Milford chronicle., 1893-02-03
AT THE TABERNACLE.
DR.. TALMAeE CONTINUES HIS SER
MONS ON THE LESSONS OF NATURE.
There Is a Sunshine Of the Soul which Can
BE Found Only in the Religion of Christ.
There Are wit, Humor and Enduring
vivacity Among Gods People.

BE Found Only in the Religion of Christ.
There Are wit, Humor and Enduring
vivacity Among Gods People.
BROOKLYN, Jan. 29.-Rev. Dr. Talmage
this forenoon preached to a great audience
IN the Tabernacle on "The Sunshine of
Religion" J." the text chosen being Proverbs
iii, II, Her ways are ways of pleasantness. "
You have all heard of Gods only bcgotten
Son. Have you heard of Gods daughter?
She was born in heaven. She came down
over the hills Of our world. She had queen
" step. On her brow was celestial radi-
ance. Her voice was music Her name is
Religion. My text introduces her, "Her
ways are ways Of pleasantness, and all her
paths are peace"
But what is religion9 The fact is that
theological study has had different effect
upon me from the effect sometimes pro
duced. Every year 1 tear out another leaf
from my theology until have only three
or four leaves left-in other words very
brief and plain statement Of Christian be
lief
An aged Christian minister said: when
I was a young man l knew everything;
when got to be thirty-fve years of age in
my ministry l had only hundred doctrines
of religion; when got to be forty years Of
age / had only fifty doctrines of religion;
when I got to be sixty years of age had
only ten doctrines of religion, and now l
am dying at seventy-five yes Of age, and
there is only one thing know, and that IS
that Christ Jesus came into the world to
save sinners.n And so have noticed in
the study of Gods word, and in my contem-
plation of the character of God and Of the
eternal world, that it is necessary for me to
drop this part of my belief and that part
of my belief as being nonessential, while I
cling to the one great doctrine that man is
a sinner and Christ is his Almighty and
Divine Saviour.
GODS OWN DAUGHTER.
Now take these three or four leaves Of
nv theology, and l find that, in the first
place, and dominant above all others, is the
sunshine of religion. When I go into a
room have passion for throwing open all
the shutters. That is what / want to do
this morning. We are apt to throw SO
much Of the sepulohral into our religion
and to close the shutters, and to pull down
the blinds, that it is only through here and
there a crevice that the light streams. The
religion of the Lord Jesus Christ is reli-
gion of Joy indescribable and unutterable
Wherever can find a bell mean to ring it.
If there are any in this house this morn
ing who are disposed to hold on to their
melancholy and gloom, let them now de-
cart this service before the fairest and the
brightest and the most radiant being of all
the universe comes in. Gods Son has left
our world. but Gods daughter is here
Give her roomi HALT Princess Of Heaven.
Haili daughter of the Lord God Almighty
Come in and make this house thy throne
room.
In setting forth this idea the dominant
theory of religion is one Of sunshine. !
hardly know where to begin, for there are
so many thoughts that rush upon my soul
A mother saw her little child seated on the
floor in the sunshine and with a spoon in
her hand. She said, MY darling, what are
YOU doing thereY" 'Oh," replied the child,
''I'm getting a spoonful of sunshine"
Would God that today might present you
with IL cleaning chalice of this glorious
everlasting Gospel sunshinel
First of all, find a great deal of sun
shine in Christian society.
SORROWS OF THE HUMoRIsTs.
| do not know Of anything more dole
full than the ecompanionship of the emere fun
makers of the world-the Thomas Hoods
the Charles Lambs, the Charles Matthews
of the world-the men whose entire busi-
ness it is to make sport. They make others
laugh, but if you will examine their auto
biography, OF biography, you will find that
down in their soul there was a terrific dis
duietude. Laughter is no sign of happi-
ness. The maniac laughs. The hyena
laughs. The loon among the Adirondacks
laughs. The drunkard dashing his decanter
against the wall laughs.
There is a terrible reaction from all sin
full amusement and sinful merument
Such men are cross the next day. They
snap at you on exchange, or they pass you,
not recognizing you. Long ago l quit mere
worldly society Il the reason it was so dull,
so inane and so stupid. My nature IS vora-
cious of joy. l must have it.
always walk on the sunny side of the
street, and for that reason 1 have crossed
over into Christian society. like their
mode of repartee better. ! like their style
of amusement better They live longer.
Christian people, ! sometimes notice, live
On when by all patdTal law they ought 10
have died. have known persons who
have continued in their existence when the
doctor said they ought to have been dead
ten years. Every day of their existence
was a defiance of the laws of anatomy and
physiology, but they had this supernatural
vivacity of the Gospel in their soul, and
that kept them alive.
CHRISTIAN INTELLECT AND REPARTEE.
Put ten or twelve Christian people in a
room for Christian conversation, and you
will from to 10 o'clock hear more resound-
ing glee, see more bright strokes OF wit and
find more thought and profound satisfaction
than in any merely worldly party. Now
when / say worldly party" mean That
to which you are invited because under all
the circumstances of the case it is the best
for you to be invited, and to which you go
because under all the circumstances Of the
case il is better that you go, and leav-
ing the shawls on the second floor
YOU 60 to the parlor to give formal
salutation to the host and the host
ess, and then move around, spending
the whole evening in the discussion Of the
weather, and in apology for treading on
long trails, and in effort to keep the corners
of the mouth up to the sign Of pleasure
and going around with an idiotic he-he
about nothing, until the collation. is served,
and then, after the collation. is served, going
back again into the parlOr to resume the
weather, and then at the close going at a
very late hour to the host and hostess and
assuring them that you have had most
delightful evening, and then passing down
of the front steps, the slam of the door the
only satisfaction of the evening.
Oh, young man, come from the country
to spend your days in city life, where are
you goingto spend your evenings? Let me
1 tell YOU, while there are many places Of in
nooent worldly amusement, it is most wise
for you to throw your body, mind and soul
! into Christian society Come to me at the
close Of five years and tell mewhat has been
the result of this advice. Bring with you
the Young man who refused TO take the nd-
vice and who went into sinful amusement
He will come dissipated, shabby in apparel
indisposed to look any one in the eyes, NOR
/ al character So per cent. off. You will come
with principle settled, countenance frank
habits good, soul saved and all the inhab
4 Itants Of heaven from tho lowest angel uT
10 the archnngel, and clear past him 70 thi
/ Lord God Almighty, your eoadJutors.
THE BRIGHTNESS OF LIFE.
This is not the advice Of misanthrope
There is no man in the house to whom th'