The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-05-04

humdrum The fact IS that most people
have so much humdrum in their worldly
calling that they do not want TO have added
the humdrum of religion W q need IN all
our sermons and exhUrtations 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 TO time, are
stupid often, and inane, and lnloieFabie
Here are men who have been Oarterlng,
and negotiating, climbing, pounding, ham
mering for twenty years, forty years, NIFTY
wears, One great long drudgery has their
life been. Their face anxious, their feelings
benumbed, their days monotonous. W hat
is necessary to brighten up that man S
life, and to sweeten that acid disposition.
and to put sparkle into the mans spiritsl
The spicery Of our holy religion. Why, if
between the losses of life there dashed a
CLEAN Of an eternal gain; II between the
betravaIs of life there came the CLEAN of
the undying 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 a glorious
inspiration, penduluming between calm
satisfaction and high rapture.
How any woman keeps house without the
religion of Christ to help her is a mystery
TO me- To have to spend the greater part
of ones life, as many women do in plan
that will soon be rent again, and deploring
breakages, and supervising tardy subordi-
mates, and driving off dust that soon again
will settle, and doing the same thing day In
and day out, and year IN and year cut, until
their hair silvers, and the back stoops, and
the spectaces crawl to the eyes, and the
grave breaks open under the thin sole OF the
shoe-O. it is a long monotony! But when
Christ comes to the drawing-room, and
comes to the kitchen, and comes to
the nursery, and comes to the dwell
ing, then how CHEEKY become all
womanly duties. She is never alone now.
Martha gets through fretting and joins
Mary at the feet of Jesus. All day long
Deborah Is happy because she can help Lapl-
doth: 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 cruise of
oil is being replenished. o woman, having
in your pantry nest of boxes containing
all kinds of condiments. why have you not
tried in your heart and life the spicery of
our holy religion? Martial Martial thou
art careful and troubled about many things
but one thing is needful, and Mary hath
chosen that good part which shall not be
taken away from her"
must confess that great deal of relig-
ion OF this day is utterly irsipid There is
nothing piquant or elevating about it. Men
and women go around hummlng psalms in a
minor key, and culturing melancholy and
their worship has in 1t more signs than rap
ture. We do not doubt .their pety. o,
no. But they are sitting at feast where
the cook has forgotten to season the food.
Everything is fiat in their experience and in
their conversation. Emancipated from sin,
and death, aud hell, and on their wav to a
magnificent heaven, they act as though
they were trudging on toward an
Everlasting Botany Bay. Religion does
not seem to agree with them. 1t
seems to catch In the wind-pipe and become
a tight strangulation instead Of an ex-
hilaration. All the infidel books that have
been written, from Voltaire down to Herb
bert Spencer, have not done so much dam
age to our Christianity as lugubrious
Christians. Who wants a religion woven
out of the shadows of the nightl Why go
growing on your way to celestial enthrone-
mentl Come out of that cave, and sit
down in the warm light of the Sun of Right
eousness. Away with your odes to melan-
choly and Hervey's "Meditations among
the Tombs.n
Then let our songs abound,
And every tear be dry;
We're marching through Emanuel's ground
To fairer worlds on nigh
have to say also that we need to put
more spice and enhvenment in our
religious teaching; whether it be in the
prayer-meeting, or in the Sabbath school,
or in the church. We ministers need more
fresh air and sunshine in our lungs, and our
heart. and our head. Do you wonder that
the world is so far from being converted
when you find so little vivacity in the pulpit
and in the pew9 We want, like the Lord ,
to plant in our sermons and exhortations
more lilies of the field. We want fewer
rhetorical Celebrations, and fewer sesquipe-
dalian words; and when we talk about
shadows, we do not want to say adumbra-
ton; aud when we mean Queerness, We do
not want to talk about idiosyncrasies;
or if a stitch in the back, we d. nos want
to talk OF lumbago; but, in the plain YER
nacuar, preach that gospel which proposes
to make ali men happy, honest, victorious
and free. IN other words, we want more
cinnamon and less gristle. Let this be so
in all the different departments of work to
which the Lord calls us. Let US be plain
Let US be earnest. Let us be common-sen-
steal. Whom we talk to the people in YER
nacular they can understand they will be
very glad to come and receive the truth we
present. Would to God that Queen Bal zis
would drive her spice-laden dromedaries
into all our sermons and prayer meeting
exhortations.
More that that, we want more life and
spice in our Christian work. The poor do
not want so much to be groaned over as
sung TO. With the bread, aud medicines,
and the garments you give them, let there
be an accompaniment of smiles and brisk
encouragement. Do not stand and talk to
them about the wretchedness of their abode,
and the hunger of their looks, and the
hardness of their lot. Ali they know it
better than you can tell them. Show them
the bright side of the thing, if there be any
bright side Tell them good times will
come. Tell them that for the children OF
God there is immortal rescue. Wake them
upand out of their stolidity by an inspiring
laugh, and while you send in help
like the Queen of Sheba also send
IN the spices. There are two
ways of meeting the poor. One
is to come into their house with a nose ele
waited in disgust, as much as to say: II dom
see how you live here in this neighborhood
1t actually makes me sick. There is thai
bundle-take it, you poor miserable wretch
and make the most of it, Another way is t
90 into the abode of the poor in a manne
which seems to say; 1.-THE blessed Lord sen
me- He was poor himself. 1t is not NOR,
for the good am going to try to do You thar
it is for the good you can do me-" Coming il
that spirit, the gift will be as aromatic a
the spikenard on the feet of Christ, aud al
the novels i'll that alley will be fragrant
with the spice.
We need more spice and enlivenmeat il
our church music. Churches sit discussing
whether they shall have choirs, or precent