Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1893-09-15
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S sun
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "Week Day Religion.

TEXT ''Tn all Thy rays acknowledge Him"
proverbs ill.,, 6.
There has been tendency in all lands and
ages to set apart certain days. places and oc-
casions for especial religious service. and TO
think that they formed the realm in which: re-
hg1on was chiefly TO act. Now. while holy
days and holy places have their use. they can
never be substitute for continuous exercise
of faith and prayer.
In other words man cannot be so good a
Christian On Sabbath that he can afford to be
wording all the week. II a steamer start
for Southampton and sail one day in that di-
rection and the other six days 1ail in other
directions how long before the steamer will
get to Southampton? Just as soon as the
man will get to heaven who sails on the Sab
bath day tOwardth which is good. and the
other six days Of the week sails toward the
world the flesh and the devil. You cannot
eat so much at the Sabbath banquet that you
can afford religious abstinence all the rest OF
the week.
Genuine religion is not spasmodic, does
not 90 by fits and starts, is not an attack of
chills and fever-nOW cold until your teeth
chatter now hot until your bones ache.
Genuine religion marches on steadily up
steep hills and along dangerous declivities,
its eye ever on the everlasting hills crowned
with the castles Of the blessed.
Propose 50 far as God may help me, to
show YOU how we may bring our religion in
to ordinary life and practice it in common
things-yesteriay, to-day, tomorrow.
And, in the first place, remark, we ought
to bring religion into our ordinary cOnverSa-
ton. A dam breaks, and two or three viii
lagos are submerged, a South American
earthquake swallows Il city, and people be-
gin to talk about the uncertainty Of human
life, and in that conversation think they are
engaging in religious service when there
may be no religion at all. L have noticed
that in proportion as Christian experience is
shallow men talk about funerals and death
beds and hcarSeS and tOmbStOnCs and cpl
Caphs.
If man have the religion Of the gospel in
its full power in his soul. he Will talk chiefly
about this world and the eternal world and
very little comparatively about the inSiSnf-
cant pass between this and that. Yet how
seldom it is that the religion of Christ is
welcome themei If man full OF the gospel
of Christ goes into a religious circle and be-
gins to talk about sacred things, all the con-
yersatOn is hushed, and things become eX-
ceedingly awkward. AS on summer day,
the forest full Of song and chlrp and carol,
mighty chorus of bird harmOnies, every
branch an orchestra, if hawk appears in
the sky, all the voices are hushed, 50 have
sometimes seen a social circle that professed
to be Christian silenced by the appearance Of
the great theme of God and religion.
Now, my friends, if we have the religion or
Christ in our soul, we will talk about it in
an exhlarant mood. 1t is more refreshing
than the waters. it is brighter than the sun
shine, it gives man Joy here and prepares
him for everlasting happiness before the
throne of God. And yet, if the theme OF
religion be introduced into a circle, every
thing ssilenced-silenced unless perhaps an
aged Christian man in the corner Of the
room, feeling that something ought to be
said, puts one foot over the other and signs
heavily and says, sob, yes that's so.'
My friends, the religion of Jesus Christ is
not something to be groaned about, but
q talk about about.
face irradiated. The trouble is that men pro-
Tossing the faith Of the gospel are often Sc
inconsistent that they are afraid their con-
verSatiOn will not harmonic with their life.
We cannot talk the gospel unless we live the
gospel. You will often find a man whose en-
tire life is full Of Inconsistencies filling his
conversation with such expressions as, 1--WE
are miserable sinners 1.-The Lord help Us,
"The Lord bless yOu," interlarding their
conversation with such phrases, which are
mere canting, and canting is the worst kind
of hypocrisy.
If man have the grace of God in his heart
dominant, he can talk religion, and it will
seem natural. and men. instead Of being re-
pulsed by it, will be attracted by it. Do you
not know that when two Christian people
talk as they ought about the things of Christ
and heaven God gives special attention, and
He writes it all down. Malachi ill.,, Is,
''Then they that feared the Lord talked one
to the other, and the Lord hearkened and
heard, and a book Of remembrance was writ
ten"
But [ remark again, we ought to bring the
religion of Jesus Christ into our ordinary
emplOyments. "Oh." you say, THAT'S very
good theory for man who manages a large
business, who has great traffic, who holds a
great estate-it is a grand thing for bankers
and for shippers-but in my thread and nee
die store, in my trimming establishment, in
my insignificant work Of life. you cannot
apply those grand goSpie principles. Who
told you that? Do you not know that
faded leaf on brooks surface attracts Gods
attention as certainly as the path OF blaz-
Ing SUM- and that the moss that creepS upthe
side of the rock attracts God attention Us
certainly as the waving tops OF Oregon pine
and Lebanon cedar. and that the cracking
OF an alder under u cows hOOf sounds as
loudly in Gods ear as the snap OF world s
confIagration AMI that the most insignit1-
cant thing in your life is OF enough impOr-
lance to attract the attention of the Lord
God Almighty?
lily brother. you cannot be called to do any
thing so insignificant but God will help you
in it. If you are a fisherman, Christ will
stand by you as He did by Simon when he
dragged Gennesaret Are YOU a drawer of
water? He will be with You at the we'll
curb when talking with the Sam2>itan
woman. Are you q custom house officer?
Christ will call you as He did Matthew at the
receipt of custom. The man VINO has only
days wages in his pocket as certainly needs
religion rs he VINO ratties the keys of bank
and could abscond with hundred thousand
hard dollars. And yet there are men who
profess the religion of Jesus Christ who do
not bring the religion of the gospel into
their ordinary occupations and employ
mentS.
There are in the churches Of this day men
who seem very devout on the Sabbath who
are far from that during the week. \ cOun-
try merchant arrives in this city, and he goes