Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1892-01-30


Earthly Work Is Too Small to Have
the Christian Spirit rnt Into 1t.
BRooKLYN. Jan. u. DIR. Talmage's
sermon this morning was on the topic
on which he is never tired of insist
ing. and which. more than any other.
constitutes his message to this gen
eration-the application of religion
to the affairs of daily life His text
was taken from | Corinthians X. 81.
Whether, therefore. We eat ordrink,
or whatsoever We do. do all to the
glory of God.
When the apostle. in this text. sets
forth the idea that so common an ac
ton as the taking of food and drink
is to be conducted to the glory of
God, he proclaims the importance of
religion i'll 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 We're 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, man cannot be 50
much of Christian on Sunday that
he can afford to be wording all the
rest of the week. If a steamer put
out for Southampton. and 90 one day
in that direction and the other six
days i'll other directions. how long be
fore the steamer will get To South
ampton1 1t will never get there.
And though man may seem Ia he
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 the 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 he
havior on great occasions are no
apology for lack of right demeanor
in circumstances insignificant and in
conspicuous. The genuine Christian
life is not slasmodic; does not 20 by
fits and starts 1t tolls on through
heat and cold. mp steep mountains and
along dangerous declivities. its eye
on the everlasting hills crowned with
the castles of the blessed
i propose this morning to plead for
a 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 n 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 un-
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 i'll your
heart We ought every day To he
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 thar men. just in
proportion as their Christian expe
rience is shallow. talk about funerals
and graveyaris and tombstones 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 TO into a circle. even of
Christian people. where they are full
of joy and hilarity. and talk of
Christ and heaven. and everything is
Immediately silenced.
AS on a summer day. when the for
ests are full of life. chatter and CHR
rup and Garcia mighty chorus of
bird harmony. every tree branch an
orchestra 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 cornero of the room. who
really thinks that something ought to
be said under the circumstances: so
he puts one foot over the other, and
heaves long sigh and says. oh.
yes; that's SO. that's So"
My friends. the religion of Jesus
Christ is something TO talk about
with a glad heart. 1t is brighter than
the waters; it is more cheerful than
the sunshine Do not go around
groaning 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 a failure of it My friends, we
must live religion or we cannot talk
it. If 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, We are miserable
sinners, THE Lord bless you, The
Lord have mercy on you. their con
versation interlarded with such ex-
pressions. which mean nothing but
canting. and canting is the worst
form .. hvpwr:.,y If we have really
felt the rapGnn of Christ in our
hearts let u talk II and talk it with
an illuminated countcnancc. remcn.