Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1889-08-15
COMMON SENSE NEEDED.
DR.. Talmage on the Necessity of
Church Reforms.
Common Sense as Necessary in Religion
as in Business Affsirs-It Should Be
Exercised in Prayer and in All
Other Religious DUTIES.

sermon at Livingston took for his subject
'Outwitted by the World " His text was
st. Luke xvi. s: "The children of thi
world are in their generation wiser thar
the children of light" Following is tn,
sermon:
That is another way of saying tina
I Christians are not so skilllul in tbs
manipulation of spiritual affairs as world.
lings are skillful in the management o.
: temporalities. l see all around me peop!s
/ who are alert earnest, concentrated and
( skillful in monetary matters, who in the
J affairs 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 juggar-
naut would fall, the last throne of oppres-
sion upset, the last iniquity tumble and
the anthem that was chanted over Beth
lehem on Christmas night would be
echoed and re-ecboed from all nations
and kindred and people: GLORY to God in
the highest, and on earth peace. good will
to men,"
Some years ago. on a train going to-
ward the Southwest as the porter of the
sleeping car was making up the berths al
the evening tide, l saw a man kneel down
to pray. Worldly people looked on, as
much as to say: What does this mean!"
suppose the most of the people in the car
thought the Iuan was either insane or that
he was fanatic; but he disturbed no one
when he kneit and he disturbed no one
when he arose. In after conversation |
found that he was a member of a church
in my own city that he was seafaring
man and that he was on his way to New
Orleans to take charge of a vessel
thought then. as l think now, that ten
such men-men with courage for God as
that man had-wouid bring the whole
city TO Christ; a thousand such men
would bring this whole land to God; ten
thousand sucA men, in short time, would
bring tho 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.
If 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
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. II bankers meet together and
they resolve upon putting up bank, the
bank is especially adapted to banking
purposes; if manufacturing company
put up building, it is adapted to manu-
featuring purposes; but adaptiveness is
not always the question in the rearing of
churches. In many of cur churches we
want more light 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: Il like it very well, but can't
hear" As though a shawl factory were
good for every thing but making shawls.
The voice of tbs preacher dashes against
the pillars. Men sit down under the
shadows of the Gothic arches and shiver,
and feel they must be 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 If.
1t ought to be an expression, not only of
our spiritual happiness, but for our phys
ical comfort when we say: "How ami
able are Thy tabernacles. o Lord of hosts
A day in Thy courts is better than a thou
sandw
Again | remark, we want more common
sense in the obtaining ofreligious hope. All
men understand that in order to succeed
in worldly directions they must concen-
trate. They think on that one subject I'M
til their minds take fire with the velocity
of their own thoughts All their acumen,
all their strategy, all their wisdom, all
their common sense they put in that one
direction, and they succeed. Butt how sell
dom, it is true in the matter of seeking
after God While no man expects to ac-
any thing for this world without
and enthusi asm, how many
there are expecting after awhile to get
into the Kingdom of God without the use
of any such means.
A miller in California, many years ago,
held up a sparkle of gold until it be-
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- |
MIA 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 |
street-gold, gold, gold. Word comes to |
is that the mountain of Gods love is full |
Of bright treasure; that men have been |
digging there and have brought up gold, |
and amethyst and carbuncle, and jasper, |
and sardonyx. and chrysoprasus, and all |
the precious stones out of which the walls |
If Heaven were builded. Word comes of |
i man who, digging in that mine for one
hour, has brought up treasures worth |
more than all the stars that keep
Tigil over our sick and dying world. |
Is it bogus company that is
formed? Is it undeveloped territory: Q
no. the story is true. There are thousands
IF people 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 circumstance? One would
suppose that the announcement would
END people in great excitement up and
Town our streets, that at midnight men
"OuiU AAoSA az JOuA OOOiS osAlHS III"
hey may get those treasures. Instead of
hat many of US put our hands behind our
back and walk up and dowr in front Of
he mine of eternal riches and say; well,
( l am to be saved. will be saved, aud if
am to be damned will be damned, and
here is nothing TO do aboutit" Why, my
brother, you do not do AWAY in business
Why do you not tomorrow go
o your store and sit down and fold your
rms and say: "h those goods are to be
old they will be sold, and if they are not
o be sold they will not be sold; there is