Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1907-12-13
Calm,aQe
sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmaee. d. d.


sermon the preacher shows that the
Babel builders OF old. with their evil
ambition, We're the prototypes OF the
modern Babel builders, who pile up
material possessions In the vain hope
OF reaching limitless power and indie
pendence and regardless of God. The
text Is Genesis xi. 0, Therefore Is the
name OF 1t called Babel. because the
Lord did there confound the language
of all the earth"
Let us travel back In Imagination to
the age after the deluge The ark
stranded upon the heights OF Mount
Ararat had been deserted. The deluge
of water had been carried away to
the seas. The sheep. the horses and
the cattle had multiplied into great
herds and flocks and were pasturing
In the valleys. The forests again were
redolent with the beautiful perfumes
OF the trees. The foliage was the en-
powered retreat where the sweet
throated songSterS and their mates
were rearing their young. The blue
heavens We're tapestried with clouds.
The earth was again yielding her In
crease, responsive to the labor of man.
But, though man was multiplying and
building towns and villages, he could
not and would not forget the horrors
or the flood which had taken place over
a century before So the descendants
or Noah's sons decided that they would
provide for their safety IL such a catas-
trophe happened to them again. Thus
one day down In the land of Shinar
they entered into a great conspiracy
against God. Though God had saved
them in the past. they could not trust
him now.
So the people assembled together
and said: Let us build a tower so big
and strong that the mightiest floods
cannot prevail against 1t. Let us build
1t so high that 1t will reach up TO the
very heavens themselves. Then in the
future If any deluge comes we can en-
ter this tower and climb higher and
higher as the waters surge up. Then
we can laugh at the elements which
are trying to destroy u.s." So the peo-
pie collected from far and near. They
organized themselves into a great army
OF workers. Some were hewers of
stone Some drove the OK teams which
dragged the stones 20 the walls. Some
lifted the scaffolding. The great foun-
dations were laid. The walls began to
rise high above the plain. The sharp
commands of the engineers, the 'yo-
heaves" OF the men as they tugged
hard at the ropes. the rasp of the saws
and the blows OF the hammers were
heard everywhere. But, though the din
and the racket of the builders were
great, there came day when the
shoutings, the vociferations and the
yellings OF the workmen became great
er. Voices OF bitterness and blasphemy
seemed to rise higher and higher than
the angry shrieks OF tornado.
Became Pandemoniun.
Have you ever noticed that when an
untutored man is talking TO China
man. an Indian or a Mexican who can
not understand him he generally shouts
ut himr When I meet q Chinanaa IN
California and want 20 ask him q
question. ] first speak 10 him "a m or
binary voice Then when he shakes
his head and answers. Me no under
stand" j shout my question q little
louder Then yell II al the ton OF my
voice and turn AwBF disEnsted as q
10 say. Did you ever meet EucA people
az those ChinEDen lneg" Thus a nan
treats foreigners who cannot Under
stand his language Well. this In what
happened At the tower OF Babel. God
saw The evil OF these men OF Shinar.
he saw the walls OF the tower rising
higher and higher. Then God said. .sI
VIII stop this evil work" So he touch
ed the tongues OF the workmen. Then
the workmen began TO speak in differ
ent langua geS- AS the different work
men could not understand each others
language. In all probability they did
JUST what you and do when we talk
10 foreigners-they yelled at their fell
low men loudly. And the other work
men yelled back their answers I'm the
same way until the building became
pandemonium OF confusion.
AS the different workmen could not
understand each others language of
course the work on the tower OF Robe,
ceased Then the people scattered
themselves abroad upon the face or
the earthand settled in different groups
the members of which spoke the same
language. You can readily understand
that each person did not NECESSARILY
speak different language from every
other person. My text means that
those people OF the land of Shinar had
10 scatter into small groups of fami.
lies: Each of these groups OF people
spoke a different language from every
other group. This was the first great |
cause or the many distinct languages
Deing spoken upon the face of tbe
earth.
comparing this account of the build. |
ing or Babel with our own method Of |
iire ana art" wrote DIR. joseph Par |
ker' 1T is clear that from the begin |
ming or time men have been doing pret. |
~ much the same as now all the world |
over The sins of our time, like the /
diseases OF our time, may not bear the
same names that they did In oldep |
time; but. after all, they are the same
niu sickness and the same old sins.
when the ancient workmen gathered
together trying to rear the walls of
BABEL they were doing just what this
generation Is doing. They were say.
Ing. LET Us gather together enough of
material and lift our walls as high as
heaven, ana we will be independent of
God, independent of our fellow men.
independent OF the opposing elements"
SO some men and women of this pres
emf generation are saying: "Let me
gather together SO much gold and sill