The Penn's Grove record., 1889-08-24
DIR TAL.MAGE'S SERMON:
outwitted by the World.

Christians are not SO skIllful in h man
ipulation of spiritual affairs as world
lings are skillful in the management of
temporalities. | see all around me
people who are alert. earnest, concen-
trated, and skillful in munetary matters,
who in the affairs Of the soul are lag
CARDS, inane, inert.
The great WdHt of this WoFfd Is more
common sense in matters Of Religion. IL
one-half of the skill and i~orcctuIneS
EMPLOYED in financial affslrS were en-
ployed in disseminating the truths u
Christ. and irving t. make the SVEN
better. within ten wear the laS; luSSeT
naut would fall. the lasts ihr1De u opp
sition upset. the last 'niqu5iy 'HMole-
and the anthem that MAS chanted we
Bethlehem on Christmas might Nculd X
echoed and re-echOed from al nations
and kindred and people. GLORY to
God in the highest, and on earth peace
goodwill TO men.
Some years ago. on a train gong to
ward the southwest, As the porter Of b
sleeping-car was making mp the tcFtiiS
at the even-tide
IsAw A MAN KNEEL posN
To pray. Worldly people in the car
looked on. as much as 10 say. "Mhai
does this mean?" | suppose the most
of the people in the car Thought thai
man was either insane or that he was a
fanatic; but he disturbed no one when
he knelt, and he disturbed no one when
he arose. In after conversation with
him / found out that he was a member
of a church in my own city. that he Was
a seafaring man. and that he was on his
a to New Orleans to take command
of a vessel. l thought then, as l think
now, that ten such men-men with
such courage for God as that man had
would bring the whole city to Christ; a
thousand such men would bring this
whole land to God: ten thousand such
men in a short time would bring the
whole earth into the kingdom of Jesus,
That he was successfuli in worldly affairs
| found ont. That he WAS sklllful IN
spiritual affairs you are well persuaded
II men had the courage, the pluck, the
alertness, the acumen, the 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.
i. III tIle HrSt pldct
WE WANT lore COMMON sENsE
in the building and conduct of churches.
The idea of adaptiveness is alwayspara-
mount in any other kind of structure.
If bankers meet together and they re-
solve upon putting up a bank, the bank
is especially adapted to banking pur-
poses; if a manufacturing company puts
up a building, it is to be adapted to
manufacturing purposes; but adaptive
ness is not always the question IN the
rearing of churches. In many Of our
churches we want more light, more
room, more ventilation, more comfort
Vast sums of money are expended for
ecclesiastical structures, and men sit
down in them, and you ask a man how
he likes the church; he says: 81 hke 1t
very well, but / can't hear as though
"A shawl factory was good for everything
but making shawls. The voice Of the
preacher dashes against the pillars.
Men sit down under the shadow OF the
Gothic arches and shiver, and feel they
must be getting religion, or something
else, they feel so uncomfortable.
Oh 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 the
lack of fresh air when the world swims
in it. 1t ought to be an expression not
only of our spiritual happiness, but Of
our physical comfort, when We say:
"How amiable are thy tabernacles, o
Lord God of hosts! A day in thy courts
is better than a thousand"
ii. Again l remark: We want more
common sense
IN OBTAINING RELIGIOUS HOPE.
All men understand that IN order to
succeed IN worldly directions they must
concentrate. They think N that one
subject until their mind takes fire with
velocity Of their own thoughts. All
their acumen, all their strategy. all
their wisdom, all their common sense,
they put i'll that one direction, and they
succeed. But how seldom it is true i'll
the matter of seeking God, While no
man expects to accomplish anything for
this world without concentration and
enthusiasm, how many there are *
pecting after awhile to get to the king
dom OF God without the use of any
such means!
4 t' tfJ'f' htts AiiAhN NthAo
ago, held up Il sparkle of gold until it
of people left their homes. They took
their Blankets and their pickaxes and
their pistols, and went to the wilds Of
California. Cities sprang up suddenly
on the Pacific coast. Merchants put
aside their elegant apparel and put on
the miners garb. All the land was full
of the
TALK ABOUT GOLD
Gold in the eyes,, gold in the ears, gold
in the wake of ships, gold in the streets
gold, gold, gold! Word comes to us
that the mountain of Gods love is full
of bright treasure; that mel have been
digging there, and have brought up
gold and amethyst and carbuncle and
jaspar and sardonyx and chrysoprasus,
and all the precious stones out Of which
the walls of heaven we're builded. Word
comes of a man who, digging in that
mine for hour, has brought up
treasures worth more than all the stars
that keep vigil over our sick and dying
world. Is it a bogus company that is
formed? Is it u~ndeveloped territory?
Oh mol the story is true. There are
thousands OF people IN this audience
who would be willing to rise andtestify
that they have discovered that gold, and
have it in their possession. Notwith-
standing all this, what is the circum-
stance? One would suppose hat the
announcement would send people in
great excitement up and down our
streets, that at midnight men would
knock at your door, asking,
o HEY A GET THOSE TREASURES.
Instead of that, many of us put our
hands behind our back and walk up and
down in front of the mine of eternal
riches, and say: "Well, if l am to be
saved, l will be saved; and if / am to
be damned | will be damned, andthere
is nothing to do about it." Why, my
brother, do you not do that in business
matters? Why do you not tomorrow
go to your store and sit down and fold
your arms and say: ''If these goods
are to be sold, they will be sold; and if
they are not to be sold, they will not he
sold; there is nothing for me to do
about it." No, You despatch your
agents, you print your advertisements,
you adorn your show windows, you
push those goods, You use the instru-