The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1889-08-10
COMM0N SENSE NEEDER
Taimage on the Necessity Of
Church Reforms.
v'mmon Sense as Necessary in Religion
as In Business Anairs-It Should he
exercised In Prayer and in All
Other Religious Duties.

exercised In Prayer and in All
Other Religious Duties.
turing his summer vacation Rev. 7. De
VIII Talmage visited Montana and In a
sermon at Livingston took for his subjects:
outwitted by the World f." His text was,
o.. Luke xvi. g; ''The children of this
world are in their generation wiser than
.he cniidren OF light" Following is the
sermon:
That is another way of saving that
Cnristians are not so skilliul in the
manipulation OF spiritual affairs as world
lhgs are saillfui in the management of
temporalltles 1 see all around me people
VINO are alert, Earnest, concentrated and
sxllliul In monetary matters, who in the
anairs OF the soul are laggards, inane,
inert.
The great want of this world is more
common sense in matters of religion. II
one-haH OF the skill and forcefulness en-
ployed in matters of business had been
Employed in trying to make the world
better, within ten years the last iuggar-
nant would fall, the last throne of oppres-
A'sp upset, the last iniquity tumble and
~ rrtnpiu Shat was chanted over Beth
tI't 81 Ghristmas night would be
*pi4HI H1it re-echoed from all nations
@tH *|rfffQ hnd people: Glory to God in
ne hiehtsf, and on earth peace, good will
to men,"
Some years ago, on n train going to-
ward the Southwest, ms the porter of the
sleeping car was making up the berths ut
the evening tide, saw a mar kneel down
TO pray. Worldly people looked on, as
much as to say: what does this meanp"
| suppose the most OF the people in the car
thought the man was either insane or that
he was a fanatics; but he disturbed no one
when he knelt and he disturbed no one
when no arose. In after conversation 1
3Sund that he was n member of a church
IN my W city , that he was n seafaring
mar and thas Ee was on his way to New
Qfeans to take charge of n vessel. /
tFFught then. as | think now, that ten
such men-men with courage for God as
ttat man hnd-would bring the whole
nrT 20 Christ; n thousand such men
%tnld bring this whole and to God; ten
tppusand such men, in n short time. would
bring the whole earth into the kingdom of
jesus. That he was successful in worldly
AFFAIRS / found out That he was skillful
In spiritual affairs, you are already we'll
persuaded.
IL men had the courage, the pluck, the
alertness. the acumen, tho industry, the
common sense in. matters of the soul that
they have In earthly matters, this would
be a very different kind OF world to live
In. In the first place we want more COM
mon sense In the building and conduct of
churches. The idea OF adaptiveness is al
ways paramount in any other kind of
structure. IL bankers meet together and
they resolve upon putting up a bank, the
bank Is especially adapted to banking
purposes; IL a manufacturing company
put up a building, IL Is adapted to manu-
featuring purposes; but atIdptiveness Is
not always the question IN the rearing of
chufches. In many of our churches we
want more light, moro room, more venti-
lation, more comfort Vast sums OF
money are expended on ecclesiastical
znBtEAsssnss,-and men SIT down in them, and
you ask a man how he likes the church;
he says: Il like it very well, but 1 can't
hear." As though a shawl factory were
good for every thing but making shawls
The voice Of the preacher dashes against
the pillars. Monsssit Town under the
shadows % me Gothic arches and shiver,
and feel they must lie getting religion, or
= something else, they feel uncomfortable
o, my friends, we want more common
sense in the rearing of churches. There
Is no excuse for lack of light when the
heavens are full Of it; no excuse for lack
OF fresh air when the world swims in IL.
It ought to be an expression, not only Of
or spiritual happiness, but for our phys
ical comfort when we say: "How ami
able are Thy tabernac,es, o Lord OF hosts l
A day In Thy courts is better than q thou
shndin
Again ! remark, we want more common
sense IN tao Obtaining OF religious hope. All
men understood that IN order TO sSccaed
In worldly directions they must concen-
trate. They think on thatone .suhjectlun-
I'd al ~ ntW VtfNHGFoEn fro xuith tho uaIa,ity,
Of their own thoughts. All their acumen,
all their strategy, all their wisdom, all
their common sense they put in hat one
direction, and they succeed. But how sell
dom, IL Is true in the matter of seeking
nfter God While no man expects to ac-
complish any thing for this world without
Concentration and enthusiasm, how many
there are expecting after awhile to get
INTO the Kingdom of God without the use
Of any such msans.
A miller In California, many years ago,
hold up a sparkle of gold until it be-
wftched nations. Tens of thousands of
people left their homes. They took their
blankets and their pickaxes and their
pistols and went to the wilds of Califor-
nia. Cities sprang up suddenly on the
Pacific coast. Merchants put aside their
elegant apparel and put on the miners
gnrb. All the land was full OF the talk
about gold. Gold in the eyes, gold 10 ~
ears, gold n the wake of ships. goi4:it<|k
s~treet-gold, gold, gold. Wora fca11< Il.
US that the mountain OF God; n <E<
Of bright treasure; that assn 4 ftcn
digging there and hav4 ffH1 Is roId.
Inc amethyst and c4fl ~ ana iatper,
and sardonyxatto 4}1<ut. md all
Of ssi a ssss'sss ''s'' We s.s s sen %'' .;
man N,4o 'lsst mine for one
hour, <s rD Treasures worth
Wcrt *1 az tho stars that keep
Ytf< &.E sitk and dying world.
- I4< *ltns company that Is
f4<t<1I: B Il -undeveloped territory o
~@-44 ~ <<ofy Is true. There are thousands
II t1on4e IN this audience who would be
willing to rise and testify that they have
discovered the gold and have IT. in their
possession. Notwithstanding all this,
what Is the circumstances One would
suppose that the announcement would
send people in great excitement up and
down our streets. that at midnight men
would knock at your door, asking how
they may get those treasures. Instead Of
that, many OF us put our hands behind our
back and walk up and down in front anf
the mine of eternal riches aud say: "Well.
II an to be saved, I will be saved, and il
1 am to be- damned ! will be damned, and
there is nothing 10 90 eboutit' Why, my
y bfsiher. sog DO nct DO that way in business
metsat Why de reo not to- morrow go
Ii xorf stcls d ~ tIbsh and fold your
ns1,,s %na say I ~ 1bcee goods are to be
sold iheg wiz be sod, and " they are not
to be sold they VIII not be sold; there Is
nothing for me to do about it," No. you
dispatch your agents. you print your ad'
refreshments, you aiorn your show WIN
dows, you push those goods, you use the
fundamentally. o that mn were as
wise in the matter of the soul as they are
wise In the matter OF dollars and centsi
This doctrine of Gods sovereignty. how
it Is misquoted and spoken OF as though 1t
were an iron chain which bound us hand
and foot for time and for eternity, when,
10 far from that. in every dber otsy0Hr
body. IN every faculty of your MUD, IN
every passion of your soul, yours are a free
man and it Is no more a matter OF free
choice whether you will Tomorrow go
abroad or stay Mt home, than 1t is this
moment a matter of free choice whether
all the army of banners there is not one
conscript. Mon are to be draa ooned into
Heaven. Among all the tens of thousands
of the Lords soldieIy there IS bot one man
but will tell you: 81 chose Christ; /
wanted Him; I desired 10 be in His SER
vice; / am not a conscript-l am a vospn-
tser.0 o that men had the same common
sense in the matiers-of religion that they
have In the matters of the world zzthe
N