The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1889-08-16
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
The Brooklyn Divine breaches in
the Mountains of Montana.
a Discourse Delivered at Livingston,
&Iont-, on Common sense in Re-
uRIon-RebuHes to Believers
and Unbelievers.

] TIC W Oi1ot 1LNA buU hCAbs
| The children OF the world are in their genet a
/ ton wiser than the children Of light.-Lulie
\ xvi, S.
That is another way of saying that
/ Christians are not so skillful in the ma
| nipuEation Of spiritual affairs as workings
/ are skillful in the management of tenn
| pOralities. 1 see all around me people
! who are alert, earnest concentrated and
! skillful in monetary matters, who n the
\ affairs OF the soul are laggards, insane,
| inert.
The great want Of this world is more
common sense in matters of religion. If
! pne-half Of the skill and forcefulness en-
! ployed in financial affairs were employed
in disseminating the truths of Christ and
/ trying to make the world better, within
ten years the last juggernaut would fall,
the last throne of oppression upset, the
last lniquity tumble, and the anthem that
was chanted over Bethlehem on Christ
mas night would be echoed and re-echoed
from all nations and kindred and people:
! GLORY to God in the highest aud on
earth, peace, good will to men,"
Some years ago, on a train going
| toward the Southwest, as the porter of
the sleeping car was making up the
berths at the evening tide I saw man
kneel down to pray. Worldly people in
the car looked on, as much as to say:
what does this mean?' 1 suppose tho
most of the people in the car thought
that man 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
with him 1 found out that he was a mem
Der of church in my own city; that he
was seafaring man, and that he was on
his way to New Orleans to take command
Of vessel 1 thought then, as [ think
now, ten such men-meu with such cour-
age for God as that man had-would
bring the whole city to Christ; thou
sand 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 Jes u.s. That
he was successful in worldly affairs
found out That he was skilled in spirit
val affairs you are well 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 be very different kind of world
2 to live in.
2 In the first place, we want more COM
> mon sense in the building and conduct of
our churches. The idea of adaptiveness is
, always paramount in any other kind of
structure. II bankers meet together and
resolve upon putting up a bank, the bank
3 is especially adapted to banking pur-
] poses; if manufacturing company put
: up building, it is to be adapted to man
ufacturlnS purposes; but adaptiveness is
not always the question in the rearing OF
churches. In many Of our churches we
want moro light more room, more ven-
. dIation, more comfort. Vast sums Oh
g money are expended on ecclesiastical
. structures. and men sit down in them
; andyOu asks man how he likes the church
{ He says:
81 like it very we'll, but I cant't hear
q As though q shawl factory were good
/ Tor every thing but making shawls. The
= voice of the preacher dashes against the
pillars. Men sit down under the shadows
of the Gothic arches and SILVER, and fee
they must be getting religion, or some.
thing 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 tn,
I heavens are full of it; no excuse for Iacl
Of fresh air when the world swims in il
1t ought to be an expression not only O
e our spiritual happiness, but of our phys
= zeal comfort when we say: "How anna
O Ole arc Thy tabernacles, D Lord God O
a hosts A day in Thy courts is bette
than q thousand"
Again 1 remark; We want more com
mon sense in the obtaining Of r ligiou
4 hope. All men understand that in orde
= must concentrate. They think on tina
one subject until their mind takes fir
with the velocity of their own thoughts
All their acumen, all their strategy, al
= their wisdom, all their common sense
= they put in that one direction and the
/ succeed. But how seldom it is true il
the matter of seeking after God. Will
no man expects to accomplish any thin
Tor this world without concentration ant
Q enthusiasm, how many there are expect
d ing after awhile to get into the kingdom
) OF God without the use of any sue
Y means. A miller in California, man,
y years ago, held up a sparkle of gold IN
til it bewitched nations.
10 Tens of thousands of people left thei
Q homes. They took their blankets an,
e their pickaxes and their pistols and wen
G to the wilds of California Cities spran,
: mp suddenly on the Pacific coast. Mer
chants put aside their elegant appare
and put on the miners garb. All the Ian
- was full of the talk about gold. Gold i
the eyes, gold in the ears, gold in the wax
Of ships, gold in the streets-gOld, gold
gold. Word comes to us that the mount
ain Of Gods love is full Of bright treas
II ures; that men have been digging there
and have brought up gold, and amethyst
= and carbuncle, aud jasper and sardony1
II and chrysoprasus, and all the preciou
, stones ont of which the walls OF Heave'
were builded. Word comes of a man vhC
digging in that mine for one hour, ina
lr brought mp treasures worth more than a
lie the stars that keep vigil over our sick an
n dying world. Is it bogus company tina
-, is formed? Is it undeveloped territory
: Oh, no; the story is true.
20 There are thousands Of people in tbt
+ audience who would be willing to ris
es and testify that they have discovere
I'd that gold, and have it in their possession
M | Notwithstanding all this, what is the Gil
~ cumstauce? One would suppose that Ii
Z announcement would send people
o great excitement up and down OF
IN | streets; that at midnight men woul
Id knock at your door, asking how they ma
IN | get those treasures. Instead of tina
at many of us put our hands behind GU
: backs, aud walk up and down in front c
80 the mine of eternal riches, and say:
Sc 'Well, If I ana to be saved I will I
ne saved and if 1 am to be damned, / wi
ce be damned, and there is nothing to {
.ir about it,"
So Why my brothers, do you not do tn
= way in business mattersy Why do "
not tomorrow go tn your store and S
u down and fold your arms and say:
"A "If these goods are to be sold, thu
or will be sold; aad if they are not to
en- sold, they viii not be sold; there
q nothing for me to do about it."