Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1889-08-05
COMMON SENSE FAITH.
THB GREAT PREACHER DESCRIBES THB
RELIGION.
Common Sense in tho Ohuch-Oommon Sense in the
Pulpi-OOmmon Sense in Action and Be-
hei-Dr. Talmags's ElO-
qBent Sermon.
Special Ts!eqram 10 he Rsois,er.

i0r blebuDlect. 'OutWltteu Dy the WOrlu'
BE took for his text, st. Luke xvi, 8,
1.-THE children of this world are in their
generation wiser than the children Of
light" and delivered the following dis.
course:
That is another way of saying that
Christians are not 80 skillful in the manip-
ulation of spiritual affairs as worldlings
are skillful il the management of tempOr-
alities. see all around me people who
are alert, earnest, concentrated and skill
ful in monetary matters, who in the affairs
CT the soul are laggards, inane, inert.
The great want of the world is more
common sense in matters of religion. II
one. half of the skill and forcefulness en-
ployed in financial affairs were EN-
ployed in disseminating the truths OF
Christ, and trying to make the world bet
ter, within ten years the last juggernaut
would fall, the last throne of oppression
upset. the last iniquity tumble, and the
anthem that was chanted over Bethlehem
on Christmas night would be echoed and
re-echoed from all nations and kindred
and people: "Glory TO God in the highest,
and on earth peace. good will to men,"
COMMON SENSE IN THE CHURCH.
Iu tine first place we want more common
sense in the building and conduct of
churches The idea of adaptiveness is al
wsys paramount in any other kind Of
structure, II bankers meet together and
they resolve upon putting up 2 bank, the
bank is especially adapted to banking
purposes; if manufacturing company put
up building, it is to be adapted to manu-
featuring purposes; but adaptivenes5 is not
always the question in the rearing of
churches In many Of our churches we
want more ligb more room, more venti-
lation, more comfort. Vast sums Of
money are expended on ecclesiastical
structures, and men sit down in them, and
YOU ask man how he likes the church; he
says "I Ike it very well, but l can't
hear" As though q shawl factory were
good for everything but making shswls.
The voice of the preacher dashes against
the pillars. Men sit down under the
shadows Of the Gothic arches and shiver,
and fesl they must be getting religion, or
something else, they feel 80 uncomfortable.
o. my friends, We want more common
sense ia the rearing Of churches, There Is
no excu5e for lack OF light when the hea7-
Gus are full OF it, no excuse for lack of
fresh air when the world swims i'll il. It
ought to he an expression not only Of our
spiritual happiness, but of our physical
comfort, when We say: 'How amisble are
Thy taber1acles, o Lord God Of hos;s!m
4 day in Thy courts is better than thou
sand"
Again remark: VIC want more common
sense in the obtaining OF
RELIGIOUS HOPE.
All men understand that in order to suo
ceed in worldly directions they must con-
centrate They think on that one subject
until their mind takes fire with the veloc-
ity of their own thoughts. All their acu-
men, all their strategy, all their wisdom,
all their common sense they put in that
one direction aud they succeed. But how
seldom it is true in the matter Of seeking
sitter God. While no man expects to ac-
complish anything for this world without
concentration and enthusiasm, how many
there are expecting after awhile TO get into
tbe kingdom OF God without the use of
any such means.
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 sm 10 be saved, will be
saved; and ii an to be damned will be
damned, and there is nothing to do about
IT," Why, my brother, do you not do
that way in business matters? Why do
you not tomorrow 90 70 your store and ait
down and fold your arms and say: 'It
these goods are 10 be sold, they will b.
sold; and if they ara not TO be sold, they
will not be eold; there is nothing for NE to
do about it No, you dispatch your
agents, you print your advertisements, ycu
adorn your show windows, you push those
goods, you use the Instrumentality. Oh
that men we're as wise in the matter of the
soul as they are wise in the matter Of dol
lars and cents! This doctrine Of Gods
sovereignty, how it is misQuoted and
spoken ofas though it were an iron chain
which bound us hand and foot for time
aud for eternity, when, SO fsr
from that, in every fiber of your
BODY, in every faculty of your mind, in
every passion Of your eOul, you are free
man, and it is nc more matter of free
choice whether you will tomorrow 90
abroad or stsy as home, than it is this mo-
ment a matter of free choice whether you
will accept Christ or reject him. In all
the army of banners there is not one con-
script. Men are not dTagooned into heaven.
Among all the tens of thousands of the
Lords soldieTy there is not one man bat
will tsll you: 81 chose Christ; wanted
hin; I desired 10 be in his service; l an
rot a conseript-I an volunteer On,
that men had the same common sense in
the matters Of religion that they they have
IN the world the same concentration, the
same push, the same enthusiasm Ia the
one case a secular enthusiasm; in the
other, a coasecraied enthusiasm.
Again l remark: We want mora con-
mon sense in the building up snd enlaTg-
ing OF
OUR CHRISTIAN CHARACTER.
There are men here who have for forty
/ years bccu iNuhAuB tuo Ouiicbihh AhSef
and they have not run quarter of a mile
No business man would be willing to
have his investments unaccumulative. II
you invest dollar you expect that dollar
to come home bringing another dollar on
its back Whist would you think of man
who should invest ten thousand dollars in
a monetary institution, then 90 off for FIVE
years, make 40 inquiry in regard 20 the
investment, then come back, step up 70
cashier OF the institution and say : Have
YOU kept those ten thousand dollars safely
tha: lodged with you?n bat asking no
question sbout interest or about dividend.
Why, you say, THAT ia rot common
sense" Neither is it. but that is the way
We act in matters Of the soul. We make
3 far more important investment than ten
thousand dollars. We invest our soul.
L it acoumulative? Are we growing in
grace? Are we getting better? Are we
getting worse? God may declare many
dividends, but we do not collect them, we
do not ask about them, We do not went
them. On that in this matter of sccumu-
lation We we're as wise in the matters Of
the soul as We are in the matters OF the
world
How little common sense in the reading
Of the Scriptures. We get any other book
and we open it and we say: NOW, wha'
does this book mean to teach me? 1t Is q
book on astronomy; il will teach me as
tronomy. It is book on political eoono.
my; it will teach me political economy"
| Taking up the Bible. do we ask ourselves