Milford chronicle., 1907-08-02
Calmase
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmase, DID.

unbelief on the one hand or the road
which leads to the higher life of faith
and to eternal companionships on the
other. The text is I Kings xviii 21,
How long halt ye between two opin-
ionsY"
Elijah, the author Of the words Of my
text, is speaking to King Ahab and to
the children of Israel. He describes
the nation as halting or hesitating.
The word was an appropriate one. A
man who is not sure about his posi-
tion or his course, who travels a little
way in one direction and then a little
way in another direction, makes no
progress. He halts and stumbles. It
is a most unsatisfactory state, whether
1t relates to people of that olden time
or to people of our time, so many Of
whom are similarly haltlng Elijah
contends that Jehovah is God and that
Baal is a mere block of wood OF stone
that cannot hear prayer or reward
his worshipers. He proposes to prove
1t to the people then and there. Let
two affairs be erected and a slaughtered
animal be laid on each. Then let
BaaPs priests pray to him to send |
down fire to burn up the sacrifice, and |
Elijah will pray to Jehovah to do the |
same to the other sacrifice. The result |
will prove which of the two is able to |
hear and answer prayer, which Of the
two is God. The proof was clear and
unmistakable. The prayer to Baal fell
on deaf ears, and there was no re-
sponse. Elijah prayed to God, and the
fire fell on his altar and consumed it.
Then the people began to cry, "The
Lord he is the God, the Lord he is the
Godg Now, the purpose of this ser
mon in a nutshell is to contrast some
Of the Illogical theories or false be-
liefs which the people of this day are
believing with. the incontrovertible,
wholesome beliefs of the Bible.
would make a test case this morning
Of these theories and today let you de-
eide whether you will worship God or
whether you will bow before the shrine
of false philosophers.
little more personal let us this morning
use the Socratic method of asking and
answering questions. Thus I turn to
one gentleman and say: "My friend,
what is you belief about God? Do you
believe there ever was a Creator of the
universe? Do you believe there is an
intelligent Divine Being who today is
ruling all things? What is your idea
about God, anyways" "Well," you an
swer, Il do not believe in God. l am I
an atheist. I am an atheist in the {
sense that am an evolutionist. be- I
Ileve that man is simply the higher 6
form of the animal creation. In the l
vegetable world the biologists tell us I
that all plants are developed from q
some earlier form of plant, so believe /
that man is a development from the 4
lower form of animal life. Now, God l.
has absolutely nothing to do with the :
creation. Law, natural law, has de- d
veloped this world and nothing else. Il
When a baby comes into this world he '
is born like puppy, and when a man d
goes out of it he dies like a dog, and p
that is all there is in human life" Do u
JOh DCAACfC Nhtlti A44J BAGAuAGLAs 10 buSn :
a theory rational? Is it according to q
common sense?
Building the Temple. -
Who made these laws of nature? -
Who constructed them? Supposing you ~
stood upon Mount Moriah in 1912 B. G. ~
AS you stood there you saw the work 7
men excavating a foundation, and you -
f,f Il.
their huge stones on the one side of the q
hill, and on the other side of the hill :,
here came up another line of teams VI
irawing beams and rafters and doors. ~
Then, supposing, without noise Of ham, ov
nsF or rasping Of saw, all these differ 20
mt stones and beams and rafters and ,r-
loors were put into place, would you or
or one instant be foolish enough to a.
that King SOlOmon's temple, as IN.
rose higher and higher and higher, 90
I'D not have one master mind planning or,
t? And yet want to tell you, from a an
ommOn sense standpoint, that it is far o-,
1ore rational to suppose King Solo fo,
lOn's temple went up by haphazard
hance, without any designing archi-
Bet, than to suppose this magnificent ]
smple Of a world was created by hap no
azard chance. no
Or take another Illustration. Sup we
osing you take a carriage and drive de-
trough the country and you come abb
} a great wheat region. Then perhaps 70
Ou find a fine mill built upon a river est
ank near by, and you see the water the
that river damned up so that 1t can no'
lmble down upon wheel and turn It. rug
hen, watching, you see the wheat Dea
ken into that mill and ground into VII
DUP and shipped to the great cities, I'M
here it Is baked into bread. You ma
ould not be foolish enough to sup. ant
Ma all that growing of tba wheat anG
n that grinding Of the wheat and fro
at baline of +be wheat vepe done hv you