Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1892-01-30


In the Week VIII Never Get Thore-No
Earthly Work liz Too Small to Havo
tho Christian Spirit Put Into It.
BROOKLYN. Jan. 24.-Dr. Talmage's
sermon this morning was on tho topic
on which be is never tired of insist
ing, and which, moro than any other,
constitutes his message to this gen
eration-the application of religion
to the affairs of daily life. Els text
was taken from l Corinthians X, 81,
Whether, therefore, We eat or drink,
or whatsoever ye do, do all to the
glory of God.
When the apostle, in this text. sets
forth the idea, thatso common an ac-
ton as thu taking of food and drink
is to he conducted to tho glory of
tiod, he procli.inls tie importance Of
religion in the ordinary affairs of our
life. In all ages of the world there
has been Il tendency to set apart GER
tain days, places and occasions for
worship. and to think those were the
chief realms in which religion was to
act. Now. holy days and holy places
have their importance. They give
opportunity for especial performance
of Christian duty, and for RECALLING
of the religious appetite; but they
cannot take the place of continuous
exercise of faith and prayer.
In other words, Il man cannot be SO
much of Christian on Sunday that
be- can afford to be Il worldling all the
rest of the week. If a steamer put
out for Southampton, and go one day
in that direction and the other six
days in other directions, how long be-
fore the steamer will get to South
alnpton2 1t will never get there.
And though man may seem to be
voyaging heavenward during the
holy Sabbath day, if, during the fol
lowing six days of the week, he is
going toward the world, and toward
the flesh, and toward the devil. he
will never ride up into tho peaceful
harbor of heaven.
You cannot eat SO much at the
Sabbath banquet that you can afford
religious abstinence the other six
days. Heroism and princely be,
havior on great occasions are no
apology for lack of right demeanor
in circumstances insignificant and in
conspicuous. The genuine Christian
life is not srasmmiic; does not go by
fits and starts. 1t tolls on through
heat and cold, up steep mountains and
along dangerous declivities, its eye
on the everlasting hills crowned with
the castles Of the blessed.
propose this morning to plead for
religion for today.
CHRIST IN OUR DAILY CONVERSATION.
In the first place we want to bring
the religion of Christ into our con-
versation. When dam breaks and
two or three villages are over
whelmed. or an earthquake in South
America swallows a whole city. then
people begin to talk about the I'M
certainty 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 every day to be
talking religion. If there is any
thing glad about it, anything beauti-
full about it, anything important
about it, we ought to be continuous
ly discussing it.
| have noticed that men, just in
proportion as their Christian expe-
rience is shallow, talk about funerals
and g,'aveyarls and tonbstones and
deathbeds. The real. genuine Chris
tan man talks chiefly about this life
and the great eternity beyond, and
not SO much about the insignificant
pass between 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 talk of
Christ and heaven. and everything Ii
Immediately silencel.
AS on a summer day, when tho for
ests are full of life. chatter and CHR
rup and Garcia mighty chorus of
bird harmony. every tree branch an
orchestra--if a hawk appear in the
sky every voice stops, and the for
ests are still; just so ! have seen a
lively religious circle silenced on the
appearance of anything like religious
conversation. No one had anything
to say, save perhaps some old patli-
arch in the corner of the room, who
really thinks thatsomething ought to
be said under tho circumstances; so
he puts one foot over the other, and
heaves long sigh and says, "Ch,
yes; that's SO. that's SOL
My friends, the religion OF Jesus
Christ is something to talk about
with glad heart. tits brighterthan
the waters; 1t is more cheerful than
the sunshine. Do not go around
grooming about your religion when
you ought to be singing it or talking
it in cheerful tones of voice. How
often it is that we find men whose
lives are utterly inconsistent, who at
tempt to talk religion. and always
make 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 repealed
by it.
Yet have heard such men say in
whining tones, I'VE are miserable
klrI