The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1889-09-14
BE CHEERFUL.
An Optimistic Discourse By Rev.
T. Dewitt Talmage.
christians Should Wear n Glad Counte-
NJ >ce-A Cheerful View of the Future
of Nations-BrIght Days Coming
Christian Sunlight.

Inc sunday a1ter returning from MS
Western tour Rev. 4. Dewitt Talmage
preached at Brooklyn. N. Y, his subject
being "The Sunrise" and his text, 1.-The
day is at hand. Romans xiii. IL. He said:
Back from the mountains and the sea-
side, and the springs, and the farmhouse,
your cheek bronzed and your spirits
ighted, / hail o home again with the
words o. Gehazi to the Summaries: as it
we'll with thee? is it we'll with thy hus-
n is it well with thy 'child?" On
some faces / see the mark Of recent grief,
but all along the track of tears | see the
story of resurrection and reunion when all
tears are done; the deep blowing of the
keel, followed by the flash f the phosphor-
essence.
Now that I have asked you in regard to
your welfare, yoH naturally ask how l
am. Very we'll, t.rGG you. Whether 1t
was the brscing air of the Colorado
mountains 900 feet above the level of
the sea, or tho tonic atmosphere Of the
Pacific coast, or a bath in the surf of
Long Island beach, or whether it is the
joy of standing in this great group of
warm-hearfo friends, or VIII, ther it is a
new appreciation OF the goodness of God,
i q not tell. i simply know lam grand
ly and gloriously and inexpress bly, happy.
1t Is said that John Moffatt the great
Methodist preacher, occasionally got fast
In his sermon, and to extTicate himself
would cry "Halleiujah ~ | am in no such
predicament to-day, but l am full of the
same rhapsodic ejaculation. Starting out
this morning on a new ecclesiastical year,
/ ant to give you the key note of my
next twelve months ministry. want to
set 1t to the tune OF Antioch. Ariel and
Coronation. Some time ago we had a
trumpet stop-and l want to put n new
trumpet stop INTO my sermons
In all of our Christian work you and l
want more of the element of gladness.
That man has no right to say that Christ
never laughed. Do you suppose that He
was glum at the wedding In ANA of Cali
leeY Dc you suppose Christ was unre-
sponsive when the children clambered
over His knee and shoulder at His own in
vitation? Do you suppose that the evan
gellst meant nothing when he said of
Christ: "He r~ejoicsd in spirit?" Do you
believe that the divine Christ who pours
all thu water over the rocks at Vernal
falls, Yosemite, does not believe in the
sparkle and gallop and tumultuous joy
and rushing raptures of human life? l
believe not only that the morning laughs,
and that the mountains laugh, and that
the seas laugh, and the cascades laugh,
but hat Christ laughed. Moreover, take
a laugh and n tear into al alembic and
assay them and test them and aualyze
them and you will often find as much OF
the pure gold of religion in a laugh as in
a tear. Deep spiritual joy always shows
itself in facial illumination. John Wesley
aid he was sure of a good religious inn
preston being produced because of what
he calls the great laughter he saw among
the people. Goddess merriment is BIAS
phemy anywhere, but expression of
Christian joy is appropriate everywhere.
Moreover, the outlook of the world
ought 10 stir us to gladness. Astronomers
recently disturbed many people by telling
them hat there was Danger of stellar
collision. EWeshaye been told 1hrpngh the
papers by these astronomers mat there
are worlds coming very near together,
aud that we shall have plaques and wars
and tumnlts and perhaps thu worlds de-
struction. Do not be scared. IL you have
ever stood at a railway center where ten
or twenty or thirty rail tracks cross each
other, and seen by the movement of the
switch one or two inches the train shoots
this way and that, without colliding, then
you may understand how fifty worlds may
come within an inch of disaster, and that
inch be as good "a a million miles. II a
human switchtender can shoot the trains
this way and that without harm. can not
+ the Hand that for thousands of years has
upheld the universe keep our little world
out of harms way?
Christian biologists tell us that this
world was millions of years in building,
Well, now, ! do not think God would take
millions of years to build a house which
was to last only six thousand years.
There is nothing in the world or outside
the world, terrestrial or astronomical, to
excite dismay. / wish hat some stout
Gospel breeze might scatter all the ma
laria Of human ~foreboding. The sun rose
this morning about half past five, and
think that is just about the hour in the
worlds history. "rhe day is at hand"
The first ray of dawn i see in the grad
ual substitution of diplomatic skill for
human butchery. Within the last twenty
five years there have been i~nternationa
differences which would have brought q
shock of arms in any other day, but which
were peacefully adjusted, the pen taking
the place OF the sword.
That Alabama question in any other age
of the world would have caused war be-
tween the United States and England.
How was it settled? By men-of- war of
the Narrows or off the Mersey? BY the
Gulf stream of the ocean crossed by u gull
stream of human blood? BY the pathway
of nations incarnadined? No. A few
wise men go into a quiet room at Geneva,
talk the matter over and telegraph tc
Washington and London: All settled
Peace. Peace. England pays the United
States the amount awarded-pays really
more than she ought to ave paid. Blu
still. all that Alabama broil is settled
.aftlaH forauar ArItfrntfnn in.toad ~
battle.
So the qgc-Sei eight or nine years age
about the Canadian fisheries in any other
age would nave caused war between the
United States and England. England
said: PAY me for the invasion of my
Canadian fisheries" The United State:
said: II will not pay any thing" Well,
the two nations say: ~ guess we had
better leave the whole matter to a com
mission" The commission is appointed,
and the commission examines the affair,
and the commission reports, and pay we
ought, pay we must, pay we do. Not a
pound OF powder burned, not a cartridge
bitten OF, no one hurt so much as by the
scratch of q pin. Arbitration instend oil
battle.
So the Samoan controversy In any other
age would rave brought Germany and tn,
United States into bloody collision. Blu
all 10 settled. Arbitration instead of bat
tie.
France will never again, 1 think.
through peccadillo of ambassador, bring on
n battle with other nations. She sees that
God, in punishment of Sedan, blotted out
the French empire, and the only aspirant
for that throne who had any right of ex-
pectation dies in a war thar has not ever
the dignity of being respectable. What IL
that blush OF the cheek of England to-
dayf What Il the leaf that England
would like to tear out of her history Tn
Zulu war. Down with the sword and W
with the treaty.
We In this country might better hav,
settled our sectional dIf flcu tics by arbitra.
tion than by the thrust of the sword
Philanthropy said to the North: PAY
down q certain amount of money for thu
purchase of the slaves and let all thos,
born after a certain time be born free.
Philanthropy at the same time said t.
the South: "YOu sell the slaves and ge
rid of this great national contest auC
trouble" The North replied: II won
pay a cent" Tho South replied: 81 won
selL.o Warl Warl A million dead mel
and a national debt which mig hit hav,
ground this Nation to powder.
Why did we not let william II. Seward
OF New York, and Alexander IL Stephens
OF Georgia, go out and spenI a few day
under the trees on the banks of tn,
Potomac and talk the matter over AM
settle it, as settle it they could, rattle
tina the North pay in cost of war fou
billion seven hundred and fifty milliol
dollars and the South pay four billioi
sever hundred million dollars, the de
stroying angel leaving the first born dea
in so many homes all the way from tn