The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1892-02-10
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIvTNE'S SUN.
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "Religfon in Our Daily Life"

drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the
glory Of God."-I Corinthians <, 81.
When the apostle in his text sets forth the
idea that 80 common an action as the taking
Of food and drink is to be conducted to the
glory Of God, he proclains the importance OF
religion in the ordinary affairs Of our life
In all ages Of the world there has been a
tendency to set apart certain days, places
and occasions for worship aud to think
those were the chief realms in which religion
was to act. Now, holy days and holy places
have their Importance. They give oppor-
tunity for especial performance OF Christian
tite, but they caunot take the place Of con.
tinuous exercise o. faith and PRAYER. In
other words, man cannot be 80 much OF q
Christian on Sundey that he can afford to
be worldling all the rest Of the week. II q
steamer puts out for Southampton and goes
one day in that direction and the other six
days in other directions, how long before the
steamer will get to Southampton It. will
never get there.
And though man may seem to be voy-
aging heavenward during the holy Sabbath
week he is going toward the world, and to-
ward the flesh, and toward the devil, be will
never ride up into the peaceful harbor Of
heaven. You cannot eat so much at the
Sabbath banquet that you can afford re-
]igious abstinence the other six days. Hero
ism and princely behavior on great occasions
are no apology for lack Of right demeanor in
circumstances Insignificant and inconspicu-
GUS. The genuine Christian life is not spas.
modic; does not 60 by dts and starts. It tolls
on through heat and cold up steep mountains
the everlasting hills crowned with the castles
of the blessad
Ipropose this morning to plead for q re-
ligion for to-day.
In the first place, we want to bring the re-
ligion Of Christ into our conversation. When
dam breaks, and two or three villages are
overwhelmed, or an earthquake in South
America swallows a whole city, then people
begin to talk about the uncertainty Of life.
and they imagine that they are engaged in
positively religious conversation. No. You
may talk about these things and have no
grace OF God at all in your heart. We ought
anything glad about 1t, anything beautiful
about it, we ought to be continuously dis.
cussing it. I have noticed that men, just in
proportion as their Christian experience Is
shallow, talk about funerals and graveyards
and tombstones and deathbeds. The real,
genuine Christian man talks chiefly about
this life and the great eternity beyond, and
not 80 much about the insignificant pass be-
tween these two residences And yet how
few circles there are where the religion Of
Jesus Christ is welcome.
Go into circle even of Christian people,
where they are full of Joy and hilarity and
Is Immediately slenced. As on q summer
day, when the forests are full of life, chat
ter and chirrup and carol-a mighty chorus
of bird harmony, every tree branch an Or
chestra-if hawk appear in the sky every
voice stops and the forests are still; just so,
have seen lively religious circle silenced
on the appearance Of anything like religious
conversation. No one has anything to say,
save, perhaps, some old patriarch in the
corner Of the room, who really thinks that
something ought to be said under the cir
cumstances, go he puts one foot over the
other and heaves a long sigh, and says, ''Oh,
yes; that's so, that's sop
My friends, the religion Of Jesus Christ
Is something to talk about with glad
heart. 1t is brighter than the waters; it
is more cheerful than the sunshine. Do not
90 around groaning about your religion
when you ought to be singing 1t or talking
it in cheerful tones Of voice. How often 1t
is that we find men whose lives are utterly
inconsistent, who attempt to talk religion,
and always make a failure of It'll My
friends, we must live religion, or we cannot
talk it. II man is cranky and cross and
uncongenial and hard in his dealings, and
then begins to talk about Christ and heaven,
everybody is repelled by it.
Yet have heard such men say, in whining
tones, 1--WE are miserable sinners" "The
Lord bless you" ''The Lord have mercy on
YOU" their conversation interlarded with
such expressions, which mean nothing but
cantipg and canting Is the worst form of
hypocrisy. If we have really felt the religion
Of Christ in our hearts let US talk It, and talk
it with illuminated countenance, remember
ing that when two Christian people talk God
gives especial attention and writes down
what they say. Malachi ill.,, 16. ''Then they
that feared the Lord spake often one to an
other, and the Lord harkened and heard il,
and book Of remembrance was written"
Again, I remark, we must bring the re-
"Oh." you say, ''that is very well If q, man
handle large sums Of money, or If he have
an extensive traffic, but in my thread and
needle store, in my trimming establish
ment, in the humble work in life that am
called to, the sphere Is too small for the
action Of such grand, heavenly principles.
Who told you 80? Do you not know that
God watches the faded leaf on the brooks
surface as certainly as He does the path OF
q blazing sun? And the moss that creeps up
the side Of the rock makes as much impress
sion upon Gods mind as the waving tons oi
Oregon pine and Lebanon cedar; aud th.
alder, cracking under the cows hoof, sounds
as loud in Gods ear as the snap Of q worlds
confagration.
When you have anything to do in life,
however humble it may seem to be- God i
always there to help you to do 1t. IF your
work is that Of fisherman, then God will
help you, as He helped Simon when he
dragged Gennesaret. II your work is draw
ing water, then He will help you. as when
He talked at the well curb to the Samaritan
woman. II you are engaged In the custom
house, he will lead you, as He led Matthew
sitting at the receipt of customs. A religion
that is not good in one place is not worth
anything In another place. The man who
has only days wages in his pocket as Ger.
tainly needs the guidance Of religion as he
who rattles the keys Of bank and could
abscond with hundred thousand hard dol
lara
There are those prominent in the churches
who seem to be on public occasions very de-
vout who do not put the principles Of
Christs religion into practice. They are the
most grasping of dealers. They are known
as sharpers on the strest. They fleece every
sheep they can catch. A country merchant
comes in to buy spring or fall goods and he
gets into the store Of one Of these professed
Christian men who have really no grace in
their hearts, and he is completely swindied.
He is 50 overcome that he cannot get out OF
town during the week. He stays in town
over Sunday, goes into some church to get
Christian consolation, when what is his
amazsment to find the very man who hands
him the poor box in the church is the one
who relieved him Of his money! But never
mind, the deacon has his black coat on now
He looks solemn and goes home talking
about 'sthe blessed sermon"
II the wheat in the churches should be put
into hopper, the first turn Of the crank
would make the chaff hy, tell you. Some