The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-02-01

Ntvactty Among Gods People.
BROOKLYN, Jan. 29.-Rev. DR.. Talmage
this forenoon preached to a great audience
in the Tabernacle on THE Sunshine of
Religion" the text chosen being Proverbs
iii, II, Her ways are ways of pleasantness."
You have all heard of Gods On.y begotten
Son Have You heard of Gods daughter2
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 religionp The fact is that
theological study has had different effect
upon me from the effect sometimes pro
duced. Every year tear out another leaf
from my theology until | have only three
or four leaves left-in other words, a very
brief and plain statement of Christian be
lief
An aged Christian minister said: when
/ was a young man l knew everything;
when got TO be thirty five years of age in
my ministry had only hundred doctrines
of religion; when got to be forty years of
age had only fifty doctrines of religion;
when / got to be sixty years of age had
only ten doctrines of religion, and now
am dying at seventy-five years of age, and
there is only one thing | know, and that is
that Christ Jesus came into the world TO
save sinners" 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 ms being nOnessential, while
cling 70 the one great doctrine that man is
sinner and Christ is his Almighty and
Divine Saviour.
GODS OWN DAUGHTER.
Now take these three or four leav : of
my theology, and | find that, in the first
place, and dominant above all others, is the
sunshine of religion. When 1 go into
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 sepulchral into our religion,
and to close the shutters, and to pull down
the blinds, that it Is only through here and
there "A cTevice that the light streams. The
religion of the Lord Jesus Christ is reli-
gion of joy understandable and unutterable.
Wherever / can find 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
part this service before the fairest and the
the universe comes in. Gods Son has left
our world, but Gods daughter is here.
Give her rOOml HALL Princess of Heaven.
HALL daughter of the Lord God Almighty.
Come in and make this house thy throne
room.
In setting forth this idea tho dominant
theory of religion is one of sunshine l
hardly know where tc begin, for there are
so many thoughts that rush upon my soul.
a mother SOW 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 tkere2" oh" replied the child,
Pm getting q spoonful of sunshine"
Would God that today might present you
with n cleaning chalice Of this glorious,
everlasting Gospel sunshinei
First of all, i find a great deal of sun
shine in Christian society
90 not know OF anything more dole
full than the cOmpaniOnship Of themere fun
makers of the wOrld-the Thomas Hoods,
the Charles Lambs the Charles Matthews
of the world-the men whose entire bust
ness it is to makesport. They make others
laugh, but il you will examine their auto
biography, or biography, you Will find that
down in their soul there was terrific dis
quietude. 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 Il terrible reaction from all sim
full amusement and sinful merriment
Such men are cross the next day. They
snap at you on exchange, or they pass you,
not recognizing you. Long ago quit mere
worldly society for the reason it was so dull,
so inane and so stupid. Ny nature is vora-
cious of joy. must have it.
l always walk on the sunny side of the
street, and for that reason have crossed
over into Christian society. | ike their
mode Of repartee better. i like their style
Of amusement better. They live longer
Christian people, / sometimes notice. live
on when by all natural law they ought to
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 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
AAlDAt
than in any merely worldly party Now
when say a worldly party mean that
20 which you are invited because under all
the circumstances Of the case it i the best
for you To be invited, and 10 which YOU go
because under all the circumstances Of the
case 1t Is better that you go, and leav-
ing the shawls on the second floor
you 20 TO the parlOT 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 mp 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 20 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 a most
delightful evening, and then passing down
on the front steps, the slam of the door the
only satisfaction Of the evening
On, young man, come from the country
70 spend your days in city life, where are
you goingtO spend your eveningsy Let me
tell you, while there are many places of in
nocent worldly amusement, il is most wise
for you TO throw your body, mind and soul
into Christian society. Come 10 me at the
close Of Eve years and tell me what has been
the result Of this advice. Bring with you
the young man who refused tOtake the adj
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 IS per cent off. You will come
vii Qfrr1a at faI