Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-04-11
Caln,aSe
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmsge, d. d.

|
Of self denial and the Importance OF
restraining ourselves from indulgences
which. whether harmful or not in
themselves. might make our example n
stumbling block to others. The text is
Corinthians viii, IS, 'If meat make
my brother to offend I will eat NO
flesh while the world standeth."
Corinth beautiful Corinth: Corinth
with thy legends of ancient times;
Corinth the great business ganglia, or
the nerve center of two continents. for
there the merchantmen Of Europe and
Asia exchanged their goods: Corinth
with its Acro-Corlnthus rising 1900
feet high. crowned with a frowning
fortress nptly called "the Gibraltar of
the east Iornth with its great am
phitheatcrs. who're men fought with
men and where the gladiators' blood
mingled with the blood of the savage
beasts slnn in demoniac struggles;
Corinth with its Posidonium. where the
famous isthmian games took place,
from which arena Paul featnered
many of his gospel arrows to drive
home his divine message; Corinth with
its most famous temple Of the old
world looming above many heather
shrines-Oh. Corinth, beautiful Corinth.
opulent Corinth. aesthetic Corinth. no
wonder Paul wanted to go and sec
thee and preach Jesus Christ within
thy gates,
The shrincs and the IDOLS must have
been everywhere when Paul first went
to Corinth. They must have been as
multitudinous as are the idols today
In Benaros, where temples line the
sacred Gauges for miles. These Cor
inthian idols must have been on every
hilltop and in every valley They must
have been in every street and In every
home and by every fireside. Idols.
idols, Idols. everywhere. Idols must
have been crowdng each other in old
Corinth for elbow room, even as they
did In Athens Truly Coyinth was the
home of commerce andHiterature and
art, but It was more than that. 1t was
one OF the great ancient Meccas of idol
worslDers.
Now, there was very strange CORN
THAN custom of idol worship which
any man who has travelled in the far
east can readily grasp, because there
you have seen food placed upon the al
tars as sacrifice to idols. The Corin-
THAN priests at stated times of the
week would kill cattle and sheep and
lay certain parts Of the dead bodies OF
these animals upon the affairs of their
idols. There they We're allowed to stay
for some four or five hours OF course
that WAS not long enough time for the
meat to spoil. Then this meat was
taken off the affairs and sold to the
people. Because this meat was placed
upon the shrines Of the idols it was
looked upon with prejudice by many
people and had TO be sold in the CORN. |
THAN markets at a very reduced rate
Now, Paul was man of great I'M
common common sense. He said prac-
tlcally this: Here have to support
myself by tentmaking. If / buy my
meat cheaper. ! can live cheaper, be-
cause it will take me less time to earn
n living, and l will be able TO have
more time to preach Jesus Christ" !
Then Paul again said: "Why should |
not eat this meat which once Law upon |
the heather affairs: 1t is not tainted |
meat. | can buy it for half the price
IF other meat. Yes, while | stay here |
H. Is,
his meat and eat this meat. because |
t is good and wholesome and the |
cheapest of all meats"
Narrow Minded Christians.
But in that Corinthian capital there
were a lot of very narrow minded
Their minds were so mar
row and their souls were so bigoted
that they were always ready TO place
the magnifying glass to their eye and
focus it upon nonesSential atom and
of error. These narrow
minded bgots had a genius for split
ing hairs. They could argue for days
and weeks upon simple trivial uuns-
Ion and they rose up in protest
against Paul buying and ealing the
neat from off the heather affairs.
Why | can heac them say. Paul.
T you eat that meat you are practical
y an idol worshiper You are the same
H. one who bows in worship at the
shrine of the lcentious Venus. You
ire Just as bad as any of these ilola-
rCuS priests" "All right" says Paul;
If you look at ii in that way, will
stop eating the sacrihcial meat. | am
not going to stop because it is wrong
or me to eat it, but | am going to stop
because some of you Christians believe
[ to be wrong. ! will not be a spirit.
lal stumbling block to any man"
then Paul writes these words Of nv
ext: Wherefore II meat make my
,rother TO offend | will eat no flesh
while the world Standeth lest | make
ny brother to offend" Oh. did YOU
yer know a man to take n wiser stand
or Christ than did Paul in that sen
ence? Can we not be Just as true and
s faithful in yielding in nonessentials
or Christ's sake as was Paul when he
'ielded to the scruples Of the ancient
'hristians in old Corinth?
Now let us try to analy2e some of
he characteristics Of Pnul's character
which this decision indicates. In the