Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1907-03-16

|
,pirit of the Sabbatic law. He strain
ed at the gnat of truth, and he swal-
lowed the huge humpbacked camel or
error.
Morally Wrong.
AS man Of common sense you
know that man may be technically
right and yet morally wrong. He may
obey the law Of the state to the letter
and yet be as dishonest as any GRIM
inal behind iron bars wearing the con-
yicts stripes. If you are conversant
with history, you know that gold went
up to a high premium during the CIVIL
war. A short time after the civil war
q fax collector was elected for one or
the counties Of Illinois. BY the law OF
that county all taxes must be collected
I'm gold. This tax collector collected
all those taxes In gold, and then he pald
the taxes into the treasury OF the coun-
w I'm currency and pocketed the difrer-
ence. He was properly arrested as a
nublic defaulter. The case was trleo
before a competent judge and jury
That tax collector was acquitted on
the legal technicality that the law OF
the country did not specifically state
that the tax collector was required 70
nav that money into the treasury III
gold. Legally that recreant tax collecr
or was an honest man, but morally ne
was a thief and a swindler. SO the
Pharisees by legal technicalities cir
cumyented the spirit of the Hepre"
laws. They climbed over the laws.
They crawled through the loopholes OF
the laws. They broke the laws OF dod
inst the same as some astute citizens
are breaking the laws of their country
today.
When the pharlsalcal order began TO
grow. the rabbinical leaders dld not
think the Bible statements OF Wnat
God wanted his people to do were
strict enough and full enough ana eA-
nlicit enough in their teachings. 80
these pharisaical leaders, or raDpls,
wear after year, century after century,
began to form 4 companion TO the bi-
bIe which was not so much commen-
taries of the Bible as extensions OF the
Rible. They filled up their pages WIN
commandments which God was sup
posed to have forgotten to tell Moses
and Joshua and jeremiah and DaVlu
and Ezekiel Thus this Talmud Is
nothing more or less than the traol-
tions or the oral sayings OF the ola
nharisaical rabbis. 1t told the Jews
what kind of clothes they were to wear
on the Sabbath day, and how tney
were TO cut their finger nails, and now
thev were to feed their cattle, and now
thev were to unite their ropes. l am
literally speaking the truth about tne
Tolmud 1t is filled with childish trlv-
ialities and with the greatest amount
of unmitigated nonsense whlch was
ovar compacted between the covers OF
anv book. SO with our Bible TO-DAY.
Tho learned theologians have been al
work They have covered the leaves
with n mass of traditions. Ihey nave
evolved out of its pages congiomer'
ote mass of meanings which ten
vaar.old child ought to have sense
enough to see are not there. And III
stead Of our opening the leaves OF oui
sacred Bible and reading the simpie
: narables of Jesus Christ and interpret
inc them as they ought to be inter
nreted we are hedging our sectarlal
churches around with the sayings ol
theologians that Christ would at once
ronudiate II he were upon earth. Ih'
4 cardinal and essential doctrines taugn
t IN the Bible are two-the one, man II
e o sinner: the other, Christ is saviour
Let lis beware Of traditional creeu
d which should have been burned VI
T long ago in the fires of the dark aee
= of sectarian strife.
> CIinehins the Argument
Now like a carpenter driving nj
nail into a board and clinching it upol
. the other side. we would clinch the az
!, nlicotions Of this sermon. There al
- two truths here which we want you {
q carry home. The one Is POSITIVE; III
:, other Is negative. The first Is this: W
% should adopt the Bible as our only IL
y, fallihle rule Of faith and practic'
~ When YOU try to live that Bible, WI
n YOU practice its spirit and not siinpi
, cling TO the letter Of the law! WI
:. vou do this no matter what proDien
q Of life you have to face? For lhstanc
&hen a man lies about you ana ml
represents you and says all manner
le evil against you falsely, will you try
ce win that man to Jesus Christ by IL
'd low of love and not by the law
"a hate? VIII you follow the spirit OF u
IL Rihle and not the letter Of the Mosa
~ law? VIII you show forgiveness
I'll those who have done you a person
~ injury?
IT. Rut there is a negative side to tn
III ruhiect as we'll as a positive. We mu
~ not disobey any Of the commands G'
s' has given. We must not suppose IN
We the gifts we make to Christs cause
It, our regular attendance at church
d our Bible reading or our prayers W
cover over anu dlOuc iOi ~"
"a ing and cheating. Sins of the soci
lis world, sins Of business life and sins
lis the home must be repented OF and
he nounced. The Pharisees were so p
IN ticular about their beliefs that II
ey used to have the law written on "
OIL small form and compressed 1t lhtC
)st small box, called a phylactery, and I
he this box as a plaster upon their 10
ep heads and wore it as they went arou
lw the street that everybody could see
ect So there are many church memb
DIV who make a great parade of their
u, thodoxy and their Christian beli'
do But they are not honest In busin'
yer and they are not true to God In II
i've home relations, and they neglect II
his duties to God and devote themsel
to pleasure. When you confront I'll
,ey with the question, "Is that righ
ND they answer: "Other church memt
h q | do II WHY should not II Are