Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-05-04

suggestive of the sweet spices of our
holy religion. Christianity is not col
lection Of sharp technicalities, and an
gular facts, aud chronological tables,
and dry statistics. Our religion is COM
pared to frankincense and to caSSia, but
never TO nightShade. 1t is bundle OF
myrrh. 1t is a dash of holy light. tits
a sparkle OF cool fountains. 1t is an
opening of opaline gates. 1t is col
lection of spices. Would God that we
were as wise in taking spices TO our D-
vine 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 hum
drum unless there be change. An ed
itor from San Francisco a few weeks
ago wrote me saying he was getting up
for his paper symposium from many
clergy discussing among other things,
"Why do not people go to church,"
and he wanted my opinion and | gave 1t
in one sentence: People do not go to
church because they cannot stand the
humdrum. The fact is that most peO-
pie have so much humdrum in their
worldly calling, that they do not want
TO have added the humdrum OF religion.
We need in all our sermons and exhor-
tations 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
intolerabe. 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 DISPOSE
ton, and 10 put sparkle into the mans
spirits? The spicery OF our holy re-
ligion, Why, if between the losses of
life there dashed a CLEAN Of an eternal
gain; if between the betrayalS 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 a stupid monotone, would be glori-
Gus inspiration, penduluming between
calm satisfaction and high rapture.
CHRIST IN THE HOME.
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 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 the back
StoopS, and the SpectacleS crawl to the
eyes, and the grave breaks open under
the thin sole OF the Shoe-oh, II is a
long monotony! But when Christ comes
to the drawing-rOom, and comes TO the
kitchen, and comes to the nursery, and
comes 10 the dwelling, then
how cherry 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 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 winter
the stock; the widow of Sarepta because
the cruise Of oil is being repleniShed.
0 woman, having in your pantry a nest
of boxes containing all kiudS OF condi-
ments. why have you not tried in your
heart and life the Spicery OF our holy
religion? Martha. Martha. 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
the religion of this day is utterly in
Sipid. There is nothing piquant or ele-
waiting about it. Men and women go
around humming psalms in a minor
key, and culturing melancholy and their
worship has in it more signs than rapt-
ure. We do not doubt their piety. Oh,
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, and
hell, and on their way 10 a magnificent
heaven, they act as though they
were trudging on toward an ever
lasting Botany Bay. Religion does
not seem TO agree with
them. IL seems to catch in the wind
pipe and become a tight StrangulatiOn
instead Of an exhilaration. All the in