of the re-
ligion we profess? What an impressive
fact 1t Is that men will determine by
our lives whether Christianity is the
sustaining, the Transforming power that
1t Is claimed to be,
Christ's decipes, in the first place,
must have a divine light. Their fires
must be ignited at the great affairs of
that they shall feel God has pardoned
and cleansed them from all sin. They
must so live and act that other people
will feel that spiritual fires are burning
within them and that those spiritual
fires are cleansing the impurities out of
our lives. The greatest purifier on earth
Is fire. AS we are appointed to lead 9TH
ers to the Christian affairs we must guide
them by a fame which is pure. because
Christs fires have burned and are burn
ing within us.
We Need Divine Flame.
Only the divine light can produce the