The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1889-09-20
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
The Brooklyn Preacher Takes
''The Sunrise'' for a Topic.
Typical Not Only OF the Dawning OF the
Day, But of the Advent of an Era
Rich with blessings TO All
Mankind.


Sunrise" His text was;
The day IS at hand Romans, xiii. u
Back from the mountains and the sea-
side, and the springs, aud the farm
house, your cheek brOnzed and your
spirits lighted, 1 hail you home again
with the words Of Gehazi to the Shunam-
mite; us it we'll with thee2 Is ii well
with thy husband? Is it well with the
child?" On some faces L see the mark
OF recent grief but all along the track OF
tears l see the story of resurrection and
reunion, when all tears are done; the
deep blowing of the keel, followed by the
flash Of the hosphorescence.
Now that / have asked you in reg ard to
your welfare, you naturally ask how /
am. Very we'll, thank you. Whether it
was the bracing air of the Colorado
mountains, twelve thousand feet above
the level Of the sea, or the tonic atmos-
phere OF the Pacific coast, or a bath in
the surf of Long Island beach, or wheth-
er it is the JOY Of standing IN this great
group OF warm-hearted friends, or
whether it is a new appreciation Of the
goodness OF God. 1 can not tell. 1 simply
know 1 am grandly and gloriously and
ineXpressibly happy. 1t was said that
John Moffat the great Methodist preach
er, occasionally got fast in his sermon,
end to extricate himself would cry:
4
ment to day, but am full OF tho same
rhapsodic ejaculation. Starting out this
morning on new ecclesiastical year, 1
want TO give you the keynote Of my
next twelve months ministry. I want to
set it TO the tune of Antioch, Ariel and
Coronation. Some time ago we had
new stop put in this Organ-a new
trumpet stop-and l want to put q new
trumpet stop into my sermons.
II, al IL Z
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 Cana of Gal
lice? DO you suppose that Christ was
unrespOnsive when the children clam
bered over His knee and shoulder at His
own invitation? Do you suppose the
evangelist meant nothing when he said
Of Christ: "He rejoiced in spirit?" Do
You believe that the divine Christ who
pour5 all the water over the rocks at
Vcrnal falls Yosemite, does not believe
in tho sparkle aud gallop and tumultu-
Gus JOY and rushing raptures OF human
lisey believe not only that the morning
laughs and that the mountains laugh,
and that the seas laugh, and that the
cascades laugh, but that Christ laughed.
Moreover, take laugh and tear into
Ru alembic, and assay them, and test
y
often find as much of the pure gold Of re-
ligiou in laugh as tear. Deep
spiritual Joy always shows itself in facial
illumination. John Wesley said he was
sure of a good religious impression being
produced because of what he calls the
great laughter he saw among the people.
Goddess merriment is bias phemy any
where, but expression of Christian JOY
is appropriate everywhere.
Moreover, the outlook of the world
ought to stir Us to gladness. AstrOno-
nors recently dis turbedlmany people by
telling them that there is danger of steI-
lar collision. We have been told through
the papers by these astronomers that
there are worlds coming very near to-
gelher, and that we shall have plaques,
and wars, and tumuIts, and perhaps the
worlds destruction. Do not be scared.
If you have ever stood at a railroad CEN
ter, where ten, or twenty, or thirty rail
tracks cross each other, and seen
that by the movement OF the
switch by one or two inches the train
shoots this way and that without collid-
ing, then you may understand how fifty
worlds may come within an inch of dis
uster, and that inch be as good as a
million miles. II a human switch tender
can shoot the trains this way and that
without harm, can not the Hand that for
thousands of years has upheld the uni
verse keep our little world out of harm 8
way? Christian biologists tell us that
this world was millions of years in build
ing. 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 astrO-
nomical, to excite dismay. / wish that
some stout Gospel breeze might scatter
ali the malaria OF human forebOding. The
sun rose this morning at about half-past
five O'Clock, and think that is just about
the hour in the worlds history. "The
day is at hand"
The FIRST ray Of the dawn 1 see in the
gradual substitution of diplomatic skill
for human butchery. Within the last
twenty five years there have been inter-
national differences which would have
brought 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
between the United States and England.
How was il setUledg By mem of war off
the Narruws, or off the MerseyP BY the
Gulf stream of the ocean crossed by a
gulf stream of human blood? BY the
pathway of nations incarnadined? No.
n few wise men 20 into quiet room at
Geneva, talk the matter over and tele-
graph TO Washington and to London
"All settled" Peace. Peace. England
pays TO the United States the amount
uwOrded-pays really more than she
ought to have paid. But still, all that
Alabama broil is settled-settled forever.
Arbitration instead OF battle.
SO the quarrel eight or nine years ago
about the Canadian fisheries in any other
age would have caused war between the
United States and England. England
said: PAY mo for the invasion of my
Canadian fisheries" The United States
said. Il viii not pay any thing" Wen.
the two nations say; II guess we had
better leave the whole matter to a COM
mission" The commission is appointed,
aud the commission examines the affair,
and the commission reports, and pay we
ought pay we must pay we do. Not O
pound OF powder burned, not a cartridge
bittcn Of, no one hurt so much as by the
scratch of pin. Arbitration instead OF
battle.
So the Samoan controversy in any 9TH
er age would have brought Germany and
the United States into bloody collision.
But all Is settled. Arbitration instead of
battle. France viii never again, 1 think
through peccadilo or ambassador, bring
on a battle with other nations. She sees
that God, in punishment Of Sedan, blot
ted out the French Empire, and the only
aspirant for that throne who had any
right of expectation dies in a war thai
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