The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1891-05-07

A1O ow~~1ks eiEoots.i tkIc e<atc tkkc dkuteu
suard inhale the aroma ''Haltw cry
he cha-ioteers, as the wheels grind the
gravel In front of the pillared portico
If the king. Queen Balkis alights in
IN atmosphere bewitched with per
tune. 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
r.on.
THE SPICE OF RELIGION.
Well, my friends, you know that all
agree in making Solomon
a type Of Christ, and making the queen
of Shebo type of every truth seeker;
and l 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
suggestive of the sweet spices
of our holy religion. Christianity is
not 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 were as wise in
taking spices to our Divine King as
Queen Balkis was wise in taking the
spices to the earthly Solomon! What
many of us most need is to have the
humdrum driven out of our life and
the humdrum out of our religion. The
American and English and Scottish
church will die of humdrum unless
there be change.
An editor from San Francisco a 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 churchf' 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-
igion. We need in all our sermons and
exhorations and songs and prayers
more of what Queen Balkis brought to
Solomon--namely, more spice.
The fact is that the duties and cares
of this life coming to US from time to
time are stupid often and inane and
intolerah,s 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 spirits2 The spicery Of our holy
religion. Why, if between the losses
of life there dashed gleam of an eter
nal gain; if between the betrayals ol
life there came the CLEAN of the uncy
ing friendship of Christ; if in dull time:
in business we found ministering spirits
flying to and fro in our Office and store
and shop, everyday life. instead of be
ing a stupid monotone, would be {
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 i
a mystery to me. To have to spent
the greater part of ones life, as man,
women do, in planning for the meals
in stitching garments that will soon b.
rent again, and deploring breakages
and supervising tardy subordinates
and driving off dust that soon agail
will settle, and doing the same thinl
day in and day out, and year in an.
year out, until their hair silvers, an,
the back stoops, and the spectacle
crawl to the eyes, and the grave break
open under the thin sole of the shoe
| oh, it is a long ,nonotony! But whe1
Christ comes to che drawing room, ant
| comes to the kitchen, and comes to tn
nursery, and comes to the dwelling
| then how CHEEKY become all womanl
| duties. She is never alone now. MAJ
tha gets through fretting and join
Mary at the feet of Jesus
Ali day long Deborah is happy be
cause she can help Lapideth; Hannah
because she can make a coat for youn
Samuel; Miriam, because she can watc
her infant brother; Rachel, because sh
can help her father water the stock
the widow of Sarepta, because tn
cruise of oil is being replenished.
womani having in your pantry nest {
boxes containing oil kinds of cond
ments, why have you not tried in you
heart and life the spicery of our hol
| reGgion2 Martha! Martha! thou al
careful and troubled about many things
but one thing is needful, and Mary hat
chosen that good part which shall nc
be taken away from her."
| Imust confess that a great deal {
the religion of this day Is utterly II
sipid. There is nothing piquant or eli
waiting about it. Men and women 6
around humning psalms in mine
key, and culturing melancholy, an
their worship has in it more sighs tina
rapture. We do not doubt their piet.
Oh, no. But they are sitting at fea'
where the cook has forgotten to seaso
the food. Everything is fat in the
experience and in their conversation
Emancipated from sin and death an
hell and on their way to a magnificer
heaven, they act as though they wei
trudging on toward an everiastr
Botany bay. Religion does not see'
to agree with them. 1t seems to cate
in the windDipe and become q tiRl
strangulation instead of an exhiia1