Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-08-16
TAlMAGE IN MONTANA.
TENT OF a SERMON PREACHED AT
LIvINGsTOS, MONT.

"Ou,witted by til. World" His subject,
"The Children of This World Are in
Their Generation Wiser Than the Chill
tlren of Light" His Text.
The Rev. T. De Witt Talmage, of
Brooklyn, n. Y. preached at Livings-
ton. Mont. on the 4th, inst. taking for
his subject: "Outwitted by the World.
He took for his text. st. Luke xvi, 8,
he 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 SO skillful in the
manipulation of spiritual affairs as
worldlings are skillful in the manage
ment of temporalities. see ali around
me people who are alert, earnest, con-
centrated, and skillful in monetary mat
tiers, who in the affairs of the soul are
laggards, inane, inert.
The great want of this world is more
common sense in matters of religion.
Iflone-half of the skill and forceful-
ness employed in financial affairs were
employed in disseminating the truths of
Christ, and trying to make the world
better. within ten years the last jugger-
naut would fall. the last throne of OPP
preston upset, the last iniquity tumble,
Bethlehem on Christmas night would
be echoed and re-echoed from all ma
tions and kindred and people: "Glory
to God in the highest, and on earth
peace, good will to men,"
Some years ago, on train going to-
ward the southwest, as the porter of the
| sleeping car was making up the berths
ut the evening tide, saw man kneel
down to pray. Worldly people in the
car looked on, rs much as to say, What
does this mean?" l suppose the most of
the people i'll the car thought that man
] was either insane or that he was a
fanatic; but he disturbed no one when
he knelt, and he disturbed no one when
he arose. In after conversation with
him | found out that he was member
of church in my own city, that he was
a seafaring man, and that he was on his
way to New Orleans to take command of
a vessel. l thought then, as think
now, that ten such men-men with such
courage 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 Jesus. That
he was successful in worldly affairs, [
found out. That he was skillful in
spiritual affairs, you are we'll persuaded.
1 If men had the courage, the pluck. the
alertness, the acumen, the industry. the
common sense in matters, of the soul they
have in earthly matters. this would be
very different kind of world to live in.
In the first place we want more COM
con sense in the building and conduct
of churches. The idea of adaptiveness
is always paramount in any other kind
of structure. IT bankers meet together
and they resolve upon putting up a
bank. the bank is especially adapted to
banking purposes; if manufacturing
company put up building, it is to be
adapted to manufacturing purposes; but
adaptiveness in not always the question
in the rearing of churches. In many of
our churches We want more light, more
room, more ventilation, more comfort
Vast sums of money are expended on
ecclesiastical structures, and men SIT
down in them, and you ask a man how
very we'll, but | can't hear" AS though
shawl factory were good for 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 shiver, and feel they
must be getting religion, or something
else, they feel SO uncomfortable.
my friends. we want more comm OF
sense, in the rearing of churches.
There is no excuse for lack of light
when the Heavens are full of it. no ex-
cuse for lack of fresh air when the
world swims in it. 1t ought to be an ex-
preston not only for our spiritual hap
piness, but of our physical comfort
when we say: How amiable are Thy
J tabernacles, Lord God of hosts!
day in Thy courts is better than thou
sand.
Again remark: We want more CON-
mon sense in the obtaining of religious
hope. All men understand that in order
to succeed in worldly directions they
must concentrate. They think on that
one subject until their mind takes 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. But how seldom it is true in
the matter of seeking after God, While
no man expects to accomplish anything
for this world without concentration
and enthusiasm, how many there are ex-
pecting after while to get into the
kingdom of God without the use of any
| ouCu ucuuS. n uJll1tI al Will
many years ago, held up sparkle of
gold until it bewitched nations. Tens
of thousands of people left their homes.
They took their blankets and their pick
axes and their pistols and went to the
wilds of California. Cities sprang up
suddenly on the Pacific Coast. Mer-
chants 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 streets
gold, gold, gold.
Word comes to US 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 Of Heaven were
builded. Word comes of man who,
digging in that mine for one hour, has
brought up treasures worth more than
all the stars that keep vigil over gu,
sick and dying world. Is it bogus
company that is formed? Il it unde-
veloped territory? Oh no, the story is
true. There are thousands of people il
this audience who would be willing to
rise and testify that thev have discov-
oro1 hot r,o11 oo5 bovo IL