Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1893-02-03
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
The Eminent Brooklyn Divine's Sun
day Sermon.
smbIaot. OHIO Sunshine OF RELIGION"
subJ.ot: "Tho Sunshine Of Religion"


TEXT: "Her rays are igays Of pleasant
ness Proverbs ill.,, II.
You have all heard OF Gods only begotten
Son. Have you heard OF Gods daughter
She was born in heaven. She came down
,ver the hills Of our world She had queenly
,tep. On her brow was celestial radiance
Her voice was music. Her name is Religion.
Ny text introduces her. "der ways are
Eays of pleasantness, and all her paths are
)eace."
But what is religion Toe fact is that
theological study has had a different effect
lpon me from the eff .ct sometimes pro-
iuced. Every year tear out another leaf
from my theology until have only three or
lour leaves left-in other words, q very brief
and plain statement of Christian belief.
An aged Christian minister said: when
was a Young man, knew everything;
when got to be thirty-fve 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
lying at seventy-fve years OF age. and there
IS only one thing | know, aud 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 contemplation of
the character of God aud Of the eternal
world that it is necessary for me to drop this
nart of my belief and that part OF my belief
as being nOnesSential, while | cling to the
one great doctrine that man IS a sinner, and
Christ is his Almighty and Divine Saviour.
Nov take these three or four leaves Of
my theology, and find that in the first
plIca. eul dominant above all Others, is the
sunshine cf religion When 20 into a room
have n passion for throwing open all the
shutters. That is what | want 10 do this
morning We are apt 10 throw so much OF
the sepulchral into our religion and to close
the shutters AMI to pull down thu blinds
that it is only through here and there Gre
vice that the light streams. The religion Of
the Lord Jesus Christ is a religion OF JOY in.
describable and unutterable. Wherever l
can find bell mean 10 ring il.
II there are anyin this house this morn-
ing who arc disposed to bold on 10 their
melancholy and gloom, let them now depart
this service before the fairest aud the bright
est and the most raiiant being OF all the
universe comes in. Gods Son has left our
world, but Gods dau cher is here. Give her
room. Hail princess OF heaven! Hail,
daughter Of the Lord God Almighty Come
in and make this house thy thrOneroom.
In setting forth this idea the dominant
theory Of religion is one Of sunshine. l
hardly know where TO begin, for there are
so many thoughts that rusa upon my soul.
A mother saw her little child seated on the
floor in the sunshine and with a spOonin her
hand She said. My darling, what are
you doing there "Oh replied the child,
"rm getting spoonful OF this sunshine"
Would Col that lay might present you
with q cleaning chalice of this glorious
everlasting Gospel sunshine.
First OF all, find great deal OF sunshine
in Christian society.
do not know Of anything more do,eful
than the companiOnsnIp OF the mere fun
makers OF the worlG-the Thomas Hoods,
the Charles Lambs the Charles Matthews
OF the wcrli--:hc men whose eltire business
il is TO MAKE sport. They make others
laugh. but if you VIII examine their autobi-
ography or biography you will find that
down ia their soul there WAS a terrific dis
quietudc Laughter is 10 sgn Of happiness.
The manaic laughs. The hyena laughs. The
loon among the Adironiacks lauyn The
drunkard dashing his decanter against the
wal. laughs.
There is a terrible reaction from all sinful
amusement aud sinful merriment. Such
men are cross the next day. They snap at
You on exchange, or they pass you, not
recognizing You. Long agJ | quit mere
worldly society for the reisOn il was SO dull,
so inane and so stupid Ny nature is
yoracious OF Joy. 1 must have It.
always walk on the sunny side OF the
street. ami Tor that reason l have crossed
over into Christian society. like their mode
OF repartee better; | like their style Of
amusement better They live longer
Cnristian people | sometimes notice, live on
when by all natural Law they sught to nave
died. l have known persons who have con-
tinued 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 an physiology, but
they had this supernatural viyacity OF the
Gospel in their soul. and that Kept then
alive.
Put ten or twelve Christian people in a
room for Christian conversation, al 1 you
will from to 10 O'Clock hear mora resOund-
ing glee, see more bright strokes OF wit AM
find more thought and profound satisfac-
ton than in any merely worldly party.
Now, when say worldly party | mean
that to which you are invited because un-
der all the circumstances OF the case it is
the best for yOu to he invited, and TO which
you 90 because under all circumstances o.
the case it IS better that you 20. and leaving
the shawls on the second hOor YOU go TO ths
Darior 20 give formal salutation to the host
AMI the hostess. an then move around
spending the whole evening in the discus
sion OF the weather. AM 10 apology for
treading on long trails, aud ia effort to Keep
the corners Of the mouth up . the sign
Of pleasure, am going around with an
idiotic he-he about nothing. until ths cola.
ton is served, AMI then after the collation.
IS served going back again into tue parlor
TO resume the weather, and then at the close
going at very late hour to the host and
Ecstess and assuring them that you have
had most delightful evening, an then pass
ing down off the front steps the slam of ths
door the only satisfaction OF the evening.
On, young man, come from the country
to spend your days in city life where are
you going 10 spend your evenings; Let me
tell you, while there are many places Of in
nocent worldly amusement. il Is most wise
for YOU TO throw youc bo ~, mind aul soul
into Christian society. Come to me at the
close of five years and tell me what has been
tbs result of this advice. Bring with you
the young man who Refused TO take the ad-
vice and who went into sinful amusement.
He will come dissipated. shabby in apparel,
ind sposed to look any one in the eyes, moial
character eighty-five per cent. OF. You will
come with principle settled, codntenauc9
frank, habits good soul saved aud all the
inhabitants of heaven, from the lowest angel
up 20 tue archaugel and clear past him 70
the Lord God Almighty, your coadlutors.
This is not tbs advice Of misanthrope.
There is no man in the h2l5e to whom the
world Is brighter than II is to ne. lt Is not
the advice OF r dyspeptic-my digestion Is
perfect: il is not the advice OF man who
cannot ierstand joke OF who prefers
funeral . l. not the advics Ot wornout
man, bus the advice 0; q man who can sec
this world in al its brightness, nuj. consid-
eriug myself competent in Judging what IS
good cheer / tell the multltu les OF young
men in this house this morning that there IS
nothing in worldly associations so grand
and so beautiful and 80 exhilarant as in
Christian society.
I / know there is great deal OF talk about
the self denials OF the Christian. | have TO
{ tell you that where the Christian has one
self denial the man of the world has a thou
/ sand self denials. The Christian is not COM
manded to surrender anything that is worth
keeping But what doeS . man deny him-
/ self who denies himself the religion Of
! Christ. He denies hinself pardon OF sin;
/ he denies himself pe1ca of conscience; he de-
nies himself the JOY ~ thp Holy Ghost; he
| denies himself a CO ontortahls Death pillow;
be denies himself the glores OF hsayen. DO
} not talk 10 me about the salt deuials Of the
I Christian life Wdero there IS one In tho
| Christian life there are THOUSAND IN the
life OF the worli. "hsr ways are ways OF
pleasantness
Again. find a great deal ofreligious sun
| .hiro l., Christian and divine exclamation.