Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1891-05-04

of the king. Queen Balkis alights in
an atmosphere bewitched with per
fume. As the dromedaries are driven
up TO the kings storehouses, and the
bundles of camphor are unloaded, and
the sacks of cinnamon and the boxes
of spices are opened, the purveyors Of
the palace discover what my text an
nounces, "Of spices. great abundance;
neither was there any such spices as
the Queen of Sheba gave to King Solo
mon"
THE SPICE OF RELIGION.
Well, my friends, you know that all
theologians agree in making Solomon
a type of Christ, and making the queen
of Sheba type of every truth seeker;
and shall take the responsibility of
saying that all the spikenard and cas-
sia and frankincense which the queen
of Sheba brought to King Solomon are
nightly suggestive of the sweet spices
Of our holy religion. Christianity is
not a collection of sharp technicalities
and angular facts and chronological
tables and dry statistics. Our religion
is compared to frankincense and to
cassia, but never to nightshade. 1t is
a bundle Of myrrh. 1t is a dash of
holy light. 1t is a sparkle of cool
fountains. 1t is an opening of opaline
gates. 1t is a collection of spices.
Would God that we we're as wise in
taking spices to our Divine King as
Queen Balkis was wise in taking the
spices to the earthly Solomonl What
many of us most need is to have the
humdrun driven out of our life and
the humdruln out of our religion. The
American and English and Scottish
church will die of humdrum unless
there be a change.
An editor from San Francisco few
weeks ago wrote me saying he was get
ting up for his paper a symposium from
many clergymen, discussing among
other things "Why do not people go
to church2" and he wanted my opinion,
and | gave it in one sentence, people
do not go to church because they can
not stand the humdrum." The fact is
that most people have so much hum
drum in their worldly calling that they
do not want added the humdrum of re-
ligion. We need in all our sermons and
exhorations and songs and prayers
more of what Queen Balkis brought to
namely, more spice.
Nh, TO- nt 10 tGot fhn Aufino and oar
of this life coming to us from time to
time are stupid often and inane and
intolerable Here are men who have
been bartering and negotiating, climb
ing, pounding, hammering for twenty
years. forty years, fifty years. One
great long drudgery has their life been.
Their face anxious, their feelings be-
numbed, their days monotonous.
What is necessary to brighten up that
mans life, and to sweeten that acid dis
position, and to put sparkle into the
mans spirits9 The spicery of our holy
religion. Why, If between the losses
of life there dashed q gleam of an eter-
nal gain; if between the betrayals Of
life there came the CLEAN of the unGy-
ing friendship of Christ; if in dull times
in business we found ministering spirits
flying to and fro In our office and store
and shop, everyday life, instead of be-
ing stupid monotone, would be n
glorious inspiration, penduluming be-
tween calm satisfaction and high rapt-
ure.
AN INEXpLICABLE MYSTERY.
How any woman keeps house with
out the religion Of Christ to help her is
a mystery to me. To have TO spend
the greater part of ones life, rs many
women do, in planning for the meals,
in stitching garments that will soon be
rent again, and deploring breakages,
and supervising tardy subordinates,
and driving off dust that soon again
will SETTLE and doing the same thing
day in and day out, and year in and
year out, until their hair silvers, and
tho back stoops, and the spectacles
crawl to the eyes, and the grave breaks
open under the thin sole of the shoe
oh, II is n long monotonyl But when
Christ comes 10 the drawing room, and
comes to the kitchen, and comes 10 the
nursery, and comes TO the dwelling,
then how CHEEKY become all womanly
duties She Is never alone now. Mar
tina gets through fretting and joins
Mary at the feet Of Jesus,
All day long Deborah is happy be
cause she can help Lapidoth Hannah,
because she can make coat for young
Samuel; Miriam, because she can watch
her infant brother; Rachel, because she
can help her father water the stock ;
the widow of Sarepta, because the
eruse OF oil is being replenished. o
woman having in your pantry "a nest Of
boxes containing all kinds of condi-
ments, why have you not tried in your
heart and life the spieery of our holy
religionl "Marthal Martha thou art
careful and troubled about utmany things;
but one tling is needful, and Mary hath
chosen that good part which shall not
be taken away from her"
must confess thar a great deal Of
tho religion of this day is utterly In
sipid There is nothing piquant or ele-
waiting about il. Men aud women so
around humming psalms in a minor
key, and eulturing melancholy, and
their worship has IN il more sighs than
rapture. We do not doubt their piety,
Oh, no, But they are sitting at a feaSt
where the cook has forgotten 10 season
the food, Everything is Hat IN their